The Misadventures of Hyperdimension Peashy
Episode 73
by Derald Snyder
*And so, two days later...*
"Tickets, please," the security officer requested.
"Here you are," Peach said as she, A-Mac and Adrian handed over their tickets, all of them dressed casually, the former two wearing sunglasses.
"Alright, go on in," the officer gestured the trio through the turnstile.
Once they were out of the guard's earshot, A-Mac spoke up, "OK, we're in. Now what?"
"We find a way to get backstage," Adrian explained, "which will most likely be guarded... So, Peach and I will try to make a distraction while you sneak in. You got your Armor Morpher on you?"
"That's the third time you've asked me," Arthur sighed in irritation. "It's in my back pocket... yep, still there."
"Well, don't hesitate to use it if you get in a hairy situation," Adrian advised. "Anyway, once you find evidence that Lanzarote is a demon, take a picture with your phone and send it to us and Nisa and get back out here, then we'll plot our next move. Copy?"
"Copy that, petty officer," A-Mac snarked.
"Okay, let's go find a way backstage!" Peach said.
A few minutes later, the trio found a path by the main stage that was blocked by a security guard, his cap pulled low to cover his eyes, standing with his arms crossed and a stern frown. "Fall back!" Adrian whispered. (Actually, due to the cheering crowds, he was just speaking at normal volume.) The three of them melded into the rest of the crowd, checking to make sure the guard wasn't tracking them.
"Okay, I don't think he saw us," Peashy said. "A-Mac, you separate from us and try to not look suspicious..."
"Whoa, hey!" a voice intruded as a young male NPC came up next to the blonde. "Looks like you got a lotta milk there! What say I give you some sugar and we make some cake together?"
"What kind of pick-up line is that?" Peashy groaned. "OK, one, you also need flour to bake a cake, and two, I'm spoken for."
"Aw c'mon, you know variety is the spice of life, baby!" the NPC said without missing a beat. "I'm sugar, you're spice, so let's make somethin' nice!"
"Hey, shove off, buster!" Adrian got in the boy's face. "What part of 'she's spoken for' don't you understand?!"
"What, YOU speakin' for her?" the NPC retorted. "Talk about lame! She could do a lot better than you!"
"I'm warning you, buddy," the soldier poked a finger into the other's chest, "I'm skilled at CQC, so don't screw with me!"
"What the heck is a CQC? Sounds like construction work!" the teen taunted.
"I'll show you!" Adrian declared, suddenly grabbing the NPC in a headlock and throwing him out of the crowd. Before the shadow-boy could recover, the soldier had pinned him to the ground with a knee in his back, then twisting his arm in a very painful manner! "How do you like that, you pervert?!"
"OWW! Help! Help! I'm being murdered!" the NPC screamed in distress.
"Adrian, stop it!" Peach yelled as she feigned trying to pull her boyfriend off the perverted teen. "You're going too far!"
"Hey, hey!" the guard ran to them. "Break it up!" He managed to break Adrian's grip, allowing Peashy to drag him off the NPC.
"He was harassing my girlfriend!" the petty officer protested.
"You're crazy, dude! He just lost control and went after me!" the NPC shot back, still nursing his arm.
"I don't care who started it!" the guard cut them off. "Either of you cause any more trouble, I'll have you tossed! Got it?!"
"Yes sir," Adrian grunted as he pulled away from Peach and stomped off.
"I'm really sorry about him," Peashy bowed in remorse. "He's not usually that violent... anyway, we'll be going!" With that, she turned and ran off, catching up with Adrian a few yards away. "So, did it work?"
"Yep, I saw him go in," her fiancee nodded. "Let's just hope Arthur finds something decisive..."
"Alright, fans, are you ready?!" Lanzarote's voice echoed from the stage. "Let's get this show started!" The resulting cheers were deafening, causing Adrian and Peach to switch their mobile devices to 'vibrate' as they took their seats...
