Recessional of the Red Dragons

This was a multi-universal crossover fic created by TheIkranRider. She came up with this idea inside an old, red notebook during 2013, soon after she managed to watch all 26 sessions of Cowboy Bebop since January. Back then, she didn't have a laptop to work with, as she lost it since December 12, 2012, due to her overly strict stepmom. Ikran soon lost the notebook itself as she found out and has been on hiatus for five years. Till Ikran was able to actually write it digitally! Her ideas came out easily, especially when she was including elements from other universes, Pokémon and Mega Man X.
== Prologue - The Death of Spike Spiegel ==
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Ikran's OC for the series, Trudy, found Spike dying as he was staggering to the entrance of the Red Dragon HQ in Tharsis. Several men witnessed it, and she desperately shoved them aside as he stopped, pointed his fingers like a gun, whispered, "Bang...!", and collapsed! Trudy was so distraught as she tried to awaken him, yet there was no response! She right then and there he was dying from all the bloody shot wounds, and he was rapidly losing life! Trudy was devastated, and never cared as the agents dragged away Spike's still body.
== Chapter 1 - The Nightmare Begins ==
Trudy was inside the Bebop, at her quiet, opaque room, shivering in her bed; it was that same feeling she kept having whenever she felt something evil nearby, mostly when she sensed Vicious. That bitter chill was crawling down her spine and throughout her body as she witnessed something terrifying! She was in another dark chamber, only this one had a golden, elaborate throne encased with so many gems! An elderly Oriental rose and commanded the agents to begin the ritual. Exotic drums were beaten as they repeated some kind of foreign mantra, while they lifted Spike's AND Vicious' lifeless bodies onto separate cots. Then, blood was drawn from the latter with a syringe, and then inserted into Spike's!! Moments later, he began to tremble and convulse as the men incantated louder and faster as the percussion was more intense! Then, as his body became limp, the ruckus ended...
Until they saw him startle and open his eyes!! Then they sneered as their master the resurrection was complete!!
Trudy woke up, horrified! And sometimes denied whether or not the vision was real! It was around 2am, and she grabbed her tablet to call her good friend, Mary, a Pokémon Trainer and Champion from Kanto, Japan! She was the oldest out of all her cousins, who were each Trainers and Champions of their corresponding regions. Trudy entrusted Mary, explaining to her that what she saw was real, and they both believed that dreams had meaning, rather than random fragments; she even doubted Jet would believe her as he seems more down-to-earth. Mary told her to go with her gut and explain what happened to him and Faye. Trudy was reluctant, but by the time Jet called her for breakfast, she was off.
== Chapter 2 - Return to Tharsis ==
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Jet, Faye, and Trudy were eating breakfast silently, as she was too nervous to tell her family what she found. This was actually their last because Jet has decided to escort Trudy and Faye back to Earth. The space cadet never wanted to go back to the slums, so Jet decided for her to live with her friend, Mary, in Kanto. While Faye shall return to the place where it was struck by meteors. By the time the meal was done, and when the Bebop turned toward a Warp Gate, Trudy decided to break the news - that she found Spike alive and resurrected, and they may find clues at the Syndicate's HQ, the skyscraper in Tharsis! Needless to say, Jet was appalled by the idea, as he rejected Trudy's suggestion since he never believed in dreams, as they were only fantasies and fragments of the mind. However... Faye decided to come along!
The Black Dog was indeed flabbergasted, but he let up a little. Thinking if they do happen to find Spike, he'll rip him a new one from what he'd done to the crew. So, the women took off inside Faye's Zipcraft, the Red Tail!
Everything was destroyed inside the fortress, both inside and out. Glass and blood were everywhere, and the lights and elevators had shut down. By the time they'd reached the topmost floor, they tried to search for evidence of Spike. Out of the darkness, though...
"Bang...!"
