A/N: Enjoy the chapter! Sorry you guys had to wait so long.
Disclaimer: I do not own Power Rangers Samurai or Samurai Sentai Shinkenger. I just own most of the plot and the characters and things you don't recognize from the original versions.
Note: Last chapter, I said "End of Summer Sale", but that's a mistake, because going by the dates, it's still Spring. So apologies for that.
~PRS~REDO~PRS~REDO~PRS~REDO~PRS~REDO~PRS~REDO~
"When Serrator asks Deker to fulfill the final piece of his destructive plans, Antonio begs Deker to reconsider his role in the battle between humans and the Nighlock."
Better Together
Power Rangers: Samurai REDO
PREVIOUSLY ON POWER RANGERS: SAMURAI
"The wedge is going to blow!" Jayden realized. "Get down!"
And the last thing Emily saw was a blur of red protecting her from the dark energy that suddenly exploded from the ground.
The other four met the same fate on the opposite side.
Dayu managed to get away in time, and hopped onto a building far away. She turned to see Monalua Island's wedge also blow.
"This is just a taste of the awesome power to be unleashed," Serrator told Deker. He revealed himself to be floating in mid-air. "See?! The Earth cries out, ready to be carved in two! And you, Deker, are the only one who can make it happen! I shall locate the spot between the two worlds where the barrier is weakest, so you can make your final strike. I know that, in the end, you will do my bidding."
Deker collapsed amid the rubble, the six Rangers not too far away from him.
Serrator addressed the Rangers, "Rangers, your world is crumbling before your very eyes. And there's nothing you can do to stop me now!"
Jayden struggled to stay awake, but he too was forced to succumb to the darkness.
~B~E~T~T~E~R~~T~O~G~E~T~H~E~R~~P~O~W~E~R~~R~A~N~G~E~R~S~~S~A~M~U~R~A~I~~R~E~D~O~
Season 2, Episode 15: Truth and Consequences
City Square, Panorama City, California
April 19, 2015
Jayden wasn't sure how long he was out, but the sun was close to setting, so it was at least an hour. His eyes opened to Emily laying not far away from him, and his first instinct was to check on her.
"Emily..." he muttered as he crawled towards her, ignoring the pain in his side as he did so.
She coughed and stirred, and he breathed a sigh of relief when she opened her eyes and whispered, "Jayden?"
"Yeah, it's me," he replied. "You okay?"
"I can still feel all of my limbs," she said, "so yes, I'm fine."
"Good," he said. "Can you stand? We need to check on the others."
Emily's body shook as she slowly sat up. While she did so, Jayden glanced around the area. The City Square no longer looked like a City Square, but a warzone. There was rubble everywhere, and fortunately no one else was in the area (perhaps because they knew to turn tail and run far away as soon as the Rangers showed up). It was just the Rangers here.
Not to mention, the burst of energy shooting up into the sky. It had died down, so it wasn't as explosive as it was when it went off, but it was still concerning.
He then spotted Mike with both Kevin and Mia's arms drapped over his shoulders, and it was obvious that he was supporting them both.
Antonio, meanwhile, woke up to see Deker nearby, obviously unconscious. He stood up, his Barracuda Blade in hand, and slowly, silently, made his way over.
This was his chance. If he struck Deker down right here, then they could end this once and for all.
Deker was lying on his back on a broken piece of stone steps made out of stone, his feet near the top and his head at the bottom. Unsheathing his weapon slightly, Antonio's gaze never wavered from Deker...
He looked so helpless just lying there...
Antonio's grip on the hilt of his Blade tightened as he recalled the story of Takeshi.
"He was a sushi seller and the Red Shogun's best friend, before taken in as their Gold Ranger, the Light Thief. However, shortly after becoming a samurai, he took a life he shouldn't have, in a way that was dishonorable, and Daisuke's ancestor cursed him before dying at his hand as well. His memories as Takeshi were warped and twisted the longer he was a Nighlock, and he attacked his former friends, the Grand Shogun, and the Red Shogun was forced to perform an incomplete Seal on his own best friend before he died. Over time, Xandred lost his humanity and with it, his memories of being a human."
Yes, he was loyal to the Rangers, and always would be. But he didn't think he could actually kill someone for them, even if they asked him.
Yes, Deker was their enemy, but he was also half-human. They were hidden pretty deeply, but Antonio knew that Deker had emotions. When Deker had slipped up as one of the three wolves to him and Jayden, Antonio could see guilt in his eyes.
