DISCLAIMER: I do not own Power Rangers or Super Sentai. They are respectively owned by Saban Brands and Toei Company. I do not profit from this story in any way, shape, or form.

"...Jowar?"

Jowar blinked, breaking out of his train of thought and looking ahead at Nikki. "W-What?"

"You alright?" Nikki asked. "You seem...distracted."

Jowar sighed, clutching the crystal in his pocket tightly. "...Rangers, there's something you should know about-"

Suddenly, before Jowar could go on, the alarm went out, the torches around the main chamber burning brighter than any of them had ever seen. The group all assembled before the Viewing Globe as it zoomed in on the location under attack, revealing...

"...Wait, isn't that Everbright?" Madilyn asked. "The forest outside the Ancient Library?"

Almost like in response, the globe zoomed out to show an army of hundreds, perhaps hundreds of hundreds, of Blots forming on the edge of the forest. Along with them were small groups of Venom Blots, two Lightless, Sphantis, Darkea, and at the head of them all, Walker. No one asked any further questions, knowing exactly what was happening, and what was about to go down.

"They know we're here," Nikki stated.

"No...!" Dirk gasped. "The Doppelganger Lightless! It musta told them where to find us! But why wait until now?!"

"The Venom Blots," Jowar surmised. "Even with the numbers they have at their disposal, overtaking the Ancient Library with all of us here to defend it is near impossible, so Walker found a way to bolster the strength of their forces."

Blast it all, Walker, Jowar thought, tuning out the others and looking gravely at the Shadowmancer on the Viewing Globe as he gave the order for the Blots to attack. Why did you have to find me? When is it going to be enough for you? When we're both destroyed and left as ashes on Gaia's burnt and blackened crust? Is that really our fate?

Jowar felt his hand warm up from the crystal currently clutched in his pocket. I have no further excuses. They're here now, and I have to stop them...but can I really use this? Can I do this to Walker?

"Guys?" Nikki muttered as she drew her Crystal Blast Morpher. "Prepare for war. Jowar, we need everything you can give us...Jowar!"

Jowar shook his head hard, snapping out of it and releasing the crystal. "Right. Against these numbers, you'll need every advantage you can get."

"Should we call the Gaia Megazord?" Dirk suggested as the rest of the Rangers drew their blasters.

"It's too big and slow to handle that many Blots, but you'll want to be ready to call it if things get too hairy," Jowar advised. "In the meantime, I'll prepare the library defenses."

Madilyn blinked in surprise. "...The Ancient Library has a defense system?"

"The Magna Buster," Layla explained. "Jowar showed me how it works. Basically, it's a beam of light that's fired from the roof and will damage anything powered by darkness. It won't take them all out, but it'll make our job easier."

Jowar nodded. "In addition, I have some crystals I've been saving for emergencies. I think you'll find them quite helpful."

"Okay then," Nikki said, pulling her crystal. "Let's get out there and take it to them!"

Walker allowed the masses of Blots to run in ahead of him into Everbright. After all, he suspected the Rangers would put up a hard defense, as would Jowar, and he needed plenty of his soldiers to act as fodder to wear the enemy down. Still, he couldn't help but stay relatively close to the front lines, wanting ever-so-badly to do battle with Jowar personally. It had been many a year since he'd last seen the wizard, and he was looking forward to testing his dark powers against him.

"You look like a little boy going to his first day of school," Darkea noted, keeping close to her brother while looking over her new temporary weapon: a long, black sickle with crimson markings.

Walker smirked. "Oh, someone's going to school today, that's for sure."

Sphantis chuckled, sharpening his scythe-blades on each other. "Destroy the Rangers! Destroy ALL the Rangers!"

"Yes, Sphantis," Walker replied. "Still, save SOME of your energy. You're going to need it for all of the obligatory destruction and looting to be had."

Just as Walker finished saying this, however, the ground began to shake. Several of the ordinary Blots began to trip and stumble a bit, while the Venom Blots stood their ground, as did the Werewolf and Black Dog Lightless accompanying them. After a few moments of shaking, the ground was suddenly torn open, a series of roots springing up and slamming through the ranks of Blots.

"Surprise!" the Orange Ranger roared, riding on the largest root.

"Attack!" Darkea ordered, the Blots gathering up to claw at the giant root. Just as they did, Dirk leaped off, loading his blaster with an umber crystal, firing shots into the ground. Within seconds, roots of the same colour sprung up out of the ground and ensnared the foot soldiers.

