A Gold Power
By SWZ
Summary: Darkness comes over Tokyo-3 as the battle against The Angels continues. But one boy finds a golden light to cut through the darkness as he becomes the new Gold Ranger
I own nothing
Beta read by TOAT
Chapter ten
Four weeks after the defeat of the mutated Angel in NERV HQ, Gendo was in a tedious meeting with SEELE regarding the Gold and White Rangers. The old men had each been arguing back and forth on issues on whether or not to capture them, or find some way to manipulate them to their agenda.
It was obvious that their arrival was not in the Dead Sea Scrolls and, being as old as they were, it unnerved them. Not to mention the appearances of those machines that defeated the other previous Angels. If they could gain possession of them, then there would be little need for the Mass Production Evas. But hindsight tells a different scenario; they could be a major threat to their plans.
"Ikari, these Rangers must fall into our control. They must not be allowed to roam free." SEELE 01 stated.
"I understand. I am already in midst of working on the means of searching Tokyo-3 of their whereabouts." Gendo replied.
"Use whatever means necessary, Ikari, but do it under the radar. We can ill afford to have them discover our plans." SEELE 02 said.
"But their abilities might prove useful," countered SEELE 03.
"It's a possibility, but can they be controlled? We still know nothing about them." SEELE 04 said.
"Yes, they could prove more dangerous than the Angels themselves. We must take immediate action!" SEELE 05 exclaimed.
"Calm yourselves. Ikari, what strategy do you have to draw them out? Another Angel attack would be probable, but there's no true guarantee that they'll emerge the instant it happens."
Gendo was silent before responding.
"I have created several scenarios to draw out the two. They should be ready in matter of time," Gendo informed them.
"Very well, Ikari. We'll leave you to it. Don't fail us." SEELE 01 warned before disappearing, leaving Gendo alone.
(White Tiger Dojo with Shinji)
Shinji was punching away at a punching bag, working hard on his striking capability. His fight as the Gold Ranger against the Angel within Nerv had showed him he still needed to strike faster, and not rely too much on luck or help.
What really helped him focus (aside from Trey's spirit) was his drive to protect the people who get caught in the crossfire the battles with the Angels. If it could happen at Nerv HQ, then it could happen anywhere else. He was working up quite a sweat while furiously punching the bag.
"You've got the standard striking down for the most part, but you'll only wear yourself down, if you focus on it too much," Kenshin advised him.
"What should I be trying next?" Shinji asked, causing Kenshin to smirk.
"I'm glad you asked. Today, we are going to be focusing on side snap kicks."
"Snap kicks?"
"Yes, there are a variety of kicking styles in the martial arts. I'm gonna teach you a specific one and one of my personal favorites, the crossover and side kicks. Two things you get out of this; distance and power."
Shinji watched as he got into position, hoping that he would get this right on the first try. Kenshin crossed his arms in fighting position, took a step a forward and kicked into the air, Shinji copied his teacher's stance exactly and did the same thing.
"Don't put so much weight on the supporting leg. You don't want lose your balance. Keep it under control." Kenshin instructed him.
Shinji merely nodded, accepting the instructions carefully.
"Good. Remember lift, kick and recoil."
Shinji copied his teacher's movements exactly. He was surprised to see he was getting down on the first try. They both continued to do it for about twenty minutes, the student moving in perfect sync with his instructor.
"Good, good. Now, let's switch stances. Arms crossed, cross one leg behind the other, picking the foot up and kicking it." Kenshin said, performing the action, with Shinji following suit.
"Again."
( three hours later)
"You did good today. I have to admit that you're progressing faster than I expected," Kenshin told Shinji.
"Thank you. I'm really trying my hardest to not disappoint you and think training me is a waste of time." Shinji said, grabbing his gear while Kenshin shook his head.
"Don't worry, you're doing good so far. I don't expect perfection from anyone. We're all only human." Kenshin replied.
'Tell that to my father,' thought Shinji.
Ring, ring!
"I'd better get that, same time tomorrow?"
"Yeah, but I might be a little late," Shinji said, feeling that he might be called into Nerv.
"Alright, I'll hold you to that."
Nothing else was said as the two departed; Shinji walked out the door while Kenshin answered his call. The boy saw that it was getting dark, so he hurried on home. Shinji remembered that it was his turn to cook that night. Thankfully, Rei was patient, while Asuka and Misato weren't, one of the reasons why he was thankful to have her as a roommate. The sound of sirens broke his musings, as an ambulance and a couple of fire trucks sped past him.
He saw that there was huge traffic jam just underneath the bridge, but that wasn't the reason. A car was seen dangling dangerously off the edge, just barely holding on. Shinji could see that there was a family of four inside, screaming for help.
"I've got to do something," he said, dropping his bag.
He ran into the nearest alley, seeing that the coast was clear, Shinji took a calm and relaxing breath and shouted, "It's Morphin Time! Gold Ranger Power!"
