EPISODE 16: BLACKENED RHINO PART 1—HALLOWEEN SPECIAL
(Adapted from "An Extra Player Interlopes", "Branded with Fear", "The Terrifying Sniper" and "Find The Jyumans")
This episode starts on the Arrow Galion. But this time, things are a bit different. Similarly, to Episode 11's ending, we see Sagittar sitting alone on his throne at nighttime with nothing but the lights in his eyes and the ship's monitor to illuminate the cockpit as said monitor is scanning the planet for what seems to be a forest because large areas of Asia, Africa, South America, and Australia are highlighted on screen.
Sagittar: I know you still exist…Where are you?
Then, the sliding door to the cockpit opens, and out steps Midaria, quickly joining him by his side.
Midaria: Any luck on your findings yet?
Sagittar: No, but some form of wait is expected when scanning a planet.
Midaria: …Look, I…I get what you're trying to do, but outside of that Gorilla we saw when Blockhead went down, are you sure any are still—
Sagittar: There are more Zoomans out there…Just not in the way you would expect.
Midaria: Well, what, or I guess WHERE, are you looking at?
Sagittar: A secret location few know about surrounded by jungle…Where animal spirits now rest from war.
Suddenly, a beeping or lock-on sound is heard from the monitor as it zooms in on a particular rainforest offscreen (but we don't see a ton of detailing on it).
Sagittar: THAT'S what I'm looking for.
Midaria: …You know, if you do this, it's only a matter of time before the others find out about your history with this planet.
Sagittar: (sighs) I know…But we shall cross that bridge another time.
Midaria: We'll be ready in the morning then?
Sagittar: Absolutely, my dear.
We then jump cut hours later, the cockpit looking normal again, and see Huntoceros cleaning the silver end of his rifle, ready to go on a mission.
Huntoceros: So, it's my turn now? FINALLY. I feel like I've been stuck up here for weeks.
Midaria: (as the camera cuts over to her) Think fast!
She says this while whipping out a continuation coin before tossing it up. Huntoceros acts quickly, throwing away the cloth he was using and spinning around before aiming at the still airborne coin and firing a shot. Upon being hit, the coin flies down toward the ground; Insidion catching it quickly and revealing his shot put a hole through it.
Insidion: Impressive.
Sagittar: Indeed.
Huntoceros: As you can see, I am more than ready to bring back the 3 targets you've found on Earth. DEAD of course.
He starts chuckling and heading toward the cockpit's exit.
Blockhead: (who's standing at their bar) Wish we knew more about these mystery targets.
He reaches for a glass, which is then quickly shot by Huntoceros.
Huntoceros: Not to worry. Once I'm finished with my work on Earth, you'll find out this hunt's true purpose VERY soon, old man.
The new hunter leaves, chuckling again.
Blockhead: (whispering) What do you think he's up to?
Insidion: (whispers) I'm as confused as you.
We cut down to Earth with a shot of jungle treetops at nighttime…But it's no ordinary rainforest…Because in the corner of the shot is something big…A massive tree taller than all the others, which looks twisted into a certain angle with three massive, interconnected trunks AKA…The Rhino Nexus from Power Rangers: JUNGLE FURY.
The camera then cuts down into another area of this rainforest to a cubic temple.
We then get a few shots of carvings. Ones that depict Zoomans, and some of the Pai Zhuq masters.
Huntoceros enters the frame, walking through this misty location. Creepy, almost Haunted Mansion like music plays in the background.
Rifle gripped in his hands tighter than usual, he looks around and more artwork depicting animal people…and some monsters. We see references to Rinshi, Dai Shi, the Overlords, the Phantom Beast generals/warriors...and a monster we "haven't seen"…Yet.
Alright, enough foreshadowing.
Huntoceros finally comes to a stop and looks up.
In front of him are three statues that we only see as connected silhouettes due to obscuring shadows of the treetops.
Huntoceros: (whispering) So they're stuck like this?...Not much or a hunt, but…whatever it takes.
He then loads up his sniper rifle…and aims it at the statues in front of him.
With that, three blaster shots ring out as we cut to more clear but still shadowy shots of these "statues" revealing what they are. A rhino, crocodile, and wolf…These aren't statues of Zoomans…These are Zoomans frozen in stasis that Huntoceros just killed in their sleep. This is only confirmed when the camera cuts back to reveal the bodies are now back on the Arrow Galion, hanging in a smoky, purple-lit room from ropes. But what's made even worse is the camera panning down to…a captured human.
Though the shot is slightly dark, we can at least make out an African-American man with a lean build and black curly hair.
His shirt is off, he has grey pants on, and his arms are in chains while his head hangs low, implying he's either unconscious or sleeping.
And then we see Midaria and Sagittar are in this room as well.
Midaria: I hope this is to your liking. I made sure they were dead before breaking their stasis.
Sagittar: Like it? I LOVE IT. Now then. It's time to unleash the SIXTH POWER.
As he finishes this sentence, he holds up something…A cube that looks indigo in this lighting and starts glowing. At that moment, the eyes of the human captive shoot open, and he raises his head, screaming in pain while what appears to be the animal spirits of the now-deceased Zoomans flow from their bodies into the captured human.
All while Sagittar laughs maniacally over this.
Cue Theme Song (1 Minute)
On a lighter note, we then cut down to Earth with a shot of the zoo. Its entrance has fall decorations which means one thing. Halloween. We get a few quick second long shots showing off how the zoo celebrates this holiday, ending with a shot of the Washi Residence's front porch, which seems to be decorated for trick or treaters.
Then, we cut down to the Sanctum to a shot of the elevator door opening as Martha and Benny step out in costume.
