Ultimate Power Rangers:
Reloaded
Power Rangers: Chapter
Fifteen 42
Fists
of Fury
China Town’s
best martial artists practiced on the third floor of a five-story dojo. The
dojo was one of the most prestigious institutions in the city and also
functioned as an upscale business, serving a variety of clients.
A humble
janitor mopped the wooden floors in the hallway outside the main practice room.
The doors at the end of the hallway opened as two students escorted their
sensei and leader towards the main practice room.
The janitor
waited until the two students past by him, and then dropped the mop handle onto
the ground in front of the sensei.
The sensei
snapped around, his eyes glaring at the janitor.
The janitor,
who appeared as an elderly man, wiped sweat from his forehead with a rag. “You
better watch where you’re going…you might get hurt.”
The two
students stepped forward and were about to ask the janitor to leave. But the
janitor jumped, swinging his legs up and slamming kicks upside the two students
heads, knocking them unconscious.
“Bastard,” the
sensei said as he snapped into a fighting stance. “Who do you think you are?”
The janitor
smiled as he pulled a double-sided coin from his pocket. A skull was on one
side, and a triangle on the other. He flipped the coin into the air and sprang
forward.
The sensei
blocked a front kick from the janitor and leaned forward with a powerful punch.
The janitor used his palm to catch the punch, slapped the sensei’s wrist away,
and grabbed the sensei’s throat.
The janitor
twisted the sensei’s windpipe. The master gurgled blood and gasped for air
before collapsing top the ground.
The janitor
caught the coin as it fell downward.
Jinn, a young
clean-cut Japanese man, dropped his disguise and laughed.
________________________________________________________________________
“Well done
Jinn,” a businessman said to the assassin. The two men sat in a high rise
office in Angel Grove North. The businessman handed Jinn an envelop stuffed
with money.
Jinn sighed and
took the envelop. “This is getting too easy. I wish you’d give me a real
target.”
A waiter walked
inside and collected empty glasses. Jinn stood, placed on his sunglasses, and
put the envelop onto the waiter’s tray. “Keep the change.”
________________________________________________________________________
Tommy walked
along the city streets with his book bag slung over his shoulder. He was
walking home from school, talking the long route through a business and
commercial district.
Further down
the road nearby, a police motorcycle pulled behind a sleek black limo and
activated its sirens. The limo pulled alongside the curb. Three Asian
businessmen were in the back of the limo along with their body guards.
Jinn, disguised
as a cop, got off the motorcycle and walked over towards the driver-side door.
He leaned down to the window. “Do you have any idea you fast you were going?”
“Idiot,” the
driver said. “I was going exactly the speed limit.”
Jinn smiled and
tilted his head. “My mistake.”
“That’s ri-”
Jinn’s left
hand punctured through the door and slammed against the driver’s side, cracking
his ribs, sending bones cutting through vital organs.
Jinn removed
his hand and walked around to the passenger side of the limo. The bodyguards
flung open the limo’s rear doors and unsheathed slender katana blades while
charging towards Jinn on the sidewalk.
Tommy walked
within sight distance of the limo. He wrinkled his brow as he watched Jinn
attack.
The bodyguards
swung their blades towards Jinn, but the assassin ducked under their blows. The
guards spun forward while bringing their blades down low, but Jinn jumped over
the swords while slamming his heels against the guards’ faces, and spinning
with a reverse hook kick that slammed across both their heads before landing.
“Si-ku-ya!”
Tommy shouted as he leapt through the air with a flying sidekick that slammed
against Jinn.
Jinn leapt
backward with the blow and landed back on his feet at the same time Tommy
landed, the teen snapping into a fighting stance.
Jinn smiled at
the ranger. “Impressive. What’s your name?”
Tommy narrowed
his eyes. “What kind of question is that?” he asked. “You just attacked these
people.”
Jinn nodded.
“Ah…observant as well.”
