Chapter 9 – It's Finally Show Time
In the Gokai Galleon's medical bay, Don was tending to an injured Rize, while the other pirates and Cipher were visiting.
"Well, from what I can see from the scans, it seems that nothing's broken," Don stated as he looked up from his tablet.
"That's good," Rize replied with a stifled yawn, "and the bad news?"
"…Your blood pressure is rather low."
"Bit a stretch there, but that's usual after a near-death experience."
"You shouldn't act so dismissively Rize," Ahim chided. "If we had not gotten there as soon as we did, things could have turned out badly."
"I know, I know, and I am grateful that you all did come to help Cipher and I, but I've come to terms with the risks that come with this line of work." Rize then smiled slightly as he looked to his partner. "Besides, I know that Cipher has my back, right partner?"
The injured man's question was met with silence as Cipher continued to look down at the floor.
"Cipher? Is everything alright?" Gai asked.
"…Sorry, I have a lot of things on my mind…" The masked man then got up from his seat and looked at Marvelous. "I need to figure things out…mind keeping an eye on Rize for me?"
"Sure, just don't take too long alright?" The captain replied.
Cipher then vanished into thin air, surprising everybody, except Marvelous.
"Wait, did he seriously just up and vanish?" Luka questioned, "What an ass! The least he could do is wait until you got better."
"Nah it's fine," Rize let out a sigh as he leaned his back onto his pillow, "It's obvious that fight with Enigma has got him thinking 'bout some things. If Cipher needs some space to do so, then I'll give him the space he needs."
"What if the Zangyack attack again?" Joe asked, "You gonna be alright fighting with us?"
"If you had asked me that a couple of weeks ago, I'd say that I'd be of no use. I'm still probably not going to be of much help but, at the very least, I should be able to deal with the fodder."
"It's better than nothing," Joe nodded, before looking to his captain, "What do you think Marvelous?"
"Like you said, better than nothing. Let's just hope that Cipher won't take too long."
…
Meanwhile, back at their home, Cipher was seated in the centre of the arena, staring out into the vast plains in front of him. After moments of sitting in a meditative trance, Cipher lowered his head and sighed.
"The hell am I doing?" The masked man muttered to himself, "I need something to help me loosen up."
Shooting onto his feet, Cipher began warming up as his Channel began to appear over his body. With his blue aura shimmering, Cipher entered a fighting stance as clear featureless training dummies appeared before him.
Tightening his fists, Cipher dashed towards the dummies and started attacking. At first, Cipher threw out measured combos of punches and kicks, but once he started developing a rhythm, the masked man let loose.
Punching through dummies' chest, knocking and tearing off their heads and limbs, slamming them into the ground and grinding them into nothingness, Cipher's stress only seemed to exacerbate as he started bringing in weapons and elements into the slaughter.
For a while, the usual silence was filled with the sounds of clashing steel, ringing gunfire, booming explosives, crackling flames, and supersonic winds, to name a few. The man's rampage had come to an end once he created a broadsword and stabbed it into the arena floor. Cipher let out a deafening roar as the stone floor began to crack and bright lights shined through. In mere seconds, a massive light erupted from below, engulfing the arena.
The sun was setting when Cipher came to, lying amongst the rubble that was the arena. He let out a sigh and stared out into the evening sky above.
"I was wondering when you'd show up Red," Cipher spoke as he sat up and looked back.
"Apologies old friend, I got a bit lost along the way," AkaRed replied.
"No worries, it just means that this place still hasn't lost its touch." Cipher got up from the ground and walked over to AkaRed. "You hungry? Come on, I'll make some of that curry you like."
…
After their meal, Cipher and AkaRed were seated on the patio, looking out at the night sky.
"It's been a while since we've just sat here, eh?" Cipher asked. "How're things on your end by the way?"
"Well enough I suppose. There hasn't been much reason for me to intervene…though I am quite intrigued by how strange the last couple of teams have been."
"Yeah, they're…quite something alright." Taking a sip of his beer, Cipher stared out in silence. "It's good to hear that your faith in the Super Sentai is unwavering as ever…"
"But of course, even against all odds, I know that they will prevail." AkaRed took a moment to let out a soft sigh. "Though, that's not what I'm here to talk about."
"I know." Cipher then emptied his bottle and placed it onto the floor.
"Cipher…why are you still holding your student back? You trust him, do you not?"
"I do…it's just…I do trust Rize, but I don't want anything bad to happen, you know? While he's been showing progress, at the same time, I worry that he might not be able to handle it."
"You worry that he might hurt himself? Or that he might grow mad with power?"
"The former mostly, though I do wonder about the possibilities about the latter. That said, I don't really think he'd do anything that drastic. But yeah, I worry that the powers I gave him might get him killed."
"It is one of the unfortunate risks that come with this duty." AkaRed stood up from his seat and walked over to the railing. "But why hesitate now? You were the one who took him up as your student, yes?"
Cipher nodded.
"Then you might have to do some soul-searching. Find the reason why you decided to bring an outsider into your affairs. Then you'll find the reason why."
"I know. I know, it's just…I've never been-" Cipher looked up to see that AkaRed had disappeared. Letting out a huff, Cipher picked up his bottle and made his way back inside. "Soul searching huh?...Well, I wonder if I still have one left to search for…"
…
Smoke and the smell charred flesh wafted in the air.
All that was left of the hustling and bustling city were the crumbling remnants of towering skyscrapers.
The aftermath of a war between two brothers, had left an entire world devastated.
Cipher, dishevelled, tired, and hurt, was trudging through the dying city.
The empty feeling of guilt and self-hatred plagued him as he had failed to stop the world's destruction.
The sounds of car alarms and the deathly moans and groans filled his ears.
The masked man in black then held his left hand and took hold of a jagged pipe about to hit him.
Looking at his assailant, Cipher saw a man who was literally on Death's door.
Covered in dirt and bleeding from his head and stomach, the dying man had a look in his eyes that indicated otherwise.
In his eyes, there was a fire. A burning sharpness.
The two locked eyes, with the dying man staring hard into Cipher's visor.
Unfortunately, he was unable to keep focus, his body slacked and fell to the floor.
Except, Cipher immediately stopped the man from falling and held him up.
Cipher's hand began to grip the man's shoulder, as if trying to provide some sort of comfort.
In his mind, Cipher could not ignore the look in the man's eyes.
A look of justifiable anger; a look of rightful vengeance; a look of wanting to live.
Letting out a shaky breath, the world around Cipher and the man began to fade away.
"If I can at least do one thing right…let me save this man from my mistakes."
…
Opening his eyes, Rize looked around to find that he was in the Gokai Galleon's main cabin.
"Rize?" Ahim asked, "Is everything alright?"
Rize held in a breath, before letting out a small snort and a smirk. "Oh yeah…just remembering something."
"About what?"
"Ah…just a quote I heard from somewhere."
"Care to share?" Ahim decided to prod, refilling Rize's cup of tea.
"Maybe another time. Let's just enjoy the peace and quiet, shall we?"
"Very well then."
It had been a very quiet two days, and with no sign of Null or Enigma, the Gokaigers and Rize decided to take a much-needed break. While still on alert, of course.
