Traversing through the sewers of Terra Venture wasn't something I'd had planned when I'd gotten free of Trakeena's hold. Unfortunately, that's where I find myself, along with Leo and Karone. We walk- or more like sneak- in a single file line, neither of us daring to speak lest we alert whatever was in that box to our presence.

How are you feeling? I jump at the sudden voice. Right. Leo can speak to me telepathically. Weird.

Been better. Some of my memories are still foggy. From where he stalks in front of me, I see him shake his head.

The next time I get my hands on Trakeena…

L, stay focused.

Right. Yeah. Sorry.

The invisible magic signature I'd left on our entrance point glows blue, and I hold up a hand for Karone to stop. "We've circled back. Nowhere to go but back up to the surface." My teammates nod, and Leo's the first to emerge back onto the street, where the others wait.

The others. Damon, the Green Ranger. The mechanic, a jokester, and one of my closest confidantes. There's Maya, the Yellow Ranger. An adventurous girl with a heart for animals and people alike. My roommate, and arguably my best friend. And then there's Kai, the Blue Ranger. My brother. The one who I'd gotten separated from after becoming a Space Ranger.

I can't believe I'd almost lost them all.

The second Leo straightens up, his communicator beeps, and we huddle around, waiting for… for…

"Rangers! I've detected the monster by the highway tunnel!" That's right. Alpha. That was his name.

"We're on it. Let's get moving."

—-

After the run towards the tunnel, I'm not half as exhausted as I used to be. A part of me can't remember how, then I realized I must've spent most of my time on my Scorpion Stinger training. (God. I can't believe I was even on that godforsaken ship without wanting to break out.) At the end of the tunnel isn't a ray of light, unfortunately: instead, it's a giant, sticky-looking monster. I wrinkle my nose.

"There it is!"

Hey, catch. I turn to Leo just in time to catch a tiny diamond that he throws towards me. It sparkles prettily, catching the rays of sunlight at our backs. Smash it against the ground.

But it's so pretty-

Why did I know you were gonna say that? I can't help the smile that grows on my face. I've missed this, missed my team, missed Leo so, so terribly.

"We're gonna need some firepower. Quasar Launchers!" Despite my instincts yelling at me to pocket this diamond, I follow the others' leads and hurl it against the pavement. After the smoke clears, a giant aqua-colored launcher with stripes matching my suit floats into my hands. "Fire!" For a split second, I could've sworn that did the monster in. But, all it's doing is burrowing back into the ground. "It didn't work!"

—-

Regardless of whether I'm on Terra Venture or elsewhere, the sight of Deviot never fails to make my stomach turn. Here's the monster that kidnapped Damon and my brother, forced them to fight nearly to the death. Here's the one who held me back while Trakeena captured Leo. "Ah, Mage. How… nice to see you again." The robot holds out its hand, as if I'll take it, as if I'll return to fight on Trakeena's side.

"I can't say the same for you, Deviot."

"No matter, no matter. You'll be back on our side eventually. For now," the hand that's extended sweeps to the side in a grand gesture that makes me want to throw up, "I'm here to welcome you to the Lost Galaxy!"

"Well, you're not welcome here!" Maya retorts, and with that, we rush into combat. I'm quickly surrounded by the orange Swabbies, boxed in by their disgusting orange color, but just as with the Stingwingers: we're underestimated. The first two to the right and left of me go down with a telekinetic push. Then, as the one right in front of me swings its fist, I duck under it, letting its momentum carry it up and over as I knock it into the Swabbie behind me. Energy floods through me, my powers of telekinesis seemingly remembering how strong they'd been when I'd been in full Mage mode.

I'm scared-

Focus up, Aqua Ranger. Leo.

What if I lose control again?

You gave me more than half of your power earlier. I feel it. What you have left isn't strong enough for you to lose yourself, I promise- what?

Rumbling.

"Get out of the way!"

