21st Changing Series Episode

Dialogue is written in slate.

Past info that is viewed in the episode is written in gray.

Background information is written in black.

The Black Dust's Secret

Narrator: Will the black dust strike again?

    Katie was in Mia's yard, training.  Sweat flicked off of her with every movement.  She dropped-floated to her back on the grass and looked at the clouds.  Her vision seemed to distort and a clear view of the Dynasty buildings, floating upside-down, appeared in her view.  In her vision, black dust sprinkled from the castle and she heard a scream.

    Rowen screamed as he walked down the stairs.   "How could a head HURT so much!"

    "It would hurt less if you didn't scream so much," Ryo commented.  Katie stepped in the doorway, half hiding behind it.

    "Ryo," she began.  "Ryo, can we talk?"

        In Ryo's room:  Katie sat on his bed and he shut the door.  Katie appeared like a statue, dark, and serious.  "What's this about?"

    She raised her head at him and put her hand on the bedcovers.  He sat.  "I want to teach you something.   How to condense energy.  It should be easy for you to learn and it opens so many possibilities to you.  So, put your undergear on."  Katie seemed confident and assured.  Ryo...not so much.  Ryo stood.

    "Wait a minute.   If you think I'm going to let you mess with my powers, forget it!  What kind of messed-"

    "If you don't learn this now you'll never...you'd be really dumb!  I won't be messing with your powers. You will.  I studied this technique and became an expert in the Dynasty.  Do you want to lose this chance?!" Katie took a deep breath.  "This is the only time I'll offer to teach you this.  Do you want to learn?"  Ryo slowly sat back down.

    About an hour later:  Mia walks in the front door. "Everyone!  I got lunch!!"

    Ryo, wearing his undergear, jumps out of his seat.   He's staring amazed at his finger which had flames shooting out the tips.  "Unbelievable..." he said as he played with the size of the flames.

    Katie was smiling as Ryo ran to the door.   "Ryo, don't tell the others I taught you."

    The guys and Mia all sat in the dining room eating.  Sai swallowed and said, "Sage, you haven't gone on any dates lately."

    "That's cuz the girls found out he's not a natural blonde," Rowen joked.

    "Oh, yeah?  What's your excuse?" Ryo added.

    "What's yours?" Rowen answered back.  Sarah walked down the stairs.

    "Did you guys leave me anything?"

    Kento stated, "No."

    "Ha.  Ha," Sarah commented as she grabbed a burger.  "How's your head Rowen?"

    He gripped his head and pain and wincing said, "Don't mention it, it reminds me of the pain."  Sarah laughed but Katie looked aggravated as she sat down next to Sarah.

    "I can't believe you Rowen!  After what you did last night you still haven't apologized to Sarah," Katie said with disgust.

    "What?!  I didn't do anything last night but sleep!  And when I woke up someone had locked me in the room too.  What does SHE think I did?"

    "Katie!" Sarah said sharply.   "You were possessed by Juru, so of course you don't remember what happened.   You tried to put that icky Dynasty dust on me, that's all.  By the way, where is the dust?"

    "In my office," Mia said.  Rowen looked confused but took another hamburger rather than ask questions.  "I was just about to go analyze it, would you like to come with me Sarah?"

    "YEAH!" She hopped off her chair and followed Mia into the office. 

    In the office:  Mia was typing things into her computer while Sarah stared into a microscope.  "I don't know, it looks like dirt to me," she said.

    "I'm not finding anything in my Grandfather's files about this."  Sarah stood up and spilled a little dust on the table and looked at it.

    "The weird thing is that no matter how much you pour there's always more in the bag."  She touched a little of it and pulled her hand back.  "It's intent is to fill a person's soul with dark energy.   That way they'll willingly join the Dynasty.  I think that's all the info we'll be able to find Mia."  Sarah sighed and leaned against the wall.

    Sai poked his head in the door and said, "The other guys and I thought you two could use a break, so we're going up to the skating rink, want to come?" 

Sarah's eyes brightened and she hugged Sai. "You're so wonderful, of course I want to, come on Mia!"

    At the skating rink. 

    "I must warn you all, Rowen is a master of ice-skating," Sage laughed.

    "Haha," Rowen said. "But when I mess up I have an excuse, my head still hurts."

    "Poor Rowie," Sarah replied with a grin.  Then she jumped up and ran out onto the ice.

   "Wow, there's not a lot of people here today," Mia said. 

    "The less the better as far as I'm concerned," Rowen said, then he looked out to the ice.  Sarah was spinning, and doing flips like a pro-figure skater.  The guys mouths opened with surprise.

   "See, that's my little sister's other talent, she skates like Michelle Kwan," Katie said.

    Rowen, Kento, Sage, and Sai stepped out onto the ice.  Rowen tripped and Sage helped him up.  They all skated for a while, with Sarah showing off every now and then.  Suddenly, all of the lights in the rink went out.

