Chapter 10 – Chariots Of Fire
Outskirts of Hogwarts
When Harry arrived on the scene, the monster had just turned into a giant. The creature had a largely grey body with an elongate red upper body and head. At first glance the monsters body seemed to have been styled after some lipstick. His friends were defending the bridge across the ravine that lead into Hogwarts itself. If the monster got past them then, the school wouldn't stand a chance.
"Harry good timing", Hermione began, "looks like we get to use our new zords".
The red ranger gripped the orb in his hand tightly, this would be his only chance to show the Red Dragon Zord that he was worthy of its powers. "Anything I should know about this monster?" he asked the others.
"Apparently her name is Lady Rouge", Cho replied, "and she's a lot tougher than she appears", the pink ranger added.
Underneath his helmet Harry took a deep breath, it was now or never. He turned towards the school and thrust his hand into the sky, "Red Dragon Zord arise", he called. There was a large rumble of thunder and the mighty zord appeared from the sky. Harry grabbed his Star Blaster and fired a metal rope towards the zord. Moments later he was pulled into the sky and landed on the head of the metal dragon, "Woah, this is amazing", he exclaimed as his zord dived towards the monster.
The Red Dragon Zord opened its mouth and unleashed a powerful of fire that threatened to engulf Lady Rouge. The monster swiftly side stepped the attack and swung a fist towards the flying zord. Harry felt the vibration of the attack rock his zord and for a moment he felt like he was going to fall off. Before he lost his footing a pair of clamps grabbed him by the feet and locked him into place, "Thanks", Harry said to his zord, "but maybe I should stand somewhere a little safer".
Once again the zord responded and the red ranger was lowered into the cockpit. In front of Harry was a metal table with a glowing red orb in the centre. Behind him was a pulsing Chinese symbol superimposed on the image of a dragon. Harry looked around the cockpit and found a small receptacle that was the same size and shape as the orb in his hand. "Can't be a coincidence", Harry muttered to himself and placed the orb into the slot.
The other rangers watched in awe as the neck and tail of the Red Dragon folded up until they were parallel to each other, forming a pair of legs. The original arms and legs of the dragon linked together so they became a pair of humanoid arms. The whole structure began to twist until it took the basic shape of a human. Finally the dragon's head lowered to reveal a humanoid face and attached to the top of the zord, "Blimey Harry doesn't do things by halves does he", Ron whistled as he looked up at the Red Dragon Battlezord.
In the cockpit of the zord Harry was trying to work out how to control his new craft. There weren't any obvious controls, only the red orb, "Maybe if I touch this", Harry said and lowered his hand towards the orb. He felt a small prick in the back of his mind as he linked up with his zord. Lady Rouge had run out of patience with the red ranger and began to charge towards the Battlezord. Instinctively Harry thought about blocking the attack and the zord responded to his request. The Battlezord raised its arms, parrying the blow before countering with a punch of its own.
Lady Rouge grew more frustrated and sent an energy pulse towards the Battlezord. The zord responded by calling on a staff similar to the one the rangers used and deflected the blast. With another swing of its staff it sliced down the face of Rouge, drawing a cry of despair from the monster. "My precious face", she screamed, "you'll pay for this". The monster unleashed a volley of attacks on the Red Dragon Battlezord and Harry was quickly struggling to keep up. One blow caught the zord in the chest and sent it tumbling to the ground.
Confident in her victory, Lady Rouge turned away from the Battlezord and starting heading for the school. In desperation the zord grabbed her legs to stop her from moving, "Pathetic ranger", Rouge turned around and kicked the Battlezord in the abdomen, sending it rolling through the weeds.
"Damn it", Harry cursed as he struggled to right his zord, "I can't do this alone". A metaphorical lightblub went off in Harry's head, he had been trying for the last six years to face Voldemort alone when all the time he had plenty of people around him who could assist. "This is what you meant about strong leadership isn't it", he addressed the Red Dragon Zord. A mental nod told him that he was correct, "A true leader knows how to use all the tools in his arsenal to produce the best results". Again he got a mental nod of approval from his zord, "Then I know what I need to do", he placed his hand over the control orb, "Guys I need your help", he called out over the communication system.
"One step ahead of you mate", Dean replied from the green coloured cockpit of his zord. The Lion Zord rolled across the ground, its front legs moving periodically. The zord had black legs with green and gold accents. The main body of the zord was also black but with a green face. A gold pattern around the head gave the appearance of a mane. The Lion Zord rammed into the legs of Lady Rouge, stopping her in her tracks.
"Save some for me", Hermione called out from the Griffin Zord. Like the Lion Zord it rolled along the ground, its yellow upper body rocking back and forth. The Griffin Zord sped toward Lady Rouge and quickly blocked further access to Hogwarts.
"Why do I get lumbered with the unicorn", Ron continued to grumble about his mythical beast. The craft was actually the Pegasus Zord as its head lacked the extended horn of a unicorn. Apart from the head, the design of the zord was almost identical to the Griffin Zord. The Pegasus Zord let out a battle cry as a large rock began to levitate in front of the craft. The object was propelled at the monster, further damaging the cut on its face.
