A/N: I hereby present to you all my own version (yes, another one) of Power Rangers: Samurai. It does have a much darker theme to it than Saban's version (which I do not hate, as you can obviously tell by my other PR stories). There were some flaws, yes, and I'm still going to use some terms you are familiar with.

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 version.

~PRS~REDO~PRS~REDO~PRS~REDO~PRS~REDO~PRS~

"Kevin goes through a rough patch just as one of Emily's many secrets is revealed."

Better Together

Power Rangers: Samurai REDO

Shiba House, Gianni Forest, Panorama City, California

May 3, 2014

"Four centuries ago, in ancient Japan, eleven Zords were created, each being assigned a different color, in order to individualize the samurai warrior they were assigned to. There are the Core Five: the Red Lion Zord, the Blue Dragon Zord, the Pink Turtle Zord, the Green Bear Zord, and the Yellow Ape Zord, but there are also the Golden Clawzord, the Crimson Bullzord, the Aqua Swordfish Zord, the White Tiger Zord, and the Purple Octozord."

"Wait!" Mike interrupted Ji's explanation over breakfast that morning. "There are eleven of us? I was told we were only a team of five."

"There are actually six of you," Ji corrected. "The sixth and final member of your team is the Gold Ranger. The Grand Shogun, the original core five Rangers, plus the Light Thief, the original Gold, failed the first war against the Nighlock. It ended in a draw for both sides, but leaned towards a victory for Master Xandred. The Grand Shogun then appointed their Zords to immortalize and travel throughout time to choose their new masters, the ones who were prophecied to end the war against Xandred once and for all: you guys. This is the first time the Core Five have assembled since the Grand Shogun."

"Do we need to find the other Zords too?" Emily asked.

"The team can hold without them as long as the Core Five Rangers are present, but yes, as it will help you in the long run."

"Well," Mike said. "I guess we have our mission. Get Blue and Pink to join us, then find Gold, and then find the other Zords."

"There's a bit of a problem, though," Jayden gently cut in. "All the other Zords are either lost or damaged. And one has never been tamed and, thus, has never had a master before in their entire existence."

Mike and Emily snuck a concerned glance at each other. "That is a problem..." Mike commented.

~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 1, Episode 4: Deal With a Nighlock

Junk Ship, Sanzu River, Netherworld

Xandred came over to one of the windows of the ship when Dayu reported, "Swimming weirdo approaching off the port stern."

"Hey, what's that creep Doubletone doing here?" Xandred demanded.

Doubletone was simply enjoying himself while being halfway submerged in the Sanzu River water. "Humans are such crybabies when they're scared. Isn't wonderful how it's their tears that raise the River? Master Xandred, permission to come aboard."

Xandred sighed in frustration as Doubletone came aboard anyways. "What do you think you're doing here, Doubletone?!"

"Nice to see you too," Doubletone replied.

"I didn't summon you!"

"Oo-ah-oo, he got a call from Octoroo!" Octoroo said. "His face may break a lot of mirrors, but I heard he's a heartbreaker too."

"Tch," Dayu said. "This lowlife?"

"He has the ability to see deep within people's hearts and read what they want most in their life," Octoroo explained. "Then he emotionally manipulates them into forcefully giving it up. Genius, right?"

"Yeah," Doubletone bragged. "Nobody does it better!"

Xandred, however, stomped his foot in a rage, "THAT'S WHAT THEY ALL SAY! DO YOU KNOW HOW MANY NIGHLOCK HAVE FAILED ME ALREADY?! FAILURE IS NOT AN OPTION!" Xandred's temper (which included him kicked the posts that held the ship together) was stirring up to River into quite the storm. "IF YOU DON'T MAKE THE RIVER RISE, I'LL MAKE YOU FEEL EVEN UGLIER THAN YOUR FACE!"

