Ultimate Power Rangers:
Reloaded
Power Rangers: Chapter Ten 37
The
Chosen One
It was time.
Lightning flashed across California’s skies and
pierced through the night. Dark clouds spread over Angel Grove City as thunder
boomed across the air. The Tiger Saber known as Byakou fluxed with energy from
its shrine in Angel Grove’s China Town. The saber fed off the lightning.
The lightning
turned deep crimson as Byakou sent a telepathic howl across the city streets.
The howl
reached a 10-year-old Chinese boy named Kou, asleep in his bed. Light from the
red lightning illuminated his face. He wrinkled his brow and shuffled in his
sleep.
“Kou…” a voice
inside his head said. “Kou…”
________________________________________________________________________
Master Kaku sat
in a meditative pose within the lair. He felt the power of the lightning storm
raging across the city above ground. A voice spoke to him telepathically. The
voice ebbed with power that flowed across the room.
It was Zordon.
Kaku…Byakou
is preparing to awaken. You know what this means, my friend. The Kiba Ranger is
about to be born. You must take grave caution, for the Gorma will be after this
Ranger. Your team must protect Byakoushieken so that the sixth warrior can be
born.
________________________________________________________________________
Tommy walked
along the streets of Angel Grove North alone the next morning. His head was
hung low. The Gorma were starting to get to him. Their attacks were too
unpredictable, often times absurd but deadly. How was he supposed to fight
against something like that?
But Tommy knew
that wasn’t his real problem. His real problem was more simple - he was the
leader. Kimberly assured him he was getting better and far more confident in
the role. She cited Tommy taking Rocky to see battle damaged from a Gorma
attack as an example.
But Tommy was
still afraid. Not afraid for himself, but for his friends. He could not fail
them like he‘d failed so many others in his life.
And the death
of his father still weighed heavily on his mind. Tommy wondered if his father’s
fate would his. The thought of becoming a traitor scared Tommy more than
anything.
“Tommy,” a
voice said from behind him. Tommy turned to see a man with long dark hair
wearing a long black jacket. It was the Dark Man he first met after losing his
Green Dragon Ranger powers. “We need to talk, boy.”
Tommy narrowed
his eyes. “You again…you’re one of the Gorma, aren’t you?”
The man laughed
at the thought. “Oh Tommy…I’m afraid you’re wrong again. Who I am should not
concern you…yet.”
“Why are you
here?” Tommy asked.
“To warn you,”
he said. “Things are about to get harder for you. More complicated. Be
prepared.”
The Dark Man
stepped back into an alley. Tommy went to chase after him, but he was gone.
Tommy narrowed
his brow. Who is this guy? Tommy thought to himself.
________________________________________________________________________
Kou raced on
his skateboard through the streets outside of China Town. He had a mischievous
grin on his face as he rode down the sidewalk against the flow of pedestrians.
“Out of the way! You better move!”
A teenager
nearly knocked Kou off his board, but he managed to slide across a curb and
avoid getting plowed over.
Kou turned
around a corner and sped forward. Up ahead on the sidewalk, he noticed a couple
sitting together eating ice cream. A lopsided grin crossed his face. He sped up
and zoomed past them while snatching the guy’s ice cream cone.
“Hey!” they
shouted at Kou, but the boy kept riding.
Kou turned
another corner and moved towards an apartment complex. He saw a girl with long
dark hair leave the building. He whistled at the sight of her. “That must be
Kimberly…” he said to himself.
Kou stood on
his board sideway and rolled towards Kimberly. He faced her as he passed by her
side. “Hello. How are you today?”
Kimberly raised
an eyebrow at the strange boy and smiled. “Okay. Don’t you think you better
watch where you’re going?”
Kou stopped in
front of her and flipped his board up to his left hand. He placed the board
under his arm and wiped his right hand across his shirt. “I’ll be fine…My
name’s Kou. I’ll be your little brother starting today.”
He finished
wiping his hand and reached forward to shake her hand. He grabbed her breast
instead.
“Hey!” she
shouted as she stepped back and slapped his hand away.
“Thank you,”
Kou said as he grabbed her purse away, tossed his board down, and skated away.
“You little
creep!” Kimberly shouted as she chased after him. “Hey!”
Kou kept
speeding. While skating from Kimberly, he pulled the keys from her purse and
placed them in his pocket.
Kimberly
followed, and noticed Rocky jogging nearby. “Rocky!” she shouted to him.
Rocky stopped
and turned towards her, his face slightly red. He had diverted his jogging path
in hopes of running into Kimberly. He neglected to think how he would explain
jogging in a completely different part of the city than where he lived.
“Hey Kimberly,”
Rocky said. “I was just out for a run-”
“That kid took
my purse!” she shouted to him.
“Huh?” Rocky
said. Then he noticed the boy skate towards him.
“Hey!” Rocky
shouted as he stood to block Kou’s path. “Isn’t it past your bedtime?”
Kou skid around
Rocky and kept moving forward. “Kind of slow there, tubby,” Kou called back to
Rocky as he moved back towards China Town.
“Tubby?!” Rocky said as he glared at the fleeing boy.
“Why that little…”
Rocky and
Kimberly sprinted after the boy as fast as they could. They wound through a
paved path that cut into the trees, piercing into China Town’s borders. Kou
ditched the purse at the site of a shrine and ducked for cover behind one of
the many stones. He leaned with his back against the stone and stayed quiet as
the two rangers arrived.
“Where did that
little snot run off to?” Rocky asked as he looked around.
“Rocky,”
Kimberly said. “Be nice.”
“Hello,” he
said sarcastically.
“What?”
“He called me
fat.”
Kim sighed.
“You’ll live.”
Kou’s eyes
darted back and forth as he tried to find the quickest way to run. The same
voice that had spoken to him the night before entered his mind. “Kou…did you
get her keys?”
Kou pulled out
the keys and jiggled them in his hand. “Yeah, but I don’t know why I need
them.”
