Rift 11: The Conflicted Worlds
Regular text: Connected
Talking: "Connected"
Thoughts: Connected
Rift Closer and Narration: Connected
Finishers: "Connected"
A/N: I missed last weeks chapter because I was on vacation. As such, I posted the chapter I missed along with the one after it to make up for it. This is the second one. If you came here before reading Rift 10, I highly recommend going to Rift 10, as events in Rift 11 will not make sense if read first.
Emu looked over his palm with a confused look, flexing his fingers gently and individually.
After a bit, Emu flicked his wrist, trying to get a reaction out of his hand.
Across the table from him, Rina watched him with a worried look.
"…Emu?" she gently reached out and placed her hand on the hand he wasn't focused on, which was lying on the table.
"Huh? What?" Emu turned to look at her.
"Are you okay?" she quietly asked.
"Yeah." He lowered his hand. "Yeah, I'm fine."
Mrs. Venus walked into the room with a cup in her hand. She took one look at the two and rolled her eyes.
"Are you sure? Be honest with me." Rina requested.
"I'm fine, really. It's nothing." Emu put on a grin that Mrs. Venus immediately recognized as fake.
She gently set her cup down on the counter.
"Don't worry about me, I-" Emu started, only to be interrupted by yelling.
"KNOCK IT OFF!" Mrs. Venus yelled as she ran at Emu. She jumped into the air and proceeded to drop kick him out of his chair.
"HOLY FUCK!" Emu screamed.
"Mrs. Venus!" Rina shouted at her boss as she sprung to her feet.
Mrs. Venus landed on all fours and stood up nonchalantly. While fixing her hair, she turned to Emu, who was rubbing the area on his side where he had been kicked.
"Ow…" he winced then looked up to her as she walked up to where he was sitting. "What was that about?"
"Do I have your attention?" she crouched down. "Good. Let me show you something, Emu." Mrs. Venus requested.
Narration: The Rift Guardians, a group that uses the power of the Rifts that connect the worlds. Five beings of different worlds form an elite squad of the Rift Guardians. Together, these five have formed an unbreakable connection and will fight to protect the universe!
Insert Theme: BRAVING! By KANAN
(Chikazuite te o nobashite) The RiftRangers run through a Rift.
(Ashita e to tsuzuku hikari) Each of them are shown one by one, but particular notice is taken with MasterRanger's tail, MinotaurRanger's horns, PegasusRanger's wings, WerewolfRanger's wolf ears, fur, and fangs, KrakenRanger's gills and suction cups, and GarudaRanger's helmet.
(Ashimoto ni hirogaru kono sekai no yume o mita) The screen zooms back out to show all six as they jump out of the Rift and into a new world.
(Music) The title is shown. Emu can be heard shouting: "Sekai Sentai!" before all five shout: "RiftRanger!"
(Yume to kibou wa doko ni aru nante shiranai yo) Emu walked down the middle of the street as lightning struck behind him in the distance. Next, Rina was seen walking on water as a whirlpool formed near her.
(Hashiri mawatte sagashitemo mistukaranai) Forrest grasped the coin in his hand tightly. Then, Fea was seen on top of a skyscraper while stretching her arms outwards, her wings stretching out as well.
(Shinjitsu to uso no hazama ni ochita iru no ka na) Horn was seen climbing a cliff at a fast rate. Lastly, Mrs. Venus was seen biting down on her thumb nail in the base as Mars stood patiently next to her, his arms behind his back.
(Bokura no monogatari nara hajimattemo inai) The three Rift Rulers were seen inside of their base alongside Maid and Hand. The group got into different positions as Rifts opened up all over the place.
(Ashita e tsuzuku kuzureochi sou na machi mo) The six RiftRangers pulled out their Rift Closers and got them ready. They performed their Henshin pose.
(Yowaki naru mae ni tobadashite ikou) In unison they threw their arms into the air with the Rifts opening above their head. Their suits formed and they got into their respective poses.
(Chikazuite too no ite iku) GarudaRanger swung his Shock Lance around to strike at the Peasants around him, lightning surging from the weapon.
(Shinjitsu o tsukamu tame ni) KrakenRanger blasted at a Peasant with her Wave Gun then blasted at three more.
(Mienai mirai kara kibou o sagashidasu) WerewolfRanger struck at multiple Peasants with the Zero Sabers.
(Dare yori mo katai kokoro) PegasusRanger ducked back from a slash then fired an arrow from her Wing Bow into the head of a Peasant.
(Mi ni tsukete kakeagaru yo) MinotaurRanger slammed his fist into the chest of a Peasant to knock it over then slashed at another one with his Rock Drill.
(Yowasa to tatakatte kachiagaru tsuyosa o) MasterRanger stabbed at a Peasant with her Master Staff before converting it to burst mode and firing at several more.
(Mitsukeru tame ni) The six Rift Legends were seen before the next shot was of Rift Master and Rift Mega.
