Tai Kamiya Presents “Gatekeepers”

Episode Eighteen- For Tomorrow’s Ratings!

(Dateline- New York City. The world AEGIS headquarters, which looks suspiciously like the United Nations building. Inside, the general assembly is debating the situation in Japan. Michael, Jun, and Catherine observe quietly.)
British Delegate: Japan is under attack! We need to intervene before the Invaders take over the entire world.

Russian Delegate: But maybe if we let them have Japan, they’ll leave the rest of us alone. Maybe we can hammer out a deal with the lead Invader. They’re a little strange, but we’ll work with them.

French Delegate: Yes. We want to avoid conflict whenever possible. They can have Japan. Tell you what- we’ll even give them Korea. We’ll call it an “invade one, get one free” deal.

American Delegate: No! There are several Americans housed in Japan, and we need to get them out of there safely. Besides, Japan is one of America’s partners in the world. They provide us with those Rastafarian hats and over half of our supply of ma…

French Delegate: Um… isn’t that Jamaica?

American Delegate: Oh yeah… that’s right. Jamaica. Which one’s Japan again?

(Michael slaps his forehead.)

German Delegate: Well I say that the first thing we need to do is let the weapons inspectors inside!

American Delegate: Look, we already know that the enemy is in possession of weapons of mass destruction. It’s only a matter of time before they unleash them on American soil.

British Delegate: Why? Do you think the Invaders have ties to Bin Laden?

American Delegate: Of course they do!

British Delegate: On what grounds?

American Delegate: Um… uh… they just do. Look, every time you question our policy, the terrorists win.

German Delegate: Okay, fine, so the Invaders have weapons of mass destruction. Why don’t we ask them to destroy their weapons for the sake of eternal peace?

British Delegate: Because they’d probably “destroy” them by dropping them on Russia.

German Delegate: We’ll be more specific… ask them to drop them on Brazil.

Russian Delegate: Why Brazil?

German Delegate: Because… I lost 200 euros betting on that World Cup final…

(Michael, Catherine, and Jun sigh.)

Jun: Is this going to be one of those endings where we find out the Invaders were right all along?

 

Episode Twenty-Four- For Tomorrow’s Smile!

(A garage near TK’s house. Dusk. Inside, everybody remaining in the task force is busy trying to fix the robot.)
Izzy: Definitely not good. The robot can be fixed, but this engine’s going to need to be replaced.

Davis: But we got all this stuff around here. There’s got to be something that can help.

Izzy: We can fix the frame, but without the engine, it won’t… you know… be its bad robot self.

Yolei: Shame too… we really got lucky finding this place. TK, who works here?

(TK mumbles incoherently.)

Yolei: I didn’t quite catch that.

Cody: I did. He said it was his late father.

TK: Cody!

Cody: What? I have good hearing…

Yolei: Wow. This was your Dad’s old place. Nice.

TK: Not really… I think he loved this garage more than he liked me.

Davis: Hey, mope later, we got a robot to fix.

(Davis climbs to the robot’s “head.”)

Davis: Or at the very least, its frame…

Cody: You might want to look out.

Davis: Why?

Cody: Because you aren’t working with a safety harness.

(Davis scoffs, then immediately slips and falls off of the robot, through a tarp below. Davis mumbles something incoherently.)

Sora: What was that?

(Everybody looks at Cody. He gulps.)

Cody: Um… he said something about offering… somebody as a sacrifice.

TK: Wouldn’t be one particular cute Chinese girl, would it?

(Yolei checks on Davis.)

Yolei: You okay?

Davis: (OS) Yeah…

(Yolei helps Davis up.)

Davis: That Gate Engine broke my fall.

(Nods… then everybody does a double take.)

Izzy/TK/Yolei/Sora/Cody: GATE ENGINE??!!

(The six look at the hole Davis made. Sure enough, there is a second Gate Engine under the tarp.)

Yolei: Impossible…

Izzy: Very impossible. This is exactly what we need. We should be able to put this into the robot and have it functioning now.

Sora: And we found it…

Cody: In TK’s Dad’s garage…

(They all look up at TK. Unfortunately, TK has run out. Yolei runs after him.)

