I would like to thank LovingGinger30, Fool Arcane Kaiju, Ahkalia, NitroTheKidd88, Author196, UgunsGreka, HiroshitheHawk and WinxPossible for allowing me to use their characters . Also, NitroTheKidd88 [v(°∇^*)⌒ ] is my beta reader and my house stock for everyday monsters [I still encourage others to submit dailies too!]. Thanks for support guys and hope the story will be a great success and you all enjoy it.
Chapter 4- Team Spirit Resides in Everyone, Blue!
Yet another morning in Majestic Hills, and its college was filled with students of differing enthusiasm. Some were in high spirits, energetic, and excitable. Others were down in the dumps, tired, and exhausted. Others, however, were bothered- with thoughts in mind that bothered them.
Tabitha would say she was one of the last types. As she entered the corridors, her decision from a few days prior- if her decision to leave the rangers was the correct one.
"Tabi, hold on a second!" Someone called out to her, and she turned.
However, she frowned upon seeing it was just Leon, and continued on her way.
"W-wait, please! Listen to me!"
Leon picked his pace up to a sprint, running in front of her, and cutting in front of her path.
"What the hell are you doing? Get out of my way- I have a class to attend." Tabitha glared at him, pushing him to the side and continuing to walk.
"Listen to me, Tabitha! I know you don't want to do this, but it's about the planet!"
"Screw the planet!" she yelled back. "Can't you get it through your thick skull- I'm out of it!" she hissed, and stormed off to her class.
"Tabi…" Leon sighed.
'I know you can't stand seeing innocent people getting hurt… What's stopping you..?' Leon thought, sadly.
…
Lexi sat in the teacher's lounge, quietly browsing on her laptop. If anything, she was a bit bored.
But, she couldn't help but think about the event three days ago.
...
She was trying to find a location to shoot a new video. She wanted to capture the very hills Majestic Hills was named for. She was trying to get the best location and angle when she heard someone call out to her.
"Alexandra."
She turned- and yelped in surprise. She was not used to Aloora's presence, and seeing the spirit suddenly flash up was something she was most certainly not used to.
"You have to head back to the town immediately. Make haste."
"Wait- Aloora, what is it?" Lexi questioned. "And why am I needed?"
"An enemy is attacking, and the rangers need your dire assistance. Quickly- come with me."
At her words, the spirit turned into a ball of white light, and darted for the town. Lexi followed after her- confused. Rangers? Enemy?
And how could she help?
The two swiftly made their way to the town- when suddenly, the ground beneath them quaked, and a large explosion was heard.
"What was that..?" Lexi asked.
"Destruction caused by an evil being. We have to stop the lava eruption from reaching the town." Aloora said, darting towards the direction of the bang.
"W-wait, lava…?"
As they approached the destruction, they saw the volcano- assisted by a massive wave of lava. Six masked individuals, color-coded, were trying to stop it.
Trying- and failing.
"What should we do? There has to be some way to help them!" Lexi yelled, in concern.
"Worry not, young fairy. Look inside of you, for you already have the solution." Aloora advised.
Lexi frowned. Like everything that had happened today- she was very much confused. But, she decided to take the spirit's advice to heart.
She closed her eyes and concentrated. Trying to look inside her.
Suddenly, her eyes bolted open- and had turned to a silvery white. An aura of the same color surrounded her. She touched the ground beneath her- and it started to freeze over. The frozen grass hit the lava, and that froze over, as well.
Suddenly, it was a wintery wonderland, with the destruction encased within beautiful ice. The rangers stopped their attempts, confused.
Lexi closed her eyes, and the glow fainted, eyes returning to their original color.
"W-...What was that…?" was the only words she could manage to spit out.
"This is the power that resides within you." Aloora informed her.
Naturally, Lexi remained astonished.
...
"...Hm…"
Lexi closed her laptop, mind made up.
'I should work on finding the people Aloora told me about…' Lexi thought, hopping up out of the chair. 'Maybe I can find out what's going on if I do.'
With her mind made up, Lexi left the teacher's lounge.
…
At the Castle Command Center (The rangers had dubbed it C3, and it was beginning to catch on…) Prince Alveno remained deep in thought. Memories of the past were haunting him, creeping back from days long passed. To his side, Merlin was tinkering with a piece of machinery. He noted the worried look on the prince's face, and spoke up.