Martha's dressed as a vampire and Benny's dressed as a treasure hunter/explorer.
The two strike conversation as they step into the Sanctum.
Benny: I don't know, mom. I mean, I've done some of the Halloween stuff, but…the whole zoo in a night?
Martha: I think you should try it out. Plus, it'd be a lot better with friends around, right?
Benny: Sure, but…y-you know I haven't done that kind of stuff since…dad—
Martha: I know, I know, but just think about it for a little at least. Because if you don't, I may have to suck your blood!
She says this while putting on a fake vampire voice.
Benny: (chuckles) Alright. I'll keep it in mind.
We then cut over to Caleb, who's dressed as a British royal guard, and Sylvia, who's dressed as a certain creature.
Sylvia: Taking some inspiration from Marry old England, I see.
Caleb: But of course, m'lady. And what fine nightmare might you be?
Sylvia: Beware, for I am the Chupacabra! The blood-sucker of Mexico!... And also, Puerto Rico and Texas.
We then cut over to Winston and Jackie in the middle of a conversation, but an interesting thing is that while Winston is dressed in Safari clothes, Jackie has no costume.
Jackie: Oh please. Name one part of your job that could be scarier than nearly getting your hand bitten off by a shark you're trying to feed.
Winston: Well, I wouldn't say it's scarier than that, but with that said…have you ever cleaned up after a constipated elephant?
Martha: Alright everyone, gather around. So, I hope you're all aware of what to expect tonight. Although I'm giving you all time off, remember to be on the lookout for any shady characters or trouble that could occur. Speaking of trouble, still no word on any monster attacks?
Winston: Nothing. Sagittar and his crew have been surprisingly quiet lately.
Sylvia: Yeah. Normally, I like the break…but for this many weeks?
Caleb: No ships, no Amoebanoids, no monsters, it's all very suspicious.
Jackie: All the more reason to be ready for anything then.
Martha: Exactly. Alright, well, you're all pretty much free to go as you wish from here. Ready to head up Benny?
Benny: I think I'll stay down here actually. Haven't trained with the Eagle Shredder in while.
Martha: Alright. I'll be setting up the porch for trick or treaters if you need me.
Benny starts walking over to the training section, Martha heads for the elevator, and Winston and Caleb teleport out of the Sanctum. But Jackie stays behind watching Benny while he walks over to train…as does Sylvia. Only she is looking at Jackie with a face that just screams "I have an idea". Jackie, noticing this, and remembering what happened last time they talked, blushes and quickly responds.
Jackie: OH NO. I don't want any ideas right now, Syl.
Sylvia: Hey, I'm not gonna push you to do anything you don't want to, Jack. BUT…now's a good time.
Jackie: UGH. I wish I hadn't let that slip.
Sylvia: I'll see you later, Jackie.
She whips out her Morpher, says Doubutsu, and teleports out.
Jackie then looks across the way at Benny as he swings around his Eagle Shredder a bit.
With a deep breath, she decides to take this chance.
Benny: Hiyah! Ha! Take that, monster!
Jackie: H-Hey, dude.
The red ranger is spooked and drops his sword, quickly picking it back up.
Benny: Oh! Jackie. You're uh, ahem, you're still here. W-Which isn't a bad thing! I just, umm…uh, a-anyway, uh, I noticed you don't seem to have a costume on today.
Jackie: Yeah, I'm not really a big Halloween person honestly. Figured I'd stay home and watch some Shark documentaries or something scary.
Benny: Huh. W-Well, no judgments here. I don't really do the whole "big celebration at the zoo" thing. A-At least, not for long.
Jackie: Cool, cool….Umm…w-well, uh, while I'm still here, I wanted to…ask you something!
Benny: Sure. I'm all ears. Maybe not as much as your ears, but…
Jackie: (chuckles) Good one. W-Well…uh…you know, obviously I'm not looking to be out tonight, but…if you have some free time next week, n-not that you have to give any of it up, it's just preferred and all…uh, I-I was wondering if maybe…y-you and I—W-We, or us? I mean, n-not that there is an us yet—I MEAN…ugh…Okay, I'm just gonna come out and say it already.
Benny: (blushing) W-What're you trying to say?
Jackie: (breaths out) Benny? Would you—
But then, the two are interrupted by their zords hopping up and making worried sounds for the first time in weeks.
Benny: Oh, you gotta be kidding me!
Jackie: Of course they couldn't give us a holiday.
Benny: First one back in weeks. Let's hope we can handle it.
Jackie: Only one way to find out, right?
The two whip out their Morphers, yell Doubutsu and teleport out of the Sanctum…
...unaware of the great danger that's about to unfold.
Hard cut to the sky above Dolphin Coast with an army of Tristar Ships in the sky. After a showing a few people taking notice of the impending danger, we cut inside the cockpit of one ship revealing this week's new hunter (Adapted from the player "Trumpus") standing next to the Amoebanoid pilot.
Cardlada: Hahaha! Let's hope these humans brought a full deck to this week's hunt!
(He sounds like Dune Bug from 'Skylanders: Swap Force')
Because of his design, this new monster can pull out a deck of cards from out of a slot on his back.
The camera gets a shot of him looking over his deck which transitions perfectly into the rest of the Shooting Star Poachers looking at him through their monitor.
Blockhead: Tch. Talk about a literal trump card.
Insidion: Cardlada is more than that. His powers will open up various possibilities for hunts, including some even I may not be able to predict.
Sagittar: I appreciate the effort, Insidion…
The music comes to a stop as he sits up on his throne.
Sagittar: …but I'd like to put this on hold and show you too something.
