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.
I realize I haven't been adding very much KevMia moments lately, so to my KevMia fans: this chapter is dedicated to you guys~
~PRS~REDO~PRS~REDO~PRS~REDO~PRS~REDO~PRS~REDO~
"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?"
Better Together
Power Rangers: Samurai REDO
Season 2, Episode 7: Kevin's Blues
Junk Ship, Sanzu River, Netherworld
March 3, 2015
Octoroo woke up that morning to an annoying crunching sound. He left his cabin to find a Nighlock he's never seen before using his mouth-hands to munch on the wooden beams of the ceiling.
"Woah, woah! What are you doing?" Octoroo panicked. He had no idea who this Nighlock was, or why he was eating the ship.
"My job," the Nighlock replied. "I was told to eat, eat, eat!"
"Not the ship!" Octoroo shot back. "Who told you to eat the ship?"
"Calm down, General Octoroo," Serrator spoke up. "Skarf here works for me. He's going to cause wonderful misery in the human world."
"This guy?" Octoroo asked, incredulously. "It just looks to me like all he can do is eat like a pig."
"Just give him time," Serrator was calm. "Skarf's real powers won't be unlocked until after those sappy Samurai Ranger runts have destroyed him."
"I don't really get it," Octoroo said, "but I'm excited to find out."
"As am I, squid breath," Xandred admitted, who Octoroo didn't even know was behind him. "That's why I've already approved of him."
"Squid?" Skarf asked, before trying to grab Octoroo's head.
Octoroo cried out in pain, "Ow! Would you stop it?!"
"But I love seafood!" Skarf groaned.
~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
Jayden had announced a team meeting, assumingly about the phone call Ji just got. Judging by the tone of voice and the names Ji said, he appeared he was talking to one of their allies.
The Rangers were around the meeting table now, with Jayden at the head of the table, standing up and holding up the two Power Disks laced with the Bullzord's Symbol Power over Lightning (one was red, the other blue).
Due to that last detail, Emily suspected that they were going to talk about the Bull Disk or the Belmonte family had something to tell them. Or both.
And she was right.
Jayden held up the red-colored Bull Disk, "The Bullzord has the power to combine all of the Zords into what the Grand Shogun called the Samurai Ultrazord."
Somewhat surprised that Jayden would lead with this (though it was understandable as to why), this made the others think, as Antonio was sent deep into his thoughts about this.
"But that's some seriously bad mojo," Mike replied. "I mean, there's a reason the Bullzord was buried away for four hundred years."
"That's why we haven't used the Bullzord's powers yet," Jayden confessed. "We needed to make sure that the Bullzord would be faithful to us."
"And not run wild again?" Mike added.
"Yeah," Jayden was quiet. "But Ji just got off the phone with the Belmonte's. They've given us the green light," he explained, as he slowly walked around the table, circling his teammates. "But it's still risky. The Bullzord is the most powerful weapon in our arsenal, after all. If not done right, all the Zords could be obliterated."
Mia and Emily shared a soft, concerned gasp with each other.
"The Bullzord's nervous too. But not to worry," Jayden went on, placing a hand on Antonio's shoulder and holding out the red Bull Disk to him, "I'm sure Antonio can figure it out."
Antonio's face read pure shock, but, at the same time, also pride. "R-Really? Wow. I appreciate the vote of confidence, Jay, but...I'd feel better if Kevin worked on it with me."
"Of course," Jayden replied. "We're a team. We're in this together."
Antonio shot him a grateful smile, as Mia looked around at the room.
"Um, where is Kevin?" she asked.
~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
Kevin was in the city, talking a nice, relaxing walk with his friend Skyla.
"So, what do you need to show me?" Kevin asked her. "Your text is the reason I'm here."
Skyla took out a rolled up poster from her back pocket, unrolled it and held it up so Kevin could see it. "This," she replied to his question.
Kevin immediately froze up.
'Regional Swimming Championship', the poster read.
