Chapter 10: Return of Thunder Part 3
The five Rangers walked along the beach, by the sea as the waves got rougher and rougher by the hour. Dustin shivered, and rubbed his arms in an attempt to warm up.
"Is it me, or is it starting to get seriously cold?" he asked as the others shivered as well.
"Most of the time I'd say it was just you, but it is definitely getting colder here," Shane admitted.
"The sun is completely covered here," Ari looked up at the sky. The clouds completely blocked out any sign of the sky, or the sun, and Ari didn't like it. As a Sun Ninja, she was connected to it, and Sensei Sugiura had told her that she was more connected than any he had ever met. When the sun was completely covered, Ari felt uneasy, and it wasn't helping their current situation.
"I'd really like to know why we can morph, but we can't reach Ninja Ops," Tori grumbled, choosing to take her mind off the cold.
"Yeah, well I'd settle for knowing where we are," Shane sighed.
"Portico Island," four sets of eyes landed on Blake as he spoke for the first time since they had left the cliff. When he realised that they had stopped and were now staring at him, Blake stopped and looked around. "What?" he frowned.
"Anything else you'd like to share with us?" Ari asked with a raised eyebrow.
"No, you don't wanna know," Blake shook his head quickly. "Trust me," he looked a little nervous.
"Trust us. We do," Tori responded, and Blake sighed heavily.
"I heard Lothor talking to his pals before he sent Hunter and me back to Earth. This place doesn't exist on any map, and it rises from the sea like once every 200 years or something," Blake explained as they listened curiously.
"And then what?" Dustin frowned, not understanding.
"Well that's the part that's kinda harsh..." Blake trailed off, not answering, but they figured it out anyway.
"You're telling us that this whole place is sinking back into the ocean?!" Tori demanded. Blake gave her a wry smile.
"I told ya you didn't want to know," he replied.
"We'd better find some higher ground. Come on," Shane called, leading them off the beach.
1-2-3-4-5
The group made their way to the top of a hill, while Dustin holding a long stick that he mainly used to poke the ground as they walked along. Deciding to take a break, they sat down, catching their breaths.
"Yo Ari," the Gold Ninja looked around at Blake in surprise as he sat down near her. "Thanks for earlier. For helping snap Hunter out of it, even if it was just for a second. And for protecting me against him," he smiled softly, and Ari managed one of her own.
"Don't worry about it," she told him, aware that Tori was smiling thankfully too.
"Actually, we will," Shane's voice was flat, and they all looked around at him as he leaned against a tree. "You do it a lot. You blocked a hit meant for Dustin, and wound up being out of commission for a couple of battles. You tried to fight Hunter and Blake when you were still injured, and were hurt even worse!" Ari was staring at her hands as tears burned at her eyes. "Then you nearly get yourself killed when you step between Hunter and us earlier! And what if Blake had still been against us, and when you shielded him, he hit you from behind?" Shane demanded coldly as he watched the Sun Ninja.
"I-"
"You're trying to impress us, and it may have worked on Dustin and Tori, but what's the point if you get yourself killed in the process?" Shane demanded, and Ari's head lowered as she fought to contain her tears.
"Shane, you're going too far," Tori was on her feet in an instant. "Ari has saved us so many times, and you're still always criticising her and commenting on her age," she defended Ari, who looked up in surprise. "Yeah, we were all a little worried when she first joined us, but she has more than proven herself against us," the Water Ninja told him firmly.
"Tori's right dude," Dustin nodded as he stood beside her. "Ari's part of the team, you need to treat her like it. Hell, even Cam and Sensei are impressed by her!" he managed to tell their leader, who scowled at him. Blake stood on Tori's other side, not saying anything, but making it clear that he disagreed with Shane.
"Jumping in front of a couple of attacks isn't enough to impress me," Shane turned away, and Ari sighed.
"I know," her voice was soft, and the three standing between her and Shane looked around at her. "But just because you think that I'm not good enough to be on this team doesn't mean I'm not good enough. I am a part of this team, whether you like it or not. And right now, your opinion of my place on this team doesn't matter. What matters is finding Hunter and helping him," Ari told him as she looked determined, and Shane stared at her for a moment before scoffing.
