A/N: Here is the next chapter of my Dino Charge rewrite. Again, don't be alarmed that this chapter like the one in canon (save for a few changes). They will be more and more different down the line. This episode in particular, however, has one big change to it, and it's very obvious.
Disclaimer: I do not own Power Rangers Dino Charge or Zyuden Sentai Kyoryuger. I just own most of the plot and the characters and things you don't recognize from the original versions.
Be Aware: As you can tell, Chase's main issue in this story will be his trust issues and the reasons behind it. Trust me, we are just scratching the surface here.
~PRDC~REDO~PRDC~REDO~PRDC~REDO~PRDC~REDO~PRDC~REDO~
"Chase agrees to do a favor for a friend, only to find himself under a spell of an Inner Monster. The rest of the Rangers must quickly figure out how to break the spell's hold on Chase before he is lost to them forever."
Break the Chains That Divide
Power Rangers: Dino Charge REDO
Season 1, Episode 04: Breaking Black
Dino Bite Cafe, Amber Beach Dinosaur Museum, Amber Beach, California
June 3, 2017
It had been a busy dinner rush, and the Rangers were currently cleaning up the cafe in order to prepare for closing, also taking the break to relax a bit.
Koda entered the kitchen, carrying in two bags of potatoes over his shoulder, his current mission being to restock their supplies. But he stopped when he overheard Shelby ask Tyler and Riley something that caught his attention.
"I really don't understand why Chase is so cold," her voice was low, considering Chase was only a few feet away, cleaning off all the tables.
"Neither do I," Riley replied. "How did he, of all people, become a Ranger?"
Now, Koda understood why they would think that Chase was a cold-hearted person. He was the type of person that tended to shy away from intimate interaction with other people. But calling Chase unworthy of an Energem was crossing the line.
So, Koda was quick to jump in, "You guys have wrong idea." His sudden arrival obviously caught the three off-guard. "Chase very nice and friendly. He just...not get close to people."
"He's obviously close to Callie," Riley pointed out.
"He is," Koda admitted. "She is special to him."
"Okay, but why?" Shelby asked. "Why is Callie so special? While we aren't?"
Koda paused. He knew the reason why. It was just hard to put into words. "It...hard to explain. Maybe they friends since kids."
"Maybe," Tyler replied. "But no matter the case, I'm sure Chase has his reasons."
"But how are we supposed to work with him when we don't know much about him?" Riley asked.
"He's our teammate," Tyler shot back. "What more do we need to know?"
Someone cleared their throat, and four Rangers turned to face that person. They were scared that it was Chase, eavesdropping on a conversation about him, but they were relieved when they saw Ms. Morgan standing there in the doorway of the kitchen instead.
"You guys do know that Chase is just five feet away, right?" Kendall asked. "How do you think he'd feel if he was the one standing here instead of me?"
"Yeah, but-"
She cut Riley off, "No buts. Tyler's right. Chase is your teammate, and that's all that matters."
"Hello?" came a stranger's voice, and Kendall immediately turned around to face who ever just came in.
"Hello, ma'am," Kendall said. "Sorry, but we're just about to close."
"I'm not here as a customer," the woman replied. "But as a friend seeking a favor."
Chase perked his head up, "Moana?"
The woman turned to him, and a smile immediately lit up on her face, "Hello, Chase. It's been a while, hasn't it?"
A smile forming on his face, Chase dropped the towel he was holding and rushed over to give Moana a tight hug.
The other four slowly came out of the kitchen, watching Chase and Moana interact, and they couldn't help but wonder. First Callie, and now Moana.
Why didn't Chase want to bond with them, his teammates?
Was it something they did?
What did Moana and Callie have that they didn't?
They tried to keep Tyler's early statement, that Chase probably had his reasons, in mind, but their emotions, mainly hurt and betrayal, were starting to take over.
Chase broke the hug and turned to the others, "Guys, this is Moana, a long-term friend of mine and my former boss. She's a matakite, a Maori fortune teller from New Zealand."
Moana gave them a nod, before turning back to Chase, "Chase, I need your help."
"What is it?"
"I've had a vision," Moana replied. "Someone is going to steal from me. I need you to guard my shop."