 

(Mrs. Takaishi is setting two places for dinner when TK throws open the door.)
TK: Who was my father?

Mrs. Takaishi: (without missing a beat) Darth Vader, honey.

(Mrs. Takaishi turns around and smiles.)

Mrs. Takaishi: Would you like to stay for dinner?

(Yolei joins TK.)

Mrs. Takaishi: You’re welcome to join too, Yolei.

Yolei: (hurried) Um, no thanks, I gotta save the world and all…

(Mrs. Takaishi nods in understanding.)

Yolei: Did I say “save the world?” I said… uh…

(Yolei starts to sing.)

Yolei: (singing) I want to change the world!! Kaze wo…

(Mrs. Takaishi stares very neutrally at Yolei. Yolei stops.)

Yolei: Not an “InuYasha” fan I take it…

Mrs. Takaishi: It’s all right. I have a vague idea of what’s going on.

TK: Don’t tell me that my father was a Gatekeeper.

Mrs. Takaishi: What? Did you think he was completely ignoring his family for a stupid hobby? Of course not. He was completely ignoring his family for some top secret project he couldn’t tell us about.

Yolei: And you believed him?

Mrs. Takaishi: Not until after those AEGIS guys stopped by after you left and told me the situation.

TK: Wait… so you knew all about AEGIS and me being a Gatekeeper?

Mrs. Takaishi: I knew about AEGIS. They told me everything about how your father was involved with the design of something called a “gate engine” that would save the world or something.

TK: What about me being a Gatekeeper?

Mrs. Takaishi: They didn’t say a thing about that. But it’s not like it was hard to figure out.

TK: So… what does all this mean?

(Mrs. Takaishi smiles.)

Mrs. Takaishi: Simple… it means that the little subplot about your dad has been resolved nicely and neatly, and that you can now do him proud and use that engine of his to stop the bad guys!

TK: Oh…

Yolei: We’ll take it!

Mrs. Takaishi: The engine?

Yolei: I was talking about the conveniently resolved plot arc, but the engine’s a nice bonus! C’mon TK!

(Yolei drags TK back towards the garage as Matt walks in.)

Matt: Hey, was that TK?

(Mrs. Takaishi has resumed setting the table.)

Mrs. Takaishi: (non-chalant) Yeah. It’s his house too, you know.

 

(Yolei and TK are walking back to the garage.)
Yolei: Say, TK? Since we’re wrapping up plot arcs… I have a question.

(TK is off in his own world.)

TK: Hm?

Yolei: Do you love Kari?

(TK trips over his own feet, then jumps back up.)

TK: Where did that come from?

Yolei: Well, like I said, we’re trying to resolve plot arcs.

TK: I dunno… that’s a pretty dangerous game. Last time we worked too hard to resolve plot arcs, you ended up as a housewife with three whiny kids.

Yolei: Yeah, yeah, yeah- answer the question.

TK: Well… um… my true feelings towards Kari, my true feelings towards Kari…

(TK looks around for some way to avoid the question.)

Yolei: You’re not getting around this. I really need to know.

TK: Uh… well…

Ryo: (OS) Boy, I’m just saving your ass left and right, aren’t I?

(Ryo pops in out of nowhere.)

Ryo: First Ken’s giant robot, now Yolei’s giant question.

TK: Ryo! Man, it’s good to see you.

Ryo: Huh. You get a question that’s impossibly difficult to answer and you’re *happy* to see me. That’s a change of pace.

Yolei: What do you want?

Ryo: Actually, it’s not what I want. It’s what TK wants.

TK: What do you mean?

Ryo: What does anyone mean? What is meaning other than a single person’s perception?

TK: Well, it would help if you’d enlighten me on your perception…

(Ryo smiles.)

Ryo: Nice comeback. Up high!!

(Ryo motions for a high-five. TK hesitates, then follows suit. Ryo clasps TK’s hand.)

Ryo: Now it’s time for what you want. Gate open…

(Ryo and TK vanish. They reappear on the balcony of a very dark room.)

TK: What’s going on in here?

(Ryo points to the ground floor. TK looks down to see Kari, trapped in some sort of green fog. Rika has a hand to Kari’s forehead. Rika looks troubled.)

