~04 Fr: Senshi vs. Senshi – Prologue
As the darkness turns to light, the civilians of Neo Sportsbrooke were going about their morning commute while several of the populations are preparing to watch the next day's event happening in their city.
At the new Dope Sketch, Hiromi woke up while Oka was resting peacefully after a long night. The former went downstairs to make some coffee and turned on the TV for the weather and traffic.
"Welp, so much for getting around by car," he shrugged, "We really are in the Olympic season, huh?"
His phone vibrated with a message from Cherry. He opened to read what it was and paused for a long moment. Oka finally came downstairs to see his partner with a concerned look on his face.
"What's the matter?" Oka asked.
Hiromi was about to answer when they heard a knock on the door. Oka opened it but paused in a state of shock…
"H-hello…?" Oka stuttered.
"I need to speak with Shadow, please," Ainosuke said.
"Um, sure," he turned to get Hiromi's attention.
Ainosuke, Tadashi, and the five Chivashi walked in as the former was still holding some recent wounded scars from the recent attack yesterday.
"I didn't think you'd grow that soon," Hiromi answered.
"Life of a Chiropteran, I guess," he shrugged.
"Master, this isn't the time for small talk," Tadashi reminded him.
"What's wrong?" Hiromi asked.
"I'm sure you saw the news yesterday of some strange explosion out in the Las Jangwa meadows?" Ainosuke asked.
"Y-yeah…wait a second, were you…?" Hiromi narrowed his eyes a little.
"Someone or something attacked us on the trip here," Tadashi added, "And triggered that explosion before we were knocked out."
"We did see some cloaked figures approaching them but before they made the final kill, they decided not to," Haruto said.
"I knew we should've just slaughtered them when we had the chance," Natsuhisa rolled his eyes.
"This isn't the time about decisions. Even I sensed something far beyond powerful than normal means," Reiji argued.
"Do you think it'll cause a problem for the Swimming Guardians?" Oka asked.
"It's no doubt that these enemies are after something…given the history of their fights, I'm sure they are going after those swimmers," Mariko answered.
"I think though it's best that I stay away from the public view at this time," Ainosuke suggested, "I don't want anyone to mistaken me from…"
Hiromi turned to Oka as the latter nodded in approval before answering, "We'll let you stay for the time being. But it's only temporary."
Ainosuke turned to the five and said, "You guys go…and assist the Swimming Guardians."
"Heh, working with humans again, this oughta get interesting," Rikuto smirked.
Masaki's Shrine
The lone archer clasped a prayer of safety to the swimmers and the Swimming Guardians on today's next set of competitive matches. However, he sensed since last night a great evil lurking around. It was no doubt that the final reckoning was approaching very soon.
With this, he previously contacted a few of the fellow archers, and they were bestowed with special weapons to utilize their shooting skills. Eisuke and Shuu took on this role very quickly while a few others were initially hesitant, but they knew deep down the danger was coming. However, Minato's heart was still too pure to use this skill for fighting.
Masaki finally pulled out his Zhuge Crossbow with a set of arrows already loaded in before dressing himself up in some armor like fashion.
Aquatics Global Arena
All the swimmers gathered up in the meeting point areas before changing themselves into their set attire. Today's morning match was set to start with the 400-meter freestyle medley. One team was consisting of Haruka, Seijuurou, Isana, and Asahi and the other with Tsubasa, Hiyori, Ikuya, and Kotarou. Of course, the teams of Lha'li and Neo Sportsbrooke had their layout planned out likewise.
In one of the audience seating areas, Takashi sat down with his parents along with their family service dog, Makkou since his father Noriaki had PTSD. The mother, Rana was a nurse supervisor who was commissioned to attend these events in case the swimmers (especially with Alex's previous panic attack) health to go astray.
At the lockers down below, Haruka, Isana, Seijuurou, and Hikaru finished changing as they were now wearing the same jackets from yesterday with the rainbow animal spirits.
"These were definitely well done," Isana smiled.
"I think we could've added a few more," Hikaru said.
"How? We still have no clue what their spirit animals are," he replied.
"Whose?" Seijuurou asked.
"Kaede, Albert, and Kotetsu," Haruka sighed.
"Well, I'm sure once they know it, we'll update it for the next tournament," Seijuurou answered.
"Let's just get through our tournaments without any problems," Hikaru replied.
In the shadows of the hallways nearby, the solo figure snickered upon hearing their voices.
"Finally, I can feel them, the power of the heavens protecting their precious crystals!"
This person had kept a false disguise of a competitive swimmer in order to bypass the security without any issues. Thanks to the power of his master and the darkness, it was no problem getting through.
Now it was time for the first act.
In the other rooms, Alex, Kyle, the rest of the Iwasame members along with Kaede, Kotetsu, and Albert watched on the TV, anticipating what would happen here.
However, Alex's heart was screaming about the nightmare. He kept a grip on Kyle's hand in support and comfort.
The medley teams readied themselves as Tsubasa and Seijuurou got on the diving blocks with rival looks on their faces, each of them determined to get past the preliminaries.
"Take your marks…"
JINGLE-JINGLE
JINGLE-JINGLE
"BEEP!"
The noise of the bell paused Seijuuoru and Tsubasa while the other swimmers dove in. All the cameras were now facing them as confusion erupted. Immediately after, a loud explosion rocked through the entire arena, stopping the swimmers in their tracks. The audience panicked in terror as the alarms went off followed by more explosions from one of the hallways below.
RUMBLEEEEEE, RUMBLELEEEEEEE, CRASH! CRASH!
"WATCH OUT!" Asahi shouted.
"DAMMIT!" Seijuurou growled.
Tsubasa turned his head to see a massive wall of fire erupting outwards before it dissipated. Seconds later, another explosion erupted.
"GET EVERYONE OUT!" Tsubasa shouted.
"I knew we shouldn't have said anything earlier!" Hikaru grumbled.
On the opposite end of the pool, Alex, Kyle, the rest of the Iwasame allies and the trio arrived to see a lone shadowy figure finally emerging out with blue and red flames in both his hands.
"T-that's not…water!?" Kyle gasped.
"Is this another witch of some sort!?" Rin shouted.
"We don't have time to waste!" Makoto answered, "WE GOTTA TRANSFORM NOW!"
"You guys go on ahead!" Kaede said as he, Kotetsu, Albert, and the other swimmers grouped up, "We'll help the people out of here!"
The Magic Six nodded as they readied themselves for this first conflict.
Haruka cried out his transformation spell, raising his right hand as the symbol of the Kantele talisman and the Dolphin merged as one. The nails glittered blue.
"OLYMPUS DOLPHIN CRYSTAL POWERRRRRRR…"
Makoto followed suit with the Flower Crown and the Orca symbols, and his right-hand nails glowed in green:
"MEIJO CHOU ORCA CRYSTAL POWERRRRRRRRRR…"
Rin raised up his right hand into the symbols of Mimic and the Shark with his nails glowing red:
"OLYMPUS SHARK CRYSTAL POWERRRRRRRRR…"
Nagisa shouted out his transformation spell with his right hand glowing pink nails among the Penguin and the Magical Book symbols:
"NARIBUSAWA PENGUIN CRYSTAL POWERRRRRR…"
Without a second to waste, Rei followed likewise with his Bell talisman and the Butterfly within his heart. His nails flashed a clear violet color.
"SHIMOGAMI BUTTERFLY CRYSTAL POWERRRRRR…"
Following this, the five shouted together, "MAAAAKKKKKKEEEEE UP!"
