A/N: Lately, I've noticed that "Top of the World" has some missing scenes in it, so this story is basically to fill in those gaps. I am also going to add those chapters that I thought would be omitted, including "Trading Places".
Disclaimer: I do not own Power Rangers. Mr. Saban does and always will.
If you are confused, you might want to go back and read Top of the World first.
Also, if you dislike reading about blood and whatnot, consider this as a fair warning. It's mainly mentioned at the end, but I just want you to be careful.
~PRS~PRS~PRS~PRS~
"No single Nighlock knew what Xandred would really do to them if they had hurt his Gem, but no one really wanted to find out, so they did as Xandred ordered to them: don't hurt the Gem. All except one."
Top of the World ~ Side Story: Reading between the Lines
Chapter 11.4: The Tengen Gate
September 12, 2012
Panorama City, City Park
Emily swerved slowly around a group of kids hop-scotching in the sidewalk. Mike had bought her rollerblades for her birthday and she was waiting for the perfect day to try them out, which evidentially was today.
She knew how to skate, but these were new, and they could severely hurt her if she wasn't careful.
Emily glanced around the park and smiled. Today, the sun was shining and people were out and about, happy and having fun. Nope. No misery here.
She jumped over a man who was kneeled over, tying his shoe. Landing perfectly on her own two feet, she continued to rollerblade down the concrete path until someone called out her name.
She turned to see Antonio waving at her, his fishing equipment box beside him. She smiled, waved back, and slowed down by turned her blades sideways and lowering them to the point where they were almost touching the ground. Using her black-biker-gloved hand, she pivoted herself and turned around before resuming her skating.
Turning the blades sideways again, she slowed down and stopped in front of Antonio. "Hey, Tonio."
"Hey, Em. Nice, fancy skating there."
"Thanks. Serena taught me, well, before she got sick," Emily replied, attempting to balance herself so she wouldn't fall over. In the end, she merely gave up by using Antonio as a guiding post.
"Your sister taught you a lot of things," Antonio spoke, and Emily nodded. "What about your mom? Didn't she teach you anything?" He began walking, towing his fishing box behind him, if only so Emily wouldn't fall.
"Of course," Emily said, slowly skating beside her friend. "Besides martial arts and samurai training, Momma was the one who taught me all of my manners, kind-heartedness, and whatnot. Serena's tougher than I am, so basically, I get all of my heart from my mom."
"I'm guessing it runs in the family," Antonio estimated.
"Pretty much. For eighteen generations, the Yellow Ranger has always been the heart of the team. At least, in retrospect."
"Eighteen generations?" Emily nodded again. "That's…"
"A little over three centuries, Antonio. Approximately."
"Wow. I'm learning more about this Samurai business day after day," Antonio replied. "How do all five of you guys come together? I mean, life has had to happen some times. Like death, marriage, miscarriages, stuff like that."
"It has happened, Antonio," Emily said. "To be honest, at one point or another, the line was broken in some ways. None of us, Jayden, Kevin, Mia, Mike, nor I, are actually 'direct descendants' of the First Generation. I mean, yeah, we are part of the family. We have their blood running through our veins, but we're born from relatives of them. If that makes sense."
"How do the family lines stay intact?" Antonio pondered. "I mean, some family lines die out after a few generations because there are no heirs."
"Some powerful force," Emily surmised. "Maybe fate, destiny perhaps. The Emperor who initially commissioned the First Generation must have been some powerful wizard maybe. Good but powerful. I have no idea, Tonio. Jii doesn't know either."
"That's saying something…"
"Yeah it is." Jii may have been their mentor, two generations in a row now, but he wasn't perfect. There were a few things he didn't know.
"Would you say that you guys are the reincarnations of the first five Samurai?" Antonio asked. "Like Avatar: the Last Airbender, where the Avatar is reincarnated every lifetime into a different elemental tribe?"
Emily shrugged. "Well, the Powers within us act something like that. There's only one Red, one Blue, one Pink, one Green, and one Yellow, and now one Gold. The Transfer of Power is possible, where two people share the same power, but it has to be the same generation, like siblings or twins. But, in a nutshell, even if five generations are alive at the same time, there's only one Ranger out of all of those generations."
"Because there's only one Power."
"Exactly. Now you're catching on, Antonio. Maybe when you have kids someday, you'll share the Gold with them, if they want."
"It would be cool, you know, having a legacy to pass down…" Antonio suddenly stopped and held out his arm for Emily to grab and hold on to.
She did. "What is it? Why'd we stop?"
He pointed to a little crack in the blacktop beside them, which was colored red. "What is that?"
"Get closer." They did, and the two knelt down beside the red crack. "This, Antonio, is Sanzu River water."
Antonio reached with his finger to get a sample, but Emily grabbed his wrist.
"Don't touch it. It will literally burn your skin off."
"That dangerous, huh?" Antonio surmised.
"Yep," Emily replied, flipping out her Samuraizer, and pressed in a random number. Well, it may have been random to others, but to Emily and Antonio, it was someone very important.
"Hello? Emily, is everything okay?"
