JSCR-ep 5

Disclaimer: I don't own anything, except Zero, the infinity crystals, the Crystal Animals, and the monsters.

A/N: I might refer to the team as either "Sentai", "Super Sentai", "Crystalrangers", or even just "Rangers".

(Opening theme 2: "Butter-Fly" by Kouji Wada. OST Digimon Adventure)

*music*

As the music starts, each of the first five Infinity Crystals are seen falling through space (in order: red, blue, yellow, white, and black), before the title appears

Gokigen na chou ni natte kirameku kaze ni notte

The Infinity Crystals are seen falling like comets through space, as they break through the atmosphere

Ima sugu kimi ni ai ni yukou

The Infinity Crystals are shown landing in Little Tail Bronx, before the Demon Heart's eye is seen in the background, as the pupil focuses on the planet

Yokei na koto nante wasureta hou ga mashi sa

Red is seen catching the red Infinity Crystal, followed by a scene of Elh catching the blue Infinity Crystal, then Waffle catching the white Infinity Crystal, then Alicia catching the black Infinity, and finally Mamoru catching the yellow Infinity Crystal

Kore ijou shareteru jikan wanai

The scene zooms out from Mamoru, to reveal the five Crystalrangers (in civilian form) together in what looks like a forest, as several random Shard Beast emerge, surrounding them

Nani ga wow wow wow wow wow kono sora ni todoku no darou

The five Crystal Braces are seen, as the crystals begin to glow brightly, signaling their activation

Dakedo wow wow wow wow wow ashita no yotei mo wakaranai

Red, Elh, Mamoru, Waffle, and Alicia are seen being enveloped by the light of their respective crystals, before each of the Crystalrangers (in Sentai form) are seen one by one with their weapons ready and their respective Crystal Animals in the background (in this order: Red, Elh, Waffle, Alicia, Mamoru)

Mugendai na yume no ato no nanimo nai yo no nakaja

A mountain is seen exploding as Crystal Dragon breaks through it, before taking to the sky (Red is seen riding on its back). As Crystal Dragon ascends, Crystal Eagle flies past it and does some impressive aerial maneuvers (Elh is seen riding on its neck)

Sou sa itoshii omoi momakesou ni naru kedo

A split screen shows Crystal Wolf and Crystal Lioness running through different sections of a forest, before both of them make it to a cliff and leap off, before the scene quickly freezes on the scene of them passing each other with the moon in the background (Waffle and Alicia are seen gazing at each other from their respective Crystal Animals' heads)

Stay shigachi na imeeji darake no tayorinai tsubasa demo

Crystal Rhino is seen bursting through a mountain (Mamoru is seen on its back), followed by a scene of Chocolat, Stare, Flare, Panta, and Matoi watching at a distance from atop the Wanderer

Kitto toberu sa on my love

Zero is seen standing on a field with his arms crossed, as the shadowed forms of three large mechas (not Gattais) are seen in the background.

*music*

Each of the Crystalrangers are seen launching their individual attacks, followed by the Crystal Blaster. The final scene shows the five Crystalrangers together (from left to right: Waffle, Mamoru, Red, Elh, and Alicia) in their civilian forms, with Crystal Knight standing in the background.

(Opening song finish)

-JSCR-

Episode 5: Beginning of an Adventure,the First World

Somewhere within the Dimensional Veils

Deep within the dimensional veils that separated the different dimensions, Castle Abyss flew through it, headed for the closest dimension it could find. The mood inside the viewing room was rather different compared to usual. Instead of the usual gloomy feel, it was actually quite enthusiastic. The reason for this was because for once, Fool and Bruno weren't busy arguing with each other (be it verbal, physical, or silent), as for once, one of their plans had worked.

"Excellent work, my Generals! Now the first phase of our plan may commence!" The Demon Heart said through its mental link with the two generals.

"Thank you my lord. Now that we've gathered enough energy to break through the dimensional barriers, we can begin seeding other worlds," Fool started.

"That's right! Once we enter the other worlds, we can begin harvesting negative energy from the natives, and once our crystals take root…" Bruno continued, laughing evilly along the way.

"One by one, the worlds will fall into my hands, and before long, the entire universe will fall to me! Grahahahahaha!" The Demon Heart laughed, already impatient to put its plan into motion.

Outside, Castle Abyss was busy breaking through another veil as it emerged above a new world, before it began descending upon the unsuspecting world, unseen to the natives, as space began bending around the castle.

-JSCR-

Wanderer, Bridge

Zero typed furiously on the console, as he scrambled from one machine to another, all the while checking on his portable scanner that had been connected to the main computer… and he had been like this for 5 days straight.

"Ummm… shouldn't we try to stop him?" Mamoru asked. The five of them had been staring at their mentor for the last 2 hours or so, wondering if he was going to stop or not. It had taken them a while, but the five of them finally managed to teleport back to the Wanderer, by tracking back the signals from their communicators.

"We can try. But do you really think we can get his attention?" Red said with a sweat drop.

"I think he's just worried about the Demon Heart," Elh said, as the others nodded in agreement.