Haruka's forehead glowed the blue dolphin symbol as it flickered with light energy radiating out. His body then turned into a space-blue color, and he floated in way through the magic of the ocean-colored hues with spheres of light and energy floating softly around.
He skated through the scene with dolphins swimming by his side, making a splashing trail behind his pathway. The dolphins then faded away into streams of water acting as ribbons to cover his body before donning his clothing. In concurrent, a small explosion ring of water drifted away from his feet.
Haruka flipped his hair to the left and right, symbolizing his swimming in freestyle as well as raising up his arms to don the remaining pieces of his senshi form:
A long-length Royal blue, Egyptian blue, and Steel blue ribbon-shaped material ringed around his open corpse. The ribbons were connected by a metallic center piece that also etched out a dolphin symbol on it. His skirt was an asymmetrical (longer one side, shorter other side) which consisted of the Azure Blue as his base skirt beneath the Egyptian Blue skirt as a secondary layer.
A set of leggings appeared in clear white with an indigo trim within. On his neck was another indigo-colored strap choker with a star-like symbol on it.
From there, a white and blue pair of boots with yellow accents and trim appeared. Moments later, his Crystalized Dolphin Razor Sword appeared. He grabbed it before opening his eyes, twirling it briefly before taking on his battle pose. The background behind him was all in blue, lavender, and subtle colors of aquamarine, pink, and violet with the Kantele talisman icon beneath his feet.
Makoto's forehead glowed the green orca symbol as it flickered with light energy radiating out. His body then turned into a juniper, emerald and fern blend as he floated in way through the magic of the ocean-colored hues with hints of electrical accents flashing in and out.
He flipped backwards like diving the backstroke through the scene with several orcas swimming by his side. The animals then dissolved into streams of water acting as ribbons to cover his body before donning his clothing. Bolts of electricity flashed around him before donning his attire.
Makoto tilts his head left and right while circulating his arms around in gesture of the backstroke.
A long-length Pine Green, Mint Green, and Basil Green ribbon-shaped material ringed around his open corpse. The ribbons were connected by a metallic center piece that also etched out an orca symbol on it. He obtained the asymmetrical skirt design which consisted of Fern Green as his base skirt beneath the True Green skirt as a secondary layer.
A set of leggings appeared in clear white with a forest green trim within. On his neck was an olive-colored strap choker with a star-like symbol on it.
From there, a white and hunter green pair of boots with yellow accents and trim appeared. Moments later, his Crystalized Chemical Vase appeared. He grabbed it before opening his eyes, raising the vase briefly before setting it to his anatomical left side. The background behind him was all forest green, bright lime, and subtle colors of white, jade, and sea green with the Flower Crown talisman icon beneath his feet.
Rin's forehead glowed the crimson shark symbol as it flickered with light energy radiating out. His body then turned into a maroon, rose red, and vermillion blend as he floated in way through the magic of the ocean-colored hues with hints of energy-based explosive accents.
He gestured his arms in the form of the butterfly swimming for a quick moment. A small gust of wind blew in some Sakura petals as three sharks swam by his side before dissolving into droplets. They soaked his body to obtain his Ultra form piece by piece.
Rin dons his long-length Cherry Red, Apple Red, and Metallic Silver ribbon-shaped material ringed around his open corpse. The ribbons were connected by a metallic center piece that also etched out the shark symbol. He obtained the asymmetrical skirt design which consisted of Blush Red as his base skirt beneath the Scarlet Red skirt as a secondary layer.
His leggings appeared in clear white with red trimming within. On his neck was a Candy red-colored strap choker with a star-like symbol on it.
The Crystalized Shark-Toothed Cutlass appeared after several of the Cherry Blossom petals fused together with the water droplets. His forehead finished glowing his neon symbol of the shark before he opened his eyes and showed off his badass smirk.
Rin's dual sensation of the warrior and competitive swimmer radiated around his aura as he grabbed his sword out and pointed it out to his prey in battle pose. Behind him, the background flashed in red, magenta, and hints of purple, orange and yellow as the talisman icon appeared beneath his feet.
Nagisa's forehead glowed in a pink colored penguin symbol briefly before light energy flickered outwards. His body blended into the background with colors filled with magenta, fuchsia, lemon yellow, and orange accents with a bunch of penguins peeping and swimming alongside.
He jumped and somersaulted in the background as the penguins then dissolved into ribbons of water magic and covered his body to don the following clothing of his senshi outfit:
A long-length bright pink, white, and golden-yellow ribbon-shaped material ringed around his open corpse. The tri-ribbon connected at a metallic center. His skirt was asymmetrical-shaped but with different colors consisting of navy blue as the base, lighter-sky blue on the secondary layer, and golden-yellow with pink rim trimming around, symbolizing both his iconic colors and the Naribusawa elements.
The leggings appeared in clear white with magenta trimming within. On his neck was a bright, pink-colored strap choker with a star-like symbol on it.
His boots appeared in a base of white, with pink and yellow accents. Nagisa then moves his arms and hands around to gesture the breaststroke, summoning the remaining of his attire.
The spell book floated by him as his hands reached out to it. The pages flipped rapidly as his left hand welded his Crystalized Naribusawa Broadsword with the rest of his jewelry accents on his neck, wrists, and his ears. He finally opens his eyes to finish the transformation dance with a playful smile on his face.
Beneath his feet flashed the talisman icon symbol while the background was dual pink and yellow ombre with orange and white accents of stars and circles.
Rei's forehead glowed in a light violet colored butterfly symbol briefly before light energy flickered outwards. His body blended into the background with colors mauve, phlox, heliotrope, orchid pink, and northwestern purple with glowing stars.
A horde of butterflies descended downwards and split into two groups, flying side by side with Rei as he skated around in circles while his hands and arms circled the butterfly stroke. They dissolved into mists, covering his body before giving him his Ultra form:
He donned the tri-ribbon shaped material with colors of Amethyst, Midnight Purple, and Pastel lavender around his open corpse. The tri-ribbon connected at a metallic center as it etched out a butterfly symbol similar to his forehead.
His skirt was asymmetrical-shaped but with different colors consisting of Moderate Lavendar as the base, lighter-sky blue on the secondary layer, and metallic silver/gray trimming around, representing the Shimogami elements. The leggings appeared in clear white with true purple trimming within. On his neck was a bright, royal, purple-colored strap choker with a star-like symbol on it.
The few remaining butterflies left in the background fused together to form his upgraded Crystalized Shimogami Crossbow Rifle. Finally, the megane opened his eyes as the glowing symbol on his forehead stopped.
He lowered his head briefly, taking on a badass expression and beauty by his side. The last butterfly remaining landed on his left shoulder for good luck. The bell icon flashed beneath his feet as the background was colored with violet, indigo vibrant, white, and lavender.
"Protected by the Master of Free, I am the Swimming Guardian who fights for Freestyle and Relays! I am Ultra Suiei Nanase! Douse yourself and repent for your sins!" Haruka chanted, pointing his sword outwards.
"Protected by the Master of Prestige, I am the Swimming Guardian who fights for Friendship and Backstroke! I am Ultra Suiei Tachibana! I'll fill you with regret on your decision to fight me!" said Makoto as he casually held the vase with the palm of his hand and narrowing his eyes.
"Protected by the Master of Warrior, I am the Swimming Guardian who fights for Medley and Unity! I am Ultra Suiei Matsuoka! For the team and for the future, your time is up!" Rin chanted, readying his cutlass.