"Whatever," he looked away, and the others sighed.
"Speaking of Hunter, is anyone else worried that we haven't seen him in a couple of hours?" Dustin spoke up, choosing to change the subject.
"Not me," Shane shook his head. "I can use the break from getting my butt whupped," he grumbled, and Blake looked around with a frown. "Hey, no offence, but your bro isn't actually playing well with others these days," Shane folded his arms as he became defensive.
"Look, Hunter is a great Ranger. One day, you're all gonna be glad that he's got those powers," Blake defended with a frown.
"Sure. The day he stops using them on us," Shane muttered.
"Yeah, it's not like he got hit with the same toxic steam that made a Kelzack take out the rest of the Kelzacks," Ari rolled her eyes, earning a glare from Shane.
"How did you get them anyway?" Tori asked curiously as she took a seat beside Dustin as he poked the ground.
"What?" Blake frowned.
"Your powers," Ari moved up beside Dustin as well.
"You never told us how any of that happened," Tori nodded, looking curious.
"It's a long story. Do you really want to hear it?" Blake asked slowly.
"It's either that, or watch Dustin play in the dirt," Shane smirked at the Yellow Ranger as he continued to draw in the dirt with his stick, before blushing and throwing the stick away.
"Sensei Omino was the one who taught our parents the way of the Thunder Ninja," Blake started, looking sad. "After they passed away, he brought us to the Thunder Academy. Helped us get through everything. We felt like we belonged again. We both did really well in our training. Sensei Omino was grooming us for something, but we didn't know what," he explained with a small smile as he thought about it.
"So that's when Lothor showed up," Dustin realised. Blake nodded as his frown returned.
"Yeah. Our school was attacked. Kelzacks and aliens were everywhere. Sensei gave us our morphers," Blake continued on his expression darkening. "He told us we'd know what to do. Only at that moment he got captured by Lothor," he told them darkly.
"When you go in one of those ball things, what's it feel like" Dustin interrupted curiously, earning several stares. "Is it like going off a freestyle ramp?"
"Not really the point dude," Shane interrupted as Blake looked away, his arms folded.
"Oh yeah, no, sorry, continue," Dustin looked up at the Navy Ranger apologetically.
"Once we got on Lothor's ship, he was really tweaked that the Ranger powers were passed onto us. That's when he told us the lie about our parents," Blake finished.
"That's when you went medieval on us," Shane commented, and Blake nodded.
"Let's not go there again," Tori looked up at him with a frown.
"Yeah, I still get nightmares about that cavern," Ari shivered as she thought about the dark cave that housed the Gem of Souls.
"You gotta understand," Blake pleaded with them. "Hunter is a good person. But if he believes someone has wronged him, he won't stop until he makes it right," he explained.
"Ok, we get that," Dustin nodded. "But why is he taking it out on us?" he asked.
"Choobo used some kind of mind erase to make us think you were our enemies," Blake explained softly.
"Then how come you snapped out of it?" Shane asked, frowning at the Ranger suspiciously.
"I guess I just had more help remembering who my friends are," Blake shrugged, and Tori smiled up at him. Blake managed a smile back, and Tori got to her feet.
"Then that's what Hunter needs," she decided as she stood beside him. "Come on, we better go find him," Tori looked to the other three. Shane and Ari nodded, and Ari jumped to her feet, over to them while Dustin groaned.
"Do we have to?" he whined, and Shane grabbed him, dragging him away.
1-2-3-4-5
As they walked back down to the beach to find Hunter, the five Rangers found themselves beginning to choke on the gas that was rising from the island, now even more powerful than before.
"This island reeks!" Dustin groaned in disgust as Tori slipped a little. They squinted through the fog that had risen around them, before hearing a yell.
"You guys, check it out!" Blake yelled, pointing to where Hunter was rolling down the sand dune. "Come on!" they ran down as Hunter got to his feet. Before they could reach him, an explosion knocked them off their feet. SuperToxipod reappeared with a laugh, walking towards them.
"You guys better bail!" he warned. "Cause I'm one bad snail!" he declared.
