Rider of the Storms 'Enter The Hunter'

Joe moved to the side, narrowly dodging the punch that was aimed for his face. He spun around, waiting for the last second before shooting his hand out in a backfist strike, but his opponent ducked, and Joe knew he made a potentially fatal error. He felt his opponent's leg hit the back of his legs, and he braced himself as he fell backwards to the hard ground. He opened his eyes to see his opponent throw a punch at his face.

“Stop!” A deep, rough voice said. “Good job Sarah. Joseph, where is your focus today? This is the third time you haven't been using your head.”

Joe watched his sister's eyes, as she backed off, and opened her fist to offer Joe help to his feet. He grasped her hand and pulled himself up. “I'm sorry Uncle Richard, I guess I have things on my mind.” He said solemnly.

“I'm worried, you usually aren't like that.” Richard Treton said. Joe brushed some of the dirt off of his white martial arts uniform, his eyes never leaving his Uncle's gaze.

“Joe will be fine Uncle Richard, I doubt its completely his fault anyway. I HAVE been getting better lately.” Sarah stated.

“That's very true, I seem to have forgotten that, but he's still not focusing, and that isn't like him at all.” Richard said. “Now, you two head home, I'll clean up here. Your mother will have my head if you two don't get home in time for dinner.”

Joe smirked. “As long as she doesn't try to serve your head for dinner.” He said, ducking his uncle's playful swipe.

“Let's get going, you know how mom is about us eating well, and not missing dinner.” Sarah said, grabbing Joe's hand and pulling him away from the clearing. “Joe, what's going on with you? You've been really distracted lately.”

“What do you mean?” Joe asked.

“I'm your sister Joe, I know when something's on your mind, and I know that its not something simple. Is last week bothering you? When you were in the hospital?” Sarah asked.

“Yeah, its got something to do with that.” Joe said. “And besides, where were you to pick me up? I ended up walking home alone.”

“I'll be completely honest with you, I was watching you the whole time. I saw you transform into that warrior.” Sarah said. “I saw the condition you were in when you got home, you're a fast healer to have healed from all of those injuries, both seen and unseen.”

“I have no idea what you're talking about.” Joe said.

“Bull, you know I'm right. Joe, I'll keep that secret, I just want to help you, in any way that I can.” Sarah said. “Don't worry about it, please, just tell me the truth.”

Joe said nothing as they passed the hospital. As they were getting closer to home, he sighed. “Ok, I am the Dark Rider.” Joe said. “I was the one who tried to fight and was nearly killed by that Drexon character.”

“So that's what's bothering you, you think that just because you lost one battle, that you aren't even close to strong enough to fight with the power you have.” Sarah said. “Or is it more then that? You think because you failed once, you'll always fail.”

“It's just, I should have been able to do more.” Joe said. “I mean, you saw how I looked when I got home, I looked worse then when I was in the hospital. My ribs are still a bit sore from that battle.”

“You're too hard on yourself. Joe, you just got those powers, and that was the first time you ever had to fight to survive, fight to protect and honestly fight to destroy. I mean, every time we spar, in the back of you mind you know that in the end we'll be best friends, and nothing that happens during those fights will ever change that.” Sarah said. “And besides, you can't hide anything from me, I'm your sister, and I've known you since I was born.”

“You should be a psychologist.” Joe shot. “You can read me like a book already, and you've never been wrong before.”

Sarah smiled slightly, and then her expression became serious again. “How are you doing in school?”

“Best in my classes, but I could still do better, I'm just not able to focus.” Joe said. “I'm scared, I'm not used to fighting like this.”

“That's because the most you've ever had to deal with is a school yard fight, and even then you've managed not to have to fight. This time, its different, you don't have any choice in the matter.” Sarah stated. She stuffed her hands in her jacket pocket and pulled out a set of keys as they walked up to the front door of their home. “We can talk more about this later on, but I urge you to talk to me Joe, please. I can't keep forcing you to speak your mind about things like this, you need to open up. And no offense, but you're stuck with talking to me and me alone on this one.”

Joe nodded and smiled briefly as Sarah unlocked and opened their front door. As they stepped in, both walked up to their rooms, and changed before walking down stairs to eat dinner.

Above Earth, within the depths of Drexon's ship, Drexon sat on a throne of velvet and gold. In front of him, someone was bowing down on one knee, the figure's right hand curled into a first and pressed against the floor. He was covered in shadows, even Drexon was having trouble seeing him. “So, you want this Earthen treasure hunted down? And what about the young Rider who fought against your Skeletoids, should I kill him as well?” The person asked in a rough, deep toned voice as he rose to his feet.

“You can have fun with him, just try not to kill him, at least not yet.” Drexon said, smiling, taking a sip from a glass, and savoring the taste of the sweet red liquid. “He has yet to become a challenge, which I would like to see if he can.”

