I don't own Power Rangers or Cross Ange; those belong to their creators. This is for fun, not profit.
Chapter 23: It's Never Too Late
The Rangers and their allies were in the Hub's cafeteria to enjoy some snacks and drinks.
Misty was quite enjoying the taste of her donut.
"This is truly delectable. I had no idea that common food would be like this." Misty said and the others chuckled.
"Let me guess, you had a bit of a royal palate?" Aaron said. Misty blushes before she nods.
"Yes…Father would often have our food cooked by the finest chefs in our kingdom. So having something like this would be disgraceful in his eyes." Misty said before she ate the rest of her donut.
"In that case, there's no reason to hold back anymore." Claire said before she poured a cup of juice and gave it to Misty. "Here."
"Thank you." Misty said as she accepted the cup and drank the juice and was deeply amazed at how good it was. "Oh wow. This is good too."
"Yeah." Claire said before she sadly looked at her own cup of juice.
"Still worried about the Norma?" Dean asked.
"Am I that obvious?" Claire asked and the others nodded. "I know it was necessary. But I wish there was another way, but more than that, I wish we could've done something about it."
"I could understand this was difficult for you, for all of you, but it was a great turning point in weakening Embryo's defenses. But I don't think you should worry that much, the one thing I know about the Norma is that they're resilient. I'm sure they'll recover with time." Salamandinay told them.
"Well, when you put it like that…" Claire said before she took a sip of her juice.
"But I'm still surprised that they were able to hide a Ragna-mail for so long. And that they were able to find a pilot for it." Alisa said as she ate some chips.
"Yes. I couldn't help but be stunned by that either. But it would make sense." Salamandinay said.
"How so?" Dean asked.
"Well, I presume you were aware that Embryo originally had a group of followers, correct?" Salamandinay asked.
"Yeah. They were the original pilots of the Ragna-mail. I remember meeting them myself." Shin said.
"I see. After Embryo left this world in ruins, he and his followers migrated to the other world. Then later on, the descendants of his followers would become Mana users and become the six ruling families that help govern Embryo's world." Salamandinay said.
"I guess it was their reward for their loyalty." Shin said.
Misty was also a bit disheartened to hear that since she was a descendant herself.
"Yes, but as a result of that, they lost the ability to use the Ragna-mail." Salamandinay said.
"How so?" Aaron asked.
"We only know about this from Lizardia. But apparently the Ragna-mail power core reacts violently with the Light of Mana, and since each of them were bio-locked by the original pilots' DNA, no one, either they were human, or Norma would use them." Salamandinay said.
Shin hummed while rubbing his hand on his chin.
"I see. In layman's terms only a Norma born from royal blood like Angelise is capable of bypassing the locks on a Ragna-mail." Shin said. Salamandinay nodded.
"Precisely. So, it should be safe to assume that the previous pilot of Villkiss was the same." She said.
"And who would that be?" Dean asked.
"I'm afraid that is the extent of my knowledge." Salamandinay said.
"Well, that figures." Dean said before he ate a donut.
After hearing all of that, Misty was left in deep thought and Aaron noticed that.
"What's up, Misty?" The Black Ranger asked.
"Oh, well…Something about this story sounds familiar somehow." Misty answered.
"How so?" Salamandinay asked.
"If you know something it wouldn't hurt to share. I mean any random coincidence can be good at this point." Dean said.
"Well…I only read about her, but the Galia Emperor once had a daughter. Her name was Alektra Maria von Loewenherz, the empire's first princess. But I heard she passed away from an illness when she was ten years old. If she was still alive, she would've been 12 or 13 years older than me." Misty told them.
"Now that is a strange coincidence." Dean said and Shin nodded in agreement.
"Indeed. If I had to guess, that whole illness story must have been a lie. And the emperor's daughter must have been a Norma." Shin concluded.
"But in order to hide that fact and save the dignity of his family and heritage, the Galia Emperor had banished this Alektra to Arzenal." Salamandinay said.
"Which also led to her becoming the first pilot of Villkiss." Alisa said.
"And even after the failure of the rebellion against Embryo, she must have survived and kept Villkiss hidden and waited for her successor to appear to keep the spark of hope alive." Dean said.
"But why would she do that?" Claire asked.
"There could be a lot of reasons. Maybe she was critically injured or she lost her ring or maybe she never unlocked Villkiss' true power unlike Angelise." Shin said.
"But then again this is all speculation. Without hearing the full story, we shouldn't overthink it that much." Aaron said.
"Agreed." Salamandinay nodded.
"Then maybe we should talk about another scenario." Dean said.
"On what?" Salamandinay said before she drank some of her juice.
"That we should open negotiations to the leaders of Embryo's world." Dean suggested which surprised Salamandinay, Naga and Kaname.
"What?" Kaname asked as she nearly choked on her juice.
"You're still going on about that?" Naga asked.
"I am. And I know it sounds insane, but regardless, I want to believe there's a chance we can take Aura back without resorting to force." Dean said.
"Yeah. I'm with Dean on that. I couldn't call myself diplomatic, but I would rather find a peaceful solution." Claire said.
"Same for me. I especially want to ask Kurt some questions." Alisa said as Harry's message was still fresh in her mind.
Salamandinay thought about it before she turned to the Blue Ranger.
"Well, Shin, what are your thoughts about it?" Salamandinay asked.
"Hmmm…" Shin hummed before he gave his answer. "Here's how I see it. We showed that we're able to open the singulars to launch our own attacks, and we have a machine that's equal to a Ragna-mail. In their eyes we should be on equal footing. Not to mention, if we can convince the leaders that Embryo isn't to be trusted then they should be more than willing to side with us then against us."
"Can you truly convince them though?" Salamandinay asked.
"Honestly, I'm not sure myself. But I say the five of us are our living proof of that." Shin said.
"But it would still be impossible to convince them. Especially since Misty had failed to do the same with her own father." Salamandinay said. Misty lowered her head in some sadness and Claire gave her some comfort by giving her a hug.
Dean sighed while rubbing the back of his neck.
"Maybe it is. But regardless, it's never too late to do the right thing. Everyone should have that chance." Dean said.
Salamandinay was silent for a moment and nodded.
"Very well then. I'll appeal to the council to open negotiations." Salamandinay said, which surprised Naga and Kaname.
"What? Princess, you can't be serious?" Naga said.
"I am. Because if we fail to find a peaceful solution to this, then we'll be betraying everything Aura has taught us." Salamandinay said.
"Salamandinay…thank you." Dean said.
"You're most welcome. But I think our main concern is Embryo. I doubt he'll let Aura go without a fight." Salamandinay said.
"Yeah." Shin nodded. "And knowing him, he'll probably use today's attack to his advantage. But for what, that remains a mystery."
(Meanwhile)
After hearing the news of the DRAGONs attack on Arzenal, the six world leaders were in a virtual meeting space called the Garden, used only by them along with Embryo and his personal envoy Kurt.
The Garden is a clearing overlooking a sea of crystal blue water. On the cliff, a white pagoda had been built while in the distance, a cluster of islands floating in the sky from which waterfalls flowed like rivers of diamonds into the sea gave the setting an otherworldly presence.
While this space was fantastic, the scenery was left unnoticed by the six world leaders who sat around the conference table beneath the pagoda. Their focus is on the images captured by the security cameras placed around Arzenal and they are all deeply concerned by this.
Kurt was standing close to a tree watching them while Embryo was seated with his back against that tree as he was surrounded by the virtual wildlife of the Garden.
"To think that the DRAGONs had staged an attack like this." Said the Galia Emperor. A gruff man in a brown uniform and fully gray hair. Next to him, King Roland focused on the image of the DRAGON Para-mail.
"And this red Para-mail must've been the leader. As you can see, it's equipped with its own Discord Phasers." He told them.
"The Misurugi family is in charge of the singulars." The Queen of the Velda Dynasty said next. She is dressed in fine slick robes with gems that ordain her body to further enhance her exotic beauty. "Emperor Julio, can you please explain how this happened?"
Julio has a scar on his cheek that was given to him by his sister, Ange, after she managed to escape from her execution. He took a moment to study the council and could tell how little they thought of him due to him being the youngest of their group. But still, he won't allow them to intimate him.
"I swear, I investigated the matter thoroughly and I found no evidence that the Column of Dawn had been activated." Julio told them.