Insidion and Blockhead: Huh?
Sagittar looks to his left lets out a whistle, and the revolving cockpit door opens to reveal a close-up of Midaria and Huntoceros' faces. Side note, because Huntoceros' counterpart in Zyuohger was dead at this point in the story and not a key general, this would be a brief footage edit.
Midaria: Gentlemen.
As she steps into the room…she's followed by a third person we haven't seen yet.
The sight of them makes Insidion gasp.
And we quickly see why as while we don't get a full-body shot of this new character just yet, we do get a shot of their legs.
…Revealing they're wearing boots…that look exactly like the Zoo-Keeper's boots but with inverted colors.
Blockhead: It can't be.
Sagittar: Operation Sixth Power is now in full effect.
While finishing this sentence, we get a shot of the mystery figure's black-gloved hand clenching tightly while a faint scream is heard in the background.
Hard cut back to Cardlada in the Tri-Star ship as he ready's his deck.
Cardlada: Let the games begin!
Benny: Attack!
Cardlada: Huh!?
Hard cut to the Mountain Gorilla zord firing its golden canon and destroying at least 4 ships.
Cardlada: Gah! Rangers already!?
The African Lion zord then destroys more ships with a lightning blast from its mouth, followed by the Reef Shark zord leaping into the air and chomping through a ship, and then a shot of the Pygmy Elephant and Siberian Tiger Zords charging with the Gorilla zord.
Winston: THIS is their plan?
Sylvia: Tch. Talk about recycling ideas.
Benny: At least we're ready for it.
The team takes their Morphers out of their command cubes.
The Rangers: Megazord activate!
Cue transformation footage of the zords folding and stacking into their currently most powerful Megazord combination.
The Rangers: Zooman Fusion Megazord! Ready!
The Tri-Star ships fire down upon the mech, but their shots have zero effect.
Benny: This is too easy!
He then turns his Morpher top to the animal side, initiating their finishing move rather quickly.
The Rangers: Wild Zooman Final Strike!
Energy pours over them as they spin their command cubes and send out an animal spirit beam from the Megazord's chest, utterly obliterating what's left of the fleet, but not before our monster of the week makes a hasty retreat.
Cardlada: Oh dear!
He quickly leaps out of the cockpit as it explodes and falls from the sky with a yell.
After a quick shot of our rangers looking confused, we hard cut to Cardlada falling to the ground and landing in a grassy area with a thud.
Cardlada: (groans/gets up) What a disappointing waste!
We then see the rangers coming in for a landing as well behind him…only to land behind him, demorphing as they do.
And yes, they're still in their Halloween costumes.
Caleb: That's enough of you!
Cardlada: Greetings mighty Zoo-Keepers! I am…uh…umm…
He stops talking as he looks at the rangers in their costumes, again, minus Jackie, and thinks this is a joke.
Cardlada: (starts laughing) You can't be serious!
Benny: W-What?
Cardlada: YOU are the rangers?
Winston: …Who else would be exactly?
Cardlada: Could have fooled me with those ridiculous suits you're wearing! (laughs)
Jackie: Those aren't our ranger suits, they're Halloween costumes.
Cardlada: Still silly regardless!
Benny: It's Halloween! Humans dress up like this!
Winston: Yeah, what's your excuse?... Actually, wait. Aren't all you supposed to be mutations of animal DNA or something?
Cardlada: Indeed! I am Cardlada! A regal fusion of your planet's playing card system and the DNA of the fanged and beautiful Gelada Baboon!
Cue a second or two of silence.
Caleb: I wouldn't have guessed that in a million years!
Sylvia: Yeah, I'm seeing like…a red face and long hair at most.
Jackie: This is lazy even for these guys.
Cardlada: Tch. Mock my design as you wish but looks can be deceiving! And like real baboons, I intend to monkey around this hunt with the crazy cards in my deck!
He finishes the sentence while reaching back for said deck again…only for it to be hit by an energy shot.
As the monster yells out in surprise in pain, we see Jackie is the one who fired the shot with her Savage Blaster.
Jackie: Like we're gonna let that happen!
Cardlada: My beautiful cards! You're going to pay for that—
Jackie: Yeah, yeah, yeah, now can we hurry this up already!? I don't know about you guys, but I was in the middle of something important.
Benny: Yeah, I second that.
Jackie: (Morpher in hand) Ready!?
The Others: (Morphers in hand) Ready!
Without even seeing it, they press the necessary buttons before quickly closing the top.
The Rangers: It's Morphing Time! (as they spin the tops) Zoo Mode Go!
With that, the team does an odd instamorph whereas they're about to wave their Morphers, we hard cut to the end of them morphing as their helmets appear.
Cardlada: (mockingly) Oh no! More costumes!
Jackie: Keeper of the Ocean! Blue Shark Ranger!
Benny: Keeper of the Sky! Red Eagle Ranger!
Caleb: Keeper of the Savannah! Yellow Lion Ranger!
Winston: Keeper of the Forest! Green Elephant Ranger!
Sylvia: Keeper of the Tundra! White Tigress Ranger!
Jackie: Power Rangers!
The Rangers: Zoo-Keepers! (cue on-location team pose with multicolored CGI logo)
Cardlada: Well, helmets and tacky suits aside, I am more than my cards! And I'm not leaving until I get a chance to play!
Jackie: You go ballistic, we go animalistic! Primal Power!
She says this while sliding her hands up her head in a way similar but distinct from benny's helmet slick back gesture. Now, the camera is focusing on her facing forward, so when the second sentence is said, we see her suit's eyes glow blue, but we don't get the usual transformation, and instead get a seamless one where, as the glow fades, Jackie strikes a pose that makes her side face the camera more, revealing her Sharkfin on her back.
