Disclaimer: Power Rangers does not belong to me, nor does Dekarangers. Also shout-outs to TV-Nihon.
Chapter 10: Two Zs Are Better Than One
"SPD Emergency!" shouted Z, racing toward where Nova was readying herself to battle Count Clock-u-lar. "S.W.A.T. Mode, On!"
"What are you doing here?" asked Nova startled upon Z seeing at the sight of battle, not to mention her morphed as the yellow ranger.
"I came to offer you a hand," responded Z playfully. "Or guess it would be to offer myself a hand."
"Either way, I can dig it," grinned Nova. "Besides, two Zs are definitely better than one."
"Ooo, I'm ticking with fear!" mocked Count Clock-u-lar. "Remember yellow ranger, I'm a time force criminal. I can reverse any fire from your weapon into a counterattack on yourself. What makes you think, yellow ranger, that you can defeat me?"
"Because I've got a plan!" retorted Z confidently, turning to Nova and relaying her battle strategy.
"Z, you're a genius!" enthused Nova. "I always knew I was a smart kid."
"Then it's time to get this party started," declared Z. "Let's go, Nova!"
"Just try to beat this clock!" challenged Count Clock-u-lar, shooting his sonic blast at Nova and Z.
But the two Delgados leapt up just at the right moment over the dangerous beam. Somersaulting upon returning to the ground, Nova and Z jumped into the air again and simultaneously dealt Count Clock-u-lar a swift double kick. As the criminal doubled over in pain, Nova landed a powerful triple-punch to Count Clock-u-lar's head. Next Z on the ground spun her legs in a circle that caused Count Clock-u-lar to loose his balance and crash hard on the cement.
"Maybe while you're flailing on the ground you've got time for a little fire power," taunted Z. "Delta Enforcer!"
As Z sent off a round of shots from the large revolver, she wasn't surprised to see a slow grin spread across Count Clock-u-lar's face. Z knew that the criminal would try to turn back the attack on her. Yet fortunately from watching the battle earlier in the Command Center, this yellow ranger had come with a strategy.
"Nova, the plan!" reminded Z as the older ranger came running her in direction.
"You foolish rangers!" laughed Count Clock-u-lar vengefully as he sent Z's Delta Enforcer fire flying back in her direction.
"Not this time!" retorted the yellow ranger proudly as Nova came soaring off from Z's shoulders.
"Impulse Fist!" shouted Nova, using her light-speed, electro punches to not only shield themselves from Count Clock-u-lar's fire, but to send the criminal's counterattack once again right back at him.
"You're plan worked, Z!" exuded Nova joyously as the girls watched Count Clock-u-lar floundering on the floor at the end of his power.
"You know Nova, I like fighting beside you a lot better than fighting with you," joked Z, thinking back to how angry she had been earlier with her older self.
"Then let's cut off this clock's hands once and for all," declared Nova firmly as Count Clock-u-lar tried with little success to get his gears going again. "Count Clock-u-lar, you stand accused of robbing banks all over the time line."
"And don't forget kidnapping and taking me to the future," added Z, holding out her Delta Morpher. "Judgment Time!"
"Can't I get a second chance?" pleased Count Clock-u-lar as Z's morpher alternated between showing a white circle to indicate innocence and a red X to signal guilt.
"Guilty!" declared Nova as the flashing lights finally stopped on the red X.
"Containment Mode!" readied Z, inserting an imprisonment card into her Delta Enforcer.
"Target locked," confirmed Nova as she revved up the shift on her Impulse Fist.
"Strikeout!" shouted the two girls together as they fired at Count Clock-u-lar.
"My time's up!" screeched Count Clock-u-lar before bursting into a ball of flames.
"Got you!" declared Z and Nova in unison, making the thumb's down sign as Count Clock-u-lar appeared in the containment card.
"Power down," called Nova as she and Z demorphed. "Z, you were awesome out there."
"So were you!" responded Z, returning the compliment. "It's good to know I kick butt both in the present AND the future."
The girls shared a laugh together as Z picked up Count Clock-u-lar's containment card. In that moment, a large force field opened up beside Z.
"What the heck is that?" asked Z surprised.
"It's a time hole," explained Nova. "And your ticket home. You need to take Count Clock-u-lar's containment card back to the present so that the normal flow of time can be corrected."
"Hold up!" called Omega, running over demorphed to where the girls were standing. "Here's one more for your collection," he added, handing Admiral Alarm's containment card to Z.
"Thanks," replied Z gratefully, before shyly turning toward her older self. "And Nova, I'll honestly be so grateful if I could grow up to be half of what you've become."
"Stop it, Z," groaned Nova bashfully. "You're making me blush!"
"No fair," teased Omega, putting his arm around Nova. "I thought I was the only one who did that!"
Z chuckled as Nova nudged Omega playfully before giving him a kiss on the check. "No seriously, Nova," continued Z. "You've really been a part of something bigger. I am so impressed with all you've done."
"So am I, Nova," Z heard Sky say as he and Alanna walked up demorphed. "It truly is honor to fight beside you. Both of you," added Sky, smiling in Omega's direction.
"Same goes for you and your current B-Squad," responded Omega as Nova nodded in agreement. To Z, it appeared this was one triangle in which the three elder rangers had at last figured out their places and their relationships with one another.
"So Z, I see you're going to do the time warp again," said Alanna, gesturing toward the force field. "When you see my dad, please tell him not to be so overprotective of me in public!"
"Will do!" chuckled Z as the whole group laughed.
"Come on, Alanna," said Nova, still giggling. "You know Doggie doesn't take direction well from anybody!
"But Nova seriously," added Z, her voice growing grave, "With all I've seen today, how am I supposed to go back to the present and live like none of this ever happened?"
Nova nervously glanced around the group while Sky and Alanna also avoided making eye contact with Z. "It's almost like they're scarred to tell me something," thought Z peculiarly to herself.
"All you need to know is this, Z," said Omega, finally breaking the silence. "No matter what time in your life, there will always be many people that love and care about you. But right now you need to go before the time hole closes."
Laying her head on her boyfriend's shoulder, Nova squeezed Omega's arm with obvious relief and gratefulness for his taking charge of the situation. "Omega treats Nova so well," Z mused to herself. "And Nova really does love Sam."
But Z wasn't Nova yet. And right now, Z's heart still belonged to Sky.
Z let her eyes rest on the red ranger who looked so remarkably similar to himself twenty years ago. Just the sight of Sky – whether in the present or future – filled Z's heart with a warmth and affection she had never previously known. Yet after her trip to the future today, Z knew that she would have to go back and love Sky while always accepting in the back of her mind that the man she cared was ultimately Syd's soul mate. Z just wasn't sure she could be in a relationship that Fate decided was doomed to fail. With this thought lingering in her mind and her eyes never leaving Sky, Z stepped back into the time hole.
"Good-bye everyone," said Z solemnly. "And good-bye, Sky," Z added to herself sadly, realizing what she would have to tell her heart's desire upon her return to the present. Z now fully comprehended how the future happiness of herself and that of her friends had come at the current expense of her own.
"Take care! Good luck!" everyone shouted cheerfully in response. Everyone except Nova.
"Take of me, Z," said Nova softly with a combination of worry and sadness in her voice.
"What does Nova mean by that?" thought Z to herself in total surprise before being zapped back the present by the time hole.
A/N: For all the loyal readers of "Only Time Will Tell," the big Sky/Z reunion in the present that you've all asked for is finally coming up in the next chapter. And the question that this whole story has been based around will finally be answered: how can Z be with Sky after she knows he will be with Syd in the future? All I will give away is this – stay tuned!