Ban whirls to the others cheering their fortune. They all giggle and delight over it, while Swan and Kruger exchange pleased nods.

In a park, pigeons near a slide. "Bro?" "Hmm?" Miwa is swinging, Hoji leans against the swingset's bracing pole. "Why are you being so strict with Ban? He's such a nice, funny guy!" Hoji holds himself aloof, "I know that. But I've always hated people who are so light-hearted." She continues swinging and says musedly, "Because that's your polar opposite, eh bro?" Hoji stiffly remarks on Ban's flashiness and chaotic personality, and how if he were like that he wouldn't be a pro. Miwa regards him kindly and gets up, comes to his side. "But he's on your side." Hoji replies quickly that it'd be better if he wasn't, and something which startles her so she blinks, but he's not willing to say more about it, having slipped up and revealed too much of his heart. He moves away and she follows, calling him sternly.

Swan is in her work-space and she looks anxious. "Doogie?" she calls. "Something's up at .875," she tells him. He hears her in the office and stands up straight, sending out the five Dekaranger present. "Roger!" they salute. In their vehicles they bear down on the coordinates Swan'd given, Testu on a bike. To Ban's surprise, Hoji is already there and waiting for them. But they accept that and join him. Umeko is puzzled over what the signal is. They are answered soon enough. A familiar voice speaks, then a flock of bats swoops to the rooftop and becomes you-know-who. "You!" snarls Ban. Jasmine calls him by name, "Agent Aburera!" "Oh, I'm flattered you remember me, cutey," he tells her. Sen or Hoji demands to know if he's the one sending out that massive transmission. "Oh, no. I've just come to introduce you to legend." "Legend?" Ban demans, confused. Aburera explains, "To defeat the star demon" and on about what will happen and big booms. Umeko gets frustrated and demands better explanation. Then the ground quakes beneath them. Wham! Out of the riddled earth beneath the city smashes another enormous monster! "Buragori!" yelps Tetsu. "Well, there's one more," Aburera tells them amusedly. And this one, like the other, is pulling down an asteroid which will wipe out the Earth. Hoji turns and gapes at him. Aburera goes on about the power in that asteroid. He cackles and breaks up into bats, then flies off. Ban is all for pursuing "Bat-guy," but Hoji keeps him on the more important things. Like stopping the monster. He calls Swan to send out the Deka Machines. "Roger!" she shouts back. She sends them, and the kids transfer into their armor and board their vehicles. They form the Super DekaRanger Robo. Ban heads the machine into battle, they duck a few strikes. The double-jawed creature screeches. Umeko comments, "It's calling the meteor again!" Ban is sure they can stop it. So they put their jets on and roar towards the beast. They try again the Gatling Punch. The impact is hard and fierce, again and again. But when Ban tries the Dynamite Hammer, the annoyed beast catches their hurtling fist. "What?" startles Ban. But the beast punches them down, and then calls the meteor again. And then it dives down to hide underground. And the meteor is coming.

Showing up on Swan's readouts, anyway. Here is the meteor, here is Earth. Danger, Will Robinson, Danger! She stands and turns from the readings to fold her arms across her chest and comment on the situation. She informs her listeners grimly that this about does it. If this massive asteroid hits the Earth, 100% will be destroyed. The kids can imagine it, and wince in their chairs at the image in their minds. "You couldn't be wrong?" Kruger pleads with her. She strides over to him, explaining that she wishes she was. But she isn't. Umeko asks if it isn't too late to defeat the monster. "It is. It's just like Aburera said. It's going to turn Earth into it's own world." Tetsu breathes a shaken, "Nonsense." Then he bounces eagerly to his feet. "Surely we can get out and destroy the meteor?" Swan considers that, eyes narrowing, until Jasmine anxiously prompts her. "Well, there is one thing," she finally allows. She figures they can get up close to it and destroy it with the DekaWing Cannon. Hoji's eyes flash with realization. The others are troubled. She continues, pointing out that with the amount of power in that asteroid, it's likely the DekaWing Robo would also be destroyed in the blast. While the others are coming to grip with that, Hoji asks firmly, "Miss Swan, can one person pilot the DekaWing Robo?" She allows that can be done. They can have it do Auto-combine mode. "Boss," Hoji says firmly, then gets to his feet, "I'm going." He continues firmly, "I'm the best shot with a cannon." "Hoji..!" Kruger starts, but Ban bounds to his feet. "I'm going too, Boss!" "I will go alone!" Hoji snaps sternly. When Ban whirls to plead, he closes his eyes and turns away and lectures firmly, then finalizes with "By myself is best!" Ban leaps over and grabs his shoulders, snapping that two are better. Hoji shrugs him off and grabs him by the collar in one fluid motion. "I'm going alone." They glare at each other, neither backing down. But Kruger agrees with Hoji. "I'll leave it in your hands, Hoji." Hoji lets Ban go and ignores him, accepting with "Roger." Swan, also accepting what must happens, steps over. "Right, come on then, Hoji." She's got some things to explain to him. Out they go. Ban stands and stares numbly after them, not able to pay attention to what Kruger tells the others. Which is, of course, that they must defeat the monster. Ban stares ashen-faced after Swan and Hoji.

On a lovely screen we have all the information. The Rate of Convergene is 100%. Simulation:03>108. Inner Core 8x6E5411 (maybe) Meteorite(a.q.9) D.W.CANNON System. "Destruction is possible" reads the screen. She things that the cannon's "Super Final Buster" if that's not enough. Hoji listens fearlessly to what she's telling him. The timing must be just right, and she tells him for the sake of the Earth. But when he's about to snap "Roger," she grabs his arm and shocks him with a stern, "You have to return, Hoji." His eyes shine, but he says nothing.

And the monster digs up out of the Earth again. Kruger's got him pinpointed, and calls upon the others. Just as they're about to go, Hoji dashes into the room. He will go to do his at this same time, and tells them something faintly farewell-ish. As he's about to leap into the Shooter, Umeko calls him name. He pauses and looks questioningly at her. "When you get back, we'll all go out to the Yakiniku Restaurant together, 'kay?" she pleads highly. And they thump arms in promise. Fists with Sen, stubborn gazes with a very pale Ban. He gives Umeko a tiny hint of a smile and leaps into the Shooter. Kruger says nothing. As the Dekabase opens up to launch, Hoji is in Swat Mode and strapping himself in. The five jets blast off, form Dekawing Robo and head out into space.

The others are in the Deka Robo, riding the Deka Bike. Jasmine raises the issue first, about Hoji. Do we really all believe he'll be all right. Umeko frets that they may never see him again. Tetsu says sternly that this is nonsense, and won't happen. Sen adds his support and then calls on Ban to agree. But there's no response. A ripple of surprise goes through them. "Is Ban riding?" they wonder. "Of course I'm riding!" comes his voice over the radio. "Eh?" they all yelp. "I'm in the DekaWing Robo." And sure enough, he's on the extension. Hoji is furious. "YOU! What are you up to?!" Ban cheerfully tells him that two heads are better than one (okay, not exactly). He starts singing about it and an exasperated Hoji wonders what world he comes from, which sets Jasmine to giggling. "That's Ban!" Tetsu agrees, "He's just senior-like." And Sen gets them going. They roar in, sirens singing, at the monster. It blasts them, they blast it, it hits them electrally, Tetsu enters Robo mode and the two mecha fight. Tetsu tries to use his tornado attack, and then the Dekaranger fire their Signal Cannon. They think it's working when suddenly the monster expands, turning into a giant, double or more their size. It's to do with the proximity of the meteor, Swan says. Kruger decides to bring the Deka Base Robo into the fight.

The other boys are approaching the meteor, and together call for the Deka Wing Cannon formation. The machines obediently reconfigure. They are waiting, and waiting. As it approaches, it's gravitational/energy field shakes them. Hoji calls an order to Ban which he's happy to obey. They must keep the cannon steady. They have only one shot. Despite the buffering, they lock on. "Super Final Buster!" cries Hoji. And the cannon powers up. The two powerful blasts shoot out, impact upon the meteor. A shockwave of power and the readings say "Hit." "We did it!" crows Ban. Hoji lets out a shaken gasp of relief. They release their armor and sit in their seats, Ban grinning fit to bear and Hoji leaning his head back. But then they see something horrifying. The meteor has not been destroyed. Just the outer shell was blown off, and they can see into the molten core. "How-?" gasps Hoji. Ban mutters, "Oh this is so not true." Hoji knows it is and Ban frantically asks what they can do, buddy. "Wait!" Hoji says firmly. For he's thinking of an answer. The power levels are still half-spent. But then Ban's eyes goes wide and an expression of shaken realization crosses his face. The meteor is bearing down on them. The shining light at its heart... "That light..!" gasps Ban. "We didn't do it," sighs Hoji. Then he sternly tells Ban to get in the PatWing and go back. "What are you gonna do?" Well, he's going to fly into the heart of the meteorite and destroy it, what else. This starts the argument again, one versus two. Hoji makes a stern point which Ban says, "I understand," to. Hoji nods. Then Ban says grimly, "Later, buddy," and pushes a button on the side of his chair. The life support light flashes red in Hoji's cockpit. Startled, he looks and listens to a computer voice calling alarm. "You-!" he gasps. Ban is not smiling. Instead he is calm and firm. "Buddy," he starts firmly, then breaks into a wistful, proud smile, "can't have you miss Miwa's wedding now." The back of the cannon pulls loose. Hoji cries, "What are you doing?!" "Just wish you'd call me buddy once," Ban says. "Don't be an idiot!" yells Hoji. He taps at his control panel, but it seems he's been over-ridden. He can't even get the safety harness to release him and his struggles are futile. Frantically he pounds the panel. Ban looks at him peacefully, "See you," he says and transfers back into Swat Mode. "Buddy." He swings the main body of the cannon around while the plane Hoji's in heads back to Earth. Hoji can only look frantically over his shoulder and scream at Ban to come back. And th asteroid blows, a sheer brilliant golden ring of light in space. And Hoji can't stop shaking. He whimpers Ban's name, then screams for an answer, but none is coming. Lost and torn he turns away. "Fool! Why?" he throws his head back against the seat. "Why did you...?" His fingers are white on the grips. And at last he is entering the atmosphere. He pants an ode of sorts, complaining and mourning and raging at Ban. He fights tears and slowly loses the battle centering around Ban's wish to be his buddy. He sobs, left hand pressed against his forehead to try to regain control and after a long moment, gets it back. With a low snarl, he transfers into Swat Mode.

The monster blasts the DekaBase Robo, which it stands taller than. It blasts the other two as well. Swan staggers in her place by Kruger, in his armor. And Kruger is furious. The others agree with him. Now Kruger tries the Knee Brace beams, blasting with every step. It pains the monster, he fires the Finger Missiles and it falls. "Got it." But just then a voice, hollowed and hoarse, calls them. "This is Hoji." "Hoji!" calls Swan. Kruger asks, "The enormous meteor?" "It's blown up. There won't be a crash." They all gasp and sigh out their relief. And then Hoji tears out, "But Ban..." And they realize then they haven't heard his voice. "Ban... he's" possibly dead. Their reaction bears that out. "WHAT?!" gasps Kruger. "No way!" gasps Umeko. "Senior?!" Tetsu says disbelievingly. Sen and Jasmine echo Umeko. A shaken Swan asks, "How?" The monster is back on its feet, having had plenty of time to recover. But it finds itself under attack. Blasts fired from the skies. Hoji is attacking relentlessly. "This is for Ban. This is for my buddy," he says. He's driven to a scream of rage and revenge as he tears in on the hapless monster, and the others watch in astonishment as he takes it on. But though his blasts stun it and he avoids its return shots, he doesn't have the power. But Kruger can use the Volcanic Buster. Only the angry monster gets up from that, too, and fights back. They're startled by its strength and wondering what to do. Tetsu worries anxiously that they've lost Ban for nothing and are failing him. Hoji pants and Swan declares they can't give up, they can try attacking as one. But before anyone but Kruger can get it, a firm voice blasts onto their speakers. Ban has returned! Well, wow! The others gasps, and a startled Hoji calls his name. In the rest of the DekaWing Robo, he's swooping down to them. Hoji is so stunned he gasps, "You, are you really Ban?" "Now why would I lie?" Ban counters. Hoji is still thoroughly blown over and asks how. Ban explains how he'd flown in, stepped out atop the machines and fired his hand gun into the heart of the meteor. Boom! He'd flown out wildly through the resulting flames. It'd taken a bit, I guess, to get turned around. Hoji digests this shakily. "I couldn't have done that," he says weakly. Ban continues, "But it was so hot, I thought I was done for!" "IDIOT!" shouts Hoji, then has to fight tears again. "You...!" Ban pulls up beside him. "Missed you, buddy." Fighting a tangle of emotions Hoji throws his head back against the seat and chokes out, "You're here now. And don't call me buddy!" Ban says laughingly "Would never have heard that again if I didn't come back to Earth!" Hoji calls upon them all. He and Ban reassemble the DekaWing Cannon, dropping into the hands of the DekaBase Robo and the way smaller Bike and Deka Robos. The power the four enormous formations channel utterly destroys the monster, without even scorching the city buildings around it. "Mission complete!" crows Ban. And something more about the Megalopolis.

As promised, the six of them are out at a Yakiniku restaurant. Umeko, Tetsu and Hoji are on one side of the long table. Sen, Jasmine and Ban are the opposite. Umeko sets the speech, they've saved the world, now it's time to party! They all crow and Hoji utters a quick thanks, before they all say teh standard thanks and dig in. The meat of their meal cooks in two different barbecue pans, and they gather it up when it's ready and savor the taste. Ban teases Tetsu, who scolds "Nonsense, noisy one!" But then Ban realizes there's only one piece of a particularly favorite type of meat still in the barbecue pan! He makes a grab for it, only to find Hoji's on the same track. This starts a "You hold back, it's mine," argument. They glare fiercely at each other and coil out of their seats. Hoji growls, "What are you to me?" Ban snarls back, "Buddy!" Hoji twines his free fingers around Ban's right wrists. Ban follows suit to Hoji's. Sen notes with amusement, "They just like fighting." He take the next piece and wallows in the taste, which Tetsu appreciates. Umeko calls on the boys to quit their posturing, but it's Jasmine who decides to do something about it. "That's it!" she says, getting up. Then she leans down and bites the meat off of their chopsticks. The pair stare at her in indignant shock and she grins happily back at them. Deeply wounded, they slump back into their seats. "See, that's what you get," she tells them with a laugh, and sits down. But what Umeko tells them makes them happy, for they get to order more and Ban yells to flag down the server. Hoji and Jasmine add their voices to his.

Jamine, Umeko and Sen introduce the Dekaranger Robo. Umeko ducks out of the way so Tetsu can weave in to introduce the Dekabike Robo. Kruger and Swan move in behind him as Sen and Jasmine move out, Deka Base Robo! Swan points out the three systems' energy togther as Tetsu dashes off and Hoji puts in an appearance with Ban to say "Dekawing Cannon" and what it fired. All of them assemble around the images cut into the screen: The robots firing the DekaWing Cannon. The All-Star Ultimate Buster! "The All-Star is great," Jasmine informs us and steps so that she is at the center of the camera, a position to which Hoji and Ban object being superceded.

Episode. 44 Mortal Campaign
Well, Christmas is coming. And so is the Christmas episode. A red and silver Alienizer, who takes out Umeko and Sen, then in falling snow has Hoji down. He gets Tetsu, too. And he even takes down Kruger! He flicks Kruger's badge of office off his uniform. How rude! Our heroes face a small army of Aburera's droids, including the Iigaroids. They seem unable to change into their armor, Jasmine and Ban. Swan has to get everyone's spirits back, encouraging a shirtless Kruger. Gosh he's fuzzy. And so the team, in Swat Mode and with Kruger and Tetsu all in armor, will fight. A showdown with Aburera is the order of the day.

Hoji is on an ambulance stretcher, being hurried along. Jasmine calls him to wake up. A terrible, red bruise has begun forming on his left cheek. "Buddy, wake up!" cries Ban. There are three doctors hurrying the stretcher along. Tetsu runs along with all of them, repeatedly calling Hoji's name in a lost voice. Kruger keeps behind them. The doctors round the corner and head Hoji through a pair of doors. One man pauses to tell the Dekarangers to wait out here. He closes the door, the sign on it reads "DEKA BASE EMR AREA Emergency Medical Room". Ban mutters anxiously the question of what had happened to his buddy. Tetsu notes the one thing that stands out, Hoji's insignia was missing. Kruger notes those mark the Space Police. Possibly someone's out to get them. So Jasmine says anxiously that Umeko and Sen are currently out on patrol. "Then they're in danger," Kruger states.

Sen and Umeko receive the news on their badges. "That happened to Hoji?!" Umeko gasps. Sen states, "Roger, we'll be careful." Together they shut off their badges, nodding to each other, and move to get in their car. Then someone says, "Deka Green and Deka Pink, eh?" Startled, they wheel and stare. They face the familiar alien. Umeko snarls, "You're the one who attacked Hoji!" Together, they switch straight into Swat Mode. Kruger shouts their names into his badge. Sen gets his in-armor systems online with a clear view of the alien. Amused, he says "Merry Christmas," and charges at them. They haul out their cannons and start firing, but he deflects their bolts with his blade. Runs, jumps, slashes Sen then Umeko down. A kick to Umeko's face and then to Sen, in a moment he has them down, their armor disrupted. He kicks Umeko onto her back and takes her insignia with a flick of his blade. Sen's next, and he has them both. "Later," he mock, and leaves. Sen clutches around agony and struggles to speak into his badge, but can't before he joins Umeko in complete unconsciousness.

Aburera is quite smug. His latest hire has given him a handful of lovely badges. "Good work," he says. His companion is disappointed, though. These three were no problem, whatsoever. Aburera clearly wishes he could say the same. They are always getting in his way. The recent destruction of the monster who was calling down the asteroid, for example. He is pissed off about that. He tries to crush the badges, but they're of stronger metal, so he drops them to the cement and starts stamping on them. But his companion is in this for revenge. "On HIM," he hisses, and holds up the lovely blade.

Kruger, at base, is growling low in his throat. Ban slams a fist on the table in frustration. "Now it's Umeko and Sen-chan, too!" Jasmine utters a soft noise of agreement. Tetsu looks anguished. Swan... well, she's been busy with the data Sen sent, hahah. There is an image of the enemy, turning in holographic display. It means nothing to Tetsu, who folds his arms, but Kruger gasps aloud. "Bokuden Seijin Biscus!" he identifies the image. He quietly explains about this guy. He's no pushover. And then a signal comes from space. Numa 0 is calling Kruger. They all turn and salute. Well, Swan and Kruger only turn. News from space. It seems something else has come up out there, having to do with the stolen insignia. What, are they auctioning the things? This, of course, adds insult to injury. Numa 0 says this means war. Kruger agrees, but points out that this particular issue is Earth's problem. The power of Earth will deal with it. Ban grins in pleased joy. Numa 0 accepts this, but adds that what's happened will be long and bitterly remembered. Now Kruger salutes. They incline their heads to each other and communication is stopped. Kruger starts for the door. The kids are anxious to go, but he orders them to stay at the base. He's going to do this investigation on his own. As he marches towards the door, they race after him. Ban calls him to wait, and Tetsu says they'll go with. "Absolutely!" Jasmine puts her two cents in. He pulls rank on them with a gruff, "Those are my orders!" He leaves. They stand grumpily, and Ban pouts about what Boss is going to do. Tetsu says firmly that he can't consent and turns firmly to them. "This is not only our boss' problem, it's all ours too!" and he charges after Kruger. Ban, a bit flummoxed, calls "Hey Tetsu!" But he stays.