"Don't be ridiculous!" The General Secretary of the Marmeria Republic exclaimed. He was a short man with a white suit and had black and a mustache. "There's no other way a singular could've opened. Not as long as we still have Aura!"
"We have more important matters than assigning blame." King Roland stated. "Now, I propose we send aid to the Norma and begin rebuilding Arzenal immediately. We should do so before the DRAGONs stage another attack."
"No. That is now impossible." The Galia Emperor said before he brought out an image of Villkiss.
Excluding Julio, the other world leaders were shocked to see. Julio never saw it in person, he recognized the Ragna-mail through his father's files and had a good idea who's piloting it.
'So, Angelise is still alive…' Julio thought to himself as his scar began to itch.
"I don't believe it…Is that Villkiss?" The Enderrant President, a slim man in a blue suit, gasped.
"But I was certain it was destroyed in the uprising." King Roland said, and the General Secretary spoke out.
"The Rosenblums are in charge of maintaining Arzenal's security! And now they're planning another revolt, how could you let this happen?!"
"The inspector sent us a report and said that everything is fine." King Roland argued.
"Then your inspector let herself be fooled by the Norma. But then again, your family is nothing but fools. I mean your own daughter betrayed you and sided with the DRAGONs, for all we know you could be following in her footsteps." The Secretary said while mocking.
King Roland was about to speak out, but he held his tongue and lowered his head.
"Gentleman, please be civil." Julio told him.
"And you should be silent, boy." The Galia Emperor said. "This all started because your sister had found Villkiss. Instead of exiling her to Arzenal, you should've had her killed."
"Well, that thing isn't my sister anymore. Besides, should you really berate me of that, especially with your own daughter?" Julio said with a mocking tone and that enrages the Galia Emperor.
"Why you little…!" He growled.
"No, he's right! This whole affair is Misurugi's fault!" The General Secretary spoke out next. "If your parents had only honored the agreement and executed their daughter as they were supposed to, none of this would be happening!"
"Enough!" The Velda Queen shouted. "This is no time to be arguing amongst ourselves. Instead, we need a strategy to ensure our world's survival."
The Enderant President thought about it before he spoke out.
"If the Norma can no longer fight, perhaps we humans should take up arms for ourselves."
"What?" The Secretary said.
"Are you mad? Surely you know we can't withstand their voices." The Velda Queen reminded him.
"I know. But what if we request help from the Underground. I'm sure you're aware, but they use primitive cybernetics to disconnect their brains from the Light of Mana to protect themselves and move undetected. If we open negotiations and tell them the true reason for Arzenal, then maybe they can share that technology with us. After all, they rely on Mana like us." He suggested.
"Ridiculous." The Galia Empeorar spoke out next. "Are you seriously suggesting that we lower ourselves to the same level as those terrorists?"
"He's right. Besides, even if we did, the only way they would help us is if we free the Norma and that the rest of humanity knows the truth about them. If that happens then our entire world will be thrown into chaos." King Roland said.
As they listened, Kurt yawned with his hand in front of his mouth before they all heard Embryo closing his book. The true ruler of the world then approached his vassals with Kurt following behind him.
"Master Embryo…" The General Secretary said.
In front of the true ruler of the world, even Julio humbled himself. Master Embryo rarely gets involved with worldly offers but the fact that he was shows that their situation is even more dire than they realized.
Embryo sighed in disappointment with a hand on his face.
"You're hopeless. Every single one of you. Honestly, must I handle everything here?" Embryo said.
'This is going to be good.' Kurt thought to himself.
(Play: Believe in Nexus by Masaaki Endoh)
(Instrumental) (As the song starts, two Earths appear one at a time before they collide against each other creating a flash of light which blinded the screen.)
(Sono te nobashi te mabayui ashita o tsukamitore! Mugen no sora hamatake Believe in Nexus!) (Five of the Nexus Zords had appeared as the Racer, Wolf, and Dozer Zords were racing on a large road while the Chopper and Falcon Zords were flying above them before they turned into a flash of light and flew into the vast open sky before the story's title appeared on screen.)
(Araburu kono shoudo daremino tomiranai!) (The Nexus Rangers were standing on a hill as they looked at the town where the Children of Aura resides as some of them in DRAGON form flew above them as they watched them in awe.)
(Hiri asa mi kirikou o taka maru kono Heart Beat!) (Then it changes to a split screen with Salamandinay looking at her Enryugo as it was still incomplete, and Ange who was in her room in Arzenal as she was seated on her bed while looking at her ring, before it changes to Embryo and behind him was Kurt who was holding his Lion Knuckle Morpher.)
(Bi chinai sou o natato sekawaerai!) (Then it changes showing an army of Xedroids and behind them were Prince Crimson, General Swartz, and Cyber.)
(Koko de oarasatakunai Go For It!) (Next the screen changes to the Rangers commencing their Morphin Sequence as they Morph into their suits before their helmets appeared.)
(Tachiagare kodoku ni obiekuru e naide!) (The screen changes showing a fleet of Xe-Fighters and an army of Xe-Bots charging forward to attack, then changes to the Nexus Rangers loading their Zord Cards into their Morphers as they soon appear, and the Rangers jump into them.)
(Nakama ma batte irukoto mou ichido omoidase!) (In his cockpit, the Nexus Red Ranger inserts his Battle Mode Card into his Morpher and his Racer Zord changes into the said mode.)
(Kowaku wa naisa akirame wa shinai donna tsugoi yatsu ni mo make wa shinai itsudatte o kino yuuki de Believe In Nexus!) (Then each of the Nexus Zord launch respective attacks on their enemies before the Kaiser Sphere in the sky. Then the Zords combine forming the Nexus Prime Megazord, and then energy appears around the Megazord before it flies at the Kaiser Sphere to attack and when it collides against the Sphere a large flash of light appears blinding the screen. Then it changes to both Earths before the Nexus Rangers along with the villain leaders appeared as they faced each other.)
As his servants humbled themselves, Embryo suggested three options of what they should do.
"As I see it, we have three options. One, we surrender to the DRAGONs and return Aura to them." Embryo raised one finger.
"W-We can't. That would be sacrificing our world's peace and prosperity." The Secretary objected.
Embryo raised another finger.
"Two, we make peace with the Norma and the radicals and form an alliance to eradicate all of the DRAGONs."
"Also out of the question." The Velda Dynasty Queen objected.
Embryo then raised the third and final finger.
"Three…we reconstruct our entire world."
All world leaders were shocked by this as Embryo explained the minor details of his third suggestion while petting a virtual bird that perched itself on his shoulder much to its delight.
"It's something I've been considering for some time. A sort of reset. We stamp out the vermin, purify our soil, and reseed the land."
Julio was left deeply intrigued by his proposal
"Starting over from the beginning…But is that even possible?" He asked and Embryo nodded.
"It is. But we'll have to acquire some things first. We'll need all seven Ragna-mail including Villkiss, and we'll need at least seven Norma to pilot them. I already compiled a list of candidates."
Julio couldn't help but grin as he saw this as the perfect opportunity. If Master Embryo needed Norma to pilot the Ragna-mail, then they would be from Arzenal. He saw this as his chance to exact his vengeance against Ange and the King of Rosenblum and the other world leaders won't have the authority to object either.
"Perfect!" Julio said as he stood up. "Then let us begin immediately! This world is full of flaws anyway, but after the reconstruction is complete, then we'll have no more need for those wretched Norma. Master Embryo, please allow me the honor of acquiring what you need."
"Wait a moment! This is absurd!" The Secretary spoke out. "How can you throw away our entire existence?!"
"Then do any of you have a better idea?" Juilo questions him and the others.
The others didn't have an answer and had no choice but to accept Embryo's third suggestion.
"If it's the only way…so be it." The Galia Emperor said.
Embryo then approached Julio who stood up to give the Emperor of Misurugi an activation key.
"Then allow me to give you access to my tools. I'm counting on you, Julio." Embryo told him.
"Thank you, Master Embryo. Just leave it to me." Julio said.
Embryo and the world leaders then left their virtual meeting room.
Julio was now back in his office with Riza standing by his desk to guard him while listening to his words.
"Come, Riza." Julio told his personal guard as they headed out to prepare.
But little did Julio know, there was a bug placed underneath his desk listening in to his conversation.
