Chapter 10: White Thunder Part 3
"Let's do it!" the White Ranger called. "Dragozord, show these fools what you can do," he told his new Zord, and leapt off onto a building. The Megazord braced itself, and the Dragozord began to flap its wings with a shriek. A powerful wind picked up, destroying buildings and forcing the Megazord back.
"Hey! No need to get crazy!" Connor yelled as they struggled to remain standing as the debris battered them with the wind. It shot into the air, and flew towards them as one of its wings began to glow. It struck them repeatedly, and the four cried out as they were thrown about even more. When Doctor Oliver called on the Stegozord to help, the White Ranger suddenly caught it with his powers, and merged it with his Dragozord.
"Please tell me that that did not just happen," Ari put her hands to her helmet.
"He stole the Stego!" Connor cried out in horror.
"Not bad for a new guy, eh?" the White Ranger taunted.
"Why are you doing this? You're losing it!" Kira yelled at him.
"No, you're the one losing it," the White Ranger scoffed as he faced them. "And you're losing it to me!" before they could react, he slammed his swallow-tail weapon into them, and they cried out as their Megazord staggered. When he went to attack again, they managed to block it with the Parasaur Zord.
"I say we go at him full on! Tricera Fist!" Ethan yelled, and slammed the fist into the new Megazord. The Parasaur disconnected, and the Tyrannozord's tail reappeared.
"Tyranno Drill!" it began to spin and glow.
"Dino Stegozord stinger, intercept!" calling on his own weapon, he fired it at the Megazord as they flew towards him. It slammed into them, and the power forced the Megazord to split apart, and threw the Rangers out.
"Brutal," Kira moaned from the ground.
"You're telling me," Ethan nodded, all of them unable to get up.
"Kira, Connor! Ethan, Ari, are you guys alright?" Doctor Oliver ran over, crouching in front of them.
"I'll get back to you on that one," Ari rolled onto her back and forced herself to sit up.
"Our Zords are seriously tweaked," as if to confirm this, the Dino Zords cried out weakly.
"That was just low," Doctor Oliver growled as he looked up at the Megazord still standing over them.
"Since when do they have bad Power Rangers?" Ethan complained.
"Ethan, you're standing beside the first of many," Ari pointed out, standing up and helping Connor up.
"Now I'll take the rest of the Zords!" the White Ranger declared.
"Not gonna happen!" Doctor Oliver yelled up at him as the other three stared in horror at their helpless Zords. He lifted his arm and began to press buttons, making it beep loudly.
"What are you doing?" Kira asked, noticing this.
"Trying to break the Stegozord away," the Black Ranger explained. After a moment, thunder boomed and dark pink lightning flashed around the Megazord. Doctor Oliver's morpher switched to the Stegozord's head, and the Megazord broke apart. The Rangers cheered as the Stegozord ambled away quickly before it could be taken again.
"You'll pay for that," the White Ranger warned, and flew off in his Dragozord.
"Good save Doctor O!" Ethan cheered as they watched him disappear.
"Thanks, but I doubt if it'll last," he told Ethan as he looked from the Blue Ranger, to the sky. "The White Ranger's power over the Stegozord is too strong," he sighed heavily.
1-2-3-4-5
"Wow, that was like, the worst day ever," Connor summed up as they sat in Doctor Oliver's lab.
"Brutal," Ethan nodded his agreement. All of them were covered in even more bruises than before, and their morale had hit a new low.
"There's gonna be a lot of days like this guys," Doctor Oliver told them heavily as he walked past.
"I look forward to it," Ari muttered, her arms around her legs.
"Uh, what happened to the glass is half full?" Kira frowned at their teacher.
"Sometimes, it's not," he looked at her with a shrug. "Sometimes it's empty," he shook his head.
"Good start for a pep-talk," Ari huffed, scowling a little bit.
"But that's when you gotta dig deep," Doctor Oliver frowned at how she snarky was being. "That's when the qualities that made you guys Rangers, become most important," they all looked up at him in surprise, losing their scowls.
"You're right..." Connor agreed, but still felt helpless. "What can we do?" he asked their teacher.
"Go have a little fun. Ari, aren't your friends in town?" he looked at her, and she looked a little surprised that he knew. "And Ethan, isn't there a new video game you wanna check out?" Doctor Oliver asked the Blue Ranger.
"I never thought I'd hear myself say this, but I have no desire to go near a computer," Ethan admitted with a depressed shrug.
"I know what you mean," Kira nodded, looking just as dejected. "I haven't picked up my guitar in days," she sighed heavily.
