A/N: Sorry about the tardiness. Enjoy the chapter.
Disclaimer: I do not own Power Rangers Samurai or Samurai Sentai Shinkenger. I just own most of the plot and the characters and things you don't recognize from the original versions.
~PRS~REDO~PRS~REDO~PRS~REDO~PRS~REDO~PRS~
"The others were being targeted, and Antonio wanted to help them, but he didn't know how. Perhaps a certain golden-colored Zord will know."
Better Together
Power Rangers: Samurai REDO
Season 1, Episode 14: Golden Lining
Main Docks, Waterfront, Panorama City, California
June 19, 2014
They were here, ready to fight off whatever Nighlock had tripped the Gap Sesnor.
But there was nothing. The people in the area weren't running for their lives. They were all just walking, as if nothing was wrong, as if today was a normal, partly cloudy day.
"Where's the Nighlock?" Mike asked his team. "Emily?"
Thanks to her claivoyant abilities, Emily was able to give a solid answer, "There was a Nighlock here, but it was gone as soon as it arrived." The Nighlock presence she was currently feeling was very small, as if its stay here was very short.
Soon after she said this, Jayden turned around, as if he had caught something out of the corner of his eye.
"Jayden, you okay?" Mia asked, the other four becoming slightly concerned about him.
"What's wrong?" Emily asked him.
"Thought I felt something, like someone watching me," Jayden solemnly replied as he turned back to face his team, "but it's gone now."
At least both feelings were consistent, Emily thought.
Kevin leaned down and picked up the Gap Sensor (which was apparently stuck in a sewer drain). It was flashing red until Kevin had picked it up and held it up. "Something definitely triggered this Gap Sensor."
"Yeah, but what?" Mia asked.
"And where is it now?" Mike added.
~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
Ji and Antonio both glanced up at the door when they heard it open.
"That was fast," Antonio commented as the five Rangers walked back into the house.
"Doesn't take long to deal with nothing," Mike replied.
Ji raised an eyebrow, obviously confused at this, so Kevin elaborated, "The Gap Sensor was working fine, but no Nighlock showed up. Aside from Jayden and Emily sensing things, there was nothing out of the ordinary."
Antonio had gone to his tablet (the one hooked up to the Gap Sensor), wondering if there was anything he could've missed. After pressing a few buttons, he said, "There's nothing wrong with the Sensor. So whoever is behind this–"
Jayden felt a familiar gust of wind run over the back of his neck, and finished, "–is doing this on purpose."
"You think it could be a Nighlock attack?" Mia asked Ji.
"No," he replied. "Not here, at least. This house is protected by defensive symbols."
"And they're doing a good job," Mike added. "I mean, someone set off the Gap Sensor."
"I hate to disappoint you, Ji," Antonio spoke up, "but only Nighlock can set off the Gap Sensor."
'Did it follow us?' Jayden asked himself. He could feel someone watching them, but there was no one else here but them.
Meanwhile, Antonio couldn't help but worry. If this truly was a Nighlock attack, then would the Rangers even be able to defeat it? They were so unsure if a Nighlock was even behind this, so there was no guarantee that the Rangers' victory was assured.
Antonio wasn't sure of the Nighlock's plan, but if it was to drive the Rangers crazy, then the enemy was succeeding.
He needed to help, but he wasn't sure how.
Maybe he could create a device that would help them see this Nighlock, but he needed to know which Nighlock it was, or if it was even a Nighlock at all, or just their imagination. He needed specific details, and he currently had nothing.
He couldn't do anything, and this frustrated Antonio Garcia to no end.
~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~
Later that night, Jayden retired to his room after dinner, hoping to rid his frustrations by writing in his journal, or meditating (or preferably both).
As he sat down at his desk, he picked up a pen and was about to right when he felt that presence again.
Right behind him.
Immediately, he whirled around, his Samuraizer in hand, ready to write a symbol at a moment's notice.
"Where are you?!"
Currently training, Emily's concentration was ruined by a yelled-out question. Mike (who was training with her) and Antonio ran to Jayden's room (the source of the shout), followed by Kevin and Mia (who were in the kitchen).