Sounds of the others training were heard in the background. Well, actually, there were. They had stopped by now. "I'm fine, Jayden. Antonio and I found a spot where the Sanzu River is seeping into our world. You might want to check it out."
"Okay. We'll be right there." This was when an alarm was heard in the background. "That's the Gap Sensor."
"I know," Emily replied, her and Antonio staring out at the park, where Moogers were attacking. "Moogers at City Park. See you in a few." And she hung up.
And with her on her rollerblades and Antonio with a fishing pole, she and Antonio charged.
~P~O~W~E~R~R~A~N~G~E~R~S~S~A~M~U~R~A~I~T~O~P~O~F~T~H~E~W~O~R~L~D~
Sanzu River, Junk Ship
"Oo-ah-oo, Master Xandred sure is most difficult at times like these," Octoroo rhymed.
"Times like what?" Dayu asked, stirring something in a cup.
"Master Xandred sometimes has power surges, and he is forced to lock himself up in his room while he tries to deal with it."
"Why doesn't he use his new powers to break the Seal placed upon him those years ago?" Dayu asked the obvious.
"Because the Seal is too strong for him to break. That's what his medicine is for. That's also why he needs the Sealing Symbol, so he can reverse it and become immune to it. Instead, since he is unable to do much else with his newfound powers, he creates replicas*."
"Replicas?"
"That is correct, Dayu, and these replicas are what help him deal with the pain when he is injured. They are his power source."
"I see. The potion is almost ready."
"Good. You know, you make the best antidotes, Dayu." He had made the poison, and now Dayu was making the antidote.
"Naturally."
A knock sounded on the wood outside the ship. "Permission to come aboard, Master Octoroo."
"Permission granted." A spider-like Nighlock came in board. "Arachnitor, what a pleasant surprise. What are you doing here?"
"I heard Master Xandred is having another power surge."
"Oo-ah-oo, that he is. Why do you need to know?"
"Why not overthrow Xandred now? He is weak and vulnerable." Mutiny. That's what this Nighlock was proposing.
"Well, I–" The squid stuttered.
"Some on, Octoroo, you know you want to."
"Arachnitor…"
"Good. First plan of attack: destroy the Gem."
Something in Octoroo snapped.
"No, Arachnitor."
"No? Then what is the first plan of attack?"
"Throw you in the deepest dungeon we have," Octoroo stood his ground. "You are talking about committing mutiny right on Master Xandred's own ship. I will not help you overthrow my master."
"Rather protective of the Gem, aren't we?"
"It's not the Gem I worry about. It's Master Xandred. Master Xandred needs the Gem to successfully revive, and you want to destroy it?"
"Exactly. Once the Gem is removed, not only is Master Xandred destroyed, but the Samurai will also be down one."
"I. Will. Not. Help. You. You may go into the living world to cause misery but that's it. No mutiny. No touching the Gem. At. All. Got that?"
Arachnitor pretended to sigh in defeat. "Very well. Only to cause misery."
Once the spider Nighlock was gone, Dayu spoke up. She had been watching the whole thing and she was impressed. "For the first time in all of my existence, Octoroo, I admire you. Standing up for Master Xandred like that, especially to someone like Arachnitor must have been hard."
"Resisting temptation was hard, but my need to help Master Xandred take over the world overruled my own desires. Arachnitor is correct when he says that if the Gem is destroyed, Master Xandred is as well."
"What?"
"Yes, Dayu. They are connected, as if they are one being with two separate hearts. One cannot survive without the other." Octoroo cleared his throat. "That aside, is that antidote finished yet?"
"Just one more minute."
~P~O~W~E~R~R~A~N~G~E~R~S~S~A~M~U~R~A~I~T~O~P~O~F~T~H~E~W~O~R~L~D~
Shiba House, Meeting Room
"Why is it that we fight so hard, but the Sanzu River still finds a way to leak into our world?" Mia asked, the six Rangers gathering around the table and sitting down.
"I wish this wasn't happening," Mike muttered. The others agreed with him, silently, but they did.
Jii was pacing in circles around them, reading a book about ancient legends. "It's a good thing Antonio and Emily found that crack when they did." They had successfully sealed it up after the Mooger fight. "If it were any longer, the crack may have gotten too large to seal."
"True, but what else can we do?" Emily pointed out. "We've beaten the Nighlock every time."
"We can't think about winning or losing," Jayden softly cut in. "We have to believe in ourselves and keep fighting."
"Jayden's right," Kevin said. "We can't give up."
"But what if one day 'never giving up' is not enough?" Mia asked, and Emily's stomach twisted at this thought. She knew Mia was just pointing out the reality, but it still tied her stomach in knots.
"I'm glad you brought that up, Mia," Jii said. "Because I may have found something that could help us." And Jii placed his book down on the table. On the open page was a drawing of a black box surrounded by nine animals.
"The Black Box?" Jayden asked, incredulously. "Jii, we can't –"
It appeared Jayden knew something the others didn't. Again.
"What is it?" Antonio asked, everyone else wanted to know.
