The next few days went by peacefully, surprisingly enough. Both Jayden and Brooke felt significantly less stressed with Deker gone, and the silver and red rangers soon settled back into their usual routines. Even with the lessened stress, they knew the world wasn't safe yet. The war was far from over, so the two continued doing their jobs to the best of their abilities. The team had noticed the way Brooke and Jayden had gotten closer to each other- if that was even possible, them having small smiles on their faces whenever each other was around. The five other rangers found this slightly amusing, as their leader and the girl who has worked herself to the point of exhaustion, shared an almost romantic bond. They hadn't seen anything yet, but they all made a plan to catch the silver and red rangers in the act.
Brooke let out a groan of annoyance as she hit the ground with a thud. She shot a glare at the cage symbol from where it was written in the archives, picking herself up off of the ground. While she could stay on her feet most of the time, the symbol liked to catch her off guard and send her tumbling to the floor again. The lack of progress was frustrating, and Brooke tried not to compare herself to Antonio, but the gold ranger seemed to be programming the black box at record time. And she couldn't even get the symbol to stay in the air most of the time.
Shaking her head, Brooke's eyes flashed as she tried to push those thoughts aside. Her and Antonio were in vastly different situations, but the black box probably took more symbol power. Agh. "Enough, Brooke," The silver ranger muttered to herself, rooting her sneakered feet on the ground. She flipped open her samuraizer, activating the brush portion and moving to draw the symbol again. "Symbol Power: Strength!" She called, drawing the symbol in the air.
It hung in the air for a couple of seconds, Brooke's expression turning into one of hope. But it quickly fell as the symbol fizzled out in silver sparks, Brooke running a clawed hand over her face. Silently cursing the cage symbol with every word she could come up with, she looked down at the samuraizer in her hand. Compared to the teams', it had seen much better days. Some of the paint had chipped off, and there were scratches from Brooke's claws. Or her mom's, Brooke couldn't really tell.
Still, Brooke resisted the urge to throw her samuraizer across the room. The lack of progress was frustrating and somewhat worrying. She knew she had to start trying harder- but she knew Jayden would have her head if she overworked herself. It was a thin line between working hard and overexertion, and Brooke found herself crossing that line more than she liked. Still, she would do what it takes, and if that meant overexertion, so be it. She rooted her feet to the ground and started drawing the symbol again.
The rangers, sans the silver and red, were actually out enjoying themselves. Jayden had the ability to, actually, but he opted to stay with Brooke instead, and he had ignored the knowing look Mike gave him. Brooke found it endearing, but now she didn't even know where the red ranger was. She had holed herself in the room where she worked on mastering the cage symbol, well, now the strength symbol, shortly after training started, and Brooke wished she could be doing something actually enjoyable with Jayden. But, that wasn't the case, for a multitude of reasons.
It was a race against the clock to get the symbol mastered before Xandred rose again, and Brooke knew that. She tried to not let that fact stress her out too much, trying to ignore the fact that the fate of the world rested on her shoulders. Still, with Deker gone, there was only one main stressor, and Brooke found herself slowly climbing out of her depressive episode. Which lasted a couple of weeks, but still. Her anxiety and general fear got replaced with determination, and Brooke vowed not to let the team down. Not like her mom did.
"Strength!" Brooke activated the symbol, squeezing her eyes shut as she tensed, bracing herself for the symbol's self-destruction. It didn't happen, and she cracked open a grey-gold eye.
の, strength, just floated in the air in silver. Brooke relaxed the tension in her body and lowered her samuraizer, quirking a brow at the symbol. She slowly walked over to it, and soon, it disappeared in a flash of silver, instead of it just fizzling out. That caused Brooke to let out a quiet cheer, a happy smile growing on her face. Two out of the three mastered. The last symbol was despair- which was the most worrying one, but Brooke pushed that aside. A new sense of pride filled her, and her first reaction was to find Jayden.
Which is what she did, actually. Brooke picked up the archive and strolled out of the room. After making a quick pit-stop to her room and throwing her archive and samuraizer on her bed, she went hunting down Jayden. He had gotten a haircut- and Brooke maybe had a slight crisis over it, because he did look cute with shorter hair. Amaris had instantly teased her for it, and Brooke just kept those thoughts to herself. What she felt for Jayden was strange, for lack of a better term. She had crushes on people before- and had dated people before, but with him, it was different. Not that Brooke really minded, it was a good feeling, even if she didn't really know what it was. She just accepted the feelings and didn't act on them, and she also noticed that Mia and Emily were asking her for her opinion on him more. And she knew the underlying question, but Brooke just deflected it. Her feelings were much better stuffed down, especially slight romantic feelings for her leader.
She found Jayden training in the outdoor dojo, which wasn't surprising. He didn't seem to notice her, lost in his own little world, and it caused Brooke to grin. Making sure his back was turned towards her, she quickly made her way over to the rack of training swords. She pulled one out of the rack, Brooke's footsteps silent as she walked closer to Jayden, her grin growing wider.
Once she got close enough, Brooke jumped up, raising the training sword over her head. "Surprise!" She yelled, performing a downwards strike.
Jayden instantly spun on his heel, making a quiet noise of surprise as he barely blocked Brooke's strike. That's when the unspoken sparring match began, the sounds of the training swords whacking against each other filling the outdoor dojo. As he blocked another one of Brooke's swings, Jayden realized how much he missed this. Having his usual sparring partner back, and her having a mix between a grin and a happy smile on her face. It was nice.
Brooke ducked under Jayden's swing, the silver ranger kicking the red in the chest lightly. She instantly ran up and went to perform the finishing blow, but he regained his composure quickly. He blocked Brooke's swing, her eyes flashed as she pursed her lips.
Two can play at this game, Red, Brooke thought, her grin returning.
She performed a backwards handspring, landing a couple of feet away from Jayden. He wasted no time, moving to attack again, and Brooke let out a noise of surprise as he grabbed her wrist. He twisted her wrist just enough so that the training sword fell to the ground, but it wasn't painful. Jayden noticed the way Brooke's claws grew in subconsciously, but she instantly willed them away, throwing a punch that he dodged. Using his hold on her wrist as momentum, Jayden swung Brooke around so that her back was pressed against his chest, his training sword hovering in front of her throat.
Brooke didn't want to admit it- but she wasn't complaining that Jayden had her in this position. Something about it was attractive, and she shoved that thought aside as soon it formed. That was a wrong thought process to be having, and Brooke knew that, so she ignored the heat rising to her cheeks. "Christ," she thought to herself, eyes flashing. "I know you can read my thoughts, Amaris. Don't say a word." Brooke warned, and the white wolf's laughter rang through her head in response.
