Chapter 15: Live by the Sword
Max, the Ferrus Quintuplets, Alex, Rayne, Sydney and Kirby were walking along the docks during the flea market to enjoy the first day of Summer. "Is there anything better than the first day of Summer?" Max asked with a sigh. "For real." Sydney said. "Nothing I can think of." Kirby said. "And what better way to spend our first day of Summer than checking out the flea market." Yeager said. "Yeah. So much to see what's going around on the market." Rayne said. "Still can't think of anything." Kirby said. Just then, he saw a cool Viking helmet at one of the stands. "Except maybe this." He said as he walked over to the stand and picked up the helmet. "Is this not the coolest thing you've ever seen?" He asked. But as he put on the helmet, it was too big for his head. "Guess they didn't have one-size fits back then." Sydney said. "You got that right." Vandana said. "WHAT?!" Kirby shouted, not hearing what they said. When he tried to walk away, he didn't see where he was going and walked into a light post. Everyone laughed at this as Sydney and Xena ran over to help.
"I don't know how I should feel about this. Markets where people sell their own garbage instead of throwing it out?" Steel said. 'It's not all garbage, Steel. There's always hidden treasures if you know where to look.' Max said telepathically. Steel peeked out of the backpack to look amongst the merchandise. "Well, as long as you're sure." He said before zipping himself back in. "Come on, team, let's see what kind of stuff they got." Max said as Sydney and Xena finally pulled the helmet off Kirby's head. Suddenly, as they looked through the merchandise, they heard someone yelling. "For the last time, I know you got it! So, hand it over!" A man demanded. They turned to see a man yelling at an old man at one of the stands. "I don't know what you're talking about." The old man said. "Quit playing dumb! The sword!" The man demanded. "What sword? I don't know anything about a sword! And besides, the legend is not even true!" The old man exclaimed. "You don't know about the sword, but you know about the legend?" The man asked in suspicion. "Uh…uh…" The old man tried to say with hesitation.
"Hey! Leave the old man alone!" Max exclaimed as he and his team walked over to the commotion. "This is a personal matter, kids. Stay out of the way before you get hurt." The man threatened. Just then, Wandella grabbed him, threw him down and twisted his arm, causing him to yell in pain. "Listen, tough guy, if I catch you threatening anyone like this old man again, I will beat you up so badly, your whole body will be a giant bruise." She threatened. With that, as she let him go, the man ran away in fear. "Thank you very much." The old man said, thanking them. "It's no problem, sir. I hate bullies." Wandella said. "Why was that man threatening you anyway?" Max asked. "Oh, that man was wondering nonsense about this old legend." The old man said. The team grew curious about this legend as he mentioned it. "Could you please tell us about this legend?" Zad asked. "Long ago, there was a great and powerful ninja who wished to rule the world. He was known as Murakami. This ninja's thirst for destruction was so great, even his weapons couldn't keep up. So, he soon sought out a sorcerer and order him to forge a sword that will be more powerful than any weapon on Earth. The sorcerer did as he was told, but also placed a curse on the weapon so that whoever handled it would be sealed in its blade forever. The ninja soon came for the sword. He picked it up and became trapped inside the blade. The sorcerer warned that if anyone gripped the sword's handle, the ninja would once again be released and free to wreak havoc again." The old man explained as he finished the story.
The team was in awe as they listened to the legend. "That was a great story." Max said. "Whoa. That's one spooky bedtime story." Steel said. 'Don't be so sure. Most legends are born from truth.' Max said telepathically. "I am very happy that you kids were able to listen." The old man said. "Well, if you'll excuse us, we better be off." Max said. The team gave a respectful bow to the old man, who returned the bow, and headed off. But suddenly, the old man grabbed Zad's arm. "I have something for you." He said. "What is it?" Zad asked. The old man reached under his booth and brought out a case. "Hold onto this for me until the time is right." He said as he held it out. Zad was a bit confused at first, but he took the case. "Okay. I'll hold onto it for you." He said before heading off to catch up with the others. "I only hope that you kids can handle the Curse of Murakami, and end its legacy once and for all." The old man said as he watched him leave. When Zad caught up with the others, little did anyone, nor Zad notice, the case in his hand started glowing.