Jinn held his
golden coin and twirled it around in his fingers for a brief moment. He snapped
the coin forward, and its edge cut across Tommy’s face. Tommy flinched and
placed a hand on the wound as Jinn smiled with amusement.
Tommy wrinkled
his brow and charged forward to attack the assassin. Jinn smiled and charged
back.
Tommy jumped
and spun forward with a reverse crescent kick that Jinn ducked under as the
teen passed over him. Tommy turned back towards Jinn, and the opponents snapped
round kicks towards each other that they both managed to block.
Tommy spun with
a sweep kick that Jinn jumped above.
Jinn landed as Tommy moved forward with a high-low punch combo that Jinn
blocked. Jinn countered with two round kicks that Tommy blocked, then pushed
forward with a front kick and punch. Tommy was forced a few steps back as he
blocked the assassin’s advancing attacks.
Jinn slammed a
cross punch across Tommy’s jaw and moved in low with a sweep kick that the teen
jumped over. Tommy landed and lunged forward with a flurry of kick combinations that Jinn blocked, each kick forcing
him further backward.
Jinn blocked a
kick while spinning in towards Tommy and snapping a jump spinning heel kick
that Tommy ducked and rolled under to gain distance from the assassin. Tommy
rolled to his feet and snapped into a defensive stance.
“Your style is
excellent,” Jinn said.
The limo’s
engine roared and swung onto the sidewalk to make a U-turn, nearly running
Tommy over. Tommy dove and rolled across the sidewalk as the limo turned and
sped away. Jinn was gone when Tommy rolled back to his feet.
“Where the hell
did that guy go?”
________________________________________________________________________
“He had to have
been a Gorma,” Tommy said to Kaku. He and the other teens were gathered in the
lair. “He moved faster than anyone or anything I’ve fought against.”
Kaku shook his
head. “No…he is not.”
Tommy knitted
his brow. “Than who was he?”
“His name is
Jinn Matoba,” Kaku explained. “He is an assassin for hire. He has no Kiryoku.”
Tommy nodded.
“I still have to stop him.”
Kaku shook his
head. “No…he would kill you if you faced him again.”
Tommy rolled
his hands into fists. “If he doesn’t have The Power…I can beat him.”
Kaku shook his
head again. “No…he is a master of Kempo and several other martial arts. He is
arguably one of the deadliest men alive. And if you were to face him…it would
be un-honorable to use your Kiryoku.”
“But…but…”
Tommy shook his head and scoffed with frustration as he looked away from his
sensei.
________________________________________________________________________
A young
Japanese woman named Tatsume sat at a park bench near China Town. She looked
over the local section of the paper. The main package was about the recent
murders of several key businessmen. “Jin…” she whispered.
________________________________________________________________________
Tommy sat at
Bear Lake and tossed pebbles into the water. His encounter with Jinn weighed
heavily on his mind for a few reasons.
First, Kaku
said Jinn could kill Tommy even without powers. Tommy wanted to be the perfect
fighter when he was younger. He wanted to be the best martial artist, finely
tuned, disciplined, and strong. Being beaten by Jinn stirred up those feelings
in Tommy.
Second and more
important, Jinn represented something that chilled Tommy to the bone. Through
Jinn, Tommy saw what he could have been if life had turned out differently - a
killer who took joy in his work. An assassin.
“Tommy,” a
voice said from behind him. He turned to see his four friends approach him.
“Hey guys,”
Tommy said.
They crouched
down next to him.
“Your face
looks better,” Adam said.
Tommy rubbed
his wound as he nodded.
“Don’t worry
Tommy,” Billy said. “If this Jinn guy shows up again…we’ll be there to help
you.”
Tommy sighed.
That was not what he wanted to hear.
“I got you
something,” Kimberly said as she handed him a small sphere tied to a string.
The sphere had a phoenix engraved in it.
Tommy smiled as
he took the string from her.
