Damn, I am going on a freaking role with these! Plus, it feels good to start cranking chapters out, I'm a lot of fun writing this, more than I thought I would. Plus, as a bonus, OVER 2000 VIEWS BABY! WHOOOOOO!
Thank you all so incredibly much! It's because of all of you that I keep writing, and it's such an honor to me that you would take the time out of your day just to read a few my stories. And hey, even with life, craziness and video games popping up every other day, I'm still ready to give you guys the adventures I keep dreaming up! (Although that's partially thanks to the Sentai, you get the idea.)
Anywho, you've been patient enough up to this point, and I believe that our new friend should have a turn with disclaimers. Ok Kotaro, you know what to do!
Kotaro: Yosh! My first intro! LittleKing doesn't own anybody but her originals. We hope you enjoy!
Atta boy! Let's get to it!
Uchuu Sentai Kyuranger
Amagawa Prism
Water sprayed around a small bathroom as the outsider shook herself dry, combing the droplets out of her hair as she stepped out and began changing out of her one piece. Currently, the white ranger was returning from a little outing to the ship's pool, which she had been more than a little shocked to find, after practicing the swimming lessons Spada had given her.
After she had found out about Spada's aquatic features and the fact that his species can breathe underwater, the chef was added as yet another teacher in Kingston's learning regimen, helping her practice this new ability, as well as help keeping an eye on her.
Something was going on with the young girl, something that even she didn't even realize was happening. But there were hints of what it was in her movements, the way she'd recently always finish her training with a headache. Or how in battle, if any of them were ever knicked by a stray gunshot or had to endure just a little more pain than usual, the outsider would feel the same effects, if not an outright migraine.
Of course, whenever asked if it was a problem, she would either brush it off or not know what they were talking about, regardless if she had felt it or not. Still, Spada and Alice, having been the first to notice the effects, discussed it with everyone else in on her training and they all decided it would be best to keep an eye on her, find out if there was something more to the situation then they realized.
But that also included keeping her out of individual fights. So, when the assignment to take out a Moraimaaz guarded by its Daikaan came up, only the two customs and five needed for Kyuurenn-Oh were deployed, with Kingston forced to stay behind and pass the time by herself.
That is until Kotaro popped into her room, thankfully after she had finished changing, eagerly cradling a handful of kyuutama and a spare Seiza Blaster. "Nee-chan! Do you have a second?"
"Hehe, Kotaro please, you don't have to call me that anymore, we're friends. Call me Kingston," the girl smiled as she stuffed her towel in her hamper. "And yes, as of now I have nothing but time. What's up?"
"I'm gonna try some of these out and see which one will turn me into a Kyuuranger!" the boy smiled.
Kingston laughed at his enthusiasm, even though she knew the logic was a tad flawed. However, she didn't have the heart to tell him otherwise, so instead, she merely slung on her bag, slid her headphones inside, and looped an arm around the boy as they strolled to the bridge, careful not to drop any of the globes as they walked.
When they did reach the bridge, Kotaro splaying the kyuutama on the pool table and strapping on the blaster (which took a few minutes as he kept fumbling with the straps), pretty much everyone else in the room gave her a look of confusion, Stinger raising a disapproving brow. In response, she just shrugged and mouthed 'what could it harm?'
Picking up a dark grey kyuutama with a sticker labeled '42,' Kotaro locked it into place with an excited gleam in his eye.
Ryouken Kyuutama! SAY! THE CHANGE!
Just as the blaster called the announcement, the away team finally returned, though Lucky and Karone were absent for some reason.
"Welcome back!" Kotaro called. "You came at the perfect time. Watch this!"
"Kotaro, what are you doing, grr?" Garu asked as the others gathered around the pool table.
"Star Change!"
Copying the sequence to a near T and spreading his arms, Kotaro found his hopes dashed as nothing happened. No star, no constellation, nada. Just him checking himself over and wondering what went wrong.
"Why didn't it work?" the young boy moaned, though Champ laughed heartily at the attempt.
"To become a Kyuuranger, you need to be chosen by a Kyuutama," Champ explained as the others nodded.
"Why would they choose Uncle Shou but not me?!"
"Because I'm a good boy," Shou replied.
"In what universe?" Kingston snorted as the others stumbled.
"Enough of this nonsense," came Stinger's voice off to the side. "We don't need kids on this ship."
"But you're the one that brought me here, Stinger," Kotaro argued while Kingston was a little miffed towards his comment, as she was still technically considered a child by his standards as well.
"I did that to save your life. Go back to your little brother on Earth already."
With that, the desert dweller stalked off, Champ mumbling under his breath as Kotaro's features saddened with disappointment.
"Hey," Kingston whispered, placing a hand on the boy's shoulder. "Don't take him the wrong way. Family matters are a bit of a tough subject for him. How about Alice and I take you back, huh?"
Kotaro tried to act like he wasn't bothered, attempting a smile as he stared down at the handful of kyuutamas. Although, one in particular, a light blue kyuutama labeled '22' i rainbow numbers, caught his eye, and he could've sworn that the globe had glowed for a second.
And so, the trio set off for the surface, the two Earthlings riding in Alicorn Voyager.
"I feel kinda sorry for him," Hammy commented as she watched the lavender Voyager gallop away.
"But it can't be helped," Balance sighed.
"Its just too soon for him to enter the kitchen," Spada added, the others nodding in agreement.
