Hey everybody, little drained as I'm writing this so fair warning. Been replaying Detroit: Become Human, but I finished my second run.
Not to mention that E3 was insane, and while I watched it via live stream, there was so much cool stuff. I mean, the Sacrifice for Warframe, Forsaken for Destiny 2, pretty much EVERYTHING for Kingdom Hearts 3! It is an excellent time to be a gamer!
And to add to the news, I FINALLY GRADUATED HIGH SCHOOL! HALLELUJAH BABY! WHHOOOOOOOO!
Whew, ok, I'm better. In other news, the final part of my first ever movie chapters! Quick shoutout to LinaHerondale, thanks so much for the support! I won't keep you waiting any longer, let's finish this!
Chaos, mass hysteria, terror the likes of which were unmatched by usual standards. Monsters and their minions of years gone past rampaged through the streets, devastating everything in their wake.
So, another day in the life of the Toku universe.
Witnesses to the said invasion were the green and gold Kyuurangers alongside the RPG Game Rider, all of them watching in horror as the scene unfolded.
"Ok, now what do you wanna bet this is what Kingston was trying to prevent?" Balance asked warily, though the other two didn't warrant an answer at first.
"Boys, any ideas on how to beat this?" Hammy hoped, frantically looking around for any possible options.
"Well, I can give you the obvious answer," came another voice, and the trio turned to see none other than Snipe reappear. "Is the psycho still around?"
"Don't talk about her like that," Hammy fumed, death staring despite the height difference.
"*Sigh* look, Brave, unless we sever the connection between the games and reality, that asshole wins, and our world ends."
Hiiro, catching the hint, took Balance aside as he began to stalk off. "You say you can control technology yes? You might be able to assist me."
"Whoa whoa, easy on the paint job! I'll lend a hand, no need to pull. Chan-Hammy, let's leave this to them for now, come on!"
"Wait, 'them'? What do you-" Hammy started. But her eye then caught another figure walking towards Taiga. A male form wearing a black coat with brightly colored wires hanging from the waistline, purple ribbons hanging over one shoulder, bright pixel-themed clothes and a pastel-colored block necklace. His hair was a bit like Emu's only messier, a bit longer and more curly, and the man himself had a bright smile as if he saw everything around him as a game.
"My heart's dancing," the newcomer grinned, Taiga referring to him as someone called Paradox. "I want to enjoy this game too."
Taiga didn't seem pleased working alongside this 'Paradox', but catching Hammy out of the corner of his eye and recalling his younger friend, or more specifically, her retributions toward him, he decided to play along for now and focus on the battle ahead, pulling out his base Gashat as well as the shared Level 5 Gashat. Paradox, meanwhile, pulled out a thick blue Gashat known as the Gashat Gear Duel, flipping the yellow switch downward towards one of the two sides.
Bang Bang Shooting! Drago Knight Hunter! Z! "Tactics Level 5. Henshin."
Perfect Puzzle! "Henshin."
GASHATTO! GACCHAN! Level UP! Drago Knight Hunter~! Z!
Dual UP! Perfect Puzzle!
And with a sweep of the game screens, Kamen Rider Snipe and Paradox formed.
Snipe still had his previous Level 2 base form, but the added Drago Knight form gave him a full armor attachment, adding an armor reminiscent of a black dragon, the helmet looking like the head opening its jaws to the mask underneath, along spiked back armor ending in a tail, thicker limb armor, and extended striped blades on his arms.
Kamen Rider Paradox still kept the Game Rider aesthetic, with pastel blue and golden armor on a black and white pixel base. His status bar on his chest looked like puzzle pieces, his shoulder pads were much bulkier than average, and his yellow eyes looked angrier than the other Riders.
Hammy watched anxiously as the two charged headfirst into battle, dodging and leaping over debris, trying to choose her priorities, and ultimately chasing after Hiiro and Balance, leaving the two Riders to fend on their own.
"Ooh, it seems some more pesky heroes have crawled out of the woodwork," Pyxlanis sneered from his rooftop perch. "Well, this should be entertaining at least. Go on then, crush them into dust!"
Snipe and Paradox dived straight in, sweeping any foes they could reach. Paradox, using his puzzle ability, pulled in all of the nearby summoned power up medals and like a maestro with his orchestra, swapped the coins through the air, pulling down an activating a flexibility medal and making his limbs stretch to ridiculous lengths, which also came in handy for crowd control. Snipe was using a much more feral technique than before, using his arm blades to mow down any nearby minions, and even extending the tail on his armor to sweep away any stragglers.
"You guys may be fun to beat, but no one messes with my games! Ikuze!" Paradox cheered.
"Ex-Aid, hurry the hell up," Taiga grumbled in annoyance.
Back in the game world, Emu and his GoRider team bolted through another stage filled with the digital eight statues, an abandoned amusement park of sorts, desperately looking for Eito and Game Hiiro for any explanation.
"Dammit, he has to be here somewhere," Micchi swore, checking the higher perch points. "This is one of the only stages he likes. If Eito went anywhere with Hiiro outside the hospital, it would be here."
"Hiiro-san, please! Why is this happening?!" Kotoha shouted in an attempt to lure the game world master out.
"For Buddha's sake, Hiiro, enough with the cat and mouse!" Makoto yelled, fed up with chasing the two down.
"Ah! Minna-san, look there!" Ahim pointed. What the princess was referring to was the merry go round turning on all on its own, the heroes spotting the golden lights of the bulbs through the fog.
Along with Eito sitting on the railing, staring at them all, Alice's lightning ball still in hand. And sure enough, his loyal guardian strolled in front of him, his ever-present frown firmly in place.
"You know, I thought you were all supposed to be smart," Game Hiiro glowered. "Don't you see? All of this is and has been for Eito.
'I wasn't able to return Eito to the real world. No matter all my attempts, the code just wouldn't let him leave, and the connection refused to open for him. So there is only one way left. If we cannot bring him to the real world, then we will make this place the real world."
"But there's no possible way you can do that!" Emu reasoned.
"There is," Eito began, reminding all of them of his presence.
"By destroying the real world," Game Hiiro finished. "But for that, we needed someone on the outside. Someone besides the Bugsters who could travel back and forth without the need of the connection. And thus, Pyxlanis was the answer to our call. He was someone who was a master of traveling through technology, as well as deciphering its codes and connections.
'He was able to assist me in connecting the two planes, in exchange for complete access of all of the bonus stage and whatever was inside."
"Hiiro, have you lost your mind?!" Micchi roared. "Pyxlanis is using you! He's using us and our game! He doesn't care about Eito or anyone besides himself for that matter! We heard him ourselves!"
Despite his fellow game heroes' pleas, it seemed like Hiiro could care less, as he and Eito vanished into the fog, reappearing behind the group as Poppy and the customs watched from a bridge nearby.
"Pyxlanis managed to bring Eito's old games to life as well as deliver your friends to my realm, luring you in to play. Now that you've activated the bonus stage, he's kept his end of the deal. All that's left is for him and his forces to destroy the real world, and this will be all that's left. Pyxlanis will have his petty conquest, and Eito will be free of the constraints of the game world."
"Hiiro-san," Ahim pleaded, "Surely you must see the reasoning behind this method is causing harm to innocents who have never caused Eito-kun or us any harm. Surely you can't ignore that!"
Emu didn't say anything, dumbstruck by what was in front of him. Game Hiiro noticed this, taking advantage of the supposed weakness. "I told you time and time again about what happens with doctors getting too close to their patients. This suffering is the result."
By this point, Karone and Alice, having overheard everything, had come from behind and were gearing up alongside Team Ex-Aid, looking none too pleased by the game master's cold revelations. However, the genius gamer stayed quiet at first, his mood sullen and his head down.
"As you said, I want to get close to my patients. But Eito-kun, is this really what you want? Do you want to destroy the real world?"