"If you're a snail, how come you look more like a crab?" Dustin taunted, laughing as the Snail growled.
"Crab, snail, whatever!" he dismissed it, and blasted at them. They flipped backwards, landing lightly.
"Time to plug this slug!" Dustin called as they stood together.
"Ready?"
"Ready!"
"NINJA STORM!"
"CELESTIAL STORM!"
"THUNDER STORM!"
"RANGER FORM, HA!"
"Power of Earth!"
"Water!"
"Air!"
"Power of the Sun!"
"Power of Thunder!"
They morphed and drew their weapons, ready to fight.
"I can take you all on!" SuperToxipod roared.
"Dream on, Snail Trail!" Blake mocked. "Ninja shadow battle!" they each attacked the snail monster, overpowering him. "Where's Hunter?" Blake caught him with his Navy Antlers. The monster cried out in pain as he struggled to break free.
"What do you care?" he grunted as Blake swung him around. "You'll never get off this island!" he told the Navy Ranger, who tossed him aside.
"Put them together! Storm Striker!" the three Wind Ninjas combined their weapons and aimed it at SuperToxipod.
"Solar Blades!" Ari called on her swords and combined them. She started spinning them, and they began to glow golden.
"Fire!"
"Solar Strike!" the two attacks shot at the monster, combining before slamming into him.
"That's not in the script!" he collapsed and exploded. Lowering their visors, the four ran over to Blake.
"Everyone ok?" Shane asked as he looked to each of them. They nodded, and Blake looked around.
"Where's Hunter?" he wondered.
"There you are! Traitor!" they looked around, visors falling as they heard Hunter's roar. The Crimson Ranger ignored the others as they tried to stop him, and he attacked Blake, who cried out. He ignored Blake's words, continuing to attack his brother.
"We have to help," Ari looked to the others, and they ran to help him, only for Choobo to step in the way.
"Not so fast! I want to play!" he told them as they slowed to a stop. He let out a cheer, and laughed before running at them. He knocked him aside easily, throwing Dustin into Ari and knocked them both down.
"This isn't good," Shane groaned as he was knocked down.
"When is it ever?" Ari pushed Dustin off her and grabbed her Solar Blades, running at Choobo. She ducked under his swing and sliced up his chest.
"That tickles!" Choobo mocked, and his huge fist slammed into her chest. She flew back, rolling along the ground as Shane and Tori ran at him again.
"I remember!" they all looked around as Hunter demorphed and collapsed.
"Well it's about time," Ari grinned under her helmet as she got to her feet again.
"Oh no you don't!"
"Oh yes he does!" Shane called, and all four leapt through the air, swinging their swords. Shane then called on the full strength of his sword and slashed Choobo over and over again, forcing him to back off.
"I'll be back Rangers!" Choobo warned, turning and running off before they could stop him. He disappeared, and they demorphed, looking around.
"Guess Choobo didn't feel like sticking around for an encore," Tori grinned.
"Yeah, and that crab is toast," Shane nodded.
"Man, why have I got this sudden craving for seafood?" Dustin wondered, earning several disgusted looks.
"That is seriously wrong," Ari shuddered. "I still think he looked more like a snail," she added.
"Look," Tori's smile dropped suddenly. "There's Blake and Hunter!" they ran towards where Blake was shaking his brother fiercely, trying to wake him.
"Come on bro, stay with me!" Blake pleaded, until Hunter grabbed his wrist.
"Dude..." Hunter groaned. "I kinda need to breathe at some point," he gasped, and Blake let out a laugh of relief, releasing his brother.
"He's back to being Hunter," Tori commented as he looked up at them curiously.
"Good Hunter, or bad Hunter?" Dustin grinned.
"Do you know who we are?" Shane asked.
"Yeah, my friends," Hunter nodded up at them, and they all breathed a sigh of relief.
1-2-3-4-5
As they all stood on the beach, the Rangers wondered just how they were going to get off the beach, when suddenly Shane's morpher beeped. They all gathered around quickly, curious.
"Is that you Cam?" Shane asked hopefully.
"No, it's the phone company. We're calling to find out if you're happy with your long distance service," Cam replied sarcastically, making them laugh.
