Kaito Haruno was somewhat familiar with these two well-known heroes in the DC universe. However, he never expected that a major figure from Blüdhaven would appear in his city, accompanied by an untested superheroine. Kaito pondered whether he should just find a place to sit and wait for death. Why bother with missions? Eating, drinking, and enjoying the moment were what truly mattered.
Meanwhile, Nightwing, Dick Grayson, was having a conversation about education with the brat, Damian Wayne.
"So, you're the one who chose to leave, Dick Grayson?" Damian said, arms crossed, with a hint of disdain.
Dick furrowed his brow when he heard Damian expose his real name. He had heard from Alfred over the phone that Batman's biological son was difficult to deal with. He even complained about Batman during that call, constantly reminding himself to be cautious. Yet, when it came to facing Damian, he was hit in the face with reality. The kid resembled Bruce in facial features, but there was nothing else to commend him.
"I think we need to talk about keeping your identity secret while on missions." Dick glanced at Kaito, who was not far away, frowning.
"I don't think I need you to teach me, coward." With a dismissive slap, Damian sidestepped Dick and prepared to leave. As for the unfortunate soul lying in the car, Damian had no intention of dealing with him; he could just let Kaito, the rookie Kamen Rider, handle it.
Dick grabbed Damian's shoulder again, his tone irritated. "We need to have a serious talk, Robin!"
"Sure, let's talk." A smile appeared on Damian's face as he side-kicked Dick. Dick dodged and swung his staff at Damian, who retaliated with his sword.
Kaito stood there, watching the two engage in a heated exchange. He was overly excited. "Hey, they're really fighting! This is thrilling! Wow, Damian is really ruthless! He almost got cut there." Watching this DC hero showdown unfold before him was more enjoyable than watching a movie. Kaito even forgot that the system in his mind had prompted him that he had completed two-thirds of his task progress and only needed to deal with one more crime gang to meet the minimum requirement for the Rise to Fame mission.
It seemed that the system had automatically assumed Dick's concealed police identity was already completed. However, Kaito was too distracted by the rare sight of Nightwing beating Robin to notice this. After a fierce exchange lasting over ten minutes, Damian was caught off guard and ended up getting tied in an embarrassing position to a street lamp by Dick, having paid the price with a dozen cuts from Damian's attacks.
"Hey, Alfred, it's me, Dick. Yeah, I found the kid and taught him a lesson. He listened, but I'll need a few more days before sending him back. Hope that's okay."
Leaning against a nearby wall, Dick pulled out a phone from somewhere and called Alfred, who was far away in Gotham. He glanced at Damian, who was still struggling against the lamp post, before hanging up and walking over to Kaito, who was still enjoying the show.
"Are you done? No more fighting? I'm still wanting more."
Dick felt somewhat suffocated by Kaito's response. So you're watching our fight like a show? Are you trying to get yourself killed? Suppressing his annoyance, Dick finally clarified, "I'm Nightwing. As for my identity, I think you've already heard it. If possible, could you come with me for a bit?"
"Where to?"
"To my base."
"Oh, I'm not going."
With that, Kaito's simple response cut off the conversation, nearly making Dick lose his temper. Now he understood why Damian wanted to fight Kaito; this guy's ability to make you speechless could really drive someone crazy.
Triggering side quest: Invitation from the humanoid self-propelled cannon. Assist Nightwing and Robin in completing the chase mission. Mission rewards: 30,000 points and an E-rank original training card for the small soldier, unlimited use duration. Note: side missions can be completed alongside the Rise to Fame mission.
Just as Kaito was about to leave, the system chimed in with a reminder. His steps halted as he realized the system would throw him a curveball at this moment. He didn't expect to receive a task at this point. The mention of the unlimited training card alone, not to mention the 30,000 points, was more than enough to persuade him.
He really needed those points. Unlocking the Heisei brothers required 100 million points; he wondered how long that would take. Based on the tasks released by the system, he figured the most points would come during significant events. But with his current skill level, whether he could survive such an event was uncertain. More likely, he would just end up as collateral damage. So, Kaito decisively turned around and approached Dick.
