A Story of Legend
From the children's picture book "Legendary Forrest"
Written and illustrated by Haruhiko Aoyama
And so, the warrior Hyuuga returned to his comrades. The rangers introduced him to Moku, young Ryuuta, and his father Mr. Aoyama. These friends joined the rangers in their joy. For nothing warms the heart like the return of a friend thought lost.
Ryouma felt happiest of them all, having reunited with his brother. But he knew that with Hyuuga's return, he could no longer carry the sword of the Red Ranger. He knew he would need to return the blade to Hyuuga, its rightful owner. As joyous as he felt to have his brother back, he did not wish to part with the mystical weapon.
The Balban monster Geltskull managed to capture Galaxy Blue, Galaxy Green. Galaxy Yellow and Galaxy Pink within small mirrors. These mirrors contained miniature pocket dimensions that kept the Rangers trapped.
The monster escaped before Ryouma or Hyuuga could stop him. Ryouma blamed himself for letting the monster go, but Hyuuga assured him everything would be OK. Ryouma doubted how, until Hyuuga explained he placed an acorn on the monster before it escaped. Moku would be able to use his mystical connection to trees and nature to track the acorn.
Ryouma felt ashamed for almost panicking, and he admired his older brother's steady calm and quick thinking. It pained him to think so, but he knew his older brother deserved to carry the mantle of Galaxy Red as fate intended.
The two brothers ran to a warehouse district, where Moku sensed the acorn taken from his branches.
"This way," Hyuuga said as they ran into a dark warehouse.
The shadows ahead of them suddenly shifted, and a cloaked figure stepped from the darkness. The attacker wore dark robes, a green scarf, and a hood over its skull-like head. Geltskull created four Skull Reapers by using the energy of the captured Rangers. This Skull Reaper contained energy siphoned from Galaxy Green.
The creature armed a scythe and charged to attack the brothers.
Ryouma and Hyuuga immediately split and defended themselves. They dodged the swings of the massive scythe and moved in close with a flurry of punches and kicks. Hyuuga moved with extreme precision; he wasted no movement. Ryouma knew these were the moves of a leader.
The Skull Reaper bashed the handle of its weapon across Ryouma's head. The blow whipped the ranger off his feet.
"Ryouma!" Hyuuga shouted as he kicked the creature back.
Ryouma rose and armed his sword. "Seijuukin!"
He leapt forward, hopped off his brother's shoulders, and somersaulted through the air while bringing his blade down through the Skull Reaper. The blade tore through the creature like a knife through cloth, and the Reaper collapsed into a pile of rags and bone.
Hyuuga clasped his brother on the shoulder. "Good work. But that slowed us down. Let's keep moving."
They turned and ran through the warehouse. They exited through the other side and moved into an alley within the industrial park.
Suddenly, a white-scarfed Skull Reaper leapt from the rooftops and chopped its blade towards the brothers. They dove and rolled aside to avoid the blow.
Ryouma rolled to his feet and swung his blade at the creature. The Skull Reaper blocked the blow, and the opponents pressed their weapons together, each trying to gain the advantage.
Hyuuga grabbed the Skull Reaper from behind and hurled the creature off its feet.
Skull Reaper crashed against the ground and pushed itself back up just as Hyuuga lunged forward with a jumpkick. The Reaper blocked the blow and whacked its staff across the warrior's head, whipping him through the air.
"Hyuuga!" Ryouma shouted as he ran to his brother's side.
The Reaper used its scythe to hurl a yellow energy blade at the brothers.
"Ha!" Ryouma thrust his hands forward and hurled a pulse of fire.
The energy blade and fire blast exploded with a shockwave that knocked the sword from Ryouma's hands, and knocked the Reaper to the ground. The monster crumbled into a pile of rags and bone.
Hyuuga pushed himself to his feet. He spotted the Seijuukin on the ground and lifted the sword to hand it to Hyuuga. "Here…" he said as he looked towards the rooftops. "We have to assume there will be more of them."
Ryouma looked at his brother holding the sword. Hyuuga seemed like he was meant to carry the blade — and he was. But at the same time, Ryouma couldn't bear to part with the weapon. He fought as Galaxy Red against the Balban, and he wanted to continue the fight until its end.
"Hyuuga…" Ryouma said reluctantly. "About what I tried to tell you earlier…"
Hyuuga looked to the blade. "The Seijuukin…you want me to keep it."
"I thought that's what I wanted," Ryouma said. "I watched you fight today and saw everything about you that made you worthy of that sword. But now…" He looked to his older brother with strong determination. "If I keep the sword, will you let me fight?"
Hyuuga tilted his head ever so slightly with surprise.
"I never thought this way this before," Ryouma said. "But now…Now I'll say it. I want to fight. As a Ranger. I want to defeat the Balban."
Hyuuga looked to the sword and said nothing. He thought of the battles he'd witness through the eyes of KuroKishi. He remembered his little brother's battles against the army of Budo.
Behind Hyuuga, the Skull Reaper pulled itself together, lifted its scythe, and charged towards the warrior from behind.
"Hyuuga, look out!" Ryouma shouted.
Hyuuga snapped around and returned the enemy's charge. He parried the scythe and swung the Seijuukin through a streak of fiery energy that tore the creature to pieces. The Skull Reaper crumbled and dissipated into dust.
