A/N: (in an attempted Lemony Narrator voice) The following chapter you are about to read is not like the others before it. Now, I understand that battle at the beginning might lull you into a false sense of security, but I promise you, if you go any farther past that, the contents of this chapter will shock you before giving you ennui, a word which means a feeling of listlessness and dissatisfaction arising from a lack of occupation or excitement.
The following passage in this ongoing tale is not about monster fights or powerful explosions. Rather, it is about consequences, ones earned by events that will happen soon. If you are uninterested in worldbuilding, memento preservation, and context, then you best look elsewhere or wait for the next chapter of this story to drop so you may never read what is about to transpire.
Are you still here? Very well, you have been warned. Cue the intro...
(Opening: Maki Ohguro – Anything Goes!)
Angel Grove: the hope of the planet Earth! In this humble Western city, the super fuel Morph-X, has helped all live happy healthy lives.
Sadly, forces that wish to harness this power for darkness are always on the horizon. That is why Earth has defenders willing to go beyond for its protection!
They are Kamen Rider Rangers!
Previously on Kamen Rider Ranger…
Kapri looked around at the destroyed banners and slightly smoking bodies of cut-up Kelzaks. "Looks like an attack… but that's impossible. There shouldn't be anyone who could have-!"
"Kapri! Over here!" Marah called Kapri over to the smoldering remains of Choobo. The girl covered her mouth in shock, eyes slightly watery as she inspected the destruction. "I...I don't understand. Who could have done this! Choobo… he's…"
Kapri winced as the other girl broke down and cried silently. She never got why, but Choobo and her sister got along like a house on fire; not to mention, even if he was dense, he was no slouch in combat. The number of people who could have fought him shouldn't even be in this section of the galaxy… right?
"Hey, uh, Marah?" Kapri tried to get her sister's attention. "I know you're upset, but… we should, like… tell Uncle about what we found…"
Marah looked up from the remains and at her sister, a look of anger twisting her face in what was a very good likeness of their Uncle; ironic, since they were family by marriage, that she could copy it so well. "We'll be telling Uncle alright… right after we stomp this planet flat!" Marah whipped out a phone-like communicator, her Personal Universal Manager (P.U.M.), and tapped a button.
In space, orbiting the planet, a large spaceship that looked like a cross between a centipede and a moth, fired what looked like a scroll of pure energy. Back on the surface, Kapri grabbed her sister and pulled the device from her hand. "How about not getting ourselves squashed in the process?" Jamming a button on the P.U.M. transported them to a safer area, while the scroll floated over Choobo's impromptu grave, and opened up with glowing writing.
(Opening: End)
Level 4: Hero's Legacy
Crocodai and Sapphiger heard a roar of anger and turned to see Choobo rising up near campus. "Argh! The bastard Basco! That idiot Kamen Rider! Forget the invasion! I won't rest until Angel Grove pays for this insult!"
"What the-! Who's he!? We didn't fight him!" Sapphiger gaped as she pointed at Choobo.
"That's the guy Basco took out. Choobi, I think," Crocodai muttered. "We need to deal with him now."
"You bet! Let's ro – oh – choo!" Sapphiger sneezed again, almost falling onto her brother from the force of the sneeze. "Oh, God! Ib's in ma helmah! Gross!"
"...On second thought, you might want to sit this out," Crocodai stated.
"Wha? Nobe!" Sapphiger protested. "I hafta fight! Who else is gunna watch your ahchoo!" While Crocodai was considering that fair point, static over both their helmets caught their attention.
"Actually, Rangers," Cranston piped up, "there's something else you should know about the Croco-Cycle. Activate your Croco Cruncher Zord, and you'll see what I mean." As if to confirm this news, CC had clambered up to stand on the front of the Croco-Cycle, making a sound like a bark in excitement.
"Really?" Both teens traded looks and shrugs before Crocodai pulled out a Coin. "Alright, little guy. Let's see it!" He flipped the Coin into the air-
INCOMING~
-the tiny Zord ate the Coin whole before flipping through the air and landing as the full-sized cycle it was just the other day!
B – B – B – BOSS FIGHT! GO GO GO! CROCO-CRUNCHER!
As Sapphiger stood back to watch the show (and look up the nearest place for hot cocoa on her phone), Crocodai jumped onto the Croco-Cycle. "Let's ride, CC!" He sped off down the road, even popping a wheelie. Behind him, the Croco Cruncher lined up with him, before the mouth of the Zord opened, a ramp came out, and it sped up enough for the Cycle to be swallowed up whole!
"Huh!? Is dat da new trick!?" Sapphiger scratched her head and sniffled.
Inside the Croco Cruncher, the Cycle had become a sort of cockpit for the Zord, with the wheels connecting to the floor, and even the Cycle's front mouth grill opening up for a soundless roar. From his new position, Crocodai had a screen in front of him, showing him everything outside the Zord.
"Wow, this is pretty cool, I gotta admit," the teen said as the bike's console flashed at him. "Huh, insert another Power Coin? Well, let's see what happens!" Pulling out a Power Coin, he inserted it, lighting up the cockpit.
(Opt BGM: Last Surprise feat. Casey Lee Willaims)
Outside, the Zord roared with new energy, before doing a wheelie down the street. As it did, the head detached from the front, swinging down as the front wheels split into two legs and feet. When the Zord came down from the wheelie, it flipped onto its new feet in a slide; as the croc-like front connected to what was now the back of the standing Zord, the handlebars slid up to attach to the chest, and the exhaust ports became arms as they swung down and opened to reveal two fists. As for what once was the back of the cycle Zord, it separated to become shoulder pads; the separation revealed a head with a motorcycle-like helmet as the head. The helmet lifted up to reveal red eyes and a mouth guard.
