Chapter 8
Their covert suits on, everyone followed Amy and Shizuka over to another room, one with what looked to be individual chambers colored after each of them, everyone making it to their respective one.
"I'm so sorry." Amy apologized. "I didn't know they'd be this soon."
"None of us did." Shizuka said, patting Amy's shoulder. "But, now that they are here, we gotta stop 'em. Quickly. It's located in Tokyo, we'll teleport you to its exact location. But first, remember this: to henshin, you need to insert your Ryumucard into your Roaryal Buzzer. Say 'Ryumu Change,' and press the button with the lightning bolt."
Everyone looked to their devices, confirming it.
"Again…I'm sorry you have to go on duty at such short notice," Amy told them. "But…I have every faith you'll make it through."
Everyone nodded.
"You won't regret choosing us." Azu told her. "We'll make sure of it."
Amy smiled warmly. "Good luck, then, Ryumushingers."
"Right!" Everyone chorused, teleporting away in beams of light in their own colors.
"..." Shizuka smiled, rubbing Amy's shoulder.
"They can do this, they can do this." Amy repeated more to herself than anyone else in the room.
In 5 colored flashes of light, the group arrived at a street in Tokyo, looking around for the monster.
Surprisingly…there didn't seem to be that much damage. Just some dented street lamps, a kicked over trash bin…maybe a few cracks in walls here and there, but even then they weren't that big. Could probably fix it up in an hour at best.
"...Maybe…they're farther off?" Slavi suggested.
"A possibility…" Azu nodded. "Let's go."
Everyone started quickly making their way down the street, following the path of (light) destruction.
Eventually, when they turned a corner, they, fortunately, saw their target.
A bipedal green and red striped monster themed around a venus fly trap, it seemed, with a sort of humanoid head in the middle with 3 inhuman eyes and a mouth, a collar-like formation around his neck made of a venus fly trap's jaws.
In addition to that, there were several robotic ant-themed foot soldiers..
What they were not expecting…
Was for them to be waiting patiently. surrounded by just…minimal property damage.
They most certainly did not expect what happened next.
"Oh, hey, there you are!" The monster greeted, a jovial smile on his face, his tone one of meeting an old friend.
Everyone stood there, staring blankly.
…
Back at the base, sitting in front of a giant viewing screen, Shizuka and Amy, along with some other attendees and workers, stared blankly, dumbfounded looks on their faces.
…
"..." Azu blinked behind her mask. "...ok uh…what the hell is happening?"
"Come! We battle!" The vines making up his arm form a rapier as he stands ready. He seemed… excited to see them? He was expecting them?
"...wait wait wait wait!" Azu said, waving her arms. "...what the hell is this!?"
"Oh, I was going to cause some massive destruction to lure you all out but I felt bad and really… I'm a precision fighter not all out damage. I poked a few holes here and there, let the goons kick some trash cans, that sort of thing."
…
…
Everyone stared blankly again.
There was a long period of silence as everyone took that in.
"...you felt….bad…about it?" Azu repeated.
"Yep."
…
Another long silence.
"...you….you felt….BAD….about it?"
"I believe that's the same question you just asked."
As Azu made incredulous noises, Slavi walked forward.
"My apologies for Red here, you see, there's a certain…pattern, Earth is used to in regards to invaders. We…don't expect our enemies to not do much property damage, much less because of the reasons you stated. We…hardly get invaders that're…well, considerate of those things." The snake explained.
"Yes I've read the reports, no offense but your previous invaders sound like sociopaths."
Everyone, save Azu who was still trying to comprehend all this, making confused, incredulous strangling noises, sweat dropped.
"You'd be right on the money…" Slavi answered, rubbing her head.
"See? I'm… basically just a soldier, sort of like you guys, so while we must fight to the death, that doesn't mean we cannot be civilized, yes?"
Slavi grinned widely beneath her mask, nodding excitedly. "I'm down with that!" She turned to the others. "What about you guys?"
"..." Nazu shrugged. "Well, it would be a nice change of pace."
"Hey, if he wants to be nice while trying to kill us, I'm up for it." Andah added.
"...this is…highly…unorthodox for the empire…" Ziga said. "But…ok, if he's truthful."
"Red?" Slavi asked.
…
Slavi sighed, walking over to Azu, who seemed to still be trying to wrap her head around this.