That person was Tusk. A teenage young man with brown hair and purple eyes. He was wearing a long sleeve green shirt with a black combat vest with pants, boots, and gloves.
Tusk is standing in an underground waterway with his personal skyknife standing close to him.
He wasn't able to get the full details, but he was able to put the pieces together by listening to Julio's words.
"They pick some violent tactics. Destroy the whole world and rebuild it. Not if I can't help it." Tusk said before he rides on his machine to meet up with his allies in the Underground.
After leaving the Garden, Embryo and Kurt were standing in a massive underground chamber.
Within the center in the chamber is Aura, the First DRAGON. She was in a specialized prison that had her suspended while several cylinders pump refined Dracunium into her body to continue to supply the world's need for Mana usage.
Around Aura's prison are two platform rings suspended in mid-air courtesy of anti-gravity fields. Standing on top of the lower ring were the six Ragna-mail standing in an incomplete seven-point formation.
Embryo then uses holographic screens to check Aura's vitals with Kurt speaking with him.
"I have to say, those morons really dance in your hand. Especially Julio, he probably thinks that he'll be your right-hand man." Kurt said. Embryo chuckles.
"Yes, even I can't help but praise myself for it. While the DRAGONs' attack was indeed unexpected, I suppose in some way, we should be grateful for it. Now everything will proceed as planned, and the one thing I desire will be mine." He said.
"Well, I'm happy for you, Master. But do you really think it's wise to entrust Julio with this task, especially the matter with his sister?" Kurt asked. Embryo hummed and gave his answer.
"True, his greed and lust for power makes him repulsive. And his actions against his own family makes him even more repellant. However, he still has his uses and until he does something to earn my wrath, I see no reason to execute him. But I'm sure I'll use it to my advantage."
"Very well then. But knowing Dean and the others, they won't stand by and do nothing. Should I head to the DRAGONs' world and deal with them?" Kurt asked. Embryo thought about it before he shook his head.
"There's no need. If they want to play heroes, then I see no reason to stop them. Besides, I've been wanting to speak with young Shinya for some time." Embryo told him.
"Alright. If that is your wish, then I have no reason to disobey." Kurt said.
Embryo smiles before he brings out a picture of Ange.
'Finally…after over a thousand years. Everything I long for will be mine.' Embryo thought to himself.
(Next day)
In the Hub, Shin was in the command room with Pixel, and he was seated in front of the computer to watch for any of the singularities opening along with any attack from the Kaiser Empire.
That's when the other Nexus Rangers had arrived after they finished training for today.
"Hey, Shin. You missed training again." Dean greeted the Blue Ranger.
"Yeah. Sorry about that, I was just keeping watch." Shin said before the others join him as they look at the computer screen.
"For Embryo, right?" Claire asked. Shin nodded.
"Yeah. I guess it was obvious." Shin said while rubbing the back of his head.
"Well, has there been any sign of him or a singular opening?" Aaron asked.
"No." Pixel shook her head. "Surprisingly, after the attack, there haven't been any sightings of the singulars opening."
"Yeah. That is surprising. You think Embryo would've sent Kurt to attack again or send any form of retaliation." Alisa said.
"Maybe he decided to give up and leave us alone forever." Claire said. Shin shook his head.
"No. I know him, he's not the type to give up. He has to be plotting something." Shin stated.
"It was just a joke. Shin, I know you're worried about how Embryo is going to attack, but you need to relax and eat something. You can't fight evil on an empty stomach." Claire told him.
Shin's stomach begins to growl and the others chuckle to hear that. Shin coughs with a slight blush on his face.
"Well…I suppose food does sound good." Shin said.
"Okay. Then how does some onigiri sound?" Dean asked.
"Perfect." Shin said as he stood up.
They were about to leave and eat in the cafeteria, but Pixel stopped them as she received an alert and spoke to them.
"Wait. Hold on." Pixel said and the Rangers stopped and turned to their digital friend.
"What? Is it Embryo?" Shin asked, Pixel shook her head.
"No, we're receiving a call from Salamandinay." She told them.
"Then bring it up." Dean told her.
Pixel uses her keyboard to bring Salamandinay's call on the screen and the Nexus Rangers saw the look in her eyes, and they knew there was trouble.
"Salamandinay, what's wrong?" Dean asked.
"We've just received word from Lizardia, and I'm afraid our chance of negotiations has ended before it could begin." She told them.
"What? How?" Dean asked.
Salamandinay then told the Nexus Rangers the details of Lizardia's reports.
As they were still recovering from the DRAGONs, the Norma of Arzenal received a message from a Mana screen telling them that the Norma Management Board is coming to provide them aid.
But Commander Jill was able to see through their lies and order all troops to ready Arzenal's defenses.
After seeing, Julio then commanded his fleet of warships to launch their attack.
Commander Jill then sent a message to everyone on the island that Arzenal now forsakes human authority and that their rebellion known as Libertus begins.
The members of Jill's inner circle consisting of Jasmine, Maggie, Mei and Salia understood. Most of the Norma decided to side with her while others chose not and let the humans decide their fate.
Hilda leading the newly formed squad between her own and survivors of Betty and Eleanor squad were in the hangar along with Mei and her team. The first consisting of Tanya and Irma were the first to launch, just as Hilda and the others were about to join them, the hangar was attacked and destroyed by flying autonomous drones known as Pyrethroids.
They were in the shape of disks; they were built with hidden guns, buzzsaws and wires.
The Pyrethroids soon surrounded the first time to launch and began capturing them. As if things weren't bad enough, there are human soldiers that manage to infiltrate the island and begin killing every Norma in their way.
But fortunately help had arrived in a way they had at least expected.
A group of soldiers were in a storage room as they began looking for any Para-mail riders.
"Have to say, the Norma are certainly good at hiding." One of them said.
"Well what else would you expect from those vermin?" Another asked which caused him to chuckle.
"You're right about that."
"Keep it together. We're on a mission." Their captain told them, and they quickly nodded.
They soon arrived in an empty open space, they were about to leave until rolled to their feet and resembled an explosive. Thinking that it was a grenade, the soldiers bring out a Mana shield to protect themselves, but it was actually a flash grenade as it unleashed a bright light that disoriented them.
"Fire at will!" A man said which wasn't from them.
The soldiers were soon gunned down by a troop of Norma guards as they fell to the ground. Along with them was Tony who was armed with a rifle before they stopped firing.
"We did it! I can't believe it." One of the Norma said.
"Don't celebrate just yet. That was only the first wave, the second will be heading our way soon." Tony told them.
After Tony arrived and helped them during the DRAGONs' invasion, they received the full details of his story from Commander Jill and Jasmine along with his group known as the Underground.
They were a bit skeptical that he's a human who likes Norma and that there's a group of them. But Tony through his interactions, he was able to form a close bond with some of the Norma here. In fact, he was a big magnet for most of them since they never saw a man before, but thankfully Hilda was able to help him escape from those situations.
During the attack, he was able to give the soldiers some pointers on how to counter the Light of Mana.
"But still, do you really think we can keep this up?" One of them asked.
"We just need to hold out until Commander Jill gets things ready on her end. But don't worry, I'm sure my comrades will get here soon." Tony said.
"Will they though?" She asked once again.
"They will. I know you're still skeptical towards us, but the Underground never abandons their comrades." Tony said.
The Norma thought about it before they nodded towards him.
"Alright. What should we do next?" One of them asked.
Tony smiles and gives them instructions. But little did he know, he's not the only visitor here to help the Norma.
In Arzenal's power station, some of the maintenance staff had arrived in the hope of getting the power back on but they were ambushed by a squad of four human soldiers.
They were on their knees with their hands behind their heads as they checked to see if they were Para-mail riders.
"None of them are a match." One of them said before he dismissed his Mana window. "So are we disposing them?"
"Priority one is Villkiss. Priority two is Angelise. Priority three is the mail riders. Everything else is set to be exterminated." Their captain said before he pointed his gun at them and the others followed.
Just as he was about to pull the trigger, the captain let out a loud groan as he left someone kicking him where the sun didn't rise.
With his hands on his groin, the captain falls to the floor while the others look at him in confusion.
"Captain?" One of them said before he felt something hitting his own groin before he ended up falling to the ground.
"You! What did you do?!" Another exclaimed as he pointed his gun at the Norma.
But before they could answer, he was punched in the stomach followed by two punches on the head followed by a kick sending him to the ground.
