Previously on Poké Rangers: Eon Force...
As Ranger-Con continued, the Rangers reunited with Sam and David at the event, along with Ms. North and her former student Tyra, but the convention was crashed by a second monstrous visitor. The Chaos Beast Arantula, hunting for the missing Ditgle, believed the Rangers held the answer and attempted to force it out of them, but Emma unlocked her secondary ability, Hyperspeed, in time to stop him. Afterwards, Jessica and Alicia faced off in a special inter-region battle of champions. Meanwhile, Richard and Victoria reunited with Phillip in Cianwood, only to be detected and ambushed by Xactowl. However, Rick, the Black Kanto Ranger, intervened and rescued them, exposing Xactowl as the true identity of Madame Xana afterwards. While Phillip helps with a problematic piece of Safari Zone construction, Rick is waiting for some old friends to arrive...
Safari Zone construction, near Cianwood...
Phillip swam back and examined his work, resting a shovel on his shoulder. The hole should be deep enough by now. Letting out a sigh that sent bubbles spinning up from his gills, he shot towards the surface, bursting out of the water.
"Done!" he gasped, climbing out onto the shore. The foreman and Jasmine were both staring at him in shock.
"That's not possible." the foreman shook his head. "Nobody can hold their breath that long. It's just not physically possible."
"You just saw it, didn't you?" Phillip laughed as he climbed out of the river. He examined the towering metal pole that now needed to be placed. "Now, we just gotta get this down there."
"I can help with that." Victoria stepped forward. "Or rather, he can." Holding up a Pokéball, she sent out her Machamp. Phillip stepped back as the Superpower Pokémon knelt and hefted the pole into the air.
Running back to the river, Phillip sent out his Mantine and grabbed a rope, quickly fashioning a harness. Tying the other end to the pole, he dove under the water as Machamp lowered it in.
Quickly Morphing, Phillip used his Ranger strength to help support the pillar. Together, he and Mantine lowered it down until it was in place, filling around it and solidifying its support. Untying Mantine, he recalled it and demorphed before he reached the surface.
"Done." Richard held out a towel and Phillip took it, drying himself off. "You're good to go."
"Thank you for the help." Jasmine smiled. "I don't know how you did it, but I appreciate it."
"Welp, do what you have to do, right?" Phillip shrugged as they left the foreman to continue with the construction on his own. "Wouldn't be much of an environmentalist if I just went around protesting and didn't take action, would I?"
"Right..." Jasmine glanced at him. "Can I tell you a secret?"
"Uh, sure?" Phillip looked at her curiously.
"Those protests you were coming to join?" She smiled. "I set them up."
"Really?" Phillip blinked. "You?"
"Yeah." She shrugged. "I knew Chuck couldn't handle this job on his own; heck, he still ain't shown up for work today and I doubt he will. So I had to do something to make him realize he needed me. Some protests seemed like a good way."
"That's pretty smart." Phillip nodded. "It's good to see you're on top of things." He held out a hand. "I wish you luck with the rest of the construction."
"Thanks." Jasmine shook and smiled. Blushing, he glanced aside for a moment before looking back to him. "Hey, I know we just met, but...would you be interested in hanging out sometime?"
Phillip stopped and looked at her. Behind the Gym Leader, he could see Richard glance his way and raise an eyebrow. Chuckling, Phillip focused on Jasmine.
"Are you asking me out?" he questioned.
"I...yeah, I suppose." Jasmine admitted.
"Well, I'm flattered, but I'm afraid there's already somebody else I have my eye on." he told her.
"Oh..." Jasmine sighed. "Okay then. I understand. Thanks for your help anyway." Nodding, she turned and left back towards the construction.
"I'm going to be staying with them for a bit!" Rick called. "My men will handle the security, don't worry!" Jasmine looked back and nodded before continuing on her way.
"Rick?" Turning, the group found two new figures standind before them. One had light brown hair mostly hidden under a white cap. He wore a red jacket over a white shirt and blue jeans, a belt of Pokéballs at his waist. His companion also wore blue jeans and a belt of Pokéballs, but with them had a blue t-shirt. He had piercing green eyes and black hair longer and shaggier than his companion's. "You called?"
"Ryan, Brent, hey!" Rick waved and looked back to the Eon Rangers with a grin. "C'mon. You're gonna want to meet these guys."
(Theme Song inspired by Power Rangers: Wild Force Opening)
*beat begins with a strange ethereal pulse (replace all roars with such) before quickly building into a rock beat* (The Eon Crystals awake and float into the air)
Eon Force Poké Rangers! (The original five Rangers enter the Vanishing Shrine...)
Eon Crystals are forever! (...and are bonded with their respective Eon Crystal.)
Eon Force Poké Rangers! (All seven Rangers' helmets appear to complete their morphing sequences)
We'll defend Johto together! (The seven pose together as an explosion bursts behind them.)
Eon Force! Eon Force! (The Rangers soar through the air on their Spirit Boards.)
Ancient powers have awakened; (Go!) (Richard tosses a basketball into a hoop, his Cyndaquil letting off a showy burst as it swishes. Turning to the camera, he flashes a thumbs up as the Red Ranger and Flare are shown.)
Eon Force gonna save them. (Eon Force!) (Sally steps off the bus into Azalea Town with her Mimikyu right behind. Noticing the camera, she waves as the Pink Ranger and Esper are shown.)
Our whole timeline in danger; (Go!) (Phillip reaches out and pulls a plastic bottle from a river, dropping it into a bag his Croconaw is carrying. Seeing the camera, he nods as the Blue Ranger and Vapor are shown.)
We will save (Emma is working on an explosive in a lab with her Voltorb on the table observing. She jumps back from a spark and grins at the camera as the Yellow Ranger and Jolt are shown.)
this world! (Matt looks over the Underwood Ranch as his Tyranitar walks up beside him. Petting her, he sees the camera and smiles as the Black Ranger and Umbre are shown.)
Eon Force Poké Rangers! (Sam and David laugh together with their Meganium and Swinub as the Green and White Rangers are shown with Leaf and Glace.)
Eon Crystals are forever! (Alicia raises a Pokéball and clicks it open/Victoria smiles beside her Arcanine/Professor Diggswell looks up from his notes)
Eon Force Poké Rangers! (The Rangers summon their weapons.)
We'll defend Johto together! (The Rangers aim and fire the Eon Cannon.)
*guitar riff* (Celebi and Hypnotica are talking in the shrine, Xactowl and Ditgle bow to Mask of Ice in his lair/Walter puts on his Terror mask)
Eon Force Poké Rangers! (The Eon Zords join together into the Eon Force Megazord...)
We'll defend Johto together! (...that is then shown using the Eon Spirit Charge.)
Eon...Force! Eon Force! (All seven Rangers pose together as the Eon Zords appear behind them, followed by the logo being shown (use your imagination, cuz I don't have the artistic skill to draw one))
Mask of Ice's lair...
Xactowl slowly crept through the caverns, looking around for his master. So far, he had seen no sign of him, but he had a feeling he was around.
"Xactowl!" The Chaos Beast nearly hit the ceiling he was so startled. Spinning around, he stepped aside as Mask of Ice brushed past him. "Where have you been? I've been waiting for you."
"Out on my usual examination that I told you about." Xactowl lied as he followed. "What's going on?" Mask of Ice turned to face him and he stopped.
"Have you heard what's happening to the Rangers?" Mask of Ice demanded.
"I have, as a matter of fact." Xactowl nodded. "Apparently an old enemy of the Red Ranger is framing them for crimes they didn't commit."
"Indeed..." Mask of Ice told him. "Only the Blue Ranger has not been targeted. All the others...the Elite Four is after them as Remnant members or allies."
"So I've noticed." Xactowl smiled slightly when Mask of Ice wasn't looking. "The entire team is being taken down by their civilian identities, without us even having to lift a finger." He chuckled. "It is most underhanded." Mask of Ice glared at him.
"Did you have anything to do with this?" he asked.
"Me? Of course not, sire." He shook his head. "It's that Red Ranger's 'brother' Walter that's done this. I don't know how he's pulled it off so effectively, but he's been very thorough."
"Mmm..." Mask of Ice looked away. "It's not right..." he whispered.
"I'm sorry, sire?" Xactowl asked. "I didn't catch that."
"I said, it's not right." He repeated louder. "This is everything I didn't want to happen."
