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~
"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?"
Better Together
Power Rangers: Samurai REDO
Season 1, Episode 6: Sticks and Stones
Shiba House, Gianni Forest, Panorama City, California
May 10, 2014
She was back in the forest, the last place on earth she wanted to be right now.
She constantly turned to look behind her, to see if the wolves were chasing her.
"Run! They're right on our tail!"
She heard her elder sister's voice again, telling her to run.
But why? Why was Serena telling her to run? What was she trying to warn Emily about?
Emily's heart jumped when she heard a wolf howl. She didn't bother to look behind her to see some hungry, angry wolves growling at her. She didn't have to.
Emily woke up a start and a scream, back in the bedroom she was given when she moved into the Shiba House.
Sunlight shone in through her bedroom window. It was just a dream. That's it, just a dream. There was nothing to worry about. As far as everyone in the world was concerned, the house and the wolves were nothing more than a figment of her imagination. (But that still didn't explain why Ape Zord said she could see the house too. Oh, well, she could worry about that later.)
Emily got dressed in blue jean shorts, a white tank top with a yellow-flowered design, a yellow elbow-length sleeved cardigan, and yellow converses on her feet, all while being unable to ponder about what keeps happening in her dreams.
She's always being chased by wolves straight to that house, and she really needed to know why, before her mental health collapsed completely.
Emily tried hard to put it in the back of her mind when she ran into Ji right outside the kitchen.
"Ah, Emily, I have found something that may improve our chances of defeating the Nighlock," Ji explained to her, as she listened with all of her willpower, determined not to get sidetracked due to her strange, nightmare-ish dreams. "Gather around the Gap Sensor map table, and we'll start our meeting in a few minutes. As soon as I wake up Mike..."
Emily nodded and found herself walking to the said table and taking a seat, absentmindedly.
"Morning, Emily," Mia greeted. Emily nodded back at her with a little smile, her mind still preoccupied with you-know-what. But she didn't speak a word.
About three to four minutes passed before Mike came out, with Ji, but it didn't take long after that for their dear Mentor to get started.
He began by opening an old book he got from the bookshelf against the wall.
On the page he had opened up to was a sketch of two versions of Jayden's Ranger form, one male and the other female. But they looked different and not at all like the Ranger form they were used to morphing into. The helmets were different (they both had mouth pieces), the Reds in the sketch were wearing sashes with the Ranger emblem on it (that hung from their left shoulders and all the way down to their right waists, and were tucked on their belts), both had fishnet sleeves and no black stripes around the armbands, and their belt buckles were replaced with the Lion Zord in Defense Mode. The only difference was that the female version also had a skirt, as well as what looked like thigh-high stockings.
But most importantly, neither had a sheath for their Spin Swords. In fact, in the sketch, there were no Spin Swords whatsoever. Instead, they were each holding two fire-enhanced daggers in their hands.
Mike and Kevin leaned in closer, all six of them (including Antonio, aside from Ji) deeply interested in what this mode was.
"Woah..." Mike muttered.
"What is this?" Mia had the sense to ask.
"The ultimate form of your Ranger powers," Ji answered, "the Samurai Havoc Mode."
"Samurai Havoc Mode?" Kevin asked.
"Correct," Ji nodded, confirming Kevin's response, before continuing on. "Once received, you will be able to train with your Zord and make it even stronger. The one pictured here is the Red Ranger's Havoc Mode, both male and female versions. The Twin Fire Daggers, pictured here, are the ultimate weapon of the Red Ranger."
"How can we unlock this mode?" Mia asked the question everyone wanted to know.
And Ji answered with a solemn, "Only by an act of amazing courage. And the feelings must be genuine."
Mike piped up and asked, "How will our powers know if we were courageous enough or not?"
"The sources of your powers are the Zords themselves," Ji replied, as if the answer was that simple. "Since they are sentient beings, they will be able to easily tell."
There was no way Emily would be able to unlock hers. She wasn't good enough. She never would be.
She could already hear Dylan's mean insults from kindergarten, Samantha's snobby boasts from third grade, Gianna's obnoxious laughs from fifth grade, and the Hunter twins' (one male, the other female) rude taunts from eighth grade, all of them ringing in her ear.
They kept telling her that she would definitely be the last to unlock her Havoc Mode, if she managed to unlock it at all.
"W-What if you're not able to unlock yours?" Emily asked, her voice visibly shaking, unable to drive her bullies' taunts out of her mind.
"It is entirely up to you," Ji replied. "They are your powers, regardless of what your teammates think."
