Episode 2

All Rise

Trucy looked out into the forest, starting to worry about Kyle now. He's been gone a pretty long time now… too long for just gathering water from a relatively close stream. Something must have happened. She slowly turned around to face Kent, Rodger and Jinxie.

"Hey, guys…" she started hesitantly. "Do you think maybe we should…?" Rodger suddenly covered her mouth.

"Shh." he shushed her. "Shut up. Do you guys hear that?" At his words, the remaining three strained their ears to pick up what Rodger was hearing… and they could just make it out.

"G-groaning?" Jinxie realized. "Is someone hurt?"

"For some reason… I don't think so…" Kent muttered, sufficiently weirded out by this noise. The four started looking around in anticipation, a feeling of dread growing in their stomachs. Abruptly, faceless black creatures started emerging from around the trees, and Jinxie let out a scream, at which point the monsters started rushing them.

Acting quickly, Rodger rushed to the Groaners, promptly punching one in the face, and kicking another in the stomach. He continued to brawl a number of the Groaners while others managed to slip past him to Kent and the girls. Jinxie started whacking a ton with her tray, while Kent was able to use his limited martial arts knowledge to his advantage. Trucy, on the other hand… she was pretty quickly overwhelmed.

"Ahh!" Trucy cried out. "Help me!"

"Trucy!" Jinxie rushed over to help her friend, but was intercepted by a Groaner, which she quickly slapped a charm onto. "Be gone, foul demon!" The Groaner staggered back before rotting away, catching Jinxie off guard. "Huh? I could have sworn I used a 'Freeze in Place' charm… maybe these things react differently to…" she trailed off as she remembered her friend was in imminent danger. "Trucy! Hang in there!"

The Groaners started crowding around Trucy, their nails digging into her. "Help!"

At that moment, a figure in red jumped onto the scene, pulling a blaster-like gun from inside his jacket and shooting all of the Groaners around Trucy, freeing her. The figure landed between Trucy and the remaining Groaners, his gun held high. "Get away from her!" he shouted before opening fire on the nearest Groaner, destroying it. Trucy swore his voice was familiar. The figure turned towards Trucy in that moment, the visor of his helmet turning transparent, allowing Trucy to see his face.

It was Kyle.

"You okay?" he asked her, nonchalantly shooting down a Groaner trying to blindside him.

"Y-yeah…" Trucy stuttered out in response. "Where did you…?"

"I'll explain later," he said, turning back to the Groaners as his visor became opaque once more. "Right now… we need to get rid of these pests." A Groaner rushed him at that moment, and got a flying kick to the face for its troubles. Like a terrible car crash, Trucy found herself unable to look away as Kyle completely destroyed the strange creatures. In only a few seconds, the Groaners were all gone, and Jinxie, Trucy, Kent, and Rodger stood there staring at the panting, spandex clad form of Kyle.

"Power down…" Kyle muttered as his ranger uniform disappeared, and he collapsed to his knees. Kent rushed to Kyle's side, concerned.

"Kyle!" Kent couldn't help but shout in concern. "Are you okay!?"

"I-I'm fine…" Kyle responded. "Just… winded…"

"Hey… Kyle…" Jinxie started hesitantly. "What was that red costume you were wearing? It kind of looked like the suit lawyers wear…"

"That…" Kyle said, trailing off as he tried to figure out how to phrase what he wanted to say. Before he even had to, heavy panting reached his ears, and he turned sharply to see Sera tiredly arriving at the campsite.

"W-wait up… Kyle…" Sera panted weakly. "I… I can't…"

"Sera!" Kyle gently pushed Kent aside as he rushed to the young woman's side, the remaining members of the group glancing at each other in confusion. "Are you okay? I-I didn't realize you were so out of shape!"

"I'm not… you're just a lot more fit in Ranger form…" Kyle stared at her in shock.

"I'm… what?" Trucy loudly cleared her throat at that moment.

"Now… could either of you please explain to us what the heck is going on?" she demanded.

Meanwhile, in Seth's cave, Kristoph and von Karma were forceful pushing the coffin onto its back, changing it into a sort of makeshift cauldron. "Perfect," Seth complemented the men as he walked up to the cauldron. "With this, I can start making some elite Wraiths for my army."

