Hiya everybody! ~Guess who's here~!
First off, wanted to give a big shout out to G. Shoutman, thanks so much for the favorite and I hope you enjoy what's to come. Okee-dokie, this one is a strange one, to put it mildly, if the title and the show itself are any indications. You might notice a few slight differences from the original episode this time around, but hey, bound to happen eventually right? Speaking of, Hammy! Would you care to do the honors?
Hammy: Hitakore! Yosh, LittleKing doesn't own anybody but her original stuff and none of the music. You'll see what I mean. Hope you enjoy!
Uchuu Sentai Kyuuranger
Amagawa Prism
~Every day I run a race, just trying to get ahead.
Don't think about where I am now, just where I want to be instead.~
Music flowed and swelled in the air-or her headphones at least- as Kingston let her surroundings fade away, her focus locked on making yet another custom creation.
~I'm losing so much precious time. But will I be satisfied in the end?
O-oh, in the end?~
Her hands seemed to craft with a mind of their own, weaving and piecing together the parts for her latest idea and make it a reality
~I don't want to spend my life trying to fight for what's not mine.
I don't want to lose myself in someone else's dream.
I know I was made with a purpose to reach past the surface, and live life fearlessly.
I want nothing less than to be who I'm meant to be.~
As the beat began to pick up and fill her chest with the vibrations of the guitar strings, the outsider smiled as her tempo increased and the lyrics spiraled in her mind.
~Everyone is on their way, but I am standing still.
Comparing my behind the scenes against their highlight reel.
I'm burning so much energy, won't let it keep distracting me anymore.
Anymore, o-oh!
I don't want to spend my life trying to fight for what's not mine.
I don't want to lose myself in someone else's dream.
I know I was made with a purpose to reach past the surface, live life fearlessly
I want nothing less than to be who I'm meant to be.~
But as the bridge began to swell with the harmonies, Kingston started to feel another presence. Looking up, she was a little startled to see Hammy and Spada standing in her doorway, and they both seemed to jump a little at her reaction. So, pulling down her headphones and carefully putting her project on her desk with a smile, the real world wrapped itself back into the girl's surroundings.
"Spada, Hammy!" she exclaimed. "Was I bothering anyone? I didn't mean to-"
"Are you kidding?" Hammy interrupted. "Just the opposite."
And with a chuckle at the girl's look of confusion, Spada elaborated. "Your voice is bellisimo, Kingston. Simply stunning!"
But the outsider, not realizing until now that she had been singing out loud, chuckled embarrassingly as her cheeks burned. "Umm, hehe, uh, anyway," she hastily dodged. "Was there anything you guys needed?"
"Ah right, right," Hammy realized, skipping over to the bed. "We're starting the debrief in a few minutes, and we're taking our turn for the day."
After the last battle with Stinger blowing his cover and joining the team officially, Kingston had earned several wounds from Eridrone and his tantrums. Luckily, the medical tech available on the ship had healed most of the damage, but what was left meant that Kingston was benched from missions until physically cleared by Raptor. Which meant walking with a crutch to avoid stressing her muscles and getting a little help with walking from whoever was available.
Most of the crew helped where they could, Karone especially, but today the chef and the ninja decided to take the job.
"Alrighty then, shall we?" Kingston chuckled while propping herself on her crutch and sliding off the mattress, Hammy supporting her back as she slowly hobbled over to Spada, who also tried to make the walk slightly more bearable.
To be honest, Kingston was making leaps and bounds regarding recovery, and she was making huge strides in completing her latest projects, which was kept the secret to all eyes but her own, including the kitsune. And while this was no easy feat with ten pairs of curious eyes begging for a peek, the outsider managed.
Still, Kingston couldn't wait to ditch the bandages and leave the ship, as cabin fever had begun to drive her mad, despite the different distractions offered.
It took some effort, but the trio finally made it to the bridge, the outsider resting on a lounge chair by Karone as Raptor began the meeting.
"The Daikaan ruling Earth are using their Moraimaaz to suck up any nearby Planesium," she began as the hologram popped up with images of said Jack Matter bases. "while simultaneously torturing the Earthlings near their bases in various ways."
"Selfish, gutless cowards," Karone remarked, stroking her tails as her creator friend placed a hand on her shoulder to calm down.
"They're doing that while also gathering Ramune Juice?" Lucky asked, not catching his slip of the phrase. And while Raptor gently corrected him, Kingston couldn't help but laugh, despite her protesting bruises.
"Well, at least he's trying," she chuckled.
