Ultimate Power Rangers:
Reloaded
Power Rangers: Chapter Twelve
39
White
Tiger
A younger
Kou hugged his mother by the shore as they laughed, for no reason other than
the joy of laughter.
They walked
back towards their apartment and stopped on the way for ice cream.
The image
shifted.
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.
Kou woke in his
bed screaming, his forehead damp with cold sweat. Byakou peaked out of Kou’s
book bag. “What is it Kou?” the saber asked.
He shook his
head, a somber look on his face. “Nothing…”
Kou climbed down from the attic and walked out to the balcony
on Kimberly’s apartment. He leaned against the railing and looked up to the
stars. “Mother…” he said softly.
The balcony
door slid open again and Kimberly stepped outside.
“You’re up
late,” she said as she stood next to him.
He nodded.
“Is everything
okay?” Kimberly asked.
He shrugged.
Kimberly sighed
and placed her hands down on the railing. “How would you like to go on a road
trip tomorrow with me?”
Kou‘s face lit
up. “Really?”
“Yeah,” she
said. “It will be fun.”
“Cool!” he said
as he hugged her, finding comfort from her in the absence of his mother.
________________________________________________________________________
Akomaru was
leaning on a balcony in Angel Grove’s China Town the same night. His fists were
clenched, anger storming inside of him.
Ring Kanjo, in
her human form, stepped beside Kou. She was the only sister left alive.
“Kou will pay…”
Akomaru cursed, his eyes staring towards the distance like daggers.
Ring Kanjo
nodded in agreement. “They will…” she hissed.
________________________________________________________________________
Kimberly and
Kou walked out of the apartment building the next morning and moved towards the
curbs with shoulder bags packed for the weekend. Kou looked happier than he had
in days. “Where are we going first?” he asked.
“You’ll see,”
she said.
Rocky pulled up
to the curb in his truck, and the other rangers were with him.
“Ready?” Tommy
asked Kimberly as he hopped off the truck.
Rocky leaned
out the window and looked back to Tommy and Billy. “Did ya bring the coke?” he
asked.
“I thought I
did,” Billy said. “I was wrong.”
“Great,” Rocky
said.
“It’s like you
need any more caffeine,” Tommy said.
Kou’s shoulders
slumped at the sight of the others. “They’re coming…I thought…” he said.
“What?”
Kimberly asked.
Kou turned and
ran, embarrassed that they might seem his tears. How could he have been so
dumb, he thought, as to think Kimberly wanted to spend the weekend with him?
________________________________________________________________________
Kou ran to a
nearby amphitheater and sat on the steps, burying his head in his arm. Byakou
peeked his head out from Kou’s jacket. “Kou, what is it?”
“Leave me
alone,” Kou said in a muffled voice.
Akomaru’s
whistle sounded from the amphitheater stage. Kou snapped his head up and rose
to his feet as he saw Akomaru standing next to Ring Kanjo in her monster form.
Akomaru did not
waste time with words. He pointed at Kou, signaling Ring Kanjo to attack. The
Gorma sister leapt through the air and arced towards Kou while holding her
staff high.
Tommy leapt
through the air as if from nowhere as he and the other rangers arrived at the
scene. Tommy slammed a flying sidekick against the Gorma that sent her
stumbling down the stairs as Tommy landed. He looked back at the boy. “Kou,
run.”
The monster
rose to her feet at the stage and glared up at the rangers while Kou ran for
cover. “My sisters’ deaths will be avenged!” she shouted up to them.
“I don’t think
so, drag queen,” Rocky said.
“Alright guys,”
Tommy said as he and the others readied their wrist braces. “It’s morphin
time!”
“Kiryoku
transform, Aura Power!” they shouted as they connected their morphers. Energy
shimmered around them as they transformed into their armor.
“Thunder
Staffs!” Dragon ranger shouted as he and the other Rangers armed their red
staffs.
Kou hid behind
a nearby bush as Byakou peaked his head out. “What are you waiting for, Kou?”
Byakou asked.
Kou nodded and
rose to his feet as he readied his golden key and morpher. “Kiryoku transform,
Kiba Power!” He insert his key into his morpher. Golden energy flashed across
his body and filled his every pore. His body matured as he morphed into his
Ranger form.
Kiba Ranger flipped forward and landed in front of the
Power Rangers and snapped into a fighting stance while facing the Gorma
monster. “Heaven Roaring Star, Kiba Ranger!”
