A/N: Enjoy the chapter! Sorry you guys had to wait so long.
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~REDO~
"It was a letter, written to his deceased mom. Antonio owed it to her to read it for her, but he shouldn't have. Because what he finds is something he regrets discovering."
Better Together
Power Rangers: Samurai REDO
Season 2, Episode 6: The Doppleganger Effect
Luxford Bay, Outskirts, Panorama City, California
February 21, 2015
Jayden led Kevin, Mia, Mike, and Emily to the spot the Gap Sensor had alerted them to. The Sensor did not mislead them, as there were two normal-sized Spitfangs spitting fireballs at the nearby village.
All five were morphed, and Antonio said he'd join them as soon as he finished his current project (though he wouldn't tell what it was).
But Jayden felt uneasy. Normally, there was a Nighlock Action Commander that accompanied foot soldiers.
But Power Rangers couldn't be picky. A Nighlock was a Nighlock.
"That's far enough, Nighlock!" Jayden said, making the two Spitfangs turn to face them. He unsheathed his Sword, "Rangers Together–!"
"Samurai Forever!" All five finished.
The two Spitfangs charged at the five Rangers, who followed suit.
Just then a blue lightning bolt rained down from above, destroying the two Spitfangs and knocking back the Rangers in the process.
As the five got back to their knees, Mike asked, "What was that?"
"Do the Nighlock no longer recognize friend from foe?" Mia wondered.
A maniacal laugh came from above, and the Rangers watched as a new Nighlock (more humanoid than the Spitfangs, at least) floated down from the sky, gracefully landing on the ground in front of them.
"So you guys are the current Samurai Rangers?" the Nighlock asked, the five not answering him. "My apologizes for my bad manners. I am Serrator, Master Xandred's new General."
Did Xandred replace Dayu? Sure seemed like it.
"It's been a while since I've been allowed to go to the human world," Serrator said. "But before I go cause misery, allow me to test out my foes."
He meant them, the Rangers.
"Be careful, guys," Jayden muttered to his team as Kevin stood up. "I can sense his power level. He's no ordinary Nighlock."
Serrator threw Scissor Hands at them, but they all dodged, Jayden by leaping into the air, and the other four by rolling off to the side.
Jayden had leapt up, hoping to get in a strike from above, but one of Serrator's Scissor Hands blocked his Sword, before the Nighlock retaliated and hit Jayden multiple times in the chest.
The other four charged in the moment Jayden landed on the ground. Serrator laughed with glee. "It's been a while since I've gotten this excited fighting an enemy!"
None of their attacks would land, but every one of his attacks would connect.
Serrator stopped Mia by grabbing her helmet, giving it a short squeeze before throwing her backwards onto the ground.
"Mia!" Kevin called. "Why you!" He leapt up to get a strike from behind, but Serrator's rapid jab of his Scissor Hands put a stop to that.
Emily charged in next, but her swing failed to hit her opponent, causing her to trip and fall. Serrator took this opportunity to stomp on her chest repeatedly.
Serrator only stopped this when Mike stepped in, allowing Emily to roll away to safety.
After making Mike drop his Sword, Serrator quickly teleported to avoid Jayden's next attack.
"Looking for someone?" Serrator taunted, causing Jayden to look behind him, only to get a chestful of Serrator's sword.
Jayden's team gathered around him, Emily checking to see if he was okay.
"That's it?" Serrator asked. "I expected more from you guys."
"Attack together!" Kevin said.
"Spin Sword: Quadruple Slash!"
But Serrator easily deflected it, before sending blue lightning at them. Through the explosion this caused, Jayden burst forth.
"Fire Smasher!" Serrator dodged each and every attack with the Fire Smasher. Frustrated, Jayden morphed his Fire Smasher into the Tiger Cannon. "Fire Strike!"
But, although it forced him back, Serrator had caught it. Jayden watched as Serrator used his power to make the fireball grow and turn it blue. "Return to sender!"
Jayden hit the ground once more as his Fire Smasher reverted back to his Spin Sword.
"It's strange," Serrator spoke up, as the other four Rangers limped back to their leader. "The previous Samurai teams were more powerful and more resistant. Ah!" He snapped his fingers. "Perhaps I need to get serious."