Spike emerged with her fingers drawn, and the women were ecstatic to see him; they mentioned that Jet can't wait to see him! He just stood like a statue, till Trudy queried he'd go with them to the Bebop. He obliged, only on one condition, the people he had come to see, was THEM! He drew out his Jericho and the girls grew frantic!! They never thought Spike'd turn on them!! He challenged them to a duel, and just milliseconds he shot it, they split! At times, they'd hid, then ambushed him one at a time! When one fell, the other took over, though Trudy was a lot weaker than Faye and wasn't coordinated nor skilled. Although, Spike did remember her signature move, as Trudy caught his leg as he kicked, tossed and spun him at the side, and he was impressed mentioning her title, "space cadet." Then, he kicked her, and she remained unconscious!! Spike then warned Faye that a war shall reach Mars within 72 hours. If they're spotted, he'll show no mercy! His master will be pleased! He shown his fingers like a gun again with a sneer, then disappeared into the shadows!
He then reported to his master on warning his former friends. He shall gather his men and prepare for the inevitable! Spike was indeed enthralled by this.
== Chapter 3 - Researching the Troops ==
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Hours later, Jet, Faye, and Trudy were recovering at a private hospital his old friend, Doc, was running. Although Trudy was the most banged up out of all of them. Jet stayed by her side, even as she woke up, being assured by Doc she'll recover soon. She uttered she felt has been hit by a lot of muskets, and Jet said he felt a lot worse. He also told her a war was coming, according to Faye, and three days was dwindling to two. Trudy then told Jet to get her tablet, and she gave him permission to enter it. He scanned the galaxy, zoomed onto Earth, then Japan, and came up with some profiles of Trudy's comrades. From the Pokémon Trainers, to the heroic Reploids, X and Zero!
After several minutes on researching, Jet was impressed by their history and achievements; it may prove that Earthlings won't be so primitive and soft, after all. Jet went back to Trudy with how proud he was with her distant friends, and they might stand a chance for the so-called interstellar war plotted by the Red Dragons. It was less than 48 hours by the time Trudy's swelling went down and she had enough strength to move. Jet wished for Doc luck and to find safety, perhaps even evacuate Mars when the time comes. They all left within the Bebop.
== Chapter 4 - The Good, the Bad, and the Mystical ==
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The Bebop was about to exit Mars to recruit Trudy's comrades for the upcoming Red Dragon War in less than 48 hrs. And Jet's old friend from the ISSP, Donnelly, was alarmed at that fact! He feared that not even the Interstellar Solar System Police'd be no match, especially since the Red Dragons are gathering in numbers from other planets and moons, even Calisto! Hell, they even got hands on more drugs and enhancements such as Red Eye as well! Jet hoped for the best. But before he left Mars, he decided to check on an old friend. With luck on his side, he was able to spot a small bonfire. And it led the Bebop to the Nomad Martian, Laughing Bull!
Jet and Trudy were delighted to see him, despite Laughing Bull calling Jet his irritated name, "Rolling Rock." He was intrigued with the youngster, Trudy. And then he saw something alarming in the flames. He said as someone's guardian star falls, the person dies. He began to see Spike's blue star fade, then be resurrected as a red one, and soon to fuse with another. He identified it as Striking Snake's, aka Vicious', star about to merge with Swimming Bird's! Almost like a mongoose to a snake! But instead of clashing with each other, they merged and there was a massive explosion, a supernova! According to Jet, since Trudy never understood astrology, a supernova could be powerful enough to destroy a universe! Laughing Bull stated that Spike's control by the Red Dragons may be permanent by the impending war! Trudy was very upset, then Laughing Bull made a confession: he said that he knew all this, upon Jet's suspicion, because he used to be a member of the Syndicate, specifically The Van! No wonder since they look, sit, and perform similar traits as the Indian does as they learned these techniques from him! Even resurrecting someone utilizing the black arts. He actually left discreetly and lived on the land, to be undetected. And someone else defected, Kim Yokushimo; he was the one controlling Spike, waiting for the Van, Mao, and Vicious to fall, hence no more control over the crime organization. Then...Laughing Bull saw another vision.
Stars were clustering together, one at the center was brighter and gathering the others. Then, he had a revelation that Trudy has been chosen to lead the War in their favor! He named her as the Wandering Star, on account of her mind never staying in one place, much like the bright star in the sky! He gave her a pointy pendant erected as a star, though she didn't come around. At first, Jet never wanted to believe it, but he became confident; it began to be her destiny! And so, they left aboard the Bebop, and Laughing Bull wished them the best.
