AUTHOR'S NOTE: Chapter 4 is here, now fully edited and in its definitive edition! Both me and Cuddlefish want to thank readers, new and old, for giving our story a chance! We hope you keep enjoying Supersonic and its upcoming chapters!

CHAPTER 4 — It's a Deal

|| Alatheia Cloud

The Alatheia Cloud had once been characterized as the chaotic material of future suns; a fiery mist, red-hot with highly ionized gas and raging thunderstorms.

Stars, woven with fresh cosmic matter, riddled this region of space like rows of unblinking eyes. They were gigantic and beautiful to behold, their blazing incandescence a firework whose radiance was certain to mark their short-lived existence into galactic history.

A cruiser ship traversed the maelstrom. Reinforced with jet plating, it sliced the aethereal waves with its beaked hull; the first link in a serpentine line of interconnected wagons, similarly equipped to withstand the tumultuous environmental conditions. This space-train, slithering deep into the Alatheia Cloud, was the Black Market Cobra. The naming derived from a predatory species that hailed from a distant planet, the imagery of which was proudly embossed on the ship's sail, held tight atop a mast connected to the first gangway connection. A portable trading center that attracted only the most notorious of space pirates, smugglers and corrupt planetary rulers, the Black Market Cobra belonged to an alien of terrifying notoriety: The Intergalactic Merchant.

'Watch it, you dolt!' roared his heavy voice. 'Those precious stones are worth one million times your life! Now move aside!'

The twin gates leading into the bridge hissed open on well-oiled hydraulics and a horned instrument sounded at the arrival of a scaled dwarf, accompanied by a two-man escort. The head was comically large when compared to his stumpy frame, and boasted a pair of bulging eyes, an inflated nose and a half-agape maw with twin rows of filed teeth. Dressed in luxurious silk pants fastened by golden chains and beaded bracelets, the squat alien was crowned with a red, square, cotton scarf.

'You got some nerve standing in Arnolf the Magnificent's path, you good-for-nothing Silencers! Bah! If you weren't so cheap I would've disposed of you a long time ago!' Arnolf grumbled and his whiskers flitted about with every exhale.

He trudged toward a raised dais in the center of the chamber, atop which was a wide throne fashioned from pure gold and bedecked with colored jewels. Arnolf came to a sudden halt and the Silencers trailing behind the Intergalactic Merchant skidded to a halt, dangerously close to dropping a pair of ornate boxes.

'What are you doing there?!' Arnolf pointed a clawed finger at a Silencer that analyzed the star chart situated before the throne. 'You're standing in front of my seat! You're blocking the view! Scram, you nitwit! Get!'

The Silencer, incapable of processing the insult properly, scooched over to the nearest display monitor. Arnolf threw his arms up in frustration. 'I am surrounded by boneheads!' He readied himself to sit on the throne, but the Silencer from before rushed in front of him again. 'What?!' Arnolf roared.

The henchling alien pressed a button on the star chart, the one beneath a beeping red light, and the three-dimensional landscape of the Alatheia Cloud elevated itself. The visual particles moved away from one another, smoothly realigning themselves into the visage of a time-worn face.

'Oh!' Arnolf exclaimed in feint surprise. Despite the interference caused by the surrounding gas, the dwarf could make out the caller with ease. 'Why, if it isn't the respected king Hanoi!'

'Save your flattery, Intergalactic Merchant,' king Hanoi snapped. Arnolf sat straighter in response. 'Let us spare the formalities. I call upon you on behalf of my master.'

'Master?!' Arnolf sputtered, for such was his surprise at the prospect of a figure as mighty as Vaxia's Hanoi having a superior. 'Then it's true! You've abandoned the throne! It's true!'

'Yes,' king Hanoi admitted. 'The master chose me and so I answered the call to do the same with other mighty figures. Together, we have formed a sinister Syndicate, tasked with planetary conquest. Vaxia, you see, has already been subjugated and is of no concern to me any more. The master's final claim — his thousandth trophy — is Xybria.'