The last soldier standing now grew fearful as he pointed his gun around and felt someone tapping on his shoulder. He looked but saw no one, but it was actually an invisible Alisa as she dismissed her powers.
He was a bit surprised by this before the Yellow Ranger asked him a question.
"Did your mother tell you it's not polite to point?"
He blinked but answered regardless.
"Ummm…yes…" And Alisa punches him in the face, sending him to the ground.
"Then clearly you never listened." Alisa said before she turns to the Norma who looks at her confusion. "You girls alright?"
"Yes…But you who are?" One of them asked.
"Me? Nothing, just a mirage of your imagination." Alisa said before she turns invisible once again and leaves.
In one of Arzenal's classroom, one of the teachers standing in front of her students to protect them from a squad of human soldiers and one of them were armed with a flamethrower.
"Well look at them, a Norma, thinking she can stand up to us." A soldier said.
"Miss Erica." One of the kids said in fear.
"It's okay. I'm here." Erica told them, but truthfully, they needed a miracle right now.
The soldier armed with his flamethrower was about to use it on them, they could only close their eyes and prepare for the worst, but that's when they heard someone punching on the wall.
They looked and saw a large crack on the wall, they soon heard more punches coming from behind it causing the crack to grow larger and larger until it shattered and created a smoke cloud.
Despite the cloud, they soon saw someone charging at them. The soldier with the flamethrower used his weapon to burn him alive, but he was able to withstand that flame and grabbed onto the muzzle and crushed it with his hand.
The soldier looked at it in shock before everyone saw it was Aaron who coated his body with stone armor.
"How about you bullies pick on someone your own size?" Aaron asked.
The soldiers soon fire their guns at him, but their bullets are ineffective against his stone armor, the Black Ranger then charges at them and manages to pull their guns out of them while breaking them one at a time.
After disarming the last soldier and breaking his gun in half, Aaron smirks at them while punching his stone fist in his hand. The soldiers scream while running away.
"Babies." Aaron said before he turned to the teacher and his students. "You alright?"
"Y-Yes…" The teacher said and her students looked at him in awe.
"If you have somewhere you can run to…" Aaron said before he heard someone approaching the classroom.
Thinking it was an enemy soldier; Aaron hid behind the wall and was ready to fight them.
That's when he entered the room while pointing a gun.
He was a tall man in his 20s. He had dark green combed hair and black eyes with glasses in front of them. He was wearing a brown jacket with a black shirt and brown pants and black boots with a holster under his jacket.
The students were a little fearful of him at first, but he lowered his gun and raised his other hand.
"It's alright. I'm not here to hurt you." He told them.
"Y-You're not…" One of the kids said.
"Wait…are you…" The teacher said and he nodded.
"Yes, I'm from the Underground. My name is Alan Dudley." Alan introduced himself before he took a moment to study the damages. "Can you explain what happened here?"
"Oh, this man…" The teacher said before she and the kids saw that Aaron was now gone.
"What?" Alan asked.
"It…It's nothing. I'm not sure what happened either." She told him.
While he wasn't convinced by that, Alan didn't have time to ask more questions.
"In any case, follow me. I'll escort all of you to safety." Alan promised them.
"Thank you." The teacher said before she and her students followed Alan where Jill had kept the Aurora.
Aaron was able to blind with the wall's colors by coating himself with its material.
"That was unexpected. But at least those kids are safe." Aaron said before he moved out to find anyone else who was in trouble.
After being separated from her friends and classmates, one of the Arzenal kids had managed to find refuge in the barracks.
She had orange hair tied in pigtails with ribbons.
She was hiding in one of the rooms with her ears covered to block the gun fire and screams from outside.
She was completely terrified while praying that the bad people wouldn't find her.
But that's when she heard the door being smashed opened, and saw it was a group of human soldiers.
She slowly raised her hands with fearful tears in her eyes.
"Please…don't hurt me."
But their captain only clicks his tongue; they didn't find their target but another piece of vermin.
"Deal with it." He told them and they were ready to fire at the girl without mercy or remorse.
The girl trembles in fear but that's when someone calls out to them.
"Hey!"
"Huh?" The captain turned around and received a double kick on the face, sending him to the floor.
"Captain!"
They were about to fire at the attacker, but she jumps in the air and kicks two of them on the head, after she lands on her feet she kicks two of them.
The girl's savior was Claire who looked at the soldiers in disappointment.
"Picking on little girls, not cool." Claire said.
The orange haired girl looks at her before the Pink Ranger turns to her. The girl flinches in fear but calms down when Claire kindly smiles at her before she knelt down to her.
"Hey, don't worry, I'm not with these guys." Claire assured her.
"R-Really?" She asked and Claire nodded.
"Yes, really. But what are you doing here?" Claire asked.
"I-I was separated from my friends after the attack. I was lost until I found this room…" She explained.
"I see." Claire said before she offered her hand to her. "Then how about we find your friends then?"
She blinks before she slowly reaches out and grabs onto the Pink Ranger's hand.
In another area of Arzenal, Dean punches one soldier in the face, sending him to the ground. Shin kicks one in the stomach and slams his elbow on his back to send him to the ground too.
The Red and Blue Rangers look at the remaining soldiers who were also unconscious and lying on the ground.
"Well, I guess that warms us up." Dean said as he popped his knuckles.
"We should really thank Salamandinay for allowing this." Shin said.
(Flashback)
Shortly after contacting the Nexus Rangers, Salamandinay had told them that Julio is leading a fleet of warships to invade Arzenal and they were a bit surprised by this.
"No way. Are you serious?" Dean asked and Salamandinay nodded.
"I'm afraid I am. Embryo had sent Julio to Arzenal to capture Para-mail riders, no doubt to make them pilots of the other Ragna-mail. Including the rider of Villkiss." She told them.
"No way…" Shin mutters.
"But…what about the other Norma?" Dean asked.
Salamandinay sighed before she answered his question.
"I'm afraid that everything besides the mail riders and Villkiss are only secondary to Julio. And given his personal grudge against his sister, he'll no doubt slaughter anyone who will stand in his way."
The Nexus Rangers and Pixel were shocked and horrified to hear that.
"No way…" Aaron said.
"Then…Then isn't there a way for you to stop him? I mean doesn't Lizardia have control over Julio, can't you tell her to stop him?" Claire asked.
Salamandinay sadly shook her head.
"I'm afraid this matter is now out of my hands. And I can't risk Lizardia exposing her, not while she's so close to finding Aura." Salamandinay told them.
"No…" Claire said as she lowered her head, and Alisa placed her hands on her shoulders.
"So what? Are we supposed to stand by and do nothing?" Dean asked.
"Like I said, there's nothing I can do now." Salamandinay said.
Dean lowered his head while gritting his teeth and clenched both of his hands. The others also lowered their heads in some sadness.
"But that doesn't mean I'm under any obligation to stop you either." Salamandinay stated which got their attention.
"What?" Dean said.
"If you five would, I don't know, go on a reconnaissance mission on the false Earth to investigate a certain sighting and if the area happens to be an island in the middle of the ocean, then I see no reason to stop you." Salamandinay acted coy with them, and they understood her message as they smiled.
"Salamandinay." Dean said before she winked at them to wish them luck before she ended the transmission.
"So, I guess we'll be heading to our reconnaissance mission?" Shin asked and Dean nodded.
"You bet we are. Let's move out!" Dean said.
"Yeah!" The others said at the same time.
(End of flashback)
Dean took a moment to study the damages in the room.
"Still…I know he holds a grudge against his sister, but this is going too far." Dean said.
"But from what I'd heard, she did humiliate him in front of an audience and even gave him a scar on his face." Shin said.
"Well, I guess that would do it. But anyway, we should keep moving." Dean said before he and Shin moved out to another location.
Close to her medical room, Maggie, Arzenal's lead doctor is armed with a rifle while using some beds as cover as the invaders fired at her.
After they took a moment to stop, Maggie fired back at them as she provided cover for the other medics as they evacuated the injured from the infirmary to the Aurora.
"Keep moving! Even if you get shot and lose some blood, don't stop until those patients are out of here!" Maggie told them before she took cover once again.
That's when she saw Arzenal's inspector, Emma Bronson, run to the soldiers and called out to them.
"Don't shoot! I'm not a Norma!"
