Chapter 16: Path of the Lion Part 2
*() – Brackets indicate that a character speaks a foreign language. In this case, Japanese.*
Inside of the control room on the Galaxy Warriors ship, Drillion stormed into the room and shoved Madame Odius against the wall threatening her with the large drill on his hand. Galvanax rose to his feet and began making his way across the room to the two bickering.
"I don't know what your problem is!" Madame Odius said as she swatted Drillion's hand away from her. "It's not my fault the Rangers awoke the Lion Fire Zord,"
"Then make me stronger so I can destroy that ancient rust bucket!" Drillion shouted at Madame Odius.
Galvanax grabbed Drillion and hurled him across the control room making him slam into the wall. Drillion fell to the ground in pain and struggled to get up.
"You'll never become stronger with how you act," Galvanax told Drillion as he sat back down.
"Oh, I'll prove you wrong," Drillion said as he made it back to his feet.
"There is something I can do, but it's risky," Madame Odius said as she dusted herself off.
"Then let's do it!" Drillion said as he turned towards Madame Odius. "I can take the risk,"
"If it fails you won't be you anymore," Madame Odius warned Drillion.
"I haven't been myself ever since you put me in this wretched body," Drillion told Madame Odius.
"Fine, follow me to my lab," Madame Odius said as she walked out the door.
Drillion followed Madame Odius out of the control room leaving Galvanax by himself.
"That worthless fool better step up his game," Galvanax said to himself as he crossed his arms.
Back on Earth on Ishihara Island, the Rangers returned to Kiyomi's home and saw the damage caused by the Lion Fire Zord's awakening. Kiyomi looked out into the distance in horror as her father approached her from behind and placed his hand on her shoulder.
"We will fix the damage, but it will take time," Kiyomi's father told her.
"At least you're safe now," Jirou said to Kiyomi.
"Hey, where did that ball of light go?" Ben asked the others as he looked back in confusion.
"Yeah, it was still following us last I checked," Jun said to the others.
"(There you are!)" Someone shouted from the tree line.
The glowing ball of light shot out from the trees startling everyone as it came to a halt.
"What is this thing?" Kiyomi's father asked his daughter.
"We're not sure, but it appears to only speak Japanese," Kiyomi told her father.
"(Who are you?)" Jirou asked the ball of light.
"(I am Masaru Takayama, grandmaster of the Takayama Ninja Clan,)" The ball of light informed Jirou.
"You've got to be kidding me," Jun said as she facepalmed.
"(What is this place?)" Masaru asked as he flew around everyone.
"(This is where you hid the Lion Fire Zord,)" Jirou told Masaru.
"(Ishihara Island,)" Kiyomi's father said to Masaru.
"(I have never heard this place called that before,)" Masaru said as he flew up in front of Kiyomi's father's face.
"(That's because you've been dead for centuries,)" Kiyomi informed Masaru.
"(Impossible!)" Masaru said as he flew over towards Kiyomi. "(If I was dead I wouldn't be here right now,)"
"(You're a floating ball of light,)" Kiyomi said as she became annoyed.
Masaru flew over towards a pond and looked at his reflection in the water.
"(It cannot be!)" Masaru shouted in horror.
"Am I the only one wondering what he's saying?" Mason asked the others.
"I could care less," Logan said as he sighed.
"(What happened to me?)" Masaru asked Kiyomi.
"(I'm not sure, but there was a legend that said your life ended due to the power you possessed,)" Kiyomi told Masaru.
"(The Lion Fire Armor,)" Masaru said as he slowly floated away from Kiyomi. "(It really did end my life,)"
The light around Masaru began to fade.
"He's a Ninja Power Star!" Ben said in astonishment.
"Yeah, an odd looking one though," Jun said as Jirou walked up to Masaru.
Jirou grabbed Masaru and startled him.
"(It seems your soul was sealed within this Ninja Power Star,)" Jirou told Masaru.
"(Keep your dirty hands off of me!)" Masaru shouted as the Ninja Power Star began spinning and emitting flames.
Jirou let go of Masaru as the flames grew stronger.
"(Settle down!)" Jirou shouted at Masaru. "(We're on the same side!)"
"(And how do I know you're not lying?)" Masaru asked Jirou.
"(Because I know how you feel right now,)" Jirou told Masaru. "(I too was sealed away for hundreds of years,)"
"(I wasn't sealed away!)" Masaru shouted at Jirou. "(I hid the Lion Fire Zord and this Ninja Power Star I now am from the demons waiting for the next generation of ninja,)"
"(We are ninja!)" Jirou said as he grabbed Masaru once again.
"(You're a pathetic bunch of brats is more like it!" Masaru shouted at Jirou as he began emitting flames again.
"(I fought the Demon King myself!)" Jirou told Masaru as he fought the heat from the flames. "(I sacrificed memories I could've had with my family to stop him!)"
Masaru suddenly stopped emitting flames as he became astonished.
"(I was sealed away for over four hundred years with him,)" Jirou said as he let go of Masaru. "(Go ahead and say I'm not a ninja again,)"
"(Jirou is also a descendant of yours,)" Kiyomi informed Masaru.
"(He is a Takayama?)" Masaru said in confusion.
"(That's right,)" Jun said as she stepped forward. "(I am as well,)"
"(We've been battling Galvanax for months now,)" Jirou told Masaru. "(It's because of us that everyone is still living their lives to this day,)"
Jirou reached into his pocket and revealed the Red Ninja Power Star to Masaru.
"(Besides, we were chosen to stop him,)" Jirou said to Masaru.
Masaru turned away from Jirou as he groaned.
"(Please help us stop Galvanax,)" Jirou pleaded to Masaru. "(We can't do it without the power you once possessed,)"
"(Boy, this power is too great for any of you,)" Masaru told Jirou. "(Not even I could handle it,)"
"(I don't care if I die as long as Galvanax dies with me,)" Jirou said as he clenched his fist.
