Author's notes – This is the sequel to my last story "The New Team", and the second in the series. I'd really recommend reading that one before reading this story, otherwise you're gonna be pretty lost :). Once again, please read and review – I'm a struggling fanfic, and crave feedback like oxygen.

Oh, and forgive me, but I'm gonna throw in a free plug for my website here as well – The Thunder Dome, with the "Comic Book Top Tens", and "Survival Guide for the PRU". Now, enjoy! :)

Chapter One

The Circle of Hianan had seen better days, he thought, as he stepped out of the shadows and into the light. The Circle of Hianan was a huge stone platform, set a step above the ground and outlined in faded blue designs, where six tall stone columns had once stood around its edges. But now, only four remained - one had crumbled and collapsed, scattering rubble across the circle, while another had disappeared completely. Stepping up off the red gravel and onto the stone, the man began to slowly cross the circle, avoiding pieces of fallen stone and listening to see whether he'd been followed.

But that wasn't likely, he thought. After all, the entire planet was a deserted, empty wasteland. Everything that had been was now dust, all the magic and wonders long gone. It was a shame, he thought, that this planet, once the ruler of a glorious empire, was now just a lump of rock, barely a shadow of its former self, floating meaninglessly through the empty void of space.

He raised his hand and gently pressed it to one of the remaining columns... smoke and screams filled the air... the palace was burning, the city shaking... they were utterly overwhelmed... all was lost... He pulled his hand away and quickly stepped back, the memories mercifully fading. Of all the places in the galaxy, this was the last he'd ever wanted to see again.

So why had he come back? A powerful force had drawn him - that much he knew, but why and what it was he couldn't be sure. He was in great danger, but the force leading him had been too insistent, urging him while asleep and guiding him while awake. Glancing down to the golden medallion hanging around his neck, he only hoped that the ones he counted as his friends would find him before the ones he knew as his enemies did.


On the moon, the single rocky satellite orbiting Earth, all was not well.

"Goldar! Squatt!" screeched a high-pitched voice that echoed from a high stone castle and down across the landscape.

"Scorpina! Baboo!" it cried again, and four strange creatures huddled together in fear in the palace's highest throne room.

"You idiots!" cried Rita Repulsa, attacking Squatt and Baboo with her staff. The two were the usual subjects of Rita's outbursts, but this was beyond anything they'd suffered in the past. Thankfully they were soon given a reprieve, as Rita turned and began taking out her frustration on Scorpina and Goldar. "How could you not realise that Zordon was going to use those six extra Power Coins?"

"But he only used five..." stammered Scorpina, immediately regretting it as Rita spun back towards her and struck out again.

"Those five Junior Rangers ruined what was a perfect plan!" the witch cried, "and it was all your fault! I have such a head-ache..." The storm passed, giving them all a momentary chance to recover. Grasping her head in pain, Rita slumped down into her seat.

Finster, resident scientist and monster-maker, appeared at the door. From past experience he knew Rita preferred him to the others, and that she seldom took out her bad moods on him. Still, he didn't like to interrupt one of her tirades, and stood trembling at the door for a few seconds before nervously announcing his presence. "Uh, my queen?"

Rita looked up, her anger rising at the interruption. "Yes?" she barked. "What do you want?"

He took a brave step into the throne room. "Uh, well, I've just picked up a rather strong energy signal, and I thought that..."

"Does this story have a point?" Rita growled, ominously reaching for her wand.

"Um, well, I thought you might be interested, uh, because it's originating from the planet Nerimos."

Rita stopped in her tracks, her attitude changing in a microsecond. Indeed, it was entirely possible the Universe had backflipped and there was someone else where Rita had been a second ago. "What planet was that?" she asked sweetly.

"Nerimos," Finster repeated. "The signal is so strong, it has to be Torlus's medallion. Nothing else in the galaxy has that kind of energy signature."

"The great medallion?" she asked in disbelief. "The magic Torlus possesses is beyond that of even mine. If I possessed that kind of power I'd be unstoppable, and I could defeat Zordon and conquer the Earth Junior Team of Power Rangers or not. I must have that medallion. Goldar! Scorpina!" she cried, turning to her two strongest subjects. "Organise an army of putties, we're going on vacation!"