The five Rangers watched as Serrator summoned a piece of white paper and used his Scissor Hand to cut it. After placing it in a folder (black background, but transparent cover), Serrator threw it up in the air.
"Behold, Samurai Rangers," Serrator said. "Meet the Papyrox, a vassal of mine that will cut up whatever I tell it to. Defeat it and I will concede today's victory to you."
The five Rangers were launched into the air again as the Papyrox shot blue beams from its eyes at them.
"Super Samurai Mode!" Jayden called, gaining the signature white jacket on top of his red spandex. "You guys deal with Serrator. I'll handle the Papyrox."
"Right!"
Jayden placed the Combination Disk into the Black Box. "Air Strike Combination! Battlewing Megazord! We Are United!"
Jayden and the Papyrox charged at each other as the other four faced off against Serrator below.
"So you've chosen to stay and fight?" Serrator asked. "Alright. I'll play along." He then summoned a blue fireball, which he kicked at the four Rangers, knocking all four of them back.
Meanwhile, the Papyrox's blue eye beam forced Jayden and the Megazord back several feet, before it knocked off the Tiger, Beetle, and Swordfish Zords.
Down below, another explosion knocked the four Rangers to the ground.
Above, a strike from the Papyrox knocked the Megazord and its hat to the ground as well.
This was it, wasn't it? They were all going to die here, weren't they?
"You Rangers truly disappoint me," Serrator said. "I honestly thought you all were better than that. Oh well..." He stood over Mia, his sword drawn. "Farewell."
However, before he could land a hit, a black Power Disk was thrown at him, knocking his sword away from Mia.
They all saw the Gold Samurai (morphed in Havoc Mode) running towards them, a red lantern in his hands. "Not my friends, you don't!"
"That's far enough, Nighlock!" the lantern said.
"Antonio!" Jayden said, the Papyrox still keeping him down.
"I bet you weren't expecting me," Antonio told Serrator. "Introducing my new friend, the Light Zord!"
"Thanks for waiting!" the Light Zord, the lantern, said.
"And how exactly do you plan on stopping me with a contraption like that?" Serrator asked before kicking a blue fireball at him.
But Antonio easily cut it in two with his new weapon.
"Battle Disk: Scatter Shot!"
Serrator managed to block every black Power Disk sent his way, but the moment Antonio hit his left shoulder, the same one Xandred hit, his facade fell.
"What a hit!" Serrator complimented. "He managed to reopen the wound I received from Xandred." Antonio made to attack him again, but Serrator quickly held up a hand to stop him. "Very well! You Rangers have passed the test! I will give up the victory to you!"
The Rangers could only watch as Serrator slipped through a Gap.
The Papyrox was also watching this, and while he was distracted, Jayden moved the Megazord to hit the Papyrox from behind.
Meanwhile, Antonio turned to his recovering teammates. "You guys okay?"
"We're fine," Emily said.
"The Light Zord, huh?" Mike asked. "That's what you were working on?"
"Yeah," Antonio said.
"It's nice to meet you all," the Light Zord greeted them.
Jayden was caught off-guard by the Papyrox returning the favor (hitting his enemy's back).
"Jayden's in trouble!" Kevin said. "Let's go help!"
"Wait! Hold on!" Antonio stopped them. "Let Light Zord shine."
"Was that pun intentional?" The Light Zord asked Antonio, who chose not to answer, while the other four chose to trust Antonio.
Antonio threw the Light Zord and its baton into the air, before writing the kanji for 'big' in gold. "Light Zord: Transformation!"
The Megazord fell to the ground. The Papyrox swung its sword down, but it was caught by the Light Zord's hands, who spun around, hitting the Papyrox once, to stand in front of Jayden.
"Light Zord on the field!" The Light Zord called.
Antonio cheered down below. "Yes! It works!"
"What's going on, Antonio?" Mia asked.
"It's the Light Zord," Antonio explained. "He's meant to be my Havoc Mode weapon that can also turn into its own Megazord. It's up to you, LZ!"
"Leave it to me!"
The Papyrox charged, but LZ caught its sword before disarming him and karate chopping his opponent halfway to Sunday.
The Papyrox shot its blue beam again, and the Light Zord dodged by folding itself in half before resuming its original form. "Super Flash!"
