Oh my god.
Guys.
We are still in single digits chapter wise.
This story has hit 1100 views.
Holy shit.
Ho-ly SHIT!
Um, god where do I start? Ok, first of all, quick shoutout to DarthJosku, thanks so much for the favorite. And everybody, thank you SO fricking much! I can't even begin to thank you all for your support and reviews. And trust me, no matter how long it takes, this locomotive is not stopping anytime soon!
Speaking of, um, yeah. I'm doing this. I am going to ATTEMPT to incorporate Chou Taisen into this.
Wait wait wait, let me explain!
I am not trying to defend this movie in any way, shape, or form. I see the issues that littler this project (to put it mildly) and I am fully aware of its reputation in the community. Hence why I'm saying ATTEMPT. But there is stuff in this movie that I plan on utilizing in the long run. And in any case, I've never had the chance to write something this huge until now, so why not at least give it a shot?
And if it still sucks thanks to the source material, oh well. Kyuuranger still has more than enough from its source material for me to work with, so there's that at least.
Alright. I think I've covered everything. Let's get down to business. Poppy! You ready?
Poppy: Ha~i! Little King doesn't anything in Super Hero Time but her original characters. Hope you enjoy! Game Start!
"Ladies, allow me to welcome you to your first ever mall trip," Kingston smirked, spreading her arms and grinning with pride as she walked backward, facing Karone and Alice during a walk through a shopping district.
Said customs were now gaping in awe at the sight that was common to most, but to someone who had dealt with fighting tyranny and cruelty for most of their (albeit short) existence, seeing something as simple as a populated area that was calm and peaceful for the most part was considered unprecedented.
The outsider chuckled at the girls' reactions, Karone wagging her tails excitedly as her ears perked, while Alice was spinning as she walked, trying to absorb every detail she could find.
The mall itself was not very different than what she was used to in retrospect, with people of all shapes and sizes milling around, some with kids, some carrying food or bags, some just hanging out and talking to one another.
It was nice to know that even with the drastic change in surroundings, some things were still commonplace.
"Ahh~, Sugoi," Alice awed, "and this is something you see all the time in your universe?"
"You betcha. There are hundreds of these back home, and you can't find a better place to see the masses."
"I never thought I would see so many people at peace without Jack Matter interfering. Are they not stationed here?" Karone added in curiosity.
"Thankfully. Not all of the areas on Earth are JM occupied. Besides, even if they were, this place, in particular, has plenty of capable hands," Kingston finished with a knowing smirk.
"What do you mean?" the kitsune inquired, her ears tilting.
"Never you mind about that. For now, this day is all ours, we have clearance from Shirei, and the town is our oyster. You two grab a seat real quick, I need to make a stop at the ATM, and then I'm introducing you to the delicacy of hot dogs. And before you ask, no, it is not made with an actual dog in it."
The customs, however, seemed to tense up for a second, eyes downcast as they started fiddling with their neckwear. "Um, w-why don't we go with you? W-we could order those, um, atsui inus while you check your money. It would be more efficient, yes?" Alice stuttered.
Kingston, quickly noticing the change in behavior right away in her crimson and amethyst friends, quirked her head and walked back towards the pair. "Kitty, Wonder, is there something wrong?" she asked, using Alice's newly minted nickname based on the names' origin.
"Uh, no no, hehe, no problem," Karone interjected, laughing nervously. "It's just, this is a big place, and we wouldn't want to lose you in the crowds is all."
After taking a moment to process this, Kingston sighed before gesturing for the two to follow her to an empty table, the three sitting down near an older man playing on a silver handheld console with the company brand GENM etched on the back. As they did, the kitsune and alicorn girls seemed slightly subconscious, fidgeting somewhat with their hair or neckwear and appearing nervous for some reason.
"Ok, yeah, there's something I don't know about here," Kingston sighed. "Girls, you know you don't have to keep anything from me. I will never judge either of you. What's the problem?"
Casting a guilty glance towards each other, the custom Kyuurangers let out a breath before Alice spoke up. "We have been discussing certain events since I came to life. And while we know all of you are very capable-"
"You don't want to be on your own?" Kingston guessed.
"None of us know when might be the last time we see one another, and we just don't want to lose any of you is all," Karone explained.
"Girls, I completely understand. You never know what can happen in our line of duty, and we all care about each other. Of course, I never want to lose either of you as well. But don't underestimate yourselves either. Remember who the ones that are teaching me magic and control are out of the three of us. If that's not enough to convince you, however, there's a phrase I learned once that I think the both of you might benefit from in this situation."
However, before she could relay said phrase, Karone winced as her she covered her fox ears, which flattened into her hair in pain. The kitsune pointed to the older man near them, who was now looking at his handheld in confusion as the screen glitched and fizzed during his play session.