(Kakagae no nai nakama to) The Rift Legends flew away from a Rift then combined into Rift Master and Rift Mega once again. The RiftRangers jumped out of their mecha.
(Ashimoto ni hirogaru kono sekai no asu o mita) They landed on the ground then performed their signature group pose as the song ended.
Rina fiddled with the dials on the stove. She looked confused as she tried to figure out what to do.
Behind her, Forrest entered the room wearing what looked like a bathrobe. He took notice of Rina at the stove as he walked around to a cupboard.
"…what are you doing?" he asked.
Rina turned to look at him.
"Oh, hey. I'm trying to cook something. Everyone's starting to get kind of stressed and worried, so I thought I'd try to make something for everyone while I'm waiting for my computer to download and go through all of the data on the drive Ruby Knight gave Emu." She admitted.
Forrest stared at her for a bit then glanced at the stove.
"…are you sure about that?"
"Of course I'm sure. I'm a genius, how hard can it be?" Rina grinned while leaning against the counter.
Forrest nonchalantly walked over and took her hand off the stove.
"Don't lean against the stove if you've turned it on already. Whatever you're making also needs to be on the stove already instead of putting it on after turning up the heat." He informed her.
"…oh." Rina sheepishly grinned.
"What are you making?"
"I was thinking of making a dessert from Mizuri." Rina nodded.
Forrest gave a brief nod before he turned off the stove.
"I've read up on food from Mizuri in the instance I had to eat there. From what I can tell, you don't use the stove to cook them. And you also don't cook them. You bake them in the oven."
Rina was speechless as she awkwardly scratched at the back of her head.
"…do you even know what you're making?"
"I was…gonna figure it out as I go along?" Rina winced as she realized what she was saying.
"…" Forrest blankly stared at her. After a bit, he sighed and went over to a cupboard, opening it to pull out a cookbook.
"What are you doing?" Rina asked as Forrest set the cookbook down on the counter and started flipping through the pages.
"Doing the baking for you before you set fire to the base." He stopped on a page and looked over the instructions. "…this'll do. I'll take over from here."
Emu winced as he stepped out of the Rift and into what looked like sunlight. He raised his hand up to cover his eyes as Mrs. Venus stepped out of the Rift behind him.
"Oh. Yeah. It's kinda bright here." She commented while covering her own eyes.
"Where are we?" Emu asked.
"…not there yet." Mrs. Venus took a second to look around and find out where they were. She then grabbed Emu by the hand and started pulling him away.
"Well, where are we going?" Emu asked when the sunlight was out of his eyes.
Mrs. Venus didn't answer, though Emu didn't seem to notice as he started looking around. They were on a white cliffside made of what looked like jewels hanging over a silver landscape that sat under a pink sky. When Emu looked over the cliff, he couldn't see the ground, instead finding brown clouds hanging in the air. When he looked up, he could see the blackness of space and dozens of stars littering the sky, forming constellations and shapes he'd never seen before. When he looked ahead, he could see several mountains in the distance that reached nearly as high as where he was standing.
Mrs. Venus stopped him when they reached a portion of the cliff that jutted out towards another cliffside, though it led to what looked like a cave entrance, except it went straight down instead of leading into a larger area.
"…okay, this seems like the perfect time. You see how the sunlight goes perfectly into the cave?"
Emu took a bit to look before he nodded. "Yeah. I see it. Why?"
Mrs. Venus didn't answer. She instead grabbed Emu by the back of his collar.
"Do you trust me?" she asked.
"Well now I'm not sure." Emu responded.
"Do you trust that I won't kill you or knowingly harm you?"
"Where…where is this coming from and going?" Emu hesitantly asked, a hint of terror and worry in his voice.
"Emu, just…trust me. Please." Mrs. Venus gently pleaded.
Emu looked up at his boss with a concerned look while she had a gentle, kind expression.
"…okay." Emu said.
"Good." Mrs. Venus grinned.
She then picked him up by his collar and tossed him into the cave entrance.
"Wa-IT, WHAT THE FUUUUUUUuuuuuuuu-" Emu screamed as he fell down the hole, his scream echoing through the cave and slowly getting quieter.
Mrs. Venus cracked her neck and jumped over the cliff and into the cave as well.
Emu screamed in terror as he tumbled through the hole. He did see that there was a myriad of colors in his sight that was both blinding and seizure inducing.
It was a few seconds later when he fell into what appeared to be a pool of liquid.
He did manage to find his way back to the surface as something splashed into the pool behind him.
Gasping for air, Emu floated in the pool of liquid while looking around for something solid. When he eventually found a platform at the side of the pool, Mrs. Venus surfaced from under the water next to him.
"Well, how was the trip?" she asked.
"WHAT THE FUCK IS WRONG WITH YOU?!" Emu yelled at her.
"…I take it you didn't see what I was trying to show you." Mrs. Venus nodded.
"THAT'S WHAT YOU HAVE TO SAY TO ME?! AFTER TOSSING ME TO MY FUCKING DEATH?!"
"Yell at me when we get on something solid." Mrs. Venus started swimming towards the nearby platform.
