After his talk with his father, Mike carried the bear Zord around with him everywhere. He understood he could be called upon at any moment, and when he was he would have to leave right away. There would be no time to say goodbye and gather up his things. Fortunately, he did not need to bring much with him. He carried around a bag of video games and comic books, but that was about it.
He was scheduled to meet his friends Matthew and Reese at the arcade after lunch, but for now he was going to enjoy the hamburger he had bought from his favourite place in town. He was nothing compared to pizza, his favourite food (even over ice-cream and candy), but this little diner knew how to make the best burgers Mike had ever tasted.
He walked proudly away from the diner and towards the arcade. Today was going to be the day he achieved the ultimate high score on the Bear Crasher game at the arcade and he made himself a legend. His friends would be so jealous, but at the same time, very supportive, and the other people in the arcade were going to worship him and his talents. Mike never really felt like he was good at anything. School had been a major challenge for him and he didn't like doing anything except playing video games. He was confident in his ability with a sword, but the way of the Samurai didn't interest him as much in real life as it did in the virtual world.
Just as he was about to take a bite out of his hamburger he felt something rip the burger right out of his hands, just like his mother used to do when she decided he had had enough to eat and the slice of pizza in his hand would push him over the edge. He furrowed his brow curiously as he looked at the empty napkin in his hand and wondered where his burger could have gone. He looked around to see if any punks had stolen it and then spotted it on an arrow that had planted itself in the ground.
"Stupid archers," he muttered to himself as he plucked the arrow from the dirt and went to remove his burger, "You could have killed me you dumbass!"
As he pulled his burger free he noticed there was a note attached to the arrow and the only message that was written was the Samurai Symbol. He recognised it from when his father had drilled that symbol into his head as a boy. It meant it was his time to take up his responsibilities as the green Ranger and meet up with his team.
He pulled out the bear Zord from his pocket and looked at it with pride. He was ready to go, but at the same time he didn't want to leave. He could see the arcade just around the block and knew his friends were waiting.
"It'll be no problem," he said to himself as he made sure his backpack was still on his shoulders. "I'll be back before they even know I'm missing. No Nighlok is a match for me."
With that, he turned around and started to run. He remembered his father telling him the Shiba House was in the forest just outside town and he knew he could make it quickly on foot.
-Samurai-
Mia couldn't bring herself to tell the kids she was going to leave as they spun around in a circle and danced outside. They looked up to her and were always excited when she was around, but she knew her Samurai duties were important and she was going to be called upon at any moment. It was for that reason she had to give in her two-weeks notice at the daycare. She wasn't sure she would be able to work out the full two weeks. As soon as she got her call she was going to have to take off, but the more warning she could give her employer the better.
She had her bag packed and ready to go inside the daycare, in case she got her call today. She wouldn't be able to say goodbye to her family or friends, but she had already taken care of that. When her grandmother got the call from Mentor Ji she had assembled her family together so they could say goodbye then. She was ready to leave, though she didn't want to.
Her turtle Zord sat in her pocket, waiting with her for the call to finally go back into action. As a boy tugged on her sweater, she could see her folding Zord and she sighed.
Suddenly, something moving in the distance caught her eye and she noticed a pink arrow was attached to the wooden pole in the yard. She frowned, realising the arrow could have easily struck one of the kids, but she was thankful it hadn't.
"Just a minute, kids," she told the youngster, letting go of their hands to pull the arrow out. She knew this meant she had to leave. She looked back at the yard full of kids and sighed before racing inside.
"Mia?" a little girl called as Mia came back out with her backpack, "Where are you going?"
"I have something important I need to do," Mia told the little girl. "I have to go."
"Are you coming back?"
Mia couldn't make a promise she knew she couldn't keep. There was a chance she never came home if the Nighlok proved to be too much to handle.
"Be good okay?" she promised as the kids gathered around her. "I'll try to come back, but it won't be for a very long time."
