Chapter 34 - The Final Clash .1

After the battle with the mad Ayakashi Oborojime, most of the Power Rangers were too exhausted to have a meeting. Tai let them have the evening and decided to meet with them the next day. He had some things to digest anyway. Unfortunately for them, he had them up first thing in the morning.

"It's not even dawn yet," Kane grumbled. He was also exaggerating. It was nearly seven a.m. Tai had toast and coffee waiting for them as they assembled. Billie, looking like she may have slept in her lab, was slugging down some caffeine herself.

"It can't be helped. We have a lot to cover," he declared. "First, Rex, why don't you tell us all about your adventures in ancient Japan," he invited.

Rex took a drink from the coffee he poured himself.

"Quit stalling and tell us already," Rena demanded.

He grinned at her and filled her in on meeting Enra; the Eltarin woman the ancient Shiba Clan called the Great White Spirit.

Tai got the story all ready, but it was still interesting to hear.

"I'd always suspected it was Eltarin technology," Billie said. "Unlike the arm bands that allowed you guys to travel to the past. I can't tell what kind of technology it is. The inner workings of every single one of them melted into an unrecognizable mess of metal and plastic," she complained.

Rex shrugged. "It's tech you aren't supposed to have yet," he declared. She made a face at that.

"So, if this ancient Eltarin lady was our great-great-great-grammy, how come only you get the special toys. I have the same genes," Rena declared.

"Because I'm the oldest," Rex said for lack of an actual answer. He honestly had no clue why -he- was Destiny Boy.

"What about you, Tai? What did great-great-great Grampy have to tell you?" Saeko asked. Rex's new toy was cool and all, but this was what she wanted to know.

"We'll get to that. First, we need to look at this. Billie, the map," he said. Billie's face disappeared and she displayed a map on her screen. "Yesterday morning I caught Kane and CyberCam assembling this," he said. "The blue represents places where Ayakashi have appeared, the darker blue indicate where they were destroyed. The green dots indicate Nanashi battles. The purple dots indicate places where leaks have appeared," he explained.

"We've determined that the Ayakashi themselves are effecting the barrier between our dimension and the Sanzu River. The leaks have spiraled outward from the places of their demises," Billie explained.

"What are the red dots?" Kii asked.

"That's where we know Akumaro attempted to gain a foothold into the Human World," Billie answered.

"It makes a triangle," Rena said.

Tai nodded. "I talked with Hikomi-san yesterday. He couldn't tell me much about it. He'd never heard anything like it in all the histories at his disposal. We already know that that isn't much. So, after thinking about it, I called Lammy," he said.

"What did Lammy have to say?" Lani asked. This was the first she was hearing about this.

"She said that triangles were common shapes in magical spells and that she'd do some research for me," he answered.

"Well that's helpful," Saeko said.

"She called me last night. She consulted with Taran, Rei, Zita and Moriko. They all seem to agree. It's not good news," he said. "She believes Akumaro is using a Devil's Triangle. She said a Devil's Triangle is a convergence of three powerful points. From what she could figure, there must be three corresponding places of power in the Sanzu River," he said.

Daiki pushed his glasses up his nose. "I'm afraid I don't understand," he admitted.

"Neither did I but, look in the center of that triangle," Tai prompted.

"It's Angel Grove Park and there's a bunch of blue dots in it," Rena said.

"Lammy believes weaknesses in the barrier result from their attacks. Whatever made them so much stronger now than in the past has weakened the barrier. She believes that power of some sort directed at these three separate points will activate the Devil's Triangle. The End of the World will start in Angel Grove Park," he said.

Silence met his remark.

"Well, we can't let that happen," Kane declared.

Tai didn't answer that. "Yesterday, Ryouichi Shiba taught me the Sealing Character. I want all of you to know it and master it. You cannot leave here, any of you, until you can do it with your eyes closed," he said.

They looked at him in surprise.

"Was there some part of that none of you understood?" he asked.

"Not me. Show us the goods," Rex prompted. Tai was in serious, fate-of-the-world Leader Boy mode.