But Emily herself stayed behind. She could sense something watching her. She traded her practice sword for her Spin Sword, because that stench...it only came from Nighlock who had just left the Sanzu River...
Mike was the first one in Jayden's room. Antonio was right behind him, both of them worried about him.
"Jayden, what's up?" Mike asked, his Samuraizer in hand.
"Something's here!" Jayden replied. Kevin and Mia entered the room soon after, just as Jayden felt a familiar gust of wind run across his head. His head immediately snapped in the direction it was going in "There, did you feel that?"
"No, what did you feel?" Kevin calmly asked, a book in his hand, as Ji quietly entered the room.
"Shhh!" Jayden swiftly silenced them, then pointing at a nearby closet. His Samuraizer was on, ready to write a symbol at the blink of an eye.
He slowly walked over to the closet, glancing back at his teammates. They were ready. Kevin and Mia glanced at each other, worried and confused.
Jayden turned back to the closet, slowly reached out for the handle. He quickly opened the closet door.
A dummy fell to the ground in front of them, and they all screamed, each in their own unique way.
Mia tried to laugh it off. "Don't scare us like that."
Antonio only glanced at Jayden worriedly.
"I could have sworn there was something," Jayden muttered. Though unspoken, Antonio knew that his best friend had just apologized (for scaring them, most likely).
"Relax, dude, there's nothing here," Mike tried to reassure him.
"No, there was definitely something other-worldly here," Jayden replied, beginning to pace. "I sensed it."
"Sorry, Jayden. We didn't sense anything. Could it have been your imagination?" Mia asked.
Jii had entered the room when no one was looking. "Jayden, it's your important to trust your instincts, but I don't feel another presence."
Jayden didn't reply. He didn't get a chance, because something crashed in another room. They all piled out of Jayden's room and into the meeting room, where Emily was standing, her Spin sword stuck in the wall, having hit a priceless vase (which had caused the crash).
"Sorry about the vase," she muttered, breathlessly. "Something had moved it."
"Like the wind?" Mike asked, obviously trying to prod her for answers (and no one objected).
"No," Emily replied, as she pulled her sword from out of the wall. "There are no drafts in here, remember? There was something in this room, something other-worldly that was messing with me. I could sense it."
"You too?" Jayden asked her.
The two locked eyes and Emily didn't have to ask what he meant. Her mind went to earlier at the docks, how both of them had sensed something wrong, and she nodded.
"Once again, you guys know something we don't," Kevin muttered. "Why am I not surprised?"
"Because Emily is a clairvoyant, and Jayden can naturally sense the supernatural," Antonio explained. "Of course, you shouldn't be surprised."
Mia didn't comment of Kevin's saltiness or Antonio's sarcastic reply. She only turned to Jayden and Emily, and asked, "Can you still sense it now?"
Before Emily could reply, Jayden had written a symbol, and there appeared his Spin Sword, right in front of her face.
Jayden turned to see where his Sword wound up, and he softened up considerably, as her frightened hazel eyes connected with his guilt-ridden blue ones. "Sorry, Em..." he muttered.
He did not just almost kill Emily. He did not. He was not going crazy.
And the other residents watched as Jayden stalked out of the room, his Spin Sword in hand.
The others watched Jayden as he walked to the restroom.
"He's really got that flipping out thing down pat, huh?" Mike asked the others.
"Seriously, does anybody else feel anything?" Kevin asked.
Mia, Ji, Antonio, and Mike shook their heads.
But Emily replied, "He's not crazy." She was surprisingly calm, especially after what just went down between her and Jayden. The others looked at her. "I can sense it too. There is something out to get us."
"And it's most likely a Nighlock," Antonio added. "Remember, only a Nighlock can trip the Gap Sensor. It most likely followed you home, using some power over invisibility so we wouldn't be able to detect it."
"Sound theory there, Antonio," Kevin replied, "but how do you know for sure. Again, it could just be the wind that they're feeling."
"Did you not hear Emily?" Antonio gently shot back. "There are no drafts in this house. All of the windows are closed, and the air conditioning has been turned off. Whatever wind they're feeling has to be from something else."