The light blinded the Papyrox enough for LZ to completely disappear from its sight. The Papyrox looked around, not finding anything, before looking above it.
"Super Spin Attack!" The Light Zord spun down from the sky and hit the Papyrox dead on.
Jayden motioned the Megazord to stand. "Let me help you," he said.
Down below, Emily clapped, "Wow! That's amazing!"
"It is, isn't it?" Kevin asked.
"Sure is," Mia replied.
"LZ!" Antonio yelled from below. "Use the Battle Disk!"
"Right!" Light Zord made to fire the Scatter Shot, but shut down.
"The Disk must be stuck..." Antonio muttered, before remembering that there was a simple fix to that. "Jayden! Hit him in the butt!"
"The butt?" Jayden asked, confused by Antonio's choice of words, before looking and seeing that there was a button there. Once he realized this, Antonio's words made a lot of sense, and Jayden hit the button.
And the Light Zord was back in business.
"Thank you!" LZ said, before summoning a black Power Disk and throwing it at the Papyrox.
"Finish him off, LZ!" Antonio said.
"Got it! Battle Disk: Scatter Shot!"
A multitude of Power Disks sliced up the Papyrox.
Down below, Antonio and the others celebrated.
"Welcome to the team, Light 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~
Apartment 11B, Edgewater Apartment Complex, Panorama City, California
It was nighttime. The apartment was dark, and only a single lamp lit up the table Uncle Bulk was sitting at.
Spike watched as his uncle poured all his brain power to determine whether or not they had enough to rent this apartment for another month.
And he saw a frown.
They didn't have enough, after all.
In that moment, Spike knew what he had to do.
~B~E~T~T~E~R~~T~O~G~E~T~H~E~R~~P~O~W~E~R~~R~A~N~G~E~R~S~~S~A~M~U~R~A~I~~R~E~D~O~
Junk Ship, Sanzu River, Netherworld
February 22, 2015
"Dayu's not coming back," Xandred said, after yet another swig of his medicine. "More medicine!"
"Well, you did break her Harmonium," Octoroo muttered as the Marauder serving Xandred wondered by the bottle was empty.
"Shut up!" Xandred shouted, throwing his bowl at Octoroo, which flinched.
"You weren't supposed to hear that!" Octoroo said.
"Bring me more medicine!" Xandred told the Marauder.
"Take it easy, Master Xandred," Serrator spoke up. "Getting angry won't help."
"Serrator..." Xandred growled.
"Meet my newest prodigee, Duplicator," Serrator said. "He will raise the River like none other before him."
"That's what they all say," Xandred replied.
"His special ability is not one the Rangers have faced before," Serrator explained.
"Then prove it," Xandred said.
"The Rangers only wish they were as cool as me," Duplicator said.
"I don't trust him," Octoroo said, as he and Xandred watched this new Action Commander bask in his own glory.
Serrator only hid his smile behind his sword.
~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~
Apartment 11B, Edgewater Apartment Complex, Panorama City, California
Bulk woke up, his head on the kitchen table (having fallen asleep there), and the first thing he saw was his and Spike's panda bear named Sam sitting in a nearby chair.
The second thing he noticed was a letter tied to the bear. He picked it up and read it.
"'Family has each other's backs'," the note read. "'Don't worry about the rent'."
What was Spike planning on doing? Why had he run 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~
3571 Sprint Lane, Panorama City, California
Spike's job hunt led him to his first job: a gardener.
His first task was to help a lovely elderly woman with her lawn, but he had some trouble turning on the hose. He accidentally doused the lady with water before succeeding in turning it off.
"You're fired!"
Strike One.
~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~
Rigatoni's Restaurant, Panorama City, California
Spike's second job was a valet driver at an extremely expesive restaurant.
A guest arrived in a really nice car and had given the keys to Spike, entrusting it to him. However, too excited to control himself, Spike accidentally crashed the car into a nearby hot dog stand.
"You're fired!"
Strike Two.
~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~
Kagami Factory, Panorama City, California
Spike's third job led him to a factory, where he received a packaging job. However, a machine near him malfunctioned, causing an explosion.
"You're fired!"
Strike Three.
What was wrong with him? Why did he have so many problems finding a job? No, finding a job wasn't the problem. It was keeping it.
Spike sat down on a nearby box and hung his head, feeling defeated.