"No, I've got to stop Deviot!" Maya. Something tells me- no, not something. I know we've been in situations like this before, because I remember. Her headstrong attitude, her against-all-odds mindset. It's one of the many things I admire about my best friend. So, I watch as she scrambles up the wall of the storage containers that Deviot stands on, tosses him to the ground. When he falls, his scanner drops out of his hand, and Leo and I rush over to pick it up.

"You can't control him anymore!" Leo shouts. (God, if I never saw another one of Deviot's remotes ever, I'd be delighted.)

"You don't know who you're dealing with! Give me that scanner!" Honestly, Deviot's always been a little predictable. So, I'm able to throw up a telekinetic shield in front of Leo before the lightning attack can hit him, and the ensuing explosion is enough of a distraction for Maya. She leaps down from the storage containers with a battle cry, slashing into his chest, and he collapses, smoke rising from his metallic form.

"Not a chance," I hiss, but before Maya can deal with the finishing blow, Leo blocks it with his own Saber. "Leo?"

"We need him to tell us how to stop that thing!"

"No, we need to stop him while we have the chance!" As much as I'd love to finally be rid of Deviot…

"Leo's right, M. If we kill him now… who knows what that monster will do?" Leo sheaths his Quasar Saber, glances towards me, and I nod. A wave of my hand later, and his arms are shackled to the ground with telekinetic chains.

"Tell us how to use this thing, before someone decides to cut your visit short."

"I don't remember." I'm so glad I wasn't on the other side of their Sabers for long, because Maya's nearly as terrifying as Karone used to be.

"Tell us!"

"Wait! I'll tell you, it's fire! Fire is the only thing, but it'll take more than you have. I swear, I'm telling the truth." Leo stands.

"Fire?"

"But how are we gonna-" He's fast, the robotic creep. Deviot grabs Maya's ankle, flipping her onto her back, and then he's gone.

"Stop!" Kai shouts.

"We gotta catch him!" Damon adds.

"Wait!" Maya instructs. "Let the coward run."

Things have changed since I've been gone. Everyone's become… older. As if, in two months, two years had passed. Honestly, everyone's become a little scarier. Willing to do whatever it takes as long as Terra Venture's safe.

"Guys, look at this!" I rest a hand on Leo's shoulder as I peer over his shoulder. A green dot traverses over the scanner's grid, and I huff. "Grunchor's on the move. And it looks like he's heading… this way. Come on."

We're back in the heart of the city, one that's grown eerily quiet thanks to the warning that's been issued. "The signal's getting stronger. This way!"

"Hey, guys- Kar!" It's the man I'd seen with my brother, standing next to the commander: Mike. Aka, the Magna Defender. (The new one. Not the murderous one. Right.) I throw my arms around him, letting myself remember all that's happened to lead to this point. Bad or not… at least the older Corbett's here with us. "You found anything yet?"

Leo holds up the remote. "Yeah, we got the scanner from Deviot."

"Good. Let's split up, we'll be able to cover more ground."

"I kinda hate this place," Mike admits, and I turn to him, eyes wide.

"This is the place where we got you back, M. If anything-" He waves me off.

"It's also where the original Magna Defender sacrificed himself so that could happen." Sometimes, the Corbetts being right is a great thing. Other times, not so much.

"I hate when you're right." A rumbling sounds from just in front of us, and Leo backpedals, nearly running right into me.

"It's coming right for us! Jump!" I can't help the squeak of fear that escapes me as we leap out of Grunchor's path, and instinctively, I form a telekinetic shield to keep us from hitting the ground. "That was way too close. Everyone good?"

"Yeah," Mike responds, dusting off his cape.

"As good as we can be while being chased by a gopher monster." The brothers scoff, and I grin. "We should contact the others." I lift my communicator up. "Grunchor's in the mountain dome. I repeat, Grunchor's in the mountain dome. Can you guys hear me?"

"We copy, Kar. Be right there."

It doesn't take long for them to get to our location, but when they do, it looks like they've brought company. Unwanted company, at that. "You Rangers don't know when to quit!"

"Sure we do," Mike retorts.

"Never!" Leo adds.

"I've had enough of you!"

"Well, we're gonna give you more."

