"That's all we needed, another blasted Power Ranger to deal with." Lothor snarled. "How could you let this happen?"
Zurgane and Kalix stood before him, but only Zurgane looked remotely disturbed by Lothor's anger. Kalix smirked
"Madtropolis was your monster my lord." Kalix said.
Lothor shot his General a glare. "That sounded like you were blaming me!"
"No offense my Lord, but your attempts to defeat the rangers have not been any better than my own." Kalix said, completely unafraid
"Normally I would vaporize you for that, but unfortunately you're right." Lothor grumbled. "It appears it will take more than monsters or a few super charged Psycho Rangers to defeat them."
"Then might I give you a suggestion?" Kalix asked.
"Your plans have yielded no better results." Zurgane snarled.
"He's right, General Kalix, and I am a results oriented evil genius." Lothor said. "This idea of yours better work."
Kalix inwardly snickered to himself. Lothor scared him about as much as a puppy in a pet store. "I was thinking that if one monster at a time does not work why not send more? There are only so many monsters the rangers could handle at a time. If you send a continuos stream of monsters they will eventually begin to wear down and will start making fatal mistakes. I have five monsters on hand that I would lend to the plan."
"Only five?" Zurgane sneered.
Kalix shot him a glare, and then addressed Lothor once more. "I am but a humble General. It is not within my power to control a large number of monsters."
"It'd be a good plan if there weren't so many rangers and those two turncoat Psychos. I'm not willing to devote half my army to one risky plan." Lothor replied.
"Give me fifteen monsters. I will combine that with my five and a slew of my foot soldiers." Kalix said. "That should be enough."
"That had better be enough or you will not like the consequences."
ZzZzZ
The whole ranger team was running a simulation at Sensei's suggestion. With a new teammate they needed to gain and understanding of what his strengths and weaknesses did for the team. As a result all six rangers were fighting against two powerful monsters. Sensei noted with interest that as they fought the team seemed to split in two with the Winds fighting one monster and the Thunders and Cam fighting the other. It almost seemed like they fought better like that, but the two groups weren't exclusive, every once in a while Dustin would swap with Cam or Hunter with Shane. It made him proud to watch their teamwork evolve and he was especially proud of how quickly Cam was adjusting to being a ranger. Both monsters were quickly defeated and the simulation ended.
"Very good rangers, your teamwork is admirable." Sensei said.
"Thank you Sensei." The rangers replied respectfully in unison.
Before anyone could say anything else the pager Kale had given Cam beeped. Cam picked up from its spot beside the main computer and pushed a few buttons. There was a brief message from Kale to come to the forest where his ship had been. Hunter grumbled something about not being at Kale's beck and call, but the group streaked away in unison. They arrived at the spot quickly enough and then found themselves transported into a well lit cavern where Kale's ship was being hidden. Kale was waiting for them while off to the side Zadan and Niko were sparring.
"Welcome Rangers, I'm glad you came." Kale said warmly. "I have some things I'd –we'd like to share with you." He glanced over his shoulder at the fiercely sparring Psychos and whistled. "Hey boys, they're here."
The two Psychos stopped instantaneously, the match instantly forgotten. Zadan patted Niko on the back as they approached the group, ignoring Hunter's distrustful glare. Kale smiled at his friends and then looked back at the rangers.
"Zadan has something he'd like to give to you." Kale announced.
Zadan shifted nervously as all eyes fell on him. "Actually, it's just to two of you."
With a flash of yellow light Zadan morphed. He noticed with vague interest that Hunter tensed as if preparing for an attack. He hoped that after this the Crimson Ranger would trust him a little more. With that thought in mind he called a weapon out of subspace. It wasn't his scythe though; it was something else completely different.
At first glance it just looked like a two-foot long staff. There were gold bands around the ends as well as in the middle. The rest of it looked like polished wood with carvings of a dragon on each side. It took a second glance to realize that there was a split between the gold bands in the middle. It was a beautifully crafted weapon.
"This is the Dragon Dual-saber. Kalix took it from the Alpha Dragon Rangers of Duox Seven." Yellow explained. "It still has some of the dragon power in it, but Kalix was having even more power infused with it."
"Wow, it's beautiful." Tori said.
Yellow looked down at the weapon for a moment before holding it out toward Dustin. The Yellow Wind Ninja looked at it with surprise, having not expected to receive the weapon. Things like that usually went to the Red Ranger. He reached out and took the Dual-sabers from Psycho Yellow and could immediately feel the power within. More than that he was suddenly assaulted with images and information that completely overloaded his mind and he blacked out. It was only for a moment and when he came back to he was a little surprised to find himself on the ground with Tori and Shane beside him while Blake and Cam were holding Hunter back from attacking Yellow. Kale and Niko both stood ready to defend the fallen Psycho Ranger.
"Oh my head." Dustin groaned, catching everyone's attention.
"Are you okay?" Hunter asked, immediately at his side.
Dustin nodded, holding a hand to his head. "Yeah, I just got overwhelmed is all. That thing still has the previous owner's memories attached to it."
"I'm sorry. If I had known it would do such a thing---."
Dustin cut off Yellow's apology. "It's okay dude, you couldn't have known. It's used to bonding with people better mentally prepared."
"It bonded with you?"
"Yup."
