They choose to streak away from the Ice Academy back towards the deepening pools, where they had left Te'poua buried under tons of rock. But halfway there, Hunter stopped and Cam had to back track slightly when he realized Hunter wasn't beside him. He went back and found Hunter pacing back and forth in a small stand of trees near a stream. Cam came to a halt and watched his friend a moment. Hunter was upset and angry, he could tell that much. And truth be told, he wasn't best pleased either. Sighing softly, Cam watched his friend for a few moments, leaning against a tree with his arms crossed, before biting the bullet.

"So, are you going to spill it or do I have to drag it out of you?" Hunter turned to see Cam watching him and sighed softly before walking over to lean against the tree next to Cam.

"This whole thing sucks, you know that right?" Cam nodded.

"Yes, I know Hunter. But what could we do realistically?" Cam gestured back towards the Ice Academy. "None of them have the powers we do Hunter, or the skills. You saw them fight and train, honestly, do you think they could take him down without help?" Hunter shook his head as he crossed his arms again, frustration coming off him in waves.

"No, I don't." Hunter fell silent a moment and Cam just waited. He'd seen this sort of focus before on Hunter and knew that there was nothing really he could say to calm his friend down. Hunter gave a soft sigh again after a few moments and glanced over at Cam. He could see Cam watching him, his dark eyes calm and controlled and Hunter admitted to himself that sometimes he envied Cam's calmness. "I just think it's a bit unfair to expect us to solve all their problems for them." Cam raised an eyebrow at this and his more familiar sarcastic tone came out slightly in his voice.

"Not all their problems Hunter, just one big one. And you must admit, we are rather uniquely qualified to handle monsters and evil beings and the like now, aren't we?" Hunter nodded in agreement.

"Yes I know that Cam. But I guess I'm just frustrated and annoyed that both academies couldn't get along enough to realize that this problem required them both to work together."

"But they did, well, at least their Senseis did." Cam shrugged. "That's how we ended up here Hunter."

"I know." Cam looked at him and Hunter felt like Cam could see right into his soul suddenly.

"But that's not what's really bothering you is it Hunter?" Cam guessed shrewdly and Hunter looked away. Cam reached over with his hand and put it on Hunter's where he had his arms crossed. Almost without thinking Hunter locked his fingers with Cam's and turned back, looking at the Green Ranger. Finally he admitted what was bothering him.

"No, it's not." Cam just waited, his eyes not leaving Hunter's. "I don't want you getting hurt again. Not by me, not by that thing, not by those ignorant people back at the Academy." Cam opened his mouth to answer but Hunter plunged on. "Look, I know you can take care of yourself and that it wasn't my fault you got hurt. But I can't help the way I feel." Cam closed his mouth, unsure what to say. He squeezed Hunter's fingers gently and managed a small smile.

"Thank you. For caring I mean. And I won't get hurt. Remember, we promised each other we wouldn't let each other get hurt or killed by those things. So, don't worry Hunter. I'll be fine. We'll both be fine." Hunter's eyes cleared slightly at the conviction in Cam's voice and suddenly he grinned, shaking his head and breaking the eye contact between them.

"God, listen to me. Come on, let's get this done." Almost reluctantly it seemed, Hunter let go of Cam's fingers and pushed himself off the tree. "Ready to get this over and done with?" Cam smiled gently.

"More than ready Hunter." Hunter nodded and suddenly smirked.

"Race you there!" And with that Hunter streaked away quickly. Cam shook his head and laughed, following him.

They had been sitting at the edge of the river, talking softly, skimming stones and generally relaxing for a few hours. The peace and quiet of the secluded rock pools was something the two of them were quite enjoying. The fresh air and stillness of the area was something they hadn't really experienced back home and the scents of the native plants were quite different as well. In the background, they could hear rocks moving around and had checked up on the caves where they had trapped Te'poua. He was slowly breaking free and they knew that any minute now he would be free and then things would get busy. Hunter threw another rock across the pools and watched it as it skipped six or seven times before sinking.

"Good shot."

"Thanks." Cam threw a stone this time and it skipped eight times before sinking. Hunter looked at him.

"How did you do that?" Cam smirked at him.

"Lots of practice. Lots and lots of practice." Hunter opened his mouth to retort, his eyes mischievous when suddenly there was a large resounding crash that echoed quite loudly in the small, confined space. They sprang to their feet and literally flew across the water to the canyon where the caves were located. They halted just back from where the rocks had landed after the cave-in they had caused only to find they couldn't see anything due to dust being everywhere. Hunter looked at Cam, his mouth open to speak when suddenly a burst of black light came out of nowhere and threw him backwards towards the water.

