Disclaimer: I do not own Power Rangers.

Notes: Hi, all! I'm so sorry that it took so long for me to finish this chapter; I've been dealing with a lot of stuff over the past year, and it's slowed my writing down a lot, but I've finally been able to get back into it recently. I'm pretty happy with how this chapter turned out, and I hope you guys will enjoy it too.

So, without further ado, let's get into this!

Chapter 8: The Tomb of Dulcea

New Tech City…

"All right… here we go," Tommy grunted as, with help from Cole and Sam, he carried the large wooden crate into the S.P.D. Command Center, setting it down next to the central control station. Kira, Tori and Jen followed them inside, along with Cruger, Kat and Boom.

"So… this is the device that might help us to restore our Rangers' powers?" Kat questioned.

"That's right," Tommy confirmed with a smile as he crouched down on one knee and popped open the top panel of the crate. "At least, I hope so. I can't think of anything else that could potentially do the job of repairing the damage that Thrax has done to the Morphing Grid." Reaching inside and making some quick adjustments to the device inside the crate, he nodded in satisfaction and straightened up, stepping back as a series of beeps and clicks echoed from it. "All right… here goes nothing. Let's hope he's still working properly after all these years."

Kira raised an eyebrow questioningly. "Uh… sorry, Dr. O," she spoke up, "but… who exactly is 'he'?"

Tommy grinned and indicated the crate. "See for yourself, Kira."

On cue, a metallic hand reached up out of the crate, grasping the edge. A second hand followed suit, and a diminutive figure rose to its feet and clambered out of the crate. It appeared to be a robot, less than five feet in height, with a humanoid shape and a flattened, disc-shaped head; its body was covered in red armor with gold and blue highlights, and a golden lightning-bolt symbol was emblazoned on its chest.

"Ay-yai-yai! Where am I?" The robot tilted its head back and forth, regarding its surroundings with a great deal of confusion, until its gaze came to rest on Tommy and the flickering lights on the front of its helmet lit up more brightly. "Tommy!"

Tommy's smile widened. "Hey, Alpha." He returned the robot's hug as it embraced him, patting it on the back. "It's been a long time! Longer for you than for me, I imagine… but it's really good to see you."

The other Legacy Rangers all looked thoroughly perplexed, while Cruger, Kat and Boom were also regarding the little robot with varying degrees of confusion. "Uh… I'm sorry, Dr. Oliver, but who is this?" Tori questioned.

"An old friend," Tommy replied, chuckling softly as he smiled down at the robot. "Alpha, these are the members of my newest Ranger team."

"Alpha Six," the robot introduced itself cheerfully, nodding to the other occupants of the room. "At your service!"

"It's a pleasure to meet you," Cruger spoke up, a faint smile on his own face as he nodded to the robot. "I believe I've heard of you before, actually."

"Me too," Jen concurred. "A couple of different Alpha units worked with Earth's first few teams of Rangers, if I remember right."

"Yup." Tommy grinned, resting a hand briefly on Alpha's shoulder. "My old teammates and I wouldn't have made it through everything if it weren't for Alpha, and the other models like him."

Alpha's metallic voice laughed softly. "It's the least I could do! My fellow models and I were created to work alongside the Power Rangers, so when the Rangers need help, I'm your bot."

"Excellent!" Kat smiled warmly as she stepped forward. "Well, you couldn't be here at a better time, Alpha. Our Ranger team have been cut off from the Morphing Grid by a powerful enemy, and we need your help to try and restore their powers so they can help Dr. Oliver's team in the coming battle." She entered in a quick series of commands on the control console as Alpha watched attentively, bringing up all of the information that she had managed to find so far concerning the damage that Thrax had done to the Grid.

"Of course!" Alpha agreed. "I should be able to help with that! I've never actually been inside the Grid before, but I'll do my best."

"All right!" The Legacy Rangers exchanged eager smiles, but their celebrations were short-lived. Moments later, the red emergency lights in the Command Center began to flash, and its alarms began to blare.

"Kat, what's going on?" Cruger called out over the din.

"Some kind of powerful energy surge outside of the city," Kat explained as she set to work on tracing the source of the alarm. "I upped the sensitivity on our early-warning systems after the last attack, to make sure we'd be prepared whenever Thrax and Gruumm launched their next attack." She frowned, her eyes narrowing as the scans confirmed the source of the energy pulse. "Looks like it's near the quarries."

Tommy exchanged a quick glance with the rest of his team, and nodded. "We're on it," he declared. "Alpha, you should probably get started: we need to get the S.P.D. Rangers' powers back as soon as we can." He jogged out of the command center, with Sam and the other Legacy Rangers hot on his heels.

"In the meantime, let's get our Rangers back to base," Cruger decided. "We'll need them on standby, so they can get back into the action as soon as we can restore their powers."

"Of course, sir," Kat agreed. "I'll see if I can get ahold of them." She glanced to Alpha. "In the meantime, shall we get to work?"

"Absolutely!" Alpha nodded, its voice full of enthusiasm. "Let's begin."

Phaedos…

After several hours of hiking through the dense forest, the S.P.D. cadets finally reached their destination. The narrow, winding trail that they had been following opened out into an expansive clearing, lined with stone slabs instead of soft soil, which had clearly helped to slow the spread of the jungle's vegetation. On the far side of the clearing was a large, ornately-designed stone building, resembling a temple of some sort, with a pair of doors set into the nearest wall. Etched into the wall above those doors was an instantly-familiar lightning-bolt symbol, the classic insignia that was now famous as the symbol of the Power Rangers.

"The tomb of Dulcea, I'm guessing?" Syd murmured under her breath.

"Looks like it," Z replied quietly.

Jack nodded in agreement. "All right, guys," he muttered. "Remember, the Sentinel Knight told us there'd be some kind of magic defenses here, so… be careful."

At first, all five cadets were hesitant to move forward any further. They could all sense, on some level, that this was sacred ground, and that it must be treated with respect. After a long moment of silence, however, they started forward again, making their way slowly across the stone-lined courtyard towards the doors of the tomb.

They made it about halfway across the courtyard, before a sudden pulse of energy rippled through the air and washed over them, making their hair stand on end and sending chills down their spines. Taking a couple of steps back, they all entered fighting stances as swirling tendrils of shadow erupted from the ground in front of the doors leading into the tomb. The vortex of dark energy hummed with power as it churned violently for a few seconds, before it coalesced into a shadowy, loosely-humanoid figure, with no discernible features except for a pair of glowing white eyes.