Tetsu, on the other hand, walks beneath a raised road or possibly train tracks. He is not leaving this purely in Kruger's hands. And his hair is startlingly black now. Looks like he got a dye-job between scenes. It looks much like the place Hoji was ambushed, but no sign of snow there and it's not the same place. And a voice from above calls, "Are you Deka Break?" Tetsu accuses "You're Biscus!" Adds a furious line about making fools of the Space Police. Into his armor to fight. And Biscus attacks. Tetsu, being all gold-badgy, gets in a solid punch to Biscus' chest which sends him rolling. But he's congratulating himself too soon. Biscus snorts and gets back up. Tetsu calls for the Sonic Hammer. Biscus waits as he charges with a scream. And then starts attacking, a powerful beam of white straight into Tetsu's armor, which crackles with white-blue energy as it is disrupted. "Merry Christmas!" Biscus tells the stunned ranger, then calls the power into his blade and attacks in a stream of snow. Tetsu is still spluttering and confused as he finds the enemy sweeping on his along frozen water that wasn't there a moment ago (or is that just for dramatic effect?) and gets hit hard. He falls, armor gone and bruises already forming on his face. Biscus snorts, kicks Tetsu onto his back and flicks off his gold badge. Tetsu lies twitching helplessly at his feet. He starts to walk away, laughing, and that is when Kruger arrives. He drops first to Tetsu's side, trying to get our latest victim to answer frantic demands. Tetsu feebly opens his eyes and chokes out, "Boss!" Somehow, this whispered word reaches Biscus' ears when Kruger shouting the boy's name did not, and he stops in his tracks. "Well it has been a long time, hasn't it, Senior Apprentice?" he says mockingly, not turning around. Kruger grinds out a rather frightened, "Biscus! You couldn't have done this to my subordinates - " he snarls, getting to his feet, "without using your dirty tricks!" This sets Biscus off and with a mad snarl he spins around, "You were the first to use dirty tricks!" he points his blade at Kruger. He makes a list of Kruger's offences, including being ma and pa's favorite, and getting his license. Kruger tries to reason with him, but he shouts "Shut up!" He goes on to blame all the bad things in his life on Kruger. In a fury, he finally launches himself to attack. Kruger manages to switch into armor and faces him as Deka Master. Ongoing "I'll show you how strong I am!" kind of things from Biscus. Their blades are equally powerful. Kruger counters about their blades, and powers his up full. Somehow during all this, Tetsu seems to have gotten out of the way of their fight. Biscus calls down his powerful attack, Kruger faces it with his. Fire and Ice.... They hit each other hard. Biscus goes up after a moment in multiple explosions. He falls to one knee as it dies down, bracing himself on the blade. A furious Kruger calls him to task, for the torment of 999 officers... I think. He pulls out his badge to pass Judgement. Biscus is caught in the field, which declares Delete. Kruger doesn't seem happy with that, but Biscus also starts pleading fo rhis life. He invokes thoughts of "their" father? Kruger can't help it, he hesitates, lowering his blade.

For the two had trained together under white lights. Kruger won, then turned to walk away. Furious Biscus had leaped on him, bringing up mother and the furious blue and white Kruger had slashed him away. But then someone else walked in, someone with suspiciously heavy feet. Biscus calls frantically "No, big bro, it's not that!" He is frantically swiping the air with his blade, while his father or something talks to a grave Kruger. Father has been worrying about Biscus, and these temper tantrums, and the dangerous power this boy can channel. He's worried for the same of the child's mother. Kruger's been training for a year. Kruger makes a promise. But Biscus takes advantage of the trouble'd Kruger's distraction, and blasts him with a face full of snow. Kruger's suit suffers energy feedback, while Biscus quickly snatches up his blade. Before Kruger can recover, Biscus slashes several times. "Merry Christmas!" Biscus snarls and tries another slash, which Kruger manages to block. But Biscus laughs, for he knows he's winning. He manages in a final shot which disrupts Kruger's armor and fells him. Biscus slams a foot down on Kruger's left shoulder to keep him in place. Kruger gasps out an angry accusation about what's next, but Biscus mocks him and flicks away his jeweled badge. He kicks Kruger in the face hard, and then tosses the badge up, into Agent Aburera's greedy hands. Aburera laughs, and Kruger sees him. "Agent Aburera! So you're pulling his strings!" But Aburera is highly amused. Yes, he's succeeded just on Earth with finally striking fear into the hearts of the Space Police! After all, if they can't stop the murdering Alienizer on Earth.... Anyway, there are only two Dekaranger left, and Aburera flies away. "Wait!" gasps Kruger. Biscus mocks him and heads off.

Hoji, Sen and Umeko in hospital beds with oxygen masks on their faces. Tetsu beside them. Kruger has the dubious thanks of only being bandaged, and he looks at his injured personnel gravely. He is badely shaken, a tremor in his breathing. "Boss!" comes a cry. Ban tearing into the room, Jasmine a step behind. They want out to fight. He doesn't want them to expose themself. Ban pouts angrily at the restriction. He reasons that this is Earth's problem. But Kruger tells them Biscus is not alone, he's working for Agent Aburera who put in an appearance. "This makes it the Space Police's problem." "BUT-" Jasmine starts. He doesn't let her go on, telling them that they can't beat Biscus. Ban clenches his fist and refuses to accept that, sternly pointing out facts to Kruger. Jasmine nods her agreement with his reasoning. "And what will happen if you're defeated?" Kruger breaths shakily. They refuse to believe that'll happen. They nod to each other and charge out. Swan watches them pass with a wry smile, then heads in to where Kruger is worrying about them. She reasons with him, too, and tells him he can't do this by himself either, scolding.

And our young pair charge out to a gravel pit, where they meet Biscu. Ban demands to know where Aburera is. Though Biscus laughs, Aburera comes in multi-bat form to meet them. He forms in front and to the right of Biscus, which startles them. "Ooh, so you came!" he mocks them. "This means the big even of my Christmas Campaign can begin." They yell about not forgiving him and stopping him. He is suitably unimpressed. A snap of his fingers, and four Iigaroids join the company. They toss out blue orbs, and a host of Anaroids commanded by four Battsuroids are there. Okay, the kids have to admit that's intimidating. Their mouths hang open and they stare. But Ban recovers quickly and says what he thinks of this. The pair change into their armor, and Aburera sends the Anaroids and Battsuroids charging. Ban tangles with an Iigaroid, using a Batssuroid as a shield and then firing until he takes that one down. He and Jasmine end up back-to-back. She says, "There are too many!" He doesn't agree. But as their enemies charge the pair, help comes at last. Umeko, Sen and Hoji have recovered, arrived in their armor and are fighting. They down several of the enemy and join the two, Hoji asking, "Are you all right, Ban, Jasmine?" Ban, surprised, gasps "What? My buddies y'all are okay?" Jasmine is equally shocked, but Umeko reassure her they've recovered. Hoji points out, "You aren't Earth's ONLY Special Police." Tetsu arrives with some well-chosen blasts and flips in to join them. He scolds Ban for thinking nonsense. Sen points out breathily that they can do this together. Ban is reeling with joy but stutters that they are being unreasonable. However, Kruger argues that point. He's come, too. Not in armor, though. So he calls the group to show Earth's power. He changes into his armor. The five enter Swat Mode, and it's time to do the speeches about fighting evil and arresting bad guys. Tetsu adds his, and of course Kruger says his. So the seven of them face Aburera, who gets pissed and tries a blast. Now the heroes charge through the robots like knives through soft butter (only with explosions). Kruger goes up against Biscus, but says it's time to put his duty before his promise to the other one's father. They both fight with their powerful blades. It's a shame what will surely happen to the mad Biscus'. Tetsu gets tumbled by Aburera, who the group blast, but find he isn't destroyed, and he sends them for a loop. And Kruger tells poor Biscus that he isn't worth it. When Biscus tries his ice blast, Kruger evades it this time. So Biscus falls hard against some crates containing conveniently explosive materials. The kids jump Aburera, who finds himself becoming overwhelmed by their attacks. They blast him hard, and the gathered badges slip from his fingers and fly conveniently into the hands of their owners. Well, except Ban gets Kruger's.

Speaking of whom, he's looking quite good. Biscus is not. Biscus wanted to be Kruger's great foe. Well, no luck there. Kruger slices him in half, and he blows up. Our man sheathes his blade, then dashes over to join the kids who face a royally pissed off Aburera. But Agent Aburera laughs at them. "You think you've won?" he mocks. "What?" they wonder. "What" is an enormous mecha, honeycombed and spined. They gasp and take a step back. It is another edition of one they've fought before, Big Drawer. This one that a good alien had come with, so long ago. Aburera hastens to fly aboard it. A signal interupts them. Swan has brought the Deka Base Crawler out here and wants them aboard. They leap inside and call for Deka Base Robo. Everyone's already in their safe rooms. Aburera is annoyed, and uses the Slaugher Beam. It shakes them, but doens't stop them. "Knee Brace Beam!" yells Kruger. Great golden blasts from his knees. Ban fires the Finger Missiles. Aburera tries to it them again, but Kruger counters with the Volcanic Buster. The beams meet... the Deka Group snarl for effect, but finally win this round. Their blast hits Big Drawer. Ban cheers that they of Earth are the better. Abrurera did not go down with his ship. He lands on a cliff and glares up at them. "Damn you Earth-people! I'll get you for this (and your little dog Toto, too)!" He's gone in a sweep of his cape.

As the sun sets, they all are outside, and Ban's frustrated pride makes him declare war. Hoji adds that they will protect the peace of Earth. Sen adds that the Space Police also won't be beat. Jasmine adds her note that there is no doubt, Tetsu fiercely agrees. Umeko does, too. Kruger stands tall and notes that with this they'll surely defeat Agent Aburera. The six Earth-humans salute, "Roger!" and the narrator tells us that Agent Aburera will surely soon be erased.

Today, Swan is out with iodine for everyone's screpes, bumps and bruises. Jasmine and Ban are pleased as kittens, because they don't have to endure the burning sensation. Sen howls softly when he gets his. Umeko throws her head back in a silent cry, Hoji writhes when his scraped stomach gets it and whirls against the wall with a "Oh my god!" Tetsu fatalistically pulls up his shirt so she can get at the scrape on his back. Kruger thinks he's escaped it, but she turns to him. "You, too, Doogie!" Only she pulls out a syringe full of stuff. In terror, he throws up his hands and tells her frantically, "Oh no, I'm all right!" while Ban doubles over with laughter and the others eagerly watch to see what he does. Outside the base we hear a pained howl.

Episode. 45 Accidental Present
Ban is run into by a heavy person in a bright pink wig (I wondered what happened to Lila's hair after Timeranger). Three SPD officers dressed in black try to drag that person off of him. There is a weird doll with a death's skull on its tassle, Jasmine must touch it. When she does a voice speaks through her ghastly, "I'm always watching you." Jasmine seems to faint. The eye in the doll's head rolls (I'm thinking Alienizer here). Hoji and Ban wander the halls together, and find a heavily armored red alien. There is a floating pupae (or is it a really big grub?) It attacks them. There is a memory of a smiling boy with bright eyes, holding a pink kerchief (likely Umeko's). Yes, it is her, all stunningly lovely and dressed up, and her teammates are watching from behind the shelter of trees in surprise. She's got a boyfriend. And Swan is swooning over something. Is the boyfriend really the enemy? And there is someone who dresses up like Swan, wearing her clothes... oooh, I think it's the boy Umeko likes. Our heroes are getting wrapped up in long ropes of white hair. Tetsu gets pinched hard by Jasmine. Ban accuses a startled Sen of something, and the doll watches.... Hoji, Swan, everyone. Jasmine out, lovely and stunning, smiles a warm greeting to someone.

Kruger would proably say he has it worse. His desk is piled higher and deeper in year-end paperwork. He goes through it methodically one paper at a time, sighing as he gets one finished only to move onto the next. He glances up, probably glad for the break, as the exhausted Ban and Tetsu wander in. Ban staggers to the table and whines at Jasmine. She's not too sympathetic. She, Hoji and Umeko are going through paperwork, too. As Ban collapses into his chair, Tetsu wanders by and utters his own complaints. Umeko, ever energetic, nudges him with her elbow and tells him this is the year's stuff. Seems to accuse him of being a baby, and he protests that feebly, uttering words like "bored" and so forth. Then Sen comes in with a package in his left hand. Ban flares to his feet, all traces of exhaustion gone. "Is it for me?!" Hoji glances up critically, notes that it's come by Space-post, and gets back to work. Ban eagerly snatches the package from Sen's hand. Sen says something about not having bought anything, when Hoji holds out a hand without looking up and says firmly, "Wait." He adds they should check to see what's inside, but then finds it's too late. Looking chagrined, Ban has to admit he's already started opening it. All of them respond with disapprowing shrieks. Panicking, Ban tosses the suspicious package onto the middle of their table. They all take nervous steps back, but nothing happens. Finally they approach cautiously, curious to see what's inside. The lid is only open, not off. Hoji snatches it off quickly and they all jump back. Packed in pink bubble-wrap lies an UGLY doll. It is black and white, has a mouth full of teeth and one enormous, blue eye. The eye moves. It also has a green and red wing. Possibly two.

They've sat it up amongst the paperwork. Umeko shrinks behind Ban and says shiveringly that it looks like a curse-doll, and is scary. Ban, arms folded across his chest wonders "A curse-doll?" Hoji straightens up and wonders who sent it, and why. Kruger suggests Jasmine take a look. She says "Roger," and goes to oblige. Setting her bare hand on the thing's hood, she closes her eyes. "Jasmine, do you get it?" Tetsu asks anxiously. Sen hisses to silence him and he apologizes in a whisper. Kruger utters a restless grrf, Ban watches intently, ducking his chin to his chest. Only Hoji looks normally thoughtful. Finally, Jasmine speaks. "I the forgotten am ***." (I don't know what she said, sorry) The others all gasp. "When I see you, I surely will come to meet you." Her eyes open, wide and bottomless, then she falls backwards like a doll herself. Umeko is fast to reach her side and help the gasping woman up. "Are you okay?" Jasmine nods, but manages to say what she felt. "The thoughts are incredibly strong," she notes, rubbing her temple, "but the whole last year or something it's been close." Kruger puzzles over who must have sent it. Ben considers, "Who was it talking about?" Sen is considering, then Hoji suggests, "Could it be Ban?" "ME?!" squawks Ban.

Flashback city. There was the alien Maira, whose lion-like lover, Sheiku, was an explosives expert, and who Ban had gotten involved with while on a stakeout (episodes 9 & 10). Hoji coolly reminds us of that. And there is a later incident, with the little pig-like alien which matured into a lovely girl who Ban had protected. Then there was a battle against one of the Devil Captures, another battle with a red mecha. The first time Ban took the Deka Robo and boarded Tetsu's Deka Bike (that was fighting the God Pounder, it may have been the aforementioned red mecha). Jasmine teases that the doll must be for Ban, who takes that with irritation. Tetsu shoves them apart and points out that they need to find out who REALLY sent the doll and who to. Ban pretends to think about it, then decides... "It's Sen!" Sen nearly jumps out of his shoes in surprise. Sheepishly he does allow that he's been highly involved. Flashback city again. When he'd held out his hand and invited Flora to join him, while the creature who'd made her (episodes 15 & 16) moved to fire on him. Umeko agrees whiningly that Sen has certainly faced his share of terrors. "I'll protect Flora!" Sen in his armor had snarled, and punched Meteusu. Not to mention when he'd gone up against the water-alien, Karsasu (Episode 6) and she'd blasted him into a wall, only to find that barely slowed him down. More recently when he chased a terrified alien criminal into space, shouting that this was enough playing. Kruger considers, but doesn't think they're any closer to an answer. They all sigh, and Hoji starts for the door. Curious, Jasmine asks where he's going. In English he replies, "Time in money," then switches back to Japanese to point out it's time for him to do some training. This gets Sen back on the track. He asks what about previous training. This brings to mind, Hoji confirms, when he trained to fight Jiban, episode 26. When he'd fought on, bruised and bleeding, and defeated the red alien. Jasmine whirls from the computer and tells them that Jiban returned to Earth a month ago. "That's it!" crows Ban. Sen suggests calmly that they go have a talk with him. Hoji agrees. "I'm going." He starts off. "I'm going too, buddy!" sings Ban and charges after him. The doll sits, and its one eye rolls around seeming to search the room.

Hoji and Ban wander gray corridors side by side until they come upon Jiban, sitting and concentrating. They stop and stare, then Hoji says quietly, "It's been a long time, Jiban." When he doesn't respond, Ban says somewhat loudly, "What were you planning, sending that doll?" Jiban grunts and turns to look at them. Behind him is an iron bar, beyond it a brick wall. He turns with a grim comment and stands tall. Ban girds himself for a fight. And the background behind Jiban suddenly moves, being carted away by a young man. Now there is only a mountain of flowers and the whole atmosphere has changed. "I didn't send anything!" laughs Jiban. They realize they are in a filming studio. Jiban tells them he's changed his whole life. They gape as he dances around, a toolbelt hanging from his waist. He's gone into television, he tells them. As he explains, holding out something that looks vaguely like scissors, and indignant young man comes over and whaps him with scissors, scolding for he's supposed to be doing something else now. Off he drags the red alien, who sheepishly says bye to the two officers. They leave the building, Hoji more than a bit confused. Ban skips out and turns saying, "Well isn't that a relief, buddy!" Irritated, Hoji says "Don't call me buddy," which doesn't change Ban's happy mood at all. Following behind him, Hoji wonders "If it wasn't Jiban, then who?" Before he can think about it, a strange, ribbed silvery thing swings at them and Ban does an uncoordinated tumble to avoid it. Hoji is hit, though, and falls hard on his back. "Buddy!" cries Ban and leaps to his side. But the silvery thing, insectoid with fingers hanging off the top which seems to have eyes, is coming at them again. The thing's says something indignant and flies off.

