Disclaimer: I do not own the franchise, but I do own this team.

*Italic indicates thought

' ' indicates Zach using sign language

Episode III: Lights, Camera, Morphers

Chapter Three: Born To Defend?

A/N: here's the next chapter! Please, please, please, please, please review!

"Action expresses priorities." -Mahatma Gandhi

At school on Monday Miley was increasingly aware of the staring. People whispered as she passed. She looked their way and they quickly stopped and moved on to their classes. What's going on? she wondered. She spotted Kyle hanging around his locker with his friends. He saw her and said something to them. He detangled himself from their attention and came over to her.

"Kyle, what is going on?" Miley asked as he pulled her into at corner in front of a classroom.

"Your so called friends, is what's going on," he said.

"What are you talking about?"

"Miley, there's a rumor going around that you, me, and Zach are doing drugs, drinking, partying, and other things."

"Other things? What sort of other things?"

"You're in high school, use your imagination. Zach's soccer coach is having him take a drug test after-school, and mine is making me take one. If these gets to far then we could get kicked off the teams."

"How did this happen?"

"I don't know, but you're friends have some thing to do with it. People say that's why we've been missing stuff. I don't know who started it, but these kids have something to do with it."

"Come on Kyle," Miley said. "You're being silly. We both know its not true."

"That's not the point. Our reputations are on the line here, as are our butts. Your friends started it, you need to fix it."

"Don't worry I will."

"You'd better," he said walking away.

Miley sighed. This is going to be one long day. She looked around and spotted Anthony, Susan, and Thomas walking to their first class. She ran over to them. "What the hell?!" She asked.

"Oh, now that the whole school knows your secrets you have time to talk to us?" Susan asked.

"It's not true! You guys know its not!"

"It would explain everything," Thomas said.

"But its not true! It's a lie!"

"Then what is true?" Anthony asked.

She gritted her teeth and sighed. "I can't tell you!"

"Then you really don't have an excuse, do you?"

"Why do I need one?"

"Because you were always so focused on film making, now all you do is miss meetings, ditch us, and ignore us. I thought we were your friends."

"You are! Making films is still important to me!"

"Prove it," Susan said. "Come to film club after-school and stay the whole time. Prove that your still dedicated."

"Fine. I will."

After last bell Miley felt like she was walking through molasses. She stopped outside one of the video editing classrooms. She put her hand on the door handle. Just as she was about to open the door her ring got hotter. She sucked in a breath. She let go and turned to leave. She stopped at the top of the stairs and looked back at the door. She bit her lip. If she left now she could never go back, but if she didn't go, she couldn't be a ranger.

She looked at her ring. I'm sorry, she thought. But I have to do this. She bounded down the stairs and out the side door. She morphed as she ran. "The Harlem Building again," Sensei's voice said. She ran full speed to the battle. When she got there she saw Hydris knocking Zach to the ground, on top of Kyle. She ran out and blocked a blow with her sword. She spun and knocked the monster away.

"Thanks for that," Kyle said getting up.

"No problem."

"I was wondering if you were going to show up."

Miley said nothing and turned to face the monster. Kyle helped Zach to his feet. Kyle stood between them as they stood in front of the monster.

"Ooo," Hydris taunted. "The little rangers are going to hurt me!"

"You're finished," Miley said. "We're going to stop you."

"Go ahead. Do your worst!"

"With pleasure," Kyle said charging at Hidris with his spear. He went to stab it in the chest, only to have the hydra move to the side. One of the heads bite down on the shaft and swung him around. He hit the boring hard. Man, I think I heard a couple ribs crack.

Zach threw his spear javelin-style. It pierced the head of one of the heads, causing Hydris to scream in pain. Miley threw her spear and felt a small tide of victory when it penetrated another cranium. Kyle struggled to his feet and threw his spear from behind and hit another head. Zach and Miley unsheathed their swords and charged at the monster. Zach swung his sword at the nearest head. Miley wanted to remind him not to cut the heads off, but remembered he wouldn't be able to hear her.

Kyle dove in. He stabbed his sword straight through the monster, the bronze blade burning a hole in the middle of Hydris. Hydris screamed one of his heads whipping around and hitting Kyle in the chest. He was knocked off his feet and flew backwards hitting the ground hard.

"Kyle!" Miley said. She wanted to run to him, but she knew the monster had to be taken care of. Zach ran at top speed to the monster, but Hydris simply moved to the side, kicking Zach as he did. Zach fell to the ground. One of the Hydris's heads grabbed him by the ankle and threw him several yards. Zach hit the ground and de-morphed. He moaned.

"Zach!" She turned toward the monster.

Hydris laughed. "You're next demigod."

Miley was nervous. How can we beat him? Wait a minute! She dove to the side, avoiding one of Hydris's heads. She rolled and came up on her feet. The coin from Hephasteus! As soon as her thoughts formed the words the coin appeared in between the fingers she used to hold up her shield. She smiled.

