The next day was honestly a blur. Wake up, get to work, and do what is required of you. It all felt distant like she was on autopilot. Maybe it was the fact she came home past midnight and went to bed an hour later after drinking a whole can of coffee.

Either way, her body felt like it was moving all on its own; step after step she made was seemingly out of her control, not that she minded all that much.

However, the most concerning part of her day was that it was quiet. No annoying demon butting on to give unqualified comments. Id was quiet, something that honestly put her more on edge than she would have thought.

And not just Id was quiet; everyone was. Or at least, that's how she perceived it. She didn't notice anyone talking to her, or maybe she just didn't care enough to notice. She simply existed; it felt like her body kept on moving.

Throughout the day, she drifted off, only realizing where she was and what she was doing several minutes later, and she just didn't care. Things were going their way; she was just along for the ride.

But once she left work, her mind sprung to life. Her path through the city was clear. She knew what to do!

()E+I()

"I'm still not comfortable being around my workplace..." Swift quietly said, her jacket collar pulled up to her cheeks as she walked next to Ebony.

"Oh, why's that, Scardy? Afraid Foxy might find out?" He returned casually, stretching himself a bit.

"A bit..." She whispered back.

"I really don't get why that'd matter. She is not interested, so why would she even care if you got it?"

"Well... She might think this is a bad idea..."

"And why would that matter?" A deep, threatening voice hissed out, making Swift almost slip on the cold ground.

Swift looked over to the side; the black and purple demon, sporting a set of unnervingly sharp teeth, had emerged from her. The creature was crossing her arms, and while her expression was hard to read, Swift had heard the displeasure in her voice.

"It... Doesn't," she said, awkwardly brushing through her hair. "But you know... She's a friend, and I..."

"Yeah," the demon interrupted her, leaning in closer. "A 'friend'. That's all she-"

"Invidia! Please!" Swift shouted back, not that it was particularly loud. Still, her expression was one of clear worry.

"Fine, I'll stop. We'll get back to that later, won't we?" Invidia sighed, Swift Pen simply nodding.

"Ain't you two a cute couple," Ebony simply chuckled.

"I mean..."

"Careful there, science guy!"

The two said at the same time, which made Ebony just chuckle.

"Right, right, my heroes." Raising his hands, he took a step away from them, but the smirk on his lips wasn't gone yet.

"Good!" Invidia hissed, glaring at the man, before adding a far less hostile. "So, any ideas how we can deal with this guy and how to find him?"

"Well, you caught him in the act last day while he was trying to rob that warehouse. And in broad daylight, he's gotta be desperate. So, he'll strike again soon. He's definitely looking for something."

"Right... How did you know he was there in the first place?" The demon asked inquisitively.

"I stumbled upon him the day before, staking the building out. His demon has no sense of staying quiet or discrete. The desire was basically dripping from him," he simply returned.

"Dripping off hi-"

"Not that it matters. I know he'll be back again. And we need to put a stop to him then!"

"And how do you suggest we do this, Mr. Genius?" Invidia snarled.

"With this!" Seemingly out of nowhere, and with a wide grin on his lips, he pulled out... a thing... There was no better way to describe it. One could clearly see it was modeled after a Vistamp, but the shape was... Odd. It is almost like it was cut in two, only held together by a hinge. There were four wheels attached to the side of it.

"What... Is that?" Swift asked, taking a step closer, eyes narrowing at the strange Stamp.

"That is the thing every Rider worth their name needs! And our ticket to victory on top of that!" He smirked before slipping it back into his pocket. "After the Hawk-Stamp didn't do the trick and you couldn't manage to get him down with the Fox-Stamp, I needed to put some time in finishing this bad boy!"

"Spit it out, man!" The demon growled, gritting her teeth menacingly at him.

He simply didn't care before shouting out. "And there we are!" Stretching his arms, he pointed at the same warehouse from the previous day. Nestled in a back ally, it looked absolutely unremarkable, minus the dented metal gate.

Invidia just groaned before slipping back into Swift. She just had no interest in arguing with the man right now.

"So... Are you sure he is here?" Swift asked, looking over to the scientist, his lips twisted into a cocky smirk.

"Oh, 1000%!" He returned, pushing the large warehouse door open, the sound of metal scraping across the ground sending a shiver down her neck. "He'll be here, and the stuff he's looking for will be there as well."

Without waiting for an answer, he strutted into the messy-looking warehouse. The crates had been broken open, and their contents were carelessly thrown around. The Deadman was looking for something and had left no stone unturned. Not that it mattered at this point; they just needed to find him.

