Power Rangers GPX, episode 9: Girls' Day Out

:-:-:-: We're the best damn chance you've got, Power Rangers GPX, let's go! :-:-:-:

For the first time in a while, the Rangers were enjoying a day off. It was a Saturday, so there really wasn't much to do at the moment. But that didn't stop Venezuelan Yellow Ranger Maria Aparicio. She had her own plans today, and it involved a day on the town. Oh, dear. She had been meaning to see the sights in Tokyo since she got there, but she never really had the chance to do it so far. What with the days in training at the UN base and fights against the Elves. So today would be a good day to go out. But she didn't want to do it alone. A certain rich girl came to mind. "Hitomi!" She called out to said rich girl. "Where are you?"

"I'm right here," Hitomi said as she came out her room in the girls' townhouse. "What is it?"

"Well chica," she said. For those who don't know, chica, besides being the Spanish word for 'girl' is Maria's little pet name for Hitomi. "I was thinking you and I have a day out. A girl-date, if you will."

"A girl-date?" Hitomi asked with a confused look on her face. "Are you a lesbian?"

Maria sighed and rolled her eyes in response. "No, that's not what I meant," she said. "I meant we just have a day on the town, like friends, a girls' day out. I have no romantic interest in you, just friendship." Hitomi put her hand to her chin to think about it. But Maria had another little incentive. "We can go shopping in Ginza."

That got Hitomi's attention. "I like that!" She said. "We can go to my family's department store. I have a discount there for being the daughter of the CEO."

"¡Perfecto!" Maria said. "Why don't you get ready? I'll meet you in outside in 30 minutes. ¿Bueno?"

"Okay!" Hitomi replied. She ducked back into her bedroom to get ready while Maria went over to the guys' townhouse to wait for Hitomi.

Outside, it was a beauitful summer day. The temperature was right, there was not a cloud in the sky, and the sun shone brightly. Just like those days in Caracas—except it was usually in the 90s in June in Caracas. She was wearing a simple combination, a tank top with straps and shorts. She wondered what it was like in Chicago or Dublin this time of year, as well. Well, she would get that answer, when she saw Sean sitting at the kitchen table in the guys' townhouse. The brown-haired American noticed her and gave her a quick nod. "Hey Maria," he said.

"Hola Sean," she replied. She walked in to see Sean reading a newspaper and having a drink. Nothing alcoholic, though. If she wanted to, she could ask the Red Ranger to come with her—NOT! The Red Ranger himself wore a red t-shirt with a Native American head on it and the number '88' on the back.

"So who are you waiting for?" Sean asked.

"Hitomi," she replied. "So where are Kevin and Daisuke?"

"Kevin's visiting a friend in the Minato ward and rich boy's at a Sumo stable," said Sean. "I got no plans today."

"Well then, would you like to go out with Hitomi and I?" Maria asked. Sean just laughed.

"Nah, I'm not interested," he said. "Sounds like a girl thing."

"Oh well," said Maria. "You'll miss out on all the fun."

"I don't care," he replied.

"Suit yourself," she replied. "Hitomi and I are going to Ginza." Sean, knowing exactly what Ginza is, spat out his drink in sudden surprise. Maria could not help but laugh slightly at this, but she stopped before he recovered.

"Ginza!" He said. "You're going there?"

"So?" Maria asked.

"I'm not sure if we have enough money for you to be blowing it there!" He said again. For those who don't know, Ginza is an upscale shopping district in Tokyo. There are many expensive department stores and restaurants in that district. It's sort of like the Magnificent Mile or Rodeo Drive or Madison Avenue or Oxford Street of Tokyo. And it's also why Sean had his shocked reaction. That place is expensive! And for Sean saying it's too expensive, the Rangers are (obviously) earning a salary from the UN for their service.

"Oh, don't worry!" Maria replied. "One of Hitomi's family's department stores in in Ginza, so she'll get a discount."

"A discount?" Sean asked. "Really?"

"Si, really," Maria replied. "I think it'll come in handy."

"Sure," said Sean. "Just don't spend too much."

"Don't tell me that," said Maria. "We're probably using Hitomi's dinero."

"Oh dear," said Sean.

:-:-:-: PRGPX :-:-:-:

Ragnar looked at some reports on recent military . None of them had anything to do with Earth, by the way, he knew about the situation first-hand, so there was no need to brief him. As usual, he had his glass of Elf wine, except in this case, it was empty, as he had finished it just a few moments ago.

It was then that a column of light materialized into his throne room. He looked up from his papers to see a woman appear in front of the throne. "Turelie," he said. "What is it?"

"I intend to go down to the surface, my Commander," she said, keeping her eyes down. She raised her eyes to look at the Commander. Ragnar raised his eyebrow at her.

"What for?" He asked. "Do you intend to attack the Rangers?"

"If I meet them, I will," she said. "But that's not the real reason why."

"Oh? Then what is?" Ragnar asked.

"Shopping!" Turelie barked as she always did. Ragnar responded by groaning and facepalming at Turelie's announcement.

"Shopping?" Ragnar asked. "Really, Turelie, why must you be so concerned with material goods?"

"Why not?" She replied. "I need to learn more about humans."

"I'll never understand you," Ragnar said. "Very well, but go in disguise. I don't want any problems."

"Don't worry," Turelie said. "I'm sure you well send Elbeth to fail again."

"I do plan to send him again when he comes up with an effective plan," Ragnar said with hostility on his tone.

"Well, good luck with that," Turelie said without even considering what Ragnar said. With that, she bowed and vanished from Ragnar's sight. The white-haired, white-clad Commander just shook his head again and placed his face in his hand before going back back to his work. But a few moments later, another column of light materialized in the throne room, eventually revealing a blonde-haired young man.

"I was just talking about you," Ragnar said.

"About what, my Commander?" Elbeth asked as he bowed.