It was then that Kingston noticed something. A random person playing with a silver GENM console in a crowded open mall, and a glitching game. For some reason, the scene was very familiar. And glancing over the man's shoulder, she was able to see the small console had glitched from Mighty Action X to a starting screen of a retro game. One that made her grow pale on sight.
Xevious Gamer.
"Shit," Kingston whispered, causing the customs to start in alarm, scanning their surroundings. But the outsider's eyes were still set firmly on the console, which was now glowing in a blue pixel-like hue.
Suddenly, for everyone to witness, the blue light floated out of the console and zoomed into the air, growing brighter as it went. When the blue hue reached the clouds above, an explosion of pixels erupted through the sky, spreading as far as the eye could see. Those same pixels then materialized into something. Something massive.
A gigantic, pulsing floating fortress.
"Son of a bitch," Kingston cursed as she stood on their table, addressing the now awestruck crowd. "Minna! That thing is going to start shooting at any second! RUN! NOW!"
No sooner had she said those words had chaos begun to ensue. The crowds almost immediately heeded the warning of danger, pushing and shouting all around to find safety. And sure enough, the fortress released dozens, if not hundreds of drones, which immediately started swooping all over and firing down onto the surface.
The three custom Kyuurangers had managed to find a hiding place as they gaped at the mass insanity happening before them. "Out of every friggin possibility in the Toku universe, this is what it picked?" Kingston groaned.
"Kingston, what the hell is going on?" Karone asked, still covering her fox ears.
"I'd say nothing good, but I think that's reasonably apparent at this point. Long story short, we're not in the traditional episode territory. We have unintentionally entered movie territory. Longer run time means higher stakes and a lot more heroes. That thing is from Xevious gamer, an arcade game from the 80's come to life. And I can guaran-damn-tee that if we don't destroy it, they fuck us over."
"What do suggest we do, Kingston?" Alice asked, her wings stretching as she prepped for battle.
"Ok ok, uhh, let's see here. Ok, I need to find the experts on dealing with video games come to life. Their base should be nearby if I remember correctly. I'll go to them, but I need you two to contact the others and evacuate everyone you can before they get here. I'll do what I can on my end to help, but I'll leave the Megazord fights to you."
"You're going alone?" the kitsune barked in alarm. "In all this?!"
"I'll be fine, I promise. And I know for a fact that we will make it through this. Somehow."
Both customs shot her anxious looks, not liking their supposed odds.
"Hey, don't lose hope now," she soothed, taking both of their hands in hers. "I want you girls to remember this. Even if apart, our hearts are one. I will see you both again. I promise."
Holding out both her hands in a shake position, the kitsune and the alicorn stared into the outsider's sea blue eyes, before nodding and accepting the shake, the three of them doing a handshake that may be familiar to some Toku fans that Kingston had taught them.
And pulling into a quick group hug, the three custom rangers charged into the chaos, ushering any civilians nearby as they went, before splitting into their tasks.
Meanwhile, the Xevious ships seemed to only increase in number, causing damage and firing on any and everything in sight. Kingston zoomed in every direction, a blur to all who caught a glimpse. The Xevious fortress was still a daunting terror in the sky above the city, unleashing more and more swarms of drones and laser fire.
Debris and possessions left behind littered the streets, as hundreds of civilians were running and screaming. Up above the skyscrapers, the drones zipped and swooped through the air, almost like a mechanical swarm of hornets.
Kingston did what she could, but she couldn't risk flying or morphing to take the fight to the enemy, as her Kyuuranger suit offered little protection against ships of this firepower, much less against the mothership. Not to mention the people down below she would be putting at risk in the aftermath. So the outsider resolved to summon her Kyu Keys and deflecting any open fire that she could while keeping civilians safe on her way to CR.
What seemed like hours later, heavily battered, bruised and exhausted, Kingston finally stumbled into Seito University Hospital, still gripping her two keyblades. She was panting from the strain and limping from an accident with fallen debris landing on her, covered in ash and bruises.
Even though her mind was fuzzy, she knew she was close to passing out at any second. So, the outsider hobbled through the sliding glass door and made her announcement. By screaming as loud as she could manage.
"I need to see Hojou Emu, Kagami Hiiro, and Karino Asuna!"
And all eyes were on her as her hands went slack and the world turned to darkness.
Movie 1: Chou Taisen-Wait, What?!
"Emu, you need to see this, now!"
The young gaming intern rushed through the echoing halls, Asuna close behind as two other nurses wheeled in the newest patient on a gurney, who was writhing and panting in her sleep.
