Disclaimer: I do not own Power Rangers in any of its incarnations. Saban owns them, not me. Also, very few of the monsters used thus far are thought up by me. Most of them are property to Konami and are from the Yu Gi Oh! Card Game, though most have also appeared on the show.

~~

Silver Ranger blocks a punch thrown by the Aqua Ranger. He counters with a leg sweep, but the Aqua Ranger jumps over the Silver Ranger's leg and jump kicks the Silver Ranger in the jaw.

"I don't care if he is morphed, that had to hurt," Alex mutters.

Jacolby nods his head in agreement. "Those two have become excellent sparring partners though. Its too bad that the only way anyone can spar with Petite is by being morphed."

"Still, at least Silver Ranger will now spar with someone," Alex mutters, "he's needed a sparring partner and Aqua Ranger is the only one he'll really spar against."

"He is the only one that can properly spar with the Silver Ranger," Jacolby responds, "he's the only one who abandons themselves to the Atlantean Power like the Silver Ranger."

"What exactly is this Atlantean Power?" Alex asks, "I mean, how can a source of power give the Atlantean Rangers knowledge?"

Jacolby grins. "Haven't you ever heard that knowledge is power? When the Atlantean Morphers were created, the previous defenders of Atlantis, who were getting up there in years, passed on their great knowledge into the Morphers and bonded it with the very materials that they were made of."

"Incredible," Holly says, "um, how long have those two been going at it?"

"About twenty, maybe thirty minutes," Jacolby says without taking his eyes off the battle.

At that moment, both the Silver and Aqua Ranger's summon their weapons.

"Hold it!" Jacolby roars, "do not use your weapons! You can seriously hurt one another. Besides, you've been practicing long enough. Silver Ranger, don't you have to go to your graduation?"

"Oh crap!" Silver Ranger says, "I completely forgot. Um, mind zapping me with some magic to clean me up."

"Can do," Connerly says.

"I need to teleport home," Alex says, "I'm going to your graduation to see you graduate, after all."

"Why bother?" Silver Ranger grouses, "I'm not graduating. I didn't pass all my classes."

"No fault but your own," Alex replies.

"And their making the non-graduates stand up instead of blending them in with the rest," Silver Ranger grumbles, "its humiliating."

"You know, that really narrows down who he could be," Holly whispers to Bethany, "there are only a handful of people not graduating from South Side this year. And he's one of them!"

"Do we really wanna find out on our own?" Bethany asks, "I mean, he did say he would reveal his identity to us eventually."

"But I really wanna know who he is," Holly says.

"Let's respect his privacy," Bethany says, "its hard enough working with him as it is. Do you really want to ruin that by breaking his trust and snooping around to find out his identity."

"I guess," Holly sighs.

Silver Ranger teleports home after Connerly zaps him with a spell that cleans him of the sweat and rids him of the fatigue and exhaustion that his spar brought him.

"Well, I better teleport home as well," Alex says, teleporting out in the flash of white light that marked someone without any powers whatsoever.

"Hey, we got a few friends graduating," Bethany says, "lets go."

Holly agrees and the two of them teleport out in flashes of bronze and platinum light.

"Think they're gonna try and figure out the Silver Ranger's identity?" Jacolby asks Connerly idly.

"Maybe, but they were also speaking the truth," Connerly replies.

The graduation went off well. Jesse had been worried that the Dark Specter would try and mess it up since the forces of evil knew his identity. But it went off without a hitch and all he had was a bitter taste in his mouth from the humiliation that the non-graduates had to go through. Who changed the tradition of simply having the non-graduates going up and receiving a blank piece of paper, with only the school faculty, the student, and those that the student chose to tell knowing that they did not graduate?

Now Jesse was on his way to the Project Graduation, a night of supposed fun and merriment, the last the graduates would likely be together as a whole until their class reunion.

As he pulls up into the parking lot of the old West High School, Jesse sent up a silent thank you prayer for not getting lost.

Hours later, they were handing out various prizes. Jesse, since he had not graduated, was not eligible for any of them. This was a matter that stung Jesse greatly. Beside him, Nathan Cooke had gotten an odd gift: two thick metallic discs. One was somewhat clear and the other was snow white. Jesse would have thought nothing of them except for the fact that they looked almost identical to the various Atlantean Morphers. Could these be the two remaining Morphers? Jesse thought it unlikely, but he figured he should run the idea by Connerly so he could run some spells on them from Atlantis.

Jesse watched as Nathan gave the white disc to his friend and guess. Jesse didn't know the guys name, but he figured Alex might since the guy was a junior. Not that it would matter unless the discs were Morphers and they accepted the two young men as their wielders.

A flash of light signaled the arrival of a platoon of Spectrons and a monster. Jesse groaned inwardly. This was not good at all.

The students and teachers all make a run for it. In the commotion, Jesse manages to duck around the other side of the building where no one could see him.

"It's morphing time!" he says softly as he could and still summon the power, "Silver Power of Atlantis!"

In a flash of silver light, the Silver Atlantean Ranger is standing in Jesse's place.

"Better teleport in," he grumbles, teleporting to the gym in his trademark flash of silver light.

Silver Ranger leaps into the fray and tackles a small group of Spectrons trying to grab some of the girls.

"I'd run if I were you," Silver Ranger advises the girls. The girls nod their head and run while Silver Ranger distracts the Spectrons.

As Silver Ranger expected, every Spectron homed in on him. This must have been a plan to try and trap him and take him out without a fight. Set up a major situation at 4 in the morning, the Silver Ranger is half asleep and a full platoon of Spectrons appear in a populated area. He can't morph or risk blowing his identity. And he would have been trapped if he hadn't been close to the exit.

A flash of aqua light heralds the arrival of the Aqua Ranger.

"Where are the Bronze and Platinum Ranger's?" Aqua Ranger asks as he begins to cut through the Spectrons with his daggers.

"At home in bed asleep, I would imagine," Silver Ranger replies as he snap kicks a Spectron in what passed for its throat, "after all, it is very early in the morning. Most sane people in this time zone are asleep."

"You are not sane?" Aqua Ranger asks, perplexed.

"Nope!" Silver Ranger says, a manic expression on his face underneath his helmet. He summons the Silver Staff and converts it to the Silver Saber and proceeds to cut through the Spectrons. Finally the Aqua and Silver Ranger's are fighting back to back.

The two Ranger's fight off every Spectron that comes within striking distance.

It takes a while, but finally the two Ranger's drive off the Spectrons.

"Is it me, or were they stronger than usual?" Silver Ranger asks.

"Dark Specter used mostly Quantrons when he attacked Atlantis," Aqua Ranger replies, "I never got a chance to fight them. The other Warrior's did, but not me. I was too busy holding off the giant monsters during the attacks that had Spectrons."

"Aqua Ranger, I want you to ask Connerly to start scanning for any signatures that could reveal the last two Morphers," Silver Ranger says, "do an intensive scan of the entire county that I live in."

"May I ask why?" Aqua Ranger asks, puzzled.

"I'm not sure, but I think I saw the White Morpher and the other Morpher earlier," Silver Ranger says, "well, I need to be heading home now."

The Silver and Aqua Ranger's teleport out in flashes of aqua and silver light. The Silver Ranger teleports to the top of the high school and looks around below to see if there was anyone in sight. Seeing no one, he jumps down and demorphs and heads back in with the rest of the recent graduates.

Later that day, after his aunt has gone to work, Jesse teleports to Atlantis to discuss what he saw with Connerly.

"Silver Ranger, it is possible that you saw both the Crystal and White Morphers, but the whole situation seems odd," Connerly says. He was still using Jesse's Ranger identity for conversation, even though Jesse was not morphed, at Jesse's request.

Jesse was puzzled. "How so?"

