This arc is named after that one underrated old-timey movie due to the direction it will be taken in, and will introduce a character that no one has heard of ever since the last episode of Chouriki Sentai Ohranger aired.
On the other hand, I had a dream about how Ten Gokaiger would end, and it was Marvelous finally reuniting with Basco and the two of them going on an endless journey, presumably a) disappearing into deep space or b) leaving for the afterlife. I really hope I predicted the future in my dream but then again, I could be wrong, since I had been in a similar situation regarding Avengers:Endgame some time before the actual movie came out—in my dreams, the movie ended with the long overdue Steve/Tony wedding, but anyone who watched Endgame will probably know the direction MARVEL took for the movie's real-life ending.
~Part 1:Dog Days Are Over~
As the Gokai Galleon made her way back to Earth, Marvelous idled in the captain's chair, fiddling with his axe-guitar he only ever used for Pirate Geeks performances. He still couldn't forget the moves Basco made on him at Adira's birthday party, when they were dancing together. He didn't even notice how pliant and receptive he had become while he was spinning and twisting and turning in zero gravity, as his, dare he say it, naiad toyed with him in a sick, twisted parody of sex, the world just melting away in one supersized red-hot kiln, and the whole experience had made his dick painfully hard, near the verge of climax until, of course, it all came to an end. Even the playlist of music that they had danced to, all throbbing beats and pulsating EDM, acted as a sort of an aural penis—thrusting, thrusting, thrusting.
He observed the sea of stars passing by, seen through a window right in front of him, then slowly, he began plucking the strings, his lips already forming notes.
Long handwritten note,
Deep in your pocket,
Words, how little they mean,
When you're a little too late?
I stood right by the tracks,
Your face in a locket,
Good boys, hopeful they'll be and long they will wait,
We had a beautiful magic love there,
What a sad beautiful tragic love affair,
In dreams,
I meet you in warm conversation,
We both wake,
In lonely beds,
In different cities,
And time,
Is taking its sweet time erasing you,
And you've got your demons,
And darlin', they all look like me,
'Cause we had a beautiful magic love there,
What a sad beautiful tragic love affair,
(Oh-uh)
(Oh-uh)
Distance, timing,
Breakdown, fighting,
Silence, the train runs off its tracks,
Kiss me, try to fix it,
Could you just try to listen?
Hang up, give up,
For the life of us, we can't get back,
A beautiful magic love there,
What a sad,
Beautiful tragic,
Beautiful tragic,
Beautiful,
What we had a beautiful magic love there, whoa,
What a sad beautiful tragic love affair,
We had a beautiful magic love there,
What a sad beautiful tragic love affair...
As he finished, Marvelous noticed a person's presence behind him. "Oi, if you want a word with me, don't just stand there. Get over here." he said.
"Oh, alright!" said Gai as he hurried over. "What's the matter, captain? It looks like sleep's evading you tonight."
"Gai..." the Shezaran muttered. "Were there any Super Sentai Warriors in the past that fell for the enemy?"
"Oh, there were several. Remember when we helped Jinnai-san get back to his one true love, Queen Vanity Mirror Fanbelt? You must remember that the two were once enemies. Not only that, but Takeru-san, the Red Ranger of the Maskmen, were star-crossed lovers with Princess Ial of the Underground Empire Tube, who were the Maskmen's main enemy." said the human. "And Hant Jou-san AKA Go-On Green once fell head-over-heels and heels-over-head for the Barbaric Machine Clan Gaiark's Water Pollution Minister Kegalesia when she was wearing a human disguise! Even after everything was revealed, Hant-san still had leftover feelings for Kegalesia."
Marvelous allowed himself a smile. "You really are a walking, talking Super Sentai Encyclopedia...Alright, then, add myself to the mix."
"WHAAAT?!" Gai cried.
"Captain Marvelous, Red Ranger of the Gokaigers, lusted after his mortal enemy Basco Ta Jolokia." said the red captain with a smirk.
The human gulped. "Does anybody else know about this?"
"They have a vague sense of what's really happening between me and Basco." said Marvelous. "I think Ahim knows. Joe, not so much. Luka and Doc...they probably wouldn't care. And Laila...I believe Laila's actually pushing it. Anyway, it's something not to be ignored. I hate myself for still not being able to let him go. I hate myself for seeing his true form, and finding it beautiful. I hate myself for dancing with him at the party and enjoying it all. But despite it all...I still love him so much."
