Five Stars of Heaven: Chapter Twenty-Two

Dragon of Death

Kameo had his telescope aimed out his window at night. He looked through the lens towards the stars as Kou and Billy stood behind him.

"I don't know, Kameo," Kou said as he shook his head. "You've been looking out that thing forever and haven't seen anything."

"Just a little longer," Kameo said as he zoomed his focus towards the moon.

Kou sighed and slumped his shoulders.

"Wait...what's that?" Kameo asked. "By the moon!"

Through the telescope, Kameo saw a large dragon-shaped shadow pass over the moon.

"It's probably just a shooting star," Billy said. He narrowed his eyes towards the moon but saw nothing.

The dragon was very real. Each claw of the massive, unstoppable beast was almost the size of a Megazord. The dragon twisted downward and flew through the Earth's upper atmosphere.

Kameo's gem flashed with bright green light. The gem sent a pulse of energy into Kameo that enveloped him and transformed him into a small turtle.

"I hate it when this happens," Kameo said in his turtle form.

"Kameo..." Billy said as he took a step back, not wanting to step on his friend.

Kameo returned to his human form with a pulse of light and crashed onto his tailbone. His eyes were fixed on the sky above, his face pale with fear. "It's coming!"

"Are you sure you didn't see anything?" Tommy asked as he and Billy walked by a fountain plaza near the center of Angel Grove.

"Yes," Billy said. "But I believe Kameo. He's very paranoid, but...I think he did see something. It's such a vague description, I haven't been able to find anything out about it from the texts Zordon left behind."

Tommy sighed. "A big dragon." He shook his head. "We'll have to talk to sensei about this one."

Tommy's communicator toned. He lifted his wrist and pressed the device's activation button. "This is Tommy..."

"Tommy..." It was Kimberly. She sounded panicked. "Get over here now. It's Kou...he...just get over here!"

"I'm on may way, Kim," Tommy said as he and Billy ran off towards Kimberly's apartment.

Tommy and Billy ran onto Kimberly's floor and saw her standing outside her own door. They dashed closer to her.

"Are you alright?" Tommy asked.

Kimberly shook her head. "I am, but Kou isn't. Something weird is going on in there."

Tommy turned towards the door and narrowed his eyes. He cracked the door open, and a gust of wind immediately pushed the three teens backward. Crimson light was flashing inside.

Tommy moved back towards the door when the wind stopped. He peaked inside and opened his eyes wide with shock.

Kou was unconscious, hovering in midair with his back flat facing the ground. The entire room was pulsing with crimson energy as lamps, telephones and appliances were hurled about by an unseen force. Tendrils of red energy occasionally thrashed out from Kou's body.

The tiger tattoo on Kou's arm was flashing blue, straining to contain the energy.

The force intensified, and invisible energy nearly forced the three teens backward through a wall. But they stood their ground and fought to keep the door open.

"Kou!" Kimberly shouted.

Rocky and Adam were at a small arcade near the Angel Grove University football stadium in Angel Grove North. The trip was Rocky's idea, and Adam followed reluctantly. Rocky was leaning onto a pinball machine, his eyes fixed on the game while he played.

"I think you're becoming addicted," Adam said.

"Oh, come on," Rocky said while keeping his eyes on his game. "How often do any of us get out anymore anyway?"

Rocky lost the game.

"Oh man," he said as he hunched over the machine in bitter defeat.

Adam rolled his eyes and patted his friend on the back.

A strange man dressed in a tuxedo walked over to them. The man leaned against the machine. "You give up too easy," the man said to Rocky.

"Because I asked for your opinion," Rocky said sarcastically.

The man patted the pin ball machine. Every machine in the room started spitting out quarters and tokens from its slots. Over-eager teenagers frantically started scooping the tokens, counting the hours of mind-numbing entertainment they would provide.

The stranger tossed a handful of metal pellets onto the ground that the kids tripped over before crashing to the ground. The stranger turned and started to walk away.

Rocky narrowed his eyes at the man. "Hey..." He and Adam both grabbed the man's shoulders to turn him around.

The stranger spun backward while slamming the back of his fist across the two teens' heads.

The man took a few steps backward away from the rangers as his skin started to ripple. He transformed into a Gorma monster. He wore white and light red garments covered by plates of armor that resembled pachinko machines in styling. A pastel bandana covered the top of his head. The bottom half of his face was pale white, and his mouth was full of fangs. His name was Pachinko Daimeijin.

"Can we ever get a day off?" Rocky said.

"I guess not," Adam said.

The villain hurled an invincible telekinetic burst into the room that started throwing gamers around, tossing them through the air. The villain used the disturbance as a distraction and ran outside.

Rocky and Adam followed. Adam activated his communicator. "Tommy, Billy, Kimberly...Gorma." he shouted.

Tommy and the others were still trying to force their way into Kimberly's apartment. Tommy answered into his communicator. "We're having problems of our own, Adam."

Another burst of energy knocked the teens backward.