Besides, Deker was cursed for at least 300 years, and Antonio felt it right to give Deker a chance to break his curse himself, as well as to give Jayden and Emily a chance to avenge their sisters.
No. This wasn't right.
Antonio sheathed his Blade and chose to walk away, walking to the other Rangers.
~B~E~T~T~E~R~~T~O~G~E~T~H~E~R~~P~O~W~E~R~~R~A~N~G~E~R~S~~S~A~M~U~R~A~I~~R~E~D~O~
Shiba House, Gianni Forest, Panorama City, California
April 20, 2015
The Rangers barely slept that night, all of them too busy thinking about the wedges and how much time they had left. The Gap Sensor hadn't gone off yet, and it was making them nervous.
But now, they were bandaged and well rested, so they were ready.
"The barrier between our two worlds are continuing to weaken along the line," Ji said. "And the records have no information to help us. This hasn't happened before."
"Makes sense," Kevin commented. "If this had happened before, there's no way we'd be here now."
Emily spoke up next, her Zord in Animal Mode in hand, "Ape says that the Earth will heal itself after 24 hours, according to when the wedges first blew. All we have to do is make sure no one splits it open during that time. Is that right?" Ape nodded before assuming her triangle shape.
They chose to trust Ape, as she and Emily were the guardians of the element Earth.
"So, then," Mia said, "we keep an eye on Deker for now?"
"Yes," Jayden replied. "And when push comes to shove, we need to keep him occupied until the 24-hour time limit is up."
Antonio had been quiet until now, and to be honest, he had almost forgotten about Deker until now, when the others brought him up. He took a deep breath and quietly spoke up, "I'm sorry, guys."
The others turned to him. "You're sorry," Mike asked. "For what?"
"Yesterday, I had to chance to take Deker out, but I didn't," Antonio explained. "I'm sorry. I blew it."
"No, you didn't," Kevin objected. "Because if you paying attention just now, we said 'keep an eye on Deker' and 'keep him occupied'. We never said 'destroy him'."
Antonio thought about this for a minute, before standing up and saying, clearly ashamed, "I still should have done something. I'm sorry, guys, but I know what I have to do."
As he going out the door, the other five tried to go after him, calling out his name, only to be stopped by the Gap Sensor going off.
Ji looked at the map, before relaying the new information, "Waterfront Parking Garage. It's on Serrator's line, and it perfectly fits between two established points."
"It's the final wedge," Mia realized.
"This is it," Jayden warned. "Serrator's going to throw everything he has at us now, which is a lot. But stopping him is going to take everything we have, so we need to divide and conquer. Mike, Kevin, go after Antonio. Once you find him, tell Ji and he'll give you the Serrator's coordinates. Mia, Emily, we'll go stop the Nighlock and see if we can prevent that last wedge from being made."
The four nodded and immediately went their separate ways.
~B~E~T~T~E~R~~T~O~G~E~T~H~E~R~~P~O~W~E~R~~R~A~N~G~E~R~S~~S~A~M~U~R~A~I~~R~E~D~O~
Cortez Forest, Panorama City, California
Deker washed his face with water from a stream. He paused after a moment and looked at his reflection, thinking about Serrator's words.
'The one to crack open the world must be someone that feels the pain of both the human and nether worlds but belongs to neither. That's you.'
He saw a brief overlay of his Nighlock form over half of his face, but he chose to walk away.
His walk took him away from the river and to a burned down house. Only the foundation remained, give or take a few wooden beams around the perimeter and the stone-made fireplace. Ge couldn't figure out why this place seemed familiar to him.
He could only vaguely remember this house being burned down, but why?
Dayu watched as the former love of her life walked through the wreckage of their old house, and she decided to approach him.
"Strange to find you here," she told him, tightly clutching her repaired Harmonium, butterflies fluttering around in her chest. "Do you recognize this place?"
"I don't know," he honestly replied. "I don't know why I came here."
She took a deep breath, and finally gathered enough courage to say, "I'm sorry, Derek. You being cursed is my fault."
He immediately turned around, and she couldn't read the expression on his face. It was a mix of anger and confusion, yet also intrigue.