"You honestly plan to take over the world using an army of ghosts?" Dahlia asked, skeptic.

"Oh, I do, Ms. Hawthrone." Seth answered, summoning a mitamah to his hand. "You'd be surprised exactly what you can do with spirits. For example…" he turned to the mitamah in his hand, studying it. "…a simple accountant in life, murdered by his wife after a disagreement over child care… refine all that resentment, anger, and fear…" he dropped the mitamah into the impromptu cauldron, and an odd bubbling sound started emanating from it.

Seth started slowly walking around the cauldron, waving his arms mysteriously over it. "Double, double, toil and trouble. Fire burn, cauldron bubble. Embrace your hate, abandon love. Let great evil emerge up above," Seth chanted as he went. The interior of the cauldron started changing color, and the onlookers started getting uncomfortable.

Soon, the cauldron started shaking, wisps of steam emerging from the top. "Come and submit to earthly strife…" Seth continued chanting as the shaking intensified. "…and in this evil, gain new life!" His spell complete, Seth stepped away from the cauldron as a monstrous shape shot out of it. It landed a few feet from the cauldron, revealing a vaguely humanoid monster with skin made of receipts and similar documents, assorted adding machines for his hands and feet, and his head was just a calculator with sharp teeth and glaring eyes.

"Huh?" the monster muttered in a deep voice. "Where am I? And WHO am I?"

"You, my dear friend…" Seth started gently, sidling towards the Wraith, "are Cruncher… and you're home."

"Home…?" The newly christened Cruncher muttered. "Yeah… that sounds right."

"That's because it IS right, Cruncher," Seth assured him. "Believe me, we have all the best in world here… well, we will once we control it."

"Really!?" Cruncher exclaimed in joy.

"Really… all you have to do is help make it happen… try going out into town… terrorize the locals… and… above all else…" He leaned in close to Cruncher. "…crush anyone that gets in your way." Cruncher seemed to smirk evilly at this part.

"That goes without saying, doesn't it?" With that said, Cruncher rushed out of the cave, eager to get to work. Dahlia hesitantly walked up to Seth as Manfred and Kristoph looked on.

"You… you really think that number cruncher will be able to do damage to the city?" she asked, still skeptical.

"Under normal circumstances, yes," Seth answered. "But I suspect my sister has recruited some Power Rangers to oppose us by now…"

"Power… what?"

"Power Rangers. A team of individuals, usually teenagers or young adults, running around in color-coordinated costumes fighting for good and justice and all that jazz," Seth waved his hand dismissively. "They're just a pain to deal with. For this reason… I would appreciate it if you followed Cruncher." Dahlia turned sharply toward him.

"And do what?" Seth looked back at her, and slowly handed her a small plastic tube. "What's this? Lipstick?"

"Yeah… a special, black magic infused lipstick," Seth answered. "If Cruncher falls in battle, just apply the lipstick to yourself, and blow the Wraith's remains a kiss. He'll be revived with a generous boost in power… among other things…"

Dahlia raised an eyebrow at that last part, but placed the lipstick in her pocket regardless. Anticipating the battle to come, she followed Cruncher out of the cave.

Meanwhile, back at the group's campsite, Sera and Kyle had just finished explaining the situation to Trucy, Kent, Rodger and Jinxie.

"Okay…" Kent started slowly, "…let me see if I've got this right… this woman's name is Sera…" Sera nodded in confirmation. "…and you just accidentally set her evil brother Seth free by simply touching the coffin he was sealed in…" Kyle nodded in confirmation. "…and NOW you guys need five random teenagers, including Kyle, to form some discount team of heroes to oppose him, right?"

"You four interested in a position?" Kyle asked, half joking, half dead serious.

"No," Kent responded immediately, without any hesitation in his voice whatsoever. "Who in their right mind would be stupid enough to risk their lives on some insignificant battle? I am not going to have any part in this charade… and I am confident that the others agree with me." He looked back at the other members of the group. "Right?"

"Don't lump me together with you assholes," Rodger stated darkly. "I have nothing to gain from this mission, so don't think I'll join up so easily."