"Yes, I understand that, sire." Xactowl nodded. "But it's out of our hands. There's nothing we can do about it." He shrugged. "Except take advantage of the opportunity and bring your ultimate plan into fruition."
Mask of Ice tapped his staff on the icy floor in thought.
"Perhaps..." He looked up and to the side, holding out his staff. "Ditgle!" As he called, he fired a beam that created a large block of ice.
"You yelled for me?" Ditgle asked as he walked into the chamber. Mask of Ice pointed to the block he had made.
"I want you to create the most powerful Chaos Beast you have ever made." he said. "Something powerful enough to crush this region and cause massive devastation."
"Sire?" Xactowl raised an eyebrow. "Are you...sure about that?"
"I am most certain." he nodded. "Ditgle, can you do it?"
"Of course I can." Ditgle smirked and lifted his tail as he approached the block. "Just give me a few minutes.
As Ditgle worked, Mask of Ice watched him intently. Xactowl stared at his master, trying to figure out what he was thinking right now. Unfortunately, as usual, he could not peer into his master's mind. It was shielded by the chaotic energy of his staff; whenever he tried, it was like his mind bounced off a barrier over Mask of Ice's.
"And that should do it!" Nearly ten minutes later, Ditgle stepped back, nodding proudly as in a flash the block transformed into a statue. "An absolute masterpiece, if I do say so myself."
"Excellent work." Mask of Ice aimed his staff and fired chaotic energy into it. The statue glowed and came to life, revealing the new Chaos Beast Ditgle had created.
He had the appearance of a Feraligatr with a Blastoise's shell around his body and sapphire armor covering what it didn't. Strapped to his back were two sizable Blastoise cannons, silver rocket tips peeking out from within them. Stretching out his arms, he let out a powerful roar that made Xactowl take a nervous step back. This monster...he could practically feel the power emanating from him.
"Gatertoise, at your service." Turning to Mask of Ice, he knelt before him. "What can I do for you, master?"
"I want you to go out there and destroy." Mask of Ice told him. "Anybody and anything that gets in your way. Unleash your power on the Johto Region."
"As you command." Standing, Gatertoise spun and iced over, vanishing from view.
"Sire...?" Xactowl took a nervous step closer. "You'll forgive me, but...that order seems unlike you. Are you okay?"
"I am fine." Mask of Ice assured him.
"Then, what is your plan? What are you doing?" Xactowl asked.
"You will see, Xactowl." Mask of Ice glanced at him. "You stay here. I think I shall go observe in person." With a wave of his staff, Mask of Ice too vanished, leaving Xactowl more confused than ever.
Ilex Forest, near the Vanishing Shrine...
Ginger, Allison, and Jessica rode into the forest on their motorcycles, the Pokémon Riders. Each of them had an extra passenger on the back; Hypnotica rode with Ginger, Whitney with Allison, and Alicia with Jessica. Above, the Eon Rangers soared down on their Spirit Boards. Sam also had an extra passenger balancing on the front of his.
"I can't believe you talked me into this. You know you're missing the whole convention, right?" he asked. Tyra glanced back at him and shrugged.
"There's always next year. But when am I gonna get another chance to see something like this?" She grinned. "Never, that's when."
The Rangers came to a stop in front of the Vanishing Shrine, the Eon Rangers descending and hopping off their Spirit Boards, which then shrank down and vanished into their Eon Crystals. The Kanto Rangers and their passengers all climbed off their rides.
"Well, here we are." Sally said, powering down. The other Rangers followed suit as she waved to the building. "After you guys."
As the group entered and made their way to the center, they found Matt waiting for them. Turning to spot the Kanto Rangers, he grinned.
"Jess! Allison! Ginger!" Running to them, the three girls met him with a hug. "It's so good to see you guys again!"
"You too, Matt." Jessica laughed. "How've things been in Johto?"
"Fantastic." Matt stepped back and nodded. "I never dreamed half of what has happened here would."
"I hear you're a Ranger now?" Ginger asked. Matt smiled and shrugged.
"Yep. I know, what are the odds, right?" he laughed.
"Allison." The Yellow Kanto Ranger looked as three more people walked up to them. She recognized all of them, from one place or another.
"Uncle?" Koga held his arms open and Allison tentatively allowed him to come in for a hug. "What are you doing here?'
"Trying to resolve some issues." he told her. "Matt's teammates haven't exactly made it easy."
"He didn't know, Koga." Matt said. "You can tell him when he gets here." Koga shrugged and Allison looked to the others.
"Hey, Bugsy." she waved. She had met him once before, back before she ran away from home, when he had visited her father on Crobat Clan business.
"Hey to you too." Bugsy smiled and nodded in greeting. "I heard about you passing your uncle's test. Congratulations."
"You told people about that?" Allison looked to Koga and frowned.
"Not the details." Koga told her. "But that you were now an official member of the clan, yes. I did of course make that known."
"I did not, until now, know you were a Ranger, if that's what you're worried about." Bugsy told her. "Nor does anybody else, aside from Koga."
"And her father." the third person spoke up.
"Right, and dad." Allison agreed. "Good to see you again, Bruno."
"You three as well." Bruno took a seat and leaned back. "I hear Rick has been doing quite well after taking over my old position. I'll have to congratulate him when he gets here."
"Rick's coming?" Ginger asked in surprise.
"He is." Matt confirmed. "Ryan and Brent as well. They'll be here soon."
"What?" Jessica blinked. "Ryan is sick."
"He says it's only minor." Matt told her. "And that he feels better."
"It was bad enough for him to ask me to stand in for him." Jessica pointed out. Matt shrugged.
"Perhaps he's putting on a tough front because he's been asked to help. That'd be just like him." he said. "You'll have to ask him about that yourself though."
"This is so COOL!" Tyra spun in the center of the room, looking around in amazement. "I never thought I'd actually be here with the Rangers!"
"Uh...what IS she doing here?" Koga asked Hypnotica. The mutant shrugged and pointed to Sam and David.
"Ask those two." she said. "They're the ones she convinced to bring her along."
"Well, she had already found out we were Rangers, so..." David shrugged. "You know, why not?"
"Tsk." Koga shook his head. "You guys are as bad with your secrets as my niece and her team were."
"Hey!" Ginger called indignantly. "We were not THAT bad!" Koga held up both hands.
"I don't think I have enough fingers to count the number of people who found out you were Rangers." he told her. The Green Ranger sighed.
"Okay...fair." she admitted.
'Ah...' Celebi smiled as he floated into the room. 'Welcome, everyone!' Looking around, he frowned. 'We're gonna need a bigger room.' Holding out both hands, there was a green glow as the walls of rooms receded, giving everyone a bit more space.
Ginger looked down at the Pokéball she carried for a moment before lifting it up and opening it to release Mew into the room.
'Celebi!' Transforming into the Johto Legendary, Mew floated up before him. 'How long has it been?'
'Hello, Mew.' Celebi glanced his way in mild annoyance. 'It's...lovely to see you again.' He looked down to Ginger. 'And I'm guessing this is the human Avatar of Mew?'
"That's me." she nodded. "It's good to meet you, Celebi."
'Where's your partner?' Mew asked.
"Mew!" Ginger snapped. The Pokémon looked her way. "What were we told?"
'Oh yeah, right.' he nodded, transforming back to his usual self. 'Sensitive subject, best not to bring it up if we meet him. I got it.'
"I'm sorry, Celebi." Ginger sighed. "My partner has...a short attention span."
'Oh, I'm aware.' Celebi smiled knowingly. 'Don't worry, it's fine.'
"Oh, Celebi!" Emma ran over with a grin. "Great news! I unlocked Hyperspeed!"
'You did?' Celebi asked in surprise.
"Yeah!" Emma nodded excitedly. "How come you never told me I could do that, that we all have secondary powers?"
'It wasn't the right time.' Celebi looked at Mew. 'Did you tell her?'
'No!' Mew said defensively. After a moment of silence, he slowly pointed up. 'She did.'
'Of course she did.' Celebi sighed noticably. 'Goddesses...never know when to leave things alone.' he muttered.
The sound of more motorcycles outside caught the group's attention.
'That will be the others.' Celebi said. 'Good. Everyone's here.'
After a few moments, Richard, Phillip, and Victoria walked into the room, Rick, Ryan, Brent, and Looker following behind them. The detective looked around as he entered.
