Hey everybody! Sorry for the wait, my new computer finally came in, and I had to transfer all my data. And some of the files were corrupted, this chapter's episode included, and I had to re-download a good majority of them. Worth it though.
Also been moving a lot of my current and soon to be characters into my humble abode, so that's an experience. But after the whole Chou Taisen rework, it feels good to go back to basics, and hey, its gotten me this far, right?
Anywho, been a tad distracted by Warframe and Destiny 2, as well as looking for a part-time job (ugh, real life) but I'd like to give a shoutout to LoamyCoffee, thanks so much for the follow, and I hope you enjoy what's to come. Plus, I'm ready to start off an episode I've just been itching to write, with everybody's favorite chef!
Shou: It's finally my turn in the spotlight! What a shock!
GAH! (pulls out Oathkeeper and Oblivion and jumps back ten feet before calming down) Oh, my-Shirei! What have I said about scaring me like that! I almost called Siren and Wyvern, for Pete's sake!
(Medium silver Kubrow and smaller black Kavat poke their heads through the doorway, both in Sacrifice scarves and hoodies)
No no, its ok guys, I'm fine. Why don't you play with Happy and Onari?
(Both light up with grins before bounding down the hall, yowls from a smaller cat with wings and a bald monk heard from the door)
Shou: Alright alright, my apologies. But may I continue with the disclaimers this chapter?
Ok, fine, but be wary. There are way too freaking many characters with powers, supernatural, inherited or otherwise, in this house, and I'd rather not have to replace everything again.
(More terrified screams from Happy as he flies down the hall, the Kavat on his heels)
Siren, play nice! And don't let Wyvern give Onari any more scratches or I'm calling Ordis!
Shou: Our dear authoress has left to keep her many off-universe compatriots in line. Meanwhile, I can say that she does not own any of them except her kakoi originals. Now let's get the show on the road! Yahooi!
Uchuu Sentai Kyuuranger
Amagawa Prism
"Shirei, please, if you'll just hear me out on this one-"
"Kingston, do you not trust my judgment with handling a simple operation?"
"Of course I do, but with Ikaagen and Madakko involved, any plan is susceptible to falling apart, no matter how thought out. If you just let me explain my reasoning, I can make it safer and easier for all of us!"
"And how are you so sure that they will be involved in this plan?"
"I-*sigh* I just thought that after the whole birthday adventure and the Chou Taisen fiasco, we should be keeping our guard up. They'll be looking to exploit any possible weak point in whatever we attempt, and this is no different."
"Oh really? Kingston, please be honest with me. It's just us in here. Is there something you know that I don't?"
The outsider tensed, gripping the pull strings on her hoodie as her mind raced, catching the fault in her words. Currently, she and the commander were discussing making slight alterations in their upcoming mission, mainly since she remembered the outcome in the show and desperately wanted to avoid casualties. However, the commander, in his past ways, wished to stick to his original plan.
"Shirei, please, can't you just trust me on this one and let me explain?"
"I don't know. Can you trust me with information that could be crucial to the operation's success?"
"Oh come on, that's not fair! You know I have to be careful about what I reveal."
"Which is why I'm asking you to speak freely now when there's only two of us, both of which are better at keeping specific hands to our chest until the time is right.
'For example, the way you hide your scars."
Kingston bolted to attention, her arms subconsciously covering parts of her body, one arm behind her back and the other over her heart.
"How do you-"
"Your medical report. I receive them even before Raptor does for analysis. I happened to notice them after your run in with Eridrone, and how quite a few of them didn't quite match what he had done to you. Don't worry; she doesn't know about them. But is that something you would want to reveal to the rest of us currently?"
"I-I...no," she sighed, resigning to his reasoning. "Alright alright fine. But you have to swear it stays between us. I won't be responsible for shaking their confidence or messing with causality."
"Of course, my dear. Now tell me. What happens during the operation that will cause it to fail?" the dragon inquired, taking a seat in his leather chair.
"W-well, and before you get upset at anyone mentioned, please remember that one, it hasn't happened yet, and two, it all happened for a reason, personal, causality or otherwise."
"Of course. We don't arrest those guilty of crimes they haven't committed yet."
And so, a bit reluctantly, the outsider revealed everything that happened from the episode, from the beginning of the operation, to Spada's reasonings, to the deadly cephalopod assassins intervening and nearly finishing them off, and even the exploits of those sent off-world just for clarification.
"I see," Shou stated after Kingston finished her explanation for her worry.
"Now, Shirei, with this in mind, I'm begging you. Don't try to intervene with the personal stuff. Those events are what shape all of you into the people I know and love. I understand the stability of the mission has to stay in mind, but this is why I want to add changes in the game plan. Changes that won't intervene with personal reasons and will give us a higher chance of success, while still keeping Ikaagen and Madakko in mind."
At first, the dragon said nothing, standing and facing the main visor, his back to her with his arms folded. The outsider was a nervous wreck, her chest tightening as she silently pleaded for whatever ascendant that had brought her here to lend her a hand just this once and let Shou listen to reason.
"Can you at all guarantee your fellow Kyuurangers' safety if I do indeed allow you to add your alterations?" he asked, not turning to face her as his official voice slipped into place.
Ah, there it was. One of the many questions in Kingston's involvement of this universe that was swirling around in her mind for who knew how long. But she had also come up with an answer she was satisfied with every time it had appeared, and this was no different.
"Shirei. Even with my knowledge, even if I try to intervene and keep them safe from pain or torture. The fact is that their safety is something that, no matter much I wish I could, I cannot, in good conscience, guarantee anything of that sort."
"So then why should I trust you to change the operation when their very lives could be at stake, and when I know you have the power to change it."
"The same reason I go to the surface alongside them every day. Because no matter what I know will happen, and no matter what may change from my intervention, I will still fight for every one of them. Not because I'm keeping them safe, which I know I can't always do at every living moment for any number of reasons, but because I know, without a doubt in my mind, that any one of them would do the same for me. I owe it to them and to you to use what I've received to the best of my ability. With power must also come responsibility and all that. And no matter what may change, you can bet that I will keep changing alongside it.
