A/N: Sorry for the hiatus folks, I had a pretty stressful personal situation that required my attention. I really hope to be back to form soon.
Serrator was wandering the cliffs purposefully, miles from anywhere. It was like he was looking for something, but something that he knew the location of, almost like he had hidden it. Given the fact that he never checked to see he was being followed, or for any signs of others, clearly it was something that he was confident no one would have disturbed.
This served Octoroo and Dayu well. It made following him a very simple matter. He wasn't even checking for them. He finally arrived by a large rock with a deep crevice in it, and knelt down, placing his weapon aside. He started to wave his arm and chant.
"What's he doing?" Dayu asked. "It looks like...he's performing some kind of ritual."
They both moved closer, trying to get a closer look to see what he was up to. They could hear him more clearly now, and see that the crevice was emitting a deep, red glow. It definitely looked like he had been hiding something there.
"Do you think it's some kind of weapon?" Octoroo asked. Dayu didn't answer, shifting around as he continued his ritual. Eventually, Serrator appeared to complete his ritual, and an item came out of the crevice into his hand. He held it up, and if it was possible, it seemed like his smile grew wider. It was some kind of silver gyroscope.
"It is time; my plan is all falling into place." He stated, looking at the device. "Xandred and his pathetic cronies have all served their purpose. With this, I'll find the exact spot, and unleash a power that will crack this world wide open!"
"He...he knows how to open the worlds?" Dayu asked. Octoroo shook his head.
"Don't you see, he will flood the Sanzu into the earth, but..."
"Doing it without Xandred's influence, the curse placed on him by the Red Ranger will still be in place!" He called out. "If he doesn't want to dry out in an instant, he'll be banished beneath the Sanzu Water forever!"
They both held still as Serrator just turned around.
"Of course I knew you were following me. You forget that I don't do anything without intention." He continued. "Your presence here is all part of things. I just need one more thing, and Dayu, you've been kind enough to bring it to me."
Dayu looked down to her Harmonium in horror. He wanted that for something, it had something to do with his plan...then she remembered, he said he needed a power to crack open the world. Her Harmonium was a powerful weapon, and clearly he had factored that into his plan when he created it all those years ago. She looked up in time to see him fire a blast at her. She barely had time to remove the blade from the headstock of the Harmonium before she was punted her over a cliff. Her Harmonium landed at Serrator's feet, at which he picked it up.
"I always knew you were a backstabbing traitor!" Octoroo squealed as he attacked him furiously. Serrator parried and dodged all of his attacks as Octoroo gave him everything he had, eventually though, Serrator slashed at him, sending him tumbling away.
Octoroo was livid. He wasn't much of a battlefield warrior; he was more of a tactician. While Serrator was just as devious, he always knew he was more powerful. He was overmatched and he knew it.
"When Master Xandred hears about this, he'll tear you apart!" Octoroo screamed as he disappeared into a Gap. Serrator just laughed as he turned and walked away, looking to the gyroscope.
"By the time he can muster the forces to do anything, it'll be too late." Serrator stated.
Dayu climbed back to the top of the cliff in time to see Serrator in the distance. Her injuries slowed her considerably, but she knew that she had no time to lose. Ignoring her agonising pain, and clutching her short-sword, she pursued him as quickly as she could.
Jayden and Antonio came back to the Shiba House, finding the others all sitting around waiting on him. They all looked to him expectantly. Jayden could already see what this was, it was an intervention. He looked to Ji, who just crossed his smiled. They had done this completely without his input. He knew that the team were far from happy with him, but it seemed they had organised themselves, and sorted out what they wanted to say as opposed to simply ambushing him with harsh words when he returned.
"Jayden, we wanted to talk to you, but we want you to know this is a safe place." Mia began. She seemed to have been chosen as the spokesperson. She approached him. "We're not happy, but we're your friends, and we know that you're going through a lot."
Kevin got up, and started to pace. He was the most livid and judgemental of the Rangers when it came to what Jayden had done. Mia's influence had curbed that though, and he seemed to have reigned it in somewhat.
"Jayden, between having to create the sealing symbol and Dekker popping up every other day, we know you have a lot on. We all agree, if it was any one of us, we would be flipping out too." Kevin stated as he looked to his leader. "But that doesn't give you the right to take it out on us. We're your vassals. We've all trained all our lives, long and hard, to come here and help you. More than that though, we're your friends. You may think that standing alone will make it easier, that you won't feel so badly about others getting hurt, but by hurting us, all you end up doing is hurting yourself."