"Yeah, I can't believe that thing was our real enemy. It sure looked strong," Waffle agreed, remembering the castle that Zero had referred to as the Demon Heart.

The atmosphere was noticeably heavier, until… "Hey guys, 100 rings say he collapses once he finishes. Provided he doesn't starve himself to death first," Alicia snickered, defusing the tension, earning snickers from the rest of them, even from Elh and Waffle, who were trying and failing to avoid laughing.

"I'll see you to that bet. Actually, I'll even bet he's not even awake. I'll bet he's sleep-working" Red added, causing all of them to laugh, despite some of them trying to restrain themselves.

Several vein marks appeared on Zero's head when he heard them, with the vein marks somehow visible despite his mask. "If you five are done making fun of me, I'll have you know that I've been working non-stop for the last 5 days to track the Demon Heart," Zero said, actually sounding annoyed for a change, though he still continued working.

"We get that, but where could it have gone. I mean, we've had attacks in Sheppard, Prairie, and Nippon, so which region would it attack next?" Red said.

"Argh! You just don't get it do you!" Zero yelled, losing his composure, as the stress from continuously working for the last 5 days finally got to him. "If the Demon Heart was still in Little Tail Bronx, I wouldn't need to go through all this trouble. The problem is that portal we saw it go through was a Dimensional Portal."

"Meaning?" Mamoru asked.

"Meaning, that the Demon Heart is headed for another world," Zero sighed, regaining his composure, as his voice went back to the usual monotone voice.

"Other worlds? You mean it's going to attack those worlds like the one you said you're from?" Elh asked in alarm, as the others also had their eyes widen at hearing that.

"Yes. The reason why I've been working non-stop, is to upgrade my scanners to detect the Demon Heart, both outside this world, as well as outside this dimension if needs be," Zero explained.

"Outside this dimension?" Waffle asked, as the others also moved closer, now very curious.

"Well… I'm not too certain on the last one, but given that the scanners indicate that the dimensional portal used by the Demon Heart was relatively unstable, there is a good possibility that it will appear outside the current dimension," Zero explained, whilst going through the finalizing stage of the upgrades he was installing. It wasn't long before the finalizations were nearly completed. "Okay, just a little bit more… Done!" Zero said, as he removed his portable scanner from the console, flipped it open, and turned it on. "Okay, all systems normal. Upgrade complete. Finally… finished…" he said, before promptly collapsing.

The rangers blinked for a moment. "You owe me 100 rings, Red," Alicia said, as said hunter slapped his forehead at the lost bet, while the others face faulted.

"The guy collapses, and that's all she thinks about?" Elh sweat dropped.

-JSCR-

"So basically, you've been spending the last 5 days upgrading your equipment, so that we can locate and chase the Demon Heart, and if needs be, all the way to alternate dimensions?" Waffle asked, making sure they understood what Zero had been doing.

"Yes *munch* that's *slurp* correct *gulp*. In order *slurp* for us to succeed *munch munch munch* this is very much necessary," Zero confirmed, as he ravenously ate several packets of cup ramen.

"Wow, you sure have to go through a lot of trouble for us. Sorry we were making fun of you earlier," Alicia apologized, since she was the one who had started with her bet/insult.

"Meh, no worries," Zero said dismissively, as he downed his 10th cup.

"So, what's next?" Elh asked.

"I've already activated the scanners, so it's only a matter of time before we locate the Demon Heart. In the meantime, I've already had the ship synchronize all of our D-Gates to have this world as an anchor, so that we can easily come back anytime," Zero answered.

"That's good to hear. By the way, this stuff is great. Where did you get it?" Red said. The five of them had been eating some of the cup ramen that Zero had gotten out, since it just happened to be lunch time, though only Red had actually eaten any, as the other four had been too busy watching Zero eat at turbo speed.

"Not really important, but you can get cup ramen from nearly any world. Best part is, this stuff is nearly dirt cheap, but the taste is great," Zero replied, before looking towards Waffle, Elh, Alicia, and Mamoru. "You four should start eating soon, or the ramen is gonna get cold."

"Oh, right!" the four of them said, before quickly digging in, earning a laugh from Red, and a small chuckle from Zero.

"Why is it that I'm more emotional whenever I'm around them?" Zero thought slightly, remembering how he had always shown little to no emotion for the last 10 years or so since that 'incident', before quickly deciding that it didn't matter.

-JSCR-

Golden Roar, 3 hours later

"Other worlds?"Merveille asked, while Opera, Calua, Matoi, Chocolat, even Gren and Beluga moved closer to listen. After the Crystalrangers had returned from the Wanderer, they had told them about why Zero hadn't spoken, nor even appeared once for the last 5 days.

"Yup, that's right. He also said something about upgrading both the Golden Roar, as well as the Asmodeus, though I have no idea how he plans on doing that without coming here," Red said.

"Hmmm. That explains the programs that just suddenly appeared on our computers," Merveille said. Earlier, the computers on board the Golden Roar had suddenly started working on their own. When she had tried to check on the computers, what she found was a number of programs and data that hadn't been there before.

"What programs?" Elh asked.

