A Gold Power
By StraightedgeWingZero
Summary: Darkness comes over Tokyo-3 as the battle against The Angels continues. But one boy finds a golden light to cut through the darkness as he becomes the new Gold Ranger
I own nothing
Beta read by TOAT
Chapter 17
(Tokyo-3)
The fight continued between the Gold Ranger and the mysterious monster that attacked the city. So far, the fight seemed to be at a standstill, with neither Shinji nor the bronzed monstrosity gaining the upper hand on one another. News helicopters were circling the skies, cameras on the Gold Ranger and this new foe,
"This is Miyu Akiyama, and we're live in the central area of Tokyo-3, where just minutes ago, a strange monster has just attacked this central area, of the junior high school. The Gold Ranger is currently engaging the monster in an intense ground battle. So far, he seems to be holding his own, but the monster shows no signs of slowing down. " Miyu reported with her cameraman recording the action.
Shinji did a mid-air bicycle kick to the upper sternum of the creature, barely moving it. Then followed it up with a blast from his staff.
BLAST!
BOOM!
"Gargh," it grunted but still remained standing.
"Oh, man, this is crazy! What's it going to take to bring this thing down?" Shinji questioned.
The creature energized its whip-like arms again and wrapped them around the waist of the Gold Ranger.
"Huh?!"
BZZZZZZ!
"Argh!" Shinji yelled out.
BOOM!
SPARK!
BOOM!
"Gahg!" Shinji grunted in pain, rolling on the ground.
The creature growled as it marched towards the downed ranger. Shinji grunted in pain as he wobbled back up to his feet, ready to continue the fight. Shinji rushed forward, engaging in close combat with the creature.
"Ki-ya!" The ranger yelled, attacking with upper staff attacks along with a few swift kicks.
The creature struck back with double whip attacks, which Shinji barely blocked, then suddenly pulled a surprise move and head-butted his enemy, sending him flying into a street lamp.
CRASH!
"I didn't see that coming," Shinji groaned. "I've got one more thing to try. After that, I'm out of options."
"Shinji, I advise against this," Trey warned.
"I've got to try, Trey," Shinji muttered back.
The creature attacked again when it spotted the news helicopters circling the area.
"No!" the ranger yelled, reading the intentions of the creature.
"GO! GETAWAY!" Shinji cried, waving off the copters.
But the monster fired an energy blast, hitting the tail of one of the news helicopters, sending it spiraling out of control.
Shinji abandoned the fight immediately and rushed to try to save it. He barely made it to where it was about to crash, into a populated area, causing civilians to quickly scatter. Miyu held on tightly but to no avail. She lost her grip and fell out of the helicopter.
"AHHH!" she screamed as she fell to her death.
Shinji dematerialized and jumped high into the air and caught her and brought her safely to the ground while the helicopter crashed.
BOOM!
"You're alright now," the ranger assured, placing the reporter gently on her feet as she was shaking uncontrollably.
Shinji went over to the crash site to look to see if the reporter's crew had made it, looking over at the cockpit, seeing that the pilot had died on impact, but the cameraman…
"Ugh", he moaned weakly.
"Hang on!"
Shinji pulled the man out carefully, cautious about his injuries, and propped him carefully on the ground. Miyu rushed up to her co-worker's side.
"Matagu, No!" she shrieked.
"Call an ambulance now! I got-"
"Rarrggh!" the creature shrieked, cutting Shinji off mid-sentence.
"To finish this fight. Alright, ugly, this ends here!"
"Ragrrgh!"
Without wasting another moment, Shinji rushed forward on the offensive, powering up his staff. He went for Gold Rush, jumping into the air.
"Hi-yah! Gold Rush!" Shinji yelled, hurling a torrent of energy bolts down upon the monster.
"Arghh!"
BOOM!
BOOM!
BOOM!
A huge explosion rocked the area, filling it with smoke and fire. Shinji went down to one knee, exhausted from the action just taken to defeat the unknown monster.
"Huff, huff, that's gotta be it. No way it could have survived a direct hit like that." the Gold Ranger breathed heavily inside his helmet.
The smoke started to clear and something bright and yellow was shining out of it. Shinji's eyes widened in absolute disbelief.
"I-It's… It's not possible! How the hell can this be?! An AT-field!" he gasped.