BONK!
Azu blinked, looking up at Slavi's masked face. "...what?"
"Our first monster of the week is actually a nice guy. We'll still have to fight him, but he's not gonna be a ruffian about it, basically."
"..." Azu blinked. "...uh…" She rubbed her head. "...o….ok then."
Slavi grinned, turning back to the monster. "Oh! Before we start, uh…what's your name? We didn't catch it."
"Ah, thank you, I am Vinepier!" He waved the Rapier as he said his name.
"Nice to meet you!" Slavi grinned, waving back. "So, uh, do your courtesy and civilized ways allow us time for a full transformation sequence?"
"Wait, a what-" Azu asked before she was cut off by Vinepier laughing.
"But of course! You're a Sentai! Go go!"
"SWEET!" Slavi yelled.
"..." Azu groaned, shaking her head. "Whatever. Everyone ready?"
"Ready!" Everyone answered, each taking out their respective Ryumucard, inserting it into their Roaryal Buzzers. As a standby tune began to play, slightly different for each one, all of them forming into a harmonious whole, they brought their left arms, where their braces were held, and pressed the lightning button. "RYUMU CHANGE!"
…
Azu stood on a panel with an image of a dragon/butterfly fusion engraved into it, surrounded by red colored flowers, a light red tint to the area around her, even the sky, though it was still oddly pleasant.
Energy clusters of butterflies swarmed her, coalescing onto her form, creating a black bodysuit, her arms and legs having red circuitry data lines. A red energy silhouette of a dragon-butterfly swooped in and engulfed her, forming armor.
Her boots were red with black data lines at the edges, her gloves being black, the edges having circuit lines in red.
Her red chest plate had a dragon's head forming the main part, her collarbone having a red butterfly.
Her shoulder pads were modeled after butterfly wings.
She had a belt that was silver-grey, the clasp being a red butterfly, darker silver dragons on either side of it.
Her back had capes that briefly formed into butterfly wings.
She had a red dragonic looking helmet, her visor being made of a dragon's maw closed in a shape which looked like circle-ovals fused together, butterfly eyes above it, and butterfly antennae above them. Around the bottom of the helmet was a black line with red circuitry patterns in it.
Snapping her fingers with her right hand, she did a jump flip. "The Ruby Light!"
The background behind her shifted to show a giant dark brown tree which looked like it could fit a whole city into it several times over, energy butterflies floating around her, a dragon's roar faintly being heard in the background, Azu striking a pose.
"RyuButterfly!"
…
Nazu stood on a platform with an image of a dragonfly-dragon engraved into it, his surroundings being that of a blue tinted night sky, the area itself being blue-lit, the floor made out of clouds.
Blue energy clusters of dragonflies flew around him before coalescing into the bodysuit. A larger energy silhouette of a dragon-dragonfly swooped in and engulfed him, forming his armor.
Under the armor he had a black bodysuit, circuitry lines running up the legs in blue, leading up to a chest-plate with a dragon's head, just above it, a dragonfly on the collarbone. The shoulder pads were modeled after dragonfly wings, the blue circuitry lines on the arms leading up to 'em.
A silver-grey belt formed on his waist, a blue dragon clasp in the center surrounding by a darker silver dragon on either side.
His helmet was blue and dragonic looking, his visor formed by a dragon maw closed in an upside down trapezoid shape, dragonfly eyes above it. A black line went across the bottom of the helmet, blue data lines in it.
Flexing his fingers, he blew on a finger gun. "The Sapphire Flyer!"
The background shifted to showcase a blue tinted cloud, blue energy clusters of dragonflies flying around it, a faint roar in the distance, Nazu striking a pose.
"RyuDragonfly!"
…
Ziga stood on a platform with an image of a mantis-dragon engraved into it, her surroundings that of a village in the rain, the area tinted yellow.
Energy clustered of mantises crawled around and coalesced onto her, forming a black bodysuit with yellow circuitry lines on the arms and legs, a larger yellow energy silhouette of a dragon-mantis engulfing her.
Her yellow chest plate was made of a dragon's head, a yellow mantis on her collarbone. On her back was a yellow mantis back shell.
Her gloves were black with yellow data lines at the edges, her boots yellow with black circuitry lines at their edges.
Her shoulder pads were modeled after mantis blades which led into the circuitry lines on her arms, forming circles that went down her ribs to connect all 4 arms together.
