Prologue: The Rise of Time and Starlight

Year 2019, Prime Earth

This is a story of three young heroes who just finished college and are now thinking of which path to choose. But little did they know, this would be a start of a new adventure that expands the worlds or the multiverse.

First is Zeo Naotora, a 20 year old boy who dreams of travelling the world after he finished his studies. He has short black hair with red eyes, 175cm tall and kind of a carefree person, but he's not afraid to help out someone in need. However, he does make a few mistakes at times, but at least he tries to fix them. Right now he's wearing a white shirt, black jacket and long black pants with white shoes.

Next is Akira Naotora, also 20 years old and Zeo's sister, who dreams to see new places and maybe someday travel to space to see the stars and maybe some planets up close. She has short red hair with red eyes, 170cm tall and kinda has a tomboyish nature who likes to have fun and make new friends. She cares for her brother and also helpful, though she kinda makes mistakes like her brother, though a bit less than him for some reason. At the moment she wears a red long sleeve shirt with long black pants and red shoes.

Lastly is Gaius Cornell, a 22 year old boy and childhood friends of Zeo and Akira. He plans to become a police officer after he finished college. He has short brown hair with blue eyes and 180cm tall. He's a bit serious at times but very reliable. He was friends with the Naotora siblings since childhood. He wears a yellow shirt with a red jacket, long black pants and black shoes.

These three are studying in America at the moment, Gaius lives in the US while Zeo and Akira are from Japan. They are currently living in Gaius' apartment though Gaius is the only one living in this house. His parents died in a car crash sadly, but at least he has his friends to get though those tough times. As for the childhood friends bit, they met up in Japan when they were really young and with their parents. They kept contact with each other by phone and eventually by Facebook or Twitter as they grew older. When Zeo and Akira decided to travel to America for college, they asked Gaius if they can live with him and he gladly accepted. Their parents wish Zeo and Akira the best of luck as they left for college and eventually follow their dreams.

At the moment, the three are on their way to the park for some relaxation and to ponder about their futures. Gaius brought along a Nintendo Switch with a library of games on the system and the game cards. Well, those three are also gamers but more on the casual side. They also brought along some Kamen Rider Zi-O and Happiness Charge Pretty Cure merchandise for some fun. You see, Zeo and Gaius were big fans of Kamen Riders while Akira is a big fan of Pretty Cures. They all also liked some of the anime shows and some classic cartoons so they have some knowledge of those stories. Even liked some of the mobile games they played that had a nice story, especially Honkai Impact 3rd.

Yep, today is going to be a very peaceful day for them...

...or is it?

"Phew...finally finished college at last. It's been a long journey but it's worth it as I managed to learn much." Zeo said with his hands behind his head, freed of his stress from his studies.

"I'm surprised you managed to last this long despite your sometimes lazy nature." Gaius said with his arms crossed.

"At least they have subjects that I'm really interested in, as for the rest... well it's too much info for me."

"But you gotta learn a bit more so you can prepare for your travels soon. If you got lost in a deserted island, I won't be there to bail you out."

"Okok I understand. But still at least it was worth it."

"What about you Akira, you prepared for what's to come in future?" Gaius asked to Akira.

"Don't worry about it, Gaius. I should be ready for what the future throws at me so I'll be fine." Akira replied back.

"Really? Like that time you forgot to take out your Pretty Cure stuff after that cosplay convention and accidently brought it along to college the next day, sis?" Zeo said with a smirk.

"It was just this one mistake there Zeo, and I was really embarrassed about it!" Akira replied while blushing. Yeah, not one of her finest moments in her life.

"Heh, well at least no one saw it until we found out about it in the library. Good thing you did not scream about it."

"I did. On the inside."

"Oh dear, what am I gonna do with you two when I'm not around." Gaius added with a facepalm.

"Sorry about that Gaius, but you're still reliable so thanks for that" Zeo said.