"You're lucky I can swim." Emu growled, a hint of silver in his eyes.
The two made it to the platform and got onto it.
"Okay. So. What defense do you have for that?" Emu angrily said.
Venus simply pointed upwards to the entrance of the cave.
Emu followed her look upwards, only for his facial features to distort in surprise when he saw the crystals lining the hole.
Across the walls of the hole there were thousands of jewels made of a variety of colors jutting out. The sunlight that entered the cave reflected off of the jewels at the top and bounced around the hole until reaching the bottom, where the light hit the walls to the side of the cave. The pool of liquid reflected the glittering jewels from up above.
"What…the…"
"This is one of Haiens's moons: Krizta. I've explored this moon hundreds of times before and I always find someplace new and beautiful every time. This is one of those places. The first one I ever discovered. I call it Venus Lake." Mrs. Venus grinned.
"This is what you wanted to show me?" Emu asked.
"Well, not really. I find it's much more beautiful, though rather difficult to look at, when you look at the walls while falling through. I probably should have warned you about that though. Sorry." Mrs. Venus sheepishly grinned. "Though, this is still a beautiful view. I come here from time to time to help clear my head. Especially at night time. The moonlight shining is much prettier than the sunlight, but that's personally just my opinion."
"It's…one of the most beautiful things I've seen…" Emu smiled slightly as he stared at the glittering crystals and their reflections.
Mrs. Venus smirked as she stared at Emu for a bit. That smirk faded and was replaced by a frown as she thought about something. Sighing, she looked away while speaking up.
"I have something to confess."
Emu turned to look at her as she continued.
"My species has a certain problem with our emotions. If we get too riled up, we end up losing control of emotions. What happens next is anyone's guess. So if I turn extremely angry, I'll go into a furious state and wreck everything in my path until I can reach some kind of catharsis. It's why I did so much after you got hurt. I saw you getting hurt and…I couldn't help myself. I lost control and tried to make Aqua Knight pay for what he did."
Emu was quiet as he let this sink in. He looked up at his boss with a look of concern.
"But enough about me. I know you're upset about all that's compounded together. You don't have a reason to fight, your injury ended up hurting everyone in the fight against Aqua Knight, and then you drained Rift Energy from Forrest and almost killed him."
Mrs. Venus looked at Emu. "But that's okay. I trust you to do what you know is right. Mistakes will be made along the way and incidents out of our control will happen, but at most all we can do is move on and learn from them. Like with this. You plummeted through the hole the first time. But the next time, you've learned from the fall and know to appreciate the view before you reach the end."
"…you probably could've used a better analogy." Emu remarked.
Mrs. Venus laughed. "True. Despite this, I'm telling you to do what you can now. Just be you. If you mess up or do something, don't be sorry over it. Make up for it and move on while learning from the mistake."
Emu looked towards the reflection of the jewels in the pool in front of him. He grit his teeth and clenched his fist as he thought about this. After a bit, he spoke up again.
"Why did you tell me to visit my family after we found Planet X approaching?" Emu asked.
Mrs. Venus sighed as she looked down. She seemed to be hesitant to answer him. But she eventually looked at him with an afraid and sad look.
"…just in case…Earth doesn't make it. Your family needs to see you before…before they die."
Emu looked at her with a confused look as he thought over what she just said.
"You mean…you mean if, right?" he nervously laughed as if what she had just said to him was a funny joke.
His boss looked forwards with a blank expression.
"…I don't know."
Rina's jaw dropped as Forrest pulled the pan out of the oven. The dish looked similar in design and shape to the dessert Emu had served her earlier. And it looked cooked to perfection.
"There. It's done." He set the food on the countertop and pulled the gloves off his hands.
"Where did you learn to cook, Forrest?" Rina asked in amazement.
"I taught myself out of boredom." Forrest simply said.
"Huh." Rina nodded. "Well…thanks."
"I just didn't want you to burn the place down."
"I'm not that bad…" Rina muttered to herself.
"Yeah. Sure." Forrest laughed.
Rina looked at Forrest with a surprised look.
He glanced at her but did a double-take when he noticed her look.
"What?" he raised an eyebrow.
"Sorry. I've just…never really heard you laugh like that before." She explained.
Forrest blinked. "Well…I…you…" he scratched behind his ear sheepishly. "…shut up." He said.
Rina laughed.
"…Rina. Did you know that Emu could do that?" Forrest asked.
"Do…oh. That. No. I didn't." Rina admitted.
"I see. Do you know why he did it?"
Rina tilted her head in confusion. "Why he…saved you?"
Forrest paused, but nodded. "Yes."
"I don't really know myself." Rina shrugged. "He seems to kinda be afraid of you. But he was still the fastest to respond when we all thought you were in danger of dying. He tried to save you despite his fear."
Forrest nodded afterwards. "I…I understand."
"Good." Rina grinned. "Now…how exactly did you make it look better than the book?" Rina pointed to the dessert.