"That's the first time in a while I've beaten you," Jayden remarked, and Brooke looked up at him, rolling her eyes with a faint smile.
"You sound awfully proud of yourself," Brooke commented, reaching up and ruffling his hair. It was somewhat sweaty, but she enjoyed the way Jayden's cheeks dusted pink. "It's also been the first time in a while I've sparred against you." She added, stepping away when Jayden lowered his training sword.
"I missed it," Jayden blurted, feeling heat rush to his cheeks. That wasn't he meant to say, and he really wished he didn't. "I mean- sparring against you. I- I enjoy having you around." He stammered and slightly cringed at that as well. He realized he had dug himself a hole, and Jayden mentally prepared himself for Brooke's teasing routine.
But, it never came "I miss it too, I forgot how much fun it was," Brooke agreed with a small smile, picking the training sword off of the ground and spinning it in her hand. "I mastered another symbol today." She announced, and Jayden raised his eyebrows.
"Strength, right?" Jayden asked, and when Brooke nodded, he flashed her a small smile. "You're doing great, just don't overwork yourself." He advised, and Brooke chewed on her bottom lip, her eyes flashing.
"I know I shouldn't, but I don't want to let you guys down, and it's pretty much a race against the clock at this point," Brooke confessed, smiling sheepishly, and Jayden shook his head, the red ranger walking over to the silver.
"You're not going to let us down, Brooke. It's okay to take care of yourself, I want you to." Jayden reassured Brooke, who opened her mouth to respond. However, she was cut off by Jayden's samuraizer ringing, and he knit his brows as he walked over to it. "Everything okay?" He greeted, accepting the call, and he and Brooke shared a confused look.
"Somewhat," Mike answered, and Brooke could easily pick up on the green ranger's voice thanks to her hearing. "There's a huge puddle of Sanzu River water near the plaza. You and Brooke should come check it out." He explained, and Jayden set his jaw, blue eyes narrowing somewhat.
Well, there goes the day he was enjoying. Out of all the things, Sanzu water as well, and he felt the tension headache forming. Just hearing that the water had seeped into the human world stressed him out enough. "We'll be right there," Jayden replied, his voice hard, and he ended the call. "I take it you heard that?" He asked Brooke as he put his training sword back in the rack, her nodding.
"Hell water, my favorite," Brooke cheered sarcastically, her voice almost monotone. "Time to go save the world again, Red." She stated, and Jayden nodded, the two rushing into the Shiba House.
They both got changed into their street clothes quickly, Jayden waiting for Brooke at the front door. They then started their power walk to the plaza, the two rangers having solemn expressions on their faces. Brooke really didn't want to do this, because she knew that they were going to have to fight some sort of nighlok today. Which was a part of the job, but the constant bruises got exhausting after a while. Still, she was a soldier, and this was her job. This was going to be her job until the war ended, so Brooke just bared through it. At least she had Jayden and Antonio by her side, she was thankful for that. She also realized her promise to take her two childhood friends out to dinner got broken- and she made a mental note to try that again someday. But, knowing their luck, it wasn't going to be anytime soon.
--
When Brooke and Jayden reached the plaza, Kevin instantly noticed them. The blue ranger rose from where he was crouched next to the pool of Sanzu River water, partially jogging to the silver and red rangers. "Jayden, Brooke." Kevin greeted, and Jayden set his jaw, Brooke's eyes flashing.
"How bad is it?" Jayden asked without missing a beat, and Brooke jogged towards the rest of the team.
"You're going to have to take a look and judge for yourself," Kevin answered, and that caused Jayden to let out a quiet sigh as he felt his head start to pound. Not even five minutes in and he wanted this to be over.
The smell of nighlok- death and rotten milk, instantly filled her senses, and Brooke visibly gagged. Still, she just focused breathing out of her mouth as she crouched down next to the large puddle of Sanzu water. She stared at her own reflection, taking in her grey-gold eyes and somewhat pale face. She had never seen this much Sanzu water before, and Brooke knew that this wasn't a good sign. The red water bubbled, and Brooke wrinkled her nose as Jayden crouched next to her.
"I was afraid this would happen," Jayden muttered, his voice so quiet that only Brooke could hear him. He picked up a small twig that was lying on the ground, and when the twig came in contact with the Sanzu water, it instantly burst aflame. "Sanzu River water." The red ranger concluded, and the five others grimaced somewhat.
"This is not good," Kevin stated the obvious, and Brooke rose from her crouch, taking two steps back.
The smell was so potent it was making her head spin, but Brooke tried to not let that show. She just swallowed past her bile and hooked her thumbs on the belt loops of her jeans. Throwing up right now would be embarrassing, and Brooke didn't feel like dealing with that. So, she just silently thanked Jayden for wearing cologne and focused on that smell. Smoke and a forest was better than death and rotten milk by a long shot.
"We've seen the Netherworld break throw to ours before." Emily pointed out, a look of confusion on her face.
"I know, but this much water is really dangerous," Jayden explained, and Brooke turned her attention away from the pool.
The smell of nighlok couldn't be escaped, it was suffocating the whole area. However, Brooke tried, her military boots making no noise on the pavement. Her gaze fell on another pool, which Sanzu water seemed to be coming from. "Amaris." She called softly, and the white wolf appeared in a flash of silver.
"It has been many years since I have last seen a pool this large," Amaris commented, wrinkling her snout at the smell.
Brooke crouched down and started petting the wolf, her eyes flashing as she chewed on her bottom lip. Sanzu water was pretty much arson water, and if any living thing came into contact with it… Well, it wouldn't be pretty. This whole thing wasn't pretty, and Brooke shared a concerned look with Jayden as the rest of the team walked over.
"Last time this happened, Mentor said it was a sign that the nighlok was getting stronger." Kevin thought aloud, and Brooke ran a clawed hand over her face.
"As we get stronger, so do they. They can't make things easy for us," Brooke muttered under her breath, and then her eyes widened. "Footprints," She exclaimed, and she jogged over to the footprints, Amaris at her side. "They smell fresh, and they don't look like any animal I know, so a nighlok must've been here recently." She concluded, and Amaris' ears flicked in agreement. The asphalt sizzled when it came in contact with the Sanzu water, and it felt like Brooke's nostrils were burning. Amaris seemed to feel the same way, as her tail drooped somewhat, the white wolf taking some steps back.
