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~
"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?"
Better Together
Power Rangers: Samurai REDO
Season 1, Episode 5: United We Stand
Shiba House, Gianni Forest, Panorama City, California
May 8, 2014
Emily had to admit. These training uniforms did look pretty cool. (They were the same as Jayden's, each in their own respective Ranger color, as Emily saw during her first night here at the Shiba House, except she and Mia were wearing black Capri's instead of long pants.)
She, Kevin, Mia, and Mike were in the indoor dojo. She and Kevin were sparring in basic kesigiri, while Mia was wailing on a punching bag, Mike was working on his Symbol Power near the Gap Sensor table, Antonio was sitting across from Mike at the same table, working on a sketch or something, and Ji and Jayden were nowhere to be found. In fact, they hadn't seen Jayden since breakfast, and Ji since she volunteered to go out and look for Jayden.
Emily narrowly missed Kevin's head with her wooden sword before Kevin spoke up and said, "You know if you ever need to talk, Em, I'm here for you."
Emily rose an eyebrow, wondering why he suddenly said that. "Talk?"
Kevin continued, "Yeah. You know, about your family, with your sister, and all? I heard you two were very close."
Emily gently smiled at him, "Thanks, Kevin. You're a sweetie, but I'm fine. I promise." She gently patted his shoulder before going back to sword practice.
Satisfied with her answer, Kevin smiled back before bounding over to Mike, who had just finished the final stroke on his 'leaves' symbol, which then glowed green and turned into a bunch of leaves.
"Yes!" Mike exclaimed. "I did it!"
"Good job," Antonio looked up from his sketchbook and smiled at him.
"Thanks, man," Mike smiled back, before Kevin came up.
"Yeah, good job," and Mike's smile fell a bit. He couldn't help but feel that Kevin was being a bit condescending. "According to Ji, it takes a while to master Symbol Power. Fortunately, I've already mastered mine, so if you ever need advice, just come to me, okay?"
"Uh-huh," Mike muttered, before advising, "Look, Kev, going around and telling people you're a nice guy only gives them the opposite impression."
"Yeah, you're probably right," Kevin admitted, "but we're a team now. We need to start trusting each other, and I want to let you guys know that I am a reliable guy."
"You are, Kev," Mia replied before turning back to her punching bag exercise. She was then dead silent.
So, he walked over to her, as Emily looked over at Antonio with a sympathetic gaze.
Kevin spoke to Mia in a quiet voice, "Mia, you okay?"
"I'm fine, Kevin," she replied with a little smile. "Thanks for worrying."
But he knew her smile was fake. "Mia-"
He narrowly dodged the crescent kick she aimed at his head. "I said I'm fine, Kevin," she retorted before turning back to her punching bag.
Antonio was brought to attention when Emily sat down next to him. "Hey, you okay?" she asked.
He sent a (hopefully not obviously) fake smile at her, saying, "Yeah, I'm fine."
She didn't buy it, because she didn't return his smile. "No, you're not. What's bothering you?"
"I'm not a Ranger, like you guys," Antonio explained, and it was all he had to say.
"You want to be a Ranger too," she guessed. "You want to be a part of it."
"Yeah," he confirmed, amazed at how easily she caught on to his reasoning and his emotions. "I mean, I don't have any powers, no Symbol Power whatsoever, and I only have my brain and technician skills. I know some martial arts, but there's only so much I can do to help you guys."
"One doesn't need to be a Ranger to be useful," Emily gently advised, before getting up and picking up a second wooden sword from the rack. She held it out to Antonio. "But if you really want to get stronger physically, then come spar with me."
Antonio found it in himself to smile as he put his sketchbook down, and got up to join her.
~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~
Isolated Training Area, Gianni Forest, Panorama City, California
Jayden spun the orange-colored Disk on the hilt of his Spin Sword, engulfing it in fire. He swung it around before holding it out in front of him, trying to control the fire.
Ji arrived in time to see the orange Disk backfire on Jayden, forcing him backwards and he landed on his back.
