A/N: Enjoy the chapter! Sorry you guys had to wait so long. I've been busy with online classes.

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.

This chapter is a Ji focus, and (spoiler alert) we also find out what's in the letter Antonio got in 2x06.

~PRS~REDO~PRS~REDO~PRS~REDO~PRS~REDO~PRS~REDO~

"Ji doesn't really like celebrating his birthday. There's no special reason; it's just personal preference. So why, when that day rolls around, is he sad when no one says anything?"

Better Together

Power Rangers: Samurai REDO

Season 2, Episode 8: Godfather's Day

Junk Ship, Sanzu River, Netherworld

March 20, 2015

Octoroo was taking a stroll by the riverbank.

"Man..." he muttered to himself, "the Junk Ship has gotten so uncomfortable lately. Dayu's gone and I doubt she'll ever come back. Not to mention, the new guy, Serrator, thinks he can come and boss everyone around like he's been there for decades! Despicable! Not to mention, I have no idea what his plans are. I don't trust him. And the Master's too slow with his own plans..."

He stopped and sniffed around when he smelled something in the air that wasn't normally there.

"What's that awful smell?" he turned to the riverbank, covering his nose. He stopped again when he saw the water bubbling. "Wait! I know who that is!"

~B~E~T~T~E~R~~T~O~G~E~T~H~E~R~~P~O~W~E~R~~R~A~N~G~E~R~S~~S~A~M~U~R~A~I~~R~E~D~O~

Shiba House, Gianni Forest, Panorama City, California

Antonio glanced back at the other five Rangers, who nodded back at him. He return the nod with his own, affirming to them that he was setting their plan into action.

Ji was in the kitchen, reading a book (with his reading glasses) and drinking the last of the tea from that morning. "Hey, Ji, I need your help."

The old man glanced up, "Yes?"

"I need to give LZ an upgrade, and your knowledge of Symbol Power will really help me," Antonio replied.

"Of course," Ji closed his book and stood up from the stool he was sitting on. He led Antonio to the two bookshelves in the meeting room and picked up a couple of old books. "Here you go."

"Actually, can we go somewhere else? I don't want any distractions," Antonio sheepishly asked.

Ji smiled in amusement, and nodded, "Of course. Let's go."

The other five smiled as the two left the House.

~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

Xandred took a big swig of his medicine, "Octoroo, who is this?"

"This is Eyescar," Octoroo introduced. "He's the disciple of the late General Gut."

"General Gut?" Serrator asked. "Wasn't he defeated by the Rangers last year?"

"With all due respect towards my mentor," Eyescar finally spoke, "he made a big mistake. He went all out with his invasion, while I plan to let the Rangers simmer first. They're are only humans, after all. We can use their pathetic caring nature against them." He then walked away.

Serrator scoffed, "How moronic. He really believes his plans will succeed."

"You're have no room to talk," Octoroo bit back. "At least his plans are out in the open."

"I will admit that I do have my own plans," Serrator said. "But for now, they will kept secret."

"I don't like secrets," Xandred said.

"Just wait, Master. It's a surprise," Serrator replied.

Octoroo and Xandred both watched him leave, as the former said, "I don't trust him, Master. He's real sketchy..."

Just then, Furry Warts popped down from the ceiling, repeating over and over again, "Real sketchy, real sketchy, real sketchy~"

Xandred didn't say a word, unable to deny the truth in Octoroo's words.

~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~

Seaside Cliff, Limatore Beach, Panorama City, California

"So, what upgrades are you giving to the Light Zord?" Ji asked Antonio, as the boy stimmed with his fishing spool.

"I want to give him a Disk Inventory," Antonio replied, "as well as a connection to the Gap Sensor."

"You really go out of your way to help the others, don't you?" Ji said. It was more a statement than a question, and Ji wasn't expecting a response.

"I do," the boy answered, taking a quick look at one the books Ji brought with them. "Emily once told me that you don't have to be a Ranger to be useful."

"She's right," the old man said. "Now, the Light Zord is asleep because...?"

"If I kept him awake, I would need to reboot his system when I'm done, and that takes a long time, at least twenty-four hours," Antonio explained. "It's easier and faster this way."

"I see," Ji nodded, before realizing something. "Are you sure you actually need my help, Antonio? You seem to be doing fine on your own."

