"Doctor O, I know the suit looks good and all, but quit kidding around," said Kira.
"I wish I could, Kira," said Doctor Oliver. "But when Trent froze me in that amber, it seems my morpher and my Dino gem remolecurlised."
"In other words?" Conner asked, looking to Hayley.
"He's stuck," Hayley sighed. She spied the mainframe and huffed. "Speaking of Trent."
The split screens moulded into one to show the Drago-Stego Megazord thundering around the city.
"I am so over that poser," Conner hissed, his hand clenching into a fist.
"Go," said Doctor Oliver. "I'll see what we can figure out here."
The others nodded and stepped back.
"Ready?" Conner asked.
"Ready!"
"Dino Thunder, Power Up!"
~X~
Trent laughed darkly as he fired another blast at the city. "That's right, run!" he said, watching as the civilians fled the scene.
"That's enough!" Conner called, racing into the thick of things on his Raptor Rider. The others alongside him.
Trent turned and towered over them. "Make your move," he encouraged.
"It's Zord time," said Conner, raising his arm.
The Brachiozord lumbered into view, depositing the Zords into the middle of the city. Pulling her feet up, Anabel pressed them against the saddle of her Raptor Rider and lunched herself into the air, she landed in the cockpit of her Compy.
As the Megazord came together, Anabel raised her arm and called into her bracelet. "Parasaur!" she summoned, watching as the green Dino lapped towards them through the winding streets. It jumped into the air and attached itself to the left side of the Megazord, replacing the Tyranno Drill.
Once ready, the team faced Trent. He remained unmoving. Simply waiting.
"What's he up too?" Ethan asked.
"I have no idea," Kira admitted. "But we've got to stop him."
Trent scoffed. "I hate to do this to you. It's nothing personal," he held out his hand, drew it in a circle, and threw out a thick chain at the team. It wrapped, several times around the torso of the Thundersaurus, holding them fast.
"I'm taking it as personal," said Anabel. "Cephla! Dimetro!"
With a squeak and a roar, the Cephlazord and Dimetrozord raced towards the Thundersaurus.
"Perfect," said Trent. "Containment fields, online."
The Rangers watched as two barrels formed around the auxiliary Zords.
"What are you doing?" Conner called. "Let them go!"
"Not a chance."
Kira shook her head. "Trent, you've got to stop this," she pleaded. "You're out of control."
"Feels like I'm in the one in control," Trent retorted.
"What's he going to do with them?" Ethan wondered.
The eyes of Trent's megazord flashed, and he blasted the team with a purple energy beam. There was a flash of white, and next thing Anabel found herself on the ground between Conner and Kira.
By the time they had regained their footing, Trent, and their auxiliary Zords, had gone.
"No…" Anabel moaned.
~X~
Back at the base, the four teens watched as Hayley tracked their Zords. They were in an abandoned field, somewhere in the Mystic Realm, but surrounded by a forcefield which was preventing anything and anyone, save for Trent, from getting inside.
"What's the situation, Hayley?" Doctor Oliver asked.
"It's no good," said Hayley, sighing and shaking her head. "He's got them in a forcefield."
"It's not Trent's fault," Kira protested, catching the sidelong look that Ethan was giving her.
Ethan scoffed and shook his head.
"I don't care who's fault it is," Conner sneered, turning angrily to her. He noticed how Anabel caught Kira's wrist, pulling her out of the way of his temper. He glared at her, too. "We find a way to deal with him, or things are going to get ugly."
"I've seen your ugly," Anabel snapped. "Don't take it out on Kira. You and Ethan are the ones with the problem here, not her!"
Ethan opened his mouth to argue, but Doctor Oliver cut across him. "Slow down," he scolded. "I was in his shoes once, and I wouldn't be here today if my friends had given up on me."
"See," Anabel said, gesturing with her head.
Conner scoffed and shook his head.
"Okay. So, we don't give up yet," said Ethan, deflating. "What do we do?"
"Go back to school," Doctor Oliver said. "Keep a low profile. Hayley and I will let you know if anything changes."
As the teens filed out of the room, Kali turned to Tommy. "I have to be back in Ocean Bluff," she said. "But, if you need me or the team, we're at your disposal. Just contact Root Core."
