Hi everyone. Just a quickie I conjured up after watching "Samurai Forever", which aired in Brazil last week. If you have NOT seen the episode, you may want to give this one a miss until you've seen it as it reveals a MAJOR spoiler. This is also my own take on how the "Shinkenbrown" story would have unfolded PR-style. Hope you enjoy it.
-Zarius
POWER RANGERS SUPER SAMURAI:
"NAILING SPIKE"
WRITTEN BY ZARIUS
It had been a busy year for Spike Skullovitch.
Hanging out with his down-on-his-luck Uncle Bulk in Panorama City, shacked up in a shoddy "clubhouse" with minimal heating and lack of real comfort, "learning" the ways of the Samurai under Bulk's tutelage, all to follow in the footsteps of the legendary Power Rangers, whom his uncle idolized.
In a year of ups and downs for the city they were living in, Bulk and Spike's odyssey produced mostly middles. Neither of them really did achieve much from their mission statement.
And now he had to give his father an assessment of all that.
So here he was, on a lush, luxury flight back home, with the swank and Sauvé flight attendents hard at work supplying him with as much Cherry Chocolate Coke as his sugar-starved stomach could intake, followed by a helping of popcorn cake.
A year of living off a balanced "Samurai" diet had been trying for this young pup, but now he was keen to start barking with indulgence.
A few meters away from him, his father, Eugene "Skull" Skullovitch, skilled pianist, was hard at work on a small laptop, putting together the notes for a unique symphony he had been developing with his writing partners.
Piano playing had long been a private hobby for Skullovitch, amd had rarely unveiled his gifts in public. He was eventually persuaded to by one of his high school associates, and on that day he marvelled many in the audience. He thought that one striking performance would be all that would be seen of his gifts…but time and the ever changing social climate would see that his one performance would last long in the memory, as someone had been video-taping his virtuoso experience, and, years later, it went viral.
More people took notice, and, to be of exact importance, more bigwig music executives took notice, all wanting a piece of the pie. They would sweep him away from the rigorous ordeals of operating a lively bar with his friend and take him and his wife across the world. Spike was lucky to have been raised in luxury for most of his life….
…But that didn't sit well with Skull.
Skull was a success because fortune favoured him. He didn't seek it out, he was once content with being one of the many citizens who heroically stood up to those who had lay siege to Angel Grove in the 1990s.
"THERE was a gnarly time", Skull thought to himself in the early days of his whirlwind success, "Me and Bulkie were real..well…we were just "real", know what I mean? No more clowning around, walking around like lively losers, we stepped up to the plate and took on the world…"
It was a moment of decision. A moment that defined their career paths for years to come.
While Bulk took to the stars on board the space colony Terra Venture, Skull, in between meeting the love of his life and perfecting his piano practise in private, invested wisely with a large bit of property. With a combination of his own expertise gathered from hanging around the ins and outs of Juice Bars and the backing of a retired, aspiring palaeontologist, Skull created "Bulkmiers", Angel Grove's latest, and most "happening" habitat.
Why the name "Bulkmiers?" instead of "Skulls'?", because Skull knew the person who brought him to the dance deserved to have a ballroom.
When Bulk returned, he was given the keys to the ship. Things went smoothly for a few years…until the money dried up. The palaeontologist moved elsewhere and peddled his wares in other projects, Bulk was left with mounting debts and increased competition from the very Juice bars he and Skull had populated when they were younger
Any normal man would feel tremendous guilt for having built up a kingdom, and then watch it fall. Any normal man may even have held complete resentment for the man that had lost all that he had gambled on, but not Skull. Skull didn't see a victim or a failure.
He saw a hero.
Bulk didn't take the financial crippling to heart, he vowed to make a life for himself however simple the circumstances, however poor a condition he was in. He wasn't going to play the clown. He vowed to be like the heroes of his younger, more valiant days, those that had made a stand against insurmountable odds and had won. He vowed to be like them
He vowed to be like the Power Rangers.
Skull couldn't help but admire that.