"Greetings, Power Rangers of Space Patrol Delta," a voice whispered, echoing through the entire courtyard despite its soft tones. "Jack Landors… Sky Tate… Bridge Carson… Elizabeth Delgado… and Sydney Drew. Welcome to the tomb of Dulcea, the Warrior Goddess of Phaedos." It was impossible to tell if the voice was human or alien, male or female, old or young; it almost seemed as if it was all of those at once, and more besides, as if a multitude of voices were all speaking in perfect unison.

"Uh… thanks, I guess." Bridge arched an eyebrow and tilted his head to one side. "Although… no offense, but who are you, exactly? And how do you know who we are?"

"We are the Shadow of Dulcea, the undying instrument of her will," the humming voice replied, as the entity's glowing eyes swept slowly back and forth over the five cadets, regarding each of them in turn. "And we know all of those who come here. Our creator's magic allows us to see into your hearts and minds, to help us judge whether you are worthy to proceed into the tomb. We have seen all that you are, Power Rangers. And before you can be worthy to enter this tomb, you must prove your strength… in body, mind, and spirit." It came to a halt, its eyes focused on Jack, who stood at the center of the line that the team had formed. "So. Are you willing to accept our challenge, or do you choose to give up now? If you choose the latter, you may leave unharmed and return home. But if you choose the former, we cannot guarantee your safety… or your survival."

Jack exchanged glances with all four of the others, gauging their reactions to the entity's warning. Fortunately, while Bridge & Syd both seemed a little nervous, none of the five cadets seemed to have any intentions of backing down.

"Well, I guess that answers your question," Jack replied with a soft chuckle. He shrugged, spreading his arms to indicate himself and the others. "Thanks for the offer, but we've come way too far to back down and go home now. So let's see what you've got."

The Shadow considered that for a moment, and then nodded. "As you wish. Then prepare yourselves." Its glowing white eyes flashed more brightly, and another pulse of energy swept through the courtyard.

As the five cadets watched, the glowing white eyes of the Shadow suddenly began to change color. From their initial pure white, they melted into a brilliant red, before shifting slowly through four more colors – blue, green, yellow, and pink – before finally reverting to their original white. Once that process was complete, the Shadow's outline rippled and it briefly dissolved into a swirling cloud of darkness, before the cloud suddenly split into five separate portions, which promptly coalesced into physical form again.

Just like that, the cadets found themselves facing five Shadows rather than one. They all looked the same as the first one, but they each had a different eye color: red, blue, green, yellow, and pink, respectively.

"Oh… crap," Z muttered.

"This is your challenge, Power Rangers," the Shadows intoned, all five speaking in unison. "Defeat us, and you will be allowed to enter the Tomb. If you flee, we will not pursue you, although you will not gain what you seek. But if we defeat you, and you do not flee… then you will die." Their eyes all flashed simultaneously, and then all five shifted smoothly into identical fighting stances, each Shadow's gaze focused on the cadet with the color scheme that matched its eye color.

The cadets had tensed up, readying themselves for the inevitable fight to come. Trading nervous looks and steeling themselves, they kept their guards up, preparing to activate their genetic powers if they became necessary, each of their eyes locking onto the glowing eyes of their corresponding Shadow.

For a seemingly endless moment, the ancient courtyard was completely silent, the warm jungle air thick with the building tension.

And then, without any warning, the Shadows charged, all five bursting into motion at the same moment. The five cadets raced forward to meet them with challenging yells, and the battle began.

New Tech City…

The Legacy Rangers, already transformed in anticipation of a fight, rolled into the quarry and hopped off of their vehicles, glancing around cautiously for any sign of enemy activity. Nothing presented itself, but they could all sense an aura of danger hanging in the air, like the tension that would typically gather before a storm.

"Anybody seeing anything?" Kira asked as she looked around warily.

"Not yet," Cole replied, frowning beneath his helmet. "But… something feels off." His eyes narrowed behind his visor, and he drew his Crystal Saber from its sheath. "We're not alone here."

"Well noticed, Ranger!" a voice called out.

The six Rangers whirled around as an explosion rang out behind them, a fireball billowing up into the air at the far end of the quarry. As it died down, a trio of figures strode through the flames: Goldar and Scorpina, standing on either side of a hulking reptilian monster with silver-and-blue armor.

"Oh, great," Tori muttered, drawing her own sword. "These guys again."

"I guess they didn't learn their lesson the past couple of times," Sam commented with a shrug, shifting into a ready stance as the villainous trio approached.

As the unofficial leader of the new team, Tommy took a couple of steps forward, ahead of the others. "Already back for another try?" he called, his stance seemingly relaxed, although he was ready to spring into motion on a moment's notice if necessary. "Who's your friend?"

"This," Goldar rumbled with a cruel, fanged grin, "is Volturus, Lord Thrax's greatest creation. And he is the one who will put an end to you worthless Rangers, once and for all!" Raising one of his arms, he pointed at the six Rangers with a clawed finger. "Volturus: destroy them!"

The draconic monster let out a low, scratchy hiss, and stepped forward, clenching its fists as arcs of blue electricity crackled up and down its body. Suddenly, it drew back one arm and then flung it out with a roar, as a torrent of blue lightning erupted from its outstretched hand.

Tommy's eyes widened behind his helmet, and he had just enough time to yell "Watch out!" before the blast slammed into the ground all around the Legacy Rangers, jolting painfully through their bodies and tossing them all off their feet with a massive explosion.

Phaedos…

The ancient stone courtyard was filled with a multicolored whirlwind of violence, as the S.P.D. cadets and the Shadows of Dulcea clashed again and again. All five cadets were giving it their all, but despite all of their tricks and skills, none of them were having much success in gaining the upper hand.

Jack and the red-eyed Shadow were twin blurs as they fought their way across the courtyard, ducking and weaving, vaulting over several large fallen blocks of stone. Jack phased through a particularly-large stone wall, expecting the Shadow to have to go over or around it, but he was caught off-guard when it passed right through the wall after him, one leg lashing out and sweeping his feet out from under him.

"Whoa!" Jack crashed down on his back and immediately threw himself to one side as the Shadow kicked down at him. He rolled back into the wall, phasing into the stone and staying inside it this time, in an effort to get out of range and buy himself a moment. How'd it do that? A moment later, his eyes widened in disbelief when he felt a hand clamp down around his immaterial arm, and he was yanked forcefully back out of the wall and into the open, the Shadow's glowing red eyes burning into his own. It hauled him up to his feet and immediately slammed a punch into his chest with its other hand, sending him sprawling back to the ground.