Despite Ji's warm, honest answer, Emily unfortunately didn't feel any better.
"You okay, Em?"
Emily's heart jumped again when Mike asked her this. She gripped the edge of her seat, before closing her eyes and taking a deep breath.
"Y-Yeah, I'm fine," she answered before standing up and heading towards the front door. "I just need some air."
She hoped dearly that they were oblivious to the fact that her smile was clearly fake.
~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
Octoroo was reading one of his books when he heard someone come aboard the ship. He leaned over to see who it was.
"Oh, it's the Prince of Put-Downs himself! Action Commander Negatron!" He exclaimed. "Welcome aboard!"
"Speaking of 'aboard'," Negatron began, "that's what I feel every time I see you! I'm a-bored–!"
But Octoroo had covered his big mouth with his hand.
"If you want to make that special power of yours extremely useful," he told Negatron, "then save those insults for the humans. That sharp tongue of yours will make those crybabies wail."
"That's my plan," Negatron replied. "But you're so–!"
Octoroo quickly covered his mouth again. "Your mouth is like a convenience store: always open. Make yourself useful to the Master and make the River flood the earth."
~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
Antonio volunteered to go outside to see if Emily was okay, after they let her be alone for a few minutes.
The first thing Antonio noticed was the gentle, hauntingly beautiful flute tune Emily was playing.
The second was how expertly her fingers moved to get the correct notes. Really, Emily was playing that wooden flute like she had played it ever since she was little.
He patiently waited for her to finish her song (which didn't take all that long) before he spoke up.
"You okay now, Em?" Antonio was afraid to hurt or insult her, so his voice was gentle and hesitant when he did speak.
"Playing my sister's old flute has always calmed me down," Emily softly explained, from the bench she was sitting on, her back to him. "So, a bit..."
"You sure?" Antonio asked, not entirely believing her.
Emily didn't object when Antonio sat down next to her. "Not entirely," she answered with complete honesty. "But I'll be okay."
"You want to tell me why you walked out on us?" He asked, wanting her to be open with her problems.
"I didn't want to," Emily almost sounded like she was tearing up. "But I didn't want you guys to see how weak I really am."
"What do you mean 'weak'?" Emily was one of the strongest people he knew, right after Jayden and Ji. And he wasn't talking about physical strength.
"I'll be the last one to unlock Havoc Mode," Emily finally admitted, her hazel eyes filled with unfallen tears. "Just watch. Dylan will be right about me being a crybaby. Samantha will be right about me being too stupid. Gianna will be right about me being too clumsy to do anything right. Justin Hunter will be right about me being an easy target of everyone's insults, and his sister Claire will be right about me being mentally insane."
"You were bullied." Antonio obviously hit a nerve, because Emily didn't give him a verbal response. She only nodded. "But what was that last part about being 'mentally insane'?"
Emily was quiet for the longest time, as if hesitant to tell him what that really meant. "Antonio, can you keep a secret?"
"Of course," he replied, wanting her to confide in him. "I mean, I keep the secret about you guys being Power rangers from civilians all the time."
"No!" Emily immediately backed off from her yelling, like she was a dog that was being punished. "I-I mean, from the other Rangers too?"
Antonio paused, really thinking about that asked him to do, against the others' wishes, against Jayden's especially, to be a complete team. And that meant that no secrets were to be kept from each other.
"Yeah," but if helped make Emily's personal burden lighter, then he would not hesitate.
"I know you'll find this crazy," Emily began, she herself hesitating in actually telling him the truth, "b-but...I have these dreams..."
"So does everyone else," Antonio interjected when he thought she was done.
"They're not normal," Emily finally revealed the catch. "Some predict the future. Some tell me what happened in the past. And others don't make sense at all."
"Give me some examples," was all Antonio answered with. Her story did seem a little far-fetched, but Emily was no liar. He wanted to believe her, with all his heart and soul.
"O-Okay," Emily stuttered. That wasn't the first time anyone had asked her for proof, but it was the first time it had come from somebody who didn't sound like they wanted to condescend or bully her. "One night, I dreamed I failed a test regarding a subject I was an expert in, and the very next day, my dad died trying to stop a robbery. Umm..." Antonio was silent as she continued giving him examples. "Another night, I had a dream about a couple getting married under an apple tree, which I learned the next day was the exact way the founder of Greenwood married his wife. And umm...lately, I've been dreaming about this house in the forest. It's abandoned and extremely worn down, but...every time I get near it, in the dreams or in real life, I always see wolves attacking me and hear Serena's voice telling me to run away. I don't know what it means, but I'm apparently crazy, because only I can see them."