Jayden sat up in time to see Ji pick up the Spin Sword he was forced to drop.
Jayden had been determined ever since two days ago, when Jii found the orange-colored Disk, the Beetle Disk, down in the basement.
"You're not ready to use the Beetle Disk yet," Ji said. "At this point, you're literally playing with fire. Since you're not Beetle's new master, you need twice the amount of Symbol Power you have now. So unless you're willing to give this 100%, you'll be going nowhere fast."
"I'm giving it 110%," Jayden argued as he continued to get up. "I always have and I always will. You know that."
Ji's stern face fell, as he remembered, "Of course. I know it all too well."
"And maybe I am pushing myself too hard, but I'm the Red Ranger now. I have to be the best and keep getting better," Jayden continued.
Ji remembered when Jayden first met Antonio in kindergarten. Ji remembered when Jayden's parents and Antonio's mom died in that huge car crash when Jayden was seven years old (and Antonio was eight), when Ji was named the guardian of both boys ever since. He remembered when the Lion Zord chose Jayden when he was fifteen, and how determined Jayden was to avenge his older sister Lauren after he heard about the incident.
But ever since birth, Jayden would always give projects (and whatnot) all he had. He was determined and was able to stay so focused, no matter what his goal was, and he truly knew how to effectively lead a team. Really, it was no wonder the Lion Zord chose him.
But there was a side of Jayden, a gentle, soft, and genuinely kind side of Jayden that he had barely shown the others (if at all), that allowed him to still have fun, that allowed him to stay friends with Antonio, that allowed him to listen to and help Emily bring the team together.
Again, it was no wonder the Lion Zord chose him.
Ji knew Jayden inside and out (as did Antonio), and he knew that Jayden wanted to be alone right now, and that he didn't want the others barging in on this special training session (and that he didn't want them to worry about him).
So, he conceded.
"Very well, good luck, Jayden. I'll take care of the others."
By now, Jayden had gotten to his feet and retrieved his Spin Sword from Ji.
As Ji walked away, he heard Jayden reply, "Thank you."
~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
Mike re-entered the House after Ji took him outside to talk to him.
"Hey, guys," he said. "Guess what?"
"Ji ratted you out for sleeping in?" Kevin guessed. "Again?"
"Haha," Mike replied sarcastically, before excitingly saying, "No, Ji has just told me he wants us to take the rest of the day off. All five of us, including Antonio." He added in a little smile near the end.
"Really?" Antonio asked. "This isn't a joke?"
"Really," Mike confirmed.
"But, we just started our workout," Kevin gently argued before kicking the nearby punching bag to prove his point.
"You're telling me you want to disobey a direct order from your Samurai mentor?" Mike asked, raising an eyebrow at his supposed rival (he and Kevin never really got along fully, but they knew they could count on each other).
"'Direct order'?" Kevin repeated. "I guess not."
"Hmm, what to do?" Mia asked herself. "I could go shop for shoes that aren't meant for fighting Nighlock, or I could catch a flick."
"But it's such a beautiful day out," Emily argued. "It'd be a shame to stay cooped up inside. Besides, we're a team now. We should be doing things together."
"Em, I can teach you how to shred," Mike offered.
"Actually, I was thinking of that new amusement park that opened up on Holton Avenue," Emily quickly replied.
"Rainbow's End?" Antonio offered.
"Yeah," Emily answered. That was the name she was thinking of. "There are no amusement parks where I'm from."
"Really?" Mike somehow didn't believe that.
"Really," Emly confirmed. "Greenwood is all countryside, nothing but farms and ranches for miles."
"Rainbow's End is a good idea, Em," Antonio said. "I'm in."
"Yeah, me too," Mike agreed. "It'll be nice to teach you and Kevin here how to properly ride a roller coaster."
"Hey!"
But Kevin's protest went ignored. "Why not? I'm in, too," Mia agreed. "It'll be good for teamwork."
It took Kevin a minute to realize he was the only one left. "Okay, I guess I'm in too."
"Yay! Let's go!"
And Emily led the way.
