Ninja Storm: Rise of the Eclipse- Chapter 28: Double-Edged Blake
Disclaimer: Saban owns all Power Ranger lines. I only own Crystal and Lucy and anything else unrecognizable.
Tori made her way into Storm Chargers to meet up with Crystal and Lucy, almost running into Blake. The Navy Ranger seemed to be in a hurry. "Hey," She smiled at him.
Blake stopped. "Hey,"
"Where are you going in such a hurry?" Tori questioned.
The Navy Ranger walked back into the store. "Um, nowhere," he lied. He turned to leave again.
"Do you want to go riding after work, maybe?" Tori suggested.
Blake turned back to her, stepping towards her. "Nah, I got lots of work to do, and uh… I'll — I'll see you later, all right?"
"Yeah, bye," Tori frowned. It disappeared the instant Crystal walked into the store. The Blue Ranger raised an eyebrow when she saw the black-rimmed glasses hanging off her nose.
"Don't ask. Where's Blake going?" The golden guardian questioned, her green eyes trailing the Ranger from where she was standing. She turned back to Tori, who was also trailing Blake. "I'm gonna get to work," She walked to the back, unloading her backpack and clocking in
An hour later, Tori stood with Shane, who was laying out skateboarding material in the back. "Shane, have you noticed anything weird about Blake lately?" Tori asked.
Shane glanced at Tori then returned to the material under his hand. "Not any more than usual," He replied. "Why?"
"I don't know," Tori shrugged. "He's kind of out there. He doesn't want to hang out. It's like he's got some big secret."
"Are you talking Ranger secret or normal secret? Cause they're two different things." Shane stated.
"I don't know," Tori sighed.
"Hey, Kel!" Hunter called, walking into the store.
Crystal met the two. "Well, there's my boyfriend if you want to go talk about his brother." She jabbed her thumb in the general direction of the taller blond. She moved to help Kelly with the stack of clothes on the counter. "Oh, Hunter," She caught his attention. She leaned down, pulling a pair of gloves from under the counter. "Kel told me to pull these for you,"
Hunter leaned over, kissing Crystal. "Thanks, babe," He smiled, then noticed something off with the blonde. "You're wearing your glasses?" He poked the bridge of Crystal's glasses, making the Gold Ranger go cross-eyed for a second.
"I ran out of contacts yesterday and I can't go get more," The ninja grumbled, swatting Hunter's hand away from her face.
"Hey, Tori," Hunter smiled, glancing at the Blue Ranger. She had come to stand behind the shorter blonde.
"Hey, so, are you going riding?" Tori asked.
"No, no. Just making sure I have spare gloves for the weekend," Hunter smiled again.
"Cool," Tori smiled. Hunter started to move away from the two. Crystal squeezed Hunter's forearm, disappearing into the back with Kelly and Shane. All three could hear the conversation between the two. "So, how's it going?"
"Fine,"
"Good… so how's the riding? Are you guys racing this weekend?"
"No,"
"How's the track?"
"Are you all right, Tori?"
Tori smiled. "Yeah, why wouldn't I be?"
Hunter shrugged. "I don't know," He laughed. He moved to his bike, which was sitting near the back with a note on the seat. He glanced over it, seeing Crystal's neat handwriting. 'Kel says to break 'em in before you bust lap times' Down at the bottom was a note from Lucy, crossed off. The Crimson Ranger wasn't sure if the note was for him or Crystal, but it was funny to read. 'I'm bored and have run out of things to read'
"So, tell me, come on," Tori begged, chasing Hunter across the store.
Hunter lifted a tire from where it was sitting on his bike. "Uh, well, it's a sand track, so I'm going to try out these new tires,"
"That's great… How's Blake?"
"Uh, fine,"
"Have you seen him around?"
"Uh, no. He's been kind of busy,"
"Doing what?"
Hunter pursed his lips together. "Hmm, now that you mention it, I don't know." He smiled, shrugging. "Weird, huh?"
"Yeah," Tori frowned again. "Weird." She turned her head. "I got to go," She took off.
"Wait, don't you want to hear about the new…" Hunter trailed off when Tori disappeared from the shop. "Tires,"
Crystal stopped near him. "No one wants to hear about the tires,"
"You did when we got them," Hunter motioned to her.
