Eternal Sentai
Guardranger
Episode 3: Soul of Fire Awakens! Hellscar Rises!
By David Anderson and Derek Pryor
The day started out a lot like most others at the Golden Bushel. Ryuji showed up bright and early to unlock the doors and turn on the lights while he waited for the rest of his staff to show up. A few people showed up and bought something to eat on the way to work, as usual. The others joked and talked about the latest developments in their relationships, and Ryuji didn't think anything odd could happen that day.
He should've known better.
Ryuji wasn't just a normal chef, working himself down to the bone to make his restaurant successful, he was actually Fireguard, a member of the Eternal Sentai Guardranger. They were a group of warriors with special powers drawn from the elements of nature. But whether he would eventually decide to stay with them, he wasn't sure yet.
Sure, he'd liked all the power he felt as Fireguard. But it wasn't a game, he knew that. He could easily run into a foe stronger than he and get himself killed. And he had a real life to think about, after all.
"Yo, Ryuji," one of the chefs called into his office around lunchtime, "There's two customers out front who are demanding to talk to you."
Ryuji quirked an eyebrow. "What about? The ramen overcooked or something?" he asked.
"No, it's not that…But they are getting pretty insistent…"
"Okay, I'm coming, I'm coming." Ryuji got up and walked out of the office where he was going over some invoices and through the kitchen, and out into the dining area where two official-looking men in suits, one gray, one brown, were sitting at the counter and looking at him intently. "Are you gentlemen the customers demanding to see the management?"
"Yes, we'd like to know who provides the recipes for this establishment," the man in brown said.
"That would be me, sir. What can I do for you?"
"Actually, it's more of a matter of what we can do for you. First, the food you prepare here is superb. Second, we're publishers."
Ryuji blinked. "Nani?"
"Would you consider writing us a recipe book? I can guarantee it'll a best seller, not to mention drive up business for the restaurant," the man in the brown suit said.
Ryuji raised an eyebrow. "Are you guys serious? Look, sir, I'm trying hard to make this place work. I've had a lot on my mind, though, and--"
"Sakamoto-san," the man in the gray suit said, "we are serious. This little place is far more popular than you realize. Perhaps you've never really noticed before, but take a look around."
Ryuji did. Every seat in the place was filled. The sidewalk outside was crowded with people who were standing and eating the food they'd bought at the Golden Bushel because there was no place left to sit. But none of them looked like they minded, as they stood around, talked and laughed, all the while dropping food from the Golden Bushel's kitchen into their mouths. No, he had never realized this much activity was happening on his premises before.
Ever since he'd started the place a few years ago, Ryuji had dreamed of turning it into something bigger than a tiny restaurant on a street filled with dozens of others. But it was hard to get noticed in a city as big as Tokyo, and as hard as he tried, Ryuji was only making a fair profit from the Golden Bushel. But from the scene around him, perhaps his culinary expertise had more admirers than he'd thought…
The man in the gray suit pulled his briefcase off the floor, set it on the counter in front of him and opened it. He reached inside and handed Ryuji a business card. "Sakamoto-san, we have to get back to work now, but please consider our offer. You won't regret it." With that, the two of them rose and walked out the door. Ryuji just stood there for a long minute wondering at what had just happened to him.
Alarms sounded and people fled in terror as a thief of the most uncommon variety smashed his way into a jewelry store, loaded all the kiosks into an impossibly spacious bag, and then ran back into the streets to make his getaway. Just for fun he exhaled a cloud of flame that engulfed a car driving toward him amidst the panic, then jumped over it with a manic cackle and continued to dash way.
"Yo, horn head!" someone called out above the panic. The thief turned and looked in annoyance. Facing him were four of the Guardrangers.
Fitting, since the thief wasn't a man. He had scaly red skin, a pair of horns sprouting from his forehead as long as a person's forearm and malicious, beady eyes. And as they drew their Eternablades from their hip sheathes, he reared his head back and spewed out a jet of flame straight at them. The four Rangers were sent flying in a powerful shockwave of sparks.
Earthguard leaped to her feet and smashed her fist into the monster's chin, sparks exploding from the Shock Knuckles built into her gloves, but he was unfazed. Forestguard charged with his Eternablade to attack in close quarters, but the monster unsoldered his sack and opened it at them, and a flurry of cannonballs flew out that exploded as they hit the Guardrangers. They regrouped and charged, but he laughed and belched a blast of searing flame at them. The Guardrangers were driven to the ground.
Waterguard called out to his ally with the ethereal bond they shared, "Ryu, we're fighting a Garganstah monster, and we could really use some help!"
Ryuji was sitting in his office, going over the offer the men had made him. He was about to pick up his phone and call when he heard Waterguard's call echoing in his mind.
The effect shook him with its surprise and urgency, "Ryu, we're fighting a Garganstah monster, and we could really use some help!"
"God help me…" Ryuji grumbled, then returned the mental call. He and the others had only recently discovered this ability, and he was still getting used to it. "Why now, Jase? I'm right in the middle of something important here!"
"Stopping them IS important! Get your butt over here, man! We're gettin' stomped on here!"
Ryuji sighed and raised his Guardbrace, the ornament that allowed him to harness the might of flame, and called out, "FIRE FOCUS!" The effect was immediate, and dramatic as it had always been. A wave of crimson power erupted beneath him, and swirled around his body, garbing him in his Guardsuit and helmet. A glowing white tunnel of light and raging wind opened outside his office window, Fireguard jumped in and a moment later was gone.
The wind tunnels beneath the ground were something amazing. Wherever the Guardrangers were when they needed to get somewhere fast, a tunnel that could take them there was right under their feet. It was a little disconcerting to be blown along at a speed and velocity that would leave the fastest car in the dust at first, but Fireguard and the others were starting to rely on it. Almost as soon as he had entered, the roof cracked open and he was catapulted onto the street, where the monster was bashing around Fireguard's teammates. He managed to catch Earthguard out of the air as she went flying from one of the monster's attacks.
"Arigato," she said, feeling a little odd cradled in Fireguard's arms like she was. "What took you so long?"
"Gomen, it took me ten whole seconds to get all the way here from my office." He was getting a weird feeling in his throat as he held her.
"I…think we should deal with the problem at hand, don't you?" she asked.
"Nani? Oh. Right." Fireguard stumbled out. There was a nervous flutter in the pit of his stomach that started as soon as Earthguard had thanked him for snatching her out of harm's way. Why was that?
Another explosion erupted and the other three yelled various calls of exasperation at them. A little reluctantly, which he later realized surprised him, Fireguard set her down, and summoned his Dragon Steel in a flare or red light. And Earthguard placed her hands on the cement beneath her as it quickly shifted over her hands, covering them in a cocoon of stone, then smashed them together, revealing her fearsome Grizzly Claws underneath. They charged.
The monster belched out another wave of fire from his mouth. Earthguard was driven back by the heat, but Fireguard just kept going, tongues of flame licking superheated trails across his body. But it only served to fuel him, since was the lifeblood of his power. Fireguard came charging out of the inferno and smoke and jumped at the monster, raising his sword high and preparing to bring it down on the creature's neck.
"What?!" the thing bellowed in disbelief as Fireguard plummeted down on him.
Fireguard grinned beneath his helmet. For some weird reason he was enjoying this, even though he hadn't wanted to be here at all. "You're gonna have to do better than that, ugly!" he said defiantly, "It's hotter than that in my kitchen!" He swung the Dragon Steel at the monster's scaly neck.
Unfortunately, the monster was fast as well as dangerous, and ducked out of the way at the last second. The Dragon Steel had shorn off one of his horns, but otherwise he was unharmed.
"Damn you!" the monster gasped, finally realizing that maybe these costumed fools were a threat after all, and backed off. Fireguard pressed his attack. The monster spewed more fire, but Fireguard just raised his sword and drew the deadly cloud into it. Then he swung the blade through the air, and a blinding spear of red light lanced out and smashed into the monster, igniting a blizzard of sparks. Moving quickly, the monster withdrew a ball of some kind of stone from inside the sack over his shoulder, and dashed it on the ground. Before the Rangers could move in to stop him, a cloud of smoke burst from the ball. By the time they could see again, the monster had vanished completely.
