Land of the Rising Sun: Chapter Eighteen

Sanshinshou Speaks

Blue Globber slowly stalked towards the fallen ShogunMegazord, NinjaMegazord, and White Falcon. His tubes crackled with blue energy, ready to drain every ounce of power from the zords.

"My creation," Daimamou growled as he watched the battle. "Take their power for your own...make me strong..."

Blue Globber pounced forward and angled his descent towards the three zords. The zords suddenly flashed with green energy and vanished, causing the monster to slam against the streets.

Jason and the other rangers rose to their feet after the transport. They were surrounded by the familiar mist and blackness of the Shogun temple.

"How'd we get in here?" Jonathan asked.

The rangers looked up to see the giant statues of the ShogunMegazord, NinjaMegazord, and White Falcon inside the temple.

"It was them," Trini said.

The statues' eyes flashed red and fired beams of energy that combined behind the rangers. The energy beams converged into a viewscreen that displayed an image of the giant Blue Globber stomping through the streets. The creature was firing jagged energy blasts that exploded across the city, toppling rubble onto the streets as citizens ran in panic.

The statues' voices spoke as one, creating a deep booming voice that echoed in the chamber.

"Doing harm to Globber will hurt our student, Ninjor," the voice said. "Ninjor must be freed, and his energy stripped from Daimamou's creature. Then the evil warrior of ooze can be destroyed."

"How are we supposed to free him?" Jason asked.

"Yeah," Zack asked. "We don't even know where to find him."

"You have a hidden ally," the Three God Generals said. "He will guide you to Ninjor."

"Who?" Richie asked.

"Hakumenrou," the voice said.

Trini's eyes opened wide. "Father?"

"He is not truly one of them," the voice said. "He is on the side of the Light."

Trini smiled and lowered her head. "I knew it...knew it couldn't be true."

Ninjor struggled with his bindings at the foot of Daimamou's throne.

"It's no use struggling," Daimamou said. "My creature is on the rampage. The Rangers have fled with their tails between their legs. There is nothing you can do..."

"We'll see about that, you villain," Ninjor said.

Hakumenrou tilted his head with concern before sneaking off into the bowels of Daimamou's fortress. He turned a rocky corridor and entered the chamber where Blue Globber was created.

He bent over and picked up the shell remains from where Blue Globber was born. Hakumenrou wrinkled his brow. It was time to show his true colors.

The rangers were driving down a wooded path on their way to find Hakumenrou.

"So," Jonathan said from behind the wheel "Are we just supposed to drive around until we stumble upon-"

"There," Trini said as she leaned over Jonathan and pointed out the window. The strange boy and his two dogs were nearby.

Jonathan pulled the van to a stop as the rangers climbed out. They ran over to the boy, who had the same distant look in his eyes as before.

Trini knelt down to his eye level and placed her hands on his shoulders. "You know why we're here..."

The boy averted his gaze.

"Please," Trini said. "Hakumenrou...my father...take me to him. We need to find him."

The boy hesitated before nodding.

Nekomaru pulled into the woods as the rangers left the van.

Trini ran off through the woods, elated at the thought of a reunion with her father. Her true father.

"Wait!" Jason shouted as he stepped out of the van.

A chill suddenly crept up his spine. They were being watched. Jason noticed several slight movements coming from behind the trees. His gut told them the Hana Ninja were out there, and his gut was rarely wrong.

Jason turned to the boy. "Stay in the van..."

Jason and the others ran after Trini. They regrouped with her near a small clearing in the middle of the woods.

"Trini wait," Jason said once they caught up with her. "The Hana Ninja...they're out here."

The Hana weren't the only ones keeping an eye on the rangers. Hakumenrou hid behind a tree, watching his daughter and her teammates discuss their situation. He couldn't hear what they were saying, but only because he was focused on sensing the Hana Ninja.

Hakumenrou could hear them closing in around the rangers, and the teens had no clue the attack was about to begin. Trini's father wrinkled his brow with concern and tightened his grip on his golden sword. He knew he had to warn the rangers, so he did so in the only way he could.