'Xybria?' Arnolf echoed. He searched the archives of his mind and his eyes shot open upon the recollection. 'Are you saying you're planning on taking over the home of the Supersonic Power Rangers?!'

King Hanoi nodded and his three-dimensional visage wavered. 'To achieve that goal, the master wants his final ally to be you, Arnolf the Magnificent. Should you pledge the Black Market Cobra to his cause, there is promise of great riches.'

Riches. That was all Arnolf the Magnificent needed to hear for his eyes to glimmer with greed. His bloated fingers turned jittery with anticipation and the alien skulls that made up his one-of-a-kind abacus rattled furiously in his unsteady grip.

It did not take long for Arnolf to make his choice. 'It's a deal! But first, for the solidification of our agreement, it's only natural that I accept my payment in advance,' he cooed.

For a split second, king Hanoi's bushy brows furled. Arnolf perceived the king's scrambled features as a momentary image distortion.

'Of course,' King Hanoi replied as if the aforementioned flash of anger had never happened. 'The Syndicate welcomes you, Arnolf the Magnificent. You are to share none of the information that was exchanged today. Do not disappoint the master. Over and out.'

The transmission ceased and the deck erupted into a state of frenzied hustle.

'Where are the star charts?! Expand the scanning radius! I want estimates, pronto! Faster, you cretins! Faster!' Arnolf barked on the armrest mic as Silencers scrambled from one monitor to the next. Data rolled down computer screens in streams, keyboards chattered with frenetic taps and the star chart transformed into a green tide as particle movement accelerated and planetary pinpoints relocated with nauseating rapidity.

'Freeze!' Arnolf croaked and every Silencer on the bridge halted. Using his abacus as a steering wheel, the Intergalactic Merchant zoomed in on an isolated planet at the star chart's leftmost edge. 'Found it!' Arnolf moved a skull on his abacus. The motion activated a monitor atop the throne's right armrest that presented him with relevant information. 'The Planet of Giants and Trolls. Exactly what I need! Silencers!'

Arnolf snapped his fingers. The minions broke out of their stupor and rounded on their master.

'Course correction to these coordinates. Change our trajectory and get me to! That! Planet!'

|| NW Alatheia Cloud, Planet Y-106

The Planet of Giants and Trolls was one big, tropical jungle.

Classified as Y-106 in the Galactic Database, the planet was unbound by artificial constructs found in other, more technologically advanced landscapes in the vicinity. Its flora was green and luscious, with palmed trees that reached heights of over five meters and housed fruit of varying shapes, colors, aromas and flavors. Insects flitted about in swarms, the collective flap of tiny wings providing the jungle with an exotic ambience.

Arnolf the Magnificent had visited this planet before. Many times, in fact. He knew that everything on Y-106 belonged to a long list of near-extinct species that were under regulated protection. The Intergalactic Merchant did not care about the law, however, because he understood this assortment of delectables was rare, and would therefore fetch a handsome price.

'Can't you kooks go any faster?!' he commanded from atop his golden throne, carried by a six-membered Silencer escort. An outer ring of the chittering aliens flanked his entourage, carving a path through the thicket.

The party trailed along the length of a mountain, shadowing its foot until they came across a gargantuan cave entrance. Arnolf ordered his minions to put him down and set up defense parameters while he checked the crates he had brought along with him. A gift from a famed carpenter he had supplied with the final stock of Bolliuq timber, the boxes were two times Arnolf's size and width, and were burnished with a lovely mahogany coat.

'Step aside!' Arnolf yelled as he waddled to the front. 'Let me do the talking!' As the Intergalactic Merchant cleared his throat, the Silencers exchanged confused glances. 'Yoo-hoo!' Arnolf cooed in an unsettlingly high pitch. 'Is anybody home?!'

