General Notes: This is a side story to my epic Onna: Red Side. This
story details events which take place in Cephiro during Act Five of
O:RS, when Ranma, Lantis, and the Magic Knights are in China. 
It is not neccessary to read this story, but it will help understand
things which will not be explained in full within O:RS. 
This side story can be classified as sentai. If you are unfamiliar
with the term sentai (not to be confused with 'hentai'), there are
many wonderful sites dedicated to various Toei Super Sentai series
located on the web. 

Notes for FFML release: The majority of this story was previously
released as chapters 23 and 24 of Onna: Red Side. Scenes have been
added, and changes made throughout the two chapters. Therefore,
please read carefully, as some of the new material is in the middle
of the episode as well. Also, the special guest villain will not be
properly introduced until the second episode of this sidestory.
However, most of you should easily recognize him...


Disclaimers:
Ranma 1/2 property Takahashi Rumiko, Shogakukan, VIZ.
Magic Knight Rayearth property CLAMP.

	The Eternal Lost Lurker Presents...
		ONNA: RED SIDEstory
	   Mahou Sentai Cephiranger

	EPISODE ONE: THE GRAVEYARD OF MASHIN

	"Ready guys? Let's do it!" 
	Five figures stood silhouetted in the late afternoon sun, the wind
tossing their hair as it tossed granules of lavender sand about them.
Simultaenously, the five figures dropped into modified ready stances,
and began performing various motions with their arms.
	"We fight for the defenseless!" a male voice cried out, as one of
the figures stepped forward, now performing solo arm gestures.
	As the first figure finished, a second stepped forth, and began
posturing as well. "To protect the good from the evil!" a female
voice said.
	"We bring justice on those who make innocent suffer!" another female
voice declared, as a third figure began posing.
	"We'll right wrongs and triumph over evil!" a male voice declared,
as the fourth figure stepped forward, robes rustling in the wind.
	The first four figures stepped back, as the fifth raised a fist to
the sky. "Forces of evil beware! For we are..."
	With a final round of hand gestures, the five shouted in unison,
"MAHOU SENTAI!"

	Nearby, Cologne and Clef developed massive sweatdrops.
"Are...they...always like this?" Clef asked slowly.
	Cologne sighed, and put her hand to her forehead. "To think,even
with all the time they spend fighting amongst each other back home,
they still manage to watch too much television..."

	"I like it," Ryouga said.
	"Works for me," Ukyou agreed.
	"Silly Japanese watching too too many corny TV show," Shampoo said.
	Mousse smirked. "And *who* is it that stays cranky for a whole week
if she misses a single episode of one of those shows?" 
	Shampoo flushed crimson. "Shampoo no knowing what stupid Mousse
talking," she said. The others snickered.
	"Well, it may be a little on the corny side, but it works..." Akane
said, shrugging. "At the very least, it's bound to confuse our
enemies long enough for us to gain an advantage."
	Suddenly, the jewels on their wrist guards flashed. The weapons
they'd borrowed from Presea shimmered into existence in the air
before them, before vanishing entirely.
	"Aiyah! What happen?" Shampoo wondered.
	"What happened," called the voice of Presea from the entrance to her
special wagon, "is I finished creating your new weapons." She walked
out of the wagon, grinning. "Go ahead, summon them."
	"Finished already? Wow!" Akane said. "Err, how do we summon them?"
	"Just concentrate on your weapons," Presea said. "They will come to
you."
	Akane frowned, then closed her eyes, stretching her hand above her
head. Although the sky was cloudless, a bolt of lightning lanced from
the sky, striking her arm. As the bolt struck, it began to condense,
and soon solidified into a gleaming katana. The hilt of the katana
was golden, and sculpted into the shape of a sleeping tiger. The
guard, however, resembled a series of intertwined, stylized lightning
bolts. She brought the sword down to eye level, and examined it.
"Sugoi," she breathed. 
	Mousse's hand began glowing white as he concentrated. The glow
stretched outward from his hand, and a shining falchion formed. The
hilt of the falchion resembled folded, feathery wings. He grinned as
he took a few practice swings with the sword. 
	A tall column of rock erupted from the ground at Ryouga's feet. He
blinked. The stone column exploded, spraying fragments of gravel in
all directions. When the dust cleared, everyone gaped. Before Ryouga
stood a massive, stone-hilted claidhmore, its point buried in the
ground. Ryouga hesitantly gripped the hilt of the gigantic sword, and
drew it from the ground. Several jaws hung open as the blade
continued to come forth, until Ryouga finally hefted six feet of
glistening metal. "Now *this* is more like it," Ryouga said.
Unnoticed by all, the gem on his gauntlet turned brown. 
	Shampoo's shadow chose that moment to begin moving of its own
volition. a Chinese broadsword appeared in its hand as it attained a
third dimension. "Aiyah," Shampoo said as her shadow stood before
her. It reversed its grip on the sword, and offered it hilt-first to
the Amazon, who hesitantly took it. The sword ceased to be a shadow;
however, it remained jet black from hilt to tip. The black blade
somehow seemed to suck up the light around it, as did the glistening
onyx hilt of the sword. Soundlessly, Shampoo's shadow reverted to its
two-dimensional origins, and slid back into its proper place. The gem
on Shampoo's glove turned black. 
	Ukyou grimaced. "Jeez, looks like swords are the rule around here,
huh?"
	Presea smiled. "I wouldn't say that..."
	With little fanfare, a silver glimmer appeared in Ukyou's hand,
slowly stretching into a long, thin line. It continued to stretch
until it reached Ukyou's height, at which the ends began to curve
slightly. One bright silver flash later, Ukyou was holding a silver,
double-bladed naginata. She spun it for a moment, and shrugged. "Not
bad," she said. The gem on her gauntlet flickered, and turned silver.
This time, someone noticed.
	"Hey, Ukyou...your jewel just changed color," Akane said.
	Ukyou blinked. "Yeah, it has." 
	"Shampoo gem change color too."
	"So did mine," Ryouga said. "Anyone else?"
	"Not mine," Mousse said. Akane shook her head in the negative.
	Presea frowned thoughtfully. "Hmm," she said at length, "it might be
because of..." she trailed off, and stared into the distance. The
others followed her gaze, to see nothing in particular except
countless kilometers of amethyst sand...except for an unexpected gap
on the horizon. 
	"What is it, Presea-san?" Ryouga asked.
	Presea pointed off into the desert. "Do you see that place on the
horizon where the sand ends so abruptly? That is the deepest, widest
crevice in all of Cephiro, Edosel Canyon. It is a very special part
of Cephiro, though it is seldom disturbed."
	"What's down there?" Akane asked.
	"The Graveyard of Mashin," Clef spoke up from behind the group. 
	"The WHAT!?" the five teens chorused.
	"Throughout the history of Cephiro, many Mashin have been born, have
seen many conflicts, and have lost their bearers, or been destroyed.
While the Mashin worn by the Magic Knights rest in ancient shrines,
due to their...special role in Cephiro," Clef coughed nervously, "the
other Mashin have no holy resting sites...except for this place.
Edosel Canyon."
	"So...this canyon is basically a junkyard for derelicts?" Mousse
asked.
	"Pretty much," Presea agreed. "The remains of destroyed Mashin, the
sleeping Mashin whose wearers have long since faded from this life,
the Mashin which were abandoned for various reasons...all rest within
the canyon."
	"So...what's that got to do with us?" Ukyou asked.
	Clef waved his staff in the direction of Edosel Canyon. "Many of the
Mashin which lie below are long since dead. However, many more of
them are simply at rest, repairing their damage from ancient battles,
awaiting the time when another comes along who will wear them." He
whirled, pointing his staff at the five martial artists. "You," he
declared. 
	"Us?" Akane asked.
	Presea nodded. "The impending danger here has undoubtedly caught the
attention of those Mashin who lie in wait for a return to service.
Your presence, and the Escudo weapons you now possess, have probably
been noticed." She gestured expansively. "As we speak, there may well
be five Mashin in Edosel Canyon who have awakened, and await the ones
who will wear them."
	"You want us pilot big robots?" Shampoo asked.
	"It makes sense," Mousse said. "Something dangerous is
coming...remember the warning Rayearth gave us before the others went
back to Earth? If they need to wake that other Mashin in China, then
chances are the rest of us will need our own Mashins as well." 
	"So...what do we do?" Ryouga asked.
	Ferio leaned out of his wagon. "I'd suggest we make haste to Edosel
Canyon, and see if there are a few old Mashin that are ready to
protect Cephiro once again."
	