Cardlada: What in the name of—?
Jackie: SHARK…Spin Dash!
The attack is performed while she yells this out, directly hitting Cardlada until an explosion sends him flying through the air and over to a quarry. His body steams as the team quickly catches up nearby with Savage Blasters and Sabers in hand. Winston, Caleb, and Sylvia all fire shots that directly hit Cardlada in the torso before Benny and Jackie rush toward their enemy with their Sabers and start striking at him. Some hits land and others are dodged, but it doesn't really matter as after about 5-6 of slashing, the two both land hits on his at the exact same time, knocking him back.
We then hard cut back up to the Arrow Galion as Blockhead laughs while leaning on the bar.
Insidion: Sagittar?...Do you think that I may…?
Sagittar: I don't see why not, right?
Midaria: (sighs) Understood.
Back on the ground, Cardlada is blasted a bit more by Benny and Jackie, having switched their sabers to blaster mode.
Jackie: Let's play some Go Fish.
The team then all switches their weapons to Savage Saber mode.
Cardlada stands to his feet, smoke coming off his body, as the rangers ready their first finishing move.
The Rangers: Savage Sabers! Wild FINAL—
But before they can finish their sentence and end the fight…
…a yellow wire comes out of nowhere and lassos around their Sabers all out once, much to the confusion of the team before those sabers are yanked away.
They go flying through the air and land…in a familiar, black-gloved hand.
The Rangers: Huh?
Cardlada: Excuse me?
The camera cuts to a silhouette at the top of the quarry next to some trees, holding a fishing pole in one hand, and the sabers in the other.
?: Hmph. Such boring prey.
(He sounds like Golden Guard from "The Owl House)
He lets the blades drop to the ground as he turns his attention back to our heroes below.
Caleb: Hey! Who the heck are you!?
Our mysterious figure then steps forward ever so slightly…his silhouette fading to reveal something none of the team expected.
This figure…is a new RANGER. (Adapted from "Zyuoh the World")
We then cut back and forth as the team reacts (via suit actor body language) to the new foe they're facing. His torso/arms are kind of broken up into thirds with his center being grey and having the face of a Rhino, his right side/arm being light orange and showing off a crocodile, and his right side/arm being light grey with a wolf symbol.
His belt is silver but with all three animals united together into a new symbol.
His helmet is mostly colored black, Rhino themed with red eyes above the visor and highlighted by a large golden mouthpiece similar to Benny's.
We then get one final shot of this ranger while also fully showing his fishing pole. (Adapted from "Zyuoh The Gunrod").
Benny: Another Zoo-Keeper?
Jackie: Is this even possible!?
Winston: T-This has to be a trick. The last Keeper Cube is with Harris…Right?
Midaria: (walking up next to the new ranger) You're both correct and incorrect, Power Rangers.
Caleb: Oh, here we go. (said as the team stands defensive)
Midaria: Behold! Sagittar's latest most ambitious creation ever designed! Zoo-Keepers? Allow me to introduce ZOO-KILLER.
Winston: Zoo-KILLER?
Caleb and Sylvia: Huh?
Benny: Sagittar CREATED him?
We then hard cut up to Sagittar, sitting on his throne, and saying aloud with joy…
Sagittar: THE SIXTH POWER HAS BEEN RELEASED.
Midaria: Cardlada? Withdraw for now.
Cardlada: O-Of course! Thank you, Midaria!
He then starts making a run for it, the rangers not wanting him to escape.
Caleb: H-Hey! Stop!
Midaria: Begin the hunt, Zoo-Killer.
The hand gripping the fishing pole tightens.
Zoo-Killer: Rhinoceros Rod.
He says this while letting out some slack on the wire and then casting his line out to the quarry down below. The rangers, with their Sabers out and trying to catch up with Cardlada before he flees too far, all get struck twice by the line, smacking them onto the ground. Before they even hit the ground, Zoo-Killer is already jumping off the quarry and lands on his feet as the team gets back up.
As he does, a new musical theme starts playing unique to Zoo-Killer.
Think something like a mix between Killmonger's theme from 'Black Panther' or Enfys Nest's theme from 'Solo: A Star Wars Story'.
Zoo-Killer lets out some line ready to strike the team again, but fortunately, Benny reacts quick enough to pull out his Eagle Shredder, leading to an awesome moment of these two whipping at each other with their weapons that lasts for about a good 7-8 seconds with neither side really gaining nor losing any ground in the fight. But once those seconds are up and Benny tries another move, the black, kinda white, and deadly all over Zoo-Killer lassos Benny's chain sword, and on top of yanking it out of his hands, for another 7-8 seconds, he then whips the Eagle Shredder, while it is still in its chain mode back at the team 5 TIMES in a row, knocking them onto the ground.
Benny: (gets back on his feet) Primal Power!
He leaps into the air; wings already grown and instantly tries pulling off an Eagle Fire Flash.
But Zoo-Killer leaps right over his attack and lassos his line around Benny's leg while he's still in a flying position. With a strong yank, Zoo-Killer whips Benny around in a circle, which lasts longer than it probably should because of how much line is let out, sending Benny crashing HARD into a nearby chunk of the quarry, obviously making him groan and wince before falling to the ground, wings disappearing as he lands.
The team quickly gets back up on their feet.
Jackie and Sylvia: Benny!
Both then turn toward their opponent as their suit eyes shine.
Jackie and Sylvia: Primal Power!
But this time…instead of using his Rhinoceros Rod again…Zoo-Killer reaches behind his back…and whips out something new.
