My Little Pony: Equestria Girls - Kaitou Sentai Lupinranger vs. Keisatsu Sentai Patranger
A fanfic written by DestinyDecade
Episode 1 - Arrival / Chapter 1: A Thieves' Gathering
This is Earth-1991, a world where heroes and villains come in many forms, many faces, many loyalties. People in this world enjoy life like anybody else would. They have no idea of the war that would soon transpire. In the late 19th century, a legendary gentleman thief named Arsene Lupin had gathered a collection of relics. Treasures that when gathered can awaken great power. They became known as the Lupin Collection. Before his death, he scattered what he gathered throughout the world in the hopes that they couldn't be misused by others. It has been almost a century since his death but now there are those that are seeking out these relics. This is the story of a world ensnared in a war. A war hidden in the shadows. An organization that wishes to rule the world. An organization that seeks to apprehend evil. And in the middle, there are two groups whose actions may decide this world's fate. Which side will you choose?
One year ago... Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
It all began a year ago. I had gotten a report that V.I.L.E had gotten their hands on some strange tech. I had been tracking them down for days but all I end up getting were dead ends. V.I.L.E. always like to cover their tracks. They never leave anything. No clues, no leads, nothing. Every day I spent trying to figure out their next move. They've been on edge recently. I don't know why but it got me curious. I was at a diner, enjoying some breakfast. I try to get my mind off of it but no dice. It's as if something is motivating me to get this crap over with. I check on my phone, hoping to find anything. Nothing. I put the phone away. As I bite down some pancake covered in syrup, my mind was drifting elsewhere. I then felt something in my pants vibrating. It's my phone. I answer. It was a voice I know well.
"Any luck?" Her voice is feminine as she speaks.
"Nothing. Gotten yet another dead end. What about you?" I reply.
"Lucky for you, I got something," That's what I wish to hear from her.
"What have you got honeybun?"
"Turns out they're meeting near the statue only a few blocks away. What you're looking for will probably be there. Just be wary."
"I should say the same for you. Whatever they have up their sleeve, I will put a stop to it. Right after I have my breakfast."
"Figures as much. You should have eaten before we left," As if I didn't need that right now.
"Yeah yeah. I hear you," After I gulped down what remains of my breakfast, I get up but not before leaving some money behind.
"I'm on the move. If things get rough, you know what to do right?" I ask.
"They don't call me Patty Larceny for nothing," Patty replies.
"Alright. Let's do this," I hang up. I grab my jacket and wear it before departing the restaurant.
As I do so, I spot a few blocks away a young woman. She's a blonde, having baby blue eyes. The lady was dressed mostly in green whether it be her jacket or blouse. She is also wearing an orange shirt underneath along with orange socks. Her shoes are high heel in black and she never leaves her pink bag behind. I look with a smile. The woman in question? Yep. She's someone I've known for years. She goes by the name of Patricia Larceny. People call her Patty. I call her my wife and partner. She told me where the deal was taking place, saying that it was near a statue. Turns out it wasn't just any statue. It was the Rocky Balboa statue. How fitting that it would be near a place of cultural significance. Though I know what to expect, I wasn't the only one on the trail. Unbeknownst of me, someone else is on the hunt for what I'm after. She's in the air, flying in some kind of hang glider. She doesn't know of my plans but I don't know what she has up her sleeve.
"So Red, have you made it to Philly?" says a young boy.
"Already there. What's our mission today Player?" she replies.
"It's no mission. V.I.L.E's doing an exchange somewhere in Philadelphia. Whatever it is, it can't be good.
"Nothing V.I.L.E does is ever good. Do we have a lead on where it's at?"
"Not yet. It could be anywhere but it's rumored to be near some kind of statue. I'm still trying to find out which one."
"Whatever the case, it's the city of brotherly love. The sixth-most populous city in the United States. It's also seeped in history."
"I'll say. Philadelphia is home to many famous landmarks such as the Liberty Bell and it's also home to where the United States was formed with the Declaration of Independence. It's insane. That's why this city is rich with history and achievements."
"Don't forget that it's also home to various places we see nowadays such as the first library, hospital, medical school, stock exchange and even the US Marine Corps."
"You got that right. Don't forget that it's also home to sports too such as the Phillies, Flyers, 76ers and the Eagles."
"Didn't the Eagles win a Super Bowl last year?" She asks.
"They did. It was a big deal and people celebrated like there was no tomorrow," But before he can continue, he gets something, "I know where the deal is taking place."
"Where is it at?" She asks again.
"It's happening outside the Philadelphia Museum of Art."
"That place? Wasn't that home to the Rocky Steps?"
He agrees and answers, "Yep. It's also where the Rocky Statue is located. They relocated it to the north side a few years ago."
"Whatever V.I.L.E. has up their sleeves, they ain't doing it in a place filled with history. Any word from those two?"
"They're waiting and in position for the extraction. Bear in mind though, you're not the only one who's after it."
"I rather find out for myself once the exchange drops. For now, I gotta move. Keep radio silence until otherwise."
"Got it Red," communication cuts off immediately.
She continues gliding, hoping to reach the desired location. As for me, I went into stakeout mode. I reached the Philadelphia Museum of Art. Turns out the deal is going down. Two black vans were there. One had two guys inside. One was carrying two metallic sliver briefcases. On the other van were two individuals. My guess they are operatives who are doing the exchange. Lo and behold, they're working for the bad guys. However, I notice someone else there. A woman, a brunette dressed in red ranging from her brim hat to her trench coat.
"It can't be... her?" I whisper. But my attention shifted to the deal going down.
The guy gave the briefcases to the operative and in exchange, they give them a black case. My guess it's the money. But just as the deal goes off with a hitch, this happens. The woman in the red makes her move. She comes in and goes after the ones who got the metallic briefcases. She puts up a fight against them but those guys get put down quick. That's not to say that a van shows up out of nowhere. More bad guys show up so that was my cue. I take something out from my jacket, a blaster. The blaster comprised of two trains: one silver, one gold. I consider them to be important plus I use them for something much different. I don't hesitate and fire a few shots. It diverts the idiots attention as my priority is then to get the goods.
