CHAPTER 6
A Rigorous Path
Disclaimer: Pokémon belongs to Nintendo, Satoshi Tajiri, and the Pokémon Company International, while Super Sentai belongs to Toei Company Ltd. I own nothing but the idea, story, and my OCs.
Written by MagicWings001
All was okay for the Shinkaigers as of now, at least.
Takeru had eventually managed to recover from his defeat by Apollo, and with help from his parents, persuaded himself to keep on fighting for the team's sake. The Red warrior, along with the rest of the team, was currently preparing some camping gear and any key items to eventually move out onto the next route and capture some new Pokémon, however the team had decided to hold off going ahead to Cyllage City for the time being to better defend the other parts of the region.
They weren't the only ones preparing something, though, as Lillie was getting herself primed to meet her old friend, N, who was formerly the puppet monarch of the now-defunct Team Plasma before his redemption and had arrived in Kalos recently after receiving information of Zeus' return. N himself later turned out to be the one who hacked Takeru's communicators way back in Chapter 3, but fortunately, the two was still in warm relations.
The Shinkaiger mentor though was also dealing with the arrival of her husband, Shigeru, and her youngest two children, Ibuki and Kaoru. Lillie was the one who had informed both Shigeru and N regarding Zeus, and the two of them ultimately decided on coming to Kalos in order to take harsher action, with the former of the two bringing along his two youngest children due to them being toddlers. Lillie herself would later be greeted by Hikaru, who just finished his errands with the team.
"Did you call, Mom?" The 17-year old said.
Lillie then just let out a simple reply, informing her son about Shigeru's future arrival in Kalos. "Could you tell Takeru and the others that you still need to stay here for a couple of days? Your father's coming here. He's been notified about Zeus' return and he wants to help, since his future research agenda is surveying certain Kanto Pokémon who live in non-native regions."
"What? Wait, is Fuuka, Ibuki and Kaoru coming too?" Hikaru replied, with the Blue warrior being surprised and flabbergasted at the same time.
"Well, it's a no for Fuuka, but a yes to those two. Brace yourself, Hikaru, I know you don't like being annoyed by their behavior these days."
"Oh good lord no... As if becoming Shinkai Blue and not getting myself pummeled like a pile of shit isn't hard enough..." The Blue warrior replied again with a dreadful voice.
Lillie then proceeded to reassure her son before reminding him to tone the cursing down for the future. "I'll make sure they wouldn't make you really angry, because I know you don't like their behavior, but they're still your siblings, Hikaru. Just deal with it if you can. Also, tone down the language when they're here; you're not going to teach them how to be a bunch of bad kids."
However, the heart-to-heart talk was interrupted by the Guardia Base's alert system blaring over the speakers, prompting Takeru and the remaining three members to follow Hikaru to the briefing room.
"Is there a new Inhumanoid?" Ran asked as he proceeds to barge in through the automatic doors.
"Precisely, Ran. M.Y.T.H.O.S has decided to have Camphrier Town attacked, but we weren't able to find out why were they specifically targeting the city." Lillie said.
Ran then had a spark of an idea, procuring his own analysis in response. "The annual Camphrier Harvest Festival is going to take place today in 17 minutes. They might be trying to sabotage the processions so that they can kill the townspeople in one go now that it's the day of the festival; after all, everyone there is trying to honor the Snorlax."
"Arceus! Are they going on a fucking killing spree this time?" Takeru said in utter confusion and shock.
"Well, if that is the case, you'll have to go to Camphrier Town as fast as possible. We want to minimize any casualties." Lillie ordered. However, Erina proceeded to question it. "But Camphrier is far away! Can we really get there in time, though?"
"I'll try configuring the EvolStriker to its maximum speed if we want to reach it in only a few minutes, then." Ran said.
"Isn't the government going to be pissed off if we break a few speed limits, though?" Hikaru replied.
"Well, we are backed up by the government. They wouldn't have a problem with us doing that, let alone the police, because they're hopeless against them and we were the ones made into cyborgs to deal with those Inhumanoids. Negotiating a deal with the top brass to break one law shouldn't be hard, but we already know what would happen to Ohkido-san if they disagree." Ryouma rebutted.
"But, I think they might have other plans, Ohkido-san." Takeru said. This prompted the rest of the team and the aforementioned Alolan woman to look at him with questioning looks.
"And what's that plan are you talking about, Take-chan?" Hikaru asked.
"M.Y.T.H.O.S isn't targeting all of the townsfolk in Camphrier. They're trying to eliminate the Shabboneau family. With Lord Shabboneau gone, no one will play the Poké Flute to wake up the Snorlax, because the townsfolk will most likely mess up the melody, angering them in the process, and with his family wiped out, Zeus is making sure that there would be no one to replace Lord Shabboneau as, well, Lord Shabboneau. Snorlax are bound to cause harm to the people there if angered, and worst of all, Camphrier will suffer from starvation, since the Snorlax there not only gets rid of crop stubble, they also plow the ground for the next harvest. You know where this is going, then." Takeru explained.