Antonio nearly jumped out his skin. Ji was right on the mark. Fortunately, Antonio never lost his poker face and he was able to quickly come up with something, "Maybe. I just wanted to be sure. In any case, I do enjoy your company, you know."

Ji smiled at this. It was true. Antonio did enjoy Ji's company. The two didn't exactly get off on the right foot when Antonio first met Jayden, but that quickly changed when the two boys' parents died in that car crash. Ji was his and Jayden's rock in the years that followed, and he still was to this day.

Now, Ji was everyone's rock. He was always a mentor figure you could turn to whenever you wanted to talk, or needed advice. Mia and Ji always bonded over cooking meals together, Ji and Kevin had formed their own book club, Ji had shown Mike what a real father-figure was supposed to do and be, and Emily often treated him as her own father-figure.

Antonio's thoughts were cut off by Ji's yell, "Antonio!" But then his voice went muffled, as if someone had placed their hand over his mouth.

Antonio turned around, only to be clocked in the face by a dark red Marauder.

He had no choice but to drop his fishing spool as he passed out.

~B~E~T~T~E~R~~T~O~G~E~T~H~E~R~~P~O~W~E~R~~R~A~N~G~E~R~S~~S~A~M~U~R~A~I~~R~E~D~O~

Shiba House, Gianni Forest, Panorama City, California

Antonio had given them the chance and the time to set up for Ji's surprise birthday party. Actually, it was more like a birthday dinner, on Jayden and Antonio's own requests.

"What do you mean Ji doesn't like celebrating his birthday?" Mike asked as he worked on the (handmade) card that read 'Happy Birthday, Ji!', his question directed at Jayden. "Birthdays are fun! It's literally the anniversary of the day you were born! There's a party! There's cake and presents! There's also all your family and friends! What's not to like?"

"To be honest, we don't really know why," Jayden admitted, he and Emily frosting the cake together. "He's never told us anything."

"I used to dislike my birthday because I was always alone to celebrate it," Emily brought up, before licking some frosting off her thumb. "Could that be it?"

"I don't think so," Jayden replied. "That doesn't sound like him."

"Maybe something tragic happened in his past," Mia tried to help, she and Kevin keeping an eye on the roast chicken (Ji's favorite) that was in the oven.

"It's possible," Kevin added. "My grandpa died in the Vietnam War and my aunt got the news on her birthday. Ever since, she's always tried to act like that day is just like every other normal day."

"Maybe," Jayden just shrugged. "Ji is like a brick wall. He doesn't really let anyone or anything through. He never talks about himself, or his past, or...anything really. He usually only speaks when spoke to."

The Gap Sensor chose that moment to go off.

Mike was the first one at the map table, and Mia the last (she had to turn the oven off). He tapped and opened it right as the others came up to join him. "Limatore Beach," he said.

"That's where Ji and Antonio are," Kevin realized. "That's where we told Antonio to go."

There was a pause and an unspoken, collective 'Uh-oh!' before the five rushed out of the House.

~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~

Seaside Cliff, Limatore Beach, Panorama City, California

This was the area that the map had identified as the source of the disturbance, so the Rangers were surprised and confused as to why it was empty.

"Where are they?" Mike asked, coming to a stop.

Mia shook her head as she also stopped running, "I don't know. There are no signs of a struggle."

She turned to Kevin (who had stopped a couple feet away), but merely shrugged in confusion, before looking down and picking up a golden colored Samuraizer. "Look, it's Ji's," he said.

Jayden was getting worried. What was going on? What happened to Ji and Antonio? Even if Antonio decided to go to an entirely different place, where was the Nighlock?

Fortunately, Emily was at his side, and she was looking around for clues. "Hey, what's this?" She leaned down and picked up a fishing spool.

"A fishing spool?" Kevin asked, as the others gathered around Emily and her find. Jayden took it from her hand.

"That's Antonio's," Jayden told them. "He uses it to concentrate."

Jayden was grateful that Emily picked up on his worry and unease. She placed a comforting hand on his shoulder, "They'll be alright. They're strong people."

Just then a sound came from the nearby bushes. "Upgrade complete! Wow, what a nice, long nap! But why did you put me in the bushes?" The Light Zord then floated out, and he paused when he didn't see Antonio or Ji.

"Light Zord?" Mike asked. "Are you okay?"

"What's going on?" LZ asked. "Where's the Boss? He said he was going to give me some upgrades and that I had to go to sleep. But now he's gone. Why?"