"No offense to Kingston," Spada interrupted, "but the planet's in the middle of nowhere, so they can do whatever they want. Its all-you-can-drink Ramune-eh, um, Planesium!"
Champ joined in with the girl's laughter this time around.
"This is the area we're liberating today," Raptor announced, spinning the hologram to show a map of the base's perimeter. "Denbiru, the area's Daikaan, is making his people suffer from his harsh rules."
"Not to mention ridiculous," Kingston chimed. "Most, if not all of his rules, only serve to his pride and give him a sense of power. All he is is just a coward, and a stupid one at that."
"I'm not too good with rules~," Balance drawled, leaning on the pool table.
"Truly, it's something you all have trouble with," Raptor deadpanned with a shrug, Kingston muttering a no kidding under her breath.
"Alright! Let's test our luck and beat him already!" Lucky exclaimed.
But Hammy, looking a little irritated, tried suggesting an idea. "Hey, let's decide on a leader."
Ohhh boy, Kingston though with a sigh as the ninja elaborated. "Yeah. We have all 9 of us, so we'll need a leader right? I nominate myself," Hammy finished with a grin, raising her hand.
"What are you talking about, grr?!" Garu growled. "Lucky's obviously the leader."
"Lucky can't bring the team together! I think I'm more qualified."
"Ok, um, maybe we can all calm down, let the others have a say before-" Kingston started, trying to ease the situation.
"Then I nominate myself too," Garu interrupted, ignoring the outsider. "I think it's too much for you Hame," he finished, spiting the green ninja further. And as much as Kingston tried to calm the others down, Karone becoming a ref so as not to start any brawls, some of the others threw their hats in the ring for the leader.
"I've come up with a shocking idea!" Shou exclaimed, catching their attention. "How about whoever does the most this mission gets to be the leader."
"Wh-Shirei, you're not helping!" Kingston scolded. "Look, guys, I get that being the leader seems like a tough choice to decide on, but we all have different capabilities. If we all try to fight for the lead, how are we going to achieve anything?" she reasoned. "We're a sentai, people. Can't we act like one instead of putting one person or another in the spotlight-or in our case, on the target?"
"Mou, Kingston, it's so that we have someone to lead on missions! We're not deciding on who has to leave the team or anything," Hammy whined. "I say we go with Shirei's idea. I'll prove I'm the best choice."
And much to Kingston's frustration and Garu's irritation, Shou began the Kyulette, with red, blue, green, yellow and gold rolling out, to Balance's delight at finally being chosen. Both of the customs, however, stayed shipside, for obvious reasons.
And as she watched Hammy, Lucky and Garu fight to leave first while Spada and Balance rushed to catch up and keep them from fighting, the outsider couldn't help but feel a slight headache for the day to come.
Raptor hadn't been exaggerating about the town's condition. The civilians under Denbiru, an alien giraffe of sorts, were under conditions similar to that of a military or prison encampment. Marked identification, constant watch from guards, no privacy or freedom of expression, the works. In fact, the team intervened just as a group of civilians was undergoing the Daikaan's strict and, somewhat ridiculous, workout regimen, 'Denbiru Calisthenics.'
"How dare you steal people's freedom!" Lucky shouted, albeit barely due to partially shoving while running with Hammy and Garu as the three fired at the Daikaan while struggling to lead. But while their enemy reared his head in anger and wounded pride, said Kyuurangers were arguing about whose blast managed to damage him first.
"Che cavolo," Spada sighed as the trio continued to yell at each other while landing a hit on their target, who was knocked back reasonably easily despite their distracted natures.
"Hammy, might I recommend a power-up?" Kingston called from the ship.
"If it'll give me an edge, absolutely!" the ninja called back eagerly.
"Then I recommend we use this!" Shou replied, holding up a silvery clear kyuutama before dropping it into one of the pool table holes, transporting it into Hammy's belt.
"Thankyu!" she chirped, pulling it out before staring in curiosity.
"Cool! What does this one do?" Lucky asked.
"Well, let's find out!" she replied, locking it in.
Pegasus Kyuutama! SAY! THE ATTACK!
But as the ninja fired, the stars of the constellation seemed to stall, swirling around her in a mist of energy. As the others watched in awe and a little confusion, a neigh suddenly rang through the air as, all at once, something slammed into Hammy, the stars clashing and fading into the new force. And when the light faded, Hammy looked down to see, of all things, a new armor attachment depicting an animal.