"It looks like when Zero connected the computers here with computers on his ship, it also gave him access to directly download his upgrades as well," Beluga answered.

"Though, if you see Zero again, please tell him to inform us before downloading anything," Merveille added.

"Sure. Speaking of which, shouldn't we have heard of him some time ago?" Waffle said, realizing it had already been a few hours since Zero had told them to wait. Just as he said that, their communicators went off.

"Sometimes I think he spies on us, just for these moments," Alicia commented, as the others sweat dropped again at Zero's timing which always seemed to make the situation ironic ('speak of the devil' moments).

"What is it, Zero?" Mamoru said, answering his communicator.

"Everyone, the scanners have located the Demon Heart. Just as I feared, it's in a world outside this dimension," Zero said.

"Alright, let's go after it!" exclaimed Red.

"Excuse me for the interruption, but I must say that I find the idea of traveling to another world quite intriguing," Merveille suddenly said. "Would it be alright if some of us came along?"

"Hmmm. While there shouldn't be any problems, there is the fact that we will have to deal with the Demon Heart. Also, some worlds may be particularly hostile, so it can be potentially dangerous," Zero answered.

"Not a problem, Zero darling. After all, we Kurvaz aren't the largest hunter guild for nothing," Opera said.

Zero seemed to ponder this for a moment. "Alright, but for now, I will only tolerate a maximum of 5 people other than the Crystalrangers. Depending on how well things go, I may allow more in the future. Also, for now we will be using my ship, as I must still test the stability of the systems on both the Asmodeus, as well as the Golden Roar," Zero said with a tone of finality, showing that he was not open for argument.

"Very well, we can agree to your terms," Merveille nodded.

"Good. I'll give you 10 minutes to decide who will go. Contact me when you've come to an agreement, or I'll teleport the Rangers, without anyone else," Zero affirmed, before ending the transmission.

"Well, you heard the man. So who wants to come along with us?" Mamoru asked.

"Well, since Ms. Merveille was the one who suggested it, why not bring her along," Matoi suggested.

"Why thank you for the offer. I accept," Merveille smiled.

"Okay, so that's one. Anyone else?" Waffle asked.

"If that's the case, I will come along as well," Beluga quickly said.

"Why am I not surprised?" Elh muttered, as she, Red, and Chocolat all had a sweat drop on their heads.

"Well, this sounds interesting, so I think I'll come along," Opera said.

"Well, if Opera is coming along, then…" Red was about to say, but was beaten to it when…

"If Lady Opera is going, then we'll come along too," Calua and Gren both said.

"Right, so that's five people," Alicia said, as she opened her communicator. "Zero, we've got all five people. We're ready to go."

"Understood. Prepare for transfer in 5…4…3…2…1…Transfer commence!" Zero said, as the 10 of them were teleported up to the Wanderer.

-JSCR-

The Wanderer, Teleportation chamber

"Well that was… odd," Merveille commented, as she, Beluga, Opera, Calua, and Gren tried to steady themselves from the sudden teleportation.

"It's all a matter of getting used to really," Zero said, as he walked into the room. "Either way, welcome to the Wanderer."

"Dude, do you always greet people with that creepy voice?" Calua asked, as Zero had once again said his greetings with a monotone voice, which was anything but welcoming.

"… Come along, the bridge is this way," Zero said, ignoring Calua's question, as he led them to the bridge.

-JSCR-

Wanderer, Bridge

"This certainly is a fascinating ship you have here," Merveille commented, as she looked at the schematics for the Wanderer on the screen (A/N: if anyone is wondering, the Wanderer basically looks like a smaller (maybe about 1 and a half times the size of the Royal Envy), black version of the Arc Gurren from Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann, minus the face), and was impressed by what she was seeing.

"Thank you. A colleague of mine designed this ship, and had it constructed using technology from various worlds. It took 3 years and a massive amount of resources to build this ship," Zero nodded, as he hooked up his scanner to the monitor. In response to this, the monitor then changed to show a 'World Map' of Dimensional Veils.

"Gather around everyone, so I can explain the situation," Zero said, as they obeyed.

"Currently, we are here, in our dimension, as all of our worlds happen to be in the same dimension, but in different universes," he explained, bringing up a map of the local known universes. "And the Demon Heart is currently outside this dimension," he pointed towards a location outside the map, which was blank, save for a blinking light to show the Demon Heart's location.

"Wow, that certainly looks far," Mamoru commented, as the others all nodded.

"It is. If it weren't for the Dimension Gate system, it would take at least 300 years to reach other dimensions. In fact, had I not used my D-Gate, it would have probably taken me 20 years just to get to Little Tail Bronx," Zero nodded.

"Hmmm, judging by the fact that the map is blank, I'd say the dimension we are going to is uncharted," Beluga said.

"That is correct. However, I already have a solution. As of now, I've set Little Tail Bronx as an 'anchor' for our D-Gates. That way, by default all jumps done outside of Little Tail Bronx will automatically send us back here," Zero explained.

"Alright then, let's go!" Red said with a grin.

"Preparations have already been completed, but first, the ten of you need to take a seat first," Zero said, as 11 chairs materialized on the bridge. "A jump that crosses dimensions has to be done at a speed that makes standing up not an option."