Forrest raised an eyebrow. "I followed the instructions but took a few creative liberties here and there."
"What? But why? Why change anything?"
"It has to be edible for everyone. There were ingredients in here that are poisonous to Fea and Mars so I had to use substitutes that wouldn't kill them if they were baked into this." Forrest explained.
Rina suddenly realized her mistake and rubbed at the gills on the side of her neck nervously.
The door opened, Emu and Mrs. Venus walking into the room.
"Rina. Can you…can you come help me with something?" Emu quietly asked.
Emu and Rina fell out of a Rift near the empty street they were at last time with Horn.
Emu led Rina down the street towards the complex from last time, only they made it much farther than last time.
This time, they made it to the same building that Emu had reached with Mrs. Venus and Horn.
But unlike last time, there was a person there when Emu froze in the doorway.
Rina took note of the architecture of the room briefly before noticing there was a woman standing in the middle of the room. She was wearing robes of some sort while sweeping the floor. She hadn't noticed the two had walked in as her body was facing away from them.
Rina looked at Emu to see he had frozen in place with a blank look on his face. It took him a second before he loudly coughed to gain the woman's attention. She quietly used her Rift Closer to ensure the woman could understand her if she started speaking.
"Oh?" The woman noticed them. "I'm terribly sorry, I wasn't expecting…" the woman trailed off as she spotted Emu mid-turn. The grin she had forming on her face had immediately gone. She stared at Emu with a hanging jaw and wide eyes.
Rina looked between Emu and the strange woman, not wanting to be rude and interrupt the moment they appeared to be having.
The broom in the woman's hands dropped and clattered to the floor as she moved towards the two. Soon enough, she and Emu only had a foot or two of distance between them.
"…Shinji? Is that…" the woman started to say in a quiet and almost unsure voice.
"…I'm really here…Auntie Yoko…" Emu gently said.
The woman immediately threw her arms around Emu in a tight hug, shaking in a manner similar to crying. Rina was alarmed by this and as a result, had no idea how to respond when Emu gently hugged her back with a single tear rolling down his cheek.
The woman broke the hug and wiped her face while backing up. She pivoted on one foot to start yelling.
"Kazumi! Kazumi get in here now!"
"What?" a deep male voice yelled back. An older man wearing robes similar to the woman's but in a green color ran into the room, worried. "What's wrong, Yo-" he too froze just like the woman did.
"He's home." The woman said.
The older man moved towards them quickly and then wrapped his arms around Emu in a tight hug when he was close enough.
It took a second for Rina to realize that this was a family reunion. And the family was elated to see each other. But…why had Emu masked his emotions?
She discreetly used her Rift Closer on the man as well so he would understand her should they end up talking.
The older man broke the hug and wiped tears from his eyes.
"Can you stay? We have much to discuss."
Emu nodded.
"I'll go get us some drinks." The woman nodded and quickly left.
Rina and Emu sat down at a table further into the building with the older man sitting down across from them.
"So, who's your friend?" the man asked.
"Oh. This is Rina. She's a coworker of mine." Emu explained.
"I see. It's a pleasure to meet you." The older man held his hand out.
Rina looked down at the hand for a second.
"Handshake, right?" she said aloud before reaching out to shake the man's hand.
This earned her a look of confusion.
"She's…not from here." Emu simply explained. "Rina, this is my uncle, Kazumi Mirai. Auntie Yoko, I mean, Yoko Mirai, is my aunt."
"Auntie?" Rina looked at him questioningly.
"Where exactly is she from?" Kazumi cautiously asked.
"…Brazil." Emu took a second to think.
Brazil? What's that supposed to be? Rina kept her thoughts to herself so as not to arouse more suspicion. Emu had requested she keep the alien thing a secret until he was sure his family could handle it. She thought she was doing a good job so far.
"Any reason why she has…gills?" Kazumi asked.
"…she's a makeup artist who's currently experimenting with a certain technique." Emu said. Rina was rather impressed by how quickly he came up with that. Even if she had no idea what it meant.
Yoko came back and prevented any further conversation by setting down some cups and a container of sorts. She filled the cups with liquid from the container.
"All I had was tea. But thankfully, it's the good kind." She informed them before sitting down next to Kazumi.
"What have you been up to since we last saw you?" Yoko asked.
"I've been exploring. Trying to find myself since…you know. I was in town for a bit and decided to come visit." Emu explained.
"You've been exploring? That explains why we haven't been able to get in contact with you." Kazumi said.
"Kazumi." Yoko snapped at her husband. She turned back to Emu and reached for him. "We're just happy you're alive and okay." Yoko gently grasped Emu's hand.
Emu nodded along.
"Are there any reasons why the streets are empty?" Rina asked.
This got her confused looks from Kazumi and Yoko, though Emu was quick to back her up.
"Yeah, that confuses me too."
Kazumi sat back in his chair.
"Haven't you heard? Every country in the world is extremely worried about everything that's happened. Those terrorist groups using advanced technology causing havoc all across the world are the cause of that. Plus that strange meteor in the sky has everyone terrified." Kazumi sighed while crossing his arms.