“They will
allow you to access her apartment,” the strange voice answered.
Kou rolled his
eyes. “I figured that. Why do you keep talking in my head anyway? Why can’t you
just show yourself.”
“It’s more fun
this way,” the voice said, not trying to hide its amusement.
Rocky watched
over to the steps of the shrine. He reached down and picked up Kimberly’s
purse. A tendril covered with black hair leashed around Rocky’s leg and whipped
him from his feet, sending him stumbling onto the ground.
Kimberly moved
over to his side. “Rocky, what are you doing?”
“Looks like
we’ve got company,” Rocky said as he rose back to his feet. A trio of Gorma in
female form appeared. They each wore a light suit of red and silver armor. They
were called the Siamese Kanjo.
The lead woman
stepped forward and narrowed her eyes at the teens. “Rangers…” she hissed.
“Let’s go,”
Rocky said as he and Kimberly readied their morphers.
Kou peaked out
from behind the stone stab and watched the rangers as they shouted. “Kiryoku
transform, aura power!” they shouted as they connected their braces. Energy
shimmered around them as they morphed into their armor.
Blue Ranger and
Pink Ranger snapped into fighting stances.
The lead sister
started to un-strap her armor as her body rippled. “Allow us to introduce
ourselves, Rangers…”
They
transformed into their monster forms. Their skin turned cream colored and hard.
The lead sister’s upper body resembled a fist. The Rangers would later ID her
as the Ring Kanjo for the ring she wore around her neck. A second sister has
the same skin composition and shaggy strands of black hair hanging from her
head. She was Earring Kanjo. The third sister was called Necklace Kanjo, her
slender body and head were capable of expanding.
“We are the
Siamese Kanjo,” they said in unison.

“Siamese
Kanjo?” Phoenix Ranger said.
“What kind of
name is that?” Tenma Ranger said.
“Red vortex!”
Ring Kanjo shouted. The monsters dropped a globe of crimson energy that
expanded, surrounding themselves and the Rangers in a pocket dimension with red
hues and fog across the ground.
Tenma Ranger
and Phoenix Ranger crossed past each other and switched stances as the sisters
unsheathed double-edged swords and charged towards them to attack.
Two of the
sisters jumped onto Ring Kanjo’s shoulders and leapt forward. The sisters
landed while thrashing their blades downward, swords sparking against armor upon
impact.
Ring Kanjo
leapt forward and landed while swinging a backhand strike in a wide arc, her
blade sparking across the Rangers’ armor and knocking them backward.
The Rangers
regrouped. “Thunder Staffs!” they shouted as they swung their red staffs into
position and charged forward to attack.
Kou still
peeked from behind a stone slab and watched the two Rangers and Gorma bash
against each other. “Whoa…” Kou whispered, the sound of his voiced drowned out
by the clash of sword against staff.
Earring Kanjo
knocked Tenma Ranger’s staff away and arced her blade back around, slashing
across the Ranger’s armor with a burst of spark. Necklace Kanjo dashed past the
Ranger from his side while running her blade across his armor, the weapon
sparking on impact, whipping the Ranger‘s body backward.
Ring Kanjo
parried a blow from Phoenix Ranger and spun forward, slashing her double-edged
blade across the Pink Ranger’s chest with a burst of spark.
Kou kept
watching, his eyes wide open. The voice spoke to him. “Those are the Gorma…”
Kou heard the
sound of wheels squeaking behind him. The boy turned to see a small black
chariot pulled forward by two Capatros.
The grunts were
dressed in black cloaks. A young boy no older than 13 and an older man sat
side-by-side in the chariot. They both appeared Asian and had grim expressions
on their faces. Their outfits were clearly Gorma in design, all black with
white trimming and leather straps.
The boy wore a
headband with a dull-silver medallion at the center of his forehead. His name
was Akomaru. The older man was known as The Shogun. He had raised the boy
himself.
Nearby, the
three Gorma sisters leapt towards the Rangers and chopped their swords down
vertically.
The Rangers braced themselves, but two red staffs came
out as if from nowhere and blocked the blow. The other three Rangers had
arrived.
The Rangers
kicked the Sisters backward, and Dragon Ranger helped Phoenix Ranger to her
feet. “Are you okay, Kim?” Dragon Ranger asked.
“Yeah,” Phoenix
Ranger said.
“I’m fine too,
thanks,” Tenma Ranger said as the three Gorma regrouped.
Lion Ranger drew his sidearm. “Thunder Blaster!” The
Green Ranger fired blasts of jade-tinted energy that exploded across the sisters,
sparks ripping across their armor.
Still out of
sight from the Rangers, Akomaru stood in his chariot and armed a small bow and
arrow. Demonic symbols were etched into the bow. The boy snapped an arrow that
streaked into the sky and exploded with a blinding flash of light that
dissipated the pocket dimension, returning the battle site to normal.
The sisters
returned to their human forms as Tenma Ranger looked to his teammates. “They’re
even uglier in this form.”
“Rangers,” Ring
Kanjo said as she and her sisters slowly stepped backward. “We will continue
this another day. And don’t worry…we’ll find the Kiba Ranger before you do. We
will prevent his birth.”
“Kiba Ranger?”
Dragon Ranger said.
The sisters
vanished.
“Well that was
weird,” Tenma Ranger said.
“Let’s get to
the lair,” Dragon Ranger said. The Rangers turned and ran off.
Nearby, a
fiendish grin crossed Akomaru’s face as he sat back in his chariot. The boy
caught Kou’s glance and narrowed his eyes. It was the first time Akomaru had
seen a normal human child.
The Shogun
turned his head towards his charge. “What is wrong, Akomaru?”
“Nothing,”
Akomaru said. And with that the Capatros rode off.
The boy pulled
a small whistle from his pocket. The small instrument served many purposes. Few
could grasp what those purposes were. He blew the whistle, making a unique
high-pitched whooping sound. The sound was too laid back to be a command to his
Capatros. The whistle itself almost seemed to have a power to it.
