Chapter 33: Ninjetti Rider

And now you understand the true depths of your Power.

Weihan grinned under his helmet as Raizo backed away fearfully, unnerved at the sudden change his suit had undergone. The material had changed from the spandex-like substitute to the same cashmere-like fabric of his Ninjetti uniform. His chest armour was still intact, though the embossed symbol had changed into an imprint of his Crocodile Ninjetti coin. An image of his changed Turbine popped up on his HUD and, with another groan, he realised that the Activation Gem had changed into his Crocodile Power Coin. The Crocodile Sai hung off his belt on the same loops of cloth and gold stitching circled his gloves and boots. There was a strange bulk on his right wrist but he wasn't going to leave himself wide open just to have a closer look. Bringing the Rider Blade up and back, he slid it into a sheath on his back and cracked his knuckles; wanting to know exactly what he could do in this new form.

With only a moment's hesitation, he launched himself at the monster with his arms outstretched. After a few moments of continuous hitting, he stepped back to see what damage he had wrought. Much to his disappointment, there didn't seem to be a lot of permanent injuries to the monster; which would mean that his physical strength had lessened considerably when he was in this form. That was all right as it meant he would just have to be creative when dealing with the threats at hand. Several dialog boxes flashed up on the lower left hand side of his vision, sent from Gaby and the RAT demanding to know what was going on and how he had accessed that new form. Shaking his head in response, he dropped his hands down to his belt and withdrew the Crocodile Sai; gripping the weapons in his hands in the position he had used several times facing down the hordes of Xonix.

"Jayden, who's that? It looks like a Ranger but…"

"I have no idea but we can't let that Nighlock defeat him."

Not wanting the Samurai Rangers to get hurt, he held up his hand and shook his head. If they were shouting their identities in a public place, they were going to get mobbed by the press very quickly. Acting on a whim, he chanted a quick spell under his breath and sent the five of them to the Ultra Cavern in a burst of sparks. He hoped someone was there to greet them; otherwise they would begin to get annoyed fast. Out of the corner of his left eye, he could see a familiar blue and gold armoured form streak away and he hoped Ninjor would finally appear to the Samurai Rangers and inform them of their legacy. Connor was still on the ground, either playing dead or unconscious, which meant he was on his own for the duration of the battle…since Serena couldn't be relied on to come to his aid.

Springing into action, he leapt over the head of the Nighlock and brought his Sai down on its head. The blades pierced the thin armoured skin and sank in deep, ripping free with a tearing sound as he vaulted away. Thin streams of blue blood crackled briefly in the afternoon sun as the monster screeched in pain, shock and fear. Master Xandred hadn't properly briefed him about this, dragging him up from the depths of the Sanzu River to present him with a task to utterly destroy the Samurai Rangers. Why he had to be sent to a city outside of their usual attack zone was strange but he rationalised it as a scouting mission to judge the strength of normal humans to defend their cities. Raizo would ensure that the warrior in front of him would fall before him in defeat…if he could just catch him.

You should not be hesitating so much as this power is yours alone. Break free of the mental shackles you have imposed on yourself and step into the light of Power again.

Weihan grinned at the voice, though some small part of his mind was screaming at him that the voice belonged to Shining Light. On some level, he knew that to be true – that Celestia's friend hadn't stayed in Equestria all those years ago but had followed him back to Earth for some unknown reason, only to merge with his Ultra Crystal during the short few moments before its first destruction. While that was the part of him that believed she was here to help him grow into his new abilities, another part of him argued that Shining Light had been absorbed into the Equestrian Morphin Grid and was wordlessly helping the Rangers battle against Discord. Absently twirling one of his Sai, he banished those thoughts from his mind and readied his next move.

The switch to this new Ninjetti mode had drastically reduced his strength and armour but it had heightened his speed and enhanced his magical abilities. He wasn't so sure how he knew it had done the latter two but something was telling him it had…which was something he wouldn't ever think about as it was beginning to hurt his brain. The monster in front of him was recovering slowly from the blow he had given it but it wouldn't be incapacitated for long – and it was a monster in every sense of the word. The streets around him were all but deserted, panicked citizens fleeing into the Monster Shelters that had been repurposed into Wraith Shelters by the Lord Mayor and those who had balconies facing the battlefield had the curtains closed tight; not that panes of unarmoured glass and sheets of cloth would do any good against energy blasts.