Waterguard clapped Fireguard on the shoulder, "Nice going, man. I guess you scared it off. What the heck were you two doing back there, anyways?" He jerked his thumb toward Earthguard, who was standing off to the side.
"Who? Me and Earthguard? I was catching her so she didn't get herself hurt."
"Yeah…right." Waterguard drawled.
Fireguard huffed, his irritation coming back. "Dude, you called me right in the middle of something important. You couldn't have handled that fire-breathing bruiser without me? One less Ranger?"
Waterguard's eyes widened behind his visor, then he reached out and walloped Fireguard across the side of his helmet.
"Jase! Nan desu ka???" he asked, rubbing his head irritably.
"Geez, how dense are you? You saw it for yourself, man!" Waterguard poked him in the chest, "That flame breath of his was too much for anybody but Fireguard to get past. And last time I checked, which wasn't that long ago, that was you." Waterguard planted the tip of his index finger against Fireguard's visor to drive the point home. "You're a member of this team, dude, like it or not."
"I was in the middle of something. You had to call me the minute things got a little crazy?"
"Oh come on, man! You came like a shot last time I was in trouble!"
"That time it was just the two of you. And besides, I never said I was keeping this thing!" Fireguard pointed to his Guardbrace.
Waterguard sighed in frustration. Fireguard may have been his best friend, but the way he kept going on like this was starting to get to him. "Don't you know anything about being a superhero? It's never about you, it's about helping other people because you've got gifts they don't. The Guardbraces won't work for anyone but us, y'know."
"Whatever, man…" Fireguard just shook his head and called to Beservor. "Open me up a tunnel back to my restaurant, Bes. We won't be catching that monster right now."
"Very well." Another gaping orifice of white light appeared in the ground to return Fireguard to his office before anyone noticed he was gone. It sealed behind him as always.
"What was that about?" Airguard asked after a moment.
"Ah, he's ticked because we interrupted something important and we couldn't handle that thing by ourselves." Waterguard sighed.
"Really? Funny, he didn't seem like the type to react like that. Of course, I've only known him for a few days," Forestguard said, "Do you think we should tell him? Might change his mind."
"No, not yet," Waterguard replied, "I hope he's just getting used to the role, and soon he'll stop bitching about it so much. This is a lot to deal with, after all."
Air turned to Earth, "That reminds me, Naoko…just what were you two talking about while the rest of us were getting plastered? You looked awfully cozy back there for a while."
Earthguard's cheeks flushed. "Kami-sama, aren't you too young to be asking questions like that?" she said, more harshly than she meant. Behind her helmet, Airguard raised a knowing eyebrow and smirked.
Meanwhile, the monster responsible for the upheaval earlier limped back to his boss's hideout, holding his detached horn in his free hand.
"Gods and Minions," he grumbled, "One run in with those damn Guardrangers, an I'm scarred for life. Who knew they'd be real trouble?"
"I did, you walking flamethrower!" the voice of his leader thundered, "They've already laid waste to a good number of Silicons, slew three of our best warriors, and you don't think they're trouble, Arbast? And what were you doing outside without my permission? It's your own fault you ran into them. You're lucky your greed didn't lead you straight into an early grave!"
"You know me, boss. I get itching fingers, and I have to go out and steal. You created me, you ought to know. Besides, Mergol, Genac, and Garmanda were weaklings. I had them on the ropes until the one in red showed his face. The others were nothing. He was a menace," the monster replied, holding up his severed horn.
"He's a creature of fire, just like you, that's why. You're lucky that horn was all he cut off of your head. But I think I have a way to overcome that obstacle." The shadowed figure walked over to a pedestal in the center of his headquarters. On it rested a number of small pouches, one of which he grabbed and tossed to Arbast.
"What's this?" he asked.
"Never mind what it is for now. Go out and steal to your heart's content. If you run into anything you can't handle, though, open the pouch and pour the contents over yourself. That should eliminate any difficulties," the leader said.
"You're certain?" Arbast sounded a little dubious.
"Of course I'm am. It will make you invincible. But only use it when you have no other options left. They must be taken by surprise."
"Whatever you say," Arbast said. He emptied out his stash and left to recover before leaving to continue his little crime wave. And his leader heaved a sigh of exasperation about his willful servant, then returned to his planning.
"We have to tell him," Tochiro said to the other three Rangers back in the Earth Sanctum, "He's got a right to know something like that."
"He's not ready, Tochiro. You saw how he acted after that fight," Naoko protested. "What do you think, Jason? You've known Ryuji longer than any of us. We need everybody… even that stubborn friend of yours," she added with a touch of irritation.
"Ease up, Naoko." Jason came back. He didn't much care for the good doctor's constant needling of his best friend, although the truth be told, that smack he'd given Ryuji earlier for dragging his feet again hadn't been entirely unwarranted. "Anyway, I don't think telling him would help, Tochiro. If that fight with Hot-Lips back there didn't convince him how much we need him, dropping a bomb like our little secret won't help, either."
"Oh, I think he has another reason for staying, even if neither of them will admit it," Miaka said, teasingly poking Naoko in the side. The guys looked at each other and snickered. Naoko didn't understand what any of them thought was so blasted funny.
Beservor gave a few magical coughs to quiet them down. "Earthguard is right. We need the entire group to stop Garganstah. Fireguard will have to realize that there's no point in running his business if it means the world crumbles around him.
"Exactly," Naoko said, a bit piously. Jason rolled his eyes.
"Alright, alright, I can take a hint," he sighed, "I'll talk to him. Again. But if we have to do it again it's the girls' turn."
A few days later, Ryuji was sitting by the window in his office again wondering about whether the others really needed him that much. He had been the only one who had done any damage to that monster, that was true. But he'd never asked for this, and his business was just about to take off. Didn't he get to choose between taking care of that and this monster? Surely one Guardranger didn't make that big of a difference.
The monster had apparently stuck up more jewelry stores since the last time the Rangers had run into him, but he was quicker and more cautious than earlier, as he always disappeared by the time the other Guardrangers got there. But the others could deal with it. They wanted to be Guardrangers, and they wouldn't last long if he had to come to blow their noses and kiss their boo-boo's every time trouble came to visit.
"Ryuji?" A youthful voice asked from the hallway, knocking on Ryuji's door and poking his head in. "Are you busy? I can come back later if you were."
"Hey, Keitaro," Ryuji greeted him. "No, I'm not busy. What's up? Something wrong?"
Keitaro stood in Ryuji's doorway, his gaze trained on his shoes, "Well, no, not wrong, exactly…" he said, finally meeting Ryuji's curious eyes, "I was just wondering if I could leave a little early Monday. It's my niece's birthday and I really should be there…"
"Is that all?" Ryuji asked. "Sure, I don't mind. In fact…go ahead and take the whole day off, Keitaro. And tell her I said Happy Birthday."
Keitaro's face lit up into a surprised smile. "I will. Thanks, Ryuji," he nodded as he left the office, shutting the door behind him.
Ryuji couldn't help but grin at Keitaro's bashfulness over asking for something so simple. He was a painfully shy kid, but he was definitely a good one, and one of the hardest workers the Bushel had. Ryuji only wished solving his own problems was as easy as that had been on Keitaro. This whole Guardranger situation was gnawing at him. He'd hoped somewhere deep down that Beservor has somehow fumbled the ball on this whole legendary warrior thing, and that someone else out there was the one who was supposed to be doing the job he'd been unceremoniously drafted into. It was a self-centered idea, Ryuji knew, but he couldn't get the possibility to go away once it surfaced. He'd have much preferred to keep his mental load on the light side. Like thinking about the offer those two guys had made him feel a few days ago. He'd always wanted for the Bushel to have more exposure. Sure, the place was popular, but it was still relatively unknown to most of the public at large. So writing a book of recipes seemed a good way of calling attention to himself and his restaurant .