"I ride almost every track, Tori doesn't. Come on, bug boy, think,"
Hunter turned, watching the blonde walk away. "Did you just call me bug boy?"
"Yeah, figured I'd try a new nickname," Crystal shrugged, pushing her glasses up her nose.
"All right then," Hunter moved over to her. He reached around her head, pulling her glasses from her. "How bad is your eyesight, babe?"
"Horrible," Crystal answered. She stopped what she was doing, in case she ended up walking into anything. "Before I had glasses, I would walk into so many walls. It was bad," She heard Kelly, Shane, and Hunter chuckled at her statement. "It's true. Lucy will go on about the number of things I crashed into when I was a kid,"
"I believe you, Crystal," Kelly spoke up from Crystal's right. "You still do run into things some times,"
"Rarely… now," The blonde grumbled. "Hunter, can I have my glasses back?" She questioned. She felt Hunter slide her glasses back on her face, letting the blonde see again. They turned to find Blake walking back into the store.
Hunter turned to Crystal. "Where's Lucy?"
"Might be at Ops, could be at home doing homework," Crystal shrugged. "She's been working the whole week to finish her junior year,"
Later that day, Sensei called the Rangers to report to Ops for training. The six Rangers that arrived were paired with each other. Tori against Dustin. Shane against Crystal. Hunter against Lucy. They were all fighting when the computer beeped. The six stopped, turning to see the screen. It was a giant bubble monster.
"Those are some nasty hiccups," Tori grimaced, still holding Dustin's arm behind him.
"We'd better get over there," Shane stated, feeling Crystal let go of his arm. He paused. "What, what about Blake?" He turned to the blond beside him.
"I don't know where he is," Hunter turned to the blonde in blue. "Tori?"
"Don't look at me, I can barely get a 'hello' out of him," Tori retorted.
Shane turned to the resident genius. "Cam, you try to get a hold of him. We'll head this guy off," Hunter nodded, switching places with his leader. "Ready?"
"Ready,"
Ninja Storm, Ranger Form
Thunder Storm, Ranger Form
Eclipse Storm, Ranger Form
Ninja Ranger Power
Guardian of the Sun
Guardian of the Moon
Cam typed on the computer. "Where are you, Blake?"
Excellent work, Inflatron," Shimazu complimented. "Well done,"
"Thank you," The monster, Inflatron, squeaked. He swung his tentacles around.
The two turned, hearing the Rangers before seeing them. The six jumped down from their different vantage points, recouping in front of the two. "What's this I see? Why, it's the end of the Power Rangers,"
"Nice try, Shimazu." Crystal snorted. "But it's gonna more than hot air to take us down,"
"I'm so toxic if you burst my bubble where you're standing now will turn to rubble," Inflatron stated.
"What?" Tori asked. She turned to Hunter and Crystal. "Do you think he's telling the truth?"
"I don't know," Hunter answered.
"Well, I say, we pop him!" Dustin tried to take off.
Shane stopped him. "Maybe I can neutralize him," Shane jumped up, pulling his sword out. Inflatron swung his tentacle, hitting Shane right in the arm. That pushed the Red Ranger back, hitting the ground and rolling to a stop. The other Rangers surrounded him. He yelled out, clutching his arm to his chest in pain. Pain radiated from where he was struck, throbbing. "My arm, it burns!"
"That's nothing!" Inflatron sent balloons at the Rangers, knocking them all the ground. Each Ranger hit the ground, groaning.
"Look at them!" Shimazu pointed at the Rangers. "They're pathetic! They're hopeless!"
Lucy rose to her feet, shakily. "We'll see who's pathetic," She pulled her rapier from her back, running at Shimazu and Inflatron. The balloon monster whipped his tentacles around. One tentacle struck Lucy in the bicep and forearm. She ducked, trying to ignore the searing pain throbbing through her arm. She swung at him. Inflatron dodged it, sending the silver guardian to the ground. She crashed, pinning her arm to her chest.
"That wasn't a good plan, sis," Crystal called out, grunting while trying to push herself up. "Man, everything hurts,"
"Ready for more?" Inflatron grinned.
