When we last left our heroes, the group had arrived in Capitol City, where the Tatsumi Family was said to be hiding. However, they were unable to locate them due to the impending threat of the five She-Ronin, masquerading as the Neo Knight Sabers, managing to take down several strange enemies including Joel using a strange power armor version of the Tallgeese mobile suit with their new and improved armors, constructed by the outstanding team of Kinjiro Osaki, Amaterasu, and Sylia Stingray and Nigel Kirkland. During his brief encounter with the Neo Sabers, Sai managed to discover that they were in fact, the She-Ronin! Will Sai and Ran be able to hide this secret from their companions?

(Begin OP: Bukkirabouna Ai Ni Oboretai

dakishimeta nara mou sore ijou
kotoba ha iranai

Shot 1: She-Ronin standing on building from last ep.

tamashii made ubawareru you na
bukkirabouna ai ni oboretai

Shot 2: Title Shot: Ronin Warriors: Lightspeed Galaxy

nemuri no aima ni tsukutta yasuppo kake hiki de
kodoku o VEERU ni kakushite renai jouzu na FURI

Shot 3: CUT TO The five girls doing various things: Sakura practicing with her swords sans armor;
Yuri walking along with Ran following her; Ayame relaxing in a lounge chair, Surien flirting with guys.

kigen saguri no darui kaiwa ja
kotoba no kabe ga jama de shikatanai

Shot 4: CUT TO: The five guys staring out at the horizon sans armor, longing for their friends (who's faces appear as transparent images in the sky one by one)

shinjitsu no hitomi ga toki hanatsu
atsui manazashi to

Shot 5: CUT TO: The girls calling upon their Hardsuits quickly, then going into combat against Tallgeese as it prepares to fire.

kazaranai kokoro ga sakebu you na
bukkirabouna ai ni oboretai

The nine warriors standing ready to fight, with the five girls leaping in from above, the Forgotten Souls appearing from the left, and right, Talpa, Amaterasu and Kaosu appearing behind them, and off in one corner of the screen a shadow of their enemies appearing one by one as the ending guitar solo finishes out the song.)

"Excellent. Everything is going according to my plans. When Carter attacks the city the Ronin and their foolish allies will be unable to stop them. Then we can banish them to the Lost Galaxy, allowing us to be victorious." Shuki said.
"What is it with this 'us'? I told you mortal, I have agreed to assist you in destroying your enemies. Without my power and the skill of that merger of the old and new magic you captured, your forces would not have lasted this long. But you remember, if you fail this time, our agreement ends. I made you fully aware of that." Shuki's ally said.
"Do not worry. I've received confirmation that Kinjiro has finished the second suit. We are set to dispatch it to destroy those accursed Ronin and their strange new allies. One of my better minions will be using this one. However I will not hesitate to use the rebuilt Tallgeese if necessary."
"It does not matter to me how you succeed. But I have power far beyond your comprehension, and I will not hesitate to use it if you fail."

Ronin Warriors: Lightspeed Galaxy

Chapter 4: Ronin to the Rescue!

In a hotel on one corner of the large locale known as Capitol City, the nine warriors awoke from their semi-restful sleep. Only a few hours earlier the warriors had returned to the hotel after tracking down Sai. They were still very exhausted from their ordeal of fighting off a horde of minions, after being practically dragged through the city by Anubis in search of the Tatsumi's, which had turned up nothing. Even their impromptu ally, Hyuuga, was beginning to tire of this insanity.

Anubis, Kale, Sekhmet and Dais emerged from their beds, apparently well rested.

"Good morning Anubis." Kale said. "How was your sleep?"
"We have no time to discuss these matters. We must head out and find the Tatsumi's before Destonus gets any more brainstorms that delay our plans and postpone this series anymore."
"Yes, it seems like he is getting them more frequently." Dais observed.
"Well, we know what we have to do." Sekhmet said.

The four warriors looked at each other, then to the beds of the five Ronin, who were snoring quite loudly, and then back at each other, and smiled.

"WAKE UP!" The four shouted at the top of their lungs, snapping the five heroes into wakefulness.

"What? What?" the five said in unison.
"Hurry up and get dressed. We must track down the Tatsumi family before anything else goes wrong." Anubis said.
"Do we have to? I was having an awesome dream. I was at an all you can eat buffet." Kento explained.
"Yes Kento. We must leave at once!" Anubis shouted.
"Explain to me again WHY it's so important that we go see these people?" Sage asked.
"Because if we don't ste...I mean borrow their mecha, we won't stand a chance against those Rangers if they attack us again. You saw how useless our Mecha Armors were to them!" Anubis explained.
"Can we please do this later? It's six o'clock in the morning!" Rowen complained.
"No! They will leave for work soon! We must get them before they leave their home; WHICH HYUUGA hopefully remembers the location of!"
"If you're so hot on getting these things, why don't you go do it yourselves?" Ryo asked.
"Because they'll actually listen to you five! You might actually be able to convince them to give us their mecha for the remainder of the story arc!" Anubis said.
"Come on Anubis. At least let them sleep. We can go persuade them ourselves." Sekhmet said.
"Oh FINE! Get your beauty sleep children, while we adults go and solve our problem!" Anubis shouted, running out the door and slamming it behind him.
"Since when did he get so grumpy?" Sekhmet asked.
"Since when did he get so persistent?" Kale asked.
"I'd say right about DBZ saga." Dais said.

Anubis stuck his head in the door.

"Are you three coming? And I heard your comments!" Anubis said, slamming the door again.

The three Warlords looked at each other and shrugged their shoulders. Anubis stuck his head in again.

"COME ON!" He whined.
"Who's the child?" Dais wondered as the three followed Anubis.
"All in favor of teasing him about his hair like our cousins in YST do say aye." Sekhmet said.

Still in bed, Sai sat there, thinking.

"Well, this is good. I wonder what Ran and the others are doing."

Meanwhile...

At the hotel where our five heroines were staying, all was quiet. Well, it was 6:00 AM. The four Knight Sabers were asleep, while over in the girls' room, one cot was empty, as Sakura had gotten up quite early to practice her sword technique as usual. Yuri lay sprawled over the nearby bed, her arms going every which way, and was snoring loud enough to peel paint. On a cot nearby, Surien lay in bed, sleeping quite peacefully, thanks to the earplugs in her ears. On the bed next to Yuri's, Ayame was resting comfortably, her head resting neatly on her hands, while next to her, Ran lay curled up in a fetal position, with Yuri's Discman in her hands and her headphones over her ears, which if one was close enough to her as Ayame was, could almost barely hear the music. But unfortunately this time Ayame happened to wake up to her elder sister's Kami-Awful snoring and was about to find something to stuff in her mouth to shut her up when she heard Ran mumbling something in her sleep.

"Ah the two who pledged to be together forever/Say good-bye forever/That's also the two people who were here/Bye! My boy...The two who finally met by fate/" she sang softly.
"Ran..." Ayame said softly, trying to wake up her younger sister.
"Said good-bye to fate/"
"Ran..." Ayame said again, this time shaking Ran gently.
"And the two people..." Ran mumbled.
"Ran!" Ayame said softly but sharply, this time managing to get her younger sister to open her eyes.
"Huh...What's wrong Ayame." She asked sleepily as she sat up. "Did I start snoring?"
"No. Your favorite person and my twin sister are still the master teachers in that subject." she said smiling deviously, pointing to Yuri, who at that moment let out another loud deafening snore, and the group could faintly hear Sylia and the other Sabers screaming through the wall for them to shut her up because they could not sleep.
"Was I talking in my sleep again?" Ran yawned.
"More like singing." Ayame said.
"What was I singing?" Ran asked sleepily.
"From what I can remember, Bye My Boy by Brilliant Green." Ayame said. Ran smiled at that.
"Oh. Sorry." Ran said.
"It's okay. Let's just try and get some sleep now. Just try not to sing again otherwise I'll have to confiscate your copy of Terra 2001." Ayame said.
"Okay." Ran giggled as she laid back down again.
"Night." Ran yawned as she closed her eyes and hit play and then turned the volume down slightly.
"Sweet Dreams." Ayame said.

Ayame smiled as she pulled out her RAVE player and put on her headphones before rolling onto her side and pulling her covers over herself.

Elsewhere in the city...

"We must move fast. Are you sure the Tatsumi's live this way?" Anubis asked Hyuuga.
"Yes. I'm positive." Hyuuga said.
"Then we have no time to waste. As it gets later our enemies will begin searching the city for us. We cannot allow them to find us." Dais said.

As the five warriors proceeded through the city, high above, a strange figure watched over them. Though concealed by shadows, the Ispano styling of his armor made his identity clear. He watched as Carter, exploring the city in search of the enemies, closed in on the five.