“Yes Lord Drexon. And when will we discuss my payment?” The warrior asked. He stepped into the light, revealing someone with a face mask, two red scratches going across his eyes on the mask. He wore body armor over his whole body, with two energy rifles strapped to his legs, and two Katana swords sheathed at his hip. A piece of shoulder armor held a cloth, which moved on a mental command to form a cloak.

“After you've completed your mission.” Drexon said. The warrior nodded and bowed slightly before teleporting away.

Drexon smiled, and took another sip of his drink as Neforia entered the room, her helmet in her hand, and her swords sheathed across her back. Her long black hair flowed over the hilts to the swords, but then those two were just for show. “Lord Drexon, is it wise to have him down on Earth?” She asked.

“Not really, but besides, I doubt he'll find it anyway.” Drexon said. “I just want to see what the Dark Rider will do with this threat. We must learn more about him, crush him completely and utterly, and only once we learn more.”

“Yes my lord.” Neforia said. She smiled, and kissed Drexon's cheek. “Or should I say, yes my love.” Drexon smiled, and Neforia walked out of the room, smiling at Drexon before she left.

On Earth, Joe slowly pushed his plate away. “I can't eat another bite, such great cooking.” He said, smiling. “Mom, you're the best.”

Joe's mother smiled. “Why thank you Joe. But, your History Teacher called earlier. What's going on with you? I heard you've been spaced out during class. That's not like you at all.” She said, her smile turning into a disapproving frown.

“Julia, leave it alone.” Joe's dad said, his mouth half filled with food. “What good is history going to do for him? Not like a bunch of old farts are going to suddenly drop a million dollars on his back, or actually get him interested in sports.”

“Paul, you know Joe takes his education a little more seriously then sports, I'm just concerned with him. I'm not going to start yelling and screaming, I would just like to know if there's anything wrong with him, or anyway I could help him.” Julia Treton said. “So what if he's not an athlete, not every person in this town has to eat, drink, and live sports.”

“I would just like to see him be a bit more active. Joe, are you going to be trying out for Baseball? The tryouts start next week you know.” Paul said, pointing his finger at his eldest child.

Joe sunk a bit into his chair. “Not really, I have a paper due the week after and I really have to hit the books to get this one ready, its worth a good portion of my grade.” Joe said. “Sorry Dad.”

Paul scowled. “Then do you at least have a date for the school dance in two weeks?” he asked, knowing the answer in his head already. He watched Joe sink into his chair more and shake his head no. “One of my co-worker's has a daughter that hasn't been asked yet. She's very pretty, I think you should go with her. I can set the thing up with her father tomorrow at work if you want…”

“Dad, I don't like going to dances, I'm not even liked by most of the student body, and the ones that don't like me hate my guts completely.” Joe said. “And I can't play sports, Martial Arts is the only thing I feel comfortable doing because I don't have to worry about other people.”

Paul grumbled under his breath. “Then how do you expect to get through college? You need to play sports to get a decent scholarship. And besides, what do you think you can actually do? No one in this town cares about anything but sports.” He said.

“I'm sorry, I have a big test tomorrow to study for.” Joe said, standing up and walking to his room. 'How do I expect to go to college? With my brain for one thing, but you wouldn't know anything about that now would you Dad? Yeah, that's right, I don't even think you have one.'

Julia turned to Sarah, who had been sitting quietly at Joe's right during the conversation. “Did he tell you anything about a test darling?” she asked.

“Oh yeah mom, you know Joe, he wouldn't lie about anything of that nature.” Sarah said suddenly. “You know what, I should go help him study, I'll be back down as soon as I can.” She got up, winked at her mother, then raced upstairs to follow Joe.

Julia leaned back and sighed, as she saw Paul get up out of the corner of her eye. “And where are you going? I don't remember you taking any interest in helping Joe study.” She said.

“I'm going to watch racing, there's supposed to be a grand race going on tonight, and I don't want to miss a second.” Paul said, walking into the living room. Julia sighed, then began to silently clear the table.

Sarah went to knock on Joe's door when she heard sobbing on the other side. “Joe? Are you ok?” she asked.

“No.” Joe's reply came, in between sobs. Sarah opened the door to his room, and stepped in. Joe was curled up on his bed, his arms wrapped around his knees, and his face against his legs as he cried. The radio was set to a local news station, as Joe was prone to listen to at night while he was at his computer. Sarah grabbed the chair from his computer desk and rolled it next to Joe's bed.

“Dad really bothered you with what he said didn't he?” Sarah asked. Joe nodded, not able to stop crying long enough to give a verbal answer. She sighed, and laid a hand on Joe's shoulder. “Don't worry about him. He doesn't give a damn about anything but eating, drinking, and sports. One day, you'll be better then all of these people, I know you can do it, you're smart enough to do it.”

“Thanks.” Joe said, trying his best to calm down. “I just don't know why he can't accept what I do and what I don't.”

“Because you're the male of the family, he expects you to turn out like him. At least mom's supportive of us, one is better then nothing.” Sarah said.