"We'll miss you," another little girl took her hand. Mia nodded.
"I'll miss you too, but this is really important, okay?" she said and pulled out her phone. "I wouldn't leave if it wasn't."
She let go of the kids and raced off the daycare property. When she was on the other side of the fence she pulled out her turtle Zord. She didn't know where the Shiba House was but the turtle would guide her. The little creature came to life and floated up into the air before racing off, Mia on its trail.
-Samurai-
While Serena slept soundly inside the house, Emily was sitting on the steps outside playing her flute. It was hard for her, knowing she was going to have to leave her sick sister and break all contact. Serena had promised she would be waiting for Emily but Emily knew that Serena didn't have much choice in the matter. Every moment with her sister felt like it could be the last and when it all started to feel like too much, Emily would step outside and play the flute. It always helped her to feel better and kept her strong. She needed to be strong for Serena.
Suddenly, she spotted an arrow sticking out from one of the hay bales and knew what this meant. It was time for her to go. She wiped the tears from her eyes as she pulled her flute away from her lips. She looked across the field, where her father was tending to the animals. He had also seen the arrow and knew it was time for his youngest daughter to leave. He nodded to her and Emily got up and raced inside the house to grab her things.
"Emily?" her mother asked when she saw Emily racing around.
"It's time, mom," was all Emily said before she stopped searching for her bag and jumped into her mother's arms. Her mother hugged her tight.
"Be careful," she said. "The Nighlok are dangerous. Don't let them get you."
"I won't," Emily nodded and she finally found her backpack sitting in the corner of the living room. She grabbed it and was about to put it on her shoulders when she heard footsteps approaching the living room. Thinking it was her mother, she didn't bother to look up. "I have to go, mom. I…"
"I can't say goodbye to my little sister?"
Emily's head shot up and her eyes were wide. It had been months since she had seen Serena out of bed. She wanted to jump into her sister's arms but she knew Serena wouldn't be able to handle it. She set her bag down and walked Serena over to the couch.
"You should be in bed, you can't…"
"Let you leave without giving you this," Serena pulled her one hand out from behind her back and presented Emily with a yellow stuffed ape. "I had mom buy it for me last time she went into town. Take it with you. That way, whenever you miss me, you'll always have something to hold."
Emily took the ape and hugged her sister. Serena wrapped her arms around Emily, holding her as tight as she could and never wanting to let go. She was so worried she would never see Emily again she didn't want to send her off. She couldn't allow her little sister to go into battle for her, but there was no other choice. Emily was the best person to take up the yellow Ranger's responsibilities.
"I'm counting on you," Serena whispered. "Make me proud."
Emily nodded and promised Serena she would before stuffing the ape in her bag and taking off.
-Samurai-
This was it. Kevin's final meet before he would have to give up swimming and wait for the call but just as he was about to dive into the water he saw an arrow hitting the empty podium two spaces to his left. He turned and saw the Samurai emblem on the note attached to the arrow and then looked up at his father in the crowd. The older man nodded and without hesitation Kevin took off, leaving the swim meet and leaving a bunch of people confused.
His father chased him outside and handed him his jacket and backpack. His father gave him a supportive pat on the back before Kevin race off, leaving his family and his dream behind him for the call of duty.
He knew exactly where the Shiba House was. His father had given him direction all through his childhood and Kevin knew he would find his way.
He ran through the city streets, trying to make it to the forest just outside the city until he spotted someone else running with almost the same kind of passion as him. That was when he began to slow down and he noticed that the city was already under attack and this woman was running towards the attack. He hurried over to her and stopped in front of her, bowing slightly.
"I'm ready to fight with you."
The woman frowned as she looked at him and noticed his jacket was unzipped, revealing his abs, which she had to admit were pretty amazing.
Kevin looked up at the woman, a little nervous and he saw her staring at his chest. Suddenly he was very aware of the fact that his jacket was open and he had no shirt with him. He zipped up his jacket and looked at her nervously.
