The Career's Fair was already well underway by the time Spike and Bulk arrived. He had called his friends to meet him, and found that just like him; their parents had already suggested they go. For Cody and Jimmy, it was likely to be somewhat of a waste of time, but going into Junior Year, Spike, Mal, Vicky and Melanie had all been told that what they learned there could give them a better idea of what they wanted to do once they left school, and give them ideas of what subjects they might want to take, and how to flesh out their resume's for when they started looking for work.

"Hey, look who's finally here!" Vicky greeted Spike, swallowing him up in a huge hug. "I was wondering if you were even coming!"

"Yeah, my uncle practically dragged me here." He told them. "He's parking the car right now."

"Well my folks frog-marched me here, but I'm actually having a pretty good time." Mal informed him, pulling some paperwork out of his bag. "I never knew how many colleges have drama scholarships!"

"Wait, drama scholarships?" Spike asked him. Mal just started shifting a little uncomfortably.

"Yeah, I kind of decided I might need to use all that dance training I did." He stated. "College is pretty expensive, even if I do get in somewhere I can commute to. I'm going to need some kind of scholarship, and I'm not exactly a sports' star."

"I figured it would be a good way to get by." Melanie added, putting an arm around Mal. "Since...well...you know, I had to look at other options too, so we're both going to see if we can make someone take notice on our admissions forms."

Spike just nodded as he heard this. Melanie's summer had been kind of rough. She had been let go from her job once news had broken about her dad's sentence for fraud, and until the interest from the newspapers died down, she had found it difficult and frustrating to find another. She had eventually managed to get a job stacking shelves at a local Target. The money wasn't great, and things were still a bit of a struggle, but things were finally starting to look a little brighter now that the media had other things to report on than her family's misfortune.

"Besides, it might be fun." Mal told them, holding her closely.

"I got a load of stuff too." Vicky informed Spike, showing him some leaflets. "I don't really know what I want to do, but there's so much stuff here, I'm bound to find something."

"Well, there's only one booth I really want to visit." Spike told them, gesturing to the Police Department's stand. "I'll be right back."

"We'll be waiting!" Vicky called after him as he headed over to the booth. He started to approach just as another kid was leaving with some flyers. The officer standing behind the desk saw him coming over and smiled.

"Good morning young man." He greeted him. "How can I help you today?"

At another part of the convention hall, the Rangers were taking a little time to look around and collect some information and ideas on what they might like to do if they ever found themselves in the situation that they were no longer needed to battle the Nighlock. They hadn't originally believed so, most of them thought that the whole idea of collecting leaflets was a silly idea that would not be even remotely like actually trying to get a job in the real world, they were actually finding the day rather interesting, and were pleasantly surprised by some of the ideas they had never even considered.

Emily was running around practically every stand, investigating colleges and courses that interested her, and practically every conceivable job she could think of to collect information. Her arms were already loaded with bags full of leaflets, booklets, posters and various merchandise such as complimentary pens, pads and bumper stickers. She, more than any of them seemed to be genuinely enthusiastic to see exactly what options she had to look forward to.

Mike was a lot more restrained. He tended to avoid the corporate tables and most of the jobs that would likely entail spending most of his time in an office. He was a very active, energetic guy. The very idea of him trying to sit still for a full day was enough to get any of his friends laughing their asses off. At best, he was energetic, at worst; he had the attention span of a goldfish! The point was, he was more interested in jobs that would see him out in the world, meeting people. He spent a fair amount of time with the manager of a local sports' centre, talking about the opportunities there.

Mia was always insistent on the fact that she wanted her Cinderella story. She wanted to marry her prince, and have a family, but she was also finding a lot of things appearing quite appealing to her. She knew that the white picket fence and large yard she had always envisioned having for her family would cost quite a bit, and had determined that even if she decided to stop working once the family thing happened, working for a few years at least would certainly open up their options. She had been working as a volunteer at a day care centre before her tenure as a Ranger, but she was surprised to learn that it put her in good stead for going into education or childcare full-time.

Kevin was concentrating all his efforts on the college tables and the sports centres. While he still had some hopes of training and possibly making it onto the US team for the 2016 Olympics, he had always kind of thought that one day, once he was finished competing, he would move into a coaching position as many former athletes did. He was checking out exactly what that entailed, and was filling out forms to find out more information on courses that would make that more likely. After all, while being a successful athlete would put him in a good position to work as a coach, he was certain that having a few related academic qualifications could certainly open doors and make it more of a career than a vocation.

