Chapter 5
"The larger box came from Rita," Izuku told Toshinori and Melissa, "They were mementos of Katherine Hillard-Oliver. Kat was the second Might Morphin' Pink Ranger, the Pink Zeo Ranger, and the first Pink Turbo Ranger. I'm sure you can tell that the Coin is part of the Pink Turbo Coin. And the Morpher is the MMPR Pink Ranger's Morpher, used by both Kimberly and Kat."
Izuku paused, and Tommy took over.
"The smaller wooden box came from the Wind Ninja Academy," the AI explained, "Those are two pieces of the Ninja Storm Blue Ranger's Dolphin Coin. The metal box came from Kira's five times great grandson. It is the part of the Dino Thunder Yellow Ranger's Pterodactyl Coin, that Kira recovered after the Coins were shattered. It's one of the biggest Coin fragments that remained, about sixty-one percent of the Coin in one piece."
"I said I wasn't collecting the other Coins," Melissa protested weakly, "In fact, I sent pieces of the Red Ninja Storm Ranger's Coin back to the Academy."
"We know," Izuku said, "But we also noticed you've been asking mostly about the past. You haven't asked much about me, or the Echo Coin. I'm thinking you were holding back after what happened on the beach Thursday. But if I show you my Ranger forms, I think you will understand why Tommy asked for the Blue and Yellow Coins."
"Ranger forms?" Melissa parroted, surprised. Izuku stepped back. He raised his left wrist vertically. Then he touched his right pointer and middle fingers to the watch's face.
"It's Morphin' Time! Echo Ranger... 1!"
Izuku tacked on the extra word at the end as a statement of intent and hope. Energy crackled out of the watch. It flowed over his body. Transformed into a suit that Toshinori was now familiar with, and Melissa recognized.
"You look like the MMPR Green Ranger," she said, walking closer but keeping a respectable distance, "Well, somewhat. The helmet is different... two daggers... The white and black panels down the side... And the original Dragon Coin symbol on the chest."
"That reminds me," Izuku turned to look at Tommy, "Is there any way to show Melissa... and Toshinori... the Echo Coin."
All Might resisted the urge to sarcastically thank Izuku for remembering him.
"I haven't been able to see it, since it... I don't know, did it transform into the Morpher? Or summon it?"
"A bit of both," Tommy said, "And I can project the Coin here, but I'll let you keep going first. I wouldn't want to steal your thunder."
"Mode White!"
A shorter flash of energy surrounded Izuku. And Melissa leaned in closer.
"Basic structure is the same," she mumbled, absently pulling out her phone and recorded her observations, "Only the helmet and weapon are different. Crest on the dragon shield has also changed, as have colors. Black accents remained the same, but green primary and white accents have swapped places. Also helmet appears to be MMPR White Ranger helmet, only with tiger ears added. Weapon was paired daggers and is now a larger, curved sword."
Then she seemed to come back to herself. She withdrew slightly with an embarrassed look.
"I assume the changes are not just cosmetic?" the young woman prompted.
"That's right," Izuku agreed happily, "Mode Green is fast, and Mode White is strong. Physically strong, as in able to lift heavy things and swing the Tiger Saber harder. And also, Mode Black!"
"Similar," Melissa started mumbling again, "Primarily a color change, though the helmet, weapon, and crest all changed. But instead of black and white switching, the white accent has returned to its original location and green is now where the black was and black is the main color. Crest and helmet are like Dino Thunder Black, and weapon is a.. wand?"
Izuku took the rod off his right hip, and twisted it. It snapped out until it was nearly as long as All Might was tall.
"Ah, quarterstaff... or maybe a bo staff," Melissa nodded.
"Mode Black is the defensive form," Izuku said, taking off his helmet. He set it on the table next to his bag.
"Which also makes it the easiest form to maintain for long periods right now," he added.
"How long are you up to now?" Toshinori asked.
"About two hours in White or Green, and two and a half in Black," the Ranger told the Hero. Then he turned his attention to Melissa again, and stated, "I thought you would probably want to run some scans or something."
"Or maybe a sketch?" Melissa asked hesitantly.
"Before that," Tommy called out to the three living Humans, "I wanted to talk a bit more about the Coins."
They looked, and Tommy was not currently visible in the tube. Instead their were three Coins projected inside it, each blown up to about the size of Izuku's head.
"I already told Izuku this, but didn't show him," the AI continued, "After the Shadow War, my Green and White Coins were damaged. There was a large crack in the Green Coin. Had there been enough Grid energy, I still could have Morphed with it. But if I maintained my Ranger form for too long, or pushed it too hard, it would have broken."
The hologram of the green coin had a white glow, emphasizing the break. It went about two thirds of the way through the bronze, and had a second, smaller splinter.
"The White Coin was only missing a small chip," he continued, "So it also would have worked, except my Ranger form would have been less powerful and less stable. Only the Black Coin was completely intact. But even then, there was too little power to use it. And my Master Morpher was gone. It was destroyed, but protected the Coins. So I started the project to combine the three Coins. Of course most of the work was done by people far smarter than me. And also our magical allies. By merging the three Coins, we were able to fix the damage to the White and Green Coins, and also let them draw in power more efficiently."
The projected coins merged together. Three faces changed; the symbols that now marked Izuku's chest armor instead became the animals. The projection of the Echo Coin spun in the tube, its face changing randomly each rotation.
"So you want to make a second three form Coin," Melissa mused, "Pink, Blue, and Yellow."
"Not exactly," Tommy reappeared, shaking his head, "The Coins you have are too incomplete. I can explain it more in depth later, but even with what you have and what Izuku just gave you, it wouldn't work. But what I think we might be able to do is make two coins. A Pink and Blue hybrid Coin, and a Pink and Yellow hybrid Coin. And merge them together, for the same reason we did with the original Echo Coin; one Coin won't have enough power in the current environment. But two, together, should."
"Might, should," Melissa frowned, "You don't seem sure."
"I'm not," Tommy admitted, "And I want to be honest with you and set your expectations. The original Echo Project took three basically functional Coins. It had Cam, Haley, and the Fairweather siblings, four geniuses with extensive experience working with Ranger tech. They were assisted by Rita and Udonna, two powerful and knowledgeable sorceresses. And even if the other former Rangers and our allies weren't directly working on the project, they were available to bounce ideas off. I wish we had had Billy or any of the Alphas to help, but the team made it work with the resources on Earth."
"We have nine Coins," Tommy continued, "All in far worse shape and none of them working. Maybe we can still find more, and the more the better, but it is still an uphill battle. You are a genius, Melissa, but you don't have the knowledge and experience the Echo team did. Izuku and Toshinori are both about as smart as me, and I remember how much help I was..."
"But you are an AI now," Toshinori mused softly.
"I'm an AI copy of Tommy. A scan of his brain and memories given will and sentience. I'm no smarter than he was. Yes, I can parrot off facts, draw schematics. But I don't understand them. I do contain all the notes and plans of the Echo team, but when it comes to adapting them for Melissa's Coin fragments, I'm afraid I won't be much help."
"And Rita left the Earth," Izuku mused, "And Udonna is gone."
"And I don't know if there are any other sorcerers left," Tommy nodded, "Or if there are, if they could or world help."
The AI looked at the young woman again, "We are starting from a slightly better place, given we have the Echo Coin and the notes used to create it, and more Grid energy. We have more than four Coins of total material to work with, but they are in worse shape, so that is a wash. At the same time, I don't want you to get too hopeful yet. Not until you start studying the notes, and understand better what we are facing."
She nodded.
"I'll email you the files," the AI said, "All of you. But if you are really planning to go to Kyoto, you might want to wait to see if you can find any parts of the Squadron Rangers' coins. Also, that will give anyone else I tried to contact more time to respond."