The warrior turned and held the horizontally at chest level.
"This is the last time I use this sword," Hyuuga said. "You've grown, Ryouma. If you would have told me to take the sword back, I would have. But…you're not my replacement anymore."
Hyuuga held the blade towards his brother. "It's yours. You are Galaxy Red."
Ryouma looked to the sword he had used to fight and defeat the armies of Sanbashu and Budo. He reached forward and grabbed the weapon.
Hyuuga nodded, and Ryouma nodded back, a silent promise.
The brothers ran off to save their friends. Hyuuga let Ryouma inch slightly ahead to lead the way.
Geltskull stood on the outer rim of a demonic symbol etched across a warehouse floor. He whispered an incantation while facing a pillar in the center of the symbol. The pillar held 36 mirrors with captives inside, including the five kidnapped Galaxy Rangers. He used their life force as part of a ceremony to channel energy to the sleeping Balban ship, Daitanix.
A group of Yattatoo stood watch nearby.
Suddenly, two Skull Reapers shot through piles of crates and tumbled across the ground. The villains fell apart into piles of rag and bone as Ryouma and Hyuuga landed nearby.
The Balban monster glared at the brothers. "You bastards. Look what you've done to my beautiful puppets…"
Geltskull reached for his shield. But Ryouma and Hyuuga each thrust their palms forward and shouted: "Mane of flame!"
Streams of fire shot through the warehouse and exploded with a massive shockwave that hurled the Balban monster and grunts through the windows. They flailed through the air and crashed against the pavement outside the warehouse.
The impact shattered the mirror in the monster's shield, which released the captives of the mirrors inside, including Gouki, Hayate, Hikaru and Saya.
"Guys…" Ryouma shouted as he and Hyuuga ran to their teammates. "Are you guys okay?"
"Ryouma…" Saya said with relief.
Hikaru smiled. "We knew you'd get us out of those things."
Gouki noticed the sword in Ryouma's hands. "Your Seijuukin."
Ryouma gripped the sword tightly and nodded.
Geltskull lifted his shield and inspected the shattered mirror.
"Ha!" a voice shouted from above.
Geltskull looked up to see the five rangers leap from the warehouse windows and land on the pavement. The villain glared at his enemies. "How dare you break my mystic circle?"
The rangers armed their braces.
"Galaxy transform!" They turned the dials on their morphers. "Ha!" They slapped their morphers' activation panels, triggering columns of elemental energy that circled around them as they morphed into their Ranger forms.
They snapped into fighting stances.
"Galaxy Red, Ryouma!"
"Galaxy Green, Hayate!"
"Galaxy Blue, Gouki!"
"Galaxy Yellow, Hikaru!"
"Galaxy Pink, Saya!"
Galaxy Red shouted: "The sword of legend cuts through the galaxy! Star Beast Task Force!" Together, they called out: "Galaxy Rangers!"
"Break!" Galaxy Red shouted as they leapt through the air to attack.
Galaxy Red landed while chopping through two grunts. His blade sparked through their bodies and whipped them aside. He turned, parried a sword, and slashed a third grunt to the ground.
Galaxy Blue pressed through a group of Yattatoo while hacking them aside with long, powerful swings. His sword sparked through each grunt that his blade hurled aside.
Galaxy Yellow dove beneath a sword swing, rose to his feet, and swung his saber through a series of strikes that sparked through three grunts that surrounded him. He parried a fourth grunt's sword, twisted his grip, and slashed the soldier to the ground.
Galaxy Pink leaned forward to back kick a Yattatoo. He carried her blade in a backhand grip as he parried a flurry of swings from several Yattatoo. She countered with diagonal swings of her own, which sparked through grunts and whipped them off their feet.
Galaxy Green moved in low and sweep kicked a grunt's legs from the ground. The Ranger rose to full height, armed his sword with a backhand grip, and twirled the weapon to hack aside a pair of grunts with bursts of spark.
Nearby, Hyuuga dealt with a trio of grunts that charged towards him. He dodges two sword swings and jump kicked a grunt upside the head.
Meanwhile, Galaxy Red crouched in an animal-like fighting stance and charged towards Geltskull. The monster armed a broadsword, and the opponents' blades clashed. They dueled — parry, thrust, counter — as the clangs of their swords echoed through the air.
Galaxy Red hopped over a low slash, ducked under a high slash, and chopped at the monster. The monster blocked the sword, and their blades locked. The opponents managed to pull away while slashing each other's chests with bursts of spark.
The impact knocked them both backward. Geltskull tumbled across the ground. And Galaxy Red rolled to his feet as his teammates regrouped around him.
The Rangers quickly clawed at the ground and then reached their hands towards the skies.
"Shine! Lights of Orion!" Golden energy enveloped them as they morphed into their powered-up armor.
Geltskull charged at the Rangers with his sword held forward. And the Rangers leaned forward in animal-like postures as they dashed towards the monster. They held their swords forward, blades pointed upward.
"Power up mode!" Galaxy Red shouted.
The Rangers flashed and transformed into five globes of energy that combined into a single comet of golden power that shot towards Geltskull. The comet punctured through the monster with a burst of spark, blasted behind the villain, and flashed as the five Rangers rematerialized in mid-air. They twisted to face the villain as they dropped to the ground and landed in animal-like fighting stances.