"What are you doing?" She says.
"You have something I'm after. Hand it over," I reply.
"To you? Not a chance," So much for the easy way.
"You really don't make this any easier now do you?" I tell her, "Alright then."
Before long, more mooks show up and encircle us. So much for an escape.
"It would be easier if you handed me those briefcases," I say once more.
"I don't know who you are but I ain't giving them to you. Do you work for V.I.L.E?" She replies.
I don't answer her question. I instead shift my focus towards the grunts. I fire a few shots, forcing them to back away. Turning my attention back to the woman in red, I see her running off. I grab something from my inside pocket and throw it at her. It latches onto her jacket and vanishes. Smiling, I then decide to give these morons the slip with the use of a flash grenade. The flash disorients them. Having moved far from them, I get my phone and put Patty on speed dial. She answers right away.
"So did you get them?" She asks.
"Negative. The girl in red beat me to it. She put up a fight but got away. Thankfully I'm tracking where she's going," I answer.
"Darn it. I thought you got this in the bag. This job can't be this difficult?"
"Patty, not helping. I already know where she's heading. Thing is, I don't know what's inside those briefcases. I couldn't get an X-Ray on them."
"Well the good news is that their whereabouts are within Philly. You may as well get moving right now!" She tells me.
"Alright already! I'm on it. By the way, one favor to ask... can you get me a cheese steak sandwich please?" I ask.
Patty refuses and replies, "Save it for after we get what's inside. Got it?"
"Loud and clear."
I don't waste time. I spot a nearby motorcycle with the keys in the ignition. I get in the bike and ride off but not before telling the guy that I would return it. Following the tracker, it took me a few miles away from Franklin Park. Reaching Franklin Park, the woman in red reaches a nearby jeep. On the jeep were two teenagers, preferably her compatriots. Both of them are teenagers, having red hair and a fair complexion. One of them, a boy has blue eyes and the other, a girl has green eyes. The boy is taller than the girl by five inches but his hair is lighter. He's got freckles but his outfit cements his identity: a black and white baseball jersey, dark blue jeans and black sneakers. The other has a black t-shirt with blue sleeves on them, gray-mid-shin pants and red sneakers. Like the boy, she has freckles but on her cheeks. I hid in a bush, watching as the lady in red meet up with those two teens.
"So how did it go Carmen? Did you get them?" says the boy.
"Of course I did. It wasn't that much of an effort anyway," she replies.
"Did you check what was inside Carmen? It got to be something good," The girl asks her.
"Carmen huh? So that's her name," I whisper as I observe.
"Not quite Ivy. I rather not do anything stupid while VILE's trying to find us. They didn't like how I botched the deal. Not to mention someone else is after this," Carmen replies.
"What? Who other than VILE would go after what you're getting," Ivy asks her.
"Not sure but..." she notices something and feels something in her back. To her surprise, it's the tracker I placed on the back of her jacket.
"Whoever it was that put it there really needs to do better. Zack, drive out of here. We're being tailed," orders Carmen.
"Tailed? From whom?" Zack asks.
"The guy that wants this," she answers. Unfortunately their escape attempt gets cut short when the sound of a blaster shot startles Zack.
"Crap!" He shouts.
"Floor it Zack. Now!" Carmen orders again.
"I'm afraid I can't let you leave with what you stole Carmen," Hearing my voice, Carmen notices me arriving and with my weapon in hand, I aim it squarely at them.
"You got guts for putting that tracker on my jacket and even more guts for following me," she responds.
"I did what is needed. Besides, that doesn't belong to you. Now I'll say it again. Give me what you stole and I'll forget ever meeting you small-time punks," I tell them.
"Small time?" Ivy says, feeling insulted.
"We ain't small time buddy. We stole it first," Zack replies.
"Is that so? Basically VILE stole those from an estate who in turn get robbed by you... and in turn, I steal from you. So let me tell you one more time. Hand over those cases or I will have to get down and dirty with you guys. I really don't want it to come to this and I definitely don't want to deal with some beantown arrogance," I add on the insults and the mockery for good measure.
It triggers Zack, as usual, "Hey. Don't you dare make fun of our home buddy. No one calls Boston "Beantown" you hear?"
"Zack, stop it!" Ivy tells him but it falls on deaf ears.
Zack rushes in to try to punch me and I simply move out of the way because he just isn't worth my time. What I'm after is what Carmen holds. Carmen refuses to give up the briefcase.
"You refuse to heed my warning. Fine. I really don't want to do this but," I fire a shot from my blaster.
The shot hits the briefcase Carmen holds. In turn she drops it causing it to open up. Carmen and Ivy get a look at what's inside. They see a white blaster gun on the ground and it has a grip for some reason. Along with that, there's a red toy that looks like a fighter jet. The jet also contains some kind of hat like padlock and it's single-digit too. Right then and there I knew that whatever V.I.L.E got their hands on is not good and yet how come it's in their hands. This gets me mad. Real mad.
"So... looks like VILE has done it haven't they?" I say.
"What? What do you mean?" Carmen replies.
"Do you have any idea what these things are?" I ask her.
"How was I supposed to know they were in the briefcase?" I don't know if she's speaking of the truth or lying. I hold my ground.
"So you really have no idea do you? Perhaps I was wrong but regardless that doesn't belong to you. I'll tell you one more time. Hand them over. Now!" I order once more.
Again, Carmen refuses but that's when she starts feeling strange. It's as if someone was telling her something and I couldn't hear. What can possibly get any worse than this?
"Are you going to let this idiot push you around? What you got your hands on isn't a coincidence. It's fate."
"Who are you?" Carmen says deep within her mind.
"Someone that would rather see you alive than dead and if you don't do as I say, you probably won't live to take part in any heist."
"So you're saying that he'll..." As if I would ever do something like that!
"Yes. If you want to live, do exactly as I tell you. See those two that came out of the briefcase. Use them to fight back."
"And how am I supposed to do that?"
