Novel: Kamen Rider Gaim

, is a novel based off Kamen Rider Gaim. It is written by Gun Snark and Jin Haganeya, supervised by Gen Urobuchi. This story reveals the true intentions of Kugai Kudo and the Saver System, as well as providing some storyline to Gaim Gaiden: Kamen Rider Knuckle. The limited deluxe version novel included a CD of the song Dance With Me.
==Synopsis==
After the final battle between Gaim and Baron was carried out, a secret society called Black Bodhi - who believed in the end times - starts to carry out their plans behind the scenes. Along with them is Kugai Kudo, an ominous man wandering in a different dimension. Mysterious Lockseeds are scattered throughout Zawame City, and chaos begins once again. It’s up to Takatora and Mitsuzane Kureshima to stand and defeat Kugai Kudo!
Takatora Kureshima travels around the world in search of Yggdrasill’s remnants so that they can continue to exploit the power of Helheim. Meanwhile, Mitsuzane Kureshima and Zack are in Zawame City, dealing with the mysterious Black Bodhi cult and Kugai Kudo who, despite being dead, appears among the living. Could this put to rest the intentions of Kugai from the Gaim Gaiden series?
==Plot==
Prologue
The two are engaged in the final battle for the Forbidden Fruit.
Despite Kouta's attempts to reason, Kaito remained adamant in his belief that it was impossible to change the world without power. "That's it... it's over, Kaito!" Kouta lands a fatal blow and stabs Kaito through the stomach. Kaito falls in defeat. Kouta had won the battle.
Kouta is in tears. Kouta reassures him that no matter how much it hurt or how many tears he shed, he would continue fighting to protect everyone. Kaito admits that Kouta had finally obtained true strength, and fades away.
The intense battle is over. Kouta becomes the Man of the Beginning and leaves with Mai to create a new Helheim. 
A man appears promptly and disappears, leaving a message, "This isn't salvation." 
The story ends, and a new story is about to begin. 
Introduction to the Black Bodhi
After the Helheim Holy Tree was destroyed due to Yggdrasill's destruction of Zawame's forests, the technology used to make the Sengoku Drivers and Lockseeds were leaked. To prevent its technology from being abused in order to exploit the power of Helheim for themselves, Takatora Kureshima traveled around the world. In Russia, Takatora defeats several members of the Russian underworld disguised as Kurokage Troopers, and finds a business card of a company named "Black Bodhi".
Takatora investigates and finds out that the Russian underworld has relations to an Asian affiliate, who is the head of a Foundation in a South Asian country. The Foundation provides Sengoku Drivers and Lockseeds to members of the Russian underworld. Takatora calls Oren Pierre Alfonzo over and hands him a Sengoku Driver.
Oren explains that the head of the Foundation has been arrested in a coup d'etat. After his arrest, his son Shapool has taken over the role of head of the Foundation and is working hard to get the organization back on the right track. However, the country is in civil war, and the anti-royal faction has likely struck a deal with Black Bodhi to obtain Sengoku Drivers.
Oren contacts several comrades of the Parachute Regiment and learns that the arrested ruler will be sent to the capital, and the rebellion army will send Kurokage Troopers to rob prisoners and weaken the strength of the organization. Takatora and Oren try to intercept the arrest, but find out that the rebels are equipped with the Zakuro Lockseeds designated to detonate at specific timings.
Takatora and Oren locate the rebels' warehouse. There, they witness an artificial Helheim where the blank Zakuro and other artificial Lockseeds were made and sent to other places. A "Saver System" is found in the computer data, and Takatora is unnerved by its similarity to the Scalar System weapon of mass destruction. As they continue their investigation, the warehouse is suddenly set on fire, in which the duo escape.
As Takatora leaves, he hears Kugai Kudo calling out to him from the shadows.
Introduction to Kugai Kudo
Kugai used to be an aspiring researcher at the Yggdrasill Laboratories. Due to a freak accident to test Ryoma Sengoku's first Lockseed, Kugai was killed during the test and his body was destroyed. However as he was equipped with the Sengoku Driver, he was able to gain a physical appearance, stuck in limbo.
Kugai Kudo is wandering aimlessly between the worlds, witnessing a mysterious world of warfare. A mysterious figure appears. Kugai senses powers exceeding a human being, something even more extraordinary, something between a God and the Devil. The figure introduces himself as DJ Sagara and proclaims to be the observer of the world. 