"A pegasus?" Hammy questioned
"Oi young lady! Don't be dropping my honorific! Call me Pega-san!"
Episode 6: The Chamaeleon and the Pegasus!
"You can talk?!" Hammy exclaimed, shock ringing in her voice.
The new armor, Pega-san, was a silver and indigo chest armor, with the shoulders depicting the spreading wings and the central part showing a horse's head sticking out. "Of course I can! I am Pega-san!"
"Well, I'll be! And here I thought only Kingston's kyuutama could talk!" Balance remarked.
"Yosha Lucky! This kyuutama is awesome! But I won't be beaten just yet!" Lucky proclaimed, charging straight into the danger, the other three racing after him. The four of them were able to deal with the troops reasonably quickly while Lucky and Garu charged straight for Denbiru to try and throw him off guard.
"Ahh, yabei, I can't let them bet me!" Hammy flustered.
"Alright then, leave the fighting to me, little lady!" Pega-san declared, and thrusting forward; Hammy was flung all throughout the street, dragged by the chest armor as the wild stallion leaped and threw its new bearer all over.
The Indavers didn't stand a chance, Pega-san using Hammy as a ram to charge through and send enemies flying this way and that. But the rampage was also causing massive property damage, busting holes in walls and knocking down stone pillars like they were dominoes. However, the sentient armor was having the time of his life, whooping and neighing all over.
"Mou, Pega-san, you can't just take the lead like that! It's my body too!" Hammy moaned after the armor finally stopped for a second, trying to ease the magic horse.
"I'm not done yet!" he yelled, neighing and jumping all over once again, ramming into one enemy after another and crashing into stone pillars. By the time he and Hammy had cleared out all of the nearby troops, the awning they had fought in collapsed in a pile of rubble.
"How'd ya like that?" Pega-san asked, pleased with his results in battle.
"Well, you're a reckless jerk, and you can't just do stuff like that without my permission," Hammy complained, panting.
Her red and blue comrades, however, were also gaining similar luck, managing to dodge and counter most of Denbiru's attacks with its lightning whip. However, in their race for leader, Garu accidentally tripped over Lucky when the lion red had dodged an attack.
But before either could recover and regroup, Pega-san had continued its wild charge and flung Hammy towards the Daikaan. But due to the lack of control, instead of landing an attack, Hammy fell smack in between the two, allowing their target to dance out of the way and regroup himself, which resulted in Spada and Balance stepping in and pulling the three apart from their arguing.
"If you can't act as a group, you have no prospects for victory!" Denbiru proclaimed. "Now...gyoisaa!"
And with a snap of his whip, lightning crackled into the ground as a new squad of Indavers locked on and fired in his name, scattering the Kyuurangers like ants.
And before any of them could recover, all of them quickly found themselves surrounded, though not by Indavers, but humans. None of them had any control over their choices lest they face Denbiru's punishments, so they were instead used as a shield to prevent any attacks. And when the human shield finally broke off, it only allowed a clear shot for the Indavers to land cheap shots, knocking all of them back.
"You think a few cheap shots will keep us down?!" Hammy yelled, but the process was once again active as the humans shielded the Daikaan and the Indavers went to melee attacks, landing hits on their enemies lest the humans pay the price.
"You shouldn't even be fighting, you're so uncoordinated," the Daikaan taunted.
"Big talk coming from a no good coward!" Garu shot back.
"Nonsense! My teamwork is superlative! You Kyuurangers don't stand a chance! Now, come my men!" And with that, Denbiru vanished as his human shield and troops marched off to who knew where with Pega-san remarking on their organization.
"Wait, where are they-" Hammy started, trying to process the situation.
"Come on, little lady, they're over there!" Pega-san shouted, thrusting his bearer forward and casing her to trip on herself. "Mou, talk about failure."
"Excuse me?" Hammy growled.
"Well he's not wrong," Garu added, the green ninja whipping her head towards him in anger. "If you hadn't gotten in our way, maybe Lucky and I could've landed a hit!"
"Ma ma ma, at least we're all ok, right Garu?" Lucky jumped in, trying to calm his wolf friend with a little help from his other teammates.
"If ya can't tame me, how can ya call yourself a Kyuuranger?!" Pega-san remarked to his bearer. Hammy, however, didn't answer so quickly this time, the words hitting a little too close to home.
However, the ninja just shook away the cobwebs and demorphed, catching her breath. But looking down, the others were treated with the surprise that Pega-san didn't vanish, still planted on Hammy's chest, much to her shock.