"Oh yeah, I forgot you could smell this kinda stuff," Mike blurted, and Brooke felt the corners of her mouth twitch. "How you holdin' up, miss werewolf? You look a little pale." The green ranger asked the silver, who glanced at the footprints and then back at the five other rangers.
"Truthfully, it smells really fucking bad, but, there's nothing that can really be done about it," Brooke shrugged, noticing Jayden's somewhat concerned look. "I'll be fine, let's just focus on the task at hand." She urged, directing the "I'll be fine" at Jayden, as his blue eyes shone with worry. He seemed to be unconvinced but didn't say anything, which Brooke was somewhat grateful for, because it's not like she could bench herself. She just tried not to choke and dealt with it.
"Let's follow them," Jayden commanded, and the team nodded, him walking side-by-side with Brooke, who had Amaris at her other side. "Are you sure you're doing alright? You too, Amaris. I know you both have better senses of smell than us." Concern was present in his tone, and Amaris' tail flicked, violet eyes shining with something akin to motherly love.
"I am quite alright, Jayden. There is no need to worry, and Brooke is doing fine." Amaris answered for herself and Brooke, as the silver ranger seemed to be in her own little world.
She pulled her samuraizer out of the front pocket of her light grey Hawaiian shirt, flipping it open. Brooke brought up the map of Panorama, and she instantly stopped in her tracks. Her, now gold, eyes widened slightly. "Red, we might be in deep shit." She warned, and Jayden peered at the map.
There were numerous dark red splotches, signaling Sanzu water, and some were bigger than others. Jayden felt his head pound in tune with his heart, so, that was great. "I shouldn't be saying this, but, you might be right." He joked weakly, trying to quell some of the stress he now felt. He knew it was only to go downhill from here, so he just mentally prepared himself for that trainwreck.
"I am able to find the largest sources, it will just take some time." Amaris offered, and both Brooke and Jayden crouched down so that they were eye level with her, smiling weakly.
"That would be great, thanks Amaris." Jayden thanked, and Brooke nodded, ruffling the silver and white fur in between Amaris' ears.
"There is no need to thank me," Amaris responded, nuzzling Brooke and Jayden's cheeks. "Just hold faith, things will be alright." She reassured the two rangers, then bouncing in place twice and leaping through the air. In a flash of silver, she was gone, and Brooke shook her head with a weak smile as she and Jayden rose to their feet.
"I love that wolf so much. She's great. Getting poisoned the first time was worth it, just for her." Brooke joked, flipping her samuraizer shut and putting it back into her pocket.
"Hopefully the poisonings will be over with," Jayden stated as the two started walking again.
Brooke looked at Jayden with a small grin. "I mean, I don't know about you, but it was- hey, that's mean." She cut the joke off when Jayden shoved her some, and he just raised his eyebrows in response to her playful glare. Rolling her eyes, the playful atmosphere dropped when the two reached the team again.
"These footprints are definitely nighlok," Mike concluded, pointing at a footprint for emphasis. "I mean unless there's some weird shifter?" He speculated, and Brooke shook her head.
"That's not possible, for a multitude of reasons," Brooke quickly shut the idea down, and the team watched in amusement as she went into what they called "teacher mode". It was when she knew a lot about a subject, sort of just rambling on, and nobody really stopped her. Jayden found it cute, in actuality. "Reason number one, shifting only runs in the Wolfe bloodline, and it technically died with my mom, if you're not counting the whole experimentation thing. Reason number two, shifters are only wolves, since the whole thing arose due to the original silver ranger failing to harness the wolf symbol power. And, finally, shifters are still human, just partially. If I decided to take a dive into some hell water, I'd get crisped, just like any of you." The silver ranger explained, and the rest of the rangers grimaced at her use of an example. Still, it got the point across.
"But no gap sensor went off." Mia pointed out, and Jayden shook his head, crossing his arms over his chest.
"I don't think it came through a gap recently. It's most definitely been here a while." Jayden mused, his lips twitching into a slight frown. From the look Brooke was giving him, she was thinking the same thing. It was most likely the nighlok that got away- the one that they had to fight after getting poisoned and saved by Deker.
Kevin instantly perked up, a figurative lightbulb turning on over his head. "That means the nighlok is using the pools to keep from drying out!" He blurted, and Brooke rolled her eyes in a teasing manner.
"Glad to see we're all on the same page now," Brooke joked, then her playful attitude fell as she glanced at the footprints. "The scent's faint, but still there. Let's go." She urged, and before the others could say anything, she was off.
"I suppose she's the girl for a tracking job." Mike joked, and Brooke grinned weakly.
"It's what I was made for, after all," Brooke replied, but there was a hint of bitterness to her tone as she scanned the area. "We're taking a walk through the woods today." She summarized, honing on the scent and moving again quickly.
--
Luckily, there was a trail in the woods, and the nighlok seemed to have taken the trail. Which was nice for Brooke, because while she and presumably Mike were stable footed in the forest, she knew the others weren't. Her and Jayden tried to go through a walk in the woods once, and he had stumbled so many times, which was kind of cute. The pink that had dusted his cheeks when he regained his balance was cute, and Brooke hoped she could just have a normal day with him one day.
"Would this lead to Greensbrook?" Mia wondered, and Brooke shook her head.
"That would be six hours of walking, and I'm sure the nighlok couldn't have gotten that far," Brooke replied as she sniffed the air and changed her course again, the five other rangers following her. "It's much farther than the city, so I'm guessing this'll lead to the suburbs or something like that. Besides, if a nighlok showed in Greensbrook, I'll know." She added, knowing Casper would most definitely tell her if something like a nighlok showed up. Brooke didn't remind him every time they saw each other for nothing.
"Six?" Emily echoed, and Brooke nodded, her mouth set into a thin line.
"11pm to 5am, give or take, but we didn't really break much," Brooke responded, not turning to face the team. "And that was after running a mile in the woods. It was a really fun night." She muttered sarcastically, remembering the fear in her body that night. The night she left James' for good was a night Brooke wouldn't forget anytime soon. Not that it was really happy memories- it was more bittersweet now. "It was a lot of adrenaline and energy drinks, Maxx and I were both pretty much buzzing with anxiety and caffeine the entire night." She recalled, laughing weakly at the memory of a twelve-year-old Maxx wrinkling his nose and sticking out his tongue at the taste of a red bull.
Brooke also remembered crying in the shower out of relief when she reached Mary's. The next couple of days she woke up there- she felt so stress-free, and finally felt safe somewhere other than Casper's. It was a feeling Brooke somewhat missed.