"Don't worry, Master Xandred," Doubletone eased, as Xandred took his medicine bottle from the nearby Marauder. "All you have to do his kick back and relax and let me do all the work. Allow me to show you what even one person giving upon their dream can do."

~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~

Cool Bean Café, Panorama City, California

Mia glanced up when she felt a presence come upon the table (actually a booth) she had reserved for her and Kevin (like she did every weekday while Kevin was at swim practice), and she was surprised upon seeing that it was Kevin.

"You're back early," Mia said, before pausing when she noticed the look on Kevin's face. It was...sad and depressing. So she changed her tone. "What's wrong?"

Kevin refused to look her in the eyes, but he answered anyways, albeit in a quiet and sorrowful voice. "The coach came up to me at practice today, and he said that I had missed one too many practices without forewarning, you know, since I can only miss three." Mia nodded. "So he gave me a choice of whether to take janitorial duties with supervision, or to quit the team...Mia, I–" He hesitated, as if afraid of how she was going to respond. "I chose to quit the swim team."

There were tears in his eyes, and Mia could understand. The swim team meant a lot to Kevin. His biggest dream was to swim in the Olympics. And being on the swim team was a big step to making that happen.

Mia could feel tears come to her own eyes, before she moved over to sit next to him. She gave him a hug, saying, "I'm so sorry, Kevin."

"You have nothing to be sorry for," he replied, despite the fact that he returned her hug. "It's the war with the Nighlock to blame. There's no telling how long it'll take to beat them."

Mia took the Turtle Folding Zord (in Defense Mode) out of her cardigan pocket. "We're nothing special. We have dreams, we have feelings, and we have problems, just like everybody else. So why were we chosen as the odd ones out of the group."

"I don't get it either," Kevin replied, looking down at the Dragon Zord (in Defense Mode) in his lap. "You wanted to be a singer, and that's hard enough to achieve as it is normally, but being a Ranger will make that impossible."

"Yeah," Mia agreed. "What's the point of having dreams if they're just going to get crushed? Why did we even agree to be Rangers in the first place?"

Kevin offered no other words. He just kept looking at the Dragon Zord in his hands.

~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~

Central Park, Panorama City, California

Mia had brought Kevin to the park, in order to walk off his sorrow and anger over quitting the swim team. So far, however, he was quiet, not really talking. Mia was difficulty trying to nap him out of his stupor.

"You want some ice cream?" Mia asked. Now that he could have it, since he was no longer on the swim team, it was okay.

"No thank you," Kevin replied. "But thank you for offering. I just need time to think." Mia nodded in understanding, but stopped both her and Kevin (with her hand) when she saw something weird. "What?"

Mia pointed at the sight she was seeing. There was a little boy, dressed in baseball garb, talking to a...Nighlock?

The Nighlock was ugly, though, half-tiger, half...red water?

"You promise?" The kid was asking.

"I promise," the Nighlock replied. "Pink finger swear?" He extended his pink finger out to the kid, who was about to meet him halfway, before-

"Hey!" Both Mia and Kevin glanced up to see the Red Ranger landing and swinging his sword at the Nighlock. Then the Green and Yellow Rangers send a combo kick at the Nighlock, knocking him down.

The kid stumbled back into the tree behind him, in fright. But when the Yellow kneeled beside him, asking "Are you okay?", he felt a little better.

"Y-Yeah..."

"Nighlock," Jayden warned, he and Mike lowering into battle stances, "What kind of mischief are you up to with this kid?"

"My name is Doubletone. And I'm not to anything," he blatantly lied. "We're friends. Right, Ryan?"

The kid, named Ryan, said nothing, still scared.

"You're lying," Emily said outright, calmly (much to the others' and Doubletone's surprise), before turning back to Ryan. "Get out of here. It's too dangerous." Ryan ran off.

"Stay out of my business!"

"Well, we've made it our business," Kevin retorted.

"What are you two still doing here?!" Mike demanded. "Run!"