Yeah…this is just the thing I need to get things moving. Ryuji reached toward his desk, grabbing the portable phone and fishing the business card he was given out of a drawer where he'd left it. Dialing the number printed there, Ryuji brought the receiver to his ear, and waited. After a few rings, someone on the other end spoke.
"Hayashi Publications," a feminine vocal warbled through the phone.
"Hi," Ryuji said. "Could I speak to speak to…" Ryuji paused as he read the name on the card, "Ayeda Kenichiro, please?"
"Just a moment, please." There was silence for a moment, then. "Ayeda Kenichiro speaking."
"Ayeda-san? This is Sakamoto Ryuji. From the Golden Bushel?"
"Ah, Sakamoto-san," Mr. Ayeda replied, his voice that of the man in the gray suit. He sounded pleased. "What can I do for you?"
"Well…I was calling about that offer you made when you came by my place a few days ago. About me doing a book for you. I was wondering…are you still interested?"
"So how do you plan on telling him?" Tochiro asked as he and Jason walked across a busy intersection in the Ueno district, a good five minutes away from Ryuji's restaurant.
"Dude, I can honestly say I've got no idea," Jason sighed, swinging his well-loved bomber jacket over his shoulder, a sudden breeze rustling against his white muscle shirt. "It was tough enough just getting him to accept being Fireguard. But this…" Jason blew a noisy rush of air out of his mouth. "Sorry about dragging you along. You must think I'm a wimp for not wanting to do this alone."
"Don't worry about it," Tochiro squeezed Jason's shoulder. "We're all friends here, Jason. We look out for each other. I haven't known you guys that long, but I feel like we're pretty close regardless."
Jason grinned. It was true after all. He'd already accepted Tochiro as a friend, and even if Fate hadn't made them both Guardrangers, Jason was sure they would've hit it off anyway. The man just seemed to have that effect on people. "Thanks, Tochiro," he said, punching his arm in a friendly fashion. As they approached the block where the Golden Bushel was located, Jason and Tochiro noticed that the outside tables in front of the restaurant were filled to capacity, something Jason had never seen before. There was even a small line of people near the front door waiting to seated.
"Whoa," Jason breathed.
"Is it always this crowded here?" Tochiro asked. "I've barely heard of this place. No offense."
"None taken. You're right, though, the Bushel's never been this packed before. I mean, it's always been popular with the locals, but wow!" The two men headed for inside, practically shouldering their way through the crowd and in through the front door.
"Hey, Jason," the black-haired guy behind the counter called.
"Hey, Shiro. Is Ryuji here?" Jason asked.
"Yeah, back in the office," Shiro jerked his thumb toward the rear of the building.
"Arigato," Jason nodded back as he and Tochiro headed through the kitchen and into the hallway that led to Ryuji's office. As they neared the partially open doorway, Jason heard his best friend talking enthusiastically.
"Yeah, of course, that's no problem at all. Listen, how much time would I get--you know, to put all this together, because it's gonna take a while to--what? No. No, that's great! Yeah, I can work with that. So when can I expect the advance for this? Tomorrow??? No, no, I'm just surprised, is all. Yes, I can meet you in half an hour to settle the details." Jason and Tochiro heard the sound of Ryuji hanging up, then Ryuji let out an ecstatic, booming, "YOSHA!"
What the heck…? Jason and Tochiro looked at each other questioningly for a minute. Then Jason reached over and pushed the office door the rest of the way open. "Hey, Ryuji," he said, "what's up?"
Ryuji's face split into a huge grin. "What's up? Everything's up, Jase! Up to the ceiling!" He bounded over to Jason and proceeded to bear hug the wind out of him. Needless to say, Jason was a little shocked by the gesture--Ryuji wasn't the huggy-feely type unless things were either seriously happy or just plain serious. And seeing as how Ryuji was in an obvious good mood…
"Uh, dude…? What's goin' on? What's up with the hug?" Jason hugged him back, the action being more of a reflex than anything conscious.
"Jase, I just got the most incredible offer; you're not gonna believe this," Ryuji pulled back, noticing Tochiro standing in the doorway, apparently at a loss for words. "Tochiro! Hey, come on in, buddy. I want you to hear this, too."
"So what's the story, Ryu?" Jason asked.
Ryuji grinned again. "You guys ever heard of Kenichiro Ayeda?"
Tochiro's eyes widened. "Who hasn't? He's the head of the biggest publishing company in Japan. That's who you were talking to?"
"Yeah. A couple of guys who work for him came in a few days ago, and get this--they want me to write a recipe book. They want to publish it as soon as I can get it together!"
Man, no wonder he was warm when I called him. This is exactly what Ryu's been waiting for … So what do I do now? Well…the only thing I can do…
Jason grinned at Ryuji, returning the bear hug his best friend had just given him. "That's awesome, man! I know how much you've been wanting this. Congratulations, dude!"
"Same here, Ryuji," Tochiro stuck his hand out.
"Thanks, guys," Ryuji shook Tochiro's hand. "Oh, man, I still can't believe this. Finally, I'm getting a chance to make the Bushel more than just a blip on the radar. I never thought it'd happen this fast, though." He led them out of his office and toward the front while they talked.
"Well, judging from the crowds inside and outside, you're off to a pretty good start," Tochiro said. "We practically had to shoehorn our way through the front door."
"So, dude, how much money are you gettin' for this, anyway?" Jason asked slyly. "We talkin' five, six-figures there or what?"
Ryuji chuckled. But before he could answer, the sounds of shattering glass, and then voices from outside on the street screaming came thundering in through the open window.
"What the--" Ryuji moved toward the window and stuck his head out.
The scene below was--to put it mildly--chaos. The jewelry store down the street had its front window smashed out, and there were two policemen sprawled facedown on the sidewalk, shattered glass fragments scattered all over the place. Apparently someone--or something--had throw them out of the place. But what?
But then a cloud of fire burst out through the splintered window, sending the few pedestrians left in the area running for cover. Jason and Tochiro, who'd joined Ryuji as the window, both grimaced at the sight.
"Oh, no, tell me that's not who I think it is…" Tochiro groaned.
"Great. Hot Lips again," Jason muttered, shaking his head. "We better get down there, Tochiro." Tochiro nodded, as Jason looked over at his best friend. "Hey, Ryu…listen, you don't have to--"
Ryuji sighed, "Jase, don't worry about it. Let's just get down there and take care of this, okay?" But Jason could feel the irritation in his friend's voice. Within moments the street was evacuated, including the Golden Bushel, by all but them. Ryuji looked back, the empty dining area exactly what he didn't want to see at this point with things looking up. He stuck his head out the window, looking both ways as if he were about to cross the street, then brought his arm up, calling, "FIRE FOCUS!" A wave of red light washed over Ryuji's body as his Guardsuit flared into being. He pulled himself up onto the window ledge, calling over his shoulder. "Come on, guys!" Jason and Tochiro nodded in consent, raising their Guardbraces, and transforming as Fireguard jumped out of the window to the sidewalk behind his restaurant below.
Arbast snorted as he grabbed a clawed handful of black suit jacket, tugging the young man who was wearing it off of his position slumped across the jewelry display case, to the pile of unconscious bodies on the floor. He noisily smashed in the glass plates, shoveling out handfuls of watches, necklaces, and rings into the huge bag slung over his shoulder. He sighed, only slightly content with the haul. The store was a pitifully small establishment compared to some of the other joints he'd hit in the past few days. Of course, he hadn't checked the safe in the back yet. Arbast chuckled with greed as he started toward the rear of the store, paying no heed to the unconscious and injured men he stepped over--or on--to get there.
But before he could take another step, a flash of silver cut the air behind him, snapping at the bottom of the sack on Arbast's shoulder, and good number of his purloined treasures spilling to the floor. He swerved around, snarling, "What now…?!"