"Thank you for all your help," Doctor Oliver said, shaking her hand. "I'll definitely be in contact, should we need it." He turned and shook the other Rangers hands.
"We'll see if we can find something that will help you get through the forcefield," said Maddie. "There may be a spell or something that could counter what Trent is doing."
Hayley smiled her thanks.
~X~
As she fussed with her backpack, Anabel rushed out of her house and back to her car. She stopped short as she found her path to the driver's side door, blocked by Trent. He was leaning against the side, arms folded, and a smirk on his face.
"What are you doing here?" Anabel asked, her car keys in hand.
"Can't I come visit my sister?" Trent asked.
"I'm not your sister," said Anabel, shaking her head.
"Maybe not biologically," said Trent, shrugging. "But, we do share the same father."
Anabel swallowed and clutched her keys tighter. "What do you want, Trent?" she asked. "I'm in a rush."
"Somewhere to be?" Trent asked.
"School."
Trent made a small face and nodded. "Right. Of course, because Doctor Oliver's stuck in his Ranger form now, so you have to be a good little student for whoever takes his class, right?" he asked.
Anabel furrowed her brow. What did Doctor Oliver have to do with anything. "I'm a 'good little student' for all my teachers, not just Doctor Oliver," she said.
"Yes, I noticed," said Trent, nodding. "But you're extra good for him, aren't you? I mean, don't we all try to be extra good for the teachers we like?"
"Where are you going with this?"
"You're smart enough to figure that out without me telling you, Anabel," said Trent. "I wonder what the school board would think?"
"They can think what they like," said Anabel with a small shrug. "There's nothing to think other than a professional relationship between teacher and student."
"Wow, you're really committed to that lie, aren't you?"
Anabel swallowed. She wasn't a fool. Not to anyone, especially her own body signals. She had seen the signals between her and Doctor Oliver, she'd have had to be blind to not pick up on them, but the fact remained that he was her teacher, so even if she did want something from it, if they both did, they couldn't. The line was there for a reason.
"If you're just here to taunt me," said Anabel. "Then you can clear off. I'm not in the mood." She checked her phone for the time. She had three missed calls from Kira, and a text message asking where she was.
"Go ahead," said Trent, pushing off the car. "Call them back. Invite them all over. I'll do to them what I intend to do to you." He dropped his arm and his morpher appeared from his Dino Gem.
Anabel clutched her phone tightly. "I don't want to fight you, Trent," she said.
"That makes one of us," Trent replied. He raised his arm and pressed the red button on the front of his morpher. "White Ranger, Dino Power."
Stuffing her phone into her backpack, Anabel shed it and dropped it on the front lawn.
"No cavalry?" Trent asked. "You sure you don't need Doctor Oliver's assistance?"
"I told you," Anabel snapped. "There's nothing there. But, if we have to fight, I'm not about to let you walk all over me. Dino Thunder, Power Up!"
"Bring it on."
Anabel clenched her hand into a fist and rushed forward. She raised her leg, kicking Trent in the side. He wrapped his arm around her thigh and pulled up, flipping her over. Regaining her footing, Anabel jumped back and caught Trent's arm, biting back a squeak as he swung her around and rammed her into her car.
"Why are you doing this?" Anabel asked. "You asked us to help you, why are you turning away from it now?"
"I don't need anyone's help," Trent growled. "Least of all yours."
Anabel swallowed and shook her head. She wouldn't help him get the better of her, and she wasn't giving up on him, no matter what he did.
Shoving himself away from Anabel, Trent reached for his Drago Sword on his belt.
"Compy Claws!" Anabel called, touching her belt. She held them up, criss-crossing them in front of her as she blocked the laser arrows that Trent threw her away.
Trent laughed and lunched himself into the air. Anabel mimicked his actions and the pair met - clash for clash - before landing in the centre of her driveway. They struggled for control, before breaking away.
"Fire!" Trent yelled, blasting Anabel with the tip end of his Drago Blaster.
Anabel gasped as she slammed into the side of her car, falling to her knees beside it. She looked up as Trent stood over her.
"It's over, Green Ranger," Trent said.
"Not yet, it's not," said Anabel. She drew her Thundermax and fired it, striking Trent in the shoulder. He stumbled backwards, tripped over his own two feet, and landed with a thud at her front door.