Eito said nothing, his eyes downcast as he stared at his present. "That goes without saying," Game Hiiro replied.
"You know Hiiro, last I checked, guardian or not, you're not Eito's mouthpiece," Makoto growled.
"Makoto-san is right. I want to hear it from Eito-kun himself," Emu argued.
Once again, Eito remained silent. "Let's go," Game Hiiro ordered.
Emu desperately tried going after the pair, only to be met by an energy shockwave, flinging him back and slamming him against the poles of the merry go round, collapsing to the pavement as those near him came to help while Eito and Game Hiiro walked off, vanishing into thin air.
"Emu-san, daijobu?" Kotoha fretted, checking for any bruising. While Emu didn't show any physical injuries, the intern was still in pain, clutching his chest from the shockwave's blow and writhing from slamming against the pole.
Karone was checking their surroundings just in case, by some miracle, Eito might've still been nearby, while Alice was attempting to prop Emu up and ease his pain. The alicorn humanoid was anxious and worried for him, despite not knowing Emu long, and she hated seeing anyone suffer. But an idea soon formed in her mind, and holding her hands over him, she closed her eyes, and her horn began to glow.
A white light started pulsing from her palms, bathing Emu in its glow as he suddenly began to relax, the pain somehow receding. Until finally, Alice breathed a heavy sigh, and the light faded, while Emu straightened with no effort, staring in shock at the amethyst ranger.
"Alice-san, how did you...?" Emu trailed off, at a loss for words.
"When Kingston bestowed my kyuutama with a capability for magic, she also created a healing spell that I can cast. That was my first attempt at performing it, but I'm thankful it was successful," Alice smiled, a little tired but proud with the results nonetheless.
"Arigatou," Emu grinned, pulling her up alongside them as the group tried to plan their next move. "Ok, you all know this world's Hiiro-san a lot better than I do. Where would he take Eito from here?"
"No doubt back to the hospital," Makoto answered. "He also keeps anything Eito's worked on in the game world there. I'll bet you anything that's where the connection to your world is."
"Wait, the connection?" Karone asked, remembering something from her time in the game hospital. "When Kiriya and Ucchi took us there, I saw a light coming from the roof. When I asked them what it was, neither of them knew and said that Hiiro-san wouldn't tell them. That could be where he's keeping the link."
"Then what the hell are we waiting for?"
The heroes started at hearing the new and somehow familiar voice, turning towards Poppy by the bridge. Accompanied by two silver and white Kyuurangers pulled through the link by the pink Bugster, the white ranger grinning a devilish smirk.
"We got ourselves a mission, and Naaga and I want to share a few words with our resident programmer as well. So, shall we get a move on?"
Movie 1: Chou Taisen Part 3-The Final Stand
Back in the real world, Hiiro led the ML thief into his apartment while explaining his plan.
"I was able to confiscate Eito's computer after he disappeared. No one wanted to touch it out of fear of sharing his supposed fate," he called from his bedroom. "If the original code for Chou Taisen is still in this laptop, then the virus that pulled him in should be here as well. Since this is a different strain of the virus than the one I'm immune to, then I should be able to enter the game the same way Eito did. But I don't know how to access the code."
"So you want me to use my little techno touch to search the code and infect you with the virus and pull you in to find Eito-kun?" Balance guessed, rubbing his hands in anticipation.
"Can you do it?"
"Easy peasy! Let me at it."
"Wait, Balance, are we sure this is such a good idea?" Hammy asked, having come in a little behind the two. "There's an entire army out there, and I haven't been able to get through to Shirei and the others. Shouldn't we be focusing on what's in front of us?"
"We are," Hiiro argued. "Do it."
Balance then stretched out a wire from his arm, connecting it into the keyboard as his eyes began to glow and the screen lit up with bright green numbers, the code running faster then Hiiro could track. Eventually, Balance found the strain of data that was different from the rest, and the numbers started blurring together.
"Alright, I found it. You sure 'bout this, Mr. Surgeon?" he asked.
"This is our best chance at success in the operation. Send me in."
"Balance wait-!"
But it was too late. No sooner had Hiiro given the order that his body began to fizz and glitch, before the virus took hold in a bright blue glow, wrapping around the surgeon and pulling him into the screen, vanishing right before their eyes.
"Don't worry, Chan-Hammy. Hiiro may seem a bit cold, and static, and seriously, would it kill him to look someone in the eye-"
"Balance, your point?"
"Oh right, sorry. But in the end, Hiiro's got his mission, and we have to trust that he can handle it on his own. Meantime, you said yourself there's a whole mess of creepy crawlies out there. And I checked our blasters, that Karo is blocking all outgoing beacons, so we can't contact the crew. So what do you say we show those naughty little abominations whose boss around here?"
A hospital. Green tint. But the hallways, though a bit blurry, seem familiar. It was then that Hiiro realized they should. He had landed back in CR. But something felt different. Off, even. Wherever he was wasn't his workplace. Or his world.
"So. You came to my domain."
A wave of energy shoved him back, pinning him against the wall. The strength of his lungs disappeared all at once, and his limbs felt like weights, almost unresponsive no matter how he tried fighting the force that locked him against the green walls.
But despite having the wind knocked out of him, Hiiro managed to focus on the eerily familiar silhouette stalking towards him. Even with the stray bang and the dark clothing, it was like looking in a dark mirror as his game counterpart slowly approached, and from the look on his face, he was pissed off.
"You know, I've been waiting to see you face to face," Game Hiiro began, eyeing his real world double. "I will admit that while neither of us is exactly the curious type, it fascinates me how someone so similar to myself can be so different from me all the same. To abandon some belief or even an innocent for the sake of saving face, and always running away from your past."
Hiiro's eyes never left the dark-suited man, struggling to speak while trying to catch his breath.
"Tsk tsk tsk, that's quite a nasty habit there, Hiiro. You're always running from your mistakes, your faults. Denying any misconception thrown your way, and for what? For a reputation?"
"How can you talk? You're the same as me," Hiiro grated through his teeth.
Game Hiiro death stared, growling and gripping the surgeon's throat with one hand.
"You and I are nothing alike. Because unlike you, I don't try to erase my past to uphold my status. You abandoned Eito when he was in your care, and thanks to you standing by and doing nothing, he's trapped in this world. I hope you realize that now, your world is in shambles so that he can live in a world that doesn't shun him for what he is. I hope you realize that you can't escape your feelings, no matter how much you try to hide behind that facade of caring less for those around you. You can't run from your regret, and you can't run from reality!"
The force kept pressing harder with every second, before in one massive push, Hiiro smashed through the wall, tossed to the tile floor as the green tint dissipated and his game clone walked through as if nothing had happened.
"Face it. The way you are now, there's no possible way you can beat me."
The air finally returned to his systems as he stood, hearing the familiar click of the Gamer Driver snapping on and the activation of a Gashat.
Taddle Legacy!
"Henshin."
GASHATTO! Gacchan! Level UP! Pursue History! Awaken, Knight! Taddle Legacy!
Hiiro himself was not one to back down from a fight, pulling out his Driver along with a red Gashat looking similar to Paradox's, though painted red and with two different games on the switch.
"Skill Level 50."
Taddle Fantasy! "Henshin."
Dual GASHATTO! Let's go! King of Fantasy! Gacchan! Dual UP! Pursue Wander RPG! Taddle Fantasy~!
The Demon King versus the White Knight. So alike, and yet so apart from one another all the same. Two Gashacon swords appeared, and in an instant, metal began to clash as the two Braves crossed steel, occasionally using any stable medical equipment as high ground or cover. But the Demon King was at a disadvantage from his disorientation, and the White Knight continued slashing away, sparks flying from the crimson and purple armor.