"Well well. If it isn't you fools again." Carter said.
"Out of our way. We have no time for a confrontation." Anubis explained.

Refusing to listen, five Batlings appeared beside Carter and charged at the five. The Warlords changed into their sub-armor and leapt into battle. A swift crescent kick by Anubis knocked one soldier away, while Kale dispatched another with a punch. Sekhmet drop-kicked yet another, while Dais round-housed another away.

"Now it's my turn. Lightspeed, Rescue!" Carter shouted.

In moments he morphed and produced his V-Lancer. He swiped at Anubis, but he blocked with his gauntlet and hip threw the weakling away. Carter recovered and switched to weapon mode, and blasted him, sending Anubis crashing to the ground.

"Anubis, you all right?" Dais asked.
"I'm fine. But that was close, even for them."

Several more Batlings appeared and reinforced the ones that were already there.

"Great. It's a real party now. Time for our armor." Anubis said.
"Armor of White Neo Cruelty! Tao Chu Chu!"
"Armor of White Neo Corruption! Tao Ko Ko!"
"Armor of White Neo Venom! Tao Tei Tei!"
"Armor of White Neo Illusion! Tao Nin Nin!"

In a matter of moments the four former Dark Warlords were enveloped by bolls of silk and sakura blossoms, which turned into beams of light and formed up around their gauntlets, shin guards, torso, and heads, forming their armor.

"Kishi Tensei!" Hyuuga shouted, raising his sword to the sky and becoming Kurokishi.

"Let's get them." Anubis said as they drew their weapons.

Kale charged with great speed with his no-daichi, neatly cleaving one Batling. Sekhmet slashed through still others, destroying them. Dais beat down several others with his nunchuku, before knocking several others down with his morning star. Anubis knocked the enemies away with his scythe before leaping into the air before Carter, and twirling his kama at high speed, called upon his sure-kill attack...

"Quake with Fear!" Anubis shouted, driving the kama into the ground. Moments later chains erupted from the ground, trapping Carter.

Hyuuga prepared his sword, and then charged at Carter, preparing for his finishing move. However, Dais happened to notice something blocking the sun slightly. It had a strange humanoid shape to it, and part of it was glowing...

"Hyuuga! Watch out!" Dais shouted, but it was too late. The thing fired a mighty blast, which would have hit Hyuuga, but seconds before it hit Navcase in Ryuujin landed in front of him, activated his shield, and blocked the attack. He grimaced under his faceplate as he attempted to block the attack, as it pushed him back from the impact. The onslaught stopped and he retracted his shield, which had been badly charred by the assault. The remaining Batlings were dealt with swift slashes from his sword, then he spread the wings and launched into the air after his attacker. The Warlords prepared to deal with Carter, but he had been freed by the other Rangers and were now fleeing!

"We will meet again Warlords. Count on it!" Carter said.

With that, the five teleported away. The five powered down to their normal forms.

"What was that all about?" Dais wondered.
"Most likely Carter and the others are getting restless." Kale wondered.
"Or we need to drag Destonus away from his RPGs." Sekhmet suggested.
"In any case, we should be on our guard. A random encounter with them can only mean that we may meet with them later on." Anubis said.

With that the five moved on towards the Tatsumi residence.

Back at Shuki's...

"You fool! Why did you go and attack them! Now your sneak attack will be expected!" Shuki shouted.
"It was a perfect opportunity to destroy them. They were separated and an easier target. Besides. Even THEY could not fathom the intensity of the attack I have planned for them. We are also readying Chad's unit for another go. We didn't get a good enough test that time." Carter explained.
"I don't care how you do it, just destroy them!" Shuki shouted. "Remember if I fail, we're doomed."
"As you wish Master Shuki." Carter said.

Back in Capitol City...

"What do you mean, you won't assist us?" Anubis shouted.

At long last, the five had reached the home of the Tatsumi's. There was Matoi, the eldest. Nagare, the second eldest and the brains of the team. Shou, the middle child, a master pilot. Daimon, the youngest of the brothers, and Matsuri, the youngest in the family and the only girl in the family.

"Our parents, whom we thought were dead, have returned mysteriously. The Saima clan has been defeated. There is no need for the GogoV anymore. We have locked our equipment away, as we will never use it again." Matoi explained.
"At least until those people from the future show up at our doorstep and beg us to help them fight some new threat." Daimon said.
"Daimon, be quiet!" Matoi snapped.
"Could you at least let them borrow the machines? They need them quite badly." Hyuuga asked.
"Hyuuga? What are you doing with them?" Matoi asked.
"My brother and his friends were kidnapped by strange warriors dressed like you five. There is even a sixth with even more power. These warriors and their allies rescued me from them. They are quite powerful, however they do not stand a chance against the clones they built of your mecha. That is why we need your help."
"Maybe we should at least let them borrow the mecha." Nagare concluded.
"No! We swore we would not become GogoV again! There is no need for us, and we do not need the mecha, and neither do they!" Matoi shouted.
"Well, we are not using it now. They need it, I say we let them use it and bring it back when they're done." Shou said.
"Yes! Please Matoi, help them." Matsuri pleaded.
"NO! You are not going to use our mecha! Leave while you still can!" Matoi shouted, before storming off.
"You must excuse our brother. He gets like that sometimes." Matsuri said.
"We understand. But could you show us where your mecha are?" Anubis asked.
"I'm sorry. Matoi would explode if we told you. But if you must know, they're in an undersea base in the harbor. Just promise you won't go there." Matsuri said.
"We promise." Anubis said.

With that, the five headed back for the hotel.

Later...

"Well, what are we going to do today?" Ayame wondered. "I'm bored. We tested the suits, killed some minions, yadda yadda yadda. Now what do we do?"
"We could go to that new water park that just opened." Nene suggested.
"Yeah! That's a great idea!" Ayame shouted.
"I'll join you." Suiren added.
"Sounds like fun. Count me in." Yuri said. "What about you Ran?"
"I don't know..." she said carefully.
"C'mon. It might get your mind off...you know what." Yuri said.

Ran's expression changed from a sad look to a slight smile.

"Well, okay." Ran said. The other girls cheered.

"And what's DEVIL GIRL going to do all day while her sisters go have fun that doesn't involve slicing and dicing enemies?" Ayame asked Sakura sarcastically.
"I'm going to stay here with Sylia and Nigel while they upgrade your hardsuit. Your offensive capabilities leave much to be desired." Sakura said.
"Hello! Did you forget that I'm the long range person here? I keep things FROM getting close to me. Why should it even matter that I can handle stuff up close?" Ayame asked.
"You got beaten up pretty bad in that last fight. You had no way of fending them off." Sakura explained.
"Well EXCUSE ME if I'm not as good a fighter as my boyfriend." Ayame said. "Or you."
"We need you to leave your armor here. Otherwise we can't upgrade it." Sylia said.
"Oh, sure." Ayame said.

She focused, and summoned her armor onto herself. It then opened up and she stepped out.

"Okay, here you go." Ayame said. "Anything else?"
"No." Sylia said.
"Come on girls! Let's get going!" Nene shouted.
"Ayame..." Sakura said.
"What is it this time?" Ayame asked, getting sick of all these requests.
"Have fun." Sakura said.

Ayame stood there for a second, trying to figure out what her sister was on to make her say something nice, but before she could Nene dragged her off. At the door the girls ran into a tall gentleman who looked like a mechanic.

"Oh, hello. I'm Ayame."
"I'm Yuri. Nice to meet you. This is my little sister Ran."
"Hi." Ran said quietly.
"I'm Suiren. And you are?"
"Is this the new Hardsuit?" he said to Sylia.
"Yes. We'd like to make some modifications to it."
"Come on, let's get going!" Nene shouted.
"Who's that?" Ayame asked.
"Oh that's Nigel. He builds all the Hardsuits for Sylia and maintains them for us. He's kind of quiet." Nene explained.
"No kidding." Suiren said.
"So are we going or what?" Yuri asked.
"Let's go have some fun!" Ayame shouted.

With that the girls hurried off.

Meanwhile...

The Ronin had just woken up when the Warlords and Hyuuga returned from their mission.

"So, how did the mission go?" Rowen asked.
"That accursed red spandex wearing imbecile! I can't believe he wouldn't let us use their damn machines! I had no idea that people can be that stubborn! AAAAAAH!" Anubis fumed.
"I take it didn't go too well." Kento said.
"Precisely. GogoV did not let us borrow their mecha. What we are going to do now is unknown." Dais explained.
"We're going to try and see if we can figure out a backup plan." Sekhmet said.
"That is if we can ever calm Anubis down." Kale said, pointing to Anubis who was still fuming and was on the verge of being a Cid Highwind clone.
"Well, good luck. We're going to go take a walk, see if we can figure something out while you try to calm Anubis down." Ryo said. "We'll be back later. Come find us if you figure something out or something goes wrong."

