//------------------------------//
// Episode 5: Auction Under Attack; A New Threat Arises 
// Story: My Little Pony: Equestria Girls - Kaitou Sentai Lupinranger vs. Keisatsu Sentai Patranger 
// by DestinyDecade 
//------------------------------//

Lupinranger HQ, a couple minutes later...

Some time has passed ever since the Lupinrangers defeated Knightron and foiled another one of VILE's plans. The team is taking some time off from doing their usual stints to unwind. Fortunately, Enigma and his crew of VILE Dropouts have finished their work on the base of operations. This base has it all: a training facility, kitchen, game room, the works. In a way, it's similar to ours but this is mostly an old warehouse. I mean, how can they pull that off in such little time is beyond me.

“There you go,” says Enigma, “Our base of operations is 100% complete. It's perfect.”

“Perfect indeed. Who'd have thought your buddies would be so good?” replies Zack.

“Give them credit where credit's due. At least that's more than enough since now that we have everything operational, we can get to work on finding out what VILE's next move is,” Enigma follows.

Carmen checks the database nearby and that's when Kneemoi suddenly appears. If anything, it only startles Carmen a bit. Do anyone blame her? Nah.

“Did I startle you?” Kneemoi asks.

“You... kind of did,” Carmen replies, “I'm just not used to working with other people. I always work alone.”

“It's fine. I'm surprised that I get to meet all of you. To think that the five of you are fighting against VILE really gives us a sigh of relief,” Kneemoi tells her.

Carmen then asks, “How so? What happened?”

“It's... complicated. Trust me. Many of the VILE Dropouts have moved on with their lives. While some decide to wait for the right time,” It responds.

“By the by, Lupin never told us about the other Dropouts. I already met you, Eartha Brute, Patty and Double Trouble. Are there any others?” She wonders.

“There are a lot,” Kneemoi answers, “May as well let you know who the others are.”

Kneemoi then suddenly starts forming several photos on the holo-screen. Carmen notices many of them with one catching her completely off guard.

“Who are all of these?” She asks.

“Photos of the VILE Dropouts. In case Enigma ever told you, they were a group of operatives that never had what it takes to be part of the group. Thankfully many of the operatives still have their memories intact. This was before Dr. Bellum developed the mind-wiping technology,” Kneemoi explains.

The first individual appears on screen, “This is the first. Vic the Slick. He's the very definition of a sleaze. If anything, he is someone who just loves to cause trouble. Messed up I know. Out of all the dropouts, he only lasted a year before he would leave VILE.”

“So Vic the Slick is a sleazeball huh? Figures. Anything else I need to know?” Carmen wonders.

Kneemoi was ready to respond to it but decides to be silent, for good reason, “I rather not want to talk about it.”

“Understandable. Who's next?” She wonders.

“You already know about Patty, Double Trouble and Eartha Brute so we'll skip them. Next up is the only VILE Dropout that has the record for being one of the shortest time: Top Grunge.” Kneemoi tells.

“I remember Coach Brunt mentioning Top Grunge. Holds the only record for being the fastest member to be kicked out of VILE. About 1 minute,” Carmen replies.

“Most likely due to Top Grunge's lack of common sense regarding personal hygiene. We haven't heard from him in years,” Kneemoi explains, moving to the next one, “Next is Robocrook. He was a VILE operative that was part of a failed project Dr. Bellum worked on.”

“What was it?” Carmen asks.

“Not sure. It was all classified but if there's any clue I can say that Robocrook has been decommissioned. Bellum may still have the disk containing his OS,” replies Kneemoi.

“Bummer. Knowing Dr. Bellum, she might have the disk somewhere in one of her labs. Any other operatives?”

Kneemoi continues with the next one,“This one is someone you probably don't know about.”

“Like who?” Zack asks, coming out of nowhere.

“Zack? Now you want to learn something?” She wonders.

“Of course!” He replies, “So what is it telling ya?”

“Nothing much, aside from info on the other VILE Dropouts,” She explains.

“And I was getting to the good part,” Kneemoi says, showing the next individual and it's one that surprisingly it's not proud of talking about.

“Okay, what... is that?” asks Ivy, appearing behind Zack.

Kneemoi lets off a sigh before explaining, “This... is Wonder Rat.”

“Wait a second, this guy is Wonder Rat?” Carmen wonders, judging by his appearance.

“Seriously. He is. I don't know how VILE allowed THIS guy to be part of their organization but he was a dropout through and through. After VILE saw he wasn't worth their time, the guy actually got success as a celebrity,” Kneemoi tells them, “It's true. The guy became a celebrity, appearing in talk shows, had his own TV show and even his own merchandise. Everyone was baffled by this!”

“I've heard of freak coincidences but this is just too much,” Zack tells it.

“We haven't heard from Wonder Rat. For all we know, he's been busy working on his own podcast and it's not like he wants to go back and do crazy stuff. The other however, she has her own life and is more successful than him,” Kneemoi explains.

It's then they see a picture of a woman, one that Enigma knows way too well.

“And this is Sarah Nade. She was a VILE operative that had a really bad singing voice. It was more ear-grating than anything,” Kneemoi says.

“Guess she wasn't going to be getting anywhere huh?” Ivy tells.

“Actually... that wasn't the case. After she left VILE, she actually underwent a lot of training. She improved and she actually got a solid career as a performer. Currently she's on tour having concerts all over the world. To think that a VILE operative like her would go on to have a successful career.”

Enigma doesn't say a thing. He knows what really happened and it's better than nothing. Zack and the others notice him being silent.

“What's wrong?” Carmen asks.

“It's nothing,” He replies, “Let's just say that I have some good times with Sara Nade.”

“That's mostly since she was your partner,” Patty interrupts.

“Partner?” Carmen wonders.

“Yep. She was once my partner... when I was once a part of ACME. But that's a story for another time,” He answers, “I don't want to talk about it.”

“Fair enough,” Carmen's attention is then shifted to Patty.

“By the way, you never said about what you did to Tigress?” She asks.

Patty's expression is one of doubt because someone like Carmen wouldn't understand the kind of stuff a woman like her does.

So she then asks her, “Do you really want to know? The profession I have currently makes what you do look real childish.”

“Childish? We're thieves! What job do you have that make it better than what we're doing now?!” complains Zack.

Patty says nothing. She takes out her whip from her purse and uses it to snare Zack by his neck. She then pulls him to her, grabbing by his hair. With a sadistic look on her face, she was ready to pounce.

“You know I'm the kind of girl that doesn't screw around. Men nowadays want to be submissive to people like me. They pay a lot of money just to be dominated but there's always one or two guys that just want to go one step further. The only thing they see is my foot up their ass!” She shouts, bringing out a part of her that actually gets Zack scared.

Carmen and Ivy are ready to help him but Enigma comes in. His behavior tells them, no. Don't interfere. Eventually Patty releases her whip's hold on Zack and puts it away.

“So basically, you're a dominatrix!” Ivy says.

“Pretty much but I left that profession years ago out of boredom. Nowadays, I mostly work with him to stop VILE. And lucky for us, Kneemoi is here to give us some good news,” She replies.

“Uh, yeah... thankfully, I was able to intercept some transmissions. They're on the move but they ain't telling them where,” Kneemoi replied.

“My guess after they screwed up the last thing, they ain't taking chances. So what now?” Carmen wonders.

“All we can do is wait. If we strike, that'll get them spooked,” Kneemoi suggests.

“Bummer. Always want to get back at those Patrangers. They always got to come in and screw things up. I'm still reeling over that green ranger of theirs. He really knows how to piss me off!” shouts Zack.

“I can share your frustration. But I rather not have us do anything stupid. Trust me, it wouldn't do anyone any favors,” replies Carmen.

“So for now we wait. Once we get the info, we move... and if the Patrangers decide to show up, we knock them down!” Enigma tells them. He heads outside to catch some air.