The radio suddenly seemed to increase in volume, as an emergency broadcast was issued. “This just in, there seems to be come kind of masked creature in the middle of the park. He is armed and extremely dangerous. Residents are told to stay away from this figure if he is seen. More as the story develops.” The reporter said. Joe and Sarah shot a look at each other.

“Drexon.” Joe muttered.

“You go, I'll cover for you.” Sarah said. Joe got off the bed and walked to the window as Sarah stuffed the sheets to look like he was sleeping. She turned off the lights, and Joe opened the window only to climb out seconds later.

Joe hit the ground running, racing towards the park. 'My Rider, do you not sense the danger that is waiting for you?” The Spirit of the Elements sent to him telepathically. Joe didn't respond, and the spirit was able to sense his concern for the people that could possibly get hurt. 'I understand my chosen one, once again, I will bestow your armor and powers to you, use them wisely.'

As Joe ran, black lightning ran along his body, as he was suddenly transformed into the Dark Rider again. He continued running, pumping more and more adrenaline through his system as he reached the park. Light shone over his visor, and he walked in.

The creature turned as he saw Dark Rider walk into the park. He smiled under his mask, and watched with a thrilled look in his eye. “So you're the Dark Rider. Pleasure to be able to fight you.” He said. “I am only known as Dair and I will be the one who will show you the true meaning of pain.”

Dark Rider assumed a fighting stance. “What are you here for?” He asked, “What do you want?”

“I want the energy that this planet holds. The energy of creation.” The Hunter said. He drew his sword. “Now, where is it?”

“Even if I knew, I wouldn't tell you.” Dark Rider said. The hunter scowled, and charged at Dark Rider. Dark Rider stepped to the side, just barely preventing the sword from plunging into his stomach. Dark Rider kicked Dair in the stomach, then swung his other leg towards the back of his head. Dair ducked under the kick, punching Dark Rider directly in the stomach. A kick from Dair knocked Dark Rider backwards, and Dair's sword cut into Dark Rider's left arm. Dark Rider held his hand over the cut, and jumped up, kicking Dair in the chest, and flipping back to his feet.

“I must admit, I'm not impressed. You're nothing.” Dair said, sheathing his sword and grabbing his two guns. He aimed, his thumbs hitting switches on the back of the guns, then pulled the triggers, as multiple energy blasts came out of the gun, each one striking Dark Rider randomly in his upper body, holes being blasted open in his armor, and blood leaking from those injuries. Dark Rider dropped to his knees, then fell face first to the ground unconscious. Dair watched in interest, then pressed a button on the grips of his guns, releasing two empty energy cartridges and putting two fresh ones in before turning and walking away, continuing with his hunt.

The leaves of a nearby tree moved, as Sarah dropped down, clad in a Ninja's outfit, including the mask, with a bag over her shoulder. She ran over to where Dark Rider was, and covered her eyes as Dark Rider glowed. When the light faded away, she gasped as she saw the condition her brother was in, blood beginning to pool underneath him. She turned him over, and reached into the bag, pulling out some medical tape and wrapping it around a few of his more dangerous injuries. “Good, you'll live, but now to get you home so you can heal up.” She muttered, taking Joe's hands and dragging him back to their house.

It was dark by the time she got to the front door. She opened it quietly, and silently dragged Joe up the stairs and into his room. She dragged him into his bathroom, and without bothering to deal with his clothes, put him under the shower head and turned it on, watching the water hit his body, then coming off with his blood mixed in it.

Joe spat water out as it hit his face, and opened his eyes. “Sarah, what am I doing in here?” He asked, trying to keep water out of his mouth.

“If you haven't figured it out, you got hurt, badly. You lost a good deal of blood as well.” Sarah said. “Now get showered, get dressed, and tell me when you're done, I'll be waiting outside your room.”

“Yes mother.” Joe said sarcastically. Sarah walked out, and Joe cleaned as much of the blood off of him as he could, before pulling some of the wrappings off. He immediately regretted doing that when more blood began flowing from his wounds. He pressed a towel against them, dried off, and put long pants on, not worrying about a shirt as he grabbed some of the medical tape Sarah had when he heard a knock.

“Joe, are you done yet?” Sarah asked.

“Yeah.” Joe replied, trying to wrap his wounds up.

“Good, I want to finish dealing with those wounds, then we need to talk.” Sarah said. She walked in, and shook her head. She grabbed the wrapping out of his hand and punched him in the stomach, making Joe double over coughing. She then began to wrap some of the other wounds Joe had, grumbling, then unwrapping them and pouring rubbing alcohol over the wounds, making Joe cringe in pain.

“Well, if you would have taken care not to get hurt, this would never have happened.” Sarah said, wrapping his wounds up again. “Now, what happened?”

“I got shot, a lot.” Joe said, trying to block out the pain. “And it HURT.”