"Let's go, Mia!" Kevin said to Mia (who was standing behind Emily, because the latter was also protecting her), ignoring Mike and the other two, before they pulled out their Folding Zords.

"Right!"

"Go, Go, Samurai!" Jayden, Mike, and Emily were shocked to say the least. Kevin and Mia were the Blue and Pink Rangers (respectively).

"Let's go!" Both girls charged at the same time as the three guys.

Mike swung and missed.

"Hey, didn't I just warn you to mind your business?" Doubletone asked, before dodging Kevin's attack and then sending both him and Mike to the ground.

Emily clashed swords with him, before he knocked to the ground too. Mia fell trying to dodge and narrowly miss Doubletone's attack.

Jayden was next, as he missed a swing and got kicked in the chest.

Mia and Emily got up to defend him. Emily swing and missed before flipping over his back, while Mia attacked next. Then, the two girls attacked together, but to no avail.

Emily got back up, refusing to give up, her Spin Sword in her hand. But she stumbled backwards and nearly fell back when Doubletone appeared right in front of her face.

"How would you like to see your sister again?" He asked.

Emily immediately tensed up the second she heard this. How did this guy know about Serena? Especially since he was a Nighlock?

Emily's Spin Sword finally hit its target. "Ouch!" She swung again and landed another hit. "Ow!" And another. "Oww! Relax, I'm only trying to cut you a deal!"

"Take your fake deals and go home!" Emily swung again, but missed.

Doubletone disappeared into the gap in the tree in which he came out of, saying, "The fun has just begun!"

The other four Rangers (now standing) had watched that last part in awe.

"I think he's planning something real bad," Mike commented.

"I think so too," Jayden replied, before turning to Mia and Kevin. "You two, go tail and protect that kid. Maybe we'll find out some useful information about what that Nighlock is planning."

Mia and Kevin apparently had no problem following this order, as they nodded and ran off in the direction Ryan went.

Meanwhile, Jayden led Mike and Emily back the House.

~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~

Junk Ship, Sanzu River, Netherworld

"Hey! I'm back!" Doubletone announced. "Did you miss me?"

Dayu immediately turned around, whispering, "Shh! Tone it down, foghorn!"

"Master's medicine finally put him to sleep," Octoroo quietly explained.

"Doubletone," Dayu quietly spoke, "tell me what brings your menacing mug back here so soon."

"This kid I met dreams of playing baseball," Doubletone explained, bringing his voice tone a couple of notches. "Tell Master X I'm gonna grand slam that kid's dreams."

"So, get going, and play ball," Dayu ordered.

~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~

Central Park, Panorama City, California

The two had found Ryan at baseball practice nearby, and the two, not wanting to seem like stalkers, had decided to meet him halfway.

"Hey," Mia gently smiled. "My name is Mia. And this is my friend, Kevin. Do you mind if we talk to you about something?"

Ryan shrugged, but listened anyways.

"We saw you talking to that Ni–, ahem, that monster earlier," Kevin said. "Do you mind telling us what you two were talking about?"

"Ummm," Ryan hesitated, looking down at the baseball keychain in his hand. "He was just trying to make me laugh. That's all."

No way. Ryan wasn't laughing or smiling earlier.

"Don't worry," Mia said. "We're here to help."

"Yeah," Kevin said. "You can tell us anything."

"I told you, nothing happened!" came Ryan's outburst. "Leave me alone!"

And he wheeled away on his bike before the two could say anything else.

"Wait!" Kevin was about to go after him, but Mia stopped him.

"Give him some space," she explained. "Besides, it's not like we can force him to tell us. But, he's definitely hiding something."

"Yeah," Kevin agreed. "This is where we tail him so we can keep an eye on him."

Mia nodded and the two followed Ryan's bike's trail.

~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~

1471 Halle Avenue, Panorama City, California

Mia and Kevin were peering behind a tree, watching Ryan practice his swinging. He stopped and looked at his bat like it was something precious. But he had a sad look on his face. Then the two watched Ryan head on inside when his mom called out that lunch was ready.