	The caravan rolled to a halt half a kilometer from the rim of Edosel
Canyon. The Mahou Sentai, Ferio, Presea, Clef, and Cologne piled out
of the wagons, and stood staring at the great crevice. 
	"Wow," Ukyou said.
	"Reminds me of something I saw back home," Ryouga said.
	Akane blinked. "There aren't any canyons in Japan, are there?"
	Mousse chuckled. "Maybe it was that one in America." Everyone from
Earth broke into laughter, except Ryouga.
	"And what's so funny? I can't help it that I never remembered
crossing any oceans..." Ryouga said. The laughter ended abruptly, and
the group stared at the lost boy.
	"Well, if you're prepared," Presea said, "it's time to go down and
take a look through the Graveyard."
	Ferio stepped forward. "I'll be going as well."
	"Your Highness, you mustn't," Clef protested.
	Ferio shook his head vigorously. "My land, my people...my
sister...they're all in danger. I refuse to sit idly by and let
someone else fight my battles for me, without joining in."
	Cologne placed a hand on Clef's shoulder. "I suggest you let this
one do as he wishes," she advised. "He's got a strong fighting
spirit; his help will no doubt be useful in the coming struggle."
	Clef thought for a moment, then nodded. "Very well. I feel I must
forewarn all of you: awakening and gaining the power of the Mashin
will not be easy. You must face this with your mind and heart open
and aware."
	"Also," Presea chimed in, "I'm not sure how those new armors will
react to the Mashin. Your armors may change radically once the Mashin
are awakened."
	"Will that affect their protection?" Mousse asked.
	Presea shook her head. "If anything, it should strengthen them."
	"Well, let's go then!" Akane shouted, running for the rim of the
canyon. The others joined her, while Presea and the two Gurus
remained behind. 
	"Presea...why the warning about the armor? I know awakening a Mashin
causes magic armor to grow, but..." Clef trailed off.
	Presea watched the six teens, pursing her lips thoughtfully. "Do you
remember the old legend about the five warriors whose greatest
strength lay not in magic or weapons, but in their own fighting
skills, and the Mashin they piloted?"
	Clef blinked. "I vaguely remember a tale about..." he paused, eyes
widening. "You don't think it could be true...?"
	"I think we shall soon find out," Presea said.

	As the group approached the vast crevice, Akane slowed, and knelt at
the edge, staring in wide-eyed wonder. "Wow," she breathed. The
others caught up with her, and took a look at what had awed her. 
	As far as the eye could see, Edosel Canyon was packed with mecha.
There were mecha with gleaming metal skin, their armored hulls
slightly dinged, and in some cased dented badly; there were others
which had rusted through and were full of holes. Here and there, a
piece of some unfortunate mecha lay among the rubble, trailing bits
of metal and circuitry. Thousands of different colors and textures of
metal lay before them, in a vast river of derelict technology. 
	Shampoo gasped. "Is like junkyard one see in future-type anime."
	"Yeah, you sure don't see somethin' like this every day," Ukyou
said.
	"I wonder how many of them even still work..." Ryouga mused. 
	"Let's get down there and find out," Ferio said. The six of them
leapt down into the canyon, struggling for foot purchase amongst the
heaps of scrap. "Spread out," Ferio instructed. "There's no danger
here, we can afford to split up. We have a better chance of finding
functional Mashin this way." Within moments, the six had lost sight
of each other, picking through the rubble with determination.