"Whoa!" Crocodai looked out from his new vantage point inside the head, smiling inside his helmet like a kid on Christmas. "What is this!?"
"This is a good example of what I meant about your Zords giving you guys access to new power," Cranston said on a side screen that turned on to Crocodai's right. "This is what the Prism thought you deserved to have! Croco-Cruncher Zord: Assault Form!"
As Cranston called out the name, the Zord had stopped sliding and posed with an arm stretched across its chest as it half turned the torso. A pose that had Sapphiger laughing and saying something like, "Go, Croco-Cruncher, go!" or something like that around all the coughing.
Just after posing, Choobo noticed the mech now coming after him. "What the… who the heck are you?"
Over the intercom system, Crocodai spoke out to the rampaging monster. "You don't remember me? I'm a little wounded. Didn't we meet just earlier today?"
Choobo's face lit up as the gears clicked into place. "You! The damn Rider! If I hadn't run into you, I wouldn't be in this mess! I'm gonna tear you apart!" Choobo charged with his staff held high, CC meeting him in kind. Despite the Zord being a good head shorter than the monster, it was able to hold its own against all strikes and thrusts Choobo doled out, but it was still a stalemate, with CC quickly losing ground.
"Comb on, bro!" Sapphiger cheered from the sidelines. "Go for a kipney panch! Kick 'em in the groin!"
CC grabbed the staff and tried to pull it from Choobo's grasp, but the general held firm. "Looks like we're at an impasse, you lime green eyesore!" Crocodai called out as he tried to put more torque into ripping the weapon from his opponent's hands!
"Looks like someone forgot what happened the last time he thought he had me preoccupied!" Choobo's pack opened to reveal his two massive extra hands, which he used to batter the smaller mech, pushing it back. As CC stumbled back a few steps, Choobo's hands cracked their knuckles. "Once I'm through with you, I'll present this whole damn planet to Lothor as his newest prize!"
Crocodai growled from inside the cockpit. "Like hell!" Deciding to try anything at this point, he inserted another Coin to supercharge the Zord… and instead got startled by two blades coming out of the Zord's wrists. "Huh. Well, how 'bout that?"
"Swords? Ha! What are your arms to mine?" Choobo's pack summoned more extra hands until he had eight coming out of his back.
"Let's find out," was all Crocodai said as he steered CC to dodge, duck, dip, dive, and dodge every hand after him while slashing at every one of them. The seemingly desperate attacks only made Choobo laugh.
"You can't be serious! Can't you see how useless it is! These hands cannot be cut by the likes of-!" He was suddenly forced to eat his words as all eight of his hands fell off at the wrists. "Huh? HUH!? My hands! But how-!"
"Remember, back at the clearing?" Crocodai smirked, glad he had been paying attention. "When you got cut down, it was where your armor didn't cover completely. Your joints and midsection have lighter armor than the rest. I only noticed because of your other flaw… you talk too much, and you don't pay attention in fights when you get started. That annoying voice… is really easy to ignore."
Crocodai laughed at Choobo's smacked expression, his jaw almost at his feet in surprise and his eyes bugged out hard enough to break through his weird goggles. "I'm betting it's still the same too! How about you!" As CC charged forward, Choobo's expression schooled itself into unreadable, as he focused his full attention on the Capture Orb floating behind CC.
'Say I don't pay attention, eh? You didn't even notice me releasing a Capture Orb!' Choobo thought vindictively. 'Once you're inside, I'mma crush that tin can of a mech! Melt you down while you're alive in it, and turn you into my new boots! Die in hell, you bast-!'
Choobo's Orb did surround something… but it wasn't CC; rather, it had absorbed Lightning Liger, now in its full Zord form as well. '...huh?' Choobo tried to reason what just happened, but his brain had thoroughly surrendered to all the surprises he had suffered today.
On the ground, Sapphiger yelled something at Choobo, but it was utterly garbled by all the mucus in her mask. "I think she meant to say," Cranston tried to translate, "'Just because I'm not in the fight, don't count me out!'" Sapphiger said something like 'yeah,' to the translation. "I thought so. It's been a while, but it's not the first time I've had to listen to indecipherable speech from a sick Ranger."
"Thanks for having my back, Sapphiger! Now-!" CC's helmet and visor slid down, as both swords glowed. "Swamp Sabers: Bayou Blitz!" In what could only be seen as a flash step, CC's Swamp Sabers cut right through Choobo's midsection in the same way as Basco.
As CC crossed its blades, behind the mech, Choobo was sparking as he fell to his knees. "Damn you, Kamen Riders-!" was all he got out as he exploded for the second time that day. Unlike last time, he wasn't getting any more chances that day.
"Game over." Crocodai flipped a Coin and caught it, trying to put on an air of maturity. "Flawless victory."
On a nearby rooftop, Kapri frowned at the turn of events. "Unbelievable! So, it wasn't anyone we knew, but some new guys? I can't believe Choobo got cocky enough for some small fry to take him-"
"Now we have a name," Marah said simply, before walking off. Kapri looked after her sister before running to catch up to her. "Kamen Riders…"
(BGM: End)
A little bit away from the museum, ice and vapor gathered together to form a slightly irate Flurious. "Kamen Rider," he muttered to himself as he used his powers to create another ice staff. "First, I get bad intel on where my prize is, then I am set upon by children! First, I will find that trickster! Then, with my prize in hand, I will handle these Riders once and for all!" His vows of vengeance out of his system, he vanished into the ether, back to Gordom to plot his next move.