And when Bulk made his intentions clear, that he was going to train to become a highly skilled warrior that could step in and champion the cause of the unfortunate, the needy, to understand the many meanings of "enlightenment" and the enriching sensation of living each day with a self of self-fulfilment. Skull knew this was exactly what his son desperately needed out of life.
For all the care and spoils he had provided Spike, Skull had never truly been able to "nail" Spike. He had never quite understood what made Spike so…uniquely challenged.
So, while he went off on a year long tour putting his musical talents up for worldwide consumption, he asked Bulk to look after Spike and teach him how to be just as fulfilled…there was one other reason, but he was keeping that a surprise.
For now the time had come to put aside his work and lavish undivided attention on his son. Skull leapt out of his seat and headed over to where Spike was seated. Upon sitting down, he immediately helped himself to the popcorn cake
"So…tell me everything" Skull said, popping a handful of the popcorn into his mouth
"What's there to tell pop? Spike replied.
Skull was befuddled.
"C'mon, you spent a whole year with my bestest buddy, you must have picked up something"
"Oh I totally did Pop…" Spike replied, dipping his face into the popcorn cake and scooping up a mouthful of the loose contents.
"So what was it?" Skull pressured
"A ton of quarters and cents" Spike answered. "You will not believe how loose the change is in that city, people drop their cash and other things when there ducking the monster attacks ,sometimes even their wallets get thrown about…"
Skull gave his son a disapproving glare
"Don't get any funny ideas pop, Bulk and I always returned people's wallets to them" Spike added, putting his father's fears, and faith, to rest
"That's it? That's all you learned…how to pick a penny or two?" Skull probed. Spike stared awkwardly at the popcorn cake, now being mostly digested by Skull at a rapid pace.
"Can I get a bit of that pop?" Spike asked. Skull, detecting Spike's urgings, decided to make a challenge out of it
"Gimme a memory" he said. Spike didn't get it.
"Memory?" he asked
"Best memory. Of the whole experience. It can be about anything, but it has to mean something. If it's good enough, you'll get the rest of this" Skull revealed, pointing to the cake.
Spike thought long and hard…and for him, it was always so, so hard to think
As he had thought to himself earlier…there really hadn't been any big twists in the long winding road for him and Uncle Bulk. They had tried learning from a master mentor, but were put through their paces by an intimidating female drill sergeant, Spike didn't want his dad knowing THAT part. Not yet anyway. His mother wouldn't mind being told that tale thought, she was all about the "empowering female" aspect. Helped her a great deal in games.
He knew Skull expected an answer though, a SENSATIONAL answer, and he had to give him one.
So he decided to tell him the one story his uncle Bulk, modest to the end, would never tell him.
"My best memory was when me and Uncle Bulk helped out the Power Rangers" Spike revealed.
Skull let out his trademark howl of hyena-like laughter.
"Seriously" Spike affirmed. Skull cut his laugh off in accordance with Spike's sincerity.
"Go on then" Skull said, giving Spike the seal of approval to continue.
"Started out like a big right off the bat, Uncle Bulk had taken photos of all the handbags and items dropped during monster attacks and put them all on posters. We started putting them up all over the city. If someone saw the photos and recognized their lost property, they'd call our contact number at the bottom and we'd give 'em it back. I told Uncle Bulk "hey, we could cut a few cha-chings out of this..y'know…make money"
"He didn't bite?" Skull asked. Spike nodded. Skull smiled.
"Something about Samurai being of generous spirit" he continued, "Anyway, we were out there putting up those posters when Uncle Bulk spotted this sweet defence kit going for $30 in a store, protective helmet, bullet-proof vest, the work. We had the money for it, it's just…it was someone else's money we had, so using that was a big no-no."
As he was talking, Spike's fingers etched ever so closely to the popcorn cake, only to be smacked by an ever attentive Skull. Spike continued, realizing his efforts to sneek in a snack were futile.
"Yeah, we were defiantly strapped for cash….then, out of nowhere…." Spike began, but fell silent. He motioned for his dad to come closer. Skull leaned forward. Closer Spike beckoned. Skull let his curiosity get the best of him.