Kevin said nothing, so Skyla decided to break the silence for him, "It's tomorrow. I know your reasons for leaving, from experience, but they don't. It doesn't matter if you can't tell them the truth. I've been watching them for a while now. They're in low spirits. When you left, so did their competitive edge. They just barely made the finals this year. They need closure and so do you."
"I...I know," Kevin muttered, barely feeling his own two feet. He had forgotten about quitting the swim team around the same time Emily had showed the group the Keller Forest house last year. A lot was going on, so it just slipped his mind until now. "But...I don't know what to say."
"Words of encouragement," was Skyla's answer, as if it was simple. "In the very least, I don't think you want to see them fail."
"I don't," Kevin replied.
Skyla gave him a comforting pat on his shoulder and a soft smile, "I have to go back to work. I'll see you later."
As she walked off, Kevin called back to her, "Wait, Skyla!" She stopped and turned back around to face him. "Please, don't tell Mia."
Why not keep Mia in the loop, Skyla asked herself. Kevin and Mia knew each other longer than either of them knew Skyla. Kevin had a crush on Mia, Skyla knew that, but the two trusted each other more than anything.
Skyla merely sent him a fake smile, "No promises."
Kevin watched as Skyla walked away, not pleased with her answer, but understanding why she said it.
Because both had a feeling that Mia would find out one way or another, eventually. But how mad she would be depended on who told her and when.
~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~
Limatore Beach, Panorama City, California
Dayu stood next to the beach cliff where Deker fell from. She picked up the broken fragment of Uramasa that had been left behind.
She just couldn't believe that Deker was actually gone. She missed him, but at least, he was free from his curse. She was just so lonely.
"He's not gone," came a familiar voice behind her. That voice was not one she ever wanted to hear again.
Dayu immediately snapped to attention and turned around.
It was the Nighlock that had tricked her.
"You!" Her face lowered into a glare, and her voice no longer held any emotion other than anger. "How dare you show your face to me again!"
"Deker is not gone," Serrator repeated, not moving, holding his hands up as if surrendering himself to Dayu, who pointed Deker's broken blade at Serrator as her weapon.
"Why should I believe you?!" Dayu shot back. No one has ever made her this angry. She hated this Nighlock with a passion. She could deal with Xandred's tyranny and Octoroo's annoying voice, but she could not stand Serrator. "You tricked me and turned me into a Nighlock! You're the one who cursed Deker!"
"I understand your feelings," Serrator said.
"Do you?!" Dayu brought the broken blade closer to Serrator's throat.
"Deker's sword Uramasa took the blow, which saved him," Serrator explained. "I can fix Uramasa and your Harmonium. Think about my offer."
Fix her Harmonium? A tempting offer, but...
Never again would she trust Serrator.
So Dayu simply stormed off, not speaking another word.
~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~
Cortez Forest, Panorama City, California
Dayu walked through the forest, away from Serrator, stewing in anger, the broken blade still in her hand. There was no way that Serrator was telling her the truth.
But she immediately stopped after rounding a tree.
There he was, sitting down and leaning against the trunk, holding the other half of his sword.
"Deker..." she breathed, and he turned to her. "I can't believe it. You're alive. S-Serrator was right...But how are you here? I thought the Red Ranger destroyed you!"
"My sword, Uramasa, and its power took the damage for me," Deker explained. "But I survived. For my curse to finally be broken, I need to fight the ultimate battle. What matters is that the battle ends without Uramasa being broken."
Serrator had said the same thing.
"In many ways, we're the same," Dayu said. "We both have strong attachments. My Harmonium and your sword." She lightly sighed. "Serrator can fix them, but I have a feeling that his offer has a catch."
~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
Kevin found himself looking at the same poster Skyla had showed him, only this one was posted on the wall right outside the doors leading into the building that had that familiar public swimming pool.
He had left because of the Nighlock. At first, he thought he could balance it out, like Mike was able to do with his brother, but after missing one too many practices, his coach had given him a choice.