“I can tell, you need more training, and I'm not sure what you're going to be able to do against these creatures if you aren't protected enough.” Sarah said. “I guess I can let this one slide, because you didn't know what kind of protection you had, but you need to start being more careful. Now, spill it, how are you feeling emotionally?”

“Horrible, I'm a failure, I shouldn't even have these powers.” Joe said, hanging his head. “I should have been able to do something.”

“So you need to practice. You can't expect to just get powers and be unbeatable. You are only one person, handling what is most likely an army being sent against you.” Sarah said. “Everything will work out, what we need to do if find your focus. Tomorrow, meet me at our usual practice spot, I'm going to help you regain your focus. Right now, I'm going to bed, and you better as well.” Sarah stood up and walked to the door. “Good night.” She said, walking towards her room.

“Good night.” Joe said, laying down on his bed and going to sleep.

Joe's alarm clock started blaring hours later, and Sarah walked in, already dressed in her uniform, to shut the alarm off. She watched her brother's sleeping form with concern. 'He sure needs his rest.' She thought, walking out of the door and jogging out of the house. She soon reached the small clearing, and began to stretch out for a while, waiting patiently. Soon she began going through martial arts forms, going gracefully from one movement to the next, her eyes closed, trying to release her anger without hurting everyone.

Almost an hour later, Joe came jogging into the clearing. He wore his uniform, and Sarah noticed that he must have taken time to either clean the wrapping, or dress his wounds anew before showing up. “Glad you could make it sleepy head.” Sarah said. “Sleep well? How are you feeling?”

“Sorry, guess I needed the sleep. Yeah, I slept well, and am doing about as well as could be expected. Thinking of starting a journal about this whole experience, just to get all of it out.” Joe said.

Sarah smirked, threw a punch at Joe, which he ducked. “Good, at least your paying attention.” Sarah said. “Now, let's see how focused you are.” She jumped at him, her hand balled up into fists. Her first two punches met nothing but air, but her knee connected squarely with Joe's stomach. Joe backed up, holding his stomach, then stepped forward, only to be kicked square in the stomach.

“Gee, come on, you really need to focus Joe.” Sarah said. “This really has bothered you hasn't it?”

“Yeah, it has.” Joe said, sitting himself down. “I just feel like someone else could do a better job them I can. What good have I done besides nearly get myself killed twice?”

“Joe, you just need to get better, remember, you can do anything you set your mind to. But remember, you have to get used to fighting this way, fighting to actually harm someone.” Sarah said, sitting down next to him. “When we spar, remember, there's no malice to it, it doesn't matter what happens, we test our skills. With your powers, you have to actually hurt someone, and I can tell that's hard for you. Despite what you're capable of, you're a gentle person, and you can't seem to break out of that mold.”

“It's hard to think that someone could actually cause so much pain. I just don't understand why someone could do it. Hell, I feel guilty to what I did to the skeleton creatures, I couldn't help but ask myself if maybe that could have once been a living creature.” Joe said.

“I know, you have a pure heart.” Sarah said. “And it doesn't look like I'll be able to help you. This is one thing you need to do alone. You need to find that fighting spirit, and I know you have it.” She stood up, then reached into her jacket pocket. “Mom told me to give you this.” Sarah handed Joe the slip of paper, then turned to head back into town. “I'm going to jogging for a bit longer, I'll see you later.”

Joe watched Sarah jog out of the clearing, before opening the paper. “'I'm sorry I couldn't talk to you last night. I guess I've been so busy that I can't even be much of a part of my own son's life. I want you to meet me at the restaurant at noon, I'll treat you to lunch and we can catch up, and I want to talk to you about what's bothering you, I'm concerned. Remember, noon at the restaurant. Love mom.'” Joe read aloud. He smiled. “Definitely a treat. I never get to talk to her alone, this is great.” He checked his watch, then began to run back to his house to get changed.

Twelve O'clock rolled by in no time, as the door to 'Uptown Bistro' and Joe walked into the small restaurant. He wasn't surprised to see all of the tables filled up with customers, but was surprised to see one table empty. “Joe, you going to stare at the table or going to sit down at it?” Julia asked, walking up to her son.

Joe's face turned slightly red. “Sorry mom, was just surprised to see an empty table.” He said. The two walked and sat down across from each other.

“So, what's been going on with school?” Julia asked. “It's honestly not like you to be staring into space, and that's what concerns me.”

“I just seem to have something on my mind, and its kinda bothering me to the point where I can't seem to focus.” Joe said. “Part of it is I feel like a failure, I tried to do something twice, and each time I ended up getting hurt, and not even coming close to succeeding.”

Julia searched the eyes of her eldest child for a few minutes. “It's ok, I won't ask what its about, you really don't look like its something you'll be able to talk about easily.” She said. “Joe, I might not know what the problem is completely, but you aren't a failure at anything. I'm getting the problem is that you're just not used to doing something a certain way. Trust me, you'll do great once you get used to it.”

“How can you be sure mom?” Joe asked.