Back at DekaBase, it turns out what it had said was an angry complaint that the women weren't there. Umeko repeats it in confusion. Jasmine comes over, "It really said that?" she asks. Ban, ire up, pouts and nods confirmation. Sen had responded to all this by upending himself against the wall and says "I got it!" They look pleadingly to him for confirmation. He looks amused and nostalgic telling them that this thing was not sent as a threat. This is a love letter. "Eh?!" gasps Ban. Umeko and Jasmine stutter "A Love Letter?!" The doll sits atop the table, now seeming more innocent. Sen picks it up and tells them calmly, "This strange doll is a present." Teasing, he pitches his voice low pointing out that Ban and Hoji's traditional jealousy, well, with them there are no girls nearby to be interested. As one, Umeko and Jasmine say dreamily, "This it must be meant for me!" The boys stare at them. Umeko snatches the doll from Sen's hands, waxing delight as the thing is no longer a figure of fear for her, but a romantic gift from a secret admirer. "Isn't this doll just the cutest thing?" she delights. Jasmine grabs for it next. "It's just there's so much passion represented here!" They start to tussle over the doll, tossing light insults back and forth. Tetsu uncertainly tries to get between them, "Um, hello?" but they wrestle past him without the slightest notice. Ban can't figure out their behaviour at all. And Kruger has come to their side, looking nonplussed himself. "Well, girls are like that," Hoji says with amusement. All five of the men nod agreement. Sen suddenly stiffens, "Ah, Umeko, I get it!" He heads over to where the girls are in a tug-of-war and points out that he thinks the one who would send such a strange doll is probably, um, um, "Arupachi?" suggests one of the men behind him. "Yeah, Arupachi." Umeko pauses in the struggle to look dismayed. "Arupachi?"

Flashback again. Episode 24: "Don't give me my son back!" The strange alien, whose grammar was always reversed, who'd held Tetsu hostage. Umeko doesn't want him to be the one. Someone suggests it could be from Emi, the lovely green baby alien from episode 12. "She's just a baby!" snarls Umeko, remembering how that one had called her "Mama." Tetsu, foolishly ignorant of the dangers, notes that of course Umeko gets along well with babies and animals. She responds by punching him in the gut. "What are you saying?" she snarls. Jasmine goes to pull her away before her temper gets worse for him, as he huddles over the pain. But Jasmine is also happy, for she suspects the doll is most likely for her. While Umeko gets ready to wrestle for it again, Tetsu uncertainly tries to cool the situation down. Hoji, however, thinks back to try to figure out who might be sending Jasmine a romantic gift.

Well, there was the alien, a more recent battle, imprisoned for being a thief who'd helped track down his murderous brother. Niwande. There was also the elderly alien, a retired copy, seeking revenge for his murdered daughter. Tetsu foolishly notes that would be the loony and the very old. Jasmine's punch takes him under his left ribs. Kruger has settled back down at his desk to continue the paperwork. As Jasmine coldly snarks at Tetsu, Umeko returns. She is happy to agree that a loon or an old man only would be interested in Jasmine. Again the pair start their vicious tug of war. Finally, Kruger utters an annoyed, barking cough. Quickly shoving the doll behind her back, Umeko and Jasmine wheel at attention to him. "Either one of you, it's still troublesome." Indeed it is. Sen wanders over behind Hoji and Ban and has a problem clearing his throat as he suggests, "We should use a lure to bring the culprit out." Hoji agrees, it could be a murderer. After all, it did attack them. So Tetsu greets Sen's suggestion eagerly. The girls are also excited. The kids do an enthusiastic qoute for us involving their activities of today.

Thus elegant legs clad in soft, brown leather boots, parade along the sidewalk. Tall, slim, in a light gray long jacket... Jasmine. She wears a necklace of deep, red stones. Suddenly someone says "Where?" and she looks excitedly over. There is a man, wending through the pedestrians. He wears glasses and scratches his head anxiously. Umeko starts towards him, carefuly holds up a yellow handkerchief and whispers, "Over here," letting it fall as she passes him. He gasps "Oh!" and charges forward. Jasmine wheels, smug at having caught him so quickly. But the man she pegged never noticed the handkerchief and walks right on it. She looks dismayed and gapes. He's found what he was looking for, kissing with relief what appears to be a piece of paper. Off he goes, and Jasmine unhappily signals home to protest that she's been wallking around here for three hours and forty five minutes!! The others pop up from hiding on the next level walkway. Waiting like this has been no picnic for them, either. Sen hisses furiously at her, "Jasmine, you're not supposed to use your license and SOMEONE WILL HEAR YOU!!" Ban whines a bit that whoever it is hasn't come, but Sen gently points out that they have to do the second now, since it obviously wasn't Jasmine (and he looks very apologetic at her when he has to say that). Jasmine is not happy with that and blames them, but Hoji keeps her from throwing a hissy fit. He points out that their plan here was perfect. Umeko shoves him aside and points out smugly that now it's her turn to be bait. Demonstrating that the badges are more useful than previously appeared, she uses it as the Sailor Moon kids do their cellphones (the live series, folks) and changes into her undercover outfit. A rather cute dress sitting halfway up her thighs, boots well below her knees, and a white jacket atop. She'll freeze! Tetsu loses his balance in the surprise and Sen steadies him. Hoji and Ban stand tall to get a better view. Tetsu eyes her and tilts his head with a mild, "Nonsense." Umeko smirks. Jasmine, whose clothing covers much more of her skin, gapes in indignition. "I'm Earth's Cuty Angel, Umeko-chan!" *sigh*

So she takes her stakout, a pink handkerchief in her hands, stilleto heels on her boots. When a young man walks by, she drops her hankerchief unsubtly in front of his feet. He doesn't notice and she crossly gathers it back up. She is rather aggressive, tossing it in front of every young man passing by, to most of their clear confusion. Finally she's tiring out and furiously slams her kerchief down on the ground. "He's never coming!" she snaps, and stomps off. Behind her, someone reaches down and picks it up. "Hey!" he calls uncertainly after her. She halts and whirls about hopefully. The others, badly hidden behind a tree and bracing poles, watch with excited interest. Jasmine is not a happy camper. The boy, frightfully cute and familiar, though I can't quite place his face but I'm thinking the Sailor Moon series might have had him as a guest once, too, steps forward with a smile. Umeko is all soft light and eagerly clasping her hands (yes, her prince has come). "Who are you?" she breathes. "Now - " he starts. "Now?" she asks. Whoops. He's a very annoyed young man and shoving the handkerchief at her. "We're filming here now!" he snaps. "Didn't you notice?" She stares around in dismay. Sure enough, She's walked into the middle of a film-shoot, and they've reached the end of their patience. Guys with sound mikes, a lovely and annoyed young actress clutching a fur coat tightly around her shoulders while another woman hovers with a backup blanket at her side. Behind Umeko sits the director and a camera-man, and Jiban is there being a gopher. He holds the card to start the filming of a scene. Everyone is really anxious for Umeko to get out of the way. Umeko is still stuttering in confusion when Jiban moves at the director's bidding to help get her off the walkway. The other Dekaranger watch in surprise, though Jasmine giggles into her palm. "I got it!" Tetsu suddenly crows. As Umeko joins them and they turn to him he points out, "It isn't only Jasmine and Umeko who've faced the criminals. "Then WHO?" snap both girls. He stands nervously and says, "Well, it's not Jasmine or Umeko, but another woman at the Dekabase...." Then when he realizes he hiccoughs in surprise.

Swan turns from her readouts in her office. "Me?" she asks, clasping her hands together in delight. Kruger is not taking this well. He utters a small dismayed sound at her reaction and looks down. Tetsu apologizes profusely for not thinking of her before and even smacks himself. So Swan says she's going to go ahead and be the lure but it's hard to say who reacts faster, Kruger or Tetsu. Kruger shoves Ban back into the others and says "You're not going!" "You can't go!" Tetsu is saying at the same time. He says firmly, "We certainly can't expose Swan to any sort of danger." Kruger frantically nods. Swan stands and says gently, "Oh, I'll be all right. I've trained for a long time." She punches at the air to show them and adds a graceful kick. Ban and the girls applaud happily. Tetsu snaps "That's nonsense!" and Kruger grunts thankful agreement. "It's no good," Tetsu continues. Swan nearly sighs and points out, "If I don't do this, how will you catch the criminal?" The girls agree with her. "I'll do it!" *sigh* Tetsu. As one the others gasp, "Huh?!" Well, well, well.

So except for being WAY too tall and having entirely the wrong body language... he IS wearing a wig and Swan's colors. Tetsu wanders out, heading down the stairs, tossing the hair back from his shoulders and winking. Along he goes, The other five Dekaranger and Kruger hiding pathetically behind a nearby tree. Sen's is stifling laughter behind his hands. Kruger growls furiously, "Who is after Swan?" And ye insect-cocoony thing bobs down in front of Tetsu, who gasps and yelps, "Who are you?" then remembers to add a girlish, "nano?" The cocoon hovers at the end of a string they didn't even try to hide. "I found you," it says in a menacing, male voice. The Dekaranger and Kruger all gasp. Ban yelps, "He came out! Let's go, Boss!" and starts to charge at the pair. The others dash after him. The cocoon turns and sees them coming, "You stay out of my way!" it snarls. From the tiny red holes spring strands of webbing. All six charging people go down, arms and legs wrapped. Tetsu stares in shock, Kruger's muzzle is even bound shut and he curses, possibly. "You d-" Tetsu is having a tough time staying in character, but he stays, doing Swan moves and annoucing himself as Swan Shiratori. "Shiratori Swan, eh?" replies the hovering cocoon. Then its voice changes to a differenct, non-menacing eagerness. "I knew you'd have a lovely name!" "Eh?" gasps Tetsu. He is echoed by his struggling teammates. Kruger tries hard to speak thru the webbing, but can't. The cocoon bulges and soon splits. A red head, both insectoid and squirrel-like, pokes out of it. A creature dressed in a suite, with green and red banded arms and legs. He has some brown fuzz on his head and elbow joints, too. He is an Amorean, named Barcho. With eager giggle, he charges the startled Tetsu, drives him back incidently against a wall and into a panic. "Stay away from me!" yelps Tetsu and punches him frantically in the face. The alien falls over, then bounces back up. It utters on and on about being in love with er... her. "Hey, you're wrong! I'm not Swan!" Tetsu yelps, forcing the alien off of him. He pulls off her jacket and orange sweeps to reveal his own blue and white uniform beneath. "I am Tekkan Aira!" he snarls, pulling off the hair ornaments he'd stuck in. "What?" asks Barcho. "You're real name is Tekkan Aira?" "Yeah, and you're under arrest!" Tetsu snaps, pulling out a pair of cuffs. "Aira... Tekkan?" Barcho repeats again. "Yeah, why?" But Barcho hugs himself. "That's a wonderful name! I spit on Shiratori Swan!" and he grinds the metaphorical name into the dust. Giggling, he delights in the true name and Tetsu gapes in total confusion. "Huh?" Finally, the alien realizes what he's saying. "Mama-mai! Don't you remember?" Tetsu, still in his Swan-wig, puts his hands on his hips and tries to puzzle this out while his team-mates lie behind him and listen intently. They exchange puzzled glances, equally confused. Barcho finally explains, "When fate brought the two of us together at the illlegal meeting!" he is waxing on, whirling about. He wails through assorted writhings of horror and dismay at finding the love of his life remembers him not. Tetsu tries, hand on his chin, thinking and thinking hard. Finally it comes to him. Way back, episode 26. He's dressed as a woman in order to enter the fight club unrecognized. I wonder if he ever thought what he looked like. A slender woman with mile-long legs in a clinging driss that rode high on his thighs. Sure as heck scared me. He'd ended up passing a little old alien, brown of face with a shock of gray hair atop who'd nearly slobbered all over him. "Miss, will you have a drink with me?" the alien had said, pawing at his shoulders. "Later," he'd answered, poking flirtatiously at its nose. Then he'd joined the others in watching Hoji fight Jiban. He'd sat with the alien and cheered Hoji's win, avoided getting hugged. Shoved the clinging creature off of him repeatedly and called encouragement to Hoji as the alien whimpered, "I love you!" Oh dear, he does remember now. "I've been searching for you for SO long!" Barcho tells him. New, and young appearing now, this alien. It had taken him a while to figure out that Tetsu was a memember of Earth's Space Police. But then he'd entered his chrysalis stage. "Do you know now?" Barcho begs. Once again, Tetsu, looking bewildered, finds himself ducking the alien's efforts to hug him. So he'd sent something. The horrid little doll. "You mean that weird doll?" Tetsu asks uncertainly. "You saw it?" aks Barcho. And it had caused quite a bit of alarm. "Oh, I was so afraid you'd have someone else!" Barcho wails. And so he'd watched through the camera eye. And seen the face he longed for amongth them. Tetsu nearly shrieks as he realizes. And now his search is over. Tetsu panics as his would-be-love goes after him. The others, knowing themselves completely safe, have untangled the webs around them and are all standing up. They watch with mild confused interest as Tetsu frantically tries to tell Barcho that he's a man, tossing off the wig. "O?" wonders Barcho. "Yeah, you thought I was a woman. But I'm really a man." Deeply puzzled, Barcho asks "Man? What is that?" "Huh?" stutters Tetsu. "I don't come from this star!" Barcho cries, and goes after Tetsu again, trying to wrap him in its arms. Tetsu's best arguments proven too weak, he just doesn't know what to do, and tries to push Barcho away. Jasmine, watching, calmly calls up data on Amoreans. It seems they don't have different sexes, she calls out to Tetsu. "What?" he yells back. His erstwhile lover leaps on him and starts kissing him. As his friends watch and helpfully giggle, Kruger sighs, "Thank heavens it wasn't Swan. Much better it's Tetsu." Sen yawns, now that the excitement is over. "Le's go back," he mutters and turns away. "Yeah, this went perfect," agrees Hoji and wanders after him. "It's cold out here!" They all head off, leaving poor Tetsu to deal on his own. Frantic, he switches into his Deka Brake uniform, wastes time announcing himself. "Deka Brake?" asks Barcho. "Yeah, I'm a police officer, and I'm going to arrest you!" But this means no more than anything else to Barcho. He is only wonderful, in Barcho's eyes, with beautiful names and when Tetstu uses the Tornado Fist, Barcho hops out of the way, but gets hit by the Electro Fist, then the Fire Fist, both of which only feed Barcho's desire. He catches Tetsu in his webs and comes to... er... consumate their love. Tetsu frantically calls for the others, who are continuing away. Umeko and Jasmine make fun of the poor boy, and send everyone into giggles. "Thank you!" Barcho calls to the gods, then sits down and starts kissing Tetsu's helmet. The whole team helpfully giggles and ignores this to tell us, their watchers, a Happy New Year and keep watching. Tetsu wails "Help me!"

Into the night, and Tetsu finally gets the webbing off of him, kicking Barcho away. He might even go so far as to try to delete the other, but he can't do that, and his friends are still watching this comic show. Then a distant bell rings and they realize that it's 2005. Ban leaps and crows, "Happy New Year!"

Episode. 46 Propose Panic
Life must throw these little twists. A picture on Umeko's cellphone of her and a spike-haired young man, all cozy together. A boy and a girl woven pair of dolls. Her boyfriend blows a kiss at her from the road. "Do you want to marry me?" he asks her. At an aquarium, he gives her a rose and slips an engagement ring on her finger. Murphy jumps at her, and she is running down a parking lot. Aburera is involved with an alien whose face we don't see, and Sen has really upset her, for Umeko cries "I hate Sen!" A beautiful, pink rose with a drop of crystal clear liquid. Umeko stands with the boy doll in her hands. Sen charges wildly along a road. Lots of fighting and a bit of heartache.

The Deka Bike roars in pursuit of an airborne enemy. The mecha is the Hunter Jet 2. It ignores Tetsu's calls to stop. The others catch up cheerfully, and are starting to chatter, (Jasmine says something which Sen thinks is long) when the Hunter Jet fires missiles at them. They blow up most and avoid the rest, Umeko calling for formation. The Deka Wing Robo. Hoji starts to call orders, but Umeko doesn't give him the chance. She takes command of the fight. Tetsu is trying to pick up data, but Umeko kicks the Hunter Jet out of the skies, slams it to the streets and kicks in down. The others give up and just hand on for the ride. Hoji asks, "What's with her today?" Ban is bewildered, too. Sen is the only one who has a clue and he's a bit shy of saying. Tetsu calls to tell them the pilot is one of the mecha-men. A Battsuroid, actually, and it hears him say that and is alarmed. Umeko, furious, shoves the Deka Bike Robo out of the way and kicks. Her pink mecha flies at the Hunter Jet. The cockpit glass on the mecha caves in, and the Battsuroid finds a small bundle of pink wearing SWAT black flying at it. She grabs it by the throat and tosses him out of the cockpit. The others stand and stare numbly, until Hoji stutters, "Unbelievable." Ban follows with "I'm amazed." Jasmine says much the same, and Tetsu breathes, "Nonsense." In the Hunter Jet's cockpit, Umeko announces the mission is complete, leaps flipping out, lands, lets her armor down and waves farewell to the others. Off she darts at high speeds. They watch her go, still in some shock. Sen laughingly comments that love makes you strong. When the other four startle and ask him about it, he pleads the fifth.

Umeko tears to her destination. She sees him and skids to a halt to let her hammering heart slow down. He's still waiting for her. Well, sort of waiting. He's on the phone, nodding slightly to what he hears. She smiles and skips to him. He's talking about contracts when she peers around his back. Finally he gets off the phone and she wraps her arms around his waist in a quick hug. "Hironobu-san!" Laughing, he greets her and pockets his phone. "Koume-chan!" She apologizes for being late. He assures her affectionately he wasn't bothered. "That phone call was work?" she asks, then asks a different question, "How late are you free today?" He checks his watch and says 13:15. Great, maybe I was wrong about what she said earlier. "Oh I see. Of course, just one hour." But brightening because she is that way she says, "So, today we - " and is cut off as he lays his hand affectionately on her head (they have laws about pedophiles in this country!!! Okay, mental immaturity is not the same). "Perhaps over there?" he asks her laughingly. She giggles like a four year old.

They go to a Sea-World thing! There is a lovely black and white porpoise in the water wiggling along the surface. Gray dolphins take rings from their dinosaur-clad trainer's hands. Umeko and Hironobu applaud from the stands. Gray dolphins do leaping tricks from the water. One leaps high to tap a hanging ball with its nose. The splash from its landing sends water that splatters the happy Umeko. She laughs and her boyfriend wipes the excess from her cheek. They go to see the penguins, left wings banded. Umeko makes penguin noises at them. Fish in massive tanks, so massive in fact that you can stand out the window and peer in. Umeko waves at her boyfriend from the other side of the tank, and he smiles and waves back at her, innocence personified. They meet in the middle and she pulls him on to the next place. A manta swims like flying. This is a huge tank, the wall they're at seems as big as a small movie screen. Umeko moves away from the glass to comment on how today is so wonderful. And she has a gift for him. The little girl doll. She'd made it herself, a gift from the heart. She has the boy one and points out that they are always together. He understands and glows at her. "So it's important," he says happily. "I've something for you, too." She looks startled. He slips from some mysterious pocket a sweet, pink rose. In his hand it blooms, and within the blossom sits a delicate, silver ring with a single, perfect diamond. Umeko stares in shock. "That's - " she breathes. He delicately slips it from between the petals. His face sets in planes of seriousness. "I want to marry you." He takes her left hand and carefully slips the ring onto the appropriate finger. Umeko pulls her hand back, clutching the boy doll tight. She looks stunned. She doesn't meet his gaze but whispers, "Can you wait just a little?" Her shock seems to be that she hadn't imagined he would REALLY want to marry her. He is dismayed by her reaction, however, he bravely says, "Right, then I'll wait for your good answer." Clutching the doll for dear life, she stares at the floor and nods. Then he notices the time. He has to go. She bravely accepts that and nods. He reaches out, warm fingers to her soft chin, tilting her head up and she closes her eyes. His tender kiss is on her forehead, so don't get excited. Beyond them the fish swim, and he draws away from her. She asks if he doesn't mind she keeps the boy doll. He smiles and tells her he understands its important. He tells her not to hurry, and she relaxes and leans her head against his chest. "Thank you," she whispers.