Breathing heavily, Anabel stared at Trent's body as she felt the familiar tingle at the bottom of her skull. She looked up, instinctively, as an Invisiportal appeared over house, dropping Zeltrax and an insect-like creature on the path between them.
Anabel tightening the grip on her Thundermax.
"Perfect timing," the insect-like creature garbled. "Should I infect them both?"
"No, do as we've been instructed," said Zeltrax. "Just the White one."
Anabel looked around at Trent as the insect creature stood over him. He pointed his laser pointer at Trent's chest, and pulled the trigger, emitting a slender beam of orange light at the teen.
Trent groaned and demorphed.
"What did you do to him?!" Anabel yelled.
Zeltrax turned to her, the gasp he let out sounded like it was in surprise. Like he didn't even realise she was there.
"Later days," the monster said, as he and Zeltrax disappeared.
Pushing herself up, Anabel rushed over to Trent, demorphing as she fell to her knees beside him. "Are you okay?" she asked, helping him sit up.
"Better than okay," said Trent, his voice groggy. Almost like he had just woken up. "I'm me."
Anabel furrowed her brow. What did that mean?
~X~
Kira checked her phone for the fifth time and looked up at the boys. They were standing in the school parking lot, waiting for Anabel to arrive. She was late, which was unlike her, and none of their calls or messages were being answered.
"We could go over there," Ethan offered. He turned to Conner. "I'm guessing you know where she lives?"
Conner nodded. "Cheviot Hills," he confirmed.
Ethan's eyes widened. "How rich is she?" he gasped.
Kira rolled her own eyes. It was no secret that Anabel came from wealth, so she couldn't understand why Ethan always freaked out when he learned something about Anabel that expressed her financial status.
"Very," said Conner.
"There's something very wrong with this picture," said Ethan, shaking his head. "Anabel is rich now, at eighteen, but how rich is she going to be at twenty-one, when she inherits everything?"
Again, Kira rolled her eyes. "What does it matter?" she asked. "She'd still be Anabel."
"True," Ethan agreed.
A honk of a horn caused the trio to turn, and the familiar green [insert car] rolled into the available parking space beside Conner's mustang.
"You're la -" Kira started but cut off as she rounded the car and noticed that Anabel wasn't alone. In the passenger seat, head resting against the glass pane, was Trent.
"What are you doing with him?" Conner asked, his eyes narrowing and hand clenching.
"Yeah, I know you're all for helping him, but this?" Ethan asked, unable to wrap his ahead around what he was seeing.
Anabel shook her head and rounded the side of her car, she opened Trent's door and helped him out, leaning him against the side. He was still unstable on his feet, but whatever Zeltrax's latest creation had done, it had definitely backfired.
"I don't know what's happened," said Anabel. "But, he hasn't tried to attack or hurt me the entire ride. Whatever Insectolite hit him with, it's released the hold of the White Dino gem."
"That doesn't make a whole lot of sense," said Ethan.
"That's what I thought," Anabel agreed. "But, I can't take him to the base, and Doctor Oliver can't come here. So, this is the best shot we have of trying to figure things out."
"We need a place we can all meet, us and Doctor Oliver," said Kira.
Anabel nodded.
"I agree," said Trent, "and I know what you're all thinking," he hastened a glance at Conner and Ethan, "I'm really sorry for what I've done to you. You got to believe; it wasn't me. If there's anything I can do to make it up to you…"
"How about returning our Zords?" Ethan asked.
Trent laughed and nodded. "Meet me in the warehouse district this afternoon," he said. "I'll give you back your Zords, and I may have a peace offering as well."
Anabel shared a smile with Kira. This was everything they had wanted.
~X~
Trent was already there when the others arrived at the warehouse district. He was sitting on top of a large, square wooden container, and looked up at the roar of their engines. He smiled and raised a hand, waving them over.
"Hope you don't mind me tagging along," said Doctor Oliver, dismounting Conner's cycle.
"Doctor Oliver," Trent said, holding out a hand. "I'm glad you're okay."
Doctor Oliver accepted the handshake. "More or less," he said, nodding.
"I hate to get right to the point," said Ethan, interrupting. "But I don't see any Zords around here."
Trent chuckled. "I thought we'd start with the peace offering I promised first," he said. He turned from the team and approached a large object, covered in a sheet. He pulled it back, revealing a black and gold ATV.