"There is no need for me to be here. What's important now, is that you are present, Kugai." Sagara explains to Kugai that, after dying in the accident, although he no longer exists in the human world, he has become a much more powerful entity, with the powers equal to an overlord. Sagara passes Kugai a Zakuro Lockseed, telling him he would always watch over him. 
Havoc in the City
Zawame City has undergone major restoration changes since peace returned. However, the number of street gangsters is increasing rapidly under the influence of a powerful gang leader named King. A majority of gangsters are suddenly being equipped with Zakuro Lockseeds, wreaking havoc in the city. 
Zack and Peko are in the city, dealing with the Black Bodhi cult as they work together to try to defeat the brainwashed gangsters, destroying the Lockseeds in the process. Mitsuzane arrives to help, but the gang leaders were still able to escape, rendering the Riders' efforts futile, although Mitsuzane manages to recover Zakuro Lockseed. Seeing Mitsuzane help them, Peko reconciles with him. Zack and Mitsuzane then attempt to infiltrate King's gang hideout to stop them from using the Zakuro Lockseeds and get information, but the gang escapes. The two return to the Team Gaim garage where Chucky, Rat, and Rica, who had been helping out, report that they couldn't find anything either.
Zack runs off, frustrated that he can't do anything to protect the city in Kaito and Kouta's place, and Mitsuzane comforts him, reminding him that he has his own sins to atone for, and the only thing they can do is keep fighting. Kugai appears in front of them. Mitsuzane and Peko attempt to fight him, but realizes that he cannot be touched as he is able to freely switch from a human to an invincible entity. Kugai tells the duo that he will be the one to save mankind and leaves the two confused. Back at the Team Gaim garage, the Beat Riders, joined by Hideyasu Jonouchi, discuss the issue, but Mitsuzane is concerned about how they can fight an intangible enemy.
King's men rob a bank. Upon hearing the news, Mitsuzane and Zack try to intervene but are stopped by Kugai, and the robbers manage to escape. The very next day, King was found killed by his own brainwashed henchmen, who had disappeared without a trace.
The Black Bodhi
With the death of King and the abrupt disappearance of the street gangsters, the city is back to normal again, until a series of "suicide bombings" (actually explosions caused by the Zakuro Lockseeds) starts causing more havoc.
A popular legend of a prayer is spread throughout the city. The prayer is believed to summon a magical fruit that must be touched through a white cloth. Known to provide people who get in direct contact with the fruit a sense of ecstasy and relief. Due to the occurrence of havoc made by the gangsters and "suicide bombers", people are starting to worry about their safety and start re-forming the Black Bodhi cult.
With the situation getting worse, Team Gaim and the other Beat Riders from different teams work together to try and get more information. Mitsuzane comes up with an idea to have someone infiltrate the church, but attempts to drop the idea with his fear of placing his fellow friends in danger again due to his ignorant wrongdoings. However, Chucky and Zack catch onto him and reassure him that they want to help him as his friends. Mitsuzane is ashamed at making everyone worry about him.
Chucky sneaks into the organization and confirms that the believers are receiving Zakuro Lockseeds. She follows the believers in a trance state boarding a bus, and contacts the others. Mitsuzane tracks her location through GPS, and he and Zack head towards her location to rescue her. They find a crowd of believers in a trance state, and Mitsuzane asks Zack to leave with Chucky so he can investigate whether the Saver System truly is the Scalar System. After Zack and Chucky depart, Mitsuzane's investigation is interrupted when Kugai attacks him as Kamen Rider Saver. Mitsuzane is saved by the timely arrival of Takatora and Zangetsu, and continues his investigation only to learn that the Saver System is not the Scalar System, but something else powered by Helheim plants.
Before Mitsuzane and Takatora can do anything about it, the system activates and absorbs all of the believers into light.
Kugai's existence
The system rises from the ground and forms a Bodhi Tree in the middle of Zawame. A force runs through the city, causing the civilians to instantly become brainwashed and paralyzed against their will. Only those with the Sengoku Drivers are able to maintain their sanity. Jonouchi initially starts off brainwashed, but Oren arrives with a new belt from Takatora and a Donguri Lockseed to restore his mind.
The remaining Riders gather at the Team Gaim garage to plan their next move. All information regarding Kugai Kudo and his experimental records at his time of death had been deleted, alongside all data of the Helheim Holy Tree. Takatora speculates that the information could be stored in Ryoma Sengoku's computer. The Kureshima brothers attempt to break into the computer's security system, up to no avail. Just as they are about to give up, a short clip pre-recorded by Ryoma starts playing.