The Gold Ranger wasted no time in rushing to the scene. Speeding directly to the bridge, appearing between several cars, not noticing a blue sports car belonging to certain purple-haired woman. Getting behind the dangling vehicle, Shinji proceeded to pull the car backwards with all of his enhanced strength.
The Gold Ranger powers gave him a significant boost in physical strength and thanks to Delphine's training, he was able to control it, enabling him to pull the car back from the edge and safely onto the bridge. The car doors opened and the family of four, which consisted of a man, a woman and two children, got out of the car, happy and relived, garnering cheers from the onlookers.
"Are you all alright?" Shinji asked the man, helping him to stand.
"We are. Thank you for saving us." The man expressed.
"It's what I do, sir. Now, sit tight. Help is coming." Shinji replied.
He stood back as the children gathered around their father and hugged him tightly, as did the mother. Shinji smiled underneath his helmet, happy that, unlike the Evangelions, he was actually helping people with his powers and not causing pain or getting any pain in return. Shinji was about to turn around and walk away until…
"Gold Ranger! Wait a second!" A voice called out to him.
Shinji turned around and, to his surprise, he saw Misato running towards him with Ritsuko following behind her.
"You're a hard man to find. Yet it takes things like this to draw you out." Misato said, cautiously approaching the black and gold figure.
"I help wherever I can, I go wherever I'm needed, that's all, Ms." Shinji said, not wanting to give anything away that would unravel his identity.
"Uh, right. If we could have just a minute of your time, sir." Misato requested respectfully.
"What do you want?"
"You've made a quite an impact since your appearance. You've done some pretty impressive things and what you just did there was amazing. I guess what I'm trying to say is will you help us in our fight against the Angels? We could really use you."
Neither Shinji nor Trey liked the way that last part sounded.
"I'm sorry, Ms., but my answer is no. I refuse to work with those who endanger the lives of children." Shinji emphatically stated.
"You can't be serious! We need all the help we can get!" Ritsuko spoke up; she wanted to know what his abilities were and if they could be duplicated.
"And I will help, but only on my terms, not yours. Give your commander my regards."
With that, Shinji dematerialized his form and sped away, far from sight.
(The next morning)
Shinji was awoken when the sun's rays peered through his window, and a distinct smell of eggs coming from the kitchen passed through his nose. Getting up from bed, Shinji opened his door to find Rei cooking breakfast. She seemed to be going slowly, trying to make scrambled eggs without burning them. Shinji couldn't help but smile at the scene. Rei was just like him when he started out cooking.
"Good morning, Rei," Shinji said, catching her attention.
"Good morning, Shinji, I am making eggs," said Rei, turning to him.
"I can see that. You have to churn it, otherwise it'll burn if you keep it there too long." Shinji advised her, taking a seat at the table.
Rei merely nodded and went back to cooking. There was a stone silence between the two pilots while one was cooking, and the other just patiently waited.
Every now and then, Shinji would glance at her while she wasn't looking, unsure of what to say. Surprisingly enough, Rei herself broke the silence.
"Shinji, you said we are…friends, correct?" Rei asked him.
"Uh, well, yes. I I- well…" Shinji stammered, unsure as to why he said that.
"And friends do things together, correct?"
"Yes," Shinji said, unsure where she was going with this.
"Then, should we do something together?"
Shinji was completely caught off guard. Sure, they've been living under the same roof for the past couple of months, but all they've done was go to school, go to NERV, take turns cooking breakfast and dinner. In the back of his mind, he thought to try reaching out to her, but he had been preoccupied with Ranger training and martial arts training to try so. But now, here she was reaching out to him.
"I think we should. No NERV, no school, no martial arts practice. For one day, just the two of us." Shinji replied.
Rei seemed to smile briefly, but quickly wiped it off and then finished with the eggs.
"Did you have a place in mind?" Rei asked him.
"Well, there is this exhibit at the museum that just opened up. We can go there later if you want." Shinji offered.
Rei pondered the offer for a moment.
"I would like that. The eggs are ready." Rei announced.
(Later on that day at the Tokyo museum)
"Wow, this place is bigger than I thought." Shinji commented, looking around, seeing the size of the building.
"Agreed, I have never been here. Should we begin?" Rei replied.
"We could start in the dinosaur exhibit. Then move on to the history exhibit since it isn't too crowded." Shinji suggested.
"Very well."
The two set off towards the dinosaur exhibit, It was as expected mostly from Shinji there weren't that many people here, just a few families and small children gawking at the massive dinosaur fossils standing on the platforms. For Rei herself, it was a whole new experience for her. The commander had always kept her sequestered in NERV, never letting her experience the outside world. So it was all new territory for her. Luckily, she had her roommate with her to lead her on this unfamiliar territory.
Shinji and Rei walked in silence, taking in the sights, What stood out, at least to Shinji, were five, large dinosaur bones grouped together; a Mastodon in the front, a Pterodactyl hanging above it, a Triceratops on the left, a Saber-toothed Tiger on the right and a Tyrannosaurus Rex in the center. The two pilots reached another part of the exhibit. It had smaller, prehistoric fossils and rocks. Most of the occupants were fascinated by such fossils, as the first fish or a fossilized raptor.
