Chapter Text
“This trial must be extended for the sake of the defendant, your honor. This will give us enough time to find new evidence and reach a proper conclusion.”
The air of the courtroom was tense and quiet, like an unknown heaviness pushed down on everyone’s shoulders. The judge and the prosecutor were completely unphased by this overwhelming feeling, as they have gotten used to it by now. Yet, their gaze was set on the man walking back and forth in front of the stand, Mondo Douan, the defense attorney. The lights of the room shone down on the path he walked on, like a spotlight that focused on him and him only.
“We can’t ignore the testimony of my client.” Mondo continued. “He has stated multiple times to be the culprit behind Ms. Yodogawa’s frustrated murder, yet his words betray the evidence found at the scene of the crime.” He turned to the suspect sitting behind him.
The defendant was Koumi Nakai, a sickly-looking young man. He was accused of the frustrated murder of his fiancé, Suzumi Yodogawa. According to the investigation, he had pushed the woman down a flight of stone stairs at the local park. Luckily, she didn’t suffer any fatal injuries, but it meant that she wasn’t in the proper condition to give her testimony.
“Mr. Nakai… Despite your claims, you do not believe that you are the culprit. Correct or incorrect?” Mondo finished, looking at his client with a rather comforting look in his eyes.
As soon as he finished his sentence, the public gallery, the press, and the jury began whispering to one another, filling the once tense room with uncertainty and curiosity. He also managed to catch someone giggling at his phrasing among the ocean of noises. Mondo chose to believe that, despite his mannerisms, he was doing a good job, turning this trial in the defense’s favor.
With a proper knock of the gavel against the hard wooden block, the conversation came to an end. “The court acknowledges the defense’s point. I regret to say that it would be improper for this trial to continue. The trial will be extended until the victim is in proper health conditions to share her testimony and there is new crucial evidence to ascertain the culprit. Mr. Bokuzen, what is your position?”
The man across the room looked up, placing a small rose on the hard wooden surface of his desk before giving an answer. “The prosecution has no further witnesses or evidence to present, Your Honor.” He responded from his seat, with the same calm tone he had at the beginning of the trial. The lawyer could have sworn he heard a sigh right as he finished his sentence.
“That is all today for the trial of Nakai Koumi. Court is adjourned!”
---
The year is 2040.
With the global and instantaneous communications, truthful information has turned into a prized good, just as valuable as any precious, expensive jewel. Society relies on this data to go through their everyday life at their fullest.
A few months had passed since Mondo Douan paid a short visit to the past, since he got the chance of closing the unfinished chapter of his mother’s life. He gave her the ending she needed to move on, by letting her feel the comfort of knowing that her husband still loved her son and her after abandoning them.
However, the watch on his wrist keeps ticking.
While he had vanished, the number of unidentified life form sightings around Japan had increased overwhelmingly. The malevolent Enigmas used the constant flow of information to their advantage, lurking in the shadows to manipulate the innocent with lies and delusions. It was almost like they were waiting for the right moment to attack.
It’s up to those who question the dark veil of lies and seek the truth to protect the innocent. Mondo Douan might not have a reason to keep fighting any longer, but it is his duty to reveal and defeat these monsters, saving the world while obtaining the right answer as Kamen Rider Quiz!
---
The trial had come to a halt until further notice. Koumi Nakai had the chance to prove his innocence, even if he claimed the opposite. His body language betrayed the words that left his mouth, and his retelling of the events seemed strange compared to everything gathered at the scene of the crime.
The moment he had laid his eyes on the young man, Mondo knew he was innocent.
He walked down the pristine hallway to catch the accused, hoping to have a short conversation before the authorities took him back home for his preventive detention. But the press had a completely different plan for him.
He heard an absurd number of footsteps heading in his direction through the hallway. “Mr. Douan! Just a moment, please!” One of the voices called out. He could have sworn to see the slender and frail young man vanish behind the cluster of people.
Anyone else in his position would have tried to answer as little as possible and move on with their day like nothing happened. But this was Mondo Douan, he just couldn’t turn down answering one or two questions. He quickly convinced himself that losing just a bit of time wouldn’t hurt anybody. After all, he was known for his line of work and for all the quiz game shows he won on television.
“Do you have a moment to explain this missing evidence?” A voice asked him, pushing a microphone closer to his mouth.