Masaru sighed and turned back towards Jirou.
"(What makes you want to stop this Galvanax so badly?)" Masaru asked Jirou.
"(He betrayed our family name and became the Demon King himself,)" Jirou told Masaru. "(I watched him kill many of our people, including my grandfather,)"
"(I cannot assure you these powers,)" Masaru said to Jirou. "(Only you can,)"
"(How does that work?)" Jirou asked Masaru.
"(Only you can find that answer,)" Masaru told Jirou.
"(Then I'll show you I'm worthy,)" Jirou said as he turned away from Masaru.
"What's going on?" Beth asked Jirou as Jirou walked past her.
"Don't worry about it," Jirou said to Beth as he continued walking.
"(That boy really is a Takayama,)" Masaru said quietly to himself as he watched Jirou walk inside.
Later that night, Jirou was training with the other guys as Masaru spied on them. Masaru watched as Jirou continued fighting off the others as they came at him. Jirou quickly swept Ben off his feet and took Ben's wooden sword from him. Jirou blocked both Mason and Logan's swords and shoved them away.
"Come on, you don't need to be a try hard right now!" Mason said in frustration.
"I'm just ticked off!" Jirou said as he blocked Logan's attack with his sword. "If anyone deserves to use those powers, it's me!"
Jirou pulled Logan in front of him causing Mason to hit Logan with his wooden sword.
"Logan!" Mason shouted in concern as Logan fell to the ground holding his nose in pain.
"What was that about?" Ben asked Jirou.
Jirou dropped the two swords as he looked down in horror at Logan in pain.
"I'm sorry," Jirou said as he approached Logan.
"How about you go somewhere else!" Mason shouted as he shoved Jirou away.
"It's fine," Logan said as he held his nose.
"You really need to understand that this isn't just about you," Mason said to Jirou.
Jirou stormed out of the room and left Mason and Ben taking care of Logan. Masaru saw Jirou walk by him mumbling to himself.
"(The boy still has things he needs to learn,)" Masaru said to himself as he watched Jirou turn the corner.
Outside on a cliff on the beach, Kiyomi was by herself playing a flute in the night. Kiyomi continued playing as a gentle breeze blew causing her to slowly open her eyes. Kiyomi suddenly heard someone walking up behind her and stopped playing.
"Oh, I didn't mean to interrupt you," Beth said to Kiyomi as she saw Kiyomi turn towards her.
"It's fine," Kiyomi said to Beth. "I'm still a little jumpy after what happened last night,"
"Trust me, I know how it feels," Beth said as she sat down beside Kiyomi.
Kiyomi and Beth began laughing together as they looked out at the moon shining down on the ocean.
"Today was weird," Kiyomi told Beth.
"Yeah, it really was," Beth said as she giggled.
"A talking Ninja Power Star," Kiyomi said as she chuckled.
"One some of us can't even understand," Beth said as she laid back and looked up at the stars.
Kiyomi quietly laid back and looked up at the stars beside Beth.
"How did you feel when you found him?" Kiyomi asked Beth.
"What?" Beth said in confusion. "Are you talking about Jirou?"
"Yeah, who else?" Kiyomi asked Beth.
"I was worried when I saw him lying there," Beth told Kiyomi. "I thought he was already dead, especially when I noticed the wound on him,"
"So, his wounds were still fresh even though he was sealed away for hundreds of years," Kiyomi said as she stared at the stars.
"Once he woke up, I could tell he was scared," Beth said as she leaned back up.
"How so?" Kiyomi asked Beth.
"He realized something was different," Beth told Kiyomi. "He lost his family and friends,"
"And he ended up with new family and friends," Kiyomi said as she smiled.
"That's right," Beth said as she nodded.
Kiyomi slowly raised the flute back up to her mouth and began playing again as the wind gently blew.
"Jirou still believes there's a way for him to return to his family," Beth said as Kiyomi continued playing.
Beth laid back down and stared back up at the night sky.
"But if he did go back, he'd lose family and friends again," Beth said as her eyes began watering.
Beth slowly closed her eyes as Kiyomi continued playing her flute. Kiyomi noticed something down on the beach causing her to stop playing. Beth opened her eyes and saw Kiyomi looking down at the beach.
"What is it?" Beth asked Kiyomi.
"It's Jirou," Kiyomi told Beth as she pointed down below.
Beth rose back up and looked down off the cliff and saw Jirou training by himself.
"I thought he was with the other guys training inside?" Beth asked Kiyomi.
"He was," Kiyomi said as she rose to her feet.
Down below Jirou punched a rock with a flaming fist as he screamed in anger causing the rock to shatter to pieces.
"What is wrong with me?" Jirou asked himself as he sat down in the sand. "Why did I do that inside?"
Kiyomi and Beth quietly walked up as Jirou continued talking to himself.
"Are you okay?" Kiyomi asked Jirou.
Jirou looked over his shoulder and saw Beth and Kiyomi walk up behind him.
"Why aren't you inside with the others?" Beth asked Jirou.
"Because I'm a reckless moron," Jirou said as he looked away.
"What happened?" Beth asked Jirou as she sat down beside him.
"I took things too far and ended up hurting Logan," Jirou told Beth.
"Accidents happen," Kiyomi said as she sat on a rock.
"I'm sure Logan will be fine," Beth told Jirou.
"Even if he is, Mason won't get over it," Jirou said to Beth.
"Well that's just how Mason is," Beth said as she chuckled. "He always blows things out of proportions,"
"I have feeling you were trying a little too hard so you could prove that you're worthy of the Lion Fire Armor," Kiyomi said as she crossed her legs.
"Yep, that's right," Jirou said as he sighed.
"You don't need to prove anything," Beth said to Jirou. "If anyone deserves that power, it's you,"
"Beth's right," Kiyomi said as she nodded. "The amount of people you've saved is enough proof to me,"
"Now are you going to keep sitting out here or are you going to go to bed inside?" Beth asked Jirou.