The White
Ranger held his blade back in a fighting stance as he glared at the monster.
Byakou spoke for him. “Go back to your master, Gorma, or meet the fate of your
sisters!”
“Kiba Ranger…”
Ring Kanjo hissed. “I believe you mentioned my sisters.” Beams of light
extended from the monster and materialized into replicas of the other two Kanjo
sisters.
“Let’s take
care of business guys,” Dragon Ranger said as the six rushed into battle.
Ring Kanjo
mentally ordered the replicas to attack.
Dragon Ranger and Necklace Kanjo clashed staffs. The
Red Ranger used the left end of his weapon to knock her staff down while
swinging the right end of his weapon around towards her head.
Necklace Kanjo
parried the blow and speared her weapon against Dragon Ranger’s chest before
swinging her staff upward, bashing the Red Ranger upside the head.
Phoenix Ranger
moved in towards the right of the monster and swung her staff, but Necklace
Kanjo parried the blow and slammed her staff across the Pink Ranger’s helmet.
Tenma Ranger,
Lion ranger, and Kirin Ranger charged towards Earring Kanjo in a loose battle
formation. Earring Kanjo armed a double edged blade and streaked past the
Rangers in a blur of motion, slashed her blade across their armor, the
double-edged weapon sparking on impact as the Rangers crashed against the
ground.
Kiba Ranger flipped down and snapped into a fighting
stance as he faced off with Ring Kanjo.
“Call them
off!” Byakou shouted.
Ring Kanjo
merely extended her hand and fired crackling bursts of crimson energy that
exploded around Kiba Ranger with bursts of spark as he rolled aside.
The White
Ranger rolled into a crouching position and sprang through the air., swinging
his saber down towards the Gorma while landing.
Ring Kanjo
slapped the saber away with her staff while spinning and slamming her weapon
across the White Ranger’s helmet.
A sphere of
crackling blue fire suddenly exploded against Ring Kanjo and sent her tumbling
across the ground. Akomaru tightened with rage when he saw the attacker -
Shadam.
With Ring
Kanjo’s concentration broken, the replicas of her two sisters vanished.
“What are you
doing?!” Akomaru shouted to his father.
The Triumvirate
ignored Akomaru. Shadam glared at Dragon Ranger. “Dragon Ranger…you’re coming
with us…”
“I don’t think
so,” Dragon Ranger said as he twirled his staff into a fighting stance.

The three Gorma
extended their hands and fired crackling tendrils of golden energy. The energy
tendrils wrapped around Dragon Ranger and lifted him from his feet, dropping
his staff against the ground.
The Red Ranger
tried to break free from the energy strands, but could not. He flashed with
golden energy and vanished as the Gorma teleported him away.
“Tommy!” Phoenix Ranger shouted as she and the others
called for him, watching their friend vanish.
“Now, Rangers,”
Shadam said as he stared down at them. “Don’t get too comfortable. With the
sacrifice of your leader...we will awaken the sixth Kidenjuu.”
“What?” Tenma
Ranger shouted.
The Triumvirate
teleported away as they stepped backward, blurring from sight.
________________________________________________________________________
The other four
rangers returned to the lair to speak with Kaku. Rocky took a step towards the
sensei. “Sensei,” Rocky said. “They have Tommy.”
“We have to get
him back,” Adam said as he punched his hands together.
“And what is this
about a sixth Thunderzord?” Billy asked.
“Won Tiger,”
Kaku explained. “If the Gorma manage to sacrifice Tommy, his energy would be
enough to waken the sixth Kidenjuu.”
“No…” Kimberly
said. “We won’t let that happen.”
“Let’s go,”
Rocky said as they ran off.
________________________________________________________________________
Shadam held
Akomaru up by the boy’s collar. The Gorma could barely keep himself from
choking his son to death as Akomaru struggled.
The boy clawed
at his father’s arms. “Damn you, Shadam!”
“You will learn
respect.” Shadam backhanded Akomaru across the face. The boy toppled over and
crashed to the ground.
“You’ve
interrupted my every plan,” Akomaru said as he slowly rose to his feet. “But
not this time. I know who the Kiba Ranger is.”
Akomaru laughed
as he ran away.
________________________________________________________________________
Kimberly was on
the street near her apartment as Kou ran towards her. The boy had his
skateboard tucked beneath his right arm. “Did you find him?” Kou asked. “What
happened to Tommy?”