"I never expected it to go that deep..." Lillie admitted. Hikaru was moreso suspicious about Takeru due to his explanation somehow making total sense. 'Take-chan... Your explanation right there impossibly makes sense, yet you didn't even carry out investigations yet... Just what are you hiding from us, old friend?'
"Well, whatever they're planning, they might be up to no good. We may need to guard the Shabboneaus as tightly as possible if they're planning to wipe out the whole family." Ran surmised.
"Then that's settled. Ran, begin reconfiguration of the EvolStriker immediately. I'll try to contact the authorities in Camphrier Town to hold off the festival until the problem has been dealt with." Lillie ordered, once again.
"Yes, ma'am!" The Yellow warrior affirmed with a salute before taking each of the team members' Aether U-Phones and leaving the room, heading to his workshop in order to reconfigure its Bike Mode to have a faster maximum speed as soon as possible.
Olympus Castle, Kalos
"Is everything going according to plan, Apollo?" Zeus asked, with him entrusting overseeing of his plan to his war hero.
"Yes, Your Imperial Majesty. Wasp Inhumanoid has begun his attack in Camphrier Town, and it seems the Shinkaigers aren't on time just yet to stop every one of our precious schemes." Apollo answered, noticing the lateness of his hated enemies.
"It seems apparent that we can finally have a chance of taking over the world after those pesky fools have stopped us time and time again. They are certainly the persistent bunch, eh, darling?" Hera said.
"Those accursed Shinkaigers are very persistent in stopping our schemes in the name of justice... I must say though, their attempts at fighting off Raven Inhumanoid last time are a bit pitiful. However, who destroyed that precious Inhumanoid if they didn't fire off their weapons?"
"It was of my doing, Your Imperial Majesty. I did that to test those pesky fools if they are capable of only taking down our precious Inhumanoids or if they are more dangerous than that to us by having the skills to eliminate one of ourselves." Apollo explained.
"I see. Splendid work, Apollo. However, I still expect you to personally go onto the battlefield to help your own creation." Zeus ordered.
"Yes, sir."
"Your Imperial Majesty, may I speak up?" Artemis politely asked.
"What is it that you have needed to bring into our attention, Artemis?" Zeus politely replied.
"I have just thought of a scheme to potentially halt two of the Shinkaigers, hampering their progress, and marking them for elimination at the same time, however this requires the creation of a new Inhumanoid. I request your permission regarding the creation of said Inhumanoid." Artemis explained. She was unfortunately also up to no good.
"Very well. Your plan shall be brought up in the future and Apollo is to create the monster with your own supervision." Zeus said, approving of the plan before continuing his order. Apollo, go on to the battlefield immediately! You are to help Wasp Inhumanoid deal with the Shinkaigers. And once again, I will not tolerate any failures."
"Yes, sir!" Apollo affirmed.
Camphrier Town, Kalos
By a matter of minutes, Camphrier Town was in pure disarray as M.Y.T.H.O.S forces would begin to completely ravage it, putting the citizens into chaos. Fortunately, Shabboneau Castle was untouched from all of the havoc, as apparently, the organization didn't bother to use the Olympus Castle's flight function to carpet-bomb the area like it was no tomorrow.
As quick as it may sound however, the Shinkaigers would then finally arrive at the city in their human forms, deciding on taking shortcuts to avoid being detected in public and having forgone the Kalosian speed limit regulations. Normally, attempting this would give you a ticket, but fortunately Lillie had managed to pull the impossible stunt of convincing to give the team special exceptions, for that their reasons of breaking the law was not of malicious intent nor accidental anyway.
Takeru and Hikaru later readied the EvolStriker's built-in weapons, deploying them before gunning down the new Inhumanoid, startling him immediately. The aforementioned monster itself seems to be based off of a Beedrill, as per Ran's own analysis while they were getting closer to the area.