"Oh, Marvelous-san..." Gai said, placing a hand on his captain's shoulder, as if to comfort him, but then he pointed out the window "Oh, look! We're here!"
The Galleon had finally dropped out of warp and visible right before their eyes was Earth. But something was wrong. Terribly wrong.
"I can't believe our prince actually came up with something useful after so long!" Insarn said, laughing maniacally as everyone around her prepared a victory party for Warz Gill and the Zangyack.
"I saw it coming." said Damaras. "Though I've been berating him all along just like everyone else, deep down inside, I believed in him. And when he decided to strike in the pirates' absence...I couldn't have been more proud."
Was that a tear? Insarn swore she saw something sparkle in the Chief Of Staff's eye.
Just then, some Gormin blew trumpets, announcing the arrival of the man of the hour. He entered, all giddy like a kid who just got his coveted toy for his birthday, his ever-loyal bodyguard trailing not too far behind him.
Overjoyed, Warz spontaneously burst into song.
The winner takes all...
It's the thrill of one more kill,
The last one to fall,
Won't ever sacrifice their will!
Don't ever look back,
On the world closing in,
Be on the attack,
With your wings on the wind!
Oh, the games will begin!
And it's sweet, sweet, sweet victory, yeah,
And it's ours for the taking!
It's ours for the fight!
And it's sweet, sweet, sweet victory, yeah,
And the one who's last to fall...
Sweet, sweet, sweet victory, yeah,
It's ours for the taking!
It's ours for the fight!
And it's sweet, sweet, sweet victory, yeah,
And the one who's last to fall...
The winner takes all...
"I believe that's enough, boss." said Barizorg as he calmed his prince down.
"Oh, right! So, how's the victory party going?" asked Warz.
"Everything is perfect, Your Highness." said Insarn, indicating to the tables laden with all sorts of rich food.
A pink female Sgormin came over and offered a bowl of spicy cheese puffs to the prince. Warz plucked a cheese puff from the bowl and gobbled it up, then began demanding water in a few seconds. In the end, it was Barizorg who handed him a goblet of wine, and he downed it in a single shot, dowsing his mouth. "Oh, thank you!" Warz said, his feelings for the cyborg growing even more. He briefly thought about what caused all this.
~FLASHBACK~
Warz Gill stood outside, in front of a flowering sakura tree, a waterfall of white silk hanging in front of him from a branch. From the very beginning, everyone had seen him as a naive prince. A coward. A wimp. A fool. A weak link. A disgrace to the royal family. A total laughingstock to the entire Zangyack Empire. The universe would be better off without him, and it would be for the best if he died here, on this little mud ball he was sent to conquer.
He climbed onto the branch, wrapped the silk around his neck, and slowly climbed down, hanging from the branch by his arms. All he had to do was let go, and then, at last, his life would be put to an end.
Slowly, he let go, the silk tightening around his throat, the world going black...
"Boss!"
~END FLASHBACK~
Ever since then, Warz began having actual serious feelings for the cyborg. The Zangyack Empire weren't particularly discriminatory about same-sex relationships, so maybe...?
But, alas, there were two things Warz had to keep in mind. As the Crown Prince, he was expected to marry a woman, preferably one of noble birth, so he could produce an heir and, on top of that, his beloved Barizorg had been stripped of human emotions during the procedure that turned him into what he is now, so even if Warz confessed, he wouldn't be able to reciprocate.
The prince shoved the feeling into the back of his mind and decided to enjoy the party. He wondered how the pirates were doing right now. They'd probably be getting their butts kicked by his loyal Action Commanders.
True to form, the Gokaigers were, indeed, having a hard time, but at least they weren't getting their butts kicked. "Insarn, I'm gonna lay waste to some of your Gormin, don't hate me, right?" Laila muttered under her breath before taking down several Gormin with her wrist lasers. The other pirates Gokai Changed into the Boukengers, and took down six or seven Gormin per one pirate until white lasers hit them.
Everyone turned their heads to see he who had sicced the Gormin on them. "Who the heck are you?!" Marvelous shouted.
"My name is Morticus, Action Commander of the Zangyack." said their assailant.