A phone rang
nearby them and startled Kimberly. She hesitated before answering. Akomaru
spoke from the other end of the line. “Hello, Phoenix Ranger…”
“Akomaru…”
Kimberly said.
“What?!” Kou
said as he grabbed the phone.
“Kiba Ranger,”
Akomaru said over the phone. “I’ll tell you where Dragon Ranger is.”
“Why?” Kou
asked.
Akomaru
hesitated. “My hatred for Shadam runs deeper than my hatred for you.”
Kou nodded as
he was given directions. Then he ran off.
“Kou!” Kimberly
shouted as she ran after him.
________________________________________________________________________
Tommy was in
the mountains outside the city. The teen was tied down on top of a large
demonic symbol with his legs and arms stretched. The Gorma Triumvirate stood
over him, pleased with their prize.
“I can’t
believe this is the one who killed Daisatan single handedly,” Gara said.
“He’s as weak
as his father,” Shadam said.
“Untie me. Then
we’ll see who’s weak,” Tommy said.
The Gorma heard
footsteps close in from the distance. They looked to see Kou and Kimberly run
to the scene. “Gorma!” Kou shouted.
Shadam clenched
his jaw when he saw them approach. “How…” he started to say. The sound of
Akomaru’s whistle cut him off. Shadam looked up to a nearby cliff and glared at
his son.
“I brought them
here,” Akomaru said.
“Capatros!”
Shadam shouted with furry.
Black-clad
grunts dropped to the ground and charged forward towards Kimberly and Kou. The
soldiers pounced forward to attack.
Kimberly
knocked a soldier’s blade away and slammed knifehand chop against the grunt’s
neck. She slammed an outer crescent kick across a second soldier’s head,
knocking the grunt to the ground. She looked back towards Kou. “Run Kou.”
Kou nodded and
ran for cover.
The other teens
arrived at the scene and helped Kimberly fight against the Capatros. The four
rangers were a flurry of kicks and punches and they pushed past the soldiers
and closer towards their captured leader.
Kou kneeled
behind stone as he looked out to the battle and Tommy. “Dragon Ranger needs
me.”
“Morph, Kou,”
Byakou said.
Kou pulled out
his key and readied his morpher. “Kiryoku transform, Kiba Power!” He inserted
his key into his morpher. Energy flashed around him as his body matured and he
morphed into his Ranger form.
Meanwhile, the
rangers knocked past the last of the soldiers.
Adam got a
better view of Tommy tied down to the symbol. “Tommy…” he said as he readied his
morphers. “It’s morphin time!”
“Kiryoku
transform, Aura Power!” the four teens shouted as they connected their
morphers. Energy shimmered around them as they transformed into their armor and
snapped into fighting stances.
“Lion Ranger!
Heaven Illusion Star, Green!”
“Tenma Ranger!
Heaven Gravity Star, Blue!”
“Kirin Ranger!
Heaven Time Star, Yellow!”
“Phoenix
Ranger! Heaven Wind Star, Pink!”
“Power of the
stars…” they trailed off, hesitating as they lowered their hands and looked to
Tommy.
“Rangers!” Byakou shouted for Kiba Ranger as the White
Ranger somersaulted forward through the air and landed in front of the team.
Kiba Ranger
snapped into a fighting stance as Byakou shouted. “Heaving Roaring Star, Kiba
Ranger!”
The White
Ranger extended his blade. “Let’s go!” Byakou shouted as the Rangers rushed
forward to attack.
“Thunder
Swords!” Tenma Ranger and Kirin Ranger shouted as they unsheathed their swords
and leapt through the air towards Shadam.
They swung
their blades weapons downward. Shadam grabbed both blades and twisted the
swords downward. Shadam opened his jaw and spat blue fiery spheres at near
point-blank range that exploded against the Rangers’ armor with a burst of
spark, knocking them backward.
Nearby, Kiba
Ranger leapt forward through the air and swung his tiger saber down towards
Zydos.
Zydos knocked the blade aside and grabbed the White
Ranger in a tight chokehold. Kiba Ranger lifted his hand and twisted the
Gorma’s nose. Zydos winced in pain and lifted the Ranger above his head before
tossing him aside like a pile of rags. The White Ranger slammed against the
ground and tumbled backward.
