Dita hummed happily to herself as she worked on her little present that she was preparing. It was a pink pillow that had an extra-cute alien that resembled a squid with tentacles. Dita was just finishing the stitches on the alien's tentacles when Paiway skipped over to see what she was doing.
"What are you doing?" asked the teenage nurse.
"Just making something," Dita answered.
"Oh, are you going to give it to someone?" Paiway asked curiously.
"Ummm," Dita blushed. In fact, she was going to give the pillow to Ranma. Jura was getting pretty aggressive with how much she wanted to partner up with the pigtailed boy. Dita was slightly worried that her Mr. Alien would forget about her and start partnering with Jura all the time. So, she was making the gift to keep his attention.
"If it's not for anyone, can I have it?" asked Paiway.
"Huh!?" Dita gasped. "No! You can't! It's for Mr. Alien!" Blushing when she realized what she said, Dita dashed out of the Bio-Park. Paiway just blinked before she looked to her familiar frog puppet.
"Barf! Kero!"
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Ranma was doing some training. In the Bio-Park he could commune with nature. This way he could concentrate his Ki and practice his special techniques without any interference. He felt that by relying too much on his Kamen Rider powers would make his skills rusty so he decided to get some practice done.
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Meanwhile, an odd looking Vanguard was flying through space. It was colored black and blue with a faceplate that had several blue panels sticking out of its eyes. It also sported a gun with a rectangular design. Inside the cockpit was a young man in a waist coat, wearing a blue cap with matching pants. He activated the communications channel, "Hey, Rabat, are you out there, talk to me?"
The image of a man with an eye patch appeared on the screen, "Well, well, well…how is my favorite treasure hunter? Got anything new you wanna share with me?"
"Maybe, but we'll discuss price once we meet up. You got stuff I want and I got stuff you want," said the Vanguard pilot.
"Yeah, I got it. So, got another target in mind?" Rabat asked curiously.
"Oh yeah…" the Vanguard pilot smirked.
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The Nirvana had set its sights on one of the old stations which had come from the colonization era. They were called Missions and were set up for travelers to get some well needed rest and interact with other people. However, this Mission was abandoned for some time. Even though this one was abandoned, Magno had decided that it was worth examining to see if there was anything left worth seeing and taking. They were low on supplies. The ones going on the mission were Dita, Ranma, Pyoro, Jura, Meia, and Barnette.
"It feels like I'm about to rob a tomb," Ranma muttered as the Vanguard and Dreads docked in the Mission.
"We're going looting! Pyoro!" the NAVI robot cheered.
"It's not looting!" Meia frowned.
"Then what is it?" asked Pyoro curiously.
"It's…searching for raw materials," Meia explained. "The stuff we fix our machines with don't come out of thin air."
"Oh. Okay. Pyoro!" Pyoro smiled before he headed off to see what the others were going to do.
"Still feels like we're stealing," stated Ranma. "I know nobody lives here anymore but it's like stealing from the dead or something. We're no better than grave robbers."
"Life can be cruel, Ranma," Meia reminded. "We do what we must to survive."
"Yeah, so stop complaining!" added Barnette.
"Right, right…" Ranma rolled his eyes.
Dita had wanted to give Ranma the pillow she'd made but then this mission came up. Maybe she could give it to him later. He did seem like he could need a new pillow.
One time, Dita made the mistake of giving Ranma a cat doll. One look at the item immediately had Ranma running away, screaming. Dita was perplexed and hurt by his reaction…until she found out why he reacted that way from Meia. Dita was horrified by what she heard and solemnly promised to never hurt him like his awful parent had.
The group entered the Mission and began their salvage mission. Meia and Barnette handled some of the more technical stuff while Dita and Jura looked for anything else in terms of supplies. Hopefully the place wasn't really stripped to the bone as much as it seemed when the group had arrived. Ranma was kicking around the cafeteria for something that wasn't spoiled or gone when his instincts kicked up. Looking up, he spotted something blur past.
"What is it Mr. Alien?" asked Dita.