Tai nodded. He flipped his Morpher out in Pen-mode. He drew the Sealing Character slowly so they could all see how it was done.

Rex nodded. He flipped his Morpher out in Pen-mode. He drew the Character. It was so complicated that it took him a few tries as well. He redrew it several times.

The others were attempting it as well. Tai occasionally guided a hand here or pointed out a wonky brush-stroke there. Mainly Lani and Kane were the shaky ones. Daiki and Kii had a little better time with it.

Rena had it easy. Her Morpher wasn't like the rest. Her Characters were electronic, but it still took her awhile to get the right combination.

Saeko was having the hardest time. Even though, she now realized, Uncle should have known how to use the Characters, being a Shiba, he'd never taught her anything like them. This Seal was very complex.

Rex had it down. "Hey, Billie. You register anymore temporal spikes?" he asked suddenly.

"No," she answered.

"Then, with the boss' permission, I have something to take care of," he said.

Figuring he knew what Rex wanted to do, he nodded. "Go on," he agreed.

Rex left with a little salute.

Tai continued working with them in the Seals, letting them go one by one once he was sure they could do it in the heat of battle. Even Saeko managed it, mainly through sheer determination. Finally only Lani was left.

"You have it down," he said.

Lani nodded. "Hey, Billie, you got work to do, right?" she asked pointedly.

"Hint taken," Billie declared and her screen went blank.

Tai raised a brow.

"Don't look at me like that. What are you planning?" she demanded.

"Who says I'm planning anything?" he asked.

She put her hands on her hips and looked at him steadily. He sighed. She knew him so well.

"Look, we only have one shot. One shot. I need everyone's trust on this. If I told everyone my plan, they might balk," he said.

"No one would balk. Everyone trusts you, Tai. Not because you're their Lord, their leader or the Red Ranger. They trust you because they know -you-," she told him. "Let them in on the plan," she said.

Tai rubbed the bridge of his nose.

"She's right, you know," Kane said from the doorway. No one had actually left. They'd been listening in. Kane knew the opportunity to speak was now.

Daiki nodded. "It is true. I admit, I had my reservations about you at first, but I followed you because you were my Lord," he said.

Kii nodded. "So did I," she admitted.

"It did not take long to realize, given a choice, I would choose to follow you. You are not my Lord from obligation. You are the Lord I choose to follow," Daiki concluded.

"Yes. We trust you with out lives," Kii agreed.

Kane shrugged. "I joined because you needed my help. I had the experience, you had the opportunity. I knew you'd be a good leader but I didn't know even Uncle would bow down to you. Even if I hadn't already realized you the dude, that would have made pay attention. I'll follow you 'til the end, bro," he said. "And I've never even told Tay something as lame as that so feel blessed," he added.

Rena snickered. She shrugged. "You're Tai," she said as if that explained it all. Considering she'd known him practically all her life, it did.

Saeko crossed her arms over her chest. "I won't pretend that we're not basically strangers that share blood, but there was a reason Uncle wanted to duel with you. In the time I've been here, I understand what it was. I'll follow your plan, whatever it may be, however dangerous and crazy. That's probably the only option at this point," she added.

"You see, Grandson. You have the trust of your team. Trust them in return," Grandpa said from behind the little group at the door.

Tai nodded. "Then listen up," he said and informed them of his plan.

~*~

Sanzu River

Akumaro had manned the deck ceaselessly through the night and into the morning. "Weigh anchor!" he shouted to the Nanashi crew. "No! Don't put it on a scale, throw it in the water!" he shouted at the two in charge of the anchor. "Keep us tight. Don't let us drift much," he said and hurried down to the hold.

"Lord Doukoku! It is time!" he cried triumphantly.

shootari looked up from his last minute affairs. "So soon?" he asked in a small voice.

"You can't back out now, tentacle-face," Dayuu warned him, drawing the blade from her shamisen.

"No one is backing out," Doukoku said as he exited his cabin. "Prepare yourselves!" he said. Despite saying that, he actually didn't give them much time to prepare. He thrust out his arms and arcs of power traveled from his fingertips to their bodies.