"I'm sorry," he said as he finished with his jacket and removed his cap and goggles from his head, "I didn't know the red Ranger was a girl."
"I'm not the red Ranger," the woman said and Kevin thought he had made a serious mistake until the turtle Zord fell into her hand and folded back up. He looked at the pink Zord and then to the woman as she continued, "I'm pink. I'm Mia."
"Kevin," Kevin blushed, "I'm blue."
The dragon Zord came to life and jumped out of his pocket. Sensing her friend was back, the turtle Zord came to life as well and jumped in the air, floating around with the dragon as they got reacquainted.
A little ways off, Mike was on his way to finding his team. He had already noticed the attack in the city and was letting his bear Zord lead him to where he needed to be. But suddenly, the bear flew off at a faster speed than Mike had ever seen. Looking ahead, Mike realised why. In the air, above a young man and woman, were the turtle and dragon Folding Zords.
He stuffed his hands in his pockets as he approached them, "You guys must be my peeps."
The man looked him up and down once and frowned, "You're the red Ranger?"
Mike scoffed and shook his head, "No way, dude. I'm the mighty green. I'm Mike."
Mia looked to Kevin a little skeptically. She seemed to be about the same age as Kevin and from the stories she heard from her mother, the red and yellow Rangers were about the same age as her as well or a little older. This kid, who called himself the green Ranger, seemed to be barely out of his teens, if he was even out of them.
"If you say so," she shrugged before they all heard a horse and turned to see a man riding up on a white horse. Mia, Kevin and Mike all looked to each other and frowned.
"With an entrance like that, you have to be the red Ranger," Mike said as he looked to the man on the horse.
"Jayden," the man said as he hopped off the horse and held up his lion Folding Zord. He noted the others all seemed impressed and he knew being the red Ranger was a big deal, but he was just like the rest of them. He had trained, just like them, to be a Samurai. It just so happened he came from the red Ranger family and they had always been leaders.
"We're your team of Samurai," Kevin stepped forward with a big smile, eager to help his leader in battle.
Jayden looked at the three Samurai skeptically. They were one short and given the Zords in the air he could tell they were missing yellow. He assumed she was on her way, but he couldn't wait for her. There was already an attack in the city and they were losing precious time.
"I'm going to warn you now," he said to them, "If you follow me, there is no turning back. Either we defeat the Nighlok together, or they will take over the world. I will give these to only those who are ready to accept the challenge."
Jayden reached into a bag attached to the horse's saddle and pulled out four Samuraizers. He held them up for the others to see.
"Do not accept because you were trained to do so," the last thing Jayden wanted was for these people to put their lives in danger because they thought they had to. This was a big decision and it needed to be one they made for themselves, "Accept only if you are willing to commit and fight as Samurai Power Rangers with all your heart."
As he said this, Kevin looked down to his cap and goggles. He should have been back at the pool, winning his race and move up the ladder to swim in the Olympics. It had been his dream to achieve greatness even before he knew he was destined to be a Samurai. It wasn't going to be easy to give all that up.
Mia's turtle landed in her hand and she thought about the kids in the daycare, as well as her grandmother. She didn't want to leave home. She loved the life she had, despite all the troubles she had been forced to face. She didn't want to turn her back, even for a good cause.
Mike glanced over his shoulder and looked down the road. If he ran, he could still make it to the arcade before his friends started to worry about him. He had a high score to beat (even if it was his own) and he knew that his new Samurai life wouldn't allow him the chance to head back to the arcade and beat his score, nor would he be allowed to visit his friends and tell them why he had to leave them.
As much as Kevin had dreamed of the Olympics, he knew being a Samurai was important. The world was counting on him. Hopefully, he could pick up his dreams of swimming in the Olympics when his Samurai duties were done, but for now he was going to have to put that aside.
"Without hesitation," he nodded his head.
Mia agreed, "I've been planning for this since I was a little girl, so yes."