*Backstage*
(I made it!) Arthur thought in relief. (OK, gotta keep a low profile while I search... Hopefully the staff are busy with the show...) He crept along, stepping in the silent manner that Adrian had showed him, using the camera function on his myPhone to peek around corners, so he could retreat and hide if someone came by...
But when he poked his phone around one corner, he saw a familiar twin-looped hairstyle that he recognized immediately. (What the... what is SHE doing here?!) He stepped around the corner, and sure enough, it was Demon Angel Sicily.
"Hee hee, this is great!" the little angel giggled happily. "Lanza's getting really popular, and she didn't even have to use hypnotic music to do it! I told her she could do it without having to cheat!"
"Sicily?!" Arthur ventured, causing her to yelp as she whirled around.
"Huh?! Hey, you're not supposed to be back here! ...Wait, do I know you?"
"Yeah, I'm A-Mac. Nisa's boyfriend, remember? You saved me and Adrian from getting blasted to pieces by that one demon..."
"...oh yeah! I remember now! And then Nisa kicked his butt, literally!" Sicily smiled. "But, uh, what are you doing here?"
"Because Nisa thought that Lanzarote was trying to enact an evil plot for Etna," the young man explained.
"Nuh uh!" the demon angel shook her head. "Etna's got nothing to do with this! This is my idea! Lanza's my caretaker, you know, and I really want her to succeed, the honest way! There's nothing wrong with being a popular singer, is there?"
"Well, no..." A-Mac put a hand behind his head. "But the thing is, uh... you remember our ruler, Lady Vert?"
"Of course!" Sicily nodded. "She was really nice to me!"
"Right, well the thing is... She's dependent on the faith of her citizens to sustain her, same with other CPUs," Arthur explained. "But if some demon from the netherworld comes and makes people in this nation effectively worship her instead, that's bad news for Lady Vert, because she'll be weakened... maybe even made a sitting duck for Etna to overthrow and take over Leanbox!"
"Wh-what?! Seriously?!" Sicily gasped in dismay."I-I had no idea! I just wanted Lanza to become a great singer...! I didn't know it would end up hurting Miss Vert!"
"Hey, what's going on in there?" a high-pitched squeaky voice cut in to the conversation. "Is somebody upsetting you, Sicily? I'll knock them silly with my axe if that's the case!" A large pig-demon came into the room, dressed regally with a red flowing cape with white trim, and a crown on his head.
"Yahhhhh!" A-Mac screamed in terror.
"Yahhhhh, yourself!" the hog recoiled in surprise.
"Take this! Camera Flash!" Arthur declared as he held up his myPhone, a bright light flashing as he took a picture of the demon, blinding him! "And now... tactical retreat!" he cried as he turned and ran off.
"Hey, get back here!" the pig demon blinked a few times to try and get rid of the spots in his vision as he made to pursue...
"W-wait, Porkmeister! That's Nisa's boyfriend!" Sicily insisted.
"So what, he shouldn't be backstage anyway!" Porkmeister huffed as he took off. "Especially if his girlfriend is a Hero of Justice!"
"C'mon, c'mon..." A-Mac grunted as he ran, trying to send Porkmeister's photo to Nisa's phone... After a few seconds, 'Message Sent' popped up on the screen. "Thank Goddess!" But then he tripped and sprawled across the floor, his phone skidding away! Before he could get up, Arthur was grabbed from behind and hoisted into the air!
"Gotcha!" Porkmeister snorted in triumph. "You're in big trouble for trying to mess up my big sis' concert!"
"Wh-what?! Lanzarote's your sister?!" A-Mac couldn't believe his ears.
"She takes after Mommy, okay?" the Nether Noble shot back. "Now hold still so I can club you with my axe!"
"Stop it, Porkmeister!" Sicily yelled as she ran up with a spell book in hand. "Mega Wind!"
"Gaaaahhh!" the pig demon cried as he was assaulted a by a green-colored mini tornado, causing him to drop A-Mac to the ground! The young man wasted no time getting his feet, taking his Armor Morpher from his back pocket...
