Didn't think I'd get this chapter out tonight, my friend has been distracting me with his running commentary of playing Final Fantasy 9 and I've been crying laughing.
But I persevered and finished another chapter, so here you go!
Enjoy!
Chapter 10: Besties 4Eva
"I still can't believe we came second," Ryan laughed, high-fiving Teddie as they lifted their guitars.
"Psh, non-believer," Teddie scoffed at him. "We knew we were awesome, right JJ?" she called over to to Jeremy, who was sitting watching them pack up.
"Of course. I had no doubt," he nodded, checking his watch. Teddie arched an eyebrow at his actions, noticing his distraction.
"Somewhere to be?" she asked him, and Jeremy looked up.
"I uh, got some training with dad," he admitted.
"Go if you want, we're just grabbing this stuff then heading to the café," Teddie offered. Jeremy nodded, still looking a little distracted as he stood and grabbed his jacket.
"Thanks guys, I'll catch you later," he waved, jogging off.
"Wonder what's going on with him," Ryan commented as they watched him rush out. "You know more about the Pai Zhuq side of his life, any clue?" he asked Teddie, who shrugged.
"Not a one," she admitted. "I never really got far into my Pai Zhuq training. My Ninja and Mystic training kinda took priority. Same with both Spence and Chase," Teddie told him, zipping up her guitar case. "He'll tell us if it's important, you know that. Besides, now that the competition is over, he can't really use it as an excuse to skip training," she grinned.
"True," Ryan laughed. "I've no idea what to do now," he considered.
"Then find something," Teddie smirked at him.
"Oh, wonderful idea Ted, marvellous, I never would have thought of that," Ryan rolled his eyes, throwing a guitar pick at her. Teddie caught it, grinning back.
"Happy to help," she told him, and he rolled his eyes. "Come on, let's head to the museum before you go back to Reefside," Teddie grinned.
"Yeah yeah," Ryan straightened up, slinging his guitar over his back, before catching a helmet. "Uh...wait a second," he said dubiously, looking at the helmet in his hands.
"What? Come on, don't tell me you're scared," Teddie grinned at him as she walked towards the exit. "Prince Philip survived, I'm sure you'll be fine," she waved it off.
"I'm not so sure..." the dark haired young man muttered.
"Urgh...you're insane on that thing," Ryan grumbled as he pulled off the helmet and glowered at Teddie, who didn't seem at all affected.
"I have no idea what you're talking about," she replied innocently. Ryan scoffed.
"Hey mate," Chase nodded to him as the two walked into the café. "Torturing you now?" he grinned. Teddie just continued to look innocent.
"What gave it away?" Ryan grumbled.
"You have the same expression as everyone when she tortures us," Olivia smirked.
"Oh thank god, people who understand," Ryan sighed happily, making them chuckle.
"Guys, this is Erin, by the way," Chase introduced the blonde young woman sitting at the table with them. "She's Shelby's best friend, in town for a few days," he explained.
"Oh! Hey, I've heard a lot about you," Teddie smiled, waving to Erin.
"All good things, I imagine," Erin winked back.
"I'm Teddie, and this is Ryan," the White Ranger introduced.
"Your accent! It's so cute! Are you guys related?" Erin gestured to Chase.
"Unfortunately," the two chimed together, and rolled their eyes at each other. "Chase is my nuisance little brother," Teddie told her, and Chase pushed her lightly.
"By about 7 minutes, brat," he argued.
"Still younger," Teddie sang.
"Yeah, and I'm older than the pair of you, so knock it off," Ryan grinned to the pair.
"Hey guys," Shelby approached, wearing her apron.
"I was just telling your friends about that dinosaur song from school, remember?" Erin smiled up at the Pink Ranger. "What a riot!" she laughed as Shelby smiled, remembering the song.
"Wait..." she thought about it. "Life is like a triceratops..."
"And you know I love you triceralots," Erin sang the next line.
"That's it!" Shelby nodded as the others grinned, not really surprised by the lyrics.
"Right after I wrote that song, we won the talent show with it," Erin told them, and both Teddie and Chase glanced to Shelby, whose smile became a little more forced. "We were like rock stars, right Shelby?" she looked up at her best friend.