Meanwhile Lion
Ranger and Phoenix Ranger rolled forward towards Gara and rose into crouched
positions while arming their Thunder Staffs. The Green and Pink Rangers sprang
forward to attack.
Gara extended
her hand and used her power to summon a wall of moving energy blades. The
blades slashed across the Rangers’ armor, exploding on impact and knocking them
backward.
“No!” Tommy
shouted from the ground as he tried to break free from his bindings.
The ground
suddenly started to shake. The Rangers and Gorma stumbled, trying to keep their
balance as rocks and boulders shook free from above and crashed to the ground
below. The tremors intensified as cracks formed across the ground. Flames rose
from the cracks.
________________________________________________________________________
Kaku sat in a
meditative pose within the lair. His eyes were closed and sweat dripped down
his brow. He could feel the energy from the tremors in the far off distance.
“Won Tiger…” Kaku whispered.
________________________________________________________________________
The tremors
slowly stopped as the Gorma regrouped.
Shadam
whispered an incantation beneath his breath as he extended his hand. A massive
torrent of rolling flame burst forth and exploded against the five Rangers,
sending the flying backward as flame and spark ripped across their armor.
The Rangers
crashed against the ground and slowly rolled into crouched defensive positions.
Zydos extended
his hand and summoned lightning from the air. Lightning struck his fingertips
and he whipped the bolt around, thrashing it across the five Rangers’ armor,
sparking and exploding on impact.
Gara whispered
an incantation and summoned gale-force winds that slammed against the Rangers
and knocked them back.
“No!” Tommy
shouted again, trying desperately to break free so he could help his friends.
“Guys!”
The Rangers
slowly regrouped.
“We have to get
Tommy,” Kirin Ranger said.
But the Gorma
still blocked their path.
“It’s finally
over, Rangers,” Gara said as she and the other Gorma stalked towards the
Rangers. “We win.”
“Kiba Ranger,”
Zydos growled. “Allow me to finish you off!”
Zydos ran
forward to attack. But Akomaru blew his whistle, projecting a small needle from
the device that exploded against the Gorma’s neck. Zydos collapsed as the
needle seeped poison through his veins.
“Akomaru,”
Zydos grumbled. “You fool.”
“The Kiba
Ranger is mine,” Akomaru said simply.
The White Ranger rose to his knees and extended his
hand. “Kiryoku!” Byakou shouted. Kiba Ranger produced an invisible telekinetic
blast that roared forward and blasted against the three Gorma, knocking them
backward and out of the way.
The Rangers ran
to Tommy.
Lion ranger and
Tenma Ranger used their Star Cutters to slash his bindings free as Tenma Ranger
and Phoenix Ranger helped him to his feet.
Tommy glared at
the three Gorma as they regrouped. “Alright…it’s time to take care of
business.” He readied his morphers. “Kiryoku transform, aura power!” Energy
shimmered around him as he morphed into his Ranger form.
“Let’s do it!”
Dragon Ranger shouted as he and the others started to charge forward.
The ground
shook violently again. The Rangers and Gorma stumbled and nearly lost their
balance as the quake intensified.
“Won Tiger…”
Kiba Ranger said quietly as he recognized the significance of the tremors. He
ran from the scene.
________________________________________________________________________
Energy swirled
around Kaku within the lair. He kept his eyes closed and struggled to keep his
concentration. “So close…”
________________________________________________________________________
The ground
stopped again.
Shadam and the
Gorma charged forward to attack.
“Sorry to cut
this short,” Dragon Ranger said as he unsheathed his sword. “But we’ve got a
zord to find.”
The five
Rangers raised their Thunder Swords into the air while grasping. “Thunderzords,
arise!” they shouted as their zords appeared from the skies.
“Let’s go,”
Dragon Ranger said. They leapt onto their zords and left the area.
________________________________________________________________________
The stone
column slowly rose to bring Akomaru up to the same level as the Gorma Emperor
within the palace. The frustrated boy was trying to rip the wooden mask off.
“Get it off!” he shouted. He finally ripped the mask off as the pillar moved
closer to the white-robed emperor. “Emperor, Shadam has ruined all my plans. He
messes up everything!”
The emperor
stared silently at Akomaru and did not say a word. Then he started pelting the
boy with small wooden pogs. “Fool, fool, fool! You dare to look at me with your
face?”
Akomaru screamed
with annoyance as he put the wooden mask back on.
“You should
learn some respect,” the emperor said.