(Intro)
Meanwhile, the man from earlier, named Axel, arrived at an abandoned garage to meet with his boss. "Were you able to retrieve it?" The boss asked from the shadows. "No. I got scared off by a tough little girl after she nearly broke my arm. But…" Axel said as he dropped a couple of bags at his boss' feet, spilling some weapons he had stolen. "…I'm sure Dread will be happy with this haul." "Dread? I told you this does not concern Dread. He has his ambitions and I have mine." The boss said, revealing himself to be none other than Naught as he picked up an energy gun. "Sorry, Mr. Naught. You keep the weapons then. Better than some sword if you ask me." Axel said. "It's not just 'some sword'! It's the Cursed Sword of Murakami. It has great power. Now go find it and be ready for anything. Because whoever has that sword will be a force to be reckoned with." Naught explained as he shot an energy blast from the gun and nearly hit Axel's head.
Meanwhile, Kirby was at the balloon game stand. He aimed carefully at the balloons. But as he tossed the dart, it just bounced right off the balloon. He quickly ducked before the dart hit him in the face. "Somebody should really sharpen those things." He said before walking away to join the others as they played arcade games. "Hey, Kirbs. Having fun?" Xena asked. "Yeah. I've won tons of carnival prizes so far." Kirby lied. Max just shook his head amusingly, knowing that Kirby was lying. Just then, Yeager turned his attention to the case in Zad's hand. "Hey, Zad, where'd you get that case?" He asked. "Oh, that old man gave it to me. He told me to hold onto it for him." Zad said. "Well, can we see what's inside it?" Rayne asked. Zad held out the case and opened it. To everyone's surprise, there was an ancient sword inside it. "Why would that old man give you a sword to hang onto?" Wandella asked. "It doesn't matter. Zad, you need to get rid of that sword. It's dangerous and not a toy." Max said. "I can't. I took it because the old man specifically requested me to hang onto it until the time is right." Zad objected. "But when is the right time, Zad? I don't understand." Vandana said. "I don't know either. But the old man was pretty concerned about it when he gave it to me. And I just wanted to respect him by taking it." Zad said. "Well, you can't keep it. Mom and Aunt Molly won't allow you to keep a dangerous weapon." Yeager said. "Yeager's right. Having a white tiger for a pet is one thing, but dangerous swords are a different story." Xena said. "Alright. I know when I'm beat. I'll get rid of it before any harm can be caused." Zad sighed in defeat as he closed the case and walked away to dispose of it.
Later, Zad walked into a dumpster area to dispose of the sword. He put the case down, opened it and looked at the sword. "Wow." He said with awe. He looked around, seeing that no one was around, and picked up the sword. He practiced a few of his cool samurai skills with the sword. "Feels good. But I have to throw it away." He said when he finished. As he opened the dumpster to throw away the sword, when he opened his hand, the sword's handle became stuck to his palm. "What the…" He said in shock. He tried to pull it off, but the sword wouldn't come off. "What's with this thing?" He asked as he looked at the blade. Just then, he saw something, or someone, stare at him from the blade's reflection, making him gasp. Suddenly, the blade started to glow orange brightly, making him scream.
At that moment, Butch and his cronies showed up and saw him. "Hey! This is our spot!" He exclaimed. "Yeah! No trash allowed!" One of the 2 bullies, Titch, exclaimed. "But there's trash all around here. This is a dumpster." The second bully, Gibby, said. "Shut it!" Butch exclaimed. "Hey, isn't that the little Ferrus kid whose sister beat us up?" Titch asked, recognizing Zad. "Yeah, you're right. And his sister's nowhere in sight." Gibby said. "Lucky us. Now you can either get lost or get pounded, Ferrus." Butch threatened. Just then, 'Zad' looked up at them with a sinister smile and orange glowing eyes. Butch and Titch tried to attack him, but he dodged their punches and leapt onto the dumpster. Just then, 'Zad' poked various spots on Butch's chest and paralyzed him. Then he charged towards Titch, leapt up and disappeared in a smoke cloud, leaving behind a log. As Titch caught the log and stared at it in confusion, 'Zad' reappeared behind him and charged towards him, knocking him down on Butch. Gibby tried to run away, but 'Zad' leapt off the wall and landed right in front of him. 'Zad' used the sword to slice up Gibby's hoodie and make a mask out of the shreds.