She chose to elaborate, "You were dying, and so I made a deal with Serrator in order to save your life. I was prepared to be cursed myself, or whatever he planned to do with me. I never intended for you to be cursed as well. It was only supposed to be me." She lowered her head, preparing to cry for tears that would never come, and had never come since that fateful day three centuries ago.
Deker said nothing, only walking away, leaving her behind.
As he passed her, Dayu sighed. There was no way Deker didn't hate her now.
~B~E~T~T~E~R~~T~O~G~E~T~H~E~R~~P~O~W~E~R~~R~A~N~G~E~R~S~~S~A~M~U~R~A~I~~R~E~D~O~
Waterfront Parking Garage, Panorama City, California
Pestillox stood amongst all his victims, holding in his hand Serrator's Locator. It was spinning, which meant that, according to Serrator, he was in the right place.
He spotted a group of people running away, and he sent out some bugs to incapacitate them as well. The group all fell to the ground after being hit by the bugs, which meant that he succeeded.
He quickly noticed another group backing away from him in fear. He laughed as he slowly walked towards, only to be stopped by multiple shots to the back.
He fell to his knees and looked behind him, only to see the Red Ranger (in Super Mode) standing there, the Firebull Bazooka in his hand, and the Yellow and Pink Rangers running up to both of his sides.
"Get those people to safety," Jayden told the two girls, and they immediately obeyed.
Pestillox got back to his feet, "So you want my bugs to give you a stomach bug too, huh?"
But Jayden fired again.
~B~E~T~T~E~R~~T~O~G~E~T~H~E~R~~P~O~W~E~R~~R~A~N~G~E~R~S~~S~A~M~U~R~A~I~~R~E~D~O~
Cortez Forest, Panorama City, California
Serrator knew he had arrived at the spot the moment he saw that smoking pile of rocks.
All Deker had to do was slash the rocks apart, and both worlds would become his.
He held Uramasa up high, knowing it would call out to Deker.
That's exactly what he wanted.
~B~E~T~T~E~R~~T~O~G~E~T~H~E~R~~P~O~W~E~R~~R~A~N~G~E~R~S~~S~A~M~U~R~A~I~~R~E~D~O~
Elsewhere, Deker did indeed feel its prescence. He had already begun to walk in that direction,
But he was stopped by someone standing in his path.
"You and I," Antonio said, Barracuda Blade in his hand, "have unfinished business."
"Then go ahead," Deker raised his arms out to his sides, as if surrendering. "Attack me. I'm unarmed."
Antonio didn't see Kevin and Mike run onto the scene, but stop when they saw what was about to happen.
But Deker did.
~B~E~T~T~E~R~~T~O~G~E~T~H~E~R~~P~O~W~E~R~~R~A~N~G~E~R~S~~S~A~M~U~R~A~I~~R~E~D~O~
Waterfront Parking Garage, Panorama City, California
Pestillox sent out two of his tentacles at Jayden, but they never hit him. They instead hit Emily and Mia, and Jayden was quick to catch them before they fell.
"This might sting a bit," Pestillox said, before sending out a swarm of his bugs. "Super Swarm!"
But Jayden swung down his Sword, "Blazing Fury!", which burned the swarm to a crisp.
Out from the flames leapt the two girls (in Havoc Mode), who threw or fired their weapons at the Nighlock.
"Earth Slicer!"
"Flower Hurricane!"
The shuriken and the energy arrow both hit him solidly in the chest, making him fall back.
Emily and Mia landed and stepped aside so Jayden could deliver the final strike.
Jayden hooked up his Spin Sword to the Bazooka.
"Super Firebull Bazooka!" After placing the Disk into the Black Box, he spun the black Power Disk attached to the hilt of his Sword, "Energize!" He aimed the Bazooka directly at Pestillox, who was finally getting to his feet. "Fire Strike!" And he pulled the trigger once it had fully charged up.
Pestillox saw red, and then a second later, he felt a fiery bull hit him square in the chest, and his first life ended in an explosive cloud of fire.
But he quickly grew into his second life.
The three Rangers raced forward, out into the open, and Jayden sighed, "These guys never learn." He placed a Power Disk into the Box, "Samurai Combination! Zords Combine!"
"Samurai Megazord, We Are United!"
"Shogun Mode: Power of the Ancestors!" Jayden promptly activated said Disk, and now the three Rangers all gained gold armor over their spandex, which would help them a great deal, since it would be tough without the other three.
