AN: Sorry this had taken so long. I moved and was without the internet for the past week and a half. Another chapter will be along as soon as my beta gets back to me on it. The one good thing about not having the internet is I took more time writing than reading and I'm several chapters a head. It's safe to say there won't be a lack of chapters any time soon. This story takes place a few days after the last chapter. This takes the place of Samurai's Journay, so some things are the same and some things quite obviously aren't. Thanks to everyone who has reviewed, hopefully you'll continue to enjoy the story wtih where it's going.
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Why can't anything be easy for once? Cam thought as he felt himself being pulled to his feet and quickly checked his companions to make sure they were okay. Hunter and Blake looked about as good as they could considering the circumstances. He still wasn't sure what his father's logic had been in sending the two Thunders with him, but he knew there had to be a reason. His father never did anything without good reason.
Sure that his companions were okay he looked around their surroundings. They were in a dimly lit hall that looked very old and smelled musty and dank. It was a dead end behind them and a dark, foreboding corridor ahead. The fire of a torch nearby gave the only flickering light and it created ominous shadows that had Cam looking over his shoulder. He reached out and took the torch out of the dusty holder and held it carefully away from him. Glancing briefly at the mirror he and the Thunders had walked through he shook his head. He still couldn't believe it had worked, but he had more important things to focus on. Cautiously he made his way forward, prepared for something to jump out of the shadows at him. He was vaguely aware of Hunter and Blake following him.
"I know my father wanted you to come with me, but I want to do this myself. Don't help unless I ask for it, okay?" Cam said, glancing over his shoulder at the two Thunders.
"Sure thing." Hunter said. He thought he understood why, but he wasn't going to say anything.
They continued down the corridor and through a swinging wood door. Inside was a cavernous room. There was nothing special about the room itself, just a platform raised to a table's height. Cam paid no attention to it. His eyes were drawn something else, something much bigger, and something very alive. Fierce amber eyes stared down at him from a very lizard like face. The large green scaled body was uncurling, large powerful limbs stretching and making whooshing noises as they moved. A long tail unwound as massive wings spread with a sound like fluttering sheets in the wind. The green scales shimmered in the torchlight as if the creature was covered in precious gems. Cam took an involuntary step back.
Oh my god...Cam's mind was too shocked at what he was seeing to consider getting away. It's a dragon! Dragons aren't real. Then he reminded himself that he had stepped into another dimension and anything could be possible.
"Holy sh--."
Hunter smacked a hand over his brother's mouth. "Shhhh!"
The green scaled dragon yawned wide, rows of razor sharp teeth gleaming in the torchlight. Then it fixed them with an unwavering look and Cam was humbled by the amount of power he could see in the eyes. There was something else too; something hadn't exactly expected to see. There was intelligence, millions of years of wisdom that Cam could never match.
If you are here to bargain or trade I am not interested. My treasures are my own. The female voice boomed inside his mind. He resisted the urge to cover his ears, knowing that it would do him no good.
"I'm looking for something - a power source." Cam replied, somewhat nervously.
The dragon eyed him again, amber eyes flashing slightly. You seek that which was given to me to protect.
"You have it?" Cam was a little shocked. That meant his mother had talked to the dragon herself, maybe even befriended it.
I do. The dragon brought her tail around so that the tip was in Cam's face. The amulet was on a necklace that was looped around the tip of the dragon's tail. He reached out to it, but the dragon jerked it back with a snort. Cam cringed as hot air rushed over him. And I will not give it to just anyone. You are not the first to have come for it.
"Lothor."
The dragon growled and the room vibrated with her anger. That one had no respect for me or the power he wanted. If I had moved just a little faster he would have made a nice snack. She paused and sniffed the air, rustling Cam's hair again. You are of the same blood as he.
Cam balked, disregarding his fear of the massive creature. "Not likely, he's the reason I need to amulet. He's trying to conquer Earth."
Whether you accept it or not is of little consequence, you are of the same blood as the one known as Lothor. She sat back on her haunches and regarded him thoughtfully. You are also of the same blood as she who gave me the amulet.
"She was my mother."
She has passed? The dragon's eyes softened at that. Suddenly her whole demeanor changed. I am sorry to hear of that, Cameron Watanabe, your mother will be missed by all dragon kind. However, knowing who you are does not change my position on the amulet. I will not just give it to you. You must prove yourself worthy of having that which I protect.