"Yeah," Shelby nodded, too quick. "It's a great song. Oh, one minute till my shift's over, let's go find some fun!" she suggested, changing the subject.
"Oh, I'll help you clear these, then we can get outta here," Chase offered, taking some of the plates from the table.
"Same here," Teddie helped as well, and as Erin started on another story, the three walked away. "So. A triceratops song?" she asked Shelby as they brought the plates over to the kitchen.
"Erin's into dinosaurs too?" Chase asked, but didn't sound like he believed it as Shelby looked away.
"Actually, it's my triceratops song," Shelby admitted. The two glanced over to where Erin was still talking. "We sang it in the talent contest, and won first place," she smiled, but it quickly turned wry. "Then immediately, she started telling everyone that she wrote it, even though she knew I wrote every word," she grumbled. Loud laughter echoed over from the booth, and Teddie and Chase looked over again as the Rangers laughed at something else Erin had said. "Yep," she rolled her eyes. "Yeah, she takes credit for everything," Shelby sighed.
"Shelby..." Teddie tilted her head, and Shelby shook hers.
"But she's still my bestie," she shrugged with a fond smile. "Come on," she bumped Chase lightly, heading back over to rejoin the others.
"Ouch, sounds kinda rough," Teddie commented as they watched Shelby talk away to Erin, who quickly brought the attention back to herself.
"Yeah," Chase agreed. "But she's gotta be nice, why would Shelby be best friends with her otherwise?" he asked, and Teddie shrugged as they walked over to rejoin their friends.
"Amber Beach is so nice," Erin said as they walked through the park carrying ice cream.
"You should check out the actual beach. The waves are amazing," Olivia told her.
"Oh, I might just have to do that. I love the beach," Erin sighed happily. "Hey, Teddie, I know he's your brother and all, but Chase is cute," Teddie arched an eyebrow, her eyes going to Olivia, who kept her expression deceptively pleasant. "I gotta know, can you get me his number?" she asked, and Teddie laughed.
"Sorry, he's taken," she told Erin, who pouted.
"No way. By who?" she demanded. Olivia cleared her throat.
"Uh, me," she told the other blonde, who looked at her quickly.
"Really?" Erin asked, and Olivia tried not to feel offended at the look the girl gave her. "I thought he was a skateboarder," she commented.
"He is," Teddie turned her head away at Olivia's colder tone, hiding her laughter. "Is there a problem with that?" she asked. Erin just gave a laugh, raising her hands.
"Whoa, easy there, I'm just asking," she laughed, which only irritated Olivia more. "I mean you can't blame a girl for asking, he's cute. And I thought surfers and skateboarders didn't really mix," Erin shrugged.
"Hey Erin," Teddie spoke loudly before Olivia could snap. "Shelby tells me you're a dancer," she said, moving to stand between the two blondes.
"Oh, yeah," Erin puffed up, starting to talk about her dancing as Olivia took a deep breath, still very tempted to shove her ice cream in Erin's face. She wasn't normally a jealous girl, even with Chase being quite popular, but something about Erin really had rubbed her the wrong way. Teddie shot her a glance, offering a small smile, and Olivia managed one back.
"Hey guys!" Teddie called as they reached the rest of the group, who were waiting by a bench nearby. Nerida wagged her tail and ran over to them, and Erin immediately gasped, shying away from the dog.
"Relax, she's not going to hurt you," Olivia told her with an arched eyebrow. Nerida jumped up at her, and Olivia moved away. "These aren't for you," she told her dog sternly.
"My treat," Erin offered the ice cream in her hands to the others, who smiled in delight as Teddie frowned.
"What?" Teddie frowned as Shelby walked over. "But I paid for them..." she murmured, handing over one.
"Told ya," Shelby nodded.
"Oh, you guys got ice cream and didn't wait for us?" they glanced around at Arianna's hurt tone.
"I did offer," Philip reminded her. She turned to him and put her hands on her hips.
"I wanted to see if the others wanted to get ice cream too," Arianna told him firmly. Philip chuckled, looking to the others.
"Clearly they were not so considerate," he pointed out.