'Shirei, even with all my knowledge of the future, nothing can be set in stone. All I can do is try to keep the river flowing."
The commander at first said nothing, and Kingston began to assume that she was wasting her breath, that Shou would stick to his ways no matter what. But he turned, his form relaxing as he placed a hand on her shoulder.
"Exactly what I hoped to hear from our resident clairvoyant. Alright, I'll trust you. Now, where do we start?"
"You want us to destroy five Moraimaaz in one go?!" Spada gaped at Shirei, having just given the primary objective.
As he spoke, Raptor pulled up an image and a holomap of a nearby sector, showing five Moraimaaz in extreme proximity of each other and creating, ironically, star shape in their formation.
"As you know, the Moraimaaz are sucking up the Earth's energy, Planesium," Raptor explained, showing a blueprint of a typical Moraimaaz and how it sucks up the energy through the drill point under the surface.
"Normally, each planet has one Moraimaaz each," Shou picked up. "But for some reason, there are multiple of these on this planet alone. Don't you find that strange?"
"So does that mean that Earth has a lot of Pleanisum?" Hammie asked.
"In general, yes. Jack Matter probably even believes that Earth has an infinite amount, or it might even be replenishing whatever reserves they absorb," Kingston speculated. "Unfortunately, they never bring up specifics in the show."
"Then Earth must have some other secret too," Stinger added.
"Right on the money, my friends," Shou interjected. "The Earth must be of some importance to Jack Matter. If we knew why they were interested in this planet specifically, we might have a chance to land a crucial blow in their operations. To start, we are destroying these five Moraimaaz. I call it Operation Stardust.'
'But not all of you will be on this mission. There is another goal we need to accomplish."
And tapping his cane on the pool table, another hologram appeared, this one depicting a dark yellow kyuutama. "This is the Rashinban Kyuutama. I'm sure this kyuutama will have an important role in liberating the Earth. And after our combined efforts with the Kamen Riders in the recent defeat of the Pyxis Karo, now is the perfect opportunity to search the system while the local authorities are regrouping. Champ. You will be going with Naaga and Balance to retrieve it."
"Okyuu," Champ saluted while Balance did his little dance.
"We were originally treasure hunters. Nice job on your personnel management!"
"We will obtain the Rashinban kyuutama," Naaga assured.
"Umm, Shirei, if I may," Spada interrupted. "But about the operation. Even if we destroy the Moraimaaz, the people will still suffer under the Daikaan and their troops."
"I've taken that into consideration," Kingston answered, flashing a reassuring grin his way.
"There's also the fact that if we do leave the ground troops alone, they could easily band together and counter-attack all at once, which would make our chances dwindle significantly; not to mention that the Daikaan and the Moraimaaz are like that of a hydra. Cut down one head, and two more take its place. If we leave a Daikaan alive and without a base, they'll merely summon another one and continue to suck up the Planesium, and we'd be right back at square one. So, rushing this kind of operation isn't the solution."
"Which is why we won't leave anything to chance," Shou added. "We will be splitting on the surface as well. One team will take care of the Moraimaaz and any invading advance troops. Meanwhile, another group will shadow them on the ground and eliminate any spare Daikaan or soldiers that happen to be left over in our assault. The Voyager team will consist of enough for Kyuurenn-Oh to operate as well as one spare mecha for assistance, while the remaining three will handle the ground troops. Spada, since you seem concerned, I plan on using Alice and Kingston on the ground. Would you care to join them?"
The chef lit up, both in relief that his reasoning paid off and in excitement at taking the fight to the enemy, though the latter was a bit from the infectious determination of his crewmates. "Grazie, Shirei, I'd be happy to!"
"It will be a pleasure battling alongside you, Spada," Alice cooed, smiling as her wings fluttered. Kingston, meanwhile, was prepping her travel bag as Karone was gearing up, ready to kick some ass while her hands pulsed red energy, flames flickering in her palms.
"Well, you seem excited," the outsider joked as she strapped on her blaster.
"After the Chou Taisen fight, I've been itching to jump back in. I want a piece of the action too!" Karone growled, her tails swishing a mile a minute.
"And you'll be ok with being away from Alice and me during the mission?"
"Yep. I know the two of you can handle it, and with Kyuurenn-Oh on my side, we'll wipe out those bases with time to spare!"
"Atta girl," Kingston chuckled while hugging her, the rest of the crew beginning to ship out as they talked. "Gambate, Kitty. How about when all this is over, I'll see if Spada and I can whip up something spicy for you. How's that sound?"
Now the kitsune's tails were a golden blur, her ears perking in excitement as she all but raced out the door, leaving only the ground team and the commander left on the bridge.
"Yosh. I'll be keeping in touch through comms, so best of luck, and make sure you keep me posted," Shou ordered, and the trio shipped out for the surface. Although Spada still had a sneaking suspicion about something.
"Kingston," he called, the outsider turning from her conversation with Alice. "Did you talk to the commander about my issue before he told us about the mission?"
"Well, I mean, I had heard about the five Moraimaaz myself, and I figured Shirei would want to target that group eventually. I just thought that it would be best not to rush things. Shirei was going to ignore the ground troops originally and solely focus on the bases. We would've taken out some of the leaders, but there would've still been a lot of Indavers, and even another Daikaan left standing. Don't you worry, Chef, I got your back."
The swordfish Kyuuranger didn't say another word, but he caught up with the two girls and hugged the outsider, smiling. He had figured there was something different about her ever since they had first met, but now the chef knew that it was much more than a simple quirk or personality trait. However, he also knew that whatever it was, Kingston knew how and when to use this future ability, and Spada was ok with placing his trust in that.
After all, if she was able to convince Shirei to change something as drastic as a crucial operation, who knows what she was capable of otherwise.
"So, this is what that looks like from down here," Spada commented as he slashed through the umpteenth Indaver, Alice and Prism alongside him as he caught a glimpse of the Voyager team destroying the first Moraimaaz, not used to watching the fight from the ground.