"But there is a monster terrorizing Blue Bay Harbor. I have to get the amulet and go back." Cam argued, feeling more at ease with the dragon as the time ticked by.
That is unfortunate, however, I must know that the one who takes the amulet will use it properly and be able to protect it as I have. The dragon replied patiently. The longer you argue with me the longer you have to wait to get what you need.
Cam sighed in defeat. "What do I have to do?"
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Psycho Yellow ducked and dodged away from Psycho Blue's cutlass, but everywhere he went Psycho Crimson's shield was waiting to bash him. He tried throwing a little energy at them, but Crimson just used his shield to deflect it back at him. Blue charged him with a swipe at his head, but he ducked and swung out his scythe to trip her. At the same time Crimson caught him with a teeth rattling kick to the face that caused him to see bright white for several moments. As he came back to reality he heard Navy cry out in agony and felt his protective instincts flare. He rolled away from Blue's cutlass and to his feet just in time to duck a shield bash. He planted his shoulder in Crimson's gut and shoved him backwards into Blue, causing both Psychos to hit the ground. With that opening he looked for his companion and growled at what he saw.
Red had Navy by his throat, lifted off his feet and pinned to the crackling shield. As the shield fed power into Navy from one side, Red was sending a charge of his own. Navy's suit was sparking and his struggles were growing weaker as the punishment took its toll on his body. He wouldn't last much longer.
With only a few moments to spare before his own opponents attacked again, Yellow threw his scythe with precise aim. It flew as straight as a long handled object could and managed to lodge itself in the shoulder of the arm Red was using to hold Navy. Red bellowed and dropped Navy as he reached back with the other hand to try and pry out the blade. Yellow smiled to himself as he watched Navy recover quickly and get back into the fight. However, his distraction cost him. Blinding pain radiated from his leg as Aurias brutally stabbed him, aiming to take him off his feet. His leg gave out and as he fell Crimson's shield connected with his face and everything went black.
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"We have to help them!" Dustin exclaimed.
"We can't. Even if we had our powers we couldn't get through that shield." Shane replied.
"I can't watch this." Tori said, quickly leaving the room. Dustin and Shane shared a look, both wondering which one should go after her. In the end Shane went, leaving Dustin watching the battle alone.
Dustin grimaced as he watched Navy struggle to get to Yellow's side. "Cam better hurry."
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Cam sighed as he stood beside a lake of beautifully pure water. That would have to be the first one for the dragon to send him after. Glancing around he saw nothing but trees around him, even though he felt eyes digging into the back of his head and knew it wasn't Hunter or Blake. He hoped it wasn't something that would be waiting for him when he came out.
"Be careful." Hunter said.
"We'll be here if you need us." Blake added.
"You guys be careful too, something doesn't feel right." Cam said. He glanced around a little more.
"We'll be fine. It's not like there's a big snake waiting to get the drop on us or something."
With that lovely thought in his mind Cam put the satchel the dragon had given him on the ground, took a deep breath, and dove into the lake. It wasn't what he had expected. The water felt good at a temperature that was neither to cold nor too warm. And it was so clear, untouched by man-made pollution. He was sure he would have been able to see the bottom of the lake if he had better vision to begin with.
It would be at the bottom, wouldn't it? Cam thought as he kicked down further and further. His lungs were beginning to burn, but he didn't want to have to try and come this far again. He swam harder, squinting to see better, and vaguely saw something perched precariously on a ledge of a very deep ravine. He reached out and his fingers just brushed the stone when something caused the water above him to ripple. Glancing up quickly he nearly gasped in surprise to see a very, very big snake twisting back around to come directly at him. He resisted the urge to make any sounds of fear and tried to propel himself upwards. The snake was much faster than he could ever be in the water and it had him wrapped in multiple coils before he could get very far at all. I'm going to kill Blake for giving the universe ideas.
On shore Hunter stood stiffly, staring into the water and watching for Cam to break the surface. He couldn't bring himself to sit down and relax like Blake was. Something felt incredibly wrong. His inner ninja, his deepest instincts, everything was screaming that something was wrong. The tiger within him was roaring for action, for him to do something rather than standing around and waiting while something really bad could be happening. He scanned the surface, but saw nothing.
Help!