"We didn't think you'd join us," Chase admitted with a grin, enjoying his own ice cream.
"Yeah, we figured you'd be off gazing into each other's eyes and smiling and-"
"Teddie!" Arianna glared at her weakly as both went bright red. Teddie giggled, turning away and trying to look innocent. Erin pulled Shelby back, her eyes wide.
"You guys are friends with the Prince of Zandar?!" she hissed, just loud enough for Shelby to hear, not realising that both Teddie and Chase heard her too.
"Uh, oh, yeah," Shelby nodded weakly, struggling to come up with a lie about just how they knew Philip. Erin shook her head.
"I can't believe you never told me," she pouted. "You know I think he's super cute," she complained, and Shelby shrugged.
"Yeah, well, he's dating Arianna," she pointed out, and Erin huffed.
"First Chase, now a Prince. All the cute ones are taken. This sucks," she complained. Teddie glanced to Chase, who's grin was very subtle, but not missed by his sister. Shelby just rolled her eyes, not seeing the exchange nearby.
"At least someone's on my side," Arianna sniffed as Nerida jumped up at her, wagging her tail.
"I thought I was on your side," Philip commented mildly.
"Other than you," Arianna smiled.
"She's just on your side because she thinks you have ice cream," Olivia smirked, whistling. Nerida immediately ran back over to her, and Arianna sighed.
"At least you still have Philip," Teddie winked at her, and Arianna glanced to the Graphite Ranger, who was trying to hide his laugh. She took his hand again, smiling with embarrassment as she leaned against him.
"Give me the groceries, lady!" their eyes widened as they saw a monster nearby, harassing a lady.
"It's a Spikeba-" Shelby stopped immediately as she remembered Erin was there. "Uh...everyone get to safety," she told the group, and Erin watched, baffled, as they split up, with Arianna putting a hand on Philip's arm before guiding Nerida away with Ryan, and the next thing Erin knew, everyone had vanished.
"Stop right there!" Morphed, the Rangers leapt into the Spikeball's path. "Let's get him!" Tyler shouted, leading the way to stop the Spikeball.
"What do you even want with those?" Olivia asked as the monster kept the stolen back of groceries close.
"Don't stick your nose where it don't belong!" the Spikeball snapped back, dodging them.
"It's kinda our place when you're stealing from old ladies!" Teddie leapt over his head and kicked him from behind. The Spikeball cried out, dropping the bag and landing on the ground as the contents spilled everywhere.
"No! Heckyl's gonna be furious!" the Spikeball wailed, getting back up. "You destroyed my cinnamon! Now I'll destroy you!" he roared.
"Cinnamon? This guy's crazy!" Shelby groaned as the Spikeball grabbed his weapon.
"All this for a little spice?" Olivia couldn't help but laugh. The fighting continued as the Rangers fought off the furious monster, and Tyler and Shelby kicked him back hard, winding the monster and making him double over in pain.
"Dino Morpher Blast! Final Strike!" they fired their powerful blasts, destroying it.
"Nice one!" the Rangers laughed at their victory.
"Let's go," Tyler nodded to his team, and they ran off to demorph somewhere quiet.
"I hope Erin got somewhere safe," Shelby commented. "Let's get back to the museum," she led the way back, hoping her friend was okay.
"I can't believe that stupid monster interrupted ice cream time," Teddie complained as they walked into the museum.
"Perhaps it was karma for not waiting for Arianna and I to get there?" Philip suggested, and Teddie shot him a glare. He didn't look at her, but wasn't hiding his grin as she glowered at him.
"Don't worry, we'll get ice cream once we find Erin," Riley told her.
"We better, and this time she really is paying for them," Teddie muttered, and Olivia grinned, hearing her declaration.
"Erin?" Shelby called as they walked into the café. Nerida barked, rushing over and jumping up at Olivia with her tail wagging. Olivia smiled, hugging her dog and laughing as Nerida licked her face.
"Um...guys?" Arianna called over, looking a little nervous. "You might want to see this," she gestured to where a couple of people were gathered around a laptop, showing a news report of the fight that had just taken place.
"It ain't good," Ryan warned, his arms folded, and the group drew closer, wondering what was so terrible.