Hakumenrou leapt forward into the clearing while raising his sword high.

"Father!" Trini shouted as the man started to swing his blade at the five rangers.

The teens dodged and ducked as Hakumenrou twirled his blade through swift and deadly attack patterns.

Richie moved in close to the man's body and blocked a blow by grabbing onto his opponent's wrist and trying to get the villain to drop his sword. Hakumenrou lifted Richie and tossed the teen over his shoulder.

The rangers regrouped as Hakumenrou fell back into an offensive stance.

"Stop this," Jason shouted as he snapped into a fighting stance.

Hakumenrou charged forward towards the teens and started swinging his blade again as they scattered. Jason moved forward towards the man, but Hakumenrou reached forward and grabbed the teen in a choke hold.

Explosions suddenly sparked all around the six as they dove to the ground for cover. They rose to their feet and looked up to see the Hana Ninja running forward with a group of Dorodoro.

Hakumenrou stood alongside the rangers while holding his blade in a defensive stance. "Run..." he said to them "Run!"

The rangers turned and ran through the trees. Hakumenrou shot the Hana Ninja once last glare before following.

The teens entered a vast clearing area of dirt and stone hills. They didn't get far until orange lightning shot down from the skies and exploded all around them. The six were thrown to the ground by the force of the explosions.

The rangers and Hakumenrou rose in time to see Daimamou appear in a flash of energy. The Hana Ninja and Dorodoro fell into formation besides the Youkai Lord.

"Hakumenrou," Daimamou said with amusement. "Do you think I am so blind as to not see what goes on in my own palace? You have betrayed me...I have never taken kindly to traitors."

Hakumenrou fell back into a fighting stance and raised his sword high.

"The power of the Sanshinshou will be mine," Daimamou said. "Your lovely daughter will be stripped and killed by my hands."

"Daimamou!" Hakumenrou shouted while charging forward at the Youkai Lord.

Daimamou extended his hand and fired pale-orange energy tentacles that wrapped around Hakumenrou. Daimamou lifted Trini's father into the air as explosions danced across his armor.

"Father!" Trini shouted, looking up helplessly at the man she once knew.

"Trini," he said quietly while managing to pull out a small golden bird emblem from his armor.

Hakumenrou tossed the golden bird into the sky as it streaked away on a golden beam of light, vanishing from sight. Hakumenrou screamed as Daimamou increased the charge of his energy tentacles. The man was enveloped by a shell of light and seemingly shattered to pieces.

"No!" Trini shouted.

The rangers glared at Daimamou as the villain laughed.

"Bastard..." Richie hissed as they all readied their morphers.

"Shogun transform, Ninja Power!" they shouted. Their results were not promising. Tendrils of energy leaked from their morphers and exploded in the sky. The rangers had not morphed.

"Did we stutter?" Jonathan said as he looked over his un-morphed clothing.

Daimamou laughed. "My dark Ninpo is already binding your energy."

The Youkai lord extended his hand, signaling the Hana to move in.

"Battoru Henge!" The Hana shouted as they transformed into their feline-type Ranger armor.

The rangers grabbed their clothing and tore, signaling their morph into their standard ninja outfits. The male rangers wore black uniforms with colored scarves, and Trini's was nearly all white.

"Let's go!" Jason shouted as they charged forward towards the Hana Ninja.

Groups of Dorodoro and Blue Globber fell in besides the Hana as the ninjas all clashed swords with one another, exchanging a fierce volley of blows.

Richie swung his blade towards Hana Pink, but she parried his blow and forced his saber downward. She stepped forward and slammed the handle of her weapon against the ranger's face.

Richie was tossed backwards and rolled across the ground before rising to his feet in a defensive stance.

Hana Pink energized her weapon as it went limp, turning into a whip. She snapped the energy whip forward, and it exploded against Richie's chest, sending the teen falling backward.