"By the way, where's Naaga?" Shou asked, glancing around for the silver-haired man.
"Umm, I don't know. Karone said she was going to check on him, and Lucky went with her," Hammy relayed. "Huh. Where are they, anyway?"
Meanwhile, Karone had wandered off into the main computer room, looking to be in a sort of daze, while Naaga and Lucky were together in the rec area.
Bound, gagged and locked in a maintenance closet.
Episode 10: The Small Giant, Big Star!
"Kotaro, what are you hiding in there?" Kingston smirked as the young boy seemed to be fiddling with something in his pack.
"Tada!" Kotaro smiled as he pulled out, to his excitement, the spare Seiza Blaster from before.
"You sly dog!" she laughed.
"I'm just borrowing it. Its so I can become the Star of Hope."
"Alright alright, but let me at least hold onto it until we land. I don't want any accidents happening in the cockpit," Kingston reasoned, starting to reach for the blaster.
But while Kotaro was adamant on keeping the blaster and held onto it for dear life, Alicorn started acting strange, bucking and whinnying in distress like a spooked horse.
"Alice, what's wrong?" Kingston asked as the ride started getting bumpy. Just then, the lever to eject from the Voyager shoved forward by accident, and the cockpit was sent flying to the earth, catapulting the three onto the concrete, the Alicorn Voyager transforming back into a now disoriented Alice as Kotaro sprinted off as fast as he could.
"You ok, Wonder?" the outsider fretted, looking her alicorn friend over and not finding any apparent problems.
"Umm, yes, I'm alright. I'm sorry, I don't know what happened just now. But we need to retrieve Kotaro."
"Agreed, you go that way I'll go this way, and be careful!" she called over her shoulder as she ran in the opposite direction, Alice taking off to corner the young boy.
Kotaro was nothing if not quick, as he was able to cut turns and speed past obstacles with the best of them, Kingston frantically trying to catch up. However, as Alice landed directly in his path with her wings spread, Kotaro lost his focus and tripped over himself, falling flat on his stomach with the blaster still in hand.
"Well you are nothing if not persistent, I will grant you that," Kingston panted as the two walked over to him and lifted him up. "We're not going to take it away, alright? We don't want you to hurt yourself with it is all."
"Wait, girls, look!" Kotaro voiced, pointing behind Alice.
And when the two turned around, they were shocked to see a Daikaan strolling in their way, his gaze fixed on the horizon as he chuckled to himself. This Daikaan was covered in extravagant violet armor, his head looking like a cross between a moth's head and a helmet on a suit of armor. His garments were dark green and shiny over his black boots. But the most noticeable detail was his arms, covered in black and purple fur and reaching all the way down to the floor, topped with green and orange claws.
"That's Mothma!" Alice gasped. "But I could've sworn we just defeated him earlier!"
A pit of dread began to form in Kingston's stomach as Mothma began to muse to himself out loud. "Now those Kyuurangerd are finished."
"Oi! You wanna run that by me again Long Arms?!" Kingston called, crossing her arms as Kotaro gripped the blaster and Alice took a battle stance.
"Wha-AHHH! Why are you here?!" Mothma freaked.
Just then, the tow custom blasters chimed to Shou coming over comms. "Kingston, Alice, we've got trouble! Lucky and Naaga are missing, and there's something wrong with Karone! Its like she's lost control!"
Alice and Kotaro gasped in shock, while Kingston tried piecing together the situation."Shirei, you need to find them and get to the Voyagers, now!" she warned.
However, just as she spoke, the Orion-Gou jolted out of its orbit to Earth, a tremendous crash heard over comms as the base began zooming off. Raptor went to check over the ship's diagnostics and soon found the reason for their wild ride.
"Shirei! The Orion-Gou's accelerating towards the sun!"
"Then turn us around!"
"The system's not responding! And the controls aren't working!"
The comms began to fizzle out as the ship was being cut off from any outside communications. "Nononono, guys, stay with me!" Kingston panicked, shaking her blaster.
"Don't worry Kingston; I'll go back out there and keep them from flying off," Alice reassured, though Kotaro noticed that Mothma didn't seem worried by their attempts, but was instead chuckling at their reactions.
"Wait, Alice, I don't think-"
SAY! THE GO!
But instead of the cockpit rematerializing and allowing the amethyst ranger to transform, a jolt of energy burst through her kyuutama, the alicorn girl crying out and collapsing to her knees as the two crowded around her in worry, along with Kingston's headache coming back as well.
"Hehe, nice try," Mothma mocked as Kingston threw him a look that could kill. "I happened to notice the transformation those two pulled off during our fight, so I thought I'd use them to my advantage. As long as I live, I can do whatever I want with your friends. And the one out in space was able to infect your ship for me as well! She even managed to take prisoners! And now, as long as I live, that ship is under my control! Fly toward the sun and burn up!"
"Dude. You do realize you have just given me a billion different excuses to kick your sorry ass into next year, right?" Kingston deadpanned, pulling out her kyuutama and locking it in.
Amagawa Kyuutama! SAY! THE CHANGE! "Star Change!"
Charging straight in with a war cry and her keys swinging, Prism desperately tried to lay some damage on her moth-like foe. But Mothma was nothing if not elusive, able to bob and weave all over the place despite his arms weighing him down, and his claws were able to deflect any direct approaches.