"We think he and Ji might've been ambushed," Jayden calmly told the Zord. "Can you detect any Nighlock DNA in this area?"

Emily picked up the Light Zord and guided him around the area. After a moment of silence, he answered, "Right now? No. But there were Marauders here, and the tracks are still fresh."

Jayden asked, "Can you track down Ji and Antonio?"

"If I get their DNA from a source first, yes," Light Zord replied.

"Like a dog?" Mia asked.

"I guess you could say that," LZ answered. "I don't need a source for the Nighlock, because I'm now connected to the Gap Sensor, but regular humans are almost impossible to track down without a source."

Jayden held up the fishing spool, "This should have Antonio's DNA."

LZ scanned the spool, "Got it. And Ji's?" Kevin held up Ji's phone and let the Zord scan it too. "Got it. I know the safest way to both of them. Take the tunnel behind Mia."

Mia almost jumped at the sound of her name being spoken, and she turned around, not knowing there was a path behind her. Sure enough, there was a sewer tunnel right there. She was quickly joined by the other four, Emily holding the Light Zord. Mia wasn't claustrophobic (like Mike), but she did not enjoy the creepiness of this tunnel. "Of course it leads to a creep tunnel," she said, nervously.

"It's our only lead," Jayden calmly told her, his advice to trust the Light Zord unspoken but very clear. "Get ready. We're going in."

The others nodded and fell into formation beside him. "Go, Go, Samurai!"

~B~E~T~T~E~R~~T~O~G~E~T~H~E~R~~P~O~W~E~R~~R~A~N~G~E~R~S~~S~A~M~U~R~A~I~~R~E~D~O~

Underground Sewer System, Panorama City, California

Jayden opened the door that led into the tunnel. Kevin immediately shivered and said, "It's too dark in here to see."

From Emily's hand, LZ lightly chuckled, "I can fix that." He turned himself on, illuminating the entire hallawy, before ordering, "Go straight until I tell you to turn."

The group started walking, and Mia (still creeped out) asked, "Light Zord, are you sure this is the right way?"

"Yes," LZ replied. "There are actually two ways, to be honest. But the quickest path is crawling with Nighlock. This path may be longer, but at least it's safer, and I highly doubt the Nighlock know about it."

Hearing this made Mia ease up. Light Zord was now the equivalent of a moving Gap Sensor. "You're right, Light Zord. Thank you."

"You're wel-" he then cut himself off right as the group reached a crossroad. "Red Alert!"

Emily set him free as she and the other four's hands immediately went to their swords. Just then, (what sounded like) thousands of roars echoed from within the underground tunnel. By the sounds of things it was like a thousand Marauders had been packed into one small space, and they were getting closer. And then, from out of nowhere, came the small army of fish-faced foot soldiers (the red ones), and they were everywhere.

"Man," Mike gasped, LZ floating behind them as they stood back to back, "talk about a lot of Marauders!"

"Be careful," Jayden warned, "and watch each other's backs!"

The five then unsheathed their Swords and the fight began. They began slashing and striking down Marauders left and right.

"If only we had the Dino Bite Disk!" Jayden called. "That would easily do the job!"

Light Zord was flying around, joining in on the fray, knocking around a few Marauders himself, "Hold on! I've got it with me!"

Jayden turned to the Zord, just as LZ landed on the ground, releasing a regular black Disk.

"Oops! Wrong one!"

Just then, a Marauder kicked Light Zord back a few feet. "Uh-oh, Lightie got drop-kicked!" Mike told the others.

"Recover him!" Jayden ordered, before turning back to his own group.

"On it!" Mike said. But he couldn't go anywhere, thanks to the Marauders. "Excuse me, jerks!"

Emily cut one down that was about to strike Kevin from behind, before the two joined back to back. "We keep cutting them down, but there's no end to them." Emily said.

Mia rushed forward, slashing across the back of the Marauders that had pinned Mike to the wall. "Go, Mike," she said, "I've got your back!"

"Thanks, Mia!" Mike said, before ducking and dodging around the Marauders that tried to prevent him from getting to the Light Zord. "Pardon me," he said, kicking and shoving them aside. "Excuse me, coming through! Gotcha!" he grinned, cutting down a Marauder and picking up the Zord. "LZ, is the Disk stuck?"

"Yes!" Light Zord replied. "Hit me!"