== Chapter 5 - Exile on Earth ==
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The Bebop was heading to Earth via Warp Gate, and Faye visited Trudy in her dark room, still distraught over the facts that Laughing Bull was part of the Syndicate, and she grew more despondent that they may never get Spike back to normal. Suddenly, the ship shook violently! An alarm went off, meaning the vessel was under attack, by the Swordfish!! Spike was relentless as he fired onto the ship, breaking windows and disabling the wings. He warned them to never spread the word, and he wished to destroy them! But not before some reinforcements showed up!! While Trudy was in despair, she contacted each of her friends on Earth, and the Shuttle saved the crew, only temporarily as the Bebop was falling apart! Zero volunteered to keep Spike busy, while X entered a chute and gave the bounty hunters a fighting chance as he helped them evacuate. Faye and Trudy boarded the Red Tail, barely fitting with their belongings, and Jet hightailed at the Hammer Head, while X soared away with Zero before the Bebop exploded!
Jet was crushed as he lost his home and greatest creation, and Spike decided to spare them for now; even when he was impressed on dealing with 2 more formidable opponents. The guys introduced themselves to Faye and Jet, and little by little, they began to relate to the duo, even with their tragic pasts. Heck, Jet was impressed that Zero's loss of Iris and revenge over Sigma was similar to Spike's loss of Julia and obsession over Vicious. Plus, Trudy plead them not to kill Spike as she wished to bring him back somewhat, aside from details of the approaching war, nearing to 24 hours.
Soon, they finally arrive at Earth, and they landed at the Saffron City airport, where Mary was awaiting them! She led them thru the Viridian Forest to her homeland, Pallet Town, as she discussed with their misfortunes.
== Chapter 6 - Rallying up the Allies ==
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Mary, Jet, Faye, Trudy and the Maverick Hunters arrived at Pallet Town, and the bounty hunters were impressed of the docile creatures known as Pokémon as if they'd stepped into a different world. They stopped by her home a few feet away from Prof. Oak's lab, and they welcomed them there. She soon turned on the TV, where there were newsbreaks of the Red Dragon War at Mars as civilians were stocking up! This was becoming grimmer by the minute as it became true across the universe. An indigo eye peeked thru the window, and Faye shut the curtains! The creature grew irritated, then there was a knock, Mary opened it, and she shown everyone to her closest friends! Her Pokémon Team: Seedy (Venusaur), Sunny (Pidgeot), Moonlight (Butterfree), Daffodil (Pikachu), Amber (Vulpix), and Diadem (Dragonair). Trudy was excited to see them, then Mary's cousins shown up! Each girl introduced themselves, as well as discussed, the War. They all unanimously volunteered to participate, and the Reploids figured they needed some armor. So, they decided to lead everyone to THEIR homeland, Abel City!
While there, the heroes did receive some new armor and equipment, as well as a warm welcoming from many Reploids. Heck, X and Zero offered Trudy to stay in Iris' chamber, Faye with another room, and Jet having the Colonel's. They also said that tomorrow, some cementers would come to visit. Including...the kid hacker, Radical Edward, much to their dismay. They'd also been busy since the fall of Sigma, such as defending humanity as well as fighting back the endless meteors.
As X and Zero were settling down for the night, they came to the conclusion as to why the Red Dragons kept on reanimating their fallen agents, or even those they'd killed. They believed that as long as they shared the same blood type as Spike and Vicious, they'd continually be reanimated and follow the user's orders. Those that didn't match would simply be killed off. They hoped that the situation won't be so grim, especially determining Spike's fate on whether or not he'll be his normal self.
== Chapter 7 - Final Hours ==
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The Reploids woke up first, including X and Zero, and most of them weren't too happy with the arrival of Edward; one of them stated if she ever tries to use the advanced tach as playthings, she'll be banned!
Meanwhile, Trudy had a more...unusual dream, as she heard a music box playing a familiar tune in an opaque room. Then, there was a sudden whoosh of wind, or more like dust, and Trudy was shivering to the bone! Faye woke her up, worried of her condition. Then, the bounty hunters reunited with Edward, Macintire, Appledelhi, and Ein! To X and Trudy, his name sounded more like "apple deli," rather than the translated phrase in Turkish, check please.
