In the Crystal Dimension, Scrozzle was busy working on a new Robotron. They had now lost the element of surprise, with the Rangers finding Scrozzle stealing the Morph-X from the tower spill, they now knew that Scrozzle was back in play, but they were still in the process of trying to rebuild their own forces from scratch, meaning that as much as he hated to admit it, Scrozzle was playing catch-up.
The Rangers had destroyed everything in the Cyber Dimension with the Morph-X tower explosion. Hell, the explosion was so powerful it was debatable there even was a Cyber Dimension. All his creations, all his computers, all his work, all his resources…all of it had been atomised, and while the Crystal Dimension did have plenty of resources to build new creations, there was a massive difference between having a battle tank and having the parts to build one, especially when the enemy now knew they were in a war once more.
Blaze and Roxy were refuelling, another drawback to his new operation. When they were avatars, they needed very little in the way of resources to exist. Their new robotic forms, for all their newfound powers were powered by Morph-X. Which was just another drain on the resources they already had. Between Evox needing Morph-X to maintain his existence in Mayor Daniels' body, Blaze and Roxy, and any Robotrons and Tronics they needed to send, any stock of Morph-X they stole had a lot of demands on it. If they were going to get enough to be a true force to be reckoned with, he needed to be smart, to get some big wins with comparatively little cost or they would eventually run out of fuel before they were able to take control.
Blaze and Roxy watched him working on his latest creation, and to say they weren't impressed was an understatement.
"That's it? That's your great creation?" Roxy asked sarcastically.
"It is, and it's going to get us all the Morph-X we'll need." Scrozzle said confidently as he admired his handiwork. "After all, Master Evox did leave me in charge while he's away pretending to be the Mayor."
"And you won't shut up about it!" Blaze said in a sing-song manner, making no attempt to hide his contempt for the situation.
"So, what is this thing going to do to the Rangers exactly?" Roxy asked him. "It doesn't look too impressive."
"Well, looks as they say, can be deceiving." Scrozzle mused out loud. "What is the biggest advantage the Rangers have over us right now?"
Blaze and Roxy just shrugged.
"They aren't starting to build THEIR technology again from scratch! I mean to change that!" Scrozzle told them. "This Robotron can absorb any technology it touches! The more advanced the technology, the stronger he gets!"
"And the stronger he gets…"
"…the Rangers will throw more and more of their big guns at it!" Roxy concluded with a wry smile. "That's…that's actually kind of smart, Scrozzie."
"I'll take that compliment, as begrudgingly as it was given." Scrozzle replied in a sneer. "The Rangers will throw everything they have at it…and in doing so ensure their own destruction!"
Back at Grid Battleforce headquarters, Ben and Betty were helping Nate with his latest creation. Since the Rangers' discovery of Cruise's marksmanship skills, Nate had reluctantly agreed to make him suitable weapons to use. While the Rangers would no doubt be only too willing to share their own blasters with him, it made sense for him to get some of his own.
"Hey." Someone said as he came into the room.
"Cole!" Betty called out, rushing to see him. Cole worked in security, and was considered something of a heartthrob on the base. Blonde, floppy hair, clear, unblemished skin, the kind of features that belonged on the front of a magazine, and most of all, the kind of charm and kindness of someone that appeared to be blissfully unaware of his natural gifts. Betty brushed her hair back and smiled brightly at him. "So, what brings you up here?"
"Well, Nate requisitioned some parts for this project, and Joanne couldn't spare anyone from engineering to bring them up." Cole said as he went to Ben, putting down a crate of parts. "I was heading this way anyway and volunteered to bring them up."
"You were coming up here anyway?" Ben asked. "What for? There's nothing on this floor but these labs."
"Uh…"
"Ben, he just wanted to help, he just didn't want to make a big deal out of it by letting on he was going out of his way." Betty said, putting her hand on Cole's arm, gently stroking it. "Isn't that right?"
"Well, yeah, I guess it is." He replied. "Um…I should…probably be getting back. I'll see you around?"
"Sure." Betty said in a dreamy way as he left. Ben just shook his head.
"Just as well we only needed a couple of fuses." He grumbled. "Half of this stuff is nothing we couldn't have gotten here. I'll bet he only got that right by chance."
"Lay off him Ben." Betty said as she grabbed a couple of fuses, beginning to work on her blaster. "He's only trying to help. I think it's kind of sweet."
"Well, that should finish things here." Ben answered as he put the fuses into his own blaster. "Right, want to give these a little test run before we let Nate give them to Cruise?"
"Sure thing, little bro." Betty answered as she wandered towards the door. "Nothing says ready for action like the Burke twins seal of approval!"
Out in the city, Scrozzle teleported into the heart of the shopping district. For all its strides in environmentalism and conservation, Coral Harbour was much like any other Western city. It was very much at the cutting edge of technology, and most were always eager to get their hands on the latest gadget or gizmo that was built to make their lives easier, give them greater communications with the rest of the planet, allow them to record and document their latest ingenious thoughts…or just play the latest games or stream that new show that everyone was raving about.