“He ruined
everything!” Akomaru shouted. “Because of Shadam, the Rangers are going to find
the sixth Kidenjuu!”
The emperor
laughed. “Patience…” he said as he slowly moved wooden pogs into different
positions on some type of game board. “Everything will move in accordance with
fate.”
“Fate?”
The emperor‘s
insane laughter echoed throughout the palace..
________________________________________________________________________
“All right
guys,” a young Chinese man named Kameo said as he pulled two turtles from his
pocket. “There ya go.”
Kameo placed
the turtles into a small pond surrounded by tall grass. They were in the
wilderness outside the city near mountains and hills.
The ground
suddenly started to shake as streaks of light shot down from the skies,
catching Kameo’s attention. Kameo moved to the top of a hill and looked down to
a dirt and gravel-filled valley below. The five teens and Kaku were standing
there.
Kaku nodded to
the teens. The rangers raised their Thunder Gems. “Kiryoku transform.” Light
shimmered around them as they morphed into their Ranger forms.
Kameo dropped
his jaw and fell backward at the sight.
“Hey,” Kou said
as he sprang from the bushes. “Who are you?”
“Kameo,” he
said as he pointed down towards the Rangers. “Did you see that?!”
Byakou peeked
his head out from Kou’s jacket. “It’s none of your business.”
Kameo screamed
and ran. Kou and Byakou chuckled as they watched him flee.
“Kou,” Byakou
said. “The Rangers are trying to summon the sixth Kidenjuu.”
“How?” Kou
asked.
“It’s…complicated,”
Byakou said. “I guess another way of putting it is that they’re about to give birth
to the sixth Kidenjuu. It’s never walked this Earth.”
“Birth?” Kou
asked.
Below, the six
Rangers and Kaku sat in meditative poses. Kaku instructed his young charges.
“Summon the power of your Kidenjuu,” Kaku said as the skies turned black.
The ground
started top shake and the wind began to howl as crimson lightning streaked down
from the clouds. The five Thunderzords appeared in the distance. Each zord
radiated with energy.
Kaku and the
Rangers slowly started to hover above the ground. The Thunder Gems flashed with
light and shot up towards the skies.
________________________________________________________________________
Akomaru slowly
walked through an abandoned warehouse. He opened the door to a back chamber and
moved into a dimly lit room. A woman bound in chains was inside the room. The
woman was Kou’s mother.
“It’s almost
time,” he said to her. “The Kiba Ranger will be one of us soon, and there’s
nothing you can do about.”
________________________________________________________________________
The
Thunderzords flew through the air and emitted crackling bolts of crimson energy
that tore apart the ground and streaks of flame erupted from the earth. Fire
started to rage around the Rangers as they struggled to maintain their
concentration.
Sweat dripped
down their brows beneath their helmets as they closed their eyes tightly. The
flames intensified.
Then with one
final explosion, the White Tiger Thunderzord was born. The fire and skies
cleared. A white-armored tiger roared in the distance and slowly rose onto its
four feet.
The Rangers stood and looked at the White Tiger.
“It’s sweet!”
Tenma Ranger said.
“Yeah,” Dragon
Ranger said.
Kaku nodded.
“It is your sixth Thunderzord, the White Tiger.”
Kou looked to
Byakou on the hill nearby. The boy’s eyes were opened wide with excitement. “Is
that it?” Byakou said yes and a large smile spread on Kou’s face.
White Tiger
rose and ran forward, its four legs pumping with newfound power and strength.
The zord suddenly stumbled and slid onto its back.
Kou raised an
eyebrow and looked to Byakou. “What’s wrong with him?”
“He’s a
newborn,” Byakou explained. “Now…the White Tiger needs a pilot.”
Kou nodded and
readied his morpher. “Kiryoku transform, Kiba Power!” He inserted his key into
his wrist brace as energy shimmered around him. His body matured as he morphed
into his Ranger form.
Kiba Ranger somersaulted forward through the air and
landed on top of a taller hill. A streak of white light shot from the skies and
landed in the White Ranger’s hand before pulsing and flashing with power.
“What the…?”
Kiba Ranger said as he looked at the small crystal in his hand.
“That’s your
Heaven Star Thunder Gem,” Byakou explained. “Now let’s go!”
Kiba Ranger
somersaulted forward through the air and landed on top of the White Tiger. The
White Ranger looked down to the others as Byakou spoke. “Power Rangers!” Byakou
shouted. “Won Tiger now belongs to the Kiba Ranger!”