Hunter jerked and instinctively looked at Blake. He was the only person he'd ever heard communicate clearly with him mentally and only in times of great need. He realized quickly that it couldn't be his brother because Blake was looking at him with the same wide-eyed expression. Both turned their gazes to the water and Hunter's keen eyes spotted movement under the water. It looked like a struggle. He pulled the spike that had been given to him to use from his belt. It was from near the very tip of the dragon's tail and was therefore short enough to be considered a dagger, or small sword. Without any more thought he dove into the water, ignoring Blake's shout.
The water was clear and Hunter had good vision that pierced the watery depths easily. What he saw would have surprised him if he hadn't already heard Cam's plea for help. Still, the giant snake wound around his friend was enough to give his heart a jolt. He made a beeline for them, kicking with all his strength. By the time he reached them Cam had almost completely stopped struggling. Hunter kicked hard to close the small distance between them and when he was close enough he lashed out with the dagger, shoving it through the snake's skin on it's back. He felt the animal twitch, but it didn't release its hold on Cam and Hunter could tell the situation was getting desperate.
Hunter! He felt and heard his brother's worry.
Hunter knew he needed to end the struggle quickly. He yanked the dagger out and followed the snake's coiled body to the head. Without any hesitation he plunged the dagger into the reptile's skull. Instantly the snake's body slackened and Hunter pulled his teammate out of its coils. He kicked for the surface, his lungs burning for air already. Cam was dead weight in his arms and Hunter feared his friend had simply been underwater too long and with the snake squeezing the life out of him...Hunter broke the surface and drew in a deep breath as he struggled to pull Cam to the shore. As soon as he got close Blake waded out to him and helped him pull Cam ashore.
"Oh god Hunter, he's not breathing."
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Navy threw himself between Yellow and the rest of the Psychos. He jabbed his quarterstaff into Crimson's ribs and kicked him backwards as in the same move he ducked low and bashed Red's knee before tripping his ex-leader. That put him in a vulnerable position for Blue, who swung her cutlass in a downward arc at his neck. Navy threw his quarterstaff up in his defense, but that left him open for a rough kick to his chest that knocked him flat on his back. Instinctively he rolled away and to his feet, but the move was clumsy and slow and it left him open to a viscous swipe of a saber followed by a shield-bash to the face.
Wake up Zadan! Wake up or we're both dead! Navy called out to Yellow's unconscious mind. He received no answer and the Yellow Psycho Ranger didn't even stir.
Navy rolled as the saber came down at him and he threw a handful of energy at his attacker. He heard a grunt and the satisfying sound someone tumbling across the ground. That gave him enough of an opening to get to his feet, but he immediately had to defend himself from Crimson and Blue as they went at him hard. He thought it was a really good thing he paid a lot of attention when they were training and was pretty familiar with both their fighting styles, but he never thought he'd be using that against them.
"You may as well surrender Niko, you can't beat the three of us by yourself." Blue sneered as Navy struggled to keep up with two opponents.
Navy didn't reply, but he knew it was true. He could keep up with them for a little while, but they were all more experienced fighters than he was. As much as he struggled it showed how much more experience they had. If he showed a weakness or a flaw they were right in there taking advantage of it. It didn't help when Red joined them, trying to take him from behind. That forced Navy to constantly shift around, twist and turn to try and keep all three in sight. A kick to his back threw off his balance and his rhythm was broken. Crimson used his shield to bat Navy's quarterstaff to the side and that left him open for two simultaneous slashes across his chest. His suit sparked wildly and he stumbled backwards. Red and Blue went at him again and he managed to block both their weapons, but a kick to his stomach made him stumble again, right into Crimson's waiting arms. Instantly his arms were jerked behind his back and the quarterstaff was yanked away. His feet left the ground and all of a sudden he was helpless with his only ally out cold and unable to help him.
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Hunter sat back with relief as his CPR finally had an effect. Blake rolled Cam onto his back as the older man coughed up the water that had gotten into his lungs. The two brothers shared a relieved look and watched as Cam struggled to bring air into his lungs. Hunter put a reassuring hand on Cam's back and waited patiently as Cam recovered from the ordeal he'd just suffered. It took a few minutes before Cam finally acknowledged the two brothers as he turned over onto his back and looked up at them and a glare was instantly pointed at Blake.
"Giant snake." Cam hissed and Blake winced.
"I'll keep my mouth shut." The younger Thunder said.
"You do that."
Hunter smirked to himself as he and Blake helped Cam to his feet. The smirk faded when Cam took a step back toward the water. "Where are you going?"