Moving deeper into the warehouse, following the stench of desire he could sense, Swift followed right behind Ebony. The woman's head was turning from side to side, almost like she thought she was being watched. The worries were written on the brow on her forehead, all while the demon hovered behind her, excitedly sniffing around.

"Don't be such a pansy, Swift; he's a pushover," the demon muttered, leaning over her shoulder. "Just leave it to me; this will be done before you know it."

"Invidia, please, be quiet! He could hear us," she desperately pleaded over to her demon.

"I mean, we want to find him. We could cut this so much shorter if we just-"

"I agree with her. If he gets the wrong idea, he'll just run. And then we can do this all over again," Ebony added, leaning across the corner to see if the Deadman was anywhere to be seen.

"I wouldn't worry about that," a fourth voice stated. It was low, grumble, and had an unnatural chill to it.

Within a second, a giant icicle rocketed towards the two, Swift screaming out, pushing Ebony out of the way and getting graced for her trouble.

With another screech, she fell backward, the Driver and Vistamp tumbling out of her pocket and over the floor, a good bit away from her. Her eyes darted between her bleeding injury, which was stinging like crazy, the monster, and the Driver.

With a pained yelp, she pushed herself toward the Driver as the Deadman shot another icicle right where she had been lying.

She didn't manage to get there all the way but pushed herself the last bit, one eye still focused on her opponent as she grabbed it and pushed herself up.

"He, you are stubborn, I give you that. Fine, show me what you can do. Maybe it will be fun before you run with your tail between your legs again," he chuckled, his hands emanating cold.

Swift took a deep breath and raised the Driver before slap-

With no prior warning, the Driver was pulled out of her grasp. Swift froze, head spinning to the thief, only to be greeted by a stern-looking person she was not expecting in the slightest.

"Splash!?"

"Foxy?"

Both Swift and Ebony said in unison, their reactions ranging from surprise to curiosity on Ebony's part.

"What are you..."

"You wanted someone to entertain you?" Splash simply ignored her question, slamming the Driver on her wrist as it looped into place.

()Psyde-Driver!()

"How about you fight a real Rider? Maybe that will be the entertainment you are looking for," she continued, Id hovering beside her. Splash's voice was unnervingly confident. Like she was enjoying this. "Swift, I need that back, by the way!"

She blinked, unable to comprehend what Splash was asking of her.

"The stamp! I need my stamp back!" Splash emphasized the word 'my' in such a way that Swift didn't even think twice before handing the device back to Splash.

"Thanks! Now, get to cover! I'm going to have some fun!"

()Fox!()

Invidia was about to shout something back at Splash, but Swift's legs were faster, dragging her injured body behind the next best crate.

"And you are?" The monster finally asked, clearly amused by the show in front of him.

"I? I'm the real deal! I'm Kamen Rider Ego!"

"And I'm Kamen Rider Id!" The demon added, crossing her arms, her tone smug beyond belief.

"And we are here to enjoy our-self! Henshin!"

Without another word, she flipped the Driver, Id's body once more, garbing the giant stamp and slamming it down on her.

()Flip Out! F-F-Fox!()

()Draw Up!()

(Sketch-(

)Splash-)

()ing!()

(Paint-(

)Spray-)

()ing!()

()Kamen Rider()

(Ego!(

)Id!)

()Ego Plus Id!())

The two Riders stood, once more, in front of a monster, Id stretching herself while Ego looked down on her body. "Man... I missed this feeling. And I missed what comes next even more!"

Without another second wasted, Splash dashed forward, sliding underneath another ice spike shooting towards her, before pushing herself up into the air, delivering a devastating haymaker to the monster's jaw, making it topple backward.

With no place to catch himself, the Deadman crashed into several boxes, smashing them to pieces. Once he came back up, his chest exploded into a rain of sparks as his scream echoed through the warehouse.

Not that Id's gun managed to keep him down for long. He simply powered through the pain, creating several small icicles in front of him that redirected the shots everywhere, just not him.

"Caught me off guard, eh? But I've seen the demon's pea-shooter before! It's weaksauce!" Clenching his fists, the ice bear slammed his fists on the ground, a thick sheet of ice spreading outward within seconds.

Both Ego and Id managed to jump up and on some crates before they got caught in it, but that didn't really matter. Any step on the slippery floor would send them back down anyway. Worst of all, the literal ice skates the monster had made for itself raced straight toward the stack of boxes Ego was standing on.