"Fascinating..." He looked to Richard. "Where did this place come from? How does it work?"
"Afraid I don't know that much, Looker." The Red Ranger shrugged. "You're free to ask Celebi, but...I wouldn't expect much info out of him."
"Ryan!" Allison ran up to her boyfriend with a slightly worried smile. "Are you feeling okay?"
"Yeah." The Red Kanto Ranger nodded. "Killer headache this morning, but it's mostly passed. I feel a lot better." He smiled. "I'd kiss you, but...better safe than sorry."
"Yeah." Allison laughed. "Don't worry; we'll make up for it later."
"What are you guys doing here, anyway?" Brent asked as he stepped up to hug the Yellow Kanto Ranger.
"We met some of the Eon Rangers at Ranger-Con." Ginger explained as she joined them. "They asked us to come along. How did YOU guys get here?"
"I bumped into the other Eon Rangers in Cianwood." Rick told her. "They're caught up in some stuff, so I thought we might be able to help them out."
While the other Kanto Rangers were discussing, Jessica noticed Victoria. Having made sure Ryan was good, she walked towards the redhead.
"Vicky?" she asked. Victoria turned to face her and her eyes widened.
"Jess!?" Laughing, Victoria ran forward and hugged her. "What are you doing here?"
"I could ask the same of you." Jessica stepped back and smiled. "Last I remember, you had abandoned Team Rocket to avoid mutation. I hope you've been keeping out of trouble."
"Uh..." Victoria laughed nervously. "Not exactly..." Jessica sighed.
"I worried as much." Richard walked up to join them and Jessica looked to him.
"Hey." He held out a hand. "I'm Richard Franklin. I'm an old friend of Vicky's."
"I've heard a lot about you." Jessica nodded. "I'm Jessica. She talked about you a lot." Jessica tilted her head. "I never could decide whether she really liked you or really hated you."
"I don't think I knew myself at the time." Victoria wrapped an arm around Richard's shoulder. "But I've found out some stuff recently. The things I was mad at him for...it was all a bunch of lies. Walter was just trying to make me hate Richie."
"I never did like that guy." Jessica growled.
"You knew Walter too?" Richard asked.
"Oh yes." Jessica nodded. "All too well. I used to work with him and Vicky, back in all of our Team Rocket days."
"Jess was something of a mentor to me." Victoria told Richard. "She helped me get through a lot of the intense Pokémon training Giovanni put everyone through."
"Whenever I could get a word in without Walter hovering around you." Jessica frowned. "I never did understand why he was so obsessed with you, Vicky."
"Walter is my brother." Richard told her. Jessica stared at him in disbelief. "Uh, sorta." He quickly explained about how he was adopted and Walter was his parents' disowned biological child. "So, yeah, he kinda hates my guts."
"I see..." Jessica nodded. "That would explain a lot."
"Uh...Rich?" Phillip tapped the Red Ranger on the shoulder and he glanced back at him. "Did you notice who's here?" He pointed and Richard looked to find Bruno and Koga standing across the room, the former talking with Rick while the latter was staring at Richard.
"...I did not." He glanced to Jessica and Victoria. "Excuse me a moment." Stepping back from them, he started walking over towards the two Elite Four members.
"I hear you've been doing quite well in my old position." Bruno was saying. Rick smiled and nodded. "That's good to know. I'll admit, I had my doubts."
"As did I." Rick laughed. "But Lance promised he'd help me until I could handle it...and he's done a lot. I've come a long way."
Koga glanced away from the approaching Red Ranger to glance at Rick.
"And my daughter?" he asked. "How is Janine handling the Gym Leader job?"
"Fantastically." Rick told him. "Your reccomendation was right. She's a perfect fit."
"Excellent." Koga nodded. "Let her know I love her, and I'll visit as soon as have time, will you?"
"I'll be sure to do that." Having gotten that said, Koga looked back as Richard stopped in front of him.
"You've got a mean chop, Red Ranger." he said, reaching up and rubbing his neck.
"What are you doing here?" Richard asked.
"I brought him." Matt walked up to join them. "He wants to help."
"I know this report we've received is false." Koga nodded. "For one thing, I know Matt would not do what it claims he is doing."
"So he is going after you." Richard looked to Matt. "I'm so sorry."
"Don't be." Matt folded his arms. "It's not your fault."
"But he's only after you because you're my friend." Richard said. "If it wasn't for me, Walter wouldn't care about you."
"But that's all beyond your control." Matt pointed out. "Don't blame yourself for the actions of others."
"Seriously." A hand landed on Richard's shoulders and he turned to find Ryan standing beside him. "That's a ride I've been on more than once. Trust me, it's not a pleasant time."
"Right." Richard nodded. "You guys are right. We've got to focus on Walter."
"We will." Koga told him. "I was trying to take you to Matt when I showed up at your place, not arrest you. I just had to keep up the act because..." He shrugged. "I presume you have security cameras. I couldn't have footage of me NOT arresting you on them. Too risky."
"Right." Richard almost laughed. "Sorry, Koga. I didn't realize."
"I'll let it slide." The ninja's mouth shifted into a slight smile. "We're here now. Now we can figure out what the next step should be."
Meanwhile, Ryan had looked to Matt with a grin.
"Hey there, Matt." he greeted. "Good to see you're still not evil."
"Yeah." Matt laughed. "About as far from it as I could get at this point, I'd say."
"Rich told us you were a Ranger now." Rick grinned. "By the way, top notch color choice. Black always did suit you."
"Ha!" Ryan smirked. "You're just saying that cuz it's your color." Rick shrugged.
"That too." he admitted.
'Alright, alright, everyone!' Celebi's voice rang out through the room, calling everyone's attention to him as he floated up and looked down at the crowd. 'Can we have some order here? There are pressing concerns we need to focus on.'
As the group gathered around him, Celebi's eyes roved over them.
'First things first, I suppose I should introduce myself.' he said. 'For anyone here who doesn't know me, I am Celebi. I recruited these seven...' He indicated the Eon Rangers, who had gathered together off on the left of the group. 'To become Poké Rangers. That was a couple months ago now. Since then, we've had...more than one enemy show their face here in Johto. The one that we need to talk about right now, is Walter Franklin.'
"We most certainly do." Looker raised a pen over a notebook. "I don't suppose you happen to know where he is currently?"
'I'm afraid I do not.' Celebi shook his head.
"You didn't catch that on any of your future jaunts?" Richard asked. "I'm guessing you knew this whole frame thing was gonna happen."
'I knew he would attempt it.' Celebi told him. 'I have never seen him make it this far, be this successful.' He glanced at Looker. 'How is it you were not able to track him down yet?'
"He was led astray." Rick spoke up. "That bird monster you guys fight, Xactowl? He disguised himself as a human woman, claimed to be a psychic who wanted to help."
"I presume he has been leading me in false directions." Looker frowned. "Like all the way to Cianwood. That supposed lead about the missing Pokémon in Cianwood..." He looked to Whitney.
"They made it back." she told him. "Just before I left for Ranger-Con, my father called. They showed up back at the farm via mail. I guess he hasn't gotten around to contacting Cianwood yet." She frowned. "If I had to guess, from what I'm hearing, I'd say he stole them just to create a way to lure you there."
"But why return them?" Looker asked in confusion.
'Mask of Ice would have Xactowl's feathered hide if he found out he had done anything to harm a Pokémon or break their bond with their trainers.' Celebi said. 'But I still don't...how are Xactowl and Walter working together? When did they meet?' Nobody had an answer. Celebi glanced at Hypnotica. "I bet...I'd wager it's somehow because of...you know what.' Hypnotica didn't respond, but she knew what he was saying. Because he'd still been alive.
"What are you talking about?" Richard asked, looking between the two. "Because of what?"
'It doesn't matter.' Celebi said.
"It DOES matter." Richard said firmly. "Every piece of information you withhold from us matters, and not in a positive way. Whether you will admit it or not."
"He has a point." Phillip said. "The less you tell us, the more we're just bungling our way along, trying to figure it out as we go. It seems pretty clear that us knowing more would help us be...you know, more efficient at what you recruited us to do. You should share what you know."
'It is only because I haven't that you think that.' Celebi told him. 'If I told you everything I knew, you would wish I hadn't.'