A few days of quiet passed for Angel Grove; no mass invasions, no sudden snowstorms, no giant monster fights in the business district. It gave everyone time to finally take a collective breath and go about the days like it was almost normal again. As for Jackson and Jill, one was more content than the other for all the peace and quiet.
As the pair left the lecture hall for English Lit, Jill looked half-asleep and quarter to death. "No...more...essays… No...more...novels…"
Jackson chuckled at his twin's antics. "You wouldn't be so wiped if you didn't cram them into one night."
"I can't help it if the material these fogies are giving me is lame!" Jill pepped up suddenly to defend herself. "Besides, I'd feel totally better about all this school stuff if there were a monster attack now and then! Where's all the action? The thrills?"
"We should appreciate the rest, Jill, instead of on pins and needles for the next fight," Jackson pointed out as they left the English Dept Building. "Just last week, we had back-to-back fights within two days. If we're too tired to do our extracurriculars, someone's bound to get hurt."
Jill huffed and turned away. "I'm just saying-" Whatever she was just saying was cut off by Jackson's phone ringing.
"Hm, it's Professor Cranston." Pausing his steps, he answered the phone and spoke briefly before hanging up. Since he whispered the entire conversation, Jill had heard none of it though, resorting to people watching while waiting.
"Well!?" the energetic ball of muscles and nerves piped up. "What's happening? Mind control scam? Robot duplicates of each other? A bomb in the school to cancel our graduation?"
Not missing a beat, Jackson replied, "No, no, and why would a monster try to ruin our graduation?" When all the girl could do was shrug, Jackson went on. "Professor's finally got the you-know-what up and running."
Jill blinked as she tried to recall what he was referring to. "You-know… Oh! You mean-!" Catching herself, she grinned. "Well, let's go see what's happening!"
"I will," Jackson raised a hand to stop the girl from charging the Admin Building. "You have other engagements, remember?"
"Other…?" Jill only took a minute on that train of thought before she caught Jackson's hint. "Right! TMA practice! But, this might be important…"
"It's not a giant monster, Jill. Just space news."
"But space news sounds so cool! Not like regular news! 'Ooh, it's raining! Ooh, there's traffic! Fluff piece about dogs… hugging… sheep, or something!'"
"You got into AGU on a sports scholarship," Jackson reminded her. "Unless it's a real emergency, our studies and maintaining those scholarships is just as important as our… other responsibility." Jill did not look like she agreed completely, but she was willing to drop the matter as she trudged off for another day of sparring that she'd gush to her brother about later because of some new move Coach Jason used on fellow new teammate Mack.
As Jackson entered the Command Center, Cranston was waiting for him, almost bouncing on the balls of his feet. "Good, you're here!"
"Hello, Professor Cranston," Jackson greeted politely while noting his mentor's excited demeanor. "You look like the cat that swallowed the pigeon."
"I am a little, yes," the man explained as he led Jackson to the Viewing Globe. "It was like hacking into the Machine Empire's network back when I was a Ranger – wait, isn't the saying 'the cat that swallowed the canary.'"
Jackson bit back a snicker at the veteran's slow response to the comment. "We had a very large cat growing up back home. So, have you seen the Outerpol yet?"
Cranston shook his head. "I was waiting for one or both of you to show up. Now, we can get a better grasp of what forces we're faced with in this universe." Pulling up a stool next to the professor, Jackson sat down as Cranston logged into the Intergalactic Outerpol. The screen that greeted them was… not quite what they expected; rather than just some list of the galaxy's most wanted, it read and looked more like a…
"A news blog," Cranston said. "The Outerpol is a universal news web page."
"So, your local news… but in space," Jackson added. "I mean… it's what I expected, and somehow, nothing like I thought."
Cranston heard very little of the side comments as he scrolled down the page, the creases in his face getting more pronounced. "Hottest Overlord… Planetary Conquest Challenge… Which Prince are You!? It's not a web page for the scum of the universe! It's a web page run by the scum!"
"Oh," Jackson winced at the man's disbelief. After a minute, he said, "So, you really have never seen the Outerpol before?"
Cranston shook his head. "Unfortunately, no. I'd only heard rumors about it, and from what I'd heard, it was the best source of news about what was happening behind enemy lines! I should have seen this coming – it's the Pumpkin Rapper all over again!"
As Cranston facepalmed, not really explaining what the heck that meant, Jackson decided to offer some help. "Ok, it's not what we expected, but it could still give us some insight on our enemies." He scanned the front page a bit before finding what he was looking for. "There! That looks like new… I think. I don't know how to read some of these symbols."
After massaging his face for a minute, Cranston sighed. "...Ok. You're right. We can still make use of this site. Let's see what's new and work from there." Activating the link, the pair watched as a video started up. The player opened on an applauding crowd of many creatures and species; as the camera panned over to the stage, a monster came out dressed in an outfit that intersected with game show host and Halloween costume.
"Ladies and gentlemonsters from across the universe, welcome to the Warrior Dome. I'm Cosmo Royale, and it's time for another explosive update of the Intergalactic Outerpol!" As the crowd cheered, Cosmo rolled into the news. "First off, the losers! Buffalord, D-level Threat, and a disciple of Dai Shi," Cosmo paused for the 'ooohs' before continuing, "sadly overdosed on Morph-X. Some creatures just can't hold their drinks, it seems!"