'I'm with the Pink Ranger,' the group started at the reporter's announcement. 'Why reveal yourself to the world now?' the reporter asked, and their eyes widened.
"Oh boy," Teddie whistled, looking to Shelby, who was staring at the screen with her mouth hanging open.
'I just thought it was time the world knows who I really am,' Erin replied, holding the Spikeball's club over her shoulder as she smiled for the camera. 'I am the Pink Ranger,' she announced.
"Wow..." Chase breathed.
"You have got to be kidding me!" Shelby's voice was raised, and she was shushed by the people watching the video.
"I can't believe Erin would do this," Tyler groaned. Shelby turned and walked away, frustrated to the point of tears.
"Shelby?" Koda followed her with Teddie. "Why you stop being Pink Ranger?" he asked, confused.
"No, Koda," Shelby shook her head, touched by his worry. "She's taking credit for something she didn't do. Again," she shouted.
"Tis ludicrous behaviour indeed," Ivan sighed as Teddie put an arm around the upset Pink Ranger.
"And it's a problem for everyone," they jumped as Ari seemed to materialise beside them.
"Do you have to do that?" Teddie rolled her eyes.
"Sorry. Both a pro and con of being a Ninja," Ari shrugged.
"What you mean, problem?" Koda asked.
"Yes, I don't quite understand either," Ivan agreed as the others walked over.
"Why do you think Rangers don't normally reveal themselves to the public?" Ari leaned against the table, looking at the group as they all approached.
"Publicity, I assumed?" Philip frowned.
"That too. I mean yeah, there's the good publicity over being a hero, but then there's the bad publicity over the city being destroyed and innocent people getting hurt," Ari started, her gaze on the news report. "But then there's the risk over their families, and themselves. Especially if it's not true," she pointed out.
"The monsters would target them," Arianna spoke up, catching on. "And if they know that Erin's pretending to be the Pink Ranger, they'll go after her, and she'll be in a lot of danger," she said. Ari nodded.
"But Heckyl knows who we are," Teddie folded her arms. "Why would he go after Erin?" she asked.
"To put you in a difficult position, to lure you into a trap? There's a lot of ways that evil can take advantage of a situation like this," Ari warned them.
"Heckyl won't get a chance," Shelby growled, furiously wiping her tears away before they could fall. "When I see her, I'm going to-"
"OMG!" someone squealed nearby. "It's the Pink Ranger!" a girl gasped as Erin walked in, still carrying the Spikeball club.
"I'll get that thing away from her. Kendall will have fun studying it," Ari told the group, slipping away. As everyone crowded Erin, asking for autographs and clambering for pictures with her, the Rangers watched, unimpressed.
"I think it must be a relief for you, not being on the receiving end of this, eh?" Chase chuckled to Philip.
"I will admit, it is refreshing," he nodded as Shelby grabbed Erin's arm, pulling her away from the crowd and into the kitchen. However, after a minute, she turned and stormed out.
"I'm going to kill her," Shelby growled as she passed them.
"It went well, I'm guessing," Ivan spoke dryly as they watched her leave, and Erin chatted on the phone. She then blinked, looking around as she realised the club was gone.
"When did-"
"Ninjas dude," Ari popped up behind Philip, making him jump.
"Made it impossible to get away with anything as a kid," Chase sighed, and Teddie nodded as Arianna giggled.
After Shelby had managed to calm down a bit, she and Kendall continued working on a new Charger, while Teddie, Ivan, Philip and Riley stood in the base with them.
"If this works, we should be able to channel all your Energem's powers, with the Victory Charger, not just the first six," Shelby explained as Kendall set up the machine.
"Sounds awesome," Teddie nodded.
"Indeed! We should call it...'Victory Maximum'!" Ivan suggested, his eyes lighting up at the idea.
"Uh...how about the 'Dino X Charger'?" Kendall suggested the name she and Shelby had already given the Charger.
"Brilliant!" Ivan nodded, liking the name as the others smiled in amusement. Their smiles fell, however, when the alarm blared.
"Guess the hunt for cinnamon continues," Teddie rolled her eyes.
"Alien bio-signs," Kendall nodded as she went to her computer.