Meanwhile, the team was still playing at the arcade games. "I wonder what's taking Zad so long." Rayne said, getting worried about Zad. Suddenly, the 4 quintuplets suddenly got terrible headaches and gripped their heads in pain. "Guys, what's wrong?" Max asked with worry. "It's Zad. He's in trouble." Vandana said as their headaches subsided. Just then, Butch and his buddies ran by with 'Zad' chasing after them. The team was shocked to see that. "What's going on with Zad?" Sydney asked. "Yeah. I've never seen him like that." Kirby said. "Uh, he's having problems with his teeth. Makes him do some crazy stuff. We gotta go take him to the dentist right away." Max said as he picked up his bag and took off with his team following, leaving Sydney and Kirby confused.
The team arrived at the dumpster area and took a look around. "Something's up." Max said as his Ultralink partner flew out of his bag. Just then, the team found the empty case on the ground. "Guess he decided to keep the sword after all." Steel said. "Suit up, team! Go Turbo Flight!" Max called as Steel linked up with him and morphed into Flight Mode. The 4 quintuplets transformed into their Mana Quint suits. Alex and Rayne transformed into their hero suits. The team took off into the air to go after 'Zad'.
"Stop! Stop!" Butch cried as 'Zad' chased him and his boys through the streets. Suddenly, 'Zad' found himself in the middle of the streets. People were honking their horns at him. "Fowl tempered beast. Be silenced!" He exclaimed as he leapt at one of the cars and sliced it in half. As the driver ran away in fear, a police officer came out of his car and drew his pistol. "You! Drop the weapon and get down on the-" The police officer tried to say, but 'Zad' leapt at him and sliced the pistol in half. "Uh, carry on." The police officer said in fear before running away. 'Zad' leapt up onto the streetlights and sliced them off before chasing after the people running away. He leapt up onto a building and sliced a bulletin board, causing it to fall and nearly crushing the people. Just then, the team arrived. "Alright, Zad, drop the sword." Max demanded. 'Zad' turned around to face the team. "No one will stop me from my mission." He said. "His mission?" Steel asked in confusion. "Not even a bunch of flying whelps…like you." 'Zad' said. The Mana Quints noticed that something was off. "That does not sound like our brother." Vandana said.
Just then, 'Zad' leapt at them. "Look out!" Alex exclaimed. Max caught the blade as 'Zad' tried to slash at him. "Whoa, Zad, take it easy, would you?!" He asked. But 'Zad' pulled the blade away and kicked Max down into the street. "Zad, what're you doing?!" Wandella asked in shock. But 'Zad' ignored her and tried to slash at her with his sword. Wandella dodged each slash as she continued trying to reason with him. "Come on, Zad! It's me, Wandella, your sister!" She cried. Just then, as 'Zad' prepared to slash at her again, Xena and Yeager caught his arm with their mana whips. "Take it easy, little bro!" Yeager exclaimed. "We don't wanna hurt you, Zad!" Xena exclaimed. Just then, 'Zad' gave a big leap and twirled around, spinning Xena and Yeager, and sent them flying into Wandella. Just then, Alex grabbed 'Zad' from behind. "Unhand me, beast!" 'Zad' demanded. "Come on, Zad! This isn't funny! Talk to me, man!" Alex exclaimed. But 'Zad' elbowed Alex in the groin and flipped him over his shoulder. As he prepared to stab him, a mana shield blocked the blade. 'Zad' looked up and saw Vandana with her hands glowing with mana. "Stop this! Release my brother!" Vandana exclaimed. As 'Zad' charged towards her, she tried to grab him with her mana. But he dodged every one of her mana attacks and knocked her down with a knee to her chin.