"Id! Let's repeat what worked!" She shouted over to the demon, hoping she knew how she thought.

Putting her safely into the demon's hands, an idea she would have kicked herself just a day ago, she put all her power into the leap, dashing over the Deadman as he crashed through the boxes like crackers.

Ego could see the splinters flying off him as she sailed over the head of the monster, the valuables crushed and battered beyond usability, something that made her opponent even angrier, judging by his screams at least.

That's when she heard the sound of a blaster discharging, followed by a sudden force of heat from behind and under her. Id had pulled through!

Ego landed on a hand and two legs, immediately looking up ahead toward her rapidly advancing opponent. The small area Id's gun had unmelted wasn't big enough for a proper counterattack, and she couldn't exactly move. Still, she wouldn't just stand there and be run over like a dear in the headlights. Tightening her grip on the two paint batons on her hip, she pulled them up, pushing the button on them.

With two swift slashes, bright pink paint was splashed across the floor, covering the ice under it. She had no idea if this was gonna work, but she had to at least fucking try it. Without a second more hesitation, she rushed forward, feet stepping on the covered area and... not immediately slipping away. She took this as a good sign.

Redoubling her speed, she once more ducked downward, setting herself up for a leg sweep, the Deadman too stunned to even comprehend what she was attempting to do.

Her leg zoomed from one side to the other, sliding across the ground, right into his skates, shattering on impact.

Without his footing, the monster was sent flying, tumbling in the air before crashing into another stack of boxes, followed by a pained groan.

"I must say, clever thinking on my part," Id chuckled, jumping down from her stack and casually walking over to her, the ground under her feet covered in an excessive amount of paint.

"Haha, very funny," Splash added drily before turning her attention back to the monster, who was slowly pushing himself out of what remained of the crates.

"OK, you are a lot more annoying than yesterday," the monster growled. "But you ain't getting between me and this book! I'm not letting you stop me from getting it! I need to bring it back; that way, they will finally see my worth, damn it!"

"Yeah, I really don't care," Ego shrugged, the monster just fuming.

Wait, it really was fuming, or rather, it was smoking. The air around it quickly dropped, the icy mist enveloping the whole hall, making it almost impossible to see anything beyond your own hands.

"Hey! The fuck you doing!?" She shouted through the mist, resisting the urge to shiver, even if she really wanted to.

Without any further warning, Splash felt a pain in her stomach, like she was hit by a basketball shot out of a cannon. Gasping out the last of her air, she was thrown further into the mist, crashing into a stack of boxes, shattering them on impact.

She hadn't even managed to catch her breath as she felt a sharp pull on her leg, and within moments, she was once more dragged into the air, sailing across the room, only barely able to roll off the ground this time, reducing some buses for just a few scrapes.

Still, she couldn't just expect that it was over. Even if she had managed to not eat total shit this time, her chances were slim. She had to think of something; quick!

Then it hit her!

She knew exactly what to do! Immediately, she swapped the Stamp on her Driver for her second one and switched the mechanism.

()Hawk!()

()Flip Out! H-H-Hawk!()

()Draw Up!()

(Soar-(

)Roar-)

()ing!()

(Fly-(

)Cry-)

()ing!()

()Highspeed Hawk Hunter()

The transformation cleared a small area around them, but sadly, it didn't last long as the fog tried to reassert itself already.

"Oh no, you don't!" Splash shouted at the air around her before starting to flap the 'wings' on her back. Id followed suit, the air around the two Riders being kicked up and pushed away.

A growl, followed by another icicle, was all that followed before anyone had any chance to survey the new situation.

Id was the first to react, her wing reaching up and moving right in front of Ego's face. With a pained grunt, the shard exploded on impact, pieces of ice dropping harmlessly to the ground around them.

"Move! You got a target! I'm not catching another for you!" Id hissed at her other half, which didn't hesitate for even a second more.

Dropping to a knee, Ego pointed her gun in the direction where the attack had come from.

For a moment, the warehouse was utterly quiet, minus some of the ice creaking under the warmth, and then she shot!

A loud screech followed, accompanied by a burly figure dashing from one stack of boxes to another.

Ego's gun followed the target immediately, a second shot hitting the Deadman, staining his arm lime-green.

Then the silence returned again, Splash's finger dead on the trigger, biting her lip underneath her helmet.

She was almost tempted to rush forward herself as the crates were kicked towards her, both Id and her rolling to the side, followed by several shots towards where the monster had been.

Sadly, none had hit the target, harmlessly crashing into the wall behind it...

No, one hadn't!