"How do you know?" He couldn't help but ask.
"Because Jayden couldn't see the wolves. And they were right there, surrounding us."
"That doesn't mean the house is fake too, just the wolves," Antonio reassured her. "But I believe you. We'll figure these puzzles out together, especially why and how this house is connected with your sister."
(It was in this moment when she began to look at her dreams in a different light. Antonio was right. They were metaphors, puzzles. So what was the significance of there only being three wolves?)
"You really mean that?"
Antonio was taken back at how surprised she sounded.
"Of course I mean it," he replied with utter honesty. "Those bullies really messed you up, didn't they?"
Emily didn't answer. She only solemnly, sorrowfully looked down at the ground, not willing to say he was right.
"You'll be the first to unlock Havoc Mode, Em. Just watch." And Emily looked up at him in utter surprise. "I believe in you."
Did she really hear him right? Did she really have someone who believed in her?
It seemed like she did.
Her train of thought was interrupted by the Gap Sensor going off.
~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
Action Commander Negatron watched, and laughed gleefully, as he watched the old man stumble out of his car and down the street, away from the Nighlock that was clearly attacking. "Yeah, you better run, Eagle Eyes! Go get some glasses!"
"That's enough, Nighlock!" Negatron turned when he heard Jayden speak, to see the five un-morphed Rangers, in standard formation, yet in their civilian forms.
"Who are you, punks?" Negatron asked.
"Anyone ever tell you you're a bully?" Mia asked.
"Yep, nicest thing anyone's ever said about me," the Nighlock boasted.
"Samuraizers! Go, Go, Samurai!" The five each flipped their respective elemental kanji and all were bathed in rainbow light. When the light dissipated, the five were still standing in the some spots, now morphed in their Ranger suits.
"Ah, Rangers! You're the perfect test subjects for my stone slabs," Negatron replied, as if he didn't have to worry about the Rangers being able to defeat them.
"Stone?" Mike asked.
"Slabs?" Kevin finished for his Green teammate.
Jayden leapt up and struck down at Negatron with his Spin Sword, but the Nighlock easily side-stepped him.
Jayden quickly got back on his feet, not lowering his sword. "What do you mean by that?" Jayden asked.
"All those stupid civilians ran away before I could demonstrate, so allow me to demonstrate on you, Rangers."
"That's a trap!" Mike called him out. "And you know, talking smack about people is not cool!" Mike then charged at the Nighlock.
But Negatron used his Super Speed and met him halfway.
"You're an immature idiot!" A sharp pang struck Mike's heart, and the others saw dark purple energy surrounding him and pushing him backward into the stadium wall behind him. He fell to the ground, hard, bits of rubble hitting the ground around him.
Emily ran to check on him. "Mike, are you okay?"
Negatron continued, "You're annoying, and you're bike had training wheels until you were seven. What a baby!"
"Emily, move!" Jayden called out to her.
Emily just barely managed to avoid a giant rectangle-shaped slab made of stone crash down on Mike. When the dust cleared, there was no Mike anywhere in sight, only a giant stone slab where the black top should be, and where Mike was before the stone slab smacked down.
Kevin and Mia turned back to face Negatron, utterly furious. "What did you do to him?!" Mia demanded.
"And you, Blue Ranger, you're just boring!" Negatron sang the last word, surrounding Kevin in that same dark purple energy and knocking him back in the brick wall behind him.
"Kevin!" Mia turned to him.
But once Kevin hit the ground, Negatron gave him no breathing room. "Always the teacher's pet! No one wants a friend so up-tight!"
And Mia watched in shock and horror as a stone slab smacked down on Kevin too.
Mia's fist around her Sword tightened. "You're gonna pay for that!" She charged towards Negatron, and swung her Sword, yet missed. She swung her Sword again, at a different angle, but she missed again.
"You stuck-up!" Mia was blown back by the dark purple energy mid-swing. Once she hit the ground, as glass shards fell around her from the windows she crashed into. "Yeah, just give up, you self-centered Prom Queen!"
Emily began shaking after she and Jayden witnessed a giant stone slab fall right on top of Mia.
"I don't get how he's doing that!" She cried out, getting up off her knees. "All he's doing is insulting them!"
Jayden stepped in front of her, hooking up the Red Lion Disk up to the hilt of his Spin Sword, "Keep your guard up. He's a tricky one."
And Emily immediately felt…safe.
"Come on, what tricks?" Negatron replied, calmly. "I'm just telling the truth. I go by the motto 'if the truth hurts, excellent'!"
