Gokaiger Vs Akibaranger Ch. 4: Expectations

After the cashier fiasco, the Gokaigers had moved the fuel onto the Galleon, but there was no rejoicing. Luka's past was (seemingly) now back to haunt her and the enemy that the Gokaigers had thought dead was crawling back from the grave like a zombie.

The camera pans out to view the entire dining table inside of the Galleon. While Marvelous ate more and more food, Gai and Luka just kept eying the empty seat where Don would always sit while Gai and Ahim were in in their own little worlds (Gloomy worlds, obviously)

"The crap's hitting the fan by the hour." Joe says. "First Don goes missing, then the fight, and now Zangyack's back. Marvelous, what should we do?"

Marvelous looks up from his 'feast,' with food still in his mouth. "Stay on course." He says, with Ahim obviously not appreciating the low quality of his manners. Though it WAS justified.

"Man, why do they wanna revive a tyrant that would rather off them than rule over them in the first place?" Gai asks angrily.

"It's not HIM they worship." Ahim says. "It's what he represents. Complete and solid control. Unrivaled power. Ackdos Gill was that symbol before he died. They want the idea, not the monster."

"Your'e almost there." Luka says. "They want HIS power. He IS a symbol, but he's also a harbinger. Under his shadow, Zangyack can rule as it pleases and satisfy any desire it has. He's a puppet, to make it short."

"So without him, Zangyack has no foothold." Joe says. "Then who's the employer?"

"Dunno." Marvelous say, covering his mouth to conceal a slight belch. "But they're wealthy, stupid obviously for funding the Zangyack at all; and...A prime target for US."

"Why us?" Gai asks. "What do we want with the employer?"

Joe and Luka look at Gai as though he has asked a stupid question.

"Wait, you mean...The money-?" Gai replies, finally figuring the obvious out. "But I thought we weren't those kind of pirates!"

"What?" Marvelous retorts. "Gotta make a living somehow, right? Think of it as being...'robin-hoods.'"

"Besides..." Says Luka. "Without his money, the Dai-Zangyack fades into memory. You WANT Ackdos to return?"

Now Gai felt like the team idiot. His Earth lifestyle was bleeding into his Gokaiger obligations. Still, he couldn't help himself.

Ahim probably knew how he was feeling, judging from the looks she was giving him now. She and Don were, like him, goody-two-shoes. If he had just met them right this instant, the idea of doing an evil act for the greater good would've been the equivalent of murder in his eyes. Maybe he was analyzing it too much. He knew the Gokaigers were good people. This wasn't like him. All of the recent incidents...Don, Luka's past, and now the Dai-Zangyack...It was all starting to weigh the happy-go-lucky Gokai Silver down Now if only the Gokaigers were aware of the ship following them closely behind...
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Back to the Akibarangers and Poor, poor Don...

"You three are morons..." Don mutters to himself as the Akibarangers look at the fruits of their folly.

The Fire Android, which Akiba Red had bound with the Deka Cuffs, had broken from it's prison because the Akibarangers had wasted time debating whether to follow Sentai protocol or not. And Malshina still had Don's Gokai Buckle and Mobirate. Luckily, he had attached the Mobirate to the Buckle before he was captured, so it was just a matter of getting the device from the woman. Don despised fighting. If things could be settled peacefully, he would've jumped along that route like a bug to a light.

However, these three morons had shattered any hope of that notion. So instead, he had to be sneaky here.

"Shit." Utters Akiba Red as the Fire Android resumes it's advance.

"What are we gonna do, nya?" Yellow yells.

"Well, old man...Ideas?" Blue yells.

"It took 13 episodes, but I've finally created the perfect Chief Clerk." Malshina says.

Secretly, she HAD outfitted it with one weakness on purpose; but it was something so concealed, only a skilled mechanic could figure it out. (Part of her giving up typical villain tropes!) Her and the Akibas had an unsaid, silent agreement between each other. Keep creating monsters and plot lines against each other until Saburo promises either a second season or at least to not axe the show. The latter idea was shattered into the ground once she caught wind of the 13th episode and Saburo's fake Clip Show. They even begged the viewers in the real world to appeal and donate, but nobody seems to have cared enough yet. But this Official Sentai, this...Dogoier. He might be what the four of them needed. Nobuo HAD to have been thinking the same thing; Otherwise, they'd have dismissed him ages ago. And with Don's low savvy of the Akiba-verse, it'd take an awful lot of time to show him the ropes. Secretly she thanked the red-shirted weirdo. He was a good guy, if an idiot. She was in a brief, gratuitous haze, until she felt a hand on her body.

She turns to see the Official Sentai, Dogoier, who had reclaimed his belt from her waistline.