What the hell?! Jack was stunned, his mind whirling in shock. In all his life, ever since he'd first figured out how to use his genetic power, no one had ever been able to touch him while he was phasing. He hadn't believed that to be possible.

"Come, young warrior," the Shadow hissed as it stalked towards him. "Your powers will not avail you here. Now show me what you've got."

Sky and the blue-eyed Shadow traded a series of fast-paced, furious blows, both giving it everything they had and neither giving any ground. To Sky's alarm, however, the Shadow always seemed to be exactly where it needed to be in order to counter each of his attacks, as if it knew his fighting style as intimately as he did.

Gotta try something different… Sky kicked out at his opponent; his kick was blocked, but he used the momentum to backflip away from the Shadow, drawing his sidearm from its holster and firing a bolt of blue energy as he landed. However, as he fired, a surge of crackling blue light suddenly formed around the Shadow's left arm, and it swung its hand up, smacking the energy bolt aside with casual ease.

"What?!" Sky's eyes widened when he saw the humming energy around the Shadow's hand coalesce into a solid energy construct, just like his force fields. Instead of a circular shield, however, the Shadow's creation was a long, slightly-curved blade, crackling and sparking with deadly energy.

"All of your skills are mine as well," the Shadow mocked, its eyes glowing brighter as it raised the energy sword and pointed it at Sky. "And I will use them all to defeat you." With no further hesitation, it sprang at him, the glowing blade slashing for his neck. Sky formed a force field just in time to block its strike, the two energy constructs colliding with a sizzling crack of electricity and a tang of ozone.

Z hit the ground hard, but rolled with the impact and jumped back to her feet, raising one arm just in time to deflect the yellow-eyed Shadow's next blow. She kicked out, catching it in the stomach and knocking it back, but it landed an identical kick in the same moment and they both staggered away from each other.

"This isn't going anywhere fast," Z muttered, shaking her head and rubbing her abdomen where she'd been kicked. "Time to get serious." Her eyes flashed as she dropped back into a fighting stance, and two duplicates appeared on either side of her, entering the same pose.

The Shadow didn't mimic her stance this time: instead, it regarded the three of them for a moment, before a soft laugh echoed from it. "A good idea," it remarked dryly, "but two can play at that game." Its eyes flashed as well, and its image shimmered briefly before two duplicate Shadows also appeared beside it. Then, however, their eyes flashed again, and each of them suddenly split in two again, so that the trio of Zs were now facing six yellow-eyed Shadows.

Z's main body took an involuntary step back, her eyes widening in alarm. Oh… crap.

"Well?" the Shadows chorused, all six clones speaking in unison. "How do you like your chances now?"

Syd and the pink-eyed Shadow were a whirlwind of violence, furiously hammering away at each other's defenses. The Pink Ranger had shifted one of her hands into iron using her necklace, while she'd grabbed a pebble from the ground with her other hand and turned that one to stone, multiplying the force of each punch she threw.

Unfortunately, the Shadow had already figured that trick out. Both of its hands were glowing pink now, amplifying its own durability and allowing it to parry each of her strikes in turn. "Not bad," it commented as it caught one of her punches, throwing one of its own that she caught with her other hand, each of them pushing against the other. "But raw strength alone is nothing." Dropping backwards without warning, it yanked her off balance and planted a foot in her stomach as it dropped to the ground, launching her into the air and flipping her over its head. She crashed down on the stone floor with a cry of pain, her hands reverting to normal as the necklace and the pebble slipped out of her grasp.

Groaning and rubbing her head where it had hit the ground, Syd rolled over and scrambled to her feet. The Shadow was already up and facing her again, its hands still glowing pink. "Is that all you can do?" it chuckled, smacking its fists together and beckoning for her to attack again. "Let's try that again."

Of all five cadets, Bridge was having the easiest time of it. His fight was basically a stalemate so far: while the green-eyed Shadow was clearly able to predict all of his moves, his energy-sensing abilities allowed him to do the same, meaning that neither of them had managed to inflict any real damage yet.

As it turned out, this stalemate was what gave Bridge an idea. Since neither he nor his opponent had managed to gain the upper hand, he had enough time to focus on the others, and he could see that his teammates weren't doing as well as he was. They were all losing ground, being steadily pushed back by the relentless attacks of their shadowy enemies.

How are we supposed to win this? Bridge wondered, deflecting another punch from his Shadow but missing when he tried to counterattack. If they can each copy and counter our powers, how can any of us beat them? Then, however, a thought occurred to him, and his eyes widened in realization. Unless… of course!

"Guys!" he yelled as he parried a kick from his Shadow. "We're doing this wrong. None of us can beat these guys on our own… but that's why we're a team! If we change things up, we'll have a better chance!" Before he could continue, the green-eyed Shadow pressed its attack, and he was forced to focus all of his attention on the fight in front of him.

Jack, however, had heard his teammate's advice, and it suddenly clicked in his mind too. "He's right," he breathed. None of the cadets could defeat their own opponents, since each of the Shadows was mimicking their powers and rendering their usual abilities ineffective. But if they targeted each other's Shadows instead… then things might be different.

As the red-eyed Shadow lunged at him again, Jack quickly came up with a plan. Letting it drive him back this time, he willingly gave ground, circling around the perimeter of the courtyard until he was just a few feet away from where Sky was fighting with the blue-eyed Shadow. Then, ducking under a swing of his Shadow's arm, he hurled himself into a jump-kick and slammed into Sky's opponent, knocking it sideways and away from the blue-clad cadet.

Sky's eyes widened, caught off guard as Jack landed in front of him. "Jack? What're you–"

"Switch with me!" Jack ordered, nodding towards the red-eyed Shadow as it charged across the courtyard towards them. "We can't beat our own Shadows, but I can beat yours and you can beat mine!" With that, he raced off after the blue-eyed Shadow, dodging a swing of its energy sword and hammering into it with a flurry of punches and kicks.

To his credit, Sky immediately realized what Jack had in mind. He spun around and formed another force field as the red-eyed Shadow sprang at him, blocking its punch. The Shadow's fist rebounded painfully off of his shield, jolting it backwards as it let out a hiss of pain.

"Got you!" Sky lunged after it, ducking under a wild swing from the Shadow and pressing his attack. Unlike his own Shadow, this one didn't seem to be able to learn his moves; meanwhile, since he knew how Jack's phasing worked, and had learned how to deal with the other cadet's fighting style during their own sparring matches, now the tables were turned, and he quickly gained the upper hand.