The others in the meantime simply wait. It's not like they'll do anything that drastic but considering that they have to contend with not only an evil organization but also rival Power Rangers. As if things are any more tense than they should. Besides the battles have only begun.

Meanwhile... ACME HQ, Training Area

Now it's time to see what we're doing. We may have had our success but for agents like us, there's no such thing as a day off. I lied. We do get days off. We don't even work that hard because not only are we ACME gumshoes but also GSPO operatives. Remember, this whole thing is a collaborate effect between ACME and the Global Secret Police. But anyway, we decide to sharpen our skills in the training area. It was Chief's idea because even though we are Power Rangers, we're still a bit rusty.

Snails is in the middle, in a kneeling meditative position. His eyes are shut. It's as if his senses are sharpened to a T. In his hand was some kind of wooden spar stick. As he sits patiently, he senses four figures approaching. Each of them also carrying spar sticks. They come closer with each step. He then gets up, taking the spar stick and holding it firmly in his hand. 

He opens his eyes and says, “Come at me.”

“Are you sure we should be doing this?” Snips asks.

Sunset looks at him with a response, “Chief did say that we need to improve our skills don't we?”

They notice Twilight going in to attack but being that she isn't that capable in combat, Snails doesn't hesitate. She goes in to try to strike him. He responds by deflecting her strike and counters with a simple hit to her back.

“Ow!” She says.

“Twilight, you are the brains of this group. Even you should know that taking the initiative is never wise,” He replies.

He then feels something amiss and then responds by countering anything that comes his way. First comes Snips and without hesitation, he goes in for several strikes. Snails repels them all, dodges another hit and waits for him to go in.

“You always rush in, not thinking clearly. Too impulsive,” He says, looking at his opponent.

“Says the guy who's more impulsive than me and that says something,” Snips responds.

Insulted, Snails goes in to strike Snips. The two deflect each other's blows until their spar sticks clash. The two stare down for a few seconds until Snails delivers a counter that Snips is unable to repel. It's then he strikes sending his opponent to the ground.

“I may be impulsive but like I said, you jump the gun too quickly,” He tells him. His sight then shifts to another opponent.

Sunset moves in to attack but he's quick enough to avoid. He goes to strike and gets the hit, delivering a non-lethal hit followed by a shove.

“If you're still bitter over Roy breaking your heart, don't. You need to learn to let it go and not let it consume you,” He tells her.

“I don't need you telling me that,” she responds, “Besides, you should be more worried about he'll do.”

Before he says a thing, I come in out of the blue to attack. But the guy is quick enough to repel it.

“Didn't think you were this underhanded Roy?” Snails tells me.

“Somebody needs to get you worn out,” I tell him, “May as well be me!”

Before long, the two of us go at it. It's an evenly matched fight. Both of us strike, hoping to get any possible opening. But because we know each other so well and what we possibly do, it doesn't happen. No way. Ultimately Snails has the advantage with his offense increasing along with his quick evasion. This forces me to move, grabbing a second spar stick. With two sticks, I decide to take the initiative.

“Two sticks are not going to stop me from making sure you end up beat like the others,” says Snails.

“Wanna bet?” I ask him.

That's enough to get him riled so he rushes in to attack. I do the same. Despite having two spar sticks, it's still not enough to beat him down. During the scuffle, Snails disorients me. It forced me to drop one of the spar sticks. He then kicks it aside, making it an even playing field. Fine by me. I run it to attack but as he attacks, I jump over him going for a blind spot. He's quick to repel but not enough to stop my continuous offense. Despite his efforts, I'm able to go in with a clean hit. That gets him mad and it's then I use it to my advantage. I deliver a few hits but all it does is make him angrier. Ultimately a slip up has him landing on the floor back first. I aim my spar stick at him, knowing that it's all it takes to unleash his rage.

“You always tell us to be better and not let our weaknesses consume us but when it comes to you... you fit every single flaw that we each have,” I tell him.

“What's your point?” Snails replies.

“Simple. You're beaten. You may have beaten the others but when it comes to me, not even close. Even back at Canterlot High when between us, it was a riveting rivalry,” I reply.

Snails says nothing as I continue, “You're beaten Snails. It's useless to resist. Don't let yourself be taken down the same way I always do to you.”

His response is obvious. He deflects my spar stick twice and gets back up, ready to strike. Before long, he attacks once more while I repel. I deliver a hit, striking his shoulder. That got him pissed off so he decides to do an unthinkable tactic. He uses the spar stick to hit my wrist. It got me to let go of my stick and he's quick to grab it. Then he uses both of them to send me to the wall and use each stick to place them close to my neck in an X-pattern.

“Who's useless now?!” He shouts, ready to use both sticks to do whatever is necessary to take me down.

Sure I have a habit of riling up my friends but there comes a time when my actions can lead to consequences. How do I know this? Simple. Because I ended one relationship in exchange for another and that still haunts me today. Now in the case of this, I have someone who I consider a brother ready to kill me outright. Before he does so, we hear the voice of someone catching us by surprise.

“That's enough!” someone shouts. The others notice that it's the Chief.

“Chief!” replies Sunset.

She looks at her and says, “I've seen it all. You all did your best however these two prove to be the most problematic.”

“Wait so the whole exercise was just a,” Snips asks.

Chief quickly interrupts him, “Yes. I want to see how you would handle a situation in which you are forced to make tough decisions. But when it comes to these two, that's another matter altogether.”

“Chief I appreciate that you're trying to be positive but why should I stop when I'm this close to putting him out of my misery?” He asks.

Chief pretty much gives Snails an answer, “Because you need him. You & him both need to learn to control your impulses and your emotions. I can't allow distractions of any sort if we are to have any chance against VILE... and the Lupinrangers.”

“Now I ask you... release him. You'll need him if you are to succeed in your mission,” She orders.

Snails looks at Chief for a couple seconds and then back towards me. I don't show any ounce of fear. I know he'll take the chance to do it if given that opportunity. He then lets me go, spinning both spar sticks and having them land straight up on the ground. I let off a sigh of relief but I have this feeling that it's not going to be enough. 

“The rest of you, get rested up and report to my chambers. VILE has been spotted,” Chief tells us. She then disappears.

Everyone else leaves the training room while I continue to stare Snails down. Normally we both would be joining the others but my gut tells me that he has something to tell me. Fortunately I feel it. I feel a punch to the stomach and it came fast. I reel in pain as I see Snails get close to my ear and whisper something.

“Be thankful I choose to restrain myself during it all,” He tells me as his fist plunges further into my lower chest, “The next time you decide to be this stupid, I will do something that will please her even less.”

But even though he is hostile towards me, his emotions change and says this, “But even if I did, I would never hurt someone... who saved me from the darkness.”

We both share a warm embrace. Despite that stone cold exterior, he's still a caring kid. Truly. He is. Once that's done, we rest up and then meet with the Chief. It only takes us a couple of minutes. Arriving at the briefing room, the five of us learn of our next assignment.

“Alright agents, we got word that VILE has been spotted in South America,” Chief tells us.

“And where exactly are they located?” Snails asks.

“In Ecuador,” Chief answers, “How do I know? Because of footage like this.”

We then see footage of several boats. One of them showed two of the Lupinrangers, Zack and Ivy.

“Looks like Carmen and her team are there too. But why in Ecuador?” Twilight asks.

“We don't know the reason. We do know that if VILE are spotted, they aren't that far off,” Chief replies.

“Anyway, Chief... what are our orders?” Snails wonders.

“Your orders are two-fold. First, find out what the Lupinrangers are up to. Second, if VILE are up to anything, do whatever necessary to stop them. Is that clear?” She orders.

“Yes ma'am!” We five shout.

“Any questions?” She asks.

“Just one,” Snips responds, “What are we going to expect once we reach Ecuador?”

“The only advice I can give you is for you to learn about this world. This will also double as a learning opportunity so take full advantage of this. Understand?” Chief answers. Snips nods, as does the rest of us.