The earth started to quake. Chunks of rock chipped off from the edges of the cave entrance with every successive tremor. They fell like hail, but Arnolf did not panic. The thudding continued, its intensity growing until a shadowy shape appeared at the cave's mouth and a colossal head poked out of the darkness. Reluctantly, the giant stepped into the light. Its snout was bristling with tusks that crowned a mass of tanned, leathery skin, housed underneath a rust-coated chestplate and pauldrons.

'You,' the giant grumbled, pointing its club towards Arnolf and his escort. 'Leave. You disturb Joggie.'

From the corners of his vision, Arnolf was looking beyond the giant's imposing figure, at something holstered behind its back. It resembled a sack. His eyes then darted to the cap at the creature's head. A youth, I see, Arnolf mused, all the while wringing his hands.

'My friend!' he exclaimed with outstretched arms. 'I've come to you with food, for I need your help!'

'Joggie not interested,' the giant waved dismissively.

'Forget about interests, friend! Think about the profits!'

Nodding, Arnolf prompted the Silencers responsible for the boxes to lift the lids and reveal the contents within: A diverse array of fruits, lined up in aesthetically-pleasing order, harvested from far-off galaxies. Joggie the Giant leaned closer and sniffed the delicacies. He snorted in disgust and swatted the offering away. The crates fell to the earth with a hard crash, squashing the fruit to mush.

'Ah! My precious property!' Arnolf cried out. Even if he had strong-armed them from a lowly merchant off the coast of Sang'Shia, it was the loss without profit that hurt the merchant.

'Joggie not interested,' the giant pressed.

Arnolf rounded on Joggie. 'Trust me, kiddo, there hasn't been a speck of dust in this galaxy I couldn't convince otherwise. You, boy, are simply more… demanding.' The Intergalactic Merchant reached into his pocket and fished for a small, squishy cube. 'This,' he wiggled it before Joggie, 'is a special delicacy I stole– I mean, purchased from a primitive planet called Earth.' He dragged the pronunciation, placing a strong emphasis on the 'ear' part.

Joggie's brows lifted. He inched closer again, attracted by the strange scent and flaky texture.

'Here, have a taste.' Arnolf passed the delicacy to Joggie. The giant gingerly accepted the treat and tossed it in its gargantuan maw.

'It's good! Joggie loves! What's it called, what's it called?!' Joggie demanded with childish eagerness.

Arnolf indulged the giant. 'It's a lokum, my friend! And I can see from your face that you're hungry for more.'

Joggie nodded and clapped. 'Yes! More! More!'

'Well, you see, my friend,' Arnolf countered, 'you gotta help me out with something first. After that, I promise I'll get you tons more lokums!'

|| Aquila Hyperion Galaxy, Planet Xybria

Gwenga was a dark page in Xybrian history.

A deserted continent right below the northern polar ice cap, Gwenga was once the site of an active volcano, the eruption of which had led to the continent's demise twenty years prior. After the magma and ash had settled, Xybria honored Gwenga's passing by offering the desolate land over to the Supersonic Power Rangers. It now served as a remote base of operations through which the rangers could deploy their Zords and prevent any off-planet adversary with less concerns about collateral damage. The dubbed Volcanic Base consisted of four, conjoined towers, held together by a mighty gate. The outer spires were topped by defense turrets, the inner pillars with a helipad and a network of satellite dishes.

From within the base, the clash of swords rang across long-winded corridors.

Clad in the Red and Black Supersonic Ranger suits, Ace and Gent were engaged in a practice duel in the base's lowest level. The training hall was wide and circular, the floor and walls bereft of any equipment so as to allow for full concentration on the act of sparring.

'More like this?' Ace rolled his shoulder backward and lowered the V-Sonic Sword. His wrist was bent inward, the blade facing Gent with its flat side.