The nurses met them halfway, both looking slightly frantic as they handed Asuna the patient's info. "She's a minor, American by the looks of her," one of the two explained. "She collapsed at the front door. But there's something bizarre about her."
"What do you mean?" Asuna asked, Emu turning back around.
"She's suffering from many injuries. She limped in as if she had come from a war zone. And that's not all. She asked for the two of you and Dr. Kagami specifically. And there was one other thing that came up..."
"*Sigh* Ladies please, any info could be crucial for this. What came up?" Asuna pressured.
The nervous looks came back as the second nurse finally answered. "She was carrying two weapons as she walked in. I don't know how to describe them, but they resembled swords that looked like keys somehow."
It was then that the light bulb clicked on for Emu as he realized just who they could be describing.
And the young intern's hunch was quickly proven correct as the two met the sight of Amagawa Prism lying on the gurney, breathing shallowly and squirming despite the damage, covered in bleeding wounds and bruises. Nearby, the keyblades propped against the wall near some other possessions she was wearing.
Emu immediately went to his newly recent friend, eyes widening at the scrapes across her features as he read back over the diagnostics. "Kingston, what did you do?" he whispered in shock, staring at the unconscious girl.
"Move, intern," came the cold voice of Dr. Kagami Hiiro, shoving the genius gamer to the side and looking over his latest patient. "Its extremely apparent that you're too personal with this case. And it doesn't matter how much damage there is; nothing is impossible for me. I will cure her perfectly."
True to his word, Hiiro was able to stabilize the young girl to the point where she would be able to heal on her own. So, with a few bandages here and there and the ability to rest peacefully, Emu strode into her room in CR with some flowers to cheer her up.
However, as if sensing the new presence, Kingston started stirring, finally regaining consciousness while groaning and trying to sit up. Emu smiled, happy to see his new friend recovering, and supported her as she positioned herself on the gurney.
"Good to see you awake," Emu started, "but we should probably stop meeting in situations like this."
Turning to the voice, Kingston grinned, ecstatic and relieved to see the video game Kamen Rider again. "Emu!" she exclaimed, throwing herself into his arms in a haphazard hug, not caring about her injuries having suffered worse as a Kyuuranger. "Criminently, you do not know how glad I am to see you, buddy."
"Seeing as you came in like you just left a war, I don't doubt that. What happened to you? Was it Jack Matter?"
"*Sigh* Not quite. This invasion was worse than any normal JM attack. And I'm afraid I didn't exactly come for a visit."
But before she could continue, the two were alerted to the auto doors sliding open, with Hiiro striding in with his placid look firmly in place. "Then perhaps you can indulge us."
Emu stiffened slightly, but, much to his surprise, Kingston perked up, almost looking happy to see him. "Hey, if it isn't the surgeon of the hour. Heard you and Emu patched me up pretty good. Thanks for that."
"You can thank me by answering my questions for you," he replied coldly. However, the outsider didn't react, just waited for him to continue patiently. "There is almost no identification for you in any available database. You were also found carrying weapons. Seeing as you are a minor and your injuries suggest violent activities, it's only reasonable to suspect just what could cause such an occurrence. Just who are you?"
"Chotto matte, there's no need for that, Hiiro-san. Kingston is trustworthy, and she's my friend."
"It's ok, Emu. I understand. After all, it is a bit suspicious when you say it out loud. The question is, where the hell to begin."
"What are you would be the best course to start."
"Hiiro-san, please!"
However, Kingston grabbed Emu's arm, giving him a tired smile and a sigh.
"I am from the Super Sentai," she addressed the genius surgeon, her face turning dead serious. "Specifically, Uchuu Sentai Kyuuranger. Amagawa Prism. But you can call me Kingston."
And pointing to the nearby laptop, the screen relayed a broadcast of the Xevious forces invading the nearby city. "As for why I'm here, those assholes showed up out of nowhere and started stirring up chaos. Most of my team was sent to dispatch them, but I haven't heard back from any of them since the three of us on the surface split up."
"What is that?" Hiiro inquired, shock slipping into his tone.
Emu, on the other hand, now seeing the invaders up close, suddenly had a pretty good idea just what was attacking. "Kingston is that-"
"Xevious Gamer. I knew you'd pick up on it," Kingston finished with a smirk. "Look, I know that I don't exactly seem very trustworthy surface-wise, but I need your help. If anyone can handle fighting video games come to life, it's you guys."
"She's right, you know!"
All three jumped at the new voice, and jerking back at the screen; the broadcast suddenly cut out to another starting screen, this time of a game called Do-Re-Mi-Fa-Beat. And the source fo the voice from the screen was, for some reason, Asuna, though acting far more cheerful than usual. "Costume Change~!"
