Jayden and the other Rangers all pulled themselves to their feet, watching as Mentor Ji stood before them, facing the mooger/grinder hybrids in his Ranger form. None of them could believe their eyes as they saw what was standing before them.

"Okay, someone clue me in here." Mike began as he looked along the team. "When exactly did Mentor become a Ranger?"

Ji placed a Power Disk on his Spin Sword, drawing it as he faced off against the hybrids. Spinning it, it transformed into a naginata, which he spun around in an impressive display.

"Well, what are you waiting for?" General Gut screamed. "It's only one more Ranger, get him!"

Mentor Ji rushed to the attack as the remaining hybrids charged, lashing out with his naginata. The blade started to glow brightly, and he swung it. The Rangers all watched as it parted armour, and sent the first of them falling with ease.

The others swarmed around him, but his skill, and the fact he was not already exhausted from facing over a hundred foes meant he managed to stay one step ahead. Swinging around, his blade lashing in all directions, the creatures all stopped still in their tracks. Ji turned his naginata back into the Spin Sword, sheathing it and turning to face the two generals as they all fell slowly to the ground and exploded.

"But...how?" Gut gasped as he watched the last of his army fall beneath Ji's blade. "It's impossible! Our hybrids...!"

"It is foolish to rely on weapons and armour." Ji announced. "What you believed made them stronger is what defeated them. It is the warrior that makes the difference."

"My technology is flawless!" Professor Cog screamed in response as he started to rush towards him. "You will see that!"

"Your technology does have one serious flaw." Mentor Ji replied, pulling out his Samuraizer. He traced a symbol in the air, and cast it towards Cog. The attack bot continued to charge, but slowly but surely, he started to fall apart to the point that by the time his momentum carried him to Ji, scrap metal, wires and screws flew around him in all directions. He looked back to General Gut.

"He took him apart without a sweat!" Kevin shrieked. "How...?"

"He has the Symbol Power over the element of metal." Mike informed them. "Professor Cog was a robot. He could just will him apart! He may as well have been made of crepe paper!"

"Leave now General Gut, and I shall allow you to leave with your life." Ji told him flatly. "Stay, and I will send you to the Dark Zone!"

"You arrogant, self-righteous wretch!" He screamed in response. "I am General Gut! The greatest of all Master Xandred's generals! Your blood will stain this ground!"

General Gut rushed towards Ji, swinging his weapon wildly. Ji drew his Spin Sword, launching himself aside and slicing across his abdomen, skimming off his armour as he arrived.

"Wow." Scott remarked as he watched the ferocious battle. "I thought my dad was scary."

"Should we help him?" Summer asked.

"This is his fight." Jayden assured her, smiling proudly as he watched his father figure in action. "He'll tell us if we're needed."

The battle had reached something of an impasse as the two warriors leapt away from each other. Ji was landing more of the attacks, but so far was not managing to get anything through his armour. Gut on the other hand had only managed the occasional superficial hit as Ji used his own rage and momentum against him.

"Momentum is comprised of mass and velocity." Ji reminded Gut. "The more you weigh, the harder it is to start and stop that momentum."

"You will NOT humiliate me old man!" He yelled, firing a power blast his way. As he did so, Jayden leapt forward, morphing and calling forth his Fire Smasher. He blocked the energy wave, standing before Ji in his defence.

"I believe it is time for this battle to end." Ji told him, pulling out his Samuraizer again. "Say hello to the other fallen for me!"

With that, he cast a symbol at him. General Gut stopped and started to clutch at his sides. He screamed out in pain, and started clawing frantically, as though desperately trying to get his armour off. It was then that they saw why as his breast plate buckled inwards. Mentor Ji was crushing him to death with his own armour!

With one long, last scream, he exploded, ending his first life. The Rangers all swarmed around Ji as he powered down.

"That was...that was so freaking awesome!" Mike screamed. "You totally curb-stomped their asses!"

"Thank you for that assessment Mike." Ji told them. "It is as I always say, if you are creative, your symbol power can prove a more invaluable weapon than any blade."

"But...you morphed!" Mia stammered out. "When did you...?"

"I think explanations are going to have to wait guys." Jayden replied as General Gut revived for his second life, growing to enormous size.

"OK, did you happen to bring any new toys to the dance?" Mike asked.

"I am afraid that you will have to make do with your own Zords." He replied, putting a hand on Jayden's shoulder. "I have done my part. You can finish this."

"Let us." Scott told him as his team morphed ready for battle.

The Samurai all marvelled as they called forth their Zords from within them, forming up into the RPM Ultrazord. Antonio just tapped Jayden on the shoulder.

"They combined ALL their zords!" He pointed out. "Can you imagine if we could do that? What kind of power...? They have...12 ZORDS!" He called out, pointing to it excitedly as the battle progressed. "The power in that has to be off the charts!"

"Dude, our biggest Zord combination uses eight Zords." Mike reminded him. "Isn't that big enough?"

