Chapter 13: Love Stings
"Hurry up Badonna!" Odius was snarling to the submissive monster as Eidolon walked into the main command room. "Give me that Ninja Medallion!" she ordered as a Basherbot opened up the case that housed the remaining Medallion.
"Yes, Madame," Badonna lifted the blue Medallion carefully.
"What's your plan?" Eidolon asked, earning a glare from Badonna as she handed the Medallion to Odius. It shimmered with power, having been recharged when it had been retrieved following the destruction of the Foxatron. "Considering it's the only Medallion that survived your fight with the Rangers, I thought you were saving it for something important," she folded her arms as Odius admired the powerful Medallion.
"Today is Valentine's Day!" Odious stood, and laughed when she saw confusion on the woman's face. "It's a day on Earth when everyone professes their love for that special someone," she explained, and disgust made Eidolon's face scrunch up.
"How revolting. Humans really are just a slave to their emotions," she complained.
"Says the one who lost to a human because of her own emotions," Badonna muttered, and earned a glare.
"Teens go gaga for love," Odius ignored the pair. "We can use that," she told the two.
"Ah, I'm all ears!" Badonna clapped her hands together, and Eidolon rolled her eyes.
"You called for me?" the doors slid open again and Venoma walked in, not bothering to hide her hatred for Odius. Eidolon didn't blame her. All three of her companions had been destroyed, and without her Medallion, she was basically a prisoner on the ship.
"Yes. The time is ripe to use your special power on the Rangers," Odius told her. Venoma made a noise of disgust.
"Gross! Do I have to?" she complained.
"I destroyed your master when he failed me," Odius reminded her, in no mood to play games. "Would you prefer that option?" she sneered as Venoma bristled.
"Very well," she sighed. "I'll use my arrows to make the Rangers fall madly in love with me. After they've given me roses and candy and their Power Stars, you'll let me take this Medallion and leave...right?" Venoma asked hopefully.
"If you get me what I want, then you can have freedom," Odius offered the Medallion to her. Eidolon rolled her eyes.
"It's a deal," Venoma accepted immediately, snatching the Medallion from her. She attached it to her shoulder, and it started to glow blue. "I will restore the reputation of the Galactic Ninjas," Venoma declared, striding out.
"Reputation doesn't mean a lot to the dead," Eidolon muttered as Odius laughed to herself, running her clawed fingers down the scar on her face.
Levi huffed a sigh, leaning on the table in the Ranger base. The day was only half done, and he was already exhausted.
"What's wrong Levi?" Redbot asked, concerned for the Gold Ranger.
"Tired after fleeing all his fangirls," Teddie grinned as she walked in as well. "Valentines Day brings out the worst in people," she spoke lightly as he turned his head to glare at her, and she smiled innocently.
"I suppose you being an assistant teacher hasn't deterred them from asking you to the dance," Mick gave him a sympathetic smile. Levi shook his head, having been asked numerous people throughout the day.
"And how many invites to the dance did you get?" he asked, turning his head to Teddie. "Because I heard at least two guys asking you," he accused, and Teddie went red as Heckyl arched an eyebrow at her.
"I'm wisely choosing to not answer that," she replied. "Besides, I'm not going to the dance," she went and wrapped her arms around Heckyl, who sighed lightly but reciprocated.
"I still want to know the number," he told her, and Teddie groaned, moving to glare at Levi.
"Just wait till training. I'm going to bury you," she threatened. He just smirked back at her, and Teddie sighed. "Oh, speaking of training, we're getting a new teacher today," Teddie remembered, and Levi straightened, losing some of his exhaustion.
"Oh yeah? Who is it this time?" he asked, suddenly in much better form.
"It's a surprise. But don't think that'll save you later," Teddie threatened, making him laugh as Mick smiled at their antics.
Daisy couldn't help but wrinkle her nose at the decorations that covered the school in preparation for the dance that evening. Balloons and hearts were scattered all over the place, with a large banner for the dance.
"With that look, you'd think you didn't have a date for the dance tonight," she glanced at Aaron as he took a seat, holding a smoothie in his hands.