"Is he always this uh...funny?" Hunter asked with a grin.
"Cam's hysterical!" Ari nodded seriously.
"And yes, Ari is always this weird," Dustin added as the Crimson Ranger looked down at the Gold Ranger, who grinned at Dustin's words.
"We're great Cam, thanks for asking," Shane spoke into his morpher as he rolled his eyes.
"Are the Thunder Rangers with you?" Sensei asked curiously.
"Right here Sensei," Shane nodded as the others looked at Hunter and Blake.
"Excellent. I must speak to them upon your return," Sensei told them.
"Which brings up our next problem," Cam spoke up next. "You're on an island that's sinking fast. You've got to find a way off," he told them.
"Glad we already knew that. Would have been a massive bummer if that was just sprung on us after all this," Ari commented with a grin.
"How about the gliders?" Dustin suggested as he messed up her hair. Ari giggled, swatting them away.
"The atmospheric pressure is too unstable right now, it wouldn't be safe," Cam responded.
"What about the Zords?" Blake wondered aloud.
"Good idea Blake," Sensei voiced his approval of the idea.
"They're on their way!" Cam called. "I just have to check their structural integrity to make certain they can stand the water pressure," he told them.
"We're ready," Shane told him, and ended the communication. "Let's do it," he said, but as they fell into formation, Hunter spoke up.
"Wait!" they all looked around at him, and he looked uncomfortable. "I just wanted to say that it means a lot. The way you stood up for me," Hunter told them.
"That's what friends do!" Ari grinned at him.
"So before this turns into a group hug, better go," Shane clapped Dustin and Blake on the shoulders and walked off.
"Bet you wouldn't mind that," Ari whispered to Tori, and glanced to Blake before winking at Tori. The Water Ninja went red and slapped her over the head, making Ari yelp before laughing, running to walk on Dustin's other side.
"Ah! Go big or go home!" they all looked up as the giant snail reappeared.
"You guys ready for this?" Shane looked to Dustin, Tori and Ari, who was rubbing her head. Ari dropped her hands and grinned.
"Ready," they nodded, and Shane looked to Hunter and Blake.
"Ready," Hunter nodded as well, and Shane grinned.
"NINJA STORM!"
"CELESTIAL STORM!"
"THUNDER STORM!"
"RANGER FORM, HA!"
"Ninja Ranger Power!"
"Hey Cam, how about those Zords?" Shane called as they looked up at Toxipod.
"On their way," Cam responded quickly, sending them their Zords. They leapt up into the Zords as they arrived on the steadily sinking island, and as Ari's Swan Zord went into its fighter mode, the others formed their Megazords.
"Hey Rangers!" Toxipod laughed. "You're gonna be sorry you ever crossed my snail trail!" he called to them, holding a weapon that had shells as blades. He breathed fire at them, hitting all three.
"Dude, it's hot! Like, Africa hot!" Dustin cried as their Zords heated up.
"Have you actually been to Africa Dustin?" Ari asked as she fanned herself frantically.
"Where's the A.C on this thing?" Tori looked around hopefully.
"Whoa! Yo, you guys ok?" Shane looked to the other Megazord.
"Yeah, don't worry about it!" Hunter called back.
"We can take the heat!" Blake nodded in agreement.
"Then let's go for a little spin!" Shane called, and they all began to spin, putting out the flames.
"What?!" Toxipod cried out in horror, before the Thunder Rangers called on their Spin Blade, and the Wind Megazord went into lightning mode.
"Hey Cam, how's about something pretty for me?" Ari grinned.
"Aren't you just glad you have a Zord?" Cam chuckled. "But if that's not enough, here you go," a power disk appeared and Ari cheered.
"Cam, you really are the best!" she told him.
"Stating the obvious doesn't get you any more toys to play with," Cam replied, but it was clear he was grinning. Ari inserted the disk, and the sphere that shot out revealed a pair of swords. Ari cheered again, and rushed at Toxipod, slashing across his chest as she passed, making him cry out. The Wind Megazord finished off the battle, and the snail collapsed, falling. The Rangers cheered, and moved through the sea as the island sank back into the sea.
