((@Kat: You're welcome. ^^
EDIT: Also, this post takes couple of hours or so after Rio's encounter with Kizoku. People can other jump in and help Zangetsu or I can write a followup fight after a few posts. Just let me know. ^^ ))
Armored Rider ZangetsuA few hours later, Hideyuki found himself jogging around a park surrounding a small lake. While his wounds from his battle with Gridon hadn't completely healed, Hideyuki wanted some time to think and that a some training might do himself some good to clear his thoughts.
Sighing to himself about today's events, Hideyuki came to a stop halfway up a bridge that went over a water inlet and gently leaned himself over the railings to get a better view of the glistening water.
'
There's so much I don't know.... What am I fighting for? How will I find my answers?' He asked himself as he reflected further on Gridon's words.
It was true that he had become an Armored Rider on a whim without truly knowing what he would become involved in. "
But despite that, I am definitely involved now."
Realizing the sobering conclusion he had come to, Hideyuki took out his Melon Lockseed and Sengoku Driver. He stared for a brief moment at the faceplate on the belt that depicted his armored rider form.
"
For now, maybe I should this power to figure out what's going here," he said to himself as the previous days' events had shown him that simply remaining inactive would only get him so far. Only resolve alone could help him now.
With that, Hideyuki calmly placed the Sengoku Driver on his waist causing it wrap around him. "
Hen…" he started to command before he noticed that a "zipper-like" portal was beginning to open itself on the other side of the bridge he was on. He slowly lowered his Lockseed down back to his side as he cautiously approached the opening.
"
Maybe through there I'll find some of my answers," Hideyuki commented, looked through to the other side of the portal and to the vast forest beyond. Stealing himself that there was no turning back, he stepped through the threshold.
Hideyuki could not believe his eyes after he found himself on the other side. The dense forest seemed to go on forever with thick vines and other strange, exotic flora that Hideyuki could not even recognize were wrapped around each other in intricate patterns, only furthering his confusion to where Hideyuki was.
‘
This must be the place that Rie-chan was talking about,” he commented to himself as he continued to explore further into the forest as the portal begun to slowly re-zip itself behind him.
Hideyuki’s attention was then immediately drawn to one of the many purple blooming plants that were wrapping themselves everywhere that Hideyuki looked. “
What is this? Some kind of fruit?” Hideyuki asked as he approached a nearby tree before plucking one round fruits.
A few seconds after he plucked it, the strange fruit immediately transformed into a white, irregularly shaped Lockseed with black outline with what looked like cherry blossom petals.
"
I see. So this must be where the Lockseeds come from..." Hideyuki observed before taking moment to look around his surroundings once more, "
but just what is this place?"
In cinema style-like fashion a rustling sound from behind answered rider's question as what Hideyuki heard a rustling sound as a small group of low-class Inves stalking up on him. "
Inves?"
“
Guess I don’t have time to worry about it now. Henshin!” He commanded, pressing the button on the side of his Melon Lockseed before securing it to the Sengoku Driver. Instead of descending from an open portal the metallic melon manifested itself into existence in a surge of green energy above him.
|Melon|“~Lock On!~”
~Soiya!~
“~Melon Arms! Tenka Gomen!~”
Zangetsu quickly blocked the first attack from the nearest Inves with his Melon Defender as soon as his transformation completed itself. He quickly drew his Musou Saber and counter attacked, causing the poor creature to spark violently away from him.
Hideyuki was about to block another attack with his shield when he suddenly remembered Gridon’s advice, '
Your shield is more than just a defensive weapon…' Acting on this, Zangetsu bashed the Melon Defender into the Inve’s sternum several times before finally lifting the creature up and over him, causing it land hard behind him.
Zangetsu slashed the third and final still standing Inves with his Musou Saber before changing it to Gun Mode and firing all four shots in rapid succession point-blank at creature, causing it to collapse to the forest floor. “
Enough of this!” Hideyuki said, slashing down one final time at the Inves in front of him as hard as he could before spinning around to do the same with the other monster behind him, causing both creatures to explode.
Noticing that the last of Inves was trying to escape in confusion, Zangetsu instinctively threw his Melon Defender at the already distant creature. The weapon left his arm and spun like a boomerang towards the Inves, stunning it before returning to itself Hideyuki who had already pressed down the Sengoku Driver’s Cutting Blade.
|Melon Squash|Despite the formidable gab between them, Zangetsu started run as fast he could while his Musou Saber started to charge green melon shaped energy. In blinding burst of speed, Hideyuki rapidly closed the distance between him and the Inves as he caught the returning Melon Defender before instantly destroying the monster with a single slash.
Hideyuki, still transformed, now looked over the carnage that he had inflicted, having no idea in the midst of battle how he exactly had he managed to use that sudden speed like that it.
"
Now that that's settled, how do I get out of here?” He commented aloud, still clutching the white irregularly shaped Lockseed. Hideyuki was unaware that another Inves behind him had already devoured an immature lockseed, mutating into a red lion-like form.
LockseedsMelonSuikaSakura Hurricane 