"Like a Nighlock," Mike muttered. "He's right, Kevin. It's the only thing that makes sense."
"Alright, fine..." Kevin conceded (he was still in doubt, though, as he never really believed in the supernatural).
"Good," Emily stepped up. "We'll go back to the docks tomorrow, and see if we can find more clues."
"Right," and the others had no trouble following her orders.
~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~
Jayden was still in the bathroom five minutes later. He was leaning against the sink, facing the mirror, his head down and filled with confusion and frustration.
He wasn't crazy, even if everyone else thought so. Emily could vouch for him. She could sense that presence too, and could verify that it was messing with them – all five of them.
But Kevin, Mia, and Mike were none the wiser, because they couldn't sense the supernatural like he and Emily could.
Sighing, Jayden turned on the water, and splashed his face with it, twice, to clear his head, and he quickly took note of what it had done.
The presence...
"It's gone..." he muttered.
That familiar protective instinct rushed over him as a rather genius idea came to mind.
This team was his family, and this Nighlock would pay for trying to drive them apart via paranoia, or whatever their plan was.
~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~
Antonio had gone to his room, hoping to get some sleep. He was about to turn on his shower head, when he heard his laptop beep, repeatedly.
A sign that it was something serious.
Forced to fore-go his shower, Antonio instead went over to his laptop so see what was up.
Opening it, two windows immediately popped up. They were from the same program (a very familiar program, as Antonio had been running it a lot recently).
Same program, two alerts...
The same Zord-locating program, two alerts for two different Zords...
Two Zords...
The shower could wait. Sleep could wait. Antonio had to get out there right now and find those Zords before the Nighlock did...
~B~E~T~T~E~R~~T~O~G~E~T~H~E~R~~~P~O~W~E~R~~R~A~N~G~E~R~S~~S~A~M~U~R~A~I~~R~E~D~O~
Main Docks, Waterfront, Panorama City, California
June 20, 2014
The next morning, the other four Rangers had left Jayden to try and relax.
Kevin picked up the Gap sensor again. "There really isn't anything wrong with the Gap Sensor."
"There must be something we missed the last time," Mia said.
"Something triggered this," Mike motioned to the Gap Sensor in Kevin's hand. "And according to Antonio, only a Nighlock could've done it."
"Are you sure about this, Em?" Kevin asked.
Emily lightly sighed, as this was the eighteenth time they had asked her for confirmation. "Yes, I'm positive. I can sense the Nighlock right now. It's very faint, which means he's not here. Not anymore, at least. But he was here."
"Do you have any idea what he's after?" Mike asked.
"Something that has to do with all five of us," Emily replied. "I can sense him around you three too. Not just me or Jayden. He's after all five of us..."
"Okay then," Kevin said. "Let's go investigate."
"Right," Emily agreed. "Keep your eyes peeled for anything suspicious."
She paused, however, when her Samuraizer went off, and the other three gathered around her as she picked up, putting it on speaker so they could all hear. "Hello?"
"Emily, who's with you?" Ji was on the other end, and he sounded worried, if not a bit frantic.
"Mia, Kevin, and Mike," Emily replied. "Why?"
"Jayden and Antonio are both gone," Ji replied.
"Gone?" Mike asked to see if he heard right. "What do you mean 'gone'?"
"'Gone' as in I can't reach either of them," Ji answered. "Antonio apparently left sometime during the night, since he wasn't here for breakfast, but Jayden left a note saying he was headed for Spring Valley to fight the Nighlock alone."
"Alone?" Kevin asked, before sighing in frustration.
"Don't worry, Ji," Emily said, before anyone else could. "We'll find them."
"Thank you, Emily," Ji replied before hanging up, letting Emily do the same once the call was disconnected.
And once again, Emily took charge, "Alright. Kevin, Mia, you two go to Spring Valley and help Jayden. In the meantime, Mike, you and I will try to find Antonio."
Mike nodded, and the four went their separate, designated ways after wishing each other "good luck".
~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
Through his magic mirror, Vulpes watched as Jayden walked up to a lake, connected to a river that led to the ocean.