"I just think that this is kind of overkill," Daisy replied with a shake of her head. "Besides, do you have a date tonight?" she asked. Aaron shrugged, not losing his smile.
"Not yet. Asking someone today," he told her.
"Do I know this mystery person?" Daisy asked. Aaron just shrugged again, and Daisy had the suspicion that she knew exactly who he was going to ask.
"Hey, at least she agreed to go to this dance with less persuasion than the last," Brody grinned as he joined them, taking a seat beside Daisy.
"I think we both know the reason she agreed to go to the last one," Aaron smirked at him, and yelped when Daisy kicked his shin. "What about your brother anyway, is he taking anyone?" Aaron wisely moved on, rubbing his leg and frowning at his cousin.
"I don't know. I don't think so," Brody shook his head.
"Would be weird for a teaching assistant to take a student to a student dance, wouldn't it?" Daisy shrugged. "Not that the students seem to think so, he's been inundated with people asking him to go with them," she said, making both smile.
"Poor guy, really struggles with his fangirl army, huh?" Aaron leaned back in his seat.
"Well, did you guys hear who I'm taking to the Valentine's Dance?" Calvin grinned proudly at them as he and Hayley approached.
"Gee, I wonder," Daisy drawled, making the two laugh before Hayley punched Calvin lightly and walked away. "Dorks, the pair of you," she told Calvin as he rubbed his arm.
"Don't mind her, she's just trying to hide her excitement," Aaron told the Yellow Ranger, who laughed as Daisy kicked Aaron again. "Hey! You're damaging important property!" he complained.
"I'm sure we'll survive without you," she shot back at him, and he raised his eyebrows at her.
"I was talking about basketball. I have an important game coming up," he said, indignant as both Brody and Calvin laughed.
"I swear, do guys think it's romantic to wait until the last minute to ask a girl to a dance?" Teddie grumbled to Daisy as they stood in the main hall, playing pool during their free period. "Or have all the other girls they wanted to ask said no so they're just hoping the rest are too desperate to say no?" she asked, watching as Daisy sunk another ball into a pocket.
"They think it's cool," Daisy answered, moving as she studied the table.
"Someone needs to tell them that it's really not," Teddie sighed, and Daisy laughed quietly.
"No kidding," she agreed, looking over to where Victor was talking to Sandy.
"Oh, Preston won't be happy with that," Teddie considered as they paused to watch. After Monty, attempting to hide in the bushes dressed as Cupid, shot Victor with a sticky arrow that hit him in the face, Victor pulled out a gold necklace, which seemed to infuriate the girl.
"Maybe not. How Victor manages to win girls over is beyond me," Daisy shook her head and turned her attention back to their game.
"I've been wondering that for a while," Teddie agreed. She then groaned when Daisy hit another ball, sinking it. "I swear, you've been hustling us like, all year," she complained. Daisy just smirked at her.
"Maybe you just suck," she replied, and Teddie stuck her tongue out at the girl.
"Teddie!" she arched an eyebrow as Victor approached her, smiling brightly.
"Here we go," Daisy smirked.
"Can I help you, Victor?" Teddie gave a pleasant smile.
"How about I help you, instead?" he leaned against the wall beside her, flashing her a charming smile. "Be my date to the dance tonight? You'll look great in this necklace," he dangled the gold necklace from his fingers.
"Gold isn't my colour," Teddie replied, and his smile faltered. "Maybe try someone who didn't just watch you crash and burn with Sandy," she smiled sweetly at him.
"Besides Victor, she has a boyfriend," Daisy replied without looking up.
"She does," Monty whispered to Victor, who had batted him away when he'd tried to warn him before. Teddie glanced at the curly haired boy, her smile fading a little as she wondered how he knew that.
"Your loss," Victor scoffed, and turned to leave. He then paused. "Daisy, how would you like-"
"Finish that sentence and I'll shove that necklace down your throat," she cut him off, hitting the ball with enough force for an audible crack that made Victor jump. Without another word, he rushed off with Monty close behind, and Teddie laughed.
"Not a word to Heckyl, eh?" she asked, and Daisy looked up with a grin.