Back with the girls...

"Well, we made it!" Nene shouted in a red swimsuit.
"Perfect. Fun, Sun, and no Sakura to ruin it! Yahoo!" Ayame shouted. She was in her blue two piece from way back when.
"Well, let's get moving girls, before all the good spots are taken!" Yuri added. She was in a flowered one piece.

Working fast, the girls managed to find a sunny spot near the wave pool and set up shop. Ayame almost immediately plopped into a lounge chair, pulled out her Rave player, donned her headphones, laid back, and closed her eyes, and let out a long sigh as she tilted her head to one side.

"Ayame sure looks relaxed." Ran commented.
"Of course. I guess she needs it." Yuri said.
"Where'd Suiren go?" Nene asked.
"Well, knowing her, and Destonus, she's off flirting with guys." Yuri said.
"I'll stay here with Ayame. You two go have fun now." Nene asked.
"Okay. Come on Ran." Yuri said.

Yuri headed off with Ran at her side.

Back in the Mobile Pit...

"As you can see, Nigel, the suit was badly damaged in the last fight. It's healed itself thus far, but Sylia and I think that she needs some sort of extra weaponry to protect her at close range." Sakura explained.
"We need something that she'll be able to utilize that won't force her to use her hands." Sylia said.

Nigel nodded.

"Leg Bombers might do the trick." Nigel said.
"What do you mean?" Sakura asked.
"It's a system similar to the one on the Knuckle Bomber. Except it's attached to the legs instead of to the hand." Sylia explained.
"Maybe I can also make much of her melee combat skills automatic." Nigel said.
"You mean like Nene's suit." Sylia said.
"Yes."
"Sounds like a plan. Let's do it."

Nigel headed off.

"Where are you going?" Sakura asked.
"I need to call Mackie." Nigel replied.
"Mackie? Can't you make the modifications without him? I told you I didn't want him involved in this!" Sylia protested.
"He's the best assistant I have. He might get the job done faster than I can alone." Nigel said.
"Who's Mackie?" Sakura asked.
"Fine. He can come and help you. But then he has to go back to our time." Sylia said.
"Fine." Nigel said.
"Where'd Priss go?" Sakura wondered.

(Idea begins as we cut to an EST of Club Sonoda)

Sylia VO: "Priss is performing at someplace called Club Sonoda tonight. She's there with Sekiria rehearsing."

The awesome Priss Asagiri was on stage with her band, Sekiria, preparing for their show that night. As usual Priss made sure to break out all the best songs in their arsenal. Club Sonoda was no Hot Legs, but it would have to do. Sekiria was well known for the energy with which they played, and this rehearsal was no different.

"Hirogaru/daichi ni/ afureru ibuki/nagareru/kumo ma ni/ sasayaku hikari! Ikusen no toki o koete kite mo/GARASU no you na sono minamoto ha hakanaku/sora no risei o/kaze no yuuki o/suna no yokubou/motto kanjite/watashi ha dare?/ anata ha dare? Kizutsuke...ai doko he yuku no!"

The band was about to go into the second verse, but then again, this was only a rehearsal. Priss heard clapping coming from the tables below. It was Linna.

"Okay guys, Love in a Tunnel." Priss said.

(Love in a Tunnel kicks up as we kick back to the Ronin)

"Asu o shiranai /nani mo shiranai / ikiteru dake/ue ni ukabu/tsuki to taiyou no/shoutai mo wakattenai
TONNERU kara /mieru hikari o /hoshi to yonde/atama yori mo/ takaku/ gimon o kazashi hataraiteru/
kyou no kurikaeshi

jama na sokubaku furikiru SHOOTAIMU/koukishin ha totsujo arawaru.../ROKETTO ni/ notte yukeba
minasama sorotte FUWAFUWA/haruka saki ni /deguchi ga areba/"nan to ka no naka no kaeru" ja nai

"Well, at least we escaped those guys." Ryo said.
"Yeah, let's hope they come up with some plan that's actually reasonable." Rowen said.
"That doesn't involve stealing, injuring us, blowing something up..." Kento said, counting the methods off on his fingers.
"You mean all that stuff we'd expect Anubis to do in this situation." Ryo asked.
"Yeah." Kento said.

As the Ronin discussed what Anubis would most likely do now that Matoi refused to help him out, Sai had other things on his mind. Well mainly, a cute 4'11" adorable girl (animators start to draw Rei-chan anime style) With purple hair almost like Fuu's. (Animators erase image of Rei-chan and draw image of Ran in his head) He had fallen in love with her innocent lavender eyes from the moment he saw her. They had similar interests, they got along well, and they were almost perfect for each other. They loved one another dearly. He was heartbroken when she left to return to the Heavens with her older sisters. But now she was back. He had another chance to be with her!

"Sai...Earth to Sai...Hey man what's wrong?" Kento asked his friend.
"Huh? Oh nothing. Just thinking about stuff." Sai said.
"Like what?" Kento asked.
"Nothing in particular." he replied.
"Nothing in particular? You were ignoring us for almost ten minutes. Something's gotta be important." Rowen said.
"I told you guys. Nothing!" Sai said.
"Okay, if you say so man." Ryo responded.
"Uh guys, what's that thing?" Sage asked, pointing to a strange blue robot with a huge gun in its hands.
"I have no idea Sage. But it looks like trouble." Ryo said.

Before they could discuss any further, the gun hummed to life and fired, causing a large explosion! When the smoke cleared a large crater had been formed where the Ronin were standing. The five now stood in formation atop a building.

"What is that thing?" Kento wondered.
"I already asked that." Sage replied.
"Do you think they've figured out how to duplicate our armors?" Sai asked.
"Maybe, but they'd need Kinjiro for that." Rowen said.
"I say we send this thing to the scrap heap." Ryo said.
"I'm with you there Ryo!" Kento shouted.

The five switched to their GW sub-armor as Just Communication began playing for the umpteenth time.

"Armor of Zero Wildfire! Tao Jin!"
"Armor of Nataku Hardrock! Tao Gi!"
"Armor of Griepe Strata! Tao Inochi!"
"Armor of Zeus Halo! Tao Chi!"
"Armor of Sandrock Torrent! Tao Shin!"

In a matter of minutes the five were enveloped and outfitted in their Gundam inspired death weapons.

"Let's get him." Ryo said.
"That's easy enough." Sage said, drawing his sword and leaping skyward, crashing down on the thing.

However he managed to knock him away!

"Okay, I'll get him." Rowen said, opening fire with his Mega Particle Cannon.

The suit simply dodged the attacks.

"This thing's fast." Sai said.
"My turn." Kento said, deploying his Dragon Fang. He fired his flame-throwers, attempting to melt the machine but it failed as well, as the unit fired upon him with the cannon again. Kento went flying.

The machine then went after Sai. He opened fire with his Beam Machinegun, but the shots managed to do some damage to the suit. It fired its gun at him, but Ryo leapt in front of him and blocked with his shield. He fired up his thrusters and rocketed towards it with his swords drawn, and slashed, but they failed to put a dent on the suit!

"What Gives? These things cut through Mecha Knights like butter. Yet they're doing jack to this guy."
"I say we try the sure-kills and vape this guy!" Kento said.
"Too dangerous Kento. We attack we take him out along with half the city." Ryo said.
"Then what ARE we going to do?" Kento asked.
"Nimu Kanryou." Ryo replied.
"Oh no you don't mean..." Rowen said.

Sai whipped out a megaphone, while Sage grabbed an air raid siren.

"Attention everyone! This is a buster rifle alert!" Sai shouted.
"Please evacuate your homes immediately!" Rowen added.

(Codename Heero Yuy Kicks up)

Ryo pulled out the infamous buster rifle and locked it into his arm. He then took aim at the enemy unit.

"Mission Accepted."
"You think that thing's going to stop me? Ha!" the pilot said.
"It's one of those Rangers!" Kento shouted.

Ryo fired, but Chad fired at the same time, and the blasts collided. In a matter of moments both weapons were overloaded and jammed. The two threw their cannons aside and in midair proceeded to beat the living daylights out of each other in hand to hand combat. Chad reached back with his fist and nailed Ryo with a punch, sending him flying backwards in a spin until he skidded across the building. He fired, but Ryo along with Kento and Sai were able to block the assault as his gun came back online. He kept the pressure on as the heroes tried to fight it off.

Meanwhile...

Back in the Mobile Pit, Nigel and his Shinji-lookalike companion Mackie were hard at work on modifying Ayame's hardsuit. Sylia was watching intently as they dismantled most of the legs in order to install the Leg Bombers based on the designs from Priss' suit. Over in a corner was Sakura, slumped over in a chair, fast asleep. Suddenly a message came in. It was from Linna.