Rayne stared in shock at what was happening when 'Zad' started walking towards her next. "Please, Zad. It's me, Rayne, your girlfriend." She said, trying to reason with her 'boyfriend'. But 'Zad' just slashed a streetlight and leapt off as it was about to fall on top of her. But luckily, Max recovered and caught the streetlight. "Thanks, Max." Rayne said. "No problem. But what Vandana said is starting to bug me and something tells me that she's right. This isn't just Zad we're dealing with." Max said. "And we better find out what we are dealing with before the whole city's destroyed." Steel said. As the team recovered and started chasing after 'Zad' as he leapt across several vehicles, Axel noticed them from his own car. He activated the video phone on his dashboard and called Naught. "I found them, Mr. Naught." He said. "Excellent. Initiate offensive maneuver T5-Alpha-20. Otherwise known as Phase 2." Naught ordered.
As the team continued chasing him, 'Zad' slashed another streetlight and nearly crushed a couple civilians. But Max caught it as he and the team flew by. Just then, as he came to an alley where 2 kids were playing catch, 'Zad' slashed a pole with a transformer and caused it to fall towards them. But Rayne arrived and caught it, absorbing the electricity, and threw it away. The team watched with worry as 'Zad' started leaping up the buildings. "Okay, Zad is not acting like himself." Alex said. "I know. We gotta stop him before he hurts someone." Max said. "Including himself." Steel added. As 'Zad' leapt across the tall buildings, the team continued to chase after him. He climbed down the buildings as the team chased him back into the streets. "Guys, the sword! I think that's what's making Zad act this way." Steel said. "I was thinking the same thing. Look at the way it's glowing." Max said as 'Zad' stabbed a bus through the roof as passengers ran out of the bus in fear. "Then we gotta take it off his hands." Yeager said. "I'm on it." Alex said as he flew towards 'Zad'. But as he grabbed the sword and tried to pull it away, 'Zad' flipped him over the bus and dropped him in the street. "You okay, Alex?" Wandella asked as she and the team flew over to help him. "Yeah, that wasn't how I saw that happening." Alex groaned as he recovered.
"You again?" 'Zad' asked in annoyance. "Look, we don't wanna hurt you." Max said. "Don't worry. You won't." 'Zad' said sinisterly. He leapt down and started slashing at them. "Hey! Knock it off, bro!" Yeager exclaimed as he and his sisters blocked the slashes with their mana shields. "Tell us about it!" Max exclaimed as 'Zad' turned his slashes on him. "Yeah. That sword's really testing the integrity of the Steel Suit." Steel said as the sword chipped off a few pieces of the Steel Suit. "Then it's time to stop messing around." Max said. "Right. We need to get that sword one way or another." Rayne said. "Go Turbo Strength!" Max called, morphing into Strength Mode. The Mana Quints formed their mana weapons in their hands. Alex pounded his chest as a red gorilla image appeared and disappeared into his body. Rayne clapped her hands together and generated thunderbolts. "What sorcery is this?" 'Zad' asked as he prepared to slash at Max again. But Max caught the sword's blade in his hand. "The kind that's about to leave you emptyhanded." He said. The team grabbed 'Zad' and tried to pull his hand off the sword. But he just wouldn't let go. "Let go, Zad!" Rayne exclaimed. "It's not worth it!" Vandana exclaimed. Just then, 'Zad' broke free of their grip and slashed his sword, blasting the whole team in separate directions with an energy wave, knocking them out. "Okay. That actually hurt." Steel said.
As they recovered, they saw that Zad was already gone. "He's gone." Alex said. "This is bad." Vandana said as she, her siblings and Rayne grew worried about Zad. "We have to find Zad and figure out how to get him back." Rayne said. "I know. But how?" Max asked. Just then, Steel got an immediate call from Forge. "Does someone wanna tell me why my youngest son is dressed up like a ninja and causing mayhem by destroying downtown Copper Canyon!" Forge demanded. "Well, I guess the first thing we do is report to N-Tek." Steel sighed. "No. We're coming to you." Forge said. As the call ended, the team looked up to see a Jump Jet arriving at their location. "Dad always likes to make an entrance." Xena said.