"a monster attacked" Spike yelled Skull fell back into his seat in sheer startlement. Spike let out the same high-pitched he inherited from his father. Skull's stern face immediately brought the laughter to a cruel and awkward stop.
His bit of fun over, Spike continued the story. The story of a Nighlok attack in the heart of the city. A powerful beast sporting a huge trunk-like snout that could produce vast torrents of fire. At will, it could also turn into a ball of light, ablaze with energy, and catapult itself across the streets, inflicting damage around anything it landed on. The citizens were lucky that it had taken the time to play with them rather than make a concerted effort to rain destruction down on them. Instead it projected itself on various shops around the town center, tearing through glass windows, roughing up the store's contents, before blasting it's way through the entrance doors, reducing them to singed splinters.
The Nighlok was having so much fun, it would be ill folly to interrupt him now.
Enter the experts in divine intervention.
Just as Bulk and Spike were indulging the "calmly" art of making themselves scarse, they witnessed the arrival of the city's saviours. Standing in their typical grandiose pose, spin swords in hand, the Samurai Power Rangers were ready to deliver everyone from this latest threat
"Fire's out Roastan" exclaimed the Red Samurai Ranger, giving a name to the menace. This was not the first time they had confronted the Nighlok that particular day, but they intended this battle to be their last. To stop it in it's tracks.
"The Rangers were amazing. Didn't lose their cool at all…" Spike lamented to his father, struck with admiration
"And how were you?" Skull asked
"I…was…I was rubbish" Spike said, a little saddened, as he revealed that, in his state of panic, he didn't have time to process where he was going, he took one brief glance back at his Uncle to see if he was hot on his tail, and by the time he looked back, he slipped forwards on a discarded banana peel lying on the ground, and crashed headfirst into a tight, compact rubbish bin
"Literally rubbish" Spike added.
Immediately, Spike tried to free himself, but he remained trapped. Eventually, he was able to press his feet down on the ground, bringing the whole bin up, still covering him from the head all the way down to the waist/. Trapped in the bin, Spike could only HEAR what was transpiring around him. He could hear the Samurai Rangers yell out instructions to one another as they coordinated their attack against The Nighlok.
Bulk could see Spike was in trouble, in his vain attempts to twist his body out of the bin, he had fallen right back down again. His only glimpse into the visible world was through a small hole in the middle, Spike dug his fingers into it, bending bits of the loose metal to extend the hole and see what was going on.
Bulk tried walking over to where Spike was and help free him from the bin, but Roastan was quick to spot him, and, through it's trunk blew out an intense flaming current that cut Bulk off from his nephew.
"Just where do you think you're going fat boy?" Roastan hissed. Bulk took a few steps backwards, shielding his eyes with his arms as the flames intensified, he sought a way around the seemingly impenetrable dam of fire.
"What's the matter? Lost in the heat of the moment?" Roastan again taunted, before being distracted by a coordinated attack by the Samurai Rangers.
As they struck left and right at the Nighlok in a fluent attack formation, Bulk realized his window to help the struggling Spike was closing…Roastan wouldn't be fixated on the Rangers forever, and Spike could barely see where he was going, and was wandering further into the danger zone.
. Bulk rationalized that to save Spike, he needed additional protection.
Suddenly, something caught his eye.
There, exposed in the shattered remains of a shop previously ravished by Roastan, was the self-defence kit, Bulk had earlier craved, perfectly preserved, fitted to a display dummy that was lying amidst the debris.
Spike continued to try and make some of his surroundings by staring through the tattered hole in the bin, he caught a glimpse of the unfolding battle between the Nighlok and the Samurai Rangers
The Blue and Yellow Rangers stood next to each other and raised their arms outwards, clasping them together.
The Red Samurai Ranger dashed towards the two, jumped onto their joint hands, and leapt from them, he raised his blade high, and tried to bring it crashing down on Roastan, but the Nighlok quickly trans-mutated into it's energy form and catapulted itself into the Ranger, torpedoing his valiant attack. Transforming back ,Roastan dropped down to Earth and tossed around the Yellow and Blue Rangers as soon as they became distracted by the sight of their stricken leader falling back to the ground in pain.