"Hunter!" Cam spun around, trying to spot where the blast had come from. He spotted another blast heading for him from the corner of his eye and he threw himself to the left, landing hard as he rolled to a stop, barely missing being hit. Cam scrambled to his feet and back pedaled out of the narrow canyon. His eyes never left its mouth as he made his way quickly over to Hunter's side. Cam reached down, looking Hunter over and seeing no visible injuries, he helped Hunter to his feet. "Are you okay?" Hunter winced slightly as Cam kept a cautious eye on the canyon entrance.

"Yeah, I think so. Some bruised ribs maybe." Just then Te'poua came striding through the dust and out of the canyon entrance. The two of them immediately took up fighting stances, almost back to back, as they watched him approach.

"Ah, the Thunder Ninja and the Samurai. Still here I see. Waiting for me to destroy you?" Hunter snorted.

"You wish. Many have tried and failed before you." Te'poua studied them both a moment.

"Cocky for a Thunder Ninja aren't you?"

"Give it up now Te'poua, save yourself the hassle of trying to destroy us." Cam glanced at Hunter and raised an eyebrow. Was Hunter trying to get this guy mad? And then Cam realized, naturally he was. They had to get Te'poua to follow them to Point Castle and the trap. They should be ready by now, if not, then tough luck. Cam snorted softly and muttered so that Hunter could hear him.

"Keep it up. Get him mad." Hunter smirked at Te'poua, glad Cam had figured out his plan.

"Better beings than you have tried, and failed. You really want to go there and end up destroyed like them?" Te'poua stared at the two of them, anger beginning to make his already dark and ugly features even more distorted.

"Give up? You want me to give up?" Hunter and Cam both shifted slightly; there was something in his tone that was setting off alarm bells. "For centuries I ruled this island! People feared me! I had them in the palm of my hand and then your kind showed up! With their sense of honor; courage and noble purpose. Three centuries of tradition and fear and rule went when they arrived! Then they trapped me behind that mystical barrier they concocted and I was powerless for almost two centuries. And then, then I could feel something give me strength, give me the power I needed to break free. And I did. And now I can take my vengeance on those that trapped me, and you want me to give up? Not in a million years Thunder Ninja. For what you and your kind have done to me you will all die!" With that, Te'poua threw his hands out at the pair of them, hurling black lightning at them both. Reacting instantly, the two of them threw themselves to either side, away from the blast, but they were still showered with rocks pebbles and water from where the blast hit the pool. They scrambled to their feet and Hunter hurled a blast of lightening at him, but it barely phased him.

Te'poua took a few strides closer to the water, looking back and forth between the two of them. He stopped, almost in the middle between them and looked at them again. He sneered and stared hard at them both.

"The two of you are no match for me, why don't you give it up now? You're not Fire or Ice, you're Thunder and Samurai, and you don't belong here." Cam snorted softly and muttered to himself.

"Don't I know it." He raised his voice as he began to slowly circle back around towards Hunter, as he could see Hunter doing the same out of the corner of his eye. "They asked for our help. We've defeated more than our fair share of monsters and villains over the past year or so, you're just one more we can add to our tally."

"I won't be that easy Samurai. I too have defeated many foes, many great warriors and you will be just like two insects that I squash beneath my feet." Cam shook his head as finally he and Hunter stood together again. Hunter didn't take his eyes of Te'poua as he spoke to Cam, his own voice full of sarcasm.

"Is he just the most clich�d villain you've met or is it just me?" Cam couldn't help the small grin on his face as he played along with Hunter.

"I think they must attend some sort of school for clich�d villains. I can just see the class now. How to spout off clich�s without looking dumb." Hunter gave Te'poua the most irritating smirk he could come up with.

"Or How to attempt to insult your enemies without actually insulting them." Cam was really getting into the swing of this; it was kind of fun in a weird life threatening serious kind of way.

"Then there's my personal favorite, How to say I'll get you next time in a hundred different ways without repeating yourself." Hunter snorted loudly at that, hard pressed not to laugh. But that was it for Te'poua, he couldn't take the fact that these two heroes weren't taking him seriously! Growling in frustration, he ran at them and attacked.

