[Two intrically carved oak doors open up into the Mental Library(tm),
where our three intrepid reviewers are wading hip-deep in paper.]
Cerina: (looks up, notices the camera) Oh, nihao! We're in the middle of
research for the author's megacrossover, and we're trying to find the info
on whether or not Nodoka found out about Ranma's curse before or after Mt.
Phoenix. (hollers over her shoulder) Yo, Tommy-chan, found it yet?
Tommy: Nope, sorry. I don't think we had it to begin with.
(A mass buried in paper suddenly blares out... "Pu pu PUUUUUUUU!!!")
Tommy: What th'-
LilTigre: (pops up happily) It's my new alarm for incomin' fics!
Cerina: Good, we could use a break anyway.
On Sun, 29 Mar 1998, The Eternal Lost Lurker wrote:
WARNING: SENTAI ALERT! This chapter contains strong sentai elements.
If you can't stand reading/watching/being near sentai, *do not read*.
Skipping this chapter will not upset the flow of the rest of the fic
for you. (At least, not for the next full Act....)
Tommy: Sentai? Huh?
(Cerina whispers something in his ear.)
Tommy: Ya'll are really gonna tease me about this, aren't ya?
Cerina: Yup.
Chapter 24: Trial By Combat
"Hey! Can you guys hear me?" Ferio yelled up at the five Mashin.
Cerina: Huh? Did somebody just say something?
"I hear ya," Ukyou's voice sounded from within Plata.
"Ryoukai," Akane and Ryouga said in unison. Tora momentarily turned
to frown at Kjata, reflecting Akane's expression within.
Tommy: I'm surprised she's let him LIVE this long.
"Shampoo hear just fine."
"As do I," Mousse finished.
"Good," Ferio said. "Something's happening down here in the
canyon..."
As if on cue, bits of broken-down mecha began rising from the depths
of Edosel Canyon, floating about in slow circles. "What the--?"
Ryouga shouted.
Pieces of mecha began gathering, old circuitry sparking as wires
spliced and fused together with wires from other mecha parts.
"Aiyah!" Shampoo yelled.
Tommy: (looks confused) She's attacking?
(Cerina buries her head in her hands and shakes it as LilTigre giggles.)
Cerina: (whacking him) That's "Aiyah" not "Kiya!," you martial-arts
muddlehead!
<*THE TEST IS SIMPLE. FROM THE SACRED RUINS OF EDOSEL CANYON,
REMNANTS OF MASHIN LONG SINCE DEAD WILL REASSEMBLE INTO FIVE SHADE
MASHIN. EACH OF YOU MUST DEFEAT ONE SHADE. BE WARNED, FOR THE DEFEAT
OF ONE ENSURES THAT THE REMAINING SHADES WILL GAIN STRENGTH.*>
"Nice of him to tell us what to expect," Mousse grumbled.
"I think you should pick targets and split up," Ferio called from
the ground.
LilTigre: Why's he bossin' them around? He's not even a member of their
team!
Tommy: More battle experience, probably.
"Good idea, sugar," Ukyou said. A robot with one solid, stocky blue
leg, one red leg split into a claw at the end, a rusted,
shield-shaped torso, one arm ending in a flamethrower, and a
half-black, half-white head with only one yellow eye approached
Plata, releasing a gout of flame in her direction. "This one's ours!"
Ukyou called, twirling Plata's naginata and dropping into a ready
stance.
Cerina: That robot... the color scheme's a bit familiar....
"I think I'll take this one," Mousse called as a robot approached
Sutran. The entire frame of the mecha appeared to be shattered,
cracks webbing its hull in various places. It stood on somewhat shaky
blue and silver legs, and its square red torso shuddered violently,
smoke pouring from a grill on its front. The grill, combined with
what looked like broken panes of glass on its chest, gave the bizarre
impression of a deranged semi. Its left arm was broken off at the
elbow, sparks sizzling from dangling wires far too long to have
actually been contained within the arm. Its right arm, however, was
intact, and held a dangerous-looking rifle. Its blue helmet was
cracked badly in spots, and half of its face was apparently missing,
as bare circuitry was exposed from the center down. One blue eye
glowed brightly; the other eye held no light and appeared to be
shattered.