"Haha, welcome to my world," Prism laughed as she wound up and zipped across the pavement, taking out a chunk of their enemies with her keyblades. Alice was also wielding a new weapon, the Kyu Staff, with the rapier attachment acting as the shaft and charm of a magic circle, complete with Rebellion aesthetics, on top of the weapon itself, painted in shades of gold and lavender. Alice was good at using it for melee but was also able to cast her spells with it instead of through her horn.
Just as the trio finished off a couple of Tsuyoindavers, the second Moraimaaz transformed into a Moraimaaz Robo with no warning, nearly knicking Karone as the kitsune leaped back. Irritated by surprise, and the cockiness of the Daikaan controlling the robot, the crimson Voyager reared her head and spewed a massive flame charge, dealing extensive damage and allowing Lucky and Stinger to double attack, Stinger using the Sasori laser and Lucky using the missiles in Shishi Voyager to destroy the whole machine in one go.
"Yeah, now that's how you do it!" Prism cheered as their fight concluded for the time being. "And we're ahead of schedule. They haven't even needed Kyuurenn-Oh yet. But we can't let them beat us just cuz they have the fancy schmancy toys, right?"
"Of course," Alice agreed, giggling at the young girl's optimism. "Spada, shall we continue onwards?"
"Si. The meal's only just begun, after all! Let's get going ladies!"
Meanwhile, the group was about to attack base number three, to Shou's delight towards their efficiency, when a giant Daikaan emerged, ready to defend his claim by any means. In turn, Lucky clicked his Kyuutama inwards, activating the Megazord sequence and forming Kyuurenn-Oh, taking on a more maneuverable opponent.
"Oh, well me and my big mouth," Prism joked while keeping an eye on the rooftops as the next round for the trio began. And while she could've sworn that she caught a glimpse of red and blue on a roof overlooking the Megazord fight, the meteor Kyuuranger's attention was quickly pulled by stray gunfire, catching a sniper Indaver trying to cheap shot the rebels. "Seriously? Ok, now that's just rude."
"Allow me to assist," Alice suggested, locking onto the sniper and pointing her staff as the charm began to glow. And the poor Indaver found himself floating in mid-air before Alice lifted him away from the rooftop and let go, sending him freefalling into a nearby trash pile. But because the alicorn was distracted, she didn't notice another Indaver take aim for her, managing to graze her arm holding the staff and make her cry out in pain.
Though strangely enough, Prism felt pain in the same spot, crying out and gripping her arm while the pain burned up to her shoulder. Spada made short work of the offending soldiers before making his way back to the girls, worry written all over him despite the helmet. "Are you two alright?"
"Um, y-yeah, Spada, I'm fine. Guess I didn't see the other sniper. Alice, you good?"
"Nothing my healing spell can't fix, thank you, Kingston. Don't worry about me, let's continue."
But as Prism nodded and started ahead for the next sector, the yellow and amethyst rangers shot each other a worried glance. There had only been one soldier left that was shooting at them, and the one that had grazed Alice didn't have time to fire another shot before Spada intervened. So how did Prism feel pain from a nonexistent injury, and in the exact spot that Alice had felt pain?
"Should we keep an eye on her?" Alice inquired, though she already knew the answer.
"Without a doubt. I'll tell Shirei later as well."
However, unbeknownst to them all, two familiar cephalopod aliens were viewing the scene unfolding in keen interest.
"They're getting cocky, destroying one Moraimaaz after another," Madakko mused, twirling one of her tentacles.
"Doesn't this seem like a desperate move to you?" Ikaagen inquired. "Shou Lonpou. That man is afraid of us. But is there something else you find interesting?"
"You mean that meteor brat that I fought? Ugh, I don't know what it is, but that tako pisses me off."
"Well, she might be more than meets the eye. She wasn't alongside that Sasori boy, and we both know Shou likes to keep things close to the chest, yet she immediately knew of us and our styles of fighting. Perhaps she is more special than we realize."
"So, got any plans on dealing with her, tentacle head?"
"Maybe. And maybe even a way we can deal with the both of them, all at once. For now, however, Shogun Don Armage is expecting a briefing. I will inform you of my plan afterward."
Episode 8: The Secret of Shou Lonpou!
"Yosha Lucky! Three down, two to go!" Lucky cheered as Kyuurenn-Oh defeated their third target, while the ground troops finished off the current round of stray soldiers, but something felt off. This fourth group seemed a bit more preoccupied, not as many guards or spare soldiers focused on the Moraimaaz, but instead more towards the surrounding sector.
As they continued onwards, Spada happened to notice that there were sectioned off buildings and zones, almost like camps. And as they passed one of these buildings, they quickly found the reason for the lack of troops as a fair few of them were raiding the people inside, with a decorated Daikaan laughing as the innocents scrambled in fear, his Indavers lugging boxes and bags of food as he gleefully tromped over to the next camp. His victims were left sobbing, some of them no older than Kingston, with no provisions for themselves or their families.
"Criminently, not this asshole," Prism groaned. "He steals food from every civilian in his sector, no exceptions."
"He what?" Spada gasped, staring in horror at the innocents trudging their way inside, downtrodden and defeated. "Girls, we can't let this stand, these people are starving!"
"I know we can't, but-"
"Minna, over here!" Alice called, pointing farther outward. And when the two followed her line of sight, what they saw made Spada's heart drop. A young boy, maybe a year younger than Jiro had been, was running like the devil was on his heels, a small bag of bread in his tiny fist, screaming and begging for help. Behind him, two stray Indavers were herding him into the camp, intent on stealing his prize.
Almost instantly, Prim blurred into view, pushing the boy behind her and showing no mercy to the invading bullies, cutting them down post haste as her teammates looked after the child.
"Are you alright?" Alice asked as she looked him over for scrapes or bruises.
Thankfully, he had come out unscathed and with his meal, grinning from ear to ear while also excited at meeting real superheroes. "Thank you. Are you guys the Kyuurangers?" he smiled, bouncing in excitement.