"We don't care. Whoever you are, we'll beat you and make it showy!" said Marvelous, then he and the others Gokai Changed into the Jetmen.
"But what about me?" asked Gai.
"Take care of them." said Marvelous, pointing at the enlarged Sgormin.
"Aye-aye, captain!" Gai replied, and called his GoZyu mecha.
Laila winked, then told everyone "I'll take the Gormin, you focus on Morticus!"
"Alright!" Marvelous replied, as he and the other four began attacking the Action Commander with their Bringer Swords. Morticus was a pretty powerful warrior, but he stood no chance against Jetman-typical airstrikes.
"Time to wrap this up!"
The five Gokaigers, as the Jetmen, all joined up to form a phoenix and dealt the final strike, killing Morticus.
At the same time, Gai, piloting GoZyuJin, had just finished off all of the enlarged Sgormin, and Laila finished dealing with the endless swarms of Gormin as well, but they were all too exhausted to fight longer.
But the trouble was far from over. The heroes were absolutely devastated at what they saw. Not one Action Commander, but two, were coming at them with an even bigger army than the one they just decimated.
"Uh-oh." said Doc. "We gotta run!"
LATER...
The Gokaigers and Laila reconvened at a quaint ryokan, since they had hidden the Galleon behind the moon to avoid being detected. "Looks like we've gotten away..." said Luka, hugging a frightened Ahim. "But they'll find us soon enough, we can't escape them."
"That's right." said Joe. "I can't believe the idiot prince actually succeeded. Perhaps...we should forsake Earth altogether?"
"No way!" Gai exclaimed. "Joe-san, stop being such a pessimist! We're Super Sentai Warriors, for crying out loud!"
"Yeah, there must be some way." Doc spoke up too.
"There isn't." said Joe. "There's no way. We can't do it."
Suddenly, Laila got up. "Joe, don't decide that without thinking!"
"Well, if we can't, then we can't!" the Lwian snapped.
As he finished that sentence, he got a fist in the face from Marvelous. "I'm sorry, but I've gotta say this." said the captain. "But we're the only ones that can protect everyone. I'm sure they all think so. Do you remember our war against the Black Cross King? We saw firsthand that this planet's people are keeping their faith in the Super Sentai Warriors."
"He's right." Laila added. She then took a deep breath, then began singing one of the G3 Princess songs she heard as a child, a bright and hopeful one.
(It's called Yume No Tsubasa, originally by Yumi Sugimoto.)
Hitoribotchi, sora wo miageta nara,
Kumo wa doko ka samishii,
Dakedo soba ni, tomodachi ga iru nara,
Kaze ga iro wo kaeteku,
Kokoro no doko ka, michi ni mayotta kimi ni,
Taisetsu na koto, tsutaetakute hashitte kita yo...
Yume no tsubasa hirogete,
Dare mo ga ashita e habatakeru,
Donna toki demo,
Sono hitomi ouen suru wa,
Yume wo akiramenaide,
Yuuki wa minna wo tsunaideru,
Hitori ja nai yo,
Me no mae ni hirogaru sora wa,
Blue Sky!
Sekaijuu ga, shiawase no egao de,
Mitasaretara, ii no ni,
Sore wa tooku, hatenai negai demo,
Kitto kanaetai kara,
Itsumo watashi ga, tachisukumanai you ni,
Kimi ga sono te de, gutto senaka oshite hoshii yo...
Yume no tsubasa hirogete,
Watashi mo ashita e habataku yo,
Donna toki demo,
Kirakira na nakama de ite ne,
Yume wo oitsuzukeru wa,
Kiseki wa kodou wo hajimete 'ru,
Hitori ja nai to,
Konna ni mo tsuyoku omoeta,
Blue Sky!
"Laila...Marvelous..." Hearing it, Joe seemed to have a realization. Laila grinned, and continued singing.
Yume no tsubasa hirogete,
Dare mo ga ashita e habatakeru,
Ame no ato ni wa,
Nanairo no aachi ga kakaru!
Yume wo akiramenaide,
Yuuki wa minna wo tsunaideru,
Hitori ja nai yo,
Me no mae ni hirogaru sora wa,
Blue Sky!
"Thank you, Laila, Marvelous." said Joe.
"You're welcome." said the two at the same time.
"Hey, is it just me or is it raining right now?" asked Doc.
"Rain..." Marvelous muttered.
