What had taken years to build...all destroyed.
That familiar feeling of futility rushed into his heart as he looked on at the carnage.
Corpes of his fellow rebels strewn the rocks like warped confetti.
Body parts fell or dangled about lifelessly.
Images of the scorched remains of Earth flickered in and out of his head.
AkaRed and Jiraiya both looked at each other, the dread evident on their faces.
"J-Jiraiya..." Says AkaRed, unable to hide his lack of composure.
The two leaders knew they'd meet Zangyack in battle at some point. AkaRed was tempted to head to the Passage and have Jiraiya handle things, but if they were swamped right away, the evacuation wouldn't stand a chance. They had to thin the herd. Besides, he had a FEW morals left. He cared too much about Jiraiya to dump it all on him.
"I know." Replies Jiraiya. "The Cavern Squads are probably mobilizing as we speak. Assorted gangs'll advance with us too. It's taken care of."
"Good." Says AkaRed.
Placing his left hand to his left ear, he presses what looks like a button. An earpiece.
"White Racer!" Says AkaRed. "Gather everyone you can and head into the forbidden pasageway!...Don't ask questions, just do it please. Red out."
"Does she know?" Jiraiya inquires.
"I believe she has an inkling, but not much else." Says AkaRed. With a heavy sigh, he takes his place next to his friend. "Well...?"
"I'm ready. Let's give 'em a showy welcome, eh?"
Reaching into the right side of his battle-coat, he pulls out a golden device, bringing it to the center of his chest using his two index fingers.
"Doron! Changer!"
Jiraiya then flicks a switch on the edge of the device. As opposed to a centerpiece rune, a circular Ranger Key is seen in the Changer's Center, which then moves inward.
As Jiraiya stands motionless, white particles begin to surround him. Like a torrent, they move faster and faster, until his whole body is cover in light. Seconds later, the NinjaBlack suit materializes.
"NinjaBlack! Jiraiya!"
AkaRed place his left hand above him, extending his arm skyward.
"Soul Advent!"
A red light engulfed him. A moment late, he was standing in a red leather suit, with a helmet depicted a playing card spade fastened to his head.
"Spade Ace!"
They transformed not a moment too soon. As if on twisted cue, the sight of a massive crowd of Gormin could be seen developing over the sweltering horizon. He could hear other assorted noises as well.
"I'm feeling so nostalgic right now." Says NinjaBlack."That's a bad thing, right?"
"Yes."
"Just checking!"
With weapons in hand, the two advance!
It only took a few minutes to hear the sounds of fighting above him.
Don's right hand was shaking.
Of course, something couldn't just go without a hitch! Never!
Still...He wasn't that surprised.
As anxiety and panic began overtaking Don, the computer behind him began to glow subtly, it's light reflecting onto Don's skin.
"A part of you wants to help them, doesn't it?"
"Whaa!?"
Anxiously, the Gokaiger looks around.
"Merde...It's Enter, imbécile. Talking from the Hyper Space..."
Don turns to face the computer, bashfully putting the fingers of his right arm through his hair.
"Oh..." Don says. "Forgot you could do that...well, k-kinda. I mean, I dislike fighting, but..."
"...You feel like you could be doing more?" Asks Enter's voice.
"Sort of." Replies Don, clutching his chest subtly. "Still, I know that the Motherboard is the whole crux of this battle. We lose it, the Resistance is finished."
"No need to fret so much. Dogoier." Says Enter. "Simply do what you can."
Don closes his eyes a minute. He's right. He was worrying too much.
"Good." Says Enter. "Now let's do a final calibration check, qui?"
It didn't take the Gormin long to blaze past the entrance.
The Rebels all raised their weapons the moment the explosion penetrated their ears.
All White Racer could do was shed a tear from her left eye.
AkaRed had always warned them that this was a possibility.
Waving her magical wand, she summoned a megaphone and placed it to her lips.
"We're under attack!" The girl shouts. "All units get ready! This is the big one! Cut a path to the Forbidden Passageway! Now! Now! Now!"
One of the Rebels turns to her, confused. It was Gai: Don's friend.