"Idiot!" Maggie said as she pushed Emma to the floor as the soldiers fired a bullet through her much to her shock. "Are you planning to kill yourself?"
When she stood up, Maggie saw another group of soldiers had entered the infirmary through the windows and was around the unconscious Vivian who was resting on her bed and saw she was on the list of Para-mail riders.
"She's a match. This is one of the mail riders."
"Stay away from her!" Maggie said as she aimed her gun but was forced to take cover as they fired at her. Maggie saw them taking Vivian using their cables to climb through the window head to the top of the island. "Vivian, no!"
Maggie soon saw the soldiers in the hallway were getting closer, she gritted her teeth and was about to fire at them, but then the soldiers were fired upon from their blindspot.
Maggie was shocked before she saw three people, two men and a girl, two were armed with guns as they fired at the soldiers while the third charged at them and attacked them with batons.
After they dealt with the soldiers Maggie aimed her gun at them and studied their appearance.
The man with the rifle appears to be 17 years old. He had long red hair tied in a ponytail and had crimson eyes. He was wearing a black turtle-neck sweater with a large red jacket; he also wears black pants and brown shoes.
The girl with the rifle is around 16 years old. She had long pink hair and purple eyes. She was wearing a black tank-top shirt with a harness that carries a gun and a knife and wore black fingerless gloves, along with a pink skirt, black leggings and matching boots.
The second man armed with batons was also 17 years old. He had messy brown hair and sky-blue eyes. He was wearing a red turtleneck shirt with a white jacket along with brown gloves and also wore jeans with brown boots.
While Maggie wasn't unfamiliar with these three, she had a good idea who they were affiliated with.
"Are you with the Underground?" She asked before she lowered her gun.
"We are. My name is Lloyd. That's Randy and Naomi." The brown-haired man said as he introduced himself and his two partners with Naomi waving at her. "The Chief sent us here to help with evacuation."
While grateful for that, Maggie then went back to the window and saw the soldiers who took Vivian were gone.
"Dammit. They took one of the mail riders." Maggie told them.
"Got it." Lloyd said before he contacted someone with his earpiece. "Tusk, you have a group of hostiles heading your way. They have a prisoner with them. Roger, see you soon."
"Now that's taken care of, we'll help with evacuating the injured." Randy said.
"Thanks. I really appreciate it." Maggie said.
"Ummm, guys." Naomi calls out, gaining their attention as he pointed at Emma. "What should we do about her?"
Emma sat on the ground with her hands on her head as she trembled in shock.
"They shot at me…I'm a human and they shot at me." She mutters to herself.
Maggie lets out a frustrated sigh before she grabs Emma by the arm and forces her to stand up.
"Come on. You're coming with me." Maggie said.
"You're sure that's wise, ma'am?" Lloyd asked.
"I'm a doctor. That's the only reason I need." Maggie replied.
Dean and Shin were fighting another group of soldiers in a hallway. The Red Ranger punches the last one in the face while Shin lands a kick on one's head.
Both Rangers took a moment to catch their breath.
"How many does this make now?" Dean asked.
"67…" Shin answered.
"Huh…I thought it was over a hundred." Dean said.
"Dean, you know as well as I do, we can't keep this up forever and we can't be everywhere at once." Shin told him before he and Dean looked at the fleet from afar.
"I know. But we have to keep going until the survivors find a way to escape." Dean said.
"Well…I guess I can't argue with that."
Doing what he does best, Shin thinks of a solution to this problem. Over thousands of plans rush through his head, but so far, none of them were ideal. But that's when he remembers the bioscan he did on Sayla, the nanomachines in her brain, how every single human Embryo created were able to use Mana because of that, and how they connected to a worldwide network.
That's when Shin had one idea, it was risky and it may not work, but it was something he was more than willing to try. He then turns to one of the unconscious soldiers.
'Mana…a modified Dracunium energy that they're able to use. But it also serves as a connection to a worldwide network.' Shin thought before he moved to that soldier.
"Shin?" Dean said as he watched him.
The Blue Ranger then knelt down to the soldier.
'If Embryo really did program them to hate Norma and if they're all connected to a worldwide network. Then maybe…' Shin thought to himself before he activated his technopathic powers and placed his fingers on the soldier's head.
The Blue Ranger then uses his power to link with the nanomachines within his brain and begins to spread out that very connection to an even wider area as sparks between Shin's fingers and the soldier's head as he begins to groan.
Dean was surprised to see this, and Shin began to groan while gritting his teeth as streams of data appeared around his body.
"Shin, what are you doing?!" Dean asked.
"I'll let you know once I figure it out!" Shin answered as the sparks grew larger and the Blue Ranger's eyes glow even brighter.
A group of soldiers had several Norma at gunpoint as they were on their knees with their hands behind their heads while crying in fear.
They checked their list and saw that none of them were mail riders.
"None of them are a match."
The captain clicks his tongue in annoyance. He was hoping to find Angelise and capture her to win Emperor Julio's favor, but so far, he had nothing but pests to exterminate.
"Such a waste of time. Let's dispose of them and move on." He said as he and his men aimed their guns and were ready to fire…but then they all found themselves in the dark space and were unable to move.
"Wh-What the…?"
"I-I can't move…"
In his personal command deck, Julio was seated on his chair while tabbing his finger on the armrest.
So far, there hasn't been any word of Ange being captured yet.
"This is becoming bothersome. Why haven't they found Angelise yet?" Julio grumbles before Riza places a hand on his shoulder.
"Calm yourself, Julio. She won't evade capture for long. Just be patient until then." She told him and Julio smiles at her.
"Of course. You're right…" Julio said before he and the men in the room were also in the dark space. "Wh-What is this?!"
Thanks to Momoka throwing her salt and pepper to escape from Salia and Jasmine, both Ange and her head maid were running in the stairway to help the others fight.
Momoka then found herself in the dark space and was unable to move.
"Why can't I move?" Momoka said.
Emma found herself in the same space as she was running with Maggie and the Underground members.
That's when every human in space heard a voice.
"Everyone! Listen to me! Everything you know about the Norma is a lie! Someone programmed you to have these thoughts in your head! But I can free you from his influence! Please…show me…show him…that you're more than just his dolls! Because it's never too late to do the right thing!"
In what appears to be an endless database, there was a digital cube and finding that very item was Shin in a digital blue form.
Shin looks at the cube and senses that it was connected to every human in the area.
Shin soon moves to the cube and uses powers to bypass its security locks and deletes it as the cube fades away.
Momoka soon found herself back in the real world as she stopped for a moment. Ange stops and turns to her maid.
"Momoka, what's wrong?" She asked.
"I-It was nothing, my lady." Momoka said before she and Ange continued to run up the stairs.
Momoka can't help but wonder what that voice meant by being programmed and freeing her. She had no doubt that her affection and loyalty to Ange was still the same as ever despite being a Norma. Momoka felt that a great shackle that held her for so long is now gone.
After finishing what he needed to do, Shin was now back in the real world as he fell on his rear.
Dean quickly knelt down and checked on his friend.
"Are you okay?" He asked.
Shin groaned as he felt a powerful headache.
"Besides having a painful headache…I think I'll be alright." Shin mutters.
Dean looks at the unconscious soldier before turning back to the Blue Ranger.
"But what did you do?"
"I…used my technopathic powers to connect to every human on this island and to the fleet mentally. I was able to delete the programming that was installed into each of them."
"I didn't know you could do that."
"Funny…neither did I." Shin chuckled before he groaned once again.
Dean then helps Shin stand back up and help him keep his balance as he stumbles a bit.
"But do you really think that was enough?" Dean asked.
"Honestly…I'm not sure." Shin started.
After hearing Shin's message, the soldiers in Jasmine's Mall were now back in the real world while being a bit confused on what just happened and what they were told.
"C-Captain…what was that?" He asked.
The captain took a moment to regain his composure as he shook his head.
"It…It doesn't matter. We have our orders, anything other than the priority targets are to be eliminated." He told him and the others before they responded.
"R-Right…"
"Yeah…they're only Norma after all."
They once again aimed their guns at the Norma, but one of the soldiers saw their crying faces and for some strange reason, he felt hesitant to pull the trigger.
'Why am I hesitating? They're only Norma. They're not even human…'
That's when one of them looks at him with fear in her eyes. He then saw an image of his own daughter appearing in front of her face. That's when he lowered his gun along with the rest of his squad and their captain saw this, and the Norma were now confused on what's going on.