Emu and Rina both looked at each other. The look of worry on Emu's face matched the one Rina had on, given what the two knew about the 'meteor' in the sky.
Emu faced his aunt and uncle again and spoke up, changing the topic of the conversation with three words.
"How is Asuka?"
Yoko smiled. "She's doing great. She's been practicing kendo and getting much better. She should be in school right now, but when she gets back, she's going to be delighted to see you again."
"What about Daigo and Ryo? Are they still keeping in contact with you guys?" Emu asked.
Kazumi and Yoko gave each other a look before Kazumi sighed and faced his nephew.
"We haven't heard from Daigo or Ryo in a long time." Kazumi sadly informed Emu.
Emu was taken aback for a bit by what he was hearing, even appearing a bit disappointed. He leaned forward on his arms as he asked another question.
"And…is Ryo still hiding?"
At this, Rina looked at Emu weirdly. He was obviously implying something with that question, but she couldn't decipher what it was.
"Yes. He is." Yoko gave a quick and simple answer. "The last time we checked on them and they responded, that is."
"Oh…" Emu nodded in understanding.
"Shinji and Daigo were the best of friends growing up." Yoko explained to Rina. "They were inseparable up until Shinji's father…" Yoko trailed off, much to Rina's confusion.
"Until he…what?" Rina asked.
The married couple looked towards each other while Emu refused to make eye contact with Rina.
Kazumi quickly decided to change the subject.
"Let me guess, this is your girlfriend?" Kazumi gestured towards Rina. "Nice to see you're moving on so nicely after your last relationship."
Emu winced lightly.
"She's uh…not my girlfriend. She's just my friend." Emu explained.
"Oh." Kazumi simply said.
The group was filled with an awkward silence for a few minutes.
"…you said this was tea?" Rina asked as she sipped some of the drink from her cup.
"Oh, yes. Chamomile." Yoko said.
"It's very good."
"Thank you."
A ringing noise came from Emu's Rift Closer, prompting him to pull it out of his pocket.
"Uh…this is for me. I'll be right back." He stood up to take the call, leaving Rina with his aunt and uncle.
Rina looked between Kazumi and Yoko for a second before she decided to speak up.
"What exactly…happened? I know this is a breach of his privacy, but he never really told me what happened. Not entirely at least." Rina admitted.
"Which incident are you referring to?" Kazumi asked.
Rina narrowed her eyes. "How…how many 'incidents' are there?"
Kazumi seemed to realize his mistake as he suddenly started to avert eye contact with Rina.
Yoko on the other hand was…less hesitant to explain.
"Shinji has…been through a lot. We've known him all of his life and he's been through heartbreak, loss, suffering, all kinds of things no one should have to go through. He lost his mother when he was very young in a car accident. His father was a scientist who was studying these strange 'rifts' in space and time-"
"Wait, Rifts?" Rina interrupted.
"Yes." Yoko nodded. "He dedicated most of his work to studying them. He ended up making some kind of machine that would open it, but it backfired. It opened something, but the machine failed to work properly and imploded, taking Ryuga into it as well. Poor Shinji was with his father as he tested this. He was only ten at the time and had to watch his father die to his own experiment. We've raised him like our own son ever since."
"Emu's father died because he tried to open a Rift?" Rina tried to wrap her head around what she was hearing.
"That's correct. It wasn't the first time he did it either. He said something to me about opening one before and this machine was supposed to be a permanent gateway. He did have followers, but he was the only one who knew for sure what he was getting into." Yoko said.
"My brother in law was very secretive about his work. He rarely told anyone anything about it except what he considered the 'bare minimum.' He only told Yoko that detail because he was sleep deprived." Kazumi explained.
If his father previously dabbled in Rift Energy before, why has Emu never mentioned this? Rina thought.
"What…what other incidents happened to Emu?"
Kazumi was the one to speak up this time.
"Well…Shinji told you that he was an idol, right? He was, in fact. He was half of a world-famous idol duo named 'Mamoru Mirai', with the two being named Shinji Mirai and Shinji Mamoru. But something unexpected about this duo was that they were in love. In fact, they were actually engaged when…" Kazumi trailed off. He took a second before he started speaking again. "…when Shinji was touring with his partner, they were both kidnapped and held for ransom."
"They…what?!" Rina was taken by surprise.
"That's right." Yoko nodded. "Shinji and his boyfriend had been on tour when they were kidnapped. They were brutally tortured as they waited for their ransom to be paid. But…the police finally came to solve the matter and ended up finding a warehouse soaked in blood with only one survivor."
"And…that was Emu?" Rina finished.
"Yes. Shinji to this day still refuses to say anything about what happened to us other than he killed the man he loved. We don't know how or why but when it was investigated they theorized-"
"They theorized I had got free and killed everyone." Emu's voice cut into the conversation.
Rina froze and turned around in her seat. Emu was standing in the doorway, a blank look on his face as he stared at the ground.