"I'm very grateful too, soon we'll be able to walk our own path." Akira added.

"Good, so does this mean you both will move out of my home?" Gaius asked with a smirk.

"HEY!" The Naotora siblings shouted in response.

"Relax I'm just kidding. Still I'm going to miss our college days." Gaius chuckled.

"Yeah, us too Gaius." The Naotora siblings replied.

"Well, I hope we're all ready for what's to come in the future because nothing is going to stop us from following our dreams!" Zeo declared with his right fist held high.

"Except that." Gaius said while pointing a strange veil surrounding the park they were headed. "Wait, that looks familiar..."

Something really strange is covering around the whole park and nobody was there to see it except the three. And those three then realised something, they'd seen that weird veil before.

"Hold on a sec, is that a Time Veil? The same one that allows Decade and some of the riders to travel to other dimensions? I thought those are just fiction!" Zeo realised in shock. And why wouldn't he be shocked at seeing something out of a television show right in front of him?

"Well I guess seeing is believing. I wonder..." Akira replied...while slowly moving her left hand towards the veil, curious of what's beyond there.

"If you're planning what I think you're planning, then don't even think about it." Gaius warned her.

"Too late, she's going in anyway." Zeo said while pointing at Akira as she went into the Time Veil.

"What?! Damnit Akira, don't go in there!" Gaius growled and ran after Akira.

"Hey, wait for me!" Zeo said and followed behind Gaius.

After they both went through the Time Veil, they looked around and see if there is anything strange going on at the park. So far, it looks the same as before.

"Whoa, this IS still the park right? Or we went to another dimension or something?" Zeo asked in confusion.

"Nope, it's still the park alright. Though the skies do look different." Gaius replied while looking up.

"Huh, so this is what's beyond the Time Veil...kinda expected something else." Zeo said.

"Well let's not think about it any further, we gotta find Akira and get out of here."

"Yeah, you're right." Zeo nodded in response. "Hope sis is doing ok, even though she can take care of herself at times."

A few moments later of exploring, Zeo and Gaius are able to locate Akira, hiding behind the small bushes.

"Look, there she is." Gaius said pointing to Akira.

"Akira!" Zeo said. "Thank goodness you're al-"

"Shh! Quiet down and hide in the bushes." Akira replied back quietly. "You guys need to see this."

"See what sis...oh crap."

"This cannot be good." Gaius added.

And there's a good reason for that. What they saw was surprising beyond belief, even more than that Time Veil. It was two Kamen Riders, however they look different and corrupted from their normal selves. One was in a red and blue armour with a rabbit and tank motif, while the other was in blue and orange armour with a dragon-like helmet. Those two Kamen Riders are Build and Cross-Z.

"An Another Rider? Here in the real world?! And two of them even?!" Zeo said quietly while still in shock.

"Not just that, I even see two monsters there and from the looks of it, I think there is a human in each of them." Gaius added while pointing at the two other monsters.

Those two monsters appears to have light grey in color with dark grey sleeves and a belt. They wear white gloves and boots with dark grey tops. Their faces are also light grey with a dark grey antenna on their head. On their faces is the word "NO" in vertical, which is colored purple. The only difference is that one of them has short white hair with dual pistols while wearing some kind of white skinsuit armour; and the other has long pink hair with bunny ears, wielding a katana and also wearing a kimono.

"Ah, wait a sec, I know those monsters! Those are Nottoreis from Star Twinkle Pretty Cure! But why are they here in the first place?" Akira said, surprised and confused at what she saw and recognized.

"Either looking for information on this world or hunting down someone." Zeo guessed. "This can't be good at all, and I thought these things are just from TV and stories."

"I think we should get the heck out of here quietly before we're next on their hunting list." Gaius said, as he quietly stepped back.

Zeo and Akira nodded in response and did the same thing without being noticed. Unfortunately...

'Snap!'

...they stepped on a broken twig, and their response?

