Fictions Mentioned:
Episode 35
OP Song:
Summertime Render OP/Opening 2 Full『Natsuyume Noisy (夏夢ノイジー)』by Asaka
Insert Song: Start
Mighty Morphin Power Rangers Full Theme Song
"Blue Ribbon Empire..."
Everyone—All of the Precure Teams and a few others—would watch silently as they go through the memories conjured up by George Kurai. And with that, they would intimately understand the reasons behind the Legacy Sentai Team carrying the powers of the Kaizoku Sentai Gokaigers. And it was because of a dangerous enemy that one of the Kamen Riders had to deal with.
As they saw...
"...!"
A world burning and drowning in flames. The skies were filled with black smoke that came from the aftermath. The Blue Ribbon Empire had been expanding. The planet was now lost. Ruins of a once great nation, of what was once known as Japan, were now standing in flames. Ruins covered the area. The once recognizable landmarks were destroyed and turned into rubble. Dead bodies of men, women, and children littered the streets. There were survivors of course, numbering in the thousands, but they were being gunned down by the faceless soldiers of the Blue Ribbon Empire.
The soldiers were faceless, as in they can only see the helmets covering their heads entirely, equipped with advanced communications, and the two ominous red dot eyes that were seen from its visors, one that represent a cold, calculating efficiency. None of the human element was seen. They were wearing standard-issue dark blue camo body armor over their mid-sections with padding on their arms, thighs, and groin.
They were carrying large grey assault rifles that fired large amounts of violent blue energy beams that hit their targets with precise ease. No mercy, no remorse, just a chilling atmosphere that sends the message that these troopers would not bargain. They have been ordered by their commanding officers to sterilize the area and that is what they planned on doing. And all that was left in their wake were the screams of the innocent. And the dead bodies that lay on the ground. And the explosions that were to follow as civilian after civilian flew like ragdolls as blood spilled upon the floor. There were also multiple advanced gunships seen in the skies, ones that were shaped like a shark with red eyes and multiple turrets on their sides, firing across several buildings and infrastructure.
"...!"
Kotori Nono, horrified by what she was seeing throughout the ruined city, would embrace George who was the closest to her position.
"...This is...horrible..." Ichika Usami would mutter in horror, seeing the flames of destruction that would reflect upon her eyes.
How were the Precure even supposed to react to this? They were angry of course. Some part of them wanted nothing more than to transform and stop the madness in front of their eyes. With every sound of a scream, and the sound of a body dropping to the ground. Men, women, children! But...
"I know how you feel, Megumi, everyone."
They all turn to Seiji Sagara, sporting a grim expression, watching the all too familiar scene that they were now bearing witness to. Megumi would look into his eyes and she saw...something dark, something that spoke of someone who had been through a hundred battles like this. It terrified her in a sense, if only because, when she sees within her eyerie, of this world falling down to the flames of war, of an interdimensional empire that had struck fast and decimated much of the governments and militaries of this world, she shuddered imagining this happening across several other worlds, several other galaxies, and several other universes.
"But it's no use. This...has already happened. It cannot be undone. This...is one of the first battles that I've fought. Me and my team."
And then, they would see the soldiers all gathering against a crying child and her mother. The child was no older than five years old. With black hair and brown eyes, crying in tears. The mother herself, a young woman with black long hair and brown eyes, was crying too, embracing the young one in her arms. Was this the end, the mother thought?
"No...No...No..." Hana Nono looked around and all she saw was destruction. No hope in sight. Nothing that would stop the killing of fleeing civilians. The soldiers were being killed off, one by one. Nothing was making a dent in these enemy soldiers that were coming out from one universe to another in droves.
Was there truly nothing that can be done about what they were seeing?
DENZIMAN!
Sparks would suddenly fly as multiple Blue Ribbon Soldiers fell to the ground a few ten meters before exploding, surprising both mother and child. It both surprised and relieved the Precure Teams who were watching.
Standing tall was a young man wearing a red and white spandex suit, with a white scarf found on his right shoulder. He was Seiji Sagara - Gokai Red, now transformed as DenziRed.
"Seiji..." Megumi muttered, widening her eyes, looking at the Sentai that was now backing towards the mother and her child in a protective, covering stance.
"Enemy Identified: Gokaiger." One of the soldiers spoke with a immediate monotone voice, spotting Gokai Red. He and the rest of his fellow soldiers, numbering about fifty from the nearest street block. "Terminate him."