"Sylia, I just left Club Sonoda and I just happened to notice some strange suit firing some sort of beam at some other units. It might be the Ronin." she said.

At the sound of the word "Ronin" Sakura snapped into wakefulness. "Wha? Someone's beating up my boyfriend?" Sakura said.

"Apparently so. Let's see if we can get a visual." Sylia said.

In moments she managed to access a few communications satellites to show them the battle.

"He's beating up my Ryo! Bastard. I'm going after them." Sakura said.
"Sakura, wait! We'll contact Nene and see if your sisters can handle it." Sylia said.
"But they're not done with Ayame's suit yet!" Sakura said, pointing to Nigel and Mackie, who were still laboring away. "And may I add that the Chi Amplifier is still not working right?" Sakura said.
"Don't worry. I shut it off until we can get Kinjiro to fix it. I'll contact Nene and she'll get the girls on it." Sylia said. "In the meantime we'll go get Priss and Linna just in case." Sylia said.
"Right. Let's get moving." Sakura said.

Sylia and Sakura hopped in the front and floored it, heading towards Club Sonoda.

Back at the park...

Nene was sitting in a chair looking over things on Ayame's laptop while her new friend lay motionless beside her, Ayame's hands resting on the armrests. Just then Yuri, Ran, and Suiren walked up.

"Hi Nene, what's new?" Yuri asked.
"Sshh. I think she fell asleep." Nene said, pointing to Ayame.
"Oh, okay." Yuri said in a lower voice.
"Anyways, Sylia says there's another suit loose." Nene explained.
"Wonderful." Yuri said.
"And it's going after those Ronin guys." Nene said.
"Oh this is even better." Yuri said sarcastically.
"So, do we wake Sleeping Beauty or do we go alone?" Suiren said.
"Actually, Sakura said to let Ayame enjoy herself today. Look at her. She's so peaceful." Nene said. "She looks so cute."
"Okay, let's get going." Yuri said.

With that the three girls ran off to find a place to Armor up. They closed their eyes and began concentrating. Soon their kanji appeared on their foreheads, and then in moments their Hardsuits appeared on their bodies. They fired up their thrusters and flew off in the direction of the battle.

(Fly High kicks up)

Back at the battlefield, the Ronin were not doing so well. Chad had them pinned down with his cannon.

"I don't think we can hold this guy off for long. We better try calling the Warlords." Ryo said.
"I don't think we'll need to. Something's coming!" Sage reported.

The Ronin looked up in the sky as three strange looking armored things flew overhead, one of them headed directly for Chad.

*"Okay girls, I got this guy. KEEEEEYAAAAAA!" Yuri screamed, letting Chad have it with her Knuckle Bomber, knocking him backwards. The Ronin cheered. The group landed on the ground below while Chad recovered from the blow.

"What are these things Ryo?" Kento wondered.
"I don't know. They must be those Neo Knight Saber things." Ryo suggested.
"I say we help them out." Rowen said.
"But we don't know if they're our enemy or not!" Sage protested.
"But they did come to our rescue. That could mean something." Rowen said.
"Yeah, that they want finish this guy off and then off us." Kento said.

As Sai listened to his teammates complain about the Neo Knight Sabers, another voice came over the airwaves.

**"Hehehe! Hi honey!" Ran giggled.
**"Ran? Is that you?" Sai asked, surprised.
**"Uh huh. Watch this!" she said.

Sai watched as the purple unit rocketed into the air and deployed a series of energy whips which managed to damage the suit slightly.

*"Hey Sylia! What is this thing anyway?" Yuri asked.
"According to our information, it's the Vayeate. It's got a powerful beam cannon that's almost as strong as Ryo's. There's a power pack on the back of the thing that lets it have continuous fire." she explained.

Meanwhile, Sai was trying to figure out how she got in touch with him.

**"Ran, is that Yuri over there?"
**"Yep. And the other one's Suiren. Don't our suits look awesome?" she asked.
**"I guess so."
**"You guess so? Mom went through a ton of trouble to get these things built!" Ran said.
**"Sorry." Sai apologized.
**"That's okay sweetie." Ran said.

Unfortunately due to her current attraction to Sai she failed to notice that Chad was training his weapon on her!

**"Ran, watch out!" Sai shouted.
**"Huh?" Ran said in disbelief, and then saw his weapon power up. *"ONEESAN!" Ran screamed.
*"Ran!" Yuri said, rushing to help her younger sibling.
**"Oh no!" Sai shouted.

Sai started on a mad dash to help ran, to the surprise of his teammates.

"Sai, what are you doing? Have you gone mad?" Kento asked.
"Well, the best thing we can do is cover him!" Rowen said.

(Dreams from GW kicks up)

Chad fired, Ran closed her eyes in anticipation, but Sai ran in front of her!

"Sandrock Shield!" Sai shouted, summoning the strange shaped object to block the attack.

*"What's Sai doing?" Suiren wondered. But she did not have a chance to ponder the thought, before an energy blast hit the ground near her!
*"Oh CRAP! That other imbecile's back!" Suiren shouted.
"Well hello ladies, I'm BAAAACK! And new and improved." Joel said.
**"I'm here Ran!" Sai shouted.
**"Sai..." Ran said softly.
**"I don't know how long this thing's going to hold out!" Sai said.
*"Hang on Ran, I'll get him!" Yuri shouted.

Chad held his aim on Ran and Sai, and focused the beam directly on the shield in an attempt to break it. Suddenly he heard an explosion and he fell out of the sky!

"What happened?" Chad wondered. He turned to see Yuri land behind him, her Knuckle Bomber still smoking.
"Chad, she took out your thrusters! You won't be able to fly now!" Joel reported.
"Wonderful. At least I can still destroy these two." he said, taking aim at the couple again.

He tried to fire, but he could not!

"What now?" he shouted. He turned around to see Suiren materialize and Climhazzard him with her sword.
"She damaged the charging device?"

He turned to see Ryo with his buster rifle aimed directly at him.

"Mission Accepted." Ryo said.

Ryo fired, badly damaging the Vayeate unit. But it survived.

"You may have damaged my armor Ronin, but I can still defeat you." Chad said.

He whipped out his V-Lancer and swung at Ryo, who blocked with his twin swords. Chad kicked him in the stomach, knocking Ryo back, allowing him to leap into the air and try to slam down on him with the weapon. Ryo rolled out of the way and fired his Wing Vulcans to deter him long enough to let him have it with the Machinecannons. Chad got close to him and upper-cutted Ryo, knocking him away. Ryo managed to get to his knees and fired again, before Joel let him have it with the dober gun. He fired the long weapon at the other Ronin, knocking them away as well.

"Whoohoo! Now to take this down to ground level." Joel said, landing his unit and throwing away the cannon and pulling out one of his beam sabers stored in the shield. Sai fired at him with his beam machinecannon, but he deflected the blast right back at him, which he blocked with his shield. Ran went low and ran at him, ducking underneath his sword swipes, then leaping into the air and crane kicking him in the head and landing gracefully while he slammed into the ground, only to get knocked skyward by Chad. Ran fell from the air and landed in Yuri's arms, who put Ran down before brandishing her knuckle bomber, then charging at him and driving it into his faceplate, damaging it slightly.

*"Damn..." she said in disbelief as he backhanded her away.

Joel headed over and recovered his dober gun and prepared to go skyward again to blast the heroes, but Ran grabbed it with her garrote wires.

*"Let's see how you like it." Ran said as she fired, knocking Joel into a wall. *"Whoohoo! I got 'em Oneesan!"
*"Good work Ran." Yuri said as she got up. As she turned to look to her sibling she saw a glint of silver which slammed into her with a hatchet, knocking her away again!

"Good. Ryan's here. Let's take these guys out." Joel said.

The three moved in on the weakened heroes. Suiren attempted to nail them but Ryan managed to somehow find her and knock her unconscious as she rematerialized again. The Ronin gathered around Sai and the girls as the three moved in closer. Suddenly a blast came out of nowhere and nailed them! They turned and looked atop a building. A sleek differently styled suit was standing there with a katana in each hand.. It was a metallic pink with teal and silver accents. It leapt into the air and spun Trowa style before landing in front of them, bent over and the swords backwards. She slashed upward at Ryan, knocking him away with Kaiten Kenbu Rokuren before letting Joel have it in the face with her Knuckle Bomber. Her impact managed to cause his helmet to break apart, cutting off his control. As she turned to go after Chad metallic footsteps and a battle cry were heard as Priss ran at him and one two punched his helmet before shattering it and knocking him away with her leg bomber.