Janitorial duties or quit the team. And Kevin chose the latter, feeling that it was the best choice.
The coach was understanding and supportive, especially since Kevin based his choice on the guise of having family problems (which he told to the coach), and gave Kevin the blessing of being accepted onto the team if and/or when he ever decided to return.
If he did return, he knew the coach would welcome him back with open arms. But he wasn't sure about his teammates. He wasn't sure about what the coach told them, what they knew, or how they thought or felt about it (and he wasn't sure he wanted to). He had left without telling anyone except for the coach.
As he debated whether or not to go in, a boy in a jogging suit accidentally bumped into Kevin.
"Sorry!" the boy apologized.
"No worries," Kevin replied. "I was just leaving."
As he walked away, he heard the boy begin to get excited, as he whispered, "It's him!" The boy then ran inside and by the time Kevin managed to successfully hide behind the nearest column, the boy was back, but this time with who Kevin's recognized as his former teammates.
"Kevin was here?" Kevin recognized that voice. That was Noah. "Chad, are you sure?"
"I'm sure," the boy that had bumped into him answered. So he was Chad. He must've been new. Kevin didn't recognize him. "You did say he was legendary, right? I've never met him, but he looked just like the picture."
Kevin heard from excited whispers from the two other teammates. They were both saying the same thing, "If Kevin was here, maybe he's thinking about joining the team again."
"Kevin has no place here anymore," came Noah's voice. It was dark and angry, and it made Kevin's heart skip a beat in guilt and sorrow. "He left us. Without warning. Without saying goodbye. He was selfish. He took away any chance we have at actually winning the championships. We barely qualified thanks to him. Forget about him."
Noah went back into the building, presumably back to practice, and the others followed him. Chad lingered, said nothing, and followed.
Kevin was left in silence, as he realized that the Chad boy who had bumped into his was his - Kevin's - replacement.
They had already moved on. He missed them, but they didn't miss him - or at least Noah didn't.
And this made Kevin sad.
~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, Panorama City, California
Kevin wished he could tell Noah the truth. But it was for the best that he didn't know. He heard about what happened to Mike's brother, and he saw what happened to Skyla.
He didn't want that to happen to anyone else.
Kevin's train of thought was derailed when he heard people screaming. He looked up in time to see people running away and a Nighlock using its hand-mouth to chomp on a bench someone was just sitting on moments before.
"Nice appetizer!" Skarf said, before turning to the nearby car and began chomping on that.
After devouring the car, Kevin ran up to him and pulled out his Samuraizer. "Hey, Nighlock!"
He didn't notice a biker falling down right in front of him until Skarf said, "That bike looks tasty."
Kevin let his instincts take over as he pulled the fallen biker out of the way.
But he left his Samuraizer behind. Skarf munched on the bike and picked up the Samuraizer on the way.
Kevin blanked, quickly filling with panic.
Because a Nighlock eating your Samuraizer was not in the How to be a Ranger 101 book.
But he felt a little better when Skarf sounded like he was about to vomit. "Ugh! That was so bitter! What did you feed me?"
Kevin stood up, helping the biker stand. He turned to her and told her to run before turning back to the Nighlock, ready to fight. He may not have his morpher, but he was ready to fight. These people needed him.
"You spoiled my meal!" Skarf charged, but a quick strike from the Red Ranger knocked him.
Kevin saw Jayden land in front of him, and the other four come up beside him (all of them fully morphed).
"What?" Skarf asked. "Samurai Rangers?!"
Mike turned to Kevin, "Kev, morph already!"
"I wish I could," Kevin admitted. "I was about to, but the Nighlock ate my Samuraizer!"
"Ate it?" Mia asked.
"You've got to be kidding me!" Antonio commented.
"Don't worry, Kevin, we'll stop him," came Jayden's calm voice. "Just stay back."