"Mamma mia," Spada sighed, already feeling a headache coming on.
"Great job, Pega-san!" Shou praised the sentient armor as it thrust Hammy towards the commander. After the five had returned with their new 'guest' in tow, most of the others that were shipside tried to cover their giggles at Hammy's predicament at least. Kingston, however, asked Karone to take her out of ear range for a moment to catch her breath.
Five minutes later, and she still had trouble holding in her giggles, despite coming back in and trying to pay attention.
"Oh, Shou-san! How're ya doin'?" Pega-san asked, seemingly oblivious to his bearer and her look of shock mixed with slight discomfort.
"Ok, first you show up out of nowhere, now you know the commander?" Hammy asked huffily.
"I've been to quite a few constellations to gather Kyuutamas," Shou explained. "Of course, that includes the Pegasus constellation."
As he spoke, the dragon then pulled, seemingly from out of nowhere, a set of plot cards describing his supposed adventures across the cosmos. "It was a grand adventure."
Said plot cards all depicted Shou in various places, be it freezing tundras or boiling volcanos, before a picture showing the dragon along with a giant pegasus.
"I was touched but Shou's desire to defeat Jack Matter," Pega-san explained, "so I joined his journey."
The final picture was of Shou and Pega-san fighting a giant monster, Shou claiming that they had teamed up to defeat the beast on planet Babang. But when Naaga turned to Kingston and pointed towards the two, she just shook her head to confirm the disbelief in their story.
"Alright, alright, but what about the leader? Who did the most?" Hammy interjected, caught up in anticipation.
"Ah yes, well, about the winner..." Shou began, the others leaning in anticipation. "I haven't decided yet!"
Cue classic face vault. Hammy was more than a little frustrated. "Mou, Shirei! Ugh, ok, then how can we decide who won?"
"Hammy, it's not a contest, it has never been," Kingston retorted, leaning on her crutch.
"Yeah Hammy. We still have the Daikaan to deal with. For someone who wants to lead, you sure have strange priorities," Garu chided, causing Lucky to jump in and try to calm both of them down before anything said next was regretted.
"Ah mou! Please, enough already!" Kingston shouted, covering her ears. All of them looked in surprise at the outburst, and those close to her even noticed tears threatening to fall, Karone immediately going to comfort her.
"Well, now look what you've done! You made an innocent in all this cry because of your pointless bickering. Will you guys get it together?" Pega-san scolded, whacking Hammy's head in the process. "You all got thrashed cuz you couldn't work together. Hammy, you want to be the leader? Then do somethin' bout the team to overcome the enemy!"
"*Sigh* Alright, well, did you have any ideas?" his bearer retorted.
"I have a solution," Shou announced. "The best way to bring a team together is through a dance workout."
The only thing that outmatched the initial reaction to such was the disappointment coming from Kingston from missing out. When asked why she had wanted to participate, she just spoke vaguely about personal reasons. But as Shou ushered the central team into the gym across the hall, he stopped the outsider and the customizer for a second as he pulled out his cool guy shades.
"Karone, why don't you take Kingston down to the med bay and run the tests for clearance? If she clears by you, I'll send Raptor down for a final check, and if all is well, you two can join us. Sound good?"
Kingston was ecstatic at the idea of joining in, while Karone was pleased with the chance of her creator finally healing. "YES! Finally!" Kingston cheered.
"Okyu, Shirei, we're on our way! Come on Kingston!" Karone rushed, looping an arm around the girl and the two half-limped half-skipped to the med bay, eager to begin.
Several tests, a few x-rays, and a very impatient customizer later, Karone was able to clear all of Kingston's tests. The bruises had finally healed, and there was no scarring. The times in waiting for test results and prepping for the next in between were spent with the two girls bonding, just talking and laughing about whatever topics popped into their heads.
They could also hear the speakers in the gym playing music; the song being something Kingston dubbed 'Kyuutama Dancing.' The thumps and crashes heard in between were no doubt the results of said training, and Kingston could only wince in imagining the goings on that they were missing.
"Ok, I'll be right back with Raptor," Karone called over her shoulder, already halfway out the door. Kingston smiled as she left, before checking her blaster.
Somewhere about halfway through her tests, her blaster had chimed with a text message, thankfully without Karone noticing. Figuring she knew who it was from, Kingston bided her time until she had the chance to read it, then jumped at the opportunity.
The text was romanized, thankfully, while the message itself was simple and to the point. Definitely from Stinger.