In reality, Paradox and Snipe were still going at it, Pyxlanis supplying no small amount of reinforcements for the two Riders as Hammy and Balance finally arrived.
"Well, we can't just leave a Karo to his fun without jumping in, ne, Chan-Hammy?"
"Of course not! Let's show that freak what the Rebellion's made of!"
Tenbin/Chamaeleon Kyuutama! SAY! THE CHANGE! "Star Change!"
"Ahh, if it isn't the bane of our glorious Shogun themselves," Pyxlanis called from his perch. "Though you seem to be a few members short. What happened, did the freaks of Rebellion finally realize their endeavors were pointless against our might?"
"Remind me to punch him right in the throat when I get the chance," Hammy growled, pulling out her Kyu Rapier while Balance summoned his crossbow.
"Duly noted, but save some for me. Let's get this party started!"
"Very well! Eliminate them!"
Neither ranger wasted a second, the two making a deadly duo with Hammy's ninjutsu and swordplay mixed with Balance's expert aim, even landing some trick shots on stragglers while the ninja dealt with the generals. But while the two were able to succeed reasonably easily against the grunts at first, the problem came in sheer numbers, as there seemed to be no end of the game villains no matter where they turned. And it was this dilemma that nearly did them in, as Hammy was knocked back by two Shocker generals and Balance found himself surrounded and unable to reach her in time.
Thankfully, it seemed that not only the villains were in reality as just when one of the generals was about to crack his whip, but two familiar figures also appeared, shielding Hammy with their weapons and pushing them back.
"Ucchi! Kiriya!"
"Allow us to assist you, Hammy-dono!"
"Yeah, what he said. Can't let you have all the fun after all."
Backsou Bike! Giri-Giri Chambara! "3rd gear. Henshin."
GASHATTO! Gacchan! Level UP! Backsou Bike~! I gotcha! Giri-Giri Chambara~!
"Brave In!" Ucchi called, clicking a battery of some kind before locking it into his wrist brace.
Gabu Gaburincho! Pteragordon!
"Now bravely! Kyoryuu Change! Fire!"
A pull of the switch released a spiritual head of a golden pterodactyl, flying through the air before opening its mouth and clamping down on Ucchi, forming his suit in a flash of gold energy.
"The Thundering Brave! Kyoryuu Gold!"
"Kamen Rider Lazer!"
"The wrath of the heavens shall cut down evil! It is going to get wild! Just try and stop me!"
"Let's take these assholes for a ride!"
After the mini-reunion with the outsider and her customs, as well as her calming down from fangirling towards Emu's team, the group began booking it for the hospital, the midnight aura pulling them in like a beacon.
But the troubles soon began as just when their goal was literally on the horizon, the music started blaring from out of nowhere, and the blue pixel wave washed over the area, pushing everyone but Emu and the customs back.
"No no no, not now!" Kingston moaned, banging on the barrier. "Guys, get back! Hurry!"
"Hero Battle Stage On! Team Ex-Aid VS A! Ma! Zon!"
Leaping from the spiral staircase, the three barely managed to jump aside as a green Rider of some sort eyed them down, looking almost feral in appearance.
"You guys go on ahead! We'll handle this!" Emu called.
"Emu please, we can't just-"
"Kingston, it'll be alright," Karone soothed. "Remember what you told us."
"Even when apart, our hearts are one," Alice added. "We'll catch up to you soon!"
"Wakatta!" Poppy resolved. "Come on, Minna!"
"Ah mou! Alright fine, but please, be careful! And Emu, choose your Gashat wisely! They're only giving you one form!"
And with that, the group of seven continued onward. But as they left, AV spoke up again and another feral Rider, this one colored blood red, appeared behind them. "And! A! Ma! Zon!"
"Oh great, two of them?" Karone groaned.
"And! A! Ma! Zon!"
"Abunai!" Alice cried, shoving the two aside as a third Rider lept from higher up the stairway, colored dark blue and white. Three on three and Emu figured these three weren't much like their other Rider friends they had met.
"Ok, starting to see why Kingston was worried. At least it's an even fight?"
"Team Ex-Aid's HP is 10. The Amazons have 10,000 HP!"
"Oh come on!" the intern groaned. "Alright alright, let's get this over and done. You two ready?"
"Bring it on, baby," Karone grinned, her smile almost as feral as the Riders when the three pulled out their Henshin trinkets.
Mighty Brothers! Double X! "Henshin!"
Double Gashatto! Gacchan! Level UP! Mighty Brothers! X!
Kitsune/Alicorn Kyuutama! SAY! THE CHANGE! "Star Change!"
But when Emu closed his Driver and tried activating his Level 20 form, nothing happened. "Um, Emu-san, are you sure this is the appropriate fighting attire?" Alice asked.
"Also, players are not allowed to level up!"
"Ok, are they just trying to screw us over at this point?" Karone groaned, her tails stiffening.
"Can't be helped, I guess. Alright girls, let's show these Amazons what we've got!"
"Battle Ready? GO!"
The Amazons were a ruthless trio, cornering Ex-Aid and triple teaming him, with the intern already at a disadvantage due to his blocky armor. And while the two Kyuurangers seemed to have somewhat of an easier time, all of them were on edge to avoid taking hits and lowering their HP.
While this went on, Poppy, the remaining Kyuurangers and the rest of Team Ex-Aid bolted through the barren streets, the run-down hospital finally in sight.
"Is there anything we should be aware of before entering the enemy's domain?" Naaga asked, eyeing their surroundings.
"What do you mean?" Came Kotoha's voice.
"I think my silver teammate means along the lines of traps, triggered areas-"
"RRAAAGH!"
"-...Reinforcements."
The heroes once again let aside as four new figures appeared from the rooftop, all of them in black with darker colored highlights of blue, black, yellow and pink. They almost resembled rangers. Psychotic rangers.
"Oh, for-the Nezirangers?! Seriously?!" Kingston cried.
"Guess it's our turn then," Micchi figured. "You three head to the roof, we'll take on these guys."
"Understood," Naaga agreed as the three ran inside, dodging any cheap throws as they booked it for the top.
"Ippistsu Sojou!" "Gokai Change!" "Henshin!"
After what felt like an endless amount of mazes and floors, the three remaining heroes reached the hospital rooftop, though slightly different with a bleaker view, the figure eight statues littering the concrete and no helicopter pad. But the glaring difference was the thin blue beacon of light shooting into the blackened sky.
"That light, I've seen it somewhere before," Naaga realized.
"Its the light that was around those who travel from the game world to reality!" Poppy figured.
"Then we've hit the jackpot. Alright, how do we bust this thing and help Eito?" Kingston asked, ready to pull out her swords and land a devastating blow.
As if a response, the beacon began to flicker and fizz, before a burst of lightning zapped the outsider square in the chest, sending her flying backward, much to her friends' horror.
"I made that. I don't want you touching it," came a young boy's voice. Naaga and Poppy turned to see Eito himself walking their way, the lightning ball curled into his hand. "I made it so they could leave the game world for me and destroy reality. You shouldn't touch what's not yours."
Another zap crackled through the air, shocking the outsider until she cried out in pain. But before either of her friends could reach her, another bolt zapped the both of them, the blue beacon shooting out two beams of light and pinning their arms, forcing them to kneel to Eito's height and tethering them to the data stream, immobilizing them.
"Naaga, Poppy!" Kingston cried, but was shoved back down by another bolt shocking her for good measure.
In reality, Hammy was continuing her fight against the game villains alongside her companions, but the sheer number was draining all of them.
"Ne, you still kicking?" Balance moaned, shooting two energy arrows while kneeling beside his humanoid teammate.
"Of course I am! We can't stop now, so let's finish this!" Hammy yelled, war crying and activating her weapon impact, destroying some of the generals before more of them retaliated and slashed all four of them to the ground. But they were quickly pushed back by some old friends.