"Hey Rize," Gai called out, "Are you sure Cipher will be fine? Shouldn't you check in on him?"
"He'll be fine," Marvelous interjected. "If he wasn't, then there's no way I would've let him off this ship."
"You think you could've stopped him?" Rize asked.
"Probably not. But I would've put up a hell of a fight."
Rize conceded to the captain's point and went to pick up his cup. However, as he was about the grab the handle, his hand seized up as the familiar tingling sensation ran up his spine.
"Ah shit."
The Gokai Galleon's alert systems went online as the main console display appeared. Right in the centre of the screen was Null, sitting on a plastic chair, with a small group of Gormins around him. The masked man in white was looking up, as if staring straight at the pirates and Rize, making a beckoning gesture.
"So much for our peace and quiet," Don groaned.
"This obviously doesn't look like a trap," Joe commented sarcastically, putting on his jacket. "So, what's the plan?"
"We go down there and beat the crap out of them, as usual," Marvelous replied, then looked to Rize, "Anything you got something to add?"
Scratching the back of his head, the Rider let out a sigh and nodded.
…
A few minutes later, while Null and his Zangyack henchmen waited their guests, the former perked up as he saw Rize and the Gokaigers walking towards them.
"Nice of you all to show up," Null greeted, hopping off his seat, "let's get this started shall we?"
The man in white raised his hand. However, before he could do anything else, Rize reached behind his back, underneath his jacket, and whipped out a heavy machine gun.
Without any notice, Rize pulled the trigger, firing a hail of bullets and tearing through Null and his goons. Once he was out of ammunition, Rize lowered the smoking barrel and watched as the Gormins drop to the floor, while Null stood upright with his left arm in a defensive position.
"Well, that's one way to say hello." Null lowered his left arm and pulled back his sleeve, causing about fifty rounds to drop to the ground.
"H-he caught all of those bullets?" Don stuttered with shocked eyes. Rize sighed and ran a hand through his hair as the others went on high alert.
"If that's how you want to play it, then by all means," Null flicked his hand high in the air, "let's play."
Appearing over their heads was an Aurora Curtain as SOUGO dropped out from the portal and stabbed his Revolcane into the ground, causing a minor quake and shockwave.
The Gokaigers were blown back, while Rize had dug his feet into the ground and raised his machine gun to block the Quartzer's blade.
"How the hell are you here?!" Rize grunted out.
"Null was kind enough to give me a second chance." With an unexpecting amount of force, SOUGO sliced Rize's gun in half, and followed up with another, slashing Rize away. "A chance that I will not waste."
Crashing onto the ground, Rize writhed on his back as his Channel began to heal the wound along his torso.
"Rize!" Marvelous called out as he and his crew got up to assist him. But a hail of bullets fired down and forced the space pirates to step back.
Basco jumped down from the portal as it closed behind him. Getting up from his crouched landing, Basco tipped his buccaneer's hat up with his Cariblaster, a pistol with a silver and gold frame and a black handle, while tapping his Cariblade, a sabre with a gold hilt, against his leg.
"Hey Marvy," Basco smirked very smugly. "Surprised to see me?"
"Basco!" Marvelous shouted.
Basco aimed his Cariblaster and fired, causing the Gokaigers to roll out of the way.
As they recovered, the pirates readied their transformation devices-
"GOKAI CHANGE!"
-and transformed into their suited forms.
Readying their weapons, the Gokaigers charged at Basco, who merely continued to smirk as he responded in kind.
…
Meanwhile, as Rize had finally recovered from the fatal blow, he fell back down again as SOUGO swung his Revolcane at him and let out another downward swing at the former.
Rize managed to summon his wooden sword, blocking the blade as the two entered another power struggle. Gritting his teeth, Rize poured his energy into his blade and let out wave of frost that forced the Quartzer back.
Forcing himself back onto his feet, Rize let out a deep sigh as he forced the remaining ice off his sword with a forceful swing.
Staring each other down, Rize and SOUGO went back at it, clashing their blades and blocking and dodging each other's attacks. Rize let out a horizontal swing that SOUGO blocked before the former activated his Channel as electricity began to form over his left hand. The Quartzer was quick to notice the palm about to strike the side of his arm, and kicked Rize in the stomach. However, the electrifying hand still managed to land and the jolt forced SOUGO to fly back at the same time.
Rize managed to stay on his feet and shook his hand vigorously, the static residue was gone but his hand was still numb.
"I see Null wasn't lying when he said that you would be a somewhat formidable opponent," SOUGO grunted, "even when your partner isn't here."
"That obvious huh?"
"Quite." SOUGO then stabbed his Revolcane into the ground. "Which means this will be a lot easier for me to take you out."
[ZIKU DRIVER!]
Rize took a step back as he watched the Quartzer take out a Ridewatch.
[BARLCKXS!]
Inserting the trinket into the driver, SOUGO placed his left hand on top of his belt and his right hand high above his head, his palm facing out. Turning his hand around, SOUGO lowered his hand in front of his face.
"HENSHIN!"
Moving his left hand to his side, SOUGO grabbed the empty side of his Driver and pulled it.
[RIDER TIME!]
[KAMEN RIDER BARLCKXS!]
Covered in a blinding light, once it died down, SOUGO had transformed into his Rider form, Barlckxs, a black suit with gold shoulder pauldrons, a green torso plate with cracks over the pecs, and a very large leather strap with a gold buckle wrapped around his chest. His helmet had a large, crimson red visor reading out 'Rider' over a gold watch face with silver clock hands pointing at ten and two on his forehead.
Pulling out his Revolcane, Barlckxs spun his sword around and charged. Rize steeled his nerves and readied himself for the Rider's attacks.
...
Marvelous swung his sword at Basco, and followed up with a few shots of his gun. The privateer hopped back and leaned to the side, avoiding the bullets, then returned fire.
While Marvelous dodged out of the way, Joe and Don, dual-wielding swords and pistols respectively, leapt in and took on Basco. As Joe swung his swords with blinding speeds, whenever Basco would dodge, Don would rapidly tap his pistols' triggers, forcing the privateer to keep moving.
Unbeknownst to the blue and green pirates, Basco had been charging his gun, and with one short hop back, he pulled the trigger. A powerful shot fired out and exploded into the ground in front of Joe and Don.
A smoke billowed in front of the pirates, another pair of sabres flew out attempting to stab Basco. Once they missed, the swords retracted back to cloud of smoke as Luka and Ahim leapt out and followed through with the former's attack.
With her swords still connected to the wires in her cuffs, Luka continued to swing her wired swords while Ahim fired aimed shots.
Aggravated by the continual assault, Basco clicked his tongue and charged his blade. Firing out an energy wave with his sword, Basco forced the yellow and pink pirates to fall back.
While still able to continue on, Basco found himself running a little short on air.
'I guess I should've taken it easier, just like Null said,' Basco thought to himself.
Focused on his thoughts, Basco took a few seconds to notice Gai. With the silver pirate leaping in the air, he slammed his spear down as Basco rolled away. Though the privateer readied his gun, Gai managed to knock it away and kicked Basco to the side.