Mike rammed his sword into the butt of the Light Zord. A deep red coloured disk flew out of the Zord, skimming through the Marauders before securing its place onto the hilt of Jayden's Spin Sword.

"Thanks, Light Zord!" Jayden grinned before spinning the Disk, "Dino Rage Mode!" He then spun in a circle, destroying the Marauders around in a blaze of fire. As the flames died down, Jayden got to his feet, holding his new Dino Sword in his hands. "Dino Rage Red! Full Fury!"

He then wielded the Dino Sword to destroy the Marauders that had dared to come back for more. He spun the Sword over his head, and threw it towards the rest of his team. The blade extended, further than anyone could ever expect, as the red and blue dino head skimmed between the Rangers, hitting each of the Marauders and causing them to explode.

With all the Marauders destroyed, the Rangers regrouped, the Light Zord returning to Emily. "I was right. This is the right way to go. They were following us."

"Which way now?" Kevin asked.

"Keep going straight!"

"Let's roll!" Jayden said, still in the red coat, as he led the way.

~B~E~T~T~E~R~~T~O~G~E~T~H~E~R~~P~O~W~E~R~~R~A~N~G~E~R~S~~S~A~M~U~R~A~I~~R~E~D~O~

Ridge Mountains, Outskirts, Panorama City, California

They were unmorphed now, and on the other side of the tunnel. As they stood on the ledge overlooking the valley below, Mike sighed, "Didn't we already fill our quota for the day?"

There were at least a hundred Marauders, and in the dead center of it all was Antonio and Ji, tied to a pole.

"But they seemed more focused across the valley," Kevin pointed. "Like they're expecting us there."

"You're right," Mia said. "They haven't even noticed us yet." She turned to the Zord being held by Emily. "Light Zord?"

"If we had taken the other way, that's where we would've come from," LZ explained, thereby proving Kevin right. "And we'd be immediately flanked from all sides."

"Right, but if we charge down there now, we'd still be outnumbered one hundred to one," Emily warned.

"You're right, Em," Mike said. "But we've still got the element of surprise on our side."

"I assume you've got a Mike plan," Jayden said with a smile.

"I sure do, bud," Mike replied, before leaning over and whispering his plan into Jayden's ear.

~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~

Ji sighed as the sun shone overhead. It may barely be Spring, but it was getting hot. Antonio had a bruise near his bottom lip from where the Marauder had clocked him, and he was struggling relentlessly against the bonds that held him and Ji to the pole.

"What do you want from us, Nighlock?" He asked Eyescar, as the Action Commander walked past him.

"I've already got what I want," Eyescar replied. "The two of you!"

"Why us?" Antonio asked.

"Because you're the catch of the day," Eyescar laughed. "You two're the bait that I'm going to use to lure the rest of your colour-coded friends here." He waved Antonio's Morpher in front of him, taunting him with it, "Wouldn't you like to give them a call?"

Now that his Morpher was in his sights, Antonio struggled even more.

"Too bad for you," Eyescar said, putting the Morpher away. "They'll come for you from the only entrance to this valley. Right there," he pointed to a cliff a few hundred feet away, "and when they do, my Marauder army will be waiting with open arms."

Antonio sighed as Eyescar walked away. If only he could get untied. Then he could get his Morpher and warn the others that they were walking into a trap. But he couldn't. His hands were bound behind his back and the ropes so tight that it was almost cutting into his skin.

"Don't worry," Mentor told him, from the other side of the pole. "The team will find us."

"I know they will," Antonio was surprisingly calm now. "I'm not worried about that." He was quiet for a moment. "Hey, Ji, can you keep a secret?"

"Of course," came the old man's honest answer.

"Last month, I received a letter in the mail," Antonio began.

"I know," Ji replied. "I remember giving it to you. It was adressed to your mother, forwarded from your old house to the Shiba House by the Post Office, and the return address wasn't familiar to either of us. But you never brought it up until now."

Antonio continued, "Because I needed some time to process what was written in it. I'm only coming to you now because I recently realized that I needed someone to talk to in order to do so."

"So you decided to come to me?" Ji asked.

"It seems fitting," Antonio confessed. "You are a father-figure to me, after all, and my current legal guardian."

Even though the boy couldn't see it, Ji warmly smiled. "So what was in the letter?"

Antonio swallowed a large lump in his throat and forced himself to talk, "It's from my father."

"The one that left before you were born?" Ji asked.