Jayden spun the Lion Disk, ready to fight Negatron. But Negatron sped up and knocked his Sword out of his hand. Jayden tensed, his guard up, as Negatron got up in his face. "You cold, heartless monster! How could anyone ever be friends with someone who's so weak?"
No effect whatsoever.
'I was apparently a hotspot for mean words,' Emily remembered Jayden saying once.
Kevin had replied with, 'Because no words could get through to you. They would just bounce off of you.'
That meant Emily could count on him to still be around to fight with her. She wouldn't be alone.
"Okay, tough guy," was Negatron's response to this. "How about this? You're a red-faced, liar, liar, pants on fire!"
Jayden finally felt the sting of the insult. Emily watched in horror as the dark energy surrounded him and slammed him into the brick wall behind him.
"Jayden!" She called.
The Red Ranger glanced back up just as Negatron continued with the insult that finally got the leader of the Rangers. "Can the girl behind you really trust you with that secret you're hiding from her?"
"NOO!" Emily cried out as Jayden disappeared under a stone slab as well.
"Now, it's down to weak, little Yellow," Negatron turned to the remained Samurai Ranger on the battlefield.
Emily turned around to face him, tears of anger filling her hazel eyes, despite the fact that her face was hidden behind her helmet. "Your words won't faze me. Jayden's got nothing to hide! You're just a mean-mouthed monster spouting nothing but nonsense!"
And Emily charged at him. She swung and missed repeatedly, as the Nighlock replied, "'Nonsense'? If my words weren't true, your friends would still be here!" Emily swung again, and still missed. "This is too easy!" Negatron shouted with glee, enjoying his moment of glory. "Airhead!"
Emily landed a hit on him.
"What?! Impossible!"
How did she do that?! As long as he could see into his victims' hearts, he was untouchable!
Emily struck him twice more with her Spin Sword. She swung and missed, though, and Negatron took this as the opportunity to get up in her face and say, "You're a clumsy fool!"
Emily struck him again.
"Klutz!" Hit. "Dimwit!" Another hit. "Whiner!" Yet another hit.
The Nighlock hit the ground.
"This girl is crazy!" Negatron muttered to himself, before calling out, "Oh, here's a good one!"
Emily spun her Black Power Disk.
"Everyone loves to tease you!"
"Earth Slicer!"
Negatron stumbled backwards. This wasn't looking good for him.
"You're the one who's lying!" Emily yelled, throwing her giant shuriken at him. Negatron got hit with it approximately three times before he gave up.
"What is your deal?!" Negatron cried, his body smoking from all the hits and damage he sustained from Emily. "Better go vent somewhere else!"
As he retreated back into the Netherworld, through a vent, Emily yelled back at him, her Earth Slicer in her hand, "Yeah, you better run, you coward!"
As she stood there, trying to catch her breath, she remembered that Negatron was the only one who knew what had happened to the others.
~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
She was back at the Shiba House now. She was rather reluctant to explain what had happened to the others. Ji had a book of Nighlock that had appeared in the Human World before, and with a stroke of good luck, Negatron was in that book, along with a highly detailed explanation of what he meant by 'stone slabs'.
"He's basically a bully," Ji explained. "He channels mental pain and turns it into physical pain to trap his victim. While they're down, another insult or two brings down the stone slabs on top of the said victim, trapping them underground."
"How are the stone slabs created?" Emily asked, something she really wanted to know.
"According to the book," Ji said, motioning to the mentioned item he was holding, "the slabs are created by the victims themselves. How strong they are and how quickly they fall depends on how trapped the said victim feels by their own insecurities."
"According to the Gap Sensor data, Mike, Kevin, and Mia fell pretty easily," Antonio informed them, as he studied the tablet in his hand. "Jayden took some effort, but Emily was entirely unaffected by his insults. Why?"
"Perhaps, she has some special ability," Ji offered.
"Oh no, no," Emily shook her head, looking down at her feet. "I'm not that great."
"Then why?" Ji asked. "Why were you immune while the others weren't?"
"I think it's because of her low self-esteem," Antonio offered. "Emily already thinks so lowly of herself, so it acts as a shield from Negatron's insults."
Ji turned from Antonio to Emily, shocked that Antonio would say something so insulting. "Emily, tell me he's just making that up."
Emily glanced up at her mentor, a solemn look on her face. "Sorry, I can't. It's the truth. All throughout my life, I've been an easy target for bullies. I was always teased and called names by people who thought they were better than me, and I'd always go home, crying. Eventually, I decided to just accept the fact that I would always be at the bottom of the pyramid, that everyone would always be better than me. Once I accepted that, life got easier, because I finally had a strong enough shield against the insults."