"Let's get outta here!" Joel shouted as the three teleported off.
"Wow that was close." Rowen said.
"They almost got us that time." Kento said.
"We would have been goners if it wasn't for those Neo...Hey where'd they go?" Sage said, looking around.

Sai looked and expected to see Ran next to him, but she had vanished along with Yuri. Priss had also flown the coop, as had Sakura and Suiren.

"Let's get back to the hotel. Maybe the Warlords came up with something." Ryo said.

With that the five guys gave up and trudged back to their room.

Meanwhile...

Back at the Mobile Pit, Nigel and Mackie continued to work on Ayame's Hardsuit when Sakura flew and landed inside wearing her armor. In an instant she dispelled it.

"So, how are the modifications going?" she asked.
"We're ahead of schedule. We managed to get the Leg Bombers installed. But Mackie had some new ideas on how we can make her defensive capabilities more effective." Nigel explained.
"Sylia told us that Ayame isn't really much of a fighter, so we're going to install a system that will link her brain with a database of your attack skills and allow her to access them at remarkable speed, bringing her reaction time to almost a tenth of a second. It's close to that ZERO System thing that Kinjiro didn't install on Ryo's armor. We can't explain why he's so obsessed with saying 'Nimu Kanryou' or 'Mission Accepted' all of a sudden."
"Well he should be fine. Unless he starts going after blondes in boarding schools who give him birthday invites, and then threatening to kill them, we should be in the clear." Sylia said.

Sakura had a nasty vision pop into her head of Ryo with spiky dark brown hair tearing up an invitation and threatening to kill a girl. But she was disgusted with the vision.

Meanwhile, at the Water Park...

"Well, how'd the fight go?" Nene asked as the three girls walked up.
"Well, we won at least. But that Tallgeese thing came back." Yuri explained.
"It'll be a while before our suits are at full power. At least we shut off the Chi-Amplifiers so that we don't get physically drained after we dispel the armors." Suiren said.
"I just hope there aren't any more of those things. The first two were bad enough." Yuri said.
"Yeah, Sakura had to practically bail us out." Suiren said.
"What's this about Devil Girl?" Ayame said as she sat up.
"Well look who's finally awake." Nene said.
"I wasn't asleep! I was just really really relaxed." Ayame explained.
"Sure you were. I asked you if you wanted anything to drink and you completely ignored me." Nene said.
"Well maybe I had my volume control turned up too high." Ayame protested.
"Maybe, but I think I heard you snoring a little." Nene said.
"OH NO. The only people in my family who do that are Devil Girl and Yuri." Ayame explained. Yuri looked a tiny bit ticked off.
"I'll agree with you on that." Nene giggled. "Whoops, sorry Yuri."
"That's fine. As long as you don't take it any further I won't have an excuse to further test my KNUCKLE BOMBER." Yuri said.
"Well, regardless, I'm bored with sitting around doing nothing. Let's go have some fun!" Ayame shouted.
"Count me in." Nene added.
"Hey Ran, where do you want to go next? Ran...?" Yuri said. "Where'd she go?" she wondered.
"Yuri, I may not have been asleep, but I think somebody really needed a nap." Ayame said pointing.

Sure enough, on the chair next to Ayame's, Ran was lying on her stomach using her arms as a pillow with her head down, breathing softly.

"I thought you guys turned the Chi Amplifier off?" Nene asked.
"We did. Ran's just taking a nap on her own. It's something she sort of never grew out of." Yuri explained.
"Oh...Well she looks so cute when she's asleep." Nene commented.
"Uh huh." Yuri said. "You guys go have some fun. I'll stay here with her."
"Are you sure?" Nene asked. "We can wait for her to wake up if you want."
"No, it's okay. I think I might join her." Yuri said.
"Well, okay then. C'mon Ayame, let's go for it." Nene said.

Yuri took a seat beside her unconscious sibling and smiled. Nene was right. Ran was always a little angel.

"Sweet Dreams Ran...I've got a good idea of what you're dreaming about right now." Yuri said, placing a towel over Ran so she would not get burned.

Just outside the city, the Rangers stood ready for their assault. Their mecha were ready to go. Leo was standing by with Zenith.

"All right, just a few more minutes, and then we strike. The Ronin are ours now." Carter said.
"Don't worry, we'll be ready." Leo said.

Meanwhile, back at the hotel...

The Ronin had just stepped into the lobby. They had been discussing how to get out of their two latest problems.

"Kento, those things are stronger than we anticipated. And worse, they seem to be close to our own Mecha Armor." Sage said.
"But at least those Neo Knight Sabers are on our side, right?" Sai added.
"We haven't confirmed that yet. As far as we know they might just be helping us now until those things are defeated so they can defeat us." Rowen said.
"Well maybe the Clow could stop this." Ryo said.
"What are you talking about Ryo? Have you lost your mind like Sai did a while back? Besides, you pronounced it wrong." Rowen asked.
"It's just a suggestion guys." Ryo said.

Suddenly Dais, Sekhmet, and Kale came out of the elevator!

"Hey guys, where's Anubis?" Ryo asked.
"We don't have time for this. Anubis has done something...rash." Sekhmet said.
"Define rash." Sage asked.
"Anubis ran off all of a sudden as we were discussing how to handle our new threat." Dais explained.
"We think we know where he might be headed, but our armor isn't equipped for that situation." Kale said.
"What do you mean, your armor isn't equipped for that situation? Is there something you're not telling us?" Ryo asked.
"We think Anubis is headed for the Tatsumi's mecha bay." Sekhmet said.
"And where is this mecha bay located?" Rowen said.
"Under the harbor. We're positive Anubis is headed there now so he can steal the Tatsumi's mecha." Dais said.
"Oh great. Anubis has officially lost his mind." Sage said.
"Okay. Sai, take Kale and go see what you can find. Dais, you and Hyuuga go see if you can find the Tatsumi's. Tell them what's happened and see if they can help. We'll wait here." Ryo said.

Just before the four headed off, someone from the front desk stopped them.

"Excuse me, is one of you gentlemen Sai Mouri?" he asked.
"I am." Sai said.
"This came for you."

The person handed him a note. Sai took it and began to read it. He practically gasped at it. It was from Ran!

"Ran...wanting to meet me tonight? At Club Sonoda? How am I supposed to see her without the others finding out?" Sai wondered.
"Well, Sai? What is it?" Kento asked.
"It's nothing much. Hang on a minute. I'll be right with you guys." Sai said.
"Um...okay Sai." Kento said.

The others walked out of the hotel. Sai stood there for a moment, trying to figure out what he should do.

"I'll think I'll take her up on her offer. It should be fun." he thought. "May I borrow your phone?" Sai asked.
"Of course."

Sai picked up the phone and dialed the number Ran had left for the hotel she was at. She'll be more than happy to find out, he thought, smiling.

He headed out front where the others were waiting.

"So, what was that all about?" Ryo asked.
"Nothing much. Let's get going." Sai said.

With that he and Kale armored up into their Mecha Armor and flew off for the harbor.

Meanwhile...

Beneath the waters of the harbor everything was quite peaceful. Fish swam around, not worried about anything. But a metallic stomping was heard as creatures scattered. A humanoid shape bearing a large scythe slowly walked towards a distant structure.

"This has to be it." Anubis thought.

Gripping the weapon with both hands, he slashed through the metal in moments, creating an entrance for himself. He sealed the path behind him and opened his faceplate. He found a switch and the room became enveloped in light. Before him stood five gigantic train engines. Each was designated with a number.

"Excellent." Anubis said.

Further away, Sai swam through the harbor at high speed while Kale zipped along in his mobile armor mode.

"Nothing. Absolutely nothing. Where could have Anubis gone?" Sai asked his companion.
"He could not have gotten far. That base has got to be around here somewhere." Kale said.

Suddenly they heard a loud explosion overhead!

"What was that?" Sai wondered.

The next thing they heard was Ryo over their communications gear.

"Sai! Kale! All hell just broke loose. Carter and his gang just attacked the city! He brought friends too! Leo and his team brought their mecha too! Dais and Hyuuga haven't reached the Tatsumi's yet, and they're about the only chance we have! We'll try and slow them down. In the meantime see if you can track down Anubis." Ryo said.

(Use Coming from Darkness kicks up)

Up on the surface...

Ryo and the others soared through the air in their Mecha Armor, heading straight for the downtown area, where the Ranger Mecha were wreaking havoc. Buildings were burning, people were getting injured left and right, damage was high. Matoi dressed as a firefighter headed onto the scene, assisting with extinguishing the flames. Daimon dressed as a police officer was leading civilians away from the scene. Matsuri rushed from an ambulance to help tend to the injured. Up in the sky, Shou was airlifting people away from the scene in a helicopter. As the mecha continued to damage the city, the remaining Ronin hovered in front of them.