"Well, think about it: five of the six functional Atlantean Morphers turn up in your hometown. And those five are the primary Morphers. Seems a little odd that they would show up in one place. And the Dark Specter does know your identity, as well as what the Morphers look like. He could very well be trying to lead you into a trap."

"You have a point," Jesse says, "is there any way to know for sure that these are the Atlantean Morphers?"

"Well, we could try teleporting them here," Connerly says, "do it in their sleep. I can cast a spell on them to keep them asleep. We then just examine the supposed Morphers for any Atlantean magic. It is impossible for the Dark Specter to fake Atlantean magic, and the only real practitioner of Atlantean magic outside of Limbo is your friend Alex. It's as simple as that."

"We should talk with the rest of the team about this," Petite says.

"Agreed," Jesse says, "contact them in about three hours. I'm heading back home to get at least some sleep."

"Be careful," Petite says, "Dark Specter could try sending down a monster. If he found you at that gathering of peers, he likely followed you home. So he probably knows where you live now."

"Alex has put up warding spells of the fifth level around my house," Jesse says, "he already thought of that. He'll put up warding spells when we have reason to believe that the Dark Specter knows of Bethany and Holly's identities, not to mention his own."

"We have a good thing going here," Petite says, "Dark Specter does not know the identities of the Bronze and Platinum Ranger's.

"You know, its getting to be uncomfortable staying morphed whenever they are here at Atlantis when I am here as well," Jesse says thoughtfully, "I know they can recognize me as I am. They just have to look at the yearbook if they see someone who seems remotely familiar. Connerly, do you think you can eliminate and regrow facial hair at a whim?"

"Easily," Connerly says.

"Then I think I have a disguise," Jesse says with a grin, "all I need is a ready-made spell, maybe an item that holds the spell so it can be used multiple times, and then I can just use it to help them train outside of being morphed."

"You'll need a name," Jacolby says, "and you'll need to belong to a Clan. I can tell you that the Clan Atalantari would be glad to have you."

"What about a first name though?" Petite asks, "Clan names make up the surname."

"How about Jacob?" Jesse asks, "it's a name that no one except Alex can associate with me."

"How can he associate Jacob with you?" Connerly asks.

"It's a name I give myself online for an evil alter-ego," Jesse replies, "I've gone as far as giving the name a personality. It is much like my own, only twisted and dark."

"That's- disturbing," Jacolby says hesitantly.

"Well, when I don't want to use my own name that is the name I use," Jesse replies, "and it'll throw them off when coupled with the disguise."

"Let me work on this disguise a while and then you can start training with the other Ranger's while unmorphed and not having to wear a costume," Connerly says.

"Good, because the mask on that last costume restricted my breathing a little," Jesse chuckles, "well, time for me to get some shut-eye. See ya later."

With that, Jesse teleports out in a flash of silver light to get some sleep.

A few hours later, all of the Atlantean Ranger's, including the morphed Silver Ranger and Alex, gather at Atlantis to determine if the last two Atlantean Morphers had been found.

"But we'll have to wait until tonight for them to go to sleep," Bethany protests.

"That's where you're wrong," Silver Ranger says, "they were up all night, same as me. The only reason why I'm not dead asleep right now is because of the energy that's flowing through me due to my morphed state. Trust me, they are asleep. We checked and Connerly has cast a spell on them to make sure they stay asleep while we are checking the supposed Morphers."

"Then lets get this over with," Alex says.

"Agreed," Connerly says and he makes a pass with his right hand. Nathan Cooke and his friend appear on a pair of beds that were present.

"Hey, this is Benjamin Clark!" Bethany gasps in surprise, "he's in some of my classes."

"He's in one of mine as well," Holly says.

"He's in the same grade as us," Alex says, "we've known him for years, remember?"

"Yeah," Holly agrees.

"Connerly, do they have the supposed Morphers on them?" Silver Ranger asks.

"They are in the guise of their belt buckles," Connerly says.

"Just like my Morpher was!" Holly exclaims.

"Precisely," Connerly says.

"Are they Atlantean Morphers?" Alex asks.

"They are," Connerly says, "and they have bonded with these two young men. They have both been chosen to be Atlantean Rangers by the Morphers."

"So we have two more teammates," Silver Ranger muses.

"Maybe now you'll reveal your identity to us," Bethany says.

"Nope," Silver Ranger muses, "you guys can handle explaining this. I've gotta go home and get some much needed sleep. I've only had three hours of it, after all."

"I'm surprised he got that much," Alex mutters to himself, "pleasant dreams, dude."

"Thanks," Silver Ranger says before teleporting home.

"So, how are we gonna go about this?" Bethany asks.

"We could wait until we actually need them in a battle," Holly offers.

"No way," Alex says, "that's way too risky. We should wait until they wake up and then explain everything. If we go ahead and start training them, then we'll have an edge. Dark Specter won't be expecting the last two Ranger's showing up just yet. And if they can handle their powers, then that's another plus for us."

"What do you think Connerly?" Holly asks.

"Alex is right," Connerly says, "we need every edge we can get since you cannot access the full Power of the Atlantean Morphers. Since you are unable to morph into the Atlantean Warrior's, you must use whatever you can to gain the upper hand. Luckily, we have the edge already in many ways. Because of the numerous victories by the many teams of Power Ranger's, those who fight for evil are weakened by the wayward essences of defeated monsters. Especially the Org's that attack Turtle Cove and the demon's who attacked Mariner Bay."

"What about the, what are they called? Mutants, that attack Silver Hills?" Holly asks.

"Those are frozen, not destroyed," Connerly replies.

"What about the servants of the Machine Empire who attacked Angel Grove years ago?" Bethany asks.

"As robot's, they did not exactly possess life essences, since machine's are usually not alive," Jacolby answers.

"What do you mean, usually?" Alex asks.

"The Wild Zords of the Wild Force Power Ranger's and your own Atlantean Zords have souls," Connerly explains, "the Galactabeasts of the Lost Galaxy Power Ranger's were living creatures that were transformed with the Transdaggers, so they had souls."

"And all of the other Zord's?" Bethany asks.

"The Zord's of the Mighty Morphin Power Ranger's might have had souls, but we're not quite sure," Connerly replies, "as for the rest, they only had limited artificial intelligence. The Astro Megazord, Delta Megazord, Mega Winger, and Mega Vehicles were all actually spaceships of some sort that either transformed into a Megazord or combined to form a Megazord."

"How long will these two be out?" Alex asks, gesturing at Ben and Nathan.

"After I remove the sleeping spell, however long they would have been asleep for anyway," Connerly replies.

"Remove the spell and alert us when they wake up," Alex says, "we're gonna practice those new maneuver's you've assigned us."

"Good," Connerly says, removing the spell with a wave of his hand. The three Ranger's and ally head for the training hall to practice.

When Jesse gets home, he quickly changes into an Atlantean gi that Connerly had given him. It was vibrant silver with jet-black trim. He shaves all of his facial hair off and then burns what was left away with one of the rudimentary spells he had managed to learn. That taken care of, he teleports to Atlantis to begin his ruse.

Upon arriving at the training hall, they are greeted by a stranger. He stood about 5' 10", with finely combed dark brown hair that was slightly glistening with sweat. His vibrant blue-green eyes sparkled with mischief. He was clean-shaven and was wearing a standard Atlantean training gi.

"Greetings," the stranger says with a bow. His voice was low, with a tone of near-indifference in it. "My name is Jacob and I am of the Clan Atalantari. I am to help Jacolby train you. I am more at your level than he is, so you have a fairly good chance at beating me. I warn you, however, that my experience surpasses yours. I have been an apprentice of his for some time now."

Alex's eyes widen in surprise as he recognizes the voice, as well as the stranger himself. It was definitely Jesse, but he was trying to be someone else. And Alex knew why. Jesse knew that he couldn't train with the other Ranger's morphed all the time and he couldn't keep up with outfits that hid his face because they also muffled his senses slightly. But a disguise like this was easy to work until he decided to just reveal his identity to the other Rangers.