Stores were chock full of every kind of device that anyone could possibly imagine, and even a few that people had no idea they wanted until they heard it existed. Mobile phone shops, which many believed would have very limited business since these days everyone had some kind of device or other that acted as a phone, were all over the place and constantly full of customers who just needed to replace their phone that was, gasp, six months old, with the very latest model. It was precisely what Scrozzle needed for his latest plan.
"This place is perfect!" He cackled, looking around. "Digitron, take a good look around. All this wonderful technology, all in a nice, convenient all-you-can-eat buffet. Go ahead, eat up, build your strength, but remember to leave a little room for when the Rangers come with your main course."
Digitron rushed into the middle of the street, eliciting screams from all around. He was like a literal kid in a candy store, surrounded with all the technology he could possibly want. Scrozzle just wandered away.
"And while you draw attention here, I can see about quietly getting us some more Morph-X." He stated. "The Rangers will soon have their hands full."
Back at the base, Cruise and the other Rangers were in the firing range as Ben and Betty finished their testing and demonstrated the new weapons they had helped develop for Cruise.
"Wheel blasters?" Devon asked them.
"Well, it's just a name. We just kind of went with what they look like." Ben told them. "Here, Steel."
"These feel great." Steel commented, taking the blasters from Ben and Betty, inspecting them thoughtfully.
"And the best bit is, they're not just offensive weapons. They also have these really cool shields in case anyone fires back." Betty explained, pointing out the shields. Cruise gave them a little try, lifting them in front of himself.
"Those are great, I can't wait to see them in action." Devon stated.
"Yes, but only after combat training!" Nate reminded him. "Cruise's skills are impressive, but you know as well as I do there's a huge difference between shooting targets and shooting at targets that shoot back."
"Come on, we're there to keep him safe." Devon reminded him. "Cruise is there for ranged support, it's not like he'll be getting close to anyone."
Before Nate could protest further, they heard an alarm sounding. Devon got onto his communicator.
"What is it?" He asked.
"There's a new Robotron in the shopping district." Joanne told him. "Reports say he's going after all the phone and electronics shops."
"We're on it." Devon answered, looking to Cruise. "Alright, Cruise, how do you feel about giving those wheel blasters a real test?"
"I…I don't know…"
"Come on, Cruise, it's just one Robotron." Devon assured him. "Come on, it'll be fine. Let's go!"
As they left, Nate, Ravi and Zoey all exchanged a concerned look, before following them out of the base.
Meanwhile, in the mayor's office, Evox was sitting, listening to yet another call on the blasted phone. He understood the need to maintain the façade for now that he was in fact Mayor Daniels, there were still cities that were in the process of building up their new Morph-X towers, and if he was exposed too early, then the danger was they'd simply stop building them, fearing they had been duped into putting themselves in danger.
"Yes, all of that sounds fine." He declared, not even listening to what the end of the message was. He really didn't care for human politics beyond his own agenda. He wondered why more human politicians didn't just see to their own interests instead of caring about those of others. After all, there were so many other councillors, elected officials and even volunteers, people who participated in community projects with no payment or benefit to themselves whatsoever that surely anything important would sort itself out right?
As soon as the call was done, he checked to make sure that his office door was closed and the curtains were drawn, before he pulled out a device. He was already keenly aware of the limitations of his own forces. Until he built up his own strength, he was vulnerable and in need of strong warriors.
He found what he was looking for. He smiled as he caught onto the signal.
"Now, this seems promising." He said to himself. "Cannon fodder is so hard to find."
The Rangers arrived in the shopping district, finding Digitron terrorising the area. They didn't have to look too hard; he had left a string of smashed up shops in his wake. They got there, finding him chasing away a kid from his hoverboard.
"Well, there he is." Devon called out as he hopped off Cruise. The others disembarked from the truck.
"What is he doing?" Ravi asked.
"Whatever it is, he's not going to be doing it for long." Devon said with a little smirk. "You ready for your debut Cruise?"
"I'm not sure…"
"No, guys, seriously, what is he doing?" Ravi asked as the creature grabbed the Hoverboard. Before their eyes, it broke down into some brightly glowing numbers, before being absorbed into the Robotron.
"He just scarfed it down like it was his lunch!" Zoey commented.
"I guess we know what happened to all those shops now." Nate remarked.
"That's your last meal Robotron!" Devon called out. "ACTIVATE BEAST POWERS!"
Digitron turned towards the Rangers as they morphed, seeing them standing before him.
"Rangers!" He called out. "Don't you know it's rude to interrupt someone when they're eating? It's also not nice to gang up on people! TRONICS!"
Tronics started to appear all around them, swarming into the area. Cruise started to pull closer to Devon.
"Devon…there are a lot of them." Cruise said nervously.