Jayden already knew that once the war was over, he would never need to work. His family's means were such that he simply didn't need the money, but he was there more for Antonio, who was checking out tables related to restaurants and a couple of colleges. It seemed that Ji's suggestion about possibly opening a restaurant and expanding his business beyond the snack cart had struck a chord with him. Jayden followed him around, listening and taking the paperwork while Antonio talked with the people at the desk to hear exactly what running a restaurant entailed.

Serena's situation was different, and it wasn't just the situation with Terry, although that was what was weighing most heavily on her mind. She, like everyone else, knew that his dream always had been to become a doctor. It was pretty much the only thing he wanted to do, that much was clear from the moment he had come to the Shiba House. He was basically only at the career fair to get out of the house, something that was clear by his lack of interest in any of the stalls. The situation was quickly becoming impossible in the house, and she had to remind herself why she was there at all, something that was becoming progressively harder to do. There was something else playing on her mind though, something that until Ji sent them all on this fun little outing she had put to the back of her mind.

She had fallen ill towards the end of her time in High School, something which gravely affected her performance. She hadn't been stupid, not by a long shot, but the fact was that by the time all was said and done, her diploma was hardly anything special. It was one of the things that made her very self-conscious early in her relationship with Stephen. At Emily's suggestion, she had started an online course in palaeontology under Dr Tommy Oliver, but she hadn't even looked at her work in months. It was just another reminder of Stephen that she could live without, and she had found it impossible to motivate herself to go back to her studies.

She looked to the handful of flyers she had picked up and sighed. It wasn't as though she didn't have her reasons, but given the reaction of most of the vendors when she told them about her qualifications, and her extra-curricular activities, those that she COULD talk about anyway, it had quickly become apparent that her future seemed to lie in the wildly exciting fields of shelf-stacking, or burger-flipping. As Emily came galloping over, almost tripping over the monstrous pile of plastic bags running the length of each of her arms, Serena forced a smile.

"Well, it looks like someone's been busy." Serena commented. Emily just nodded excitedly.

"There's so much to choose from! When I was talking to the vendors, I just couldn't decide, but all of them seemed really helpful!" She rattled out in a voice that was running at a million miles an hour. "I see you've got some ideas too!"

"Yeah, I got a few leads." Serena said, shoving the leaflets away before Emily could see what they were. Emily was a bright kid. Finishing her diploma online, away from all the kids who constantly tore her down and made her feel worthless had meant that she had ended up with a pretty impressive score on her exams. It was little wonder that a lot of the vendors had opportunities they could offer her. She could see that Emily was excited about exactly how much the future excited Emily, and she didn't want to take that away by disappointing her. It wasn't Emily's fault her big sister, the perfect Golden Child that everyone looked up to had ended up a complete loser. "So, is there anything that you really liked the sound of?"

Just then, there was a loud crash as the doors flew in. Everyone turned to the door, seeing Dekker standing there. The Cursed Warrior strode inside, broken glass crunching under his boots as he went. His cloak whipped around him, and he had The Bane of Life clutched tightly in his hand. As he got inside the building, he looked around the awe-struck vendors and patrons. A couple of the cops at the Police Academy's table got up and started to head towards him, unclipping their holsters.

"No, don't..."

"It's alright kid; we're trained for this kind of thing." One of the cops silenced Spike, holding up a hand. He looked to Dekker, his hand on the handle of his gun. "Alright freak show, put down the sword and put your hands up."

Dekker just smiled, before a dark flame flared up around him, showing the terrified crowd that he was far from just a nutcase with a sword. The cops all started to slowly back away.

"Get out!" He stated flatly. A huge scream went up from the assembled crowd, as they, the cops, and the patrons all took his suggestion to heart and fled past him out of the building. Dekker stood, unflinching as they emptied the hall, leaving only the Rangers and Serena behind. They all formed up behind Jayden as he made his way forward.

"So, you're back." Jayden snapped. "What do you want this time Dekker? What game are you here to play?"

"No games this time Red Ranger." He answered. "You won't need your weapons today. I just wanted to put you on notice that I'm back, and I haven't forgotten about that re-match I've been waiting for."

"Fine, you've told us." Jayden replied. "Now get out of here!"

"All in good time." Dekker answered as he looked to the banner hanging over the entrance. He just let out a little laugh as he saw it, turning his attention back to them. "Career Fair? You knew I was still alive, you know that Xandred and the others are coming back, and yet you're attending a Career Fair?"