"Why the Passageway, Racer-Sama?"
"AkaRed's orders." She replies. "I'm every bit as confused as you are, but he knows best. C'mon, let's move it!"
She gave the orders just in time, too. Here came a Gormin squad as if on cue.
In frustration, White Racer reaches into the right pocket of her dress, and unveils her signature weapons: The Riddle Bombs.
Having upgraded her arsenal into something more managable, Racer had turned her Carranger-era massive Riddle Bombs into smaller, self-regenerating projectiles.
Tossing them into a group of Gormin, the bombs explode, foring robotic limbs onto the nearby rockfaces.
A second later, she feels the bombs return to her.
With a hearty yell, she advances her squadron forward.
"Can I do this?" The White Racer asks herself. "I have to! Right now, AkaRed-Sama's counting on me! I just wish he could tell us what his real plans were!"
As Don tinkered, footsteps could be heard.
The sounds were growing louder.
Brandishing his Gokai Gun, Don shakily pointed it in front of him.
"S-S-Show yourself!"
Figures begin approaching.
White Racer, Akagi, and assorted other Rebels.
All of them thankfully armed, but still.
Sighing in relief, he puts his Gun away.
"Where's AkaRed!?" She asks frantically.
"I dunno!" Replies Don. "But we need him down here!"
Don sees Racer's eyes widen in realization.
"No...he's meeting the invasion force!?"
"Gahh!"
It was satisfying for the worst of reasons, but Gai didn't care.
The Earthling took almost ecstatic glee in dispatching Zangyack troops. A part of that scared him, but right now, he was more excited than he's been in so long.
So many lives lost! So much destruction and for what!?
Titles! Glory? Evil?
The rage boiled within him as another enemy raised its weapon to attack him.
Using the spear made by one of the Resistance blacksmiths, he pierces it's robotic body.
Buzzing filled the rebel's ears as it falls to the ground motionlessly.
Ah! He could do this forever! Zangyack already took away his life! What's stoppin' him now!?
Sure, Racer gave them all an order to proceed to the forbidden cave-way, but he was just one guy. What did it matter if he fell here or not? He'd already gotten seperated from them, anyway. Nobody to stop him.
A sweep of his weapon fells two more foes.
It was obvious they couldn't hold the entrance for long, stragglers were already getting through. Good thing Jiraiya kept him inside.
As the Rebel struggles to breathe, reality begins to return to him.
Explosions and various screams reverberate across the cavern like a haunted house.
His heart sank like a stone.
Don and the others. They were what was stopping him. He couldn't lose himself! Not right now!
He couldn't go down that road again...
He had to get to the Passage!
Gai begins running further into the square interior of the room.
As he moves, he hears a sound.
Crying! And nearby!
As he runs, he notices a team of Gormin. They're surrounding someone.
A child!
One of them rasies it's weapon to strike. The child manages to parry the blow with an object of some sort, but it gets knocked away by another.
He had to save them!
"HHHAAA!"
With a scream of primal fury, the spearman slams the enemy duo to the ground.
"You ok?" Asks Gai.
The child nods, then immediately runs off in the same direction Gai was heading.
"W-Wait!"
He better follow them...
Enemy kill count was maintained at twenty.
Small rebel squad. Ragtag group.
Weak, not well-armed. Ill-adjusted to Sedon's hot deserts, too.
Child's play.
Hiromu and the Busters didn't even need to transform yet. The Gormin were scattering the enemy rather well. Blue and Yellow were overseeing the deployment. This wasn't the beginning of the invasion. This was only the first skirmish. The Busters' full capability would be utilized soon.
"D-D-Damned Zangyack!"
Hiromu observed the enemy his right hand had plucked off of the ground by his neck.
The enemy tried in vain to stab at him with the blunt object they were using as a weapon.
No use.
As Hiromu stares down another enemy, he snaps the neck of his current charge and tosses the corpse in front of them.
He sees the eyes of his enemies widen in terror.
"Those who oppose the Zangyack share your friend's fate. You chose poorly." The Red Buster says robotically. "You shall be exterminated."
Two of them scream and run away. The third stands his ground futilely.