After taking a particularly hard hit, the Shadow fell back, shaking its head and trying to recover its equilibrium. It sprang into the air, kicked off a stone pillar, and leapt back at him with a flying kick, but this gave him a perfect opening, and he formed another barrier. It slammed down onto the force field, and was promptly hurled back violently by an explosion of blue sparks. Its tumbling body slammed into the pillar again and then crumpled to the ground, before it dissolved into the air with a flash of red light and disappeared.

"Got you!" Sky was panting heavily, but he couldn't help feeling some satisfaction. One down, four to go.

Jack, meanwhile, was also having more success with the blue-eyed Shadow than he had with his original opponent. Ducking and weaving around each strike of its energy sword, he landed a series of close-range strikes that sent it stumbling backwards, before slamming a kick into the middle of its chest that knocked it back into another pillar. It recovered, lashing out with another swing of its arm, but this time he caught its wrist with both hands, shoving it into a full spin, and the energy blade sliced through the stone pillar instead.

"Gotcha!" Jack dove out of the way right before the severed upper half of the pillar toppled onto the Shadow, crushing it into the ground. With a flare of blue light, it dissolved and faded away.

Across the courtyard, Syd was being steadily driven back by the pink-eyed Shadow, and found herself backed up against a wall. As the Shadow closed in to deliver another blow, however, Sky leapt in between them, forming a barrier to deflect its punch. A moment later, Jack was there as well, leaping in from behind the Shadow and kicking it solidly in the head. Sky and Syd dodged to opposite sides as the Shadow was hurled headfirst into the wall, cracking the stone. It swung around to face the trio, swaying unsteadily, but a double punch from both Sky and Syd slammed its head back against the wall, and it finally collapsed and dissolved.

Syd leaned against the wall for a moment, gasping for air as she tried to catch her breath. "Thanks, guys," she managed, smiling weakly.

"No problem." Jack returned her smile, before another battle cry echoing from across the courtyard drew his attention to where the last two cadets were still under attack. While Bridge was holding his own against his opponent, the pack of yellow-eyed Shadows had Z and her duplicates surrounded.

"C'mon!" Sky called out, leading the charge across the clearing. All three of them yelled out as they charged towards the yellow-eyed Shadows: Sky manifested a force field and used it like a battering ram, while Jack and Syd locked arms and added their momentum to his as they smashed into the Shadows, sweeping all six of them away from Z and ramming them all into the nearest wall. All six Shadows spasmed and thrashed about, caught between the electric barrier and the solid stone; when Sky finally let the barrier drop, they all crumpled to the ground in a heap and melted away into a swirl of darkness.

Z's duplicates also vanished as she dismissed them, and she slumped against a nearby pillar. "Thanks," she panted, rubbing at the bruises that were rapidly forming on her arms. "Man, that was tough."

"Uh, guys?" Bridge called out, still trading blows with his Shadow. "Could use – gah! – a little help here!"

"I got this!" Z's eyes flashed, and two new duplicates appeared next to her, devoid of any damage that had been inflicted on the previous ones. They immediately sprang at the green-eyed Shadow, driving it away from Bridge and hammering it with a relentless barrage of attacks, until they each caught one of its punches and they both kicked it square in the torso, launching it backwards into a large block of stone. That impact was too much for the Shadow, and it finally dissolved. Z's duplicates faded away once they'd dealt the finishing blow, leaving the five cadets alone in the clearing.

For a long moment, the jungle around them was still and silent, with the panting breaths of the cadets as the only audible sound. Then a rumble passed through the ground beneath their feet, and the voice of the Shadow echoed through the clearing one more time. "Well done, warriors of Earth. You have triumphed, and you may now enter the tomb of Dulcea. May the Power protect you, always." On cue, the large stone doors of the central building slowly began to open with a deep grinding sound, revealing a dark and shadowy interior.

After taking a minute to catch their breath, the five members of B-Squad made their way across the courtyard to the entrance of the tomb. Jack stepped forward in front of the others, glancing over his shoulder and arching an eyebrow. "Well… here goes nothing," he quipped with a wry grin, before leading the way inside.

One by one, the cadets filed through the open doors, and into the dimly-lit interior of the ancient stone building. As they entered, a faint pulse of energy rippled along the walls, and a series of torches that were mounted in various places around the room suddenly ignited, giving them a better view of the building's interior.

The walls of the tomb were decorated with thousands of carvings, many of which showed armored warriors, similar to Power Rangers, battling against a wide variety of different enemies. At the center of the hall was a large stone sarcophagus; its lid had been carved with painstaking care to depict a woman with long curly hair, dressed in some sort of formal robes with a stylized suit of armor beneath them. And at the base of the sarcophagus, embedded in a large stone slab, was the hilt of a sword, protruding out of the stone and firmly fixed in place.

"That must be it, right?" Jack murmured softly, a note of reverence in his voice as he and the others formed a semicircle around the slab. "Excelsior?"

"Yup." Bridge nodded, looking uncharacteristically serious. "It's gotta be."

"Indeed it does," a harsh, rasping voice cut in from behind them. "Thank you for your help."

All five cadets' eyes widened and they whipped around, just as a crackling salvo of black-and-white electric bolts struck the floor all around them, burning fulgurites into the ancient stones and sending showers of sparks bursting up around them, blasting all five of them off their feet and knocking them to the ground.

Thrax stood in the entrance of the tomb, his staff held lightly in one hand as he let out a harsh, triumphant laugh. "I congratulate you for making it so far," he chuckled, his eyes glittering in amusement. "But unfortunately, by tracking down Excelsior, you've led me right to it!"

New Tech City…

Arcs of blue lightning and flashes of multicolored energy lit up the quarry, as the battle grew more intense with each passing minute. Goldar and Scorpina had leapt up to the top of one of the quarry's walls, and were observing the ongoing fight below with some amusement.

For all of Volturus's power, the Legacy Rangers were putting up a good fight. They ducked and weaved around the monster, attacking it from every angle, blades slashing and blasters firing.

Unfortunately, while the six Rangers weren't having much trouble landing hits, none of their attacks were doing any serious damage. The monster's hide was too tough, its defenses too resilient, and every blow they landed was absorbed by its natural armor plating.

"Thunder-Max Saber!"

"Ninja Sword!"

Tori and Kira dove under Volturus's swinging arms, swords blurring as they each landed a clean strike across its flanks, but their blades didn't even leave a mark, glancing harmlessly off of its scales. Their eyes widened in shock, they hesitated for a moment too long, and Volturus was quick to take advantage, smashing a pair of heavy blows into its attackers and knocking them both off their feet.

A yell of "Hey! Over here!" drew the monster's attention, and it spun around just in time to see Cole and Tommy in mid-charge. It flung out an arm, firing a blast of lightning, but they both leapt into the air in time to dodge the resulting explosion.