Tommy: They look like demented rejects from the Machine Empire-
(The girls punt him into a nearby wall.)
Cerina: That's enough MMPR refs from you, spandex-boy.
Sable was approached by a hulking black mecha with squat, stout legs
and four clawed arms. Two of the arms held large, jagged sabers. The
thing had no head that Shampoo could see, but four red eyes glowed
from the center of its torso. "Shampoo take ugly spider-looking
thing," the Amazon said.
LilTigre: Eyes in it's tummy... Oneechan, is that thing an Angel?
Cerina: Not quite. I think it's Ikari Gendou's real form.
Ryouga looked around for a target. An almost stately-looking mecha
stood near Kjata. The robot was white, and looked to have taken some
heavy battle damage, but still appeared to be in fighting form...at
least, more so than Mousse's opponent. It resembled a giant white
knight, complete with a massive broadsword. The only oddities were
the narrow blue left arm and the yellow right leg which had
apparently been cobbled from other mecha. "Okay, the knight's mine,"
Ryouga declared.
Cerina: (snicker) The pig in shining armor!
Tommy: (face embedded in the wall) I...... te...........
"Great. Leave me with the freaky one," Akane said as she faced off
LilTigre: (singsong) Akane got the freaky one! Akane got the freaky one!
against a mecha that looked like one of her worst nightmares. The
majority of its body was black and red, and had a *very* patchwork
look to it. The armor was incomplete, and something oozed from
beneath it, hissing as it dripped on the sand. The thing had massive
silver legs that seemed badly disproportionate to the torso, an
effect made worse by the crustacean-like exoshell and tail hanging on
its back. The mecha's right arm was red, its left black, and it held
odd-looking knives in each hand. Its head...Akane paled. Its head was
the broken purple helmet she had walked past earlier in the canyon.
Darkness filled the void left by the missing half, and a dull green
glow emanated from that darkness. Akane shuddered, but moved into a
ready stance.
Tommy: (now back in his chair) Oooh... can we say, "evil," boys and girls?
Plata ducked to the side as a blast of fire roared past, and spun
her naginata. The mecha before her roared as the flamethrower was
sheared off by the blades of the staff. It lowered its head like a
bull, and charged. "Oh no you don't," Ukyou said. She leaped, sending
Plata sailing over the robot, impaling it from above. Landing, Plata
hoisted the mecha with her naginata, and slammed it into the ground.
It shattered, sending a shower of sparks flying. "Yatta!" Ukyou
cheered.
The pieces of the robot began twitching. "What the--?"
"IT'S DEAD, UKYOU," Plata said, "BUT REMEMBER WHAT THE BOSS TOLD
US?"
"Yeah?"
"WELL, WATCH."
Cerina: She's as thick-headed as you are, Tommy!
Tommy: Hey, I never screwed up like that in battle before! Unlike
*someone* I know!
Cerina: Oh, yeah?
(LilTigre sighs as the two begin scuffling on the floor and pushes a
button. The author materializes next to her and sighs.)
Jessica: *ahem* CHILDREN!!! Let's get back to the FIC NOW!!!
(The two stop fighting and sheepishly sit down.)
Meanwhile, Ryouga had managed to break through the defenses of the
knight mecha. Kjata's chain wrapped around its sword, and yanked it
from the robot's grasp, sending it flying through the air. The robot
darted to the side, narrowly avoiding having its head taken off by
the sharp tusks attached to the chain. Instead, its left shoulder was
pierced, a jagged hole torn in the armor. It scrambled over to its
sword and picked it up, then raised its left hand. The torso of the
mecha Ukyou had downed exploded away from its chestplate, and the
large rusted shield flew into the knight mecha's grasp. "Oh great,"
Ryouga groaned.
Jess: Why can't the real bad guys ever be that smart?
Cerina: Cuz if they were, they'd probably win, duh.
As Mousse's opponent raised his rifle to fire, the weapon in
Sutran's hand hummed, and a shaft of pure white light surged forth.