"It's Armor Time! YELLOW TIGER!" One bright flash later, and Arthur was clad in his yellow armor suit. "Mighty Mecha Armored Ranger! Hiyah!"
"What the heck?" Porkmeister regarded the man's transformation with a confused look. "Are you supposed to be some Prism Ranger ripoff or something?"
"I'll show you a rip-off!" Yellow Tiger yelled defiantly as he went on the attack, striking the pig in the snout with a few jabs! Porkmeister retaliated with a few swings of his own, only for the ranger to easily duck each hook, shifting to the side and kicking the Nether Noble into a nearby stage light, causing him to fall over! A-Mac then beat a hasty retreat, stopping only to pick up his myPhone...
"Argh! Now I'm MAD!" Porkmeister growled as he picked himself up, charging after his quarry...
"C'mon, you guys! Can't we get along here?" Sicily wailed in distress.
*Leanbox Basilicom*
Nisa's phone suddenly dinged, prompting the bluenette to quickly check it... "Chika, look at this!"
"What is it... my word!" the Oracle recoiled upon seeing Porkmeister's face fill the screen. "What manner of demon is that?!"
"A Nether Noble," Nicole elaborated. "Ten-to-one that's Porkmeister, Lanza's brother..."
"B-brother?! A-are you quite certain?" Chika asked in disbelief.
"Oh yeah. Anyway, I think that's our cue! MAGES., prime the teleporter!"
"Acknowledged! It's ready when you are!" The Mad Magician declared.
"Alright, Chika, let's do this!" Nicole took out her morpher.
"Right!" the greenette did the same.
"It's Armor Time!" they both cried.
"BLUE FALCON!"
"BLACK RAVEN!"
In a flash of light, the two ladies were morphed and gone...
*Lanzarote's Concert, on-stage*
As Lanza serenaded her cheering fans, there were two flashes of light in the air above and behind her, discharging the two Armored Rangers, who looked around briefly in confusion.
"Hey, isn't that Nisa and Chika?" Peach pointed out from the audience.
"Arthur must've sent a distress call to Nisa!" Adrian realized, standing and pulling out his morpher. Sure enough, Yellow Tiger abruptly burst out onto the stage, suddenly tripping over a wire and yanking the microphone out of the singer's hands!
"HEY!" Lanzarote protested, as the fans started yelling and booing. Just then, Porkmeister came up on stage, grabbing A-Mac by the shoulders and hauling him up. "Wh- Porkmeister! What are you doing?!"
"This guy was intruding backstage, Lanza!" the Nether Noble said defensively.
"Did I not specifically tell you NOT to come out in public view?!" the Archer screamed as she pointed at the audience.
"Uh..." Porkmeister's beady eyes went wide as he saw the throngs of people in the seats, several of them pointing at him and conversing concernedly. "Um, whoops..." he sweat-dropped.
"Hold on, A-Mac! We're coming!" Peashy yelled as she and Adrian forced their way through the crowd, the blonde pulling out her morpher. Reaching the front, she declared, "It's Armor Time! WHITE GORILLA!"
"It's Armor Time! RED GRIZZLY!" Adrian echoed, the two morphing into their armor suits before jumping up on stage.
Meanwhile, Chika had discreetly retrieved Lanza's microphone as she argued with her brother. "Attention! May I have your attention, please!" she announced, removing her helmet. "This is Oracle Chika Hakozaki! That giant pig you see standing there is actually a servant of Demon Lord Etna! I must ask you all to evacuate the premises immediately..."
"Hey, wait a minute! I don't serve Etna!" Porkmeister protested as he stomped up, still having A-Mac in a one-armed headlock. "I serve the Overlord himself, Prince Laharl!"
"IDIOT! Don't tell them that!" Lanzarote screamed, pulling at her twin-tails in frustration. "And just who are you people?!"
"We're the Mighty Mecha Armored Rangers!" Nisa declared. "And we're here to shut down your concert tour from hell!"
"That voice... I know you! You're Nisa, aren't you?!" the singer accused. "How could you do this to me?! I thought we were friends!"