There was another sensation in the back of his mind as well. Not Shining Light, as he had gotten used to her presence in his mind within an astoundingly short amount of time, but something that was very familiar and had been with him since his transition to Ninjetti Mode…and he was going to hit himself for not realising things sooner. Of course his Crocodile Spirit would come to the forefront during his transformation as this mode encapsulated every iota of the Grid powers he had been able to access for a long time. Plus, his Ninjetti Spirit was a permanent part of him and would allow his consciousness to exist within the Universal Morphin Grid. Shaking his head, he closed his eyes and concentrated on the vast repository of knowledge within him, silently asking for assistance and help.

"Move now!"

With a start, his eyes flew open as his body instinctively jerked back to avoid a lightning strike that would have fried him to a crisp. Thin ribbons of electricity danced over his armour and he had to control his breathing to calm down. Raizo was in front of him within moments for a close-up strike with electricity-covered taiko sticks – a blow that he barely blocked with his Sai. Rolling behind the monster, he swept out with his right leg to knock the Nighlock off-balance and send it crashing painfully to the ground. As a sharp report of pain raced up his leg, he made a mental note to not use that again. Allowing the Power to wash over his body, he felt the somewhat disturbing sensation of his bones aligning back into place. It was a feeling he hadn't gotten used to at all during his campaign against Xonix, though it wasn't quite as unpleasant as the crawling feeling that accompanied the memory downloading.

"Who are you and why do you stand up against Master Xandred? You are no Samurai Ranger and you have no command over any sort of Symbol power so…why?"

"I'm not even going to dignify that with a proper response. Your master should know that his plans will ultimately fail. Even if you manage to destroy the Samurai Rangers, are you prepared to face down a stronger team? How about a team from the future – where you lose? Or taking on the strongest Ranger team in existence; is your Master Xandred really prepared to fight them? I've sacrificed so much for this planet, so much so that I don't even know when my rest will come."

He didn't know where that phrase had come from, only that it was the absolute truth. From helping at Lightspeed and Bio-Lab to taking up the mantle of a hero again…it was almost too much for him to bear. With the knowledge that he would be going back in time to the time of Zordon's battle with Rita, it was stress he didn't need but had to shoulder. There were also the curious words of the Sunset Wraith but he would deal with those later. Moving as if on instinct, he brought his Sai end-to-end and watched, with some small measure of surprise, as they locked together to form a short staff. Belatedly, he realised Gaby would have a few questions about what he had sacrificed for the planet but he was sure he could bullshit an answer. Channelling magic into the Sai Staff, he began twirling it around until it was a blur of motion and fire.

"Flare Blitz!"

Throwing the fire-sheathed weapon at the monster, he felt a grim sense of satisfaction as the fiery projectile sank deep within the folds of fat on the stomach of the monster. An inelegant blubbering comprising of pain, fear and despair burst from the lips of Raizo as it began flash-frying from the inside out. Unbeknownst to Rider or monster, most of the magic surrounding the weapon had been extinguished upon contact with the monster and it was using the Nighlock's second life to fulfil its destructive potential…though Raizo seemed to acknowledge the fact in the last few moments of his life. As the spent blades boomeranged back into his awaiting hand, bursts of fire and lightning erupted from the Nighlock as its death rapidly approached. Master Xandred would do well not to cross outside the city where the Samurai Rangers resided if he wanted any chance at conquering the world but for his conquest to be complete, the Sanzu needed to flood said world. It was a fool's errand to think it could be achieved.

Seconds later, the surrounding area lit up as Raizo exploded in a bright fireball. Disconnecting the Sai staff and rehooking the weapons onto his belt, Weihan wondered which of the two unpleasant choices in front of him would be the easiest to deal with: explanations to Gaby or to the Samurai Rangers. Of course, if he didn't report to his boss, he probably wouldn't have a job in the near future…sighing, he willed his armour back into its original form and shook his head.

It was time to see the boss.

TBC…