Episode 3: "Unity"

As it stood, the situation in the ghastly confines of the netherworld was growing to be a problem. Reapus, in all of his unbridled fury, had made a new trench in the river. Something that was perfectly normal given his unqiue personality, but several others were worried. Due to the recent defeat at the hands of the newly reinstated warriors that have thrwarted him for centuries, he was in quite a bad mood. So, for the benefit of everyone, but more for himself, he locked himself in the ship's bowls, leaving the lovely Melodina and Kalacles alone. The stubby and elder squid-like being shook his head and wondered aloud,

"Melodina... with Lord Reapus incapacitated for the moment... we should destroy the rangers!" The slim figure let her fingers slide down her instrument and said quite stiffly,

"Haha. You wish to spite him for the other day don't you?" Kalacles stumbled back and he cried out,

"O-of course not! Whatever gave you such a ludicrous idea! I mean, yes it was a vulgar display of strength, and yes I would love to get reparations for that, but to think I would ever do something to spite Lord Reapus! Melodina you-" She held a finger to his slimy lips and spoke slowly,

"It's alright. I haven't the faintest inkling to harass Lord Reapus about your childish games anyway." She got up from her position and headed to outside of the ship. Kalacles stared at her until she left, leaving him all alone. He put his hands together and said lowly,

"Pfft. You'll see Melodina... I shall have the last laugh against you both for belittling me." He waved his staff over the river outside and a whirl of screams arose. Out of the water splashed a collection of what looked like orbs of light, which were actually captured souls. They combined themselves together, forming a full bodied figure. He was dressed in rusted bluish armor, which coiled around his figure and spiraled outwards, making a type of slim weasel pattern. He has flamming red hair, which draped over his eyes. His fangs dripped with hunger and his eyes were strangely vacant. Kalacles couldn't supress himself.

"Ah yes! Winselade. The Sword of the Winds! You will definately serve me well." Kalacles waved his staff again, generating a giant blade of sorts. The figure named Winzel grabbed it, his eyes bursting with life. He bowed and said gruffly,

"I will not fail master. I swear it on my life." With that he exited the ship as well. Kalacles mumbled,

"You had better not. But just in case..." He sent a stream of energy into the lake, causing wave after wave to crash down. From out of the water came several giant figures, who seemed mindless. They resembled Gillicks, but much larger. The small demon smiled.

"This will do."

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Meanwhile, in the world of the living, everything was peaceful. This was especially the case after the battle earlier. Our heroes, their minds drunk on questions, went to quench themselves in the home of the Sadiko family. They gathered around the table, which was furnished in traditional Eastern tastes for the occasion. Their attention was fully concentrated on the sibling's father, who cleared his throat.

"Welcome. I am very pleased to meet my son's vassals. You all seem very capable..." He gave Dan an appreciative nod. Across the table, Rebecca was a bit confused. So, being the shy girl she was, she spoke up a tiny bit,

"Um... what are vassals exactly?" Looking incredously at her, he was about to say something until Vivian interjected,

"A vassal is a guardsman for a specific individual. Usually royalty. It was a great practice during the times of feudalism in Europe and even earlier than that, which dates back to China and Japan." Dan had to admit it, he was impressed. Andrew didn't let it go though, catching Dan's reaction as he teased.

"Strong and smart. You sure can pick 'em can't you 'my lord'." He gave him a warning look, as if to say 'shut-up-now-or-else'. He just smirked and reconcentrated on the matter at hand. Lee, the father, just nodded.

"Um, Yes, that is correct. I'm glad to see someone competent within the group." He cleared his throat a second time, perhaps to let go of the awkward situation. Dave, being the curious one, asked the next question.