"A little help here...!" A-Mac grunted, still struggling in Porkmeister's headlock. Thankfully Peach answered by grabbing the hog's arm and twisting it in the opposite direction, causing him to scream in pain as Yellow Tiger dropped to the ground and scrambled away! But then Porkmeister turned around and hurled Peach into Adrian, knocking them both off the stage!
(Music- '5-4-1'- Power Rangers Redux)
"Holy crap! I don't think he's an extra...!" one of the fans cried.
"I think you're right!" another NPC nodded. "Let's get outta here!" And so the audience began to empty out of the concert hall as the fight on-stage continued...
"Oh, the hell with this!" Lanza growled as she equipped her bow. "You hurt my little brother, you get it between the eyes!"
"Likewise!" Peach agreed as she jumped back on stage, none the worse for wear.
"Meteor Arrow Kick!" Lanzarote intoned as she jumped in the air, firing a few arrows down at Chika and Nisa, who managed to dodge most of them, only for the latter to be hit with a brutal dive-kick that sent her skidding across the stage!
"Rainy Ratnapura!" Chika retaliated, Lanza gritting her teeth as she tried to defend against the multi-thrust attack, only for her opponent to get body-checked by Porkmeister! But then Porkmeister was body-checked himself by Peach, tumbling away a few yards!
"Why you-!" the Nether Noble righted himself before charging with his fist cocked, White Gorilla pulling back her own fist, their punches colliding in a shockwave that everyone else sprawling! "Y-you're strong for a human!" he gasped in surprise.
"You're not half bad for a slab of pork yourself!" Peach shot back, breaking off and punching Porkmeister in the ribs with her left fist! However, the pig demon recovered and struck back with a Spinning Wind Blast that blew her away!
"Bright Canopus!" Lanza called as she shot several beams of light at Nisa, who ran forward with her arms crossed in front of her, tanking the attack and hitting the Archer with a frontal tackle! Before she could recover, the singer was hit with a roundhouse kick from Yellow Tiger that sent her off-stage!
"Lanza!" Porkmeister cried in distress as he rushed after her, only to stumble as Red Grizzly pummeled him with automatic fire from his assault rifle, before a Sylhet Spear attack from Black Raven sent him off stage as-well! "Owww... these guys are good..."
"Damn it, Porkmeister, do something!" Lanzarote groaned as she pulled herself up. "Didn't you say something about a back-up plan in case we got found out?!"
"Huh? ...oh yeah, that!" Porkmeister stood up before starting to search under his cape... "Where is it, where is it... ah-ha!" He pulled out a red-colored potion in a glass flask! "This oughta do the trick!" He promptly popped off the cork and proceeded to gulp down the entire contents...
"Rangers, regroup!" Red Grizzly ordered, the others quickly gathering around him. "Stay on your guard! We don't know what's gonna happen!"
"I dunno what that stuff is, but it can't be good!" Blue Falcon stated.
"*gulp* Well, I'll tell you then!" Prokmeister said as he threw the empty flask aside. "It's called 'Fast-Acting Growth Formula'!" Sure enough, the Nether Noble began to grow...
And grow...
And grow...
And grow...
"Ohhh, crap," A-Mac gasped as he looked up, watching as Porkmeister burst through the ceiling of the concert hall!
"Retreat!" Adrian ordered, the Rangers promptly fleeing as pieces of the ceiling came down...
"Hahaha! Now I'll squash you like the bugs you are!" the giant Porkmeister declared, tearing down more of the roof and ceiling with his bare hands!
"Mayday! Mayday!" Adrian yelled as he activated his suit's radio communicator. "Commander, this is Adrian-118! One of Etna's demon's just grew to giant size! We need heavy artillery, everything you've got! A-SAP!"
"Roger that, petty officer! We're on our way!" the commander responded.
"Hey, where's A-Mac?" Peashy realized as they continued to run.
"I think he split off to the left!" Nicole gasped out.