Ban has Sen in a head-lock. It seems he's resenting the lack of mention of Umeko's love life. The others watch him drag Sen across the room. "Why are you head-locking me?" Sen manages to groan. Kruger is pondering the information. Jasmine folds her arms, eyes dancing. Ban releases Sen to crow about getting married. Jasmine, though, goes over to Murphy. "It's not easy to both work and be married," she tells the whining dog. Hoji stands beside Tetsu and says, "If she quits, I'll miss her." "Nonsense!" Tetsu says firmly. "It's not decided yet, you know." "That's true," Hoji agrees with an encouraged smile. Then the doors slide open and Swan walks in. She has a tray full of three, strange mushrooms. They have a small, blue top and thick white stems. Jasmine knows these mushrooms. Ban is bewildered. Swan explains that these mushrooms allow a person one hour in which they can influence someone's feelings? Read them? They are pondering what kind of trouble someone can cause with these mushrooms. Swan decides Murphy needs to help with this. She takes one over for him to smell. He doesn't want to do it, but she scolds him and puts the mushroom in front of his nose. "You got it? You find people who smell like this, okay?" and she pats him. At that moment the doors slide open again. Umeko walks in and announces happily, "Koume-chan is home!" she is doing up her hair. But Murphy barks fiercely. Growling, he leaps out from under a startled Swan's hands and runs at Umeko. Panting, he growls and leans on the girl. "Hey, hold on Murphy!" she protests. "He's barking," comments Jasmine. "I know," Ban says smugly and shoves Hoji out of his way. "Murphy's jealous about Umeko, 'cuz of her date!" he hooks arms with Tetsu. But beyond them, Sen is staring and he does not look happy at all. "He's mad at you!" half-laughs Ban. While Umeko complains of Murphy's behaviour, even Jasmine agrees. But Sen doesn't move, his expression slowly sliding to bewilderment and he scratches his head. Umeko apoologizes to Murphy, while Ban tries to pull the dog off of her and gets chomped for his troubles. But Sen is still following trails of thought. The Psycho Mushroom, effects last for one hour.... "One hour?!" he gasps, as thoughts lead inexoribly to what Umeko had told him this morning. "He's so busy, we can never spend more than an hour together." Ban and Hoji have managed to rescue Umeko by lifting Murphy off the floor in their arms. No one but Sen has placed any emphasis on what's happened. and on Umeko's left ring-finger, a delicate silver band shines. Sen, gut curdling with suspicion, stares.

Agent Aburera meets with someone who is more than a bit upset about the Psycho Mushrooms. Someone who doesn't like waiting. A white faced creature, armored bones, long ears. The reason for his upset is the woman he's proposed to. Aburera finds it amusing. Indignant, he says's he'll be back in a jiffy, and goes away. Aburera is amused because there isn't much time left, I guess. It seems he has a big project in the works for dealing with the Space Police he loathes.

Sen has gotten Umeko alone. "What's the matter, Sen?" she asks him. "What do you want to talk about?" They stand in a darkened room. Sen's hair vanishes into the blackness above them. His face is white with upset, though he keeps his expression still. He has to force himself to ask about the ring on her finger. She giggles when he does this. "He's proposed, and so early." She smiles. But when Sen says nothing, stares up at him and pouts. When she slaps playfully at him, he grabs her wrist in an iron grip. He says painfully, "This gem isn't a thing of Earth." He stares into her eyes and tells her, "He's an alien." Umeko is startled, confused and looks anywhere but into his eyes. She pulls loose and turns her back on him. The conversation following seems to be along the lines of nothing's wrong with him being an alien, but he brings up the fact that there is another reason for all this. "Reason?" she asks. He tells her what Murphy's behavior made him think. Tells her about the Psycho Mushrooms. "I haven't eaten any such thing!" she starts to snap. But he counters she doesn't have to eat it. She just has to have the scent clinging to her. "What are you saying? What does that mean, Sen?" she snaps angrily. He points out that the effects of the Psycho Mushroom last only one hour, and her boyfriend can only ever meet her for one hour." She stubbornly doesn't like what he's getting at. He points out that this has been going on for about three months. That this man is using the mushrooms to manipulate her emotions. She doesn't like that suggestion at all. No woman would. "You're saying Hironobu-san is a bad man?!" she chokes out, starting to break into tears. "I don't believe it!" She turns her back angrily on him, and then suddenly her knees go weak and she sways. Sen moves quickly to catch her before she falls. "Umeko?!" he gasps. He feels her forehead and gasps, "Cold!" As his hand slips her hair back, a red mark glows on her head, strange shape. Then it fades and she comes back to herself. "Let go of me!" she shrieks and yanks loose. "Umeko, that's - " he tries to grab her and tell her, but she's having none of it. "I hate you, Sen!" she snarls, and runs off. He watches her go, face white as a sheet.

Umeko heads for the roof. Almost in tears she thinks, "Hironobu-san is not a bad person." Breathing deeply to steady herself, she notes that he's a really gentle guy. Remembering eating with him and he romantically shares his cake with her. "He likes to see me smile." They walked together, hand in hand. His hands were so warm. "Sen is an idiot!" she sobs aloud. Then her cellphone rings and she takes it out to answer. The call is from Hironobu. Forcing herself to smile, she answers it. "Hello?" "Koume-chan?" he says almost uncertainly. "Yeah, what's up?" she asks him. "I want to see you right away," he tells her, sounding slightly distressed. She is startled..

In the office, Sen is typing in commands, searching for data. He's looking through the Brutal Criminal Data. Kruger, bewildered, asks "The morning?" "Yeah," Sen answers him. And his search turns up a name. A Sekukolian, named Mashu. The mark on Umeko's forhead matches a mark he leaves, a mark which matches also the line of his jaw. This is the alien who had met with Aburera. "A victim's brusing marks" says the readout under that symbol. He meets and marries women... of pure heart. Kruger notes that he'd be able to use the Psycho Mushrooms to find those women. And the ring he gives them... it takes their pure heart? And Sen is horrified, for these isn't much time left.

Umeko walks unhappily along a sidewalk. Her badge rings and she checks it. Sen is anxiously trying to warn her. "Can you hear me?" he asks frantically. She chooses not to answer. His fears have bled into Kruger. "Umeko's in danger!" he says as they fret together. Then his badge calls. It is Ban, in regular armor, telling him that Murphy has found the Psycho Mushrooms. Ban is fighting Anaroids. He tells this, and he is not alone of course because Jasmine, Hoji, Tetsu and even Murphy are in the battle. Sen decided the only hope for this is to upend himself and think things through. He's got it. The guy using the Psycho Mushrooms... and he heads out of the base in something different, I think. It looks like he's piloting the Hunter Jet.

A girl slumps at the feet of a man. Her body turns to dust. The man reforms, to show his true face. He is Mashu. He kneels and schoops the ring, identical to Umeko's, from the dust. There is one mushroom left in his hands.... He laughs and eats both it and the other ring. His body reforms again. Yes, of course he is Hironobu. Then he hears a jet and looks up. The Hunter Jet sweeps over him. "Aburera?" he wonders. Obligations, obligations. He follows it. "Ooh, he's got the new stuff!" he grins.

Umeko stands in a breeze and slips the boy doll from her pocket. She sees the Hunter Jet go by overhead with considerable surprise. It lands, and a very pleased Mashu blows a kiss at the big machine. "Good work," he says, and that they'd better hurry and give him his Mushrooms. But what beams down from the cockpit is a box, with the Psycho Mushroom emblem on the sides so you can't miss it. Mashu chuckles and starts forward, only to find a space policeman moving to meet him. Sen. Our hero says, "So, you're the Sekukolian, Mashu." Mashu scowls and grumbles, "Dekaranger." But Sen intends to bring this guy in for the murder of two-hundred seventy-three women of pure heart. In the logic of the homicidally insane, Mashu points out that there are a number of women here on Earth waiting for him. Waiting to give him their hearts. And it is to the edge of this conversation that Umeko arrives, hiding. Sen realizes he has to kill this guy? Can't kill him? He draws his gun on the all too smug alien. He asks about Mashu's target. Why yes, there is a Deka herself. A foolish girl and look at this stupid little doll she gave him. Umeko stands paralyzed against the pillar. How he'd laughed in himself when she'd given him this. "Why did you toy with her for three months?" Sen asks. "She has to truly love me," Mashu replies. "Or her pure heart can't be born!" And without that, there will be no wound. He has much mocking, for the speed at which Umeko had made this precious treasure for him. He lets it fall to the cement indifferently, stomps on it and grinds it into the ground. Umeko, heart breaking, shakes her head as if she feels it. She clenches her fist around the shining ring on her finger. Mashu kicks the doll over to Sen's feet. Sen holsters his gun, bends down and tenderly picks it up. It represents her for him, and he brushes soothingly at its dirtied hair. He chokes out, "Umeko... Umeko is always healthy. Always cheerful and bright. But she's not always strong." Hearing him, Umeko clutches her hands together on the ache of her pain. "It's easy to hurt her." But those feelings have to be regarded and protected, he says, drawing himself to his feet in a powerful rage. And he cannot forgive Mashu for playing with Umeko. In a fury, he launches himself at the other man. Mashu stares at first, startled. Of all the things he might have expected, having this Earth-man punch him in the face was not one of them. He falls and gets back up, to find Sen bodily tackling him. Sen, beyond rational thought, straddles him and starts punching. Finally, Mashu starts to fight back and throws Sen off of him. He can punch, but no connecting for Sen ducks and gets him in the gut, then the jaw again, beating out his rage. Of course Mashu is undamaged, for this is not his true face anyway. But now he exposes himself. He looks kind of like a pimp, in the purple fur lined suit. He fires energy bolts at Sen, but they have no effect other than to push him into his armor. Mashu is still unprepared and gets kicked, flippepd, kicked some more. Sen moves into SWAT mode (isn't he overdoing it?) and brings out his cannon, preferring he says that Umeko not know. So the surprise is complete when she comes and stands between them, facing Mashu. Face devoid of emotion, she lifts her badge and breathes, "Emergency." Straight into SWAT mode, her own double-barrel cannon out. Stunned, Mashu pleads, "Koume, just... just hold on a moment there!" But he pulls out his sword and launches himself at her. She just steps forward to meet him, and Sen breathes a panicked note. She blocks his sword with her gun, beats and kicks him back until he rolls on the ground. Sen can only watch. She raises her gun and whispers, "Goodbye." And then she fires. His blade falls from his hand as the shots hit. He finally blows up with a scream and she lowers her gun, dropping into her regular clothes. Sen stands behind her numbly as the other four catch up with them. Now Umeko lifts her hands and slips the ring off her finger. She clenches her fist. In the dimming light of early evening, Sen also drops his armor and steps uncertainly closer to her. "Umeko..." he starts quietly. She fights to sound her normal, cheerful self. He confirms and smiles at what she says, but knows the truth in her shaking voice. "It's not unreasonable," he agrees. But when she turns, there are tears in her eyes and her face is taut with pain. So he nods and smiles for her. Then she sobs and runs to him, wrapping her arms around his waist. Tentatively, he puts his arms around her and, as she sobs, strengthens his hold to help her shaking body stand. The others stare, more than a little uncertain for lack of knowledge but keeping clear where they're not needed.

The next day, and Umeko's shriek splits the air. The others startle, but Sen ignores it to keep working. Umeko is reading a magazine which she suddenly sets down. "What'll I do?" The others are eating donuts and regard her quizzically, except for Sen. She tears over to Jasmine, elbowing Hoji rather painfully out of her way. "This month there's a new voice!" She's all jubilant, and Ban even gets in. Kruger sighs and comments that Umeko is back to normal. Swan chuckles fondly beside him. "That's a relief," she agrees. Sen, finishing what he's working on, points out idly that they have to go on patrol. "Yeah," she whines, but then stops and stares hard at him. For perhaps the first time, she looks at the Sen she knows and sees him as beautiful. She sways towards him and then realizes what she's doing and spins to put her back to him, face bright red. Startled by her actions, he stares down at her. He comes over and puts his hand on her head to turn her towards him, worried. "What's the matter, Umeko?" he asks. "NOOO!" she wails dramatically, turning away from him. She starts to bolt for the door, gets control of herself and assures him frantically, "Oh it's nothing, nothing!" She whirls away, takes a deep breath and calls, "Be back later!" then darts out the door as they all stare flabbergasted after her. Since they are supposed to patrol, Sen finally follows. Jasmine and Hoji exchange knowing looks. Ban, Tetsu and Murphy are clueless. Kruger toys with saying something about this development. Swan decides to indicate she thinks it's just adorable. They look at each other and start chuckling.

Sen is trying to catch up with Umeko in the halls. "Why are you running away?" he calls. She certainly isn't going to tell him. She stops suddenly and he overshoots, tumbles to the carpeted floor gracelessly. Umeko giggles at him, then helps by dragging him to his feet and down the hall, glad she can touch him without him thinking anything of it.

In the bath she is, content, when Kruger's angry voice asks through the intercom where she is. She has to join the others. They are all in their New Year's kimonos and she has managed to dress right. Jasmine is in sweet yellow, Swan in gray and white, the boys in shades of blue and gray, while Kruger looks very lordly. Umeko's kimono is shades of pink and white, and she is placed in the middle as Kruger wishes us a Happy New Year. The others add, "This year too, please!" Umeko makes two peace-signs for luck and drops her bag, which gets Sen and Hoji lunging to pick it up while Ban tries to stop the camera.

Episode. 47 Wild Heart, Cool Brain
Hoji and Jasmine are going to have an adventure. In darkness, cement everywhere. They get captured in memory or imagination, bound by thick ropes and thrown to the cold surface. An enemy preparing to kill them both. Shaken and angry in the light of day. This is something they share and cannot be rational about, even to the extent of feuding with their partners. "Shut up!" shouts someone, perhaps Hoji. He and Jasmine are talking in private, but perhaps Ban is listening for he seems to be hovering outside a building that may be the same one. A fuzzy tiger alien with amber eyes and longer, red-blond hair. Hoji and Jasmine in SWAT mode. Out of it. Hmm. The Anaroids have boxes, full of what? I don't know. But the fuzzy guy is a Dekaranger. And you too could win the Deka/Aba movie DVD, plus another speical DVD of the Dekaranger movie.

Deka Base, and a list of male and female victims. The latest, Miho Yasuda. Constellation Virgo, Address mis-spelled "Sentral City-North Area" along with a listing for Last Witness Point. It is last night's victim. Kruger has handed this data out to the Dekaranger gathered in front of him. Tetsu wonders if this is an Alienizer crime. Kruger says they can't reach that conclusion yet. However, they've learned something that may connect the cases. Something about a light seen at the crime scenes. Hoji suddenly stiffens. He and Jasmine exchange sharp, anxious agreeing looks. "A strange light?" puzzles Umeko, rubbing her temple at Sen's side. Sen runs back what they've heard and Kruger nods. Ban grins and pops forward eagerly, "I'll go with my buddy - " he is cut off and knocked back by Hoji. "Boss. Put Jasmine and I on this case." She is beside him, adding that it's about the light. Ban has his hand on Hoji's shoulder, starting to protest or beg to go with, but Kruger has already okayed it and Ban is left with mouth hanging open in bewilderment. Hoji and Jasmine salute and leave, Hoji pushing his way between the rather confused Tetsu and Ban. Tetsu puzzles, "Those two are always so cool. Isn't that a little strange?" Umeko answers, "Well, they're a very rare combination." Ban, meanwhile, has rolled the papers on the case in his hands and starts whapping Tetsu in frustration. "How come Jasmine always gets to go with my buddy?!" he protests angrily. Sen amusedly says, "It's not strange, it's always been this way." Distracted from taking out his frustrations on Tetsu, Ban whirls around. Sen muses that those two have always been a combo, as long as he's known them. Umeko and Ban (who is still pouting while poor Tetsu rubs his pounded chest) make puzzled noises and nod.

Hoji interviews a man who says, "I just don't know." "I see," agrees Hoji. "Thank you." Off he goes. Jasmine thanks a woman who probably said much the same thing. The woman continues sweeping the street in front of her place, while Jasmine jogs back to Hoji. "Well?" he asks. She has an answer. The woman killed the other day had the power of healing. Hoji slams his fist into his palm. He notes the connection between these serial killings, all of the victims were Espers. "It's got to be him," he says mysteriously. Well, not to Jasmine. She knows of whom he speaks. She says grimly, "He wasn't deleted." Hoji adds heavily, "If he's still alive, this is probably his doing." The pair jog to the scene of the crime, Hoji saying they'd got this address from the post office. They peer around, when Jasmine suddenly stops in her tracks next to the flowers. She turns and stares down at them. Then she moves and kneels down. Hoji, turning around, notes this unusual behavior and comes over to her. Squatting down next to her he asks, "What is it?" She gives him an anxious glance and tells him, "These flowers are talking about something." So now she pulls her glove off of her right hand and reaches down to cu it around the blossoms. Hoji waits for her and she closes her eyes.

The world falls away in white light, then into green lightning. A human form surrounded by a thin bubble of light, the cruel lightning crackling around and into her as she cries out in pain. Then she is gone, and beyond where she'd been is an alien with glowing eyes. The green energy is supped into him, absorbed into twin packs on his chest. The flowers have a very clear image, even in the darkness.