'Quite, sir Ace, quite. As such,' Gent replicated a thrust, 'the tip of my blade can connect not, and thus—'

'I can deflect it,' Ace finished for the knight. Flicking his wrist up and outward, Ace rolled with the thrust, swaying both the Supersonic Saber and Gent to his right. 'And then I counter like that?' Ace rotated his forearm and delivered an upward, diagonal cut. Everything was accomplished in slow, controlled motions, allowing for Ace to absorb every detail.

'Did I get it right?' he asked.

'Indubitably, sir!' Gent lowered the blade and reset his stance. 'A prim and proper student, I declare.'

A grin flashed underneath Ace's helmet. 'Thanks, Gent, but I've learned that a student is as good as his teacher.'

Gent nodded. 'I concur. Now, let us continue.'

'Ace! Gent!' a voice called out. Both rangers turned to face the training hall's entrance. A humanoid robot, white and rectangular, had waddled into the chamber.

'Hey-yo, rangers! There's trouble afoot!' it said and its round eyes flickered yellow.

Ace pressed a finger on the side of his helmet, prompting it to phase out. 'Trouble? Tell us more, Tensou 5.0.'

'It's terrible, rangers!' Tensou stammered. 'There's a giant attacking Illumise!'

'A giant, you say?' Gent repeated, mimicking Ace's helmet removal.

The rangers exchanged a brief glance before taking off as fast they could. They stormed to the central control area, located at the Volcanic Base's top floor, with Tensou 5.0 a close distance behind them. They had made their way to the elevator in less than a minute and had found Brute, Star and Pyre already morphed and viewing the on-screen live broadcast, patiently waiting for their leader's command.

Ace and Gent approached the monitors and witnessed the giant in question. Towering over the capital city's skyscrapers, the creature came very close to the Xybrian interpretation of a thawed caveman. Clad in ragged armor and brandishing a club, the giant vented its frustration at the surrounding modernity with destructive force, decimating buildings and vehicles with equal prejudice.

Ace looked to Tensou, who had only just caught up. 'Are the Zords ready for deployment?'

Tensou 5.0 answered with an affirmative nod.

The Supersonic Fighter, Carrier and Jeep Zords were lifted out of containment on rotating platforms and set before a wide, shuttered gate. Tensou keyed inputs into the master computer, unlocking the Volcanic Base's exits and signaling the deployment alarms. Magnetic clamps pulled back as warning klaxons blared, showering the Zords in red light that came and went in constant loops.

Once the necessary precautions and check-ups had been taken care of, Tensou sent a verification signal to the Red Supersonic Ranger.

Ace opened the team channel. 'Power, on!' Engines roared as energy, siphoned directly from the Morphin Grid, coursed through their iron bodies. 'Supersonic Power Rangers, deploy!'

The Fighter's turbines breathed fire. The Carrier and Jeep switched gears. Tires screeched as boots stamped the acceleration pedals. In a line formation, the Supersonic Zords soared southward and reached the metropolis in under eight minutes.

Ace raised his fist and called out: 'Triple Supersonic Formation!'

'Okay!' the rest of the rangers confirmed with a coordinated thumbs-up.

The Supersonic Fighter Zord folded in on itself and flashed a brilliant, golden 'V' as a bulbous head, also adorned with a V-shaped crest on its forehead, revealed itself from between the layered plates. The Supersonic Carrier Zord split horizontally, the mufflers turning over to be replaced by balled fists. Each half connected to either side of the now square Fighter. Meanwhile the Supersonic Carrier Zord followed an identical, though not complete horizontal separation, with the split ends rotating inward at a right angle. The opposite end snapped together with the Fighter Zord and enabled it to land on an open boulevard.

From behind the 'V' emblazoned on the robot's chest, the Supersonic Rangers cried out as one: 'Supersonic Megazord!'

The giant had stared at the entire transformation sequence with mouth agape. It stood before the mech, a hunched and hulking mass left transfixed.