“Good. Now get going! Time is of the essence and it's better spent fighting against VILE and those Lupinrangers!” She says.

Activating the C-5 Corridor, we five were on our way. Chief then sits down and then accesses something in her desk.

“Agent, bring in Tamara. It's a matter of importance,” She says.

Quito, Ecuador – 10:45 am

Ecuador. Once home to a smorgasbord of Amerindian groups that gradually integrated into the Imca Empire during the 15th century, it would be then colonized by Spain a century later only to gain its independence by 1820. Ultimately it would become its own sovereign state ten years later. Nowadays, it's home to 17.1 million people providing a diverse culture and flooded with minorities of African, Native American and European descent. Spanish is the main language yet they are a developing country that depend on commodities to thrive.

Quito is the capital city, also known as San Francisco de Quito. One of the largest, least-altered and best-preserved historic centers. Made better is that the capital is 16 miles south of the Equator while the city itself extends to at most 1 kilometer at 0 latitude. This also harbors a monument and a museum, known to people as La mitad del mundo or the middle of the world. Quite a lot of info for a place like this eh? Yeah. So anyway, we arrive at a nearby monument, the La Alameda. But once we stepped foot, hoo boy, things start getting a bit warm.

“Is it me or is it a bit warm?” Sunset asks.

“Not really,” Twilight replies, taking out a small pocket tablet from her pocket, “According to temperatures, it's around 70 degrees.”

“Even so, I swear these clothes are a bit too tight,” She follows.

“Maybe you should have provided your measurements when they gave you uniform,” Twilight follows up.

“Focus everyone. Our job is to find out why VILE would be in a place like this. We can deal with other issues later,” Snails retorts.

“So the gig for us is to split up right?” I reply.

“I don't think that's a good plan. Chief did say that we should learn about this world,” Snails replies.

“Which is why I'm off,” Snips follows.

But the red yinzer is quick to intrude, “Where exactly are you going?”

“Chief said that we can learn more about our world. I'm learning in the best way possible, through my stomach,” He responds.

Snails tries to utter a response but instead, he got nothing. Just nothing. He then shifts his attention towards the rest of us.

“I'm going to see if there are any museums around. Never hurts to learn,” says Twilight.

“And I'm going to look into maybe finding out about the clothing they wear,” Sunset replies.

“What about you?” wonders the yinzer.

“I'm going to find info on what Chief told us. If the Lupins are here, then VILE is not far off,” I reply.

“Smart idea. I'll go with you. Maybe I might learn something from all this,” He responds, without wasting a second thought.

All of us split up to do our thing. Chief did say that this should double as a learning experience so why not. As each of us got to learn about Ecuador and it's many facets of life, far from the city was a boat out in the middle of the ocean. Three passengers were there. They're trying to stave off boredom, waiting for someone to complete their gig. Sadly one of them isn't up to par. Despite trying to do whatever possible to stave off seasickness, it still isn't enough.

“Fish... Oh man. Why did it have to be fish?” says Zack as he begins to gag.

“Wow. Didn't know the boy in blue to be a lightweight?” Patty replies.

“You take that back right,” Zack retorts but upon seeing a fish jump out of the water, he gags again.

“Figures,” She follows.

“Don't mind him. The guy's always been like this,” Ivy replies. She then spots a nearby boat across from them.

“Motor off. Nobody on board. Something's off,” She says.

“Creepy enough for ya Ivy?” Zack asks.

“More creepier enough for us to get a look,” Ivy prefers, turning on the motor of their boat and using it to head to where the other boat is.

While they explore the area above water, down under the water, a scuba diver in red is moving through a nearby sunken ship. Looking around, the fellow enters inside. What they'll find may surprise them.

“Player, I found the ship. I'm heading inside,” says Carmen as she swims inside the area.

“Any luck finding treasure Red?” He asks, via communicator.

“Not yet,” She answers, looking through a nearby chest, “There is a lot here but nothing that would pique V.I.L.E's interests.”

But as she goes through an opened chest, she spots something within: a gold doubloon. Taking it, she uses a device to take a photo of it.

“Player, can you find out anything about this?” She asks.

“Working on it,” He replies, but then notices something very off, “I'm hearing something. What's going on?”

From out of nowhere, El Topo, one of V.I.L.E's many operatives shows up.

“You,” says Carmen.

Topo replies, “You?” But then notices the doubloon in her hand.

Without wasting a second, El Topo charges at her. As a result, she drops the Doubloon. It leads to Topo snagging it and then moving off. 

“Who was that?” Player wonders.

“That's El Topo for ya,” Carmen answers, “And he doesn't work alone.”

She powers on a jetpack on her scuba suit, wasting no time in pursuing the sod.

“And if this human mole's down here, his buddy, the goat is up above,” she says.

While Carmen goes after El Topo, up above, Ivy and the others reach the ship. It isn't until they see his partner in crime, Le Chevre that something was off.

“Whoa,” says Ivy, reacting in awe.

“Le Chevre? What's he doing here?” Patty wonders.

“Beats me,” Zack replies.

“I have an idea,” She suggests, “You two distract the klutz. I'll find out what he's up to.”

Taking out her whip, she throws it, latching onto a handle in the ship. She then climbs up while Ivy and Zack contend with Le Chevre. Meanwhile, Carmen is chasing after El Topo. She's able to tackle him, causing the sap to drop the doubloon. It lands on the ground. The two then give chase only for the doubloon to be unexpectedly caught... by a large fish. It swallowed it.

“Okay... that just happened,” says Carmen.

Without warning, the two chase the fish. Up above, Chevre notices Zack and Ivy there. He looks to see what's going on.

“Who are you and what are you doing out here?” He asks.

“We're, uh... fishermen,” Zack replies.

“Hello! Fisherwoman,” Ivy retorts.

“Really? You do not sound OR look like you're from around here,” Chevre follows.

“Well... uh.... Boston Harbor was getting really crowded. You see--” Before Zack says anything else, he feels an elbow courtesy of Ivy.

Le Chevre shrugs. But just as he's about to find out, he feels something tugging his leg and then he ends up eating a faceplant. He then gets dragged way back only to encounter a woman who is nasty and ready to deliver some whiplash.

“You!” He says.

“Start talking. Why are you really here?” replies Patty.

“Why should we tell you?!” rasps Chevre.

“Because if you don't, I'll make you eat a face full of whip,” she threatens.

“You think you can scare me?” Chevre says.

Being triggered by this, Patty slams her foot right into Chevre's lower area and the pain he felt is just unbearable. Back underwater, Carmen chases after the fish. Before she catches it, a large net grabs it and takes it away. Seeing that the mission become a bust, Player lets the others know.

“Guys, wrap it up. Mission's a bust and Carmen needs help,” He says.

“Huh? Carmen? Carmen Sandiego?” asks Chevre but the next thing he feels is pain.

Patty doesn't say a word. She then jumps off, landing onto Zack and Ivy's boat. The next thing they see is El Topo struggling to swim, most likely due to some sabotage thanks to Carmen.

“Punch it!” She shouts.

Zack wastes no time. Getting the boat operational, they move to pick up Carmen.

“So how did it go?” Zack asks.

“Didn't Player told you already? It's a bust. The coin's fish food right now,” Carmen replies.

“Any idea where it's heading?” Ivy wonders.

“I do have a possibility. Let's go!” She orders.

The boat's already on the move. As it all goes down, the Patrangers (aka us) are getting an idea of Ecuador. Twilight is busy at the museum learning about Ecuador's history. Sunset is going around, asking questions and learning about clothing and the fabrics. Snips has found a nearby food cart and doesn't waste time trying out the local cuisine. As for myself, I'm with Snails trying to get any information. But what we don't know is that the Lupinrangers aren't that far from here. In fact, they're at the harbor. While the others wait, Carmen gets some info from a nearby fisherman. It seems that their hunt isn't over.