Kevin hung his head. Of course, he was powerless. The others weren't. He simply nodded to show that he understood.
"You know it's rude to interrupt someone when they're eating!" Skarf brought the attention back to him.
Kevin watched as the Nighlock used his mouth-hands to attack the morphed Rangers. Mia fell to her knees, as Antonio, Mike, and Emily ducked before moving backwards, while Jayden stayed put, determined on keeping his ground.
But then Mike went down, Mia following, then Emily.
Antonio leapt into the air, brandishing his Barracuda Blade, before he also got a chestful of mouth-fists.
Jayden was the last one standing. "Antonio!" he yelled as he ran forward.
Kevin watched as Jayden managed to dodge every swing Skarf was aiming, before the Red Ranger got two solid strikes it, causing a small explosion that knocked Skarf back a few feet, landing next to a sewer grate.
"Forget this!" Skarf said, as he got up and slipped into the Gap in the grate. "I'll just eat somewhere else!"
The five Rangers regrouped.
"That was quick," Mike commented.
"But what about Kevin's Samuraizer?" Emily asked, before the five sheathed their Swords and demorphed on the way.
"He'll be back when he gets hungry," Antonio reasurred her, "which, by the looks of it, won't be that long. We'll get our chance soon."
Mia turned to Kevin and walked up to him. "Hey, are you okay?"
"I'm fine," Kevin replied, the other four turning and quickly joining them. "I just feel bad for losing my Samuraizer so easily."
"Don't worry," Mike told him. "We'll get it back."
"I know how you feel, Kev," Antonio softly spoke up. "I know you feel useless, but trust us, you're not." Antonio took out the red-colored Bull Disk. "Until we get your Samuraizer back, why don't you help me with the Ultrazord?"
Kevin nodded, taking the Disk.
~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
Just one more look, Kevin thought to himself, as he entered the swimming pool room of the gym. For old times' sake.
He hid himself behind the bleachers to watch the four do their laps. They were doing well.
Everything was fine until he heard Noah call out, "Cramp!"
And then he went under.
Kevin's heart skipped a beat. No one else noticed. They hadn't stopped to help. They were blissfully unaware.
So Kevin let his instincts take over again. He pulled off his shirt and dove under the surface, hitting the water for the first time in what felt like forever.
He grabbed Noah and pulled him back to the surface, to the side, where Noah leaned against the wall to catch his breath.
Meanwhile, the other three had finished their laps, but looked behind them, confused as to what just happened.
Noah coughed and sputtered, before looking at his savior, and asked, "Kevin?"
"Don't talk," Kevin calmly advised. "Just breathe."
Kevin got out of the water and kneeled down, extending his hand out to Noah in order to help him out of the pool. But all he got was a cold stare in return.
"Just leave me alone," Noah replied, making Kevin recoil his hand. "My team will take care of me."
Chad, the new kid, was behind him. "It is you." Kevin turned to his replacement. "You're a legend around here. It's so cool to finally meet you in person." He extended his hand out for Kevin to shake.
Kevin took his hand and shook it, "I don't know about that."
As Kevin walked away, Noah called out, "You were the best anyone around here had ever seen. I'll never understand why you just...walked away from all of that."
"I wish I could explain," Kevin turned back around to face them. "But I can't. It's a secret that I promised not to tell anybody. I had to make a choice for the sake of others, a choice that was difficult and, now that I look back on it, inevitable. I was just here to wish you guys good luck tomorrow, and just because I'm not there doesn't mean I'm not thinking about you guys and swimming." Kevin paused, turning back to the exit, but he didn't leave yet. "Keep your head in line with the rest of your body, and look directly at the bottom of the pool. Push your chest down at all times to help maintain a good horizontal balance. Don't lift your head to breath. Just turn your head when you roll to your sides. Use a high-elbow position, and don't reach too far with your recovering arm."
Once giving his advice, he grabbed his shirt from off the ground and left.