Bethany's voice breaks Alex's musing. "I hope that we can measure up against you. We haven't been doing this long."

"But you have done exceedingly well," 'Jacob' says, "you have defeated some of the strongest forces that the Dark Specter can send against you with ingenuity and grace. You are doing well. And it works in your favor that you two ladies knew each other and were friends before assuming the Power of the Morphers. This has helped you form the bond of teamwork much faster."

"I wish the Silver Ranger would work as a team player," Bethany grumbles.

"Leave him be," Petite says, "in some ways he reminds me of the previous holder of the Silver Morpher. Jace was distant to the rest of us. Partially because he wasn't an Atllantean yet had the uncanny ability to wield the full Power of the Silver Morpher. Because we Atlanteans had a disdain for those who were not Atlantean, he was isolated for some time. But that changed when he fully assumed the mantle of leadership "

"Who is our leader?" Bethany asks.

"The Silver Ranger," Petite replies, "it's the customary position of the one who wields the Silver Morpher. The one who bears the Green Morpher is in command when no one capable of wielding the Silver Morpher can be found. And then I, the Aqua Ranger, am next in the chain of command."

"You mean the Silver Ranger is supposed to be our team leader?" Holly asks skeptically, "he doesn't even function as part of this team!"

"Give him time," Petite replies, "now lets get some training in while we wait for our two new Ranger's to wake up."

"Two new Ranger's?" 'Jacob' asks.

"We've just discovered the Crystal and White Morphers," Holly explains, "the young men who possess them are asleep from a party they went to last night."

"And you're just gonna introduce them to Atlantis when they wake up?" 'Jacob' asks, "you realize that they'll probably think its all a dream or hallucination. You should wait till later."

"Can't afford to do that," Alex says, "we need every advantage we can get right now. The Dark Specter knows the identity of the Silver Ranger, but not the Bronze or Platinum Ranger's. Now all we need is for our two friends to take on the responsibility of being the Crystal and White Ranger's."

"Think they'll do it?" 'Jacob' asks.

"Hope so," Petite says, "do you mind sparring with me, Jacob?"

"No problem," 'Jacob' replies, "I look forward to a good workout."

'Jacob' and Petite move to one side of the gym and begin a light spar. Bethany and Holly go through an elementary Atlantean kata. Alex meditates, focusing his magical energies into a small display of swirling lights.

As the group goes through their workout, 'Jacob' is able to more successfully compare his skill to the others. They were definitely picking up on the fighting styles of Atlantis without the help of their Morphers while he still had to rely on the Silver Morpher just to keep up. But the power of the Silver Morpher flowed into his mind with ease, enabling him to call on its knowledge with relative ease.

"You are quite skilled, Jacob," Petite observes as he blocks a kick, "you would make a fine Ranger."

"You flatter me," 'Jacob' says, "Jacolby says I have a long way to go before I am a true master."

After everyone had been working out for a few hours, Connerly's magic- enhanced voice resounds through the gym. "Attention everyone, our guests will be waking up in a couple of moments. I have currently cast a sleeping spell on them so they will stay asleep until you arrive. Please report to the Council room to greet our guests. I will contact the Silver Ranger."

The group quickly cleans up and heads for the Council hall. 'Jacob' cleans up, morphs, then teleports to the Council hall.

"Glad you responded quickly," Connerly says as the other Ranger's and Alex arrive, "they are about to awaken."

At that, Nathan opens his eyes and sits up.

"Where am I?" he asks groggily. Ben groans as he too awakens.

"Hey, this isn't my room," he says sleepily.

"Welcome, friends, to Atlantis," the Elder says.

"Huh?" Ben says as he wipes sleep from his eyes.

"Firs thing, you are not dreaming," Silver Ranger says, deepening his voice a little in case Nathan by chance recognized it, "second, wake up."

"I am awake," Nathan says groggily, "hey, wait a minute, you're a Power Ranger!"

"Correction, four of us here are Power Rangers," Holly says, "though one of us is a stuck-up prude who doesn't want anyone to know who they are. Our enemy, the Dark Specter, knows what he looks like."

"I know what he looks like," Petite says, "I just don't know his name."

"What?" Bethany cries out, "you mean to say you know what the Silver Ranger looks like behind the helmet?"

"I have no reason to hide what I look like to him, and this helmet can get pretty stuffy," Silver Ranger says, "but he still doesn't know my name so he doesn't accidentally call me by it in your presence. If you either knew my name or what I looked like, you'd be able to find out quite a bit about me."

"Anyway, why are we here?" Ben asks.

"At the party you were at last night, you received the final two Morphers of Atlantis," Connerly says, "the Crystal and White Morphers."

"What are Morphers?" Nathan asks.

"They are our transformation devices," Holly explains as she pulls out her Platinum Morpher, "they allow us to become the Atlantean Ranger's."

"So you mean we can become Power Ranger's?" Ben asks.

"If you so desire," Connerly says, "the Morphers have bonded with you, meaning they have decided that you are worthy to wield their awesome power."

"But we can choose not to risk our lives, right?" Ben asks.

"Yes, that is your choice," Connerly says, "but if you choose not to help, you will be required to hand the Morphers over to us so we can find someone willing to help."

"I'm in," Nathan says, "I was planning on joining the army anyways, so why not join an elite fighting force that can make more of a difference than the entire United States Armed Forces?"

"Then Nathan Cooke, you shall be the Crystal Ranger," the Elder says, "you will wield the Crystal Cutlass in battle and when the situation arises, you will pilot the Crystal Chimera Zord of Atlantis."

"Totally cool," Nathan says as the Morpher on his belt buckle shimmers and takes on its true form, then fades away into null-space where Nathan could summon it whenever he wanted.

"Does anything else happen if I choose not to join up?" Ben asks.

"We will have to alter your memories so you will not be a risk to our security," Connerly says, "right now, the Dark Specter only thinks that the Atlantean Ranger's are simply those whom the Morphers have chosen and are fighting him with the knowledge that the Morphers give them. If he discovers that Atlantis still exists, he will destroy the Earth instantly rather than risk we arise and are able to bring our complete firepower on him. The Atlantean Warriors are merely our best weapon, not our only one."

"I'm in," Ben says, "I've always wanted to make a difference."

"Then you shall become the White Atlantean Ranger," Eleanor says, "you will wield the White Warhammer in battle and pilot the White Gargoyle Zord of Atlantis."

The Morpher on Ben's belt buckle shifts into its true form, then goes into null-space where Ben could call it forth whenever he wanted to.

"So, who are our teammates?" Nathan asks.

"As you can see, I am the Silver Ranger," the Silver Ranger says, "I was the first Atlantean Ranger to appear, and apparently I'm at the top of the Ranger chain of command. Wish I wasn't. Now, I'm going back home to get some sleep."

With that, the Silver Ranger teleports out, but not to home. Instead, he heads for the gym and changes into the persona of Jacob, preparing for the others to bring in with the new recruits.

"Hospitable, isn't he?" Ben remarks.

"That's just because you don't know him," Alex says, "once you get to know him, he's a real nice guy. A little eccentric at times, but a nice guy."

"Hey, you're Alex Green," Ben says, recognizing Alex, "from school."

"I was with the Silver Ranger when he was first teleported here," Alex says, "and ever since then I've been helping him however I can. We were hoping that one of the Atlantean Morphers would choose me, but that is not to be now. Still, I will still help out however needed. I am learning Atlantean magic to defend myself with."

"And he is quite proficient at it," Connerly says, "I am Connerly, head of the School of Magic of Atlantis, and the most powerful wizard in all of Atlantis. I will instruct you in mental disciplines."

"I am Eleanor, head of the Education system of Atlantis," Eleanor says, "as well as leader of the nobility."