"We're glad you're here, Brooke," Mia stated, and Brooke stopped in her tracks for a moment, an unrecognizable expression coming over her face.
Her eyes flashed multiple times before landing on their normal grey, Brooke breaking into a small, genuine smile. "Thanks for letting me be here." She replied, her voice soft, and then continued on like it never happened.
The team went into their usual banter, Mike making fun of Kevin for his usual strictness about being a samurai. Emily was telling Mike to be nice, and Mia was chiming in from time to time, even suggesting to make dinner. (The team shut that idea down very quickly). Jayden and Brooke were quiet for the most part, the silver ranger leading the charge while the red hung back some. It was almost like they were a group of friends- not soldiers in a war. They may be hunting down a nighlok, but still. The level of friendship the six had with each other was nice. Antonio was presumably working on the black box, but Brooke wished he was here. She felt bad, because that's all he really did now, and she knew that feeling all too well. Still, Antonio seemed to be, well, Antonio, so that was good.
Stopping at the edge of the woods, they did reach the suburbs, and Brooke's hearing perked when she heard the screams. They were faint, and the team most likely didn't hear them, but she didn't explain. She just broke off into a sprint, pulling her samuraizer out of her pocket. The team, albeit confused, followed her, but the six rangers skidded to a stop on the edge of a neighborhood. They lined up in their usual lines, the rangers flipping their samuraizers open, Brooke activating the brush portion on hers.
Their theory was correct, the nighlok was the one that got away, Arachnotor. It was snarling and growling at civilians, causing them to scream as they ran away. Some tripped and fell, but they quickly picked themselves off of the ground, looks of terror on their faces.
"Looks like it's showtime!" Brooke stated, and the rest of the team nodded. They also noticed how Jayden had a faint smile on his face- but only for a second before he set his jaw.
"Go Go Samurai!" The six called in unison, drawing their respective symbols and morphing into their suits. They also drew their blades, Brooke spinning one of her katanas in her hand and keeping the other one pointed at the nighlok.
"This time we'll finish him off!" Jayden challenged, and on his call, the six ran forward.
It didn't go well. Mike instantly got thrown aside, and when Kevin jumped up to land an attack, the nighlok grew tentacles. Those tentacles slammed the blue ranger into a car, which dented it. The silver and red rangers instantly cringed, the two blocking out the sounds of their teammates being flung aside. However, it seemed like their swords were barely making a dent, and it wasn't long until the two got overpowered, Jayden being the first one to get hit.
Brooke actually didn't even get hit, Jayden just sort of slammed into her. The silver and red helmets thunked together, the force sending the two rangers to the ground. Everything went fuzzy for the both of them for a moment, both rangers letting out groans as they picked themselves off of the ground. Brooke wanted to make a teasing comment, but the words died in her throat.
The nighlok flew, the monster pumping its legs to propel itself through the air. Brooke just stood there for a moment, stunned. Her brows were knit, because out of all the weird shit she's seen, and there was a lot, a nighlok using its legs to fly was now on the top of the list. Shaking her head, the silver ranger just picked her katanas off of the ground and sheathed them. That was new- she remembered the umbrella nighlok that made everyone depressed, but, this seemed to be on a whole different level. Looking back on it, that nighlok was easy compared to the ones they faced now.
That was months ago at this point, and Brooke realized that she had been with the team longer than she thought. Not that she was complaining, they were like a found family- and whatever her feelings for Jayden were. Still, the six other rangers made her happy, and it was nice. Even when they got their asses kicked by a nighlok.
"Wow, that nighlok's really strong." Emily pointed out, helping Mike stand.
"Don't you remember, he mutated!" Mike exclaimed, and the team all collectively cringed. They hadn't fought against a mutated nighlok before. It was going to be a new challenge.
"It's out of control," Mia stated, the pink ranger glancing in the direction the nighlok flew and then back at the team. "But what's worse is that it isn't drying out." She added, and Kevin nodded.
"It must be using a big pool of river water." Kevin thought aloud, and Brooke instantly perked up.
Taking out her samuraizer, Brooke flipped it open and brought up the map of Panorama. "Amaris," She called, and the white wolf appeared in a flash of silver. "Will you check an area on the west side of the city for me? The one that's kinda destroyed?" She asked, and Amaris seemed to nod, her ears flicking.
"Of course," Amaris replied, and Brooke smiled underneath her silver helmet. She crouched down to the wolf's height and started petting here, the silver ranger's black glove contrasting Amaris' fur.
"Thanks, Amaris. Stay safe." Brooke thanked, and Amaris' tail flicked in response. The white wolf's violet eyes shone with joy, and she bounced in place twice and then leapt through the air, disappearing.
"What was that about? Do you have some sort of plan?" Mike questioned Brooke, who nodded and grinned underneath her helmet.
"Yeah, I do. I'll explain back at the Shiba House." Brooke answered, demorphing, and starting her walk back to the woods.
--
Back at the Shiba House, Brooke stared down at the map, tracing a route with her finger. The others let the silver ranger take charge, as she seemed to know what she was doing. They realized it was probably some of Jayden rubbing off of her, as the red ranger was watching the silver with a faint smile on his face.
"There are many spots where the Sanzu River is seeping into our world. It looks like Xandred is planning to flood the Earth." Ji summarized, and Brooke just blocked out the stress for the most part.
She needed to work harder. Not just the cage symbol, but in battle as well. Brooke realized she was starting to fall somewhat behind because of the amount of time during training she's used to work on the cage symbol. She needed to tweak her schedule a bit, but Brooke really didn't know how to. Her only thought was to train during the day and work on the cage symbol during the night, or vice versa. But she couldn't wear herself out, for a multitude of reasons. The biggest one being that she didn't want to sit through one of Jayden's lectures.
"We'll have to work as a team, even harder." Kevin declared, and Emily glanced at Mike quickly before turning her attention to Brooke.
"Brooke, weren't you planning something?" Emily asked, and Brooke nodded, standing up from where she was crouched next to the map.
"The area I sent Amaris to is where I think the nighlok goes to rehydrate. Which is here," Brooke started, tapping a place on the map. "From what I remember- that area has a lot of sinkholes and hasn't been ventured into for awhile. The sinkholes are most likely deep enough so that the nighlok has plenty of water to rehydrate." She finished, glancing down at the map and then at the team.
Mike shot her an impressed look. "How'd you know all that?" He wondered, and Brooke averted her gaze, her eyes flashing.