~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
Kevin came home that night to the others sitting around the Gap Sensor table, probably having a meeting in order to come up with a plan.
"Kevin, you're back!" Emily exclaimed, as she stood up to greet him.
Kevin saw a smile on her face that seemed real enough, but had the obvious hints of being faked. Of course. Emily was also a natural empath. She could easily place herself in other people's shoes, could easily read people's emotions just from a simple look in their eyes. She could tell that something was dragging him down. She wanted to cheer him up.
"Where have you been?" Mike asked. "We've been trying to figure out ways to get your Samuraizer back."
Kevin felt relieved, just a bit. They thought he was down because he felt useless to them now that he couldn't morph. He wanted them to find out about the swimming finals, but not yet.
Not yet. Wait until they were over.
"Oh," was all Kevin replied. "Thanks."
As he walked back to his room, Mia started shaking her head. "I've never seen him so depressed. The closest he ever got was when he had to-" She stopped when something clicked in her mind.
"Mia?" Antonio asked, he and the others slightly concerned.
"When he had to quit the swim team," she finished. "It's more than the Samuraizer." Mia's phone buzzed, indicating that she got a text. She pulled out her phone and read it aloud. "It's from Skyla. 'Kevin's old swim team is town. He didn't want me to tell you, but I felt it right that you knew'." She paused. "I was right."
"Kevin needs time to grieve over the life he had to leave behind," Jayden told them, softly, but still with a feeling of authority. "With his Samuraizer gone, he'll have the time to do just that. We can beat this Nighlock without him. We'll give him the time he needs. Okay, Mia?"
Mia nodded, still tightly clutching her phone in her hand.
~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
March 4, 2015
Kevin actually felt better after a good night's sleep. He was mad at first, since the others actually had the gall to turn off his alarm clock so he wouldn't wake up when he normally did. However, after thinking about it, noting how much better he felt, he decided to let it slide.
He truly did have the best teammates in the universe. They cared about him enough to keep his mental health in mind, from turning off his alarm clock to giving him something to do to help the team even if it wasn't fighting alongside them.
Kevin saw on a bench at the docks, looking out at the sea. He reached into his bag and pulled out his sketchbook.
Instead of diverting all his energy into worrying about his old team, he decided to divert all his energy into helping his new team.
It was time to crack the Ultrazord combination code.
~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~
Cortez Forest, Panorama City, California
Deker and Dayu were waiting for Serrator by the morning fire.
Serrator walked up to them, "Deker. I apologize for not keeping in touch for the last two hundred years."
Dayu looked at Deker's face, and she felt comforted by the fact that Deker seemed to distrust Serrator as much as she did.
"Do I know you?" Deker asked.
"Why, of course," Serrator answered. "We go way back. So how do you like being a half-Nighlock? Have you gotten your fill of evil?"
"For the moment," Deker replied, calm, before he quickly stood up and pointed his broken sword in Serrator's face. "But I still have unfinished business to attend to."
Serrator did not react to Deker's sudden movements, "You're strong. No mortals have been able to handle being a Nighlock this long. Both you and Dayu are very impressive."
"Enough talk," Deker growled. "Dayu said you could fix my sword. Can you or not?"
"Well, I created it," Serrator answered. "And I was the one that gave it to you."
"You act as if I knew that," Deker said, as Serrator turned away to address Dayu.
"Stay calm, Deker," Serrator said. "I can fix your sword and Dayu's Harmonium. But first, you must both do something for me."
Dayu knew it. There was a catch, but it was the only way, "I'll do anything to have my Harmonium restored."
"I will take care of it," Serrator took her Harmonium and gave Dayu a dagger. "In the meantime, take this dagger."
Deker walked up to them. "If you did indeed create me, then you have shown me a cursed existance. So, what will you show me next?"
"Take pride in knowing that you will play a huge part in mankind's destruction," Serrator told him.
Deker held out his broken sword, letting Serrator take it.
"Wise choice," Serrator said. "If you two do my bidding. We cannot fail."