She had a silver-grey belt with a yellow mantis clasp, darker silver dragons on either side.
Her helmet was yellow and dragonic looking, with mantis side fangs, a black line going around the bottom with yellow data lines in it, visor formed from a dragon maw closed in a triangle shape.
The background shifted to showcase the largest house in the village, several names written on the walls like a memorial stones, a roar being heard from inside which, oddly enough, didn't strike a sense of terror…but a sense of determination.
Dusting off her hands, she spoke. "The Topaz Slasher!"
She struck a pose. "RyuMantis!"
…
Andah stood in what seemed to be a forest/city made of giant grass, the area tinted green, standing on a plate form with an image of a grasshopper-dragon engraved on it.
Green energy clusters of grasshoppers hopped onto her, forming a black bodysuit with green circuitry lines on her arms and legs, a larger green energy silhouette of a grasshopper-dragon engulfing her to form her green armor.
Her collar had a grasshopper, leading down to a dragon head like the others. Her helmet's visor looked like the inside of a dragon's maw, glowing with red grass-hopper eyes inside the V/grasshopper leg shaped visor and grasshopper antenna on top of the helmet. The bottom of her helmet had a black line going around it with green circuitry lines in it.
Her shoulder pads were modeled after grasshopper ends, her black gloves having green data lines at the edges.
Her green boots also had black circuitry lines in them like the others, the ankles of said boots having grasshopper leg-like devices.
She had a silver-grey belt with a green grasshopper clasp, darker silver dragons on either side.
Her back resembled a grasshopper's, to finish it off.
The background shifted to show the entrance to what seemed to be a home of some sorts, the entrance seeming like a grasshopper's home.
She winked with one of her red eyes, leaping high into the sky. "The Emerald Kicker!"
She landed in a 3 point landing before striking a pose. "RyuHopper!"
…
Slavi stood on a platform with an image of a firefly-dragon engraved into it, her surroundings behind that of a semi-futuristic small town with many pink lights around it.
Pink energy clusters of fireflies flew around her, glowing before coalescing into a black bodysuit with pink data lines on the arms and legs.
Like the others her chest is a dragon's face, the collar containing a fire-fly. Her visor was a dragon's maw closed in a somewhat heart shape. The bottom of her helmet had a black line going around it with pink data lines in it. Above her visor were firefly eyes and antennae.
Her shoulder pads were modeled after firefly wings which led into the arm's pink circuitry lines.
She had a silver-grey belt like the others, with a pink firefly clasp, dragons on either side in a darker silver color.
She had black gloves with pink data lines at the edges, her boots pink with black circuitry lines at the edges.
On her back were firefly wings with some glowing parts.
Her suit also had glowing circles that got smaller the lower you went.
The background shifted to the largest house in the small town, energy clusters of pink fireflies flying out, a roar heard from inside.
Slavi clapped her hands. "The Amethyst Star!"
She spun around, shining light all over before striking a pose. "RyuFirefly!'
…
The 5 of them appeared in a white void, each standing on a path of their color.
"The crystals shining a light!"
Clap!
"The power of dragons and insects!"
"Gijutsu Sentai!" Azu began, everyone going into poses reminiscent of their insects, but also doing dragon-like gestures.
"RYUMUSHINGER!" Everyone finished, multicolored explosions going off behind them.
…
Vinepier and the soldiers clapped, cheering for them as they re-took their fighting stances.
Once more Azu's response was pure confusion.
"...what just happened?" Azu asked, blinking behind her helmet.
"Ooooh I've been waiting years for this!" Slavi squealed, clapping in excitement.
"No, seriously, what just happened, why did I do that!?" Azu asked again.
"Because…you did it?'
"But I didn't mean to! I didn't want to! Something made me do it! I-I henshined, and then I was in this, like, acid trip dimension, and striking stupid poses and saying stupid names, I didn't choose to do that, WHAT MADE ME DO THAT?!"
"Have you not consumed any sentai media?"
"Media!?"
Andah tsked. "I'm guessing you haven't read the newsletter?"
"...I…mostly just read the Rider ones…"
"...there are newsletters?" Nazu asked, blinking.
"For real, what the hell happened!?" Azu asked again.
"The grid's a stickler for tradition." Shizuka informed her over comms.