As the Jump Jet flew through the sky, the team filled Forge, Jefferson and Kat in about everything that happened. "Magic sword? You gotta be kidding me!" Forge said, laughing. "This from the guy who hangs around element monsters and spaceships." Steel said. "He's got you there, Dad." Xena said. Just then, Berto and Al called the jet from the base. "What's the old saying? Magic is just science we don't understand yet." Berto said. "Or in this case, magic's exactly what we're dealing with." Al said. "This is Kojiro Sugawara, the sword's original owner." Berto said, bringing the old man into the screen. Max and the team were shocked to see him again. "It took some work, but we managed to track him down and told him what was up." Al said. "It is an honor to see you kids again. My apologies for not introducing myself earlier." Mr. Sugawara said. "So, can you tell us anything about the sword you gave Zad?" Vandana asked. "That sword…it is the Cursed Sword of Murakami. The story I had told you earlier." Mr. Sugawara said. "But why would you give the sword to Zad?" Rayne asked. "I hoped that it would be safe with him, to keep it safe from the wrong hands." Mr. Sugawara said. "That man who threatened you earlier. He was after the sword." Wandella realized. "Murakami also mentioned that he had a mission. To conquer the world. Now that he's possessed Zad, he's picking up where he left off." Alex said. "We have to stop him." Kat said. "We have to save him, Kat. That's our little brother under that mask." Yeager said. "But even if we find him, how do we reverse the curse?" Alex asked. "We don't know. That part's not so clear." Al said.
"Well, first we have to find him." Forge said. "Done. Turns out a ninja slicing and dicing everything in sight draws a little attention." Jefferson said, bringing up a video of Murakami fighting several cops using Zad's body. "Get in close." Forge ordered. "Roger that, Commander." Jefferson said. Suddenly, something shot at them. "What in blazes?!" Forge exclaimed. "We're taking fire!" Jefferson exclaimed. "From who?!" Forge asked. Just then, when the Jump Jet was hit in the engine, a familiar ship appeared from out of the clouds. It was Naught, cackling like a madman. "Take that, N-Tek Stooges! The sword is mine! All MINE!" He exclaimed as the Jump Jet plummeted out of the sky.
Meanwhile, as Murakami took down the cops, Naught's ship arrived just above him. "What manner of beast is this? No matter. It shall soon be no more." He said, leaping up towards the ship. "Come to papa." Naught said, activating the tractor beam as Murakami was about to stab the ship and brought him onboard. The ship took off as the Jump Jet was slowly starting to follow. "Follow that ship, Jefferson!" Forge ordered. "The blast knocked our navigation system offline." Jefferson said. Naught cackled as he flew his ship out of the city. "We're back up!" Kat exclaimed. "The ship's almost to the horizon." Forge said. "Zad." Max said as he and the team grew worried about Zad. As Naught flew towards the horizon while still cackling, Zad's body lay unconscious in the ship's brig.
"Job well done, Mr. Naught." Axel said as he walked up to the cockpit. "Of course, it was. I did it. Take the controls. I have business to attend to." Naught said as he got up from the pilot seat and walked towards the brig, leaving Axel to pilot the ship. Zad's body was still unconscious. "Seems the stasis pen is mightier than the sword, eh? Now then, to relieve you of this curse." Naught said as he attached a battery grip to the sword. "A thousand volt jolt should loosen your grip." He said, setting up the battery's voltage. "Though it may leave you a bit on the crispy side." But suddenly, as he turned on the battery, Murakami woke up, unhooked the battery grip and clamped it on the brig's electric cell, shorting it out and sending Naught flying. "Whoa!" Naught said in shock as he recovered. "You dare try to stop me? Prepare to meet your end!" Murakami said with vengeance. He leapt at Naught, slashing at him with his sword. But Naught dodged the sword. "I don't think so." He said, morphing into his cyborg form. Murakami slashed at Naught, but the sword didn't even scratch his armor. Naught fired a laser blast at Murakami, but he dodged it, making it hit the ceiling and blow a hole in it. Murakami leapt out through the hole and out of the ship.
Meanwhile, the Jump Jet finally caught up with Naught's ship. "Enemy craft in sight, Commander." Jefferson said. "Don't shoot it down. That's my son on board." Forge said. "Then this is gonna be tricky." Kat said. "Berto, Al, you 2 figure out how to break this so-called curse. We'll figure out how to save Zad from Naught." Forge ordered. The Jump Jet closed in on Naught's ship. "Get us closer and get a beat on Naught." Forge ordered. Jefferson activated the target lock and got a locked in on Naught.