“Hey!” Tenma
Ranger shouted. “We didn’t go through all that for you to swipe our zord!”
“What does he
think he’s doing?” Lion Ranger asked.
“They do seem
like a good match,” Kirin Ranger said. The others stared at him.
Kaku’s eyes
were fixed on the White Ranger and his zord. “Kou…” he said silently.
Kiba Ranger
held his saber forward as the zord ran further into the mountains. A
giant-sized Ring Kanjo approached from the distance. Kiba Ranger smiled beneath
his helmet. “Let’s get into action, Won Tiger.”
Ring Kanjo
extended her staff and fired bolts of crimson energy that exploded around the
new zord.
Kiba Ranger dropped into the cockpit embedded in the
zord’s armor.
“White Tiger!”
Kiba Ranger shouted. “Vibro blast!”
The zord
blurred with sonic energy that shot forward, tearing through the mountains and
exploding against Ring Kanjo.
“White Tiger,
rise up!” Kiba Ranger shouted as he inserted his tiger saber into the control
console in front of him.
The White Tiger
crackled with energy and started to change shape. The zord transformed into a
humanoid-shaped warrior, the head of the tiger was on the zord’s chest and the
golden tail formed a curved blade.
“Tiger Punch!”
Kiba Ranger shouted as the zord copied his movements. White Tiger crashed a
punch against the giant Gorma.
“Tiger Kick!”
White Tiger slammed a kick against the Gorma’s midsection. The blow sent her
crashing against the ground and rolling backward.
“Finish her
Kou!” Byakou yelled.
Kiba Ranger
nodded. He took a crystal from the wall behind him and inserted it into his
forward control panel. “White Tiger Fire Bolt!”
The tiger mouth
on the zord flashed with energy and shot bolts of fiery power that exploded
against Ring Kanjo, sparks ripping across her body upon impact. Ring Kanjo
crashed to the ground again.
“That’ll teach
you!” Kiba Ranger shouted.
“I’m not
through yet, you little whelp,” Ring Kanjo said as she slowly rose to her feet.
She extended her arms and projected replicas of her two sisters.
The three Gorma
charged forward. Necklace Kanjo and Earring Kanjo spun past the White Tiger
while thrashing their blades across the zord’s armor. Ring Kanjo swung her
staff down towards the zord’s head.
White Tiger
used the golden saber to block the blow and twist the staff downward. But the
other two Kanjo sisters extended their hands and fired crimson energy bolts
that exploded against the zord, sparks tearing against armor as White Tiger
crashed to the ground, reverting back to its tiger form as Kiba Ranger was
thrown from the cockpit.
Kiba Ranger
rolled across the dirt near a small area of trees as energy shimmered around
him and he demorphed.
“That didn’t go
very well, did it,” Byakou said.
“You don’t have
to tell me twice,” Kou said.
Kou rose to his
feet as he heard the familiar sound of Akomaru’s whistle nearby. He turned to
see Capatros pulling two chariots through the wilderness. Akomaru sat in the
lead chariot. The second chariot was covered in a black cloth.
Kou’s muscles
tightened. “Akomaru…”
Akomaru stepped
from the chariot. “I have a present for you,” he said to Kou as he stepped back
to the second chariot. He pulled the black cloth away. Kou’s mother was inside,
bound and gagged. “Perhaps you know her.”
Kou’s eyes
opened wide as his breath caught in his throat. “Mother…” he whispered.
“Mother!”
“Kou!” she
called in a muffled voice.
Kou ran towards
the chariot.
“Back!” Akomaru
extended his hand and fired an invisible Kiryoku burst that slammed against Kou
and knocked the boy backward. Kou crashed onto his tailbone.
Akomaru stalked
towards the fallen boy. “I’ll give her back to you if you join me. The two of
us can kill Shadam and the emperor…Then we will rule.”
“Go to hell!”
Kou shouted as he sprang forward and pushed Akomaru aside.
Kou moved
towards the chariot and grabbed it, quickly turning it around and running
towards the distance. Capatros leapt towards Kou and grabbed him, lifting him
off his feet and tossing him back onto the ground.
“Be that way,”
Akomaru said. He extended his hand towards the chariot. An invisible strand of
energy lifted Kou’s mother and dragged her away through the air.
“No!” Kou
shouted as he ran after her. “Mother!”