Mondo felt a sudden, short rush of excitement through his empty soul and responded. “This trial took place before the victim, Mrs. Suzumi Yodogawa, shared a proper testimony. Her words are important to prove my client’s innocence.”
“When will the trial resume?” Another said, with a recorder leaning in closer.
“Until we get crucial evidence to confirm the true culprit. We must wait until Mrs. Yodogawa is in the proper health condition to answer our doubts.”
“What is going to happen now with the accused?” A young voice said, holding up their phone to his face.
“From the moment I laid my eyes on him, I was sure he didn’t commit such a crime. I’ll do everything in my power to prove that conclusion.”
The lawyer had spent several minutes proudly answering as many questions as he could, trying to give the press a proper idea of what happened in the trial and where the case would lead to from now on. He was treating this like one of his quiz games, and he was getting a high score. Before he knew it, Mr. Nakai had left the building.
The journalists and the cameraman had scattered to find the prosecution, and the defense attorney stood in the empty hallway with a dumb smile on his face. His prior train of thought completely left his mind now that he got to answer some good questions, all while congratulating himself on a job well done.
“Wait a minute!” Mondo said as he snapped out of his trance.
He dashed as fast as he could to the parking lot, his gaze darting everywhere to find his motorcycle as the light of the sun flashed above his eyes. If he made it in time, maybe he could catch up and pay a quick visit to his client’s home. As he saw the dual wheeled vehicle, that hope vanished completely. There was someone waiting for him.
It was another reporter, sitting just in front of the bike, taking a few pictures of the place before his attention to the lawyer. “There you are, Mr. Douan!” The lawyer knew that voice very well.
He had seen that nosy journalist at least once every time he left his office, always trying to get the latest scoop about monsters or even about the latest legal scandals. It would take hours and hours of questions until the young man left him alone. The defense attorney didn’t want to search what channel or what website he worked on, whatever was said about him couldn’t be flattering.
Mondo let out a long sigh. “What do you want now, twerp?”
“Aw, don’t get all annoyed with me already! I just couldn’t help but hear about a scoop in here!”
---
Seijirou Kineko had been spending his sweet time in the parking lot, looking at the birds, swinging his legs back and forth, checking out the pictures in his camera. He was waiting for the right person to come by so he could bother them and get a good quote in the process. Since a trial was held that day, it was just the perfect occasion to steal some information from the lawyer once the others fled the scene. As soon as he spotted that familiar hat and that polka dot shirt, he knew this was going to be juicy.
The journalist grabbed the recorder from within his bag and raised it close to his mouth. “So, what is it this time, Mr. Douan? Someone was caught stealing from the local store? Oh, maybe it was a defamation case this time! Maybe another monster attack!” His eyes lit up, like a child that had just walked into a candy shop.
The defense attorney immediately tensed up, raising his guard to avoid wasting time or saying anything that could be used against him. “Better question, don’t you have anything better to do? I don’t have much time right now.”
“Hold on!” Seijirou responded. “Do you know if a monster framed Nakai Koumi? They tend to put their hands where they don’t belong, it’s like their usual mode of operation.”
“Wait! So, you know what the trial was about?”
“Ah! So, the accused was framed for the crime! I knew it!”
“We don’t have proof of another culprit yet!”
“Then what proof do you have now?”
Seijirou could see the annoyed look on his face. The reporter looked proud of himself. A smug, confident smile crawled to his face as the attorney had spilled some information against his own will. The young man learnt how to use his love for questions to his advantage.
“Now… What was he framed for? I need to hear it from you, of course.”
“My thoughts are completely different from the results of the trial. I can’t simply answer that to you”. Mondo said, trying his best to keep his mouth shut from now on.
“We both know I am not here for what the official sources have to say, Mr. Douan! I want interesting stuff, where’s the conflict? Where’s the drama? It needs a bit of color and spice, don’t you agree?”
“Is that what this case is to you? Drama?”
“Well, people should know all about what happens when they look away! I wouldn’t want them missing out on a scoop like this one!”
Seijirou let out a short, mischievous chuckle. While he was very proud to announce his own intentions, the defense attorney seemed a lot less enthusiastic about his words, like his animosity towards him increased severely after that innocent little comment.
“You are just horrid…” Mondo responded with a grim tone.