“Sure,” Rocky
said. “A ball on a string. That oughta cheer him up.”
“Rocky,”
Kimberly started slapping him against the shoulders. He pulled back and started
stepping backward, but she pressed forward.
“Mercy mercy,”
Rocky said with a laugh as he tried to block her blows.
Tommy rose to
his feet and smiled. “You two act like you’re five,” he said.
Rocky shrugged.
“Five, seventeen…what’s the difference.”
Tommy and
Kimberly hugged. Seconds later, explosions rang around them. They dove for
cover and rolled into crouching positions. They looked up to see a vase-shaped
Gorma monster stalk towards them.
“Gorma!” Tommy
shouted as the teens snapped into defensive stances.
“Rangers…” the
bulky monster said as he stalked forward. His name was Goujin. “I’m glad I
finally get to meet you…I’ve been looking forward to this.”
“It’s the last
thing you’ll be looking forward to in a long time,” Tommy said as he and the
others readied their morphing braces. “It’s morphin time!”
“Kiryoku
transform, Aura Power!” they shouted as they connected their braces. Energy
shimmered around them as they transformed into their Ranger forms.
“Thunder
Staffs!” the Rangers shouted as they twirled their red staffs into fighting
stances.
“Let’s take
care of business!” Dragon Ranger shouted as he and the others dashed forward to
attack.
Tenma Ranger
and Phoenix Ranger leapt forward through the air and swung their staffs
downward. The staffs slammed against the bulky Gorma, but bounced back off
without causing damage, and nearly snapping the two Rangers’ wrists.
Lion Ranger ran
in next and tried to sweep the legs out from under the Gorma, but the villain
leapt over the Ranger’s leg.
Dragon Ranger
and Kirin Ranger spun forward while swinging their staffs towards the Gorma’s
head. The villain ducked underneath their staffs and stepped backward.
Lion Ranger moved in with a round kick that slammed
against the monster but bounced right off.
The villain
swung its stubby arm towards the Ranger, but Green Ranger knocked the limb away
and swung his staff back towards the villain’s body.
The Gorma
slapped the staff away and used his other limp to club Lion Ranger across the
helmet. The Green Ranger crashed against the ground and rolled across the dirt.
Dragon Ranger
and Kirin Ranger used their staffs to pole vault forward and slam kicks against
Goujin, but their kicks bounced off the Gorma, knocking them backward.
Dragon Ranger
used his staff to steady himself as he rose to his feet. The others gathered
around him as he shook his head.
“He’s using
kempo,” Dragon Ranger said. “I’m beginning to hate that art.”
From a hilltop
barely within sight distance, the Gorma Triumvirate watched. “This is getting
ridiculous,” Shadam said. “The Rangers should have been destroyed by now.”
Gara nodded.
“We need a real warrior.”
An evil grin
spread across Zydos’s face. “I have an idea…”
“What are you
talking about, Zydos?” Shadam asked.
The villain
smiled.
________________________________________________________________________
Jinn kneeled
before a stone graveyard while in the cemetery. He bowed while folding his
hands. “Sensei…”
Tatsume slowly
approached Jinn from behind. She knew she would find him at the cemetery, but
now she was not sure what to do. “Jinn…”
He kept his gaze
forward. “Tatsume…” Jinn stood and started to walk away.
But Tatsume
stood in front of him to block his path as she held up a copy of the newspaper.
“What is this? I saw this and I knew you had returned.” Her said nothing. “You
have to stop! Your kempo wasn’t supposed to be used this way.”
Jinn arced an
eyebrow and looked at his former lover. “Really? It was my sensei, your father,
who made me this way,” he said as he held up his gloved left hand.
“Jinn…” she
said softly as she rubbed his hand. “I want you back the way you were.”
Jinn’s mind
flashed back...
Jinn was
sparring with his sensei on top of a cliff. The young man was being beaten as
his sensei yelled taunts. “Fight you whelp!”
