EPISODE 8: WILD VOCALS
(Adapted from "Melody of the Savanna")
We start this episode off, like Episode 6, at the Bald Eagle habitat with a shot of something that might be familiar. That being a little table with some info cards and a few replicas of bones from Birds of Prey. Yep, we're finally gonna see Benny try out the job he had planned out back in Episode 1. Speaking of whom, we see Benny walk up, take a deep breath, and then sit down at this little set-up. But as he starts getting some of his notes together, a familiar face in the family walks up.
Martha: There's my newest employee!
Benny: Hey mom! (stands up) Thanks for showing up.
Martha: Of course, hon. (hugs him for a second) So, what do you think? Is it still a good set-up?
Benny: Yeah, I think it'll work out fine for me.
Martha: Great…Oh, look at you. My little egghead's all grown-up.
Benny: Yeah, I know, it's…a lot…(frowns just a little)
Martha: …Is something wrong?
Benny: Oh, you know, I just…wish dad were here to see this.
Martha: (sighs) Me too…But I know that if he was…he'd be so proud of you.
Benny: (smiles) Thanks, mom.
Martha: …Alright, well, I'll come check on you at lunch. Let me know if you need any help. Oh, and by the way, Caleb's downtown for today, and he may or may not be instantly available if any ranger stuff happens, so maybe just be prepared for that.
Benny: Yeah, speaking of Caleb, remember when you called him a "ladies' man" that day he and Jackie got captured?
Martha: I take it you still haven't seen it yet?
Benny: Yeah, that. What does he do that makes him a ladies' man? I'm genuinely confused about that.
Martha: Well, the long story short is that Caleb likes to act a bit more…chivalrous when making friends with girls and sometimes we can't tell if he's flirting or not.
Benny: Huh…Guess I just got the wrong impression then.
Martha: Yeah, in hindsight, I think I could've worded that a bit better.
Benny: Hmm. You know, I wonder what he's up to right now.
Martha: Well, whatever it is, let's just hope he doesn't end up getting into trouble, today.
Benny: Oh, come on. What could go wrong?
Next up, we hard cut to downtown Dolphin Coast, where we see our resident Yellow Ranger sitting on a bench on a sidewalk.
Caleb: Ah. There's nothing like a sunny day off in Dolphin Coast.
Then, as he leans back onto the bench, and takes in this perfect day, he notices something nearby. A couple of yards away to his left, he sees a woman standing on the sidewalk with a guitar case, listening to some music with black wireless headphones. In terms of design, she has fair skin, freckles, and lots of long curly red hair. She's also a little bit taller than Sylvia and is wearing a black jacket over a white tank top.
Caleb: (smiles) Hmm…I suppose trying to make a new friend wouldn't hurt.
He then hops up out of his seat and walks over.
Caleb: Excuse me, miss…(no response) …Miss? (taps on her shoulder)
This makes her notice him and then take off the headphones, not pausing her music so that it's still playing a little.
?: Oh. Hello there. Sorry I was just kinda in the zone.
(She sounds like Sadie Miller from Steven Universe)
Caleb: I could tell. That music you're listening to must be pretty solid.
?: I mean, I think it is, but…
Caleb: Mind if I take a listen?
?: Uh…sure, I guess?
Caleb: Sweet! (grabs the headphones)
?: H-Hey, watch it!
He fits the headphones on around his hair and starts listening to a rock song similar to the song "We Own The Night" from 'Zombies 2'.
Caleb: (nodding his head to the beat) Ooh! Okay, okay, I like this!
He starts tapping his foot to the rhythm, then backs up as he starts dancing to the rocking melody. This leads to about ten seconds of Caleb dancing with a big smile on his face, even getting in a flip that times to the beat. This makes the red-haired girl chuckle a little with a bit of confusion and joy at his energy.
Caleb: (still dancing a little) Wow! I'm really digging this!
?: Thanks. I actually composed it.
Caleb: (stops and lifts the right muff) Did you say something?
?: I'm the one who composed that music.
Caleb: Really!?
?: Yeah.
Caleb: …Awesome! You've got some real talent on you!
?: Uh, t-thanks! I've actually got an audition tonight, so hopefully, I can start making more music regularly.
Caleb: Well with a track this good, I bet you'll pass with pretty rocking colors!
?: Yeah. I sure hope so…I'm Frida by the way. Frida Quinn.
Caleb: The name's Caleb Lachlan. (offers a handshake)
Frida: (shakes his hand) So, you know MY schtick, but what do you do for a living?`
Caleb: Right. I'm a lion trainer at the Washi Safari Zoo and Aquarium.
Frida: Woah, Woah, a LION trainer?
Caleb: Yeah, that's…what I just said. Did I say something else by accident?