Secondary explosions tore through the monster as he quickly drank from his vile of Balban elixir. The elixir coursed through his body and caused him to expand and grow giant.
"Star Beasts, arise!" Galaxy Red shouted.
The five giant Seijuu appeared, and the Rangers leapt onto their companions. Galaxy Red armed his Kiba Dagger and held the blade towards the skies. "Zord transform!"
The Star Beasts transformed into mystical suits of armor as the Rangers dropped into their cockpits.
"Star Beast fusion!" Galaxy Red commanded. "Gingaiou!"
The zords rushed forward and combined into an armored warrior: The GalaxyMegazord, Gingaiou.
"Arm up! Gingaiou!" Galaxy Red shouted.
Golden light pulsed across the Megazord as it transformed into its powered-up armor.
Geltskull leapt through the air and chopped the Megazord's chest with a burst of spark. The villain twisted his grip and slashed a pair of strikes that sparked on impact, knocking the Megazord back several steps.
The monster swung again. But GalaxyMegazord used its saber to block the blow, and then punched the monster backward with a burst of spark.
Geltskull recovered and swung his blade through a rectangular pattern. "Mirror bind!"
He carved an energy screen that he hurled towards the Megazord. The energy screen trapped the GalaxyMegazord in a distortion mirror. Geltskull charged and slashed the helpless Megazord with massive bursts of spark that ripped across its armor.
"Gingaiou!" Hyuuga shouted form below.
Moku, Boku and Ryuuta watched the battle through the mystical mirror that served as their viewscreen. They saw Geltskull hack the Megazord repeatedly.
"This is bad, Boku…" Boku said.
From a nearby table, the blade of KuroKishi Bull Black suddenly stirred. Ryuuta looked in astonishment as the weapon floated from the table and shot from the lair.
Hyuuga watched helplessly as the GalaxyMegazord struggled above.
Suddenly, the sword of KuroKishi shot towards the scene. The blade stopped in midair above Hyuuga and slowly lowered. Hyuuga looked at the blade quizzically as it lowered into its hands.
"What's happening…" he whispered.
The green gem on the sword's hilt pulsed with power, and the voice of Bull Black spirit's spoke. "Use my blade to fight the Balban and protect your world. Hyuuga…Only you can do it. Only you can carry on my mantle."
Hyuuga heard the rumbling whine of a bull, and he looked to see GoTaurus stomp onto the scene. The Taurozord charged and used its horns to bash the Balban monster backward.
Hyuuga gripped the sword tight by the handle. "GoTaurus…" He looked to the gem in his sword's hilt. "KuroKishi…Let's fight together…to protect the Earth!"
Hyuuga held his blade high. "Knight Rebirth!" Strands of green energy lashed from the sword's hilt and circled around him, morphing him into the black armor of KuroKishi with a burst of flame.
The Black Knight looked up to his zord. "Let's go! GoTaurus!"
The zord's eyebeams shot down and enveloped KuroKishi. The Black Knight's body started to expand and grow giant, and heavy plates of armor wrapped around his body.
KuroKishi turned towards his zord. "GoTaurus! Armor merge!"
The Taurozord crackled with energy and rose onto its hind legs. The zord shifted shape and formed a bulky suit of armor. The Black Knight leapt through the air and slid into the zord. The zord clamped shut around KuroKishi and formed a new zord.
"Armored Black Knight!" KuroKishi shouted. "BullTaurus!"
"Twin Bullsword!" BullTaurus shouted as he armed his double-bladed staff. The zord leapt upward and spun like a tornado as the staff crackled with energy. "Twin Bison slash!"
BullTaurus shot past the monster and slashed through its body with massive bursts of spark. The creature collapsed as secondary explosions tore him to pieces.
The monster's mirror prison vanished, and the Megazord stepped free.
Ryouma and the others rushed towards Hyuuga below after the battle.
"Hyuuga…" Ryouma said. "Was that really you?"
Hyuuga nodded and looked to the blade of the Black Knight. "I've taken on his power," Hyuuga said. "And I'll use it to fight the Balban."
Above, the Taurozord roared in agreement.
From the children's picture book "Legendary Forrest"
Written and illustrated by Haruhiko Aoyama
And so, the warrior Hyuuga became the new Black Knight to fight alongside his fellow legendary warriors. His battles strengthened his fierce bond with the warriors, and in particular, Saya, who loved him deeply.
The jackal-like Balban monster named Mummorgu stalked towards a fallen woman on the sidewalk near the park. Nearby, Hyuuga and Saya fought through a wave of Yattatoo.
The mummy-themed jackal laughed as he watched the frightened girl freeze with terror. "Your life energy will taste sweet…"
"Stop!" Saya shouted as she leapt through the air and landed between the woman and monster. "I won't let you hurt another woman…"
The monster thrust its arms forward and lashed out with purple-and-yellow bandages that wrapped around the ranger. He used the bandages to lift Saya into the air. She struggled to break free, but could not.
"Saya!" Hyuuga shouted as he kicked a grunt to the ground.
The monster tightened its grip on the ranger.
"Saya!" another voice shouted from nearby.