"Hey!" Blake called up, walking into the fight. "I hate to burst your bubble, but you forgot about me,"
"Ow, ow, ow," Crystal muttered, sitting up. "About time,"
Blake whipped around, using the antlers on his helmet to sent bolts of lightning at the two. The Rangers gathered around him. "Let's put them together," Shane called. "Thunderstorm cannon," The four Rangers placed their weapons together. Blake didn't move.
"Blake, hello?" Lucy questioned, cradling her wrist and arm.
The Navy Ranger glanced over his shoulder. "Hang on,"
"Blake!" Tori called out, moving from the weapon.
"I know what I'm doing," Blake assured the team. He pulled out an older look staff. The shaft was like the thunder staff he and Hunter carried, but it was different. Two sharp blades were on either end, a blue stone set in the center of each.
"Hey, what's that?" Shimazu asked, pointing to the weapon Blake held.
"Blake, what are you doing with that?" Hunter demanded.
"Be careful," Shane advised. "We don't know what we're dealing with yet," He held the thunderstorm blaster alone.
"Trust me," Blake pleaded. He spun the weapon around in his hands.
The Rangers watched Shimazu take off running. Inflatron turned to Blake. The Navy Ranger jumped to Inflatron, slashing down with the staff. He whipped around, striking the monster again. Blake hit a couple more times, but one strike went flat, hitting a balloon. Blake swung the staff, hitting the Inflatron in the torso. That caused sparks and lightning.
The monster rolled away from Blake. "I'll be back," He took off running, disappearing.
The Rangers regrouped at Ops. Shane was able to shake off the pain from the monster, but Lucy wasn't as lucky. There wasn't a wound, it just hurt like hell. The ninjas stood around Cam, watching the screen. "The analysis is almost done," Cam reported. He typed a few keys, completing the analysis. The screen changed to show a chemical compound. "There — see for yourself," All the Rangers exchanged confused glances. Cam glanced around. "Oh, uh, sorry. In simple terms, it seems Blake was right,"
Blake laughed. "Sweet," He clapped hands with his brother.
"Inflatron is a carbon-based life form," Cam explained.
"Comprised of gases that are inert and benign in nature," Crystal added. Everyone glanced at her. "I went to school,"
"Nerd," Hunter leaned over, pushing her glasses back up her face.
"Jerk,"
"Wait, so what are we talking about?" Tori asked.
"Well, you can destroy it without risking the surrounding area," Cam answered.
"So, the thing was full of hot air after all," Dustin summed up.
Crystal nodded. "Essentially,"
"Great, so how are we supposed to take this gas bubble down?" Lucy questioned. Her hands found her hips.
"Yeah, it didn't seem like he wants to go down easily…" Shane added. He cut his sentence short when he caught sight of Blake. The Navy Ranger was off to the side, spinning and training with the weapon. "Hey, uh, Blake…" He called, hesitant to continue his question. "… You, uh, wanna talk about that thing now?"
Blake stopped, glancing down at the staff in his hands. "Sensei Omino left this to me, the night before the Thunder Academy was taken. He told me to take good care of it, and that I would know when the time was right to use it, "He spun the staff around his hand.
"Didn't he say you were supposed to train with it?" Hunter questioned, staring at his brother.
Blake whipped the staff around, tucking it under his arm. "Who says I haven't been?"He smirked at his brother, taking off out of Ops. The Rangers scattered, ignoring the look that Tori was making.
A few minutes after Blake left, Lucy found herself tailing the Blue Ranger. She was in the middle of a forest, bounding from tree to tree, watching the blonde while she tailed Blake. She had left in a rush, muttering about homework then disappeared.
It wasn't like she hadn't done this before. Part of being on the lunar side of the Eclipse was the ability to follow without suspicion. She blended into the shadows of the trees easier than the other ninjas. She stopped, crouching down when she saw Tori running into the mouth of the Thunder Academy.
Lucy trailed Tori, no sound coming from the silver ninja. She ran into the mouth of the cavern, rolling her eyes at her teammate. "Blake!" Tori's yell shook Lucy out of her thoughts. She turned, watching the scene unfold. The Blue Ranger charged the masked ninja.
"No!" Blake yelled. But neither ninja was letting up. It ended when Tori on the ground.