Speaking of lions, before Frida can get out another sentence, Caleb's zord hops up from behind his back, onto his right shoulder, and roars at him.
Frida: Gah! W-What is that!?
Caleb: Oh great. Hold on just a sec, Frida. (his zord hops into his hand) What do we get lad? (the zord roars at him) Uh-huh. (it roars again) Yes, yes, go on (it roars at him one more time) Ah. Understood. (his zord hops back on his shoulder) Okay. I have no idea what he just said, but I'm going to assume there's a monster nearby.
Frida: I'm sorry, what's going on? A-And what is that?
Caleb: (turns back to her) Welp, duty calls. I wish you the best of luck on your audition, Frida. Now then. Point the way, my friend!
His zord roars toward his right, and Caleb takes off running.
Frida: …Well that was weird.. (realizes something) H-Hey! Wait! You took my headphones!
As she starts running after him, we hard cut to greenscreen Sentai footage. Or to be more specific, greenscreen footage of a road with a sunset sky background as the monster of the week's feet/legs come into frame, before the wheels on the feet start spinning and sparking in place. The monster then zooms forward, and we go from greenscreen footage to regular live-action footage of this new "hunter" zooming through an area with people walking around, almost hitting some of them. He finally comes to a screeching stop allowing us to get a good look at this multi-colored speedster (Adapted from the player "Yabiker"), who looks like a walking motorcycle.
Motorslug: Sup, slowpokes! The name's Motorslug! Ready to have some fun!? Check it!
(He sounds like Tread Head from 'Skylanders Trap Team")
The last part is said as he turns the right side of his body, one with a large silver horn mounted on his shoulder, towards the people he just sped by that are now running away from him in fear. But then, before they can get away, another greenscreen effect occurs as a sound from Motorslug's horn rings out, stopping everyone who tried to run.
And that's when things get weird.
We zoom in on the people to see their eyes are glowing bright pink.
Once that happens, the chaos officially begins. The people start trying to punch each other, kicking over traffic cones, picking up bikes and slamming them into the ground, even trying to damage cars, whatever they can that's chaotic. To make things weirder, they keep yelling "Drive, drive!" over and over again. Needless to say, things aren't looking good as see Motorslug enjoying the carnage while we hear the voice of a certain general speaking.
Blockhead: As you can see, Motorslug's trumpet makes people lose control and attack whatever they can find!
The end of the sentence is said as we cut up to the Arrow Galion.
Sagittar: I see. Maybe if this method proves to be effective, we can take it to a large scale in the future.
Blockhead: Heh. My thoughts exactly, boss.
We then cut back down to Earth to see Caleb finally show up (still wearing the headphones) while Motorslug continues to laugh. But then, his face goes from battle-ready to utterly baffled as we see more footage of the mind-controlled people doing damage to the area.
Caleb: (to himself) What on Earth?
But as he says this, we see Frida behind him, finally catching up and coming to a stop while saying.
Frida: Hey! You took my head…phones…
Motorslug: (looks toward them) Aha! New prey!
Caleb: Excuse me?
Motorslug: Check this out!
The monster aims his horn shoulder at the two, Frida instantly getting behind Caleb who raises his arm to keep her back. Then, the sound blares out at the two, and while Caleb, still wearing the headphones, quickly shakes it off, seeming unaffected, Frida holds her ears in slight pain.
Caleb: Ha! Was that supposed to do something?
But then…Frida's hand grabs onto his right shoulder, quickly grabbing Caleb's attention.
Frida: (eyes glowing pink) …Drive, drive!
She then throws a punch right into Caleb's face, which knocks him onto the ground and the headphones off. She keeps yelling "Drive, drive!" and as she does, she now tries punching a thick pillar of the building they're next to, and as she does this, not only does Caleb instantly get back up trying to stop her, but Motorslug is confused.
Caleb: (trying to stop her) What's gotten into you!?
Frida: (still punching at the pillar) Drive, drive! (knocks him off her)
Motorslug: Why is he unaffected by my chaotic noise!?
Caleb: Wait, noise? …(gasps) The headphones. (grabs them off the ground) Oh, I get it now.
Motorslug: How about another dose! Check it! (aims his horn)
Caleb: Let's do this! (said as he puts on the headphones)
He then runs to his right and tries to stop Frida from her chaotic state, and right as he does, the others run up, fully morphed.
Benny: Stop right there, monster!
Caleb: (gasps) L-Lads! Cover your ears!
The others look back confused for a second, but thankfully, they're able to block the parts of their helmets where their ears right as Motorslug plays. This sound blast doesn't seem to work on the team…except it kind of does because while most of them are safe…Jackie has sensitive hearing.
Her head jolts up and we zoom inside her helmet to see her eyes glow bright pink.