Without warning, Cosmo's head spun around from unnervingly cheering to a frozen laughing face' the crowd followed his example and laughed at the terrible joke. "Of course, there are rumors that someone may have destroyed him, but Dai Shi's herald, known as Phantom Beast King Yamion, could not be reached for comment."
"Next up, Choobo, D-level Threat and General of the Ninja Society of the Evil Will, was defeated by some rising stars he called out with his dying breath the 'Kamen Riders.'" While the crowd booed at the mention of the N.S.E.W., they fell silent at the news of his demise. "Now now, folks! Don't be alarmed! Lord Arcanon, head of the Outerpol, has taken steps to address the matter, but we'll come to that later!"
"Now, how about a crowd favorite, eh!?" At the crowd's cheer, Cosmo spun the cane and pointed at the screen above. "Behold! A former finalist of Galaxy Warriors. C-level Threat, and king of Gordom – Flurious!" As the screen lit up with said baddie's icy visage, the crowd went wild. It was painfully clear – Flurious was definitely well liked out there.
"It would seem, after 14 full rotations of his planet's closed borders policy, complete with a lockdown of anyone or thing entering or leaving Gordom, the Chilled Conqueror has actually made a move!" Cosmo's face rotated to a shocked expression, but the crowd was already there, more than a few of the aliens cheering until they passed out.
"Attacking Earth just last week, Flurious made a clear message he's on the move, though your guess is as good as mine about what his plans are! While they're rumors he was defeated, the King of Gordom has released a statement from his planet just yesterday! And do you lovely fans want to know what this statement said?"
The crowd roared for the answer, which Cosmo provided eagerly. "A challenge… to the Kamen Riders! That's right, folks! These Riders tangled with our favorite finalist, and it's clear he finds them wanting! Which brings us back to these eyesores, and Lord Arcanon's handing of them! Since they are so invested in pestering us hardworking creatures, Outerpol's head has decreed… to make them a D-level Threat on the Outerpol!"
As the crowd roared its approval, a picture of Crocodai just as he got off the Croco-Cycle after defeating Flurious came onto the screen. Cosmo went on, "That's right! As of now, should anybody take down these irksome upstarts, they will score some major points on Outerpol! So, if you're in the neighborhood of Earth, do your duty and destroy them without mercy!"
From there, the showy alien went into news about a bunch of other names, including Creepox, but Jackson and Cranston were hardly plugged in. Both were instead trying to wrap their heads around the last bit of news: Jackson, and by extension Jill, had just been added to the 'galaxy's most wanted list.' 'Oh, fu-!'
"-ck, this bites!" Jill griped as she entered Auto Repair and Maintenance. The minute Jill learned she was going to college – which, at the time, seemed like a dream or a prank – she rushed to pick her classes! (Read: Jackson picked out the best ones for her.) She had everything lined up; easy classes so she could focus on her training, teasing her brother, and partying the night out with celebrations of her unparalleled victories!
Instead, some interdimensional space crystal had rewritten her schedule, her teammates were actually giving her as good as she gave out, and thanks to her Ranger duties (not that she was complaining about being a superhero), she was way too tired to party for even an hour! As she entered her class, Jill griped once more, "That Prism better sleep with one eye open! Or whatever it has for an eye!"
As she headed for an open seat, Jill saw two guys talking to a blonde girl who couldn't look more disinterested, the raven-haired one sitting on the flip-up desk. "...and just when he this goof thought he had me, I pushed the throttle and blew past him!" The dark-haired boy slapped the back of the head of said goof, his messier-haired friend. "You've never seen such a clear winner before!"
"Bull!" Ratnest interjected. "It was close! You only won by an inch, man!"
"That inch made all the difference. Just ask my fans!" The boy tried to grin in what he must assume was debonair but just looked lecherous.
"Yeah, well-"
"Boys, boys!" Blondie cut them both off. "You're both equally uninteresting. Can you leave now? I like some peace before class starts."
Both boys did not seem to be deterred as far as Jill could see; before they launched a second volley of bad pick-up stories, the hot-blooded girl stomped over and tapped the shoulder of the one on the desk. "Hey, dudes! Take a hint and beat it! This class is unbearable as is without you two piling on!"
The obvious frats gave Jill an unimpressed look before addressing each other and ignoring her. "Hey, Blake?" Ratnest said to his partner. "Is some freshman trying to throw her weight around?"
"Don't know, Hunter," Blake responded. "She really shouldn't be, if she was. Angel Grove U. frowns at on campus violence. What's that phrase again?"
"Zero tolerance policy?"
Blake snapped his fingers like the thought just came to him. "Right! Zero tolerance!"
Jill sneered at the Casanova rejects and was just about ready to tell them where they can stick their 'zero-tolerance,' when a voice from the row in front of them spoke up. "Hunter? Blake? Well, grind my gears, Bradley and Bradley!" The man turned around, showing an immediately honest face. Despite looking like he was in his late 20s or early 30s, he had a boyish, round face that made him seem approachable.
With a light Scottish accent and pleasant smile, he continued talking directly to the now identified Bradleys. "I haven't seen you two since the start of the semester! That was one Hell of a kegger! Fancy some time to catch up?"
The pair went silent, fixing the interloper with a slightly surprised and unnerved look. Finally, after exchanging glances with each other, they nodded and left without another word. "Busy? Alright then! Talk later!" the man called after their retreating backsides. Turning back to Jill and the other girl, he said, "Well, that's handled. You ladies alright?"