Ji was quiet for a minute (Emily had a depressing childhood), before he changed the subject altogether. "I'm sorry about what you had to go through, Emily, but whatever the case, we need to beat Negatron right away. Get information on how to save the other Rangers, defeat him, and then actually save–"
"No," Emily immediately disagreed. "Right now, there's no guarantee that the others are still alive, nor is there any solid way to tell how much time they have left. Besides, I can't fight him alone. I need my team."
"I have a plan," Antonio cut in, with a simple snap of his fingers.
"What is it?" Emily asked, quite eager to hear it.
"Whatever your plan is, Antonio," Ji replied, a cautious tone in his voice, "remember that the lives of the other four Rangers are at stake. There is no room for errors. And there is no guarantee that your plan will work."
"Don't worry, Ji," Antonio said, using the old man's nickname affectionately (because he's been like a surrogate father to him and Jayden both for almost a decade now). "I believe in Emily. She'll make it work, no matter what."
Emily was quiet for a minute, before replying with a smile on her face, "Thanks for the vote of confidence, Antonio, but I can't do it alone."
"I'll help any way I can," Antonio answered. "Whatever you need me for."
~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
"Your playing stinks!"
Surrounded with dark, purple energy, Dayu smacked into the wall of the ship behind her. "Say that to me again, you three-eyed backstabber, and you'll be taking a long walk off a short plank!" Dayu threw her pick at Negatron, but Octoroo quickly caught it with his staff.
"Oo-ah-oo, take it easy, Dayu!" He tried to calm her down. "We're just testing to see if Negatron's power still works."
"Yeah, I knew I hadn't lost it!" Negatron exclaimed, as Dayu got to her feet. "But I still don't understand why I couldn't hurt that Yellow Ranger girl?!"
"How dare you mock me?!" Dayu made to charge at him, but she was stopped by Xandred's sheathed sword. "You just relax."
Dayu pushed his sword aside. "Not this time!"
But Xandred blocked her again. "That's enough!" He ordered. "Even you can make me mad." He unsheathed his sword by an inch. "Understood?"
"Fine," she said, finally backing down. "But I'm not happy about it!"
"Negatron!" Xandred turned to his present Action Commander. "Thanks to you, the level of the River is definitely rising. So get back out there!"
"Yes, back to work!" Octoroo agreed. "Create more misery!"
"Don't worry, I'll see to it that my words hurt everyone! Even that blasted Yellow Ranger!"
~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~
Harbor Village Park, Panorama City, California
Antonio and Emily were among the civilians at that park by the sea. Antonio was fishing by the sea (using his dad's fishing equipment), while Emily was rollerblading (using her rollerblades from back home) through the park.
But the second they saw Negatron enter through a Gap, the two leapt into action.
Antonio ushered all civilians nearby back to their homes, while Emily rollerbladed to where Negatron was and stopped right in front of him.
"Not so fast there," Emily told him. "Bullies aren't allowed here."
"Just try and stop me, pathetic Yellow Ranger!"
"Gladly. Go, Go, Samurai!" After Emily morphed in a flash of yellow, she ran toward Negatron, unsheathing her sword on the way. "You're going down this time!"
And Emily repeatedly swung her Sword while he spoke next, but missed all those attacks.
"I don't think so! Dummy! Klutz! Crybaby!"
Emily stopped mid-swing. "Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me! Now, shut your mouth, you creep!" And Emily landed another strike on him.
She reached inside her belt and pulled out her Yellow Ape Disk and hooked it up to her hilt, and spun it. "Spin Sword: Earth Kanji Strike!"
She laid three yellow energy slashes on him, which knocked him down to the ground.
But he got back up, ready with more insults to hurl at her.
"Your new friends don't care about you!" Came Negatron's taunt. Emily paused and tensed up. It wasn't going to be easy, letting down her shield against insults, but she had to. "They never did and they never will! All they care about is themselves!"
There came the sting, but it was small, meaning she had to let more insults through in order for the plan to work.
"You'll never be as good as they are!"
The sting was growing bit by bit, as he hurled insult after insult at her.
"You're the odd one out of the group! They were close before they met you, and everything was fine until you arrived! You ruined everything for them!"
Emily felt herself get blasted backwards into a wall by the dark energy.
Antonio heard Emily cry out in pain. He glanced over to where she and Negatron were fighting, and witnessed the last insult before Emily allowed the stone slab to drag her down.