"Okay guys, let's see if we can slow these guys down." Ryo said.

The group unloaded a barrage of machine and Vulcan cannon fire at the giant robots. Sekhmet fired eyebeams. Rowen fired his cannon. After a few minutes they ceased firing.

"It's not doing anything. Sekhmet, Sage! Fly behind that thing and go for the legs with your weapons. See if that stops them." Ryo said.

Sekhmet and Sage rocketed over them and swooped in behind the Lightspeed Megazord. Unsheathing their weapons they slashed time and time again with their weapons, failing to put a major dent into the machine.

"It's no good Ryo, they're too strong!" Sage said.
"There's only one choice now." Ryo said, pulling out the buster rifle. Sage and Sekhmet flew off and headed to Ryo's side.
"Mission...Accepted." Ryo said.

He fired, causing a huge beam of energy to slam into the opposing unit, but somehow it managed to survive!

"Oh no! It's The Lightspeed Solarzord!" Ryo exclaimed.

Carter fired, nailing Ryo and sending him flying back with his own energy, crashing somewhere far from the battlefield!

"Ryo!" Rowen shouted.

(In Spattering Blood and Scent of Gunpowder kicks up)

Rowen and the others flew to Ryo's side.

"Are you okay?" Rowen asked.
"I'm not sure. Man that hurt." Ryo said.
"This isn't good." Sekhmet said.

The heroes were enveloped in huge shadows as the Lightspeed Solarzord, Galaxy Megazord, Centarus and Stratoforce Megazords loomed over them.

Back at the Tatsumi's...

"They aren't here." Dais said.
"They must be downtown helping with the evacuation. In any event someone's got to give the Ronin some added assistance." Hyuuga said.
"Excuse me gentlemen." a voice said.

The two whirled around to find an older gentleman standing there.

"My name is Professor Mondo Tatsumi. Can I help you?" he asked.
"Yes, we're looking for GogoV. We believe they can aid us in our mission." Dais explained.
"The GogoV are my children. But they have returned to their jobs and are out dealing with the problems downtown." he said.
"Great. We need the GogoV otherwise the city will be trashed! My friends are trying to fight the strange giant robots off but they've failed." Dais said.
"My friends here were wondering if we could borrow the GogoV's machinery." Hyuuga explained.
"Of course, but you'd have to ask Matoi first." Mondo said.
"We did. He refused." Dais said.
"Even if he did, the tunnel to the mecha bay has been sealed up. I looked into it and there was something about a flood." he explained.
"Oh no...He didn't..." Dais said.
"What are you talking about?" Mondo asked.
"We think our friend broke into your mecha bay and is trying to hot-wire them for our own use." Dais said.
"Ah. I thought something was suspicious about that guy I found there." Mondo said.

The two looked puzzled as Mondo invited them inside. There they found Anubis tied up, still wearing his Deathscythe armor. He was also dripping wet and smelled horrible.

"Anubis?" Dais said shocked.
"I was just about to st...borrow those Go Liners when this guy surprised me and took me down!" Anubis shouted angrily.
"You know this person?" Mondo asked curiously.
"Unfortunately yes." Dais responded.
"Unfortunately! How dare you talk to the leader of the Dark Warlords that way!" Anubis shouted.

A small green robot flew in.

"Doctor! We have a big problem!"
"I'm coming Mint." Mondo said.

He ran into the next room, and returned minutes later, untying a surprised Anubis.

"Come with me you three." he said.

Mondo led them to the secret passageway and remarkably was able to open it. A long tunnel took them deep underground.

"You were telling the truth it seems. Your friends are in grave danger. Take these." Mondo said, handing them strange pistol grips.

"What are these for?" Anubis asked.
"They will let you pilot the Go Liners. Hurry and activate the Victory Robo, then get the machines back here so that we can get the GogoV active." Mondo explained.

The three descended on an elevator, and then ran to a large red engine and hopped inside. Each one locked in their pistol grip.

Meanwhile, our heroes attempted to figure out what to do next.

"We should call White Neo Mega!" Sekhmet suggested.
"We can't! We need Sai, Kale, Dais, and Anubis." Ryo said.
"Looking for us?" Sai said as he and Kale touched down.
"Did you two find anything?" Ryo asked.
"No. Didn't get a chance." Sai explained.
"Now what are we supposed to do? These things are going to trash us!" Kento shouted.
"Maybe not! Look!" Rowen said, pointing to the harbor.

A large garage thing emerged out in the harbor, drawing the attention of everyone around. Some shouted, "The GogoV!"

Back at Bay Area 55, Anubis, Dais, and Hyuuga were set for launch.

"Okay, let's get this show on the road." Anubis said.
"Go Liner, Combine!" Mondo said as the five trains pulled out of the hangar bay and linked up and headed for the mainland.

(Black Wind Invites to the Death kicks up)

The large train raced as a trestle bridge locked onto their track system, bringing it through the subway system, rushing past people waiting for a train, straight to where our heroes were fighting.

"Huh? What is that thing?" Ryo asked as the thing stopped in front of them.
"Climb in! It's time for a little payback!" Anubis shouted.

The group climbed aboard the large train and filed into the respective vehicles.

"What? They got Zords too? Trash them!" Carter shouted.

Anubis kicked it into high gear and got out of the way. He stopped nearby.

"Okay, Ryo, you and the Ronin board the 99 Machines and let's take these guys down." Anubis said.

Hatches opened up on the mecha, revealing several vehicles.

"99 Machines...Hashin!" Anubis said.

One by one the Ronin started up their vehicles and pulled out. First to come out was the Red Ladder with Ryo at the controls. Next out was the Blue Thrower, which Sai took up. Green Hover was next, and Rowen took that. Yellow Armor emerged next, which Kento took. Finally Sage emerged in the Pink Aider.

"Okay, now let's show these guys what the Ronin can do!" Ryo said.

The gang turned and headed for their opponents. Sai nailed them with a blast of water. Rowen fired his guns at the assembled Zords.

"First thing we need to do, is put out all these fires!" Sai said.
"Don't worry. All you need to do is to form Victory Walker." Mondo instructed.
"Okay. So how do we do that?" Ryo asked.

At Mondo's instructions, the Blue Thrower transformed itself slightly. Using its magnetic grips, Green Hover lifted it up into the air. Yellow Armor and Pink Aider stood up and Rowen lowered Sai on top of the other two. In this strange configuration, the thing stomped around, using the water cannons on the head to douse the flames. But Centarus and Stratoforce moved in.

"This isn't good. We've got to finish this up!" Ryo said.
"Good. Use your ladder arms to pull yourself up on top of his vehicle." Mondo instructed.

Red Ladder changed slightly as well, and pulled itself up on top of the Blue Thrower, forming the upper torso. Then Green Hover transformed as well and pulled itself into place, forming the head.

"Okay, let's see what this thing can do." Ryo said.

He summoned its sword and blocked the swipe of the Galaxy Megazord's saber. They slashed at the Galaxy Megazord, and Leo parried with their sword.

"We need to hit these guys harder!" Ryo said.
"Use the Victory Prominence!" Mondo instructed.

Ryo slashed a flaming ring with the sword, and slashed downward, nailing the Galaxy Megazord. Leo fell back, only to be greeted by Mike, in his large gigantic form as Defender Torozord, who knocked them away.

"We can't just sit here and watch Ryo get beaten! We must do something!" Dais shouted.
"You must form Grand Liner." Mondo said.
"How do we do that?" Anubis asked.

A large aerial ramp rose from the ground.

"Head up that and when airborne, shout Renketsu Gattai!" Mondo said.

Anubis moved the large train onto that track, and flew up the ramp at high speed, going faster and faster until it flew off, flying over the city.

"Renketsu Gattai!" The Warlords shouted.

The five trains disconnected and began forming into a huge gigantic mega robot. It landed before their enemies.

"Okay, let's see how this thing works." Anubis said.

The left shoulder launcher opened to reveal a missile launcher. The right shoulder launcher, which was the engine of the red train, began spinning at high speed.

"Grand Fire!" Anubis shouted.

Immediately thousands of missiles and Gatling fire began flying at the two smaller Zords, knocking them for a loop. The Galaxy Megazord went flying as well. Carter stepped forward in his machine.

"Grand Fire!" Anubis shouted again, blasting Carter's machine heavily. But it absorbed the power and sent it flying back at the Grand Liner!

"This isn't good. We need to nail this guy!" Anubis said.
"Supertrain Mega...WHAT?" Carter shouted as a strange robot with a staff flew in.

(GogoV theme kicks up)

A large robot landed before them, brandishing its spear. Carter could not believe it, and began trying to stop it to no avail. It managed to separate their Megazord into its two components. It headed into the air, and aimed its spear at them. The tip opened up and a missile flew at the two Zords, blasting them away! It landed, ready for more trouble.