"I'm fighting too!" Kotaro announced, standing guard over Alice and strapping on the blaster. But when he tried using the weapon function with two hands instead of just his thumb, he'd smack the trigger with his hand and stumble from the kickback, sending blasts flying and not able to aim correctly, causing both opponents to stumble.
"Ah mou, Kotaro, Alice, get back!" Prism moaned as she reoriented herself.
"I won't show mercy just because you're a kid!" Mothma threatened, charging with his arms out in front.
Despite having to shield Alice from harm while trying to avoid Mothma's long appendages, Kotaro was still surprisingly agile, able to make the two bob and weave between the Daikaan's attacks. His sharpshooting still needed some work, but the young boy was still able to manage to hold his own.
But when he pushed Alice down and ducked to avoid another swing from a clawed arm, Mothma accidentally hit his pack and knicked Alice's blaster, sending the Alicorn kyuutama tumbling out and catapulting a kyuutama Kotaro had snuck off the ship out of his backpack.
As luck would have it, the kyuutama Kotaro had was flung directly towards Prism, neatly locking into her blaster with ease.
Ooguma Kyuutama!
"I knew Lucky would rub off eventually!" Prism cheered as she stood. "Kotaro, Alice, duck!"
SAY! THE ATTACK!
Instead of a constellation, what came out of the kyutama when fired was, of all things, a being, one that zoomed straight toward Mothma and clawed in an attack, shoulder charging him and sending him flying.
"BEAR!" the figure roared. "Boy, I'm borrowing your body," it declared, vanishing as Kotaro froze.
"Grr, I'll retreat for now!" Mothma declared, snatching the Alicorn Kyuutama in his claws and sprouting wings from his back, flying off into the distance.
"Oh come on!" Prism moaned as she demorphed, kneeling next to Alice and helping her stand. "You alright Alice?"
"I believe so, but I'm afraid he managed to escape with my kyuutama," Alice sighed, her head down in shame.
"Ohh boy. Well don't you worry, Wonder, we'll get it back," the outsider reassured, hugging the girl close as her gaze fell to the young boy. "Kotaro, you ok?"
However, when the boy turned around, his appearance had drastically changed. His hair was now messier, cut shorter and covered in light blue streaks, and his eyes had gone from light brown to a light blue. Not to mention when he spoke, his voice had dropped a few octaves, sounding gravelly and a bit like Garu's voice but deeper. His form had changed as well, more stern and severe over the child-like innocence of a young boy.
"I am Sou Shirei Big Bear of Rebellion," came the gravelly voice, and Alice was slightly taken aback as the ghostly figure emerged from the boy. Big Bear himself was, of course, a light blue bear covered in scars, wearing black gloves, and a coat almost identical to Shou's, save for the golden badge on the collar symbolizing his higher rank in Rebellion.
And all Kingston could think of was Why do I get the feeling this is going to be a long day?
On the Orion-Gou, the monitor tracking the base's collision with the sun indicated that they only had 15 minutes and counting until their untimely end. Most of the crew, naturally, was more than a little worried for the outcome, but Shou's mind was elsewhere.
Currently, Champ and Garu were attempting to capture Karone and find out what was happening on her end, while Raptor and Stinger were searching for Lucky and Naaga. Spada, Balance, and Hammy were left with Shou on the bridge to figure out how to fix this mess.
"Everybody, we're low on time, so can you give me some suggestions here?" Shou began, pacing with his cane under the monitors.
"We all know there's something off with the ship, and I'm guessing on a hunch that Karone was going nuts at the same time isn't just a coincidence," Hammy voiced.
"Hmmm, you bring up a good point there, big guy," Balance contemplated. "You know, I can't exactly nail down the specifics when it comes to those two, but at the very least Karone and Alice are technically like me right? Living technology. Can any of you see where I'm going with this?"
"Chotto Matte. Are you saying that whatever may be affecting Karone could also be affecting the ship?" Spada guessed.
"Bingo! And I'd bet my favorite jewels that Mothma had something to do with it."
"Maybe so," Shou interjected. "But we will need more information to conclude. Garu, Champ, have you had any luck on containing Karone?"
"Define 'containing,'" drolled Garu over comms. "Grr, Karone's losin her marbles here. We found her kyuutama over by the computer room, but I don't think she's all that worried about that. She's not trying to fight back, but she keeps running off and holding her head, and her tails are moving as fast as Kingston on a good day!"
"I'm sorry, explain that last part?" Shou inquired, and the other crewmembers in the room stiffened, realizing the slip-up Garu had made in commenting about the outsider's training.
"Uhh, um well, y'see- ahh! Oi Danna, hang on a second! We just spotted her, I'll call you back!"
Shou didn't say anything at first, turning around and catching the shared glances between the three, feeling the tension in the room despite one of the three not showing any facial expressions.
"There is something I don't know about here, but that discussion is for later. Keep in mind, you three, that I don't forget so easily."
"Shirei, have the others found Lucky and Naaga yet?" Hammy voiced, changing the subject.
"...Uhh, hehe, excuse me for a second," Shou stammered, scrambling behind the pilot's chair and mumbling into his blaster, the three visibly showing their exasperation.
"Raptor, Stinger, have you found Lucky and Naaga yet?" whispered Shou over the comms, Raptor sighing as she kept an eye on Stinger. The ship would keep increasing in heat over time, and while she knew the scorpion man had grown up in the deserts, she still didn't want him exerting himself from overheating.
