JOB #002: HEROES ON OPPOSITE SIDES!
The trio of Maxwell, Douglas and Emma. To the outside world, these three are ordinary citizens, but secretly, alongside their friends Bentley and Murray, they become the Phantom Thieves who go after the mysterious Lupin Collection stolen by Arsène Lupin a century ago. In order to retrieve them from the interdimensional crime syndicate, the Gangler, they'll have to battle them all one by one by becoming the Kaitou Sentai Lupinranger. Max will also use this power to find a band of criminals from his mysterious past. But now they all must face the Keisatsu Sentai Patoranger, the new of crime-fighting investigators to fight the Gangler and turn in the thieves, and Inspector Carmelita Fox, an agent from Interpol assigned with taking in Cooper! Which side are you on?!
Back at the Bistrot Jurer, after retreating from the whole game of "Cops and Robbers", the gang of thieves were trying to process what just happened. They still had the restaurant sign turned to "closed", so they won't have anyone bothering them for a while as they think, and were back in their citizen attire, so no one would recognize them.. Over the past year, they considered themselves to be the only ones with access to the VS Changers and other Lupin Collection Pieces. Max was sitting at a empty table with his right hand rubbing his neck, Bentley and Murray were sitting at another table, sweating in nervousness as they were aggressively drinking some smoothies they got on the way back, Emma was at another with her right hand on her cheek and left hand on the table, tapping it in confusion, and Douglas was leaning against the counter with a frustrated and shocked look on his face. Although, if we're being honest they all felt both frustrated and shocked at this new development. Right now they needed to rethink their strategy now that the Global Police were on their tail. But what really worried Emma and Douglas was the fact an officer from Interpol was chasing them, and that she called Max by the name of "Cooper". They would have to pry the answer from him later.
"Argh!" Max groaned in frustration, "We had it right in our grasps…"
"Our job's just got a hell of a lot harder," Murray exclaimed as he sipped down his smoothie.
"Why do the Global Police have VS Changers?" Douglas asked, not really understanding how to handle this situation.
"Beats me, Douglas," Bentley replied, equally clueless by this new development as he pulled out his laptop, "We'll dig deeper into what they know about the Lupin Collection, but we should really talk to Benjamin about this."
"Well, actually…" Emma smiled as she stood up and approached Max, "Isn't it kinda neat how the police turned into swat rangers and we turn into thieves, even with the same gear?"
She would soon regret saying those words as soon a Max got up and pinched her nose.
"Are you enjoying this?!" Max glared at her before letting go and putting his hands on another table. Emma put her hands on her nose as she to massaged it to try and ease the pain.
"We'll have to take care of that Gangler before those cops find him…" Max said bluntly.
"Yeah," Murray agreed.
"Agreed," Bentley nodded in response.
"But let's think about this for a second," Emma asserted, "If all we're doing is just grabbing the Collection, then-"
"NO!" They all yelled at her in sync, making Emma step back. Once they regained their posture, Douglas spoke up.
"It has to be us…" He said sternly, "The ones who take out the Ganglers."
"Does it have to be just us, though?" Emma asked, feeling like she crossed a line and at the same time, feeling like she may be right about her suggestion.
"Look, all that matters right now is that we need to find Garatto," Max explained.
"But how?" Bentley inquired as he and Murray stood up, "We don't have anymore information on him or his whereabouts other than what Benjamin gave us."
"Yeah, Max, what are we gonna do?" Murray asked as Max went to the door.
"The best way to find your enemy is to know his hiding spots," Max replied before opening the door, "Best way to do that is to look around his latest hideout."
Max then left the building, leaving his comrades behind.
"Max! What about the Bistro?" Emma called out to him, but he was already gone before Bentley spoke up.
"I think Max needs some time to think Emma," He told her, "He'll be back soon."
"Yeah, he always does come back," Murray assured her. Emma sighed, knowing that collecting the Lupin Collection was going to be an even more difficult task.
Cue "Spin the Dials" and "Chase You Up-"!
Yami no naka de futeki ni warau SILHOUETTE!
-Flash~ mabushii RAITO de!
Kono shoutai shiritakerya catch me if you can!
-Search~ Sagashidashite-ageru!
Destiny! Yokoku suru!
Hontou no neuchi wo rikai suru mono dake ni!
-FEIKU no seigi wo kazashite ubau no!
Hikari hanatsu mongai-fushutsu no COLLECTION!
-Hold up, LUPIN! Run if you can!
LUPIN, Karei ni mau!
-Gonna CHASE YOU UP anywhere you are!
CHASE YOU UP, Ubaikaesu!
-Kono sekai chitsujo mamoru tame!
Ushinaishi toki wo tokasu tame DAIYARU mawase!
-Hold up, LUPIN! Run if you can!
LUPIN, Semattekuru!
-Sayonara wa iwanai!
Chase you up, Yatsura ni adieu!
Azayaka ni Lupinranger!
-Nigasanai wa~ Patranger!
It's SHOWDOWN!
After a half hour of walking through town, Max arrived at Garatto Nargo's old hideout, hoping to find some clues to the Gangler's other hideouts or retreats. But when he got there, instead of finding an empty building, he found a crowd of animal and human civilians behind yellow police tape. He also found the both the Global Police and Interpol had set up station and started collecting possible evidence and all the treasure that was stolen from the jewelry stores. Max shook his head in disappointment.
"I came here here looking for clues, and what do I find?" He sighed in annoyance, "Law enforcement - both Interpol and the Global Police - investigating the building themselves. Doesn't look like I'll be able to snoop around."
Max was about to leave, but stopped by overhearing a conversation on the other side of the yellow tape.
"We're just glad to get the stolen gems and valuables back," He heard and saw a violet bat man with a caucasian human man in his late forties and a dark brown otter woman in her fifties all thanking a Global Police officer. Max managed to get a better look at them all and noticed three senior citizens were the owners of the jewelry stores in the city.
"Thank you so much!" The elderly bat bowed alongside the other two owners. Max managed to get a glimpse of the officer and saw that it was Detective Dennis McCall, aka Patoren Ichigou, giving back the stolen valuables.
"It's him…" He said silently, maintaining his cool.
"No," Dennis replied to the owners, "Don't thank us yet. We're not done with this case."
The store owners looked at the Detective with confused expressions on their faces. Max was also just as confused as to where the cop was taking this conversation.