~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~
Rainbow's End, Panorama City, California
With the sounds of fun and happiness, and carnival music filling their ears, Kevin, Mia, Mike, Antonio, and Emily (in their civilian clothes) happily entered the amusement park, Rainbow's End.
"Yeah! We're here, guys! Now, let's go!" Mike said, leading the team through the park.
But complete happiness wasn't exactly the truth. Emily was a little upset that Jayden wasn't with them. She had turned to Antonio for reassurance, and she felt a little better in knowing she wasn't the only one of their group who missed Jayden.
"I wonder why Jayden didn't come," Kevin pondered.
"No idea," Mia offered some suggestions. "Maybe he's upset about something."
Despite how upset she was that Jayden wasn't here with them for their day off, Emily responded with, "He must be training. What he's training for, no idea, but it must be very important for him not to take a break and join us."
How she could remain so optimistic, even when things were the worst, was beyond them.
Kevin seemed to agree and they walked in comfortable silence for about thirty more seconds before he burst, "Hold it! A Samurai never takes a day off! What if this is a test?!"
"Calm down," Antonio said. "Ji wouldn't be so careless. If he wanted us to stay, he would have said so."
As Kevin took deep breaths, they heard Emily add, "And I don't think Jayden will ever take a break until every single Nighlock in the Sanzu River is defeated. That's just the kind of guy he is."
Mike nodded, agreeing with Emily, if only to get this party started. "Yeah. Now, let's go, you stick in the mud. The rides are a-waitin'!"
It wasn't long before Emily and Antonio found a claw machine, attracted to a little stuffed lion keychain inside. The two looked at each other, both obviously thinking the same thing. They had to get that stuffed lion keychain for Jayden.
But Emily was no expert on these claw machines, and Antonio had tried and failed three times before Mike had come up to them and offered to get it for them.
Kevin took this as the perfect opportunity to talk to Mia.
"Mia? You're not okay, so don't bother lying to me," Kevin said to her, quietly, "Tell me what's really wrong."
"Emily has a reason for fighting against the Nighlock, as does Mike, and assumingly Jayden and Antonio do too. I know your reason very well, almost personally, but it's not mine."
"You still regret your choice for becoming a Ranger?" Kevin asked, and Mia nodded. "Mia, do you trust me?"
"Teamwork has nothing to do with this," Mia argued. "I can get behind that, no problem. I just don't have my own reason for fighting."
"I don't care about that," Kevin interrupted her, seemingly angry. "Whether or not you have your own reason is not my business. It's all yours and you're allowed to take your time for finding your reason for fighting. What I do care about is that it's been four days since we have joined the team, four days that you have felt this way. I am your best friend, Mia, and I have been since kindergarten. Why wouldn't you trust me enough to tell me about your problems?"
Mia opened her mouth to respond, but to no avail. No words came out.
Kevin was right. He didn't care that her problem went against her words four days ago, when the two joined the team. What he cared about the most was that she went against their friendship, the trust they had built since kindergarten.
A few screams interrupted her train of thought and the conversation between the other three. They stood there, confused, until someone yelled out, "Monster!"
Their eyes nearly popped out of their heads, but that was their cue. The four Rangers headed off into battle, Emily being forced to leave the lion keychain still inside the claw machine.
~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~
City Square, Panorama City, California
"Humans are such a waste of space," today's Nighlock commented, pointing his gun at a group of innocent civilians on the ground. "Time to crank up the fun to a higher caliber."
He fired a few times, but all his shots (colored with red energy) were successfully and easily deflected by the Green and Blue Rangers.
"Leaping lizards! the Samurai Rangers!" He exclaimed, as the Yellow and Pink Rangers rushed in behind the two male Rangers and ushered the civilians to a safer location. "I guess I should introduce myself, I am Action Commander Dreadhead."
"You know, your hair is so dreadful, it needs a trim!" Green said, leaping up and taking a swing.
Mike didn't understand what had just happened. He had a solid hit on Dreadlock. His sword wasn't going to miss, but it went right through him.
