Ji was stood in the shade, supervising the morning training. Jayden and Kevin were sparring with their usual intensity. They were, without a doubt, the strongest of the Rangers. Mia was practicing with her Spin Sword in the corner of the yard, duelling with Antonio. Mia was just as strong as her mother before her, that much was obvious to Ji. He also knew that Antonio was strong in battle, and he really did admire how much he had trained himself since he was a child.

The fact that he had built his own morpher and was able to communicate with Octozord was astounding. Maybe he should ask him to take a look at the Claw Zord. He himself had never been able to repair it, and neither had any of the Rangers parents, despite the strength of their symbol power. Maybe it was time for the samurai to advance into the 21st Century, and maybe Antonio was the one to help with that. However, Ji still had to access his skills during training, and he now seemed to be putting everything he could into showing Ji just how much he deserved this. But it wasn't Ji that he needed to impress now. He cast his gaze back to the Blue Ranger again and sighed. Kevin's father was never this stubborn, he was sure.

Finally he looked over to Mike and Emily. Initially the weakest of the rangers, but they had come a long way. Mike, while reckless, was also imaginative and quick with his reflexes, which when coupled with his element, produced an amazing warrior. Emily meanwhile, was never meant to be the yellow samurai, but that just made her more determined. She was happy and always moving, but she could be even more stubborn than Kevin. Her childlike qualities totally disappeared during battle, and her connection with the others really helped to bring the team together.

All-in-all he couldn't have asked for a better team of Samurai Rangers.


Jayden smiled as he found an opening through Kevin's guard again. They both trained as hard as they could, and although they were almost perfectly matched, one of them always managed to find a way through to beat the other. Jayden couldn't remember there ever being a draw between the two of them, despite how many practice duels they had had.

Then his mind started to drift back to the night before. Mike had been the one to suggest the movie, and they had all agreed, except Kevin who had said something about not being late for his morning jog. Mia had watched the first part of the movie, but had gone to bed after she started yawning.

He seemed to remember getting close to the ending, but couldn't remember actually seeing the credits start to roll. Then Mentor Ji had woken the four of them up this morning, and he had noticed that there was a weight on his shoulder, but everything moved quickly and the weight was gone before he opened his eyes, and the next thing he knew he was covered in popcorn. He had cast a glance across the sofa, and saw that Emily was sat closer to him than she had been last night, was also covered in popcorn, and was blushing slightly. He also saw Antonio give him a slight wink, which no one else seemed to notice.

Antonio ... he was so happy to have his old friend back again. And now that he had trained, and was part of the team, couldn't make Jayden happier. He had always enjoyed Antonio's company, and now that he could truly be involved was sure to bring them closer than ever.

And then there was Emily. All his life he had known it was his destiny to take control of the Lion Folding Zord and his father's Samuraizer. Apart from Antonio he hadn't had many close friends, instead Ji preferred him to be training, knowing that eventually he would have to cut his ties with the outside when he began his fight against Xandred and the Nighlocks. Hence he had never really gotten close to any girls, and then Mia and Emily had been thrown into his life. He knew that Kevin liked Mia, and he was pretty sure it was reciprocated, but he wasn't entirely sure.

Emily on the other hand, well she just constantly brought a smile to everyone's face. Her happy-go-lucky attitude towards life was amazing. He guessed that was one of the benefits of never being destined and trained from birth. But he had no idea how deep his feelings for her went. But what he did know was that he needed to find out, and fast.