"We made a promise to you three, and we haven't fulfilled it yet," Dennis explained feeling like he should have gone after Gangler instead of chasing the Phantom Thieves, "That monster is still out there! The same violent criminal who burnt down your stores… your homes. I swear we will bring Garatto to justice. You all have my word!"
Dennis saluted the store owners in reassurance, who responded with nods before the officer began to explore the compound. Max stared at him in disbelief, not getting why the detective would make a promise that he probably wouldn't be able to keep. He then noticed Carmelita stepping out of the building and speaking to another.
"Find anything that'll help us catch Cooper and his gang, or at least the Gangler that escaped?" She asked a white cat man hoping to find anything on Cooper.
"Unfortunately, no, Inspector Fox," He replied, "But security cameras did show that he and the other Lupinrangers were here, and the Cooper van was parked in the garage of a nearby building. When the Global Police showed up, they sped out of here."
"Ugh," Carmelita growled softly as she pinched her upper nose before saying, "Well, keep looking. Everyone tends to make a mistake every now and then. Cooper is no different."
"Yes, Ma'am!" The cat man saluted before continuing his investigation. Carmelita sighed in disappointment, knowing that she let that thief get away again. She then noticed Max nearby out of the corner of her eye before looking right at him. She didn't recognize him - especially without his mask - but one look at him made her think that she seen him somewhere else before, but couldn't figure out when or where from.
Max managed to keep his cool as she stared at him for a while, but deep down, he was as nervous a young rabbit. He pretended to look like he was part of the crowd looking around, but she figured he was acting a tad suspicious.
"Hey, you!" She called out to him. In response, he turned around to see if anyone else was behind him, but there was nobody. He gulped before he approached the yellow tape, as did the Inspector.
"Can I help you, Miss…" Max acted like nothing was wrong.
"Fox," She finished his sentence, "Inspector Fox, sir. Do you know what happened here?"
"Uh, no," Max lied, "At least not exactly, a friend of mine was hanging out around here and he texted me about the Gangler, the Lupinrangers and the cops. I just came by to see what happened here for myself."
"Alright, then," Carmelita replied with a quirked brow, "Just be sure to stay away from the action as much as you can; we don't want to see anyone get hurt. And be sure to contact law enforcement if you find any suspicious activity."
"Yes, officer," Max smiled before walking away from the crime scene. Carmelita could've sworn she met him somewhere before, but she couldn't put her finger on it. She decided to worry about it later and focus on the crime scene. After fifteen minutes of walking, Max was frowning and was inside an alleyway, trying to consider everything that has happened over the past year.
The other gang members were also contemplating on what's been happening over the past year. Bentley and Murray were cleaning off tables at the Bistrot to prepare for any customers. Douglas was in the shopping district, looking into the window of a wedding dress store.
"Isn't that dress so cute?" A Chinese woman in her twenties asked a gorilla man around the same age.
"It is," The gorilla man replied with a smile.
Douglas ignored the couple as he stared into the wstore with a blank expression, as if he were hiding his true feelings.
Meanwhile, Emma was inside the center of a mall with a statue water fountain. As she stood there, she felt sadness overtake her as old memories began to rise up.
"Promises, huh?" Max said with his hands tucked into his jacket pockets. They all then stared into the areas as they began to remember an event they wished never happened.
Around a year year ago, Max wasangrily power walking away from someone in the old alley. That particular someone was Bentley, Murray and the man from the picture in Inspector Fox's office. The three were jogging toward Max as the man tried to grab Max's shoulder.
"Hey!" The older man said, trying to get his attention.
"Quit following me!" Max replied angrily.
"Max, just wait-" He said as Max immediately spun around to face.
"Just get away from me, Al!" Max shoved the man into a box of rose petal, making him fall onto his rear.
"Max!" Al exclaimed as he tried get up. Bentley and Murray were shocked at this revelation as Max continued to walk away, with the turtle and hippo following him.
"Max, wait up!" Murray exclaimed as they finally caught up with their friend, outside the alley.
"What?!" Max seethed, not bothering to either stop or turn around.
"Max, you can't just shove your brother like that!" Bentley said to him, "He's just trying to help you!"
"Yeah, well, some help he is!" Max exclaimed in more anger as they all passed a man in a Spanish cowboy outfit who was whistling.
"Come on, Max, just give him a chance!" Murray insisted, "No one's trying to hurt you or anything."
"I know that, Murray, but right now, I just can't talk to-"
"AAAAAHHHH!" Max was cut off by a familiar scream. The three heard it come from back in the alley. Curious and worried, the three looked at each other.
"Uh, bro?" Max said before they all walked back to the alley.
"Alistair?" Bentley called out for him, but when they all got into the alley, they saw him, frozen in a block of ice, in a position with his hands in front of his face, as if he were trying to block something. The trio of friends looked at their frozen friend in shock.
"What is this?" Max inquired in total shock before he ran towards his brother. He couldn't believe what he was seeing; someone or something has frozen his brother into a block of ice.
"Uh, Bentley?" Murray said in a shaky voice as he and Bentley stood beside Max, "What happened to him? Why is he frozen?!"
"I-I-I… I don't know…" The turtle stuttered before seeing Max reaching out to touch the ice, "Uh, Max, maybe we shouldn't…"
Max ignored him as he was about to touch the ice. But before he could lay a finger on it, the rose petals were then hit by a gust of wind before the ice shattered, making the trio of friends cover their faces to avoid any sharp ice flying into their faces. When it was safe to look again, they saw that there was nothing left behind… not even his brother.
He was gone…
"A-A… Al?" Max started to tear up as everything went red before he screamed in despair and fell to his knees.
As for Douglas at the shopping district, he found everyone who was outside frozen in ice. He stared at all of them in shock, but the expression on his face looked as if he were looking for a certain someone.
"What the hell happened here?" He inquired before turning around and seeing the person he was looking for. She was a gray mau cat with black hair wearing a gray shirt, tan coat and jeans. On her finger was a silver ring with a small diamond in the center. Douglas knew this person as someone he cared deeply for…
"Alya…" He gasped and he ran toward. However, once he stopped in front of Alya, the ice that froze her and the others shattered. This sight made him cry out in utter despair, shock and sadness.
In the mall, Emma was dressed in high school girl uniform. She was on the ground as if she was pushed away from something and looked at someone she saw as a friend. She stared in shock at this development.