He quickly whips out…a flashlight with a cubic portion? (Adapted from 'Zyuoh the Light')
Raise it up next to his head, he taps a silver circle at the bottom…and then starts turning the cube while saying…
Zoo-Killer: It's Morphing Time.
With each turn, the Morpher's cube shows differences on each side.
But for now, Zoo-Killer stops…on the side with a wolf face.
As the cube glows blue for a moment Zoo-Killer raises his left leg, taps the silver buttoned side against it, and waves the Morpher around in somewhat of an arm pump.
The flashlight side of the Morpher flashes bright blue, making Sylvia and Jackie shield their eyes.
…And then we see the black Rhino portion of his helmet…flipping upward to reveal a flat, silver, wolf-themed portion of the helmet while he says…
Zoo-Killer: Wolf Mode, Go!
Cue sentai greenscreen footage of his helmet's eyes flashing red, along with the wolf side of his suit flashing blue as he then says…
Zoo-Killer: Silver Wolf! Killer of the Woods!
The sequence ends with the wolf logo appearing large in the background as a howl mixes in with his theme.
Sylvia: ¿¡Que el que!?
Jackie: He has other modes too!?
The body language of their opponent is now more hunched over as he waves his finger towards them in a "come at me motion". Jackie and Sylvia quickly shake off their confusion and rush towards their new foe. We then get about 12 seconds of Sylvia and Jackie trying to strike Zoo-Keeper with hand-to-hand combat, but Zoo-Killer dodges all of their hits with ease like he can see them coming and leaps a few yards away from them.
Sylvia: Tigress Snow Strike!
Jackie: Shark Spin Dash!
Both say their attacks quicker than normally.
…But speaking of fast…Zoo-Killer, having quickly whipped back out his Rhinoceros Rod, pulls off a new trick.
Zoo-Killer: HOWL RIFLE.
He pushes his handle down, turning the fishing pole into a long blaster. Then, in the blink of an eye, he zooms out of the way of both attacks, only to zoom back to the same spot and send several rapid-fire purple energy shots right into Jackie, throwing off her attack and forcing her to crash onto the ground.
Sylvia: Jackie!
Right as Winston and Caleb group up with her, Zoo-Killer zooms in right behind her.
Zoo-Killer: BOO.
Sylvia: Huh!? How did you—
Zoo-Killer: Timber Fire!
While saying this, he turns the crack next to the handle of the rod, revealing that instead of a trigger, this is what makes the rifle fire its shots. This time, Sylvia is the one sent flying back by the blasts with a scream.
Winston: Sylvia!
He and Caleb then try punching Zoo-Killer, but without even flinching, he zooms out of their path.
Sylvia hits the ground sparking, Jackie still down in pain in the background, as Zoo-Killer comes to a stop in front of the camera.
Zoo-Killer: Nice try. But I'm the alpha here.
Caleb: Ugh! I have enough of this speeding psycho!
Caleb and Winston: Primal Power!
The suit's eyes glow and their boots/clawed gloves form, ready for battle.
But then…Zoo-Killer whips out his Morpher again.
Zoo-Killer: Bring it on, big guys.
With another slap of his Morpher's silver button, he then turns the cube to a side with a crocodile logo, making it flash and orange/gold glow.
Once again, he raises his leg and slaps the button while waving his Morpher forward.
This time it glows bright gold, making Winston and Caleb shield their eyes too.
Winston: It can't be!
Now, the golden mouth portion of the helmet flips all the way up and over the wolf portion, becoming crocodile-themed.
Zoo-Killer: Croc Mode, Go!
Cue sentai greenscreen footage of his helmet's eyes flashing red and now the croc side of his suit flashing gold as he then says…
Zoo-Killer: Gold Crocodile! Killer of the Swamp!
This time, the sequence ends with the croc logo appearing large as a chomp mixes in with his theme.
Winston: He has the power of THREE different Zoomans!?
We then see Zoo-Killer show how he changed the handle of his Rhinoceros Rod by pressing a small red button before turning it in a certain direction. This time the handle goes to being perfectly straight as the top of the rod extends out and up. He then spins the weapon around before striking a pose while saying…
Zoo-Killer: SCALY STAFF.
Caleb: Quickly, lad!
Winston: Right! Elephant Earthquake!
With a slam of his foot, the attack is sent straight toward Zoo-Killer. The hit is direct, and smoke appears in front of him…but the sinister sixth ranger just walks right through looking completely unphased before throwing his staff like a spear, striking Winston right in the chest. As the spear falls toward the ground, he manages to run up and catch it before trying to strike Caleb. Though the Yellow Ranger dodges his hits and Winston gets back up, it's pretty much for nothing as Zoo-Killer hits both of them with his staff at the same time, the two grabbing onto it trying to take the staff out of his hands, before he then lifts both of them off the ground and slams them into the dirt.
And to add insult to injury, he kicks down onto the staff, hitting the two rangers still pinned under it, only to kick the staff up off of them, spin around, and then backhand strike the two so hard that they're sent flying and sparking.
The team finally groups back up, with only Benny standing on his feet.
Zoo-Killer. Nice try. But even as a group, you're still easy prey.
His Morpher whipped out once again, the button is hit, and the same transformation motion is repeated.
Zoo-Killer: Rhino Mode, Go!
With a purplish flash of the Morpher, the gold and black parts of his helmet flip right back down to where they originally were, showing he's now back in his base form.
Zoo-Killer: Black Rhino! Killer of the Grasslands!
Once again, as this is said, helmet eyes/part of the suit flash as the Rhino logo appears large behind the posing foe.
Benny takes a defensive stance as the others finally start getting back on their feet.