Standing just inside the scorched and splintered front window frame stood three of the Guardrangers. Forestguard on the left, holding the spiked cable end of his Gorilla Vine tense and ready, Fireguard in the middle, his arms crossed in front of his chest, and Waterguard on the right, one leg crossed in front of the other, leaning on his teammate's shoulder.
"Yo, Hellboy," he said easily, as if he wasn't discussing anything more casual than the weather, "what's up?"
"Still working the petty theft thing, eh?" Forestguard scoffed. "I guess the whole taking-stuff-that-doesn't-belong-to-you bit's the only job skill you learned in Monster Trade School."
Fireguard stared silently at the men lying on the floor, some of them in worse condition than others, and felt his anger rise. He didn't want to be a Guardranger, but that didn't mean he wanted to see anyone getting mauled and mangled by monsters, either. "Guys," he said low and dangerously, "get these people out of here." Red fire blossomed out of his fist, the Dragon Steel forming there a few seconds later. "I'll handle him."
"You pests again, eh? CATCH!" Arbast snatched up the closest body at his feet--the young guy in the suit jacket--and flung him high in to the air and across the room toward the broken window.
"KISAMA!" Fireguard spit out, about to spring into the air, but Waterguard beat him to it, darting back a few paces, then leaping upward, catching the unconscious man against his chest. Arbast capitalized on the distraction and spit a stream of fire toward Forestguard, but Fireguard moved in front of his teammate, taking the blast to his chest harmlessly. Forestguard, who had backed away about a dozen steps behind his friend, sprinted forward and jumped, using Fireguard's shoulders for a springboard, and flipped forward, a flare of green light swelling up between his hands.
"AURA OAK BUSTER!" Forestguard shouted, driving his arms downward, a shockwave of bright green leaf-like projectiles lancing out of his palms and rained on Arbast, igniting sparks across the monster's head and shoulders. As Forestguard landed behind the creature and rolled clear of the area , Fireguard crouched slightly at the knees, and launched himself forward, swinging his Dragon Steel in vicious arcs across the heavy scales of Arbast's chest. The monster tried to fight back, to spare a hand to pull out a concealed weapon or strike back with his fists, but Fireguard's assault was too furious to repel (especially without letting go of his sack of loot). Seeing that he had the upper hand, Fireguard took a step back, then ducked. Before Arbast could figure out what they were up to, Waterguard came from behind with a flying kick, knocking Arbast across the room and almost out the front door.
Arbast groaned as he hauled himself to his feet. He hadn't been expecting to run into the Guardrangers again, but prepared to fight back until he could get away. He braced himself as Forestguard charged him, then clobbered the Ranger square in the chest with his hefty sack, which felt A LOT heavier than it looked, thanks to its unlimited storage capacity.
Fireguard and Waterguard leaped at him together, weapons brandished. The Orca Brand struck Arbast's shoulder, sparks flying everywhere, but he just gave a nasty laugh and smacked Waterguard back inside and into the pile of bodies near the display cases.
Fireguard, however, was another story. A fact further punctuated as the blade of the Dragon Steel sank deep into Arbast's side. The fire-breathing beast bellowed in outrage and slammed Fireguard solidly in the gut, but the hero rolled with the blow, right back onto his feet. The ease of it all surprised both of them. Arbast snorted flaming coals in frustration.
"You're a tough cookie, Guardranger. In fact, you're the only one who's made me work for this haul I've cleared for myself."
"I'm flattered, I guess," he scoffed, jumping into the air and swinging the Dragon Steel again. Arbast moved quickly and grabbed the blade in between his teeth. Fireguard was completely taken by surprise by this, and Arbast swung his hefty sack at the Ranger, sending him flying out through the ruined front window. Arbast climbed through a second afterward, spitting out the sword and kicking it down the street for good measure.
Arbast was about to leap on the Ranger in red, when he caught a flash of azure in the corner of his eye. Waterguard was climbing to his feet, lowering a body in blue jeans and a leather jacket out of his arms, and gently to the floor. He twisted the shaft of his Orca Brand at the base, the trident blade retracting and shifting to form a double-barreled blaster end. He started to take aim, but Arbast lashed out in a blur of motion, swiping his claws across Waterguard's chest, then grabbed him by the helmet, and slammed him face first into the display case. The young hero groaned loudly in response, trying to rise, but the pain was too much to take, even with his Guardsuit's protection, and he went limp, his body slumping into the debris of twisted metal and broken glass of the display case.
"Son of a bitch!" Fireguard shouted suddenly, quivering in rage. He charged. But Arbast smirked, and opened his sack. A swarm of insects the size of dogs came flying out, spitting tiny but painful bolts of electricity at him "Nandatto?!"
"Lightning bugs, couldn't you tell?" Arbast smirked. His pets flew toward Fireguard in crazy spirals, and as Fireguard struck out they kept zipping out of the way of his punches. But as the first one got close enough to sink its electrified mandibles into his arm, something came flying through the air and impaled it.
Arbast turned, "Eh?!"
The answer to that question came in the form of two female voices clashing in unison, one tinted with an unearthly rumble, the other with a vibrating undercurrent like the howling of a gust of wind.
"GRIZZLY TERRA BREAKER!"
"HAWK SOUL SNIPER!"
A line of invisible force exploded forward toward the monster, heaving concrete and stone shrapnel up in its wake, surrounded by a glowing surge of wind and white light that smashed into Arbast, igniting a blizzard of sparks and throwing him back a good fifty feet into the side of a sedan parked on the street. He looked up, enraged, and saw that Earthguard and Airguard were running down the street toward the battle, Airguard brandishing the Hawkwing. Arbast scowled. Just as he was about to win, the rest of the team showed up. How did they manage it? Earthguard struck out with the Grizzly Claws, knocking one of the huge bugs out of the air, then another. Airguard fired arrow after arrow, each one claiming another bug. Soon they had all been swatted and reduced to smoking pieces.
"Ready to give it up?" Fireguard challenged, drawing his Eternablade. Arbast growled, then reared back and loosed a jet of flame breath at the three of them. Air and Earth darted out of the way this time, but Fireguard took the blast full in the chest like he'd done before, drawing the strength of the heat into his body. Earth and Air leaped down on him from both sides, but Arbast smacked them both out of the air with a swipe of his sack, and closed in for the kill before they could recover.
Speaking of recovering, though, Forestguard had, and swung the Gorilla Vine, its powerful cable biting into Arbast's arm. He growled in pain and produced the pouch his leader had given him, but before he could open it Forestguard snapped out with the Gorilla Vine again, and sent the pouch flying out of sight. Seeing that the advantage now belonged to his enemies, Arbast dropped a smoke bomb and vanished in the thick cloud.
"I don't understand it," Forestguard said to the others, "That monster's so strong but he keeps running away from us. We didn't hurt him that badly…"
"I guess he only likes to fight when he has the upper hand," Fireguard replied. He'd stepped back into the ruined store for a minute, and now he was hauling Waterguard out, his blue-covered arm slung around Fireguard's shoulder, helping him walk. "Or maybe he's just trying to figure out how we operate so he'll know what to do when he wants to get serious."
"Ugh," Waterguard groaned, dusting himself off, "if he wasn't serious now, I sure as hell don't wanna be around when he is." He rubbed his helmet. "I'm gonna feel this for a week."
Fireguard patted his shoulder. "You did good, man."
"So what should we do now?" Earthguard asked him.
"Well, since I don't see any trail to follow, I guess we…wait, why are you asking me?"
"Oh, no reason." Earthguard replied blithely.
"Well, anyway, since it seems like we can't follow him, I guess we go to the Earth Sanctum and see if Beservor can give us a clue." As Fireguard said this, he caught a glimpse of a fleck of metallic substance clinging to one of the spikes on the Gorilla Vine. He pulled it loose, and added, "And see if he knows what the story behind this is."
"You guys go ahead," Waterguard said, "I'm gonna wait for an ambulance to get here. I'm kind of worried about those guys Arbast beat up on in there."