"Like my new Root Crystal?" Dirk asked as he landed in a tree. "I mean, I can see your Blots are getting pretty attached to them, but-"

Before Dirk could continue, Walker lifted his staff, releasing a black fireball from the wyvern head's jaws. It smacked into the Orange Ranger hard, knocking him from the tree and causing him to plummet to the ground below. Sphantis immediately leaped over and slammed both scythes down at him, but soon found them going straight through the Ranger, his form becoming transparent before fading away.

"An illusion?!" Walker demanded.

"That can use our crystals," the Shadowmancer heard the Red Ranger say, spinning around to find himself face to face with her, while another half a dozen Red Gaia Rangers fought off Blots nearby. "Not so fun when the enemy uses the same tricks as you, is it?"

"Clever," Walker growled, blasting the Red Rangers hard, only to reveal that none of them were real. "Burn this whole forest down if you have to, but I want the REAL Gaia Rangers found and destroyed!"

Madilyn snickered as she and the other Rangers watched the enemy forces on the Viewing Globe fan out throughout the forest. "Oh man, this is too rich. We might just beat them without ever leaving the library."

"It's not gonna take them long to figure out we're not really out there," Nikki pointed out before holding up her communicator. "Jowar, how long until the Magna Buster is ready to fire?"

"Should only be a couple more minutes!" Jowar replied. "But it looks as though several Blots are coming closer to the library, and I can only blast foes that are OUTSIDE!"

"Our copies will only work if we keep the Illusion Crystals loaded in our blasters, so we'll have to make due without them if we get into the mix," Layla reminded everyone.

"Not to worry," Dirk said proudly. "I set up a few defenses of my own. They won't be getting in anytime soon."

Before anyone could ask, the globe showed the image of a small squad of about a dozen Blots finally making it to the library gates. Just as one threw the door open, though, it was hit in the eye with a large tin can on a rope, vaporizing the Blot instantly. The other Rangers just looked to Dirk with faces ranging from dumbfounded to downright embarrassed for him.

"...Seriously?" Patrick asked in a completely deadpan voice.

"Hey, it worked, didn't it?" Dirk insisted.

"Yeah, on ONE BLOT," Pat argued. "Congrats, 'Kevin', I'm sure the enemy is impressed with your advanced trap-setting skills."

"Dirk, Layla, you're with me covering the main entrance!" Nikki ordered. "Madilyn, you and Patrick cover the back entrance!"

Patrick huffed, running off with Madilyn to the back entrance as Nikki and the others made their way to the front. Once there, the Red, Blue, and Orange Rangers found themselves face-to-face with a squad of Blots, having to fight them off in close quarters. Dirk proceeded to shove as many as he could straight out the back door with the blunt end of his ax, while Nikki and Layla picked off the rest behind with their Gaia Sabers, leaving only six out front now.

"Heat Bow!" Nikki called, bringing out her bow and arrow. Aiming her shot, she released an arrow into one Blot, blowing up the two on either side of it along with it.

"Flood Launcher!" Layla cried, summoning her cannon and blowing down the remaining three Blots with ease. "And stay out!"

Meanwhile, on the opposite side, Patrick was dual wielding his and Madilyn's Gaia Sabers, chopping down Blots as they came, while Madilyn used her Lightning Daggers. Despite quickly taking down a dozen, they noticed another group on their way, this one accompanied by Venom Blots.

"Okay, that's enough!" Madilyn yelled, tossing down her daggers and hitting her buckle with her thumb. "Bronzooka!"

Calling out the large bazooka, Madilyn opened the compartment, loading it with her own Thunderbird Crystal, along with the Focus Crystal. Once the panel was shut again, a targeting reticle slid out, allowing her to lock onto the Venom Blot. With a roar of "Bronzooka, FIRE!", the Violet Ranger pulled the trigger, sending an effigy of her Thunderbird Zord to launch out of the bazooka and blast into the Venom Blot, destroying it utterly and taking several ordinary Blots with it, the rest getting knocked into the trees.

"Think there's any chance-" Madilyn started to ask.

"Nope," Patrick cut her off, spotting more Blots on the way. "And even with our copies out there, it's not gonna take 'em long to figure out where most of the big fireworks are coming from."

"Let's hope Jowar can get that Magna Buster up and running soon, then," Madilyn muttered.