Jackie: Drive, drive!
Benny: Jackie? What're you—Gah!
He's cut off by her punching him onto the ground.
Winston: W-Woah! (starts trying to restrain her) J-Jackie, what are you doing!?
Sylvia: Yeah, what was that!? (starts trying to grab her too)
While the team tries to stop her, Caleb, who's still trying to restrain Frida, fills them in on what's happening.
Caleb: If you listen to that guy's noise, it drives you insane!
Winston: (while tussling with Jackie) But it affected her with her ears blocked! (gets pushed onto the ground next to Benny)
The red ranger then gets up and runs over as Sylvia tries to hold onto Jackie while saying…
Benny: It must be her Shark hearing!
Motorslug: Well, you guys are stubborn! Have another dose!
Winston quickly turns around, Savage Blaster out, and fires a shot towards the monster, but it's too late. Motorslug's sound gets blasted again, and while the team is thankfully able to cover their ears again in time, the blast our green ranger quickly fired gets blasted back.
Sylvia: (as the sound plays/she covers her ears) Ugh, we can't fight like this!
But then, if things couldn't get worse, Jackie pulls out her Savage Saber, then strikes Benny and Sylvia in the chest. Meanwhile, Caleb, who's still trying to grab Frida with his arms, gets shaken off and punched down again. She yells out "Drive, drive" again, and then punches the pillar harder this time, the camera cutting to Caleb as her fist makes contact with the pillar again.
Caleb: Fine. Guess I'll have to beat this guy first!
Now more annoyed, Caleb leaps to his feet while whipping out his Morpher and quickly turns the top.
Caleb: (as he opens up his Morpher) Zoo Mode Go!
With a yellow flash, Caleb is now fully morphed on the spot, with the headphones he's wearing appearing on his helmet. While the others keep trying to get Jackie under control, Caleb rushes forward with his Savage Saber out.
Motorslug: One more time!
Once again, the monster's horn blares right at the rushing Caleb, but it does nothing to him with the headphones on.
Motorslug: What the!?
Caleb then tries to strike the hunter with his Savage Saber, however, Motorslug pulls out a surprising new weapon, a golden bat-like club with nails in it.
Motorslug: (while trying to his Caleb) Just you wait, Yellow Ranger! I'll bring you down somehow!
He tries hitting him one more time while talking, but Caleb dodges the hit.
Motorslug: I'll be back, you beasts!
With that, the monster teleports out in a green flash. Caleb then stands back up.
Caleb: (breaths out) At least he's gone.
We then cut around the area nearby to see the pink glow in the eyes of the crazy civilians finally fading. This includes Frida, who shakes her head in confusion, and then finally Jackie, who is naturally confused by the fact that she's now being held in the arms of her teammates.
Jackie: (demorphs) Huh? W-What was I doing?
Benny: (sighs and demorphs) At least you're back to normal.
Jackie: What!? What happened!?
She says this while the other 2 demorph, Caleb runs back over to Frida, taking the headphones off his neck.
Caleb: Sorry for taking these from you, Frida.
Frida: Augh, my hand!
Caleb: W-Woah are you okay? (the others look over to them)
Frida: My hand it…it hurts really bad.
Caleb looks down to see her right fist is hurt. Her fingers are bruised and there's a few bleeding cuts on her knuckles, which makes Caleb's face sink into worry.
Cue Theme Song (1 Minute)
On the Arrow Galion, our monster of the week asks for assistance.
Motorslug: Ugh! Those stupid rangers could block my noise just by covering their ears! This shouldn't even be possible!
Blockhead: Then don't bother with them! There's plenty of vulnerable prey on Earth that you can drive berserk! So go back down and try again!
Motorslug: But my horn will have this weakness though!
Then, Midaria, our resident "coin dispenser", walks through the cockpit's revolving door.
Midaria: (pushing a cart) Motorslug? I've got the solution you requested.
She comes to a stop showing some red toolboxes stacked onto each other being held by this cart.
Motorslug: Thank you, Midaria! With this tune-up, I'll be able to get my revenge! Later, slowpokes! (starts leaving with the cart)
Insidion: (chuckles) At least one of your monsters cares about being intelligent for once.
Blockhead grunts in annoyance before we cut down to Earth.
In the Sanctum, Winston, Jackie, Sylvia, and Benny are sitting at the table by the bookshelf, right as Hitarthi empties a grocery bag which is holding…
Hitarthi: Five sets of headphones, as you requested.
Winston: Perfect. Thanks, Hitarthi.
Hitarthi: Yeah, so, tell me again why you needed me to grab these at the store?
Sylvia: We need them to fight against a new monster.
Hitarthi: …Okay, but…how?