~FLASHBACK~
The Red Pirates were taking a stop at a technologically advanced planet with equally well-preserved natural environments, for resupply. While AkaRed was off to meet someone he knew that lived on this planet, Basco was out shopping with Marvelous when all of a sudden, it began to rain. "C'mon, we've gotta take shelter from the rain!" Marvelous urged, tugging on Basco's arm.
But the brunette didn't budge. Instead, he said "Be that there...stars I spy on yer face?"
"Stars?" Marvelous was a bit puzzled for a moment, then he remembered that part of Shezaran biology. "Oh, it's nothing." he said, embarrassed, trying to hide his glowing freckles.
"Don't try to hide 'em, Marvey-chan. They're beautiful." Basco said, then pulled Marvelous into a fierce kiss.
~END FLASHBACK~
Next day, the Gokaigers all headed into combat, ready and with Laila in tow, the rain pelting over their suits. "Who's next?" Marvelous said. "We're not afraid!"
"Ha!" said a blue Action Commander. "You really think you could take me, and all my Gormin?"
"You betcha we do." Laila said confidently.
"Try me." said the Action Commander, and snapped his fingers. A battalion of Gormin rushed forward...
...only to be attacked by some strange force."
The Gokaigers turned to see the newcomer. "Wha—" Marvelous began, but was cut off.
"Kneel before the might of General Nem of the Neo Baranoia Empire, loyal servant of His Imperial Majesty Kaiser Buldont II!" boomed the machine man.
"Neo...Baranoia Empire?" asked Gai, a bit puzzled. Now that he thought about it, the so-called "General Nem" was flanked by what appeared to be Baro Soldiers.
"Hmph." the Action Commander snorted. "You're the one who should kneel!"
The two forces clashed, with the Machine General and the Action Commander locked in a one-on-one duel. The Action Commander was strong, but he was no match for Nem, and died quickly.
The dumbfounded heroes looked around, and saw new ships engaged in battle with the Zangyack patrol ships. "No way..." Laila breathed.
Suddenly, Nem used his spear to send an energy bolt that fried Doc and Ahim, and knocked out the other five. "Let me take him!" said Laila, forming an energy blade around a closed fist. The two were evenly matched, each of then attacking and dodging, locked in a seemingly eternal dance.
Warz Gill was watching it all from the Gigant Horse, when a transmission came. The prince opened it to see a young machine man in an elaborate suit of armor. "Greetings, Prince Warz Gill. This is Kaiser Buldont II of the Neo Baranoia Empire. Surrender Earth to us, if you do that, we will ensure your safe return."
"Such nonsense!" Warz countered. "This is Zangyack territory! You're the ones who should give up!"
Buldont II sneered. "For a clown, you make a quite bold statement. Before you, my parents conquered this mud ball first. As their only child and heir, I am only taking what rightfully should be mine. Well, then, since you refuse to let go of Earth, then this can mean only one thing:war." he said before ending the transmission.
Warz pondered the situation for a long while until Damaras spoke up. "Your Highness, if you will allow me, then I will..."
"Silence!" Warz snapped. "They say the enemy of my enemy is my friend. Looks like we have no choice but to join forces with the pirates for a while if it means driving those Neo Baranoia pests off Earth. Barizorg, Insarn, get down there and do something! This is an order!"
"Yes, boss." said Barizorg.
"Yes, Your Highness." Insarn said.
The two beamed down to that part of Earth where Nem and Laila were still fighting. Insarn used her whip to snatch Nem's spear out of his hands, and tossed it over to Laila. "Ishihara, now! Scrap him!" she said.
"Alright!" Laila replied, and drove the spear into Nem's torso, impaling him.
"Wait, you two know each other?" asked Ahim.
"That aside, why are you here?" Marvelous asked. "You broke Jealousto's heart and kidnapped Kyosuke Jinnai! Why are you helping us right now?!"
Insarn sighed. "His Highness ordered us to aid you lot, so we can join forces in the war against the Neo Baranoia Empire. I really didn't want to be here, but he made it clear."
"The prince personally decided to make you privateers, for this one occasion." said Barizorg.
"Excluding you." Insarn added, gesturing to Laila. "You're not part of the crew, so therefore, you don't qualify to become a privateer." Because you already are one.
Laila nodded, a knowing look in her eyes.