One had slammed into something more... melodic...

Ice!

Swinging her weapon around, Splash finally noticed the lime peaking out from behind another stack.

Pulling the trigger, she obliterated the cover, slamming several more shots into the target behind it.

Or rather, the ice shield he was holding!

It was already covered in paint, several cracks apparent on the material as he dashed towards the next line of cover.

Splash was about to pull the trigger once more when the other hand emerged from behind the shield. Within the blink of an eye, three icicles were sailing towards her.

Swinging the weapon to the side, she aimed, took a deep breath, and shot thrice in quick succession, each shot hitting its mark but giving the monster ample time to get to its next cover.

With a hiss, she took aim once more. One more shot and she'd be able to shatter the shield, she knew that, but she had to actually get that shot to connect, and that wouldn't be easy for this cat-and-mouse game.

Still, she had the advantage now; she just had to-

She almost would have missed the cover switch of the monster, the barbell of her gun trailing him as she pulled the trigger three more times. Sadly, each one being countered by another projectile from her opponent, pieces of paint and ice scattering to the ground between them.

Once more, the Deadman had managed to evade her attack, and once more, he was behind cover, but unlike last time, it wasn't quiet. She could hear him breaking open the crate and rummaging for something.
He must have found what he was after!

If she didn't get him now, he'd be trying everything to get away from her!

She had to play it risky... That was the only way!

Refocusing on her aim, she let out four additional shots, the first ripping the box to scrap, the three others meant for him and his shield.

But it seemed like the Deadman wasn't as dumb as she had anticipated, each one deflected, followed by three additional projectiles that were heading straight for her.

She could have easily managed to hit each one before it made contact, but she refused. This was most likely her last chance to get him. She took one last deep breath, focused and-

BAAM!

The shot connected, shattering the lime-green-covered shield, making the Deadman stumble, she just had to fire once more befo-

The pain was immediate and biting, followed by an unbearable cold spreading through her body. The three icicles had hit her, sending her tumbling backward. Her body was shivering, her head was spinning, and worst of all, she had lost her gun. She had to get up; she just had to, but her body simply refused to move faster than at a snail's pace.

She could hear the ice-bear huffing, clearly knocked off his bearings, but she couldn't capitalize on it! She had to fucking move already!

"Agh!" It echoed through the warehouse; Ego was barely able to push herself up in time to see the Deadman sailing across the room and crashing into the steel gate to the outside. As she looked over, she saw Id landing back down.

Of course! She had completely forgotten about her own demon! She must have used her as a distraction to get an attack in! She hated to admit it, but the monster would have already been gone without her.

"Ugh! You little-!" He huffed, pulling himself back up, his fists emitting the mist once more. "You know what! I got what I came for! I don't have time for you two!" Slamming his fists on the ground, a wave of cold stopped Id from following him as he recreated his ice scats and dashed out the front door.

She tried to stand up completely but, with a grunt, felt herself slump back down.

"Hey, Foxy! Use the Fox Stamp again!" She heard Ebony shout from somewhere behind her, his voice seeming to get closer.

She swallowed her snarky remark and just listened for once, pulling out the other Stamp once more and switching it out.

()Fox!()

()Flip Out! F-F-Fox!()

()Draw Up!()

(Sketch-(

)Splash-)

()ing!()

(Paint-(

)Spray-)

()ing!()

()Kamen Rider()

(Ego!(

)Id!)

()Ego Plus Id!())

The moment the pink substance covered her once more, she felt her energy return, the injuries started to close, and the pain at least dulled. She must have looked rather perplexed, even with the helmet, as Ebony arrived, arms crossed.

"If you don't exhaust the power of a Stamp, the exes magic of the transformation will heal you! But no time for that! Take this!" He shoved a black, stamp-like thing with wheels into her hand. She just looked at him, confused.

"OK, give that back!" He groaned, yanking the thing back before flipping it closed, making it resemble a Vistamp even more. "Now give me your Fox Stamp! Hurry!"

This time Id managed to act, grabbing the Stamp from her Driver and handing it over to the scientist. With a smirk, Ebony slipped it into the slanted back of the device.

()Quad-Stamper!()

()Fox!()

She couldn't believe what she saw; somehow, the strange device started to grow, taking on a far more recognizable form.

It was a quad!

Well, it looked like one, at least, for the most part. Its front looked rather normal, just covered in pink, lime green, light blue, and red paint splotches. The weird part was the seat and the back. It extended and resembled a Vistamp and not just any, her Fox Stamp.

