Down on Earth, the Rangers were locked in battle with Fury, Singe and Loafer. Well, the word "battle" was glorifying it a little. Although the Rangers were quick to help Koda when they saw he was being attacked, to say that they weren't themselves was a little bit of an understatement!
"Hold STILL will you?" Singe yelled as he fired more blasts from his Last Blaster, narrowly missing Tyler as he back-flipped out of the way.
"Hey, Singe, did you graduate from the Imperial Stormtrooper School of Marksmanship?" Tyler asked as he started to dance in a madcap manner. "Come on, are you shooting with your eyes closed or what?"
"I think he'd be more likely to hit something with his eyes closed!" Shelby said, turning around and bending over, pulling up the skirt on her costume. "Hey, Singe, here's a target for you!"
Just then, blue light bathed the whole area, and everyone paused, the Rangers that had been affected clutching their heads. As the light passed, they all started looking around confused.
"What happened here?" Ivan asked, finding himself wearing a grass skirt and a lay. "Flowers around my neck?"
"What the hell were we doing?" Tyler asked.
"Wait, am I trying to moon Singe?" Shelby asked, at which he finally fired a shot that hit its mark. "OW! Hot, hot, hot, hot, hot..."
"Kendall figure out way to break spell!" Koda announced joyfully.
"Loafer! The Purple one must have destroyed your sister!" Fury snapped at the creature. "Get up there and hit your spell before..."
"Too late for that Fury!" Tyler announced as the team all lined up behind him in his T-Rex Supercharge Mode. "Victory Maximum, Final STRIKE!"
Fury and Singe could only watch as Tyler obliterated Loafer, leaving a smoking crater behind. Tyler was already lining up another shot.
"Not today!" Singe said, dropping to his knees and slamming his hands on the ground. The Rangers had to dive in all directions as numerous columns of lava erupted from the ground all around them. By the time the attack had dissipated, leaving the street in ruins, Singe and Fury were gone.
"Looks like they decided it was time for a little vacation themselves." Chase surmised.
"Well, I think you earned it Koda." Tyler said with a smile. "Say it."
"Monster extinct." Koda breathed out, trying to catch his breath after the difficult fight. Riley tapped Tyler on the shoulder.
"Um...I think maybe it would be best if we weren't here when the authorities showed up." Riley suggested.
"What are you talking about?" Tyler asked. Riley gestured around, at which the whole team looked around the area, seeing it was a complete disaster area. With all the playing around, the Rangers had tempted out a lot of attacks that had gone wide of their mark, leaving the street looking like The Acropolis on a bad day. Tyler just gulped.
"Um...yeah...good call Riley." He remarked. "Come on, let's get out of here."
With that, the Rangers all sprinted away. The job was done, and the day was won, but when all was said and done, they somehow doubted that people were going to be particularly happy to see how much cleaning up had to be done after their impromptu vacation.
On Sledge's ship, Singe made his way back into his cell, cranking up the pressure to its highest setting to help settle him. He had seriously underestimated the Rangers, relying far too much on Leisure's spell.
When the Rangers were under attack themselves, they treated the whole thing as a game, like it wasn't important that they were being attacked. However, when they saw their friend being attacked, as much as they still messed around, they seemed to be able to prioritise the fight over their fun. He lay back on his bed, trying to think about how he was going to spin this to Heckyl when he was inevitably summoned before him to explain his 'failure'.
As he was about to drift off for a nap, his communicator sounded and he checked to make sure no one was listening. He went to the door of his cell and checked the corridor, remembering the last time when Fury had overheard him. He went back inside and answered the call.
"You rang sir?" He asked.
"The time has finally come; we've finally got what we need." The voice on the other end told him.
"You mean...?"
"Yes, we finally managed to create them!" The voice told him. "I told you he couldn't hold out forever."
"Well then, I guess I could always prepare the place for your arrival." Singe suggested, getting his blaster ready.
"No, that won't be necessary! In fact, Heckyl and his crew might just be useful for a little while longer." The voice told him. "I just need something to distract them for a little while, and I think I know exactly what. Implant this information into their computer systems; make sure it triggers their sensors."
Singe took a look at the data he was being transmitted and smiled.
"It's a gamble for sure." He commented. "But its bait I just know Heckyl will NOT be able to resist!"
Over at the Dino Bite Cafe, Sarah, Allison, Leanne and Betty were all sitting around a table with their feet up, taking a well-earned rest after a busy day. Flash came into the restaurant, carrying boxes of patties, finding the place empty, and his staff sitting around the table, drinking coffee without a care in the world.
"What...what happened here?" He demanded. "Where did all the customers go?"
"Well, they just...left." Allison told him.