…But then…as if all of that couldn't get any worse…
Zoo-Killer: TRIPLE…Primal Power! (Adapted from "Yasei Dai Kaihou")
With a purple flash from his suit's eyes, black shoulder pads with Rhino horns appear, along with a giant clawed glove on his left hand meant to be a wolf paw and a large scaly weapon on his right hand meant to resemble a crocodile tail. Zoo-Killer strikes a pose as all 3 animal symbols appear in the background with bright glowing eyes.
Benny: I-Impossible. Wolf, rhino, AND croc? How does he have Primal Power for 3 animals!?
With a haunting scream, Zoo-Killer yells into the sky before slamming his tail armament into the dirt, spooking the team for a moment.
The claws of his wolf arm then glow blue.
Zoo-Killer: Timber Slash and Saltwater Thrash!
While yelling this out, he sends out blue energy slashes from his 5 claws and whipping the tail armament forward as it glows gold, with both attacks landing direct hits on every ranger at once, sending them flying back onto the ground, before their edgy opponent lets out creepy another yell.
Zoo-Killer: How's THAT for weak!?
Before this...rather confusing sentence can even be pondered given everything we've seen…Zoo-Killer takes a charging stance with a quick shine from his shoulder horns, and then kicks the dirt beneath him like he's a bull ready to charge…Which is exactly what happens. As the rangers get back up on their feet frantically, the savage sixth power runs at them all with full fury while yelling out his finishing move.
Zoo-Killer: WILD FINAL…CRASH!
With a green screen footage shot of him charging across a barren wasteland and a bright red flash from his helmet's eyes, he charges right through the Zoo-Keepers. Sparks fly as he comes to a stop before the team all screams in pain as sparks, smoke, and red lighting come off them in a massive explosion, all while Zoo-Killer stands victorious.
Finally, the fire from the explosions begins to settle.
The sixth ranger lets out a satisfied chuckle before we hear a wince from Benny, catching his attention.
Zoo-Killer: Huh. Still alive, eh?
The rangers are trying to get but they can't even get on their knees.
Caleb: (raspy) W-Who the heck is this guy?
Winston: (straining) A-And how did Sagittar make him without a K-Keeper Cube?
Benny: I-I don't—(winces)
Midaria: (laughs/walks up to Zoo-Killer) There's a lot you don't know about Sagittar.
Jackie: Midaria! W-What did you do?
Midaria: Now, now, we can't take all of the credit on this one. You rangers are the ones who inspired this experiment of ours. Mainly…YOU Red Ranger.
This makes Benny stop getting up, slowly raise his head, look dead ahead, and confusingly ask…
Benny: …What did you just say?
Midaria: Oh, come on! It's pretty obvious. Sagittar was intrigued by the Red Eagle Ranger's ability to transform into a Red Gorilla Ranger. Then, he thought about the idea of three animal spirits being used by one ranger, and once that decision was made, we scanned your planet for Zoomans, found three bodies in good condition…and forged them into 1.
Sylvia: So…t-there are other Zoomans left on Earth?
Benny: And we…w-we didn't get there in time to try saving them.
Caleb: This…this can't be real—
Midaria: Oh, but it is. As a killer of the swamp, woods, and grasslands with the power of three Zooman spirits, your doom is near, and its name is ZOO-KILLER.
We then get reaction shots of each ranger's helmet as they stair forward at their enemy realizing the scope of all this.
Zoo-Killer: Since you're still alive, let's play a bit longer.
He then raises his Morpher and presses the silver bottom button twice.
Once again, he turns the cube to the Rhino side, only this time, instead of doing the post he had been doing earlier to transform, after hitting the button on his legs, he imitates a striking sword motion with the Morpher, then raises it back up over his head while saying…
Zoo-Killer: Cubimal, Go!
As the glow consumes the screen…we transition to a rocky area and hear the sound of…a truck horn?
Out of nowhere, bam. Crashing through the rocks comes some kind of large black vehicle with golden highlights, but as it gets further from the debris, we see that this isn't some giant truck…It's a cubimal ON WHEELS. To be more specific, rhino zord (Adapted from "Cube Rhino").
The rangers get on their knees surprised.
Benny: (dreadful tone) NO WAY.
Zoo-Killer chuckles to himself before leaping into the air and the zord's cockpit. Like the Megazord cockpits we've seen, Zoo-Killer sits in a chair within a hollow cube, but instead of just a command cube, this one has a wheel on top of it. And instead of plugging his Morpher into that wheel, to his left is a spot for him to place the Morpher that makes it look like some weird lever. Also, the hollow cube he's in is white and gold.
He then spins the wheel, changing the direction of the zord.
Sylvia: Why does that Rhino Cubimal have wheels!?
Winston: Did Sagittar modify a cubimal?
After a few more shots of the zord driving, Zoo-Killer activates, yet again, more new weapons.
Zoo-Killer: We're not done yet. Cubimals, Go!
Out of the back end of the zord launch two new Cubimals it's been carrying the whole time, one being gold with a big 7, the other being silver with a big 8, and both unfold as their names are announced by Zoo-Killer.
Zoo-Killer: Saltwater Crocodile Zord! (Adapted from "Cube Crocodile")
The zord unfolds on a sentai footage swamp set at night with cubes featuring glowing colored highlights.
Zoo-Killer: Timber Wolf Zord! (Adapted from "Cube Wolf")
The zord unfolds and howls at the moon in a night sky setting while sitting atop a large rock also sporting glowing cubes.
Our rangers lookup even more worried now before be we see all 3 zords charging at each other. The Saltwater Crocodile zord blasts a yellow energy beam out its out mouth at the Zoo-Keepers, which causes more big explosions to happen around them.