"Is something bothering you, Prince?" Merlin asked. "You are aware that you can trust in me, and confide anything that bothers you."
"...Nothing important. I just have... dark memories attached to this planet. You see, one of the worst moments of my life are attached to this planet… Earth.
"My mother… She came here thirty years ago. Only her corpse returned. An evil force attacked her. Not Zuthora, but something which we've never even heard of… She was pregnant at the time, but I never got to see my sibling. I don't even know if he or she is dead or alive…
"My brother, Jester, also visited this planet… But, he's been missing since… What worries me is what will happen to us? How will this war against Zuthora end?.. Will I even witness its end?"
"I see… Worry not, Prince. I feel that everything should be fine, and we should win this battle. Besides, your lost siblings might even be somewhere on this planet." Merlin said, attempting to build the prince's confidence.
"I wish I could share your optimism, Merlin…" Alveno muttered. The two went back into their works in silence.
...
It may have been three days, but Zuthora was still enraged with the defeat of his monster.
"Arustar T.!" Zuthora yelled over the goblin-like creature. "Those humans defeated Titaniath, and you are doing nothing to get rid of them!"
"I'm well aware, my liege." Arustar T. told Zuthora, nervously. "I had informed the generals of your empire to pay you a visit, and defeat those pesky rangers for you. I also promised a hefty award should they do so.
"There's no need to worry about these rangers while I'm here." uttered a deep voice- the hiss of pure evil.
Zuthora and Aurstar both looked to see- and grinned.
Standing within the doorway was an alien male, with a silver skin tone, covered in shark-like scales. His hair was dark purple, and his eyes were green like someone's retching. His gray suit was made up of a shiny steel armor, spiky and pointed.
"I will help you get rid of them."
"Eliastro! It's you." Zuthora laughed at the sight. "The rangers are surely to perish now.'
"Though…" Aurstar T. uttered. "With that slimy Gordolan's magic, someone as powerful and evil as yourself can't enter the planet."
Eliastro chuckled, and pointed towards a watch-like device on his wrist.
"I have ways of my own."
...
Tabitha was sitting on a bench at the park, trying to focus on her homework. However, all she could think of was her decision from prior. She dully tossed her morpher in her empty hand, trying to focus on her task.
"It's no use…" she sighed.
...
"W-wait, what?!"
James was the first to yell out of the stunned silence.
"What are you saying?" he asked. "Why leave?"
"I'm not for this teamwork bull." Tabitha uttered, bluntly. "Besides, look at this team!"
"What do you mean?" asked Roxy.
"Can't you see what this garbage group is made up of? An unconfident and incompetent "leader", two over-excitable jocks, a lying hot-head, and a coward with no self-esteem!" she yelled. "Did you honestly believe for a second that we could win against an alien overlord? I'm out of this, and you can't force me to do what I don't want to."
"...And what about you?" Blaise asked- eerily quiet, kicking up from his seat. "A pathetic, indecisive recluse who judges others before herself."
"I'm not in the mood for a fight." Tabitha said, in response. "Please, for once, can you back off?"
"Guys, please don't…" Leon tried to stop the fight before it could begin.
Tabitha and Blaise exchanged deathly glares towards each other, locking eyes for a good minute. Then, Tabitha headed for the exit, leaving everyone in tension.
"Wait!" Prince Alveno called, and Tabitha stopped, to hear what he had to say. He walked up to her, and handed her back the morpher.
"At the very least, take this."
"I already said I don't want to be a part of this." Tabitha hissed.
"I, personally, will not stop you, or force you to join the team. However, since the Mermaid has chosen you, no other person can wield its power- for as long as you're alive. But, if you ever happen to change your mind, this will help you."
Begrudgingly, Tabitha took the morpher, and stormed out of C3.
...
Tabitha was still in her thoughts when she saw the five rangers running towards the nearby mall, morphers readied.
She sighed. "Those idiots…"
Tabitha hated to admit it, but that hot-head was right. She was indecisive… A part of her considered following.
"Hey! Mind if I sit with you?"
Tabitha was pulled out of her thoughts, seeing a girl in a white dress standing above her. She nodded- and the girl sat down.