"And this is the Elder of Atlantis," Alex says, introducing the elderly man, "he is pretty much the ruler of Atlantis. He heads the Council and guides Atlantis."

"It is good that the final two Atlantean Morphers have been located," the Elder says, "make good use of them."

"We will sir," Nathan says.

"Hi, you probably already know me," Bethany says, "I'm Bethany Black. We have some classes together. I'm the Bronze Ranger."

Nathan grins. "I remember you from English III. You're pretty smart."

Bethany blushes at the comment, but says nothing else.

"I'm Holly Replogle, the Platinum Ranger," Holly says.

"Hey, you're a cheerleader, aren't you?" Ben says, "I've seen you at some of the football games."

"I am Jacolby, " Jacolby interrupts, "I am to be your teacher in the fighting arts. The Morphers do supply you with a great deal of fighting knowledge, but it's better safe than sorry. It is possible to interrupt the link between a Ranger and its Morpher."

"Okay," Ben says, "when do we start?"

"Unless you had anything else to do today, you will start immediately," Jacolby says.

"Sounds good to me," Nathan says, "I my summer job doesn't start for a couple more weeks."

"You know, that is gonna be a problem sooner or later," Alex says, "some of us have jobs or will have jobs eventually. If you leave early, you'll get fired and your parents will want to know why you left early. Not good at all."

"And if we quit, they'll want to know why," Ben says.

"Big problem," Bethany agrees, "what will we do about it?"

"Well, Petite will always be ready, as he is a resident of Atlantis," Alex says, "the Silver Ranger does not have a job yet. There will be some problems in about a month, but after that things will be peachy. Oh, Petite is the Aqua Ranger."

"Hello," Petite says.

"Hi," Ben replies, "are you a robot or something?"

"Sorta," Petite answers, "but everything will be explained later. But I am the Aqua Ranger."

"Well, the Silver and Aqua Ranger's will be ready 24/7," Alex says, "I believe the Silver Ranger has been surviving on less than five hours sleep a night for years now, and now that its summer he'll sleep in a lot. Though I don't know how becoming the Silver Ranger will affect everything."

"We'll think about that later," Jacolby barks, "for now, I'm putting you through the ringer."

"Will Jacob be helping?" Holly asks.

Jacolby almost says that he doesn't know anyone named Jacob who would be helping, but then he remembers that Jesse had said he would be using the name Jacob. He hadn't realized that he had already started using the deception.

"Yes, he will be helping you out," Jacolby answers, "he will be working with you two and maybe Petite. Alex, you will help me instruct Ben and Nathan."

"Okay," Alex says, "the sooner we get the two of you used to Morphing, the better prepared you'll be for when the Dark Specter attacks next. But first, you must discover how to activate your Morphers. That is the final step in claiming the power of Atlantis."

"Just read the inscription on your Morphers," Holly explains, "normal people wouldn't be able to understand, since it is written in Atlantean, but your Morphers have picked you so you will at least be able to read what they say."

Nathan and Ben both read the inscriptions on their respective Morphers. Ben speaks first.

"If ye be of a noble and true heart with a just cause to defend, then ye shall be granted the power of this Morpher. Just press the buttons in sequence: Crystal, White, Aqua, Silver, Bronze, and Platinum. If your cause if not pure, then you shall be cast into oblivion."

Nathan speaks next.

"If ye be of a noble heart and strong will with a just cause to defend, then ye shall be granted the power of this Morpher. Just press the buttons in sequence: White, Aqua, Silver, Bronze, Platinum, and Crystal. If your cause is nor pure, then you shall be cast into oblivion."

"Is it really that simple?" Ben asks.

"It is indeed," Holly replies, "once you Morph, you'll be able to access the knowledge within the Morphers."

"Feel the presence within the Morphers, then do what seems right," Connerly says, "the rest is up to you and what you hold inside."

Ben and Nathan close their eyes and search their hearts. When they find what they are looking for, they both call out, "It's Morphin time!"

Nathan presses the buttons on his Morpher in the following order: crystal, white, aqua, silver, bronze, and platinum. In a flash of pure light, the Crystal Atlantean Ranger is standing where Nathan was just a moment ago.

The Crystal Ranger's uniform was identical to the other Atlantean Ranger's except for the Silver Rangers' uniforms except for his helmet, which was designed to look like a gargoyle. The entire uniform was a light sapphire blue in color. The shield was semi-clear, like a crystal. All in all, he looked awe-inspiring.

Ben presses the buttons on his Morpher in the following order: white, aqua, silver, bronze, platinum, and crystal. In a flash of white light, the White Atlantean Ranger is standing where Ben was just a moment ago.

The White Ranger's uniform was just like all of the other Atlantean Rangers' uniforms except for the Silver Ranger's. The only difference was that his uniform was almost a pure white. And the helmet was different as well. It looked like a lion's head, somewhat reminiscent of the Red Lost Galaxy Power Ranger with the fangs like those of the Red Wild Force Power Ranger. The shield was a metallic white. All in all, he looked formidable.

"Totally cool," White Ranger says as he checks out his costume.

"I'll say," Crystal Ranger says as he checks out costume, "these outfits are totally cool."

"They do indeed look great," Connerly says, "now, demorph and go and begin your training. We have no idea how much time we have until the Dark Specter's next attack. Or where he will strike. Unlike previous villains, he will attack anywhere. And he will attack not just attack the Earth. You have a responsibility to fight him anywhere."

"Let's just hope he doesn't figure that out," Bethany says as the White and Crystal Ranger's demorph, "but once he attacks another planet, that secret is out."

"He can't be that smart, can he?" Ben asks.

"He's the one who was behind the Alliance of Evil almost taking over the entire universe," Alex says, "Ranger teams and countless other heroes were brought to their knees in facing him. Even the Power Rangers who have defended Earth in the past were no match for his forces. They lost all of their Zords, including one of the most powerful MegaZords in the universe, the Voyager MegaZord. Only a handful were more powerful. The Dark Specter is one of, if not the most evil being the universe has ever seen. He is the single most powerful. Of that we are sure."

"Well, if he's that powerful alone then we're just gonna have to be a team then and rely on each other's strength, aren't we?" Nathan asks.

"Precisely," Holly agrees, "now if only we could get that through the Silver Ranger's thick skull."

"Enough about our worthless leader," Bethany growls, "we need to show these two rookies the ropes."

"Rookies!" Nathan exclaims.

"Yes, you two are rookies," Bethany grins, "you have yet to fight a single battle."

"And you won't as long as we don't need you," Holly adds, "that way we can keep you a secret for as long as possible."

"All the while the rest of you will be gaining more and more battle experience, learning how to use your powers even better," Ben says angrily.

"And everything we learn we'll teach you," Petite assures Ben and Nathan, "and if the Silver Ranger decides to help you, then you'll really learn a lot. He's the most experienced Ranger on the team, next to myself. He's spent every waking moment trying to figure out new abilities of the Ranger powers of the Atlantean Morphers."

"But the Silver Ranger was the first to appear, wasn't he?" Ben asks, "how can you be the most experienced Ranger on the team if he appeared first?"

"It's a long story," Holly says, "one which we will tell you later."

The group heads for the gymnasium.

"You know, it's too bad that the only good gym in Jackson requires a membership," Nathan says.

"The equipment and training regimen here is better anyway," Holly says, "after all, the Atlanteans can conjure just about anything with magic, and what they can't conjure the blacksmiths can usually make."

Nathan and Ben both whistle in amazement as they walk into the gym and see the equipment before their eyes.

Jesse, in his disguise as Jacob, was already working out by beating the stuffing out of a punching bag.

"Who's that?" Nathan asks.

"That's Jacob," Holly replies, "he's new. He's one of Jacolby's students. He's good."

"Doesn't look all that strong to me," Ben says skeptically.