"S̵̺̏͜h̶͍͉̔i̸̙̔̍ǹ̴̺̋k̷̡̬̔̃a̸̛͓͛i̵͙͊g̴̖͈̀e̷̥͆r̵̲͙̆s̵̝̑̍!̵̰̺̇͊?̶̣̿̓ ̷̲͕̐Ẁ̴̯e̶̘̐͛l̶̖̪͒̚l̶͖͖͗,̶̡̹̈́́ ̷̬̓́ẁ̶̥ḣ̸̻̊ͅa̵͎̹͑t̸͕͑ ̷͓̑̿d̵̠͉͒̀o̶̠̍ ̷͇͆w̴̝̙̓ȩ̵̱̒͒ ̴̹͋ḣ̴̜̟̈a̷̡̠̚v̶̠̈́ě̶̠́͜ ̵̞̩̓h̷̢͕͒͗e̸͈̟̋r̵͇̓̇ẽ̸̻́?̵̬͋ ̷̹̌͆͜I̴͚͓͂ ̶̬͚̊ḁ̵̀̏m̴̮̉ ̷̻̗͠W̷̧͉̑͗a̴̦̍s̸̜͈͐͑p̷̠͛ ̸̥̆͐I̵̯̾n̷̦͑ḣ̸̼̠͊ų̵̽m̷̨̝̑̚a̵͔͋ń̵̠̝͘ṍ̷̮ï̵͔d̸͎̈!̸̖͙̍̈́ ̶̺̩̓͋I̵̪̠̾̓t̷͙́̓'̶̘̏ș̸̏ ̸̘͊̀ͅa̷͓̬̒̋ḃ̵̪̃ȯ̴̭̤ủ̴̩͘ẗ̸̮́̇ ̷͉̅̄ͅt̶̛̥͊i̷̺͙͛́m̴̩̿̾e̷̛̺̰͛ ̸̤̄I̵̗͘ ̷̨̤̉̌f̵̦̼̏̒i̸͕̪̒̿ṋ̷̇ͅa̸̟͗̚l̸͔̩̎͘l̴̦͌̋ỷ̶̬̭̀ ̴̮̎t̵̰͆a̸̡̻͘k̴̹̆͜͠e̶̠̔̉ ̶̰͌y̶̧̡͆͊o̴̬͑̇ú̸̫͝ ̶͓͚͊d̷͇͍̀o̴͙̅͝w̶̳̖̆n̴͖̿!̷͉̈́ ̶̗́H̴̚ͅę̸̃ḩ̶̰̽̏e̸͗̅͜h̸̪̚ê̶͇͔̅ḫ̷̑͠e̷̢͙̾̇!̴̭̆͘" The wasp monster said, at first being startled before beginning to cackle in amusement.
"Well then... Let's see who wins this damned fight, yeah? We won't let you drive the whole town into despair at this rate!" Hikaru defiantly declared. He, along with the rest of the team, later proceeded to summon the EvolBracelet before taking out their respective medals and inserting them.
TALONFLAME!
JOLTEON!
UMBREON!
SHARPEDO!
SYLVEON!
The team then swiftly presses the top button of the bracelet before proclaiming their transformation call. "Spark Change!"
CHANGE, SHINKAIGER!
And with that, the team then began charging towards the Beedrill-based cyborg monster and the reserve Hoplite Soldiers that he had summoned, beginning their roll call while fighting empty-handed.
"Shinkai Red." Takeru started, putting up his usual stoic demeanor while snapping his fingers, as is the norm for all of the team members.
"Shinkai Yellow." Ran followed, keeping his calm behavior.
"Shinkai Black!" Ryouma simply continued.
"Shinkai Blue!" Hikaru shortly followed suit.
"Shinkai Pink." Erina ended, snapping her fingers while doing an elegant spin.
"Shuugo Sentai, Shinkaiger!" The team proclaimed in unison, before taking out their weapons.
EVOLBLADE!
EVOLARROW!
EVOLGUN!
EVOLROD!
EVOLRAPIER!
Ran, Hikaru, Ryouma and Erina would then proceed to take care of the soldiers while Takeru would begin to strike at Wasp Inhumanoid like there was no tomorrow, slashing and burning at him using the EvolBlade, with the sword in question having the sharp end of the blade burning literal flames. Takeru however was unable to deal major damage, as the monster somehow was able to tank it.
"Wha-!?" Takeru exclaimed in surprise.
"S̷̹̳͗͝ṳ̵͉̉̊r̴͉͉͛p̷͕̥͛r̴̞̒̌ĩ̷̼̈́s̸̯͙͘ě̸̱̍d̶͓͆̕,̶̭̈ ̸̢͍́͘â̷̡r̴͇̗͛e̶̖͉̿,̴̢͖̓ ̵̢̻̄͂y̶̨̎õ̸͎̺̔u̴̞͇̕,̵̯̎ ̴̢̐̓S̵̗̈̐h̴͙͐i̷̳̋n̵̪̑k̶̘͆̏a̶͖͐͠i̷̬̓ ̶̛͓̝̈́R̸̠̦̊̍ę̸͖͆d̶̖̦͋͝?̶̯͌̚ ̶̣̈́Ẅ̵̫́͠e̷̖͂́͜l̴̝͐l̸̰̉̍,̴̖̚ ̵͉̗̄t̴̰̔a̸̧͚̍̀k̴͇̕ȩ̷͙͘ ̸̹̿t̴̘̰̾́ẖ̴̌ǐ̵͈s̵̢̈́̇ ̸͔̀ț̷̽h̵͙͐̇͜e̷͓̜̓̈́n̸̺̿̎!̸̛̫̺̒ ̶̝̱̍͆V̷͎̌e̶̢̙̒̕n̸̛͓̱̍o̸̹̒͐m̷̬̙̽o̴̱͙̽u̷͎͖̇̍ṡ̸͓ ̷͚̮͊̕J̶̝̐ȃ̵̮b̴̭̣̋!̷̡͗͘" Wasp Inhumanoid said, conjuring a deadly version of Poison Jab. The Red warrior however dodged it with ease, with Ryouma joining him in the brawl before taking a firing stance.