"Might not be a bad idea to split up," Adrian grunted. "Blue Falcon, Black Raven, break to the right! White Gorilla, you're with me!"
"Right!" The group promptly split up, Nisa and Chika running out an emergency exit while Peach and Adrian ran down the hallway to the regular exit.
"You can't run from me!" Porkmeister yelled as he continued to destroy the building. "If you don't get buried alive, I'll just stomp you with my bare feet!"
Meanwhile, A-Mac had managed to find an exit out the left side, the giant hog passing by him completely. Hunkering down, he checked to make sure his myPhone was still functioning... "Tara, call Nepgear!"
"Calling Nepgear- mobile," his myPhone responded in a digitized female voice...
*5pb.'s Studio*
"Arthur DeRommer," Nepgear's phone chirped.
"Arthur...? Oh goodness, is Nisa in trouble or something?" the lilac-haired goddess mused as she answered. "Hello?"
"Lady Nepgear, it's A-Mac! We've got big trouble! And I mean that literally! This pig-demon just grew to giant size and destroyed the concert hall! All we could do is run for our lives! We could really use that Nepgeardam of yours!"
"Goodness, that's terrible!" Nepgear gasped. "But, my Nepgeardam isn't quite ready yet! What will we do?!"
5pb., who had been listening in on the conversation, walked up and placed a hand on Nepgear's shoulder. "Um... I might have an idea... j-just hang in there, we're on our way!"
"I hope it's a good idea... please hurry!" Arthur insisted before hanging up.
"What's your idea, 5pb.?" Nepgear asked quizzically.
"Let's get up on my stage," the singer said. "Mr. Endoh, you might wanna stand back... way back."
"OK, 5pb.-san," Endoh agreed, backing up by the exit door.
Once the two were on the stage, Nepgear asked, "So, what are you going to do...?"
The idol equipped her electric guitar, before heaving a sigh. "I never imagined I'd actually do this... MAGES., this had better work..." With that, she switched the guitar on, then played the F chord 16 times in one second!
Suddenly, the stage began to change, folding in on itself and transforming! When the process was complete, the stage had become a humanoid robot, with the speakers on its hips!
"Wh-wh-what the goodness?!" Nepgear made a Nepgya-face. "It's a robot?!" She and 5pb. were now standing inside a cockpit with a control panel in front of them.
"Um, yeah... it's a secret function my cousin created," the singer explained. "But, I've never driven a robot before, so maybe you can help me out here...?"
"...Yes! Absolutely!" the CPU Candidate exclaimed once she recovered from the initial shock. "Okay, let's see here... hmmm... this must be one of the limbs..." She pulled a lever, causing the robot to swing it's fist and punch a hole in the studio wall. "Oops..."
"I-it's okay, we're gonna have to break down the wall to get out anyway," 5pb. pointed out... Fortunately, it didn't take long for Nepgear to get a handle on the controls, the robot smashing the rest of the way through the wall and marching on it's way!
*Back with Porkmeister and the Rangers...*
Peashy and Adrian were still running away from the gigantic Nether Noble, having gotten outside, barely keeping ahead of his feet, which cracked the pavement beneath with every step! "You can't run forever!" the demon taunted.
Sure enough, Adrian tripped and fell to the ground, Peach instinctively going back for him... only to look and see Porkmeister's foot bearing down on them! "NO!" the blonde cried in despair...
*KA-BLAM!* But then an artillery shell flew out of nowhere and scored a direct hit on said foot! "EEYOW! Ow ow ow ow ow!" Porkmeister wailed as he hopped around on one foot in pain... Looking back, Peach saw an Army tank rolling towards them!
"About time they showed up..." Adrian gasped, still exhausted from running. Several F-10 Thunderbolts could be seen screeching through the sky as well...
"This is the Leanbox Army!" The 81st Unit Commander's voice echoed through the streets. "Cease and desist at once or be destroyed! This is your final warning!"
"Oh, the army, huh? Good! I was getting bored!" the pig demon asserted, lifting his foot and kicking the tank down the street! "C'mon, let's have some fun!"