Beside Mia, Kevin commented, "He reminds me of me." Mia turned to him. "When I was a kid. Remember? I used to practice all the time, because nothing was going to get in my way. I had a goal, a dream, to swim in the Olympics, and I wasn't going to let anyone crush my dreams. But...that's a child's thinking. That's a kid's sentiment. What he doesn't know is how hard it is to be forced to give up on your dream because there's no other path you can take to achieve it."

"You miss it," Mia said. "You miss your dream. I know you do."

"Yeah, I miss it. I mean, it was my dream," Kevin replied. "But I've got you, because you were in the same boat once. You're my friend, Mia, my best friend. I know you'll be there for me for anything. I feel better knowing that you're still here, and that you haven't left."

"And I never will," Mia promised, holding out her pinky finger.

Kevin held out his own pinky finger and held it out halfway.

With their fingers still connected, Kevin revealed, "Besides, maybe being a Ranger means that, if I give up my dream, then everyone else can follow theirs, to their heart's content. I'd rather have that happen, than for everyone else to give up their dreams. If we don't have dreams, then what's the purpose of living?"

That last part wasn't a sad sentiment, Mia noted. It was hopeful.

Maybe Kevin was right. Maybe that's what being a Ranger meant. That one sacrifice saved many.

~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

It was sunset, nearing nighttime.

Mia set the completed baked chicken on the counter of the kitchen. It smelled really good. She turned back to the mashed potatoes after closing the oven door to let the bread bake thoroughly.

Antonio came in, holding two Samuraizers in his hand, one trimmed with blue and the other with pink. "Here you go," he said. "Yours and Kevin's Samuraizers." He set them on the kitchen counter, next to the chicken. "It'll help channel your Symbol Power better."

"Thank you," she sent him a smile.

"I'll get out of your hair," Antonio replied, before leaving the kitchen.

He didn't go far, though, as he kneeled right above Mike, who was peering around the doorway into the kitchen. Jayden and Emily were in the same position on the other side of the door frame.

"So, what is she doing again exactly?" Antonio asked, all four of them not only whispering, but also dressed in their pajamas.

"Making a home-cooked dinner to take to Kevin. Remember, they're staking out at Ryan's house, in case that creep Doubletone comes back," Mike answered.

"Why can't Ji do it?" Jayden asked. "He does all the cooking anyways."

"Kevin's also feeling a little down," Emily added. "His status as a Ranger meant he had to quit the swimming team and give up on his dream of swimming in the Olympics. At least, that's how Mia explained it. So she's cooking dinner for him to cheer him up."

"You do have to admit," Antonio said, "that does smell really, really good."

Mike and Jayden both nodded in agreement.

But Emily didn't say the same. Instead, she quietly asked herself, "How could Doubletone know about Serena?" This caught the other three guys' attention.

"Is Serena your sister?" Mike asked. Emily glanced at him, a sad look on her face, before nodding, and reaching into her back pocket and pulling out a wooden flute.

"This used to be hers," Emily explained. "Eight years ago, she came here, to Panorama City, for college, but one year later, she stopped replying to my letters and my emails, and that was the last time anybody ever saw her or heard from her. But she's been gone long enough for people to suspect that she's never coming back. No clues, nothing."

Indicating that people had accepted the possibility that Serena was dead.

From above her, Jayden placed a gently, steady hand on her shoulder, "Don't worry. We'll find the answers eventually."

Emily looked back up at him and smiled.

"Yeah, don't worry about it," Mike agreed, and Antonio nodded, agreeing as well.

~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~

1471 Halle Avenue, Panorama City, California

It was nighttime now, and Mia had come back to see Kevin doing push-ups, just for something to do.

"Hey," she greeted. As Kevin got up, she asked, "Anything to report yet?"

