Gokaiger Vs. Akibaranger Ch.6: The Bigger Picture

That was refreshing.

No sooner had Don left the hotel did a big grin stretch itself onto his face.

After last night, the sleep really helped.

He dreamt again of the Galleon; Marvelous stuffing himself while the others did their own personal things. Weirdly enough, though...The Akibarangers were there, too. Their details were kinda hazy, though. Oh, well. It was just a dream. No point in dwelling on it.

He was too hard on them. The Blue one knew the situation, but he remembers Nobuo's face just before he and the cat-woman ran off.

He'd apologize, first-thing. He told Mitsuki to tell them, but still...It would mean more coming from him.

The sidewalks were more typical of Japan; but there was an odd sense of hostility.

"You all still have an infection to deal with..."

Malshina's words left Don a little uneasy. Even if it was over something insignificant; people were still being mistreated. It was odd then; that nobody in the town showed outward signs of being infected. Life seemed peaceful and normal for the most part. Still, the infection reached it's peak during the night-time. It was safe to assume the same would happen tonight.

Don eventually found the Cafe the Akibarangers hung out at. A strangely-decorated car was parked outside. Across the hood was the photo of a heavily-armed school-girl styled anime female. "What's with all the guns?" Don asks himself. "Makes no sense, she can't shoot that...Oh, listen to me!"Across the door was the title 'Z-Cune Aoi.'

Don chose to disregard the strange automobile, walking up the stairs and into the door.

The first to see him was Mitsuki, who immediately nodded in his direction. Her, Nobuo, Yumeria, and Hakase were all sitting on a four-seated table; watching an anime on the screen above the register. Upon seeing Don, Nobuo immediately looks away in irritation, while Yumeria simply nods shyly. Hakase grabs a remote control from the register in front of them, pausing the screen instantly.

Don walks up to Nobuo, who has no choice but to look at him now. The boy then bows down slightly in respect.

"I'm sorry for the things I said last night." Don says. "I didn't mean them. After all, there had to be a reason you all were chosen to be Sentai; and I was homesick and well...scared. So again, sorry."

Nobuo chuckles to himself, as he pats Don's left shoulder.

"I....guess it's okay." Nobuo says. "Besides, we didn't exactly give you the full story, so it's understandable."

"Nobuo!" Hakase says.

"If we don't tell him now, things might get worse later on." Nobuo says. "Besides, I think I've played the 'hostile, wary leader' long enough."

"Maybe I should." Hakase says. "You see, what we had told you when you first came was all true. But we left a few things out."
-----------------------------------

As Hakase explains what's going on, clips from the Akibaranger show that correspond to the words play in the background, sans sound.

"You know all of the gibberish these three have been spouting? Tv show? Tropes? Episodes? Well...That has truth to it. You see, around our eleventh episode, Nobuo suddenly realized that we were all living in a TV show titled 'Hikonin Sentai Akibaranger.' Yes. Our very world is a TV show created by a company called Toei."

"But Toei's an anime company, aren't they?" Don asks. "And I passed a building called Toei on my way here..."

"Actually, Toei created our show, nya." Yumeria says. "The Toei you saw on your way here is just our world's version of it. Nothing to do with nya actual company."

"At first, we were a light-hearted Sentai comedy." Says Hakase. "The Akibarangers were written to be obsessive Otaku that were chosebn to be a Sentai powered by their delusions. They fought in a seperate Delusion World, where they could run rampant and defeat the Guerilla Marketers without affecting the real world." Hakase says. "They got into weird, sometimes perverted situations."

"Dirty old man." Mitsuki says to Nobuo.

"Hey!" Nobuo shouts back angrily.

"ANYWAY..."

"But Malshina managed to find a way to enter reality and break the border between the two worlds." Hakase says.

"That's around the time, the tone of our show got very dark." Nobuo says. "Hakase's father emerged as Doctor Z, our main villain. At first, he wanted to just lead the Marketers and make Akihabara anime-less, but then he became bloodthirsty; and wanted to actually destroy the planet. Which was an obvious retcon if I've ever seen it-"

"Don't forget about the scorpion curse that he made to stop Hakase from voicing the new Z-Cune Aoi movie, nya!" Yumeria shouts. "A fake brother came and almost became Akiba Red!"