They all quickly took a seat, as they were strapped in. "Coordinates have been entered. Dimension Thrusters are fully charged. D-Gate is operational. Jumping in 3… 2… 1… Activate!" Zero said, as the Wanderer began moving forward, gradually picking up speed. A portal appeared in front of the Wanderer, and with a sudden jerk, the ship took off at a blinding speed into the portal. Inside, all of them jerked back in their seats as the force pressed against them. Outside, the multi-colored tunnel was truly a sight to behold, as colors swirled around. Too bad they were not in any mood to appreciate it.

The trip took only about 50 minutes, but it felt like an eternity to the passengers (except Zero, as he was already used to it). Once the ship reached the end of the tunnel, it slowed down, easing the entry into a new dimension. As the ship stabilized, the straps that kept the passengers in place loosened, before retracting back into the seats. The 10 of them immediately got up, before they ran for the nearest bathrooms they could find.

"Here we go again…" Zero sighed, remembering the last times he had passengers who weren't used to warp speed travel. It wasn't long before the sound of them emptying their stomachs could be heard.

-JSCR-

"Here, take these pills. They're special medicine for treating the motion sickness brought on by warp speed flight," Zero said, earning a 'thanks' from all of them. After downing the pills, all feeling of nausea immediately left them, as the effects took hold.

"It seems we have successfully arrived in this new dimension," Merveille said.

"And lost our lunch in the process," Red added, not amused at that particular fact.

"I apologize for that, but I didn't have time to put you through astronaut training, so I had to make due," Zero said, before turning to the monitors. "First things first, we should scan for…" he never got a chance to finish, as the moment he activated his scanner, the alarms went off. "Shard Beast confirmed!"

"What? Already?" Waffle asked, as he and his teammates groaned. They had hoped that they would at least get a chance to take it easy after the jump, but it looked like the Demon Heart worked fast.

"I suppose it can't be helped," Elh sighed.

"Elh's right. Come on everyone, time for work," Red sighed, as they all nodded in agreement.

"Don't forget about us! We didn't come all this way to get left out!" Calua said, as his usual grin returned.

"Actually, I think only the Crystalrangers should go for now," Zero said.

"Why is that?" Gren asked.

"Because my scanners show that only humans inhabit the world below, so you guys appearing could cause panic amongst the people. Also, this world seems to not have even begun to develop what we would consider modern technology," Zero stated.

"I see what you are saying," Merveille nodded. "If we were to appear with our machines, not only would it cause panic, it could damage the natural history of this world."

"Well, more than what the Demon Heart has already done. Since this world seems to still be in the time before science and technology, where most unexplained things were attributed to magic (whether this world really has true magic or not remains to be seen), they might think your robots are golems that you conjured up. At the very least, you five wait first. You'll get a shot at the Demon Heart soon enough," Zero said.

"Alright then Zero darling, we understand," Opera nodded.

"I thank you for that," Zero said.

"Don't worry about us. We'll deal with this Shard Beast just like we did with the last four of them," Red said, as the five of them stepped forward. "Ready?"

"Ready!" Waffle, Alicia, Elh, and Mamoru, replied.

"Crystal Access!" they called out, transforming into their Super Sentai forms, before teleporting to the coordinates that Zero had sent them.

-JSCR-

On the planet below,Ancient Henan Province of China, Forest near Nan Yiang

"Remind me again why we're searching through this forest," a voice asked. The voiced belonged to a teenage boy with glasses and black hair that was tied into a pony tail. He wore fine clothes that showed someone from a wealthy family.

"Because Master Sanzang ordered us to search the area. We're supposed to see if we can find any traces of the so-called 'Crystal Demons' that have been attacking nearby villages," was the reply. The reply came from another teenage boy, roughly the same age as the first. He had short brown hair, which was kept in a short fashion. His clothes, unlike the first, consisted of a simple shirt and pants, which were old and worn-out, suggesting that he was from a poor family.

"As if Heihu wasn't enough, now there are more demons appearing," sighed a third voice. The voice belonged to a teenage girl with dark blue hair, which was styled into two pigtails. She wore a simple outfit of a top and pants, which were neither as fine as the first boy's, nor as old as the second boy's, showing that she could be considered from a middle class.

"I'll have to agree with Hua. We have enough problems dealing with one demon, let alone more of them," the first boy, Tang, sighed tiredly, while the second boy, Cheng, and the girl, Hua, nodded in agreement.

While the three of them didn't look like it, they were actually students of the Shaolin Temple, and not just any students. 1000 years ago, their home had been ravaged by a powerful demon, Heihu. At that time, 3 Shaolin knights fought against Heihu, and managed to seal him. However, after 1000 years, Heihu managed to escape, and began plotting world domination again. In order to achieve his goal, Heihu set out to find the two mystical Books of Wisdom, and managed to steal the first book. In response to this, the grandmaster of Shaolin, Master Sanzang, set out to find the three reincarnations of the knights that defeated Hiehu: Tang, Cheng, and Hua. As a result, the three of them were being groomed to one day be able to defeat Hiehu, but at the meantime, they had a more important mission, which was preventing Heihu from finding the second book.