Jasmine opens her eyes, gasping in horror. She is calm, though, as she starts to put her glove back on. "We weren't wrong." Hoji glances at the flowers then turns her gaze to her. "It's him?" She gives him a gaze full of smoldering promise and nods with an affirming noise. But then the air burns and whistles with noise and she gasps, both turning as blue lightning rains down towards their position. They leap for cover, rolling. The alien from the night before jumps at them, gets between them and starts trying to strike. Hoji tangles with him, "Terry X! You're alive!!" he snarls. Terry X has mocking for the "Boy," as he calls Hoji and beats him down. "Ah, I knew I'd recognize your smell," he smirks as the pair come together to face him. "Ah, you're those same space police. You the blue guy, Blue. You the yellow one, Yellow." (yes, redundant, but he said the first in Japanese, and the second in English) And they aren't intimidated at all, Jasmine tries to get him to know. Hoji wants to delete Terry X. "You little chickies?" laughs Terry. The pair change into their armor. Terry is not impressed, though it seems they hadn't done this the last time. After all, they were just the sidekicks (or did he say psychic?). They gasp and wince, but then an enraged Hoji leads the attack. They are out of control, though, and he is beating them down one at a time. Jasmine gets a bead, but since she's lost her cool, when she fires Terry pulls Hoji between them and she gets him instead. He beats Hoji down and sends him tumbling to a chagrined Jasmine's feet. And he laughs at them, before firing with both weapons. Theyu fall with cries of agony, their armor shuts down. Terry steps forward, laughing, but a blast from another quarter stops him. Ban comes in, armor-clad and guns blazing. Umeko, Sen and Tetsu are on his heels, and they all come to protect the fallen pair. "Well, you two! Red's come to help you again!" Terry laughs, and uses his two weapons to fire a bolt of white lightning into the air to drop on all of their heads. When the power dies down, he is gone, as Ban notes aloud. "Awe, he got away!" complains Umeko. But her complaint is nothing to that of Jasmine and Hoji, who snarl and leap past their three friends. They look frantically around where Terry had been standing and Hoji chokes out, "Where did that bastard go?!" Ban, armor off, leaps over and grabs Hoji by the shoulders. "What is it?" he pleads. Hoji doesn't seem to notice, pulling free to turn a wild gaze searching. "You two are always so cool, this isn't like my buddy and Jasmine!" he claps his hand on Hoji's shoulder, and this time gets a reaction as Hoji slaps it off and whirls on him. "Shut up!" Hoji half-screams. "You don't understand anything!" Shocked into silence, the others all stare in confusion. Suddenly realizing how he's behaving, Hoji looks shocked and swallows heavily. Jasmine seems to have ignored it all, her eyes blaze with determination and she says "Perhaps, as this is particular to our brother. We have to handle it. Let's go, Hoji." Off she dashes, and he leaps to be with her, in firm agreement. The others gaze in shock after them. As they come up beside Ban, he blows up again "What is with those g - " as he angrily, automatically starts to elbow Tetsu who automatically blocks the painfuly jab and doesn't notice Ban's betrayed glare... for he expresses his in words. "What kind of nonsense are they spouting? What's going on with them?" he wonders. But while he and Ban are agreeing that they're being unfairly left out, Sen is putting together the clues and says "That's it! It's about that!" As they gape at him he continues, "It's those two's..." and trails off. Umeko asks hopefully, "Sen, do you know what this is about?" He hesitates, then agrees he does.

This is about Terry X. In the base, we see his image on their table, and a data stream about him. Swan is there too, and Kruger is explaining. "This was before Umeko and Ban joined us here on Earth." There was a serial killer murdering Espers. "This criminaly. Dynamonian, Terry X." He folds his arms and stares at the rotating image. Who had, apparently, held Hoji and Jasmine hostage. "So that's why they're so burning mad..?" asks Ban. Umeko agrees that's it, furious with the criminal who'd gotten away. "Oh, it's not only that," Swan says, stepping forward. "The two of them were traumatized in that incident." "Traumatized?" Ban echoes for the others, as they all stare at Swan. Sen steps forward and says softly, "I'll tell about it." Kruger agrees, and he begins with a soft puffed breath. "This was before we had the Deka Suits. Everyone had to be very careful...."

Jasmine and Hoji, bound hand with thick rope, flung to the floor of a dark building by the criminal Terry X. He had laughed at them as he laughed now. "Is this all the power Earth Police have got? This was too easy." And he'd raised his arms to blast them out of existence. Jasmine, his main target, stared in horror. "Little Yellow Esper, you're going to power my batteries." They'd gasped. "Wipe y - " he'd started to say when he is hit in the back by a powerful blast. He whirls to face someone tall, slim, dressed in black and red that is just like Ban's clothes now. Fuzzy, clawed hands hold the weapon. Hair hangs long and golden to his chest. "That was the Deka Red, then," Sen says. Tetsu is listening intently when he is showed out of the way but the current who grabs at Sen's shoulder. "Eh? Me?!" Sen almost laughs. "No, this was before you." "Oh, you said that," Ban remembers. Sen decides not to say anything to that and to continue his story. "That Deka Red was Gyoku Rou," and it's clear Sen has the utmost respect for this man. Not just their superior, but their respected Senior. Gyoku Rou of Leon Star. "Gyoku-san!" Jasmine had cried out. "Ooh, got another friend, eh?" mocked Terry. A friend with speed, strength, and who proved quite a match for him. A few well placed punches and kicks from the lightning-fast Gyoku Rou and Terry was tumbling into piles of forgotten trash. Dismissing him, Gyoku rushed to his two juniors, moving to free Hoji first. "I'm sorry, Gyoku-san!" Hoji said sheepishly. But behind them, Terry was getting out of the pile of debris and furious. And he was firing. "Look out!" wailed Jasmine. Hoji cried out, and Gyoku did the only thing he could. He shoved Jasmine out of the line of fire, taking the blast himself. Rolling, he quickly fired back. Terry was hit badly, but the backlash of energy touched large cannisters marked "Danger" Suddenly, those cannisters began explosing behind Terry. As the fires grew, Gyoku frantically covered Hoji and Jasmine with his own long, lanky body. They heard Terry scream as the fire engulfed him. And now debris flew everywhere. Everywhere... a heavy, torn piece of metal is among that which lands on Gyoku's outstretched left leg. He chokes back a cry of pain. Hoji stares and whispers his senior's name as the rain of fire continues. The present, and the story has a lasting impression on those listening. Sen continues sadly, "We all thought Terry X had been blown up. But he's alive." Jasmine wants to know what happened, and Swan tells them that the injury to Gyuku's leg was too terrible. He never recovered it's use and could no long be one of the Special Police. He'd severed all connection with them after he was discharged. Kruger half sighs and paces, explaining "The pair of them think it's their fault, that they destroyed his future." Tetsu utters his own soft sigh, but he doesn't blame them for their youth. And neither does an unhappy Ban.

Returned to the scene of the crime... for they consider it their crime. Hoji and Jasmine are in the warehouse where they were held, so long ago. It's largely clean, but there is some debris left in the corners where no one cared. Jasmine stares at it numbly. "Hoji," she says with soft pain and he listens, as she remembers that day in this terrible building. They do not know that Ban has run them down. He carefully stays outside and listens to them. Jasmine wonders if it was really just for them. "He's never contacted us," Hoji says spiritlessly, "nor answered our messages." Jasmine says, "I want to see him again... Gyoku-san." Hoji does, as well. "Perhaps after we've defeated Terry X." They are agreeing, that deleting Terry X is even worth their lives. Ban sighs and leans back against the outside of the building. Grim determination crosses his face, then he takes off.

Well, if it isn't Agent Aburera. And he's got loads of lovely little explosive-like things. Talking to Terry X, who's supposed to fill them with Plasma X. For he's working towards something big. Terry's heard this speech a number of times, it seems, and isn't all that interested in hearing it again. But it some ingredients are still missing here on Earth. They can't make the Plasma X yet. "Then use this," says Aburera, and hands him a strange, small machine. Terry takes it and cocks his head, "This is..?" he prompts. It seems to be something he can use to take what he wants even from normal human beings. "Really? So I can get my energy from ordinary Earthers?" Aburera is all for this. Softening up the heroes for the Big Event, which he is really looking forward to. He laughs, and Terry X joins him in it.

Outside Tasty21 people are innocently walking along, when they come under attack by streams of green lightning. They scream in agony before they are destroyed, their life energy sucked into Terry's batteries. The batteries glow with fierce power. It has worked, and Anaroids quickly bring a load of boxes. They pull out Terry's batteries and load them inside. Terry is deeply amused. He orders the one Anaroid which carries new batteries to load them up, and it obeys. The Anaroids are herding terrified people towards him. With a laugh, he goes to accept the offering. Aburera watches it all. "Murder the humans..." he snickers low in his throat. "The Earth Space Police think they can protect them."

Kruger signals the others through voice-only, telling them where Terry X is and what's happening. Jasmine, who is driving, is particularly upset. The two hit the sirens and get going in the right drection. The Anaroids, not certain how much time they have, are packing as many batteries as they can. "We're gonna turn Earth into the Sun!" smirks Tery. But you know that's not going to go unchallenge. In their SWAT armor, Jasmine and Hoji arrive with guns out. "Terry X!" Hoji snarls deeply. The Anaroid with the cart clears out of there as the two come on, guns blazing. They cut through the remaining Anaroids like butter at first. All they care about is getting to Terry. Fortunately, help arrives. Sen and Umeko in their SWAT armor, with Tetsu. Umeko points out they didn't think they'd be let do this alone, did they? To which Tetsu adds a "Nonsense!" in support. But before they can help, Jasmine and Hoji charge forward as though they never saw their friends. "Where are you going?" yelps Tetsu, "wait!" No luck there. The two leap over the Anaroids to confront Terry X. The other three have to fight those. "Oh, here you are again, Blue and Yellow." He is as amused by them as ever. "And no friends to help you out." Hoji yells a furious response on the lines of unforgivable. "Shut up!" adds Jasmine. They fire, he fires, they all land rolling. They are still wild, and so not as effective as they should be against him. He hits them hard with his blasts, but their armor keeps them alive, though down. He does a bit of punching and gets them badly. Swan watches on the viewscreen and calls, "Doogie! They're not using any teamwork!" Kruger knew this already, but he's been trying to reach someone else. "What in the world is Ban doing?" he wonders angrily. But then he is signalled from his desk. Puzzled, he takes the call. And in a haze of static, Numa 0 appears on the screen, somewhat worse for wear. Down is flying everywhere, and he is panting. "Commander Numa 0!" gasps Kruger. He and Swan salute smartly. "He came here!" Numa 0 grates out. "That youngster of yours! He came here and caused a lot of trouble!" Kruger stutters, "Eh?" "You mean Ban?" gasps Swan. Numa 0 tells them, "He wanted a location from me! Information he thought I would know! Something he insisted was dreadfully important!" He is beginning to calm down, soothing his ruffled feathers back. Swan and Kruger's mouths drop open and they gasp.

The unfortunate battle continues. Terry X gets Hoji down, blocks a blast from the right as the other Dekaranger back to interfering. But since Jasmine and Hoji are ignoring them, he laughs it off. "For Gyoku-san!" snarls Hoji. Amused, he hits the groups with lightning again. They are hit badly, and can't quite get back up. "Over already?" he laughs at them, strutting forward. Yet once again, there is someone to blast him back. A fierce voice calls out to Hoji and Jasmine. They gasp and turn towards it. Perhaps they never notice Ban, as he stands beside Gyoku Rou, who wears a long, black trenchcoat over his red and black uniform and leans on a strong, silver cane. Red-gold slit-pupiled eyes blink at them. Sen gasps. "Gyoku-san!" says Hoji. "Why..?" starts Jasmine. Ban lowers his weapon and shouts "Because you have to stop blaming yourselves!! I went and found him!" Leaning heavily on his cane, Gyoko adds to this. "Have you two forgotten? Use your heart! But you must also use your head, isn't that what I taught you?" Coming out of their grief-induced haze, Hoji and Jasmine seem to shake themselves clear. They gather themselves to their feet. "Burning heart, cool fight," Jasmine quotes. "That's us," and Hoji agrees. They half apologize, Hoji speaking that it's been a long time, and they've opened their eyes again, to the relief of their team. Gyoko nods his approval and Ban smiles in relief. Of course, Terry X is not relieved. Pissed, he pulls out his people-juicer, but it's shot out of his hands before he can use it. Hoji had fired, and now calls Jasmine into formation with him. They charge Terry, crossing paths and firing and taking him down efficiently. Ban crows his delight that the pair are back to their normal selves. He claps Gyoku on the shoulder, only to be reminded with a firm removal of that hand that he should be out there helping them. Chagrined, he salutes and transfers into Swat Mode to fight. Off he charges under Gyoku's watchful eye. He cuts in, using his gun as a battering ram. "Oh, pretty good," Gyoku comments amusedly. The team gathers. Terry fires at them, but they fire back and shoot him down. Gyoku is pleased, but Terry isn't out yet. He uses the Plasma X he's gathered to make himself into a giant. Hoji signals the base for the Pat Wing ships. Swan answers and tells him and Jasmine to show Gyoku what they are capable of. They board the Pat Wings and form Deka Wing Robo. Terry blasts them, Hoji shoots his blasts out of the air with the Magnum. Jasmine attacks with the Double-Heel Smash. Then she calls for the final. They grab him, fly him out beyond the atmosphere and Jasmine announces they're deleting him. In canon form, the Deka Wing fires and Terry X is destroyed. "Mission complete," says Jasmine. Hoji adds the line about "Hot Heart, Cool Brain." And below them, Gyoku watches the distant bright flare signalling the end of the fight. I think there is something wistful in his stance.

Later, at the Deka Base, in the Deka Room... he leans heavily on his walking brace and talks to them. Jasmine warmly tells him how much he influenced them. Hoji agrees with shining eyes. "And you've got wonderful companions, too," Gyoku praises. They exchange happy glances and look over at their quartet of companions. Ban grins and flashes the V-sign at them. Tetsu adds his pleased opinion of the Deka Red. It is Swan who finally asks tenderly, "But why haven't you contacted us in all this time?" Startled, Gyoku whirls to her and apologizes with a bow. "I've been on secret assignment. I couldn't contact anyone." "A secret assignment?" Kruger asks. The others exchange glances as Gyoku answers, "Yes." But now he can explain. The police have been at work selecting the best team in the whole force. They nead a fiery Red for the team, the SPD Fire Squad. The whole team will be composed of reds. A Specialist Fire Squad, Tetsu repeats it. And Gyoku half-glances back and then says, "Commander Kruger, will you reassign your second Red to me?" Ban chokes out, "ME?!" Jasmine looks shocked. Kruger tilts his head. "Why, Bou?" Well, it seems that for Jasmine and Hoji, Ban had sought Gyoku out. This really impressed him, and he turns to look at the somewhat shocked Ban. "You want me for the select team..?" he whispers. He is confused and hesitant, and his teammates aren't sure how to be anything other than dismayed. What will happen? Will Ban go with Gyoku?

Sen is with Umeko, they have their coffee cups and she says, "Those two are such a great combination!" Jasmine and Hoji are beyond, in conversation with Kruger. "Yeah. I went with Gyoku-san," and he whirls happily, giddy that he used to work with this great one, to him. Gyoku is puzzled, though. "Who are you?" he asks. Sen's fingers go nerveless and his coffee cup falls to the floor. He ends up huddled in the hall, miserable as Gyoku had forgotten him! Gyoku cups his hand and calls, "Hey, I'm sorry, it was a joke!" and a furious Umeko elbows him in the stomache.

Episode. 48 Fireball Succession
Ban is having a tough time deciding about joining the Fire Squad. It looks like Kruger's leaving the choice up to him. Tetsu is encouraging. But Ban also has to face a criminal. And worse... for the others can't stop him, and he is firing on them. There is something purple hovering over his shoulder. And Tetsu walks forward to face him. Ban, in agony, shouts "Everyone FIRE AT ME!" then slowly slumps over, eyes closing. This is related to the purple thing. Oh, advertisement for the next one. They're all so... young. Well, they always are.

The Deka Base under a blue sky tinted with clouds. Gyoku is no longer there, and Kruger tells Ban that it's his to decide about joining the Fire Squad. Ban salutes with an almost shouted "Roger!" and Sen sets a firm hand on his shoulder. When Ban turns it is to get poked in the cheek, but this is affectionate as Sen grins and says, "You did it, Ban." Jasmine pops up a step and says happily, "Tomorrow it's Homerun!" Uncertain of the context, Ban cocks his head with a grin, "Homerun?" Hoji thumps Ban in the small of the back to get his attention, and firmly says to pay strict attention to everything Gyoku has to teach him and something they don't need? Startled and slightly indignant Ban asks, "Who - " but Umeko says softly, "But then I'll miss Ban." The others all make soft, agreeing noises. Possibly not Hoji. Ban looks around at their wistful expressions and then snaps, "What are you saying? Okay, the new leader is Umeko!" Umeko is delighted and jumps up and down. But Ban adds, "After Hoji!" and bounces out the door with a passing thump to Hoji's shoulder. Umeko pouts and complains, "But you said me first!!" Favoring his slightly pained shoulder, Hoji stands and looks the way Ban had gone with the others. "That idiot," he hisses softly. But Tetsu looks mournful and sympathetic at the same time.

Ban stands, straight and tall, atop the base, hands deep in his back pockets. He stares out at the city and sighs soundlessly. Tetsu finds him there. "Senior!" Ban looks around. Tetsu continues, "So here you are." Ban musters a fractional, wincing smile and returns to staring at the city. Tetsu eyes him, then smiles and asks, "What's with that face of yours? This about your promotion?" Ban looks unhappy and turns to face him. "Yeah. I mean, what's gonna happen to this place if I'm not here?" Tetsu grins and steps closer. "Oh, it'll be just fine. We're all professionals, aren't we?" This isn't really the issue for Ban. "But it's no good if they can't become fireballs like me." "Fireballs?" asks the confused Tetsu. "Nnn," an affirming noise. Ban gestures with his hands, explaining points about his character elements that the others do not have, and that's why he had to be there. Tetsu considers those words, and then points out that he'll be here. "Hah?" asks Ban, startled disbelief and affection on his face. "You?" Tetsu strides over to him. "Leave it to me! For my senior, I'll become the fireball!" he punches out playfully, letting Ban catch his fist in a warm hand. Ban grins like a loon, "You also'll be great!" and returns the affectionate non-punch. Tetsu laughs and they relax.

The day continues. Ban's parked his car at the side of the road and sits on an incline allowing a view of the water. "Tetsu isn't ready for such a big step," he comments mournfully aloud. He flops back on the grass. "I can't leave it to him yet." Then he hears a man shout, "Hold it!" and a car's wheels squeal. Ban hops up. There is a small, dark blue car speeding around the corner nearby. A man races futilely after it and shouts, "Thief!" Delighted, Ban grins and says, "A car-thief!"

Ban pursues the blue car, siren blaring. The driver is an alien, blue face with gold spikes above frightened, golden eyes. He is Gireenu, of Sudora Star. "Space Police!" he breathes. Ban cheerfully encourages himself, "Heaven-meeting," he challenges. "I found you!" But just then, Kruger signals him to report an Alienizer. And it so happens, Ban is happy to note, that he's already chasing the very one. "I'll arrest him in a jiffy!" He pulls his vehicle around in front of the other car and forces it to stop. He gets out of the car and announces that he's going to arrest the guy for stealing a car. The alien pulls out a strange blaster and fires. Ban dives for cover. "Stop it," he yells. Gireenu gets out of the car and shouts, "I didn't do it! It's not me!" even as he fires again, driving Ban under cover. Ban shouts, "Say what? You're doing it right now!" He gets back up and peeks over the rear windshield. "Drop your weapon now!" Panting, Gireenu whimpers, "You've got to believe me!" Then he gasps and turns the gun. Ban's eyes widen in horror. Gireenu screams as he takes bead on his own chest. "Don't do it!" Ban cries. But he fires the gun. A cry of agony and his legs fold under him. He lands on his face as Ban races to him. "Wake up!" But it is already too late. Ban feels for a pulse on the back of the blue green neck. Then he withdraws his hand and wonders sadly, "Why all of a sudden...?" He stops, his gaze drawn to something on the road just an inch from Gireenu's hand. A capsule with pointy ends, full of red liquid. Ban picks it up carefully. While he's looking at it, he doesn't notice movement under Gireenu's jacket. Purple liquid spills out from under the collar, and then pastel green tentacles fly at the oblivious Ban's head. He only sees them for a second and cries out.