The sensei,
mad with insanity, pressed forward with
a flurry of kicks that knocked Jinn over the cliff. The sensei reached forward
and grabbed Jinn’s left hand just in time to keep the student from plummeting
towards the raging ocean shore below.
“I can’t
pull you up…let go..” the sensei said.
“What…no!”
Jinn shouted.
“Quit being
a coward and let go! You are truly unworthy of my daughter.”
Jinn
frantically tried to climb back up his sensei‘s arm. “Pull me up! Sensei!
Sensei!”
“Fine,” the
sensei said. He pulled off a knife and jammed the blade through Jinn’s left
wrist, cutting his students hand off, and watching him plumet towards the shore
below.
Jinn pulled his
hand away. “The man you knew is dead,” he said as he walked away. “And you’re
lucky your father died before I returned to him…”
“Jinn…”
He stopped for
a moment. “What more do you want me to say?” he asked with his back towards
her. “Ever since then, I’ve made it my duty to find any other so-called master
who would destroy their promising students.”
“Jinn!” she
called again as she hugged him from his back. He stood rigid.
“The man you
knew is dead,” he said again.
________________________________________________________________________
The teens
regrouped in the lair along with Kaku.
“That fat
monster packs a punch,” Rocky said as he nursed his injured shoulder.
“Sensei…” Tommy
started to say.
“In order to
defeat this Gorma…you must learn to strike quicker. More efficiently. It is the
only way to stand up to one who has mastered the art of kempo.”
Tommy wrinkled
his brow.
________________________________________________________________________
Zydos walked
through a dark, foggy forest cluttered with skulls and broken bone. “This is
the perfect place…” he said.
He pulled a
black crystal sphere from his jacket and extended it forward. An onyx pedestal
grew from the sphere and connected it to the ground with a flash of dark light.
A demonic symbol spread across the ground in a circular formation
Zydos whispered
an incantation. The crystal started to glow red.
________________________________________________________________________
A sensei sat in
his garden outside his dojo within Angel Grove’s china town. Jinn slowly walked
towards the man’s back.
Four guards
immediately sensed danger and stood between their master and the assassin while
unsheathing samurai-style swords.
“Wait!” the
master shouted while still sitting. “I will handle this. Watch and see what a
true master is capable of.”
The opponents
faced each other. The sensei unsheathed a katana blade. “You dare to challenge
me?” the sensei said as he lowered his sword into a fighting stance.
Jinn silently
flipped his coin into the air before pouncing forward. The sensei chopped his
blade towards Jinn’s head. Jinn reached out with his left hand and grabbed the
blade. The assassin twisted the sword aside while reaching forward with his
right hand, grabbing the man’s throat, and twisting the master‘s windpipe.
The sensei
dropped dead to the ground as Jinn caught his coin.
“Si-ku-ya!”
Tommy shouted as he leapt through the air with a flying sidekick.
Jinn turned and
snapped a sidekick of his own, slamming his heel against the teens’ foot. Tommy
somersaulted backward through the air and landed on his feet while snapping
into a fighting stance.
“It ends here,
Jinn,” Tommy said. “I don’t care who you are or what lack of powers you
have…you’re evil. And I made a promise a long time ago to do everything I could
to stop people like you.”
Jinn smiled and
walked towards the teen. “I admire your honor, as well as your skill, but don’t
pretend to understand me.”
“What is there
to understand? You’re a murderer.”
Jinn laughed
beneath his breath. “Things are not always so black and white, Tommy, my
friend.”
Tommy narrowed
his eyes. “I’m not your friend…so shut up and fight…”
Jinn grinned
and assumed a simple fighting stance, extending his left palm heel forward. “I
accept your challenge.”
________________________________________________________________________
The other four
teens practiced sparring in a grassy field. Billy fought Kimberly with his
Thunder Staff and Adam fought Rocky with his Thunder Staff.
