After a short drive outside of New Plymouth, the three dinosaur hunters pulled up to a wooded field near the base of Mount Taranaki. Thick white clouds hung lazily over the top of the mountain, looking almost as if they were being churned out from the top of the volcano itself. While Chase was relatively familiar with the area, he never thought that the place potentially harbored the remains of some ancient dinosaurs. With Koda's help, he got busy unloading the gear from the trunk and worked to set up a small base camp while Kendall examined a map and began marking off a dig zone.
As soon as Chase and Koda finished setting up their tents and equipment, they joined Kendall to examine the area she had finished surveying. "Well, this should be a learning experience for me." Chase mused scratching his head. "So, what exactly are we looking for?"
Kendall pulled out a map along with pictures of a Parasaurolophus and handed it to him. "This is the dinosaur I believe may have originally bonded to your Energem."
Chase studied the picture and gave a bemused smile to himself. "He's an awfully strange looking bloke, isn't he? And what's with the funky thing on his head?"
Kendall sighed, "Can we focus, please? Now, your aunt said that she found the Black Energem somewhere near this spot, so I thought we'd start here. I'm going to set up some of my instruments right now, but I trust you know how to read this dig plan. If there aren't any more questions, I'll leave you to it."
Before he could reply, she walked off quickly into her tent to gather her own things. Chase sighed and exchanged a look with Koda muttering quietly, "Is she always like this?" The caveman nodded sympathetically and handed him a large shovel. It was time to get to work.
Over the next few days, the trio worked hard digging and sifting though the dirt. While Chase and Koda carried out the laborious job of digging and clearing the site, Kendall took on the tedious job of sifting through the soil and examining their findings. Despite going to bed sore every night, Chase strangely found he was enjoying himself. It had been a while since he had done this sort of thing, much less with other people. While Kendall and Koda were still technically strangers, he found that as he began talking to them more, he was starting to enjoy their company too.
At the moment however, Chase was ready to make an exception as he lay awake inside his tent that night. Several feet over, Koda was fast asleep in his own cot and snoring loudly, completely oblivious to the rest of the world. With a sigh, Chase sat up and exited the tent. He decided to take a quick evening stroll in hopes that it would tire him out a little more.
As he stepped out into the cool night air, he was surprised to see the campfire still crackling and the familiar form of Kendall sitting nearby it on a log. As he approached slowly, he could see her back was turned and her elbows moved slightly, as if she was hunched over working on something. Finally, he cleared his throat, "Couldn't sleep either?"
Despite the hushed question, Kendall jumped a foot, spilling some tools from her lap as she whirled around on him with a large colorful firearm in her hand.
Chase gasped in surprise and raised his hands, "Hey! Relax Miss Morgan! It's just me."
Kendall gave a sigh of relief and shook her head at him. "Chase, don't do that! You scared me half to death."
"Speak for yourself. You could have blown my head off." he remarked gesturing toward the log. "Can I join you?"
Kendall nodded and Chase sat down nearby, examining her project. "Don't you think you should be sleeping right now?" he asked.
"I couldn't." she answered, fiddling with the unusual looking revolver. "I couldn't stop thinking about some new adjustments I wanted to make on this."
"Err, if you don't mind my asking," he began, "What is that exactly?"
"This," Kendall said proudly, is your Dino Charge Morpher. I designed it myself. If you decide to join us long term, this device is what you would use to become a Power Ranger."
Chase took the revolver in his hands and examined it. "Well, it's certainly... interesting. Looks functional, but…"
Kendall narrowed her eyes, "But what?"
"Well…" Chase hesitated, trying to be diplomatic, "It's not exactly subtle. I mean, a giant yellow gun with a dinosaur head? Doesn't exactly seem very intimidating does it?"
"Oh, who asked you anyway?" Kendall huffed defensively, snatching the gun back.
As she began looking over the morpher, she said, "I was working on a way to fine tune your morpher tonight, but in order to finish that, I'd need to sync it to your Energem. Would you be willing to let me borrow it for a little while?"