As if to prove his point Dustin took hold of the rod on either side of the middle gold bands and pulled. The true beauty of the Dual-sabers was revealed. The weapon was actually two foot long sabers concealed within the handles. The blades were brilliant silver with gold inlayed in an intricate design of flames. The sabers seemed to be giving off a slight glow of power as Dustin held them where his companions could look at them.
"That's amazing." Cam said.
"What's amazing is that Kalix tried everything he could to pull those sabers apart, but nothing worked." Niko said with awe.
"It has a shield that it projects." Dustin explained. "No one except the one it chooses can pull it apart."
Everyone made sounds of awe and admiration. Dustin grinned and put the weapon back together again, effectively hiding the blades. He then watched their faces closely as the weapon disappeared. The faces of amazement and wonder made him grin wider.
"It has its own subspace storage. It'll come to me when I need it." Dustin explained.
The looks of wow and admiration didn't fade as all eyes went to Yellow in eager anticipation of what else he had. The Yellow Psycho Ranger hesitated just a moment before he summoned the next weapon out of subspace. It didn't look like much of a weapon. It was in fact a gauntlet of some sort shaped like a tiger's head. It was white, not as if it had been purposefully made that way but as if it simply lacked color. The eyes held the only color in a deep glowing green. It looked incredibly realistic despite the lack of color to it.
Yellow looked around the group before focussing on Hunter. "It seems only right that a tiger heart should have the Tiger Gauntlet of the Tiger Sentinel of Hammin."
Hunter looked at Psycho Yellow in complete shock. After how he had treated the Psychos he didn't expect to get any kind of gift. But Yellow was standing in front of him offering the Tiger Gauntlet to him. It was hard to admit he was wrong, even to himself, but he was starting to think he was being too hard on the Psychos. With a moment's hesitation he accepted the offered gauntlet and was surprised by how light it was. He looked at it intently, feeling some kind of dormant power in it. He hesitated another moment before morphing so that he could try it out.
"For future reference you don't have to morph to use it, but seeing as how you guys want your identities a secret it might not be a good idea to use it unmorphed." Yellow said, babbling slightly. He was nervous the weapon might knock Hunter out like the other one did Dustin and then the Crimson Ranger would hate him even more.
Hunter nodded and slipped the gauntlet onto his right fist. The reaction from the gauntlet was immediate. There was a flash of bright light and when it faded the gauntlet had taken on Hunter's colors. The majority of it was a beautiful brilliant crimson color with the stripes being the typical black. He felt intense power radiating from the gauntlet and was surprised that he suddenly knew the knowledge of how to use it as well as all its capabilities. He was a bit blown away. The gauntlet was capable of quite a lot and more than that it was sentient. They couldn't communicate telepathically, but the gauntlet could take note of a situation and give suggestions on a course of action. It could read his thoughts on what he wanted it to do and it could feed off his emotions as well. Hunter was sure that this gauntlet was going to be a lot of help in the future.
ZzZzZ
"The monsters are assembled as ordered Master Kalix." Deder droned. "How do you wish to proceed?"
"Send the triplets first, they should make for a good opening for what should be an eventful day." Kalix said with anticipation. "At the very least Lothor will be down fifteen monsters and the rangers will be exhausted."
"Yes Master." Deder said. "I also wish to inform you that Aranos has arrived."
"Excellent, this should prove to be a productive day indeed."
ZzZzZ
Blue Bay Harbor erupted into chaos as three monsters appeared in three separate locations. All three looked like they were ripped right out of the Middle Ages in their knight armor and assortment of wicked looking weapons. Though they looked similar each was different in attitude, tactics, and weaponry.
Alathos was the tallest in silver armor trimmed with blue and red around key points. He held a shield in one hand and a broad sword in the other. At his belt were a dagger on one side and a crossbow on the other. He was maliciously tossing unfortunate citizens around as he waited for the rangers to show up.
Mesaus was the shortest in gold armor trimmed with purple and white. He was armed with a shield as well as a mace with wickedly curved spikes. His belt held three throwing knives and a whip that he could use with deadly accuracy. Unlike his taller brother he was standing completely still, confident that his mere presence would be enough to attract the rangers' attention.
The last of the triplets was Nyus in bronze armor trimmed with black and green. He was brandishing two sickles with deadly consequences as he used them on bystanders not quick enough to get away from him. His shield was attached to his left forearm since both of his hands were in use. On his belt he had a small axe and a chakram. He was chasing his victims around, not satisfied with simply standing and waiting or just throwing them around like his brothers. He wanted blood shed.
The people of Blue Bay Harbor cried out for help.
ZzZzZ
The rangers were admiring the two new weapons when Sensei contacted them. "Rangers, three monsters are attacking Blue Bay Harbor. You must split up and deal with them quickly. Lives are being lost."
"We'll come too." Kale said. "The three of us will handle one monster. You guys can split into two groups and handle the other two."
"Sounds like a plan." Shane agreed. He looked at his teammates. "Ready guys?"
"Ready!"
"Ninja Storm, Ranger form! HA!"
"Thunder Storm, Ranger form! HA!"
"Samurai Storm, Ranger form! HA!"
Kale and the two Psycho rangers shared a wistful look, all three longing for the days when they had ranger teams to morph with. They too morphed and then Kale transported them to the surface. From there the three teams split up to deal with the monsters, all wishing each other good luck. They were all going to need it.