"Whoa," Doctor Oliver breathed.
"Sweet," the others gasped.
Trent grinned. "I figured you guys could use the help against Mesogog," he said. "Who wants to try it out first?"
"Make way," Ethan announced, excitedly.
Anabel grabbed his arm. "It's not exactly your colour, Ethan," she said turning to Doctor Oliver. She smiled, despite her helmet.
Ethan's shoulders sagged. "Aw, man," he whined.
Doctor Oliver squeezed Anabel's shoulder and stepped up to the side of the ATV. He threw his leg across the seat and slid perfectly into place, his hands grazing the handlebars, breaks, and steering wheel. "Good work," he said, nodding appreciatively. "Twelve stroke engine?"
"Yeah, sure is," Trent replied.
Anabel felt her stomach drop as Doctor Oliver looked up. "They don't make twelve stroke engines, Trent," he said, accusingly.
"And Mesogog doesn't make monsters that turn people good, either," Trent sneered.
There was a collective gasp as Trent leapt over the ATV, kicked it's back-end, lurching it into gear.
"No!" Anabel called as Conner dragged her out of the way as Doctor Oliver zoomed past.
"Doctor O!" Conner called, turning quickly to the Black Ranger as he disappeared out of the warehouse.
Anabel turned quickly to Trent. "You lied to me. Again!" she accused.
"I told you, Green Ranger, you're naive to think that you can save me!" Trent laughed.
Whirling around, Conner glared at Trent. "You'll pay for this," he vowed.
Sticking two fingers into his mouth, Trent whistled, and the others gasped as a Drago-shaped ATV rolled into view. It stopped short of where they were standing, and Trent leapt into the air, flipped over, and landed squarely in the driver's seat, fully morphed.
"Later, suckers," Trent said, revving the engine and speeding out of the warehouse.
Racing for their Raptor Cycles, the team sped off after Trent, stopping short as Insectolite and Tyrannodrones dropped from an invisiportal in front of them.
"Not so fast," he garbled. "You're not going anywhere."
"Try and stop us," said Conner. "Come on, guys!"
"Right with you," Ethan agreed.
Anabel and Kira nodded.
They revved their engines and sped forward. They split at the last second, each one weaving between boxes and barrels, and firing at the Tyrannodrones that tried to catch them.
Anabel swerved around a metal container and unhooked her Thundermax from her belt as she fired at the Tyrannodrones climbing the boxes to her right. She fired, knocking them down. She rolled her Thundermax over her finger, and slipped it back into her belt, as a Tyrannodrone jumped into her path. She hit the laser button at the last second and swiped straight past it.
Turning her front wheel to the right, Anabel swung around and raised her arms to cover her face as Insectolite fired back at her, hitting her in the chest and lifting her off of her bike. She groaned as she hit the ground, her bike sparking and exploding as it toppled sideways.
"Anabel, you okay?" Kira asked, rushing over. She pulled Anabel back to her feet and faced Insectolite as the boys joined them.
"Is that all you've got?" Insectolite asked.
Sharing a look, the foursome nodded at one another, and crossed their arms over each other, drawing them down so that they were level with their waist. "Super Dino Mode!" they called.
"Super what?" Insectolite gasped. "Attack!"
Anabel raced forward, kicking at a Tyrannodrone as it raised its arm to cut at her with its sword. She ducked to the left, rolling across the floor to avoid a second Tyrannodrone as it tried to stomp her. Jumping up, she sliced at the two with her claws, and then pushed herself up onto a storage container, and planted both feet into their chests, knocking them back.
Rolling over, Anabel kicked her feet up and dropped down on the other side of the storage container, pulling her Thundermax free and blasting several more Tyrannodrones within her reach.
"Your bikes are history," Insectolite tittered, stumbling away from Conner. He looked from one Ranger to the next as they regrouped before him. "We're through here, by -" he broke off with a groan.
Anabel gasped in delight at the sight of Doctor Oliver. He was alive and seemed to have control over the black ATV. He opened fire on Insectolite, knocking him away from the students.
"Talk about a wild ride," Doctor Oliver chuckled, dismounting.
"At least you're okay," said Anabel, running to his side.
Doctor Oliver nodded.
"Later days," Insectolite called, disappearing back into the Invisiportal.