Entering a recovery roll, Basco started to gasp for breath and pushed himself up with the help of his Cariblade.
"What's wrong Basco? Tired already?" Marvelous taunted.
"Well, when you've just been revived from death, you'll know what I'm feeling." Reaching behind his back, Basco pulled out his Rapparatta, a gold trumped with five silver Ranger Key slots on the top side.
"What do you think you're going to do with that? You don't have any Ranger Keys moron!" Luka shouted.
"True, but our good friend Null has made some adjustments for me." Wetting his lips, Basco let out a short huff of breath. "Alright, let's see if this works." Basco then placed his lips against the mouthpiece and blew.
Instead of the usual shrill and obnoxious sound that played from Basco's trumpet, it was a rather pleasant-sounding melody. As he played the trumpet, the bell began to glow as a large golden gear appeared in front of him.
Leaping out from the holographic gear were an assortment of Sentai warriors from the future. Shishi (Leo) Red, Lupin Blue, Kiramei Yellow, Ryusoul Green, Patren 3gou and Kyoryu Gold.
"W-what?! But how!?" Gai gasped.
Basco just smiled and pointed the tip of his blade at the Gokaigers.
"Go forth!"
At his command, the Shinkengers attacked.
…
While the Gokaigers were facing their own problems, Rize's was escalating as Barlckxs continued to beat him to a near bloody and bruised mess. Raising his bokuto once again, Rize blocked Barlckxs' Revolcane, only for it glow and split the wooden sword into pieces.
On his last legs, Rize laid on the ground and stared up at Barlckxs, who was readying himself for the killing strike. But just before he could plunge his sword into Rize's chest, there was a faint crackling sound.
Looking down, the Quartzer noticed that a chunk of Rize's broken sword was faintly glowing. Barlckxs looked back at Rize, who had a wide mad grin and crushed the handle of his sword.
A small explosion engulfed the Quartzer, while Rize was blown back a couple of metres. Letting out a few tired coughs, Rize got up onto his feet as he saw Null walking towards him.
"So, it's finally your turn, huh?" Rize asked.
"I was observing how well you'd do against a foe more powerful than you."
"Oh yeah? And how well did I do?"
"Not very." Null then entered his stance. "But enough talk, let's see how well you'll fare against me."
Stretching his body, Rize let out a sigh as he readied himself. Holding his hand over his face, Rize's eyes sharpened as he cried out-
"HENSHIN!"
Transforming into his Rider form, Rize summoned his usual bokuto and pistol.
"Finally getting serious?" Null asked, summoning a straight sword.
"I'm always serious." Rize fired his pistol and charged at Null.
Null ran forward, deflected the shots fired at him and then stabbed at Rize. The latter, however, managed to parry the stab, pulled Null close and emptied his pistol's clip into the man. After being kicked back by Rize, the masked man in white clutched at his chest, healing his wounds.
"Looks like you are getting better…but how long can you keep this up?" Null asked.
Reloading his gun, Rize prepared to fire again, but his pistol was shot out of his hand.
[ROBO-RIDER!]
Barlckxs was holding the Vortech Shooter, a futuristic looking energy pistol, and walking over to Null.
"Thanks for the save," Null thanked. SOUGO merely grunted in response. "You sure you want to keep going?! I can already tell that you're getting tired."
Nervously gulping, Rize let out a steady breath as he tightened his grip around his sword. Readjusting his stance, Null and SOUGO responded in kind by attacking the sole Rider.
…
Gokai Red and Shishi Red were clashing steel. Shishi Red's Kyu Sword, a blue edged blade with a red handle, took the brunt of many of Marvelous' attacks. As Shishi Red swung his sword against Gokai Red's, the blade fell off, causing the Leo-themed warrior to stumble forward. However, the Kyu Sword had now become the Kyu Shot, and with the distance between them, the lucky red warrior fired at the offguard pirate.
Gokai Blue swung his dual swords at Lupin Blue, whose athletic prowess allowed him to avoid the blades swiftly. In the blue thief's hand was the Lupin Sword, a blade with two handles, one placed at the tip of the blade, and a circle pommel. Rolling to dodge Joe's sword, Lupin Blue gripped the top handle of his sword, activating the clamp at the bottom of his sword and pulled Joe onto the ground.
Gokai Yellow was slashing at Kiramei Yellow, who had been blocking and dodging her blades. Attaching her wires to her blades once again, Luka began her trickster routine again and forced the crystal-themed warrior to jump around more. However, Kiramei Yellow had his Kiramei Shot ready. The blue and white pistol had a top loader that was loaded with Kiramei Bullets, blue discs with white etchings. In the middle of one of his dodges, Kiramei Yellow fired his gun, the disc had ricocheted off the ground, against one of Gokai Yellow's sabres, against the wall, and finally hitting the pirate's side.
Gokai Green was running and gunning as he tried to play keep away from Ryusoul Green. But the Dinoknight's agility and swordplay was fast enough for him to not only dodge the coming bullets, but also cut them down. As Ryusoul Green continued his pursuit, closing the distance between him and Don, the latter was growing desperate as he started to just throw random objects lying around at the former. This did not deter Ryusoul Green, as he continued to get closer, right until Gokai Green was in his range. As he was about to swing his sword, the Dinoknight stopped, causing Don to lower his guard, and then performed a reverse jumping roundhouse to the pirate's chest.
Gokai Pink and Patren 3gou were having a shootout, trading, and evading each other's shots. Knowing that they would be continuing the same song and dance for a while, both pink warriors decided to go into close combat. While the GSPO officer tried to strike at Ahim, the pirate would use the ends of her guns to parry and fire off potshots. Patren 3gou would then roll behind Gokai Pink, whip out her Pat MegaBo, a megaphone with an extendable baton, and strike the back of the pirate's knee. Surprised by the attack, Ahim fell onto her knee, before being picked up by the scruff of her neck and felt a powerful elbow strike to the back.
Gokai Silver slashed and stabbed his spear at Kyoryu Gold, who avoided the flashy pirate's attacks with stoic ease. In the golden ptera-themed warrior's hand was the Zandar Thunder, a longsword with a blue-hilt and back. With the Zandar Thunder, Kyoryu Gold forced Gai to retreat as the former let out a carefully timed parry, followed by a few swift and strong swings, before finally pointing the tip of his longsword out and firing an energised shot at the human pirate.
After the Gokaigers had faced their respective opponents, they all fell back and regrouped. The Sentai Ranger clones also did the same, falling behind Basco who stepped forward with a very smug expression.
A loud cry was then heard as Rize came crashing down by the Gokaigers' feet, and Null and SOUGO met up with Basco once again.
Gai and Ahim helped Rize back onto his feet. The Rider was soon about to be on his last legs but continued to persevere.
"You're still willing to fight?" Null questioned before snorting, "I must say, you really have come a long way since the last time we've met."
"I've already made my mind up when I took up this duty," Rize huffed out, "I'll keep fighting, even if it kills me."
"Why? Because you owe Cipher for saving you? He's not even here Rize!"
"Even so, I trust him to have my back, even if he isn't here with me!" Rize shouted. "When he saved me from death…I could tell that he truly wanted to make up for his inability to save my world. Even if he didn't want me to suffer any more than I already have, I will do so anyways! Cipher not only saved me, but he gave me another reason to live, and I will not waste this chance!"