She reaches out a hand, but makes no effort to stop him. He runs towards the enemy, wasting no time in putting his Ranger Key into the Mobirate slot.

"Gokai Change!"

"GGOOKKAAIIGEERR!"

Rather than the entire morph sequence, Don's simply runs into green "X"-shaped illusions in front of him; pieces of armor materializing during.

"Help me, Akibarangers!" Don shouts, firing the two Gokai Guns that appear as he runs through the final "X." "I can't do this on my own!"

"Y-Yeah." Red says, as he and the other two enter the fray.

The kid was sneaky. Nobuo liked that.

The bullets Gokai Green fired didn't do much, but it DID attract it's attention.

"Red, get the Cuffs out, Yellow and Blue, distract it!" Shouts Gokai Green.

"Since when were you the one in-Oh, forget it!" Red shouts. "Inordinate Power! Deka Cuffs!"

The Deka Cuffs appear before Akiba Red again, conveniently already in their new, open stretchy form.

"Wow, plot devices last pretty long, huh?" Red asks, grabbing the new weapon.

Blue and Yellow grab the monster's hose-arms as fire spews from them.

"NYYYAAAA! It's hot!" Yellow shouts.

"Hurry up, old man!" Blue yells. "My gloves are burning!"

"Alright, alright already!" Akiba Red replies as he claps the left cuff onto the monster's right arm. "But wait, Don...We haven't found the-"

"I don't care anymore!" Don shouts. "I don't want people getting hurt, so we're doing things MY way for now!"

"Geez, I sound like Marvelous-san!" Don thinks to himself.

As Akiba Red applies the second cuff, Don avoids another ejection of Fire, lining up in front of the Akibarangers.

"Whatever your'e finishing Move is, combine it with mine!" Don says.

"But we can't dent it!" Yellow shouts.

"While I was stealing my Mobirate back, I noticed loose wiring coming from the monster's right arm." Green says. "I'm a mechanic aboard the Galleon, so I look for these things. If the move doesn't kill it, it'll at least put it out of commission."

"Nice finding the weak spot AFTER we have our asses handed to us." Blue says irritably.

"Don't get on his case!" Akiba Red shouts. "That's a very commonly appreciated Sentai trope! It's about the show, not the ending."

"No it isn't, now stop talking like that and mobilize!" Green shouts angrily.

"Ugh. Fine, Mom." Red says sarcastically. "Inordinate Power! Deka-Oh, wait...They're on the monster...We can't use the Inordinate Cannon. Mitsuki! Yumeria! Moe Magnum!"

"Right!" Yellow and Blue shout in unison, guns suddenly appearing in their hands.
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"FIINNAAL WAAVVEE!"

The scene switches to a cosmic background. Gokai Green is in the center, while the Akibarangers side in their own line behind him.

"Hey, why are we using HIS Finishing Move background?" Akiba Red whispers.

"Shush!" Yellow replies.

The camera zooms in on Gokai Green's weapon, as he inserts his Ranger Key into the Gokai Cylinder that makes up the barrel of the gun.

The camera switches to the Akibarangers, who aim their guns in the same direction as Gokai Green.

It then pans out to see both teams aiming their weapons at the Fire Android, which is still struggling in the bonds of the Deka Cuffs.

"Gokai Blast!"

"Moe Magnum!"

"Here We Go!"

The two teams fire, as the Akibarangers three bullets combine with the lead one to form one massive, piercing bullet.

It hits the exposed wiring on the robot's arm, as electricity surrounds the Android.
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The scene transitions back to the fight, as Malshina steps in front of the destroyed Android, while Shatieeks behind her push the carcass away.

"This isn't over, Akibarangers!" Malshina says. "After all, you still have Infected to deal with! And now I can upgrade this hunk of junk to something better! It was nice meeting you, Gokai Green. If you're ever annoyed enough with these idiots, by all means seek me out; We're the massive, gloomy building on the outskirts of town. To have an Official Sentai as a Guerilla Marketer would be awesome. Ciao for now, fools!"

Malshina and the Shatieeks leave the scene in a fast-forwarded sequence, as Don's Green Armor dissipates.

"That was awesome, Don-san!" Yumeria shouts, jumping happily in the air. "High-"

Don says nothing, simply walking back in the direction of the Sentai Cafe, leaving Yumeria's hand in the air.

"What's with you?" Mitsuki asks.

"Just leave me alone, please." Don says, containing his anger the best he could. "I'll...I'll cool off."

"Over what?" Nobuo asks.