"...the what?"
"Oh!" Slavi perked up, turning to Vinepier. "Sorry to keep you waiting, Vinepier! We got kinda sidetracked."
"It's not a problem, mademoiselle. You ready now?"
"Certainly!" Slavi answered. "Let's go, guys!"
Everyone but Azu charged at the enemies.
"Wait-but-THAT DOESN'T ANSWER MY QUESTIOOOOOOON!" Azu yelled, running after them.
The foot soldiers charged at them, and the battle began.
Ziga used her upper arms to slam two soldiers into the ground by their heads, using her lower arms to grab their legs and spin them around like clubs.
Andah jumped up and used her heavier body to elbow slam two soldiers standing next to each other.
Nazu saw a soldier throwing a punch, slamming his fist down with his palm before backhand striking his chin, spinning around and spartan kicking him.
Slavi slipped and moved like the snake she was, avoiding attacks and even getting some soldiers to accidentally hit each other.
Azu started putting her training to use, throwing a kick into a soldier's head like Ziga taught her, seeing another out of the corner of her eye coming at her, ducking under it and judo-throwing it into a pile of soldiers.
"Okay, I KNOW I haven't gotten that down well enough to do that." Azu said over comms, staring in shock before immediately side stepping a punch, grabbing the offending soldier, and slamming him head-first into a nearby bench.
"Well, we figured there was a possibility that by the time we officially recruited you, we wouldn't have much time to get you fully trained, so I programmed a system into your powers that'll make up for your lack of experience." Shizuka explained as Azu ducked under a punch, sending a palm strike to the attacker's chin and elbowing him in the chest.
"Doesn't that defeat the point of training?" She asked, sweep kicking two more to the floor and stepping on them to leap kick three more.
"Not at all. You see, while you may have your powers ready at any time, there may come a time where, for whatever reason, you won't have em on you or be able to use em. In that case, you're gonna need all the training you can get. Besides, the more experienced and skilled you are, the less the system needs to focus on you, and the more it can focus on making you more powerful."
"Oh… that's the first thing that's made sense all day."
Just as she was about to counter a soldier running up to her, he was knocked to the floor by Slavi's boot, the snake woman slamming him down into the ground.
"I had that." Azu told her. Slavi giggles, whipping behind Azu and slamming another soldier into one of those trees that grow out of a plot of land on the sidewalk.
"I know~"
Azu groaned, very thankful she had a helmet on so Slavi couldn't see the state of her face right now, turning around and roundhouse kicking two soldiers, Slavi grabbing them by the legs and throwing 'em up into the air, Andah leaping up and kicking them into another pile.
Andah turned to Ziga, tossing her a group of soldiers. "So when do you think Pink'll actually ask her out?"
"Well based on the past few days of training with her," Ziga said, the fangs on her helmet enlarging and biting in the foot soldiers, causing them to explode before the fangs shrank back. "When she starts using her head instead of…well, the lower stuff."
"Soooo give her 2 weeks?" Andah chuckles, punching two of them in the stomach before picking them up and slamming them into their buddies. "What about you and Amy?"
Ziga froze. "Wha-wha-what about me and her?"
Andah moves to stop some soldiers that attacked Ziga while she was frozen. "I'm literally programmed to monitor heart rate, fluctuations in voice, etc, I know when people like each other."
"I-" Ziga paused, seeming to go into deep thought. "...that…would explain a few things…"
"Soooo you gonna ask her?" Andah teased while keeping soldiers off of the yellow ranger like a star quarterback.
"...uh..heheh.." Ziga rubbed the back of her helmet with her upper right hand, Andah catching the arm of a soldier and using him as a club to bat others away. "That's uh…heheh…that's a uh…complicated matter." She said, her lower left arm grabbing a soldier's hand, twisting it before she kicked him away.
"Awww cmon, how is it more complicated than Azu and Slavi?" Andah asked, grabbing a pile and chucking them into an oncoming wave.
"One of these things is not like the other." Ziga insisted, ducking under a strike, letting the soldier attacking her get punched by Amy…before the mantis paused. "Wait…Shizuka, is Amy listening?"
…
"I… not anymore?" Shizu said sheepishly, glancing at the door Amy had stormed out of, blushing bright red.
…
"..." Ziga put her helmet-covered face in her upper hands, her lower ones helping Andah dealing with the new soldiers.