~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~
Sunset Plaza, Panorama City, California
Skarf emerged from a Gap, his stomach growling. "I'm starving. I think Ill take a bite from Column A." His hand-mouth began munching on the nearby column. But after finishing, he was still starving.
He was about to move onto something else to eat when he heard the Green Ranger call out to him, "Hey, chow hound!"
There they were. The Power Rangers, but still missing their blue. "Yum, candy-colored Rangers!"
"Samuraizers! Go, Go, Samurai!" In a multi-colored flash, the five stood their, fully morphed. "Rangers Together, Samurai Forever!"
"Oo, I'm scared," Skarf sassed before charging at his opponents, who charged as well, meeting him halfway.
They were fairing better against him than last time, Skarf had to give them that. Last time, he easily beat them, but this time, they were standing their ground.
Mike pressed his Sword against Skarf's left arm, as Jayden said, "We need to figure out where he's got Kevin's Samuraizer!"
"I'm on it!" Mike said, before flipping into the air to dodge Skarf's swing. Mike landed between Jayden and Emily, and pulled out his own Samuraizer. "Time for a crank call!" He dialed Kevin's number. The picture he picked for Kevin (the one with him in a tutu) appeared when a Samuraizer started ringing.
"Huh? Where's that ringing coming from?" Skarf asked, confused.
"It's a Samuraizer," Mike replied.
"Better answer it quick!" Emily added.
"Where is it?" Skarf searched his entire body. "Hey, how come my right arm's ringing?"
"Bingo," Mia said.
"Let's disconnect his call!" Antonio said, leading the other four in a charge.
But everything halted when two familiar faces appeared: Deker and Dayu.
"Deker!" Jayden breathed, clutching his Sword tight. "It can't be!"
"Forgive me, but I must intrude," Deker said.
"Skarf," Dayu told him, "hurry up and eat. Go stuff yourself until you pop."
"Bon apetit!" Skarf laughed as he left.
"Deker, how are you still alive?" Jayden asked, as Deker and Dayu surrounded the Rangers.
Deker charged, as he explained, "Since my sword Uramasa broke in battle, my curse wasn't broken. You can say I was lost, but now I'm found!" He and Jayden clashed once more. "Until Uramasa's fixed, I'm just a sword for hire."
Jayden stepped back in order to dodge Deker's swing, but he saw Emily and her Sword blocking Deker's attack. "Then, we'll just have to defeat you again. But this time, you're facing both of us!" she told Deker, and to be honest, Jayden too.
Jayden never forgot that Emily had a beef against Deker too, but sometimes he had to be reminded that in order to break apart his anger.
"Havoc Mode!" Jayden called.
"Engage!" Now armed with their Havoc Mode weapons (and Antonio with the Light Zord), the five Rangers charged, Jayen and Emily against Deker, and Mia, Mike, and Antonio against Dayu.
A few seconds into the fight, Antonio noticed something, "Hey, I think they're just stalling for time!"
"But why?" Mia asked. "What are they waiting for?"
As if on cue, Skarf burped, "I'm really full. I don't wanna eat anymore. My tummy hurts."
"Dayu, it's time!" Deker said, after blocking Emily's Drill attack.
"Right!"
Dayu and Deker both leapt up and landed in front of Skarf, both landing a strike powerful enough to finish him.
Familiar defeat sparks flew from Skarf's body as the Rangers looked on in horror.
"But, that guy's on their team!" Mike said.
"His true power is unleashed when he is defeated," Dayu explained. "You'll see."
"We're done here," Deker said, before he and Dayu bailed.
"True power?" Mia repeated.
"We have to get Kevin's Samuraizer back!" Emily reminded.
"I'm on it!" Jayden rushed forward and sliced Skarf's right arm off right before the Nighlock exploded, signaling the end of his first life.
From the explosion, Jayden leapt, landing beside the others, holding Kevin's Samuraizer in his hand. "Got it. It's still working."