"Yeah, same here," Fireguard admitted. Arbast had left a lot of bodies in his wake, but the guy the monstrous fire-breather had tried to throw through the window stood out in his head the most. He turned to Earthguard and Airguard. "You two go back to the Earth Sanctum and show this to Bes. We'll be there as soon as some help gets here."
"Yes, sir!" Airguard saluted. Earthguard raised an eyebrow from behind her visor.
"Giving orders, eh? How leader-like of you," she said dryly.
Fireguard sighed. "Whatever. C'mon, guys," He headed back inside, Water and Forest following behind him. A rush of air blowing into the store heralded the opening of a wind tunnel outside, then died away a second later. Some of the guys in the store had woken up by now, and were mostly just roughed up and bruised, but the guy in the leather jacket was bleeding freely from his head, and Waterguard was down on his knees checking on the one that Arbast had tried to throw out the window.
"How's he doing?" He called over to Waterguard.
"Dunno yet," Waterguard said back. He took the guy by the shoulders and rolled him gently onto his back. "Yo, dude, you okay? Can you hear--" His voice cut off in mid-sentence. "Oh, Jesus…"
"Nan desu ka?" Forestguard came over from behind the mangled counter where another of Arbast's victims was recovering. He knelt next to his teammate and peered over his shoulder.
Waterguard lifted the unconscious body into his arms. "Takeo," he muttered.
"Nani?" Fireguard closed in from the other side, crouching down in front of them. Sure enough, it was Takeo Yashamura lying in Waterguard's grip, his face and forehead crisscrossed slightly with scratches, a sizeable bruise along the line of his jaw. He dropped his voice to a whisper. "The guy you were playing basketball with?"
The answer to that, however, would have to come later, because a medical team came surging into the store just then, followed a small contingent of police officers. Fireguard stood up. "C'mon, guys. Let's get out of here and them do their jobs." He tugged on Waterguard's arm gently. "He'll be okay, Jase," he said softly.
Waterguard was understandably reluctant, but he nodded, lying Takeo back down, and letting two of the men from the medical unit take over. Fireguard explained the situation briefly to one of the cops, then headed outside, the other two in tow. Fireguard sent a mental call to Beservor, and in moments, a familiar pool of white light opened, whisking the trio into the tunnels beneath the city.
They arrived at Tokyo Tower quickly, and by now Ryuji was almost getting used to how no one seemed to notice when five people just walked to the area beneath the spire and disappeared from sight. The lights came on in the stairway as they entered, and after a short descent they had arrived in the main chamber. A bunch of colorful sparks jumped up and began flitting around the inside of Beservor's globe as they approached, as if he'd just woken up.
"Hello, Guardrangers. We have been waiting for you."
"Is everything all right?" Naoko asked. She and Miaka were back in civilian attire by now.
"Yeah, the ambulances and the cops got there a couple of minutes after you left. Did you guys tell Bes about the monster?" Ryuji asked, his Guardsuit dissolving into energy along with Jason's and Tochiro's.
"Yes. I called Earthguard and Airguard to assist you, after all."
"Well, do you know what that stuff was, then?" Ryuji asked, holding up the piece of metal that rested on the table next to the globe. The lights in the crystal ball started bouncing around faster and blinking more brightly, the way they did when he was using his remaining magic. His power wasn't what it used to be, but a moment later the lights settled down again.
"This proves it. Those monsters are from Garganstah," he said to the rangers.
"Yeah?" Jason piped up.
"Yes. To keep from having to go into battle themselves, they studied how to create artificial life. They discovered a mixture of metals that when catalyzed by energy would create a warrior with whatever kind of abilities the Garganstah needed them to have."
"That explains why that monster from before went to pieces when he died," Jason mused, "Why he was made out of metal and all."
"I fear what else it might mean. The creatures you've been fighting are superior to the warriors Garganstah created during the initial war," Beservor went on, "This material is superior to what they used to use. It would certainly explain it. Stopping them this time will be an even greater trial…"
This bit of news didn't make any of the Guardrangers more comfortable. None of them would ever be able to remember their original lives and fighting Garganstah back then, but the idea that the foes they'd be fighting were more powerful than before while they themselves were not was not a pleasant one.
Miaka was the first to speak. She was enjoying this, learning she was actually a legendary hero and all, but after almost losing her life to a monster during her first battle, she had enough sense to be cautious about this.
"Are we strong enough? To stop these new monsters?"
"That depends on you," the wizard replied, "Part of it is raw power, which you all possess, of course, but the more important part of teams such as yourselves succeeding comes from unity and conviction. Strength of spirit goes much farther than you think."
"But Ryuji fought that thing off all by himself," Jason protested.
"Yes, true. But if it had been serious about fighting you, rather than collecting jewelry, it would've taken all of you to deal with it. You are still learning, Guardrangers. You must believe in yourselves and learn to work together to harness your full potential. But I'm afraid all of that is up to you."
Naoko looked over at Ryuji. He stood there, looking at the crystal ball that housed what was left of their ancient mentor, like he had nothing wrong with any of it. Certainly a far cry from the complaining, childish person she'd seen before. He opened his mouth and was about to say something, but was interrupted when his pager started to buzz. Jason and Tochiro exchanged glances, realizing what this was probably about.
"Have to go answer this, guys. I'll think about what you said, Bes." Ryuji turned and walked up the stairs, out of the Earth Sanctum. Worried about that look on Jason and Tochiro's faces, Naoko followed him. Miaka and Beservor just stood there looking understandably perplexed by Ryuji's sudden departure.
Naoko caught up to Ryuji at a pay phone out by the street. He said nothing into the receiver, but the way he was wincing told her something was wrong. Very wrong. He spoke into the receiver, but she couldn't hear what he said. A moment later he hung up and walked back toward the tower. When he got close enough she could hear him muttering, "I don't believe it… Kisama…" he swore.
"What's wrong?" Naoko asked.
"I had an appointment with a really important publisher to kick up my business. And thanks to all that fighting with the monster I completely forgot about it! He's never going to give me a chance to publish that book now!" He shoved a hand through his hair irritably.
Naoko grimaced. Everything she'd thought about Ryuji looking conscious of his duty back in the Sanctum melted away. Here was the whiny, self-absorbed person she'd seen the first time they met. "Unbelievable. Didn't any of what Beservor said sink in?" she snapped. "Like it or not, you're a Guardranger. And our strength comes from working together. But we're never going to see that happen as long as you're more concerned with your little restaurant than saving the world it's in." She was about to say something else, but the look in the young restaurateur's eyes stopped her quickly. If Ryuji's looks were enough to invoke the fire he embodied, there wouldn't have been enough left of Naoko to sweep up.
"Fine," he growled venomously, "you're sick of my complaining? Fair enough! I'm sick of you clucking at me like a mother hen." He ripped the Guardbrace off his wrist and tossed it to her.
"Nani??" Naoko blurted out.
"Getting off your case. You can't stand me, so I'm leaving. You ought to be thanking me. And tell Jason not to waste his time trying to talk me back into this. I'm outta here." He'd had all he could stand, and turned and walked away before Naoko could say anything else. She just stood there for a long moment, ignoring the looks from passersby, and wondered if maybe she'd pushed a little too hard.
Arbast had managed to stumble back to his master's lair. The other warriors would ridicule him for failing again, he knew it. How he'd explain it to the leader he didn't know. He didn't have to worry.
"So, you failed, eh?" the rich but evil voice of his leader sounded out from the shadows, " imbecile! I told you to use that pouch if you were losing! Why didn't you?"
"I tried, but I lost it thanks to them. What's so special about it anyway?"
"Don't concern yourself with that. You have deeper problems in front of you, Arbast. Go and lick your wounds. But know this; when you've recovered I will not permit anymore of your petty thievery. You are to go and battle the Guardrangers, wipe them off the earth once and for all. If you can't manage that all your pretty stones won't mean a thing," he went over and knocked Arbast to the ground with his fist, "You're one of my most powerful warriors, Arbast, not some common thief. ACT LIKE IT."