    People scrambled in the dark to get off of the ice.  The Ronins stayed still.  "The Dynasty," Katie whispered.  Lightning flashed and Kale and Juru appeared on the top of the bleachers.  Kale aimed his sword at Sarah and jumped.  She flipped out of the way and landed on her feet.  Rowen, Sage, Sai, Kento, and Ryo put on their undergear.   Juru spun his weapon and started a tornado on the ice.  Kale leapt out of the way.  It engulfed the Ronins and Katie, but Sarah stayed firmly planted on the ice.   "What's going on?" Sage yelled.

    "Black Lightning Slash!" Kale cried out and the lightning went in to the tornado.  Rowen flew out with Sage and landed next to Sarah.  The tornado picked them up again.   Juru jumped down and held out his bag of black dust.  The dust surrounded Sarah but she stood perfectly still.  Her hair lifted off of her shoulers, and her eyes glowed purple.  Juru stared at her and stepped back.  Sarah's whole body glowed purple and she stared back at him. 

    "Not you," Juru whispered.

    Kale ran over to Juru.  "What's going on?  Why isn't it working?!" he yelled.

    "Everyone!" Sarah yelled.  "Put your armor on and attack!"  They did as she instructed. 

    "Thunder Bolt Cut!"  Sage's attack blasted through the tornado and it disappeared.

    "WHAT IS GOING ON?!" Kale yelled.

   "We cannot win, not now.   It is done," Juru said, and he disappeared.  Kale did likewise.

    Rowen ran over to Sarah, she was still glowing.   "What's going on?" he asked.

    "The powerblock... I fought him... a long time ago," she replied monotone, then she suddenly stopped glowing and looked at Rowen puzzled.   "What happened?" she asked.  "Why couldn't he hurt me?"

    "Powerblock?" he said.  "You said something about a powerblock."

    "I did?   When?"

    "Let's go home," Katie said.  "I think we need to sort this out."

    Juru bowed before Kubi.  "It has begun, soon it will be too late."

    "Then finish it now.   Is everything in place?"

    "Yes master."

    "For anyone who cares, my head still hurts," Rowen said.

    "I think we have more important things to think about right now Rowen," Sage said harshly.

    "No I don't think so.   This really really hurts.  Ow, ow, ow, ow, ow,"

    "Alright, I'll get you some aspirin," Sage got up and Rowen, clutching his head got up to follow him.   He collapsed on the floor  and was knocked out.  Sage knelt down next to him.  Sarah ran over and did likewise.  The cut on Rowen's head has opened up again and Sarah looked down on it critically.

   "Sage look, black dust."

    "Shoot."   Suddenly, Rowen jumped up, his eyes glowing red.  He pushed Sage out of the way and ran out of the mansion.  They all chased after him.  The Dynasty castle appeared upside down in the sky.  'Rowen' smiled and then disappeared.  "Where'd he go?!  Does the Dynasty have him?" Sage yelled.

    "I don't know.  It sure looks that way, but..." Katie replied.

    "Anyone feel that?" Sarah said.

   "Feel what dude?" Kento asked.

    "We're not alone."   Everyone looked around nervously, and Rowen reappeared.  "Dais?   He's here somewhere..."

    A bow and arrows appeared in Rowen's hands.   He started shooting the black tipped arrows at Katie, but she dodged.  "Ryo, I have a plan, come with me!  And grab that arrow." Ryo picked up the arrow and followed Sarah into the mansion. "We have to burn the dust, but only your fire will burn it.  Unfortunately, they probably took steps to make sure you couldn't do it, so we'll have to outsmart them."

    "How?"

    Sarah picked up a small knife.  She cut her hand and dripped her blood on the tip of the arrow.  Then she stabbed the arrow into Ryo's hand. "HEY!" he yelled.  The he was quiet.  Sarah held onto his wrists and fire came out of his fingers.  He set fire to the bag of dust, and the dust Sarah and Mia had left out.  It all disappeared. 

    Suddenly, Rowen stopped shooting arrows.  He staggered then fell unconscious.

    Sarah had Ryo set fire to the arrow, and then fell unconscious onto Sarah.

The Living room one hour later:

    "So, why were you able to control me?" Ryo asked Sarah.

    "When we were trying to control people we used our blood for it.  The blood was put on a mystic board thing.   Only people whose blood was on the board could control others.  I just figured they hadn't thought to take mine off.  So I put my blood on the dust to activate it and then stabbed Ryo."

    "But hadn't Juru activated it with his blood already?" Sai asked.

    "Yes, but my blood hit him first so Juru didn't get control.  When we burned the dust Juru lost his hold on Rowen and I lost my hold on Ryo."

    "Dude, that is just way too confusing," Kento said.

   "Well I'm just glad all of that is over now," Rowen said. "Being controlled by Juru wasn't exactly a walk in the park, and my head hurts still, so let's eat." The Ronins, Katie, Sarah, and Mia laughed.

   "Blast them!" Kubi roared.  "We must make a new plan.  A more frightening one."

Narrator:

Thanks to Sarah to secret of the dust was discovered before real havok was wrecked on the Ronins, but what diabolical plan is Kubi going to unleash on the Ronins next?  And what happened to Sarah on the skating rink?   Will the Ronins be able to survive with so many surprises looming in the future?