"The stone is still down there." Cam replied.
"I'll get it." Blake said.
Cam opened his mouth to object, but Blake was already under the water. He shot an annoyed look at Hunter, who shrugged and looked away. They both watched anxiously for Blake to break the surface and when he did he held up the stone, a triumphant smile on his face. Hunter smiled a looked back at Cam.
"One down, three to go."
Cam took the stone from Blake and looked intently at it. It was about palm sized and reminded him a lot of an egg. It was mostly white, except around the middle where there was a wavy line of light blue about as thick has his index finger circling the thing. In appearance there was nothing special, but he knew there was more to the stone than he could see. He put it in the satchel and put it around his neck just as he and the Thunder brothers were transported back to the dragon's lair.
I am impressed by your care for one another. The green dragon said as the group appeared.
"Does that mean you'll give me the gem?" Cam asked, though he sincerely doubted anything could be that easy.
No.
"It was worth a shot." Cam mused. "Now what?"
It defeats the purpose of having a challenge if I have to tell you what to do.
"I bet it has to do with this." Blake spoke up. He stood next to the raised platform Cam had noticed when he first walked in.
Cam shot the younger Bradley brother a glare, but walked over to where he stood. Blake was right. The platform had round holes that looked perfectly sized for the water stone he had just retrieved. Other than the holes there were also riddles above each hole, engraved right into the stone, but inlayed with gold so that they stood out. Cam groaned. He hated riddles; not that he wasn't fairly good at them. He just disliked doing them.
"Maybe you should get all the stones before you try and solve these riddles." Hunter suggested.
"Well, it's not hard to tell what I'm supposed to do." Cam said. "There are four elements, four holes, and four riddles. That means I'm supposed to match the stones with the riddles."
"That shouldn't be too hard." Blake said.
"That's what worries me."
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Kale was beating himself senseless against the shield, the energy crackling against his suit as he struggled to get to Navy and Yellow. It was killing him watching them getting decimated by their ex-teammates. It was like watching his own teammates being killed right in front of him all over again. He couldn't stand it. He was perfectly willing to beat himself unconscious if it meant he just might find a weakness in the shield and get inside to help them.
Suddenly he felt a tingle down his spine and ducked just as an armored fist drove into the shield from behind him. He spun around, sweeping out his leg and tripping his attacker. He wasn't surprised to see it was a Dedian. He also wasn't surprised to find about twenty more of them and Deder himself waiting for their chance at him. He fell into a fighting stance and watched as they all did the same with uniform precision.
"You are coming with us." Deder droned.
"I think not."
The dedians moved simultaneously and Kale was quickly surprised to see how efficiently they fought as a group. Their teamwork was impressive and even though he was easily fending them off he knew that a large enough group of them could overwhelm him. Then Deder moved into the mix and things got a little more interesting. It was as if the dedians were taking cues from their namesake. Deder fought with pinpoint accuracy, seeking out weaknesses and exploiting them. Kale found that while the dedians by themselves were hardly a challenge, Deder himself was more worthy opponent.
"Surrender." Deder ordered.
Kale rolled his eyes and faked a sweep. Deder fell for it, jumping into the air only to be caught by a viscous kick to the chest that sent him flying. The dedians moved in again and Kale realized with a start that they were multiplying. For every dedian he sent down two or three more took itself place. He was going to be quickly overwhelmed
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"A cave. Go figure." Hunter grumbled.
"Hey, better than digging in the dirt." Blake reasoned.
"And climbing a mountain." Cam added.
"I hate to think what you'll have to do for Thunder." Blake continued.
Cam shot the younger Thunder a glare just before all three of them were transported out of the dragon's lair and to their last destination. They were back on the mountain they had gotten the air stone on, but they were further down and right in the middle of a storm that hadn't been there moments ago. He could sense something on the air. He wasn't a ninja and least of all a Thunder Ninja, but he could feel something different about this storm. It was laced heavily with magic.
"This isn't natural." Hunter announced. His skin was crawling with the unnaturalness of it, but at the same time he felt energized by it.
"The dragon created this." Cam replied. "The stone will probably be in the most severe part of the storm."