"Just do as I say. Got it?"
"Fine." She notices the two items and runs for them.
So it seems Carmen doesn't get the idea. Fine. I decide to take things up a notch and fire two shots. I hoped that they would stop her but it didn't. She grabs both items yet she has little clue what to do with them. To prove my point, she aims the blaster at me and fires. That's more than enough to say that she's done listening.
"You catch on quick. May as well cut to the chase."
"Who are you and why are you telling me all this?" Carmen responds to the voice.
"I rather not. Now for the next step. Place the red jet you have there and insert it on that blaster you have. Make sure the handle is on the left."
Carmen does so and inserts the red jet onto the blaster. It suddenly yells out "RED" but not before it starts letting out a jingle.
"Now input the combination and then pull the handle so it aims up. 0-1-0."
Carmen does so and uses the padlock to input the combination. What follows next would really scare me straight to hell.
"0-1-0! MASQUERAISE!"
She then pulls the handle on the thing with one hand and then uses the other to turn the side with the jet horizontally up. That's when we hear "KAITOU CHANGE". If she activates that, things are going to go from bad to worse. Oh wait. It's already gotten worse so I then rush in ready to fight. Carmen knows that if I stop her, she's screwed. So she aims straight at me with that thing and fires a shot. What happens next turns this simple attempt into a straight on mess.
"Lupinranger!"
As she shoots, a card magically appeared and in that card comes out some kind of red top hat. The red top hat had a "V" inside and the next thing she notices, her entire body is covered in some kind of spandex suit. The suit was black but bits of red were noticeable on the arms, shins, skirt and shoes. The "V" would end up on the chest and next thing that happens, a cape magically appears behind her. I also notice her helmet being black but the red is easily seen via the hat. I get freaked out by it. Carmen did as well and she literally thought she has seen a ghost. Zack and Ivy on the other hand have expressions of shock and surprise. I can imagine Carmen's partner having the same look as response.
"Carmen..." says Player, "What happened to you?"
"I... I don't know. One minute I was hearing a voice in my head telling me to do this and next thing I know, I turn into this," she replies.
"Wow. This is so cool!" praises Zack, "You just turned into one of those guys I see on TV. What were they called again?"
"Now is not the time to praise Carmen you idiot," Ivy replies, "We should be helping her."
"How are we gonna do that? Carmen just transformed into some kind of Power Ranger or something," Zack follows.
"What? Power Ranger? Player, what is he talking about?" Carmen asks.
"Not sure Red. I got nothing on what you're wearing but I think he mentions that you look like one of those superheroes that were on TV recently," He explains.
"Well, if it means sending this guy packing, I'll take my chances," She assures him.
I press up on my earpiece and say this, "Patty dear, we have a problem.. a big one."
"What? Did you get it?" She asks me.
I stop and tell her, "No. It's much worse. The one I tailed opened the box and now... she transformed. You may have to get your hands dirty."
"I knew it. You had one job and you blew it didn't you?" She insults.
"Sorry. But now I'm done being reasonable. If she wants a butt kicking, she'll get it. You can deal with the other two since they don't know what's on the other briefcase," I tell her.
Patty doesn't respond. She hung up. My guess she knows but right now, I got to take the fight to the one known as Carmen.
"I tried to be easy but it seems you gone and done it now Carmen. You leave me no choice," with my blaster known as the X-Changer in hand, I say these two words, "Kaitou Change!"
I turn it 180 degrees counterclockwise, showing the gold train. It's then the sound "X-NIZE" is heard and then I do it again, showing the silver train. The sound "KAITOU X CHANGE" follows. Aiming it diagonally down, I fire. Like with Carmen, a card emerges followed by a silver "V" hat. The hat covers me, transforming. Unlike Carmen, mine is more pristine. There is some black in the suit but most of it has hints of gold and silver. The gold is seen in the form of lines, the belt, wrist hands, knee shins and the mouth portion of the helmet. As for the silver, it's all over the suit. Easy to recognize and fitting of my thief like nature.
"LUPIN X!"
"I am the thief that strikes evil within the night," I press on my chest armor letting out a clang sound, followed by a twirl and then, "Lupin X!"
"You're a..." Carmen responds, in shock.
"Yes. I am a Power Ranger as well but the correct term is a Lupinranger," I explain.
"You serous? He's also a Power Ranger? What is this?!" shouts Zack, who in turn annoys Ivy.
"Hey Zack. We need to get Carmen out of here," Ivy retorts.
That's when the two hear the same voice that Carmen heard earlier, "You two want to join in on the fight? Get that other briefcase. It has what you need inside."
Ivy doesn't hesitate and grabs the other case. She opens it. The two look inside and they find two more white blaster guns, called VS Changers. Along with the Changers, there is a respective yellow and blue fighter.
"Ivy, take the changer and yellow Dial Fighter. Zack, the blue one is yours. Use them to transform and fight against him before he does harm to your friend."
"Sure. Whatever you say," says Ivy. The two get their respective gear but before they can do the same thing that Carmen did earlier, someone fires a shot preventing them.
"I wouldn't do that if I were you," the two turn to see Patty and she has her VS Changer aimed squarely at both Zack and Ivy.
"Another one? Who else needs to drop in and ruin this? You work for V.I.L.E?" asks Zack.
"Do I look like I work for these chumps? You really want to make things difficult do you?" says Patty.
"Do we look like we're making it difficult?" Ivy shouts.
"Let me do what my husband can't do. Hand them over or I'll be knocking you both off your asses," threatens Patty.
"Knock us both out? Try us," Ivy challenges.
"Have it your way then," She takes out something from her purse, revealing it to be a pink dial fighter.
"Ivy, she got one of them too like we do," says Zack.
"Transform Zack before she beats us down," spats Ivy.
"Uh right... I don't really know how," replies Zack, getting Ivy more irate.
"Kaitou Change!" shouts Patty who inserts her pink Dial Fighter into the VS Changer. She then inputs the combination via padlock.
"Pink! 9-1-3! Masqueraise!"