ZzZzZ
Dustin leapt high in the air and caught a young boy that had been ruthlessly thrown by Alathos. He easily landed on his feet and put the boy back on the ground. He then joined Shane and Tori as they all took a fighting stance toward the knight-like being. In unison they pulled their swords and waited patiently for the monster to make the first move.
"Ah, Power Rangers, it has been a while since I had the pleasure of destroying rangers." Alathos said his voice deep and booming. "You could save yourselves a lot of pain by surrendering now."
"We get that a lot." Shane replied. "You monsters should get some new threats you're all getting a little repetitive."
"Yeah, you're like broken records." Dustin agreed.
"Well, you have nothing to worry about. I will be the last 'monster' you ever face." Alathos replied.
Alathos attacked with startling speed for a monster his size and sent Tori flying with a shield-bash to the face. Shane tried to block the monster's sword, but Alathos's sword was bigger and swung with great force and though he blocked the swing he was sent flying by the force of it. Dustin slashed Alathos from behind, but the monster was unaffected and spun around, shield extended, and caught Dustin in the chest. Alathos was spinning fast enough that instead of flinging Dustin away his shield picked the Yellow Ranger up and carried Dustin around in a circle before Alathos flung him into the ground. Dustin dove into the ground and sprung up behind Alathos again, this time kicking him forcefully in the back. Alathos stumbled forward and spun around to face Dustin as he, Shane, and Tori regrouped.
ZzZzZ
Hunter grunted as Mesaus caught him under the chin with the mace causing him to catch a little air before he landed hard on the ground. Blake helped his brother up while Cam tangled with the knight monster. The two Thunders watched as the monster bashed Cam's knees with the shield and the Samurai went down with a cry of agony. That spurred them into action as they pulled their staffs and rushed the monster at the same time. Blake swung high while Hunter swung low. Mesaus used his shield to block Blake and his mace to bash Hunter's staff away. That left him open for twin kicks to his chest. Blake and Hunter followed with a relentless attack that Mesaus easily kept up with, using shield and mace to block and counterattack. By the time Cam got back up and into the action Blake was laying dazed on the ground from a blow to the head and Mesaus had Hunter pinned to the ground with one foot and was beating him relentlessly with the mace.
"Enough!" Cam barked, catching the monster's attention.
Mesaus laughed mockingly. "You want some more?"
"Bring it."
The knight monster launched himself at Cam, his mace pulled back to swing. Cam swung his saber at the monster's neck, but Mesaus ducked under it. The knight spun around quicker than Cam could and swung his mace at the back of Cam's head. The impact would have been enough to knock him unconscious if Blake hadn't blocked it with his thunder shield. Blake then clamped his weapon around the monster's chest and sent a powerful charge through it. Mesaus reached down and pried the clamp-like weapon open and shoved Blake away from him, but that just left the space open for Cam to fill in. Mesaus growled in annoyance as he parried Cam's attacks and managed to sneak in a kick that knocked the breath out of the Samurai. As Cam doubled over Mesaus raised his mace to deliver a punishing blow, but a staff swung out of nowhere and caught him in the face.
"Back off." Hunter snarled, placing himself between his teammates and Mesaus.
"Don't make me laugh." Mesaus sneered.
"I don't hear anyone telling jokes."
"You are the joke ranger and one of these days you're going to realize that."
Hunter's temper flared and he launched himself at Mesaus. The knight monster laughed out loud, caught Hunter on his shield, and swung him around through a concrete wall. Hunter groaned and lay on the ground as Mesaus approached, ready to deliver a fatal blow.
ZzZzZ
"You!" Kale exclaimed, surprised and horrified by what he found.
Nyus laughed maniacally as he saw whom he was facing. "Black Knight Ranger, I had always hoped to see you again. Tell me, how is the Green Knight Ranger faring these days?"
"He's no concern of yours." Kale snarled.
"Judging by the gems on your chest he's dead and good riddance I say. I just wish it could have been me that sent that pathetic excuse for a warrior to his final resting place." Nyus continued. "You'll do just the same though."
"You couldn't defeat us then and you can't defeat me now."
Nyus laughed again. "If I remember correctly, the little Green Ranger had to save you last time. I would have had your head on a platter if it hadn't been for him. He's not here to save you this time."
Yes I am. Valin said in Kale's mind. I'm right here with you.
We all are Kale. You don't have to be afraid of him. Nick added.
Kale felt reassured by their words. For all his bravado Nyus scared him stupid. When the triplets had attacked his planet Nyus had first methodically separated him from Valin after he had separated them from the rest of the team and then captured him and beat and tortured him so bad that the healing chamber took weeks to heal him. He wasn't even conscious when the rest of his team sent the Knights of Destruction packing. He just knew that the thought of facing Nyus again was terrifying, even with the rest of his teammates' powers backing him.
"I can smell your fear ranger." Nyus taunted. "You can run away if you wish. I wouldn't blame you."
"You talk too much." Psycho Navy said before launching himself at the knight monster.
Nyus laughed and slashed Navy with each sickle before side stepping the flying Psycho. Despite the slashes Navy curled into a ball and rolled to his feet as he hit the ground. He turned to face Nyus and pulled his quarterstaff. Psycho Yellow took that as his cue and pulled his scythe too.