Mousse blinked, then grinned. "Alright, this is more like it," he
said, charging. The badly damaged robot was, surprisingly, agile
enough to dodge, having the waving tendrils of wire hanging from its
left arm clipped. The robot took a couple shots with the rifle, which
were deflected by quick strokes from Sutran's saber. As Sutran
shifted into an attack stance, the robot shuddered slightly, and the
wire tendrils of its left arm sought out the flamethrower lying on
the ground. Before Mousse could react, the cables had connected to
the flamethrower, reeling it in and snapping it onto the robot's left
arm. A blast of flame scorched Sutran's armor. "Is this what he meant
by gaining strength?" Mousse wondered. Sutran spread his wings, and
rose into the air, hovering above the shade mecha.
Tommy: Yup, Ukyo screwed up royally....
It took every ounce of skill Shampoo could muster to parry the blows
the four-armed mecha rained upon her with its twin sabers. Sable
leaped and slashed down, severing one of its upper arms. As the arm
fell to the ground, the robot caught the fallen sword in its lower
arm, and struck, slashing across Sable's leg. The black ninja Mashin
landed unsteadily, and as the now three-armed robot raised its sabers
to strike again, Shampoo took a risk and plunged her sword into one
of the thing's eyes. It dropped back a few steps, going on the
defensive. Shampoo grinned.
LilTigre: Owie.
(The others sweatdrop.)
Sparks flew as Tora's katana clashed against the twin knives of the
monstrosity Akane faced. She tried to slip in between the knives and
strike a blow to the robot's chest, but something stopped her sword.
"What the--?"
"THIS ONE SEEMS TO HAVE A DEFENSIVE FIELD," Tora observed. "THIS
WILL NOT BE AN EASY BATTLE."
Tommy: No shit, Sherlock.
Jess: I don't know if we should be offended that Akane's in a Tiger
mecha.... The animal just doesn't quite fit her, given her... um, temper.
"Right..." Akane said, gritting her teeth as she parried one slash
while the other knife struck Tora in the shoulder. "I've got an
idea," Akane said, and summoned her magic. "RAIJINGEKI!" she shouted.
A bolt of pure electricity slammed down from the clear sky and struck
Tora's raised katana, surging around the blade. Akane thrust forth,
and the lightning slammed into the bizarre mecha's chest. Akane
grinned.
The mecha gave an enraged roar as it was driven backward...and the
lightning dispersed around it. Unharmed, it stood, and charged.
Akane yelped in panic.
All: (snicker)
Ryouga took a cue from Akane's attempt to down her opponent, and as
Kjata dived out of the way of an errant swing by the knight mecha, he
shouted "SANDS, BURY!"
The earth began to tremble at the feet of Ryouga's opponent, and
columns of sand rose from the desert, crashing down upon the white
robot's head. It raised its shield to ward off the onslaught, but to
no avail. In mere moments, the knight was buried to its shoulders in
sand, unable to move its left arm which still held the shield above
its head.
Ryouga grinned, and batted the shield aside with his chain. Kjata
took a running step, and kicked the robot's head off, sending it
flying into the horizon. "GOOD JOB," Kjata said.
Tommy: (announcer voice) ...And with that amazing kick, Ryouga Hibiki wins
Super Bowl XXXVI!
Ukyou noticed the trouble Akane was in. "We should go help her," she
said.
"IT IS NOT ALLOWED," Plata sighed. "THE RULES OF THE TEST FORBID US
FROM INTERFERING UNTIL SHE HAS DAMAGED HER OPPONENT."
Cerina: So in other words, she has to sit by and twiddle her thumbs?
Jess: Looks that way.
Cerina: (grin) Cool!
(The others groan and shake their heads.)
By some stroke of luck, Akane had managed to knock the twin knives
from her opponent's hands. Using a quick lightning spell, she blasted
the weapons out of reach, reducing them to slag. The confused demon
looked around for a moment, seeking something to commence its attack
with. Akane struck once more, striking the shell on the mecha's
back...and denting it. "A hit!" she cried.