"Yeah, when Dan over there was fighting against that freaky two-faced... thingie, he said he was working for Reapus. Who's that?" Lee opened his mouth to speak, but decided against it and simply said,

"He is the ruler of the River of Styx. You best be careful when dealing with any of his underlings. The Styxerons are vicous and bloodthristy." A chill went through the room as the mood warped itself to meet the current situation. Entering the room, a smiling mother placed some food onto the table, all completely authentic and true to the Japanese culture. She said softly,

"Now now. Everything will be fine. Afterall..." She put a hand on her husband's shoulder and said confidently,

"I have faith in all of you." Lee gave her a smile to match her brightness. He said next with smoothness,

"With my son as leader, you all should protect him with your lives. Now... come with me." Dave was hurt by this, only because he felt like his father had excluded him on purpose. Then again... he didn't even want Dave to be a ranger in the first place. It was his mother's say that convinced him. At that moment, he decided to prove himself the next chance he would get. Even if it was death defyingly dangerous.

Once the dinner was over a few hours later, the team went ahead to a backroom. It was cluttered with several objects and various contraptions. None of which worked as of now. Le went all the way to the back, taking out a white disk with the kanji of "Tobira" or "Door". He placed it neatly onto the indent in the wall and stepped back a few feet. He did this because soon after, the disk began to spin by itself, creating linear cracks in the wall. When the cracks connected, it formed a door. It slide up and revealed a passageway, with elongated stairs. Andrew whistled in response.

"That's.... a looooong way down." He said slowly, emphasizing the 'long' part of the sentence. Lee beckoned them forward and they obeyed. Down and down the spiraling staircae went, until eventually they found themselves in front of another door. This one was quite old and had an indent on it as well. Lee placed another disk onto the door, but this one was blank. He turned to the group and said,

"You must draw power from your element to open this door. Take out your morphers." They fiddled with the phones until they got the brush portion out of it. Slowly, each of them, in complete synchronization, drew their kanji onto the door. Each time one was completed, the disk in the center glowed the color of the ranger. When they all finished, the disk had a new kanji emblazed onto it, which read "Samurai". It spun and spun, glowing brightly. The door swung open, revealing five spots on the floor and a stone altar of sorts in front of them. Laying embedded into the stones were the swords that the group had used, the Hidden Blades. Lee told each ranger where to stand. He went into the center of the five and took out a scroll.

"I stand here, as the head of the Sadiko Clan, also as a witness to the transfer of powers. I shall initiate the ceremony now." He went over to Andrew's altar first, and put his hand over the sword's hilt.

"Like the raging seas, you shall command the power of the Blue Samurai. Serve your team well." Andrew grabbed the hilt and pulled the sword out, instanteously morphing. The others stared in wonder at this. Lee continued to Vivian, who was looking at him in apprehension.

"Like the graceful winds, you shall command the power of the Pink Samurai. Use your abilities to their full extent." Mimicing her comrade, Vivian grabbed the sword as well. Again, the morphin phenonemon occured. Lee didn't waste anytime as he got to Rebecca.

"Like the solid earth, you shall command the power of the Yellow Samurai. Shield your comrades from harm." The process repeated itself again, straight down to the morph. Dave was next; However, the chime sounded and Lee gasped. The team started towards the door, but Lee called out,

"No! The ritual cannot be interrupted!" Most of them stopped, but Dave continued and ran up the stairs, teleporting. His father called after him,

"David! Comeback!" He held his head and Rebecca asked another question,

"Why is this ritual so important?" Lee gazed at her for a moment and answered slowly,

"You all can morph, BUT the real powers have not awakened. This ceremony awakens them and connects your souls together. If just one of you isn't present, the true power of the Samurai cannot be activated." Dan just shook his head.

"... What am I going to do with him?" He walked back to the altar as he father followed. He swallowed and said, "Well, let's finish this and then we can go and help my brother." He nodded and said lastly,

"Like the fierce fires, you shall command the power of the Red Samurai. Lead them to victory." Dan morphed just as the others did and with that, the four of them went on their way. Lee waved after them calling out to them,

"Remember! Bring David back!"

