BOOM!
Three auras radiating immense pressure erupted at once, cracking the stone floor beneath them. Even the surrounding trees swayed violently under the sheer weight of that power, their leaves rustling like they were bowing before gods.
Zayne and Tommy stood opposite Sensei Watanabe, their stances firm, their bodies coiled and ready for any form of offense. Both of them could clearly feel it—Sensei's aura was stronger than theirs. Deeper. Older. More refined.
Yet neither of them even considered backing down.
They had to free the Dino Gem from its suffering.
Zayne stepped forward first, the pressure around him intensifying as he spoke, his tone heavy and resolute.
"Do we really have to do this, Sensei Watanabe?"
Sensei's deep eyes glinted sharply at those words.
He had never given this Ranger his name.
Yet the boy knew it.
That alone forced him to reassess Zayne. His presence became sharper, more focused. Still, his expression remained stern, showing no intention of yielding.
To Zayne's surprise, Sensei Watanabe also stepped forward, leaning slightly toward him, their auras colliding at close range.
"Want to bargain with this old man?" he said coldly. "Go home, kid. You're not worthy."
Zayne's lips twitched faintly beneath his helmet.
He didn't like that.
It wasn't just the word kid—it was the dismissiveness behind it. As if Zayne were nothing more than a reckless child playing hero. He tolerated Tommy calling him that. Tommy had earned it.
This man had not.
It seemed that in the end, words would not suffice.
Tommy, standing beside him, felt the disrespect as well. He narrowed his eyes, recognizing the taunt for what it was. The sage-like figure before them was trying to provoke them, to disrupt their rhythm and force mistakes.
Why he was doing it—and what he was planning—they would soon find out.
"Dr. O, take this."
Zayne flicked his wrist, tossing two low-level Zeo Crystals toward Tommy.
Tommy caught them mid-air without hesitation and crushed them instantly.
The crystals shattered, their energy flooding into him in a violent surge. Power rushed through his veins, overwhelming yet intoxicating. Tommy let out a quiet breath, almost a groan, as his sealed strength returned in full force.
He still wasn't fully used to this sensation.
Freedom.
Not only was his power back—it flowed smoother than before, more responsive, more natural.
Sensei Watanabe watched silently, his gaze never leaving Zayne.
He said nothing, but inwardly, his caution deepened.
The Ranger before him was dangerous.
Not as strong as him—yet—but dangerous nonetheless. And Sensei Watanabe had lived for thousands of years. He had survived because he never underestimated uncertainty.
Zayne gave Tommy a brief signal.
Be ready.
Anything could happen now.
Sensei Watanabe did not retreat.
Instead, his hands moved.
Faster than the eye could track.
His fingers blurred as he formed hand seals at terrifying speed. The air in front of him distorted as a glowing red seal manifested, burning with heat and authority.
Then he spoke.
"Fire Seal!"
A massive fireball roared into existence, surging forward toward Zayne and Tommy with destructive force.
There was no room for negotiation anymore.
They attacked.
"Omni-Slash!"
"Red Energy Blast!"
Their attacks launched simultaneously, meeting the incoming inferno head-on.
BOOM!
The three forces collided in a catastrophic explosion, canceling each other out in a violent shockwave.
The ground beneath the pagoda trembled violently, the vibrations rippling outward like an earthquake. The sound alone was deafening, disorienting even the Ninjas training far from the courtyard.
The stronger ones barely managed to stabilize themselves.
The weaker ones were thrown off their feet, crashing hard onto the ground.
"Enemy attack?!" one of them screamed, voicing the panic spreading through the academy.
An instructor turned sharply toward the source of the explosion—and his face went pale.
He knew what was happening.
The visitors and their master were fighting.
And not just fighting—a high-level battle.
Worst of all, they could not intervene.
They were far too weak.
Without hesitation, the instructor activated the protective dome, ancient seals flaring to life as a barrier formed around the pagoda, minimizing the destructive shockwaves radiating outward.
In the courtyard, the assaults continued. Sensei Watanabe released careful yet ruthless attacks, clearly intending to probe the capabilities of the Rangers before him. The same was true for Zayne and Tommy, who were also searching for even the slightest weakness in the old Ninja.
Bang! Clang! Fwoosh! Ziiing!
Bright, rapid attacks were released in quick succession. Zayne leapt high into the air, his cape fluttering violently as he moved with extreme speed.
In the next instant, Zayne appeared directly in front of Sensei Watanabe. His fists clenched, coated in pure Omni-Force, he struck. His blows shot out like descending meteorites, pulverizing the air itself and distorting the void around them.
"What formidable energy control!" the old Ninja exclaimed internally, startled by the power behind the incoming fists. The extreme precision and destructiveness were magnified in his perception.
Wasting no time, he activated a defensive Ninja spell, his hands forming seals once more.
"Earth Wall."
A gray, extremely solid dome formed around him, intercepting the attack.
Baam!
Surprisingly, the barrier did not simply block the blow—it nullified nearly twenty percent of its power. Then something even stranger happened.
The absorbed energy was reflected back at Zayne, doubled in destructiveness.
Zayne's eyes widened as he immediately crossed his arms in front of him, forming an X to brace for impact.