"Nope," he replied, sitting down in the bench. "Not yet."

"Good," Mia said, sitting down next to him, putting her car keys in her purse. "I brought you some dinner. My homemade baked chicken, with bacon-cheddar mashed potatoes, steamed green beans, and two bread rolls, no butter, just the way you like it." She placed the container filled with the said food in his lap.

He opened the lid and was immediately hit with the aroma of fresh-out-of-the-oven dinner. A smile immediately appeared across his face. "Thanks, Mia. This means a lot."

"Go ahead and eat up," and he did so, but she didn't stop talking there. She reached into her bag and pulled out medium-sized container with strawberry-banana yogurt in it, saying, "Did you know that Emily has an older sister?"

She had been listening to the conversation outside the kitchen door frame. She knew it was wrong, but she couldn't help but eavesdrop.

"She does?" Kevin asked, before remembering what Doubletone had said to Emily earlier. "Oh, yeah, that's right, she does."

"Yeah, her name is Serena," Mia continued. "And she went to college here eight years ago. But a year later, she disappeared without a trace."

"That's terrible," Kevin said, her heart going out to their youngest teammate. "Imagine how Terry would feel if you disappeared like that."

"I know," Mia said. "And, it's only fair that we help Emily retrieve clues about her sister. She is on our team now."

"True," Kevin said. "We'll keep an eye out."

"That, and, uh...Mentor Ji told me something important," Mia continued. "We still have six more Zords to find."

"What?" Kevin was surprised at this. "Dragon said we were only a team of five."

"Apparently, we also have a Gold Ranger joining our team in the future," Mia explained. "The other five Zords don't necessarily need owners. We just need them on our side, and fully functional. And there's one Zord, out of those five, that still needs to be tamed."

"A wild Zord?" Kevin replied with slight sarcasm. "Oh, boy. Can't wait for that one."

"We won't be alone," Mia replied. "We'll have our team with us."

"Yeah, I guess this Ranger life isn't so bad."

~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~

Hallberry Forest, Panorama City, California

May 4, 2014

Kevin was awoken the next morning to a front door opening and closing. He nudged Mia beside him awake (and with the blanket she had brought wrapped around them both), before pointing her at the sight of Ryan running down the street to the nearby dumpster.

"Let's follow him," Mia suggested, and the two took off, just missing Doubletone popping up from another gap in the nearby fence.

Together, Kevin and Mia watched as Ryan dumped his baseball gear, including his glove and his bat (although reluctantly) into the dumpster. The two Rangers were still hidden, but they watched as Ryan yelled out into the open air.

"Okay, I did it!" He yelled. "I kept my promise!"

"Hey," Ryan turned around when he heard Mia behind him. "Don't you have a game today?"

"N-No," he stuttered. "I quit baseball."

Kevin's heart skipped a beat. "Why?"

"I can't tell you!" Ryan said, before running off into the nearby forest.

Kevin turned to the dumpster and took out Ryan's baseball gear. "No, he's not giving up his dream. Not if I have anything to say about it. Mia, go put this in your car. I'll keep tailing him."

Mia nodded, taking the stuff from Kevin and rushing off to her car.

Meanwhile, Ryan kept running throughout the forest, and Kevin was running after him, before a staff with a leaf-like spear-head came crashing down behind him, stopping both Kevin and Ryan. Mia came upon the scene, only to be stopped and greeted by Doubletone.

"Buzz off, Rangers!"

"You again!" Mia exclaimed, joining Kevin in standing in front of Ryan and protecting him.

"What you are up to, Nighlock?" Kevin demanded.

"Nothing, you nosy pests!" Doubletone replied, obviously lying again. "My friend Ryan and I made a deal. Right, kid?"

Mia looked back at Ryan, who simply said nothing and looked down at the baseball keychain in his hand. His fists clenched around it.

"Oh, hey, look! It's the garbage truck!"

"Why'd you make him through away his baseball equipment?" Kevin demanded.