Arbast scowled, but wiped the expression when his leader's eyes burned malevolent blue, signaling a threat far worse than the punch he'd just gotten.. Arbast scuttled to his quarters to derive what little pleasure he could from admiring his stolen jewels.
He was a powerful monster, that he knew well. And defeating the Guardrangers, who had driven his entire civilization off the planet once before, would make him a legend among the people of Garganstah. He just couldn't stand it when his enemies fought back, inflicted bodily harm upon his person.
He sighed a cloud of hot gas, but straightened up as he heard a deep guffawing coming from the other room. Sulphos, that idiotic brute. He was talking to Arcume, the other surviving monster. Talking about Arbast, and how he'd fled like a scared child from the Guardrangers again. His blood boiled even hotter than usual, but he kept himself under control for the moment. Tomorrow, after he'd recovered himself, he'd go out there again and this time he'd be the one laughing when he came back.
The next afternoon, a little girl, Emi by name and eight years by age, walked home from school. There was nothing particularly attention-grabbing about her. She loved her parents, and loved flowers and wanted to take care of flowers when she grew up. She was bringing one home to show to her mother. Everything seemed all right.
Emi walked up to the front of the apartment building where her family lived. She was about to start climbing the stairs to their floor when someone called out to her. Emi turned to see who it was, and frowned as she spotted her pesty older brother and his friends jogging toward the building.
"Hey, Emi," he called, noticing the pink potted bloom in her hand, "have another one of your dumb flowers? Don't feel like making real friends?"
"Leave me alone, Shiro," she said in annoyance, and turned away. He danced in front of her and saw she did indeed have one of her precious flowers tucked under one arm. He also spotted the pouch with a stylized golden "G" on it in her other hand, though.
"Nan desu ka?" he demanded, making a grab for it.
Emi dodged aside, "Just something I found on the way home! Bug off!"
Shiro made a growling noise and jumped at the pouch. He, like many pesky siblings, didn't like for his sister to know something he didn't. He grabbled one end while Emi tugged on the other. It was her little secret thing. She'd found it, and she'd find out what it was on her own.
"Ouch! Shiro, you baka! Let go!" Emi protested.
Unfortunately, she was still holding her flower with the other hand, couldn't get a good grip because of that, and Shiro managed to tug the pouch free. But Emi lost her grip on the flower too, and it went flying from her grip. It arced through the air, the pot shattering on the ground, and the drawstring on the pouch had come loose. A golden dust that had been contained inside was scattered all over the area in front of the building where the flower had landed as Shiro lost his balance from tugging the pouch away.
His friends just stood there, then turned and left as quick as they could. They were sure Shiro was going to be in some serious trouble soon, and didn't care to stick around to see it.
Emi rushed over to the fallen flower, tears in her eyes. Shiro felt a quick pang of guilt, but it vanished and Emi stopped in her tracks when they saw what was happening to that flower. The golden powder that handed landed on it was being absorbed, and the flower to glow and crackle with tiny bolts of energy. Then it began to swell and grow, as if this were an old cartoon where a talking squirrel had poured fertilizer onto a sapling. Emi managed to collect herself in time to run to a safe distance as the flower shot to a height of several stories.
"Shiro," Emi asked quietly, "do you think mom would still like this?"
What a frickin' mess…
Jason was sitting in on a bench Ueno Park just in front of Shinobazu Pond, the Tokyo Metropolitan Art museum looming behind him, wracking his brain for answers. He hadn't gone back to Ryuji's place last night, not because he was angry--far from it. But he didn't know how Ryuji's state of mind was after possibly losing that book deal. He'd been psyched something awful about it, and now…
Jason sighed heavily. Ryuji had tried calling him on his cell phone a few times last night and this morning, but whether it was to ask where Jason was or just to read him the riot act about yesterday, he didn't know since he hadn't bothered answering. Jason didn't have it in him to get into another argument about his sacred duty. Even though Ryuji was his best friend, he'd have to face up to what he was sooner or later.
But the way things were going, it looked to be later than sooner.
"Hey, Jason!"
Jason looked over his shoulder and saw Takeo jogging toward him dressed in a white tank top, shorts, and sneakers, his basketball tucked under his arm.
"Takeo? What're you doin' out of the hospital, dude?" Jason vaulted over the back of the bench and met his friend on the grass and sticking his hand out.
Takeo took the offered hand with a grin. "I got out last night. The docs said I'll be fine as long I take it easy for about a week." Takeo did look better; the purple along his jaw where he'd no doubt been slugged by Arbast had spread a little further, but wasn't as prominent as it'd been before and the scrapes on his face were almost unnoticeable now. Jason nodded with relief.
"Good. I'm glad you're okay, man. Listen…I know this is kinda sudden and all…and you just got outta the hospital. But are you still lookin' to rent your apartment out?"
"Yeah, I am. Actually I've got some business I need to take care of in about an hour, but after that if you still want to check it out, I'll show you around.
Jason nodded eagerly. "Yeah, that'd be great, man! Thanks!"
"No problem," Takeo grinned. "Hey, I'd better get going. I'll see you later." They shook hands again, and Takeo headed off in the other direction. Which just happened to be perfect timing, because at that moment…
"Jason!" Beservor's ethereal voice sounding in his mind, "That fire-breathing monster has returned! You and the other must intercept it at once! I'm opening a tunnel for you!"
"Is Ryuji coming?" he responded, getting up to dash to the concealed entrance to the wind tunnel.
"I haven't contacted him yet, but you can't let the problem with him distract you. This monster is very strong and your thoughts must be clear to defeat him," the wizard answered.
Jason found the glowing white orifice in the ground in the middle of an isolated copse of trees, and leaped in, crying out, "WATER FOCUS!" The power of the seas of the answered his call, garbing him in Waterguard's blue uniform and bestowing the strength and martial ability that was his right as a Guardranger. Naoko, Tochiro and Miaka also heard the summons, and moments later the four Guardrangers were rocketing along an underground tunnel, carrying them to the site of the battle to come.
Arbast stormed through the streets. He wasn't here to steal anything this time. He knew these do-gooder types; just go on a little rampage through the streets and they'd come running to stop him. He opened his sack, and a gang of Silicons came leaping out. One smashed a store window with his mace. A pair of them lifted and threw a car, with its driver screaming his terror, through the air until it smashed into the side of a building. Another two began clubbing a young couple not fleet of foot enough to escape them.
The ground trembled underfoot. Arbast steeled himself and whistled, calling his Silicons to attention. The ground split open and four of the Guardrangers were sent flying out. Waterguard and Forestguard somersaulted in the air like acrobats, while Airguard and Earthguard charged in from behind them like a pair of spears in flight before landing expertly on their feet and swerving into fighting stances.
Arbast raised an eyebrow in surprise. Only four? No matter, his task was the destruction of the Guardrangers, and without their final member he reasoned he'd have no trouble.
"Go greet our guests." The Silicons raised their weapons and swarmed toward the Guardrangers, with Arbast right behind them.
Earthguard wasn't thinking quite straight as she slogged through the Silicons. She'd been bothered by Ryuji's up and quitting the team. She should've been more understanding about why he'd been so upset before, since he had, in all likelihood, lost that business deal Jason and Tochiro had told her and the others about. After all, how often did someone get such a golden opportunity like he had? It wasn't the first time she'd pushed a little too hard, and pushed someone away. So what if he was a whiner? They needed him and it was because of her that he wasn't there.
She landed a blow on a Silicon with her Grizzly Claws, but he only staggered back a few steps before recovering and charging her with his sword raised high. She parried with the Claws and kicked the Silicon down, only to be struck by a sword blow from behind. Earthguard crumpled to the ground.
Forestguard and Airguard were faring better, though struggling against the sheer weight of numbers of their foes. For each that fell it seemed another appeared. Waterguard fought Arbast himself, striking repeatedly with his Orca Brand but seemingly doing no damage at all. Arbast responded by swinging his giant sack at Waterguard's head, but the hero ducked and rolled out of the way.