"See, for me it's been the small things," said Aaron, as he and Sarah shook out their umbrellas and left them in the stand beside the Youth Centre doors, before heading in towards the Juice Bar. "Like, I was making a sandwich the other day and I couldn't get the jar of peanut butter open. I just thought in the back of my mind, if I morphed this'd be a piece of cake."

Sarah nodded. "I know what you mean," she replied, as they spotted everybody sitting up near the Juice Bar and began making their way towards the group. "I was playing netball last night, and at half-time it just kind of hit me that a Ranger could score a goal from any position on the field. Probably with their eyes shut."

"Probably make the game a bit one-sided though," smiled Aaron.

Everybody looked up as Aaron and Sarah approached and pulled out a couple of free chairs.

"Hey guys," smiled Kimberly.

I looked over to Aaron. "Still raining outside?" I asked.

He nodded. "Pouring. Figures - beautiful all week, downpour Saturday morning."

"It's okay though, the Seniors have been telling us some of the things that have happened around Caloundra since they became Rangers," Scott said. "Like - get this - the day Rita kidnapped the entire city, and they had to save everybody."

"Wow," said Sarah, glancing around the group. "That would've been thousands of people, if not a whole lot more..."

Zac nodded. "Totally. Well, at least everybody who attended."

"And that was on Power Ranger day, wasn't it?" I asked, turning to Jason.

"Yeah," replied Jason. "Although you probably don't remember it actually happening. A lot of people didn't."

"Automatic memory loss seems a decidedly common occurrence around here," said Billy with a small smile. "It does make for interesting conversations after the fact, however..."

Aaron laughed and shook his head. "I can't believe you guys were all kidnapped and don't even remember it," he said, turning to the Senior Rangers. "I was in Brisbane that day, I couldn't make it."

"I wouldn't worry," Kim said, and grinned. "There's always next time."

Aaron smiled. "I always miss out though," he said. "Well, I came here with my older brother for Parent Day, but..."

At this, Zac stifled a laugh and Tommy rolled his eyes.

Aaron glanced from one Ranger to the other, his smile fading. "Again?"

At that point Ernie, the cheerful owner of the Youth Centre, rounded the corner with a tray of drinks, and everybody immediately looked around guilty and changed the subject. We'd all planned to head down the beach this morning, but hadn't counted on the beautiful weather yesterday turning grey and miserable today. So the teens had all taken us to the Youth Centre, introduced us to Ernie, and spent the morning telling us about all the things they'd done. According to them, a lot had happened here.

Even after an uneventful week, the five of us were still unsure about our roles as Power Rangers, but we'd spent the last few days furiously training with the Senior Team. I guess they wanted to make sure we'd be capable of standing on our own in a fight. Jason and I had been hanging out a lot in the last week as well. He'd given me a beginner's course in about six different styles of martial arts - only the very basics, but I was picking them up quickly. I owed it to Jason, though - he was a fantastic teacher, with patience that seemed to border on the superhuman.

"And you guys teleported from here for the first time too?" asked Sarah, once Ernie had left.

Kimberly nodded. "Yep. Kind of cool, huh?"

"We were just as perplexed about our situation as you were," said Billy.

Trini and Teresa wandered back up to our table after having spent the morning going through martial arts routines. "Billy," smiled Trini, sliding into a seat beside the Blue Ranger, "you're not boring our new friends with tales of our past exploits, are you?"

"No way," I replied, shaking my head. "We were enjoying listening."

Trini smiled. "Well let me tell you about the time I had to fight..." but she was cut off as our communicators all suddenly chimed their six-note musical tones.

I glanced to Jason. "What do we do if they go off in public?"

Jason smiled. "Usually it means we get to beat something up," he replied. "C'mon." Getting up, we followed the Seniors away from the Juice Bar, down into the locker hall and into the locker room. Tommy and Zac quickly jogged around the room to make sure we were alone, while Billy shut the door behind us.

"Zordon," began Jason, speaking into the thin band of metal, "everybody's here. Go ahead."

"Rangers," boomed Zordon's voice. "There is a situation developing. Teleport to the Command Centre immediately."

"You heard the man," nodded Zac. I looked around to the Junior Team, my stomach doing backflips - duty was calling. Following the lead of the Seniors, we all gently tapped the buttons on our communicators. Instantly, transforming into multi-coloured streaks of energy, we shot out of the building and soared west, covering thousands of kilometres of terrain in the blink of an eye. Within seconds, the Command Centre had appeared on the horizon, and before we knew it, we had been drawn inside.