Falling back into the rhythm of team combat has never been easier. Especially against these creepy space pirates. I flip away from a volley of Swabbie attacks, and as I do, I summon my Galaxy Gauntlet. And though I haven't used them in a while, they're still as tough as ever. As I slash and dip through the growing crowd of foes, I feel energy gathering into my blades, and as a final strike, I bring them together and out, watching as the Swabbies collapse.

Nice. The others seem to have taken care of their own opponents, so as one unit, we rush towards the last monster. "You're gonna regret-" He can't utter another word, much less attack, since in that moment, Grunchor's telltale rumbling starts up. "Excellent!"

"Hold on!" At Leo's order, I brace myself, ready to use my telekinesis in whatever capacity I need to-

"Now you're going to see what real destruction is!" I'm not fast enough. Either that, or my abilities are too drained to keep up with my reaction time. Both would suck. A blast of fire envelops us, and as much as my suit protects me, I can still feel the singe against my skin. "Rise, mighty Grunchor!" At the monster's command, Grunchor bursts from the ground, showering shrapnel everywhere, and for a moment, no one says anything. I doubt we've even faced something that's this big without being supersized. Needless to say, I'm stumped.

That is, until I realize the most obvious trick in the damn book. "Okay, this is gonna sound a little weird."

"Kar, we're facing off against a giant monster that lives underground. Whatever you say won't be nearly as strange as this," Damon reassures, and I nod.

"If you say so. Ever since I started training my telekinesis, I've been able to sense your guys' energies. Kinda like how I'm able to sense Leo's feelings through our bond, just on a weaker level. What I'm sensing now…" Since I've been back with the team, it's like I've become more aware of the connection between us, one that can't be broken even by one of us turning evil. (Aka me.) "We can combine our powers. Come on, hands in." I place my hand in the center of our circle, and the others follow suit. Then, as our powers flow through and between us, Leo shoves out a hand, sending a blast of brilliant flame surrounding Grunchor.

"K, you're a genius! I think it's working, we just need a little more power!" We stagger back as more energy flows through our connection, and Grunchor lets out a roar. The following explosion our attack generates throws us to the ground, and even when I get up, I can't see much through the smoke.

"Alright!" Damon cheers.

"Did we do it?" Maya asks, and as the area clears, there's nothing left standing in our path.

"Yeah, we did! Grunchor's gone-" The gentle breeze lifts the rest of the smoke away, and there in all its disgusting glory is Grunchor, except now it's twice as big. "How could he have survived that?"

"This guy really doesn't quit," Mike adds.

"You can say that again-" Once more, I'm not fast enough to throw up a shield, especially since Grunchor hasn't only grown larger but faster, stronger. The beam of energy it unleashes hurls us to the ground, but I manage to recover and come back up in a roll. "L?"

"Yep. Galactabeasts, arise!"

"Toro Zord, charge!"

Seeing our Megazords in action once more never gets old. What's getting kinda exhausting, though, is seeing Grunchor gain more and more energy. In fact, I'm pretty sure he just ate a mountain.

"We need to stop him before he gets stronger," Leo orders, and with a wave of his hand, he commands the Megazord forward. "Alright, Megazords, charge!" Our hold on Grunchor doesn't last for long, since now, apparently, it can also use electric attacks.

"This guy's tough," Kai mutters, and I frown.

"Yeah, but we're not done yet."

"Kara's right," Maya continues, "But we gotta get more power somehow!" Power. My key, my Mage key, still sits in its holster, waiting to be used. But… but…

"How about our Ranger powers from earlier?" Damon suggests, and my thoughts snap back into focus. Right. There are always other options.

"It's too dangerous," Karone insists.

"Well…" No wonder Leo hadn't spoken in my head. He'd been on lockdown inside his own mind. "If that's what it takes, that's what I'll do."

"L, listen to me. You're not powered up, and who knows what'll happen if you drain your powers now?"

"Are you sure you should risk it?"

"There's no other choice. Galaxy Megazord saber!" My eyes flutter closed for a moment, and when they do, it's like I'm in the Lion zord's station along with Leo. Heat rushes around me, but it's as if I'm unaffected by the burn. "Fire power! Galaxy Megazord saber, full power!"

