Ahhh, finally! I've been waiting for this one! Anywho, hey everybody. Welcome to chapter 5 of my little Kyuuranger OC verse. As you probably already know, this episode was one filled with twists and turns, and well, you'll find out soon enough. Alright, not wasting any time. Garu! All yours!
Garu: Yosh! King doesn't own anyone 'cept her OC's, grr. Hope you enjoy the ride!
Uchuu Sentai Kyuuranger
Amagawa Prism
Confliction. To be contradictory, at variance, or in opposition. Honestly, that definition didn't even begin to describe the outsider's thought process.
After Raptor had earned her kyuutama, the android had dived headfirst into her training. And while it was a little tricky to teach her specific combat techniques due to her standard form, Raptor was a fast learner, mainly thanks to Champ's guidance due to their dual robot nature.
Kingston, on the other hand, was also starting to pick up on individual abilities, earning a slight improvement over her flame and strength capabilities. Her 'Techno Touch,' as she had so adequately dubbed it, was also starting to improve, but that was due to yet another revelation.
Mainly, Balance, having picked up on Raptor and Naaga's separate training, cornered Kingston one day and confronted her. And, as with Garu before, the outsider spiled and begged her golden friend not to tell the others, Shou especially. He agreed, but only so that he could assist with teaching Naaga emotions and, oddly enough, teach both Kingston and Raptor better combat skills. However, suspicions of his reasoning were brushed off shortly after.
Said pilot was also becoming a massive help towards Kingston's flight problem, helping the girl be able to control when and how high she flew. There were still some complications, that just took adjustment, no training could fix that, but Kingston was thrilled by her improving capability.
By contrast, Stinger was almost never brought up, especially around Champ, making it feel like just saying his name was a bad omen, let alone talking about him. Lucky and, by proxy Kingston, were both more than a little irritated by this, but both had other worries on their minds.
But no matter what was going on, whether Kingston was helping Spada cook and learning new recipes, mastering an ability with her friends for the coming battles, or even just writing in her journal, the orange desert dweller refused to leave her thoughts.
It didn't help that another thought paired in her mind; all of the people who had yelled and hated her and her team on Earth for merely fighting Jack Matter at all. It felt like one of those old-school bully movies where the hero would call the bully out, and the victim would pay the price, leaving the hero to be hated by all.
And Kingston, quite frankly, was tired of being a pariah. She had dealt with that label in her world more times than she could count, no thanks to her family. With all the different thought trains fighting for attention in her mind, Kingston just wanted a break.
So, it was when Raptor and Garu had strode into her room that she was doing just that, as they found her meditating on her bed, wearing a pair of red and purple headphones that blocked out the rest of the world.
Karone, noticing the two, zipped out of her kyuutama on the desk and gestured for them to be quiet so as not to jumpscare the humanoid. Getting the hint, they stayed back as Karone ever so gently shook her Earth friend, the girl sensing the change and catching the three staring at her.
Pulling off her headphones and pausing the music from her phone, she smiled. "Hey, guys. Sorry about that, just needed a trip to the Void to clear my head."
"The Void? The heck are you talking about, grr?" Garu asked, tilting his head.
"Well, the void is what I call my little world up here," she chuckled while tapping her temple. "I usually access it when I listen to music, but it's hard for me to be pulled out from it sometimes. But it does help me calm down from anxiety and the like."
"I see, a form of meditation," Raptor added. "And are those-um, what did they call them- ah! Headphones?"
"Yup. They were a birthday present from Mama. Never leave home without them."
Karone, remembering something, turned to the two visitors and asked if they needed something. "Ah, right," Raptor realized. "We're holding a meeting on the bridge. Are you coming?"
Later on, the crew of eleven were beginning to discuss they're next move, the Orion-Gou continuing its orbit around the planet. "Alright then," Shou started, standing. "Let's all liberate the Earth again today!"
"Hang on a second, Shirei," Champ interrupted. "I'd like to clarify something first. Should we be liberating this planet?"
"Wait wait wait, what do you mean by that?" Karone interjected, hands on her hips as her tails swished.
"We should focus on gathering all nine members first so we can free the whole galaxy from Jack Matter," Spada explained, Hammy vehemently agreeing.
"There are many Jack Matter bases on Earth," Naaga argued flatly. "It is not something easily ignored."
"But if we get all nine of us, we'll just trash their home base, grr," Garu interjected. "As a result, Earth would be saved too."
"Maybe so, but we don't even know where that is at the moment, let alone whether we'd be powerful enough to face it, all together or otherwise," Karone argued.
"Then we need to find out if Stinger is on our side or not," Hammy retorted.
"He's obviously our enemy," Champ stated stubbornly.
"Champ, it might not be as black and white as you think-" Karone started.
But Raptor, trying to defuse the tension, intervened. "Um, everyone, let's slow down for a second. Lucky, Kingston, what do you think?"
Kingston, nursing a slight headache, just replied, "Look, I've said my part more than once on Stinger. Whether or not you agree, that's your choice. Pass. Lucky?"
Said lucky red was also not acting himself. "I just can't muster any enthusiasm," Lucky replied, slumping in his chair. "Not after what happened on Earth."
"Same here. Not exactly fond of being a pariah again," Kingston agreed, raising her head and thinking back to all those who had hated them just for trying to help.
"Well, no point in sulking," Lucky resolved, walking over to the outsider. "Let's deploy again. I want to see Earth with my own eyes."
"Seeing as you've already been planetside, that's a tad redundant. But I get the point," Kingston replied, striding to Karone. "Shirei, we'll be heading out too, sound good?"
"Okyu," Shou replied, saluting the Kyuuranger sign. "Now then, shall we?"
And with a roll of the Kyulette, The matchup was almost the same as before, but with Naaga deploying instead of Garu this time, much to Balance's disappointment at being left out again.
"Yosha Lucky!" Lucky exclaimed. "Just you wait, Earth!"
Yeah, Kingston thought absently. Just you wait.
Episode 5: The 9 Ultimate Saviors!
To describe the scene the Kyuurangers witnessed on landing planetside as chaos was a gross understatement. Yumepakkun, a dream eating elephant Daikaan that had escaped destruction after Raptor earned her kyuutama, was causing all manner of mayhem, grabbing any humans he came close to and eating their dreams, no matter who they were, to lure the Kyuurangers out. A ploy well spent and his wish granted as the seven combatants appeared, raring for a fight.
"There you are Kyuurangers," growled Yumepakkun in what he thought to be a menacing voice. "Attack!"
But before anything could happen, the Jack Matter troops found themselves pelted with rocks. Turning around, the Kyuurangers watched an unusual sight. Two young boys threw the stones wearing vests and bandanas, about seven and twelve respectively, pushing through the crowd of frightened adults and facing Jack Matter with no fear.
"Wait, children?" Spada asked in surprise, the originals and Karone not knowing what to make of the sight. Prism, on the other hand, smirked under her helmet and just watched the fun.
"Stop bullying the adults!" the older boy shouted, the younger one echoing his words. "Leave Earth alone!" And as he yelled, the two continued their mini assault.
Jack Matter was none too pleased by children interrupting their attacks, so the boys became secondary targets, a handful of Indavers chasing after them as the rest of the soldiers fought the Kyuurangers.
The older boy was surprisingly agile as he was able to herd the younger boy away from the coming danger, but Prism and Lucky were able to cause some lasting damage after they backed into a dead end.
"Whoo, well, that was fun," Prism exclaimed while kicking away a stray Indaver.
"Let's hear your names," Lucky prompted after having dealt with his opponents.