"Don't give me that look," Trucy stated defensively. "You saw how badly I performed in that last battle. I… I seriously doubt I'll be much help…"

"See, Kyle?" Kent said smugly. "It's unanimous. No one wants to join your worthless team of wannabe heroes."

"Actually, Kent…" Jinxie muttered hesitantly, catching Kent's attention. "…I've decided to join Kyle in the fight."

Kent turned to look at Jinxie with a deadpan expression. "What?"

"I… I want to be a Power Ranger…" Jinxie stated, slightly more confident in herself.

"Why?"

"Because…" Jinxie took a deep breath, steeling her expression before meeting Kent's gaze with a glare. "…because we're the world's only hope against this evil."

"Well, why does it have to be us, huh?" Kent countered harshly. "Why can't we just let the police handle this nonsense like they're supposed to?"

"You heard what Seth is capable of. The police aren't equipped to deal with that kind of power."

"So what? They're adaptable. They'll figure out how to fight him."

"But how long will THAT take, huh? By the time they do figure it out, it could already be too late."

"That's not our problem!" Without even thinking, Jinxie punched Kent in the face for his remark, causing him to fall onto his back. Everyone else winced slightly at the action.

"Not… our problem…" Jinxie muttered, spite dripping from her voice. "Not… our… problem… Nuh-uh. How is this not our problem!? Sera is reaching out to us for help! What kind of person would turn her down because it's 'not their problem', huh!?" Rodger and Trucy flinched back at the tone of her voice. Trucy had never heard Jinxie talk like that… and it was honestly freaking her out a bit… but she did understand where she was coming from. Rodger… well… all he could do was flash back to the CV-3 Incident and its aftermath.

"It looks…" Rodger started slowly, getting Kent and Jinxie's attention, "…like my mind has been changed for me."

"Huh?"

"I'll be the third Power Ranger."

"What!?" Kent exclaimed in disbelief. "B-But what about not benefitting? You said there was nothing in it for you!"

"Since when do real heroes care about that? Jinxie helped me remember that just now."

"You can't be serious! You're really going to throw away your life…"

"I'm in too," Trucy interrupted him. Kent stared at her like she had just lost her mind. "When has Daddy ever let being unprepared stop him? Thanks to Jinxie, I've gained the confidence I need to join up!"

Her piece said, Trucy confidently strode towards Sera, Rodger and Jinxie following behind her. Sera smiled gratefully at Trucy, Jinxie and Rodger as she presented them with the blue, pink, and green badges respectively.

"Are you people insane!?" Kent demanded, dumbfounded. "Are you seriously going to just go out there and die!?"

"Kent…" Kyle started sternly. Enough was enough. "Shut up, you coward."

"Excuse me?" Kent muttered, probing.

"You're absolutely terrified of Seth, aren't you? If not… why not join the fight?"

Kent stared at Kyle with a deadpan expression, before eventually sighing in defeat. "Fine. I'm in." He slowly reached a hand forward as Sera handed him the yellow badge. No sooner had he taken it that everyone heard a scream in the distance. "That… that sounded like one of the teachers…"

"We have to help them! But we can't let civilians know who we are. Let's morph here and rush to their aid." Kyle quickly took charge as the team's leader. Sera quickly handed out the remaining morphers to the others. Kyle inserted his badge into his morpher as watched as the others did the same. "Ready?"

"Ready!" the others chorused, holding their morphers up.

"Court in Session!" the rangers shouted in unison. "All Rise!" The badges shot up out of the morphers as everyone jumped up after them, the badges coating them in light of their respective colors, the badges attaching to their lapels before they landed, and the light dispersed to reveal their Ranger uniforms, all of them in different colors, and the girls' suits included miniskirts with white leggings instead of pants, but otherwise looking exactly the same. Their helmets soon descending down onto their heads; Kent's visor was in the shape of a prosecutor's badge, Trucy's was shaped like an eye, Rodger's like the police logo, and Jinxie's was a fox's paw print.

"Let's move out!" Kyle shouted quickly, the newer rangers following him soon after.