Rika: I don’t believe you. You’re merely faking sincerity. I know the true you. You love being better than everybody else. You flaunt it. In front of me, in front of other students… in front of Takaishi.

(Rika continues to “listen” to Kari.)

Rika: But that’s where you’re wrong. They don’t appreciate you. I haven’t seen them try to rescue you.

(TK makes a move to jump down and save her, but runs into a force-field that restrains him.)

Ryo: Yeah right. I’m not making it *that* easy for you.

(TK continues to watch as Rika continues to try to make Kari’s gate turn dark.)

Rika: Do you sincerely not hold yourself above me? You think you’re better than me? Of course you do… you’re Kari. I’m just Rika… in the end, two interchangeable syllables make all the difference to you… you must be better, right?

(Kari does not react. TK is extremely worried.)

TK: Hang in there, Kari. I know I might have picked on you a few times. I don’t know. Maybe it was because you got good grades. Or carried yourself as perfect. I’m starting to even regret those jokes about your chest…

Ryo: Just goes to show you. Pick on a girl too much and look what happens…

TK: (to Ryo) Like you’re one to talk!

(TK points to Rika.)

TK: Aren’t you the one that keeps making fun of Rika? Look what happened to her!!

Ryo: Uh… um…

(TK is right in Ryo’s face, so Ryo ducks out of the conversation, by making both himself, and the scene, disappear. TK is left staring at Yolei.)

Yolei: Wha… what the… what happened?

(TK frowns.)

TK: I *hate* when he does that!!

Yolei: Does what?

(TK marches towards the garage.)

TK: (bitter) Never mind. Let’s just get that stupid engine in that stupid robot so we can save the stupid world already!

 

(Streets of the city the next morning. Everybody is gathered around a video store, with the usual televisions displayed outside. At once, they all turn towards a shot of a newscaster.)
Newscaster: Greetings. We have some very important news. Please watch this with everybody in your household, and tell neighbors to follow suit. By a unanimous decision, the nation of Japan has appointed a new Prime Minister… Ken Ichijouji.

(Pan over to Ken, wearing sunglasses, smiling at the camera and flashing a peace sign.)

Ken: ‘sup, y’all?

(Ken takes his sunglasses off.)

Ken: My first order of business will be to control all you parasites out there. Therefore, I’m putting a massive restriction on basic individual freedoms. There’s a lot of legalese involved, but to cut to the quick- you no longer have any basic individual freedoms. Your friendly neighborhood Invaders are in charge, and any problems will be handled by them in a violent and bloody manner. So don’t cause problems, okay?

(In the Takaishi household, Mrs. Takaishi and Matt are in shock by it all.)

Matt: Man… overwhelming mandate makes him Prime Minister and he goes insane and tries to control everybody and everything. Who the hell does he think he is? Tony Blair??

 

(In AEGIS Headquarters, it is now the Invaders using the radar screen to play Dance Dance Revolution, while ten other Invaders surround the area… until they are all blown away by a giant explosion. Subsequent explosions pretty much bring the whole place down. When the dust clears, the radar remains, as do two figures. Joe is watching the radar, while Mimi is clad with a mini-bazooka on her shoulders, with a big smile on her face.)
Mimi: Oh no, you’re dangerous!!

Joe: Wow… that Invader had a 300-combo going…

(More Invaders approach.)

Joe: Uh oh! Mimi- take out the trash.

Mimi: Hail- Il Palazzo!!

(Mimi fires a couple rounds, causing more collateral damage but blowing the Invaders to smithereens.)

Mimi: Whoo! Who else wants a piece of Mimi??!!

Joe: I think we got them all. Let’s get out of here before the place collapses.

(Joe and Mimi run off.)

Joe: Where did you get that bazooka anyway?

Mimi: Oh… I found it.

Joe: You… found it?

Mimi: Yep!

(Another Invader appears ahead of them. Mimi wipes it out in three seconds flat and they continue running.)

Mimi: I’m starting to like this baby too!

 

(TK is testing out the robot with the new engine, making small steps.)
Izzy: Okay, just ease it in gently…

(TK fires the robot’s guns at a nearby bulletin board, destroying it completely.)

