Author's Note 1: Sorry for the lack of content in the few months, but the pad I write most of these stories with...kind of broke. So I'm doing all of the new chapters from a laptop and my brother's desktop, so it's a bit of an adjustment period. Plus, I've recently gotten a job at a local movie theater just to add to that adjustment theater.
Anyway, enough with my real life drama! Let's start the next chapter.
Chapter 3: Unwelcome Visit
The sun started to shine over the city of Stone Canyon. Most of the civilians were just getting up and a few of them were still sleeping. And this was true at the Shiba House, at least for one young resident.
Spike was lying face-first in his pillow, dreaming about being a famous comedian. But as the spiky-haired teen was having dreams of being an adored superhero. However, someone was entering the dreaming teen's room and without warning, slammed two pans together. The repeated banging sound was more than enough to wake up Spike, who fell out of his bed in surprise. The black-haired teen looked up and saw Lukas in a black gi.
"What was that for?!" Spike yelled, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes. He then looked at his clock and inwardly groaned when he saw that it was 5:00 AM.
"Time for training." Lukas said, a bit chipper than most people would be at this time. "Put on your gi and get to the courtyard."
The technician left the room, leaving as Spike placed his head on the floor and groaned, feeling that this was going to be a long day.
Meanwhile, a limousine pulled into a parking garage in another part of Stone Canyon. The passenger doors opened and two men stepped outside. One was a portly & bald fellow who was wearing a black leather jacket, a red t-shirt underneath it, dark blue jeans, sunglasses, black boots and fingerless gloves. His associate was a lanky man with spiked black hair, sunglasses, a gray suit with a purple shirt under the coat and black tipped shoes.
(Music Que: Bulk & Skull Theme)
"Stone Canyon." The portly man stated with exaggerated disgust. "Never thought we'd have to step foot in town."
"Dude, we went to concert here like three years ago." The lanky man corrected his friend. "And also not important right now."
"Right! We have a delinquent to hunt down." The two then saw a woman leaving her parked car and approached her.
"Excuse me, mam?" The obese man asked, getting her attention. The woman raised an eyebrow at the two men before answering.
"Yes?"
"We were wondering if you've seen…" The lanky man stated as his friend pulled out a comically large photograph of Spike (who was sticking his tongue out and making the 'rock on' hand signs). "This kid."
Back at the Shiba House, the five samurai rangers (who were each wearing a black gi with highlights matching their respective ranger color) were already deep into their morning training while the Origami Zords watched. The first exercise consisted of the four rookie rangers using bokken training swords on some dummies while Tatsuki and Lukas observed to get an indication of their skills.
Out of all the rookies, Jeremiah was showing the most promise as he unleashed a series of powerful strikes that knocked a lot of the stuffing out of his training dummy. However, his swings were a bit wide.
Alice was using quick surgical strikes to attack the vital areas of the dummy (the joints and head), but lacked the necessary force to leave an impact.
Sam was seemingly attempting to use some sword techniques she had seen in anime before. But while this made her moves a bit awkward, she did manage to hit the dummy.
But the person that the two were the most unimpressed by was Spike, who was clearly still tired as hit his dummy with the enthusiasm of a kid coming down from a sugar rush.
"Breakfast is ready!" Margaret shouted out to the six from inside the house.
"Oh, thank god." Spike stated as the four rookies placed their bokkens on a nearby rack and entered alongside Tatsuki, Lukas and the Origami Zords. On the table was a spread of eggs, bacon and pancakes. The eight occupants of the Shiba House sat down and started eating, enjoying the delicious food.
"Eat plenty, 'cause we got more training after breakfast." Tatsuki stated, making Alice and Spike groan.
"We already spent an hour just hitting dummies with wooden swords." Alice stated. "What, are we going to be hitting more dummies."
"Actually, this isn't physical training." The red ranger stated, confusing everyone but Lukas. "After breakfast, the five of you (and Mrs. Shiba if she wants too) are going to explore Stone Canyon."
"Okay. Why?" The nurse asked.