"How can you know if you haven't tried it?" Emma asked. Celebi frowned at her before looking back over the group as a whole.
'Regardless, we are where we are. We must deal with it now.' Celebi said. 'Koga, Bruno.' He waved to the Elite Four members. 'Can you two explain exactly what this 'report' Walter has given you is?'
"Of course." The two of them stepped up beside Celebi, Koga removing a stack of papers from his bag. "The report has several parts to it, each implicating different Rangers as members or allies of the Remnants." Koga explained.
"First, we have Richard." Bruno took the first set of sheets, paper-clipped together, from Koga and examined it. "It includes detailed records of his history with Victoria, the known leader of the Remnants..." Several eyes in the room turned towards Victoria, who shrank back. "...as well as two pictures, one of Richard in Remants uniform, and the other of Victoria at his family's house here in Azalea."
"How?" Richard asked in shock. "How did he...?"
"It seems to have been printed from security cam footage." Koga spoke up. "So he must have snuck in and accessed your files to retrieve it."
"Him or Xactowl." Sally reminded them. "He would know exactly when Rich is out, because he works with the monsters he has to go fight."
"Right..." Matt agreed. "So when Xactowl knows Rich is out fighting a Chaos Beast, he or Walter sneak into his house and grab it."
"I was still there." Victoria pointed out.
"But you may not remember." Alicia folded her arms. "My own memory has a gap in it...and I have a sneaking suspicion it has to do with all this." Whitney nodded in agreement.
"We will get to that shortly." Bruno assured. "Quick question, Richard, why were you in Remnants uniform?"
"We were trying to take down Walter!" Victoria told him. "It was the only way to get close. He had to be in disguise."
"Right." Richard agreed. Bruno nodded and set the first set aside, reaching for a second.
"Okay then. Secondly, this part focuses on Emma."
"Me!?" Emma gaped. "What?"
"We have here a detailed file on your mother, Patricia Horovitz, Admin of Team Rocket." Emma frowned. "Along with one of our own older reports on the incident in Goldenrod City..." Her frown deepened. "And this..." Bruno tapped the last sheet. "Is an examination of the bombs used in Goldenrod and Azalea when the Remnants planted them. Perfect matches. According to this, they came from you."
"That's nonsense!" Emma snapped. "I only build bombs for a hobby. I would never supply people like the Remnants!" She glanced at Victoria. "Uh, no offense. Any of my friends can attest to that!"
"I'm sure they can." Koga nodded. "But that won't be enough to convince Will and Karen. Particularly since Will found explosives hidden in your room that matched them as well."
"Planted." Matt suggested. "Has to be."
"Right." Emma agreed. "They could've done that just as easily as getting into Rich's house, while I was out fighting as a Ranger."
"Exactly my thoughts." Bruno set that aside and pulled a third section. "Next, Sam, David, and the Professor."
"Oh come on!" Sam scoffed. "Walter tried to..." Bruno held up a hand.
"Hold on, let me finish before you protest." he suggested. Sam muttered something unhearable and folded his arms. "There's a transcript from an audio recording that was included with the file, featuring Professor Diggswell admitting that he knew of Walter's history with Team Rocket, and did not care."
"What, giving somebody a second chance is a bad thing?" David asked.
"Not by itself." Koga said. "And I personally suspect the tape is doctored. I listened to it, and it seems...off." He turned to look at Ginger. "If I had a copy with me, I would have you listen to it." The Eon Rangers followed his gaze in slight confusion. "She has really good hearing." Koga explained.
"You guys have no idea." Ginger grinned.
"In any case..." Bruno went on. "There are also a variety of images of the 'guards' that were used at the Ruins, and details linking each of them as a Remnants member."
"Walter was the one to hire those." Sam growled.
"AND..." Bruno held up the last sheet. "This paper trail directly links the Professor to the Remnants via funding he supposedly received from them."
"Dude, do you KNOW how strapped for cash the Professor was?" Sam raised an eyebrow. "I think if he had a criminal group funding him, he would..."
"Please remember that we do not believe this report." Koga interjected. "We are merely going over its claims."
"Right. Yeah." Sam looked down. "Sorry."
"What about us?" David asked. "You said we were involved too? Surely this thing isn't trying to claim I would work with the same guy who deafened me for life?"
"The recording indicates that you two knew as well, which implicates you." Bruno told them. David sighed in exasperation. "Let's move on to the final bit."
"Right." Koga held it out. "This is the one that got us two onto this."
"My Ranch." Matt nodded. "Of course."
"Exactly." Bruno agreed. "As expected, we have a file detailing Matt as a former member of Team Rocket, along with the notation that the Remants include several such people."
"Naturally." Matt rolled his eyes.
"And of course, photos logging all of the rest of you that the report goes over at the Ranch." Bruno went on. "Proving that you are all known associates of his, further corroborating the other reports. Supposedly."
"Right." Richard nodded.
"And the kicker." He held one last page. "This letter personally attesting that Matt is using the Ranch to funnel Pokémon to the Remnants. It additionally alleges frequent mistreatment of the Pokémon at the Ranch by both him and his new hire, Sally Estelle, who is accordingly in on the scheme."
"What!?" Sally stared in shock. "Why...I would never! Neither would Matt!"
"As we are aware." Koga nodded.
"But guess who wrote this letter?" Bruno asked. When nobody answered, he turned towards Alicia. "A very credible source...our own current Champion, who just so happens to work at the Ranch." Alicia stared, speechless, before growling angrily.
"No way!" She stomped forward. "Let me see that!" Bruno held it out and she snatched it out of his hand, quickly reading it over. Her hands clenched the paper as she looked up.
"Fake?" Bruno asked.
"...I don't think so." Alicia handed it back. "It looks like my signature. This must be what happened during the period I don't remember." She looked to Matt. "But I promise, I would never do it on purpose!
"I know that, Alicia." Matt assured her.
"He must've done something to make me..." Alicia frowned and Whitney stepped up beside her sister.
"Like threaten me?" she suggested. Alicia looked to her. "Remember, when we woke up without memories, Mom, Dad, and I were all tied up? He could've threatened to harm us if you didn't write it."
"That makes sense..." Alicia agreed. "If I saw no way out of it, I would do it to protect my family."
"Naturally." Bugsy nodded. "He used you just to enhance his wild report, provide supposed credibility to it. But, going after Matt and Sally exposed him."
"What Walter didn't realize is that Matt helped the Kanto Rangers save the world." Bruno said. The other Eon Rangers glanced at him in surprise and he shrugged.
"It's true." Rick said. "Don't let him be modest."
"Just a small part, really." Matt insisted.
"Regardless of how big or small your role, Bruno and Koga were aware of it." Bugsy told him. "To say nothing of the extensive conversations all three of us had with Matt when he moved here about his history and reasons for working with Team Rocket. So, when they saw this report, their first stop was to come to me."
"And you told them about us being Rangers?" Richard asked.
"I felt I had no choice." Bugsy shrugged. "Plus, they had their suspicions anyway."
"You think I didn't notice that the town you moved to suddenly had a Ranger team show up in it?" Koga asked Matt with a laugh. "Some people might not notice that, but not us."
"So, here's my question." Phillip spoke up. "Now that we're all on the same page about what's been going on...how do we deal with it?"
"The obvious suggestion would be to approach Karen and Will as Rangers and reveal yourselves." Bruno told them.
'I agree.' Celebi said. 'However, what if that doesn't work?'
"Why wouldn't it?" Brent asked. "If they know they're Rangers..."
'Is it not theoretically possible that somebody could be a Ranger and still a criminal?' Celebi asked.
"I was, for a while." Jessica pointed out.
"Yeah, but you weren't a good Ranger at that point." Ryan reminded her.
"I think it's likely Will and Karen would accept the report as fake after finding out that you are Rangers. Especially if Alicia alerts them that the letter from her is falsified." Hypnotica told them.
"Gladly." Alicia nodded. "I don't want that thing in my name any longer than it has to be."
"But Celebi is right." Hypnotica went on. "You should at least consider your options for if they don't. Better to be prepared."
'Exactly.' Celebi smiled in agreement. 'If you end up as fugitives...what then?'
'We may have an answer for that.' Jessica spoke up, looking to the Eon Rangers. "If you'd be up for it."
"What is it?" Richard asked.