	Akane shuddered as she walked past what appeared to have once been a
mecha helmet. About half of it was still intact; its surface was done
in purple tones, and a broken horn jutted from its forehead. A
shattered metal jaw hung from the helmet, reminding Akane entirely
too much of images of damaged skulls she'd seen. She carefully walked
past it, as though afraid some demon would awaken within it and cause
it to attack her. 
	After a few moments of picking through the rubble, Akane felt an odd
tingle. She looked about, and noticed that a large sheet of plating
that had torn loose from something was rattling. She cast a minor
lightning spell, which blasted the plating across the canyon. The
tingling intensified; Akane summoned her katana just to be on the
safe side. As she neared the rubble that had been buried beneath the
plating, a massive metal paw shot up through the debris. She
screamed, falling backwards.
	"WHO DISTURBS MY SLUMBER?" rumbled a voice. The mounds of scrap
trembled. 
	Akane scrambled backward. "Ummm...I'm sorry? I..."
	"SILENCE," the voice boomed. After a pause, it continued, "I
SENSE...THOU ART A WARRIOR."
	"Umm...yeah, I guess so," Akane said. 
	"YOU POSSESS A WEAPON OF ESCUDO." 
	"Yes, yes I do," Akane said, regaining her footing. She held her
katana aloft. 
	"PERHAPS THOU HAST COME TO THIS SACRED RESTING GROUND, IN THE HOPES
OF AWAKENING A MASHIN TO WEAR?" the voice inquired.
	Akane found the rest of her wits at this point. "Yes, that's right.
I'm here to find a Mashin."
	"AND FOR WHAT PURPOSE WOULDST THOU WEAR THE MASHIN?"
	"Cephiro's in trouble. A lot of people are going to be hurt, maybe
killed, if whoever's attacking this place isn't stopped."
	"I SEE. YOU SEEK TO DEFEND THIS WORLD WHICH IS NOT YOUR OWN."
	"How...how did you...?"
	"KNOW THAT YOU ARE NOT OF CEPHIRO? THIS IS SOMETHING THAT THE MASHIN
ARE ABLE TO SENSE," the voice responded, with a touch of amusement
this time. "I SHOULD ADVISE YOU, THAT IF YOU ARE ATTEMPTING TO BECOME
A MAGIC KNIGHT..."
	"Oh...no," Akane said. "The Magic Knights already awakened their
Mashin quite some time ago. It's a long story," she said.
	"INDEED? I MUST LEARN OF THIS STORY SOME TIME," the voice rumbled.
"HOWEVER, FIRST WE MUST DEAL WITH THE MATTER AT HAND. I SENSE THINE
MAGIC CONTROLS THE CLOUDS IN THE HEAVENS."
	"That's right, I have storm and lightning magic," Akane said. 
	"THEN IT IS THINE POWER WHICH HAS AWAKENED ME." Suddenly, the rubble
shifted, and Akane lost her footing again as a massive form burst
from the debris with a mighty roar. Akane sat, stunned, as a massive
yellow tiger stood before her. "I AM CALLED TORA," the tiger said.
"IN AGES PAST I HAVE BEEN WORN BY THUNDER MAGES. NOW, I AM THINE TO
WEAR."
	"You're...you're really a Mashin!" Akane exclaimed.
	"WHAT ELSE WOULD YOU EXPECT TO BE BURIED IN A GRAVEYARD OF MASHIN?"
Tora asked, amusement in his rumbling voice.
	Akane laughed nervously. "Yeah, um, right. I'm Tendou Akane. Do you
think we can help the others find Mashin now?"
	"THEIR MASHIN WILL COME TO THEM, WHEN THEY COME TO THE RESTING PLACE
OF THE MASHIN," Tora told her. "FOR NOW, WE CAN ONLY WAIT ABOVE, IN
THE DESERT."
	"Alright...our caravan is that way," Akane said, pointing. 
	Tora shook his head. "NO. WE MUST WAIT UPON THE OTHER BANK OF THE
CANYON."
	"Huh? Why?" Akane asked.
	Tora lowered his head. "I AM PART OF A UNIT OF MASHIN WHICH FOUGHT
TOGETHER IN AGES PAST. IF WHAT I SENSE IS CORRECT, THE REST OF MY
UNIT IS AWAKENING...INCLUDING OUR LEADER. IF THE LEADER IS AWAKENED,
HE WILL SEE FIT TO TEST THE METTLE OF THOSE WHO WOULD WEAR US. IF
SUCH A TEST COMES TO PASS, IT MUST BE ON THE SIDE OF THE CANYON WHERE
THE LEADER SLEEPS."
	Akane blinked, then shrugged. "You'd know better than I would," she
said, as she jumped onto the tiger's back. Tora blinked his glowing
eyes, but said nothing, opting to leap for the rim of Edosel Canyon.

	"AAAGGGGHHH!!! Where the hell is it?" Ryouga bellowed, as he drove a
fist through...a fist. "I don't even know what I'm looking for! This
is nuts!"
	Something snuffled behind him. He spun, but saw nothing. "Who's
there? Show yourself!"
	The snuffle came again. Ryouga roared, and drove his fist deep into
the pile of metal beneath him.
	This time, he heard snorting laughter. "CAREFUL THERE, SOME OF THESE
USED TO BE FRIENDS OF MINE," rumbled a deep voice, punctuated by
occasional snorts. Ryouga froze, and slowly turned.
	Standing less than a meter away was the largest brown boar he'd ever
seen. "GYAAAAAAAAAH!!!" he shouted as he leapt backward, summoning
his claidhmore.
	The boar narrowed its eyes, steam puffing around its tusks. "AN
ESCUDO SWORD," it said. "TELL ME, DO YOU SEEK TO AWAKEN A MASHIN
HERE?"
	"That's right," Ryouga said uncertainly. He peered inquisitively at
the boar. "Who...or what, are you?"
	The boar's laughter sent gouts of steam drifting in front of
Ryouga's face. "YOU SEEK SOMETHING, YET KNOW NOT WHEN YOU HAVE FOUND
IT."
	Ryouga blinked. "You...*you're* a Mashin?"
	"THAT IS CORRECT," the boar said, effecting a porcine bow. "I AM
KJATA, AN EARTH ELEMENTAL MASHIN. THE POWER OF YOUR FIGHTING SPIRIT,
COMBINED WITH YOUR POSSESSION OF AN ESCUDO WEAPON AND AURA OF EARTH
MAGIC, AWAKENED ME FROM MY SLUMBER."
	Ryouga's shoulder slumped. "Perfect. I awaken the Mashin, and it's a
pig."
	"HEY! LET'S NOT GET PERSONAL, OKAY?" Kjata huffed.
	Ryouga sighed. "Sorry, sorry...it's just, I have a problem with
pigs." He closed his eyes and concentrated. After a moment, he shrank
into his P-chan form. His sword fell, burying itself to the hilt in a
broken mecha torso. 
	Kjata blinked. "WHAT IN THE WORLD--?"
	Ryouga transformed back. "I can control that here in Cephiro, but
when I'm in my own world, it's a curse. Cold water transforms me into
a piglet, and hot water changes me back."
	"INTERESTING. ALTHOUGH I DON'T SEE HOW BEING A PIG COULD BE CALLED A
CURSE..."
	"Of course not...you're an enormous boar. Do you know how many
cookpots I get tossed into?" Ryouga demanded.
	Kjata made a sound of comprehension, and nodded. "I...SEE. WELL
THEN, SOMETIMES-PORCINE ONE..." Ryouga glared at the boar, "I SENSE
THAT ANOTHER OF MY UNIT HAS AWAKENED. LET US GO INVESTIGATE." With a
clanking, grinding sound, a hatch slid open on the Mashin's back,
sending up a cloud of purple dust. "CLIMB ABOARD," Kjata said. Ryouga
picked up his sword, banished it, and leapt onto the Mashin's back.
He discovered a cockpit where the hatch had opened, and slid into it.
With Ryouga secured, Kjata leapt for the edge of the Canyon, and
charged along the sand. 