There was a silence, before Null started to chuckle, then went into a full-blown laugh.
"Don't kid me you fool!" Null pulled out a double-barrelled shotgun. While the Gokaigers were about to move to stop him, Rize raised his arm out to stop them. "He only saved you out of guilt! And now I'll ease him of it!"
As he was about to pull the trigger, Null felt a slight chill down his spine as he looked up at the sky and saw a flash of light. Activating his powers, Null casted a gust of wind that blew SOUGO, Basco and his Ranger clones back, then aimed his gun at the light in the sky.
Falling from the sky, Cipher let out a dive kick as he continued to crash towards Null. The masked man in white fired a round at Cipher, but his bullet had broken down against the latter's kick.
Cipher then slammed the ball of his feet into Null's chest, kicking the latter a good distance away into a wall, then landed onto the ground.
"Cipher!" Rize cried out joyously, running up to his late partner.
"Rize," Cipher responded with a soft tone.
Wrapping the masked man in a hug, Rize then pulled back. "Finally figured things out?"
"…Yeah…" Cipher looked down nervously for a moment, before looking up at Rize again. "Rize, I-I wanted to apologize for everything that's happened. When I took you in, I wanted to make up for my failure, and I thought I had come to terms with the fact that this is a dangerous job we're doing. But because I wanted to make up for everything, I was beginning to doubt my abilities in being able to protect you from harm…" Cipher then bowed his head. "I'm sorry."
"What are you sorry for?" Rize questioned. "If it wasn't for you, I'd be lying dead in the middle of some alleyway." The Rider then placed a firm hand on his friend's shoulder. "Cipher, I knew the risks I would be taking. And I know that you want to protect me…but let's be honest, I kind of need some toughening up, if you know what I mean."
Cipher chuckled along with Rize. "Yeah, I do."
"So…you finally ready to step onto the main stage?" Rize asked with a grin, holding his left forearm up.
"Sure thing…brother." Cipher raised his forearm up and then bumped Rize's own.
…
Watching from afar, AkaRed nods approvingly at the bond between Rize and Cipher.
"So, your talk with Cipher went well I suppose? AkaRed?" Enigma asked as he stood beside the red warrior.
"I suppose it did. But I merely just gave him a push forward. It was his bond with Rize that helped him understand what he must do." AkaRed turned around and walked away. "Perhaps this might prove to you their resolve in stopping Null."
"Perhaps…" Enigma responded as AkaRed disappeared. "…perhaps…they'll be able to do so."
…
Lowering their arms, Rize and Cipher turned to the Gokaigers.
"Sorry for the wait everyone," Cipher apologized.
"You can make it up to us by giving us a hand," Joe responded as he readied his blades once again. Luka, Don, Ahim and Gai nodded in agreement with their second-in-command.
"I can do you one better," Cipher replied. Raising his left hand, Cipher's Channel activated and with a wave, Cipher sent out his energy to the others, healing them of their wounds and reenergising them.
With everyone now given a second breath, they lined up.
And as everyone lined up, Rize's breathing soon grew to be a bit louder. "Oh man, is this really happening?"
"You bet your ass it is."
"GOKAI RED!"
"GOKAI BLUE!"
"GOKAI YELLOW!"
"GOKAI GREEN!"
"GOKAI PINK!"
"GOOOOOOKAI! SILVER!"
"KAMEN RIDER! CIPHER!"
"KAIZOKU (PIRATE) SENTAI! GOKAIGER!"
Once their role call, there was a sniffling sound coming from Rize.
"Is everything okay Rize?" Ahim asked.
"Oh-" Rize cleared his throat, "Oh yeah, everything's fine…just…" Cipher chuckled as he rubbed Rize's back.
"Well, now that the guest of honour is here," Basco spoke up, pointing his sword at the pirates and Riders, "How about we call in the cavalry!" The privateer then placed his trumpet against his lips and played another melody.
Another golden gear appeared as at least thirty more Sentai warriors appeared. While the appearance of these clones kept the Gokaigers and Riders busy, Null had finally gotten back onto his feet as SOUGO, who had untransformed, and Basco ran up to him.
"You alright there?" Basco asked.
"Yeah, I'll be fine…" Null let out a harsh cough. "Rize may be a bit smarter than he looks."
"Or just lucky. Will you able to fight?" SOUGO asked.
Thinking for a bit, Null shook his head. "No, it seems that Cipher has regained a bit more of his strength. Not all of it, but more than before. If it hadn't shot at him, that kick probably would've killed me." The man in white then summoned an Aurora Curtain. "Sorry to ask you of this Basco, but do you mind keeping our friends' company?"
"Well, I'm not really in the position to decline." Basco shrugged as he walked back.
"SOUGO," Null gasped out, "Come with me, I have a job for you."
The Quartzer, while not entirely fond of the retreat, nodded anyways and followed Null into the portal.
"Well, on the one hand, we only have Basco and his Ranger clones to deal with," Luka sighed out.
Marvelous snorted as he and his crew stepped forward. "Well then-"
Readying his gun, Marvelous aimed the barrel down at the army before them and fired. "Why don't we send them back to their own time!"
As the Gokaigers charged forward, Rize was about to follow suit, but felt his legs give out. Cipher was there to catch his friend from falling to the ground.
"Woah, woah there Rize, I know you're eager to fight now that I'm back and healed you all, but you're still winded from before."
"So, then what do you suggest I do? I don't mean to be a downer, but I don't have enough energy for the both of us."
Cipher just chuckled and raised his free hand to reveal the Neo Decadriver in his possession, and then handed Rize another Driver and stepped forward.
"Don't worry about me. Let's just finish these guys off, shall we?"
Both Riders then placed the buckle over their waists and a belt wrapped around them. They then pulled the levers of the Neo Decadriver and they both took out Decade's Rider Card.
"HENSHIN!"
Flipping the card around, they simultaneously inserted the card in the buckle and pushed in the levers.
[KAMEN RIDE!]
[DECADE!]
The projections flew out of the belts and surrounded them. However, the grey silhouettes would then form onto Cipher's body, transforming him into Kamen Rider (C-)Decade.
After an eternity in Rize's mind, the Rider looked down to see that he was still in his base Rider form, while Cipher had taken on the magenta Rider's appearance.
"You mother fucker," Rize enunciated. "Seriously?!"
"Oh come on Rize," C-Decade said laxly as he changed the Ride Booker into sword form, "it is my first fight in a while." The magenta Kamen Rider then charged in.
Rize closed his eyes and took in a deep breath. "Alright, fair enough I suppose." Taking his own Ride Booker and shifting it into gun mode, R-Cipher opened fire.
C-Decade slashed at the various Ranger clones with his blade as he ran, then jumped high into the air as he kicked at Kyoryu Black, who was about to shoot Marvelous in the back.
The captain, noticing Cipher's assistance, let out a chuckle and pushed Kiramei Blue back, and opened fire, knocking the blue crystal warrior back even further.
The two then found themselves surrounded and stood back-to-back. Even though they were somewhat overwhelmed, it didn't damper their mood.