"Protected by the Master of Happiness, I am the Swimming Guardian who fights for Breaststroke and Fun! I am Ultra Suiei Hazuki! You won't get away with my stuff that will bring you down!" chanted Nagisa as he poses like a model and idol at the same time.
"Protected by the Master of Wisdom, I am the Swimming Guardian who fights for Butterfly and for Beauty! I am Ultra Suiei Ryugazaki! In the name of unbeautiful things, I shall chastise you!" added Rei, making a hand gesture to point out at his enemy while clutching his weapon to the side.
Right behind them, Alex closes his eyes, and he raises his brooch, finally calling out the powers within him. The winds picked up as several Sakura petals swooped in around the dragon swimmer.
"MACEDONIA DRAGON CRYSTAL POWERRRRRRR…MAAAAKKKKEEEE UP!"
Alex's forehead glowed as the dragon symbol while the Golden Sun Suiei Dragon Chain flickered to life, summoning colors that represented the Iwasame Senshi. Two massive wings grew on his back before enveloping his flesh like a cocoon. Moments later, they unfurled and exploded into feathers while his body was now in a transparent, rainbowy marble color.
Within the dark indigo ombre with sky blue background, Alex floated in midair with several Koi Carp swimming around before turning into ribbons of blue, white, and pink energy. He raised up the Dragon Holy Grail above his head as it now blended into his transparent body before that energy drifted into the chalice. Moments later, it glowed like a star, erupting great light before finally donning his outfits.
A long-length blue, white, and yellow ribbon-shaped material ringed around his open corpse that was now marked with azure and yellow tattoos on his shoulders, upper arms, and wrists. His skirt was an asymmetrical (longer one side, shorter other side) white in base but with three layers of dark blue, red-magenta, and golden-yellow with sky-blue trimming.
From there, a white and pink pair of boots with sapphire crystals and yellow underside and trim appeared. The dragon symbol continued to glow softly on his forehead. More Koi appeared and transformed into dragons after touching the floating feathers. The miniature dragons then merged together into his costume-designed wings.
Moments later, the Astro Solar Destiny Tiare appeared in a crystal-spiked head piece with the main rod length in white with gold and turquoise accents.
Alex spun around with his wings before grabbing the staff and then striking his signature pose, ready for battle. A massive neon glow of the dragon flashed beneath his feet.
"The Swimming Guardian who fights for Destiny and Understanding! One who protects the stars! Ultra Suiei Marotta!" he chanted, twirling while holding tight to his staff. He finally stood in a field of purple hyacinths in the midst of a solar eclipse in the background with stars dotting around. He casually rested his head behind the staff while maintaining a serious look on his face, "And now in the name of destiny, I'll punish you!"
The Magic Six landed together in their fashion line up as their enemy now revealed his face to them by burning up his cloak before showing off his own attire. He was dressed in some fiery-like armor and fabric in pure flame with ions radiating out of his body. The skin tone was like that of the ashes, but the face was almost like of the sun but at a lower luminosity.
"I've been waiting for you…SWIMMING SOLDIERS!" their newest enemy growls, "I am Suiei Plasma Anasi, gifted with the powers of Ionization and Plasmolysis! You cursed ones of the Cosmos and Water must die and surrender your powers to the Shadow Achaemenian Empire, King Memnon, and our greatest Lord Chaos!"
M-Memnon, Alex's brain froze on that name with his head slightly twitching, m-my head…
What, he's calling himself a Suiei, Rei thought, but those elements don't sound like water…?
Clearly that's not a true swimming guardian, Haruka noted to himself.
Shadow Achaemenian Empire, our newest enemy, Rin thought.
"Now…HAND OVER YOUR CRYSTALS!" Suiei Plasma Anasi demanded as he readied his hands with Plasma-energy and Dehydration.
"TO HELL WITH THAT!" Rin shouted as he readied his Crystalized Shark-Toothed Cutlass.
Rin spun around in the colors of red, magenta, and hints of purple, orange and yellow, twirling his cutlass as it glowed with energy.
Incredible, Rin thought, this power is far stronger than before…we'll certainly have our Olympics back!
Suiei Anasi chuckled as Rin charged over and shouted with his attack spell, "OLYMPIUS…SHARRRRRK…SLAAASSSHHHHHHH!"
The fire senshi replied with his own darkness attack while raising both of his arms before making a circular pattern in red, black, and fiery images, shouting, "ACHAMENIAANNNN, EXOTHERMIC, COMBUSTIONNNNNNN!"
Both elements smashed, creating an explosion of steam. However, the steam was getting denser by the moment as it started to choke the senshi of their breathing. Rei turned on his x-ray vision mode to find Rin and their newest enemy as he held his breath. Rin was already backing away from the attack while Plasma was nowhere to be seen initially.
I need to stop this, Makoto thought as he called forth his talisman flower crown, using his vase and shouted while spinning in an emerald lime ombre background with cherry blossoms floating and stars crackling, "ORCAAAAA RESPIRAAAAAA, RESTORATIONNNNN!"
An explosion of purification gas restored the air quality as the "dehydration" disappeared but the dark senshi had other plans. He raised his hands towards the ceiling above as it began to remove moisture from the structure as well as softening up the metals. Seconds later the ceiling above the pool began to crack and crumble slowly, forcing the senshi to combine their powers to hold up the roof.
"This is bad!" Haruka shouted, "If this place collapses…"
Sousuke, Momo, and Ai appeared in their Ultra senshi forms to come assist the Magic Six.
"Where's the target?!" Ai shouted.
"That spell distracted us!" Rin cried out.
Plasma chuckled from high above the arena seats, reading his next attack as he sent beams of darkness down towards the Samezuka Trio.
Ai spun with his Multi-faced Mirror, jumping in a sky-blue background with glittering stars around as he chanted, "SHIMOGAMIIIII, REFLECTIVE TIDEEEEEEEEEE!"
"You won't be fighting this alone!" Momo shouted as he readied his hands, one glowing in orange-yellow energy and the other in sea-blue and white, shouting, "RUMBLINNNGGGGG SEA DISTURBANCEEEEEEEEE!"
The two attacks smacked into Anasi's plasma spell, pushing it back. At first it seemed to work but something happened, and the attacks were nullified on both ends by the power of plasmolysis happening.
"O-our attacks…" Momo's eyes widened.
"This…ENDS…NOW!" Sousuke roared, readying his Rhicondon Glaive, and preparing its negative energy-based powers.
"SUIZEEEIIIIIIIIII, SPIRALINGGGGGG HURRICANE!"
An unknown bizarre, shaped attack of water and energy-based both came out of nowhere and it struck Suiei Anasi head on, obliterating the dark senshi to dust. Moments later, the ceiling disappeared and the Magic Six were able to relieve themselves from holding it up. But everyone was confused by the sight of the mess.
"W-who's there!?" Makoto shouted.
The nine senshi turned suddenly to see a group of five hidden figures in the shadows at first before revealing themselves. Rin and Rei took a quick x-ray vision, but they stepped back in shock. Their appearance…
"W-wait a sec," Haruka narrowed his eyes.
"T-this can't be…" Rin's eyes widened.
"H-how is that even…?" Ai and Momo gasped.
A group of five warriors, appearing in similar outfits like a Swimming Guardian stood silently but then they jumped and soared their way out of the facility. With this, the Iwasame Senshi and Alex rushed out of the building as the audience and the public were secured away from the ground zero attack.