“Gracias,” tells Carmen. She then reports to the others, “Bad news team. He says that his catch's already on the move. It's heading to Quito and to make it worse, our coin swallowing fish is going with it.”

“You know something. For a fish out of water, old yellow-fin really does get around,” replies Ivy.

“By the way, any word from Lupin? Haven't heard from him in a while,” Carmen wonders.

“Don't worry. I put him on a gig that'll help us plan our next move. If anything, we need to at least be two steps ahead of V.I.L.E,” Patty replies.

“Red,” interrupts Player, “I looked up the coin from the image. It's a doubloon alright but it's not Spanish.”

“Then what is it?” She wonders.

“It's actually called the Ecuador eight escudos,” He answers.

“An Ecuadorian doubloon?”

“Looks like it. Most coin hobbyists call it the “Moby Dick doubloon”. I don't know if anyone here reads it.”

“Moby Dick huh? Why would be a coin be named after that famous whale?”

“Simple. Because it's the same coin Captain Ahab nails to the mast of his own ship as a reward to anyone who spots said whale that keeps evading him for so long.”

Carmen lets off a sigh and says, “Sheesh. This doubloon is really starting to feel like a white whale of its own.”

But then Carmen notices Patty reading said book. It catches her by surprise.

Her response to seeing this is obvious, “What. I read when I'm not busy dealing with issues. Figures you mention Moby Dick though.”

“Forget I asked,” She replies.

“Um, I'm sorry. But were you talking about the Ecuador 8 escudos?” asks someone.

Carmen turns and spots someone asking. She replies, “Wait. You've heard of it?”

The person nods in response, “Yes. I'm Dr. Pilar Marquez. I'm an archaeologist that's leading an excavation crew into the shipwreck.”

“I hate to be the bearer of disappointment but if you plan on looking for a shipwreck, you ain't going to find it. Not anymore,” Carmen tells her.

“What?” Marquez wonders, “How do you know this?”

But then Marquez asks her, “Are you... scavengers?”

“No. We're not scavengers. We're coin hobbyists. Amateur,” Carmen responds.

“I see. In that case, you should be aware that the escudos was the first doubloon ever minted here. It happened back in the 1830s, some time after we became our own nation. Made no better that only a mere handful were ever made,” She explains.

“Whoa! Only a mere handful? Must be worth millions!” responds Zack.

Marquez lets off a chuckle, “I don't think so. Despite their rarity, these escudos don't have much monetary value. However they carry incredible cultural value. They are a symbol of Ecuador's independence & remain as one of the strongest connections we have to our past.”

“Wow,” Ivy reacts.

“Bummer. The fish can keep it then,” Zack follows.

But Carmen thinks otherwise, “Don't worry. We'll find it for you.”

“Wait, we will,” Zack and Ivy speak, at the exact same time.

“Listen,” Carmen explains, “V.I.L.E has little idea how much that coin's worth, which means we need to secure it before they do. This also means that they can't figure out where it's going.”

“But what if it means we have to deal with those Gangler monsters?” Ivy asks.

However Carmen retorts it, “Even so, priority one right now is to recover that doubloon. If V.I.L.E decides to bring out their little monsters, then we can get our hands on the Lupin Collection. Two for one, don't you think?”

The others agree with this. Suddenly a tracker on one of the boats began to beep as the four get on the move. As this goes on, Chevre and El Topo get in touch with Maelstrom via a tablet. They have good news to share but know that the worst for them is yet to come.

“This is Le Chevre. We have found the doublooon. If Carmen Sandiego is after the doubloon, it must be worth a fortune,” says Le Chevre.

“Indeed. That doubloon will make you rich beyond your wildest dreams and it would be perfect for VILE,” follows El Topo.

But Maelstrom has other plans, “How delightful gentlemen, because Papa needs a new pair of cuff links.”

“Um, of course Professor Maelstrom. We can have a vault full of cuff links. Cuff links of every color and kind!” responds El Topo. 

“Yeah. This little trinket will let you have anything your heart desires,” Chevre follows.

“I don't think you understand gentleman. I intend to take this doubloon and melt it down,” Maelstrom assures.

“Wait, melt?” wonders Chevre, “But that thing's wortth a--”

Maelstrom quickly interrupted him, “I will be the first on this island. Oh Countess Cleo will be so envious.”

“Uh as much as we are pleased by this, I'm afraid there may be a bit of a snag,” responds Chevre.

This immediately gets Maelstrom out of his delusion, “What do you mean a snag? Explain!”

“Well, while we were trying to get the doubloon, we spotted the other Power Rangers. The Patrangers,” 

“What?!” shouts Maelstrom, “How is it possible? Why are they there?”

“Not sure,” El Topo follows, “Thankfully they do not know we're here.”

“My guess is that they think Carmen Sandiego and her gang are around. The two teams can't stand each other,” Chevre tells him.

Maelstrom hesitates before speaking. Realizing now that both Ranger teams are involved, he decides to accelerate the plan, “We'll have a Gangler at the ready. See to it that you recover that Doubloon and bring it to V.I.L.E. Failure will not be tolerated, do you understand?”

“Y-yes Professor. We will not fail. In fact, we will make sure we get the doubloon before either of them do,” Chevre answers.

“See to it that it is so... or you will suffer the same fate as Crackle,” Maelstrom orders the two before the communication is cut off.

Realizing that the situation has gotten bad, El Topo and Chevre decide to get on the move. While this goes on, Carmen and her crew are on a bus, with Zack at the wheel. Time is not on their side. In fact, it's not on anyone's.

“Pedal to the metal Zack. If that big guppy makes it to the auction floor, we'll lose it for good,” Carmen orders.

“On it!” says Zack.

“Red, a word of caution. Above 9500 feet, the air's pretty thin. If you can't adjust to it, any one of you can suffer from altitude sickness,” Player tells them.

“Don't worry. We can handle it, hopefully,” Carmen replies.

What they don't know is that our team has already made it there. Yep. It's yours truly and the yinzer red ranger. Sadly however, this only is something that we can't stand. Player wasn't kidding. The air was getting thin and thankfully the two of us were being hydrated.

“Any word from the others?” I ask him.

“Yeah. But there's been nothing new regarding VILE or the Lupins. Could this be a dead end?” Snails replies.

“I doubt that,” I then see a bus getting parked and lo and behold, it's them. They don't know we're here.

“Do we wait?” I ask.

“Yeah. Only when we find out what they're after, then we strike. Got it?” He orders.

“Crystal.”

Meanwhile, Carmen and her gang reach an outdoor marketplace. As they look around to find the fish market, they are unaware that we're onto them.

“Ah, smell that fresh mountain air,” says Ivy.

But Zack smells something else that really turns him off, “Yeah. It smells like... oh, P.U.! Fish. Why does it have to be fish?”

“A good sign Zack. Lucky for us since we're trying to find a fish mar—ah,” follows Carmen. However due to the high altitude, she starts getting woozy.

Due to the high altitude and air being thin, Carmen starts to get lightheaded and a bit unstable. Not a good sign.

“Carm,” wonders Zack.

But he won't have long as Carmen lets off a groan. Suddenly she collapses, faintly hearing Zack, Ivy and Patty as they run to her. While they do so, they are being observed by Snails and yours truly. I'm still narrating this so don't judge. Anyway, since the group have to tend to Carmen, we need to get ourselves moving.

“I'll handle things. You get in touch with the others. We may have to intervene,” says Snails.

“Got it. But just know that unless Chief gives us the go ahead, we can't engage them,” I reply.

To which he retorts, “I'm aware of that.”

He heads off, just as Zack and the others try to find a way to help her. Spotting a nearby tent, they take Carmen there. But they have no idea that Snails is observing them. He keeps his distance, watching things unfold. He sees Dr. Pilar Marquez, interacting with Carmen's team. She then tells the three to head for the fish market in the hopes that they can find what they're looking for. With them on the move to find the guppy, this gives Snails the opportunity to move in.