With a spin and a flurry of colorful lights, Asuna transformed and zoomed straight out of the screen, appearing in much more colorful clothes, almost looking like a video game avatar come to life herself.
Kingston stumbled out of bed, first out of surprise, then in joy at meeting yet another of her favorite Toku characters, despite the slight strain from the bruises. "Hi Poppy," she grinned, barely containing her excitement. "Remember me?"
"Uh-huh! You're the one who helped Emu in that three-way fight with the clumsy red guy."
Kingston nearly doubled over in laughter, Emu smiling at the girl's cheery demeanor despite the current events. But the laughter started morphing into coughs as her injuries caught up for a second. Emu immediately went to support her and help her catch her breath, Hiiro rolling his eyes slightly towards the intern's habit of being too personal.
"Sorry," she panted, "didn't mean to scare you. I'm alright, buddy. But is it at all possible if you know where I could get some fresh air?"
Though it took a bit of convincing to Hiiro, Kingston joined the two game-themed Riders on the roof, having collected back her possessions and had de-summoned her swords, stretching as she gazed toward the scenery, or what was left anyhow.
"Ahh, I can see why you two like it up here. Plenty of space, fresh air, time away from others, and one hell of a view. At least, usually," the outsider sighed, catching the smoke plumes rising from the damaged towers. "What do you want to know?"
"Why are you involved in this?" Hiiro questioned, ignoring Emu's look of exasperation. "How does someone like you have a part in all this?"
"Hiiro-san, that's enough. Kingston is not some little girl or anyone out to attack us. She is a capable girl, and I'm sure she has her reasons for being mixed up in this."
"That's true, and thank you for that, Emu, but I doubt he'll believe me even if I told him the truth."
"Then prove it and find out," Hiiro retorted coldly. "What are you in this?"
Kingston gazed back out towards the city, weighing her options. Outright saying where she was really from was out of the question, seeing as her crew still had their doubts about that even after everything that had happened. On the other hand, calling herself a psychic like the Kyuurangers assumed would never pass for someone as cold and logical as Hiiro, or even Emu.
That left one option. But it meant the risk of bringing back bad memories. For them and herself.
Still, it was the cleanest way of proving herself, no matter how painful the memories, so option three it was.
"Someone who has a lot more knowledge about this world than I probably should. And not just about this situation. I've already shown a bit of that sort of reasoning with Dr. Houjou over here. When we met, I knew who he was under the helmet without him telling us beforehand, and I also do about CR and the Rider program to fight the Bugster virus.
'But word of mouth isn't going to cut it here. However, I do know about something only those in CR would."
Turning around, her mouth in a firm line and her eyes already filled with remorse, she took a deep breath and spoke her mind.
"Hiiro, Emu. I'm sorry about Saki and Kiriya."
Both stood in shock, Emu trying to reorient himself while Hiiro's breathing started shallowing, pain written on his face like an ugly scar.
"They both seemed like incredible people. I wish I had the chance to meet them. I know that words can't take away the pain or the past. And they certainly can't bring them back. If anyone understands that, it's me. But the fact that both of you continue to fight on as Kamen Riders now and help so many people in your work, that is why I admire the both of you. You do the title proudly. So, that enough proof that I know what I'm talking about, Hiiro?"
The scar faded from the surgeon's features as he turned, his back to her and Emu. Said intern, on the other hand, was coming over and giving the young girl a hug, sadness in his eyes but with a kind smile nonetheless.
"Emu, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to bring up bad memories."
"Not at all. I told you. I have three friends I know I can trust to have my back. Kiriya-san is one of them. And don't worry too much about Hiiro-san. He's usually like this around everyone."
"I don't doubt it," she chuckled. "But hey, remember this. No matter how Hiiro may act, the tin man does have a heart. All you have to do is learn how to listen for it."
Emu sighed, taking a look at the horizon and refocusing on the task at hand. "So the game world is attacking reality. Just what is going on?"
But before any of them could come up with a response, the air filled with the sounds of thrusters. Looking up and finding no signs of Xevious ships closeby, Hiiro and Kingston's attention was soon drawn by Emu, who was staring out towards the city and asking dumbfounded: "What is that?"
Lookin over his shoulder, both stood in shock at finding not the Xevious fortress, but a giant mecha robot, one that was very familiar to Kingston.
"Kyuurenn-Oh! Oh thank god, they made it out!" Kingston cried, running to the edge in joy. But the celebration was quickly switched to worry at seeing the Megazord stand alone, with no sign of Karone or Alice.
"Kingston, you know that thing?" Emu gaped.
"Yeah yeah, that's my team! Lucky's in the red one too. But, I don't see the ones that were on the surface with me. They usually stay close when the Megazord is out. ...And, something else is strange."