Kale hesitated a moment, taking in the situation, before he pulled his lance. He knew that a weapon that put a little distance between him and the monster's sickles would be the best bet. He knew what Nyus was capable of with his sickles, knew that all too well for his own comfort. It was time he made Nyus pay for what he did, pay for the scars he carried because of him, and pay for the nightmares that kept him awake.
"Don't be shy Knight Ranger." Nyus taunted. "Let's play, shall we?"
Kale didn't reply, simply charged into the battle. Nyus blocked Kale's lance with the blunt side of one sickle and then lunged in close for a swipe with the other. Kale put one arm up and stopped the blow with sparks from his forearm. Nyus expected this and took advantage of Kale's unprotected chest with a kick that knocked the Knight Ranger to the ground. Psycho Yellow chose that moment to attack from behind, but Nyus was ready and swung around. He knocked Yellow's scythe to one side and caught the flying Psycho on the point of one sickle and then flung him into a charging Psycho Navy. The two Psychos went down in a pile of tangled limbs and Nyus turned his attention back to the Knight Ranger only to receive a crossbow bolt into his face. He screamed and stumbled back, tearing the bolt out of his armored face.
"You'll pay for that." The knight monster snarled, getting serious for the first time. "I'll have you begging for you mother before I'm done with you!"
Kale got to his feet, putting his crossbow back into subspace and pulling his mace instead. "You can try."
"Let the suffering begin."
ZzZzZ
Mesaus stood over Hunter, ready to deliver a fatal blow. Outside Cam and Blake were struggling to pull themselves together, but they would never reach Hunter in time. In the end they didn't need to. Sensing Hunter's need the Tiger Gauntlet materialized on the Crimson Ranger's right fist and Hunter raised his arm to block the mace. He barely felt the impact as power surged through him from the gauntlet and reinvigorated him. With a growl he pushed himself up enough to swing a leg around to trip the knight monster. That gave him enough time to get fully to his feet and get into another fighting stance.
"Let's take this outside." Hunter growled.
He reached down with the gauntlet and the tiger's mouth opened wide, snarling slightly, and clamped shut around the monster's neck. He then lifted Mesaus off the ground and carried him out of the hole and back outside. The gauntlet's eyes flash bright green and then sent a charge of energy into the suddenly helpless monster. Mesaus howled with rage and pain as Hunter tossed him away. Hunter looked down at the gauntlet and was slightly surprised to see it looking back at him. He was going to have to get used to that.
"So you have a new weapon. It won't do you any good." Mesaus sneered as he pulled himself to his feet.
Hunter didn't reply. He was way past being too angry to banter with the monster. The two charged each other with the intent of finishing each other off. Mesaus swung his mace with devastating power and was shocked to the core as Hunter caught it in the jaws of the Tiger Gauntlet. They were both shocked as the tiger gave a slightly muffled growl and chomped down hard on the metal and bit it cleanly in two. The head of the mace fell to the ground with a thump and Mesaus was left holding nothing but a handle and rod. Hunter was secretly pleased, but didn't pause in his attack. The gauntlet increased the damage of his punches by threefold and with one solid punch he put a muzzle shaped dent in the monster's shield.
"You impudent child! You'll pay for that!" Mesaus roared.
Again Hunter didn't reply, simply let his actions speak for him. Mesaus was hard pressed to keep up with furious and newly energized Crimson Ranger. When Blake and Cam joined him it all went down hill very quickly. The Green Ranger went into Super Samurai Mode while the two Thunder Rangers powered up their staffs. Mesaus ducked and dodged as many of the attacks as he could, but a well placed swipe from the Samurai's saber sent him stumbling right into twin slashes from the Thunders' staffs. As he went down sparking the two Thunder Rangers called on their main weapons and combined them to form the Thunder Blaster.
"FIRE!"
Mesaus put up his hands in a pathetic attempt to defend himself and the energy ripped right through him. He roared once in defiance before he exploded completely. However, the rangers had their back to him and therefore missed the gold spark that danced away from the explosion. With their monster defeated they headed off to help the rest of their teammates.
ZzZzZ
Shane grunted from where Alathos held him pinned to the wall with his shield. His struggles were in vain and with wide eyes he looked down to see the monster had Tori firmly under foot. Their only hope was Dustin, who he was sure had been knocked completely unconscious by Alathos's vicious shield to the face routine. Alathos's mocking laughter was ringing in the Red Ranger's ears and he couldn't stand it. He pulled his Hawk Blaster and aimed it at Alathos, but the monster knocked it away with one swipe of his powerful broad sword.
"Now do you see how futile your fight is rangers? Surrendering would have saved you so much pain." Alathos taunted.
Somewhere in a foggy, bruised part of Dustin's mind he heard the monster's taunts. He struggled to understand it though, his mind was too unfocussed to understand what the monster was saying or any kind of implications it carried. However, when he heard his friends crying out to him in pain and desperation the lion inside him snapped into focus. His friends—no the lion corrected him—his brother and sister were in trouble. Though his body ached and his mind still held some fog Dustin understood only the desperate need to protect his Pride.
Alathos watched with a smirk as the Yellow Wind Ninja got to his feet. He was having a total blast bashing the rangers around. He was highly amused at how pathetic their attempts of defeating him were. Kalix had done well in preparing them for this battle.