"Chloe?" She uttered before she slowly stood up and tried to touch the her friend's hand pressed up against the ice. But before she touched it, Chloe was shattered, along with other people who were frozen soli by something. In shock, she fell to her knees, feeling like her world was falling apart. Just then, out of the corner of her eye, she noticed someone wearing a sombrero on the other side of the fountain. She couldn't tell what he looked like, but he looked… inhuman.
As night fell, Max, Bentley and Murray, Douglas and Emma were still in the alleyway, shopping district and the mall, unsure of what to do now. They all lost people they cared most about, and there was nothing they could do about it. Or so they thought…
Just then, Max, Bentley and Murray noticed a light coming from behind them. They all looked behind them and noticed a man in a French Butler suit. This man was Benjamin, and this was their first greeting with the butler of the Lupin Estate.
"It seems the Ganglers got to him," Benjamin observed the situation as he approached the trio.
"Ganglers?" Bentley echoed with a quirked brow, not knowing what he meant.
"You…" Max said in suspicion as Benjamin stood right behind them. Max swiftly turned around and grabbed him by the sleeves as he aggressively said, "If you know something, then spill it!"
"Max calm down!" Murray said to his friend.
"There is a way to bring him back," Benjamin said calmly. Max became confused about what the butler said as he let him go. Benjamin then pulled out and showed the trio a VS Changer with the Red Dial Fighter attached to it.
"Lupin collection…?" Douglas quirked a brow back at the district as he stood up and Benjamin showed him his collection pieces.
"If you retrieve all of it, my master a descendant of the Phantom Thief, Arsène Lupin…" He began to explain as he handed each Dial Fighter and VS Changer to Max, Douglas and now Emma, "He will grant you your wish. Using the secret power of the Collection, any wish can come true."
"Even revive those thought to have been lost," Benjamin said to Max, Murray and Bentley."
"Wishes?" Bentley said with skepticism, "You can't be serious?"
"Believe me or not, but it is your only chance to bring him back," Benjamin said before handing them a card with an address, "Go to this address, and you will find two others who have also lost people they cared most about."
Just then, Benjamin went back into the limo and left. The five went to the location of the address: the Bistrot Jurer. Apparently, this is how they all met. They surrounded the table where they left their blasters before picking them up one by one.
"We're all after one thing," Emma said as she looked at her weapon.
"Even if one of us falls…" Douglas looked at his weapon, "As long as at least one of us is alive to make that wish, it won't matter."
"We'll steal back the Lupin Collection…" Max began before looking at the others, "Take out the Ganglers… and bring back the people we love!"
The future Phantom Thieves then brought their guns together. Bentley and Murray were hesitant to join up with two strangers to bring Alistair back. But after looking at each other, they nodded, approached the group and placed their hands at the center of the table. They were all in agreement - they were gonna stop the Ganglers once and for all and bring back their friends, family and loved ones, no matter what it takes.
"It's a promise," Max stated.
In their respected locations, Max, Douglas and Emma were staring down at their VS Changers. They were gonna keep the promise they all made until they got every piece of the Lupin Collection and take out the Ganglers. And no Global Police officers are gonna stand in their way.
Garatto Nargo has now revealed himself in another part of town not too far from the Lupinrangers' locations. With the power of his collection piece, which made his safe glow green, he was setting everything aflame and sending everyone into a panic. As the civilians ran to safety, Garatto was yelling in both rage and avarice.
"I'll just steal everything in this damn town!" He shouted before raising his claws, casting them aflame, and slamming them into the ground, making a huge explosion. The explosion powerful enough to incinerate buildings and severely injure anyone even remotely close. Max felt the earthquake the explosion made before noticing it behind him. It was time for him and the others to suit and steal the Collection Piece.
The Global Police were trying to figure out their next plan of action when Garatto or the thieves would show up again. When the alarm went off, Dennis' desk computer activated the GPS on an explosion's location, making them think that was Garatto. Dennis and the others immediately got up from their seats and gathered around Jim Carter.
"Garatto Nargo!" He exclaimed, "He's back!"
Dennis then grabbed his VS Changer and was about to storm out, but was stopped by a certain fox lady.
"Inspector Fox?!" Dennis said in shock as Rose and Jason grabbed their weapons and stood beside him, equally shocked, "What are you doing?! Get out of our way!"
"You're not going anywhere without me, Dennis," Carmelita proclaimed, confusing the Global Police officers.
"Sorry, Miss Fox, but Ganglers are out of your league," Rose reminded her.
"I know, but if Cooper is involved with the Lupinrangers and the Gangler, then I have to be there," Carmelita insisted as she unholstered her shock pistol.
"Who is this Cooper, Miss Fox?" Jason asked, still confused on why she keeps mentioning the word "Cooper".
"Cooper is a master thief who specializes from stealing from criminals," Jim Carter explained as he projected an image of Max, Bentley and Murray in their disguises.
"What? Like Robin Hood?" Jason quirked a brow.
"That's only half true," Carmelita specified, "That sneaky little bastard and his crew keep what they steal for themselves. You all know him as Lupin Red."
"WHAT!?" They all exclaimed before the sirens on Jim's hat became louder.
"GUYS!" Jim Carter caught their attention, "Gangler burning down the city right now!"
"Ugh, fine, you can come along," Dennis groaned before storming out past the fox woman, "We're coming for you, Gangler scum!"
Jason, Rose and Carmelita followed him out, ready to take out this Gangler. But before he left, Jason ran back to the table and grabbed a metallic case carrying something important.
"Almost forgot this thing," He muttered.
"GO!" Jim yelled, making Jason rush on out of there.
Garatto Nargo made his way through the city, burning anyone alive who would try to stop him. Before he could go further, he noticed red lasers shot at him, both of which he blocked. Once he uncovered his face he saw Max standing on top a small building, pointing his weapon at the Gangler.
"We meet again, Garatto Nargo," He called out as he lowered his arm before Douglas and Emma jumped and landed beside him.
"Let's finish this before the cops show up," Douglas said as they stood up.
"Showed up again, have we?" Garatto rhetorically asked.
"We warned you, didn't we?" Max reminded the Gangler, "We will steal your treasure!"
The three then pulled out their Dial Fighters and began transformations.
"Kaitou Change!" They exclaimed as they loaded their planes into their VS Changers.
Red!
Blue!
Yellow!
They spun the dials...
0-1-0! Masqueraise!
Rotated the barrels…
Kaitou Change!
And pulled the triggers!
