The following morning, Jayden assembled the others out on the training yard. Antonio hadn't gotten ready to join them yet; he said he needed a little time to digest what Jayden had told him. He swore he wouldn't tell the others, and that he'd stand by him, but Jayden understood it would take him a while.
In the meantime, he had more pressing matters to worry about. He couldn't get Dekker's words out of his mind. He knew what was coming, what would be expected of him, and he knew what he needed to be. He needed to be the best. He needed to be strong. He needed to be the greatest Red Ranger of all time.
Emily, Mike, Kevin and Mia all surrounded him as he had instructed, waiting to begin. Dekker had told him that he relied too much on his team. Thinking about it, he couldn't remember the last time he had defeated a foe by himself. It had been almost two years now since they had come into his life, and he had a whole team to back him up. Before that, it had just been him and Ji. Of course, back then, Ji hadn't been a Ranger, and so when battle started, it was up to him and him alone. Did Dekker have a point? Had he become soft as a result of having others to help him?
"I'll prove him wrong." Jayden thought to himself.
The others were looking around each other somewhat uneasily. They knew that Dekker's words had gotten to him, that he hadn't been himself since their last battle, but they couldn't think why he wanted all to take on all of them at once.
"Begin." Jayden told them.
"Jay..."
"I said begin!" He snapped again as he surged at Mike. It was a blur of activity as Jayden lashed out like a man possessed. He was a skilled warrior, they all knew that, but it seemed like he was fighting for his life, not merely sparring with friends. Mike came at him, with his shinai raised overhead, only to pause as Jayden had his levelled at his throat.
"Come at me." He commanded them. The Rangers renewed their attack, only to quickly find themselves on their backs, battered and defeated in a sudden flurry of attacks. Mike was the last to go down, and sat up, holding his hand to his head. Blood was running between his fingers.
"Dude, what the hell?" Mike asked him, inspecting the blood from a split in his brow. "It's just practice!"
"Mike, let me see." Emily told him as she pulled his hand away, inspecting his head.
"I'm sorry." Jayden told him. "Go get cleaned up. Practice is over."
With that, the others all helped Mike into the house. Antonio was sitting inside, and watched as they limped painfully in, helping Mike through to the back. Antonio just let out a little whistle.
"Looks like it's just as well I took a break." He sighed. He went out into the back yard, seeing Jayden talking to Ji. It looked like a moment that shouldn't be interrupted.
"Jayden, come for a ride with me." Ji told him.
"I didn't mean to be so hard on them Ji." He rushed out. "You know what we're up against. You know something big is coming..."
"Perhaps I didn't make myself clear." Ji reiterated, pointing to the bike. "Get changed, and get on the bike NOW!"
Jayden knew he wasn't happy. He had only ever used that tone with him whenever he screwed up badly. He already knew he had, and he didn't really want to hear the lecture. Unfortunately, it didn't look like Ji was interested in giving him a choice in the matter. He just made his way into the house, at which Antonio just pulled away, letting him past.
"Do you want to take a shot too?" Jayden asked. Antonio just shook his head.
"I think you'll be taking plenty." He replied, just letting him go.
Over in the Netherworld, Master Xandred was stomping about the deck in another of his rampages. This time, the cause of his anger was the furry worts. They were chattering and singing, attempting to recreate Dayu's Harmonium music. He found his medicine was not having the same effect it once did. It would help, but not much. He was beginning to realise what he was missing was Dayu's music. It was the reason he had brought her to the Netherworld in the first place.
"Octoroo!" He roared, swiping some of them from the roof. "I can't stand these things trying to imitate Dayu's music! They don't help my headaches, they give me headaches!"
"It seems you made a mistake destroying her Harmonium." Octoroo commented. "If Dayu's music is what you need, then Dayu's music is what you'll have."
"I don't care what it takes, I want you to find her and bring her back here!" Xandred yelled at him. Little did he know that Octoroo already knew where she was. He had been working with her towards the goal of figuring out what Serrator was up to and destroying him once and for all. It was not going quickly, hindered at least in part by the fact that she had gotten herself badly injured in her attempt to retrieve Urumasa and had been unable to take any real part in the plan as she recovered her strength.
"I will do as you say." Octoroo told him. "As strange as it is to say, Id actually like to see her back here."