	Mousse was in heaven.
	Sure, he had no idea what it was he was actually *looking* for, but
he was finding a lot of useful stuff as he dug through the rubble in
the canyon. Every few minutes, a surplus mecha part would disappear
into his robes, everything from shards of armor to sharp-toothed
gears, and even a few mecha weapons. "I seem to have virtually
infinite storage space here," he commented to himself. "This could
come in handy. Hmmm...I wonder if I can convince Presea-san to loan
me some of those chains again." Even as he thought this, he picked up
a long coil of something resembling bicycle chain. 
	"DOING A LITTLE SHOPPING, BOY?" a voice rang out. There was an odd
quality to the voice, like the cries of a water fowl. 
	Mousse snapped his head up, and peered around. His now-keen eyesight
noticed a section of the debris moving. "That's right," he said. "I
was just about to check out."
	"YOU SHALL BE CHECKING OUT, INDEED, IF YOU DO NOT REPLACE THOSE
OBJECTS WHERE THEY BELONG."
	Mousse summoned his falchion, wielding it in his right hand while he
produced three sharp gears with his left. "Sorry, I need this stuff.
I've got a lot of fighting to do in the near future..."
	"ESCUDO," the voice said. "YOU WIELD ESCUDO."
	"That's right," Mousse said. 
	The mound of mecha erupted before him. With a mighty cry, a large
white crane rose from the debris. It circled above Mousse, its grand
wings creating a powerful wind. "YOU ARE NOT A SCAVENGER, THEN, OR A
COMMON THIEF. NONE SUCH AS THAT COULD WIELD THE LEGENDARY MINERAL OF
CEPHIRO."
	"I've come to seek a Mashin, so that I can fight to defend Cephiro
from a powerful evil force," Mousse said. He narrowed his eyes. "I
take it you're one of the Mashin?"
	"THAT IS CORRECT," the crane squawked. "I AM SUTRAN, THE MASHIN OF
THE TRUE LIGHT."
	"I am Mousse, a visitor to this world, and master of the art of
Hidden Weapons."
	Sutran flew closer, and landed, examining Mousse intently. "HIDDEN
WEAPONS?"
	Mousse banished the gears, and produced various other surplus he'd
salvaged. "I secret weapons on my person to use in combat."
	"I SEE. A VERY USEFUL TALENT. I SENSE YOU POSSESS THE POWER OF THE
TRUE LIGHT."
	"The white light magic? That's right, I do."
	"VERY WELL THEN. I PERMIT YOU TO RETAIN THE THINGS YOU HAVE GATHERED
HERE, AND I SHALL ACCOMPANY YOU ON YOUR JOURNEYS, THAT YOU MAY WEAR
ME INTO BATTLE."
	"I would be honored," Mousse said. "Now, we need to rendezvous with
the others."
	"YES, I SENSE THAT SOME OF MY FELLOW MASHIN HAVE AWAKENED."
	Mousse rubbed his chin. "So, the others are having luck as well." He
leapt into the air, and landed on Sutran's back. "Let's go meet up
with the others then." Sutran gave a mighty shriek, and took to the
skies. 

	"This stupid," Shampoo said as she picked her way through the piles
of dented metal in the canyon. "Shampoo know better way," she mused,
as she converted her body into a shadow, and slipped down through the
twisted mecha.
	As she passed through the rubble, Shampoo sensed many dormant minds.
Some were simply *there*, others were active...dreaming, she
supposed. *What this?* Shampoo wondered. *This so strange...* Images
of battles long past flitted through Shampoo's mind as she ghosted
among the wreckage.
	Suddenly, one mind reached out to her. *SHADOW MAGE*, rang a voice
in her mind, which seemed to be louder than a gong, while taking on a
whispering quality. 
	*Who there?* Shampoo asked(thought?). 
	*WHY DO YOU TRESPASS UPON THIS SACRED RESTING SITE?*
	*Uhhh...Shampoo looking for Mashin?*
	There was a pause, during which Shampoo got the impression that
something was sizing her up. A snarl assaulted her senses. 
	The next thing Shampoo knew, she was hurtling through the surface of
the debris pile, as her body reverted to the usual three dimensions
and flesh structure. As she landed rather unceremoniously on what
looked like a Mack truck cab with the front grill bashed in, a large
dark shape erupted from the debris, somehow managing not to disturb
so much as a scrap of wire. The darkness landed a few paces from
Shampoo, who scrambled to her feet and summoned her sword. 
	The Amazon found herself facing a large, flickering,
three-dimensional shadow of a large cougar with glowing yellow eyes.
Said eyes narrowed, and once again the voice that was both loud and
soft said, *AN ESCUDO WEAPON. TELL ME...WHAT IS YOUR PURPOSE HERE?*
	"Shampoo come here to find Mashin," the Chinese girl repeated.
"Shampoo have to help friends defend Cephiro from attack."
	*INDEED*, the cat growled. *AND YOU ARE A SHADOW MAGE, I SEE.*
	"If meaning Shampoo have shadow magic, that right," Shampoo said.
"Guru Clef give Shampoo and others magic to fight here."
	*SO, YOU ARE FROM ANOTHER WORLD,* the shadow said.
	"That right," Shampoo said. "Shampoo and others come here with white
rabbit thing."
	The shadow cougar chuckled, a sound which caused Shampoo to back up
a step. *VERY WELL, THEN. YOU SEEK A MASHIN TO WEAR IN COMBAT.* The
shadow began to flicker wildly. Suddenly, what had formerly absorbed
the sunlight began reflecting it, as the cougar ceased to be a large
shadow, and instead...
	"Aiyah!" Shampoo exclaimed. "You...you is Mashin?"
	The now-solid cougar nodded its smooth, black metal head. "I AM THE
MASHIN OF SHADOW, SABLE. I WILL COME WITH YOU, THAT YOU MAY WEAR ME
IN BATTLE." 
	Shampoo sent her sword back into the ether, and slowly walked around
Sable, examining the Mashin from all sides. She climbed aboard the
cougar, sitting just behind its neck. "We go find others now, yes?"
	Sable said nothing, but merely leaped out of the canyon and walked
along the edge. 