"When the Nighlok first invaded Japan, Lord Genbu and his retainers fought with all their might and heart. Why? Because they were fighting to protect the land they had lived all their lives. The streams they had played in. The neighborhoods they grew up in. And the shrines where they were married." Tatsuki explained. "So today, you're going to do the same. Get to know Stone Canyon. Learn what makes this city tick, the people who bring it life, and why we need to protect it."
After breakfast was done, the four rookie rangers (plus Margaret and Howard) left to go explore the town, leaving Tatsuki and Lukas at the Shiba House. The two confidants retreated to Lukas' workshop and started to discuss things, particular the surprise they experienced in the last battle.
"They're definitely updating their strategy." Tatsuki stated as the two looked over footage of the Kaiju-sized Legionnaires from the last Megazord fight.
"Well, it has been three-hundred years." Lukas stated as he typed away at once of his computers. On the screen was data for different types of mechanical animals, including the Origami Zords, a beetle and a bull. "The base gear should be enough to handle any foreseeable threat."
"If you say so." The red samurai stated as she held up a half-complete orange spin disk. "But, you know what they say."
"Say what?"
"Better have it and not need it than to need it and not have it." She said with a determined expression.
Meanwhile, in the Netherworld…
"This plan seems...far-fetched." Dayu stated as she looked out the window of the boat. As she was doing this, Master Xandred was sitting and having a drink while Moridun was looking through some of his old books.
"Trust me on this one, Dayu." The ancient Nighlok stated. "Even if we launched another invasion, we would either dry up or be slain by the Samurai Rangers. Well, those of us who could leave."
Hearing this brought forth anger within Xandred, memories of the seal flowing through his mind. In his quiet anger, he grabbed a Legionarre by the throat before whistling. Soon enough, a Boss Nighlok climbed up from the red river and onto the deck. This Nighlok had green scales with orange protrusions all over his body (including his massive fists) and glowing blue eyes.
"Fisticuff! Good to see you, old friend!" Moridun stated as the aforementioned Nighlok walked towards them.
"I am ready to serve the Nighlok cause once again!" The large-fisted Nighlok stated, placing his fist on his chest.
"Just know that we won't be able to lend you as many Legionnaires as Gemini and Spiral had." Dayu stated as she picked up her guitar.
"I won't need them!" Fisticuff stated proudly. "Those two relied on brute strength and no technique. But my combat form has never failed."
But much to his shock, Dayu picked up a sharp comb and embedded it on the beam next to Fisticuff. "If that is true, then why were you sleeping in the Sanzu like the rest of us?"
"Um...well…"
"Enough." Xandred stated as he stood up and approached the two. "This antagonizing is pointless. Fisticuff, go and ravage the human world. And if can, kill the Power Rangers."
"Of course, my Master." The large-fisted being stated before placing his fist on a nearby window sill. "Those interlopers will feel the crushing blow of my fists!"
Back in the Human World…
"Monster Combo!" A voice exclaimed from an arcade fighter game that Sam was playing on. As instructed, the six new residents of the Shiba House were taking the sights and sounds of Stone Canyon. The Trotter family decided to catch a local matinee, Alice found a cozy little bookstore, and currently Sam was having a blast at the Astroblast Arcade. And she was doing exceptionally well at the newest Killer Instinct game and drawing a crowd.
Currently, she was playing as Fulgore against Orchid and doing amazing on the hardest difficulty. After two rounds (one win and one loss), she was going to beat the local high score. And in rapid succession, she managed to chain 112 hits, winning the battle and match.
"ULTRAAAAAAAAA COMBBBBBBBBBOOOOOOOOO!"
"That was awesome!" A teenage boy exclaimed, making the woman blush at the praise. As she started walking towards the Galaga machine, her cell phone started to ring. She pulled it out of her pocket and saw that the caller was Spike (the Rangers and Shiba House guests had exchanged their cell numbers just incase the communicator function on their Samurizers went offline for some reason). She then answered the phone.
"Hi, Spike. W-What's up?"
"Sam! You'll guess what the street carts are selling!" The spiky-haired teen exclaimed on the other end of the line.
"Um, hotdogs?" The shy ranger guessed.
"No! It's pizza on a stick!"