A second engine roared, and Trent swerved into the warehouse again. He dismounted and faced the team, glancing sideways at the destroyed Raptor Cycles, and chuckling. "Someone's been careless with their toys," he said, crossing his arms.
"You're making a mistake, Trent," said Doctor Oliver. "Don't trust Mesogog."
"Who says I do?" Trent asked. "I've got what I wanted. Goodbye Rangers."
"What about our Zords?" Ethan asked.
"Say goodbye to them, too," Trent laughed. He remounted his bike, swung it around.
"Trent, don't do this," Kira pleaded.
Trent ignored her and sped out of the warehouse, without looking back.
~X~
Anabel sat silently in the chair near the mainframe. The balls of her feet rested on the edge, while her arms wrapped around her thighs, trapping her hands beneath her knees. She sighed and buried her face in her legs, listening to the others around her.
"Can we go over this again?" Conner asked. "Trent made a deal with Mesogog, pretending to let Insectolite turn him back into himself, as a way of tricking one of us into taking the rigged ATV?"
"Not one of us," Anabel said, for the first time since arriving back at the base. She raised her head and found her friends, tears welling in her eyes at her own stupidity. "Me. That's why he was at my house, he knew I'd fall for it."
"Don't put this all on you," said Doctor Oliver. "It could've happened to either one of us, like Conner said.
"Maybe, but it didn't," said Anabel. "Trent was right when he said I'm naive to think I can save him."
"But he did want help," said Kira.
"Apparently not anymore," Anabel murmured, lowering her gaze again.
"I can't believe he made a deal with Mesogog," Kira added. "That is a new low."
"And risky," said Ethan. "Trent was supposed to beat us. Mesogog is not going to be happy."
"Lighting the candle at both ends, the White Ranger's bound to get burned," said Doctor Oliver.
Anabel slowly lifted her head and found Doctor Oliver to be looking in her direction; she sighed and looked down. Her conversation with Trent earlier that morning playing over in her head.
"Thankfully, I know how to get the fire going," said Hayley. "The ray used by Insectolite destroyed your energy shields. I bet if you could get that creep to aim his energy-buster at the Zords."
"We could break through Trent's shield around them," said Kira.
Hayley nodded.
"Okay, small problem," said Ethan. "How is Trent going to feel about all this?"
Anabel paused, considering Hayley's idea, and then set her feet on the ground as she stood up. "Well, I don't know about the rest of you, but I don't plan on asking," she said.
Conner nodded. Glad to see that Anabel was coming around to his side.
"Besides, every trap needs its bait," stated Hayley.
~X~
Upon returning to the warehouse district, Doctor Oliver allowed Conner, Kira, and Ethan to pull ahead as he waited for Anabel. Despite her agreement on tricking Trent into drawing Insectolite out, she hadn't been very talkative since he had returned from the amber.
"What else is going on inside your head?" Doctor Oliver asked, glancing at her.
Anabel shrugged.
"Can't read your mind, Anabel."
Anabel smiled. "Sorry. I'm just concerned with my fight with Trent," she said. "Not just because he may have been right about me being naive."
"Hayley told me about what happened when I was stuck in that amber," said Doctor Oliver. "You're not stupid or naive for thinking you can help someone who desperately needs it, but you do have to have permission. You can't just go about trying to save Trent if he doesn't want to be saved."
"But he does," said Anabel. "He told me and Kira. He asked us for our help. Then something changed his mind, but we don't know who. Something happened to him that made him change his mind."
Doctor Oliver cocked his head to the side. "Or maybe someone?" he offered.
Anabel sighed and nodded. "I think Mesogog may have got to him," she admitted. "He promised Kira and me that he would wait for us, and when we got back he had gone. There were signs of a struggle, but no one other than Kira believed me. I think Trent was taken by Mesogog, and he somehow managed to convince him that he couldn't fight the white Dino gem."
"Sounds similar to what Rita did with me," said Doctor Oliver. "But my friends didn't give up. They kept fighting, and looking for a way to save me, and they succeeded. You don't give up on friends."
"Hayley said you'd say something like that," said Anabel.
"So, why do I get the feeling that you're ready to give up?"