With three of their number down, the Green and Pink Rangers were left on their own to combat the threat. The line was drawn as the three stood off, they circled around one another, with the two Rangers hoping for a window to open and allow one of them to attack.
Such tension would unnerve any normal human being, but the Rangers were never quite that.
Suddenly, like a living tumbleweed, Spike came crashing into the picture, greatly amusing the Nighlok as he flimsily paraded around the danger zone in maverick, scatterbrained directions.
"Take care of that guy will you?" He instructed. Pink ran over to the stricken Spike, still trying to work his way out of the bin.
Roastan, however, wasn't about to let any hapless citizen get a free pass and let out another torrent of flame at the Pink Ranger just as she was about to reach Spike.
"You're not cooling me off Rangers, I'm just getting fired up" Roastan joked
"This Nighlok thinks he's even on fire in the stand-up routine" The Green Ranger remarked.
By now the remaining Rangers had recovered from Roastan's attack and had rushed back over to their friends
"What's the situation?" The Red Ranger asked his team-mates. Green reluctantly pointed to the wandering weed that was still crashing about the scene.
"We've got to cover that citizen until he frees himself" The Pink Ranger noted.
"We need to put this Nighlok away" The Yellow Ranger advised, "We can't afford to..."
"Leave Spike to me" came a voice from behind them, the Rangers turned around, and were greeted by a ridiculous looking obese man dressed out in a self-defence kit that barely fitted around him, his head a little too big for the safety helmet, in his hand was a kendo stick.
It was Bulk. Standing ready, dressed for combat.
"What colour are you supposed to be?" The Nighlok asked.
Bulk took a gander at the colour of his flame-resistant vest and his safety helmet and answered back.
"Erm…Brown!" he replied, bravely moving forward
"Sir, move away" The Blue Ranger cautioned, "that thing is dangerous"
"Don't worry about me, I'm a fellow Samurai" Bulk proudly boasted.
"How much experience do you have?" The Green Ranger asked him
"Ten minutes, but I was a fast learner" Bulk replied. The Green Ranger buried his right hand in his face.
"I think you'd best leave Roastan to us citizen" the Red Ranger advised, and stood in front of Bulk to best shield him from further attacks.
"Hey, I'm not through with Mr. Brown yet, let's see just how well that gear of his can
Roastan turned into his energy form again and blazed through the Rangers to try and get to Bulk, Bulk stood firm and tried swinging his kendo stick at the ablaze ball of fire, he only succeeded in setting his weapon on fire. Panicked, he tried blowing out with his breath, before throwing it to the floor. Roastan reformed and grabbed Bulk by the throat.
"This'll teach you for giving me the stick" Roastan quipped, tightening his grip on the helpless man's neck.
"Oh no!" The Yellow Ranger yelled out.
"Stop" The Blue Ranger protested
It seemed nothing could be done.
Spike, trying to see what was going on through that small hole in the side of the bin, again tripped over his feet. Frustrated with his own clumsiness in light of what was happening to his Uncle, Spike threw a fit, trying to jump up and down, and taking to rolling the bin on the ground, desperately trying to pry himself loose.
His efforts would turn the tide, by turning him into one. In one monumentus turn, Spike catapulted himself across the street into Roastan's direction at breakneck speed, catching the Nighlok unawares and catching it's legs, sending it careering to the ground. Spike's momentum kept the bin rolling even after that. Spike was completely unaware of what he had just done, all he knew was he was still stuck.
As Roastan struggled to find his feet, the Rangers seized their opportunity. Just as the Nighlok got up, he was met with a swift barrage of attacks as fluent as a lightning strike
With the quickness of a lighting strike, the Rangers swiftly moved in for the kill, Spike's distraction had given them all the time they needed. After scoring several individually charged hits on Roastan, the Rangers gathered again and assembled another mighty weapon. Neither Bulk or Spike knew the name of it, but it looked impressive.
"On 3...1...2..." The Red Ranger began, but was suddenly tapped on the shoulder by the Blue.
"I've got an idea…" he spoke and beckoned over to Bulk, Bulk pointed to himself, as if to say "me?"