"I know you're out there," The masked ninja called, eyes scanning the grounds. "Come out and I won't hurt you,"
Lucy stepped out from the shadows, hands up. "Sup," She smirked. "You're the first to notice me,"
Blake pulled Tori to her feet. "Are you okay, Tor?" He asked with a wide grin on his face. "What are you doing here?"
"I followed you," Tori stated. She fell back into her stance. "And it's a good thing I did,"
"Then what are you doing here?" The navy ninja motioned to Lucy, who was walking towards the three.
"I got a message from someone, telling me to come here," The silver guardian explained. "It just so happened that I was tailing the both of you,"
Blake turned to Tori. "You don't understand. But I want you to meet someone. This is Leanne, Thunder Ninja Class of 2000," He smiled, motioning to the masked ninja. Leanne pulled her mask off, revealing her red hair. She bowed to the two ninjas.
"Thunder ninja?" Tori meekly asked.
"It's an honor to meet Crystal's little sister," Leanne smiled. "Blake's told me a lot about the three of you on the team. I'm glad we're finally able to meet,"
"Leanne's a thunder blade champion," Blake said. "She graduated before the school was taken by Lothor,"
Tori glanced between the two. "So you're…"
"Helping Blake train," Leanne finished for her. "Yes,"
The Blue Ranger slowly nodded, rubbing her head. "I'm such an idiot,"
"I think it's kinda cool how you came after me to defend your friend," Leanne smiled.
Blake nodded, smiling at Tori. "Yeah, me too,"
Lucy was about to say something to Leanne when a flash took everyone's attention. Kelzaks appeared on the hill above the four. All four fell into defensive positions. "Kelzaks?" Leanne asked. "Here?"
"They don't exactly wait to be invited," Tori told her.
The Kelzaks jumped from the cliff, landing on the training area. Each ninja took on a few henchmen. Lucy jumped over a swing, landing on his blade. She threw her foot out, hitting the Kelzak in the face. She ducked under a punch, flipping one while blocking another.
Mi les away from the Academy, Zurgane, Shimazu, and Motodrone landed on Earth. "Well, what are we doing here?" Motodrone fired off.
Zurgane turned to the golden monster. "We're waiting," He growled. "The Rangers will be along shortly. He sharped his swords together. "After that, it will be the beginning of their demise,"
"Motodrone, Shimazu, and Zurgane?" Shane listed off, seeing the screen. "Are you sure about that?"The remaining Rangers were standing in the back of the semi.
"There — Talk about bad things happening in threes," Cam muttered.
"Great," Crystal huffed, hands sitting on her hips. "General convention. Love to see it,"
"We better get after them," Shane glanced at the Rangers around him. "Ready?"
"Ready,"
Ninja Storm, Ranger Form
Thunder Storm, Ranger Form
Eclipse Storm, Ranger Form
"Haha, I knew it," Zurgane boasted.
"Where are the others?" Shimazu questioned. The four Rangers sat on their bikes. Dustin, Shane, and Crystal were all on their tsunami cycles. Hunter rode in on his ninja cycle.
Motodrone threw his cloak off, climbing onto his bike. "Who cares?" He snarled. "Let's get 'em," He climbed into his bike, charging the Yellow Ranger, who was racing toward him. The two flew past each other, firing shots. Dustin's bike sparked red when he landed and whipped around.
Hunter took on Zurgane. Zurgane threw his arms out, swinging at the oncoming Crimson Ranger. Hunter ducked but the tip of Zurgane's sword scrapped the side of his bike.
Shane and Crystal faced Shimazu. The latter still not over the fight two weeks ago. The general jumped up and over Shane, landing on his bike. "Hey, get off!" Shane turned his head to the general. Shimazu grabbed his sword holding it near his neck. Shane held his arm up, blocking the blade from doing any damage.
"Blake, the gasbag is at the beach. Can you get over there if I send a tsunami cycle?" Cam questioned.
The Navy thunder ninja peered at the ninjas beside him. Leanne and Lucy were taking on Kelzaks in a circle. Tori whipped around, facing him. "Go," She encouraged.
"On my way," Blake reported, taking off. He flipped over a broken wall, crouching on the ground. He moved back, pressing himself against the wall. He glanced around.