"Penumbra Buster!"
Ryouma then proceeded to fire one supercharged ball of dark miasma towards the monster.
The ball of miasma would later breeze through the Venomous Jab and crash straight into the Inhumanoid's chest, with Takeru slowly making the damage worse by slashing the monster again with the flaming EvolBlade. The monster however simply retaliated with a barrage of his own attacks.
"D̷͎̃̎à̶̪̦m̶̜͒͛n̴̈́͗ͅ ̸̜̯̂y̷̘̔ơ̷̥̳̋u̶̘̳̾.̵̧́.̷̯̫̃.̵̦̗̿.̷̧̔!̵̨͎̓ ̴̛̣̀V̵͈͖̿̽ĕ̵̬ṇ̷͝ó̶͕͖̏m̸̊͛͜ő̶̲͝ù̸̹̱s̵̺̈́̚ ̸̫͕͒S̷͙̤͑h̴̟̋̐ö̷̱́ç̴͙͛k̵̑̂ͅw̵̩̐a̵̟̭͊ṿ̸͖̂͝e̶̢̿͊!̶̦͈̿̉" The monster proclaimed, launching out a much more deadly version of Venoshock.
However, the attack was then swiftly deflected by the other three Shinkaigers, who had just survived through the attacks from the relentless Hoplite Soldier platoons that they had defeated, causing the Inhumanoid to take moderate damage from his own attack and worsening the pain, forcing him to retreat.
"Ę̵̥̾͘r̶̮̀̕ǵ̶̭͛h̶̲̚͝!̵̙͆ ̵̙̂͐I̸̦̔̕ ̵͜͝c̸̟̀ạ̴̋̓n̴̢̬͋͘'̴̨̓t̸̪̩̒̎ ̶̧̓h̸̬́̊o̶̠͋͠ĺ̸͚̈d̶̬͚̑ ̴̡̚͠t̵͚̕h̸̟͊i̸̘͉̇͆ṣ̷̆́ ̷̩͛̏͜f̶̲͈͘ö̶̭̘́̐r̵̖͛̈ ̶̰̜͑͠á̸͙͔̈́n̴̤̓y̸̪̰̿̔ ̵̯̙͊ḽ̵̍́o̵̭̊n̴̻̣̚g̷̲͒͑ͅe̴̙͛͒r̶̘͕͛.̶̤͙̃.̸̣͝.̴̳̘͛ ̵͍͒́S̵̭̤̍̾h̷͖̲͝i̸͓̎n̴͇͘ķ̵̆͠a̴͉̱͌̚ḭ̸̆g̸̛̦͝ë̸̗͓́̈r̸̲̓ͅs̴̬̈͘,̵̣̙̒̽ ̸̱͙̀w̷̙̭̎e̷̢̛̊'̷̡̃͘l̴̼̅l̸̯̻̈ ̸̡͑s̴̫̪̿͗ë̸̪̜́̓t̶̳̦͑̚t̷̗͚̍l̵̥̪̽͐e̴̳̎͜ ̵̺̈͋t̴̟͉̀͑h̵̢̛i̸̘͕̋̀s̶̙͐͂ ̸̖̣̆̽l̵͚̏a̸̛̙̬̽ț̵̡̆͑e̶̝̓ŗ̴͠!̵͍̟͘" The wasp monster said while attempting to retreat. The team though wasn't having any of it.
"Oh, bummer..." Ran and Ryouma both said at the same time.
"Fuck! He's getting away...!" Hikaru muttered under his breath. As a result, Takeru later decided to take the initiative to tail the Beedrill-based cyborg monster.
"Hold out your hopes, guys, come on! Eri, let's not waste time, shall we?" Takeru reprimanded, before unfurling his hawk wings while casting a glance to his sister.
The Pink warrior later responded with a nod, also unfurling her fairy wings. "Right, big brother!"
The two would later fly off, in hot pursuit of Wasp Inhumanoid. Takeru was entirely merciless at that moment, trying to prevent the monster from taking the chance to escape.