Dreadhead hit Mike twice before sending him to the ground. The other three Rangers called out his name before rushing forward to fight Dreadhead for him.
All three Rangers swung their swords at the same time, but they went right through the Nighlock too.
"What the-?" Kevin asked, before Dreadhead took a shot at them. The blast all three square in the chest and they landed on the ground right next to Mike.
"Our Spin Swords don't work on this creep!" Mike exclaimed, realizing what was happening now.
"But how is that possible?" Kevin asked.
Mike shrugged before the two leapt over Dreadhead in order to try and attack from behind.
"The truth is," Dreadhead explained, the four Rangers continued to strike at him, "you guys ain't so popular now, 'cause your Swords ain't got no mojo."
"There's nothing we can do!" Emily annonced.
"What's this monster made of?" Mia asked.
"Mostly red fur," Mike commented, before Dreadhead leapt off to the side and blasted all four Spin Swords out of their hands. He continued firing at their chests, only stopping when their swords finally hit the ground.
The four Rangers fell the ground in front of their Swords, which were lying on the ground a couple of feet away.
In the beat of silence, Dreadhead blew the smoke that was coming from the head of his gun. "There we go. Now, that's a bit more like it. Now, let's pretend you're all blades of grass, and guess who gets to be the lawn mower."
The four ducked their heads when he pointed is gun at them. He was about to fire when he heard, "Surprise!"
But he never flinched, because he knew the Red Ranger's attack wouldn't be able to touch him.
Jayden struck him a few more times, but still no avail. "Hey, what gives?" He demanded to know. Jayden turned to look at the Nighlock behind him.
"Oh man," Mike groaned. "Jayden's Sword won't work either. It really is hopeless."
Jayden attacked Dreadhead a couple more times, before the gun was pointed right at his chest. "An alligator is useless without its teeth. See ya later!"
But Jayden back-flipped missing the blasts from the gun and using a kick to kick it out of Dreadhead's hands.
Jayden stood up as the other four joined him.
"Guys, let's use our swords and attack together," Jayden ordered, hooking up his Red Lion Disk to the hilt of his Sword. The other four did the same with their own respective Disks before spinning them.
"Spin Sword: Quintuple Slash!"
All five strikes hit him square in the chest. All five Rangers saw it with their own eyes, and there was a beat of silence where Dreadhead was stumbled over, holding the place where the combined attack hit him, as if he was hurt.
Did they finally hurt him?
An explosion occurred in that specific area.
"Got him!" Jayden announced.
But Dreadhead quickly recovered, "Haha! Stop, that tickles!" he said, before firing his gun once more, relentlessly this time.
Jayden summoned his Fire Smasher just in time for the said weapon to take the hits instead of him and his team, the four of whom had ducked and cowered behind him.
"Sorry, but you can't faze me," Dreadhead may have been taunting them, but he made a good point. "So all that's left for you know is the crying!" And Dreadhead went back to firing his gun at them.
In the midst of the fury of blasts, Jayden never lowered his Fire Smasher. But he did reach down for his belt buckle, before pulling it open and retreiving the Beetle Disk from within.
"Woah, what is that?" he heard Mia ask.
Jayden didn't reply. He was too busy wondering if he really should use it or not, if it really was safe for him to use, if he really was ready, if Ji was right earlier.
"Oww!" Dreadhead's blasts finally stopped when they all heard a large crack reverberate throughout the area. "It feels like I ate cactus needles, I'm dryin' out! Next time, you won't be so lucky! Later, Rangers!"
And Dreadhead was gone in a flash of red.
The other four Rangers heavily sighed in relief as Jayden looked back at the Beetle Disk he didn't use, but could have.
~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
The meeting room a very dull atmosphere. There were no smiles, not even encouraging or false ones. There was no sort of happiness whatsoever.
"Man...we got our butts kicked..." Mike said, sitting down in his chair around the Gap Sensor table.
"I don't mean to sound like that Nighlock, but our Spin Swords and Symbol Power, were, well...useless," Mia added, still feeling guilty about her doubt in Kevin earlier.