The Megazord unsheathed its katana, ready to attack. Pestillox hit it with its tentacles, and managed to grab the Megazord's two wrists.
"I got you know!" Pestillox taunted.
"I don't think so," Jayden said, before spinning the black Power Disk on the hilt of his Sword. "Furious Lion Howl!"
Lion's head, attached to the Megazord, immediately spit out fire, hitting Pestillox and making his tentacles let go of them.
The Megazord hit Pestillox a few times with its sword, before the combined force sent him tumbling back.
"Quick, now's our chance!" Jayden said, before the cockpit violently shook.
Where did these Giant Marauders come from?
The Marauders were holding the Megazord in place.
Pestillox laughed, before spitting some purple energy blasts at them, which the Marauders in front of them dodged to avoid.
The cockpit shook, before Mia pulled out the Beetle Disk, "Time to lay down some fire, Em."
"Right!" Emily said, before pulling out the Swordfish Disk, "I'm sure Kevin and Antonio won't mind if I borrow this."
"Summon Beetle Zord!" Mia called, spinning the orange-colored Power Disk on her Sword's hilt.
"Summon Swordfish Zord!" Emily called, spinning the aqua-colored Power Disk on her Sword's hilt.
The two mentioned Zords immediately fired on the Marauders surrounding and holding the Megazord in place. But Pestillox called for more Marauders in their place.
"Samurai Artillery!" Mia called, and the Beetle Zord shifted its parts in order for it to fit onto the Megazord.
"Beetle Blaster Megazord, Armed for Battle!" All three called out.
The Megazord slashed through a couple of Marauders before kneeling on one knee, and the Beetle hat it was wearing closed up. The three Rangers spun the Disks on the hilts of their Swords, the Beetle Disk hooked up to Mia's.
"Katana Power: Rotating Beetle Blaster!"
The rotating Beetle helmet the Megazord was wearing finally gathered enough energy.
"Beetle Cannon Strike!"
A downwards slash unleashed all that energy, destroying half the Marauders on the field. But out of the smoke and fire, the rest of the Marauders charged forward.
"Samurai Artillery!" Emily called, and the Swordfish Zord shifted its parts in order for it to fit onto the Megazord.
"Swordfish Fencer Megazord, Armed for Battle!" All three called out.
The Megazord threw its sword up in the air, before catching it with the Swordfish hat the Megazord was wearing, blade pointed up in the air. The Megazord began rotate its body around in a circle, gathering up energy for one final strike.
"Katana Power: Swordfish Slash!"
The three Rangers spun the Disks on the hilts of their Swords, the Swordfish Disk hooked up to Emily's, and a downwards slash made the Megazord do the same, unleashing all the energy gathered to strike down the rest of the Marauders.
"Aw, come on!" Pestillox groaned. "Super Swarm!"
As the bugs charged at the Megazord, Jayden got out the Tiger Disk, "One more combo! Summon Tiger Zord!" Once it was summoned, he called out, "Samurai Artillery!" The Tiger Zord roared as it shifted its parts in order for it to fit onto the Megazord.
"Tiger Drill Megazord, Armed for Battle!" All three called out.
"Katana Power: Tiger Drill Charge!" The Rangers thrust their Swords forward (and Emily her Drill), as the combined power caused Pestillox to call to the ground after being struck by the four drills attached to the Megazord.
Pestillox called out, "Spitfangs, help! Time to fight fire with fire!"
The Spitfangs roared before spitting fireballs at the Megazord.
But the Swordfish and Beetle Zords raced to the Megazord just as it was caught in the resulting explosion, as the three Rangers called out, "Air Strike Combination!"
The resulting Megazord flew out of the explosion unharmed, "Battlewing Megazord! We Are United!"
The Megazord flew straight at the two Spitfangs, easily taking them out, before flying straight up for the finisher.
The three Rangers spun their respective Disks, charging up the Megazord for the final blow. "Katana Power: Super Aerial Strike!"
One downward slash later and Pestillox was on the ground once again.
The three Rangers watched their opponent get back to his feet, and Jayden commented, "He's a tough one, but the Claw Armor Megazord ought to do it."
"Right!"
Jayden placed the said Disk into the Box, "Super Samurai Combination!"
All six Zords rearranged themselves to fit themselves onto a new Megazord.
"Claw Armor Megazord, We Are United!"
"Super Samurai Artillery: Samurai Battle Cannon!" Jayden formed the Battle Cannon. "Targeting..."