"Damn… what the fuck was that?!" he cursed under his breath, realizing he had underestimated the old Ninja. Then, as he reassessed Sensei Watanabe's strength, it made sense. His Morpher didn't rank opponents based on raw power alone—energy reserves, combat techniques, experience, and adaptability all factored in. A B- tier wasn't just a title.
This time, Zayne switched places with Tommy.
Tommy attacked from behind, his Zeo Star Sword radiating immense power as he plunged it downward. The ground beneath Sensei Watanabe erupted, forming a massive earth-spike aimed straight at him.
Sensing the danger, the old man immediately deactivated his spell and flashed away repeatedly, narrowly avoiding the spikes as their jagged tips grazed past him.
As he dodged, his expression hardened.
"These Rangers aren't just strong… they're experienced."
His initial assumption that they were greenhorns shattered completely.
"This might be harder than I thought."
Before he could finish the thought, Zayne struck again—this time from behind. His Omni-Saber arced toward Sensei Watanabe's neck in a lethal slash.
The old Ninja did not dare underestimate it. Channeling a large portion of his strength, he vanished from his position and reappeared several meters away.
Zayne clicked his tongue inwardly. This old man truly had too many tricks up his sleeves.
The battle escalated.
This time, all three went all out.
They transformed into streaks of light, moving at extreme speed. To an ordinary observer, the figures were impossible to track—only the thunderous collisions and shockwaves betrayed the battle unfolding.
Sensei Watanabe held a clear advantage.
As a B- tier expert, he could fly freely. Zayne and Tommy, on the other hand, could only remain airborne for a few seconds before gravity asserted itself.
Naturally, this frustrated them both.
Sensei Watanabe exploited this advantage relentlessly, and if the fight continued this way, they would eventually lose.
Zayne reacted immediately.
"Apocalypse Descent!"
He roared as a massive, shark-like phantom manifested above him, plunging downward toward Sensei Watanabe with unstoppable momentum.
Seeing the attack, Sensei Watanabe's eyes widened slightly in alarm. He floated backward rapidly, but the phantom locked onto him, refusing to relent.
Realizing evasion was impossible, he activated one of his secret techniques.
"Ninja Transformation!"
His body erupted in golden light, morphing into a massive white sabretooth tiger—meters tall, immensely muscular, and overflowing with primal power.
ROAR!
The beast roared, unleashing a concentrated elemental beam from its mouth, directly colliding with the descending phantom.
BOOM!
Shockingly, the two attacks canceled each other out—and the residual energy surged forward toward Zayne and Tommy.
"Shit!"
The same thought passed through both their minds.
There was no dodging it.
They would have to take it head-on.
Yet, despite that, both Rangers acted—each with similar intent, but their own plans.
They tapped their Morphers simultaneously.
Time froze.
Then—
[Omni-Morpher Lock On]
[Initiating Phase 2]
{It's Morphin Time}
{Tiger Zord}
Both transformations were completed in unison.
Time resumed.
The incoming beam surged forward—but this time, there was no fear.
Zayne and Tommy raised a single hand each and stopped the attack cold, the energy dispersing harmlessly against their palms.
Sensei Watanabe reverted to his human form, shock clearly visible in his eyes. Even after several minutes of intense combat, they still had power to spare.
His face hardened.
"Are you truly willing to risk your lives trying to steal from me?" he demanded coldly. "I'm very sure you can't maintain your Ranger forms forever."
His reasoning was only half correct.
It was true—most Rangers could not sustain their forms indefinitely unless cursed, like Tommy had once been. But Zayne was not most Rangers. He possessed abilities that could replenish his energy endlessly if he wished.
That assumption was a fatal miscalculation.
"Cut the crap, old man," Zayne snorted. "That gem doesn't belong to you. If we're talking about theft, you're the real thief here."
It sounded almost as if Sensei Watanabe was painting them as villains.
By now, they were no longer in the courtyard. Their battle had carried them far away, into a deserted forest. Had such power been unleashed near the trainees, the casualties would have been catastrophic.
Sensei Watanabe's heart raged at those words.
He had sacrificed something precious to secure that gem—and now this Ranger dared call him a thief.
"It seems I really must end you both now," he said, his words radiating chilling pressure.
Zayne and Tommy stiffened.
They felt it.
This was no longer a test.
The real battle had begun.
Then—
Their surroundings vanished.
The forest, the sky, everything dissolved.
Only a single word echoed from above.
"Elemental Domain."
Multicolored light burst from Sensei Watanabe's fingertips, expanding outward for hundreds of meters, completely sealing off all paths of escape.
Zayne's eyes narrowed with worry.
Tommy swallowed hard.
It seemed they had truly bitten off more than they could chew.
They could only fight on—for even the smallest hope.
--- ✦ ---
It's the 100th chapter, guys! Woohoo, I'm so happy I've gotten this far. Moreover with your help, my writing has evolved to what it is now. Better than before. I have you all to thank for this.
I hope you enjoyed the fight scene, if there is room for improvement please comment and review, guys. I'm open to them all. Love you all.
Shower your poor Author with Power Stones!. I need it to rank up and make my work more viewable.