"That's a good plan," Toshinori agreed, "And on that note, do you have any plans for July 16th through the 20th, Izuku?"
"I don't think so," the boy answered.
"Then, if you are interested and your mother agrees, would you like to come to Kyoto with Melissa and I?"
"Of course. I'll ask her tonight."
"Are you sure?" Izuku asked again, barely managing not to stammer, "It's okay if you don't want to."
Melissa frowned at him, and said, "No, I'm sure. I want to help, and if there is any chance of me become a Ranger, I'll need to get in better shape. Not that I'm in bad shape, I think. Just need to be better."
The young woman was wearing heavy leather gloves so she wouldn't cut her hands. She was wearing thick work boots with reinforced steel toes. She was also wearing pink spandex spats and a white t-shirt knotted at the waist so it wouldn't hang loose and catch on anything. Izuku could also make out the outline of a pink sports bra under her shirt. He was trying not to look, but with how tight her shirt was pulled, and the sea spray and sweat making the cotton translucent, he could still see it.
Melissa picked up a door that had been shorn off a dishwasher, and started carrying it up to the curb.
"Uncle M... Toshi said that you two don't normally do this on Sundays," she said.
"No, Saturday was my break day," Izuku shook his head, "After the half-day of school, I'd do my homework and rest, so I could work out all day on Sundays."
"Oh, right," she said. Then she lifted the door the rest of the way into the dumpster.
"But you did work out yesterday morning," she remembered, "You did your martial arts here, and helped Uncle Toshi and me... Was that to make up for me messing up your schedule Thursday and Friday?"
"No," he denied quickly, "Dr. O and I agreed I should pick up the pace a bit on summer break. Do a bit more Monday through Friday. And then do some yoga and forms forms as a lighter workout on Saturday."
"And we are happy to have your help, and to help you in return," Toshinori told his niece. Then he looked at Izuku and prompted, "Right?"
He just barely managed to keep a straight face and neutral tone.
"Of course," Izuku agreed emphatically, "I just didn't want you to feel obligated, if you would rather go over the files Dr. O sent."
"No," Melissa said, "I need to do this. Besides, a good workout should help me clear my mind and begin organizing my thoughts for later. The chronicle of how the last Power Coin was created..."
"Melissa, you have a bit..." Toshinori said, pointing the the corner of his mouth, then her face. The girl blushed and a rubbed her mouth stealthily on her shoulder. Izuku imagined if he would have understood the technical aspects, he would have been more excited. But just to read the notes, their thoughts, he was looking forward to it.
"So, unless Tommy objects," Toshinori continued quickly, "My suggestion is that, for the duration of Izuku's summer break and Melissa's visit, the two of you meet here every morning by eight AM. You work on cleaning up here from eight until noon. Then you return to the Command Center for lunch and a bit of rest. And from one until five PM, you work on martial arts, or yoga on some days to break up the monotony. There is enough space in the main room, until the workout room is ready. And that way Tommy can watch you, talk to you directly, and even show you what you are doing wrong. Then you can break for the day."
"What about you, Toshinori?" Izuku asked.
"That reminds me, why can't Tommy talk to us normally?" Melissa queried at the same time.
"I have my job," All Might reminded them, "So while I will join you as much as I can, I can't guarantee how often or how much time I will be able to spend."
"Right," Izuku nodded.
'I'll explain back at the Command Center,' a text arrived on Melissa's phone.
"We should get to work," Izuku noted.
"The reason I can't just talk when I'm in the Morpher, is that there are no speakers," Tommy answered after Melissa restated his questions.
"No speakers?" she mused, "But that must also mean there is no communicator."
"That's right," Tommy confirmed.
"Really?" Izuku was shocked, partly at the revelation and partly that he hadn't noticed it himself.
"Why is that?" All Might asked, to try to keep the conversation simple and on track.
"We were working with limited resources," Tommy said, "so we had to make decisions. Add another function to the Morpher, or devote the parts and power to other systems. Instead of the communicator, they improved the scanner, the power couplings, and the security system. It wasn't a hard choice, either. The Ranger communicators run off a subwave network of the Morphin' Grid. That's how they have FTL communication. But without the Grid, that wouldn't work. Besides that, everyone had mobile phones. And there was only one Ranger, and we weren't expecting this?"
He waved to himself and the rest of the Command Center. Then he shrugged.
"During all the debates, Adam reminded us that our original Morphers didn't have communicators, either. Billy built us wrist mounted ones. And that, again, other than FTL and never needing to charge the battery, our phones did a lot more than those communicators did. So Clark Fairweather built a nano radio transmitter so the Morpher could connect to wifi."
"Which is why you text us from inside the Morpher," Melissa said, "You can connect to the phone network, but can't speak."
"To be fair," All Might said glibly, "Getting random texts is much less conspicuous than a talking watch."
"Thank you for having us, Midoriya-san," Yagi Toshinori bowed sharply at the waist to Midoriya Inko. And was still a bit taller than her.
"No, thank you for helping my son," she said, also bowing.
"He has helped me as much as I have helped him," Yagi said humbly.
"Thank you for having us," Melissa said, bowing somewhat more awkwardly, "I am Shield Melissa. It is nice to meet you, Midoriya-san"
"It is nice to meet you, too," Inko said, "Izuku speaks very highly of you... Of both of you."
"Izuku... kun is an amazing person," Melissa countered. There was just a hint of pink in her cheeks, but Inko did not miss that.
Before she would let her son go on a trip with two unrelated people, Inko insisted on meeting them. And for the sake of efficiency, they were meeting the afternoon of the the 14th of July, in the Midoriya family apartment, while Izuku was out training. Melissa had begged out a few days earlier, siting the need to check in with her father And Toshinori faked an emergency call for All Might.
The reason for the secrecy was simple. The next day was Izuku's birthday, so this was a surprise party for him. Melissa had been adamant about planning and throwing at least a small party, as it was Izuku's golden birthday. And Toshinori had explained to Inko in their email chat about the old American belief that when the year of your age matched the date of your birth, it was somehow special and significant. So the two adults and older teen would meet up early to prep and to talk.
"Shield," Inko mused, "Why does that sound familiar?"
"My dad is Shield David," Melissa explained, "He builds most of All Might's gear, and was his..."
She paused, looked at Toshinori and whispered in English, "How do you say 'sidekick' in Japanese?"
"Sidekick," he chuckled, "The kanji used is the same as aibo, 'partner', but we say it as the English word to make it clear."
"Hmm, that explains a bit why Izuku was so excited to meet you," Inko mused, "And my English is not great, but we can speak that if it would make you more comfortable, Shield-chan."
"Thank you, but no," Melissa shook her head, "Uncle Toshi and Izuku-kun already indulge me enough. I really should be practicing my Japanese more while I am here. And please, call me Melissa."
"Alright, Melissa-chan," Inko smiled gently. Then she turned her attention to her other guest, "And that may also explain why my son is so fond of you, Yagi-san. May I ask just how it is that Melissa came to be spending her summer with you? And why I should let you whisk my son off to Kyoto?"
"I'm not sure if Izuku has told you," Yagi started, "But I am an insurance investigator and adjuster. My company works mainly for the Hero Association, and more specifically, mainly for All Might. It is through All Might that I came to know David, and later Melissa."
"Ah," Inko smiled ruefully, "And have you introduced my son to All Might, yet?"
"I have," Toshinori admitted, "I wasn't aware at first of just how big a fan of All Might Izuku is. But he has also been almost entirely polite and respectful. Honestly, for a boy of his age, it is unusual. I can't imagine I would have been so restrained when I was 14 or 15. Of course, once I learned about his situation and his past, I understood."
"Hmmm," Inko hemmed again, "And have you and All Might been fueling his... dream of being a Hero?"