Jill snorted lightly at the comment, and said-
"Ladies? Who're you calling ladies?" the blonde girl chided, but with no animosity, before glancing at Jill. "He must mean you, Dainty."
Jill blinked at the playful tone, before smirking. "Dainty? Who has two thumbs and can out-belch her brother any given day? This girl!" While she pointed at herself, the other woman laughed at the antics while the man just shook his head.
"You're a charming lass, I see," Scotty commented, bringing the girls' attention back to him.
"Speaking of charming," Blondie began, "how did you scare off Horndog One and Two?"
"Ah, that ol' thing?" Scotty smirked, turning around a bit more so his arm, still holding his phone, was draped over the back of the seat to show he was reading some news article. "The Bradley brothers, Hunter and Blake, are famous on AGU for the wild parties they throw at the drop of a hat! It's why they know about the zero-tolerance policy – they skate just above it to avoid expulsion!"
"Seriously?"
"Seriously. I have so many stories about their ridiculous antics, just one party could have them booted from the school five times over!" As they both had a chuckle about it, Jill had gone silent to see what news report the man had been reading… it looked a little like he had been reading about the Kamen Riders!"
"Well, blackmailing stranger, thank you for the help. Name's Ronny."
"Charmed. You can call me Flynn McAllister. Or Flynn, if ya in a rush," the man responded.
"Yeah, Jill, hi. Quick question – are you reading about those new heroes?" Never to mince words, Jill got to her most gnawing query.
Flynn glanced at the phone before scratching his cheek to attempt hiding his blush. "Ah, yeah! I know it's weird for some people, but I've just always like superheroes! I've always wanted to save someone, really save someone, and experienced what that feels like! But, I'll settle for reading about real life ones."
Jill smiled at the accidental praise, while Ronny spoke up. "So, big fan of these Rangers, huh?"
"Ever since that bull guy they fought! The blue one, Sapphiger, looked like she was giving it her all when her partner got sideswiped!"
Ronny's smile turned slightly confrontational. "I don't know, I kinda like the green one myself! That stunt with the motorbike last week was pretty cool! If it's about going fast, I'm always for it! What about you, Dainty?" Ronny looked over to Jill, who had gotten caught up in soaking in the praise. "Have a favorite yourself?"
"Well," Jill tried to recall which of her battles had to be her best one (immediately eliminating the fight with Flurious), but got bumped by a tall, broad-shouldered guy with a surly expression on his face.
"Hey! Watch where…" Jill's tirade cut out as she noticed the mute brute had dropped something as he passed: a tarnished gold watch. When it hit the ground, it popped open to show a faded picture of two people. Jill picked it up and tried to get Bumps-a-lot's attention. "Hey, you dropped-!"
The man turned and quickly took it from Jill's hands, almost taking an arm with him. He gave Jill a thunderous look, which did little to intimidate her. In a slow, deep voice, he said, "Don't. Ever. Touch. My stuff." After his veiled threat, he trudged to the back of the room and sat down.
"Geez, what's with him?" Ronny complained.
"Ah, don't mind him," Flynn waved off his peer's attitude. "Dillon's always like that."
Both girls did a double-take at the casual info drop. 'The grouch had a name? Flynn knows it!? Who didn't this guy know!?' Any other questions on the matter were dropped as the lecture began.
As a younger man, Tommy Oliver was considered by most to be a wild child. Martial arts, drag racing, and base jumping were just some of his hobbies as a teenager. Nowadays, after getting his Ph.D., getting married, and getting a steady paying job, the wildest thing about him was how he was known as a highly respected member of academia but wore gel-spiked hair and a stylized goatee.
But, it was that cautiousness that had, on more than one occasion, saved him from the perils of tomb raiding, and it was that same caution that drove him to use his lunch break to essentially storm Mercer-Collins Industries to talk rationally and calmly to his, as his wife put it, 'cuss word worthy friends and business partners.'
As he entered the meeting room, both of his colleagues seemed to be in the middle of ordering lunch as the young man standing at the section of the large business they were at was writing down their requests. While Collins' murky green eyes looked toward Dr. Oliver with some measure of cold authority, Mercer got up and greeted his friend with a smile.
"Tommy, how are you?" the man began, an affable smile on his face. "It's been a while. How've you been?"
"Not great," Oliver answered simply. "Frankly worried, when I heard about the attack on the museum."
Mercer made to speak again, but it was Collins that spoke faster. "Oh, yes. That was a tragedy. Lots of people caught up in the crossfire. Thankfully, no causalities though. Did you come to just talk about current events, Oliver?"
"I came because of why the museum was attacked!" Oliver said in a raised voice, clearly upset.
"It was just some monster," Collins waved off, "who knows why they do anything?"
"I might," Oliver spoke up, "since it was the same monster that attacked our expedition to-"
"Um, Riley?" Collins cut off the tirade by speaking to the intern. "If there's nothing else, please get our meals sometime in this decade."
The young man nodded and walked out of the room by Oliver, but not before muttering, "It's Ryan," by Oliver just as he exited. Now with just the three of them in the room, Collins seemed far more comfortable to speak. He opened his mouth-
"It was the same monster-"
"We don't know that for sure…"
"I do! I watched it kill-!"
"Now, I believe we established you were slightly hysterical-"
"Of all the-!"