A high-pitched whine was followed by a thunderous blast from Jen's long-barreled blaster, which hit Volturus square in the torso. The explosion knocked it back a few steps, but it quickly recovered; however, that gave Cole and Tommy enough time to close in. Cole's Crystal Saber and Tommy's Dragon Dagger slashed across its torso, but also failed to penetrate its armor. It snarled, landing a pair of solid gut-punches to the two Rangers, but unlike Tori and Kira, they leaned into the blows, each grappling one of its arms and yanking them apart.

"Sam!" Tommy yelled over his shoulder, fighting to keep Volturus restrained. "Do it now!"

The Omega Ranger was already racing towards Volturus across the floor of the quarry, charging up his Morpher. The monster saw him coming and unleashed a blast of blue electricity from its mouth, but Jen dove in front of him just in time to take the hit in his place, crossing her arms protectively over her face. She hissed in pain, sparks flying from her armor as the energy jolted painfully through her muscles, and fell forwards onto one knee, but she managed to brace herself just in time for Sam to spring up behind her, planting a foot on her shoulder and launching himself high into the air.

"Omega Morpher: Light-Beam Mode!" Sam's left fist lit up with a brilliant golden glow as he reached the apex of his jump and rocketed down towards the monster, drawing his arm back to strike. Tommy and Cole let go of Volturus's arms and dove to either side just in time as Sam slammed fist-first into the monster, concentrating all of his power into a single point and detonating it on impact, engulfing Volturus in a brilliant golden fireball.

Sam backflipped away from the explosion and landed neatly on his feet, facing the expanding cloud of smoke. "All right," he panted. "Hopefully that at least did something."

As the others picked themselves up, however, a low growl echoed from within the smoke, and Volturus strode through the dying flames with only a few scorch marks on its chest and stomach. Its eyes locked onto the Omega Ranger, glaring balefully at him as blue lightning arced up and down its arms.

"No way," Kira breathed, feeling a chill run through her. "What is this thing?!"

Phaedos…

Thrax smirked, turning his staff over in his hands as the cadets struggled to their feet. "I must thank you for defeating Dulcea's guardians," he commented, his cruel smirk widening. "I'm not sure if I could have gotten past them by myself, so your assistance in that regard is much appreciated. Now I can claim her sword for myself, without any interference."

"I… don't… think so!" Jack groaned as he straightened up, entering a ready stance again and ignoring all the aches that were running through his body. "You're gonna have to get past us first."

"He's right!" Sky seconded firmly, stepping up next to Jack. "We're not going to let you take that sword!" The other three cadets lined up with them, ready to attack.

Thrax snorted. "Oh, please." He slashed his staff through the air in front of him, unleashing another blast of lightning that knocked them all to the floor again. "Without your powers, you're no match for me, and I don't have time to play around with you. So do me a favor and stay down."

"Damn it…" Jack tried to get up again, but another shock of pain lanced through his muscles and he slumped back to the floor.

Thrax strode casually past the fallen cadets, ignoring their attempts to grab at his legs, and stalked up to the slab where Excelsior rested. "And now," he rasped, "the Sentinel Knight will be put to rest once and for all, by the blade of the mighty Excelsior." He glanced over his shoulder and smirked at the cadets, before he reached out, grasped the hilt of the sword, and began to pull.

Or, at least, he tried to. As soon as his fingers wrapped around the gilded hilt of Excelsior, a brilliant flash of light lit up the interior of the tomb, and Thrax was hurled backwards. His feet left the floor and he was launched across the room with a startled yell, before crashing down back at the entrance.

What the hell?! Thrax scrambled back to his feet, glaring at the slab. "What just happened?!" he demanded. "Anyone who can penetrate Dulcea's tomb should be able to remove the sword!"

"I guess… you didn't hear the whole story," Sky taunted as he managed to get back up, before helping Bridge to do the same. "According to the Sentinel Knight, just getting into the tomb isn't good enough; to remove the sword from where Dulcea left it, you also need to be worthy." He grinned. "And I guess you aren't."

"Why, you…" Thrax scowled, his face twisting in rage, and energy crackled up and down his staff as he whipped back around towards the sarcophagus and the stone slab. "Give me that sword!" he snarled, flinging out his staff and unleashing another blast of lightning. This time, however, a shining barrier of pure, colorless light appeared, stopping the lightning dead in its tracks. The two waves of energy pushed back and forth for a few seconds, before the white light shone even brighter and Thrax's blast rebounded, hurling him all the way back out into the courtyard with a scream of rage and pain. The wave of light pulsed outwards, washing over the cadets but not harming them, forming a protective shield around the entire tomb.

As Thrax hauled himself to his feet, the five cadets formed a line at the entrance of the tomb, within the energy bubble. "You lose, Thrax," Syd called out, flashing a mocking smile at the furious alien. "Looks like Dulcea's magic is tougher than yours, which means you're not getting that sword after all."

Thrax's eyes blazed with pure hatred as he glared at the cadets. "You insolent little insects!" He was visibly seething, anger boiling up within him, but after a long, tense moment, he finally lowered his staff. "Fine," he snapped. "I suppose I'll have to find another way to dispose of the Sentinel Knight, then. But I assure you, Rangers: you will pay dearly for this. If I can't have that sword, then I'll make certain that your entire planet burns. And you won't be around to stop it!" With a final growl, he slammed the butt of his staff against the stone pavement of the courtyard, and vanished with an explosion of dark energy.

With Thrax gone, the five cadets all gathered around the stone slab again, regarding the hilt of Excelsior. "So, what do we do now?" Syd spoke up, frowning as she looked at the sword.

"Well… I mean, I guess we should try to take it back with us?" Z offered, cautiously reaching out and brushing her fingertips against the hilt. There was no sign of the violent defensive reaction that Thrax had triggered, but she did feel a strange, humming sensation emanating from the hilt, pulsing through her fingers. "We're gonna need every asset we can get to deal with Thrax and Gruumm, after all."

"I mean, that's assuming we can take it back with us," Sky pointed out. When the others looked at him, he shrugged. "What? I mean, sure, let's try, but we don't know if any of us are 'worthy' to wield this thing."

"Then let's find out," Jack declared, nodding to Z. "Give it a shot, Z."

"Right." Z carefully took hold of the hilt properly, holding it in a firm grip, and then started pulling on it. To her surprise, however, it didn't budge an inch. She dug her heels in and kept trying, pulling as hard as she could, but the sword still refused to move, and finally she was forced to concede defeat and let go, shaking her hands as she stepped back.