"Alright then," Jirou said as he rose to his feet.
"Just ignore Mason's bickering," Beth said as she rose to her feet.
"How can you?" Jirou asked Beth as he and the girls headed back to the house laughing.
Back at the mansion, Kiyomi led Jirou and Beth inside and saw Jun sitting by herself in boredom. Jun looked over at the others as she rose to her feet. Bickering was then heard coming from upstairs as Jun walked over to the others.
"Mason has been complaining nonstop," Jun said in annoyance.
"We're about to fix that," Beth said to Jun as she patted on her shoulder while walking past her.
"Where have you guys been anyway?" Jun asked them as she followed the others up the stairs.
"We were just out enjoying the weather," Kiyomi told Jun as she smiled.
"Yeah, it really does help get your mind off things," Jirou said as the group came up to the top of the stairs.
As Jirou and the others approached a door down the hall, the bickering became louder.
"Let me go in first," Beth said to Jirou as she stepped in between Jirou and the door.
"Go ahead," Jirou said as he stepped back.
Beth took in a deep breath and opened the door. Ben looked over at the door as Mason continued yelling and saw Beth step into the room.
"Ok, that's enough screaming like a child," Beth said to Mason as she walked up to him.
"He's the only one that won't get over what happened to Logan," Ben told Beth. "Even Logan knows it was an accident,"
"My nose isn't even broken, just bruised," Logan said with a nasally voice.
"Accident or not, Jirou needs to learn to control himself," Mason said as he crossed his arms.
"I can say the same to you," Jirou said as he stepped into the room.
"I'm not the one injuring my friends while training!" Mason shouted at Jirou.
"Accidents happen Mason," Jun said as she stood at the doorway. "Let it go!"
"Accident or not, Jirou needs to think about our safety more than an old Power Star," Mason said to the others.
Kiyomi quietly stepped into the room and made her way to the other side of the room.
"That Power Star is too important to ignore," Jirou told Mason as Kiyomi snuck up behind Mason.
"We don't need some ancient Power Star to beat the bad guys!" Mason shouted at Jirou.
"You saw what that monster did to us yesterday," Jirou said to Mason. "If it wasn't for the Lion Fire Zord we'd all be dead,"
"Okay, that's enough complaining!" Kiyomi said as she jabbed two fingers into Mason's shoulder.
Mason instantly fell to the ground unconscious surprising the others.
"Was that necessary?" Beth asked Kiyomi.
"He'll be fine," Kiyomi said as she sighed. "He'll just be a little lightheaded when he gets up in the morning,"
"And with that, it's time for bed," Jun said as Beth and Kiyomi stepped out of the room.
"See you guys in the morning," Kiyomi said as she closed the door behind her.
Ben looked down at Mason lying on the floor and tapped him with his foot.
"I think we just witnessed a murder," Ben said in horror.
"She only knocked him out by hitting one of his pressure points," Jirou said as he sat down on his bed.
Jirou looked over at Logan and saw the bruised area around his nose.
"I'm sorry about earlier," Jirou said to Logan.
"Don't worry about it," Logan said as he covered up in bed. "We all make mistakes,"
"I just hope Mason doesn't wake up in a hissy fit again," Ben said as he lied down.
"I'm sure things will be back to normal tomorrow," Jirou said as he turned off the lamp on the table next to him.
"I hope so," Logan said as he rolled over in bed.
The next morning, Mason came to his senses and woke up in the floor. Mason looked over at Jirou's bed and saw that Jirou was missing. Mason rose to his feet and began to stumble as he grasped his head in pain.
"What the heck happened to me?" Mason said in confusion.
Mason shook the pain away and exited the room leaving Ben and Logan by themselves sleeping. Mason stepped outside and saw the sun rising over the horizon in the distance.
"Where could Jirou be?" Mason wondered as he walked over towards a pond in the front yard.
"I wouldn't bother him," Kiyomi said to Mason as she was sitting under a tree with her flute in hand.
"I didn't notice you over there," Mason said to Kiyomi.
"Just the side effects of me making you faint," Kiyomi said as she chuckled.
"Whatever," Mason said as he rolled his eyes. "Seriously, where did Jirou run off to?"
"I saw him and Masaru head towards the beach a few minutes ago," Kiyomi told Mason. "Jirou was meditating last I checked,"
"What a joke," Mason said as he chuckled.
"You should try meditating sometime," Kiyomi advised Mason. "It'll help with your anger problem,"
"I don't have an anger problem," Mason said in annoyance as he began heading towards the beach.
"There it is," Kiyomi said as she sighed and rose to her feet.
Kiyomi followed Mason down to the beach where they saw Jirou sitting by himself at the bottom of the cliff meditating with Masaru floating near him.
"Alright, it's time to wake up," Mason said as he began approaching Jirou.
Kiyomi grabbed Mason by the arm and pulled him away from Jirou.
"I wouldn't do that," Kiyomi told Mason.
"Why not?" Mason asked Kiyomi.
"Just leave him be for now," Kiyomi said to Mason as she let go of him.
"I'm not going to wait on him to wake up," Mason said to Kiyomi. "We still need to finish our discussion,"
"You really want me to force you asleep again don't you?" Kiyomi asked Mason.
Kiyomi walked up behind Mason and grabbed him again.
"How about you try meditating too?" Kiyomi asked Mason.
"Not a chance," Mason said as he pulled his arm away from her.
"I can tell that something is troubling you, and it's not about the accident from yesterday," Kiyomi said to Mason. "That would explain your outbursts,"
"Fine, only if it makes you shut up about it," Mason said in annoyance as he sat down in the sand and crossed his legs.
Kiyomi sat down beside Mason and crossed her legs.
