While his teammates took care of the Moogers, Mike set upon the Nighlok in a rage. He had gotten his anger down to a level he could control when he had been at the Shiba House and with his friends, but if there had ever been a time to allow it to go crazy, this was it.
"Forest spear!" he cried, swinging his weapon across and smashing it into the Nighlok as it stumbled to get away. Mike could feel his energy slowly starting to drain but he thought about what he needed to do. Because of this Nighlok, his child was dead; a small, innocent little child who never got anything close to a chance at life. Mike could feel his heart aching as he thought about what the Nighlok had done to his family. He and Emily would one day have another kid, maybe even kids, but they would never have their first child. With all his energy, Mike focused on the Nighlok. This was going to be it, "Leaf storm!"
He watched; the most powerful attack he had ever summoned up in battle was headed straight for the worst Nighlok Mike had ever faced. The monster was frozen in place, doomed for death until suddenly someone jumped in the way.
"Return to sender!" Serrator cried as he emerged from a gap and landed before his Nighlok, sparing the life of the creature that, just the day before, he had been willing to sacrifice for Serena. Mike watched wide-eyed as Serrator was not just able to withstand the attack, but he sent it right back. Now it was Mike's turn to be frozen in place, waiting for what was sure to be a powerful attack to hit him.
"Not yet!" just like the Nighlok, Mike was spared. Jayden jumped in his way with the Fire Smasher and ripped through the attack, almost like he was slicing it in two. The attack exploded around Mike and Jayden, leaving them unharmed.
"This is just not cool!" Mike cried and stomped his feet in frustration. Jayden had to agree with him – the Nighlok had met its end fair and square. This was not Serrator's fight. However, Nighlok never played fair. Taking the Black Box from his belt, Jayden handed it over to Mike.
"Get it done," he told him. Inside his helmet, Mike smiled brightly and grabbed the Black Box from Jayden's hand. While the red Ranger and his other teammates went to distract Serrator, Mike took off after the Nighlok who was using Serrator's appearance as a distraction to get away. Mike powered up into Super Samurai and felt a new wave of energy give him strength. At a speed that was only possible in Super Samurai Mode, Mike chased after and took down the Nighlok.
"You bastard," Mike tackled the Nighlok to the ground and straddled him, keeping him down as he held his Spin Sword to the monster's neck region. "Threaten my family again. I dare you."
As the Nighlok was about to plead for his life, Mike swung at his body, leaving gashes all across his front until sparks started to fly off and the Nighlok cried out in pain. Mike stood up and moved away from the Nighlok as he exploded, ending his first life.
Mike pulled out his Samuraizer, "Em…?"
"Already on my way," Emily answered, and from the sound of her voice Mike could already tell she was feeling better. They had given her an antidote to fight the effects of the Nighlok's poisonous bugs, it was just a matter of defeating the Nighlok and putting an end to his effects once and for all. "You did great, Mike!"
Mike smiled when he heard this, but he didn't get to celebrate for long as the Nighlok's second form towered over him. The Nighlok swiped at a building, taking the top half off and sending boulders of concrete and shards of glass down to where Mike, Serrator, and the Rangers were standing. Mike covered his head, despite the futility. The shards of glass couldn't penetrate the helmet, even at the speed they were falling, and the boulders would crush him whether he took cover or not. As he prayed the boulders missed him, he heard a loud roar and the wind picked up. Daring to raise his head, because he was dead either way, Mike looked up and saw all five original Zords standing over him, already engaged in a battle with the Nighlok.
"What?" he asked, looking down at the Black Box. The Zords were very much alive, and could think and act for themselves, but it was unheard of for them to engage in a battle without their Samurai nearby, or without the Black Box. Mike thought maybe he had summoned them by accident, but the Black Box was inactive for the Zords, now functioning only to power up Mike's Super Samurai Mode.
The Turtle smashed into the Nighlok, knocking him over while the Dragon showered him with a powerful blast of water. When the Nighlok could eventually get up, he was taken down again by the Lion as it clawed at his face, inflicting hurtful wounds, from what Mike could see on the ground.
Then, Mike saw a real show as the Ape and the Bear came in to finish off the Nighlok. Mike's connection with the Ape was very limited, as he only had a connection with the Ape because he had bonded with Emily and his Bear had bonded with the Ape, but he knew what the Bear was feeling. He knew the bear Zord's pain. The bear had lost his cub too.
"Take him down, Winnie!" Mike shouted as he jumped and cheered for his Zord to win and destroy once and for all the Nighlok who had killed their baby. When the Nighlok tipped over, shouted for a vengeance he would never get, and exploded into the air, Mike couldn't help but bounce excitedly up and down like a little child. The Zords powered down and dropped from the sky. Mike caught them all in his arms. He couldn't imagine the strength it had taken all of them to fight without their Samurai Master's help, and he was proud of each and every one of them. "Thanks, guys."