They said the Reploids were excellent help cleaning up and taking care of the planet from the fatal meteors and space debris left by the damaged Warp Gate. And moments later, there was another visitor, Victoria Terpsichore, the galaxy-renowned trucker of the Heavy Metal Queen! Ein and Zeros didn't get along well, and she was pissed there had to be a dog! Apparently, since the War in Mars was building, truckers had to be put on hold; no matter since they can function as logistics for the cause. This couldn't come at a better time since they'll be more bodies for the Pokémon, Trainers, and even several Reploids; after all, most of them had never even been to space! Though for the Trainers, the closest they'd gotten was in the Rainbow Cloud.
Before they began their arrival to Mars, almost everyone settled down in Floccesy Ranch; most of the Pokémon played with Ein, Edward, and a few others.
Hours later, time was up, and the expedition was underway! This was supposed to be the time where Space Oddity by David Bowie would be heard, Trudy's own theme song! The Shuttle, Heavy Metal Queen, Hammerhead, and Red Tail went thru the black Warp Gates to avoid detection, especially from any pursuing Red Dragons even the Swordfish. They soon arrived back in Tharsis, and they needed a place to set up shop. Faye noticed Julia's wrecked Ferrari, and she suggested to stop at the devastated outlet. Victoria realized it used to be Anastasia's store, before she was killed. Jet also discussed not everyone would be involved in the fight for liability reasons, such as him, Macintire, Edward, Ein, Appledelhi, and Victoria and Zeros. Although there was one thing Trudy and Faye needed to do.
== Chapter 8 - The Eve of Destruction ==
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On the Red Tail, the women approached a devastated outlet store, the same one that used to house old beta tapes, including those that contained Faye's early memories. The owner was upset of the War, and some members of the Syndicate ransacked the place. One of the preserved possessions though was a small music box...which was the same one Trudy recognized from her dreams! Trudy instantly took it, and the women wished him to evacuate if the Red Dragons shall approach Tharsis again.
As they left, however...the shop owner just committed suicide.
Meanwhile, Edward was hacking into the system of the Syndicate's whereabouts, and she grew thrilled they're located in a big mountain! According to her monitor, it turned out to be near the summit of Olympus Mons, the highest mountain in all the universe, even with three Mount Everests stacked on top! The heroes theorized that the Dragons shall march thru Valles Marineris, the Grand Canyon of Mars, and they must be stopped before they should set foot in Tharsis, otherwise civilization would be dead!
Suddenly, Ein, X, and Zero detected activity, and Jet was immediately on the pursuit. When it came to the Black Dog, he'd never let a criminal out of his sights! As he followed him to a graveyard, with a dead rose in a puddle, he was ambushed by Spike!! Before they went into a deadly fray, though, Trudy stepped between them! She pleaded for Jet to not fight him, and for Spike to retain his deeper memories, listening to the familiar tune on the music box she found! She played it, it was actually Goodnight, Julia, and little by little Spike eased up. Memories of her came back to him in waves. Then a sniper immediately shot Trudy's chest!! Spike had a moment of hesitation as he was demanded to finish the duo! But his Jericho won't shoot. Before the sniper made his mark, Spike took the blow himself while he disabled the safety. The bullet actually ricocheted from her own star pendant, and Spike was shot with a dark bullet; the symptoms were supposed to symbolize death, and he then pleaded to Jet to end the nightmare! He promised when he wakes up, it'll all be over!
Jet, Trudy, and Spike made it back to the outlet, and the War was underway. The women wished the others luck, and the Reploids tagged along. They weren't kids anymore, they're now bounty hunters turned braves and Trainers turned infantrywomen on a mission.