He disappeared into a gap, on the pretence of going in search of her. He had to discuss this newest development with her to figure out where they would go from there.
At Central High School, Melanie made her way nervously into the school. It hadn't been long since her attempt on her life, and she didn't really want to go back yet, but unfortunately it was coming to the end of the year, and with assignments due, she couldn't really afford to take much more time off.
She tried in vain to hide her face as she came in, but it was pretty pointless. By now, everyone knew what she had done. She had already ended up deleting her Facebook and Twitter accounts because she was fed up of reading all of the horrid comments some of the other kids had posted about her.
Making her way to her locker, she opened it, only to find a number of disposable razors tumbling out onto the floor. There were a few sniggers from nearby, but she just tried to ignore them as she started to tidy them up. Mal and his friends came over, and started to help her.
"Hey Melanie." Vicky greeted her somewhat nervously. "Um...you're looking pretty good."
It was torture hearing those words leave her mouth, but this was pretty torturous for Vicky all in. What exactly could she say to her? Only weeks before, Melanie would only have thought to talk to her to call her names or to say something hurtful. Things were also complicated by the fact that she really didn't know how to speak to her. It wasn't long ago that she had tried to end her own life.
"How are you feeling?" Mal asked her.
"Things are a little better." She told him. "I guess I wasn't expecting it to be easy. I guess at least it'll save me some money on razors, presuming my mom lets me near sharp objects in the foreseeable future."
Spike took the razors from him and looked around, dumping them in a nearby trash can. Mal just looked to her as he helped her with her books.
"Well, maybe things won't be so bad." He suggested. "I'm sure in time the others will find something else to talk about."
"Yeah, and this is me holding my breath." Melanie told him. Vicky took her hand.
"Well, just stick with us." Vicky told her. "Forget the others."
"You mean it?" Melanie asked her. Spike just nodded.
"You're a friend of Mal's." He answered. "I guess that makes you a friend of ours."
Melanie smiled as she went with them to her first class. Things still didn't look promising that the torment would end, but hearing the others offering to hang out with her, to be around her, she had a feeling that things would at least be a little more bearable.
In a cave, Dayu was back on her feet, and wandering around, checking out how much of her strength had returned. She was still badly burned, but thanks to Toxica's treatments, she was at least back to being able to act on her own. Octoroo arrived, causing her and Toxica to look at her.
"It's nice to see you back on your feet." He told her. "Maybe now, you can actually take an active part in things."
"I may be limited for a while, but I would do anything to get Dekker back." She told him. "Speaking of which, did he...?"
"Yeah, he got it." Octoroo told her. "I haven't seen him since though. I guess he and Urumasa just wanted a little alone time."
"So what are you doing here?" She asked him. Octoroo just came closer.
"Master Xandred's medicine isn't working as it should." He informed her. "His headaches are getting worse. He needs your music to soothe him."
"Without my Harmonium his headaches are making him miserable." She said with a little grin. "That's music to my ears. He should never have destroyed my Harmonium."
"Well as much as you enjoy seeing him suffer, you should really rethink this." Octoroo told her. "The Master's headaches will eventually cripple him. Without him, there will be nothing to stop Serrator."
Dayu paused as she considered this. He did have a point, until Serrator's plans were revealed; the only thing Serrator seemed to fear was direct conflict with Xandred. With him out of the way, there would be nothing in his way.
"Then we need to find Serrator and find out what he wants." Dayu told him. "Where was the last place you saw him?"
"He was headed for the mountains." Octoroo informed her. Dayu just nodded.
"Then we need to go there." She told him. She turned to Toxica and placed a hand on her shoulder. "I thank you for all your help. I could never have come this far without you."
"Wait...you're sending me away?" Toxica asked her. "But...what about...?"
"No one knows better than me how much pain it causes being parted from the one that holds our heart." She told her. "I cannot ask you to risk your life, risk not going back to Jindrax, for my fight."
Toxica just nodded.
"Go back to him. Enjoy your lives together." She reiterated. "Know that you will have my eternal gratitude."
"I will miss you." Toxica replied, before heading out the cave. Octoroo just watched her go.
"Come on." He instructed her. "The sooner we find Serrator the better.
In a secluded part of the city, Jayden got off the bike as Ji pulled to a halt. He had taken him out with the city, for some privacy. He had always told Jayden that sometimes a change of scenery was just what it took to clear the mind. He got off the bike, turning to face his Red Ranger.