"I'm Kotaro," the older boy stated. "This is my little brother Jiro."
"Oniichan, Oneechan, who are you guys?" Jiro asked.
"Oh, us? We're the Kyuurangers," Lucky answered proudly.
"We be the cavalry," Prism added, crouching down to the boys' level. "Nicely done out there, but you might want to leave this one to us for now."
Indeed, the other Kyuuranger were handling the troops with little effort, whether it be up close, long range or the use of their abilities. Lucky, Prism and Karone were facing Yumepakkun, who still fought in its ever clumsy fashion. After blasting him back with Karone's flames, Lucky shot a dozen blasts at his opponent, but instead of hitting the cowering Daikaan, they blasted holes in the wall behind him.
However, the intention was never on the enemy, as while he was taunting Lucky's aim, the wall outlined a massive block of rubble thanks to the shots, landing directly on the now dizzy Daikaan, which gave Prism a good laugh.
"Yosha Lucky!" Lucky laughed as the others then joined the trio. But weighing his now losing odds in battle, Yumepakkun once again retreated.
"Ah, mou! Cowardly ass," Prism commented as the group demorphed. "Alright, then. Come on guys, let's have a chat with our little protectors."
Later on, the group was now talking with the young boys in an abandoned district nearby. "Wow, you older guys are strong," Kotaro awed, much to Hammy's dismay at being called old.
"Oh, uh, fair warning little dudes, Hammy does not like being called old," Kingston advised. "Nee-chan, now that's another story."
"Whoa, Oneechan, you're like us!" Jiro smiled before tilting his head. "How old are you anyway?"
"Jiro, it's not polite to ask like that. I'm sorry about him," Kotaro apologized.
The girl just chuckled at the two. "It's not a problem at all. I'm 17 and still kicking."
"Don't sell yourselves short, though," Lucky interjected. "You guys weren't half bad either. Especially compared to those adults."
"Please don't take them the wrong way. Everyone's afraid of Jack Matter," Kotaro explained. "That's why we have to protect them."
But his words caused the outsider to think back.
You guys have protected me for as long as I've known you. But everyone is terrified of what he can do, whether they dare to admit it or not. That's why I have to pay you back and protect you from him!
And while she was pulled from her thoughts by Spada complimenting the brothers, her distracted nature did not go unnoticed by Naaga or Karone.
"We're going to become heroes who liberate the Earth," Kotaro continued, with Champ laughing and commenting on such young kids having such big dreams.
"I know you can do it," Lucky proclaimed, "with your passion and a little help from us."
"After all," Kingston added, crouching down behind the two and turning to look at the both of them. "We heroes-and kids-have to stick together, right?" she finished with a smile, receiving two grins and a chuckle from Lucky.
But the moment was quickly interrupted by enemy fire, the group ducking down and just barely avoiding the shots as they bounced off the pipes and sparks flew. Turning to the source, as the smoke cleared, there, striding towards then on a nearby balcony, was a familiar foe to some of them: Eridrone, the Karo of the Saggitarius system.
And, of course, right behind him was the plague of Kingston's thoughts, Stinger himself, much to Champ's shock and anger.
"Long time no see, Kyuurangers," Eridrone drawled, catching the outsider and Naaga shielding the boys out of the corner of his eye. "And you must be the little psychic I've heard so much about."
"Huh, you're Eridrone, then?" Kingston huffed. "Sagittarius, that's the horse, right? Well, from what I'm seeing, you look a hell of a lot more like a filthy rat."
"Well, it seems insolence runs rampant in your lot. All the better that you will be wiped out." And not wasting a second, Eridrone jumped down from the railing, his arrow staff poised to kill.
"He's a dangerous one," Spada warned, Kingston just barely holding back her sarcasm with children present.
"But we're in no position to run," Lucky argues, looking down at the brothers. And with that, it was time.
Amagawa Kyuutama! "Star Change!"
Eridrone all but bum-rushed the Kyuurangers, Lucky knocking a swing back while Hammy and Karone gave the brothers a clear opening. Their actions did not, however, deter the Karo, as he charged his staff and released a wave of arrows that rained down from the sky. The whole time the battle went on, Stinger watched from the balconies, stoic and unmoved by either side.
The Kyuurangers, despite seven to one odds, were practically decimated as the five originals and Karone were caught in the aftermath explosions and tossed back, forced to demorph and covered in scrapes and bruises, while Prism just barely dodged thanks to her speed.
"Is that all the ultimate saviors can do?!" Eridrone gloated as Stinger walked towards him."What a disappointment."
But both the Karo's taunts and the sight before her triggered yet another memory for Prism, gripping her double keys until her knuckles were as white as her suit.
Kingston, fallen to the ground and covered in bruises, a look of pain and fear in her eyes. In front of her, eight other figures collapsed on the pavement, clutching what were no doubt broken bones and burning wounds. Above them, one man with a metal bat in hand and a sadistic grin in his tone.
"And you call yourselves help? What a disappointment."
And much like Oushi Black before, rage burned with a passion.
"Oh hell no. Nobody fucks with my friends and gets away with it. Bring it on, asshole!"
Zipping back and forth across the quarry in a white blur, Prism tried laying all manner of pain onto the one who hurt her team, surprisingly able to hold her own at first. But Eridrone was no weakling one on one, and despite all of her training thus far, the shooting star was left no better than her comrades, covered in injuries and struggling to stand.
The brothers, having followed the heroes, watched in horror at the defeat as they turned to the offender. And so, the Sagittarius Karo found himself pelted by rocks thanks to the boys, though it was more annoying than it was painful as the two yelled at him to leave Earth and the Kyuurangers alone.
"Stinger," Eridrone stated, stabbing his staff down. "Show them what happens to those who defy Jack Matter. Kill them."
The others, hearing this, begged and yelled at the boys to run as they cowered before Stinger.
Kingston, closest to the two, snatched her meteor kyuutama off the ground and made her decision. In another flash, the outsider bolted right in front of Stinger and began trading punches with the desert dweller in the hopes of catching him off guard, with little success as every move countered with another.
"Well, seems like you may have improved. Are you testing fate again?" Stinger whispered venomously.
"Always," she retorted through gritted teeth. Trained or not, she knew she was at a disadvantage since she was already exhausted and going against a skilled opponent. But before she could react to anything else, the orange scorpion tail flew out from behind him. Kingston caught the tip's markings in the corner of her eye, as it flew towards the brothers and the outsider felt a shove on her back, stumbling as the tail wrapped around not only the brothers, but back around to her.
As they found themselves in the lasso of the tail, the boys were yanked back until the three of them were tangled in Stinger's tail, Kingston barely able to breathe with the wind knocked out of her.
"It would be better if we defeated all of them instead of just six. We even get a bonus with her kyuutama," Stinger argued back to Eridrone with a smirk.
"Let them go, you bastard!" Karone roared as she stumbled to her knees, aiming to fire her blaster right towards the orange Kyuuranger.
"Karone, wait!" Naaga intervened, pushing her blaster arm down. "If you miss, you could hit Kingston or the boys."
"If you want them to live, all of you come back here with your kyuutamas tomorrow," Stinger addressed as a whole platoon of troops and ships rose up behind him. "If you value their lives that is."
As he spoke, Kingston vehemently shook her head in protest, silently begging her crew not to go through with this.
Noticing this, the scorpion man added, "Or you can do what she's asking you to and run. Its all the same to me."
"Very well," Eridrone agreed. "We'll be here tomorrow."
"Dammit, Stinger!" Lucky exclaimed, stumbling to his feet. "I still believe in you! You will be one of us!"