"Something's here," Ranma frowned. "Stay here, call if something happens!" he then took off in the direction of the disturbance.
"Wait! Mr. Alien!" Dita cried as she tried to give chase.
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Barnette sighed as she traveled through one of the hallways of the Mission. The computer had given some good components, but nothing that she would consider real loot. Leaving Meia to pack it up, she went in search of other stuff.
Turning the corner, she bumped into someone. Startled slightly, she looked up and saw the familiar face of one of her fellow shipmates.
"Oh, Ranma. Don't scare me like that," Barnette sighed. "Why are you here? Aren't you supposed to be with Dita? And where did you get that outfit?"
"Uh…" Ranma blinked. The outfit he was wearing included a pair of jeans, sneakers, a leather jacket, and a hat on his head. His hair was still in its pigtail and his eyes looked the same. Although, there was a strange look in his eyes when he took in her form.
"I…thought I heard something," Ranma answered weakly. "I went to see what it was. I found these clothes instead. Figured I needed to change."
"Perfect timing for new clothes," Barnette sighed as she watched Ranma. "Did you find anything else?"
"Not really," Ranma shrugged before he leaned against the wall. A grin then came to his face "You know, would you say that we really now each other all that well?"
"I would prefer not to," Barnette huffed.
"Ah, don't be that way," Ranma grinned, stepping closer to Barnette, gazing into her eyes. "Really, we've known each other for how long now?"
"A-a while I guess," Barnette shrugged. Why was it suddenly getting warm?
"Well, don't you think we should at least be on friendly terms?" Ranma asked with an easy smile. "I mean, we have been working together for a while, am I wrong?"
"You know why I don't like you," Barnette frowned, still feeling warm for some reason.
"Now really, are you really going to hold it against me?" Ranma smiled easily. "I mean, I can hardly be blamed for it."
"Well," Barnette gulped. That was true. It's not like Ranma chose to be a man at birth. The curse sure made dealing with him easier, but still, what was up with him right now? Usually they avoided each other like crazy. Now he's acting all cozy with her like they were best friends.
"I'm sure we can find some kind of way to work around it," Ranma smiled, drinking in her figure.
'Is he checking me out?' Barnette thought to herself. 'Gross! He's a man Barnette! But…that look in his eyes…it's very warm. Besides, when was the last time someone looked at you like that?'
"Okay, enough chat!" Barnette huffed, backing away slightly. "We both need to get back to work. We can work out our differences later!"
"Fine," Ranma shrugged as he stood straight. "But I'll need one thing from you first."
"And that would be?" asked Barnette.
Ranma grinned widely. Suddenly, Barnette felt herself being tilted back and a pair of lips on her own, kissing her passionately, "MNPH!?!?"
Barnette's eyes were wide in shock. A man was kissing her! A man's dirty lips were kissing her and…wow he was good at it too. He held her gently and didn't press. Just a single long kiss which made Barnette's vision swim. She thought she could feel his tongue press against her lips, but never press inside. The conscious part of Barnette's mind told her to beat down this male who was touching her, but a subconscious instinctual side was reveling in the sensations and begging to go farther, effectively freezing her.
Finally, Ranma gently brought her back to a standing position and ended the kiss. He had a grin on his face like a kid who snuck a cookie out of the cookie jar.
"Thanks for the memories," Ranma grinned as he walked off, leaving a stunned, blushing, warm and utterly confused Barnette behind.
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Ranma walked out into the man room where Meia was busy working on the components she managed to get out of the computers. Barnette had gone to find more and wasn't back yet. Meia looked up from her work to notice Ranma's red shirt glaring in the darkness, "What are you doing here?"
"I don't think we're alone on this station," Ranma frowned. "Something was hiding in the room me and Dita were exploring and it ran out here."
"Mr. Alien!" Dita cried as she dashed out behind Ranma. She was panting and trying to catch her breath. "You run real fast."
"Hmmm, well, I didn't see anything out here," Meia frowned as she prepared her laser ring. "It's probably nothing."