Kou’s eyes were
fixed on the chariot as it rode off. The voice spoke to him. “Kou…we are
wasting time.”
________________________________________________________________________
The teens
gathered in the lair along with Master Kaku. Their Sensei was sitting on his
small platform. Adam took a step towards the platform. “What were they talking
about?”
Kaku nodded.
“The Kiba Ranger. There is a sixth Ranger whose true identity remains unknown.
The Gorma will be looking for him, but we have to find him first.”
“Another Ranger
would be a lot of help,” Rocky said.
“How can we
find this Ranger?” Billy asked Sensei.
“The legends
say the Kiba Ranger will be the holder of Byakoushieken,” Kaku said.
“Byakou…” Tommy
said, recognizing the name.
Rocky knitted
his brow. “Isn’t that the tiger-saber thing Gohun’s fiancé had?”
Kaku nodded.
“Yes. You must protect Byakou at all costs.”
“Well,” Tommy
said. “Then I guess we’re off to that shrine.”
________________________________________________________________________
Akomaru stood
in an ornate garden modeled after ancient China. The three sisters stood behind
him in their human forms. The Gorma Triumvirate faced the boy and his servants.
Shadam’s body was tense with rage as he glared at the child.
“What’s wrong,
Shadam?” the Shogun asked as he stepped forward from the chariot. “Does your
own son intimidate you?”
Shadam scoffed.
The Shogun
smiled with evil pride as he stood behind Akomaru and placed his hands on the
child‘s shoulders. “He will find Byakou and stop the Kiba Ranger from being
born.”
Zydos laughed.
“A small boy?”
“That’s
ridiculous,” Gara said, her arms crossed over her chest.
The Shogun
turned and stepped back in the chariot. “Now Akomaru…I leave things up to you,”
he said before riding off towards the distance. The chariot teleported away,
blurring out of sight.
“Kanjo,”
Akomaru said with a biting voice full of bitterness and hate. He turned his
back towards the Triumvirate and started to walk away. “Let’s go too.”
“Wait,
Akomaru,” Shadam shouted with a stern voice, his eyes narrowed. “What do you
think you are doing? You are a mere child. How do you expect to find the Kiba
Ranger? You’ll only get in my way. Stay out of this.”
“Stay out?”
Akomaru said in disbelief. He felt the burning gaze of his father against his
back. The boy turned to face him. “I won’t take orders from you,” he said, his
voice thick with anger. “You abandoned me moments after my birth. It was the
Shogun who raised me. Besides…I have a resource you do not.”
Akomaru turned
as he and the sisters vanished, blurring out of sight.
Shadam clenched
his jaw. What resource could that bastard child have?
________________________________________________________________________
Kimberly’s
apartment was a mess as Kou tore through it. Drawers were emptied onto the
floors. Book bags were opened and spilled onto the couch. He rummaged through
her things as fast as possible.
He could not
find what he needed.
He started
looking over the pictures hanging on her wall. He glanced past a picture of the
original six rangers. Kimberly had insisted that someone take their picture
while they were sitting around a table in a pool hall, on their last outing
together before Jason, Zack, and Trini left for Japan to study abroad for a
year.
The picture
that was a group shot of the current five rangers and Kaku, taken by Kimberly’s
uncle before he mysteriously took off with a fiancé a quarter of his age. Kou
reached up for the picture and pulled it down. A small wooden totem was taped
to the back of the picture.
“That’s it,
Kou!” the voice in his head said. “That will allow you to become the Kiba
Ranger.”
“Kou’s face lit
up. “Yes…” he whispered with excitement as he stuffed the small totem into his
right pocket.
The apartment
door swung open and Kimberly stepped in. She took a step back in shock when she
saw the mess, then narrowed her eyes when she spotted Kou.
“Hey!” she said
sternly as she entered the living room. “What do you think you’re doing?”
“Hey sister,”
Kou said with a smile as he took an apple from a nearby bowl and took a bite.
“This place is pretty messy. You should probably clean it up sometime.”
Kimberly took a
step back and shook her head, not believing what was happening. She took a deep
breath to calm herself and walked over to the boy. “You did this. How did you
get in here?” Kim asked as Kou continued to eat the apple.
Kou pulled out
Kim’s keys from his pocket and held them up while smiling mischievously.
Kimberly opened
her eyes wide in shock. She checked her purse and found that the keys were
indeed missing. “Why you little…” Kimberly said.
Kou snickered
beneath his breath while taking another bite from the apple. He started pacing
while tossing the keys up and catching them repeatedly.
“Give me back
my keys, now,” Kimberly said.
“Ummm…no,” Kou
said.
Kimberly
grabbed Kou’s ear and dragged him to the door as he winced in pain.
“Hey, let
go…that’s no way to treat your little brother,” he said.
Kimberly let go
and held out her hand. “Keys.”
Kou held up the
keys, and as Kimberly reached out to grab them, Kou grabbed her breast again
and pushed Kimberly out the door, slamming the door shut and locking her out of
her own apartment.
“You creep!”
Kimberly shouted. “Let me in!”
Kou leaned
against the door and smiled. “Maybe later.”
“There’s no
time, Kou.” The voice said in his head. “You must leave at once.”
Kou nodded,
grabbed his bag and skate board, and left for the window.
Outside, Kim
quit banging on the door, closed her eyes, placed her hands together, and used
her Kiryoku to unlock the door.
Inside, she
found no trace of Kou, but the window was open. She ran out to the balcony and
looked down to find Kou on the street below getting on his skate board. “Wait!”
Kimberly shouted. “Get back up here!”
Kou turned and
smiled. “I would love to but there’s no time…bye, sister.” He rode off.
“Wait!”
Kimberly turned and ran from her apartment to the nearest stairwell.
________________________________________________________________________
Akomaru and his
three Gorma monsters stood on top of a skyscraper in Angel Grove. Necklace
Kanjo extended her neck like rubber and used enhanced vision to look out upon
the streets far below.