"Fire at will!" the commander ordered, several other tanks opening fire, forcing Porkmeister to stumble back. The F-10s also fired their missiles, forcing the giant hog to put his arms up to defend!
"Hey, you okay, guys?" Nisa said as she and Chika caught up to Adrian and Peach.
"Just barely," White Gorilla grunted.
"Well, let us hope the Army can put a stop to that oversized hog!" Black Raven stated worriedly.
"Gah! You annoying insects!" Porkmeister growled in frustration. "Let's see how you buzzing bees like this! Spinning Wind Blast!" A green-colored tornado whipped up around the Nether Noble, blowing the Rangers off their feet and the A-10s above out of control!
"Mayday! Mayday!" screamed one pilot before crashing into a high-rise, killing him instantly. A few more A-10s also met similar fates, though the others managed to regain control.
"Porkmeister, stop it! You're killing them!" Sicily screamed in protest.
"Get 'em, Porky! Show those those stupid humans no mercy!" Lanzarote encouraged, before suddenly getting knocked unconscious by a hammer to the head from Sicily.
"Fall back! Fall back!" the Army commander ordered, several tanks swiftly going into reverse...
"Oh, you don't get away that easy!" Porkmeister taunted. "Darkness Slash!" The retreating tanks and several of the nearby buildings were suddenly enveloped in a sphere of darkness, the pig-demon raising his axe...
"NOOOOO!" Nisa cried helplessly. But then, a black-colored hand grabbed Porkmeister's arm before he could start slashing!
"I don't think so!" a familiar CPU Candidate's voice was heard. "Your reign of terror ends here and now, demon!"
(Music- 'We Need A Hero'- Power Rangers Redux)
"That's Nepgear!" Peach realized.
"It sure is!" A-Mac said as he ran up to the group. "I managed to call her and 5pb. to help us out... but what is that robot?"
"It's not the Nepgeardam, that's for sure!" Chika observed as Porkmeister tried to wrench free, to no avail.
"Fuahahaha! It's none other than one of my finest creations!" MAGES. declared.
"MAGES.?! Wait, since when did you get here?" Nisa asked.
"Since just now!" the Mad Magician answered. "Ah, it fills me with pride to see my cousin finally use the transformation function for her singing stage!"
"Singing stage?!" all the Armored Rangers cried at once in shock.
"Leggo!" Porkmeister yelled as he finally broke free... only for the sphere of darkness to fade out of existence, the tanks quickly beating a hasty retreat. "Argh, you messed up my attack! Now I'm gonna mess YOU up!" He promptly swung his axe at the giant robot, which managed to block with it's left arm, the right arm then punching him in the shoulder! The Nether Noble backed off a little before swinging again, this time managing to hit the robot in the head, causing it to stumble back!
"Kyaaa!" 5pb. screamed as she and Nepgear were thrown around inside the cockpit!
"Keep it together, 5pb.! I can't work this thing all by myself!" Nepgear yelled... only to scream as the robot was hit again, falling backwards against a building!
"Oh no! They're in trouble!" Yellow Tiger yelled.
"But what can we do?!" Black Raven said.
"I got an idea!" White Gorilla spoke up. "Nisa, you're not afraid of heights, are you?"
"No, why?" Blue Falcon asked.
"Cause I'm gonna boost you up in the air so you can shoot that axe out of that demon's hands!" Peach explained as she knelt down and extended her hands.
"...okay, but you better catch me when I come back down!" the bluenette agreed as she readied her Prinny Gun.
"I will! Now hurry!" Nisa promptly stepped into Peashy's waiting hands, suddenly being hurled high into the air! Taking aim, she fired at Porkmeister's hands, the oversized hog screaming in pain as his axe fell to the ground!
"Yes!" A-Mac cheered.
"All right!" Adrian pumped a fist.
"And... gotcha!" Peach said as she caught Nicole in a bridal carry. "Hope that turns the tide!"