Marvelous nudged Cipher's back and chuckled. "Just like old times, eh?"
"Of course, but with some new tricks as well." C-Decade reverted his Ride Booker and took out three cards.
Rize felt a strange sensation coming from his own Ride Booker and another three Rider Cards shot out into his hand.
In Cipher's hand were Kamen Rider Drive, Ghost and Fourze's Kamen Ride Cards, and in Rize's were Gaim, Zero-One and Ex-aid's Kamen Ride Cards.
The cards in the Riders' hands then let out a bright flash of light, and when they died down, in their hands were now Ranger Keys resembling the respective Kamen Riders.
"This is new," Rize muttered. He looked to C-Decade, both nodding as if to say they knew what to do. "Guys!"
Tossing the keys into the air, the Gokaigers stopped fighting to catch the keys.
"New Ranger Keys?" Ahim asked, "No, I suppose 'Rider Keys' would be more appropriate."
"Looks like our time with those two have finally paid off," Luka replied to her friend.
"Awesome!" Gai cried out, "I can't wait to see what these can do!"
"The Ultimate Power of the Kamen Riders," Don replied, "I can really feel the power coming off of these keys."
"Marvelous," Joe called out, "care to lead us in?"
"Don't mind if I do Joe," Marvelous answered, flipping his Mobilate and Rider Key open.
"GOKAI CHANGE!"
The six pirates inserted their keys into their devices and activated them.
[KAMEN RIDER DRIVE/GAIM/GHOST/ZERO-ONE/EX-AID/FOURZE!]
Surrounding the pirates were the Kamen Riders' respective transformation sequences, until they were finally clad in their armour and suits.
Marvelous was now Kamen Rider Drive, a racing-red Kamen Rider that resembled a sports car.
Joe was Kamen Rider Gaim, a blue-suited Samurai-like Rider with an orange chest plate and a kabuto helmet.
Luka was Kamen Rider Ghost, a black, ghost-like Rider wearing a black and orange hooded parka.
Don was Kamen Rider Zero-One, a grasshopper-themed Rider with neon, yellowish-green armour and decals.
Ahim was Kamen Rider Ex-Aid, a hot-pink video game themed Rider, with four buttons and a health-bar on her chest, and cartoonish eyes on her visor.
Gai was Kamen Rider Fourze, a white and silver, astronaut-like Rider with four symbols on his arms and legs, an orange circle, a blue 'x', a yellow triangle and a black square.
After watching them transform, Basco blinked in surprise before snorting a little. "Well, it seems like I'm not the only one with a few tricks up his sleeves."
The Gokaigers, while in awe by their new forms, readied themselves for a fight. Rize on the other hand, was on a verge of a freakout, but with Cipher's help, he managed to push it down and fight as well.
"Alright guys," Marvelous chuckled, "Time to make this flashy!"
[BGM – Kaizoku Sentai Gokaiger – Tsuyoshi Matsubara]
The now eight Kamen Riders charged into battle.
Marvelous pulled out Drive's Steering Sword as he dashed at top speed. Ryusoul Black and Shishi Red tried to slash at the speeding Rider, but Marvelous crouched in a fast slide and countered with a swing of his own.
Slowing down slightly, Marvelous drifted to the side as he narrowly avoided ToQ 3gou's Signal Hammer. He then flipped onto his feet as Go-On Green swung down at him with his hammer, then continued to run as Kiramei Green gave chase with her sword.
The red pirate then turned around to a halt and flexed the fingers on his left hand in front of his face.
"Time to take you all out for a drive!" Marvelous shouted as he grabbed the steering wheel on his sword and turned it.
[TURN!]
Taking off once again, Marvelous slashed at Kiramei Green.
[TURN!]
As Go-On Green swung his axe again, Marvelous spun behind the orca-themed Ranger and slashed his back. Then as ToQ 3gou tried to catch him, Marvelous had spun the other way, causing the yellow train themed Ranger to miss completely.
[U-TURN!]
Turning the wheel one last time, the Steering Sword's began to glow as he started to spin around. He slashed Toq 3gou's back, and continued to spin as he closed in on Shishi Red and Ryusoul Black, cutting them down as he continued to speed on by. After a few more rotations, Marvelous then stopped and stumbled for a bit, before righting himself.
Taking a moment to appreciate Drive's suit and abilities, Marvelous let out a low whistle and chuckled, "Nice drive."
…
Joe proceeded with his rematch against Lupin Blue. With Gaim's Musou Saber, a katana with a pistol attached, and Daidaimaru, a blade resembling a very large orange slice, Joe was still able to use his swordsmanship. Swinging down with his Musou Saber, Lupin Blue tried to catch the pirate swordsman off guard by grabbing using his sword's claw. But when he did, Joe pulled back on the slide of his Musou Saber, charging his weapon, and fired a shot at the unsuspecting thief.
After taking down Lupin Blue, Joe raised his Daidaimaru to block Ryusoul Red and pushed the Dino Knight away as Kyoryu Green entered the fray. While Joe was handling himself well against the red and green swordsmen, he soon found himself beginning to struggle as Shinken Pink and Zyuoh Lion jumped in to help their allies.
Deflecting Kyoryu Green's blade, Joe found himself forced to block Ryusoul Red and Shinken Pink's swords, leaving him wide open for Zyuoh Lion to kick him in the chest.
Stumbling back a few steps, Joe growled low as he reversed his blades and connected them from end to end.
"Don't underestimate me."
[LOCK ON!]
[1, 10, 100, 1000!]
While his weapon made its announcement, Joe began to twirl the glowing weapon.
"This-"
[ORANGE CHARGE!]
"-is my stage!"
Swinging out the Musou Saber end, Joe fired a wave of orange energy at his opponents, encasing them in a massive liquid orange.
"SEI! HA!"
Then, with the Daidaimaru, Joe let out a few more swings, firing powerful waves that sliced through the orange cage and exploded. Once his enemies were down, Joe split his naginata back to their separate forms, then cooly rested the Daidaimaru onto his shoulder.
…
Luka went into fisticuffs as she took on Kiramei Yellow. Having learnt from her first fight with the gunner, Luka disarmed her fellow yellow Ranger and then knocked him high into the sky with a backflip kick.
Once she landed back onto the ground, Luka found herself being pursued by GekiViolet and AbareKiller. While the purple Ranger came at her with a flurry of punches and kicks, the white dinosaur Ranger was swinging his Wing Pentact, a white and gold feather-like blade.
While Luka had her attention focused on the two warriors in front of her, coming up from high and behind was ToQ 5gou with her Bridge Claw, and AkaNinger with his Ichibantou (Number One Sword). As the pink and red Rangers descended, they swung down their weapons. But, instead of hitting Luka, they had phased through her, and accidentally hit GekiViolet and AbareKiller.
Luka had stopped backing away and looked down at her body. A shiver overcame her as she let out a shaky breath.
"Makes sense…not a fan but makes sense."
To recollect herself, Luka held her left hand high, with her index and middle finger extended, and slowly lowered it down to her chest while lowering her head as well.
"My life…"
As she moved her head up, the orange lines on her body, and the orange faceplate of her visor glowed bright.