"No, someone's here," Ranma frowned. He looked up at one of the doorways shrouded in darkness. He pointed to it with a frown. "You can come out now."
"Well, well, well, you were always so sharp, weren't you, Decade-kun?" spoke a mocking voice not unlike his own. Ranma's eyes narrowed. He knew that voice.
Ranma turned and Dita gasped when she saw the man leaning against the wall. He looked just like Ranma!
"TWO Mr. Aliens!?" Dita exclaimed.
"Diend!" Ranma hissed angrily.
"In the flesh!" the jacketed boy laughed. "I've gotta say, I never expected to find you here of all places. Seems your luck with women remains the same too. Surrounded by babes. You lucky dog."
"Shut up," Ranma frowned. "What are you doing here?"
"Doing what I do best of course," Ranma-Diend grinned. "Hunt down treasures and one of a kind items. I am a collector after all."
"You're a dirty thief is what you are," Ranma growled, remembering some of the exploits that he and Diend had to go through in the past.
"One man's opinion," Ranma-Diend shrugged.
"Ranma, who is this?" Meia asked as her eyes darted between the two Ranmas. "And why does he look like you?"
"Oh, he didn't tell you, did he? I'm his…" Ranma-Diend began.
"Evil twin brother," Ranma finished. Ranma-Diend frowned.
"Aw…come on. I may be a lot of things, but I'm not evil."
"That's a matter of opinion. So, what's a thief like you doing in a place like this?" Ranma asked his thieving counterpart.
"Oh, you know me. Once I see a treasure, I can't help but want to claim it." Ranma-Diend darted over to Dita. "And speaking of treasures…So, cutie, where have you been all my life, hm?"
Before Dita could respond Ranma shoved Ranma-Diend away. "Back off."
"Wow, protective are we? Does that mean she's your new girlfriend or something?" Ranma-Diend teased.
Ranma blushed, denying, "It's not like that!" Ranma-Diend then looked towards Meia who was pointing her laser ring at him.
"Oh, feisty, huh? I like feisty girls."
"State your purpose," Meia demanded. "And NO funny stuff."
"Or what, you'll shoot me?"
"If I have to," Meia frowned.
Ranma knew this was a fight Meia wouldn't win when it came to drawing speed. Ranma-Diend was an expert marksman and just as fast as Ranma despite not having the same martial arts training. However, Ranma-Diend had been all over the world learning all sorts of martial arts while Ranma had only been to Japan and China. Not to mention that Ranma-Diend probably still had the Diendriver on him still. His main weapon of choice.
"Well, since you asked," Ranma-Diend shrugged as he backed away, but the flirtatious look in his eyes when he gazed at Meia and Dita didn't leave. "I'm just here gathering supplies and stuff I can use for another sale. A guy has to make a living somehow. Am I wrong to assume you're here for parts too?"
"Are you the only one here?" Meia asked sternly.
"Actually…." Ranma-Diend began.
"AHHHHHHH!!! HELP ME! PYORO!" a certain NAVI screamed.
"That would be Utan. Rabat can't be too far behind."
"Rabat?" asked Ranma.
The group went to the source of the screams and found a orangutan clutching the white robot and licking it happily. Pyoro himself was screaming for help as the orangutan seemed perfectly happy to cuddle it and use it as a toy.
"Wow. Utan seems to have taken a liking to your toy," Ranma-Diend grinned. "Think I can buy it off you guys?"
"No way!" Dita frowned. "Pyoro is ours! You can't have him…Mr. Alien 2!"
"Mr. Alien 2?" Ranma-Diend blinked. "Wow. Never been called that before. So she's already got a pet name for you bro? Sure you're not dating?"
"Will you just stop?" Ranma growled. "You're as annoying as ever."
"Oh lighten up. It's fun!" Ranma-Diend laughed. He looked out to the metal hallways, expecting to see someone. "Hey Rabat! It's okay! These guys aren't bad. Just don't pull anything funny!"