Winston: The new monster makes this sound that can drive people crazy, so, we need headphones to block out its noise.
Benny: We could also just cover our ears, but that's not gonna make it easier to fight him.
Hitarthi: (chuckles) A monster that can be stopped by covering your ears? And you thought this ranger stuff would be dangerous.
Winston: Didn't you hear the part about it driving people crazy?
Benny: Right. Speaking of which…
The others then turn their attention to Jackie.
Jackie: …What?
Benny: Uh, look, Jackie—
Sylvia: We think you should stay here.
Jackie: What!? N-No! I'm going too! I don't just want to get beaten!
Winston: Sorry Jack, but with your shark hearing, the headphones might not be enough to block out the sound.
Sylvia: Exactly. You don't wanna go berserk again, right?
Jackie: But that's what these countermeasures are for though! If just covering your ears with your hands works for normal hearing, I should be fine with headphones!
Winston: I get where you're coming from, but there's no guarantee though.
Jackie: This isn't up for debate! That monster forced me to fight the people I care about, and I want to be there when it gets destroyed!
Benny: O-Okay! You can come. Just… make sure your headphones will stay on, alright? We just don't want you getting hurt.
Jackie: (blushes a little) Uh, y-yeah, of course. I'll, uh…I'll make sure.
Winston: (notices the 5th ungrabbed headphone pair) How's Caleb doing by the way?
Sylvia: He's in that Frida girl's neighborhood. She hurt her hand while she was possessed, and he offered to stay and make sure she's okay.
Benny: Alright. Let's just hope he'll be ready if that monster comes back.
The others nod in agreement, say for Hitarthi.
After a brief shot of Frida's one-story house from the outside in this neighborhood on the edge of the city, we cut inside to see Frida, sitting on her couch, now with a cast around her injured right hand, while the other holds her guitar. In her right fingers is a guitar pick, which she tries to start playing. But all she's able to get in is one strum of the guitar before she winces a little in pain. Meanwhile, Caleb is standing a few feet away with a look of guilt.
Frida: That's it…I can't play like this.
She then puts her guitar down on the other side of the couch and grabs her audition flyer on her end table. She looks at it with disappointment, then crumbles it with her left hand, which makes Caleb's expression turn a little bit more serious as a result.
Caleb: No. (she looks up at him) You can't give up now.
Frida: But the audition's coming up soon, and I only play well with my right hand!
Caleb: Then I'll help you with that!
Frida: Yeah no, I think I've had enough of your help today! After all, it's YOUR fault I caught up in that monster attack!
Caleb: You're right! It was my mistake, so, therefore, it's my problem to fix right now! Be mad at me all you want, but you should still go to that audition!
Frida: What's the point!? I'd probably just fail, anyway!
Caleb: Based on what, one injured hand!?
Frida: You don't get it! This is the first gig in months I've had some time for! Every other time there was one, I ended up missing it, being too busy with a job, or trying to get into college, which even then, I was never able to get enough tuition money for! And now, just when I think I have something going well, this happens! (falls onto her couch)
As she sits there annoyed, Caleb lets out a deep sigh, but…comes up with an idea.
Caleb: (moves her guitar aside/sits on her couch) I know you don't want me around, but there's something I wanna tell you. See this on my cheek? Sure, now it just looks like a standard scar, but…there's a lot more to it than that.
Frida: What do you mean?
Caleb: Ever since I was little, I've wanted to be a zookeeper. Lions were always my favorite. So, when I grew up, I did everything I could to start working with lions at my town's local zoo, and eventually, I got a job there during the summertime…But during my first week of training…I made a terrible mistake that could've cost me my life. And sure, I made it out of there, but…not without these.
He then grabs the bottom of his shirt…and lifts it to reveal large claw scars on his torso; Frida's eyes widening in surprise.
Frida: …The lions did that to you?
Caleb: Yes. (lets go of his shirt) I've also got more on my back and some faded bite marks on my neck.
Frida: Jeez…How did you get out of there?
Caleb: The other zookeepers scared off the lions, trying not to hurt them. Then after about, I wanna say, a few days in the hospital and hours of surgery, I got to a point one night when I was just…sitting there, and I thought…that was it. I'm done. I'm never gonna make my dream come true...But then I remembered…my childhood…And how the first time I went to the zoo, all I could think about was the lions…I couldn't let that little boy I once was down. So, I did everything I could to get better. And sure, sometimes it was grueling, especially the physical therapy, but…once I took the leap, and stopped worrying about what could be or what was…I got better. I got stronger. And eventually, as you can tell, I was able to get back to work, peruse what I love, and not only find work at another zoo…but even become a Power Ranger…If I can do all of that…there's no reason you shouldn't be able to at least accomplish something with just that hand! It may not be what you want…but at least it's something.