"D-did you guys see those five?!" Nagisa shouted.
"Yes, we had some surveillance cameras nearby," Nao answered, "We'll take a look at the clips once we're settled."
"But those four of them, their voices…I-I'm starting to remember them," Ai recalled, "Yet, I don't understand…"
With this section of Neo Sportsbrooke under lockdown, the Swimming Guardians inspected the damage to the arena as indeed, there was no other way to continue the competition. The other swimmers were escorted safely to nearby hotels before setting up emergency trips back to their homes.
Meanwhile, in a different area of the city, closer towards Hollywood Heights, the five from earlier, now dressed in civilian disguises, sat at a nearby café to talk things out.
"That was really risky of you there Shigino," Takuya said.
"I had no choice," Hayato answered, removing the green contact lenses, "I knew my brother was going to be okay. But he was definitely trying to check me out."
"Okay that's a little weird," Kazuki replied.
"I didn't think he'd care to find me after all this time," Hayato shrugged, "Not after our…very original home crumbled."
"I couldn't believe what we've gone through with that. All of us killed instantly," Toru answered.
"The Shadow Mafia definitely took us out quickly," Shouta nodded.
"To be fair I thought Seijuurou was totally reborn with us too, but he's definitely somewhat milder compared to the captain we all remember," Kazuki said.
"However, I do sense our captain here," Takuya answered, "At least when we were together back then."
"But…wasn't there two of you?" the blond asked.
"We both were like twins," Hayato said, "Until that version of me was able to reunite with his brother on that sports planet. As for me…I only inherited those powers upon his passing. That's when I began to remember my old life…"
He paused in his tracks as Kazuki rested his arm over Hayato's shoulder, adding, "But you're stronger now and able to fight."
"Those other swimmers have no idea what's happening, do they?" Toru asked.
"No…if anyone of them knows about the Final Reckoning, then, we may be too late," Hayato said, "The least we can do is to buy time to find our prince."
"But you also felt it too, didn't you?" Takuya asked.
"That Greatest Light?" Shouta replied, "Even if he awakens to that power…all magic comes with a price."
"He has to be the one," Hayato answered, "But alas, wherever there is light…so is darkness."
Kyan Family House
"I can't believe this! An attack already?!" Reki was crestfallen by the events.
"The Swimming Guardians are looking into it," Langa said.
"I was looking forward to our competition. Now the governor will probably have to shut down the entire city," he answered.
"Onii-chan, it's dangerous now to go there," Koyomi answered.
"I already lost you once…I can't let that happen again," Masae agreed.
"But we can't let this city fall into ruin again!" Reki argued, "Last crisis, I felt like we were only there to turn the tables only because of our true love's kiss. I want to defend my home, my family, my friends, and my sport!"
Langa's phone vibrated, and a text message was sent from Miya who happened to have spoken with a couple of the Swimming Guardians from the Takagami senshi crew.
"It's not much, but they're investigating the security cameras," Langa noted.
"Damn it," Reki lowered his head.
"Miya may spend the night here with us," Masae said, "Unless if he's going to stay with his folks."
"I'm going to talk to my folks," Langa gets up to call his parents back in Frostella.
Frostella
King Oliver sighed as he along with a few of the astrologers and vision seekers tried to figure out what was happening in the night skies. It had been a storm of meteor showers and now an attack in Neo Sportsbrooke.
"None of this adds up," he muttered, "But I'm sure this new enemy is after one thing…"
He turns to see his wife Queen Nanako walking into the magical chamber as her facial expression was growing more concerned by the minute.
"I can feel the darkness," she stated, "It's far beyond stronger than the Three Fates."
"It has to be something foreign or alienated," he nodded, "But regardless, we cannot let our family and friends and the Olympics be at stake! Word has been sent to Chirottori and we're going to join forces with the Mullerians if we are going to protect this world."
"But the Vorpal Sword…it can't be used for war," the queen answered.
"Perhaps not with our son," he said, "Remember how he gifted it to the Greatest Light?"
"Wait, you think that young man is…?" she gasped.
"The stars have aligned so much," one of the seers said, "That Swimming Guardian…"
Olympius Duniya, Neo Sportsbrooke
As the area was closed off for investigation, the Iwasame Senshi along with Kyle, Asahi, Ikuya, Hiyori, Aoba, and the Macedonia Trio checked around to make sure no one else was left stranded or suffering any casualties from the attack. The Takagami Senshi were talking with Natsuya and Nao at Miho's office in the government sector of the city, observing through the security cameras.
"Are you certain they are Swimming Guardians?" Kyle looked at Alex.
"Whatever they did, they saved us from that plasma bitch," he replied, "I never thought a Swimming Guardian could possess a different elemental power entirely."
"Maybe it's used as a mockery?" Nagisa asked.
"The Shadow Achaemenian Empire," Haruka rested his fist beneath his chin.
"They must be our enemies, for them to target us like that," Momo said.
"But who was this…King Memnon they were referring to?" Makoto questioned.
"More than likely, I am sure he is their leader or someone higher up at least," Rei speculated.
"But those four along with that one who saved us…they almost looked like…Toru Iwashimizu, Takuya Uozumi, Shouta Nakagawa, and Kazumi Minami," Ai added.
"If that's true…then why haven't they appeared back to us after all this time?" Rin asked.
"And if they truly are swimming guardians…they must not be aligned on the same team as us," Sousuke added, "They must have a different purpose."
"They're certainly acting like on their own terms," Asahi nodded.
"Perhaps I could offer any research into this?" Hiyori asked.
"Hiyori and I could both try to hack into something," Rei added.
"Regardless, this is gonna suck not being able to compete," Aoba sighed.
"We should find them," Alex said, "Those five…"
"P-Prince, don't you think that's a bit risky? We don't know if they are friend or foe," Ikuya answered.
"I'm speculating that the first one we saw was among them," Kaede added, "We ran into him the other day and he kept things very low."
"That one with the pink-haired…he had purple eyes…almost like…" Rin paused before realizing something. He took out his phone to call Kisumi for a mini side conversation.
"Either way, we need some answers," Momo said, "If those guys are really what you say they are, Nitori-senpai…I think some reunion is in due."
"We'll all go together," Albert said as Kotetsu nodded.
Government Office
"There's been some communication with the Kingdom of Frostella and the Mullerians of Chirottori," Miho read through the reports with the agents before welcoming the Takagami Senshi along with Natsuya and Nao.
"I assume you've seen what was done?" Natsuya asked.
"The citizens have been relocated away from the site," she replied, "However, whatever is happening, it's not coming from this world."
"Does that mean…the Final Reckoning has come?" Isana asked.
"Whatever this Final Reckoning has in stored, light and darkness will be constantly fighting…it doesn't matter what happens to this planet," Miho answered.
"We can't let this entire world fall to shreds," Seijuurou answered with a grip of his fist.
Miho looks at the monitor as more data appears. Most of it was information coming from Frostella regarding the changes in the meteor shower patterns. With a wave for Natsuya and Nao to come inspect, the duo walked over to analyze with her.
"I think the best ones to work with this are Rei and Hiyori," Natsuya said.
"They're out investigating with the others," Nao said.
"Let them be for a bit. But do let them know I inquire about their service," Miho replied.
The screen flickered again, this time, showing the whereabouts of the mysterious five beings from the cameras.
With this information, the other senshi made their way through the city, heading towards the northwestern coastal area. It had a marble of really posh neighborhoods followed by some really shady areas.
"Is this the place?" Nagisa looks at the sign.