“Keep up the
pace,” Adam said.
The vase-shaped
Gorma appeared on a nearby hill. “It’s no use!” he shouted to the four rangers.
________________________________________________________________________
Tommy and Jinn
shifted fighting stances as they circled around each other, looking for
weaknesses in each others’ stances and form.
Jinn had a smug
grin on his face, which made Tommy tense with anger. It was like looking in a
dark mirror for the teen.
“It ends here,”
Tommy said quietly.
________________________________________________________________________
The four teens
armed their wrist braces. “Kiryoku transform!” they connected their morphers as
energy shimmered around them and they transformed into their armor.
The Rangers
leapt forward to attack.
“Star Blades!”
Lion Ranger and Kirin Ranger shouted as they armed their ring-shaped blades.
They swung the weapons hard against the monster, but the blades bounced off the
villain, knocking the Rangers backward.
________________________________________________________________________
Tommy and Jinn
leapt at each other with flying sidekicks, passing by each other in midair.
They landed back-to-back.
Tommy jumped
and swung a spinning hook kick towards Jinn, but at the same time, Jinn had
dropped low for a sweep kick that passed underneath the ranger.
Tommy snapped a
jump roundkick that Jinn blocked. Jinn pressed forward with a flurry of punches
that the teen blocked while stepping backward. Jinn launched a right roundkick
that slammed against Tommy’s block, and a left roundkick that Tommy blocked.
Jinn snapped a
front kick that Tommy caught and pushed up, flipping Jinn over, but the
assassin somersaulted backward through the air and landed on his feet. Jinn
sprang forward through the air and slammed a screw kick against Tommy, knocking
the ranger backward.
________________________________________________________________________
“Heaven Wind
Star!” Phoenix Ranger shouted as she placed her left fist against her right
palm. The phoenix eyes on her helmet flashed with energy. “Straight whirlwind
destruction!”
The Gorma
tilted his head, An opening slid like an iris and sucked the energy blast
inside.
________________________________________________________________________
Tommy rolled
into a crouched position and looked up to see Jinn charging towards him. Tommy
acted on instinct and thrust his hand forward. “Kiryoku!”
An invisible burst
of energy slammed against Jinn and sent him flying off his feet. The villain
slammed against a tree trunk before crashing to the ground.
Jinn narrowed
his eyes as he rose to his feet. “Bastard!” he yelled. “You would dishonor me
by attacking with a power I don’t have! It’s about time I let loose…Spider
Fist!”
Jinn launched
forward with a lightning-quick flurry of punches, faster than anything Tommy
had seen. He managed to parry one or two of the blows, but the rest of the
barrage slammed against his chest and face, battering the ranger’s body and
cracking bone. Jinn slammed a final punch across Tommy’s head.
Tommy’s vision
blurred as he crashed onto his back. He tried to get up, but suddenly went
limp.
Jinn smiled at
the fallen teen and walked away.
________________________________________________________________________
Explosions rang
around the four Rangers and knocked them backward. Goujin stalked towards them
while holding a small vase beneath his left arm.
“Thunder
Sword!” Phoenix Ranger shouted as she unsheathed her weapon and leapt towards
the Gorma.
The monster
opened his vase. The vase emitted an energy well that wrapped around Phoenix
Ranger and dragged her into a small pocket dimension inside.
“Kimberly!”
Kirin Ranger shouted.
________________________________________________________________________
Later that
afternoon, Tommy, Rocky, Adam and Billy regrouped in the lair with Kaku. Tommy
was still badly beaten, having only regained consciousness a few hours earlier.
Rocky slammed
his fist into a wall. “How can we beat that guy if we can’t even hurt him!”
“Remember what
you have all been taught,” Kaku said as he walked towards them. “It is not
always a matter of power versus power. You must find alternative means to
counter this Gorma’s Kempo skills. Focus on your inner power.”