The three Rangers waited and watched as the screen in front of them searched for the target and then locked onto the three enemies in front of them once the search was done.
"Locked on!" After a moment of silence, Jayden gave the signal. "Now!"
"Katana Power: Battle Cannon Blast!"
The Cannon fired, unleashing the Zords' full power at Pestillox, destroying him once and for all.
But before they could celebrate, the Light Zord suddenly appeared in the cockpit, "Ji has Serrator's coordinates! Hurry! Deker's almost there!"
~B~E~T~T~E~R~~T~O~G~E~T~H~E~R~~P~O~W~E~R~~R~A~N~G~E~R~S~~S~A~M~U~R~A~I~~R~E~D~O~
Cortez Forest, Panorama City, California
Deker expected the unmorphed Gold Ranger to unsheath his Blade, so he was surprised when Antonio instead knelt on the ground, his Blade at his lesser-adapted side (and thus, not attack-ready).
Antonio was instead surrendering to him.
"Don't do it," Antonio pleaded, surprising Kevin and Mike as well. "Please, forget your sword and walk away. I know you want to lift your curse. I know you want to be free, but if you do Serrator's bidding, millions of people will suffer a horrible fate."
Deker saw Kevin and Mike produce their Spin Swords, ready to attack if Deker ever did.
But Deker did not.
He, instead, finally understood what Dayu meant by, 'It was only supposed to be me.'
Dayu was willing to make the ultimate sacrifice and become a half-Nighlock herself if it meant Deker could keep on living a normal, healthy life.
He addressed Kevin and Mike, "Do you two agree with him?"
Antonio turned around and finally saw two of his friends there, as Mike replied, "It's your choice, Deker."
Kevin added, "Serrator's our only target, but if you force us, you will become our enemy as well."
Deker never drew his sword. He instead leapt over the three, landing at the other end of the clearing. Before he left, he turned around, a small smile on his face, and said, "I never thought that you Rangers, of all people, would show me mercy."
Deker left and Antonio sighed in defeat, "I'm sorry, guys." Kevin and Mike walked up to him, putting their Swords away, as Antonio continued, "I was fool to think Deker could be reasoned with."
"No, you were incredibly brave," Kevin said. "You chose to voice what we were all thinking."
"He's right, bud," Mike added. "And I wouldn't be surprised if it did work."
Antonio finally smiled, "Yeah." He stood up, his Blade back in his hand, "Now, let's go stop Serrator once and for all."
~B~E~T~T~E~R~~T~O~G~E~T~H~E~R~~P~O~W~E~R~~R~A~N~G~E~R~S~~S~A~M~U~R~A~I~~R~E~D~O~
"Serrator!"
The said Nighlock turned around to see the Red (in Super Mode), Pink, and Yellow (holding the Light Zord) Rangers, all fully morphed, running up to him.
"Rangers!" he gasped. "I would've thought Pestillox could keep you all busy until the time limit was up!"
"You thought wrong!" Jayden bit back. "Hand over the sword!"
"I don't think so!" Serrator taunted back. "I didn't create this sword that it could be wielded by weaklings like you!" He then shot blue lightning at them from his free hand.
The three simply dodged the attack by rolling to the side.
Serrator simply growled in anger, "Marauders! Keep these pests away!"
Marauders appeared, and the three Rangers charged in. They only need to keep Serrator busy for fifteen more minutes. That was it.
After a short scuffle, all Marauders were easily defeated.
Jayden leapt into the air, and fired the Bazooka, "Fire Strike!"
But Serrator blocked every strike with his big scissor hand, before he struck Jayden down with it.
Emily immediately rushed to Jayden's side. "You okay?" She asked, as Mia guarded them both.
Serrator raised his hand, "Who's next?" But he immediately noticed that someone had arrived.
"Deker?" Jayden asked, the two girls protecting him as he regained his strength.
"Ah, there you are," Serrator said. "I've been waiting for you. Here, take your sword." He held it out to Deker.
"Don't do it!" Jayden raised the Bazooka, but Serrator quickly turned around and shot lightning at the three pests.
"Stop meddling!"