Cam winced as he watched lightening crackle first across the sky and then down to the ground. Thunder instantaneously followed, shaking the ground. Another bolt of lightning seared the pitch black sky and was followed by two more before the thunder caught up with them. The mass of black clouds were swelling, rolling, and almost boiling with unnatural fury. Violent gusts of wind whipped at him and forced him to take a step and he glanced at the two brothers. Hunter and Blake were unmoved by the forces of the storm, both were practically surging with energy. The effect the storm was having on the Thunder Ninjas was amazing and the scientific part of his mind wanted to analyze it all, but he knew he didn't have time for that. They might not have been in danger in the storm, but he was. He needed to get the thunder stone and get away.
"Hey Cam, I don't think---."
Thunder ripped through the air, drowning out the rest of Blake's statement. Cam was already heading further into the storm. Blake and Hunter shared a worried look. They both could feel the supercharged energy in the magic fueled storm cell. Cam wasn't safe. Cam couldn't go any further into the storm or something could happen. The two brothers moved in unison and easily caught up with Cam seeing as how they didn't have any problems moving through the savage winds.
"You should let us get the stone." Hunter yelled over the wind.
"No! This is my quest!" Cam argued.
"It's too dangerous for you in this storm!" Blake countered. "If you go any further you could be killed."
Cam's reply was cut off before it could even form. The two brothers felt the telltale tingle in their spines and readied themselves, but Cam had no defense. The lightning struck with brutal intensity and the two Thunders easily channeled the energy away from themselves and into the ground, but Cam had no such ability. He was thrown backwards, smoking and sizzling in an unnerving way. The two brothers quickly went to their friend's side and were relieved to find him still conscious, though a little dazed.
"No more arguing. This is the part of the test where you learn teamwork Cam." Hunter said. He looked at his brother. "Stay here while I get the stone."
"No!" Cam yelled, grabbing Hunter's leg.
"Are you crazy or just stupid? If you think that stings imagine what it would have been like if we hadn't been beside you channeling most of it away from you!" Hunter yelled back. "Dude, you're done proving yourself. The last thing you have to do is show you're willing to let others help you, because that happens a lot when you're on a team."
Cam nodded his assent, too exhausted and sore to speak. He relaxed back on the ground and watched as Hunter charged into the frightening black depths of the storm. Beside him Blake watched his older brother go with confidence that Hunter would find the stone and return safe, which would not have been the case for Cam. Stubborn as he was the storm would not have had pity for his lack of Thunder abilities.
Hunter easily made his way through the storm and as he moved he realized he could sense the thunder stone. Cam never would have been able to get it. The storm itself harbored the stone and only a Thunder Ninja would be able to call it. It was then he came to another startling realization. The storm was sentient. Maybe not intelligent, but in some way that was well beyond his understanding the storm could sense them and knew its purpose. That gave Hunter an idea, but he felt slightly foolish.
With a sigh he let go of his tension and mentally reached out to the storm. Immediately he felt the storm's anger and hostility toward the one it saw as an intruder. Hunter tried to feed it emotions to placate it, but the storm wanted nothing more than for the non-Thunder to leave the area. Hunter then communicated their need for the stone, but the storm didn't understand what the stone was. That set his plan back a little bit. He had hoped in some way that the storm could give it to him. He was discouraged until he realized that the storm just didn't know what a stone was. If he asked for what the storm was guarding then maybe it would give it to him. He communicated this need. The answer he got didn't need to be in words. He understood the storm perfectly.
MINE!
The situation was getting ridiculous. How was he supposed to get the stone from the storm when it didn't understand his need and felt possessive about what it was guarding? To add to his problems he felt the storm gathering more power - it intended to kill Cam. Hunter knew he had to do something before the storm struck. He projected his feelings about protecting Cam to the storm, hoping it would feel that if a Thunder Ninja could trust Cam, then so could it. If anything that just upset the storm even more. Hunter needed help. Without hesitation he ran back to Blake. He wished he had at least four more Thunder Ninjas to help, but his brother would have to be enough.
"Blake, this storm is alive." Hunter announced.
"You're kidding."
"Nope, can't you feel it? It really wants to kill Cam." Hunter replied.
Cam shot the Thunder Ninja a glare. "That's a comforting thought."
"Relax. Magic or no magic the basics of the storm are still the same." Blake said. "Hunter and I can take care of this."