"IT SEEMS THAT ITS DEFENSIVE FIELD ONLY COVERS ITS FRONT," Tora
observed.
Tommy: That tiger mecha reminds me of somebody... but I associate it with
a sword. Hmm.....
As Akane prepared to strike again, the oddity fled across the
desert, towards the beheaded form of the white knight mecha, and
began digging through the sand. Kjata moved to intercept, but halted
abruptly. Akane dashed, hoping to spear the thing while it had its
back turned.
Those hopes were dashed when the robot turned around, the bright
green glow from its strange head intensifying. It held a large
broadsword.
Akane groaned. "Perfect."
LilTigre: It's gettin' awfully rough on Akane, ain't it?
Shampoo parried the awkward blows of her opponent, and slashed
downward. Her strike was true, and neatly severed the wrist of the
Cerina: (evil grin) Dismembering others CAN be fun, can't it?
(megalomaniacal laugh)
(The others back away from her slowly.)
one lower arm which held a sword. She moved to strike again, only to
be forced to parry a blow from the remaining sword, as the robot
skittered to the side, picking the fallen weapon up in its last free
hand. It continued to skitter sideways until it reached the buried
white mecha. As it continued to fence with Shampoo, it reached for
the shield with its severed arm. The shield dropped from the grasp of
the white robot, and circuitry still evident in its interior fused
with the shredded wiring of the multi-limbed robot's wrist. As
Shampoo prepared for a killing strike, it raised the shield to
defend, then nailed Sable in the side with two sharp strikes.
Jess: (as Shamps) Aiyah! Ugly robot mess up Shampoo's mecha's nice new
paint job! Shampoo kill now!
Mousse's opponent was turning out to be extremely skilled. The mecha
was keeping Sutran at bay with the intense heat of the flamethrower,
and preventing the flying Mashin from going on the attack with shots
from its laser rifle. "We need to distract him," Mousse said.
"PERHAPS WE CAN BLIND HIM," Sutran said.
"Good idea. PURE FLASH!" Mousse shouted. A dazzling white light
strobed over the battlefield for a few seconds.
"Aiyah! What stupid Mousse doing!"
"Ugh! My eyes!"
"Geez, watch it with that stuff, sugar!"
"Kuso..."
All: (giggle)
"Sorry about that," Mousse said as the light cleared. Unlike the
others, his vision was not affected by the light, and as the
battle-scarred robot that was his opponent staggered, Sutran's
shining white beamsaber neatly dismembered it in five quick strokes.
The blue light from its one good eye flickered and died as its
severed head fell to the ground, followed in short order by its limbs
and torso.
Cerina: Sugoi!!!
Jess: (shakes her head) Why'd I EVER write you to be so violent? Why?
"Stupid bird-brain..." Shampoo muttered, before noticing that her
opponent was somewhat stunned from the blinding light. "Opening!" she
called, slashing through its unguarded torso with Sable's sword. The
two halves of the robot fell to the ground, as Sable struck a victory
pose.
Tommy: Of course, she'll never acknowledge that Mousse's light show helped
her out...
"Only one left," Akane muttered. She parried a vicious slash by the
freakish mecha she faced, then leaped into the air. "HYAA!" she
called, sailing over its head. The robot turned, anticipating her
landing on its other side. "Gotcha," Akane said as Tora landed
*behind* the mecha, lopping its head off and impaling it through the
unguarded shoulder before it could react. Dark red fluid gushed from
the wounds, and Akane grimaced.
Tommy: Wait a sec... was she behind the mech to start with? If she was in
front, then landind on it's "other side over it's head" would mean behind
it....
Ferio cheered as the five victorious Mashin gathered in a circle.
<*YOU HAVE SUCCEEDED IN PASSING THE FIRST PHASE OF THE TEST,*> the
voice of the Mashin leader boomed. <*NOW, LET PHASE TWO COMMENCE...*>
"Phase two?" Akane asked.
"Oh shit," Ryouga said. "Heads up, everyone.
Jess: You're missin' endquotes there, I believe...