Deker watched the three fall to the ground, and Serrator turned back to him, once again holding out Uramasa, "At last, the reunion you have waited for, Deker, is finally here." As Deker took it, Serrator continued, "It has finally been returned to its rightful owner." Serrator was practically shaking with delight and excitement. "Now, it is time. Quickly! Slash through the barrier before it's too late!" Deker readied himself, as the line was starting to merge on both sides of the rock pile. "Remember," Serrator continued to egg him on, "once you do, you will be free of your curse forever!"
Dayu arrived on the scene, waiting to see what Deker would do.
Serrator saw the other three Rangers (fully morphed) arrive on Deker's other side.
"Not so fast!" Antonio said, all three blades ready to attack.
But Serrator grabbed them with his scissor hand and threw them over to their three teammates.
As Emily checked on the three, Jayden hooked up his Spin Sword to the Bazooka. This very well could have been his last chance.
"Super Firebull Bazooka!" After placing the Disk into the Black Box, he spun the black Power Disk attached to the hilt of his Sword, "Energize!" He aimed the Bazooka directly at the two figures in front of the rock pile, who was finally getting to his feet. "Fire Strike!" And he pulled the trigger once it had fully charged up.
Deker felt the heat of Jayden's blast, but not once did Serrator step in front of Deker to take the hit for him. Not once did Serrator's voice get closer to him. Serrator had never moved.
The Red Ranger had aimed that strike at Serrator, and Serrator only.
And it was in this moment that Deker made his choice.
"Return to sender!" Serrator said, as he caught the fire bull and remade it into a fireball, before sending it back to the Rangers, de-morphing them all in one hit. Serrator turned to Deker, "Only one minute left! Hurry!"
Deker raised his sword and brought it down.
Dayu and the six Rangers gasped as he struck down Serrator instead of the barrier.
Serrator fell to his knees, and demanded, "Why?! How could you betray me like this?"
"I wasn't aware that we were ever on the same side," Deker quietly shot back. "That strike...was for tricking Dayu all those years ago."
"Deker..." Dayu softly gasped.
'It was only supposed to be me.'
"What?!" Serrator continued to demand answers.
Deker quietly continued, "Your biggest mistake was thinking I shared your hatred of humanity, but humanity has done no wrong to me. The Rangers themselves even showed me mercy, more than once."
'Do you two agree with him?'
'It's your choice, Deker.'
'Serrator's our only target, but if you force us, you will become our enemy as well.'
"The only person who's wronged me has been you, Serrator," Deker continued. "And it wouldn't be fair on the Red and Yellow Rangers if I deprived of them a chance to avenge their loved ones."
Tears threatened to fall from both Jayden and Emily's eyes, but they didn't, although their chests were tight with emotion. Deker planned on giving them a chance to defeat him in honor and memory of Lauren and Serena...
"Besides, you had what I wanted," Deker finished. "I care only for the sword. You made me that way. Remember?"
"You're as heartless as any Nighlock!" Serrator cried out.
Deker didn't deny it, only sheathing Uramasa, "And so it ends here."
Serrator cried out, "NOOO!", in defeat, as the Ranger watched the wedges, both here and in the distance, begin to heal themselves.
Just as Ape said they would.
They did it. They managed to keep Serrator and Deker occupied long enough to save the Earth.
"Three hundred years of planning," Serrator cried, his last remaining sanity snapping in this moment, "ruined in an instant. Now, you all will feel my wrath!"
Serrator began to spin around, letting blue lightning burst forth from his body and start destroying the area around him.
The Rangers stood their ground, however, and Deker simply jumped out of the way to avoid the strikes. Once on the same cliff that Dayu was standing on, Deker turned back to face the six Rangers, "Rangers, I leave him to you."
The six watched the two Rogues walk away, before Serrator engulfed them in an explosion.
But when the explosion dissipated, Serrator saw the Gold Ranger in Super Mode, holding the Super Firebull Bazooka, while the Red was holding the Fire Smasher in Cannon Mode, he and the other four in Havoc Mode. Gold had obviously borrowed Blue's Spin Sword, since it was missing and he instead had Gold's Barracuda Blade attached to his hilt.
"Five Disk Octo Cannon!" Jayden announced.
"Super Firebull Bazooka!" Antonio called.
The two fired together, "Fire Strike!"
The combined blasts quickly took out Serrator's first life. But they almost forgot about the second life until Serrator grew into his right in front of them.
"I'm not beaten yet!" Serrator said, before firing more lightning blasts at them.
Fortunately, the Zords protected them, "Zords Combine!"