"Excuse me!" Mercer raised his voice above the din, getting both parties' attention. "Let's try to be civil. We are business partners, so let us act like we have some manners. It's what makes us superior to our prehistoric brethren."
The room lapsed into silence then, until Oliver spoke again. "I heard something unsettling. Did you, or did you not, leak to the press that the crystal we found would be on display at the Natural History Museum?"
Mercer opened his mouth to speak but closed it just as quickly. He looked to Collins, who seemed to chew over his answer a bit more. "We have given you time, Oliver-"
"Oh, I don't believe this-!"
"We cannot keep this find from the public any further!" Collins cut in. "A month has gone by, and all the press, our shareholders, know is we found something in Africa!? There's no reason to hide it-"
"A monster! Attacked our caravan!" Oliver glared through Collins with indignant fury. "We were driving one second through the Savannah, and the next, several vehicles were either blown up or frozen over! Mercer, you know this! You were there!"
The man in question looked silently back and forth between both parties in the room, before heaving a deep sigh. "...I-I don't know what I saw that day, Oliver. There was… God, it was madness."
Collins rolled his eyes. "Such dramatics! Look, I understand – a freak snowstorm must have been a shock…"
Oliver shook his head. "Yeah, it was. Since we were in Africa under a midday sun!"
"-But!" Collins pointed out. "But… we promised our shareholders a find that would rival Morph-X, and our satellites picked up that artifact. All I'm asking, Oliver, is give it to the Bio-Lab division for an hour, maybe two, and let Drs. K and Silva look it over-"
"You put the entire city in danger," Oliver enunciated very carefully, "for profit. I can almost ignore that you refuse to shut down the Morph-X towers because most of Angel Grove runs on it now, and changing gears now would be a PR nightmare. But this!" Oliver averted his eyes, not even wanting to look at his 'business partners' anymore.
"The crystal stays with me. Until we can be sure whatever came for it the last time is not a threat, no one will ever know where it is. And you can't change my mind on it!" the last sentence was aimed at Mercer, who tried to speak up again but fell quiet at the glare his old friend gave him.
Having said his piece, Oliver made his exit, coming out to find the intern was standing there with two boxes of takeout. "Ah, hello, Dr. Oliver. Do you want me to get you something, too?"
Softening his features, Oliver shook his head. "No, but thank you, Ryan. I'll be fine." He patted the young man on the shoulder as he left. After the elevator doors closed, Ryan's warm, people-pleasing smile dropped.
'So, someone else was after the Gemstone as well? And they might be connected to the attack on the museum last week? This just got very interesting!' The young man took a moment for a devilish smirk to cross his face before he assumed his persona again and entered the meeting room.
On the planet of Jakanja, Kapri filed her nails in annoyance as a second figure spoke to her. He was garbed in mostly black, had two sword handles sticking out from his shoulders, and was covered head to toe in metal. "Kapri, are you listening!?" the metal man exclaimed. "I've told you how to pilot this twelve times! The least you could do is show me your listening!"
"Yeah, yeah, Zurgane. I totally am," she said dismissively, which only angered Zurgane more.
"This is important, so focus! Do you realize how taxing this project was!" He gestured to the hanger they found themselves in. "It was easy to get the framework started, but I had to consort with that damn bloodsucker for the engine parts! And a rush order like this isn't cheap!"
"I'm sure Uncle will cover you, so quit your bellyaching, huh?" Completely ignoring the sputtering associate, Kapri through a hidden and worried look over to Marah, who was looking over the project's final stages. Said project was a big honking snake-themed robot called the Kaprizord; with snake-hood-like attachments on either side and fang-like swords on the wrists, even as a rush job, it looked plenty deadly!
"It's perfect," Marah said in an emotionless tone, "Or, at least, it'll do."
Zurgane seemed to calm down at that. "Well, at least one of you appreciates my work! Still though, to go through all this trouble because the fool Choobo underestimated his enemy is…" Sensing a dark presense, he turned to look a t Marah… who's very eyes glared right into his core, and made him shiver in his shell!
'B-by the Evil Will! She wasn't this scary at basic training!' Zurgane thought to himself. 'What's going through her head!' Covered up his panic attack with a false cough, he turned to walk away. "Well, I've done all I can. Now, if you excuse me, I have other matters to attend to."
After his departure, Kapri put away the file and looked over at her sister. "So, Zurgane? As annoying and easy to mess with as ever, right, Marah?" She looked at her sister's back, who didn't even move or acknowledge anything was said. Marah's mind was miles away…
A few years ago…
"Welcome, maggots! Welcome to Ninja Society of the Evil Will!" a shark-themed being called out to the assembled initiates. "Look at all who stand around you! Got a good look? Now… destroy them!" Many of the students stood there shocked, not really processing what they were told to do… until one student whipped out a hidden short sword and cut down three initiates!
The minute they dropped, pure pandemonium broke out, with the shark-like monster reveling in the blood lust! "Yes! Yes! Fight until you can't anymore! Only those left standing are worthy of being trained here!"
Near the back of the stage, Zurgane and Choobo watched their comrade with exasperation. "Again with the decimation?" Choobo complained. "If Vexacus keeps this up, we're gonna have to use the training dummies as foot soldiers!"
"Don't you dare joke!" Zurgane looked at Choobo, shock in his voice even though his face could not show it. "The Kelzaks are not for combat! Grandmaster Lothor would never approve of that!"
Choobo shook his head at his ally. "If you say so… Oh! Hey, aren't those…?" Pointing to a part of the battlefield, the pair watched as a pink-haired girl and a brown-haired girl stood back-to-back, kicking or pepper bombing anyone who came near them!