“Kanjo…”
Akomaru said as he stepped forward towards the sister. “Have you found it?”
Necklace Kanjo
zeroed in on Byakou. “Yes…I have located it.”
Akomaru smiled,
a glimmer of evil in his eye. “Excellent…”
________________________________________________________________________
Kou sped
through the streets on his skateboard, racing towards the shrine as fast as he
could. The voice in his head urged him on. “Hurry,” the voice said. “The Gorma
are close.”
Kou nodded and
picked up the pace.
________________________________________________________________________
Kimberly
followed Kou to a shrine in China Town, but lost site of him once inside the
shrine’s courtyard. She looked up and spotted a white saber stuck in a stone.
Steep stairs on each side of the shrine led upward to the saber.
“Byakoushieken…
“ Kimberly whispered.
She walked
towards the saber, but a long strand of hair shout out as if from no where and
wrapped around her. The hair tentacle snapped Kimberly off her feet and
released her, sending her tumbling across the ground.
Kimberly rose
to her knees and looked up to see Akomaru and the three Kanjo sisters in their
monster forms. Akomaru stared at her with eyes of ice. “I won’t let you
interfere with our plans.”
Kimberly
readied her Aura Morphers and rose to her feet. “That saber belongs to the Rangers.”
Kimberly leapt
through the air towards the Gorma while connecting her braces. “Aura power!”
Energy shimmered around her as she morphed into her Ranger armor and drew her
sidearm.
“Thunder
Blaster!” she shouted while dropping from midair, firing lances of pink energy
that blasted Earring Kanjo in the chest, causing her to stumble backward.
Phoenix Ranger
landed and twirled her staff into a fighting position. “Thunder Staff!”
The three Gorma
monsters unsheathed their double-edged swords and started circling around the
Pink Ranger.
Phoenix Ranger
then landed on the ground and readied her weapon. “Thunder Staff!” Phoenix
Ranger assumed a defensive stance as the sisters walked around her with their
swords.
Necklace Kanjo
charged forward and chopped her blade towards the Pink ranger. Phoenix ranger
used her staff to swat the sword away, and twisted the staff back around,
bashing its end across the Gorma’s face as the other two sisters charged
towards the Pink Ranger from behind.
Phoenix Ranger
spun and slapped the two sisters’ swords away. She spun back around, snapping
an outer crescent kick that smashed across Ring Gorma’s head.
Earring Kanjo twisted her wrist around in a backhand
swing towards Phoenix Ranger. The Pink Ranger extended her staff and blocked
the blow. Sword clashed against staff as Phoenix Ranger slammed a sidekick
against her attacker’s chest. Pink Ranger pushed forward to the second sister
and slammed a spinning heel kick across that Gorma’s head.
Necklace Kanjo
moved behind Phoenix Ranger. Pink Ranger snapped around with a hook kick that
bashed across the Gorma’s head.
Ring and
Earring Kanjo leapt forward towards the Ranger while extending their hands.
They fired neon pulse blasts from their palms that exploded against the
Ranger’s chest with a burst of spark, knocking her backward.
Kou was nearby,
watching from behind a bush. “Sister…” he whispered as the three Gorma slashed
their blades across Pink Ranger’s armor, weapons sparking upon impact.
Ring Kanjo
leapt through the air, howling at the top of her lungs as she swung her blade
down towards the Pink Ranger’s head.
“Si-kuya!”
Tommy shouted as he leapt through the air as if from nowhere and kicked the
Gorma from the air. Ring Kanjo crashed to the ground.
Tommy landed as
he and the other teens regrouped around Phoenix Ranger. Tommy helped her to her
feet as the three sisters stood side by side as the three sisters regrouped as
well.
Rocky pointed
at the villains. “You three are starting to get on my nerves!”
The teen boys
readied their morphers. “Kiryoku transform, aura power!” they shouted as they
connected their braces. Energy shimmered around their bodies as their armor
wrapped around them.
The Rangers and
Gorma charged at each other and attack. The sounds of blades clashing against
each other and fierce punches and kicks filled the air as Kou watched.
“How am I going
to get to that saber now?” Kou asked. “They’re all out there.”
Byakou’s eyes
suddenly flashed red as the saber howled. The skies became dark as crimson
lightning shot down from the ground, exploding across the ground around the
Rangers and Gorma with a burst of near-blinding sparks.
“It’s time
Kou,” said the voice in his head, the voice of Byakou.
Kou ran forward
and scrambled up the stairs of the shrine. He moved to the stone and looked to
Byakou. The saber ebbed with a power that Kou was drawn to in ways he could not
understand.
“Now, Kou,” the
voice in his head said. The boy stood firm and rolled his hands into fists,
ready for what he had to do. “Take the saber. Pull it free!”
Kou wrapped his
hands around the saber’s handle. Lightning thundered and flashed as Kou pulled
the weapon free. The power of the saber knocked Kou from his feet. He fell from
the shrine and landed on the ground below.
Kou rose to his
feet and looked to the tiger engraving at the end of the saber’s handle. The
tiger engraving moved as if alive when it spoke. “You did it, Kou!” Kou knitted
his brow, more than a little surprised at the talking saber while it continued.
“It took you long enough. My name is Byakoushieken. You can call me Byakou.
Nice to meet you.”
Kou nodded.
“Thanks…I guess. You were the voice in my head?”
“Yes, yes,”
Byakou said with impatience. “Now Kou…your
Kiba Changer is inside the totem you sto…umm…borrowed.
Use it to become the Kiba Ranger!”
Kou pulled the
totem from his pocket. Inside was a wrist brace and golden key. The key was
wide, and its end was ring shaped. The brace was black with golden
trimming.
Kou placed the
brace over his left wrist and strapped the device in place. Her held Byakou
tightly in his left hand, and the key in his right hand.
He had seen the
rangers morph twice. He knew what to do.
“Kiryoku transform!”
he shouted. “Kiba power!”