Ducking his first blow, Cam delivered a punch to his stomach, while Hunter blocked that same blow and swept out with a kick to try and knock him off his feet. Te'poua stopped the kick with one of his own and stepped back slightly as Cam's punch hit. He blocked Cam's next blow and struck out at Hunter with one of his own. Hunter staggered back as the blow hit him on the chest, his own hand flying up instinctively to clutch at where it had been bruised earlier. Cam distracted Te'poua by slamming a kick into his knee, sending him down onto one knee and Cam grabbed Hunter, pulling him back slightly. They didn't get a chance to recover as Te'poua sprang to his feet and lashed out with a spin kick that connected with both of them, sending Hunter flying backwards into Cam and they sprawled on the ground. Te'poua then lashed out with his hand, a blast of black lightning heading straight for them when Hunter threw his hand up and lightning shot from his hand, intersecting the blast from Te'poua. The resulting clash of energies sent Te'poua flying backwards and showered the two Rangers with debris. Blinking hard Cam struggled to his feet, helping Hunter absently to his while looking around for Te'poua.

"Are you okay?"

"Not really, you?"

"Been better. Ready to get this show on the road?" Hunter's tiny smirk was all the reassurance Cam needed and they moved away, towards the water's edge when Te'poua came out of the dust and smoke before them and growled in frustration that they were still standing.

"You'll pay for this Thunder Ninja." Hunter smirked as they readied themselves.

"Why do they always say that?" And with that, the two of them streaked to the top of the embankment and looked down at Te'poua. They looked down and Hunter smirked. "Try to destroy us if you can Te'poua, but you're going to have to catch us first." Te'poua stared up at them, anger clearly on his face.

"I will do more than destroy you! Your fates will be feared across the world!" With that, he leapt up and the two Rangers took off, streaking as fast as they could; Te'poua right behind them.

Sensei Laglia finished the last of the preparations and nodded at Sensei Palan. The triangle was drawn on the ground and it shimmered with a dark green light, blending in with the uneven ground. Their students were hidden away in the dense bush land that surrounded the small clearing. All was in readiness and now it was a waiting game. Even nature itself seemed to sense something was wrong as there was an all encompassing silence pervading the small area. It was oppressive yet there was an air of hope in it as well. The Senseis stood at one corner of the triangle each, gathering themselves, preparing themselves mentally and spiritually for what would be a hard fought battle. And then suddenly there was a distant boom and before they could finish looking around two black streaks came through the trees and stumbled to a halt in the clearing. The two figures straightened up and looked at the Senseis. Cam broke the silence, looking back the way they had come.

"He's coming." Sensei Palan nodded and pointed to the other point of the triangle.

"Thank you. When the time comes, this is where you need to stand to complete the spell." Cam and Hunter both nodded, standing in the middle of the triangle, waiting for him. The Senseis backed away, into the undergrowth, so that he wouldn't spot the trap for what it was. They barely made it when he arrived.

Hunter and Cam were waiting in the middle of the clearing, breathing slightly hard and looking much disheveled. The last 30 minutes or so had been hard, fighting Te'poua back and forth all over the place, slowly leading him here. Cam glanced at Hunter as they could see Te'poua was almost on them.

"Ready to morph when he's here." Hunter nodded.

"More than ready Cam. I want this over and done with." Cam nodded as he turned his eyes back to Te'poua. Just then, there was a loud sonic boom as Te'poua came flying into the clearing, blasting with his hands as he did, sending Cam and Hunter flying backwards again. He landed gently on the spot where they had been standing, in the centre of the triangle. Cam and Hunter struggled to their feet, dazed and Te'poua looked at them, hatred on his face.

"The two of you have caused me enough trouble. It's time for you to die." Cam and Hunter straightened up and Hunter gave him the most irritating smirk he could.

"I don't think so. Ready Cam?" Cam stood next to him, the same smirk on his face.

"More than ready. Senseis, now!" The Senseis rushed forward and stopped at the points of the triangle. Hunter held up his wrist, his morpher gleaming in the sunlight and Cam held his amulet in his hands.

"What? What's going on?"

"The end of you Te'poua. Let's do this." Hunter nodded and his other hand flew to his morpher.

"Thunder Storm, Ranger Form! Ha!"

"Samurai Storm, Ranger Form! Ha!" The two of them were engulfed in the morphing energies as their Ranger armour began to form on their body's. Te'poua gave a scream of rage and threw his hand out, black lightning flying from his finger tips as he tried to hit each person around him. But once the two Senseis had got to their points of the triangle, the shield of the spell had become active and the lightning just bounced back and hit him full force, staggering him.

"No!" The two Senseis began chanting softly, enacting the spell. Sensei Palan began to glow a brilliant white thanks to the powers of his Ice Ninjas, whereas Sensei Laglia began to glow orange, the power of his Fire Ninjas flowing through him. Cam and Hunter were now fully morphed and standing at the apex of the triangle. Te'poua stared at them both, hatred plainly visible on his face. "If I go, you go!" He growled and reaching out with his hand he yanked it forward and suddenly Hunter was dragged forward, into the centre of the triangle, struggling all the way. In literally seconds he was at Te'poua's side, his hand around Hunter's throat. "If I'm going Thunder Ninja, so are you." He growled as Hunter struggled in vain to get free.