“Because you're my son, you're special, you're gentle, and you've never given up before, even when things have gotten so bad. I know I haven't been around as much as I'd like to be, but no matter what Joe, I'm always going to support you, I'm always going to stand besides you.” Julia said. She reached into her pocket and pulled out a case, and gently placed it in front of Joe.

Joe slowly opened it, to see a silver chain with a crystal sword attached to it. Right next to it was a ring, with gemstones embedded into it. Julia smiled. “The ring belonged to your great grandmother, you take after her and your great grandfather in a few ways. You're smart, you put your schooling and education before sports, you're kind hearted, you're just special.” She said. “And the sword is my gift to you. You've been working hard, and check the way the sword's made.”

Joe ran his finger along the edges. “The wrong side is thin enough to be a blade, a Sakaba.” He said.

“Just like you to a point, besides the obvious difference, while you would hurt someone, you protect others, including yourself. You don't like killing, or severely injuring, and that's the purpose of a sword such as that.” Julia said. She smiled. “Do you like them?”

“Yes, I do, thank you very much.” Joe said, putting the chain around his neck. He looked at the ring for a moment before putting it back in the case and closing it. “So how's work so far?”

“Busy, I might have to cut our lunch short, but I wanted to make sure that I talked to you.” Julia said. “Remember Joe, I'm always behind you 100%, even if I'm not there, even if I don't know everything about the situation. And don't give up on yourself, I know you'll be able to succeed with whatever you choose to do, just never give up.”

“Julia! We need you back here!” A voice called from the kitchen.

Julia sighed. “I'm sorry I have to cut this short, but I need to get back to work. I love you.” She planted a kiss on Joe's forehead and went into the kitchen.

“I love you mom.” Joe said watching, before standing up and walking out of the restaurant. He stuffed his hands into his pockets and started walking home. On the way, he passed an electronic store, with TVs stacked in the front window, all of them on the same channel as a special report suddenly came on.

“This is a special report, we have received word that the creature that was in the park last night has made his way to the center of town. All residents are advised to return to their homes at once, and remain in doors until the police can find a way to detain the creature.” The reporter said. Joe paid no more attention to the rest of the report and ran off towards where Dair was reported as being. He ran down an alleyway, and was suddenly clad in his Dark Rider armor as he ran.

Dair turned his head from a jewelry shop as he heard Dark Rider's footsteps. “I'll give you one thing, you're a persistent piece of garbage.” He said, turning towards Dark Rider. “Ready for another beating?”

“This time, you're the one who's going to get beaten.” Dark Rider said. “Energy Saber activate.” The hilt formed and the cross opened up as the blade of the sword formed. Dark Rider gripped the sword with both hands, and charged Dair in a blur of sword strikes.

Dair backed up slightly with each strike that missed him, before drawing one of his swords and swinging it down towards Dark Rider's helmet. Dark Rider lifted his sword up to block it, then kicked Dair in the stomach, then shifted his weight and kicked Dair again, this time in the face.

“Nice, nice, you've found your spirit. But that's still not going to help you.” Dair said, drawing his other sword and slashing Dark Rider's leg, drawing blood again. Dark Rider shifted his weight on his good leg, and jumped up, running his sword along Dair's thigh, then shifting his stance and bringing the blade along Dair's face, drawing blood both times, and enraging Dair.

“YOU LITTLE…YOU CUT MY FACE!!” Dair cried out. He held his swords low at his legs, and brought them up in a blaze of blue energy. Both swords struck Dark Rider in the chest in a cross cut, and he flew back, powering down unwillingly. Blood flew in the air as Joe's shirt could be seen with an X cut into it, blood flowing from both wounds. Dair sheathed his swords, and grabbed his rifles, setting both to the highest possible setting before leveling them at Joe's face. “For that, you DIE!!!”

An energy blast cut through the air, striking Dair's hands and forcing him to drop the rifles. He turned to face where the blasts came from, only to see a motorcycle headed straight for him, with the rider staring right at Dair. Two more energy blasts came from the headlight of the motorcycle, striking the area right in front of Dair.

“I'll get you later punk, that is, if you survive.” Dair said, spitting at Joe's wounds as he teleported away. The motorcycle rolled up right besides Joe, and the rider took her helmet off to reveal Sarah.

“He's breathing, not sure for how long through.” She said, lifting him on the back of the motorcycle. “Think you can get us someplace safe?”

“Yeah, just hold on and we'll be fine.” The motorcycle said, as it carried the duo out of the center of town, and straight out of town to a small clearing near a stream.

Sarah dragged Joe off of the motorcycle, then used some of the water to wash out Joe's wound before wrapping the two new wounds up. “Those will most likely scar.” She said. “But then again, I'm not doctor, but those are deep.”

Joe's eyes opened, and once he realized where he wasn't, he sat up. “Where is that thing? I need to stop it.” Joe said, trying to stand up.