<snip massive messy-mech transformatin sequence>
"What the hell's going on here?" Ryouga asked.
"I wish I knew, sugar," Ukyou said.
"This not good," Shampoo decided.
Tommy: No, not good at all.... (snickers)
<more snippy>
The five Sentai paled within their Mashin.
"Aiyah!" Shampoo exclaimed.
"You can say that again," Ukyou said.
"It's...it's a giant robot," Ryouga observed.
"This is nuts," Akane groaned.
"It seems we've got a problem," Mousse put in.
Cerina: Can't they say something ORIGINAL or something that not so damned
OBVIOUS?
Jess: Not without being OOC, they can't.
Armored plates extended from the collar of the massive mecha,
covering the shoulder joints of the two mismatched arms. Similar
coverings slid into place over the leg connections. The flamethrower
and laser rifle lying on the ground flew up and landed on the
shoulder plates, attaching themselves on either side of the head. The
flamethrower roared to life, and the rifle began tracking along the
ground.
The three swords and two daggers which had been wielded by the
smaller robots gathered in the air, and began fusing into a much
larger weapon, which the giant shade Mashin gripped with its right
hand. Its eyes flared with dark blue light, and it settled into a
combat stance. "PREPARE TO DIE," it rumbled, its voice deep and
gravelly.
(Tommy and Cerina lean closer to the computer screen, enthralled with the
idea of more carnage.)
"Oh, shit." Ryouga said.
"Circle," Ferio shouted from the ground. "Surround it."
"Good plan," Ukyou commented as Plata took up a new position. The
Jess: Is Uccan like the intermediary between the Sentai and Ferio or is
she the only one to acknowlede his contributions vocally?
five Mashin worn by the Sentai quickly surrounded the giant ghost
Mashin. It began taking potshots at the ones on its right flank with
the laser rifle, while the flamethrower arced lazily on its mount,
belching fire at the ones to its left.
(Cerina shifts into her dragon form and burps flames at the group)
Cerina: Ugh, heartburn.
"Clear a path in front," Ryouga's voice sounded within Tora and
Sable. The two Mashin glanced at each other, shrugged, and parted
slightly.
The large Mashin suddenly staggered, and pitched forward, barely
catching itself with its massive sword. A pair of large spikes struck
its shoulders, ripping off the laser rifle and the flamethrower, as a
brown head appeared behind the giant. The other Mashin cheered.
The massive mecha roared, and lifted itself off the ground, leaping
into the air. "Uh-oh. Look out guys," Akane said.
Sutran leaped into the air, activating his beamsaber. He took a
swipe at the huge Mashin, which blocked with its own sword.
Amazingly, although a shower of sparks flew, the blade was not
damaged. The mecha punched Sutran with its shield arm, and landed.
The white Mashin fell back, sprawling in the dust.
"Mousse!" Shampoo called. Suddenly, a flurry of shadow shuriken
erupted from Sable, striking the enemy mech with a great cloud of
sparks. "Damn!"
LilTigre: Aw, she really does ccare, ne, Oneechan?
Cerina: I guess, although I think Mousse and Ukyo would make a cute
couple..... Hmmmm....
"It's got some kind of forcefield," Akane said. "It must have taken
that from the one I fought."
"BAKUSAI TENKETSU!" Ryouga yelled, as Kjata released one end of his
chain and struck the ground. A tremendous explosion raised a lavender
cloud, and shook the desert.
"Hey, watch it!" Ukyou shouted. The five Mashin scrambled away from
the roiling dust, as the enemy toppled. It didn't remain toppled,
however; it quickly regained its footing, and spun, slashing at
Kjata. The brown robot parried with its chain...which shattered.
"KUSO!" Ryouga shouted as the tip of the sword cut a chink in Kjata's
armor.
Cerina: It would be interesting to see Ryouga try to pull a Shi Shi
Houkodan with his mech, provided that the mech could handle it and is as
depressed as he is...
"Let's see how you like a little lightning," Akane said.