"Get back here!" Rocky shouted as he and Adam chased the monster outside near the stadium.

The two rangers armed their morphers and leapt forward. "Chakra ignite!" Energy shimmered around them as they morphed into their Ranger forms.

The two Rangers leapt over the monster while kicking down on its collar bone. The villain collapsed. Tenma Ranger and Lion Ranger turned to face the villain while they landed and snapped into fighting stances.

The Gorma monster tossed a handful of metal pellets at the Rangers. The pellets exploded against their chests with bursts of spark that knocked them off their feet.

Pachinko Daimeijin fired a thick lightning bolt that slammed against the Rangers and imprisoned them within a large sphere of iron.

"Okay," Tenma Ranger said. "This is just stupid."

The monster kicked the large pellet that contained the captured Rangers. The pellet slammed against several nearby buildings before cracking open and spilling the two Rangers back onto the ground.

"Well," the monster said. "It's been fun...but I have to go. Good bye, twerps!" The monster teleported away.

Sensei Kaku joined Tommy, Billy, and Kimberly outside of the apartment. "It's happening," Kaku said. "The evil of the Gorma is winning."

"What are you..." Then Tommy remembered what Kou's mother had told them.

"Kou is half Gorma...that evil energy burns inside of him, and on his birthday, not even the tiger brand I placed on his arm will be able to contain that energy..."

"The tiger brand is weakening," Kaku said.

"There has to be something we can do," Kimberly said.

"We need a way inside first," Billy said.

"Kaku," Byakko said from within the room as he peaked his head out of Kou's jacket. "There may be a way I can help him…I can enter his mind..."

Kaku nodded, signaling the saber to proceed.

White beams shot from the saber's eyes and into Kou's mind...

Kou's mind was like a dark forest of twisted trees surrounded by thick blankets of fog. Byakko hovered through the mist as he projected his image into his holder's mind.

"Guys!" Kou shouted frantically as he ran through the twisted woods. He was a prisoner inside his own mind. "Where is everyone?!"

"Kou!" Byakko shouted.

"Byakko..." But Kou could not find the saber. "Where did you go?!"

Kou heard the squeaking of old wooden wheels nearby in the fog. Then a whistle.

A Kyonshi carried a small chariot from the fog. Akomaru stepped down from the chariot and slowly started walking towards Kou.

Kou opened his eyes wide and fell backward, tripping over his own feet. "Akomaru...it can't be!"

Byakko shouted from the distance. "It's not real Kou...this is all in your mind!"

"Yes and no, Byakko," Akomaru said with a glimmer of evil in his eye. "This is Kou's mind, and I'm in it."

Kou rolled his hands up into fists as he rose back to his feet.

"Your power has made you a prisoner here, Kou," Akomaru said. "A prisoner in your own mind. And as your birthday nears..." Akomaru removed his headband, revealing a third eye about ready to pop out from his forehead. The skin on his head was cracked and bulging. "You will truly be Gorma. My fate, is yours."

Akomaru extended his hand and fired energy tentacles of crimson power from his palm. The tentacles wrapped around Kou and lifted him from his feet. Akomaru used the tentacles to throw Kou around, bashing him into trees and slamming him against the ground.

"Get out of my head!" Kou shouted.

The energy around Kou shattered as explosions sparked throughout Kimberly's apartment. Kou and Byakko crashed to the ground.

Kaku and the teens burst into the room. Kimberly crouched down next to Kou and tried to wake him. "Kou...Kou!"

"Akomaru is still alive!" Byakko shouted. "He's invaded Kou's mind, suppressing his consciousness and accelerating the evil energies inside of him."

The gigantic black dragon flew closer towards to the Earth's surface. Its serpent-like form snapped like a snake.

Within the Gorma palace, Akomaru sat across from the emperor. The boy was not wearing a mask as he played cards with the Gorma ruler. A bulge on his forehead was covered with dry cracking skin where his third eye would pop out.

Shadam stood by impatiently with his arms crossed over his chest. He wore the same wooden mask over his face that all Gorma had to wear when they faced their ruler.

"Good hand, Akomaru," the emperor said as he reached out and grabbed one of the boy's cards. "But I win again."

Shadam shook his head in disbelief. "This is a waste of my time."

The emperor looked up at Shadam. "Learn some respect, Shadam. You could learn a lot from the boy."

Akomaru grinned mockingly at Shadam.

"Hmph," Shadam said.

"Listen to the emperor, father," Akomaru said as he exchanged another card with the emperor. "After all…I have accelerated the evil within Kiba Ranger. It's only a matter of time before he is Gorma."

"What..." Shadam said in disbelief. "How?"

"The boy has his resources," the emperor said. He laughed. "Which is more than I can say for you."

Shadam slammed his fist through a crate within a dark warehouse. The other two members of the Gorma Triumvirate stood by. "How did he do it?" Shadam asked. "He's just a boy."

Gara nodded. "I wonder what these resources are the emperor spoke of?"