"Ohhhh, I love this!" Id chuckled, circling the new vehicle with clear interest. "What are you waiting for? You ride it!"

Splash simply shook her head, but she couldn't deny it. This looked fun!

With newfound vigor, she jumped on the quad, landing comfortably on its seat. It fit like a glove, at least to her. She didn't know how this was supposed to feel, but it felt right. The demon had wrapped her arms around her, effectively giving herself a hug. Splash simply elected to ignore that detail for now and pulled the gas.

With a loud screech, the quad dashed out of the warehouse, following the ice marks on the ground, Id screamed in pure joy as they rode off in the distance.

Ebony just smiled after them, a clear sense of pride in his expression, not even noticing Swift sneak up on him.

"That was your plan from the beginning, wasn't it?" Invidia growled at him, sounding like she was about to eat him whole.

It didn't seem to bother him, though, his smirk continuing as he started moving. "Potentially, Scary. Either way, this is ideal. As fun as it was seeing you two flail around with the Driver, this is infernally more preferable."

"You little!" The demon's growl grew even louder, her eyes like daggers. If looks could have killed, Ebony would have been vaporized by now.

"Tsk, tsk! Didn't think a human would be so crafty as one of you?" He turned around, his smirk taking on a far more unnerving quality. "There are a lot of things you wouldn't expect of me, Scardy!"

Invidia and Swift stepped back, all while Ebony continued walking like nothing had happened. "And it's not like you didn't do admirably. You actually did better than I hoped. Perhaps you can be my next guinea pig if I make something new? How does that sound?"

Swift shot him a look that could only be described as a mix of anger, nervousness, and hurt before she simply rushed off. Ebony was sure he faintly heard a light sob before shrugging his shoulders.

"Your loss."

()E+I()

The wind was rushing past them, the cold air barely bothering her; she just enjoyed the feeling of speed on her body. She could have kept racing around like this for hours, but she knew she had a target. This damn Deadman had annoyed her far too much; this had to end right the fuck now!

And she would enjoy it!

It had barely taken her a minute to catch up to the monster, her and he weaving between cars like pillows at the driving course. Several cars were honking at them, but most stopped when they saw the Rider. If it was because of awe or simply not wanting to piss off a superhero, she didn't know, but she didn't really care either way.

Revving the engine once more, the quad dashed forward, swearing out to get a good hit on the Deadman, who hadn't noticed her yet. Well, he hadn't until the quad was approaching. Turning his head, his body kicked into overdrive, redoubling his speed.

"Hey! Get back here!" Splash screamed as her crashing move missed the monster, taking her a few seconds before she was back in a straight line. Why couldn't he have been at least a bit more oblivious?

While Splash was quietly cursing herself, Id was leaning over to the side, taking aim with her gun, and letting a shot fly towards their target.

Within the last second, the ice bear managed to duck down, the paint bullet slamming into the street, definitely staining some cars.

"Id! Careful!" Splash huffed over her shoulder before returning her focus to the street.

"Relax, I'm not gonna hit anyone!" The demon groaned before retaking aim. Without any more care, she simply giggled as the hail of bullets painted the street a vibrant pink, cars and anything else on the street quickly making room for them. "See? You got your way clear."

Splash simply elected to ignore the fact Id had just shot their way open and instead decided to take the opportunity.

With no one between them, Ego caught up rather quickly, riding next to the Deadman, who glared over, shouting at her: "Why can't you leave me the fuck alone already?"

"Mostly because it's kinda my job and second because I really wanna take some revenge for your icicles!" She screamed back, swerving over and kicking the Deadman to the side, the ice skates screaming under pressure, but he managed to catch himself before getting some distance between them once more.

Once he felt safe, he raised his hand to the side and blindly fired icicle after icicle at them.

Splash panicked, pulling away as well. She really had no interest in getting hit by another one of those things again any time soon.

"Hey! Ride closer again; I wanna pistol-whip him!" Id shouted as she shot each blindly aimed icicle out of the air.

"Oh, how about you get hit by these things? Let's see if you will be so high and mighty then?" Ego hissed back but did indeed close the distance once more, something that the ice bear didn't enjoy in the slightest. Raising his arm, he pointed it at the street in front of Ego and Id before letting a beam of ice freeze the path before them solid.

Splash grit her teeth; there is no going around it anymore; she is already almost on it. The switch from asphalt to ice was immediate; she could feel the wheels spinning wilder, as well as the quad breaking out to the side. If she didn't figure something out soon, they were gonna crash!