At first, the strike seems like it hits true. No such luck, though, since we're thrown to the ground with the blowback. "It didn't work!"

"We can't let it get away," I hiss, "Stratoforce, Centaurus!" But as I watch through the windows of my Snake zord's cockpit, even the two giant Megazords aren't nearly as tall or as strong as the overpowered Grunchor. And that's something I'd never thought I'd see, but most definitely something I never wanted to. Just before Grunchor can take down the two Zords, though, Mike's axe comes swinging down, chopping off its hold.

"Nice timing, Corbett-" My words are cut off by an attack that comes raining down from the sky. "Now what's happening?" As Leo had earlier, I speak way too soon. Captain Mutiny's ship's entered the atmosphere, and now it docks right on top of Grunchor's head. When it does, the monster's claws grow twice as large, and the scream it emits is nearly that much louder.

"He's even bigger!"

There's nothing we can do to evade the blast of fire that covers us next, and it's all I can do to grip onto my Snake zord's controls as the Megazord shakes. Somewhere within the back of my mind, my Galactabeast hisses in pain, and tears nearly spring to my eyes. "Hey, it's okay. I'll get us out of this." But two swings of the Galaxy Saber later, and we still haven't managed to land a decent blow. And when Mike falls, followed by Stratoforce and Centaurus, for the first time since I'd faced off against Trakeena…

I'm scared we won't make it out of this.

We will.

"Condor Galactazord, missile mode, fire!" I'm not stupid. Leo's using all his energy to summon these attacks, letting us save our own. Not to mention, I can still feel the heat of the fire he's created, the fire that's burning thanks to his own powers.

Leo. Focus in.

No, I can do this. With our powers combined- His thought is cut off, and I bite back my scream.

"Leo?"

"You're using up all your power!" Damon argues, but Leo's still silent, both aloud and in my mind.

"Look out, here he comes again!" Karone warns, but before any of us can bother to raise a defense, Mike stumbles forward. And even though I know he doesn't share a bond with his brother in the way I do, it's almost as if he knows what's happening to Leo. The Magna Defender, though, is no match for Grunchor and Captain Mutiny combined, and for a split second, I wonder what in the world has kept us safe thus far from the latter. Did he just… not notice us somehow? (I really wish it'd stayed that way.)

With the next attack that comes is something like an odd sense of pain. Or rather, the lack thereof. Just like when I lost my abilities, just like when Karone had faced down her past to help me get them back, it's this emptiness.

L, don't.

"I can't quit. I've got to beat him."

God dammit, love.

"Sorry." My Snake Zord hisses back something like "It's okay. He's being stupid". (Or at least, I think that's what she says.) "I'll be back." With that, I rush out of my control room and up to Leo's. Thankfully, the others had the same idea. Just as we did before, we all place our hands together, and in that moment, I've never been more grateful to have this team by my side.

They never ever gave up on me, even when I was Mage. Even when I'd thought the worst of them, they'd always waited for me to come back, so we could be together like this.

"Leo, I love you so much, but sometimes you are so dense." Kai makes a gagging noise, and I narrow my eyes at him. "I'll spare you the shin kicking until we're out of this mess."

"As much as I hate to admit it," Damon starts, "Kara's right."

"Hey!"

"We want to beat him too. And we're gonna do it together."

"That's why we're here," Kai agrees.

"And that's why we'll do it together as a team." I take Karone's free hand in mine, give it a short squeeze, and after a moment, she gives it a longer one. Our old team's sign of reassurance, that everything will be alright.

"Right. Now let's go show them what real teamwork can do!"

"Okay. Let's do it." I close my eyes, letting myself become aware of the energy that flows within us, connecting us like a glittering spiderweb. "Give it everything you got… yes, it's working! Let's wait until he gets a little closer." Grunchor's screech seems far away, removed from the plain of energy we're all on together.

"Leo, now!" Damon orders, and Leo nods.

"Galaxy fire power!"