The others each raised an eyebrow in both confusion and skepticism, while Chase asked, "Why didn't you just call the police?"
"I've seen the thief's face with my own eyes," Moana replied. "Trust me, the police will be useless. Besides, they'll just think I'm crazy." Chase cracked a smile, and Moana continued, "But it has to be you. You have special strengths, Chase."
Chase went quiet, before taking out his Energem from underneath his shirt. Moana immediately began holding it, while the others were alarmed, Kendall especially.
How did Moana know about the Energems? How did she know that Chase had an Energem? Did he tell her?
"Please, Chase," Moana said. "Only you can help me."
Chase was quiet, before he finally replied, "Alright." Moana grabbed his hand and dragged him out of the cafe. As she did, he turned to the others, "Don't worry, guys. I can handle this."
The others didn't know what to say, only watching Moana drag Chase away.
Honestly, they didn't know what to think.
~B~R~E~A~K~~T~H~E~~C~H~A~I~N~S~~T~H~A~T~~D~I~V~I~D~E~~D~I~N~O~~C~H~A~R~G~E~~R~E~D~O~
Moana's Kiwi Kurios, Greenfield Boulevard, Amber Beach, California
Chase looked around the shop, taking in all the Maori antiques she had collected since his departure. He smiled, feeling a lot more at home than he did at the cafe.
"Remember, Chase," Moana's voice came closer to him, having finished whatever she needed to finish before leaving. "Don't touch anything. Many of these are older than me."
"Of course, Moana," he replied. "I used to work here. I know the rules."
"Don't get sassy with me," she warned. "You must stay alert at all times."
"Don't worry, Moana," Chase placed a hand on her shoulder. "I will protect your shop."
"Alright. I'll be back tomorrow," she said as she left.
Chase decided to settle in. He had a feeling this was going to be a long night.
To be honest, he didn't fully beleive her. He beleived it when she said that she was going to be robbed, because he knew that she had a tendency to correctly predict the future, but it was usually vague, not specific.
He didn't believe that she knew who the thief would be, nor did he beleive that he was the right person for the job (which was more due to his own insecurities than anything else).
But he would help her anyways. She was his friend, and he always helped his friends.
He checked his phone every once in a while, but eventually he fell asleep.
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Moana's Kiwi Kurios, Greenfield Boulevard, Amber Beach, California
June 4, 2017
Chase woke up the next morning to the sound of an evil laugh.
The first thing he saw was a monster, probably an Inner Monster, standing over the oldest antique in Moana's shop: a pendant.
"Hey! Put that back!" Chase yelled, standing up.
But it was too late, the monster had already attached the pendant to his chest. He then turned to Chase, "Ha! Take this, Ranger!"
From the pendant, the monster shot a dark purple beam and it hit Chase dead on.
He felt a headache immediately come on, and he squeezed his eyes tight in order to power through the pain. It worked, and he opened his eyes two seconds later just in time to see Spellbinder race out of the shop, turning into a cloud of darness as he did so.
"What's wrong with me?" Chase asked himself. He felt weird (must've been that beam), but he shook his head and quickly hopped on his skateboard to chase after Spellbinder, and he felt a little better. "That's feels better," he muttered, before pulling out his Dino Comm. "Guys, I'm gonna need some backup."
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Pier 35, Central Docks, Amber Beach, California
Once he was in an isolated place, Chase morphed mid-jump on his skateboard.
The black cloud that Spellbinder had became flew into a warehouse, and Chase hopped off his skateboard to prepare himself for a fight.
The strange feeling immediately came back, but Chase took out his Morpher and pressed forward. That monster was up to something.
He fired a couple of shots at the cloud, making it turn back into the monster.
Spellbinder turned around to see who fired the shots, and saw the Black Ranger there, pointing his Morpher at him.
"Your scheme ends here," Chase said.
"Just relax, Black Ranger," Spellbinder told him. "Soon, you'll be under my control."
"Wrong!" Chase cried before firing his Morpher and charging into the fight. "No one controls me, mate!"
As he flipped over several bozes, Spellbinder commented, "Aren't you in for a surprise."
Chase fired a barrage of shots from his Morpher, saying "Wrap your beak around this!"
But Spellbinder seemed to block them all with ease, before sending a flurry of feathers at him. The feathers had razor sharp edges, and the force sent Chase flying.