"I've studied you thoroughly. I know your fighting and weapon tactics." Alathos boasted. "There's nothing you could do that would surprise me."
"Oh yeah?" Dustin challenged. He knew of something that neither Kalix nor the monsters would know about. "Dragon Dual-sabers!"
Instantly the weapon appeared in his hand and Alathos was not impressed. It looked like nothing more than a quarterstaff, though a little thicker than most. Then Dustin pulled the weapon in two and Alathos felt the power of the weapon pulse out from it. He dropped Shane and stepped away from Tori, preparing himself to fight this new challenge. He didn't stand a chance. Dustin fought with a vicious fierceness that actually stunned Tori and Shane. Alathos's big broad sword couldn't move fast enough to keep up with the smaller, lighter dual sabers. The monster was sparking as Dustin kept up his furious, fast paced attack. Finally as the monster fell onto its back Dustin put the Dual-sabers away and summoned his Lion Hammer. Sensing his plan Shane and Tori joined him with their weapons and they formed the Storm Striker. Alathos got to his feet, but not for long.
"FIRE!"
Alathos roared as the energy struck him and literally tore him apart. He exploded in an impressive display that the rangers completely missed. Their other three teammates showed up to help, but it was too late. They left to help their remaining allies and as they streaked away they missed the silver spark that floated away.
ZzZzZ
Nyus was stomping all over Kale when the Ninja Rangers arrived. The two Psycho Rangers were wrapped in some kind of energy coils and were struggling to help their friend. Seeing their ally in peril they attacked with vigor. Nyus was caught slightly by surprise and was barely able to fend off all the attackers. He was sent tumbling away by a kick to the chest and when he got to his feet he sent an energy blast at the rangers. They were all knocked to the ground while Kale struggled to his feet.
"You can't beat me Knight Ranger. You couldn't then and you can't now." Nyus taunted.
"We'll see about that!" Kale yelled with determination.
"You can try all you want, but you'll never beat me. You're nothing without your team."
Kale charged again with reckless abandon and he grunted with surprise to find himself suddenly impaled on one of Nyus's sickles. Nyus laughed as he maliciously swung Kale into a wall, impaling the Knight Ranger even further. Kale felt the blade moving further and further into his body and felt completely helpless to get away. Fear swelled inside him as a flashback from hundreds of years ago had him trembling.
"I know you miss your teammates, but are you really in that big of a hurry to die?" Nyus taunted.
"He's not the one that's going to be dying!" A freed Psycho Yellow called out. "Psycho Energy Strike!"
"Psycho Shock Wave!"
The two energy attacks struck Nyus with extreme force and he dropped his sickles as he stumbled back, sparking wildly. Kale pulled the sickle out of himself and scrambled to his feet. He mentally connected with each gem on his chest and called upon their power, channeling it up into the gem on his forehead. The black gem began to glow softly at first and then grew brighter. As it got brighter it began to pulse and practically vibrate with the energy it was conducting.
"Your time's up Nyus." Kale boomed.
"This won't be the last of me you see Knight Ranger. That's a promise." Nyus replied.
"Energy Pulse!"
Everyone had to cover their eyes as the bright energy streaked through the air and impacted with Nyus. He didn't even get the luxury of roaring defiance. The energy blew him to pieces before he could utter a sound. The light was so bright that no one saw the bronze spark float away to join the other two. The rangers celebrated as the last of the knight monsters was destroyed.
ZzZzZ
Kalix smirked as he watched the rangers celebrate prematurely. They had no idea that they were nowhere close to victory. His plan was just beginning. He glanced over his shoulder at Deder.
"Send one of Lothor's monsters. Have it lead them to someplace secluded and send the rest of the monsters there to set up an ambush." Kalix ordered.
"Yes Master Kalix." Deder droned and went to do as he was told.
Kalix smirked and looked back at the screen as Kale left to heal himself. "This is going to be entertaining."
"Master Kalix, may we join in the fun?" Psycho Red asked.
"Not yet." Kalix replied. "Let the monsters distract and weaken them. You'll get to have your fun."
ZzZzZ
The rangers didn't even get a chance to demorph before Sensei told them of another monster. The two Psychos left to make sure Kale was going to be okay. No one thought that one monster would be too much for the rangers to handle on their own. Thrash didn't seem like much either, just a big walking talking bull. No words were exchanged as the rangers and monster charged each other. Thrash sent Dustin flying with a flick of his horns, but Shane and Tori landed vicious kicks that Hunter and Blake followed with swipes of their staffs. Cam stood back out of the fight, watching carefully. Something didn't feel right to him.
He could feel something dancing at the edge of his senses. Danger was in the air. He could practically feel it. The only thing stronger was the chill cold of evil. Thrash was just one monster, there was no way a bumbling idiot like that was setting off his instincts. There was some hidden danger that he couldn't see.
"Guys, I think--."
Cam was cut off as a boomerang connected with the back of his head. The force of the blow wasn't enough to knock him out, but he fell to the ground stunned. Hunter and Blake cut away from the fight with Thrash to help Cam. Blake helped Cam to his feet, but Hunter stood frozen, looking at something behind them. Cam and Blake shared a look before they turned to see what had spooked their teammate. Monsters, dedians, and lizarians were swarming out of the forest and completely surrounding the clearing they were in.