"Thanks. By the way, I'm Alexandra Matthews, but I go with Lexi." the girl said, introducing herself.
"...Tabitha Ziva Wilkerson here…" she replied. Oddly enough, she was feeling... connected to Lexi in some way.
"You were a little distracted when I showed up. Mind telling me what's wrong? Maybe I can give you some advice." Lexi tried to build up a conversation and bond with Tabitha, as Aloora so asked her to.
By nature, Tabitha was not the sort of person to open up to others- as she had deeply rooted trust issues. Irrespective of this nature, however, she felt it was safe to open up to this girl.
It was just some stranger, after all.
"See…" Tabitha began, with a sigh. "I was chosen to be a member of a… special team with a special goal… But the team is filled with a bunch of misfits! A leader who can't lead his way out of a paper bag, two hopelessly hyperactive jocks, an embarrassingly hot-blooded cheat, and a pathetically wimpy coward is all the team's made up of."
"Tabitha…" Lexi sighed. "Listen. This is a great opportunity to be a part of a special team. You're rather damn lucky if you were chosen to be in this special team over hundreds- maybe even thousands of people! Even if they are misfits- they all have room to grow, and so do you. You just have to give it a shot. Even if you don't see it now, it's only when the teammates know and help each other is when they are strong." Lexi said, trying to make Tabitha understand.
"I'm not a teamwork person." Tabitha sighed. "I'd rather be independent and strong, rather than held back by a bunch of weaklings."
"Teamwork resides inside everyone. You just have to reach it by trusting your teammates. And working as a team doesn't make you weak- it gives you more power. It helps you work harder independently, and more effectively as you have others to support and guide you."
"But-" Tabitha tried to say something, but Lexi promptly cut her off.
"Listen, Tabitha! You have to give your teammates a chance. Maybe they're more than you think they are. Maybe there's reasons for how they behave. Just think about it like that, alright?"
For a moment, Tabitha remained in thought.
Perhaps Lexi was right.
...
The rangers reached the point of attack- the "monster" being Eliastro, standing patiently with his sword in hand.
"Greetings, humans!" he grinned, arms outstretched. "So you are the walls blocking my master's path."
He pointed his sword in their direction, expression shifting to a glare.
"Let us see what you are capable of."
"Who the hell are you?" James demanded.
"My, my… Looks like your human mother didn't teach you any manners. But, since you asked- I am Eliastro, the strongest general and second-in-command of Zuthora's army!"
"I am seriously not taking a bragging speech from this Kamen Rider reject…" Blaise hissed, spawning his nagamaki.
Par for the course, he charged at Eliastro first, and their blades met. As Blaise wound up a kick, Eliastro pushed forward with his own edge, knocking Blaise off-balance, and kicking him hard in the ribs, knocking him down.
"Blaise!" Twyla and Roxy cried in unison, and rushed forwards to the evil General.
While they both stabbed forwards with their respective weapons, Eliastro dodged quicker than they could attack. With his sword, he slashed at them, sending them to the ground near Blaise.
"This again..?" hissed the Orange ranger.
James and Leon tried to attack in unison- Leon with a slash from his katana, and James with a blow from his whips. However, they were futile attempts- Eliastro ducked under the blade, and turned from the whips. Spinning his blade, he slashed multiple times- sending them near the "pile".
The rangers were struggling to get back on their feet.
"Hahahaha! You are all such a waste of time! I felled all of you and did not even break a sweat!" Eliastro cackled. "If you are the best defense Earth has, then your pitiful planet is as good as dead!"
"As long as we're alive, we won't be defeated!" Leon yelled, in defiance. "Everyone, get up!"
With almost reluctance, the other rangers stood, as well.
They all rushed forwards, giving their all in vain. Even all at once, Eliastro was too quick, too powerful, too durable for anyone to land even a single hit. Easily, the rangers were once again felled, weapons dropped and dispersed.
"Pathetic!" Eliastro cried, raising his emptied hand. As he did so, the rangers were surrounded in a dark energy, and lifted.
"This guy's a psychic too..?" James groaned.
Eliastro crushed his palm into a fist, and the rangers felt an immense pain- as if every nerve in their body was boiling. They dropped to the ground as the aura faded.
