CH 65

By Effugium February 8, 2023

Let me explain!

The “Victory Transformation Gear” is a must-have item for Victory Sentai Victor Rangers! The V emblem of victory shines on the palm-sized device!

And it’s loaded with gimmicks! By rotating the V-gear, V-energy builds up inside, and you can change into the Victory Suit in an instant!

Together with me, “Victory Change”!

DX Victory Transformation Gear!!

「Now then, what should we do.」

Rintaro was troubled.

「Hauu…… Every inch of my body……. Hey Rintaro, what do you think we should do?」

「Victory transformation gear can be deadly if not handled with care.」

「Hiih!」

Like a fish jumping in a pond, knife tumbled from the nape of the Swordminas clanging on the floor.

Rintaro’s statement that it would be deadly is not an exaggeration. It is an undeniable fact that Rintaro experienced firsthand.

They can ring out at the wrong time or attract heroes like a moth to a flame. But they also included the results of Rintaro’s scheming and trickery in his attempts to free himself from the Ark Dominion.

This Victory Transformation Gear has a built-in transmitter. This means that if you carry it with you, there is always a risk that your location will be discovered.

Fortunately, Swordminas was not seriously injured because of her constitution, which caused her to become a shut-in. However, if it were to be taken outside, it wouldn’t be strange if they were surrounded by heroes in an instant.

「Uun…… It’s different if it’s General Tagaraak, but it’s risky for us to handle it.」

「T-T-T-That’s true…… Alright, let’s throw it out! Let’s throw it out right away!」

「Well, wait a minute, Swordminas. I didn’t say it was useless, did I?」

When Rintaro said that, he raised his mouth and laughed

…………

There was an unusually conspicuous group of people along the bank of the Tama River in Kawasaki City, Kanagawa Prefecture.

「The response is coming from around here, de gozaru. Let us all keep our eyes wide open!」

「「「「Yes!」」」」

The red, blue, white, and black raise their voices in response to a shout from a man wearing a yellow coat.

Their name is “Goshiki Sentai Jiki Hachiman”, heroes belonging to the West Kanagawa Branch. The team is led by Yellow, not Red, a rarity in Japan.

But color is not the only reason they stand out. Their heads glint in the winter sun.

The leader of the group, Shige, and all the other members had carefully shaved their sakayaki. The odd-looking group naturally attracted odd looks from the boys’ baseball team gathered on the riverbed.

「The bad guy who stole the gear is suspected to be the heinous mysterious Death Green. This may be an unexpected encounter. Each of you, please keep this in mind as you begin your search!」

「「「「Yes!」」」」

The five members of Jiki Hachiman split up and searched for gear on the banks of the wide Tama River. Of course, they were alert for the possibility of a trap. It is still fresh in their minds that their ally “Fuuma Sentai Ninjajan” was destroyed by the Death Green, who raided the underground mysterious being detention facility.

「Shige!　I found it!!」

「Well done, Taka-dono!」

A man wearing a red hachimaki waved his hand loudly to call his friends together. The object they were looking for was in a 20-year-old mini-car abandoned on the riverbed.

「I will inspect it……. Hmm, Victory Transformation Gear for sure!　Everyone stand back as I break the glass!」

Shige said this, and elbowed the glass on the driver’s side. With a cracking sound, a pillar of fire erupted with a bang.

「Shi- Shige-donoooooooooooooo!!!」

The mini-car caused a huge explosion, and Shige’s body soared 30 meters and fell from his back to the grass on the bank with a sticky mess.

The ground rose up around the members as they rushed to the scene. From the ground, the Zako fighters appeared, clad in pitch-black tights and with antennae like ants sprouting from their heads.

「Th- This is…… We are surrounded, de gozaru!」

「Everyone, get into a circle, de gozaru!」

「「「Ariariii!!!」」」

The tentacled zako fighters rushed to the Jiki Hachiman, who were in a defensive formation, and overran it.

A shadow watched the scene from afar.