"Oceanview Motel," Makoto muttered.
"There's a lot of us here, I think we should split up or something, not make of a scene," Albert said.
"The five of us will go with Alex," Haruka answered.
"I want those three to join us," he points to Kaede, Kotetsu, and Albert.
"If that's what you wish," Kotetsu said.
"We'll stay out and guard around," Sousuke replied.
Alex turned to Kyle, "Check in with the girls too for me, alright? I don't want them to fret."
"Alright," he nodded.
The Magic Six along with Kaede, Kotetsu, and Albert followed the instructions from Amakata's message. Sure enough, they found room 282 just on the opposite end of the building. It definitely showed a nice area of the coastline below. But there was no time to waste.
Alex was about to knock on the door when a slight shift in the air was felt. They all turned to see if there was an ambush taking place but…
"How brave and foolish of you to come here," the same voice said from earlier.
They all turned to see the five guys standing at the other end of the outdoor corridor.
"So much for having some desserts," Toru sighed.
"Well, it's not like we can be children forever," Hayato said.
"You there, what business do you have from earlier!?" Rin shouted.
"Not too loud Rin, there are others sleeping," Makoto answered.
"Wow, so you have really forgotten about us?" Kazuki asked.
Rin took a step back as his eyes widened a little, "T-that can't be…"
"How is it you five are able to become Swimming Guardians?" Haruka asked.
"Us? Swimming Guardians? Ha!" Takuya played the charade.
"This isn't funny!" Nagisa said, "You guys came in earlier and we can sense it!"
"And if we are…?" asked Shouta.
"Please, listen to me," Alex answered, "You guys definitely saved us all and we appreciate it. But who are you five exactly? More so, who was that evil senshi from before?"
"Heh, so you know about the Final Reckoning too?" Hayato asked.
"We knew about this for like over a year and then some," Rei said, "This isn't the time for games. We need answers!"
"What do we do now Hayato?" Takuya whispered.
With a sigh, Hayato looks into the eyes of Alex and replies, "That Swimming Guardian isn't the only one targeting you. There are more of them out there."
"This is clearly not an isolated incident?" Rin narrowed his eyes.
"Why are they targeting us?" Makoto asked.
"The Shadow Achaemenian Empire has already begun their next phase," Hayato continued, "But unfortunately, even with your numbers…there's no chance to stop them. If their leader collects all the crystals, then…everything and everyone that you know, will be nothing more than a fantasy."
"No. I refuse to surrender that!" Alex answered, "We made a promise to all swim together!"
"That's right," Kotetsu agreed, "This is OUR sport. And for you to decide the fate on our future like that is shit!"
"I understand how frustrated and worried you are, but those are the exact emotions they are thriving on," Hayato continued, "King Memnon…"
Alex took a step back upon hearing that name again followed by a violent headache. He stumbled backwards as Haruka, Kotetsu, and Rei caught him from crashing.
"Prince!" the trio gasped.
"THE HELL DID YOU DO!?" Kaede shouted.
"Kaede!" Albert tried to calm him down.
"Who is that bastard you speak of?!" Makoto asked.
"That's an answer that you'll have to find on your own," Hayato said as he and the others disappear into the night.
"Dammit!" Rin growled as Nagisa lowered his head a little.
"Let's get to the Mizu temple," Haruka suggested, "We need their help."
"What about the others?" Nagisa asked.
"We'll let them know we're going there but they should keep an eye out on the city just in case," Rei suggested, "Maybe they can track down those other guardians for us."
"Good idea," Makoto agreed.
Rhodinean Cathedral Palace
Memnon laughed upon seeing the recent events taking place. However, it was unfortunate that one of his members was easily killed off.
"Doesn't matter," he said, "The stage has finally begun. Soon, I'll have their crystals along with the powers within to make a new order for Chaos."
"King Memon, allow us to partake in this war," one of the servants walked in, "I want to have my fun in torturing those swimmers should they dare to enter our sacred Cursed Garden."
"Then so be it," Memnon answered, with a flick of his finger, he bestowed dark magic to this servant's neck, placing a dog-chain tag like necklace on it.
Mizu Temple, Hidden Lake
The 12 Swimming Guardians arrived at the temple via space-shift where they were greeted by the nine Mizu gods who were resting here.
"My goodness, Sandro!" Mizu Marotta gasped upon seeing his human host in some catatonic-like state.
"So it's true that they're here?" Mizu Matsuoka looked at the guardians, "This new enemy?"
"Yeah, we don't know what they're up to aside from trying to kill us and taking our crystals," Rin said.
"The enemy said about a person named Memnon, and it's what's given Alex-chan very bad grief!" Nagisa added.
The Mizu Gods looked at each other with increasing worry…they never thought that name would ever resurface after all these years.
"You guys know something, don't you?" Haruka narrowed his eyes a little.
"Care to explain about this?" Rei asked.
"It's easier if we…show you," Marotta answered, "But we have to go deep into his head to where the memories are rested."
"We'll stay here," Kotetsu said, "You guys go on."
The five turned to their respective Mizu Gods before merging their powers and existences as one, shrinking and turning into energy as it flowed into Alex's head…traveling back in time. Kotetsu sat next to the sleeping prince as he could feel more memories of the past returning back to him.
"We should've said something too you know," Albert said.
Kaede sighed for a moment.
"They'll know the truth at least," Kotetsu answered back, "I can't believe that bastard…how the hell did Memnon survived all these years?"
"I'm sure he had to have made contact with Chaos…assuming what our enemy said is true," Kaede speculated.
"If only…" Kotetsu makes a grip of his fist with a sadden look on his face, "If only I didn't leave his side."
"Agh, you really still love him, don't you?" Kaede asked, rolling his eyes a little.
"It's hard to not let go of it," he answered, resting his hand over Alex's cheek, "But I have talked with that Ryugazaki and Nanase a few times and I guess they shared their own unique histories to our king."
Kotetsu looked at Alex's semi-comatose body and brushed two of his fingers onto his lips, "I'm sorry I failed you love. We'll do our best to support you through this. So that we will swim to the finish line…"
Dammit, this is too emotional for me, Kotetsu thought, even if he is an alternate version, the aura…the love…the happiness…it's just as the same.
Back in Neo Sportsbrooke, the other senshi surveyed the area to make sure there weren't any more immediate threats. Kyle was able to contact the girls but have yet to get their replies back in terms of texting.
"I can't believe they just left us like that," Momo grumbled.
"They'll get back to us, I'm sure," Aoba said.
"I'm really worried about this," Ai added, "If those four were from the very old world…"
"Definitely a lot of questions to ask," Sousuke agreed, "Where have they really been all this time?"
"I'm sure we'll figure something out," Hiyori replied as he got a message from Rei that they are in contact with the Mizu Gods, "Looks like they're gonna do a memory lane time travel."
"Oh great, they better not screw with the past," Asahi said.
"If it's just memory lane, I'm sure they're just for observation," Ikuya sighed.
"Hopefully nii-chan got some answers with the governor," Momo crossed his arms.
"That reminds me, I hope the other swimmers like the women's team are doing okay," Ai recalled.
"Nee-chan said that they have secured a safehouse to the east side of the city," Momo replied.
"Yeah, I think Niki is helping out too with them. But the other girls…I assume they're still in Lha'li in prepping for the wedding," Kyle answered.
"If our enemies are going to be after us, more than likely we're gonna be the targets," Asahi said.