"T̸͈̊͝ḫ̸̰͆ò̵̠̜͘ś̸̰͓ě̸̙ ̴͎̃̿w̴̬̻͌̅r̶̮̾͠ȅ̷̢̻̕t̵̩͐č̶̭h̵̫̋e̷̼̙͒̀d̴͔̏͠ ̸̛̺͎̀S̸̺̤̃͆h̷͇̫̑i̶̮͑͝n̸̥̎k̷͎͎͘̕ą̴̒͗͜i̵̝̕͜g̴̞͑ͅe̶͉͌r̸̯̜͐s̵̩̠̔̇.̷̖͛̈́.̶̘̩̃.̸̗̓ ̶̛͍̔T̴̛̬à̵͔̏k̶̞̮̈́e̶̬̼̊̆ ̶̤̠̋͠t̴̜̓̌h̶̡́i̵̗͇̇s̶̢̮͑͛!̷̬̎͜" The monster said, before firing off a deadly version of Pin Missile.
"Shit! Erina, disperse, quick!" Takeru ordered, with the incoming barrage of lethal needles forcing the two siblings to fly out of the way. However, Wasp Inhumanoid was able to escape, making Erina considerably miffed.
"He's getting away again!? Oh, you've got to be kidding me..." The aforementioned 15-year old whined while making her landing. She wasn't exactly in a good mood.
The 17-year old, as the older brother, later rebuked her due to the mood swing. "Eri, Calm down. We'll try again and find that fucker once he decides to come out of his hive again. For now though, we need to defend Camphrier Town. And I mean period."
In a few minutes, Takeru and Erina would then land on the ground before meeting back up with Ran and the others. "Any luck?" Ryouma asked.
"Nope, that dickface is getting away like a fucking coward."
"Well, fuck. But hey, at least we get to relax on the festival, right?" Hikaru said, with him thinking of slacking off in the town during the harvest festival.
But before anyone of them could answer, Takeru and Ran's communicators ultimately beeped, signalling a call from Lillie. The two then answered it.
"Takeru, Ran, Lillie here. An old acquaintance of mine is going to come to the Guardia Base sooner or later, and he wants to meet the leader and second-in-command of the Shinkaigers. Show up transformed; we don't want your identity to get leaked." The Alolan woman ordered.
"Copy that, Ohkido-san. We'll be right there in a minute." Ran answered.
"What's up, Brainiac?" Hikaru asked.
"Your mom asked me and Ran to fill out some errands. Blue, you okay with taking control of the team in Camphrier until we get back?" Takeru clarified. As a result, Hikaru then proceeded to agree.
"You got it, Red."
Ran then pulled out his U-Phone, before proceeding to take out the Bike EvolMedal in the process. "Shall we, Takeru?"
The Red warrior then proceeded to follow suit, also taking out his U-Phone and a second Bike EvolMedal.
"I'll see you three later when we get back, alright? Don't fuck this up, Hikaru." He said. The team then simply nodded as the two cyborgs would then insert their Bike Medals into a slot at the back of the device simultaneously and later folding the phone monitor up. They would then proceed to throw the modified Rotom Phones onto the ground, changing it into their EvolStrikers.
The two rangers would then make their way back to Lumiose City, returning to the Guardia Base Kalos.
In a few minutes, Takeru and Ran would later return to the Guardia Base, with the two cyborgs still inside their Shinkaiger suits as per Lillie's orders. They would then make their way into the briefing room, where the Alolan woman was waiting for them with N by her side.
"We're here, Ohkido-san. Sorry that we've kept the both of you waiting." Ran said, greeting both of them. However, Takeru's eyes immediately widened behind his helmet, as he had actually met N himself many years ago.
"It's not much of a problem, don't worry." Lillie responded. She later was about to introduce the former Team Plasma member to the two rangers, but she was stopped momentarily, as Takeru had decided to disengage his transformation instead.
"It's been a while indeed. N." Takeru greeted, walking to the green-haired man and exchanging pleasantries with him, and as a result shocking Ran and Lillie.
"Likewise, Take-kun. I take it that you're currently doing well?" N responded.
"I am, for the record. How about yourself, you doing okay after all these years?"
However, Ran then decided to interject on the conversation, with him still being completely baffled by the revelation. "Hold on, hold on, mon amie, you know him!?"
"Yeah, N and I met in Unova when I was little. Dad had an exhibition match against the reigning champion at the time." Takeru clarified.
Lillie later sighed in relief. "Well, at least that makes it easier that you both know each other already... Takeru, would you do the honors?"
"Thank you, but I have no need for that, Lillie. Pleased to make your acquaintance, Shinkai Yellow. Or should I say, Ran Stonner." N said, putting up a sarcastic tone of voice at the last part.
Immediately at that moment, Ran then disengages his transformation before raising an eyebrow at N. "Okay, okay, okay, hold on! Who are you, how did you know our identities, and how did you know that Takeru and I were respectively the leader and the second-in-command of Shinkaiger?"
The former Team Plasma member was quick to dodge the question, however. "I'm nothing special, Ran. As both Takeru and Lillie had just said, I'm only an old acquaintance of them. I've came here because I wanted to discuss with the three of you about... pressing matters."