"Gokai Change!" Gokai Red declared with a confident pose, using another Ranger Key.
CARRANGER!
Gokai Red would transform into Red Racer and, with a sudden burst of speed of 100 km/ph, would use the Fender Sword to slash through the major opposition in a zigzag motion, killing off the soldiers.
"...Sentai," the mother would mutter softly, shocked that from her perspective, she was seeing a fictional character, a hero that from her wildest dreams would never imagine being the one who would save her and her child. Memories of her own childhood would come back, of a time of peace when she, as a child, would watch Super Sentai with her father and mother. To see a childhood hero face to face, real as he was, facing down against this menace that had plagued the world.
From another side of the story, there was a street corner in the ruins of Shibuya, multiple JSDF soldiers were taking cover from the debris and opening fire upon the opposition with their Howa Type 20 Assault Rifles. Unfortunately, they don't appear to work with soldiers who have much sturdier armor. When all hope seems lost, the soldiers would see...
FLASHMAN!
...Someone wearing a blue and white spandex suit.
"Ah! Fujimura-senpai!" Nagisa Misumi exclaimed in surprise.
It was Shougo Fujimura - Gokai Blue who had now transformed into Blue Flash. He was seen running full speed as he places himself immediately in an blue energy prism ball that would bounce from multiple directions and dashed against the Blue Ribbon Soldiers, destroying them with ease, with multiple explosions seen in the aftermath. As he took care of the last Blue Ribbon Soldier, he notices the shark-like gunships that were now about to open fire on him.
But Gokai Blue was quicker as he poses, drawing out another Ranger Key. "Gokai Change!"
DEKARANGER!
He transforms into DekaBlue, and then he would use his pair of blasters to fire high-density bolts of energy that would hit the front of the gunships, destroying the ships as it exploded in the air. The JSDF soldiers who were standing nearby were in shock as they saw DekaBlue.
"...It can't be," one of the soldiers muttered softly.
From another side of the story, there was a street corner in Edogawa, Tokyo that has multiple civilians running from enemy fire. At least more than a few seconds, they would notice that the energy beams weren't hitting them. They turn around. Rather, they noticed the bright light with feathery wings which form a blindspot in their eyes before it got cleared away, it was the soldiers that were being slashed to oblivion.
GOSEIGER!
A young woman wearing yellow and white spandex with a tiger motif was seen defending the civilians, who in turn were shocked to see who they were seeing. This was Tohru Honda - Gokai Yellow, now transformed into Gosei Yellow. Her brown determined eyes narrowed at the soldiers that were opening fire on the civilians. She would not allow this atrocity to continue further. She would raise her sharp claws and go into sonic speeds, killing any Blue Ribbon Empire soldier in sight, with an explosion that comes with the aftermath.
"What the...Goseiger?" one of the civilians, a man in his late 30s, would say in shock.
Somewhere nearby, there were two others.
KAKURANGER!
A young man wearing a black and white spandex suit, wielding a special sword called the Secret Sword Kakuremaru. He was Kenji Harima - Gokai Green, now transformed into NinjaBlack. He would make a swift technique that allows him to dash at super speed, using his sword to slash multiple enemy soldiers from the ground up to the rooftop. His feet dash as he, like the rest of his teammates, were determined to stop this atrocity.
And then, there suddenly came a few random portals that would unleash strongly offensive vines of a tree that were now tackling the enemy gunships that were firing at anything in sight. Gokai Green would hop a few meters upward to the nearest vine and perform a dash with his two feet helping him balance his posture. And then, he would use another Ranger Key to insert into his phone.
"Gokai Change!"
DEKARANGER!
At the same time, he would unleash beams of high density that would be aimed at the nearby sides of the gunships, destroying them and sending them tumbling down, either on each other or on the ground, creating a furious amount of vibrant explosions.
Somewhere on the ground, assisting Gokai Yellow as she wasted at least fifty Blue Ribbon Soldiers from a street there was the sound of a blur coming in full speed, slashing every Blue Ribbon Soldier in sight and killing them off, with the last soldier slashed to the torso, exploding. It would reveal the presence of a young woman with pink and black spandex with a sword, in a crouch position, with her sword raised to the left.
SHINKENGER!
It was Momo Belia Deviluke - Gokai Pink, now transformed into Shinken Pink. She stands up as she would slice one enemy soldier while Gokai Yellow was making a cross attack with her claws as she pounced like a cat. Then, twirling back from their respective positions, being one meter apart, then they changed Ranger Keys with their cellphones.