"Where did that come from?!" Porkmeister grunted as he shook his hand in pain. "Aw, screw it, I'll just smash ya with my bare fists!" But before he could swing, he was suddenly assaulted again, this time by several Inbetween Spear projectiles!
"I think not!" Green Heart declared, floating a quarter-mile away, her spear at the ready.
"Lady Vert's here too?!" Peach gasped.
"Of course! We transported here together!" MAGES. pointed out.
Meanwhile, back inside the giant robot, Nepgear was helping her friend regain her senses after getting dizzy from the robot's earlier thrashing. "Come on, 5pb.! All of Leanbox is depending on us!"
"Ngghh... I-I'm all right," the singer grunted as she grasped the controls again.
"Okay, let's get this thing back on it's feet!" the goddess encouraged... soon enough, the robot managed to shove off the building and stand straight again.
Porkmeister had been trying to swipe at Green Heart flying through the air, but then he saw the robot lumbering toward him again. "Back for more, huh? Take this!" He swung with a right hook, only for the robot to block, then give the hog an uppercut to the snout! "OW! Why you-!"
"Yeah! Get him!" the Rangers cheered. They watched as the robot hit Porkmeister again, this time with it's own right hook, causing him to stumble away to the side. The robot then marched forward, shoving the Nether Noble with it's whole body, causing him to fall over onto the pavement!
"Argh! I'll smash ya!" The giant pig demon growled as he picked himself up, attempting to swing down at the robot with a double-fisted strike, Nepgear and 5pb. leaning way backwards to dodge!
"Oh no! We're off balance!" the singer cried in panic. Sure enough, the robot fell back forward- smashing Porkmeister in the snout with an impromptu headbutt!
"Well, not exactly what I had in mind, but I'll take it," Nepgear said as the duo watched their opponent hold his nose in his hands. "Okay, give him a good kick, 5pb.!"
"Okay!" the bluenette nodded, pulling a lever, causing the right leg to swing forward, nailing the Nether Noble between the legs, causing him to keel over, holding his groin! "Oops... I was aiming for the stomach..."
"THAT'S gotta hurt," A-Mac observed from the ground, the other Armored Rangers muttering in agreement.
"Okay, let's finish him off! Give him a high C-chord!" Nepgear encouraged.
"You got it!" 5pb. nodded, equipping her guitar and playing said high chord, which blasted out of the speakers on the robot's hips in massive sound waves!
"Gyaaaaahhh! My eeeeeeaaaarrrrsss!" Porkmeister squealed as he writhed on the ground, covering his ears... then suddenly shrinking back down normal size! "Huh...? Oh crap! When they said 'fast-acting formula', they weren't kidding!"
"The growth potion must have metabolized!" MAGES. mused.
"You mean it wore off?" A-Mac grunted in mild confusion.
"Now's our chance!" Adrian declared. "Peach, move in!"
"Roger that, Red Grizzly!" White Gorilla agreed, leaping through the air and coming down with her fist cocked, Porkmeister barely rolling away! But then the blonde Ranger grabbed him in a tight sleeper hold, the pig demon struggling futilely before eventually going limp. "Game Over, Porkmeister!"
"You got him! Way to go!" Sicily said as she walked up, dragging the unconscious Lanzarote in a packaging box.
"Sicily?! Wait, what are you doing here?!" Peach asked in shock.
"Umm... actually, Lanza coming here was my idea," the demon angel confessed, looking down as she dug the toe of her shoe into the pavement. "I just wanted her to become a good singer the honest way... B-but I didn't know it was gonna hurt Miss Vert! That's what Nisa's boyfriend said, anyway! A-and I didn't know Porkmeister was g-gonna go all b-big and start d-destroying the city like s-some Kaiju!" she hiccuped as tears began to stream down her face. Falling to her knees, she pleaded, "I'm soooo sorry this all happened! C-can you ever forgive me...?"
"Oh, dear little Sicily..." Green Heart sighed as she floated down, having overheard the conversation. "I won't begrudge you for what happened. It's clear you had good intentions, even if events went horribly wrong..."