Frida: …You know…I still got some time before the audition…Tell you what. Let me practice for a bit and…I'll see what I can do.
Caleb: (smiles) Glad to hear it, Frida.
But then, we hard cut to a bridge overlooking a road in another part of Dolphin Coast, and of course, standing on that bridge is none other than Motorslug.
Motorslug: Watch out Earth! Motorslug is back! And ready for some loud chaotic action! Check it!
He turns his rebuilt shoulder horn towards the road, which starts to glow gold….
Benny: Stop!
Motorslug: Huh?
…but fortunately, our heroes, minus Caleb, have arrived.
Motorslug: Tch. Back for more, Zoo-Keepers?
Sylvia: You bet we are.
Winston: And this time we're ready.
Jackie: Let's get these on!
Everyone puts their headphones on…And then Jackie whips out a long silver cloth piece and raps it around part of her head and neck…Followed by her whipping out a surprise blue motorcycle helmet out of nowhere and placing that over her head too.
Jackie: I'm invincible!
The camera then comedically cuts to a wide shot, showing that she's facing the wrong direction.
Sylvia: (runs up to her and turns her) You're a little off, Jackie.
Benny: So...you can see out of that, right?
Jackie: Of course, I can.
This is of course said as she faces her head in the wrong direction, and Sylvia then turns it back toward the monster ahead of them.
Winston: (as he pulls out his Morpher) ...Okay, NOW we're ready.
The team presses the right buttons in their Morphers, spin the tops 3 times while saying "Zoo Mode Go!", close them, wave them to their right side, and then open them up to instamorph right there. And just like with Caleb, the headphones are now on everyone's helmets, along with the motorcycle helmet/silver scarf comedically now covering up Jackie's helmet. But just as the team draws their Savage Sabers and runs toward the nearby Motorslug…
Motorslug: This new upgrade should take care of that! Check it, slowpokes!
This is said as his horn shoulder increases in size and turns gold before he aims his shoulder at the charging rangers. The same sound as before plays, but a bit louder and with a gold noise effect instead of a grey one, and while it only makes Jackie come to a running stop, it makes the others stop in place and over their ears…only for their headphones to spark and come off their helmets. This is followed by three zooms into Benny, Winston, and Sylvia's faces showing their eyes are now glowing.
Jackie: Uh, y-you are still in there, right!?
Benny: …Drive, drive!
Winston and Sylvia: Drive, drive!
The corrupted rangers start flailing their arms and striking at each other with their Sabers; Jackie falling in surprise.
Motorslug: Your puny headphones are no match for my upgrade! Check it!
Hard cut back to Frida's place as she steps out the door with her guitar case in hand, her headphones on her neck, and Caleb behind her.
Frida: (breaths out) Okay. I've made my decision.
Caleb: Alright. What do you think?
Frida: …Look. This isn't the audition day I wanted, that's for sure. But you're right. I can't just give up. If you survived with lions, I'll survive this audition… Plus, a YELLOW RANGER likes my music. So, there's gotta be something worth it, right?…But, in all seriousness, thank you for helping me out, Caleb.
Caleb: (smiles) Just trying to be a gentleman…And again, I'm really sorry I got your hand hurt, I—
But then, his lion zord hops up from behind him onto his shoulder and roars.
Caleb: OH NO, not now!
Frida: Is that monster back?
Caleb: He's gotta be. UGH. Sorry Frida, but—
Frida: Go. I can handle myself.
Caleb: Right. I'll come find you after I beat that noise machine.
But then, as he whips out his Morpher…
Frida: Oh wait!
Caleb: What is it?
Frida: You'll need to block out that thing's noise, right? (takes off her headphones and pulls out her phone) If you promise to RETURN THEM, you can use these.
Frida: (smiles and accept them) Understood.
Back over to the rangers, things still aren't going well. We see Benny and Winston struggle with each other for a second before Benny punches him back as Jackie tries to run up and stop them from fighting, only for Sylvia to run up from the side, pull her back, and punch her onto the ground.
Motorslug: (chuckles) Looks like you're the only one left Blue. CHECK IT.
The monster aims his golden horn towards Jackie, who kneels up into a battle stance, ready to keep fighting.
But then…Caleb finally runs up to the fight a few yards away.
Caleb: There you are you motor maniac!
Now, this part of the fight is going to be a little confusing to describe so bear with me. After Caleb says this line of dialog, we cut to a waiting room of the music office where Frida's guitar audition is being held. We see her sitting in a chair, getting a few more bandages wrapped around her hand before cutting back to Caleb holding up the headphones.
Caleb: This one's for you Frida.