Skarf grew into his second life, but his hand-mouths were gone. In their place were two halves of a shield. Skarf shot lasers from his shield.
The five Rangers barely managed to dodge them.
"Now I understand!" Antonio said. "They destroyed him so he'd come back like this!"
"That shield of his is gonna be-" Jayden was cut off by a familiar voice.
"Guys!" The five turned to see Kevin running up to them. Once stopped, he said, "Samuraizer or not, I'm here to fight with my team."
Jayden simply tossed him his Samuraizer. "Suit up, Kev!"
Kevin caught it. "You got it back!" Jayden nodded, before holding out the Black Box. "And the Black Box too?"
"Yeah. Let's do this," Jayden said.
"Go, Go, Samurai!" Kevin called. After morphed, he activated the Black Box. "Super Samurai Mode!" He placed the Super Combination Disk into the Box. "Super Samurai Combination!"
"Claw Armor Megazord, We Are United!"
Kevin had also activated Shogun Mode. There the six stood, ready to fight Skarf and his shield.
"Let's go!" Jayden ordered.
The Megazord went forward. One strike, no effect. Two strikes, no effect. Pressing down, still no effect. In fact, Skarf just pushed back up, letting the Rangers take the damage. Inside the cockpit, the six Rangers nearly lost their balance.
"That shield is gonna be hard to break through," Kevin said, as Skarf hit them again. "It's so strong!" He grunted at the shock of the blast, but he didn't stand down. "Twin Saber Strike!"
No luck. Skarf sent a jolt to the Megazord, causing the cockpit to shake.
"This isn't working!" Mike said. "He's too powerful!"
Kevin pulled out the red Bull Disk. "We need to use the Bull Disk and form the Samurai Ultrazord."
"What?" Mike immediately asked. "You sure you want to risk it?"
"If we don't use it properly," Antonio warned, "it could be bad news!"
"It is a huge risk, yes, but we have to try it!" Another jolt sent the Megazord gliding backwards through the streets.
"Kevin's right," Mia said. "We don't have any other choice!"
"Okay, Kevin, we trust you," Jayden said (Kevin having taken his spot, and Jayden taking Kevin's). "Make the call."
Kevin open the Black Box and inserted the Disk. "Bull Disk!" But he paused, his hands hovering over the lid of the Black Box.
"What are you waiting for?" he heard Mike ask.
He took a deep breath, having some last-minute second thoughts. "This is where all our research pays off, Antonio. Here goes nothing."
Emily went over to his stand. "Once we form the Ultrazord, we'll be able to tap into the powers of every single Zord we have. You can do this, Kev. Just believe in yourself, like we believe in you." And she took his hand and closed the Black Box for her. "Ready?"
"Ready," he nodded.
"Then, go for it," Emily told him, before going back to her podium.
"Ultimate Samurai Combination!" Kevin called.
Kevin tried with all his heart, mind, soul, and strength to keep the Zords in tact. There was a bright flash of rainbow-colored light. When it dissipated, the six Rangers were still standing.
"Samurai Ultrazord, We Are United!"
"We did it!" Kevin exclaimed.
"We did," Mike replied. "Okay, now this freaky tiki is going down!"
"This Nighlock has no clue what he's in for!" Antonio excitedly added.
"It's go time!" Jayden ordered, as the Ultrazord moved forward.
Skarf sent some more energy bolts at them, but they just bounced right off.
"Tiger Drill, Charge!"
Skarf blocked it with his shield.
"Pincer Claws! Claw to shreds!"
Finally some damage. Skarf was caught off guard and his shield was down.
"Ultimate Samurai Slash!"
Skarf fell to the ground, only to get back up. In the Ultrazord, Kevin had opened his sketchbook, skimmed through a couple of pages and then closed it.
"Now, all we have to do is use our Symbol Power and we can nail him once and for all!" Kevin announced.
"Lion Zord!" Jayden announced, drawing the respective kanji.