Kou slid the key into his brace. Golden energy pulsed
as the brace emitted a golden symbol of the tiger. Energy flashed around Kou as
white armor wrapped around his body.
The boy opened
his eyes wide with amazement as his body started to grow taller and his muscles
expanded.
Golden and
white energy flashed around his head as his tiger helmet formed.
The golden coin
shimmered and slammed against his chest, fusing in place as a chest shield of
black with golden trimming appeared.

He was the
white-armored Kiba Ranger.
The skies above
cleared as Byakou looked up to the newest Ranger. “Now, Kiba Ranger,” Byakou
said. “Test your new powers!”
Kiba Ranger
nodded. “Right!” he rolled tightened
his grip on the saber and rolled his other hand into a fist. He felt The Power
burning through his veins like white-hot flame.
Kiba Ranger
sprang forward and flipped through the air before landing against the side of a
trunk. He scaled up the tree several feet before pushing off and flipping
backward, landing on the ground.
Kiba Ranger
launched through a series of lightning-quick backflips. He leapt upward and
corkscrewed through the air. The White Ranger landed in the center of a group
of boulders.
“Sweet…” Kiba
Ranger said as he looked down at his gloved hands.
“Use your
Kiryoku, Kou,” Byakou said.
Kiba Ranger
nodded and sheathed his saber onto his belt. “Kiryoku!” he shouted as he
extended his hand forward. A wave of invisible energy slammed against a
boulder, pulverizing it into dust. The shockwave slammed against Kiba Ranger,
sending him stumbling across the ground.
“Whoa,” Kiba Ranger said as he sat up and held onto
his saber. “I pack a punch.”
“You must control your powers, Kou,” Byakou
said.
“Easier said
then done…” Kiba Ranger said. “Hey…I’m a Ranger now…sweet!”
Kiba Ranger
leapt through the air, somersaulting over the Rangers and Gorma, and landed on
a tree stump on a grassy hill. The Rangers ran towards him. The Gorma were at
the Rangers’ heels, the sisters limping forward along with Akomaru.
The White Ranger looked down as the Gorma and Ranger approached.
Byakou spoke for Kiba Ranger to hide the boy’s voice.
“Give up,
Gorma!” Byakou shouted. “I am the Heaven Roaring Star, Kiba Ranger!”
Akomaru glared
at the Ranger. He needed a new plan. He stepped backward and motioned the Gorma
sisters to do the same. “Back…back!”
The Gorma
teleported away. The five Rangers ran towards Kiba Ranger, but the White Ranger
leapt through the air and vanished from sight.
________________________________________________________________________
Kou walked by
the park the next day, a proud smile on his face that quickly turned into a
mischievous grin. He found a secluded area and pulled out his morpher. “Kiryoku
transform…Kiba Power!”
Energy flashed
around his body as he morphed into his Ranger form. “This is so sweet!” Kiba
Ranger shouted as he attached Byakou to his belt, kicked up his skateboard and
flipped through the air. “Kiba Ranger, coming through!”
Kiba Ranger dropped his skateboard, hopped on, and
started speeding down the streets.
Kiba Ranger
sped head-on towards a semi truck. The driver slammed his horn as Kiba Ranger
leapt over the semi truck.
The White
Ranger landed on the other side of the truck and stumbled onto his tail bone.
He looked over to the truck and shouted. “Watch where you’re going next time!”
Kiba Ranger
laughed beneath his breath as he rose back to his feet. He looked down a nearby
sidewalk where a group of girls were walking and giggling amongst themselves.
Some of them wore skirts.
The White
Ranger extended his hand. “Kiryoku!” Kiba Ranger blasted an invisible pulse of
telekinetic energy that lifted the girls’ skirts. They screamed and started to
run off as Kiba Ranger laughed.
Byakou opened
his mouth and roared. The saber emitted a telekinetic pulse of its own that
slammed against Kiba Ranger, knocking him across the street and sending him
stumbling into a secluded area.
Kou’s armor
powered down as he rolled to a stop and sat up. He pulled Byakou out of his
jacket. “What did you do that for?”
“This is not
what your powers were meant for!” the saber shouted. “How long do you plan on
fooling around?”
“I was just
trying to have some fun,” Kou said. “I like transforming.”
“But you must
act responsibly!” Byakou countered. “Your powers were meant to be used against
the Gorma, not against people for practical jokes…and…”
Byakou was cut
off as Kou placed a small strand of material around the saber’s mouth like a
muzzle. Kou stuffed the Tiger Saber back into his jacket. “Now…be quiet and
stay in my coat…we don’t want people to be suspicious, do we?”
________________________________________________________________________
The five teens
walked along a park trail leading towards Kimberly’s apartment. “It’s been a
couple days since we’ve seen that Kiba Ranger,” Adam said.
Billy nodded.
“And the Gorma have been kind of quiet. We can only suspect that they’re
searching for this sixth Ranger.”
“So why are we
all going back To Kimberly’s apartment instead of looking for our new
tiger-headed friend?” Rocky asked.
“My Uncle Gohun
might have left some clues behind,” Kimberly said.
“Did ya hear
that, Shaggy?” Rocky said as he placed his hand on Tommy’s shoulder. “A clue,
zoinks.”
Tommy shook his
head. “I think you’re losing your touch.”
Rocky shrugged.
“It’s been a long couple of days.”
The rangers
entered the apartment complex and walked up a flight of stairs. They moved down
the hall and entered Kimberly’s apartment. The rangers stopped at the doorstep
at what they saw: An elderly couple was using a ladder to move down from her
attic space. Kou was sitting at the kitchen counter with a video game.
The lady looked
up and smiled at them. “Oh you must be Kimberly,” the older lady said. “It was
so nice of you to offer to let Kou stay with you.”
Kimberly
wrinkled her brow. “But we didn’t…” she shook her head. “What?”
“We were
surprised too…” the man said. “Kou has a sister.”
“We were
friends of his mother’s,” the lady said. “She died five years ago, and we’ve
been taking care of him since.”