Jowar groaned, keeping the unicorn horn on his staff held against the large, crystalline chamber that housed his yellow crystal. His eyes were shut as he tried to channel as much power as he could through it, up into the roof of the Ancient Library, where the Magna Buster lay hidden. Unfortunately, the old wizard was a bit out of practice, and he hadn't had to use this level of focus for many years. Still, he did his best to clear his mind, focusing on the task at hand, until finally, the crystal sent a golden bolt of energy up through the chamber to the roof, followed by a silver bolt that was shot from Jowar's staff.

Jowar let out a sigh of relief as a control panel came up from the floor in the room he was standing in, a panel opening to allow his staff to be placed inside. Meanwhile, a section of the roof opened to reveal a long stone tower with a giant gold and silver crystal at the top of it. Taking hold of the controls, the crystal suddenly began to rotate atop the tower, the top point aiming down at a large horde of Blots.

"Magna Buster, FIRE!" Jowar yelled, unleashing a massive blast of light on the Blots, incinerating a couple dozen of them immediately while leaving the forest around them completely unharmed. With a grin, the old wizard redirected the crystal, taking aim on another group of enemies.

Walker growled, clutching his staff so hard that Darkea thought it would snap in half. Everywhere he looked, there were Gaia Rangers fighting Blots, and no way to be 100% certain where the real ones were. Worse, now they were under fire from some gigantic light cannon that was vaporizing his army.

"We shouldn't have started this attack so soon!" Darkea observed. "We should pull back for now!"

"NO!" Walker roared. "Send the Lightless to attack the Library directly! It'll draw the real Rangers out of hiding, and give us a chance to destroy that thing!"

Darkea hesitated for a moment, but quickly gave the signal for the two canine Lightless to head straight for the Ancient Library. "This better work, brother. If we come up on the wrong side of this engagement, you-know-who might decide to pay us a visit."

Walker's eyes narrowed. "Believe me, I'm all too aware of THAT..."

"Holy cow, I have GOT to get me one of those!" Layla exclaimed, watching the Magna Buster lay down fire.

"Eyes forward, Layla!" Nikki ordered. "We've got company!"

Looking ahead, the two girls and Dirk watched as a pair of Lightless, a Werewolf and a Black Dog, marched toward the library. The three charged them with their weapons, only for the Black Dog Lightless to wave its arms, sending out a blast of black lightning that shocked and stunned the trio. The Werewolf Lightless then charged through, faster than the three Rangers could react to, and slashed them with its claws, sending them tumbling across the ground.

"Try this on for size!" Dirk yelled, getting to his feet and swinging his Quake Ax at the Black Dog Lightless. However, to his surprise, the monster phased right through his ax, appearing behind the Orange Ranger and blasting him back down with a black bolt of lighting.

"Dirk!" Nikki cried, pulling herself back up, only for the Werewolf Lightless to get in her way. Taking her Heat Bow apart, she slashed at the monster with the separated Heat Sabers, only for the Werewolf to block them with its claws. As it did, though, Layla sprung up and stabbed both her and Nikki's Gaia Sabers forward, catching the monster in the side. The two Rangers then swung all four of their blades, but were shocked as the Lightless caught two in each claw, letting loose a howl that knocked the Red and Blue Rangers at least a couple of yards away.

"This isn't going so well," Layla groaned, pulling herself back to her feet.

"Really?" Nikki asked, using her Heat Sabers to prop herself back up. "Is that your expert opinion?"

"We better come up with a plan quick," Dirk muttered as he limped over, "or we're gonna be dead meat."

The two canine Lightless charged at the three Rangers as they braced themselves for another go. Fortunately for them, it never came, as Madilyn and Patrick came leaping in with their weapons, the Violet Ranger able to send the Werewolf on its behind with a quick jab of her Lightning Daggers, while the Green Ranger knocked the Black Dog down with a gust by spinning his Storm Lance.

"Good timing!" Nikki commented as the team formed up.

"Our copies have the back entrance covered!" Madilyn noted. "And it looked like you needed some help with these two!"

"Should we try the Bronzooka?" Dirk asked as the monsters got back to their feet.

Patrick shook his head. "Already used it, needs time to recharge. We've gotta go full blown on these guys."

"How do we do that?" Layla inquired.