"As long as Brody doesn't find out either," they bumped fists, both giggling.
Walking through the park after school, it wasn't hard to tell that it was Valentine's Day. Everyone seemed to have coupled up, and as Aaron walked along the path, it didn't look any different the further he went.
Finally he spotted someone walking through alone, and smiled to himself, jogging to catch up with them.
"Hey Sav," she glanced around and frowned at him.
"Any reason why you're treating me like we're friends?" she asked, which only made his smile widen.
"Come on. We're clearly friends by now," he told her. Savannah only rolled her eyes.
"Well, what do you want?" she asked. "Checking to make sure I haven't spilled your secret?" Savannah asked, folding her arms at him. Aaron couldn't help but laugh.
"Nah, I know you're not about to do that," he told her, and Savannah couldn't hide her surprise. He sounded confident about trusting her.
"So what-" she stopped, looking up as she heard a noise. Aaron followed her gaze, wondering what had caught her attention, and his eyes widened as Venoma flew by.
"That's not good. Get to safety," Aaron told the girl, who frowned, but nodded and ran off. Aaron gave chase, following Venoma, and reached the other Rangers as they hurried to Preston, who was crouched on the ground with Sandy.
"Guys, I gotta get her outta here," Preston told them, looking up at the team as they stood together.
"Yeah, go on," Calvin nodded. Preston helped the girl to her feet, and Sandy glanced around at them curiously as he helped her move.
"Did I spoil your Valentine's Day?" Venoma taunted, still hovering in the air.
"Not her too," Daisy complained.
"Listen up," she landed on the ground in front of them as they moved into fighting stances. "I'm Venoma, Galactic Ninja of dangerous love!" she declared.
"Of course she is," Teddie rolled her eyes.
"I thought we were done with those Galactic Ninjas," Levi grumbled.
"What did you hit Sandy with?" Sarah demanded.
"Let me show you. Ha!" she threw out an arm and Brody screamed as a pink arrow slammed into his chest. He staggered back as it glowed pink and caused him to start glowing.
"Brody, are you okay?" Sarah asked as they supported him. He turned, yanking the arrow from his chest and making them jump.
"Venoma, my sweet darling, will you be my Valentine?" he called to the monster.
"Excuse me?" Daisy demanded.
"Oh not this again!" Teddie groaned, putting her hands to her face.
"Of course, my dear," Venoma laughed. "Now, come a little closer," she beckoned, and with a laugh Brody started to walk forwards.
"Brody! What are you doing?!" Sarah and Hayley grabbed him, yanking him backwards.
"Going to see my one and only soulmate, Venoma!" Brody struggled against them.
"Yeah...no," Teddie rolled her eyes and snapped her fingers. Vines burst from the ground and wrapped around Brody's legs, stopping him from moving. "Can't believe we're doing this again," she grumbled.
"That arrow must have made Brody fall in love with her," Levi realised.
"Exactly, and you'll never break my spell!" Venoma taunted.
"Oh, I think you're wrong," Daisy growled at her. "Free him or I'll rip your wings off myself!" she shouted, which only made Venoma laugh.
"After you're hit with one of my love arrows, you'll all fall in love with the first thing you see," she taunted. "Now, come here, my lovely Red Ranger," she called to him again. Brody struggled in their grasp.
"Get off me!" the two screamed as flames exploded in his hands, forcing them to let go of him. Venoma cackled as the Rangers shied away from Brody, who burned through the vines holding him in place.
"Rude," Teddie grumbled as they tried to stop him, but couldn't get close as the flames spat out at them.
"Someone needs to cool off," they looked around, just in time for water to splash over Brody. He gasped as the flames were snuffed out, and he staggered backwards, starting to shiver. "Honestly, I know that Reds are the hotheads, but this is just ridiculous," they turned as a blonde woman in black Ninja gear approached them.
"Tori!" Teddie smiled at the Water Ninja, who winked at her and stood with the team.
"I'll get Brody out of here," Hayley volunteered, dragging him away.
"I'll come with. Sounds like you might need a hand," Aaron followed, ready to talk Brody down.