"You're all nothing but a team of misfits! You can never hope to stand against Zuthora's forces!" Eliastro laughed, a maddening look in his eyes. "I remember your words, red one- so long as you're alive, you can fight. Let me put you out of your misery!"
He raised his sword high in the air, and a bolt of black lightning came down, surrounding it in a fierce, raging aura. Then, he stabbed the blade into the ground, creating a massive electric wave.
"R-Roxy!" Leon yelled, in a last-ditch effort. "Can't you control this?"
"It's not the same!" she yelled back.
Just as the bolt was about to hit them, a massive wave of water formed between them, acting as a barrier, absorbing the lightning.
"You will not hurt any of my friends, you freak!" a voice yelled. The rangers turned to see a triumphant Tabitha, her armor donned and trident in hand.
With a swipe of her weapon, the thundering barrier turned into a raging whirlpool, and crashed into Eliastro- hard, at that.
He stood up on his feet, coughing up the water, shivering. He tried to grab his sword, but Tabitha rushed forwards, kicking him in the shin and stabbing him with her trident.
"This may be a team of hopeless misfits, but the real power resides in teamwork!"
As she slashed him once again, Tabitha's trident glowed a bright blue, and she stabbed at his wrist. The black device on his wrist began sparking.
"No..!" Eliastro hissed- and the device exploded. His form flickered and shuddered like a projection, and he skyrocketed upwards, a great force pushing him back.
The rangers stood shocked by the sudden and unusual event. As their armors reverted, they shared a look of mutual agreement, and headed back to C3.
...
A bit later, they arrived at C3, being properly treated for their wounds. The rangers found it fit to talk about the most recent event.
"It was nice that you stayed with us." said Twyla.
Leon grinned. "I knew you'd come back to us eventually."
"Great- now we have two hotheads on the team." James chuckled.
"Ha. Very funny- can you stop calling me that now?" Blaise glared in James' direction.
"Aww… Baby boy's getting angry!" he teased in response.
"Quit teasing him, James!" Roxy said, almost nervously.
"...Guys… I'd like to apologize for my behavior earlier. It was very much uncalled for..." Tabitha spoke up, at last.
"Stuff happens." said James, with a shrug.
"It's not a problem." said Roxy.
"It's okay, Tabi." Leon agreed.
"It was understandable." Twyla said.
"...s'fine." Blaise muttered- seemingly still bitter.
"But- Alveno, I'm curious. What happened during the battle with Eliastro? Why'd he disappear like that?" Tabitha asked.
"I'm glad you asked." Alveno beamed. "See, with my magic, I placed a barrier around this planet's atmosphere- and no great evil power should be able to enter. But, Eliastro is crafty… He had a device that allowed him to enter the atmosphere. While you fought, you destroyed the device, and he was immediately sent out of the atmosphere…"
…"But, he was not destroyed. He will come back, and you must be prepared for that." Prince Alveno finished, darkly.
C3 was silent, heavy with realization. They only beat Eliastro out of luck.
"Now…" Alveno happily announced, "Who'd like to do some training?"
...
"Aannnnd UPLOAD!"
Lexi sighed in exhaustion as she saw her video beginning to upload, slouching back in her chair. Now, she could finally relax-
Or, she would've, had Aloora not startled her out of it. Three days later, and she was still surprised by the spirit's sudden appearances.
"Hmm… So you have begun to bond with the chosen." said Aloora.
'You bet! But… One thing I didn't get is that I felt connected talking to her. I'd never met the girl before!" Lexi told the spirit.
"Everything will make sense in due time. Until then- proceed with doing what I tell you to." Aloora said, and vanished.
"Yeah, of course…" Lexi mumbled, to no one.
...
Eliastro stumbled back into Zuthora's base- furious. His form had become physical once again, but the aftereffects still lingered.
"Impossible..!" he hissed. "A pesky human girl, landing a hit on me! The second in command to Zuthora!"
He growled. "Can she be the one..?"
"No. No! That's impossible!"
He slammed his sword into the ground, which sparked with a dark and evil energy.
"Next time… I'll make sure they all die!"
Author's Note : So here is the Tabitha-based chapter. So what do you think happened with Prince Alveno's siblings, and what was Aloora saying to Lexi? and What was Eliastro talking about? All questions will be answered in due time. Review and tell me what you think of the story!
Next chapter: It Comes With the Color Red, Leon!