"Jowar said we were just scraping at the kind of power available to us," Patrick explained, balling a fist. "And trust me, tapping into more of mine made a HUGE difference yesterday."

Nikki nodded, closing her eyes. "We just need to focus. Try to find the power."

The rest followed suit, closing their eyes and concentrating. As the two Lightless ran in to attack again, the Rangers began to feel it: Nikki's body began to heat up like burning hot magma as she heard the Phoenix Zord's caw; Patrick felt energy coming off pure air as the sound of the Hippogriff Zord's wings flapping filled his ears; Layla could feel the coolness of ice and hear the splashing of waves, all accompanied by the underwater howling of the Leviathan Zord; Dirk was overwhelmed by the sensation like his very self was being strengthened by the earth around them, and could practically feel the Behemoth Zord's stomping; Madilyn felt as though her body was being filled with 4 million volts as the Thunderbird Zord's screech echoed in her mind.

Just as the Black Dog and Werewolf Lightless were about to strike, the team opened their eyes and let out a loud battle cry, their bodies surrounded by the raw energy of their elements. The sheer force of this knocked the monsters back as the Rangers took a step forward, feeling their powers increased to a new level.

"Guardian of Fire!" Nikki shouted as a red explosion of light erupted behind her. "Red Gaia Ranger!"

"Guardian of Wind!" Patrick yelled as an explosion of green light reached for the sky behind him. "Green Gaia Ranger!"

"Guardian of Water!" Layla cried as an explosion of blue light shot up like a geyser behind her. "Blue Gaia Ranger!"

"Guardian of Earth!" Dirk roared as orange light exploded off the ground behind him. "Orange Gaia Ranger!"

"Guardian of Lightning!" Madilyn called as an explosion of violet light thundered behind her. "Violet Gaia Ranger!"

The five Rangers struck a group pose as a giant silver and gold flash of light came up all around them. "Power Rangers, Guardians of Gaia!"

The two Lightless howled, the Werewolf rushing the team. However, Dirk caught its claw with ease, shoving it back as Nikki delivered a jumping roundhouse to its head that felt like a fireball to the temple. The two then elbowed it in the gut, followed by a pair of fists to the face that sent it flying into a tree. In response, the Black Dog Lightless fired a blast of black voltage at the Rangers, but Madilyn intercepted, crossing her arms in front of herself as she drew the bolt to herself. As she did, Layla rushed the monster, sweeping its legs out from under it, while Patrick ran in with an uppercut to the face, sending it flipping head over heels.

The two monsters got back to their feet, backing up slowly from the Rangers as they formed back up. Instead, a small horde of about a hundred or more Blots arrived, forming out of the shadows of the trees. Nikki cracked her knuckles, rushing in to fight. She quickly punched one so hard that it was sent sailing backward into ten more, leaving them in a heap as the Red Ranger spun around, kicking anything that moved. Finally, she pulled her Gaia Saber out, inserting the Phoenix Crystal inside and letting loose a burning spin-slash that incinerated at least a dozen Blots.

Layla came leaping in, kneeing a Blot in the face and sending it tumbling into two more before it evaporated. Spinning around, she kicked another down before sweeping her leg across so many feet, leveling the enemies around her. She then sent a foot straight at a Blot's chest, letting it catch her before back-heel kicking it with the other foot into another pair of Blots. Rolling back to her feet, the Blue Ranger drew her Gaia Saber and inserted the Leviathan Crystal into the hilt, swinging the blade hard and sending a wave of energy that took out every Blot before her.

Patrick jumped up, Storm Lance in hand, and wrapped his feet around a Blot's head, swinging it into the group behind it. As a pair of Blots charged him from either side, he tossed his lance up, letting them catch it as he swung on it like a horizontal pole, split-kicking the two away before landing on his feet. He then twirled the lance around like a baton, calling up a harsh gust that knocked several Blots up off the ground and into the air. Stabbing the lance down, the Green Ranger pulled out his Gaia Saber, inserting the Hippogriff Crystal, and leaped into the air, slashing every last airborne Blot and destroying them utterly before they could hit the ground.

Walker's eyes widened as he felt a spike of energy come from the library. A cold chill ran down his spine, and sweat began to roll down his forehead, which didn't go unnoticed by Darkea, who looked at him with great concern.

"...Walker?" she asked. "You alright?"

"It's the Rangers," Walker said gravely. "They're tapping into the true depths of their powers."