Cam's stomach literally froze when Hunter was dragged from his side. He reached out to try and grab his friend but to no avail, his fingers missing Hunter by inches.

"Hunter!" Cam's heart was racing with fear for his friend. Sensei Laglia's words came back to him then with frightening reality... After a minute, the shield will become solid, not even allowing anything in. It will then force him into spirit form and trap his spirit behind a new seal. ... Cam knew he just had seconds to act before Hunter was lost forever. And that's the thought that frightened him more than anything, that he could lose Hunter. He had less than 60 seconds to act to save Hunter and he had no idea how to do it. But then it hit him, it was a very slim chance but it might work. The shield would allow things in, but not out. But, if he was fast enough and hit it at the right angle, he may be able to get Hunter out. It was a slim, very slim chance at best, but it was Hunter's only chance. If it didn't work, they would be trapped for eternity, but it was a chance Cam was willing to take for Hunter. His eyes never leaving his friends struggling form Cam took a deep breath as his mind raced, figuring out the best angle to attempt this.

"Super Samurai Mode!" Cam backed up a few steps and then streaked into the shielded area.

Hunter was finding it hard to breathe, his hands were clutching at Te'pouas and he could clearly see the madness in Te'poua's eyes. Fear ate at him as he struggled. He had to get free and fast, he was running out of air and out of time. He heard Cam's frightened cry and he'd never heard such fear in his friend's voice before. The thought of being trapped here with Te'poua for eternity was one he was trying not to contemplate. Struggling harder, Hunter began to try and gather his Thunder energy to blast free when suddenly he was slammed into from behind and Te'poua's hands were ripped from his throat, wrenching his neck but thankfully not breaking it. Strong hands held him tight as they headed for the shield at a full speed. Moments later they hit the shield at an angle on the corner point and for a moment, a very long moment, it looked like they wouldn't be able to break through but suddenly Hunter's vision was obscured by a brilliant green glow and they were through! They tumbled to the ground, rolling to a stop after a few moments. Hunter found that suddenly he had de-morphed and was lying on his side, staring at the scene before him.

The shield shimmered and looked weak for the barest of seconds but then suddenly, it was solid. Te'poua was pounding on it with his fists, sending burst of energy at it but to no avail. Then the triangular prison began to shrink, pushing him backwards towards the centre again. It pushed him further and further back as it got smaller and smaller. Finally, with a final screech, Te'poua began to disappear and fade away.

"No! I will not be denied my revenge! No!" Finally, he was nothing more than a fading ball of light and the triangle pulsed brightly suddenly, causing everyone to shield their eyes, and when they looked back Te'poua was gone. In his place was a small, meter high pyramid with Japanese characters engraved into it. Hunter blinked a few times and then turned his head to find where Cam was, because he knew that his friend would be the only reason he was out of that trap and free. Cam had tumbled to a stop near him and was moving very slowly. Hunter pushed himself to his hands and knees, feeling immensely drained and weak, and managed to crawl over to Cam's side on his hands and knees.

"Cam?" Cam groaned and pushed himself up to a sitting position. "Are you alright?" Hunter's voice was raspy and a shade of its former strength. Cam blinked a few times and looked up, his eyes catching Hunters and sudden joy pushed away the exhaustion he could see in them.

"Hunter! You're okay? It worked! I can't believe it worked." Hunter gave him a tired grin as Cam reached out and grabbed his arm, as if to confirm his eyes weren't deceiving him.

"Apart from feeling like I could use a week's sleep, yeah I'm okay. Whatever you did worked." Cam's eyes searched Hunter's face and the smile on his face was like the sun coming up. Hunter reached out and clasped Cam's arm as well, smiling back at him. Cam's smile turned wry and Hunter could see the exhaustion in his face.

"Right now a weeks sleep sounds good." Hunter looked at him, his expression concerned.

"Cam, what did you do? I thought I was a goner." Hunter's voice became soft. "I was sure of it in fact. Thank you." Cam nodded and sighed, taking a deep breath but not taking his hand on Hunter's arm. The two of them sat facing each other and the others respected their space for the moment.