“No, now sit yourself down before I make you sit down.” Sarah said. When it became obvious that Joe wasn't going to stay put, she jumped to her feet and punched him in the face, knocking him down. “There, now cool yourself down speedy, you're hurt.”

Joe looked down at the two covered wounds, and sighed. “I can't win.” He said. “I'm not skill enough to beat him.”

“Well, then change that Chosen One.” The motorcycle said. “Learn the skills you'll need to win.”

Joe turned his head slowly in the direction of the motorcycle, then backed himself up to the stream. “What are you?” he asked.

“I am Hunter, I'm the Guardian that you were told about. I'm going to train you in your powers, and protect you when need be.” Hunter said. “I know, I don't look like much, but trust me, looks aren't everything.”

“I understand that one.” Joe said. “But what can you teach me?”

“I can teach you how to use the full range of your powers, you don't even know a portion of what you're fully capable of.” Hunter said. “Now, you have a lot to learn, and I need to teach you enough for you to deal with Dair without getting yourself killed. Now, sit down, and meditate, clear your mind of everything.”

Joe kneeled down, closed his eyes, and slowed his breathing. Within moments, his mind was clear of all distractions, and his breath became very quiet. “Now listen, you've just entered a completely different world. Everything you know can turn upside down on a moments noticed, and you will be forced to see the darker side of everyone. You're 'No killing, no hurting anyone' policy will see you put in a morgue before you can blink.” Hunter said. “How well are you trained in any form of Martial Arts?”

“I have a good knowledge in the Martial Arts, but I've never been ranked by a belt or any certificate, I've been learning from my uncle.” Joe said.

“Ok, but you have at least a basic training in the Martial Arts.” Hunter said. “That's good, at least I have a basis I can teach you off of. And from what I saw, you aren't half bad with your Energy Saber. Ok, now stand up.” Joe climbed to his feet, and watched the motorcycle. “Now, I want you to focus. Feel everything around you, feel all of the evil that's around you, but mainly, focus on the evil and darkness within yourself.”

Joe closed his eyes, and searched within himself. “Find all of those feelings when all you wanted to do was rip someone's throat out for hurting someone. You can't just brush every little thing off, no one can do that. Search inside of you, learn the depth of your soul, see the darkness, and accept it.” Hunter continued. “The only way you'll win is by accepting that evil inside of yourself, use it as a weapon, release it slowly, controlled, don't let it all out at once just yet.”

The air around Joe began to move, and a faint black glow began to form from inside his body. Joe clenched his teeth in pain, trying not to let it overpower him, until his legs suddenly gave out from under him, forcing him to fall to his knees, and the glow faded. “That's a good try.” Hunter said. “Now try again.”

Sarah leaned against a tree and watched, as Joe closed his eyes and began to focus on his darker side carefully. Once again, the black glow began to form from inside of Joe's body, and it slowly seemed to be getting stronger. Sarah mentally counted to 20 before Joe's legs gave out from the pain and the glow once again faded. “Why don't we try something else?” Hunter said. “Maybe that's asking too much after you just came too. I apologize, I forgot that you were just injured, and pushed you too hard. Well, now, to something different. You'll find two swords in a bag over there, take the heavier one and toss the lighter one to your sister.”

“Hey, why do I get the lighter one? I'm not weak.” Sarah said.

“Because, Dair uses two light swords, Joe needs to learn how to fight against that, he needs to learn how to fight when his enemy has a speed advantage. Dair's stronger then Joe, so the lighter sword is even lighter then it should be, to make it seem closer to the real thing. He's going to be training harder, because his Energy Saber weighs next to nothing, but its bigger then the two short swords Dair had, so this is being helpful.” Hunter said. “Now, FIGHT!”

Joe held the sword in front of him, tip pointed at Sarah, while Sarah wrapped both of her hands around the hilt of the sword, holding it point up, blade facing Joe. Sarah turned her foot a bit, then charged Joe, smashing the wooden sword across the stomach, then bringing the sword straight up, trying to bring the sword into his face. Joe sidestepped the blade, then bringing his sword up to black her down strike, stopping Sarah's sword closer to his face then he wanted to. He pushed upwards, knocking Sarah off balance as he took a step back. Sarah brought her sword down hard, but Joe stepped back a bit, her sword slamming right into the ground. Joe took two steps back, then watched his sister carefully, as she got her sword back to a ready position and waited.

“Good Joseph, now, what did you learn from this?” Hunter asked.

“The sword's shorter, so by staying back a bit more, I can keep out of her range while still being able to strike.” Joe said. “But, Dair's got a longer arm range then I do, so we're still about even with that.”

“Correct. Now Sarah, there's a larger sword just like the one you had, its slightly thinner, but then that makes it slightly easier to use.” Hunter said. “Use that, it should perfectly simulate what Joe's going to be dealing with when he faces Dair.”

Sarah grabbed the sword, which was longer then Joe's but do to her height, the two were perfectly equal when it came to range. Sarah once again moved first, lifting her sword up and bring it straight down towards Joe's head. Joe lifted his sword up again, but sidestepped, letting her force push his sword down, then spinning the hilt in his hand and taking one rushing step forward, bringing the sword into her stomach.