"Burns bright!"
Instead of running at her opponents, Luka leaned in and began to float towards them. This did not deter her enemies as they charged forward, but soon found themselves for quite a fight.
Luka's movements were very floaty, as expected of a ghost, but her attacks were still quite powerful. As she parried GekiViolet's elbow strike, Luka leaned back so far that she floated in the air, while Akaninger's sword swung past her body and collided with the purple wolf Ranger.
Floating back further, ToQ 5gou and AbareKiller tried to pursue her, but were unable to land any of their attacks.
Getting up from his fall, Kiramei Yellow aimed his gun at Luka and fired. However, instead of hitting the pirate, Luka entered an ethereal state as the disc passed through her, and ricocheted against the ToQ 5gou, AbareKiller, AkaNinger, and then right back to Kiramei Yellow.
Luka grabbed the handle on the Ghost Driver and activated it four times, causing the eye in the centre of the Driver to glow bright.
[OMEDAMA(GIANT EYE)!]
Turning around, Luka leapt high in the air as a giant glowing Eyecon appeared. With a backflip, Luka kicked the giant eye down and crashed into the Ranger clones below.
With her fight finished, Luka floated back to the surface, taking in calming breaths as she posed meditatively, before breaking her act and feeling proud of herself.
…
Don, while still a bit hesitant to fight against Ryusoul Green, was running and jumping circles around the swordsman. Using his new agility to his advantage, Don would take a chance to throw out a few hits, before hopping away as Ryusoul Green swung his sword.
Don had landed his feet against a wall, and as he was about to jump off, he noticed Stag and BeetBuster aiming their Morphin Blasters, and KabutoRaiger and KuwagaRaiger had their Double Gadget ready.
[BOOST UP FOR BUSTER!]
The silver and gold beetle-themed Rangers had their blasters beginning to charge, while the crimson red and navy blue beetle ninjas had an orb of electricity charging in front of their cannon.
"W-wait,wait,waitwaitwaitwaitwa-"
Don's pleas were ignored as the Ranger clones fired and exploded the wall the pirate was standing on.
But luckily for Don, the Zero-One Driver had accelerated his thought processing fast enough to slow down time enough for him to jump just before the moment of impact, giving him enough space and momentum to get away somewhat safely. The wall exploded into pieces, but Don was now able to use the debris as platforms in the air.
"Wow, that was way too close. How am I supposed to take these guys on?"
As if responding to his question, a hologram appeared beside Don, fully forming into a black and blue attache case.
"A briefcase?!"
Grabbing the Attache's handle, the case folded out and transformed into a shotgun. Letting out a sound of joy, Don leapt forward and opened fire. He did not account for the recoil, however, nearly flying away as he hit KabutoRaiger. But he did land against another piece of flying debris, and continued to jump and gun, blowing the enemy down while trying not to blow himself away.
Landing each shot, Don had managed to gather up his opponents. Removing the Progrisekey from his Driver, Don flipped it and the Attache Shotgun shut, inserting the trinket into the bottom of the gun.
[Progrisekey confirmed. Ready to utilize. Grasshopper's ability!]
Don pulled the trigger.
[RISING! ATTACHE!]
And then changed the case back to its shotgun form.
[FULL CHARGE!]
Don felt the gun grow hotter and heavier in his hand. As the barrel began to glow a very bright neon green, the doctor pulled the trigger.
[RISING! KABAN(BAG) BUSTER!]
Falling onto his back from the force, a giant, holographic, mechanical grasshopper shot forward and slammed into the enemy.
Sitting up on the ground, Don chuckled as he observed the Attache Shotgun.
"Well, I guess you can say that this case is a job well Don!" It took a moment for the doctor to take in the empty silence and dipped his head. "Thank goodness, no one heard that."
…
Ahim leaned to the side as Patren 3gou fired her gun, then with her Gashacon Breaker, a white and black hammer with a large pink 'A' and green 'B' button, disarmed the GSPO officer and slammed her hammer over the latter's head.
After knocking out Patren 3gou, Ahim leapt back as Zyuoh Eagle and Yellow Buster came at her with their blades. The princess quickly slapped the 'A' button on her Gashacon Breaker, causing a white blade with a pink slash effect to pop out from the top of her weapon. Once she landed onto the ground, Ahim quickly tried to fend off the red and yellow Rangers.
But Ahim soon found herself overwhelmed as GoGreen and AbareBlue joined the fray, wielding their respective blasters. After avoiding GoGreen and AbareBlue's shots, Ahim locked her sword with Zyuoh Eagle's. With her attention focused on the eagle themed Ranger, Ahim was wide open as Yellow Buster kicked her to the side.
As Ahim was kicked away, she crashed into a four-by-four block. As the block broke a large grey medal with an image of a sword breaking over a silhouette of a Kamen Rider appeared, and landed on top of Ahim.
The energy item was absorbed into Ahim's body, as she was now covered in a metallic sheen. Recovering from the crash, Ahim was late in reacting to GoGreen and AbareBlue's close-range attacks. However, the green and blue Rangers' weapons bounced off Ahim's body, and when they tried to follow up with a punch and kick, the copy Rangers grasped their respective limbs as they punched Ahim's hard body.
"I see," Ahim muttered, "this must be a power up from a video game." With a reassuring nod, Ahim readied her Gashacon Breaker. "Then, I shall finish this with no continues!"
Still armoured up, Ahim knocked GoGreen and Abareblue away, before charging towards Zyuoh Eagle and Yellow Buster. The blade-wielding Rangers now wielded their own respective ranged sidearms and fired, only for the blasts to bounce off Ahim harmlessly.
Once she was close, Ahim jumped off Zyuoh Eagle and Yellow Buster's heads and broke a block that was hanging over them. Inside was a red energy item that Ahim grabbed immediately. Briefly covered in a red aura, Ahim felt an incredible boost in strength within her body.
She slashed her sword at the red and yellow Rangers, letting out energy waves, before reverting her weapon back to its hammer form. Ahim then ejected the Gashat from her Gamer Driver and inserted it into her Gashacon Breaker.
[GASHAT! KIMEWAZA!]
As her hammer was covered in a colourful neon aura, Ahim lifted her weapon high over her head.
[MIGHTY CRITICAL FINISH!]
She then slammed her hammer onto the ground, sending a powerful tidal wave of energy that blew her enemy sky high.
Watching her enemies disappear from Earth's atmosphere, Ahim let out a content hum and placed her left hand over her chest.
"Game…clear…"
…
Gai was bobbing and weaving as he evaded Kyoryu Gold's sword. As the thundering swordsman swung his sword at Gai again, the human pirate hooked his arm around the blade, stopping it just before it hit his side, and headbutted the Ranger clone in retaliation.
Quickly rubbing his throbbing head, Gai felt something hook his collar. Feeling the tugging sensation get stronger, Gai flew as Zyuoh the World pulled his yellow and red GunRod back. Landing in front of the tri-coloured Ranger, Gai rolled to the side as he saw Sasori Orange thrust his Kyu Spear down at him.