"You idiot, you'll never find your sister alive!"
Once Emily was nowhere in sight, Negatron walked away, determined to make the entire city fall now that the Rangers were all down. Antonio quickly rushed over to protect the city and its inhabitants while all five Rangers were away.
~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~
Underground, Panorama City, California
"Mike! Mike, wake up!" The Green Ranger opened his brown eyes to Mia's gentle, yet urgent voice.
Mike coughed a couple times before bothering to speak, "We haven't been freed yet?"
"Not yet," Jayden informed them. "And I don't mean to scare you, but we're also running out of air."
"About 3.2 hours left of air, to be exact." They found they could count on Kevin to give them accurate logistics. "And still no word from Emily or Ji. I still can't make a connection."
The four were silent for a moment before Mike scoffed, "So, I guess we know what he meant by 'stone slabs' now, huh?"
"Yeah..." Kevin muttered.
There was a low rumble, with began to grow louder and louder, which led to the four realizing that the stone slabs were sinking even lower (they were all stacked on top of each other).
Mike cried out in shock. They were going to crush him if he didn't move, but he couldn't move! He was too injured, too tired.
Mike closed his eyes, waiting for the impact. He felt it, but it didn't come from above.
It came from his side.
He re-opened his eyes and when Mia said the name of person who saved him, he knew he wasn't crazy.
"E-Emily!"
Emily was struggling to hold up the stacked stone slabs, but she still managed to turn to them with a smile on her face.
"Hey," was her reply. "Everyone okay? Nothing broken?"
"Nope," Kevin answered. "We're all still here."
Emily's smile never wavered. "Good. Antonio's plan actually worked. Well...part one did."
Which was lowering her personal shield in order to rescue the others. The second part was putting her shield back up, and she wasn't sure how hard that was going to be.
"We're all together. That's a good thing," Mia stated. "But how do we get out of here?"
"Assumedly, the same way we came in," Mike replied, as Kevin helped him stand.
Emily cut in, as she tried to put her shield back up (but the slabs weren't getting any lighter), "It's our insecurities that got us down here in the first place. We need to find a way to reverse them somehow."
"We all have flaws," Jayden quietly, softly said. "But that's why we're a team. Your greatest weakness is somebody else's greatest strength."
'You're the odd one out of the group! They were close before they met you, and everything was fine until you arrived! You ruined everything for them!'
But Jayden once told her, 'It's okay. You're not intruding.'
Negatron was the liar. He was the real enemy, not the others. She had to find a way back to the surface.
And she continued to push up from under the slabs.
Mia nudged the three guys to turn back to Emily, who was now surrounded in a yellow-colored aura.
~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
When the smoke cleared, it revealed the other four Rangers, injured from the previous battle, but mainly okay. Antonio rushed over to check on them.
"You guys okay?" Antonio asked them, while helping Jayden back to his feet.
"Yeah, we're fine," Mike replied. "Emily saved us."
"How?" Antonio asked.
"How did you punks escape?!" Negatron demanded.
"Me."
Negatron turned around to face Emily, full morphed, but in a mode he hadn't seen before.
First of all her helmet was different (the kanji on it was more pronounced and it had a mouth piece). She was also wearing a black sash with the Ranger emblem on it (that hung from her left shoulder all the way down to her right waist, and was tucked on her belt), had dark yellow fishnet sleeves, no black stripes around her armbands (with were now completely yellow), and her belt buckle had been replaced with the Ape Zord in Defense Mode. Her boots were the same, she still had the yellow skirt, but her gloves were now black and she had white-colored thigh-high stockings.
And in her right hand, she was holding a hand-held drill, the Spiral Earth Drill.
"She did it!" Antonio exclaims. "Emily unlocked her Havoc Mode!"
Negatron looked behind Emily and saw a tunnel in the middle of the stone slabs, leading directly underground, where the Rangers had been held.
"Why you-!"
"You're done, Negatron!" Emily ordered, as the other four gathered around her (Order: Mia, Mike, Emily, Jayden, Kevin). "Even with our flaws, I'd say we still make a good team."
"We make an excellent team," Jayden replied, before pulling out his Samuraizer. "Get out of here, Antonio!"
"Samuraizers! Go, Go, Samurai!"
"Samurai Fire, Power Ranger Red!"
"Samurai Water, Power Ranger Blue!"
"Samurai Wind, Power Ranger Pink!"
"Samurai Forest, Power Ranger Green!"
"Samurai Earth, Havoc Mode Yellow! Rangers Together–"
"Samurai Forever!"