She presses the handle causing the Dial Fighter to be upward. Upon seeing her do it, Zack and Ivy decide to try their luck on it.
With a nod, the two shout out, "Kaitou Change!"
Zack went first inputting his in, "Blue!" and then the combination, "2-6-0! Masqueraise!"
Ivy follows after, "Yellow!" with the combination after, "1-1-6! Masqueraise!"
Both of them press the handle causing their blasters to have their Dial Fighters aimed upward. The three would aim each other, hearing "KAITOU CHANGE" and then fire. Three cards appear from their blasters, revealing three V-shaped hats of different colors. One touches Zack, transforming him into the blue ranger. Another hits Ivy, turning into the yellow ranger & the last hits Patty becoming the pink ranger.
"Lupinranger!"
Like Carmen, their outfits are all the same but the differences are in the color and their respective helmets. Patty and Ivy's are similar since they have a heart shape on the helmet plus skirts while Zack's a bit squared and jaggy. The reactions over the two becoming Rangers is surprising yet it's also to be expected.
"Looks like they also became Rangers too huh? Dammit," Patty mutters.
"Whoa! This is so cool! Ivy look at this! More like look at you? I don't believe it!" Zack exclaims.
"I can say the same for you. I can't believe you just transformed like that," Ivy replies.
"Guess we're skipping formalities huh?" Patty then takes out some kind of weapon: a sword that also had a magic hand at the bottom.
"Uh Ivy," Zack says, seeing Patty move in to attack.
Ivy then takes out the same weapon Patty has with her and blocks it. Zack follows by using the VS Changer to fire a few shots. In response, Patty uses her VS Changer and fires.
"Been doing this a lot longer than you newbies," She says, firing more blasts forcing Zack and Ivy to go on the defensive.
"What is it with this girl? Calling us newbies? That's wrong!" shouts Zack.
"Maybe because we have never did this before huh bro?" Ivy replies, "I got an idea. Give me cover."
Zack nods and fires straight at Patty, hoping to get her attention. She does so and decides to press a button on her weapon, turning her sword into some kind of whip. Noticing Ivy ready to attack her, she throws her whip. It encircles her, stopping her in the process. Seeing her sister in trouble, Zack blows his cover and goes in to attack. Patty fires to push him back but it didn't work. He jumps and delivers a two-sided kick to push her back. It's enough to let her go and release Ivy. Zack then checks on her sis and releases her from Patti's whip. As he does so, Patti regains her footing and takes her Lupin Sword/Whip and uses it to smack Zack down.
"That was a mistake you brat," Patti shouts, whipping Zack but Ivy blocks the blow with her sword.
"No Larceny. This was your mistake," Zack and Ivy then do a double kick, knocking her back. She starts to underestimate the two siblings and in turn it has her being careless.
"Are you gonna give up now or what?" asks Zack.
"Not a chance," Patty jumps back, firing a few more shots from her blaster. She's had enough dealing with those two.
As this goes on, I go on the offensive against Carmen who starts the fight by firing a few shots from her VS Changer. I dodge the first two and then counter the third with one of my own. I then take out my signature weapon, the X Rod Sword. I pulled the side handle upward, transforming it into its Sword form. Rushing forward, I attack but Carmen takes out her Lupin Sword and repels my strike. She counters with her own.
"Not bad for a first timer," I tell her.
"You think you can do better than me?" She replies, while attacking.
"Lady, I've been doing this crap for years. You're just a newbie. You got nothing against someone more experienced."
"Why don't I show you?"
Carmen uses her blaster to fire a few shots at me. I dodge two, repel two more and duck the fifth. She then uses her Lupin Sword to strike but I block that too. But that's my mistake as Carmen vaults over and hits me from behind, plus fires three shots at me for good measure. It catches me by surprise.
"Not bad. You learn fast," I tell her.
Carmen rushes to strike again but I block her strike with my own, "Guess I'm proving you wrong huh?"
"Don't count on it," I repel the attack and deliver a kick to the back, disorienting her. I follow up with a barrage of strike attacks.
She struggles to repel my attacks. The fact that my offense is fast and furious is enough to ensure that Carmen gets no chance against me. But as my battle with her continues forth, Zack and Ivy head for Carmen's aid. They respond with attacks from their Lupin Swords. I follow by backing off and delivering a slash that strikes them both. It doesn't damage them but it's enough to push them back a bit. At the same time, Patty shows up ready to fight once more.
"Notice the odds here. Not on your favor," Carmen tells us. She isn't kidding with it. Three Rangers against two. Not good odds either.
"So what? We've dealt with a lot worse. You guys are just a stepping stone compared to V.I.L.E," I reply.
"Really? Have you been sabotaging V.I.L.E operations?"
"Longer than you three have."
Before Carmen can say anything else, something comes out of nowhere and attack us. It was a monster, a large minotaur-like beast that can stand on two feet and having sharp like claws that can tear through anything. It came fast, surprising us but also it meant that this thing means business. What I also notice is that the thing has a silver safe in its chest. Whatever it is, it may be holding his form together. The five of us knew that our fight was nothing but a waste of time.
"Another friend of yours?" Carmen asks me.
"Does this thing look like a friend to you? Hell no!" I respond, as I dodge its attack.
"M-M-M-Monster!" Zack yells as he runs for the hills. What a wuss.
"Get back here Zack. We can take this thing down no sweat!' Ivy shouts.
Zack doesn't get far as the monster catches up to him and he gears to deliver a serious hit. Ivy pushes him aside only for her to take the hit. Thankfully it isn't serious but it then forces Patty and I to realize that our job got a lot worse. I fire a shot to get its attention. It does so but then we notice the safe glowing and his powers manifest in the form of a wave attack that hits us all. We all get hit hard by the attack. It then turns its attention towards Carmen. Reeling from the hit, she's unable to defend against that thing.
"You know what... fuck this," I shout as I decide to rush in and attack it. I hit him but that only gets the freak irate.
