Kureshima Mitsuzane truly lived up to the name of the Kureshima family. Raised and educated among the elite since childhood, he possessed both intellect and decisiveness. The very next day after receiving the Sengoku Driver, he eagerly sought out Ryuga to "submit his mission" and begin his journey as a Rider.
However, Ryuga had no intention of letting him make a casual debut. Instead, he planned something bigger—a proper, grand introduction. Hearing that Ryuga thought so highly of him, the loyal Mitsuzane respected his mentor's vision and said nothing to anyone. Not a single word of Mitsuzane's transformation leaked.
The opportunity came sooner than expected. Within a few days, a challenger team arrived, equipped with an A-rank Lockseed, ready to test their strength.
These teams—lacking access to the powerful Sengoku Driver—dared to challenge Team Gaim because Ryuga operated differently from the Baron team. Baron's leader held a brutal philosophy: crush the weak, elevate the strong. Whenever challengers appeared, he would immediately transform and overpower them mercilessly.
Recently, Baron had even begun distributing Lockseeds, making him an unattractive target for ambitious teams.
In contrast, Ryuga never transformed for casual battles. For standard Inves Games, he left matters to the team's current leader, Mai, who relied solely on Lockseeds to win. This approach made Team Gaim seem like an easy target—soft fruit ripe for the picking.
That was the reasoning of Hideyasu Jonouchi, self-proclaimed "tactician" and leader of Team Invitto. Believing he had found a weakness, he boldly challenged Team Gaim.
Seeing Mitsuzane's glance, Ryuga simply nodded. He was growing tired of being underestimated. It was time to unleash a new Armored Rider and send a message.
Understanding his cue, Mitsuzane halted his teammates, stepped forward, and declared:
"Hideyasu Jonouchi of Team Invitto—the team known for gaining fame through underhanded tactics."
"I prefer the term 'strategist,'" Jonouchi replied smugly, showing no shame.
"You assumed our team didn't have any Armored Riders to field, and that you could win just by flashing an A-rank Lockseed?" Mitsuzane smirked. "Then you've made a grave mistake."
From behind his back, he revealed a Sengoku Driver.
"You too?!" Jonouchi's expression twisted in shock—his supposedly foolproof plan now unraveling.
"My brother, Ryuga, has no interest in dealing with small fries like you. From this day on, I will be your opponent."
With that, Mitsuzane held up the Grape Lockseed entrusted to him.
[Budou!]
This power carries my brother's expectations… I must not disappoint him!
Fuelled by resolve, Mitsuzane equipped the Driver, snapped the Lockseed into place—
[Lock On!]
—and called out:
"Henshin!"
[Ha-i! Budou Arms!]
[Dragon! Gun! Ha-Ha-Ha!]
Kamen Rider Ryugen!
"A new Armored Rider!" the crowd cried in excitement.
On the other side, a clearly agitated Jonouchi gritted his teeth and summoned his Inves. The virtual battlefield materialized, and with a flash of light, both Rider and creature stood ready.
[Battle Start!]
Jonouchi's Inves spread its wings and took to the skies—it was a flying beast.
Jonouchi grinned inwardly. "Perfect. I'll just wear him down from the air."
Unfortunately for him, Ryugen wasn't a close-range bruiser like his predecessors—he was a ranged ADC.
Calmly observing the aerial movements of the Inves, Mitsuzane drew his signature weapon—the six-barrel Grape Dragon Cannon. As the creature dove toward him, he raised the gun and locked on.
"Now!"
[Budou Squash!]
A hailstorm of energy bullets burst from the cannon's barrels—hundreds per second. The Inves was riddled with hits, finally pierced by a massive, dragon-shaped energy blast. With a screech, the beast exploded into flames.
Despite being a high-tier, A-rank Inves, it was no match. Ryugen's firepower was simply overwhelming.
Defeated, Jonouchi had no choice but to forfeit his Lockseed and slink away in humiliation. The crowd, of course, had already turned their attention to the rising star—Kamen Rider Ryugen—cheering wildly for his debut victory.
But Jonouchi wasn't done yet.
Disgraced, he stormed into Baron's base. After his recent trip to the Helheim Forest, he had uncovered the truth behind the mysterious fruits and had even smuggled out a cache of Lockseeds. Now, he was using them not for profit—but for loyalty.
His plan was simple: hand out Lockseeds for free to any team that pledged allegiance to him. The A-rank Lockseed he lost earlier had come from this supply chain.
Now that he needed a replacement, he returned to Baron's HQ. Though he obtained a new Lockseed, he was met with scorn and ridicule.
Anger bloomed.
He hadn't truly pledged allegiance—only played along for the sake of resources. Now, he was ready to rebel.
He found Ryoji Hase, the dim-witted yet powerful leader of Team Raid Wild, and easily manipulated him into joining the scheme.
While they quietly plotted, Sid—the enigmatic Lock Dealer—just so happened to walk by, a black briefcase in hand. Hearing their conversation, a sly smile crept across his face.
Within two days, Kaito returned to Team Gaim's turf, claiming to help Jonouchi and Ryoji "avenge their previous loss."
Naturally, these two traitors took the lead.
"You sure you don't need help?" Jonouchi asked, shaking his freshly acquired Lockseed.
"Hmph. I have allies more dependable than you." Kaito scoffed and summoned two Inves using separate Lockseeds.
But these weren't the typical holographic Inves.
These were real—fully materialized creatures from Helheim Forest, standing at human height.
"Inves have materialized?!" Mitsuzane gasped.
"You clearly haven't studied the power of the Sengoku Driver," Kaito sneered. "This is one of its features."
He sent the creatures forward.
[Battle Start!]
Normally, even materialized low-tier Inves wouldn't trouble an Armored Rider. But now, Team Armored Rider faced two Inves and two rival Riders—Jonouchi and Ryoji. Ryugen, a ranged ADC, was overwhelmed in close quarters.
Mitsuzane was being dominated, pushed to the ground again and again. His teammates watched in growing panic—except for two figures:
Ryuga and Mai, calmly arriving with fruit mousse in hand.
"I accidentally brought the cup out," Ryuga said nonchalantly, "Here, Mai, return it to Uncle Bando later."
Scooping the last bite into his mouth, he handed the spoon and empty cup to Mai.
"You're still eating?! Mitsuzane's getting pounded!" Mai glared, wiping the cream from Ryuga's mouth.
"Fine, fine," Ryuga sighed. "Can't let my good little brother get flattened."
He transformed in a flash, shattered the virtual battlefield's barrier, stepped inside—and with one punch and one kick—obliterated the Inves, pulling Mitsuzane back to his feet.