"I didn't want to lose you, so I took a chance. I hoped that if I streaked in a full speed, grabbed you and hit the corner at enough of an angle, increasing my speed and power as we hit, that I could somehow phase us through it. When we hit the barrier it wasn't quite enough though, and I had to take energy from the both of us to get just that little bit extra. The energy ironically finished strengthening the shield as well as letting us go free." Cam frowned slightly, his eyes becoming thoughtful. "Don't quote me on this Hunter, but I think the spell somehow sensed that we were innately good and let us free. I don't know." Cam's eyes cleared and he smiled at the Hunter. "The main thing is that you're out of there, we're both okay and this whole thing is finally over." Hunter smiled and nodded.

"That it is. Thank you Cam." Hunter's voice was soft. "I owe you my life." Cam smiled in return.

"You'd do the same for me."

"In a heartbeat." The moment stretched between them and time seemed to slow for a moment until their warmth was interrupted by someone clearing their throat. They turned to find Sensei Palan and Sensei Laglia standing there, smiling at them.

"Are you both alright?" Cam nodded and they dropped their arms. Hunter sprang to his feet, showing more energy than he really had and he helped Cam to his. Hunter smiled at them.

"We're fine thank you. A close call but we're used to them." Sensei Palan nodded.

"I understand now why Sensei Watanabe and Sensei Omino sent you to us. Thank you for everything you have done. You do honor to your Academies." The two Fire and Ice Senseis bowed to Cam and Hunter. Behind them, the assembled Fire and Ice Ninjas bowed as well. The two friend's stood up straighter and after a moment, returned the bow.

"This is the final boarding call for Flight 715 to Los Angeles." Hunter frowned and shook his head; Cam was paying for his purchases at the duty free.

"Come on Cam, we're going to miss our flight."

"I'm coming." Cam pocketed his wallet, smiled his thanks at the sales lady and joined Hunter. They began to jog to the gate where their flight was boarding, stifling yawns as they went. They just made it, handing their tickets to the airline steward and they were quickly ushered to their seats in first class. They quickly sat down and put their belts on. They shared a quick grin and then paid attention as the stewards did the obligatory safety spiel that no one usually took notice of. Ten minutes later they were in the air and on their way home. Chatter between passengers and crew had a reasonable level of noise, which in turn, allowed the two friend's some relative privacy. Cam was sitting by the window, staring out as the clouds went by when he felt that he was being watched. He turned his head to find Hunter watching him, his expression serious and something in his eyes. Cam managed a small smile, knowing somehow that whatever was bothering Hunter it was important and deserved his full attention.

"What's wrong?" Hunter paused a moment, not sure how to say what he wanted.

"Did I mention how much I appreciate what you did for me the other day?" Cam nodded.

"A couple of times Hunter." Cam smiled. "I'd do it again in a heartbeat you know that right?"

"Yes I know. And I know that you'd do it for any one of us, it's just that," Hunter paused, not sure how to continue. Cam tilted his head slightly.

"Just what Hunter?" Hunter took a deep breath and plunged right in.

"It's just that you know you're important to me right?" Cam nodded, wondering where this was going. "Anyway, I just wanted to let you know that it means more to me than just saving one another in the line of duty. So, I just wanted to say thanks one more time." Cam smiled as a steward approached them.

"Any time Hunter. I know you'd do the same for me." Just then the steward leaned over to take their drink orders and they turned their attention to her.

A few hours later found Cam asleep, his head resting against a pillow the steward had provided, turned slightly in his seat so that he was facing Hunter. Cam looked tired, really tired and Hunter wondered if he had pushed his friend too hard the last few days. After a good nights sleep at the Fire Academy they had left it intent on exploring as much of New Zealand they could in the few days they had. Hunter had dragged Cam to Queenstown, the adventure capital of New Zealand where they had done everything from skiing to bungee jumping to white water jet boating. They had gone on the tour of the Lord of the Rings movie sites, enjoying seeing in person the landscapes they so enjoyed on the big screen. They had really packed a lot into their last three days and now they were off home finally after being gone a bit over a week. Cam hadn't recovered as quickly as Hunter had from the energy drain that the last battle had had on them, and fell into bed each night exhausted, but each day he was determined to enjoy himself as much as possible. They both knew that this break was on borrowed time realistically and when they got back home, they would be swamped with work and it may be a while before they got time off again to catch up and hang out with each other again. Cam shifted slightly and then settled and Hunter smiled gently at his friend. Cam really was tired and Hunter admitted he was just as tired. The lights had been dimmed for those wanting to sleep or watch the movie. Shifting slightly in his seat, Hunter turned slightly so that he was facing Cam and closed his eyes, settling down to sleep as well. And almost without conscious thought, his hand reached out and clasped Cam's hand in his own, as if to reassure himself that his friend was nearby and by his side.

Episode Bloopers

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