"Pressing matters?" Ran asked, completely confused.
"Let me guess. Is it M.Y.T.H.O.S that you're talking about?" The Red warrior interjected again.
"Correct, Take-kun. That is precisely what I wanted to bring up. I happen to know a thing or two about them, and I very much hope that this intel will help you in all of your battles." N said.
"Let's just get straight to the point, shall we, N?" Takeru asked, putting up his usual blunt persona.
"As you wish, Take-kun."
"N, do you have any idea on what Zeus was currently planning at this time? Takeru himself had an analysis, but we weren't sure if his was 100% spot-on." Lillie asked.
"Well, from what I've gathered, it seems that they're planning to wipe out the Shabboneau family so that there will be no one to play the Poké Flute during the harvest festival. If that succeeds, they're planning to leave the citizens to die of starvation and plunder the Shabboneau Castle. After all, there are valuable possessions which were stored away in the castle." N summarized.
Ran then put up his index finger against his chin. "So Takeru was right all along... But we didn't expect them to also target the castle as well."
"That wasn't accounted for, Ran." Takeru retorted in his own defense.
N later turned to make eye contact with Lillie in response to that. "Well, I assume Ryouma-kun, Hikaru-kun, and Erina-chan are now currently on standby in Camphrier Town?"
"Yes, N. Takeru and Ran are also expected to go back there once we're done with the discussion." The Alolan woman affirmed.
Just when N was about to bring up another one of the topics in his agenda, however, the discussion was interrupted by the alert systems of the Guardia Base blaring at full volume from the speakers. Lillie then took a quick look at the monitor of her computer as a result.
The Shinkaiger mentor then proceeded to relay an order. "Takeru, Ran, Wasp Inhumanoid has reappeared in Camphrier Town. Ryouma and the others are on their way to the area as we speak. We both will monitor all of you, and N will speak to you through the communicators as well, so you have nothing to worry about. However, let's not waste time. Move out immediately!"
"Yes, ma'am!"
As he and Ran would proceed to make their way out of the base, though, Takeru then begins to hear voices in his head, however, he'd set them aside, with him only caring for the safety of the Camphrier citizens and his teammates in the area at that moment.
"You... I... One... The same."
Flashforward a few minutes later, and the two rangers would already regroup with Ryouma and the rest of the Shinkaigers in Camphrier Town. The team was swift, engaging Wasp Inhumanoid in a 5 on 1 battle with their proficiency in their respective techniques. Just as they felt like they were able to corner the Beedrill-based monster however, the Shinkaigers were immediately interrupted by a blast in close proximity to the area in which they were standing, followed by another blast and then multiple ones. This prompted Takeru and the others to quickly duck down to take cover.
"Apollo! Here to play some hide and seek, are we!?" The Red warrior said, turning his head to the source of the blasts. Sure enough, Apollo had decided to emerge again from the shadows, this time bringing a new Inhumanoid, inspired by a Scyther.
"Wh-wha!?" Hikaru gawked. He was a bit shocked as Apollo never sent out two Inhumanoids at the same time.
"So they've decided to make a new monster..." Ran muttered under his breath.
"Oho... I'm surprised that you have managed to spot me, Shinkai Red. I suppose you're now ready for a beatdown from two Inhumanoids at once, yes?" Apollo taunted, while unleashing his powers to help Wasp Inhumanoid get out of the situation. Unfortunately to him however, his taunts fell on deaf ears.
"Wrong, Apollo." Takeru said, pausing momentarily to run the palm of his left hand along the sharp edge of the EvolBlade. "We still have unfinished business to settle."
The M.Y.T.H.O.S general later relayed an order to the new monster in response to the same statement. "Well then, if you want to kill yourself that badly, then I'll do it for you. Mantis Inhumanoid, get them."
"W̷̳͋̅ḯ̶̪t̶͍̎h̵̅̍͜ ̵̆͜p̸̜̏͝l̴͈̋e̵͓̔ä̷̭͍́̐s̴̤̑ü̷̝̣r̶̰̤͑ë̴̬́̕͜,̸̟̤͝ ̴̬̋͘Y̷̺̔̚o̶̜͂̈́û̶͙r̵̲̾̎ ̷̰̺̀͘H̴̛͚i̸̖͓͆g̷̻͆͝ͅh̶͚̋n̶̛̦͗é̸̅͜s̷͕̋͌͜s̵̞̘̽!̷̬͔̾" The mantis-based monster said. He then began his direct offensive, charging in at the four remaining Shinkaigers like there was no tomorrow.
Fortunately, Ran had decided to speak up, making Takeru's work significantly easier. "Takeru, you take care of Apollo! We'll deal with Wasp and Mantis Inhumanoid!"
"Alright, but Ran? Loan me the EvolArrow, s'il vous plait?"