The three of them had been walking for a while, until Hua noticed something on one of the trees. "Hey, what's this?" she said, as they took a closer look. On the tree, was a claw mark.

"Probably just some animal that went through here," Tang commented, until he also took a closer look at the claw marks, which had small crystal fragments embedded in it.

"Unless animals have crystals for claws, I doubt that's the work of a regular animal," Cheng said.

"You'd be right about that!" a voice suddenly said, before a squad of Frags jumped out of the bushes and from behind the trees, surrounding the three of them.

"Was this all a trap?!" Hua asked to no one in particular, as the three of them pulled out their weapons. Hua pulled out a whip from her sleeve, Tang unsheathed his family's sword, and Cheng pulled out his bo staff, which could open up into a sanjiegun (a type of nunchaku, only with three parts).

"Not really, but with you three out of the way, this world will quickly fall into despair, and be a perfect feeding ground for our master! Grahahahaha!" the voice laughed insanely, as a figure stepped into their view. The figure looked like a humanoid tiger, covered in black armor. On its shoulders, were purple crystal protrusions that acted as shoulder blades, while the lower legs and feet remained uncovered, revealing hind paws that had morphed into a cross of a human foot and a tiger's foot. On both its arms were clawed gauntlets that had three wicked looking claws each. The head was mostly uncovered, save for the red visor that covered the eyes, while the mouth remained uncovered, showing off a maw of razor sharp teeth.

"Your master? You mean Hiehu had other demons under his command?" Cheng said in disbelief.

"Heihu? Hah! Once my master has fully awakened, that pathetic excuse of a demon will grovel at my master's feet! I am Tigrerius a mighty Shard Beast, and servant of the master of all evil!" The Shard Beast, now identified as Tigrerius, roared.

"Not to mention the loudest Shard Beast we've had to deal with so far!" came the voice of CrystalBlack, before five beams of light started flying around and collided with several of the Frags, causing sparks to fly.

"W-What's going on?" Hua asked in surprise at seeing the five beams of red, blue, yellow, white, and black lights attack the 'demons' that had surrounded them. The lights then flew towards a nearby spot, and landed, before revealing themselves to be the five Crystalrangers.

"What? No! It can't be you!" Tigrerius roared in disbelief and a little fear.

"Heh, well too bad for you, we're here and ready to kick your sorry tail!" CrystalRed smirked, as the five of them pulled out their weapons and charged at the still dazed squad of Frags.

Back with the three teens, they had taken advantage of the situation, and hid behind some bushes. "Will someone please tell me what is going on," Cheng groaned, as the situation had gone from a relatively 'normal' day, to a downright strange day.

"Your guess is as good as mine," Hua shrugged, while Tang took a look at the situation closely.

"Well, that tiger demon, the one that called itself Tigrerius, doesn't seem to be aligned with those five, since it's obviously enemies with them," Tang said, as they watched the Crystalrangers plow through the Frags easily.

"True, but what do you think about those five? They don't look human," Cheng said, noting how the strange helmets they wore, looked a lot like dogs and cats.

"We can't be sure of that, but I can tell for sure that these five have to be sorcerers," Tang answered, as the five Crystalrangers launched their individual energy attacks at a whole line of Frags, shattering all of them.

"Those crystal demons don't seem that strong. They broke too easily. Maybe they're just the grunts that someone is controlling," Hua added, as the three of them continued to watch.

"It could be. My guess is that that tiger demon is the one controlling them," Tang nodded, as CrystalBlack pulverized any remaining Frags with her whip.

"Well, let's just wait and see," Cheng said, as they continued to watch.

(Back to the fight…)

"Courage Sword!"

"Wisdom Staff!"

"Light Bow!"

The three of them called out, as their attacks struck Tigrerius directly on the chest, sending him tumbling back.

"Time to end this!"CrystalRed called out, as the five of them stood together.

"Assemble!" they called out as they put their weapons together. The Light Bow was attached on top of the Courage Sword's barrel, followed by the Wisdom Staff, which was split into two halves, before being attached to the two edges of The Light Bow. Following this, the Hope Shield was attached on top of the Light Bow, locking it into place. The finishing touch was the Dark Whip, which was placed under the Courage Sword's barrel.
"Crystal Blaster!" they called out, leveling the weapon. "Prism Wave!"

The beam was fired, and headed straight for Tigrerius. However, Tigrerius had one more trick up his sleeve. "Not gonna happen!" Tigrerius roared, as the claws on his left arm suddenly began pulsing. Immediately, he slashed at the air in front of him, causing a rip to appear in the air, revealing what looked like a vortex inside of it, causing the Prism Wave to be absorbed into the vortex.

"No way!" the five of them exclaimed, as the vortex closed, leaving Tigrerius unharmed.
"Hahaha! How do you like that?! You can't beat me if you can't touch me!" Tigrerius laughed.

"What's the catch?" came Zero's voice, as he was suddenly standing on a tree branch not far from them.

"Zero?" the five of them blinked in surprise.

"Catch? What catch?" Tigrerius demanded.