“Good, now you're learning. You need to use the power now. Sarah's not Dair, and although she'll be mad at this, she's not as strong as he is either. You're going to honestly be weaker in this battle. You need to use your speed instead of brute force, until you learn how to properly use your powers.” Hunter said. “This battle won't be easy, and this time, it will be the final one. Dair's next attack will either be his final battle, or yours. No surrender, no retreat. Joseph, do yourself a favor, and while you jog around town like I'm going to send you, focus, and find that spirit inside of you, find your heart, and most importantly, find the part of yourself that can fight. Now, two laps around town, GO!!”

'The past three days have been difficult at best physically. I've been undergoing the training that Hunter has been putting me through. Although as he said, many of the strategies are based on Dair's fighting style so that I will be well prepared for this final battle with him. I've ran more within the past three days then I have ever in my life. Waking up around 6am, then jogging about 2 laps around the town, which equals I think about 5 miles a lap, then a mid afternoon lap, and before I'm aloud to head home, I have to run another 2 laps. Hunter might be trying to build my endurance, but I'm definitely getting tired from all of this. Even after that, I don't really have a break for long. 15 minutes to catch my breath and get some water before my next exercise, what Hunter called the 'Summoning'. It requires me to look inside myself and start to draw power and strength from my dark thoughts and the dark side of my soul. Sarah told me that after a few minutes I seem to be getting some kind of black glow, and it gets stronger with each time I try, for a longer period. Hunter has been making me do this type of exercise about 5-10 times, and so far the longest I've been able to hold out against the power is about 10 minutes. Hunter seems to be pushing some kind of transformation, I've been starting to feel different the longer I've been able to hold out against the pain, and I can actually feel stronger. He said that once I get better, I'll be able to reach a stronger stage of that training in less time, and he actually said that I could gain a great deal of power in seconds with the right training. I've heard him comment about me having too much power to train easily, I think he's going to try to do something about changing that, I saw him designing a device when he didn't know I was looking. After that me and Sarah have been practicing with our wooden swords. Hunter has been making me work with a few of the lighter ones, and he's also working on a training version of my Energy Saber, so that I can practice with the near weightless weapon. But mainly at this point he's been working me with heavier and heavier weapons, although I must admit, I'm starting to notice a difference with using them, they don't seem as heavy to me anymore, and I'm starting to get faster with the lighter ones. Hunter also mentioned that its my powers that are helping me adapt, and that while there won't be a noticeable physical change in my body, I'll actually be getting stronger as time goes on and the training gets more intense. Oh well, Hunter's calling again, guess I better get back to training, its getting to be darker, and I have school tomorrow. Wonder what he wants with me right now, I've completed the training he set up for today, a lot more endurance training then normal. Can he sense something that I can't? Or is he just deciding to take a break from the normal work?'Joe wrote in his journal. He put his pen back in place and closed the book, putting it down and standing up.

“Joe, you've been making great progress. I need to tell you two things before I send you home for the night. One, the exercise that required your focus was you learning how to summon your powers and armor. You were learning how to transform into the Dark Rider without any help. The second is that right now you're too powerful to do that without more training. You have the potential to become extremely powerful, but you can't control that power, so you don't use it. I've come up with a device that will help you there.” Hunter said. A beam shot out of Hunter's headlight and wrapped itself around Joe's wrist, forming a black device with golden symbols on it. “The Symbols are of another planet, I'll explain those when the time comes, but no earlier then that. You can go now, just remember to return here right after school.”

“OK, thanks Hunter.” Joe said. Sarah stood up and bowed, and both walked off towards town again.

“Oh yeah, that device communications chip installed into it, this way you can keep in touch with me.” Hunter said, before the two left.

“Cool, I'll make sure to keep in touch!” Joe said, waving as they went back home. The night that followed was a quiet one, with Joe spending most of his time working on his computer, while Sarah was busy reading a book.

'Tomorrow, I can feel it, he'll strike tomorrow.' Joe thought to himself as the computer was shutting down. He sighed, then climbed into his bed after checking his backpack for all of his work. He turned off the lights, and went into a dreamless night of sleep.

“Hey, what's going on?” A gym teacher asked, as the students of the school began marching into the gym with their hands held at the backs of their heads. It wasn't until the teacher saw Dair that he turned pale and screamed.

The scream stirred Joe out of his thinking, as he turned his head. The instantly he saw Dair his eyes narrowed, and he moved into the crowd of students, blending in and keeping out of Dair's sight. As the bleachers opened up for the students to sit on, Joe hurried under it, then pulled the device Hunter gave him out of his pocket and put it on his wrist.

“Now, I know one of you here contains a vast amount of power, I've traced that energy to this school. I want that power, and I don't care what I have to do to get it.” Dair said, a rifle in his hands. “Now, if no one comes out, I'll slaughter every single one of you.”