"No," Emily said aloud, refusing to allow her team to quit here. "We have to keep going. We have to find a way. There's too much at stake to give up here. We're a team. We have to trust each other."
"Emily's right," Antonio replied. "And I think I may have found a way to beat Dreadhead. The Beetle, Swordfish, Tiger, Octo, and Claw Disks can be used to unlock the Fire Smasher's Cannon Blast Mode."
This immediately brought Jayden's attention to the current conversation.
"But these Zords are either lost or damaged," Mike recited from memory. "We know."
"Actually, Mike," Jayden finally spoke aloud. "There's still one of those that we still have." This was when he finally revealed the orange Disk to the others. "This is the Beetle Disk, the Disk that contains the Beetle Zord."
Ji continued for Jayden, "There was once an incident about a decade ago, where his and other previous masters were brutally defeated. The Beetle Zord was the only one who came back to the Shiba House right after."
"Great," Mike said. "So we can unlock Cannon Mode. But, why didn't you use it earlier?" He asked that last question to Jayden.
Jayden was silent after that. He hesitated in speaking a single word that explained his hesitation earlier. But he finally did speak, it was these words that threw the others off-guard, "Next time. I won't let you down. I promise."
~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
"Man, if I had another quart of that evil water in me," Dreadhead explained, as Octoroo poured more Sanzu Water on him, "those useless Rangers would've been through."
"No joke," Octoroo said. "You needed that soak."
"I'm fine now," Dreadhead replied. "Now, leave me be, Noodleface."
"Don't worry," Octoroo said. "That water will be charge you up in no time. And it's General Octoroo to you. Don't forget the chain of command."
"You know, we would've already owned the human world if you hadn't dired up like a pathetic prune," Dayu couldn't help but comment.
"You don't own doodly," Dreadhead upright insulted her, cuasing Dayu to strike the wrong string on her Harmonium.
"What was that?" She growled fiercely.
"Woah, woah," Octoroo quickly stepped in. "Can't we all just get along?"
Dayu stepped forward, aiming to get back at Dreadhead for what he said to her.
"Dayu!" the said General stopped at the sound of Master Xandred's voice. "Let it go! Let's allow Dreadhead some time to relax before we send him back out again. The way he had those humans running and screaming was glorious! Thanks to him the Sanzu River is rising, and there's nothing those pesky Rangers can do to stop 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~
Isolated Training Area, Gianni Forest, Panorama City, California
Mia felt that Jayden would try and train himself to death because of the Beetle Disk. As she watched him fall backwards to the ground for the third time that night, she knew she had to do something.
Jayden was about to get up and grab his Fire Smasher so he could go again, but Mia calmly held him down.
"Don't try to get up, Jayden," she said, holding out an ice-cold water bottle. "You need to rest."
"No, I can't," he protested. "Emily's right. The whole world is counting on us. We can't fail our mission."
"I know," she agreed, catching off-guard now. "Emily's right about a lot of things, though, like the fact that we need to trust and help each other too. We're a team now. We might as well start acting like one. Otherwise, we're just as bad as the Nighlock."
"Yeah," Jayden softly replied. "That's also right...Maybe, the world would be a better and much safer place if we followed Emily's example a little better."
"Why not start right now?" Mia offered, holding out the water bottle to him.
Jayden smiled and nodded, before accepting the water bottle from her.
~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~
City Square, Panorama City, California
May 9, 2014
It was the next morning.
"There's no use running!" Dreadhead taunted. "I'm gonna flatten this place like a pancake!"
A gust of pink-colored wind stopped the Nighlock and knocked him backwards.
He looked back to see an un-morphed Mia flipping her Samuraizer off to her side, a stern look on her face, as well as the others'.
"Hey, Useless!" Kevin yelled.
"Hey, that's my word!" Dreadhead yelled back before aiming his gun at them again.
"Go, Go, Samurai!" The force from their morph gave the four Rangers a brief shield before they had to resort to using their Spin Swords to block the blasts.