Anabel shrugged. "Because Trent is making it ten times harder to help him," she said. "Him turning up at my house, and goading me into fighting him? How does he know where I live, for one. What if he comes back and I'm not there but my mum is? How am I supposed to protect her without giving away my secret?"
Doctor Oliver stopped and turned, stepping into Anabel's path and blocking her off. He placed his hands on her shoulders and forced her to look up, despite not being able to see her face, he still held her gaze, where he knew it would be behind the helmet. "You're not alone, Anabel," he said. "You have us behind you. All of us. Especially me," he promised.
"I know," Anabel replied, nodding. "But, somehow you being there could make things a lot worse."
"What do you mean?" Doctor Oliver asked.
Anabel swallowed. "Something Trent said," she answered.
"What did he say?"
Anabel hesitated.
A crash from ahead broke them apart, and they both turned to see the White Ranger standing on the ledge of a warehouse. He raised his head, his gaze striking them, and then turned back to the other three beneath him. He sliced his Drago sword through the air and disappeared.
Sharing a quick glance, Anabel and Doctor Oliver jogged over to the others, just as Doctor Oliver's morpher beeped, opening a communication link with Hayley.
"The monster is back on the other side of the warehouse," Hayley said.
"Got it." Doctor Oliver looked up at Conner.
"Come on!" Conner said, leading the team away. They rounded a corner at the far end of the district and found Insectolite searching ahead.
Spotting them, the insect waved his arm in their general direction. "Out of my way!" he ordered. "I've been sent to get the white one."
"To bad, you've got us instead!" said Anabel.
Insectolite growled and fired his energy buster at them. The team jumped back and then raced forward. Their separate attacks were futile as Insectolite made quick work of them, but as he tossed Ethan and Conner aside, Anabel and Kira rushed in, flipped over his head, and swung their legs around, kicking him in the back and sending him stumbling forward.
Angrily, Insectolite turned and fired at the team, striking them in the chest and knocking them down.
"Energy orb!" Doctor Oliver said, regaining his footing. He whirled his Brachio Staff in a circle, creating a sphere of energy, and launched it at Insectolite.
The creature staggered back.
"Let's help him out!" said Conner, jumping back to his feet. "Tyranno Staff!"
"Ptera Grips!"
"Tricera Shield!"
"Compy Claws!"
Glancing at one another, Anabel and Kira nodded and rushed forward, leaping into the air. The landed either side of Insectolite and spun around, in the opposite directions of the other, slashing at him with their weapons.
As the girls' pulled back, Conner rushed forward, slamming his Tyranno staff into the ground, and looping around it, smashing his feet into Insectolite as with each loop.
Jumping over Conner, Ethan stabbed at Insectolite with his shield. He heaved, and lifted the insect into the air, spinning him around on the first horn, like a disc.
Insectolite cried out as he flew off the shield and slammed into a warehouse wall.
"That got him," said Ethan.
"Yeah," Tommy said. "Help me load him up."
~X~
Trent laughed as he sat sideways on his ATV, watching the Dimetro and Cephla Zords behind his forcefield. He had already encountered a troublesome team of Rangers in the form of the Mystic Force, all of whom he had sent packing, but he had to admit that'd put up a good fight.
"Looks like your friends are trying to save you," said Trent, addressing the two Zords. They were still contained in his containment pods, and their weak cries were enough to make him smile. They could whine and cry as much as they wanted, they weren't getting away from him.
As night set in, Anabel and the others raced through the Mystic Realm on the back of their Raptor Riders. They had received word from Root Core, including coordinates to where Trent was holding the abducted Zords, and a warning to watch their backs as he was a tough adversary for anyone.
"We'll never make it," said Ethan, as the sun set entirely.
"Don't say that," said Anabel, shaking her head.
"Anabel's right," Doctor Oliver agreed. "We have to make it. Who knows what Trent intends to do."
Anabel cast aside the images that Doctor Oliver's words ground up. She couldn't afford to think about what Trent may or may not have done or could do. She had to be positive.
Arriving in the clearly, the team spotted their Zords through the trees. They didn't look good.
"Let me go," Insectolite yelled, as Doctor Oliver dismounted his Raptor Rider, and pulled him down, shoving him toward the forcefield.
"This is your cue, Insectolite," said Doctor Oliver. "Go on. Do it."