"All-Star Impact!"
A pink blur zoomed through the air, following the energy blast with sharpshooting precision, blowing up a few grunts as three heroes in orange, blue and black appeared and supported the fallen.
"Minna, you came! Hitakore!" Hammy cheered. "How'd you guys find us?"
"We figured something was up when we couldn't reach you through comms. Took us a while to pinpoint the exact location, but here we are. Didn't think we were looking at facing a Karo though," Stinger mused, his Kyu Spear prepped at the helm.
"Hope you don't mind us crashing this little party a'yours, Hammy!" Champ joked, rolling his shoulders and itching to join in.
"Hey, a party's no fun without the crashers!" Balance teased.
"Alright then. Kakugo shisaiya!" Garu howled, and the renewed vigor charged all of them into battle, while also catching the Karo's attention.
"Hmm, so, they're getting serious. Very well. I suppose its time I joined in the fun!"
Kingston howled and cried as the electric bursts flew through her veins, writhing in pain from the burns they left behind.
Naaga was pulling and squirming against the beacon with all his might, desperate to reach his blue-eyed friend and furious at seeing her in pain. But his struggles only made Eito release another bolt, making her howl even louder.
"Kingston!" Poppy cried. "Eito-kun, please! Let us go! She can't go on like this much longer!"
"What did you even come for?" Eito asked, his features a blank slate as he spoke.
"I wanted to speak with you," Naaga reasoned, trying to calm himself enough to level with the boy.
"About what?"
"I'm from the Hebitsukai system. I don't have any emotions. I'm like you."
"So?"
"I want to know, why you became like that."
"I'm not sure. It's just that I don't find anything interesting. I've never felt excited, or upset, or angry about anything."
"Eito-kun, don't you realize that your Hiiro instigated this fight for your sake?" Poppy asked.
"Yeah, I know."
"Eito...I will stop this." Naaga resolved.
"Why?"
Kingston gasped for breath as she raised her head, staring at Naaga as he seemed dumbstruck. "Why...?"
"If you don't have emotions, then you can't feel anything right? Even if the real world vanishes."
"Don't...talk about him-gasp-like that," Kingston panted, barely able to rise to her knees.
"That might be true," Naaga supposed, much to Poppy's shock.
"But that doesn't...mean its impossible for him-cough-to feel."
"Ex-Aid has 3 HP left! Will he and the Kyuurangers pull through?"
Karone and Emu were scrambling up the stairs, Emu stopping at every floor and smashing through the walls as if looking for something. Alice was flying outward by a few feet, keeping her distance and trying to keep the Amazons at bay for as long as she could.
"Emu, I hope you know what you're doing," Karone grated as flames spewed from her palms, Amazon Alpha and Omega retreating before pursuing them again.
"Karone, trust me, I have to-ah dammit! Not here either!" he yelled as the wall he smashed had nothing inside before climbing the steps, the kitsune hot on his heels. Alice meanwhile, was taking the initiative, grabbing Neo and Alpha with her telekinesis and throwing them back down to the pavement, leaving only Amazon Omega close to Ex-Aid.
"Come on! It has to be here somewhere!" Emu cried as his strange tangent once again left him with nothing.
"Um, Minna-san, I think we have a problem," Alice called. And when the two looked down, they met the sight of Alpha and Neo climbing the rails and catching up to them at an alarming rate. "Emu-san, if you could speed your process along, it would be much appreciated!"
"Ok, ok, come on come on come on-YES!" He cheered. "I found it!"
When the confusion of all brought them to look inside, what was behind the most recent wall Emu had smashed in was a dark blue power-up coin. "I once mastered every beat-em-up game. So I thought there would be a secret item here too!"
But before he had the chance to activate it, Amazon Omega kicked it out of his hand and sent the chibi Rider flying, plummeting to his doom with 1 HP left.
"Emu/san!"
Without a moment's hesitation, the two Kyuurangers dove after him, Karone landing safely nearby while Alice used her wings. Emu had fallen in the back of an abandoned pick up truck, legs splayed and unresponsive. The three Amazons landed near him, the Amazons confident he died from the impact. But to the shock of the Amazons and relief of the Kyuurangers, Ex-Aid stood up right as rain, cheering, "I'm back!"
And in an instant, the power up coin raised Ex-Aid's HP bar all the way to the top, Karone and Alice feeling a surge of energy replenish them, while the Amazons stumbled, looking half dead.
"Team Ex-Aid's HP is 10,000! The Amazons have 1 HP!"
"Shall we, ladies!"
"Oh ho ho yeah! BURN BABY!"
"Time for a finale!"
With a Rider kick, a flame punch and a magic burst from Alice's horn, the Amazons were finally defeated, vanishing into card form and flying off.
Winner: Team Ex-Aid!"
"Ok, now, let's get going before-"
"Hero Battle Stage On!"
Much to their horror, walking menacingly in the distance, the trio turned to see three more enemies standing in their path. Team Dark Rider.
"Seriously?"
As all of these events were unfolding, the Demon King and the White Knight were unrelenting in their battle, but the White Knight was pulling through. No matter how the Demon King tried to counter, his game counterpart always had a comeback. If this went on much longer, Hiiro knew he would face defeat.
"You, who regretted running from the past and reality...Why do you stand in my way?" the White Knight growled.
"I do not regret anything!" the Demon King retorted. "And you seem to be the hypocritical type. I'm not running from the past or reality. You and Eito are!"
The Demon King charged, sword glinting in the light, but the White Knight was quick to his tricks and parried, sending him hurtling to the ground.
In reality, Ucchi and Hammy were having a hell of a time, Kiriya and the rest of the Kyuurangers having to deal with the fodder. Pyxlanis had indeed joined the fray, overwhelming the two with his sheer force of will, not helped by their exhaustion from the constant battling previously.
"Huh. And here I've heard that heroes are supposed to be a challenge," the Pyxis Karo mocked. "When in reality, all you are is just a thorn in my side!"
"Are you sure about this?" Poppy asked, trying to use logic and reason with the young boy while distracting him from his lightning tirade. "At this rate, the real world will be destroyed."
"I'm sure."
"Really?"
"So far, there hasn't been one good thing about the real world. And there won't be in the future. So I don't care."
"What about those you've met?" the Bugster inquired. "Emu is fighting right now so that he can see you again! Hiiro is fighting his way up to see you, too! Alice and Karone, and even the same heroes of your game are fighting for your sake! You say there's nothing in the real world, but they are a reality! They are battling with their lives at stake, wanting to connect with you, Eito-kun! Do you still not feel anything?"
Eito was silent, seeming to ponder the pink Bugster's words, staring at the hand he had made the promise to Emu with, before turning back to her with a blank expression.
"No. They're just trying to protect the real world. Even my game heroes in a way. So I don't feel anything for them."
"Bullshit!"
All of them turned to see Kingston staggering to her knees, eyes locked on the young boy.
"You do not get to talk like you feel nothing for them, Eito. You claim that you could care less about what happens, but you're still keeping the one thing that connects you with them right now!"
Eito looked down at his ball, the lightning bolts still crackling inside.
"If you didn't care about them, you wouldn't have that anymore. That's the one thing that connects you to the people who care about you, Eito. The one object that's proof that you want to remember them, and the memories you made alongside them. So the fact that you claim to not care about any of them is complete bullshit!
'But you seem to like being the smartest one in the room. You want to prove I'm wrong, then do it. Prove me wrong and smash that gift."
Eito gripped the ball as tight as he could, but for some reason, he couldn't do it. He couldn't destroy something as simple as a toy given to him as a meaningless present. He stared at the girl in front of him, her blue eyes softening.
And fired another lightning bolt.