「The beautiful moth shall not hide the meanness of its wings, and its body shall be judged by the silver thread. The truly strong hide their wings in their black armor, and those who lie down and lick the earth have no wings. O truly beautiful one, sit alone and be a bystander to the fate of the scattered.」

「Zazoma-sama said, “I am very satisfied with the results. How about your affiliation with the Strange Insects Army?”」

「With this “Victory Transformation Gear,” I guess that means I’ve paid my debt, don’t you think?」

During the Ark Dominion’s campaign to conquer the Kanto region, General Zazoma, who was entrusted with the western offensive, was impressed by the scene of the heroes being destroyed one after another.

Unlike the other legions, the Strange Insects Army led by Zazoma has few mysterious beings powerful enough to operate alone, including Zazoma himself. This is due to the fact that most of their strength is dependent on Zazoma’s doping with poison mist. In other words, because they are forced to act in groups, they are unable to deploy in multiple directions, making it difficult for them to attack the heroes of Kanagawa Prefecture.

Rintaro proposed a strategy of using “Victory Transformation Gear” as bait to lure the heroes and destroy them individually. As you can see, the result was a great success, destroying four teams in just one day.

（Now I can pay back my personal debt to General Zazoma……. Plus, if the operation fails, it won’t hurt me. On the other hand, if it succeeds, I get the credit……. Kuku, that’s perfect…….!）

Rintaro’s plan to transfer the “Victory Transformation Gear” to the “Strange Insect General Zazoma” had worked. Rintaro secretly chuckled to himself.

「Well, I have certainly given you the “Victory Transformation Gear.”」

「The quiet surface of the water is like a mirror. But it is the whitecaps that run on the stormy sea that reflect my heart. It is there, violent, and calmly fearsome, as if a dreamscape is dissolving into a haze. The scorching sun burns the winter away, and red flowers bloom on dead trees.」

「Yes, absolutely. It is as Zazoma-sama said.」

「Mikariki-san, please do your job. What did General Zazoma say?」

The stocky, beetle-like man responded to Rintaro’s question with a begrudging smile.

「Zazoma-sama only said, “thank you”.」

He felt that there was definitely more information, but when he asked for an explanation, they were not willing to answer.

Rintaro simply told him, “You’re welcome,” and left.

He didn’t notice that the Ark Dominion’s greatest trickster, Strange Insects General Zazoma, was grinning and sneering under his flashy papillon mask.

……….

That evening at the Arc Dominion underground secret base, a grand welcome party was being held to celebrate the victory in the Kanagawa area.

Following the recent attack and destruction of the Hero Headquarters, all the mysterious beings trapped in the underground facility were rescued. The purpose of this event is to entertain them in a grand manner.

They just had a New Year’s party the day before yesterday, but there are so many mysterious beings in Ark Dominion who want to drink and make noise for some reason.

Rintaro was made to join in as a matter of course. Along with a dry laugh, he started to talk to himself.

「Haha, I’m used to it now……」

「Hamuhamu! That’s not true, Aniki! Hamu! Osechi[1] is delicious on the third day!」

While saying so, Samecchi were eating only the fried shrimps. Apart from the fact that it was not Osechi, it seems that Samecchi only loves seafood.

「Samecchi, let’s either eat or talk.」

「Hamumuu!」

「Ah hey, because you ate too fast, your mouth is dirty……」

As Rintaro was wiping the tartar sauce from Samechi’s mouth, his eyes met those of an ill-mannered mysterious being. He quickly looked away, but the other man seemed to see him perfectly, and the man came closer and closer to Rintaro.

「Aaan? You son of a bitch! What are you doing oraan! ッアン!」

The figure is unique among the mysterious beings rescued this time. He wears a  tokkō-fuku[2] with 無数 kanji written on it, and a stiffly stiffened pompadour.

He has unconcealed fangs and a large tail covered with bristles. It was Buncholf, a gray werewolf, former president of the “North Kanto Mysterious being Union,” which had been destroyed by Mayuzumi Kirika.

[1] New Year’s Food

[2] type of long jacket worn by bousouzoku biker gang members