"It's not his physical strength that makes him good," Petite says, "it's his mastery over the Atlantean martial arts. He's an incredibly skilled combatant."

"So, where do we start?" Nathan asks.

"We'll start by teaching the two of you the basic kata," Jacolby says gruffly, "once you master that, then we'll go on to the more advanced kata's."

Fairly soon both Ben and Nathan are going through the kata's Jacolby gives them while Alex and Jacob spar.

A few days later, all of the Atlantean Ranger's except for Jesse are doing some basic workouts in the gym when they are called to the Council Hall. Jacob wasn't anywhere to be seen either. Alex was with his church youth group, which was where Jesse was as well, though Bethany, Holly, Ben, and Nathan did not know this.

"What is it, Elder?" Nathan asks.

"The Dark Specter has imbued some lava with magic and it has come to life," Connerly says, "Bethany, Petite, and Holly, you three will go and fight this monster. We will try and contact the Silver Ranger."

"What about me and Nathan?" Ben asks.

"You two will hold back and stay here," Connerly says, "we will try and hold the two of you back as long as possible. We need every secret and surprise we can muster."

"Understood," Nathan says sullenly.

"Don't worry," Bethany says, "the longer we're able to keep you under wraps, the better you'll be when you finally do see some action."

"Nothing beats on-the-job training when it comes to something this important," Ben says.

"We don't want to give the Dark Specter a reason to send down a whole horde of monsters at once," Holly says, "the Silver Ranger alone is almost enough of a reason for that due to the amount of power he has. I'm surprised he hasn't already sent down a horde of monsters with just the four of us on call. If he finds out that there are six of us, who knows what he'll do?"

"We'll talk later," Petite says, summoning his Morpher, "right now, we gotta stop that monster. It's morphin' time! Aqua Power of Atlantis!"

Bethany pulls out her Morpher. "Bronze Power of Atlantis!"

Holly pulls out her Morpher. "Platinum Power or Atlantis!"

The three Ranger's teleport out in streams of aqua, platinum, and bronze light.

The Flame Ghost wasn't a very bright monster. It wasn't a very strong monster, either. In fact, it wasn't much of a monster at all. And the Dark Specter knew this. He could create vast armies of monsters just below the abilities of the Atlantean Ranger's without limit and wear them out as long as there were only four of them. He would have to up their power if another Morpher appeared. But for now, he could create monster after monster without draining his own reserves of magical energy.

All in all, the Flame Ghost should give the Atlantean Ranger's some problems but not destroy them. Though he wouldn't be upset if one was destroyed. The way humans had become since the fall of Atlantis left him surprised that there were any capable of using such potent powers of good. Zordon himself probably couldn't have found people not only worthy of the immense power of the Atlantean Morphers, but also people who could withstand the amount of power coursing through their veins. The Atlantean Ranger's apparently thought that he did not know the identities of any of the other Ranger's. He saw the girl become the Platinum Atlantean Ranger and he saw the other girl become the Bronze Atlantean Ranger. He still did not know who the Aqua Atlantean Ranger was, and why he didn't was a mystery even to the Dark Specter. It was possible that he had been a homeless person or maybe had faked his death to be on call at all hours of the day.

But the Dark Specter still didn't know why he couldn't locate their base. Zordon's Power Chamber was still demolished from when that worthless Divatox had managed to destroy it. The Animarium was home only to the Wild Force Power Rangers. The Lightspeed Aquabase of the Lightspeed Rescue Power Rangers was still in shambles from when the demons overran it. They weren't staying with the Galaxy Ranger's on Mirinoi. The location of their base, as well, as how they could keep it hidden, remained a mystery to the Dark Specter. Not that it mattered. He was confident that he would find it and destroy it, just as he would destroy all who opposed him and those who had betrayed him. He would hunt down the former Princess of Evil, Astronema, and destroy her. He would hunt down her brother, the Red Astro Ranger, and destroy him. He would destroy everyone who had ever held the mantle of Power Ranger. But he would do it at his own leisure. He would wait until the Atlantean Ranger's were destroyed. They were the only worthy foes that he had.

The Dark Specter watches as three of the four Atlantean Ranger's appear to fight his Flame Ghost. They were putting up a pretty good fight. But the Dark Specter had made the strength of the Flame Ghost beyond that of any three Atlantean Rangers. It would require all four of the Atlantean Rangers to destroy him.

So where was the Silver Ranger? He was usually the first in battle.

Jesse was, in fact, in a battle. A battle of wits, to be exact. And so far it was an even battle.

"And I say you need to get your eyes examined!" Katie, Alex's little sister, says.

"I wear glasses," Jesse replies blandly, "of course I need to get my eyes examined."

"I am this close to slapping you," Katie says hotly.

"Then why don't you?" Jesse asks. He didn't care if Katie slapped him. Divorx had given him worse in their fight, and he could always duck.

"Don't try me," Katie says.

"Fine," Jesse says, "but I'm leaving. I may be crazy, insane, and stupid, but at least I know where I'm not liked and know when I'm not welcome by the people."

And with that, Jesse turns around and heads out of the youth room, the other youth members just stare in shock at Jesse's choice of words. Alex just shakes his head and makes a mental note to have Jesse talk to the Elder or someone else he respected but could trust with his secrets. The Elder, Connerly, and maybe Jacolby were likely candidates for such a conversation.

With a sigh, Alex turns his attention to the blooming conversation: what in the world had put made Jesse so hotheaded as of late. And that was an excellent question.

As Jesse was getting in his car to go home, his communicator beeps.

"Silver Ranger here," he responds, "go ahead."

"Silver Ranger, morph and head to the location of the Bronze, Platinum, and Aqua Atlantean Rangers to help them," Jacolby answers from the communicator, "they are in desperate need of your help."

"Got it," Jesse replies, then closes the communication channel and after checking to see if the coast was clear. Seeing that it was, he steps out of his car and summons his Morpher.

"It's morphin' time! Silver Power of Atlantis!" In a flash of silver light, the Silver Atlantean Ranger stands where Jesse just was only for a few seconds before teleporting out.

The Flame Ghost punches the Bronze Ranger in the gut and follows it up with an upper cut to the head that sends the Bronze Ranger flying.

Platinum Ranger leaps in and slashes the Flame Ghost repeatedly in the back with her Platinum Partisan and cuts deeply into the Flame Ghost's back. The Flame Ghost roars in pain and delivers a vicious backhand to Platinum Ranger that sends her flying into a wall.

Aqua Ranger tries to stab the Flame Ghost in where its kidneys would have been if it had any with his Aqua Double Dirks, but the Flame Ghost performs a spinning back kick that sends Aqua Ranger flying into a lamppost.

The Flame Ghost stands over Platinum Ranger and prepares to slam its massive fist down on her. Such a blow would easily crush the Platinum Ranger.

But luckily, it was not to be. A blast of silver energy hits the Flame Ghost in the back, startling it. The Flame Ghost turns around to see the Silver Ranger holding his Silver Staff, the tip of it still crackling with energy. With a roar, the Flame Ghost charges the Silver Ranger, who simply ducks and dodges to avoid the blows.

"Get up!" Silver Ranger bellows as he ducks another powerful punch, "any two of you are stronger than I am alone. If you think I can beat him alone, then you're delusional! I need help here!"

Before he could say another word, the Flame Ghost finally lands a punch. The punch drives the air out of his lungs.

The other three Atlantean Ranger's draw their Blade Blasters and open fire on the Flame Ghost to try and distract him. And surprisingly, it works. The Flame Ghost charges at the three Rangers and knocks them aside. He is then immediately upon the Aqua Ranger, throttling him viciously.

"This thing has a mean streak," Silver Ranger observes, "and its hotheaded. That gives me an idea. Bronze Ranger! Platinum Ranger! Prepare to fire your Blade Blasters at the base of its neck on my signal." The Silver Ranger changes the Silver staff into the Silver Saber.