Meanwhile, the nearby workers ignored him and continued to work
"Jackson, grab that box, will you?"
The said worker went to grab the box in question, but he was stopped by a certain sight that caught his attention. "M-Monster!" And he ran. And when he ran, his co-workers ran as well.
As they did, away from the sight, Duplicator laughed with glee, "Scaring you humans is like child's play!"
But he stopped when the Power Rangers came onto the scene.
Mia and Emily ushered all of the workers to a safer place. Mia saw a guy, with spiky hair, who did not nudge a single inch, nor did he show any sign of hearing Mia's warning and advice to run. Mia called out to him, but there was no reply. She sighed and ran back into the battle, unsheathing her sword on the way.
Mia returned to a strange sight. The Nighlock was blowing kisses to no one in particular. Under her helmet, she raised an eyebrow.
"What's up with him?" she asked.
"Who knows?" Mike asked. "Probably basking in his own glory."
"Ah, I'm so cool!" Duplicator practically squealed like a fangirl. "Hello, Rangers, my name is Duplicator. I work for Serrator, and I'm the coolest and the best in the bizz! You'll never be as cool as me!" He blew a kiss.
"Serrator?" Kevin exclaimed. "What is he up to this time?"
"Doesn't matter, because Mr. Cool here is going down!" Mike said, before charging at the Nighlock.
Swords clashed. Duplicator over-powered Mike easily, however, and the fight hadn't even started yet. He struggled to regain control, the Nighlock's sword pressed down on top of his hard.
"Is it possible you're only attacking me because you're jealous of my coolness?" Duplicator asked him. "I mean, you're only a Ranger. Ha, ha!"
And Mike retaliated brutally. "Define cool!" Duplicator fell to the ground, on his knees, a wound in his chest from the Spin Sword he was fighting against.
Duplicator got back to his feet. "This is so much fun~!" He yelled with glee. "I might just split!"
The Blue Ranger leapt forward, "Long enough for this!" and he fired a few arrows from his Hydro Bow, as Mike stepped back.
Duplicator had faked the injury, though. "Gotcha! Too cool for school!" And he disappeared in a black mist.
All six Rangers got in a circle, covering each other's backs. "Where'd he go?" Antonio asked.
He reappeared in front of Mia. "Let me tell you something, Rangers. There's more to me than meets-the-eye. Now you see us, now you don't!" Millions of clones had appeared and then disappeared, leaving only one Duplicator left.
But Jayden trusted his instincts and focused his attention on other areas around them. Sure enough, he was right.
"He cloned himself!" He called back to the others. The others looked around and were able to confirm that Jayden was telling the truth, as multiple clones of Duplicator surrounded them. Unable to see or sense the real one, the Rangers had no other option than to fight their way to the answer.
"Which one is the real one?" Mia asked.
"Let's just say 'adios' to all of them!" Antonio yelled back.
As Emily fought the various clones, she saw in the nearby windows and mirrors this factory was making that none of the Duplicator clones showed up in any reflective surface.
But she was in the middle of a fight, so she didn't think too much of it.
"Fire Smasher!" Jayden wanted to wrap this up quickly. They were all clones, yes, but they were just as strong as a regular Nighlock. Fortunately, his attack managed to clear the area, but with no real Duplicator in sight.
"Up here, Rangers!" Duplicator called out, and the six looked up. He was in the air now, floating, and he sent orbs of dark-purple, almost black, energy at them. The orbs hit them square in their chests, knocking all six Rangers to the ground.
Duplicator landed on the ground near the Rangers. "I love fighting you Rangers so much! Beating you is just too easy!" he exclaimed before crying out in pain. A series of little cracking sounds reverberated throughout the area, and Duplicator fell back to the ground. "Ah, you got lucky this time, Rangers. I'm dried out! Good luck trying to recuperate! I'll be back before you know it!"
He disappeared in a flash of red.
The Rangers just stood there for a moment, feeling defeated. Meanwhile, Mia turned back to the guy that had told to run. He was still sitting there?
"You guys go back to the House without me," Mia said. "I want to make sure that guy over there is okay."
"Alright," Kevin softly replied. "We'll see you there."
Mia nodded before sheathing her Sword.
~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~
How long had he been sulking? It felt like all day.