"You aren't gonna hit me with that bag of jewelry this time, Hot-Lips!"
"Forget the trinkets, boy," Arbast growled, "I'M OUT FOR BLOOD!" He balled his fist and smashed it into Waterguard's jaw. The hero reeled back, but Arbast didn't let up. He kicked Waterguard down and began smashing him with the weighty sack. But with his face pressed against the ground, Waterguard looked up to see Earthguard, fighting vainly to get up as a group of Silicons repeatedly pummeled her to the ground again and again. As the weight of the infinite contents of Arbast's sack slammed into his back again, Waterguard painfully drew his Eternablade, and, mustering all of his strength, stabbed it into the monster's shin.
Arbast howled in pain, and Waterguard managed to get to his feet and shoulder check him down. The blue hero slashed his way through the Silicons around Earthguard with his trident and pulled his battered comrade to her feet.
"You all right?" he asked during the brief lull.
"Not even close. Ryuji should be here and I'm feeling like I'm the straw that broke the camel's back."
"We can't worry about that now, we've got a fight on our hands!" he exclaimed as the villains regrouped. Arbast yanked Waterguard's sword out of his leg and tossed it back, blade first. Sparks erupted as the Eternablade struck Waterguard in the chest. The Silicons threw Airguard and Forestguard into the arms of their erstwhile companions, and before the Guardrangers could react, Arbast reared back his head and spat a fireball into their midst. It exploded as it hit the ground and sent them all flying.
Slimeball's playing for keeps this time, Waterguard groaned mentally. He gathered himself together and rose to his feet. They were all in sorry shape, but they had to find some way to win…Time to get serious.
With a sudden, single movement, he struck out with his trident and drove it through the chest of a Silicon. He smashed it into another and then kicked both off the teeth of his weapon. He had to believe he could win, have the confidence to fight back. Otherwise his elemental powers meant nothing. And hopefully it would be enough to get the others to do likewise.
The other three rose shakily. They called out, and their special weapons came. Airguard took aim, firing a swarm of arrows that thudded lethally into a bunch of Silicon chests. Forestguard lashed out with the Gorilla Vine like a bullwhip, dismembering a few more. Earthguard jumped at Arbast himself, brandishing her fearsome claws, a gray haze building up around them. Arbast glared at her, about to let her have it, when she thrust her hands out toward him, the fog in her hands rushing outward and bathed him in a blizzard of stone particles that quickly solidified around him, encasing him in a sheath of stone. A living statue.
"PETRA--CROSS--SLASH!" she shouted out, energy gathering in the Grizzly Claws just before she dug into Arbast's face like an "X," releasing all that energy most painfully. The stone cocoon around the monster swiftly began to crack and splinter, and Earthguard felt a rush of victory move through her. But it was short-lived. The stone shell imprisoning him shattered, leaving the monster relatively unharmed, and in enough agony to completely infuriate him.
But Arbast would not give ground. "IGNORE THE PAIN. YOU ARE POWERFUL, STRONGER THAN ALL OF THEM. AND YOU'LL BE A LEGEND FOR DESTROYING THE GUARDRANGERS!" Roaring with anger, Arbast kicked her violently in the stomach. Earthguard doubled over, and Arbast kicked her ten feet through the air.
"Oh my God," Waterguard winced as she collided with a stack of oil drums and they collapsed underneath her with a clatter. They had to rally back fast. "Forestguard! Airguard! Back me up, guys!" And with that he charged headlong at Arbast. The other two rangers finished off the last of the Silicons and followed, weapons aimed at their monstrous adversary.
Arbast reared back his head and exhaled a cloud of flame at them, but the Guardrangers focused inward. They had to stop this monster, they had to protect the people of Earth, they couldn't let anything stop them. They were wracked with pain from the intense heat, but withstood it and came barreling out the other side. Waterguard sank the teeth of the Orca Brand into Arbast's gut. Forestguard swung his weapon and the cable coiled around Arbast's left arm, making him drop his sack of surprises. And finally, Airguard jumped up and loosed a volley of arrows that exploded against the monster's chest. This more than he could convince himself to ignore, and he finally collapsed.
Airguard stepped back, to check on Earthguard while the others kept an eye on Arbast. She was a little dazed, and as smashed up as the rest of them, but got to her feet with a little help.
"I have to admit, mortals," Arbast croaked to Waterguard and Forestguard, who had him pinned to the ground, "You're stronger than I took you for."
"Shut up," Waterguard retorted. He reared back his arms to drive the Orca Brand deeper into Arbast's gut, but Forestguard grabbed him by the wrist.
"Is that really the way? We've beaten him."
"Are you serious??? As long as he's alive he's a threat!" But this moment of distraction had given Arbast the split-second he needed to extract the second pouch his leader had given him from his pocket and open the drawstring. The Guardrangers noticed, but before they could stop him, he had poured the golden powder inside over himself.
Waterguard lunged to finish him off, but it was too late. Arbast climbed to his feet as his body suddenly doubled in size. Then doubled again. Within seconds he was towering over the skyscrapers around him.
He seemed as surprised by it as they did, but his surprise quickly turned to a smug certainty. Arbast raised his enormous foot and tried to bring it down on the Guardrangers, who rolled out of the way in the nick of time.
"Oh, boy…now what do we do?" Airguard asked Waterguard urgently.
"Why are you asking me? I'm not the leader!" he said, just as urgently.
Arbast leered down and spewed one of his infamous clouds of fire. All of the Guardrangers collapsed in bursts of sparks and flaming agony.
"Fireguard!" the voice of the old wizard sounded in Ryuji's head like a warning bell, making him drop the skillet he was preparing an order in. The other cooks looked over at him in surprise.
"Ryuji? You okay?" one of the busboys asked him.
"Yeah… one of my migraines. Could you take over for me?" Another cook nodded and walked over to take his place. Ryuji walked into the office so he wouldn't look suspicious in front of the others.
"What do you want, Bes? I'm not ready to come back."
"Perhaps not but you are needed, Fireguard."
"That isn't my name!" Ryuji shouted at the wizard through their link.
"Perhaps it isn't, but it is your destiny."
"Let the others handle it."
Next came what sounded like an exasperated sigh, "I have tried to be patient with you, Fireguard. I tried to let you take your time, but I see reason is lost on you. If words will not persuade you, then perhaps a show of force will suffice." Ryuji felt a splitting pain in his head, then groans and cries of pain. An evil, resounding laugh coming from somewhere above.
"Nanda?!"
"I am showing you what the others are experiencing. They cannot win against this foe with out your aid. This is your destiny, Fireguard, no matter low long or hard you choose to deny it."
Ryuji felt like every bruise and ache the Guardrangers had was his own, every nerve in his body alive with pain.
Their screams of anguish wafted through his mind like voices of the damned.
He could feel their need for their fifth comrade, feel their agony as the ground shook under their feet from the monster's titanic steps and the very around them was aflame thanks to the monster's deadly breath.
Ryuji's mind almost shattered under the effect. It was too much.
"Bes…Is that really what's happening to them?"
"Yes. And unless they receive your help soon, they will die."
"My Guardbrace…"
"Earthguard still has it. Move quickly." The sound that was rapidly becoming more familiar of a wind tunnel opening roared through the window. Ryuji opened it and jumped into the waiting hole in the ground.
The Guardrangers staggered away from the gigantic Arbast as quickly as they could. But as he shoved a building out of his way with one hand, it was obvious they couldn't evade him for long.
Forestguard hung his head. He didn't really believe in fighting, killing. But if he hadn't stopped Waterguard they wouldn't be in this mess. Now wasn't the time to worry about it, though…
He snapped the Gorilla Vine at Arbast's leg, but the barbed cable just skittered off his thick hide. Arbast fixed his evil gaze at them and out shot crimson beams that tore holes in the street as the Guardrangers ran as fast as they could manage to get out of the way. They ducked into a low building for a moment's respite from the attack.