The Bronze and Platinum Rangers ready their Blade Blasters and fire. The energy beams hit the base of the Flame Ghosts neck at the same time. The Flame Ghost turns around, only to catch a glimpse of the Silver Ranger as he brings the Silver Saber crashing down on the Flame Ghosts head, cleaving the head down the center. Silver Ranger steps away from the Flame Ghost and moves to help the other Rangers to their feet.

But the Flame Ghost was not done yet. With a silent melding, its head becomes one once again. He ruthlessly attacks the unguarded Silver Ranger, knocking him about like a rag doll and rendering him unconscious. Platinum Ranger struggles to her feet, digging the point of the Platinum Partisan into the ground to help her regain her balance. He weakly draws her Blade Blaster and fires it at the Flame Ghost, hitting it in the back.

The Flame Ghost turns around, its attention now focused solely on the Platinum Ranger. It charges in, driving a massive fist into Platinum Ranger's stomach, then grabbing her by the throat and tossing her aside. Two more energy blasts from Blade Blasters hit the Flame Ghost, this time from the Aqua and Bronze Ranger's. The two keep their distance, continually firing at the flame Ghost in hopes of wearing it down.

'This thing is way too strong,' Platinum Ranger realizes as she gets back to her feet, 'we need more firepower than the Blade Blasters have. Maybe we should call Ben and Nathan in to help.'

"Guys, I think we're in over our heads," Platinum Ranger says when she gets back on her feet, "we need help."

"We can take him," Aqua Ranger says confidently.

"We don't have the firepower, even with the Silver Ranger," Platinum Ranger responds, "and he's unconscious right now."

Aqua Ranger holsters his Blade Blaster. "Then we'll use our Power Staffs. Our Power Weapons have more power than anything else that is available in our arsenal. They have great physical power in their Weapon forms, but in their Staff forms, they have incredible projectile power."

Both Aqua Ranger and Bronze Ranger summon their Power Staffs. Platinum Ranger does the same.

"Focus your power through your Staff and unleash it!" Aqua Ranger commands, "Silver Ranger should be conscious in a moment. When he wakes up, he'll add his power to ours and we'll destroy this monster before Dark Specter has a chance to make it grow."

The three Rangers focus their power through with Power Staffs and blast the Flame Ghost with focused beams of energy. The effect is almost instantaneous. The beams rip through the Flame Ghost as if he were made of paper, destroying him easily.

"Well, that was unexpected," Bronze Ranger says blandly.

"Totally," Platinum Ranger agrees, "Aqua, any ideas?"

"Let's get back to base first," Aqua Ranger replies, "Silver Ranger, are you okay?"

"I'll admit I'm slightly surprised that you were able to beat that monster so easily," Silver Ranger replies, clutching his aching head, "however, I'm glad I was only needed as a distraction."

"And why is that?" Aqua Ranger asks.

"Because if I had been needed for more, then we'd likely be dead or seriously injured, because as strong as that thing was we may have some problems in the future," Silver Ranger replies.

"Why is that," Bronze Ranger asks.

"I'd like to hear Aqua Ranger's theory first," Silver Ranger replies, "and then the lot of us can brainstorm on both ideas. Now lets return. And have Connerly heal whatever injuries our powers don't take care of."

"One of these days we're gonna have to find out the limits to our enhanced abilities," Platinum Ranger says.

"I could do that now, but I don't think you'd like how I went about it," Silver Ranger says emotionlessly, though he was grinning humorously underneath his helmet.

"And how is that?" Aqua Ranger asks.

"Beat the tar out of one of you," Silver Ranger replies simply, "then we'll wait ten minutes and see how much of the damage is healed when you demorph."

"I think all this power is going to your head," Platinum Ranger huffs before teleporting to Atlantis. Laughing, Silver Ranger does the same. Bronze and Aqua Rangers just shake their heads and teleport to Atlantis.

"So, whats your idea?" Silver Ranger asks Petite as he leans against a wall.

"Well, you saw how the Flame Ghost could face off with the three of us and the was at a complete disadvantage when you showed up," Petite tells the Silver Ranger, "especially when you used your Silver Staff to attack. It couldn't ward off that much power. And then we all three of us attacked with our Power Staffs, he was completely obliterated. He just didn't know how to ward off so much power. The focused beams of our Power Staffs have more power than the energy attacks we can perform with our Power Weapons."

"Interesting notion," Alex says. The youth meeting had ended during the battle and Alex had managed to get time away to go to Atlantis by saying that he was gonna take a walk in the park and then walk home.

"Definitely," Silver Ranger says, "and your ideas on the reason for the monster to be able to take on any three of us?"

"He's testing us," Nathan says simply.

"What?" Bethany asks.

"He's testing you, I should say," Nathan answers, "he's testing the limits of his strength. He may be all but unbeatable normally, but I'll bet his well of power doesn't replenish as fast as some of those villains that have attacked Earth from space in the past."

"Rita, Zedd, and Master Vile all had to regain magical energy after a battle, especially if it was a major one," Connerly says, "the Machine Empire just made it a battle of attrition. They had no need to sleep or eat, just a little maintenance and they're back in perfect running order. The Machine Empire were among the toughest opponents any Earth Ranger team has ever faced. They could send monster after monster to fight the Zeo Rangers."

"So why didn't they win?" Ben asks, "I mean, machines can easily last longer than people, even those enhanced by some powerful source of magic."

"Indeed," Jacolby says, "but they continuously underestimated the resolve humans had when it came to protecting their planet, not to mention the power of the mighty Zeo Crystal, one of the most powerful magical artifacts ever created. This and the strength of the human spirit saved them countless times."

"Back to the Dark Specter," Silver Ranger says, "do you really think he's trying to wear us down?"

"Its always a good battle tactic," Jacolby says, "a tired or exhausted opponent can't fight at their best. They must push themselves harder to win by relying on their brute strength than their mind. This tires them even more. It also takes its toll on their mind. They can't think straight, so they have to try and use more muscle than mind. This causes them to use even more of their energy when they could easily have performed the same job had they not been tired. In the end, they will die in battle."

"Makes sense," Silver Ranger says, "but how is he judging our strength to make us fight our best, yet still not use too much so he is still simply toying with us?"

"Well, we haven't really used our Power Staffs much except for the Silver Ranger since he doesn't have a Blade Blaster like we do," Aqua Ranger replies, "I'm guessing that the Dark Specter is planning to wear us out with monsters that are just below our maximum potential. But it appears that we gave him a surprise with this attack. I'm willing to bet he didn't know about the power of the Staffs since he's never fought against Atlantean Rangers before. He's fought the Atlantean Warriors, but their power surpasses ours as much as that of the Atlantean Rangers surpasses an unmorphed human, maybe more."

"You just put yourself down," Holly points out, "you were once an Atlantean Warrior, were you not?"

"Indeed I was, but now I am an Atlantean Ranger," Petite replies with pride.

"We've got to figure out how to handle the Dark Specter's future threats," Alex says.

"You can always call on me and Ben if you need us," Nathan says.

"We will call on you if we need to," Silver Ranger says, "you can trust me on that. I'm not about to put our lives, as well as the lives of everyone on Earth, simply to keep you two a secret. You two are secret weapons, but only as long as you need to be. If we can beat Dark Specter without your help, so much the better. The battlefield is Hell on Earth."

"We have to be unpredictable," Alex says, "if we get predictable in how we react to the Dark Specter's attacks, we'll get dead real soon."

"You mean we'll get dead real soon," Silver Ranger corrects, "sorry dude, but your not out there fighting. Not yet, and unless we can find some good armor that you can use in battle that'll protect you as good as Ranger armor, your stayin' here during fights. But you are right. If we get predictable, we get dead. And we'll take a lot of people with us. There is no one more dangerous than someone who is unpredictable. There is now ay to tell what they will do when pushed. And that is what we have to be: unpredictable. I plan on fighting to the death."