"OVER YOU IDIOTS!" Don shouts. He couldn't contain it anymore. "People could've gotten hurt because you and your'e...Sentai Tropes! You all can't fight, and certainly can't think. You don't deserve to be Sentai, unofficial or otherwise!"

The Akibarangers couldn't say anything to that. But Don didn't know how the Akibarangers' world was different from the others. If he did, he probably wouldn't be having the tantrum he was now. Nobuo looked especially hurt by the fact, all Nobuo could do was walk away. Yumeria runs after him, concerned; while Mitsuki stayed behind, just...staring Don down.

Don sighs deeply. He said too much.

"Look, I'm sorry." Don says. "I'm miles away from home, in a new world; and now I'm around a Sentai that can barely fight...My mind can only take so much..."

"I know the feeling." Mitsuki says. "When I first joined the Akibarangers, I was skeptical and angry; just like you are now. I thought the two were morons, I was ashamed that I was the only one with any real fighting skill. But Nobuo's kind of right. It's about the show, not the ending. I'm having fun with the Akibarangers and Yumeria and the old man are now two of my closest friends...Though you didn't hear that from me, I don't want them all gushy."

"There you go again!" Don says, throwing his hands up in exasperation. "Show? Movie? Tropes? You people talk gibberish in situations where people could possibly be injured or worse! I could ignore the weak skills and even the thick-headiness of it all if you all weren't so unconcerned with the real world!"

"You shouldn't be so quick to judge, y'know. Hakase didn't tell you everything." Mitsuki says quickly.

She found it ironic how easily Don used the term 'real world.' Maybe ignorance was bliss, but if he wanted to get home, she'd have to shatter the remnants of his security...

"What do you mean?" Don asks.

"I...Uh..." Mitsuki replies, stuttering. Hakase was supposed to do this, not her. Now's she's done it. "Dammit, now I've gone and said too much. Look, just come back to the Cafe tomorrow and we'll explain everything...I hope. I have enough room in my studio for a sleeping bag if you need a place to stay..."

Tomorrow? Don looked up to see the sun setting. He didn't think of that...And he had nowhere to go.

"It's kind of you to offer, but I need to gather my thoughts for a while." Don says finally."I have some yen, so I can just find an inn..."

"Ok." Mitsuki says. She knew. Reminded her of her first day at her Martial arts camp. She didn't wanna make any friends, she just wanted it to be over. "Then I'm going back home. You know where the Cafe is, so you shouldn't need directions to get back. There's a cheap hotel a mile south of here. I recommend buying some cat ears or something; they're kinder to cos-players there. In fact, I think one of the cos-players captured was a hotel attendant..."

"Thanks again...And again, I'm sorry." Don says. "And apologize to the other two for me."

"Y-Yeah." Mitsuki replies as the Official Sentai begins walking away. Things were getting interesting...

Taking out her cell phone, she opens her text box and clicks "New Message."

She types: "Hey, guys...We gotta tell Don about...'us' tomorrow. And he says sry, BTW. Txt me back, k? Bye."

Bringing up Nobuo and Yumeria up from her Contacts, she sends the message as the phone closes with a resounding "beep."

While Mitsuki walks back to her abode, Nobuo and Yumeria walk, well...They didn't know where they were going, nor did they care. Nobuo was more worried about Don's ignorance. Yumeria struggles to keep in pace with her stomping friend.
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"Damn that greenhorn!" Nobuo shouts as he stomps away into a random part of the sidewalk.

"Your'e overreacting, Nyobuo-san." Yumeria says. "It isn't his world! He doesn't-!"

"I KNOW he doesn't know..." Nobuo says irritably, kicking a rock in the sidewalk, his hands in his pockets. "It's just...being told off by an Official Sentai is...is...like..."
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The scene switches to a white background.

In the center, it depicts a child in a red-shirt, which a random pop-up arrow reveals is Nobuo back when he was 5 years old.

"You mean there's no tooth fairy?" He asks someone off-screen.

The camera pans for a gross close-up of an older man's scowling face.

"No, there isn't! And even if there was, your'e teeth are too rotten to be worth her time, ya sweet-vacuuming mongrel! Now go to bed!"

"Some birthday this turned out to be..." Nobuo complains as he lays into the bed.
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At that moment, the white background starts to crack, as the scene transitions to the present day...

"Your'e hopes were shattered, I know...Mine, too." Yumeria says. "But wasn't Mitsuki like this when she first joined, too? He just needs time to get to know us."

"Maybe he's right..." Nobuo says dejectedly. "Maybe we ARE a joke."

"Your'e right." Yumeria says.

"Wha-?"

"We ARE a joke." Yumeria says. "But that hasn't stopped us before, right? We are an unofficial Sentai. We can do things they can't. We were written to be affectionate parodies; so of course we'd seem nonsensical to official Sentai, nya?"