"Look dude, I have more reason to be mad about this than the others." Mike said as he looked to him, holding Emily's hand softly. "But even though you split my head open, I can totally get past that. But only if you stop with all this lone warrior stuff."
"If you were meant to do this alone, then there wouldn't be any of the noble families." Emily reminded him. "Even Hirohito, the first Red Samurai had a team to help him."
This left Antonio as the only one left to speak. He looked to Homer and just smiled.
"You know I'd have been here if you wanted me or not." Antonio told him. "I'm in for the long haul either way. But I think you know I want you with us."
Jayden took a deep breath. Ji had already talked sense into him, but he knew that his friends had a right to air their feelings too. He had overstepped the mark with them, and it was a testament to how strong the bonds they had formed were that they were all willing to give him another chance.
"It's alright guys; Ji already talked to me and gave me some home truths." Jayden told them. "We're all stronger because of each other. There isn't one of us who hasn't come a long way, and I'm proud to fight with all of you. If you can forgive me..."
"Dude, seriously, you're forgiven." Mike told him, fist-bumping him. "But less of the 'proud' stuff. You're freaking me out."
Before anyone else could say anything, the Gap Sensor sounded. Checking the map, Ji located the source of the signal.
"Something big is coming." He told them. "This level of power, it can only be..."
"Serrator!" Emily stated. Ji just nodded.
"But the energy is rising fast." He continued.
"Come on." Jayden told them. "Let's show them all how strong this team really is!"
Deep within the cliffs around the city, Serrator came to a stop, checking the gyroscope. He saw it spinning wildly over a crevice, and felt himself becoming elated.
"Finally, I've found the perfect spot!" He announced. He put away the gyroscope and gripped the Harmonium in both hands. However, the weapon was blasted out of his hands. He looked around, seeing the Rangers standing, waiting with their weapons at the ready. Kevin was holding his Hydro Bow on him.
"I don't know what you're doing with Dayu's Harmonium, and I don't care." Jayden told him. "You're going down Serrator?"
"Oh, do you really think you're really going to stop me when I'm so close?" Serrator asked them. "Moogers!"
He sent the foot-soldiers against the Rangers, who charged to the attack. As Serrator watched them taking care of his Moogers, he turned back to his project. He looked for the Harmonium, finding it a little way off. Just as he was about to collect it though, he was cut down from behind. He turned around, seeing Dayu behind him, holding her Short Sword.
"You! You are the cause of all my misery!" She screamed at him. "You tricked me into cursing Dekker to wander the earth as your warrior! You turned me into this! You took everything from me!"
"And it's only taken you a couple of centuries to come for revenge." He taunted her, getting back to his feet. He started to attack her, and the two locked in a ferocious battle. Serrator's power was greater, but Dayu fought with a passion that was born out of every ounce of anger and pain she had felt for centuries.
Down at the foot of the cliff, the Rangers were still engaged by the Moogers, when Mia glanced up. She saw Dayu and Serrator locked in battle.
"Look, they're fighting each other!" She called out. Mia knew Dayu's story. She knew all about how she had loved Dekker with all of her heart, and how she had been tricked into a deal with Serrator to save his life, but which ultimately doomed both of them to their new existence. In that moment, she found herself with a feeling in her heart she would have thought was insane before, and calling out the words she never thought she would say. "You can do it! Go Dayu!"
"We need to finish these things off!" Jayden announced, pulling out the Black Box. He morphed into Super Samurai Mode, and called forth the Bullzooka. "Whatever she's stopping him doing, it can't be good! Let's give her all the help we can!"
"You heard the man!" Ji stated, slipping the Shark Disk onto his Spin word, and activating Shark Attack Mode. "Everything we have!"
Over in the Netherworld, Octoroo cowered as Xandred thrashed around in the most violent rage he had ever seen. Once he told him of Serrator's treachery, Xandred had started lashing out in a way that threatened to destroy his ship.
"He's been betraying us this whole time?" He raged.
"Sire, please, you must assemble forces..."
"NO!" He screamed. "I will go to the human realm and cut him to pieces myself!"
"No master, you can't!" Octoroo screamed at him. "The seal! If you go to the human realm, you'll dry out in an instant!"