“Now, where were we? Right! What do you want to add to the scene? Anything about the accused and how he acted? Any strange, creepy behavior?” Seijirou didn’t get a response.
“Mr. Douan? Wh-Where are you going?”
Mondo had completely ignored him, getting onto his bike and putting on his helmet. “How about you do more homework next time instead of asking me, twerp.” Before he could squeeze some more words, the engine of the vehicle roared, and the lawyer fled the scene.
“Hey! But I just graduated from the Academy! I don’t need to… Do homework… Darn!”
Seijirou was left standing in the middle of the parking lot, wondering where to go next and who he should bother now. He pulled his phone from the large bag and made a call. “Hello? Ishikami Detective Agency? I was wondering if I could ask you a few questions in a couple of hours… In person, yes.”
---
Mondo could feel the wind brush against his body as he traveled through the long streets on his motorcycle, his eyes completely focused on what was in front of him, picturing his destination in the transparent material of the helmet.
As he reviewed the events, the moment he met with Koumi Nakai at the detention center played out in front of him. The defendant was scared, looking over his shoulder every once in a while, to check if someone was hearing the words that came out of his mouth like they judged his every move. As the terrified young man went over the scene of the frustrated murder, he kept stumbling over his words, clarifying his last statement time and time again.
“Before I begin going over the official documents of the crime, there is one last thing I want to confirm. You didn’t try to harm Ms. Suzumi Yodogawa. Correct or incorrect?” Mondo remembered saying, and Koumi immediately went silent, looking down at the concrete floor of the room without uttering a single word, yet that was just the affirmation that the lawyer needed.
Before his train of thought reached its destination, he was suddenly stopped by a scream of fear. Mondo immediately hit the brakes to look at the source of the loud noise.
Right in front of the nearby park were two police officers holding up their weapons, ready to attack the monster in front of them. It was a large silver figure, covered from head to toe in thick and powerful medieval armor, their chest and their lower legs were hidden under a circle-shaped shield, while their forearms held onto the large barriers. The knight-like apparition was holding an unconscious Koumi Nakai, carrying him away from the authorities and running deep into the nearby forest.
Mondo was shocked. That was one of the unidentified life forms, an Enigma, the same mysterious monsters that he had fought in the past. Yet they were so different from how they looked before, this one looked a lot more dangerous and powerful than the combatmen he faced so far. And most importantly, what would they want with his client?
The defense lawyer was confused, but he knew something should be done. He jumped off his bike and headed towards the forest, hearing the worried complaints of the officers vanish behind the large trees.
After what seemed to be minutes of running, he saw the Shield Enigma between the foliage, the silver armor shining with the sunlight. “Stop!” Mondo commanded. The monster obeyed, turning around to face the attorney, clearly startled by his voice.
“That man has no business with you, set him onto the ground right now, creep.”
The Shield Enigma stared at him for a while, gauging their choices. They slowly crouched down, leaving the unconscious Koumi Nakai onto the leaf-covered ground.
Once the young man was safe, the monster trembled and swung their arm backwards. In a quick motion, the metal disc on their forearm fired towards the attorney.
Mondo reacted quickly, grabbing his hat and crouching as the shield flew over him. Without looking, he felt the metal plate coming back to its rightful owner, and the lawyer immediately jumped over it, flipping in the air before landing back safely.
“If you wanted to fight, then you just needed to ask nicely.”
He reached inside of his polka-dot shirt and pulled out a small question mark-shaped pendant from under the fabric. The small trinket flashed with a bright gleam. As the light disappeared, a mechanical belt, decorated with the same question marks, appeared around Mondo’s waist.
A loud tone escaped the belt, like the buzzer of a game letting you know your answer was correct. Mondo reached under his jacket and pulled out another object, a plate in the shape of an exclamation point. The item transformed itself into the familiar shape while in the lawyer’s hand.
“Henshin!”
He inserted the key device right in the middle of his belt, completing the collage of red and blue question marks. Mondo opened his arms, almost as if taunting his opponent, gesturing to them to dash towards him.
“Fashion! Passion! Question!” The belt announced.
A train track appeared behind Mondo, lights of different flashy colors replaced the vehicle that would have traveled there. And over his shoulders, a large red circle and a similar-looking blue cross appeared.
From all around him, question marks gathered around his body, forming into bicolor armor and a black undersuit, his helmet was crowned with the same shape that decorated his suit. And as the new, armored Mondo revealed itself, the circle and the cross attached themselves to his chest.