"Do you have a plan to defeat the Rangers?" Ragnar asked.

"Yes," Elbeth said. "Have you heard of the human phrase 'divide and conquer'?"

"No, I don't feel I'm familiar with that," Ragnar said. "What do you mean by that?"

"I plan on attacking the Rangers while they're separated," Elbeth said. "They seem to be less of a threat when working individually."

"Interesting," Ragnar said. "I suppose I will let you try this plan of yours."

"Thank you, my Empreror," Elbeth said as the column of light re-appeared and he disappeared. Ragnar just watched silently before saying,

"Your plan had better work, Elbeth. For your sake."

:-:-:-: Power Rangers GPX :-:-:-:

"Ay. Dios. Mio." Maria stood slack-jawed in front of the Miyazawa department store in Ginza. And when the narration says 'slack-jawed', it's not an exaggeration. They stood in front of a large, marble-and-glass building. This housed the Miyazawa department store. "This place is huge! Your family owns this?"

"And ones in Kyoto, Osaka, Sapporo and all over Japan," Hitomi said. "We even own shares in several other department store chains like Macy's."

"Tu es muy rico," Maria said.

"Do you want to go in?" Hitomi asked.

"Oh, right," Maria said. Hitomi gestured to the door and Maria entered the department store.

The store was even grander indoors. The white marble filled the grand lobby, and the height of the store was even more evident. Maria had to lean her head all the way back just to see. "This is a department store!" She said in amazement.

"One of the oldest in Tokyo," Hitomi said. "And the second oldest branch after the one in Kyoto."

"Hello, Can—oh, Hitomi-san," a clerk had come up to them and noticed Hitomi. "How can I help you?"

"Hello," Hitomi said in return.

"Hola," Maria said. The clerk looked confused, most likely since she didn't speak Spanish. "Oh, sorry, I said hello. I guess you don't speak Spanish?"

"No, I don't," the clerk said. "But if you and Hitomi-san need anything, we'll be happy to help."

"As long as they have what I'm looking for I'm fine," Maria said. She seemed to be adjusting to the store already. "Where's the clothing department?"

"Second floor," Hitomi said. "What do you have in mind?"

"I'm not sure yet," Maria said. "I'll think of it once I see what there is."

"I can help you find it," the clerk said. "If you could just follow me." The clerk led the pair to the second floor, where the large clothing department was. Once they got there, Maria led Hitomi around—which should be inverted—trying to find what she was looking for. Finally, she found it. "Here it is!" She said as she came to the capri pants. "I love these things!"

"But I thought everyone hates capri pants," Hitomi said. "Why do you want them?"

"Because I think I look good in them," Maria replied. "I know some people don't but I think I do. I especially like them on summer days."

"I think that men say they shouldn't wear them," Hitomi said.

"Well then, all the more for us!" Maria said in return. "If there's no manpris, then there's more capris for the mujers!" She took a pair off the rack and said, "I'm going to try these!" She quickly ducked into a changing room for a few minutes while Hitomi waited outside. Well, she went into the changing room area, but she let Maria have her privacy. And so will we. "¡Muy muy bueno!" She shouted. "¡Me encanta!"

"What?" Hitomi asked.

"I love these things!" Maria shouted back in English. She opened the door and flaunted the capris she was wearing. "They're so comfortable! It's fantastic!"

"I'm glad you like them," Hitomi said.

"I think you need to find something too," Maria said. "Make yourself feel good."

"Feel good?" Hitomi asked. "Why?"

"Well, I'm afraid you have some confidence issues," Maria said. "A woman with confidence issues will have a hard time in life. Heck, anyone with confidence issues will have problems in life, man or woman."

"So what do you suggest?" Hitomi asked.

"Where are the shirts?" Maria asked.

"They're around the corner," the clerk replied. "Of course, you'll have to take those capris off."

"Oh, lo siento," Maria said as she went back in her changing stall. She came out wearing the jeans she had been wearing before and grabbed Hitomi by the arm and led her to where the shirts were.

"Shall I hold these for you?" The clerk asked, referring to the capris.

"Okay," Maria said. Maria then grabbed Hitomi by the arm, much to her surprise, and dragged her to the shirt section; which is really strange since Hitomi should know the store like the back of her hand.

"You know, I'm the one who should be leading you," Hitomi protested.

"Lo siento," the Venezuelan woman replied. She motioned for Hitomi to lead the way to the shirt section. Immediately, Maria began looking for some shirts to wear, before finding the tank tops. She flipped through them before settling on a yellow-colored one that piqued her interest. She took the shirt off the rack and showed it Hitomi. "What do you think?"

"It looks good," Hitomi said. "I think I should find one, too!" She too began looking for something else, looking more for something that seemed more feminine. She found a short-sleeved pink blouse that also piqued her interest. "I like this one!"

"Then let's try them out," Maria said as she walked over to the changing room and Hitomi followed.

Well, since they need their privacy, the narration will cut to the two stepping out of the changing rooms. "Ooh la la!" Maria said as she looked at herself in the mirror. "I look ¡Muy fantastico!"

"You look great!" Hitomi said as she got out. Maria's tanktop exposed her athletic build, which was making Hitomi somewhat envious. Maria of course, could read it on her face (it wasn't hidden, it was actually pretty plain on her face). In order to make Hitomi feel better, Maria complemented Hitomi.

"You don't look so bad yourself chica," she said.

"You think so?" Hitomi asked. Her blouse didn't show much off; but since Hitomi is a little more modest than Maria, it made sense.

"You have your own beauty," Maria said.

"I still wish I had your body," Hitomi said.

"Than get to work on it!" Maria said. "You don't get something like this sitting around. I'm actually an active woman, which is justified considering our line of work."

"I guess so," Hitomi asked. "My mom says I have confidence issues."

"I'd say she has a point," Maria said. "I mean, you were unsure of yourself when we first fought that Godzilla monster."