Tommy lowered
his gaze. His mind flashed back to the rapid-punch attack Jinn had used against
him. The young ranger had a feeling that the assassin’s attack could defeat
this new Gorma.
Kaku walked
over to Tommy. “Tommy,” Kaku said. “I know what you are thinking…do not face
Jinn again.”
Sensei walked
away. Tommy rolled his hands into fists.
________________________________________________________________________
An older master
was pushed out of the hospital on a wheelchair. The man was wheeled to a limo
parked by the curb as Jinn through on a fake smile and walked towards the man
with a small bouquet of flowers in hand.
“Sensei,” Jinn
said. He bowed and handed the old man the flowers. “I am honored to finally
meet you. May you have a quick recovery.”
Tatsume, a
nurse at the hospital, stopped in her tracks on the way outside when she noticed
Jinn. Her eyes opened wide with horror. “No…”
The old man
smiled graciously and accepted the flowers. “Thank you.
Jinn’s face
became stern. He thrust his fingers past the flowers towards the man's throat,
but the master caught Jinn’s fingers just in time. The master kicked Jinn
backward and leapt from the wheelchair with an amazing display of strength.
The opponents
corkscrewed through the air and exchanged blows before landing with their backs
towards one another. Tatsume watched in shock as the old man collapsed dead to
the ground.
________________________________________________________________________
Tatsume
followed Jinn onto a pedestrian bridge in the park and confronted him. Jinn
tried to ignore her and leaned over the bridge rail as she spoke. “What
happened to you Jinn? You used to be so…full of love…”
He said
nothing.
“Don’t you
remember what we used to have, Jinn?”
Jinn did
remember. He remembers holding her. Making love to her, carving their names
into tress when they were children. “I remember…but those feelings left me the
day I lost this hand.”
He started to
walk away.
“Jinn!” she
called.
“Go on with
your life, Tatsume,” Jinn said without turning to face her.
________________________________________________________________________
Tommy, Adam,
Rocky, and Billy sparred by the shore. Each was dressed in a black karate
uniform. Tommy suddenly collapsed and winced in pain.
“Tommy!” Adam
shouted as he and the others ran to their leader’s side.
“What’s wrong?”
Rocky asked.
Tommy shook his
head. He could not tell them. They wouldn’t understand.
Explosions
suddenly rang around the teens as they rolled for cover. They rose into
crouched positions and looked up to see Goujin stalk towards them.
The villain
would have smiled if he had a mouth. “The other four Rangers…excellent.”
“Let Kimberly
go!” Rocky shouted.
“Make me!” the
villain shouted as a challenge to the teens.
Adam, Rocky,
and Billy charged towards the Gorma. Tommy was still keeled over in pain.
“Kiryoku
transform!” the three shouted as they connected their braces. Energy shimmered
around them as they morphed into their Ranger forms.
“Tenma Screw
Kick!” the Blue Ranger leapt through the air and started to spin like a drill,
aiming his heels towards the Gorma’s head.
“Kirin Head
Crash!” Yellow Ranger shouted as he lunged forward with a flying head-but.
“Lion Punch!”
the Green Ranger leapt forward and swung his fist towards the villain.
Their attacks
bounced off the monster and threw them backward. The three Rangers went
skidding across the ground.
Tommy was still
on all fours, fighting off pain as he
wrinkled his brow. “Guys…”
The monster
opened its vase. Lion Ranger and Kirin Ranger managed to leap to the side, but
Tenma Ranger was caught in a swirling vortex and pulled inside.
________________________________________________________________________
Zydos still
stood over the crystal sphere and whispered an incantation. Whispering became
shouting as he honed in on what he needed.
________________________________________________________________________
Jinn sat in his
spacious apartment and removed his left glove. His artificial hand was all
metal, and rather squeaky. Hew reached up with his fake hand and ran it along a
flower pedal.