"Guys. I think we're in a lot of trouble." Cam finished what he had been saying.
Thrash sent the three Winds flying and as they stumbled to their feet they regrouped with the rest of the team. All six rangers moved to form a circle, back to back, and took fighting stances. There were twelve monsters including Thrash, four droigs, twenty dedians, and twenty lizarians. The rangers were horrified. They had faced scores of foot soldiers at one time, but so many monsters at once was going to be a challenge unlike anything they had faced before.
"This is where you meet your finial doom rangers!" One of the monsters, a snake-like creature, called out.
"We've heard that before!" Shane called back bravely.
"This will be the last time!" A different monster yelled.
And with that all hell broke loose. The enemy charged from every side and though the rangers tried to stick together they were all quickly separated from one another. The lizarians were easy enough to throw around and get out of the way, but the dedians were more of a challenge, fighting with a precision unity that the rangers had yet to encounter. The greatest challenges were of course the monsters and the big brutish droigs.
Hunter found himself facing two monsters, a handful of dedians and lizarians, and one of the massive droigs. He didn't really get a chance to look at the things, but he got the impression of big half rhino/half elephant beasts with armor. They had no need for weapons; they were powerful and destructive warriors with any help. Hunter found himself dodging charge after charge from the enraged beast and at the same time keep track of two pretty powerful monsters. With his thunder staff he made short work of the lightweight foot soldiers. The droig lowered its head and charged again, but as Hunter dodged to the side the big droig swung its fist around and caught the Crimson Ranger in the chest. The force of the blow knocked the wind out of Hunter and sent him tumbling.
Across the clearing Dustin was also dealing with two monsters and a droig. He was fighting circles around the big beast while tangling with the monsters at the same time. The droig quickly got fed up and made a sound between a roar and a trumpet and snatched Dustin off his feet with its powerful trunk. Dustin grunted as the droig shook him like a rag doll and he did the only thing he could think of doing. He swung his sword with as much force as he could and sliced the trunk clean off, gagging slightly as purple blood sprayed everywhere. As his feet hit the ground one of the monsters blasted him right onto his back and the droig stepped down hard on his chest.
Shane and Tori managed to stick together but that wasn't giving them any more luck than the others. Because they were together they got four monsters, a droig, and more foot soldiers than they could keep track off. The droig sent Tori flying into a tree where she was knocked unconscious leaving Shane to fight alone. He was moving fluidly dodging, blocking, and striking whenever possible, but the odds against him were too great.
Blake didn't have to worry about a droig, but he did have two powerful monsters and a slew more foot soldiers than anyone else. He was using his staff with all the skill he possessed and he was taking out the foot soldiers fairly quickly. Then he turned his attention on the monsters, who attacked in perfect unison. He was grateful he had been training as a ninja most of his life or he might not have stood any chance at all against the monsters, ranger or not.
And in the middle of it all Cam was facing two monsters, a droig, foot soldiers, and Deder himself decided to make an appearance. The Samurai more than had his hands full, because with Deder in the vicinity the dedians fought with increased precision. It was difficult to keep up with all his opponents and Deder just made things worse.
Hunter could feel how desperate the situation was, not just from his brother but from all his teammates. They were all in trouble and he had it within his power to even the playing field. As he ducked the droig's fist he called the Tiger Gauntlet. Instantly the weapon appeared on his right fist and roared defiance at his enemies. Then, reading his mind and taking assessment of the situation Gauntlet took the next step without cue. Two three-foot long blades slid out of the mouth. For a moment his opponents stared in surprise, but the droig wasn't fazed for long at it attacked again with merciless intent. Hunter struck out, first cutting off its trunk with a spray of purple blood, and then stabbed right through its thick skin into its heart. The droig slumped to the ground, pinning several lizarians underneath its body. Hunter then turned his full fury on the remaining monsters, destroying both of them with surprising ease.
With his opponents gone he looked around the battlefield and gasped when he saw Dustin in trouble. Protective fury bubbled within him and without a thought he streaked across the battlefield and attacked the droig with ruthless savagery, cutting and slicing the beast so badly that it quickly bled to death. Hunter helped Dustin to his feet and though they said no words they attacked the two monsters in unison. Hunter's Gauntlet made quick work of his monster and he then helped Dustin finish off his.
"I didn't know it had blades." Dustin commented as he observed the bloody Tiger Gauntlet.
"There's more you don't know." Hunter said. "Watch this."
Hunter turned to where Shane was struggling against overwhelming odds and pointed the gauntlet at one of the monsters getting ready to attack the Red Ranger from behind. The blades retracted and the tiger's green eyes flashed and the mouth began to glow crimson. Hunter jerked with surprise as a targeting reticule seemed to appear in his vision and was further surprised as his question about zooming in was followed by just that. He secretly wondered how the gauntlet was doing it, but pushed his curiosity away for later. As he zoomed in on the monsters back he aimed perfectly and let loose with a powerful bolt of crimson energy. The energy tore into the monster, spreading over its body and causing it to pulse. The monster screamed in pain stumbling away from a startled Shane. The whole battlefield seemed to freeze as they watched the monster get blown to pieces.