Darkea gulped. "And on a scale of 1 to 10 of how bad that is-"

"We need that Magna Buster down NOW!" Walker yelled, grabbing his sister by the shoulder-pads on her armour, "or they'll pick apart every last one of our Blots!"

Madilyn dive-kicked a Blot in the chest hard, sending it crashing to the ground before springing back up and split-kicking two more. Landing on her feet, she then grabbed two more, wrapping an arm behind each of their necks, and then spun herself around on them, kicking anything that came close. The Violet Ranger then planted her feet down, flipping the two Blots over her shoulders, before drawing her Gaia Saber and placing the Thunderbird Crystal inside, letting loose a high-voltage slash that fried the Blots around her.

Dirk roared as he shoulder-tackled a Blot, then proceeded to pick it back up, shove it into a group of ten more, and then throw a foot into its chest, knocking the whole group down. He then threw an uppercut at another running towards him, grabbing it by the legs and slamming it down so hard it shook the ground. Pulling out his Gaia Saber, the Orange Ranger inserted the Root Crystal, stabbing the blade straight down into the ground and sending a series of roots up that crushed the remaining Blots around the team, leaving only the two Lightless.

"Let's finish 'em off!" Nikki yelled, getting nods from the rest of the team as they readied their Gaia Sabers, each glowing brilliantly as they charged the two canine Lightless. Despite a blast of black electricity from the Black Dog Lightless, the five continued to ram straight through like they didn't feel a thing.

"Quintuple-mental Slash!" the Rangers yelled, swiping their blades across the monsters. At the last moment, the Black Dog Lightless turned intangible, letting the swords pass right through it as they instead cut down the Werewolf Lightless, destroying it. The monster turned, ready to blast the unsuspecting Rangers again, only to find itself facing down the five barrels of their combined weapons.

"Too slow!" Layla shouted, pulling the trigger and sending the Black Dog Lightless sailing into the sky from the combined assault of their elements, exploding in mid-air. Once it was gone, the five nearly fell to the ground, just barely catching themselves on their knees as fatigue set in hard.

"Ugh, that was ROUGH," Madilyn moaned.

"I feel like I've been dragging enough stacks of hay to fill a barn, WITH THE BARN!" Dirk exclaimed, feeling his muscles stiffen.

"Looks like there's a limit to how much power we can use at once," Layla observed, setting the Gaia Blaster down.

"Yeah, I figured this time might be easier, but I think I overdid it again," Patrick replied.

"Looks like," Nikki noted with a nod. "Good news is, we cut down a huge part of Walker's Blot army and destroyed both of his monsters."

Suddenly, as if she'd jinxed it or something, a black flame flew up out of the trees, funneling into the pair of black clouds that were once the Lightless. They began to expand and reshape, until finally, they stood as giant versions of the Werewolf and Black Dog Lightless, towering over the Ancient Library.

"...Bad news is, they just got put on steroids!" Madilyn added.

"We've gotta call the Zords," Nikki said, getting to her feet and raising up her Gaia Saber, only for Layla to stop her.

"Wait!" Layla cried. "We need the Crystal Blast Morphers to help operate the Zords! That means powering down our copies!"

Nikki's eyes widened, looking down at her blaster as it still hummed with energy, keeping their copies intact around the forest. Meanwhile, up above them, the Magna Buster opened fire on the two monsters, knocking them back a bit, only for the Black Dog Lightless to return fire, sending electricity crackling across the gold and silver crystal. If they didn't do something, they were going to lose the library's best means of defense. However, it was only because their copies were keeping the enemy's attention divided that they were able to hold up as well as they had been.

"...It's your call," Layla said, realizing the dilemma.

Nikki nodded, clenching her saber tightly. "...Right. We HAVE to risk calling the Zords, or we could lose the library."

The others nodded in understanding, the team raising their blades to the air and calling out "We need Gaia Zord power, now!" Within a few moments, the Gaia Zords made their way to the forest. The Rangers all teleported into the Zord cockpits, inserting their weapons as their copies began to vanish across the woods.

"Gaia Zords, combine!" the team shouted, swapping out the Zords' crystals for the Unity Crystals. The five Zords leaped into the air, shifting their bodies around before uniting as one giant robot, the team's cockpits sliding back to come together in the robot's head. "Gaia Megazord, power up!"