Sure enough, the creature was surrounded by the force field that protects the Angels during the Eva battles. But how can this beast manifest one? Shinji didn't have time to react as the creature lunged at him again, tearing at his suit, the creature electrified its arms again and this time, like lightning, it struck quickly and hard, causing sparks to fly out of his suit.
SPARK!
SPARK!
"Gargh!"
Shinji rolled on the ground in pain. He could feel himself getting weaker with every hit he took.
"Augh! I—I don't know how much more I can take… But I have to stop that thing."
"Shinji!"
"I've got to, Trey!"
Shinji raised the staff once more and extended the blades, then both sides were electrified with golden energy. The two began to circle each other, preparing to finish the fight. Shinji kept his eyes trained on the creature, waiting for an opening to strike. The creature growled, stomping its feet. Shinji gripped his staff tightly, shifting his feet. The creature jumped, whipping his arms in the air.
"RAH!" it yelled, slamming his tentacle arms on its intended target.
Only for the Gold Ranger to roll through and thrust the top of the staff into its chest cavity, pressing the button the staff fired a full charged blast going through one end and out the other.
BLAST!
BOOM!
The explosion created a large cloud of smoke, nearly covering the entire. The shockwave blew Shinji back, but also, he was beginning to lose power. Slowly, he struggled to get to his feet.
"Oh, man, please tell me that did it." Shinji breathed exasperated and nearly exhausted.
The smoke began to lessen. There was debris everywhere from the battle. Shinji searched around for the creature's remains and sure enough, there were pieces of its form scattered throughout the street. The ranger breathed a huge sigh of relief.
"It's over," he sighed.
"Raggh."
"Huh?!" went Shinji, hearing that noise.
Although it sounded more like a whimper. The smoke started to clear up fully, as Shinji looked his eyes widened behind his helmet.
"No!" gasped Shinji.
"By the Spirits, what's it going to take?!" Trey exclaimed.
What he was seeing was the creature, or at least half of it, still on its feet, still moving around, but barely. It took a step forward, but pieces of its body began to come apart with every step it took. The creature wobbled back and forth (A/N: Think in T2: Judgement Day when the Terminator/T-800 blew a hole inside T-1000).
Sure enough, its top half ripped off, dissolved, and fell into a nearby sewer grate, while its lower half dissolved on the ground. Shinji walked cautiously towards the lower portion, making sure it was dead, only to see a trail of its remains leading into the sewer below.
"It's not over yet, Shinji," Trey said.
"I know, that thing will be back, but where did it come from? Was it really an Angel?"
"Based on your knowledge of the Angels, it is probable, but-"
"NERV should have detected it, but it was obviously small enough to slip past their radar. So it might have been something else, like that Knasty Knight Angel creature I fought in the Eva."
"In either case, it will be back, so we must be ready."
"I know."
Nothing else was said, as Shinji sped away from the scene with what power he had left. Meanwhile, a certain armored alien who had watched the battle with keen interest, Hydrax had walked onto the scene and picked up a portion of the creature.
"Interesting," mused Hydrax, looking at the remains.
He opened his gauntlet and placed the sample on it and sent it to his ship's computer.
"Let's where this came from and how it could be of use to me."
(Early evening Shinji and Rei's apartment)
Through all the chaos and turmoil of the day, Rei had somehow made home safely. She sat on the couch, eagerly awaiting her roommate's return. She turned the TV on. It was news of the monster attack and Miyu Akiyama giving her report, seeing as she was nearly up close and personal with the action. She recounted witnessing the battle between the Gold Ranger and the monster firsthand. And how the Gold Ranger had saved her life.
"Shinji," she whispered, "are you alright?"
"We could have handled that creature with ease, you know," a voice in her head speak, causing her to look around.
Rei looked around the room, only to find she was completely alone.
"W-who are you?" Rei asked aloud.
"Easy now, don't speak too loudly. This complex is bugged if you remember."
Before Rei could reply, the door opened to reveal her roommate, looking haggard and worn out from the experience of the day. Without hesitation, Rei ran over to him and embraced him, catching Shinji by surprise.
"I am thankful you are alright, Shinji," Rei uttered, squeezing him tightly, causing him a little bit of pain from his injuries from his fight.
"I'm…glad you're safe, Rei," Shinji replied back, trying to hide the pain and discomfort of his injuries from her as he slowly embraced her.