"So, Vulpes," Octoroo called out as he opened the curtain to the room Vulpes was in, "you have any luck spying on the Rangers?"
"Luck?" Vulpes asked. "Try 'skill'. It's gotten a bit tricky since the Red and Yellow Rangers can both sense me, but my Enchanted Eye can see it all. Ooh, it gives me evil fuzzies all over!"
"Fuzzy-schmuzzies!" Octoroo cried. "All I care about is seeing any of the five Rangers practice their part of the Seal. If they can master it before we figure out what it is, then we're all doomed."
"Don't get your tentacles in a twist," Vulpes sasse back. "Oh, would you look at that? It looks like he's starting to practice it right now."
"Really?!" Octoroo immediately snapped back at Vulpes' side as the two watched Jayden right a red-colored kanji with his Samuraizer.
Jayden activated the kanji, and immediately fog was produced.
"Whoops, it looks like smoke's gotten in your all-seeing eye," Octoroo commented.
"That's strange..." Vulpes replied, as the fog cleared up on his mirror.
But Jayden was nowhere to be seen.
"He's not there anymore!" Vulpes said, before picking up his mirror and running toward the exit of the Junk Ship.
"I want results this time!" Octoroo called after 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~
Spring Valley, Panorama City, California
Vulpes emerged from a gap, to the last place he saw the Red Ranger.
"I can't believe he forced me to come out of hiding," Vulpes muttered. "Red Ranger! Come out and fight me!"
He was caught off-guard was a small mechanical lion flew past him, grabbing his mirror on the way.
"Hey! Get back here! That's my mirror!"
Behind him, Jayden (entirely morphed) jumped out of the water and sliced the Nighlock's back with his Sword and immediately parried the Nighlock's incoming strike, forcing Vulpes back and on his knees.
"Give me back my mirror!" Vulpes demanded.
The Lion Zord, however, threw the mirror at Jayden, who easily caught it.
"It's not nice to spy on people, you know," Jayden calmly shot back, as he slung his Sword over his shoulder.
"I said, give it back!"
"Jayden!" Vulpes and Jayden both looked over where Kevin's voice came from, and saw the Blue and Pink Rangers (fully morphed) run towards them, unsheathing their Swords on the way.
"Thank goodness we found you!" Mia said, as the two came to a stop on Vulpes' other side.
"Who are you?" Kevin asked Vulpes.
"Must be the Nighlock that Jayden and Emily have been sensing," Mia replied. "The one after us."
"Three on one is hardly fair," Vulpes faux-whined.
"Neither is secretly watching us," Jayden shot back. "But fortunately, Emily and I both saw right through you. Last night, when I splashed water on my face, I felt your presence disappear, as if it had been washed away. That's when I realized that water could help block your spell. So I lured you here to Spring Valley, the one place I could truly hide from you."
"Of course," it all clicked into place for Mia, "Ji once told us that the water in our world is purer that the water of the evil Sanzu River."
"And the water of the sacred spring," Kevin continued, "cut off your spy spell for good, Nighlock."
"That's right," Jayden replied. "You may have fooled our Gap Sensor, but not us." With that said, Jayden threw the mirror up in the air and, with one swing of his Sword, cut it in half, rendering it completely useless and harmless.
"My mirror!" Vulpes cried out. "Curses! And I never got to see any of you practice that Seal."
"So that's what you were after," Mia said.
"Who cares if you know now?" Vulpes asked. "You're still going down! Fox Cyclone!" He spun around, creating a tornado with his body that lifted all three Rangers off their feet.
When it stopped, Jayden was immediately back on his knees, his Sword raised to attack Vulpes.
"Where are Mike and Emily?!" Jayden asked Mia and Kevin. "We could really use their help right now!"
"They're trying to find Antonio!" Kevin told him. "Not even Ji knows where he is!"
"Call them," Jayden ordered.
"What if Antonio's in real danger?" Mia asked.
"The Nighlock comes first," Jayden reluctantly replied. "Antonio knows that. Besides, he can take care of himself."
"Okay..." Mia softly replied.
"No one can help you now!" Vulpes growled at them before rushing forward to attack them.
