Authors P.O.V:
The rangers laid in the med bay of the Shiba house trying to recover. Dani was still out, Mike got out of bed and limped over to her. He sat in a chair and grabbed her hand and a wet cloth to place on her forehead. She looks so peaceful. Mentor soon walked in, "Mentor! Is she going to be alright?" Mentor sighed and looked at the impatient green ranger, "I don't know."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Meanwhile~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Huh. Rescuing you has become a bit of a bad habit, but one that I surely intend to see break permanently." Deker speaks out loud, before dropping the red ranger in the river he was walking in.
Jayden came up for air, coughing and wheezing. He turned to see Deker before attempting to stand. The half-human shook his head, "Stay under. The water will purge the poison from your systems as it blocks the spells before. It is already, now working."
Being as stubborn as ever, Jayden is hesitant to trust the hybrid. "Trust me. There's nothing I want more, then for you to be in top form." With that Jayden went back under.
"The sooner you recover, the sooner I'll finally be able to duel and bring you down."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Back at the Shiba house~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Antonio has been non-stop working on the black box. Exerting himself, to save Jayden, to save Dani, to save the world. He collapsed, "Antonio" Mentor yelled, kneeling down to make sure he was okay. "I'm fine." "You have to pace yourself when using symbol power. Don't overdo it."
~~~~More arguing later~~~~
"Keep in mind, if there's another nighlok attack, you are the only one healthy enough to fight. Dani is not even conscious yet." Antonio kept programming the box before he collapsed yet again.
"There. Formatting's done and so is my job here I guess." Antonio said, winded. "Now comes the dangerous part. Infusing the box with everyone's symbol power is incredibly dangerous, especially Daniela. But I have no doubt that you are strong enough to do it." "That's where we come in." Kevin said as he, Mia, and Emily enter the room.
"You shouldn't be out of bed. Where is Mike?" "With Dani." Emily said, "Antonio can't take this on alone." Kevin told their Mentor. "Especially since Jayden's gone and Dani's out of commission." Just then the gap sensor sounded throughout the house, alerting Mike that he should go.
Mike stood, kissing Dani on the forehead, rushing out to the common room. "So, what do we do now?" Antonio asked, "I know what Jayden would say. Protect the innocent at all costs." "That's golden. You guys fight the nighlok. I'll find Jayden." "No! You must be here to finish the black box." Mentor told Antonio. "I can't. They're taking their power disks into battle."
Emily walked up to Antonio and handed him her disk, "Here. It's yours." The others soon followed her lead. "Thank you, guys. I know you are strong enough to fight without them."
"Make sure you make progress. Without the black box, the whole world is in danger." "I won't let you guys down. I'll do as much as I can, but without Jayden's disk, I can't finish it."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Time skip ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"I'm sorry. I'm too tired to finish, but I can help Jayden. I'll finish the box later." Antonio told their mentor. "That's fine. I understand. Now go, I'll watch over Daniela."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Meanwhile with Deker and Jayden~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Jayden was awoken again in a cave, Deker's home. He looks around and sees the daughter's 'room'. "This is you and your daughter's home." "Yes. Where is she?" "How would I know? I don't know her." "Oh, but you do red ranger. The purity of the lake has healed you, but you will still be quite weak for awhile."
Jayden groans, "Why are you doing all of this?" Jayden asked the half-nighlok. "I'm searching for the Ultimate Duel, which is now, the duel that you and I will have." Deker responded to the teen, "I don't fight just to fight." The boy said, wincing at the sharp pain he still feels from the poison.
"Hmmm. Well, we'll see about that. We're patient you see, my sword Uramasa and I. But eventually, we will battle. I have quite enough of the incentive enough to convince you." Jayden began to narrow his eyes at the nighlok in front of him. "After all, I was once fully human. All I know now, is a constant craving, for battle. The Nighlok gives me no choice about it." Deker finished.
"You always have a choice. You don't have to give into the Nighlok cravings Deker." "I don't all the time. Sometimes my cravings tell me to harm my own child, my daughter. She will all ways come first to me. I will forever quinch my cravings of harm to her, she is the only good thing I would keep in my life. She may be a nighlok by blood, but she's human in heart. Having a choice in other things, however, is easy for you to say to me."
"Doing the right thing is always worth the effort. No matter how hard it is for you. It always is. You don't know about it until you see the effect of it on the world. That is why I will not fight, just to fight. Think of your child." Jayden slightly scolded/pleaded towards the end. "You will give me the Ultimate Battle, whether you like it or not. It is the only way, that I will ever be free from this terrible curse." Deker said to Jayden.
After a while Jayden began to feel back to normal and stand, Deker stood as well. Something caught Jayden's eye. A picture frame with a more recent picture of Dani and her father; her smiling big, while he has a small smile and kiss on her forehead. Jayden is in shock, so much so that he almost doesn't hear the Nighlok say, "You should be fully recovered by now." "Why do you want to fight me?" Jayden moved and took a picture of the frame with his Samurizer too quick for Deker to notice. "There are plenty good warriors in the world."
"Yes, but like me, you have a secret festering inside of you. We're both warped, twisted." Jayden stepped forward, "What do you mean?" He loudly questioned.
"You would have then sacrificed everything, before giving Octoroo the sealing symbol. There is a spirit inside of you that I've never found before in any other Samurai. A warrior's spirit." Deker confessed.
They both draw their swords, "Go ahead. The first move, its yours." Deker told the boy. "Hold on! This isn't gonna happen on my watch." Antonio announced, showing up before anything could happen. "Jayden. You aren't in any shape to be fighting. Not now or in any time soon."
"Out of my way Fisherman." Deker said to him. "How can you duel his when he's like this Nighlok? Me and my friend are walking out of here and you're gonna let us. Get the picture?" Antonio told the elder, helping Jayden out of the cave. "Go, but know this red ranger, the next time we meet, we will duel." "Deker's letting us go, Jay. Let's get out of here." The boy in red was too focused on the hybrid before him to respond. They teleported out of the cave with Antonio's symbol power.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Time Skip After The Rangers Battle The Nighlok and Moogers ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
They all arrive to the Shiba house, The team decided to order a pizza. Jayden sat outside, deep in thought. "Is this a bad time?" Emily asked. He smiled softly to her, "...No. What's up?" "Well first, we wanted to make sure you were okay." Mia started. "...and that we're about to go take down a pizza while trying to come up with a new strategy to take down the nighlok." Mike continued. "Want to join us?" Yellow asked. "Thanks guys, I'm doing fine. Why don't you go ahead without me."
"Oh. Are you sure?" Mia quizzed, "Yeah. Thanks." "Okay. You're choice man." Mike said. They started to walk in, before he remembered what he found, causing him to change is mind.
After a few moments, Jayden showed the team, including mentor, the picture he took of Deker and Dani. To say they were shocked was an understatement. They hadn't even gone to check if the girl was awake yet, so the rushed straight to medical room to check on Dani. She was still knocked out, but she could hear everything. "Are you sure that was her in the picture? Maybe they just look similar." She could her Mia ask. "Yes. Look." Jayden said "Wow." "Oh my gosh." "I can't believe it." Damn." The others, besides Mike stated, "And look in the background, that's-" "Dani's Guitar!" Antonio cut Jayden off. 'They know. Oh God, they know! When I wake up, I'm out of here.' Dani couldn't help but think. "wow." Mike said, heartbroken.
"I can't believe she didn't tell us." "How did she get in if the house is covered in protective symbols?" "I don't know Kevin. What I do know, is that when she wakes up, she better tell us everything." Jayden stated sounding furious.
With that they all walked out.
Enjoy :)
Word Count :1528