"What do you suggest?" Hitomi asked.

"It's like that old cliché," Maria said. "Just believe in yourself and you can do it. I might also have some other ways to help."

"That sounds good," Hitomi said; but now Hitomi had a different question. "Howcome you never wear skirts?"

Quite frankly, Maria was (justifiably) surprised at the complete randomness of the question. "Where did that come from?" She asked. Hitomi shrugged. "Well, since you asked, I'll tell you why. I'm not going to wear a skirt because I know some pervert's going to look up my skirt when I fight! Wearing jeans prevents that."

:-:-:-: PRGPX :-:-:-:

Turelie teleported into an alleyway not too far from the department store. Knowing the humans would most likely be suspicious of her, she'd already disguised herself in human clothes. However, they made her fidget in place. "I am in," she said. She stepped out of the alley and put some black-lens sunglasses on.

As she walked down the street, she noticed the men looking at her in a… special way. And the women didn't look very happy. Well, the ones with their significant others, of course. The ones without, or of a different taste, looked at her with the same amazed gaze as the men. Trying to figure out whether they were creeped out by it and who weren't. She chuckled to herself. "Humans are compulsory creatures," she said to herself. "I'm already enjoying myself." She walked over to the next block and found what she was looking for. "Miyazawa," she said. "That looks interesting".

:-:-:-: Power Rangers GPX :-:-:-:

"…Ugh! I hate high heels!" Maria said as she and Hitomi walked past the high heeled shoes. "They make my back hurt so much I want to kill myself!"

"I agree," Hitomi said. "They make my feet hurt."

"So we've browsed through the shirts, we've tried on kimonos, we've gone through the shoes, what else is there?" Maria asked.

"The store has a pastry shop downstairs," Hitomi said. Maria's eyes widened and she seemed excited. "I thought you'd hate pastries!" Hitomi said. Now she was surprised.

"Why can't I?" Maria asked. "I have to watch my figure so much, I feel like endulging for once!"

"Okay," Hitomi said. "But I'm having some, too."

"Alright," Elbeth said. "The Rangers are spearated. Do you know what to do?"

"Yes!" The monster said. "When do we start?"

"Soon," Elbeth said. "We need to wait until Liara draws out the female Rangers."

"¡Ay dios mio! ¡Me encanta!" Needless to say, Maria had found the pastries. In front of her sat a menagerie of various cakes, cookies, brownies, pies, mousses, croissants, and various other sweets made of chocolate, meringue, various fruits and other ingredients. Just looking at these made Maria's mouth water. She literally felt like a kid in a candy store. Hitomi herself was affected as well, and she looked through the glass pane covering these delightful goodies. Of course, Hitomi could pay for all this because as you know, she's rich; filthy rich.

"I don't know which one to try first!" Hitomi said with equal amounts of enthusiasm as Maria.

"How about that one?" Maria asked as she pointed to a chocolate cake. "I like it!"

"We'll take that one," Hitomi said as she pointed to the cake Maria was talking about. The clerk behind the counter bowed.

"Good choice, Miyazawa-sama," she said as she took the cake out of the display case. "This is one of our finest cakes."

"I'll bet!" Maria said. The clerk rang the cake up and handed the pastry (cut into two slices) to Maria and Hitomi and the two giddy ladies hurried over to the table, just as Turelie walked up to the counter.

She too was amazed at the selection of pastries before her. "Wow!" She said. "Humans can make these things?" She marveled at the treats, and couldn't decide which one to try first. The large selection of goodies literally made her salivate just looking at the treats. Her reverie though, was interrupted when a clerk walked over to her.

"If I may make a suggestion," she said. "Our chocolate cake is our signature item."

Turelie was not that impressed. The elves made the best chocolate on Earth. This should be bland. "I shall take a piece," she said. The clerk rang the item up and Turelie paid for the item and walked over to a table and sat down.

Maria took the cut of chocolate cake with her fork and lifted it up to her mouth slowly; she wanted to savor the moment. She opened her mouth slowly and also slowly, put the cake in her mouth. The pastry hit her tongue and her eyes widened in surprise. It tasted so good! Her eyes rolled back and she began moaning at how delicious the cake tasted, licking the fork she had in her mouth as well. She really wanted to enjoy this. She continued moaning as she sucked on the fork before she swallowed it. "Oh my god!" She shouted in an enthusiastic manner. She would have done it again if she hadn't noticed Hitomi looking at her with a disturbed look on her face. "What's wrong?"

"Do you mind not eating that so… suggestively?" She asked.

"Why?" Maria asked.

"For one, you're creeping me out," Hitomi said. "And second, every person in the room is staring at you, especially the men!"

Maria took her eyes off Hitomi and looked around the room. Indeed, everyone was looking at her, and the men were even more interested. Maria was embarrassed, thinking she got a little too indulgent. "Sorry," she said in English. "It was so good!" The patrons however, seemed confused until Hitomi translated Maria's words. Quickly, the room stopped looking at her. And some of the patrons quickly got up and rushed to the counter, no doubt to buy some cake.

"I think you got a little too enthusiastic," Hitomi said. "Like that scene in When Harry Met Sally."

"At least this time it was that good," Maria said. She took a bite again and this time, she reacted more like a kid taking a bite out of a chocolate bar.

Turelie, having seen Maria, though not her face, was indeed surprised at Maria's… enthusiasm. Just how good was this stuff, anyhow? She took a piece of the cake and bit into it. And unlike Maria, she didn't eat her cake so… suggestively. "This is good!" She said out loud and began quickly eating the rest of the treat. Well, before she knew it, the cake was gone and she felt like a kid who lost his favorite toys. Don't worry, the kid metaphors are going to stop. She got up and walked over to the counter to get another cake when she looked over and saw a familiar face.

