This request came from balkj06, and something I'm surprised that I managed to pull off. I hope it's the tone you wanted.
Chapter 0.72 - Lelouch & Gekiganger
"Ah...another day, another fat wad of cash!" Rivalz quipped as he and Lelouch got off of his motorcycle in one of Ashford's many lots. "Though you gotta admit, that last guy you played was an unusually good sport. What was his name again?"
"Gilbert, I believe. I forgot his last name, though. I think it started with a Z."
"Yeah...oh, speaking of money, the club budget meeting is tomorrow...and with Milly away, that means you're gonna be overseeing it."
Lelouch sighed. He wasn't terribly keen on going to this meeting - it meant that the president of the manga club was going to be there. Tomorrow was the day where the president of each club (besides some of the mainstays like the sports teams) had to give a short presentation on why their club needed more funding for next semester. The president of the manga club always had some sort of hare-brained idea that never worked on securing more than the minimum amount for them, and always left Lelouch with a headache.
"Yeah. I wonder what SHE's got cooked up this year."
"I doubt it'll be able to top last year's 'presentation'."
The two started to walk toward the dorm rooms, when suddenly the girl they had been discussing came running up to them - Tara Zifell.
"Hey, Vice-Prez!"
"Oh...it's you. The budget meeting is tomorrow. I hope you have your presentation ready."
"Listen, the club wants you to observe our meeting today," Tara said in a uncharacteristically calm manner. "Maybe if you see what we're all about, you and the Prez will give us more funding. I really can't really do the club justice in a five minute presentation."
"I have other things to do," Lelouch said, walking away. Tara grabbed his arm and held him back. Lelouch was hardly the fittest person, so even the girl could easily keep him there.
"C'mon, pleeeeeease!"
"No! Let me go!"
"Pretty please?"
"No!"
"Pretty please with sugar, chocolate sauce and a cherry on top?"
"NO!"
"C'mon, you'd make Nunnally so sad if you didn't come!"
Lelouch stopped. It was a poorly kept secret that you could manipulate him into doing what you wanted by the mere mention of his little sister.
"All right, I guess I'll sit in on it," the Britannian student replied.
"You're not serious, are you, Lelouch?!" Rivalz exclaimed. "All the manga club does is sit around and either watch old Eleven cartoons or argue about comics made by Elevens!"
"You only think that because you've never sat in on a meeting!" Tara retorted. "We do way more than that! And we'd do even more if we had the funding!"
"She's got a point," Lelouch replied. "So, where and when will the meeting be?"
"You're awesome, Vice-Prez!" Tara cheered when she realized that Lelouch had actually accepted her offer. "We meet in the media room, at four-thirty! I'll see you there!"
With that, she hurried off to make some preparations for Lelouch's visit.
"I can't believe you're going," Rivalz said, shaking his head in disbelief.
"I don't exactly have anything better to do," the student council vice president replied. "Why don't you come along?"
"I'll pass," his friend replied; "I've got a paper to finish anyway."
"Remind me again of why we're doing this?" Sayaka Yumi grumbled as she and Koji Kabuto worked on setting up the projector for the manga club meeting, where they would be showing episodes of old Japanese cartoons. "My father wanted us back at the lab an hour ago."
"Because...Tara's our friend, that's why!" Koji replied as he moved one of the speakers across the stage. "Besides, I heard the student council vice president is going to be sitting in on the meeting today! If he's sufficiently impressed with what we do, the manga club will get more funding!"
"I still say this club shouldn't even exist," Sayaka said. "It's nothing more than an excuse for Britannians to say that they 'understand our culture' without actually truly understanding it. It's hypocrisy, plain and simple."
"Except Tara is half-Japanese, and was raised here in Japan, remember?" Koji quipped.
Sayak sighed. "Even so..."
Suddenly, the various members of the club began to trickle in, which caused them both to hurry along with their preparations.
The club's membership was disproportionately male, but there were also a number of girls in the club as well. As the appointed hour drew close, close to three dozen people had found their way into the room, chatting as they sat down. Soon, Tara appeared at the door, and with Lelouch in tow, just as he promised.
She opened the door, and immediately the entire room went silent as all the male members' lonely eyes gazed at what they perceived as their goddess as she stepped in front of the projector screen.