"The very same," Antonio continued. "Just as the envelope says, it's written to Mom, but not in the sense that he knows she's gone. He wrote it as if she's still alive."

"It makes sense," Ji explained. "I doubt anyone ever told him about the crash."

"Yeah," the boy was quiet, before he forced himself to keep talking. "Whatever the case, it immediately gave me the feeling that I wasn't meant to read it. But I did anyway. In the letter, my father apologizes for leaving, before explaining why he left at all." Antonio felt Ji's shoulders still touching his own and was immediately comforted by the old man's prescence. This is what gave him the courage to keep going, "Ji, he left when Mom was still pregnant with me because he wasn't ready to have a baby yet. He left her in an attempt to come to terms with this, and he said that he planned to come back," he swallowed the lump in his throat that had returned, "but he didn't, because he immediately met another woman and eventually started a family with her. And now, he wants to meet up with Mom in order to get closure, for both of them."

Ji was quiet until this point, "I see." He didn't sound happy with this revelation. "So the part that you need help processing is your father having another family. Antonio, listen to me. In order to fully accept this, you need to learn forgiveness. Meet up with him, and tell him the truth about your mother. Get closure for yourself, no one else."

Antonio managed a smile, "Thanks, Ji, for everything. You've always been there for me. We didn't exactly get along at first, because I was always getting Jayden to go outside and play instead of focusing on his homework." Ji smiled at the truth in those words. "But after Mom died, you adopted me without second thought, and I don't regret it. Oh, and before I forget. I know you don't like celebrating it, but Happy Birthday anyways."

"Thank you, Antonio," Ji felt warm inside. He had woken up this morning feeling strangely sad, and he didn't know why. He was never comfortable celebrating his birthday, and he never had a problem with that. He never told any of the six Rangers about it. So why was he sad this morning when no one said anything? "I don't like celebrating, simply because I'm not a party man." It was the honest truth. There was nothing special about his reasons. He just preferred peace and quiet, and didn't like to party. "And I don't regret taking you in either. Because family is a lot more than blood relatives."

Antonio smiled, just as Eyescar came loping back. "Your pathetic buddies will be coming through that pass any minute now," Eyescar said, grabbing Antonio roughly by the collar of his shirt. "And you get to watch them all fry."

He shoved the Gold Ranger into the pole, causing Antonio to groan and slide sideways.

Ji jumped and glanced back at his adopted son. "Antonio!" he said, struggling against his rope. If Antonio's groans were anything to go by, the boy was in serious pain. "We will make it through this."

Eyescar laughed, "Even in defeat, they are delusional."

Suddenly, a loud whooshing sound burst through the air. Antonio blinked and raised his head from the ground, before smiling. Looks like their confidence had paid off.

"Not delusional," said Mentor, glancing back at Eyescar. "We've just got a hunch!"

"Huh?" Eyescar muttered, looking up to search the skies. "What's that noise?"

A massive object was flying towards him.

"Heads up, Nighlock," Jayden called from the cockpit of the Samurai Battlewing, in Dino Rage Mode. He pushed forward on his controls, firing blasts at the Marauder army below him. Several Marauders went down immediately. Eyescar noticed was that the attacks were being strategically fired at the outside of his army.

"Impossible!" Eyescar growled, shaking his fist at the Samurai Battlewing.

"Think again, Nighlock," Jayden grinned. "Nothing's impossible with the Black Box. I can even pilot the Samurai Battlewing by myself. Now you have something we want, and we're here to take it back!"

He then swooped back around and firing several more lasers at the Marauder army. There was a big explosion that caught Eyescar off guard and blasted him onto the ground, while the rest of his army was destroyed.

"I can't believe they avoided my trap," Eyescar grumbled as he made it back to his feet. He shook his head and looked around for the rest of the multi-colored annoyances.

"Believe it!" came Mia's voice. Eyescar turned around to see the Pink Ranger (in Havoc Mode) standing next to the pole his two hostages were tied to. She sliced the ropes tying them together, before pointing her Sword at the Nighlock and then holding it over her shoulder. "Samurai Wind, Power Ranger Pink!"

Antonio and Ji immediately stood up, free from their bonds, and raced to safety, as Eyescar turned around to face behind him, where Mike (in Havoc Mode) was taking out a couple of Marauders with his Forest Hammer, "Samurai Forest, Power Ranger Green!"