Saya looked to see Ryouma, Gouki, Hikaru and Hayate run to the scene.
Ryouma armed his boomerang, leapt through the air and chopped through the tendrils. Saya collapsed to the ground as Ryouma, Hyuuga and the others regrouped around her.
"Are you alright?" Hyuuga asked.
"I'll be fine," she said.
Hayate helped the civilian to her feet. "Hurry and run…"
The woman nodded and ran as fast as she could.
"You bastards…" the monster cursed. "That was my prize. Her beauty…her life force!"
The rangers armed their braces.
"Galaxy transform!" They turned the dials on their morphers. "Ha!" They slapped their morphers' activation panels, triggering columns of elemental energy that circled around them as they morphed into their Ranger forms.
Hyuuga held his blade high. "Knight Rebirth!" Strands of green energy lashed from the sword's hilt and circled around him, morphing him into the black armor of KuroKishi with a burst of flame.
They snapped into fighting stances.
"Galaxy Red, Ryouma!"
"Galaxy Green, Hayate!"
"Galaxy Blue, Gouki!"
"Galaxy Yellow, Hikaru!"
"Galaxy Pink, Saya!"
"Black Knight! Hyuuga!"
Galaxy Red shouted: "The sword of legend cuts through the galaxy! Star Beast Task Force!" Together, they called out: "Galaxy Rangers!"
The Rangers quickly clawed the ground and reached their hands towards the skies.
"Shine! Lights of Orion!" Golden energy enveloped them as they morphed into their powered-up armor.
The Rangers and KuroKishi rushed forward and bashed through a group of Yattatoo. Their blades hacked and slashed the grunts with bursts of spark that whipped and hurled their bodies backward.
KuroKishi turned his attention to Mummorgu. The Black Knight leapt through the air and landed while chopping his sword. But just before the blade could connect, the monster flashed with light and separated into strands of bandages to avoid the blow.
The bandages snaked through the air around wrapped around KuroKishi, squeezing tightly. The bandages hurled him off his feet, slammed him against a tree, and then shot him backward against another tree.
The bandages unwrapped and hurled the Black Knight through the air. KuroKishi crashed against the ground. And the bandages rejoined to form the Balban monster.
Mummorgu thrust his palms forward and fired a pair of bandages at the Black Knight.
But Galaxy Pink suddenly swung her blade in front of the bandages. They wrapped around her sword, which she twisted aside to the lock the bandages tight. The Pink Ranger slashed her clawed gauntlet through the bandages with a burst of spark, snapping them free, which sent the monster stumbling backward.
The Black Knight rose to his feet and stood alongside the Pink ranger. He held his sword forward. "Let's go, Saya!"
The Black Knight and Pink Ranger charged with their blades held forward.
The monster thrust his palm forward and fired an invisible burst of energy that exploded around the Pink Ranger and Black Knight. KuroKishi dove forward, rolled across the ground and sprang through the air.
The Black Knight leapt past Mummorgu while slashing him with a burst of spark. KuroKishi continued the leap, landed against the side of a tree, and pushed off to jump back towards the monster.
"Black slash!" KuroKishi somersaulted through the air as his blade chopped through a streak of black energy.
The energized blade slashed through the monster with a massive burst of spark.
Galaxy Pink crouched forward and dashed towards the monster. "Power up mode!"
The Pink Ranger transformed into a globe of pink energy and shot through the monster with a massive burst of spark.
Galaxy Pink rematerialized and landed alongside KuroKishi as the monster toppled to the ground behind them. The creature's energy overloaded and exploded with a massive burst of flame.
From the children's picture book "Legendary Forrest"
Written and illustrated by Haruhiko Aoyama
And so, Hyuuga took his place as the sixth legendary warrior. As for the others, their lives continued.
After weeks and weeks, Gouki finally worked up the nerve to ask Ryuuta's school teacher Miss Julia out on a date. To Gouki's delight, Miss Julia said yes and agreed to meet him for a picnic lunch.
But a Balban monster nearly interfered with Gouki's plans. The winged Icengel stunned people with her arrows and brought them to a cave, where she drained their heat — their souls — and placed the energy into an iceberg that extended from the ground.
One of her captives was Mr. Aoyama. Young Ryuuta followed them to the cave and watched helplessly as Icengel pulled an energy arrow from Mr. Aoyama's chest. The energy arrow contained his heat. His soul. She slid the arrow into the iceberg, which pulsed with red energy, and Mr. Aoyama collapsed.
"Stop!" Gouki shouted as he rushed into a cavern. He jumpkicked a grunt upside the head, bashed an elbow against a grunt's chest, and flipped a third Yattatoo to the ground.
The ranger ran to Ryuuta and helped him sit up. "Ryuuta, you alright?"
"Gouki, the monster put dad's soul in there!" Ryuuta shouted as he pointed towards the ice bulge.
Gouki nodded. "I'll take care of it…"
The ranger dashed and lunged towards Icengel with a jumpkick. But the monster grabbed the ranger and tossed him aside. The ranger slammed against the icy ground and tumbled.
The monster pressed forward with a flurry of strikes that forced the ranger into a cavern outside the cave.
Icengel snapped an arrow that Gouki dove aside to avoid, just as it exploded against the ground with bursts of spark. The ranger rolled to his feet and looked up to see the monster lunge forward.