"Venoma! I love you!" Brody shouted over his shoulder.
"Another love spell? That's a blast from the past," Tori considered as the rest of the team turned back to Venoma, who was growling at the intrusion.
"Here's something you're not gonna love," Calvin shouted at her.
"NINJA SPIN!" the team Morphed and ran at Venoma, who raised her sword. She yelped when Daisy's sword slashed her side, and moved to dodge the rest of the attacks.
"Surprise," Tori appeared in front of her, moving her hands. Water gathered between them, and she threw it out. The jet of water slammed into Venoma, making her shriek as she was thrown back, right into Calvin's path. She blocked his attack and shoved Sarah backwards, causing her and Daisy to topple over with a cry.
"How about a little love?" Venoma threw another arrow at Calvin.
"Watch out!" Preston shoved Calvin out of the way, and the arrow missed, hitting the ground. "You okay, Cal?" Preston asked as they recovered.
"You're just in time, thanks," Calvin smiled with relief up at the Blue Ranger, who helped him up. The others ran over to stand with them, and Venoma sighed.
"I'll have to make my last few Love Arrows count!" she complained.
"Just try it!" Preston goaded. Venoma yelled and ran at the group, fighting them off.
"I'm not surprised she's a Galactic Ninja, she's tough," Teddie complained.
"I'm still going to beat her into the ground," Daisy growled. "Ninja Blast!" she fired a shot with Sarah, and Venoma leapt into the sky to avoid the attacks.
"Get ready to be love-struck!" she shouted. She then threw two more arrows, and they slammed into Levi and Calvin. The two cried out, hitting the ground.
"Guys!" the others ran over to them.
"Levi, you okay?" Daisy asked as she crouched over the Gold Ranger. He groaned, before opening his eyes.
"I am now," she jumped as he grabbed her hands. "You're beautiful," he declared. Daisy stared at him, baffled.
"Oh no," Tori shook her head, but laughed a little, finding it all too familiar.
"And so's she!" Calvin leapt up and ran over towards Venoma. He shoved Preston and Sarah out of the way, gazing up at the monster. "I love you!" he declared to her.
"And I love you," Levi told Daisy, who pulled her hands out of his.
"Two more down," Venoma laughed. "Works every time," she giggled.
"Not you guys too," Sarah groaned.
"We need to get back to the base," Teddie gulped.
"Come on," Tori spoke as they gathered together. She threw her hands down, and they disappeared in a puff of smoke. Venoma laughed at their retreat, and vanished herself.
"I'm coming! I'm coming!" Mick yelled as he sprinted back to the base, almost falling before he could climb in past the fan.
"Mick," Sarah turned to him.
"I got your message. They're not really in love with a monster, are they?" he asked, hoping it was a sick joke.
"Not all of them," Daisy sighed, moving away from Levi as he edged closer. "Leave me alone," she growled at him.
"I can't do it. You're just so perfect," he sighed at her, oblivious to how close she was to punching him.
"Levi!" Teddie stepped between the two. "How about you go and write her a song instead?" she suggested.
"What?!" Daisy demanded as Levi smiled widely.
"Great idea!" he rushed away to grab his guitar and notebook.
"Sorry, but it was that or he'd never leave your side," Teddie apologised to Daisy, who was glaring darkly at her. "Levi's the least of our worries. Look at these two geniuses," she indicated to Brody and Calvin, who were making gifts for Venoma.
"A lot more thoughtful than the gifts I got," Tori complained, arms folded. The others turned to her, and Teddie smiled, hugging her.
"Thanks for the help out there," she said, grateful.
"Yeah, that could have gotten really bad," Sarah nodded. "You're Tori, right? The Water Ninja?" she guessed.
"That's right," Tori nodded. "I was the Blue Ninja Storm Ranger. It's good to finally get to meet you all," she smiled at the team.
"Even if we're not at our best," Aaron grinned, glancing over as Calvin arranged a small bouquet of flowers in a remote-controlled yellow truck.
"It's fine. I've seen love spells before and they're never pretty," the Water Ninja told them, watching Levi.