But as he began to run towards him, Karone stumbling to follow, both barely dodged shots fired from Stinger's blaster. "Seems like you just can't figure it out. I am with Jack Matter." And with that, he stalked away, his prisoners in tow.
"Goddamn, no good cowardly bastard!" Champ growled while pushing himself up. Lucky just stared after the retreating ships, seemingly numb to the world around him.
Hammy and Naaga, on the other hand, noticed Karone had dropped back to her knees off to the side and looked to be holding something. Limping over to the kitsune girl, upon closer inspection, the girl's ears had drooped, and her tails had gone limp to the ground. Worse, she was shaking slightly, and her breathing was staggered. "Karone, what's wrong?" Hammy asked as the crimson Kyuuranger turned to face the two.
Without saying a word, she held out her hands to reveal what she was holding, which shocked them all.
The Amagawa Kyuutama.
"She must have tossed it this way before she fought with Stinger," Naaga realized as the kitsune stood and cried into Hammy's shoulder, the ninja rubbing her back in comfort.
"Porca miseria," Spada commented as he limped towards the girls and assisted in comforting their crimson friend.
Though none of them spoke another word, one thing was clear to them all.
If Kingston was desperate enough to leave behind her kyuutama, nothing good could come of the results.
"Now its clear as day. He's a coldhearted bastard, plain and simple," Champ stated. After returning to the Orion-Gou, The Kyuurangers were licking their wounds and trying to figure out their next move. Well, most of them, anyway. Karone was hanging near Raptor and clutching the Amagawa Kyuutama, the dismay on her face radiating in waves.
"No," Lucky argued. "I believe in Stinger."
The others raised their heads in surprise, though Champ was the first to voice a concern. "You're still saying that?! After what he did?!"
"Answer me this, Champ," Lucky started. "If he was just another Jack Matter lackey, then why kidnap them instead of go for the kill? Doesn't that seem odd, especially since he had a clear shot at all three of them?"
"He sure as hell didn't leave Kingston alone. You saw with your own eyes how he fought her!"
"True, but now that I think back on it, Stinger never landed a punch," Raptor interjected. "He stayed on defense the whole time. The only time he went offensive was to catch her off guard, not to damage."
Champ growled at the argument. "I can't see for the life of me why you still believe that's he's good. Moo, this whole thing is just a mess."
"No one's arguing, grr," Garu added, bandaging one of Hammy's cuts. "Doesn't help that Kingston went without her pack again."
"There seemed to be something off with Kingston," Naaga commented, trying to remember the exact emotion he had noticed.
"What d'ya mean, Naaga?" Balance asked as he cleaned the scrapes on his partner's face.
"Before the battle, she seemed...distracted. Like something else was her main focus."
Karone seemed to perk up slightly, also remembering her friend's look of thought when she thought no one was looking. "She seemed to start acting like that when the brothers started talking about protecting Earth. Maybe it triggered a bad memory or something?"
"Maybe, but it doesn't change the fact that thanks to Kingston's reckless actions and that bastard, she and those boys are paying the price," Champ grumbled.
"She's never done anything without reason," Karone argued back. "She did that to help those kids and us!"
"And look where it landed her!" Champ yelled back.
"Minna, please calm down! We've all had a rough day. Fighting with each other won't fix anything," Spada reasoned.
"He's right," Lucky added. "And it doesn't matter what happened. We're going to save them. And also, we'll make Stinger our comrade."
Lucky's tone left no room for another argument, and no one spoke up. But it didn't change the hole of emptiness made by the absence of the white Kyuuranger.
But, as the long night began, and their wounds dealt with, for the time being, none of them noticed a very faint glow coming from the meteor kyuutama, twinkling like a shooting star in the night sky.
In a word, Kingston fucking hurt.
Ok, more like two words, but still.
Her arrival on the Jack Matter ship had begun with being dragged away from the brothers, much to their dismay as she could hear the boys yelling for her the whole way to her interrogation cell.
The Indaver pulling Kingston all but threw her in, and the outsider was none too happy to be greeted by Eridrone. Strangely enough, Stinger was nowhere to be seen at the time. But after the offending Indaver relayed that the prisoner had no other weapons or belongings with her besides her now confiscated blaster, the Karo quickly figured out that his hope for her kyuutama had been for naught.
Nevertheless, Eridrone had not forgotten the girl's threats and taunts, and the Karo of the Sagittarius system was known for holding massive grudges, no matter how small the argument.
Honestly, Kingston really couldn't remember much of the ordeal. But between the bruises from the butt of the arrow staff, the already current pain from the previous fight, and the pleasant surprise of the arrow staff being capable of shooting lightning on its enemies, it was a miracle Kingston was still conscious after Eridrone was bored of the torture.
By the time that had rolled around, her blue jeans were slightly blackened, her t-shirt and hoodie were cut and frayed all over, her skin was covered in even more bruises and burns, and even her hair was singed and smelt burnt. All in all, Kinston looked and felt like shit.
However, throughout it all, the outsider never spoke a word, whether it be for an answer to Eridrone's questions or taunts, or even to react to the pain inflicted on her. Nothing.
After Eridrone became bored and left, Kingston was then dragged throughout the halls by her neck, the girl grabbing the inhuman hand and digging her nails in an attempt at pain for her foe, to no success.
This time, she was thrown into a slightly larger cell, this one holding the two young brothers, Jiro looking somewhat tear-stained, who had immediately crowded around her and helped her crawl over to the back wall.
And while the girl was glad they were alright for the most part, she still apologized for getting them roped into this whole mess. Neither boy answered, just shook their heads in disagreement with stubborn frowns before helping to prop their Kyuuranger friend against the wall.
The three young prisoners were huddled near each other, Kotaro hugging his little brother close when the three of them heard the clunk of boots shuffle up to their tiny cell, the older boy rising to act as a shield if needed. But rather than seeing Eridrone coming to threaten them again, the trio was met, to their surprise, by Stinger, his face unreadable.
At first, none of them said a word. But the silence was somewhat broken by the desert dweller, who tossed in two pieces of bread. "Go on, eat," he spoke.
But Kotaro quickly stopped Jiro from grabbing a piece out of wariness. "It's not poisoned," Stinger reassured. Still feeling cautious but not looking a gift horse in the mouth, Kotaro took one of the small loaves and gave the whole thing to his brother, before taking the other piece and crouching down next to Kingston, who was still a little dizzy and placed it in her palm.
"Uh-uh," Kingston tiredly shook her head, pushing the loaf back into the boy's hands. "You are not going hungry tonight, Kotaro. You either get the whole thing, or we split it. Your choice."
Sighing, Kotaro nodded, tearing the loaf in half and giving a piece to Kingston, while Jiro was hungrily knawing at his share. The older brother, however, rose to face the orange Kyuuranger. "What are you going to do to us?!" he demanded.
"They're going to die either way," Eridrone interrupted, strolling in behind Stinger. "Do you think they'll come?"
"Oh great, and just when I was finally looking for a silver lining, here comes the sewer rat," Kingston growled, slightly panting from fatigue.
"You watch your mouth, freak," the Karo retorted hotly.
But before anyone else could say anything about a pot or a kettle, Stinger turning to his 'employer,' all ears were turned to Jiro crying, his shoulders shaking slightly from quiet sobs. "Don't cry," Kotaro comforted, crouching next to his brother.
However, the sight brought back memories for not one, but two who witnessed the event.
For Stinger, times as a child with his older brother comforting him in much the same way, gaining his pendulum necklace as a gift.