Caleb: Crap! This is bad!
Benny: (pants) Yeah, but we have to keep fighting!
The Rangers: Right!... Cubimals Go!
We then hard cut to an awesome CGI shot of all the zords on each side charging at each other while crying out their distinct animal noise. The Mountain Gorilla zord tries punching the Rhino zord after it almost rams into it. The African Lion zord and Siberian Tiger zord go after the wolf zord as it bounces around nearby hills and tries to shake them out with a blue energy beam from its mouth, but when both zords try leaping at their opponent, the wolf zord goes cubic as well and knocks them back. The Reef Shark and Crocodile zords bite chomp at each other on the ground. Finally, the Bald Eagle and Pygmy Elephant zords both fire their beam attacks while the other 4 zords charge along next to them, but their attacks do nothing as the Black Rhino, Saltwater Crocodile, and Timber Wolf zords run right through them.
Zoo-Killer: (Morpher in hand) Megazord ACTIVATE.
With a wave of the Morpher to his right, he turns the cube to the side with all 3 animals.
He then shines the light …and begins a quick transformation.
The Rhino zord's horn breaks off as its body breaks into two halves with one becoming legs as the other becomes shoulders with arms popping out that stacks on top of the first half. Next is the crocodile zord, connecting to the right arm with its legs and tail retracted, and finally, the wolf zord, fully cubic, sits between the shoulders, only for part of it to fold down revealing the mech's head.
The camera pans back to reveal a broad new Megazord, bathed in shadow by a sunset background with a crocodile jaw on the end of one hand and the horn on the other.
Zoo-Killer: Safari Shadow Megazord. (Adapted from "Tousai Zyuoh")
Caleb: Oh, give us a break!
Benny: Quickly now!
The Rangers: Megazord, activate!
With a spin of their Morpher tops and zord folding footage, the Cubimals combine back together like earlier.
The Rangers: Zooman Fusion Megazord! Ready!
Zoo-Killer: BORING.
With a spin of his wheel, the Safari Shadow Megazord strikes first. It lands a really fast punching bite with the croc zord to the team's golden chest.
Zoo-Killer: Bring it on already.
With another spin of the wheel, he lands another punching bite to the chest. The Safari Shadow then kicks the Zooman Fusion, which is rather impressive given the cubic look and size likely making it difficult to pull off quickly, then with the horn barring strikes them in the thigh. Benny spins his command cube, whipping out their sword, but the croc zord's jaws naturally catch it mid-strike.
Zoo-Killer: Is that all? Tch. Pathetic.
Yet another spin of the wheel and the Safari Shadow Megazord throws the blade aside.
Benny: You asked for this!
The Rangers: Wild Zooman Final Strike!
He and the team spin their Morphers to the animal side and plug them back in the cubes while saying this; the Zooman Fusion Megazord charges up its signature finisher quickly as a result…but then…Zoo-Killer quickly pushes his Morpher forward like a lever, which makes both the Saltwater Crocodile and Timber Wolf zords launch out from their positions and right into the gold chest as it's about to fire. This stops the ranger's attack from firing properly (maybe with a quick effects edit to emphasize this better).
Winston: This isn't good. It's like he's ready for everything!
Quickly turning the flashlight Morpher's cube to the 3 beasts side yet again, Zoo-Killer plugs his Morpher back into the lever spot. We then get footage showing mech charging up its attack with a sunset background as cubes fall from the sky into its empty shoulder spots, the arm with the crocodile zord aims at the rangers, and a piece underneath the helmet showing carvings of all three animals Zoo-Killer is based on starts to glow brightly.
Zoo-Killer: Safari…Shadow…Final Strike!
With one last spin of the wheel, the crocodile zord opens its mouth, and flying out of it comes the cubimal animal spirits. The Saltwater Crocodile zord strikes the Zooman Fusion Megazord on its left, the Timber Wolf zord strikes it on its right, and the Black Rhino zord drives right through the center of the entire mech.
Red lighting flies as the team inside starts to panic.
Now in the Sentai footage, the zords just kind of come undone, but here, a massive purple explosion is added to emphasize the seriousness of this attack.
Every Cubimal comes crashing to the ground with a thud (maybe still sparking a bit through more quick effects edits).
The team looks up in horror at their enemy…and then the Safari Shadow Megazord starts walking.
Benny: No! D-Don't do this!
Its left foot then slams down on Benny's Eagle zord, making him scream.
Zoo-Killer: (satisfied sigh) Welp, guess I'll finish you off.
The music quickly builds to its peak as the Safari Shadow Megazord raises its left arm ready to tear right through the Eagle Zord, Benny covering his head and yelling…
Benny: NO, NO, NO, NO, NO!
And with that…the music comes to a complete sudden stop as we cut inside Zoo-Killers' cockpit with a close-up of his helmet.
Sagittar: (as a voice) Zoo-Killer.
Zoo-Killer: …Master?
We then briefly cut to the Arrow Galion.
Sagittar: Come back to the ship.
Insidion, Blockhead, and Huntoceros (put in via original footage) look at their leader confused.
Sagittar: I'm not ready to end this game yet.
Zoo-Killer: …Understood.
He pushes his Morpher "lever" back and the foot he has down on Benny's zord rises up before his Megazord turns around and starts to leave.
Benny, still shielding himself with his arms, looks forward, confused by this.
As the Cubimals lay on the ground, still smoking in the sunset's light, the Safari Shadow Megazord walks away.
We also briefly cut back to Midaria, watching the fight on atop a hill, who teleports in a green flash.