Meanwhile, Murakami continued to fight Naught on the roof of the ship. He leapt up, dodging and deflecting Naught's laser blasts before kicking him down. But as he prepared to stab him, Naught dodged the sword, causing him to stab through the roof, nearly stabbing Axel. Naught kicked Murakami back as Axel came running to the hole. "You ripped the whole ship apart! We're going down!" He exclaimed. Murakami leapt for Naught, but he swatted him aside. Axel abandoned the ship and parachuted to safety.
Meanwhile, as the Jump Jet was closing in on Naught's ship, Naught and Murakami continued fighting. But when the ship moved for a second, they suddenly disappeared. "Where'd they go?" Forge asked in surprise. "I don't know. I lost them." Jefferson said. Suddenly, the Jump Jet was getting damaged from the roof. "Oh, don't tell me." Forge groaned. Naught and Murakami had moved their fight to the Jump Jet's roof. Murakami dodged Naught's laser blasts as they damaged the Jump Jet. "They just slashed the main power drive! We gotta ditch!" Jefferson exclaimed. "But you kids don't. It's up to you." Forge said. The team nodded. Forge, Kat and Jefferson leapt out of the Jump Jet and parachuted to safety. As the Jump Jet flew towards the city, the team flew after it to save Zad. Naught and Murakami leapt off the Jump Jet and landed on a nearby building and prepared to continue their fight as the team flew over them. "Sheesh. These 2 sure don't stay put very long." Steel said. "We gotta keep Naught from getting that sword." Rayne said. "Okay, team, separate. Girls, you handle Naught. We'll handle Murakami." Max said. The team flew down towards the roof and knocked Naught down. "Game's up, Naught. We're shutting you down." Max said as he morphed back to Base Mode. But then, Murakami kicked Max right off the building. "MAX!" The Mana Quints, Alex and Rayne cried.
Max and Murakami landed in another building that was under construction. Max dodged the sword as Murakami tried to stab him. As Murakami tried to slash him, Max picked up a push broom to fight back. But Murakami sliced the broom into sushi rolls. Max leapt over Murakami as he tried to kick him and him around the shoulders. But Murakami broke free and kicked Max into a support beam. As he charged towards him, Max noticed a rusty barrel nearby, grabbed a clump of rust and threw it at Murakami's face as he leapt at him, blinding him for a second as he dodged. Max grabbed his arm, but Murakami flipped him over. Suddenly, Yeager and Alex surprised Murakami and grabbed his arms. But Murakami broke free and knocked them down. But Yeager quickly recovered and stood up. "Zad, please, this isn't who you used to be. Murakami's just using you so he can take over the world." He said, trying to reach his little brother. "Your little brother isn't here. Therefore, you will perish." Murakami said. As he charged towards him, Yeager braced for the attack. But suddenly, the attack missed him…purposely. Yeager stared at Murakami in shock. "Zad?" He said with hope.
Suddenly, Naught came down and rejoined the fight. But as he set his sights on Murakami, the girls flew down and got in the way. Naught threw a punch, but Vandana, Wandella and Xena blocked him with their mana shields. "Sorry. But your little mana shields don't pack the same charge they used to. At least, not on me. I've made upgrades." Naught explained as he charged up his new energy punch. "Uh oh." The girls said with worry as the punch knocked them down. "Girls!" Max cried. But then, Naught turned his laser blasts on him, Yeager, Alex and Murakami. "So, even Max Steel and his little team want to harness the power of the Sword of Murakami." He said. The boys dodged each laser blast as they backed up to Murakami. "You dope! The power of the sword can't be harnessed!" Max exclaimed as Murakami blocked the blasts with his sword. "That's right! It harnesses you!" Alex exclaimed. Just then, Murakami elbowed Max and Alex, and flipped them onto their backs. "Hey! Stop it, bro! We're on your side, remember?!" Yeager exclaimed. But Murakami kicked him hard, knocking him towards Naught, who swatted him aside as he charged towards Murakami. Naught fired his laser blasts, but Murakami dodged them and slashed at him, knocking him down. As the team recovered, Murakami charged towards them. Yeager conjured his mana shield before Murakami kicked it hard, sending the team to Naught, who tried to shatter the shield by pounding it. "Let it be, Naught, before you get hurt." Rayne said, giving Naught an electric punch in the gut when Yeager lowered his mana shield, electrocuting him before Alex flipped him onto his back.