One by one, each of the others made their own attempts to pull the sword out, but none of them were successful. Try as they might, Excelsior wouldn't budge, not shifting the slightest bit from its current position.

Finally, after each of them had tried it at least twice, all five cadets found themselves slumped against the walls of the tomb, taking some time to rest after their earlier fights.

"I hate this," Jack muttered under his breath. "We came all this way… how could it all have been for nothing?"

"Well, unless we can come up with a way to get that sword out of there, I think we should probably head back soon," Sky admitted, sighing and shaking his head. "We've got a long trip back to Earth, and the others will need our help if Kat can figure out how to get our powers back."

Abruptly, Bridge sat up straight, having been lost in thought for a while. "Hang on," he spoke up, drawing the others' attention. "I think I have an idea." Standing up, he shifted down into a headstand, resting his weight on his hands and bracing himself against the wall with both feet, his mind racing as he closed his eyes tightly for a few seconds, until they snapped open again. "Got it!" Dropping back onto his feet, he hurried back over to the stone slab and beckoned for the others to join him. "Guys, come here!"

"What's up, Bridge?" Syd questioned as she got up and followed him over.

"Well, I was thinking about how we were able to beat those Shadows," Bridge explained hurriedly. "And it occurred to me: we couldn't beat them by ourselves. The only way we managed to win was with all of us working together, as a team. So…" He indicated the sword hilt with one hand. "What if the only way for us to get the sword is if we do the same thing here? That could be how we prove ourselves 'worthy': by putting our faith in each other and proving that we trust each other completely."

The others considered that idea for a moment, before Jack shrugged and nodded. "Worth a try," he decided, stepping up next to Bridge as they each took hold of the sword's hilt with one hand. Sky, Z and Syd all did the same, until all five of them were holding onto it.

"Okay! All together," Sky urged the others. "One… two…"

"Three!" All five voices cried out in unison as they all pulled with everything they had. And, sure enough, the sword finally shifted and began to move, sliding up out of the rock until it came free entirely and the five cadets all stumbled back.

"Whoa!" Jack hefted the sword, which had ended up in his hand since he'd had the tightest hold on it. It gleamed silver in the flickering torchlight, while a series of glyphs were etched along its length, lit up from within with a soft golden glow. This was clearly the weapon of a master swordsman, just as beautiful and deadly as Commander Cruger's Shadow Saber.

As the cadets gazed at the sword in amazement, another brilliant flare of light filled the tomb's interior. This time, however, it coalesced into physical form: the visible, softly-glowing outline of a humanoid woman with long blonde hair, wearing a dark gray cloak over gleaming silver armor. She smiled warmly upon seeing them, folding her hands in front of her. "Greetings, Power Rangers," she murmured. "I am Dulcea, the Warrior Goddess of Phaedos. The courage in your hearts, and the purity of your spirits, have shown me that you are worthy to bear my sword. Excelsior is yours now, as long as you use it in the pursuit of justice and the defense of the innocent. Farewell."

Dulcea's smile widened as she closed her eyes, and her spirit faded away again. The torches along the walls went out as well, and then the ancient tomb was dark and silent once more.

New Tech City…

The Legacy Rangers fell back again, panting as they tried to regroup. Volturus, as indomitable as ever, threw back its head and let out a triumphant snarl, its body still virtually undamaged even after all of their attacks.

"Anybody got any ideas?" Jen muttered. "Because I'm running out."

Sam tilted his head as a thought occurred to him. "Yeah, I think I've got one," he spoke up. Turning, he raised one arm into the air and yelled "RIC!" at the top of his lungs.

Sure enough, the robotic dog quickly came into view, bounding down into the quarry and racing towards the Rangers. Since he usually shadowed the B-Squad on their missions in case they needed his extra firepower, Kat had sent him to do the same for the Legacy team.

"I don't know if this'll do the trick, but it's our best chance right now." Sam swung back around to face the approaching monster. "Let's hit this guy with everything we've got!"

"Sounds good to me," Kira seconded.

Cole nodded, grinning behind his visor. "Let's do it!"

On cue, RIC leapt into the air, his head and limbs folding and locking into place as he shifted into his weapon form. The six Rangers caught him as he dropped back to the ground, shifting into firing formation with the resulting cannon pointed squarely at Volturus. "Canine Cannon!" they yelled in unison. "Fire!"

Both barrels of B-Squad's most powerful weapon fired simultaneously, the backblast rocking the Legacy Rangers back on their heels. The resulting fiery beam smashed into Volturus, scoring a direct hit and engulfing the creature in a massive explosion, drowning out its frustrated roar.

Goldar's eyes widened as he saw the size of the blast. "Those damn Rangers!" he snarled, reaching for his sword.

Scorpina, however, didn't seem to be nearly as concerned, and held out a hand to stop him. "Don't worry," she assured him, smiling confidently. "That won't be enough."

Sure enough, just as the Legacy Rangers started to think that they'd won, a deep growl echoed from the center of the flames, and a silhouette appeared at the center of the blaze. All six Rangers took a step back, their hearts sinking.

"Unreal…" Sam breathed.

"That's crazy!" Cole agreed, his eyes wide in disbelief beneath his helmet.

Volturus, once again, was still standing. Electricity crackled up and down its body, more and more with each passing second. Finally, it reared back and swung its head and arms forward, roaring as it unleashed a torrent of blue lightning, creating a massive fireball that catapulted all six Rangers into the air as they all yelled out in shock and pain.

Phaedos…

Running as fast as they could, it took much less time for the cadets to get out of the jungle around Dulcea's tomb than it had on their way into it. Retracing their steps along the winding forest trail, they finally burst back out onto the open ground outside the forest, heading back towards the beach where they had landed on Phaedos. But as soon as they passed between the two stone obelisks and left the trees, they were all alarmed to see a column of dark smoke rising into the air, billowing up from the beach ahead of them.

"What's that?" Syd wondered as she wiped some sweat off her forehead.

"I don't know," Z replied, frowning. "Unless…" Her eyes widened and she exchanged a fearful glance with the others. "The ship!"

The others' eyes widened in horror, and they all took off running at the same moment, racing through the sand dunes towards the beach. Once they got a little closer, they were all stunned when they realized what the smoke was coming from: the charred, burning wreck of the ship that they had used to come to Phaedos.

"Oh… crap," Bridge managed to get out as the five of them skidded to a halt a few yards from their ruined ship.

"I… I don't understand." Z was completely stunned, staring numbly at the ship. "How could this have happened?!"