== Chapter 9 - The War has Begun! ==
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And so, the Special Forces marched across enemy lines, with the Trainers' Flying-Types, and Zoroark disguised as Golurk. Castform made a neat disguise of the air forces soaring as a large dust cloud, while Rapidash was speedy as they whizzed thru some enemy agents. However, their progress screeched to a halt as Zero and X detected a deadly minefield. Mary had the idea on using Daffodil to create a light Thunderbolt and use the current to disable the explosives. Dedenne, Emolga, Zoroark as Minun, Pachirisu and the Reploids assisted! Then, they've marched across one of the two large craters, and came across some Red Dragons, helping the ISSP who're overmatched. With the drops of Red Eye, which according to X was a drug enhancing the senses for a short while, Jenny led the assault of the team's Mega Evolutions consisting of Lucario, Red Gyarados, Absol, Blastoise, Ampharos, Blaziken, and Pidgeot. They wiped them out no problem, since status ailments'd be too much for the clustering soldiers. Soon, some of the men fell, and Victoria arrived with reinforcements from the Reploids and supplies, as well as carrying the wounded away before they should be reanimated. Still, the fight was on, and over the crater, the heroes gathered their Flying-Types creating lethal windstorms, then gathering those who're capable of inflicting ailments like Poison, Paralysis, even Burns from Volcorona.
Finally, the Red Dragons had been wiped out, and the heroes decided to chance a short rest. Night fell, and everyone was asleep except Trudy, who had actually received a message from someone; at first, she thought she was seeing double, but it turned out to be the twins, Lin and Shin, who worked for the Syndicate! She was flabbergasted, though they did have an allegiance with Spike; with Lin he was loyal to Vicious, though he only shot Spike with a tranquillizer while he was searching for "Julia" which was a codename, a deal of Red Eye went awry, and he and Gren were killed. Shin was shot as they invaded the skyscraper base, before Spike confronted Vicious one last time. They assured her she's doing a great job progressing to the base, and their lost spirits'll rest soon. They then wished her luck as the bright star in the sky was clustering with other bodies, as they never stayed in one spot for long.
== Chapter 10 - The Infiltration of the Imperial Base ==
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Everyone finally reached the base of Olympus Mons, on their way to the Red Dragon base. Though, the Trainers, X and Zero activated their Fire Pokémon and skills to melt a large wall of ice. While they did, Trudy received another message from an apparition, Anastasia. Trudy was curious if she worked for the Syndicate since she knew so much, but her husband was tied to them, making her store as a target and revenue for the black market. Eventually, while Spike was holding sanctuary with Julia, both women got killed. Annie mentioned that Spike'd be whole if he were to reunite with his beloved, and... Trudy was starting to get a chill herself, like her first line. Faye snapped some capillaries to make her come to, and the way was clear! The Trainers used their Ice and Fire-Types to help climb the mountain, and utilize Castform for better weather conditions, while the infantry and those that can't stand the cold shall stay at the base of the slope.
Meanwhile, Eddie received a reading indicating the heroes making up Olympus Mons, and thru the ecstasy...the door was broken open from off its hinges, and in came Kim Yokushimo!! Jet immediately came at the defensive, especially when Kim needed his puppet Spike again; the Black Dog knew if he'd use Spike, he'd assign him to take out the Special Forces! Jet went all out, while Macintire, led by Appledelhi, carried the dastardly kid and dog away to a supply room. Then, the latter went out to the open rooftop, though the girl was frantic on saving Jet. Appledelhi then had an idea to save him as he found the firearm he dropped, the Walther P99; he figured he'd try and shoot Kim, even though he isn't a clear shot, on account of his limited mobility including his cybernetic arm.
Sure enough, Jet was losing a tough fight. He was vulnerable and losing strength to Kim's aggressiveness, even when he was crushing his trachea! Then, BAM! He was shot clear into his side temple, and he was bleeding profusely while Appledelhi helped Jet recover and signaled the party it was safe.
They received a signal from X that the tides of the war weren't turning in their favor. In fact, the guys were getting hammered by their firearms, the environment, their machine guns, and even the ridges! Faye shouted they were at a similar place to Hamburger Hill! Everyone was falling back, and switched to defense, while Zero and Zoroark, disguised as an agent, slipped thru and entered the base, which looked like the ancient Yellow Crane Tower in China. There was a bamboo lift, and they ascended as they took out more Dragons. As they'd reached a chamber described like the one in Trudy's nightmare, Zero noticed a female corpse being shifted to an incinerator on a cement slab; Zero knew it was Julia! He had a flashback when he had to face Iris in her betrayal and how he lost her as her Walker got destroyed at the Flying Weapon! He tackled her out of the way, then he scanned the place for any blueprints. He sliced the blood wires connected to Vicious supplying the Dragons with the tainted blood and downloaded the data for the resurrection. Next, they got trapped as more Dragons kept trying to bash thru!