He then goes on to attack me and despite the fact that my armor can help me withstand most attacks, it isn't enough cause this thing is vicious. I get thrown to the ground but I refuse to give up. I ain't letting that thing go after Carmen or her friends. I don't know why I decide to do this but my gut was telling me... I have to help her. I can feel it. Carmen notices me standing back up after the monster attacked me. It's then she kind of knew that I would never do something like this. Zack and Ivy help her up.
"Wow. He actually saved us," says Zack.
"Yet he decides to be an idiot and try to take himself out," Carmen replies.
"Carmen," Ivy follows, shocked by her response, "If it wasn't for him, who knows what that freak would do to us?"
"She's right Carmen," Zack agrees.
"I have to agree Red," Player agrees as well, "You should be lucky he saved you. Don't you think we should repay the favor?"
"He nearly tried to beat us up," She replies, "Why should I?"
"We don't have a choice," Ivy answers her.
"I got to agree. You ready to help Ivy?" Ivy's nod is enough to convince Zack. Carmen thinks a second before she gives her own response.
"Okay then. If it means getting us out of this mess, we got no choice," Finally. Carmen understands.
"I don't know whether to hate you or praise you," Patty tells me, "But I think what you did is working."
"Good. Didn't expect a Gangler to show up and ruin our fun. Safe's in the chest. All we got to do is take out what's inside and blast that thing," I turn to Patty and ask her, "You ready for this?"
Patty doesn't need to say a word. She nods and gear herself up. Knowing that the source of it's power is the safe on its chest, our priority was now to get whatever is in there out of the safe. Carmen, Zack and Ivy meet up with Patty and I. Together, now the five of us gear up because instead of a battle against each other, we now team up to take this freak down.
"Okay," Carmen asks, "What do we do?"
"Simple. We need to focus on opening the safe on its chest. Whatever is inside is the source of its power and if we remove it, we can take it down," I place my X Rod Sword on the ground, hammering it down.
"What are you gonna do?" Zack asks me.
"I'll distract the thing. Besides, this form isn't the only one I can take," I take out my X Changer and say this, "Keisatsu Change!"
I turn the blaster 180 degrees counterclockwise causing the gold side to be shown. Everyone watches as I gear up to transform.
"KEISATSU X CHANGE!"
I aim up and fire causing a gold police badge to appear above me. The badge has an "S" inside symbolizing the other side of the VS Spectrum. Next thing they see, I go from being a silver armored ranger to a gold one. My entire suit is similar to a trenchcoat. There is no armor but it makes up for it with this snazzy look. There's a red line that goes through that symbolize the midway along with some black as well. Some white is seen in parts of the suit and instead of a top hat in my helmet, it's replaced with a gold police cap. Silver is there in the mouth guard as well.
"PATREN X!"
"Like the daylight sky, I smite evil in the name of justice!" I pull a pose and say, "Patren X!"
Zack reacts to this with awe. Ivy is curious while Carmen simply watches. Patty knows I can do this and then I take my X Rod Sword to the ground and pulled the side lever down, revealing the "S" and turning it from its Sword to a Rod.
"Okay. Let's do this. If we're going to survive, we have to do this now! Let's go!"
Compared to the Lupin X form, my Patren X form makes me more agile and maneuverable. The monster tries to attack me but everything he did is for naught as I dodge his attacks. I use the X Rod to bash it a few times to disorient it. As I do so, Patty uses her Lupin Whip to deal damage along with ensnaring that thing. Zack and Ivy fire a few shots from their blasters. With all of us focusing our efforts on stopping that Gangler-like monster, it's up to Carmen to go for the chest. Though this thing ain't giving up without a fight. Despite Patty, Zack and Ivy holding it down, Carmen goes in.
"Carmen, remove your Dial Fighter from your blaster!" I order, "Place the bottom on the safe!"
"Why?" She asks.
"Don't ask why! It'll decipher the lock on the safe," I answer.
She moves in, takes out her Dial Fighter and places it on the safe itself. Before long, the thing does its work, deciphering the lock on the safe. It's combination is then revealed as a result.
"4-4-1!"
It roars as the safe opens up. Carmen immediately grabs what's inside and backs off. Everyone else does the same. She gets a look and finds that what she got is some kind of small device.
"This... is what's in the safe?" She asks.
"Yep, it is," I reply, "What you see here is but a piece of a collection."
"Collection?"
"Yep. The Lupin Collection, a series of artifacts that when gathered together can grant anyone what their heart desires. It's a reason why I was here to begin with, to recover what you had supposedly took away,"
"Uh, we still got to deal with that freak," Zack interrupts. We notice it gearing up to rip us apart.
"Leave it to me. Time I make a quick change back, Kaitou Change!" I throw my X Rod into the air and using my X Changer, rotate it to the silver side and shoot straight down.
I turn back into the silver Lupin X. Grabbing the X Rod, I then turn the handle up, switching it to the Sword form. I then lower my blade and then turn the handle sideways before shifting it back up.
"X-Time! Countdown!"
"Let's finish this! Superior X!"
"3! 2! 1! 0! Itadaki X-Strike!" I do two slashes forming an X and then pierced the X to strike it right at the monster.
Having suffered so much damage from the attack, the monster can only stagger a bit before it collapses on its face and explodes. With that, we finally took a needed sigh of relief. The fight did take quite a toll on us. I suddenly power down but then enter a state of exhaustion. Yep. Being one of these Power Rangers can be taxing especially on one's body. Everyone else does the same.
"So... you understand now why I need those things?" I ask her, breathing heavily.
"I do. But I ain't giving them up to you, even after you threatened us," She replied.
"I see," Reasoning with her is meaningless, so I decided to do the only logical thing, "Keep them then. Make sure they stay out of V.I.L.E's hands."
"Wait a damn minute," Patty interrupts, "You're going to let these three keep them after all the work we did trying to take them back?"
"They proved themselves. That's more than enough," I reply.
"Aw yeah! This is so cool!" Zack cheers, but Ivy sours his mood.
"What's the catch?" Ivy asks me, "You don't just leave without something in return do you?"
I quickly answer, "There is none... though if I were a bit selfish, I do have a condition."