Rolling onto his front, Gai quickly got onto his feet as he saw Blue Buster crouching with his arm up, and Ryusoul Pink preparing to stab her sword into the ground. The moment the blue and pink Ranger clones slammed their weapon into the ground, a powerful shockwave flowed towards Gai.
Luckily, the jetpack on Gai's back shot out a pressurised air that thrusted him high enough to avoid the shockwave. Once his jetpack stopped, Gai somewhat graciously landed back onto the ground. Letting out a snicker, Gai reached for the orange and black Rocket Switch in his Fourze Driver.
"Switch on!"
[ROCKET! ON!]
Pressing down on the switch, orange projections appeared over Gai's right arm as it soon formed into a large orange rocket. Letting out a giddy gasp, Gai bent his arm over his front and started to lean in.
"It's-" And with explosive energy, Gai shot his arms out above his head. "-SPACE TIME!"
Gai cocked his right arm back, and the Rocket Module's exhaust ports started to pressurise. Once he punched his arm out, the Rocket Module fired off, shooting Gai forward with unexpecting speed before barrelling through Blue Buster and Ryusoul Pink.
Continuing to rocket around, Gai swung the Rocket Module at Zyuoh the World and Sasori Orange, punching them both as he flipped in the air and landed on the ground. Disabling the Rocket Switch, Gai pushed down the second and fourth Astroswitches in his driver.
[LAUNCHER! ON!]
[RADAR! ON!]
The blue Launcher Module and black Radar Module was equipped onto Gai's right leg and left arm respectively. Holding his arm out, Gai used the Radar on his arm to lock onto the Ranger clones. Once he had locked onto his enemies, Gai pushed the lever on the Fourze Driver.
[LAUNCHER! RADAR! LIMIT BREAK!]
The modules on Gai's body began to glow. Gai now had a hard lock-on to his opponents as he planted his feet firmly on the ground as the Launcher module fired off its rockets, pushing Gai back a few feet.
The missiles shot through the air and slammed themselves into the Ranger clones, causing a great explosion that took them out. Once his fight was finished, Gai let out a chuckle as he pushed his arm out victoriously.
[BGM END]
…
While the Gokaigers were taking care of Basco's Ranger Clones, Rize and Cipher took the fight to the man himself.
Basco and Cipher's clashed as they tried to hit each other with their blades. Basco let out a series of swings that Cipher had blocked and avoided, before attempting to counter with his own sword. The two then locked blades and stared each other down.
"Well, it's been a while since we've had a go at each other," Basco commented. "Looks like you haven't lost your touch."
"I guess I shouldn't be surprised you haven't either." Cipher replied. "Although, I have picked up a few new things since we last met."
[ATTACK RIDE! BLAST!]
Cipher tiled his head to the side as Rize aimed his gun at Basco's face. The privateer's eyes widened in shock as Rize pulled the trigger, and a rapid barrage of energy bullets fired off.
Letting out a cry of pain, Basco reeled back as he clutched his burning face. Though it was still intact, there were bruises and green blood dripping down his face. Basco let out gritted his teeth in anger and glared at the duo.
"Tough bastard," Rize commented as he lowered the RideBooker.
"Well, there's a reason why Red kept him on his crew."
Basco started to growl as red energy flowed off his body. Letting out a roar, Basco's body began to transform as he transformed into his Armoured Form, becoming a black and red humanoid monster with gold skull-shaped armour and glowing red eyes.
Aiming his CariBlaster, Basco fired off powerful energised rounds. Rize and Cipher dodged the shots before Basco seemingly teleported and appeared before the Riders.
Rize had managed to block the Basco's kick but was still knocked away from the force behind it, while Cipher had to rolled away as Basco fired off an arc of energy bullets.
Cipher then retaliated as he started slashing his sword but was doing little damage as Basco tanked the attacks. Basco let out a horizontal swing with his CariBlade, sending out an energy wave that forced Cipher a couple of metres back as he blocked it.
Basco was about to let out another, but stumbled as Rize fired a couple of blasts against his back. Basco spun around and fired off another energy wave.
Letting out a yelp, Rize slid against the ground as he narrowly avoided the wave.
"Cipher!" Rize tossed his RideBooker to his partner. Cipher had done the same as well, throwing his blade to Rize while also catching the gun and firing at Basco. Rize grabbed the handle of the RideBooker sword and slashed at Basco heel, causing the monstrous pirate to fall to the ground.
Rize and Cipher regrouped while Basco pushed himself back up and let out a loud roar.
Before Basco could continue to fight, Marvelous sped past him and slashed his sword at him; Joe and Ahim then followed up with their own swords; Don and Luka then leapt over Basco and fired a shot from their respective firearms; and finally, Gai barrelled Basco over with his rocket arm.
"Damn pests!" Basco shouted. "You think that was enough to beat me!"
"Is it just me, or Basco a lot angrier than usual?" Don nervously asked.
"Probably," Cipher replied, "Then again, he's the kind of guy to repress this side of himself."
"In any case, we should quickly defeat him before he gets any stronger," Ahim interjected as she and her fellow Riders readied themselves.
The Gokaigers then charged in and took Basco on, while Rize and Cipher stopped as their RideBookers reverted to their book form and shot out six Rider Cards. Looking at the cards in their hands, Rize and Cipher then looked at each other.
"You thinking what I'm thinking?" Cipher asked.
"They're not gonna be happy once this is over," Rize replied.
"Ah, well, we'll deal with the repercussions once the time comes to that." Cipher opened his NeoDecadriver and inserted one of the cards into it.
[BGM – Ride the Wind – Masahiro Inoue]
[FINAL FORM RIDE!]
Cipher slammed the levers shut.
[D-D-D-DRIVE!]
While the Gokaigers continued to fight Basco, Marvelous a chill run through his body as Cipher walked up to him.
"Sorry Marv, but this is just gonna tickle a bit," Cipher half-heartedly apologized.
"Wait what?" Marvelous asked.
Without any other warning, Cipher reached into Marvelous' back and pulled out a handle. The pirate felt his body move on its own as he began to contort and transformed into an oversized version of Drive's Steering Sword.
The Gokaigers were shocked by their captain's sudden transformation as Basco was knocked around by the massive blade.
[FINAL FORM RIDE!]
[G-G-G-GAIM!]
Hearing the announcement, Joe turned around to see Rize standing behind him.
"…sorry bout this," Rize apologized as he placed his hand on top of Joe's head.
Before the swordsman could voice his displeasure, he also started to transform into an orange, blue and gold version of Gaim's Large Orange DJ-Gun, Rize grabbed the enormous matchlock gun and started firing at Basco.
As Basco was being bombarded by the massive blade and explosive shots, Cipher and Rize inserted another card into their NeoDecadrivers.
[FINAL ATTACK RIDE!]
[D-D-D-DRIVE!/G-G-G-GAIM!]
Cipher placed Marvelous parallel to the ground as the steering wheel began to turn and started to burn rubber. Holding the transformed pirate in place, Cipher then let of the handle and Marvelous shot forward, piercing through Basco.
Rize aimed Joe's transformed body at Basco as the matchlock began to charge. After Marvelous had pierced Basco, Rize pulled the trigger and a massive orange shot forward and exploded against the monstrous Basco.