"So, what was that about?" Ji asked him. "Were you trying to prove something?"
"I don't know." Jayden answered. "I just feel off. Like I've lost my edge. Do you think...do you think I've gotten weaker?"
"Is that what this is about?" Ji asked him. "You're still thinking about what Dekker said?"
"Just answer the question Ji." Jayden implored him.
"No, the team has made you stronger." Ji stated with authority.
"But it feels like I've relied on the team too much!" Jayden pressed on. "It feels like all of them have stepped up their game, like they've all gotten so much stronger, while I've...maybe Dekker's right. Maybe I have lost the edge."
"So, you wanted to prove Dekker wrong by crippling your own team?" Ji asked him sarcastically. "Jayden, you are so much stronger..."
"I don't feel like it." Jayden stated. "I just feel like, everyone's got all these expectations, and I'll never live up to them."
"You are a testament to your line. You have honoured all the Red Rangers who have come before you." Ji told him with a sigh. "Including your father."
"My father was..."
"Your father was my best friend, and one of the strongest warriors I have ever seen." Ji interrupted him. He then placed a hand on Jayden's shoulder. "But seeing the man you've grown into, I can say with all honesty, I believe that you have surpassed him. He would be proud, and I know because I am."
With that, he hugged Jayden tightly.
"Now, I believe you have some apologies to make." Ji stated. "And I suggest you make it good."
Over at the Shiba House, Mike was sitting on a stool as Mia was stitching up his eyebrow. Emily was watching with concern, and so he was doing all he could not to flinch each time Mia plunged the needle into his flesh.
"Alright, so what is eating Jayden?" Kevin asked impatiently. "I mean, I know we bruise each other up in training at times, but that...that was WAY over the line!"
"Dude, remember he has a lot on his mind." Antonio defended him.
"And the rest of us don't?" Mike asked. "Maybe if you had been the one to get your head cracked like a melon you'd think differently."
"He hasn't been himself for a while." Mia told them as she cut off the trailing end of the suture, finishing her work on Mike. She looked in the first aid kit for a band aid. "I think maybe this has something to do with what Dekker said."
She had been the one fighting with Jayden when Dekker showed up on Manalua, and so she had seen firsthand how he reacted to the battle. She looked around the room.
"I'm not happy with him either, I'm bruised all over, but maybe this is something we really need to let him talk about." She suggested. "We've all felt it, Serrator's up to something; we all know something big is coming. Now Dekker's back as well?"
"That doesn't give him the right to bounce us around like piñatas to prove a point and make himself feel better." Kevin snorted. "I say when he gets back, we all five him a piece of our mind. We tell him that it doesn't matter what he's going through, we're his team and he needs us!"
"I guess we can open a dialogue." Mia agreed. "But we need to think carefully. We can't let this turn into an attack."
"Well, if he hadn't handed me my butt, an attack on Jayden sounds pretty tempting." Mike told them. "But if the team is on the brink, then I guess I'm on board with the gentle approach."
"Right, I guess I'm in." Antonio sighed. He hated the fact that the team was planning to gang up on Jayden, knowing what he was going through. However, he could only hope that if he was with them, perhaps he could ensure that the team didn't take things too far. "So, shall I make us something to eat while we figure out what to do?"
"Anything but fish." Kevin responded as he followed him. Mia went with him after finishing putting the band aid on Mike, leaving Emily and Mike in the room together. Mike looked to Emily, who was chewing her lip a little nervously. He just smiled.
"It looks worse than it is." He assured her. "Head wounds bleed a lot. It's just a scratch really."
"I do know that." She told him, shuffling a little on her chair. "I was the human pinball growing up remember? I was just thinking."
"What?" Mike asked her.
"That eyebrow, it looks kind of...hot." She told him. Mike just sniggered.
"Seriously?" He asked her. "You like it when I get beat up?"
"No, but it does make you look kind of like a bad boy." She responded, coming over. She grabbed him and kissed him passionately. Mike looked to her in shock as she backed away from him.
"Wow." He said breathlessly. "Remind me to get beat up more often."
With that, he held Emily softly, guiding her down onto the couch, kissing her passionately. He didn't like the situation brewing with Jayden, but right now, he was thinking maybe he should thank him.