==Chapter 11 - Peace's Price==
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As the heroes were losing hope and recruits, a miracle happened! Both the Light and Dark Stones began to illuminate in Lizzie and Beth's pockets. And the Dragons hesitated as they detected sudden movement. Incoming the Legendary Dragons of Unova, Reshiram and Zekrom!! There was literally no stopping the durable duo as they swiftly tossed the Dragons asunder or mangled them while the Special Forces advanced! Zero and Zoroark were still trapped inside Kim's chamber...till a gigantic chunk of ice fell at the other side and crushed some Dragons!! Zero used his fiery abilities to melt it...just to observe the mountain was starting to collapse!! To have the upper hand, the Dragons decided to skyrocket the temperature and melt the shield mountain in order to eradicate the agents! Although, it was too much damage to endure. The Special Forces panicked as they evacuated down the slope, and their lives were spared as the Heavy Metal Queen appeared! The weight of the Reploids slowed it down, and it was clobbered by another fallen chunk of ice! Zekrom managed to power up the interstellar truck enabling it to lift off, but...there was a price to pay as it and Reshiram offered to stay and hold back the avalanche! Lizzie and Beth begged them to come along, or at least be dismissed into their Stones, but they refused.
As the Heavy Metal Queen finally soared away with everyone but the Dragons in tow, they perished within the wreck as the powerful Olympus Mons collapsed completely and lost its formation. Everyone escaped, though Victoria, upon the impact, wasn't so lucky. She got impaled by the icy slab and she begged for Zero to use the syringe under her dying breath; she wished for Julia and Spike to be reunited as she would be with Ural. Zero used the syringe and drew in her blood moments before she passed.
Jet, Macintire, Appledelhi, Edward and Ein were ecstatic to see everyone, but it was short-lived since there were a few casualties, including some fallen members of the ISSP. They tuned into a newsbreak thanks to Eddie's monitor, and because of the extensive damage from Olympus Mons' demise, it caused the Dragons to surrender, winning the war!! Eventually, Zero inserted Victoria's O- blood into Julia, as he whispered the foreign spell into her ear; he described the codes were intriguing a human can use it, like a computer being hacked only it was a human mind!
Meanwhile, Spike was in limbo, and he still had a weak vessel, despite his fallen idols encouraging him to rise, including Shin and Lin, Roco, Annie, even his master, Mao Yenrai!! He no longer had the pressures on upholding the Dragons' legacy as they all had been destroyed, and he had the chance to reunite with the living, and Julia. Little by little, Julia came to first and Zero pleaded her to restore Spike back to the way he was and that she's the only one to end the nightmare once and for all. She soon did just that as she gave Spike a warm kiss, which slowly made him come to. They were of course reunited and the Trainers and Reploids decided to leave the planet. However, only Zero wanted to stay as he welcomed the chance to work as a bounty hunter and is a welcoming distraction from Sigma and working as a Maverick Hunter.
Then, Spike and Julia slowly mingled, pun intended.
== Epilogue - Blue Suede Skies ==
Six weeks later...
Annie's outlet was completely repaired. It actually became as Spike's and Julia's own personal quarters; they even offered Trudy to share it too for helping them be reunited. They still sold some goods, for the greater good. Faye actually lived in another apartment complex as one of the ISSP members passed on as she was taking care of Victoria's cat, Zeros; he was devastated from his owner's death, but he slowly opened up to her. Jet and Zero decided to rebuild the skyscraper base from the ground up, and since they lost the Bebop, they decided to erect it half its original size and as their official base! Also, the Trainers still mourned for the losses of Reshiram and Zekrom; though they thought they'd be resurrected since they were the embodiments to Kyurem. And it turned out that it was actually Striking Snake's star that had faded earlier during the assault, and Spike had his permanent control and death averted. However, Doc did a prognosis as Spike's mind hasn't been the same; he had been suffering from epilepsy and sometimes periods of unconsciousness and sometimes outbursts from the residue of the tainted blood. He has been cutting back on smoking and drinking though, only the latter on social occasions, and chewing nicotine gum to prevent cravings.