Patty turns to me dumbfounded, wondering what I'm going to say, "My condition is this. We like to join your little gang."
Exactly as I said it, Patty reacts with the dull surprise I would expect. Zack and Ivy look in shock but Carmen stays firm. I simply hold my ground because I don't want to show any sign of weakness, even after we took down something as big as a Gangler.
"You come in, threaten my crew all cause of what's in these briefcases, forced us to team up with you to take down a monster and you say you want to team up with us?" Carmen tells me.
"That's right. Because if you refuse, you won't last against with what V.I.L.E has in store. That monster we fought is just the least of our worries. Believe me," I reply.
"And how do you know this?" She asks, once again.
"Because Patty and I have been shutting down V.I.L.E operations a lot longer than you have," I provide my answer.
"Longer?" Zack wonders, "Like how long?"
"Ten years buddy," Patty answers him.
"Ten years?" Ivy inquires.
"Yep. Basically we got a lot more experience in dealing with an organization like them. These guys are no laughing matter and they'll do whatever it takes to get what they want," Patty replies, but not before mentioning this, "How do I know this? I used to be part of V.I.L.E but that was a long time ago."
"Wait a minute?" Carmen wonders, "You are Patty Larceny right?"
"What's it to you?" She responds.
"I remember hearing about you from Countess Cleo. How you and her used to be part of a group of delinquents," She says.
"She must mean the V.I.L.E Dropouts, a group of D-list operatives that didn't had a chance at making it in. For one reason or another, they didn't get their memories erased," I explain.
"Lucky for them," She says, "But like I said, I can't accept the offer. How do I know you won't double cross us?"
"Does it look like we could do something like this? Or do you prefer a repeat performance of what happened today?" I tell her, realizing that she's really stubborn, "At least consider the fact that you need all the help you can get."
"So say I do accept your condition. What do you have to give us in exchange?"
"That's a bit difficult but... I would offer you guys training. Training so that you can be able to move better, think better and even fight better. You got the skill but you need someone to guide it into the right direction."
I then bring out something from my jacket, some kind of V.I.L.E data drive, "And I give you this. This data drive contains info on every V.I.L.E operation that is currently underway. But this also contains locations of where pieces of the Lupin Collection can be found... along with pieces that are currently in V.I.L.E's hands."
"What?" says Zack.
"You're kidding," Ivy follows.
"I'm not," I tell them, "There's a reason for it. Regardless, I will give you time to think before you make a decision."
Putting the drive away, I turn to walk off with Patty quickly in tow. Before I could go further, I turn to Carmen and her gang and say this, "A foul wind will soon blow on your journey... we shall meet again, Carmen mi amor."
The two of us walk off. We were disappointed we didn't recover the goods but we did make sure that they are in good hands. Carmen, Zack and Ivy see us leave but Carmen is most likely concerned over what I tell her. Ivy and Zack meanwhile wonder about us and what we are. They don't think of us as bad, but more like somewhere in the middle. Neutral. As the day has come and gone, I return back to my place in the hopes of resting up for another mission. Doing this gig for so long can be quite draining for a lot of us. Patty's already resting while I am checking the security cameras from the battle we had today. It was tough but it wasn't like our other fights that we had. As I continue checking, my screen soon gets replaced with a complete blue screen. For a second, I thought my computer got a BSOD but the blue is a bit dark.
"I'm reporting in. Tell me. Were you able to get what I asked?"
I respond by typing, "No. A series of unfortunate events happened that forced me to leave the goods in the hands of a trio of thieves."
"You're getting sloppy. I give you a job and you get it done but now, you have been lacking in even that."
"Don't be pushing my luck. Those thieves were no laughing matter. That and I had a hunch that you had a hand in it."
"How so?"
"Don't coy with me. You brought someone who has the same name as you involved in a game that she probably will lose. You didn't just helped her. You helped her partners too. Is there something you aren't telling me?"
"Why would I help them? They are not my concern."
"You should know that I hate lies and I despise people who lie to me even more. You have a reason for this?"
"Fine. I'll play your game. You think I had a hand in all this?"
"Yes."
"Alright then answer me this. If you say that I helped them, why would I bother? Why would I help someone like her if I never even met the person?"
It takes a bit before I tried putting two and two together. The fact that this Carmen I met wore red, the fact that how she acts feels familiar to the one I know and the fact that she would move first and asks questions later proves it. The person replies again but I think it's time that I provide my answer.
"That answer is obvious. The girl I met today who transformed into a Power Ranger and that I entrusted what I was meant to take... she's your daughter."
She doesn't respond. My guess is that I probably knew. I keep watching and waiting. But then, I get a response.
"I have no daughter. You should know this by now, Enigma," referring me by that name is enough to get me triggered.
"The name is Lupin. I abandoned that name the instant you disappeared. That woman I met, Carmen Sandiego... IS your daughter. If that isn't a reason why you took it upon yourself to help her, I don't know what is," I typed back.
But I get no response from her so I continue. "Come on. Years ago, you went into hiding just as ACME was closing in on you. I was left to clean up your mess and since then, we've moved on with our lives. But to think that the person I had been loyal to for so long would go and do this?! Have offspring that now is making her own mark in this world?"
"What's your point?"
"My point is this. You just dragged her and her team into a hornet's nest. To make it worse, they have things that shouldn't even exist in this timeline. It already has gotten V.I.L.E's attention. Soon enough, this world will become a battlefield. The prize: the Lupin Collection!"
"The Lupin Collection... founded by the gentlemanly thief, Arsene Lupin? No. You can't be serious."
"I am no fool. I'm trying to prevent the same tragedy that I endured the first time."
"Despite this, fate has already been set in motion. Every thief and organization in the world will be after the Lupin Collection. I may not be in charge anymore, but you still work for me. That also includes your wife as well."
"I see. Let me guess... you want me to team up with her right?"
"Correct. Help my daughter... please."
"Okay. Before i decide, I say this. Why should I do this? What if I choose to refuse?"