Kou made it to
a clearing near the mountains, but he was too late. His mother was gone. Kou
turned and clenched his jaw when he heard Akomaru’s laughter come from behind.
“Bring her back!”
Akomaru
smirked.
Kou pounced
forward and grabbed Akomaru by the collar. “Bring her back!” Kou slammed a hook
punch across the Gorma’s face.
________________________________________________________________________
The White Tiger
rose to its four legs and charged forward towards the three Kanjo sisters. The
Red Dragon warrior leapt down from the Thunder Chariot and landed on the White
Tiger’s back to ride the zord.
Red Dragon
extended its staff like a spear as the zords charged forward to attack. The
staff speared against each Gorma like a lance, knocking them backward and
sending them crashing to the ground.
________________________________________________________________________
Kou unloaded
all his anger with every punch that slammed across Akomaru’s face. First the
Gorma had pretended to be Miko, then he kidnapped Tommy, then his mother…his
mother! Kou was tired of games.
Kou swung
harder, his own knuckles bleeding and broken.
The battle
above shook the ground and massive boulders started falling towards the two
fighting boys. Kou and Akomaru leapt out of the way, but Akomaru did not make
it in time. Akomaru screamed as a boulder crushed against the lower half of his
body, pinning his back to the ground.
“Akomaru!” Kou
yelled as he ran towards the Gorma’s side and leaned down next to him. “Where
is she?”
“Kou…” Akomaru
said, his voice struggling for air.
“My mother,”
Kou said. He frantically tried to move the boulder, but it was too heavy.
“Where is she?”
“You idiot,”
Akomaru said. His voice was weak and broken. “Why do you care...she abandoned
you…just as my mother abandoned me.”
“No…” Kou
whispered. “She-” His own feelings nearly choked him, cutting off his sentence
as his eyes started to water.
“Admit it,”
Akomaru said. “We’re more the same than you’ll admit, Kiba Ranger.”
“No…” Kou said,
his emotions knotting his stomach.
“Yes…more than
you know,” Akomaru rolled his eyes back and died.
“Akomaru!” Kou
shouted, tears streaming down his cheeks.
Kou buried his head in his arm and cried. His mother.
Akomaru. Abandonment. Kou was alone.
“Kou,” Byakou
said. “The Rangers need your help.”
Kou wiped his
tears and slowly rose to his feet while arming his wrist brace and key.
“Kiryoku transform! Kiba Power!” He inserted his key into his morpher. Golden
energy shimmered around him as his body matured and he morphed into his Ranger
form.
Kiba Ranger
lifted his saber into the air. “White Tiger!”
The
white-armored zord roared and rose to its hind legs, knocking the Red Dragon
from its back. The White Tiger dashed forward. Kiba Ranger somersaulted through
the air and entered his zord’s cockpit.
“White Tiger!
Rise up!” he shouted, inserting his saber into his console. The White Tiger
crackled with energy and started to change shape. The zord transformed into a
humanoid-shaped warrior, the head of the tiger was on the zord’s chest and the
golden tail formed a curved blade.
“Kou,” Byakou
said. “Your zord can combine with the four other Kidenjuu to create the
MegaTigerzord, Kiba Daiou!!”
The White
Ranger thrust his hands forward. “Kiba! fusion!”
The Lion,
Tenma, Kirin, and Phoenix crackled with energy and shot towards the White Tiger.
The lion formed
shoulder armor while wrapping around the zord’s back. The Tenma and Kirin
formed the Megazord’s legs as the Phoenix became an arm-mounted weapon.
Lion Ranger, Phoenix Ranger, Tenma Ranger, and Kirin
Ranger joined Kiba Ranger in the zord’s cockpit. “MegaTigerzord… Kiba Daiou!”
The three Gorma
sisters fired crimson energy bursts that exploded against the MegaTigerzord.
MegaTigerzord
walked through the explosions while sparks tore across its armor.
“MegaTigerzord!”
the Rangers shouted. “Grand-Phoenix Crash!”
The Phoenix
extended its wings and shot towards the three monsters. Fiery energy twisted
around the Phoenix at it streaked through the monsters, piercing through each
of them. Explosions tore apart the three Gorma as they collapsed to the ground,
their own energy overloading and exploding.
________________________________________________________________________
Kou sat on the
ocean pier quietly. He thought of his mother as tears streamed down her cheeks.
To be continued…Chapter Thirteen