“Quiz!” The belt finished.
Mondo gestured towards the Shield Enigma with his hand. “Saving the world and obtaining the correct answer.” He exclaimed, doing the same with his other hand. His arms quickly swung in front of him, forming a square shape, before they moved outwards to strike a strong-looking pose.
“Kamen Rider… Quiz!” Mondo proudly declared.
The monster was shocked, taking a step back as the famous hero manifested right in front of their eyes, like a legend confirmed to be true. It took a moment for Shield Enigma to gather some courage and confidence before they dashed towards him.
Their hands reached out in an attempt to grab him, Mondo blocked the violent embrace with his forearms and delivered two powerful punches onto their chest. Once the Shield Enigma could attack again, they swung their arm back to hit him with their armor, but he crouched effortlessly before striking him once more.
While Mondo’s hits were dealing damage on the knight-like apparition, he could definitely feel how their body was much harder than any of the mook Enigmas he had fought in the past. Before he could continue analyzing his opponent, they began throwing punches and swings aimlessly, attacks he continued blocking to the best of his ability.
He took the opportunity to dodge to the side, pressing his back against the shield on their forearm before delivering a backhand strike to his head. Their arms kept clashing with one another, but each block seemed to do more harm than good thanks to the heavy impact of the metal discs.
After the monster lost their balance, Mondo took the opportunity to throw a series of kicks, making them step backward to dodge the attack while being pushed further away from the unconscious Koumi. A powerful kick was enough for the Shield Enigma to lose their balance and fall to the floor, but they responded by launching a shield point blank.
Kamen Rider Quiz jumped backwards to get away from their range. And just as he landed back on the ground, the Shield Enigma fired another barrier in his direction. Mondo rolled to the side, dodging the metallic disc just in time. While the rest swiftly returned to their arms, the force of the shield was enough to cut halfway through the tree behind him, getting stuck on the wide wooden body. One hit of that could be lethal, the attorney thought.
The monster was distracted by the loss of his protection, and Mondo took the chance to dash back in. In a daze, they tried to stop him in his tracks by launching his barriers once more. Mondo was getting used to the pattern. He jumped over the first one, rolled under the second, leaned to the side for the third and slid right under the fourth.
Without the thick circle plates on his body, Mondo hit their chest in rapid succession before jumping in the air and delivering a roundhouse kick to the side of their head, putting him in the right position for the shields to brush his body as they reattached to the monster’s body, pushing him backwards. It was just the opening he needed.
“First question! My next attack will land. Correct or incorrect?”
Mondo pulled the key out of his belt, and it transformed back into an exclamation point. The monster tried to look back at their opponent, confused at the sudden inquiry.
“The answer…” He exclaimed before attaching the new shape back in place.
“Final Quiz Flash!” The belt announced the finisher.
Mondo jumped high into the air, vanishing from the Shield Enigma’s sight between the leaves and branches of the trees. Before they could process what was happening, a trail of circles and crosses ran down, leading right onto their chest. Mondo pushed his leg out, preparing himself as his body traveled back down, flying right through the path of shapes and figures.
From the foliage, Mondo reappeared, and the silver figure took a step back in a futile attempt to dodge. Kamen Rider Quiz came back down and delivered a kick, powerful enough for its impact to cause a large, fiery explosion. The lawyer landed safely right behind the sudden burst.
“... is correct”. He stood back up and turned around to look at his defeated opponent. But as the smoke dissipated, it revealed the same knight-like monster with their forearm out, blocking the finishing blow with their shield.
“Guess you are a lot different than the other Enigmas…” Mondo commented. It didn’t matter, after all, there was still an ace up his sleeve. He pointed towards the figure, an air of confidence emanating from him. “Second question! My fists will be enough to take you down. Correct or incorrect?”
Yet nothing happened.
The Shield Enigma just stared at him in confusion at the sudden question. Kamen Rider Quiz had the power to punish his opponents for saying the wrong answer or ignoring the question, yet the enemy seemed completely unaffected. Did his ability deteriorate with time?
“Second question B! The most popular television show of the year 2040 is The Hidden Royal Lover. Correct or incorrect?” Mondo asked.
And again, nothing happened. He looked down at his chest, pressing the panels on the chest armor to try and get them to work. Why couldn’t he stun his enemy now?