When he hit the ground, he felt the strange feeling from earlier increase.
"Chase!" he heard Tyler call out, and suddenly the other four Rangers were here, beside him. Tyler turned to Spellbinder, "Monster, you may be tough one-on-one, but your odds just got a whole lot worse." He placed a T-Rex Charger into his Morpher.
"Dino Steel!" Koda began.
The four finished together, "Armor On!"
The four charged into the fight, but Spellbinder easily blocked them all with his cape. Tyler went down first, then Koda. Riley tried using his Raptor Claw, but easily went down. Shelby tried using her Tricera Drill, but it had no effect, and Spellbinder easily shoved her to the ground.
"He's so fast..." Shelby commented.
"His cape hard," Koda added, "like rock."
"We've got to get through it," Shelby told the team.
At this point, Chase had recovered, and he stood up back up and pointed his Morpher straight at Spellbinder. "Good thing I'm the hotshot. I'm not going to miss this time, Spellbinder," Chase vowed.
Chase fired a few shots, but Spellbinder blocked every single one. Tyler decided to attack the monster to give Chase an opening, only for Spellbinder to grab him and use him as a shield.
"Time to change your target," Tyler heard Spellbinder say, but not to him. Then who was he talking to?
Was he talking to Chase?
Tyler was quick to say, "Take the shot, Chase. I trust you."
Chase was quickly un-nerved. His body became tense, and he straightened up, holding his Morpher with both hands. This shot was so risky. One centimeter off and Tyler would be toast instead of the pendant on Spellbinder's chest.
"Hurry!" Tyler urged.
But Spellbinder had different plans, "Shoot your friend, Black Ranger. I command you."
One second, Chase was watching the pendant faintly glow, and the next, he found himself with his Morpher pointed directly at Tyler.
What?! What just happened?!
"Chase, what are you doing?" Tyler asked, concern very evident in his voice.
"I can't control myself!" He couldn't control his body! Spellbinder had somehow gained influence over him, and was telling him where to aim.
"Shoot him!" Spellbinder ordered.
"Chase!" he heard the other three call out.
His hands started shaking. He didn't want to hurt Tyler. He was fighting against this with every fiber of his being. His eyes were burning, but not just from the tears that were forming.
He was turning into the one person he hated more than anything else, something he vowed every morning not to do.
He felt his hands drop his Morpher, and he sank to his knees, holding his aching head in his hands.
"Get off of me!" Tyler immediately growled, as he started struggling against Spellbinder's hold.
Chase was in trouble.
Shelby turned to Koda, "Let's go!"
Koda nodded and charged at Spellbinder, as Shelby used her Drill to make a hole to travel underground with. He punched the monster with his Stego Shield, but his hold on Tyler wouldn't loosen.
"He won't let go!" Tyler said.
Shelby broke through the ground from behind Spellbinder and used her Tricera Drill to finally break Tyler free.
As she ushered him over to where Koda was, somewhere safe, he thanked her for the save.
The three stood in front of Chase, protecting him. Spellbinder said, "You'll never stop me! Soon, you'll all be under my control."
He shot a flurry of feathers at them, but each of them were blocked by Riley using his Raptor Claw, "Not if I can help it!" He then placed a Raptor Charger into his Morpher and fired, "Dino Morpher Blast!"
The green energy Raptor went straight for Spellbinder, but ended up missing, as Spellbinder quickly turned into a cloud of shadows and escaped.
"Where did he go?" Shelby asked.
"What did he mean 'under his control'?" Riley wondered aloud.
A worried Tyler, however, jogged over to Chase, who had recovered by that point, and placed a gently hand on his shoulder, "You okay, Chase? What went on back there?"
But Chase smacked Tyler's hand away, "Nothing!" But his voice got softer, as the guilt was evidentally kicking in, "Just...give me some space, alright?"
The other four watched as he walked away, and as Riley and Shelby shared a glance of concern (that was hidden by their helmets), Tyler muttered to himself, "Something's not right."
