On Sledge's ship, the monsters were once again in their cells, cowering away. It wasn't because Sledge was back, now that he had destroyed Arcanon and taken the Dark Energem, he really didn't care what happened to the prisoners. They had all been away from their home planets for millions of years. Any bounty on them would have long since expired. Those that were looking for them would have either died or long since forgotten why they even wanted them in the first place and so the inhabitants of his ship no longer held any value for him other than helping him get the remaining Energems. If they chose to leave the ship, to take their chances on the outside world, it really was no concern to him and just less mouths to feed in the long run. No, those that remained still had free run of the ship, but chose to remain in their cells just to keep out of the way of the drama unfolding.
The yelling had gone on for hours, and it was interspersed with power blasts and various flying objects. Poisandra was obviously delighted that Sledge had returned to her, that he was still alive. She had searched for him since Heckyl had told her that he had escaped the crash, and when she finally did reunite with him, she had gone with him to destroy Arcanon without a second thought. Of course now that the dust had settled and they were back at home, that did leave the uncomfortable question, why DID he let her think he had been destroyed and why had he stayed away for so long?
Wrench was the Engine Room, making use of the communications system while this was going on. Sledge had ordered that he wanted his ship back in the air and back in orbit as soon as possible. He was even willing to use the Dark Energem to power the engines back up to full charge in order to achieve this. Wrench had the communicator attached to the side of his head with magnets while he was working.
"I've been on hold for two hours!" He yelled down the line. "I wanted to talk about job opportunities...wait...what do you mean this is the wrong department? Don't put me back on hold!"
He let out a groan of frustration as the music started up again. Poisandra came storming into the engine room with Curio right behind her. She huffed and stomped her foot, folding her arms defiantly with her back to the door. Sledge came crawling in on his knees with a bouquet of flowers.
"Poisandra, these are for you!" He told her, holding them out. "Please take me back my pink sugarplum!"
Wrench was putting on his best puppy-face, and impressive feat considering the majority of his face was covered by his helmet. It was what normally melted Poisandra's heart and got her to listen to him. Wrench just considered how grateful he was he didn't have a stomach, or the ability to throw up any longer.
"Not good enough!" She said turning her nose up and continuing to look away. "I cried myself to sleep every night for months thinking about you! Now I found out you spent all that time gallivanting all over this world having fun without me!"
"Oh, that's not true my precious belladonna." He said, making kissy sounds that made Wrench start to wonder if he was premature in thinking he could no longer vomit. "I was miserable the whole time! I wanted nothing more than to come back to you and get those Rangers for what they did to us...but I knew that if my plan worked, we could make them pay! Please, I beg you on my knees to forgive me!"
"If you liked it you should have put a ring on it!" Poisandra screamed, ripping the flowers from his hand and throwing them on the floor.
"Yeah, you tell him Poisandra!" Curio said, starting to stomp and jump on the flowers in support of his mistress, turning them into mulch on the floor.
"I've been waiting for millions of years, and then you spend months on vacation without me all the while letting me think you were dead?" She whined, beginning to slap him around the head again. "Flowers won't do it this time; I...WANT...A...WEDDING!"
"Of course, of course, anything you say!" Sledge told her. "We'll get married, just as soon as Sledge gets this ship off the ground! My precious pink Poisie-poo!"
"YAY!" She squealed in delight, beginning to jump around with joy with her pet, dancing in a madcap manner. "I'm FINALLY getting married! Come on Curio! We've got so much planning to do!"
"Love you Poisie!" Sledge said as she skipped away, watching her go. He hadn't exactly been MISERABLE on his journey around the world, he had managed to keep himself entertained, but it always was his driving thought to return to his ship and prepare for the destruction of the Rangers. He turned to Wrench, who was still on the communicator.
"So, who is it I'm speaking to?" He asked, before noticing Sledge was glowering at him. "Uh...I'll be right back." He put the line on hold.
"How long before you get this thing up and running?" Sledge snapped at him.
"The engines have been salvaged for parts to keep vital systems running so many times...I needed to make whole new parts!" Wrench told him. "I should be ready to put the Dark Energem in to charge it in a couple of hours!"
"Well don't rest until you do!" Sledge warned him, putting the Dark Energem down next to him. "My plan is about to hatch, and I don't want to be anywhere NEAR this planet when it does!"