Better yet, Trudy, Julia and Spike tuned into the return of Big Shots; each veteran received a large sum as thanks for defending the galaxy from the rise of the Red Dragons and with their spendings decided to give the show a second wind; it's their source for bounties after all. Punch and Judy announced two new recruits to their ever-growing family of hunters, Julia and Zero! The flash was cut short as Jet announced a chance for their first new bounty since the cancellation. Trudy recommended to bring everyone into the mission, as they'd handle them as a family from now on.
Moments later, Trudy and Zero were heading back to Spike and Julia's flat, but...the binds were shut! Trudy then gazed into the blue sky which had rarely been seen on account of so much carbon in the atmosphere. Zero queried on what the future may hold. Trudy simply hollered joyfully, 
"The Sky's the Limit!"
== Trivia ==
* thumbIkran first got into the Bebop series as she heard rumors that one of her former favorite actors, Keanu Reeves, was starred to play as Spike Spiegel. But due to budget constraints, the project of the so-called Bebop movie was dropped. She was skeptical, as she was never into Westerns, but after hearing about it on Toonami, she decided to try it. Since January 2013, she coincidentally saw the first episode, Asteroid Blues, and she'd grown hooked ever since! Though...it was tough since it aired around 5am on Sundays...
* The coverart itself was done by accident; originally, it was done by her old, dead account on Fanfiction, and the cover represents not just the madeup logo of the Red Dragons Syndicate, but also blood being splattered. It was just a hot mess done right, and the dragon tattoo was actually used from Dauragon's own tattoo displayed on his back during his last phase as the final boss of The Bouncer.
* In addition, she used to have ideas jotted down on an old, red notebook that was about to be thrown out; however, her stepmom put her under so much scrutiny after she lost her computer in 2012, as well as the book too. It's been on hiatus till mid-2018.
* This is a post-epilogue fic, concluding the events from the finale, Real Folk Blues. Ikran can't stand some of the open endings like what should happen to Jet and Faye as well as the rest of the Syndicate.
* She decided to put in Pokémon and Mega Man X, inspired by ItionoBen's reviews of the series up to X4. As well as the Great Clement's LPs! X and X4 are considered her favorites! She also chose to add Pokémon, with pikaace's consent, and represent her Pokémon Trainer OCs (Mary, April, Marina, Crystal, Lizzie, Beth, and Jenny). They were good ways to help her cope with the angsts on what the weight of the finale left.
* Trudy, Ikran's OC, was chosen as a name representing spear maiden. Her shirt is significance that Ikran's favorite planet is Saturn due to its magnificent rings! Her age is 25, same one when Ikran got into the Bebop series. Her theme song happens to be Space Oddity by David Bowie.
* Speaking of the Bouncer, Spike Spiegel was casted as Steven Blum, the same legendary VA that played Kou Leifoh there! And much like the anime, he worked close with Wendy Lee who played as Faye Valentine, but also as PD-4 and Leann Caldwell. In addition, Steve's roles both played as moles, and someone who was brainwashed temporarily, such as Spike working for Kim, and Kou working for Dauragon and the neo-Yakuza in her Tetralogy, during the Yakuza Saga! Also, Michael Gregory was the voice that played as Volt Krueger and even Laughing Bull.
* At first Ikran wanted to make a fic of how Spike relates to Zero in so many ways: their tragic pasts, their losses, their vendettas against the enemy, etc. It was supposed to be a sort of resolution to a so-called love triangle, but she lost interest. Sadly, she lost inspiration for an origin session for Trudy on how she meets the Bebop crew with just Spike and Jet.
* The ideas for the fic were based on Jurassic Park, Big Trouble in Little China, Avatar, Armageddon, and Good Morning Vietnam. Even a brief excerpt from Dissidia 012 and Romeo & Juliet.
* Kim Yokushimo was an interesting villain, as he was loosely based on David Lopan from Big Trouble in Little China, and while his last name was made up, Kim's a unisex name meaning ruler, which can also be a bad inspiration from Kim, the head of SEK (Science Education Korea) and their totalitarian ways! Besides, Laughing Bull does have similar concepts with the Van from the Syndicate!
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