"Okay, okay," Mike turned back to the Rangers, "do we have to be so formal? Let's do this."
"You're all sure?" Jayden asked them. This was their final chance. He wouldn't blame any of them for running away.
"We're the protectors of the Earth," Mia nodded. "This is something we all know we have to do."
Jayden smiled and tossed them each a Samuraizer. Their parents should have taught them how to use them so he figured he could skip the long explanation of what they were and how to work them. He gestured to the monster attack, "Let's go."
The Moogers were causing nothing but trouble as they attacked everything in sight. Jayden didn't waste any time as he morphed and jumped into action, swinging his Spin Sword and taking out everything that got in his path before he challenged the Nighlok leading the attack. Mia, Kevin and Mike looked at each other, feeling very nervous. This was the real thing and if they weren't ready, they weren't going to make it.
"What are we waiting for?" Kevin asked, looking to each of his teammates, "We've got to help him. Go, go, Samurai!"
"Go, go Samurai!" Mia and Mike called, morphing alongside Kevin before jumping into battle. The Moogers weren't too challenging. There were many of them, but they weren't too powerful. It was just like their training.
But the Moogers kept appearing, and the four Rangers found they needed to regroup to catch their breath before they were overpowered.
"Keep fighting," Jayden told them.
"You know, I never really studied the Samurai history," Mike said, "but aren't we missing someone? I thought there were five of us; unless I failed basic math."
"Don't worry about the numbers," Jayden said. "Just keep fighting. We can defeat them."
He raced back into battle, knocking down the Moogers like it was nothing. Kevin looked to the green and pink Ranger and shrugged his shoulders before following his leader.
The Moogers kept coming and the Rangers were starting to feel tired. They weren't challenging opponents, but they had been fighting for a long time and it was starting to wear them out. They regrouped once again, this time around the corner, out of sight from the monsters.
"Okay, if there is a yellow Ranger, we could use his help."
"Her," both Mia and Jayden corrected Kevin. Before anyone could say anything else, the Nighlok started calling for them. Jayden could tell him team was tired, and he remembered what it was like in battle for him the first time. He pulled out the extra Samuraizer and gave it to Kevin.
"You three take a break," he said. "I'll finish off this Nighlok myself. If the yellow Ranger turns up, hand her this."
Kevin took it and nodded his head as Jayden set off to destroy the Nighlok himself. He wanted to help out his leader, but his arms were killing him and his lungs were burning.
"Okay, the red Ranger, incredible," Mike panted loudly as he doubled over to catch his breath. He was starting to wish, at this moment, that he had been a little more focused on training. Everyone else seemed to be so much more skilled than he was.
"He's supposed to be," Mia reminded him.
Suddenly, the Rangers heard another horse galloping in the distance. They exchanged looks while wondering who else could be riding up on a horse.
A young girl, much younger than even Mike, hopped off the horse and looked up at her teammates.
"Who are you?" Kevin asked her as she pet the horse and then set it free. Emily looked at the three morphed Rangers. She had definitely come to the right place. Her ape Zord landed in her hand. Behind their helmets, the three Rangers gasped. Mia leaned in closer to Kevin.
"And I thought green was young," she whispered.
"There has to be a mistake," Kevin shook his head. "You can't…"
"Dude, are we really going to question the help?" Mike tapped the blue Ranger in the chest, "Let's just see if she's up to the challenge."
Reluctantly, Kevin handed Emily her Samuraizer.
"Do you know how to work it?" he asked her. Emily nodded her head.
"Go, go Samurai!" she called, morphing into the yellow Ranger, surprising the other three who were expecting her to struggle, even just a little bit.
"Alright, well, now that that's settled," Mike shrugged his shoulders, "How about we go help Jayden?"
"How are you with a sword, kid?" Kevin asked Emily. She looked down at her Spin Sword and hesitated slightly before answering.
"I can get the job done."
"Good," he said. "Let's go."