As he left, Wrench just sighed and took the line off hold.
"Sorry about that, my boss was listening." He said, going back to work on the engine. "So yes, I've been a chief engineer for over 65 million years...what? What do you mean you have a head mechanic? I thought this was an opening for...but Ripcon, sir, I'm WAY too qualified to be an apprentice! What if I sweeten the pot and offer you some new contestants for your show? I know a lot of creatures who'll be looking for paid employment soon!"
He just sighed as he heard the response.
"Alright, what's the package like for an apprentice?" He said in an exasperated tone as he went back to work.
Over in the museum, Sarah was with Shelby was following Shelby around with a book in her hand, trying to catch her attention. Shelby looked more than a little frustrated as she tried to go around her route, revising her knowledge of where the exhibits had been relocated to in order to amend her tour notes.
"Look, all I'm saying is it's worth a try!" Sarah told her.
"Sarah, you can't just MAKE a zord!" Shelby told her. "The Zords we have were animated from the dinosaurs that were bonded to their Energems!"
"But in this book it says..."
"Not everything in books is always right Sarah!" Shelby interrupted her. "I know you found it in Zenowing's personal effects, but even he said it was just a theory!"
"All I'm saying is maybe it's worth a try!" Sarah said, pleading with her. "I mean...how cool would it be to get behind the controls of a Zord you made?"
"Ah, Sarah, glad to see you." Ivan declared as he saw them walking around the museum. "I'm not interrupting anything am I?"
"Nothing important." Shelby assured him. Ivan just gestured over to the cafe.
"I have someone who wants to meet you, someone who owes you an apology." He told her.
"You mean...your grandson?" Sarah asked him. It had been a surprise when she confronted Zack, only to find herself staring at Ivan's face. That momentary lapse was all it took for him to shove her off the fence. "He's here?"
"He is, and he truly is extremely apologetic about what happened." Ivan told her. "Come, he insisted I find you so that he could apologise in person."
With that, Ivan took Sarah away to the cafe to meet with Zack. Kendall came over smiling.
"I'm just heading out; I've got something personal to do." She told Shelby, before glancing after Sarah. "So, you've had a little bit of a shadow?"
"Yeah, Sarah's great and all but it is SO wearing!" Shelby grumbled. "I mean, I love enthusiasm but it's so exhausting! Also, the way she keeps on and on at me about trying out ideas like she thinks she knows better than me? How long does she think I've been doing this? It's great she wants to help, but she could really do with calming down a little and learning to appreciate that sometimes people just know more than her."
"Yes...that is annoying isn't it?" Kendall replied with a wicked grin and a little wink as she started to walk away. Shelby's eyes grew wide.
"Wait...are you saying...?" Shelby asked her, looking indignant. "Are you saying I was like that?"
"Why do you think I hired her?" Kendall called back. "She reminded me of you!"
As she left the museum, heading out on personal errands, and wordlessly leaving Shelby in charge, the Pink Ranger furrowed her brows.
"Sure I was keen, but...I was never THAT bad...was I?" She asked, before shaking her head and going back to her work.
Over in Summer Cove, a town a couple of hours' drive from Amber Beach, Koda was in the ring at one of Carl's shows. While the timing wasn't ideal, until Sledge and his and made their move, the Rangers really were at a loss as to how to proceed, and so there really was no reason to force Koda to postpone what was the push of his career so far.
On their last show, Koda had made his return and fired the opening shot of his feud with Jack, attacking him in revenge for his attack when they failed to win the tag team championships. It was a feud that had only just begun, but one that the fans were already eager to see come to a head! Most were delighted to see Koda back, and even more delighted to see that he had every intention of making Jack pay for what he had done.
The show was opening with a battle royal, a very simple match type that was often used to allow a number of performers to get a little time and exposure at once. The idea was simple, a number of performers, in this case twenty, began in the ring and they fought to throw each other out. A wrestler was eliminated if they were thrown over the top rope and both feet touched the floor on the outside of the ring.