"I shouldn't speak for All Might," he told her, "But I have talked about it with him, yes. And yes, I am supportive of his goal. He may succeed, he may fail. But I think it is better for him to try. I may not have known him before he started this new training, but in the time I have known him, he has become much more physicality healthy. And helped me get back in shape, too."
"There are Heroes without flashy or powerful Quirks," Melissa said evenly, wanting to support her friend without alienating his mother, "I've met them through my father. They make up for it with tools and training. Izuku is putting in more work than most of those Heroes. And I would like to make sure that any additional gear he needs, I will make or get it for him."
"You've only known him for a week," Inko protested weakly.
"Actually," Melissa blushed heavily, "It turns out we've known each other online for years."
Inko frowned and studied Melissa. The greenette looked like she wanted to say something. Ultimately, she held her tongue. Then she sighed.
"I might not agree with everything you both just said," she told them, "But ultimately I think you are good people who genuinely care about my son. So I am provisionally giving you permission to take him to Kyoto."
"Provisional on?" Melissa prompted awkwardly
"Provisional on the rest of the evening," Inko said directly, "On watching you interact with my son, and seeing if you are trying to trick me."
"Okay," Toshinori agreed.
"Mom, I'm home!' Izuku called out as he opened the door. But the apartment was dark. He wondered if his mom went to the store.
Then the room seemed to explode. Loud pops and light filled the apartment's living room slash kitchen. Izuku dropped into a fighting stance, already reaching for his Morpher.
"Surprise!" familiar voices reached his ears, before his vision cleared, "Happy Birthday, Izuku!"
Izuku relaxed, pulling his hand away before his mother noticed.
"Nice reflexes," Toshinori complimented him.
"What is this?" Izuku asked, looking at Inko, Toshinori, and Melissa.
"Surprise birthday party," Melissa said, "It wouldn't have been as much of a surprise if we had it tomorrow. Sorry it's such a small party."
"No, it's great," Izuku wiped his leaking eyes. There was a green, white and black banner saying 'Happy Fifteenth' over kitchen table. The cake on the table was frosted in All Might's colors; red, blue, and gold. Inko was confused why Melissa had chosen the opposing color scheme. The younger woman had given her a mumbled excuse about Izuku's hair and the colors available.
There was also a small stack of gifts next to the cake.
"We don't have much planned," Toshinori told him, "Just dinner and gifts. We can talk or maybe play a game afterwards."
There was a slight twinkle in his eye as he said that.
"What are we having?" Izuku asked.
"Sorry, not katsudon," Inko said, "I'm making that tomorrow."
"We brought pizza," Melissa said, "I hope that's okay."
"Yeah, that's great," Izuku nodded. Inko took the premade pies out of the fridge, and with Toshinori's help, transferred them to the heated oven.
"I know you said it's okay, but I really am sorry we couldn't get more people," Melissa said, after Inko shooed the kids out of the small kitchen, "I thought about trying to contact your classmates, but then I remembered the explosion haired jerk, and wondered if you would actually want any of them here."
"No, I wouldn't," Izuku said softly, "I've come to realize recently that I don't have any friends at Aldera. Just bullies, bystanders, and people I don't know. Now that I'm being more honest with myself, all the friends I have are online, except Toshinori and you, now. But even you two I met online first."
"I can kinda relate," she told him, "I'm not bullied. At least not actively. But I don't really have any friends at school either. I have people I get along with, people who are jealous of me for various reasons, or people I don't know. And most of the my classmates who are friendly towards me just want my help or want to use me to get close to my dad. It's probably also my fault. I was teased for being Quirkless back in California, so when we moved to I Island, I was much more guarded and standoffish. If I'm being honest, this last week with you is the most fun, the most open I've been with someone my own age in years. I think I'm generally a happy person, but that's more with my dad, Uncle Might, and online. It's nice."
"Yes. Nice."
"Alright kids, the pizzas are ready," Inko called out, wearing a gentle smile
Toshinori's gift was also partly from Rita and Zack. It was a new, in box, Game Boy Advance, guaranteed to be fully functional thanks to Rita's 'Quirk' (or so they phrased it for Inko). And also a stack of compatible antique games. Half of them Power Rangers games (some made with the Rangers' permission, others made with the expectation the Rangers would not sue and risk having to expose their identities).
Melissa gave him an armored electromagnetic bracer she made herself.
"You can use it to sweep the beach for metal, or add weight to it to help you train," she told him. And later, she texted him that it could also survive one or maybe two hits from All Might, so it had a tactical use, too.
Inko gave her son a UA entrance exam study guide and a licensed Silver Age All Might track suit for his workouts.
They ate cake, played a few board games, and then split for the night. As Toshinori and Melissa left, Inko addressed her son and his friends.
"Thank you both for coming over," she said, "It's nice to have met you, and I'm counting on both of you to take care of Izuku in Kyoto. Since I likely won't see the two of you tomorrow, I hope the three of you enjoy your trip."
"Thank you for having us, Midoriya-san," Yagi told her, "And we will."
"Welcome to Kyoto," Toshinori told the kids, as they exited the bullet train.
"Have you been here before, Uncle Toshi?" Melissa asked, glancing around.
"I have, but only on business," he told her, then prompted, "What about you, Izuku?"
"No, I haven't been here before," the younger man answered, "We were supposed to in my last year of primary school, but couldn't go after the train tacks... tracks were damaged."
"When Endeavor and Gang Orca stopped the Twenty Meters Gang from destroying the entire rail line," Toshinori mused.
"Yes," Izuku nodded broadly, "They limited the damage to just under a kilometer of track, but the high-speed line was shut down for almost a month. My school didn't have the time or money to arrange alternate transport, so they just cancelled the trip."
"Well, we can all have a more fun time and explore the city," their chaperone said, almost slipping into his All Might voice, "We have the rest of today, all day Monday through Wednesday, and a good portion of Thursday, since our return tickets are for 3:15 PM. First we should get checked into our hotel, and decide where we will start."
"I have an idea for that," Izuku said.
"What?" Melissa asked.
"There is a memorial at Nanzen-ji Temple," the Ranger explained, "It is for the 'disaster' of 2007. Officially the government doesn't acknowledge what happened, just honors the victims. But the monument is for the where the final battle between the Squadron Rangers and the Gorma Clan took place, and all the innocents Emperor Shadam killed."
Izuku paused. Then he sighed.
"But since the government denies the Rangers were real, the monument has become something of a tourist trap. That said, from what Tommy found out after I mentioned it, there are maps and pamphlets about what supposedly happened while the Squadron team was active. Some of it might be exaggerated or false, but I still think it's a place to start."
"Doesn't Dr. O have better info?" Melissa prompted.
"Not really," Izuku shook his head, "The Squadron team was very secretive, even for Rangers. While they helped in the Ranger War and the Shadow War, only Squadron Black ever powered down and gave their name to the other teams. Which Tommy wouldn't tell me, to honor their privacy."
"Understandable," Toshinori bobbed his head, "Let us drop off our things, and check out the memorial."
Their hotel was a western style building and they had two adjoining rooms; one for the boys and one for Melissa. They dropped off their bags. Melissa partially loaded her backpack again with all her sensors and digging gear. Izuku also brought a backpack, partly to carry anything they found or bought, but also so Melissa didn't look out of place.
There weren't too many people at Nanzen-ji Temple. And most of those visitors were at the temple itself, not the memorial.
They walked up to it reverently. It was a white marble, inlayed with wrought iron and covered with glass to prevent corrosion. There were five hundred seventy eight names on the surface, and the symbol of the Squadron Rangers at the top. And the the bottom an inscription, 'For those who fought, those who fell, and those who survived'. Izuku and Toshinori clapped their hands twice, and bowed. Melissa quickly followed suit.