'Joggie like! Joggie like!' the giant clapped, freed from its stupor as suddenly as it had entered it. The club in its grip wiggled in challenge. Star tilted her head at the odd behavior.

'Woah, that sure is weird,' Pyre worded Star's thoughts in her own, crass manner.

'We have to stop it,' Ace said. 'It's already caused a lot of destruction.'

The Supersonic Megazord raised its fists and trudged toward Joggie, but the giant was not paying attention. The Power Rangers exploited that chance to put the robot's entire weight forward and tackle the foe. Joggie staggered. The ranger team pressed the attack, unleashing a barrage of piston punches, but the giant did not seem to be fazed. If anything, it appeared to become agitated. Its round eyes darkened with anger.

'You hurt Joggie?! You! Bad!' Joggie roared.

The colossal monster raised its weapon and brought it down on the Megazord in a mighty axefall. The resin-coated wood of Joggie's club came apart as soon as it slammed against the robot's burnished iron hull, but the raw speed and power behind the blow was enough to rock the cockpit.

This display of primal rage had almost thrown the Power Rangers off their seats.

A cargo shuttle hovered on Xybria's ionosphere.

Arnolf the Magnificent sat on a cushioned stool in the middle of the compact observation bay, spectating the clash of titans with gleeful interest. The lokum box he had offered Joggie rested on his lap. The stumpy alien merchant reached for it every other minute to fish for exotic delicacies and hurl them at his gigantic maw.

'Hey!' he called out to a Silencer that poked from the corner of his eye. 'Handle that statue with care! It once belonged to an ancient Eltarian wizard, you hear?! Can you even comprehend how high a price this can fetch?!'

The Silencer stared at its master and cocked its head in puzzlement.

'I didn't expect you to understand to begin with! Just go! Put it near the emerald ring's display case,' Arnolf grumbled before he turned to the screen again.

Ever since his counter-attack, Joggie had given no quarter to the Power Rangers. His despicable enthusiasm had been betrayed and thus his assault had become a relentless stream of bare knuckle haymakers. It was a crazed, childish thrashing that the rangers' pathetic excuse of an oversized toy could not possibly keep up with.

Arnolf chuckled to himself. 'Dirty deeds done dirt cheap…'

'I've run a quick estimate on the big boy's applied force,' Brute started. He had to yell in order to be heard over the collective warnings resounding from several strobing lights around the Supersonic Megazord's piloting chamber. 'We don't stand a chance in a melee. Two more minutes of pounding and the outer hull will rupture.'

Ace nodded. 'Understood. In that case, we'll exit its effective range and use energy attacks. Black and Yellow, initiate evasive maneuvers. Blue and Pink, activate the wrist cannons.'

Gent, Pyre and Brute answered with a sharp, 'Roger!'. Star complied wordlessly. Responding to the rangers' inputs, the Supersonic Megazord moved backwards and rotated the barrels mounted on its wrists. Arms outstretched, it took aim and opened fire, peppering the giant with steady salvos.

Joggie wailed in pain as his thick hide was scorched by the blasts. With the giant in disarray, the Megazord retracted its cannons, trading concentrated fire with the Planetarium Sword, and split the weapon into two, shorter daggers. Thrusters under its feet scorched the highway as they sent the robot rolling forward in mid-air. It kicked Joggie three times in the chest, then turned again, still in the air, and finished its combo with a cross slash.

'You! Bad!' Joggie rumbled, its words a slur between gulping breaths.

The giant was lurched, on the brink of losing his footing. Despite the punches, the laser fire that scalded its leathery skin, or the slashes from razor-sharp, vibrating steel, there remained a quaking timbre to its voice.

It was not grit, Star realized. Joggie the Giant was not enduring. He was sobbing.

'Joggie doesn't wanna play anymore!' the giant droned.

'Play…' Star had whispered the word without realizing, as if a passing thought had been reaffirmed.