The two held that position for a moment until they broke it off abruptly. Shinji set his things down and sat on the couch, thankful to catch his breath.
"I…I…I should inform Major Katsuragi that we are safe," Rei stated.
"Sure, sure, inform her. Inform her that her tools for her personal revenge are still intact." the voice in Rei's head uttered.
"This for your personal revenge against the Angels," Dr. Akagi's voice rang out.
"Yeah, well, if anything, Asuka would have told her what happened before the monster attacked, and I wouldn't have put it past her to exaggerate the truth," Shinji said.
"Meaning our confrontation? We did not start it, so why would pilot Sohryu lie?" asked the blue-haired girl.
"To make herself look like the victim and us the aggressors, but before I forget, thank you for defending me from her, Rei," Shinji said, making her blush from the kitchen.
"Y-You protected me from her, as well."
"It's like sensei said, we're tigers; we have to stick together, and you're my roommate and friend. "
"Indeed."
"Oh, but you'd like to be more than that."
Rei flinched and blushed a bit, which went unnoticed by Shinji. Shinji was taking the time to rest and relax his tired muscles and sore body. His mind wandered back to the creature he fought earlier, but then another thought occurred to him.
"Oh, damn!" he exclaimed.
"What?" asked Rei.
"Through all the ruckus and running, you didn't say what you wanted for dinner."
"Oh, that is alright, I'll –"
"I'll order us some takeout," Shinji interjected, slowly getting off the couch.
"No, how about we have Yakisoba noodles with vegetables?" Rei insisted.
"Alright, if you insist, I'll get started," Shinji said, making his way to the kitchen.
"I will assist you. There are some spices I'd like to try, and we could add dried fish stock or maybe-"
"A sweeten tomato lettuce sauce I would like to try."
"Funny, I had the same thought." Shinji smiled.
Rei gave a smile back. With that, the two got right to cooking.
"Um, Shinji?" Rei asked, going to the cabinet.
"Yes, Rei?"
"That thing, that creature today. What do you think it was?"
"I don't know. But whatever it is, somebody has to stop it." Shinji replied.
"And we will," Trey said.
"And we will," said the voice in Rei's head in unison.
(At NERV)
Gendo was staring at the wide-open empty space to the outside where his creature had somehow broken free and did battle with the Gold and White Rangers.
Although it made the White Ranger retreat, the Gold Ranger managed to destroy it. He sent Akagi and the team to collect some of the remains and destroy any trace of a trail left by the creature. He was already working on covering the tracks here so no one, not even Agent Kaji would get wise as to what happened.
"But still, how could this have happened?" Gendo asked.
"You clearly underestimated controlling a part of the enemy," Fuyutsuki said, walking up behind him.
"I am not in the mood, sensei," Gendo replied harshly.
"Listen for once!" the sub-commander shouted, raising his voice. "Your single-minded quest to eliminate the rangers has now caused some…complications. Now, we have a monster of our own making that's out there!"
"Or has been destroyed, thus it cannot be traced back to us."
"Has it been, though? Do we know for certain it's gone?"
"The remains are being found and disposed of now. Dr. Akagi is on the scene with the hazmat disposal unit."
"We lucked out…this time."
"You call it luck, human, I call it opportunity." a metallic voice spoke from the darkness, startling them.
They both looked around for the source of the voice, a simmer glimmered in the large hole leading to the outside. Then it materialized to reveal a large, armored creature with a trident on his back. Gendo reacted quickly, leveling his gun at the unexpected intruder. Fuyutsuki balked back in shock and surprise.
"Identify yourself!" Gendo demanded, causing the creature to chuckle.
"You honestly think your primitive weapon will do you any good?"
To prove his point, the humanoid creature snatched the weapon from Gendo's hand and crushed it like a pebble.
CRUSH!
Gendo just glared at the unknown monster in front of him.
"W-Who are you?! What the hell are you?!"
"I am Hydrax. I'm an intergalactic bounty hunter. The very best in the known galaxies," Hydrax stated emphatically.
"A space mercenary?" whispered Fuyutsuki.
"That I am, old human," answered Hydrax.
"Why are you here and how did you manage to find this place?" Gendo questioned.
Hydrax lifted up his left arm and a device popped up from his gauntlet.
"I picked up a portion of the remains of the monster that the Gold Ranger fought with today. Yes, I was watching," replied Hydrax.