"Emu…"
"That I had snapped and killed everyone. And Shinji had…had ended up in the crossfire." Emu quietly said. Tears started rolling down his cheeks.
"I don't remember anything that happened at all. I probably blanked out and when I woke up, Shinji was in my arms, dying. It's anyone's guess what actually happened. But…all I really know and care about is…the fact that the man I loved died in my arms…and it was most likely my fault he died.
"Emu, I-" Rina tried to say.
"Come on. Mrs. Venus needs us." Emu turned on his heel and walked out of the room.
"Wait, Shinji!" Yoko called out as she and Kazumi got up to go after their nephew. Rina followed soon after.
Rina had only turned the corner when she saw Emu go into a Rift that closed almost immediately.
Yoko and Kazumi turned the corner just after this, missing him entirely. They went in the direction they thought he went, ignoring Rina.
She simply swallowed a breath and entered a Rift.
Rina fell out of a Rift into a blank white room, where the rest of her team waited. She took notice of Emu, who was staring at a wall blankly.
"Emu-"
"Don't, Rina." He stated in a monotone voice. "I don't want to talk anymore about this."
Mrs. Venus looked between them.
"What happened to you two?"
Rina didn't answer.
"…well, either way, we're about to go before the council about Planet X. Get ready for this." Her boss said.
The council waited patiently for the team to enter the room they were in. The team stood on the platform in the center of the room.
"Greetings, Rift Guardians." One of the council members said.
The team gave varying degrees of greeting in return.
"You stand before us regarding the situation of Planet X and Earth 385. What do you have to say?" the feline said.
"What do we have to say?" Mrs. Venus repeated. "What do you mean?"
"The situation on Earth has escalated and now Planet X has appeared and is approaching the planet. What do you have to say for yourself?" The canine clarified.
"Are you blaming us for this?" Fea asked.
"Not all of us." The robot added.
"We asked for help and you declined." Mrs. Venus pointed out. "We couldn't handle this on our own and we made that clear. And now that Planet X shows up you deem it fit to blame us for this?"
"We decided that you all could handle it. It is not our fault you did not meet our expectations." The feline said.
"Are you all stupid?" Forrest asked. "We were in no way prepared for this. We were taken by surprise just as much as you were. We didn't know this would happen."
"I do not see how insulting our intelligence is helping your case." The horse-like figure said.
"You can't just deny us assistance and then blame us for not taking care of the problem when we couldn't take care of the problem without assistance." Horn said.
"Enough!" a mass of eight legs and two heads thundered. "You are not here to argue this. As of this time, you are all to begin evacuating Earth."
"Wait, what?" Emu spoke up for the first time. "Why?"
"In order to destroy Planet X, we may need to destroy the entire solar system, including your home planet." The humanoid clarified.
"What, no! You can't!" Emu cried.
"We cannot allow Planet X to be brought back. If we must destroy this Earth in the crossfire, we may not have a choice."
"But you do! We have enough to stop it! We don't have to destroy anything!"
"Our decision is final." The feline said.
"Please, isn't there anything we can do? Anything at all?" Emu pleaded.
"No." the avian said. "Unfortunately, there is nothing we can do. I apologize, young human, but we have no other option. We fear Planet X too much to let its exist be prolonged."
Emu looked to be about to say something else when there was a beeping noise.
"It would appear time is up. Please leave. We do have a full schedule." The robot said.
"But…I…" Emu appeared to be on the verge of a panic attack when Mrs. Venus placed her hand on his shoulder.
"Come on…there's nothing we can do." She glared up at the council before turning away and reaching for her Rift Closer.
Emu didn't respond, instead in a state of panic at the moment. He seemed to relax for a moment as he swallowed a breath and stiffened.
However, there was a brief gust of wind out of nowhere. Emu's hair moved around his face as his eyes flashed a silver coloration.
"Wait" Rina turned to Emu.
Forrest turned as well, clearly recognizing this.
Mrs. Venus turned as well, looking towards Emu with confusion. Mars, Fea, and Horn mirrored her.
Emu looked up.
"Who in the fuck do you all think you are?" he growled.
"Time is up, young human. Please-" the feline started.
"Shut the fuck up." Emu snapped.
"Emu…" Mrs. Venus started trying to caution him.
"You know what…fuck all of you idiotic, selfish, pieces of shit!" Emu yelled. "What the fuck is wrong with you?!"
"I must ask you to-" the canine started but was quickly interrupted.
"Shut up! Just shut the fuck up and listen, asshole!" Emu practically screamed.
The humanoid appeared interested at the development before him.
"How in the sweet FUCK can all of you dickholes just sit up there and do everything wrong then get onto us for your mistakes!" Emu gestured. "Then you have the nerve to order us to evacuate a planet and make us believe it's our own damn faults!"
"We do not have a choice. The decision is final."
"So you're just content with destroying my home world and an entire SYSTEM of planets just because you all fucked up and aren't willing to accept this is all your fault?! Really?! That has to be the dumbest shit I've ever heard!"
