Suddenly decided to post this as separate pieces after all. Since rewatching 38 so many times giving me ideas to also cover the rest of the crews. Changing the title as well since I found something better sounding. My Megaranger piece also underway... so feel free to leave some words, just so I know I'm not talking to myself all these times.
Since someone commented that a one-shot I wrote that was an off-shot of the Hurricaneger arc (thus reference to that as well), felt like a foreshadow for 37-38.
The Bonds we share: GokaiRed and Machalcon
Written by Izzu alias honou-no-izumi
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"Yousuke... what's so great about protecting this planet to you?"
Shiina Yousuke had turned to look at him, with surprise in his eyes as he gave Marvelous a good once-over.
"Isn't that obvious? I loved this planet and everything on it. This is the planet I'm born in and my home. If I'm not protecting it when I had the ability to do it, what's the point of having that power if you don't use it to protect the things important to you?"
Marvelous blinked as he turned to see Yousuke's other comrades; Nono Nanami and Bitou Kouta teaching Luka and Joe some of their ninja techniques at the other side of the deck. Appearance do deceive, not just from the perspective of Yousuke and the other previous sentai members regarding themselves as Gokaigers; but now that he thought of it—the same as how he and the rest of his crew thought of them. Honestly at first glance, he would not have imagined that Yousuke, Nanami... Kouta or any other sentai members he have met in the past, would have had some cool fighting knowledge behind all those kind appearances. He also had never expected that Alata could fight as good as he, despite the child-like appearance he had...
Seeing that there was so many teams existing since, this planet must have been so precious that so many people wanted to protect it. How could they keep on doing that... if time by time whenever one team managed to defeat one enemy completely, another one would appear later and another team would be assembled to fight them. Was there any point to keep doing that anyway?
"You guys..."
Yousuke turned back towards him as Marvelous suddenly looked up and spoke.
"...how could you guys find that strength to keep fighting and protecting people? When it seemed that the enemies you fought kept on appearing one after another..."
Yousuke frowned at him before smiling again. He snorted. "That answer... it's better that you look for it yourself."
xxx
"Marvelous-san... to you, what you think you're protecting?"
Marvelous sighed softly to himself. He had been served a very good lesson today, that was for sure. Wonder since when had he kept this to himself, or whether all these times he kept this thought deep inside himself that he was not even aware of it himself—the fear he had about losing any more people who were important to him. The fear that if he started using the word 'protect' in the things he do, it would jinx the things he sought to keep safe.
Wonder since when did the rest of his crew realized that as well?
This thing... these great desire to protect things dearest to one's self, greater than their own lives—was that the true power that gave birth the existence of the grand powers of all of the Super Sentai teams including his own? Because if it was true that the aftermath of the great legend war had dried up all of the powers of the past sentai, then they should not have the grand powers still.
Yet, their grand powers had remained...
He always thought that the grand powers were only held by the previous sentai teams. He never thought that his own team would have that as well.
If grand powers were born from the desires of the ones before him that in turn, changed into great strengths that allowed his predecessors to overturn great adversaries into great victory—could that be the same as to what was it that had awakened their own grand powers?
Even if they were pirates, there was still something precious they wanted to reach. Even if they were pirates, there was still something they wanted to protect with everything they had. Even if they were not like any other of their seniors in terms of being allies of justice. They could still protect the things they held dear...
Using their own means, their own methods. As the pirates they were...
Even if he still could not understand what was really these grand powers aside from a means for him and his crew to fight back against Zangyack's tyranny, he would keep holding on to it until he found the answer...
Marvelous sighed as his thoughts wandered back towards that dream he had about AkaRed.
AkaRed was truly dead... was he not? How else could AkaRed appeared inside his own dreams?
Protecting... what that really mean actually? Perhaps there was still things he needed to learn still.
Marvelous stepped into the main deck as the deck remained empty. Everyone else already retired inside their own bunkers. He sneered at Navi as the mechanical bird was powered down for the night.
Stupid bird... who was it really that cried thinking he was dead and was so scared of being by itself? Who was the more crybaby then?
That aside, how was it even possible for a stupid mechanical bird to even have that much emotion at the first place? That answer... he might not have the chance to know about it... ever.
Marvelous looked down at the side table where Gai's Super Sentai encyclopedia laid scattered all over. They must have forgot to clean this up earlier...
He sat on the couch as Marvelous picked up one folder and started to read it. It was the folder for the Hurricaneger...
"...it's better you look for it yourself..."
Marvelous smiled weakly as he turned to read up some of the other team's folders as well. Magiranger... Gaoranger... GoGo V... Shinkenger... Timeranger, Gekiranger...
He chuckled softly. Gai... how did he manage to collect all these information all by himself? It must have taken a lot of work, seeing that he even manage to collect data on the teams that managed to protect this world in secret... away from anyone's notice. The data was also so comprehensive and detailed...
Marvelous frowned. From what he had gathered here... almost every single one of them; the past sentai members, had faced a lot of things that normally could be unbearable for one to bear. Yet, while they remained unyielding... they keep on climbing back up and fought with everything they had still. And regardless how much they had fallen, they would come back and fought with renewed strength until they succeeded in defeating the enemies that threatened their peace.
He sighed. Could that... be the same as to what they had faced today? Or the day before... and all those before that as well? He never really thought about it, that through all the things he and his crew had faced together since the beginning... a bond between all of them had existed. Would that be the same as his bond with AkaRed, and even...?
Was that why he felt hurt at the thought that maybe AkaRed really had died protecting him? Or that all these times, Basco had intended to betray their trust?
These bonds between people... could that be what gave strength to all of these warriors of the past? He had noticed it after all... some of these past teams were either from the same family, or groups of people who have been gathered together that eventually became fast friends—all of them seemed to have some kind of bonds that became the source of their motivations.
Was this what Yousuke told him to find for himself, the answer to that question he had asked before... the secret to attaining the great strength to allow one's self to be able to protect their most important treasures?
Then... it must have mean that he still had a lot to learn. Because he was still not good in this whole... protecting things...
Being a hero was not the thing he had planned to do after all.
xxx
Elsewhere, on Machine World.
"Bari barii... Bari bariii..." exclaimed Machalcon as he zoomed past the highway happily. Noticing his son's cheerful mood, Speedor started speeding after him to find out the reasoning for his cheer.
"Doru dor... Machalcon, what was it that cheered you so much today?"
Machalcon made a sharp turn before stopping, to greet his father. He smiled happily. "I just found out about Gokaiger's grand power! They could create a Kanzen Soul to allow their two mechs to combine with me and create a new Kanzen GokaiOh! I was so happy. I had always been curious, I had two slots on my sides to allow myself to use more than one Engine souls. So I had wondered if that was related to Gokaiger's own power. After I heard about the past battles you and everyone had gone through, I wonder if it was possible for me to do the same thing."
"Of course you can, Machalcon!" said Bus-on as the rest of the Engines started to gather around the two of them. Bus-on started honking loudly as Machalcon noticed that his parents—Speedor and Bearrv—had begun to beam with pride. As he stopped to pay attention to all the things spoken among the Engines, he realized that all of them had started to talk about him. He never thought it would feel this good.
"Father!" Machalcon exclaimed as Speedor and Bearrv turned towards him. "I might have... now understand a bit about how you—and everyone—have felt about the Go-ongers. Having partners to fight alongside with... that was a good thing to have. With partners, one can become stronger... so that they can protect everyone, right?"
"Viii viii!" exclaimed Bearrv happily. "As expected of my son to say!"
"You've grown so much, Machalcon! Doru Dorrr!" said Speedor as well.