Cam could do nothing but watch as the two Thunder Rangers sat facing each other, knees touching and their heads bowed. It took a few minutes before he began to notice a change in the storm. At first it was minimal, just a lessening of the ferocity of the wind. Then he noticed the black clouds turning to a gray color and the lightning ease up. He noticed that the two Thunders were crackling with power as the storm gradually died until only the magic was left in the air along with a few gray clouds. He breathed a sigh of relief as first Hunter and then Blake opened their eyes, the energy crackling around them fading as their task was done.
"Good job guys, but now how do we get the stone?" Cam asked.
Before either of his companions could answer the air around them shimmered and crackled with magic and the thunder stone materialized in front of Cam. He put his hands out just in time to catch it. He looked at the two Thunders and opened his mouth to say something when all three were transported back to the dragon's lair.
I must say I am very impressed. It is important to know when to accept help. You could not have gotten the stone by yourself. The dragon said with approval. I am equally impressed with you, Crimson Thunder. Your connection with the powers of Thunder is perhaps stronger than you realize. Hunter blushed slightly under the dragon's praise. Now you must finish what you have started.
Cam nodded and took the satchel over to the platform. He took the stones out and placed them on a flat section where he could see them all. He decided to start from the left and work his way right. He glanced over the first riddle, frowning in thought as he read it.
Die without me,
Never thank me.
Walk right through me,
Sometimes feel me.
Sometimes hear me yet
Never speaking and
Never seen.
It didn't take much to figure it out. There was only one element that was needed to survive and yet never seen and often taken for granted. He shoved the air stone in hole and moved on to the second riddle, ignoring the feeling of the Thunders watching.
Three lives have I.
Gentle enough to soothe the skin,
Light enough to caress the sky,
Hard enough to crack rocks.
Three lives. Thinking in terms of elements Cam deduced it meant three different forms. That meant either Earth or Water. Gentle enough to soothe the skin. That could mean rain, but it could also mean mud as many people liked to take mud baths. Light enough to caress the sky. Dirt could be blown in the wind, but he was beginning to suspect it wasn't Earth. Hard enough to crack rocks. That solved it then, Earth couldn't be it.
"It's water." He announced, slipping the water stone into the hole. He quickly moved on to the third riddle and briefly wondered why the dragon bothered. The riddles weren't difficult in any way shape or form and he was bad at riddles.
Born motherless and fatherless,
Into this world without a sin.
Made a loud roar as I entered
And never spoke againHe sighed, a little bored with the whole thing, and shoved the thunder stone into the hole. That left the last hole empty which he quickly filled with the earth stone. He expected something to happen and when there was nothing he looked up at the dragon. She looked back at him, but said nothing. Obviously there was more he still needed to figure out. He looked back at the stones and then over his shoulder at the Thunders, silently asking their opinions.
"Maybe we have to activate the stones." Blake suggested.
"You watched Fifth Element too much bro." Hunter teased.
"Bruce is the man."
Cam rolled his eyes, but thought it was a good suggestion. He went to the air stone and blew on it. Instantly the stone began to glow a soft red, but his attention was drawn away as the sound of shifting rock met his ears. He turned to the side and saw a slab of rock had slid away to reveal another riddle engraved in the wall.
Absence of me is like absence of life.
I come from desire and your wishes and strife.
"More riddles?" Hunter asked.
"No, one riddle." Cam replied after reading the two lines a second time. "I think each stone will reveal another part of the riddle when activated."
Cam scooped up a handful of dirt and poured it on the earth stone. It began glowing a soft, soothing yellow and as before a slab of stone slid away to reveal another part of the riddle. Cam pulled off his shirt, still damp from his swim, and squeezed it onto the water stone. The reaction was the same as the other two. It was there he stopped and glanced over his shoulder at the two Thunder Ninjas.
"One of you care to do the honors of activating the last one?"
Hunter smirked and flexed his hands. "My pleasure."
Hunter placed his hand on the final stone and concentrated inwardly. A moment later energy crackled from his hand into the stone and it began glowing like the rest. The last of the riddle was revealed and all three read the full thing.
Absence of me is like absence of life.
I come from desire and your wishes and strife.
I'm a vision of a time when good will prevail.
I'll help you where courage might falter or fail.
I am your dream, anticipation, ambition;
I have set many an optimist on a mission.
I am frequently there for all those in need.
Without me your life would seem quite bleak indeed.
"That's not another element." Blake mused.
Hunter shrugged. "I'm not good at these things."
"Me neither." Cam said.