“She’s not
dead,” Kou said, his eyes glued to the game console. “She’s missing. She’ll be
back.”
“Well,” the man
said. “Everything’s moved upstairs. Time to go.”
The older lady
gave Kou a hug and kissed him on the cheek. “Now don’t forget to brush your
teeth everyday and to change your underwear.”
“You’re
embarrassing me…” Kou said.
“Thanks again,”
Kou’s female guardian said. “We have a produce market in town.” She handed
Kimberly a business card as she left with her husband.
“But…” Kimberly
tried to say as they shut the door.
Kou stuffed the
game console in his pocket and climbed up the ladder. Kimberly turned to see
him. “Kou, what do you…” but he was already upstairs.
“Looks like you
have a new roommate,” Rocky said with a smile as he leaned on Kimberly’s
shoulder. She glared at him.
Kou sat on a
sleeping bag in the attic and pulled Byakou from his jacket. He removed the
muzzle from the saber. “Kou, don’t you ever do that to me again…It’s my job to
guide and help you. Now…why did you move in here! You can’t let the Rangers or
the Gorma find out who you are.”
Kou shrugged.
“Kimberly seems…nice. And I was getting sick of the grocers anyway. Besides, if
I stay here, I can follow the Rangers’ movements.”
“Ha Ha!” Byakou
said. “You have a crush on someone older than you!”
“What?”
“You’re
blushing!”
“Shut up!” Kou
said as he threw Byakou across the room. The saber hit a box and landed on the
ground.
“I was just
kidding…” Byakou said.
________________________________________________________________________
Akomaru stood
with his back to the Gorma Triumvirate as he faced the Kanjo sisters. The three
lead Gorma stared at Akomaru mockingly.
“What are you
going to do now, Akomaru?,” Shadam said. “Thanks to you, the Kiba Ranger was
born.”
“And now we
have another Ranger to deal with,” Gara said.
Akomaru turned
to face his father. “My mission is to find out who the Kiba Ranger is, and lure
him to the Gorma.”
Shadam scoffed.
“You can’t do that.”
Akomaru walked
towards the three Gorma. “Father…I hate you. Just as I hate the mother who
abandoned me. I…well…you will see. Hmph.”
Akomaru turned
to face the sisters. “The Kiba Ranger is a boy like me,” he told them. “He will
have the symbol of the tiger on his forearm. Find him.”
The sisters
nodded, stepped backward, and vanished.
________________________________________________________________________
The next
morning, Kou slid down the ladder from the attic. He landed on the carpet below
and noticed Kimberly walking towards the kitchen counter with a tray of juice
and pancakes. “Good morning,” she said.
Kou’s face lit
up. “You made me breakfast?”
Kimberly nodded
as she set the tray down on the kitchen counter. “I’ve thought it over and
decided to let you stay here.”
“Thanks…” Kou said as he sat opposite of
Kimberly at the counter. “I…It’s been hard living with my those two
grocers…they never really had time for me…they treated me like a
nuisance...I’ve been feeling kind of lonely.”
Kimberly shook
her head. “I’m sorry.”
The phone rang
and Kimberly answered it. “Hello?….Yes…just a second…“ She extended the phone
to Kou. “It’s for you, Kou.”
Kou’s face lit
up. “Me?” he picked up the phone. “Hello?”
The voice on the
other end spoke with a strange tone. “Kou…it’s your mother…I miss you…meet me
at the park…” Rocky was whispering in a telephone booth outside talking in a
feminine voice. “I hope you’ve been good while I’ve been gone.”
Kou’s face lit
up. “Yes…I’m on my way.” Kou hung up the phone and practically leapt from seat
as he grabbed his skateboard and backpack. “That was my mom! I’m going to go
meet her!”
Kimberly leaned
back and sighed, partially with relief and partially with guilt. A closet door
near the back of the apartment opened and Adam, Rocky, and Tommy stepped out.
“Well,” Billy
said as he walked over to the attic. “Let’s road this stuff into Rocky’s
truck.”
“You guys,”
Kimberly said as she walked over to them. “I don’t know. I feel bad doing this
to him.”
“He’ll be fine
back at the grocers,” Tommy said as he placed a hand on her shoulder. “Besides,
your mother would kill you if she found a kid living in your attic.”
“She’d never
find out because she’s never here,” Kimberly said. Kou was a spoiled brat with
no sense of manners. But when she spoke with him a few minutes ago, she could
see the pain in his eyes. It was a look Kimberly knew well. Her father was
gone. She never saw her mother. A look of abandonment.
“It will all
work out,” Tommy said.
________________________________________________________________________
The teens
loaded Kou’s possessions into the back of the truck. Adam was at the wheel and
Billy was in the passenger seat. Tommy was sitting in the back of the truck. He
had one of Kou’s bags under his arm.
“Kim’s right,”
Tommy said as he stared at the bag.
A group of kids
suddenly ran screaming across the street as Adam skid the truck to a halt.
Tommy turned and wrinkled his brow with confusion. “What the…”
Rocky ran
towards the teens from the other side of the street. “It’s our Gorma buddies,”
Rocky said. “This way.”
The rangers
hopped from the truck and ran around a corner, heading in the direction from
where the kids were running from. They spotted the three Gorma sisters,
plucking kids from their feet and tearing away their shirt sleeves.
“Gorma!” Tommy
shouted as he and the others ran forward.
The sisters had
no time for conflict. They teleported away, blurring out of focus.
Tommy activated
his wrist communicator. “Kim…the Gorma are out. We need you.”
Kimberly
answered. “Okay. I’m on my way.”
________________________________________________________________________
Kimberly ran
outside of her apartment complex and stopped in her tracks when she saw Kou.
The boy’s jaw was clenched and his eyes ready to break into tears.
“Kou…” Kimberly
started to say through her guilt.
“Bakka bakka
bakka!” Kou yelled as he ran towards Kim. “Why did you do that to me. Make me
think that my mom…”
“Kou…I’m sorry.