Insectolite looked from one ranger to the next, watching as they closed in around him, cutting off any chance of him escaping. The cuffs around his wrist also prevented him from calling on an Invisiportal and give him just enough power to wield his energy buster.
Growling, Insectolite turned to the Zords, and raised his satellite. He powered it up and moved his finger over the trigger, but a laser arrow collided with him, knocking him down as Trent stepped out of the trees.
"You're too late," Trent laughed. He turned to walk away, pointing his Drago Sword at the Zords. The starfish on the sides of the barrels exploded, filling the shield with smoke before it disappeared.
"No!" Anabel gasped and lurched forward, her feet finding ground as she staggered to where the Zords had once been.
"Anabel, wait!" Doctor Oliver called after her. He caught up, just short of the edge of the grove, his arms wrapping around her waist and hauling her back from the trees.
A small squeak echoed out of the darkness, followed by a roar. Then two silhouettes appeared in the dust, and the Zords stood proudly above the trees.
"They survived!" Ethan grinned.
The team stumbled as the ground shook. They each turned and looked up, just as the Dino Stegozord stomped into view.
"Dino Zords," Trent called, spreading the arms of his megazord wide. "Combine!"
Against all odds, the Cephalazord and Dimetrozord launched themselves into the air, and attached to either side of the Dino Stegozord, and the excitement the Rangers had felt to find their Zords still alive, died instantly.
"Our Zords!" Conner gasped. "They switched teams."
"Another trick," said Doctor Oliver. He half-glanced at Anabel. She was still wrapped up in his arms, her own hands gripping his wrist and forearms, as she stared at the scene ahead of them.
"I thought they would make a nice addition to my collection," said Trent. "The starfish device was just to re-program them to obey me."
"You're not going to get away with this," said Doctor Oliver. He removed one arm from around Anabel and raised it into the air. "Brachio!" he called into his morpher.
The Brachio zord lumbered into view, depositing the four Zords into the clearing.
Releasing herself from Doctor Oliver's arm, Anabel jumped into the cockpit of her Compy zord, and linked it with her Dino gem, before initiating the command to combine with the others.
"Let's make him pay," said Conner.
"You can't afford it," Trent chuckled. He punched forward, smashing the head of the Cephalazord into its gut.
The team stumbled backwards.
"Dimetro Saw!" Trent called, raising his right arm, and cutting through the team with the blade.
"With our Zords, he's too powerful!" said Kira.
"Now you're starting to get it," said Trent. "Why don't you just surrender the rest of your Zords to me?"
"If you believed we'd do that, you're crazier than I thought," said Conner.
Trent shrugged. "Then I guess I'll have to take them," he said.
"Go for it!" Conner challenged.
The Dino Stegozord stormed forward, raising the Dimetro saw again.
"Trent, wait, don't!" Anabel and Kira yelled.
Trent laughed and struck down, the blade whirling to a halt as it crashed against an arm as thick as a tree. He turned, stunned at the massive dog-like megazord standing beside the Thundersaurus.
"Out of my way, Mystic!" Trent growled.
"Not a chance," said Kali, shoving Trent away. She growled and stepped in front of the Thundersaurus. "Get out of my forest!"
Trent glowered at the Hellhound. "Another days, Rangers," he said, disappearing into the night.
~X~
After the Mystic's had escorted them out of the Mystic Forest, Anabel and the others returned to the Dino Base. Ethan and Kira slumped over Conner's Raptor Cycle, while the Red Ranger himself, sat behind them. Anabel, meanwhile, was back in her computer chair, with Doctor Oliver trying, and failing, to cheer her up.
"Trent has some nerve," said Kira, sadly.
"Yeah, why can't he just give up?" Ethan asked.
"Good thing I never give up," said Hayley, walking over and wiping her hands on a rag. "Your bikes are fixed.
"Aw, Hayley, you're the best!" Ethan grinned.
"Just don't do it again, okay?" Hayley warned. "And, as an added bonus, I reprogrammed the ATV. It should come in handy."
The others nodded.
"We're going to need all the help we can get," Doctor Oliver said, turning away from Anabel. She had withdrawn so far into herself at this point, that she wasn't even willing to meet his gaze or listen to him. Instead, he squeezed her knee and stood, facing the others. "If Trent and Mesogog team up for good, we're going to have a real battle on our hands."