He read it a second and then a third time. He couldn't think of anything. Why did it have to be a riddle? Cam groaned mentally. Everything he would have guessed for an answer was already mentioned in the riddle. A synonym maybe? Could be happiness, but that doesn't fit with the courage part. He was getting increasingly more frustrated as he struggled for an answer. He knew that Madtropolis was probably terrorizing Blue Bay Harbor and that their new allies, Psycho Yellow and Psycho Navy, were probably still getting thrashed by their ex-teammates. If they didn't get the amulet quickly something bad was going to happen, like the three Winds going powerless against the monster.
"Hope!" Blake exclaimed. "The answer's hope."
Cam glanced at the Navy Thunder Ranger in surprise and then back at the riddle. It suddenly made sense. It fit the situation perfectly and went along with Dustin's conversation with his animal spirit. Hope. I should have known.
"The answer is hope." Cam told the dragon.
For one silent, frightening moment Cam thought Blake had gotten the answer wrong. He half expected the dragon to fry them or eat them. Then she gave a toothy dragon smile and nodded, amber eyes glowing. Her tail swept around the room and over to where Cam stood and she allowed him to pulled the necklace off her tail. Cam put the necklace around his neck and instantly felt the power it held within.
Congratulations Cameron Watanabe. Your mother would be proud.
"Thank you." Cam said.
Go now, your world needs you.
Cam nodded and bid farewell before he and the two Thunders raced out of the room and back the way they had come. All three of them hoped that they weren't too late.
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Yellow struggled to hold off his three ex-teammates as Navy pulled himself together. Yellow had come back to consciousness and managed to break Navy free, but he was injured and not properly conscious and the other Psychos were viscously determined to finish them off. A kick to Yellow's injured leg dropped him to the ground with a scream of pain. Navy shot to his feet to help his friend, but Blue caught him with a kick to his sternum that sent him crashing into the shield.
Outside the shield the sheer number of dedians was beginning to overwhelm Kale. There were over thirty milling around him, punching and kicking from every direction. He struggled to fend them off, but there were too many of them. All too quickly he found his arms pinned behind his back and he was being pummeled.
Suddenly a green blur streaked amongst the dedains, taking them out at an alarming rate. Deder himself fell victim to an attack and without being able to fight the source of the attack he transported away, taking his dedians with him. The green blur didn't stop there. Kale watched as the green blur streaked through the shield, shattering it with a strange popping sound. The three evil Psychos looked up in surprise, but had no chance to defend themselves. The green blur attacked them viscously causing them to spark like fireworks before they were transported to safety. Kale watched as the green blur left without stopping before turning his attention to his injured friends.
"You kids are going to be the death of me."
ZzZzZ
Madtropolis was happily terrorizing downtown Blue Bay Harbor as he had been for quite some time. As far as he was concerned he'd continue doing it until Lothor told him to stop. The humans were pathetically susceptible to his tricks and he was having a lot of fun manipulating them like that. He had groups fighting each other and other cowering in fear of monsters that weren't there. It was a great feeling to create so much chaos.
Suddenly Madtropolis found himself under attack and he couldn't find the source. It felt like he was being hit from every direction. He tried to catch his attacker, but the green blur was moving too quickly. He tried to get away, but the attacker was relentless and all too quick he found himself on his back sparking wildly. Furious at the unexpected attack he got to his feet and found himself facing a green ranger.
"Another one? I didn't know there's a green one." Madtropolis exclaimed in frustration.
Cam stood watching Madtropolis fume. He was amazed by the feeling of the power coursing through his whole body. He had wondered what it must have been like to be a ranger for several months, but he had to admit this was more than he'd expected. More than just physical, he felt an internal change as well. His need to protect was much, much stronger than it had been and he felt an irresistible urge to get rid of the monster before it hurt anyone else.
"If you're done whining I'd like to get one with this." Cam said with annoyance.
The monster growled. "Bring it."
Cam attacked then and Madtropolis didn't stand a chance. Before long he was finished off and Lothor made him grow. The Zord battle was equally quick and Madtropolis was completely destroyed. Cam went back to Ninja Ops where he received a warm welcome. His new teammates congratulated him, but it was to his father that he looked for approval.
"I could not be more proud of you. Your mother would be proud."
Cam smiled and felt his heart swell a little bit. "Thanks dad."
"Oh yeah, look out Lothor there's a new ranger in town." Dustin exclaimed.
And hope was rekindled where there had been none. They knew the war was far from over, but for the moment things were going their way.