"If you say so Diend," a deep male voice replied. A man walked out of a side hallway with his hands in his pockets. He was a tall and muscular man dressed in a poncho with an eye patch over one eye. He had long black hair which was mostly tied back with a bit sticking out in the front. He walked up until he was beside the orangutan who was still hugging Pyoro.
"Anyway, Han Solo and Chewbacca here are my business associates," Ranma-Diend introduced.
"I told you not to call me that anymore," Rabat grimaced.
"What? It's fun, Rabat," said Ranma-Diend with a grin.
"So, this is that brother of yours, huh? Looks more like a clone," stated Rabat as he eyed Ranma.
"Yeah, we look alike, but we disagree on a few things," stated Ranma-Diend.
"Sorry if I disagree on stealing," Ranma responded sarcastically.
"Wow, still as touchy as ever, I see…" Ranma-Diend smirked. "But, I'm glad you're here. You and I got a score to settle."
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Jura noticed that when she found Barnette, her emerald haired friend seemed a little off. Jura, worried for her best friend, asked, "Hey, Barnette, what's wrong?"
Ever since that kiss Ranma had given her, Barnette's mind was all jumbled up. She'd been kissed before by fellow Mejele females, but a kiss from a man was definitely a new experience…and not exactly as unpleasant as she was led to believe. Though she still believed that men had some sort of germs on them, she couldn't get the image out of her mind. Still, she would need to teach Ranma a lesson for invading her personal space. Maybe she could make him into a target when she went to practice her shooting.
"Hello? Barnette?" asked Jura.
…or maybe get him to kiss her again, just to see if he was cocky enough to try.
"BARNETTE!" Jura snapped.
"Wagh!" the gun enthusiast cried in shock. She looked to see the frowning Jura. "What?"
"You were spacing out!" Jura frowned. "Is something up?"
"N-no," Barnette denied. "Just…distracted, I guess."
"Must be some distraction then," Jura frowned. "Anyway, Meia gave us a call. Something came up and she wants all to converge on her position. "It seems we weren't as alone on this ship as we first thought."
"Good" Barnette grinned. She then drew her gun and shut the safety off. "I need something to get my mind back in order."
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"We do?" asked Ranma. "What do you mean?"
"Well, a couple of things," Ranma-Diend laughed as he walked a fair distance away from Ranma. "Like…preventing me from getting the Keroberos Ace cards or those Neo Zectors. You cost me some nice treasures."
"I weep for you," Ranma snorted. "What are you going to do about it?"
"Why, take it out of your hide," Ranma-Diend grinned. He then took out something that was hidden in his jacket. A rectangular gun with blue and black designs on it. Meia instantly raised her laser ring again, pointing at the armed boy.
"Drop the weapon!" she barked.
"Yes, why don't you?" a new voice purred before Ranma-Diend felt something poke into his back.
"Hmmm. A woman with a sword," Ranma-Diend grinned as he glanced back to see Jura with her sword at his back and Barnette pointing a gun at him. "Hey, it's you again, and you brought a friend too. Lucky me!"
"You," Barnette growled. "You're lucky I don't shoot you on principle!"
"Oh come on!" Ranma-Diend sighed. "That kiss wasn't that bad was it?"
Silence reined from the woman. The only things that broke the noise were Utan's pleased hooting and Rabat's snickers. The female pirates could only stare at their comrade, who was blushing brightly.
"You kissed this guy?" asked Jura.
"No I didn't!" Barnette snapped. "He kissed me!"
Ranma-Diend grinned cheekily as the two women argued about the kiss. Taking his opportunity, he leaped into the air, stunning all but Ranma. As he was flying through the air, Ranma-Diend drew a card which depicted a blue Kamen Rider with a paneled box-like helmet. He then landed on the ground and slipped the card into his gun. He then pushed the barrel forward, extending the weapon.
Kamen Ride:
"Henshin!" he called as he pointed his gun into the air and pulled the trigger.
Diend
Three images appeared around him a fourth one from above. The three around him turned into red, blue, and green images which converged onto him, forming a suit of armor. The fourth above, turned into several blue panels which flew down and attached to the helmet and turned part of the suit blue.