Andah went silent, feeling bad too as she helped mop up soldiers.
"...I have royally….ROYALLY…screwed up…" Ziga groaned, stomping on a soldier's foot, Andah kicking his head off, exposing the circuitry underneath.
"Maybe she walked away to laugh?" Andah offered.
"THAT'S EVEN WORSE!" Ziga moaned, falling to her knees, a soldier missing a punch as a result of that and falling right into Andah's range, getting gut-punched into a nearby building as she pats Ziga's shoulder.
Meanwhile, Azu blocked a punch with her forearm, intending to send a right hook across the soldier's face, but Slavi grabbed the head with her legs and threw it into a wall, Azu deadpanning.
"I can fight myself, y'know…" Slavi pats her head with a chuckle.
"I know you can, but you're cute and I wanna help you~"
"Green and Yellow are right there if you wanna go bother someone about getting into their pants!" Azu argued, slamming her fist into a soldier's face, sweep kicking him and stomping on his back, slamming him into the ground.
"What about me makes you think it's about getting in your pants?" Slavi asked as she punched a guy approaching behind Azu.
"All I got are another woman's looks, so don't go pretending you like me for my personality." Azu said blankly, kicking another in the face before wrapping her leg around his head, jumping and spinning him onto the ground, Slavi frowning sadly under her helmet at her words.
"That's the most self-deprecating thing I've ever heard." She manages, still kicking ass, staring at Azu.
"It's not self deprecation if it's true." Azu responded with a deep seriousness, walking off to deal with more enemies. Slavi grabbed a soldier and followed Azu, tossing them at some soldiers that were still standing before grabbing Azu's shoulder.
"Like hell it is!"
"You literally JUST met me today." Azu pointed out, turning and pushing Slavi's hand off her.
"And already I can tell you got issues."
"Issues?" Azu laughed. "Why, what makes you say that?" She sarcastically asked, slamming her fist through a soldier's head.
"Well, for starters-"
"I WAS BEING SARCASTIC!"
"You guys ok over there?" Nazu called out from his own group of enemies.
"We're fine!" Slavi called out before turning back to Azu. "Based on our other colorful friends, I'm guessing you've also got…well, not a clean past, that's clear."
"..." Azu was silent, pulling her fist back from out of the soldier. "Just keep your mouth shut about things you don't understand." She said quietly, turning to walk away, Slavi grabbing her shoulder again and pulling her close.
"I might not understand perfectly, but I think I understand enough. You're not the only one here with a past you regret."
"..."
"You're our red. You're a member of this team now, and a team can't function well if one of their own isn't at their best. While I do think you are, in fact, physically attractive, what I've seen and got from you so far as a person was enough to spark my interest. And I…I can't stand people like you putting themselves down."
"..." Azu turned away. "You wouldn't be saying that if you knew who I was."
"If what you believe about yourself is true, why would you have been chosen?"
"A mistake."
"So you think all of us were chosen by mistake?"
"..."
"...Red…no matter your past…evidently, someone thinks you're worthy of this second chance. And you chose to take up this role. Why?"
"...I…I have…people…people who also believed in me, albeit for reasons I'll never understand. I…I want to…earn the trust they've put in me…"
"Then stop putting yourself down like this and focus on earning it. Besides, if they cared enough to do that, surely it's reasonable for someone to be attracted to you, or at least wanna be a friend, right?"
"...did you write that down first, or was it off the top of your head?" Azu joked lightly. Slavi chuckles, patting Azu's shoulder.
"It's… there was someone in my life I should've talked to like that before all this."
"I'm…I'm sorry." Slavi shrugs, grabbing two soldiers and slamming them together.
"You weren't there, you don't need to apologize."
Azu kicked a soldier in the knees before side-kicking him in the chest. "...You're something else, Pink…" She told her softly, and Slavi could sense a faint smile behind that red helmet.
"I try, and plus, you were adorable in the meeting room, adorable's a personality~"
Azu blushed beneath her helmet, said helmet's cheeks seeming to turn pink.
"W-well, I-"
Azu yelped as Slavi pulled her in for a dance dip, kicking a few soldiers who had attempted to catch them off guard, the two standing right up after it.
"...Give a girl a lil warning next time?" Azu asked, her helmet cheeks somehow turning redder. Slavi chuckles, grabbing Azu's hips.