We get one more shot of the Safari Shadow Megazord from behind and with a green flash edit to signify it has teleported away, we transition back to the beaten zords.
Jackie sits legs crossed, holding her hands, and taking it all in.
Caleb is a lot more shaken, grabbing onto his seat one arm at a time as if he's on a rollercoaster.
Winston leans forward on his command cube and puts one hand on his helmet like he has a headache, whispering the words "That…was close".
Sylvia is shaken up, breathing in and out quickly as she curls into a ball while still sitting up in her seat.
Benny sounds like he's about to cry as he breathes.
The camera gets one last shot of his left-hand forming a tight fist.
We then hard cut to a shot of the Washi Residence at dusk, the carved pumpkins on the porch now glowing before we cut into the kitchen and find the team sitting at the kitchen table with bandaged and bruised. Everyone either has a look of annoyance or anger. Benny in particular looks lost in thought. Oh, quick side note, Benny took his costume off, likely just to relax a bit. After about 6 seconds of silence, Caleb speaks up.
Caleb: UGH, that Zoo-Killer! I just wanna rip that stupid helmet off piece by piece!
Sylvia: I still don't get it. How on Earth…or space, I guess—how did they do that without a Keeper Cube?
Winston: We need to get back in contact with Harris.
Benny: …Three Zoomans…And we couldn't save them in time before all this happened.
Jackie picks up on Benny's voice sounding a bit guilty and looking at him in a way where she feels sorry for him.
The same applies to Martha, who takes her turn to talk.
Martha: (slightly quiet tone) Ok. You've been through a lot today and I'm sure this is all scary and complicated but…let's not lose all hope. You all made it back alive, which is the most important thing to remember, evil rangers have happened before, so I'm sure I can find something on how to deal with them, AND now that you've seen this guy fight, I'm sure you at least have an idea of what to expect when you fight him next time, right?... Look, it's been a long day. A long year, come to think of it…Let's all just take a breather and go enjoy Halloween while the night is young.
Jackie: …Yeah, you guys have fun with that. (gets up) I'll see you tomorrow.
As she exits the front door, the rest of the team starts to get up.
Winston: Thanks for the hospitality, Martha.
Martha: It's no problem at all.
Caleb: Alright, well let's get going then! Party time, lads!
Remembering what his mother had said earlier, Benny smiles and gets up from his seat.
Benny: I'm gonna go too. So, maybe I'll see you guys later tonight?
This gets a smile out of Martha as the others talk.
Winston: Sure, if you feel like it.
Sylvia: Whatever makes you happy, Hermano.
Benny: Cool. I-I'm gonna get my costume back on but I'll be there soon.
Caleb: Right then. Take care and Happy Halloween!
The three-wave as they leave the house while Benny steps out of the kitchen towards his bedroom's hallway.
We then cut several minutes later to a car in the parking lot to find Jackie, walking alone in the dark and angrily speaking to herself.
Jackie: (whispers) Who does that monster think he is!? Hurting my friends, nearly killing Benny, I just….(groans) If I could do it, I'd fly right up to that ship, destroy those "poachers" for good, and kick that Zoo-Killer right in the…Gah! Whatever. I gotta get home.
She finally gets to her car and opens the door, but before she steps in, she notices something in the back of the car.
Jackie: (sighs) I forgot I brought that.
We don't see what it is (yet) but it makes her pause and think.
She then looks North Gate, then into the back of her car, and her somewhat worried face gets a more confident look before she climbs into her back seat.
For our final scene of this episode, we cut over to the Tundra Sector which has been decorated to look like haunted woodlands.
We get a shot from Benny's perspective showing he's spotted his friends nearby.
Winston, Caleb, and Sylvia are also joined by Hitarthi, who's dressed as a mummy, Tiana, who's dressed as a bat, and Frida, who's dressed as a rock star (maybe Kira Ford?).
Benny smiles, but before he can go join up with them…
Jackie: H-Hey, dude.
Benny: Jackie!?
He quickly whips around…and gets a look at her as she walks forward revealing she's dressed up in a pirate costume, which is actually a blue Super Megaforce ranger jacket (serving as both a reference and some clever foreshadowing).
As she walks up to him, they start talking.
Benny: Woah…Jackie, your costume.
Jackie: I know, it's…not exactly much to look at—
Benny: N-No, no, it's…it looks great actually!
Jackie: You think so?
Benny: I-I do. Then again, I bet you could make anything look good so—
Realizing what he just said, both end up blushing hard, leading to some super quick awkward silence before he changes the subject.
Benny: UH, a-anyway, what uh, what're you doing here? Weren't you supposed to be heading home?
Jackie: (nervously speaking) Uh, w-well, I was, but then I noticed I accidentally brought this with me in the back of my car, a-and then I thought that maybe something's going on at the Aquarium I didn't know about, and it's Halloween so, y-you know, I…I…(sighs)…Hey, can you maybe, keep a secret?
Benny: O-Of course.
She rubs her arm, a little embarrassed.
Jackie: I didn't…I didn't want to be alone, tonight.
He looks at her with an understanding of how she feels.
Benny: …Yeah…Me neither.
Jackie then nervously offers her hand out, which with some slight hesitation, Benny grabs. The two blush for a few more seconds, but then smile, and turn their attention toward the rest of their friends. The episode ends with them walking over as the camera slowly pans up to a shot of the full moon…and a cloud shaped like a Rhino head.
And in the background…the scream of Zoo-Killer can faintly be heard one last time.
TO BE CONTINUED
Tune in next time for "Episode 17: Blackened Rhino Part 2"
PS: americanelephant/art/ZOO-KEEPERS-Zoo-Killer-894813840