With a nod, the Yellow warrior then proceeds to throw the EvolArrow up into the sky, only for it to fall back down again; it would've crashed onto the ground if it wasn't for Takeru catching it.
Now ready for the duel, the 17-year old later makes eye contact with Apollo, even though it was concealed behind his helmet visor. He then put up a psychotic smirk, before his eyes narrowed into an angry expression. "Apollo, let's make this a fair fight."
With that, the two men then began to trade blows. Apollo proceeded to use his recurve bow, rapid-firing it multiple times. Takeru however dodged it with his backflips and a few acrobatic moves, before he then proceeds to pull at the EvolArrow's handle after making a landing, releasing it to fire a spark of thunder to the M.Y.T.H.O.S general. The Red warrior then jumped up, inflicting a slash with his own EvolBlade.
"Ergh... You're impossibly strong, Shinkai Red...!" Apollo remarked. Takeru however came up with a strong reply.
"Because unlike you, I have a tendency to dual-wield. Unfair for you, isn't it, you dirty fucker? This is payback for the beating that you gave me at our first encounter." He then inserted the Talonflame Medal into the EvolBlade, and then proceeded to press the triggers on said weapon and the EvolArrow simultaneously; he was able to switch between weapons at a fast rate.
FINISHING BLOW!
"Daishinka Raigeki!" ("Great Godly Flame Thunder Strike!")
Takeru then proceeded to cross both weapons in an X position, before delivering a slash with the EvolBlade and a supercharged ball of electricity with the EvolArrow, reminiscent of the move Electro Ball. The ball of thunder would then combine with the flaming slash, with both attacks hitting Apollo at the same time. This caused the M.Y.T.H.O.S general to take minor damage, with him only being knocked back a few feet.
"Merci, Ran!" Takeru said, thanking Ran while changing forms into Golem. The 17-year old then threw the weapon back to the Yellow warrior, who catched it with an approving nod.
Enraged at the Red warrior having wounded his pride, Apollo then proceeded to fire and attack from his recurve bow, however, Takeru was able to take out the EvolGreatsword and deliver a large slash to Apollo, dismembering one of his cybernetic hands in the process. Unfortunately for Takeru, the attack would then hit his own cybernetic hand, destroying his EvolBracelet in the process.
The destruction of Takeru's EvolBracelet led to his transformation being forcibly disengaged and his cybernetic hand being severely damaged. Apollo however was satisfied, letting out a sinister laugh in glee.
"Heheheheh! Shinkai Red, I commend you for your effort! I suppose you are much stronger than what I expected you to be, as you have managed to make this duel result in a draw... BUT I'LL REMEMBER THIS!!!!!!"
Takeru however kept his psychotic smirk, before also saying his remarks. "Urgh... Well, a hand for a hand it is then... Apollo."
The M.Y.T.H.O.S general then went away, abandoning his two creations for his own wounded pride. Erina would then make her way to her older brother. She had seen and heard everything that had happened with Takeru and Apollo while she was clashing with the two monsters.
"Big brother! Are you alright!?" Erina said. Her eyes then widened and she then put up a worried expression when she saw her brother's damaged bracelet.
"I'm fine, Eri... Just unable to transform... That's all." Takeru said. He then gestured to his U-Phone, signalling his younger sister that he needed her help to contact Lillie and N about the problem. He then begins to hear another voice in his head.
"Because... And... Are..."
As for the three remaining members though, Ran and the others had valiantly put up a fight, with the former even switching to Galvantula to get on even terms, but he and the other team members were extremely tired, as was the two Inhumanoids. As a result, both parties then decided to retreat, leaving the fight undecided for the time being.
Guardia Base Kalos, Lumiose City
All five Shinkaigers have now just returned to the base from Camphrier Town, with them being extremely tired and covered in wounds. M.Y.T.H.O.S had retreated successfully for the time being, giving the team enough time to rest. However, they are currently called to meet up in the briefing room, where N and Lillie was waiting for them.
"Is there any other things that you want to bring up to the limelight, Ohkido-san? N?" Ran said, taking over for Takeru.
"Well, to take care of your question, Ran, to date, only the authorities, the regional governments, the Aether Foundation, and all of your parents are the only ones who know the full picture of what was going on between you and M.Y.T.H.O.S. We need to do something to fully inform the general public of what is happening right now at this moment and potentially prevent Zeus from wreaking havoc again." N said.
"Preventing Zeus isn't going to cut it just yet, N." Hikaru rebutted. He was well-informed about who N was at this point, as was Ryouma and Erina.
"Exactly, Hikaru-kun. That is why I have called all five of you regarding this matter, as we need your help to put my plan into motion." N answered.
"A plan? What plan, exactly?" Takeru asked.
"As for that, you will find out for when the time comes." N simply responded.