"Family or fans?" a voice called out to them. They turned to look. It was a Japanese man in his mid to late twenties with short black hair in a topknot, and glowing eyes, one yellow and one red. He was studying them with casual curiosity, and a hint of amusement.
"I'm sorry?" Toshinori countered in confusion.
"Family or fans?" he repeated, then explained, "Most people ignore that monument. People who stop generally are honoring an ancestor whose name is on there. That, or they are fans of the Power Rangers."
"And why do you ask?" Toshinori asked.
"Partly curiosity," the man said, "But mostly business."
He produced a business card and handed it to Yagi.
"Teroshi," Toshinori read, "Walking Ranger Tours."
He raised an eyebrow at the other man.
"Hey, I'm better than the cheap crap the city prints up to make a quick yen," he gestured at vending machine a few meters from the memorial. It had drinks and snacks, but also a row of folded maps and pamphlets.
"Paper is cheap and stores longer," Teroshi shrugged, "And the government doesn't really care how accurate they are. But then, neither do a lot of people who buy them, But you three strike me as different from the normal rabble. Are you maybe, True Believers?"
"What makes you think that?" Izuku asked.
"Two Japanese and an American? And you are still listening to me? You aren't like the fair weather fans who think all the Rangers were TV shows or publicity stunts. Though there were those, too. If you are that type, I could also show you where they filmed the local scenes for the show based off the Dino Thunder news footage."
"No thanks," Melissa said.
"The show wasn't that bad, miss American," he smirked, deliberately using English titles instead of Japanese honorifics, "And they did pay Mr. Oliver and Ms. Ford royalties after their identities came out. More than you can say for the big budget movie did for the Mighty Morphin' team."
"Doctor Oliver," the three of them corrected in unison.
"See," Teroshi grinned broadly, "I knew I had you pegged as real fans."
Toshinori didn't flinch, used to playing that game with the press. But Izuku and Melissa both looked away, embarrassed.
"What do you say?" the salesman pressed, "Sign up for the tour. I even offer a fifty percent refund if you aren't fully satisfied."
"How much is the tour?" Toshinori asked, "And how long?"
"Tour lasts about five hours, not counting lunch break and if you want to hang out at any of the sites for more than ten to fifteen minutes. But I block off a whole day for the tour, just in case. Nine AM to four PM, ten thousand yen per person. Lunch isn't included, but I can take you to some of the best hidden gems in the city. And since usually it's only one or two people on the tour, I'll do you a deal; 25K for the three of you."
"Give us a moment," Toshinori said, and steered the teens away.
"He seems like a weasel," Melissa said sharply.
"Maybe," Izuku glanced back. The other man was keeping his distance but waiting patiently.
"But he did have us pegged," the Ranger in training added.
"He does seem to know his stuff," Toshinori agreed, "And the price is reasonable if the tour is as long as he claims."
"I don't trust him," Melissa said frankly.
"You know, I do," Izuku said, "It's just a feeling I have. Like maybe he's playing up, to protect himself. So if people try to mock him, he can just brush it off."
"And between myself and Izuku, I doubt he can pull anything," Toshinori added, "Unless he has a very powerful Quirk."
Melissa looked over. Teroshi gave her a little wave.
"Fine," she said, "But I say we still get one of the maps, and compare to where he takes us."
"Not a bad plan," her guardian agreed.
They returned to the guide.
"We will take your tour," Toshinori told him, "Do you want cash up front?"
"Cash or plastic," Teroshi shrugged, "But not up front. Half in the morning before the tour. Half at the end if you are satisfied. And what day do you want? I'm booked tomorrow, but the rest of the week is currently free."
"Tuesday, then," Toshinori said, thinking that if the tour was valid, they would have Wednesday to do any follow-up. And if not, they could use their last full day to check places Teroshi didn't take them. Or just sightsee, if the tour was that good.
The guide held out his hand, and Toshinori shook it.
"Meet back here Tuesday morning, by quarter to nine," Teroshi told them.
"Yes... Yes... I understand," All Might said into his phone, masking his growing annoyance, "I will be there as soon as possible."
He disconnected, and sighed.
"There is a giant octopus attacking Miyazu," he told the teens, "And it seems it has a Quirk, because its tentacles are made of aluminum, and grow back in less than a minute. My agency told the Hero Association I was in Kyoto before they found out where the attack was happening, which means they can spare a jet to fly me in."
It was just after eight in the morning, Tuesday the 18th of July. The Ranger hunters had already eaten, and were getting ready to head out for their tour.
"Unfortunately, it is getting close to the North Kyoto Medical Center," he continued, "So I..."
"You have to go," Izuku said simply, "Part of me wants to go with you, but I'm not ready. And I don't have my license."
Toshinori nodded, "I appreciate the thought, but you are right. And the octopus maybe 'giant' but it isn't so large that a Zord wouldn't be overkill."
"If I could even summon a Zord," Izuku said sadly.
Thursday the 13th, they were eating lunch in the Command Center. And Izuku's mind kept drifting back to one of the items he had pulled out of the sand that morning. It was an old Convoy toy. Scraped, dented, missing one leg and both hands. Looking at the antique Autobot had reminded him of something.
"Dr. O?" he looked over at the projection chamber, setting his chopsticks down over the ramen bowl, "Is there an Echo Zord?"
"There are," Tommy confirmed, studying his student.
"Really?" Melissa said excitedly, "You built Zords for Izuku... Or for the Echo Ranger, I guess."
"Partially," Tommy said, "Zords are both mechanical and spiritual. Some are built by or for the Rangers. Others build themselves. The Echo Zords are combination of those. Or rather will be. We brought together the components. Partially built them. And when Izuku is ready and calls on a Zord, we are counting on them to finish assembling themselves."
"Really?" the scientist repeated, this time more dubious.
"We didn't build the Dino Thunder Zords," he oversimplified, "We hatched them, and after bonding with one of the Rangers they grew and changed into DinoZords."
"So, when will I be able to summon the Echo Zords?" Izuku asked.
"I'm not sure," Tommy said, "Not soon."
"Oh," Izuku grimaced.
"I get it Izuku," Tommy said, "You dig giant robots."
"We dig giant robots," Toshinori interjected insistently.
"Chicks dig giant robots," Melissa said in a sultry and teasing tone, nodding her head knowingly.
"Nice," Tommy said sarcastically, rolling his eyes, "There are two, well three, things that have to happen before you can even try to summon a Zord, Izuku. The first, and the simplest, is that we need a secure and private place to do it. If people see a Zord, it will be harder for you to hide behind a fake Quirk. Dagobah might not be busy, but it is still in the city, with people walking and driving past. A robot three times the size of the Yagi Agency building is going to stand out."
Izuku grimaced in understanding.
"I have been looking for a suitable testing ground," Toshinori added, "And may have found a place. But I haven't secured permission yet."
"The second reason is that you aren't ready yet," Tommy said, "The Zords take an incredible amount of energy. But, like Morphing, the stronger your connection is, the less they take. Being more used to maintaining your Ranger form, and having a stronger spiritual connection, will decrease the energy required by both your Ranger form and your Zord. But it will still be a lot. Many Rangers in the past could support two or more Zords at once. Part of that was due to practice and skill, but mostly it was just due to having unlimited Grid Energy. Even if you completely master your powers and I leave the Morpher permanently, unless something changes, you will only ever be able to call one Zord at a time. Likely only the Zord connected to your current mode."
"Unless something changes," Melissa mused, "Like fitting a fusion generator or three into each Zord?"
"I was thinking like the Morphin' Grid is restored," Tommy shook his head, "It would take more like ten of the generators that are installed here, and that's assuming you can adapt all the Zords' systems to run off them. Or run partly off the generators and partly off what Grid Energy the Morpher can provide. Even then, I'm not sure how stable it would be. Those generators don't be designed to be mobile."
"still, something to think about," Melissa whispered.