He puts the headphones on as Jackie gets on her feet, and Motorslug stands there confused. Then, we cut back over to Frida. Her audition is finally ready to begin as she stands in a room being watched being two people inside of a recording booth ready to see what she's got in store. She takes a deep breath, in and out…then raises her guitar chip with her bandaged hand up to the strings…and starts playing the song we heard Caleb listen to at the beginning of the episode, wincing a little from moving her hand. But that doesn't stop her as she keeps playing and we cut back over to Caleb.
The yellow ranger shoots a glare at Motorslug and then lets out a loud "roar" before getting on all fours like a lion and rushing forward.
Jackie: (still trying to stop the others) Caleb! The headphones aren't enough!
Motorslug: (chuckles) It's payback time!
Once again, he aims his golden horn at Caleb and starts blasting his corrupting sound. But with all the energy in his voice, Caleb yells out in slightly slow motion…
Caleb: SHUT UP!
He yells this while running forward, and it ends up being strong enough to cancel out the horn sound.
Motorslug: WHAT!?
Jackie: (covering her ears) Huh!?
Caleb: (still charging) I don't wanna hear that crap anymore!
Finally, close enough, he jumps forward, fist curled, and punches Motorslug right in the face so hard that sparks and even oil drops appear.
Jackie: Caleb's roaring…canceled out the noise!?
Then, the beastly Brit whips out his Morpher and turns the top to the animal side.
Motorslug: I won't let my sound be beat! (blares his horn again)
Caleb (instamorphing) ZOO MODE GO!
With a yellow flash, Mr. Lachlan has transformed into his ranger suit, headphones on, and still unaffected, as Motorslug gets worried, and Frida's song reaches its end.
Caleb: ALL I WANT TO HEAR… (said with high volume)
Cue one more shot of Frida at the audition, still rocking out on her guitar.
Caleb: …IS THIS MUSIC!
As he says this, the eyes on his suit glow bright, and in an instant, his Primal Power gloves are summoned.
Caleb: PRIMAL POWER!
Of course, while screaming this out, he leaps forward and lightning slashes right through Motorslug's horn, damaging it beyond repair. And as Motorslug falls to the ground, we cut back to a now sweating Frida as she finishes up the last notes of her song and it finally ends. She's done it. She played the audition.
Back to the fight, with the horn damaged, Benny, Winston, and Sylvia finally start returning to normal, of course, a little confused by their position.
Winston: Huh?
Benny: What the…
Sylvia: What was I doing?
We then see Jackie take off her extra headgear and run up to Caleb.
Jackie: It's nice to hear the loudmouth used well, dude.
Caleb: (while taking off his headphones) Haha, very funny.
Motorslug (stands up) No! Look what you rangers did to my beautifully upgraded horn!
Caleb: (after the others group up with him) Alright. LADS! LET'S GO!
And now, for the roll call, only this time, it's slightly shorter, so that only the camera panning around part of the Sentai footage occurs as their ranger titles are stated.
Caleb: Keeper of the Savannah! Yellow Lion Ranger!
Benny: Keeper of the Sky! Red Eagle Ranger!
Jackie: Keeper of the Ocean! Blue Shark Ranger!
Winston: Keeper of the Forest! Green Elephant Ranger!
Sylvia: Keeper of the Tundra! White Tigress Ranger!
Caleb: POWER RANGERS…(said with more volume)
The Others: Zoo-Keepers! (Cue non-greenscreen pose with CGI logo effect)
Motorslug: FINE. I guess I'm gonna a little more help on this one. (pulls out coins) Let's do this, Amoebanoids!
Of course, he throws the coins and summons the grunts.
Caleb: Let's get animalistic!
Now we get a real fight scene for this episode. Caleb lunges forward and tackles an Amoebanoid to the ground, before getting back on his feet and slashing at a few that get too close with his gloves before we cut over to Jackie as she counters a fight attempted hits and knocks down at least one of the foot soldiers. Over to Winston, he quickly punches a few Amoebanoids trying to surround him, before grabbing one, pushing it into some of its friends and then punching away more as they try to overwhelm him before we get a few seconds of Sylvia using her legs and gloves to keep her enemies at bay.
Over with Benny, he does a pretty good job smacking away and dodging several Amoebanoids who try attacking him, but then, out of the sky comes some of those jetpack Amoebanoids from back in Episode 1, who fire lasers down upon him. Fortunately, Benny dodges all their hits, and yelling out "Primal Power" and growing his wings which allow him to take flight and take down the flying freaks in footage that I think is just borrowed footage from Episode 1, but whatever. Point is, he takes them out.
Motorslug: Oh, come on! (said as he whips out his bat club)
Benny then lands back down on the ground and the others group up with him in a line.
Caleb: It's time to finish this!