"Close your eyes and breathe gently," Kiyomi told Mason as she closed her eyes.
Mason closed his eyes and began gently breathing.
"Clear your mind," Kiyomi said to Mason. "Don't let anything distract you,"
"This isn't going to work," Mason said as he snickered.
"It won't if you don't keep quiet," Kiyomi said as she slapped Mason on the back of the head.
Mason began gently breathing again as the ocean breeze blew by. Mason opened his eyes and noticed that the area had become foggy. Mason rose to his feet and noticed that Kiyomi and Jirou were gone.
"Guys?" Mason said as he backed up cautiously.
"It's because of you that mom is gone!" Someone shouted out loud startling Mason.
Mason quickly turned around and saw another Mason yelling at nothing.
"Ok, this just got a little creepy," Mason said as he approached the other Mason.
Mason went to grab the other Mason by the shoulder, but the other Mason suddenly disappeared before him.
"You only care about your stupid magic shows!" Another Mason shouted in the distance.
"It's me yelling at my dad," Mason said as he watched the other Mason continue yelling.
"How about you do something else with your life besides pulling a rabbit out of your hat?" The other Mason said as he walked into the fog and vanished.
"I'm not following orders from you," Another Mason said as he walked past Mason.
"Why am I seeing this?" Mason said in confusion.
"What does she see in him?" Another Mason asked himself as Mason turned around. "It doesn't make any sense,"
Mason backed away from the other Mason's causing them to disappear into the fog. Someone was then heard crying. Mason turned around and saw another version of him sitting on the ground crying.
"Come on, just get it over with," The crying Mason said as he held a knife to his wrist.
The Mason screamed in frustration and threw the knife into the fog.
"This is all your fault," The Mason said as he rose to his feet.
The Mason turned towards Mason and glared at him.
"Wait, you can see me?" Mason asked the other Mason.
"We all can," Another Mason said as he walked out of the fog.
"And now we're going to make you suffer like the rest of us," Another Mason said as he grabbed Mason from behind.
"Get off of me!" Mason shouted as he slung the other Mason off of him.
"You'll never change your ways Mason," One of the Masons said to him. "We won't let you,"
"Shut up!" Mason shouted as the other Masons approached him.
"Let's all stay here and suffer together!" A Mason said to Mason as he laughed evilly.
"How do I get out of this place?" Mason asked himself.
"You don't," Another Mason answered him.
"Stay out of my head!" Mason shouted at the Mason who was approaching him.
"Be with us," All the other Masons said at once.
"No chance in hell!" Mason shouted as he placed his hand on the ground causing pillars of water to shoot out of the ground and wipe out the other Masons around him.
"You can't stop us," Another group of Masons said together as they walked out of the fog.
"We'll see about that," Mason said as he pulled out his wand and fired a stream of blue flames at the other Masons.
The flames took out the other Masons with ease, but only caused more to appear.
"Come on, there has to be a way to stop them!" Mason said in frustration.
Mason then realized something and lowered his arms.
"That's right, give up," The other Masons said as they went to grab Mason.
"I'm sorry," Mason said as he looked down in sorrow.
The other Masons froze in place as tears began running down Mason's face.
"No more," Mason said as he wiped the tears from his face. "I won't act like a jerk anymore,"
The other Masons began fading away along with fog as Mason sniffled. Mason looked up and saw that he was now alone.
"It actually worked," Mason said to himself. "But why am I still here?"
A blinding light then filled the area forcing Mason to cover his eyes. Mason opened his eyes and heard the wave's splash in front of him.
"Do you feel any better now?" Kiyomi asked Mason as she walked up next to him.
"I don't know," Mason said as Kiyomi helped him to his feet.
Mason turned around and saw that Jirou was still meditating.
"I just hope what happened to me isn't happening to him," Mason said as he wiped the sweat from his head.
Out in a forest, Jirou slowly opened his eyes and realized he wasn't on the beach anymore. Jirou rose to his feet in confusion and saw that he was by himself. Jirou looked down at his wrist and saw that his Ninja Comm was gone.
"Wait, this is in my mind," Jirou said to himself.
The wind began blowing gently as Jirou closed his eyes calmly. Masaru peeked out from behind a tree and saw Jirou standing still.
"(What is the boy up to?)" Masaru asked himself.
"(I know you're there ancestor,)" Jirou said to Masaru.
Masaru flew over towards Jirou and was quickly grabbed by him.
"(How are you in here with me?)" Jirou asked Masaru.
"(I'm a spirit,)" Masaru told Jirou as he began spinning viciously. "(It's just a thing spirits can do,)"
Jirou released Masaru from his grip and sighed.
"(I didn't come here to talk to you,)" Jirou said to Masaru as he turned away.
"(Neither did I,)" Masaru told Jirou.
The wind gently began blowing once again causing chills to run down Jirou's neck. Jirou quickly turned around in astonishment and saw his grandfather, Yuudai, standing across from him.
"(Grandfather!)" Jirou said in disbelief.
"(Masaru is here for the same reason I am,)" Yuudai told Jirou.
"(And why's that?)" Jirou asked his grandfather.
"(We are going to train you,)" Masaru said to Jirou as he floated by Jirou's head.
"(Masaru himself could barely handle the Lion Fire Armor and it cost him his life,)" Yuudai explained to Jirou. "(But we believe you can unlock the armor's full potential,)"
"(How is training in my head going to help?)" Jirou asked Yuudai.
"(If all things go well, you'll notice,)" Yuudai said as he chuckled.
"(Shall we begin?)" Masaru asked Jirou.
"(One more thing, you won't be able to use your powers,)" Yuudai informed Jirou. "(Only what you've learned,)"
"(Let's get started then,)" Jirou said as he prepared himself.
As Yuudai stepped back, a group of ninjas crept up on Jirou surrounding him. Jirou looked up in the trees above him and saw more ninjas waiting to attack from above.