Icengel kicked Gouki's gut, knocking him back several steps. Gouki lunged with a powerful punch. But the monster sidestepped, grabbed the ranger's arms, and kicked his legs off the floor.
Gouki crashed back-first against the ground, and the monster stomped on the ranger's chest.
"Gouki!" a voice shouted from a nearby cavern.
Ryouma and the other four rangers rushed into the cave. And Ryouma leapt through the air with a flying sidekick that bashed the monster backward.
Gouki pushed himself to his feet as the others regrouped around him. "There's an iceberg in there with people's soul strapped inside."
Ryouma glared ahead. "Let's go…"
The rangers armed their braces.
"Galaxy transform!" They turned the dials on their morphers. "Ha!" They slapped their morphers' activation panels, triggering columns of elemental energy that circled around them as they morphed into their Ranger forms.
Galaxy Red shouted: "The sword of legend cuts through the galaxy! Star Beast Task Force!" Together, they called out: "Galaxy Rangers!"
Icengel blocked the path into the cave. "I won't let you pass…Yattatoo!"
The grunts teleported into the cavern and charged to attack.
The Rangers unsheathed their sword and returned the charge.
Galaxy Red, Galaxy Green, Galaxy Yellow and Galaxy Pink slammed through the Yattatoo with swords slashing and sparking. Their attack let Galaxy Blue charge towards the Balban monster.
Galaxy Blue hopped and chopped his sword. But Icengel dodged the blow. The Blue Ranger twisted his grip and slashed, but the monster used her bow to block the strike with a burst of spark.
Ryuuta leaned over his fallen father and tried shaking him awake. "Papa! Papa!"
The boy narrowed his eyes and looked to the iceberg where the monster trapped the souls of her captives. Ryuuta rushed to the structure and slammed his fists against the ice. "Give me back my dad!"
He winced as hurt his fists against the ice. He rubbed the sore, then batted his fists against the ice again.
Nearby, the Balban general Iresia stepped from the shadows. "What are you doing, boy?"
Ryuuta paused and opened his eyes wide with shock when he spotted the Balban general.
Iresia extended her crystal ball towards Ryuuta. Invisible strands of energy wrapped around the boy and lifted him from the ground.
Galaxy Blue dove, rolled across the ground, and rolled into a crouched fighting stance just in time to block the chop of the monster's bow.
Ryuuta's screams suddenly echoed through the passageway.
"Ryuuta!" Galaxy Blue shouted.
Galaxy Blue parried the monster's bow and charged past her to rush towards the caves.
Icengel thrust her palm and fired a tendril of icy energy that wrapped around Galaxy Blue from behind. She used the tendril to reel the Blue Ranger back towards her, and she grabbed him in a chokehold.
Suddenly, explosions sparked against her back and whipped her aside. She dropped Galaxy Blue, who looked to see KuroKishi run into the cavern with his Magna Blaster.
"Gouki!" the Black Knight shouted to his teammate. "Now's your chance!"
Galaxy Blue nodded and ran towards the cave as KuroKishi faced off with the Balban monster.
Iresia waved her hand over her crystal ball as invisible strands of energy swung Ryuuta through the air.
Galaxy Blue rushed into the cavern from behind the general. "It's the end of the line, Balban!"
Iresia snapped around just as Galaxy Blue charged forward and slashed her with a burst of spark. The blow whipped her backward, causing her to lose her invisible grip on Ryuuta.
Ryuuta fell towards the ground, and Galaxy Blue caught the boy. The Blue Ranger set the boy aside, and then turned to face the Balban.
Iresia thrust her crystal ball forward. Invisible strands of energy wrapped around the Ranger and sparked across is armor.
"Gouki!" Ryuuta shouted.
Iresia whipped a strand of blue energy that wrapped around Galaxy Blue and tightened. The energy strand pulsed with tendrils of electricity that sparked across the Blue Ranger's armor.
Galaxy Blue managed to grab onto the energy strand. And he started to pull, foot by foot, as he dragged the Balban general towards him. The Blue Ranger twisted and grabbed Iresia from behind, holding her close.
He looked to Ryuuta. "Now, Ryuuta!" he shouted. "Break the iceberg!"
Ryuuta nodded with a fierce look of determination. He turned, charged, and bashed his shoulder against the iceberg. The impact shot pain through his shoulder. But he ignored the feeling. He screamed and charged against the iceberg again. And again. His repeated tackles knocked the iceberg slightly with each blow.
Ryuuta shouted a final war cry and tackled the iceberg with another force to topple the structure. The iceberg shattered against the floor with a burst of red light. The life energy of its victims flew free through streaks of crimson energy.
One of the energy streaks splashed across the fallen body of Mr. Aoyama.
Iresia gasped with shock. "How can this be?"
"Good one, Ryuuta!" Galaxy Blue shouted.
The Blue Ranger tossed Iresia aside, and she toppled across the floor. The general rolled into a crouched position and grabbed her robes. "Damn you…I'll remember this!"
She swooshed her robes and blinked from sight.
Nearby, Mr. Aoyma groaned as he pushed himself up to sit on the floor. "Where…where am I?"