Hana Blue lashed out with a chain that wrapped around Jonathan's neck. He tried to break free of the chain, but the Hana kept tugging him around. Jonathan stumbled and fell forward, only to be lifted once again by the Hana. She sent an energy pulse shooting down the chain. The pulse exploded against Jonathan and sent him stumbling off his feet.

Zack leapt towards Hana Purple and swung his blade down diagonally towards her head. She stepped aside while swinging her blade horizontally towards Zack's neck. Zack dropped down and snapped a sweep kick towards the Hana's legs. The Hana leapt over the blow.

Zack rose and swung twice at the Hana in an x-shaped formation, but she parried each blow before slamming a roundhouse kick against the ranger's head. She stepped forward and swung a vertical strike towards the ranger. Zack held his saber high to block the blow, and the Hana twisted closer to the ranger's body and slammed an elbow against his chest.

Hana Green deployed a net that crashed against Trini and pinned her to the ground as explosions sparked against her uniform.

Hana Orange leapt towards Jason with her saber swinging down towards his head. He held his blade up horizontally to block the blow, leaving his body open. Hana Pink spun towards the ranger and cut across his chest. Jason was forced back as Hana Pink landed two more strikes across his chest and slammed a spinning heel kick across his temple. Jason was thrown backward and went rolling across the ground.

Hana Orange extended her hand and fired an energy burst that exploded against Jason and sent him flying backward. The ranger stumbled out of control across the ground and landed near a cliff that looked down into the ocean.

Jason rose to his feet as Hana Orange and Hana Pink rushed forward. They placed their hands together and emitted a cloud of sparkling dust that exploded against Jason and sent him falling towards the rushing waters below.

The five Hana regrouped at the edge of the cliff and stared down at the waters below. Daimamou, Blue Globber, and the Dorodoro joined the Hana along with the other four rangers, who were tied and bound in chains.

"Go," Daimamou said to the Hana. "Make sure he's dead."

The Hana ran down the cliff on their way to check on Jason's fallen form. The Youkai Lord turned his attention to Blue Globber.

"Take their energy," Daimamou said.

Trini glared at Daimamou. "You won't get away with this."

"Why does everyone keep saying that?" Daimamou said. "I already have."

Blue Globber armed his tubes.

The setting sun highlighted the ocean waters as Jason crawled onto the shore, slowly but surely. He was banged up from head to toe and soaked with water and blood.

He pulled himself up despite his near-crippling fatigue and looked up to see the Hana Ninja approaching down the cliff. Jason silently cursed before mustering the rest of his strength and running off.

A giant Blue Globber stomped through the streets, firing jagged energy bursts that exploded through buildings and toppled rubble onto the streets below.

Daimamou watched from nearby through his viewscreen of fire. The rangers and Ninjor were bound in chains below.

"It seems your precious Sanshinshou are reluctant to come and do battle," Daimamou said. "I am sure they can be persuaded."

Black ooze fell from the creature and rained down upon the citizens below. The ooze was absorbed through their skin and made them sick upon contact. Their screams shrieked through the streets.

Emerald energy flashed over the rooftops as the ShogunMegazord and NinjaMegazord appeared. White Falcon was perched on a skyscraper in between the two Megazords.

Blue Globber stepped forward again, its body contorting as four heads appeared back-to-back on his neck. Each resembled a distorted version of a captured Ranger's helmet. Five medallions appeared burned into his skin, each the symbol of a captured Ranger and Ninjor.

The rangers opened their eyes wide with horror as they watched the scene unfold through the Youkai Lord's viewscreen.

"You see, rangers," Daimamou said as he stepped closer to the viewscreen. "My creation grows stronger by the second, now with your energy and Ninjor's. Your zords will fall, and their power will be mine."

The three zords hesitated, knowing that the rangers would feel every blow inflicted against Blue Globber. Trini watched their hesitation through the viewscreen.

"Do it!" she shouted.

The three zords' eyes flashed with crimson energy. NinjaMegazord snapped its wrists into a fighting stance. ShogunMegazord armed its golden saber. The White Falcon shrieked a war cry.

Blue Globber charged towards the three zords with his sword held outward.