And indeed, Spike was walking around the restaurant district, his cell in one hand and pressed up to his ear while his other hand was holding a piece of folded pepperoni pizza with the stick pierced through it.
"Oh, that's cool...I guess."
"Cool is right." Spike said before taking another bite of his cart-bought confectionery. "I'll tell ya what, this town isn't bad as my dad said it was."
"Why would your dad say that?" Sam asked.
"Well, you see…"
"SPENCER ADRIAN SKULLAVICH!" A voice Spike knew all too well yelled. He slowly turned and saw Bulk and Skull walking towards him. And they were not happy.
"Who is that?" Sam asked.
"I'll call you back." Spike said before quickly hanging up and putting his phone away. He then put on an obviously fake smile. "Dad. Uncle Bulk. What brings you guys to Stone Canyon?"
"Don't play dumb, mister!" Bulk exclaimed. "You know…" He then noticed what Spike was holding in his hand. "Is that pizza on a stick?"
"Ya. I bought it from a street vendor a block back?"
"You can't change the subject." An agitated Skull stated. "You mind explaining to me why I got a call from your principal about you missing a week of school?!"
"Oh, that." Spike said with sweat rolling down his forehead. "Um...well…"
Now this was a dilemma for the Green Samurai Ranger. Tatsuki was actually rather vague on whether or not they were supposed to keep their Power Ranger identities were supposed to remain a secret. And he doubted that his father and godfather would believe this story.
"Well what?" Skull asked with a stern expression. But nearby, a red crack opened underneath a hotdog cart and Fisticuff's fist emerged, sending the cart flying and freaking out the vendor as the rest of the Boss Nighlok emerged.
"Alright, humans!" The large-fisted monster exclaimed as the people started to run. "Who wants to be the first to be slain by my fists?!"
"Oh no!" Bulk and Skull yelled in fear while looked on at Fisticuff. Sure, they had seen plenty of monsters in their life, but usually the Power Rangers would come and save their hides. However, two police officers did run towards the creature with their guns pointed at him.
"Freeze!" One of them said as she and her partner took the safeties off. "Put your...hands where I can see them!"
"Oh look. Two volunteers!" The Boss Nighlok said as he raised his fists. Taking this as a sign of hostility, the cop opened fire...only for their bullets to bounce off his skin. With a battle cry, Fisticuff shoved his arms out, causing them to stretch to inhuman lengths and knock the officers into some nearby trashcans.
"We gotta get out of here!" Skull yelled in fear.
"Ya think?!" Bulk yelled back, also terrified. However, Spike just clenched his fists and started running towards the monster, pulling out his Samurizer.
"Spike, get back here!" His father exclaimed with concern. But the black-haired teen just continued onward as he activated his morpher.
"Bushido! Slash!"
And with a quick Kanji drawing and slashing motion, Spike had transformed into his Ranger form, much to the amazement of Bulk and Skull.
"Did he just…" Bulk started.
"Ya." Skull said in shock and disbelief. Spike on the other hand swung his Spin Sword at the Nighlok and the two began to clash, Fisticuff managing to block each attack with his fists before the Green Samurai attempted get his arm into a lock.
"You must be one of the Power Rangers I've heard so much about." The green and orange monster stated. "You'll be the first to fall!"
"You wish!" Spike said, quickly kicking him back before swinging his sword again. Once more, Fisticuff counted the attacks before delivering an uppercut that flipped the green samurai over and made him land on his front side, making him grab his helmet in pain.
"Now witness my unbeatable technique!" With a roar, Fisticuff smashed his arm through the street, confusing Spike. And just as quickly, the ground shook before an outstretched arm burst out and sent the teenage ranger flying again with an uppercut, causing him to a hit a nearby tree. "This is my Infinity Fist attack. No matter what distance, you can't escape my fists!"
He smashed his other arm through, causing it to burrow underground as it stretched and hit Spike again as soon as he stood back up. He attempted to avoid the tunneling appendages, only to be struck again.
"Looks like you're out of luck!"
"Not even close!" Spike exclaimed before leaping onto the roof of the nearby building to get some distance.
"Haven't you been paying attention?" Fisticuff asked before stretching his arms underground again. An arm burst underground and blasted towards the top of the building was on.