	As Ukyou strolled through the canyon, she amused herself with a few
magic tricks. She drew bits of scrap metal and mecha parts out of the
rubble in the canyon, magnetizing them together in interesting
sculptures. So far she'd managed to assemble scarecrow likenesses of
Akane and Shampoo, a maimed Genma, a headless Kodachi, and a limbless
Tsubasa. She giggled at the last one.
	*Come on, girl, it's time to get serious,* she thought. She spied a
pile of shredded red mecha armor nearby, as well as some flexible
black joint pieces. *Hmmm...okay, one more,* she decided. With a
quick spell, she put together a rather nice sculpture of Ranma. She
sighed. "Oh, Ranchan..."
	"Nice work," a familiar voice said. Ukyou jumped, and began looking
all around. 
	"Who's there?" Ukyou asked, nervously summoning her naginata.
	"Over here," Ranma's voice said. Ukyou glanced over at the Ranma
sculpture...
	...which was currently flexing its arms, and examining itself. It
took a step towards her.
	"What the--? Hold it right there, you..." Ukyou said, brandishing
her naginata. 
	The Ranma sculpture made a peaceful gesture, and managed to affect a
hurt expression. "Aww, c'mon, Ucchan. It's me, Ranchan! Your darling
Ranchan?"
	"I dunno what you are, but...but..."
	"But it's true," another voice said. This one chilled Ukyou, as it
was much more familiar. She dropped her naginata in shock as a
metallic Ukyou replica appeared out of nowhere and hugged the Ranma
sculpture. 
	"What the hell's goin' on here?" Ukyou gasped. 
	Something behind her giggled. Ukyou snatched up her naginata and
spun around.
	Behind her was a large silver fox. The fox had its mouth covered
with one forepaw. "OH, THAT WAS TOO GOOD. YOU SHOULD HAVE SEEN YOUR
FACE!" the fox said in an echoing feminine voice. 
	"Who...what are you?" Ukyou asked. The Ranma and Ukyou sculptures
walked up to either side of her, and bowed before gesturing like game
show spokesmodels at the fox. 
	"She's the mistress of metal..." the Ukyou clone said.
	"...the queen of comedy knocks..." Ranma-sculpture continued. 
	"A lean, mean, silver Mashin..." Ukyou-clone added on.
	"PLATA!" both chorused. Then, without fanfare, they collapsed into
piles of scrap once more.
	The fox giggled as Ukyou facefaulted. "YOU are a Mashin?" Ukyou said
incredulously.
	"THAT'S RIGHT. SORRY DEAR...I FELT YOU PLAYING AROUND WITH METAL
SPELLS AND I JUST COULDN'T RESIST HAVING A LITTLE FUN," Plata said.
Becoming slightly more serious, she leaned forward and peered
intently at Ukyou. "YOU'RE HERE LOOKING FOR A MASHIN, AREN'T YOU?"
	Ukyou nodded. "That's right..."
	"I THOUGHT SO. I'VE NEVER SEEN AN ESCUDO WEAPON QUITE LIKE
THAT...THEY USUALLY COME IN SWORDS," Plata said.
	Ukyou frowned. "Well, it's not what I'm used to. It's a weapon from
my homeworld," she added. 
	Plata nodded. "I SEE," she said. 
	"I can't figure it out though...I've tried changing this into my
usual weapon..."
	"DIDN'T WORK, EH?" Plata said, her voice taking on an amused tone
again. "THAT'S BECAUSE METAL SPELLS WON'T WORK ON ESCUDO."
	"Oh," Ukyou said, blinking. 
	"SO, WHAT'S GOING ON OUT THERE THAT REQUIRES THE SERVICES OF A
MASHIN?" Plata asked.
	Ukyou sighed. "Someone's been causing a lot of trouble...evil spells
cast on the Princess, a town blown up..."
	Plata frowned. "HMMM. ALRIGHT, I'LL HELP YOU OUT."
	Ukyou looked dubious. "I dunno, sugar..."
	Plata rose up to a haughty sitting position, and raised one forepaw.
"I PLEDGE TO SERVE THEE AS THINE MASHIN, THAT THOU MAY WEAR ME INTO
BATTLE TO DEFEND CEPHIRO." She lowered her paw, and leaned over into
Ukyou's face. "THAT SOLEMN ENOUGH FOR YOU?"
	Ukyou blinked. "Uhhh...yeah."
	Plata giggled. "TRUST ME, WE'RE GOING TO GET ALONG JUST FINE." She
looked off into the distance. "I SENSE THAT SOME OF MY COMRADES ARE
AWAKE AS WELL. WE SHOULD GO CHECK IT OUT."
	Ukyou shrugged, and leaped onto the silver fox's back. "HOLD ON
TIGHT NOW," Plata said, as she leapt into the air, pulling her legs
under her. There was a roar of jet engines, and Ukyou screamed in
surprise as the Mashin began flying at high speed across the canyon.

	Ferio cursed as he turned over yet another rusted hulk, digging
through the rubble in the vain hope of finding an operable Mashin.
"This is no good," he grumbled. "I hope the others are having more
luck than I am."
	No sooner than he'd said that, he was buzzed by something silver and
extremely fast, flying low enough to knock him over with a
speed-borne burst of wind. "What the hell?" he muttered as he
scrambled to his feet. The silver object paused briefly, and the
sound of laughter carried on the gentle breeze. Loud, ringing,
metallic laughter. The laughter died out, to be replaced by a
familiar human voice, amplified by some unknown means: "Sorry 'bout
that, sugar. She's got a mind of her own...WHOA!" the voice shouted
in surprise as the silver object took off again.
	Ferio scratched his head. "Ukyou?" he wondered. "Did she...?" 	
	After only a moment of stunned hesitation, Ferio leaped to the rim
of the canyon and ran off in pursuit.