"Warning!" She says before picking her up and spinning her so she can kick another wave.
"Duck!" Azu said, the snake woman ducking, the gynoid jumping off of her and side-kicking a soldier coming up behind the pink ranger.
"Nice job!" Slavi says uppercutting another soldier to the floor.
Azu roundhouse kicked that soldier into another group. "Not so bad yourself."
Slavi grins under her helmet, looking around, realizing the soldiers were done, Vinepier clapping for them all.
"Well done! Bravo! Excellent techniques!" He cheered, like a normal guy at his favorite band's concert.
Everyone gathered up, baffled.
"...ok…definitely not used to getting complimented by the enemies…Pink, you seem to be more familiar with Sentai, this ever happen before?" Azu asked.
"...not that I recall…"
Vinepier laughed, hands returning to sword-like vines. "Now that you're warmed up, Engarde!"
Everyone got into stances before charging at him.
Azu went first, jumping and doing an ax kick. He lifted a sword to block, laughing. Flipping off of it, she jumped off of Slavi's shoulder, who did a spin kick to knock him to the side before doing a roundhouse kick to his face. He quickly ducked down and fluidly moved over to Nazu who dodged a thrusting attack.
Andah ran up, the grasshopper leg on her right foot's ankle glowing as she slammed her foot into the side of the monster's blade, the leg compressing before shooting him back, the monster creating tredges in the ground as he tried to keep from tumbling over.
"Not bad, not bad!" Vinepier grinned. "Excellent teamwork so far!"
"...ok this is weirding me out…" Azu whispered.
"No kidding…" Andah said, rubbing the back of her head. "Like…I almost feel bad for having to fight this guy."
"Boss, this ever uh..happened before? Even once?" Azu asked over comms.
"...no….not even once…I…don't know what the hell's going on."
Azu and Andah looked to each other, shrugging as the fight continued.
Vinepier was a good fight, fluid and hard hitting with precision strikes, but his blows were decidedly non-lethal and he barely made contact before calling out "Point" and backing off.
Everyone gathered up.
"Ok is it just me or does it seem like he's holding way back?" Azu asked everyone.
"He's fencing, he closes his venus mouth like the face guards and calls point whenever he hits us. He's not fighting, he's playing a sport." Nazu says sharply.
"He…does remember he's helping his empire invade us, right?" Azu said, sweat dropping. "There's being civilized and then there's this."
"Would you rather he be actively trying to kill us?" Andah asked.
"Well then what exactly are we supposed to do in this situation if he's not trying to kill us right now? Either this empire's using a bizarre method of conquering or he's trying to catch us off guard." Azu asked, glancing back at their foe.
"... Maybe the Empire is under new management." Ziga said after a lot of thought. She stands and turns to Vinepier.
"Vinepier, who is your Empress?"
"Queen Arania Spydestia the 24th." Vinepier answered.
"The 24th? What happened to the 23rd?"
"Oh, she uh….she died."
"Ah… My apologies, thank you for clearing this up." Ziga returns to the huddle.
"New management…that would explain everything, actually…" Azu said. "This does still bring up the question of what're we supposed to do? I'm still new to this whole sentai thing. Do we…we kill him or…or what…?"
It went unnoticed by 3 of the 4 others, but Slavi could sense just the slightest bit of…hesitation upon the mention of that possibility in the red ranger.
"Shizu, is Project Tarturus ready?" Ziga asked over the comms.
"As interesting as the potential moral debate that was probably coming might've been, yes, it is ready." Shizu answered.
Azu got less tense at that, Slavi smiling at the gynoid's relief.
"So, Project Tartarus…what is it?" Azu asked. "Like, exactly?"
"Basically whenever we've weakened one of them enough we can… stuff them in a cube. I swear if anyone makes a joke about a certain monster franchise…" Ziga explained, groaning at the end.
"...GOTCHACATCHEMALL!" Slavi said quickly, snickering as Ziga glared at her. Ziga sighed loudly.
"Jokes aside. We've been working on it for a while. It's automatic so we don't need to use a specific item to catch them."
"Alright, so we fight him till he's weakened and then….what?" Azu asked.
"Ooh! Ooh! Would a finishing move do it?" Slavi asked.
"Yes, Slavi, a finishing move would do it." Ziga nods.
"Alright!"