"There'll be a lot less once you start blasting." Devon answered casually. "Trust yourself, I do!"
Back on the base, Ben and Betty were heading towards the gym for a workout. They had some time between assignments, a polite way of saying that no one had any grunt work for them to do, and so they had decided to take the time to get in a little training.
"So, what do you think, Ben, do you want to do leg day or chest?" Betty asked him.
"Don't you think we should warm up first before we're deciding on stuff like that?" Ben asked her. Just then, she shoved him back a little.
"Hey, there Cole!" She called out, seeing him. Cole was in the free-weights section of the gym, performing some dead lifts on a huge barbell. His tank top was absolutely soaked in sweat, indicating he'd been there for a while, and his muscles glistened, giving the appearance of carved marble. He dropped the weights, his face lighting up as he saw them.
"Ben! Betty!" He called out, reaching for a towel which he wrapped around his neck.
"It looks like someone's been busy." Betty said, coming over and inspecting him thoughtfully. "I thought…I would have thought…"
"I'm on the night shift later, so I get to work out during the day." He said, looking toward Ben. "The old bod didn't get this way all by itself."
"No, I'll bet it didn't." Betty said, circling around behind him, taking a long look at his posterior.
"So, you guys just starting out?" He asked. "I can clear out…"
"Well, if you've got some stuff still to do, maybe we can work out together!" She suggested. "I mean, I can always use a few pointers."
"We were just deciding if we should do leg day or chest day." Ben interjected gruffly. Cole just shrugged.
"Why don't you do both?" He asked. "I like to do a double focus. It really helps get results fast!"
"I'm not sure we're up to…"
"Oh, nonsense! You need to push yourself!" Cole said, patting Ben on the back. "I promise, you'll be able to handle it!"
"Well, you're the expert." Betty replied cheerfully. "So, what do we do to start?"
"Well, for starters we need to get you guys warmed up." He replied with a smile. "And for that, I like to hit the cross trainer hard! Come on!"
Back at the site of the battle, the Rangers were clearing out the area.
Nate and Steel were busy battling Digitron, while the others tried to keep the Tronics clear.
"This Robotron is tough!" Steel commented. "But we're tougher!"
Nate spun around, bringing his sword to bear on Digitron, ramming it through his arm. Nate tried to pull it free, but he found himself unable to. To his horror, the blade started to break down into glowing numbers and absorb into him. Nate tried in vain to pull it free, but it just disappeared from his hand, leaving him to stumble away.
"He…he just ate my sword!" Nate called out.
"Cough it up you creep!" Steel called out as he tried to hit the creature. The Robotron just lashed out at him, sending Steel spinning over a hundred feet through the air. The creature looked down at its hands.
"This…this is incredible!" Digitron said, admiring his newfound strength. "This tech, it's lightyears beyond what I've been eating until now!"
"Guys, we have a problem here!" Nate called out. "Whenever he eats tech, he gets stronger! It looks like the more advanced the tech the stronger…"
He then followed Robotron's gaze, seeing him staring straight at Cruise. He started to run towards him.
"Cruise, get out of…"
He was silenced as Digitron smacked him in the head, hard enough to crack his helmet. He surged towards Cruise, who was already struggling to keep up with the number of Tronics that were surrounding him.
"Guys, I've never dealt with this many targets before!" Cruise called out, before feeling the ground shaking. He saw Digitron coming towards him and trained his blasters on him. He opened fire, the shots sparking of Digitron's hull.
"Guys!" Cruise called out in a panic. "Guys!"
Digitron reached him, grabbing his Wheel Blasters and forced them away from him. Cruise struggled to break free as Digitron started to absorb his Wheel Blasters.
"Guys! He took my Wheel Blasters!" He screamed. "I'm useless without my Wheel Blasters!"
Devon turned from his opponent, watching as the Wheel Blasters disappeared within him. He could swear he also saw the Robotron growing a couple of inches larger.
"This tech, it's by far the most advanced I've ever encountered!" Digitron stated, reaching forward. "I must have more!"
Devon's eyes opened wide in horror as he realised what he meant. Cruise was on the ground, scrambling to get away.
"Cruise, get out of here!" He screamed. He was too late though. Before he could stop him, Digitron grabbed Cruise, lifting him high overhead. "Cruise!"
"DEVOOOOOOOOOOON!" Cruise called out as he started to break apart. Devon could only watch in horror as he disappeared inside the cruel Robotron.
"NOOOO!" Devon screamed. The Robotron started to laugh maniacally.
"The power, it is…intoxicating!" He roared triumphantly. "And now that I've taken a Beastbot, next on the menu is a Ranger!"
"Guys, we've got to get out of here!" Nate yelled. "NOW!"
With that, he activated a smoke bomb, covering their escape. By the time the smoke cleared, Digitron was alone in the street, surrounded by destruction. He reared back his head and roared triumphantly into the sky.