She reared back, the currents running hotter than ever, her blood boiling as she felt the lightning tearing her apart. The howl that clawed from her throat seemed to reach the heavens, and everyone in the game world heard her cries.
Poppy watched once again in horror, desperate to break her binds, but Naaga kneeled dumbstruck. And when Eito finally relented and let the girl breath, they both looked to see a sight one of them thought impossible.
They watched Naaga cry.
"Tell me," he began, his voice quivering as the tears fell. "What is this warm liquid?"
"T-tears, Naaga," Kingston choked out, her voice sounding drenched in pain as she cried a bit herself. "Those are tears."
"They flow when you're sad or happy," Poppy explained.
"Are you that sad about reality disappearing?" Eito asked, a little taken aback towards the sight.
"No. I'm sad for you. You are me. You can't smile. You can't cry. You can't get angry. I don't know why. But when I see you doing what you're doing, this happens. No. It happens when I see you."
The Demon King and the White Knight were still clashing steel, though now it seemed the Demon King was gaining an edge.
"What did you mean that Eito and I are running away?" Game Hiiro pushed as their swords locked, both of them ending up flying through a wall.
"If it doesn't matter, then why is he trying to destroy reality?! Face it! That's running away! And you're just running with him! You're no doctor; you're just a coward!"
The Demon King regained his ground, cutting straight into the gold and white armor and forcing its bearer to his knees. "You talk a big game, but you couldn't cure Eito either!"
"No."
The Demon King blocked the White Knight's rage steaming from his blade, pushing into his side as he roared, "I only treat those that want a cure! Eito refused back then. And even if that led him to where he is now, if he wants a cure now, I will give it to him! That is my oath!"
The Demon King released his rage in his blows, sparks flying as the White Knight took more and more damage from his enemy. His dark mirror.
"You are just a past me created by Eito after all. I have already overcome that weakness and naïvete! Let me show you..."
Collapsing to the concrete, the White Knight watched as the Demon King prepared to finish him off. "...How strong I have become!"
Gaccha! Kimewaza! Gacchan!
Taddle Critical SLASH!
A purple fire burned from the Demon King as he rose into the air, bursting through the ceiling before gravity reinserted itself, delivering a devasting Rider Kick and defeating the White Knight once and for all.
Both demorphing, the two Hiiros stared each other down, Game Hiiro admitting defeat in his eyes.
"You know, I should've guessed it would end this way," he panted. "After all, you've proven we're the same in many ways."
He pulled out a deck of the cards from before, a blue Gashat as well as a power-up medal from his coat, holding them out to his real-world counterpart.
"I won't be able to take care of Eito in the real world. But you can. Promise me you'll look after him. Please."
Hiiro stumbled to his dark mirror, taking the bundle of offerings in his hand as he watched the game master fade away in a wave of blue pixels. Staring at the offering, Hiiro set his resolve and left for the rooftop.
This operation wasn't over yet.
"I have obtained friends known as the Kyuurangers. She is one of them. They are a treasure that will cry for me. But now, I want to cry for you."
No one spoke a word; silence filled the air save for Kingston panting and the fizzing of the beacon.
"Eito-kun!" came Emu's voice, the trio along with the rest of Team Ex-Aid arriving from their long battles with no small amount of scars. But while the two customs were glad to see Eito again, that quickly turned into fear at seeing Naaga and Kingston.
"Girls, stay back! That thing can blast at any second!" Kingston cried, the two freezing next to Emu.
As proof, the beacon once again shot out another bolt towards the outsider, though this time Eito didn't seem to control it. The data stream was starting to crackle with excess energy and spark with every passing second.
"Eito-kun. Can you let me cry for you, get mad for you, and laugh for you?"
Once again, the young boy was silent, though he wasn't as passive as before.
"Let's go back to the real world. Together."
"We don't have time for that."
Hiiro came sauntering through them all as if his fight hadn't happened. "The connection is becoming unstable. We have to sever the link now."
"Hiiro-san, we can't just leave Eito-kun! If we cut the link now, he'll be stuck here!"
"And if we don't, it'll become more unstable, and she could die!"
As if adding to his argument, another crackle of lightning broke through, the outsider's screams echoing even louder.
"This is none of your business, intern. I'm going to sever the link."
"The hell it isn't!" Emu yelled, grabbing the surgeon by his coat. "Are you going to abandon the patient? Aren't we doctors for their sake?!"
Hiiro's response was to sucker punch Emu right across, the intern falling flat near Naaga and Poppy. "Are you willing to take the chance and sacrifice her life in the process?" he asked. Another bolt, this one larger than the rest, struck dead center, her howls becoming ear-splitting.
"Shut up and watch."
Emu didn't know what to do but watch to his horror as Hiiro transformed into Brave, pulling out his sword and slashing clean through the blue light.
As if a dissipating fog, the world around them vanished to a clearing near Emu's city, with Hiiro having demorphed and Naaga and Poppy free of the data restraints. Kingston seemed slightly improved as the two customs raced to embrace her, if for a few burns here and there, but there was no sign of the rest of Team Ex-Aid. Or Eito.
"We made it out," Karone realized. "We're in reality."
"But, what about Eito?" Naaga asked.
And despite Emu's calls, the young programmer was nowhere to be found. But they were given another distraction. That of Hammy and Balance flung from a cliff, both of them demorphing and looking exhausted. Upon on the top, Pyxlanis was continuing his tirade on Kiriya and Ucchi, who had to keep the minions at bay while enduring the Karo's endless cheap shots, his fanged smile glinting with glee. But from his view on the cliffs, Pyxlanis then noticed that the damage caused by the game world was becoming undone, with buildings and innocents reappearing.
"So, you little runts managed to sever my connection? No matter. I'll have to use what I've got right here!"
Those that had returned from the game world heard the sounds of the battle nearby but were witnesses to Lazer and Kyoryuu Gold become victims of the Pyxis Karo, crushed under his heel.
"You all seem to want to ruin all my fun, so it's only fair that I take this seriously! But first, let me slip into something a bit more appropriate!"
A blast of blue fire raged from Pyxlanis as he reared back, his humanoid form crumbling into dust as his more monstrous form revealed. His skin was dark blue, and looked like a demonic stag beetle, with two pincer horns coming from his head. His silk cape was still intact, but the rest of his garb was war-torn, but he didn't seem to care as he slashed with his two swords, Ucchi and Kiriya reverting to civilian form by the blow before he jabbed one into each of their sides.
"Ucchi! Kiriya!" the girls cried.
"Brave-dono. We shall leave the rest to you!"
"You got this, Emu! Kick his ass for us!"
"Begone!"
Yanking out his blades and landing the killing blow, the group watched in dismay as Ucchi and Kiriya vanished in blue pixels, their game cards flying off. It was then that the battle became much more apparent, with the rest of the remaining Riders and Kyuurangers fighting ridiculous odds.
"The operation was a success. All that is left is to cleanse these evil pathogens."
"You know, this isn't something I thought I'd say today, but for once, I couldn't agree more," Kingston growled, cracking her bones as she stood. "That motherfucker has messed with us for long enough. Let's show these assholes what happens to villains in the Tokuverse."
Mighty Action X! Taddle Quest!
"Skill Level 2." "Henshin!"
GASHATTO! Gacchan! Level UP! Mighty Action! X! Taddle Quest~!
"Hammy-san, Balance-san, are you able to continue?" Alice asked as the two stumbled to their feet.
"We'll be fine, Alice. Naaga, let's show 'em what the BN Thieves can do!"
"Well, you heard him. Let's go!" Hammy yelled.
Hebitsukai/Tenbin/Chamaeleon/Kitsune/Alicorn/Amagawa Kyuutama! SAY! THE CHANGE! "Star Change!"
"I've been waiting for all movie to say this. Omaera no uun, tameshite aruze!"
