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A game stage melody can be heard as one Taiga Hanaya walks into the headquarters of CR, where he finds a certain Genius Gamer, Emu Hojo, who sits at one of the tables. He's playing on his handheld; fully immersed in the game.
"Ex-Aid. You're playing that again?" Taiga asks. Emu doesn't hear him. "Hey. Ex-Aid." He tries again. No luck.
Taking matters into his own hands he grabs an energy drink from the fridge and slams it down on the table with enough force to make the intern jump, startled. Taiga could almost laugh seeing how funny he looked. "Ah, sorry Taiga-san. I'm trying to get to the secret levels again."
Taiga rolls his eyes as Emu goes back to his game. The next stage tune plays, but there's a slight modification that Emu picks up on immediately. At the start of the stage, a man's figure can be seen. Was that something new? Or had he always been there? He scans his memory for anything resembling the silhouette. No luck.
"What's wrong with my game...." he mutters.
---
"Hey, Graphite. Join me in playing Perfect Puzzle." Parado plops down on the couch and turns on Kiriya's game console. Kiriya wasn't the biggest gamer but he was known to play Shakiriki Sports and Bakusou Bike, among other things.
"No, not unless it's Knock Out Fighter." He responds dismissively. Graphite went to the kitchen to find a snack - not that Bugsters needed to eat, of course. Force of habit from staying with Kiriya too long even before he became a Bugster.
"Fine.... Hey Kiriya-san. Wanna play Perfect Puzzle?"
Kiriya joins Parado on the couch. "Why not? I bet I'll win this time."
"We'll see about that..." He grins, setting up a two (2) player game on Perfect Puzzle.
Him and Kiriya press buttons rapidly, trying to see who can win first. Putting together combos and moving shapes around in hopes of getting the highest score. Luckily a piece spawns for Kiriya, which allows him to receive a combo bonus. It ends the round, netting Parado a loss.
The results screen pops up, a mysterious human-shaped shadow stands behind the text. Both bugsters squint at the screen. "Hey, what's that?" Kiriya asks.
Graphite, who had been watching the last few minutes piped up. "I don't know, but I don't remember seeing it." He shrugged; going back to his magazine.
"This is a Genm game, isn't it?" The coroner wonders aloud. He picks up the box, his suspicions confirmed. "I have a feeling I know who's behind this."
---
Hiiro Kagami is at one of his favored dessert shops picking up a cake to take home. His phone rings while he's browsing the menu. Wondering who it is, he looks at the caller ID - "Taiga Hanaya". What does he want?
Sighing, he answers the phone. "Hello."
"Brave. There's a problem." Straight and to the point. Of course.
"What is it?"
"Ex-Aid, Lazer, and Parado have both seen something in their games. A person."
"What? Isn't that normal?" Hiiro asks. He's not a huge gamer but he's very sure in his statement.
"Not this time. Something's been tampered with in Mighty Action X and Perfect Puzzle. I wouldn't be surprised if it's the same for our games too." Taiga had been sitting at the table in CR, sipping an energy drink before he'd decided to call. After talking with Emu, they both agreed this was the best choice: talk to their team and go from there.
"What have they found?" Hiiro turns around and leaves the shop somehow knowing that his dessert would have to wait.
"Mysterious silhouette. Someone that should not be there is in those games. We don't know who it is but I think Genm has something to do with it." Taiga seems a little angry, his tone frustrated. If Genm has something to do with this... Damn.
"I'll be right there."
"Wait. Meet us at Genm Corporation." He says before hanging up.
"Understood." He hangs up and sets off toward his destination, wondering what's in store for them once they arrive.
---
Taiga, Emu, Hiiro, Kiriya, and Parado are all standing outside of Genm's headquarters. They're discussing the strange events that have led them here.
"Are we ready to go in?" Emu asks.
Hiiro responded first. "Yeah. Let's go."
An "I'm ready" was heard from Taiga while Parado and Kiriya nodded in agreement.
Entering the building they all find themselves face to face with the man in question. Kuroto Dan. They found him in his office at his desk with a smile spread across his face, as though he'd just won some child's joke of "The Game".
"Explain the mysterious figure in Ex-Aid and Parado's games." Taiga wanted to get this over with and go home already.
"An unknown figure? You seem mistaken." He says, still smiling. "That isn't just some anonymous shadow. He has a name, you know."
The group's curiosity piqued, awaiting the next set of words that would hopefully end this puzzling series of events once and for all. "Who is it then?"
"Kiriya Kujo... wouldn't you like to know? In fact, that's why all of you are here. This mysterious figure you keep mentioning is actually a man named Philip. He's a Kamen Rider just like you all."
"EH!?" all of them said at once.
Appearing seemingly out of nowhere, Philip enters the room much to the surprise of the CR folks. "Hello. I'm guessing you're all wondering why I'm here. You see, my home world has gotten very uninteresting. I wish to stay here for a while and see what is out there."
"Do you have to be in our games?" Emu wonders.
"Yes. I have plans."
"Kuroto. Why did you allow him inside the games?" Hiiro asks the question on everyone's minds.
"He came to me and asked. Why wouldn't I allow such a request?"
"Can you make him go home?" Parado asks, visibly worried that this new guy will keep ruining all his games.
"No. It simply isn't my problem anymore." Kuroto's signature laugh escapes his lips, wild and unhinged like a deranged genius. "I have no idea what Philip plans to do but I was promised it would be fun so I'll be holding it to you."
Philip nods. "I have plenty of ideas. Shotaro wouldn't indulge my chaotic side so I think I'm going to cause problems first." He smiles a genuine smile, as if there's nothing wrong with this.
"What do you mean?"
"Ah.... Taiga was it? Does it matter what I mean? Think of me as an enemy or even a rival if you want. I don't care. I just simply want to indulge in the ways of chaos."
"But how?" Ex-Aid's mind starts running through all kinds of possibilities but comes up with nothing.
"You'll see. I must go get started on my project. Thank you Kuroto-san. I'll be taking my leave now." Philip bows and leaves the room, the group of medical workers and Parado, watching in disbelief at the sudden twist of events that befell them.
What will they do next, you ask? Well for starters, they set off to keep an eye out for Philip, leaving Kuroto Dan to tend to his....CEO problems.
After that? Who knows, for the group had no idea what shenanigans they would eventually find themselves in.