"Oh crap..."

And then the four monsters noticed them right away and slowly walked towards them.

"So uh, guys? What do we do? Split up or run away together?" Zeo asked for suggestions.

"At this rate, splitting up is a really bad idea at the moment, brother!" Akira replied.

"In that case, let's all run to the nearest exit!" Gaius answered.

"Which one?!" yelled the Naotora siblings.

"Anywhere is fine as long we all live and breathe together! Now run for your lives!"

And with that, they quickly ran away from the four monsters while sticking together, because splitting up is NEVER a good idea at a situation like that. After a few moments of running, they saw the same area they went inside before.

"Come one, we're almost here! Just a bit further!" Gaius shouted while running.

"Eh?!" Akira said in shock as she and her friends found out that Nottoreis were right in front of them; and eventually the Another Riders caught up with them. So now Zeo, Gaius and Akira are completely surrounded with no hope of escape, things are looking very grim for them.

"Damn it, we're trapped!" Zeo growled at the situation.

"Ugh, so this is it? This is how we're all gonna die?" Gaius muttered.

"Zeo, Gaius? I'm really sorry I got you into this mess." Akira quickly apologised. "This wouldn't have happened if I didn't go into that Time Veil..."

"It's alright, Akira." Gaius accepted the apology. "Even if we ignore it, they will still search around this world and destroy everything in sight, even hurting innocent people."

"Damn it, you're right Gaius..." Zeo muttered. "It would be nice to become a Kamen Rider right now. Any Rider would be nice at the moment, especially Zi-O!"

"Same here, Zeo! Any Rider is fine by me!" Gaius added.

"Same for me too, guys! But as a Pretty Cure, ANY Pretty Cure!" Akira also added.

Then at this very moment, everything went grey and time has completely stopped. The monsters are at a standstill like statues, except the three people who are still moving.

"Is that what you all wish for at this moment?"

"Huh?" the three looked up at the sky as they heard a mysterious voice calling out to them.

"I will give you the power you needed to fight back your foes. But once you chose this path, there's no turning back until you see it through till the very end."

"Eh? Who's speaking to us? I'm not dreaming am I?" Akira asked.

"Nope, we all can hear it very clearly." Gaius replied slowly shaking his head.

"Wait, hold on a sec!" Zeo questioned the mysterious voice. "Could you tell us who you are before we make this decision? How could we know that we can trust you and not stab us in the back?"

"Do not worry, I'm on your side. As for who I am, I will reveal myself in time eventually, if you can survive that is. So what will it be your decision then?"

Zeo slowly closed his eyes and thought about his answer and then looked at Akira and Gaius. After some careful thinking, they nodded in response. They're not gonna let those monsters roam free and hurt innocent people. With that, Zeo nodded in return and then looked at the sky as he made his decision...

"Alright then, we'll accept this power you'll give to us. Just to survive and to protect everyone's freedom!" Zeo declared.

"Heh, well said. You made a wise decision."

"Hm?" Zeo said as he noticed that his bag glowing. "Uh guys? I think my stuff is glowing!"

"Not just you, brother. Mine and Gaius as well!" Akira added as she looked into her bag while Gaius looked into his.

As the light faded, they took out their Kamen Rider and Pretty Cure stuff inside their bags and felt them being a bit heavier and no longer plastic. It's like the toys became real things.

"Wait, the Ziku-Driver and the Ridewatch...when did they get a bit heavy and metallic for some reason? Could it be because of that light?" Zeo said, while examining the items he brought along in his bag.

"Same for me too, Zeo. Well this is something..." Gaius answered while looking at his items.

Eh? My PreChangeMirror, my PreBrace and the PreCards! Though I don't remember remember my cards looking like that before..." Akira also noticed as her items are changed and no longer plastic. Only difference are the PreCards she was carrying and the images she saw on the cards.