"Nothing yet, but we'll keep looking," Stinger relayed.
"Wait, Stinger, do you hear something?" Raptor stopped, Stinger turning to her. Raptor seemed to be picking up strange noises nearby, her synthetic hearing acuter than the humanoids. So, Stinger followed the android's ears over to a closet in the rec area, and pressing his ear to the door, they both could hear movement, along with grunts and struggling.
"Lucky, Naaga, is that you?" Raptor called.
"Mmph! MM-MMPH!" came the reply, the sounds of struggle increasing.
"Hang on; we'll get you out in just a second!" the android reassured, frantically trying the doorknob. "Mou, Stinger it's locked!"
"Move," he ordered, pushing her aside and locking onto the keyhole. Raising his tail, the desert dweller pushed the stinger into the lock, fiddling with the tumblers and using one of the more subtle lessons he had picked up as a spy. I almost no time at all, the lock clicked, and the door swung open, to Raptor's praise of the orange ranger's abilities, revealing the slightly disheveled red and silver Kyuurangers.
Both had their arms and ankles tied with spare wires in the case of shortages, their hands tied behind their backs and gagged with hand towels. Lucky had fallen onto his stomach while Naaga looked a bit less disheveled, probably trying to preserve his energy, but despite the situation, Lucky still lit up like a Christmas tree, happy to see his friends.
"Are you two alright?" Raptor fretted as she and Stinger began to untie them, the two humanoids sighing in relief of the gags being yanked off.
"Yosha Lucky! Thanks for the save you two," Lucky cheered over his shoulder, Stinger rolling his eyes at the Leonian's eager grin.
"What the hell happened?" Stinger asked as he undid Naaga's bonds.
"There is something irregular happening with Karone," Naaga answered, rubbing his hands to increase circulation. "Both she and Lucky had come to join me in the recreational area when she reacted violently to something."
"Yeah, and we couldn't tell what it was," Lucky added as they stood, blinking a little to adjust to the light. "An energy burst or something was coming from her kyuutama. She dropped to her knees, gripping her head, and when she looked up, she looked like she was in a daze. Next thing we knew, she knocked us out, and we woke up in that closet."
"It was most uncomfortable," Naaga commented.
"Well come on then, let's head back to the bridge. I'll give you some salve for any rope burns you might have, and I'm sure the others will be happy to see you're alright."
On the surface, the trio was attempting to regroup and process the new addition to their group, who was floating above the bench they had claimed and patiently waiting for them to start the conversation.
"Let me see if I understand this correctly," Alice began. "Sou Shirei Big Bear's ghost was possessing Kotaro just now?"
"I can possess you as well," Big Bear bragged, folding his arms.
"Um, you know what, no thanks, we'll take your word for it," Kingston opposed, not wanting to waste too much time as she checked Alice for any injuries, the spirit laughing and re-entering the young boy with a grave look.
"Long ago, I sacrificed my life protecting Shou," Big Bear explained, his eyes on the horizon.
"Oh, um, yes, we heard," Alice sighed, the girls' looks turning somber. "Demo, why have you become a spirit, if I may ask?"
"It's simple. I can't move on to the next life if I leave a careless man like Shou in charge."
Kingston felt a bit defensive towards the bear's explanation, having had a similar argument like this in her past, but before she could object, Kotaro's hair returned to it original jet black as the boy regained control.
"Don't just use my body without my permission!" Kotaro stamped. "We need to defeat that moth guy as fast as possible."
"An excellent idea, Kotaro," Alice agreed, giving him a tired smile. "Kingston, though I may not be at full strength, I am ready to assist in any way I can if it means retrieving my kyuutama."
Kingston grinned, happy to see that her alicorn friend wasn't willing to give up so quickly. "And I'm guessing that we won't be getting much help from Orion-Gou, so, Kotaro, you want to lend us a hand?"
"You got it!" Kotaro lit up, only for Big Bear to take over in anger.
"No! Having a child fight is out of the question! Not to mention an injured teammate!"
"Why?! If he's not defeated soon, Orion-Gou will-!"
"Damare, boy! Fighting is not a game!"
"Ok, you know what," Kingston sighed, straightening, "you want to keep playing Den-O all day, be my guest. Right now, we're on a bit of a time crunch, and with all due respect, this isn't your call to make. If they want to help, they're coming with me."
"You would honestly allow this child in battle?! And a fellow crewmember in her condition?!" Big Bear roared, standing on the bench and leveling the girl with a threatening glare.
"You underestimate them. I won't deny that the ability to fight isn't useful, but it's not the only thing necessary for survival! Both of them are extremely capable, and I would trust either of them with my life, regardless of their age or stature. And another thing, does it sound like I'm forcing either of them to do this? Both of them are willingly agreeing to come with me, and if they are all the help I'm getting, I am not going to look a gift horse in the mouth. So if they are willing, they are coming, whether you like it or not! And before you try to argue, I'd like to remind you who the ghost of this conversation is."
The boy's eyes darkened, Big Bear growling at the young girl's defiance. The spirit was not one to bow to the whim of anyone so quickly. Its how he climbed the ranks of Rebellion to become the man he had died as, at least in his opinion. But as much as hated the idea of those ill-equipped for a battle to join, this humanoid was more stubborn than he had anticipated.