"Gokai Change!" they both said, making a pose.
DYNAMAN!
They both transformed into DynaYellow and DynaPink, raising both of their hands as they created a bunch of yellow and pink explosions, engulfing about two hundred Blue Ribbon Soldiers that were nearby.
DEKARANGER!
From another side of the story, there was Brian Taylor - Gokai Silver, now transformed as DekaMaster, leading the charge along with familiar white armored troopers of the 14th Legion who were now opening fire in droves, with blue staser beams picking off every Blue Ribbon Soldier that they see in their line of sight. DekaMaster was using his sword to slash through at least fifty Blue Ribbon Soldiers with ease as he lead the charge. HST-LAAT Gunships were now appearing randomly from the skies and engaging the Blue Ribbon Gunships, taking them all down.
And the sudden appearance of a three-masted galleon-like spacecraft coming out of a space-time portal - the Gokai Galleon which would suddenly grace the skies along with the multiple HST-LAATs - repulsorlift infantry transports between the left and the right forming attacking formations. Multiple Blue Ribbon Gunships got destroyed due to the green staser beams that were being fired by the HST-LAATs as well as the Galleon Cannons firing several canons that exploded upon impact.
All of the survivors—the civilians, the law enforcement, and the military—were in awe, bewilderment, and disbelief of what they were seeing. They were seeing multiple numbers of white armored soldiers with T-shaped visors and music note-painted symbols, along with the all too familiar sight of the Super Sentai.
How can the people of Japan not know of these warriors? The same ones that had the old ones graced their childhood years and made an impact upon the culture and mindset of the nation?
And as the memories would go forward, after the battle, all the {recure Teams would see was that the destruction had been halted, but nothing remained the same. Many of the 14th Legion Clone Troopers were seen providing first aid to whoever was nearby. As for the Sentai, they were detransformed and helped out with the first aid operation conducted throughout the world. Seiji Sagara was seen accompanying the young woman and her child, the one that he had saved earlier. A few meters away, he would gently escort her into a HST-LAAT Gunship, with a Clone Trooper Medic gently reassuring the woman and her child that they will be fine.
The mother would look back at Seiji with an expression of gratitude, smiling as she was embracing her child. "...Thank you. Thank you for saving me...and my baby."
Seiji only nodded silently in reassurance. Then he would step back as he would see the HST-LAAT lift off into the sky and head towards the medical station that had now transported itself here. In fact, the station was seen hovering in the skies, its silver skyline being seen hovering from above.
Insert Song: End
Insert Song: Start
Yes! Precure 5 OST 1 Track10
And then, the memories ceased, leaving the surroundings to return to normal.
"It was just like this at least half of the time whenever we travel between universes and various time periods," Seiji lowered his eyes in sadness, with Megumi Aino and the Happiness Charge Precure! listening intently with worried expressions. "You know...our universe is really one of the lucky ones if only because they have something that many of these universes lack. Precure."
Seiji looked at Megumi with a very sad smile when he mentioned that.
"If the Blue Ribbon Empire were to suddenly invade this world all of a sudden, no doubt would there be a specific Precure Team rise up to defeat them. Our world has a concept what many of the higher planes of existence would call the Pretty Cure Cycle."
"Pretty Cure...Cycle...?" Megumi, the Happiness Charge Precure, and most of everyone in the Precure Teams would mutter.
"That's right," Kaoruko Hanasaki confirmed with a solemn expression. "The Pretty Cure Cycle. Our universe had always been brushed with threats that came from different walks of life. Each of us, all of the Precure, have been born for the exact moment when the world or several worlds or even the universe would have need of certain legendary warriors of the light that could deal with the threat that it would need to face. The Precure have long protected this universe for so many long years even before there were written records of history. Every time, threats both near and far have tried to subjugate this world and the universe itself, threatening the balance between light and darkness. We, the Precure, are the first and last line of defense, born from every era...up to now."
"..." George Kurai, Tsubomi Hanasaki, and the Heartcatch Precure would note the last part as they remember the past. The past when the Heartcatch Precure had dealt with their respective enemy. The past that George would watch for himself, to observe whether history was to stay as it should, and to prevent any outsider from disrupting the balance.