The fight against the game villains began anew, the newcomers annihilating any in their path. Prism, specifically, was a blur on the battlefield, sweeping through foes like a hot knife through butter and looking like she was having the time of her life, thrilled to be finally participating in a battle.
"I know the Taisen movies usually suck, but this is officially one of the coolest moments of my life!" she cheered to no one in particular before resuming her warpath.
Ex-Aid and Brave were foes to be reckoned with themselves, while Paradox had switched to his more offensive form, Knockout Fighter, and was using his boxing moves to land some crucial blows. The Kyuurangers as a whole were denting through the generals, some of them going down as quickly as their minions.
But Pyxlanis was still worming his way through the troops, managing to pull Emu and Prism aside for a one on one. And despite being outnumbered, the Karo was mercilessly tearing the two apart. It was Prism's double keyblades and Emu's Gashacon Breaker in hammer mode against Pyxlanis' double katanas, which was a challenge in itself without also having to shove back any grunts in their way and dodging the Karo's energy strikes. Pyxlanis was also content in using cheap shots, which he readily utilized when Prism was distracted to gain the high ground against Emu and pin him.
Luckily, Hiiro was fighting close by and, remembering the offering from his game self, pulled out four cards from the black deck and threw them into the air, and four figures emerged from the pixel wave.
Kamen Rider Specter, Kamen Rider Ryugen, Shinken Yellow and Gokai Pink.
"Yosh, we made it!" Shinken Yellow cheered, her katana already unsheathed.
"I suggest we show him what happens when you interfere with our game, shall we?" Gokai Pink offered, twirling her double pistols.
"Read my mind, Ahim. Makoto, you up for a little fun?" Micchi grinned.
"Well well, the data clones have come to rebel against me," Pyxlanis sneered. "But do you honestly believe you stand a chance against my might?"
"Are all villains this talkative?" Makoto groaned. "Let's just get on with it!"
And with that, the mismatched heroes joined the fray, the distraction allowing Emu to escape Pyxlanis and take out more of the fodder. Meanwhile, Prism and the game heroes were up against the Karo, and while they were able to fight effectively alongside each other, Prism knew firsthand the dangers-and results-of attempting to fight a Karo, especially unprepared. Even when outnumbered five to one, Pyxlanis was slaughtering their attempts at dealing him damage with little effort. While Prism was fortunate enough to use her superspeed and dodge most of his attacks, the game heroes weren't quite as lucky, and the Pyxis Karo readily took advantage of this.
Just when he was about to let loose an energy slash, the meteor Kyuurange once again zipping to the side, the game heroes took the full brunt of the attack, vanishing into cards once again. Emu had to watch of all this unfold much to his shock, but Prism wasn't just dumbstruck. She was pissed.
"That. Is. IT!" Prism yelled, turning herself into a missile and charging swords first, just barely managing to catch the monstrous general off guard and getting up in his face, hate pouring off in waves. "Thanks to you and your fucking war project, I was shot, slashed, yelled at, fucking electrocuted, and you have been screwing with Eito, my friends, my crew and me for too fucking long! And I have HAD IT with dealing with your jackass, bottom-feeding carcass!"
"Well well, the clairvoyant freak has a mind of her own! Who knew it was possible!"
"Save it for the bars in hell! Frankly, I couldn't give two shits about you and your game army, but call me curious. How did you find out about all this?"
"Aww, what's wrong? Is the so-called psychic losing her touch?"
"You know, Eridrone tried that same taunt, look how he ended up."
Pyxlanis growled, pushing against the girl even harder as he glared through her helmet. "You'll pay for striking him down. But I will spare this. You're not the only one who has an advantage in this universe."
While at first, the threat didn't seem like anything more than an empty taunt to shake her resolve, but it was those last three words that caused her mind to grind to a halt. In this universe.
How would he know about that?
Unfortunately, it was that one moment of hesitation that Pyxlanis needed, and he triumphed over the sliver of high ground the white ranger had gained and locked her in a pincer move, both blades ready to slash.
"Disappear, outsider!"
Yanking his blades back and releasing another energy pulse, Prism flew back, landing a good eight feet from where she stood.
"Kingston! Leave her alone!" Emu roared, charging much the same way Prism had, but the young girl already knew the outcome. In almost the same way as Prism, Emu found himself caught in the Karo's pincer move, the offender all too happy to repeat the process.
"Well, if you feel that strongly protecting that invading freak, then you can join her!"
Once again, the Karo's victim was sent soaring, profoundly in pain and trying to reorient himself. "As entertaining as all this has been, I'm afraid you're too late. Victory is already at hand!"
Pointing towards the horizon and booking it, what met their eyes was a massive ship, blood red with dark green highlights and the purple symbol from the bonus level in the center sphere connecting the whole mechanism, maybe even more significant than the Xevious fortress itself.
"Um, Kingston, what is that?"
"Oh of fucking course, he would have one of those."
"That's a Big Moraimaaz," Champ explained, helping the two fallen heroes to stand alongside the other Kyuurangers. "All Karos of Jack Matter have one to control their fleets and have a show of power. And I'm sure you can how successful that is. He must've been using that thing to block off communications!"
"Yeah, and that thing can transform too! EVERYONE MOVE, NOW!" Prism screamed.
Scattering like ants, friends and foe alike scrambled as the Big Moraimaaz began to open up, revealing some of the inner mechanism, before it started morphing and shifting to become more humanoid. Finally, with a huge thud that caved in the earth around it, the largest Moraimaaz Robo the Kyuurangers had ever seen touched down, before the sphere in its neck began to glow, raining down massive fireballs, almost everyone, friend or foe, getting caught in the crossfire.
"Ok, starting to remember the sucky part about Toku movies," Prism groaned, stumbling to her feet and shaking her head of the bells in her ears, only to notice reinforcements for the game army had arrived.
Luckily, help soon arrived for the good guys as well, as when the Kyuurangers looked to the horizon, they quickly spotted some very familiar mechas zooming their way.
"Lucky! Minna!" Karone cheered, thrilled to see her Nakama and ready for some action. "Kingston, you got this?!"
"All yours! And show that asshat we mean business!"
"You heard Ms. Meteor! Let's get going!"
SAY! THE GO! Tenbin/Hebitsukai/Chamaeleon/Sasori/Okami/Ouishi/Washi/Kitsune/Alicorn Voyager!
Emu stumbled back as the kyuutama cockpits formed around all of the Kyuurangers save for Prism, and while most of them connected to some of the mechas already flying through the air, two more of the giant mechs materialized, a crimson kitsune and a lavender alicorn, that seemed a bit more animated than the other machines.
"That thing's bigger than anything we've ever fought, grr!" Garu remarked.
"How do we fight that thing with just Kyurenn-Oh?" Hammy asked, gripping the controls nervously.
"Simple, we don't," Lucky grinned, pulling out a cerulean kyuutama. "We just have to think outside the box!"
Futago Kyuutama! SAY! THE ATTACK!
A blast from Lucky's Shishi Voyager and a constellation of Gemini appeared, passing over the red lion before, somehow, splitting it in two, creating an exact copy rocketing alongside it. The two reds then began to shift much like the Moraimaaz had, though this time all of the smaller mechs started attaching themselves as limbs, and before long, two fully functioning Kyuurenn-Ohs stood side by side, the kitsune and alicorn mechs poised for battle next to each robot.
"Do you have one of those?" Emu awed.
"*Sigh* no but I want one," Prism pouted. "But, that's for later. For now, you get to be my Warframe for the day. Oi, Hiiro! Now might be a good time for that power up!"
Though he grumbled a bit under his breath at her order, Hiiro pulled out said power medal and threw it Emu's way, the intern absorbing it and realizing that he had activated an enlargement medal.
"Alright then. Go big or go home!" Emu cheered, pulling out and plugging a large silver and golden Gashat that had a small figure of himself poking out of the top.