~B~R~E~A~K~~T~H~E~~C~H~A~I~N~S~~T~H~A~T~~D~I~V~I~D~E~~D~I~N~O~~C~H~A~R~G~E~~R~E~D~O~
Old Deboth Castle, Amber Beach, California
Fury walked into the throne room, the dungeon keys in his hands (he oversaw the prisoners they had gathered in space getting transfered to the castle), just in time to see Sledge shove Spellbinder against a wall.
"You said that once you had that pendant, the Rangers would fall under your spell!" Sledge yelled at him. "Instead, they are still fighting you." He turned to Wrench, "Lock him in solitary!"
Fury and Wrench both grabbed Spellbinder's arms, but they halted when Spellbinder cried out, "But the Black Ranger is under my spell! It just takes time to grow!"
Sledge turned back to face him, "Continue."
Obviously scared of solitary, Spellbinder did so, "Once he's under my spell completely, he'll help me bring all the Rangers under your command."
"Fine," Sledge replied. "Just get me one Energem, and then we'll talk about making you an Executioner."
Wrench let Spellbinder go, while Fury just shoved him to the side. Spellbinder caught himself, fortunately, and said, "I can do that."
Sledge leaned in to Spellbinder and warned, "But if you get none, I'll crush you and have you for dinner."
Sledge laughed as Spellbinder start shaking in fear.
Curio glanced up at Sledge when he came over to her, "Curio, you and Wrench oversee his next mission."
"Yes, sir!" Wrench said.
Sledge continued talking to Curio, "But it he's ever defeated, make sure you collect that pendant. I want to run some tests on it."
"Of course," Curio replied. As Sledge walked away, she wondered what that pendant even was.
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Crystal Kay Park, Amber Beach, California
"Chase?" The said (un-morphed) Ranger glanced up when a familiar voice called out to him. Sure enough, there was Callie walking closer to him.
"Hey, Callie," he replied, as she sat down next to him on their bench.
"What's wrong?" she asked, concerned clearly lacing her voice and expression. "Why are ye sulking?"
She wasn't involved. He couldn't bring her in on this.
But he couldn't lie to her.
So, he chose to be vague, "Something happened at Moana's place, something bad, and now I can't look at my friends in the eyes."
There was no way Tyler would ever forgive him for almost shooting him instead of Spellbinder. There was no way the others would ever forgive him for angrily blowing them off instead of letting him help them.
And while they were cleaning up the cafe yesterday, he didn't hear their conversation, but he knew they were talking about him (if only because Kendall was talking loud enough for him to hear).
Yes, he felt a little hurt by this, but that was no excuse to turn into that person. They were his teammates, and they deserved to be treated with respect.
Callie was a little put off by the vagueness, but she continued as if she didn't mind it, "Then, talk it out with 'em. If ye don't talk, then nothin'll get fixed."
Chase thought about that for a moment, before smiling. "You're right." She sincerely was. "What would I do without you?"
She cracked a smile, "A question we'll never know the answer ta." He offered her a tired smile, before getting up from the bench. "Where are ye goin'?" Callie asked.
"To talk to them," he replied, his gratitude showing through his exhausted smile.
She smiled at him in return, but as soon as he was out of sight, her smile faded into concerned frown.
What happened at Moana's to make him so emotionally exhausted?
She herself then stood up and also left the park, but in the opposite direction. She needed answers, and she had a feeling that Moana had them.
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Dino Base, Amber Beach Dinosaur Museum, Amber Beach, California
"He blocked every shot with that cape," Riley told Kendall. They were in the base, and Kendall was working on a new Charger.
But they hadn't seen Chase since he left them at the Docks, and their concern was obvious. He was obviously under the influence of a mind control spell, caused by Spellbinder, and they needed to make sure he was okay.
"None of our weapons could break through it," Shelby added.
"That," Kendall shot the four of them a reassuring smile, "is why you guys have me. I give you the Dino Spike Charger." She handed Tyler an aqua-colored Dino Charger, with the number 13 on it. "It should harness the power of all five of your Energems, using your personal weapons specifically."
Tyler looked at it, before saying, "Perfect."
"Just know," Kendall warned, "that it takes all five of you to use it." The four Rangers in front of you shared glances of concerned between them. Kendall continued, "So, our next course of action is to find Chase. Quickly."
"That won't be necessary," came Chase's voice from near the entrance.
They all turned to see him walking in. He looked exhausted, and he was holding his head in his hand.