"That's IT! We'll be back, just you wait!" Carter shouted as they loaded their damaged machines back into the Rail Rescues and were towed off by the Max Solarzord. The heroes celebrated.

Later that day...

"How dare you let these thieves take our machines!" Matoi shouted at his father.
"They need them more than we do now. And they said they would bring them back when they're finished." Mondo explained.
"Yes brother. Let them go." Nagare said.
"Oh...FINE!" Matoi said, knowing his father was right.
"We'll be back later to retrieve them and head out." Ryo said.

Back at the Girls' hotel...

"Well, Nene and I are going out for the evening." Ayame said.
"We managed to win a contest on the radio, and we got tickets to see Ayumi Hamasaki in concert!" Nene exclaimed.
"Fine. Have fun." Sakura said.
"And what are you up to this evening?" Ayame asked.
"Sylia and Nigel aren't finished with your Hardsuit yet. We've got to finish it before we head off." Sakura said.
"I'm heading out too. There's got to be some cute guys other than Sage lying around here somewhere." Suiren said as she left.

Finally Sakura left to help Sylia. Only Ran and Yuri remained.

"So, are we headed for Club Sonoda?" Yuri asked.
"Uh huh. And guess what? Sai's coming!" Ran exclaimed.

Yuri was happy for her youngest sibling, but starting to regret that she was keeping a secret from her other sisters.

"He is? That's great." Yuri said. "Does he know how to get there?"
"Yeah. I gave him directions." Ran said.
"Okay, well, let's get going." Yuri said.
"Okay." Ran giggled.

A few minutes later...

Sai stepped out of a cab outside of the club. He was nervous about several things. Had Ran changed since he last saw her? He hoped she was the same sweet girl he remembered. He also hoped that the guys wouldn't kill him if they found out the truth. The last thing he needed was Anubis attempting to kill the girls again. He had made sure to destroy the note beyond recognition so that Anubis could not begin to track them down. His train of thought was cut off by a familiar voice...

"Sai! Over here!" Ran called.

Nothing had really changed, Sai was happy about that. Her purple hair was as beautiful as ever. Her lavender eyes sparkled in the streetlight. She was dressed in a black and red T-shirt with black sweat pants.

"Great! You came!" Ran said.
"Uh...Hi Ran." Sai said.
"Are you nervous?" She asked curiously.
"Uh..." Sai stammered.

Ran smiled.

"It's okay. Come on, Priss is about to start!" Ran said, grabbing his hand and dragging him towards the club.
"Wait? Who's Priss?" Sai wondered.
"Oh, you'll see." Ran said.

The two rushed into the club. It was extremely crowded. There were people sitting at tables, people sitting at the bar, people were everywhere. Ran and Sai headed for a table where a small sign read: "Reserved for Sai Mouri and Ran Kamino" The two sat down. They still had a few minutes to go.

"So, Sai, what's new?" Ran asked.
"Nothing much really...I really haven't had the opportunity to get out...we've been busy you know." Sai said.
"Yeah. We've sorta been busy too..." Ran said.
"The Hardsuits?" Sai asked.
"Yeah that...and Mom's got us on this ungodly training regimen. I've gotten used to it and Sakura, and Suiren adapted quickly, and Yuri's well...Yuri, but Ayame...I really don't know about her. She'd rather have fun then fight." Ran explained.
"You mean she doesn't want to be one anymore?" Sai asked.
"She doesn't know what she wants. She doesn't even know if she still loves Rowen. Poor thing." Ran said.
"What about Sakura? I'm sure if the guys knew Ryo would be thrilled to find out about her." Sai asked.
"Sakura's been acting weird lately. She's getting up really early, going out to practice with her swords, that kinda stuff. She seems so distant now...She's got some obsession with Aoshi Shinomori now. Ayame found a quiz online once, and she answered every question and got them all right. Ayame's gotten into the habit of calling her Devil Girl. Sakura hates it." Ran said, giggling on the last part.
"How's Suiren doing?" Sai asked.
"Well...she's been flirting like there's no tomorrow, and she's been practicing with her sword all the time. I guess she's still pining for Sage." Ran said happily.
"Yuri?" Sai asked.
"How about you ask her yourself?" Ran said.

Sai turned around to find the gigantic form of Yuri standing over them. She had two sodas with her that she placed in front of Ran and Sai, who thanked her.

"Sai wants to know how you've been Oneesan." Ran said.
"I've been great. I love my new Hardsuit. I can really kick some serious ass. I took out both of those Ranger jerks with my Knuckle Bomber." Yuri said.
"You mean the Knuckle Bomber that was inspired by my Hardsuit." a voice said.

A girl about Yuri's age walked up to them. She was dressed in a red business suit. Her hair was full of split ends and was very catlike in appearance.

"Here you go kid." she said, handing Ran a CD.
"Wow! Thanks Priss!" Ran said.

Priss smiled and took the stage.

"That's Priss?" Sai asked. Ran nodded.

"Ladies and Gentleman, Club Sonoda is proud to present, SEKIRIA!" the manager said over a microphone.

The opening notes of Idea began and the crowd began to go wild. As usual the energy with which Priss performed was unbelievable. Moving on from Idea, Priss began Ame.

"Would you like to dance?" Sai asked.

Ran smiled.

"Of course." She said a sweet voice.

Sai and Ran took to the floor. Yuri managed to clear ample space for the couple as they circled the floor, locked in embrace. Yuri smiled. Yes, Sakura would probably kill her. But to see those two happy...for a few minutes, time seemed to stop.

Sai and Ran switched to a different style as the song picked up near the end. With Ame finished, Priss moved on to yet another song, this time, Love in a Tunnel. The energy in the room hit a high point as everyone there got into the music as Priss and her band pushed their talents to the limit. She pushed even further as she broke into the heavier artillery with Bug List.

Next the lights dimmed except for a single spotlight, a microphone, and Priss with a guitar alone on stage. She slowly headed into Blue Confusion. Every slow danced, or sat watching as Priss slowly but carefully sang the song. It was slower than most of her other numbers. As she watched Ran and Sai dance, staring at each other happily, Yuri could not help but think of Kento. She wondered what he would be up to. Probably eating, she thought.

As Priss finished the last few notes of the song, she was given a standing ovation. Sekiria bowed and headed off the stage. Minutes later the group returned with more applause then before as she flew into Bukkirabouna Ai Ni Oboretai.

"She's great isn't she?" Ran shouted.
"What?" Sai said, unable to hear her over the music.
"I said isn't Priss great?" Ran shouted again.
"Oh, yeah, she is. You like this kind of stuff?" Sai said.

Ran nodded happily as Priss continued with her song. In a dramatic burst minutes later she finished. She then headed into the last song of the night, Y'know. When she finished, the crowd exploded with applause.

"Thank you! Thank you!" Priss shouted.

Later, as the two were about to leave, Sai asked Ran when he could see her again.

"Well...If you want to see me...you can take me back to the hotel and I'll tell you there." Ran said.

Yuri hailed transportation and the three headed back to the hotel. Fortunately none of the others had gotten back yet. Priss still had to pack up their stuff, and Sakura must have still been with Sylia. Ran turned on the lights and walked over and plopped on the bed. She patted the bed as if to invite Sai to sit down with her. Sai sat down and Ran started to lay back. Sai did as well as Ran rolled over to her side. Sai turned his head to meet her eyes.

"So, we're back here now. When can I see you again?" Sai asked.

Ran yawned and closed her eyes.

"You can see me now Sai...asleep that is...'night Sai..." Ran said sleepily.
"Good night Ran." He said.

Silence.

"Ran?" Sai asked as the little girl made herself comfortable on top of him almost hugging him. She started to breathe softly, proving to Sai that she was fast asleep.

"Poor thing." Yuri said. "Well, she's had a very busy day."
"Can you please get her off? I don't want to wake her but she's sort of cutting off my air flow." Sai explained.

Yuri smiled.

"Oh yeah, I forgot to warn you she likes to cuddle. Sure."

Yuri gently lifted the slumbering Ran off Sai and gently set her down next to him before tucking her in. Sai sat up, hoping Ran would not try to suffocate him again, and breathed a sigh of relief as Ran curled up into a fetal position next to him.

"Aww...she's like a little kid." Sai said. "She looks so cute doesn't she?" Sai said to Yuri.
"Yeah, that's Ran for you. Other than me, you're the only other person she's actually fallen asleep with." Yuri explained. "But yeah, she's like a little angel when she's asleep."
"I should probably get going. The guys will get suspicious of me." Sai said.
"Okay. Be careful when you get out of the bed, you might wake her up." Yuri cautioned.

