Lyrical Ride - Episode 02 - Who Rides the Rider?

[drunkenpandaren]

The scene was familiar for anyone who was a big watcher of daytime television: a girl, helpless to do anything against her captors was backing up against the wall as a gang of thugs advanced on her. This wasn’t a NORMAL situation but it wasn’t uncommon in the main city of Crannagan, and if they had known what this girl’s title was before her accident, they would have run screaming.

[We are surrounded, my master] said Raising Heart needlessly as Nanoha’s wheelchair bumped against the brick. [They are also jamming connections to headquarters.]

“Smart device you’ve got there,” leered one of the thugs, an unwashed ugly mug of a guy who seemed to smell like he had rubbed pig fat into his skin. She could smell him from the short distance away. “Yeah, you’ve got no backup. Been watching you girly; they say you were an Ace in the day.”

The other men grinned as Nanoha found her voice. “Back off.”

“Oh she wants us to back off huh?” Chortled a lanky man. “Bitch!”

And they threw her out of her chair, Nanoha hitting the ground with a thud. She winced as she groped for her wheelchair as the men advanced.

Hey. Hey you. You just going to lay there and take what’s coming? Snarled a male voice, full of cockiness.

“What can I do,” muttered Nanoha. “If only I could fly…”

Tch. You can fly, if that’s your wish, although that sounds boring. But what do you really want? C’mon I haven’t got all day and they’re not going to keep it in the pants if you know what I’m talking about!

Nanoha gasped as she turned over to see them get close. “I… I want…” The men drew back as a light began to grow. “I want…!”

There was an explosion of light, and then one of the men went flying. The lanky one stepped back and a hand reached out, throwing him across the street single handedly. The remaining two grabbed junk from the streets but it was no use as they too went flying.

“The hell boss you said this chick was a cripple!” yelped the lanky one.

“She was! I know she was I was tailing her!” The leader trembled as Nanoha advanced on them, and when she lifted her eyes, they glowed blood red and full of confidence as a streak of crimson red ran down her long braid. A wide smile spread across her face which turned into a satisfied smirking snarl as she took a pose.

“Ore… SANJOU!”


Lyrical Ride

Written by Shaun Garin


Beep Beep Beep. Click.

Nanoha lowered her hand from the button of the alarm clock. It had been a dream right? It had to be a dream. She had managed to get home there was no incident, no nothing. Just herself and a dream. No men trying to rape her, no crazy beings asking her wish, just peace, quiet, and another day of fun filled paperwork. Joy.

Nanoha opened her eyes as a red horned devil-like being snored next to her. “…”

Fifteen seconds later after taking thirteen of those process the sight, Nanoha screamed using one of those seconds, and the devil-like creature was hurled through the bedroom window.


Nanoha simply stared at the Oni-like creature as he went through a plate of her favorite flan cake within seconds. “So… it wasn’t a dream…” she said faintly.

“Of course not, idiot,” groused the creature. “Course without me you’d be in a hospital, getting checked. Or worse. Heh, lucky I showed up at the right time huh?”

“But… what are you?” inquired Nanoha awkwardly. She hadn’t felt this out of place since a ferret talked to her.

[He does not match any known description my master] supplied Raising Heart helpfully.

“Pah, I’m going to say this once: I am an IMAGIN. I-MA-GIN. And I am the powerful, the great, Momotaros! From beginning to end, I am at a climax!” Roared Momotaros, posing dramatically.

Nanoha utilized a “…” and added “Um, feet off the table please.” This was beyond weird.

Thankfully the Imagin settled down and Momotaros folded his arms. “By the way what the hells wrong with your body? When I possessed it, it felt all wrong. Like not cripple wrong just wrong! You sick or something?”

Nanoha hung her head. “I… suffered an accident. I’ll never walk again, or fly. I can barely cast the magic I used to now… because of it, I’m at a desk all the time, unable to see the sky.”

Silence. And Momotaros snorted. “Sky’s overrated anyhow. And there’s nothing wrong with your legs! Fuck I used them last night!”

[It is true my master. He utilized them for ten minutes and fifteen seconds.]

“Would have been shorter if that guy didn’t have the pipe,” grunted Momotaros.

For a long moment Nanoha looked at her legs. True it took effort to get into her chair recently, but for her to walk? Carefully, she pushed herself up, her legs feeling like jelly. “H-hey, don’t be getting up so quickly!” exclaimed Momotaros as Nanoha pushed herself up.

Like a newborn, she wobbled for a brief moment before collapsing into her chair again. “Owwww…”

“Ah geez, you overworked yourself. I used up all of your legs strength last night,” grumbled Momotaros. “Hold still.”

With that, the Imagin turned into a red outline as he leaped at her – and slid into her body as he asserted control. “Pay attention!” exclaimed Momotaros loudly in a voice too deep for Nanoha’s own alto. “Try to memorize this!”

And carefully he pushed her body up into a standing position, holding onto the arm rests. “Geez your lower body’s out of shape,” he grunted. “I think I might have pulled one kicking that fat ass!”