"And the Pretty Cure Cycle..." George continued from his grandmother's line of thought, drawing everyone's attention. "...Has reached its high flux point in the modern era. Never before has an era had much of a growing influx of Precure in our universe as it is our era, numbering in the hundreds at minimum, ready to defend our world and the universe whenever necessary. You girls are the one thing keeping the monsters and the darkness at bay. You girls...represent hope, lighting the path towards humanity's future. And..."
George looks back at the Cure Yell Ridewatch, now being held by his right hand. "That future...is being threatened. Which is where I come in. One of the main points of my job as the Pretty Cure Protector is to make sure that nothing hampers that hope, that nothing would make the fights of the Precure all in vain, that the future is something that belongs to everyone..."
Except for me, an unconscious thought entered George's mind, which made him have the urge to bang his head against the wall. He really needed to take care not to bring up these mental self-issues in order to not make other people worry for him. Yes, he at least has accepted the state of things, but it wouldn't be so easy to get rid of these negative thoughts, ones that he had to deal with for many years. The therapy sessions in the past had helped at least. But it was a work in progress.
This painful unconscious thought that came with it had a memory to it, and it was a memory of a terrible darkness, one that made him grievously wounded after a hard-worn battle. He can still recall kneeling down, untransformed, and looking at the lying body of a young woman who was smiling at him, both happy and sad, touching his face with a gentle sense of affection, one laid in tears that were a mixture of grief, anger, helplessness, and other things.
"...George," the woman would say.
Yes, it was in relation to the Cure Yell Ridewatch he was now carrying. Who was this woman? Was it not obvious? The same woman who seems to be linked to him no matter if it was in the past or in the future.
ZI-O II!
That one memory. He was eleven years old when that happened. He had gained an upgrade. The power of the Zi-O II Ridewatch. But at what cost though?
"("I had the Zi-O II Ridewatch in the palm of my hand. I had access to its most powerful abilities. I could have reversed it. I could have made sure that the timeline where Hana Nono had died never came to be. I could have made all of the things that my other self had done go completely away. I could have done something. Anything. So...why?")"
He accused himself sometimes of why. Why did he not alter fate in that timeline? That was not really his world. He just needed to change the fate of one person. Just one. It wouldn't hurt at all, would it? What could reversing the death of the woman whose passing that had led to many grievances for young George to bear would be worth the trouble to come?
...But he cannot.
He cannot. He knows that he cannot. It was the logical choice. He had to let her die. He had to let the events of that timeline play as they should. That timeline was mostly doomed to witness and experience the fall of the era of the Precure. There was not much Precure left in that world, the world of Hagumi Kurai. Most have died due to a cataclysmic event that left millions dead, one that George would rather not have known, because he does, and he knows what cause it.
Was the universe cruel too much?
That was a question that George had to ask sometimes. The main timeline, his universe, is abhorrent by nature with any bad ending, in this case, timelines that would lead to its inevitable destruction, which would be the villains winning or something of a hazardous anomalous phenomenon that would somehow leave the world in ruins or other means. And so, what does the universe do? By some kind of metaphysical rule, it splits itself like a cell splitting off into two. cutting the bad end timeline off from its original branch and splitting off to become its own universe.
And in the application of this example, the main timeline was still there, known in its IU Coordinates as PC Universe-2004 and its aliases are known as the World of Pretty Cure, the World of All-Stars, the Origin World, and other names. This was the world of the Present George Kurai, of all of the Pretty Cure Teams from Futari wa Precure to HUGtto! Precure to Hirogaru Sky! Precure to others. This world was where happy endings came to be, of a world where the Precure triumphed no matter how many times some villain would try to disrupt the peace. A world where hopes and dreams can come true.
And then, there was the timeline that splintered off from the main universe in order to become its own universe, its own reality. His alternate future daughter's timeline. Its IU Coordinates were known as PC Universe-2044 and its aliases are known as the World of X-Cure, the World of Bittersweet Hope, Hagumi Kurai's World, and other names. This was the world where there were once happy endings. Now...because of circumstances beyond anyone's control, the protectors of this world were either missing or dead. Millions are dead. Toge power leaked everywhere and the Earth was in complete ruins. Most of everything was just remnants of an era bygone through the passage of time. The dreams and hopes of most have been squished away. Mostly, this world was just hopeless. Only a literal few Precure remained in this timeline. One of the most known would be Hagumi and her Precure Team. By context, this could make one at least try to understand the reasons why the alternate future self of George Kurai wanted to try to stop time. He didn't want the main world to suffer the same fate as his world. Misguided though it may be.