"You're telling me," Teddie sighed, leaning against the table. "They're always exhausting," she complained.
"For the record, that was when Arcanon was in charge," Heckyl told her, and Teddie couldn't help but smile a little at his defence. "Anyway, from what you've told us, the spell seems to be caused by being hit by one of those arrows," he guessed.
"Yep, and we need to get those arrows before she can hit anybody else," Sarah confirmed.
"Oh, I'm going to stick her with her own arrows," Daisy muttered.
"Let me guess, not appreciating the overbearing infatuation?" Tori whispered to Teddie.
"She's dating the red guy," she explained, and Tori winced sympathetically. Mick gathered the three love-struck Rangers up, talking quietly with them.
"Well, until we come up with a plan, how about some Water Ninja training?" Tori suggested to the six remaining Rangers.
"Sounds good to me," Aaron agreed, excited to get started. Preston's phone beeped, and he lifted it from his pocket, curious about who was texting him.
"Oh, it's from Sandy…" he opened the message and smiled goofily. Hayley, Sarah and Teddie exchanged knowing looks. "She...she wants to talk?" Preston asked, a little confused. He then looked over at the others, and lost his smile. "We're busy," he decided, going to put his phone away.
"Go on, Preston," Hayley smiled, nudging him.
"We'll look after the Romeos, and try to figure out a plan," Sarah nodded. Preston glanced to Tori, who nodded.
"It's fine, I know what it's like. Go. We already know your element, so you can catch up on the basics later," she agreed. Preston smiled brightly at them.
"Thanks, you guys are the best," he told them, and hurried off.
Sarah slumped to the ground, gulping down water as they were finally allowed a break.
"Basics my butt," she complained between gulps, making the others laugh as Tori smiled, amused.
"My husband thought the same. Thunder Ninjas never seem to realise how tough other elements can be," she told the Pink Ranger, who would have blushed had she the energy. "Aaron, how are you feeling?" she then turned to the Silver Ranger, who looked a little surprised by her sudden attention.
"Great," he answered, and meant it. While the others had found it tougher to grasp the stances and moves that Tori showed them, he'd loved it.
"I don't think anyone is surprised that you're a Water Ninja," Teddie said, and he looked over at her.
"I am?" he asked, breaking into a bright smile.
"Okay, one person is surprised," Daisy chuckled as she stood up again. Aaron turned back to Tori for confirmation, and she nodded. As the others congratulated Aaron, Daisy was quiet for a moment.
"You okay?" she looked at Tori as the blonde approached her. "I know Cam mentioned that you might not have an affinity for any particular element," Tori said, thinking about what Cam had said about the team when he'd returned from his visit. "It's probably due to your focus on Pai Zhuq. It took Ari a long time to unlock her animal spirit because of her Ninja training," she explained, and Daisy shrugged.
"You know, I'm not too upset about it," she admitted, and laughed quietly. "It was the worst thing in the world when I found out my Animal Spirit. I felt like I didn't really fit in there because of it. But here, it's not too bad to be different," she watched the others as Aaron laughed, unable to hide his excitement over knowing his element.
"For what it's worth, Cam did say you had the makings of a great Samurai," Tori told her, making Daisy's smile widen as a proud blush filled her cheeks.
"Thanks Tori," she said quietly. Tori put a hand on her shoulder, squeezing for a moment before turning and walking over to the others.
"Come on, I think there's time for me to teach you a few other moves," she told Aaron, who cheered. "More enthusiasm than a lot of my students," Tori chuckled.
"Great, that means I can shower," Teddie sighed with relief. Even the basics of the Water style were difficult to someone used to the rigidity of Earth. Daisy nodded. While she hadn't found it as difficult as the others, it had still been a tough workout.
"I'll go check if Mick's thought of anything," Sarah suggested.
"I'll go find Preston," Hayley volunteered, before all four caught a whiff of themselves and paused. "Maybe after a shower," she suggested, and all three nodded.
"Any luck?" Teddie asked as she returned to the base, fixing her hair and feeling much better after a shower.