Nanoha couldn’t believe it; her own body was actually standing. “I’m… standing,” she said mentally in a daze.

“Feh. The way I figure it, you’ve got thirty minutes of walk time. Less if we’re in a fight. But since your wish was to fight, I can’t really go against that.” Snorted Momotaros.

“Wait, I wanted to fly, not fight!” exclaimed Nanoha angrily. “Take the wish back!”

“What you mean I screwed up? Aw damn…” Momotaros folded their shared body and sat down in a huff, only to pop out a second later and form in front of her, arms folded. “Great, that means it’s mostly invalid. Now I gotta stick with you until you can fly.”

“You can do that?” inquired Nanoha. “Make me fly, right?”

“Tch. I’m the great Momotaros, I can figure it out!” Exclaimed Momo. He opened his mouth to say something further but then he stopped. “… Imagin…”

“Another? Ack!” Without warning, Momotaros leaped into her body and smirked. “H-hey!”

“I smell an Imagin,” said Momo as he got up, grabbing Raising Heart and slinging it around his neck before grabbing the wheelchair and pushing it out the door. “We’re going to find it.”

“Why? What’s so bad about it?”

“Tch, that’s another part I forgot to mention: Imagin grant wishes that is true, but then we can use the Contract person to travel back in time, and wreck havoc in the past.” Momotaros got a nasty grin on his face as he pushed the chair out the door, got into it and started wheeling them towards the Imagin at high speeds. “And you don’t want that, do ya girl?”

“… WHY DIDN’T YOU TELL ME THIS BEFORE?!”


He seemed like an ordinary man at first; just a salary man that was headed down the road when suddenly a girl in pajamas accosted him, grabbing him around the neck and yelling angrily as a wheelchair rolled to the side, forgotten. “Get out of there you bastard I can smell you!” snarled Momotaros as he shook the office worker wildly.

“Stop stop you’re hurting him!” protested Nanoha, helpless to do anything. “Raising Heart do something!”

“Tch, get the hell out of there!” And Momotaros threw him to the ground.

People were gathering around, watching the tableau, mutters ranging from “crazy girl” to “assault” when suddenly the man began to laugh as sand poured off him and a tall bat-like monster erupted from his body, leaving an unconscious man behind. “MOMOTAROS!” roared the Bat creature, making people scatter. “The hell are you doing?”

“Tch, you obviously forgot why I’m here,” said Momotaros with a snarl as he cracked his knuckles.

“Traitor,” snorted the bat as he looked Momotaros over. “You chose a pretty Contractor this time. Runty kids not good enough for you?”

“Shut up!” retorted Momotaros, pointing a finger at him. “Can’t let you disrupt time any longer! Bah, why am I wasting time talking to you: it’s time for action!”

“I couldn’t agree more!” The bat lunged forward as Momotaros met him straight on, delivering punches to his chest. The bat barely stumbled and laughed. “What a weak shell you got this time!”

“Shut up!” snarled Momotaros as he whipped his hair around, the long ponytail blinding him. “ORAAAAAA~!”

Tackling him around the middle, he drove the bat Imagin backwards, knocking over trash cans and running into traffic. Grabbing the bat around an arm, Momotaros swung it into a lamp post where it impacted with a resounding clang.

“Not bad,” said the bat as he cracked his knuckles, pulling himself away from the bent post.

“Feh, I’m just getting started.” Internally he winced as he approached Nanoha who was watching in trepidation. “Hey, Contractor. We’re in big trouble. Your body’s not going to hold up for a long fight.”

“EH?! I could have told you that!” snapped Nanoha. “What do we do?”

“Tch, sirens,” added Momotaros as the sound of approaching police vehicles could be heard. “I guess there’s nothing for it right now…”

In his hands, a belt appeared and the bat backed up. “Why the hell do you have it with you?” snapped the bat.

“Oh you didn’t know? Pity. Gonna see it first hand!” Snapping the belt around his waist, Momotaros pulled out a ticket from the buckle.

“We’re going to have to make this count. I don’t know I can get to DenLiner in time for a new one,” said Momotaros to Nanoha. “Tch. Wish I didn’t have to use your body, but this is an emergency.”

“I’m not happy about it either,” said Nanoha as she watched the bat quickly advance. “But to protect people… and prevent them from crying… you’d better do whatever you’re doing quickly!”

The bat swung at Momotaros and there was a resounding impact noise as Momotaros blocked it. “Tch… you sure bout that, Contractor?”

Nanoha nodded. “I’m sure.”

Pressing the buckle with his free hand, he proclaimed, “Henshin!” as music played. Scanning the card, a graphic appeared as a robotic voice proclaimed, “Sword Form!”

The force of the transformation blew the opponent backwards as he went skidding across the ground. In a spiral of parts, Nanoha’s body was covered in a grey and black outfit as red armor pieces fixed itself to her body. The helmet gained a decorative set of eyes as the newly transformed being proclaimed, “Ore… SANJOU!”

“You… Den-O!” snarled the bat.

“Heh, from start to finish, I am always at a climax!” smirked Den-O as he put his sword together. “Here I come!”