It’s just…my mother probably wouldn’t like you staying with us and…”
“So you dump me
on the street? Just like everyone else!” Kou said.
Kimberly shook
her head and placed her hands on the boy‘s shoulder. “No it’s not like that,
I…”
“No!” Kou
yelled as he knocked Kimberly‘s hands away. “Never mind! I’ll live on my own. I
don’t need you! You’re just like everyone else!” he sprinted away towards the
wooded park.
“Kou!” Kimberly
yelled as she chased after him.
________________________________________________________________________
Kou ran down a
path through the park as fast as he could, wiping the tears from his eyes.
Everyone in his life left him. Everyone.
One of the
Kanjo sisters stepped across the path while in her human form. Kou skid to a
halt when he saw her and tripped over his own feet, falling backward onto his
tailbone. She cast a wicked smile down at him and stalked forward. “Could you
be the one?”
Kou slid
backward and glared at the Gorma. “Leave me alone!”
The sister
reached down and grabbed Kou by the arm. He screamed at her while kicking,
trying to pull his arm away. She pulled back his sleeve. Here eyes opened wide
at what she saw on his upper arm: a tattoo of a tiger. “You are!”
“Let go!” Kou
shouted as his mind flashed back…
A young Kou,
no older than five, sat on the floor of a strange shrine at night. He was
crying as his mother held tight onto his arm. “Let go, momma!” he shouted,
unable to understand what was happening.
Kou’s
mother’s face was damp with tears, pained by her own grief. Pained by what she
had to put her son through. She finished heating an iron stamp with the symbol
of the tiger. “I’m sorry, Kou…I must do this…”
Kou was
still crying, trying desperately to take his arm away.
She burned
the tiger clamp onto his arm as he screamed. “Kou!” she shouted, dropping the
clamp aside and reaching forward, embrace her son as they both cried.
The Kanjo
sister continued to stalk towards Kou. “You are the Kiba Ranger,” the sister
said as she smiled wickedly.
Kimberly ran to
the scene and spotted the Gorma. She leapt through the air and slammed a flying
kick against the villain, knocking her backward. Kimberly landed between Kou
and the villain. She looked back to the boy. “Kou, run.”
Kou nodded and
ran off as the Gorma transformed into her monster form. It was the Earring
Kanjo.
Kimberly thrust
her arm forward. “Kiryoku!” she fired an invisible telekinetic blast that
smashed against the villain and knocked her backward.
The monster ricocheted
off a tree and leapt back towards Kimberly while chopping her double-edged
sword downward. Kimberly grabbed the villain by the wrist and flipped through
the air, swinging the Gorma around to bash her against the ground.
The villain
slowly rose to her feet as the other rangers arrived at the scene and regrouped
around Kimberly.
The rangers
armed their morphers. “Kiryoku transform, Aura Power!” Energy shimmered around
them as they morphed into their Ranger forms. The Rangers snapped into fighting
stances.
“Dragon Ranger!
Heaven Fire Star, Red!”
“Lion Ranger!
Heaven Illusion Star, Green!”
“Tenma Ranger!
Heaven Gravity Star, Blue!”
“Kirin Ranger!
Heaven Time Star, Yellow!”
“Phoenix
Ranger! Heaven Wind Star, Pink!”
Dragon Ranger
lifted his hand towards the air “Power of the Stars, brought down…” Together,
they shouted: “Five Star Task Force…Power Rangers!”
The Gorma
monster and Rangers charged towards each other.
________________________________________________________________________
Kou ran towards
the edge of the wooded park. He could have stayed and helped Kimberly. He could
have transformed into Kiba Ranger. But he chose not to, not after what Kimberly
had done to him.
He skid to a
stop near a trail when he saw Akomaru riding in his chariot. Their gazes met
again as they exchanged cold stares.
Byakou wiggled
to get Kou’s attention. “Kou! Kou!” the saber peeked out of the boy’s jacket.
“The Rangers need your help!”
“Why should I
help them?” Kou said as he turned his back towards the chariot, which moved off
towards the distance. “You heard what they did to me.”
“Kooou…” Byakou
was losing patience. “You are one of them now. It’s your responsibility to help
them.”
________________________________________________________________________
The other four
Ranger shad regrouped with Phoenix Ranger, and the battle moved to a rock
quarry nearby. The three Gorma sisters split up and attacked the Rangers with
pulses of crimson energy.
A blast
exploded against Phoenix Ranger’s chest with a burst of spark and knocked him
backward. The Pink Ranger went stumbling across the ground as Earring Kanjo
lashed out with a hair tentacle and wrapped the tentacle around Phoenix Ranger.
The villain lifted Pink Ranger into the air and squeezed tightly.
The other
Rangers battled nearby. Ring Kanjo blocked a kick by Lion Ranger and bashed the
Green ranger across the helmet, knocking him away.
Tenma Ranger moved in with a backfist swing towards
the Gorma, but the sister blocked the blow and slammed two punches against the
Blue ranger’s gut, knocking the wind from his lungs and sending him stumbling
backward.
Necklace Kanjo
wrapped her own flexible, stretched neck around Dragon ranger and flipped him to
the air. Red Ranger crashed against the ground as Kirin Ranger moved in with a
round kick towards the Gorma’s head. The villain blocked the blow and slammed a
backfist across the Ranger’s head.
Akomaru watched
the battle from his chariot on a cliff above. He was anxious for the battle to
end and the Rangers to die, but the only way one could see that through his
calm, cold facade was when he blew his whistle.
Kou had arrived
at the scene as well and watched from behind a pile of gravel and dirt. He
watched as a tentacle of hair lifted Phoenix Ranger and suspended her in the
air while squeezing. The Gorma sent a shock of crimson energy along the tendril
that exploded against the Pink Ranger’s armor.
“Phoenix
Ranger…” Kou whispered as he watched sparks rip across her armor.
