Gotchard in DC Ch 24

"You did well out there, Isaac," Dick says, watching the last of the National City PD cars disappear into the distance. He claps Isaac on the shoulder, a supportive grin on his face. "But your combat experience is still a bit too light. Losing focus in battle is not a good habit to have."

Isaac nods, a little sheepish. "I know, I know. It was a good lesson, though. If that big lug's weakness wasn't so obvious, I would have been tangled up with him for who knows how long."

Dick's assessment rings true for Isaac. He almost ate dirt out there. The lack of real-world fighting experience left him at a disadvantage against opponents who worked together like a well-oiled machine.

Sure, he could switch forms to adapt, but that's just a band-aid on a bigger problem. Against stronger or equally skilled opponents, that weakness would be a huge liability.

"So," Dick says, a glint in his eye, "how would you like to train with me for a bit?"

Dick studies Isaac for a moment, then makes his offer. He is uniquely qualified to help Isaac. After all, he's Batman's first Robin and a long-time hero with tons of combat experience.

"I'll take you up on that, Nightwing," Isaac says with a nod. Dick is the perfect guy to help him level up his fighting skills.

As a protégé of Batman, Dick picked up a thing or two about combat. All that training with his mentor has made him a force to be reckoned with.

Meanwhile, back in Gotham, Bruce pores over Dick's latest report. The fact that LexCorp is tied to the warehouse is a red flag.

Considering the recent problems the Justice League have been facing and his old enemies making moves, he suspects that this whole human trafficking thing is just the tip of the iceberg. The idea he'd been kicking around in his head starts to solidify.

Over the next week, Isaac's schedule gets a serious upgrade. He carves out a couple of hours from his Alchemy studies to spar with Dick, hammering away at his biggest weakness: combat experience.

It turns out to be Isaac's most productive week since landing in the DC world. Then, National City High School's summer vacation rolls around.

"Hey, Isaac," Dick asks after their latest sparring session, tossing a towel to Isaac, who is sprawled on the floor, chugging water. "You and Rachel got any plans tomorrow?"

Isaac catches the towel, wipes his face, and looks up, a little confused. "Tomorrow? Nah, I'm free. What's up?"

He's been so busy with everything lately, he hasn't even thought about summer vacation.

"Cool. I want you and Rachel to come with me somewhere," Dick says. "I might have found some clues and need Rachel to confirm them. It'll take a couple of days, so make sure you let your folks know."

Dick goes on to explain that he's been digging and found a monastery that Rachel may have stayed at as a kid.

Dick is hoping they can squeeze in a visit to the monastery while Isaac is on vacation and see if they can get any leads from the nuns there.

The monastery is a bit of a drive from National City. With the round trip and a day to poke around, they're looking at a two- or three-day trip.

Isaac needs to get his parents on board, considering the whole "missing minors" situation.

"I'll talk to her about it. She'll be stoked," Isaac says, a hopeful glint in his eyes. He'd been wanting to ask Dick about Rachel's case.

"Alright, enough rest," Dick says, glancing at the clock. He offers Isaac a hand up. "Let's get back to it."

Isaac's smile falters. Dick's training is no joke, with strict rules for sparring and recovery. There's no slacking off with Nightwing.

The next morning, Isaac and Rachel pile into Dick's car and head toward the monastery.

Isaac had to pull out all the stops to get his parents to sign off on this trip. He made promises and vows, anything to get them to agree.

Now, he's just hoping this trip turns up something useful so they can finally get Rachel's situation sorted.

Of course, things rarely go according to plan. As they pull up to the monastery, they're greeted by a scene of total destruction.

The place is a ruin, charred walls, piles of rubble, and a weird smell hanging in the air. Something terrible happened here.

Isaac squats down, poking around at the charred bits on the ground. He can feel the heat still radiating off them.

"Smells like sulfur."

Dick, noticing Isaac's inspection, gives Rachel a quick once-over. She looks spaced out, so he steps closer to Isaac, keeping his voice low.

Hearing Dick, Isaac freezes up a bit. The burn marks mixed with the sulfur smell—only one thing comes to mind: demons.

He shoots a look over at Rachel, who's still standing there, dazed. Could it be? He can't shake the feeling that it's not just a coincidence.

As if sensing his gaze, Rachel suddenly turns her head, her face a little pale. Seeing her like that, Isaac sighs to himself and walks over to stand next to her.

Seeing Isaac next to her, Rachel suddenly reaches out and grabs his hand, holding on tight, like she's afraid he'll vanish if she lets go.

Dick, who's been watching them, notices the change in their faces. But he doesn't push it, stays quiet for now.

Since it's already late when they rolled into town, they decide to crash at the local hotel for the night.

"Knock, knock, knock~"

"Come in, it's open."

Isaac's snapped out of his thoughts when someone raps on the door. He figures it's Dick, so he just calls out.

"Find anything back at the monastery?"

Dick pushes the door open, steps in, and locks it behind him. He cuts right to the chase, asking the question that's been bugging him since this afternoon.