"You betcha. And don't you worry about those Jack Matter creeps, we can handle them six ways to Sunday," Prism chuckled, mimicking a boxing match and making the boy laugh.
"Thanks for the save," he smiled, scurrying inside as Spada waved goodbye.
"Spada, I know we can't leave them like this, but Shirei's gonna have a conniption if we abandon the operation," Prism sighed as they demorphed, her alicorn friend lost in thought behind her.
As if it was speaking of the devil, their blasters' comms chimed to the voice of the purple dragon. "What's going on down there? We still have one more Moraimaaz sector to clear!"
"Umm, Shirei, we ran into a bit of trouble down here, this sector might-"
"Our apologies for the delay, Shirei," Alice interrupted, signaling her creator friend to let her finish. "But there was an accident with one of the locals, and he needs assistance. Kingston and Spada will be finishing this sector, and I will continue shadowing the others. They will rejoin with me once they have finished the Daikaan here."
"Hmm, will it take the two of you long? I don't want you separated for too long."
"Uhh, non-non, Shirei. In fact, I've already come up with a plan to lure him out into the open. We'll be done here before you know it," Spada relayed with a nervous grin.
"Alright, very well. But contact me when the Daikaan is defeated, and make sure you go straight back to the others when you do, am I clear?"
"Absotively, Shirei," Kingston answered. "Well, we better get started then. We'll contact you later, ciao!"
The trio breathed a collective sigh of relief as the comms shut off, while Alice began to prep for takeoff. "Well then, I suppose I better continue. Are you sure you will be able to handle the Daikaan by yourselves?"
"Yeah, he's a pushover without his lackeys. It'll be a piece of cake. But still, thanks for the save, Wonder."
"Of course. But remember, we are all here if you do need further assistance. Best of luck."
"To you as well," the outsider smiled as they hugged before the amethyst ranger clicked the kyuutama outwards, the cockpit formed, and the Alicorn Voyager shone to life, whinnying and galloping off to catch up to the others.
But little did any of them realize that someone else was watching the Voyagers with keen interest, a travel pack slung over his shoulders as he stared at the mechas through his binoculars.
"I finally found them," he smiled, before sprinting from the rooftop to the ground below, the items in his pack clanking and banging like pots and cans as he ran.
Meanwhile, the white and yellow rangers were busy setting up a makeshift soup kitchen, with Kingston acting as his sou chef as she had many times already on the Orion-Gou, though Spada was still curious as to Kingston's intervention of the operation and decided to try fishing for a few more answers as he set up shop.
"Kingston, I wanted to thank you and Alice for helping me stay and help these people. But you know you didn't have to, right?"
"I know, but I understand where you're coming from here. About priorities, picking one directive over another. Being a chef before being a Kyuuranger, right?"
Spada gasped in shock, having never tod any of the crew about that sort of belief before now. "How did you-"
"That's not important right now. Besides, you haven't believed me every other time I told you how I know, so by now, it's not worth wasting my breath. My point is, I understand where you're preaching. In any case, think of it as keeping hope alive in my little way. Besides, I love doing events like this."
"Eh? You mean like soup kitchens?"
"Oh yeah, my mama took me to volunteer in these all the time growing up. Granted, I was never as high as the sou chef, so that's a new experience for me. But the hospital she worked at participated in pretty much every event the town had, benefits, farmers markets, carnivals, you name it. The soup kitchens were always my favorite, though, and I loved being the waitress and passing out food to the people in the back of the lines. When they thanked me for something so small as that, the smiles they would give me, I always loved it. Plus, we even get a bonus by taking out a nare-do-well while we're at it. Who says you can't be chivalrous when you multitask?"
The yellow ranger burst out laughing, nearly dropping the massive pot he was lugging to the tables as the civilians inside were drawn out by the commotion. Spada couldn't believe, even now, how much the young girl was able to affect others around her, staring in curiosity as she set up the ingredients for the soup and called the civilians out for 'dinner and a show, courtesy of the ultimate saviors themselves', before straightening the apron he had given her and turned to him for directions.
He quickly shook his head of his thoughts and turned his attention to his new task, all the while keeping the thieving Daikaan, and his young sou chef, in the back of his mind. "I'll handle the meat, but can you start chopping the vegetables?"
The girl smiled, eager to begin as she grabbed the bell peppers and a cutting board. "Oui, chef!"
And Kingston smirked as she left the chef to ponder how she knew to call him that in the first place.
Meanwhile, the Voyager group was fast approaching their final target, catching Alice shrink back into human size and clearing out some of the Indavers along the way.
"Yarimashta! Only one more to go!" Raptor cheered as the final Moraimaaz came into view.
But as Stinger looked to where Alice had landed, the desert dweller caught another sight nearby. Two Indavers were chasing a young boy in a light blue vest, lugging a large travel pack that clanked with tin cans and pots as he ran. The boy was also ducking and weaving between buildings and alleyways, turning every few feet and throwing rocks at the Indavers to slow them down.
It was then that the memories clicked into place and Stinger realized that he knew the boy that was running down below. Sakuma Kotaro, the older of the two brothers he had met while undercover.
"Lucky, Minna, go on without me. Alice, I'll finish this sector, head back to your team."
"Eh? Stinger are you sure?"
"Alice I'll be fine, head back and let me finish up here. Lucky, can you handle the last base?"
"You got it, Stinger. Guys, get ready!"
SAY! THE GO!
As the split of Kyuurenn-Oh back into the smaller mechs emerged, the Alicorn Voyager was galloping past back toward Spada and Kingston, while Sasori Voyager made its way to the surface, the cockpit dematerializing around Stinger as he bolted towards Kotaro, now cornered by the two Indavers, his back to the orange ranger. He wasn't left to their mercy for very long, however, as Stinger lept into view, blasting the two soldiers into submission as Kotaro ducked for cover.
"Kotaro, are you okay?" Stinger asked, demorphing as Kotaro turned around wide-eyed.