	Akane laughed with glee as Tora charged through the purple sands,
mysterious mechanical parts long unused grinding slightly as they
became accustomed to motion once more. 
	"YOU ARE ENJOYING YOURSELF, I TAKE IT?" the mighty tiger inquired.
	Akane giggled. "This is cool," she said. She spotted something up
ahead, and her eyes widened. "Oi, Tora..." she said, pointing.
	Tora snapped his head forward, and skidded to a halt. Several meters
ahead of him, a large, dark shape prowled the canyon rim. 
	"What's that?" Akane asked her Mashin quietly.
	Tora shook his head. "AFTER ALL THESE MANY YEARS," he said, his
booming voice dropping in tone, becoming only slightly less
thunderous. 
	The black object turned slowly, eyes glowing from its front. Akane
blinked as she noticed a familiar figure sitting upon its neck. "Hey,
that's Shampoo," Akane said. She waved. Shampoo noticed, and waved
back.
	"Akane? That you?" Shampoo called from her perch. 
	"Yeah, Shampoo! Is that your Mashin?" Akane called back.
	The black cougar finally decided to speak, in its echoing metallic
whisper. "SO, TORA...YOU HAVE AWAKENED AS WELL."
	"YES, SABLE. IT IS GOOD TO SEE YOU AGAIN AFTER SO LONG, MY FRIEND."
	The other Mashin snorted. "I SUPPOSE," it said dryly. 
	Akane and Shampoo dismounted, and met near the two Mashin. "Mashin
know each other?" Shampoo asked.
	"INDEED WE DO," Tora said. "A LONG TIME AGO, WE SERVED TOGETHER AS
PART OF A UNIT. IT HAS BEEN AGES SINCE THE MEMBERS OF OUR UNIT HAVE
SEEN ONE ANOTHER."
	"THE OTHERS HAVE AWAKENED, I BELIEVE," Sable added. "I CAN SENSE
THEM..."
	As if on cue, a white crane appeared overhead, emitting a piercing
cry. The crane slowly lowered itself and landed near the others. A
white-robed figure somersaulted from the large bird's back, and
landed near the girls. 
	"Is Mousse," Shampoo said rather unneccessarily. She looked at the
crane. "Mashin perfect for Mousse. Both bird-brain."
	Despite herself, Akane giggled. Even Tora chuckled. Mousse and Sable
remained indifferent. Sutran lowered its head, and stage-whispered,
so to speak, to Mousse, "THESE ARE YOUR FRIENDS?"
	Mousse nodded. "What can I say?" he replied, shrugging. 
	The ground began to shake slightly. "Aiyah...what that?" Shampoo
asked. "Is earthquake?"
	Akane shrugged. "Doesn't feel like one," she said.
	Mousse peered into the distance, where a large purple dustcloud was
roiling. "I think we've got--INCOMING!" he shouted as he leaped onto
Sutran's back. The white crane lifted into the air and began
circling. Akane and Shampoo jumped onto their respective Mashins,
which moved to a safer location.
	Moments later, the dustcloud settled, and in its place stood the
largest brown boar any of the three humans had ever seen. Tora gave a
loud mechanical sigh. "YOUR ENTRANCES WILL BE THE DEATH OF US SOME
DAY, KJATA."
	Kjata chuckled. "AT LEAST NOBODY CAN SAY I'M NOT A MOVER AND
SHAKER," he quipped.
	Everyone, including the other three Mashin, facefaulted. Ryouga
leapt down from the boar's back, and grinned sheepishly. "Sorry about
that, guys. I tried to talk him out of it, but he's a little
pig-headed."
	"Just like yourself, eh Ryouga?" Akane said, pointedly turning her
nose up and looking away from the lost boy. Ryouga sighed, his
shoulder slumping. 
	Something giggled from above them. "OOOH, I LIKE THIS BUNCH
ALREADY," a feminine voice chimed. "LOTS OF FUN POTENTIAL HERE."
	"Hey now...what kinda strange thoughts are goin' through that metal
head of yours, sweetie?" Ukyou said to her Mashin. 
	Akane gave a low whistle. "Now that's impressive," she said.
	Kjata snorted. "SURE, JUST BECAUSE SHE CAN *FLY* WHENEVER SHE WANTS
TO," he huffed. 
	The silver fox stretched out her paws and landed. "WHAT CAN I SAY,"
Plata commented as Ukyou hopped down from her back. "WHEN YOU GOT IT,
FLAUNT IT."
	"So, we've all found Mashin now?" Ukyou asked.
	"Where's Ferio?" Ryouga wondered. "Anyone seen him?"
	Ukyou nodded. "We buzzed him on the way here. Looks like he came up
dry."
	"Maybe if that Mashin of yours hadn't divebombed me," came a voice
from behind the group. They all turned to see Ferio approaching,
obviously winded from running. "Well, at least you guys had some
luck..."
	Any replies were cut off by a strange, high-pitched droning sound.
The humans held their ears. "What *is* that?" Akane asked.
	"Shampoo not know, but sure loud," the Amazon said.
	Mousse fished around in his robes for something to plug his ears
with.
	"IS THIS--?" Tora asked.
	<*HUMANS FROM THE OTHER WORLD,*> rumbled the loudest, deepest voice
any of the Mahou Sentai had ever heard. 
	"OH CRAP. IT'S THE BOSS," Plata sighed. 
	"The...boss?" Ryouga said.
	<*YOU HAVE SUCCEEDED IN AROUSING THESE FIVE MASHIN FROM THEIR
SLUMBER IN THE SACRED RESTING GROUND. HOWEVER, YOU MUST NOW PROVE
YOUR WORTHINESS TO WEAR THEM INTO BATTLE, OR YOU WILL NOT BE ALLOWED
TO LEAVE HERE WITH THEM.*>
	"OH, C'MON, DO YOU *REALLY* HAVE TO DO THIS EVERY SINGLE TIME WE GET
NEW PILOTS?" Kjata groused.
	<*_S_I_L_E_N_C_E_!*> bellowed the voice. <*DO NOT FORGET WHO IS IN
CHARGE HERE.*>
	"OKAY, OKAY, I GET THE MESSAGE," the boar complained. The humans
grew sweatdrops. 
	<*YOU HAVE TEN MINUTES TO PREPARE,*> the voice continued, <*AND THEN
THE TEST COMMENCES.*> The whining noise ceased.
	"Test?" Akane asked. "What test?" 
	"What the hell *was* that?" Ryouga wondered.
	Tora frowned. "THAT WAS OUR LEADER. WHENEVER NEW WARRIORS APPEAR,
SEEKING TO WEAR US, A TEST COMMENCES TO DETERMINE THEIR WORTHINESS."
He turned to address the other four Mashin. "COMBAT FORMS," he said. 
	The six humans watched in awe as the group of Mashin began to
transform. Tora and Kjata went through very simple, mecha-esque
conversions. Sutran underwent a similar transformation, only in a
much more graceful way. Sable cloaked its transformation in shadow,
while Plata simply flowed into her new form, like liquid metal.
	"Aiyah! They turn into robots!" Shampoo gasped.
	"Nice trick," Ryouga said.
	Where an assortment of animals had stood before, now stood five
giant robots, each with a shining sphere in the center of its chest.
The yellow robot loosely resembled an armored Samurai, with the
exception of the tiger head resting upon the chestplate. The robot
held a large katana. Next to that stood a massive, heavily armored
brown robot built somewhat like a Sumo wrestler. The jaw of the
boar's head on its chest swung open, and locked into place. It
grasped the tusks and detached them, pulling them free with a loud
clanking sound. The humans blinked as an enormous length of heavy
chain attached to the tusks emerged from the jaw, much like a
manriki-gusari. 
	The black robot standing beside them resembled a ninja, complete
with a total lack of features upon its metal face. It held a simple
black saber in a loose grip. A stately, slender white robot with
folded wings stood slightly behind the black robot. This one simply
held something that resembled a cross between a torch and a
flashlight. 
	The final robot was the most impressive. Sleek and silver...and
female. Very female, from the slender frame, to the curves, to the
flowing mane of silver hair, to the face which bore a striking
resemblance to Ukyou. A weapon appeared in her hand. She frowned at
it, and it rearranged itself to resemble Ukyou's naginata. 
	"SHOWOFF," rumbled the brown robot. 
	The silver robot shrugged. "LIKE I SAID, WHEN YOU GOT IT, FLAUNT
IT."
	Ferio, Akane, Ryouga, Mousse, and Shampoo grew sweatdrops. Ukyou
giggled. "Y'know, Plata...I think we *are* gonna get along great,"
she said. 
	"JUST BECAUSE SHE HAS METAL MAGIC, SHE HAS TO SHOW UP THE REST OF
US..." Kjata grumbled. 
	"I THINK WE HAVE A MORE PRESSING MATTER THAN PLATA'S VANITY," Tora
put in. "NAMELY, PREPARING OUR HUMAN FRIENDS FOR THIS BATTLE." It
turned and looked at Ferio. "YOU HAD BEST STAND CLEAR," it advised.
"THINGS ARE GOING TO GET ROUGH HERE." 
	Ferio nodded, and moved to a safer location (he hoped) within the
canyon. The Mahou Sentai looked around, blinking at each other.
Suddenly, their faces registered alarm as their bodies were engulfed
in colored beams of light. 
	When their vision cleared, they each found themselves hovering in an
odd vortex, able to see nothing except the empty desert and the other
Mashin standing around.
	"DO NOT BE ALARMED," Tora's voice said to all of them. "EACH OF YOU
ARE WITHIN YOUR MASHIN. ACCLIMATE YOURSELF TO THE MIND OF THE MASHIN.
UNITE WITH THAT MIND. IN TIME, YOU WILL LEARN ALL ASPECTS OF HOW YOUR
MASHIN OPERATES IN COMBAT FORM. WE WILL GUIDE YOU THROUGH THIS TRIAL
BATTLE, TO FAMILIARIZE YOU WITH THE USE OF A MASHIN IN COMBAT."
	<*THE TEST BEGINS NOW*>, the voice of the Leader boomed. 