"Go on. Teacher's orders," Doctor Oliver instructed, and they looked up at him silently. "Go," he insisted, and they slowly got to their feet and shuffled off as he watched, looking worried.
1-2-3-4-5
"Yo Ari, are you ok?" Vida asked as they walked through Reefside.
"Huh? Oh, yeah," she forced a smile, but none of them bought it.
"What happened? Weren't you just studying? I know you hate it but it couldn't have been that bad," Maddie watched as Ari rubbed her sore arm.
"Did you miss the attack that went on while you were away?" she looked at Chip, raising an eyebrow at him as he bounced a little. "Yeah, there was a massive attack, everyone had to stay inside cause it was like a tornado hit! There was a big battle with dinosaurs and everything!" he exclaimed.
"Chip, it's not cool," Maddie scolded him softly. "It's dangerous!"
"That makes it so much cooler!" Chip didn't seem fazed at all.
"I heard the Power Rangers got their butts kicked too," Ari's fists clenched at Vida's shrug. She looked up when Xander caught her wrist suddenly.
"We'll be right back," he told the other three, pulling Ari away before she could stop him. "Ok, what's going on here?" as soon as they were out of earshot, Xander turned to Ari. "You were already acting weird this morning, and now you're acting even weirder. Is it something to do with this attack?" he asked, and Ari tensed.
"Xander...I can't..." she mumbled, not looking at him.
"Do you feel responsible to help because you were a Ranger before?" the taller teenager asked her, watching her carefully as she rubbed her arm again. "I'm not blind, I can see that," he poked her cheek, and she flinched as he pressed the bruise.
"You don't need to poke it!" she stepped away, finally meeting his gaze. "Please, don't push this Xander, I can't get you-" Ari stopped abruptly as she saw Trent stumble past. "Trent?" she frowned as he disappeared off.
"Ari!" she looked around as Connor ran over, looking worried. "Did you see Trent go this way?" he asked her as he reached the pair.
"Yeah, that way. He's still acting weird," Ari commented to him, and he nodded.
"We need to find him, I think he's really sick," the Red Ranger told her, and Ari's worry for their friend grew.
"Ok, I'll come with you," she told him, before looking at Xander. "I'm sorry, I gotta go," before he could stop her, she ran off with Connor, trying to find Trent.
"Is everything ok?" Connor called to her as they ran in the direction Trent had stumbled off in.
"Forget me, we need to make sure Trent is ok," Ari told him, and they slowed to a stop as they reached the quarry. "Where is he?" she wondered, seeing no sign of their friend.
"I know he went this way!" Connor insisted as they looked around, before the White Ranger appeared from behind them and tackled them off the cliff.
"DINO THUNDER, POWER UP!" they morphed, just before they hit the ground. "Oh great, it's you again," Connor groaned as they got back to their feet.
"Tell you what. This time, I'll give you a sporting chance," the White Ranger told them, tossing his dagger aside.
"You're going down!" Connor yelled.
"Oh, really?" the White Ranger smirked. He shot at the pair, and Connor went down hard as Ari blocked his attack. "Looks like it's you that's down," he commented lightly.
"This guy is really annoying me," Ari helped Connor up, and he drew his blaster.
"Can't fight me without a weapon, huh?" the White Ranger goaded, and with a growl, Connor tossed it aside.
"Why do we have to fight?" Ari asked him softly. "We're all Rangers, why can't we just get along?" she demanded.
"You're good, I'm evil. It's a pretty simple concept," he pointed out.
"But why are you evil?" Ari demanded, but instead of answering, the White Ranger ran at them and with a quick punch, threw Connor back several metres. He then swung his leg as Ari attempted to attack him, and she slammed into the cliff-face.
"Hey Doctor O!" Connor called into his morpher from the ground. "We're in trouble here!" he told their teacher.
"Hang on Connor, I'll send you some backup!" the Black Ranger replied, having been just about to contact him. The White Ranger then yanked Connor to his feet, and bombarded him with hits, and tripped him up.
"Look what I found!" the White Ranger held up a sword.
"You're out of your mind!" Connor yelled at him.
"Now now, let's not judge," the White Ranger chided him. "Especially since I have the sword," he pointed out, and ran at Connor. His sword bounced off Ari's blades, and she scowled up at him from under her helmet.
"And I have two. Now who can't judge?" she pushed him back as he blocked her attacks, before more voices reached them.
"They went this way ,didn't they?" Ari's eyes widened under her helmet.