Carmen meanwhile, had passed out and is resting in a makeshift bed. Dr. Pilar Marquez was right now making a damp washcloth hoping to place it on her head. Not only that but it seems that Carmen's coming about. She wakes, but feels weakened due to being woozy. The doc presses a wet cloth to her head as she wakes. Due to being in a daze, she sees someone familiar.

“You,” says Carmen, still woozy.

In her weakened state, Carmen sees Coach Brunt but the voice isn't hers, at all, “Yes. It is me. You should be fortunate I found you when I did.”

Carmen replies, “Yeah, as a baby. By the side of the road in Argentina. Oh... I always knew it was you.”

Unfortunately her wooziness is wearing off and Brunt was revealed to be Dr. Pilar Marquez. It catches her by surprise.

“Please,” the Doctor says, “The air is very thin up here. For your sake, I suggest you get some oxygen.”

Carmen gets knocked out again but a few minutes later, she comes to again. She looks around, hoping to find anyone.

“Zack? Ivy?” She asks.

“If you are looking for your friends, I encouraged them to head for the fish market. They sadly know little about altitude sickness,” Dr. Marquez replies.

Carmen wonders if the doctor followed her. To her surprise, she gets a response, “Yes. I did follow you.”

“But why?” Carmen asks her.

“Did you really think I would really trust a possible scavenger with my coin?” She answers.

“Doctor... listen. If I'm to have any hope of recovering your doubloon, I really need to be... I really need to...”

Carmen starts getting woozy again and that causes her to collapse on the bed. In turn, her bag drops on the floor causing many of her tools to fall out and spill across the room. The doctor picks up one of them.

Dr. Marquez then asks, “Are these the tools of an amateur coin hobbyist?”

Before Carmen can provide an answer, someone else does interrupting them, “More like the tools of an amateur thief.”

The two turn to look who it was. It was Snails aka Patren 1Gou. He has his arms crossed but is firm nonetheless. Carmen seeing him right there is enough to get her triggered. Despite suffering from altitude sickness, she takes out her VS Changer from her bag and aims it at him. Snails is quick enough to take out his VS Changer and aims it at her. In fact, they both do it at the exact same time. The one difference is that Carmen has less of a reaction time than he does. It's a powder keg waiting to erupt into a full on brawl.

“Please. Not here,” pleads Dr. Marquez.

It takes Snails a few seconds to realize that now ain't the time. He puts his VS Changer away on his holster.

“Forgive me. My intentions are not to cause a fight,” tells Snails, “I'm only here for information. Nothing more.”

“And you are?” asks Dr. Marquez.

He takes out a wallet and shows his “S” police badge, answering, “Name's Snails. ACME Gumshoe & leader of the GSPO Tactical Unit. I take it you are talking about some kind of doubloon?”

“Why should you even care about it? That's our business,” Carmen retorts.

“Sadly it has become my business,” Snails counters, turning his attention to Dr. Marquez, “My intentions are to preserve history and as part of ACME, our responsibility is to ensure that it doesn't fall into the wrong hands.”

“I see. Unfortunately, it seems that the doubloon hasn't been found and I had some of her friends head to a nearby fish market,” She tells him.

Having got what he needs to know, Snails lets off a sly smile. To him, that information is more than enough to hopefully find the doubloon.

“Thank you for your cooperation, Doctor. I promise that my team and I will ensure the doubloon will be returned to you,” Snails tells her, heading out.

Carmen struggles to get up hoping to stop him but she's still woozy due to the lack of oxygen. He gently turns to her, still keeping a firm look towards her.

“You are in no condition to fight. It's like she said, you need oxygen and if I were you, I recommend that you do so. Just leave this to us,” Snails tells her.

But he does issue a warning. “If you or your team decide to intervene, we will be forced to take you down. That's the only warning you're going to get.”

Snails then walks off, leaving Carmen struggling to keep herself afoot. Maybe she should take his advice and she does so. She puts her VS Changer in her bag and decides to use whatever time she has to recover. She'll need it. Meanwhile, Snails is walking away. He gets in touch with the Chief, hoping to provide what he discovers.

“Chief, I got a lead on what the Lupins are up to,” He says.

“Really? What have you uncovered?” Chief asks.

“A lot. Turns out they're after some kind of doubloon, possibly connected to the history of Ecuador. I can imagine that VILE is most likely after the same thing but the reasoning for it is unknown at the moment,” Snails explains.

“I see,” Chief follows, trying to digest the info, “Any idea where it can be?”

“A doctor in archaeology provided a possible location as to where the doubloon should be: A nearby fish market. We're heading there now to intercept,” Snails responds.

“Very well. Your objective is simple: recover that Doubloon and see to it that it doesn't fall into V.I.L.E's hands. I'll see to it the others are notified. Is that clear?” She orders.

“Crystal,” He answers, “One request.”

“Name it.”

“Should the Lupinrangers decide to intervene in the operation, permission to use lethal force?” He requests.

“Permission granted. I'm also authorizing it against V.I.L.E as well. Do not hesitate whatsoever,” She tells him.

He lets out a smile and responds, “Consider it done.”

Snails cuts off communication but not before muttering this, “Now if only Snips can be done with his eating. We got a job to do dammit.”

He heads for the nearby fish market. Meanwhile, Carmen's other buddies are now inspecting fish. Well, not quite because Zack is trying to compose himself due to his disdain towards seeing all these fish. It ain't helping matters one bit.

“Come on, find the coin already Sis! I can't breathe in here! All this fish is making me want to gag!” Zack complains.

Having fed up of his bantering, Ivy decides to pour one right through the guy, “We're getting tired of your whining! If you don't put a sock in it, Zack Attack, I swear it, I'm gonna put a fish in it for you. Eyes. Head. Whole enchilada!”

That keeps him quiet but Patty would prefer something sinister, “Why not just take a giant tuna and shove it up Zack's pants. That would be more painful and embarrassing than shoving a fish right up his mouth.”

“You're not helping!” Zack yells, already peeved.

Suddenly they hear a beeping sound, “Nice! We got it! Lucky number 52!”

Just as they're ready to get the guppy, Carmen shows up. She's rejuvenated but also a bit concerned and a bit ticked.

“Well, look who finally decide to drop in,” says Ivy.

“Hey, don't feel bad, Carm,” replies Zack, “Sometimes smelling fish can get me woozy too.”

“Tell me you guys found it,” Carmen wonders.

“We did. We scanned all the tuna carts on deck and found it before it can hit up the auction block. It's that one over there,” Ivy tells her.

“Oh you mean the one that they just wheeled through those doors,” follows Carmen.

Seeing it wheeled through is enough to freak the two siblings out. Patty simply facepalms over it. In another room, an auctioneer was finishing up a bidding.

“300 once. 300 twice. Sold! Lot 51, sold to paddle #7,” He shouts.

“We have a bigger problem though,” She tells the others, “They're here.”

“Wait,” Zack wonders, “You mean?”

“Yep, the Pat Brats.”

“Dammit!” shouts Zack, “As if this is already bad enough.”

“I wouldn't worry, because this time we'll get 'em,” Ivy follows.

Carmen gets a little look as does the others. They see Le Chevre up above in the rafters. As if things aren't bad enough, it's about to get worse.

“Le Chevre. Should have known,” She says.

“Again?” wonders Ivy, “You know this guy really gets me riled.”

“Thing is, he would ID me almost immediately. You two are going to have to reel that guppy in.”

“How?” asks Zack.

“What else,” she answers, “Bid to win.”

“We have Lot #52. This here's a 97 lb yellow-fin tuna,” shouts the Auctioneer.

“There it is,” whispers Ivy, “That's our guppy.”

“Alright. Lot #52, bidding starts at 100 dollars. Do I hear 100? 100 dollars! Do I hear 150?” he shouts.

Zack doesn't waste any time and makes his bid, “$150,000!”