Chase hesitated a minute, thinking over what her words meant and if he trusted her with the gift Moana had given him. Remembering Koda's words again, he finally relented and pulled the Energem from his pocket and handed it to her. "Be careful with it."
She nodded and took the stone from him before looking down to the ground. "Oh, you dropped something else." Reaching down, she picked up the purple stone that Chase had found in the Maori ruins. "Another good luck charm?" she asked.
He grimaced slightly to himself. "Yeah, something like that."
Holding the stone up to the firelight, Kendall examined it curiously. "It's beautiful," she remarked absently. "and purple, my favorite color."
Chase couldn't help but smile as she handed it back. "You don't seem to like talking about yourself, do you?" he asked.
"And what makes you say that?" she answered with a slight edge of defensiveness.
"Well, in the last 3 days, that's the first personal thing you've mentioned about yourself." Chase shrugged. "Koda has already told me all about his tribe and his brother. Hell, he even told me about a girl he liked before he fell in the ice. All I know about you is that you like the color purple."
Kendall shifted a little awkwardly, "Well, I usually don't talk about myself because a lot of that isn't very important. Can we please just leave it at that for now?"
Chase nodded and raised a hand apologetically. After a companionable silence, he slid another piece of chopped wood into the fire and said, "You know, I'm not sure exactly what kind of operation you're running, but you have to be a pretty remarkable girl to do it."
She glanced sideways in confusion. "I'm sorry?"
He continued poking at the fire, "I mean, you're digging for dinosaur bones, you're engineering advanced weapons, and you're helping to mentor new Power Rangers."
He turned to look at her. "Koda had told me about how much you've helped him and how you still look after him. He also told me about how you said the Energems granted him a second chance to help protect others."
"So, does this mean that you're going to…" Kendall began.
Chase shook his head. "I didn't say that. But, I just want to tell you that if Koda is any indication of the type of people you're grooming for your Ranger team, then I'm sure it will be a good one."
Kendall adjusted her glasses sheepishly from the compliment and quietly turned back to the fire. "Thank you Chase. You should probably try to get some rest now."
"Yeah," he nodded thoughtfully as he got up from his spot and headed back to his tent. "Good night Miss Morgan."
The next morning, Koda was awakened by a strange new smell drifting through the campsite. As he rolled off his cot, he left his tent and found Chase tending to a pot over their small campfire. "Morning Koda." Chase yawned, greeting his companion. "You're up kinda early today."
Koda looked to the skies checking the position of the sun and shrugged. It's not like he really knew what time was anyway. "What are you making?" Koda asked curiously as Chase poured some of the coffee into a small tin cup.
"Coffee." he answered, offering the drink. "Want some?"
Koda took the cup and drunk from it curiously, only to recoil at the bitter taste and wrinkle his nose. Chase laughed. "Sorry about that mate. I'm afraid we have to drink it black out here. But I'll tell you what, I'll start making you some pancakes as soon as Miss Morgan wakes up." Koda gave an appeased look then gestured for his friend to come with him. "I have idea. Pancakes better with fruit. We go pick some and surprise Kendall?"
"Hmm. Sounds like a good plan." Chase nodded thoughtfully. "Sure. Why not?" Glancing back toward their campsite, he left the coffeepot on in case Kendall woke up, then grabbed a small container, following Koda out into the nearby woods.
After a short walk through the ferns and brush, Chase followed closely as Koda carefully made his way through the bushes, looking for fresh edible berries to eat. As he went about his work foraging, the caveman seemed to be in his natural element. It was really quite impressive. In no time, the two had gathered a container full of sweet berries for their breakfast, but as they began to head back toward camp, Koda stopped abruptly.
"What's wrong? What is it?" Chase asked.
Koda gestured for him to be quiet and turned his head slowly, listening in all directions. "There is danger. Listen."