Suddenly, Murakami's sword started glowing with more energy. "Now perish!" He exclaimed as he charged towards the team. But then, C.Y.T.R.O. flew into the building. "Request: Mind if I crash the party?" He asked sarcastically, firing his cannon at Murakami and knocking him down. "Glad you could make it, C.Y.T.R.O." Max said. But then, Naught recovered. "Time to take matters into my own-" He tried to say. But C.Y.T.R.O. blasted him, knocking him off the edge of the building. "-HANDS!" He screamed as he fell. The team watched as he fell. "Uh, his mech suit can fly, right?" Rayne asked. Naught finally crashed at the bottom, making the team cringe. "I'm thinking no." Steel said. "That's gonna hurt in the morning." Xena said.
Just then, Murakami recovered. "Bring all of your greatest warriors. I will destroy them all!" He exclaimed. Suddenly, he got a terrible headache, clutching his head. "No! I won't hurt my team! My friends! My family!" Zad exclaimed, trying to reclaim control. "They're nothing to me! I have a world to conquer!" Murakami exclaimed, taking back control. The team saw this when they turned around. "Come on, Zad! Fight him!" Xena exclaimed. "Yeah! You're stronger than Murakami!" Alex exclaimed. "He is nothing! I am the greatest ninja that has ever existed! And I will not be denied my destiny anymore!" Murakami exclaimed as he charged towards the team. "Zad, NO!" Rayne cried. Murakami kicked them hard, knocking them off the edge of the building. As Yeager and the girls quickly pulled up with their flight abilities, C.Y.T.R.O. quickly activated his rockets and a red eagle image appeared and disappeared into Alex's body. "Go Turbo Flight!" Max called, morphing to Flight Mode. As they managed to pull up and land safely on the ground as Max morphed back to Base Mode, Murakami leapt off the building and used his ninja skills to leap off the building and the construction to the ground.
"It's no good. Even if we can reach Zad inside, Murakami's cursed spirit is too powerful as long as he has the sword." Yeager said. "C.Y.T.R.O., did Berto and Al have any luck with finding a way to break the curse?" Max asked. "Affirmative." C.Y.T.R.O. said. His compartment opened and tossed Max a new sword. "Wow. Cool sword." Max said in awe. "Uh, no offense, Max, but I don't think you're gonna win a sword fight against a 3000-year-old ninja." Xena said as Murakami landed in front of the team. "Actually, Xena, that's not just a sword. It's a Turbo Sword. Especially when Steel plugs into it." Berto said over the com-link. "But how's that gonna work?" Alex asked. "Wait. Remember what Mr. Sugawara said in the story? The sorcerer forged that sword to be more powerful than anything on Earth." Max said as he blocked an incoming strike from Murakami with the Turbo Sword. "Except I'm not from Earth." Steel said. "Yes. You break the sword, you break Murakami's hold on your cousin." Mr. Sugawara said. "So, when I plug into the sword, I can Turbofy it." Steel said. "And it'll give us enough power to break the sword and break Murakami's hold on Zad." Max said. "Let's do it!" Steel exclaimed as he de-linked from Max and plugged into the Turbo Sword, powering it up. As Murakami and Max started clashing their blades, Murakami's blade started to crack a bit. "It's working! Murakami's sword's starting to break!" Rayne cheered. Max kicked Murakami back a bit and clashed blades again, causing the cursed blade to crack even more. "It's working, Max!" Steel exclaimed. "I know! Just a little more!" Max exclaimed. He and Murakami continued clashing their blades, further causing Murakami's sword to crack more. "One more strike should do it." Max said.