The eleven of us materialised on the floor in front of Zordon's plasma tube, the five Juniors lightly holding their heads. "Whoa," Teresa murmured. "I'm never going to get the hang of that."

Jason smiled, then looked up to our mentor. "Zordon," he said, "what's the situation? What's happening?"

"Rangers, it's good to see you all again," began Zordon. "Now, before Rita trapped me within this time-warp, I had many friends through-out the galaxy. One such friend of mine was a wizard named Torlus of the planet Nerimos. Please observe the viewing screen..." He paused while we all turned around. The screen at the back of the room quickly flashed to life, showing an old man wearing long blue robes with a golden medallion around his neck.

"Torlus was a powerful mage," Zordon continued, "and in his possession is an extraordinary medallion, capable of granting people with tremendous power." On the screen, the medallion was dramatically enlarged. On one side was an odd symbol - a triangle with an eye inside it. On the other side was a picture of a dragon, long, sleek and curled around the medallion's surface. "Our sensors indicate that Torlus has returned to his home planet. He may be looking for me, or he may be in trouble. Either way, you must travel to Nerimos, find him and keep him out of harm's way. If that medallion were to fall into the wrong hands, the results could be disastrous."

"Magical medallion?" repeated Aaron, turning to Scott. "Five bucks says somebody ends up with those powers before the end of this."

Scott grinned, and shook Aaron's hand. "You're on."

"But if Torlus is so powerful," began Kimberly, "why the defcon four? Shouldn't he be totally fine until we arrive?"

"In theory, yes," replied Zordon. "The problem is that the medallion is the source of Torlus's power. Without it in his physical possession, Torlus is powerless, and keeping it on him would make stealing it that much easier, which is something we cannot risk happening. Knowing Torlus, if he senses danger, he'll have hidden the medallion somewhere. Regardless Rangers, you must find him."

"We'll do our best," replied Jason.

"We will teleport you there immediately," said Zordon. "As I'm sure you can imagine, time is not on our side."

Jason nodded and turned to me. "You set?" he asked.

I nodded, reaching for my back pocket. "Always. It's morphin'..."

"Wait!" cried Alpha, freezing everybody in their tracks. "Our sensors have just detected a monster in the industrial district. Ayeyiyi!"

"Talk about bad timing," said Trini.

"I don't think it was," replied Zordon. "Rita must've also discovered Torlus and sent the monster as a diversion." The interdimensional sage paused, faced with a difficult choice. Getting to Torlus and keeping him from danger, or perhaps even rescuing him from it, was top priority, and would definitely require the stronger team of Rangers. But which team was stronger? The Senior Team had experience on their side, but their powers had not fully returned to them yet. The Junior Team were fully-powered, but had had little experience.

He paused another second before making his decision. "Jason, you will take the Senior Team to Caloundra, battle the monster and catch up as soon as you can. We will teleport the Junior Team to Nerimos to begin the search for Torlus at once."

"All right," nodded Jason, turning to me. "Good luck."

"Thanks," I replied. "Don't be long," and everyone reached for their morphers. "It's morphin' time!"

"Parasaurolophus!"

"Rhamphorynchus!"

"Brontosaurus!"

"Velociraptor!"

"Stegosaurus!"

"Dragon Zord!"

"Mastodon!"

"Pterodactyl!"

"Triceratops!"

"Sabre-Toothed Tiger!"

"Tyrannosaurus!" finished Jason, and in an instant, the eleven of us were suited-up and ready to go.


Standing to her full height, Rita gazed out over the ruins of what had once been a grand royal palace, letting her mind drift across the empty landscape, through dusty courtyards and past ancient, crumbling walls, searching for any sign of life.

Behind her, Goldar led a troop of putties up the small hill towards her.

"The city lies deserted," Goldar said, as he approached. "There was no trace of him."

Rita shook her head and turned back to her faithful warrior. "He's not here at the palace, either. But now that I think about it, the palace would be too obvious, wouldn't it?" She paused, searching her memory. "If Torlus thinks he's in danger, he'll be hiding at the circle."

"Hianan?" asked Goldar quickly. "But my queen, that was sacred ground, we couldn't go near the place last time."

"Time will have done more damage to the circle than I ever could've back then," Rita replied. "The magic protecting Hianan will have long since vanished, and the old fool probably doesn't even realise it." Rita paused, looking out towards the horizon and grinning a wicked smile. "He's actually made this easier for me. To the circle Goldar, now!"
"He's gotta be around here somewhere," said Tommy, as he and Jason led the team down a street with factories and empty warehouses on either side.