"Just left?" Flash asked, looking completely shocked to hear this. "This place was PACKED! I couldn't have fit any more people in here if I had a crowbar! How did it go from that to...well...THIS in less than an hour?"
"I guess people just had better places to be." Sarah suggested with a shrug. "You know the thing about vacations is eventually they end."
"So why are you all just sitting around?" He asked. "Haven't you got...?"
"Everything's been cleaned and put away, everything's been done." Allison assured him. "I made sure we all finished our task sheets before we made coffee."
"Well in that case, let me see the pay-in!" He said, his eyes wide as he looked to Allison, practically drooling at the thought of his day's takings. "Let's see it!"
"Alright, if you insist." Allison told him, taking some money out of the till tray that was sitting next to her and putting it down on the table. Flash looked at it, and then back to her in disgust.
"Is this some kind of joke?" He asked her. "There's barely a hundred bucks here!"
"One hundred and six dollars and sixteen cents to be exact." Allison told him. He just glared at her.
"I warned you about your smart mouth!" He snarled. "Where's the rest?"
"Well, you can double-check my figures if you like, I know I had to go through it four times, but here's the checks." Allison said, putting down the till receipts from the sales. She reached in and pulled out another, almost equally large pile. "And this is all the comps we had to give out."
"COMPS?" He screamed, looking at her in alarm. Betty just smiled.
"You know, between people complaining about the quality of the food and the number of people we had to refund because they couldn't get what they ordered when we got to the stuff we couldn't sell, there really wasn't a whole lot we could do."
"This is RIDICULOUS!" He screamed. Betty just shrugged.
"Well, I believe we DID try to warn you." She told him, gathering her jacket. "Now, if you don't mind, our shifts have finished, and we all have plans."
"Yeah, it's Koda's big championship match tonight." Leanne added with a smile, gathering her things. "Come on Sarah, it's time we welcomed you to the team properly."
With that, they all left the restaurant, leaving Flash holding his pitiful return for the day. He kicked over a stool in a fit of temper, before storming out of the restaurant, shutting out the lights. The last thing he needed was to waste any MORE money on lighting an empty restaurant!
Meanwhile, in Alaska, the team had returned to the caves at Koda's request. While they knew he had to be back in Amber Beach in a couple of hours, he had asked to return to the cave so they could document and inventory everything. Kendall came up to him, placing a hand on his shoulder gently.
"Are you sure about this?" Kendall asked him softly. "This is your family's home, and...for some of them...their tomb as well. I'd understand if you wanted us to seal it off and leave it here."
"No, it not my family's home in long time." Koda told her, touching his chest, and then his head. "My family here, and here. All this no use here, it not honour my family if left buried in ground. Better if other people get to see. Get to know more about my people."
"Well I've hidden the entrance well enough that no one should find it before Anton can send a proper excavation team." Chase told him. "Nothing else will be disturbed until it's taken back."
"Thank you." He replied, before looking to the painting of his grandfather, stroking his fingers across it. "I should have listened to you grandfather. I think you make rules for no reason. But you only do it to keep us all safe. Even after you gone, you still my hero."
He looked around to the other paintings, finding the ones pertaining to his younger brother and a tear ran down his face.
"I sorry I not there for you, but you make very proud little brother." Koda told him. "I do everything I can to make you proud too. I make sure people know about our people. That best way to honour you all."
With that, he turned and started to head for the Plesio Zord, leaving the cave behind. When they got there, starting to take their seats, Shelby winced.
"I really hope the seats at that theatre aren't too hard Koda." Shelby muttered.
"Well, until the Energem heals you, you can have this." Riley said, handing her an inflatable rubber ring. Shelby just snatched it from him, making a face at him to show her annoyance.
"Well, I never thought I'd say this, but I am looking forward to getting back to some WORK." Chase commented. "I don't know about you guys, but I am all vacationed out for a LONG time!"
"You said it." Tyler agreed.
"Speak for yourselves; I didn't get to do any vacation stuff at all!" Kendall commented as she took off, setting a course for Amber Beach, as close to the arena as possible to let Koda and the others out. "I for one could probably use a break."
"Do you even take vacations?" Shelby asked. "I've known you for almost two years and in all that time, the closest I think you had to a vacation was when you were in hospital."
"I vacation!" Kendall protested as she hit the afterburners, speeding the Zord through the clouds. "Now, hold on. If Koda's going to get there, I'm really going to have to punch it!"
In the Amber Beach Theatre, Carl was getting things set up for his show. Most of the talent was already there, and they were just putting the final touches to the set up for the show.
"Do you call those ring-ropes tight?" He protested to one of his ring crew. "Tell you what, why don't you have another crack at it. I'll be back in 20 minutes and if I'm not happy, I swear I'll make you take the whole damn thing down and start again!"