"Mick's trying to craft some sort of armour to block the arrows," Heckyl explained, glancing over to where the teacher was shaping armour for the Rangers to wear. Sarah had joined them, helping with the design.
"Worth a try," Teddie shrugged. "What about the three idiots?" she asked, looking over to where Brody, Levi and Calvin were whispering amongst each other.
"Still the same. Overbearing in their love for Venoma," Heckyl shrugged, looking at the heart-shaped shuriken that Brody had crafted for Venoma.
"Love spells distort their view of love. Makes it all-encompassing. The person their distorted desires are focused on is all that matters and they'll do whatever it takes to make them happy," Teddie said softly.
"I can see why it might be a good tactic against you all," Heckyl considered.
"It'd work against anyone really. We just don't tend to play dirty like that," Teddie replied, and he arched an eyebrow at her. She smiled innocently at him. "I mean, Poisandra was all about marrying Sledge," she shrugged.
"Uhuh…" his tone was dry, all too aware of her innocent smile. Teddie then glanced at the three again, and her smile faded.
"Of all the ways to mess with us, I think I hate this the most. Manipulating feelings like that...it's just wrong," Teddie shrugged. Heckyl was quiet for a moment, watching her, before leaning in and kissing her. Curling her fingers around his shirt, she pushed up to kiss him back, before drawing back with a curious look.
"You're right," he agreed, and she smiled softly at him.
"You know, that does happen occasionally," she teased. Heckyl rolled his eyes.
"Don't ruin it," he told her, making Teddie giggle as he kissed her again. They pulled away from each other when Tori cleared her throat, and attempted to look sheepish as she walked in.
"Do not make me have to tell your parents," she warned. Teddie sighed.
"Now is when I start regretting having them here to teach us," she grumbled to Heckyl.
"I heard that," Tori called, and Teddie winced.
"I don't know what you really expected," Heckyl told her. Teddie stuck her tongue out at him, and he poked her nose, scrunching it up and making her giggle, swatting him away.
"Daisy!" Levi dropped what he was doing and rushed over to the Black Ranger, who groaned.
"Please help me," she looked over at Aaron, pleading.
"Hey guys, what's up?" Hayley called as she returned with Preston.
"We've come up with a plan dealing with Venoma!" Mick smiled at her, but Hayley didn't look at him, frowning.
"Where did the Romeos go?" she asked. The others looked around, realising that Brody and Calvin had both vanished.
"Suffering circuits! They've escaped!" Redbot cried.
"We've gotta track them down before they find their…'true love'," Hayley rolled her eyes, looking forward to teasing Calvin when they broke the spell.
"We'll have to split up," Preston suggested, before hesitating. "But then we'll be exposed to Venoma's arrows," he realised.
"I think we have something that can help," Redbot told him. He and Mick lifted some of the armour they'd been working on. The Rangers exchanged looks as Sarah grinned.
Daisy ran through town, searching for any sign of Calvin and Brody. To her irritation, however, she wasn't alone.
"Levi, go back to the base," she growled as she stopped, and he stood right beside her.
"And be apart from you again? Never," Levi smiled at her. "You still have to hear my song!" he told her, and Daisy took a deep breath.
"After we find the others and stop Venoma, okay?" she asked, and he nodded eagerly. With that, she kept running, eventually running into Aaron and Teddie. "No sign?" Daisy asked, and both shook their heads.
"Nothing," Aaron replied. "Presto is checkin out near the quarry. Hayley and Sarah shouldn't be too far away either," he added.
"Let's go meet up with them. Might be able to come up with something," Teddie suggested. They nodded, and started running again, with Levi sticking close to Daisy as they ran.
It didn't take long for them to find Hayley and Sarah, who hadn't had any better luck than the rest of them.
"They're probably wandering around as lost as us," Aaron considered as they caught their breath. "I mean, it's not like we normally go looking for the bad guys. They usually find us," he pointed out.
"I've only ever gone looking for them twice. Both were an...interesting experience," Teddie considered.
"Well, hopefully they're having as hard a time finding Venoma as we are finding them," Sarah said as Aaron shot Teddie a confused look.