The four leapt up and attacked, but their Swords were easily blocked by Dreadhead's gun.
Emily, Mike, and Mia struck at the Nighlock once again, but Dreadhead easily forced them onto the ground, before turning around and catching Kevin in the act of leaping up, intent on using his Hydro Bow.
A red-colored energy blast hit Kevin square in the chest, knocking him onto the ground.
But as soon as Kevin got back to his knees, Dreadhead's gun was pointed at his chest again. "No point in trying to stand up when you're just gonna fall back down, dude."
"Kevin!" Mia yelled out.
But Kevin bowed his head, as if accepting his fate.
That is, until the mini Lion Zord used a force never seen before and sent Dreadhead straight to the ground.
Kevin was joined by the other three as they all looked at where Lion was reunited with his master, Jayden, fully morphed, with the Fire Smasher in his hand and ready to go.
"It's Jayden!" Mike said, a hint of relief in his voice, as Emily placed a gentle, comforting hand on Kevin's shoulder.
Dreadhead stood up to face Jayden one-on-one, the Fire Smasher slung over the latter's shoulder.
"What's this?" Dreadhead rolled his eyes. "That big blade of yours ain't buying you no respect from me. If you wanna tangle in this mess too, suit yourself." And the Nighlock stepped back, ready and waiting for Jayden to attack.
The air immediately became silence and intense.
"Careful, Jayden!" Mia called out.
"Well, I'm a-waitin'," Dreadhead calmly said.
But Jayden still said nothing.
Now, Dreadhead was getting a little impatient. "What's keepin' ya, scaredy cat?"
"Why won't he charge?" Kevin asked.
"C'mon, Jayden!" Mike encouraged, remembering the promise Jayden gave to them. "Go for it!"
Because it was better to try and fail than not try at all. They understood that.
And with that, Jayden opened his belt buckle and revealed the Beetle Disk. He was about to grab it, but his hand stopped, hovering right over it.
Mia lowered her sword from her shoulder and her head upon watching Jayden train all night with that Disk. He was making progress, but was it enough.
"I know why he's holding back," Emily muttered to the others, who said nothing, the scene being too intense for a conversation.
He was afraid he would break his promise to them, to not let them down. He was afraid of failing, of disappointing his team.
"Sheesh," Dreadhead said, "I've seen glaciers than move faster than you." and he aimed his gun right at the Red Ranger.
"Jayden!" Kevin and Emily both simultaneously.
"Smash 'em, Jay!" Mike continued with the encouragement.
Jayden glanced at them briefly before looking back at Dreadhead.
"Hey, statue!" Dreadhead called for the Red Ranger's attention. "Is that all you've got?!" His gun was now held out in front of him.
"JAYDEN!"
A combined yell of Kevin, Mia, Mike, and Emily all yelling at him out of fear for his life finally snapped his out of his train of doubt.
'I've gotta try,' he thought to himself, before finally taking the Beetle Disk out of his belt buckle and hooking it up to his Fire Smasher.
"Fire Smasher: Cannon Blast Mode!"
Dreadhead stumbled backwards due to the strong force of the fire that erupted from the Ranger's weapon.
Jayden struggled to keep it under control.
When the cloud of fire dissipated, the other Rangers noticed that his Fire Smasher looked different, kind of like a cannon. (Then again, that was the point, right?)
"Wow, now that's hot!" Mike commented.
"Guys, I need your Power Disks!" Jayden called, holding up his Lion Disk for clarification on which Disks he needed.
"Right!"
"On it!"
After Jayden loaded his Lion Disk, Kevin loaded his Dragon disk, Mia her Turtle Disk, Mike his Bear Disk, and finally, Emily loaded her Ape Disk, saying, "Sure hope this helps."
"Watcha got there? Rainbow Pea Shooter?" Dreadhead asked, as the five Rangers all stood in their usual formation (Pink, Green, Red, Blue, and Yellow).
"Nope, Five-Disk Beetle Cannon!" Jayden corrected, the other four Rangers kneeling on one knee.