Lupinranger~!
Once they were fully transformed into their ranger suits, they called themselves out one by one.
"Lupin Red!" Called out Max.
"Lupin Blue!" Douglas called out.
"Lupin Yellow!" Emma finally called out.
"Kaitou Sentai…" They all called out the beginning of their team name.
"Lupinranger!" They finished calling themselves out before jumping down below, shooting at the Gangler. They all rolled into their landing before running towards Garatto.
The cat Gangler then lit up his claws and shot balls of fire at the Phantom Thieves. As they dodged the fiery attacks, they planned their own assaults until Lupin Red found an opening and shot in the chest, and pushing him down to the ground.
Enraged and pissed off, Garatto unleashed his etra set of arms as he stood back up and shot out even more fire at the rangers.
"Take this!" He roared as he shot two streams of fire at the trio.
"We're not falling for that trick twice!" Douglas proclaimed as he and Emma pulled out their swords. The two jumped into the air to dodge the flames, and grabbed the Gangler by his extra arms with the grabbing ends of their blades. Once they landed, the restrained him by grabbing his main arms and held them behind his back, creating an opening for Max.
"You're good to go!" Murray said in a thrilled tone over the comms, "Go get the treasure, Max!"
"Already on it, Murray!" Max replied as he jogged over to the Gangler who struggled to break free.
"What the-" Garatto stuttered, "Can't move!"
Max then pulled out his Dial Fighter and placed it onto the Gangler's safe, getting the combination and unlocking it.
2-1-5!
Lupin Red then opened the vault and took the Collection Piece before saying, "And that's another piece of the Lupin Collection."
"Good, now let's take Garatto out before the cops show up!" Bentley yelled rushfully.
"Arrgh! Let me go already!" Garatto demanded with a growl.
"Hands where we can see them!"
The Phantom Thieves and Gangler heard a familiar voice as they turned their heads. They're faces gave off surprised expressions as they saw the Global Police Patorangers arriving at the scene. Alongside them was Inspector Carmelita Fox - someone who now had impeccable timing when it came to Cooper, aka Lupin Red.
"We've got you now!" Detective McCall shouted at them, "You Gangler and thieves are all under arrest!"
The four officers then shot at the criminals.
"The cops!" Emma exclaimed in surprise as she and the other Lupinrangers got out of there, making the Gangler take the shots for them.
"Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa!" Garatto exclaimed in pain as each shot hit him, "Ow, ow, ow, ow, ow! OW DAMNIT!"
"They're here," Douglas said in a distasteful tone as Max sighed.
"Uh-oh, you guys better get out of there fast," Murray suggested in worry, "Really fast!"
"Let's take them all out!" Carmelita suggested as she was about to charge, but was stopped by Cadet Martinez who reach his arm out in front of her. Seeing him do that made Max's blood boil a bit, thinking that was no way to treat a woman. Especially a woman who's very determined.
"Stand back, Ma'am!" Jason instructed her as he and the others pulled out their mini vehicles, "It's Trigger Machine time!"
'Trigger Machine?' Max thought before remembering how each of their mini vehicles had gun triggers on them, 'That must be what their Collection Pieces are called.'
"Keisatsu Change!" They called out, showing Carmelita their transformation sequence as they inserted their Trigger Machines.
Ichigou!
Nigou!
Sangou!
Pato-Rise!
The three then pulled on the levers in the back before rotating the barrels and swapping the VS Changers into their gun hands.
Keisatsu Change!
The three pulled the triggers and were immediately changed in their ranger forms.
Patoranger!
The three officers then called themselves out to inform anyone and everyone in the area that the new police force will stop all crime.
"Patoren Ichigo!" Dennis raised his index finger.
"Patoren Nigou!" Jason raised his index and middle fingers.
"Patoren Sangou!" Rose raised her first three fingers.
All three Global Police officers then stomped their feet, stood up straight and saluted.
"Keisatsu Sentai…" They called as they readied their guns for battle.
"Patoranger!" They finished their roll call, astounding Carmelita in the process.
"Well, this is certainly new," She commented before staring back at the four criminals.
"Oh, boy, not good!" Bentley gulped over the comms, in fear as Dennis took a few steps forward.
"By the authority of the Global Police and Interpol, we're bring you all in by force!" Dennis declared.
"Same old Dennis," Carmelita said before the four officers charged at them.
Then out of nowhere, Pordermen footsoldiers entered the area to attack both Sentai teams. They found themselves surround quickly as they all dodged the Gangler attacks. Lupin Red managed to use his flexible reflexes to dodge shots and fire his own at the Ganglers. Patoren Ichigou tuck and rolled to avoid a couple of attacks before grabbing a Porderman and using him as a shield as fired at the enemies. Patoren Ichigou then ran towards Garatto and Lupin Blue, who dodged him and some more enemy fire. Garatto tried to slash the Detective, but Dennis block it, got behind him and aimed his VS Changer at the murderous criminal, ready to fire. Before he could make a shot, Lupin Blue kicked up the officer's blaster, making him miss his target.
"Move!" Blue yelled as he grabbed Ichigou's blaster with his shoulder, "This case isn't for the cops!"
Garatto managed to find an opening, but the rivalling ranger split before he could even land a hit on them. Blue found himself surround by Prodermen as Ichigou kicked Garatto out of the way and shot Blue in the shoulder. Lupin Blue grasped his shoulder tightly to null the pain as Ichigou spoke.
"This time we'll do it!" He declared as he avoided another footsoldier, "We'll deliver on our promise and take out the Gangler."
As Lupin Red shot at a few enemies, he overheard Patoren ichigou repeat his words from before.
"You all have my word!"
Max started to think about those words again before saying, "Oh, well…"
Max pushed the Gangler away as he ran to help his friend, but was stopped by Carmelita Fox who pointed her shock pistol at him.
"You're not going anywhere this time, Cooper!" She exclaimed in a stern tone.
"Oh, really?" Max said innocently before Carmelita was then unknowingly bumped by a Gangler and into Lupin Red. Thewo then rolled on the ground before stopping, with Max on top of her. He lifted himself up, looking down at her face.
"Oh, if you wanted me to be on top, I suggest we find somewhere that isn't so public," Lupin Red joked smoothly making Carmelita blush a bit.
Patoren Nigou noticed this and was outraged by the Phantom Thief's behavior as he shouted, "Hey, get off her!"