Everyone broke the huddle to look at Vinepier, who'd been waiting patiently.
"Sorry for making you wait! Again!" Slavi called out.
"Ha! It is only fair, a good battle needs a good plan!" Vinepier laughed.
"Alright, let's do this." Azu said, cracking her knuckles.
Vinepier rushes her first, lunging with both rapiers. Azu spun around, slapping him away and into the path of Slavi, who slid between the rapiers and slammed him over her into the ground.
He groans before bouncing back onto his feet. Just as he was about to stab at the snake woman, he was knocked away by a blast, turning to see Nazu holding a circular black and silver device with glowing neon blue lining, a straight part pointing down to reveal a chamber that evidently had been where the blast came from.
"Whoa!" Andah grinned. "A sidearm?"
"Not just that," Nazu commented, flipping so the straight part covered the chamber, the weapon now resembling a blade. "A gun-sword."
"So cool!" Slavi grinned.
"Ha! Indeed!" Vinepier commented. "It seems I must up my game as well!" He grins and the venus mouth shuts over his head as he rushes Nazu in a green blur, not just thrusting once his swords rush out in a flurry of strikes.
"WHOA-" Nazu was sent into a wall, creating a small crater.
"Shit, knew he was holding back, but damn!" Azu growled, taking out her own side arm, this one glowing red instead of blue, firing at Vinepier. Vinepier's helmet hissed at the contact but he didn't react, rushing Azu next.
"Nope!" Azu jumped backwards, firing at him. "Ok, this is doing no good!"
"Try using your wings to fly up!" Andah called out.
"My-oh right!" Azu's visor flashed as her capes turned into butterfly wings, the red ranger jumping and floating up into the air.
"I knew you were an angel, now you have the wings!" Slavi giggled.
"...Angels don't have butterfly wings.." Azu deadpanned. Slavi shrugged, pulling out her pink sword, her own fluidity allowing her to keep up with one of Vinepier's swords, Ziga using her experience and training to take the other.
Azu flew over to Nazu, who had landed on the floor from the wall crater. Helping him up, she dusted off his shoulders. "You alright?"
"I'm fine, I just didn't expect him to shift so suddenly."
"You got wings, too. Fly up with me, let's see if we can spot anything we can use." Nazu nods and forms his own wings as he follows her.
The two floated up in the air, watching as Slavi and Ziga fought Vinepier at the same time.
"His helmet's open now. So, he ain't able to see through it." Azu noted.
"And he uses it when he's doing his charge attack. So when he's able to see, he's vulnerable, but he can fight better. When he can't see, he can't fight, but he's harder to crack." Nazu added.
"So we need to take him by surprise while he's fighting, or get him stuck somewhere in his charge attack." Azu concluded.
"Slavi and Ziga slow him down working together, the rest of us should figure out where to hit him."
"I see we're of like minds." Azu quipped. "...hey wait a minute, where's Andah?"
"KYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!" The familiar voice of the gynoid cried out, everyone looking upwards, seeing the green ranger come falling down in a kicking pose aimed straight down at Vinepier's head, her grasshopper leg glowing.
"Oh great-" Vinepier cursed, trying to move, Ziga and Slavi grabbing his arms. Before he could retaliate, a large explosion of smoke occurred.
Azu and Nazu blinked, floating down and walking up, Ziga and Slavi coughing.
"Uh…well that is a plan, I guess." Azu said, rubbing the back of her helmet, Andah walking out of the smoke, dusting off her hands.
"Heard your plan." Andah told her. "Quite clever. Fittingly so for a woman like you."
"Please tell me you're not gonna flirt with me too…" Azu deadpanned, sweat dropping.
"Well not just you." Andah says "Now let's get him!"
"Wait, what do you mean 'not just you'-" Azu was cut off as her teammates rushed the stuck monster. "...is anybody in this team sane and normal?" She muttered before chasing after them.
Everyone took out their sidearms, each glowing their respective colors as they attacked Vinepier, who had closed his shell, flailing his swords around as best he could.
"Ha! A clever stratagem, my fellow combatants!" He complimented, blocking a few strikes through sheer luck, since gods dammit, why did Weava have to make his shell so opaque? "However! That is not the only trick I have up my sleeve!" He grins and cheers as his legs pop up under Andah and hold her down, his arms extending at her. "Apologies, Madam, this may sting!"