"I think so. This is the direction those explosions were coming from," Maddie nodded to her sister as they approached the quarry.
"Whoa, look! The Power Rangers!" Chip exclaimed with excitement as they saw Ari pushing back the White Ranger, attempting to keep his attention.
"Wait a second. The swords..." Xander frowned as he watched the White Ranger continue to parry Ari's attacks.
"Oh, spectators?" he noticed the four standing on the cliff.
"Uh oh, we better go," Maddie gulped as they backed away.
"We don't need those!" the White Ranger kicked Ari back and fired a blast at the four, who were frozen in surprise. They were even more surprised when Ari ninja-streaked up the cliff and stood in front of them, raising a shield. The blast slammed into it and shattered the shimmering light, shoving Ari back a little. She fell to her knees, breathing heavily.
"Get out of here!" Connor yelled as he tackled the White Ranger. He was punished by the White Ranger slashing across Connor's chest. The four ran off, and Ari leapt back down as the White Ranger switched his weapon to a blaster.
"Also comes as a handy laser. Later bro," he pointed it at Connor, but Ari intercepted once again with her shield. However, this one broke straight through and slammed into her, knocking her into Connor. They fell to the ground, and groaned. "Don't even bother. It's over," he told them. Connor let out a furious roar, and pushed himself to his feet.
"It is so not over," he growled as the White Ranger was taken by surprise. Power began to fill him, and his suit changed. The spikes on his suit became real, sticking out. "Dino Power!" he yelled as Ari stared up from behind him. Connor then charged at the White Ranger, who seemed frightened of his new power.
"Stay back!" he ordered, blasting Connor again. This time, it did nothing, bouncing harmlessly off his suit. He rammed into the White Ranger, and slammed him to the ground.
"Whoa! Looks like I tapped into a whole new level of power!" the Red Ranger cheered as his suit returned to normal.
"That was awesome," Ari grinned as Connor ran over to her.
"Are you ok?" he asked her, and she nodded, despite being in a lot of pain.
"You beat me at my own game," the White Ranger groaned as he got to his feet. "Congratulations. Looks like you won't have to worry about the White Ranger anymore..." he dropped his blaster, and crashed to the ground.
"Hey, I didn't mean to..." Connor ran over and helped him up. "Are you alright?" he asked. The White Ranger moved suddenly, grabbing his blaster.
"Am now!" he laughed, and Connor barely managed to dodge the blast.
"I can't believe I fell for that," Connor groaned.
"And here is what you get for your stupidity," he blasted Connor again, knocking him to the ground. "You put up a pretty good fight, but now it's over," the White Ranger lifted his dagger as Ari helped Connor up. He walked towards the pair, only for Mesogog and Zeltrax appear from an invisiportal behind him.
"Don't let me interrupt," Mesogog commented as the White Ranger approached them.
"Who are you?" the White Ranger demanded suspiciously as he turned to face the monster.
"I am Mesogog."
"I can't believe you two haven't met," Connor growled as he looked from one party to the next, ready to fight. "You have so much in common," he said.
"Connor," Ari hissed at him.
"Silence!" Zeltrax blasted the pair and they went flying.
"Do not speak, unless spoken to," Mesogog snarled at them. "Now, we have some business," he turned to the White Ranger.
"I have no business with you," the White Ranger shrugged.
"I'll make you a deal. I'll help you defeat the rest of the Power Rangers, and you can be one of my subjects when I rule the planet," Mesogog offered him.
"Great offer," Ari muttered as she helped Connor up.
"I'll take a pass on that. Dragozord, online!" the White Ranger didn't think so either, summoning his Zord. "I'm outta here!" he leapt up into it, and flew away. Mesogog and Zeltrax then turned to the Rangers, approaching them slowly.
"Shall I finish them off, Master?" Zeltrax offered, holding his sword out.
"No. Our new friend seems to have a fascination with the Red one. I will let him live in the hopes he will lead us to him again," Mesogog decided.
"And the Gold one?" Zeltrax looked to Ari, who watched him carefully.
"She has powers that are not connected to the Dino Gems. I would like to see how they work against the White Ranger as well," she glared at him, but tears were stinging at her eyes. Even Mesogog knew of her powers.
"Very well my lord," Zeltrax agreed, and the pair walked off, disappearing as quickly as they appeared.
"Connor! Ari!" they looked around as Ethan pulled up on his bike and ran over to the pair. "Are you ok?" Ethan asked, helping Connor up.