"Citizen, how'd you like to get your own back on this Nighlok?" the Blue Ranger asked Bulk couldn't believe it. He wanted to be modest and decline, but knowing Spike was still in peril so long as he was trapped, he rose to the challenge
"t would be an honour fellow Samurai" Bulk said, putting one hand on the Red Ranger's shoulder.
"Oh brother" the Green Ranger said with a groan.
Aiming the mammoth weapon carefully, various power discs loaded into it, Bulk and the Red Ranger aimed the Ranger's device at Roastan
"On my command…3...2..." the Red Ranger began
"Fire" Bulk yelled. A fraction of a second too early.
"Better early than never" the Blue Ranger joked, as if trying to defend this as a good idea.
A current of bright blue destructive energy poured from the device and cut through Roastan, the Nighlok burst into a series of rapidly exploding sparks and fell down in defeat, erupting into flames of a more fatal kind as it did so.
Bulk yelled in triumph, even performing a bit of an exaggerative "victory boogie". His celebrations were cut short when he once again caught the sight of Spike stuck in the bin.
And this is where Spike brings his story to a close.
"That's when the Rangers helped me out of the bin, I saw the whole fight from inside it though. They were amazing. Especially the Pink one, she almost came to my rescue earlier. A Ranger, concerned about ME…"
Spike reflected, awash with a feel good feeling.
"And that was your best memory?" Skull asked.
"Yeah", Spike said, transfixed by the experience of meeting his crush once again….then, abruptly, he remembered what the subject was.
"Oh" he said, "Yeah, my fondest memory was totally what Uncle Bulk did…"
"Well, go on, eat your cake" Skull said, satisfied with Spike's story. Spike, however, no longer felt that hungry.
"What's wrong kid?" Skull asked, sensing something was up.
"It doesn't say much about me does it?" he repli3ed, "I mean…I was kinda pathetic out there, getting almost everyone in trouble, even the Rangers, and Uncle Bulk could have been fried savin' me. What does that say about me?"
He waited for Skull to reply, to say he agreed. Instead an excited, exuberant smile etched over his father's face
"I got it!" Skull exclaimed, pointing at Spike. "I've NAILED you, I totally know what makes you tick"
Spike was unnerved slightly by all the finger-pointing..
"What is it then" he asked
"You're lightning in a bottle" Skull explained, "You said it yourself, you go in looking like garbage to everyone and somewhere, deep down, you muster up this huge, courageous comeback that sweeps everyone off their feet"
Spike wanted to tell his dad that it was a little thing called "luck" that had saved the day, but it didn't look like Skull was willing to listen to that kind of thing. Now that he was in love with the results of the mishap. He was lost in his own world, a world where his son was the undisputed hero, a proud graduate of the school of life taught by his best friend Bulk.
"I got what your gimmick can be…your ring name. "ROLLING THUNDER", It's such a great hook. I'll pitch it to Rob, your new boss, when we touch down" Skull continued. Spike was floored
"BOSS?" he said, then instantly thought "RING NAME?" in equal disbelief.
"Yeah, for your new job…as an expertly-trained Samurai Wrestler in the S.W.F! You think all that was just to boost your noggin? You're gonna put all that training to the test against the mightiest mortal meatheads I can book you against. I can even stage a co-production, a wrestling match IN CONCERT. We'll make BILLIONS"
Spike sat there. Awe-struck. His whole journey had been mapped out, all this time his Uncle was preparing to break him into the big time…to bring him closer to his dad.
Lightning in a bottle.
Rolling Thunder.
Fair enough.
"I better call your mom, let her know we're on our way" Skull noted, taking out his cell phone and looking up a home phone number. As he looked, he asked his son one further question
"So, you were checking out the Pink Ranger?"
"Yeah, she's a real dream" Spike responded with love struck eyes, so transfixed he was by the notion of meeting her that the popcorn completely missed his mouth and dropped to the floor.
"I dunno what it is about the colour pink that I find so appealing…you don't suppose it runs in the family do you?" Spike asked.
"You have no idea" Skull replied