'Look.' Ace pointed to the giant. It was running away, its big head buried in cupped hands.

'Wherever is it headed?' Gent wondered aloud.

'Does it matter?' Pyre countered. 'We have to stop it!'

Brute thumbed his helmeted chin. 'Do you suppose it's male? That's what the behavior gives off, anyway. I wonder how old he is. His speech pattern was very primitive.'

'Yes,' Star agreed. And childlike, she thought.

'I agree with Yellow,' Ace said. 'We cannot let this giant do as it pleases. Yellow, Black, redistribute power to the legs. We're pursuing.' He turned to Star. 'Pink, on my command, you'll use the Planetarium Sword.'

Star nodded reluctantly.

The Megazord strode forwards with an added spring. Planetarium Blade in hand, the iron giant quickly caught up to Joggie. The chase had been made easier when, in the middle of the pursuit, Joggie had suddenly stopped running. Distracted by the parked vehicles of a company parking zone, the memory of the Megazord on its tail seemingly disappeared from the giant's mind. The Power Rangers watched as Joggie fell to his knees and began fooling around with the transportation of panic-stricken civilians.

'There's our chance! Okay, Pink, now!' Ace commanded.

But the Megazord's hand did not move.

'Star!' Brute threw his arms in the air. 'We have a clear shot! What're you waiting for?!'

'No,' Star said resolutely. Everybody but Ace gasped.

'What're you up to?' Pyre argued.

Star crossed her arms. 'I might be crazy for thinking this, but I think that giant is innocent. I've been observing his actions carefully and up until this point he hasn't hurt a single living being, only vehicles and abandoned buildings; collateral damage without any loss of life.'

She went on. 'His speech pattern, as Brute pointed out, is very primitive, like a male youngling. The only reason he battled us was because he thought it'd be fun. He was clapping with joy when we formed the Supersonic Megazord. I bet he thought it was cool.' She pointed at Joggie. 'Even now, he's treating our transport vehicles like toys. What I mean to say is that I think this giant is neither bad, nor like any of the monsters we've fought before. He's just… a misguided child.'

'Wherefore, how astray we have been led,' Gent exclaimed upon this realization. 'Astounding observational ability. Your conviction is strong, lady Star, and I need not my eyes to witness that.'

'I'm with Gent,' Pyre said, the tension leaving her shoulders. 'I trust you, Star, even more so when it's a hunch!'

'So be it,' Ace said with equal determination. 'Pink, do you have a plan?' Star nodded. 'Good. Then act on it. We will provide support.'

'Okay, I'm heading down there to talk to him,' Star said.

Brute keyed a command on the typecaster. He then tapped the side of his helmet. 'Tensou, bud, can you please check if there's any vessel or other such device near the vicinity of this Joggie fellow? Anything that might be transmitting any sort of neural-disruption wave?'

Tensou 5.0's voice resonated from the wall-mounted projector. 'Hey-yo, can do, Brute. I'm running the scans as we speak!'

Star phased next to the Supersonic Megazord's feet. She removed her helmet, fixed her hair and sprinted toward the giant. Joggie appeared even larger from up close, a towering creature from a planet much different than Xybria. The giant had not noticed her approaching, preoccupied with a flying vessel that he bobbed back and forth.

'Hello there! Joggie, right?!' Star shouted, hoping she would be better heard.

Joggie was trying to ignore her, but as Star had suspected, he was a naturally curious creature. Reluctantly, Joggie nodded, still playing with the vehicle. His eyes were watery, huge teardrops occasionally falling from equally large eyes.

Star looked at the vessel. 'That's a nice Mover you got there.'

'You. Why here?' Joggie grumbled.

'I…' Star stopped and thought carefully about her wording. She started over. 'Star wanted to talk.'

'No!' Joggie protested. 'Star, bad! Hurt Joggie! No play!'