"Yeah, thought so. Now if that's out of the way, we've got about 15 minutes, give or take, until our base becomes another version of Icarus. Alice, I'm sorry to ask this, but this is one of the few kyuutama I'd rather not bond with," Kingston explained, lifting the alicorn to her feet as her wings folded into her jacket, the outsider pulling out the Ryouken kyuutama from her bag. "But if you think you can, could you use this to track Mothma's scent?"
"Absolutely," the alicorn grinned, gingerly taking the kyuutama and locking it in, Big Bear now showing confusion towards the girl's reasoning for not using the kyuutama herself.
Ryouken Kyuutama! SAY! THE ATTACK!
As the Canis Venatici constellation passed through the alicorn, she felt her sense of smell drastically increase, and before long, she picked up a scent.
"It's working! This way!" she called, smiling as she sprinted to follow the scent, the two Earthlings, with Kotaro still being possessed, scrambling to catch up.
"Hmmm, so its something to do with her kyuutama," Shou figured as Lucky and Naaga finished their explanations.
After the four had returned to the bridge, Balance nearly tackling Naaga in a hug while Hammy gravitated towards Lucky, everyone was beginning to regroup and wait for Garu and Champ to return.
"It could be that whatever's affecting Karone was distributed through her kyuutama, and now she's trying to make it wear off," Balance speculated. "But we can't say anything solid without more evidence."
"How's this for evidence, grr?" came Garu's voice, and when they turned around, they indeed found Garu panting and leaning on the railing, gripping the Kitsune kyuutama, while Champ was carrying Karone in a bear hug, the kitsune's ears pinned as she squirmed despite her apparent fatigue.
"Excellent work you two," Shou praised. "I hope she wasn't too much trouble,"
"Haha, nah not much at all," Champ laughed, though he ignored the glare Garu threw him. "She wore herself out after long enough. But she wasn't showing any malice, just fear of something."
"Still, we did find something out. Watch this," Garu panted, coming up to Champ and holding the crimson kyuutama near Karone. As he did, however, the kitsune began struggling more, moaning and trying to push herself as far from her kyuutama as she could.
"Interesting. In any case, we can't figure anything out like this. Champ, you keep her down. Raptor, do you still have those wires on hand?"
Meanwhile, the quartet down on earth was continuing to follow the scent Alice picked up. However, the alicorn, without her kyuutama, was becoming more and more drained by the second, Kingston having to help support her as she ran. But the scent she followed didn't lead her to the monster, but instead a food cart, which she lit up at spotting.
So when Kotaro and Big Bear watched as Kingston sighed, led the alicorn to one of the stools and spoke to the cook working the stand, "Anything she eats is on me," they were naturally a little confused.
"Oi, is he here?" Big Bear asked.
"Um, uh well, not exactly," Alice blushed. "But this was the first scent I picked up. My apologies."
"You fool. You're too lax in an emergency situation like this! First of all-!"
Thankfully, Kotaro ejected the spirit before he could lecture the two, though the boy was also a bit incredulous. "Mou! Alice, this is no time to be eating! Let's go find him!"
"Fool! Stay out of this, child!" Big Bear scolded.
"Ok, now that's just plain rude," Kingston glared before her gaze softened toward Kotaro.
"Look Kotaro; I don't like staying still as much as you do. But we can't waste our time running in circles, and without her kyuutama to recharge, Alice is running on fumes as is. If we want to beat Mothma, then we have to gather as much strength as possible, especially with the circumstances. So as much as I'm worried we're running out of time, it might be best to take a break and let Alice get some of her strength back. And in any case, I've seen Sentai pull this type of scenario a dozen times. If we don't find him, he'll find us, its classic Toku logic."
"Ano, Kotaro, I've meant to ask this, but why do wish to fight so adamantly?" Alice inquired as she took a bite from her barbeque stick.
"On the day we met you all, I made a promise to my little brother, Jiro. I promised to drive Jack Matter from Earth and create a world where everyone can be happy. I will become a Kyuuranger, and become a star of hope," Kotaro pronounced as he held up the borrowed blaster.
Both of the girls smiled, one in kindness and the other in knowing, though Big Bear just folded his arms disapprovingly. "Just because you want to doesn't mean you can."
Kingston sighed irritably at the spirit's pessimism, but Kotaro faced him head-on. "I can! I will protect this planet with my own two hands if I have to!" the boy stood his ground, his hands closing into fists as the bear spirit was suddenly at a loss for words, shocked by his determination.
Kingston grinned with pride as she slid her debit card back into her pocket, with Alice able to stand on her own after regaining at least some of her strength again. But when the girl caught movement from the corner of her eye, she gasped as finding none other than Mothma stumbling her way, moaning and complaining about how hungry he was.
"Yes! I so called it!" Kingston cheered as everyone registered who else was nearby.
"Ehh?! Why are you here?!" Mothma yelled as he began to scurry off, Big Bear repossessing Kotaro.
"Come on everybody! Yah, the chase!" Kingston laughed as the three sprinted off and their journey continued.
"Oi, Shirei, are you sure this is such a good idea, grr?"
"We can't let her run off again, and we need to find out what's wrong with the ship. I don't like doing this as much as all of you, but it's our best bet."
"Well, on the bright side, at least now she's not upset," Lucky voiced, as Karone was now limp as she was tied down. The crew had learned to keep her kyuutama away from her, but the kitsune seemed to be growing more and more exhausted the closer they reached the sun.
The ship itself was beginning to feel the effects of their collision course, all except the mechanical beings feeling the effects of the heat save for Karone.
