Morph Twenty-One: A Date Interrupted
She was very beautiful. As 0 stepped from his room into the corridor, he could not help but listen to the voice that paraded through his head about how incredibly lucky he was. He smiled, nodded his head, and made sure to lock his room's door before he and May started down the walkway.
He wore casual, but tough clothes, standard for the harsh Orre weather they would be subjected to once they got out of the base. Surprisingly, he had very little in the line of casual clothes and had had to request some from the base's stores, such as a suitable jacket and a regular shirt. A pair of gloves had also been brought to him in order to help him conceal his morpher which, while to the untrained eye would look like nothing more than a common wristwatch, would undoubtedly be recognized by the thieving masses of Pyrite Town to be something more.
May, on the other hand, had had no such difficulty, in part because she had borrowed her outfit from Serena. While the top was a bit tight, she was quite happy with 0's reaction, which was to naturally fight off all temptation to stare at her. He kept his gaze straight and above her head, almost as if looking directly at her would result in him going blind from her beauty. She permitted herself a brief smile and giggled. This was a wonderful idea.
"What?" 0 asked and bent his giant mane of a head down to check what was so funny. He turned bright red and returned his gaze to normal, which only made her laugh even more.
"Oh…nothing," replied May teasingly, she was having much too much fun toying with her ex-husband. As per Serena's instructions, she had decided to wear a small top with a long shirt, resulting in May looking much the way movie stars look on the posters for films. Oh, she knew she was looking good, and she wanted to remind herself that a single mother of a five-year-old girl was capable of knocking the breath out of even the most stoic ranger in PKM.
"The exit is this way," he said in a very business-like way, leading her through the odd maze of corridors that made up PKM's base and into the vehicle hanger. He looked around for the supervising agent and, upon finding him, confirmed the rental of a hover bike for the day. The agent saluted the ranger as 0 and May boarded the machine and started the engine. 0 handed her a helmet.
"What's this for?" May asked, though she put it on.
He grinned. "You don't want to fall off this thing in the Orre desert. The sand's not as gentle here as it is at the beach," he explained.
May simply smiled and held on to him tight. 0 had the attending agents clear a path for them, and they were blasting out of the building in almost next to no time. Thankful she had kept a tight grip on the Golden Ranger, as anything less would have probably resulted in her being hurled to the ground, May squealed with delight as 0 piloted through the harsh desert, aiming for a small spec in the distance that looked like a child's model of Pyrite Town from where they were.
"That's Pyrite over there," 0 announced to May, who shifted herself on the seat to properly get a look at the town. "I wish there was a better place to go, but I was only given access to the hover bike for today. Couldn't get a chopper."
"Is there anywhere to go in Pyrite?"
He nodded. "Oh yes," he replied. "It's one of my favorite places to go. There's a big hotel, the works. If you're lucky, I might even try to win something for you at the coliseum. If we have time." The rusty little town was getting closer and 0 pressed harder on the accelerator. In minutes they arrived and disembarked quickly.
Pyrite was indeed one of 0's favorite places, mostly because it was where most PKM agents went to blow off steam, something he found incredibly ironic given the town's reputation for rough gangs. He pressed a button on the hover bike and it converted into a portable capsule in a bright flash of red light. He pocketed it, not wanting the local kids to take his transportation for a joyride.
"Come on," he said, adjusting his goggles for the bright Orre sun, "let's get going, I've got us reservations for lunch at that hotel. I figured that it would be a nice change of pace from cafeteria food." May smirked and followed him through the street.
The town, for the most part, gave off the impression that it was made of cardboard. The people, on the other hand, looked much more life-like and behaved the part. The denizens of Pyrite took it in turn to shout at May, most of them catcalls or vague suggestions about what they would like to do to her. Most of them made her blush and 0 glare angrily at the kids.
"Don't get jealous," teased May. "I promise I won't run off with one of them."
Meanwhile, 0 fingered the blue and black Pokeballs on his belt. "Corporal punishment never hurt anyone. Except for masochists." May laughed outright. 0 had to think, he felt that he was running out of amusing things to say to keep May entertained.
"Hey, quick question."
"What?"
"Do we, you know, hold hands?" May's face tuned a slight shade of red from asking and 0's brightened up like a cherry.
"That's a good question," he replied, as he tried to remember his dating etiquette, then recalling that his information was outdated by a few years from the standard. "I suppose we could. I mean, we're on a date, and it's not like it's our first date or anything."
"It sure feels like one though." May reached out her arm and 0 extended his hand nervously, until they both felt the contact of one another's fingers, which caused them to flinch their limbs back into their original positions at their sides. She smiled and looked up at 0. "Perhaps it's a bit too soon for that."
"Y-Yeah, maybe you're right," 0 agreed, scratching the back of his head with his now-extra-sensitive hand. "This feels really awkward."
"You saying that only makes it more awkward," May pointed out and they both chuckled.
0 felt something tap his shoulder, and turned around, annoyed that someone wished to distract him from May. It was someone even larger than he, a very muscular someone wearing a leather vest, displaying his incredibly vast and possibly steroid-enhanced pectorals. He grinned a massive grin below his enormous moustache, which he was scratching with his left hand, and looked down at May.
"She with you?" he asked.
0 nodded. "For today, anyway."
"Time's up, little man, I want a turn." 0 looked behind the mammoth and noticed several smaller grunts with hungry expressions, before returning his attention to the giant.
"I don't think that's a good idea."
"I think it's a very good idea."
0 briefly considered the possibility of beating up the gang leader, his grunts, and anyone who had the inconsideration to interrupt his and May's date, but then decided that it would bring more people in to bug him. "Okay," he muttered and straightened his back, "what's it going to take to get you to leave us alone? I would really like to get along with my date now?"
The giant glanced down at 0, who was showing absolutely no sign of backing off, and pulled out a Poke Ball from his vest. "Well, seeing as we're in Pyrite, how's about a little match? Winner gets the lady for a nice evening on the town, courtesy of the one and only Team Snagem." His underlings seemed to agree, though most of them looked like they would prefer beating down the Golden Ranger in the old fashioned sense.
0 turned around to May. "Mind if I thrash him?"
She shook her head. "No, go right ahead. But if you lose, you'd better be ready to face the consequences."
0 grinned. "This'll be cake. Let's do this."
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As 0 quickly discovered, the battle with the Snagem leader was not going to be cake. Hundreds of people surrounded him as he made his way down to the stadium floor. May simply smiled, this was just like 0: getting in way over his head.
"Honestly, what is with men's needs to fight each other?" she asked, sighing. "At least in Contests there's beauty involved."
"Well, May, I kind of like fighting," he replied. "It's been keeping you alive for the past couple of months, hasn't it?"
"What's that supposed to mean?" she asked.