"It's a long story. But," Brooke regained her composure. "When I came here- I had a lot of time to kill. Which led to me pretty much scouting the place, I think it was a wolf instinct, in all honesty." She shrugged nonchalantly, playing with her mother's necklace, sliding the compass charm side to side on the chain that was around her neck.
Brooke didn't bring up the fact that she went on a date to that very area. And the fact that things had… escalated from there, and it was a somewhat shameful moment for her. Alcohol and teenage hormones do not mix well, but Brooke just shoved those memories down. It was ironic, now she was going there because she had to save the world. And it was going to the area with Jayden now, which was much better than a guy she used to go to school with.
"Well, it's a good skill to have. You've become our navigator at this point, Brooke." Mia pointed out, and Brooke grinned.
"Well, someone has to do the job, and who better than a wolf?" Brooke joked, hooking her thumbs onto the belt loops of her jeans. "That leads the question- Red, thoughts? You technically call all the shots here." She grinned at Jayden, who smiled faintly and nodded.
"The nighlok have ambushed us before, but now it's our turn," Jayden replied, a hint on enthusiasm in his tone and a sparkle in his eyes.
Brooke found it cute but pushed it aside when Amaris appeared in a flash of silver. "Your assumption was correct, my dear. That is, technically, the source." The white wolf stated, and Brooke nodded, a smile growing on her lips.
"Then that's that," Brooke replied, crouching down and scratching behind Amaris' ear. The wolf licked her cheek in response, then returned to Sweetbrier Mountain in a flash of silver. "Let's finish this." She urged, and the team was off.
She trailed behind some, and grey eyes flashed when Brooke watched Antonio program the black box for a moment. He seemed frustrated, which was a running theme when working with symbol power, but other than that, he seemed fine. Brooke felt a strange sense of jealousy fill her heart, but shoved that aside.
The cage symbol needed to get done, and Brooke knew that. She needed to try harder, and those thoughts rang in her head as she jogged to catch up with Jayden. He turned at the sound of gravel crunching underneath her feet, quirking a brow. Brooke just shook her head in response, flashing him a reassuring smile, and Jayden didn't return it, looking more unconvinced than anything. Still he didn't pry, just rubbing her back in a comforting sort of manner. Which Brooke welcomed, she could feel the warmth of his hand through her shirt, and it was nice. Jayden was nice.
--
Upon reaching the area, Brooke shuddered, partly at the smell of nighlok and partly because of the memories that came rushing back. Still, she shoved them down, just wrinkling her nose. "Smells like nighlok." She muttered, resisting the urge to gag. It was everywhere and somewhat suffocating, but she just focused on breathing out of her mouth as she scanned the area.
"Let's split up. A group can take the upper level, and another can take the lower level." Jayden commanded, and the team nodded, Emily tapping her chin on thought.
"There should be a larger group on the lower level since there's a higher chance the nighlok's there." Emily mused, and Mike seemed to have an idea, glancing at Brooke and then Jayden.
Jayden did not like the look Mike gave him, shooting him a deadpan expression before the green ranger could even say anything.
Still, Mike ignored it. "Why don't Jayden and Brooke take the top part?" He suggested, and while Jayden didn't necessarily object to the idea, he knew what this was. An obvious game of matchmaking. "I mean, Brooke's like two people because of her wolf form, and she has Amaris. So, it's technically four to four." The green ranger added, and the silver peered at him quizzically.
"What kind of logic is that?" Brooke muttered to herself, her eyes flashing. Still, she wasn't complaining, either. Jayden was good company. "That's fine with me, just call us if something happens. Red?" She turned her attention to Jayden, who nodded.
"That's fine. Stay safe, everyone," Jayden advised, ignoring Mike's teasing look. The group of four nodded and were off, the red and silver rangers inspecting the area they had to reach. "So, how are we going to get up there?" He wondered aloud, and Brooke felt the corners of her lips twitch.
The stairs to reach the second level were completely useless, as they were just a pile of concrete and debris. Grey eyes scanned the area and flashed gold when Brooke secured a route. Instead of answering Jayden's question directly, she just onto a large rock. Wrapping her hands around a section of concrete, Brooke started to climb, easily finding footholds and reaching the second level in a couple of seconds. She was now looking down at Jayden and quirked a brow at his conflicted expression.
"It's like climbing a tree, wait-" Brooke's eyes flashed, and she broke into a grin. "Do you not know how to climb a tree?" She wondered, and when Jayden nodded, pink dusting his cheeks, she laughed faintly. "Never expected that one, but here. I'll help you." Brooke kneeled down at the ledge, holding out a hand.
"Brooke-" Jayden started, hopping onto the rock, and Brooke cut him off by throwing a pebble at him. He swatted it away and shot her a glare, Brooke deflecting it with a cheeky grin.
"Red, with all due respect, you look lost. I'm not pitying you, this place creeps me out and I don't wanna be up here alone. C'mon, I'm not gonna drop you or anything," Brooke stated, watching as the pink on Jayden's cheeks moved to the tips of his ears. Which caused her to smile faintly, and she extended her hand further. "Just climb the first bit, I can pull you up." She urged, and Jayden huffed.
It was like watching a baby deer, and Brooke grabbed Jayden's wrist before he could fall. He didn't say anything, only averting his gaze, and Brooke laughed quietly. She pulled him up, pooling the strength in her arms to do so, but soon, Jayden grabbed the edge of the upper level and pulled himself up. Now they were both seated on the upper level of the parking garage, Jayden shooting Brooke a glare.
"Don't say a word," Jayden threatened as they both stood, and Brooke pretended to be hurt. Still, her grey eyes sparkled with mischief, and he let out a sigh. "I mean it, Brooke." He added, and Brooke grinned.
"Wouldn't dream of it, Red. You're cute." Brooke stated, ruffling Jayden's hair and walking off before he could process what was going on. So, he just stood there, dumbstruck for a moment.
That was new, Jayden thought, as the heat on the cheeks subsided. Fixing his hair some, he jogged after Brooke, a small smile on his face. Despite it making him flustered, he did enjoy the silver ranger's flirty comments. Something about them seemed genuine, strangely enough- and that made Jayden happy. Which was probably concerning, but he didn't really care at this point.
--
"This must be the source," Jayden concluded as he and Brooke stared down at the large pool of Sanzu River water. "When it shows up, it's in for a surprise." He challenged, and Brooke smiled faintly as she flipped open her samuraizer and pulled up the map of Panorama. She zoomed in the map, noticing the many large pools of Sanzu water. That wasn't great, but Brooke pushed her worry aside, grinning at Jayden.