"And the third reason," Tommy ignored her fondly, remembering when Billy, Haley, or Anton would get like that, "Is that I'm not sure you need the Zords."
He held up his hand before Izuku could protest.
"Rangers do not escalate," Tommy said firmly, "They only use their weapons for defense. We never summoned the Megazord to stomp Goldar when he was our size. Because it would have been more destructive than was necessary. And because it would have made us the bad guys; the embiggened monsters would have just been defending themselves."
"Nevermind that they attacked first," Toshinori muttered, "It's all about perception."
"Right," Tommy agreed, feeling the other Hero's pain, "And from what I've seen of this world, there isn't much that would require a Zord. If that Hero Godzillo was controlled or just turned evil. Possibly a Villain with a similar Quirk. But most of the time it would be overkill. I still want you to learn how to summon and operate your Zords, to be safe. But when you are ready. And hoping you won't ever need them."
"You'll get it," Melissa told him, "When the time is right."
"I should leave soon," All Might told them, "What are you two going to do? Will you still take the tour?"
"I will," Izuku said. He looked to Melissa, and added, "I know you don't trust Teroshi-san, but I think he's okay. And if not, I can probably handle him. At least long enough for you and Dr. O to call the police and All Might. But if you don't feel safe, don't want to come, that's okay."
"Then I'd just have to sit here, or walk around the city alone. No, I'll come with. If only to keep an eye on that guy."
"Hey, good morning, kids," Teroshi waved to them as they arrived, "Where's the big guy?"
"Business," Melissa said shortly.
"Ah, I hate when the office calls when you're on vacation," the guide nodded broadly, "So just the two of you?"
"He will join us later, if he gets free," Izuku said, "But for now, just us. Here. Ten thousand yen now for the two of us. If we think the tour was worth it, ten more at the end, or fifteen if our friend meets us."
Teroshi took the two 5,000 yen bills Izuku held out.
"That's fair," the guide agreed, "Okay, so you already saw the memorial Sunday, so I'll take you to the first secret site on my tour. Let's go."
With the he walked off the path and into the forest. The two teens followed.
"Where are we going?" Melissa demanded after a few minutes.
"Don't want to ruin the surprise," he glanced back at her, "But we're almost there."
The woods were dense enough that only a little of the morning sun got through. It wasn't dark, but it was not as bright as it had been on the path. Then it began to grow brighter. There was something else visible through the trees. It looked like a bright and smooth blue wall. Izuku and Melissa both tried to puzzle what it was, when they came into the clearing.
The 'wall' was about fifty meters long and not quite thirty tall. The edges were jagged and broken, but the surface was unmarked. And metallic.
"What is this?" Izuku asked.
"During the final battle with Emperor Shadam, the Blue Kirin Zord, the Squadron Megazord's right leg was destroyed. This is where the largest piece of the Zord landed. This is part of the Kirin Zord."
"This is piece of the Zord?" Melissa gaped, "The tech that must..."
"Nah, no tech left," Teroshi waved his hand, "The Rangers came in when the fight was over and took most of it. Then the government swept in and scavenged what was left. All but this armor plate. It was too heavy to move, at least without tearing down the forest, which the temple and UNESCO wouldn't allow. They supposedly tried to cut it with diamond saws, lasers, and super hot torches, but couldn't even scratch it. So they studied it for a few months, and then left it here."
Then he smirked at Melissa, "Why? What would you do if there was Ranger Tech left here, Miss American?"
"Scan it," she said, "Try to find out who owns it to try to buy or trade for it. Wonder why it was just rotting forgotten in the forest."
"The government and the temple were supposedly going to put in a path out here, and put the memorial here. But no-one wanted to pay for the path, or the extra people and cameras to monitor and clean out here."
He adopted a disgusted look, and gestured at the litter near the base of the Zord armor. Izuku, acting almost on instinct after the last few months, got the cloth shopping bag out of his backpack and started to pick up the trash.
Melissa walked around the left side of the plate. It was about 150 cms thick. The outer 20 cms was blue, but then the colored layer faded into a darker grey. Then her boot hit something with a deep clang. It was a smaller fragment of the armor, only about the size of her forearm. She picked it up, and while it wasn't light, it was lighter than she would have expected.
"Souvenir?" Teroshi asked.
"After you already accused me of wanting to steal?" she shot back, "No, I just wanted to get a look at it. And maybe figure out who it belongs to."
"Keep it," he scoffed. She raised an eyebrow.
"If you found a phone on the sidewalk and kept it, that's stealing," he told her, "You find a random bolt and you take it to the police or the hardware store to find the owner, they'd just laugh at you. The Rangers abandoned this thing here, and the government already took all the pieces they wanted. That? That's just trash neither of them thought was worth picking up. Or it was buried too deep and over the years rain and roots brought it back to the surface. Either way, you want that? It's yours."
Izuku had finished his clean up, and joined them.
"Do you want me to carry that?" the younger man asked Melissa.
"No, I have it," she said. She knelt down. Slipped off her backpack. And took longer than it should have getting the armor piece situated. Partly was to make sure it wouldn't poke her or tear her pack. But mostly she was setting some of her scanners against it. To start analyzing its molecular structure. And to see if there was any Grid Energy or residual radiation in it that she might be able to use to track down the rest of the Kirin Zord.
"So, how was our first stop?" Teroshi prompted with a smug expression.
"Great," Izuku agreed, resting on hand on the armor plate.
"Not bad," Melissa agreed reluctantly. The guide grinned.
About half of their stops were on the city tour map. But each time Teroshi provided them with a unique historical fact. He also took them to a number of place not indicated. Each of which Melissa marked. Smaller shrines. A building that bore the Squadron logo after the original was knocked down in a battle and the Rangers help rebuild it. An junk seller (Izuku wouldn't insult Zack and Rita by calling it an antique store) that did have a few bits and bobs of non-working Ranger Tech.
Naturally they bought everything they could find there.
Unfortunately, the octopus proved more slippery than initially expected, and Toshinori was not able to rejoin them by the time they stopped for lunch. True to Terroshi's word, the little Italian restaurant off the beaten path did have some amazing pasta. And according to Melissa, the best bread she ever had.
She was warming to their guide. She still didn't fully trust him, but she had to admit her backpack wouldn't have been nearly as full without him.
"Okay this is a big one," Teroshi told them in awed tones, "After the Rangers' original base was destroyed, this is where they retreated to plan their counterattack."
Which would have been much more interesting and impressive if the shrine was not fronted by a large gift shop labeled "Squadron Base Two" and selling merchandise at all levels of quality and price. A child in a Squadron Red hoodie walked past them.
"You don't say," Melissa said blandly.
"Hey," Teroshi affected deep hurt, "I've delivered so far, haven't I? And I'll have you know, I'm related to the family that runs this shrine. So I can show you all the little secrets... After I take a little break. I shouldn't have ordered the large drink."
"Ah," Izuku blushed and said, "Yeah, me too."
"Okay," Melissa frowned, "Well, I guess I'll check out the shop, look for something to get dad."
"Toilets are over here," he guided Izuku away. After they were a few meters away, he said, "Also there is something I can show you, but can't show her."
"Why not?" Izuku asked.
"I can't take her into the men's locker room," Teroshi said, "The priests of the temple still use it. But they also have reserved the lockers the Rangers used."
"Oh, that makes sense."
"In fact, we can use the toilets there, so we don't have to wait in line," Teroshi said.
"Is that okay?" Izuku sounded nervous.
"Like I said, I'm family here."
Melissa flipped through a book on the Squadron Zords. When her phone buzzed. At the same time, someone caught her attention out of the corner of her eye. She turned, and saw Squadron Pink walk out of the shop. She would have dismissed it as a cosplay. Except her alarm was going off. And there was something else. The glimpse looked more like Izuku's uniform than even a high end cosplay.