"This is all I can provide at the moment. Now go and shape the future in your own way. I will speak with all again soon, but for now...best of luck." These are the last words they heard as the mysterious voice is gone.

"Well then Akira, Gaius, you all ready for this?" Zeo asked them with a confident smile.

"Do you even need to ask, brother?" Akira answered with the same feeling.

"I'm with you till the end." Gaius added.

"Good. Then here goes nothing!" Zeo declared as the three began their transformation.

Zeo and Gaius then placed their Ziku-Drivers on their waists as the belt strap appears and strapping the devices in place.

ZIKU DRIVER!

They then stretched out their right hands, turned the dial on the watches and pressed the button as their watches made a sound.

ZI-O!

GEIZ!

After that, they inserted their watch on the right side of their belts, pressed the tilt button on the top of their belts and then they did the same transformation poses the original Zi-O and Geiz did before.

"HENSHIN!" Zeo and Gaius shouted as they turned their belts with a full 360 and returned back to its original position. And then their belts made a bell sound.

RIDER TIME!

KAMEN RIDER! ZI-O!

KAMEN RIDER GEIZ!

At the same time, Akira opened the PreChange Mirror, inserted the first PreCard, then overlaps it with the other two cards and then closed the mirror as she prepares to shout her transformation phrase.

"Pretty Cure Kururin Mirror Change!" Akira shouted as the cards light up in the mirror and glows.

As time resumes and everything is no longer grey, the monsters and corrupted Riders stumbled back in shock as they saw three glowing lights in front of them. As they light dimmed down, they no longer saw Zeo, Gaius and Akira, instead they saw something else.

Zeo was now wearing a black bodysuit with a sliver watchstrap down the middle, a black and grey chest piece with pink strips around it, his gloves being black and pink armour pieces with two Ridewatch holders on each of his wrists, his boots being black with pink accents, and a round helmet with clock hands acting as antennae while the pink kakatana has the word Zi-O written on it. Zeo had become the newest Kamen Rider Zi-O.

As for Gaius, he's now wearing a red bodysuit with a black watchstrap down the middle, a red and grey chest piece with yellow strips around it, his gloves being red and yellow armour pieces with two Ridewatch holders on each of his wrists, his boots being red, and a round helmet with the yellow kakatana having the word Geiz written on it. Gaius had become the newest Kamen Rider Geiz.

Lastly for Akira, she now has a combination of red and yellow hair, with a short red and yellow ponytail on the back of her hair, has a red eye on the right side and yellow on the other eye, yellow earrings with a red star gem on it, red fingerless gloves lined in white with a yellow star design that matches her leg warmers with red shoes on them, a dark blue and gold lined vest with white pleats lining the bottom and a pair of red and yellow wings on the back, her lapel is red with a gold star amulet attached to a red and yellow ribbon, the skirt is a red and yellow pleat with a frilly petticoat, and on the right hip is her PreChangeMirror, and lastly her PreBrace is on her left wrist. Akira has officially become a Pretty Cure, though since it's new, it does not have a name yet; that would be up to her.

"Whoa! Is this me?" Zi-O said in shock looking at his armor. "Did I really become a Kamen Rider? I'm still dreaming right?"

"Nope, this is no dream." Geiz replied while also looking at his armor. "Here I am, a Kamen Rider as well. So this is how it feels like, I feel stronger too."

"Yeah, me too. What about you sis? Wait, which Cure are you?"

"Actually I dunno which one I am." Akira replied while also curiously looking around at her new form. "It feels like Happiness Charge Pretty Cure, but different. Like, I can use the powers of other Pretty Cures or something, kinda like you guys with your Rider Armors."

"Huh, is that so? In any case, how about you give yourself a new name?" Zi-O asked.

"A name huh?" Akira said.

"Any name would be fine, I guess. But please not the embarrassing ones..." Geiz said.

"Hehe, don't worry, I got a pretty good idea on what name I will take." Akira replied.