"Because he loves playing baseball!" Doubletone honestly replied. "And I got him to give up his dream. Now, he's so sad, the Sanzu River will rise a good foot or two."

"Yeah, but you promised!" Ryan yelled. "You promised that if I gave up something special to me, I'd get something even more special in return!"

"What'd he promise you?" Mia asked, no longer the gentle, kind flower that she was around kids.

"Don't say it, kid!" Doubletone warned.

"What did he promise you, Ryan?" Kevin joined Mia, and urged Ryan to speak.

"Where is he?" Ryan asked Doubletone.

"I said you have to be patient," Doubletone replied.

"Lies!" Kevin called him out. "Don't listen to him Ryan. He's just trying to trick you."

"What did he promise you, Ryan?" Mia asked, once again, more gentle than the last time, but still fed up with being kept in the dark.

The four looked back and witnessed the truck empty out all of the dumpster's containments in the truck bed in the back.

Ryan was speechless, however much Mia and Kevin knew better.

"And there you have it," Doubletone said as the garbage truck drove away. "A heart-breaking home run! Game over!"

Ryan was quiet, and he wouldn't stop looking at the baseball keychain in his hands as he explained, "My dad's fighting in the war overseas. He said, if I gave up baseball, he'd bring my dad back."

Mia and Kevin immediately remembered what Doubletone had said to Emily yesterday.

"How would you like to see your sister again?"

If Emily had fallen for it, she'd be in the same boat as Ryan here.

"Here's a lucky charm for you," Ryan's dad has said before he had left. Ryan accepted it with a smile. "I'll be thinking about you at your playoff game." Ryan's smile never faded as he and his dad shared a hug.

In the present time, tears were falling down Ryan's freckled face.

Doubletone merely laughed aloud. He had done it!

"How dare you try to make him give up his dream?!" Kevin demanded.

"That's unforgivable!" Mia said, before turning to Ryan, saying, "Go back home. We'll take care of this monster."

"Samuraizer! Go, Go, Samurai!"

The two each wrote their own Symbol, allowing them to morph.

"Samurai Water, Power Ranger Blue!"

"Samurai Air, Power Ranger Pink!"

"Rangers Together, Samurai Forever!"

Doubletone blew some powerful wind at them, knocking them back and sending them deeper into the forest.

"Now that you're in my part of the woods, your end is near," Doubletone taunted, Mia and Kevin lowering into battle stances. "Tiger Tidal Wave!"

The combined forces from both halves of Doubletone sent the two Rangers falling to the ground, injured.

"See, I'm all kinds of trouble for you Rangers," Doubletone said.

"He's right," Kevin whispered to Mia. "We can't take another hit like that."

Mia placed a gloved hand on Kevin's shoulder. "We can't give up. For Ryan."

"Super Speed Attack!"

The three looked up in time to see Jayden, Mike, and Emily using their Samurai Super Speed to get an attack in on Doubletone, before landing back beside Mia and Kevin.

"We raced here when the Gap Sensor went off," Jayden said. "Sorry we're late."

"Thanks," Mia said, the five taking their usual positions in the formation. "You guys are just in time."

"Marauders!" Doubletone sang. "Come out, come out, wherever you are!"

And the group of Marauders rose of from gaps in the ground, but the Rangers charged and met them halfway.

Jayden struck down one Marauder on his left, then one on his right, before spinning his black Power Disk. "Fire Smasher!" After hooking up the red Lion Disk, he was able to take out more than usual.

Mike spun his black Power Disk. "Forest Spear!" He used his spear to shove some back in his right, and then to his left, before striking more down with the blade of his spear.

Emily spn her black Power Disk. "Earth Slicer!" He struck one down on her left, "Here's some for you," then one down on her right, "some for you," and struck down two behind her, "and some for you! Don't worry, I didn't forget you guys!" She finished, throwing her Earth Slicer at the rest.