"What are you doing?" The captain asked.
"C-Captain, this is wrong. We can't just slaughter them because of their Norma." One of them said before another spoke out.
"Yeah. There are some even at my daughter's age."
The captain clicked his tongue before he aimed his gun at the Norma.
"Fine…Then I'll do it!"
But one of his subordinates punches him on the head, sending the captain to the ground and lands another punch on him to knock him out.
The Norma looks at them in confusion before the soldiers turn to them and one of them speaks to them.
"Can you run?" They blinked in confusion. "I said can you run?"
The Norma nodded.
"Then you should go while you have the chance."
The Norma quickly stood up and ran away before one of them stopped and asked him a question.
"Why are you doing this?" She asked.
"I don't know." He replied.
She soon joins her friends as they run away together to join with Commander Jill.
"Something tells me we're not getting away with a court martial from this." One of them said.
"I know…but strangely…this felt right." Another said before he leaves. "Come on, we need to get some answers."
The others followed him.
"But…I have faith. Faith that humans can grow and mature from this." Shin said and Dean smiles in agreement.
"Yeah. I won't argue with that." He said.
That's when the Red and Blue Rangers heard someone clapping their hands. They looked and spotted a man hidden in the shadows standing close to them.
"I have to say, that was quite the little show. But then again, you always had a flair for the dramatic." He said and the Rangers recognized his voice.
"That voice…" Shin mutters.
"It's you…!" Dean said with a glare.
That's when the man stepped out of the shadows, revealing himself as none other than their old enemy, Embryo.
"Embryo!" Dean and Shin said.
"It's been quite some time, Dean, Shinya." Embryo said before he looked at Dean. "I have to say, I was quite surprised that you were still alive, Dean. I suppose you had your grandfather to thank for that. Honestly, that stubborn old fool just couldn't give up and it appears to run in the family."
"Thanks. I'll take that as a compliment. But care to explain why you're here?" Dean questions him.
"Yes, of course. I'm here to pick up some things and to meet certain people. Including you, Shinya." Embryo said as he turned to his former lab assistant.
"Then what is it?" Shin asked.
"It's about those DRAGON-type Para-mails. I suppose you had a hand in creating them?"
"And what if I did?"
Embryo sighed and shook his head in disappointment.
"Then I can't believe you corrupted all the work we did together. Using your knowledge of the Ragna-mail to create those plagiarisms." Embryo said.
"Like you're in any position to berate me for that!" Shin exclaimed. "We both promised that the Ragna-mail were supposed to be a force of good. To lead humanity to a better tomorrow. But instead, you corrupted what they were supposed to stand for…everything that you stand for!"
"And then what? End one war just so that humanity could start another one. You and your friends should know better than anyone that the humans of the old world were foolish and violent. Fighting for such trivial things. If they were going to destroy themselves anyway, I only sped up the process and put them out of their misery. And as for the humans of this world, they were the same way. So, I took it upon myself to create a new world with an improved human race."
"And how is this world any different?!" Shin shouted as he gestures to this ruined hallway and even to the entire island as a whole. "Even if you give humanity the power that would grant them anything they desire, it doesn't change the fact that hatred and prejudice still exists! It's a part of human nature and you know it! But instead of letting them learn how to overcome such things, you chose to manipulate them and force them to play out their roles! How can they be any different than the humans of the old world?"
Embryo looks at the soldiers who were still unconscious and at the fleet of warships that continues to attack the island they were standing on.
"True. I'll admit that this world has indeed failed as an experiment. But soon I will rectify all of that." Embryo said.
"What are you saying?" Shin asked and Embryo smirked at his former lab assistant.
"Shinya, how do you feel about joining me again?" Embryo told him, both Shin and Dean were surprised by that.
"What?" Shin said.
"You can't possibly be serious about that?" Dean asked.
"And I believe I wasn't talking to you." Embryo spoke to the Red Ranger and spoke to Shin once again. "Shinya, I know you still hold a grudge after what happened, but I still have high hopes that you would see things from my point of view. Humanity will always be vile and don't deserve your protection. But I can truly make use of your potential."
Embryo reached his hand out to the Blue Ranger.
"So please say yes. I'm on the verge of something that will put all of my plans to shame, and I want you to join me. We can finally accomplish all of the things we vision for a bright future, just like we always wanted."
"I…I refuse." Shin said and Embryo lowered his hand while narrowing his eyes. "I trusted you before and it cost me nearly everything. If I can do it all over again, then I would never help you again."
"Way to say it, Shin." Dean said with a proud smile.
Embryo once again sighed in disappointment with a hand on his head.
"Such a shame. I thought after over 500 years, you'd finally rid yourself of that naivety. But at last, all you ever do is disappoint me." Embryo said.
"Funny…I could say the same about you." Shin said.
With a scoff, Embryo leaves by disappearing like a hologram.
Now that he is gone, Shin is about to fall, and Dean catches him in time.
"Whoa! Easy there, you shouldn't overexert yourself like this." Dean said.
"Sorry…But I needed to tell him that on my own feet. Though I don't mind some help walking." Shin said.
"You got it." Dean nodded before he placed Shin's arm on his shoulders to help the Blue Ranger stand and walk as they moved in the hallway together.
After being free from the trance, Julio and his crew were now back in the real world and Julio was quick to dismiss what that voice said. He'll never stop, not while he was close to achieve everything that he long desired.
"Do the right thing? Ridiculous…I am doing it!" Julio said before he gave his orders. "All of you! Send another barrage of missiles and pyrethroids out now!"
But instead of obeying his command, the crew were hesitant to do that.
"What are you doing?! Did you not hear me?!" Julio exclaimed at them.
The admiral turns to him to speak out.
"Emperor Julio…We should just stop doing this." He said and Julio was shocked and enraged to hear that.
"What did you say? You dare to defy me?!" Julio said.
"Of course not! But…this is needless. If this is the Norma's reward for protecting us, then I refuse to obey your…" He said but then Julio brings out an ornately designed pistol and shoots him and the admiral falls to the ground.
"Admiral!" A crew member said before Julio ended up killing the rest of the crew.
Riza was a bit horrified by this but managed to keep herself in check.
"Fine. Since you're all incompetent, then I'll use a new crew and army." Julio said before he brings out Mana window and inserts the key Embryo gave him into it to activate a gift from a certain White Ranger.
Both Dean and Shin had arrived in what appears to be the mess hall but saw it was also in ruins. Not only that, but there were also several charred corpses on the floor.
While a bit horrified, the Red and Blue Rangers kept their composure as they saw similar sights during the D-War.
"Damn…They didn't stand a chance." Dean said.
"It's like the D-War all over again…" Shin mutters before he groans as he feels his headache again.
"Shin?"
"I need to sit down..." Shin said.
Dean had brought Shin to one of the tables where he could sit down and rest for a bit.
"Man…I wonder if this is what a hangover is like." Shin mutters.
"Then maybe next time you shouldn't hack into the minds of over thousands of people." Dean told him.
"I couldn't call it hacking exactly…more like a reprogram." Shin said.
"Yeah. Like there's a difference." Dean said before he and Shin chuckled.
That's when they heard a gunshot and a girl screaming as they quickly turned to the source.
(Moments earlier)
Ange and Momoka soon arrived in the mess hall as well. When Momoka created a light for them, they soon saw the bodies.
After seeing that, Ange remembered the DRAGON corpses that were burning in the pit made by Jasmine and saw them turning into humans.
Ange was on the verge of vomiting as she placed a hand on her mouth.
"Oh, Lady Angelise. Wait here, I'll go get you some water." Momoka said before she headed to the kitchen.
After Ange pushed back her vomit, she heard someone speaking behind her.
"We can't see what we have until it's gone. I found that to be true in every era."
Ange looked and saw a man in a green suit standing behind her. It was Embryo.
The true ruler of this world looks at the corpses on the ground with a disprovable look on his face.
"This is quite a horrific scene. I don't recall ordering Julio to do this." Embryo said. Everything he said only made Ange sick, but the mention of her brother's name got her attention.
"My brother? What does he have to do with this?" She asked and he answered.
"Everything. He's the one commanding this massacre." Ange was surprised by this. "He's currently 14 kilometers north by northeast. You will find him there."