A ways ahead of them, Cruncher had stumbled upon the teachers' campsite, sending them into a panic. Cruncher suddenly shot a number of receipts at some of the teachers, somehow pinning them the trees around them. One was able to escape into town to inform the police of the situation, but would not be able to arrive in time. Cruncher laughed manically at his impending victory.

"Sorry, chumps!" He shouted at his victims. "I'm afraid you just can't survive on a teacher's salary!" He was about to fire more accounting documents at the teachers, when he was suddenly shot from the side. Everyone turned to see the Rangers showing up on the scene. "Who are you clowns!?" Cruncher shouted in annoyance.

"Belief in the innocent!" Kyle shouted in answer. "Courtroom: Red!"

"Punishment of criminals!" Kent followed up. "Courtroom: Yellow!"

"Perception of the truth!" It was now Trucy's turn. "Courtroom: Blue!"

"Authority of the police!" Rodger continued the roll call. "Courtroom: Green!"

"Exposure of lies!" Jinxie finished. "Courtroom: Pink!"

"Courtroom Frenzy!" The Rangers shouted together, posing dramatically. "State your plea!"

"State my pl… oh, I get it… you five must be those 'Power Ranger' punks Dahlia was talking about," Cruncher stated, briefly catching Trucy off-guard.

"Dahlia?" she asked, recognizing the names from stories Phoenix had told her… but it couldn't be the same Dahlia… could it?

"Whatever." Cruncher dismissed. "Seth said to crunch anyone who gets in my way… so be good little heroes and PERISH!" He then fired a load of receipts at the Rangers, forcing them to scatter and dodge out of the way. Kyle quickly brought out his Court Blaster to fire at the Wraith, lightly singing his skin.

"That tickles!" Cruncher shouted in response, before attempting to cut Kyle apart with accounting documents, but Kent and Trucy use their own blasters to obliterate the papers before they even got close. Rodger and Jinxie then tried to blindside Cruncher, managing to do a good deal of damage by attacking together, something the Rangers quickly pick up on.

"Ow!" Cruncher shouted after he hit the ground.

"We do more damage attacking with a partner… let's see what we can do when we all attack together," Kyle said aloud. "Blasters ready!"

"Ready!" the Rangers all point their blasters at Cruncher as reticules of their respective colors all converged over him. "Justice Spectrum! Fire!" they all fired their weapons together, sending a multicolored array of lasers at Cruncher, destroying him on impact, the Rangers posing in victory.

Up in a tree nearby, Dahlia watched Cruncher meet his demise. "Shame…" she muttered to herself. "He never even made it to the city… but then again…" she slowly pulled out the lipstick Seth gave her. "… I still haven't tested this out." Without any hesitation, she ran the lipstick over her mouth, painting her lips black. "Time for your second wind, Cruncher," her spiel said, Dahlia blew Cruncher's remains a kiss, sending a small black orb at them. When the orb touched the Wraith's remains, they started glowing a dark scarlet, getting the Rangers' attention as they, Dahlia, and the teachers watched them rise over the trees and enlarged. In a flash, a giant version of Cruncher stood menacingly over the forest.

"Hahahahahahahahahaha!" he laughed evilly. "I always knew I would make BIG BUCKS!"

"What the!?" Kent stared at the massive Cruncher in horror. "How are we supposed to fight something that size!?" No sooner had he voiced his complaint than a train's whistle sounded out through the air. Everyone looked up to see a massive train rushing towards Cruncher one rails of light, multiple cannons emerging from the roof. Standing in the engine compartment of the train… was Sera.

"You didn't really think I wouldn't be prepared for something like this, did you, Rangers?" She asked, half-playfully, half-accusingly. "The Zords aren't quite ready yet, but this should have just enough firepower to bounce this Wraith's check." That said, all the cannons centered on Cruncher, beginning to charge up. "Fire!" they all fired at once, sending a wave of energy at Cruncher, destroying him once and for all. "Court adjourned." Sera said aloud as she drove the train away. The Rangers looked on in gratitude, before turning to look at the school faculty, seeing the documents restraining them disappear with the death of their creator.

"Next time…" Kyle muttered under his breath. "Next time, we'll be ready for you… Seth…"