Nathan glares at Silver Ranger. "Doesn't anything scare you? Or has being a Ranger sucked out all emotion from you?"

"I'm beginning to wonder," Alex mutters. No one hears him though.

"You think me emotionless?" Silver Ranger laughs, "I'm just serious."

"So you don't get afraid?" Ben asks skeptically.

"If someone told you I didn't feel fear, then they lied to you," Silver Ranger says, "courage is not the absence of fear, but rather the realization that something else is more important than fear."

"Ambrose Redmon said that," Alex says.

"Yep," Silver Ranger says, "but for now, we may as well wait for Dark Specter to make the next move."

"Since we don't know where he is at, then we can't attack him head-on," Bethany says.

"We don't have the power to attack him head-on," Connerly says, "the six of you do not have the power to take on a lot of his minions if they weren't miraculously destroyed by someone else. It is likely that a lot of them were destroyed by the wave of goodness created on the death of Zordon of Eltare."

"Let's hope so," Ben says, "cause otherwise then he's just toying with us and we don't stand a chance."

A few days later, the Dark Specter is pacing in his throne room, watching a replay of the various battles he had already had with the Atlantean Rangers. Each time they pulled out a new trick with which to destroy his monsters. These Atlantean Rangers were far more dangerous than he had first thought. Yes, they were nothing compared to the Atlantean Warriors, but they were still one of the strongest fighting forces in the universe.

They shouldn't have been able to grasp the abilities of their powers so well this soon. Atlantean magic always had been much of a mystery to most of the universe, but Dark Specter did know that their transformation devices did not give them the required knowledge for much of what they had been doing. Not at the level they had shown. Someone with knowledge of Atlantean magic was helping them. The question was, how?

"Oh great and mighty Dark Specter, when will you be attacking the Earth again?" Darkonda asks.

"Soon, Darkonda, very soon," Dark Specter replies absently, "but first I must think of a monster to send down, and how I am to make it. I will not use one I already have. Right now I am focusing on merely wearing the Atlantean Rangers out."

"The Flame Ghost nearly had them," Darkonda says, "if they hadn't used the power of their Power Staffs then he very well could have defeated them."

"No, he didn't stand a chance," Dark Specter says, "not with all four of them there. The Silver Ranger was waking up and the other three could have held the Flame Ghost off long enough with their other projectile attacks for them to have a chance at a combined attack. He was just a throwaway."

"Then what are you planning to do now, master?" Darkonda asks.

"I will wear the Rangers down," Dark Specter chuckles, "but I need an idea for another monster to and down. Spectrons wouldn't be enough of a challenge and Quatrons,e ven the vast armies of them that I have, wouldn't stand a chance against the Atlantean Rangers."

"May I make a suggestion, oh great and mighty Dark Specter?" Darkonda asks, "I have been researching some Earth mythology in hopes of finding a creature that would be psychologically fearsome for them to have to fight. I have found one that may suit your needs. It is called the Hydra."

"Tell me about this Hydra," Dark Specter asks.

Darkonda gives a small litany of the projected abilities of the Hydra. Dark Specter laughs evilly, knowing he had found a fearsome monster indeed. He sends a blast of magic to Earth to bring about a Hydra using Lord Zedd's monster creation technique.

The spell hits a python and the snake grows until it is much larger than before. It was nearly twenty feet long and as thick as an average man was. It sported nine heads, but its magic made it so that whenever one head was chopped off two more would take its place.

"Go, Hydra monster, and destroy the place the Earth humans call New York City," Dark Specter commands.

"A monster is attacking New York?" Ben asks, aghast, "man, this is not good. The property damage from the battle this is likely to be will be staggering."

"Blame Dark Specter," Bethany retorts, "best we can do is latch onto it and teleport it to some deserted location."

"Good thing its Saturday," Nathan comments, "where's the Silver Ranger?"

"Either sleeping in or watching Saturday morning cartoons," Alex replies.

"You said he's old as I am, right?" Nathan asks.

"He graduated when you did," Alex replies.

"And he's still watching Saturday morning cartoons?" Nathan asks, disbelieving.

"He's still a kid at heart in a lot of things," Alex replies, "it's a good thing he has a VCR and knows how to work it or he would be pissed when we contact him for backup."

"Wouldn't he take it out on the monster though?" Holly asks.

"He'd still be mad that you were unable to take care of the monster on your own," Alex replies, "okay, Holly, Petite, and Bethany, go and stop this monster."

"Wish we could get a fix on it in the pool," Holly says, "then we might have an idea of what we're up against."

The three Rangers morph and teleport to New York City.

"Maybe they'll need our help today," Ben says.

"Let's hope not," Nathan says, "because if they need our help, then they'll be in some serious trouble."

"Agreed," Alex says, "now lets keep an eye on our friends.

Aqua, Bronze, and Platinum Rangers all land in Central Park, which was close to where the monster was.

"Spread out," Aqua Ranger commands, "we've got to find this monster before he does too much damage."

"Um, I don't think we need to find it," Bronze Ranger says.

"And why is that?" Aqua Ranger asks.

"Because its found us!" Bronze Ranger yelps as she dodges a strike from one of the Hydra's nine heads.

"What is that?" Aqua Ranger asks as he summons his Aqua Double Dirks. Bronze Ranger summons her Bronze Battle Axe and Platinum Ranger summons her Platinum Partisan.

"It looks like some kind of snake," Platinum Ranger observes, "and look at the shapes of those heads. Each and every one of them is poisonous."

"And whaddya wanna bet those fangs can penetrate our armor?" Bronze Ranger asks as she takes a swipe at one of the heads as it gets too close for her comfort.

"No dice," Aqua Ranger says, "spread out and attack, triangle formation."

The three Rangers move out and attack from the points of a equilateral triangle, but the Hydra easily counters their attacks with three heads per Ranger.

"This is not good!" Aqua Ranger yelps, "we need the Silver Ranger!"

Back at Atlantis, the others look on in curiosity at what the Rangers were fighting.

"What is that?" Nathan asks.

"It's a Hydra," Silver Ranger says from over his shoulder.

"Yaaagh!" Nathan cries out in shock, "don't do that!"

"Whats a Hydra?" Ben asks.

"I remember reading a bit about the Hydra in Greek mythology," Alex says, "but I can't remember much."

"The hydra was a serpent sent by Hera to torment the people of the Lerna," Silver Ranger says, "it was killed by the mighty hero Heracles, more commonly known by his Roman mythological name of Hercules, when he severed each of its eight mortal heads, then severed its ninth immortal head and buried it."

"You are well versed in the mythology of the Greeks," Connerly chuckles, "a passion for literature?"

Silver Ranger shrugs his shoulders. "I just like to read. One of these days I plan to go into one of Atlantis' libraries and read since the Silver Morpher will allow me to read Atlantean without any trouble."

"So, how do we defeat the Hydra?" Nathan asks, "I do recall a bit about the legend of the Hydra. For each head that was lopped off, two more took its place."

"We need to sear its neck," Silver Ranger says, "that way it cannot return that part to normal."

"Then get going," Ben says, "the other Rangers need you!"

"No, they need all three of us," Silver Ranger says, "there are far too many heads for just four Rangers. It'll take all six of us to beat this monster. You can use your Blade Blasters to sear its necks after one of its heads have been chopped off. That will be the department of myself, Nathan, and Bronze Ranger."

"So its time for us to go public?" Ben grins.

"Unfortunately, yes," Silver Ranger sighs, "I had hoped that it would be a long time coming."

"Whatever," Ben says, "ready Nate?"

"Ready!" Nathan agrees, "its morphin time! Crystal Power of Atlantis!"