"Ah shit shit shit!" Andah swore, Azu and the others firing their sidearms at the arms, Ziga and Slavi moving to block them with their swords.
"We got defense, keep on his head!" Ziga shouts.
Azu nodded. "Blue, let's go!"
"Right!"
Azu and Nazu fired at Vinepier's head quickly, the monster growling before shutting his shell again.
"Dammit, we need something more powerful!" Azu growled. "Shizu, have we got anything else in our arsenal?" She spoke over comms.
"Ummm depends, you mean like, stronger individual weapons or like a team weapon?"
"Either or!"
"Okay, reach for your belt."
Azu and Nazu kept the fire on, using their free hands to reach for their belts.
"Repeat after me, Azu: "Summon Monarch Hilt." Nazu: "Summon Emperor's Bow." Got it?"
The two of them nodded.
"Summon Monarch Hilt!"
"Summon Emperor's Bow!"
Materializing from energy, weapons appeared in their free hands.
In Azu's hand was a black hilt with red highlights and a crossguard made up of butterfly wings.
In Nazu's was a black crossbow with blue highlights, the vertical side having highlights that made it look like a dragonfly's tail.
Azu looked at her weapon, examining it, pressing a button, a red energy blade emerging from it. "Whoa…"
"Oh, sweet! You have a lightsaber!" Slavi grinned, keeping one of Vinepier's arms occupied.
"It's actually called the Monarch Hilt." Shizu said over comms.
"Still a lightsaber!"
"Alright, let's try this out." Azu stopped her fire, holstering her sidearm and running forward, jumping, Nazu holstering his own side arm and aiming at the head.
Azu brought her blade down and, to everyone's shock and amazement, it cracked.
The rangers grinned, Azu jumping behind to focus on the back of Vinepier's head. "Blue, focus on his front, I'll do his back!"
"Right!" Nazu agreed, aiming at the point where the two halves of the shells met, firing blue energy blasts while Azu kept chipping away at the back.
"Green, be prepared for another surprise attack." Azu told Andah.
"Right!" Andah leapt into the sky.
"Ngh…it seems we have underestimated you! Remarkable!" Vinepier spoke from within his shell. "But you will need more than that to shatter my shell completely!"
"Pink. Do Sentai weapons also typically do finishers?"
"...Oh I am falling more in love with you by the second~" Slavi purred, Azu blushing profusely before pressing a button on her weapon.
[MONARCH HILT, FINISHER STANDBY: M O N A! R C H! M O N A! R C H!]
Nazu pressed a button on his crossbow.
[EMPEROR'S BOW, FINISHER STANDBY: E M P! E R O R! E M P! E R O R!]
Pressing the trigger, the laser blade flared up.
[MONARCH'S ROARING SLASH!]
Pressing the trigger, blue energy gathered at the barrel of Nazu's crossbow.
[EMPEROR'S ROARING BLAST!]
Azu slammed her blade down, the energy blade forming into a dragon's face, Nazu firing a blue energy dragon at the front of the shell, the two attacks landing…
And SHATTERING the shell. Vinepier yelled out in pain, the ground around him exploding, a single cube being tossed by the explosion and rolling towards the team.
Azu picked up the cube, smiling beneath her helmet. "We…we did it!"
"Did she just celebrate early?" Slavi asked.
"...why? We beat him. That's how it usually works right?"
Andah tsked. "You REALLY need to read the Sentai newsletters."
"...why?"
Weava grins watching her display crystals. "Girls! It's time for the best part!"
Owla and Poisoda jumped up excitedly. "Ooh! Ooh! Finally!" They grabbed a barrel full of metal seeds and brought it over to Weava who grins widely.
Weava materialized a staff, a red handle with web patterns, plus a black spider end, opening it and putting in the metal seeds, closing it. She aims the other end of the staff at the portal out into the human world, shooting the seed out with a loud BOOM!
Suddenly, metal seeds were absorbed into the cube, which started shaking.
Azu's eyes widened. "EVERYONE GET BACK!" She yelled, tossing the cube, everyone running like hell, when suddenly, they were blown back.
"Round two shall commence, the points are cleared!" Vinepier calls, his voice now booming through the city as he towers above most of the buildings.
Everyone groaned as they got up, Azu looking up.
"Oh…that's why…fuck…"
END