"Hello, everyone!" Tara began. "Today, we have a surprise special guest sitting in on our meeting today. I ran into him early this afternoon and he agreed to come and see what we're all about! Let's all give a warm konichiwa to the vice president of the Ashford Student Council, Lelouch Lamperouge!"
That was Lelouch's cue. He entered the room and looked around. There were snacks piled on the table across the room, and the chairs were filled with the various social detritus of the school - otakus, nerds, etc. - all clapping and applauding. Some of the females were gazing at him lustfully, which was quite unnerving.
But their attention was soon directed back at Tara, who began to go through the announcements regarding club affairs. It was the usual sort of nonsense.
Then the lights went down and the chosen film for the day began to play.
It was an episode of Gekiganger 3, a particularly old show, one that predated the Britannian occupation by at least ten years. He had seen bits and pieces of it on television in Saturday mornings, but it was a heavily edited and censored work, a mere shadow of its original form, and nothing but drivel.
And even in its uncut, uncensored form, the dialogue was still incredibly cheesy.
"Vile Kyo'akk! We shall not allow you to pillage our towns any longer!"
"Scumlings! Know your place! GREAT CATCHER!"
"Oh man, I LOVE this episode!" Tara said excitedly as she watched. "Definitely my favorite from Season 4!"
Then, a scene came up with the Gekiganger team meeting with what appeared to be some sort of rebel leader. He wore a mask and a cape to hide his true identity.
"Greetings to you, warriors from Earth. I am Nil. Thank you for your assistance before."
"Ha! We have plenty of experience fighting the Kyo'akk!"
"Then please, hear of this world's plight - for as long as anyone can remember, we Rusalkians have been oppressed by the Kyo'akk Empire. My ambition is to drive those accursed Kyo'akk off Rusalka so that every Rusalkian can live freely and peacefully..."
The whole room rose into an uproarious cheer at the end of Nil's speech, except for Sayaka and Lelouch.
"Can you seriously believe this crap, Vice Prez?" Sayaka whispered. "I don't know how anyone except little kids could enjoy this."
But Lelouch continued watching, now with somewhat more interest. The character of Nil intrigued him. The way he motivated his men, and even the protagonists, to fight was unusual - if he wasn't quite so hammy in his speeches, he would make a great ruler.
The scene soon turned into a desperate battle between the Rusalkians and the Kyo'akk, with Gekiganger helping the Rusalkians out. Unlike the censored version, this showed the battle as full brutality as the times allowed - blood spewed, corpses were displayed bent in unnatural ways from explosions, and all other realities of war. The reactions from the crowd ranged from cries of sadness to screams of rage, as if they were genuinely moved by what was happening.
But in the end, Gekiganger prevailed, using its Gekigan Flare to destroy the Kyo'akk base, again to uproarious applause.
Well, the Elevens certainly are no strangers to the horrors of war, the Britannian thought, feeling a tad squeamish from all of the gore.
But then came the surprise twist, when Nil removed his mask.
"Yes, Rusalkians...I am not one of you. I am of Kyo'akk, the very people who oppressed you. But I could not stand the injustice my planet's military had wrought upon yours, and so, I became their enemy."
At first, the Rusalkians looked ready to attack and slay Nil, but then a young Rusalkian child intervened, much to Lelouch's surprise.
"No! Don't hurt Nil! He freed us! He's a hero!"
At this, the Rusalkians relented, and after numerous goodbyes, the episode came to an end, leaving Lelouch deep in thought about what had happened.
"So, Vice Prez," Tara said eagerly after returning on stage. "What do you think of the REAL Gekiganger 3, as opposed to the stuff they broadcast on Britannian television?"
"Well, I can't say it's much better," the young man said bluntly. "The dialogue is cheesy, the plot is rather predictable, the animation is mediocre, and the protagonists are nothing more than archetypes."
The crowd gasped.
"However...it does have its strong points. The characters made many good speeches that did not feel preachy at all, and the writers clearly believed in the values the show espouses. I certainly hope this episode was an example of the rule, rather than the exception. If so, I'd be willing to call myself a fan. And even if it isn't, it's certainly fun to watch, and furthermore..."
Sayaka couldn't believe it. Lelouch Lamperouge, one of the most intelligent people in the Academy, was singing the praises of a cheesy old show from ten years ago. He wondered if all the junk food had gummed up his brain...
That's it for this one. Keep 'em coming!