"Don't play dumb. The ability to rip open spacial voids without any aid? Those kinds of powers always have a price," Zero stated. "So, what's yours?"

"Hah! I don't know what you're talking about!" Tigrerius shot back, just as the claws on his left arm turned grey and broke off.

"So that's it, huh? You can block any attack, but you lose your claws immediately after. So that's your price!" Zero pointed out.

"Alright! Thanks for the tip, Zero!" CrystalWhite said, as the five of them readied the Crystal Blaster again.

"One more time! Prism Wave!" they called out, as the Prism Wave was fired again.

"D-Damn it!"Tigrerius growled, before his right claw pulsed, as he sliced at the space beneath him, and quickly jumped into the vortex, causing the Prism Wave to hit the tree that was behind him, completely destroying the tree.

"Oookay. The Shard Beast got away, and hopefully we won't be fined for destruction of nature," CrystalRed said, as all of them (including Zero) sweat dropped.

"… I suggest we go back," Zero said, breaking the silence.

"What about those humans we saw earlier?" CrystalYellow asked.

"They were able to slip away during the fight. Besides, they are not our biggest concern at the moment," Zero answered.

"Okay then, let's get out of here," CrystalBlack said, as they teleported back to the Wanderer.

"Okay, what just happened?" Cheng asked, as the three of them stepped out of the bushes they were hiding in.

"Well, first we get ambushed by a bunch of crystal demons, then a group of sorcerers in colorful clothes appear, beat most of the crystal demons, and use a strange weapon to finish off the last one, only for it to run away," Tang said, not really sure what else to say.

"Either way, we need to tell Master Sanzang," Hua stated. The three of them nodded to each other, before heading back to the Shaolin Temple.

-JSCR-

Later, The Wanderer, Bridge…

"So the Shard Beast managed to escape?" Merveille asked, as Elh had finished telling them about what had happened.

"It would appear that this one has a most troublesome ability," Gren commented, referring to the Shard Beast's ability to rip open portals.

"Zero did say that they managed to make it use its power twice. Maybe with the loss of all its claws, the Shard Beast won't be able to run next time," Beluga said.

"That would be nice, but let's be pessimistic on this one, and assume that its claws can grow back," Zero stated.

"Do you always have to be such a downer, dude?" Calua sighed.

"Optimism is good for keeping up hope, but sometimes pessimism is necessary to keep one alive," Zero simply stated.

"Well, it still doesn't change the fact that that Shard Beast is still out there. We should find it as soon as possible," Mamoru said.

"That's true. Alright everyone, next time we'll take out that Shard Beast for sure!" Red said to his team.

"Right!" they all nodded in response.

Zero cracked a small smile under his mask. "Their resolves are getting stronger. That's good," Zero thought. "Well, the scanners aren't picking up any Shard Beast activity, and since we're here, why don't we explore this world for a bit," Zero suggested.

"Huh? Did Zero just suggest we take a break?" Waffle asked in surprise.

"Yeah, he just did. Who are you, and what have you done to Zero?" Red half-joked, earning a laugh from all of them.

"Very funny. I'm serious though. We might as well explore a little, and don't worry about blending in or about funds. I've got that all taken care of," Zero said.

"How do you intend for us to blend in? You said it yourself, that there are only humans here," Elh stated, somewhat surprised.

"Like I said, I've got it covered," Zero stated, as he tossed a card to each of them.
The moment each of them caught the cards, the cards glowed, before each of them was enveloped in a multi-colored field of energy.

"What just happened?" Mamoru asked, once the fields subsided.

"This might clear things out," Zero said, as he held out a large mirror for all of them to see themselves.

When they got a good look, their jaws hit the floor out of sheer surprise. Instead of a group of Caninu and Felineko, what they saw in the mirror, was a group of humans.

Red looked a lot like he did when he was using Trance, only his hair didn't go through a sudden growth, nor did his eyes change from blue to purple. And his clothes remained the same they were before he transformed (though the opening for the tail was gone).

Elh looked more or less the same, except her fur, ears, and tail had disappeared, while her face had changed to that of a human, with lightly tanned skin. Aside from that, her hair, eyes, clothes, and markings remained the same.

Waffle had turned into a human with light colored skin, which was a similar shade to his fur. Like with the others, his fur, ears, and tail had disappeared, while his face had changed from a dog's face to a human's face. Also, his hair, clothes, and eyes remained the same as when he was a Caninu.

Alicia's human form was that of an admittedly attractive female. She had tanned skin, which was slightly darker than Elh's skin, while her hair, eyes, and clothes remained the same.

Mamoru's human, like the others, only consisted of a loss of his fur, ears, and tail, with his face morphing into a human's face. His skin was fair, while his eyes, hair, and clothes also remained the same.

Merveille's human form, like the others, only consisted of a loss of her fur, ears, and tail, while her face changed into a human's face. She had light, almost pale, colored skin, while her hair, eyes, and clothes remained the same, down to her glasses.