But Negatron was mad. "Yeah, right. More like heartbroken forever! I know some zingers that'll really tear you up! But I'll get you guys later! My business is with Yellow! Marauders!"
The other four rushed over to meet the Marauders halfway, leaving Emily to deal with Negatron.
"Fire Smasher!" Jayden used the said weapon to take out his group two/three at a time.
"Sky Fan!" Mia used her wind power to take out her group.
"Hydro Bow!" Kevin jumped off a balcony nearby and fired a few arrows, taking out his own group.
"Forest Spear!" Mike used his weapon to fight off his group.
Emily charged at Negatron, despite not having any weapon in her hand (still no Spin Sword). He threw a punch at her, but she easily dodged it, before stopping him dead in his tracks by putting her foot against his throat.
"You play dirty, Yellow Ranger!"
"So do you, Nighlock!"
And one simple swift kick with her foot (the one against his throat) sent him flying.
His big mouth was the source of his power, Emily realized. So if she could find some way to shut him up, he could be defeated.
Apparently, Mike was thinking the same thing, because all she had to do was call his name once, and he came running.
"I got your back, Em!" Mike said, before using his Spear to unleash a storm of leaves. "Forest Spear: Leaf Storm!"
Negatron covered his face in order to avoid the leaves, but in that moment, Mike had jumped behind him and was holding him down.
"Let me go, Green Bean!"
"Thanks, Mike!" Emily called, before pulling out her Samuraizer. "Symbol Power: Stones!"
Mike watched as Negatron's mouth filled up with rocks. He jumped up and landed beside Emily, before giving her a high five.
"Nice one, Em!"
"Thanks for your help."
Negatron mumbled something. They couldn't tell what, because his mouth was filled with rocks.
"Sorry, we can't hear you!" Emily said, as the other three Rangers joined them. "If you can't speak, then you're entirely defenseless."
"Good thinking, Em," Mia said.
"Thanks," Emily replied, before producing her Havoc Mode weapon. "Spiral Earth Drill! Charging!"
The Drill began to spin, surrounding itself in yellow energy.
Emily charged at Negatron. "Spiral Drill Attack!" And she pierced him through the chest. Swiping upwards, Emily stepped back and allowed Jayden to take over.
"I can't defeat him by myself," was all Emily had to say.
"Don't worry. We'll take it from here," Jayden replied, holding up the Beetle Disk.
And Emily smiled at him, from under her helmet.
"Fire Smasher: Cannon Blast Mode!" He turned to his team. "Lock and load." One by one, all five colored Power Disks were locked into the Cannon. "Five-Disk Beetle Cannon!" The other four Rangers knelt, while Jayden took the final strike. "Fire Strike!"
And with an explosion, Negatron's first life was done.
The other four stood back up, and Mike pat Emily on the head. "Nice job, Emily."
"Thanks!"
Cue Negatron's second (and giant) life forming.
"You lame-brained louses!"
The Rangers immediately went on the offensive, as Emily unhooked Ape Zord from her belt.
"Samuraizers!"
"Lion Folding Zord!"
"Dragon Folding Zord!"
"Turtle Folding Zord!"
"Bear Folding Zord!"
"Ape Folding Zord!"
"Ready! Zords Combine! Samurai Megazord, We Are United!"
The Rangers stood in the formation they were in when they morphed a while ago (Mia, Mike, Emily, Jayden, Kevin), and Emily found that she had regained her Spin Sword (and the sheath, as she needed her Sword to control the Megazord).
Negatron responded first, with his own attack. "Three-Eyed Zap-a-zoid!"
Purple lightning hit the Megazord, sending the entire Megazord shaking and making it drop its shield and sword.
Negatron charged, intent on winning this round.
"Time to divide and conquer!" And in a flash of yellow, Emily disappeared from the cockpit and into the Ape Zord's cockpit.
In response, the Ape Zord folded back into Defense Mode and disconnected from the Megazord just seconds before Negatron could force it to separate.
Negatron stumbled as Mike called out, "Nice one, Em. Kickin' it!" Mike kicked, and the right leg of the Megazord (the Bear Zord) did the same.
"Hey, Mike! You up for a combo kick!" Emily asked.
"Absolutely! Let's go!"
Still folded into a triangle, the Ape Zord hit the chest of the Megazord before dropping down and allowing the Bear Zord (still as the Megazord's foot) to kick it towards Negatron.
The Nighlock blocked it with his sword. "Hey, get outta my face!"
It worked, though, because after a short struggle, the Ape Zord finally forced Negatron to drop his sword.