Izzy: Whatever. Good enough- let’s rock.

(TK gets the robot crouched down inside the bus and covers it with a tarp.)

TK: Okay, here’s the plan. Izzy- drive. Sora, Yolei, and Cody are responsible for clearing a path ahead and behind the bus. Davis- make sure the girls don’t kill themselves.

Davis: Roger!

Izzy: All aboard!!

(They get in and start heading towards the ultimate final battle.)

Izzy: Let’s see… ultimate final battle… according to Mapquest it should be this way!

(Izzy makes a sharp left turn onto the highway.)

Izzy: We’re cruising now!

Yolei: (OS) Actually… no we’re not!

(Izzy checks his rear-view mirror. Three giant balls are after them.)

Davis: It gets worse… look up ahead.

(Ahead of them, two more giant balls.)

Davis: TK! Time to go to work!

Izzy: No! We have to save TK’s energy. We’ll need it for the final battle. Girls!

(Sora and Cody head up to the roof.)

Sora/Cody: GATE OPEN!!

Sora: Dazzling Melody!

Cody: Fire Armadillo!

(Sora fires ahead, Cody fires behind. Again, Sora knocks the balls out of the way while Cody destroys the rear ones completely. After a few rounds of this, both begin to tire.)

Yolei: Hang in there Cody! TK can’t take over because if he does he won’t be able to save Kari who he loves very, very much!!

(TK’s dumbfounded.)

TK: What?

Yolei: Sorry, sorry… *whom* he loves very, very much. You don’t have to be so picky.

(One giant ball shoots a number of rounds at Cody. A few hit and he is sent flying down. Yolei and TK are unable to react, but Sora sees everything and stops.)

Sora: Cody!

(Cody is lying unconscious on the roof of the bus.)

Sora: Oh no- he’s dead!

(Sora starts to cry.)

Sora: I can’t believe it… we knew there could be casualties, but I never thought it would be Cody! Why do the good always die so young?

(Sora steps up again and looks at the offending giant ball.)

Sora: (angry) How dare you kill Cody!? For that, you’re going to have to be destroyed!!

(The giant ball shoots more ammo at Sora, but it bounces off harmlessly.)

Sora: GATE… OPEN!!

(Sora’s anger sends several waves out towards the Invaders. Suddenly, all the giant balls get the illusion that they are golf balls on a golf course. Immediately, they all head towards the “hole.” Instead of falling in, they collide with one another and blow up. Yolei and TK watch in amazement.)

Yolei: Wow… never piss off Sora.

(Back on the roof, Sora goes back to normal, but is still crying.)

Sora: No matter how much I try to avenge your death, you’re still gone…

Cody: No I’m not…

(Cody has by this time gotten up and is seated nearby.)

Cody: I just got knocked out for a second… it’s no big deal.

Sora: You’re still gone and there’s no way we can bring you back!!

Cody: Sora!

(Sora embraces Cody.)

Sora: If only you were still here, we all could have told you how much we care about you!!

Cody: Yeah… um… great.

 

(Davis sees the next problem behind them.)
Davis: Obstacle number two at six o’clock!!

(This time, it’s a giant cyclops.)

Izzy: Oh no! A giant cyclops!! We forgot to destroy the giant cyclops!!

Davis: How the heck did we forget to destroy the giant cyclops?!

Izzy: Because… we skipped that episode.

Yolei: Don’t worry, I’ll handle this one!

TK: Be careful!!

(Yolei jumps off the back of the bus and charges towards the cyclops.)

Yolei: NIKE KICK!!

(Yolei kicks it, sending it flying back towards the ground. However, on its way down, it swipes at Yolei, sending her falling hard to the ground.)

TK: Izzy! Stop the bus- we have to get Yolei!

Yolei: No!!

(Yolei stands up. It’s clear that she’s hurt.)

Yolei: You guys have to go save Kari. Don’t worry about me. I’ll be fine with big boy here. TK- right now the world rests on your shoulders, so there’s no reason why I should get in the way of you saving the day… and Kari.

TK: Yolei…

Yolei: Good luck, TK!!

(The bus drives on. Yolei looks down.)