"It wasn't until Nobuo was almost replaced as Akiba Red...And Nobuo referenced his replacment to that of the first VulEagle from Sun Vulcan... that we all realized that we were in a show." Hakase says. "The creator, Hatte Saburo, possessed Doctor Z and the Marketers; constantly setting up tropes for a final episode...Even created a rival as a back-up sub-plot. We went out of our way to keep the show going; from foreshadowing plots to creating points of our own. We even destroyed our own robo to keep the show from ending. Of course, it was re-built in the next episode, but still..."

"What's so wrong about ending a show?" Don asks.

"We only got thirteen episodes, ignoring this movie!" Nobuo says. "While all of the other Sentai got fifty-four. Hell, Goranger got eighty-four! Eighty-freakin'-four!"

"Well, it WAS the first Sentai, nya." Yumeria says.

"Still..." Says Nobuo. "We aren't being treated equally. Saburo just wants to do things HIS way! Plus, if the show ends, what have we to look forward to? The only reason we've 'lived' up until now is probably because he planned this crossover! Once this ends, then what? Besides, in our bonus episode, we couldn't morph cause our Z-Cunes got taken away! But we suddenly have them now? Coincidence my ass!"
-----------------------------------

The scene finally shifts back to the Sentai Cafe.

Don was...mortified.

"This was is one of the freakiest things I've ever heard...You guys are TV show characters? And if what your'e saying is true, then the actual Super Sentai, including Gokaigers...are...?" Don says. "I hope you have proof of claims like these."

"Aha!" Nobuo yells, running to the front of the screen.

Japanese Kanji floats from right to left across the bottom of the screen. Nobuo catches it in his hand, as he struggles for dear life to keep it on-screen.

"G-Giveaway text!" Nobuo says, straining to pull. Mitsuki and Yumeria go behind him to help.

The Kanji read: "For more information, visit Akibaranger dot jp."

"Hey, this is the exact giveaway text from our eleventh episode, nya!" Yumeria says.

Don, of course, didn't see anything; he just saw three idiots playing a one-sided tug-o-war.

"Nope." Don says.

"You have to believe it's there, Don!" Nobuo says. "Break the fourth wall!"

Don closed his eyes for a minute. He tried to see a wall, but he couldn't. He just heard struggling from the other three.

"We have to subvert the crossover tropes to get Saburo's attention!" Nobuo says. "C'mon now! Your'e an Official Sentai. He WILL notice if YOU break the fourth wall."

Don's eyes strained. In his thoughts lied an image of the Galleon. He was SO homesick, it was all he could think about. And these claims the Akibarangers kept spewing sounded like stuff from a drug addict's rattled mind. But these people were serious. They might've been head-cases, but they didn't seem like liars. Helping people didn't always mean saving them from monstrosities. So for the sake of his good heart, He had to humor them and try. Even if he looked like an idiot in the process.

"There IS text there." Don thought to himself. "This is a TV Show. None of this is real!"

At that, Don opens his eyes, and there it was.

The object the Akibarangers were holding. White, inverted Kanji.

"For more information, visit Akibaranger dot Japan." Don reads aloud. "That'd only show up during a...television segment...Holy crap, you guys were telling the truth!"

At that, the Akibarangers finally let go of the giveaway text, (which abruptly zooms off-screen) as the three topple onto each other on the ground.

"YES!" Nobuo shouts, raising his fist into the air in glee. Yumeria glomps Don in a hug, while Mitsuki half-heartedly fist-bumps Hakase.

"Now you know." Hakase says. "I apologize that we didn't tell you sooner, but we had to be sure Saburo wouldn't set any traps for us. Since the five of us including KozKoz gained minds of our own, we're immune from any changes he can make to us. Now that you've broken the fourth wall, this most likely applies to you, too. This whole crossover...You ending up in our world...Had to have been HIS doing."