Chase stopped and looked around them. He couldn't see or hear anything out of the ordinary, and that worried him. A familiar feeling of dread began to stir inside. Koda slowly reached down and grabbed a large heavy tree branch to use as a weapon. In an instant, he turned and looked in the direction of some rustling ferns before diving sideways and pulling his ally to the ground.
Chase landed hard in the dirt as he dropped his container; the berries they had gathered scattering everywhere. A large feline form sprung like lightning from the bush and turned to face them. For a heart stopping moment, Chase thought it was some sort of tiger or leopard, but it couldn't have been. The beast stood on two legs and its fur was colored blood red. A low growl sounded from behind the monster's snarling teeth, and its eyes lit up with rage while looming over its prey.
"Fury!" Koda growled hefting his stick to face the beastman as it drew a jagged bladed weapon from its side.
The monster known as Fury snarled, "I thought I smelled your stink Blue Ranger. Now tell me where you're hiding the Energems!"
Chase lay on the ground dumbfounded as he watched Koda roar and strike at the monster with his club. As they exchanged a few blows, Fury shattered the club with his sword while Koda somersaulted away. Without breaking stride, Koda produced a Dino Morpher and quickly loaded his blue Energem into it. "Chase, get to safety!" Koda barked. "I protect you!"
Giving the gun barrel a spin, he fired into the air and disappeared in a flash of blue light. Chase could only look on in shock. Standing before him in place of Koda was a Blue Power Ranger with a distinct dinosaur motif. As the brilliant light faded, Fury growled and Koda rushed forward, tackling the beastman into the dense brush.
While the Blue Ranger began to grapple with Fury in a fierce jungle battle, Chase scrambled to his feet, almost feeling a sense of déjà vu. Here he was, attacked by another monster in the forests, and he was powerless to do anything about it. He hated that feeling so much and he wanted to help Koda somehow.
As the battle continued raging, Chase turned to run back toward their camp, when Fury rose up and shouted. "Where do you think you're going? I smell the Energems on you too!" Chase swallowed hard as he continued backing away. The truth was, Kendall had the Energem. Before the young man could move, Fury let loose a bust of lightning at the ground around Chase, throwing him to the dirt.
In an instant, Koda rejoined the fight and grabbed Fury, hurling the beastman hard into the trunk of a nearby tree. The large tree buckled as Fury collided with it and fell into some nearby ferns with a sickening crack. Stopping to look in Chase's direction, Koda hesitated, trying to decide whether he should go to help his friend or continue attacking Fury. The moment of delay cost him as Fury rose up and slashed the fractured tree trunk with one great swing of his sword.
Koda turned in surprise as the large tree came crashing down on him in a cloud of leaves and branches. When the dust cleared, the stunned caveman blinked, trying to clear the stars from his eyes while Fury approached. When he finally came to, the Blue Ranger was surprised to find himself still morphed, but pinned down by the weight of the heavy tree on top of him. "There's nowhere to run Blue Ranger. Give up your Energem." Fury laughed triumphantly, looming over him with his sword to the Ranger's neck. Suddenly, a rock struck the back of the monster's head and bounced into the grass.
"Hey, ugly!" a voice called defiantly. Fury turned to see Chase standing several yards away holding up the purple Maori stone toward him. "I'm talking to you furball! You want an Energem? Here! Come and get it!" With that, Chase took off into a full sprint, disappearing into the leafy ferns of the woodlands. Turning to Koda, Fury snorted. "Don't go anywhere. I'll be back for you later." Sheathing his blade, Fury took off running into the brush to hunt down his new prey.
Chase's lungs burned as he ran through the thick undergrowth of the forests. Every so often, he would glance behind him to try and see if the beast was still pursuing him. When his legs couldn't take him any further, he jogged over to a fallen tree trunk and hid behind it, gasping quietly for breath. This was insane, he thought to himself. He had no idea where he had wandered and even less of an idea how to deal with that creature if it attacked.
Even when Koda had morphed, the Blue Ranger had barely been enough to hold that thing off. What good would an average human be against that monster? In that moment, Chase prayed that Koda was safe and that his momentary distraction had been enough for the Blue Ranger to escape. He owed it to the caveman for risking his life to fight Fury.