"You gotta be kidding me!" The green-clad ranger said in shock before attempting to block the oncoming attack. This proved useless as three punches proceeded to knock him off the roof and caused him on land on his back. And even with the Ranger suit providing protection, that still hurt a lot.
"Spike!" Bulk & Skull exclaimed in worry and ran towards the downed Ranger, only to be stopped by Fisticuff.
"Ah. You must be his loved ones."
"You got that right, bucko!" Bulk yelled as he and Skull picked up some nearby pipes, ready to attack despite being scared out of their minds.
However, the Boss Nighlok fired some explosive spit from his mouth, the force of which knocked the two men onto their backs as they yelled in pain.
"Dad! Uncle Bulk!" Spike yelled out.
"Don't worry. I'll destroy all three of you!" Fisticuff stated, ready to launch his next attack.
"Not so fast, Nighlok!" The monster turned and then Tatsuki (already morphed) struck him in a leaping sword attack. She quickly landed three more slashes that forced Fisticuff on his side before he recovered.
"Infinity Fist!" Once again, the Nighlok smashed his fists into the ground and caused it to stretch. Tatsuki attempted to evade, but was still knocked back near the downed Bulk and Skull. "It doesn't matter how many of you Rangers show up! I'll smash you all!"
The other morphed Samurai Rangers soon showed up, with Sam & Alice helping up the now unconscious Bulk and Skull.
"Jeremiah, now!" Tatsuki exclaimed.
"You got it, Boss Lady." The blue ranger replied before bringing up his Spin Sword (already equipped with his Dragon Disk) and spun it. "Spin Sword: Aquatic Curtain!"
In a burst of speed, Jeremiah covered the five rangers and two civilians in a curtain of water. When the curtain dissipated, the seven were gone, much to the Fisticuff's confusion.
"Well...that happened." The Boss Nighlok stated as he looked around. Soon however, his skin started to turn gray and cracked. "I'm starting to dry up. I better head back."
And using a crack underneath a nearby bench, the monster returned to the Netherworld.
Later…
"Well, that could've gone better." Lukas stated as he was reviewing footage of the earlier battle on his Laptop. Spike, Tatsuki, Sam, Jeremiah and his family were sitting in the living while Alice tended to Bulk and Skull's injuries in the other room. Spike himself had a medical wrapping around his forehead.
"Understatement of the year." The aforementioned green ranger groaned, both from his getting beat by the Boss Nighlok and the fact that he got his father and godfather hurt.
"Sirs, just sit down!" They heard Alice yell.
"Don't tell me what to do!" Skull (who had a patch on his left cheek) exclaimed before bumping into a support beam. However, this didn't deter him and he marched towards the rest of the Shiba House residents, Bulk following close behind (and Alice failing to hold the large man still).
"Okay, Spike. When were you planning on telling me that you're a Power Ranger?"
"To be fair, I've only been a ranger for a week." Spike stated while rubbing the back of his head.
"Well, I hope you enjoyed it, because we're going back to Angel Grove. Now." His father said with a stern expression.
"But Dad…"
"No buts, young man!"
"Mr. Skullavich?" The man turned and saw Tatsuki standing up. "I think we should have a talk in private about this."
"There's nothing to talk about!"
"Please, sir. The fate of our world is at stake." The red samurai insisted, motioning to her private quarters. After some consideration, Skull decided to see what this was about and the two walked away from the others, leaving Bulk with the rest of the Rangers and the Trotter family. He looked around the house before speaking.
"Nice place you guys got here. I'm digging the feng shui."
"Um...thanks." Lukas said with a deadpan expression. As Bulk started to chat with everyone, Spike managed to sneak away towards Tatsuki's private quarters, pressing his ear against the door.
"You can't be serious." He heard his father exclaim.
"I am." Tatsuki stated. "Spike is the only one who can access the Green Samurai power."
Skull just rubbed his forehead in exacerbation. "Look, you'll have to find of loophole, or alter the programing or whatever! But I'm not gonna have my son risk his life fighting monsters! You've been around Spike. Surely you've figured out that...he's not Ranger material."