________________________________________________________________________
An image of a
skull appeared in the crystal sphere. Zydos smiled, his eyes opened wide. “I’ve found him,” Zydos said. “I’ve done
it!” he said as he lifted up the crystal ball, and tendrils of red energy shot
from its surface.
_______________________________________________________________________
Tommy was in
one of the lair’s side chambers. The room was dark except for rows of candles.
Tommy stared into a flame and struck a punch over it. The flame flickered but
did not extinguish. Tommy turned to another candle and struck over it with the
same results. He snapped to another candle and struck a vertical punch.
The candles
stayed lit.
“Damn,” he
muttered to himself as he tried again. He suddenly winced in pain and collapsed
to the ground. He took off his top, revealing a suit of tightening springs
wrapped across his upper body and arms. The springs fought against his every
movement, slowing him down while cutting into his skin.
“Kimberly…Rocky…guys…”
Tommy tightened the springs and stood.
Kaku watched
from the entrance of the room. He is trying to surpass Jinn’s skills…to save
his friends…
________________________________________________________________________
Jinn parked in
an ocean-shore parking lot and stepped out from his car. Tommy stood by the
shore, his eyes glaring at the assassin. He was dressed in a black karate
uniform.
Jinn walked
towards his opponent. “How are you doing, Tommy?” Jinn asked.
Tommy rolled
his hands into fists. “I’m ready…face me again…”
Jinn shook his
head. “If I fight you again…I will have to kill you this time…even though I
respect your spirit…and pity you…”
“I’m not asking
for pity…” Tommy said.
Jinn wrinkled
his brow.
________________________________________________________________________
Adam and Billy
squared off with the vase-shaped Gorma. “Where is your leader?” the Gorma
asked. “Or was he wise enough not to face me?”
Adam and Billy
leapt through the air and connected their morphers. “Kiryoku transform!”
________________________________________________________________________
Tommy and Jinn
leapt towards each other. Their fists slammed together in midair, knuckled
against knuckle, as they spun forward and each slammed a kick against their
opponent.
They landed
back-to-back.
Jinn turned and
dashed towards Tommy. The assassin snapped a high and low roundkick combo that
Tommy blocked. The teen knocked Jinn’s leg away and spun forward with a reverse
sidekick that slammed against Jinn’s chest.
Jinn was
visibly impressed by the ranger’s increased speed.
Tommy removed
the top of his uniform to reveal the set of tight springs.
“Fool!” Jinn
called. “You’ll kill yourself.”
Tommy stretched
his muscles until the wiring broke. The teen snapped into a fighting stance and
waved Jinn forward.
Jinn narrowed
his eyes. “Spider Fist!” Jinn shouted. The assassin launched forward with a
flurry of turbo-speed punches. Tommy blocked each blow, his arms and fists a
blur of motion as the sound of fist and arms slamming against each other
sounded almost as rapid as machine-gun fire.
Tommy caught
the last punch with his hand and lunged forward, slamming a cross punch against
Jinn’s face. Tommy spun a reverse heel kick that slammed across Jinn’s head,
forcing the assassin backward.
“How…” Jinn
said. “Is this your magic?”
“No,” Tommy
said. “It’s all me…”
The opponents
charged at one another again. Tommy somersaulted forward through the air and
slammed a scissor kick across the assassin’s head. The force of the blow
knocked Jinn off his feet and sent him tumbling into the water before losing
consciousness.
Tommy dragged
him back to the shore before running off to help his friends.
________________________________________________________________________
The Gorma
slammed Lion ranger and Kirin Ranger to the ground. Tommy ran to the scene in
the distance just as the Gorma sucked the Green and Yellow Rangers into his
vase.
Tommy ran
closer to the Gorma and narrowed his brow. “You’re going to pay!”
“You’re no
match for my kempo!” the monster shouted.
The Gorma fired
an optic blast that exploded around Tommy with a massive explosion, causing
flames to snap out and burn the ground. When the flames cleared, Dragon Ranger
stood tall.