While Ange wasn't sure he could trust this strange man, she heard a gunshot and Momoka screaming and she turned to the kitchen.
(In present time)
Momoka, with a wounded shoulder, was on the ground with a Mana forcefield to protect from two men armed with guns except they're not exactly men.
They were about to finish her, but they were fired upon by Ange armed with her own gun.
"Hey! Did you assholes really do this?! On my brother's…" Ange said before the soldiers turned to them and saw they weren't humans by machines known as E-Bots. "What the…"
After the E-Bots saw that was priority target number two, Angelise. They were about to move in and capture her, Ange was ready to fight them, but someone called out to her.
"Get down!"
"Huh?" Ange looks and sees a table heading towards the E-Bots.
Ange quickly jumps to the ground as the table smashed into the E-Bots, damaging and disabling them.
Ange and Momoka stood up and saw that their savior was Dean.
"Are you two…" Dean said before a suspicious Ange aimed her gun at him and he quickly raised his hands. "Whoa, whoa, hey! Easy there, I'm friendly!"
"Then are you from the Underground?" Ange questions him.
"Underground?" Dean said in confusion and Ange pulled the hammer on her gun. "Hey! I'm not your enemy here."
"Then who are you?"
"Well…That's a bit complicated." Dean rubs the back of his head.
"Then uncomplicate it."
"Can you please keep it down…" Said Shin as he moved to Dean's side while still having a hand on his head. "I'm still mending a headache over here."
Momoka blinks to hear his voice.
"That voice…" She said.
"Look, I can't go with the specifics right now, but me and my friend are only here to help." Dean told her.
Ange wasn't convinced by that before Momoka spoke to her.
"Ummm…Lady Angelise, please pardon me, but I think we can trust them." Ange was a bit surprised before she asked her maid a question.
"How can you be sure of that?"
"Well…I'm not sure." Momoka said before she looked at the Blue Ranger. "But they don't seem to be bad people. And like the Norma, we shouldn't judge them so harshly."
Shin smiles to hear as he now considers this headache as a badge of honor.
Ange clicks her tongue before she lowered her gun.
"Fine. But know this, if I see any funny business then all bets are off." Ange told them.
"Wouldn't dream of it. Anyway, we should get moving before any more of them show up." Dean said.
"Then this is where we part ways. I need to get my machine; I need to have a long chat with my brother." Ange said before she checks the ammo on her gun.
"Wait. How did you know that?" Dean said.
Before she could answer, they soon saw that several more E-Bots had arrived and surrounded. They quickly form a circle as the E-Bots approach them.
"Great. More E-Bots." Dean said in annoyance.
"You know these robots?" Ange said.
"More or less. Seems like the emperor isn't messing around anymore." Shin said.
"Then we should probably return the favor in full." Dean said. Ange was a bit confused before Dean spoke to her. "You said you need to get to your machine, right?"
"Y-Yeah." Ange nodded.
"Well…Guess we'll have to escort you there, my lady." Dean said before he and Shin stood in front of the E-Bots. "It's Morphin' Time!"
"It's what?" Ange said.
Both Dean and Shin changed the form of their Morphers and brought out their Ranger Cards.
"Load Card! Access the Morphin Grid!" Dean and Shin said as they load their Cards and morph into their Ranger forms.
Seeing that surprised Ange and Momoka.
The Red and Blue Rangers bring out their Nexus Blasters and attack the E-Bots while protecting the girls with them.
In the hangar/launch deck, Hilda along with Rosalie, Chris, Tony, Mei and their respective teams were firing at another group of enemies.
To their surprise, the human soldiers stopped firing at them and chose to retreat. Just when they could let out a sigh in relief, a legion of E-Bots soon appeared and attacked them.
They tried to fire at them, but their bullets were useless against them and some of them formed an Union E-Bot as they continued to approach them.
"Dammit! Just when I thought I saw the last of these things." Hilda said as she took a moment to reload.
"Yeah. Well, you're not alone on that." Tony said as he fired at them and soon ran out of ammo.
An explosion then appeared beside them which took out the elevator.
"Not good! The elevator's destroyed! We can't move the Para-mail now!" Mei said.
"Hilda, what should we do?" Rosalie asked.
As Hilda tries to come up with a plan, everyone in the hangar hears a falcon's cry.
They looked and saw someone flying to their rescue while carrying her friend with her hand.
She soon drops the said friend at the Union E-Bot as he attacks it with a hammer.
"Dozer Hammer!" He said as he slammed his hammer straight through the combined E-Bot destroying it.
That's when their second rescuer fired a blaster at the other E-Bots.
"Nexus Blaster!" She said as she fired at the E-Bots while flying in the air.
Their rescuers were Aaron and Alisa in Ranger form. After dealing with the E-Bots, Aaron rested his Hammer on his shoulder while Alisa landed to his side and struck a pose with her Blaster.
The Norma and Tony were a bit surprised to see those two.
"Friends of yours?" Chris questioned the Underground member, and he shook his head.
"Never seen them before in my life." He said.
Everyone soon saw another wave of E-Bots had arrived and headed towards them. Both Aaron and Alisa were ready to fight them, but they soon fired upon and saw it was Dean and Shin with Ange and Momoka.
"Dean! Shin!" Aaron said.
"It's Ange!" Mei said.
"Where have you been, princess?" Hilda said.
After Dean and Shin join their friends to battle the E-Bots, Momoka creates a forcefield for them as Ange moves to Villkiss.
She soon got onto the Ragna-mail and activated it. Villkiss then flew above the ground and moved down the runway.
"Don't! They blew up the runway!" Hilda told her.
As the four Nexus Rangers battle the E-Bots, Ange calls out to them.
"Hey!" The Rangers turn to her. "Move it!"
Ange deactivated her machine's weapon lock. Having a good idea what she was about to do, the Nexus Rangers quickly moved out of her way. Ange soon fired a barrage of grenades at the rubble and E-Bots cleared the runway.
"Holy hell…And I thought princesses are supposed to be more elegant than that." Alisa said.
With her path now clear, Ange soon launched with her machine. Everyone in the runway saw a group of pyrethroids had appeared and was about to destroy the runway once again, but they were soon shot down by another group of Para-mail soon arrived and battled them.
"What's that?" Chris said.
"It's the Underground! They made it!" Tony said.
"Then I guess our work here is done." Dean said before he holsters his Blaster, Shin and Alisa did the same while Aaron dismissed his weapon.
The four Nexus Rangers were about to leave but Tony called out to them.
"Wait! Just who are you people?" Tony asked.
The Red Ranger turned to him.
"Just a team of teenagers doing the right thing." He vaguely said before they left by running and entering a hallway.
"Huh?" Tony blinked.
As Villkiss flew in the sky, the pyrethroids moved in to capture it and Ange. But Ange was able to avoid them while attacking them with her rifle and sword, that's when some of them were shot from behind.
Ange saw it was Salia in her Arquebus with the intent of bringing Ange back along with Villkiss.
"You have to come back Ange! Don't run away from your mission!" Salia said.
After shooting down more of the drones, Salia moved in front of Ange's machine while aiming her rifle at it.
"Is nothing enough for you? No matter how hard I tried, she wanted you! And you took everything that should've been mine! So is this too much to ask in return?" Salia said with tears in her eyes.
"It was enough." Ange said which confused Salia. Ange smiled while remembering the memories she made here. "This place…I liked living here. It was the lousiest and filthiest place I've ever seen. And the food tasted like shit. But I still…had a great time. And now it's destroyed, thanks to him."
Ange then moves in and uses Villkiss' sword to slice off the arms of Salia's Para-mail.
"That's why I have to fight. And if you get in my way, you're dead."
Responding to her emotions, Ange's ring lit up along with the screens on her controls. Ange was surprised by this and before she knew it, Villkiss' armor changed from white to a bright red with a beam of red light around its sword.
Salia was now in free fall as she watches Ange battling against the pyrethroids
"Ange, no! Stop it! Don't do this! I won't let you get away from turning your back on us!" Salia ordered her but was left ignored, just as she was about to hit the ocean, Salia had enough time for one last insult. "Your butt is shaped like a peer!"
With that Salia's Para-mail falls into the ocean.
After doing one final check of the island, Dean, Shin, Aaron and Alisa had arrived at the top of the island.
"Okay. Looks like everyone evacuated safely…Wait, where's Claire?" Dean said.