"Those little bitches!" She said to herself. She had indeed noticed Maria and Hitomi and her anger at the two overshadowed her desire for another cake. She remembered when they gave her the scars on her cheeks. It had taken some intense healing to get rid of those scars. Her vanity indeed confused the other Elves. She walked up to the two and slammed her fists down on the table, startling the two.

"Um, excuse me?" Maria asked as she looked up at the woman. "And what's with that outfit?" She said with a laugh. "You look like an '80s woman!" Hitomi could be seen stifling a laugh.

"You little bitch!" The woman said in a hostile tone. "Don't you recognize me?"

"Well, I recognize that suit from every bad fashion in the 1980s," Maria said, making fun of her look. "And what's with the pink hair? Who do you think you are, Madonna?" The woman got angry enough that Maria could notice a vein popping on her forehead. But then the woman calmed down and took off her sunglasses before removing the wig and much of the disguise.

The patrons in the pastry shop all got up from their seats in terror at Turelie's sudden appearance and tried to back away. Hitomi and Maria, however, got up and got into fighting stances. "Turelie!" Maria said. "What do you want?"

"What do you think I want?" Turelie said. "I want to kill you two!"

"I guess I should have thought of that," Maria said.

"We're not actually going to fight her in here, are we?" Hitomi asked.

"Let's get out of here," Maria replied. Hitomi looked shocked at Maria's statement.

"What?" She asked. "Are you crazy?"

"No, what I mean is, we lure her out of the store and into the street!" Maria replied. "Then we fight!"

"Oh, I see," Hitomi said. The two backed away slightly when Turelie advanced on them.

"On the count of three, we grab the bags and run outside," Maria said. Hitomi nodded as the two shuffled to the bags holding their (purchased) merchandise. "One… two…" Hitomi and Maria shuffled forward again. Liraria raised up her fan, ready to strike. "THREE!"

In a quick move, the two grabbed their shopping bags and bolted out of the pastry shop leaving Turelie and the other patrons stunned. Well, Turelie was stunned for about a second. "Come back here, you little bitches!" She called as she ran out of the pastry shop. Her stiletto heels though, made it difficult to run as fast as the girls could.

Maria and Hitomi, meanwhile, were like blurs speeding through the store, trying not to bump into anyone or knock anything down and break it. The pastry shop was in the basement and they had just gotten up into the main floor and were headed for the exits. They eventually reached the white marble lobby and a clerk who was waiting for them. "We'reinahurryandwereallydon'twanttogetintrouble!" Hitomi said as she handed the bags to the bewildered clerks as the two bolted out the door. Just seconds later, Turelie came running up behind the two.

Finally, Hitomi and Maria got outside and ran into a (surprisingly) clear Tokyo street and turned around and got into fighting stances as Turelie finally caught up to them. This scene indeed drew a crowd and gawkers who weren't expecting a movie to be shot about now. "I finally caught you two!" Turelie said. "Prepare to die!"

"You wish!" Maria said as she and Hitomi took their morphers out and put them on their wrists. "Do you have your key?" Maria whispered.

"Yeah," Hitomi replied. "Do you?"

"Of course," Maria said. The two reached for their keys and flipped the blade open. "Ready?" She said as she exposed her morpher.

"Ready!" Hitomi replied as she exposed her.

"GPX, Start it—" They were about to morph, but Turelie attacked them before they had the chance, forcing them to scatter.

"Don't even think about it!" Turelie said. "I'm going to kill you right here and—"

"Turelie!" A sudden voice interrupted Turelie's threat. Maria and Hitomi reacted in shock while Turelie did not look happy one bit.

"Elbeth," she said. "What do you want?"

Indeed, Elbeth had arrived, flanked by a scorpion-like monster and a phalanx of Suitroops. "What do I want?" He asked in his smug tone. "I'm here to kill the Power Rangers!"

"I was here first!" Turelie snapped back. "Do not interrupt me! And just what are you up to?"

"My dear Turelie," he said as he walked up to her. "I am initiating a coordinated attack on the Rangers, trying to keep them separated so that they can't mount a counter attack. As of now, Suitroops are engaging the male Rangers while I handle the female Rangers."

"Not unless I have anything to say!" Turelie snapped. "I was here first! I'm going to kill them myself!"

With the two villains distracted, Hitomi and Maria tried to take the opportunity to escape while the Turelie and Elbeth bickered. They slowly backed away, hoping that the two would not notice them. When they knew the two would not notice them, they turned around to escape…

… Only to find themselves facing another platoon of Suitroops. "Aaah!"

"I suspected you two would try to escape!" Elbeth said. "So I brought some extra Suitroops!"

"Dammit!" Maria said. The two Rangers were cornered not only by Elbeth, Turelie, the scorpion monster and the Suitroops in front of them, but behind them. But Turelie was still not happy.

"I still want to kill them!" Turelie said. "I won't let you hog all the glory for yourself! I want to kill them for what they did to my face!"

"Who said you were to leave?" Elbeth said with a smirk. Turelie instantly got the message and smirked as well before turning around to face the Rangers.

"Prepare to die!" She said. She waved her fan at the two and some flames burst out of the fan and towards Maria and Hitomi, but the two dodged the fire blast. It did, however, get the civilians in the street to scatter.

"Well, at least we won't have to worry about the civilians," Hitomi said.

"Surrender now!" Elbeth said. "You're outnumbered!"

"You wish!" Maria shouted back. "Ready?"

"Ready!" Hitomi replied. The two exposed their AcceleMorphers.

"GPX, Start it up!" The two jammed their keys into the morphers and gave them a twist. There was a flash of light and the two appeared in their Ranger suits, Maria in yellow and Hitomi in pink.

"Let's go!" Maria said.

"Got it!" Hitomi said. The two female Rangers then charged the enemies.

"Get them!" Elbeth shouted to his Suitroop soldiers. The Suitroops in turn charged Maria and Hitomi and engaged them.