"There's a robot looking like a knockoff Iron Giant, and that's not strange to you?!" the intern sputtered.
"Nah, Sentai have giant robots all the time nowadays. But the Megazord is never deployed unless the fight is escalated to when its necessary to use. There aren't any Jack Matter bases here, and the Xevious forces seem to be regrouping for the moment. So why would they-"
And then she remembered. This movie was no ordinary crossover; this was a Taisen. And this one, in particular, involved the Kyuurangers looking for something that CR had.
"Oh no..." Kingston gulped.
"What? What's wrong?"
"Emu," she started, slowly turning to face him worriedly. "Where's Poppy?"
"In the city, why-" Emu started before both doctors had the lightbulb look flip on, which was quickly replaced by fear.
"Move, now!"
In the city, though the fear of Xevious had passed, for the time being, it was quickly replaced by people running in terror from Kyuurenn-Oh, not knowing about its origins and not wanting a repeat of the earlier events.
Poppy trotted through the streets, passing a man who stumbled past her and dropped his GENM handheld as he ran. However, her attention was fixed on the giant robot, not having a clue why it was here.
But before she could find an answer, one of the arms of the Megazord, the green one looking like a chamaeleon, opened its mouth, shooting out a silver metal cord, almost like a tongue.
As the trio from CR bolted through the streets, they were just in time to witness the wire wrap tightly around Poppy's arms, hearing her scream in terror as it started lifting her higher and higher towards the mecha.
"Poppy!"
"I got her!"
Charging past the intern, Emu watched as she jumped, and almost like a trampoline, she pushed off the ground and rocketed through the air in a white blur, zooming straight towards Poppy like a missile.
Said dancing Bugster was still terrified, squirming in the wire's hold and hyperventilating as she drew closer and closer towards the mouth. But while she couldn't register much in her state of fear, she felt pressure wrap around her stomach and pull, almost knocking the wind out of the Bugster and halting the wire's pullback progression.
Hearing signs of struggle, Poppy managed to cock her head enough and gasp in shock at the sight of Kingston floating in mid-air, arms latched around her torso, and pulling desperately to help her escape.
Another sound registered, a chime of some sort, as a voice suddenly came from the purple and white blaster strapped to the girl's wrist, a young woman's by the sound of it.
"Kingston, what the heck are you doing?!"
"Hammy, let go! She's innocent!" Kingston yelled, straining to fight the green mecha's strength with her own without harming her new Bugster friend.
"Oi, Hammy, let go! We can move on the ground, grr!" came a male voice, gravelly and down to earth.
"But what about-"
"Hammy, she can't go on like that much longer, do it!" another male, human sounding and severe in his tone.
Finally, the wire loosened around Poppy and flew back into the chamaeleon's mouth, Kingston fumbling slightly as she tried to readjust Poppy safely. Poppy, on the other hand, was freaking the hell out, as expected, crying out and scrambling to find any sense of stable ground.
"Hey hey hey, easy, Poppy, easy now, honey, come on Poppy, look at me," Kingston eased, managing to regain a firm hold around the taller Bugster's waist, while Poppy had instinctively wrapped her arms around the girl's neck. It was a little tricky as Poppy was dangling slightly lower than Kingston and was still panicking, but she calmed down just enough to look the outsider in the eye, fear, and confusion swirling in her irises.
"That's it, Poppy, that's it. Take deep breaths now. You're going to be ok, alright? I'm going to bring you back down, but I need you to calm down and hold on tight. Can you do that for me?"
Her breathing was still a little shaky, and she was a bit disheveled, but Poppy managed to nod and start taking deep breaths, calming down more and more the closer they reached the earth. And with the two doctors watching wide-eyed at the two, Emu immediately grinned in relief and ran to the girls and check on his Bugster friend.
"Poppy!" Emu cried, rushing into her arms in a hug when they touched down, Hiiro coming up behind her to check if she had any injuries. The small break allowed Emu to go up to the younger girl and pick her up in another hug as well. "Thank you, Kingston. Thank you so much."
"Anytime, Emu," Kingston smiled.
But their attention was quickly grabbed by the sound of footsteps, turning to face the five current pilots of Kyuurenn-Oh, and still with no sign of the two customs.
The outsider stepped forward, hands on her hips with a disapproving glare. "Would any of you care to explain what the hell you just tried?"
"Kingston, we need to take Poppy with us," Lucky spoke, addressing the CR team behind her. "She's the only chance we have in our mission."
"Oh really," the outsider scoffed. "You know, I've only been out for a day, and I'm pretty sure Shirei didn't start condoning kidnapping while I was gone!"
"Then if you let us explain why we need her, you might understand," Hammy interjected, worry written on her face for her surrogate little sister being on the wrong side.