This catches everyone by surprise, even Carmen... and Patty of all things. They both respond by facepalming at this utter stupidity.

As for the Auctioneer, he's at a loss for words. He tries to regain his composure since well, he has a job to do.

“Uh, ahem... $150,000! Going once! Going twice!” He shouts.

But then another shout is heard, “$222,000!”

This catches Zack, Ivy and the others completely off guard. Even the announcer is freaked out by this. Someone out bidding them is outright baffling. The two siblings get a look at who it is and to their surprise, it's someone they dread. Yeah. Us.

“Hey guys,” says Snips, “Missed us?”

Zack was quick to respond to that, “You!” He then takes out his VS Changer and aims it at Snips... and Sunset Shimmer. She's here too.

Fortunately Snips and Sunset aim their VS Changers at them. You know it's a fight just waiting to happen between these two teams.

“As if things just can't get any worse,” says Patty.

“Yep. They're here now,” Carmen replies.

“You got that right,” Snails intrudes, approaching the Lupinrangers since well... he did kind of warn the whole team.

“Don't you guys have anything better than do than go after us?!” shouts Zack, already peeved at being outbid by Snips.

“Not really but since we realize you guys are involved, we figure why not. Plus it's a good excuse for us to kick you Beantown buttheads down a few pegs,” He gloats.

Sunset retorts, “Do you have to gloat like that?”

He turns and says, “Let me have my moment. Besides, you got to do this gig because isn't that what we Power Rangers have to do?”

“That isn't part of the gig,” Sunset reponds, before turning her attention towards Zack and Ivy.

“No one calls my home Beantown and gets away with it!” Zack shouts, all ready to go in and fight.

But while this goes on, the auctioneer was ready to make it official, “Uh... ahem. Sold! Lot 52, sold to paddle number 2 for $222,000!”

“There ya go,” says Snips, being such a gleeful bastard.

Having had enough of all the bad luck, all the negativity and plus, Snips mocking his own hometown (probably the second time no less), Zack has had enough.

“Sorry Carm... but I rather want to kick butt today,” taking out his Blue Dialfighter, he yells out, “Kaitou Change!”

He then inserts it into his VS Changer and it yells out, “Blue! 2-6-0! Masqueraise!”

Zack presses the lever, turns it so it goes up and then fires, transforming into LupinBlue. Ivy and the others can only watch as Zack goes in to attack Snips. But in his blind fury, Snips is able to dodge one of his punches. Seeing this happen, Ivy takes out her Dial Fighter and inserts it into her VS Changer.

“Yellow! 1-1-6! Masqueraise!”

Ivy, like Zack, does the same thing, transforming into LupinYellow. She goes after Sunset and you can tell that it's already way too late for that.

“Nice job doofus. You had to piss 'em off did you?” says Sunset, smacking Snips with her Changer.

“Look at it this way,” replies Snips, “Chief did give us authorization to use lethal force.”

“She did but not in a way that angers them,” she follows.

He shrugs and says, “Whatever. I need some exercise after gorging down four plates of Librillo.”

The two take out their respective Trigger Machines and insert them into their VS Changers.

Snips inserts his first, “2Gou!”

Followed by Sunset, “3Gou!”

“Patrize!” is then heard as the two press on their grips, causing the devices to turn with the Trigger Machines to appear underneath.

The two then yell out, “Keisatsu Change!” as it also shouts, “Keisatsu Change!”

They then fire, transforming the two into Patren 2Gou and 3Gou, respectively. They don't waste any time going up against the Lupinrangers, as predicted. But while this whole battle between the two teams is going on, they don't notice Chevre ready to make his move.

“That's our tuna. Now. Now. NOW!” He shouts.

Suddenly, a light shines through the floor, cutting a hole below the tuna cart. Carmen's attention is almost immediate. But even with that, the sap, El Topo hits his head on a tuna cart. He shrugs it off, trying another tile and runs.

“Oh no you don't,” She says, using her VS changer to fire a shot.

It disorients El Topo, causing him to trip. She's able to get the fish away but then Chevre comes from out of nowhere, snatching it into a net.

“Ha-ha! Got it!” shouts Chevre.

“That doubloon isn't worth the amount you think it should be. Stealing it will deprive this country of a national treasure,” Carmen replies.

But Chevre doesn't give a crap. He tells her, “Tell that to Professor Maelstrom!”

Before he can say anything else, the sound of a shot is heart startles him. He looks to see and it's Snails, VS Changer aimed at him.

“Drop the tuna maggot!” He shouts.

“You think you can threaten me with such a silly trick?” Chevre threatens.

“No... but I can do this,” He rushes in, delivering a jumping side kick. He lands on the ground, dropping the fish.

This gives the go ahead for Carmen to rush in and get it but El Topo out of nowhere tackles her. She gets pushed aside and that's enough for her to go gung ho on the guy.

“The fish?” yelps Chevre, “Where's the fish?”

“I would rather focus on what's ahead of you buddy? The guppy can wait,” Snails replies, as he inserts his Trigger Machine into the VS Changer and the sound “1Gou!” is heard.

“Patirize!” is then heard. He then says, “Keisatsu Change!” but he aims his gun sideways and fires, transforming into Patren 1Gou!

El Topo looks and noticies Patren 1Gou showing up, “As if things can't get worse. Chevre, let's get the thing out of there now!”

“Huh?” wonders Chevre, “Oh right.”

He tries to go after the fish and does so. But out of nowhere, Carmen (who transformed into LupinRed) throws a fish at Chevre. He gets smacked by it and it drops the tuna. In turn,  the doubloon was launched out of its mouth. It ends up rolling on the floor, only for it to land on the ground, rolling about. It then ends up reaching the foot of someone, or in this case, something. It grabs the coin and then places it into his safe, located on his left arm. It then laughs out loud, getting the attention of everyone involved.

“Hello rangers! Mind if I cut in?!” It asks, in a threatening manner.

“What the,” Carmen wonders.

“A Gangler? Here?!” Snails follows.

“That's right brats. I'm Merg Arita and I'm here to make sure you brats get mixed into my next cocktail! After all, I'm hungry for some Rangers!” shouts Merg Artia.

Suddenly it then uses the power of it's safe (housing the Lupin Piece) to devour everything in the auction house. This also included all the fish that were in the area. Fortunately Carmen gives a nod to her teammates as they are able to escape the auction house. The same can't be said for the Patrangers as Merg Arita's devouring reaches astronomic levels.

“Hang on guys!” shouts 1Gou, as he tries to rush in to stop the monster from devouring the team.

Using the momentum, he does a small hop. He takes out his Patrol Mic and in Baton Mode, he delivers a slash that hits its mark. It disorients the monster, forcing it to cut off its appetite. 2Gou and 3Gou are relieved but that's the least of their problems.

“You scumbags ruined my meal!” shouted Merg Arita.

“Trust us, we'll ruin much more than just some lunch pal!” shouts 1Gou.

“Yeah! Who are you clowns anyway?” It asks.

Fortunately, they're more than willing to tell him, “Don't you know? Guess VILE never gave you the lowdown on who we are.”

“Huh?” Suddenly the three decide to pull off the obligatory ranger roll call.

“Patren 1Gou!”

“Patren 2Gou!”

“Patren 3Gou!”

After the roll call, they pull off the finishing touch first with the salute and then their combat stance.

“Keisatsu Sentai... Patranger!” The “S” logo appears behind them as the three gear up to do battle.

“By order of ACME & the GSPO, we're taking you in by force!” shouts 1Gou, ready to make good on his word.

“The Patrangers eh? VILE warned me about you clowns. You are never gonna reach me cause lucky for you, I brought in guests. Cleaners!” shouts Merg Arita as he summons a group of Boris and Vlad look alikes.

“Cleaners, do what you do best! Take them out!” Merg Arita orders. The Cleaners go in to engage the Patrangers, armed with Crackle Rods.