Ebony had to have given this thing something clever! The man was eccentric, but he wasn't dumb. Some wings, or turning this thing into an iguana, or the like; there just had to be something.

Her eyes darted over the buttons in front of her, looking for anything that looked useful, when her eyes caught what looked like the top of a Vistamp. This had to be something, right?

Without much deliberation, she slammed her fist on the button, which made the quad scream out:

()ColourCrashDuo!()

()Fox!()

Within a second, the wheels started to glow a bright pink, leaving behind an identically colored trail of paint. Immediately, the grip of the wheels returned, allowing her to steady the vehicle once more. With nothing stopping her now, she swirled around again, taking aim as the quad accelerated. Something inside her was screaming to push the button again; after all, that was usually how this went.

"No! Stop that! Just go away, damn it!"

()FoxColourCrash!()

The wheels started to spin even faster, the paint spraying everywhere as the quad jumped forward, right towards the scathing monster, which panicked and tried to move faster once more, but he seemed to have reached his limit.

Pulling the handle one last time to the max, the quad effectively turned into a bright, pink paint steak that smashed right into it before it was away in a sea of pink.

With a loud screech, the quad finally came to a halt, having left a trail of paint behind her that would have been washed away if not for the fact the sprinklers of Dilwyrm Park weren't turned off during winter. She only now realized where she had ended up, right next to City Hall, in the middle of a concrete-filled park with some small green spaces. The people around had all made several steps back and were filming the entire thing with their phones.

"Ugh..." The monster groaned; its body was covered in paint splashes as it pushed itself up. Apparently, it hadn't been enough to ram a quad into him.

"You really are fucking stubborn," she sighed, swinging herself off the quad and slowly approaching the monster, which quickly took several steps back. She was about to say something else, when Id slammed her elbow into her side.

Before she could say anything, the demon was already talking: "Don't mess up our proper debut! People are watching," she giggled, Splash only now noticing the phones and eyes glued to them.

Taking a step forward, Id started to scream, spreading her arms wide: "Lady's, gentleman, demons, and everything in between, may I introduce you to Fillydelphia's new Kamen Riders? The unbeatable Kamen Rider Ego!" The demonic Rider gestured towards Splash, who remained standing where she was, admittedly unsure how to respond. "And yours truly, the devilishly clever Kamen Rider Id!" She bowed, a murmur going through the crowd.

"Hey, what you waiting for? Do your thing! The people are waiting," Id hissed over to her, which made Splash snap out of her sudden stupor.

"This is the end of the line for you! You lost!" She situated, her voice carrying over the entire plaza before she flipped the stamp back up and down again, Id followed her lead, the belt starting to give off a rather catchy jingle.

Out of nowhere, a giant, translucent Vistamp appeared and slammed itself on top of the Deadman, carried by Id. The monster seemed to scream inside its new confinement, punching against the glass, but neither did it budge nor did it let any sound escape; it only started to fill with pink goop. Id landed back next to her as both Riders rushed forward, jumping into the air, spinning towards the stamp, and racing downwards in a kicking position. Their glowing feet impacted the glass the moment the thing had been filled to the brim, the light only growing in intensity.

()Fox!()

()Splashing Finish!()

With a huge explosion, the stamp shattered, lighting up the entire park as well as the night sky; both Riders screeched to a halt several meters behind the slowly dissipating explosion; the only sign of the whole thing was for one, the unconscious body of a middle-aged man with black hair and beige skin, a light-blue Vistamp next to him and the giant, pink fox symbol now painted on the ground.

For a few seconds, everything was quiet, minus the sound of cars in the distance, but still, it was unnerving regardless. Then she heard the first clap, then a second, and within moments, the crowd had erupted in cheering and screaming.

Splash just stood there for a bit, unable to even move. It was just so... unreal. They were really... cheering for her? For real!?

She couldn't other than chuckle to herself. This felt... good! Man, did it feel good! They were cheering for her! Man, had it been a long time since she felt this... appreciated!

She could have stood there for hours, but when it poked her side once more, she simply tilted her head back to her. The demon was shoving the Vistamp into her hand, before adding: "Here you go! Probably should take it this time. And if you are done basking in our well-earned glory, I think we should scram before the police or, worse, the MRG gets here."

"Fine, buzzkill," she groaned, starting to move back to the quad as she heard the sound of footsteps behind her. Turning around, she noticed several police officers, as well as a woman with light yellow skin, blue hair, and a suit, had run up to her. The woman was holding a comically oversized, red gun aimed directly at her.