"Hey, are you okay?" came a female voice he wasn't familiar with.
Spike looked up to see a beautiful girl in pink, her smile bright and her eyes gentle.
"W-What?" he snapped out of his reverie (seriously, though, this girl was gorgeous).
"I asked if you were okay," the girl merely smiled. "You've been sitting here for a while, and you didn't even move when that monster attacked."
"I'm fine," Spike said. "I'm just a loser."
"A what?"
"A loser!" Spike repeated. "There! I said it!"
The girl sat down next to him. "Why do you think you're a loser?"
Spike took a deep breath, his judgment telling him to trust her. "My uncle is having trouble paying this month's rent, so I decided to get a job to help out. The problem is...I can't keep one."
"Why not?" the girl asked.
"Because I'm clumsy," Spike replied. "I lost my first job because I wasn't able to control a stupid hose. My lost my second job because I accidentally crashed a rich dude's fancy car. I lost my third job to a machine exploding that wasn't even my fault! I just feel like the whole world's bullying me!"
The girl was quiet as she digested this. "First off, the thing about jobs is that the people hiring look for workers that are dependable. In their defense, clumsiness doesn't look good on job resumes."
Spike nodded, already knowing this, "But can they really blame me for something beyond my control?"
"That's why I'm on your side," the girl replied.
"You are?" Spike asked.
The girl nodded. "Of course. But you can't expect the world, or other people, to stop bullying you if you don't stop doing the same thing to yourself first."
Her words made him stop and think. He really wanted to help Uncle Bulk with the rent, and each time he lost a job, he thought it was because of him, because other people saw him as a loser.
But that couldn't have been too far from the truth.
This girl was right. He was not a loser. He was better than this. Besides, Uncle Bulk needed his help. The rent wasn't going to pay itself.
"You're right," Spike said.
"Of course I am. Pick yourself up and keep going," the girl replied with a smile. "I have a friend who runs the Cool Bean Cafe. If you go to her and explain your situation, she'll give you a job there, and she's also very generous with second chances, mainly because she was once in your position. Her name is Angela."
"Angela, Cool Bean Cafe...right," Spike said, and the girl turned to walk away. "Wait! What's your name?"
"Mia," she replied before leaving the scene.
Mia...she had a beautiful name...
~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
To say his team was in good shape would be incorrect. Jayden was carefully monitoring his team after their loss to Duplicator.
He and Kevin were leaning against the walls. One or both of them would've been offering words of advice, but the whole house was silent.
Mike and Antonio were both lying down on the floor, neither of them using humor to lighten the situation like they normally would.
Emily was doing some sit-ups on the floor to fully heal her chest, or she was. The group's low self-esteem, which she shared, made her eventually lose interest. It was weird to see her like this. She was the optimistic one.
But Jayden knew why. Emily was waiting for Mia, the only one with news about the guy that himself seemed so down.
"Man, we took a beating," Mike muttered.
"We did," Jayden said, "but the important thing is to get back up."
"How?" Antonio asked, as the front door opened. "We need a plan and we don't have one."
"Mia, you're back," Emily greeted the person who had just entered the House, and the four guys turned to where Emily was looking.
"Yeah, I'm back," Mia replied, a small smile on her face. "You guys okay?"
"Nope," Kevin said. "We've got nothing that resembles a plan."
Mia hung her head, but not for long, as Emily asked, "Hey, how's that guy? Is he okay?"
"He's fine now," Mia replied. "His job hunt wasn't going well, so his self-esteem was a little low. But he seemed to be in much better spirits when I got him a job at Angela's cafe. But I told him something that we all need to hear: that even though there are times where the world seems to be against, it's important that we're not against ourselves. Instead, we dust ourselves off and we keep moving forward."
Mia held her hand out to Emily, who grabbed it and allowed herself to be pulled back to her feet.
"You know," Kevin said, "after a battle like today's, that's a good thing to remember."
"It is," Antonio said, he and Mike sitting up. "Now, let's think long and hard. We need a plan."
"Yeah," Mike agreed. "There has to be something about the real one that we didn't notice."
"I think the fakes are mirror images," Emily replied, remembering what she saw during the fight earlier. "I didn't see them cast reflections in the mirrors and windows at the factory."
"Like vampires?" Jayden raised an eyebrow.