"Shinji, take look at this," Rei called over. "How fascinating."
Behind a large glass screen, there was large, black stone, with five, brightly-colored stones, Red, blue, yellow, black and white on top.
"Strange, I sense residual energies of the Morphin' Grid in these gems," said Trey to Shinji.
'You do? Could these have been used by past Power Rangers?' Shinji asked.
"It is possible, but the great sage, Zordon, was one of several beings who had a deeper understanding of how the Morphin' Grid worked. He was the one who forged the Power Coins, for the first team of Rangers. To this day, even to those who knew Zordon best, only those whos knowledge equal to Zordon's knowledge, would understand how to tap into the Grid without being overwhelmed by its immense power. It's awesome and frightening at the same time."
"Let's move on to the next exhibit," Shinji suggested, glancing back at the stones just a bit.
(With Delphine)
Standing on top of a building, unbeknownst to the people below, was the White Aquatian Ranger, Delphine. She was in her Ranger form, and was patrolling one of the busier sections. Ever since the last monster attack, she had been extra vigilant. Watching the busy streets with the citizens below.
So far, everything had been quiet. Little did the Aquatian know, she was being watched by a certain group of men in dark suits from the other building.
"Commander Ikari, we can confirm it's one of the Rangers that was in headquarters. The female, sir." a section two agent reported.
("Take her alive,") ordered the Commander on the radio.
"Yes, sir,"
Meanwhile, Delphine continued to keep a steady vigil over the city. But over the course of time, she started to feel weakened.
'The city seems quiet thus far. I should take this time replenish my strength.' Delphine thought, stepping off the edge of the roof.
Then, the door to rooftop suddenly burst open, and about seven armed men in dark suits came and surrounded her.
"What's the meaning of this?! Who are you?!" Delphine demanded, getting into a fight stance.
"We're from the NERV military agency," answered the leader wearing dark shades "Our Commander would like to have a word with you."
The White Aquatian Ranger stood stead fast.
"And if I were to refuse?" Delphine asked.
"I am afraid we must insist."
The leader gave the signal to converge on the Ranger, and Delphine struck first with a front kick, to the first one on the right. Since they were human, she refrained from using her weapons or her full power. Three men tried to rush in on her, but Delphine used her speed to cause them to crash into one another. One man attempted to strike from behind, but Delphine countered with a leg sweep, leaving only one left.
"You should've brought more men," Delphine said to the leader, who pulled out his gun.
The White Ranger never gave him a chance to fire, as she grabbed his arm and twisted it, causing him to loosen his grip on it. Then, she kneed him in the stomach, then gave an uppercut to his jaw, and then finished it up with a back kick.
"Give your commander my regards," Delphine said, teleporting away from the defeated men.
(That night with Shinji and Rei)
Shinji and Rei were making their way back to their apartment with a few bags in hand from the museum. It had been an interesting sight to see, and Rei had been fascinated by the all of the exhibits. Like she was looking at them for the very first time. Which was, technically, true. It made Shinji happy to know that he was showing her what the world had to offer. But he couldn't help but think in the back of his mind about what Trey said about those gems. If they had residual traces of the Morphin' Grid energy and were here, could there be other items as well?
"Shinji," said Rei, getting his attention.
"Yes, Rei?" Shinji replied, snapping out of it.
"I enjoyed today. Did you?" She asked him.
"Oh, yes, I did. I think we should do it again, or go someplace different. Just the two of us." Shinji said, unintentionally saying that last part.
Rei glanced at him, as if figuring out the meaning in that. She had heard and seen many boys and girls approach each other and saying something similar.
"Are you asking me out, Shinji?"
Shinji just looked her in shock, had he really asked that?
They reached their apartment in silence. Shinji, still unable to answer that very question. Before they could make their way upstairs, a voice caught their attention.
"Shinji," a voice called out.
He turned to see it was Delphine, in her disguise form.
"Hello, Della, what are you doing here?" He asked her.
"We need to talk. It's important." She said with urgency.
"Rei, go on. I'll be there in a minute." Shinji addressed the blue-haired girl.
Rei said nothing, but silently complied, merely looking back at the American woman. Seeing that Rei was out of sight, Delphine's expression turned serious.
"I was attacked early today by the NERV organization you spoke about."
End Notes: Here's chapter ten. I hope everybody liked those nods to Dino Thunder and Mighty Morphin. Now Delphine and Shinji know that Nerv is after them which means they'll need to be more vigilant. Also it has come to my attention that I may have skipped the seventh angel, my bad . I'll correct that mistake in the next chapter as well as Rei and Shinji find (this time) another ranger artifact that will help her on her way. Now what might happen on the next chapter of A Gold Power.
"Why would NERV be after us?"
"Shinji, take a look at this."
"Blue pattern confirm."
"We may need to call for help."
"Lion Sphinx Zord! Power up!