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Near the more industrial district of town, another red crack had appeared. It was near the water ways of the city, and thus seldom anyone was in that particular area. Out of the glowing crack stepped out the armored figure of Winselade, sword over his shoulders. He looked from right to left and all over with his eyes alone and smirked.

"Not a bad place. Needs to be redecorated before my master steps foot into it though." He slashed upwards, creating an encompassing crack all down the waterworks. A reddish glow later revealed an army of Gillicks rising from it. From the corner of his eye, he noticed a green blur whoosing towards him. He held his sword upright and brought it slightly upwards. When the blur made contact, it disippated, revealing a warrior clad in green. The monster wondered for a moment until he said,

"You must be a ranger! Perfect. My master wants your head on a platter." He pushed Dave back with sheer force and snapped his fingers. The Gillicks surronded Dave and held out spears, preparing to skrew him. He quickly got up, unsheathing his sword. Slashing haphazardly at the encircling Gillicks, he was being hit several times in his blind spot, because of the number of them. Once. He held his side and stood defensively, still parrying the attacks. Twice. This time the blow struck his back, casuing him to stagger forward a bit. Thrice. The blow landed in in the front. His sword flew away from him, landing blade first into the ground. The circle of Gillicks opened, allowing for Winselade to walk to him. Smiling, he stomped on Dave's chest, the pressure making the morph cancel itself out.

"Better. I want to see your face when I destroy you!" He held up his might blade and was about to bring it down when a familiar voice rang out,

"Fire Form, Burning Blade!" An energy slash covered in flames blasted the monster backwards. It also happened to eliminated most of the Gillicks, who happened to be looking wildly around, in need of an order to follow. Dave looked up and saw his team running towards him. Dan and Rebecca knelt beside him while Vivian and Andrew stood by them defensively. Rebecca was worried for his wellbeing. She supressed a sob and said,

"You idiot. Don't do that to me. You could've died..." Dan nodded.

"Your such a hot-head that you didn't stick around for the old man's ceremony. It's kinda important." He said it in a matter-of-factly tone that Dave laughed, at the expense of his ribs. He managed to whisper,

"I just... wanted to make him proud, the way you do." Dan face-palmed. He said more sincerely,

"Ugh... Idiot. You DO." But Dave wasn't convinced.

"Why was he against me being a ranger then?"

"It's obvious isn't it? He was PROTECTING you. He is a dad afterall." The concept didn't really cross his mind. He thought of the wrong things and said quite apologetically,

"He... was protecting me? That's... cool I guess." He continued, "Sorry for being jealous of you. And for running off on my own." Dan nodded and helped Dave up. He led him over to his sword and said,

"Since I'm the new head of the 'Clan', I have to finish the ritual." He placed his hand on the hilt and said,

"Like the lively forest, you shall command the power of the Green Samurai." David reached out, quite shakingly towards his sword. Dan helped him to secure a grip on the sword and he pulled it out, instantly morphing. He had a wonderful feeling then, as if all of his wounds were healed. He stepped up and Dan patted him on the shoulder.

"Let's go little brother." He nodded eagerly.

"Payback time!" The five of them stood in a line as Winselade managed to finally get himself up. He spoke sternly,

"I won't be beaten. I stake it on my honor!" He began to run towards them. In response, they all opened their belts, revealing a colored disk. Placing it over their blades, they cried out as a team,

"Hidden Blade, Energy Mode!" Spinning the metallic object, their blades were covered in assorted colors, according to their respective ranger and element. Dan cried out,

"Unity Form, Line Slash!" Moving at sonic speeds, the rangers ran faster than the monster, all of them slashing in the same line path. Andrew slashed first, followed by Vivian, then Rebecca, then Dave. The monster stumbled, with electricity running over him. Dan finished the assault, slashing the monster with all of his might. It exploded without incident. Rebecca and Vivian both said,

"We should call our zords now right?" Dan nodded. He then smiled at Dave,

"And this time... we're doing it together." The others were curious about what he said, but at that moment, the water from the river splashed out, encircling the remains. Sprouting from it, the monster stood again, in his natural form. They all lined up and said together, bringing out their origami,

"Origami Unfold!" The shapes broke open as the phones stroked over them. They then threw them into the air and called out,

"Origami, Flame Lion, Samuraizord Power!"
"Origami, Fluid Dragon, Samuraizord Power!"
"Origami, Glide Turtle, Samuraizord Power!"
"Origami, Noble Bear, Samuraizord Power!"
"Origami, Mountain Ape, Samuraizord Power!"