"Serrator has made his final mistake!" Xandred announced, smashing Octoroo away from him, before disappearing.
Back at the site of the battle, Ji's Shark Sword attack weaved around him, taking out Moogers all around, while Jayden blasted others. Emily and the others took down the remaining Moogers, leaving them now free to turn their attention to Dayu and Serrator.
Dayu had done better than anyone could have expected. All her anguish, all her hate, centuries of vengeance had given her an insane strength, enough that she had already inflicted a number of grievous injuries on Serrator, but in the end, his power, combined with her already considerable injuries were simply too much for her to handle.
She was cut down, and fell to the ground, tumbling to the foot of the cliff lifelessly. Only the fact she did not explode or disappear confirmed that she was still alive. Serrator got up, clutching at his side, and moving gingerly as he looked to the Rangers and laughed.
"You're too late!" He announced. "You spent so much time worrying about Xandred, worrying about the big bad bogeyman that you failed to spot the real threat to your world right under your noses!"
He looked to the Yellow Ranger.
"You might want to call your sister now." He taunted her, stretching out a hand, at which the Harmonium flew into his hand. "Tell her she'll be rejoining her boyfriend really soon."
At that point though, there was a crack of thunder, and everyone froze. Even Serrator stood stock still as he saw this. Thick, dark clouds started to form, joining together, but it became so much more than that. Soon, the entire sky was reduced to darkness.
"What gives?" Mike asked. "It's like an eclipse!"
"It can't be!" Serrator stated. The ground started to shake, and the very air itself started to grow warm, uncomfortable, and a very real sense of dread descended across the battlefield. They could hear a rumbling growl, and the shaking became worse.
The Rangers all fell silent, and looked around each other. Every single one of them felt their hearts sinking, and filling with horror as the very world itself seemed to react in fear at what was coming. From the moment they were old enough to hear it, their parents had all told them of the final battle. The last battle, when Xandred had gone to the Shiba House.
Kevin could recall his dad drinking, the only time he had ever seen him do so. His father was so dedicated to his training, he was practically teetotal, but when he talked about that battle, he steadied his nerves, and his demeanour changed. Instead of the stoic, confident man he knew him to be, his father only spoke of dread of that day. It was the day all of them very nearly lost everything.
Mike's dad had always terrified him with stories of that battle. It was kind of like his bogeyman. Whenever Mike didn't feel like training, or he felt he wasn't trying hard enough, he would show him his scars, and remind him of that battle. His torso and back carried many scars, as would be expected of anyone facing battle on a daily basis for several years, but this one in particular was the one that he always showed him. The long, diagonal scar running from his left shoulder, to his right hip, which seemed to be a cut, but extend with burn marks beyond that, covering a significant proportion of the front of his chest. By the looks of it, by all rights, the attack should have cut him clean in two. It was the one and only attack Xandred had landed.
Emily's mother had also warned her of her experience in the battle. While her scarring was not as significant, she too had told her girls of his power, and of the terror she felt whenever she thought about her girls needing to finish what their ancestors, what she had started. It had been in her nightmares for years, and while Emily was too young to remember at the time, Serena had told her that she could remember her mother waking up screaming on many nights after she came home.
Mia's mother had another story, but one that terrified her no less. Her mother had to rely on sensei's to teach her Martial Arts, teaching her only the history and teaching her to harness her family's Symbol Power. For as long as she had known her, Mia's mother had been confined to a wheelchair. She had confronted Xandred, and had been on the receiving end of one of her attacks. That day was the last time she would ever walk. Mia gulped and clutched her Spin Sword tightly to think of the fact that he was coming.
Jayden and Ji, however, had a shared memory of that day, one that came back to both of them, seizing both their hearts with anguish and rage. That was the day Jayden's father handed him the Lion Zord, and ran out to do battle. The last time either of them saw him alive.
"Day becomes night as the Master Returns!" They heard a deep, rumbling voice growl as dark rocks rolled into the centre of the valley, forming up into a kind of sinister obelisk. They all clutched their weapons tightly as it started to glow red. They all recognised the voice, they had heard it once before when Xandred entranced Moogers to attack Jayden, but now it was so much louder, so much more chilling...so much more terrifying.
"It can't be!" Mike called out. "The seal..."
"The seal isn't perfect." Jayden told them as they all clutched their weapons closely, preparing for the fight of their lives!