Met our new 'visitors.' You certainly weren't kidding about them. I'll be regrouping for a little while before remerging with you. Meet you when I get back. See you soon.
-Stinger
So, the deadly duo had arrived. Stinger was referring to two of Jack Matter's most renowned assassins. Not the highest rank, that was without a doubt Scorpio's title, but pretty damn close.
Said assassins were known as Ikaagen and Madakko. Ikaagen was a squid alien of sorts, somewhat laid back and acting as a mediator to his octopus based partner, Madakko, who was all around a foul-tempered pain in the ass. Personalities aside, the duo had annihilated countless people in Jack Matter's way, be they Rebels, innocents or otherwise. Worse, they had a history with one crewmember in particular. Now Don Armage had deemed them high enough of a threat to warrant their arrival on Earth.
Well, no pressure or anything.
She turned her blaster back off with a sigh just as the android was led in by Karone, her ears perking in excitement. "Alright, alright, Kitty, calm down. Let me check the results first."
While it was a little tricky due to the humanoids impatience for a verdict, Raptor eventually gave the green light and began undoing Kingston's bandages. But for some reason, Karone rushed out as Raptor started, yelling something about 'keeping her promise' over her shoulder as she left.
"So, what have you been doing during your recovery?" Raptor asked casually.
"Eh, not much. There is a project I'm tackling right now, but that's a surprise." And even with Raptor's curiosity taking over and begging for a hint, the outsider laughed and gave a cryptic comment about 'learning as time goes on.'
"Oh! But, there is something I can show you. But, and I mean this Ace, it has to stay between us. Clear?" And as the android vigorously nodded in agreement and pausing in her work, the young girl smiled before reaching for her bag and pulling out her new creation.
"Tada!" she flourished, and in the palm of her hand was yet another new kyuutama. This one was a light purple, almost lavender in the shade, and it seemed to depict a horse, much like Pega-san's kyuutama, yet still different in some way. "I saw the pegasus kyuutama earlier, and it gave me the idea."
"Kawaii," Raptor gushed, studying the paintwork. "And will it be like Pega-san?"
"Nah, Pega-san is a different kind of creature, and this won't be an armor attachment like he is. This one will be the Alicorn Kyuutama."
"Alicorn?" she asked, having never heard of that creature. "What's that?"
"Well, they are like Pega-san in that they're winged horses, but still different since they have horns too. Alicorns are known for having potent magic, so that's my main focus for this one."
"Ahh, I see now. But, why do you want this one to be secret?"
"I still need some time before its finished, and I don't want Balance finding out about it just yet."
Her words caused some slight confusion for the android. Balance was a bit of a gossiper, that much was accurate, and keeping something secret would be a little tricky with him. But still, why so specific?
However, Raptor knew when Kingston would keep her mouth shut about certain things at this point, so the pilot let the matter drop and continued her nurse work. She had just finished and led Kingston off the bed when Karone reappeared, though this time with Garu and an ecstatic Lucky in tow.
"Yosha Lucky! Good to see you're feeling better, Kingston!"
"Oh, hey guys, what are you doing here?" Kingston inquired.
"Just keeping a promise between friends," Karone interjected with her mischevious smirk firmly in place.
Garu chuckled at the deception and elaborated. "Lucky and I were worried about you, so we asked Karone to tell us when you were feeling like yourself again. Call it what you want, but it's good to see you up and at 'em again, grr."
Kingston was taken aback by the wolfman's words. She honestly hadn't thought that she would bond with the crew of the Orion-Gou quite so much after the initial shock of being in this universe wore off. Sure she knew them from the show they were fun characters to her, but taking the time to learn about and share experiences with them was something else entirely.
So to see those same characters who hadn't even known she had existed at a time, care about her to the point of physically being there to cheer her on and support her, made the outsider realize just how much one small change can make a difference.
"Well, now that you're better, isn't there something you wanted to do?" Lucky hinted, Kingston lighting up.
"Aww, don't tell you still want to do that stupid dance practice," Garu groaned.
"Hell yeah, I do. You don't want to, that's your loss. Lucky, ladies, let's get going!" And with that, Lucky and the three girls rushed out to the gym, Garu shaking his head and trailing behind.
"Hammy! Pega-san! Look who's here!" Lucky yelled, leaning over the railing on the stairway and pointing to a grinning Kinston.
Pega-san swerved to the call, which of course caused Hammy to jerk with him. The ninja herself looked exhausted, panting from working with the Pegasus and covered in bruises from his callousness. Apparently, the two were taking a break, and Hammy was trying to catch her breath, to debatable success.