They transferred into their cockpits and Dan said,

"Time to bring out our true power. Unity Form Activate!" The origami together flew into the sky, initiating some kind of transformation. The Lion shifted it's parts, revealing a head and outer limbs. The Turtle and Ape split themselves in half and attached to the Lion as arms, revealing hands. The Dragon and Bear slide themselves a bit, creating a leg like structure. The attached themselves as well. However, a helmet like headgear shot out from the Dragon's tail, and flew over the forming figure. It flipped up, revealing a 'V' like appearence. The mecha-warrior grabbed it and placed it onto its head, snapping it into place with an iron cable. The sword magically appeared at it's side as the rangers appeared in the cockpit. Needless to say, they were all impressed.

"Is this what you were talking about bro?" said Dave, in awe at his surrondings.

"It's very cool." said Vivian who was joing him in looking around.

"Are you kidding?, it's amazing!" said an excited Andrew who couldn't wait to test it out.

"Yeah, it is isn't it?!" said an equally excited Rebecca. But Dan cleared his throat and said,

"Less talking, more slashing. Chop chop!" He probably didn't realize the pun, but everyone else did. Dave just giggled and said,

"Yes 'my lord'." They concentrated on the monster as they called out,

"Emperor Samurai Megazord! Going Forth!" Winselade just ran over to them and swung his large sword. Drawing their own, the megazord blocked the hit. Standing with equal power, the megazord began to push the monster back until it shoved Winselade's sword into the air. Recovering fast, he swung it across, only to be dodged at the last moment by the megazord. Taking advantage of the opportunity, the rangers raised their sword high and gave a mighty slash down, knocking the monster down and slicing a condemned building in half behind it. Winselade struggled to get up as loud noises drew both of their attention. In the sides of the building, several enlarged Gillicks began to circle the megazord. He began to laugh madly.

"Yes! Ganicks. My master has not failed me. I cannot fail him!" The small army of giants began to attack and captured the megazord with chains. It's arms were unable to move, which restricted it.

"It's no good! I can't shake them off!" Cried out Vivian. Rebecca didn't have any luck either. So Dan gripped the hilt as a controller and said,

"Lion Flame Breath!" The origami's mouth opened, firing dozens of flames, knocking away the Ganicks. The arms were freed and the megazord plowed through the rest of the Ganicks with ease, becoming face to face with Winselade. Inside the cockpit, they all drew their swords and held it in front of them, calling out,

"Unity Form, Harmony Blade!" Bringing their hand down, they spun the metallic portion of their swords. They glowed a brilliant light, which was a rainbow combination of all of their colors. The megazord's sword also glowed the same color, only in it's design. Making a circle with the blade, it resembled a lunar body, until it made a complete revolution. Bringing the blade down, they all cried,

"Ha!" Striking the monster with all the force they had. Winselade screamed in pain and dropped to the floor face-down, right before exploding. After the battle, the megazord sheathed its sword and stroke a pose. The team cheered inside, with Dan patting Dave on the back.

"Nice job little brother." Dave smiled and swatted his hand away playfully.

"It's nothing. All in a day's work right?" They laughed as the sun began to set on the day.

TO BE CONTINUED...

Next Time on Power Rangers Samurai Squadron:

Rebecca takes some time to learn the code of the Samurai, something which is relatively new to her. Meanwhile, Kalacles continues to scheme against the newest head of the Sadiko Clan. Can Rebecca assume her responsibility as a vassal to Daniel? Or will she crack under the pressure? Found out next time!