The others arrive on the scene at last. Ban is next to his car, stretching his arms, legs and body and doesn't even look their way. Umeko asks, "Ban, what are you doing?" He doesn't answer, but Sen already goes to see the limp form of Gireenu. The other four trot after him. Sen had slipped a glove on quickly, and checks the body. Finding it dead, he raises his gaze to the stretching man and asks softly, "Ban, what happened?" But Ban doesn't respond, simply continues stretching. The capsule of red liquid he has in his hands. "Ban?" wonders Jasmine. "Did you find that capsule here?" Tetsu recognizes the capsule, and tells them it's a Weapon of Mass Destruction Energy Capsule. Umeko wonders what it's doing here. Well, this alien must have some connection. They eye Ban in puzzlement, and finally Hoji demands, "Why are you so silent? Say something!" Ban suddenly bolts into his car and tears away. They gasp and dash a few steps forward before realizing the futility of it. Umeko whispers, "I just don't believe it!" while Umeko shakes her head and Sen puts his hands on his hips, puzzling. Hoji calls Tetsu and they ride in pursuit of Ban, sirens singing. Hoji yells, "What are you doing, Ban?!" and Tetsu adds, "Senior! Wait, please!" He may think Ban's lost his mind. But suddenly, Ban sticks his gun out the window and starts firing. Hoji and Tetsu weave frantically to avoid the shots. "WHAT ARE YOU DOING!?" Hoji bellows. But Ban's car is far ahead of them. Umeko, Sen and Jasmine remain at the scene. "What is up with Ban?" Umeko mourns miserably. Sen is examining the body. Umeko suddenly realizes, "Maybe he really, really doesn't want to join the Fire Squad?!" Sen's face goes white, his mouth dropping open. "It's - !" he gasps. "It" is a round puncture wound between Gireenu's shoulder blades. Both dried and fresh blood stain the area. Jasmine and Umeko both come to take a look. "What is that?" Umeko asks. "Leave it to me," says Jasmine, and she takes her right glove off. She puts her hand firmly on the bare skin and closes her eyes. In black and white, she sees tentacles whipping at her. Opening her eyes she gasps, "Ban's in danger!" The others also gasp.

Sen signals the others quickly. "Hoji, Tetsu, be careful! Ban is being controlled!" They gasp and Hoji begs, "What?" Ban, in the car, seems to have a long, blue tongue sticking out of his mouth. Jasmine tells them what has done this. A Kraanian, an alien who rides the bodies of other aliens. It had lunged from the body of one dead host and gone into Ban's, wrapping itself around his spinal cord and taking control of his nervous system. Tetsu is massively relieved and says "Thank heavens. My senior hasn't lost his mind, eh?" he points out to Hoji. Hoji directs him to help arrest the alien, and he is only too glad to obey. Tetsu leaps his bike high, landing far ahead of Ban's car. He whirls and revs up his glove for the Tornado Fist. The alien riding Ban is shocked as the car is caught in an energy tornado which sets it spinning. At last, Hoji fires, disabling the engine. The blue thing in Ban's mouth proves to be one of the alien's tentacles, being used to gag him, for it seems the mouths are one thing it can't control. Ban coughs weakly as the tentacle vanishes behind his back. Still coughing, he is walked out of the car. Tetsu quickly dismounts, "Senior!" He and Hoji charge after Ban. The alien doesn't know the area, and finds itself and host in a dead end. Spinning around, it can't stop Ban from crying, "Buddy! Junior! Be careful!" he tries to say more, but is overwhelmed by pain as his rider pokes its head out. Ban suddenly is a two-headed twin. The other head is blue, with antennae. Tetsu snarls, "What are you up to with that capsule?" Jerifesu is their enemy. One orange eye with a pupil slitted like the hole for a bell. "It's not like I'm going to tell you the truth, is it?" he mocks them. Controlling Ban's body, he sends out a tentacle at the pair. Hoji fires on it. Jerifesu cries out in pain, and Ban winces and turns his head away, sweat beading on his neck and in clear agony. Hoji and Tetsu gasp, lowering their weapons instinctively. Sen arrives with Jasmine and Umeko on his heels. They join the other two and prepare to fire. Hoji slams Sen's gun down, and Tetsu dives in front of the girl, both telling them to wait. Jerifisu is amused that they've figured it out so quickly. "If you kill me, you kill him, too." "What?!" shrieks Umeko, as they all gasp. Jerifesu tells them he will hang in Ban's body until the human dies. The only way he'll leave is when Ban's heart stops beating. And so he's come to Earth, where he intends to set up house-keeping. He lifts the dangerous capsule and threatens them, while Ban tries frantically to turn his head far enough to bite, perhaps. Jasmine has to agree that him using this weapon is a very real possibility. Ban is unable to do anything but cry out as Jerifesu uses his body and changes him into his Deka armor. Both guns blazing, as Ban screams to stop. His teammates were completely vulnerable, and fall with grunts of pain. "Buddy!" Ban wails. Jerifesu calls, "Later!" sneeringly, "Special police boys and girls!" He strides Ban past the fallen team, but stops in surprise when Tetsu chokes out, "Wait! What are you planning to do with my Senior? Where are you taking him?" Jerifesu whirls and fires on Tetsu, and Ban cries his name. "Well I'm taking him to the sea!" Jerifesu laughs. As he mounts Hoji's bike, Ban growls that it will hardly further either of their lives if he uses that capsule. Amused, Jerifesu tells him that they're going to give the capsule to Aburera, and calls him buddy. "Don't call me buddy!" Ban snarls. "Oh, shall I call you my Junior, then?" "I'm not your Junior or your buddy!" Jerifesu points out mockingly that he'll have to call him something. They're bound until Ban dies.

And Swan notes that the Machine Husky is on Route 66. Which, by the way, runs along the seaside. I have a feeling this is someone's idea of a joke. Kruger relays the information to the rest of the Dekaranger, begs them to hurry. "Roger!" they answer him as one. Jerifesu takes Ban onto the beach in a tumbling leap. In the distance is a strange lighthouse. Ban grumbles about the way his body is being used, how the other should do his own bloody running and jumping, for Jerifesu clearly loves working out a body. "Well, working this alone is no fun," Jerifesu counters. Furious, Ban tries to somehow get control over his body, but it seems he only has power over his neck and head. Jerifesu amusedly tells him to stop fighting it. "Your body is mine." But their walk forward is interrupted by blasts. Ban yelps in shock, echoed by Jerifesu. For the other Dekaranger have arrived. They place themselves in Jerifesu's path, who complains indignantly of their being here. Ban quickly calls to them that the explosive device is over there (where he's headed). "We understand," Hoji answers him. "We won't let him use the capsule." Hoji and Tetsu charge off towards the tower/lighthouse. Jasmine, Sen and Umeko charge at Ban. Jerifesu draws Ban's guns and charges in pursuit of the two men. Our heroes are burdened by being afraid to hurt Ban, but Jerifesu has no compunctions on that score. He beats them down, ignoring Ban's hisses and desperate effort to somehow regain control. He's made it past the three, and leaps after the running Hoji and Tetsu. This time they are the ones cut off. "No!" Ban screams as Jerifesu whirls him and fires. The shots stun the two men, who are ill-prepared when he lunges at them and forcibly body-slams them. Knocked back into the company of the other three, they untangle their limbs. Jerifesu links Ban's guns together and takes aim as he screams protests. Hoji flinches back in horror as the firebolt from Ban's gun bears down on them. The team is hit badly, this time their armor shuts down and they fall on the sand. Tetsu grasps as his pained chest. Hoji glares furiously at Jerifesu, who parts Ban's guns and holsters them, while his mount cries out. Off Jerifesu starts him marching again. Suddenly, a golden blast hits Ban's right shoulder, startling a cry of pain from rider and host. Jerifesu turns his head in angry shock. The shooter was Hoji, who has Ban in his sights. Hoji balances himself and braces his gun with both hands, agony in his eyes. He has to do this, for he's shaking badly. Jerifesu turns Ban around so he can see. "Buddy!" Ban whispers. But Jerifesu growls, "I thought you understood what'll happen if you fire on me!" Hoji gets to his feet, Tetsu struggling up more slowly and the others sniffling behind him. He stares silently across the distance separating them. Ban gasps out, "That's right, buddy! Shoot me!" Perhaps if he's remained silent, Hoji could have. For he was refusing to think about what was going to happen, and now he flinches. Horror flicks across the faces of the other Dekaranger. "What?" asks a rather surprised Jerifesu. Ban, voice firm and commanding now, shouts, "Shoot me! All of you!" The others get to their feet and Umeko cries, "What are you saying, Ban? You'll die!" "If that's the only way to stop him..!" Ban shouts back. Jerifesu finds it all amusing. He spreads Ban's arms and steps towards the Dekaranger, inviting them to fire as he shuts down the armor. Nasty bugger. The others go white. Hoji is on the verge of breaking. He opens and closes his mouth but cannot speak. Jerifesu cackles smugly. Ban desperately shouts, "Do it! If you don't, this bastard will bring Earth to ruin!" He calls to them each by name when they stand frozen. They each flinch, even Hoji when Ban calls him buddy. "There's nothing else we can do!" he cries. "That's right," agrees Jerifesu laughingly. "This is your friend standing here. So, please fire!" and he stretches Ban's arms wider invitingly. Umeko can't look. Jasmine closes her eyes and shakes her head. Sen coils back as Jerifesu mocks, "You can't shoot your friend." Tetsu shudders violently. And Hoji... Hoji lowers his gun. Ban shouts, "What kind of a cop are you?!" Then he says painfully, "Is it only me? This is why I can't go to join the Fire Squad! That's stupid!" The others flinch and almost whimper a protest. He hates to hurt them more, really he does. Ban steels himself and calls to Hoji, "Buddy!!" Hoji is shaking badly, and curls his head down in painful submission. "Sen-chan!" Ban tries next. But Sen can not meet his gaze either. "Jasmine!" No luck there. "Umeko!" Nor there. Final, dying hope, "Tetsu!" Tetsu can't meet his pleading gaze either for a second, but then lifts his eyes. "Please!" Ban begs. Tetsu's eyes harden. What had he said earlier? "Leave it to me! For my senior, I'll become the fireball!" He coils his left hand into a fist now. It is still hard to step forward, and he stops once. "Tetsu..." Ban breathes in relief. This brings the other four's heads up. Umeko nearly shrieks, "Tetsu, you can't!" Hoji opens his mouth to protest, then shuts it, standing lopsided as they all are frozen. And Tetsu revs up his changer and switches into armor. A choked gasp escapes Hoji, frozen in indecision. Jerifesu gasps, "He's really gonna do this?" "Do it, Junior!" Ban calls as Tetsu chooses the mode. "Senior, here I go!" Tetsu shouts. Only when he moves does a horror-struck Hoji leap after him to stop it, but there's no chance. "Tetsu, don't!" Tetsu charges towards Ban. Jerifesu is so shocked he almost doesn't think to move, but then snatches out Ban's blaster to fire. Ban calls "STOP, Jerifesu!" as the bolts go, and Tetsu just charges on throught the blasts. Tetsu dives under a last bolt and starts to punch up, calling for the Hyper Electric Fist. He slams Ban straight in the chest and Jerifesu grunts in agony. The electric bolt travels through and into the air behind Ban. Control seems to be a thing of the past. His body sags against Tetsu's fist and he utters a small grunt. His team mates all cry out in anguish. As darkness closes around him, Ban smiles weakly. "You did it, Tetsu." His voice fades as he tries to say "Next it's all yours..." cut off in mid word, his eyes close and he utters a small sound. We hear his heart falter, then flatline. Ban topples to the sand. "BAN!" the others shriek and bolt for him.

Jerifesu is in a panic. "His heart's stopped! I don't believe it! You really did it!" Tetsu doesn't look. Instead, he straightens up. "DAMN YOU!" snarls Jerifesu. He abandons ship now, and intends Tetsu to be his new mount. He goes flying at the armor-clad Dekaranger. Tetsu fights the liquid blue body and whipping tentacles trying to find their way into him. "Fire Fist!" he calls, and the air fills with flames, forcing Jerifesu away from him. The little alien flops burning on the sand. The other Dekaranger are blind to anything but the motionless body at their center. Umeko weeps freely. Hoji, Jasmine and Sen blink back tears. Tetsu looks at them, then walks towards them. But Umeko's hand is curling in the sand. She clutches a fistful and stands. "Te... she chokes out, "I know you had to do it b - " she breaks and launches herself at him, uncontrolled and only screaming hysterically. Sen moves to stop her from clawing through Tetsu's armor. "Stop it, Umeko." "But - " she cries. "It was the right thing to do!" Sen chokes out. Tetsu moves past them to Ban. Hoji and Jasmine have lost the battle, and are huddled over their own tears. "I couldn't do it," mourns Hoji. But Tetsu grimly revs up his changer. He puts his fist over Ban's chest and spreads his hand wide. Electricity crackles around it. Then he slams his fist not too hard on Ban's chest repeatedly, sending electric jolts to his heart. Hoji wakes up to the action, if not the intention, and snarls at him to stop. "What are you doing?" After a moment, Tetsu stops and commands sternly, "Senior, you wake up!" He starts the shocks again. "There has to be justice!" Between shocks he starts to beg. And finally, Ban coughs. Tetsu slumps, ceasing the shocks. The other four Dekaranger are too stunned to recognize what's happened at first. Then as he hacks and starts to curl around pain, they lean down to him, a precious gift returned. Ban opens his eyes feebly. Hoji gasps. Umeko whimpers and closes her hands over her mouth to hold back a scream of joy, tears on her cheeks. Jasmine doesn't have to hold back a scream, but her joy is all the same as are the tears. Sen is so stunned he almost laughs. Tetsu had held on to a fine thread of hope, and now he nods in relief. Ban focuses on him and essays a weak question about why he's still alive when he was just talking to his dead grandfather. Tetsu shuts down his uniform and snaps fondly, "Nonsense. You aren't free yet. Now get up!" He leans down and cradles his arms around Ban, helping him up, Hoji anxiously reaching to assist. Umeko gasps out, "What happened?" Sen, smarter than the others, explains it all ending with a pleading question to Tetsu, "That's what you were planning all along?" Tetsu nods and smiles, then says to Ban, "I had faith in my Senior all along." Ban grins back at him. Sen nearly whimpers but with joy, "That's unreasonable!" Hoji, still not recovered from the heartbreak of thinking Ban was dead, chokes "Completely. Just like..." "JUST LIKE BAN!" crows Umeko. Jasmine laughs and says, "Surely." Ban snorts and lets Tetsu and Hoji help him to his feet. "What a thing to say!" He tousles Tetsu's hair affectionately, calling him a Fireball like himself. The groups sighs with relief. "Guess I can go to the Fire Squad." Delighted with that praise, Tetsu chuckles.

But this peace is short. Out of the sea suddenly rises a leviathan. A one-eyed giant mecha, They see it and gasp in surprise. "It must be Jerifesu!" shouts Tetsu. Yes, it is. The alien is in the pilot seat, and very, very angry. This had been waiting for him in the sea. Ban whaps Tetsu up the head and scolds him for not finishing off Jerifesu. Then he signals the base and asks Swan to send in the Deka Machines. She, who probably watched everything happens, tells him she knows where they are, and no lost children out there. The machines roar out. And no one knows that Aburera is watching. He says he's got Jerifesu as his hand... but his body.... Off he goes.

Our heroes are aboard the Deka Bike Robo, and join to be the Super Dekaranger Robo. They start fighting and punch down Jerifesu's mecha. Ban shouts a list of offenses, and calls for Judgement. Jerifesu hisses as it starts. But what is Aburera up to? He is approaching the Deka Base in a machine. It is an enormous drill, and the Base shudders as he drills inside the lower floor. Kruger hollars "What's going on?!" and is given a quick answer. The Dekaranger out in the field receive the Delete verdict, and head to carry it out. Just as they are about to fire, Swan signals them, panting. She tells them that the Dekabase is being overrun by Mecha Men. They gasp. Yes, Anaroids, Battsuroids, running inside the base. Jerifesu takes advantage of their distraction to fre on them. The men of Dekabase do their best, firing in disciplined squads, protecting the other staff, but only succeed in slowing the Mecha Men briefly. One can only guess at the body count. Aburera strides gleefully into the base among his minions. Mecha Men dash down halls strewn with bodies of hapless defenders. They fire and take down more. Kruger runs to confront them, growling in rage. Swan closes the doors of her office frantically. And the heroes fight down by the sea, getting painfully blasted.

With the Dekabase being overrun, only Aburera is around to raise the questions and answers about what is going on. What will happen to Doggie Kruger, he asks? For that worthy has met up with the horde.

Episode. 49 Devil's Deka Base
Our heroes are tumbled to the empty floors of Dekabase. Tetsu is not there. Armored sea-aliens work for Aburera. Swan falls, and so does Murphy. Kruger's voice, "I can't move. You have to forget about me." "Boss!" wails Umeko. We see him fall, body smoking, from an impact that crushed the wall behind him. Aburera is piloting the Deka Base Robo. Fire everywhere, and things look really bad.

Murphy launches himself at the Iigaroid, which simply smacks him out of the air. Stunned, Murphy lands against the wall, whining. "Murphy!" Swan breathes in sympathy and rage. The Iigaroid turns its attention on her. She is already trying to change into her armor and his eyes flash! She is hit by explosions and falls hard against her station. Even as she slides towards the floor and out of consciousness, she hits enter on her keyboard. Five Dekamachines are shown inside the base, and the screen reads, Deka Base Emergency Power Supply Start. O.K. OPREATION PROGRAM START Movement Device Program Start. (it was they who spelled opreation, not me).