"Halt! We have some questions for you two!" The woman shouted, seemingly not interested in letting her get away. "I'm agent Clear Waters from the MRG, and I'd like to-"

"Yeah, pass," Splash simply stated, swinging on her bike. "I work by my own rules, so bye!" Without another word, both she and Id swung themselves on the bike and let the engines rev up. Immediately, the two raced out of the park and back onto the street.

"Wait! No-" Clear tried to shout at them, but they were already gone. "Was to be expected, I suppose..." She sighed. This only confirmed to her that this would be a tiresome mission for her, and she felt like she only knew half of it at this point.

()E+I()

A good kilometer away, about halfway from the way from the warehouse to the park, the light pink man, with his pink hair covered by the angler hat, leaned forward, picking up a lightly wet, leatherbound notebook. Dusting it free from the snow, he flipped through it before chuckling.

"Well, guess you weren't so useless after all, Cold Wind. Shame you let the Riders catch you," he muttered, slipping the book into his pocket. "Oh well, not like he was important anyway." With a shrug, he walked off into the night. The content of this book would most certainly be interesting for the Circle.

()E+I()

Splash drove the quad, now missing the stamp part, looking like only a slightly more colorful one, into an utterly forgettable alley. A certain scientist was already waiting for her, leaning against the next best wall, smirking at her as she arrived.

"Ah, there you are, Foxy. My, hero!" He chuckled, stretching his arms out, the smug grin on his face already annoying Splash.

"Would you stop calling me that?" She groaned, pulling off a helmet she had dragged from under the seat.

"He really loves his theatrics, doesn't he?" Id mussed, hovering against her shoulder.

"Well, you are my hero, or not?" He returned, raising an eyebrow. "Or should I give the belt back to-" He started, lightly looking over to Swift, who was standing rather lost a few meters away from them.

"No!" Splash stated, her tone not letting any doubt spring up that she was dead serious.

"Mhhhm, OK. So you are my hero after all." His voice carried a sense of superiority that really drove Splash up the wall. Oh, she would have loved to snap this guy's neck, but even Id was clearly shaking her head.

"If I'm anyone's hero, it's me." Splash glared back, crossing her arms after swinging off the quad.

"Aren't you a little selfish?" Ebony simply shook his head before sighing. "Fine, have it your way then. You are your own hero, but you still are using my tech, so I get to set some rules, boundaries, restrictions, call it what you like. And don't even think about just stealing it. You'll need me eventually, if not for more power, for simple maintenance. You get that?" There it was again, that smug grin. One thing she had to give the man was he knew his cards and how to play them.

"And what are these restrictions?" She drily responded, after a few quiet moments.

"Well, more rules. First, you'll act like a hero! No stealing, no murder, no anything a proper hero wouldn't do. That's the important one!" Within a second, his playful, smug demeanor had shifted, his tone serious.

"I... Fine," she said, taken a bit back by his frankness. "Wasn't gonna do that anyway. I liked the applause, and they'd hardly applaud a 'villain,' right?"

"Well, glad we see eye to eye here," Ebony chuckled, back to his usual self, it seemed. "Second, I get to hear what you learn. I'm the researcher, you the Rider. We gotta help each other out. Everything I learn, I can use to help you! Which also means you'll listen to me, at least to some extent. I know what I'm talking about; you don't. Clear?"

Rolling her eyes, she said: "Fine."

"Bit of a stickler for rules, isn't he? Kind of a suprise," Id added, leaning over the quad.

"Yeah, big one at that," Splash muttered back quietly. "So, what's the inevitable number three?"

"Just don't make me regret this. It's that simple. I'd say these are fairly reasonable guidelines, aren't they?" Ebony asked, leaning against the wall of the alley.

"More or less," she shrugged before adding: "How about this. I agree to your silly little rules under one condition."

"Oh? You're a negotiator as well?"

"No, but I can roll with the punches. First, no touching my family or friends! Not even if I croak! I won't let you make them your test subjects!" She glared at the scientist, who simply groaned.

"I can remember that. It's a waste, but oh well. It won't be the end of me," he muttered, his expression a bit sour.

"I... That..." Swift pen tried to speak up just as Splash continued.

"Good! And if you don't, I'll let Id haunt you from the grave... somehow! Second. I don't do compromises! I'm not gonna let you push me into any decisions I might regret later. I'm doing this for my own amusement and I'll do it as long as I enjoy it, so any heroic sacrifices are out of the question. I simply refuse to even entertain that idea!" She almost spat out the last few words as she glared at him.