Shadam shook his head. "He's just a boy...and he has the Kiba Ranger."

Zydos shook his head. "Let's kill him."

Shadam shook his head. "Not yet. He's too close to the emperor...but if the Kiba Ranger's will has truly been weakened…maybe we could use that to our advantage."

The Gorma pachinko monster was stalking across the streets when a streak of pale light struck his body, possessing him. The Gorma screamed and leapt through the air.

The monster landed at an outdoor playground complete with carousels and a miniature roller coaster.

"Stop!" Lion Ranger shouted as he and Tenma Ranger leapt onto the scene.

"Rangers..." the monster growled. The monster extended his hand and fired a blue energy blast from his palm.

The blast exploded against the Rangers' armor as they rolled forward through the explosions, sparks thrashing across their armor.

Lion Ranger sprang forward and swung a knifehand chop towards the villain's head. With one swift movement, the Gorma blocked the blow and smashed the Green Ranger aside. Lion Ranger turned and snapped a roundkick towards the monster, but the Gorma blocked the blow and slammed a backfist strike across the Ranger's helmet.

Tenma Ranger moved forward with a jump roundkick, but the villain blocked the blow and slammed an uppercut upside the Blue Ranger's head.

Lion Ranger moved forward and swung the back of his fist towards the monster's head. The villain blocked the blow and grabbed the Green Ranger by the throat. The monster hurled the Ranger over his shoulder.

The Green Ranger crashed against the ground and tumbled backward.

"Adam," Tenma Ranger called as he ran to his friend's side and helped the Green Ranger to his feet. The two Rangers snapped into fighting stances.

Suddenly, Dragon Ranger and Kirin Ranger leapt through the air and speared their staffs against the Gorma, knocking the villain off his feet.

The four Rangers regrouped as the villain rose to his feet. The Gorma monster snarled at the Rangers and laughed. For a few seconds, the Rangers could see a ghostly image of Shadam ebb from within the monster.

"It's Shadam," Dragon Ranger said. "Is this his monster form?"

"No," Lion Ranger said.

"Shadam must have possessed this Gorma," Kirin Ranger said.

The Gorma pulled out and enlarging bomb and tossed it to the ground. He absorbed the energy of the explosion and used it to grow giant.

The villain started slamming his fists through buildings, causing explosions while debris crashed against the streets below. People ran and screamed in panic as cars screeched to a halt to avoid getting crushed by massive chunks of concrete.

Zydos and Gara appeared on the streets below alongside a group of Kyonshi and charged towards the four Rangers.

Dragon Ranger turned to face them. "Gorma..."

The Rangers and Kyonshi slammed against each other with a flurry of blows. Dragon Ranger knocked a soldier's staff aside while pressing forward with a spinning heel kick against the grunt's head. Tenma Ranger moved in low while kicking the legs out from a soldier. Kirin Ranger slammed a jumpkick upside a soldier's head.

The giant Gorma looked down at the Rangers. "It's not you we're after, Rangers...it's the Kiba Ranger..."

"What?" Dragon Ranger said.

The monster shot out a blast of Crimson energy that flew across the city.

Kou was lying back on the couch while unconscious. Kimberly was at his side, sitting on the floor and applying a damp washcloth to his forehead. The boy had broken out into a fever.

The blast of crimson energy suddenly shot into the apartment and entered Kou's body. The boy's eyes snapped open as he sat up.

The Rangers' battle with the Kyonshi had covered four city blocks. The grunts seemed to pop up everywhere, battling against the four Rangers with staffs and sabers. Tenma Ranger was clearing the soldiers from a fire escape with a flurry of spinning kicks while the other Rangers continued to smash against the soldiers on the streets.

Kiba Ranger suddenly leapt onto the scene. The White Ranger slammed a flying sidekick against Tenma Ranger's back. Blue Ranger toppled off the fire escape and crashed on the streets below.

The Rangers regrouped below the fire escape.

"You okay?" Dragon Ranger asked as he helped the Blue Ranger to his feet.

"Yeah," Tenma Ranger said as they looked towards the White Ranger, standing on the fire escape above. "Something's wrong with Kou!"

Kiba Ranger leapt from the fire escape and angled his descent towards the four Rangers below. He swung his saber downward across Tenma Ranger's chest while landing, his blade sparking across the Blue Ranger's armor upon impact.

Kiba Ranger spun past Kirin Ranger while slashing across the Ranger's armor with a burst of spark.

The White Ranger continued his spin while twirling his blade in an 8-shaped pattern, slashing across Lion Ranger and Dragon Ranger's armor.

The White Ranger turned back towards the Rangers. He swung his blade down in an x-shaped pattern, slashing across the Rangers' armor with bursts of sparks.

Kimberly ran through the alley towards the scene. "Stop it Kou!"

Kimberly leapt forward while arming her morphers. "Chakra ignite!" Energy shimmered around her as she morphed into her Ranger form.