He shrugged. "Absolutely nothing, dear," he muttered and walked out into the blinding sunlight. The crowd cheered, and he was reminded all too well of his battle with Logan. "This'll be over soon enough, if we're lucky we can still make our reservations at the hotel…" He retrieved both his Poke Balls, it felt weird not fighting with Pi.
"You'll do fine," said a knowing voice in his ear and 0 smiled. His partner was still with him.
"Go, Lu, Tork!" 0 ordered and tossed both balls out into the arena. They exploded in flashing red lights and the balls returned to him as his powerhouse Pokemon emerged from their containers. Lu, in its adult form, was very excited, and its arms radiated with glowing Aura. Tork blasted steam from its nostrils and stamped on the ground, quite happy to be let outside in the fresh air.
Both of them approached their trainer. "Okay, guys," 0 muttered, "I know we haven't fought a regular battle for a long time, but I figure we should do alright here. Trust me, and trust your instincts, and we should be fine." Both Pokemon agreed earnestly. "Tork, you tank in the back, and offer defense support for Lu. Lu, go offense and be ready for assists from Tork. Got it?" They nodded. "I've got a lot riding on this, I never thought I'd have to protect my reputation in front of May again."
Lu placed its paw on Tork's shoulder. "Cario, Lu," it muttered and Tork nodded its head. They wouldn't let him down. They turned around, and waited for what was to be summoned by the Snagem commander.
The commander grinned, and hurled out two Poke Balls into the arena. A Crobat exploded from one, and a Heracross from the other. The Crobat circled around, its purple wings flapping proudly by its master's side, while the Bug Type simply waited, pawing at the ground with its thin blue arms.
The Snagem member sneered. "Tear 'em to shreds!" he ordered, pointing his finger at 0's Pokemon.
0 smirked. "Let's do it! Cario, Rio! Tork, Torkoal!"
The Heracross charged first, its head glowing with energy as it prepared its Megahorn attack. Instead of attacking, Lu simply leapt up onto Tork's shell, and began charging up its arms to unleash a powerful Metal Claw attack. But before Heracross could reach either of 0's Pokemon, Tork flexed its muscles and projected a powerful Protect sphere around itself and its battle partner. The Heracross bounced off and Tork canceled its Protect immediately to let Lu burst out and strike the Heracross' vulnerable back with its glowing paws. The Bug Pokemon shrieked, but Lu wasn't quite finished with it yet. Grabbing the fallen Pokemon, Lu proceeded to wail on its tender, exposed hide, until finally the Heracross had enough and took to the skies with Crobat, preventing 0's ground-based Pokemon from following.
"Oh, that's lovely," muttered 0, rethinking his strategy. Lu and Tork didn't waver, operating on instinct as their trainer came up with the next plan.
"Heracross, do a Megahorn again! Crobat, Supersonic!" commanded the Snagem member with a triumphant smile.
0 clenched his fists. "Tork! Cario, Lucario!"
Both Pokemon moved instantly. Tork dived into its shell, shielding itself from the sonar blasts through its thick hide. 0's Lucario rushed forward to meet the Heracross head on, nimbly dodging the sonic bursts as they followed it across the coliseum battleground. Lu leapt up, covering its entire body in Endure's amber energy. It collided with Heracross, and they both smashed into the ground. Unfortunately, the Snagem member was too late, and Crobat faithfully followed its orders, blasting Heracross with Supersonic and missing Lu, who was spared thanks to Heracross' protection. It got up and, despite being a full foot shorter than the Bug, placed Heracross in a half-nelson grab and positioned the Bug directly in front of Tork.
0 grinned. "Torkoal, Torkoal!"
On cue, the turtle poked its head out of its shell and took a deep breath. Then it unleashed an Overheat, scorching Heracross. Lu held the Pokemon firmly, though it too received a portion of damage from the strike, until finally Tork ceased its assault and Heracross fell to the ground, knocked out.
The crowd felt that it was now an appropriate time to cheer.
0 grinned, and pointed to himself as he looked on at Mr. Team Snagem, whose expression of disbelief was priceless as he recalled his Bug, leaving the Crobat to face Lu and Tork's assault. "Time for the finale, sucker!" he cackled, he hadn't been in a good match for a long time! "Cario! Oal!"
Tork took another deep breath, blasting the surrounding air with a Flamethrower. Crobat swept easily through the flames, so the Torkoal kept up the blast, waiting for Lu to charge up its Aura Sphere. The giant Crobat kept flying around and Mr. Team Snagem couldn't think of a good counterattack. Time was running out for the bat…
"Go!" ordered 0.
Lu opened its eyes, its entire body seething with Aura and leapt up into the air, a feat accomplished only due to its youth and smaller body. Working with Tork, it moved in on Crobat, and blasted Aura Spheres around to fly towards and latch onto the bat. With the additional weight, the bat's four wings could no longer support its body and it began to plummet to the ground. Lu pummeled it with Aura Spheres from behind, making it impossible for the bat to retaliate. When they finally landed on the ground, Lu lightly jumped up, and smashed into the bat with its legs.
Then Tork got up.
Crobat didn't even see it coming, mostly because it was flat on the ground, its eyes staring into the rocky earth of the coliseum floor, and it didn't have the strength to fly again, since Lu had taken the time to attack its wing's joints, so naturally it did very little but wait as Tork leapt up at breakneck speed and smashed into it with a Body Slam. After a few moments to ensure that the bat would not be getting back up again, the giant Torkoal, almost the bat's rival in size and more than so in weight, got up, dusted itself off, and quietly paced over to where its trainer was standing, a look of satisfaction on both their faces as 0 patted its head.
"Torkoal, Tork," 0 said, praising its performance. It was so large now, the ground rumbled just a little each time it took a step. The average Torkoal was only a little over a foot tall, Tork's neck reached well over four feet high. At the same time, Lu was bouncing back in their direction, still displaying some of the traits from when it was a Baby Pokemon. "Cario, Lu," the Golden Ranger told it, the Lucario had done well in its first real Pokemon battle since evolution.
Lu barked its approval and looked up to Tork, who nodded sagely at its performance. There were even some tears of pride leaking from the turtle's face and the three shared a laugh, though Lu mostly did so out of mimicking its trainer, as 0 and Tork recalled the memories of emotional waterworks from Tork's old days.
He was about to walk out of the arena, since he and Mr. Team Snagem had only agreed on one two Pokemon match, but felt the giant grab his shoulder. As he turned, 0 noticed the look of extreme displeasure on the other's face, and realized that he cared very little.
"What?" asked 0, holding up a hand to stop his Pokemon from attacking his opponent. "I did the fight, so let me go. I'm going to lose my reservation if I stay much longer."
"I don't think so," growled the man.
0 narrowed his brows and flexed his muscles. "Take your hands off me now, or you'll be sorry."
The Snagem leader did not like being threatened. "Listen you-"
He did not finish his sentence, because an instant later a jolt of electricity coursed through 0's body and shocked the gang leader. He cried out in pain and was thrown back to the ground. May, who stood only a few feet away, gasped in shock, and even 0 looked a little surprised.