"You know something, Hammy, maybe you all could've just tried that in the first place instead of busting out the Megazord and terrifying the poor girl half to death!"
"Moo, enough with talk! Kingston, either bring her over or step aside!" Champ yelled.
Emu went to shield Poppy at Champ's words, while Kingston stood her ground, staring her teammates dead in the eye. "You did not seriously just suggest I abandon an innocent for the sake of a fucking mission."
"But Kingston-"
"NO, Alpha! I know every one of you know I do not throw my friends to the dogs! Poppy is my friend! I value her the same way I do all of you! What you're trying to pull is bullshit, and you damn know it! The only reason I am bringing her anywhere near you is for you to apologize to her and them. You do that, then and only then can you explain yourselves. Otherwise, she is staying with the Kamen Riders, and that's that!"
"Kingston, please! Just let us explain!" Lucky begged.
However, the outsider was not deterred, backing up towards Poppy and taking over as her shield, kneeling down and throwing her arm in front of her. All the while, a range of emotions graced the CR team's features, some in shock, some in confusion, and even some with pride and relief.
"Grr, if you won't give her up, we'll have to take her by force! Is that what you want?!" Garu growled, turning the attention back over.
"Well, if it means shutting the lot you up, that's fine by me," came a new voice, the Riders turning to find Hanaya Taiga strolling up, looking annoyed as per usual. "But you certainly sound confident. The question is, are you strong enough to back it up?"
"Huh. Want to test us?" came Stinger's voice, sounding just as annoyed and more than a little irritated towards Kingston's supposed heel turn.
And while Taiga seemed eager for a fight, Emu tried to defuse the situation one last time. "Please, why are you doing this?"
"Emu, you know we have our reasons. Won't you give her to us?" Lucky asked.
"I can't do that, Lucky. I will protect Poppy!"
And with the two girls backing up, three Gamer Drivers locked on and three gashats activated.
Mighty Action X! Taddle Quest! Bang Bang Shooting!
"Skill Level 2." "Tactics Level 2."
"Henshin!"
GASHATTO! Gacchan! Level UP! Mighty Action X! I'm a Kamen Rider!
The pink platformer, the blue RPG knight, and the green sniper. Kamen Rider Snipe, Kamen Rider Brave, and Kamen Rider Ex-Aid.
"Guess we don't have much choice," Lucky sighed, stepping forward. "Let's do it!"
Shishi Kyuutama! SAY! THE CHANGE! "Star Change!"
"Let's test your luck!"
Neither side wasted any time, all combatants pulling out their respective weapons, two Kyuurangers to a Rider save Lucky and Emu. "Oh for the love of criminently," Kingston groaned, pulling her pink haired friend to her feet. "Come on, Poppy."
"Wait, where are we going?"
"To find a voice of reason in all this insanity."
And with that, the two girls bolted towards a safe zone, wherever that would find them. Hammy, however, noticed them go, once again feeling worried for the white ranger. "Mou~! Champ, you got this?" she called to Ouishi Black.
Said robot bull seemed to confirm the situation was handled, being able to act as a tank and keep Snipe occupied, allowing the ninja to slip off unnoticed towards her outsider friend and their current target.
Meanwhile, the other fights continued, Garu and Stinger double teaming Brave and managing to even the odds despite Hiiro accessing his Level 3 rhythm game form and combating their assault. Lucky and Emu were duking out in a one on one sword fight, no fancy tricks or powers involved.
"Looks like fighting a Kamen Rider is a challenge! Lucky I got the chance!" Shishi Red cheered.
"Why are you after Poppy?" Ex-Aid grilled.
"She's the only chance we have of getting our friends back!"
Emu jerked at that, remembering Kingston saying that she couldn't find those that were on the surface with her previously. Jumping back and lowering his sword, he tried to figure out more. "What do you mean?"
"When Xevious attacked, Karone and Alice contacted us for backup. When we came to the surface, the ships were everywhere, and the two were already in Voyager mode. We formed Kyuurenn-Oh to attack, but every blast we threw did nothing. Whenever we destroyed it, the fortress would regenerate. Karone and Alice tried to double attack but..." Lucky trailed off, regret slipping into his tone.
"But what?"
"The fortress shot out some energy beam. There was a huge flash of blue light, and when we looked back, they were gone, and the Xevious troops were retreating. We've tried everything, but we can't find them anywhere."
Meanwhile, Kingston and Poppy were running through the empty streets, the former seeming to be looking for something. However, what sounded like grinding metal turned them to the front, finding themselves facing Tenbin Gold in his ever cheerful mood.
"Chorise! Good to see you're still kicking, Ms. Meteor. Mind handing over Pinky?" Balance asked, pointing behind them for the two to find Naaga and Hammy, now demorphed and finally catching up, boxing them in.