In a swift move, Maria flipped over a Suitroop captain as she attempted to reach Turelie. Hitomi followed suit, using her gymnastics-inspired style to take the Suitroop down. Maria pressed her belt buckle and her Haz Daggers materialized before her. Hitomi also pressed her belt buckle and her Am Bow appeared as well. The two began working as a tandem, with Maria attacking the Suitroops from up close and Hitomi attacking from a distance. Maria blacked a Suitroop sword with one of her daggers before pivoting around, hacking at the same 'bot, trying to get at Turelie. Hitomi fired her bow, finishing the 'bot off.

The two cut a swath through the Suitroops, trying to get to Turelie. Maria ducked underneath Suitroop and rolled underneath it as well, before rising to her feet and stabbing the 'bot literally in the back. Hitomi meanwhile, leapt up in the air, and twisting her body around like a cat, fired an arrow at the Suitroops. The arrow struck one and then exploded, taking several of them out. "Lightning Throw!" Maria called, throwing one Haz Dagger at a Suitroop and throwing one at another. Bolts of electricity radiated from the daggers and zapped the robots. Hitomi, meanwhile, spun on her hands, kicking the Suitroops around her.

With a clear path, Maria could finally get to Turelie and she charged forward. One Suitroop did get in her way, but she took it out with a swift roundhouse kick to its midsection. With the path now clear, she charged the waiting Turelie—

… Only to find the crystal sword of Elbeth in her face. The new revelation indeed caught her off guard, but only for a second. Being a Ranger means you have to be ready for anything. "I suspect you're the most powerful female of the group," he said. "If that's true, then you should be able to handle this!" He then swung his crystal sword at Maria, prompting her to block the attack with her daggers.

"Maria!" Hitomi called. "Hold on, I'll be there!"

"Forget it!" Maria called back. "You take care of Turelie!"

"Okay!" Hitomi said as she aimed her bow at Turelie. She drew the string back and fired the arrow at Turelie, confident it would strike.

But Turelie waved her fan and Hitomi's arrow was literally blown away. "No way!" She said just as Turelie got in her face and kicked her in the midsection. Hitomi staggered back a few steps before she got her bow ready to fire again when Turelie came up and kicked the bow out of her hands.

"Not so hot without that bow of yours?" She asked as she grabbed Hitomi's hands.

"Not really," Hitomi said as she kneed the woman in the midsection, forcing her away from her. Hitomi then drew her Octane Blaster, which resembled a fuel pump nozzle head and turned it into a sword. "I still have this!"

"Very well, then!" She said as she closed her fan up. She charged Hitomi and attacked her, using the fan as a sword.

Meanwhile, Maria was having trouble with Elbeth. Previously, he had laid waste to Rangers like they were mere playthings. But Maria was still trying to hold on. With her dual wielding daggers, she fought off Elbeth' attacks with his crystal sword. Elbeth swung his sword down right at Maria, but she cross-blocked the attack using her daggers. "Impressive," Elbeth said. Maria threw Elbeth's sword and jumped back. She switched the dagger in her left hand and held it in a reverse style.

"I'm full of surprises," the Venezuelan woman said as she lunged at Elbeth, thrusting the dagger in her right hand and hacking with the dagger in the left. But although she had Elbeth on the defensive, she could not tell that Elbeth was merely toying with her.

"Not bad," he lied. He swung his sword at her again, striking her and sending her and sparks flying. She landed on her backside five feet away. "But not good enough!" He came in again and brought the crystal sword down on her; again, she cross-blocked with her daggers. "Good reflexes!" he said.

At that point, she took the opportunity to try and kick him in the groin. It was a dirty trick, but she had to do it to get him off of her. It worked, and he backed off, allowing her to get back up. She again went on the offensive, thrusting her dagger at Elbeth again, but her dodged each successive thrust.

And then, much her dismay, she noticed out of the corner of her eye, the scorpion monster trying to attack her. The scorpion monster swung its tail at her, forcing her to dodge. "Now that's not fair!" She said. "It's two against one!"

"All is fair in combat!" The anthropomorphic scorpion shouted. Maria groaned under her helmet and visor. The scorpion monster attacked her again, forcing her to duck for cover. She looked to Hitomi and noticed she was having trouble taking on Turelie. Although she hated to do it since she considered herself a strong woman, she found herself feeling the need to call for back up from the guys. This thought of course was dashed when Elbeth lunged at her, thrusting his crystal sword at her. Again she dodged, but she found herself with her back literally against the wall of the Miyazawa department store. Not a good sign.

"You're cornered!" Elbeth said. "Give it up!"

"Never!" Maria replied.

"Foolish girl," Elbeth said. He held out his hand and a ball of dark energy began to form. Maria took her chances and attacked Elbeth with her dagger, but the scorpion omster used its large claws to clasp her wrist and threw her to the side. Now she did have a chance to call the guys for help.

"Sean! Kevin! Daisuke! Come in!" She called into her wrist. "Hitomi and I are enga—Oh, shit!" The scorpion had swung its tail at her forcing her to evade. "Hitomi and I are engaging Elbeth, Turelie and a scorpion monster outside the Miyazawa department store in Ginza! We need back-up!"

"I can't!" Sean replied over the wrist communicator. "I'm busy!"

"Busy!" Maria called back. "How are you busy? We need help!"

"I'd love to but—ow!" It sounded serious. "I just walked out of the grocery store and some Suitroops—AH—just attacked me—OOF! I called Kevin and Rich Boy, and they got Suitroop problems, too!"

"Dammit!" Maria said. Just then, Elbeth swung his sword at her, forcing her to block. "Well, what can I do?"

"Just hold on!" Kevin called. "I'm close, so I'll try to get there!"