In his short moment of desperation, the Shield Enigma crouched down as the barrier stuck on the tree flew back in their direction, hitting the lawyer’s helmet with overwhelming force.
Mondo was launched backward with the strike, and just as he tried to stand back up, the metal shield returned and pushed him closer to his new enemy. The flying barrier attached itself to the monster’s forearm. They armed themself with courage yet again before it rushed down on him with a confident glare.
The Shield Enigma stopped just far away from Kamen Rider Quiz to avoid his effective range. They swung their arms in circling motions, firing the barriers in the same wide arc, each one hitting Mondo right after the other. The monster threw an uppercut, making the shield attack the lawyer upwards, launching him towards another tree.
The hero fell onto the ground, confused at the sudden disappearance of his powers and trying to recover from the overwhelming assault from his enemy. The monster approached Koumi’s unconscious body, ready to leave the scene behind.
Mondo tried to stand back up. His suit had managed to lower the amount of damage he received, yet the pain made his body feel heavier than usual. He had to do something, he had to save his client before it was too late.
Suddenly, a shadow jumped over the armored hero and kicked the Shield Enigma, pushing them away from the unconscious young man and making them lose their balance. “Hey, Quiz! I thought you went missing!”
That voice, it couldn’t be. The figure landed right in front of Kamen Rider Quiz, revealing itself to be none other than Seijirou Kineko, the same journalist twerp that had been bothering him for months now. Mondo immediately felt a wave of anger and worry overwhelm him, the last thing he needed was that annoying brat getting hurt.
“This place isn’t safe for you! Run!” He said, his eyes shifting between him and the unconscious figure of Koumi Nakai.
“Awww, but Quiz! You need to recover some of your strength before you continue fighting! Let me give you a hand!”
The young reporter reached deep into his bag and pulled out a small piece of ripped paper. Before Mondo could make out if there was anything written on it, the item flashed with a familiar bright gleam. As the light disappeared, a mechanical belt appeared around Seijirou’s waist. It had the same structure as his own transformation device, with one exception, the front segment was decorated with noughts and crosses.
The same sound escaped the belt as it waited for its user’s input. The journalist pushed his hand back into his bag and replaced the paper with a metal plate. This one had those symbols drawn on it. He made sure to hold it so the cross was facing downwards.
“Henshin!” Seijirou exclaimed.
He inserted the key right in the middle of his belt, slicing the rows of purple and blue symbols with their opposite shape. He raised his left hand above his forehead and lowered the other below his waist. Seijirou moved his arms in an arc, forming two halves of a circle with his movements.
“Think! Sync! Link!” The belt announced.
A circular train track appeared behind Seijirou, forming at the same pace as the motion of his arms, bright lights quickly following the trail. In one swift move, his pose changed. His left hand pushed forward and his right arm swung over it, his palm facing his shoulder and the tip of his fingers pointing behind him. Immediately, two more tracks extended behind his body, forming a cross that sliced the circular path.
From all around him, noughts and crosses began gathering around him, forming a similar armor to that of Kamen Rider Quiz, except it had a colder and softer palette, with silver accents replacing the gold. Instead of a large question mark, the helmet had a visor and round circles where his eyes should be. And to crown his new appearance, two metallic triangles appeared right on top of his head, which looked like a pair of cat ears.
“Connect!” The belt finished.
There might have been only three people on the scene, four if you count the unconscious Koumi, but Seijirou knew that the spotlight was focused on him. He placed one hand on his armored upper body, raising the other towards an invisible audience. “Trying every alternative until there’s nothing left!” He pointed towards the sky, his hand drawing a downwards spiral until his fist struck down onto his chest.
“Kamen Rider… Connect!” Seijirou proudly declared.
---
Next time on Rider Time: Quiz!
What’s this? Who really is Kamen Rider Connect?
“Are you getting jealous that I might replace you?”
What will Quiz find about this powerful monster’s secret identity?
“Is there anything you know about the case that might link Nakai Koumi to the unidentified life forms?”
Who is keeping track of the recent attacks?
“The Ishikami Detective Agency discovered new evidence for the frustrated murder of Yodogawa Suzumi.”
Will a new enemy appear from the shadows?
“Just what did you get yourself into, Mr. Nakai…”
Find out with our Next Question: Who is the person behind the rampaging monster?