"Come on, we need to keep looking," Daisy shook her head. They continued to search the city, looking for any sign of their friends.
"There!" Aaron spotted the bright yellow jeep, which was parked with the hood up as Calvin worked on it and Brody paced irritably.
"Guys!" they ran over to them, just as they and Levi stumbled suddenly, flashing pink.
"Thank goodness we found you," Sarah smiled with relief.
"I thought you'd be married to the monster by now," Hayley said dryly to Calvin.
"Married? To who?" he frowned, confused.
"Uh...Venoma? The one you two have been raving about all day?" Teddie raised an eyebrow, and Calvin couldn't stop the laugh from escaping.
"Are you nuts?" he demanded.
"What happened?" Brody asked, just as confused.
"Yeah...I'd like to know that too," Levi spoke up as he caught up to them.
"They're fixed!" Sarah realised, smiling.
"Thank god for that," Teddie sighed, but Hayley didn't smile.
"But if they're fixed…" she started, confused. Her eyes widened. "That means that Preston's fighting the monster, alone!" the others inhaled sharply.
"Let's go," Levi nodded to the team, and they hurried to find their last team-mate.
'Tricked by a teen!' Venoma wailed, on her knees in front of Preston. The Blue Ranger stood with his sword over his shoulder, having revealed the metal plate that had stopped her arrow from hitting him.
"Why am I not surprised?" Eidolon sighed, shaking her head as Odius cursed.
"Oh no!" Cosmo shrieked on stage. "The Blue Ranger fooled her! Love can be so cruel!" he declared to the crowd, who booed the final Galactic Ninja as Preston continued to batter her, easily dominating the fight.
Having been contacted by Preston with his whereabouts, the others raced towards the clearing where Preston was taking out each of her arrows as she bombarded him with fury. They reached him just in time to see him defeat her, only to reform and grow much taller.
"That's not good," Preston sighed, fed up with his opponent, before he heard a screech. "What's that?" he looked up, and smiled when he saw the Blaze Zords racing into view. "Right in the nick of time guys!" Preston laughed.
"We've always got your back, Presto," Brody told him. "Falcon Zord, Wing Strike!" he flew in and hit Venoma with his Falcon Zord, and she screeched in pain.
"Buzz off!" she shrieked, lashing out at him.
"Time to call my Serpent Zord. Ninja Spin!" Preston called on his own Blaze Zord, joining the fight. "Let's end this!" he cheered.
"Music to my ears!" Daisy nodded her agreement.
"Ninja Blaze Megazord, combine!" Brody shouted. The Blaze Zords combined into their Megazord, standing tall against Venoma.
"Take this!" Venoma fired more arrows at them.
"Blaze Hydro Shield!" Aaron raised his hand, creating a barrier of water that the arrows bounced off of.
"Nice try, Venoma!" Teddie taunted.
"They may not be Love Arrows any more, but we're still gonna block every one!" Preston declared. The Blaze Megazord then rushed in close to attack at closer range.
"Then I'll wrestle you to the ground!" Venoma declared, slamming into them. However, she barely even pushed them back a step, and Brody laughed.
"Think again!" they shoved her off, and Venoma cried out as they kicked her hard. "Serpent Punch!" they threw out a punch, and the fist shot off, flying after Venoma and colliding with her hard. Sparks burst everywhere as she grunted, thrown off her feet. "Begin Final Attack!"
"NINJA BLAZE MEGAZORD, RANGER BLAST!"
"Uh oh!" Venoma gasped as the Rangers were fired from the Megazord, glowing as they flew at her.
"Final Attack!" each slashed through the monster, landing on the ground as she screamed.
"The Galactic Ninjas are no more!" Venoma cried, falling and exploding.
"Show's over, Ninjas win!"
Calvin groaned as Sarah sank another ball, laughing with glee as she dominated the Yellow Ranger.
"I think Calvin might just be losing this one," Daisy laughed.
"Don't count me out just yet," he shot her a playful glare, and she just grinned back.