"Always a show off," Ranma sighed as he attached the Decadriver to his waist. He turned the device up and drew his Decade card. "Henshin!"
Kamen Ride: Decade
The nine symbols emerged and became body images which converged on Ranma, becoming his armor. The red panels rose from the belt and attached to his face, turning the suit red in several places. Decade sighed and drew his Ride Booker, converting it into its gun formation.
"Okay, till first blood or knock down?" asked Decade.
"Whichever happens first," Diend laughed. "Of course, I plan to make this hurt since those treasures were very precious."
"Whatever," Decade sighed as he drew a card. Diend was quick to copy him by drawing from a panel on his belt.
Attack Ride: Blast
Both Riders fired a barrage of bullets at each other, which collided in the air, making small explosions. The group of witnesses could only watch in shock as they saw the marksmanship involved with doing that sort of thing. The speed alone was amazing, but being able to shoot bullets out of the air was on another level altogether.
"Wow!" Dita gasped in amazement.
"As I thought," Diend sighed as he stopped shooting. "Still pretty good."
"Glad to see you haven't gotten rusty you perv," Decade sighed.
"Now that's not nice," Diend frowned. He tilted his head towards Barnette. "The green-haired babe there didn't seem to mind. I think she rather enjoyed herself."
"Maybe," Decade sighed. "But she's from Mejele I'll have you know. They don't like men there."
"The lesbian planet?" Diend laughed. "Oh, I know about that place. They only hate men because they never met a real one and their government supports hating men. When they meet a guy like you or me, their opinion will change. I'm sure you can testify to that."
Decade's eyes narrowed before charging at Diend, converting his Ride Booker to Sword Mode. Of course, Diend was good at tricks and as quickly as Decade attacked, he'd activated his own card.
Attack Ride: Invisible
Decade hit nothing but air as Diend seemed to vanish.
"Where did he go?" Meia questioned. Diend had just vanished.
"Can't fight what you can't see, can you, Decade-kun?" Diend's voice floated as Decade looked around for his opponent. "Where am I?"
"I can fix that," said Decade as he drew a card. "Henshin!"
Kamen Ride: Kiva
His body became covered in silver before shattering into the form of Kamen Rider Kiva. He then activated another card.
Form Ride: Kiva Dogga
Chains surrounded his arms and chest before shattering as the eyes turned from yellow to purple. Purple and silver armor that was bulky and looked bolted together replaced the Kiva Form armor. He placed the Ride Booker on his waist as he gripped the large fist-like war hammer that appeared in his hand.
"Now, to find you," said Decade-Kiva DF as he pulled a switch at the back of the hammer, opening up the fist to reveal an eye in the palm. The eye was connected to Decade-Kiva DF's visor and it scanned the area before it found the invisible Diend. "There!" He then tossed the hammer at Diend who suddenly reappeared and dodged the hammer as it smashed against a wall.
"Heh, nice, but you're still too slow!" Diend boasted before he rushed at Decade, moving at super speed. Decade-Kiva DF was struck from all directions as Diend blurred around. Several shots bombarded off his armor as he was sent tumbling and changed back into his default form. "And I thought you were the best."
"I am," Decade said as he got up. "You just use those tricks to win."
"Hey, they may be tricks, but they've saved my skin. And…for my next trick I will call on some volunteers!" Diend reached to his card holder and pulled out two cards before sliding them into his gun.
Kamen Ride: Delta
Kamen Ride: Drake
Diend shot his gun and two blurs of green, blue, and red images burst into the air. The first one forms into a man in black armor which had white lines running on it. There was a Delta symbol on the chest and the shoulder pads looked a little like wings. The helmet was black with white markings and orange eyes. In between the eyes was an upside-down delta marking flanked by two antennae. In his hand was a gun which looked similar to a camcorder from Earth.
The second was a man in a black bodysuit wearing chest armor that looked like dragonfly wings. His right shoulder looked like a dragonfly's head. In his hand was a gun that was styled after a dragonfly. His helmet was mainly silver with two large blue eyes which looked almost like wings.