"Raptor, Balance, is there any way you can find out what's wrong with her?" Stinger asked.
"Hmm, let's see. There doesn't seem to be anything wrong at first glance. Honestly, I can't see what the problem could be," Balance mused.
"Something we can't see...Ahh! That's it!" Raptor shouted, scrambling to the kyuutama storage under her console and pulling out an aqua kyuutama with a picture of a microscope. "Leave this to me!"
Kenbikyou Kyuutama! SAY! THE ATTACK!
As the effects kicked in, Raptor was able to view Karone on a microscopic scale and found by a shocking sight. The kitsune had tiny particles that were laughing and causing her to feel pain covering her.
"She's covered in microparticles that were controlling her," Raptor gasped. "No wonder she was so upset, her kyuutama was probably covered with them, and that's what infected her!"
"So does that mean the ship's infected as well?" Spada asked.
"Well, only one way to find out. Raptor, I need a favor."
Back on Earth, the trio was desperately trying to follow Mothma's trail before their time was up, though Alice was starting to lag a little from fatigue. However, they found themselves at a three-way fork in the road and stopped for a minute to catch their breath.
"Did you notice the enemy was getting hungry?" Big Bear asked the outsider.
"Uhh, not exactly. I knew Mothma would eventually though."
"Kingston can predict how events will play out. Though she has to be careful what she reveals at times, it has been most useful in our mission," Alice grinned.
"You rely on clairvoyance? And Shou doesn't get angry at you for that?"
"Umm, no not really. But I mean, our red ranger relies on luck, and that hasn't failed us yet either."
"Shou that fool," Big Bear muttered under his breath. "Does he think he can save the galaxy like that?"
"Ok, which way was it?" Kingston pondered, trying to remember the correct path Lucky had taken in the show.
"Let's see, he tried eenie meanie miney, dead silence, then...that way!" Kingston pointed to the path on the far left and ran off, Alice and Big Bear sprinting to catch up.
It took a bit of doing, Alice losing more of her energy and had to have someone help her run again halfway, but the trio finally managed to corner Mothma, still holding the amethyst kyuutama between his claws. "Alright Long Arms, enough is enough! Your little game ends here and now!"
"Oh really?!" Mothma mocked, as from out of nowhere, a group of Indavers popped out of the woodwork, Tsuyoindaver boxing them in from behind as Mothma cheered at the heroes dwindling chances.
"Oh for the love of criminently," Kingston moaned as Big Bear took over supporting Alice, only for the troop to charge straight for them, the outsider just barely managing to shove the two away from danger while still holding her kyuutama. Unfortunately, the Jack Matter soldiers were able to catch her off guard, and as she tried blocking the club of the Tsyoindaver, her kyuutama was knocked out of her hands, sent flying right for Mothma.
But there was a bit of a problem when Kingston tried getting it back. She had planned on using her telekinesis from Alice and yanking it back into her palm, but when she tried, it was almost like she had burned her hand, and no effect came out beside her trying to shake off the burning sensation.
"In a few minutes, your ship will reach the sun and burn up," Mothma laughed as he now held both of their kyuutamas in his claws before Alice felt another jolt of pain and Kingston another migraine.
"Alright Raptor, it's up to you baby!" Balance relayed from the central console.
Outside the ship, Raptor was hovering onto the head of Orion-Gou with the Kenbikyou Kyuutama in hand. "Don't worry Uncle; I'm just going to perform a little diagnostic."
Kenbikyou Kyuutama! SAY! THE ATTACK!
Firing her blaster and magnifying the particles, the android once again found the monstrous little abominations now covering their ship, gleefully laughing at the chaos they were causing for the crew.
"Bingo! This analysis is just as we suspected. The enemy is using microparticles to control Orion-Gou. He must have used Karone and Alice to infect the ship from the inside out!"
"Then we're going to die like this?" Hammy panted. None of the crew was able to stand from the sun's rays, heat waves pouring from the air around them.
Raptor turned in fear to see the enormous fireball of the sun staring her down.
Time was running dangerously short. And their only hopes were a sentient Voyager most likely in the same condition as Karone, a kid, and a girl who was having trouble controlling her powers.
"Oh boy..."
Kingston wasn't having much luck on her own, finding herself outnumbered and outgunned, but was still getting back up and fighting to the best of her ability.
"Mou, we don't have time for this! One side, freaks!" Kingston yelled, desperately trying to clear the way for the kyuutamas, to debatable success.
All the while, Big Bear and Alice were watching from nearby, Alice now on her knees from fatigue, but still wanting to help in some way. Just then, Kotaro finally ejected Big Bear and returned to normal, staring wide-eyed at the situation. "I've got to help her!" he realized, helping Alice stand and starting to run into the battle, only to be stopped by the spirit standing in his way.
"I said no! Boy, I respect your heart. But I can't let someone both in your condition or as immature as you fight."
"Why?!"
"In the past, I failed to stop Shou. As a result, I died, and Rebellion nearly fell to Jack Matter. I should have stopped him. I regrettably left Rebellion to someone as immature as Shou."
Kingston whacked against a metal construction railing and fell to the ground, fed up with the whole scenario. "Ok, that's it! I have had with hearing you badmouth Shirei! You're underestimating his ability!"
"What?!"
"Its thanks to Shirei that the Kyuurangers came together at all. He fulfilled your last wish, and here you are saying he's not ready for the responsibility!"