"Let's go," Riley nodded to them, and they hurried out.
"Let's hope the famous Pink Ranger is nowhere near there," Ari commented as she walked past them, holding the Spikeball club in her hands.
Half-Bake and Wrench fought furiously in the middle of the park, with Wrench trying to take back the weapons that Half-Bake had stolen from the ship in his attempt to try and destroy the Rangers. They looked up as the Rangers ran into view, ready to fight them.
"Power Rangers! Finally, my chance!" Half-Bake cheered happily as Wrench backed away.
"Oh don't stop fighting," Tyler told them with a grin. "It'll only make destroying you easier!" he taunted. Half-Bake glared at them, waving a pot that seemed almost like a hammer.
"You'll never destroy me!" he shouted at them, running off.
"Uh...he's running away?" Teddie arched an eyebrow as they watched him run.
"I'll handle this one," Tyler volunteered, running after him.
"I've got the rest of you!" Wrench lifted his axe and charged at the rest of the Rangers. "There's ten million gigavolts of new power in my circuits, and I'm not afraid to use it!" he yelled, cutting across all of them and tossing them to the ground.
"Dino Morpher Blast!" Chase shot him before the robot could land a finishing blow on him, and quickly scrambled back to his feet.
"Now you've done it!" Wrench yelled, knocking Chase's blaster away. "I'm all fired up!" he roared, shoving Chase to the ground. The Black Ranger yelled in pain as the robot's metal knee slammed to his chest, pinning him down.
"Let him go!" Teddie tackled Wrench off her brother, kicking him back.
"Pachy Punch!" Philip's fist caught Wrench in the chest, and he yelped as red electricity started to bounce off him.
"I'm short circuiting again!" he wailed, managing to catch Philip's wrist before freezing up. He let out a cry as the electricity travelled up his arm as well.
"Tyler!" Shelby grabbed her Dino Com as all but she, Chase and Olivia ran to help Philip. "We need you!" she told their leader as Olivia helped Chase into a sitting position as he started to glow, healing his injured ribs.
"I think I'm gonna blow!" Wrench yelled, and a small explosion tossed everyone around him to the ground, and he landed nearby. Philip's suit smoked as he groaned, his entire body tingling.
"Guys! Are you okay?" Tyler shouted as he ran over to them.
"If they are, it's not for long!" Wrench yelled. "Vivix, rise!" he called on the creatures, and slumped, barely standing. "I need to recharge after that blast..." he groaned, turning and running off.
"I'll get Wrench," Chase volunteered. "You handle these guys," the others nodded, and Chase ran off, knocking any Vivix that tried to stop him aside. He called on his Dino Steel, and followed Wrench away.
"What a show off," Olivia rolled her eyes as she ducked under a punch.
"That's my bro for you," Teddie laughed, kicking one of the monsters back.
"You're really just stating the obvious at this point," Riley spoke up.
"She does like to bring it up," Shelby added with a smirk, making Olivia frown. Shelby leapt over the heads of the Vivix, and blasted them. "I think she likes it," she accused, and Olivia blushed.
"Don't be ridiculous," she denied it.
"It does seem that way," Philip agreed.
"Don't you enable them!" Olivia pointed at the Graphite Ranger. "They'll just keep going," she scolded as he laughed as well.
"Guys, stay back!" Tyler suddenly shouted. "These Vivix are gonna be toast," he warned, and the rest of the group moved out of the way. "Dino Charger, ready! Dino Morpher! Blaze Blast!" he fired a flaming shot that destroyed the Vivix in one blast. "Awesome!" he laughed.
"That very awesome," Koda nodded as they ran over to him.
"Chase! You okay?" Tyler spotted the Black Ranger.
"Yeah, I sent Wrench packing," Chase told them with a casual shrug. When the others started to laugh, he frowned in confusion, and Olivia went even redder.
"Knock it off," she punched Teddie, who yelped.
"It wasn't even just me!" she protested, hiding behind Ivan.
"Let's head back to base," Shelby laughed as Ivan quickly raised his hands in defence against Olivia.
"Sounds like a plan," Riley grinned, and they hurried off.