"RAIJINGEKI!" Lightning slammed down from the sky, gathering around
Tora's sword. The yellow robot stabbed forth, and the lightning arced
into the enemy Mashin. Arcs of electricty flowed over its surface,
and dissipated. It rumbled laughter.
"GIVE UP. YOU ARE TOO WEAK TO DEFEAT ME!"
Plata morphed her entire body into a massive scythe, and slashed at
the enemy. The blade of the scythe dented. "CRAP. WELL, THAT WON'T
CUT IT," she quipped, resuming her normal form.
LilTigre: (giggle) I like Plata. She's silly!
"No time for makin' jokes, sugar. This is serious," Ukyou said.
"THIS CALLS FOR MORE SEVERE MEASURES," Tora said.
"INDEED," Sable agreed.
"Such as?" Akane asked.
"OUR ENEMY ISN'T THE ONLY ONE THAT CAN PULL THAT LITTLE TRICK,"
Kjata said.
"RIGHT, OF COURSE! ...BUT IT'S BEEN MILLENIA. DO YOU THINK WE CAN
STILL PULL IT OFF?" Plata asked.
"Ummm....pull what off?" Ukyou asked.
"COMBINATION," Tora said.
The five pilots blinked.
(Everyone but Tommy giggles.)
Meanwhile, the massive enemy mecha was closing in on Kjata. The
brown robot ducked to the side, avoiding a swing which buried its
sword in the sand. "NO TIME FOR CHATTER," Kjata said. "WE GOTTA DO IT
NOW!"
"Ummm...do what, and how?" Akane asked.
"JUST OPEN YOUR HEARTS AND MINDS TO THE OTHERS, AND LET YOUR WILL
BECOME ONE WITH THEIR OWN, AND WE SHALL HANDLE THE REST."
"Ohhhh, I get it," Ukyou said.
"Shampoo understand."
"Okay, let's hurry before that thing decides to strike again," Akane
said. "Ready?"
"LET'S DO IT!" all five shouted.
Cerina: Here it comes....
"Right. Yellow Phase!" Akane yelled. Tora's sword disappeared, and
his limbs began retracting, folding against his armor. His head sank
into his shoulders, and the sphere in his chest vanished.
"Brown Phase!" Ryouga shouted. With a massive burst of steam, Kjata
began folding his limbs into his armor as the sphere containing
Ryouga disappeared.
"Black Phase!" Shampoo called. Sable roared, and split in half, the
black orb holding Shampoo fading into a shadowy mist.
"Silver Phase!" Ukyou yelled. The silver orb holding her melted into
Plata's body, which divided and began reshaping.
"White Phase!" Mousse shouted. Sutran's wings folded and locked
together as his body reshaped. The white cockpit sphere disappeared
in a flash of light.
The enemy Mashin backed away slightly in confusion.
"COMBINATION PHASE!" five voices shouted in unison.
Tommy: This reminds me of Voltron Force... What?
(The others begin laughing out loud.)
The bulky torso of Kjata rose into the air, the boar's head gone
from his chest, his limbs repositioned to form shoulder and hip
joints. The halves of Sable reformed into a strong pair of legs,
which attached to the hip joints at Kjata's base. The combined mecha
dropped to the ground, landing with a loud *thud* and raising a cloud
of purple dust.
Twin silver streaks hovered around the torso, coming to a rest near
the shoulder joints, where they reshaped into a pair of muscular arms
and attached cleanly.
Tora had taken on an interesting shape. Most of his mass had shifted
south, with the massive tiger head of his animal form at the top. A
Cerina: (snicker) it... it got bigger "southward".....
Jess: (whaps her) Hentai.
metallic *clank* echoed from the torso of Kjata, and a large panel
slid open in his back. The reshaped bulk of Tora slid easily into the
opening and locked into place. The head tilted backward, the jaw
swinging open, and both locked into place, forming a helmet and
revealing a yellow-eyed robot face.
Sutran flipped upside-down and swooped from the sky. His body had
reshaped itself into an odd three-segmented pattern, and the locked
wings hung stiffly, pointing down. The white Mashin locked onto the
large robot's shoulders, forming large shoulderguards, while the
segment to which the wings were attached locked down over the hidden
portion of Tora's body. The fused wings now resembled a stiff white
cape.