	*****
	 
	"Hey! Can you guys hear me?" Ferio yelled up at the five Mashin. 
	"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. 
	"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.
	<*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.
	"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.
	"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. 
	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.
	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.
	"Great. Leave me with the freaky one," Akane said as she faced off
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. 

	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."
	
	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. 

	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. 

	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 with 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. 

	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."
	"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.

	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. 

	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."

	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.
	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."

	Shampoo parried the awkward blows of her opponent, and slashed
downward. Her strike was true, and neatly severed the wrist of the
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. 

	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..."
	"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. 

	"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.

	"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. 

	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."

	The white knight mecha rose from the sand, as the various fragments
of the others began gathering together and reassembling in new
shapes. The headless knight robot's arms and legs fused into its
torso, openings in its armor exposing bare circuitry. The
multi-limbed mecha Shampoo had decimated began reshaping itself, the
severed limbs and limbs still connected pulling together to form new
armor over its damaged interior. The shield it held fell to the
ground...
	...only to float back up as the remnants of the robot Ukyou had
destroyed reformed into a single, elongated limb, with the shield at
one end. 
	The freakish mecha Akane had clobbered also began reshaping itself,
grotesque and frightening sounds issuing from within its torso as it
too formed into what looked like a slender, muscular arm. 
	The battered head of Mousse's opponent flew through one of its
shattered front plates, and its exterior began reshaping. Plates of
armor fell from it, revealing new, strong armor underneath.

	"What the hell's going on here?" Ryouga asked.
	"I wish I knew, sugar," Ukyou said. 
	"This not good," Shampoo decided.

	The halves of Shampoo's opponent elongated, its leg joints migrating
north. The newly reshaped torso of the white robot rose into the air,
and the twin halves of the black mecha rose as well, fusing with the
visible circuitry at the base of the torso. The limb with the shield
rose and met the left shoulder of the white robot, firmly attaching
itself, as did the arm formed from Akane's opponent on the other
side. 
	The mecha Mousse had dismembered completed its transformation,
revealing a much larger version of its own blue-eyed, helmeted head.
The head settled onto the shoulders of the white torso, and a cloud
of sparks flew as it connected itself to the larger robot. 

	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.

	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. 

	"Oh, shit." Ryouga said. 

	"Circle," Ferio shouted from the ground. "Surround it."
	"Good plan," Ukyou commented as Plata took up a new position. The
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. 
	"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!" 
	"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. 
	"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. 
	"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. 
	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.
	"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.
	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
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. 
	"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 the massive robot's 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. 
	"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!"
	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. 