'Star is sorry! But Joggie was destroying the city. Risking people's lives. Star and Power Rangers needed to stop Joggie!' Joggie did not talk back, only listened. Star continued by waving her hand at the Megazord, standing motionless several meters back. 'Robot is a friend! Star's friend! We are Xybria's protectors!'

Joggie's interest peaked at the final word. 'Protectors?' he echoed, turning to look at Star.

'Yes, protectors! We protect people, animals, every living being!' To better convey her point, Star gestured to everything around her.

'Protectors sound good. Are all Power Rangers protectors?'

Star nodded. 'Yes. Joggie understands now? You put people in danger, so we tried to stop you.'

'Joggie never hurt a soul!' the giant countered. 'City was empty, so Joggie played war alone! See?!' He lowered the Mover for Star to peer into. Nobody was inside. 'But Joggie bored of war. Joggie wants to be a Power Ranger!' The giant was brimming with genuine, childish enthusiasm at the prospect of becoming a planetary protector.

'Let's be friends, then!' Star suggested.

'Joggie and Star? Friends?' Joggie processed the idea. 'Joggie and Star, friends!' he beamed soon after. Star shared in his happiness with a bright grin of her own.

'Okay, first rule!' she announced. 'Power Rangers don't do harm to anyone or anything for fun.'

Joggie stabbed the air with a large fist. 'Joggie agrees!'

'Second rule!' Star indicated with two raised fingers. 'Power Rangers don't lie or keep secrets. So to become a Power Ranger, Joggie, tell me why you are here. Somebody send Joggie here?'

'Yes, yes! Arnolf sent Joggie. He gave Joggie candy. Joggie loves candy, so Joggie agreed to play war in city. Friend Star knows Arnolf?'

Star raised her wrist morpher close to her mouth. 'Brute, did you catch that?'

'Loud and clear, Star. Tensou's scans have just returned and…' He paused so as to skim through the info. 'According to this, there's a Koballi-class cargo cruiser cloaked northwest of here.'

'That must be him,' said Ace. 'Tensou 5.0, can you establish contact?'

Arnolf was furious.

'That idiotic, ignoramus, stupendous goofus!' he raged, flailing his abacus in a fit of blind anger. 'I offered him my rarest delicacy and he has the audacity to snitch on Arnolf the Magnificent! And all it took was a pesky Power Ranger! Oh, this can't be happening!' Arnolf's rambling gradually devolved from a seething fury to a conceded whine, the words incomprehensible beyond the deafening wailing.

There was a click from a nearby transmitter. The stationed Silencer tapped at random keys, but the signal could not be terminated. 'This is the Red Supersonic Ranger,' a stern voice boomed from the speakers. 'I want to speak to Arnolf.'

The Intergalactic Merchant almost jumped from his seat. 'That's me,' Arnolf swallowed, struggling to form words. 'How may I assist you, today, dear mister Power Ranger, sir?'

'Who's this Arnolf guy, anyway?' Pyre's voice intruded. 'Doesn't the name ring any bells?'

Arnolf leaned forward on his throne, secretly hoping his notoriety and influence could help him out of this sticky situation.

'It does,' Brute responded. 'This is definitely Arnolf the Cheapskate!'

To that, Arnolf broke the silence with a purposefully loud scoff. 'It's "Magnificent", you palooka! Arnolf the Magnificent!' Immediately he realized the colossal mistake he was making and sealed his mouth with his hands in an instinctual reflex. 'Oh no,' he gasped.

It had been too late. He had given away his true nature.

'Arnolf the Magnificent,' Supersonic Red's voice sounded once more. 'You exploited an alien child and wreaked havoc on the Xybrian capital. For your crimes, the Supersonic Power Rangers will punish you. Transmission over.' The console clicked and the deck erupted with activity, with Arnolf at the eye of the storm; a bottomless gullet barking orders.

'Move it, pea-brains! What in the world are you waiting for?! Take us out of here before…' Arnolf froze, too scared to finish the thought. He left the throne behind him and waddled to the viewport.