"Guys, I'm sorry, but I can't do that," Kingston sighed shielding Poppy as she spoke.
"Not even to save Karone and Alice?" Naaga inquired, Kingston jerking toward the Hebitsukian in shock.
"What?!"
"They disappeared in the battle against Xevious," Hammy explained, "we think they got sucked into the game world."
Poppy stepped forward, though she was still a little trepidatious. "So, you wanted me to help?"
"You have access to the game world, so you're our ticket to finding them," Balance finished. "That enough reason for ya, Kingston?"
The outsider sighed. "You know, you could've just asked for help."
"We didn't know if we could trust the Kamen Riders, or if they had anything to do with the connection to the game world and reality," Naaga reasoned.
"Fair enough. But you could have asked me. I know about Kamen Riders too. Have I steered any of you wrong yet?"
Balance and Naaga seemed thoughtful towards this, while Hammy looked a little guilty, recalling the last time she had doubted Kingston's judgment with who the leader should be. Her guilt only increased when she caught a glimpse of Poppy, who was still a bit disheveled and nervous in her form.
But before anyone could respond, music started filling the air, almost like at the start of a game level.
"Shit. Not again!" Kingston moaned, realizing what was coming.
And sure enough, the console that dropped from earlier started glowing the familiar blue hue and lights fired into the air, though thankfully not as large as before. The screen fizzed into another retro game as the lights started taking shape and morphing once again into what looked like spacecraft. Finally, the ships turned into brightly colored pixel vessels as the name of the game was evident.
Galaxian.
"What is it with space games?" Kingston groaned as Poppy ran back towards the fight, the other Kyuurangers bolting after her.
As the fight dragged on, it was quickly interrupted by the Galaxian forces firing down on anything that moved, including any civilians that still happened to be in the area. Thankfully, the two sides managed to call an unofficial truce and dealt with civilians, blocking any incoming fire and allowing them to escape. Lucky, Champ and Emu found a safe spot just as Poppy and Kingston caught up with them, both a bit out of breath.
"Poppy, what is this?" Emu started as Champ swung his ax to block a laser.
"Aliens from the 70's shooting game, Galaxian!"
"Seriously, what is with the fixation on space enemies?" Kingston groaned.
"We have to keep moving!" Lucky warned. "They could be after one of us next!"
"Starting to see why we did what we did?" Champ grumbled, gesturing to Poppy.
"Danna, what have we said about judging a book by the cover?" Kingston frowned, death staring at the bull. "Poppy and the Riders had nothing to do with this happening. In fact, I went for their help to fix this whole mess in the first place! Maybe you would've known that if you hadn't charged in horns first!"
All three looked at her in shock, before Emu resolved himself and activated his Level 3 beat-em-up game form, using his giant fist as a projectile and demolishing a few aliens in his wake. But despite the combined effort of both sides, the Galaxian aliens outnumbered them and were relentless with their assault.
But once again, the nearby console started glitching into another game, though this one at least seemed much more stable than the previous two. And the blue lights zoomed out into the open, though much smaller and not as many than before. They also seemed to morph into humanoids of some kind.
To some, very familiar humanoids.
For when the glow died down, there were not space enemies facing them. What now stood in the real world were heroes.
Mega Red. Shinken Blue. Bouken Pink. Kamen Rider Den-O Gun Form. Kamen Rider Zangetsu Shin.
And one untransformed Kujou Kiriya. Much to the shock of the Ex-Aid Riders.
"Guess its time for us to take this for a spin. Leave protecting Earth to us," he mused, taking off his trademark shades and pulling out his two gashats.
Backsou Bike!
"Henshin."
GASHATTO! Gacchan! Level UP! Backsou Bike!
And now, Kamen Rider Lazer.
Hammy ran back at this time turning to the outsider for some clarity. But she was a tad too busy with her internal fangasm.
"Hero Battle Stage On!" came an announcer voice from literally nowhere. "Galaxian vs. Chou Super Hero! Battle Ready? GO!"
And with that, the team of Toku shooters went to work, utterly demolishing any and all pixel aliens with little effort.
"Did they come from the game world too?" Hiiro asked, turning to the currently dubbed experts on the matter.
"Hmm, let's see. Random heroes paired together based on a specific trait, announcer voice in the middle of nowhere, and a fight based on a PVP format. Yeah, I'd say this has 'game world' written all over it," Kingston snapped sarcastically.
"Oh, great. Just what we needed. Another Nico," Snipe grumbled, but turned away when the girl's look of 'act how I want and don't care' turned into 'say that to my face I dare you.'
"She's right. Their game is-"
"Chou Super Hero Taisen." both girls finished simultaneously.