Yolei: Damn… so much for reverse psychology…

(Yolei turns around, to see that the cyclops has gotten up and is trying to eat Yolei. Yolei screams, unable to avoid the giant mouth.)

Davis: (OS) YOLEI!!!!!

(Davis runs up from out of nowhere and punches the cyclops in the face. It does absolutely nothing and Davis’s hand stings like hell.)

Davis: Ow… maybe I should have thought this through a little further.

 

(Obstacle number three for the Gatekeepers is right in front of the mansion entrance. The Invaders form to make a giant wall.)

TK: Oh great… what do we do about this one?

Izzy: Let’s see… Yolei’s gone, Davis is gone, Sora and Cody are spent…

(TK looks at Izzy.)

Izzy: No way- I’m driving.

Sora: So how do we get around the wall?

(Suddenly, the wall starts receiving gunfire from an unknown source. TK and Izzy look up to see three more Gate Robots. Inside one of them, Michael is firing at the wall.)

Michael: (singing) Hey! Invaders! Leave them kids alone!!

Izzy: Michael! For once we’re actually happy to see you!

Catherine: Not just Michael- we’re all here.

TK: All right!

(The wall changes into a different form- three giant centipedes.)

Jun: We’ll handle these guys- you get Ken.

Michael: And thank your Commander for inviting us over!

TK: Commander?

TK looks up, a plane is flying overhead- Joe and Mimi are in the cockpit.)

Joe: Road’s clear now, TK. Wait… hold on…

(Mimi pulls out the bazooka and fires towards the ground.)

Joe: Okay, now it’s all clear.

(Mimi smiles.)

 

(Ken is walking outside. A camera crew is following, as is the newscaster.)
Newscaster: Mr. Ichijouji- we’re still on live, where are you going?

Ken: Well, I’m heading outside for two reasons. One is that you can see my new edict of blocking all the sunlight take effect. Secondly- I have word that the enemy is approaching. Watch as I smite these parasites.

TK: (OS) GATE OPEN!!

(Ken sees the robot launch from the bus and land about fifty feet away.)

Ken: Can you scream any louder?

(The two stare each other down.)

 

(Meanwhile, Davis and Yolei are having some problems with the cyclops.)
Yolei: Okay… next time we volunteer for the easy ones.

(The cyclops tries again to eat Yolei, but Davis hits it again. The cyclops reacts… by eating Davis, swallowing him whole.)

Yolei: Hey! Give him back!!

(Yolei proceeds to pound on it.)

Yolei: Come on! Please? Spit him out this moment!

(The cyclops looks up and begins to turn around, when it stops for a brief moment.)

Davis: (OS) GATE… OPEN!!!

(Davis forces its jaws open.)

Davis: MEGA WHIRLWIND THROW!!

(Davis grabs onto its neck and whips it around, pulling it over Davis’s head and flat on the ground. Davis ends up standing on top of the now unconscious cyclops.)

Davis: One, two, three- pin!

(Davis hops down and smiles.)

Davis: I told ya I was a Gatekeeper!

(Yolei spreads her arms out, totally turned on by that.)

Yolei: (euphoric) Take me now.

(Davis does so, picking her up and running off with her.)

Davis: Now this is the kind of ending I like!

 

(Ken is smiling at the Gate Robot.)
Ken: So… trying to save the princess, huh? You’ll fail. As all parasites do eventually. Anyway… as much as I’d love to battle you, I have some work to do.

(Ken raises a hand.)

Ken: I have decreed that sunlight is too good for you parasites. Therefore- I am taking it away. Hope you have a nightlight!

(A beam of energy shoots out of Ken’s hand, and the sky is suddenly littered with black Invaders, combining to form a barrier preventing any light from getting through the city. The streetlights come on as TK charges.)

Ken: All right, all right…

(The dark robot pops in out of nowhere. Ken jumps in and the battle begins.)

 

(Meanwhile, Rika is still working on Kari.)
Rika: It seems that you like Takaishi. Why is that? You know he does nothing but mistreat you. You deserve better, Kari. If he’s not going to reciprocate your feelings, he’s not worth you. If he refuses to love you… then he must be destroyed.

(Kari’s eyes start to flash black. Rika smiles.)