Once their attacks were finished, Marvelous and Joe reverted to their human forms, while Rize and Cipher inserted another pair of form ride cards.
[FINAL FORM RIDE!]
[G-G-G-GHOST!/Z-Z-Z-ZERO-ONE!]
Luka and Don were about to protest to Rize and Cipher from transforming them. However, their touch wasn't needed as the yellow and green Gokaigers transformed anyways.
Luka had transformed into a giant black and orange Eyecon, while Don had become a black and neon-green version of the Rising Hopper Rider Model.
"Oh, this is so creepy!" Luka cried out. "Rize! You and Cipher are so gonna get it after we're done here!"
"Alright, alright, we'll pay whatever you want, just help us beat the guy's ass!" Rize cried back.
Luka and Don charged at Basco, slamming, and kicking against the privateer respectively. Basco aimed his gun at the two, before Luka let out a bright light that temporarily blinded him.
[FINAL ATTACK RIDE!]
[G-G-G-GHOST!/Z-Z-Z-ZERO-ONE!]
Once Basco's eyes readjusted, he looked up to see Rize high in the air with Luka floating in front of him. The privateer aimed his gun at the pair and was about to fire, but a magenta blur knocked the gun out of Basco's hand.
Off guard, Basco was open to the assault that Cipher and Don performed, as they became a blur of magenta and neon green, knocking the monstrous man around, before piercing through him with their respective flying kicks.
Once Cipher and Don were finished, Rize spun in the air and reverse flash kicked Luka down towards Basco. The flying Eyecon shone brightly as she slammed against Basco's body, blowing him quite a distance away.
"I can't say that I'm looking forward to this," Ahim muttered as she and Gai waited for their transformations.
[FINAL FORM RIDE!]
[E-E-E-EX-AID!/F-F-F-FOURZE!]
Ahim curled her body up into a ball as she transformed into a pink version of Ex-Aid's Level 1 form, while Gai split open to transform into a white coloured Rocket Module. The royal took a moment to appreciate her new form.
"My, what a cute look," Ahim commented, subtly indicating her gladness as she and Gai advanced on Basco, unrelenting in beating up the privateer.
[FINAL ATTACK RIDE!]
[E-E-E-EX-AID!/F-F-F-FOURZE!]
Ahim and Cipher leapt to the skies while Gai circled around Rize. The Rider in black grabbed hold onto the handle of the Rocket Module and planted himself as the thrusters went to full blast.
Once there was enough power, Rize and Gai rocketed forward, the tip of the rocket slammed into Basco as they forced him into the air.
While Basco flailed around, Ahim and Cipher flipped forward and performed a Double Rider Kick, slamming their feet against the privateer as he crashed back down onto the ground while the pink duo landed safely.
[BGM END]
Once the barrage on Basco had ended, the red and black privateer reverted to his human form, covered in bruises and blood as he tried to force himself back up.
"Well…" Basco took in deep breaths, "…you really have changed Cipher. I don't think I've even seen you let loose this much."
"Yeah well," Cipher glanced at Rize and snorted, "I say that it was about time I practiced what I preached."
Basco merely snorted in response as an Aurora Curtain appeared before him. The Gokaigers and Rize were about to get ready to chase after Basco before he could escape. But Cipher raised his hand as he stopped his friends.
"Cipher? What are you doing?" Marvelous asked.
In response, Cipher aimed his RideBooker at Basco and fired a shot. Before the bullet could even get near the escaping privateer, a thin, powerful laser shot out at the magenta Rider. Luckily, Cipher managed to tilt his head fast enough to avoid the piercing beam.
Getting his message, the others stood down as Basco made his escape. Cipher then sighed as he undid his transformation, reverting him and his allies back to their usual appearance.
"Well, apart from his escape, I guess we did some pretty decent work," Rize commented as he placed his hand on Cipher's shoulder.
"I guess we did."
"Welcome back Cipher."
"Good to be back."
While the duo were enjoying their reunion, the good vibes were cut short as Rize felt a harsh tap on his back. The two turned around to see a very, very unamused group of space pirates barely hiding their anger towards the Riders.
Rize nervously chuckled and turned to Cipher, only for the latter to have disappeared.
"Cipher?"
"Uh yeah sorry, just realised I had something I needed to do."
"Oh, you son of a bitch!" Rize immediately turned tail and ran, letting out a frightened scream while the Gokaigers gave chase.
…
Continuing to observe from afar, Enigma chuckled as he straightened his back and looked up at the cloudy sky.
"Looks like they're finally making some progress."
"Are you worries alleviated?" AkaRed questioned.
Enigma shook his head. "Not yet. In due time, perhaps. But right now, they're still gonna need a bit of work."
The Red warrior nodded as he began to walk away.
"You heading off?" Enigma asked.
"It is my job to overlook the efforts of the Super Sentai, one that I unfortunately cannot take too much time off from."
"Well, when you do happen to get some free time, hit me up."
AkaRed chuckled as he gave a backhanded wave to Enigma, disappearing from the world.
Letting out a huff, Enigma leaned against the railing while continuing to stare at the clouds slowly drifting in the sky.
…
Back at Null's lair, Basco collapsed onto the ground as he passed through the portal. As the privateer laid on the ground, Null and SOUGO walked up to the man.
"How'd things go?" Null asked
"I had 'em on the ropes…for about a second."
"Sounds about right." Null then grabbed Basco's arm and pulled him onto his feet, helping him stand. "Come on, let's get you back to bed."
As Null carried Basco over to the latter's room, the privateer chuckled as he gave the man in white side-eye.
"Rather trusting. Not afraid of what I could do at this range?" Basco asked.
"Please, after the beating I saw, I'd be surprised if you could even kill a fly. Besides," there was a sudden subtle shift in Null's demeanour that even caused Basco to shiver, "you really think you could kill me?" Null quickly observed Basco, who had gotten very quiet. "Once you're rested, you'll be joining Sougo in our spars. Maybe then you'll have a chance at killing me."
The conversation between the two villains was interrupted as a blindingly bright golden portal appeared out of nowhere.
Heavy, yet elegant footsteps walked out of the portal, causing Basco and SOUGO to cover their eyes, while Null just sighed.
"Well, I wasn't expecting you to show up."
…
Meanwhile, in another dimension, galaxies away, a blue, red and silver giant stood on a floating asteroid. Staring out into the calming emptiness of space, the giant perked his head up and looked towards the direction of a disturbance he felt.
'It's him,' the giant thought to himself as he pushed himself off the planetoid and flew, readying himself for another conflict to protect peace in the galaxy.
Another chapter of a story that will most probably update whenever I feel like it at this point. Don't get me wrong, I do quite like writing it, but I'm not the best planner, and I tend to get real caught up on details that people probably don't really care too much. Who knows.
Anyways, this was one of the ideas that I've been thinking of for quite a few many years actually. The Gokaigers turning into other Kamen Riders and beating the crap out of the enemy. I think it was probably around when Ghost was still airing. But I'm kind of glad that I waited until now, because I had some more choices in what Riders the pirates could transform into.
And yes, I am having a certain Ultra making an appearance, so hopefully you all will have that to look forward to.
See you all next chapter.