"Sulfur smell, burn marks... What's the first thing that pops into your head?"

Instead of answering, Isaac just tilts his head at Dick, who's walked over to his side.

"Demons, you mean?"

Hearing Isaac, Dick's eyes widen. Rachel dealing with a cult was bad enough, but demons? He's starting to feel a headache coming on.

"Yeah, and Rachel seemed pretty out of it back there. I'm starting to think her past might have something to do with these demons."

Since he's teaming up with Dick now, and might need help from the big guns he knows, Isaac decides to lay it all out.

If they keep poking around and tick off some demon lord, they're gonna need Batman and Superman to bail them out. After all, he's their favorite son. They can't just sit back and watch him get toasted.

Dick nods, looking thoughtful. He's about to start piecing things together based on what Isaac's said, but all of a sudden, a bloodcurdling scream cuts through the night.

They lock eyes and bolt out of the room, racing towards Rachel's. It's her voice, no doubt about it.

They get to Rachel's room at the end of the hall and kick the door in. The first thing they see is the entire outer wall's gone.

Then they spot a bunch of nasty-looking monsters. All reddish, with horns, wings, fangs, claws, and six yellow eyes, looking like straight-up demons from some old legend. They're surrounding Rachel, who's huddled inside a glowing purple shield.

Without the slightest hesitation, Isaac took out his Gotchard Driver, inserted the Rider Chemy Cards, and amidst the dazzling light, he had already transformed into Kamen Rider Gotchard: Steamhopper Form.

"Henshin!"

With a powerful push of his leg, his body leaped out like lightning, his fist, enveloped in blue Fierce Ki, slammed directly towards a demon's head.

However, the attack, delivered with Kondo's fury, only managed to slightly tilt the demon's head. Beyond that, there was no other reaction.

The next second, the demon's palm swung out violently, landing directly on Gotchard, who was in mid-air with no leverage. The terrifying force swept him away, directly smashing through the room's wall and into another room.

Three batarangs, flashing with red light, flew from Nightwing's hand, slightly piercing the demon's arm that was still trying to pursue the Kamen Rider. The lights on the batarangs flashed rapidly, then exploded with a roar, creating a powerful blast of air.

The explosion momentarily staggered the creature, giving Grayson a chance to close the distance. His escrima sticks appeared in his hands, and he began a flurry of strikes, targeting the joints and other weak points. The monster roared in pain but retaliated with a swipe of its claws, forcing Nightwing to back off.

"Sun, Unicorn, I ask for your assistance."

"Sun!"

"Unicorn!"

Rising abruptly from the rubble, Isaac pulled out his Rider Card Box and took out the Sun Chemy card and the Unicorn Chemi card. He could roughly confirm that those monsters just now were indeed demons.

Besides feeling an eerie aura from them, when Isaac punched the demon's head just now, he suddenly felt an eerie energy in its body that directly neutralized his force.

However, since he had confirmed they were demons, Isaac decided to go for a special attack. The radiance of the Sun Chemi and the healing and purifying power of the Unicorn were the best means to deal with evil creatures.

[Unicorn!]

[The Sun!]

Two Chemy cards appear beside Isaac. Isaac then pulls the levers in the driver.

[G-G-G-Gotchanko!]

[Sununicorn!]

A torrent of energy erupted from the Gotchardriver, as Isaac performs the transformation. Golden light washed over the landscape, momentarily eclipsing the demon's crimson glow. His suit shifts, contorts, and reassembles itself into a brand-new form. A unicorn horn sprouts from his helmet.

When the alchemical light dissipated, Isaac had transformed into Kamen Rider Gotchard: Sun Unicorn Form.

Instead of white, the new chest piece resembled a miniature sun, constantly emitting a soft, warm light. The head piece was more angular, the central horn longer and sharper than Majade's version, giving off a regal vibe, while the shoulder pads were stylized to look like solar flares, adding to the form's celestial presence.

The piercing heat overwhelmed the air, searing away the lingering smoke. With a guttural screech, the winged abomination staggered backward, clutching at the gaping wound in its chest. The light burned at its flesh, causing it to hiss and writhe in agony.

Before the demon could recover, Sununicorn Form was upon it. The solar flares on his shoulders intensified, bathing the area in an even brighter glow. He unleashed a rapid series of punches and kicks, each strike carrying the force of a supernova. The holy energy coursing through his limbs turned the demon's skin into ash.

Dick, recovering from his earlier exchange, moved to assist. The smaller of the creatures turned their attention to him, claws extended. He evaded their swipes with acrobatic grace, striking back with his Escrima sticks. He aimed to keep them occupied, giving Sununicorn the space he needed to deal with the bigger threat.

Sununicorn grabbed the wounded demon, lifting it high above his head. Concentrating the solar energy within him, the horn on his helmet began to pulse. He let out a loud roar and then released a beam of pure light. The demon screamed, its form dissolving into nothingness, leaving no trace behind.