"But no doubt they may use our loved ones as bait," Sousuke added, "So for everyone's sake, we need to make sure no one gets targeted."
"For now, we should focus on finding them through the security cameras," Hiyori replied, "I have gained enough hacking skills to grab a nearest one and see if those five got anywhere far."
The Chivashi arrived to see the destruction and the close out of the arena, realizing that they were too late. Ainosuke and Tadashi were in hiding at Dodecadron's along with Artemis upon the recent powers of Suiei Cosmos starting to awaken in him more.
"Remind me that the next enemy arrives…is food," Natsuhisa said.
"We can't turn those bastards into Chivashi…" Mariko reminded him.
Reiji turned his head to see some of the nearby swimming guardians. With a nod, they jumped their way over to the group consisting of Asahi, Ikuya, Hiyori, and Kyle.
"What'chu doing?" Rikuto asked.
"He's got a camera in trying to hack in," Asahi said.
"We had some…interesting company who apparently saved our allies," Kyle added.
"Oh, so that's what that scent was?" Haruto asked.
"You know where they're at?" Ikuya looked at the quintet.
"We can track down anything fresh…if that's what you're looking for," Natsuhisa replied.
"That's kinda gruesome if you put it that way," Asahi crossed his arms.
"It's our nature," Reiji shrugged.
"Look, if you can help us find these five new guardians, that'll be great. We might get a lead on what they are…friend or foe," Kyle said.
"We'll sniff them out," Rikuto replied, turning to Haruto and Mariko.
"Ugh, sure, whatever," Haruto turned his head to the side.
"Heh, even he has the mannerisms of Nanase," Hiyori chuckled.
"Don't get it twisted," Mariko replied.
"Anyway, we'll stay around here in case trouble lurks up," Natsuhisa concluded.
By late evening, the Takagami senshi left the government office and decided to regroup with the others to continue helping anyone that needed evacuation from the closed off area. However, upon learning that the Iwasame Senshi and the Macedonia Trio were at the Mizu Temple, they changed some of the plans.
"The best thing we need to do for right now is to protect the city and if we don't hear back from them, a group of us will go to Iwamara," Seijuurou instructed.
"I can't believe this…" Isana sighed, "We were doing so, so well…"
"Yeah," Hikaru held his partner's hand, "Hopefully we'll resolve this quickly."
Kotarou was on a phone call with Misae in which he was relieved to hear her voice again. However, her current location is still not popping up on the GPS of his phone. As for Kaede…
"I'm glad to see you alright," Shin looks at Ryouta.
"Yeah, me too. I sensed dark, dark energy from that fire guy from before," Ryouta answered, "Even with the Atlantean nature I have in me…it's by instinct."
"We'll get rid of this nonsense," Tsubasa vowed, "Right Toto?"
The dog barked softly as the blue-haired man hugged him briefly.
"The rulers of Frostella speculate that the enemies may be here already," Hikaru said, "We'll have to make sure none of them continue to cause a threat."
Degar Palace, Lha'li
Roxana woke up in her bed as Anastasia was resting somewhat peacefully. However, the recent events in Neo Sportsbrooke led her to have nightmarish visions of what is yet to come.
She reflected on the wondrous quest that helped her reclaim her home as well as the bonds she made with the Marotta girls and Stellaluna. It was truly a learning experience for her. This led to strengthening the bonds with Chirottori.
As for Neo Tabuk, the torn apart city was able to recover but still had ways to go. Regardless, at least things were getting better and better…until this recent attack.
"We may have crossed the point of no return," she muttered, getting up on her feet and dressing up in robes.
She left the bedroom and went down towards one of the massive open halls where she silently summoned a seer to review the visions she had foreseen.
"I see…you have seen the horrific that is approaching to this land," the seer spoke.
"And there's really nothing we can even do?" she asked.
"Only the Greatest Light must travel to that place…whether it's a man, woman, or in between…the Final Reckoning has unfinished business," the seer continued.
"Who would do such a terrible thing to punish all that exists like that? And why?" Roxana asked.
"That answer can only be driven out by Chaos," the seer said.
"Figures," Roxana grumbled, "Nothing ever makes sense when it comes to the Primordial forces of the Omniverse."
"Honey? Where are you?" Anastasia's voice was heard.
Roxana turned to her fiancée and reassured her, "I didn't mean to scare you. A lot has happened today…have you checked your phone?"
Anastasia took out her phone to see a dozen messages that were not read yet. She quickly went through but upon seeing the horrific concerns of the recent news, Ana nearly dropped the phone.
"F-father…" she trembled, "H-he…th-they're all in danger, aren't they!? We have to help them! This wedding needs to be postponed!"
"Ana! If we're going to help them, we need to keep a calm mind!" she reminded her, "Going there in panic will only make things worse."
Ana sighed in disgust as she shook her head, "I can't believe this…everything was fine yesterday with their first day at the Olympics! Why is it that every time happiness is within their reach, something BAD has to happen!?"
"My seer says that the Greatest Light is apparently the chosen one to travel to a place of absolute darkness," Roxana revealed.
"The Greatest Light…? Wait…" Ana's eyes widened.
Flashback Memories:
Ancient Greece: the Conquest of Persia
Haruka, Makoto, Nagisa, Rin and Rei opened their eyes and found themselves in a foreign, different land consisting of many small hills and dirt roads. Behind them, their Suiei Gods have linked their powers to them.
"Is this…?" Rin asked.
"Yes…the Ancient Greece, during the beginning of your prince's conquest," Tachibana said.
"And our presence won't affect anyone…or will they see us?" Nagisa questioned.
"No. Absolutely not, this is just a past recording of Alex's mind…which was pushed far, far back to the point that he has nearly forgotten who this 'Memnon' is," Nanase revealed.
"And you know who this Memnon guy is all about?" Haruka looks at the gods.
"We do…for we have observed…Alexander's traveling and conquest to eliminate the Elder Bairns," Hazuki answered, "This is the point in memory where he has battled in Persia…making his way to conquer the area when in actuality, he was liberating it from the Elder Barins that were destroying the city of Halicarnassus."
"But if he conquered nearly the entire world…at the time," Rei muttered.
"That is true…he still did take the land, but not without a heavy cost…" Matsuoka said, pointing to the cries of battle over the hill.
They rushed their way over to see the massive blood feud taking place as several demons and Elder Bairns of all shapes and sizes were fighting in the chaos of the Persian army and the Macedonian army. They had not seen so much blood shed since…
"Wow, this is like the Elder Bairns back in…" Makoto squirmed behind Haruka in fear.
"I never imagined how so many could do such a thing," Rin observed.
"And it's all because that bastard King Laius…" Rei rolled his eyes.
"Rasputin…Oedpius…Alex-chan…Alexander…" Nagisa muttered, "They were born to stop this madness…or at least that's what was the objective."
"Look, is that…?!" Haruka pointed to see what looked like Alexander himself, breaking through the weakened walls of the city before leading a small portion of the army in.
Rin observed what looked like a singular man also dressed in armor running towards a temple like structure in the center of the city. His x-ray vision managed to identify him as…
"It's Memnon!" he said, "We have to get to the temple!"
"If my suspicions are clear, that's more than a temple…that's one of the Ancient Seven Wonders…the Mausoleum at Halicarnassus!" Rei said as he saw what looked like Alexander chasing after Memnon up to the site.
"We should get to them!" Makoto added.
"Mizu, please keep us hidden to allow us observe what happened," Haruka chanted.