Before Jessica could answer, the usual sense of unease surged through the room, silencing everybody. Celebi frowned and waved, pulling a crystalline sphere up.
'What is...?' Celebi stared in horror at the image in the sphere. 'No...he wouldn't...'
"What is it?" The Eon Rangers ran forward to see, the Kanto Rangers following behind them. Celebi gave no answer as he continued gazing into the sphere.
Looking themselves, the Rangers saw Gatertoise stomping through the streets of Goldenrod City. In the sky high above, storm clouds swirled and the wind whipped hard enough to blow fleeing people off their feet. Gatertoise pulled a launcher from his back and aimed at a building, firing a rocket that propelled itself with a spray of water rather than flame. Impacting, the entire structure was blasted apart.
"We've got to stop him!" Richard nodded to the others. "Let's go!"
'Wait!' They halted as Celebi looked up. 'The power of this creature...it's like nobody you've fought before. Be careful, Rangers.'
"Don't worry." Ginger grinned. "They've got us."
"Right." Ryan nodded. "C'mon, everyone." As the two teams ran out the door, Celebi looked down at the sphere again.
'I just don't get it...' he muttered. Hypnotica stepped up beside him. 'Why would he unleash something like this? It's not like him.' Hypnotica's gaze was curious as she watched. From what she knew from Celebi's memories...he was right. It was strange for Mask of Ice to do something like this. As she continued to watch the Chaos Beast's rampage, her eyes widened.
"You two better look at this." she called to Bruno and Koga. The two Elite Four members ran up and looked into sphere, being greeted by the sight of two familiar figures approaching Gatertoise and standing in his path.
Goldenrod City...
"Out of my way, humans!" Gatertoise snarled. "I have things to destroy!"
The first figure in his path had lilac hair falling over his left eye with a bang framing his right eye. He wore a domino mask, a black vest with pink tuxedo top underneath, pink pants, and black derby shoes. On his neck he had a frilled white cravat, and a Xatu stood silently behind him.
The other was a woman with silvery blue eyes and long silvery blue hair reaching past her waist. She had a yellow spaghetti-strap tanktop leaving her midriff exposed and white knee-length pants with yellow high heels on her feet. An Umbreon stood next to her, glaring as it watched Gatertoise approach.
"This region is under our protection." The first declared, pointing at Gatertoise with a grin. "Begone, or Will will be forced to act!" Gatertoise laughed deeply.
"You think a pair of mere humans can stand up to me?" he asked. "That's so funny, I'm almost tempted to spare you!"
"Get out of here." The woman frowned and put a hand on her hip. "Don't make us throw you out."
"Yeah, you tell him, Karen." Will grinned.
"Amusing." Gatertoise drew a launcher from his back and aimed at them. "But all it will take is one shot to destroy you."
"Confuse Ray!" Before he could fire, Karen's Umbreon fired a strange flowing beam into Gatertoise's forehead. Lowering his launcher, he staggered forward and to the side, weaving disorientedly. As Karen smiled and was about ot make another command, Gatertoise's head snapped to the side and looked at her with an evil grin.
Leaping through the air, he landed between the two and slammed a fist into Will, flinging him back into his Xatu and knocking them both away. His tail lashed out and slapped Karen and her Umbreon aside.
"Pokémon attacks are useless against me!" he told them. As he started to turn towards Karen, Will pointed forward.
"Xatu, Psychic!" he called. "Show him what we're made of!" Xatu tried to take hold of Gatertoise with the telekinetic attack, but he shrugged it off and aimed his launcher at the two. "Light Screen!" Holding out its wings, Xatu raised the barrier just as Gatertoise fired, the watery blast shattering it and knocking both of them off their feet with its shockwave.
Umbreon charged and leaped, biting onto Gatertoise's arm. As the Chaos Beast yanked it off and hurled the Dark-type towards Will and Xatu, Karen rose and charged, kicking him in the side. Turning with barely any reaction, he grabbed her arm as she punched at him and twisted, flipping her off her feet. She tried to swing a kick up from the ground, but he knocked her leg aside and drew back his own, his kick sending her rolling across the ground. Will helped her up as she came to a stop.
"What made you think you stood a chance?" Gatertoise asked, drawing his other launcher and aiming.
"It doesn't matter what chance we stand." Karen told him as she held her arm that he had twisted. "It's our duty to care for and protect the Johto Region. We won't let you destroy it!"
"That's right!" Will agreed. "Even outmatched, we can't stand aside when a monster such as you is right in front of us!"
"You should leave the fighting to the Rangers." Gatertoise laughed. "See ya later, Feraligatrs!"
As Gatertoise fired, Richard tackled the group to the side, narrowly pushing them out of the way of the blast.
"Are you guys okay?" he asked as he helped Karen to her feet.
"Fine..." She brushed herself off before looking at him. Her eyes widened. "You!" Behind Richard, the other Rangers gathered behind him. Karen's eyes roved over them, quickly recognizing several. "All of you?"
"All of us." Richard nodded.
"Listen, Karen." Phillip stepped forward. "The report you received was a fake. It was sent to frame Rich and the rest of my friends for crimes they didn't commit."
"And how are we supposed to know the truth of that statement?" Will questioned as he stood beside Karen.
"Hold on...couldn't you just read Rich's mind?" Sally asked. Will frowned.
"Not everyone with psychic powers has that ability." he said. "My own are more akin to precognition. I get flashes of future events, often that I don't understand. Although..." He glanced at Phillip. "I can usually get a sense of whether somebody is lying or not, and you...you seem truthful."
"That's because I am." Phillip told him.
"Can you prove it?" Karen asked.
"Look." Ryan stepped up beside Richard. "There's no point in debating it right now." He looked to Karen. "Right now we all have work to do." Richard nodded in agreement.
"Right." Turning, he and the two teams of Rangers faced Gatertoise.
"Oh, did you finally remember I was here?" he asked. "Just what can even a group of humans this large expect to do to me?"
"They are no mere humans." Gatertoise turned in surprise as Mask of Ice approached to stand beside him, appearing to float over the ground as his black robes swirled around him.
"Master." Gatertoise gave a quick bow and Mask of Ice acknowledged him with a slight nod before facing the Rangers.
"Cryoclopes." Around the two, minions constructed of ice and earth rose from the ground, weapons forming in their grip. "Let us commence this battle."
"He's gonna fight himself?" Emma asked in surprise.
"It seems so." Richard nodded. "Ready guys?"
"Ready!" They agreed.
"How about us?" Ryan asked.
"We're ready." his team raised their arms with their Morphers.
"Then let's do it." Raising a finger, the Kanto Rangers pressed their Morphers.
"Poké Power, unleash!"
"Golem!"
"Pikachu!"
"Venusaur!"
"Blastoise!"
"Charizard!"
"Arbok!"
Spheres of their respective elements expanded from their Morphers, surrouding them before dispersing to reveal the Kanto Rangers in their suits. Helmets of their respective designs formed to complete their transformation.
"Bring on the power of Eon!"
The Eon Rangers pressed their Morphers to their chests as their crystals glowed. Ethereal Eeveelution spirits rose above them and fired their respective elements down, covering them in their Ranger Suits. The spirits circled around and transformed into helmets to finish the change.
"You guys make sure people stay clear." Richard called, looking back at Will and Karen as they looked at him in amazement. "Okay?"
"...on it." Karen nodded. "C'mon, Will." The two of them took off to set up a perimeter and make sure civilians stayed out of the way and see what they could to help the rest of the city being affected by the storm. Richard turned back to their opponents.
"As for you, you're going down!" he told them.
"Says who?" Gatertoise growled.
"Strength of Golem! Black Kanto Ranger!"
"Agility of Pikachu! Yellow Kanto Ranger!"
"Energy of Venusaur! Green Kanto Ranger!"
"Toughness of Blastoise! Blue Kanto Ranger!"
"Fury of Charizard! Red Kanto Ranger!"
"Precision of Arbok! Violet Kanto Ranger!"
"Psychic Power! Pink Eon Ranger!"
"Electric Power! Yellow Eon Ranger!"
"Water Power! Blue Eon Ranger!"
"Dark Power! Black Eon Ranger!"
"Fire Power! Red Eon Ranger!"
"Grass Power! Green Eon Ranger!"
"Ice Power! White Eon Ranger!"
"Poké Rangers defend the world wherever they are." Ryan and Richard called together. "Rangers..."