We then shift our attention to one of the large television screens in Lumiose City, which is currently turned on, with the screen displaying none other than N in front of a white backdrop, addressing the general public which have all gathered to watch it. N was enacting the plan that he had mentioned to the Shinkaigers; a live, international broadcast, sending a war declaration over to the public, and, by extension, to Zeus.
"...My thoughts on the team themselves are critical, as I clearly and vehemently disagree with the fact that the Aether Foundation has decided to employ underage Pokémon Trainers to partake as a team member. Shinkaiger was made as a military tactical unit to combat an evil organization, yet the Aether Foundation, which serves as the parent organization housing the team, did not comply with international guidelines regarding the age of majority. This proves their own lack of self-awareness and the selfishness of the Aether Foundation members and the higher ranking members of the government, as they have the utter audacity to employ minors to partake in a military organization and allow such measures." N said, summarizing his thoughts on the Shinkaigers while criticizing the Foundation and the government. He then continued.
"Shuugo Sentai Shinkaiger was originally intended by former Aether Foundation President Lusamine Aether to be an upgrade of the Ultra Guardians, a task force and sub-group of the Foundation which is in itself dedicated to returning Ultra Beasts to their home dimension, with some of its notable members being Pokémon Master Satoshi Kamishiro, the current Chairwoman, Lillie Ohkido, and her older brother, Glazio Aether. However, the project which would become Shinkaiger never came to be in its original vision, as Lusamine passed away long before work could begin. However, things would later change, as M.Y.T.H.O.S, an evil organization which specializes in terrorism, illegal human and Pokémon experimentation, and also forced labor, would begin to emerge shortly after. Lillie saw the threat that the organization would pose, and later transformed the Aether Foundation drastically from a Pokémon welfare organization into a military institution with backing from the government. Her husband, Kantonian regional professor Shigeru Ohkido, helped her to extract the powers of a single Pokémon species for use by the Shinkaigers in combat. This also shows the Foundation's lack of respect for Pokémon who are also victims of constant abuse." N summarized, once again.
"However, currently, we are more concerned about M.Y.T.H.O.S themselves than anything else regarding the Shinkaigers. A few months ago, the Vermilion City power plant was bombed in Kanto, and the organization itself was the perpetrators, and in addition to that, the great bombing attack on Lumiose City and another attack on Santalune City was orchestrated by them. M.Y.T.H.O.S has also kidnapped lots of people, be it famous Trainers, or commoners, or even a lowly criminal, and those victims are later turned into hideous monsters by the organization as part of their experiments, both willingly or unwillingly. The Aether Foundation has formed the Shinkaigers in order to combat and neutralize that very threat, and so far, the five members of the team has put up a very valiant effort to combat the organization and prevent the destruction of the homes of many people, as well as preventing lots of loved ones from being lost. Who are these team members that I have just mentioned, you may ask? They are Takeru Kamishiro, Ran Stonner, Ryouma Sakuragi, Hikaru Ohkido, and Erina Kamishiro. These young Trainers have put up a very valiant effort to fight against M.Y.T.H.O.S for the safety of people and Pokémon. Even though I have to commend their efforts to fight against those terrorists, I, once again, VEHEMENTLY DISAGREE AND DISAPPROVE of the fact that the Aether Foundation has decided to unethically employ underage minors to partake in a military institution to fight against these terrorists. I also would like to express my UTTER disappointment and dissatisfaction to the government, as they are selfish and reckless in allowing UNETHICAL practices, such as this, to be utilized by an organization with their full support, and the subsequent withholding of information that the higher-ups have imposed on them in order to cover up this fatal breach of international guidelines." N said, voicing his dissapointment to the Shinkaigers and the government as a whole.
"Please keep in mind that, while the Aether Foundation has a noble purpose to prevent lots of innocent people and Pokémon from becoming victims of terrorism, their extraction of a single Pokémon species' powers for use in combat by the Shinkaigers are also equally unethical in practice. And this, is why that I have decided to make the Shinkaigers, the Aether Foundation, and the government an OFFER that they ABSOLUTELY cannot refuse."
To be continued
Author's Note: Aaaaaand cliffhanger! Apollo has surely stepped up his game plan now that he has put assassinations into the orders of his Inhumanoid underlings, much less targeting a nobleman and his family. I've made sure that I stayed through to the anime in order to make the plan make more logical sense. N also finally gets a proper debut, since his cameo in the last chapter was incredibly short, and I have combined aspects from the Generation V games and the Best Wishes anime, since this is an alternate universe anyway and me and my friend are currently opting to go for a different take for canon events. However, Apollo, being the cunning man that he is, has decided to overwhelm the Shinkaigers by sending TWO of his monsters at once. Let's see how Takeru and Ran would react with that. But what was N exactly planning with his live TV broadcast? Let's just wait for the next chapter, shall we? So, just stay tuned for a future update. And let's see if you can spot a hidden reference that I had incorporated.
MagicWings001 here, signing out. Jaa ne!