"Jowar, try to keep the Black Dog Lightless off our tail, and we'll take the Werewolf!" Nikki called over the communicator. The Megazord ran forward to meet the Werewolf Lightless, blocking its claw-swipes with a pair of punches, while the Magna Buster took aim and fired on the Black Dog Lightless. Unfortunately, the Werewolf was quick to speed things up, slashing its claws at super-speed.

"I think we're gonna need more protection!" Patrick suggested.

"Turtle Zord, power up!" Layla yelled, placing the Turtle Crystal into her blaster and pulling the trigger. A flash of aquamarine light later, and the Turtle Zord was rolling in its shell like a high-speed wheel to the field of battle. It sprung up off the ground, looking to ram the Black Dog Lightless, only for it to go intangible, phasing through the Zord as it instead slammed into the Werewolf Lightless' skull. As the Turtle Zord bounced toward the Megazord, a grip unfolded from the bottom of its shell, allowing the robot to grab hold of it.

"Gaia Megazord, Turtle Shield!" the Rangers called. The Werewolf charged in to slash again, but even its blurry slashes couldn't get past the shield. However, the Black Dog Lightless was able to get a blast of lightning in from behind, sending the Gaia Megazord tumbling to the ground.

"Dangit, we gotta do something to put these dogs down!" Madilyn yelled.

"Rangers, try getting the monsters between yourselves and the Magna Buster!" Jowar advised.

"How's that gonna help?" Dirk asked.

"Of course!" Layla exclaimed, snapping her fingers. "When Jowar fires the buster, Black Dog will phase through it and it'll hit the shield, letting us knock the light right back at 'em!"

"Will that really work?!" Nikki asked as the Megazord got back to its feet.

"In theory, but you'll need to use the Focus Crystal if there's even to be a hope of keeping it together," Jowar noted.

"Got it," Dirk said, loading the crystal as the Megazord got into position, the Turtle Shield glowing with a bronze light. "Let 'er rip!"

"Magna Buster, full power!" Jowar yelled, unleashing a massive blast of light at the Black Dog Lightless. As planned, it phased through the blast, which collided with the Turtle Shield. The Megazord began to glow with bronze, silver, and golden light, absorbing the blast into itself.

"Power levels are going crazy!" Layla cried. "We gotta hit 'em now, before we blow ourselves up!"

"Right!" Nikki shouted, the light forming the outline of a sword of some sort in the Gaia Megazord's right hand. Swinging it hard, the light was slashed straight through both monsters hard, causing them to explode. The resulting shockwave sent the Megazord toppling over, disassembling into its smaller Gaia Zords and teleporting them away as the Rangers fell to the ground before the library main doors.

"What happened?!" Patrick demanded.

"The combined power was too much for the Gaia Zords," Layla moaned as the team got back to their feet. "We just barely avoided an explosion ourselves."

"Well that seemed insanely risky," Dirk noted.

"Oh, it could be worse..." Nikki muttered, staring straight ahead. There, organized on the edge of the forest before them, were Walker, Darkea, Sphantis, and what had to be around a thousand Blots and Venom Blots by Layla's count. The Rangers quickly drew their blasters, but they were shot almost immediately out of their hands as the Blots opened fire with claw shots, mercilessly barraging the team until they demorphed. The five fell to the ground, save for Nikki, who managed to catch herself with her Gaia Saber.

"Tch," Walker clicked, walking toward the demorphed Red Ranger. "You truly ARE spirited, aren't you? Fought to exhaustion, demorphed, not a Zord to speak of, and still trying to stay in the fight."

Nikki groaned, fighting to stay up as Walker approached her, holding her chin up with his staff. "It's not too late, you know. I can spare all five of you, even help you find a way home. All you have to do is surrender...KNEEL before me..."

Nikki didn't say anything, spitting in the Shadowmancer's face defiantly. Walker scowled, hitting her in the gut with the staff before raising it to strike her again. Before he could, through, the others got back to their feet, Dirk and Madilyn blocking his staff while Patrick and Layla kicked him in the stomach, sending him stumbling back a few paces as the team formed up again. With everything they had, all five leaped up and dive-kicked Walker in the chest, knocking him off his feet, but he quickly rolled back onto them, firing a blast of dark flames that blew up on the ground before them. The five were send tumbling across the ground, Patrick clutching his face and crying out in pain.

"On second thought, I think I'd rather just destroy you now!" Walker growled, Darkea and Sphantis joining him as they prepared to attack again.