With this, the ten dissolved into the mists to follow their prince towards the Mausoleum as Alexander got off his horse and ran up the stairs, chasing after Memnon.
"So thee has't broken mine own walls of mine own kingdom," Memnon said, "Thou art too late! Mine own broth'r shall ensureth thy conquest ends h're!"
"Art thee s'rious even but now? This w'rld is on fireth with monst'rs ev'rywh're! if 't be true this doest not stand ho, nay humans shall beest hath left standing!" Alexander shouted.
"Nay. Thee wanteth the pow'r of this kingdom all to thee!" Memnon replied, readying his sword, "Thy life ends h're and anon alexand'r!"
With no choice, the prince of Macedonia took out his sword, readying for this battle. Moments later, the walls exploded as a monstrous figure dysmorphic as part-human and part-beast appeared with a massive mouth and a widen body. Its feet were made of several tentacles with arms and hands still somewhat human flesh.
Memnon's eyes widened in confusion and shock.
"Memnon, thee has't to stand ho this whatev'r thou art planning. Whoev'r did promise thee a bett'r f'rtune hast did lie to thee!" Alexander gasped as his eyes flickered red.
"W-what's going on?" Haruka whispered as they watched this scene of horror taking place.
"That monster…is that…?!" Makoto gasped.
Alexander gripped his sword at the ready as the monster was about to consume Memnon to his horror. With no other choice, the warrior charged over and chopped its head off as blood spewed all around. Moments later, the Elder Bairn hybrid de-transformed to…
"No…NO…NO! MENTOOOORRRRRR!" Memnon screamed, running over to the decapitated head. His face was in utter shock yet in great agony upon seeing the horrors being unleashed.
With this the vision cracks as the STYLE FIVE woke up sharply back at the sacred lake as Alex's eyes opened up in horror on the haunted memories coming back to him. He started to breathe heavily in the stress of the past. Kaede, Kotetsu, and Albert hovered behind him to keep him steady. The Mizu Gods comforted them to the best they could.
"S-Sandro-chan!?" Nagisa gasped.
"T-this is my fault…isn't it?" he muttered.
"Sandro, get a grip of yourself!" Rei holds his hand with Haruka.
"Whatever you did back then, it was all chaos," Haruka said, "We know you had a history with the Elder Bairns and such…"
"But that's a memory I don't want to remember!" he shouted, starting to cry, "No…I can't believe this…"
"Prince, do you remember?" Kotetsu asked.
"I…I don't want this…never again!" he shriveled up his knees and arms, "Memnon…Mentor…no. I-I can't! T-This is the end, isn't it?!"
"Prince! Get a grip of yourself!" Albert cried out.
His heavy breathing with anxiety finally simmered down a little as he cried behind his bent knees. He had not felt this vulnerable in a very long time, not since his great lie of swimming back on Terabithia…but even then, this was far worse.
"Sandro, it's a lot for you to remember, but if this is the answer to why Memnon is after you…or us for that matter, we can stop him," Makoto replied.
Alex shook his head, "I dragged you all into this mess for too long, this is all my fault. We're supposed to be swimming happily…"
With this, Kotetsu finally hugged him as his past identity as Hephaistion finally kicked in, answering, "You're gonna be fine…we'll make sure we stop Memnon for good if we must."
The prince nodded as he felt some relief despite it not being Kyle hugging him. After all, this was his first lover from the ancient past. However, he also knew better than to not take his feelings onto him as he was married to his husband.
"Do you still…?" Kotetsu asked.
"You know that you still have a place in my heart…as with all of you guys," Alex said, "I'm sorry for lashing out horribly like this. To be honest, my emotions and my confidence have not been stable. It hasn't been good for the last few months."
"That's because your body has its instinct on the past, isn't it?" Rin asked.
Alex nodded with a heavy sigh, "I know I've committed horrible, horrible things…and just when I feel like I am finally free from all of that, it just…comes back…crashing down. But back in Ancient Greece, I was really trying to end the terror of the Elder Bairns. To my enemies, they thought I was conquering the world but…in truth, it was to establish relations in hopes of creating a global alliance."
He gets up on his feet finally, "There's only one way I can retrieve the rest of those memories…I need to get to my brother."
"Sure. We'll get you to them," Nagisa reassured him.
Alex was about to thank them when his brooch finally glowed again, sparking another crisis. The rest of the senshi felt their magic alerting them to more crises happening in Neo Sportsbrooke.
"You must hurry," Mizu Marotta realizes the trouble.
"We'll support you all from afar," Mizu Nanase reminded them.
"We have to hurry!" Rei said, "Hold hands!"
It was well into nightfall as the other senshi were about to wrap up for the day and regroup. The one consisting of the Takagami Senshi joined up with Natsuya and Nao as they began to locate the others still roaming around the city.
"We'll need to form smaller teams, so we don't make it obvious for our potential enemies," Nao said, "That being said, it's probably best if we take a page from the Magic Six and keep it at a group no larger than that."
"Sounds good to me," Hikaru nodded.
They finally ran into Asahi, Ikuya, Hiyori, Aoba, and the Samezuka Trio to quickly go over the next phase of the plan.
"But we have some leads on finding those five…?" Hiyori said.
"Make a small group then to find them…perhaps a five on five just in case," Natsuya suggested.
"We'll go," Asahi and Ikuya replied.
"I'll go too," Aoba said.
Realizing what could be a potential goodbye, Momo's hand reached out to Aoba's and said, "I'll go too."
Seijuurou could see how much his younger brother matured over the last year or so. As much as he didn't want to let him go from this point on, it was clear that this was not the time to shed tears.
"You be careful out there," the older Mikoshiba said, "I'll locate Isuzu and let her know on the updates."
"Right, let her know I'm okay too," Momo replied.
"Hey, Momo-kun…fight your best out there, okay?" Ai asked.
"Heh, you know I will," he grinned happily.
"Then I guess for us, we'll find the Iwasame team and see how we can make smaller teams with us included," Natsuya answered.
With this, Asahi, Ikuya, Hiyori, Aoba and Momo took off. Ai tried not to shed a tear, but he was definitely concerned about what was happening from this point onwards.
"We're gonna be alright, as long as we keep having faith in our teams…and for our prince," Sousuke reminded him.
"You're right," the silver-haired man nodded.
Natsuya and Nao decided to stay in the current area as the Takagami Senshi planned a safe point location for themselves. After a moment or two of debate, they decided to head towards a forested area where the former walls were located on the northeast gates. They also de-transformed themselves in order to keep their powers as hidden as possible.
"We'll gather some wood to start a small fire for warmth," Tsubasa said, "Shimogami, we'll go that way."
"Hidaka, you stay with me," Seijuurou ordered.
The Shimogami Trio went almost an eighth of a mile to find some old trees that had shed some wood. Thankfully, they found a batch of logs at some clearing.
"Is it just me or does this seem too easy?" Kotarou muttered.
"Why yes, it is…" a dark voice loomed above them.
"Dammit!" Shin growled.
"Transform, now!" Tsubasa replied.
All of their foreheads glowed in their respective colors and spirit animals in a split-third screen section. They raised up their fists one by one as spheres of light glowed upon their hands.
"SHIMOGAMI AQUARIUS CRYSTAL POWERRRRRR…"
"SHIMOGAMI ELECTRIS CRYSTAL POWERRRRRRRR…"
"SHIMOGAMI TOXOTES CRYSTAL POWERRRRRR…"
"MAAAKKKKEEEEE UP!"