"(Starting off easy I see,)" Jirou said as he chuckled.
As a ninja in the tree above Jirou dropped down, a cloud of smoke appeared in Jirou's place. Jirou swiftly struck the ninja on the back of the head knocking him out with ease.
"Now to get away before the others catch me," Jirou said quietly to himself as he grabbed the ninja's sword off the ground.
The smoke cleared and revealed an unconscious ninja lying on the ground and no sign of Jirou.
"(He's already on the move,)" Yuudai said to Masaru as he watched from afar.
Jirou dropped down from a tree and landed on top of another ninja. The other ninjas spotted Jirou and began dashing towards him in an instant. As Jirou leapt back, Jirou hurled multiple shurikens at the ninjas striking each of them. Jirou landed safely on his feet and watched as each of the ninjas collapsed to the ground.
"(Come on grandfather, this is too easy,)" Jirou said to his grandfather as he began growing impatient.
Jirou gasped as he quickly rolled away barely avoiding shurikens that were hurled towards him. Jirou turned away from the tree and caught a small dart with two fingers. A ninja suddenly leapt out of a bush and went to strike Jirou with his sword. As the ninja hit Jirou, Jirou's clothes dropped to the ground in front of the ninja.
"(Ah, a classic move,)" Yuudai said as he continued watching.
Three more ninja slowly approached the other ninja as he checked Jirou's clothes. Leaves were heard rustling catching the ninjas' attention. Jirou jumped out from behind a tree and ran towards the ninjas. Jirou jumped over three of the ninjas and kicked the furthest ninja in the back while throwing smoke bombs towards the other three. The smoke bombs exploded in the ninjas faces startling them.
"(I've seen enough,") Masaru said as he began floating towards the smoke cloud.
The smoke cleared and revealed Jirou standing above the ninjas who were all unconscious on the ground.
"(Anyone else?)" Jirou asked his grandfather.
"(No, I think we've seen enough,)" Yuudai said to Jirou as he approached him.
"(Then what now?)" Jirou asked his grandfather.
"(You're finished here,)" Yuudai informed Jirou. "(It is time for you and Masaru to return to the living world,)"
"(Well, it was good seeing you again grandfather,)" Jirou said to Yuudai as he smiled.
"(I will always be here,)" Yuudai said to Jirou as a blinding light filled the area.
Back on the beach, Jirou slowly opened his eyes as he heard the ocean waves. Jirou looked around and saw that no one was around him. Masaru flew out from behind Jirou as Jirou rose to his feet and attached to Jirou's left wrist.
"(What're you doing?)" Jirou asked Masaru.
"(It is now time to see if you're capable of using the Lion Fire Armor,)" Masaru told Jirou.
"(Are you serious?)" Jirou said as he raised his left arm up to his face.
"(Stop asking questions and try to activate the Ninja Power Star!)" Masaru shouted at Jirou.
"(Fine, just settle down,)" Jirou said to Masaru.
Jirou took a stance and calmly breathed in.
"(Concentration is one step you'll need in order to access the full potential of my powers,)" Masaru told Jirou.
"(Let's do this,)" Jirou said as he clenched his left fist.
Jirou spun the Ninja Power Star with his right hand causing flames to surround Masaru on his left wrist.
"(The heat is already too much!)" Jirou shouted as he struggled to fight the flames.
"(Do not give in!)" Masaru shouted as the flames began growing stronger around him.
"(I can't take it!)" Jirou shouted as the flames continued growing stronger.
A shockwave was released from Masaru causing Jirou to fall to the ground.
"(You can't give up so soon,)" Masaru said to Jirou as Jirou breathed heavily.
"Come on Jirou," Jirou said to himself as he rose back to his feet. "I can do this,"
Jirou activated the Ninja Power Star once again and instantly began struggling to fight the flames coming off the Ninja Power Star. Jirou quickly fell to the ground gasping for air as sweat began running down his face.
"(Get up!)" Masaru shouted at Jirou. "(The Demon King would last longer than you at this,)"
Jirou rose back to his feet and spun the Ninja Power Star once again.
"I won't quit," Jirou said to himself. "This isn't just for me,"
Jirou began fighting the flames causing Masaru to begin glowing faintly.
"(Yes, this is it!)" Masaru said in excitement.
Jirou's body suddenly gave out causing Jirou to fall to ground and stopped Masaru from glowing.
"(I was so close,)" Jirou said to Masaru.
"(Yes, you were,)" Masaru said in agreement. "(But that at least showed you that you can unlock the powers of this Ninja Power Star,)"
"(And that's what I'm going to do,)" Jirou said as bells were heard in the distance.
"(What's that racket?)" Masaru said in confusion.
"(Its alarm bells,)" Jirou told Masaru as he leaned up.
"(Something must be wrong at the village,)" Masaru said to Jirou.
"(Yeah, you're right,)" Jirou said as he rose to his feet. "(We should head back and find out,)"
"(No, we cannot stop now!)" Masaru shouted at Jirou.
"(Kiyomi's village is more important right now,)" Jirou said to Masaru.
"(I'm sure the others can handle whatever the problem is,)" Masaru said to Jirou.
Jirou groaned in annoyance and turned back towards the beach.
"(Fine, but we're heading back once I receive a message on my Ninja Comm,)" Jirou told Masaru as he walked back to the beach.
Over at the village, Kiyomi and the other Rangers rushed outside to see what was causing the commotion. Out in the distance smoke could be seen rising into the air. Two men came running up to Kiyomi that appeared to be startled.
"Princess, it's the lion monster again!" One of the men informed Kiyomi.
"Its fine, we'll take care of him," Ben said to the men as he walked past them.
"Several of our men are out there trying to keep him from reaching the village," One of the men told Kiyomi.
"Then we'll go stop him before he gets any closer," Kiyomi said to the men.
"But, what about Jirou?" Logan asked Kiyomi.