"How has nobody realised that she hasn't Morphed or anything in front of them yet?" Ryan wondered as he and Teddie watched the latest news report, where Erin had managed to reach the aftermath of the battle before the reporters again. She flicked her hair over her shoulder, smiling for the camera and soaking up the attention.
"Because people have been desperate to put faces to the mysterious Rangers who disappear after every battle without a trace," Teddie sighed, taking a drink of her milkshake. "Reporters have been offering a lot of money for anyone with info on who they are. Spencer even said SPD's been bugged for information, since not only has he been seen with them, but there was a teamup against Spence a few months ago," she told her best friend, who sighed, shaking his head.
"Must be rough," he considered, and grinned. "I could make a killing selling you guys out," he considered, and Teddie rolled her eyes, knowing he wasn't serious. "But then there wouldn't be time for band stuff, and I've already barely got time for that as it is," Ryan grumbled, leaning back in his seat.
"Must be hard, balancing being a musician and studying to be a palaeontologist," Teddie commented.
"It is," Ryan sighed dramatically, making Teddie smile in amusement. Their smiles fell as they heard screaming from the laptop, and looked at the screen quickly to see Half-Bake pulling Erin away.
"Oh crap," Teddie groaned, getting to her feet. Ryan whistled, watching the footage as Teddie sprinted off to get to base.
"Guys?" Teddie called as she ran into the base.
"Saw it too," Riley called over to her as they worked on trying to find Erin, who had been dragged off by the monster.
"We're getting nothing," Kendall frowned as Shelby panicked, scared for her best friend.
"We'll find her," Teddie put her arm around Shelby, trying to comfort her. Shelby nodded as she wiped away her tears, hoping Teddie was right.
"Her cell phone," Chase suggested. "We could track her by GPS," he pointed out. Shelby shook her head.
"Her phone's dead," the Pink Ranger sighed, before pausing, her eyes lighting up in realisation. "She has my phone!" she remembered.
"That'll work," Tyler smiled at her.
"Wait!" Kendall rushed away from the computer and back to her machine as it beeped loudly. "The Dino X Charger is finally ready," she smiled, handing the Charger over to Ivan. "If it's as powerful as I think it is, we can finally defeat Heckyl," she said confidently.
"Shall we?" Ivan walked away as the others picked up a trace on Shelby's phone.
"We shall," Tyler grinned. Ivan put a hand on Teddie's shoulder, and she smiled back softly, nodding to him.
Shelby led the group through town as they tracked her phone using her Dino Com. So focused on finding Erin, she almost collided with a group of people before Tyler caught her and pulled her back. Eventually, she slowed to a stop, frowning in confusion.
"The GPS says Erin and my phone should be right here," Shelby frowned.
"Uh..." Olivia pointed, and they looked at the metal cover of a sewage drain. It lay askew, and Olivia groaned. "This is gonna be gross," she complained. They pulled the cover off and jumped down one by one, Morphing as they did.
"Urgh, smells worse than the Pegasi stables in the Dunedin Kingdom!" Teddie complained, putting a hand to her helmet in an attempt to shield herself from the smell.
"Bet you didn't see this coming when you found the Graphite Energem," Chase elbowed Philip.
"It didn't really cross my mind, no," the Prince shook his head, trying not to inhale.
"Come on, the sooner we find Erin, the sooner we get out of here," Ivan coughed.
"Okay, we're getting close," Shelby told the others as she looked at her still beeping Com. "Come on, let's find Erin!" she ran off, and the others followed. They splashed through the water, with Koda still groaning at the smell, suffering worse than the others thanks to his heightened senses. "According to the GPS, she should be just up ahead," Shelby told the others as they slowed to a stop.
"Come on," Tyler nodded as Shelby returned her Com to her belt.
"Welcome!" Half-Bake's voice echoed through the tunnels of the sewers, making them look around in surprise.
"The monster," Kendall frowned.
"You've fallen right into my trap," Half-Bake laughed as he appeared from behind a pillar. "Give me your Energems, and you'll get your precious Pink Ranger back," he threatened them.
"Dude. You kinda need to have the Pink Ranger to use her as leverage," Teddie smirked at him.