"I managed to trace its "properties" here. I am impressed, as there are only a few beings that could ever push a Power Ranger to their limit in their first battle, and your creature lasted as long as it did against the Gold Ranger."
"Power Ranger?"
"Yes, the Gold and White Rangers are just two of many. The Power Rangers, legendary defenders of good."
"So is that why you've come? To face off against the Power Rangers?" inquired the sub-commander.
"My objective is to take the powers of the Gold Ranger to increase my own, and I'm trying to ascertain if you will be a hindrance to that goal." Hydrax pointed to Gendo.
"What if I am?" the commander challenged, causing the alien to chuckle.
"In my profession, I've learned one useful lesson."
With that said, Hydrax took out his trident and pointed it at Gendo, who took a step back. Then, he pointed it at the equipment that held and contained Gendo's creation and fired a blast of energy.
BLAST!
Destroying the equipment and computer consoles with it, leaving nothing but destroyed machinery.
"Never suffer hindrances," Hydrax finished.
Gendo was in shock and then glared a hole into the alien being who was unfazed.
"With arrogant humans such as you existing, your species and this world is doomed to fall."
Hydrax quickly teleported out, leaving Gendo and Fuyutsuki alone among more ruins. Gendo glared silently, growled, and walked off.
"The funny thing is, he isn't exactly wrong," Fuyutsuki mused, looking at the destruction.
(The next Day with Rei)
"Tell me again why we are doing are we doing this, Ms. Akiyama? Why are we shopping for clothes?" asked Rei, walking alongside her fellow tiger student, Yakumo Akiyama.
"Please drop the ms. You can call me Yakumo. And as for your question, because it's for my own curiosity and Shinji asked me to after class this morning, after we trained with those wing Chuns that Sensei brought over from his friend's temple." Yakumo replied.
"He did?"
"Yeah, felt like I was the only one who could help you with that, other than I'm a girl and I've seen you around the school. You didn't look very sociable until now."
"That much is true," the voice said in her head.
"I see, if you don't mind me asking, how is your relative?"
"Miyu? She's doing just fine. Shaken up, but fine. She and her cameramen were in the thick of that monster battle, they survived thanks to the Gold Ranger, but their pilot died."
"That is…unfortunate."
"But enough about that. Come on! We got shopping to do!"
The pair entered the shopping center in midtown. Both girls went inside the first store they saw. They went through an assortment of different sets of shirts, bodysuits, swimsuits, bikinis, blouses, jeans, overalls, skirts, and dresses.
It was about two hours until the two girls came out, with Rei wearing a matching short-sleeve blue shirt with matching overalls, with other bags in her hand.
"Now, this look suits you," Yakumo commented, looking at Rei.
"You think?" asked Rei.
"Definitely an improvement over your uniform outfit. Now come on, let's get something to drink. There's a vending machine around the corner. The heat is starting to get to me," said Yakumo, wiping oncoming sweat from her forehead.
"Alright."
"So, what is going with you and Ikari? You two are awfully chummy." Yakumo said.
"N-Nothing, nothing is going on b-between us. We are friends and-"
"Nope, I see it. Your body tensing up, the stammering in your voice, all a dead giveaway."
"Even a blind man could see it."
"So, how often have you two been out?" prodded Yakumo.
"We have been out a few times," answered Rei.
"Only a few, eh? Well, I guess taking things slow is a good sign. Most boys try to rush things."
"Rush things?"
"Like…huh?"
Yakumo and Rei stopped short when they saw some thugs standing in front of in an open alleyway near the vending machine. Both girls remained steady, remembering their sensei's rules. Their karate was for defense only.
"Walk slowly. Those guys look dangerous." Yakumo said.
"Right."
"Well, look at what we got here, fellas," one thug spoke, leaning against the wall.
"You girls looking for a good time?" said a second thug coming up from behind.
"Hey, check out the pair of legs on this girl," said a third thug, flanking their left side.
Both girls backed away from the machine, with now two more thugs closing in.
"Alright, I'm tapping in," the voice spoke in Rei's head.
Her red eyes glossed over, then her face took on a serious look.
"Uh, Rei," said Yakumo.
"Remain calm, Yakumo, remember what sensei taught us," Rei spoke seriously.
"Oh, right."