"Papa!" Ryuuta shouted as he ran to his father and gave him a hug.
Outside the cave, Icengel blew a flurry of ice shards that surrounded the other Rangers and KuroKishi like a snowstorm, forcing them backward. The shards exploded with bursts of spark that whipped the Rangers from their feet.
Icengel laughed as she stalked towards the fallen team while holding her bow forward.
"Stop!" a voice shouted from behind.
Icengel turned. And Galaxy Blue landed in front of the monster while chopping her back with a burst of spark.
The other Rangers and KuroKishi regrouped around Galaxy Blue, who aimed his sword at the fallen monster.
"Your plan's over!" Galaxy Blue shouted. "All the life energy you've captured is free!"
"No…" Icengel shouted as she climbed to her feet. "It can't be!"
KuroKishi charged at the Balban and leapt forward.
"Black slash!" KuroKishi somersaulted through the air as his blade chopped through a streak of black energy.
The energized blade slashed through the monster with a massive burst of spark.
The Rangers quickly clawed at the ground and then reached their hands towards the skies.
"Shine! Lights of Orion!" Golden energy enveloped them as they morphed into their powered-up armor.
The Rangers leaned forward in animal-like postures as they dashed towards the monster. They held their swords forward, blades pointed upward.
"Power up mode!" Galaxy Red shouted.
The Rangers flashed and transformed into five globes of energy that combined into a single comet of golden power that shot towards Icengel. The comet punctured through the monster with a burst of spark, blasted behind the villain, and flashed as the five Rangers rematerialized in mid-air. They twisted to face the villain as they dropped to the ground and landed in animal-like fighting stances.
Icengel collapsed as secondary explosions tore across her body.
The monster managed to use the last of her strength to take a swig from her vial of Balban elixir, which coursed through her body and caused her to grow giant.
"Star Beasts, arise!" Galaxy Red shouted.
The five giant Seijuu appeared, and the Rangers leapt onto their companions. Galaxy Red armed his Kiba Dagger and held the blade towards the skies. "Zord transform!"
The Star Beasts transformed into mystical suits of armor as the Rangers dropped into their cockpits.
"Star Beast fusion!" Galaxy Red commanded. "Gingaiou!"
The zords rushed forward and combined into an armored warrior: The GalaxyMegazord, Gingaiou.
Below, the Black Knight summoned his Star Beast. "Taurozord, charge!"
GoTaurus stomped onto the scene. The zord's eyebeams shot down and enveloped KuroKishi. The Black Knight's body started to expand and grow giant, and heavy plates of armor wrapped around his body.
KuroKishi turned towards his zord. "GoTaurus! Armor merge!"
The Taurozord crackled with energy and rose onto its hind legs. The zord shifted shape and formed a bulky suit of armor. The Black Knight leapt through the air and slid into the zord. The zord clamped shut around KuroKishi.
"Armored Black Knight!" KuroKishi shouted. "BullTaurus!"
The monster opened her jaws and blew a flurry of snow and ice that forced BullTaurus and Gingaiou backward. Ice thickened around the head and feet of Gingaiou, holding the GalaxyMegazord in place.
"Twin Bullsword!" BullTaurus shouted as he armed his double-bladed staff.
The Armored Black Knight twirled his staff through a butterfly pattern to blow the ice and snow clear.
BullTaurus charged and stabbed his staff through the monster. Bursts of spark ripped across her body as she shattered into pieces. But the pieces reassembled with a pulse of blue light as the monster reformed.
Icengel laughed and kicked the Armored Black Knight's chest, knocking the zord back several steps.
"What the…" Galaxy Yellow stammered.
"Is she immortal?" Galaxy Blue asked.
"She regenerated," Galaxy Red said. "We have to destroy her before that happens."
The Red Ranger placed his hand over his control console. "Arm up! Gingaiou!"
Golden light pulsed across the Megazord as it transformed into its powered-up armor. The burst of light shattered the ice from the Megazord's head and feet.
"Twin Bullsword!" BullTaurus shouted. The zord leapt upward and spun like a tornado as the staff crackled with energy. "Twin Bison slash!"
BullTaurus shot past the monster and slashed through its body with massive bursts of spark.
"GalaxyMegazord Saber!" Galaxy Red shouted. "Blazing Slash!"
GalaxyMegazord held back its sword. Golden energy washed across the blade until the entire saber pulsed with light. Gingaiou chopped the sword through a streak of energy that slashed through Icengel and tore a gaping gash through her body. The monster tumbled backward as her energy overloaded and exploded.
Ryouma and the others led Mr. Aoyama and Ryuuta from the cave following the battle.
Mr. Aoyama breathed a sigh of relief. "Thank goodness that's over…"
Ryuuta held onto his father by the arm. "Dad, let's go hiking tomorrow…okay?"
Mr. Aoyama nodded. "Sounds good. I'll bring lunch…"
"Lunch…" Ryuuta said as he knitted his brow. Then he opened his eyes wide when he remembered. "Lunch! Gouki, your date with Miss Julia!"
"Ah!" Gouki shouted with panic.
Gouki ran to the pedestrian bridge where he planned to meet Miss Julia 30 minutes earlier. But he didn't see her anywhere near.