The Ape Zord re-connected with the Megazord, and in another flash of yellow, Emily was back inside the Megazord cockpit with the others.
"I'm back," she announced, before turning to Jayden. "Ready?
"Born ready," he said, surprising her by handing her the Beetle Disk.
But she took it, after taking off the Yellow Ape Disk the hilt of her Sword (which she hooked onto her stand). She then hooked up the Beetle Disk instead.
"Summon Beetle Zord!" Emily called, spinning the orange-colored Power Disk on her Sword's hilt.
"What is that?" Negatron asked, as the Beetle Zord appeared and landed on the ground in front of the Megazord.
"Samurai Artillery!" Emily called, the other four ready. The Beetle Zord shifted its parts in order for it to fit onto the Megazord.
"Beetle Blaster Megazord, Armed for Battle!" All five called out.
Negatron scoffed. "What a dumb hat! What were you thinking?!"
"What do you think of this?" Emily asked, before spinning the Beetle Disk hooked up to her Sword. "Beetle Cannon!"
The powerful blasts easily caught Negatron off guard.
The Megazord charged, hitting Negatron multiple times before shouldering him in the side.
"I'm not scared of you, you overgrown hunk of tin!" Negatron said, before being shouldered in the side. "Oww!"
"Let's add injury to this Nighlock's insults," Jayden said.
"With pleasure," Emily answered.
The Megazord sheathed its sword, before kneeling 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 Emily'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 Negatron once and for all.
"Samurai Rangers, Victory is Ours!" Jayden announced.
"We did it!" Emily cheered. "We…we…"
The other Rangers' hearts jumped when Emily fell backwards onto the ground, passed out.
~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
When Emily came to, she was aware of leaning against someone's back, and that someone was carrying her. She was about to open her eyes, but when she heard the voices of the others, she paused in doing so.
"She said she was fine, but I guess the Nighlock's words hurt her, after all," Mia was saying.
"She had to let some through in order to save you guys," Antonio replied. "But I guess there was a part of her that truly believed what the Nighlock was saying, about not being able to find her sister."
"Either way, she hid the pain well," Jayden gently cut in. "And we'll find her sister."
"Yeah, she doesn't have to worry about that anymore," Kevin said.
"That is what friends are for, right?" Mike asked.
"Yeah," Mia agreed.
And with her eyes still closed, Emily smiled.
"Hey, Jayden?" Mike asked. "How'd the Nighlock get to you? I thought no words could touch you."
"I don't want to talk about it," was all Jayden (solemnly) said on the subject.
Emily's smile wavered. So it was a sensitive subject after all.
'You're a red-faced, liar, liar, pants on fire! Can the girl behind you really trust you with that secret you're hiding from her?'
There really was something that could strike at Jayden deep within his heart. And it was a secret that he was hiding from her? Or to the entire team in general?
Jayden was saved, however, when a little bell sounded in the distance.
Mia gasped happily. "I know that sound! Ice cream trucks were my favorite things in the world when I was a kid!"
"Sounds better than the Gap Sensor, that's for sure!" Mike exclaimed, agreeing with Mia.
Emily chose this time to 'wake up'. When she opened her eyes, it was Mike giving her a piggy-back ride. "Did someone say ice cream?"
The others turned to her, and Mike chuckled before responding, "You awake now?"
Emily nodded, smiling widely, as Antonio raced toward the ice cream truck, to stop it, Kevin and Mia on his tail. "Come on, guys. Hurry up!" Antonio called.
"Can you set me down, Mike?"
"Sure thing," and Mike did so, before racing off to join the others.
Emily turned to the man beside her. "Jayden?" He turned to face her. "Tell me when you're ready. Okay?"
Jayden couldn't help but meet her smile, before he motioned his head toward the now stopped ice cream truck.
The two raced there together.
TO BE CONTINUED...
~PRS~REDO~PRS~REDO~PRS~REDO~PRS~REDO~PRS~
Original Shinkenger Episode: Act 6
Original PRS Episode: Sticks and Stones
Note: So, you know what the Havoc Mode looks like, and their helmets are the Mega Mode helmets, just to be clear. I also had some inspiration from Ninninger (AKA: Power Rangers Ninja Steel), but I still made it so it was Samurai-based. And Emily's Havoc Mode rollcall, I'm imagining, is similar to Kyoryu/Dino Charge Pink's.
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 7: "Fish Out of Water"
"One of the missing Zords has returned, and it's up to Kevin to retrieve it. But Kevin will need a lot more than Symbol Power to complete his mission."