In the training yard of the temple, Emily, Mike and Kevin arrived, finding many of the guardians in the training yard, most of them still sporting dressings from the injuries they suffered at the hands of the Moogers. As they arrived, they saw Kenzo standing in the middle of the sparring mats.
He had shed his robe, showing a build that would have put many UFC fighters to shame, and he was standing, waiting on his opponents. Four other guardians stepped up onto the mat and surrounded him. The Rangers all sat on a bench as they watched the guardians prepare guards around Kenzo, who just stood stock-still and stared seemingly into space.
As the first came forward, Kenzo blocked the punch, and his hands blurred into the man's chest and head, striking him eight, ten, perhaps as many as twelve times, they really couldn't tell. He just fell to the ground.
Two more came forward and attacked him at once. Kenzo fended off their attacks and spun free, keeping both of them in sight. As he backed up, they could see his footwork, and his innate sense of where the edge of the mat was. His spatial awareness was amazing, it was like he had 360 vision. As the men came at him again, he managed to take one down, finishing him off in quick fashion before turning his attention to the other. Blocking a kick, he took the man down and hooked him into a submission hold, forcing the man to tap out.
"Knee bar." Mike commented with a grin. "He's good."
The last man just bowed to him, before pulling out twin swords. The Rangers watched as Kenzo stood, unfazed by this. The man started to swing them in a practiced fashion, circling Kenzo.
"Uh...they don't look like wooden blades do they?" Mike asked. Emily and Kevin shook their heads as they watched, open-mouthed.
The man yelled, rushing toward Kenzo, not holding back on any of his swings. The blades whistled through the air, each one a full-blooded strike. Kenzo seized one of the man's wrists following a strike, throwing him over his shoulder. As they twisted free, the Rangers saw that Kenzo now had one of the swords.
The other guardian launched into the attack with a savage yell, their blades ringing in the air as Kenzo fended off the attacks. Eventually, he hooked the blade, took the man down and flicked his sword away all in one swift motion so fast it could barely be seen. He drove the sword into the mat millimetres from the man's face, demonstrating what could easily have been a death blow, before smiling and helping the man up.
"Well that was impressive." Kevin complimented him. "A little scary, but impressive."
"When other kids had bikes, my toys were bokken." He replied in a chuckle, taking a towel and mopping himself down. "How are you?"
"We were told you could take us through some light training." Kevin told him.
"Emphasis on the light." Emily added as she looked to the sword still imbedded in the ground. Kenzo just chuckled.
"Sorry, I do get a little carried away in my workouts." He told them. "Mike, I've heard you like unarmed combat. Would you like to see something cool?"
"Sure." Mike said with a shrug. Kenzo gestured them all to follow him.
"Come this way." He told them.
In a cave, far from the temple, Dekker watched as Jayden stirred and started to come to. The Red Ranger looked around, finding himself in unfamiliar surroundings.
"Do not try to get up." Dekker told him. "You are healed, but you will be weak for some time."
Jayden just pulled himself up to be sitting.
"Do not worry. I will not harm you yet." Dekker assured him. " I need you at your best for our duel."
"Why do you want to fight me so badly?" Jayden asked him.
"Urumasa's thirst demands it of me." Dekker answered. "I am immortal, and I am driven to seek out the ultimate duel."
"You don't have to give in." Jayden told him.
"I have no choice." Dekker told him. "I was wholly human once, but when I took up Urumasa and took up its curse, the Nighlock in me has craved combat."
"You can resist cravings." Jayden assured him. "You don't have to give in. You can be the master of your own destiny..."
Dekker just smirked and shook his head.
"There was a time I would have agreed." He answered. "Rest up Red Ranger, our duel will begin soon."
"So this is a duel to the death?" Jayden asked. Dekker nodded.
"Is there any other kind?" He questioned the Red Ranger.
"But what if I beat you?" Jayden asked him. Dekker just shrugged.
"Then the curse is over." He replied. "It will be for me at least."
Back at the temple, Antonio was working away, beaming symbol power into the Black Box with his morpher. It was a long, tedious, and draining experience. He knew that using symbol power was draining for the others, but since his was augmented artificially by technology, even he wasn't sure how much of it was really his and how much of it was his morpher's. He held on as long as he could, his hands shaking and his knees buckling under him as his vision blurred until he could finally take no more. He started to fall, but felt a pair of arms under his armpits catching him.
"You must not push yourself too much Antonio." Daisuke warned him.
"I need to get this finished." Antonio replied. "I need to do this for..."
"This is important, but you are important too." Daisuke warned him. "Do not forget, you are currently the only active Ranger."
"They're relying on me." Antonio told him, straightening up. "I can't fail."
"You will not fail, of that I am certain." Daisuke assured him. "You have the will equal to any Samurai I have ever seen, and greater than a great many."
"I need to do this." Antonio stated. "He's counting on me!"
"He." Daisuke said with a smile. Antonio looked to him. "The heart is a powerful tool if focussed correctly."
"Daisuke..."
"There is no shame in what you feel." Daisuke told him. Antonio just shook his head and buried his face in his hands.
"How long have you known?" He asked him.
"I suspected it from the moment you allowed Dekker to take him." Daisuke answered. "Does he know?"
"He knows I'm gay." Antonio whispered, before shaking his head. "You can't tell anyone..."
"It is not my place to do so." Daisuke assured him. "Still, it is obvious how much you care for him."
"I know there's all sorts of codes and responsibilities and suchlike that they have to adhere to, and something tells me not many of them are compatible with modern attitudes." Antonio sighed.
"The heart wants what the heart wants." Daisuke replied sagely, handing Antonio his morpher. "The heart is a powerful thing. Just remember what you are doing this for, and concentrate on the task at hand."