"You know, now that you mention it..." Don says. "I'm starting not to miss home so much. I mean, I really want to go home, but I'm not as nervous about being around here as I was when I first came."

"You were probably written off as extremely homesick so he could use the 'teams opposing each other' trope; cause our otaku-ness and your logical, systematic way of thinking might've lead to the fisticuffs needed for an action sequence." Mitsuki says.

"Or he could just be adjusting to all three of you and this has nothing to do with Sentai Tropes. I mean, he finally knows why we've been babbling about television and it WAS getting to him." Hakase says with a chuckle. "Not EVERYTHING one says and does is a trope trap."

"ANIME MUST DIE!"

Everyone in the Cafe immediately turns their head to the door. There were infected citizens, (complete with the fake eyebrows they had before) knocking onto the Sentai Cafe's windows.

"No, but they certainly can foreshadow, can't they?" Nobuo asks.
----------------------------------------

To Somewhere...VERY Different...

"Damn it! Things keep getting worse!"

The last word echoes all across the white background.

The shouter of the angry sentence is somewhat revealed. Wearing a yellow-ish business-suit, his right hand (Which is the highest body part revealed at this point) clenches with anger.

"Your'e panicking. Panicking isn't good...Mister Saburo."

Hatte Saburo. The creator of the Akibarangers' show and the producer of many an official Sentai show. He had the power to modify ANYTHING in the two worlds... Except the Akibarangers. Things had gone according to his plan to expand their audience by modifying their show...Until they gained minds of their own. He had no idea how it happened, but the Akibarangers had transcended from TV characters and script words to real beings. He was actually very, very proud. To think that a work created from him would beam with such accomplishment. But now the Akibarangers were fighting for their very lives. He didn't want to be the villain, but a show cannot last forever. If he had the choice...

"I had a feeling this would happen." Saburo says. "I knew I shouldn't have made this crossover. I had hoped the two would see each other briefly and then go on their way, like I had planned. Just a simple fan-service cameo movie. Nothing connecting to the Original Sentai plots in any way or form. Don would be there for a while, then find a way home on his own just in time to witness the beginning of Super Hero Taisen...With a cameo by everyone's favorite unofficial Sentai! But now that Gokai Green has crushed the fourth wall..."

"Don't tell me your'e going to...retcon all of this?" Says the other. "You've come so very far..."

"I have to." Saburo says. "If an Official Sentai breaks the fourth wall, the entire franchise is doomed. The worlds of fact and fiction must remain separated. I have no choice. I'll call the Akibarangers' bluff for now. The movie can still progress, but it will NOT be canon. I'll instate counter-measures to make sure of it."

The other was silent for a moment. It was obvious that this entire mess wasn't their cup of tea. Almost as though it hit a personal nerve.

"Any ideas on how to proceed?" Finally asks the other, with a heavy voice.

"Yes, I have the perfect one." Saburo says. "I have to do something before the Akibarangers cause any more damage...The Infected sub-plot should keep them busy long enough for me to work my magic."

"What should I do?" Asks the other.

"Don't worry." Saburo says. "Your role will be played soon enough, my old friend."
-----------------------------------------

Back to the Gokaigers...

Marvelous eyed the monitor nervously. The fuel trail had lead the Gokaigers to a previously uncharted area of space. Nothing out of the ordinary had occurred yet, but the weariness of recent events has made the Captain of the Galleon...overly prepared.

Luka had, through some miracle of genius, repaired the monitor to near-proficiency. Of course, the strain of using the Gokai-Oh against the mysterious mech from before had prevented perfection. The Gokaigers weren't even sure if they COULD Gattai at this point.

Marvelous' weariness was apparent to the others now. Joe, especially; who knew him the best. He was trying to be the leader the Gokaigers often looked up to, but even HE had his limits. Ahim was a princess as well, so she knew full well the pressure of being looked up to. Marv's bad mood was starting to rub off on her as well.
Luka and Gai went out of their way to be the sun during a rainstorm, but it was all an act. They were just as internally scarred as the others were.