Battsuroids and Anaroids fall to Kruger's strikes. He races through their ranks, leaving fireballs behind him. He skids to a halt, panting, and a voice asks, "Tired already?" Aburera, and still more of his mecha-men. "Doggie Kruger," he says amusedly. "Agent Aburera!" Kruger snarls. Aburera decides now is the time to go into a speech about all his hard work leading up to this point. Kruger demands to know why. "Don't you remember?" Aburera asks him. And so Kruger growls and thinks back. A green-eyed Alienizer who'd blasted his way out of the Deka Base. He'd brought with him information about the base itself. Kruger asks if he's been planning this from the start. "Perhaps I have." After all, he's been trying to wipe out this annoying planet for years. Kruger responds that he's committed unforgivable crimes. But Aburera is unimpressed. And when Kruger draws his blade to attack, it is shot from his hands. Stunned, he snarls, "Who did that?" And the air beside and around Aburera ripples. They appear... four Alienizer, powerful bodies and heavily armored. Copper, grey, red, gold... The red is female. There's a sea-theme going in the choice of designs, one a lantern fish, one is a crab, one spiny like a sea cucumber, the female... um, not sure. It seems this isn't the first time Kruger's met them. The Sea-Cucumber says, "It's been a while, Doggie Kruger." Kruger names them, one after the other. "Uniiga!" the sea-cucumber, a Gedoan. The.. um... crabbish one is a Doragian, Ganimede. The lantern fish is a Gimoian, Angooru. The female is a Jargoian, Sukiira. Ganimede says the four of them have joined up. Angooru says they've come to help Aburera. Sikiira says something about the ultimate power etc. Uniiga says that not much else would have brought him back. Kruger stares at them, silent. This may have lulled Aburera into a false sense of security. Or not. Off he goes and Kruger shouts "WAIT!" and starts to charge after him, when the four angry enemies go invisible and attack him, vague ripples in the air. He's hit badly. They reappear, surrounding him. "We are your enemy," Uniiga coolly points out. Kruger calmly takes out his badge and says, in a gruff voice, "Emergency." For he intends they fight him in his Deka Master armor.

Our heroes manage to knock down their enemy. They hit the jects and fly at him, punching. He is hit badly enough to destroy him, and they turn around under Jasmine's direction and head for the Deka Base.

Kruger fights on his own, armor clad and strong, and seems to be doing well until Ganimede catches his neck in pinchers. He has mockery for Judgement. Explosions go off around Kruger's neck. But in a rage, Kruger forces the claw away from him and leaps, kicking, at Ganimede. He kicks the crab down, but Angooru leaps in the path and sends a black of red electric fire, which Kruger grounds on his blade and sends back to source. He then leaps to kick the stunned Angooru. Where is Uniiga? For his does not gather with the other two protectively over Angooru, who whimpers, "You're so strong!" Kruger is all set to delete them, but he's gotten ahead of himself. Uniiga puts in an appearance. Blade-to-blade they go at each other. When Uniiga makes a point, Kruger counters with his own. He is the Watchdog of Hell, after all. And he will not be defeated by the likes of them. Aburera returns, but he's brought his trump card. Swan, propped up and helpless between two Battsuroids. They toss her over a barrier and she falls. Kruger leaps to catch her. He bounces off the wall and leaps for cover, getting shot in the back while he does this. He lands her safely, but is groaning in pain. And his four enemies know it. They keep firing as he flees along the catwalk with Swan in his arms. He gets to an area marked "Danger," a smaller purple sign reading "Emergency Escape Pod" boy they've thought of just about everything there! He opens it up and tosses Swan down the chute. Just then, he is blasted again, and now fights the four while the chute remains open behind him. He manages to force them back, quickly closes the gate, but this action leaves him vulnerable. Uniiga slices straight down the middle. The resulting blast we cannot see. But we do see the Escape Pod blast out the side of the Deka Base, carrying an unconscious Swan.

The Dekaranger are fast approaching, Deka Robo on the Deka Bike. "We're on our way, Boss!" Ban calls. But what will they find when they arrive? For the drill by which Aburera broke into the Base pulls loose now. It spins and starts firing missiles at the approaching heroes. Tetsu helps control evasive maneuvers. The explosions are blue-white, and the machines are shaken, our heroes crying out in their cockpits as Deka Robo gets blasted off the Deka Bike. Tetsu glances back, "Seniors!" he cries in dismay. But he's got more problems. Or a bigger problem. For Aburera assembles a different mecha for them to fight. The mighty Abutorex. Red, silver, gold... piloted by at least Angooru. The two Deka Mecha are on their feet, pilots enraged. Hoji makes a point, and starts firing. The mecha they're fighting is not even shaken by their blasts. It comes in and cuts apart the Judgement Sword, then starts blasting them. Ah, only Angooru. The other three are still having fun beating on Kruger, who is tiring. His sword is finally beaten from his hands. It falls and drops down the shaft of several flights of stairs. Ganimede and Sukiira pick Kruger up and pin him by his arms between them, inviting Uniiga to have his fun. He pulls out the spiked, oranger and silver blade of an Iigaroid. His eyes flash and then he hauls back the flaming, crackling blade. He flings the terrible energy and it hits solid, sending Kruger flyign back through the walls of the Deka Base. He finally is stopped, leaving quite an crushed-in-area of the wall. The impact, where his body has wedged into the wall, is the only thing keeping him up as his whole body goes limp. The Deka Master armor has taken enough punishment and it shuts down. Kruger's eyes are closed and this is shocking, more than the smoke rising around him. His knees buckle and he drops bonelessly.

The Abutorex continues raining blasts on the two Deka Robots. There is almost no breather between blasts. Ban painfully gasps out something about the Deka Base being right in front of them. They are staggered back by another blast, when the Deka Base begins to move. No, not move. To reconfigure. Hope springs eternal. "The Boss beat them!" crows Umeko. And then as the Base forms Deka Crawler, and the cannons starts firing, they are the targets. Sen gasps, "No, that's not the Boss." And indeed, for Aburera's voice comes through their speakers, confirming that unhappy fact with smugness. "That's right. It's me." Hoji gasps, "That voice! Aburera!" And that enemy of theirs tells them that his people have taken Doggie Kruger to Hell. "Boss!" gasps Jasmine. They stutter through a sentence word by word for each of them to protest this information. "It's a lie!" Ban finishes in a scream. Lounging in the Deka Base room, Aburera finds that amusing, but it doesn't stop him from transforming the Base into its standing mode. With him are the other three , manning the other positions. The heroes shake with rage, as they stare up at the mecha more than twice their own ones' height, and now their enemy's. Aburera is looking forward to destroying the city. He has this power in his own fingers. Our heroes try to fight, but the Abutrex is a matcdh for them, and Aburera is heading for point 314. Why? Jasmine calls into her badge warning about point 314. But then they are hit badly, and their mechas fall, and the Deka Robo goes up in flames! "Seniors!!" screams Tetsu.

Aburera in the Deka Base starts his happy goal of obliterating the city. The entire area around him goes up in flames under the firepower of the Deka Base. He is quite pleased.

"Seniors!!" Tetsu shouts, racing through the rubble on the streets. And he finally finds them, staggering painfully towards him. Ban leads, Jasmine behind him, Hoji , Sen and Umeko... where is Umeko? Ah, also behind Ban but temporarily hidden. Tetsu frantically races to them. "You're all right!" They are alive, at any rate, and willing to call that all right. They have other things to worry about than their scrapes, bruises and burns. "What do we do?" whispers Umeko. For the Dekaranger Robo has been destroyed and the Deka Wing Robo is in the Deka Base. Jasmine opens her badge and speaks urgently into it. "Boss! Answer me, Boss!" The continuing silence puts her nearly in tears. But finally they hear a crackle. The signal is weak, and so is the voice carried by it. "Everyone... are you safe?" They scramble over to Jasmine, who frantically says "Yes! Boss, are you safe?" He can only be honest with them, trapped against cement in a dark area. "No. It's bad. I can't move." He clenches his hand at his chest, bones probably cracked and all manner of internal injuries. "You have to forget about me," he tells them. They practically shriek. Umeko cries, "We can't without you Boss!" "Idiots!" he snarls at those words. They all flinch and gasp, eyes wide. He says, "Listen to me good! The Dekabase and - " but he suddenly stops with a small sound of pain, and he can speak no more, for he goes limp, eyes closing. Is it for the last time?! His hand falls to the floor, badge still open. The Dekaranger scream frantically, but he does not answer, as he slowly topples to the floor. Only silence answers them.

And then, while they are tearing up, another voice signals them. "Earth officers! Can you hear me? Earth officers! Dekaranger?!" The uncertainty finally gets them moving. Hoji answers his badge. "Commander." It is indeed Numa 0. He tells them that the true identity of Agent Aburera has finally been unearthed. Er... well, you know. Ban gasps, staring wide-eyed at his badge. He tells them a little bit about their enemy. And while he debriefs them, terrified civilians flee as their neighborhoods go up in flames. One can assume the death toll is tremendous. Police direct the evacuation as best they can. Ban leaps to his feet and says that they'll get into the Deka Base. But Numa 0 says that's not what they must do. For he is coming, along with a whole fleet of warships, and another Deka Base. They're all coming. They will destroy the Dekabase. Umeko tries to tell them Kruger is still in the base, but it seems that is a null issue. Earth is at stake, or will be, if Aburera is not stopped now. And Kruger would know and have ordered the same thing. The Dekaranger almost break into tears again, as he tells them grimly what has to be done. They'll be there in about two hours. The kids will have to hold on (or get out of dodge) until then.

Hoji breaks the silence and asks what they should do. Ban tells them they have to fight. And they go into completing speeches together, and grasp their courage in both hands. Sen upends himself against the wall and comes up with an idea. They go to where the Dekabase lay, and he leads them underground. The others are puzzled, but he leads them to a plae, and when they open it, they find what he had realized. The Deka Wing was not in the Deka Base. Swan, he tells them, had planned for even this eventuality. Tetsu shaken agrees they can fight the Mecha Men. When they are wavering, Ban does what he does, which is to pull them together to go fight for the sake of Swan, and the Boss. They affirm their team.

And so it is, while smug Aburera and his evil cohorts are enjoying the destruction they commmit, they find they are not withough enemies. "Hey, they're still alive?" gasps Uniiga. Aburera takes it as a personal insult that Swan Shiratori had hidden the Deka Wing Robots. Ban hollars challenging mockery. Pissed, Aburera sends the Abutorex out to stop them. "You can't stop us!" calls its pilot. But he finds they won't be hit again. They strike with the Tornado, stun him, come in kicking and drive him back, then reconfigure the robot to its cannon form, which Tetsu in the Deka Bike Robo quickly moves to brace. With them in their SWAT armor, he blasts. At point blank range the shot devastates the Abutorex. It also obliterates the building they'd pinned him against. Hope no one was in there. Aburera is most furious. "MY ABUTOREX!" he shrieks. But they are flying at the base, and the assorted pilots try firing the Knee cannons. The Deka Wing flies circles around the blast. So Aburera decides on using the most powerful blast, which Deka Base must stand immobile for. And that was what our young heroes were waiting for him to do. "Seniors, NOW!" calls Tetsu. For he is piloting the Deka Wing Robo. "What?" asks a startled Aburera as the Deka Bike roars in. He bends the Deka Base down to see in confusion. Over its head they leap the bike, and all five drop down on top of the base. Aburera swings its head around to see them standing right next to him, sort of. And they charge away, a move which confuses him. They charge away, down a flight of stairs, across catwalks... into the Base! And Tetsu fires, preventing Aburera from concentrating as he wants on his attackers. The five other Dekaranger charge through the halls, firing at any Mecha men in their path. They arrive on the bridge to find only Aburera there, his arms folded and looking stubborn. "Stop the Deka Base!" shouts Ban. And Aburera asks amusedly, "What do you think you can do?" When they gasp and gape he mocks them. For just as they have failed to realize, he has control of the base. He hits a button and their armor shuts off. They gasp in horror. "What happened?" whispers Ban. He points out that he controls the vertical, he controls the horizontal - oops, sorry. He snaps his fingers and the three aliens appear among them. They grab our heroes by the throats and toss them out into the hall. Laughing, Aburera comes out with his servants and tells them, "Now there's nothing you can do. But don't feel bad. You're not the only ones. The Space Police also think they can stop me." "What do you mean?" snarls Ban. "I've left them a shining present." Oh dear. For he's got the force field up around Earth, and as soon as those ships hit the atmosphere, they'll be fried. Wow, he's quite the big planner! The Dekaranger gasp in horror. There will be no more Space Police to stand in his way. And outside, a rain of missiles comes down on the Deka Wing Robo. Tetsu cries out in pain, and loses his armor. And the three Alienizer charge at our five heroes and beat them painfully down. Tetsu frantically fights. Will the others all die in flames?!

But have no fear. Two old friends are around. The young cat alien who once nearly got himself killed by alien free-ranger hunters, and the little old lady alien who spends her life in search of rare medicinal plants. She says as long as Sen-chan is around, it'll be all right. She calls encouragement to Sen. The cat-alien knocks her out of his way and cries, "Dekaranger, keep going!" Behind them, a small crowd gathers and starts calling encouragement to our heroes.

Episode. 50 Episode. Final FOREVER DEKARANGER
It's the end of the world as we know it. The Deka Base comes through a cloud of smoke. We hear Ban in voice-over. "Buddy..." Hoji, bleeding and wrapped around the spiny alien, smiles and calls encouragement. "Tetsu..." scorched, hair slick with sweat, screaming in terror. "Sen-chan..!" either upended or suspended. "Jasmine!" gripping a weapon with her bare right hand in order to read it, eyes black with grief. "Umeko..." grinning around a corner and flicking encouragement with a heart that never fails. "Swan-san!" who smiles proudly somewhere with blue skies behind her. "... and Boss!" who lies against a wall, eyes closed, final fate still a secret. "Watch, please! Our hearts are one!" for Ban stands in the hall to the main Deka Room, battered and bleeding, and his eyes burn. Ban, running as fast as he can. Hoji, alone and gun ready to fire in an elevator that goes dark. Tetsu in bad shape. Jasmine on the run in a stairwell. Sen thinking upside down. Umeko taking a bath in an open room? Ban fighting his way through Anaroids, Hmm.

They land painfully, sliding on the smooth floors. Hoji opens his badge and gasps into it, "This is Earth! Commander, please go back!" But he is informed by Aburera that this was a wasted effort. They can't signal out. He laughs, and his three cohorts head amusedly after our heroes. But Ban coils to his feet, the others with him and snarls breathlessly that they aren't defeated. These enemies will never be able to destroy everything. "Justice will prevail!" he shouts. Opening credits, shortened for this final episode as the narrator explains that these six people all have the fiery hearts and cool heads needed to fight the evil from space and protect the peace of Earth.

But it's not going to be easy. Spined Uniiga beats on Ban with repeated punches to his gut. The other four are sill struggling to get up, but Hoji is on his feet. Ban is sent rolling back to them. Uniiga with his Iigaroid blade is about to blast them. They scream when the blast hits and sends them further back down the hallway, soft cries of pain. Uniiga says it's time to clean up the joint. Ganimede the crabby is enjoying himself. Sukiira levels her weapon, wishes them goodbye, and is about to fire. They all gasp in horror and fright. "Do it," says Uniiga. She cocks the trigger, laughing, and the Dekaranger all cringe, covering their heads. Then a sharp barking echoes. Murphy has recovered from getting smashed into the wall when Swan was taken, and launches himself into the fray. A silver blur, he bites at the three villains several times. They hadn't known about him, and fall. Sukiira snarls, "What the - !" Murphy skids to a halt protectively in front of the Dekaranger. "Murphy!" Umeko exclaims. "I knew it!" Grinning, Ban says, "You're an inspiration!" Murphy barks in agreement over his shoulder. The villains are back on their feet, but so are our five youngsters. At Jasmine's word, Murphy leaps at Ganimede and sinks his teeth into the alien's pincer. While that unequal struggle is going, the Dekaranger quickly pull out their handguns and fire at the other two. Uniiga manages to fire a blast at them, but they tumble out of the way. Hoji behind one corner, yells around at the others, "Scatter!" No problem. The five Dekaranger split. Aburera can only track four of them at a time. Sen down one hall, Umeko down a staircase, Jasmine down an escalator and Hoji down another hall. He decides not to worry too much. "There is nothing you can do!" he mocks. Perhaps, or perhaps not. We'll see. For Tetsu, though weary and drenched in sweat, still pilots the Deka Wing Robo and attacks again. "Seniors, don't give up!" he cries. He kicks the Base in its head, rocking it back and annoying Aburera, who fires a volley of missiles. Tetsu does a spinning kick and knocks them out of the air. Aburera seems to acknowledge this isn't how he saw his introduction to the city going.

On the other side of the bay, Swan staggers painfully out of the escape pod. Recovering her breath, she straightens up at the sound of blasts and cannonfire. A flash of shock crosses her face at what she sees. The Deka Wing Robo hovering just above the buildings, blasting at the Deka Base Robo three times its size and flying out of the way of return blasts. She opens her badge and pants, "This is Swan. Doogie, what's happening?!" But when no one responds she realizes the answer. And to her horror that only Doogie knew what to do in this worst of all cases. Anguished, she falls to her knees in the sand.

Doggie Kruger's last words to the Dekaranger... "Listen carefully! The Dekabase - " and then a sound of choked pain before he fell silent. "Boss!" Jasmine had cried. She leans against a wall, bruised and battered, staring at her badge. She thinks, "Boss... what were you trying to tell us?" Suddenly she hears the sounds of approaching mecha-men. A troop are running along the hall towards the corner she hides in. They see her peeking out and start firing. She returns fire, shooting a couple down before tearing into the stairwell. She's trying to even out her breathing, when she catches sight of something unexpected. The hilt of Kruger's sword. It had caught in this place. "D-Sword Vega!" she gasps. But the Anaroids are catching up with her, and now a Battsuroid is with them. A gasp of frustration, and she lunges for Kruger's blade. She gets it in her hands in time. The pursuing robots find themselves facing a blast of light which obliterates them and leaves a hole in the wall. That is one powerful sword. Safe, for the moment, Jasmine sinks down on the steps under her feet, cradling that blade. Then suddenly she catches her breath in realization. "Of course!" She pulls the glove off of her right hand. Before touching the weapon she says, "Boss, tell me please, what it is that can help us!" She closes her hand around the hilt. Image in grayscale. Murphy asleep in his box. Closer, closer. Above him in the box there is a button. Green light shining, the button is labelled "Fuel Control", even labelled in braille. Vision passed, Jasmine opens her eyes wide. "I saw it!" she gasps. But then she hears steps below her. On her feet, she readies the blade and watches to see what's coming. A shadow on the wall, humanoid and carrying a weapon cautiously in front. Both whip out to find... it is Sen, coming up the stairs. "Sen-chan!" Jasmine gasps in relief, lowering the D-Sword. Sen sags and greets her with weary joy. She leans heavily against the railing as he comes up to her and notes, "That's the Boss'." She holds up the weapon in agreement and tells him, "I saw what the Boss was trying to do. There's a secret switch hidden in Murphy's crate. If we can activate that switch, we'll get control of the Deka Base back!" Sen is quite relieved to hear that.

Unfortunately, Sukiira has found them. Cheerfully she says she's come to send the pair to heaven. They aren't grateful for that, though, and start firing. She ducks back to protect her face from their shots, but when she lowers her weapon an instant later, finds they are gone. They've broken out their ropes and slid to the bottom of the stairwell, she realizes upon seeing it. She pursues them into the bowels of the base. "Where'd you go?" she wonders and paces along. "Come out, come out!" she half-sings. She passes them by, unaware. Sen has upended himself. Jasmine makes herself small against the nearby wall, hoping Sukiira won't notice them. He opens his eyes and says quietly, "That's it." Jasmine utters a relieved gasp of pride. Sen opens a door cautiously. Safe. He nods back and Jasmine follows him in, carefully closing the door. They're in the breaker-room. "This," he whispers, and coils his fingers about one lever.