"I'm sure he heard the alarm bells," Kiyomi said to Logan. "He'll be right behind us,"
The teens took off running towards the smoke and left the two men behind at the mansion.
"I think we're going to need the Lion Fire Zord again," Jun said to the others as they continued running.
"No, we can't risk anymore damage to my village," Kiyomi told Jun.
"Then what's going to stop the freak from doing the damage himself?" Mason asked Kiyomi.
"We just need to be patient," Kiyomi said to the others as she led them towards a quarry.
The teens came up to the quarry and saw Drillion with fallen ninjas around him down in the quarry. Kiyomi looked around in horror at her people.
"Dad!" Kiyomi screamed as she noticed her father near Drillion.
Drillion noticed Kiyomi and the others up above and snickered.
"This time, I won't be the loser," Drillion said as the toolbox-like object on his left arm opened up.
"Kiyomi, look out!" Kiyomi's father shouted to his daughter as Drillion began firing glowing objects resembling tools at the Rangers.
"Jump!" Ben shouted as he leapt off the edge.
"Never again!" Mason yelled as he jumped after the others.
As the Rangers continued falling, each of the Rangers pulled out their morphers and quickly placed their Ninja Power Stars into them.
"Ninja Spin!" The Rangers cried out activating their morphers.
The Rangers transformed in the blink of an eye as each of them landed safely on the ground while Drillion's attack struck the cliff above them causing an explosion.
"You're going to regret returning to my island," Kiyomi warned Drillion as she pointed her sword towards him.
"Then try and stop me and my new gear," Drillion said as the drill on his right arm began spinning.
Drillion swung his drill creating two glowing white energy slashes and sent them flying towards the Rangers.
"Don't hold back!" Jun yelled to the others as she dived over one of the energy slashes.
Jun placed her Ninja Element Star on her Ninja Star Blade and quickly activated it.
"Ninja Metal Attack!" Jun shouted as she sent a chain towards Drillion.
The chain wrapped around Drillion's right arm causing the drill to stop spinning.
"You need to do better than that," Drillion snickered as he broke the chain with ease using the toolbox on his left arm.
"Crap!" Jun said in astonishment as she watched the chain fade away.
"Now have a taste of this!" Drillion screamed as he let loose a flurry of glowing tools from the toolbox on his left arm.
Jun was hit by the tools and was blown back to the others as they began getting hit by the tools. The six Rangers fell to the ground as Kiyomi's father watched in horror.
"Don't give up Rangers!" Kiyomi's father pleaded to the Rangers as he watched them struggle to their feet.
"We don't need to destroy him," Mason said to the others. "We just need to hold him off until Jirou gets here,"
"Yeah, Mason's right," Beth said in agreement. "He should be here soon,"
"You Rangers won't last long enough," Drillion snarled at the Rangers as he slowly approached them.
On the beach, Jirou was lying in the sand breathing heavily with Masaru still on his wrist. Jirou slowly rose to his feet and heard an explosion in the distance. Jirou looked back towards the village in astonishment.
"(I'm sure your friends are fine,)" Masaru said to Jirou.
"(I just hope they can hold on long enough,)" Jirou muttered as he wiped the sweat from his face.
"(Then get back to work,)" Masaru ordered Jirou.
"(Yes ancestor,)" Jirou said as he nodded.
Jirou closed his eyes and took a deep breath.
"(Concentration, courage and hope will help you succeed,)" Masaru reminded Jirou.
"(You're forgetting one more,)" Jirou pointed out to Masaru. "(Friendship,)"
Jirou opened his eyes and shouted as he activated Masaru. Flames began emitting from Masaru as the Ninja Power Star spun.
"(I'm not giving in this time!)" Jirou shouted as the flames began growing stronger.
Jirou started screaming again as the flames surrounded his body.
"(Keep it going!)" Masaru cried out to Jirou as Jirou continued screaming.
"I'm not in this alone," Jirou said to himself in his head. "Everyone is here with me in spirit!"
Jirou's eyes flashed causing Masaru to gasp. The flames suddenly were pulled back into the Ninja Power Star as Jirou stopped screaming. Jirou fell down to his knees gasping for air with sweat running down his face.
"(Jirou, congratulations,)" Masaru said to Jirou.
"(I did it?)" Jirou said in disbelief.
"(Yes, you can now use the Lion Fire Morpher,)" Masaru congratulated Jirou.
Another explosion occurred causing Jirou to turn towards the village. Jirou tore the remains of his shirt off and tossed it to the ground.
"(Ancestor, let's get over there quickly,)" Jirou said to Masaru as he took off running towards the smoke in the distance.
Back at the quarry, Drillion let loose a flurry of tools once again and wiped out the Rangers with ease. Drillion laughed as all six of the Rangers laid on the ground in pain. Ben struggled to get up and fell right back down causing Drillion to laugh even more.
"Now it's time for me to obtain those Power Stars for Galvanax," Drillion said as he began approaching the Rangers.
Mason slowly rose to his feet causing Drillion to come to a halt.
"So, you want more?" Drillion asked Mason.
"I can go all day toolshed," Mason insulted Drillion.
Drillion screamed in anger as he took off running towards Mason.
"Mason, get out of there!" Logan pleaded to Mason.
"I'm going to tear you in half!" Drillion shouted as he prepared to attack Mason.
"Then do it!" Mason demanded as he waited for the attack.
Drillion swung at Mason and hit him.
"Mason!" Kiyomi screamed in concern as she saw the drill sticking through Mason's body.
Mason's body turned to water and fell to the ground astonishing Drillion.
"What's going on?" Ben said in confusion.
"Damn you Blue Ranger!" Drillion yelled in frustration. "You tricked me!"
Drillion suddenly screamed in pain and rolled away revealing that Mason was behind him with his sword in hand.