She was torn. But a glance at her phone showed the signal was getting weaker. Moving away or fading away.
'Got a ping, following it,' she texted Izuku, 'tracking on, follow me.'
She activated the app that would let him track her. Then she hurried out of the shop, following what she hoped wasn't just a false read and a trick of her imagination.
Melissa checked the tracker and looked. She saw a pink and white boot disappear over the top of the stairs leading up to the shrine, the torii above the path hiding the rest of the person from view. She turned and raced up the stone steps. When she reached the top she saw her target disappearing again, walking behind the shrine. She ran, slipping past the few people on the shrine grounds. She passed the building and...
Saw nothing. There was a narrow path between the back of the shrine and the fence. On the other side of the fence was a field of flowers and small stones. Nowhere to hide. Melissa continued forward. She looked up, remembering Dr. O's admonishment to Izuku that people never looked up. It wasn't Human nature. So she did. And still saw nothing. No-one on the roof, no-one in the sky.
Only the reading was stronger again. Shield pulled the scanner out of her bag, so she could view it directly, and so it wasn't obstructed by the other treasures she had picked up. It still said the signal was in front of her. But diminishing again. Melissa continued along the path slowly, now suspicious. More suspicious.
There was a crack, no, a line in the back wall. Nearly imperceptible, had the scanner not pointed in that direction. Even then, if the hidden door had been fully closed, Melissa would not have been able to seen it. The reading on her device scattering her caution, the blonde slid the door open. There was a stairwell of wood and stone leading down. Under the shrine, into the hill. She put her phone on flashlight mode, but low light. Scanner in her right hand, phone in her left, she crept down the stairs as quietly as she could. Then she saw a light ahead of her. She turned off her phone's light and slowed down. She stopped just above the first step the light touched. The American crouched down, trying to see was lay ahead. Without revealing herself, of course.
"Please, come down, Melissa Shield," a voice said in English, with only a hint of a Japanese accent. She was so used to Uncle Toshi and Izuku's California accents, that it surprised her.
"I swear by my power, that no harm will come to you while you are here," the voice added.
"Okay," Melissa said, realize her cover, if she ever had any, was blown.
She walked to the bottom of the stairs. Into a large room with fine hardwood walls interrupted by a handful of monitors. In the middle of the room was a large hexagon table. It had the logo of the Squadron Rangers in the center, and a strip of color along each edge.
The source of the voice was a Japanese woman. She looked to be in her earlier twenties, but was shorter and more slender than the American. There was no obvious sign of the other woman's Quirk, if any. And she was wearing an extremely fine silk kimono. Light pink, with white and darker pink flowers.
"I am pleased to meet you, Melissa Shield, Seeker of the Pink Rangers," the other girl said, "I am the leader of the Pink family of the Dai clan. You may call me Aleia."
It was mildly interesting for Izuku. There were three rows of modern lockers. Smooth, polished with fingerprint locks. And one row of antiques. Rougher metal with slots for old fashion padlocks. They were well maintained and cleaned, but also unused. Most of the lockers in the row had one of the old, slide-in name plate holders. But five did not, the holders had been removed and just a swash of color painted in its place. Red, yellow, green, blue, and black.
"Now, here's the best part," Teroshi walked to the back of the room, to the plumbing room for the showers and toilets. Except when he opened the door, it was another hallway.
The young Ranger was torn, but ultimately stepped back.
"We really should get back," Izuku shook his head, "She'll be waiting, and I'd feel bad if she couldn't see whatever is in there because of gender separation."
"She'll be fine," Teroshi said dismissively, "Girls love to shop, right?"
"I should at least tell her..."
Izuku trailed off as he logged onto his phone and saw Melissa's message.
"Look, she found something. I'm going back."
"It's probably nothing. Just an illusion of the mind. Come on, you probably won't get another chance to see this. Hint, it's a museum the monks set up of the Rangers."
Izuku eyed the guide, Melissa's doubts now swirling in his brain.
"Are you trying to separate us? Trying to keep me from her?"
"What?" Teroshi protested unconvincingly, "Why would I do something like that?"
"Are you responsible for the attack, too?" Izuku demanded, "Is the octopus meant to keep Toshinori out of this?"
Teroshi's eyes narrowed, "First, summon or controlling monsters is not something we do. Second, even if we did, we would never endanger innocents. Third, I had a whole other diversion lined up for Yagi-san..."
She was the focus of a lot of attention, outside the shrine. Over two meters tall with flaming (not literally) red hair and flashing crimson eyes. Her red top was spandex and white pants were denim, but you could be forgiven for thinking they were body paint with how tightly and precisely they traced every line and curve of her body. And what curves they were, rivalling Midnight or many top models. She also had a six pack and the tight lines of her biceps and calves were visible under her clothing.
Every person attracted to the feminine form was staring, and more than a few other watchers were becoming aware of an attraction they hadn't felt before. Normally at least some of the confident or sooth individuals would have chatted her up by now.
Except that even as they were attracted to her, they were frightened off by the murderous scowl on her. She might have been beautiful and voluptuous, but she was also tall and muscular. And right now she looked like she would rip the arms off of anyone who talked to her.
"Damn that Telos, making me get all dolled up for nothing," she snarled quietly, glaring at her phone.
Teroshi's annoyance faded and he sighed, "Red is going to kick my ass later. I promised her the chance to flirt with someone who is actually taller than her, and a genuine nice guy to boot. And then he doesn't show up because some Quirked up mollusk had to pick today as its kaiju moment.."
"You know who we are," Izuku said, taking a step back.
"Of course, you're my clients," the guide tried to deflect.
"But we never gave you our names. Intentionally. I might have just said 'Toshinori', but how did you know his family name?"
"Ah, crap." Teroshi muttered. Then his tone and expression changed, "Midoriya-kun, I promise you no harm will come to Shield-san. Or at least not physical harm, anyway. Pink does love history and lecturing, so there is a chance you friend will be bored out of her mind. But we are not your enemies."
He reached over to touch Izuku's shoulder reassuringly. Izuku knocked his hand away, and dropped into a fighting stance.
"Hold on cousin," Teroshi's glib voice returned, "I try not to fight family, and definitely don't want to throw down with the Echo Ranger."
Izuku froze, but held his stance.
"I mean, sure you have a grounding in what, five or six schools? But you aren't an expert at any of them. And don't have your own style yet. On the other hand, I've been studying two schools since before you were born and have mastered them. But with a Morpher, your raw physical abilities easily overrun any skill difference. And my Quirk isn't any great shakes. Even if I start casting, you'll just Morph, and then it's all over for me."
"How do you know all that? Casting? Cousin? Who are you?"
"I am the current head of the Black family of the Dai clan. Tenkitsu Telos. I am a descendant of 'Xev', the Black Squadron Ranger. And so are you, Izuku."
"I am? You are? What?"
"I mean it was six generations ago, so arguably it barely matters. But we keep an eye on the remote relatives, just in case a great talent shows up. And the Squadron Rangers may not have helped with the Echo Project, but that doesn't mean they didn't keep tabs on it. In case they needed help from the Echo Ranger. Hypocrites."
"Why do you say that?"
"The Dai clan has always been secretive. Well, not always, but since they moved to Japan and started guarding the Kyoto ley line conjunction. So the rest of the Dai clan wasn't happy that Xev powered down and told the Americans, or even the Lightning Rangers his name. Not even his full or family names, Xev was just the nickname he picked for himself, a shortening of his given name. So when Oliver-sensei was able to contact us about his project, they were upset that any outsider was able to do that. Nevermind that the Wind or Thunder Ninja Academies could have done it for Oliver-sensei. So they decided not to help. Technically, three of the Rangers voted against helping. One wanted to return the Ranger tech and broken Coins, but otherwise stay out of it. And Xev and one of the other Rangers wanted to help. But, majority rules, and so they did nothing. Even while they watched and were ready use you... or whoever the Echo Ranger might have been. So like I said, hypocrites."