The cadet tried to run to them but more Prodermen surrounded him. As he dodged the attacks, Carmelita snapped out of it before growling. She then tossed Lupin Red away to her left before getting up. Lupin Red slowly stood up as he flirted with her again.
"Oh, such a fiery passion," He smirked under his helmet.
"Don't toy with me, Cooper!" She seethed before charging at him, but was stopped by Pordermen in her, "Out of my way, you stupid soldiers!"
"Looks like you got your hands full already," Lupin Red said before running towards Blue, Patoren Ichigou and Garatto Nargo. To avoid the cops and Ganglers, Red ran up the wall and shot at them all before landing beside Blue. Douglas was then about to attack, but Max suddenly grabbed him.
"Wha-What are you-" He stuttered before Lupin Red grabbed his grappling hook and launched at a beam right above a building. The two then left the battle and left Yellow alone. Patoren Ichigou noticed this and Yellow was feeling abandoned before she managed to grapple herself up there.
"Hang on!" She yelled as she landed up on the building, leaving the interdimensional crime syndicate to the cops.
"What the hell are you trying to pull here?!" Douglas asked in anger and shock.
"Uh, Max, what are you doing?" Bentley asked, but was ignored.
"Are you running away, you blasted thieves?!" Dennis shouted at them. Douglas wanted to shut the officer up, but Max stopped him by placing a hand on his shoulder.
"We took care of what we were after," Max called out to the cops, confusing the lead detective, "We'll leave the rest to you guys."
Max then grappled away to a high building, followed by Emma. Douglas was reluctant, but he eventually followed the others.
Dennis wanted to go after them, but was halted when a Porderman got in the way. The Gangler was quickly gunned down by Patoren Nigou, who ran beside him with Patoren Sangou and Inspector Fox.
"Should we pursue them, Sir?" Jason asked.
After a few seconds of consideration, Dennis replied with his free hand up, "No…"
"The priority is the more dangerous perp: the Gangler scum!" He pointed towards Garatto and his soldiers who were prepared to attack.
"Roger that!" Nigou and Sangou acknowledged him as Carmelita slightly smirked.
"You really haven't changed a bit since the academy, have you, Dennis?" She asked.
"Not really, no, Inspector Fox," Dennis answered with a stern look under his mask as the Gangler soldiers ran towards them. The three Patorangers then pulled out white megaphones and yelled at the Pordermen.
"You, Pordermen!" They shouted like they were giving orders, "Freeze!"
For some reason, the enemies all stopped in their tracks before Ichigou ordered them, "Line Up!"
With some motivation from Jason and Rose, the Pordermen all lined up in single file positions, marching like they were cadets. Once they were all in position, the Patorangers shouted, "Pato MegaBo!"
Black batons then extended from the top of the megaphones before the rangers all charged.
Gekidai!
The Patorangers then struck the footsoldiers by the heads row after row. When they made it to the back row, the three officers spun the Pordermen around to make them dizzy before delivering the final strike.
Gamin Zetainye!
Once they were all on the ground, electricity crackled around them before they immediately exploded. Enraged by this action, Garatto charged at the Patorangers.
"Oh, now you're gonna pay!" He roared, ready to strike them down.
"That leaves just you, Gangler scum!" Dennis proclaimed as he, Rose and Jason took defensive stances. Patoren Ichigou managed to get behind the Garatto as the Gangler tried to strike Nigou and Sangou. Sangou managed to block his sharp claws and Nigou took that opportunity to shoot the Gangler in the chest, but Garatto blocked the shots. Garatto Nargo managed to push them away, but Dennis managed to get back into the fight. The red officer kicked the Gangler in the chest before the cat-like monster decided to strike him with all four clawed hands. To avoid injury, Dennis rotated side to side, making the claws hit his shoulder armor. After a while, Garatto was becoming more pissed as hell and wanted to finish him off by swinging with both pairs of arms, but both were blocked by Dennis' Pato MegaBo and VS Changer. Dennis then shot at the Gangler, pushing back a few yards before Patoren Nigou and Patoren Sangou skidded beside him, and hit Garatto Nargo with their own shots. The monster grunted in pain with each shot before Carmelita showed up and shot Garatto Nargo with shock pistol, making him shake from electrical shock.
"Aye-yai-yai-yai-yai-yai-yai-yai-yai-yai-!" He stuttered before falling down from lack of balance.
Unbeknownst to any of the law enforcers, the Lupinrangers were watching them from high above on a nearby building. Lupin Red watched as the officers faced the Gangler before Lupin Blue and Lupin Yellow decided to face him.
"What the hell was that?!" Douglas snapped, "I thought you wanted to take him down yourself!"
"Yeah…" Max looked at the Collection Piece, "But today… I think bringing this in is more important."
He turned his head to face them, waiting for their answers. Emma nodded in reply, but Douglas just turned around, not understanding this action at all.
"I hope you know what you're doing, Max," Bentley said, a bit concerned about the situation.
"Alright, let's finish him off!" Dennis exclaimed as the Gangler was struggling to get back up.
"I'm with you, Dennis!" Carmelita nodded as she aimed her shock pistol at the Gangler.
"Sir!" Jason called out to his superior as he approached him and Rose with the metal case from before, "I think it's time to use this thing!"
Jason put the case on the ground and opened it, revealing a small black and white truck with a blue cockpit and an orange monster face. Jason pressed a button to release the latches holding it before grabbing it and giving to the lead detective. The Lupinrangers saw and were shocked at the sight. It appeared to be a Trigger Machine, given the multiple wheels, the trigger in the back, and the upward wigs with the golden "S" badge on it, but the dial on top of it made the thieves confused.
"Okay," Dennis said as the Phantom Thieves looked at the new Collection Piece.
"Huh?" Emma gasped.
"What the?" Max started, "They have another Collection Piece?"
"Bentley?" Douglas said over the comms, "How are they getting these Pieces?"
"Working on it!" Bentley exclaimed as Douglas heard him typing his keyboard very hard, "It's not easy getting into the Global Police system and try to find the reason as to how they know about the Lupin Collection!"
"Ugh," Douglas muttered in irritation as Dennis attached the Trigger Machine to the VS Changer.
GoodStriker!
Dennis rotated the barrel, turning the weapon into a five-barrel cannon before saying, "Prepare to move in!"
"Ready to attack!" The Trigger Machine yelled before all three Patorangers started glowing in their respective colors.