Syd got it first. "Thrax," she ground out, her eyes narrowed as her hands clenched into fists. "He said we wouldn't be able to help the others. Before he left this planet, he must've blown up the ship so we wouldn't be able to get home!"

"Damn it!" Jack glared at the burning wreckage, one hand tightly gripping the hilt of Excelsior.

Bridge looked around at the others, his eyes wide in disbelief. "What're we supposed to do now?"

"I don't know." Sky, for once, seemed to be at a loss. "Earth's on the other side of the galaxy, and we didn't tell anyone we were coming to Phaedos, so nobody's going to come here looking for us." He shook his head, leaning over and resting his hands on his knees. "We're stuck."

Just as the cadets were about to give up hope, however, a flash of light filled the area in front of them, and another spectral figure appeared, hovering over the burning hulk of their ship. "Do not despair, young warriors," the Sentinel Knight declared. "You are not alone. I have regained some of my energy, enough that I should be able to transport you all back to your home planet."

All five cadets' faces lit up with delighted smiles, as they all felt an overwhelming surge of relief. "Thank you," Jack spoke up for the others, smiling up at the Knight's translucent form. "And… for the record, I'm sorry that we didn't listen to you. You were right: Thrax wouldn't have been able to get Excelsior, even if we hadn't been there."

"That much is true," the Knight agreed. He tilted his head, his eyes brightening visibly and giving the impression of a smile. "But I must say, I am very pleased by what you have accomplished today. You overcame the challenges that my master put in place to safeguard her weapon, and you proved yourselves worthy to bear Excelsior." His tone became more solemn. "However, we do not have time to discuss this further. Your Ranger allies are in trouble: Thrax has unleashed a powerful monster, and they cannot defeat it alone. Luckily, I believe that Excelsior's power should be enough to turn the tide."

The cadets quickly exchanged glances and nods, before Jack looked back up at the Knight. "We're ready," he confirmed. "Send us there, and we'll help them."

"Excellent." The Knight's golden glow began to brighten, and he held one hand out towards them. "Then go now… and good luck."

There was another pulse of golden energy, and all six figures vanished into thin air. The empty beach fell silent again, save for the crackling of the dying fire.

New Tech City…

Another explosion brought Volturus's six opponents down again, sending them tumbling across the gravel. This time, however, the Legacy Rangers had finally taken too much damage, and most of their suits involuntarily dematerialized with flashes of light as they hit the ground, groaning in pain. Only Sam was still morphed, thanks to the unique properties of his form, but he was clearly hurting too.

"Nicely done, Volturus!" Scorpina called out as she and Goldar leapt down from their previous position atop the cliff to land on either side of their monstrous servant. "Now finish them off!"

"This… is not looking good," Tori muttered as she rolled over onto her back, trying to get up without much success.

"No kidding," Kira seconded, rubbing one shoulder and holding in a gasp of pain.

Volturus began stomping towards them, a snarl echoing between its teeth as it charged up another blast of lightning…

And then, suddenly, a brilliant flash of light illuminated the quarry, midway between the monster and the six fallen Rangers. Everyone flinched back, shielding their eyes against the glow, until it faded a few seconds later. In its wake, five new figures stood in front of the Legacy Rangers, blocking Volturus's path.

"What?" Goldar's eyes widened and he scowled. "Not you weaklings again!"

The five cadets of S.P.D.'s B-Squad stood side-by-side, shielding their comrades. Jack was in the middle of the line, with the sword Excelsior held in one outstretched hand. "Back off!" he warned, raising his arm and pointing the ancient blade directly at Volturus. "Or you're not gonna like what happens."

Scorpina exchanged a glance with Goldar, and then chuckled darkly. "Oh, please," she mocked, rolling her eyes. "Nice try, kid, but you five wouldn't be a match for the three of us even if you had your powers. Without them, well… you're not even entertaining." She smirked. "Volturus? Destroy these five first; then you can finish off the actual Rangers." The reptilian monster hissed in response, energy crackling around its hands.

"You guys ready?" Jack spoke up, his voice quieter than before as he addressed his teammates.

"Oh, yeah," Z returned with a grin, the others quickly echoing her sentiment.

Jack mirrored her smile, and raised Excelsior in a two-handed grip as he shifted into a fighting stance. "Then let's do this!"

As one, the five cadets charged, sprinting towards Volturus. It snarled and unleashed another blaze of lightning, tearing up the rocky ground around their feet, but they kept coming. A second, stronger blast followed, but this time Sky leapt out in front of the others, swinging his arm in an arc and forming a force field just in time to block the lightning. He grunted in pain at the impact, energy crackling around him as he was sent skidding backwards, but Bridge, Z and Syd were there a moment later, adding their strength and digging in their heels to stop his backwards slide. Letting out a combined yell of effort, they forced their way back towards Volturus, pushing back the torrent of lightning, until the clashing energies finally detonated with a shockwave that sent all four cadets sprawling to the ground.

Sky's efforts had paid off, however. The cadets had escaped serious injury, and more importantly, the blast had knocked Volturus off-balance, sending it staggering back a few steps. And just as the monster recovered its footing, Jack leapt over the other four members of B-Squad, whirling into a midair front-flip and bringing Excelsior down in a vicious strike. It slashed across Volturus's torso as he landed right in front of it, and the enchanted blade of Dulcea's ancient sword succeeded where all of the Legacy Rangers' weapons had failed, carving straight through Volturus's armored scales and cleaving the monster from its left shoulder to the opposite hip.

Volturus howled in surprise and agony as showers of sparks poured from the wound, before it was tossed off its feet as the built-up energy detonated in a massive fireball. Goldar and Scorpina stumbled back in shock as their monster was hurled backwards by the explosion, crashing to the ground at their feet and letting out a choked snarl of pain as it struggled to get back up, clutching at the smoldering gash on its torso.

"No!" Goldar roared, his eyes wide in disbelief. "That's impossible!"

Scorpina's hands clenched into white-knuckled fists as she stared down at Volturus in disbelief, unable to comprehend what had just happened. "How the hell did you do that?!" she demanded, whirling and glaring at Jack as she drew her own sword.

"Doesn't matter," Jack retorted, keeping Excelsior ready to strike again as his teammates formed up beside him, while the Legacy Rangers continued picking themselves up behind the five cadets. "You wanna take a shot at us yourselves, or are we done here?"

Scorpina and Goldar exchanged a frustrated glance, before they both nodded reluctantly, clearly coming to an understanding. "This isn't over," Scorpina snapped as she raised her free hand and snapped her fingers. There was a flash of light, and the villainous trio teleported away with a crackle of electricity.