 

(Back at the battle, TK charges, but Ken counters easily and starts pounding TK’s robot.)
Ken: I’m surprised you were able to fix it, but there’s still one problem- I’m still stronger than you. SHADOW’S EDGE!

(Ken’s attack nearly disables the engine, and destroys most of the frame. The white robot falls to its knees. Ken smiles.)

Ken: Don’t you get it yet? The reason the Invaders win is that they are merely an evolved version of human hatred. You parasites have enough anger within that you created them. And now- you’re going to be destroyed by them. No matter how many times you repel their attacks, they will always bounce back, because there is always an abundance of human hatred.

(The newscaster heard all of that. He turns to the camera.)

Newscaster: Well, there you have it. Our beloved Ken is a manifestation of human hatred. We backed the wrong horse, and we’re all going to die because of it. We’ll keep the video running, so you can see the good guys lose. Meanwhile, I’m going to run off and repent. Have a nice day!

(Inside the robot, TK is still determined.)

TK: I can still do this… I can still defeat you Ken!

Ken: (VO) Not without this you can’t!

(Ken rips out the Gate Engine from the robot and throws it on the ground.)

TK: Hey! I need that!

(A further beating completely disables TK’s robot, exposing TK to open air. TK jumps out before Ken can blow the whole thing up. TK runs over to the disabled engine.)

TK: Hey! You’re symbolic of my Dad’s legacy!! What’s the big deal? Wake up and work!

(It dies completely. Ken begins laughing.)

Ken: (VO) Okay, okay, okay… we’ll do this a different way. Rika!

(Rika and Kari appear through the door.)

TK: Kari!

(Kari is staring blankly at TK.)

Kari: TK… you… you…

TK: Yes?

Kari: You must be destroyed.

TK: What?? What did I ever do to you?

Rika: Nothing. You’ve never done anything for her. She was in love with you and you treated her like dirt. Therefore- you must be destroyed.

Kari: (blank) Gate… open.

(A dark gate opens. Kari reaches for a bow and arrow.)

TK: Hold on a minute! I didn’t know you loved me! There was absolutely no foreshadowing about that!!

(Rika scoffs)

Rika: What, you thought that episode with Mimi’s fiancé was meaningless filler?

TK: Well… yeah!

(Kari aims her arrow.)

Ken: (VO) TK, you’re about to experience the Gate of Darkness… and I do believe it’s going to hurt like hell.

(TK looks up at Ken.)

TK: (sarcastic) No kidding… and here I thought it would make me Warp-Digivolve.

(TK turns back towards Kari.)

TK: Look, Kari, I know I wasn’t exactly being open about it, but it’s not like I don’t care about you! I mean, remember all that stuff with Michael and them. When those three were getting their asses kicked…

Michael: (OS, offended) Hey!

TK: I rushed in to save you. I didn’t care about those three- I just wanted to make sure you were safe.

Catherine: (OS) Aw, now my feelings are hurt.

Ken: (VO) Centipedes- keep the peanut gallery busy. We’re in the middle of something.

TK: Thanks, Ken. Anyway- how can you say that I don’t care about you? We’re a team. We have to stick together. We all have to care about each other no matter what. Even besides that, I would never want to see you hurt. I care about you more than anything else in the world.

(Kari fires the arrow.)

TK: Hey! Didn’t you hear me?? I just said… okay, fine I’m trying to imply that…

(The arrow is nearing TK.)

TK: Kari- I love you!

(The arrow is still on course, but disappears right before entering TK’s body. Something starts to glow over TK’s head.)

TK: Light… of life?

(Kari drops the bow, and falls to the ground. TK runs up just in time to catch her.)

TK: Kari?? Kari??

Ken: (VO) Rika, what the hell just happened?

(Rika shrugs her shoulders and turns towards Ken.)

Rika: Shoot- the whole hating TK thing was all I could come up with. You know- she’s actually a pretty sincere girl. I was quite surprised. I knew the TK angle was going to be a long-shot, and now that he confessed his feelings, that plan’s shot to hell.

(Rika starts to walk away.)

Rika: Well, I’m going to get something to eat, should I get you something?

Ken: (VO) But… how am I supposed to destroy TK?!