"Wow dude, what all can that thing do?" Dustin asked, pleasantly surprised.
Hunter smirked under his helmet. "A lot. I'm surprised Kalix could beat anyone with one of these things, let alone ten of them."
"Ten?"
"Ten."
"Wow."
"Yup." Hunter looked around the battlefield. All the monsters and the remaining droigs were back to attacking his teammates. Things were back to looking desperate for the rest of the team. "Go help Shane with that dual-saber thing of yours. I'm going to help Cam."
"What about your brother?" Dustin asked.
Hunter glanced at Blake just in time to see him duck a monster's attack letting it hit the other monster instead. "I think Blake can take care of himself for the moment."
Dustin nodded and streaked off to help Shane. He stopped a few feet from the battle and summoned the dual-saber. The three monsters still attacking Shane stopped instantaneously as if sensing the surge of power from the Yellow Ranger's new weapon. The droig however, was unaffected and continued its malicious attack. Dustin pulled the staff apart to reveal the two saber blades that were already glowing a brilliant yellow color. The monsters shared a brief look before they all charged at the same thing, two of them throwing energy attacks at him. Dustin batted the attacks away with ease and met the first two monsters with slashes to the chest. He ducked under the punch of the third and spun around, slicing it across the back. The third monster fell to the ground sparking like mad, a deep wound left in its back, while the other two were not affected so badly. Dustin lunged forward, driving both the sabers into the monster's back, and then dove away as it exploded with impressive force. The other two monster turned to stare at him with open mouthed shock.
Hunter went right for Deder and the General sensed his approach. Hunter had never seen Deder before, but he could sense that the General was the biggest threat on the battlefield. Deder could sense the same thing, though it had no emotional impact on him, he knew to take out the greatest threat quickly and efficiently. With a flourish he pulled his Sword of Flame and Hunter pulled his Thunder Staff. There was a moment where they both stood still, evaluating each other with cold efficiency.
"Surrender." Deder barked emotionlessly, knowing that the fight could be avoided that way.
"Yeah right." Hunter sneered.
Deder nodded, having expected that response, and charged the Crimson Ranger. They were pretty evenly matched, though Deder was slightly more skilled and experienced than Hunter. They attacked and counterattacked with instinctive ease. It was several minutes before Hunter was finally able to strike Deder. He faked a swipe to the head, but when Deder ducked he caught the armored General full on in the helmet. Deder was knocked unconscious and transported to safety. Hunter immediately turned his attention to helping Cam with the monsters as the Samurai had already finished off the droig.
"I can handle it from here." Cam said. "Go help your brother."
Hunter's head shot up at the mention of his brother needing him and he found that one of the monsters had managed to grab Blake and the other was pounding him. Anger flashed through Hunter and right into the gauntlet. Without thought he lifted the gauntlet, aimed, and let loose with stream of crimson energy. The monster had only enough time to sense the attack and turn before it was completely engulfed in the energy. There was no explosion, no sparks, the monster was simply disintegrated. The other monster looked at Hunter with fear and turned so that Blake was between them.
"Fire at me and you kill the Navy Ranger!" The monster yelled.
Hunter didn't answer. He streaked behind the monster, extended the blades, and shoved them into the monster's back. The monster released Blake and the Navy Ranger rolled out of the way. Hunter joined his brother and they formed the Thunder Blaster. The monster recovered from the stab to the back just in time to see what it was facing.
"Oh crap..."
"FIRE!"
The monster exploded in a bright display the two Thunder Rangers didn't even stop to admire. They both streaked away to help the rest of their teammates.
Dustin had already destroyed one monster and was having a little bit harder of a time with the other one. It had two swords as well and was keeping up with his attacks a lot better. Neither of them was able to hit the other and they were speeding up more and more with every move. Dustin was getting frustrated, his usual easy going manner had gone right out the window the moment they were ambushed, and he was ready to really massacre something.
ZzZzZ
Kalix was watching the battle with fury. He was so mad that Psycho Yellow had stolen those weapons. He had infused a lot of power into both in the hopes of using them one day, but neither weapon would respond to him or any of his techs. Now the rangers were using them and spoiling his perfect ambush. He turned to the Psycho Rangers, practically seething.
"Get down there and do some damage!" The three Psycho Rangers transported away without a word. Kalix turned his fury on the three monsters that stood before him. "Be ready to act if the Knight Ranger shows up. I won't have this be a complete failure."
"Yes Master Kalix."
ZzZzZ
Hunter was just helping Cam with one of his monsters when he was attacked with lightning fast strikes that sent him sparking to the ground. He struck out with an energy blast from his gauntlet and Psycho Crimson was thrown backwards. Both got to their feet and faced off. Crimson eyed the gauntlet with mild curiosity and then smirked at Hunter though his opponent couldn't see it.
"So you have a new toy. I hope you don't expect that to help you against me." Crimson taunted.
Hunter didn't reply. He didn't feel like playing the insulting game with his worst enemy. He simply charged the Psycho in a reckless move. He extended the gauntlet blades and swung at Crimson, but the Psycho was ready and blocked it with his shield. Crimson kicked at Hunter's head, but he ducked and rolled under. He got to his feet and swung the blades as Crimson's back, but the Psycho spun much too quickly and not only blocked the attack but kicked Hunter hard in the chest too. Hunter went flying back and instinctively put up his gauntlet as Psycho Crimson pounced on him, shield swinging at his face. The impact jarred his wrist and he hissed in pain as he pushed the shield away and kicked and Crimson's chest. Crimson caught his foot, swung him up into the air, and then back into the ground with bone jarring force.