"You'd better!" Maria replied. She ducked when the scorpion monster swung its tail at her. But then things got worse when Elbeth kicked her in the gut, forcing her to drop her dagger in her left hand. But, thinking quickly, she pulled her Octane Blaster out and changed it into her Grand Prix sword.

"I must have underestimated you," Elbeth said. "You think quickly." He quickly found himself on the defensive again when Maria attacked him, swinging her GP sword and thrusting her dagger at the same time and even trying to kick him. "I saw you trying to call your friends!" He said. "Your efforts will fail! The three men are being attacked by three different Suitroop units, forcing them to fight for themselves! Yes, I know how you work. You rely on teamwork to defeat your enemies, so we might as well take that strategy away!"

"Well until the guys get here, I can still handle you!" Maria replied when she locked her blades with him. "But now that you've told me your strategy, I have something else in mind!" She kicked him in the chest and turned around to get to Hitomi. But Elbeth could tell this was coming, and the scorpion monster got in her way.

"Do you think I'm that foolish?" Elbeth asked. "I know your trick, you won't fool me!"

"Crap!" Maria said to herself.

Hitomi was doing slightly better than Maria, but not by much. Turelie was not as good a fighter as Elbeth, but she was still a force to be reckoned with, especially with that fan of hers. As of now, she was keeping Hitomi on her heels using it for wind attacks or however that worked. Hitomi could attack, but it was only when Turelie was preparing another wind attack, but even then the window of opportunity was slim.

Hitomi took her chance and aimed her Octane Blaster at Turelie and with the window closing, fired. The shot hit Turelie's fan, knocking it out of her hand. "Yes!" The confidence-challenged lady said to herself. But that was replaced with a soft, "Uh-oh."

Turelie got angry and attacked her up-close. "You little bitch!" She shouted as she tried to punch her.

"I'm not little, I'm 18!" Hitomi replied as she blocked Turelie's punch.

"I thought you were 20!" Turelie replied as she tried to roundhouse kick Hitomi.

"Well, you're mistaken," Hitomi replied as she blocked the kick. But then, Turelie kneed Hitomi in the gut. The Pink Ranger staggered backwards clutching her gut in pain. That was a hard kick, almost as if it injured her internally. But she still felt fine enough to keep fighting. "Is that the best you could do?" She asked, getting a boost of confidence.

"No!" Turelie countered, kicking her. Hitomi got the boot in the face and was knocked back on to the curb.

Maria was starting lose her edge on Elbeth and the scorpion monster, however. Right now she had just gotten kicked in the gut by Elbeth and the scorpion monster just now slammed his tail into her back. Not only was she getting beat up physically, her ego was taking a beating as well. Something like this is not good for someone who considers themselves a strong woman. "Pathetic," Elbeth said. "This just goes to show women can't fight."

Her ego took another hit, but this time, the reaction was different. This time, the reaction was more of an angry reaction and she got up and charged Elbeth like a bull, crashing into him like a football player. Elbeth's face showed a look of surprise as she knocked into his gut and pushed him onto his backside. "Women can't fight, huh?" Maria responded as she got into a fighting stance.

"You got lucky," Elbeth said as he gripped his stomach. But then his face changed to a smirk as he looked behind Maria; the scorpion monster was raising its large tail and stinger and was preparing to sting Maria with that nasty barb of his. Maria noticed this and looked behind her to see the scorpion monster raise its tail. No matter what, seeing a big barb like that will frighten anyone, whether they're a strong or weak woman, or the toughest hardest criminal. Indeed, Maria was frightened, and the scorpion monster began to bring its tail down on her.

But then, the monster was knocked over by someone tackling it from above. With the threat of that gone, Maria moved to block Elbeth's sword strike with her Haz Dagger. She looked behind her to see the scorpion monster struggle to get up and the person who knocked it over get up. Under her helmet, she smiled at who it was. "It's about time you got here!"

"Better late than never!" Kevin replied. "Are you okay?"

"I'm doing fine," Maria replied. "I think Hitomi's okay. But I think you should morph now!"

"Gladly!" Kevin said as he pulled his key out. His AcceleMorpher was already on his wrist, so he didn't have to worry about it. "GPX! Start it up!" He called as he jammed the key into the morpher. A flash of blue light happened and when it faded, Kevin was in his Blue Ranger suit with the #2 on his chest. "I'll take Elbeth, you take care of this clown, okay?"

"Oh, okay," Maria said in a half-disappointed tone. "I was doing just fine," she said to herself as Kevin drew his GP sword and attacked Elbeth. She then walked over to the scorpion monster as the monster managed to get up. But it didn't stay up, because Maria punched him hard knocking him down again. "That's for trying to sneak up on me!" She shouted.

"Let's go, Elbeth!" The Irishman shouted. Elbeth obliged and lunged at Kevin, swinging his crystal sword at Kevin. Kevin blocked each successive strike, but Elbeth was gaining ground on the Blue Ranger before he stopped and got in a firm stance to hold his ground against Elbeth.

"Come on, Blue Ranger!" Elbeth said. "Do your worst!"

"Worst?" Kevin asked. "I only do good!" He threw Elbeth off and swung his sword at Elbeth but the Elf general turned the tables on Kevin, giving him a backhanded strike sending him back with a shower of sparks. Kevin's face showed clear agony but once he hit the ground he got back up immediately and attacked again.

He backhanded his sword against Elbeth, prompting the general to block it. Elbeth threw Kevin's sword off and brought his sword down. But Kevin braced himself and blocked the attack. Trying to get some momentum, he made the wheels on the rims of his boots spin. The sound of screeching tires and smoke filled the air as Kevin struggled to throw Elbeth off of him. Eventually, he succeeded, but only for a second before Elbeth again struck him a nasty backhand, this time sending him face-first onto the curb. "Gah!" Kevin groaned as Elbeth put his boot on his head, putting him in one nasty curb stomp. The pressure of Elbeth's boot on his helmet was enough to hurt. It felt like a vice grip it was so bad.