As soon as it was clear that the fight was over, all five cadets visibly relaxed, their shoulders sagging in relief. Sky, Bridge, Z and Syd all slumped against each other, while Jack planted the tip of Excelsior in the gravel and leaned on it to keep himself upright. Their earlier battles with the Shadows and Thrax, plus all the hiking that they'd had to go through to make their round trip through the jungle on Phaedos, had left them exhausted, and their clash with Volturus had drained most of their remaining strength.

After taking a moment to catch his breath, Jack headed over to where the six Legacy Rangers were clambering back to their feet. "You guys okay?" he asked, holding out a hand to help Tommy up.

"We're fine, thanks to you," Tommy replied with a weary smile as he took the younger man's offered hand and rose to his feet, dusting himself off before turning to help Jen up as well.

"Yeah, thanks for the save, guys," Cole added, grinning ruefully as he rubbed the back of his head. "Although… how'd you do that?"

"And what's with the sword?" Kira put in, indicating Excelsior.

"We'll explain later," Z replied. "Right now, we should probably get back to the base, just in case they decide to come back."

"Good call." Sky nodded, glancing around warily. "I think we've all had more than enough action for today."

Aboard the Terror…

"You assured me that this creature of yours was invincible!" Gruumm snarled, his eyes blazing with anger as he glared at the fallen form of Volturus, which had collapsed on the floor of the bridge.

"He was supposed to be!" Scorpina protested, staring down at the fallen monster in bafflement. "I don't understand how this could've happened. We tested every weapon we could get our hands on against Volturus to make sure he could withstand anything the Rangers threw at him, but that damn sword cut right through his defenses!"

"That," a familiar grating voice cut in, as Thrax emerged from one of the darkened corridors and stalked onto the bridge, "is because that sword is no ordinary weapon." Hatred and disgust burned in his gleaming yellow eyes as he scowled down at Volturus, noting the visible gash that slanted across the monster's chest and stomach. "It is the blade Excelsior, the weapon that I was trying to acquire from the planet Phaedos. The Sentinel Knight sent the S.P.D. brats there to try and retrieve it for themselves, and he must have taught them how to get past the binding magicks that prevented me from claiming it." He gritted his teeth, visibly seething with anger. Damn him…!

"Hang on." Morgana arched an eyebrow, and her lips twitched into a momentary smirk. "You're telling us that the magic sword you were making such a big deal about is now in the hands of the Rangers?"

Gruumm's gaze also locked onto Thrax, a low growl echoing in the back of his throat as his eyes smoldered with dark red fire.

Thrax shot a venomous glare in Morgana's direction, one hand clenching tightly on the handle of his staff. "Yes," he ground out reluctantly. "However, I do have a backup plan. The Rangers may now possess Excelsior, but the S.P.D. cadets are still powerless. All we need to do is to defeat these new 'Legacy Rangers,' and everything else will fall into place."

"And how is that?" Gruumm rumbled, his eyes darkening as he took a step forward. "As I recall, Thrax, you also assured me that we would be victorious after we took care of the first set of Rangers, but that was not enough. How do I know this plan won't fail too?"

"Because now we know how to prevent that from happening again," Thrax replied coolly, having regained some of his composure. "We need to deal with these new Rangers the same way we dealt with the previous set: an all-out attack, with everything we've got. With Goldar and Scorpina here, our combined forces are even stronger than they were when we defeated the S.P.D. team. Once these new Rangers are beaten, I can strip them of their powers the same way we did with the S.P.D. Rangers, and then we can seize Excelsior before the Sentinel Knight can summon any more former Rangers to replace them. Then I can destroy the Knight, and you will be free to raze the Earth to the ground, with no remaining Rangers to get in your way."

Gruumm considered that for a long moment, before he finally nodded. "Very well," he intoned, before his eyes flashed brighter and his staff crackled with purple electricity. "But I warn you now, Thrax: this will be your last chance. If you fail me again… you will suffer for it."

Thrax's eyes narrowed, and he returned the Troobian Emperor's nod. "As you say, Emperor," he returned. "I assure you, we will prevail, just as we did before. I will not let the Rangers get the best of me again."

"Good." Gruumm looked down at the fallen form of Volturus, contemplating something, before he nodded decisively. "Your creature did put up a good fight against the new Rangers," he admitted, "and he would most likely have defeated them if the S.P.D. cadets had not intervened. Therefore, I will give him one more chance as well." He held out his free hand, which lit up with a vivid purple glow as a concentrated sphere of energy formed in his palm. With a flick of his wrist, he tossed the energy sphere downwards: it struck Volturus squarely in the chest and sank beneath the creature's armor plating, disappearing into its body.

Slowly, Volturus began to stir. Its eyes opened, now glowing a sickly shade of violet, and a surge of purple electricity crackled over its body as the gash on its torso closed up and healed. It rose to its feet, teeth gleaming and eyes flashing, and threw its head back with a savage roar as arcs of purple lightning blazed around it.

Thrax's eyes had widened slightly when he saw Gruumm performing the energy transfer, but his expression shifted back into a confident smile as he saw his newly-empowered monster rising back to its feet. "Excellent," he murmured. "I appreciate the assistance, Emperor. Now, my friends…" His eyes flicked around the room, taking in each of his villainous allies in turn. "Let us prepare… for the endgame."

Notes: And there we go!

Shoutouts to RHatch89, daizuke, Guest (1), and Guest (2) for reviewing; you guys are awesome.

Only two more chapters to go! Next time, this story reaches its climax, as Thrax and Gruumm launch their final assault on Earth, and both teams of Rangers prepare to meet them head-on. Stay tuned!

Review Q&A

Q: Tommy tendra el master morfer / Does Tommy have the Master Morpher?

A: No, Tommy doesn't have the Master Morpher yet. Remember, in canon, the Master Morpher didn't show up until the events of Ninja Steel, which takes place in 2018. And in this story, the Sentinel Knight recruited Tommy from the year 2005, shortly after the events of Dino Thunder. So the only active Ranger form that he has right now is the Mighty Morphin Green Ranger, as that was the only set of powers that the Sentinel Knight restored for him.

Q: I also like the line when Gruumm is talking about showing Thrax who the true leader of the Galaxy is. The thing is he can't be talking about himself because he is subservient to Omni. Therefore he must have been talking about Omni. Did you have this in mind when you wrote that line?

A: I actually did, yeah! In Gruumm's mind, yes, he's referring to Omni, or to both Omni and (by extension) himself. But since Morgana/Mora doesn't learn about Omni's existence until the last few episodes of S.P.D., and this story takes place before that, she would assume that Gruumm was just talking about himself.