"What was that?" the Snagem leader asked angrily, hauling himself back to his feet. This time though, he wisely kept his distance.
"Just a little static shock," 0 replied, "don't be a baby about it." He turned to May and offered a warm smile. "Come on, I think we're done here." She agreed and the two headed out.
The Snagem member, surrounded by his subordinates, looked down at his hand, and swore that he saw it spark again. "What…is that guy?" he asked. The look on his face suggested he wasn't going to give up finding out.
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The atmosphere was tense.
The Golden Ranger stared intensely at the menu, and dug deep into the recesses of his memory to retrieve the extremely vital information he was searching for. It was impossible that he had forgotten! Across from him, May watched with an almost amused expression and, directly beside him, stood the waiter, who was growing slightly impatient and kept shifting his weight from one foot to another while he waited for 0 to order.
"Sir, could you-" The boy wisely stopped talking, as 0 lifted his head over the menu and delivered a glare that could silence a Primeape.
"Noodles," 0 decided, and handed the boy the menu. "For the lady. I will have a beer."
"Sir, this is a five star restaurant, surely you would like something fancier than a mere cup of noodles!"
0 turned to May, and shrugged. "She loves noodles, so bring her some soba noodles. And be snappy about it." He tossed a few bills at the waiter, who practically skipped in the direction of the kitchen to prepare the order.
"I can't believe you remember something like that," May said, a slight tinge of red across her cheeks.
He nodded, thankful that he had guessed correctly.
"So…"
"So…"
Both of them blushed slightly, now that they had sat down there was no escape from the inevitable conversation they both knew they had to have. "I guess I should let you ask me some questions, let you get an idea of what I've been doing. So, if you have anything you'd like to ask me, I'm willing to answer."
"Oh, okay," said May and thought about it for a while. "Well, how long have you been an…agent in PKM?"
"Five years," 0 replied. "I joined it a few months after Sarah was born. The old Golden Ranger and I made an agreement that let me operate as an agent and continue to live a civilian life. When we…divorced, I went to work for them full time. There was nothing more for me to do, and I needed something that gave my life meaning."
May nodded. "And all those trips you took?"
"Missions that PKM had me go on," 0 explained. "I was considered a high flyer, and got promoted. I once almost became the White Ranger, but that's a whole other story."
May nodded thoughtfully. "I see," she murmured. "How did you get recruited in the first place?"
"I was in the wrong place at the wrong time," he said. "I ran into the old Golden Ranger and helped in. Because I was exposed to a bunch of secrets, I was given the choice to work for PKM or face incarceration for my own protection. I chose PKM so I could stay with you and Sarah."
May nodded, digesting the knowledge. "Then, why didn't you just tell me? Instead of leaving, why couldn't you trust me with what you were going through?"
0 gave a half-smile. "To be honest, May, it was for your own protection. I was in deep with PKM and I couldn't bear to get you involved like I was. When we had that last fight, I just didn't want you to have to deal with knowing what I was doing." He reached out his hand and squeezed her fingers. "I didn't want any more burdens being put on your soul. Plus, PKM would have flipped and taken us all into custody."
May giggled, though her face was somber. "You let me hate you for three years, 0. To protect me? How am I supposed to feel about that?"
"I don't know the answer to that question, May," he said, lowering his head. "I'm not you."
The waiter brought the soba noodles and the beer, but neither was touched.
"I don't know whether to hate you for keeping all of this a secret, or love you for trying to protect us from it," she admitted. "At least Sarah is happy."
"That's something I wanted to ask you about."
"What?"
"Sarah," 0 said. "Why didn't you ever tell her who her father was? Why did you keep me a secret for so long?"
"0..." May sighed and looked out the window. "I don't know. I'd like to say that it was because, deep down, I believed that it was just a dream, and one day you'd come back to me, but it was probably the mean, spiteful part of me that made me do that. Sarah was the one person you wanted, and the one person I couldn't let you have. I had already lost my husband, I didn't want to lose my daughter too."
The Golden Ranger opened his beer and took a swig. "We need to…come to some sort of compromise. Now that we both know what really happened, I want to take some steps for the future. For Sarah's sake, and for ours." May nodded in agreement. "Now, you know my feelings. I want to be a father to Sarah again, and I also want to be your friend, May."
"My friend?"
"I know it's unreasonable to ask you to forgive me completely, and to take me back. I do want to be with you, May. With all my heart I do. But I don't know what you want, so I'll respect your own decision on the future of our relationship. But I'm fine with you as a friend, May. I want you back in my life again, in whatever small way you're willing to let me back in as."
"Dummy…"
0 looked up. "Huh?"
"You giant idiot…" May felt her eyes grow wet, but didn't care. "All this time, I've thought that there was no room for me in your life, that you'd moved on and settled down with Serena. I just-" She shook her head and smiled. "It's good to know that, at least."
"Good to know what?"
She smirked. "That your inability to understand women remains intact."
"Excuse me."
Both turned, and saw in astonishment that the Snagem commando had returned. 0 groaned, the guy was really starting to get on his nerves, then he noticed something. Specifically, the chain hanging by his arm, carrying what appeared to be a massive black gem, a giant Dark Onyx! 0 clenched his fists.
"May," he muttered, reaching for his morpher, "get out of here."
"Don't you dare move!" shouted the Snagem leader, brandishing a Poke Ball in both of his hands. "Tyranitar, Garchomp!" Both Poke Balls exploded and two giant Pokemon emerged, both emitting powerful auras. "I think everyone's staying right where they are, you annoying little runt."
He strode up to 0's table. "Get up, punk," he ordered. "I want to see if you're so tough in front of two of Team Snagem's most powerful Pokemon, and this little toy!" He lifted the Dark Onyx and dangled it in front of the Golden Ranger's face. "You see what this is? You know what it does?"
0 gulped. "I have a fairly good idea, tubby," he replied, then turned to May. "Listen, head out and powder your nose. This'll be all over before you can break out your makeup bag." May nodded and stood up to leave.
She took two steps before the Snagem leader screamed, freezing her in her tracks. "I said don't move!" he ordered.
"May, run!" 0 shouted. The urgency in his voice prompted her to run, and the Golden Ranger tackled the giant man to the ground, keeping him from issuing any orders immediately. May almost got away too…then…
"Tyranitar, Shadow Wave!" he screeched. Obeying, the Pokemon inhaled deeply and blasted May with a sickly wave of evil power. She shrieked, as the attack caught up with her, and fell to the ground.
The Snagem leader cackled and pushed 0 off him. "Well, that'll make her easier to carry back to the lair," he muttered as an afterthought. Then he turned towards 0, upon which he felt a slight chill run down his shoulder.