"I'm not letting you hurt anyone else," Mason announced to Drillion as he placed his Ninja Element Star on his Ninja Star Blade.
"Try and stop me," Drillion growled as he aimed his toolbox towards Mason.
"Ninja Element Star!" Mason shouted as he spun the Power Star on his sword. "Ninja Water Attack!"
A powerful stream of water fired out from the tip of Mason's sword and headed towards Drillion.
"You really think you can beat me with that?" Drillion questioned Mason as he fired another flurry of tools at Mason.
The two battler's attacks collided as the other Rangers watched.
"Any day now!" Mason yelled as he began struggling to hold Drillion's attack back.
"It's over!" Drillion roared at Mason as his attack overpowered Mason's.
Mason began being hit by the tools causing him to demorph. Mason was blown into the air from the attack and began hurtling towards the ground.
"No!" Logan shouted in terror as he watched Mason's body continue falling.
"I tried," Mason murmured to himself as he began dozing off.
Mason suddenly landed safely causing him to come to his senses. Mason looked above him and saw Jirou land with him safely on the ground.
"About time," Mason said as he chuckled.
"It's Jirou!" Jun pointed out to the others as they slowly rose to their feet.
"Thanks for keeping him busy," Jirou said to Mason as he laid Mason on the ground.
"I hope that meditation you did will help finish this guy off," Mason chuckled.
"Oh, I know it will," Jirou told Mason as he revealed the Lion Fire Morpher on his wrist.
"No way!" Drillion cried out in disbelief.
"That's right tough guy, you're not the only lion on this island," Jirou informed Drillion.
"(Let's end this!)" Masaru shouted from within the Lion Fire Morpher.
Jirou pulled out his Ninja Battle Morpher and quickly inserted his Red Ninja Power Star into it.
"Ninja Spin!" Jirou shouted as he activated his morpher.
Jirou quickly transformed before Drillion causing him to begin snarling.
"Can Jirou beat him on his own?" Beth asked the others.
"Time to find out," Logan said as he held his arm in pain.
Jirou held out his left arm and prepared to activate the Lion Fire Morpher.
"Lion Fire, Ninja Spin!" Jirou shouted as he spun the Power Star.
"(Lion Fire Mode Initiated!)" Masaru shouted as flames surrounded Jirou's body.
"What's going on?" Kiyomi wondered as she watched.
The flames faded away from Jirou's legs revealing silver shin guards and red armor on Jirou's legs. The rest of the flames vanished causing more armor to appear on Jirou's upper body. Armor finally formed on Jirou's helmet with a silver headpiece resembling a lion on his forehead.
"Lion Fire Red Ranger!" Jirou shouted as a shockwave released from his body causing rocks to float around him.
"What power!" Mason said in amazement as he slowly leaned up.
"So, you actually achieved the great Lion Fire powers," Drillion snickered. "I will still walk out victorious,"
"This fight has already been decided," Jirou informed Drillion.
A red aura suddenly surrounded Jirou's body.
"You won't be able to keep up with me!" Jirou shouted at Drillion as he dashed towards Drillion in the blink of an eye.
Jirou appeared in front of Drillion and punched Drillion directly in the chest sending him careening into the side of the quarry. Drillion dropped to ground and struggled to get to his feet.
"Damn it, that speed is too much!" Drillion shouted in frustration.
Drillion quickly rose to his feet and began being pummeled by lightning fast punches from Jirou. As each punch connected, shockwaves were sent out damaging the wall of the quarry. Drillion went to strike Jirou with his drill but missed as Jirou dashed out of the way in less than a second.
"You can't handle the heat!" Jirou yelled at Drillion as he rammed into him and sent him skidding across the ground.
Drillion quickly retaliated and fired a barrage of tools from the toolbox on his left arm.
"It's over!" Drillion roared at Jirou.
Jirou noticed the tools beginning to move slower and quickly began firing flaming shurikens at the tools. Jirou's shurikens continued flying towards Drillion and struck him multiple times causing an explosion.
"Insane!" Logan said to the others in amazement.
"This new power is unbelievable!" Ben told the others.
"It didn't just increase Jirou's power, but his speed too!" Jun pointed out to the others.
Drillion burst out of the rubble as he roared loudly.
"I'm not finished yet!" Drillion angrily shouted at Jirou.
Drillion fired a laser blast from the drill on his right arm but missed as Jirou quickly leapt backwards out of the way.
"Lion Fire Armor Star!" Jirou said as he detached the Power Star from his wrist.
Jirou attached the Lion Fire Armor Star to his Ninja Star blade and spun the sword around preparing to attack.
"Ninja Spin!" Jirou shouted as he spun the Power Star causing flames to engulf the blade of his sword.
The flaming blade on Jirou's Ninja Star Blade began growing longer as Jirou raised his sword into the air.
"Lion Fire Flame Strike!" Jirou shouted as he swung his sword down.
The flaming blade struck Drillion and tore through him with ease causing him to explode instantly.
"He did it!" Mason said as he rose to his feet.
"Man this armor is the real deal!" Ben said to Jirou as he and the others walked up to him.
"I know right?" Jirou agreed as he chuckled.
A blast suddenly shot down from the sky and hit Drillion's remains.
"Great, here comes round two!" Logan groaned in annoyance.
"This time, I'll be the last cat standing!" Drillion shouted down at the Rangers.
"Jirou, it might be time for the Lion Fire Zord," Kiyomi told Jirou.
"That's exactly what I was thinking," Jirou said as he pulled out the Lion Fire Zord Star.
Jirou placed the Lion Fire Zord Star on his Ninja Star Blade and activated it.
"Out of the Shadows!" Jirou shouted as the Zord Star began glowing
The Lion Fire Zord flew by overhead as it roared loudly. The Zord landed across from Drillion and roared once more.
"You guys sit back and rest," Jirou said as he leapt into the air.
Jirou landed on top of the Lion Fire Zord and entered the cockpit inside.