White Falcon swooped forward and angled towards the creature. The zord used its wings to slice across Blue Globber's chest, causing violent explosions to spark across the creature.

Ninjor and the rangers felt the impact as explosions sparked against their chests.

ShogunMegazord moved in and swung its saber downward, slashing diagonally across Blue Globber.

The rangers clenched their jaws with pain as they felt the sting of the impact.

NinjaMegazord moved in and slammed its fists against the monster with a double punch combination. Blue Globber was forced back as the Megazord continued its advance.

Blue Globber swung its blade towards NinjaMegazord, but the zord used its wolf hand to block the blow and slammed the back of its wolf fist against the creature's chest.

The creature turned to face the ShogunMegazord, but the Megazord's golden saber was already slashing across his chest.

The rangers felt each blow as pain coursed through their bodies.

White Falcon soared towards Blue Globber, and the monster stared fighting back. He grabbed the falcon zord and tossed it aside. White Falcon went crashing through buildings before sliding across the ground.

Blue Globber turned its attention to the two giant Megazords and leapt towards them. The monster hacked diagonally across the NinjaMegazord, then turned to the ShogunMegazord. Blue Globber struck the Megazord with two strikes in an x-shaped pattern.

The zords were forced back as Globber armed a Shinobi knuckle crossbow, weapon of Ninjablack. Globber launched several purple energy darts that exploded against the zords.

ShogunMegazord armed its saber with fiery energy and swung horizontally, emitting a twirling energy blade that exploded against the monster with violent force.

The rangers were thrown to the floor with that blow, joints and muscles too worn out to move.

The Hana caught up with Jason in the woods, slashing their blades against the ranger and striking him with a fierce combination of blows before he could hit back.

He managed to roll underneath a Hana's sword and rose to his knees while readying his morpher.

"Shogun transform-"

The Hana extended their hands and fired a cloud of energy sparks that surrounded Jason and ignited with a violent series of explosions. Jason's body went limp as he fell face first to the ground.

The five Hana Ninja laughed as they walked towards the fallen ranger, their sword extended.

Jason narrowed his eyes at the approaching warriors.

"Get it over with..." he said as he struggled to rise to his feet.

Before the Hana could strike, the two K-9 dogs leapt through the air and knocked the Hana back.

The young boy that was their master ran towards Jason to try and help him up.

One of the Hana extended her hand and launched a cloud of energy sparks that exploded around the boy and threw him backward. The two dogs landed before turning and leaping towards the Hana Ninja again. This time, the dogs' bodies radiated with energy: one red and one yellow.

The dogs suddenly transformed into humanoid wolf-type warriors dressed in black ninja-type clothing and masks covering the lower parts of their faces.

The two wolf soldiers corkscrew kicked the Hana backward with an amazing display of agility.

The soldiers landed in front of Jason and the boy before snapping their hands down towards the ground. A small explosion sparked, and the group teleported out of sight with a breeze of smoke.

Night had fallen across the rocky shore. Jason and the young boy, Ryouske, were hiding in a small cave near the shore along with the two wolf soldiers that had saved them; soldiers that had been mere K-9s not more than an hour ago.

Jason had fought monkeys with wings, four-armed knights, green skinned hulk creatures, and grunts made of clay...and even he thought his dog rescuers were weird. Their names were Tarou and Jirou.

Tarou and Jirou finished dressing Jason's wounds. The ranger sat silently for a moment before finally asking. "I don't understand...what are you?"

Tarou removed his mask. His eyes were glowing bright yellow in the dark. "We were students of Hakumenrou, the father of your Ninjawhite. Years ago, he sensed the Youkai's power growing. Even within their prison, it was almost as if the Youkai were preparing for something. A final battle.The end of the world. We didn't know, but knew we had to find out..."

Jirou removed his mask to continue the tale. "The three of us went to a dark place here in Japan, where we felt the Youkai swelling. Daimamou himself reached out to us with his energy. He offered us everything. Offered us power. All we had to do was free him and his army, and our fortunes would know no bounds..."