0 wasn't just angry. Oh no, to say that about him would be to give his feelings the most mildest description. 0 was furious. His head was lowered, his teeth gritted against one another as he ground them in frustration…his muscles were tight and easily visible because his anger was causing them to bulge. His veins became noticeable on his skin and his hands were clenched to the point that his white knuckles were visible.
"You," he growled, "are going to die."
And then he roared murder at the man. His morpher gleamed, and a golden fire crackled to life around him, resonating with his fury. The Snagem leader stepped back, as all the light in the room seemed to fade away, as it was sucked into the vortex of 0's golden flames. Sparks flew from within it and 0 grinned.
"W-What are you?" he demanded to know. 0 just kept smiling.
"Your nightmare," was his reply, and then he screamed once more as his transformation began.
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The transformation was different this time, 0 sensed that much.
As he roared, the morpher strapped to his wrist glowed bright gold and his body was instantly covered with the black under armor that made up most of his uniform. The golden parts, his gloves, boots, chest plate, back, belt, and visor, came last, clamping down and strapping into position as his systems came online. The golden fire that surrounded him dispersed and his visor gleamed as Pi took control of the uniform.
"0, what's happening?" the Pikachu asked, running a suit diagnostic. "How'd you do that without activating the morpher or using the morphing call?"
0 shrugged. "That's a good question, let's answer it once we've dealt with this little piggy." He stood his ground, the Bolt Blade clenched in his hand. Across from him, Snagem boy growled, turning towards his Shadow Pokemon and snickered.
"That explains it…you're a ranger, just like that guy said!" he screeched. "Now I'll show you what it means to have power! Get him, my Shadow Pokemon!"
The Tyranitar roared, blasting air through the hotel and throwing people to the floor. Beside it, the Garchomp howled with rage and began stomping its way in the direction of 0.
"This is not good," decided 0 firmly. While he probably had the strength to engage the Shadow Pokemon in battle, the giant Dark Onyx that the Snagem leader was using complicated matters. "Pi, stats report."
"Both Pokemon are generating high-level energy," the Pikachu reported. "And their Shadow Pokemon status only helps their strength. From the looks of it, both Pokemon are probably in Hyper Mode, so be careful."
0 groaned. "That's just great. Open up communications with 003, I'm going to need backup if the situation worsens." He didn't know how a Dark Gem would influence Pokemon and he didn't really want to.
"0, lead them outside. They're after you, they'll be less casualties if we go elsewhere," Pi pointed out. 0 nodded and shouldered his blade.
"Hey, ugly!" shouted 0, turning his attention onto the Snagem commander. "How's about you come get me? I'm tired to standing around staring at your drooling mug!"
His opponent did not seem to take kindly to the statement. His face reddened and his mouth wobbled from sheer anger. Clearly he was not a man accustomed to being defied. "Get him! Shadow Rush!"
The two monsters roared, stomping on the ground and rushing towards the Golden Ranger. Instead of fighting, though, the ranger simply vanished with the command "Go!" He reappeared a few feet behind the Pokemon and used their rushing momentum in conjuncture with his sword to smash both into a wall. "I'm over here, Slowpokes!" he shouted and waved his sword as the Pokemon unearthed themselves from the wall.
"Get him!" Mr. Snagem snarled, but that was all he could say before the Golden Ranger decided to make things just a little bit more personal and grabbed him by the neck.
"Let's see how far you can fly," the Golden Ranger muttered and hurled him out of the second-storey window. Like obedient Pokemon, the Tyranitar and Garchomp jumped out after him and 0 turned his attention to the woman on the ground. "May, are you alright?" He picked her up and opened his visor. Her eyes flickered, but she roused herself from unconsciousness and looked up at him.
"0?" she asked, somewhat out of it. "What's going on? Weren't we talking?"
He nodded. "Slight change of plans. Snagem thought it would be a good idea to bother us." He looked out the empty window, there was no way the Snagem leader was too hurt, especially if he had the giant Dark Onyx. That would patch him up in no time at all. "May, I need to hide you somewhere, they'll be coming back with more Shadow Pokemon soon."
"No."
"What do you mean, no?" 0 asked. "This isn't a game, he's here for us! I need to lead him away!"
"No, I'm tired of being separated from you, 0." She was babbling, 0 saw in her eyes that she was disorientated, it was possible that she had a concussion too. "I want to face him together, with both of us side by side." Her eyes were fluttering again, 0 wondered if she was really hurt. The back of her head was bleeding, but otherwise she seemed fine…
So why was he so worried?
"Okay," he muttered. "Pi, call 003. I officially am going to need help."
"Roger. Distress signal has been sent. Enemy is coming back, this time with multiple Shadow Pokemon, and I think…no, I'm sure of it! He's got Rangerlings, just like Sappho did!"
Pi was right. As the Snagem leader strode back into the room, he was flanked by eight or ten Rangerlings, almost the number of subordinates he had been followed by earlier. Had he turned his friends into Rangerlings just to fight? 0 gritted his teeth and his visor clamped down again over his face. "That's disgusting," he said to himself.
The Rangerlings chattered amongst themselves, as they always did. This time, though, 0 noticed that instead of one Dark Onyx on their chest, all of them had two, one on each of their shoulders. "Oh, this is bad," muttered 0, readying the Bolt Blade to begin battle. In addition to the Garchomp and Tyranitar from earlier, the Snagem commander also had a Charizard and a Machamp standing ready behind him, all four Pokemon with dark, soulless eyes glaring down on the Golden Ranger.
"Bad," 0 muttered. "Very bad."
"Get him!" roared the Snagem leader. "Shadow Rush!"
Holding May in his arms, 0 ran straight out of the window, leaping through the air thanks to the energy his suit was supplying to his legs. He landed nimbly on the rooftop outside, ignoring the pain as his legs received part of the landing's shock and turned around to look through the window. The Snagem leader, furious, was ordering his Pokemon after the Golden Ranger, away from the crowds.
"Now all I need is a safe place to hide you, May," 0 grumbled, this relationship business was a lot of work! He wished he still had Serena to back him up, or anyone for that matter. "Pi, status report. Where's the backup?"
"I'm patching you through to 003 now," it announced. A moment later, the communication opened.
"0, what's going on down there?" demanded a frustrated Bakaguru.
"Rangerlings and Shadow Pokemon," replied the Golden Ranger. "It looks like the Dark Gem Rangers handed somebody a giant Dark Onyx and he's going to town. And it doesn't help that he's after my date!" He looked down, May was looking worse. "He hurt her."
"How badly?"
"She might have a concussion, and she's bleeding from her head," 0 muttered. He started moving and jumped down into the alley, wincing as his feet collided with the ground. "She's not very lucid, she'll probably need to see a doctor when we get back. Where are 1 and 5? I asked for backup!"
"On their way, they should be arriving in a few minutes. Unfortunately, they'll be all I can offer. We haven't decided on a new White Ranger."
"What about Max?"
"He's not deemed fit to enter combat yet."