Ryoma had already predicted Kugai's return, even to the point he knew Mitsuzane or Takatora would look into his computer for help. Ryoma explains that Kugai Kudo's powers are similar to an Over Lord, and his form cannot be restricted by matter. He could be defeated over and over again, and he would still be resurrected. However, he is unable to interfere with the matters of the living. The only reason why he is able to gain a physical appearance is due to the Sengoku Driver he is equipped with. Although Ryoma had previously destroyed Kugai's Driver, Kugai was likely able to control his believers using the Zakuro Lockseed to replicate a new Sengoku Driver for him.
Ryoma also explains that he had tried to prove the existence of the Golden Fruit using the Ringo Lockseed. He states that Kugai had decided that his Over Lord powers made him tantamount to a god, and that he was likely trying to make a Golden Fruit of his own with his own Over Lord powers. However, Ryoma mocks Kugai for being "third-rate" and a poor excuse for a god, since Kugai has no concept of creation and is therefore no better than a ghost. Seeing Ryoma's passionate enthusiasm in the video, Takatora has mixed feelings about Ryoma being an evil person who still had genuine passion about the world.
Takatora, Mitsuzane, Hideyasu, Zack, and Oren gather in the city and transform to fight Kugai and his Grasshopper Monster and Utsubokazura Kaijin army, with Zangetsu and Ryugen fighting Saver in a lotus at the top of the Bodhi tree. Kugai declares his intention to assimilate all human beings and make them into beings like himself. Although Zangetsu and Mitsuzane tentatively manage to defeat Saver, he merely returns on the spot. With no longer any need for the Sengoku Driver, he has the tree absorb everyone into the light, including even the five Riders.
Mitsuzane's perspective
Mitsuzane is on the verge of being absorbed into the sea of consciousness, and witnesses the entire universe. Kugai shows him visions of all of the forms of malice across the universe, telling him that the world will always be "hell" from repeated fighting, and tells him that the solution is to have all of humanity become one to remove all hatred and conflict. Mitsuzane tries his best to resist, but Kugai then makes Mitsuzane re-enact visions of killing and betraying the people he had in the past. He then shows Mitsuzane another vision of everything in the world becoming enemies and killing Mitsuzane over and over, and Mitsuzane almost completely succumbs to his consciousness dissolving.
Mitsuzane is saved from completely disappearing by someone he identifies as the universal embodiment of the "hero", who claims to simply be "passing through". The "hero" reminds Mitsuzane that he had once known a "hero" like that, and that Mitsuzane is a hero, too. He then shows Mitsuzane the universe again, and Mitsuzane sees that every world with conflict and fighting also has "warriors who will fight against evil. Understanding that anyone can be a hero, Mitsuzane remembers who he is and returns.
The final showdown
Mitsuzane emerges in a world that resembles Zawame overrun by plants. Kugai is angered to see that Mitsuzane escaped his assimilation, and summons Kamen Rider Duke to stop him, mocking Mitsuzane for having lost to Ryoma once. However, Mitsuzane, as Ryugen, defeats Duke by pulling off his Genesis Driver, revealing nothing underneath the Duke armor. Ryugen responds that Kugai himself was the one who was truly afraid of Ryoma, and that Ryoma was correct in calling Kugai "third-rate".
Having overcome their own trials, Zangetsu, Knuckle, Bravo, and Gridon arrive to help Ryugen. Incensed, Kugai uses his artificial Golden Fruit to turn himself into Golden Arms. The Riders land repeated attacks on him until Ryugen uses the Dragon Fruits Lockseed he had just taken from the false Duke's belt to transform into Ryugen Jimber Dragon Arms. Despite being defeated, Saver continues to rise again, and is trapped in a cycle of "hell" in fighting against the other Riders. Finally, Saver transforms into Maja Arms, intertwining between a rider form and a snake form. 
The Riders continue to fight with determination, and their determination as "heroes", combined with the feelings of the people of Zawame and the possibilities between the world, summon momentary attacks and shades of Baron, Kurokage, Marika, Sigurd, and Duke to finish Maja off.
While Maja is finally defeated, the last remaining pieces of Saver's mind, now completely devoid of individuality, slowly combine together into the appearance of a giant skeleton dinosaur.