"What the…?" Jason looked at himself in awe.
"What?!" Rose said in confusion.
Ichigou! Nigou! Sangou! Ichidanketsu!
As Carmelita stood there, she witnessed Patoren Nigou and Patoren Sangou merge with Patoren Ichigou, giving him new shoulder and leg armor, with pink on the right of his body and green on left, with titanium reinforcement added with the extra armor.
"Patoren Ugou!"
"They fused together?!" The Lupinrangers gasped in shock. Carmelita was equally shocked with her mouth gaped open as Garatto Nargo stood back up, growling at the police officers.
"Let's go!" Dennis exclaimed before stretching their arms out, making a circle of pure energy. The fused rangers brought their hands together and gripped the gun, making the energy go into the barrels and turn red.
"Ichigeki Strike!" They yelled in sync, ready to fire at the Gangler.
Ichigeki Strike!
The three then fired at Garatto, and when he was hit by the shot, he was encased in a sphere of energy. Fire suddenly appeared in the sphere before releasing him, only to have him explode in a ball of fire. The thieves and Carmelita shielded their eyes from the fire before the flames died down. When it was okay to look again, they saw that the only thing left of the Gangler was his safe, a trail of flames leading from Patoren Ugou to impact zone, and the ranger holding his gun up to his shoulder.
"Mission accomplished!" Dennis said before snapping out of his trance and noticing himself - or more specifically, themselves - as all three officers finally noticed they were fused together.
"WHAT THE FUDGE!?" They shouted in utter shock and disbelief.
Back at the Gangler Mansion, Dogranio Yaboon, Destra Majjo, and Goche Ru Medou watched everything go down on Earth. They were planning on watching every Gangler to see if one of them is worthy of being Dogranio's successor. And it appears that Garatto Nargo has failed his chance, but the boss didn't seemed satisfied with the fight just yet. In his cool and collected mind, Dogranio knew a way make the show go on.
"Goche…" He spoke up, gaining the attention of his generals, specifically his nurse, "Let's give our ambitious young friend over there another chance."
"Leave it to me, Boss," She replied with a bow as she took out a golden blaster-like item before warping the veil between realities.
"Ahh!" Dennis screamed, still trying to figure out how to undo the fusion, "What the hell happened to my body?!"
Dennis grabbed himself with both hands before being punched by his own right side of his body.
"Hey!" Rose snapped as she took over, "Don't touch! I will sue!"
Just then, Jason took over as he put their arm up to their helmet and sniffed before saying, "This is bad…"
"And something smells sweaty…" He said bluntly before Dennis took back control.
"Wha… what'd you just say, Cadet Martinez?!" He said in an offended tone.
"T-That wasn't m-me, Detective McCall, Sir," Jason stuttered. Carmelita couldn't believe what she was seeing. First, a master thief with a plane, then an alien arsonist, and now a trio of officers fused together. This was getting more ridiculous for her every minute. Where she found this strange, however, the Lupinrangers found it hilarious as they were all laughing their asses off.
"What the heck is this? Max laughed hysterically, "This is just too good to be true!"
"I wouldn't stick around any longer, Max," Bentley suggested, "You should get out of there before they find you!"
"Ha, relax, Bentley," Max replied, "We'll leave when thi-"
Max's laughing was cut short when he saw the veil between realities was warping. Siren music was then playing before the warping vanished, revealing Goche approaching Garatto's safe. The others noticed this and were surprised to see another one so soon.
"Another Gangler?" Douglas said in surprise and curiosity.
"Now, my darling little treasure," She said seductively to her blaster before opening her safe and swapping out another Collection Piece with it. The magazines in her body then started to move as her right arm lit up.
"Make Garatto feel better," She said before aiming her hand at the destroyed safe and shot green energy at it. The safe glowed green and flew off into the sky above the city streets. Just then, as day somehow turned to night, Gaaratto Nargo was reborn as a giant.
"Aah, I don't know how, but I'm alive again!" He roared as everyone in the area was running away to the nearest underground shelter, to avoid Garatto's rampage.
Both teams of rangers and Carmelita Fox stared at him in complete and utter shock.
"What?!" Patoren Ugou exclaimed, confused and shocked at the sight.
"A little gift from the Boss," Goche said before leaving the area, back to Gangler Mansion.
"How'd the hell he do that?!" Jason asked, not knowing how to take down a giant.
"Uh, Bentley? Are you guys seeing this?" Max asked into the comms.
"I'm seeing it… and I don't believe it!" Bentley said in a tone of fear and terror.
"Get back to the Bistrot, you two," Lupin Red said to them, "You'll be safer there, hopefully."
"On it! See ya later, buddy!" Murray said before the comms shut off.
"This time we'll take him down!" Douglas declared as he rotated his gun launch his Dial Fighter.
Get Set! Ready?
Tobe, Tobe, Tobe!
Douglas ran to the edge of the building to fly off. Emma got nervous as she did not want to face something, let alone someone, the size of a building, but she followed him anyway.
"I guess we'll have to," Max said before following them and shifting his VS Changer. They then pulled the triggers and took off in their Dial Fighters, ready to fight Garatto and destroy him.
Go!
R-R-R-Red!
B-B-B-Blue!
Y-Y-Y-Yellow!
They all charged at the enlarged Gangler and shot at him with their cannons. When they passed him, Garatto growled.
"Stupid punks…" He said before his abdomen opened up, "GARATTO MISSILES!"
Fish bone-like rockets launched from his abdomen and went after the Lupinrangers. Once they saw this, they flew around the city avoid the projectiles. Unfortunately, the rockets hit the buildings. The four officers were concerned about this semi-aerial dogfight.
"Oh, not good, guys," Jason said in worry.
"Not good is correct; if this fight keeps up, those crooks will destroy the city," Carmelita said, "We have to stop them! Now!"
"But what can we do?" Rose asked, not knowing how to take care of a Gangler the size of a building. Just then, their VS Changer started shaking.
"What the hell? Dennis looked at the shaking Changer.
"No more holding back! Transforming!" GoodStriker shouted in a tiny male voice before disengaging from the blaster and changed from a patrol car to a jet, folding out an orange nose and red wings with the Lupinranger symbol. It would appear that the Trigger Machine was also a Dial Fighter. GoodStriker then flew off to the fight.
"Flying!" He called out, confusing the Patorangers.
"Hey, where are you going?!" Patoren Ugou called out to him to come back, but he was was already too far away.