They could practically feel their power increasing. It was almost painful. It was painful. They cried out but still Doukoku did not stop. When Akumaro felt he was about to explode, Doukoku stopped. They collapsed into each other.

Dayuu shuddered. So much power and it was only a fraction of what he dealt with all the time.

"Go. Die for your Lord and your world," Doukoku ordered them.

They got to their feet and bowed. "It will be done, my Lord. It will be glorious," Akumaro declared. He and the other two left the ship.

Doukoku went up on deck to wait. He gripped his sword in anticipation. Finally, the Human World and the family of his brother will feel his wrath.

~*~

Tai was surprised when no one actually balked at this plan. He dismissed everyone again. He knew it was now a waiting game for them to make their move. Until then, he had tea with his Grandpa.

"I am proud of you, Grandson. Even if the world ends, you did all you could," he said with a faint smile.

"That is not funny. You're supposed to assure me that the world won't end," Tai grumbled.

"You outgrew sugar coating when you were four," Grandpa said dismissively. "I'll remind you again, Grandson, that I will not go to this place KO-35. If the world ends, I will be here to greet the twilight. I will join your grandmother and parents in heaven," he said.

Tai nodded. "I know. You've told me that before," he said. Grandpa referred to evacuation plan the Alpha Rangers put in place to protect their families should the world end. They'd made arrangements to have them evacuated to KO-35. A Power Ranger would fight until the very end, but that didn't mean their families had to be there as well.

Tai's Morpher beeped. He flipped it open in Phone-mode. "shootari, Akumaro and Dayuu have appeared in the City with bands of Nanashi," Billie told them all.

"At each location?" he asked.

"Yes." she answered.

"Then this is it. Begin evacuating the city. Saeko, Lani and Daiki go after Dayuu. Rena, Kane, Kii, go for Akumaro. Rex and I will handle shootari," he said.

"Right," they all agreed.

"When the time comes," Billie said, "check your arsenals. I managed one last thing. They can only be used once and for a limited time. Good luck, Rangers," she said and disconnected from them. She had things to do.

"Endgame time, Grandpa," he said and got to his feet.

"Good, luck Grandson," the old man said gravely.

Tai flipped his Morpher into Pen-mode. "Samurai Sword Clash!"

~*~

When Samurais White, Pink and Blue arrived at the convention center, they found Nanashi ravaging the area. Dayuu stood in the center of them. "Tear this city to pieces!" she ordered wildly.

"Stop right there, Gedoushu!" Samurai Pink called to her.

Dayuu saw them and laughed. "Well, well, well. If it isn't the imposter, the nerd and the...whatever you are," she said the last to Samurai White.

"You're going to die painfully," she warned her, pulling her Sword.

"Is this about that incident with Hiro Shiba? Ancient history. Nanashi, get them," Dayuu ordered almost boredly.

Samurai Blue engaged the Nanashi. He took out a handful but another attacked him from behind.

Samurai White knocked him aside and sliced her Sword through the Nanashi. "Get high," she said to him.

"Good plan," Pink agreed as she took out several Nanashi gunning for her.

"Right," Blue agreed. He fought his way beyond the Nanashi and jumped atop a car someone abandoned. He reached into his belt and pulled out his Swordfish Disc. He slid it onto his Sword and spun it. "Water Arrow!" He lay down cover fire for the two girls.

"Get him!" Dayuu shouted.

"Not gonna happen," Samurai White said. She pulled out her Hidden Disc, slid it on to her Sword and spun it. "Giant Blazing 'Rang!" She tossed the 'Rang at the group of Nanashi now trying to get to Blue. It cleared a path, took them out, circled back and cleared a parallel path.

He showed his appreciation by taking out a Nanashi coming up behind her.

She caught her 'Rang and spun around, swinging the 'Rang and using it like a Klingon batlith, both offensive and defensive in close quarters.

Pink was dealing with her own problems. She found herself with three Nanashi coming directly at her in tandem. Two were quickly taken out by Blue's Water Arrows. "I owe ya one," she said. She pulled her Falcon Disc from her belt. She slid it onto her Sword and spun it. "Raptor Wings!"