"Shogun Mode: Power of the Ancestors!" Antonio promptly activated said Disk, and now the three Rangers all gained gold armor over their spandex.
"Samurai Megazord!" Emily led Kevin, Mike, and Mia in this one.
"Bull Megazord!" Jayden piloted this one by himself.
"Claw Battlezord: South!" Antonio piloted this one by himself.
"Light Megazord! Ready!" LZ was in control of himself the whole time.
Serrator held up two sheets of paper and threw them in front of him, "Twin Papyrux!"
The two mentioned foot soldiers were produced, and immediately charged at the Megazords.
"Jayden, let us handle the guys!" Emily said.
"Yeah," Antonio agreed. "Go get Serrator!"
"Right!"
The Bull Megazord charged towards Serrator, who threw up a claw and caught the Megazord's first punch. He continued to use his claws to catch all of Jayden's punches, "You Rangers will pay for daring to challenge me!"
"Shoulder Blasters!"
The shots were again blocked by Serrator's claws, before Jayden and Bull were hit by blue lightning.
"Jayden, hold on!" Emily said, before the Megazord was hit by a Papyrux from behind.
But the Samurai Megazord immediately turned around blocked the next strike, before shoving them away.
Antonio shoved his own Papyrux away, before calling on another formation, "Claw Battlezord: East! Ready!"
Emily led the charge, "Katana Power: Samurai Strike!" The four announced, before bringing their swords down in a downwards slash. The Megazord did the same, striking down the Papyrux they were facing.
"Katana Power: Clawzord Pincer Slash!" And Antonio destroyed the second one.
Meanwhile, LZ was covering Jayden and Bull, "Battle Disk: Scatter Shot!"
But Serrator dodged them all before appearing on front of LZ and using his claws to jab at him multiple times.
As LZ went flying, the Bull Megazord appeared behind Serrator, "Revolving Laser Blaster!"
But Serrator sped up to him and easily took him down, "End of the line, Red Ranger!"
But his claw was stopped by the Octo Spear Megazord and the Claw Battlezord: West, blocking with its Spear and its Fan, respectively.
"Surprise!" Antonio said, before the two Megazords shoved Serrator away, allowing Jayden to get Bull up.
"We need to use the Ultrazord, Antonio," Mike said over the comm. "Lead the way."
"Right!" Antonio placed the said Disk into the Black Box, "Ultimate Samurai Combination!"
"Samurai Ultrazord, We Are United!"
The six Rangers were now all in the same cockpit, with the Light Zord on a podium between Jayden and Antonio.
"That fancy machine won't save you!" Serrator taunted, before producing a ball that he promptly kicked at them, along with many others.
But the Ultrazord charged at Serrator, destroying all the balls on the way.
The Ultrazord brought its sword down, which Serrator blocked with his claws, only for Antonio's "Pincer Claws!" to catch him off guard, letting the Ultrazord strike at Serrator in an upwards slash.
"Now's our chance!" Antonio said, before he and the other five each wrote their Symbols. "Symbol Power: Ultimate Combination!"
The Ultrazord powered up with all eleven Zords, all eleven elements.
The six all spun the Power Disks connected to their Swords, "Katana Power: Final Kanji Strike!"
But a bright flash later and Serrator revealed himself to still be standing.
"What?!" they all asked.
"You Rangers will never defeat me!" Serrator replied before sending their own final attack back at them.
The cockpit violently shook once, and Kevin said, "No Nighlock has ever survived that attack before!"
Serrator was sparking with blue lightning, a clear sign to them that he was on his last legs, "I will take you Rangers out, if it's the last thing I do!"
"We need something else," Emily said. "Something that can give us a little extra power."
"'Extra power'..." Antonio mumbled, before a lightbulb went off in his head. "Of course! We still have an extra Zord up our sleeve! LZ, do you still have the Dino Bite Disk?!"
"Of course, I do," LZ said, before producing it. "Right here."
Antonio immediately took it, "Thanks, LZ." He then placed the Dino Bite Disk into the Black Box, before spinning the black Power Disk attached to the hilt of the Sword, "Dino Zord: Disengage!"
Their katana transformed into the Dino Zord, and it allowed the Ultrazord to hold it, as it roared.
Unlike the other Zords, the Dino Zord was never afraid to hold back, but it also encouraged the other Zords to also not hold back. The Dino Zord was their ace in the hole, and always would be.