"Damn!" 0 cursed. His tracking system indicated he was about to be discovered. "Just get 1 and 5 here now! I don't have time to screw around!"
"Okay, I'll tell them to hurry-"
Bakaguru was cut off, as 0 let off a blood-curling screech of agony and dropped to the ground, clutching his head. Something was attacking him, something horrible. May collapsed on him and was jolted awake.
"0?" she asked, noticing that he was starting to curl into the fetal position. "0! What's going on?" Ignoring her own pain, she grabbed the ranger and pushed him up into a sitting position against the wall. "What's wrong?"
"S-Serum…" he gasped, realizing what the problem was. "N-Need serum n-now…" He groaned, forced to ride through the immense pain as his body shouted its addictive need for the drug that kept it awake, alert, and now alive.
"What serum?" May asked.
"K-Keeps my body w-working," he explained. "N-No night-nightmares."
And he fell again to the ground, this time contorting in agony. His body needed the drug now, otherwise it would begin to shut down. He barely heard May's shriek as they were discovered and the Shadow Charizard's roar as it began to advance, Rangerlings dancing around its lizard body.
Then the cavalry came charging in.
The Red and Pink Rangers leapt from their motorcycle. Logan, flashing a salute, proceeded to tear through the Rangerlings, while Karin concentrated on the much larger Charizard. Eventually, the Red Ranger made it to May and placed himself before the onslaught of powerful Rangerlings.
"Hey, May," he said. "What's with Golden Boy? He's looking a little green around the gold."
"There's something wrong with him!" she explained. "He says he needs some sort of serum. Do you have any idea what he's talking about?"
Logan kicked a Rangerling back. "Sort of. The guru's got a secret serum used for combat missions. It's used to keep agents awake and alert throughout, but it's not meant for long-term missions. Golden Boy takes it all the time, so he effectively doesn't sleep. His body's probably going through withdrawal." He batted away another little imp. "We should probably ask someone to send some in." He put his hand to his helmet. "003, I need some serum delivered ASAP. Oh, and a hot dog too. Maybe a pizza if you have some time." A pause, while Logan listened to Bakaguru's response. "Nope, 0's down and he needs some fast. And I wasn't kidding about that hot dog!"
He smashed into a Rangerling and activated his Sake Scissors with a request to his ranger spirit. The sword-like claws extended from his forearms and the Red Ranger dove into the fray. "He's on it, May! My partner will escort you the rest of the way to safety!" He reached Karin, who was having problems with the Charizard. "Baby, this is more my tempo, why don't you fall back and take her to safety?" Karin complied with the order, flipping back to grab May and, as he was currently useless, 0 too, on both her shoulders and started running away. Logan covered their retreat as the horde began to descend on the alley.
A man with an absurd moustache walked up with his Shadow Pokemon and Rangerlings, surprised to see a Red Ranger instead of a golden one. "Where'd the girl go, Red boy?" he snarled, obviously quite mad indeed.
"Good question, tubby," replied Logan with a shrug, pointing one of his blades at the man's gut. "I'd say in your stomach, where all mobile things must naturally head around you, but then you'd know where they were! Specifically, somewhere between your stomach and small intestine."
The Snagem leader flushed red. "I'll kill you!"
Logan wagged his finger. "Not if you eat me first, right?" His opponent screamed in rage.
"Kill him! Tear him to pieces!"
"I thought fat guys were supposed to be jolly," murmured Logan in dismay. "And I was about to ask him what I wanted for Christmas too."
Reluctantly, he dove into the fray.
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Bakaguru considered his options.
On one hand, he could simply allow 0 to die. On the other, it was probably a good idea to rescue the Golden Ranger, so he had summoned Serena, 415, and Max to see what could be done. After some persuasion, he had managed to pry Sarah away from her uncle and into the arms of her devoted grandparents, so he had the full attention of all three.
"What," he said, pacing in front of a vial of serum on his work table, "are we going to do?"
Serena was the first to respond. "I can go take it to him," she suggested.
Bakaguru shook his head. "Out of the question, Serena. First, you are not a ranger anymore." He held up his hand as she opened her mouth to respond. "I am working on that, but for now we must accept the fact that you are no longer a member of the PKM Rangers. To expose you to this kind of danger, especially without a Ranger uniform, is completely unsafe and I will not do it. Plus, you are still recovering from you injuries." He turned to the other woman in the room. "I would send 415, but I want 0 to live. Besides, she has to stay behind since she has the Golden Gauntlets."
Unenthusiastically, 415 dangled the devices from her hands without much gusto.
"That leaves Max," the engineer muttered and pushed his glasses back to the bridge of his nose. "Max in the most suitable person, despite being our least likely source of help."
"Why is that?" Max asked, feeling a slight twinge of anger.
"Because you are still inexperienced in handling your Dark Emerald," explained the otaku. "That is the simple fact, Max. Despite the progress you have been making, the fact remains that you are unfit to be released yet. And yet I have no choice but to send you in if I want 0 to live." He rubbed his brow. "The Council is going to kill me, but I need you, Max. Can I count on you?"
Max nodded, grabbing his Dark Emerald. "We're ready," he said and the gem glowed eagerly. It had been a while since it had been given a chance to play. "What do you want me to do?"
Bakaguru handed Max the vial of serum. "Give this to 0, he'll be able to inject it into his body and recover. Transform into your Dark Gem Ranger mode to make sure you survive the trip."
Max closed his hands around the vial. "What do you mean, 'survive the trip'?" he asked suspiciously.
Bakaguru grinned, and pulled out a small remote control from inside his lab coat. When he pressed one of the buttons, the ceiling above began opening up and the floors nearby gave way, revealing a massive machine below. "A new toy from Jessie and James," he explained. "It's a prototype to launch these giant things that the two of them are designing with Meowth, but for now we can use it to launch you to Pyrite. Being the Dark Emerald Ranger, you should have no problem surviving it. Just keep the vial safe and your Dark Emerald should home in on the Golden Ranger."
"Good plan." Max knew Bakaguru was right, for some reason the Dark Emerald was willing to obey the Golden Ranger in all circumstances, ever since he had freed both Max and the Dark Gem from the confusion they had been induced with by Sappho. "But what if I lose control?"
"My advice would be to not do that," Bakaguru offered. "Transform and I'll prepare the launch."
Max nodded and climbed into the thing. True to Bakaguru's word, the machine looked like it was built for launching something massive. There was a platform where whatever it was going to be would be loaded onto, so Max got onto that and tucked the serum vial into his pocket, knowing it would be safer inside the Dark Emerald Ranger's armor.
"Max!" shouted a voice from below. Max wrapped his chains around his arms and looked down. It was Serena.
"Yeah?" he asked.
"Bring him back safe, okay?" Serena said. "Him and May both."
Max nodded and raised his thumb. "Count on it, Serena!" he said and pressed the Dark Emerald into his flesh. "Dark Gem Ignite!"