"Ready!" Both teams called as one, as behind them plumes of smoke in their colors were quickly replaced by a powerful explosion.
Gatertoise pointed forward.
"Attack!" he commanded. The Cryoclopes raised their weapons and charged forward alongside him. Mask of Ice followed behind, less overeager.
"Let's do this!" Richard called, summoning his Fire Blaster. Beside him, Ryan summoned his Charizard Saber and the two leaped over the Cryoclops, landing in front of Mask of Ice.
"Excellent." Mask of Ice raised his staff as red energy swirled around it. "Let's see what you can do."
Cryoclopes swarmed around the other Rangers as they split off into groups to fight them off. A line of them threw ice spears through the air and Ginger looked up at them.
"Growth!" She called, summoning her Venusaur Whip. As it extended, it glowed green with energy. "Power Whip!" Lashing out, she obliterated the approaching weapons.
Running up beside her, Sam aimed his Seed Bomber forward and fired, blasting Cryoclopes down as they tried to approach. One leaped at them from the side with an ice axe drawn back, but its swing was stopped by David's Icicle Spear. Twisting the attack down and to the side, he pulled back and jabbed out through the wielder's chest, bursting them apart.
As more Crycolopes approached them, Sam held out a hand and seeds scattered by his blasts rapidly grew, thorny vines grabbing at their feet or punching through their bodies. A group at the back summoned flamethrower-style weapons that shot beams of ice, moving forward and freezing the vines as they went.
Aiming his Icicle Spear, David created two paths of ice that passed the approaching group.
"Go for it, guys!" he called. Ginger tossed the end of her Venusaur Whip to Sam and he caught it, the two running forward and sliding down the ice trail with the whip between them shoving the Cryoclopes back. As they hit the end, the sudden stop flung them off their feet.
"Leaf Vine Trap!" Sam called.
"Glace Freeze Trap! David added. Their Eon Spirits flew forward, half the Cryoclopes being frozen in an ice cube while the others were bound together by vines. "All yours, Ginger." The two stepped aside as she aimed the handle of her whip forward.
"Solarbeam!" A powerful ray fired from the weapon, sweeping across the trapped minions and obliterating them as Glace and Leaf returned to their crystals.
"Nothing but light work, aren't they?" Sam asked. Grinning, Ginger held up her hands so Sam and David could both slap her a high five.
Elsewhere, Allison raised her Pikachu Striker and slammed it to the ground.
"Shock Wave!" An electric surge traveled across the ground, blasting Cryoclopes down. As three of them that the move didn't destroy formed ice bazookas, Emma held up her Discharger, using the shield to block the blasts before they could strike her fellow Yellow Ranger.
"Go for it!" Emma spun aside as Allison held up a Pokéball.
"Soul Link!" Energy flowed out from the ball into her, causing blue stripes to appear down her suit's arms and legs. The Electric-type symbol on her chest was replaced with a Water-type symbol and her helmet shifted to a Tentacruel design while still maintaining its yellow color. Her Pikachu Striker was replaced with a ball-and-chain, the ball part shaped like a Tentacruel's head. "Yellow Ranger, Tenta Knight Mode!" Swinging her weapon out, it smashed through the three Cryclopes aiming at them, shattering them into chunks.
Turning, the two Yellow Rangers watched more Cryoclopes coming for them.
"All yours, Emma!" Allison passed her weapon over and Emma grinned and nodded eagerly. Activating hyperspeed, she dashed forward, swinging the ball and chain against each of the foot soldiers one by one. After she had finished, she dashed back to Allison's side and cut her speed back to normal, watching as they all exploded into pieces at once.
"Thanks." Emma tossed the weapon back and Allison caught it.
"No problem." She laughed, the two facing standing together to face the next wave.
Sally used her Psycho Cutter to block a Cryoclops slashing at her with a sword, forcing its attack down before slashing past it. Spinning, she cut two more down quickly before charging psychic energy into her sword, sending out a telekinetic clash that cut a whole line down.
Nearby, Jessica struck her Arbok Staff to the ground between a Cryoclops' feet, using it to flip his legs out from under him. Whirling, she stabbed it point first through another chest, hurling him into his allies before using the staff's snake head to clamp down on one's shoulder, causing it to break apart.
"Need a boost?" Sally called. Jessica nodded and Sally used her powers to lift her into the air and hurl her forward, purple venom gathering around her staff's tip.
"Poison Jab!" Striking, the Cryoclops that was hit directly was blasted apart while the toxic burst took down several others around it. Sally leaped over beside her, slashing another down on the way.
"I'll set em up." Holding out her hands, she formed two telekinetic walls and pushed them together, herding the Cryoclopes into a tightly packed group.
"You read my mind." Jessica grinned, pressing her Morpher. "Power Booster!" Energy flowed out into her Arbok Staff as she pointed it forward. "Sludge Bomb!" An explosive toxic blast flew forward, striking the gathered group dead-on and obliterating them.
"Nice shot." Sally complimented as the two of them rested their weapons on their shoulders and bumped fists.
Matt swung his Night Slashers in front of him, cutting frozen bullets being fired by the Cryoclopes out of the air. Leaping, he came down with a slash that sliced their ice guns in two before cutting through the shooters themselves. Another jabbed a spear at him and he jumped back, raising a foot and pinning it to the ground before cutting through its handle. As the wielder pulled back, he took them down with a spinning slash.
One Cryoclopes leaped through the air with an ice axe drawn back and Matt jumped up to meet him, slashing through and leaving a line of shadow behind him.
Rick held his Golem Mace forward as Cryoclopes charged towards him.
"Rollout!" The head of his mace flew off and was covered in stone as it slammed into a Cryoclopes and shattered it. Flying back to Rick, he caught it and hurled it back repeatedly, each getting bigger until it crushed the group and reattached to his mace.
Matt flipped through the air to avoid an icy explosion and landed beside him. A line of Cryoclopes in front of them formed thick icy shields, holding them up.
"Look at them hiding." Rick scoffed. Matt looked up at the shadow slash left above the group and smirked.
"Let's hit them from above." he said, swinging an arm up and creating a similar slash above them. "Hold on!" Grabbing Rick by the arm, they sprang upwards, disappearing into it and rising out of the slash over the group.
"Rock Slide!" Boulders rained down from Rick's Golem Mace, crushing the group of Cryoclopes underneath as the two Black Rangers landed together. "Nice!" Rick slapped Matt on the back. "You've gotten some skills, Matt!"
"You haven't slowed down either." Matt responded with a grin.
Richard aimed his Fire Blaster, launching shots, but Mask of Ice matched each with a burst of energy from his staff. Behind Richard, Ryan drew back his Charizard Saber.
"Heat Wave!" Swinging the weapon, a wave of intense heat was fired towards Mask of Ice. Holding his staff forward, a wave of intense cold matched it, forcing it back to normal. Leaping through the air, Ryan came down with his sword glowing with a Wing Attack, Mask of Ice raising his weapon and stopping it.
Pushing the sword aside, he struck Ryan with it twice before thrusting and striking him in the chest, sending him flying back. As he landed on his feet beside Richard, Mask of Ice's staff fired a blast of lightning, striking both and sending them to the ground.
"He's tougher than he looks." Ryan groaned as he pulled himself up.
"We can take him." Richard forced himself to rise as well.
As Ryan reached down for something, Mask of Ice fired a blast that covered him in ice, freezing him solid.
"Ryan!" Richard made to melt him free, but Mask of Ice tapped his staff on the ground and the ice covering him grew a fist outward and knocked him back.
"Leave him be for a moment, Richard. He will be fine." Mask of Ice told him. "I didn't come here today to fight. I was hoping we could have the chance to talk?"
"Talk?" Richard growled. "What could we possibly talk about?"
"Something very important." Mask of Ice said seriously. Richard currently had his Fire Blaster aimed at him. "Please?" At long last, Richard moved his finger away from the trigger.
"Talk." he said. "Make it fast."
Phillip flipped his Aqua Jetters around and Brent summoned his Blastoise Canons, both of them firing shots at Gatertoise as he approached them. The Chaos Beast laughed as the shots bounced harmlessly off his shell.
Springing through the air, he landed before the two Blue Rangers and slashed out with his claws, sending Phillip flying back with a spray of sparks from his suit. Whirling, his tail swept Brent's legs as he aimed at him and he drew back a foot, kicking the Blue Kanto Ranger away before he hit the ground.