Aburera gives a snort of surprise when the rest of the Base (but not the control room) is suddenly plunged into darkness. There is not a Dekaranger to be seen on any of his monitors. "How do you imagine this is going to help?" he laughs. Umeko, hiding beneath a staircase from level D-2 to D-3, wonders what is going on. Ban is puzzled where he hides in a bathroom. "Enemy tactic!" he growls, and gets ready to fire on anyone who opens the door. But then to his confusion, the lights start blinking rapidly. Hoji is hiding next to the elevator in A/AREA. Or is he IN the elevator? He pays attention to the blinking lights and his mouth opens in surprise. "This is..!" he starts, eyes wide. Sen flicks the swith in careful timing, concentrating. Unfortunately, Sukiira has found them and starts hammering on the door. Jasmine calls warning to Sen. Knowing they have almost no time, Sen prays the others will understand. And they do. Umeko gasps, "SPD Signal!" Hoji is also reading and puzzling, "Ironworks... Murphy...?" Ban's brow furrows. "Dekabase... control?" Umeko reads, "Kennel... I GET IT!" she suddenly crows. "A switch in the kennel!" She leaps to her feet.

The message was understood just in time, for Jasmine is thrown back into Sen's arms with the force of the door opening. Sukiira is quite amused to have caught them. Sen stands tall and says firmly, "Jasmine, we have to believe in the others. For their sake." Jasmine is quite happy, and the pair face Sukiira defiantly and charge.

The Deka Wing Robo is hit by the Base's cannon fire and slides back through the city streets, pulverizing a few buildings along the way. Aburera mocks that he can see the defeat. Tetsu wriggles in the pilot seat and snarls, "Nonsense!" Aburera snorts smugly and points out that in fifteen minutes, the Deka fleet is going to arrive. They certainly are, bearing down on Earth.

Our heroes are headed for Swan's office, which means they find each other. Hoji and Umeko on opposite sides of an intersection. Ban arrives on Hoji's side. Beyond them in the hall is Ganimede. He doesn't know they are there. Ban leans his hand on Hoji's shoulder and whispers, "What do we do, buddy?" "Don't call me buddy," Hoji whispers back. Ganimede seems to be playing like he'll lunge on direction or another. But Umeko has an idea and a grin splits her face. She whispers across the way, "Here, I am the leader. Leave it to me!" and takes off. Ban and Hoji stare after her, perplexed, then exchange bewildered glances. Ganimede startles when the enormous door beside him starts to slide slowly, noisily upwards. "What?" he asks in English. Curious, he goes over and tilts down to see under it. A long, white block sitting on golden legs soon reveals itself to be a steaming tub full of bubbles, three little yellow rubber ducks, and a seemingly naked human girl singing to herself as she rubs bubbles all over her arms. Ganimede is flummoxed. I quite understand. "What IS this?!" he gasps, indicating the tub and its occupant with his pincers. Umeko seems to notice him for the first time and smiles, leaning her elbows on the edges. "Oh hi! What's wrong?" Ganimede slips back and forth from English to Japanese. "Hey you! Why are you taking a bath now?" She tells him in utter innocence that it seemed like the perfect time to her. He stutters that this really isn't the normal thing to be doing at a time like this. "Really?" she asks in surprise. She puzzles it out, a finger to her temple. "I mean, really? Well, I don't think that." She peers past him, smirking, as she sees Ban and Hoji dash soundlessly around the corner. Ganimede starts to sort of recover and stutters affectionately, "This is some bizarre trick. What are you up to?" Hoji and Ban glance back at her, Ban flicking happy yay signs at her. Off they charge! Umeko grins up at Ganimede. "Oh, I'm not up to anything!" she waves her hand in negation. Then she quirks her finger at him, "Hey, come down here, I've got something to show you!" Drawn inexoribly, he leans down as she sinks beneath the thick layer of bubbles. "Eh?" he wonders, for she is gone. Suddenly, a fountain of bubbles bursts in his face. Umeko, fully clothed (sorry, folks!) lands on top of his head. "Didn't you know I'm the Earth Police's master of deception?" she teases him. He hadn't, and is stil unprepared to be kicked in the head. He falls into the tup. She lands on her feet, still grinning, and says, "You aren't going to stop Ban and Hoji!" He pulls himself up, bubbles all over his head, and charges her. She runs to meet him.

Sukiira is playing bash-Jasmine-against-the-wall until she drops the D-Blade. Sen tries to help, but is beaten down too. Ban is ahead of Hoji in the charge down the stairs heading for Swan's office. He stops in mid step, head whipping back with a cry of pain. "What's - " starts Hoji, when the same thing happens to him. Uniiga appears, having both of them by the throats. He's trying to throttle them, but it's not working fast enough. So he slams them through a wall and pins them to the floor. "Too bad," he mocks. "This is as far as you get."

But help is still out there, even if it isn'T really aware of what's happening to them. Tetsu shouts into his bracelet, "Deka Bike, Auto-control!" The bike changes to flight mode and collides with the head of the Deka Base. There is a powerful explosion that shakes the base and puts the fear into Aburera. It shakes the base hard enough that Uniiga loses his balance, and his grip on the boys. They quickly kick him in the chest. On their feet, Ban is clutching his pained throat, but Hoji glances at the helicopter behind them and grabs his arm. He orders Ban to take the lift and get out above. "Roger!" Ban shouts and whirls to comply. He looks around as Hoji goes the opposite way. "Ooh! There's the switch!" he says and charges for it. But a pair of Battsuroids are quick to get in his way and he skids to halt. He quickly fires on them, but they deflect his shots. Hoji sees what's going on, but has no time to help. Uniiga punches him in the jaw. The Deka Base straightens back up, smoke billowing. Tetsu screams in frustration and revs his engines. Ban fights the Battsuroids. They are beating him down, while Uniiga has Hoji pinned in an arm-breaking grip. Hoji grits out, "Ban, you gotta ride!" Ban, struggling with the Battsuroids, points out the minor complication that the thing won't move because of the switch. Hoji hollars back, "It's all right, RIDE!" and snatches out his gun. He fires on a piece of rubble near the helicopter. The shot is, of course, perfect. The rubble flies and hits the switch, activating it. The lift starts to go up. "Ooooh! Great, buddy!" Ban shouts. "Hurry and ride!" Hoji shouts back. Ban heaves himself loose of the Battsuroids and has to make a desperate leap for the rising platform. He makes it, and pulls himself the rest of the way up. Uniiga wants to charge after him, but Hoji leaps to grab and hang on. "I'm depending on you!" he shouts up. "Buddy!" Ban, stunned, pokes his head over the edge of the platform. A smile splits his face and he whispers, "That rascal!" Then he shouts laughingly, "Don't call me buddy!" Hoji's eyes shine with delight and he grins back at Ban. Then Ban gets ready to tear off, while Hoji continues to wrestle with Uniiga.

And a rather bewildered Agent Aburera watches Ban charge alone through the corridors. He is feeling full of his britches, for in only one minute the entire Space Police force will meet its end. Ban has reached a corridor from which he can see Swan's office. He can see the hole burned in the door earlier. "Ironworks!" he pants in delight, and charges. As he runs, he thinks of each of his precious companions. "Buddy... Tetsu! Sen-chan! Jasmine! Umeko!" each with their own voice of determination. "Murphy!" barking, "Swan-san!" and her affectionate laughter, "and the Boss!" with a manly grunt. "Watch me!" and then he shouts something about what he's going to do. He's closing in, and a group of Anaroids are there to stop him, a tall Iigaroid at the back. "Get him," it says. "Out of the way!" Ban shouts, and charges. He pretty runs as he can, ducks, kicks and trips the Anaroids. Elsewhere, Sukiira is bashing Sen. Ganimede is beating down Umeko, Sukiira gets Jasmine against a wall, and Uniiga throws Hoji over his shoulder and hard to the cement floor. Tetsu screams an enraged challenge and fires at the Deka Base. Ban gets clear of the Anaroids and charges the Iigaroid, which gets ready to meet him. It slashes with its sword, but Ban leaps over the slash and rolls to his feet, firing at the window in his way. Holes open, but the window remains intact. Ban looks slightly offended, but then whirls and goes charging at the Iigaroid again. He leaps, kicks it in the chest and uses the backlash to propel himself against the window. It shatters under the impact. Ban slides to a halt, curled protectively around his head for the flying glass. His forehead has been scraped, but he leaps up and dives for Murphy's kennel, even as the blast door, activated by the smashed window, comes down to keep the Anaroids out. Ban lands on his stomach, rolls over and hits the button. A red light begins flashing beside the green. At the other end of the room, two doors slide open to reveal a red-lit control room. Ban races to it.

Aburera, ready to deliver a finishing blast, finds all power shutting off. The Deka Base stands motionless, the lights of its powerful cannons fading. The Deka Wing Robo, lying on the streets below, its pilot Tetsu staring wearily up. "It stopped!" he gasps. Aburera is gasping, too. "What happened?" Ban signals the others with his badge. "Guys! The Deka Base controls are mine!" Tetsu nearly shrieks with relief. "Senior!" Uniiga, hearing this announcement, shouts, "How in heck?!" This gives Hoji the strength to throw his fist off and deck him with a punch to the chin. "You did it," he grins. "Buddy." Umeko back-flips away from Ganimede. She kicks his feet out from under him and is happy. Sen and Jasmine manage to get their guns out and force Sukiira away from them with the blasts. They are all quite smug and ready to get their own back, now. For they can change again! The four activate their badges. And Ban in the control room frantically signals Commander Numa 0, warning them of the danger. He's in time. "Earth's barrier is UP!" he shouts. "What?" gasps Numa 0. In the control room of the other Deka Base, he quickly orders the fleet to halt. It's practically all over. The others fight. Ban reconfigures the base to normal mode. Aburera, half-hysterical, finds the command console doors opening and he is facing an enraged young human. Ban charges in and stops, then snarls, "Did you see, Agent Aburera?!" Aburera clenches his fist and snarls, "Why you filthy little weasel! How could you stop me if you couldn't even change?!" Ban's eyes blaze. "I couldn't change, yeah. We were scattered all over, yeah." And then he shouts, "But we havew ONE HEART!!" And out he pulls his badge. And in a swift movement, he changes into his Deka Suit. Aburera fires, Ban evades, leaps, kicks him of the base through the window. Outside on the empty streets, Aburera finds his three remaining lieutenants have been driven to the same place. They land on their backs at his feet and he gasps, whirling to look at the ruin of all his efforts. And the six Dekaranger assemble. Ban shouts, "Agent Aburera, this is where your treachery ends!" And he goes into his routine. "One! Hate unjust, evil deeds!" Hoji follows immediately. "Two! Pursue mysterious cases and..." Sen follows with his, "three! Investigate with futuristic science!" Then Jasmine: "Four! The horrible evil of the universe..." and Umeko's line: "Five! speedily exterminate!" And Tetsu adds his, which he has modified. "Six!" er... something about enemies and it all being good. Then introducing themselves with great pride.

Aburera has his own pride, and he strides towards them with a grand gesture pointing out that he could destroy all the lights in the skies. And this world isn't escaping. The six Dekaranger charge him with roars, scaring his three lieutenants, but they charge at his command anyway. Jasmine and Umeko take on Sukiira. Jasmine snarls, "People who live for money - " and Jasmine adds, "Can never defeat us!" They are taking her down. Hoji and Sen battle Ganimede. Hoji shouts, "What is most important?" Sen adds, "That you can't possibly understand?" Tetsu, up against Uniiga, snarls, "About my courage?!" and punches him down. Aburera finds himself Ban's target, and blasts to keep him away but that isn't working. Our heroes take out the three servants, one by one. Ban still rights the enraged Aburera, but finally the six are together, and Ban hauls out his badge, catching Aburera in the Judgement Field. He gets the Delete mark. He has a lot to say before that about there will be others, or his darkness. Ban counters that they believe. That justice will burn forever in true hearts. The future is not darkness. And Murphy comes to join them. Umeko tosses him the Keybone, and they use him to finish off Aburera. He dies with a final curse.

They jump for joy, slapping hands and Umeko praises Murphy, pausing to haul out her badge and signal the base. "Boss, Agent Aburera - " when she remembers the miserable reality. Reminded, they all fall silent and their shoulders sag. They shut down their armor and stand, disconsolate. Umeko breathes, "No it's... the Boss...." But she cannot even bring herself to argue it. She closes her eyes and utters a strangled sob. Jasmine also whimpers "Boss!" Ban looks around at his miserable friends, and smiles for them, a sad yet encouraging smile. "Don't cry, Jasmine, Umeko!" He tries to explain, "If you cry, then Boss in Heaven - " he can't go on, for the tears are starting to spill for him, too, and his next syllables are too broken to make sense as he presses his eyes with his fingertips. Hoji and Sen hold on tight, Tetsu too but they're starting to have trouble taking breaths. Suddenly, unnoticed, a sound signal flashes on Umeko's badge. And then a tired voice asks, "Who's in Heaven?" They all straighten up, gaping at the badge. "Boss?!" gasps Umeko, the others right behind her. Murphy looks around and barks. They turn, and Jasmine is first to gasp in delight. Swan and Kruger are walking towards them. Well, Swan is walking and Kruger is leaning heavily on her, walking with heavy, pained steps. Each Dekaranger is shaking with joy, too stunned to move. Murphy is not. He leaps into Swan's arms and she greets him warmly. Kruger still is unsteady, but he doesn't fall and strokes Swan's shoulders as she comforts the dog. The Dekaranger tear loose of their paralysis and race over crying, "Boss!" The girls make it first, slamming into him to be cuddled. The boys wrap themselves around, trying to hold on tight. Kruger can barely turn his head in this crunch. "All of you," he says hoarsely, and they are able to pull themselves back a little. "You really did it," he praises them. "The six of you save Earth from a most terrible pinch." Tears standing in his eyes, Ban grins and says, "It wasn't just us." He clarifies though his friends seem to understand, "It was also you, Swan, and everything anyone's ever taught us." The others all nod firmly. Swan steps up besides him and says tenderly, "Hey, Doogie... these six have become a mighty space team, haven't they?" He nods firm agreement with her. "That's right." And he has something he must do. He steps forward and hugs each one of them. The boys are surprised, but recover quickly and lean their heads against this man who is practically their father, tears falling. Hoji breaks into sobs despite his best efforts. Swan watches, and smiles warmly on them all. Kruger steps forward then, declaring the mission complete. Ban crows that they've saved the Megalopolis. And they all leap for joy. Now the eight walk... behind them, left to right: Swan, Sen, Umeko, Ban, Tetsu, Jasmine, Hoji and Doggie Kruger. They rearranger briefly as Umeko dashes around to playfully hug Swan, who chats with Sen. Ban and Tetsu loop arms over each other's shoulders and talk happily. Kruger puts his arms over Hoji and Jasmine. We see they are near the great ferris wheel in Tokyo, walking on a street careful picture manipulation makes it seem as though S.P.D and the police dog symbol is emblazoned. And the eight are in their armor together for us to see. Kruger sends the kids off, while he and Swan watch with pride.

Epilogue... Tetsu is now officially a member of the team, and treats his change in status as a call to present himself to them. "Go ahead and call me buddy," he says. The four whirl around stubbornly and waggle their fingers in imitation of him, "Nonsense!" they say together. Hoji stubbornly grumps, "You're asking that too early!" Umeko hops up and pulls Tetsu down into their midst, and now they welcome him. And we see their lives. Hoji chasing down a criminal on foot. "You can't run away!" he shouts, and leaps down after the antennaed fellow. Sen is in the car, eating a sweet-bean-pastry and drinking a small bottle of milk. He thinks of something in surprise and upends himself against a nearby surface, while pedestrians glance, puzzled, at him as they pass. "I got it!" he yelps. Jasmine halts her car, pops up, dives a blast from the enemy and fires back, blasting the rifle from the hands of a female assailant. She smugly blows the nonexistent smoke from her barrel. Murphy leaps and chomps into the arm of an alien. He gets the struggling man down, and Umeko cheers him on, tells him to wait and, as far as we know, trots off to take a bath. Murphy finds her there and barks indignantly. "Murphy, wait!" she tells him. But at his protesting barks, decided he can bathe with her. Tetsu races along a walkway, pursuing a dark, caped alien and sounding very like Ban as he shouts after him. Catches, kicks and fights. Swan is working in her lab, very smug when she achieves her goal. She turns and smiles, content to drink a cup of tea from the tray beside her. Murphy sits contentedly behind her chair. Doggie Kruger leaps to his feet in the office and sends his team of five off. They salute. "Roger!"

A police car, stopped. Three moons, one enormous, the others much smaller, in the skies. A familiar head on the man who sets a child down. "You're all right now," he says warmly. The child, in white jacket and dark cloak seeming the same as the child who'd once died so long ago, says, "Thank you! When I get big, I want to be a police officer, too!" "Really?" delights Ban. He scratches the boy's hood in an affectionate gesture. "Never give up." But then he is signalled. He answers his badge. The person calling says sternly, "What are you doing, Banban?" Looking frustrated, Ban complains, "You only need to say it once, please just call me Ban!" He is cut off as the voice says, "Whatever, get back here." With a put-upon sigh, Ban pocket his badge and stands up. He wears a sheer red uniform with black trimmings and a heavy, SWAT vest. He tousles the boy's head, says farewell. When next we see him, he is jogging across a rooftop. He is one of four young men being trained by Gyoku Rou, who was the one signalling him earlier. They are the Fire Squad, and he's got an assignment for them. The four all salute gleefully. They whirl as one and Ban shouts, "Let's GO! Emergency!" hauling out his badge to change.

Magiranger: Stage. 1 旅立ちの朝 Tabidachi no Asa. The Morning the Journey Begins
A long haired man with a pony-tail races through the woods, black cloak catching on branches. A twisted cyborg demon with blue skin and a really big bone blade. A short-haired woman same as the man. Another demon, black leather and bat-like face, very female including a rather too-racy chest design for American television. Another woman rushing through the woods. Two girls in flack and blue, one with blue lipstick and the other with black. Almost like twins, except they have different faces. Another young man runs through the woods. A man in purple, gold and black armor, wolf's heads on his shoulders and a powerful shield in his left hand. A boy in high school uniform, crying out in terror. The Magiranger. A big green mecha, a small pink mecha, and threeabout the same size, yellow one with wings.

First battle, a demon, burple and blue, with golden eyes. Enormous, and wearing battered tunic. A woman with a changer, frantic. Five extremely shocked young people (the ones previously seen racing through the woods) who gasp, "MOTHER?!" For that is who the woman standing in glorious white, pale blue and golden lining, with the snowflake on the crest of her helmet, is to them. The older four, now in clothes clearly designating their color and WHY do these girls always wear skirts? They use their own changers. As almost usual, it appears Red is last to join his siblings.