Hearing that statement was a dagger piercing Spike's heart. His father. His own father basically said that he wasn't cut out to be a Ranger.
"He's clumsy, he's a slacker. He's even failed gym twice. Trust me, my son isn't cut out for any of this."
And that conversation was interrupted by Spike slamming the door opened, tears threatening to fall from his eyes and his lips quivering. "So that's what you think of me, huh?"
"Spike…"
But before Skull could say anything, his son ran off, past the others and out of the Shiba House, the Bear Origami Zord running after him. As the black-haired teen ran into the city, his mind flashed back to all the insults and failures he had dealt with in his life.
His classmates calling him an idiot.
His teachers constantly calling him a 'special case.'
And now his father's recent string of insults.
And he just keep running, the tears now flowing free.
Back in the Netherworld…
"Well I'll be." Moridun stated, holding a long pole to measure the length of the Sanzu River. "You actually managed to raise the water levels."
"As if their was any doubt." Fisticuff stated as he swam in the Sanzu River. Thanks to the water's properties, the Nighlok's body was healed from the dried-up damage. He then climbed back up to the boat. "And tomorrow, I'm gonna make the Sanzu overflow with despair."
The Human World...
Eventually, Spike found himself sitting on a park bench, wiping off some of the tears on his face. As he sat and contemplated things, the Bear Origami Zord climbed onto the park bench, looking at its Ranger partner in concern.
"So this is where you ran off to." Spike looked behind him and saw Tatsuki walking towards him with her hands in her pockets.
"How did you find me?" The younger ranger asked. In answer came when the Lion Origami Zord landed near the Bear Zord. "Oh."
Tatsuki took a seat next to Spike and looked up at the night sky. "You probably have a lot on your mind right now."
"You think?" He replied before sighing. "All my life, everyone's called me an idiot. They've said I'm useless or have no talent in anything. And you know what...they're right."
"Spike."
"I mean, just look at what happened today. I freakin' lost to that stupid Nighlok." He said before looking at Tatsuki. "So why did you pick me to be the Green Ranger out of everyone else in world."
After a moment of silence, Tatsuki spoke up again. "I didn't chose you. He did."
Spike looked at where she was pointing to and saw the Bear Zord looking at him.
"Beary?" The older ranger nodded. "But...how?"
"After the first invasion, my ancestor and his retainers feared that the Nighlok might return. So before they passed on, they used their Kanji Power to expley their heroic spirits. And it's these spirits that have guided the Shiba family for generations. So when Lukas and I learned about the Nexus Point forming, we built the Origami Zords to house those spirits and find people who were worthy enough to wield the Samurai powers."
"Woah." Spike gasped, his mind reeling from the new information as the Bear Origami Zord climbed onto his shoulder.
"Out of all the people in the world, the Bear Zord picked you." Tatsuki exclaimed before pointing to Spike's chest. "It saw something in you that made you worthy, even if you can't see it yourself."
Spike looked down at the tiny zord on his shoulder and contemplated for a bit. And after a moment of silence, Tatsuki stood up, getting his attention.
"Listen. We still have a Boss Nighlok to deal with. So after we beat him and you still feel like quitting, I won't hold against you."
"But...that guy kicked both our butts." Spike said as he stood up. "His attacks were...flawless."
Hearing this just made Tatsuki smirk. "Consider this your first lesson, Spike. No attack is flawless." She then took out her Samurizer. "Every technique has a weakness. You just have to find it."
Spike looked at his leader before thinking back to everything and the words she had said. And finally, a smile appeared on his face as he pulled out Samurizer.
The Next Morning...
"AHHHHH!" The civilians screamed as Fisticuff (and a group of Legionnaire Nighloks) attacked the civilians near the local amphitheater. A few of the SCPD SWAT members attempted to hold the monster back with stun batons and riot shields, but to no avail.
"That's right! Cry for me, humans!" The Boss Nighlok exclaimed before using his Infinity Fist to uppercut a few officers. "For the Sanzu must flow!"
But soon enough, a black van with the Shiba Family crest arrived on the scene, getting the monstrous hordes' attention as Jeremiah, Alice and Sam stepped out and the van vanished into blue light.