"Hm… yeah, that's them. Lothor's nieces, Marah and… Kapri, I think. Not bad, but horrible form."
Choobo nodded. "Yeah, but they do seem to have potential."
A few weeks later…
Choobo walked among the surviving initiates, leading them in a kata. "1! 2! 1! 2!" Whenever he called out, they moved into a different stance. As he came upon Marah and Kapri, he paused as saw them sitting in the back, braiding each other's hair. "H-hey! What are you doing!"
Both girls gave Choobo an 'are you serious?' look. "We're braiding our hair? Duh!" Marah responded. Seeing this as a fair answer, they went back to gossiping about Prince Gasket and his recently announced engagement.
"To be a ninja, you must be able to make even the smallest scrap into a weapon!" Zurgane spoke out to his class as he sat on his knees in front on them. "Before you is a pile of my less volatile failures. You have ten minutes to make a weapon worthy of the Evil Will! Go!"
After the time had passed, he went around to grade all the useful tech that had been created, all with the sole purpose of ending a life in the name of the N.S.E.W. He only stalled at Marah's section when she saw her project… a blinking light with an antenna attached, wired to a small console and a few buttons that changed the number of times it blinked.
On the other side of the room, he realized, Kapri had built the same thing, laughing for some reason at the blinking light before tapping the buttons on her console. "W… what is this!" Zurgane roared, gaining the focus of the entire room. "I said make a weapon! What is-!"
"Shh!" Marah hushed him as her light blinked again. "Ooh! Scandalous!" As she then went to tapping away on her makeshift console, the students whispered about the unusual projects… and Zurgane seethed inside his armor.
"Your task is simple, worms!" Vexacus took off a ring and placed it in his pocket. "Steal the ring from my pocket without me noticing. This will demonstrate your ability to blend into a crowd, a noble skill for killers of the shadows.
As the exercise went on, so many tried, but very few succeeded. Naturally, Vexacus' star pupil, the first one to start killing his fellow students, passed the test with no issues. "Excellent! Well done, Onikage! You will make an excellent ninja!"
The initiate bowed with respect before sitting back down. Marah and Kapri winked at each other before Marah raised her hand. "Um, sensei? Can me and my sister go together? We'd, uh… we'd feel better if we passed or failed together."
The class snickered for a second before Vexacus' snarl quieted them. Internally, he shared their sentiment. To ask for such a handicap, in front of your peers and rivals, was the height of stupidity! Why on Earth would they be so foolish!? "If you are that unconfident in your abilities, I will allow it."
Both girls nod pleased before the test began. As the two girls walked toward Vexacus, Kapri's hand twitched, which the ninja master immediately noticed. 'So, you're going to try?' He moved his hand to grab her wrist… only for her hand to move not to his pocket but to grab his wrist!
Stunned, he was unprepared to be flipped onto his back, where Marah then kicked him right in the groin! The class, even Onikage, gaped openly at the assault; as their instructor curled into himself in agony, the girls collected the ring. "What?" Marah asked the class in faux innocence. "He said 'without noticing.' He'd be hard pressed to point out exactly when we took the ring!"
"Wait, Marah," Kapri pointed out. "What if the person who has the ring passes, so if two or more people try, that person fails?"
The pair considered that for a minute, then Marah took out a kunai and cut the ring in half, further shocking the class. "There!" Marah crowed. "Problem solved!
In the hall of the Grandmaster, Marah and Kapri stood at attention as Vexacus, ice bag firmly positioned on his crotch where he sat, relayed the grievances of the staff to a man wearing a black leather mask like a luchador, with only his mouth and eyes exposed, and the back of it opened for a high ponytail.
"In all my years," Vexacus said in a notably higher pitch than usual, "I have never seen such a blatant disregard for our traditions! They killed no one at initiation, chat and mingle when they should be sparring, and play with light bulbs instead of making portable weapons of mass destruction! Not to mention making a mockery of the stealth test – my test!"
"Indeed," Zurgane said, clearly trying to hold back laughter from Vexacus' voice. "They do seem to have no respect, or rather, they expect to get by without actually trying?" Lother, who had been listening to all the critiques with his eyes closed, opened them to look over at Zurgane.
"What I mean, my liege, not to imply you would do so, but, if they think they can get by just being related to you…" Both girls glared at the metal man, but stayed silent as they were taught… which raised a few alarms for Choobo, since they seemed to hate doing what they were told!
"Yes…" Vexacus muttered as he thought about Zurgane's theory. "It wouldn't be the first time that's happened. Grandmaster, I propose we cull these worms, send them back to basics, see if a double dose can't get them to respect their masters-!"
Kapri seemed to make a small noise at that, but Marah elbowed her; it seemed Choobo was the only one who noticed though, as the other two were about to vote. "So, all in favor-"
"W-wait!" Choobo shot up from his sitting position, everyone startled by the sudden movement. "I, um… I haven't said my piece yet!" He glanced at Lothor, who gestured to keep going. "And I want to say… that I want to hear what Marah and Kapri have to say!"
Both girls blinked at being given the stage; they traded looks before it was seemingly decided non-verbally that Marah would speak for both of them, since she was the one who stepped forward. "What, um, what do you want to know? Master Choobo," she added at the last minute.
Choobo nodded approvingly while his fellow instructors looked at him, trying to gauge the point of this exercise. "Well, for starters, why don't you do training like everyone else in my class?"