The Supersonic Megazord was flying on a collision course with his cargo ship.

'Before that!' he screamed.

The Supersonic Megazord flew with terminal velocity towards the helpless ship. It wound back its fist and swung with a mighty uppercut. The collision of solid iron on lesser quality plating hurled the ship sky-high, so high that it escaped Xybria's gravitational pull and kept on spinning violently for many hours more.

'I can almost imagine Arnolf's shrill curse: "Curse you, Power Rangers!" or something of the like,' Pyre chuckled.

'Serves him right,' Ace announced victoriously.

The Xybrian sun had started to set, the orange horizon washing over Illumise's skyscrapers.

Star introduced Joggie the Giant to her fellow Power Rangers. Both sides proceeded to exchange apologies for their rash actions. They then worked together to mend any damaged building, roads, and vehicles to the best of their abilities, a series of tasks made easier by the assistance of the rangers' new friend and honorary Power Ranger.

With the necessary repairs concluded, the Power Rangers carried Joggie to Gwenga, where Brute and Tensou 5.0 began preparations on a transportation pod for the giant. All the while Brute tried to teach Joggie a more fluent manner of speech, but the giant had ignored Supersonic Blue's mentorship. He quickly grew fond of the rangers' robot assistant and frequently invaded Tensou's work space to fiddle with the bot, captivated by its strange appearance. Star had to intrude multiple times so that their robot companion did not fall apart.

And before she knew it, the time had come to say goodbye.

Much like Joggie, the pod was taller than the Zord bay, and as such was relocated outside the Volcanic Base. Lit by the base's floodlights, four walls of several, meter-long panels were welded together atop a crude, yet effective propulsion system. The giant's planetary coordinates had been inputted early into the construction, stored within a tower that Brute etched within Joggie's cap. This way, temperature altercations would be minimal, along with any risk of system failure.

'Star will miss you,' she said.

'Joggie will miss Star, too,' the giant sniffled.

'Do come back someday,' Pyre added. 'Xybria is always open for friends.'

'I concur. What be one's friend but family?' Gent said.

'Remember,' Ace said, 'you are an honorary Power Ranger. Return to your people and protect them. That's your mission now.'

Joggie's chest puffed with pride at Ace's words. He leaned closer to the rangers and moved his huge hand towards Star. The Pink Supersonic Ranger grabbed on and climbed atop his palm as the giant raised her before him.

'Joggie never knew parents,' he confessed, 'But Joggie knows Star. Star is a friend. Gent said friends are family, so…' The giant hesitated, but eventually mustered enough courage to speak his mind. 'So can Star be Joggie's family?'

Star rested her hand on Joggie's forehead. Her gem radiated a pale, pink light, allowing the gesture to speak to Joggie on a level much deeper than words. Joggie's bulbous eyes started to water. Whatever thought the Pink Ranger had passed on to him, it had awoken a great feeling of happiness within the Joggie.

Though unwilling to spoil this tender moment, Tensou 5.0 broke the serene silence. 'Hey-yo, the launch sequence is set. The pod is ready to take Joggie back to his home-planet, Y-106.'

'Before you go,' Brute stepped forward. He placed a hand on his gem and made it glow a deep blue. 'Okay, done!' he beamed a minute later.

'What kind of knowledge did you steal this time, mister possessor?' Pyre asked, a smug grin on her face.

'Basic survival instincts,' Brute replied matter-of-factly. 'You never know when they'll come in handy.'

Tensou was counting down. 'Launch sequence beginning in five seconds! Four! Three! Two! One! Zero!'

Joggie waved goodbye to the Power Rangers as the walls closed around him and the pod lifted off. Star watched the giant fly up and away until his pod was but a bright speck, no different from the million other stars decorating the vastness of space.

'Planet Y-106,' she breathed. 'I will visit it someday, for sure.'