Max exploded with green light as his body, mind, and soul merged with the Dark Emerald, creating the somewhat-reformed Dark Emerald Ranger. The beast looked down on the group below, but thought little of them and remained standing where it was, sensing that it needed to go and help their master, the Golden Ranger. A few moments later, Bakaguru finished the launch preparations and the dark ranger braced himself, sensing he was about to go airborne.
Then he left the ground and blasted off through the air. To prevent wind resistance, the Dark Emerald whispered, and the ranger straightened his body to preserve the momentum of flying through the air. Desert whisked by below him. In next to no time, he spotted a rundown town coming his way and the Dark Emerald whispered that the Golden Ranger was below.
The Dark Emerald Ranger tucked his arms and legs together and curled up into a ball as he descended, finally landing by blasting through what appeared to be a very nice hotel's wall and found himself in a room occupied by two nude people: a man with a ring on the fourth finger of his left hand and another man without one. Thinking little of their screams, the Dark Emerald Ranger waited for the majority of his bones to pop back into place and mend.
"What is it…?" one of the men, the one without the ring, asked in a very high voice. The Dark Emerald whispered to its partner, very annoyed by their interruption of its body healing.
The other, the one with the ring, slowly approached the Dark Emerald Ranger, covering himself in a blanket from the bed. "Don't know," was his reply, in a very thick Orre dialect. "Looks like a guy, but it's all twisted and messed up."
"Should we call room service?" suggested the other. The Dark Emerald was thankful it had almost finished healing its partner, both agreed that the men were highly annoying.
"No, you idiot!" shouted ring-man. "What if they find you here? We gotta get outta here right now!" Quickly, he scrambled for his clothes, and the other man eventually did the same, though with a slight bit of reluctance. The Dark Emerald whispered to its partner that they could walk again, so the dark ranger untangled himself from the ground and stood up.
Both men screamed in a very girlish way as the ranger began making his way across the room in the direction the Dark Emerald said the Golden Ranger was. As he reached the door, and smashed down what was left of it, he sensed someone moving behind him. He turned suddenly, crouching in preparation to fight, but stopped when he noticed it was only the harmless ring-man, who this time had wrapped the cloth around his waist. His hands were together and the Dark Emerald sensed something extremely pitiable about the ring-man's stance.
"You're not-you're not gonna tell anyone, are ya?" he asked, staring at the floor with an aura of shame about him. The Dark Emerald Ranger responded by punting him across the room into the sole undamaged wall in the room, creating a great crack as the man fell back onto the bed. The man without a ring watched this and looked up at the dark ranger.
"Thanks, he needed that," he said.
The Dark Emerald Ranger, unsure of why he was being thanked, decided to listen to the Dark Gem's suggestion to leave. With a slight growl of indifference, he rushed down the hallway and followed the Golden Ranger's aura. From behind, he heard the distinct sound of shrieking, possibly because the two men had been discovered by the service staff of the hotel.
The ranger conferred with his gem again, and it was decided that the men were both very annoying.
He burst out through a window that had already been broken for some reason and onto a nearby rooftop thanks to the aid of one of his chains. From there, he noticed that a fight was going on in an alley below, but didn't go near it. Neither of them cared about the fight because their master wasn't there. Both kept moving, the ranger following the advice from his Dark Emerald, until finally they reached a position several blocks down from the battle, where the Golden Ranger was being tended to by a familiar woman…her name was definitely May, and another person in pink that neither ranger nor gem cared about.
They dove down into the group, astonishing May and the pink person, who leapt up to battle the Dark Emerald Ranger, but after a moment stepped back, as if commanded by a third party to not intervene. The dark ranger made his way to the Golden Ranger and reached up to his chest. A vial of liquid appeared from inside his clothes and he handed it to the gasping paladin. The Golden Ranger took it, muttered some sort of thanks, and injected the liquid into his bloodstream. Within moments he stopped shaking and within a minute he was back on his feet. Though taller than the Dark Emerald Ranger, the paladin's visor held its gaze on the dark ranger's, and the Dark Emerald sensed a thanking aura from the golden man.
"Thanks," said the Golden Ranger. "I knew they'd finally let you out." He touched the side of his helmet and began speaking to someone that wasn't there. "Yes, he made it," said the Golden Ranger. "Oh, okay. Yes, I'll make sure he's returned in one piece. Understood." He switched off the communications and turned to May.
"Bakaguru says his unofficial designation is AX6," 0 explained. "Auxiliary Ranger 6: Dark Emerald."
May smiled and turned to the Dark Emerald Ranger with pride. "Oh, congratulations, Max!" she exclaimed and threw her arms around the dark ranger in a hug. The Dark Emerald Ranger, for reasons neither ranger nor gem understood, tolerated this for a few seconds, then pried May off and turned to 0.
"Gallade, Lade," hissed the dark ranger. It wanted to fight.
The Golden Ranger nodded. "Good idea, let's go help 1." He turned to the pink one, who was simply awaiting her orders like a puppet. The Dark Emerald chuckled at her. "You're coming too," he decided, then turned to May. "May, I need you to find a place to hide." He took out something from his belt and handed it to her. "This is a com-link, it'll let you keep in touch with us. Okay?"
May nodded and took the com-link, holding onto the hand 0 offered it on for just a little too much longer than the Dark Emerald Ranger was willing to tolerate. He growled and the two separated awkwardly, each holding the other's gaze, until 0 snapped back to reality and started running down the alley. The pink one followed him by only a few footsteps. The Dark Emerald Ranger looked towards May one final time, nodded in satisfaction, then leapt back onto the rooftops to follow 0 and Pinky from a different route.
They reached the fight quickly and the three rangers dove into the fray. The Golden Ranger, his sword in hand, swept through the ranks of the black chattering Rangerlings, filthy users of common Dark Onyx, battering them down with single strikes of the dull side of his blade. Pinky leapt through the ranks, ignoring everything until she finally came to the side of a lone red warrior fighting off the masses, helping him cave a bigger hole in the group.
The Dark Emerald Ranger saw people worth fighting. It leapt into the fray, knocking down a Machamp with its knee as it landed on the Pokemon. The ranger roared in triumph, and leapt off before the Pokemon could recover. The Dark Emerald whispered that there were three other Pokemon nearby and none of them had the right aura for a Pokemon, they all felt too evil.
Neither ranger nor gem cared very much, they were too busy having fun!
A Rangerling wound up caught in their web, as the Dark Emerald Ranger growled and wrapped his right gauntlet's chain around its body, dragging it towards him. He jerked the chain, and the Rangerling, and threw it to the ground. He howled and leapt up, crushing the Rangerling with the full force of his boots. Despite this, it somehow survived and thrashed about until the dark ranger lost his balance and was forced to hop off its body in a highly undignified manner. He retracted his chain and retreated to the Golden Ranger's position.