"Hey! You're giving my Marauders the blues...and the pinks, I guess," Doubletone complained, before Mia and Kevin both spun their black Power Disks.

"Hydro Bow!"

"Sky Fan!"

"Tiger Tidal Wave!" Doubletone sent out his attack once again.

But Kevin and Mia both used their weapons to block and destroy his attack, and their attacks keptgoing, eventually hitting Doubletone.

"Doubletone's been double-teamed! No fair!" And that was the end of his first life.

Kevin and Mia looked back at the explosion fading, before turning back to each other. Kevin placed a praising hand on Mia's shoulder, while the other three ran up to them.

"That was amazing, you guys!" Emily said, placing both her hands on Mia's shoulders from behind her.

"Yeah, great teamwork," Jayden said.

"Thanks!"

But Doubletone had grown to mega size. "Now, it's my turn to make you all sad!"

Kevin and Mia immediately stepped forward. "Mia, let's go!"

"Right behind you," she replied, both of them taking out their Folding Zords.

"Samuraizers!"

"Draagon Folding Zord!"

"Turtle Folding Zord!"

"Ready!"

Doubletone threw another wind attack at them, but they just braved through it.

"Let's heat things up, Creepazoid! Dragon Splash!"

The flames hit Doubletone solid on the chest and the face. "Yuck! Dragon breath!"

"See, Nighlock, lying hurts!" Mia said, before motioning her Zord to go back into Defense Mode. "Kevin!"

"Right!" Kevin motioned Dragon to hold Turtle in its little hands, before dropping Turtle right on Doubletone's head.

"That's for tricking Ryan," Mia said.

"You won't be doing that to anyone else!" Kevin added.

Down on the ground, Jayden turned to the other two, and said, "It's our turn."

"Right, let's do it," Mike said.

"Samuraizers!"

"Lion Folding Zord!"

"Bear Folding Zord!"

"Ape Folding Zord!"

"Ready!"

Once inside their zords, Jayden wrote the symbol to unite all five Zords. "Zords Combine!"

"Samurai Megazord, We Are United!"

The Megazord drew its sword. "Who cares? I'll rip you apart piece by piece," Doubletone said, as they crossed blades. "Let's lose your sword first." The Megazord was forced to let go of the sword in order to break free. "Much better."

The Rangers inside the cockpit stumbled backwards.

"Jayden, I've got an idea!" Kevin said.

"Then, go for it!" Jayden replied.

"Dragon Leap!" Kevin said, spinning the blue Dragon Disk on his Spin Sword. The Megazord leapt up in the air, due to Dragon pushing them up.

Mia went next, spinning her pink Turtle Disk on the hilt of her Sword, "Aerial Turtle Strike!"

Turtle detached, her fins glowing pink, spun around, and struck Doubletone down the middle. Turtle reattached to the Megazord before the Megazord picked the sword back up.

"Now, where were we?" Kevin asked. "Mia, remind me again?"

"I believe, this creep was about to meet his end," Mia replied.

"Oh, yeah."

The Rangers held out their swords in front of them. "Katana Power: Samurai Strike!" The five announced, before spinning their Power Disks.

"Umm, is it too late to cut a deal?" Doubletone asked.

The Rangers then brought their swords down in a downwards slash. The Megazord did the same, striking down Doubletone.

"I'll take that as a 'no'!" were Doubletone's last words.

"Samurai Rangers," Jayden started.

"Victory is Ours," Mia and Kevin finished for him.

~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~

Central Park, Panorama City, California

He had lied to his coach, saying that he had 'lost his gear'. Now, Ryan was sitting on the bench, in the dugout, watching his team play. Both teams were tied 5-5, and it was the break in between the top and the bottom of the ninth inning.

"Hey, Ryan," his coach called, and Ryan turned to see his coach with Mia and Kevin standing beside him. Ryan came over when he was motioned to.