"You don't have a choice. I spent years trying to deduce who you really are. I am no fool. I know where your loyalties lie. Should you refuse my request, I promise that you will not escape your destiny. I will return you to where your fate should have ended."
That was enough to startle and get me mad. She knew all along who I really was but to go this far and investigate me? Dammit! That's when I typed this to her, "I won't let it happen. I prevented that fate once. I will do it again!"
"So I ask you once again. Will you help her? Will you teach her that this power she has should be used for what's right?" She asks me.
I give her my answer, "I'll do it. But under one condition."
"Name it."
"If I do this, you promise that you see her. Tell her everything. She has a right to know."
"Very well. I'll do it. I have seen her and she has followed a righteous path, even better than mine."
"Thank you. I know what I must do now... Boss."
"Save your thanks after you do it. Until the next crime... Lupin."
The signal is then cut off. To think that I had a chat with someone with the same name as that woman. I shake my head a bit but realizing this, I decide to stop what I'm doing and work on typing an e-mail. It doesn't take me long and I send it. I only hope that the current Carmen and her gang receive it. I then check up on Patty, who's already asleep. I decide to sleep myself. Tomorrow is another day and with it, another mission. I only hope our mission doesn't have us crossing paths again.
A week later... Paris, France
A week has passed. The message that I sent had been received a day after. But today, I get a response and to my surprise, it was from Carmen, the one I encountered. She tells me that I should meet up with her at a location in France. Paris, to be exact. I'm sitting outside a diner that's real popular there. Waiting is always the worst part that anyone has to endure. I wonder if she'll actually show. That's the problem.
"Waited long?" I then turn to see who say that. It's her. Carmen... the other Carmen.
"No. Why you ask?" I respond, "Did something happen?"
“Nothing that you shouldn't worry,” She tells me, keeping my sight on her. “I take it you want to join my crew.”
“That I am.”
“I'm still not convinced on you, especially after that little mess a week back.”
“Still reeling over that? You really need to learn to let it go you know?”
“Not my point. Did you bring that flash drive?” She asks me.
“That I have. I ain't giving that up unless I'm part of your posse.”
“Knew you play a hard bargain,” Yep. Gotta play hard to make it far.
“Got to do what you can to make a living, especially in this kind of field.”
“What do you do?” She asks.
I reply. “Random things, as long as it has to do with shutting down V.I.L.E operations. That and I get paid for it too.”
“So basically money drives you doesn't it?”
“It's not just me but my wife as well. She also works odd jobs but is not afraid to get her hands dirty. You can think of us as thieves but we never go after innocent people. We only go after those who do harm to others.”
“Honor among thieves you say? I like it,” she says, praising my way of things.
“So are you willing to give me a chance or what?” I ask, once again.
Carmen thinks about it for a bit before making a decision. She doesn't take that long either.
“If I let you in on my group, know this: My team. My rules. Got it?” She tells me.
“Loud and clear... under one condition,” I reply.
“Condition?” Carmen wonders.
“Yeah. She comes too,” I respond once more.
“She?”
“She means me,” Patty intrudes, appearing with my order of freshly-brewed coffee and cheesecake.
“You. So you're married to this guy?” Carmen asks.
“Something like that. It was either that or I be married to some douchebag named Vic the Slick,” Patty responds.
“Vic the Slick? Was he another one of those dropouts?”
“Yeah. I don't think you were in V.I.L.E when they were around. Only two of us stuck out: myself and Countess Cleo.”
“One day you got to tell me all about it. So yeah, that's your only condition?” She then turns to me.
“Yep,” I reply.
“Alright then. You're in,” I hand Carmen the data drive, as per the agreement, “I'm making sure this is sent to Player right away. Whatever's in this drive is really going to help us out big time.”
“By the way, I should mention V.I.L.E is on the move. Seems they found something and are having a little rendezvous at Poitiers,” I tell her.
“Is it involving the Lupin Collection?” She responds.
“Yes. I need to give you and your friends the lo-down about them once we get this done,” I follow, not wasting time since we got to move.
I leave behind the bill but not before I savored the cheesecake and gave Patty her tip. She does well as a waitress. We head for Poitiers. Carmen's scanning to see if anything's out of the ordinary. So far, nothing but we need to be vigilant.
“Got a plan boss?” I ask.
“Not yet,” she answers. “They haven't made their move. Zack, Ivy and Patty are inside, scouting the building. I haven't visited this place so I need to get a layout of what to expect.”
“Knowing these guys, they have high security. If it were me personally, my focus would be to disable the security while finding a path to the target and then getting out of there.”
“Is that your way of doing things?” Carmen asks me.
I respond, “Something like that. But I can always get my hands dirty if I have to.”
“That's only for a last resort. Remember, we're doing this my way so maybe you can learn something,” She answers, along with providing good advice.
“Okay I guess.”
Before long, Player comes in with an update. Thankfully it's good news, “Update time Red. I checked the place and security's packed especially on the third floor. That must be where they hid the goods.”
“But why the third floor when they plan on having the exchange outside? Something's amiss,” I respond.
“He makes a good point. After that skirmish last week, let's just say they aren't taking any chances.”
But that's when we spot a black armored truck approaching the place. If these guys can't be any more discredit, then I know for sure it's them. Normally I would go on the attack but we have to wait and see what they have up their sleeve. Carmen continues to watch it unfold and she notices a V.I.L.E operative coming out along with two grunts. On the other side were several security guards carrying some kind of briefcase. It isn't like with what happened last week. This is something else altogether.
“We got them. Shall we get to it?” says Carmen. Before she knows it, I'm already on the move and that's not a good sign.
She notices me heading to another building nearby. I wasn't going to engage them. I had a better plan in mind. We see the operative make the exchange. I turn my attention back to Carmen, who responds with a nod. Time to strike and everyone else does the same. I jump, landing on top of the van. It startles them, including the operative.
“Hey! Get off that truck!” shouts the operative Tigress.
“Me? Nah. You have something I want and it's in that briefcase. Hand it over!” I order.