"Ahh, hello young lady! Good to see you've recovered," Pega-san called, thrusting Hammy towards the stairs.
"Hey Lucky, hey Kingston," Hammy panted. "What are you guys doing here?"
"We came to join you of course," Karone jumped in, looping an arm around her creator friend. "Wouldn't want to miss out on the fun, after all."
"Oh, so you left for reinforcements, huh?" the armor asked teasingly to Lucky, while somewhat spiting his bearer in a way. "Alright then, Hammy! Let's get to dancing already!"
And with that, Hammy was flung this way and that, the armor jumping and leaping all over, having the time of its life. But his callous 'dancing' caused Hammy to slam into the wall, unable to keep up, and she crashed to the ground.
All of them gasped at the sight, Kingston and Raptor bolting down the stairs to help. Raptor tended to her ninja friend, while Kingston's attention was on the armor for some reason. She seemed to be wiping down the sentient shield from any residue of training and trying to sooth the wild horse.
And, to everyone' surprise, Pega-san seemed to respond rather well. "Ahhh, that's the spot," Pega-san cooed as Kingston scratched behind one of his 'ears'.
"Alright, that should do the trick for a little while. Hammy, are you- all... right?" she finished in shock, as she looked down and noticed a new sight.
For what she saw coming out of Hammy's back, was a green chamaeleon tail, curling in and out as if stretching. Following the younger girl's line of sight, Hammy immediately gasped and scrambled to her feet, trying to hide her tail behind Pega-san. "What? It's not like I can use it in combat, I don't need you gawking at it." the ninja said defensively
"Oh no no, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to stare," Kingston apologized. "I just never knew. They never made it clear you had one in the show. I didn't mean to be rude, Hammy, I'm sorry."
"Alright alright. Like I said, its useless in combat, and I usually keep it hidden like a belt, so you couldn't have known I guess. Seriously though, why'd you come back? If you're here to criticize my dancing, don't bother. He's been doing that enough for everyone," Hammy vented, pointing to the horse armor in frustration.
"Well, maybe its because you're too uptight! I know you want to lead, but I gotta let loose too!" Pega-san argued.
"Well, it's not like I can help it!" she shot back.
"Ok, let's all take a deep breath and calm down," Karone eased, joining her teammates. "Now, what do you mean by that?"
"I was born into a shinobi clan," Hammy explained. "I've worked hard all my life to become a Hokage. And the same goes for when I became a Kyuuranger! No matter how painful it became, I gritted my teeth and tried my best. All to defeat Jack Matter!"
Everyone was quiet at the ninja's words until a voice broke the silence.
"Maybe you just need a different perspective, then."
Looking up, Hammy locked onto Lucky's brown eyes, filled with innocence and wisdom all at once. "What do you mean?" she asked.
"Well, it seems like you've been keeping all of that to yourself, right? Even though you had Champ and Spada when you joined the crew?"
The Shinobi Star didn't answer that, but her silence and downcast eyes were enough. "Well, that might be why you're having trouble syncing with Pega-san. You're used to taking the weight alone."
"I could also argue the difference in combat style, but he has a point," Kingston added. "Hammy, you don't have to go through this yourself. That's the great part about a Sentai. You've got everyone else on this ship to back you up. And I'm not questioning the difficulty of working with a wild stallion, speaking from experience on that one. But, maybe if we try it together, just to see if it works, it might turn out a little easier. How does that sound?"
Hammy sighed, looking around. She felt the eyes of her friends watching her, some sympathetic, others enthusiastic, and all of them filled with determination.
"And, just a thought here," Lucky picked up, "maybe instead of looking at this as training, we could try looking at this as a game? Have some fun with it."
"I like the way you think Lucky! I've been trying to get that through to her, but you humanoids have a knack for stubbornness," Pega-san joked, earning a huff from Hammy before laughing. And surprisingly, Hammy joined in, seeming to calm down and drop her guard.
"Well, what are we waiting for? We've got all night, and he certainly wants to get started. If you guys are ready, then let's do this!"
And as the music kicked in, seemingly on cue, the ninja gained a second wind, starting up the dance, with the four quickly following in tow. But to their surprise, Garu, having watched the whole encounter from the stairs, ran down and joined in, causing Hammy to grin. As the night went on, more and more of the crew joined in, though some were still in their night gear, everyone was having the time of their lives.
And as it all went on, Shou watched from the railing, pleased to see his team come together.