Thunder Storm, Ranger Form
Power of Thunder
Lucy ended up standing back to back with Leanne. The two blocked and dodged kicks together, dancing around the space they had. When one would hit, the other would take a hit. The two seemed to dance, which enticed the Kelzaks to attack them.
The redheaded ninja glanced at her. "Aren't you gonna morph?" She asked. Lucy shot her a look. "I've known that you two were destined to be the Guardians the day Crystal walked into the Thunder Academy."
"All right then,"
Eclipse Storm, Ranger Form
Guardian of the Moon
"This is gonna be a gas!" Inflatron swung his tentacles around.
"Think again, freak show!" Blake called, drawing the attention of the balloon. He rode at the monster, firing lasers from his cycle.
Inflatron was sent flying. He landed, whipping around to see Blake. "Come on, wimpy Ranger." Blake climbed off his bike. "Show me what you got!"
"No problem." The Navy Ranger spun the thunder blade around in his hand. He went for a strike, but Inflatron sidestepped out of the way. Blake rolled to a stop across from him.
"Smooth move," Inflatron insulted. Blake stood up, spinning the blade around. He tried again, running at the monster. He struck Inflatron in the stomach. He struck a few more times, but nothing happened. He reached over his head, striking down.
Inflatron caught it. "Stop it! That tickles!" He glanced down at the blade. "Nice weapon. Too bad you don't know how to use it," Inflatron sent Blake rolling on the ground.
Blake turned his head, groaning. "Why isn't this working?" He demanded.
His mind went to the training fight he had in front of Sensei Omino. "Control your emotions, Blake," He advised after Blake had fallen. "To master the thunder blade, you must never give over to anger."
"I've got to keep focus," Blake muttered to himself. He clambered to his feet, swinging the blade above his head. Charging again, Blake yelled out.
"Back for more?" Inflatron swung his tentacles around, striking Blake in the torso multiple times. Blake rolled back, standing up once more. "Let's party," Inflatron shot balloons at the Navy Ranger, causing more sparks.
Shane was struggling. He had Shimazu on the back of his bike and was getting tired of it. He yanked the general forward, slamming him into the front of his bike. "No free rides!" He yelled, throwing Shimazu up in the air. He swung his blade, sending him to the ground.
Dustin charged Motodrone, both popping wheelies. They slid past each other, stopping their bike roughly. Motodrone whipped around, slashing his blade where Dustin was supposed to be. The Yellow ranger pushed off his bike, spinning and kicking the blade away. He moved to Motodrone, kicking the armored monster off his bike.
Crystal moved from trying to help Shane to take on Zurgane with Hunter. The taller ninja rode in front of Crystal. "Fire," he called, sending lasers at Zurgane. The general blocked them all. "Ninja glider bike! Engage!" His bike turned into a glider. The Crimson Ranger flew over the battle.
The Gold Ranger pulled her rapier from her back, swinging it while riding past Zurgane. She struck his stomach in a burst of sparks. She slowed her bike, ducking to avoid Zurgane's violent swing. She jumped off her bike, letting the general hit the seat of her bike. She charged him, leaping over the gold cycle to strike the general. She pushed him back, sending him to regroup with his other cohorts.
"What?" Shimazu shrieked.
"Fire!" Hunter called, hitting his laser button. The shots sent the three generals to the ground.
The Winds climbed off their bikes, stepping forward. Hunter landed on the ground next to the blonde with the rapier in her hand. "You lose again, Zurgane," She tilted her helmeted head to the side.
"Be warned, Rangers. This is the beginning of the end," Zurgane threatened. He pressed his blades together, disappearing with the other two.
"That doesn't sound good," Dustin glanced at the three beside him.
Blake turned his head from where he was lying in the dirt. Inflatron was sauntering towards him. "Now for the final blow," The monster smiled.
"Think, Blake, the staff can be used in many ways. Do not be limited by what you think is possible,"
"That's it!"Blake smiled. He got up, his whole body telling him not to. "You're mine now!" Blake spun the thunder blade around, snapping it clean in the middle of the shaft.
Inflatron stopped laughing. "Uh-no!"