"I think that's exactly how the fakes act," Antonio explained. "In literature, not having a reflection means that character has no soul to reflect. It's a trope common among vampires."
Kevin decided to humor him, "Okay, say that they do act like vampires. We don't have garlic on hand, and constantly looking into mirrors is a hastle."
"True, both methods are impractical," Antonio said, "but don't forget that vampires also hate bright light, and we have the Light Zord now. It's currently dark outside and LZ's bright light could prove useful."
"Sounds like a plan to me," Jayden pointed out to Kevin and any other person that was still skeptical. He turned to the Light Zord. "We're counting on you."
"Leave it to me!" The Light Zord replied.
~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
Explosions sounded throughout the darkness that now covered the city.
Duplicator landed in front of the stadium as he enjoyed the sound of the screams he had caused. "This is so cool! Soon, everyone will want to bask in my coolness!"
"That's far enough, Nighlock!" came a voice he didn't recognize, but he didn't get a chance to ask who it was.
Because a bright light flashed on his left, almost blinding him, and caught his attention. "Samurai Fire, Power Ranger Red!"
Another light turned on to his right. "Samurai Water, Power Ranger Blue!"
Behind him, another light turned on. "Samurai Wind, Power Ranger Pink!"
Another light flashed on beside it. "Samurai Forest, Power Ranger Green!"
Another flash came from his right, and there stood the fifth Ranger in the roll. "Samurai Earth, Power Ranger Yellow!"
A sixth light turned on and revealed the sixth Ranger, holding the Lightzord. "Samurai Light, Power Ranger Gold!"
"Rangers Together," Jayden began, the six Rangers walking forward, all in a circle, closing in on their enemy.
"Samurai Forever!" They all finished in unison.
"Ahh," Duplicator groaned and complained. "I'm getting bored fooling you. It's just too easy!"
"You're the one being fooled, Nighlock," Mike replied, sternly.
"We never give up," Mia continued.
"Let's show him how we take care of business," Jayden nodded to his teammates. "Let's go!"
"No can do, kiddos~!" Duplicator retorted. "You're surrounded on all sides! And even if you can tell the real one from the fakes, now that I'm rehydrated, the clones will just keep coming at you! I'm unbeatable. Now, my clones, charge!"
"Go!" Jayden ordered, and his team charged at the clones.
"Spin Sword: Dragon Splash!"
"Spin Sword: Airwave Strike!"
"Spin Sword: Forest Vortex!"
"Spin Sword: Seismic Quake!"
Together with Antonio, all six Rangers managed to defeat all clones of the ground.
"Where'd he go?" Jayden asked, wondering why the real Nighlock was no longer here.
"Up here, Rangers!" Duplicator said, blowing them a kiss, before firing dark violet energy bolts at them. The six Rangers fell to the ground, having some trouble getting back to their feet.
Duplicator landed in front of them, laughing, as he summoned more clones, "I told you Rangers I couldn't be defeated! I'm too cool for you~!"
Antonio managed to sit up, "Guys, leave this guy to LZ and me." He got to his feet. "Your turn to shine, buddy. Let there be light!"
"Roger that!" And with this, the Light Zord set off a giant, bright beam of light. All the Rangers, escept for Antonio, covered their eyes, but Duplicator was the worst off. When the light disappated, there was only one Nighlock standing.
The real one. No clone in sight.
"Ha! I knew light was your weakness!" Antonio said.
As the others uncovered their eyes, they saw the scene in front of them. They really had finally gained the upper hand.
"Awesome!" Emily exclaimed.
"Nice job, Antonio," Kevin said.
Antonio gave Duplicator no time to recover. "Now that you're finally alone, let's see what you've got."
After a short struggle, the Gold Ranger broke his enemy's sword with Light Zord's baton. He trembled with anger, mentally complaining about the unfairness of it, only stopping for a short while when Antonio struck him in the shoulder.
"Flashing Strike!"
Falling to the ground, Duplicator heard him say, "You're not so tough now, are you?"
"Nice going, Antonio!" Mia called, turning when Jayden called her name.
"Mia," Jayden tossed her the Black Box. "You do the honors."
After catching it in her hands, she said, "Leave it to me. Super Samurai Mode!"