Early the next day, the away team set out once again, finding Denbiru leading another of his enforcement exercises.
"Guess you haven't learned your lesson," the Daikaan taunted. "It'll end the same no matter what you do!"
"I wouldn't be so sure about that!" Hammy retorted. "Pega-san, Minna! You ready?"
"You bet! Let's go!"
Chamaeleon Kyutama! SAY! THE CHANGE! "Star Change!"
"Beast Star! Okami Blue!"
"Super Star! Shishi Red!"
"Trick Star! Tenbin Gold!"
"Food Mei-Star! Kajiki Yellow!"
"Dancing Star! Pegasus Chamaeleon Green!"
"The ultimate saviors! Uchuu Sentai..."
"Kyuuranger!"
"Let's test your luck!"
"Fine then! I'll just use my teamwork and prove who will emerge victoriously! Now, gyoisaa!"
"Yosha! Hammy, your call!" Lucky cheered.
"Hitakore! Minna, let's have some fun!"
And as the first line of Indavers charged, the team geared up, and their Kyuutama Dancing began. And to their enemies' surprise, the Kyuurangers were much more effective, dodging, punching and countering every move thrown at them in perfect sync. Pega-san was whooping and hollering, and the others also seemed to be enjoying themselves. Even when the human shield stepped in to intervene, the five were able to keep them out of the way and focus on their opponents without risk. Two flanks of Indavers were attempting to fight back now, but neither side could so much as land a punch, the team effortlessly beating them with their teamwork while also having a ton of fun. Even Denbiru was swaying to the music.
"Nicely done Garu!" Hammy commented, Garu throwing another compliment her way.
"Looks like the dance training worked!" Raptor commented from the bridge; the fight streamed onto the hologram.
"With everyone fighting as one, it also sharpens their attacks," Champ added. "I can't believe you planned that far ahead, Shirei."
But as Shirei happily accepted the praise, Naaga turned to the two custom rangers and firmly stated, "He definitely did not," before both girls, as well as Raptor, agreed.
Meanwhile, all of the Indavers were finally defeated, much to Denbiru's shock and irritation. "How could my superior teamwork be beaten?!"
"We won't be beaten by those forced to fight us!" Hammy retorted, the others agreeing while Balance did a little jig, still going apparently. "We're choosing to fight of our own volition!"
And with a quick nod to the others, all five bum-rushed the Daikaan, the four boys being able to land quite a few hits weapon wise as well as allow for Hammy and Pega-san to charge through and ram their enemy, their attacks being much more coordinated and precise while still allowing the pegasus to rampage.
"Each of us is a shining star in the galaxy," Lucky started.
"And now that we're all one team, we are the strongest of them all!" Hammy finished with the weapon finishers charging up.
"All-Star Pegasus Impact!"
And with a five-way energy attack boosted by Pega-san, the Daikaan was finally defeated.
"Good luck!"
"Let's keep it going!" Pega-san proclaimed as the team called down the Voyagers, and Kyurenn-Oh took the stage, with the Moraimaaz as its target. However, Denbiru wasn't finished yet as he stumbled into the primary controls, ranting about how he refused to lose a Daikaan's primary source of power as it transformed into a mecha.
"The rules mean nothing at this point!" he declared. "I'll just finish you off by myself!"
However, his complete abandonment of beliefs left him extremely vulnerable, Hammy and Garu able to trip up the mecha and land plenty of effective hits, mocking their opponent all the while. "Oi, Lucky! I got an idea! Let's try using Pega-san for the finisher!" Hammy relayed from her cockpit, Pega-san eager to proceed.
And giving the ninja the go-ahead, Hammy activated the Pegasus Kyutama once more as Lucky's cockpit turned from red to silver, signifying the pegasus fusion with the Megazord. And thus, the new finisher began.
"Kyurenn-Oh! Pegasus Break!" SUPER GALAXY!
And as Kyurenn-Oh charged with its sword bared, an astral Pega-san flashed onto the mecha, soaring towards its enemy before swirling and slashing its massive wings, landing a critical hit, destroying the Moraimaaz once and for all.
"We're gonna take the universe back!"
But all the while, none of them were aware of two new adversaries observing their targets as the townspeople celebrated their greatly wanted freedom. And while one merely brushed them off as easygoing idiots, the other just watched. Observing. Waiting.
And planning for the perfect kill.
"Peg-san! Pega-san come on!" Hammy shouted, shaking her armor as if to earn a response somehow.
"What is wrong, Hammy?" Naaga asked.