Next to Mia, Kevin (in Havoc Mode) straightened up from his kneeling position and leveled Eyescar with his Hydro Bow, "Samurai Water, Power Ranger Blue!" He fired off a single shot, which hit the Nighlock's hand, forcing Antonio's Morpher into air.

Emily (in Havoc Mode) jumped over Eyescar and caught the Morpher before it could fall to the ground. After landing on her feet, she turned around, the Light Zord in her other hand. "Samurai Earth, Power Ranger Yellow!" She then tossed the Morpher to Antonio, who had returned from escorting Ji to safety.

He caught it with ease, and quickly drew his Symbol, morphing in to his regular mode as he said, "Samurai Light, Power Ranger Gold!"

Eyescar growled with anger, "How in the world did you Rangers figure out my trap?" he yelled, before turning to run away. He stumbled to a halt as a familiar dino head appear in his line of sight out of nowhere.

"Not so fast," said Jayden (in Dino Rage Mode), having returned from the Battlewing. "Samurai Fire, Power Ranger Red!"

"Rangers Together, Samurai Forever!" the six rangers declared, all forming a circle around their enemy.

Eyescar growled, "Rangers to the left of me. Rangers to the right of me. I can't believe my eye!"

"Who's getting the last laugh now, Nighlock?" Antonio asked, readying his Barracuda Blade.

Eyescar cackled, leering at Antonio.

"Your plan didn't work," Jayden said, "and now it's gonna come back to bite you."

"You make me splitting mad!" Eyescar spun around and blasted purple sludge at Jayden, who easily sliced through the attack with his Dino Sword, before turning around and striking down a couple of Marauders who had come near him.

The battle immediately began. The other four Rangers took on their own little groups of red Marauders, varying between their regular weapons and their Havoc Mode ones, with Emily releasing Light Zord from her grasp in order to use both her Earth Slicer and her Spiral Earth Drill at the same time.

Two Marauders tried to sneak up on Ji, who was waiting on the sidelines, but he took them both out with ease and continued to wait as if nothing had happened.

Antonio sheathed his Barracuda Blade after slicing down few Marauders, before turning to the rest.

"Boss!" Antonio turned around in time to see the Light Zord fly out of nowhere and take down some of the Marauders surrounding Antonio. He rejoined with Antonio. "Glad to see that you're okay, Boss! I was so worried!"

"I'm okay, LZ," Antonio calmed his Zord down. "It takes more than that to take me down. Now, Havoc Mode: Engage!"

Now morphed in Havoc Mode, Antonio used LZ's baton to quickly and easily take out the rest. Once the last one had fallen, Antonio glanced up in time to see Eyescar leaping into the fray.

"Lights out, Gold Ranger!" the Nighlock cried. Antonio easily blocked dodged all his attacks.

After giving Eyescar a solid kick to the chest, the Gold Ranger said, "I don't think so! Battle Disk: Scatter Shot!"

Multiple black-colored Power Disks fired at Eyescar, forcing him back onto the ground.

Antonio turned to Jayden, who had come up next to him at that moment, "Jayden!"

"You okay?" Jayden asked.

"Never better!" Antonio replied

"Good. I'll take it from here," Jayden said, before rushing in.

Eyescar shot more purple sludge at Jayden, who simply leapt up to avoid it, before bringing the Dino Sword down on the Nighlock. Jayden hit him two more times, before pointing the Sword in front of him, Eyescar behind him. The Dino Sword swerved around to hit the Nighlock multiple times, before the last one sent him flying.

Jayden then turned around and struck Eyescar one last time, "Dino Slash!"

With that, Eyescar's first life was ended.

"Nice one, Jay!" Antonio said.

But Eyescar quickly grew into his second life, "I've got my eye on you, Rangers! You're done for!"

"Let's go!" Jayden orderd in response.

"Zords Combine! Samurai Megazord, We Are United!"

"Clawzord Transformation! Claw Battlezord: East! Ready!"

"Shogun Mode: Power of the Ancestors!" Jayden activated Shogun Mode, with Dino accents this time.

Eyescar readied himself to attack, "I'll mop the floor with both of 'ya!"

Antonio spun the podium disk. "Claw Battlezord: South! Ready!"

Clawzord blocked the attack with his twin katanas. Eyescar, however, side-stepped him, and got in a solid hit.

"Man, this guy's a heavy hitter," Antonio muttered.

Meanwhile, Eyescar easily knocked the Samurai Megazord onto the ground.