Telos paused, taking a breath after his angry rant.
"Despite that," Izuku said carefully, "I notice you only mentioned Xev's choice."
"I'm not going to shame the dead," Telos shrugged, "And when talking to outsiders, we have adopted the custom of using the other families' Ranger colors, for secrecy. That's why I said 'Red' and 'Pink', rather than their names."
"I still feel like I'm missing a lot," Izuku said, calming but also confused.
"Yeah, okay," Telos sighed again, "I'll give you the dime store history lesson. Shield-san will be able to give you a longer version later. If she can stay awake through Pink's droning. But can we go inside? At least the museum has chairs."
Izuku glanced at his watch. A simple message appeared in place of the watch face for a moment. The name 'Xev' and then a thumbs up emoji.
"Sure," the younger man agreed.
Normally Izuku would have been gaping. Staring. Darting around the room in fascination. The Morphers. Pictures of the team, in and out of Ranger form, though no names. Other tech. And also a few relics of the Gorma clan.
Instead, he was sitting, studying his supposed cousin. Still less trusting of the man than he had been earlier, despite Dr. O's reassurance. But also very interested to hear what he had to say.
"Again, this is the short version," Telos told him, "I've never been a huge history buff, nor do I want to keep you all afternoon."
"So a couple thousand years ago, there were these two wizard clans in China. The Dai clan and the Gorma clan. The Dai clan wanted to have harmony between magic, nature, and supernatural creatures. The Gorma clan wanted to control QI beasts, and even merge with them. It's easy to call them evil now, especially knowing what the Gorma became, but back then they were just trying to survive and protect humanity against a much harsher environment."
"Anyway, at first the Dai and the Gorma were allies, if not friends. But over the years magic styles became dogmas. And allies became rival became enemies. Then the Gorma messed up. They tried to summon and enslave this massive, godlike dragon. Nowadays we just call it 'Daijinryuu', but it probably has a different True name and a much cooler Chinese name. Again, going on a tangent. Maybe I'm more like Pink than I thought."
"Ahem," Telos coughed to clear his throat and focus, "The Gorma failed. Daijinryuu was too powerful for them, and in its rage that they tried to control it, it attacked them. Killed a lot, and drove the rest out of China. They crossed the channel and wound up in Japan. And they found Kyoto, a place of incredibly powerful magic. So they started to plot their second attempt to control the dragon. And also revenge on the Dai clan for not helping."
"The big dragon sensed them, and ordered the Dai clan to stop them. So our ancestors came to Japan. Made alliances with Japanese Qi beasts, who weren't too happy with the Gorma. They fought. And we won. But at the last minute, the last members of the Gorma clan to a play out the good guys' book, and sealed themselves away."
"The Dai clan realized the dragon wouldn't consider the job done, so they settled in here. Started to prepare for when the Gorma returned. From time to time, other magic users came to Kyoto. Some formed friendships or even married into the Dai clan. Others were more nasty, and they were sent packing. The Dai clan started to shift from 'get ready for the next Gorma attack' to 'protect Kyoto from anyone who would exploit it'.
"That's probably why, a couple centuries later, Zordon of Eltar and Ninjor approached the Dai clan. Offered them Ranger powers to help protect the area. After some debate, the clan accepted. They were given the six Squadron Coins and Morphers. They tried not to use the Ranger powers, and for the most part defended Kyoto from the shadows with martial arts and mystic abilities. But every so often, a threat would prove big enough that one or two of the families would temporarily use the Ranger powers. But never for long, and never all six."
"Shadowy defenders with mystic powers?" Izuku repeated, "They were ninjas. You're a ninja."
"I don't know if I qualify. But yes, they were. And that brings me to the next part. See, about five hundred years ago, Ninjor approached the Dai clan again. He had found a new threat, across the ocean. A so-called Abyss of Evil. So he asked if there were any branch family members that would take up cause. The Dai clan was getting pretty big, and a few families agreed. That..."
"I always wondered why there were ancient ninja academies in southern California," Izuku interrupted, "That was them. The Dia clan members. The Wind and Thunder Ninja Academies. That was them. They're you."
"Yup. Some members of the Red, Blue, and Yellow families agreed. The Reds founded the Thunder Ninja Academy. The Yellows the Wind Ninjas. And the Blues founded the town of Blue Bay Harbor, to support the academies and look for potential recruits."
"So, we kept defending Kyoto, and our cousins the Abyss of Evil. And you know most of the rest. The Gorma broke free. They were stronger than our ancestors were expecting, so they used the Squadron Ranger powers to fight them. Then the Ranger War. The Dai clan, other than Xev, wanted to stay out. But they realized that if the other Rangers lost to Marvo, then he would come for them. And they would lose, too. And Xev pointed out that it might attract attention if all the other Rangers fought, but the Squadron Rangers didn't. So they fought. Xev introduced himself to Oilver-sensei and a few of the other Rangers."
"Then the Shadow War. They couldn't stay out of that, it was world wide and there were Gorma Shadows, too. They fought again, but at the end of the war, lost their powers. Their Rangers powers, I should say."
"Magic is weaker," Telos concluded, "Our Ranger powers are gone. But we still learn to fight, use what magic we can. And now we have Quirks, too. So the Dai clan continues to watch over and protect Kyoto."
"Okay, but why tell me all this?" Izuku asked.
"Like I said, the Black family has always been more connected to the outside, wanted to be more open. You are family, a descendant of Xev, albeit a cadet family. And you are a Ranger. The only Ranger, at least on Earth. And we think we know what Shield-san is trying to do. And you are helping. Pink is deciding if Shield-san is worthy. Me, I already know you are. The main reason I brought you here, was to give you this."
Telos stood. Crossed the room. Produced a key, and opened one of the cases.
"I only have authority over my family. But all in all, I think this belongs with you."
He turned, and held out the Black Squadron Ranger's Morpher.
"Really?" Izuku reached out hesitantly.
"I mean the Coin is broken and gone. And without the Morphin' Grid, it doesn't work. But it is an original, intact Morpher. I think you can find some use for it. Especially if someone were able to find or make another Power Coin."
"Thank you," Izuku said sincerely, and took the Morpher.
Melissa's head was spinning. When she compared notes with Izuku later, she found her lecture started earlier, lasted longer, and went much more in depth into the individuals of the Dai and Gorma clans. Into the Dai families and their responsibilities. Aleia told Melissa specific other enemies the Dai clan had faced, with and without their Ranger powers.
But it was not just the history. One month ago, Melissa had not believed in magic. The Space Witch Rita? The Mystic Force Rangers? Just technology. Or maybe Quirk like powers. Lots of the aliens and monsters that fought the Rangers had powers that weren't magic.
Then she arrived in Japan. Met a real Ranger. A pretty smart and amazing guy who did believe. Who had, along with her Uncle Might, met Rita (and no, she was not still jealous about that, picture or not) and heard how magic was different from her. Learned that Quirks that seemed illogical and beyond physics were frequently manipulating magic, even if they were more restrictive than learning spells (which led Melissa to wonder if people with those sorts of Quirks would be able to learn magic). She also talked to Dr. O, who knew more and also believed.
Aleia had showed her magic, including exhibiting how she fooled Melissa's sensor. She also gave the American scientist some tips on her to prevent magical interference in the future.
"Why tell me all that?" Melissa finally asked, "If the Dai clan is so secretive, why tell an outsider? Especially me, an American?"
"Two reasons," Aleia said, "The first is that Telos intends to inform Izuku Midoriya of this. I expect Izuku will entrust you with it. So I wanted to speak with you first, to give you more than the 'Cliff Notes' version our lazy guide is giving the Echo Ranger. However I also wanted to speak to you directly, personally. To tell you that we will not be helping you."