Duplicator started backing up in fear as Mia now had a white coat over her pink spandex.
"Super Samurai Pink, Ready! Turtle Disk! Super Spin Sword: Super Airwave Strike!"
Duplicator's first life ended as the others applauded Mia.
But that quickly ended when Duplicator grew into his second life. "Now, I'm way cooler than you!"
Mia placed the Super Combination Disk into the box. "Super Samurai Combination!"
"Claw Armor Megazord!"
"Shogun Mode: Power of the Ancestors!" The six Rangers all gained gold armor over their spandex.
"Light Zord: Transformation!" And LZ joined the fray.
Duplicator growled before charging in, and Light Zord chose to charge as well. He got in a hit, before letting the Rangers get the next laugh.
"Katana Power: Dual Swords Strike!"
The attack sent the Nighlock flying, and Light Zord ducked by folding, before resuming its original form and hitting the Nighlock right as he sailed over head.
Duplicator hit the ground, and Light Zord celebrated, "Nice, a double hitter!"
The Nighlock got back up, "I refuse to accept that you guys are cooler than me!" He summoned more clones.
"What?!" Light Zord exclaimed.
"Wait, we hit him, and we're seeing double?!" Mike asked.
"Don't worry," Antonio said. "Light Zord can handle this. LZ, use the Scatter Shot!"
"Roger that! Battle Disk: Scatter Shot!"
A multitude of Power Disks sliced up all the clones until there was only the real Dulicator left.
LZ stepped aside to let the Rangers have the last word.
Mia summoned their final weapon, "Super Samurai Artillery: Samurai Battle Cannon!"
Once the target was locked on, Mia gave the signal to charge up and fire.
"Katana Power: Battle Cannon Blast!"
The Cannon fired, unleashing the Zords' full power at Duplicator, destroying him.
"Nice job, Mia," Mike told her. "That was cool."
"Thank you," she smiled.
As the Rangers celebrated, Light Zord said, "Samurai Rangers, Victory is Ours!"
~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~
Apartment 11B, Edgewater Apartment Complex, Panorama City, California
February 23, 2015
Bulk hardly slept a wink last night, because Spike still hadn't come back.
A letter from the landlord was the last thing he wanted to see. He reluctantly opened it, and read, 'Mr. Bulkmeier, there's no need to worry about your rent anymore this month. Your nephew has already paid it for you. Have a nice day!'
Spike paid it? How?
He then saw another letter, written to him by Spike. He quickly reached for that one and opened it, reading, 'Dear Uncle Bulk, I'm sorry you're so worried about me. Don't worry anymore. I have a job now, at the Cool Bean Cafe. My boss is very nice, and I think that's why I've managed to keep this job. She and I just connect so well. As you can see by the letter from our landlord, I've paid the rent off, and when I wake up, we'll see if we can both pay the rent, together. After all, I live here too, and we're family, even if we're not related. Love, Spike.'
Bulk backtracked back to Spike's room, where he saw Spike fast asleep on his bed.
Bulk smiled and whispered, "Of course you can, Spikey."
He then closed the door quietly, choosing to let Spike continue to sleep.
~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
Light Zord peaked over to see Antonio open up the letter he got in the mail for the tenth time. Curious, he asked, "Who's the letter from?"
Antonio quickly hid it from LZ's view, very grateful that no other Ranger was here. It was just him.
Light Zord took this action as Antonio not wanting to talk about it. "Are you okay?"
"I'm fine," Antonio replied with a smile, "and who it's from doesn't matter, because the other Rangers are all the family I need."
His smile seemed real enough, but if you looked closely, you'd have been able to tell that it was fake.
~PRS~REDO~PRS~REDO~PRS~REDO~PRS~REDO~PRS~REDO~
Original Shinkenger Episode: Act 28 (VS. Serrator), Act 29
Original PRS Episode: Something Fishy (VS. Serrator), Runaway Spike
Note: Hope you enjoyed this chapter. Please review and tell me what you think! The letter thing with Antonio will be explained in a later episode. It'll take a while for him to open up about it.
Also, after the next chapter, I'll be uploading the RPM crossover, which is more than one chapter.
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 2, Episode 7: "Kevin's Blues"
"Kevin's old swim team is back in town, but can he pull himself away from the water long enough to face the real threat?"