"Well in that case sis, go ahead and introduce yourself." Zi-O asked.

"Alright then!" Akira said as she prepares her introduction of her new Pretty Cure form.

"The shining light rising through the stars! Cure Starlight!"

"Cure Starlight huh? Not a bad name at all, sis." Zi-O said to the newly named Cure Starlight.

"Guess it fits your dream pretty nicely, huh?" Geiz added.

"Thanks guys, I appreciate it!" Starlight thanked the Riders for the compliments.

"Good." Zi-O nodded as he and the others turned to the monsters and going into their battle stances. "Now with that said...Time for some serious payback for chasing us down."

"Time for those predators to become the prey." Geiz added.

"I'll handle the Nottoreis, you guys handle the Another Rider!" Starlight said while turning her attention to her targets. "You know how to stop them right?"

"Uh...gimme a moment. It's in my bag here somewhere..." Zi-O said as looked into his bag for something useful. "Ah, there they are!"

"Build and Cross-Z Ridewatches." Geiz nodded as Zi-O was holding a red and blue Ridewatch on one hand, and an orange and blue Ridewatch on the other. "Just what we needed. Gimme Cross-Z for a moment!"

Ok!" Zi-O nodded as he threw the Cross-Z Ridewatch to Geiz and caught it. "But let's not use them right away, better wait for the right moment!"

With their plans set in motion, Cure Starlight flew towards the Nottoreis with her wings and pushing them back, while Zi-O and Geiz start running towards the Another Riders, giving them a few punches and kicks to the body. In a few moments, Zi-O stopped for a bit and thought about something, his weapon, the Zikan Gilade.

"Now then, how do they summon their weapons again? Oh right, they reached out their hand and summoned them by willpower or something." Zi-O thought, as he held out his hand while focusing on the weapon he needed to wield. In response, the belt materialized a long double edged blade that also has a trigger on the handle. It also has a slot to place the Ridewatch for extra power.

ZIKAN GILADE!

KEN!

"Oh this is gonna be really fun to use, and I definitely know how to use it." Zi-O said as he goes to work on Another Build with some slashes to its chest.

"Huh, so that's how they summoned their weapons...alright then, my turn." Geiz said, as he also did the same thing. The belt then materialised a black and red axe, a pull handle, and also a slot for the Ridewatch.

ZIKAN ZAX!

OH! NO!

"Hm...intriguing. Though the 'Oh No' part sounds ridiculous." Geiz admitted and then went on ahead gave Another Cross-Z a few axe blows to its chest.

At the same time, as Cure Starlight gave the Nottoreis a few beatings to the face, she began to ponder about how to use her Pretty Cure powers.

"Um...so how do I use my powers? How do the Pretty Cures did it? Oh right, the PreBrace!" Starlight thought as she rotated the dial on the PreBrace and prepared to focus her energy on her right fist.

"Starlight Punch!"

She delivered a powered up punch to the Nottorei as it flew back a few metres and fell to the ground.

"And as for you...!" Starlight looked at the other Nottorei and jumped as high as she could while focusing her energy on her right foot.

"Pretty Cure Kick!"

She delivered a powerful flying right kick on its head as it fell over, leaving a massive crater that's the same size as a swimming pool.

"...is it just me, or is my sister having way more fun than us?" Zi-O asked Geiz with a sweatdrop.

"From the looks of it, yup." Geiz nodded. "And since her powers are based on Happiness Charge, she can use whatever the hell she wants, it's up to her imagination."

"Like summoning an energy sword and shooting frickkin' laser beams from her eyes?"

"Exactly."

For a while, Cure Starlight was doing really well fighting off the Nottoreis with punches, kicks and energy shots to boot. Geiz was also doing pretty well against Another Cross-Z due to his training from his police CCA. As for Zi-O, he's having some trouble with Another Build which eventually ends in a stalemate.

"This is getting out of hand...well I guess the time is now." Zi-O muttered as he took out the Build Ridewatch and looked at it. "Build, lend me your power!"