"Sasori-oniichan!" Kotaro beamed, running up and coming to Stinger's chest, albeit barely. "I finally found you! I need to talk to you about joining the Kyuurangers!"
To say Stinger was surprised by the quest was an understatement, but annoyance disguised it at having to handle the attitude of a child.
"I want to defeat Jack Matter with you. If you just let me prove myself, I know I can do this!"
The desert dweller spoke not a word, but some memories that seemed eerily similar to the present were beginning to surface, comparing the parallels to the young boy against his will. Stinger did not want to see someone as innocent as a child mixed up with Jack Matter, and he especially didn't want to see a repeat of his past.
But he couldn't just leave the kid to his own devices, not when Jack Matter might've been looking for him, and if they weren't, he'd probably stir up trouble regardless.
So, a bit begrudgingly at having to face the commander, Stinger began to shove the boy back towards his Voyager and started the trek back to Orion-Gou.
Uo Kyuutama! SAY! THE ATTACK!
"One seafood soup, coming up!" Kingston called, blasting the Pisces energy into the air and creating a giant blue trout, easily as big as a small child into the air, while Spada pulled out the Kyu Slasher and sliced the fish into chunks, landing neatly in the now almost full pot with Alice watching in awe.
Though she wasn't the only spectator after returning to the cooking duo, as almost everyone in the entire sector had come to the camp for a meal, as well as a chance to meet with the rumored superheroes fighting against Jack Matter as well.
"Spada, may I taste test this?" Alice asked as Kingston poured in a spoonful of spice before scooping up a portion and handing the alicorn a bowl of a yellow liquid mixed with orange bell peppers and fish while Spada poured in chopped spinach. And the second the soup reached her lips, Alice grinned a bright smile before gulping down the rest. "Ahh~, it's delicious!"
"Grazie," Spada smiled as he stirred the concoction. "A first-class chef can't be picky about his kitchen or his ingredients. I've been doing this for a while, so I'm used to it."
"Let me guess, Jack Matter?" Kingston figured, pouring out rations into bowls as they talked.
"Yep. Jack Matter controls my home planet, Xiphias, in the Kajiki system. We didn't have much food. I had a lot of hungry younger brothers and sisters. So I've been cooking since I was a child."
"So is that why your goal is to become the best chef in the galaxy?" Alice inquired.
"Umm, well, I suppose so," he chuckled, though his tone seemed strained like talking about his past reminded him of pain from something. "It was harsh even in the best of times. At least I could keep bellies full.'
'Alright everybody, line up!" Spada called as the crowds began to order themselves, with some of the families and children near the front as the girls started to pass out shares.
Unfortunately, the trio didn't get very far as they were about to start handing out the rations, a gang of Jack Matter troops marched towards them, led by the Daikaan from before, wearing golden armor and speaking in a 'trying to be tough' voice.
"You cretins! How dare you destroy my Moraimaaz!" Daikaan roared, the civilians panicking at losing yet another chance for provisions to his endless hunger.
"Can you guys take care of them?" Kingston asked as she undid her apron, wrist bumping Spada as he lifted the pot and hurried inside, Alice ushering the civilians along as the outsider faced the soldiers dead on, a death glare set in her features. "So, I take it you're the hog that's been stealing from everyone?"
"Lower your heads!" the leader commanded as he flashed his badge. "All food in this area belongs to me, Meshiubaindver."
"That's absurd!" Spada yelled as the two came up to ranks, slipping out their kyuutamas. "Let's go!"
"Okyuu." "Oui, chef."
Kajiki Kyuutama! SAY THE CHANGE! "Star Change!"
"Food Mei-Star! Kajiki Yellow!"
"Magic Star! Alicorn Amethyst!"
"Shooting Star! Amagawa Prism!"
"Don't just stand there you idiots! Rob them!" Daikaan ordered, the Indaver charging swords brandished.
"Aw hell nah. Let's put this guy out of business!" Prism cheered, the trio summoning their weapons and going full throttle, Spada taking the lead and aiming straight for the Daikaan.
"Ok, scuse me, one side, coming through, pick a lane, boys!" Prism teased, zooming this and way and that and giving the soldiers a run for their money. Alice was also making a dent in the troops, using her staff and blasting a beam of light, blinding those around her and allowing her an opening for melee combat.
Meanwhile, the Voyager team managed to destroy the last and final Moraimaaz, Karone howling in celebration.
"Yosha Lucky! That's all five! Nice job everybody!" Lucky cheered as the group began to make a turnaround and pick up the ground team.
But things quickly took an unexpected turn, as out of the corner of their visors, the group noticed gunfire aimed their way. A blast that hit Karone dead on, the kitsune yelping in pain and zooming to the earth.
"Guys, there's an attacker-AHH!" Hammy screamed as her Chamaeleon Voyager was hit from the side, barely missing the cockpit and joining the crimson kitsune in her fast descent, the others hot on their heels as they tried to catch up.
"Are you two alright?" Raptor fretted as they ran towards the two ejected rangers. Hammy seemed to be okay, having avoided significant damage, but Karone was demorphed, gasping in pain and gripping her leg, slightly bloodied and her jeans even more ripped than usual, her ears flattened into her hair, and one of her tails singed.
Elsewhere, as the ground team's fight continued, Prism once again felt inflicted pain, now in her leg, as she stopped mid run and collapsed, gasping at the new sensation while blocking the swing of Indaver with her sword. However, just as before, none of the soldiers had slashed at her leg, but her teammates noticed her sudden halt nonetheless.
"Kingston, what happened?" Alice called as she caught an Indaver in a block.
"Uhh, its ok, Alice, just twisted my ankle there. I'll be fine, only need a second to catch my breath."
Spada noticed this as well, and the two once again shot each other silent looks of worry. One accident was just that, an accident. But this kind of scenario seemed to start becoming more than just bad luck, and especially with both incidents happening on the same day. However, they both had bigger worries at the moment, so the yellow and amethyst rangers were forced to push those thoughts aside for now and focus on the task at hand.