"It was thanks to him?"
"YES! Sure, he may crack a few jokes, and yes, he doesn't always make the right calls, but I know, damn well for a fact, that we all trust him with our lives! And Kotaro and Alice are no different in my eyes!"
All three of them were at a loss for words, Big Bear especially, as the outsider continued trying to punch and kick her way to victory.
"What are you doing?!" Mothma growled impatiently, throwing a tantrum like a little kid. "Finish them already!"
Finally, Kotaro and Alice had had enough with standing by. Pushing herself up as much as she could, Alice leaned on the stone pillar beside her and shot out her hands, her brow furrowing, as her horn began to shine a violet glow.
Instantly, the light wrapped around Mothma's long arms, rendering them immobile, and allowing Kotaro to make his move, charging straight for Mothma and shoving him to the ground, the two kyuutamas flying out of his claws and near the outsider, which she wasted no time in collecting with a grin.
"What?! How could this happen?!" Mothma moaned, stamping his claws on the ground and aiming his sights on the two humanoids. "Grr, stop flitting about!"
But at that moment, Big Bear intervened, clawing Mothma with his massive strength and sending him tumbling back.
"You said you want to be a star of hope, right? Do you still feel the same way?"
"Of course!" Kotaro nodded as Alice stumbled next to him. "I will protect Earth as a star of hope!"
"Then I will help you," the bear resolved, rolling his shoulder and dissipating back into the young boy, the light blue kyuutama beginning to glow. And to the awe of the Sou Shirei and the two humanoids, in a bright flash of light, another light blue kyuutama appeared, with the label 11 and looked like a baby polar bear.
Kotaro had bonded to not one, but two kyuutamas.
"Haha! You know what, just this once; Yosha Lucky!" Kingston cheered as she ran over to the two, handing Alice's kyuutama back and watching as the alicorn felt a surge of energy take over, her power source back in her possession. "Think you'll be ok to fight, Wonder?"
"Absolutely. I believe its high time I joined the battle as well," Alice replied with a determined gleam in her eye.
"Alright then. Kotaro, Alice, you ready?"
"Hai." "Wakatta."
Amagawa/Alicorn/Koguma Kyuutama! SAY! THE CHANGE! "Star Change!"
In a blast of white, lilac and light blue glow, three Kyuurangers stood side by side. Kotaro came up a bit shorter than the two girls, his star sphere showing a polar bear, and his helmet was a roaring bear, the ears peaking up from the mask and the lower half showing the visor. He also was wearing a thick scarf, the ends dangling a little below his chest and weighed down by two balls, while his gloves were mittens that, when pulled back, revealed long blue claws.
"Shooting Star! Amagawa Prism!"
"Magic Star! Alicorn Amethyst!"
"Big Star! Koguma SkyBlue!"
"The ultimate saviors!" Prism called, spreading her arms. "Uchuu Sentai!"
"Kyuuranger!"
"Alright. Omaera no uun..."
"Tameshite aruze!" Kotaro finished as he pulled back his mittens, and the three remaining rangers charged into battle with renewed passion, Kotaro pulling off the weighted ends of his scarf and swinging them around like nunchucks.
Now that there were three fighters on the field, the battle quickly shifted to the Kyuurangers' favor, with Kotaro becoming a welcome addition to the team, taking out more than a few of the soldiers. The ground troops were starting to dwindle, and Mothma was becoming agitated.
"There's merit in fleeing!" Mothma resolved as his wings sprouted again and he began to fly off. However, this time around, Kotaro was able to throw his scarf, which could stretch to ridiculous lengths, and managed to snag Mothma's leg, pulling him near a street lamp as the Daikaan swerved and yelled at Kotaro to let go.
"Atta boy, Kotaro!" Prism laughed as the two girls finished off the last of the ground troops. "Alice, care to do the honors?"
"Gladly," Alicorn nodded, and spreading her wings, she flipped through the air and slashed with her staff, sending Mothma careening to the ground with a thud.
"Take that!" Kotaro laughed before Big Bear once again emerged.
"Bear~! Let me lend you my power," Big Bear offered, and after a bit of confusion of Kotaro pulling out the right kyuutama, Prism realized with a grin what was next.
"Alice, we might wanna back up," Prism chuckled as she gestured her to hide behind a pillar. "Trust me; this is going to be fun!"
Ooguma Kyuutama! SAY! THE ATTACK!
"You damn little kid!" Mothma groaned as he stumbled to his feet, utterly unaware of Kotaro's new transformation. The power of the Ooguma kyuutama allowed its user to grow to the size of a Voyager; a fact almost everyone quickly figured out as Kotaro grew ten times the size of Mothma.
Kotaro was having the time of his life, stomping and jumping all over the place to catch the cowering Daikaan and managing to land a mini Godzilla punch right in his chest, sending him flying a good few feet as the growth powers wore off.
"That was incredible Kotaro!" Alice awed as the two returned to join the boy.
"Way to get a handle on your powers, buddy. But I'm afraid we're almost out of time; we need to wrap this up," Prism announced, the three of them clicking their kyuutamas back just as Mothma struggled to stand.
GALAXY! "All-Star Crash!"
The three-way blast rang true, and Mothma finally met his end, the particles dissipating around him as Alice felt a weight lift off her shoulders.