It was common for such matches to be used to allow young or inexperienced workers a little time in front of a crowd in a way that wasn't too demanding of them. They were in among so many other performers that if anyone had a momentary lapse or be unable to perform difficult routines then it didn't matter as much since there were so many other people and so much else going on that no one was focusing on any one performer in particular. It was also commonly used to kill some time, and a lot of shows would put on such a match when it became clear that matches had ended short or not enough people were able to attend to make a full card since many of the wrestlers could perform double duty and work the battle royal and another match. Since most didn't get paid any extra for this additional appearance, they were only too happy to let themselves get eliminated quickly, meaning they didn't risk any additional injury and also helping younger performers get a little time in front of an audience.
The other reason for such a match was a quick and simple way of establishing another event. While there was always the PERCEPTION of a championship ranking, and performers were often referred to as the "number one contender" before getting a title match, no promotion ever made public the actual rankings because, frankly, they didn't exist! Since the show was a work, matches were often made more because they fitted a storyline than any consideration of who had won and lost how many matches lately. A battle royal was often used as a plot tool, with a shot at a title on the line. It meant that it made more sense why rookies who maybe only had one or two appearances would be in the same ring as guys that had been working for the promotion for years. After all, who couldn't identify with working for an employer who suddenly offered an opportunity to go from an entry-level position to an executive in a single day?
Koda was forced over to the ropes by one of his opponents and chopped hard in the chest to stun him, before the guy grabbed Koda's leg and started to lift, trying to rotate him over the ropes. The crowd was on their feet chanting for Koda as the other three men in the ring joined the efforts to eliminate the young up-and-comer and hopefully secure the title shot for themselves.
Koda looked to the men, and got the confirmation they were ready. One of the things they had always sold Koda on was his freakish strength, and they knew he had the raw power to carry off a lot of impressive spots. Koda sunk down, and got underneath, at which all four men balanced their weight and prepared to jump. With a massive yell, Koda stood up, and all four men went flipping over the rope at the same time, tumbling to the floor! Koda fell to his knees, spent from the exertion, but held his hand up in triumph as the bell rung.
"Your winner, and Number One Contender, KODA!" The Ring Announcer called out. The fans all cheered. They knew it was inevitable that Koda and Jack were on a collision course for a proper match, but now that he was the number one contender, that meant Koda was in line for a championship match! For the story, that not only meant Jack couldn't duck Koda, refusing a match, but that when they did face, Koda could potentially take the championship from him and gain the ultimate revenge! Koda's music was cut, and he was interrupted as Jack came onto the stage, applauding sarcastically.
"Congratulations kid, you beat up a bunch of nobodies and booked yourself into a hell from which you can't come back!" Jack taunted him as he held the belt over his shoulder. "You think I've not seen this shit a million times? I've watched people like you come and I've sent most of them packing! You think because you've got this match you're on top of the world, but all you've done is guarantee you have a one-way ticket to disappointment!"
"Jack, you talk too much!" Koda answered, taking a mic. "You attack me, try to end me, but I come back!"
He gestured to the crowd.
"They all know, this not about title. I face you even if no title!" Koda told him. "But now there is title, now I up for title...you go on fastest diet plan in world! Lose ten pounds in five minutes!"
The crowd exploded at this threat. It was a reference to the fact that the title was often referred to as "ten pounds of gold." Jack just laughed.
"Kid, if you think this title is going anywhere, maybe I hit your head a little too hard with that piledriver!" Jack told him. "I don't even need to beat you! You forget a little thing called champion's privilege! If I get DQ'd, this belt stays right where it is. If I get counted out, this belt never leaves my waist."
Koda started pacing as the crowd responded negatively to that assertion. Like other combat sports like boxing, the champion's privilege meant that the champion didn't lose his title unless he was defeated. In the event of a draw, they would keep the title; the challenger had to win the match. In the case of wrestling this meant that a contender could only win by pinfall, submission or referee's stoppage. In the event of a disqualification or count out, the champion kept the belt, something more than a few heel wrestlers had used to annoy the fans and cheat their opponents out of victory to sell storylines.
"But I'm not like that! I want to leave no doubt in anyone's mind that you're not even in my league!" Jack declared. "That's why when we go to Amber Beach; there won't be any count outs or disqualifications. If you've got the balls, you and I are going to settle this once and for all in a good old fashioned street fight!"
"You're ON!" Koda screamed into the mic, tossing it down as the crowd exploded. The match was set, and there was no backing down now. The former friends would face each other in one of the most brutal matches possible, and they would do so over the highest honour in the company!