"What?" Half-Bake frowned, not understanding what she meant. He then gasped as Shelby walked into view, and he stumbled backwards in alarm.
"You've been messing with the wrong Pink Ranger!" Shelby snapped at him.
"But I had the Pink-"
"Dino Charger, ready!" Tyler shouted. "Activate! T-Rex Super Charge, ready!" he called on his battilizer.
"Time for you to sample the chef's special!" Half-Bake shouted, furious that his plan had failed. He lifted his hammer, and hit it into the pot. He pulled out what seemed like dough, and hurled it at the Rangers. Chase stepped forwards, raising a shield, and the dough split apart, pelting the shield.
"Guys, when I drop it, take them out!" the Black Ranger shouted.
"No problem," Riley nodded, grabbing his sabre. The shield suddenly dropped, and the dough flew at the Rangers, but they easily cut through it with their swords. Half-Bake yelped in fear.
"Better break out the Burr Bombs!" he cried, throwing spiked bombs at the Rangers. They exploded, but the Rangers easily leapt through the flames and rushed the terrified alien. He swung his hammer, but they dodged it, cutting across him and forcing him to drop it before Koda and Riley leapt in, both striking him.
"What you really need a taste of is your own medicine!" Tyler grabbed the hammer, and with his super strength, slammed it against Half-Bake and threw the monster through a wall.
"Nice shot," Philip complimented as they stood together again.
"I should have had a Plan B..." Half-Bake coughed as he managed to get to his feet, stumbling.
"I have a better idea!" Tyler grinned, walking forwards. "Let's try our new Victory Maximum Attack!" he declared.
"I thought we weren't going for that name," Teddie commented. Kendall just shrugged.
"Dino Victory Charger, ready!"
"Dino X Charger, ready!" Tyler and Ivan held out the Chargers.
"Together! Dinosaur Might, ready to fight!"
"Dino X Charger, ready!"
"T-Rex Super Charge! Victory Maximum, Final Strike!" the power of all their Energems flew at Half-Bake, who shrieked.
"I'm toast!" he wailed, exploding as the attack slammed into him.
"Now that was awesome!" Olivia laughed.
"Quick! Let's go find Erin," Shelby told them, rushing off past them to find her friend.
"I'm in here! Help me!" they heard Erin scream, and turned a corner to find her trapped in pastry.
"Don't worry, you're safe now," Riley told her awkwardly, hoping she didn't realise who they were.
"Thanks...I was about to be dessert," Erin sighed in relief, her voice shaking as tears stained her face.
"Dude, gross," Teddie muttered.
"I dunno, I think it suits her better," Olivia murmured back.
"Jealousy is unbecoming, Oli," the White Ranger grinned. Olivia rolled her eyes.
"I'm not jealous," she grumbled, making Teddie giggle as Shelby freed Erin.
"Are you okay?" Ivan and Riley helped her up. Chase helped too, but seemed to shy away as she went to lean on him. Teddie snorted.
"Yeah...I'm fine now," Erin nodded, but as she stood, the tears started to stream down her face again and she burst into tears. "I'm so sorry...I should never have taken credit for what you guys did," she told Shelby between sobs, and the Pink Ranger put a hand on her shoulder. Erin shook, still terrified. "I just got caught up in all the attention," she admitted.
"Damn, I can't even feel the need to be mean any more," Olivia complained quietly.
"I was so scared...I don't know how you do it," Erin sniffed, trying to stop her tears. "I'm sorry," she apologised again.
"It's okay. Apology accepted," Shelby smiled softly.
"Let's get you out of here," Tyler approached them, and Erin nodded, all too happy to oblige.
"Thank heavens for that," Philip sighed with relief, and Koda nodded his agreement.
Emerging from the sewers, the Rangers and Erin breathed in deeply, trying to clear their senses of the sewer smell.
"I am showering for a week after this," Riley declared, before the ground began to shake.
"My dough is rising!" Half-Bake burst out of the ground, growing massive as the Rangers backed away.
"Hold up guys! Looks like we've got a giant problem," Tyler couldn't help but laugh.
"Urgh, that's what you went with?" Teddie rolled her eyes.
"I agree, it could have been better," Philip nodded.