"Oh, Pega-san hasn't said a word since the fight ended, no matter what I try! Kingston, can you try that trick you used last night?"
"Ok ok, calm down Hammy. I'll give it a shot, but it'll be difficult with you freaking out on me, so calm down," Kingston goaded, kneeling next to the armor and trying to ease a reaction. "He'll be fine, right Shirei?"
But the commander didn't respond at first. "I'm afraid that he's gone."
All of them gasped in shock, save for the outsider. "Pega-san's life will not be wasted."
And as the others began to mourn, Kingston merely rolled her eyes before straightening and taking a step back. "3. 2. 1."
"BAKA!" Pega-san jerked, nearly giving the others heart attacks. "Don't just kill me off!"
"*Sigh* Toku logic. Works every time."
"With these guys on your team, you'll do just fine," Pega-san declared. "I'm sure you'll be able to save the galaxy."
"And we have you to thank for helping us. Arigato ne, Pega-san," Kingston replied, scratching his ear again and earning a neigh of pleasure.
"Aww, I'll miss you, Kingston. And Hammy, I had a ton of fun with you. But I talked way too much and tuckered myself out. I'm going to sleep."
"Eh? Then, you won't be my partner anymore?" Hammy asked.
"Ahh, don't you worry Hammy. After all, you tamed me. I'll be back when the time comes again." And as he spoke those final words, the constellations swirled around him, and in a flash of bright light, the armor was finally lifted from Hammy as the Pegasus Kyutama dimmed.
"Thanks for everything, Pega-san," Hammy smiled at the misty kyuutama in her palm. "And thanks for the support Kingston. Don't know how you managed to calm him down, but it was a huge help."
"Aww shucks, it was nothing. Wild stallions like Pega-san are a no strangers to me."
"What do you mean, Little King?" Balance inquired.
"My aunt was a professional equestrian and owned and operated her ranch. I used to spend the summers up there. She taught me all I know about horses and riding. So I've had plenty of experience helping tame wild bucks like Pega-san."
"Ahh, Soka Soka. Isn't that a shock to find out?" Shou joked, earning a few chuckles here and there, while Hammy turned her attention to Lucky. "And as for you, Lucky. Thanks for the help. You make a great leader."
"Aww, thanks Hammy. But you were a good lead too. I think Kingston was right about one thing. We all have our strengths as stars. So we can all rise to the leader if we ever need to."
"I think I could handle a multi alpha pack," Garu agreed, before turning to the two customs. "Ahh, also, I wanted to apologize for my behavior, grr. I didn't mean to make you guys upset. Guess I still need a little work around the edges huh?" the wolfman finished bashfully, rubbing his neck.
"Me too," Hammy added, bowing in apology before the wolfman followed. "I was insensitive, and I never meant to hurt your feelings like that, especially after all you did for me. Gomenne, Kingston."
But the outsider merely smiled as she strode over and side hugged the both of them. "Daijobu. I understand where you guys were coming from with the whole leader thing. Water under the bridge. I'm just glad to see you guys getting along. Ah, also, I have a little surprise for you Hammy. Hold out your wrist."
Smiling, Hammy did as asked, and Kingston slid on another bracelet, adorned with green beads and a silver charm of a smiling chamaeleon. "Hope you like it."
She assumed the hug was answer enough.
Raptor, closest to the three, sighed in contentment, thinking that she would be smiling if capable. The android knew full well what could come of such disagreements, having been at the receiving end with Spada for so long. But seeing such resolve as this made her heart swell.
"That's our Kingston for ya, grr," Garu laughed as Kingston jumped through the railing and back over to Karone. "She's kind and forgiving above all else. Even if it was Hammy's fault to start."
"Excuse me? You better watch your mouth," Hammy argued, pinching Garu's cheeks.
"Fighting again? Time for another dance training!" Lucky exclaimed, before leading everyone closest to him besides Hammy in another Kyutama Dance, with Hammy practically begging them to stop while Champ and the two customs laughed at their antics.
All the while, none of them noticed the light purple kyutama in Kingston's pocket glowing brightly.
Yatta! I did it! And hey, considering what I was working with, I'm happy with the turnout. Alright, Hammy! It's his turn!
Hammy: Whoa! Hey! Wait a second!
(Leaps into view with Pega-san on her chest)
Pega-san: Yosh! Please read and review, and thanks for your time!
Hammy: Mou, King! You could've warned me!
Next time, promise. Speaking of, see you guys later
JAA NA!