The trio went separate ways, with Mia's Samuraizer in her hand. She spoke as she dodged Vulpes' attacks, "Mike, Emily, we found the Nighlock and we need your help!"
"But what about Antonio?" Emily asked.
"Jayden's orders!" was all Mia was able to say before Vulpes forced her to hang up and help Jayden and Kevin.
~B~E~T~T~E~R~~T~O~G~E~T~H~E~R~~~P~O~W~E~R~~R~A~N~G~E~R~S~~S~A~M~U~R~A~I~~R~E~D~O~
Waterfront Warehouses, Panorama City
Emily hung up as she turned to a worried Mike. "We need to go to Spring Valley," she told him. "The others won't last long without us."
"What about Antonio?" Mike asked her.
"Jayden's orders, apparently," Emily replied with a shrug. "Besides, Antonio can take care of himself."
"True," Mike said, before calling out to the surrounding area, "Antonio, buddy, if you can hear us, we have to go, but we'll be back for you! We promise!"
Antonio chose not to say anything as Mike and Emily ran past the warehouse he was in, off to Spring Valley to fight off the Nighlock.
He had found that the two signals he detected had originated in this area. He hadn't found any Zord yet, but he was sure he was close.
"Are they gone?" came a voice that Antonio wasn't expecting. Antonio turned and found a purple colored mechanical squid had spoken to him.
The Octo Zord, and beside him was a golden-colored mechancal lobster, the Clawzord.
"Yeah, they're gone," Antonio replied after getting over his mini-panic attack. "But why would you want to hide from them? They're Rangers."
"We wanted you," the Octo Zord replied, "because you're the only one who can help."
"'Help' how?" Antonio asked, as he knelt before the wooden pallet Octo and Claw were resting on.
"I am what the Rangers would call a Supplement Zord, which means I speak for Claw here until he is fixed," Octo replied. "Twenty-five years ago, Claw here was attacked and he has been damaged to the point where he cannot work properly or even speak or move. His only choice is to choose a Ranger than has the ability to fix him."
"Someone who's familiar with and can fix technology," Antonio muttered, putting the pieces together. "Someone like me."
"Exactly," Octo said. "However, you are no ordinary techie. You also have a good heart and are willing to help anyone in danger. We both know because we have been watching you for quite a while now, and Claw has taken a liking to you. So he has chosen you to be the new Gold Samurai."
Antonio was speechless. To actually hear those words, to be chosen as a Power Ranger...it was a great honor, one he never thought he would have.
"Wow...O-Okay..." Antonio mumbled, as he tried to find coherent words to speak with.
Octo spoke up, "However, Claw would like to warn you now that being the Ranger of a damaged Zord is very risky, and you can only use electronic symbols until Claw here is fixed. Knowing these risks, do you still accept?"
Antonio thought about Jayden, Kevin, Mia, Mike, and Emily, about how this Nighlock was willing to stalk them just to destroy them, about how they probably needed his help right now, about how long Claw waited to find Antonio himself.
"Yes, I accept," he replied. "Anything to help my friends."
Claw squeaked, motioning that he wanted Antonio to pick him up. Antonio complied, and as soon as he did, he was engulfed in a bright gold light.
~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~
Spring Valley, Panorama City, California
"Try this, Rangers!" Vulpes said, the four of them having taken the fight farther down the river. "Fox Fire!"
Jayden, Kevin, and Mia tried to dodge and fight off the blue flames that had appeared.
Kevin went down first, then Mia, but Jayden managed to strike down the flames surrounding him. He ran forward.
"Fox Flare!"
Jayden ran through the resulting explosions, but his vision was getting blurry. He raised his Sword to strike, but the strike missed and Jayden immediately found himself on his knees.
"You may have seen through my plans, Red Ranger," Vulpes said, raising his sword to Jayden's neck, "but all my spells are finally taking their toll on you."
He raised his sword, but Mike and Emily (both fully morphed) blocked the attack for Jayden and sent Vulpes flying back.
Jayden saw green and yellow boots land in front of him. Emily knelt next to Jayden and grabbed his arm, to help him up.
"You okay?" She asked him.