For Kingston, times of encouragement for failing to keep up.
A male figure, slightly fogged out, hugging Kingston to the side as they sat on a rooftop. They were both attempting rooftop parkour to make it home on time for curfew, and Kingston had almost gotten them caught by a roaming street cop.
"Don't cry," the male comforted with a slight Scottish accent in his tone. "No matter what kind of mistakes you make or challenges you face, I and everyone else will always be with you. Look up," he advised, pointing to the starry night sky. "Whenever you see those stars, we'll be right there with you whenever you need us."
"That's a good thing to see," Stinger commented, shaking the outsider from her thoughts, his voice sounding like something other than anger or indifference. It sounded almost...comforting.
"Cherish your brother," he advised.
"What foolishness," Eridrone drawled in a bored tone as he pointed his staff towards the cell. "For the weak, only death awaits." His words immediately caused Kotaro to shield his little brother, while Kingston's face twisted in disgust.
"They're important hostages," Stinger argued, his tone returning to its indifferent state.
From then on, the conversation shifted to just barely out of the trio's hearing range, but Kingston didn't need to hear to know the topic. There was someone Stinger was on the lookout for; Jack Matter's top assassin. His older brother, and a traitor to his clan and species, Scorpio. The only memento of his brother was the very same necklace of his childhood, worn down and rusted with time.
Eventually, the two came close to their cell again, but only in time to catch Eridrone's answer to the desert dweller's questions. "Unfortunately, only our glorious Shogun Don Armage knows where he currently is," the Karo replied smugly. Stinger didn't say a word, only stalking off to who knew where.
Turning towards the cell, Eridrone scoffed at the three. "Just you wait, scum. Your fates will be sealed soon enough," he taunted before banging his staff on the bars, scaring Jiro, and sauntering off.
"Yeah, crawl back to your sewer. Your ninja turtles are waiting for you," Kingston called back as he left.
"Nee-chan, why did you say stuff like that?" Kotaro asked.
"Its bullies like him I can't stand. Besides, he had it coming," Kingston chuckled before coughing as her stomach protested to the extra use. Both brothers turned to her in concern, but she just brushed it off. "Its ok, I'm alright. Takes a lot more than this to put me down."
The outsider seemed to act thoughtfully for a second before a wry smile crossed her features. "Hey, how about this. You boys up for a story?"
Kotaro tilted his head in confusion for a second, but Jiro perked up, wiping his tears and turning to his older brother, silently asking if it was ok. Catching on, Kotaro gave a small smile and nodded, and the two boys huddled around the girl, careful not to cause her any more pain from putting pressure on her injuries, an act that received plenty of gratefulness.
"What's your story about, Nee-chan?" Jiro asked curiously.
Kingston smiled at the little boy's brightness, before asking, "Well, you two know about dinosaurs, right?" with both boys eagerly nodding. Laughing at their reactions, Kingston began her tale, despite still coughing and panting here and there.
"Well, my story is about a group of very special dinosaurs. You see, hundreds of millions of years ago, an evil force came and threatened the planet, known as the Deboss monsters. But after seeing the beauty of this new world, one of the Deboss wanted to protect the earth. And so, to aid in the fight, a dinosaur was chosen to become the protector of earth. This protector was known as a Zyudenchi, named Tobaspino.
'Tobaspino was guided by two beings; the traitor Deboss, now a wise deity, that gave it the power to fight back against the evil, and a royal priestess who, with her magic song, guided the Zyudenchi in the battle against their enemies.
'But in response to the Earth's defense, the Deboss created a new warrior, born only with the desire to fight. They created the warrior, D. Better known as KyoryuuDeath.
'D, with his twisted flute, used the power of Tobaspino to his advantage, playing his magic tune that caused the Zyudenchi to go mad and become enslaved, nearly forced to destroy the Earth entirely.
'However, thanks to the power of the priestess and her song, Tobaspino was sealed away, left dormant until he could be saved from the evil magic. After Tobaspino was sealed, the wise deity spent many years afterward creating more Zyudenchi from other dinosaur warriors, in the hope of succeeding against the Deboss.
'But D had vanished, destined to one day return and claim his prize. However, the priestess, knowing that she couldn't always be there to protect her friend, fought back in her own way.
'As the years went on, as the dinosaurs went extinct and the Zyudenchi went dormant, the priestess continued to sing her song to all who would listen. She passed it down to her descendants, who followed her actions and spread the song far and wide, in the hopes that whenever D would return, there would still be a way to defeat him and rescue Tobaspino.
'And to this day, the song is still being spread, to all who would listen to the melody of the dinosaurs," she finished, the brothers watching her wide-eyed and in awe.
"Oneechan, sugee," Kotaro marveled, Jiro bobbing his head in agreement. "And have you ever heard the melody?"
Kingston coughed a little before she smiled and nodded. Jiro grinned his bright smile. "Nee-chan Nee-chan, sing it for us! Please," the younger brother begged.
"Jiro, she's exhausted," Kotaro eased, placing a hand on the boy's back. "She needs her rest too."
"It's alright, Kotaro, thank you. I can-*cough* I can sing it if you like, but we have to be quiet, ok?"
Jiro lit up, crawling next to the older girl and staring up at her with anticipation, Kotaro soon following on her opposite side.
And after taking a few seconds to catch her breath and closing her eyes, as loudly as she was able to manage, Kingston began her song.
~Kono te kara suri ochiru, unmei no suna, wo.
Daki-to mete kanjiteru eien no tsunagari.
Inochi no wa wo kusari ni shite, Inori Uta wo todokeyou
Tsuyoki Ryuu, no monotachi yo, sono Kokoro ni Kiba, wo
Kagirinaku moeru Soul de kanageru asu no Melody~
And as her ribs protested to her actions and she bit back a hiss of pain, her trance of singing faded. But the results were worth it as she looked and noticed that both boys had fallen asleep to her tune and were using her lap as a pillow, thankfully not where any of her injuries were, and she smiled.
"I didn't know Kyuurangers could sing."
Jerking her head to the voice, Kingston was once again greeted by Stinger, who was leaning against a nearby wall and with Eridrone nowhere to be found. Her smile morphed into a smirk at her response. "What can I say, we're full of surprises. You've certainly proven that" she replied while fighting another round of coughs.
His chocolate eyes softened as he noticed the two sleeping boys. "Why would you risk your life to save them?" he asked, nodding in their direction.
Looking down at the two and stroking Jiro's hair, she sighed. "Let's just say that I'm done with watching and doing nothing. These two have a lot of hope in them. Who was I to let that be taken away?"
He chuckled humorlessly. "Hope. How can you manage to cling to something that's nothing but a fool's dream?"
"It may seem like that now, but hope has a funny way of holding on and not letting go. Its a little tricky in this universe, but I still see it in some. I see it in them. In my crew. If I'm fortunate, I'll catch a glimpse of it in myself. Hell, I even see it in you."
Stinger just scoffed. "Now I know you're a fool. I don't need hope," he retorted and started to stalk off.
But Kingston was not done with the desert dweller just yet. And hatching an idea, she once again closed her eyes and began to sing a different tune. One that stopped Stinger dead in his tracks.
~Daichi ni tsuyoi Kaze ga fuki
Sora ni yoru ga oriru koro
Hoshi no tsuna wo kazoe nagara
Hikari tomo asuemu ka wu~
By the song's end, Stinger was already back in front of the cell, a look of shock written all over him. Slightly taken aback by seeing such raw emotion on the scorpion man, Kingston took a second to catch her breath before smiling softly. "Sorry it's not exactly perfect, but that's the only part I know."