"I think so," the Red Ranger nodded. "Just so you know, good guys do not wear white," he told Ethan. They looked up as the White Ranger's Megazord appeared, along with the monster that Kira and Doctor Oliver had been fighting off.
"Looks like we have no choice," Ari shrugged.
"Are you ok to keep fighting?" Connor asked her, seeing her dirt covered face that hid a few cuts.
"Always," she nodded, looking determined.
"Hey! They're fighting each other!" Connor realised as he looked up to see the two giants faced off. Angor wrapped the Megazord in chains, and the three watched, quickly joined by Doctor Oliver and Kira. The Megazord began to glow, and the chains were shattered easily.
"He's so powerful," Ari stared in horror as the Megazord destroyed the monster in one blast.
1-2-3-4-5
"I don't get it," after returning to Doctor Oliver's lab, the Rangers thought about the battle they had just watched. "One minute, the White Ranger is fighting us, then the next, he's blowing up Mesogog's freak," Kira frowned, not understanding the day's events at all.
"Whoever he is, he could definitely use an anger management course," Ethan commented with a shrug.
"He's not interested in an alliance," Ari paced the lab. "It's more like he just wants to fight. And now that Connor's managed to take him down..." she stopped, and looked over at Connor. "I have a feeling he's definitely not going to stop until he takes him down," they all looked at Connor.
"Great..." he sighed, running a hand through his hair. "Hey Doctor O, just what was that whole Super Dino Power thing?" he turned to their teacher.
"Look, you guys have only begun to access your true potential," Doctor Oliver explained as he walked away from the computer.
"I like the sound of that," despite everything, Ethan grinned.
"I'm going to the warehouse to get that fossil finder that we left," Connor spoke up, but Doctor Oliver shook his head.
"No, you guys head home and get some rest. I'll get the fossil finder," Doctor Oliver said to him.
"Thanks," Connor grinned at him, and they turned, walking off. "I still don't know if Trent's alright...I left a message," his smile fell as he thought about how strange the boy had been acting.
"I'm sure he's fine," Kira managed a smile, but she was just as worried as they were. "Ari, you coming home with me?" she asked, but Ari shook her head.
"No, I have some friends I need to go yell at," she told them, heading off to meet her friends.
1-2-3-4-5
"Ari! You'll never guess what happened!" Chip was the first to spot Ari approaching them.
"What?" she asked, and he missed the sound of irritation in her voice.
"We saw the Power Rangers!" he told her with a grin.
"Chip, it's not good. That guy would have killed us," Vida frowned at him, still a little shaken from their encounter with the White Ranger. "We saw the White Ranger fighting the Red and Gold Rangers. The Gold one just about saved us," she looked to Ari.
"V's right Chip. Everything that goes on around those Rangers is dangerous. Next time, just run," she looked at Chip, who pouted. When she looked to Xander, she saw his frown, and her heart pounded painfully as she realised he knew.
"So where did you disappear to? We couldn't find you," Maddie asked her curiously.
"We caught up with Trent and took him home," Ari lied, hating the guilt that swelled inside her. "I'm sorry I've not been able to hang out today, it's been pretty busy. Next time maybe you could tell me when you're coming?" she grinned, and they nodded. "Now come on, since I've been a flake I'll pay for milkshakes at Hayley's Cyberspace," she told them, and both Vida and Chip cheered, and Maddie smiled. They shot off, and Ari waited. "So, you know then?" her voice was soft as she turned to Xander.
"That you're the Gold Ranger who saved our asses when we thought it would be a good idea to follow you? Yeah," Xander nodded, and Ari groaned, putting a hand to her face.
"Doctor O is going to kill me," she sighed heavily, and Xander put a hand on her head.
"Probably, especially since you got in trouble the last time," Ari lowered her hand to mock-glare at Xander, who was grinning at this point. "Thanks Ari, you really saved us," he pulled her into a hug, and she sighed, finding herself relaxing a little.
"I did, just next time, don't be stupid and follow me," she told him, frowning up at her best friend.
"Me? Stupid? Never," he winked at her, and she rolled her eyes.
"You're such a dork," she muttered.
"I prefer charming," Xander told her. "Now come on, before V and Chip get impatient," he commented.
"You just want to find another group of girls to flirt with," Ari sighed, starting to walk.
"Well, that too," Xander nodded, and despite how worried she was about the White Ranger, Ari began to laugh.
Well I intended to have finished writing this story by now, but a lot of things have gotten in the way, which is pretty annoying. There's only 4 chapters left to write though, which isn't so bad!
Hope you enjoyed it!
Please review!