"Die with dignity or in fear." Preaches Hiromu. "Method irrelevant. But you will die."
"We're already dead." Replies the enemy. "Now it's just a matter of taking you with us. Human who sold yourself to the Zangyack! Die!"
The rebel advances.
Shaking his head, Hiromu bends down somewhat. A second later, he's already behind the enemy.
Their body contorts, as the force of the rush breaks their body down piece-by-piece.
"There...will...be...otherssssssss!"
Splash!
The body breaks.
"Shutdown complete. Continuing mission."
He was halfway there.
And so was Marvelous.
They were neck-and-neck.
The Galleon was sending cannonballs his way, but the Joker was too quick for them to get a bead on.
Dammit! Why couldn't the Joker go faster!?
"Ukiiii."
Sally was doing her best to calm Basco down, but right now he barely registered her presence.
Putting on a fake smile, he tells Sally: "We'll be fine."
Of course they had to be invaded while he was outside. He knew Shiima was too complacent to be of any use.
If he couldn't be faster, then maybe he could slow down the Galleon?
The Free Joker performs a hard turn, rushing toward the Gokai Galleon with blinding speed. As it flies about the pirate ship, it bombards it with lasers.
The Galleon's cannons turn upward in an effort to attack, but are too inaccurate to do anymore than graze the Joker's left side.
The tips ofthe Galleon's wings rise upward in response, firing lasers of their own.
Two successful hits, but no signs of a change.
"Grrr!"
"Mou! If only we could Gattai!"
The Gokaigers could only hold on their individual consoles as the Free Joker rained lasers upon their mast.
"We just have to hold out until we get to Sedon." Says Joe.
"Can't we swat him away!?" Asks Marvelous out loud.
"Gokai Marine and Gokai Jet." Says Ahim. "Cannot Gattai, so make a distraction."
"Why not all of our mechs?" Asks Luka.
"Racer will remain vulnerable. Prime target. If it's destroyed, we can never Gattai again."
Marvelous looks at his First Mate and Ahim, both of whom nod silently.
"Fine, do it!"
The Galleon immediately stops firing at the Free Joker.
"Release!"
As the wing tips return to their previous positions, an upper hatch opens on the Galleon's topside. From within the opening, the Gokai Marine and Gokai Jet fly out into open space. Maintaining their course, they intercept the Free Joker, which flies off.
"Damn it! I didn't want a dogfight! Ugh, no keelhaulin' it now!"
A laser here, a beam torpedo there.
The Gokaigers were getting aggressive now.
Not good.
He'd focus all of his energy on the Marine for now. It was a slow-moving target when not in water, even with it's engine propulsion.
The Free Joker loops past a laser fired by the Jet. Aiming it's sights on the Gokai Marine, the Joker unleashes a steady barrage of lasers.
A direct hit. From his viewscreen, Basco could see sparks. If he could get the Marine out of the way quickly enough, he could deal with the Jet on his own terms.
"Nice distraction, Marvey-chan." The privateer thinks to himself. "Shame it'll do you little good. Still...kinda sucks I have to waste one of these..."
Basco turns to his simian confidant.
"Sally, get one of the EMP charges ready."
"Ukkii!?"
"Yes, I know they cost a pretty penny, but this is what I need them for. Please?" Asks Basco, a cheeky smile across his face.
Sally nods and makes her way out of the main room.
"Atta girl!"
A quake.
Basco checks the viewscreen. One of his shields were down to ten percent. Another hit and he'd have a weak spot!
"Damn it! Red-chan, hold down the fort! No matter what, I'm comin' home!"
The child had led Gai to the front of the caverns. In the distance, Gai could see AkaRed, Jiraiya, and other Rebels battling Gormin.
"Spade Arts!"
Gai saw AkaRed, transformed into Spade Ace, jump into the air and shoot a shockwave arrow into a troupe of Gormin.
The arrow explodes and scatters them.
Jiraiya jumps into a pil on open pile of enemies and twists his hands together.
"Rock Hell Technique!"
As he utters, a stream of boulders literally falls from the sky onto the enemy.