"Where did you learn that?" he whispered, gripping the nearest bar until his knuckles were white.
"Now isn't the time for that, I'm afraid," the outsider answered. "But it did prove my words right. You wouldn't have reacted like that if you didn't have hope. It may sound ludicrous, but it's not far from the truth-" but her words were interrupted by another coughing fit before she sighed with her head down.
"Look, Stinger. I'll be blunt with you. You already know how I feel about you. Call me a fool all you want; you're not changing my mind. I meant what I said on Needle; I don't care what you say or do. Even if everyone one else does, I refuse to give up on you. I have faith in you. I hold out hope for you, the same way I do any of the other members of my ship, and I won't stop anytime soon.
'I can't change your decisions no matter what I try; I know that. But, if you ever get tired of running with this pack of backstabbing carnivores, at the very least. Please know that I'll be holding out hope for you. Whether or not you accept it, that's your choice."
Stinger said nothing, but his eyes portrayed a thousand words. A swirl of emotions clouded his irises; confusion, sadness, desperation, but most of all, longing. But for what in particular, he wouldn't say.
She heard a sharp breath from the man before watching as his mask of indifference and boredom slipped into place, and he stalked off without so much as a second glance.
Kingston let out a sigh as she watched him leave. And as she slowly started to doze, she prayed under her breath.
To any ascendant that's willing to hear me, please. Please, let everybody see this through.
Karone watched the moon out the window of Kingston's room, fidgeting with her kyuutama, while the white kyuutama sat innocently on the nearby desk next to her leather journal. The kitsune's ears were hidden in her hair; her golden tails limp against the bed as she sighed.
"Oi, Karone, we're comin' in, grr," came Garu's voice as the auto doors slid open, and in walked the Wolfman along with the ninja, the Hebitsukian and the pilot, the last of which was carrying a small snack tray and some pain meds.
"How are you doing, Kitty?" Hammy asked, sitting down next to the girl as Raptor sat on her other side and the boys found seats around the room. Her only response was a shake of the head as she went limp in the ninja's arms.
"*Sigh* Its alright, Karone. None of this is easy for any of us," Raptor spoke, gently rubbing the girl's back. "We wanted to give you some more medicine for your injuries, and Spada noticed you weren't eating much, so he made you something." The kitsune only gave a tiny grin and a nod of thanks, before allowing the android to inspect her wounds.
Garu didn't say much, not the sentimental type and all, but he tried to comfort his fellow Kyuuranger however he could. Naaga, on the other hand, was intently gazing at the leather journal, offhandedly asking if he could look inside. Karone didn't say a word, merely processing the question before shrugging and nodding a 'go ahead' sort of gesture.
And carefully flipping through the different entries and kyuutama designs, there was one entry that caught the silver-haired man's eye.
Near the top of one of the pages was a picture taped in of Kingston sitting on a swing, along with eight other individuals. Two older boys, and six other girls, two elder, four younger, all of different race and color. Two of the younger girls were also twins, though one had short blue hair while the other had long, silver hair similar to Naaga's. All of them looked either slightly older or slightly younger than the outsider, who was center stage while the others were huddled around her with huge grins on their faces in front of a playground. Near the bottom of the picture was a label: First park day after injuries.
But what caught Naaga's eye was what was written on the page itself. It was written in another language he had never seen before, but he could somehow still understand the text.
July 7
Just came back from our first summer outing back together. After the mugging, the others were all bedridden for weeks, just barely being well enough to go back to school for finals, and even then they barely made it. I've been visiting all of them for weeks, but I had to stop after Papa started yelling at me for leaving the house for so often by myself. Not my fault he had late work nights, and Mama had to double down on night and day shifts.
Anyway, I digress. Everyone was finally cleared for physical activity by Mama's house doctors, so I took them all to the park to celebrate. The picture was Johnny's idea, and of course, Nat had her camera at the ready. I had the time of my life; it felt so good to just act like an average kid with friends again, especially after being isolated from them for so long.
But, the mugging clawed at the back of my mind. It still feels like he had something to do with this, but I don't have any solid proof. Even so, I wouldn't put it past him.
So, I made a vow at the end of the day. After we all had taken a break and the others laughed at my dramatic start, I told them straight up. I never want something like that to happen ever again, not if I can do something about it. I vowed to them and myself that from this point on, I would protect those I love from ever having to endure that level of pain and heartache again and fight back, no matter how worse off I may end up.
After all, they're more than worth it.
Kingston
"Minna," Naaga voiced after he finished reading. "I believe I understand Kingston's behavior from earlier now."
"Eh? Naaga, what do you mean?" Hammy asked, tilting her head.
He then flipped the journal over to the others, Garu and Karone looking over shoulders for a peak. And after reading it, everything clicked into place.
"That's why she reacted so rashly during the fight," Garu realized. "She wanted to live up to her promise, grr."
"Karone, has she ever talked about these people?" Hammy asked, pointing at the picture.
"Never. Maybe they were just too painful for her to bring up," Karone mused.
"Why would that be the case?" Naaga asked.
"Well, sometimes, things change in life," Raptor explained. "And sometimes, we leave people behind that were important to us. It might be that she still misses these people and talking about them makes her, um, what's the best way to put this?"
"They were memories that impaired her sense of reason," Karone offered. "That may cause her to act rashly."
"And is this a form of emotion?" Naaga inquired.
"Uhh, yeah, let's go with that, grr," Garu added bashfully, rubbing the back of his neck.
Sighing again, Karone closed the journal and placed it back where Naaga found it, the shine of the Amagawa Kyuutama catching her eye. All of them noticed this as she sat back down, swishing her tails onto her lap and covering her face with her hands. "This is such a mess."
None of them argued as they let her continue. "Guys, thank you for the concern. I'm sorry I'm acting so childish about this. I just can't help but worry about her. And those boys! Oh god, just thinking about it makes me-"
"Hey hey hey, easy, grr," Garu interjected, taking her hands in his paws. "You just want to know if they're ok. We all want that. But stressing won't help."
"If we are to succeed, we must start with a clear mind and a focus on the goal at hand," Naaga advised, the girls nodding in agreement.
Looking around the room, the kitsune wiped her tears and smiled sadly, nodding while trying to calm her breathing. The four of them decided to stay in Kingston's place for the night to not leave their crimson friend alone in her sorrow, Hammy running off to find air mattresses.
None of them knew how any of this would work out. What was Stinger planing, or Eridrone, or even Kingston for that matter? But no matter what happened, somehow, they'd figure this out.
Saviors of the universe was not a title easily earned, after all.
Morning soon came, and the time for the exchange was upon them. The three prisoners were chained to posts, front, and center, dozens of Jack Matter troops surrounding them, Yumepakkkun at Eridrone's side. All the while Stinger waited patiently as the three squirmed.
Sure enough, not too long after they had shown up, in marched nine brightly colored super sentai members, all of them radiating determination. All of them immediately noticed the three, Karone just barely holding her temper in, but still looking like she wanted nothing more than to have her creator back.
"We showed up as you wanted!" Lucky shouted. "Let them go!"
"Toss over your kyuutamas then," Stinger shot back in a bored tone, before nodding in Kingston's direction. "We know she gave the white one back to you. Hers too, or no deal."
Not showing any confliction, Karone sighed and reached into her Rebellion jacket, pulling out the white kyuutama from her pocket along with her own crimson. The others soon followed, knowing full well the risks of going through with this deal.
"Lucky," Spada voiced.
"I believe in him. That won't stop now," he stated back.