General Gut attacked their Zord repeatedly, displaying a much greater speed than they would have expected. In his second life, he no longer possessed his armour, and so was not encumbered by it. He launched an attack with some kind of serpent emanating from his abdomen.

"That one hit us pretty hard." Flynn commented from the cockpit. "The power levels are holding steady, but they are dropping."

"He's tough, but so are we!" Scott told them. "Let's give him something to think about!"

A barrage of blasts fired from the silver and gold zords on the shoulders of the Ultrazord staggering and blinding him and giving them some space.

"Alright, we are powered up and ready to go." Flynn assured him.

"Lock on and fire!" They called out together. They opened up with their ultimate attack, destroying him completely. As General Gut fell, exploding for the final time, they recalled their Zords and suits, running to the waiting Samurai Rangers.

"That was...amazing!" Emily complimented them.

"Hey, weapons are just toys if you don't know how to use them right?" Scott asked. Jayden just smiled.

"Of course, even I can admit I'd rather have a sword than a shinai when the battle starts." He conceded, grabbing his hand. "Now, let's get out of here before the reporters come back. It may be different in Corinth, but here we take the secret identity thing seriously."

A couple of hours later, after they had all rested and eaten, the Stephen, Serena, the Samurai and the RPM Rangers assembled on a disused train station a little way from the Shiba House. Scott pulled out his morpher, bringing forth the Paleomax Megazord train.

"Well, I have to admit, I may have thought you were tragically old school before, but this has been great." Scott told them.

"I'm just glad that your battles are now finally over." Emily replied. "You get back to your normal lives."

"The Ranger thing is cool and all, but I have to admit that I'm looking forward to that too." Summer told them as Dillon held her closely, looking up to her husband. "We can get back to that little...project...we were working on."

Dillon looked to the others and stepped forward, taking Mike by the arm and leading him a little further down the platform.

"I just wanted to say that I'm sorry about...you know." Dillon told him. "I've never been great with people, especially when the subject of Venjix comes up.

"Hey, we're cool." Mike told him. "If I fell out with everyone that tried to strangle me, I wouldn't have any friends."

"I just didn't want to leave without clearing things up with you." He told him. "Hey, good luck with Emily. I've seen the way you look at each other, it's clear you're made for each other."

"Yeah, she's pretty great." Mike agreed. "I have to keep reminding myself I'm not dreaming. I can't imagine what I did to deserve her."

"That sounds familiar." Dillon chuckled. "Just...do everything you can to hold onto her. You know you're only going to regret it if you don't."

"Hey, you don't need to tell me." Mike answered. "Between you and me, she's the one. I can't imagine myself with anyone else."

"Well, from what I can see the feeling's pretty mutual." Dillon assured him. "I'm not as dense with other people's feelings as others believe."

"Yeah, well good luck with Summer too." Mike told him. "Your little...project? She's not that subtle. Hope it all goes well for you."

"I hope so too." Dillon replied as they rejoined the others.

"Alright, well, we really should be going now." Scott told them. "But before we do, I talked to Dr. K and we just thought we could leave you a little something."

He reached into the train and pulled out a sack, which he reached into, pulling out a leather jacket, trimmed in red much like his own, but with the Shiba Crest on the back in red. He handed it to Jayden.

"Wow, this is...pretty awesome." He replied, removing his jacket and pulling it on. Each of the others were given a similarly styled jacket in their Ranger colour, ending at last with Summer coming over to Mentor Ji, handing him one.

"It was last-minute, but we figured that now you're a Ranger, you should get one too." She told him.

"Thank you." Mentor Ji replied, pulling on his jacket with a huge smile. "As it happens, we got you all a little something too."

Jayden stepped aside as Serena and Stephen brought out a box, containing training equipment, DVDs and books on kendo techniques.

"You seemed to be taking to it well." Jayden stated. "We thought that maybe if you continued to practice, then when you did it would remind you of us."

"Well we have a lot more time on our hands." Scott answered. "You can be sure we will."

"Friends Together!" The Samurai called out.

"Rangers Forever!" The RPM side answered. With that, they started filing onto the train. As the hatch closed and it pulled away from the station, the Samurai watched it disappear into a flash of light in the distance.

"I'm really going to miss them." Emily commented.

"I am too." Mike agreed.

"They really were great weren't they?" Jayden added, before checking his watch. "Anyway, it's almost midnight. If we don't get back quickly, we'll miss the last of Christmas Eve."

As they turned and walked away, Jayden came alongside Mentor Ji.

"I'm really glad for everything." He told him. "Not just the Ranger thing, but that you're back in time."

"I managed to be there the first twenty two, what made you think I'd miss this one if I could help it?" Ji asked him, putting his arm around Jayden. "Merry Christmas my son."

"Merry Christmas Ji." He replied as he they walked home.

A/N: I am only guaranteeing that there WILL be a Christmas chapter, but it may not be until after the day itself, so I wanted to get these out tonight. Merry Christmas everyone!