"Laaaaaade, Gallaaa," growled the dark ranger, assisting the paladin in clearing some breathing space.
"I know," replied the ranger, growing tired of heaving his sword everywhere. "For some reason, these Rangerlings are much tougher and harder to kill. They have two Dark Onyxes instead of one, I think that's why." 0 looked around, searching for something. "There!" He pointed into the crowd, and made sure the Dark Emerald Ranger saw what he was looking at. "You see that man, with the giant moustache?" The dark ranger followed the man's finger and noticed there was a man with something growing out of his upper lip. "He's got a giant Dark Onyx controlling all of them. If we can reach him, we might stand a chance at ending the fight, since all of these things are under his control. Go get him and bring him to me! But don't kill him, we need to find out where his Dark Gems came from!"
The Dark Emerald Ranger nodded and jumped up into the air, latching onto a nearby store's roof with his chain and hoisting himself up. Fortunately, the moustache man was standing by the sidelines, doing little but jeering and watching his minions fight for him. Finding this extremely unfair, the Dark Emerald whispered to its partner a fun way to get some payback, which the ranger readily agreed to.
They got into position, careful not to let anyone see, above the man with the lip hair, and slowly reached down a chain, taking ever so much care not to alert the man to their presence. The chain wrapped around his giant, plump body like velvet, with the man hardly noticing what was going on. It was not until one of the chattering Rangerlings saw it and pointed out what was going on, that he took notice. But by then it was too late, and the Dark Emerald Ranger dashed down to the ground and tightened his grip on the tub of lard he had been asked to capture and growled.
"Call off your army or my friend gets to play with you!" shouted the Golden Ranger to the Dark Gem Ranger's plaything.
The fat man's thinking process lasted roughly two seconds, before he shrieked, "Everyone fall back immediately!" in a tone of voice that would have even the most cowardly man in Orre mocking him. All of the Rangerlings did as ordered, but the Shadow Pokemon only considered it briefly before resuming their rampage. They were unstoppable and would have to be taken down before they would halt.
The Dark Emerald Ranger discarded the man, finding him useless, and dove back into the battle. The man hit his head on a wall and slumped into unconsciousness. The Dark Emerald Ranger hardly noticed it, unleashing his chains on the Tyranitar and binding it in place. The Pokemon roared in anger, but that only made the dark ranger tighten his chains. It was beginning to lose the ability to breathe, which was fine with the dark ranger. Anything for a fight.
The Dark Emerald whispered, and the ranger obeyed, leaping through the air and jumping onto the spines of the Tyranitar's back, wrapping more of his chain around its neck. Once they were secure, the ranger leapt off the thrashing Pokemon and, using the majority of his strength, brought the massive Pokemon down to its knees.
Soon after, it lapsed into unconsciousness, and only then did the Dark Emerald Ranger remove the chains.
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The Golden Ranger grinned, the odds were in his favor.
The four rangers worked as one to take down the last three Shadow Pokemon. The Rangerlings were gone, making the work much easier to do. While Logan and 0 concentrated on the Charizard, Karin was fighting Garchomp and Max was putting the finishing touches on the Machamp. All was going as planned.
"So, how'd your date go?" Logan asked, blocking one of the Charizard's wings.
0 dodged the fiery breath from its gaping mouth. "Not too bad, until all this started. Why can't evil just take a few hours break for us?"
Logan laughed and smashed into the Charizard with 0, using their combined momentum to take it down. "I hear that!" he shouted, as it was hard to hear him over the lizard's angry roars. "Every time 5 and I go out, there's always something taking over the world that needs our pressing attention."
"I thought you and 5 never went out," 0 pointed out.
"Oh yeah," muttered Logan, as he struggled to pin down the Charizard. "Hey, you mind finishing this? I don't have the synchro thing like you do!"
0 nodded. "Pi, activate the Synchronization Drive! Volt Tackle!"
Static collected from inside his body, turning the Golden Ranger into a living light bulb. Ignoring the pain that coursed through his veins, he closed his hands on the giant Bolt Blade and slashed at the Charizard. The Pokemon gave out a shriek, then collapsed from the agony of the thousands of volts that ripped through its body. It did not get back up.
0 panted and lowered his sword, as the discharged electricity worked its way through his own body. "You okay?" Logan asked.
"Fine," 0 muttered. "I'm starting to get used to it. First time it completely killed me."
"Don't go dying on me. I'll have to fill out paperwork if you do."
0 chuckled. "Wouldn't dream of it."
"Laaaaade!"
Both men turned, only to see the aftermath. The Dark Emerald Ranger, having finished dispatching the Machamp, had rushed over to Karin's side. Neither the Red or Golden Ranger had noticed, because Karin wasn't someone who was really able to attract attention, that the Garchomp had gotten the upper hand in their battle. She was lying on the ground, not breathing, and she had been forced out of her Ranger Mode. Pats of her face were bruised, and much of her clothing was stained red.
"Karin!" Logan shouted and lunged forward. He transformed into Rescue Mode immediately, grabbed Karin, and swooped up to a nearby building, leaving 0 and Max to handle the last Shadow Pokemon. 0 sighed, but did not pursue the matter. He would have done the same thing for Serena if she was the one hurt.
"AX6, round up!" ordered 0 and removed Lu's Poke Ball from his belt. The Dark Emerald Ranger regrouped behind him, crouched like a feral animal. "Auxiliary Pokemon System! Cario Form!" He inserted the Poke Ball into his morpher and the transformation was instantaneous. Within moments he was dancing around, looking for the best opening to take down the giant Pokemon. Both the Golden and Dark Emerald Rangers circled the Garchomp, eager to fight.
"Sir, operating at maximum capacity," announced Lu in its deep voice. "Activating the Synchronization Drive."
"Good," 0 said and the spikes on the backs of his hands enlarged. "Get ready with Aura Sphere on my mark."
"Aye, sir," it replied.
The Aura came up and the Dark Emerald Ranger attacked, striking at the Garchomp with his chains to drive the Pokemon into a frenzy. The dragon focused all its attention on the Dark Emerald Ranger, who danced and leapt everywhere to keep its focus away from the Golden Ranger, who began charging up a massive ball of Aura.
It took a while, and thankfully Max and the Dark Emerald were very patient, but finally the massive energy ball was ready. "Lu, download the Lightning Laser, and prepare to fire the Aura Sphere with the first shot."
"Aye, sir." The shotgun emerged in 0's hands and was supercharged with the Aura energy in moments. The Golden Ranger aimed the weapon at the Garchomp's back.
"AX6, retreat!" 0 ordered. Max leapt away, just as the Garchomp turned around to see the barrel of 0's gun. "Send him packing, Lu! Let's go!" He pressed down on the trigger, just as the Garchomp began roaring and rushing towards him.