"Because it's boring," Marah said simply. "Our family learns that kinda stuff at five years old, and you want us to do the same thing again? Besides, we're too sore after self-practice."
This got a lot of looks from the group. "Self-practice?" Choobo asked. "You mean, you practice katas on your own? But, the only time you have to rest is meal times and night time, when you should be asleep!"
"Yeah, which is why we try not to move until necessary in your class," Marah pointed out plainly, before choosing to clean it up. "I mean, we work out all night, take a quick nap before classes, and then head out."
Choobo nodded, a little surprised at the admission. "Okay, and Zurgane's class? You were found playing with light bulbs instead of making weapons…"
"Oh, we made weapons," Marah responded. "Me and sis created this language that can be translated into light. The number of blinks and flashes can be used to deliver messages long-range – light years away!"
Zurgane laughed at that admission. "Communication to distant galaxies is already possible! Plus, the project was to make-"
"If you used correctly, information can be a devastating weapon," Marah said, as if she were speaking to an initiate. "And in an indecipherable language, secrets can be passed along pretty far before anyone can crack the code. How else would me and Kapri share test answers so we can pass all those written exams Zurgane insist on putting in front of us."
"Wha!? You admit you're cheating!?"
"Uh, yeah! We're a ninja clan, we collect information. In what way is any of that surprising?" Zurgane tried to say something back about that… but failing either being proven wrong or getting too angry to speak, he just sat down again.
"And attacking Vexacus when you just supposed to pickpocket him?" Choobo asked, trying not to laugh at the clear enjoyment the smart-mouthed kunoichi was having at tearing down their societal teachings.
"Actually, that's connected to those previous explanations," Marah said. "Have you heard of the royal engagement of Prince Gasket and Princess Archerina?" Vexacus' glare gave way to an impassable facade, with a small hint of worry.
"Well, somebody's been taking money on the side to assassinate them both and start an intergalactic incident for an interested third party~ Of course, that's if he makes it to their shuttle before they pass by Jakanja for their honeymoon in about… oh, five clicks ago. Probably could have made it if you had started limping to the anti-spacecraft guns an hour ago instead of coming right here…"
Both Marah and Kapri had the biggest grins on their faces as they watch reactions: Zurgane just faced Vexacus with a barely heard "What?", Choobo blinked behind his glasses at the bombshell of information, and as for Lothor-
Vexacus only had seconds to move, but he was not prepared; nor was Zurgane, who only noticed one of his swords was missing, as Lothor had moved in one instant, grabbed the blade, and cut Vexacus across the face! As the alien howled in pain, a wet squishy ball bounced down the stairs; when it landed at Marah's feet, both girls went 'ew ew ew!' and stepped back from it.
"Sowing discord is one thing," Lothor spoke up. "But to do so for money? And behind our back? You do not deserve to work in the name of the Evil Will, nor will your end bring Him any contentment. Get out of my sight." Vexacus, still wrapped in the throes of pain, lumbered out of the room as he clutched his bleeding face.
While Zurgane just seemed to sit there, lost in shock it seemed, Marah and Kapri tried to back out of the room… "Marah. Kapri." Until Lothor's voice caused them to freeze in place. As they turned around, the ninja warlord had sat back on his throne, the blood-soaked blade sitting across his lap striking a frightful image.
"Do not think I was unaware of Vexacus' actions, and it was the first time this was brought to me," that sentence almost made Zurgane turn his whole head around like an owl to look at his master. "I would have preferred to handle this discreetly, but as he was about to attack, I had no choice but to handle it swiftly."
"That being said," the Grandmaster continued. "Your shirking of our traditions does merit some form of punishment…" Both girls looked ready to protest, but for fear of worse retribution, they stayed silent, the bloody blade still dripping onto the floor. "Choobo," Lothor spoke and the green giant almost flipped trying to stand at attention.
"Er, yes, sir?"
"Since you were the only one here who saw what my nieces were capable of, I am putting you in charge of them." If that comment was of any surprise, it died when Lothor raised the sword… to throw it right to Zurgane, who barely caught it before it hit the ground. "Shape them into ninja worthy of the Evil Will. Their failure will be your punishment, understand." It sounded like a question, but it was clearly not.
"Y-yes, sir!" Choobo saluted, not that he needed to salute. "I'll shape them into incredible kunoichi!" Behind his back, with his other hand, he gave the girls a thumbs up. While they tried to avoid showing it, that small gesture did bring them a large amount of relief.
Present Day
"...Marah?" Kapri called out to her distracted sister again. "What's going on in there? Anybody home?"
"Do you remember… our first month in training?" Marah did not wait for a response as she continued. "If it wasn't for Choobo, we would have been sent home, to face our family as failures… at least, if Uncle was feeling generous. He gave us the leeway to even get away with half the crap we did back then."
Kapri swallowed the lump in her throat. "You don't have to tell me. It's… alarming, to think he's gone. But, we will get our revenge. I promise." She tried to wrap her sister in a one-arm hug, but Marah didn't budge; all her focus was on the picture Outerpol posted for the man who had destroyed Choobo.
"Kamen Rider Crocodai…" she hissed with unquenchable anger. 'Killing him won't bring Choobo back… but it will be exactly what he deserves!'
A/N: So, thoughts on the chapter structure? I'm just gonna keep experimenting until it stops being fun~!
Next time on Kamen Rider Ranger, Sapphiger rubs up against the foot soldier of a powerful force, and revenge finds Crocodai! Next Level: The World Ender!