Tarou nodded. "We of course, refused his offer. He was not happy. His dark magick transformed us into what you see now. His hope was that our savagery would control us and turn us against Hakumenrou and slaughter him, before turning on each other. Our training was better than that. Our minds remained free of Daimamou's influence. The same was not true of our bodies."

Jirou continued. "As a final form of punishment, Daimamou imprisoned us in the bodies of four legged beasts. He made us true animals. We did not know what became of Hakumenrou after that moment. We only know that he was working against Daimamou from within the shroud of the Youkai."

Tarou nodded. "Ryouske found us not long ago. He was human. He was also Youkai. Both minds sharing one body."

Jason opened his eyes wide in recognition of such an occurrence. "We met someone like that a few months back. Juniya..." Jason shook his head at the memory. "Juniya killed him. He was just a kid."

"We are glad the prince is dead," one of the warriors said.

Jason nodded. "You're not the only one..."

Ryouske slowly pulled out a small, golden, wedge-shaped object and handed it to Jason.

"What's this..." he said as he took the object.

It was the golden crane that Hakumenrou had thrown through the air before vanishing. The object flashed and projected a mystical hologram of Daimamou and the Blue Globber. Daimamou controlled Blue Globber, according to the hologram. Striking down Daimamou would damage the monster and released its captive energy.

The crane also showed the location of the Youkai Lord's hidden base, an old run-down mansion just outside the city.

At sunrise, Jason ran towards the old mansion with renewed strength and speed.

Dorodoro and the Hana spotted him and charged forward to attack. Jason increased his speed and unsheathed his sword as he started to slam his way through the enemy lines.

The ranger parried a soldier's blow and dashed forward while slamming the end of his handle against that soldier. Jason pounced forward and slammed both feet against the next soldier. He spun closer to the mansion while slicing horizontally across a soldier's chest.

The Hana leapt towards the ranger, but Jason fought on, clashing against their blades and darting forward at even greater speed.

Daimamou looked down at Ninjor and the fallen rangers, each weak with fatigue and pain. The Youkai lord was about to start gloating again when he heard clashing swords in the distance.

A trio of Dorodoro were tossed from the shadows and landed in Daimamou's throne chamber. Jason leapt from the shadows into Daimamou's chamber. The ranger's sword was at the ready.

Jason aimed his weapon at the Youkai Lord. "You're going down, Daimamou."

Daimamou raised his scepter as Jason darted forward while shouting a war cry. The ranger hopped and swung his blade diagonally across the villain's chest with a burst of spark.

Explosions sparked against Blue Globber's chest, the creature feeling the impact of Jason's blows.

Jason dashed forward while running his sword horizontally across Daimamou's body. He turned and slashed downward with a diagonal blow that sparked across the villain's chest and pushed him backward.

Explosions sparked across Blue Globber's body as the captured energy of Ninjor and the Rangers was knocked loose. The creature's body reverted to its normal form as streaks of multi-colored energy streaked from the creature and towards Daimamou's throne room.

The streams of energy entered the rangers and Ninjor's bodies like a revitalizing breath of fresh air.

Ninjor snapped free from his chains and stood as Jason ran over to his teammates. He used his blade to cut them all free and help them to their feet. The rangers tossed their broken chains aside.

Daimamou and the Hana regrouped as the rangers stood boldly. Jason aimed his blade at the villains.

"It's over, Daimamou," Jason said as he narrowed his eyes.

Daimamou clutched his wound as he stared at the ranger with confusion. "How...?"

Jason pulled the small golden crane from his black ninja outfit. "Look familiar? It belonged to Hakumenrou."

Trini smiled at the mention of her father. She unsheathed her own sword and stepped back into a fighting stance, a look of determination on her face. "You lose...

"Let's go," Trini said as she and the others readied their morphers.

"Shogun transform, Ninja Power!" they shouted as energy shimmered around them and they morphed into their armor.

They snapped into fighting stances and shouted: "Shogun Task Force, Ninja Rangers!"