"What's up, Coach?" Ryan asked, before his coach held out Ryan's baseball gear in front of him for Ryan to take.

"These two were kind enough to save these from the trash truck. They thought these were too nice to throw away," his coach explained, motioning to Kevin and Mia.

Ryan took them back with excitement. "Thank you!" But then he turned to Kevin and Mia. "How can I pay you back?"

Kevin kneeled in front of him, "By not giving up your dreams. Besides, I don't think your dad would want you to give up baseball either. Having a parent in the military isn't easy. I know, because my mom is in the war too, but that's no excuse to give up what you love doing."

A smile came back to Ryan's face. "Thank you, again." And Ryan ran off to change into his uniform.

Meanwhile, Mia and Kevin rejoined the other three in the bleachers. "How'd it go?" Mike asked.

"Very well," Mia said.

"Yeah, Ryan'll be okay," Kevin said. "Mia and I would like to officially join the team. So, people everywhere no longer have to give up what they love."

"Or their dreams," Mia added.

"You two sound supremely confident," Jayden commented. "I would tell you to take your time, but I see you've already made your decision."

"We have," Mia said. "And we realize now why we were chosen out of everyone else."

Emily finished for her, "Because the Zords pick people who are kind and sincere, and aren't afraid to stand up and fight for justice." Ape popped out from inside Emily's cardigan pocket and happily winked at them. Emily smiled back at her Zord, her own father coming to her mind.

Ryan had emerged in his uniform right in time for the bottom of the ninth inning.

Emily was brought to attention by Jayden flipping open his Samuraizer, drawing the kanji for 'dream' and flipped it at Ryan. She and the other four Rangers watched as the red kanji hit Ryan before pulling back and turning into a man in army greens.

"Dad!" Ryan exclaimed, and the Rangers (sans Jayden) watched in awe. Emily felt tears come to her eyes.

"Go get 'em, Tiger," Ryan's dad's apparition said, before fading away in white light and sparkles.

There was a smile on Ryan's face.

"Ryan, you're up! Two out, you're our last chance!" The coach called.

Ryan glanced down at his baseball keychain, his lucky charm, one more time, still smiling, before running to grab his helmet and bat.

"H-How did you do that hocus pocus?" Mike asked Jayden.

"That was Symbol Power," Jayden corrected before explaining, "I helped a dream become a vision, but I could only sustain it for a moment."

"That meant a lot to Ryan," Kevin comforted him. "No matter how long it could've been sustained."

"Here's the first pitch," Mia brought their attention back to the game.

Ryan let it fly by. It didn't look sufficient enough to hit.

"Strike 1!"

The second pitch. Ryan swung, and he missed.

"Strike 2!"

He was getting nervous, but he glanced back at Kevin and Mia up in the stands. The two nodded at him, both giving him smiles of encouragement.

He relaxed his muscles. He inhaled deeply and then exhaled slowly. Then, he motioned that he was ready for the next pitch.

The third pitch. Ryan swung, and his bat made contact.

The runner on third immediately advanced to home plate, as Ryan advanced to first.

The crowd cheered louder when the ball Ryan hit made it over the fence.

"Home run, Central!"

Ryan mentally cheered too, a big smile on his face, as he ran around the bases. Just passing third, he glanced back at the stands, to Kevin and Mia.

They were cheering too.

I guess it's safe to tell you that the Rangers weren't the only team that won that day.

Ryan's team did too.

TO BE CONTINUED...

~PRS~REDO~PRS~REDO~PRS~REDO~PRS~REDO~PRS~

Original Shinkenger Episode: Act 4

Original PRS Episode: Deal With a Nighlock

Note: Yes, I dared to do it, okay? I made Mia a good cook. Go ahead and fight me, if you dare.

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 1, Episode 5: "United We Stand"

"A Nighlock arrives, but he's invincible. Jayden has a secret tool strong enough to beat him, but will it work? And is Mia really sure about joining the team?"