"Time to die!" Elbeth said as he raised his sword wit above his head. Kevin braced for impact when something appeared and slammed into Elbeth at full force and checked/slammed him into the wall like a hockey player. The red-colored object got off of Elbeth and got into a fighting stance.

"Am I late?" He asked.

"Dammit, Sean!" Kevin said. "Can't you please be on time?"

"Nothing's wrong with a dynamic entry, now is there?" Sean asked.

"Just morph and help me out!" Kevin said.

"Got it!" Sean replied. While Elbeth was still dazed, Sean took the opportunity to take out his AcceleKey. "GPX! Start it up!" Sean jammed the key into the morpher and transformed into the GPX Red Ranger with the #1 on his chest.

"Dammit!" Elbeth said. "How did you get here?"

"I took out the Suitroops, duh!" Sean said. "Let's do this!" Sean pressed on his belt buckle and his GT Sword manifested in front of him.

"Well, what should I do?" Kevin asked.

"Give Hitomi some help!" Sean said as he locked blades with Elbeth.

"Got it!" Kevin said as he turned around to help Hitomi. However, he found himself facing some Suitroops, much to his dismay.

Speaking of Hitomi, she was starting to lose against Turelie. Turelie was using her fan at the moment as a melee weapon, and she had knocked Hitomi's sword out of her hands and was beating her down. "How did you give me a scar the last time we fought?" Turelie asked. "You can't even land a blow on me!"

In response, Hitomi got up, flipped over her and tried to kick her when she landed, but Turelie dodged the first kick. The second kick, however, landed on her arm. "I underestimated you!" Turelie said.

"I'm full of surprises!" Hitomi replied. She again kicked at Turelie, trying to get the woman to falter somehow. But Liaira still had her weapon and struck Htiomi sending the youngest Ranger flying backwards. Now Hitomi can hold her own in a fight, she has shown this. But right now things were not looking good. Even though Sean and Elbeth were fighting and Kevin and Maria were fighting the scorpion monster and those aforementioned confidence issues were beginning to manifest right now; not exactly a good time to have those! In other words, things were getting bad for Hitomi.

"What's the matter?" Turelie asked. "Are you a coward?"

Well, that got the confidence issues to go away. She quickly flipped over Turelie, much to the pink-haired woman's surprise and kicked her in the back, sending her falling to the ground face first. "Damn you!" Turelie said.

"I'm not done yet!" Hitomi said.

"You are now!" Turelie countered. And with a swipe of her fan, she knocked Hitomi to the ground. "Now you die!" Turelie shouted as she raised her fan up to strike Hitomi down.

But she never got the chance, as suddenly, something struck her from behind. Turelie screamed as she fell forward and then looked behind her to see the GPX Green Ranger #3 twirl his staff weapon above his head and then get into a fighting stance. "Don't you dareharm my sister!"

"Daisuke!" Hitomi shouted.

"How dare you hit me!" Turelie shouted back at Daisuke. "I thought Earth gentlemen never hit ladies!"

"Unfortunately for you, you're not much of a lady!" Daisuke countered. "And besides, you tried to kill my sister!"

"Well, well, older brother cares!" Turelie snapped.

"About damn time Rich Boy got here!" Sean said when his blade was locked with Elbeth's sword. "Rich Boy, you take on the scorpion monster! Maria, help me out here!"

"Got it!" Maria said. She let go of the scorpion monster and ran over to Elbeth to help Sean.

"But what about Hitomi?" Daisuke asked.

"Don't worry, Kevin will help her!" Sean said. Daisuke was not happy that the Irishman was going to fight alongside Hitomi, but it was better than nothing.

"Understood," he said as Kevin flipped over the Suitroops he was facing.

"FAUGH A BALLAGH,bitch!" He cried as he kicked at Turelie but missed.

"This is what you get for trying to double-team me!" Maria shouted as she thrust her dagger at Elbeth. Sean then came in and tried to stab Elbeth.

"Do you trust that Green Ranger?" Elbeth asked Sean.

"No, I don't!" Sean replied. "So I'm not going to listen to you!"

That's fine, Elbeth thought. Because I'm sure the Green Ranger will listen to Scorpio!

Daisuke blocked a tail swipe from Scorpio with his naginata-like Mountain Staff. Each time Scorpio attacked him with his tail, he blocked it with the staff. "Why are you taking orders from him?" Scorpio asked in his rough voice.

"I hate to, but he's superior!" Daisuke replied. "I'd rather be giving him orders."

"Then why don't you do something about it?" Scorpio asked. Daisuke's response was to thrust the Mountain Staff at him. "Come on, live a little!" Scorpio goaded. "Why don't you?"

Daisuke paused. He was seriously considering the monster's words. Across the street, Elbeth noticed Daisuke's hesitation and smirked. His plan was working. It would only be a matter of time until—

"Elbeth!" Eltar's voice was suddenly heard in his ear. "You and Turelie must retreat now!"

"I'm not done yet!" Elbeth replied as he blocked a swing of Sean's sword and Maria thrusting her dagger at him. He parried both attacks and went on the offensive/

"Your plan has failed!" Eltar countered. "The Rangers have regrouped and you're having trouble! Retreat now and let Scorpio handle them!"

"But I'm not done!" Elbeth replied. He blocked another attack from Sean.

"Who the hell are you talking to?" He asked.

"Elbeth, that's an order!" Eltar said. "Commander Ragnar has ordered you himself!" Elbeth stopped. He had no other choice. His Commander had given him an order and he must obey.

"Understood," he said as he stopped fighting. Sean and Maria took the opportunity to attack him, but he vanished before they could get to him. Turelie meanwhile, also disappeared, leaving Kevin and Hitomi without an opponent.

"Guys, let's take out Scorpio!" Sean said. "Regroup now!" The Rangers all gathered across from Scorpio.