As soon as one thug grabbed Rei by her arm, she responded in kind with a back fist to the chin followed up by a low side kick to the stomach. Yakumo followed suit with a front kick, knocking the second thug down, much to the surprise of the others. Both girls got into fighting stances (think Trini and Kimberly's stance, unmorphed).
Then the fight began. The first thug Rei knocked down got back up. Rei quickly blocked a forearm punch and then another before hitting a palm strike to his face, followed by a surprise spin kick to the stomach.
Yakumo was blocking to the best of her limited ability, avoiding hit after hit, but quickly blocking again, she struck back with a double kick, then caught and bent the elbow of another thug, causing the thug to scream out loud, and then was quickly silenced with a judo throw.
"Oomph!"
Rei and Yakumo stood back to back in matching fighting stances. They looked at each other and gave matching smirks.
The rest of the thugs came after the pair. Rei, found herself doing an impressive backflip, avoiding a couple of thugs, then hitting a forward punch on the first thug she knocked down, then sidekick hit another thug from the side.
"Hi-yah!" Rei yelled.
Yakumo was blocking punches and answering back with chops, palm strikes, and double kicks.
"Shi-yah!" Yakumo yelled, striking quickly with a double palm strike.
Both girls stood back to back. Fortunately, the other thugs, seeing their friends get owned by two girls, backed off quickly and ran away. Yakumo released a heavy sigh, overwhelmed at what just happened and what she had just done.
"Whoa, I can't believe we just did that! And you, Rei, wow! You're good. Really good!" praised Yakumo.
"Umm, thank you," replied Rei.
"With you on the team, I'm sure we'll have a chance at the tournament. I just wish I could have recorded this. The guys and sensei are gonna freak!"
"Y-yes."
"But all that fighting worked up an appetite. Let's hit a ramen stand!"
"Alright."
Little did they realize that their action was recorded from a building nearby. And that recording was being transferred to the supercomputer of NERV.
(Hydrax)
Hydrax was in an abandoned fish refinery on the bayside of Toyko. Laid out on a makeshift table where the remains of the creature the Gold Ranger fought days earlier; he was slowly self-regenerating. If the Gold Ranger thought the creature was destroyed, then he wouldn't see another attack coming.
"Remarkable. I did not think these primitives were capable of such a creation," Hydrax said, marveling at the creature's self-regeneration.
"Still, when on unknown enemy ground, use any materials to your advantage. And this planet has plenty."
Hydrax pulled from the side a crate from his spaceship and ripped it open. Inside were spare advanced cybernetic parts and armaments collected from his travels from all over the galaxy.
"Hmm…" he went, taking out a small, black laser cannon and putting it on the table next to the creature.
Then he took out some armor plating, and placed it on the chest of the creature, followed by adding blades to its forearms. Slowly but surely, the creature started to assimilate the given objects, reshaping its original form, but this time, its chest plating was thicker, it had a primary weapon on its right arm (like Megatron's fusion cannon).
Its face was reshaped into its original form (think Psycho Rangers, but bronze). The lower half began to regenerate a lot quicker.
"Yes," Hydrax whispered. "This is most promising."
"Be reborn Angelus!" Hydrax declared
(Next day, Day the activation)
"NO!" Shinji screamed as he walked out in his Evangelion, looking at the pitch-black shape of Unit-03 – or now, the 13th Angel.
The Angel sprinted towards him quickly, using its strange, rubbery arms to grab Unit-01's neck, slamming into it and forcing it onto the ground
The pain from this was excruciating, Shinji willed the Unit to slip its arms around the lower torso of the creature, and lift it off its feet, and slam it into the ground (Belly to Belly suplex). The action allowed him to break free and get back to a vertical base.
The pilot was trying to go through all options in his mind, but all fell in favor of morphing into the Gold Ranger, busting out and calling forth the Lion Sphinx Zord to put a stop to it.
"PILOT!" His father came online. "ATTACK NOW!"
"I CAN'T!" He screamed. "NOT WHILE THE PILOT IS STILL INSIDE!"
"Shinji is right! Commander, the pilot's life-" Rei started to say.
"Is forfeit. Attack the Angel."
"Not until I get the plug out!" Shinji yelled, pushing Eva forward, grappling with the 13th angel
(NERV HQ)
"Incompetent boy. Damn it," Gendo growled. "Activate the Dummy Plug System!"