"Greedy and selfish. Well, I won't make you, but I won't promise you won't run into them, got that?"

"Good enough, I guess," she sighed, Id still glaring daggers at the man.

"And lastly, don't make me regret this either. We just don't screw each other over! Sounds like a deal?" Raising an eyebrow, she eyed Ebony's dismissive expression as he pushed himself off the wall and strolled over to her.

"I suppose so, Kamen Rider," he chuckled, reaching out his hand. "It sounds like the best deal I'll get. On a good working relationship. We can iron out the details tomorrow. I'll call you." He simply stated, both shaking hands, before disappearing into the night.

Splash kept on looking after the man. Something inside her was telling her she may have made a big mistake. That someone sure as Tartarus wasn't Id though. The demon was clearly exhilarated about this turn of events. The glimmer in her eyes was just unmistakable.

"Want a ride home, Swift?" She finally broke the silence, her coworker still standing with her in the cold alley, not having said a word.

"I-" She tried to say when she was interrupted by her demon.

"Screw off! We can do this ourselves!" She hissed back, Swift mouthing an awkward 'Sorry' before quickly running off before Splash could say anything else.

"Well, that went great," Id said, the sarcasm almost dripping from her mouth like some venom. Splash simply gave her a deadpan look.

"Come, I still have one last thing to do before we head to bed."

And with that, the two disappeared into the crowded streets of Fillydelphia.

()E+I()

Once more, she looked down on the city beneath her; the cars driving by, the shouts of people blowing, and the fenced-off basketball court she had become familiar with.

"And you think he's coming?" She asked, leaning over to Id, the spray cans in her backpack attracting her eyes every few seconds.

"You called him, and he said yes, so I'd take a big guess, yes!" Id groaned, watching her human sneak a peak at the painting again.

Before she could ask again, both heard someone coming up the fire ladder, followed by Colour's Mohawk appearing over the edge.

"Yo! You wanted me to come?" He asked, trying to keep his cool, but even Splash, in her current state, could notice he was beyond nervous. His smile was forced, his foot was tapping awkwardly on the ground, and he couldn't keep still to save his life.

Splash simply nodded in return.

"Congrats on your victory, by the way," he chuckled, the uncertainty in his voice slowly slipping away. "That was you, right? I saw the videos and... You know..."

"Yeah, it was," she sighed, pushing herself back to her feet properly, pulling the Psyde-Drive out of her jacket with a smirk. "Was quite fun, should have seen it!"

"Can imagine. Glad you are doing well, it seems," Colour nodded before stretching himself a bit. "So, just wanted to show me this, or did you wanna thank me?"

"Thank you, for what?" She giggled, raising an eyebrow.

"Oh, you know... My advice..." He awkwardly started, only for Splash's laughter to interrupt him.

"Don't get ahead of yourself," shaking her head, she started to pull something out of her bag. "But I did appreciate them nonetheless.," she added in a softer tone.

"Right... So... Are we... Friends again?" Splash could hear the nervousness, mixed with hope in his voice. Colour's voice pitched up in situations like this. It was always a rather amusing trait of his back in the day.

"Does this answer your question?" She simply stated, throwing a lime green spray can over to him; he was barely able to catch it in time.

"You want to-"

"Yes!" She groaned out, followed by a light chuckle. "I'd like your help. Don't think this will be something regular, but... I thought we could add a bit to your drawing. How does that sound?" Now it was Splash's turn to sound awkward; she had already pulled her hood deep over her face, hiding most of it, but even then, anyone with eyes could see the nervousness written on her face.

"Oh, fuck! Of course!" Colour almost shouted out, rushing over to his painting, looking expectedly at Splash.

Both tagger and former tagger went to work, the spray paint almost moving on its own as they drew and sprayed on the wall, creating shapes and refining them to forms and, eventually, a second mural of Ego and Id. This time, the two were depicted in their Hawk-Genome Form, Ego aiming the gun while Id was spreading her wings. It was the perfect addition to the piece, pushing it to new heights.

As Splash took a step back to examine their work, a feeling spread across her whole body. It was simply warm, tingly, and that despite the winter's cold. A feeling she hadn't experienced in a very long while...

Satisfaction!

Author's Note

And here we have Splash and Id reclaiming the Driver and becoming the titular Main Rider.

Took em long enough, but now, everything should be juuuuust fine, right?

Either way, I'm glad I managed to get this one out in at least a decent timeframe again. I'll see if I can get back to writing faster again. I hope you all enjoy the chapter!