She used her fans to cut through the Nanashi around her. There were more to come. She jumped, spinning, spreading her wings. She stopped near Samurai as she cut down her last Nanashi. Samurai Blue jumped, turning a flip and landed beside them. His Water Arrow was drawn back and pointing at Dayuu as she stood alone.

Dayuu drew her blade from her shamisen and tossed the instrument aside. She knocked aside the Water Arrow as Blue let it fly. She held up a hand and threw energy balls at them.

There was a huge explosion that knocked the Rangers off their feet. They powered down their weapons and attacked her with Swords. Ordinarily a three-to-one fight wouldn't be fair but Dayuu seemed even stronger and faster than the last time they faced her.

Her blade whipped around blocking every blow. She knocked aside a slash by Blue and drove the hilt of her Sword into his chest. He stumbled back, crying out in pain. She then jumped, spinning to land behind Pink and crashed the Sword hilt into the base of her helmet, disorienting her opponent.

Samurai rushed at her, thrusting sharply. Dayuu knocked the blade aside and kicked her in the middle.

She laughed as they regrouped. "Is that all you Rangers got?" she asked. She threw energy blasts at them again.

The explosion sent them flying in different direction, making them land hard.

"Some is on steroids," Pink declared.

"It's time to see what kind of present Dr. Billie gave us," White said, getting to her feet.

"In agree," Blue said. He reached into his belt and pulled out a black and gold Disc.

Pink and White did the same. They appeared similar to the Power Disc.

"That girl is amazing," Pink declared.

"What kind of tricks are you Rangers trying to pull now?" Dayuu demanded and flung energy blasts at them again.

They slid the Discs onto their Swords and spun them. "Samurai Battle Mode! Power-Up!"

The energy blasts exploded around them.

~*~

Though Billie gave them the warning immediately, by the time Samurai's Gold, Green and Yellow arrived at the warehouse district, it looked like a war zone. Nanashi were destroying things willy-nilly. Akumaro was in the center of it all, looking even more smug than usual.

"I really cannot stand him," Gold declared. "Gedoushu! Prepare to meet your end!" she called out.

Akumaro actually chortled. "Well, well, well. My little Gold friend. Didn't you learn your lesson last time? Where is my beloved Lokelani?" he demanded, seeming to pout.

"She's out killing Dayuu. We'll give her your love," Green assured him.

"Tell me, why doesn't the little one ever dish out those adorable little quips?" Akumaro asked, indicating to Samurai Yellow.

"I'm too busy defeating Gedoushu to worry about quips," Yellow answered with attitude.

"Dude. Burn," Gold said.

"You tell him, babe," Green said with a grin in his voice.

"Then don't let me keep you from it. Nanashi, get rid of these pests," he instructed.

The Rangers drew their Swords as Nanashi stopped what they doing to rush toward them.

Samurai Yellow slashed her way through several of them, but she soon realized just how many there were between them. She slashed through one and kicked another away. "There are so many," she cried. "This calls for a little fox power," she declared. She reached into her belt and took out the Fox Disc. She slid it onto her Sword and spun it. "Fox Claws! Spinning Foxes!" she cried and began spinning. Not only did she bounce around among the Nanashi, she would occasionally spin down into the ground and up in different spot.

Samurai Gold slashed at Nanashi, running at top speed. She almost outdistanced them. She came to a skidding stop and spun around. She opened her belt and pulled out her Light Disc. She put it on her Sword. "One Hundred Light Rays!" She moved into the Nanashi again, slashing at them with great rays of shining light and blue lightning, one hundred times at the speed of light.

She jumped clear and sheathed her sword as behind her they arced lightning and exploded.

Samurai Green wasn't to be outdone by his teammates. They might sometimes forget he was an Earth Ninja, but he didn't. He slashed at Nanashi and simultaneous threw globs of dirt and rocks and concrete at them. He pulled the Beetle Disc from his belt. He slid it onto his Sword and spun it. Greenish-orange energy circled his blade. "Ravenous Dancing Roots!" he slashed forward. Roots burst up through the concrete surrounding them. He jumped over a certain area and spun around mid-air in several places. The roots wrapped around several Nanashi at a time and sucked them down below the earth.