Jayden just tensed up as Dekker started to pace. He wished Dekker would just make a move and get it over with. He wanted his fight, why did he have to wait for it? Dekker just looked Jayden and the others up and down judgementally.

"Do any of you really think you have a future?" He asked them. "You all strive and reach for a life that you may never get to live."

"It's better than just living from one duel to the next!" Kevin sneered judgementally. "We have something you'll never have Dekker, something worth fighting for."

"Do you?" He asked, before looking to Mia. He saw her cast and nodded. "How's the wrist Pink Ranger?"

"I'll be healed soon." She informed him.

"I'm glad to hear it." He answered. "You can finally let this amateur get back to...whatever it is he does."

"I am standing right here!" Terry protested.

"Well, good for you." Dekker replied sarcastically. "Now, quiet down, the adults are talking."

Terry reached into his pocket, searching for his Samuraizer. Things had been building in him for some time. Between working to cover for Mia while she recovered, winning over the team and the situation with Serena, all while putting his own life on hold had all built up, starting to gnaw at his insides, eating away at him. Dekker simply looking past him, ignoring him just as Serena had was the last straw. He ran forward, morphing as he went.

"Terry!" Serena screamed as he flew at The Cursed Warrior. Terry's skill was no match for him though. With a move so quick, that even Antonio had trouble following it, he was disarmed, and crashed through a table, de-morphing as he went. Mia and Emily were quickly at his side.

Serena ran forward, snatching up his fallen Spin Sword, and swinging it for Dekker. He blocked the blow, before seizing her by the throat. He just shook his head.

"This sword is not yours." He taunted her as he shoved her away. He turned and started to walk away. "See to your friend. Perhaps by the time I come back, I will face a Samurai and not a substitute."

With that, he disappeared into a gap. Serena dropped Terry's Spin Sword and ran over to him as he started to stir.

"Terry!" She called out. "Is he..?"

"He's fine." Mia assured her, checking on her brother as he started to sit up. "The suit took the worst of it."

"Here, let me help you..." Her words were cut off as Terry slapped her hand away. Looking to her defiantly, he pulled himself to his feet with the wreckage of the table. "Terry..."

"It's a bit late to start pretending you care." He said coldly. "Besides, I'm just a second choice."

"Terry, I..."

"Don't patronise me Serena!" He yelled in a rage, causing her to back away from him slightly in shock. "Just...just...never mind."

With that, he stormed out of the hall, leaving the others dumbfounded by his reaction. His defeat had been quick, and rather dismissive, but the Rangers all knew how dangerous Dekker was. However, most of them knew it was more than that. Kevin, Mia, Emily and Mike had all seen the kiss between him and Serena. So far they hadn't managed to get them to talk about the incident, but by now they were certain that Terry was suffering a lot more than bruised pride over a quick defeat at Dekker's hands.

"Alright, what exactly was that all about?" Jayden asked.

"I...I..."

"No more stories Serena; I'm starting to get really sick of this." Jayden told her. "This is now affecting my team, so I want to know what this is, and I want to know right now!"

"Jayden, please." Emily interjected. "Maybe we shouldn't talk about it here."

"Emily, this has already..."

"Please." She begged him, giving him that look she seemed to have perfected, the one that melted hearts and often got Emily just what she wanted from the older residents of the Shiba House. Jayden just sighed.

"Fine, we'll talk about this at the house." He groaned. "But this needs to end Serena."

As they started to leave, Emily and Serena were at the back of the group. She gave Mike a little look, and a nod, communicating what was about to happen wordlessly. Without warning, she tripped Serena, dumping her on the floor just as the others got outside. Whipping out her Samuraizer, she cast forward a symbol, completely blocking the doorway with an impenetrable wall of rock. Serena just looked to her sister, seeing a look of rage on her face that just seemed so out of place for the Yellow Ranger. It was a look few ever saw, and all that rage was directed at her.

"Emily..."

"Jayden's right Serena, this shit's been going on for too long!" She screamed at her. "Now you're not leaving here until I know what the hell this is all about!"

"Emily, please...blmph!" Her words were muffled as Emily cast another power symbol, this time smacking her sister straight in the face with a large clod of mud. Serena spat out as much of it as she could, looking to Emily with tears in her eyes.

"I've tried to give you space, I've tried to just let you tell me what this thing with Terry is about, but now I'm just sick to death of it!" She snarled, holding up the Samuraizer menacingly. "I can keep this up all day Serena, you know I can, now start talking!"