"That's not going to help you!" Serrator said, before firing more lightning at them.
The Dino Zord allowed them to easily block the strikes before slashing down at Serrator.
"This is it!" Antonio said. "The grand finale!"
The six Rangers once again their Power Disks, "Katana Power: Ultimate Dino Slash!"
It worked.
Serrator's final words, before he was destroyed for good, were, "No! I was supposed to split open your world! You weren't supposed to do it to me!"
The Rangers celebrated, as much as they could due to their exhaustion. As the Dino Zord carried enough energy for all of them, Antonio tiredly announced, "Samurai Rangers, Victory is Ours!"
~B~E~T~T~E~R~~T~O~G~E~T~H~E~R~~P~O~W~E~R~~R~A~N~G~E~R~S~~S~A~M~U~R~A~I~~R~E~D~O~
Cortez Forest, Panorama City, California
Even though she was behind him, Deker stopped when Dayu did, and asked her, "Something wrong?"
"I'm sorry I cursed you," she said. Even though she really wanted to, she refrained from calling him by his true name again. "I'm sorry for being so naive."
"Don't feel bad, Dahlia," Deker replied. "You made a choice, as did I. I will end my curse on my own terms, but not at the cost of this world."
Dayu gasped. The name he just called her did not split past her, "You called me by my true name! Does that mean you remember?"
"No," he replied, and her excitement turned to disappointment. "At least, not everything. The only thing I do know is that our fates are intertwined somehow. Until we meet again."
He nodded at her, before walking away.
Dayu sighed, unable to deny the happy fluttering in her heart.
~B~E~T~T~E~R~~T~O~G~E~T~H~E~R~~P~O~W~E~R~~R~A~N~G~E~R~S~~S~A~M~U~R~A~I~~R~E~D~O~
Limatore Beach, Panorama City, California
The Rangers were walking home now, taking their time in order to relish the fact that they had saved the Earth.
"You think Lauren's spirit is hiding within Emily's?" Kevin asked.
"Yes," Jayden admitted. "I didn't say anything before now because I wasn't sure."
"If there is a chance," Mia told him, "then we have to take it."
"Yeah," Jayden said, before noting that Antonio was unusually quiet. "What's wrong, Antonio?"
This time, Antonio was truthful when he confessed, "Nothing's wrong. I'm just thinking about Deker's choice, and the reasons why. I honestly didn't think that mercy would be the driving force behind it. I was just trying to do what I thought was right."
"And you were right to do so," Jayden told him. "Not just for the Earth, but also for yourself."
"Myself?"
"Remember the story of Takeshi?" Emily asked him. "He took a life he wasn't supposed to take, in a way that was dishonorable, and that's what caused him to lose his humanity and become Xandred."
Antonio paused to think about that. That's right. He hadn't considered Takeshi and preventing history from repeating itself.
But he did prevent himself from meeting the same fate, just from a simple choice.
His choice affected Deker's, which then affected the fate of the world.
Antonio smiled.
"Right," he said. "I'll forever be grateful that, unlike the Nighlock, we will always be faithful to each other. All this time, you guys tried to tell me I made the right choice, and I was too ashamed of myself to listen. Thank you, guys, for everything."
Emily wrapped them all in a group hug, starting with Antonio and ending the other four.
The six just stood there for a moment as they all relished in their friendship.
~PRS~REDO~PRS~REDO~PRS~REDO~PRS~REDO~PRS~REDO~
Original Shinkenger Episode: Act 42, Act 43
Original PRS Episode: A Crack in the World, Stroke of Fate
Note: I chose to actively show Deker's thought process and what made him deny freeing himself by doing Serrator's bidding. The canon episode didn't do that, so I was confused. Here, Deker allows his human side to make the choice here.
Also, the canon episode would have been the perfect chance to let Gold use the Black Box, and they didn't take it, because, I guess, that the Black Box wouldn't have fit on his Blade, but that could have easily been fixed by letting the others let him borrow their Spin Sword for a bit, like here.
Hope you enjoyed this chapter. Please review and tell me what you think!
A/N: Do review, please. If you guys have any ideas you want me to consider adding, please PM me. A preview for the next chapter:
Season 2, Episode 16.5, Halloween Special: "The Haunted House"
"During a Halloween festival, Kevin and Emily are trapped inside a haunted house controlled by a Nighlock. Can they find a way out before they too are controlled?"