"I won't be responsible for what happens," Champ grumbled, while Karone pressed a quick kiss to her crimson kyuutama. And all at once, eight original and two custom change kyuutamas were tossed to the gravel, Yumepakkun voicing his surprise at their compliance.
"Alright, you have all our kyuutamas," Lucky argued. "Now keep your promise!"
"You know, for saviors," Eridrone started, "you're all extremely naive."
And before the outsider could even think of shouting a warning, the arrow staff let loose a wave of energy, all of the remaining Kyuurangers caught in the crossfire, as well as the aftermath. All of them collapsed, finding themselves surrounded by at least a dozen Indavers, weapons at the ready.
By this point, Kingston was lashing against her binds, the brothers following alongside her, desperately kicking and screaming to escape, sharp indents digging into her arms.
"Stinger, kill the children," Eridrone ordered as the three were struggling. "Show the inhabitants of this planet just how terrifying Jack Matter is."
"I refuse."
It was as if time had stopped for a split second with those words. All of the Kyuurangers felt their breath catch. Kingston and the boys went dead silent, jerking their heads at his words. Even Yumepakkun was shocked.
But Eridrone's response was harsher as he merely stomped over to Stinger, backhanding him across the face, causing Kingston to cringe.
"Didn't you hear me?" Eridrone asked with a warning tone.
"Killing children is against my creed," Stinger growled, blood dripping from his lip. Lucky damn near lit up at those words. But that joy was quickly smothered by Eridrone's reaction, as he did not take insubordination well.
"You pathetic weakling," the Karo growled, staff in hand. "Do you know what is needed to unify the galaxy?!" he roared as he jammed the butt of the staff into Stinger's gut and smacking his face with the blade's end. "It's overwhelming terror!"
He was relentless, jamming the staff into his stomach until he dropped before wailing on his back. "Let this pain fill you with terror!" he yelled as he beat Stinger down over and over. And all any of them could do was watch.
Eridrone finally shoved down Stinger by the shoulder until he dropped to his knees, but was only met by the scorpion man's dark brown eyes filled with anger and defiance, his face covered in cuts and scrapes.
"What's with those eyes, you filth?!" Eridrone yelled as he threw down his hardest swing yet, finally causing the desert dweller to cry out.
"YAMERO!"
Once again, the world around them was dead silent for a single moment. Eridrone raised his head and turned around, searching for who's voice had shouted against him. Before his hackles fell on a heavily breathing, fury filled Kingston staring the Karo dead in the eye, chains rattling with every ragged breath, both brothers staring back and forth between her and Eridrone.
"Hmm. Well well, you might just be useful for something after all," Eridrone drawled towards Stinger, before kicking him away and sauntering back over to his prisoners, caressing his staff. Her eyes never left him, following his every move.
"You don't want me to harm him?" the Karo asked in a sickeningly sweet tone. "Very well."
And with that, he turned the staff to the back and jammed it in Kingston's stomach, the girl doubling over and gasping for breath in between coughs. She could hear both the brothers and Karone in the distance calling out to her, but the only one she acknowledged was the power-hungry monster in front of her, grabbing her chin to look him in the eye and whispering in her ear.
"It is as I said. Death is all that awaits the weak. Now, beg for forgiveness."
But his response was her sea blue eyes filled with much the same that Stinger's had, strength and defiance in every form of the word.
"Its assholes like you that will never earn true respect and can never realize what it is to be truly powerful. And that is why I know, without a doubt in my mind, that you will never be more than a power-hungry sewer rat desperate to rise to power you will never achieve. I will never beg for you," the outsider growled, before spitting straight in Eridrone's face, who stumbled back in shock.
"You pathetic, insolent, lowly, insignificant wretch!"
"I know you are, but what am I?" she shot back tiredly, a faint, shit-eating smirk on her face.
She could almost feel the Karo's anger rolling off in tsunami's worth as he yanked off her chains and grabbed her by the neck, tossing her to the ground. "Observe," he growled as he pulled off Kotaro and Jiro's chains and the two rushed over to her. "This is the way of the Space Shogunate Jack Matter."
Eridrone raised his staff to lay the final blow, Kingston shielding the two boys as best as she could manage. Lucky and the others tried to stand and help, only to be cornered by Indavers, powerless.
"Die, human scum!"
But just as the staff was about to hit, an interference made it slam to the ground.
Stinger's tail.
"You bastard. So you planned to betray us all-" Eridrone started, only to be met by a sucker punch to the face, Stinger standing in defiance.
"Betray?" Stinger asked. "That's where you're wrong. All you did was piss me off!" And with that, his tail smacked against the gravel, catapulting all of the kyuutamas back to their rightful owners. And with their globes back in hand, the others were finally able to fight back, shoving their way through the soldiers and towards Stinger, while Eridrone recovered.
"I believe this is yours," Stinger whispered as he crouched down for a second, before handing Kingston, her custom blaster that was hidden in his cloak, much to her delight.
And just as she strapped on her morpher, she was quickly tackled by Karone in a bear hug. "Whoa! Hey, Karone, I missed you too. Ok, Kitty, I need to breathe at some point," she choked out as the kitsune hastily apologized, looking her over as her tails frantically swished, silently asking if Stinger was the cause. The outsider shook her head no, assuring her that Eridrone was the offender, nothing to worry about there.
"Yosha Lucky!" Lucky exclaimed, grinning from ear to ear. "I knew we could believe in you!"
"How is this lucky?" Stinger asked. "I didn't do this to help you guys. But I will tell you this. I'm a spy."
To say the others were shocked by this was a gross understatement, Karone barely able to keep her jaw off the floor as she supported Kingston. Their blasters all chimed with Shou at the controls. "Right, right, sorry I forgot. Stinger is a spy I sent to infiltrate Jack Matter."
"We really cannot trust him!" Naaga angrily exclaimed while Raptor held her head in exasperation. But the pilot android then noticed that Kingston was looking somewhat sheepish all of a sudden. The reasons why quickly locking into place.
"Kingston," Raptor started, all eyes on the outsider. "Don't tell me you..."
"Ummm, hehe," the girl sheepishly chuckled, her face beet red. But when another round of shock and slight anger was turned her way, even Stinger reacting (slightly), she immediately backtracked. "Ok ok, yes I knew, but I didn't want to say anything that could blow his cover! I'm sorry I kept it from you, alright?"
"Well, I suppose you were just looking out for all our safety," Spada sighed. "But please, don't ever scare us like that again, capiche?"
"Loud and clear chef," Kingston replied with a smile, happy to be back with her ranger family.
"You did well," Stinger voiced, addressing the young trio. "You three stay clear for now."
"What? Aww, but I want to kick his ass too," the girl whined.
"Not with those injuries you're not. We're going with them this time," Karone shot back, the other crewmembers closest to them voicing their agreement.
"Oh, alright," Kingston groaned, already knowing it was a losing argument. "But on one condition."
And all eyes were on the outsider as she smirked. "Teach that rat freak some manners for me, will ya?"
The smirks and sounds of affirmation were all the reply that came, but it was more than enough.
"Thanks, Sasori-oniichan. Neechan, you come with us," Kotaro said, coming around and looping Kingston's other arm around his shoulder, Jiro sticking close to his brother. "Good luck everybody!" he called as the quartet ran for cover.
"Champ," Lucky voiced with a smile after the four had run off, "I was right, wasn't I?" Champ only growled irritably.
"I won't try to explain myself," Stinger commented. "I merely seek my own justice."
"MOO~, What a pain!" the bull shouted in frustration. "Let's just get to the ass-kicking already!"