At that moment, Their phones ring. One tone is a instrumental version of the Gingaman opening theme while the other was a simple jingle.

"Hey, guys...We gotta tell Don about...'us' tomorrow. And he says sry, BTW. Txt me back, k? Bye."

"Mitsuki thinks he's ready for the truth, huh?" Nobuo says. "Maybe your'e right, Yumeria. We just need to establish our agenda. After all, we didn't really have enough time to get to know him; or vice-versa."

Nobuo turns to his friend, patting her on the shoulder.

"Thanks." He says. "No offense, but when'd ya get so wise?"

"Dunno..." Yumeria replies. "Must've been that movie I saw with Kozkoz a few days ago..."

"By the way, are you guys actually dating, or was that just filler for our 'foreshadow the plot' plan?" Nobuo asks.

"Oh, we've been seeing each other the past few weeks." Yumeria says. "I dunno where it's gonna head, though..."

"So, are you actually...?" Nobuo asks, waving his hands slightly. He didn't wanna offend her by asking a silly question, but...she was already skipping ahead of him down the sidewalk.

"Ah, an unresolved plot point!" Nobuo thinks to himself. "Meh, let the fandom handle it!"
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Back to the Gokaigers...

Marvelous lets out a sharp sigh as he scans the now empty Galleon hall.

It felt so lonely without Don in here, doing the remaining dishes, or fiddling with some technological thing that produced that whizzing sound that always lulled the Captain to sleep.

And to think the last words he said to the kid were to make dinner.

"'Last words?' What am I saying? This isn't a funeral." The Captain thinks to himself. "I know he's alive, so I need to stop being such a drama queen."

What was he worried about? Don was resourceful, quick-witted, and beyond trustworthy. He wasn't the best fighter; but he could think his way out of ANYTHING, which was the reason why Marvelous let him onto the Gokaigers in the first place. Don can think he was just recruited for his computer prowess all he wanted to; Marv knew from the moment he entered the ship that he would be a member. That's why Marv made him the Green Gokaiger. The color Green looked bright and innocent on the surface, and it was. But it also has hidden depths, too.

Wait...

Something wasn't quite right. That familiar feeling in his stomach...The emerging thrill...of action.

BANG!

Marvelous was almost knocked off of his chair. Someone was firing at them.

He didn't have to call the others, they were already there.

"How many?" Joe asks.

A robotic brown bird rushes past Joe, stopping near the exposed wiring that Don had been working on before.

"I only saw one!" Navi shouts. "And it looks current-tech!"

"Man your stations!" Marvelous shouts.

The screen transitions to the exterior of the Gokai Galleon, as a black, triangular ship sidles to the Galleon's right.

"Gokai Cannon!"

The Galleon fires ball-shaped energy bursts at their enemy, only for the black ship to dodge and weave out of the fire.

The top of the black ship opens up as a massive gun aims itself at the Galleon, releasing a precise, purple beam at the Galleon's cannon-ware.

The beam connects, as the cannon's spark and sputter with the damage.

The scene transitions back to the Galleon's interior. The Gokaigers have already morphed into their armor.

"Can we use the Gokai-Oh?" Gokai Red asks.

"For a while." Gokai Yellow says. "Don said he was concerned with the strain the system sustained. Using the Gattai for too long might short out the entire mainframe. And like Joe said before, we can't use the Kanzen Soul right now."

"We'd be marooned..." Blue says. "And probably boarded. Captain, orders?"

"No choice..." Gokai Red says.
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"Kaizoku Gattai!"

The scene transitions to a cosmic background (Which makes sense, since they're in space) depicting the Galleon taking itself apart.

The legs and arms form from the vehicle-theme mechs as it pieces together a humanoid body.

The Gokai-Oh then puts on it's pirate hat, entering a combat pose.

"Complete! Gokai-Oh!"

"Let's make this showy!"

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And now for somewhere completely different...For a bit, anyway....

The scene again transitions, this time away from both of the dimensions, into a realm with nothing but a white background.

The feet of two people are seen. One's wearing business shoes, the camera can only barely make out the other pair.

"My plan was somewhat cinched when he found his way there....." Says the business-man. "I had my own way of doing things and he basically ruined everything!"

"But this also presents an interesting opportunity." Says the other. "You wanted them out of the picture and this is your chance."

"I sort of feel bad for it, though...." Says the business-man. "I've been at this for ages and I suppose I'm becoming sentimental."

"Feelings like those aren't going to make things easier." Says the other. "Remember, you're doing this for a good, justified, reason."

"I know, I know." Says the business-man. "I just hope they'll understand...."