"Useless pile of junk!" Dreadhead yelled before firing his gun one more time.
"Fire Strike!"
Jayden pulled the trigger, the energy from the five Disks forming an energized orange-colored Beetle.
The Beetle hit Dreadhead hard.
"My dreadlocks feel like leadlocks," Dreadhead complained, orange lightning surrounding him. "This can't be happening!"
Dreadhead's first life was destroyed in an explosion.
"Righteous!" Mike exclaimed.
"We did it!" Emily celebrated too.
"Woah, hold up on the celebrating," Jayden warned. "There's still Round 2."
Cue Dreadhead's second (and giant) life forming.
"Hi, Rinky-dink Rangers!"
"That's a whole lot of dread," Mike exclaimed, the Rangers going on the offensive.
"Samuraizers!"
"Lion Flding Zord!"
"Dragon Folding Zord!"
"Turtle Folding Zord!"
"Bear Folding Zord!"
"Ape Folding Zord!"
"Ready! Zords Combine! Samurai Megazord, We Are United!"
"Time to give you a haircut!" Mike commented, as they unsheathed their Swords in the cockpit, the Megazord doing the same.
The Megazord swung down, but once again, the sword went right through the Nighlock.
"What? It didn't work!" Jayden exclaimed.
"Your sword still had no effect on me!" Dreadhead pointed his gun at the Megazord and fired, causing the Megazord to drop to its knee. "You're all cruisin to a-loosin'!"
"We need to try something else," Jayden urged, before holding up the Beetle Disk. "I think it's time to unleash the true power in this Disk."
"The Beetle Zord?" Mia asked.
"Exactly," Jayden confirmed, before taking off the Red Lion Disk the hilt of his Sword and then hooking up the Beetle Disk instead.
"Summon Beetle Zord!" Jayden called, spinning the orange-colored Power Disk on his Sword's hilt.
"What?!" Dreadhead was confused as the orange-colored Beetle Zord landed in front of the Samurai Megazord.
"I'll be right back!" Jayden told the other Rangers, before jumping out of the Megazord cockpit in a red flash of light and landing in the Beetle Zord cockpit instead.
He placed his Spin Sword in the stand beside before motioning the Beetle Zord to go.
"Don't think you can bug me with your roach coach contraption," Dreadhead said, firing his gun at the little Zord. But the Beetle Zord kept going.
"Well, things are about to get real buggy for you, buddy," Jayden said, as the Beetle Zord grabbed a firm hold on Dreadhead's leg.
"Hey, quit pulling my leg!"
"This spin move is sure to make you flip!" Jayden spun the Beetle Disk on the hilt of his Sword still locked in the stand beside him.
With that, the Beetle Zord threw Dreadhead several feet away from them, sending the Nighlock to the ground.
"Yes, we got him!" Mike exlciamed.
"Giant Marauders! Move in and give 'em the business!" Dreadhead called, prompting some giant Marauders to spawn and get in on the fight. "On the count of three." Some Marauders drew back their arrows. "One, two-!"
"Beetle Cannon!" But Jayden and the Beetle Zord beat them to it. Jayden pulled out his Sword from the stand. "Now, the real battle begins."
Jayden spun the Beetle Disk, lifting up the Zord into the air.
"Samurai Artillery!" The Beetle Zord shifted its parts in order for it to fit onto the Megazord. "Useless, huh? Let's hear you say that after you see this."
Jayden joined them back in the main cockpit.
"Time to go for it," he said to the others, who nodded in understanding.
"Beetle Blaster Megazord, Armed for Battle!" All five called out.
"W-Wha...?"
A new Megazord? Dreadhead was confused.
The new Megazord pointed its sword at the Marauders, and immediately they all stumbled back.
"Don't back down!" Dreadhead ordered. "Get 'em!"
And the Marauders charged, some firing arrows at them.
"Beetle Cannon!"
The powerful blasts easily destroyed the arrows and the archers. But out of the smoke and fire, the rest of the Marauders charged forwards.