"Weren't you told something about you not enabling them?" Tyler rolled his eyes, and Philip shrugged.
"I believe the phrase is something along the lines of 'if you can't beat them, join them'," he defended.
"Miss, you need to go somewhere safe," Shelby told Erin, who stared up fearfully.
"Okay," Erin nodded, running off.
"Summon Zords!" Ivan, Olivia and Chase summoned the Ptera, Scelido and Para Zords, combining them.
"Dino Charger, ready!" Shelby called on the Dino Super Drive Sabre.
"Ptera Charge Megazord, Para-Scelio Formation, ready!" the Rangers faced Half-Bake, ready to fight.
"Beastly Burr Bomb!"
"Para Zord Blast!" the Rangers fired the attack as Half-Bake threw the massive bomb, and raised the Scelido Shield to defend themselves as it exploded in Half-Bake's face.
"They blasted my beautiful Burr!" he wailed as he stumbled backwards.
"It's time we turn up the heat on this dough boy," Shelby growled. "Dino Super Drive Sabre, Activate!" she called on the powers, lighting up the sabre. "Dino Super Drive Sabre...Ptera Lightning Blitz!"
"My goose is cooked!" Half-Bake yelled as the powerful lightning flew at him and slammed into him, destroying the monster.
"Another one bites the dust," Ivan grinned.
"Monster extinct," Shelby smiled.
Sitting in the café, the Rangers watched as Erin held a press conference, making a formal apology for claiming to be the Pink Ranger.
"It took a lot of guts to stand up and apologise," Tyler commented, impressed.
"Hear hear," Ivan nodded.
"She's pretty cool, huh?" Shelby smiled, proud of her best friend. Everyone nodded in agreement.
"Shelby?" they looked up as Erin approached them, looking a little more nervous.
"Hey Erin," Shelby greeted her.
"Hey everyone," the blonde greeted awkwardly, and they smiled back. "Shelby, can we talk?" she asked, and the Pink Ranger followed her away to talk quietly.
"Seems she's learned her lesson," Chase commented.
"So you don't need to get awkward around her?" Teddie smirked at him, making him frown. "Please, I saw you dodge her touch earlier," she accused.
"You're such a snitch," Chase hissed at her, aware he was going very red as the others watched him.
"What are you on about?" Olivia frowned, not understanding.
"We overheard Erin say about how cute Chase and Philip are," the Prince blinked, not having expected to be involved in the conversation. "And afterwards, Chase made a point of keeping away from her," Teddie smirked.
"I'm going to end you," Chase threatened, lunging at his sister. She danced away, laughing.
"It's what you get after you told mum I used my magic to stop Ryan using his ptera-scream," Teddie smirked.
"Huh?" Ryan frowned.
"Ptera-scream?" Ivan repeated curiously as Teddie ran off.
"I'll show you sometime," Ryan laughed, checking his phone. "Hey Teddie! When you're done getting your butt handed to you," he called into the kitchen as Teddie darted around the grill to avoid her brother. "You hear from Jeremy?" he asked. Teddie pulled out her phone, and shook her head.
"Nothing ye-" she was cut off with a shriek as Chase tackled her to the ground.
"Children, behave!" Ivan hurried in to stop them. The others couldn't help but laugh.
Jogging along the beach, Jeremy let out a loud laugh, splashing in the water as the tide started to come in.
"Man, I gotta show them, they're gonna be so psyched!" he spun in a circle, throwing out his arms. "This is so cool!" he yelled into the wind, unable to hide his excitement as he looked at the black mark that stood out against his skin.
Stopping at the shore, the blond young man faced the ocean and let out a howl as the wind batted at him, tugging at his jacket. He laughed again, before noticing something sparkling in the sand, barely sticking out by his feet. "Shiny," he commented idly, crouching to pull it out. Lifting it up, he admired the silver-like gem in the setting sun.
"Hey Jeremy, you coming or what?" Minos called from the sand, keeping away from the water. "Your dad's apparently going nuts waiting," he chuckled.
"Oh, sure," Jeremy slid the stone into his pocket, jogging back to the shore to his teacher.
So...yeah...bit of a change there.
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