Motorslug: (as they charge forward) Bring it on!
We then get the greenscreen wheel feet footage from earlier in the episode again, which means that Motorslug zooms forward, and then see the others getting smacked back hard by his golden weapon before falling onto the ground as Motorslug comes to a screeching stop.
Motorslug: I'm gonna make roadkill out of you rangers! (zooms forward again)
Caleb: (as he gets up) Not on my watch!
The two loud enemies let out battle yells as they charge forward straight toward each other, only for them to shortly collide. Despite struggling while he does it, Caleb brings Motorslug to a screeching stop, of course aggravating the monster.
Motorslug: Oh no!
Caleb: Oh yeah!
He lets go of the monster and gets him back a few times until he's up against the bridge's railing. Caleb then runs up, partially backflips off of Motorslug, kicks him back into the railing, then leaps back onto him and slashes him a few times with his gloves, before getting in one more good slash as he flips off of him.
Motorslug: Oh, you punk!
The monster whips out his club again trying to hit Caleb, who then dodges the weak swing and kickflips off him again, kicking Motorslug a few feet away onto his back, before striking a pose as the others group back up with him.
Caleb: Finisher time!
He, of course, yells this, which spooks the others for a second, especially Jackie who covers her ears for a second.
Jackie, Caleb, Winston, and Sylvia: PRIMAL Power! (grows their suit upgrades)
Benny: Gorilla Mode! Go!
He says this while grabbing the bottom of his helmet and quickly pulls it up to the gorilla side, and shifting into his Red Gorilla Ranger form. Then the team forms a slightly different version of their weird pose from the last episode where, but instead of Benny standing on Caleb and Winston's back, he stands on Winston's legs while he holds Benny's legs at the same time, while Jackie and Sylvia grab his sides, and Caleb stands off to the right of the screen, claws raised as the team finally names the pose.
The Rangers: Fury Formation!
Motorslug: (gets up) What the…!?
Like last time, multi-colored energy rises off the team as they wave their arms around, charging up their finisher, and a giant red energy fist forms.
The Rangers: WILD FINAL…STRIKE!
With that, Benny pushes the giant fist forward while Caleb throws out lightning slashes. The claw mark-like energy gets thrown right into Motorslug before immediately being followed up by the giant fist. Motorslug sparks/smokes up for a few seconds, and then lets out one more scream before falling onto his back and blowing up in a blast of fire and cube particles; the team standing victorious.
Onboard the Arrow Galion, Blockhead obviously isn't pleased with the outcome of this scenario.
Blockhead: What!? Ugh...Midaria, go down there and help him.
Midaria: (as she pulls out a coin) Fine.
Hard cut back down to Earth.
Midaria: (fully teleports down) Let's hope your noise is more effective on the macro scale, Motorslug.
She kneels and pushes the coin into his slot, a few flames in the frame as she does, and Motorslug wakes back up, cackling as he grows gigantic, and the rangers run up.
Motorslug: Get ready rangers! Now I'm really gonna make roadkill out of you! Check it!
Benny: Cubimals Go! (as he pulls out the Gorilla zord)
The others do the same with their zords, letting them fly into the air and grow giant, which catches the wheel-footed monster off guard. The Mountain Gorilla zord runs forward and blasts shots at Motorslug which he deflects with his arms.
Benny: Take this! (spins his command cube)
The Mountain Gorilla zord leaps forward and goes into cubic form, slamming into his chest and landing back onto the ground.
Benny: Alright!
Sylvia: Hey, Benny!
Benny: Huh?
Cue a quick shot of the Tiger and Elephant zords running next to the Gorilla zord.
Sylvia: What's say we give this psycho biker some payback?
Winston: I say we go Wild Kong.
Benny: Gotcha!
The Gorilla Ranger opens up his Morpher and presses the 4, 5, and 6 buttons like the last episode.
Benny: Megazord activate!
You know the drill, he turns the top after closing it, the zords stack on top of each other, and their newest mech is back for another battle.
Benny, Winston, and Sylvia: Wild Kong Megazord! Ready!
Motorslug: What're you carpooling?
Benny, Winston, and Sylvia: Congo Cannon!
The Megazord's signature weapon fires rapid blasts at the monster, but unfortunately, while his shoulder horn is still super damaged, he still has his other weapons on him, including his speed which he uses to dodge all of the shots fired at him, surprising Benny. Our monster of the week slams into the Megazord's chest then whips out his golden club and his them more while saying…
Motorslug: I'll knock you down like the stacked blocks you are! (the Megazord falls over) How do you like that!
But then, the Shark and Lion zords pull a surprise attack and pull the double bites on both sides.
Caleb: Benny! Combine with us!
Benny: Okay! (he flips his helmet down) Bald Eagle Zord!