"You sound like a little- huh?" Brooke cut herself off, grey-gold eyes scanning the area behind her. She sniffed the air, then gagged, instantly regretting that choice. Her nostrils instantly started burning, and it's not like it helped, anyway. The whole area smelt like nighlok and Brooke wondered if the smell would linger. She hoped it didn't, because she didn't want the smell of nighlok following her around.
"Everything alright?" Jayden asked, concern in his tone as he took in Brooke's stance.
She looked like she was ready to lunge at someone, crouched down with a clawed hand on the ground. Brooke held her samuraizer tightly in her other hand grey-gold eyes scanning the area. "...Yeah," She responded after a moment of silence, releasing the tension from her body and standing up fully. "Thought I heard something- or someone. My bad." She apologized, and Jayden shook his head, a faint smile on his face.
"You're good, we're all a little on edge at the moment," Jayden reassured Brooke, who nodded and broke into a faint smile.
The two then settled into a comfortable silence, sitting down and keeping watch on the large pool of Sanzu Water. It was all a waiting game, and Brooke didn't mind being alone with Jayden. But now she thought every noise was the nighlok returning, and she was somewhat on edge. She just wanted the thing gone, and quickly. The monster had caused the team one too many headaches and bruises.
Both of the rangers eventually lost track of how much time they spent staring at the one pool. "Where's that nighlok?" Jayden wondered aloud, his voice laced with annoyance. However, he didn't get a response, and he glanced over at Brooke, who was leaning against one of the pillars. She was seemingly falling asleep, her eyes half-lidded, and Jayden gently nudged his foot with her own.
Brooke instantly jumped in surprise, her cheeks flushing at Jayden's faint laughter. "Yeah, yeah, I know," She grumbled, and Jayden stood, holding out his hand. Brooke took it, the red ranger helping the silver rise to her feet. "We could be in the wrong area. This place is pretty big, after all." She offered, and Jayden just nodded.
The two rangers started running through the parking garage, Brooke taking the lead. However, both rangers didn't notice the talisman that flashed white when they ran through it. After a little while of running, Brooke's hearing perked, and the silver ranger skidded to a stop. She placed a hand on Jayden's chest, bringing a finger to her lips and motioning to the nighlok.
Arachnotor was in a pool of Sanzu water, snarling and splashing around. When the water came in contact with the rocks and debris in the area, they sizzled, almost melting. Brooke and Jayden watched the nighlok for a moment, getting the same idea. Dialing Mia's number and bringing her samuraizer up to her ear, Brooke ran beside Jayden as the two worked their way back down to the first level.
Mia picked up on the first ring. "Yeah?" She greeted, her voice hard.
"Found Arachnotor, we'll rendezvous with you four soon," Brooke spoke quickly, her footsteps silent as she ran beside Jayden, easily keeping up with him.
"Got it," Mia replied, and Brooke flipped her samuraizer shut, putting it in the front pocket of her Hawaiian shirt.
The silver and red rangers reached the area where they had first climbed up. Jayden jumped down with ease, raising an eyebrow at Brooke as she chewed on her bottom lip. Her eyes flashed as she motioned to her bad ankle, because even with her brace on, it would surely buckle. Jayden took that into account, holding out his arms slightly, and Brooke raised her eyebrows, peering at him quizzically.
"I'll catch you," Jayden explained, and Brooke found it worrying how she instantly put full faith in him.
Still, she nodded, getting a running start and leaping off the ledge. Jayden caught Brooke with ease, sort of wrapping her into a hug. Not that they both really minded, and he set her down, Jayden's hands resting on Brooke's hips. They both stood there for a moment longer than necessary, just sort of staring at each other, but then Brooke snapped out of it. She stepped away, motioning to the nighlok, and Jayden nodded. She couldn't judge the expression on his face but shoved that aside as they started moving again. The two rangers stayed somewhat low to the ground, sneaking through the area and ducking behind large chunks of debris and concrete.
Jayden stopped suddenly, ducking behind a pillar, his blue eyes unwavering from the nighlok as he reached out. Brooke made a noise of surprise when she felt his warm arm snake around her waist, Jayden pulling her close to his chest. She instantly looked up at him, eyes grey-gold and brows knit together. He didn't reply directly, only motioning to Arachnotor with a small nod.
The nighlok leapt out of the sinkhole it was in, landing a short distance away from the red and silver rangers with a snarl. Both Brooke and Jayden tensed somewhat, Jayden tightening his hold on Brooke's waist, the two rangers staying silent for the most part.
"Moogers!" A voice commanded, and Brooke's eyes landed on Octoroo. Her lips curled into a snarl as her canines grew, a low growl coming from her throat. She still had to "talk" with the squid nighlok about the poisoning incident.
Still, Brooke tore her gaze away from Octoroo as he disappeared into a crack with a flash of dark red. Moogers had surrounded Arachnotor, and her eyes flashed. She heard Jayden's heartbeat from where she was pressed against his chest, and surprisingly, it was even and calm. Though he did train for this, so it made sense. Brooke actually wasn't panicked either, she just didn't feel like getting into a battle right now. Though it looked like she had no choice or say, so she just switched into her soldier mentality.
"Brooke, this just got a lot tougher." Jayden broke the silence, and Brooke's eyes flashed as they nodded to each other.
"Sum tua plagam," Brooke muttered, and when Jayden shot her a quizzical look, she grinned at him. "I'm by your side." She translated, and his expression of slight annoyance and determination broke for a second, the corners of Jayden's lips twitching upwards.
Still, the mood fell as both rangers walked from their hiding spots. Their expressions were solemn, blue and grey-gold eyes showing almost no emotion, even when the team showed up. The six rangers all just nodded at each other, reaching for their samuraizers and flipping the devices open, Brooke activating the brush portion on hers. "Samuraizer: Go Go Samurai!" The six called, drawing their respective symbols quickly. However, the six symbols just fizzled out, Brooke and Jayden sharing a raised eyebrow look.
"This hasn't happened before, something must be blocking us from morphing," Kevin concluded, and the six tensed as Arachnotor let out a loud snarl. Luckily, the nighlok seemed to be almost waiting for them to make the first move, which was good.
Grey-gold eyes turned to gold as Brooke scanned the area, her eyes landing on the red, white, and black talisman. "There it is," She declared, pointing at the talisman with a clawed finger. "I must've heard Octoroo before, then," Brooke concluded and clicked her tongue. It was right up the squid nighlok's alley just to be a general annoyance.
The six summoned their weapons, which appeared in flashes of their respective colors. Brooke also felt her Wolf Kunai sheathed at her hip as she spun one of her katanas in her hand. The silver blade caught the light, the silver ranger throwing it up and catching it with ease.