"Emu" Rina tried to grab him.
"Don't you touch me either. I'm still pissed at you, but that's not what I'm getting into now." He snarled at her as he shook off her grip.
Rina looked down at her hand as if she had been burned before looking again at Emu.
"You must be willing to accept some sacrifices." The humanoid spoke up.
"That's my planet! I'm not just going to let it be destroyed!" Emu yelled at the council.
"Emu-" Mrs. Venus warned.
"No! Fuck that! You all just sit up there thinking you can decide the fate of trillions of lives! I'm not going to just sit by and let you decide that my world can just be destroyed! I've seen the things that have been made by the Rift Guardians! The Rift Legends, the Rift Closers, our weapons and suits! Surely there has to be SOMETHING that can save my world!" Emu angrily shouted.
"If you think that a temper tantrum can save your world I sincerely apologize but you may have to mature before you can call yourself a Rift Guardian." The feline hissed at him.
"Temper tantrum?! I'm trying to save my world! If you think that me calling you out for letting my world be destroyed because of your bullshit decision making is a temper tantrum then maybe I'm not the one that needs to mature!"
"Young man, if you don't watch your tone-" the horse-like being started.
"What, you want me to grovel at your feet like some pathetic waste of space? Is that what you want? To satisfy your goddamn ego?" Emu growled. "That's not how this is going to work. We bust our asses to work and save entire planets and here you fuckers are sitting on pillars decided that you're better than us because of your position! If you want to decide the fate of lives then get off your asses and see what you're sacrificing 'for the greater good.' Because there is no 'greater good' that results from willingly letting others die!"
"Someone please restrain him." The humanoid ordered.
"Perhaps we should hear him out more." The avian suggested, but was ignored.
Forrest started walking towards Emu.
"Restrain me for what? Seeing through your crap? How about-GUH!" Emu was interrupted by Forrest pulling back and then punching him in the gut, knocking him unconscious.
Rina was quick to run forward and catch Emu before he hit the ground.
Mrs. Venus stared at Emu with wide, shocked eyes.
"…please…excuse that outburst." Mars quickly apologized.
"Get him out of our sight now. Complete your mission and await his punishment." The canine barked.
Forrest opened a Rift that the others were quick to go into, Horn helping carry Emu.
Forrest gave one last glare to the council before he followed after his team.
Rue had been meditating in her jail cell when she heard the commotion. It had been peaceful until now, with not a lot of issues to speak of.
Then the door to her cell was blown off.
When the smoke cleared, Rue was shocked to see Master enter with a bag in his hands. The bag clattered to her feet.
"Suit up." He ordered and left.
Rue had no choice but to comply, stepping out of her cell as Ruby Knight. She quickly found Master waiting in the hallway with the other members of her team, Gold, Silver, Dark, and Aqua Knights.
"Good. We're all here." Dark Knight sighed.
"Come along, my Knight Force." Master said before he started walking through the hallway. The group followed after him, though only one of them appeared to be hesitant about her decision.
"Master broke out his Knight Force." Mars informed the team.
After what had happened, the team had returned to their base. Emu was confined to his room until he cooled off, and Rina had gone off elsewhere to do some analysis.
Mrs. Venus sighed. It was bad enough Emu had a meltdown in front of the council, now this had happened.
"…there's nothing we can do about it. We already have our mission." She sighed.
Forrest, who was sitting across from her, gave her a look. "Really? You're just going to cave like that?"
"I don't have a choice. If Emu hadn't yelled at the council and gone over time, I could've probably found some loophole or bent the rules a bit to allow us to save Earth 385. But now I can't. So all we can do at this point is begin evacuating the life on Earth." Mrs. Venus sighed.
"That can't be all we can do. A planet containing trillions of lives is about to be destroyed and you're willing to just let it go?"
"I'm not willing. But our team is on thin ice. We shouldn't be so willing to break it."
Forrest was quiet as he looked away.
Mrs. Venus bit at her thumbnail while thinking. She kept her eyes on Forrest. Eventually, she pulled back to start talking.
"I'm sorry for not believing you earlier." Mrs. Venus apologized to Forrest.
Forrest turned back to face Mrs. Venus. "You're sorry?"
"Yes. I didn't believe you when you told me about Emu snapping like that. I did my own investigation and found nothing resembling what you said. And then this had to go and happen at the worst time possible."
Forrest didn't say anything else. It took a second before he stood up and started walking out of the room. "I'm going to get to work."
His boss didn't respond.
Elsewhere, Emu was currently lying in a bed in a room somewhere in the base. After he had joined the team, he had been given his own room to sleep in. He hadn't personalized it, but he had moved in fully.
He winced as he removed the ice pack from where Forrest had punched him.
Forrest has a hell of a punch. But…why did he punch me? And when? He thought. He tried hard to remember what had happened, but he couldn't think of anything. The last thing he remembered was being told by Mrs. Venus that there was nothing they could do.