He tucked them away in his belt safely and then turned to the battle still at hand. His teammates were still fighting Serrator, and though they had the numbers and the determination they needed to defeat him, Serrator still had all the power. The Samurai kept getting back up while Serrator continued to knock them down, taking very little damage himself.
"I'll make sure you die too," Mike whispered, drawing his Spin Sword once more and changing into battle. With Super Samurai Mode still active, he stood a better chance against the insanely powerful monster. He managed to deliver several powerful attacks, injuring Serrator more so than the others before him, but it still wasn't enough. With his large clawed hand, Serrator swung at Mike. All the green Ranger saw before he hit the concrete and powered down was a bright purple glow.
The Black Box dropped away from his Spin Sword when it fell to the ground and rolled away from Mike. He looked up, seeing it was just out of reach. Serrator saw it as well and started to walk over to it. Just as he was about to pick it up and crush it, he was smacked in the face with a rock. He stumbled back, fell on his butt and then turned around to look at Serena.
"You…" a rock hitting him in the back of the head interrupted him, and he turned around again. The yellow Ranger rushed over to Mike's side, quickly asked him if he was okay, and then took the Black Box for herself. Now it was her turn to go Super.
Serrator smirked, "Well, look whose finally back in action."
Emily held her sword tightly as she glared at Serrator. The Nighlok had been the one to kill her baby, but the plan belonged to Serrator. Everything was because of Serrator.
She was pissed.
Serrator continued to tease her, "Earn your gold stars back, yellow Ranger? Or were you just tired of letting your big sister steal the limelight. I'll admit the progress she made while in my hands was quite impressive. I highly doubt a second born could ever achieve the same greatness as the eldest."
Emily growled. Serrator's words didn't hurt her at all. Serena was impressive, but Serrator had no idea what he was talking about. She hadn't stepped down because Serena was better. She had stepped down to raise her child. The child Serrator had no idea he had killed.
And he would never know. Emily wanted to tell him she would be getting revenge for her baby, and that his death was due to his mistake in messing with her son or daughter, but she wouldn't give him the satisfaction of knowing just how much he had hurt her.
"Do it, Em," Mike sat up and gave her an encouraging nod. Her Spin Sword lit up with a yellow glow and from where he was sitting, Mike could feel her energy and it hurt him. If Emily could do this, if she could hit Serrator with everything she had, Mike was positive it would destroy him.
He made a quick mental note to never mess with any of Emily's future children. Even if he was the father, this was a maternal instinct that would kill in seconds.
Finally, after a build-up, she unleashed everything she had on Serrator. She charged at him, sword in hand and a fire in her heart. Just as she was about to make contact, someone jumped in her way and cast her aside, like all her energy meant absolutely nothing. When she hit the ground, it trembled slightly. Mike rose to his feet and raced over to check up on his wife. The other Samurai pulled themselves up to do the same except for Serena. She got to her feet and stared directly at Serrator and his saviour Dekker.
Dekker turned sharply to Serrator. He too looked to the monster with anger, "My son."
"I promised, and I will deliver," Serrator pushed Urumasa away. "You will see him soon. Just do this one little favour for me."
"Split the Earth in two?" Dekker asked. Serrator had told him of his plan to flood the Earth, and how he would allow Dekker, Dayu, and Terran to live in the two worlds he reigned if Dekker did this favour for him. Dekker agreed, because he wanted nothing more than to see his son. Just like Emily and Mike, he felt his son had been ripped away from him unfairly, and above everything else he wanted him back. He had cast Emily aside, dismissing her power with his own to spare Serrator's life because without Serrator, Dekker knew he wouldn't see his son.
Serena scoffed, hearing the conversation from where she was standing, "Like there's any chance in hell I'll let you take Terran."
"He is my son!" Dekker roared as he turned to her, pointing Urumasa at her chest. Serena was too far away to be threatened by the gesture.
"Then do what's best for him," Serena glared through her visor at Dekker. She had long ago learned not to argue with him on who Terran's father was. The biological fact was that the father was Dekker, but legally, emotionally, supportively, it was James. In all the ways that really counted, it was James. Dekker didn't see that. Dekker couldn't see that. Serena could use that against him. She could use that to keep Terran and the world safe.
Serrator took a step back and smirked. All was working well.
"I want my son," Dekker glared at Serena, "I will do anything I can to take him back."
"You're going to trust Serrator?" Serena rolled her eyes, "The monster that did this to you in the first place? Don't you remember anything about what he did? Don't you have any idea? Surely, when Dayu was telling you about Terran, she also told you about…"
"Enough!" Dekker shouted, swinging Urumasa to the side in anger. "If you won't give me my son back, I will take him! Serrator…"
"Wants to flood the Earth and destroy everything and everyone on it!" Serena cried back. "Terran included!"