Fortunately my teammates can take on these dumb mooks. Each of them take out their Patrol Batons. Rushing in, they engage the Cleaners. As for Merg Arita however, he still has the coin locked in the safe. He heads out of the place only to encounter another threat: a whip. The whip strikes Merg Arita, disorienting it. Suddenly another strike hits him, then another and then gets sent to the floor. The question's simple: Who's the one striking the poor sap of a monster? Answer: Patty Larceny aka LupinPink.

She jumps in with a jump kick. That already gets Merg Arita peeved and it tries to strike back. But it was for naught. LupinPink wasn't going to let that thing get a chance. She takes out her Lupin Sword, turning it into her whip form. She then goes on a warpath. It's insane. The other Lupinrangers watch as she becomes a vicious force of nature.

“Uh, should we get involved in this?” asks Zack/LupinBlue.

“No,” Carmen/LupinRed replies, “Besides, this can make things a little easier for us. We're only here to recover the Doubloon and nothing else. Getting a Lupin piece is a bonus.”

“What about the Patrangers?” Ivy wonders.

“Let them finish the job. Besides, we got to be one step ahead of them and VILE,” Carmen answers.

As the three watch LupinPink unleash her onslaught, the Gangler Merg Arita tries to fight back. Before it could however, LupinPink takes her Dial Fighter and places it on its safe. It then does its work, deciphering the combination and opening the safe.

“3-7-0!”

“No! Stop!” it shouts. She then opens the safe, grabbing the Lupin Piece in the process, a strange white lamp, along with a certain coin.

With items in hand, she's satisfied but sadly Merg Arita isn't taking that thievery well. He wants payback. 

"Give them back you damn dirty thieves!" Merg Arita shouts.

"You want it back?" Carmen wonders, "Try taking it."

"Fine! I'll beat you out of it then!" Merg Arita rushes towards the Lupinrangers.

Sadly that's the last thing he would ever do. All four Lupins take out their Lupin Swords, gently using their respective fingers to form a line around the blade portion of their weapons. The four blades exhibit four different colors, representing their forms. Each of them pull off a different pose before raising their blades up. As Merg Arita's ready to pound the Rangers, it doesn't get a chance at all. They all swing their blades, forming waves of colored energy. They strike Merg Arita, damaging it and it ends up on the ground back first, letting off a major explosion. Guess the Gangler kind of bit the dust huh? Unfortunately El Toppo and Le Chevre notice it going boom.

"Oh no!" shouts Toppo, "The Gangler!"

"What? They beat it?!" Le Chevre wonders, "Get that thing out!"

"Uh, is it this?" Toppo asks, bringing out the Gros calibre Lupin piece.

Le Chevre takes it and fires a blast at the weakened Gangler. Merg Arita is suddenly revived. But then it starts enlarging itself, growing at kaiju levels. As it stretches itself out, it roars loudly.

"Aw yeah! I'm now ready for a second helping!" Merg Artia shouts, already set to tear the town asunder.

The Lupinrangers step back but realizing that they have what they need, they aren't concerned.

"VILE really doesn't know when to quit do they?" says Carmen.

"Should we take it to the next level then?" asks Zack.

Carmen retorts, "No. We got what we came for. Let's get out of here."

"So you're leaving that to those brats?" Ivy follows.

"What does it look like?" Carmen counters, "Payback for interrupting our plan."

The Lupinrangers head off, as Merg Arita goes on the offensive. Just as things can't get worse, the door that housed the auction opened up. Snails and his squad send a few Cleaners flying with a combined attack. When they get a look outside, they see the gangler already grown and ready to rip the city a new one.

"Look!" says Sunset, "The Gangler's grown!"

"Those mooks of his were a distraction. More importantly, where are the Lupins?" Snails asks.

Just as he hopes to get an answer, they get communication from the Chief. She's not happy. At all.

"Rangers, where are you? What the hell is going on?" shouts Chief.

"Forgive us Chief. VILE sent a distraction and now the Gangler has gone fully grown," Snails explains.

"This can explain your current sloppiness," Chief follows, adding insult to injury, "Summon your zords! If you want to earn my praise, then you must do your part as Rangers."

"Consider it done. Where's Roy?" He asks.

"Right here. Already secured the doubloon. Unfortunately, the Lupinrangers have already ran off," I explain to them.

"Apparently since even they got what they wanted. I'm disappointed but my opinion will change once this matter is dealt with. Get to it at once!" Chief orders.

The communication is cut off. Already let down over this, the team isn't deterred. Far from it.

"So what do we do?" Sunset ask.

"The only thing we can," He replies, pressing the lever tightly and quickly turning his VS Changer back and forth.

"Yep. Zord time now," Snips follows, doing the same as does Sunset.

All three take aim and fire, activating their Trigger Zords. They go form being simple toys to giant vehicles. Each of the Rangers jump inside their respective vehicles.

"Thun-der-ous-Roar! (Go-on-Baku-Sou!)"

"100-Shots-100-Hits! (Hyap-Patsu-Hyaku-Chu!)"

"Rag-ing-Bl-ows! (Ran-Gek-Ran-Da!)"

With each of them inside, the three zords drive off, heading for the Gangler but lo and behold, something else catches their attention. Good Striker comes flying out of the blue, noticing them. Without hesitation, Snails drives close to it, opening his hatch and then grabs GoodStriker.

Already noticing Snails quickly grabbing, it shouts with a yelp, "Hey! Get your hands off me! I don't feel like helping you."

"Sorry but you're needed," He inserts GoodStriker into his VS Changer, flips it, takes aim as the dock opens up and then fires causing it to grow just like the Trigger Zords.

"One Shot to Victory! (Ichi-Geki-Hi-Sho!)"

"Let's do this! Form PatKaiser Megazord!" Snails shouts, much to GoodStriker's dismay.

"Keisatsu Gat-Time! Time to grab hold of justice!"

GoodStriker goes above, turning around and setting up. The Rangers turn the handle on their changers and then pull up, assuming battle mode. Each Trigger Zord enters into their respective attack mode. GoodStriker hits the brakes, moving upward to finish setting up. Each zord attaches into it; first comes 3Gou, then 2Gou and finally 1Gou. For good measure, it finishes up revealing its face, completing the formation into PatKaiser aka PatKaiser Megazord.

"PatKaiser Megazord, formation complete!" the Rangers shout.

"TIme to put this drink back to the drawing board!" shouts Snails. The Rangers gear up as the Megazord heads on the offensive.

"Oh you think you can stop me? Guess again! I'm hungry for leftovers and you're it!" Shouts Merg Arita as it attacks.

PatKaiser dodges, responding by using the Baton arm to damage it. It delivers a few good hits. Merg Arita counters by firing a few blasts from it's arm. PatKaiser takes a few hits but it's nothing it can't handle. Using it's blaster arm, it opens fire turning the whole battle into a shootout. As if that's not enough, PatKaiser goes into a long jump, firing a volley of shots hitting that freak good. The team's getting better but they can't let their guard down.

"You got lucky brats but I don't think you're ready for this!" Merg Arita shouts, deciding instead to try a new trick.

PatKaiser fires a few blasts only for Merg Arita to use it's whip arm to deflect the blasts. He then ensnares the Megazord, using it's whip to give it a tight squeeze. The Rangers feel it. Sparks start flying within the cockpit. Due to that squeeze, neither Sunset or Snips' zords can be able to break free.

"We're trapped. I can't move the arm!" Sunset says.

"Neither can mine," Snips responds.

"Dammit. If this keeps up, this thing will crush us under the pressure!" Snails shouts.

Merg Arita continues to constrict the PatKaiser Megazord more and more. As they do, the Rangers try to figure out a plan. I swear it. These guys should know better by now but come on. Guess they really are under pressure aren't they? Suddenly, one of them has an idea.

"Why not use this?" suggests Snips, showing the Biker Trigger Machine.