Now back on his feet, and Mia and Kevin now with them again, all five of them were here. "Fine. Let's finish this quickly," Jayden replied, taking out his Lion Disk.
"Spin Swords: Quintuple Slash!"
Seeing five multicolored slashes coming at him, Vulpes had to think fast. "Fox Reflection Steal!"
The said spell created a portal swallowed up the five slashes before closing. From behind them, the same portal opened back up and sent their own attack right back at them.
Engulfed in an explosion, the five Rangers fell to the ground.
"Right back at you, Rangers!" Vulpes said as the Rangers were standing up, before swiping his sword and letting their own attack come back at them again.
The Rangers had no choice but to release their morphs as they fell back down to the ground.
"I have thousands of mirror spells, Rangers!" Vulpes told them. "I can handle whatever you throw my way! But I know you can't handle what I throw at you!"
"Catch of the day!"
Vulpes stumbled backwards as miniature fish were thrown at him.
The five Rangers glanced over at the source of the fish.
"What about what I throw at you?!" It was Antonio who was standing there, an angry look on his face (the likes of which Jayden fortunately only saw once).
Jayden knew that look. He and Antonio were in fifth grade, and some eight graders were beating up Jayden just because they knew they could. But when Jayden cowered, the punch he was defending himself from never came and the guy who was over him had been given the punch instead.
Jayden had glanced up to see Antonio with an utterly pissed off look on his face - the same one he was wearing now.
Antonio was about to go ham on this Nighlock.
"Antonio, buddy, what're you doing here?" Mike asked him.
"Stay back, guys," Antonio told them, not taking his eyes off the Nighlock. "This one is mine."
"Wha...?" Vulpes was confused, as were the Rangers.
"Antonio, don't," Mia tried to warn him.
"You're gonna get taken apart if you go up against that Nighlock!" Jayden told his friend as he sent a glare at Vulpes, as if daring him to hurt Antonio.
"He's right, Antonio!" Kevin added. "Get somewhere safe!"
But Emily's response to this scene surprised them all.
"You have a trick up your sleeve, don't you, Antonio?" Emily gently asked him, a soft smile on her face.
"Actually, I do," Antonio confirmed her suspicions.
Emily's smile got wider. "Then, go for it. If you need help, just ask."
"Thanks, Em," Antonio replied before turning back to Vulpes. "I'm your opponent, Nighlock, whether you like it or not."
"Listen to your friends, you fool," Vules shot back. "If they're no match for me, an ordinary human definitely isn't."
"We'll see about that," Antonio replied, before pulling out a star-shaped object with the Light Kanji printed on it.
The Clawzord...
"Go, Gold Samurai!" He called, and he was immediately enveloped in a flash of gold light.
When it faded, there stood a Samurai Ranger decked in gold with navy blue accents with a fish-shaped sword strapped to the back of his belt.
The others blinked.
"Samurai Light, Power Ranger Gold!" Antonio called out his rollcall.
"Oh, come on, now there's six of you?!" Vulpes cried. This was the Nighlocks' worst nightmare. The main six Samurai Rangers were now back, and that meant they were done for!
"Don't worry," Gold told the other Rangers. "You guys just sit tight. I'll handle this." He jumped up and landed right in front of the other Rangers.
"So, Antonio's our Gold Ranger?" Kevin asked Jayden.
"Apparently..." Jayden muttered, sounding like he was still in shock from this revelation.
"Should we help him?" Mia asked.
"No," Emily was the one who answered this question. "He's been waiting for this moment for a long time now. Let him have it."
"Jayden?" Kevin asked.
"What Emily said," Jayden replied. "If he needs help, he'll ask us."
"I'd say we've probably done enough talking," Antonio said. "Now, it's time for action." He lowered into a stance as he reached for his fish sword, a stance not usually used by Samurai.
"What kind of stance is that?" Vulpes laughed. "You're not worth my time, Twinkle Toes. I'll let these guys take care of you." From behind him came Marauders.
"Yeah, my style's different, but it's all mine, Nighlock," Gold retorted. "And as you'll all see, there's plenty of strength behind it. Now, if we're done talking, Barracuda Blade!"