"Yeah, I think we can forgive you, Sicily," Nisa said as she and the other rangers (and MAGES.) walked up.
"But we shan't forgive HIM for what he's done!" Chika pointed at the unconscious Porkmeister.
"I-I... *sniff* I understand," the angel nodded. "I'll make sure to tell Big Brother about what Porkmeister did, and I'll make sure he gets punished for it! That's a promise!"
"That's acceptable," Green Heart agreed. "However, next time, if you plan to advance a fellow demon's career here, perhaps you could ask me first?"
"Okay! I promise I'll get permission next time!" Sicily stated firmly. With that, she dragged Lanzarote over to her brother before declaring, "Dimensional Gatekeeper! Bring us home, please!" The gate promptly materialized, Sicily turning back to bow to the others. "Again, I'm really sorry about this... hopefully things won't be so bad next time! Bye bye!" And so she and the two other demons vanished through the gate back to the netherworld.
"So Etna was not the one responsible this time... I wasn't expecting that," MAGES. muttered.
"I was just as surprised to see Siciliy as you guys were," A-Mac admitted. "Anyway, I guess it's time to morph back..." he promptly reverted his armor to data form, the other Rangers soon following.
"Sorry we weren't very effective this time around, Lady Vert," Adrian lamented.
"It's quite all right, petty officer," Vert assured him as she also reverted to normal. "There wasn't really much you could do against a giant demon that size, anyway. Speaking of which..." She turned back to look upon the black robot standing there, quite a few civilians taking pictures with their mobile devices.
"5pb.! You revert the stage's transformation in the same manner that you activate it!" MAGES. called up to her cousin. Soon, the sound of 16 F-chords in one second was heard, the robot promptly changing back to stage form, with the singer and Nepgear standing side by side.
"Whoa! Is that 5pb.?!" an NPC gasped in disbelief.
"Her stage turns into a robot?! Beyond cool!" another teenager said in awe. Several others promptly voiced their agreement.
"Hello everyone!" the singer waved. "I hope you're all okay after that big fight! If you want, I can play a song for you!"
"YEAH!" the gathered crowds cheered.
"Allow to me to join you!" Mr. Endoh said as he climbed on the stage. "Seeing such big fight has, how do you say, inspired me!"
"Let me help too!" Arthur also joined them. "I'm halfway decent with a pair of drums!"
"Okay! Let's get this show rocking!" 5pb. agreed, as Nepgear picked up another guitar. She opened with a heavy guitar solo, before Endoh began to sing:
(~They've got a power and a force that you've never seen before!)
(They've got the ability to morph and to even up the score!)
(No one could ever take them down...)
(The power lies on their si-i-i-i-i-ide!~)
(~Go Go Armored Rangers!)
(Go Go Armored Rangers!)
(Go Go Armored Rangers, you Mighty Mecha Armored Rangers~!)
(~They know the fate of the world is lying in their hands!)
(They know to only use their weapons for defense!)
(No one will ever take them down...)
(The power lies on their si-i-i-i-i-ide!~)
(~Go Go Armored Rangers!)
(Go Go Armored Rangers!)
(Go Go Armored Rangers, you Mighty Mecha Armored Rangers~!)
5pb. then went into a guitar solo for a minute, the cheers of the crowd nearly deafening...
(~No one can ever take them down...)
(The power lies on their si-i-i-i-i-ide!~)
(~Go Go Armored Rangers!)
(Go Go Armored Rangers!)
(Go Go Armored Rangers, you Mighty Mecha Armored Rangers~!)
(~Go Go Armored Rangers!)
(Go Go Armored Rangers!)
(Go Go Armored Rangers~!)
A-Mac then finished out the song with a brief drumroll, everyone giving the group a standing ovation as 5pb., Nepgear and Maasaki Endoh took a grateful bow.
"I'm so proud of you, cousin," MAGES. nodded to herself, tears of joy sliding down her cheeks...
*Episode 73- End*