Heading through, he was checking on the guys. A few of them were at the merchandise table, checking they were happy with the display for their stuff. For many of the guys coming in, that was where they made the majority of their money. There were even some that were slipping the guy some cash to put their stuff in more prominent positions. The centre table, pride of place was the display for the biggest stars coming in, The Wolves!
Davey Richards and Eddie Edwards were one of the hottest teams on the independent circuit, and while there had been doubts they'd be back after a few inconvenient injuries and scheduling conflicts leading to speculation they'd have to be stripped of the tag titles they had won in Carl's fed well over a year ago, they were finally able to find a date that suited both parties.
There was a large cardboard standee depicting both men standing in their signature pose, along with a sign denoting prices for autographs and merchandise, telling people when they would be available for pictures and autographs. Hoodies, t-shirts, glossy pictures and posters all waiting for fans to buy were dominating a large part of the table. Since The Wolves were now regularly on television, it was a concession that had to be made to entice them to participate.
He stopped one of the runners, seeing him heading into the back.
"How's the locker room looking?" He asked. The runner just shrugged.
"Everyone seems to be fine. There are a few grumbles, but nothing we weren't expecting." He told him. "Koda's not here yet, but we got a call to say he should be here in 20."
"Right, tell everyone to assemble by the ring in half an hour for the run-down of the card." Carl told him. "Tonight's a big one, so I want EVERYONE to know what they're doing!"
"Oh, Jack wanted to talk...at least, that's what I THINK he said, he was kind of in a mood. One of the young guys touched his bag and there was kind of a thing." The Runner told him. Carl rolled his eyes.
"PLEASE tell me he didn't hurt anyone!" He muttered, stroking his temples. The runner just sighed.
"Well, let's just say he'll be performing tonight, but he's not going to be trying that again in a hurry." He answered. Carl knew exactly what this meant. Jack was pretty old-school in his mentality to respect in the locker room. The young guys had to prove themselves before they deserved to be treated as equals, and woe betide anyone who acted arrogantly before they were considered to be one of the guys. Jack was a bad-tempered guy and he knew how to hurt people. If the young guy hadn't been scared out of the arena and was still fit to perform, he considered it a win.
"Alright, fine, I'll talk to him." Carl stated.
"Oh, Alessandra wanted to talk to you too." The runner told him. "She was by the back door last time I saw her."
Carl just nodded and went out the back, figuring Jack could wait. While he would need to speak to him, he was keen to get a bearing on how Alessandra was. When he found her, he could see that she was dressed, and just waiting for Koda to arrive to do her body paint. While she had done shows without him now, and there were others that could do it, she always liked to let him do it whenever they were booked together. He saw her playing with her phone, with her leg up, resting on her bag. He approached her, at which she put her phone away.
"Alright, how's it feel tonight?" He asked her. She pulled up the peg of her tights, showing him that her knee was tightly taped up, and covered by an additional brace.
"I take some aspirin. No want be groggy." She told him. He just looked to her.
"That's not what I meant." He told her. "Get up and let me see you walking on it."
Alessandra got up and started to walk for him. She was able to walk, and he was sure that as long as she was careful, she could perform on it as well. He only really needed her tonight, and then he could keep her off the card for a show or two to rest up. It was subtle, no doubt because Alessandra was used to hiding the severity of her injuries from bookers, but he had been around long enough to be able to see that she was definitely favouring her other leg. He stroked his chin.
"Alright, you should be fine, but nothing from the top and no planchas." He told her abruptly. "Lenny's good at mat work, when you're running through your match with him; I want you to let him know about your leg, make sure you plan your match around protecting that knee. The last thing I want is that thing going bang."
Alessandra just nodded in understanding. She already knew he was on his way to planning the end of her title reign to allow her to take time to get the surgery her knee needed. At the moment it was a relatively minor procedure, but he just needed to get her though another couple of appearances without making it any worse before he could relieve her of her duties. She nodded and returned to what she was doing, leaving Carl to go and find Jack. He wasn't too hard to find, after his earlier altercation, people were reluctant to get too close, leaving him well alone. He was taking a couple of pills, washing them down with a swig from his hip flask.
"Please tell me you didn't go too far." Carl begged him. Jack just shrugged.
"He'll live." Jack told him. "Little prick didn't want to sit next to the bathroom."
Carl just sighed and shook his head. He knew it was a pointless conversation to try and get Jack to see that he didn't have to beat the hell out of every kid that encroached on his space. As Jack stubbed out his cigar, and got up.
"So, do you have it?" He asked. Carl pulled out a small, black canvas bag and handed it to Jack, who checked inside and nodded his head, before wrapping it back up and stuffing it in his boot.
"Run-down is in 25 minutes." He told him. Jack just held up a thumbs up as he started to lace up his boots.