Blake whipped one side around, throwing it like a javelin at Inflatron. It hit the side of the monster, causing sparks and a blast of air. "Sky of Wonder! Power of Thunder!" Blake held the other side up, letting it gleam in the sunlight. He jumped up, flipping around and striking Inflatron.
Inflatron sparked. "Pop goes the balloon," He cried, falling to the ground in a fit of navy lightning. A second after, He exploded.
"I remember Sensei," Blake breathed.
"You have done well, Blake. You have made great strides here today,"
Blake turned, herding the crunching of sand under boots. His eyes landed on the four morphed Rangers. Shane, Dustin, and Hunter had their visors open while Crystal held hers in her hand. "Good job Blake! You did it!" Shane smiled.
Tori and Lucy appeared on the other side of the beach. "Rys!" Lucy yanked off her helmet, running to her sister. The two tapped gauntlets, grinning at the Rangers.
" I never doubted you," Tori told Blake.
"That's great, can we go?" Lucy motioned away from the beach.
"Now I'm really inflated," Inflatron laughed.
"Cam, it's zord time!" Shane called into his morpher.
"Right with you guys," Cam called.
The five disappeared from the beach, leaving the two sisters. They reappeared in their respective Megazords. "Let's pop this poser," Tori called.
"Right on!" Blake agreed.
The Wind and Thunder spit out the spheres for the Mini-zord, letting them bounce together. "Storm Megazord, Thunder Megazord, combine." In seconds, the Thunderstorm Megazord stood across from Inflatron.
"Try these on for size," Inflatron stated, sending various balloons at the Megazord. The balloons latched onto the Megazord, lifting it up off the ground. "Up and Away," He called, sending a blast of lightning at the Rangers. That caused the balloons to pop. "And now for the big let down," The Rangers crashed onto the ground.
"Hang on guys!" Cam called. He held the Lightning Rift Blaster in his arms. The sisters stood next to him, ready to call their zords in case. "Activating Mammothzord," The Mammoth appeared from his slumber, rolling out onto the street.
"What's that?" Inflatron demanded, looking at the large zord.
The mammoth fired lasers, hitting Inflatron in the chest. He screamed in pain while sparking from where the lasers landed. The Rangers stood, jumping onto the back of the Mammothzord.
"What?" Inflatron screamed.
"Ready Blake?" Shane asked.
"Yeah!" The Navy Ranger responded. "Let's do it," The lion laser and lasers from the Mammothzord hit Inflatron in the stomach, causing more sparks.
"I'm all popped out!" Inflatron shrieked, falling to the ground and exploding.
"So Leanne was your teacher?" Lucy questioned, standing in Ops with Crystal and the rest of the team. Blake and Tori were gone, leaving the two girls with the Ranger boys.
Crystal nodded. "Mom wanted me to train with one of the thunder blade champions. Leanne was the best ninja for that. She found me a few months back, saying that she returned to Thunder Academy after a year abroad in Nepal. She wanted to catch up,"
"Your mom knows you're ninjas?" Dustin asked.
"No, Sensei Hamato is our mom… well, adopted mom. We grew up at the Eclipse Academy, but somehow we missed the attack of the Eclipse." Lucy scratched the back of her head. "How come she never mentioned it? And why did Leanne send me the message to head to the Thunder Academy,"
"Mom sent us to focus on school instead of training for a while." Crystal explained. "She never mentioned the Thunder Academy to you because you never listened. You were always wanting to go train like a water ninja. I don't have a clue about the message. It could've been for me,"
"Hey, you think Blake and Tori are gonna get together after the whole tailing situation?" Lucy changed the subject.
Hunter shook his head. "It'll take 'em months to confess to each other,"
"It's like watching snails racing," Shane added.
"That mystery may never be solved," Crystal answered. "Hope it does. They're cute,"
"And we're not?" Hunter motioned between him and her. The other Rangers snickered.
" We're dating, bug boy," Crystal snorted. "They're cute because they're not. Hell, they ain't even flirting," The Rangers chuckled.
Ah! I'm so sorry for not updating earlier. I moved into my second year of college and got cught up doing school. I hope that everyone's thriving right now. Thank you so much to everyone who has liked, commented, favorited, alerted, and all that jazz. It really means so much to me.
Next Episode: Eye of the Storm