And there lies the problem...
"...Umm," George lets go of Kotori's embrace, surprising the latter. Everyone would notice something off when George looks towards the exit. "...Seiji," he said, looking at Seiji Sagara who was just as concerned as everyone else. "Do you think you can handle further explanations from here?"
"Eh? Umm, yeah," Seiji nodded.
"Thanks, I just...I just need to be somewhere for a bit..." George would suddenly try to make his way for the exit, but...
"...!"
Hana Nono, with a serious, concerned expression, was blocking his path. At the same time, he can feel Hagumi hugging him from behind, showing concern for him. From his side, he can see Saaya, Homare, Emiru, and Homare also blocking wherever he may try to exit. Then he would notice Shintarou and Sumire, Hana's parents, and Tanpopo, Hana's grandmother, would draw near to him with their own concerned expressions. Then he would see Kotori, showing a concerned expression as she drew near. Then he would see Hariham Harry who was just walking towards the side of the door and leaning on it, as if to prevent him from trying to escape if he somehow manages to outrun the newly formed Precure and family barricade.
"George, where are you going?" Hana asked.
A painful question that he'd rather not answer. He would say, as if by script, that he needed to be alone for a while to collect his thoughts. Yes, he needed to come up with some excuse to get away.
"(Sigh). It's no use, George," Doctor Traum sighed in resignation, and would walk towards him, putting a hand on his left shoulder. "I recognize that look in your eye when you were looking at that Ridewatch. You're remembering that time, aren't you?"
"That time?" Yukari Kotozume asked, walking near and showing a concerned expression. And when she, along with her other fellow Precure and fairies look at some of the faces that were in the room, noteworthy of which were the Kamen Riders such as Keima Katsuragi, Ichika Orimura, Tatsuya Kaname, and Kiriya Irizawa, and the entire Kaizoku Sentai Gokaigers, and there was Doctor Traum, Kaoruko Hanasaki, and the Clone Troopers who were all in the control room.
There was a disturbing sense felt throughout the atmosphere. The Precure who were the closest to catch on like Yukari would notice that this was related to something about the Pretty Cure Ridewatch, and it relates to George's mysterious past.
...But what could trigger this type of reaction from him?
"I think you should tell Hana-chan and her team about it, George,' Kiriya muttered as he walked near to George. George would look at him with a pained expression. "They need to know."
"Know what?" Homare asked.
George was being silent, troubled and thinking of at least several ways for him to get out of this. But...he can feel another touch from his shoulder. He looks to find the eyes of Shintarou Nono who was looking at him with kind understanding. And it was something familiar. A different paternal kind of feeling that he never thought he would feel again. Not since his parents died.
"Young man," Shintarou muttered gently with a smile. "If you don't want to, you don't have to force yourself to tell anyone for now. But know that when you do want to open up, know that we, and that includes me, my wife, my mother-in-law, and my two daughters, would be more than happy to listen to whatever is bottling up inside you."
"It's not-" George tried to articulate words for a bit. Then his mouth clamped shut. His fists turned cold as they clenched before they relaxed after he breathed heavily and released them. "It's not that I can't tell you, it's..."
George looks at Hana very meaningfully, which the latter notices as she would instantly draws near.
"Is this about my eldest daughter, George?" Shintarou asked gently.
"...Yes," George grimaced as he answered after what appeared to be a few silent moments of passing as he looks at Hana with a contrite expression. "...Yes it is."
He looks back at the Ridewatch in his hand. "I...I just...I already said that I'm afraid, and one of those fears is about your daughter."
"Eh?" All of the Precure Teams muttered in shock.
"Why? What about Hana-chan?" Haruka Haruno asked, drawing near and showing a concerned expression.
George remained silent again. His eyes wandered around, as if silently trying to find ways to escape and was trembling. And then, he could feel Hana's hands delicately touching his face, much to his and everyone's surprise.
"George, you're crying..." Hana said out of concern, touching the sudden tears in his eyes.
Yes, he was crying. He was crying because, when he was looking at Hana, he was also looking at another Hana, of the Hana Nono of Hagumi Kurai's World. Hana's alternate future self.
"...I...I..."
George would see once again from his memory the woman that would sacrifice her own life just so he, as broken and battered as he was, can be safe and live on. He...He was there...
...And he would have to say it. Even in tears.
"...I saw you die."
Insert Song: End
ED Song:
Kamen Rider 4 [Time - Mitsuru Matsuoka]