"Really? That's its name?" Taiga drolled.
"Call it Chou Taisen for short. Better than nothing." she shot back.
Meanwhile, the fight for the new arrivals was turning in their favor, managing to shoot down almost all of the aliens. All that was left was the giant mothership, which was zooming their way. Luckily, it was stopped by yet another newcomer, slashing clean through with his sword.
A white and bronze colored Brave.
"Galaxian All Clear! Winner: Chou Super Hero!"
The bronze Brave turned to the real world heroes, holding a Galaxian Gashat as a trophy. And when he and Kiriya demorphed, Kiriya remained the same, but Brave was indeed Hiiro underneath the helmet. There were some slight differences, such as the one bang hanging from his eyes, and he dressed in all black.
As everyone else demorphed, the two Hiiros faced off, Balance and Naaga coming to join the fray. "So, you're my counterpart?" Game Hiiro spoke, his voice once again a dead match.
"And you come from the game world?" Hiiro asked coldly. Hammy and Kingston, on the other hand, were fidgeting nervously, looking for a chance to intervene.
"I'm afraid we can't stay long. We'll meet again."
"Matte!" Kingston cried, bolting towards Game Hiiro. However, the team of game heroes vanished in blue light, zooming back into the console holding their game. "Dammit, he might've known where they ended up."
"Xevious, Galaxian, and now Chou Taisen," Poppy listed. "Games keep appearing in the real world, one after another."
"And they're making it personal by attacking the heroes in the real world," Emu added, before turning to the Kyuurangers. "Lucky, I understand that your crew is missing because of all this. But can you leave the rest to us?"
Lucky sighed, turning to face his crew. "Emu, I know you're trustworthy, so I'll believe in you and your team. But on one condition. Kingston probably knows how to fix this whole mess a lot more than most of us. Not to mention that we don't leave the well being of our Nakama to just anybody. So will you let her assist you guys in this?"
Emu smiled. "Gladly."
"Lucky, are you sure about this?" Garu interjected.
"Can we trust the Kamen Riders?" Champ added.
"Emu's had my back before. And Kingston seems to trust them well enough. Besides, I figure that there can't be any bad guys with heroes, right?"
"Speaking of which, I believe there was something else we needed to address?" Kingston hinted, crossing her arms and gesturing to the Riders.
Hammy took a step towards Poppy, before bowing deeply. "Gomenne, Poppy. Minna. We should never have gone through with that, and we-I never meant to scare you like that. I was stupid, and I understand if you're still upset with me. I'm so sorry for all this."
"We all are," Lucky added. "There wasn't a point in fighting; we should've just told you straight up."
"I cough Told you so cough," Kingston coughed out.
"Oi, you got something to say, grr?" Garu teased, coming closer. "I think someone needs some shaping up. Oi, Danna, mind giving me a hand?"
"No, no no, no-whoa!" Kingston laughed, Champ coming up behind her and picking her up in a hug, spinning her around as she laughed. "Ok ok, I'm sorry! Uncle, Champ, uncle!"
And as the bull robot placed her on solid ground, Champ ruffling her hair while Stinger rolled his eyes, Hammy came up to the Riders and Emu with a proposition. "Lucky, tell Shirei I'll be going with Kingston and the Riders."
"Eh? Hammy, are you sure?"
"I still owe them after all. Besides, Kingston still needs time to rest, and as you said, we can't leave Karone and Alice without doing anything. They need all the help they can get."
"Well, we won't look a gift horse in the mouth. Alright then, we should head back and regroup," Emu called, Kingston hugging her team goodbye and promising to take it easy for the time being, giving Stinger a smirk and a pat on the back before heading out with Hammy.
Said ninja was now conversing with Poppy as they went, the Bugster taking her hand with a smile. "You were worried about your friends. I understand. And I'm fine; you didn't hurt me. Why don't we start over? I'm Poppy. And you?"
Hammy grinned, giggling a little before replying, "I'm Hammy, space ninja, and Chamaeleon Green at your service."
"You're a ninja?!" Emu awed, coming up behind them. "A real ninja?"
"Better than any game you've played, dude," Kingston added. "She's one of the greats and one of my teachers. Can't go wrong with a ninja that's a chameleon after all."
"True that," Hammy giggled, her tail uncurling and giving the Riders quite a surprise, Taiga backing up a little in caution.
And as the girls and Emu continued their animated conversation, Hiiro thought back to his game counterpart, wondering what was going on, before catching a glimpse of the outsider, laughing and side hugging her green companion. He still didn't entirely trust the girl, despite her actions, and wondered if she did indeed know how to solve this whole mess.
But only time would tell. So for now, CR was their destination. Hopefully, the answers would be found there as well.