With a few strikes of the sword and another burst of the Beetle Cannon, the Rangers easily took care of the rest.
The Megazord turned back to Dreadhead.
"Your turn," Jayden said.
"Are you guys dumb?" The Nighlock asked. "Your sword's useless against me!"
The Rangers sheathed their Swords, the Megazord following their example.
"Gotcha!" Dreadhead cheered and firing at them again, thinking he had caught them off-guard.
But another blast of the Beetle Cannon easily unarmed him, instead of them, sending his gun to the ground.
The Rangers unsheathed their Swords again, but this time the Megazord did not do the same. Instead, it kneeled on one knee, and the Beetle hat it was wearing closed up. The Rangers spun the Disks on the hilts of their Swords, the Beetle Disk hooked up to Jayden'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 Dreadhead once and for all.
"That was epic!" Mike exclaimed with excitement.
"Welcome back to the family, Beetle Zord," Jayden said.
~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~
Rainbow's End, Panorama City, California
"I'm really glad Mentor Ji gave us another day off," Mia said.
"Well, it's only fair since our last one involved us fighting a Nighlock," Mike said, before Mia pulled Kevin over to the side aways off.
"I'd like to apologize, Kevin, for yesterday," Mia said quietly.
"Mia, I-" But she stopped him from saying anything else.
"I do trust you, and I'm sorry for not telling you before, but I've found a reason now, a reason for staying on the team."
"You have?" Kevin asked, now curious as to what it was.
"I have."
"What is it?" He asked.
"It's personal," was all she said.
"I hope everyone's in the mood for some cotton candy!" Emily called out to them, three servings of pink cotton candy in her hand, Jayden not far behind her with three more.
Emily handed two of hers to Kevin and Mia, while Jayden his other two to Mike and Antonio.
"This really isn't aligned with my training diet, Samurai or swimming," Kevin commented.
"It'll be fine," Jayden reassured.
"Yeah, man, you won't die," Mike added.
"You know, I like this," Emily spoke up. "All of us, not fighting, just getting to know each other a little better."
"It'll help us improve our teamwork," Jayden added. "Because we may have our differences, and different reasons for being here and being a Ranger, but we all fight to make the world a safer place. And isn't that what really matters in the end?"
He snuck a smile at Emily, who returned it with a bubbly smile of her own.
"Right," Mia agreed, before repeating the same words from last night when she was taking care of Jayden. "We are a team. We might as well start acting like one. Otherwise, we're no better than the Nighlock."
"We help and comfort each other," Antonio began, sneaking a glance at Mike, who knew exactly what he was thinking.
"And we help each other grow into better people by taking them out of their comfort zone," Mike added.
Then, both Mike and Antonio grabbed a hold of Kevin's arms, on either side of the Blue Ranger.
"Now, c'mon, you stick in the mud," Mike continued. "The rides are this way."
Jayden, Mia, and Emily let out a laugh as they watched Antonio and Mike pull Kevin towards the largest roller coaster in the park.
Mia looked over at Jayden and Emily sneaking yet another glance at each other. She smirked at the possible implications. (Did Emily have a crush on Jayden? Maybe. Did Jayden have a crush on Emily? Maybe.)
But to help and support her teammates? She could do that. Her reason for fighting was the same as everyone else's, but her reason for staying with the team was unique.
From now on, Mia would make sure the others were well rested, well fed, and do everything she could to make sure they were comfortable, yet still effectively learned their lesson.
Like a mother would.
And she was no different with the little kids she used to teach.
TO BE CONTINUED...
~PRS~REDO~PRS~REDO~PRS~REDO~PRS~REDO~PRS~
Original Shinkenger Episode: Act 5
Original PRS Episode: Day Off
Note: And there you have it. The Core Five have finally reached true team status! If any of you have ideas or things you want me to add/consider adding, PM me.
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 6: "Sticks and Stones"
"It was a Power Up Mode, one that would help them beat the Nighlock, but Emily's the only one who can beat this Nighlock bully. Will she succeed or end up underground like the others?"