After devastating the Nanashi, the Samurais regrouped and faced Akumaro. He cocked his head. "Impressed with ourselves, are we?" he asked. "You only defeated Nanashi. None of you will be able to take me on," he said and held out his hand and shot bolts of electric energy at them.

Samurai Gold pushed the others aside. She caught the brunt of the attack.

"You bastard!" Green spat and rushed at Akumaro in a burst of ninja streaking speed. Admittedly it wasn't as fast as Rena, but it was up there. Akumaro blocked every blow. He hit Green with the flat of hand to the solar plexus, knocking his breath out and sending him crashing into the ground.

Samurai Yellow was already there to take his place. She wasn't as fast, but she was agile as a monkey. Akumaro easily compensated for her tactics and slashed her across the chest with his blade. She cried out and sparked wildly.

Green caught her as she fell back.

Samurai Gold struggled to her feet.

"See?" Akumaro gloated.

"Don't count us out yet. Remember Billie? Yeah, you should have just killed her instead of playing with her," Gold taunted. She reached into her belt and pulled out a black and gold Disc.

Green and Yellow did the same.

"So you say. Not that it matters. With the power Lord Doukoku has given me, I'm unstoppable," he said and flung arcs of energy at them again.

They slid the Discs on to the Swords and spun them. "Samurai Battle Mode! Power-Up!"

The landscape exploded around them.

~*~

The Valerian Complex was completely totaled by the time Silver and Red arrived. Red propped his Sword against his shoulder as he surveyed the scene. Nanashi milled around while shootari stood atop a smoking truck to lord over them.

"In all my years I've never seen anything that ugly," Red commented.

shootari turned toward them. "Power Rangers," he hissed.

Silver ignored him. "I know, right? What the hell was with the dreads and glasses and the d-bag facial hair?" he asked.

shootari boiled. "Nanashi!  Get them!" he commanded.

"He's sensitive about his d-bag facial hair," Red said as he pulled his Tiger Disc out of his belt. He slid it onto his Sword and spun it. "Giant Flaming Blade!"

"Obviously," Silver agreed and drew his Swords. Using them in tandem, he sliced through the Nanashi coming at him. However, there were quite a bit of them. It took all his skill to only get a few superficial hits. He slashed in a circle to give himself a moment of room. He reached into his belt and pulled out his Bat Disc. He put the hilts of his Swords together, slid the Disc onto them and spun them. "Metal Naginata!"

He cut a wide path with his Naginata down the rank of the Nanashi.

Red powered through a few of the Nanashi, but found the Giant Flaming Blade was a little too unwieldy against so many. He whistled. "Watch my back!" He shouted to Silver.

"Always!" Silver assured him even as he cut down a Nanashi attempting a sneak attack on his friend.

Red powered down the Blade. From his belt he pulled his Tyranno Disc. He slid it onto his Sword and spun it. "Samurai Sword Clash! Tyranno Power!" He moved into action, swinging his Tyranno-Sword. It stretched, curved and growled hitting the Nanashi when and where they least expected as if it had a mind of its own. It wove through the entire contingent, hitting each one before springing back to its normal shape.

Red and Silver moved back to back as they exploded, leaving them alone with shootari.

shootari's tentacles quivered. "Do not think me weak, Rangers!" he shouted and raised his staff. Wild streaks of energy shot out of it, exploding everything and anything without discrimination, including the two Rangers. They were hurtled several yards in opposite directions. It was such a fierce blow, the Tyranno-mode failed.

"You son of a--"

"We're not beaten yet," Red cut off as he used his Sword to help him to his feet.

"Right," Silver agreed and wobbled to his feet as well. He reached into his belt and pulled out the black and gold Disc.

Red pulled it out as well.

"Don't get ahead of yourselves. You're a million years too early to match me!" shootari crowed, drunk off the power Doukoku had given him. He fired his staff again.

Red and Silver slid the discs onto their Swords and spun them. "Samurai Battle Mode! Power-Up!"

The Valerian complex exploded.

~*End Act 34: To Be continued*~           

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