"Hey! Three against one isn't fair!" Dita cried out in defense of her friend.
"War is never fair sweet thing," Diend shrugged as he and his two summoned Kamen Riders took aim. "Let's light him up!"
Kamen Ride: Caucasus
As the bullets began to fly, Decade's armor changed to the gold configuration of Caucasus. The bullets were flying closer as he managed to draw a second card and throw it into his belt.
Attack Ride: Clock Up
Decade-Caucasus vanished, leaving the bullets to deflect off the steel floor. The trio of Riders stopped firing to try and see where their target went, but they were too slow. Decade-Caucasus roared past, making sparks fly off their armor and all three hit the ground. Drake and Delta both vanished in a flash of rainbow images. Diend groaned as he sat up, staring at Decade. The tip of his blade was at his throat, indicating a victory.
"Oh man," he sighed. "Okay, okay. I give. You win this time."
"Was there any doubt?" Decade snorted, grabbing his counterpart's hand and pulling him up to his feet.
"Hey, this just means I'll have to think of something new," Diend warned. "I'll pay you back eventually.
"YAY MR. ALIEN!" Dita's cheering voice called out as she tackled Decade's side, hugging him tightly. "You beat Mr. Alien 2!"
"Hey, if you're done playing, Diend, we got a job to do," said Rabat.
Diend nodded. "Right, I nearly forgot about that." He yawned as he stretched his arms. It had been a while since he got a good fight. "Gotta get back to work and make a living." He saluted his twin and his friends. "Hope to see you in another part of the galaxy, Decade-kun."
Suddenly, the entire Mission began to shake and tremble. The assembled group losing their balance as something within the Mission began happening. Outside the Mission though was what was happening. The asteroids which surrounded the place ejected large machines which shot out dozens of smaller robotic spacecraft. All of them began targeting both the approaching Nirvana and the ships which were docked.
"All hands report for battle!" Buzam ordered the crew of the Nirvana.
Inside the station, the people from the Nirvana managed to hear a report from outside. They knew that they were in trouble now.
"Time to go," Diend sighed. He turned to look at Decade. "See you out there."
"Just like old times," Decade grumbled.
Decade, Dita, Jura, Barnette, and Meia went running for their ships to attempt to get out. Rabat, Utan who was holding Pyoro, and Diend raced for their own ships. Everyone quickly got to their machines and hit the activation sequences. All the ships exited into space, seeing the Drone Ships flying through space and fighting against the Nirvana and its Dread squadrons.
"Here we go," Decade frowned as he flew at the battle.
"Mr. Alien! Let's partner up!" Dita called to the modified Vanguard
"Oh no, it's my turn Dita!" Jura demanded.
"Can you deal with this later?!" Decade growled. His eyes were trained on the oncoming drones which were already taking pot shots at them. As the ships came closer though, new shots cut through space and destroyed each of the ships. "Huh?"
"Yeeeeehhaaaaa!" the voice of Diend cheered as his machine flew into the thick of the battle. It certainly looked like a modified Vanguard, but it seemed to be of the same configuration as Decade's. It was even bigger than the regular Vanguards like Decade's
"Mr. Alien 2?" Dita blinked in confusion.
"My name's Diend," the blue Kamen Rider sighed. "Repeat after me, Di-end
"Why are you helping us?" asked Meia with a frown.
"Well I can't get out of here without fighting anyway," Diend shrugged. "Besides, I really can't let a bunch of beautiful women fend for themselves in a battle, no matter how capable they really are."
"Keep talking and they're going to shoot you," Decade warned.
"Just being my charming self," Diend shrugged. He turned his view screen to see the drones still attacking. "Well, might as well blow some more stuff up."
Diend opened fire on the drones with his mecha's gun. The shots cut through the enemy ranks and missed the Dreads which were fighting them. His marksmanship was as sharp as ever as he blew up the enemy machines.
"You're not leaving me out of this," Decade frowned as he got the Vanguard Decade flying towards the battlefield.
"Wait for me!" Dita cried out.