"Back off!" Cam barked. Having finished his monsters he moved to help Hunter.
Crimson regarded Cam carefully. "A Green Ranger hmmm? Makes no difference. You can't help this pathetic excuse for a warrior."
"Oh no?"
"He's beyond your help." Crimson sneered.
"You should learn to watch your back." Hunter snarled.
Crimson ducked and Hunter went stumbling forward, blades ready to impale him. Cam didn't even have a chance of dodging. The blades sliced cleanly through his suit and into Cam's shoulder. The Samurai cried out in agony as Hunter stumbled back in horror. Crimson laughed at them both and wrapped his arm around Hunter's neck from behind. The Psycho then grabbed the arm with the gauntlet on it and held it in a vice-like grip so that Hunter was forced to do whatever Crimson did with it and what he did was stab Cam several more times, once in the thigh, and twice in the chest. Cam slumped to the ground without a sound and Hunter made a sound of desperation at the fear that his new weapon had just been used to kill his friend.
"Nice weapon Crimson Ranger. I have to get me one of these." Crimson laughed.
The situation that had seemed to be turning in the Rangers' favor went drastically down hill at the arrival of the Psychos. Tori had barely become conscious when Psycho Blue attacked and Shane was still struggling with the droig when Red attacked him from behind. Dustin was too busy with the last monster to help either of his fellow Wind Ninjas and Blake was streaking over to help his brother. At that moment Blake was really glad Psycho Navy and Psycho Yellow had gone good. They couldn't have handled two more Psychos.
Speaking of the turncoat Psychos, with twin streaks of Navy and Yellow the two Psychos were there to help. Psycho Navy zipped beside Blake and the two moved to stop Crimson, while Yellow went to Dustin's aid. Dustin then sent him to help Tori who had enough of a concussion not to be able to defend herself properly from Psycho Blue.
Shane grunted as the droig knocked him to the ground and stepped down on his chest. That was it. He had been trying to play as fair as he could, but he was starting to realize morals were going to have to go out the window against merciless enemies. He pulled his Hawk Blaster and blasted straight through the beast's knee. The droig stumbled, but didn't fall and as Shane got up he popped it three times in the chest. The droig trumpeted/roared and fell to one knee, but wasn't finished. It lunged forward ready to ram Shane, but he ninja was quicker and dodged the attack, putting two blasts into its skull and finishing it for good. He then turned his attention to Psycho Red.
Suddenly about thirty dedians appeared, but before they could attack Kale zipped in, fully healed, and kept them occupied. He found them much easier to deal with without Deder leading them, but they were still very well coordinated and fought better than any foot soldiers he'd ever faced. Still, he was making pretty quick work of them with his variety of weapons and years of fighting experience.
Dustin raised his sabers and blocked both the monster's swords and kicked it in the chest. The monster stumbled back and was left open for two slashes across the chest. The monster began sparking wildly even as it struggled to defend itself. It was no use, Dustin was fed up and made swift work of the injured monster, watching as it exploded as all monsters did. He then went to help Shane.
Psycho Blue found the tables turned on her so quick her head was nearly spinning. One moment she had been beating Tori into the ground and the next she was defending herself from Psycho Yellow. Things took a turn for the worst then. Psycho Yellow she could handle on her own usually, but he had totally ambushed her and she couldn't recover. She tried to fight him off and get at Tori again, but he wasn't having that. When Yellow sent a bolt of energy through her she decided that the battle was lost and she wasn't going to be lost with it. She transported away leaving Red and Crimson by themselves.
Crimson saw the two Navys coming and held Hunter in front of him like a shield. Psycho Navy wasn't fazed he zipped behind Crimson had struck him in the back with is quarterstaff. Crimson realized he had lost the advantage of using Hunter as a shield and squeezed the Crimson Ranger's neck hard, completely cutting off his air supply. Hunter gasped and struggled, but Crimson was too strong. Crimson didn't even have a chance to see Psycho Yellow coming. By the time he sensed his ex-teammate it was too late. Yellow's scythe dug deep into his back, was pulled out, and then swung into his side. Crimson released Hunter as he collapsed to his hands and knees, blood filling his lungs as he struggled to breathe. Crimson was transported away before Yellow could deal a fatal blow.
Last but not least Psycho Red instantly realized he was in trouble. The whole ranger team, except Cam and Hunter, converged on him along with his two ex-teammates. He kicked Shane away from him and ducked a swipe from Dustin meant to take his head off and backed away from them. He glanced at something behind the rangers and smirked behind his helmet before transporting away.
Instantly everyone went to Cam's side. The Samurai Ranger was frighteningly still, but he had demorphed and they could see he was still breathing. Shane felt his stomach roll at the sight of so much blood pumping out of his friend. Psycho Yellow knelt down and lifted Cam into his arms.
"I'll take him back to the ship and put him in the healing chamber." Yellow announced. He didn't wait for a response before he zipped away.
The rest of the group shared a brief look before following. None of them noticed that they were missing a ranger. Kale was gone.