Joe's eyes went wide, and in the bleacher's Sarah's eyes did the same. Joe silently ran towards the other end of the bleachers, then peeked out of the side before standing at his full height and walking into view. “You won't hurt a soul.” He said to Dair.

“Hey look! It's Joseph the Hero of the geek patrol!” A student shouted. “I guess this creep will be doing us a favor by killing him!!!”

Joe smirked. “That's right.” He said. He searched his soul for what he needed, and a black glow surrounded his body completely. When the glow faded, Dark Rider stood where Joe was. “Now Dair, we finish this, once and for all.”

“Agreed.” Dair said, charging at Dark Rider. Dark Rider hopped to the side and kicked Dair in the stomach while in mid hop, then punched him in the stomach. While Dair was doubled over Dark Rider lifted his leg up and brought his heel down on Dair's back, knocking him to the ground. Dair rolled up to his feet, and drew his swords.

“Now, I'll cut you up the way I should have the first time.” Dair said. He charged Dark Rider, swinging wildly. Dark Rider weaved and moved around the swords, keeping the number of successful attacks down to only a few shallow wounds.

“Energy Saber activate!” Dark Rider called, as his weapon formed and the blade extended. As Dair lifted his swords to bring them down on Dark Rider's helmet, Dark rider ducked and slashed at Dair's legs, leaving two deep cuts. In a quick flash, Dark Rider sliced the two swords, damaging the blades. Dair's foot flashed out, kicking Dark Rider in the head and knocking him back a bit.

“Foolish brat. You're NOTHING!” Dair said.

“Come on creature, kill him!” Someone from the bleachers called.

“Looks like no one wants you alive.” Dair said, kicking Dark Rider's head as he got back to his feet. “No one wants you around, you're a failure, you couldn't beat me twice, and this time it will be no different.”

Dark Rider struggled to his feet, and clenched his fists. “No more, I refuse to let you beat me like that.” He said.

“Get him Joe!” Sarah called out. “You can beat him, remember your training!”

As Dair leveled his two rifles, Dark Rider grabbed his Energy Saber. Dair fired, but the weapon moved in Dark Rider's hand quickly, blocking each of the bolts and dispersing the energy as they struck the saber. Dair scowled, then blasted twice in rapid succession, striking Dark Rider's wrist and sending the saber skyward, where it was imbedded into the ceiling.

Dark Rider grabbed his wrist, then charged Dair, kicking the rifles out of his hands, and then kicking him in the chest. “It ends now Dair, you won't win.” He said, jumping up, and hanging from the ceiling by the hilt of his Energy Saber. The blade flickered and died, letting Dark Rider fall. Once he hit the ground, it extended again, and he struck Dair twice in the chest, both times drawing blood.

Dair reached for his swords, and tried another X strike, which was blocked by the Energy Saber. The energy weapon cut through both swords, and Dark Rider's visor glowed as Dair got to his feet. The diagram showed a small button on the intersection between the hilt and cross, then gave a higher energy reading. Dark Rider hit the button, and the sword began to hum, the blade glowing slightly, and energy striking all around the blade like lightning. Dair yelled and charged Dark Rider, who swung the sword upwards, creating a black trail of energy as the blade struck Dair. Dair cried in pain and dropped to his knees, then fell to the ground before a glow overtook his body, ripping him apart, not leaving a trace there.

A flash of light engulfed Dark Rider as he powered down. Joe smiled brightly. “I won, I won, I finally beat him.” He said, before collapsing, many of his older wounds open and bleeding.

Hours later he woke up in the hospital, Julia and Sarah watching over him. “What happened?” Joe asked.

“You collapsed after whatever happened to you.” Julia said. “Sarah told me the whole thing, and I understand why you wouldn't want to tell anyone. You really don't want to hurt anyone don't you?”

“I'd rather no one get hurt, the more people who know the more people who are in danger.” Joe said. “Please, do me this favor and don't tell anyone.”

“I promise, but you need to promise to take care of yourself. And believe in yourself, even when others won't.” Julia said. “No matter what, we're family, and we'll always stick together.”

Joe smiled, followed by Sarah, then Julia. “No matter what we go through, we'll always have each other.” Sarah said.

“That's exactly right.” Joe said.

“Rest Joe, we'll be here for you if you need us.” Julia said, making Joe close his eyes and go back to sleep.

“So Dair met….resistance.” Drexon said. “Just as I expected, this young punk is not as weak as we thought. Maybe he will become more of a challenge.”

“M'Lord, maybe we should crush him, before he gains enough power to truly stop us.” The lizard creature said. “Time will only make him stronger, and those are the real powers of the Lost Planet, then we will be in great danger.”

“We will just have to make sure he doesn't learn how to use those powers.” Drexon said.

Down on Earth, Hunter watched into the town. 'Congratulations Joseph, but don't get too confident, the real war has yet to begin.' He thought.

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