The blast was delayed, mostly because it was being condensed into something that the Lightning Laser was capable of firing, but it got off just in time to save 0 from becoming lunch for a very angry Pokemon. The blue and yellow ball of energy was released, resulting in the Garchomp being thrown back and through the nearest building. 0 himself was thrown back by the recoil of the weapon, smashing into a wall and denting it, before falling back to the ground. He hoisted himself up and noticed the Dark Emerald Ranger on the nearby rooftop, watching him.
"Good work," 0 called, and returned to his civilian uniform, reattaching his goggles to his face to keep the sand out of his eyes. "Come on down and turn back."
The Dark Emerald Ranger flipped back down to the ground, and after careful consideration began glowing, before the uniform faded away and the chains uncurled around the arms, revealing Max Birch.
Nearby May reappeared, along with Logan and an unconscious Karin.
"We'd better get out of here," 0 decided. The others agreed.
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The sun down, and the debriefing over, 0 escorted May back to her quarters.
The facility was unusually quiet that night. With the majority of the day's tasks done, the only people really on duty was the night shift. Everyone else was already in their quarters, getting ready for the next day's work. So it was just May and 0 and their footsteps as they walked down the corridors. Both were silent. Every once in a while, by complete accident, their shoulders would gently touch, and May's heart would skip a beat.
"0, can I ask you something?" May wondered, looking up at her protector. 0 looked back down at her, finding nothing unusual about the request, and silently nodded. "In the fight, you needed serum. What is that?"
0 sighed. "It's nothing really," he explained. "I take it because it helps me function. It's a special drug that nourishes agents, keeps them awake and alert during missions where that sort of thing isn't really easy to come by, but it's not meant to be used long term. Since I got the first batch of it, I've used it ever since. Now I can't live without it. I guess you could say it's sort of my kryptonite."
"Why do you use it?" May asked. "It sounds so dangerous, wouldn't it be safer to not take it?"
He wondered about that for a moment. "There's another reason I take it," he said and retracted his gaze. "When I left you for this, I was hurt. Not in a physical sense, but in a way that…well, I guess you know what I mean. It's a kind of hurt that scars you. I started having these horrible nightmares, it began interfering with my work. Eventually they gave me the serum so I could stay awake forever and keep the nightmares away."
May gasped and 0's mouth offered her a false smile. "I know that for all those years you hated me, May," he said. "Maybe you still do. You have every right to. I left you all alone with Sarah, to keep you safe from this. I've regretted not being able to be honest with you, all these years." They kept walking and turned a corner. "But I can't regret all of it, because these people gave me the power to protect you and Sarah."
She didn't reply and eventually they reached her room. May opened the door and walked through, 0 remained where he was. Just as he was about to turn around the door opened back up and May's eyes were red.
"Would you like to come inside?" she asked. "I'll make you a cup of tea."
Though he didn't drink tea anymore, 0 accepted the offer, and May shut the door behind him. He took a seat at the table, and May busied herself with brewing two cups of green tea, setting one for 0 and one for herself. 0 merely eyed the cup, brought it to his lips, and pretended to sip it. The serum made it so his body rejected most foods, alcohol being one of the shining exceptions. His injection had provided him with all the nourishment he needed, he felt full despite having had nothing.
A few minutes later, May finished her tea. 0 was content to watch, she looked so graceful and dignified. Despite the rather heavy atmosphere, there was no place he would have rather been at that moment than with her. But he sensed that she wanted him to leave, for she did not meet his gaze, so finally he rose, thanked her for the tea, and headed for the door.
His hand closed around the door knob, and he felt a pair of arms close around him. "May," he murmured and turned around. She wrapped her arms around his massive shoulders and held him close. She said nothing, but 0 felt something damp trickle onto the right side of his chest. She was crying. Hesitantly, he took her into his arms and rested his cheek against the top of her head. "What's wrong?"
"I was never alone," she whispered, refusing to dislodge herself from the protective embrace of her protector. "I had Sarah, Max, Brock…I had Drew and Dawn. I had Mom and Dad." She looked up into his face her eyes damp. "You were the one with no one. All you had was Pikachu and Serena…I should have-"
She sniffled, it was hard for her to speak. "I don't want you to be alone anymore. I don't want you to think you're ever going to be alone. You have me, and Sarah, and everyone. Even with all that's happened, we can be a family again!"
0's heart skipped a beat. "May…"
"Never leave me alone again," she whispered.
"I won't."
"Promise me."
"I promise."
May was still unsure. "You mean it?"
0 smiled, and said, "May, losing you was the worst mistake I ever made. And I try not to make mistakes a second time." Then, he bent down and kissed her.
Electricity shot through both their bodies, and old memories returned to the surface. May lifted herself onto her tiptoes and kissed 0 back with such force that even the Golden Ranger feared her ferocity. She pinned him against the wall and they both sank to the ground.
0's thought processes were destroyed a moment later, obliterated by his wanton need for her. He pressed his hands into her back, pushing on pressure points on her spine with his fingers. Her body melted into his, with each point pressed triggering a rush of physical desire from May. She needed him.
"Don't go…" she whispered, when they finally broke the kiss. "I don't want to be alone tonight."
"May." The both of them were very red in the face, but despite that May stood up, and led 0 towards her bed. She climbed in,and 0 followed. She got on top of the Golden Ranger, and they resumed their kiss. Suddenly, 0 broke the kiss, and May looked down on him, concerned.
"What is it?" she asked. "What's wrong?"
"Nothing, just-" A voice inside his head was telling him to stop, for reasons he could not discern. An instant later, there was a knock on the door.
May groaned and got up, obviously intending on getting rid of whoever was on the other side. As she turned the knob, the door exploded open and Sarah charged into the room, followed by a rather sheepish Max, who was scratching the back of his head and suppressing the urge to laugh.
"Daddy!" shouted Sarah, as 0 readjusted himself to face his daughter.
"What's up, kiddo?" 0 asked, now realizing what his internal alarm system had been trying to tell him. He picked up his daughter, as she was gesturing at him with her arms raised, and patted her on the head. May felt a slight twinge of jealousy well up in her brain.
"Daddy, I heard that you almost lost a fight today," she said, apparently quite concerned. "Is that true?"
0's mind drifted for a moment and then he grinned. "Tell me, Sarah, what person told you this horrible lie?" he asked.
She smiled. "Uncle Max!" she exclaimed happily.
0 turned very slowly, and glared at Max. "Is that right?" he wondered. "Why don't you reward Uncle Max by playing with his hair? You know, he really likes that."
"Really?" Sarah's eyes lit up and she leapt for Max, who took off running down the corridor screaming. Both May and 0 looked at each other and together burst out into fits of laughter.
"That's your daughter," May managed to gasp out, clutching her side.
0 nodded, chuckling. "Yes, yes she is," he agreed. That didn't make the situation any less funnier though. Despite the fact that Sarah had ruined an evening which would have probably led somewhere, 0 found himself quite content with how everything had turned out.