“Forget it! You're the thief who stole from us last week!”
“Last week? I'm being forgetful. Can you be specific?”
“Wasting time with you wasn't part of the plan! After him!” She orders her grunts to go after me.
But they don't get a chance as Zack, Ivy and even Patty take down the grunts. I join in on the fight, firing a few blasts at some of them only to find that they're nothing but robots. This surprises Zack but I never thought that these guys would resort to doing something like this.
“R-robots? This wasn't part of the plan!” Zack shouts.
“It wasn't. Seems V.I.L.E has taken the initiative,” I reply.
“You fools are going to get it now!” Tigress goes to attack us but Carmen comes out of nowhere, delivering a kick to the side, sending her flying to a nearby garbage can.
It also causes her to drop the briefcase, which Carmen quickly recovers. This gets Tigress mad and she knows it.
“Twice in one week? This isn't my day!” says Tigress.
“It never is your day Tigress. Besides, you guys should never get involved in stuff like this. Though I have to wonder. Robots? Has Bellum been on overdrive since the robbery last week?” I ask.
“Robots?” Carmen wonders.
“Thing is, they are too advanced since they look so life-like to us. If anything, I know her brother has something to do with it.”
“Wait a sec, brother?” Carmen asks again.
I turn to her and say, “I'll tell you later. There's a lot I should have told you before we went on ahead with it.”
“Tigress is getting up. She ain't happy,” Patty tells us.
“It should have been a simple job but you had to get yourself involved huh Black Sheep? I look forward to bringing you back to V.I.L.E Island,” She says.
“No way I'm going back. More importantly, I'm making sure you are stopped in your tracks,” she takes out her VS Changer and aims it at Tigress.
She sees the VS Changer and her anger's already at a fever pitch. She now knows that it was us that stole the VS Changers from them during the skirmish last week. The Faculty were anything but pleased over this. In fact, they were angry. Angry that someone other than Carmen has decided to go after them. But the fact that I'm involved already got one of their blood boiling. So they decide to take the initiative and taking us out.
“Guess this day just gets better. Not only will I bag you Black Sheep but also your compatriots too, including you Enigma,” hearing that strikes a chord.
I then take out my X Changer and fire a shot, barely hitting her. “I told you many times. That's a name I abandoned a long time ago. I am Lupin!”
“Whatever! You've been sabotaging us for too long. Now you will pay!”
“This has to be page six in the handbook for cliché villain lines isn't it? You need better words my little Tigress,” Patty intrudes, insulting her.
“Mind your tongue, dropout!” Guess it did strike a chord, “Countess Cleo should have had your memories wiped!”
“I guess I did strike a chord after all. Suits you since you guys are the worst kind of thieves!”
“Yeah. You guys steal for your own ends. The lowest of low!” says Ivy.
“Yet we steal back from those who steal like you!” shouts Zack.
“I was once like you but now I use my strengths to take back what you've taken from them!” shouts Patty.
“It is what we are. We are thieves. There is honor among thieves but sadly there's none for the likes of your or V.I.L.E. You harm innocents. We help them and that's all that matters!” I shout afterwards.
“You think you five can stop us? Didn't think you would resort to adding them in your fold, Black Sheep!” Tigress shouts back.
“I forgot to mention one thing Tigress. I don't go by Black Sheep. I go by Carmen now. Carmen Sandiego! Make sure you send that to Maelstrom, once you get sacked by us!” She responds, taking out her Red Dial Fighter and gearing up. The others do the same.
“Go ahead and try...” she threatens.
“You guys ready for this?” Carmen asks us. We nod in response, “Let's send them a message.”
All five of us then shout immediately, “Kaitou Change!” and gear up to morph into heroes.
“Red! 0-1-0!”
“Blue! 2-6-0!”
“Yellow! 1-1-6!”
“Pink! 9-1-3!”
“X-Nize!”
“Masqueraise!”
“Kaitou Change!” “Kaitou X Change!”
Four of the five insert their Dial Fighters into their Changers, activated their combinations and then set up to morph. I, on the other hand, turn my blaster a full 360 to prep to morph. Once all that is done, we aim and then shoot, transforming ourselves into Power Rangers.
“Lupinranger!”
Tigress can only look in shock and horror as what we took from them made us into something much stronger, better and hopefully the thing that can help us get leverage on the battlefield for the Lupin Collection.
Carmen snaps her fingers and says, “LupinRed!”
Then follows Zack, “LupinBlue!”
Afterwards is Ivy, “LupinYellow!”
Patty was next, “LupinPink!”
And finally comes me who did a clang instead of a snap, “Lupin X!”
“Kaitou Sentai...”
It ends with us shouting, “Lupinranger!”
“Lupin... ranger?” Tigress stumbles, feeling pissed that she bore witness to a threat that would really put V.I.L.E on the ropes.
“Here's a warning for you Tigress,” says Carmen.
“You stole something from these people of France,” Zack follows.
“We're here to take it back from you,” Ivy tells her.
“And kick your slimy little ass in the process,” Patty threatens.
“Make sure V.I.L.E knows that we're coming for them,” I end it.
“Oh they will know. They will know once I shred you all to pieces!” Tigress threatens us.
“Is that so?” She takes out her Lupin Sword and tells her,” Go ahead and try. Let's do this!”
We all gear up and then go on the attack. It's on this day that the Lupinrangers were born. Two different groups, united together to become a team. Why? Because of V.I.L.E and how they wish nothing more than to get their hands on the Lupin Collection. We're here to prevent that. We have something to fight for and a reason to do that. But thing is, this is only one team of Rangers. You're probably wondering... where's the other team? Well that's going to be a story you all will see soon enough.
To be continued...
On the next EqG LuPat, Roy and his friends reach ACME and after a bit of a tour and what not, they become the other Ranger team, the Patrangers. But their skills will be put to the test when the team investigates a robbery that is connected to V.I.L.E. The seeds of their journey have been planted and will yield a harvest unlike any other. See you in the next chapter: Patrangers Mobilize! Two teams, two objectives. Which side will you all choose?