He then turned the dial on the watch and pressed the button.

BUILD!

Then he inserted the watch on the left side of the belt, pressed the tilt button on the belt and then turned it 360.

ARMOR TIME!

BEST MATCH! BUILD!

Zi-O's armor is now changed with a red and blue chest plate, his red and blue shoulder pads are large bottles containing the powers of Rabbit and Tank, and his helmet has red and blue on it and also the antennae while the kakatana on his visor labelling the word Build on it. He also wields a yellow and grey drill weapon with Build's symbol on it called, the Drill Crusher Crusher on his right arm.

"Sorry Another Build, but the laws of victory has been set!" Zi-O declared with Kamen Rider Build's signature pose as he prepared to fight back in his new armor.

"How about you eat drill instead!" As Zi-O struck the corrupted Rider with a few blows onto its chest, then finishing it off with a drill uppercut that sent his foe flying for a bit and then falling to the ground.

"Everyone! I think it's time we wrap this up!" Geiz declared.

"Right! It's time we end this!" Starlight nodded in response.

"In that case, it's Finish Time!" Zi-O added, as he then pushed the buttons on the Ridewatches, then pushed the tilt button on the belt and turning a 360. At the same time, Geiz changed his weapon to Yumi Mode, turned the dial on the Cross-Z Ridewatch and inserted into the Ridewatch slot. While Cure Starlight rotates the PreBrace several times and prepares to focus all of her energy on her opened right hand.

FINISH TIME! BUILD!

FINISH TIME!

Zi-O then created some while equation lines, with one that looks like a slide aimed at the Another Riders.

VOLTECH TIME BREAK!

Zi-O then jumped onto the equation line sliding down with his feet, and stuck a direct drilling blow to the corrupted Riders, sending them both into the air. At the same time though, Geiz fired his finishing strike with his weapon.

GIWA GIWA SHOOT!

Geiz fired an energy shot at the Another Riders for a combo attack that resembled a Chinese dragon and stuck onto the targets. But it's not over yet as Zi-O slides along the line back to the falling corrupted Riders, finishing them with a powerful straight drill thrust causing a huge explosion. After that, they saw two black corrupted watches tumbling out of the explosion and then broke and shattered to small pieces.

"Pretty Cure! Starlight Final Shoot!"

Cure Starlight fired a large red and yellow energy orb that looked like the sun onto the two Nottoreis and exploded on the targets in a big sparkly explosion. And with that, all of their enemies have been vanquished.

"Well, its time's up for them." Zi-O declared.

"Time puns now? Seriously? Don't be another Yang Xiao Long..." Geiz added with a facepalm.

"Sorry Geiz, force of habit. Kinda got lost in the mood there..."

"You guys did great!" Starlight cheered in victory.

"Correction, we all did great." Geiz corrected.

"With the three of us working together, anything is possible." Zi-O said. "Just don't stab me in the back, Geiz."

"Oi! Don't lump me with the other Geiz, we're still friends remember?"

"Sorry about that."

"Anyway, time to see who the victims were in the first place since we freed them." Starlight said as our heroes looked at the victims they freed after the battle. Though what they saw was really unexpected. Especially since they know WHO those victims are.

"No way...are they really...?!" Zi-O said in shock.

"Yeah...no doubt about it...!" Geiz answered.

"Is it really them? In the flesh?!" Starlight added.

And that's the story on how Zeo, Gaius and Akira officially became heroes, as this is the start of something really big. IWAE! (Rejoice!) For this is the beginning of a new legend! A legend that expands not just worlds or dimensions, but the multiverse as well! How will the rest of their stories unfold? Well, all I can say is...Only time...Will tell...

Prologue: The Rise of Time and Starlight

END

Author's Note: If you're wondering what happens next, please read Paralogue 1 at The Heroes Paralogue, just in case. Stay safe!