Sai started to scoot out of the bed, but Ran grabbed on to him, surprising him.

"Are you leaving?" she asked, half-asleep.
"No. I'll stay here." Sai replied.
"Okay." Ran said, curling up again. In a few seconds she was asleep.
"Well, It looks Like I'm staying." Sai said.
"Okay by me. Just as long as the others agree." Yuri said.

As if in answer, they heard loud voices coming towards the room. In walked Ayame and Nene.

"How was the concert?" Yuri asked.
"It was Awesome! She put on such a great show."
"Who's that?" Nene asked.
"Oh that's just Sai..."

Ayame froze in shock.

"Ayame, I can explain." Yuri said.
"I'm sorry...Ayame's not here right now. Please leave a message at the beep. BEEP." Ayame said before fainting.

When Ayame came to, she was a bit out of it.

"Welcome back." Yuri said.
"I had the strangest dream Yuri..." She said.
"Can you tell me about it?" Yuri asked.
"I came back from the concert and there was Sai sitting...over...THERE!"

Ayame snapped back into full consciousness.

"What's he doing here...if he's here, than that means he knows...HE DOESN'T KNOW DOES HE?" Ayame asked loudly.
"No he doesn't know about that...yet." Yuri whispered.
"Well, how the heck did he find out?" Ayame asked, still shocked.
"Ran sorta...left him a message at the construction site. And then he sorta followed her home." Yuri explained.
"Okay...but DO YOU REALIZE THAT SAKURA'S GONNA KILL YOU TWO?" Ayame shouted.
"Shhh, you'll wake Ran up. Calm down Ayame." Yuri said.
"Calm down? Calm down? I CAN'T CALM DOWN! I'm not in the mood to see Devil Girl kill you two!" Ayame screamed.
"Huh...what's going on..." Ran said as she started to wake up.
"It's okay Ran. Go back to sleep." Yuri said.
"Oh hi Ayame...oh crap." Ran said.
"Ayame found out our little secret when she came into the room. I didn't tell her." Yuri said.
"Uh...I'm sorry Ayame. I shouldn't have kept stuff from you guys. Can Sai stay with us?" Ran asked.
"Oh that's okay. Fine by me. I don't know about Sakura though." Ayame said. She plopped on the bed and put her arm around Sai's neck, surprising him. "So, Sai? What's new?" Ayame asked out of the blue.
"Um...nothing much...we were in town looking for the Tatsumi's so we could borrow their mecha. Ran invited me back to the room. I was going to leave though. The guys must be suspicious by now." Sai said, getting up.
"And besides. He's mine." Ran said proudly. She turned to Sai. "You're leaving?" Sai said.
"Yes. It's really late and the guys are probably getting restless." Sai said.
"Please?" Ran said, acting as cute as she possibly could.
"Well, let me call the hotel we're staying at. If the guys aren't there, I'll stay here with you. Okay?" Sai said.
"Okay." Ran said.

Sai headed over to the phone and called.

"What? They already checked out? Okay. Did they say where they were headed? Okay, thank you."

Sai hung up.

"They said the guys already left. Most likely they're headed for the Tatsumi's house or are there now. Unfortunately I don't have their number." Sai said.
"Yay! Sai can stay with us!" Ran said.
"Ran, we still have to check with Suiren and Sakura." Yuri said.

As if in answer Suiren showed up at the door. She took one look at Sai. Fortunately she did not go nuts like Ayame. After Yuri calmly explained the circumstances to her, she agreed.

"Now, all we have to do is hope Sakura is in a good mood." Yuri said.

A few minutes later they heard Sylia and Sakura headed over to the room.

"Don't worry Ran, I'm with you." Ayame said.
"Thanks Ayame." Ran said.

As Sakura entered the room, her eyes widened and then stared at her siblings young and old. Ayame stood up and pointed at Ran.

"It's all her fault!" Ayame said accusingly.
"Ayame!" Suiren and Yuri said in unison.
"Would someone please explain what Sai's doing in the room after we were told by Mom not to let the Ronin know about our presence?" Sakura asked sternly.

Ran stood up.

"It's all my fault Sakura. I shouldn't have let Sai know it was us. I didn't turn my COMM on and he heard my voice. I'm so sorry. I just wanted to see him again...I'm so sorry." She said in tears.

She ran to Yuri and started crying on her shoulder. Yuri rubbed her back to try and calm her down.

"It's okay Ran...It's okay..." she said.
"So, are ya gonna kill her?" Ayame asked. Suiren whacked her upside the head.
"If I can speak..." Sai said.
"Go ahead." Sakura said calmly.
"It's partially my fault. I shouldn't have come back here with Ran. Or gone with her to Club Sonoda tonight. Unfortunately I can't go back to our hotel because Ryo and the others already checked out. They're probably halfway to Mariner Bay by now. Ran invited me to stay here, if that's okay with you." Sai explained.

Ran lifted her head from Yuri's shoulder.

"Please Sakura?" Ran asked.
"I won't slow you guys down." Sai said.
"C'mon let him stay with us. At least until we can get him back to the Ronin." Suiren said.
"Please Sakura?" Ayame asked.

Sakura thought long and hard. Mom was most surely going to kill her when they got back home. Amaterasu had told the girls that she would not tolerate any long term stays like last time. They needed to be back at the palace to help guard it. But looking into Ran's face...she looked so happy. Mom would understand. She would want her to be happy.

"Well..." Sakura began, all eyes on her. "All right. He can stay with us. But only until we find the Ronin." Sakura said.
"Oh thank you Sakura thank you!" Ran shouted, hugging her older sister.
"Now, we should all get some sleep." Sakura said.
"Can Sai sleep with me?" Ran asked.
"That's up to him." Yuri said.
"It's okay Ran." Sai said. "I'll sleep with you."

Ran smiled happily.

"I'm gonna go get ready for bed. NO PEEKING SAI!" Ran giggled.

Minutes later she came back in her pajamas and hopped into bed.

Suiren came in and climbed into her cot and put her earplugs on. Sakura did the same and fell asleep, snoring semi loudly.

"Hey! What about me? Where am I gonna sleep? The FLOOR?" Ayame shouted.

Minutes later...

The lights had been turned out. Ayame was forced to sleep next to Yuri, who as usual was sprawled all over the bed, and of course snoring loudly enough to peel paint.

"This sucks." Ayame grumbled.

Yuri let out another Kami-awful snore.

"SHUT UP!" Ayame shouted.

But Yuri just snored again. Knowing she would not win this battle anytime soon, Ayame put on her headphones and attempted to fall asleep.

Over in their bed, Ran and Sai were the only ones still awake, other than Ayame.

"Sai..." Ran asked.
"What Ran?" Sai asked.
"Do you still love me?" Ran asked.
"Of course I do. I was heartbroken when you had to go home." Sai said.
"Really?" Ran asked.
"Yes." Sai responded.

Satisfied, Ran snuggled up to the pillow and closed her eyes, facing Sai.

"Ran?" Sai asked.
"MMM..." Ran said.
"Do you love me?" Sai asked.
"M-hmm" Ran responded, yawning. "'Night Sai." Ran said sleepily.
"Good Night Ran. Don't you need your"

Sai could not finish his question. Ran began breathing softly.

"headphones..."

He smiled, and pulled the covers over her so she would not be cold. Then he went to sleep himself.

Back at the Tatsumi's...

"WHERE IS SAI? He should have been here hours ago!" Ryo fumed.
"I'm sure he has a good reason." Rowen said.
"We cannot wait for him any longer. We must get to Mariner Bay and fight those fools on their own turf as well as rescue Gingaman." Anubis said.
"I guess you're right Anubis. At any rate he'll meet us there." Ryo said.

The nine warriors climbed aboard the Go Liners, and Liner Boy landed in front of them. They took off, building up speed as they reached the Grand Liner ramp, blasting off and heading towards Mariner Bay at high speed.

Back at Shuki's...

The entire fortress was asleep. That is, except for Shuki's mysterious ally. He was awake, pondering the latest developments.

"Those Neo Knight Sabers...They have managed to defeat my warriors. If they know their weakness, then surely they may be powerful enough to defeat me. I must not allow them to leave Capitol City." he said.

He called for one of his minions.

"Go gather hundreds of that worthless mortal's minions. Prepare to depart for Capitol City at once! In the morning begin an attack every hour on the hour until the Neo Knight Sabers surrender. Do not return to me without them!" he bellowed.

"As you wish my Master."

Will Shuki's ally's plan work? Can Sai and the She-Ronin escape from the city to rendezvous with the Ronin? What challenges await our heroes as they head towards certain doom in Mariner Bay. Can they save Gingaman? Find out as Ronin Warriors: Lightspeed Galaxy continues.

(Begin ED: Dreams from Gundam Wing)