No one disagreed, everyone ready and raring for some payback. And with nine kyuutamas in hand, it was finally time.
Kajiki/Chamaeleon/Ouishi/Okami/Shishi/Sasori/Tenbin/Hebitsukai/Washi Kyuutama! SAY! THE CHANGE!
"Star Change!"
A massive flash of light lit up around them, brighter than ever before, and when it died down, the nine original Kyuurangers finally stood together as one.
"Super Star! Shishi Red!"
"Poison Star! Sasori Orange!"
"Beast Star! Okami Blue!"
"Trick Star! Tenbin Gold!"
"Ring Star! Ouishi Black!"
"Silent Star. Hebitsukai Silver!"
"Shinobi Star! Chamaeleon Green!"
"Speed Star! Washi Pink!"
"Food Mei-Star! Kajiki Yellow!"
"The ultimate saviors! Uchuu Sentai..."
"KYUURANGER!"
"Alright! It's time to test your luck! Let's go!"
And with enemy fire ringing from all sides, the nine rangers charged headfirst into battle, war cries heard all around. All but Eridrone ran in as well, laying all manner of mayhem on the field.
It didn't matter what fighting style there was, be it weapons, abilities or close combat; nothing was spared. Garu was slashing a Tsuyoindaver with the Kyu Claw with Stinger cutting down troops with his spear from behind. Naaga and Champ in crowd control with Balance sniping any who came too close. Raptor was shooting any enemies she could spot as a pink blur in the sky, Hammy and Spada taking down the few that were lucky to have dodged. Chaos all around, but the sight was nothing short of incredible.
Kingston was as giddy as a schoolgirl, despite her injuries, watching in glee while the other three were in awe. But all of them soon noticed a group of bystanders nearby, approaching from behind in shock at the battle before them. "How are they..." the man in front spoke, Karone recognizing him as the father that had led the mob against them previously.
"The Kyuurangers," Kotaro finished with a smile. "They're the saviors who'll save the Earth."
"Put simply, we be the cavalry," Kingston added, Karone rolling her eyes with a smile as those who noticed the two also somewhat recognized them as well before their attention quickly shifted back to the action.
Speaking of, Lucky was finishing off his own opponents, before Yumepakkun came up from behind, intent on taking the obnoxious red down via stealing his dream. "Let's see you defeat me after this!" the Daikaan threatened, summoning Lucky's dream cloud for him to swallow.
"We'll see who's vulnerable first," Lucky challenged, not even trying to hold back. But the Daikaan quickly saw why as, somehow, no matter how much he swallowed, Lucky was utterly unfazed. But it also gave the lucky red an advantage, as the final attack was triggered on his blaster, and was fired without a moment's hesitation. The aim was true, landing right on his stomach, as Yumepakkun roared in anguish and was finally destroyed.
In almost no time, all of the surrounding troops were defeated, leaving only the now fuming Eridrone left standing. But it was then that Naaga turned to face his outsider friend and noticed their new audience, all watching in awe as the silver ranger brought them to attention.
"They're all staring at us, aren't they?" Balance commented.
"I think I know why!" Lucky proclaimed, jumping in. "If we fight, then everyone else will think of fighting Jack Matter, creating hope!"
"Come on Minna! Show 'em what the Kyuurangers are known for!" Kingston shouted, both she and Karone, as well as the brothers, cheering the team on.
"Ridiculous! I'll destroy that false hope!" Eridrone declared, swinging his staff before shooting blast after blast, the debris kicked up leaving his opponents invisible. But Jack Matter was known for having Stormtrooper quality aim, so it came as almost no surprise when the multicolor heroes charged through the smoke, weapons ready to strike.
"Go..." one of the watchers whispered, the others catching and turning to see something new in his eyes, as well as some of the others around him. There was hope. More and more, the whispers of encouragement spread, silently cheering and wishing for a victory.
While Eridrone was no slouch one on one, he was still able to hold his own nine on one reasonably well at first, catching both Garu and Spada in a double lock. "Don't you understand that the universe already belongs to Jack Matter?" the Karo hissed, tossing the two of them aside.
"I sure as hell don't!" Hammy shouted, holding onto Raptor mid-flight as the android dipped down and the girls double teamed him with blaster fire.
"This galaxy belongs to everyone!" Champ exclaimed as he and the BN Thieves launched their weapon finishers, making him stumble before he found himself wrapped in Stinger's tail. Sasori wasted no time, swinging his tail, and its prey, over his head like a throwdown in a wrestling ring, Lucky coming in with a direct land of his sword as Eridrone swung back around.
As Eridrone stumbled back to his feet, he quickly found himself surrounded on all sides. And the Kyurangers took advantage of this, launching a nine-way final GALAXY!
"All-Star Crash!"
And with a relentless combined blast, Eridrone was driven into the ground, a star indent left in the earth. But the ground beneath them trembled as, most likely a contingency, Eridrone's flagship, a Big Moraimaaz five times the size of a normal one, rocketed through the atmosphere.
"We're not done yet!" Lucky shouted as all nine Voyagers deployed.
"Karone, your turn, get going," Kingston urged, pushing her weight off of the kitsune as she spoke.
"Eh? Oh no, I'm staying with you, and that's that" Karone argued, stamping her foot as a point.
"No, I mean that Yumepakkun is gonna revive any second and half the team will be dealing with Eridrone. You can help on the ground and in space. I'll be fine with the boys, I promise, but right now might be the best time for you to Voyage up," the outsider reasoned.
"Daijobu, Ms. Kitsune. We can handle Neechan, you go and help your friends," Kotaro added, smiling as he hugged Kingston close as proof. Looking conflicted with her choices, ears shifting this way and that, Karone finally sighed and nodded after making the smaller girl promise to stay put until the team came back.
And with confirmation and resolve in place, Karone smirked as her crimson kyuutama locked into her fire repainted blaster, and she summoned her Voyager mode, vanishing into the cockpit as the crimson kitsune came alive alongside the other Voyagers.
Just in time too, since right when the Voyagers flew into orbit to collect their pilots, Yumepakkun grew to giant size, requiring the team to split up, Kyurenn-Oh alongside Kitsune Voyager while the spares went after the flagship.
"The time's finally come!" Raptor cheered from her position.
"First off, let's finish the appetizer. Karone! Ready?" Spada called out, Kitsune yipping in agreement as flames spewed from its mouth, causing the overweight Daikaan to jump and trip all over the place to dodge, giving Spada the perfect opportunity to stab right in his weak spot, sending him flying back, the BN Thieves following up with a double kick.
All the while, the silent murmurs of encouragement rippled on, while the white Kyuuranger was whooping and shouting from the rooftops, despite the extra coughs and fits of pain from her stomach.
Whether it was the fight or the cheers, the mech battle was successful, Yumepakkun finally going down for good. A match that was quickly celebrated before all of the ground Voyagers shot through the atmosphere, intent on meeting with their crew and sealing Eridrone's fate as well. And while there was a bit of a firefight between Champ and Stinger trying to outdo one another, Kitsune nearly having to light them on fire just to keep them focused, ten Voyagers, aimed their Super Meteor Break right for the massive flagship.
An enormous wave of energy poured from the Voyagers, laying waste to the flagship, along with Eridrone inside, yelling his kamikaze phrase as the Sagittarius Karo was finally defeated.
"We're gonna take the universe back!"
The explosions were seen on the ground, the crowds cheering on for the victory, the brothers hugging the outsider in pure joy and excitement. And as she looked at the two young boys, who had managed to touch her heart in so little time, she smiled from ear to ear.