"Dragon Zord, Bullzord!" Kevin announced.
"Turtle Zord, Beetle Zord!" Mia announced.
"Bear Zord, Octo Zord!" Mike announced.
"Ape Zord, Tiger Zord!" Emily announced.
"Clawzord, Swordfish Zord!" Antonio announced.
"Symbol Power: Ultimate Combination!"
The Ultrazord powered up with all eleven Zords, all eleven elements.
"Katana Power: Final Kanji Strike!"
And Skarf saw no more.
Inside the cockpit, upon the explosion, Mike asked, "Did that really just happen?" Antonio nodded and gave the Green Ranger a high-five.
"We did it!"
~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
The time was here, Noah told himself. At practice earlier, they all discovered that Kevin's tips had helped them.
Now standing on the platform, about to go, Noah glanced over at the crowd.
There was Kevin, who smiled at him and nodded.
Noah smiled back, and dove.
~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~
In the locker room, Noah saw his team in high spirits. After an uphill battle ever since Kevin left last year, they were finally able to relax. They had won the championships.
Chad entered the locker room with a bouquet of blue flowers. "They're from Kevin."
Noah took the note that was hidden in the bouquet and read it aloud.
'Congratulations on your victory. You guys did great. You guys did just fine without me. I'm sorry I can't tell you the reason I left. You could say it's a personal issue. But once it's over, I'll be back. Sincerely, Kevin Mosley'
Noah smiled. They didn't need Kevin. They had won without him, but it was thanks to Kevin's earlier tips that they had.
Even if Kevin wasn't on the team, he would always be reliable. Noah had no doubt that Kevin would indeed return.
~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, Panorama City, California
Kevin walked back to the Shiba House, content, his mind in a better place than it was yesterday. He pulled out his phone and dialed a number.
'Hello?' came Skyla's voice.
"Thank you," Kevin told her. "You were right."
'Of course I was,' Skyla replied. 'And also...I'm sorry for telling Mia.'
"To be fair, you did say 'no promises'," Kevin reminded her. "It's alright. I'm not mad. I just called you to thank you."
'You're welcome,' Skyla 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~
Shiba House, Gianni Forest, Panorama City, California
Kevin walked through the front gates of the Shiba House, slightly anxiously. He knew the others were about to have dinner, as he could smell it.
He wasn't surprised to see all of their faces (including Ji's) looking at him, smiling and expectantly.
"Welcome back, Kev!" Mike said.
"Did Noah's team win?" Ji asked.
"Yeah," Kevin replied. "I'm so glad I finally got to say goodbye. Thank you all for being so patient with me. You know my loyalty to this team will always come first."
Mia stood up and wrapped him in a big hug, "We never doubted you for a second."
Kevin returned her hug.
For the first time in a long time, Kevin felt at home.
~PRS~REDO~PRS~REDO~PRS~REDO~PRS~REDO~PRS~REDO~
Original Shinkenger Episode: Act 35
Original PRS Episode: Kevin's Choice
Note: The tips Kevin gives are ones given by actual swimmers. The reason that Kevin didn't do Noah's laps for him would've completely ignored the lesson (duty before personal life / in canon, this episode was a parallel to The Team Unites; Mike got in trouble, but Kevin didn't). In canon, Kevin's swimming teammates were named after Chad Lee and Noah Carver, two water-based Rangers, which I think is pretty cool. So, I kept true to that. Also, I dislike the canon clusterf***y design of the Gigazord/Ultrazord, imagine that it's less so in this story. Hope you enjoyed this chapter. Please review and tell me what you think!
Also, the next chapter will be the RPM crossover, which is more than one chapter (about three).
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, Special Episode: "Revenge of Venjix"
"It's been one year, and the RPM Rangers are still on the hunt for the remaining remnants of the Venjix virus. Meanwhile, Doctor K finds something that scares her, so much so that she ends up traveling to another dimension to protect herself."