A few stray rebels had formed into a rifle squad, their bullets knocking a few Gormin down.
Gai's inner child wanted to join in, but he had more important-
Wait! Where was the child!?
Damn it all!
Seeing no other recourse, the Rebel continues into the caverns.
As he ran, the gravity of the situation only became clearer as the sight he saw told grisly tales.
The corpses of both a Rebel and a Gormin lie in perfect symmetry with one another.
Discarded weaponry littered the rocky floors.
They'd already lost the entrance technically, even now as he ran, more enemies revealed themselves. As he continued onward, he tripped any enemy he saw. Soon, the Passage became visible.
As he ran downward, a familiar sight found him.
White Racer and Don, alongside a myriad crowd of people.
And it only just now occured to Gai how weird it was that Racer was herdng so many people into this tiny alcolve.
"Gai!" Shouts Don, waving his arms upward.
"Yo!"
"Where's AkaRed-sama?" Asks Don.
"He and Jiraiya are kicking butt by the entrance!" Shouts Gai. "Dunno how long they can hold it though! Why are we all down here!?"
"We...just have to be." Says White Racer. Gai might not have been book-smart, but he knew a liar when he heard one. Hearing Racer's anxious response seemed to put a bit more of the crowd on edge. Gai could hear the mumbling. He took a look at Don, who also seemed to have a distant, nervous expression. From what little he knew of the guy, that looked like typical Don fare. Still, Gai felt strangely uneasy. None of them had the full story.
A second later, a scream echoes from the crowd.
"Grrr!"
As bodies were moved and grunts sounded, Nobuo Akagi liberated himself from the crowd. The wound on his upper chest was still obviously bandaged.
"I'm not gonna just stand around like a flower to be plucked!" Shouts the man. "We got the monster's attention! Time to cut it's head off. I dunno about you lot, but I'm goin' out there! When you all wanna wise up and join me, I'll be by the entrance, defending our freedom!"
"Akagi-san!" Shouts Racer from the epicenter. "AkaRed told us to be down here! You wait until now to question his judgement? Stop being so darn reckless and calm down! Rushing out there is suicide!"
"Why are we down here, exactly?" Replies the man. "He tucking us away from the fighting like we're kids? Not this guy! Far as I'm concerned, it's a good day to die!"
"Akagi-san, please!"
And with that, Akagi runs off. A few other Rebels break off from the group to join him, but the majority just stare at White Racer utterly baffled.
"I hate it when he rushes into things like this is some kind of TV show!" Says White Racer, her anxiety masked by her surface irritation. "Everybody else stay here, please!"
Gai actually agreed with Nobuo to an extent. Herding the Rebellion into hiding like sheep isn't gonna get rid of the Zangyack anytime soon. He's been a part of other Resistances, he's seen this first-hand. But he also knew that Zangyack had most of it's big guns on Sedon today. If the Rebels didn't do something now, they'd be the last resistance. Red was just kinda delaying the inevitable when it got down to it, wasn't he?
This disconnect between AkaRed and the Rebels only heightened tensions. Gai wasn't exactly book-smart, but even he knew people didn't like being lied to. He silently feared for the Resistance's future, his right hand gripping his spear tightly.
As he looked around, he and Don met eyes. They were both thinking the same thing.
They had to help.
"Gai!" Shouts White Racer, amidst the clutter of bodies. "Get Akagi-Sama and the other leaders back down here! If you see AkaRed, tell him 'the Motherboard's covered.' He'll know what you mean! Racer and I will protect everybody down here!"
"Wait, what do you-"
"Just go, Gai! I can't explain right now!"
"But-"
"Just trust me, please?" Replied Don. Gai could tell he wanted to be straightforward. Something held him back. "Please!? Before everybody down here gets stir-crazy!"
Gai shot Don a dirty look, but the face of sheer panic on the little blonde alien's face was genuine. He wasn't lying so much as holding the truth back. Don's silent implication was spot-on: They had to focus on morale right now. If everybody panics, then they've already lost. These Rebels need leaders.
Gai positions his spear over his shoulder and gives a thumbs-up. With a nod, he heads back into the fray.
It was all or nothing now.