Inside the helmeted head, the five Sentai found themselves standing
before a huge viewscreen, with five colored orbs embedded into the
floor beneath it, corresponding to the colors of their Mashin.
Jess: (laughing) Flashman's really corrupted you on sentai, Lurker!
"Wow," Ukyou said.
"This too much," Shampoo commented.
"I like it," Ryouga said.
"You guys ready?" Akane asked. Everyone nodded, and extended their
hands above their heads.
"FINAL PHASE!" they all shouted in unison. With a few short, mostly
unneccessary poses, they knelt and placed their hands on the orbs.
"STORM!" Akane called, as arcs of electricity crackled into the
yellow orb from her hand.
"EARTH!" Ryouga bellowed. The control room shook as magic flowed
into the brown orb.
"SHADOW!" Shampoo cried. A wave of darkness poured from her hand
into the black orb.
"LIGHT!" Mousse shouted. There was a bright flash as his magic
transferred into the white orb.
"METAL!" Ukyou yelled. Her hand shimmered as magic flowed into the
silver orb.
Outside, electricity flowed around its hands, as the earth at its
feet trembled. Odd shadows resembling swords floated above its hands,
suffused with the electricity. A flash of light silhouetted the
combination Mashin, and when it cleared, the enormous mecha held a
pair of double-edged broadswords. It crossed the swords before its
chest, causing a shower of sparks as its eyes flared yellow.
"PRIX!" the five Sentai called from inside the Mashin's head.
(By now, the group is rolling on the floor laughing, while Tommy glares at
them, irritated.)
"IMPRESSIVE TRICK," the ghost Mashin rumbled, "BUT IT WILL NOT SAVE
YOU."
The scrapyard mecha charged, weapon held ready. The combination
mecha known as Prix set one foot back, holding one sword in a high
stance, and the other near its midsection. As the enemy approached,
Prix unleashed a burst of mixed shadow and light, halting the
progress of the ghost mech. Prix followed through with a pair of
sword strokes, raising a brilliant rain of sparks as the twin
broadswords met and broke the forcefield. The scrapmech bellowed in
pain and took a step back.
"Time to finish this," Akane said, slamming her fist onto the yellow
orb. "OVERLOAD!"
Cerina: (laughing) Thunder saber!
Prix raised its swords, and huge arcs of electricity coursed between
the blades. Slowly, Prix stabbed forward, and a continuous stream of
lightning poured into the enemy Mashin. The ghost mecha writhed in
agony, until finally the powerful assault became too much. With one
final roar, the massive shade Mashin exploded, spraying bits and
pieces of scrap everywhere. Prix struck a victorious pose above the
crater left in the sand.
(The Queen song, "We Are the Champions," begins playing in the
background.)
Ferio cheered on the ground. "That was great, guys!" he called.
<*CONGRATULATIONS. YOU HAVE PASSED THE TEST.*>
Prix broke apart, and quickly the five Mashin resumed their animal
forms. The Sentai appeared on the ground near them.
<*YOU HAVE BEEN DEEMED WORTHY TO WEAR THESE MASHIN. PREPARE TO
RECEIVE THE SPECIAL ARMOR WORN BY THOSE WHO COMMAND THIS FIGHTING
UNIT.*>
Jess: Oh no... Lurker, you're not gonna...
The armors of the Magic Sentai glowed, and began changing.
Considering other magical effects they'd witnessed, this was, in
retrospect, far less spectacular. The armors they'd been wearing
simply ceased to exist, and in their place were lightweight combat
suits, each color-coded to the Mashin of the wearer. To the chagrin
of the three girls on the team, the new combat suits were
rather...snug, leaving little speculation about the bodies and muscle
definition of the five teens. They also received helmets, designed in
the shapes of the animal heads of their Mashin. Their faces were
hidden by dark visors and metal faceplates.
"Oh wonderful," Ukyou said. "Exactly when did this turn into Choriki
Sentai OhRanger?"