Back over with the Voyager team, Hammy and Raptor were supporting Karone while the boys were trying to find the offending snipers.
"Well well, just the takos we've been looking for!" a familiar voice mocked, and the group turned to find none other than Ikaagen and Madakko staring them down, intent on dealing some damage.
"Grrr, no one messes with my Nakama, you tentacled freaks!" Garu growled, claws poised for battle.
"Hammy, take Karone and find the others. Alice and Kingston should be able to heal her. And hurry!" Lucky called over his shoulder, Raptor joining the boys as the ninja began helping the kitsune limp off, demorphing as they ran as fast as they could manage.
On the Orion-Gou, Shou was keeping an eye on the ground team, also noticing Prism's sudden unknown falter, when the auto doors hissed open, and Stinger sulked in, shoving the boy inside as well.
"You stay out of trouble up here," Stinger glowered as the boy began spinning in awe, absorbing every detail he could find.
"This is the Kyuuranger base?!" Kotaro gaped, catching Shou's attention as he wandered about the bridge.
"Stinger! Why is that child here?"
"Actually-"
"Hey, Sasori-oniichan! Your friends are getting beaten!" the boy called, pointing at the monitor, now showing the trio of Rangers trying to defend themselves against the assassin duo.
"This is Raptor! Hammy and Karone are injured, and we need urgent reinforcements!"
"Shirei! They left to find the ground team! We'll try to hold them off as long as we can, but please hurry!" Lucky added as he barely managed to block a swing from Ikaagen, who was handling both him and Garu double teaming him with zero effort, preventing every attack they threw at him and dealing massive damage. Madakko, on the other hand, was tossing around Raptor like a ragdoll, nearly breaking her entirely with her mace spear.
"I'll go back them up," Stinger relayed as he rushed back to the Voyagers, Kotaro failing to catch up and the doors closing in his face while Shou contacted the ground team.
"The Voyager team is under attack. Hammy and Karone are en route to you. They need medical care and urgent assistance!"
"Oh for criminently's sake, Shirei!" Prism moaned as the Daikaan missed blasting her by a hair. "Ok ok, uhh, do you have their coordinates? Alice can go ahead to heal them now, and Spada and I can finish things here before catching up."
"What?! Kingston we can't just-"
"Spada, I know this guy hits close to home for you, but the others need help now. Alice is the better healer, and the two of us can handle this creep. But we need to pick and choose here. Alice, how fast can you reach their coordinates?"
"I'll be there as soon as I can. Shirei, tell Hammy I'm on my way."
"And what about you two? The others are still fighting Ikaagen and Madakko, and they won't last long on their own! You need to cease combat immediately!"
"Give me two minutes for the finisher, Shirei; we'll be right behind her. If we don't end this guy, he'll only follow us and make an even bigger mess of everything!"
"What's this? Trying to pick a fight, huh? The let's see how you like it!" Daikaan mocked, shoving Spada back and aiming his three-pointed laser his way.
"Shit!" Prism cursed, zipping in front of the chef and pulling out a kyuutama as Alice flew off, her wings like lilac blurs as they zoomed into another direction.
Tate Kyuutama! SAY! THE ATTACK!
Pulling the trigger as fast as she could, a bright blue shield materialized in front of the two, Prism barely able to hold him off. "Spada! Impact, now!"
Taking the hint, Spada leaped out from behind and locked his kyuutama onto his blaster.
GALAXY! "Dorado Impact!"
Stinger, meanwhile, finally reached the surface, only to be met with the madness of the current battle. The three were barely holding onto consciousness, let alone their morph, as they desperately tried to hold off Ikaagen and buy time.
But as the desert dweller ran to assist, Lucky called over his sword, "Stinger, on your left!"
Stinger was nearly met Madakko's mace as he bolted to the others, barely dodging gunfire and morphing as he ran, helping Garu to stand as Ikaagen had taken a step back to avoid a surprise attack.
"So you're here to play now?" Madakko drawled, twirling her tentacle in interest s Lucky and Raptor limped towards him.
"I'm afraid we won't be the easy prey you were expecting," Stinger growled as he summoned his spear, Garu taking the weight off and crouching in a battle position, all of them ready for round two despite their evident exhaustion.
Spada was becoming a force to be reckoned with, showing no mercy to the thieving Daikaan and relentlessly slashing him into submission. "I don't care how powerful you think you are, I'll never forgive anyone who steals food from everyone!" he roared as he stabbed the Daikaan's stomach, sending him flying back. "Kingston! Let's finish this!"
GALAXY! "Double Star Crash!"
And with a combined yellow and white energy blast, the Daikaan, much to his dismay at not getting a share of their cooking, was destroyed, the two turning to where Alice had flown off.
"Alright, we need to move fast. Here, grab on," Prism ordered, gesturing to her cape as she prepped for takeoff.
"Wait, what? But Kingston, your leg-"
"We need to find Alice so we can heal Hammy and Karone and reach the others, and I'm the one with the super speed. I'll be fine, all you have to do is hold on tight and don't open your eyes, ok?"
"Mamma mia, alright, fine. But please, show some mercy on me."
"Oui, chef," she chuckled. And with the yellow swordfish looping his arms around her neck and holding on for dear life, the meteor ranger took off like a bullet, zooming through alleyways and shortcuts in a white and yellow blur. It wasn't long before the two finally reached the three humanoid girls, Karone panting in Alice's lap and squeezing Hammy's hand in pain as the Alicorn was healing her wounds.
"Hammy-chan! Are you alright?" Spada worried as he rushed to her side, the two arrivals demorphing and kneeling by their friends, Spada hugging and checking over Hammy, who was flicking her tail in anxiety, while Kingston helped Alice in speeding up the healing spell, having practiced it before everything and ease Karone of her suffering.
What seemed like hours but was only seconds, the two custom rangers finished their work and assisted the kitsune to her feet, the crimson Kyuuranger finding the pain to have ceased and able to walk and more importantly, fight. However, Kingston seemed to have a slight headache after finishing the spell, but she brushed it off and focused on the task at hand.