"Hey! We're supposed to partner up!" Jura added, flying after the machine.
Decade ignored him as his mecha's own weapon was cutting down the drone's numbers. He slashed at them with his sword as his thieving counterpart shot at them.
"Now, isn't this interesting? First we fight each other and now we're working together," stated Diend.
"Whatever," snorted Decade.
"Hm…better cut these things down quickly," said Diend as he slipped a gold card into his gun. He then inserted the barrel into an interface on the console.
Final Attack Ride: Di-Di-Di-Diend
Diend's Vanguard pointed its gun forward and nine rings of rectangles formed, creating a tunnel between him and the drones. On closer inspection, it was revealed that the rectangles were cards. The nine rings of cards spun, creating a vortex which kept the drone fighters in place with a vacuum. With the attack charged up, Diend pulled the trigger. A green and black surge of energy burst from the gun, absorbing the cards before finally crashing against the drones. They all exploded when the beam hit them.
"Boo-YAH!" Diend cheered. "Beat that, Decade-kun!"
"I intend to," Decade snorted as he drew his next card.
Final Attack Ride: De-De-De-Decade
Nine gold projections emerged in front of the Vanguard Decade and were aimed at the machines which were sending out the Drone fighters. Blasting into the air, the Vanguard Decade moved into a kick position and fired its rockets. The giant machine flew through the projections before emerging from the final one and smashing though several of the deployment machines, destroying the source of the drones.
"Let's see you beat THAT!" Decade snorted.
The bragging was short lived when more deployment drones erupted from the asteroids. Groaning, both of them began fighting the deploying drones. However, backup swiftly came in Rabat's red ship. On top of it was a machine which seemed loaded to the teeth and looked kind of animal-like.
"Uh-oh," Diend gulped. "Utan's on the triggers. Let's make tracks!"
"Huh?" Decade and his three Dread comrades blinked.
The red mecha let out a hoot from its radios before unleashing an unbelievable amount of ammunition into space. The drones were all hit and were exploding all over the battlefield. Utan was hooting and hollering in glee, loving the attention. The Dreads and Vanguards quickly began fleeing so not to get shot by accident. Inside the ship, Rabat sighed as he watched the weapon stores get depleted. So much for the profits he got from his last sale.
However, for every deployment drone of fighter drone that went down, another one started coming out of nowhere. It didn't take long for the mecha pilots to believe that they were going to be eventually outgunned by the sheer number of machines that were fighting them.
"This isn't going well!" Barnette grimaced.
"You're right about that," Diend sighed as he eyed the Mission. "Hey Rabat, are you sure there's nothing good left in that place?"
"Didn't get long to look," the merchant replied. "If you have to destroy it, try to leave it mostly intact would ya?"
"No promises," Diend sighed as he drew another card.
Kamen Ride: Arc
Diend's mecha's gun fired of a blast which then formed into a Rider…a BIG Rider.
The Rider was clad in black bodysuit, with golden bracelets on his wrists and ankles. Golden armored gloves covered his hands. His torso armor had chains crisscrossing over his chest and his chest plate looked like a demonic mouth with sharp teeth. His shoulder pads had curled spikes that pointed upwards. The helmet that covered his head was black with golden eyes and a pair of demonic horns settling atop of it like a crown. A green gem rested in the middle of his forehead.
"That…is a big alien," Dita gasped.
"What…what…what…what IS that?!" gasped Jura.
"Kamen Rider Arc," Diend explained with pride. "He used to exist on Kiva's world, but was destroyed by none other than Kiva himself. He only exists as a copy that I have under my control. Arc! Destroy the Mission!"
"Raahhhhhhhh!" Arc roared as he flew towards the station. He was in the form of a Vanguard, which allowed him access to rockets. Raising his arm, a golden tipped demonic trident appeared in his hand. Coming to a stop at the Mission itself, he raised that Trident and brought it back down into the Mission. The space station cracked like and egg and split in half. At first Diend thought nothing happened, but then he saw something flash in the centre of the station. The flash grew and turned into a horrendous explosion which engulfed Arc and made him vanish.