Calua's human form didn't look very different than his normal form, as his skin was actually the same color as his fur. As usual, he lost his ears, fur, and tail, though his face seemed more or less unchanged, just as his clothes, hair, and eyes remained the same (A/N: I have to admit, I always thought that Calua was one of the most human-like characters in the game, along with Elh, Beluga, and to a certain extent, Chocolat).

Gren's human form, like the others, was simply the loss of his fur, ears, and tail, with his face changing into a human's face. His skin was relatively light in color, though it seemed slightly tanned on some parts. Like the others, his hair, eyes, and clothes remained the same.

Opera's human form was one that would make heads turn, as her human form was by far the most attractive looking, with her shape and her skin that was tanned in such a way that it made her look almost exotic. Like the others, she lost her fur, ears, and tail, while her clothes, eyes, and hair remained the same.

(A/N: if anyone is wondering, Red, Elh, Beluga, Waffle, Alicia, and Merveille look more or less European; while Opera, Calua, Gren, and Mamoru look Asian)

"What the-?! What did you do to us?!" Alicia demanded when the shock passed.

"Spell card: Adaptation, type 2: Appearance. I basically modified your forms into that of humans, so that we can avoid any unwanted attention," Zero simply explained. "The card uses your original bodies as a template to create your disguises, so you could say that this is how you all would have looked like if you had been born as humans."

"This sure feels strange though," Waffle commented, as he was busy getting used to his new body.

"At least we don't have to worry about people knowing we're from a different world, so we might as well make the best of it," Red said, as he was already quite used to having a human body, thanks to all the times he had used Trance. The rest of the day was spent getting used to their new bodies.

-JSCR-

Meanwhile, Shaolin Temple…

"Master Sanzang! Master Sanzang!" Hua called out, as the three Wuzangs ran into the armory, where they had been told that the grandmaster currently was. Hearing her call, the grandmaster, Master Sanzang, walked out of the armory. He was an elderly wise man with a long white beard and moustache (and eyebrows), dressed in a yellow monk's robe, which was partially covered by a red cloak. Despite his advanced age, he was still very much strong and healthy, even if not to the extent of his youth, showing that he wasn't about to drop anytime soon.

"What's the matter, Hua? Is something troubling the three of you?" Sanzang asked, noticing the troubled look on the faces of his three students.

"You could say that," Tang panted, as the three of them were busy catching their breaths.
The three of them told Master Sanzang what they had seen. Once they were done, Sanzang sat down in contemplation.

"Hmm, this is truly troubling. An army of Crystal Demons who serve a master that could make even Heihu grovel in fear. A most frightening thought," Sanzang said.

"Don't forget the sorcerers that fought the demons. They may have fought them, but we can't be too sure whose side they're on," Tang added.

Sanzang nodded in response. "Certainly a strange group of sorcerers. A swordsman that uses a red sword of power, a sorceress that uses a staff both for her spells, as well as a weapon, a defender who uses a shield that absorbs any blow, an archer with arrows of pure light, and a rogue with a black whip of pure darkness."

"There's also that man in the black cloak we saw earlier. If it weren't for his voice, I'd swear he looked a lot like Heihu," Cheng commented, earning nods from all of them.

"Regardless, we know too little about them. If these crystal demons are trying to revive their master, then they will surely strike again. Until then, we can do nothing," Sanzang said, ending the discussion.

"Alright. We'll just have to wait for now," Hua nodded, as the three of them left the room.

-JSCR-

Meanwhile, somewhere in the mountains...

Deep within his lair, Heihu listened to a report from one of his servants, the Black Foxes. Heihu was an ancient demon that had once ravaged the land, but had been defeated and sealed away by 3 Shaolin monks. However, he had managed to escape after many centuries. His current appearance was that of a figure dressed in a black cloak/cape, with a large black travelling hat, and what looked like a faceless mask, which was actually his face, which only revealed his glowing yellow eyes. Underneath his cloak, his body was dressed in what looked like a purple body suit, which revealed the body to be female, as Heihu had possesed an unfortunate woman that had happened to be nearby when he had escaped from his seal. "Interesting. So there is someone proclaiming themselves to be greater than I?"

"That's correct boss," the Black Fox said.

"Well then, I believe I should set them straight, on who is the true evil master," Heihu said, as his face turned green and grotesque, signifying his anger. "I want all of you to look out for any sign of these creatures that this 'Master of All Evil' commands. When you find them, call for me, so that I can send a 'message' to their master, with their corpse!"

"R-right away boss!" all the Black Foxes present said in fear, before heading out.
"What fool dares to challenge the great Heihu?" Heihu asked rhetorically, before going back to reading his prize: the first book of wisdom.

Meanwhile, Castle Abyss

"Whaaaat?!" Bruno roared when Tigrerius reported back. "I don't believe it! We go to a whole different world, and still those meddlers chase us!"

"How in the world did they follow us all the way here? I thought for sure we would have lost them once we left our world behind," Fool said, in a rare fit of anger, as electricity crackled and sparked from his cane.

"Truly a troubling development. However, this does not change the fact that our plan is already underway. For now, we will continue to gather the necessary negative energy for our Root Gems," The Demon Heart stated.

"Understood. Once my claws grow back, I shall immediately begin harvesting once more," Tigrerius nodded as he left the room.