"Ok, now with that little heart attack out of the way, we can-AGH!"
"Kingston, what's wrong?!" Hammy cried, the four of them crowding around her as she clutched her head, which felt like a jackhammer was pounding in her mind. Her headache had grown even worse, for no apparent reason, and the pain was so excruciating that she collapsed to her knees. But as Spada tried to find the problem to the outsider's suffering, he caught a glimpse of something, as none of the girls happened to notice their bracelets glowed alongside Kingston's reaction but passed as soon as it came.
And to make matters worse, almost instantly after Kingston's headache worsened, their comms chimed to the commander delivering a grave update.
"Stinger and the others are down."
"Understood, Shirei, they made it to us in time," Karone relayed. "But Kingston-"
"Is fine," the outsider grated, stumbling to stand. "We need to rescue the others. No doubt that octo bitch has them on display as hostages."
"Save Stinger and the rest and immediately retreat. You cannot beat Ikaagen and Madakko."
"But Shirei, there's no way they'll let us past them to the others," Hammy reasoned, "They won't just-"
"That's an order!"
All of them reeled back in shock, though Kingston was the most frightened of the bunch, cringing in fear with tears even threatening to fall, though she quickly blinked them away and regained her composure as the commander continued.
"Sometimes defying one order can lead to the collapse of an organization. I want you all to remember that."
None of them spoke a word, though Spada seemed a bit remorse, staring at his blaster in surprise at the commander's tone.
"Now that you know hurry and go."
With that, the comms chimed off as the five looked to each other in a variety of looks, some with distress, some in determination, and others with dismay and worry.
"Ok, so, its five of us against the squid and octo assassins, who have already proven that they can easily whoop our asses, and they have four of us as hostages. How in the hell are we gonna fix this?" Karone moaned.
"Well, it's not much, but I think I can scrape up something of a plan. That is if it doesn't have the same curse as the rest of my ideas..."
"Any plan at this point is better than nothing," Spada consoled, placing a hand on the outsider's back and looking at the others. "We're all with you, Kingston. What did you have in mind?"
The outsider's confidence felt shaken to the core, but looking around at the four Kyuurangers left staring at her and waited for orders, she knew that now wasn't the time for herself doubts. If they had even a chance of coming out of this, they needed all hands on deck.
"Alright, here's what we do."
Unbeknownst to them all, Shou was prepping for something as well, gripping his cane and pulling out a clear kyuutama with the image of a purple dragon holding a ring. It had been a long time since he had done what he had planned, and it was something he never wanted to attempt again after finding the Kyuurangers. But the commander knew his crew wouldn't survive this ordeal without him, so it was a choice he had to make.
As he marched out, Kotaro stared at him in awe and confusion, before the purple dragon turned and requested, "Watch the house while I'm out."
And to the shock of the young boy being left to watch over the massive spaceship all by himself, the dragon marched to the Voyager bays.
Ready to join the battle he had long since left behind.
The three customs alongside Spada were booking it through the industrial district, following Lucky's blaster signal in a desperate hope to reach them before any significant damage to their crew.
"Are you sure this is the place?" Alice asked as they ran, checking her blaster for the tenth time to specify the coordinates.
But Kingston and Spada stopped dead in her tracks, Kingston pointing ahead and replying, "I don't know, you tell me."
Just as the outsider had suspected, all four of the Kyuurangers were on display, arms hanging over their heads and chained to rusting carts.
Raptor was shut down, her goggles gone dark and her head lolled to the side, a deep cut in her cheek, but thankfully with none of her circuitry showing. Garu was also unconscious, and one of his paws had a nasty wound, dried blood caked around the gash, but otherwise, the wolfman showed no physical injuries.
The two humanoids, on the other hand, were both wide awake, a detail the outsider was more than a little surprised to see. Stinger was exhausted, and more than a little banged up but seemed to perk up slightly at seeing his teammates. The assassins had also taken precautions and restrained his tail, the stinger manacled to one of the wheels and twisted in a way that was no doubt uncomfortable. For the most part, however, the desert dweller seemed to be holding up.
Lucky, meanwhile, was acting much sprier then the others despite his injuries, his chains rattling as he tried kicking his way to freedom. He was also the only one gagged, no doubt Ikaagen's handiwork, and even then he was still shouting through it, especially after he noticed the retrieval party.
Instinctively, the rescue team tried to advance but quickly found themselves blocked by Ikaagen and Madakko, smugness and pride evident in their forms.
"You've got five seconds to let them go before I turn the both of you into fried calamari," Karone growled, fire burning in her palms as her tails stiffened and her ears pinned in anger.
"Oh, don't you worry, we'll give them back," Madakko teased, twirling one of her tentacles. "if you beat us."
"Great, like we needed this," Kingston groaned. "You guys know what to do. Let's go!"
Amagawa Kyuutama! SAY! THE CHANGE! "Star Change!"
And what seemed like charging headfirst, the four Kyuurangers dove straight into battle, the assassins merely raising their extravagant swiss army guns and firing away. Thankfully, Prism was able to deflect them with her newly bonded shield abilities from the Tate kyuutama, before the melee combat began.
Prism locked onto Ikaagen, but much like her comrades before, the squid dodged every swing of the blade and bullet from the blaster, laughing at her efforts.
"And here I thought you were supposed to be the clever one," Ikaagen mocked. "Maybe you're not the psychic you're cracked up to be."
But when Ikaagen tried his bullets against her, he saw the white ranger vanish in a blur, his efforts to damage her also proven fruitless. "You're not the only one with tricks up your sleeve, squid boy."
"Hmm, regardless. Your fate ends by my hand!"
Meanwhile, Spada and the two customs were attempting to hold their own against Madakko, who was still able to keep the three at bay despite being outnumbered. But thanks to Prism's advice on her weak points, Spada was able to use precision against the brute force the octo assassin was wielding, making the mace fly out of her hands and strike right over the hole where her heart should've been.
"Let us see how the tables can turn," Alice proposed, pulling out her kyuutama and lodging it into the dock in her staff.