"Hey, Daisy?" Brody spoke quietly, pulling the Black Ranger aside as she turned to him. "I'm sorry. For what happened with Venoma. You know I didn't mean anything I said about her, right?" he asked awkwardly, going red.
"You don't need to apologise, Sky Boy. Except for maybe trying to barbeque Hayley and Sarah," Daisy smiled, taking his hand as he went redder. "I know you didn't mean any of it. And Teddie told me that love spells distort desires anyway, which is a huge relief," Brody frowned, confused by her words. "Because if you got that dramatic with me, I would have to hurt you," she warned, and Brody couldn't help but laugh.
"Thanks, Flower Girl. And hey, I'd already asked you to the dance," he pulled her closer, and Daisy's smile softened.
"That you did," she nodded, reaching up and kissing him lightly. "Just as long as your brother knows that," Daisy spoke a little louder, looking past Brody over to Levi. The Gold Ranger blushed furiously, glaring at her. Brody grinned widely, having laughed hysterically when he'd found out.
"Venoma's lucky that Preston was the one to beat her," he muttered, making Sarah giggle.
"Hey, I wanna hear that song you were writing for Daisy. I'm sure it was beautiful," she told him, and her laughter grew as he shoved her.
"There is something I've been keeping from you though, Brody," Daisy admitted, and he turned back to her with a curious look. She sighed, going red and looking away. "I got my power," she told him, and his eyes widened.
"Really? That's epic!" Brody smiled at her. "What is it?" he asked. Daisy hesitated, looking up at his excited face, and sighed again. She dragged him out the door, and when she made sure nobody was around, she whistled loudly. "Uh...you can whistle?" Brody asked, before a small bird flew over and landed on Daisy's shoulder, chirping.
"Yes, this is him," Daisy replied, and the bird chirped again. "She says it's nice to meet you," she told Brody, who was staring.
"You can...talk to birds?" he asked slowly as the bird flew off.
"I can talk to birds," Daisy's face was mottling red.
"That's so epic!" she gasped when he lifted her into his arms. "That's such a cool power," he laughed, and Daisy couldn't help but smile at his infectious excitement.
"Thanks," she murmured, kissing him again. "I guess I better go drag Hayley and Sarah off. We said we'd get ready together," she told him.
"Sounds great," Brody nodded. "I-" he stopped, looking over her shoulder. Daisy turned to see what had caught his attention, and saw Aaron talking with Savannah. To both their surprise, she was smiling at him.
"I guess Aaron finally got to ask her to be his date to the dance tonight," Daisy groaned.
"Your cousin has really weird taste," Brody told her.
"I'm sure he'd say the same to you," the Black Ranger grinned, making him laugh.
"Come on, you've faced way scarier things than this!" they turned, seeing Teddie dragging Heckyl along.
"I have heard horror stories about how you treat passengers on that death trap you call a bike," he told her, but was resigned to his fate. After all, he'd already agreed to it.
"Don't listen to a word Philip says about my baby. He can't handle it," Teddie insisted with a grin, shoving a second helmet into his hands.
"Your family was so worried about me causing harm to you, but I think it's the other way around," he told her, and Teddie pouted.
"It's not that dangerous," she told him. He poked her nose.
"Just don't give me that look. I already agreed to this," Heckyl told her, smiling as she giggled.
"Good," Teddie caught the front of his shirt and pulled him down into a soft kiss.
"I don't envy Heckyl at all," Brody said as he and Daisy made their way back inside, passing Preston and Sandy as they spoke. "I've seen how Teddie is on that thing," he commented, and Daisy raised an eyebrow at him.
"You were pretty crazy when you were learning how to ride a bike," she told him, rejoining the others. "So he finally asked her, huh?" Daisy asked as they saw Sandy throw her arms around Preston.
"Took him long enough," Calvin grinned, wrapping his arms around Hayley as she smiled, proud of Preston.
"I suppose Hayley helped speed things up. She's vying for the Cupid title," Levi said. The White Ranger turned to raise her eyebrows at him.
"Do you want me to help you out in that case?" she threatened, and Levi quickly raised his hands as the others laughed.
This was fun to write. I hope you liked it!
Please review!