After sharing a long, hard stare at Jayden, Jii replied, "It's a magic talisman created by Lord Kohaku Shiba, the very first Red Ranger. It is said it can unite the Symbol Powers of all of the Samurai Rangers into one."
"Okay, cool, so let's fire it up," Mike, ever the enthusiastic one, said.
"It's not that easy, Mike," Jayden gently said. "Lord Kohaku never finished the talisman."
"Many have tried," Jii said. "But none have the neither the skill nor the power to complete it."
Emily shared a knowing look with Antonio. "Hey, Antonio, maybe you can give it a try. You're a tech wiz."
"Yeah, you programmed a zord like it was mere coffee maker," Mike picked up on what Emily was getting at.
"Well…" Antonio began, but never finished.
"Yeah, but he doesn't have mastery over Symbol Power like we do," Kevin reasoned. "You know how much it drains us every time we use it? Sorry, but it may be too much for you, Antonio."
"Kevin's right," Jayden immediately backed him up. "Even transferring a few of our Symbol Powers into the box could kill him. Sorry, Antonio, but I just can't ask you to take such a risk."
Emily leaned over, closer to Jayden. "Jayden, believe me, none of us want to see Antonio get hurt. But this is the fate of the world we're talking about."
"She's right," Mia added. "This is about saving the human race."
"Trust me, Jay," Antonio cut in. "I'm ready, willing, and able. Just say the word, and I'll do it."
Jayden hesitated. Putting Antonio at risk like this? Could he really do that? Then, again, he and the others took the same risks all the time.
And Emily was right. Again.
"Okay."
~P~O~W~E~R~R~A~N~G~E~R~S~S~A~M~U~R~A~I~T~O~P~O~F~T~H~E~W~O~R~L~D~
Panorama City, Pier 11
While the others went to the Tengen Gate to retrieve the Black Box, Antonio was assigned to guard the city until they got back. So here he was, out fishing, again, and about to put in some music.
His Samuraizer buzzed.
He flipped it open. "Hello?"
"Antonio! You need to come over here right now!" It was Mia. It sounded like she was in the middle of the fight.
"Why? What's wrong?" Antonio asked, while gathering up all his stuff.
"Nighlock attack…Jayden poisoned…Emily in trouble…!" was all he caught before the line went dead.
"On my way!" Antonio replied, even though no one could hear him.
His friends were in trouble, especially Jayden and Emily, by the sound of Mia's voice and message.
And he'll be damned if he didn't at least try to save them.
~P~O~W~E~R~R~A~N~G~E~R~S~S~A~M~U~R~A~I~T~O~P~O~F~T~H~E~W~O~R~L~D~
Tengen Gate
Fully morphed, Antonio unsheathed his blade and slashed Arachnitor multiple times, using his speed, and eventually, Emily was released from the Nighlock's chokehold.
He knelt in front of her, protecting her, and was forced to stand back and watch as red-colored ropes appeared through a gap and wrapped themselves tightly around Arachnitor.
"You, Arachnitor, shall pay for deceiving me!" Xandred…
Antonio's breath was caught in his throat, but it was set free when Arachnitor finally disappeared through the gap.
Antonio finally de-morphed and took a good look at his friends.
Jayden was nowhere in sight. Kevin, Mike, and Mia were down, de-morphed, and out. Emily was the same way, except…she wasn't breathing.
Antonio, shaking in fear and from adrenaline, pressed down on her chest a few times, before breathing into her mouth.
If this Nighlock was choking her, then she must have had no air left. If that was so, then he'd give it to her.
"Come on, Em…" He pressed down on her chest once more, before she finally began to cough. "Yes…" he sighed in relief.
Emily turned to the side and continued to cough. She let out one finally, almost sounding like a choke, and Antonio froze when she saw blood come out of her mouth.
But it seemed to make her feel better, because her coughing fit had stopped after this. "A-Antonio…" Cough. "J-Jayden…he's…" Cough, cough. "Jayden is…"
"Poisoned, I know," Antonio said, quietly. "Please, rest, Em."
"No…Jayden…" Cough. "Gone." Cough, cough. "Jayden is gone."
"W-What?"
"I-I was…" cough, "shielding him from Octoroo," cough, "and Deker came…and took him away…" Cough, cough. "I tried…to go after him…but the others were calling for help."
Another coughing fit started up after this, during which she choked up even more blood.
"Em, you need to rest. Your body's been through a terrible ordeal," Antonio replied, his voice and own body shaking.
"J-Jayden…he's…" Her world began to darken. "He's…"
"Gone," Antonio finished just as Emily passed out. "I know…"
TO BE CONTINUED…
~PRS~PRS~PRS~PRS~
*The "replicas" concept is explained is "Comebacks and Intermissions", Chapter 15.
A/N: Well? What do you think? Review, please! And now for the next chapter. Check it out:
Chapter 13: 11.5 – Boxed In
"With the team down and Jayden gone, Antonio tries to juggle his many responsibilities that the others have unwillingly forced upon him, while Emily attempts to come to terms with almost being murdered."