Snails quickly grabs it and responds, "Why didn't you say so?"

He inserts the Trigger Machine onto his VS Changer, then turning it right after. It suddenly starts activating the summon sequence. Taking aim, it causes a road to magically appear in front. He then fires, causing the biker to ride off. It then turns 180 degrees, enlarging while it's chant is then heard not long after.

"Ride Fast and Free! (Juu-Ou-Mon-Jin!)"

The Biker Trigger Zord finally enlarges enough so that it appears outside. It rides forward, striking Merg Arita in the face. That's enough to disorient him, releasing his grip on the Pat Kaiser Megazord. With the Megazord free, the team's ready to fight back.

"Now that we're free, let's arm ourselves up!" says Snails, "Arm change!"

Sunset's zord gets removed, replacing it with the Biker Trigger Zord. With a new arm, it gets a new formation in the process. Just like with LupinKaiser, PatKaiser's back and ready for more.

"Replacing left arm!" shouts GoodStriker.

"PatKaiser Megazord, Biker Formation!" the team shouts.

It then goes in, attacking Merg Arita with a fury of hits. Merg Arita tries to counter but nothing. He then tries to use it's whip to constrict PatKaiser but it counters using the Biker arm to launch a whip. It smacks Merg Arita, delivering another disorientation.

"Got him on the ropes now," says Sunset.

"Time we take him down!" Snails replies.

But Snips has a suggestion, "Isn't that thing like a fish?"

"Your point," Snails counters.

"Why don't we reel this guppy and take it down!" Snips suggests.

After thinking about it for a quick few seconds, he accepts the idea, "Okay then. Let's do it!"

Patkaiser uses the Biker Arm to reel in Merg Arita. It gets trapped and suddenly, it lifts the freak up into the air. The Rangers gear up to deliver the finishing blow and about time too. If they didn't, these guys would have been beat.

The three take aim with their VS changers in hand and then shout, "PatKaiser Biker Volley Blast!"

With Merg Arita high into the sky thanks to the Biker Arm, it then uses its gunner arm to fire a repeated volley of blasts. Unable to find a way out of the mess, the Gangler gets repeatedly hit. It ultimately explodes due to taking too much damage. PatKaiser stands over the city, it's job completed. You can pretty much guess that people will be sharing info about this on social media. Inside the Megazord, the Rangers sit back down, relieved that their job is done.

"Mission complete," says Snails.

"So, are you satisfied?" asks GoodStriker, wondering.

He doesn't say a word. Neither of the Rangers did. Knowing that it's enough of an answer, he says, "Fine then. You got your victory. Now I'm off to parts unknown."

The Rangers only had a few seconds to react as GoodStriker ejects the three out. Fortunately, they're quick enough to land on their feet instead of on their backs. They see GoodStriker fly off to who knows where but they're more concerned over their sloppy performance today.

"There he goes. This guy just likes to do what he pleases," says Sunset.

"It doesn't matter," replies Snails, "We took the Gangler down and saved the town. What more do you want?"

"How about the Lupins getting away when we had them dead to rights?" Snips counters.

"They weren't our issue. The objective was to find out what V.I.L.E was after and it was a rare doubloon. One that got away at the hands of those Lupinrangers," Snails retorts.

"One doubloon... or two," I reply, approaching with Twilight behind along with something that may turn this around.

"Two?" He wonders.

"Yep," I open my hand, revealing the same doubloon that V.I.L.E tried to steal and the Lupins snagged.

"But how?!" Snails says, "i thought that doubloon was the only one left!"

"Not exactly," Twilight explains, "Turns out there was more than one and I found that in the only place nobody expected: the museum."

"So all that we did today, whether it be interrupting the auction, stopping V.I.L.E from getting away and taking down a gangler that put the squeeze on us..." Snips wonders, piecing together everything that happened today.

"Was a complete and utter waste of time," Snails finishes up, grabbing the coin from Roy's hand without hesitation.

"No it wasn't," I retort, "You guys did save the town. That's at least good enough. Besides, we did stop V.I.L.E from getting their hands on it. That counts shouldn't it?"

Before Snails can say anything else, we all hear a beeping sound from our communicators. It's the Chief and she's really wanting to know what happened.

"Go ahead," Snails answers.

"Rangers, what exactly happened? I need an update, immediately!" Chief asks, wondering what's going on.

After a few seconds, Snails decided to be out with it, "We took down the Gangler that threatened this town... and recovered the Doubloon. It's in our custody as we speak."

"I see. I have seen your battle and despite some slip-ups, you have completed your mission. Is the coin in your possession?"

"Yes, it is. We're on our way now to return the Doubloon to the archaeologist," He says.

"That will not be necessary," Chief replies, "Return to base with the doubloon. I'll have our analysts work on a full analysis of that relic. It must belong in a place of great importance."

"I understand," Snails feels disappointed by this sudden update, "We're heading back now."

"One other thing," she asks, "I also want a full debriefing of what happened. I need to know what was V.I.L.E's plan in trying to steal this doubloon. Hopefully it can mean that future attempts will be prevented. Is that clear/"

"Yes chief," He says.

"As soon as our agents receive the doubloon, your assignment is finished. Use the time to not only rest but provide us everything that transpired. You are dismissed for today," Chief details, ending the communication.

All five of us let off a sigh. Sure we did stop the Gangler, saved the city and prevented V.I.L.E from stealing the doubloon but all of this could have gone much worse. There was one thing that bugged us and I wanted to know what it is.

"One more thing," I say, going into Snips' pocket and taking the debit card away. "What exactly did you buy that made you run late?"

"Yeah, you did say you were learning about this country with your stomach. What exactly did you ingest?" Snails asks.

"What?" He responds, "I only had four plates of Librillo. I mean, it's not like I just decided to go all in. I also ordered enough for us to eat when we're finished!"

"Do you have the slightest idea what Librillo actually is?" Sunset wonders.

"Uh... no?" He answers.

"Perhaps I can give you an answer," Twilight intrudes, explaining and giving Snips a needed reality check, "Librillo. A soup that's not for the faint of heart, a unique dish prepared with an even more unique type of meat. Want to know what that meat is?"

And it's here where the reality check kicks in, "Tripe... or as this page would say, the stomach lining of a cow."

Reality immediately sinks in for this kid. The fact that he wolfed down something he had no idea what it was only makes it more painful that he begins to feel something strange. Seeing a nearby trash can, he rushes towards it proceeding to vomit out everything he ate. Oh right, he ate four full plates of it. Sure understanding the world through your stomach is one thing but realizing it too late is another. That is what makes this really messed up. We all let off a chuckle for a bit. Man was it funny but that was only for a while because we needed to head back.

"Enough joking around. Let's head back to base. We need to give Chief the debrief... that rhymes," Snails says, accessing his watch and causing a C-5 Corridor to appear.

The Rangers enter in it, hoping to reach ACME HQ. Their job is done but wait... what about the Lupins? Well, they may have gotten away with the Doubloon and the fact that they did took down the Gangler before it grew but with them, their work ain't done. Far from the city, they spot the X Train, approaching before coming full stop. The door opens and out comes Enigma, dressed in his thieving gear.

He looks at the team and says, "So... what did I miss?"

"A lot. Let us in," Carmen replies.

Enigma lets off a smile, allowing the other Lupins to get inside the train. For these guys, it's just another day on the job. But with what's to come, it's going to be really rough. How do I know this? Well you'll just have to watch and see.

To be continued...

On the next Lupinranger vs. Patranger

The Lupinrangers get word of an auction where art is being up for grabs. The most elite of the elite are ready to place their bets but due to a slip-up, Zack has to go in while not blowing his cover. But even as things go as planned, things can and will change. An unexpected guest appears and the battle for these trinkets begins to shift even further. Who is this new player that's entering this fight? Find out on the next episode: Untold Agenda; Enter Lupin the Third!

Two teams, two objectives. Which side will you choose?