Tsubasa's hair rapidly spun in the wind while he danced in circles to an indigo blue with accents of aquamarine and silver. His forehead glowed with the Aquarius neon symbol flashing. From there, a couple of water shaped wolves ran towards him before jumping and transforming into magical streams of ribbons to dress him from top to bottom.
The streams of ribbons created the tri-ribbon pattern connected by a metallic ornament in the center where the same Aquarius symbol etched out likewise. The streamers were in colors of blue, forest green, and gray.
From there, more ribbons of light strapped themselves on Tsubasa's deltoids and arms and back, giving him some crystalized armored like pieces. A pair of vision googles made of were colored in aquamarine like his swimmer goggles and black-colored wrist bands with hand guards also appeared.
While walking in the backgrounds of sky-blue and violet with high winds and several miniature-sized typhoons spinning around him, the ribbons flowed down to form his boots as well as his white pair of leggings. Following this, a two-layered skirt appeared in a blue-ish hue as the first layer and a similar green shade from the streamers as the second layer with gray-silver trimming, indicating his team as the Shimogami.
He finally donned his Sterling Shimogami Aquarius Laser Bow with energized arrows all charged up. Tsubasa struck his pose with his aim and fire position with a soft smirk on his face as the background behind him had various shades of blue, white, and lavender with accents of green.
Shin's forehead glowed his tri-bolt symbol on as he spun around in a field of blue, sea lavender, and white background. Several lightning sparks struck from all directions as the scenery changed into shades of maroon and purple.
He crossed his arms to accumulate more electrical magic to his body before releasing an explosion of power to don his outfits: Streams of water descended down to take on his own design of shoulder armor made of faux wolf's fur with sharp bone points.
Shin ran with a pair of water wolves briefly before they dissipated to a gaseous state. He donned his tri-colored ribbon pattern of pale blue, white, and a dark mauve. They connected at the central metallic piece as the same bolt icon etched itself on it.
The dual-skirt layer appeared in a blue-ish hue as the first layer and a similar green shade from the streamers as the second layer with gray-silver trimming, symbolizing his signature of the Shimogami team. Afterwards, he gained his white leggings and his white boots flashed in appearance with their own colors of metallic gray, sea green, and violet purple.
A pair of wrist guards made of gold appeared while his feet were covered in strapped boots with jewels of diamond, sapphire, and amethyst at the rim. Shin opened his eyes as he donned his Crystalized Double-Unagi Cutlass that could be split in half.
He took his battle stance with his knees bent and splitting the cutlass into two halves. The background behind him was a cliff-slide forested area with a lightning show in image.
Kotarou's forehead shimmered the Archerfish symbol before floating softly in a background of golden-brown, yellow, and white and lavender. A group of the said fish appeared and swam by his side before dissolving into energy ribbons.
A massive wave in the background roared behind him in this magical transformation with a couple more of the archerfishes jumping out before transforming into the stars. With a gentle spin through this forward fashion, the foam from the waves swirled around his groin, biceps/triceps, abdomen, and his legs and feet.
The foam dissolved into bubbles before revealing his his tri-colored ribbon pattern of pale blue, white, and golden-brown. They connected at the central metallic piece that etched out the same fish icon from his forehead.
Following this, a two-layered skirt appeared in a blue-ish hue as the first layer and a similar green shade from the streamers as the second layer with gray-silver trimming, symbolizing his signature of the Shimogami team. Afterwards, he gained his white leggings and his white boots flashed in appearance with their own colors of dirty blonde, metallic gray, and violet purple.
On his left hand was an upgraded weapon of a Hatchet-Hooked Sword along with scaled shield made out of protosteel and diamond embedded as one. Finally, Kotarou opened his eyes and readied himself for his own battle with a serious facial expression in a flashy background of archer fish beneath the sea with a color sky from above.
"I am the Swimming Guardian who fights for Relays and Confidence. I am Ultra Suiei Hoshikawa!" Tsubasa chanted as he flipped his pose over in a forested-like background with Aquarius symbolic elements with a smirk-like grin on his face, "Don't let the typhoon blow you away!"
"I am the Swimming Guardian who fights for the stars and light, I am Ultra Suiei Sagae!" he chanted as he twirled one of the cutlasses, "I'll fire you up with my energy that will leave you numb!"
"I am the Swimming Guardian who fights for family and friendship. I am Ultra Suiei Terashima!" He swung his sword before laying a blow on its flat end, "Beware for the waves of my tsunami that will make you or break you!"
The trio readied themselves as a blast of bugs exploded from the wood, attacking the trio like wild hornets. They quickly threw up a water barrier to defend themselves as their foe appeared in front of them.
"At last…my trap has been satisfied by the likes of you!" the next enemy appears, "I am the Swimming Guardian of Vacare and Flight…I am Suiei Vacuum Insecta!"
"You're…NOT A SUIEI!" Tsubasa shouted.
"How dare you take on that title to mock us!" Kotarou agreed.
"Oh, I will become a true Suiei…once I FINALLY KILL THE LIKES OF YOU!" Vacuum Insecta growled and readied his attack with a swarm of all sorts of flying critters hovering behind him, "SHADOOOWWWWW, ARCHAMENIAANNNN, PARASITISMMMM!"
The bugs turned into more massive creatures almost as big as the killer hornets but infused with shadow energy.
"AQUARIUS…RACING…ARROW!" Tsubasa shouted in a background of indigo blue with accents of aquamarine and silver with star-like glitters around. He aimed and fired his weapon.
"ELECTRIS…SUPERCELLLLL VOLTAGEEE!" Shin chanted in a blue-ray and white background with accents of the maroon and purple. Both his hands rose outwards and upwards to call from the attack.
"TOXOTES…TARGET…PROJECTILEEEEE!" Kotarou cried out in a background of golden-brown, yellow, and white and lavender. He twirled on his Hatched-Hooked Sword as it fired bullets of projectiles before a larger blast of magic erupted out of him.
The three powers collided and combined forms to repel against the oncoming wave of insects and dark energy. However, a portion of the attack broke through and were seconds away from striking the trio.
"There's too many of them!" Shin shouted.
"MACEDONIAAAAA DRAGOONNNNN, LIBERATINNNGGGGG, BLISSSSS!"
The trio gasped as Alex twirled on his Astro Solar Destiny Tiare while spinning briefly in a darken blue-ocean blue ombre with sparkles of the stars and the heavens as one. After raising his weapon upwards, great beams of light swirled out before blasting out the attack into feathers.
Behind him, the STYLE FIVE, the Macedonia Trio, and the Hidaka Trio readied their weapons likewise.
"Damn you Swimming Guardians! You may have defeated Plasma Anasi because of his incompetence! But I am here to collect my prize without failure!" Vacuum Insecta shouted.
"Leave this planet at once! You're not going to collect anything from here!" Nagisa answered.
"You lay a finger on anyone of us…" Seijuurou narrowed his eyes.
"YOU CURSED ONES MUST ALL DIE!" Insecta shouted, blasting dark energy to throw them out of balance. They were all dispersed in varying directions but the evil senshi kept his focus on Tsubasa, Shin, and Kotarou as they were the closest in range for him to target.
"But for now, my assigned role is these three who dared to stand up to me first…" the dark senshi growled.
For his amusement, Insecta used the power of his vacuum to choke the life out of the trio before raising up his fists to unleash bursts of energy of some sort of ovaloid spheroids flying towards them. Everyone gasped to see what this next attack was about as time seemed to have slowed down with the trio gasping for air and not being able to defend themselves.