As he caught his breath, Chase looked around once more, unable to spot any immediate danger. With the coast clear, he began to run in a different direction, hoping to throw the monster off. His attempt was in vain as he passed a tree and ran right into a large monstrous forearm. Chase collapsed hard to the ground and struggled to rise before feeling a large furry foot pin him down by his chest. "You really thought you could hide from me?" Fury mocked. "Pathetic. Now, give me your Energem and I might let you live."
"I can't." Chase gasped trying to push Fury's foot off him. "I lost it."
Fury snarled and pressed his foot down on Chase's ribs making the young man groan in pain. "You liar! I can smell the Energem's scent on you."
"Or did you mean this?" Chase gasped producing the purple stone in his pocket.
Fury examined it closely and took a deep sniff of the air. "That is not an Energem."
"Oh really? My mistake." Chase smirked defiantly. "Gosh, you aren't too bright, are you?"
Fury roared angrily and gave Chase a swift kick in the forehead, knocking the young man unconscious. "We'll just see how clever you really are, boy." Fury snarled taking hold of his unconscious victim's collar and dragging him off into the brush.
Back at the campsite, Kendall emerged from her tent and gave a sleepy yawn. Inwardly, she was chastising herself for having stayed up and sleeping a little later than usual. But it was worth it, she thought proudly. With a few little modifications and the Black Energem, Chase's morpher was finally complete and ready for a test run.
Still, it was unusually quiet in camp and she didn't hear the usual sounds of Chase and Koda's banter. As she approached the campfire, she saw a pot of warm coffee sitting off to the side and decided that the boys were probably off gathering some firewood.
She poured herself a little cup of coffee and sat contentedly for a few moments before she heard a rustling nearby. Setting the coffee down slowly, she froze and silently watched the tree line until she saw Koda emerge awkwardly. He was covered in dirt and leaves and as he staggered closer, she was able to make out several scrapes and bruises on his face and arms.
"Koda! Are you all right?" she cried rushing forward to help her friend. "What happened?"
She helped Koda over toward the campfire, but he waved her off. "Fury. He is here." Kendall's eyes went wide and she looked around cautiously. "Where is Chase?"
"Leading Fury away." After a pause, he tried to rise from the campfire. "We must go help him." Koda grunted, He winced again from his bruises and began cradling his arm.
Kendall shook her head. "Sit. You're in no condition to fight right now." she said firmly. Taking a closer look, she saw unevenness in Koda's shoulder. She wasn't a medical doctor, but it looked like he had dislocated his shoulder.
A small pang of guilt began to gnaw at her. Koda was already hurt and it was partially her fault that Chase had decided to come here in the first place. He had put his trust in her and she still had his Energem on top of that. If Chase was still out there facing that beastman, he would be in need of its power right now. Looking back toward her tent, her mind began working in overdrive to figure out what to do. Finally, she turned to Koda and said, "We have to head back to town."
Koda frowned. "We can not leave. Chase needs our help."
"And I promise we will." Kendall reassured him. "But you're hurt. We need to get help for your shoulder first."
Koda clenched a fist and grimaced, obviously conflicted in his feelings. Chase risked his own life and Koda wanted to help save his new friend. Even if Chase had never used a morpher, Koda decided that his friend was truly a fellow Ranger now. After a pause, he asked, "Didn't Moana say she was healer? We can call her."
Kendall frowned, "She may very well be, but I'm not taking you to get your arm fixed by some… witch doctor."
"We do not have much time." Koda pointed out, wincing again. "Going to hospital may cause more questions."
Kendall frowned and considered his words carefully. He did have a point, but how was she possibly going to explain what happened to the old Maori woman? It's not like she had a lot of other good options at this point. "Ok." she nodded. "I'll call Moana. Maybe she'll know how to help us." As Kendall pulled out her phone, she silently hoped that Chase would be able to survive and that she was ultimately making the right decision.