"Hold it right there, Nighlok!" The blond man stated as the three pulled out their Samurizers.
"Bushido!"
The three wrote their individual Kanji in the air in front of them…
"Slash!"
...before swiping and turning the Kanji around, initiating their morphing sequence.
(Morphing Sequence: A triple split-screen of the three rangers morphing into their Samurai Ranger forms.)
The three stood ready with Spin Swords drawn out.
"Only three of you?" Fisticuff asked. "What happened to your red and green friends."
"That's none of your business!" Sam yelled.
"Woah! Oh well, doesn't matter. Kill them, my legion!"
The Nighloks charged, but were knocked back by the Lion and Bear Origami Zords.
"What?!"
Tatsuki and Spike flipped onto the scene and grabbed their Origami Zords before pocketing them.
"Where the Sam Hill have you guys been?" Jeremiah asked, placing his Spin Sword on his shoulder.
"Long story and not really important right now." Tatsuki stated as she and Spike pulled out Samurizers. "You ready?"
"You know it!" Spike exclaimed with an excited smile before the two pressed the buttons on their Samurizers.
"Bushido! Slash!"
And in a burst of red and green light, the Red and Green Samurai Rangers stood ready to fight.
"Let's freakin' do this!" Spike yelled out before charging head first into the Nighlok legion.
(Music Que: Fire Emblem Fates - Road Taken 'Roar')
As soon as he made contact, Spike was spinning and slashing as he made his way through the legion and towards Fisticuff.
"Come on! What're you waiting for?" Tatsuki proclaimed as she charged too, the other three soon joining the fray. The red samurai quickly spun her Lion Disk, gathering up flames around her blade. "Spin Sword: Blazing Strike!"
And with a vertical slash, Tatsuki striked her opponents with fire. The other rangers started to do the same.
"Spin Sword: Water Wave!" Jeremiah exclaimed, attacking his foes with an aquatic attack.
"Spin Sword: Air Blast!" Alice proclaimed before striking her enemies with a burst of pink energized air.
"Spin Sword: Land Slam!" Sam yelled out before knocking her foes away with a shockwave.
Tatsuki then decided to try a new disk Lukas had made in between the Nighlok attacks, a silver spin disk with the Kanji for Lightning on it. She then proceeded to spin it. "Spin Sword: Lightning Strike!"
And with a swing of her blade, Tatsuki struck her foes down with a barrage of lightning.
As all this was going on, Spike and Fisticuff were fighting head on, countering each other with sword strikes and punches. The Boss Nighlok managed to uppercut the Green Samurai Ranger away, but he quickly recovered.
"Bring it!" Spike taunted, doing the same motion with his empty hand.
"So you want another taste of my unbeatable technique, huh?"
But as Fisticuff prepared his fists, Spike quickly turned around…
"Infinity Fist!"
...and ran like crazy, evading the stretched out arms as they broke through the pavement.
"Nice try, freak show!" The teenage ranger exclaimed as he continued to run from the elongated arms, which continued to burrow and burst through in order to try and reach him as he rounded the corner.
"You can't escape, boy! My fists will reach you no matter the distance!"
And Spike continued to run as the arms still chased him, destroying stone pillars in a walkway he ran through, a small construction pad he landed on, and even chased him through a nearby parking garage.
"Keep running, keep running, keep running!" Spike said to himself as he ran serpentine through the parking garage pillars, the arms flowing every direction he made. Shortly though, he appeared behind Fisticuff, as he had run in a complete circle. "Hey, you missed!"
"Oh, did I?" The Boss Nighlok stated before stretching his underground arms even more. As the ground shook next to him, Spike attempted to spin out of the way, but Tatsuki appeared in a burst of speed and blocked the oncoming fist with her Spin Sword.
"Tatsuki!" Spike proclaimed.
"The more, the merrier!" Fisticuff exclaimed, stretching his other arm and smashing the Red Samurai Ranger into a nearby pillar.
"Oh, you are so decked!" The Green Ranger proclaimed as he ran towards his opponent. He leaped over Fisticuff and grabbed him from behind, letting his own fists hit him back. "Told ya."