Antonio just nodded and focussed his symbol power through his morpher, returning to the task of hacking into the Black Box. Daisuke just left quietly, allowing Antonio to continue with his work.
Over in the dojo, Kenzo brought the three Rangers to a section that had been set up for a demonstration. In the middle was a mannequin, with cotton wraps binding its chest.
"Its ribcage is made of poplar, a kind of wood which had approximately the same density and strength as human bone." He explained, running a hand over its chest. "The cotton wrapping has been bound to replicate the resistance of human flesh and muscle tissue."
"Cool." Mike commented. "So what are you here to show us?"
"Well, I figured we could share a few party tricks." Kenzo said with a smile. "Here's mine."
An attendant ran out as he snapped his fingers, carrying a zip lock bag, containing a red mass. He held it up for them to see.
"Is that...?"
"That's right Emily, this is a pig's heart." He told them. "The closest thing anatomically to a human is a pig. This should give a pretty accurate representation of this technique."
He reached inside the mannequin, hanging up the bag, before looking to the others. He took a breath, prepared himself for a second, then slammed a hand into the chest so fast, they could barely see it.
"Well that's cool and all but..." Kevin's words were cut off as all of a sudden blood started to run out onto the floor. Mike and Emily both watched on in shock too as he opened it up, pulling out the bag, and what was left of the bag.
"Exploding heart technique." He explained. "Through channelling the chi energy and careful placement, the force of the blow is transferred through the ribs almost directly to the heart..."
"I was never shown anything like that." Emily gasped, looking at him. "Kenzo...that..."
"It's a death technique." He confirmed.
"Dude, I can't speak for Kevin, but I was never taught anything like that." Mike told him. "Sure, I probably could kill someone, but I was never taught anything specifically for that purpose."
"Hey, it's just..."
"You know what? If a guy takes a swing and I break his arm, I'm not going to lose any sleep over it." Mike interrupted him. "But seriously, that stuff makes me feel a little uncomfortable."
"I don't normally agree with Mike, but knowing what this does? I'm not sure I want to know how to do it." Kevin assured him. "Still, it is impressive, and I appreciate your skill. Thank you for showing us this."
"I guess it's not for everyone." Kenzo said with a shrug. "Tell you what. How about I take you through some sword kata instead?"
"That would be good." Kevin replied. As they left though, Emily couldn't help looking back to the mannequin and the pool of blood at its feet. While she knew such techniques did exist, she had never seen one personally, and it disturbed her to have seen it.
Over in Rome, Serena woke up the following morning, rubbing her eyes as the computer bleeped.
"Serena, I've finished with the translation." Hayley told her.
"Can I get a shower first?" Serena asked her.
"I'm afraid not." Hayley replied. "It's more text, but it's a letter written by Masamune. Apparently he met Kasamune, she was the daughter of a noble that was a regular customer."
"Bully for him." Serena grumbled as she put on the coffee maker and started to get dressed, taking care not to aggravate any of the wounds Vincenzo had stitched up the previous night. "What does it say?"
"It says she crafted the finest blade he had ever seen." Hayley told her. "It has several distinct features that make it similar, though very different to Urumasa."
"Like what?" Serena questioned her.
"Urumasa is all about bloodshed, Kasamune is all about defence." Hayley began. "Both swords only have one wielder."
"Emily said Urumasa burned her when she held it." Serena commented. "So I look for a sword..."
"Kasamune is not about bloodshed, it will not harm an unworthy user." Hayley assured her. "However, he noted that in the hands of anyone other than the true wielder, it refused to allow itself to be drawn."
"Well that's nice, but anything that might be used to identify it?" Serena asked.
"Uh...I'm afraid that's all I have." Hayley said nervously. "I'm afraid the parchment you discovered only had a few lines on it."
"So we're still no closer to finding it?" Serena muttered. "So why exactly am I awake at this time?"
"We have word on another Masamune." Hayley told her. "It was bought at private auction by Lord Edward Kensington."
"So where am I off to now?" Serena asked her, looking to her bag. "Where next?"
"London." Hayley told her. "Vincenzo will have your tickets and the details of your room at the concierge desk. Your flight's in three hours."
"You know, I'm almost beginning to miss being terminally ill." Serena replied sarcastically as she started packing her bag. "Tell Vincenzo to call the cab, I'll be down for my tickets soon."
Back at the temple, Antonio was still struggling to concentrate on the task at hand, focussing all his ymbol power on the Black Box. He held onto the morpher as it vibrated and heated up, threatening to burn him, but he gritted his teeth and tightened his grip, refusing to give up. Too much was at stake. Eventually, he felt it let up and stopped, smiling as he felt it.
"I'm in!" He called out. "I'm in!"
Just then, a Gap Sensor sounded and all the others rushed in, assembling in the main room.
"Damn it, I just got in!" He told them. "Come on guys, we..."
"We need that box." Kevin told him. "You stay here and work on that."
"But if that spider guy is back..."
"Then we'll definitely need it." Mike interrupted him. "Seriously dude, this is the most important thing right now."
"But you guys are in no state to fight him!" Antonio protested. "You need to rest."
"You let us decide what we're ready to do." Mia chastised the Gold Ranger. "We'll keep him busy. You do this."
"I can't." He put down flatly. "I need your power disks. You'll need them in battle."
Emily just took hers out and presented it to him.
"I trust you Antonio. You'll do this." She stated. "We'll make do. You take this."
"Have mine too." Mike replied, handing him the green power disk. "You're the man."
"We have faith in you." Mia told him, handing hers to him. "You won't let us down."
Kevin just handed him his own. Antonio just nodded.
"I won't let you down." He assured them. "Go stomp on that spider. I'll deal with this."