Maximum Mighty X! "Max Dai-Henshin!"
Maximum GASHATTO! Level MAX! Maximum Power X!
As the medal began to take effect, Emu grew taller and taller as his most potent form took shape, until finally, Max Ex-Aid stood alongside the two Megazords, ready for action.
"Cool! You can turn big too, Emu?" Lucky awed.
"You bet. Now let's show this freak who's in charge!"
"Got it! Yosha Lucky!"
Even though the giant robot was easily five times their size, none of the heroes seemed deterred, instead looking ready for the challenge.
So when its humongous spear slammed into the earth, Ex-Aid charged in headfirst, creating stepping blocks in mid-air to platform higher and using his suits powers to dodge any lumbering swings, managing to land a punch right to the cockpit. The Kyuurenn-Ohs, meanwhile, stayed grounded, using their sword attachments to slice clean through the robot's legs, taking him down a few pegs. And while all this went on, Kitsune and Alicorn handled any loose ends, Kitsune breathing fire into the 'eyes' of the robot and blind it while Alicorn yanked out the spear from its hand with its telekinesis.
On the ground, the Riders and Prism were still cleaning up the ground troops, as there seemed to be no end to them. But the endless back and forth was starting to take its toll, Brave noticing Snipe and Paradox stumbling in their battles. Prism seemed to notice this as well and decided to take the initiative until Hiiro called in the cavalry. Zooming to and fro up the rocky cliffs, the meteor Kyuuranger made up just in time to block a swing from a wandering general, slashing him back before offering a helping hand to Paradox, lifting him up of his knees.
"Well, that was something," Prism chuckled. "You seem like a fun player. Mind if I co-op with you?"
"Interesting. Sure, why not. Name's Kamen Rider Paradox."
"Amagawa Prism. Yonoshiku, Paradox!"
The odd pairing surprisingly made a capable duo, managing to double team a decent amount of their foes with a lot less effort. However, they did also receive a bit more extra help after a while. For Brave, as he noticed the dwindling energy, decided to help even the odds a little, and using the rest of the card deck, summoned what the cards had dubbed the strongest of the Riders and the Sentai.
Gokai Red, Red Buster Powered Custom, Kyoryuu Red Carnival, Super Shinken Red, and Super Geki Red landed near Paradox and Prism. And near Snipe was Ghost Mugen Damashii, Drive Type Tridoron, Ryuki Survive, Agito Burning Form and Decade Complete Form.
"Oh fucking yes," Prism grinned maniacally under her helmet. "Now we're cooking with oil, baby!"
Neither side wasted a second, though now the heroes were mercilessly tearing through the game army like paper, almost effortlessly destroying the remainders with finishers all around.
Meanwhile, Brave had found a reason to use his final gift from his game self, activating a strange blue Gashat and plugging it into his Driver without a moment's hesitation.
Galaxian!
GASHATTO! Gacchan! Level UP! Mission Start! Ga-ga-ga-ga-GALAXY!
The new armor itself was relatively simple, a chest add-on that resembled an old-school space shooter sticking out of his chest, complete with a radar screen, but its power was anything but outdated. As Brave reared back to charge, a red beam shot out from Brave's chest, sweeping across the field and decimating his foes within seconds.
Back on the Megazord side of the battle, the two Kyuurenn-Ohs had teamed up again, though this time for support as both of their arms stretched out, becoming a platform for Ex-Aid. Charging straight in, Ex-Aid lept into the air, stretching his legs for an extra push, the two Megazords threw the Kamen Rider into the air, sending him flying through orbit almost as fast as Prism would. As he soared, Ex-Aid also activated his final attack.
Gaccha! Kimewaza! Gacchan!
Punching straight up like a certain Italian plumber, Ex-Aid soared through orbit, declaring, "I'll show you the power of the Kamen Riders!"
"Shirei! Get ready for the kicker!" Lucky called into his blaster.
When the pink Game Rider reached space, he was met by the Kyuurangers' ship, Orion-Gou, rearing back, before he saw the freighter lunging towards him, the club smacking him back into the atmosphere like a baseball.
Despite Pyxlanis' best efforts, attempting to use an energy ring as a retaliatory move, even he knew it would be no match for what was zooming his way.
Maximum Critical BREAK!
"Don't forget the power of the Super Sentai!" the two Luckys called from their cockpits, the Megazords charging their finishers as well.
Super GALAXY!
"Kyuurenn-Oh! Double Meteor Break!"
And with Kitsune and Alicorn charging energy beams of fire and magic, four blasts of energy fired all at once, tearing through the giant robot before Ex-Aid finally touched back to the ground, kicking the robot clean in half to seal the deal. They could even barely hear the Pyxis Karo scream the Jack Matter kamikaze before what remained of the structure collapsed in a massive explosion.
"We're gonna retake the galaxy!"
"That was fucking AWESOME!" Prism cheered, spinning and jumping with glee, before fumbling a little as she stood next to the Level 50 Rider. "Now, Paradox, is it alright if I ask a little favor?"
Paradox tilted his head in confusion for a second before watching Prism cancel her transformation, seeing the young girl smile tiredly while still covered in burns and bruises. "Mind giving me a hand and taking me to Poppy?"
And he was just barely in time to catch the young girl as her head dropped and her legs gave out from under her, though she was still conscious. Canceling his henshin as well, Paradox, albeit a bit reluctantly as he hadn't expected it to happen, picked up the girl bridal style and luckily managed to find the pink Bugster nearby, grinning from ear to ear at the battle's result.
"Hey, Poppy. Is this yours?" Paradox asked, the pink-haired CR assistant turning in shock to see him gently place Kingston on the ground, though by now she was able to stand for a little bit on her own.
Poppy smiled, relieved to see her Sentai friend had made it through the fight, throwing the red and blue Rider a grateful, if a bit wary, smile as she looped an arm around her as support. "Thank you, Pallad."
"It was fun while it lasted. But I'll be seeing you again soon. And I can't wait to start playing."
"Then I guess I'll see you around, Pallad," Kingston smiled. "Thanks for letting me co-op with you."
Paradox-Pallad-shot the girl a mischevious grin, before disappearing in a stream of pixels to who knew where.
"I'm glad you're alright," Poppy heaved, side hugging her friend as they walked. "But you really should be more careful."
"Oh sure, blame me for being electrocuted and sent flying," she joked, despite the Bugster's pout as she did.
"Alright alright fair enough. For now, though, can we do the clichè post-victory celebration already?"
This time Poppy laughed her bubbly laugh, the two girls cheering and whooping as the adrenaline wore off.
But this whole ordeal wasn't over just yet. There was still one more matter to resolve.
"Oh Eito-kun," Kingston called into the game console. "You ready to come out into the real world? There's a sunset waiting for you, and Hiiro wants you to be his patient again and everything."
"That's impossible," Eito frowned. "Hiiro-sensei severed the connection."
"Well, maybe, but the operation was a success. The rest depends on you."
"Why are you trying to help me? I almost killed you."
"Eh, I've had worse," she commented, ignoring some of her friend's looks of surprise and exasperation. "But you said yourself you're tired of both sides of reality, right? Now you've got Hiiro, Poppy, Alice, Karone, Hammy, and Naaga, and you've got Emu and me too. And let me tell you now, Emu doesn't lose to anyone when it comes to games. He whooped me in Gekitotsu Robots," she joked.
"So, how about when you come out here, you can have a match with him? And hey, maybe after that, we can play together too?"
Eito didn't answer at first, the rest of the CR crew and some of the Kyuurangers staring at the screen. But to the outsider's delight, she could swear she saw a quirk of a smile cross the boy's features. "Sure, that sounds interesting."
"Then think as hard as you can, and it'll become a reality. And we'll be with you before you know it."