"Why you!" The Boss Nightlok yelled in anger. He attempted to retract his arms, but couldn't much his shock. And indeed, the massively extended arms were tangled up on the parking garage pillars, like a tied-up garden hose. "Oh no! My arms!"
"Looks like you're about to get wrecked." Spike stated before grabbing his Bear Disk from his buckle and placing on his Spin Sword. He then held it upright and spun the disk, causing flowing green energy leaves to swarm around his blade.
"Spin Sword: Forrest Vortex!" He then held his blade behind him before charging at Fisticuff, delivering a powerful slash as he passed by.
Lightning crackled from the Boss Nighlok before let out a painful roar and exploded, Spike doing a victory pose as it happened.
(Music End)
"Not bad." Tatsuki stated, catching her second wind as she stood back up. The other rangers soon leaped towards them.
"Spike, that was so cool!" Sam stated as she placed her hands on his shoulder.
"But you shouldn't have charged in alone." Jeremiah stated with his arms across his chest. In irritation, Spike tapped his sword on his back.
"Ease up, cowboy." Alice stated, stopping the two from arguing further.
"Focus, Rangers." Tatsuki ordered as she walked towards them. "We're not done yet."
And indeed, Fisticuff had regenerated from the explosion and grew to Kaiju Size.
"Pff. We got this." Spike stated as he pulled out his Origami Zord and Samurizer.
(Sequence: Spike places the Bear Origami Zord on the floor and writes the Big on it. "Transcend!" He then throws his Spin Sword into air, which transforms into the control sword as he leaps and catches it. The Bear Zord unfolds and grows with Spike teleporting inside it.)
As soon as he ported into the cockpit, Spike inserted the folded control sword into his console. "Let's get him, Beary!"
"Eat this!" The now giant Fisticuff yelled as he fired some explosive spit at the charging zord, only for it roar in irritation.
"Our turn!" Spike said as he pushed his control sword forward. The Bear Zord then stood on its hind legs and attacked Fisticuff's lower body with its claws.
"Buzz off!" The large-fisted Nighlok exclaimed before punting the green zord into the air. Thankfully, the other four rangers had made their zords grow and caught the Bear Zord.
"Phew. Thanks guys!"
"What did I say about going in alone?!" Jeremiah yelled.
"Settle your issue later." Tatsuki ordered as she used her Samurizer to write the Combine Kanji in front of her before swiping at it. "Samurai Combination!"
(Transformation Sequence: The five Origami Zords combine to form the Samurai Megazord.)
The five rangers reappeared in the merged cockpit and placed their hands on the control swords. "Samurai Megazord, we are united!"
Fisticuff launched some more explosive spit at the gestalt robot, but it managed to block it by grabbed the disk-shaped shield on its back, walking ahead towards its opponent.
"Big or small, I'll smash you all to dust! Infinity Fist!" Fisticuff proclaimed before smashing his fists through the streets once again.
In response, Tatsuki made the Samurai Megazord put its shield back and lower its katana with both hands.
"What're you…" Spike started to say before the Red Ranger shushed him. Under her helmet, the black-haired woman closed her eyes and calmed her breath. She pushed all distractions from her mind and tried to focus on where her opponent would strike. Everything became quiet as the Samurai Megazord stood still.
"Not gonna run? Fine then!" The Kaiju Nighlok proclaimed as his fists burst out near the Megazords' right foot and the building behind them.
(Que Samurai Theme Song)
"Gotcha!" Tatsuki proclaimed as her eyes opened. In an instant, the Megazord slammed one of the arms underneath its right foot while it's katana blocked the fist coming from the back.
"What the?!"
"Nice move, boss lady!" Jeremiah proclaimed. The rest of the rangers were also impressed. But Tatsuki wasn't finished and swung the Megazord's katana in an arc, slicing off both the arms.
"AAAAAHHHHHH!" The now armless Fisticuff yelled out in pain.
"Your end has come, Nighlok!" Tatsuki proclaimed as the five rangers unfolded their control swords and held them over their heads while the Samurai Megazord held its katana out.
Sparks soon started falling around the two combatants. The gestalt robot then waved its sword in an arc, creating afterimages before holding it up to strike.