"Not sure myself. I tried contacting her but she wouldn't pick up." Alisa said.
Aaron then notices in the sky and he calls out to his friends.
"Umm…guys." The others turned to the Black Ranger as he pointed at something. "Look."
The others looked and saw the red Villkiss wiping out the army of flying drones.
"Is that…?" Dean said.
Shin zoomed in with his helmet's visor tech and saw it was indeed a red Ragna-mail.
"No doubt about it, she's using Villkiss' Michael Mode." Shin said.
"It's a part of its Archangel-System, right?" Dean asked, Shin nodded.
"Yeah. It was designed to form a forcefield of light around a Ragna-mail's body with a beam of light around its sword. Giving it the perfect balance of offense and defense." Shin said.
They soon saw Villkiss ram some of the battleships in flight mode like they were wet paper and attack them with its sword.
"Damn…Not sure I should say this out loud, but I'm actually rooting for her." Alisa said.
"Yeah, let's not." Dean said.
In his personal flagship now being crewed by E-Bots, Julio heard of Ange's appearance in her Ragna-mail. He then ordered them to shoot her down with missiles only to find that they were useless against them.
And to make matters worse for him, Villkiss begins taking out the fleet with its sword and sinking them by ramming straight through them.
"The Defiant and Mariposa are destroyed. Severe damages to the Fortunate and Olbert." One of the E-Bots reported.
"You useless machines! She's only one unit! Shoot her down!" Julio demanded.
Then a crimson slash of energy carved through the bridge, sending the E-Bots plummeting to the launch deck below.
Julio fell on his rear as the glowing red Ragna-mail loomed before him.
Riza/Lizardia decided to cut her losses and leaves before she was noticed.
Villkiss' canopy opened and Ange stood up and pulled out her gun.
"Angelise!" Julio said before Ange fired a bullet into his leg.
Julio screams in agony while holding it.
"Call off this massacre right now! Do it or the next one will hit right below your belt." Ange warned him.
Julio quickly brings out a Mana window to call all soldiers and E-Bots on the island.
"T-This is Holy Emperor Julio I…All forces are to cease fire and retreat at once."
"Retreat…Yes, my lord."
Julio dismissed the window.
"There! If you're satisfied then leave me alone." Julio said.
"I don't think so." Ange said before she sat back down and Villkiss raised its sword, ready to strike him down.
A fearful Julio quickly sat on the floor and raised his hands.
"Wait, please! I did as you asked! So please spare me!" Julio said as he backed away to the wall. "I'll do anything, just name it and it will be yours! I know, I'll reinstate you as the imperial princess! I'll even abdicate the throne and hand it over to you! Angelise, please! I'm your brother! You've known me all your life, doesn't it mean anything to you?!"
"I thought I did once…But now I see you as the scum you are. Now DIE!" Ange said as she swung her sword at Julio and he screamed in fear.
But then blocking her sword was the Hysterica using its beam shield, and to Ange's next surprise she saw Embryo standing on its shoulder.
"You again?" Ange said as Villkiss' armor changed back to its white color.
"Dear Ange, you are a beautiful girl. Truly out of all of humanity, you are unique, a rarity that only appears once every hundreds of years. That white hot flame of yours burns brighter and purer than anything. Like a fire that cleanses all that is evil and irrational. But you mustn't let that lovely flame be tarnished by lowering yourself to deal with such lowly scum. But fear not. I will gladly carry that sin for you." Embryo said.
"Just what are you talking about?" Ange said.
"Master Embryo! Hurry, kill that monster before she kills me!" Julio pleaded.
"Embryo…?" Ange said.
Embryo soon turns to the pleading emperor, and to Julio's shock his master gives him a look of displeasure.
"Tell me Julio. When I sent you on this errand what part of my instructions told you to kill those who didn't resist?" Embryo questions him.
"But…Master Embryo, you said so yourself, we don't need the Norma anymore." Julio said.
"Hmph. Even if I did, what you did was truly foolish and repulsive. Therefore, I have no further need for you." Embryo said.
The Hysterica then flies above Julio's ship as Embryo sings a song that Agne and her brother were very familiar with.
"Ikuoku amata no ichi no honoo."
"That's…!" Ange said in shock.
"Eternal Story…" Julio said as he now became fearful after figuring out what Embryo was going to do. "No! Master Embryo…Please spare me!"
Just like Villkiss, the Hysterica's shoulders and lower wings open up revealing its own Discord Phasers.
"Nnnnooo!" Julio screams as he crawls to the door in the futile attempt to escape. "Someone save me! Riza! Father! Mother!"
"Sururi ochite wa hoshi ni. Nagare nagarete wa utsukushiku. Mata sei to shi no yurikago de. Yamaku awadatsu."
The Hysterica soon fired at Julio's ship with its ultimate weapon and made contact, creating a bright light that blinded everyone.
When the light died down, there was no trace left of Julio's ship but a gaping hole in the ocean.
Ange opens her machine's canopy to speak with Embryo.
"Who are you? Just what are you after?" Ange questions him.
Embryo chuckles but soon avoids gunfire from Tusk riding on his skyknife with Vivian on his back.
"Tusk?" Ange said as she was surprised to see him here.
"Look out! That guy is dangerous!" Tusk told her as he fired at Embryo once again. "Just get out of here! Hurry!"
Embryo looks at Tusk in annoyance.
"Insect!" Embryo said before he sings Eternal Story once again to use the Hysterica's Discord Phasers once again. "Utae Utae Ima futatsu no negai wa!"
"No! He'll kill him!" Ange said before she dived down to save Tusk. "Tusk, no! Get away!"
Responding to her emotions of desperation and panic, Ange didn't notice her ring and controls lightning up once again. Villkiss' armor turned blue and just as Embryo fired his weapons, both Villkiss along with Tusk and Vivian teleported out of the way while leaving another hole in the ocean.
Despite that Ange got away, Embryo smiles knowing he'll see her again.
"This is a bit cliche. But it's alright." Embryo said before the Hysterica leaves.
The Rangers watch the Hysterica leave after using its Discord Phasers twice.
"Damn…I never thought he would bring the Hysterica here of all places." Shin said.
"Do you think Angelise got away in time?" Dean asked and Shin nodded.
"Yeah. It was a quick moment but she was able to use Villkiss' Ariel Mode. It was designed for quick teleportation, but I have no idea where it would be." Shin said.
Dean checks the time on his Morpher.
"We'll have to worry about that later. Best that we find Claire and head back." Dean said and the others nodded in agreement before they demorph.
"Hey, guys!" Someone calls out to them.
They looked and saw it was Claire as she moved towards them.
"Claire, where have you been?" Dean asked.
"Well…I was a bit sidetracked." Claire answered.
While the others blink in confusion, they notice an orange-haired girl was standing close to the Pink Ranger's legs and averted eye contact with them.
"I think we now know what sidetracked you." Shin said before he felt his headache again. "Dang it…and here I thought it was gone."
Claire told her friends how she found this girl and tried to find her friends in the chaos. But was unsuccessful in finding them or anyone who would take her to safety.
"I see. That kind of figures." Aaron said.
"Yeah. I really thought I could find anyone who can take her, but I guess it was wishful thinking." Claire said.
"Then what should we do? It's not like we can leave her here." Alisa said.
"Indeed. It doesn't seem likely anyone will come back for her." Shin said.
"What should we do, Dean?" Claire asked.
Dean thought about it before he looked at the girl, which frightened her a bit and hid further behind Claire's legs.
Dean sighs while rubbing the back of his head before he smiles at the orange-haired girl.
"Well…I guess we're picking up another stray." Dean said.
The Red Ranger then knelt down to the girl.
"So you got a name kid?" He asked.
She was hesitant at first before Claire petted her on the head and gave her a kind smile.
"It's alright. You have no reason to be afraid anymore." Claire assured her.
She then looks at the other Rangers as they give her kind smiles. Feeling that she could trust them, the orange-haired girl answered Dean's question.
"Carole…It's Carole."
"Carole huh. That's a pretty name." Dean said before he offered his hand to her. "Come on. How about we take you somewhere safer than here."
Carole slowly reaches out and grabs onto his hand.
To be continued...
There you have it, hope you like it. Review to tell me what you think of the story.
Also, Carole is that no name character with orange hair who was killed (Twice) along with the kids that Ersha had taken in when she sided with Embryo.