GoodStriker then caught up with the Lupinrangers, flying right next to the Red Dial Fighter, yelling, "Hey!"
Lupin Red looked outside via a screen projecting to his left before saying, "Huh?"
"Interesting," Bentley commented in intrigue over the comms, "It appears this Collection Piece is half Dial Fighter and half Trigger Machine."
"Whoa! That. Is. AWESOME!" Murray yelled over the comms in admiration.
"Wait a minute, aren't you with the Patorangers?" Max asked the Piece.
"Right now, I'm a free agent!" GoodStriker assured them, "And since I'm feeling pretty good, I'll lend you three a
"Hm, okay then," Lupin Red removed his VS Changer from the console and opened the cockpit, "Let's take you for a spin, little guy."
"Here it comes!" GoodStriker said in a giddy tone before Red grabbed him and attached him to the VS Changer.
GoodStriker!
Red rotated the barrel upwards to begin the launching of the new Dial Fighter.
Get Set! Ready?
Tobe, Tobe, Tobe!
Red then pulled the trigger, launching and enlarging GoodStriker.
Go!
G-G-G-Good!
GoodStriker grew to twice the size of the Lupinrangers' Dial Fighters as Emma said, "Whoa! He's huge!"
"Agreed, Emma," Murray said in enthusiasm as GoodStriker passed the Phantom Thieves, "Let's see what he can do!"
"We're gonna steal victory!" GoodStriker shouted as the numbers on his dial glowed orange before spinning, "It's Kaitou Gattime!"
As the smaller Dial Fighters flew around him, GoodStriker's back end rotated upwards and his body extended to separate the cockpit half from the jet engine half. The wings and nose folded upwards as GoodStriker flipped onto his bottom half. The part that was once the front of the Dial Fighter then split into two legs with red lower legs and feet, and silver upper legs. GoodStiker then projected red, blue and yellow holograms with similar shapes to the Thieves' Dial Fighters as three joints popped out of the top half. Inside each of their planes, the screens on the rangers' consoles spelled out "PULL", getting the trio curious.
"Pull?" Max quirked a brow under his helmet before rotating the handle controls and pulled. Doing that made the entire console shift and the chair behind him adjusting to a seat position. Douglas and Emma followed the same instructions.
"Ooh," Douglas observed the transformed console in a bit of admiration.
"Whoa," Emma gasped in awe, "What's this for?"
Just then, their Dial Fighters spun their dials and changed to battle mode, but this time, the back ends of Douglas and Emma's planes rotated ninety degrees clockwise and counterclockwise, while while the front half of Max's plane flipped down and open. One by one, the Dial Fighters attached themselves to GoodStriker, with Douglas being the right arm with a fist appearing before the gatling gun, Emma being the left arm, and Max forming the top. The tree were now in elevator shafts, heading up to the main cockpit. The main cockpit was similar to those of the Dial Fighters, but was much larger and had the Lupinranger symbol on the back wall. GoodStriker then landed in the streets, skidding on the ground, making sparks before stopping and facing the Gangler. The Lupinrangers appeared to be in some kind of giant robot made up of planes, but the face was blank on both the inside and the outside so no one could really see what was happening. That is, until the Red Dial Fighter's dial spun around, making an open window before a silver and red face with a black mask and yellow eyes rotated into place. The robot was now humanoid, with the red plane's dial acting as a top hat.
"Kassei: LupinKaiser!" GoodStriker announced as large spotlights lit up behind them. This sight shocked the officers.
"What the?" Dennis said before the combined officers lit up and split apart, turning back into Patoren Ichigou, Nigou and Sangou. They looked at themselves and felt extreme relief to back to normal… ish.
"We're back to normal," They let out heavy sighs.
"Well, that's a sight for sore eyes," Carmelita said before continuing to watch the Lupinrangers.
Anyone nearby who didn't make it to the shelter notice LupinKaiser and were in awe, instead of in fear. Since they knew the Phantom Thieves were good guys fighting the Ganglers, they just had to be the ones piloting the mecha. They all began to cheer for them, wanting them to beat the monster for good.
"That's right, Lupinrangers!" A leopard woman shouted, "Show that monster what you're made of!"
"Yeah, come on! Kick his ass!" A buffalo man cheered out for them.
"Well, is this cool or what?" Max gladly commented, receiving nods from his fellow teammates, "I didn't know our Dial Fighters could do this."
"That makes five of us, Max!" Bentley remarked, "I-I… I just can't believe this! It's amazing!"
"It's not just amazing, Bentley," Murray corrected, "It's… BAD ASS!"
The admiration was cut short when a hatch in Lupin Red's console opened up and out popped a mysterious creature resembling the GoodStriker Collection Piece, startling the trio of Phantom Thieves. It had an orange head and eyes, white teeth, a silver emblem with a green gem, a black and blue body with red wings on his back, and a black top hat with a red stripe going around.
"Hupsie daisy!" The creature said in enthusiasm, getting the Lupinrangers curious.
"What is that thing?!" Emma asked nervously, making the creature face her.
"I'm GoodStriker," He introduced himself, "I'm part of the Lupin Collection, and my job is to protect each and every piece, and make them stronger, especially the your Dial Fighters and the Patoranger's Trigger Machines!"
"Alright then, GoodStriker!" Max replied before making GoodStriker face the outdoor view, "Show us what you got!"
"Take this!" Garatto shouted as he fired more missiles. LupinKaiser's response was to activate the back thrusters and jet towards Garatto. The mecha managed to avoid the rockets and combat roll toward the Gangler. Garatto Nargo tried scratch them, but was block by Lupin Blue moving his arm. LupinKasier then spun around and back kicked the cat monster's knee, making him fall before escaping. Garatto immediately stood back up and faced the rangers and fire more rockets at them.
"Have some more!" He snarled as the rockets were closing in on them. The Phantom Thieves made LupinKaiser hide behind a building to avoid some attacks before jumping back, using Blue's gatling gun to shoot down any more missiles that were really locked on to them. The Lupinrangers then out-flew the missiles into the city streets as they headed back to Garatto. Some more missiles were still following them, so the spun around and shot at them more, making them explode.
"Shoot! Shoot! Shoot some more!" GoodStriker exclaimed in partial commentary as Red, Blue and Yellow shot down more rockets.