All except Tommy: BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAA!!!!!!!!!!
Tommy: (grumbling) It's not THAT funny......
"Shampoo think happen about time we get into Mashin," the Amazon in
the black bodysuit said.
"I like it," Ryouga said.
"You would," Akane muttered. "You know, that helmet suits you...you
really *are* a pig-head now..."
Shampoo giggled, and Mousse covered a snicker, while Ryouga's
shoulders slumped, and he unsealed his helmet, banishing it into the
jewel on his left glove. Taking their cues from him, the others also
removed and banished their helmets.
"Interesting armor," Ferio mused.
<*SINCE YOU HAVE BEEN DEEMED WORTHY OF COMMANDING THIS UNIT OF
MASHIN, I WILL ALSO LEAVE MY RESTING PLACE AND ASSIST YOU IN TIMES OF
NEED. THE ONE OF ROYAL BLOOD SHALL WEAR ME.*>
A golden glow surrounded Ferio. The blade of his sword became
glittering gold in color, as did his armor, although unlike the
others, the shape of his armor did not change. He did, however,
acquire a golden helmet. The guards surrounding his face resembled
the sides of a pharaoh's headgear, and a golden faceplate covered his
face, with a dark visor like those found on the others' helmets.
Cerina: Hey! I liked the white and green! At least keep some green trim!
The ground began to tremble, and the Sentai scrambled for purchase.
A large area of purple sand began roiling like a stormy ocean, and a
shining golden object began rising from the sand. The six humans
looked up...and up...and up, as a massive, solid gold Sphinx emerged
from the sands. As the Sphinx completely unearthed itself, the
tremors ceased. The massive Mashin roared, and stretched, rising to
its paws. <*I AM EXCALIBUR,*> it declared. <*CALL ON ME ONLY IN TIMES
OF MOST DIRE NEED.*> With that, the sphinx Excalibur vanished in a
blinding flash of golden light.
"WE MUST REST AND RESTORE OUR POWER FROM THE TEST," Tora said.
"WHENEVER YOU NEED OUR STRENGTH, RAISE YOUR SWORDS AND CALL OUR
NAMES. WE WILL COME TO ASSIST YOU." With that, the five Mashin also
vanished.
The Sentai looked around at each other. "Well, that's that," Ukyou
said.
Akane nodded. "Let's go meet up with Clef and Presea. They'll be
very excited to know we succeeded."
With that, the six humans crossed the Canyon and returned to the
caravan.
Jess: (exhausted from laughing) Lurker, I can't believe you did it..... It
was absolutely frickin' hilarious! A few nits, but nothing major. You're
just as sick, depraved, and full of shit as you claim!
Cerina: We mean this in a good way, of course.
Tommy: (still sulking) It wasn't that damned funny.....
--------------------------------------------------------------------
Haraheri wanpaku kintoun
Yama hodo takusan suiheisen
Deatte, wakarete, deatte, wakarete
ta-i-he-n
Aa mou, Kami-sama mo tsurani yo ne!
...gomen
Ooo... manpuku zenkai power!
Dete koi tobikiri zenkai power!
Cerina: And just what the hell does this mean, anyway? Is it their theme
song?
---
The Eternal Lost Lurker
"My name is Don Roberto de Lurker. I am the
world's greatest fanfiction writer. I have written
more than 1,000 pages of fanfiction.
--Okay, maybe not."
EternalLostLurker@worldnet.att.net
http://www.geocities.com/Tokyo/Garden/9502
Dope on a Rope: The ideal Father's Day gift
Order now at the drug dealer nearest you
-------------------------------------------------------------------
*~* Jess, The LilTigre =^_^= 'Sugoi! Kawaii chibi metora!' *~*
-BlueSeed Otaku at Large-
-Almighty Worshipper of the Bishounen Plant, Kusanagi Mamoru-
-Insane Fic Writer and Mad Fic Reviewer-
- jhardy@campbellsvil.edu * www.geocities.com/Tokyo/Temple/6226 -
*~* "I don't suffer from insanity; I enjoy every minute of it!" *~*