"He promised…"
"What's going to hold him to his promise?" Serena shouted. "Once you give him what he asks for, once you crack the world open and let the river come pouring in, a little baby like Terran won't stand a chance! He's not part Nighlok anymore. He'll be the first to die!"
Cracks appeared in the pavement and the ground started to shake. Buildings all around the battle site started to fall apart, street lights and poles were coming down. The Earth was crumbling and the lights from the cracks were getting stronger and stronger.
Dekker clutched Urumasa tightly. He hated it, but Serena had a point. If the Earth did flood, the water would poison Terran long before he could reach him. Even if Dekker could see his son alive again, it wouldn't be for long.
"You will do this favour for me," Serrator said to Dekker as he rose up into the sky, avoiding all the damage that was being caused on Earth.
"NEVER!" Dekker cried as he turned to Serrator and threw Urumasa at him, hoping the sword would stab him, kill him, do anything to cause him pain or death. The sword missed, just barely reaching a height to touch the elevating Serrator's feet. Dekker wanted his son, but he wanted Terran alive. He would find another way of taking his boy back.
As Serrator disappeared, the Earth really began to crumble. Large chucks of concrete were falling from the sky and Dekker found himself running for cover, instead of running for his sword. Before he could find safety, he was buried under a ton of rubble, knocking him out cold.
The Rangers tried to run, but bursts of energy were coming out of the ground, knocking them right back into the middle of the chaos as more debris threatened to crush them. Just as a large piece of concrete was about to crush the six of them, they saw it hover in mid-air, encased in a very faint yellow glow.
"RUN!" Serena told them as she used her symbol power to hold up large falling pieces of concrete. She caught them before it could hit the ground and crush the Rangers and held it in the sky so the Rangers could run to safety. Fortunately, her training with Serrator had increased her strength with Symbol Power, and she was able to hold it all up long enough for the Rangers to get out safely.
Once they were safe, Serena let the Symbol Power go and she fell to her knees. She knew she was about to be crushed but there was no way she could run. Suddenly, something tightened around her waist and she looked down to see what it was. A vine had grabbed her. Before she could figure out what this meant, it pulled her away from where she had been sitting and over to the safe side of the city, next to the Rangers. Instantly, a pair of arms was wrapped tightly but gently around her neck. She took a deep breath, calmed her mind and saw it was Emily hugging her. Mike, with his Symbol Power, had saved her. The Rangers had made it out.
"Look at that," Kevin breathed in awe as he surveyed the damage still occurring to the city. "It's confined to one space."
"It's the line Serrator created," Jayden said, "Right now, it's Earth's weakest point. If Dekker does what he's asked…"
"Dekker was buried," Mike shook his head. "The man's crushed. He's dead. There's no way anyone could have survived that."
"We did," Mia pointed out.
The trembling started to subside, and all the buildings along Serrator's weak line in the Earth had come down. That part of the city was destroyed and still dangerous, but no one would be crushed by concrete rain. Antonio took a step, back into the line of misery, and climbed over some of the debris. He surveyed the scene quickly and found there was nothing he didn't expect. It was all rubble.
Except for Dekker. The half-Nighlok pushed his way through his rubble tomb and crawled out. He was barely alive, but he was alive. A little ways away was Urumasa, far from Dekker's reach. Antonio was no longer morphed, but he did still have his Barracuda Blade in hand. Quickly, the thought of killing Dekker did cross his mind.
But when Dekker collapsed and remained unmoving, Antonio shook his head. The Barracuda Blade disappeared. Killing Dekker now wouldn't be fair to anyone and Antonio doubted it would do no good anyways. Dekker had already died once and had come back. The last thing the Rangers needed was another one of their teammates with a specific target on their backs.
"You owe me," Antonio whispered and then turned his back to the scene. He returned to his friends, "I don't know about you guys, but I need a nap."
"We should all rest," Jayden nodded. "Serrator's not going to give up until someone cracks the Earth in two. We're going to have to keep a watchful eye on this place."
"Did you see Dekker?" Mia asked Antonio. The gold Ranger nodded.
"If he knows what's good for him, he won't bother us or go near Serrator again," Serena muttered and stood up with some help from Emily and Mike. "There's no way Terran's surviving the flood. There's no way I'll let him survive the flood. No one should live in a world ruled by Nighlok."
"You'd…" Emily looked up at Serena in horror.
Serena groaned, realizing what she had said, "Em, it's different. You know what I mean, I…"
"Too soon," Mia muttered as Emily took off, running for home with Mike right behind her. Mia touched Serena's arm, "We know what you meant."
"We'll keep our focus on Serrator," Jayden said, "Right now, we can't think of anything else but destroying Serrator. It'll help."
Serena nodded her head and rubbed her forehead with her hand. Serrator really had to die now.