As they passed more and more buildings, the sonic booms from the missiles made the windows shatter before LupinKaiser spun its saw and threw one made of energy at Garatto. As they escaped the barrage of lethal projectiles, the energy saw hit and injured Garatto by the chest - and destroyed the street and some bridges.
"This time, you're really done for!" Max claimed as he made LupinKaiser shoot more giant bullets at the Gangler. They were ready to grab Garatto, but once they were close enough, the cat monster grabbed the mecha by the hands. They got out of there by kicking him in the face before flying high into the night sky. Garatto readied his extra claws to attack,not knowing the Lupinrangers were going to deliver the final blow.
"Let's end this now," Max said as the others agreed and pulled out their VS Changers. The dials on each Fighter spun around as targeting screen popped up and aimed at Garatto Nargo. GoodStriker seemed very, very, very focused on the target as the blasters began to shine bright. LupinKaiser then reached both arms up and grabbed hold of a larger VS Changer made of pure energy. The mecha took aim as the Lupinrangers pulled the triggers repeatedly, making multiple giant shots hit that Gangler.
"What?!" He shouted in shock as every bullet so far was hitting him hard.
"Rap-Rap-Rap-Rap-Rapid Fire~!" GoodStriker shouted excitingly as he and the Lupinrangers delivered the finals blows. As they yelled in determination, Garatto Nargo wasn't getting anytime to recover.
"GoodStriker Rapid Fire: 'Down-You-Go' Shot!" He called out the special move as they kept the pressure on.
"I was gonna be the next boss…!" Garatto screamed in pain before the shots made him fall down and explode. This time, Garatto was gone for good. LupinKaiser landed in the streets of the city as Lupin Red spun his VS Changer.
"Forever more… we bid you all…" He began.
"Adieu," The three Lupinrangers said in sync.
"I'm feeling sooo fannnntastic! Haha!" GoodStriker exclaimed in excitement before they all flew off into the night.
"Huh," Jason said as he and the other cops saw them all leave, "In the end, the thieves were the ones to bring him down."
Jason and Rose crossed their arms together and Carmelita sighed with one her free hand on her hip and her gun hand hanging down, while Dennis put both his hands on is waist.
"That's one less, Gangler in the world," Dennis said as he stepped forward before turning back around and putting a hand on Jason's shoulder, "Right now… that's enough for me. Let's head back."
"Yes, Sir," Jason said before they all started walking away, all except for Carmelita who just stood there staring at the night sky.
Rose noticed this and called out to her, "Carmelita, are you coming?"
"Uh… oh, yeah, I'll be right with you," Carmelita reassured her as they walked off. Carmelita was in her thoughts, curious as to why Cooper is a Lupinranger. Being a thief by nature - according to her - she suspected that there was no way a low life thief would also be a popular vigilante. Nevertheless, the Cooper was still a thief; all of them are! And she won't stop until these thieves are behind bars.
"I'll find you Cooper," She said sternly before following her fellow officers, "I'll hunt you all down, and justice will be served."
Back at the Bistrot, when night turned back into day, Max, Douglas, Emma, Bentley and Murray were in a few tables as Max set GoodStriker down on his table.
"Man, didn't think we'd manage to snatch another one up without any extra work," Max said with a smirk as GoodStriker started flying around the room in enthusiasm.
"Incredible," Bentley complimented as he adjusted his glasses, "A Collection Piece with sentient intelligence. I never thought I'd see the day for something like this."
"Yeah, me neither," Murray said as GoodStriker flew next to Emma.
"Well, GoodStriker is quite the handful, don't you think?" She asked with a toothy smile, "How do you like the name 'Goodie'?"
"If you insist! Go right ahead!" Goodie cheered. Unbeknownst to them, people were about to enter. They would all have to hide Goodie until they were gone. Soon, too.
"But what about the Collection Pieces the cops have?" Douglas asked as he stood next to Max.
"I seriously don't wanna mess with those guys more than I have to, especially that one officer," Max replied.
"You sure, buddy?" Murray asked, "Cause you seem to like messing around with Inspector Fox."
Saying those words made Max blush madly as he swiftly scratch the back of his head. Feeling it was the right time to pry, Douglas decided to ask.
"What was with you today?" He glared at Max, "Twice today you've flirted with that fox woman from Interpol, and three times in total, we heard her call you 'Cooper' for some reason."
"Yeah, and what did you do to her the night you were late for the casino?" Emma asked, making Max, Bentley and Murray sweat in nervousness. Fortunately for those three, the doorbell rang, meaning there were customers coming in.
"Oh, saved by the bell," Max said as they all stood up, ready to serve food. They immediately stopped in their tracks when they saw it was Detective Dennis McCall, Detective Rose Wilson, Cadet Jason Martinez, and Inspector Carmelita Fox. Emma hid Goodie behind her back, fearing he would be seen. She then retreated to the kitchen, crouched down behind a wall and sweated in fear like crazy.
"What? What is it?" Goodie asked silently so nobody could hear him, "What's going on?"
"Oh no…" Emma swiftly looked for a place to hide the sentient Collection Piece. She saw a pot right in front of her a got an idea as she opened it up.
"What, the pot?! No-no-no-" Goodie said before he was placed in the pot and covered by the lid. The cops and Phantom Thieves stared at each other, Dennis having an accusing glare in his eyes.
'Do they know…?' Max thought in worry as he gulped. He then stared at Carmelita, who was giving them an expression similar to Dennis'.
'Carmelita… forgive me,' Max thought one last time, hoping they didn't figure out who they really were or where they lived. Is this the end of the Phantom Thieves? Or is it just the beginning?
On an uncharted location of the world map, in a dark hideout, someone was watching a screen playing the news about the Lupinrangers. Whoever was watching was unrecognizable, but he appeared to have glowing red eyes filled with hatred. Once he caught a glance of Lupin Red, he zoomed in and saw his cane. His hatred grew even more so as angry scratching against metal could be heard. He knew Lupin Red was the master thief known as Cooper, and absolute rage, the red eyed being spoke one last thing…
"I found you, Cooper," He said in a demonic yet mechanical voice, "And now I shall complete my vengeance for good…"
V.S.
A/N: Hello, and sorry for the delay again. Anyway, thank you for reading this chapter. FYI, I'm only doing th song thing once per story, without describing the actions. speaking of descriptions, I don't really know how the Pat MegaBo pronounces the Japanese phrases, I was just approximating, so if anyone knows the pronunciation, please leave a message for me. Thank you. ;-)