"You don't have a hope against me." Gatertoise laughed.
"Aim for the non-shelled part!" Brent called as he rose, firing a blast into Gatertoise's face and making the Chaos Beast stumble back. Leaping upright, Phillip fired water from his weapons' hilts and landed a spinning strike.
Reaching out, Gatertoise caught the Blue Eon Ranger's arm and stopped him.
"Even there you have no chance to REALLLY hurt me." he laughed, raising a foot and slamming a kick into Phillip's stomach.
"Moltres Axe!" Brent swapped to his secondary weapon and aimed it. "Solarbeam!" Holding up an arm, Gatertoise blocked the attack before pointing at Brent. From the storm above, lightning streaked down and impacted around the Blue Kanto Ranger, blasting him off his feet. Gatertoise flung Phillip over to land beside him.
"You can't destroy me." he laughed. "But my storm..." He waved to the sky above and the winds began to whip harder. "Will soon wipe out this entire pathetic region!"
"You're out of your mind!" Richard snapped.
"Am I?" Mask of Ice asked. "Think about it. You have no idea what your crystals are capable of when brought together. And I'm not talking about your Eon Cannon."
"I don't have time for this." Richard told him.
"Not now." Mask of Ice nodded. "But after you destroy Gatertoise and ensure the Elite Four will no longer be after you...give it some thought." Tapping his staff, the ice imprisoning Ryan melted away. Immediately, the Red Kanto Ranger resumed his motions, drawing a stone and pressing it against his Morpher.
"Mega Power, unleash!" A sphere of energy surrounded him as inside, red gauntlets fit themselves around his hands, two mini-flamethrowers extending from them. Red armor fit itself around his chest and back, lengthy tattered-looking Charizard-like wings extending from it. Greaves formed around his feet and he broke out of the sphere, firing a quick burst of flame. "Mega Red Ranger, Mode Y!"
"Save it." Mask of Ice looked to him. "I'm done here." He turned to look towards where Gatertoise was fighting the Blue Rangers. Ryan and Richard followed his gaze in time to see Gatertoise slam Phillip and Brent together, lightning sparking around their suits as he tossed them aside and they demorphed. "You'd better do something about that." He looked back to Richard and gave him one last nod. "Good luck." With a tap of his staff, he turned to ice and vanished away.
"What was that about?" Ryan asked in confusion.
"I'm not...sure." Richard frowned. "But we better help them!" Raising his Fire Blaster, he charged towards Gatertoise with Ryan following behind.
Richard fired shots from his weapon and they bounced off Gatertoise's back, getting him to turn to face the Red Rangers in annoyance.
Richard kicked towards his face and Gatertoise caught his leg, throwing the Red Ranger aside. Ryan leaped at him, throwing punches enhanced with fiery bursts from his armor's flamethrowers. Gatertoise laughed as he was pushed back, soon catching Ryan's arm and pushing against him.
"Surprised?" Gatertoise grinned as he outmuscled Ryan's strength. Raising a foot, he kicked the Red Kanto Ranger in the the chest and sent him flipping through the air. As Ryan landed on his feet, he drew his launchers and aimed them. "Hydro Rockets!" Both projectiles shot forth, striking Ryan and exploding in a powerful blast. Flung by the force, he slammed against the side of a parked car and hit the ground, his armor and suit vanishing as he demorphed.
Rising to his feet, Richard leaped as his fists ignited into flames, driving a punch into Gatertoise's face. He continued to strike with such blows, Gatertoise growling as the flames forced him to close his eyes and stumble back.
"Stop that!" Spinning, his tail smacked Ryan into the air. Drawing back a fist, he slammed a punch into the Red Ranger's stomach that made him demorph as he rolled along the ground. "Nuisance..." New rockets appeared in his launchers and he aimed one at Richard. "You'll be the first to go."
Scrambling up, Phillip ran over and stood in front of him.
"Out of the way." Gatertoise growled. "Unless you want to die with him."
"Not a chance." Phillip told him.
"Phil, don't." Richard gasped, trying and failing to get up.
"I'm not moving." Phillip shook his head. "You want him? Get through me first."
"Gladly!" Gatertoise grinned.
Whirling around, Phillip grabbed Richard's shoulder as he tried to rise and shoved him to the side just as Gatertoise fired. The Red Ranger hit the ground looked over to a see a towering watery blast where Phillip had been standing.
"NO!" Richard at last managed to make it back to his feet, the blast dying away to reveal that Phillip was gone. Tears running down his face, Richard glared at Gatertoise. "You'll pay for that! I'll destroy you myself!" Gatertoise raised his other launcher and pointed it at him.
"You're next." He grinned. Before he could fire, water rose up in front of Richard, taking a humanoid form. It solidified into Phillip, who looked down at himself in awe.
"Phil..." Richard stared in shock. "How did...what...?"
"I don't know!" Phillip laughed as he held up a hand and it turned into water. "I don't know."
'You've unlocked your secondary ability!' Vapor told him, sighing. 'FINALLY, I can talk about it!"
"Secondary ability?" he asked. Richard's eyes narrowed, but he didn't notice. "What is it?"
'Liquidation.' Vapor explained. 'You can turn your body into water, rendering you immune to most forms of damage. Though I should warn you, the longer you stay like this, the harder it will be to reconstitute yourself into flesh and blood again. I'd estimate any more than ten minutes and it will be impossible.'
"Got it." Phillip nodded, drawing his Morpher. "Then I'll just have to beat him in less. Bring on the power of Eon!" Morphing, he drew his Aqua Jetters and leaped forward.
"Try it!" Gatertoise lashed out with a clawed hand as Phillip landed in front of him. The slash left a watery trail as it splashed through Phillip's chest, his water body quickly pulling itself back together. Phillip jabbed out with both sai, striking Gatertoise under the jaw and knocking him back.
"It doesn't matter if I can't hurt you!" Gatertoise snarled. "You can't hurt me either!" He aimed his launcher. "I'll get through that sooner or later! Hydro Rocket!" As the projectile fired, an idea occured to Phillip. Catching it in his arm, he was shoved back, but turned his other hand to liquid and connected it to the back of the rocket. "What!?"
Phillip grinned as he held up a water limb with the rocket on the end, pointing it back at Gatertoise.
"Back at you, gater boy!" The rocket fired and struck Gatertoise head-on, making him yell in pain as the blast sent him flipping forward through the air. As he staggered upright, he looked down to find that his shell had been left a crack-covered mess by the impact.
The other Rangers ran over to join them as Gatertoise roared in anger.
"Are you guys okay?" Sally asked worriedly.
"We're fine." Ryan laughed in relief. "Thanks to Phil and his new ability."
"Incredible." Brent agreed. "I've never seen anything like it."
"Yoohoo, Rangers!" Gatertoise snarled as he staggered forward. "I'm still standing!"
"We can change that." Richard looked at the others as he drew his Morpher and remorphed. "Let's put our energies together!"
As they formed the Eon Cannon and began to charge it up, Ryan and Brent morphed as well.
"Let's combine weapons!" He called to the other Kanto Rangers. Brent connected his two Blastoise Cannons back to barrel and Ryan and Allison attached the Charizard Saber and Pikachu Striker to each side. Ginger connected the Venusaur Whip to the handle, the whip part wrapping around the entire weapon. Finally, Rick loaded the Golem Mace into the barrel.
"Poké Blaster!" The called, aiming it forward. Jessica pressed her Morpher.
"Maximum Power!" Aiming her Arbok Staff forward, the energy flowed out into it. "Sludge Wave!"
"Fire!" The rest of the Rangers called together. The Golem Mace was charged with enough energy to glow white before being fired out of the Poké Blaster at high speed, while the Eon Cannon fired seven beams in the Rangers' colors that swirled together into one rainbow sphere. All three attacks struck Gatertoise at once, blasting the remains of his damaged shell away.
"This can't be happening!" Gatertoise staggered as sparks flew from his body. "I can't be beaten! I can't!" Groaning, he fell forward as his body iced over, hitting the ground and finally exploding.
In the sky above, the storm clouds faded and vanished. The winds calmed and the sun shone down as the Rangers cheered in victory.
Later, the Vanishing Shrine...