But, sir!" Maya yelled. "Dr. Akagi hasn't authorized its usage yet!"
"It's better than what we have now!"
"Alright. Activating the Dummy Plug System."
(Outside)
Shinji looked in surprise as the Entry Plug got dark. A loud, whirring was heard behind him.
Then suddenly, Unit-01 came alive again! It roared, launching itself at the possessed Unit-03 in furious anger.
"No…No…NO! STOP THIS, FATHER!" Shinji screamed. "PLEASE, STOP!"
("Shinji, you must morph, immediately!") Trey urged.
Shinji banged repeatedly on the console to no avail, screaming in fury and frustration. Suddenly, the audio and visual system went down.
"What?!"
"Morph, Shinji, you must morph!" a soft voice urged inside his head.
"That voice. I recognize it from somewhere. It's Morphin' Time! Gold Ranger Power!" Shinji exclaimed, transforming.
Shinji quickly teleported himself out of the plug while the dummy-controlled Evangelion proceeded to rip apart the Angel-possessing Eva brutally.
"I summon the power of the Lion Sphinx Zord!" Shinji called, materializing his staff.
ROAR! ROAR!
A mighty roar echoed throughout the sky as the golden lion Zord barreled its way onto the battlefield. Shinji quickly teleported inside and converted it into warrior mode. Shinji pushed forward as Unit-01 had the Entry Plug, in its hand, preparing to crush it like a can.
"NO!"
PUNCH!
WHAM!
The Zord punched Unit-01 squarely in the face hard, knocking off half of its faceplate as well as the Entry plug from its hand, landing in the water intact. Shinji opened a communique line to NERV.
("I'm going to say this once, shut that piece of junk down or I'll do it for you!") Shinji threatened.
"Do not interfere, Gold Ranger," Gendo warned.
("That is a life in there! A human being! He was about to be crushed!")
"The pilot's life was already forfeit. What matters is defeating the Angels." Gendo argued.
("Not like this!")
Before Shinji could say anything more, the purple Eva lunged at him next. The Lion Sphinx Zord grappled with Unit-01, as its eyes still glowed red. The Zord kicked it off and followed it up with another punch. The Eva answered back in wild animal fashion, by attempting to claw through's the Zord's armor, causing some damage. Shinji pushed forward, with the Zord grabbing the Unit by the legs flipping the Eva backward, causing it to drop hard on its back. (Backdrop)
BOOM!
("In case any of are wondering, or IF any of you in that bunker care, 'cause I know your commander doesn't, I already got that kid out of the purple Eva. He's safe and sound.)
"How did you-"
("I have my ways. Now, last chance. Shut that thing down now!") Gold Ranger ordered with finality.
"Commander?" Maya asked.
Gendo remained silent as he looked at the screen, glaring at the Lion Sphinx Zord as it battles with the dummy controlled Unit-01.
"Commander," addressed Makoto, waiting for the order.
"Shut it down!" Fuyutsuki ordered, coming onto the bridge.
"Sir?"
"Sensei!" Gendo hissed.
"We don't want any more conflict and the Angel is already dead, so shut it down."
(" Smart man, good man, too bad I can't say the same for your Commander.") Gold Ranger snarked.
Gendo glared at the screen while everyone looked at the Power Ranger incredulously as if being offended by said Ranger's uncalled-for and harsh remark. Maya and the others initiated the shutdown command, but it wouldn't accept the command.
"W-we can't shut it down!"
"The plug is not accepting the signal."
("Then I'll do it for you.") Shinji said simply.
"You're making a grave mistake, Gold Ranger!"
("Oh, I make grave mistakes all the time.") the ranger replied.
The Evangelion growled at the Lion Sphinx Zord while it stood steadfast, ready to fight.
("Everything seems to work out.")
The Lion Sphinx Zord took out its bladed staff and launched an attack at the purple-controlled Eva unit. Like an untamed animal, the purple Eva launched rabid attacks, clawing on the Lion Sphinx Zord. Shinji answered back by striking horizontally and vertically, up and down.
BOOM!
BANG!
BOOM!
The Evangelion stumbled at the damage done to it. Shinji knew he had to end this fight, right here and now. The blades shot up to the top part of the staff and were electrified with power. The Evangelion rose up, its eyes still glowing blood red, half its face exposed, making it look more demonic than before.
"I've waited a long time for this. Bring it!" Shinji yelled.