"NO!" Naught shouted as he recovered. The team was surprised. "THAT SWORD IS MINE!" Naught exclaimed as he powered up his energy punches. But as he fired them, the Mana Quints blocked them with their mana shields. "Dude, will you give it up! If you take that sword, your mind will be possessed!" Wandella exclaimed. "I! DON'T! CARE!" Naught shouted, firing 2 more energy punches. As the Mana Quints blocked them, Max leapt over their shields and tossed the Turbo Sword at him, knocking him down with a blast of Turbo Energy. "Whoa. Awesome." Max said in amazement. "Yeah. What a blast." Vandana said. Just then, Murakami leapt towards Max to deliver the final blow. "MAX!" Steel exclaimed as he directed the Turbo Sword back into Max's hand, blocking Murakami's strike. Just then, Murakami's sword shattered upon impact. Murakami's eyes widened in shock as Zad's body started to glow, releasing Murakami's spirit. Zad groaned as he fainted. "Zad!" Max cried as the team rushed over to check on him. "Zad, are you okay?" Rayne asked with worry as Yeager held his younger brother in his arms. Just then, a Hopper landed nearby and let out Berto, Al and Mr. Sugawara. "He is fine now. We have been making sure that sword did not get into the wrong hands for generations." Mr. Sugawara said as the old man checked on Zad. "Ever since your great-great-great-grandfather forged it long ago, right?" Max asked, surprising everyone. "How did you know?" Mr. Sugawara asked with a smile. "Most legends are passed down from generations of families. And ever since you told us your story at the flea market, I figured that your family was connected to the legend in a way." Max explained. Mr. Sugawara chuckled. "You are very wise for one so young, Maxwell McGrath." He said.
Just then, Zad groaned as he started to recover. "Zad!" Vandana cried. "Oh, man! I feel like a whole load was lifted off my head." Zad groaned as he removed the ninja mask. "Well, it's good to see that you're back to your old self again, little bro." Yeager said as he and Rayne helped Zad to his feet. Just then, police sirens wailed nearby. "Cops are coming." Xena said. "We should get out of here." Max said. "What about Naught?" Alex asked. "Looks like he already did." Berto said, seeing that Naught was already gone. Everyone quickly took off as the police started to arrive. "Thanks for saving me, guys. But I still feel bad that I caused all that chaos by touching that sword." Zad said, feeling guilt. "Not to worry, young Ferrus. Allow me to present you with something better for your troubles." Mr. Sugawara said. He brought out an old book and an ancient staff. "This old spell book and staff had both belonged to my ancestor, passed down for generations. But now I am the last of my family. So, I now pass these down to your family." He said as he gave the spell book and staff to Zad. "You would really entrust me with these relics of your family legacy, Mr. Sugawara? Even after everything?" Zad asked. "Yes. You and your family have the purest of hearts. I know that you will put them to good use as you continue to protect our home." Mr. Sugawara said. The team all gave a respectable bow to Mr. Sugawara, which he bowed back.
Later that day, Naught returned to Dread's secret hideout. "You wanted to see me, sir?" He asked. "Indeed, I did, Mr. Naught, my loyal lackey. It seems you have not been so loyal." Dread said. Naught was confused until a door opened and Frozen Killer came in with Axel. "He made me tell him, Mr. Naught!" Axel cried. "Wait! I can explain! I know how this looks!" Naught tried to explain. But then, Frozen Killer blasted them with an ice beam freezing them against the wall. "It seems you 2 need a refresher course in why you serve only me! One you will not soon forget!" Dread exclaimed as he walked up to them and prepared to punish them, charging up his hands with Negative Turbo Energy.
Meanwhile, back in the alley where the final duel commenced, a mysterious male figure walked up toward the destroyed sword. He gathered up all of the pieces and the handle, and walked away, vanishing into a black mist.
Whoa. That was pretty intense. While shopping through the flea market, Zad was given a mysterious box by one of the vendors. The box contained an ancient katana. But as Zad touched the sword, the spirit of the evil ninja, Murakami, possessed him and started causing mayhem through the city. But luckily, Max Steel and his team managed to set him free by using the new Turbo Sword to shatter the sword's blade and set Zad free of Murakami's spirit. And as a thank you gift, the old vendor bestowed the team a spell book and staff that belonged to his sorcerer ancestor. But who was the mysterious person who took the sword pieces? What secrets does the spell book hold for the team? Leave a review if you want.
Special thanks to FoxyKhai0209 for the names for the vendor and Butch's cronies: Kojiro Sugawara, Titch and Gibby.