"That's ENOUGH, Walker!" a loud voice boomed before a ray of light shot down from the top of the Ancient Library, burning a line in the ground before Jowar materialized on the opposite side of it, slamming his staff down. "You shall not pass!"

"Out of the way, old man!" Darkea yelled, swinging her sickle while Sphantis charged with his scythe blades, only for them to run smack into an invisible wall of light, falling back to the ground.

Walker scoffed. "Heh...A force field. You think that'll keep us out?"

"I will not allow you to harm the Guardians of Gaia, Walker," Jowar replied as the Rangers started to stir. "Please, end this now, before anyone else has to be hurt."

"Still trying to protect so many," Walker said with a grin. "And yet, with such little power, compared to what you used to have."

"I have more than enough power to hold you and your pathetic army at bay," Jowar shot back.

"Oh sure, you've found a way to tap into the light element to conjure up this...amusing delay," Walker noted. "Still, compared to what power you had before, you could've destroyed me, my sister, and most of my army on your own...not that you WOULD, anyway, even with me threatening to obliterate your little team of heroes."

"Don't push me, Walker!" Jowar replied, eyes narrowed. "I don't want to hurt you, but don't put me to the test!"

Nikki's eyes widened in surprise as she heard all of this. Wait, what? What are they talking about? What's this about him not wanting to fight Walker?

"I once told Darkea not to underestimate you, but clearly, looking at you now, I can tell you're just an old fool, ready to be annihilated!" Walker exclaimed, raising his staff as a dark flame began to charge in the jaws of the wyvern head at the end. "And I'm just the one to finish you off!"

Nikki gasped. She wasn't sure whether or not the force field would keep out a blast like that, but she was not about ready to test that theory. Spotting her blaster, she managed to throw herself at it, firing a pink blast from the Kitsune Crystal inside at Walker's staff and throwing his aim off, sending the blast skyward and just grazing the roof of the library.

"Everyone inside, now!" Nikki yelled, the team managing to scramble back inside the library, Jowar entering last as he shut the doors. He then erected a second force field around it, sighing as he felt himself drain slightly. He then followed the team to the main chamber, Dirk helping Patrick as the latter still kept his hand firmly planted over his eyes.

"Jowar, what the heck happened back there?!" Nikki demanded, getting in the wizard's face. "What was Walker talking about?! Why didn't you try to fight back?!"

The wizard said nothing at first, turning away in shame. He looked to the Viewing Globe, zoomed in on Walker's face, and at that point, the Rangers, save for Patrick, saw something they hadn't seen out of Jowar: A single tear forming in the corner of his eye.

"I told myself I could do it if necessary," Jowar whispered. "That if it came down to him or me, or worse, him or all of you, I could finally put an end to this. I was so wrong. I couldn't even lift a finger to him."

"Jowar?" Nikki asked, now honestly concerned.

Jowar rubbed his tear away on his sleeve, looking down at his hand as he did so. Sure enough, it had been holding the yellow crystal, and now it was on display for the others to see. Realizing there was no point holding it in anymore, and knowing that the Rangers not only deserved to know the truth, but would hound him until they got it, he took in a deep breath before turning to face them.

"...I can't fight Walker," Jowar explained finally. "...He's my son."

AUTHOR NOTES: PLLOOOOOOT TWWIIIIIISSSST! XD

Okay, where to I begin? First off, I'd actually been planning to have this be the point where I do the reveal of Jowar and Walker's relation for a while now. It just seemed like the best way to create drama for Jowar, as well as give lead-up to what's coming next. Also, before anyone asks, short explanation for where this leaves Darkea is that she and Walker ARE brother and sister, they have the same mother, just different fathers. If you want the full story, gonna have to read the next chapter.

Also, I REALLY hate to bore you with details, but I feel like explaining the Black Dog Lightless. It's based off a ghost of sorts found in British folklore, and is usually associated with thunderstorms and the devil. You can learn more about it and a lot of the creatures I based the other Lightless (and the Zords, for that matter) on Wikipedia.

Anyway, that's enough notes for now. Next time on Power Rangers Guardians of Gaia, Jowar tells the team the whole, heartbreaking story about his past, the yellow crystal, and the origins of Walker. As both sides rally up after the last showdown, though, Walker summons his most powerful monster yet, and there's only one Gaia Ranger in the world that can stop it! Ja né!