"Yosh. Amagawa to Orion-Gou, this is Amagawa, does anyone read me? Raptor, Shirei, anyone?" Prism called into her blaster, the three hovering over the device in anticipation.
At first, there was nothing but static, and the three shared a worried glance through their helmets. "Guys, please, can you read me? Anyone?!"
The static remained, and the outsider's breathing was turning into hyperventilating, Alice keeping an arm around her just in case.
But at last, a chime from the comms rang, and a very familiar voice came through.
"We read ya loud and clear Ms. Meteor. Evasive maneuvers worked, the system's back online, Karone is starting to recover, and before I forget, thanks for the save. See you soon!"
"YATTA!" the three cheered. "Good luck!"
"Alice, how are you feeling?" Prism panted as the adrenaline began to wear off.
SAY! THE GO!
Alice dissipated into the cockpit as Alicorn Voyager reappeared, prancing and neighing in celebration.
"I guess we'll take that as better!" Kotaro laughed as the two Earthlings hugged.
"Buddy I am so proud of you!" Prism praised the young boy.
"I can't believe I'm finally a Kyuuranger! It feels amazing! You better watch out Jack Matter! Kotaro Sakuma's coming for ya!" Kotaro cheered.
"Hey, you're not just Kotaro anymore, Little Bear. You're Koguma SkyBlue now!"
After the trio returned home, with plenty of shocks all around towards Kotaro's new kyuutama, the young Earthling was welcomed into the crew and spent most of the day getting his new Rebellion jacket. There were a few mishaps from Kingston asking Shirei where her coat was after all this time, but for the most part, the young boy integrated seamlessly.
Karone was also apologizing all over herself for causing this mess, but everyone forgave her without a second thought, Naaga and Lucky included, and Kingston pointed out that while it was an ordeal for everyone, it did result in Kotaro joining the team, so it wasn't all bad.
Later on, the whole crew gathered around, the two customs resting in their kyuutamas and Kingston and Stinger off to the side, as Shou summoned Big Bear's spirit for all to see.
"Shou, you've met some fine nakama."
"Leave it all to me, right everyone?" Shou asked, to most of the crew's exasperation.
"Young lady, I don't think I've ever met a soul quite like you."
"Yeah, I get that a lot," the young girl panted, feeling a bit tired from the day's adventure. "It was an honor Big Bear."
"Boy, I leave the galaxy in your hands."
"Leave it to me," Kotaro smiled, now dressed in his light blue Rebellion jacket, his red and blue bandana peeking out from his collar.
"Shou, have you managed to find the Argo ship?"
"Don't worry. We haven't yet, but we will."
"Very well. I wish good luck to you all," Big Bear saluted, the others following suit as the spirit vanished into the kyuutama, finally able to rest in peace.
"Shirei, what's the Argo ship?" Stinger inquired from off to the side.
"Right...The key to defeating Jack Matter," Shou answered.
"Hitakore! Then we should find that next," Hammy grinned as her tail curled in pleasure.
But as the others began to celebrate Kotaro joining the Kyuurangers, Stinger happened to notice Kingston excuse herself, leaning on the wall. Garu seemed to see this as well, and with a nod in her direction, the two began to follow.
The outsider herself was feeling a pounding headache, worse then every past one that she could remember. Her vision felt cloudy, and her balance was off. Kingston couldn't figure out what was wrong. She hadn't taken that hard of a beating to explain this kind of effect, and she wasn't using any of her abilities, so what was wrong with her?
As the scorpion and the wolf followed her, they watched as the girl's health steadily declined, her breathing becoming heavier as she was being supported more and more by the wall.
What seemed like hours later, the girl finally made her way into her room, the auto door hissing shut behind her just as Garu and Stinger turned the corner.
Now that the outsider was away from any prying eyes, she thought maybe some time alone would help clear her mind and let her recharge. After all, it had been a few episodes since she had taken a break, it couldn't hurt.
So with a content smile, she started fumbling with her bag to pull out her headphones.
It is time.
Kingston's head shot up, making her a little dizzy, as she looked around. No, no one had followed her in, and she hadn't started her music. So who was that talking?
Don't be afraid. I am here to help you find your way. Come with me.
Suddenly, the symptoms the girl was feeling seemed to wash away, the pain going numb and vanishing like shells carried away by the tide.
The outsider, sighing at the relief, gave a tired smile as she looked up at the ceiling.
"Thank you."
And she shed a few tears as the world went black.
Ummm, hehe, uhh so, am I the only one who thought Stinger could've used his tail like that? I mean seriously, he was a spy, it's not that far from the realm of possibility to use the stinger as a lockpick, am I right?
Ok ok, yes, I am planning a little something for our shooting star. I will wholly admit that I have taken a LOT of inspiration for certain plot points and ideas from the two stories of this make for Gokaiger, GokaiShadow and Kaizoku Sentai Gokaiger Plus, as I stated in the first chapter.
I will also admit that my first chapter is a lot like those two stories as well, and while I know this scenario might seem a bit familiar to GokaiShadow fans, I can assure you that 1, I am not trying in any way to copy or steal ideas from GreyKing or LurkerLordX. I respect them as my senseis, and their stories are their own.
And second, I have my reasons for doing this. I won't give any spoilers now, but keep this in mind. I'm using this as a sort of...clarification, let's call it. You will see what I mean next chapter.
In any case, thank you all so much for your time, please read and review if you have the chance, and I'll see you all soon!
JAA NA!