Dragon ranger
charged forward towards his opponent. Red Ranger slammed a jumpkick against the
Gorma, a roundhouse kick, and a roundkick against the villain’s side. Each blow
pushed the monster backward.
The monster
swung its stubby arm towards the Ranger. Red Ranger knocked the fist away and
reached forward, grabbing the Gorma by the eye. The villain winced with pain
and took a step backward.
Dragon ranger
spun forward with a reverse sidekick that slammed against the Gorma’s chest,
sending him stumbling backward.
Dragon Ranger
placed his fist against his palm as the dragon eyes on his helmet flashed with
blue energy. “Heaven Fire Star…” he shouted as red energy crackled around his
body. “Dragon-Fang fist!”
Dragon Ranger’s fists radiated with power as he
punched forward, slamming a barrage of super-speed punches that forced the
villain back.
Red Ranger
pressed forward, his final punch exploding against the Gorma with a massive
burst of spark that knocked the villain from his feet.
The Gorma’s
vase cracked as the other four Rangers appeared in bursts of energy.
Dragon Ranger
ran over to their side. “Guys…are you alright?”
The Gorma
pulled an enlarging bomb and threw it to the ground. The bomb exploded, and the
Gorma absorbed the energy from the explosion, using it to grow giant.
The Rangers
unsheathed their Thunder Swords and held their gems as they raised their blades
into the air. “Thunderzords, arise!”
________________________________________________________________________
Jinn crawled
further onto the shore. “Failed…I can’t believe I failed.”
Jinn looked up
to see Zydos standing over him. The Gorma looked down at the assassin while
holding a dark crystal ball. “It is not that you failed. The boy has just
become stronger than you.”
Zydos leaned
down towards Jinn. “But I can give you power that would rival his. But first
you have to kill your weakness.”
Jinn looked
shocked as he stared at the stranger.
“Jinn!” Tatsume
shouted as she ran towards him.
A fiendish
smile crossed the Gorma’s face. Zydos nodded and walked off.
Jinn rose to
his knees as Tatsume wrapped her arms around him. Jinn’s face was stone cold,
revealing no emotions. “My weakness..” he said quietly to himself. He placed
his arms on her back.
“Jinn…” she
said as she looked at him. Jinn would not meet her gaze. She gasped as Jinn’s
metal hand punctured her side.
“Jinn…” her
time with Jinn flashed before her eyes. The laughing. The joy. All of it
destroyed. She collapsed and died.
Jinn stood up
as the Zydos reappeared. “Very good,” Zydos said. “Now we can begin! You will
be an unstoppable force!”
Zydos held up
his crystal ball and whispered an incantation. The skies turned black and red
lightning struck Jinn. The assassin howled with pain as power filled his every
pore. Red and black leather armor formed across his body and legs. His entire
left arm covered with jagged metal.
________________________________________________________________________
“MegaThunderzord
Saber!” the Rangers shouted from their cockpit. “Lightning Slash!”
The sword
energized with crackling power and slashed through the Gorma monster. The
villain collapsed as its energy overloaded and exploded with a massive eruption
of flame and spark.
________________________________________________________________________
“Excellent
Jinn…” Zydos said as he looked at the assassin. “Behold your new form! Welcome
to the Gorma”
Jinn stood
firmly and tightened his fists. He jumped over Zydos while kicking the Gorma in
the back. Zydos toppled to the ground.
“Bastard!”
Zydos yelled.
“I work for no
one,” Jinn said as he slowly walked away.
________________________________________________________________________
At sunset, the
teens ran to the shore but saw no sign of Jinn. Tommy saw Jinn’s coin, picked
it up, and stared at it as the others stood silently over him. What did the
coin mean? Jinn would not just leave it behind. Something had happened.
Somewhere off
in the distance, Jinn was laughing.
To be continued…Chapter Sixteen