He sighed and lowered his head. "Anyone would go home if they had to wait this long…"
He sighed and sat on a bench, next to the picnic lunch he'd left behind. "And I Just made this, too…"
"Gouki!" a voice called from nearby.
He looked to see Miss Julia hurry to the bridge with a smile on her face. She carried two boxes as she walked towards her date.
"I just went to buy some tea," she said.
"Julia…" Gouki said. "So you waited?"
"Well…" she said. "You made such a wonderful lunch…I couldn't just go back home."
"Well…" Gouki stammered nervously. "Well…okay. Okay, great…"
He smiled sheepishly as he opened the picnic basket.
From the children's picture book "Legendary Forrest"
Written and illustrated by Haruhiko Aoyama
And so, Hayate went to the city market along with young Ryuuta for supplies. Along the way, Ryuuta explained his desire to become a warrior like the rest of the Gingaman.
Hayate advised Ryuuta to study hard, train hard and obey his teachers. But Ryuuta sought something other than obvious advice. He sought the knowledge and insight of a true warrior.
Easily distracted, young Ryuuta noticed a fortune teller set up in one of the nearby shops. Ryuuta insisted they visit the fortune teller, and Hayate agreed.
Little did they know that the fortune teller was one of the Balban in disguise. The Balban, GaaraGaara, used the palms of his victims to place them under a spell. The victims noticed nothing at first, but then, their bodies slowly turned to stone.
The spell harnessed the life energy of its victims, which the Balban would use to revive Daitanix. The Balban monster needed spells from the palms of 300 victims.
Hayate and Ryuuta were among the first.
Ryuuta limped behind Hayate as they walked across a sidewalk. His stone foot felt cold and numb, as did his stone hand.
"We still have time, right?" the boy asked. "Before we're completely turned to stone?"
Hayate looked at his own hand of stone. "At this rate? I'd say we have about an hour."
"An hour?!" Ryuuta said.
Hayate laid a hand on the boy's shoulder to try calming him. "Listen, Ryuuta…we don't have much time left-"
Ryuuta shrugged off his hand. "Cut it out! How can I be calm after you tell me that?" He turned and started limping away. "How can you be so calm? You're just…you're just cold!"
"Ryuuta…" Hayate whispered.
Explosions suddenly sparked around them and knocked them to the ground.
Hayate rose to his feet and looked to see Sherinda walk to the scene. He snapped into a fighting stance and made sure to keep Ryuuta behind him.
"Ginga Green…" Sherinda said. "It's time we finish our duel."
"Ryuuta…" Hayate said. "Stay back."
Ryuuta nodded and limped to safety.
Hayate armed his morpher.
"Galaxy transform! Ha!" Energy circled around him as he morphed into his Ranger form.
Sherinda took notice of his hand and foot of stone, which weren't covered by his armor. "You'll barely be able to fight in your condition." A feral grin crossed her lips. "But I'm completely fine with that."
She unsheathed her sword and charged to attack.
Galaxy Green unsheathed his sword, held the blade in a reverse grip, and returned the charge. The opponents dashed past one another as their blades clashed.
The other four Rangers and Black Knight rushed to the lair of GaaraGaara. The monster sat near a demonic circle. Above the circle were strings of papers; each paper represented a palm reading spell.
"Balban!" Galaxy Red shouted as they snapped into fighting stances. "Undo your spells! Now!"
The monster waved his hand. "Yattatoo."
The orange-clad grunts dropped to the ground and charged with their sabers held forward.
KuroKishi armed his rifle. He fired blasts of jade energy that exploded against the grunts with bursts of spark that whipped them backward.
Galaxy Red leapt through the air and chopped his blade towards the monster. The monster lifted its staff, blocked the blow, and knocked the Red Ranger aside.
KuroKishi, Galaxy Blue, Galaxy Yellow, and Galaxy Pink held their sabers forward and charged.
But the monster extended his hand-tipped tendrils, which grasped the Rangers and Black Knight in chokeholds, lifting them from the ground.
Sherinda dashed back and forth past Galaxy Green and slashed his armor with bursts of spark. The Ranger's stone limbs slowed him down, and he couldn't act fast enough to defend himself.
Sherinda slashed him again with a burst of spark that whipped him off his feet.
Galaxy Green tumbled across the ground, rolled into a crouched stance, and pounced through the air towards Sherinda. But the villain extended her palm and fired a strand of cyan-tinted energy that wrapped around Galaxy Green and suspended him in midair.
The villain used the energy strand to whip Galaxy Green through the air, and he crashed against the pavement,
Galaxy Green started to stand, but the stone on his leg pulsed and crept further upward, reaching his though.
"Hayate!" Ryuuta shouted from behind a building's pillar.
The boy felt his own leg burn numb as the stone crept further up his leg. Ryuuta opened his eyes wide with shock. "It's just like Hayate said…There's no time!"
Sherinda stomped on the fallen Ranger's chest with a burst of spark. "You're getting clumsy, Ginga Green," she said as she stomped on his chest again. "Very clumsy."
"Hayate!" Ryuuta shouted. Without thinking, he limped from the pillar and hurried to help his friend.
Sherinda ignored the boy — until he rushed forward and tackled his shoulder against her.
She hopped backward with surprise and glared at the child. "You little eyesore."