Byakou peeked
out from Kou’s jacket. “You must help them Kou…it’s time to use your powers as
they were intended, not just to goof off.”
“But…” Kou said
doubtfully.
“You can do it
Kou,” Byakou said to reassure the boy. “Your Ki is strong.”
Kou watched
another explosion spark against Pink Ranger’s armor. Determination willed him
to his feet as his muscles tensed.
“Morph, Kou,”
Byakou said.
Kou readied his
morpher: a wrist brace and golden key. “Kiryoku transform! Kiba Power!” Energy
shimmered around his body as he matured and morphed into his Ranger form.
________________________________________________________________________
Phoenix Ranger
was held in the air as Earring Kanjo grinned with blood-thirsty delight. “And
now you die!”
A white saber
suddenly slashed down through the air and cut the hair tentacle. Kiba Ranger
somersaulted forward through the air and landed on the ground.
Phoenix Ranger collapsed to the ground as the Gorma
monster fell backward. Kiba Ranger snapped into a fighting stance and faced off
with the Gorma as she rose to her feet.
Kiba Ranger
leapt backward and landed on a cliff above.
The Rangers and
Gorma below looked up to the White Ranger as he snapped into another fighting
stance, Byakou spoke for the Ranger. “Heaven Roaring Star! Kiba Ranger!”
Kiba Ranger
aimed his saber down towards the villains. “Give up, Gorma! You are no match
for me!”
“We’ll see!” Earring Kanjo shouted as she sprang
forward through the air, landing on the same level as Kiba Ranger. The
opponents assumed fighting stances and started circling around each other. Kiba
Ranger’s stance was solid and fierce.
The opponents
charged at each other. Earring Kanjo moved in low to sweep the legs out from
the Ranger, but Kiba Ranger hopped over the leg. The White Ranger turned and
snapped a roundkick towards the head that Earring Kanjo blocked.
Kiba Ranger’s
movements were powerful but not nearly as fluid and graceful as the other
Rangers.
The Gorma spun a high crescent kick that Kiba ranger
ducked under. Earring Kanjo completed the spin and snapped a roundkick towards
the Ranger’s head. Kiba Ranger used both hands to block the blow and knock the
Gorma’s leg away.
The sister
swung another backfist strike that Kiba Ranger blocked and pushed away. He
reached forward and slammed a cross punch against the Gorma, knocking her
backward.
The sister spun
forward, slashing claws across the Ranger’s faceplate and slamming a reverse
sidekick against the White Ranger’s chest. She followed with a double punch
against the Ranger’s chest and a round kick against his side. Kiba Ranger
stumbled backward and fell to his feet.
The sister
stalked towards the White Ranger. She smiled mockingly. “The mighty Kiba
Ranger…ha!”
Byakou looked
up to his holder. “You’re stronger than her, Kou!”
Kiba Ranger
shook his head. “Tell that to her!”
“Ha!” Byakou
shouted as he speared towards the Gorma while dragging Kiba Ranger along.
The White Ranger spun past the monster while thrashing
her upward across the chest, blade sparking upon impact.
Byakou snapped
the White Ranger around to face the Gorma. Kiba Ranger swung downward in an ‘x’
pattern that sparked against the villain, forcing her back a few steps. White
Ranger followed with a downward swing that sparked against the monster’s body.
“Jump, Kou!”
Byakou shouted. Kiba Ranger sprang forward towards his opponent. “Kick!” Kiba
Ranger kicked out with both legs, his heels slamming against the monster. White
Ranger pushed off the villain’s chest and somersaulted backward through the air
before landing on the ground ion a crouched position.
“Attack!”
Byakou shouted. Kiba Ranger sprang forward and slashed the villain
horizontally, blade sparking across her body as she fell back off her feet and
went tumbling across the ground.
Kiba Ranger
twirled Byakou into a fighting stance as the saber spoke for the Ranger. “Do
you want some more, Gorma!”
The sister
stumbled back to her feet.
“Heaven Roaring
Star!” Byakou shouted. The saber energized with golden power as Kiba Ranger
thrust the blade upward. “Sound bite!”
The blade
emitted a high-frequency energy pulse that rocked the earth beneath their feet,
sending a destructive wave of sonic energy roaring forward. The blast exploded
against the Gorma, knocking her through the air like a rag doll.
The other
sisters came to their fallen sister’s aide and helped her to her feet. They
teleported away, blurring out of vision.
________________________________________________________________________
The three Kanjo
sisters walked towards Akomaru at the shrine. Earring Kanjo was between them,
her two sisters support ring her as she limped forward. Blood dripped down from
her head.
Akomaru ran
towards them, his normally cold face broken with shock.
“Kiba Ranger…”
Earring Kanjo said weakly. “He is strong…”
Akomaru knitted
his brow with anger. “What...he did this to you?”
The dying
sister nodded. “Yes…I found him…he is…is” her eyes closed and her body went
limp as she exhaled her last breath.
“No!” the other
sisters shouted as they cradled Earring Kanjo’s body.
A realization
struck Akomaru. His mind flashed back to seeing Kou. The young Gorma put two
and two together as he snapped his whistle. “Damn you, Kiba Ranger…”
________________________________________________________________________
Kou stood on a
concrete pier that looked out upon the ocean below. He leaned on the railing
and stared out aimlessly. Kim walked to his side and held up the boy’s
skateboard. “This is yours, isn’t it?”
“Thanks…” Kou
said quietly, his shoulders hung low. Kimberly leaned against the rail. “I’ve
been rethinking this whole you staying in my apartment thing.”
Kou’s face lit
up. “I know what it feels like to be neglected…” Kimberly said. “I don’t want
you to feel that way.” She sighed. “So…you can stay with me for awhile.”
“Really?”
“Just for a
while. Until we can find you someplace permanent. But you have to follow the
rules,” Kimberly said.
“Alright!” Kou
shouted as he started jumping up and down. “Thank you!”
Kimberly
laughed as Kou ran around her.
To be continued…Chapter Eleven