"Not so fast!" Antonio spun the disk again. "Claw Battlezord: West! Ready!"

But Eyescar kicked up some dirt, blinding Antonio. When the dust settled, the Samurai Megazord was back on its feet, and Eyescar was holding the Clawzord hostage.

"I've got your golden boy, Rangers!" Eyescar taunted. "What are you gonna do now?"

"Hey! Back off!" Antonio cried out.

"Stop taking people hostage," Jayden advised. "It's obviously not doing you any favors." He then spun the Dino Bite Disk on his hilt, the other four following his lead. "Dino Zord: Disengage!"

Their combined power allowed the katana to transform into the Dino Zord. The Megazord motioned the Zord to attack, and the Zord charged, roaring on the way.

The Dino Zord quickly ran behind Eyescar and bit him in the butt, making him release the Clawzord.

Antonio spun the podium disk one last time, "Claw Battlezord: South! Ready! Let's do this, guys!"

"Samurai Artillery!" The Dino Zord reformed its parts to fit the Megazord. "Dino Rage Megazord, Armed For Battle!"

With every last bit of their strength, all five Rangers swung their swords down.

"Katana Power: Dino Zord Slash!"

"Double Katana Strike!"

The slices cut Eyescar in half, ending his second life.

"Samurai Rangers, Victory is Ours!" The Rangers celebrated their victory, while from the ground, Ji smiled with pride.

~B~E~T~T~E~R~~T~O~G~E~T~H~E~R~~P~O~W~E~R~~R~A~N~G~E~R~S~~S~A~M~U~R~A~I~~R~E~D~O~

Shiba House, Gianni Forest, Panorama City, California

Antonio knocked on the door to Ji's room. "Come in," he heard from within, and Antonio opened the door, but didn't go inside.

"It's time for dinner, Ji," Antonio said. "Our treat."

Ji smiled, "Very well."

He let Antonio lead him to the kitchen, where he got a surprise. A nice one.

There were no balloons, no streamers, no giant banner. Instead, on the table, there was Ji's personal favorite dinner (roast chicken and a few sides) with a vanilla cake (also his favorite) and a few presents. It was not like Emily's surprise party (where the other Rangers had gone all out with the decorations), yet he knew the six Rangers were just as passionate and excited about this birthday.

"What's this?" he asked with an amused smile.

"We know you don't like celebrating your birthday," Mia explained. "But we set this up anyways."

"Antonio told us the reason why," Mike admitted, "and honestly, that makes a lot of sense. You're not a party dude, at all."

"So we decided to keep it small and sweet," Emily said. "Just as you like it."

"Even if you don't celebrate your birthday like we celebrate our own," Jayden added, "then at least consider this as a token of our gratitude."

"To be honest, he'd better," Kevin cut in. "We worked hard on this."

Ji smiled and gently cut them all off, "Thank you, all of you. This is perfect just the way it is. I don't need a grand celebration to know that I am a very lucky man. You know, I never wanted kids, but now that I have them-six of them-I regret that thought."

The six Rangers shared a laugh, before Mia held up a knife, "Shall we have cake now?"

"Hey, dinner first!" Antonio replied. "Save the cake for later!"

A playful argument between them and Mike then ensued about the proper order in which to eat food, with Jayden and Kevin shaking their heads in amusement and Emily giggling.

It was chaotic, yes, but Ji would not have this any other way.

~PRS~REDO~PRS~REDO~PRS~REDO~PRS~REDO~PRS~REDO~

Original Shinkenger Episode: Act 31

Original PRS Episode: The Rescue

Note: The canon version of 'The Rescue' is an episode I'm neutral to, meaning it's not one of my favorites yet I don't hate it either. But if I have to fault it for one thing, it's definitely the logic and mechanics of the fishing spool. First of all, fishing spools are not double-ended, and second, the fact that they found the spool in the tunnel, suggesting that's the path the Moogers that captured Ji and Antonio took to the valley, but then Eyescar being surprised when they come from that way, makes no sense. I understand that they wanted the Rangers to be seen as clever, and maybe I'm wrong, but it was bugging me so I had to fix it.

Hope you enjoyed this chapter. Please review and tell me what you think!

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 9: "Harmony and Discord"

"Mia's brother, Terry, visits the House to convince Mia to sing with him in his band in a concert, but Mia's convinced that he's wasting his time."