Antonio grabbed his fish sword (apparently called the Barracuda Blade), and only a mere three seconds later, all the Marauders that had charged at him exploded in a giant fireball as Antonio sheathed his sword.
"How'd he do that?" Mia asked. "He didn't even move!"
"Yes, he did," Jayden replied. "Just faster than the eye can see. That was the legendary sheath-slash maneuver."
"I've never seen anything like it," Kevin commented.
"It's an impossible move to master," Jayden explained. "At least, it used to be."
"He's pretty fast, yo," Mike said.
"The Gold Samurai often is the fastest," Jayden told him. "The Clawzord gives his masters extra speed when bonding with them. It's similar to how bonding to the Lion Zord gives you heat resistance, or bonding to the Ape Zord gives you super strength, or bonding to the Dragon Zord gives you the ability to breathe underwater."
The five continued to watch as Antonio (the Gold Samurai) fought the Marauders.
Some Marauders shot arrows at him, but he cut them all in half like they were nothing before going after that group. "So, you guys want some too, huh?"
As the other five got up to keep watching him, Kevin commented, "The straight slash, the back-handed grip...such a strange technique..."
"Who cares how he fights?" Emily asked them, unable to take her eyes off of Antonio. "He's good." She couldn't. So far, he was doing very well, but she felt like if she watched something other than Antonio, then something bad would happen to him.
"Yeah, guess all that training with you paid off, huh, Em?" Mike asked.
Antonio's fight caused him to land in a tree. He couldn't help but glance down at the Marauders on the ground below.
"What's the problem, mi amigos?" He asked them. "I'm right here!"
But then, he unexpectedly slipped and fell out of the three. The other five immediately got worried and raced over to help him.
"Okay, that part wasn't so fantastico..." he muttered as he got up into a sitting position.
"You okay?" Mia asked him, as they ran over.
Antonio immediately held out his hand, telling them to stop. "Stay back! I told you, I got this. Just watch!"
And he was back on his feet and had charged at the Marauders once again.
Jayden and Emily both stepped forward as the group Antonio left behind continued to watch him fight for them.
After destroyed the rest of the Marauders, Antonio sighed in releif, before the trees surrounding him began to creak and fall on top of him.
Antonio, fortunately, climbed out of the tree trunk pile unscathed. "Man, this thing's sharper than I thought," he muttered, looking at his Barracuda Blade in his hand, before seeing Vulpes come at him. In response, Antonio climbed out of the tree pile, ready to fight Vulpes one on one.
Antonio got in the first strike, while Vulpes missed his first. Antonio spun around and struck at him again, but this time, Vulpes knew that attack was coming and forced Antonio back.
"That was just a lucky shot," Antonio mumbled, knowing that wasn't the case.
"Not quite," and Vulpes saw right through his lie. "Fierce Fox Flock!" Bats came out of Vulpes' shoulders and immediately surrounded Antonio.
"Uh-oh," Mike said. "He's in a jam."
In response to this, Jayden had stepped forward, morphing on the way. "Spin Sword: Blazing Fury!"
His fire attack immediately got rid of all the magic bats surrounding Antonio.
Jayden landed beside Antonio. "Thanks, amigo!" Antonio called out to him, before rushing forwards Vulpes, placing the Claw Disk over his Blade.
"Barracuda Blade: Light's Barrage!"
With multiple gold-colored slashes (and Antonio surrounded by a gold aura), Vulpes's first life was destroyed.
"Yes!" Antonio cheered.
Now, he could rest easy, knowing that this Nighlock would not be able to cause anymore trouble to his friends.
"Antonio!" Speaking of his friends, they were running at him, all with smiles on their faced.
"You did great, Antonio," Jayden (still morphed) told him.
"Thank you," Antonio replied, unsheathing his Blade before sheathing it again. "Although I did have some rough moments."
"That's okay," Mia told him. "That's why we practice."
"And also why we're a team," Mike added.
"You Rangers are going to pay for this!" came Vulpes' now giant, booming voice. "You haven't seen anything yet!"
Antonio fell backward on his behind. "Woah!" He had forgotten about the second life, as well as the fact that this was the first time he had seen it happen this close.