	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, AND WILL NOW RECEIVE THE ANCIENT
POWERS OF THE LEGENDARY FIGHTING TEAM OF CEPHIRO.*>
	The teens blinked. "Legendary fighting team..." Akane mused. "I
thought that was the Magic Knights?"
	"THERE IS ANOTHER FIGHTING TEAM, FAR OLDER THAN THE MAGIC KNIGHTS,
FROM THE ERA OF CHAOS PREDATING THE PILLAR SYSTEM," Tora said. "AND
YOU HAVE PROVEN WORTHY TO BECOME THAT TEAM."
	<*INDEED. PREPARE NOW, YOUNG ONES, TO RECEIVE THE POWER...*>
	The armors of the Mahou Sentai glowed, and began changing. The
armors they'd been wearing simply ceased to exist, and in their place
were lightweight, spandex-like combat suits, each color-coded to the
Mashin of the wearer, with various patterns in other colors creating
abstract images of the animal forms of their Mashin, with matching
helmets, obscuring their faces with dark visors and metal faceplates.
The spandex uniforms were complemented by high white boots and white
gloves, trimmed with silver bands and small, colored gems. Each of
them also wore a white belt, with a holster attached on the right,
fronted by a large diamond-shaped buckle. In the center of each
buckle rested the storage gems from their previous armors. 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. 
	"Oh wonderful," Ukyou said. "Exactly when did this turn into
Kyouryuu Sentai Zyuranger?" 
	"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 and removed it. Taking
their cues from him, the others also removed their helmets.
	"Interesting outfits," Ferio mused. 
	<*SINCE YOU HAVE BEEN DEEMED WORTHY, I WILL ALSO LEAVE MY RESTING
PLACE AND ASSIST YOU IN TIMES OF NEED. THE ONE OF ROYAL BLOOD SHALL
LEAD THIS TEAM, AND SHALL WEAR ME WHEN MY POWER IS REQUIRED.*>
	A golden glow surrounded Ferio. The blade of his sword became
glittering gold in color, as did his armor, which shrank to fit like
spandex. A silver and white shoulderguard made of some unidentifiable
material formed, extending halfway down his torso like a vest. The
same boots, gloves, and belt the others wore formed upon his new
armor. Finally, he received an elaborate 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. 
	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 WEAPONS AND CALL OUR
NAMES. WE WILL COME TO ASSIST YOU." With that, the five Mashin also
vanished. 

	*****

	The warriors looked around at each other. "Well, that's that," Ukyou
said.
	"We were dead-on when we named our little group, weren't we?" Akane
smirked.
	The teens looked at themselves, and at each other, taking in the
strange spandex armor they now wore. "Not quite," Ryouga said. "Our
name needs a little adjustment now."
	"Oh really?" Akane asked. "And what might that be?"
	"I think maybe..." Ryouga put his helmet back on. Performing
dramatic poses reminiscent of various live-action shows, he said,
"Mahou Sentai... Cephiranger."
	The others blinked. "That...doesn't sound too bad," Mousse
commented.
	"Shampoo like watch sentai show, not live sentai show, but is okay,"
Shampoo decided.
	"Seems appropriate," Ukyou remarked.
	"I hate to say it, but...I like it," Akane said.
	"It certainly sounds impressive," Ferio agreed. 
	"Yosh'!" Ryouga said, pumping a fist. 
	"You're really getting into this," Akane smirked.
	The brown Cephiranger shrugged. "Hey, what can I say? Before I left
home to find Ranma, I used to love the sentai shows." He paused.
"Always wanted to be one of those guys...what should I call myself,
you think?"
	"How about PigRanger," Akane said, smirking.
	"Akane, don't you think that's enough?" Ukyou asked. She frowned.
"Anyway, since Ryouga has Earth magic, I think maybe EarthRanger
sounds better," she added.
	"I like it!" Ryouga said, performing intricate sentai poses, and
ending in a crouched stance. "EarthRanger!"
	Shampoo giggled, then put her helmet back on, and did a set of
sentai poses of her own. "ShadowRanger!"
	Mousse shrugged, putting his own helmet back on. Doing poses that
resembled a crane in flight, he shouted, "LightRanger!"
	Ukyou grinned, and donned her helmet, performing sentai poses and
ending in a foxlike stance. "MetalRanger!"
	Akane sighed, shaking her head. "If you can't beat 'em..." Snapping
her own helmet back on, she did some poses, ending in a tiger stance.
"StormRanger!"
	Ferio blinked. "Ummm..." 
	"Just go with the flow, sugar," 'MetalRanger' suggested.
	"Okay, umm..." Ferio did a shaky set of poses, ending in a ready
stance, holding his sword above his head. "Ummm...FerioRanger?" he
hazarded.
	The others looked at him confusedly. Then, Ukyou snapped her
fingers. "I know! How about PharoahRanger?" 
	"Yeah! That's perfect," Ryouga said.
	"Hmmm...okay then, PharoahRanger," Ferio said.
	With one final group set of poses, the six warriors shouted as one,
"Mahou Sentai Cephiranger!"

	*****

	Most citizens of Cephiro didn't notice the flash of dark red fire on
the horizon, as heavy clouds of smoke from the ruins of Bima still
obscured the twilight sky. 
	Along a dusty, little-used path due north of the destroyed town, a
bedraggled old villager, covered with sweat and grime, struggled to
pull a dilapidated cart loaded with the few meager possessions he had
salvaged. As he struggled to free one wheel from a tangle of weeds,
someone tapped his shoulder, and asked in a rough, gravelly voice,
"Excuse me...would you mind telling me what world this is?"
	"This here's Cephiro, son," the villager said distractedly, not
looking up from his task. 
	"Thank you. Oh, allow me to help you," the voice said.
	"Much obliged," the old man said, moving to face the newcomer. He
gaped in shock at the sight before him. 
	Then, there was a flash of silver and red, and the old man's eyes
saw nothing more.
	Blood dripped onto the dust as a sharp silver pike was thrust into
it. "Cephiro...not a world I am familiar with...nevermind that. I
shall rule it nevertheless!" 
	Dark, angry scarlet lightning crackled up and down the shaft of the
pike as its owner laughed maniacally. The lightning coalesced around
the other end of the pike, leaving an afterimage of a blood-red "Z"
in the sky seconds after both staff and owner disappeared.

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Son I am able she said
though you scare me watch
said I beloved I said
watch me scare you though
said she able am I son

---
The Eternal Lost Lurker
Murasaki Sentai Ficranger
EternalLostLurker@worldnet.att.net
http://www.geocities.com/~etlostlurker
Coming Soon: Masturbation Theater

Lurker's Phone Answering Message:
"Haro! You leach Noboyuki House of Sushi. 
We gualantee derivery in thirty minute, or you get
NO sushi!" 
-------------------------------------------------------------------