"Finishing Move: Descending Slash!" The five rangers exclaimed before they and the Samurai Megasword swung down, striking the Nighlok.
"But...my technique..was unbeatable!" Fisticuff yelled out before exploding again as the Samurai Megazord struck a pose.
"Samurai Rangers, victory is ours." Tatsuki proclaimed as she swung her control sword.
After the battle, the five headed back to the Shiba House and were greeted by the residents and guest.
"You guys were awesome!" Howard said with the excitement only a child could have. "You were all like 'swish' and phoom and monster was like 'rarrr! And then…"
As the boy keep going on about the battle, his parents chuckled as Jeremiah put his arm around Margaret. The brunette gave her husband a kiss on the cheek. "My hero."
Meanwhile, Skull and Spike walked to the backyard for a private conversation.
"You were great out there." Skull said.
"Really?" Spike asked, still remembering the insults from last night.
"Yes, really." His father said. The two said nothing for a few seconds before Skull spoke again. "Listen, Spike. I shouldn't have said any of those things. I just thought that... maybe they thought you weren't cut out to be a Power Ranger, they'd send you back home. But still, I shouldn't have insulted to you to do it."
"It's okay." Spike said softly, holding his Samurizer in his hand. "To be honest, you're weren't wrong about some of that. I really do need to be...you know."
"I got it." Skull said, placing his arm on his son's shoulder. "Do you really want to do this?"
Spike thought for a bit, looking at his morpher as he did. "Ya. I do."
The two said nothing as Skull pulled his son into a hug. "I'm proud of you."
Hearing this, tears started to form in Spike's eyes. "Dad."
"It's okay to cry, son." Skull said, his own tears starting to form. "It's okay."
And the two Skullavich men let it all out, sobbing due to intense emotions the two were feeling.
After having a chance to calm down, Bulk and Skull had a private conversation with Tatsuki and Lukas while others just chatted up in the living room. And soon enough, the four walked out.
"After talking it over, I've decided that Spike can continue to stay here and be a Power Ranger." Skull stated, earning cheers from everyone (minus Alice who just subtly smiled). "Under one condition."
"What's that, Pop?" Spike asked.
"You see, I still have to run Skulltech Software, so I'm constantly on the move. I can't stay here."
"Wait, Skulltech?!" Sam said in surprise. "The game company? That Skulltech?"
The two Skullavich men nodded, leaving the poor geek in a state of shock. One of her fellow rangers was the son of the CEO of one of her favorite game companies and she had no idea.
"And that's where I come in!" Bulk proclaimed. "You see, Spike, just because you're a Power Ranger now doesn't mean you can skip out on schooling or just run around unsupervised. Therefore, I'm moving into the Shiba House and home schooling you!"
"What?!" The green samurai exclaimed while everyone else (aside from Tatsuki, Lukas and Howard) raised their eyebrows in confusion.
"There's no way you're a teacher." Alice stated in disbelief. However, Bulk just pulled a rolled up piece of paper from his pocket and unrolled it. It was a bonafide Teacher's License.
"Certified from Angel Grove University." Bulk said with a smug expression. Alice looked over the license and had only this to say.
"Why do you carry this around with you?"
And just like that, the Shiba House had a new resident.
In the Netherworld…
"Another one of our comrades has fallen. Such a shame." Dayu stated as she strung a sad tune on her guitar.
"Fisticuff's sacrifice will not be in vain." Moridun stated as a Legionnaire Nighlok handed him what looked like a brown fragment. In the squid-like Nighlok's other hand was a scroll with an image of an amulet.
"One down. Twelve to go." Xandred stated ominously.
Author's Note 2: And that's our Green Ranger focused chapter! Next time, the Blue and Pink Samurai Rangers get their chance to shine! And for those of you who complain about Skull acting out of character, not only has it been years since we've last seen him, but when you have a kid, it does change things. Same goes for Bulk having a Teacher's License, which he could've easily gotten in between Forever Red and this. And don't worry, we will soon learn about the fate of Club Bulkmeiers.
Also, I've changed my mind regarding the Mega Modes, but we'll save that for another time.
Until then, please remember to review, favorite, and possible create a TV Tropes page for this story. See ya next time!