"Quit your whining Weasley", Cho chuckled as her Phoenix Zord streaked through the sky. Its dark pink wings flapped and it slowly began to turn its body into a vertical position. It began to generate a strong gust of wind that prevented Lady Rouge from advancing towards the others, "Here's your opening Potter", the pink ranger called out.
Harry smiled at the support from his fellow rangers and was finally able to right his zord. With Lady Rouge still distracted from the onslaught, the Battlezord was giving a clear shot of the monster. It swung its staff towards Lady Rouge, knocking the monster away from the bridge but crucially she still wasn't defeated. "Maybe I need a little more momentum", Harry muttered to himself.
In each of the rangers cockpits, their control orb began to glow, "What's going on?" Ron asked.
"I think it wants us to combine our powers", Hermione replied over the radio.
In the Battlezord Harry agreed with his friend, "Everyone think about combining our Chi energy", he began, "let's see what our zords can really do". The Lion Zord rolled forward until it linked up with the Griffin Zord on its left and the Pegasus Zord on its right. The Phoenix Zord landed across the back so its wings were touching the Griffin and Pegasus Zords. Finally the Red Dragon Battlezord stepped onto the flat floor created up the other four zords. "Mystic Chariot", Harry called out, "take flight".
The Mystic Chariot slowly took to the air before crashing into Lady Rouge, this time she was sent tumbling down the ravine. The monster bounced off several rocks before landing in the shallow stream at the bottom. The Mystic Chariot lurched higher into the air before completing a tight loop. It was now diving down into the ravine at tremendous speed and heading straight towards Lady Rouge.
The red ranger instructed the Battlezord to step out of its bindings and place a foot on the head of Lion Zord in front. Just before hitting the ground, it jumped off the Chariot with its staff at the ready. With the extra momentum the staff had enough energy to cleave through the monster. Lady Rouge stumbled a couple of times before falling to the ground in a shower of sparks. The Red Dragon Battlezord skidded across the ground and took a moment to pose. "Bloody show off", Ron said with a small smile in the direction of his friend.
"Alright Harry that's enough posing, we should probably get back", Hermione added over the radio.
"Can't you let me have this moment", Harry responded with a huff but the yellow ranger was right. The zords were dismissed and the rangers returned to Hogwarts as the remains of Lady Rouge smouldered away underneath them.
Hogwarts
Back in their training room the rangers were talking excitedly about their new zords and their latest victory against Lord Voldemort and the Gormal. Tommy and Ginny were barely able to keep up with the chatter from the group but they were both pleased to see the rangers come out on top. "I see congratulations are in order", Ling called out from a dark corner of the room. He slowly made his way over to the teens, "You've all been able to prove your worth to the Mythical Beasts".
"Thank you for showing us the way", Harry bowed to the older man.
"Is there anything you would like to share about your experience in the dream world", Ling said to the rangers.
The teens looks nervously at each other before Harry began, "I learned that I can't do everything by myself", he said to his friends, "I learned that being a good leader means accepting help once in a while".
"It's a miracle", Hermione threw her hands in the air, "I've been trying to tell you that for years". The brown haired girl smiled at her friend before adding, "I've learned more about myself and the rest of us in the last few hours than I learned in the last few years". She looked directly at the pink ranger, "Perhaps some of us are more alike than we think".
Cho smiled in appreciation at the yellow ranger, "Maybe you're not so bad as I first thought", she paused for a moment, "I've never really had many friends over the years, perhaps things will be different now".
"But you were always surrounded by people", Ron began, "weren't they your friends?"
"Groupies is probably a better term", Cho shrugged, "I wouldn't really call them my friends". She wrapped an arm around her body, "I guess I don't want to be lonely anymore", she added with a small voice.
"Well you have us now", Dean replied, "and I'm not going to sit in the background anymore". He looked at Harry, Ron and Hermione with a small smile, "It's time for me to emerge from the shadow of the so called golden trio".
Ling nodded at the green ranger before turning his attention to Ron, "Anything you want to add Mr Weasley".
Ron looked at the floor for a moment, thinking about what his apparition said, "No I think I'm good for now".
"I see", Ling responded with a tone that suggested he wasn't convinced, "well you must be tired after that battle, why don't you go and get some rest". The rangers slowly began to troop out the training room until just Ginny was left, "You're brother wasn't being very honest with us", Ling said to the youngest Weasley.
"Ron's a stubborn git", Ginny replied honestly, "it's hard to get any recognition when you're one of seven children. Bill's a talented curse breaker, Charlie's a dragon tamer, Percy's high up in the Ministry, the twins have their new business and I'm the only Weasley girl for generations". She sighed, "He's always had an inferiority complex but he's a good person".
"I know Miss Weasley, the Pegasus Zord wouldn't have chosen him if he wasn't", Ling replied.
"I'll keep an eye on him", Ginny said, "perhaps I can talk some sense into him". Ling nodded in response and let the red haired girl depart but he was worried about the blue ranger. He and Dumbledore would need to keep a close eye on him because the team were only as strong as their weakest link. If Ron was unable to boost his self confidence then he could lead to the downfall of the Mystic Squadron.
A/N - A quick apology this will be the only update this week. Unfortunately real life has taken over and I haven't had a chance to work on this story for nearly two weeks so I haven't got any more chapters left in reserve. Normal service will resume shortly.