"So they chase us all the way to this world as well. Truly our opponents are relentless," the Demon Heart mused. "No matter, I have waited for many millenias for this. A few minor setbacks can easily be dealt with," it mused, before laughing a laugh that chilled the soul. Truly, the Demon Heart was more than ready to 'play' this game, and the more pieces, the more interesting it would be.

-JSCR-

Back on the Wanderer...

Zero suddenly turned his head towards the screen, as a faint glow could be seen from underneath his mask.

"Is something wrong, Zero?" Elh politely asked, as she and the others were in the middle of trying out outfits they would use to blend in with the natives, as well as weapons they would use to defend themselves with, as none of them would be allowed to use their robots (unless absolutely necessary), and while she and her team were outside of their Sentai forms.

Zero kept quiet for a moment, before turning and addressing all of them. "Everyone, be on guard during this mission. I've got a bad feeling about this," Zero said ominously, as he absently rubbed the side of his mask, over where his right eye was, as the glow subsided, but the feeling he got didn't.

(Scene freezes, as the episode ends)

-JSCR-

(Ending theme: "Mirai Iro" by Plastic Trees. OST Yu-Gi-Oh! 5D's)

*music*

As the music starts, we see shots of Red, Elh, Waffle, Alicia, and Mamoru (in this order), before the scene changes to show silhouettes of the five of them in Sentai form, with the shadow of Crystal Knight in the background.

Hatenaki Sekai naraba kono Mune niwa Akashi o

We see a scene zooming out, revealing Red holding the Courage Sword, pointing it at the screen. He has his usual cocky expression on his face. Along his arm, a faded picture of Crystal Dragon is seen.

Onaji Namidanuretara Bokura Waraiaou

The scene then changes to another zoom out scene, with this one showing Elh with her back turned, as though walking away. On her skirt, a faded picture of Crystal Eagle is seen.

Toki Hanattetta Genjitsu de kizamu Kodou ni Fureezu o

The scene changes to show a zoom out scene of Waffle who is seemingly doing a backward flip with a grin on his face, while pointing his Light Bow at the screen. On his leg, a faded picture of Crystal Wolf is seen.

Kyoumei shiteku Kokoro ni Oto o tatete Saku Namae no nai Hana

The scene changes to show a zoom out scene of Alicia, who is seemingly doing a cart wheel, while pointing her Dark Whip at the screen, as though lashing out with it. On her pants, a faded picture of Crystal Lioness is seen.

Osoroi no Ibasho Bokura Mitsukeru

Another zoom out scene is shown, with this one showing Mamoru, who looks like he is about to leap out of the screen. On his uniform, a faded picture of Crystal Rhino is seen.

Yume miruyou ni Mezamete Mirai madette Nobashita Te

The scene changes to show Alicia who is holding her hand up, as though she is falling. Around her, many crystals float around, with each of them having faded close up pictures of Stare (with her usual calm appearance), Flare (with her usual cheerful expression), Panta (looking determined as always), Matoi (with a happy smile on her face), Princess Terria (with a gentle smile on her face), Cyan (with his usual confident smile), and Fool (looking like he is planning something). Most noticeable of all is a silver colored crystal with a faded picture of Beluga (with a stoic look on his face).

Tsukamu hanasu Kurikaeshi Sagashite

The scene slowly shifts up to show Waffle who is holding out his hand, as though trying to catch Alicia before she falls. Around him, many crystals float around, with each of them having faded close up pictures of Opera (in her usual pose with her fan), Gren (dutifully standing with his arms crossed), Calua (with his usual big grin on his face), Merveille (smiling slightly), Chocolat (with her usual cheerful appearance), and Bruno (laughing insanely). Most noticeable of all is a gold colored crystal with a faded picture of Zero with his mask on.

Omoi tsuiteku Iro de Kurayami datte nurikaenagara

The five Infinity Crystals are seen circling each other, before a hand reaches out for them, causing them to scatter

Kioku KIZUNA Kibou to Kasanetara

The scene zooms out to reveal two figures standing in a forest bathed with golden light.

Mirai Iro zutto Bokurawa egaiteku

The two figures reveal to be Red and Elh, as both stand side by side, watching the source of the golden light with their hands intertwined. The scene then shifts to reveal the light to be coming from the shining silhouette of an unknown Gattai, as the Infinity Crystals are seen revolving around it.

-JSCR-

Author's note:

Done with this episode. I decided on ending the episode slightly differently for a change (the monster of the week isn't dead yet). Also, starting now, everytime the episodes are set in different worlds, I will explain a little about the series that the world and characters originate from.

The current world is set in China, from a series called "Shaolin Wuzang". The series basically tells the story of three teens: a servant girl named Hua, a peasant boy named Cheng, and a noble (if being the son of the governor counts as being nobility) named Tang, who are reincarnations of three Shaolin monks that managed to defeat the antagonist of the series, Heihu, about 1000 years before the start of the series. The three of them are guided by the wise grandmaster of Shaolin, Master Sanzang, as they learn the ways of Shaolin, so that they may one day defeat Heihu, like how their past lives did.