Rika: Let’s see… I don’t know; I hope you and your *giant robot* can figure it out!

Ken: (VO) Ah… right. Giant robot. Thank you.

(Ken sees TK walking slowly towards the robot.)

Ken: (annoyed) What now?

TK: Ken! This is where it ends. You’ve gone too far. There’s no way anybody’s going to stand for this any longer. Even if you strike me down, the others will stop you. You are no match for all of us combined!

(Ken smiles.)

Ken: Sticks and stones may break my bones, but…

TK: Exactly- GATE OPEN!!!

(TK pulls out the kendo stick and charges after the robot.)

Ken: What do you honestly expect to do with a piece of wood?

TK: VACUUM MISSILE!!

(TK is clearly pissed off, and is generating a lot of energy as he strikes the “head” of the robot. The energy begins to overwhelm everything… and scores a direct hit. The blast destroys the robot completely. As a result, the Invaders in the vicinity begin to lose control. A vortex appears above the Invaders obstructing the sun. Immediately, everything begins to fly up and inside it, including the robot’s frame. To make sure nobody gets sucked in, Davis is protecting Yolei, Sora, Izzy, and Cody. Rika is also protecting Kari. Meanwhile, TK has a hold of Ken’s collar.)

Ken: Wow. I lost… how ‘bout that?

TK: Okay, Ken, last chance- you have a good side deep down, and this is time for you to let it out before you get sucked into nothingness.

(Ken smiles.)

TK: Ken?

Ken: This is my true self now. If you destroy Shadow… you destroy me…

TK: Ken!

(Ken shakes off TK and flies up towards the vortex. TK, meanwhile, falls down to the ground, hard.)

 

(Kari has finally woken up, and sees TK, not moving on the ground.)
Kari: TK??

(Kari crawls over towards TK.)

Kari: TK… TK… are you dead?

(Dramatic pause before TK slowly opens his eyes.)

TK: Damn… if being stupid is the only way to win… I’m retiring after this.

(Kari smiles as TK gets up.)

TK: Well… welcome back.

(Kari hugs him. TK smiles and receives it. It doesn’t last long, however, as Davis, Yolei, Sora, Izzy, and Cody run in, separate them, and start celebrating like there’s no tomorrow. Izzy, Cody, and Sora are even armed with noisemakers. Away from the joyous occasion, Rika looks on longingly.)

Rika: Am I… supposed to join them or not?

(Ryo appears out of nowhere.)

Ryo: I don’t think so. We’re kinda the oddballs, you know?

Rika: I’m talking about my acts of complete betrayal, especially since I never really redeemed myself.

Ryo: Well I know I can’t celebrate. I’m still stuck with that character that asks all the weird questions that nobody has answers to.

Rika: (scoffs) Like what?

(Ryo looks at Rika for a second.)

Rika: C’mon snowboy, ask me something I can’t answer.

(Ryo smiles.)

Ryo: Do I make you horny, baby?

Rika: W… what?

(Ryo disappears.)

Rika: I… I don’t get it.

 

(Joe and Mimi are observing the celebration, smiles on both of their faces- even if Mimi’s still happy because she has the bazooka. Michael, Jun, and Catherine walk up to the two.)
Michael: So the Invaders have been completely destroyed?

Joe: For the most part. We can’t completely destroy them. It’s one of those “darkness needs to balance out the light” things.

Mimi: But we sure took them to school today. Yee ha!

(Mimi fires the bazooka into the air.)

Joe: I’m sure without a leader, they’ll be dormant for a good twenty years.

Jun: Damn!

Catherine: But Jun, that’s good.

Jun: No it isn’t- it means we’re out of a job.

Joe: Uh… oh shoot… you’re right. I just lost my job because we succeeded! Stupid TK!!

 

(Back at the celebration, Sora and Yolei have Kari off to the side.)
Yolei: Well, you saved the day. Therefore there’s just one more thing you gotta do… you know what it is!

Sora: Do it Rockapella!

Yolei: Um… no. Kari… you’ve gotta kiss him.

Kari: What?

Sora: Yeah! You have to kiss him! It’s the perfect ending!