He whips out his zord and then hops out of the Megazord into his first Cubimal. Motorslug then shakes the two carnivorous zords on his sides off, and we hard cut to the 3 zords stacking on top of each other to quickly form the Zoo King Megazord.
Benny, Jackie, and Caleb: Zoo King Megazord, Ready!
Motorslug: (gets slashed in the back) What!? (while striking with their weapons à) Pretty dirty trick striking from behind!
Then, as the sword and club clash together, the Wild Kong Megazord stands back up.
Sylvia: Says the monster who possessed us!
Winston: It's payback time!
This is said as he spins his command cube and makes the Wild Kong fire right in Motorslug's back, allowing the Zoo King Megazord to slash him away.
Then, after a quick cool pose shot of the two mechs…
Caleb: It's double finisher time!
Benny and Jackie: Right!
Sylvia: Okay!
The Wild Kong Megazord aims its blaster and the Zoo King Megazord then runs forward as Motorslug stands back up.
Winston and Sylvia: WILD…! (they fire a shot)
Benny, Jackie, and Caleb: FINAL…! (their sword sparks up)
The shots all land on Motorslug as the Zoo King Megazord slides forward and slashes right through him with the whole team yells…
The Rangers: STRIKE!
The Zoo King Megazord then comes to a halt as Motorslug starts sparking red electricity.
Motorslug: (straining) Oh well! At least it was a fun ride! Augh!
The speedy snail monster falls onto his back with that scream and blows up in a nice big fiery explosion while the Zoo King Megazord raises its blade victorious.
Winston: Phew.
Sylvia: We did it!
As the other trio celebrates, Caleb and Jackie step out of their cubes and sit next to Benny while joining him in saying…
Benny, Jackie, and Caleb: Aliens zero, animals WON!
Cue one more shot of the Zoo King and Wild Kong Megazords standing side by side.
We then cut over to the outside of the music office and see Frida walking with her guitar case, and what looks like a business card.
Caleb: Frida! There you are!
She looks up to see Caleb running up, with the others standing nearby.
Frida: (smiles) Hey Caleb.
Caleb: (as he stops) So, how'd it go?
Frida: …I didn't pass.
Caleb: What!? …Oh, man! (sighs) This is all my fault. You know what? Go ahead! I've earned a hit for this one!
He braces for impact, expecting a slap or punch or something, but then…
Frida: Why would I do that? …You were right, Caleb. I'm glad I didn't give up. Check this out.
She then holds up the card in her hand. He looks at it, revealing that it is indeed a calling card reading "Dolphin Coast Music Office".
Frida: I didn't technically pass, but they said I could come back if I make more music. It wasn't quite what I was expecting, but…it's a nice stepping stone.
Caleb: (takes this in) …Really!?
This makes her flinch for a second.
Caleb: (chuckles) Wait to go, Frida!...Oh, right. (coughs) Here you go. (hands her back her headphones and phone)
Frida: AH, yes. (takes back her items) Thank you for returning them, this time.
Caleb: (chuckles) No problem, m'lady!
We then cut to the others who are watching nearby.
Benny: Huh. I guess Caleb…IS a ladies' man.
Jackie: (rubbing her ears) Ugh. Now if only he was a quieter one. My ears are a little tired from all that yelling.
Benny: Well, if you want, your headphones might make you feel more comfortable.
He grabs the headphones and places them on her ears.
Jackie: (blushes a little) Oh. T-Thanks, that…actually feels nice on my ears.
Close by, Sylvia smirks at Jackie's blush before she nudges Winston with her elbow and points to Jackie and Benny, which he picks up on and gives a thumbs up to. But then, just when that seems like an alright place to end the episode, we cut to the true final scene of this episode, or to be more specific…
We cut to Crothers Woods in Toronto, Canada at 2 AM.
Naturally, it's dark out in this beautiful forest, and as the camera pans down to the leaves on the ground…we see Harris walk into the shot. Naturally, his theme begins to play subtly in the background as we pan back to see his full body (all be it, obscured by shadows). But then a strange noise can be heard.
The Birdman comes to a stop, looks to his right, and sees…a glowing light coming from a leaf pile.
Suddenly, the leaves shake, and from the pile, something small and glowing flies out, quickly zooming straight toward Harris. Thankfully, he reacts fast and catches the small glowing item right as it's about to hit his face, the glow of said object almost instantly fading upon being caught. The Birdman then lowers his arm and looks at his hand.
Harris: Ah...I've been looking for you, little one…It's nice to see you're safe.
The episode ends as the camera cuts to his hand, revealing the item to be…a small purple Cubimal with an exclamation mark symbol on it.
Tune in next time for "Episode 9: Diurnal Dismay"