"I hope the others will be okay," said Jason, scanning the buildings by the side of the road.

"Don't worry," Trini said. "I'm sure they'll be fine."

"Got him!" cried Zac, pointing down the street to where Rita's latest monster was terrorising a fleeing group of factory workers. The monster looked more robotic than organic - short and covered in an armoured silver shell, it's eyes stuck up on two shining stalks, and was armed with two jagged metal claws.

"Let's take him!" said Tommy, and the Rangers raced down the street towards him. Hearing the team approach, the monster spun around, but not fast enough to avoid two rapid high kicks from Billy and Trini as they reached him. The monster stumbled backwards but quickly recovered.

"So you're the Power Rangers?" he growled, his creeping voice like pin- pricks down the back of each Rangers' neck, suggesting Things hiding in dark places.

"That's right," said Jason, as the others spread out on either side. "And you must be..."

"I am Crabitron!" the monster replied, "your worst nightmare!"

Zac shook his head. "Rita has been watching way too many late night monster flicks," he said. Crabitron roared defiantly and raised his claws, unleashing a barrage of laser blasts. The Rangers all leaped to safety, and not one of the blasts found their target, each one smashing into the parked cars and buildings behind the Rangers.

Automatically going to each other's side, Jason and Tommy rolled to their feet side-by-side. Even as the smoke was clearing, the two Rangers charged towards their opponent. Tommy took to the air and knocked the monster back with a high kick, but as he landed, Crabitron spun to the side and slashed his claws across Tommy's chest. The dragon shield absorbed most of the blow, and Tommy grabbed the monster's outstretched arm and threw him aside.

Jason leapt forward, smashing both fists against the monster's chest shell. The monster knocked away Jason's arms with one claw and struck him back with the other, but Jason immediately spun back and holding both claws at bay, he leaped into the air and landed a spinning high kick.

The monster regained his footing in an instant and sent Jason and Tommy to the ground with a blast from his claws. But he'd forgotten about the other Rangers, and only remembered them when Kim sent a barrage of arrows scorching through the air towards him. He dodged several but couldn't avoid them all, and his chest shell erupted into fire and sparks. Following up her attack, Kim leaped into the air and came down slashing her bow across Crabitron's chest armour.

Billy and Trini rushed to aid their team-mates, the Yellow Ranger slashing her daggers across the monster's chest before knocking him back with a judo chop to the neck. The monster charged forward and retaliated with a glancing blow to her stomach, before swiping at her head with an outstretched claw. Billy blocked the claw with his lance, before breaking the weapon in half into two small tridents and attacking, landing several blows before Crabitron grabbed the tridents and knocked Billy aside.

Jason somersaulted back into the fray, slashing with his sword and leaving several large gashes in the monster's armour. Crabitron stumbled backwards in a shower of sparks, and Zac leaped into the air towards the monster, bringing his Power Axe right down across the monster's chest and leaving a huge split in his armour, before spinning the weapon around and aiming for the crack in the monster's shell. Pausing for just a second, he pulled the trigger, and the force of the blow sent the monster hurtling backwards through the air.

"Great job Zac," nodded Jason.

"Yeah, good move," said Kim.

He bowed with a smile. "Why thank you," he said, as Crabitron slowly got back to his feet. "Some monsters just don't get the idea, do they?"

Jason nodded. "We don't have time for this. We need the megablaster, now!"

Zac's Power Axe and Kim's Power Bow instantly fused together in a flash of light. Trini's Power Daggers spun around and attached themselves to the underside of the bow, while Billy's two tridents did the same. Leaping into the air, Jason placed his sword atop the axe, and the weapon was complete. Landing in front of the other Rangers, he aimed the megablaster squarely at the advancing Crabitron.

"Sayonara pal," he said, and pulled the trigger. A huge energy blast exploded from the megablaster, smashing into Crabitron like a burst of thunder and instantly reducing him to a pile of charcoal in a huge explosion that lit up the area and echoed down the street.

"Well," said Billy, "that wasn't a terribly effective diversion."

"But it did keep us busy," replied Jason, as the megablaster broke into its component parts and disappeared. "C'mon, we'd better get back to the Command Centre, and go find Torlus and the others."