"Brooke and I will handle the barriers," Jayden stated, he and Brooke nodding at each other. "The rest of you, be cautious. There's a lot of Sanzu water here. And it's dangerous stuff." He advised, and the team readied their weapons, running into battle.
As the four other rangers ran forward, Brooke and Jayden ran to the left and the right. The red and silver rangers dodged Sanzu water as they cut through moogers, the monsters falling with squeals and a flurry of sparks. Brooke somersaulted over a mooger, landing a hard kick to its side that sent it falling to the ground. As she did so, she blocked another mooger's attack from behind, spinning on her heel and cutting it down. She swept her foot out, multiple moogers falling, and did a handspring and landed by the barrier, cutting down two moogers with two slashes.
Brooke then surveyed the area, noticing that Mia was dangerously close to falling into Sanzu water. The pink ranger was getting overwhelmed by moogers, and the silver ranger sheathed her katanas and drew her Wolf Kunai. Brooke then threw the weapon like a throwing knife, the blade embedding itself in the moogers chest, causing it to fall on the ground with a squeal. That gave Mia enough time to regain her footing, and she shot Brooke a thankful look, who gave her a mock salute with two fingers paired with a grin in response.
The kunai disappeared and reappeared in Brooke's hand with a flash of silver, Brooke and Jayden nodding to each other. The red and silver rangers slashed through the barrier talismans in unison, the objects being cut in half and falling to the ground. The ranger suits appeared on the team's bodies with flashes of their respective symbols in their respective colors.
"It's showtime!" Brooke declared with a hint of enthusiasm to her voice as she sheathed her Wolf Kunai and drew her katanas again. She cut down more moogers, flipping over one and landing next to Jayden, tightening her grip on the dual swords. She spun on her heels to cut the mooger down, then returned her attention to Jayden.
"Time to take out that nighlok!" Jayden commanded, Brooke at his side as the red and silver rangers sprinted up to the mutated monster.
The two tried to attack, but it was no use. The mutated nighlok's tentacles instantly shot out and wrapped around the two rangers, pinning their arms to their sides. Brooke tried squirming to loosen the nighlok's hold some, but it only tightened its grip. With a snarl, the nighlok flung the silver and red rangers over its shoulder, Brooke and Jayden crashing through a pile of large concrete blocks.
The pain that flared through Brooke's back caused her to bite her tongue, and she instantly winced at the taste of iron. Stumbling to her feet, her pain quickly became secondary as she saw the nighlok's attacks that were hurtling towards the four other rangers. "AMARIS!" Brooke screamed, and the white wolf instantly appeared in front of the four, putting up a purple barrier that deflected the nighlok's attack.
Silver and red boots kicked up small rocks as Brooke and Jayden ran over to the four, Amaris instantly standing at Brooke's side. "Everyone alright?" Jayden asked the four, who nodded and let out noises of relief.
"Yeah, thanks Amaris!" Emily thanked the white wolf, who flicked her ears.
"I am a protector, no need for thanking me," Amaris replied, then looking up at Brooke. "You are doing well, my dear. This is a tough opponent." This time, her voice only rang through Brooke's mind, who nodded and wore a small smile under her silver helmet in response.
"We must-" Jayden started, but was cut off by a voice.
"Guys, I did it!" Antonio called, running towards the six rangers. In the gold ranger's gloved hand was the black box, the Shiba and Wolfe family crests shining in gold and silver as they reflected the light.
"Goldie?" Brooke muttered, her voice laced with confusion as she tilted her head to the side.
Guessing by the way Antonio was holding the black box, he had completed programming it, and something about that made Brooke grit her teeth. Not at Antonio, the gold ranger was excited, and that was endearing, but the fact that the black box was already completed. That didn't take much time, and that caused something akin to insecurity to fill Brooke's gut. I need to try harder, She thought to herself, and Amaris noticed her change in demeanor- and read her thoughts.
The white wolf looked up at the silver ranger, violet eyes shining with concern. "You are doing just fine, my dear. You are making good progress at a good pace." Amaris reassured Brooke, but the silver ranger didn't respond, spiraling down a negative thought process. Still, Brooke snapped out of her thoughts as Antonio ran towards his childhood friends. She could at least be happy for him- it was almost like a motherly pride, funny enough.
"Gold is good, but right now black is better!" Antonio exclaimed with enthusiasm in his tone. He skidded to a stop in front of Jayden and Brooke, holding the black box and the super samurai disk in his hand. "The black box is ready." The gold ranger explained, and the red nodded, taking the objects out of Antonio's hands.
"Then let's see what it can do," Jayden stated, opening the black box and placing the super samurai disk inside. When he closed the black box, a light started flashing green, the talisman beeping. "Super Samurai Mode!" He called, and the Shiba Clan's crest appeared in gold. The gold crest then dissolved, and a forked white cape that had a gold trim appeared on the red ranger. The cape had white shoulder pads, and the Shiba Clan's crest on the left side and the back of it.
"You're done for, nighlok!" Antonio declared, the pride evident in his tone, and Brooke looked at her two childhood friends with a small grin underneath her silver helmet. "I've combined all the power disks into the black box, and now we can morph into super samurai, unleashing superpowers you can only imagine!" The nighlok only snarled in response, and Antonio only snickered. "Scared? You should be! He's gonna squash you like the bug that you are!"
Jayden took the super samurai disk out of the black box and slid in onto his spin-sword, attaching the talisman to the hilt of his spin-sword. "Nighlok, you're about to meet the super samurai!" He called, starting to take on the moogers.
Both Brooke and Antonio watched Jayden cut down multiple moogers, Brooke laughing faintly. "Goldie, I think you just gave Red a power trip," She teased, motioning to the red ranger, who was cutting down moogers using very dramatic moves. "Yeah, you definitely did. Or an ego boost." Brooke joked, and Antonio clapped her on the shoulder.
"We have to fuel his "red ranger complex" somehow, Brooke." Antonio fired back, and Brooke let out a bark of laughter as Jayden cut through a nighlok's attack.
"Joking aside, completing the black box is no easy feat," Amaris stated, tearing her violet eyes from the red ranger and turning her attention to the gold. "Good job, Antonio." The white wolf praised, her tail wagging, and Antonio crouched down, petting the wolf, who nuzzled into his touch.
When Jayden performed his super blazing strike move and successfully destroyed the nighlok, Brooke was the first one to jog up. She didn't say anything, just squeezing his shoulder in a congratulatory manner, Jayden smiling faintly underneath his red helmet.