He wished Rina was there to talk. Admittedly, he had thought he was acting harsh towards her. But…he hadn't been ready to reveal his past just yet and the fact that she went behind his back…did really hurt.
And to top it off, his home planet was about to be destroyed.
It was at times like this Emu wished for some kind of miracle before he eventually had some kind of nervous breakdown from everything horrible compounding.
He got his wish when there was a short knock on his door. It opened a second later.
Forrest walked into the room with his hands in his pockets and the expected scowl on his face. He made eye contact with Emu then gestured with his head back out the door.
"Come on." Forrest said.
"What's up?" Emu looked confused.
"I want to help you."
"You…What?" Emu blinked.
"I want to help you." Forrest replied. "The council is going to do nothing. Even if hundreds of however many of lives are saved, that means nothing if it's only the bare minimum used to save them. Letting the planet be destroyed and only saving the lives when you could've done more is unforgivable. So come on. We're going to stop Master and destroy Planet X ourselves."
Emu stared at Forrest in shock as the older wolfman crossed his arms.
"And we're going to save your world."
Insert Theme: Unbreakable Heart By Hideaki Takatori
(Ima hajimaru no sa) Emu, Rina, Forrest, Fea, Horn, Mrs. Venus, and Mars sat underneath a tree while looking at the sunrise, Emu sitting down with his knees close to his chest and his arms wrapped around them, Rina on her knees, Forrest leaning up against the tree, Fea sitting with her legs crossed, Horn crouching down, Mrs. Venus laying on her back on the ground, and Mars kneeling down on one knee.
(Zutto mune ni egaki tsudzuketeta sutori) The six RiftRangers could be seen in the tree branches, GarudaRanger calmly perched on a branch, KrakenRanger looking to be a bit too cautious, WerewolfRanger standing on a branch, PegasusRanger hanging upside down from a branch by the back of her knees, MinotaurRanger hanging from another branch, and MasterRanger laying on her side on the largest branch.
(Kono omoi TA-GI-RE!) Emu, Rina, Forrest, Fea, Horn, Mrs. Venus, and Mars all stood up as the sun shone on them then started to take off while their RiftRanger counterparts dissolved.
(WHOA-OH! WHOA-OH! WHOA-OH-OH-OH! WHOA-OH! WHOA-OH! WHOA-OH-OH-OH!) The seven ran together through the field.
(Tatakau junbi wa dekiteiru) Emu grinned as he ran through the city, the streetlights flickering as he approached and random items sparking.
(Furueru mune mimi wo sumashite) Rina ran down the beach, the water reacting and becoming restless as she moved near it.
(Zutto sono toki o matteiru) Forrest jogged through the forest, the leaves and trees either dying or seeming to grow more as he got near.
(Makeru koto mo atta kedo) Fea flew through the air with her wings, laughing as other flying creatures appeared around her.
(Sono tabi ni mata tachiagerate) Horn ran through the desert at a fast pace, kicking up a dust cloud.
(Mata tsuyokunareta) Mrs. Venus and Mars ran on treadmills in a gym, Mars looking tired but going at a constant pace while Mrs. Venus looked relaxed and running at a much higher speed.
(Shinjireba ii sa) It cut to a shot of all seven of them running in a multi-split screen.
(Ima made yori mo "ima" o) Emu and Mrs. Venus glowed red and orange with lightning and energy around them.
(Genkai nantemon) Rina and Fea glowed pale blue and white with water and feathers around them.
(Yu ni koero) Forrest and Horn glowed violet and yellow with leaves and rocks around them.
(Ima hajimaru no sa) The six RiftRangers ran through the Rift together.
(Zutto mune ni egaki tsudzuketeta sutori) In a flash, the six were replaced by the seven regular formed members of the team running down a shore together.
(Kono omoi TA-GI-RE!) They ran together with their RiftRanger forms appearing next to them.
(Kono te ni aru) They ran down the shore, Garuda Legend and Pegasus Legend flying above them and Kraken Legend swimming with them while Kitsune Legend, Minotaur Legend, and Werewolf Legend chased after them, Minotaur Legend on two feet while Werewolf Legend and Kitsune Legend were on all fours.
(Kirifuda o tsuyoku nigirishimete) GarudaRanger flicked his wrist, KrakenRanger snapped her fingers, WerewolfRanger cracked his neck, PegasusRanger gave a thumbs up, MinotaurRanger slammed his right fist into his left palm, and MasterRanger shook her head in amusement.
(Orenai hato de yume ni mukanda!) Emu, Rina, Forrest, Fea, Horn, Mrs. Venus, and Mars continued running as the RiftRangers and Rift Legends stopped behind them.
(WHOA-OH! WHOA-OH! WHOA-OH-OH!) The seven jumped into the air, Emu throwing his right arm into the air, Rina laughing, Forrest crossing his arms with a slight smirk, Fea giving a peace sign, Horn kicking outwards, Mrs. Venus biting down on her thumbnail with a light grin, and Mars staring blankly at the camera.