The boy turned silent once again, eyes closed and still holding the lightning ball. He tried remembering all of the good things about those in the outside world, and the few memories he had created with them. Making a promise with Emu, Alice giving him his present, Hiiro fighting with his life on the line for his sake, Poppy's words in her attempt to convince him of the error of his ways, Naaga crying for him. And while no one could be sure, Eito thought he felt the ball warm up, the lightning bolts inside crackling even faster.
But what was happening was the console Kingston was holding began to glow a bright blue, before one last wave of pixels popped out of the screen, landing on the rooftop and forming itself into a humanoid. That form was of a young genius programmer.
"Welcome back to reality, little dude," Kingston grinned as Emu and Naaga went up to the boy, Poppy kneeling next to him.
"Yosha Lucky!" Lucky cheered, docking from his Voyager and bounding towards Kingston, picking her up in a hug.
"There is no such thing as luck in my dictionary," Hiiro stated, Karone and Hammy barely holding in their giggles. "When I severed the connection, I left enough for Eito to return. And since she had excess energy from her encounter, what was left inside her activated the connection enough for him to pass through."
"Umm, how does that-"
"Hammy, trust me on this, its Toku movie logic. It's not worth the headache trying to understand it," Kingston warned, turning her smile on Eito.
"Guess you were right, after all, Kingston," Emu smiled. While at first, she didn't understand, he chuckled and added, "the tin man does have a heart. You have to learn to listen for it."
However, before the outsider could respond, Eito ran up to Hiiro, looking a bit nervous. "Sensei. Will I not be able to meet the people from the game world again?"
But Emu once again gave his kind smile, giving him the game console. And when the boy looked in, he was met by some very familiar heroes, smiling and waving at him through the screen.
"Even if you can't go to that world anymore, you can always keep that game by your side," he explained.
For the first time, Eito game a toothy smile, Naaga even copying him if a bit stiffly.
"Alright, we should get going," Lucky spoke up. "Spada found a new recipe he wants to try for dinner tonight. Something called hot dogs, I think."
Karone and Alice lit up, the kitsune's tails going a mile a minute while Alice's wings fluttered in excitement. Kingston just laughed at the CR crew's confusion.
"Give our regards to the other Kyuurangers too," Poppy added after shaking her head of the cobwebs.
But the Bugster's request caused the outsider to have a realization, along with a somewhat risky idea. "You know what, I'll do you one better. Emu, can I see your stethoscope real quick?"
Even though he was slightly confused by such a request, the intern did as asked and placed his CR equipment in the girl's hands. She closed her eyes as her hands seemed to fizz with energy, before the scope made a chiming sound, starting the young intern. Smiling with content at her handiwork, she refocused on her surroundings and wrapped it back around his neck.
"I just gave you my blaster's comm frequency. You can connect it to the mainframe in CR if you like, but you don't have to if you don't want to. Now we can contact each other whenever we want."
"How did you do that just by touching it?" Poppy awed.
"Balance's species can control technology through touch. He taught me some of his old tricks when I inherited the ability," she grinned with pride. "But it might come in handy in the future."
"How do you mean?" Lucky inquired.
"Lucky, to be fair, they helped us kill a Karo. We're already on Jack Matter's wanted list for offing Eridrone; they might target them for Pyxlanis. I say its better to be safe and have each other in contact in case they do in fact come for them rather than risk it and their well-being. But if they don't, at least now we can keep in touch. We'd love to hear from you guys regardless."
Naaga seemed to be a bit distracted during all this, finally turning his eye on the young programmer. "Eito. Sayonara."
"Will we meet again?" Eito asked.
The Hebitsukian raised his silver-nailed pinky and kneeled down with a genuine smile. "Its a promise."
Though she would never admit it, the outsider shed a few tears of pride watching the two make their promise, smiling from ear to ear as her customs came up behind her. Although Hiiro was quirking a grin just a touch and tried hiding it, Hammy quickly noticed as well.
"You better not start slacking while we're gone though," Kingston joked. "We both have to keep pushing forward, after all!"
"Of course," Emu grinned, hugging her goodbye. "Let's keep doing our best!"
"So long, Ex-Aid!" Lucky called as the Voyagers began to fire up. "Come on Minna!"
"Bye everybody!" Kingston called as she ran with Naaga to his snake Voyager. "Oh! And good luck with Kamen Rider Chronicle! Matana!"
Though they were slightly confused, Eito and the CR crew watched as the Voyagers took off, Poppy and Emu waving goodbye as they zoomed off into the horizon, the kitsune and alicorn Voyagers seemingly barking and neighing goodbye as the flew off.
Kingston rode with Naaga this time around, sitting next to his chair in the cockpit as she stared into space. "Hey, Naaga," she started, catching his attention. "I wanted to say thank you for sticking up for me in the game world. And also, I am so proud of you. You are gaining more and more emotions every time I look at you."
"Thank you," he replied, a bit of genuine surprise in his voice as he spoke. "But you do not need to thank me. It is as you said before. You are a part of my ohana. And no one in an ohana gets left behind or forgotten."
The outsider felt her breath catch, tears forming in her sea blue eyes as she side hugged him. But it also caused her to look back on this whole ordeal and make some realizations.
First off, she needed more training with Alice, mainly involving lightning and healing magic. Those two spells would undoubtedly be of use later on.
Second, the CR crew would be perfect to have on standby in case of any Jack Matter attacks on Earth. She would have to keep an eye on them as well from now on, just in case anything had shifted on their end as well.
However, what nagged the back of mind the most was Pyxlanis and his taunts, explicitly involving how he knew she wasn't from this universe. She had never spoken of her origins to anyone besides the Kyuurangers and CR, so how could he have possibly known, let alone to the degree he seemed to show? The whole thing gave her anxiety just thinking about it.
Not just about what Jack Matter could do with the kind of knowledge she possessed, but also, with her Rebellion crew.
Being here, making so many connections and bonding with these characters from a TV show that she loved, the outsider never thought she could ever become so profoundly connected with anyone, let alone these people, who didn't have to give her so much as the time of day, but they still did regardless. This feeling of warmth, having a family that loved her for who she was, Kingston never fathomed that she deserved such a thing, let alone could find it. And now that she had, she didn't want to lose them, much in the same way Karone and Alice didn't want to miss her.
She watched as the Voyagers began to dock in Kyuurenn-Oh, Karone and Alice transforming back into humanoids as Balance came up to Naaga while Garu tackled Kingston in a hug, ruffling her hair. She gave a toothy smile, happy to be home with her new family.
Kingston didn't know how they would react to the truth behind her origins, if and when they did believe her story. But the outsider wasn't going to fixate herself with such worries. The show was only just barely getting started, after all, and there was still a long way to go before they saved the universe. And if the time did come where her crew discovered the truth, Kingston wasn't going to spend her time dreading it. She would face each day head-on, as she always did.
She had made a vow that she would never leave those she loved to suffer without at least trying to make a difference. No matter how she had ended up in this universe, Kingston knew this was a blessing in disguise. And she wasn't going to waste it.
Kingston was no longer an outsider looking in. She had a home. She had a family.
And no one was going to take that from her ever again.
SWEET MOTHER OF MONKEY MILK, I DID IT!
Oh my gosh this was such an experience. I can't believe I made it this far! Double-digit chapters and my first movie storyline! Hallelujah!
Guys, I can't even begin to thank all of you for your patience and support. This story has ten favorites, six followers, 22 reviews, and over 1600 views since I started this little idea that's been swirling in my little pea brain. All of that is more than I ever thought possible, and it's because of all of you that I am not stopping. I know that if I keep going, my writing will improve and I can give all of you a story worth reading.
From the bottom of my heart, thank you all so incredibly much.
Love and peace to you all, and I'll see you all very soon.
This is LittleKing, signing off.
JAA NA!