Kari: But… but…

(Kari turns around quickly. She sees TK. He stumbles upon seeing her. Sora and Yolei smile, then give Kari a gentle push in his direction. They fall towards each other and open their mouths. They come closer… and closer… until finally…)

Tai: (OS) Cut!!

(TK is about ready to fall into the kiss, but Kari abruptly stands up and walks off, smiling very cheerfully.)

Kari: All right!

(Tai joins Kari and gives her a high-five.)

Tai: Good work! After all that, we finally did it!

(The others, this time including Ryo and Rika, start to congratulate one another on a job well done. TK remains frozen in his position, still waiting for the kiss.)

TK: Uh… uh… hey…

Tai: (to the whole group) Hey everybody- I just want to congratulate you all for a job well done! This was a lot of work, but we all stepped up and made this the best damn project I ever directed.

Sora: Yeah, I suppose this was better than that Nativity play in the third grade.

Tai: And it’s only going to get more better when we do…

(Tai pulls out a scroll and unrolls it, revealing a poster for a new anime.)

Tai: “Gatekeepers 21!!” With a completely different cast!!

(Everybody stops and stares at Tai, mouth agape.)

Cody: A completely…

Joe: Different…

Yolei: Cast??

Tai: Well… except for Ryo, of course. As always, he’s the only one that crosses over.

(Tai admires the poster.)

Tai: So… meet here next week?

(Tai looks around- everybody’s making a break for the door.)

Tai: No??!! Okay, then, let’s do a different series! How about “Noir?” You can kill each other! If we did “Lain” Jeri’s agent promised me at least the puppet! How about we talk to the Pokémon and Cardcaptor guys and do “Angelic Layer!” Hello??

(By now, they have all escaped. Tai drops the poster.)

Tai: Oh well…

Ken: (OS, meek) Um… Tai…

(Tai looks upwards and smiles.)

Tai: How’s it hanging up there, Ken?

Ken: (OS) Uh… fine… could you, uh… get me down?

Tai: Um… uh… er…

(Tai stares up at Ken for a second.)

Tai: TK, you better call the fire department.

(Tai looks over at TK… he’s still frozen, waiting to kiss Kari. Tai reaches over and grabs TK’s kendo stick. He pokes TK… TK falls over. Tai panics for a second and drops the stick. He looks at TK, lying on the floor, and then back up at Ken. Finally he decides to make his move- Tai puts his hands in his pockets and walks away, whistling the theme to “Azumanga Daioh.”)

The End

 

Author’s Notes
Well, that’s it- this fic will self destruct in eighty seconds.

Seriously though, thanks for allowing me to indulge in what had always been a stupid little project on the side. I’m glad so many people liked it… although I probably won’t be planning any sort of sequel for a long time, if ever. I will point out that there really is a “Gatekeepers 21,” and that only Ryo and Ken’s characters are in the spotlight… at least according to their website. I haven’t seen it myself.

Well, I managed to avoid Evangelion this time (which is pretty amazing considering that Ken’s way of going out can be likened to Kaworu’s departure.), but the anime references were still abound. I consider the InuYasha reference fair game, since it’s now on television, with its awesome opening theme song intact. Of course… I referred to it in “The Mole: Anime Edition” almost two years ago… I was never one for “fair game.”

Il Palazzo is a reference to the beloved evil mastermind plotting to take over the world in “Excel Saga.” He too has a secret base under Tokyo!

The anime references in the end are more fun when you know the following: Lain is not only a very, very strange anime, but Jeri shares a voice actress with the title character. Also, Angelic Layer is an anime written by the same people who did Cardcaptor Sakura, but with a plot that tends to follow the same lines as Pokemon. Finally, Azumanga Daioh is just a very weird anime with a very cute and catchy opening theme song entitled “Soramimi Cake.” Don’t ask…

I also had references to Star Wars, Austin Powers, a Pink Floyd song, and an old PBS game show… but for some reason I feel no obligation to explain those.

In case you reinforce the American stereotype of not knowing a damn thing about the rest of the world, Tony Blair is the Prime Minister of Great Britain and you deserve to be shot.

Finally, most of the questions you have can be answered with “Yes- that really happens in the series.” I’m into Daiyako anyway, so it’s all good.