She wondered how to activate it. Hydris tried to grab her arm with one of his mouths, but she slammed her shield in his face. She decided to go on a hunch and flipped the coin in the air. "Powers of Hephasteus, God of Fire and Forge!" She shouted. The coin became engulfed in flames, it dropped back into her hand. Fire felt warm through her glove. She placed it on the end of the her sword. The coin fused in, sending the flames down the grip and blade. She smiled and kept at Hyrids. She swiped it across his chest. It created a long burn, which then caught fire.

Hydris screamed in agony. Miley proceeded to cut off his heads, burning each one, along with the stumps to keep them from regenerating. Hydris's now flaming body fell to the ground, disintegrating into ash. Miley smiled. "Yes." She looked around and saw Kyle was helping Zach to his feet. "Are you guys ok?"

Kyle nodded. "That was awesome!"

Zach held up both his thumbs. She smiled. Just then, the ground started to shake and Hydris returned, now significantly taller. "I'm going to destroy you brats!"

Miley retrieved her spear and stabbed it into her shield. "ANIMAL, ZORD MODE!" She felt herself being picked up. She looked rain dans she was in the cockpit of her zord. She looked and saw Zach and Kyle were in their zords as well.

She heard Kyle say, "Zords Combine!" She zord began to transform, and she felt herself being lifted up again. She looked around and saw Kyle, with Zach oh his other side.

"OLYMPIC FORCE MEGAZORD!" They shouted in unison.

One of Hydris's heads fling out and hit their megazord. Kach drew the sing language motions for "sword." A sword materialized in the megazord's hands. He drew another for "shield", giving thier megazord a shield to carry. The megazord raised it's shield in time to prevent one of the heads from hitting it. It swung it's sword, accidentally de-capitating one head. Two more grew in it's place.

A head came out of nowhere and hit the megazord, causing it stumble back. The rangers grabbed on to their pedestals to keep from falling over. "Hey Miley, do you think you could do that thing with the coin again?" Kyle asked as he attempted to stable them.

"I...I don't know," Miley said. She looked down at her sword. She grabbed the top of the grip and pulled the coin off. "How do I..." She screamed as she felt another jolt from a head hitting the megazord. She looked over and saw Zach had slipped off his pedestal. She knew she had to think fast. She looked at the coin, then at her grid on the pedestal in front of her. (That's it!) She placed the coin on the grid saying, "Power of Hephasteus, God of Fire and Forge!"

The coin seemed to become part of the grid. She looked at the blade of the megazord's sword. It was now engulfed in fire. She smiled. Zach drew the motion for attack. The megazord swung it's sword. It cut off one of the heads, then burned it and the stump. Miley looked at the boys,

"Let's finish this," Kyle said.

"With pleasure," she said. The three of them put a finger in the graph. Kyle held up his fingers, putting them down one at a time. After one they all drew the motions for "attack" and "strike". The megazord stabbed Hydris straight through the chest, destroying him.

The rangers jumped for joy. "Nike be praised!" Kyle shouted.

Miley smiled. That's ranger power.

The rangers were walking through town after the battle. "Lets get some smoothies," Kyle said. They walked to Fruit Junction, which was across the square from the dojo. They walked in and Miley saw her friends sitting at a corner table.

"Hey Kyle," she said. The red ranger looked back at her. "Order me an orange twist. There's something I gotta take care of." He looked confused, then saw her friends and nodded. He and Zach went up to the counter. Miley took a deep breath and went to to her friends. They looked up in surprise as she approached. "Hey guys."

"What do you want?" Susan asked. "Here to give us another lame excuse?"

"No. I came to say I'm sorry. I know I've let you guys down, which is why I'm resigning as president of the film club." They looked at her, shocked. "You guys deserve someone who can devote time to this. I'm doing this because you three are my friends. My best friends, and this is what's best. I know it's really hard to understand, but what I'm doing right now is really important. I can't tell you what it is, but as my friends, I just hope that you'll trust me." She started to walk away when Anthony stood up.

"Miley, wait!" He said. She tuned around. "I...I mean. When this...thing you're doing is over...you're always welcome to come back. Encouraged even." Miley looked at the other two and could tell they thought the same.

She smiled. "Thanks." She turned and returned to Zach and Kyle who were sitting outside.

"Everything alright?" Kyle asked handing her the smoothie as she sat down. She looked back at her friends inside who were talking and laughing. Susan caught her eye and winked. Miley smiled.

"Perfect. Everything is perfect," she said.

"What did you tell them?"

"I've quit film club. I just...just can't do it while this is going on. I love film, but I was born to be a ranger. I was born to defend. All of us were." Zach smiled and nodded his agreement.

"Listen about earlier..." Kyle began.

"It's fine," she told him. "I know what kind of damage that rumor could've done."

"I just...we shouldn't turn on other like that. We're a team."

"We're more than that," Miley said. "We're friends."

They smiled at each other and the three of them bumped their smoothies together.

Next Time On Power Rangers Olympic Force: Kyle and Miley become doubtful of Zach, due to his disability, and much to the blue ranger's annoyance.