"So now what do we do?" Kevin asked.

"We can't risk any property damage!" Sean said. "Let's just call the Nitro Cannon and finish him off right here!"

"Got it!" The other Rangers said, including Daisuke; although his was half-hearted.

"Colonel, we need the Nitro Cannon!" Sean said. The Nitro Cannon, an engine-shaped hand-held cannon (to be held by five hands) materialized in front of them and the Rangers held it up. "Alright, this is the kill shot!" Sean said. "Ready!" The cannon began to charge.

"Aim!" Maria said. The targeting computer raised up and locked onto Scorpio.

"FIRE!" Sean pulled the trigger and fired a blast at Scorpio. The monster could only put its hands up as the blast struck him, sending sparks flying. The monster then fell to the ground and exploded in a spectacular show. The Rangers rejoiced.

"Oo-RAH!" Sean yelled as he pumped his fist.

"Good work Rangers!" Col. Greene said over the communicators.

"Thanks, Colonel!" Maria said.

"Power down!" The Rangers said. The suits disappeared in a flash of light.

"So now what?" Kevin asked.

"I guess we just enjoy the rest of the day," Sean said.

"Ooh, that reminds me!" Maria said. She grabbed Hitomi's arm and said, "We left our merchandise in the store."

"Whatever," Sean said. "Just make sure you get out of there soon, I parked the GP Cruiser in a bad spot and I'm worried the Metro Police will tow it away."

"Oh, we're not leaving just yet," Hitomi said. "We still have to get manicures and pedicures!"

"WHAT!" Kevin shouted. "You're not even done!"

"Nope!" Maria said. "Hitomi, ¡vamos!" With that, she and Hitomi rushed into the department store, leaving the men behind with comically bewildered faces.

"Women," Sean said as he shook his head. Kevin nodded his head in agreement.

:-:-:-: PRGPX :-:-:-:

Back in Alfheim, Elbeth teleported back into the teleportation room. Turelie teleported in a few seconds later. Elbeth had a disappointed look on his face, but there was also confidence in his eyes. Turelie though, did not look happy about having her fight with Hitomi cut off. "Damn it! I was so close to finishing her, too!"

"You were not," Elbeth replied. "The Blue and Pink Rangers nearly had you defeated."

"What do you s—"

"General Elbeth!" A captain Suitroop called out, interrupting her. "Commander Ragnar wishes to speak with you right now!"

"Then I shall meet with him," he said. The Suitroop captain bowed and left the room.

"What are you going to tell him?" Turelie asked.

"I will tell him my plan is working perfectly," he said as he left for the throne room. Turelie only watched, wondering what he was talking about.

:-:-:-: Power Rangers GPX :-:-:-:

Knock! Knock! Knock! "Come in!" Maria and Hitomi opened the door to Sean's room after he invited them in. The room was filled with Chicago Bears, Bulls, Blackhawks paraphernalia and White Sox paraphernalia as well, even a Blues Brothersposter. Sean was sitting at his desk next to the door and looking at the girls. "Maria, Hitomi," he said. "I heard you guys did good against Elbeth. I'm impressed!"

"How?" Maria asked. "Are you impressed because we're girls?"

"No," Sean said. "What I mean is you were able to fight him so well especially after he kicked our asses kicked the first time we fought him. You two were also able to hold him and Turelie off until Kevin, Rich Boy and I got there; that's even more impressive!"

"I guess we should be happy," Maria said. "But that's not why we're here."

"Then what is it?" He asked.

"We got you something at the department store!" Hitomi said. She then pulled out a white paper bag and handed it to Sean.

"What's that?" He asked as he took the bag from Hitomi.

"Open it!" Maria said. Sean did so and pulled out the chocolate cake from the department store.

"Cake?" Sean asked.

"Just eat it!" Maria said. Sean jumped a little and grabbed the fork and cut a bite off. He lifted the fork up to his mouth and took a bite. Instantly, his eyes widened and his face showed that he liked the stuff.

"This is fantastic!" He said. "No wonder you asked me to try this!"

"I'm glad you like it!" Hitomi said. "That chocolate cake is the Miyazawa department store specialty!"

"I can see why!" Sean said. "Thanks!"

"You're welcome!" Maria said as she and Hitomi closed the door. Outside, they gave each other a high-five and walked away.

:-:-:-: PRPGPX :-:-:-:

Elbeth walked up to his Commander's throne slowly. He did not want to seem nervous or arrogant in front of the Commander. It was a long walk, but eventually, he reached the throne and kneeled down before it. "My Commander," he said. "What do you want?"

"You failed me again Elbeth," Ragnar said. "Normally, I am a patient elf, but your recent failures have forced me to be impatient with you. Is there any reason why I shouldn't kill you right here and now?"

"Yes," Elbeth said. "I have begun to sow the seeds of discourse among the Rangers." Ragnar lifted his eyebrow in interest.

"You already tried that," said Ragnar. "But do go on."

"The Green Ranger has shown contempt for the Red Ranger, who is the apparent leader," he said. "My monster Scorpio asked him why he takes orders from someone he holds contempt for. It is only a matter of time, given the right treatment, that he will begin to mutiny."

"The Green Ranger?" Ragnar asked. "Why must you focus on him?"

"Because of all the Rangers, he shows the most potential for mutiny," he said. "I looked at his files, and supposedly, he was promised the Red suit, but the current Red Ranger got the position."

"So you plan to manipulate the Green Ranger?" Ragnar asked. He smiled and sat back in his throne. "Impressive," he said. "I look forward to seeing the results. I suppose a few failures won't matter if you can get the desired results. Proceed with your plan."

"Thank you my Commander," Elbeth said as he bowed again and left the throne room. Ragnar smiled to himself. The Rangers were going to find out their worst enemy was their own.

:-:-:-: Power Rangers GPX :-:-:-:

End chapter