Back on the ship, Sasori Voyager docking in the final cockpit and finally completing Orion's belt on the Orion-Gou, the Kyuurangers all debriefed in the bridge. Well, almost all of them.
"Where's Stinger?" Shou asked as Karone helped ease Kingston into a nearby chair.
"He will be acting independently," Naaga relayed.
As the commander processed this, the desert dweller appeared on the monitors with a message. "Shirei, Shogun Don Armage had said that there was some secret on Earth. I will stay on the ground and search for it. Call me anytime you need me. See you soon." And with that, the comms closed and he was gone.
"Alright then. Well, its at least fortunate that we have our shooting star orbiting us again," Shou joked, the team letting the pun slide as they were all glad to have their young customizer back as well, Karone practically radiating relief.
"I've decided. We'll start with Earth," Lucky declared. "There are some people with backbone here. And of course, we do have a personal stake in this planet, too," he continued, gesturing to Kingston. "Let's start our battle against Jack Matter here."
"I'll follow Lucky, grr." Garu started.
"Can't be helped. Let's get on with it then," Hammy commented, cracking her knuckles.
"Sounds like we'll be finding one goisu of a treasure," Balance added.
"I like this planet," Naaga stated with a subtle hint of fondness in his tone.
"It's finally started!" Raptor exclaimed in joy, Shou happily voicing his agreement.
"It's always exciting to find new ingredients," Spada quipped.
"I'm always ready to heat things up," Karone smirked.
Only Kingston was left unanswered. Until all eyes were on her and she looked around in amusement. "What the hell are you looking at me for? I'm liberating my home planet from a space dictatorship with some of my favorite superheroes of all time. Of course, I'm in!"
"Then it's unanimous! Yosha Lucky! We'll liberate Earth first!"
"Let's go!" Champ shouted. "Ich! Ni! San!"
"MOO!"
Later that night, Kingston was relaxing in the rec room and writing in her journal, the white and crimson kyuutamas on the end table next to her.
After discovering the wonders of advanced medical tech with a med pod, Raptor had diagnosed a sore stomach and a few bruised bones, but the pod was able to heal most of the damage. Still, she was on the bench until Raptor cleared her for physical activity, and now the outsider was covered in bandages.
Although, the outsider didn't mind taking a break, as she could use the time for extra training that didn't strain her injuries as well as additional project time. Plus, she also remembered next episode, and who was featured to show. Yeah, definitely needed time to work out some of the kinks on that end.
But her thoughts of recalling the past few days were interrupted by her communicator chiming, nearly giving her a heart attack in the process. But when accepting the call, she was delighted by who greeted her on the other end, the hologram appearing above the blaster.
"Stinger!" she exclaimed excitedly, the desert dweller smiling ever so slightly at her reaction. On his end, the waning moon could be seen out of a broken window off to the side, and she could guess that he was using an abandoned apartment complex or something of the sort as a temporary flophouse.
"Hey," Stinger replied, catching one of her bandages near the bottom of the screen. "How are you holding up?"
"As long as I don't push it, I'll be cleared within the week. How about you?" Kingston asked back, indicating cuts and bruises from Eridrone's mini-tirade.
"They'll heal," he mumbled cooly. She only rolled her eyes playfully at his demeanor but didn't push it.
"So, what's up? Wasn't exactly expecting a call this late, no offense."
"None taken. I..." Stinger trailed off, mentally preparing himself to speak his mind. "I wanted to talk to you about what happened last night."
At first, Kingston didn't quite understand what he meant, that is until a specific tune popped into her head, and his pretenses clicked into place. "Oh. I see. Umm, hang on one second for me."
He nodded patiently, and the outsider closed her journal and looked around, making sure no other rangers were coming and unintentionally threatening to invade the private conversation. Satisfied for the time being, she kept her blaster low and gestured for him to continue.
"You know that song came from my clan, yes?"
A nod. "Then, you know what it means to me?"
A sigh, then, "Stinger, let's not beat around the bush here, I know what you're looking for. Or rather, who. The same one who gave you the necklace in your pocket."
Stinger's eyes were raw with sadness, but that was the only indication of emotion. Without saying a word, his head dropped as he motioned to be digging in his cloak pocket, only to pull out the very same pendulum necklace from before, still dangling from the chain.
"You know who gave this to me?" he questioned warily, as if afraid the girl was leading her to false hope.
"Your brother," she answered bluntly. "Scorpio. Jack Matter's top assassin."
"You say you know the future, right? Please, please tell me you know where he is?" he pleaded, desperation clawing in his tone.
But she sighed in response. "Look, Stinger, now might not be the best time to talk about this. We both have more important tasks to focus on, and I don't want to make this any more difficult for you. How about this? After your mission is done, meet me after the debrief and I promise, I will tell you all I know. Sound fair?"
He seemed to ponder this, while not showing much, it was still clear the emotions of longing and logic were duking it out in his mind. He eventually conceded and begrudgingly nodded.
"Oh! But um, there is something I can warn you about now." He seemed a bit startled by her outburst, but his reaction was quickly covered as he silently allowed her to continue.
"There is someone else coming that will be after all of us next. More specifically two someones. They're ruthless, and they will be very close to you when they arrive. I can't say when exactly, but I do know that they appear after Raptor contacts you to come to dance practice."
Stinger's face twisted in confusion and slight disgust at the mere thought of such, but she chuckled and shrugged it off. "Relax, it's not mandatory. But they'll appear almost right after. Trust me; you'll know them when you see them."
The outsider could already see the look of determination crossed with slight anger, Stinger's signature look when he was ready for a fight, passing his scraped features. She rubbed her temples with a sharp breath.
"Look, I know it's pointless to try and change your mind about challenging them, and we've both established that you know your way around a fight, even though you'll be outnumbered two to one against ruthless opponents. And I am not exaggerating. Eridrone is a chump compared to them, especially when they team up. Still, I know I can't make you swear to stay away. Just... *Sigh* promise me you'll be careful."
Stinger seemed honestly taken aback for a second, not expecting her to ask such a promise and instead beg him to stay away from danger and underestimate him like so many before.
"Alright," he whispered, a tiny quirk of his lips just barely visible. "So, dance practice, huh?" he added sarcastically.
A groan of annoyance was her response. "Just be thankful I'm helping you dodge some bullets. And I don't just mean the practice. I'll tell you later. Anyway, it's getting late, and I think we both need the rest."
He nodded as the two of them prepared to log off for the night.
"Stinger?"
"Yeah?"
"Thanks."
"For what?"
"For accepting my hope for you. And for saving my life. Forgot to mention that one earlier," Kingston finished with a chuckle.
Silence.
Then, "Well, thank you too."
She tilted her head. "For what?"
"For having hope in me."
Kingston felt her breath catch, but she quickly hid her surprise, not wanting to embarrass the desert dweller. "Of course. I told you. I have faith and hope in you, Stinger. Now and always."
A small smirk was his only response. "Night, Kingston."
"Oyasumi, Stinger."
And then he was gone.
Her eyes focused on her meteor kyuutama, glowing its faint pulse, smiling as she thought to herself.
Ganbare, Aniki.
In case it wasn't obvious, I adore Kyoryuger. And I am SO happy with how this one came out. I can't believe its only been five chapters, it seriously feels like way more already. Still, that's for another day. Right now, its late and my hands are killing me. Stinger, would you be so kind?
Stinger: Read and review, thanks for the time.
Umm, hehe, don't worry, he'll get used to it. Anyway, see you later everybody!
SAY! THE GO!