GALAXY!
"Enchanted Impact!" she screamed, raising her staff to the sky as lightning burst from the charm, raining hellfire down on both Madakko and even nicking Ikaagen, who, as slippery as he was, wasn't quite fast enough to dodge the speed of light.
As all this went on, Lucky still trying to kick out of his bonds, both he and Stinger felt a tug on their jacket sleeves.
"Stay quiet," whispered a voice from nowhere. "I'll have you two out in a second."
Stinger took this to heart, kicking Lucky's leg and quietly reprimanding him to calm down and not raise any attention, the red lion finally taking the hint and relaxing, while Hammy, now morphed, pulled out her Kyuu Rapier and cut through Lucky's manacles, Lucky yanking off his gag in relief as she began freeing Stinger's tail.
Unfortunately, Madakko happened to notice this, as well as Lucky attempting to help Garu and decided to have a little fun with her opponents.
"Oh, so you think you can pull a fast one on us, huh? Kono TAKO!"
And instead of firing her gun, Madakko swung her tentacle forward, sending it flying and managing to find its way around Hammy's neck, breaking her concentration and forcing her into visibility. Lucky instantly straightened and tried prying off the appendage, but the distraction was all the octo alien needed, and set her sights once again on her morphed enemies and laid waste to them all, demorphing the trio and sending them flying, Hammy soon flung alongside them.
Ikaagen also was not pleased with the attempted rescue and tried taking it out on Prism, but his efforts were once again foiled by the girl's speed, though this time she seemed to show pain despite not having inflicted any himself. But as he saw Lucky once again focusing on his fellow teammates, the squid alien decided that he had played with them long enough.
"Huh. It seems we are at quite the impasse. In that case..."
With his sword raised, Ikaagen quickly flipped it into gun mode and swung his arm to the side, aiming right for the unmorphed Lucky. Knowing that she would take the bait, he watched as Prism blurred directly in front of him and, without enough time to raise a shield, was forced to throw herself in front and protect her lucky red.
An act that, thanks to the aftermath blast, sent the both of them careening towards the others, Prism herself forced to demorph and joined the pile of beaten Kyuurangers. Lucky did what he could to help, but he too was already exhausted and in no better shape than them, and he knew full well he wouldn't last long if he tried fighting alone.
"Isn't it sad? It's your fate to die here," Ikaagen mused, strolling next to his partner, their smugness returning in full force as they raised their weapons for the final shot. "Ready to die?"
"That's enough!"
In the distance, all of them turned to find a familiar silhouette walking towards them, determined in his step. It was the silhouette of a particular purple dragon.
"Oh no," Kingston whispered, desperately trying to gain her footing, but she knew it wouldn't be enough.
Madakko laughed, twirling her tentacle in interest. "I can't believe you came," she sneered.
"Long time no see, Shou Lonpou," Ikaagen drawled.
"I won't lose the Kyuurangers here," Shou declared, not fazed at all by their words as he raised his cane.
Pulling open the dragon's mouth on the top, the commander pulled out something all, but one of the Kyuurangers hadn't been expecting. A clear kyuutama with a purple dragon, which locked into the mouth and bit down when closed, even playing different standby music than their blasters.
Ryuu Kyuutama! SAY! THE CHANGE!
"Wish Upon a Star!"
With his cane raised in the air, the commander pulled the hidden trigger and slammed it into the earth, and a faded transformation star appeared beneath his boots as the stars swirled around him. When the dragon constellation finally died down, what stood before the Kyuurangers was a sight never thought possible to most.
The commander had become a Kyuuranger.
Though looking at him from a distance, his suit was remarkably different from theirs, almost looking thrown together. It was purple, though the silver accents were less noticeable, the boots and gloves were white instead of his color, and the belt was only a buckle with the Rebellion symbol instead of the normal ones connected to the ship. His star chest plate was also straight rather than asymmetrical and was finished with an added throw over shield with gold accents. But the star sphere in the middle seemed clouded, not showing a constellation like the others, and the helmet was a gold accented dragon that circled entirely around the mouthpiece.
"Holy crap!" Lucky and Karone gaped.
"You cannot be serious!" Hammy cried.
"Shirei is a Kyuuranger?" Spada awed.
Alice was too awestruck to form words, though she was slightly excited by the idea of someone else with her color scheme. Kingston, however, spoke not a word, her gaze turning grave at the notion of the new Kyuuranger. Not at the fact of him arriving, but the point of him having to step in at all, and the risks of doing so.
"It's also been awhile since we've seen that form," Ikaagen mused.
"Walking the path of the dragon. Pursuing the dragon's path! If I don't do it, who will?! Ryuu Violet!"
Much like Kingston before, Shou became a blur, zooming directly into the assassins' range and fighting head-on, using his cane for melee and surprisingly holding his own against the two.
"The commander was a Kyuuranger?" Hammy gaped, the others starting to rise back up.
"Did you know about this?" Spada asked, turning to the now somber outsider, who couldn't look him in the eye.
"Shirei, why did you hide this?!" Lucky called, stumbling to his knees.
"He didn't want to," came Kingston's voice, her crew facing her as the fight began to escalate.
"Looks like you lost your touch, you tako!" Madakko yelled as the two opened fire, Shou charging head-on.
"But we're the reason he swore never to become a Kyuuranger again."
Annd CUT! Yeesh, my first cliffhanger after the movie, and its already starting with a bang! I have been trying to get this out for a week, but now its finally done! Don't worry; I'll try to have episode 9 out as soon as I can, so fear not dear readers! Alright, I'll be right back, have to stop Wyvern from finding the backyard. Heaven knows what the Night fury back there will do to him.
(Dragon screeches in the background as what sounds like a tiny blue alien yells 'Yeehaw!')
Oh crap, I forgot about Stitch! Umm, I'll have Chapter 12 out as soon as I can, I'll see you guys later! Stitch! Toothless is not a free ride, get off before he spits fire on the fence! Ugh, sorry gotta go!
JAA NA!