She thrust her palm forward and fired a burst of orange energy.
Galaxy Green leapt to his feet and used his body to block the blast, which exploded against his armor with massive bursts of spark. The impact whipped Hayate off his feet and knocked him from his armor with a burst of green light.
"Hayate!" Ryuuta shouted as he rushed to his fallen friend's side. "Hayate, hang in there!"
"It's okay…" Hayate said as he sat up. He placed a hand on Ryuuta's shoulder. "It's okay, Ryuuta…we still have time."
Sherinda charged, grabbed Hayate by the throat, and hurled him backward. The ranger rolled to his feet in time to block a kick from Sherinda. But she bashed the back of her fist across his face.
"One hour left…" Ryuuta whispered. He realized Hayate wasn't telling him they had only one hour to live. He was saying they had one hour to save themselves,. One hour to act. He was saying that, no matter how much pain you go through, there's always a chance. "He believes that…that's why he stays so calm…"
Sherinda rushed at the fallen ranger. "Die!"
She chopped her blade. But Hayate used his stone hand to block the blow. The impact knocked the blade from Sherinda's hand, and it landed on the ground near Ryuuta.
The boy narrowed his eyes with determination. Calm…he thought as he limped towards the sword. Just like Hayate.
Ryuuta lifted the blade from the ground. "Hayate! Here, catch!"
Ryuuta hurled the blade through the air.
Hayate leapt upward, grabbed the sword, and aimed his descent towards Sherinda with a chop. Sherinda grabbed the blade and used her grip to flip Hayate overhead. Hayate crashed against the ground and tumbled aside.
Sherinda turned and glared at Ryuuta. She thrust her hand and fired invisible bursts of energy. The energy blasts exploded around Ryuuta and the building behind him, knocking chunks of concrete that fell towards him.
Ryuuta covered his head as the debris collapsed around him with a cloud of dust.
"Ryuuta, no!" Hayate shouted.
Sherinda laughed.
Hayate tightened his grip on Sherinda's sword. He gripped the handle so tight, that his knuckles turned white. He glared at the villain and charged with the blade held forward.
The villain extended her hand and fired invisible energy bursts that sparked around Hayate. But Hayate ignored the blasts and continued his charge.
The ranger hopped forward and swung the blade through a streak of green energy that slashed Sherinda with a burst of spark and whipped her backward.
Sherinda crashed to the ground and lost consciousness.
Feeling weak, Hayate dropped to his knees, and then collapsed.
The Balban monster extended its hand and fired invisible energy blasts that exploded against the Rangers and Black Knight. The burst of spark kicked dirt and smoke into the air.
But when the dirt and smoke cleared, the monster saw no trace of the Rangers or Black Knight.
"What…"
Galaxy Blue suddenly burst from the ground and grabbed the monster by the legs. Galaxy Yellow and Galaxy Red leapt as if from nowhere and grabbed the monster by the body and arms.
The Black Knight and Galaxy Pink somersault across the ground in front of the monster. They rose into crouched position. The Black Knight aimed his rifle, and the Pink Ranger aimed her Kiba Dagger in blaster mode.
Galaxy Pink and KuroKishi opened fire with blasts that exploded against GaaraGaara and shattered his staff.
With the staff shattered, his spells broke. Within his lair, strings of papers burst into flames, and the ashes scattered onto the demonic circle below.
Hayate felt his leg and arm return to normal. His strength returned, and he pushed himself to his feet. He immediately looked to the pile of rubble nearby. "Ryuuta…Ryuuta!"
He dashed towards the rubble and started digging. "Ryuuta, where are you?"
He shifted a block of cement and saw the boy's shoe.
"Ryuuta…" he whispered. He reached in slowly and lifted the shoe. He held it close and closed his eyes. "Ryuuta…you can't be…"
The rubble stirred, and Ryuuta climbed out from the pile. He looked bruised, bloodied, and battered, but alive.
"Hayate…" he said with a smile. "I took cover under that bench. I-"
Hayate immediately ran to Ryuuta and swept him up in a hug. "Ryuuta!"
Hayate hugged the boy tightly and started to cry.
"Hayate…what's wrong?" Ryuuta asked.
"Ryuuta…" Hayate said between tears. "Ryuuta, thank god…I thought."
"Hayate…" Ryuuta said as tears swelled in his eyes. "Hayate, I'm sorry…"
"Don't be…" Hayate said. "You're OK…that's all that matters."
Moku spoke through Hayate's bracer. "Hayate, Ryouma and the others need your help. They face a formidable opponent."
"I'm on my way," Hayate said. He looked to Ryuuta. "Let's go."
Hayate and Ryuuta ran from the scene, leaving Sherinda behind. The villain crawled towards her sword and called out to the ranger.
"Ginga Green!" she shouted. "Our duel is not over! Fight me! Fight me!"
From the children's picture book "Legendary Forrest"
Written and illustrated by Haruhiko Aoyama
And so, Hayate joined his teammates in defeating GaaraGaara.
The warriors of the Ginga Forrest faced several battles in the days afterward. They defeated the serpentine MerudaMeruda. And they destroyed the pharaoh-themed Desufuiasu.
But nothing could prepare them for the arrival of a newcomer named Bezunera, whose enemies called him Deviot.
To be continued…