"What do you mean?" Melissa asked carefully.
"We believe you seek the Pink Ranger Coins to understand them. To repair them. To use them. Are we wrong?"
"Not entirely," Melissa said, "I never thought I could repair them, but thought I might be able to learn from them. Make my own Coin, or at least make a substitute to help people. But now, talking to Izuku, to Dr O, I... we are trying to create a second Echo Coin. I'm hoping for me, but if the Coin doesn't choose me... I'll be disappointed, but I'll have to accept it. Keep supporting Izuku and the second Echo Ranger the best I can. Our friend, Toshinori, asked to be Izuku's Alpha. But I think I'm a better fit for that."
"And that is what we will not help you with," Aleia said, "The Dai clan was less connected with the technical side of our Ranger powers, so I have little or nothing to give you there. But if you were to find any parts of the Pink Squadron Coin, I would also ask that you return them. They may not work, may be broken now. But they are still ours, and we may still need or find a use for them in the future. And you already return the Coin fragments you find that are not Pink Coins. Just consider this an extension of that."
Melissa slumped. She was afraid that was what the other woman meant.
"That's fair," the blonde admitted, "In fact... may I?"
Melissa pointed to the table, not sure if it was still in use, or just a relic.
"You may."
Melissa set her backpack on the table. And then she carefully unloaded all of her new treasures. The piece of the Blue Zord's armor. The few other Ranger relics.
"Are any of these yours?" Melissa asked, "Anything that belongs to your family, or the Pink Squadron Ranger?"
Aleia stepped over to the table. She looked carefully over each item. The she turned, took two quick steps, and embraced Melissa. The American hesitated for a moment, then then gently, awkwardly returned the hug.
"Thank you, Miss Shield," Aleia sad softly.
"Oh," Melissa grunted in realization, "Is one of those something important? Something of your ancestor's that you were looking for? Maybe the scouter thing?"
Aleia let go, and started to laugh lightly.
"Melissa... may I call you that?"
"Of course?"
"Melissa, what would you have done if I asked you to return everything on the table?" the caster asked.
"I would have done it?" Melissa sounded confused, "I mean it's your stuff, right? Your families' that is."
"That piece of metal belongs to no-one, except you," Aleia told her, still amused, "If anyone it would belong to the Blue family, having come off of their Zord. But you would have given it to me without hesitation. You are not the thief or opportunist that the others fear you are. You are a true and honorable heir to the Pink Rangers of the past. So take those items, and use of them what you will. And also, take this."
Aleia held out a thin square of transparent plastic. Inside of it, locked in place and position without there missing parts, were two arcs of bronze. Pink tinted bronze.
"Are these?" Melissa gaped.
"The remains of Tenpusei Rin's Power Coin. The only pieces of the Pink Squadron Coin my family has been able to find, these last two hundred years. They are yours now."
This time, it was Melissa that hugged Aleia.
The tour was not over. Telos and Izuku met up with Melissa again. Izuku glanced at Aleia, when the two women separated like friends, but did not say anything. Both teens noticed the Telos used them as a shield to hide from a tall, very attractive, but very annoyed red-headed woman.
Telos also took a moment to apologize to Melissa and tell her the proper, non-Hiragana pronunciation of his name.
The visited a few more shrines and battle sites. Telos much more open about what he knew, and less of a smarmy salesman in general. Melissa dug up a few more broken objects. Each time she offered them to Telos, and each time he told her to keep them.
In time, four PM rolled around and the tour finished.
"Well? Were you satisfied with your tour?" Telos asked with just of bit of his previous, oily charm.
"Yes," Melissa admitted.
"Almost," Izuku said, and the guide's eyes widened.
"One more question," the Ranger in training asked, "I get that the Dai clan wants to stay hidden. But seeing Kyoto, seeing also these places, I don't get why so few people believe in the Rangers. I'm sure the cheesy gift shop is part of the camouflage and doesn't help. But there is so much evidence here. One would think California would have at least this much."
He waved to Melissa as he said that. Who in turn, had adopted a thoughtful expression.
"Oh, that's easy," Telos said casually, "Someone is trying to erase the Rangers. Not completely, like you said, too much evidence. Just enough that people don't believe."
"Who? Why?" Izuku demanded.
"That I don't know," Telos said sadly, "Our influence only goes so far, and whoever it is has covered their tracks well. And we don't want to expose ourselves to find them. I say 'who' but we don't think it's a single person. It's been going on for too long and too widespread. So we fight them, indirectly. Sell trinkets, give tours. Keep the idea alive. The Academies in Cali do the same. And we all work with the US government on that, they keep the Ranger museums over their open, funded, and active. We can't fight an enemy we can't see, so we push back just enough, hoping they reveal themselves."
"So if I become active as a Ranger..."
"Watch your back," Telos advised, "Maybe pretend you aren't a Ranger, just someone with a strength Quirk or something. But when and if you do, we will be watching for reactions. Even if you don't see us, cousin."
Izuku nodded. He shook Telos's hand. Then handed the other man the remaining fifteen.
At first Melissa and Izuku's walk back to the hotel was one of contented silence. They had a lot to talk about, but were waiting for the relative privacy of the hotel. And the presence of All Might, so they didn't have to repeat everything.
Until the afternoon grew unusually quiet. The previously crowded street mysteriously emptied, leaving the two teens alone.
Until they weren't. A single figure stood in their path. His clothing like rags, his face concealed by an unraveling hood. They started to walk around him, but he stepped into their path. Didn't let them pass.
They stopped, but Izuku automatically took half a step forward and to the left. In front of Melissa, between her and the other. Melissa in turn, started to subtly reach for her phone.
"Can we do something for you?" Izuku asked evenly.
"You have something I need," a dark raspy voice emerged, "In the girl's backpack. Give it to me, and I will let you live."
Normally the smart thing to do would be to concede. But the items in Melissa bag with priceless and irreplaceable. More importantly, both teens had the impression that this person would not live up to his word.
Rather than wait, their assailant launched a heavy left cross at Izuku's chest. Izuku caught the punch with both hands, and did not move. The attacker seemed surprised, even though they couldn't see his face. Izuku was also surprised by the force of the hit, it was stronger than one of Bakugou's jet propelled punches. Izuku pushed back, and then kicked his opponent in the chest. The creature skidded away, but didn't seem hurt. They exchanged a flurry of punches and kicks.
Melissa had never seen Izuku fight before, just practice his techniques. She wasn't at Aldera for his 'spars' (to be kind) with Bakugou. Nor was she able to view his dream battles against Putties, Cogs, and various other mooks. Now she was able to see her friend in action against another skilled fighter. She found it fascinating. And captivating. Enough that she forgot about her phone.
The creature surged forward and tried to dodge past Izuku. It reached for Melissa's shoulder, the strap of her backpack. Izuku caught the attacker's arm, and pulled him back. Then he hooked one leg around the attacker's waist, and pushed him away from Melissa. The creature stumbled slightly. Izuku kept his grip on the thief's arm. The sleeve of the hoodie held. The torso did not. It tore, and half the shirt came off, still in Izuku's hand. The other part fell away, revealing the creature.
Its torso was a distorted and monstrous Venus flytrap. Its arms were multiple smaller plants. The mouth of the torso plant was open, the monster's head sticking out. Also plant like with two rows of spikes. There were chains from the edge of the central torso mouth, hanging free now that the concealing hoodie was gone.
They both recognized him, having seen him in old videos. Only originally he was orange flowers with green aspects. Now, he was all black and grey. Like a Shadow of his original self. And seeing him, they could place the voice.
"Darkonda," Melissa gasped.
Izuku's jaw clenched.