"Blast. Perfectly good loot wasted," Magno sighed on the bridge while the enemy fighters slowed down and became inert.
"That's my line," the voice of Rabat spoke up, his face appearing on a viewing screen. "Hey, if it's not too much trouble, think I can come aboard? My engines were damaged in the fight."
"Hmm? And why should we do that?" asked Magno.
"Hey, I'm a guy who decided to be nice and help that's all," Rabat shrugged. "Besides, seems my buddy Diend did you all a favor by summoning that freak and stopping the defenses cold."
"You are aware that we are pirates, right?" Magno snorted.
"True, but I have something you want," Rabat smirked. "Show 'em Utan."
The happy orangutan leaped into view, waving Pyoro around with glee. The white robot made groaning noises and its eyes were swirly. The crew on the bridge gasped as they saw the machine that they considered part of their crew being held hostage.
"I see," Magno frowned. "Very well. You may come aboard. However, if you or that Diend fellow make one false move, we'll show you why we're so feared."
"We'll watch our step," Rabat nodded as he shut the connection down.
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Rabat and Diend boarded and immediately the Nirvana's guards were on them, pointing their weapons at the duo so that they didn't try anything funny. Of course, Diend was admiring their looks.
"So, a ship full of beautiful women," said Diend. "If they weren't pointing weapons at us, I'd consider it paradise."
"Yes, you would," agreed Rabat.
Utan was still hugging Pyoro.
"Get out of that armor and hand over your weapons," one of the women said.
"Ah, and one already wants me out of my clothes," Diend chuckled. "Of course I'll comply."
Reaching to the Diendriver, he removed the Diend card. When it was gone, the armor vanished in a haze of red, green, and blue. Tossing the Diendriver over to the girl in question, he gave his charming grin, "So, what would you like me to take off next?"
The girl in question tried to ignore the words, but the blush was unmistakable.
"You're insatiable," Rabat sighed. He reached into his pockets and began pulling out some of the minor pieces of merchandise he had on him. Things like earrings, hologram cubes, things of that nature. "Here. I come bearing gifts. Something for each of you."
As Rabat was making nice and Diend was attempting to flirt, Parfait came into the room and found Utan still hugging Pyoro. Dashing to the orangutan, she snatched the NAVI robot back and began examining it, "Are you okay Pyoro-kun? Did anything get damaged?"
"I don't think sooooooo," the tiny robot beeped.
"Ahh, your little friend will be okay," Ranma-Diend smiled, walking over to the stunned Parfait. She couldn't believe the resemblance that this guy had to Ranma. "I've got to admit, this is an amazing ship."
"Well, it is my pride and joy," Parfait smiled.
"For good reason. I find it amazing," Ranma-Diend nodded. "I mean, every girl on this ship is gorgeous. I suppose that having such a gorgeous crew member like yourself is what makes this ship so beautiful."
"Oh…oh my," Parfait blushed with a giggle. Was he hitting on her? Even if he was a man, no one had hit on her before. Well, she usually looked dorky with her braided hair and large glasses.
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"So, this Diend is your twin brother?" Magno questioned Ranma regarding one of their guests.
"That's right," answered Ranma, "But we're very different."
"How different?" Magno questioned further.
"Well, as much as he claims to be a treasure hunter and a collector, he's more like a thief," stated Ranma.
"And his fighting abilities?"
"He's not as good as me at hand-to-hand even thought he knows more styles than I do, but he's good with a gun. If you put a gun in his hand you can guarantee that he knows how to use it," said Ranma.
"So, he's dangerous?" Magno asked because she was concerned for her crew.
"Well…not exactly, but you can't exactly trust him 100 percent," Ranma warned. "He's also a flirt."
"A flirt?" Magno knew the term but wanted Ranma to elaborate.
"He's a smooth talker and can persuade people to give away their entire life savings and more," Ranma added. "Of course, considering all the attractive women on this ship, he may just try his hardest to score."
"Score?" asked Buzam while Magno frowned slightly. The aged captain knew what that term meant.
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