Richard sat outside, watching the group of people before him. He had stayed with them for a while, talking with them all, but eventually his thoughts had proven too much. He'd made his way out, but still within sight, taking a seat against the Shrine's wall and watching the others over the moat.
"Lot on your mind?" Richard looked up to see Ryan looking down at him. His fellow Red Ranger took a seat beside him and Richard sighed.
"Yeah." he nodded. "Lots."
After the battle in Goldenrod, they had talked with Karen and Will, Bruno, Koga, and Alicia joining them. They had explained all about their conflict with Walter and how he was trying to take them down the only way he could, given their Ranger status. The two of them had accepted the explanation, especially after Alicia explained that the letter was not in fact sent by her, and promised to make tracking Walter down a top priority. Richard gave them Looker's number, saying he would be able to help them.
Victoria was a different story. They knew she had been staying with Richard, and he decided not to hide that, but they were reluctant to believe she was not a threat. After a long argument and a lot of pleading on Richard's part, they had at last agreed to stop the pursuit of her...provided she left the Johto Region. That was as far as they were willing to go. Richard hadn't found the time to tell her yet.
And then there was everything Mask of Ice had said to him...he didn't know what to think about any of it.
"You've got quite a team." Ryan told him. Richard followed his gaze and found him watching Celebi, who was grinning as he showed off his powers to Tyra, dazzling the girl by growing a stunning array of flora around her. "And a very interesting mentor."
"Yeah..." Richard frowned and Ryan didn't miss it. He looked to him and waited for him to go on. "I don't know what to do, Ryan. Heck, I...I can't even sort out personal feelings, and I'm expected to lead this whole team? I don't know who I truly trust. I don't...how do I know I'm doing the right thing? That we're all doing the right thing?" Ryan nodded.
"I get it. I really do." he said. "But you'll figure it out. Trust me, you don't become a leader for no reason. You're the Red Ranger BECAUSE you ask those questions. Because you care to that degree, because you want to do the right thing above all else."
"I envy your confidence." Richard shook his head. "You guys had to go up against Team Rocket and Mewtwovanni, and you never wavered, even when the odds were stacked against you, even when facing a whole army. I wish I was that together."
"You'd be surprised how much we wavered." Ryan told him. "How little I had it together sometimes."
"Then how did you do it?" Richard asked. "How did you get past that?"
"I trusted the people around me. I let them help me through it, whether it was my own personal feelings or bigger decisions."
"But I don't KNOW who to trust!" Richard said. "So how can I figure this out?" Ryan stared at him before looking back at the group, his eyes locking on Jessica talking with Victoria.
"You know, my sister tried to destroy us a bunch of times before she joined our side." Ryan told him. Richard stared at him as he folded his arms. "There was a time when we didn't know if we could truly trust her. Even after finding out I was related to her, I had my doubts. We all did. But the thing is, sometimes you have to just take the leap. Some things won't work out the way you want them to, everything doesn't always, but you have to take the chance. Just follow your instincts. Let them guide you."
"...okay." Richard nodded. "I'll try." He stood. "I'd better go tell Vicky about the Elite Four's decision."
"Go on." Ryan watched him walk away.
"Hey." Allison took Richard's spot sitting beside him. "He okay?"
"Yeah, Just learning, like we did." Ryan smiled. "But he'll make it through. He has good friends to help him..." His hand reached over to take hers. "Just like I did." Allison grinned and leaned over to rest her head on his shoulder, the two relaxing in the peace of the forest.
Richard made his way through the group until he found Victoria, tapping on her shoulder to get her attention.
"Oh, hey, Richie." She smiled nervously. "Um..."
"There's something I need to tell you." She and Richard said at once. Laughing, Richard shook his head.
"Okay, you go first." he said. "What is it?" Closing her eyes, Victoria took a deep breath.
"I'm leaving, Richie." she told him. Richard blinked in surprise.
"You're what?" he asked.
"I'm going to Kanto." She looked over and Richard followed her gaze to Jessica. "I've been talking with Jess a lot. Something she was gonna offer you guys if you couldn't clear yourselves. She thinks she has a way for me to do what I've always wanted, and really change people's lives for the better. After everything that's happened lately, I just...I have to take this opportunity. I have to prove to myself that I can do that."
Richard watched her and nodded. He had never really realized how much her involvement with the Remnants and Team Rocket was weighing on her.
"I understand." He said sadly. "I'll miss you, Vicky."
"Me too." She nodded. "You will stay in touch, won't you?"
"Of course." Richard nodded. Holding out his arms, he pulled her into a hug. "You stay safe out there, okay?"
"I will. Don't worry about me." Pulling back, she held up a hand and he grasped it, their bracelets glinting slightly together. "What was it you wanted to tell me?"
"Oh..." Richard shrugged. "Uh, the Elite Four said you have to leave, but, I guess that's worked out already." Victoria laughed.
"I suppose it has." she said.
"Well, come on then." Richard grabbed her hand and pulled her along. "We only have this last day to hang out. We better make it count." His old friend's laugh following him, Richard grinned brightly as he thought of the future.
That night...
Richard was back at the shrine, sitting outside. Everyone was gone now. The Kanto Rangers had returned home, taking Tyra and Victoria with them. The only exception was Rick, who had left back to Cianwood to his job overseeing security on the Safari Zone project. Sam and David had gone back to the Professor, the rest of his friends were home in town and Celebi, well, he was in the shrine somewhere, but Richard was trying not to think about him. He'd figure that out another day.
"You're still here?" Richard looked to the side to find Phillip approaching. Scooting over, Richard made room for him to take a seat. "I thought you'd have gone home by now."
"Been thinking." Richard told him. "What are you still doing here?"
"Same." Phillp shrugged. "Just trying to sort things out, you know."
"Yeah. I know." Richard let the silence hang for a few moments. "It means a lot to me, what you did out there today. Standing up to Gatertoise."
"Oh?" Phillip smiled slightly. "Anytime. I mean, what was I supposed to do, let him destroy you?"
"You could've died, Phil." Richard reminded him. "You would've if that power hadn't unlocked."
"Yeah..." Phillip chuckled. "Something else, wasn't it?"
"Phil, look at me." Phillip turned towards him and Richard leaned closer to place a hand over his. "Yes."
"What?" Phillip blinked.
"The question, that I needed time to think about? Whether I was willing to give us a shot?" He nodded. "I've been thinking about it a lot, and my answer is yes." Phillip seemed unsure if he should smile or frown. "What's wrong?"
"I thought...I dunno, you and Victoria..." Richard raised an eyebrow. "I know she's left, but you seemed to be getting closer."
"Yeah, but...Phil, we grew up together. As far back as I can remember, she was there." Richard reminded him. "Even if we're not related by blood, it would feel like dating my sister. Weird." He shook his head. "The two of us will always be close, but not in that way."
"I don't want you to say yes just for my sake." Phillip told him. "If you really don't want to..." He was silenced as Richard leaned further forward and their lips pressed together.
"Do I seem like I don't want to?" he asked as he pulled back. Phillip slowly shook his head as a grin spread across his face, the two's hands tightening together.
"No...no you don't." Phillip slid closer and looked up at the sky. "Thank you, Rich."
"I should be thanking you." Richard told him. "If there's one thing I know, it's that I can always trust you. You have no idea how much that means to me." He smiled happily as the two sat together in the fading light. "And right now, I can't think of a better person to have beside me."
Next Time on Poké Rangers: Eon Force...
Richard: What if we've been fighting for the wrong side this whole time?
Sally: You do realize just how crazy what you're saying sounds, don't you?
Diggswell: This is EXACTLY what I've been looking for!
Ditgle: Something bothering you, Xactowl?
Phillip: He's gone...we have to get it open again!
?: No use trying to run. You're mine now!
?: We're going to have so much fun together.
Chapter 21: Lost
(A/N: I mean, it was all but inevitable that the Eon Rangers would meet the Kanto Rangers at some point in the story :) I had an absolute blast writing these three chapters; they really have everything that makes this story. Monster madness, Pokémon battles, quieter moments, hints towards future developments...so much to cover. But we don't get to slow down now! We have to keep moving! Things are about to get kinda crazy...)
Eon Force Trivia #11: Gatertoise is the third monster of this story to be a suggestion from Blaze Productions, following Scizorcross and Megasaur. Only one more to go, but that's later down the line.