The Evangelion charged like a wild wolf, Shinji maneuvered the Zord to avoid it. The Zord back-fisted the Evangelion. Unit-01 answered back, with a strike of its own. The Lion Sphinx struck with its staff, but Eva blocked it and kicked it off, Shinji moved the Zord to slash low, to the thigh area. Then kicked directly into its chest.
Shinji decided to finish this right now. The Evangelion got up and charged one final time. The Zord twirled the staff around, powering it up, and planted the base of its shaft at its feet.
"Rarggh!" the Evangelion roared as it leaped at the unmoving Zord.
"Got ya! Hi-ya!"
The Zord moved in a burst of speed, closing the gap between Unit-01 and itself.
FLASH SLASH!
The Lion Sphinx Zord thrust forward, and the body Unit-01 fell into the shallow lake, its head shortly following, and the entry plug rolled just a couple of feet away from it.
BOOM!
CLANG!
"I rise, you fall," Shinji uttered.
And with that, the battle was over. The out-of-control Unit-01 was stopped, and the pilot of the now-destroyed Angel-possessed Evangelion Unit-03 was safe for now. Just a couple of more pieces of business. Shinji moved his Zord to pick up the Dummy Plug and snapped it like a twig between its fingers and stomped on its remains for good measure. Then Shinji maneuvered the Zord to pick up Unit-03's Entry Plug and carried it off into the distance while NERV's VTOLS were arriving on the scene. It was all over for now.
(A good distance away, 20 minutes later)
The Lion Sphinx Zord, gently put down the Entry Plug, in a forest area miles from the danger zone. Shinji teleported out, breathing a sigh of relief that it was intact. But his mind went back to what his father had said.
"The pilot's life is forfeit."
"Gendo, I swear you'll answer for this." thought Shinji, clenching his fist, no longer referring to Gendo as a father, as of now he had lost all right to be called father.
Hastily, Shinji jumped up to the plug and pried open its hatch, and ripped it off its hinges.
RIP!
"Hey, hey!" Shinji called.
"Help me," a familiar voice squeaked, very frightened and shaken.
"It's alright, I've come to get you out." The ranger assured, sticking his white-gloved hand inside the plug, submerging it in the LCL.
Another hand grabbed onto it, and Shinji, with one arm, pulled the pilot out of the plug. Finally getting a good look at the chosen pilot the Fourth child, Shinji's eyes widened in shock at the pilot.
"Kenta!" thought Shinji.
Quickly, Shinji hefted Kenta's arm over his shoulder supporting his shaky frame clad in a purple plug suit. The Gold Ranger jumped down gracefully and safely, leaning the younger boy's still-shaky frame against the plug.
"It's alright, you're safe now," Shinji assured him.
"Am…I…? The commander…NERV…" Kenta stammered, overwhelmed by his ordeal.
"It's okay, take your time."
"They…were…going to kill me, to kill the Angel. He said my life was forfeit." Kenta whimpered, tears streaming.
"You're safe now," Shinji said.
"Am…I…? They could still…"
"They won't. I will make sure of that. Come on. I'll get you back to the city, then you can head back to your parents." Shinji said.
Kenta took off his glasses and wiped the tears from his eyes, and shakily got to his feet.
"You really are a true hero," Kenta praised him.
"Hold on to me tight."
Kenta held on, and Shinji put a hand on his shoulder and the other hand on his buckle. A black electric field engulfed them and they both into the air.
End Chapter
End Notes: Here's chapter 17 beta read by TOAT. The possessed Eva Angel, and the dummy controlled Unit 01. I've put off the confrontation long enough. NERV nearly crossed the line and they will answer for it. Hydrax is making his plans, for the Bronze Pyscho monster(Now named Angelus thanks Gunman). And I've put off sending Delphine back to Aquatiar, she still must uncover the identity of the Silver Ranger. Don't worry next angel battle could see the Battleborg and Lion Sphinx team up again. Speaking of which, next chapter Gold Ranger confronts NERV, Shinji and Rei finally take the next step Shinji tells Gendo and Misato off, and Hydrax attacks again. Here's what might happen or if you want it to happen(I'm open to suggestions)
"We are in the thick of it now."
"I will do all in my power to stop you,"
"Just who are you?!"
"I'm like you Gold Ranger."
"This hunt is mine!"