"Let's end this guy," Jirou told the Lion Fire Zord as the Zord began moving towards Drillion.
The Lion Fire Zord began firing blasts at Drillion from the cannons mounted on its back but the blasts had no effect on Drillion.
"How are the Lion Fire Zord's attacks not working this time?" Kiyomi asked the others.
"This guy really did change since last time," Beth said to the others as they watched.
"Not even your Lion Fire Zord can stop me!" Drillion shouted as he fired a flurry of tools at the Lion Fire Zord.
The tools began hitting the Lion Fire Zord causing the cockpit inside to rumble.
"(Jirou, use the Lion Fire Zord's other form!)" Masaru informed Jirou.
"(Other form?)" Jirou said in confusion. "(You mean a Megazord Mode?)"
Jirou rose from his seat and pulled his sword out of the console.
"Activate Lion Fire Megazord Formation!" Jirou shouted as he spun the Lion Fire Zord Star once again.
The Lion Fire Zord roared loudly as its eyes began glowing. The Lion Fire Zord began rising up as its arms rotated downwards.
"What's going on?" Drillion asked himself as dark clouds filled the sky.
A large Power Star attached to the top of the Lion Fire Zord and formed a head. The lion head on the Megazord's chest suddenly dropped down and revealed Jirou sitting inside of it.
"Lion Fire Megazord, ready!" Jirou shouted as two large shurikens appeared in the Lion Fire Megazord's hands.
"I'm going to make sure this Zord never wakes up again!" Drillion shouted as his drill began glowing.
Drillion sent two energy slashes towards the Lion Fire Megazord. The attacks bounced off of the Megazord as it began making its way towards Drillion and fizzled out.
"My attacks had no effect!" Drillion exclaimed in astonishment.
"You're in for it now!" Jirou shouted as the Lion Fire Megazord combined the two large shurikens as they became engulfed in flames.
"(Lion Fire Spin Strike!)" Masaru shouted as the Lion Fire Megazord repeatedly threw large flaming shurikens at Drillion.
As Drillion was hit by the last shuriken he fell to the ground in pain.
"Now for the final attack," Jirou said as the Lion Fire Megazord prepared to attack.
"(Lion Fire Slash!)" Jirou and Masaru cried out as the Lion Fire Megazord leapt into the air.
The Lion Fire Megazord transformed back into its normal mode as Jirou landed on top of the Zord. Jirou's Ninja Star Blade began glowing and growing longer as the Lion Fire Zord flew towards Drillion
"(Final Attack!)" Jirou shouted as he swung his sword horizontally and struck Drillion as the Lion Fire Zord rammed him.
Drillion was sent up into the air were exploded while screaming in pain. The Lion Fire Zord transformed back to its Megazord Mode as Jirou landed safely on its shoulder.
"And so begins the next chapter," Jirou said as he placed his Ninja Star Blade in its sheath on his back.
As the sun began setting, Jirou returned to the ground below where the others were waiting and demorphed. Jirou looked over and saw Kiyomi tending to her father. Mason walked over to Jirou and placed his hand on Jirou's shoulder.
"Hey, thanks for saving me back there," Mason thanked Jirou.
"No problem," Jirou said as he smiled. "We're a team and we always need to watch out for each other,"
"I can't believe you actually unlocked the ability to use the Lion Fire Armor!" Jun said to Jirou.
"Hopefully I can use it someday," Ben chuckled as he tipped his hat.
"Are we sure anyone else can even use it?" Beth asked Jirou.
"Only if you can handle the heat," Jirou said as he smiled.
Kiyomi helped her father to his feet and helped him walk over to the others.
"Thank you Rangers for saving my land," Kiyomi's father said to the Rangers.
"You're welcome Grandmaster Ishihara," Jirou said as he bowed to Kiyomi's father.
"Now that you're capable of using the Lion Fire Armor and the Zord, it is best that you keep it," Grandmaster Ishihara told Jirou. "I'm sure it will make defeating Galvanax much easier,"
"I'll be here fixing up the damage the monster caused," Kiyomi informed the others. "So just contact me if you need any help,"
"Then we should get going," Jirou said to the others as he pulled out the Astro Zord Star.
"I can't wait to get back home," Logan said in relief as Jirou summoned the Astro Zord.
"Yeah, I can't wait to see you guys unlock Lion Fire Mode too," Jirou chuckled as he stepped inside the Zord.
"I'm not doing any training once we get back to Dorado Bay!" Beth shouted at Jirou. "I need a break for a few days,"
As Beth walked onto the Astro Zord, the door closed behind her. The Astro Zord ascended into the air and flew off in the blink of an eye leaving Kiyomi with her father at the quarry.
"We should go visit your grandfather one day," Kiyomi's father told Kiyomi as they continued walking back towards the village.
"I don't know if he'd like that," Kiyomi giggled.
"Are you sure?" Kiyomi's father asked her.
On the Galaxy Warriors Ship, Galvanax was struggling to hold in his anger as Madame Odius walked into the room. Madame Odius noticed Galvanax clenching his fist and made her way over to him.
"Your ancient friend failed once again and allowed the Red Ranger to achieve the Lion Fire Armor," Galvanax informed Madame Odius.
"Yes, I know," Madame Odius sighed.
"Well, what is your next plan?" Galvanax asked Madame Odius.
"Give me time and I'm sure I'll think of something," Madame Odius said as she walked towards the door.
Madame Odius stepped out of the room as the door closed behind her.
"Soon that wretched fool will be gone," Madame Odius snickered. "And I will be the one to fear,"
Madame Odius continued down the hallway laughing evilly alone.
"The clock is ticking Galvanax," Madame Odius said as she stepped into her lab.
Madame Odius looked over at her monitor and saw a meteor on the screen.
"Once I obtain that meteor, I will be unstoppable," Madame Odius said as she turned off the monitor.