"We'll take care of him this time, Antonio," Jayden said, holding up the Lion Zord. "Ready?"
"Ready!" The other four called. "Go, Go, Samurai!" Once morphed, the other four brought out their Zords. "Samuraizers!" After enlarging their Zords, they formed the Megazord, "Ready! Zords Combine! Air Strike Combination! Battlewing Megazord! We Are United!"
Antonio, still morphed, watched the others fight Vulpes with the Megazord, wondering what he could do to help them this time.
"Time for my ace in the fox hole! Vulpes Veil!" And in a beat of silence, the Nighlock had completely disappeared.
Emily tried to concentrate to see where he was. Thanks to her clairvoyancy, she'd still be able to sense his presence.
"Where'd he go?!" Kevin asked.
"He's still there!" Emily exclaimed. "He's just invisible!" That's when she found him. "He's on our right!"
There came a strike from that direction, then behind, and then from the left.
"How can we beat an enemy we can't even see?" Mia asked, as the Megazord took another hit from the left.
"We need to figure out a way to uncloak him!" Mike said.
"Better think of something quick!" Jayden exclaimed. "We don't have much time left! Ugh!" The Megazord had taken another hit from the right.
Then, a giant squid zord came out of nowhere and landed in front of them.
"Now, there's something you don't see every day," Mike said.
"It can't be," Jayden muttered. "The Octozord?"
"So that's where Antonio was," Mia connected the dots. "He was out finding the Octo and Claw Zords."
"Hold on," Kevin, however, found something fishy, and brought up a good point. "If the Clawzord is the Gold Samurai's Zord, then why is he using the Octo Zord?"
"Later," Jayden told them.
"Alright, Nighlock! Come out, come out, wherever you are!" Antonio said, standing in the Octozord's cockpit. "Octo Ink Cloud!"
And the blank cloud had revealed the Nighlock and had de-cloaked him.
"Ah, nuts!"
"Gotcha!" Antonio exclaimed as the Octozord began to beat Vulpes's head with its tentacles.
"Now's our chance to get him!" Emily said. "Jayden?"
"Huh?" He seemed to have snapped out of whatever reverie he appeared to be in.
"You okay?" She asked him.
"Yeah, fine. Let's go."
"Katana Power: Super Aerial Strike!"
And the second life was finally ended as well.
"Samurai Rangers, Victory is Ours," Emily said, after noting that Jayden wouldn't. She didn't blame him.
After all, she too was still in shock that Antonio was their Gold 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~
Main Docks, Waterfront, Panorama City, California
They were walking home now, all six of them de-morphed and rather hungry (they had, after all, skipped breakfast, and it was lunchtime now).
"So, you were out finding the Claw and Octo Zords?" Mia asked Antonio for confirmation on what he just told them.
"Yeah," Antonio confirmed. "I got an alert late last night and set out to find them before the Nighlock could."
"So, you found them, together." Kevin added. "Now, you have bonded with the Clawzord, who is, unfortunately, damaged so badly, he needs a Supplement, which is the Octozord, and that's why you used him in battle today instead of the Clawzord."
"That is correct," Antonio replied. "But I still haven't found out a way to fix the Clawzord yet."
"You will," Emily gently told him. "You always find a way. And thank you for saving us, Antonio. We couldn't have won without you."
"You're welcome," Antonio said. "But I think I just won through sheer luck."
"Don't worry about that," Jayden advised. "That's why we train together. Next time, you will be ready."
Doubt still began to fill Antonio's mind. He was the Gold Ranger now, like he always wanted to be.
So why was he regretting that choice?
TO BE CONTINUED…
~PRS~REDO~PRS~REDO~PRS~REDO~PRS~REDO~PRS~
Original Shinkenger Episode: Act 17
Original PRS Episode: Unexpected Arrival
Note: Next chapter should be out very shortly. Also, the Claw Zord being able to fold like the main five Zords is an idea that came from that one profile image, and it showed a star shape as Antonio's Folding Zord. Besides, it made it easier for him to morph.
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 15: "To the Sixth Power"
"He did it. He's a Ranger now. He should be happy. So why isn't he?"