However, the smile fell when Arachnotor went into his second form, growing in size with a vicious snarl. "Stay alert, this monster's going mega!" Jayden warned, and spitfangs and giant moogers also joined the party. "Super Megamode Power!"
While the original five rangers formed the samurai megazord, Antonio and Brooke formed the wolf armor megazord. Spitfangs spat fireballs at the two megazords, but the large robots moved out of the way quickly. "Hey, Jayden! This is the perfect time to turn the black box up a notch!" Antonio urged through the comms, and Brooke was just zoning out for the most part.
She didn't know how to feel. While she shouldn't overwork herself, Brooke felt like there was no other choice. She felt strangely guilty about not mastering the cage symbol quickly, and she wanted to get rid of that guilt to the best of her abilities. While she wouldn't work on the cage symbol tonight, because she had mastered one of the symbols today, and that did offer an ounce of reassurance. However, that reassurance got drowned out by fear, anxiety, and overthinking, but Brooke just grit her teeth. It had to get done, she needed to get stronger. Weakness was not an option- it was never an option.
However, Brooke pushed that to the side as the wolf armor megazord combined with the samurai megazord. "Claw and Wolf Armor Megazord! We are united!" The original five called, as Antonio and Brooke appeared in the cockpit of the megazord in flashes of silver and gold, the two rangers folding up their megablades and sticking them into the control panel.
"Oh, so it's even slower now." Brooke joked, pretending to be annoyed, and she snickered when Jayden hit one of the shoulder pads of her silver megamode suit. "No need to look so grumpy, Red. I'm just joking." She laughed, and Jayden rolled his eyes underneath his helmet, a faint smile on his face.
"Here they come!" Emily announced, and Brooke turned her attention from Jayden to the battle.
"Let's go!" Jayden commanded, and the megazord walked forward.
The megazord, despite its size and weight, was pretty fast, all things considered. It cut down moogers, and Antonio and Brooke nodded at each other. "Double Katana Strike!" The silver and gold rangers yelled in unison, the silver pointing forward triumphantly. The attack took care of the moogers, but the spitfangs were still an issue.
The spitfangs shot fireballs at the megazord, and it couldn't really dodge. The cockpit of the megazord shook, the seven rangers trying to maintain their balance. "Man, I'm not sure we can take another hit like that!" Mike warned as the team regained their footing.
"I think we can use a hand. Well, a tentacle. Well a bunch of tentacles," Antonio stated, the gold ranger taking his morpher out of the pouch on his megamode suit. "C'mon, Octozord!" He texted a command, and Brooke perked up.
"Guys, I have an idea!" Brooke called to Mike and Kevin, summoning the tiger disk. "Let's combine!" She commanded, and the blue and green rangers nodded. The three rangers attached the disks to their control panels, spinning them. The respective zords appeared, then combining with the octozord to make… a cannon.
"That's one big cannon." Emily pointed out, and Kevin nodded, looking at Antonio.
"Yeah, but what does it do?" Kevin thought aloud, and Antonio flashed him a thumbs up.
"Just trust me! You won't believe your eyes!" Antonio answered, pride evident in his tone. It made Brooke happy, she could tell he was enjoying this.
"But it takes a lot of symbol power. So we can only fire it once." Jayden warned, and Brooke furrowed her brows. Could she fire it multiple times? Given that she had more symbol power than the others due to bring a shifter. Though, it did rely on the team's symbol power, so that probably wouldn't end well.
Mike made a noise of disbelief, glancing at Jayden. "One shot?" He asked skeptically, and Brooke grinned underneath her silver helmet.
"One's all we're gonna need," Brooke replied confidently, leveling her gaze with Arachnotor and the spitfangs. The spitfangs shot out fireballs but missed, surprisingly.
"Wait for my signal, we can only do this as a team," Jayden commanded, and the spitfangs continued to spit out fireballs, and miss. After a moment, Jayden perked up, the megazord locking onto its target. "Locked on! Fire in the hole! Release the zords!" He declared, and the seven rangers pushed their folded megablades forward in unison.
The nighlok exploded with the attack, and the cockpit of the megazord erupted in cheers. Brooke and Jayden only intertwined hands for a moment, squeezing each other's hands lightly and then letting go. "Samurai Rangers: Victory is Ours." The silver and red rangers called in unison, both smiling underneath their helmets.
--
Brooke stood in between Jayden and Antonio as they watched Emily draw the rock symbol power and fill up another sinkhole. The yellow ranger activated the symbol, numerous rocks falling from the sky and splashing in the Sanzu water. They successfully filled up the sinkhole, Emily turning to face Brooke with a weary smile on her face.
"I don't know how you do it," Emily stated, and Brooke quirked a brow. "I don't think I have an ounce of symbol power left." She explained as Mike wrapped an arm around her shoulders and pulled her into a side-hug.
They made me like this, Brooke thought bitterly, her eyes flashing, but then she broke into a small grin. "It's what I'm good at, I guess." She replied nonchalantly, shrugging.
"Good thing that was the last leak," Mike remarked, and Kevin walked up, a stern expression on his face.
"For now," Kevin added, his voice hard.
Antonio piped up from where he was standing beside Brooke, who was kneeled on the ground and petting Amaris. "Aw man, don't be such a downer, we just won!" The gold ranger chided, and Amaris' ears flicked. The white wolf was watching more than anything, her tail flicking every now and then.
"Yeah, but I don't like the way the nighlok have found a way to mutate," Emily confessed, a conflicted expression on her face.
"The threat is growing," Jayden agreed, but the corners of his mouth twitched upward. "But so are we, thanks to our man Antonio here." He added, motioning to the gold ranger, who beamed.
"I hear that! We can finally get an edge on Master Xandred." Mike cheered, fist-bumping Antonio.
"We just have to keep getting better and stronger," Jayden walked forward, looking down at the black box. The Wolfe and Shiba family crests shone brightly in the sunlight, as if their ancestors were congratulating the silver and red rangers for making it this far. "We just have to be… Super Samurai." He stated, and the five others watched as Brooke rose to her feet, rolling her eyes at Jayden.
Brooke shoved Jayden lightly, and he raised a brow in response, blue eyes glittering with what seemed like adoration. "That one was bad, Red. Extremely." She explained, and Jayden rolled his eyes, smiling faintly at Brooke.
I'm going to end this war, with you by my side, Jayden made the silent vow to Brooke as the team started walking back. He intertwined his hand with hers, and she smiled at him, and it was a genuine, happy smile. I promise you.