"White Power of Atlantis!"

In twin flashes, Nathan and Ben are garbed in the uniforms of the Crystal and White Atlantean Rangers.

"Lets go and show the Dark Specter who he's messin' with!" White Ranger says, punching his left palm.

The three Rangers teleport out and to the battle site.

"Think they have a chance?" Eleanor asks Alex.

Alex shrugs his shoulders. "Silver Ranger knows his mythology when it comes to Greek and Roman mythology, and he's well-versed in the more well-known myths of many other cultures. If any of us knows how to defeat this monster, he does."

The Hydra was having its way with the Bronze, Platinum, and Aqua Rangers. It could use three heads on each of the Rangers. While they could fend off on head with one hand and another head with the other, the third head could move in and strike.

Bronze Ranger was down, her shield having various punctures in it, though none have managed to penetrate all the way to her skin. Still, having her armor penetrated hurt a lot. Before the three heads that were attacking her could move in for a deathblow, three energy bolts, one silver, one an almost clear sapphire blue, and the last white, hit one of the heads and knock them out of the way.

Bronze Ranger turns her head to see the Silver, Crystal, and White Rangers standing there, holding their Power Weapons.

The Crystal Rangers weapon was a cutlass, similar in its basic appearance to the Zeo 5 Power Sword wielded by the Red Zeo Ranger. The blade was the same color as his shield and the hilt was a darker color.

The White Ranger had a fairly large warhammer in his hands. From the looks of it, it was heavy even with the strength augmentation that the Atlantean Morphers gave.

"Guess the cats out of the bag," Bronze Ranger murmurs.

"Rangers, get over here!" Silver Ranger calls out, "White, Crystal, you two go ahead and start implementing the plan while I explain it to the others."

"Gotcha boss," Crystal Ranger says as he moves in with White Ranger covering him with his Blade Blaster.

"Okay Silver Ranger, whats the plan?" Aqua Ranger asks.

Silver Ranger quickly explains. "That thing is based off a Greek monster, the Lernean Hydra. For each head we lop off, two more take its place. Luckily, none of you cut off a head so we only have to deal with nine. The plan is to do exactly what Heracles did to defeat the Hydra. Bronze Ranger, you and I are getting in close. Crystal Ranger and I will try to distract as many heads as we can while you focus on a single head. Your Battle Axe has the best chance of cutting all the way through their necks with a single blow."

"Once we cut a head off, then we'll have two if that thing is based off the Lernean Hydra!" Platinum Ranger exclaims.

Silver Ranger shakes his head. "No, Heracles had his nephew Iolaus sear each neck with a white-hand brand, thus sealing it permanently, after Heracles cut off a head. Platinum, Aqua, you two are gonna use your Blade Blasters with White Ranger on each neck when the head there is severed. Hopefully, that will provide enough heat to sear the necks."

"And if it doesn't?" Bronze Ranger asks.

"Then I'm open to suggestions," Silver Ranger replies, "now lets do it!"

Silver Ranger leaps at one of the Hydra's heads and engages it ferociously. Bronze Ranger quickly follows while Platinum and Aqua Rangers draw their Blade Blasters and fire random shots at the heads that the other Rangers were not concentrating on to keep them from ganging up on the other Rangers.

Bronze Ranger was the first to catch success. She lops off one of the Hydra's heads and the three Rangers with Blade Blasters fire simultaneously at the point where the head was severed. The intense heat from the three laser beams sear the Hydra's flesh and keep it from regenerating its head there.

Crystal Ranger comes up with a victory of his own moments later, and then the Silver Ranger does the same. One by one, each of the three attacking Rangers have lopped off all but the main head.

"Okay, if this thing is accurately portrayed off of the Greek myth, and I doubt it because then it would be immortal, then this thing is gonna be extremely hard to kill," Silver Ranger says, "not to mention the scales on that neck are armored."

"So whats the plan?" Bronze Ranger asks.

"Crystal, you and I are doing sword uppers on that thing while Bronze Ranger does an executioner on it," Silver Ranger says, naming a pair of techniques that, when used long ago, felled many long-necked dragons.

Silver Ranger and Crystal Ranger rush in, blade in hand, and leap upwards beneath the Hydra's single remaining neck. Bronze Ranger leaps into the air and charges the blade of her Battle Axe with bronze energy. She comes crashing down on the back of the Hydra's neck while Silver Ranger and Crystal Ranger jump up, their blades almost as one as they drive their weapons into the underside of the Hydra's neck.

The combined attacks are too much for the Hydra and its last head falls to the ground. The other three Rangers quickly fire their Blade Blasters at the last neck, with the Bronze Ranger and Crystal Ranger discarding their weapons and drawing their Blade Blasters to add more head. Silver Ranger performs his projectile attack at full power, aiming it at the last head. The other heads had all disintegrated the moment the neck they had just been severed from was seared.

The entire Hydra erupts in flames, its body blasting apart and the ninth head melting into the ground, scorching it.

"Well, that's that," Silver Ranger sighs as he wills away his weapon.

"It's a good thing you knew about the Hydra's weaknesses," Bronze Ranger tells Silver Ranger, "otherwise, who knows how many heads we'd have had to deal with when we finally figured it all out."

Sivler Ranger waves off the thanks. "Don't mention it. I just did my part. I expect no less of any of the rest of you."

Silver Ranger turns to the Crystal and White Rangers. "So, what do you two think of the new job?"

"Terrifying," Crystal Ranger says, "I still can't believe you tossed a rookie like me into a position like that."

"Hey, at least you aren't a raw rookie like the rest of us were, except for Petite," Bronze Ranger retorts, "when we get back, we're telling you how Platinum Ranger got on the team."

"I've gotta head back home," Silver Ranger says, "I have chores to do."

With that, the Silver Ranger teleports out, but not to home. Instead, he teleports to Atlantis to don his disguise as Jacob.

"Well, I'd say this outing was a success," Aqua Ranger surmises, "lets get back and make our report to the Council."

In flashes of multi-colored light, the five Rangers teleport back tot heir base of operations.

Aboard his Dark Fortress, the Dark Specter yells in anger and frustration. Two new Rangers! Two! And they appeared at home with their powers, just as the Aqua Ranger had. Either they had been recruited and trained and then held back until they were absolutely needed, or they already possessed knowledge of Atlantis. He had heard the Aqua Rangers quick explanation to the Silver Ranger when he had come aboard.

"Darkonda!" Dark Specter roars.

"Yes, master?" Darkonda quivers.

"Contact Master Vile," Dark Specter growls, "tell him to send my minion back to me. I'll send him back if he is still needed after he destroys the Rangers."

"Yes master," Darkonda says, eyes wide with astonishment. The Dark specter was sending for one of his few remaining elite monsters? He must either be really mad or the Atlantean Rangers were far more powerful than he had surmised. Either way, with the Garnecia Elephantis on its way, the Atlantean Rangers were doomed.

"That was very well done," Connerly says, "we would have sent Alex to help by being the fire if we had some sort of armor for him."

"You know, Alex and the Silver Ranger are the only ones with any skill at magic," Jacolby observes, "Alex almost seems to be a natural born Atlantean when it comes to handling the Atlantean magic."

"I wish the Silver Ranger would trust us with his identity," Holly sighs.

"He's afraid of making friends," Alex tells her, "there are only a handful of people that are, in his mind, his friends. I know him well enough to say that he will eventually warm up to you, provided that he actually starts coming and training with you."

"He's been depriving himself of sleep to come here and train in the use of his Morpher when you are not around," Petite says, "he can't keep it up for more than a month."

"Enough of this depressing talk," 'Jacob' says, "lets party! Its your first fight as a full team. This is cause to celebrate!"

~~

The Garnecia Elephantis is also from the Yu Gi Oh! Card game and the show. Well, how did you like this chapter? Please review.