Land of the Rising Sun: Chapter Twenty-Two

Hakumenrou Strikes

Darabotchi screamed with discord as energy continued to saturate her body, crimson lightning dancing across her skin. She was standing in the middle of Daimamou's throne room as the Youkai Lord stood at his balcony, which was the mouth of the floating skull palace.

"The end has come," Daimamou said quietly. "The Ninja Rangers will die, and nothing will stand in our way..."

Daimamou turned and walked back towards his throne, passing the screaming Darabotchi without sparing her a glance. The Youkai Lord walked over to the stone statue that used to be Trini's living and breathing father. His name was Hakumenrou.

The Youkai lord ran his hand across the statue, slowly voicing a spell as tendrils of energy left his hands and spread across the stone body of Hakumenrou. Daimamou grinned as the statue's eyes snapped open and the stone became animate.

Trini was walking through a grassy park in Tokyo along with her young friend Yuuriko. They were having a small picnic in the middle of a clearing. A view of the close skyline was nearby, just above the trees. The other four rangers shortly joined the two, and they sat together on a deep-red blanket.

Zack opened a small box and readied his chopsticks. "It still amazes me how many different versions of this stuff they have here...I'm going to miss eating anything else."

Jonathan laughed. "That is so not true."

Zack shrugged. "I suppose not."

Yuuriko reached out and touched Trini's arm. "When do you have to leave?"

Trini sighed. Their study abroad trip was almost over, which meant it was almost time to head back to the United States.

"About a month," Trini said.

It was Yuuriko's turn to sigh. "Will you come visit."

Trini rustled Yuuriko's hair. "Count on it..."

Jason narrowed his brow and looked out into the distance. Less than a month...They had less than a month to stop Daimamou and the Youkai. Less than a month to win.

A large explosion suddenly tore through the streets, kicking up debris and shooting torrents of flame as citizens ran in panic. A figure walked slowly through the smoke, his posture was rigid and zombie-like. It was Hakumenrou, still mindless in his rock form.

The rangers quickly ran to the scene against the flow of running and panicked crowds. Yuuriko stayed a safe distance behind the teens, having followed them despite their telling her to stay.

Trini's face grew pale at the site of what used to be her dad.

"Father!" she shouted.

Hakumenrou's expression remained blank as he turned, not even bothering to face the rangers, and blasted a group of people who had been running for their lives.

"No!" Jason shouted as he and the others readied their morphers. "We have to do this, Trini."

Trini nodded, a look of grief and anger on her face.

"Shogun transform-" Explosions suddenly sparked around the rangers, throwing them back and ripping their clothes before they could morph.

They rose to their feet and looked off to the right to see Darabotchi floating forward. She was surrounded by the Hana Ninja, dressed in their gray ninja robes and signature-colored scarves. Darabotchi held her palm up, crimson electricity dancing between her fingers.

Darabotchi tilted her head and stared at Trini, a sick glimmer of pleasure in her eyes. "Do you like what we've done to him?"

Trini glared at the villain. "Change him back!"

"What makes you think we even can?" Darabotchi asked mockingly.

Hakumenrou turned his head and fired another optic blast that exploded through a building, creating a massive shockwave. Some people were blasted backward while others were trapped under debris. They screamed in anguish and panic.

"Stop!" Trini shouted again.

"Trini!" Yuuriko shouted as she ran forward towards her mentor. "What's happening?"

Jason placed a hand on Trini's shoulder. "Get her out of here..."

Trini nodded and ran back towards her friend to lead her to safety.

More people screamed as Hakumenrou fired another optic blast. A dark swirling cloud appeared above the city, circling with crimson energy. The energy grew in intensity each time a new voice joined the chorus of screams below.

Trini ran through the woods while leading along a confused Yuuriko. Trini ignored the girl's questions and kept running, trying to get her to safety, trying to escape the reality of what her father had done.

The two heard a shrill laughter come from behind them. They stopped and turned, Trini making sure Yuuriko stayed behind her. It was Darabotchi, stepping out from behind a tree with her head tilted back, laughing mockingly.

Darabotchi lowered her gaze and stared at Trini. "You amuse me, child...do you see what your father causes?"

Darabotchi extended her hand back towards the cloud above the city. "That cloud of energy...it's formed from grief and despair. Anger and rage.Sorrow and madness. It was from this power that we Youkai were born. It is this power we summon to grow. It is this power...this power that has now reached its peak, thanks to your father. We will become invincible."

"I don't believe you," Trini said as she glared at the villain.

The villainous shrugged. "It hardly matters. You'll realize I'm telling the truth, and by then, it will be too late. There's only one way to stop your father now...and you don't have what it takes, I'm afraid."

Yuuriko looked up to Trini. "Your father?"

"Not now, Yuuriko," Trini said to her young friend. She looked back to the monster. "What are you talking about, Youkai?"

Darabotchi pulled a skull-handled dagger from behind her back and tossed it forward like a throwing knife. The blade jammed into a tree with its bronze and gold handle sticking out.

"This blade is the only weapon that can pierce through your father's stone. The only weapon that can change him back," Darabotchi said. "You'd have to kill him to stop him."

Trini narrowed her eyes at the Youkai. "Never."

Darabotchi laughed. "Exactly my point..."

The creature teleported away with a flash of crimson energy.

Jason, Zack, Richie, and Jonathan regrouped just outside the damaged part of the city.

"Where's Trini?" Jonathan asked.

Zack shook his head. "She should have been back by now..."

"She probably ran into trouble," Jason said. "All right, this is the plan..."

Before Jason could speak, a phantom-like, giant image of the Three God Generals appeared: NinjaMegazord, ShogunMegazord, and White Falcon.

"Rangers," the rumbling combined voice of the Sanshinshou said. "You must stop Trini before it is too late."

Jonathan gave the generals a look of disbelief. "I'm sorry...did you say stop Trini?"

"The cloud of despair grows stronger by the minute...but no despair is as strong as that which causes one to murder their own father," Sanshinshou said. "If Trini kills Hakumenrou, the cloud of anger and sorrow will make the Youkai invincible. Stop her..."

The vision of the Sanshinshou vanished.

Trini and Yuuriko walked through the park, gaining distance from the city and Darabotchi.

"Where are we going?" Yuuriko asked.

Trini hadn't even given the simple question thought. She just wanted to go and didn't care which way she went or where she ended up.

Explosions suddenly sparked around the two friends and tossed them to the ground. Trini's face grew pale as she looked up to see her stone-encased father standing with his hand extended.

Hakumenrou grabbed hold of Yuuriko with an invisible stand of energy and pulled. Yuuriko was thrown off her feet and sent tumbling across the ground away from Trini.

Hakumenrou unsheathed his golden-hilted sword and aimed towards Yuuriko, firing jagged beams of blood-red energy that exploded around her. Yuuriko rolled for cover as the shockwave knocked her backward. Hakumenrou continued to stalk forward.

"Help!" she shouted to Trini.

Trini rolled her hands up into fists, knowing she had no choice but to act. She pulled out her morpher.

"Shogun transform!" she shouted as energy whirled around her and she morphed into her Ranger form.

Ninjawhite leapt through the air and unsheathed her sword, swinging down towards her father. Hakumenrou turned and parried the blow before countering with a horizontal strike across the Ranger's chest. Hakumenrou swung his sword again, but Ninjawhite blocked the blow with an outer crescent kick, and followed by skipping forward and swinging her blade downward. Hakumenrou parried the blow and slashed his daughter across the chest.