"If only Don were here..." Joe thought to himself.

"Marvelous, I have something on the monitor." Luka says.

The monitor lights up, as an image of the Replica Horse pops up onto the screen.

"The Gigant Horse?" Gai asks.

"Nope." Marvelous says. "A very convincing replica. The original exploded before our very eyes. And Zangyack was too overconfident to mass-produce ships like these."
-----------------------------------

To the inside of the Replica Horse...

"The Gokai Galleon has entered the area." Silva says. "Should we bombard them?"

"No." Says the Black Cross King. "We'll let them come aboard. With our combined might, one single Sentai cannot withstand us."

"I thought Long and Doukoku were going to handle it." Silva replies.

"Hah." Black Cross says. "A plan I've always seen fall is the idea of keeping the main force restrained until you need them. But by the time the main force has to come in, everyone else is defeated. Then the force is defeated because it ran out of options. No. Offense can be the best defense, it is said. We'll simply overwhelm them. All the other two will do is...Welcome our guests...To the Dai-Zangyack headquarters. By the way, how went the meeting with the Weather Dopant?"

"It went very well." Silva says. "Dai-Shocker is more than with us in this little endeavor. Though I had to threaten the Dopant to figure this out. He's a little too bloodthirsty. How stupid of him to think he could scare a robot."

"And let me guess, you left the detail of your being a cyborg silent until you had to." Black Cross King Says. "The old bait-and-switch. The fear that lights up in their eyes is hilarious. Sigh...It's classic."
----------------------------------------

Back to The Gokaigers...

Ever since the Galleon went into range of the Replica Horse, nothing had happened. Which made Marvelous all the more worried.

"That's weird..." Marvelous says to himself. "No mooks coming out in ships to deter us. It's probably a trap. They WANT us to go inside."

"I guess that's what we have to do." Luka says. "I doubt our cannonballs'll do much damage."

"Then let's call their bluff." Marvelous says. "Charge straight at them."

The scene expands to the reaches of cosmic space as the Gokai Galleon heads straight for an open area of the Replica Horse.

What the Gokaigers weren't aware of however, was the white portal that was seemingly opening behind the Galleon.

The camera zooms in on the Gokaigers aboard the Galleon, as something seems to begin rocking their ship.

"What was that?" Marvelous asks.

"Not sure, I can't get anything on the monitor!" Luka says.

"Are we being fired upon?" Ahim asks.

"No." Joe says.

"Captain, we seem to be changing course!" Luka shouts. "Like we're being...pulled into something."

"Brace for impact!" Marvelous shouts.

"Tch...Nothing's...Going...Our way..." Marvelous thinks to himself, as his eyes give; his consciousness leaving him.
------------------------------------

Back to the Replica Horse...

"What is that?! Shouts the Black Cross King.

"Unknown." Silva says, manning a console. "Must've been a local space phenomenon. And...The Gokaigers have disappeared from our sensors."

"Was it a new weapon?" The King asks.

"Highly unlikely." Says a male voice off-screen. "If it was, then they just inadvertently killed themselves..."

"You've returned, Brajira." Says the King.

The camera pans over to a rather graceful looking monster with a blue face.

Silva immediately gets up from the console he was manning as he takes out a silver (Go figure) gun from a holster on his belt, aiming it at the newcomer.

"Silva, stop at once!" King shouts. "Brajira, what do you have to report?"

"Everything went more than splendidly." Brajira says, aiming his hand towards the door. "I would like to re-introduce you to the heads of the Zangyack Empire, revived through a mixture of your Hatred Magic and my Tensou power..."

The camera pans to the door as two robotic monsters enter the Throne Room, one who's body is fashioned in the shape of a robot; while the other is molded into the body of a noble's.

"...Ackdos and Walz Gil."

"And without the Gokaigers to warn the other Sentai..." Silva begins.

"...Villains spanning over two universes can rip apart their enemies..." The Black Cross King says. "...And establish an era of pure, unadulterated...EVIL!"