"If I'm not going with you, I have no idea where to go. I'm just a rookie, Kamen Rider, so please take care of me."
In an instant, Kaito shifted from an aloof attitude to a humble one, which made it hard for Dick to contain his urge to act. Hearing Kaito announce his identity made him laugh.
"Kamen Rider? Where's your horse? Your motorcycle?"
Dick fell silent; this day was getting ridiculous. After being abused by the system's sharp tongue, Kaito had developed some wit and adopted the system's one-liner style of ending conversations.
"Come with me."
After a moment of silence, Dick finally spoke, jumping up onto the lamp post. He didn't bother to free Damian, instead slinging him over his shoulder as he walked toward a nearby alley where his motorcycle was parked. Just as Kaito was about to follow, he heard the system's time limit reminder in his mind. The G3 armor covering him gradually became transparent and disappeared, revealing Kaito dressed in the Deadbeat suit and wearing a fake phasing mask.
"Huh? It looks like you have quite a few secrets. Do you need me to give you a ride?" Seeing Kaito in his double disguise, Dick appreciated the idea of having such insurance, but he couldn't figure out how Kaito managed to fight in armor while wearing a mask. Kaito himself had no clue; he felt perfectly fine in the armor, even with two layers on.
"No, I run fast and can keep up." To cover up his sudden lack of armor, Kaito forced out a response, although he himself wasn't sure if he could keep up.
"Oh, then try to keep up."
Since Kaito insisted, Dick didn't press further. He secured Damian and revved the engine of his motorcycle, which zoomed away like an arrow. Kaito grit his teeth and followed, not knowing if it was because he had exhausted the E-rank training card, but he surprisingly managed to keep close behind Nightwing's motorcycle without falling too far behind, feeling surprisingly little fatigue.
Kaito was amazed. Ever since he gained the Showa-enhanced physique, he hadn't felt particularly powerful. His speed was only slightly better than that of a sprinter, about seven seconds for 100 meters. As for strength, he felt no discomfort even while wearing the heavy G3 armor, and he could deal out tons of damage. Most of the time, he just found some punks to beat up in his human form and hadn't really pushed his limits.
But now that his G3 armor had timed out, he was still able to maintain a speed of seven seconds for 100 meters for five minutes without feeling any fatigue. This baffled him; he even felt he could go faster and had time to think about other things.
"Hey, system, can you explain what's happening? I'm a bit confused."
"It's simple. You haven't fully developed the advantages of your enhanced physique. The Showa-enhanced physique can output at least a ton of punch force. But every time you go out, you wear armor or just knock people out. That's pretty embarrassing."
"A modified human is still human! It's not like I'm immune to bullets; I wear armor for protection!" Kaito protested in his mind.
"How cowardly can you be?"
"Haha, you might not believe it, but if you unlock the Golden Fruit for me now, I'd dare to take on Darkseid."
"Oh, host, please watch the road. Sharp turn ahead."
The system's reminder snapped Kaito's focus back. He leaped and soared over a truck that suddenly came out from a crossroad. Dick saw Kaito's performance in the rearview mirror and silently nodded in approval. At least, for now, Hansen's performance was decent.
The motorcycle stopped at a warehouse. This warehouse belonged to Wayne Enterprises and had now become Dick's private property. Many of his gear was repaired and manufactured here. Once the motorcycle was parked, Dick signaled for Kaito to follow him upstairs, still carrying Damian.
Kaito shrugged and followed along, waiting for Dick to explain the task that came with the 30,000 points.
Chapter 3 is here. Please support with rewards, recommendations, collections, clicks, and feedback! Welcome comments! Also, having absorbed some advice from several experts, I will be making adjustments to the protagonist's enhanced physique and the training card. Some foreshadowing is already laid down here. Thank you for everyone's opinions.
(End of Chapter)