"Oh man…what do we do…we're so dead…" Waterguard said, more to himself than the others.
"Wait a minute, who's that?" Forestguard pointed to a young man on the other side of the street, who was darting around like he was looking for something. Everyone else had fled the area by now, even before Arbast had grown. Waterguard strained his eyes, then with a start, recognized him. So did Forestguard.
"It's Ryuji!" He ran up to the glass door , even though it hurt to move after the beatings they'd taken today, and waved urgently to attract his attention. Ryuji spotted him and sprinted over. "What are you doing here? I thought you quit."
"Bes helped me see the light." Ryuji answered, looking ashamed.
"I'd kick your ass if I wasn't so damned glad to see you, man. I was getting sick of doing your job," Waterguard replied, leaning on Forestguard for support.
"Nani?"
Earthguard broke in, "Ryuji, Beservor told us that Fireguard is the team leader. We didn't tell you because we thought it might scare you off." She had to support herself on the back of a chair, but pressed his Guardbrace into his hand. "Waterguard was doing a good job, but you're the one we need. I know you can do it, I've seen it come out when the need is there. Help us. Lead us."
Ryuji nodded, then strapped the Guardbrace to his wrist.
"FIRE FOCUS!"
At this command a shockwave of red exploded beneath, and then around him as the power of fire was summoned again, empowering Ryuji and garbing him in the crimson uniform of Fireguard.
The only problem was, now what? Even now that he was here, it probably wouldn't make a lot of difference against the enormous monster he'd seen tearing buildings out of the ground. At that very moment Arbast started to smash in the building they were hiding in. But Ryuji had paid enough attention to the super sentai teams that had preceded his, and knew they all had something in common.
"Bes, the monster's gone giant! He's bashing in the building we're inside of! We've gotta have something to deal with monsters like this, what is it?"
The reply came as an ethereal sigh. "I was hoping it would not come to this."
"Well it has! And you'd better tell me quick! The others aren't in the best of shape and I think another attack might finish us all off!"
"Go outside, that should get the monster's attention. Then call for Hellscar to awaken."
"Huh? Who's Hellscar?"
"Go! Quickly!"
Fireguard dashed for the door as the roof started to collapse and hunks of masonry fell into the room. With no time to open it, he just shoulder-checked his way through, the splintering glass just bouncing off his protective suit. Arbast spotted the tiny red figure running into the middle of the street and stopped destroying the building. What was going on?
"HELLSCAR, AWAKEN!" Fireguard shouted.
Nothing happened. Arbast looked startled for a minute then chortled maliciously.
"Bes, nothing's happening!"
Beservor did not reply. Fireguard tried again, desperately this time, "HELLSCAR, AWAKEN!!" Again, nothing happened. The monster's chortle turned into a noisy guffaw and he raised his mammoth foot to stomp Fireguard into the street.
But then the ground started to shake. Fireguard was thrown off his feet, and Arbast nearly off his. It seemed to last forever, but was only a few seconds. Then there was the sound of the earth cracking open in the distance, and a spiraling tower of fire exploded out of the Earth and raced toward edge of the city. The firestorm began to shift and flow into another form as it traveled at top speed through the skies. And as it neared rapidly, Fireguard could finally make out the form that was solidifying within; an enormous, metallic dragon. Wings spread wide, it gave a thunderous, majestic roar as it bent back and caught the wind with its wings to slow and land. It was an awesome sight to see, the sun glinting off its red-hued armored skin, its claws and the edges of its wings the color of burnished gold. It was somewhat blocky-looking, but it wasn't anywhere near enough to mar its undeniable magnificence. Fireguard realized this was him, this was Hellscar. And a pair of words formed in his mind; Guard…and Beast. His Guard Beast.
Hellscar looked down at the hero, gold eyes glowing, then all of a sudden a beam of red light lanced out of his chest and engulfed Fireguard, pulling him inside. He found himself in some kind of cockpit surrounded by flame-red crystals inside the giant dragon, with a pedestal in front of him and a some kind of view screen that showed him what Hellscar saw. And he saw Arbast, looking much less confident now that he faced a foe of equal proportions. Instinct took over as Fireguard stepped up to the pedestal. "Hellscar, ascend and attack!"
The dragon obeyed, spreading his wings and taking to the air. Arbast spat a fireball but Hellscar descended out of the way. The dragon swooped down and raked Arbast with his claws, igniting a wave of sparks from the hit before climbing back into the sky. Fireguard could tell he was guiding Hellscar, but it was more like he was advising the dragon than dictating his every action. And like everything else he was learning about his abilities it felt extremely familiar, almost like instinct.
Arbast lashed out with his fists when Hellscar dove at him again, and knocked the dragon out of the air with a painful punch, but it only served to annoy the Guard Beast instead of injuring him. Once more Arbast summoned up and released his flaming breath, covering Hellscar with it. The dragon roared, but wasn't hurt. After all, he was the companion of the Guardranger of fire; what did he have to fear from heat and flame?
Instead, Hellscar rose to his taloned feet, roaring with anger, looking ready to end this. Fireguard, giving voice to a command he hadn't given in a very long time, cried out, "HELLSTORMER!" Hellscar's wings extended, gathering thermal energy in waves and spirals of crimson energy, the air around him rippling violently with the effect, and then he released it as a beam of blazing red light from his mouth, aimed straight at Arbast . It dug into the monster's chest, but he laughed. He could take heat just as well as Hellscar, but the Guard Beast kept pouring it on. Arbast's skin began to burn and blister in the hellish onslaught. He tried to run, tried to evade the beam, but he was weakening too quickly to escape or fight back. He futilely lobbed a hunk of cement at Hellscar, but it bounced off harmlessly. Finally, Arbast could take no more and exploded into a million pieces.
The Guardrangers stumbled out of the building they'd been hiding in. They gazed up at the dragon in awe. Fireguard disembarked down to meet them and accept their praise.
"You were incredible. I knew you could do it if you tried," Earthguard said, "arigato gozimasu…"
"Hey, thank him, too. I didn't do it by myself, right, pal?" Fireguard pointed to Hellscar, who made a sort of appreciative growl.
"Thanks, big buddy!" Waterguard called up to Hellscar. The dragon answered back with another growl, apparently saying, "You're welcome." Fireguard could feel something from Hellscar. A sense of satisfaction at their victory, but also, a sense of…what could it be? Wholeness? He'd have to ask Beservor more about it, perhaps why he was so reluctant for Hellscar to be freed.
But a scintillating column of light that had appeared in the middle of the street caught their attention. Waterguard groaned, "NOW what?" Fireguard drew his sword defensively as the light began to disperse and a cloaked figure appeared where it had been.
It was a tall, muscular man. White hair tumbled off the top of his head and past his shoulders, setting off his blue skin somewhat. He was swathed in vermilion from head to boot, with a cloak of the same color draped around his shoulders. He was rather handsome, aside from the band around his head that had a patch covering his right eye.
"Well," he boomed, "you even had the means to overcome one of my minions in giant size. I severely underestimated you."
"Nani? Anata wa??" Forestguard demanded.
"Armag. Baron of the Garganstah empire and soon to be ruler of this world." He smirked confidently. Airguard aimed and fired the Hawkwing, but Armag just pointed his finger, and a bolt of electricity jumped out and disintegrated the arrow.
Armag laughed a mighty, evil laugh that seemed to echo off of the buildings around them. Arcs of evil power crackled around his body, and the Guardrangers shrunk back. Hellscar loomed over him threateningly, and Armag stopped, but it didn't seem like it was because of the giant metal dragon facing him down.
"You're a concern after all, Eternal Sentai Guardranger. And you can be assured I'll devote all my power to wiping you out." With that, he turned and walked down the street away from them. As he did, he faded until he was completely gone.
So, their enemy had revealed himself. This would not be an easy struggle. But with Fireguard back by their side and now aided by Hellscar, they knew they stood a chance.