1-2-3-4-5
"Hey Kel..." while clearing up what appeared to have been a massive sale, Kelly looked around at Dustin and Ari. Hunter and Blake stood behind them, looking just as guilty as the Yellow and Gold Rangers.
"Well, look what the cat dragged in," the red-haired woman frowned as she packed up a box and pushed it out of the way.
"Kelly, we are so sorry," Ari told her earnestly.
"Kel, we can explain. We were stuck in the middle of nowhere-"
"It wasn't their fault," Hunter spoke up from behind Dustin. "They were helping us out," Kelly just rolled her eyes.
"That doesn't surprise me," she hauled a bunch of clothes into her arms. "You couldn't have called? Sent an email?" she demanded as both looked really guilty.
"You gotta trust me, if there was any way, we'd have been here!" Dustin insisted.
"We're really, really sorry," Ari told Kelly, tears in her wide green eyes. Kelly looked at her, and hesitated.
"They're telling the truth. As for my brother and me, we know we let you down a bunch of times," Blake spoke up, and Hunter nodded quickly. "We're through with that. We want to start over," Kelly kept working, but was looking thoughtful.
"We'll make it up to you, we promise," Hunter added, and Kelly dumped the boxes in her hands.
"Well, I'm still kind of shorthanded. I could do with a couple of stock boys," the two frowned as Ari and Dustin started to giggle. "You know, someone to open boxes, clean the floors, that kinda stuff," Kelly listed, and as Hunter protested, Blake accepted, ignoring his brother. "Well, you can start by helping me clean up this mess," she told them.
"We've just got one thing that we have to take care of," Dustin told her quickly, and Kelly frowned again. "We'll be back in like, half an hour. I promise," Dustin insisted, and Kelly sighed as they rushed back out of Storm Chargers.
1-2-3-4-5
"Whoa, wait a minute!" Shane exclaimed as Hunter and Blake told them what they were planning. "Let me get this straight. After all we went through, you guys just want to walk away from being Rangers?" he demanded.
"We have to," Hunter told him as they stared at the two.
"Lothor isn't gonna let us rest until he destroys us," Blake pointed out.
"Join the club dude," Dustin gestured to the rest of them.
"We can't risk anything happening to you because of us. You're the only thing standing between Lothor and millions of innocent people," Hunter shook his head.
"You know Lothor's going to come after us regardless of if you're there or not, right?" Ari asked softly. They kept quiet, not answering her. "So wouldn't it be better to combine our energies to stop him?" she asked, tilting her head as she watched them.
"You're some kind of demon," Blake commented as he recoiled from her, and Ari blinked. "Those eyes!"
"Yeah, I feel like I just kicked a puppy or something," Hunter agreed.
"What did I do?" Ari asked, looking around.
"The same thing you did to Kel earlier to stop her from chewing us out," Dustin laughed as Ari tilted her head again.
"And the same thing you did to Cam when you dropped his laptop," Tori smirked. Cam just shrugged from his seat, not looking too worried.
"I wasn't aware that I did anything..." Ari mumbled as she looked down.
"See! You're doing it right now!" Dustin laughed as he pointed at her, and Hunter and Blake grinned.
"Guys. Focus?" Shane frowned at them.
"Sorry," Tori smiled apologetically, and they looked back to Hunter and Blake, and their grins faded. "You've been given a gift, isn't it your responsibility to use it?" she asked curiously.
"Tori is correct, as is Ari," Ari smirked at the pair, who shook their heads in disbelief. "Hunter, Blake, Sensei Omino knew the Thunder Ranger powers were meant for you. But I cannot force you to live up to your responsibility," Sensei told them, and they looked down at the guinea pig.
"So what do you say?" Shane draped an arm over Tori and Dustin's shoulders, grinning at the pair. "You guys in? Or not?" he asked, and the two looked to each other, and back to them.
"We need time to think," Blake answered, and they sighed before nodding.
I would have had this chapter up earlier this evening, but a friend of mine keeps sending me links to Gaki no Tsukai videos...seriously, just watch them, they're hysterical.
Anyways, I hope you enjoyed it! I shall try and update again before Friday!