At that very moment, Gaim Kiwami Arms appears and opens up a Crack to send the Riders home. Right before they part, Mitsuzane promises Kouta that if he were to ever fall into danger, he would run across the universe to help him, and that they would always be friends. Gaim responds with a thumbs-up, and turns to face Kugai.
As Gaim finishes the remains of Saver off, Kouta addresses the last remaining amounts of Kugai's consciousness, asking what Kugai actually wanted to save. He points out that even though he had claimed to want to save humanity, in actuality, Kugai wanted to save himself by making everyone the same as him. As Kugai's consciousness begins to completely vanish, Gaim finally destroys the dinosaur, and Kugai uses his last words to ask Kouta how long he intends to keep fighting. Kouta replies "as long as I live", and Kugai tells him to "live and die" in the world of pain. As Kugai's will completely vanishes, Kouta lays him to rest.
Ending
As the city people have no memory of the incident, Zawame begins its reconstruction again. Takatora continues his atonement by collecting traces of Yggdrasil, and Oren is absent from Charmant assisting him. Jonouchi continues to refine his pastry-making skills at Charmant, now able to join the fight as an Armored Rider if another incident happens. Zack continues to recover from his psychological injuries and resolves to stay strong for Kaito. Mitsuzane continues to help out Takatora from time to time, but focuses on his university studies, with his own battle being "to live by his own will".
Mitsuzane reads a book in the park and observes a bunch of children dancing. The children get in a fight and one child leaves the group, but the others appeal to him by dancing for him and welcome him back. Seeing himself and the other Beat Riders in them, Mitsuzane decides it might be good to dance with everyone again, and looks up at the sky, making a wish for it to reach two important people on a faraway planet.
On the faraway planet, Kouta listens to a girl saying that she understands Kugai's feelings because she had once been in the same position, but the difference between them was that they had friends, and Kugai didn't. Kouta reaffirms to himself that his friends give him the strength to keep going, so because of that, he can't consider the world to be "hell" no matter how much he fights.
Kouta is called to help somewhere, and transforms into Gaim, resolving to be a hero and help anyone who needs it.
==Characters==
===Kamen Riders===
====Armored Riders====
Kamen Rider Ryugen 	Mitsuzane Kureshima
Kamen Rider Zangetsu	Takatora Kureshima
Kamen Rider Gridon 	Hideyasu Jonouchi
Kamen Rider Bravo 	Oren Pierre Alfonzo
Kamen Rider Knuckle 	Zack
Kamen Rider Gaim 	Kouta Kazuraba
Kamen Rider Baron 	Kaito Kumon
Kamen Rider Kurokage	Kurokage Troopers
====Genesis Armored Riders====
Kamen Rider Duke 	Ryoma Sengoku
Kamen Rider Sigurd	Lock Dealer Sid
Kamen Rider Marika	Yoko Minato
===Allies===
*Rica
*Chucky
*Peko
*DJ Sagara
*Shapool
*Tsukasa Kadoya
*Lapis (mentioned)
=== Villains===
====Kamen Riders====
Kamen Rider Saver	Kugai Kudo
Kamen Rider Jam 	Kohgane (illusion)
Kamen Rider Mars 	Kohgane (illusion)
* King
====Illusions ====
*Inves
*Over Lord Inves
**Rosyuo 
**Demushu
**Grinsha
**Dyudyuonshu
**Redyue 
*Megahex
*Grasshopper Monster
*Utsubokazura Kaijin
====Mentions and Allusions==== 
*Shapool's father
*Shura
*Touka Akatsuki
*Mecha Ryoma Sengoku
*Gurongi
*Lords
*Mirror Monsters
*Orphnochs
*Undeads
*Makamou
*Worms
*Imagin
*Fangires
*Dopants
*Greeed
*Zodiarts
*Phantoms
*108 Roidmudes
== Notes==
*At the first version of the cover, Jin Haganeya's name was typed under the "supervisor" position along with Gen Urobuchi, the final version of the cover corrected this error later.
*Apart from Gridon and Bravo getting new belts and regaining their ability to transform, this novel introduces several new Armored Rider forms:
**Ryugen Jimber Dragon Arms
**Zangetsu Suika Arms
**Zangetsu Jimber Melon Arms
**Saver Golden Arms
**Saver Darkness Arms
**Saver Maja Arms
**Lotus Position "False God" Saver
**Predator Saver
*This is the only novel to have Tsukasa Kadoya to appear in different Rider novel series.
==References==
Category:Kamen Rider Manga & Books
Category:Novels
Category:Crossovers