"Chase!" Koda said, visibly cheering up. "You here!"
"Of course I am," Chase replied, before sitting at the lab table. Koda moved over to stand closer to him, as he continued, "Sorry I walking out on you guys."
Keeper came over to him with his staff in hand, as Tyler assured him, "We were never mad, Chase. Just worried." Riley and Shelby offered him smiles as well to back Tyler up.
Keeper began examining Chase with his staff as Chase muttered, "Sorry..."
When Keeper's staff reached Chase's eyes, they immediately turned a bright gold. When the staff passed, Chase shut his eyes tight to power through the pain (again).
"There is indeed something wrong here," Keeper solemnly said.
"It's not just in my head anymore. It's spreading to everywhere else now," Chase explained, as the other three Rangers came over and stood next to him. The Kiwi continued, "But whatever he hit me with, it seemed to go away when I was with Callie just now."
He felt in control when he was with Callie. Her smile seemed to make the pain disappear, and his body felt independent enough to allow him to head to the base on his own terms.
But when Callie was out of his sight, the pain started to come back.
"The spell will grow stornger and stronger until it controls you completely," Keeper informed them. "Perhaps if you knew the origin of the pendant?"
"Moana!" Chase suddenly cried out, and he stood up, but the pain prevented him from moving. He felt Riley's hands gently sit him back down and the others softly tell him to stay seated. He knew they were right, so he decided to relay the information instead of getting answers himself, "She'll know where it came from."
"You mean lady of black magic?" Koda asked.
"Don't say that," Chase immediately warned. "It's one of her biggest pet peeves, and it's also not true. It's not black magic. Trust me, Moana's on our side."
"Stay here," Tyler softly told him. "We'll figure out how to break the spell."
He could only watch his four teammates leave. Once they were gone, he stood up again and headed to the exit.
Keeper stopped him, "You're more of a danger than a help to them right now. You must stay."
Chase shook his head, "I didn't believe her. Maybe if I had taken her seriously, then Spellbinder never would have gotten that pendant."
"You can't change the past," Keeper advised. "But you can learn from in."
~B~R~E~A~K~~T~H~E~~C~H~A~I~N~S~~T~H~A~T~~D~I~V~I~D~E~~D~I~N~O~~C~H~A~R~G~E~~R~E~D~O~
Moana's Kiwi Kurios, Greenfield Boulevard, Amber Beach, California
Moana was looking through a scrapbook when the four Rangers entered her shop. She was with a customer, so it looked like they had to wait.
"The pendant..." Moana was talking the customer, a short girl with short brunette hair.
"A pendant?" the girl asked in curiousity, in a mild Irish accent that Koda recognized.
"Callie?" Koda asked.
The girl turned around to face whoever just called her name. "Koda?" She visibly eased up, no longer tense and a little less worried. "Thank goodness, it ye guys."
"Yeah, what's up?" Tyler asked, as the four walked up to the counter where Callie and Moana were.
'To be honest, I don't really care if Callie figures out the truth or not. I just want her to be safe.'
Chase had admitted this a couple of days ago, and this was the primary reason that the four Rangers were all reluctant to bring Callie in on this, a reason they understood perfectly. Chase was her best friend, but she was just a civilian. Could they really do that when all Chase wanted to do was keep her safe?
"Ye lads are Chase's Power Ranger friends," Callie said, surprising them all. "I know ye can help him in a way that I can't."
"How long have you known?" Riley asked, obviously referring to her knowing their identities.
"I realized it a couple weeks after I met Chase," Callie admitted. "He's not great at keeping things subtle, and it was easy to realize who the other Rangers were when ye lads appeared in town in the same span of time as yer Ranger counterparts. Now, something's wrong with Chase, I have a feeling ye guys know what it is."
The four shared a glance of concern, before Tyler quietly admitted, "We think Chase may under a mind control spell. We're here to get answers about the pendant that monster used, and how to break the spell."
"Here it is," Moana turned to the page she was looking for and turned the book around so the five could look at the page. "This is the pendant that was stolen," she told them, as they leaned closer to look at the page. "It was formed from an evil heart in the darkest corner of New Zealand, and it was found by a treasure hunter friend of mine who was scared of it. You must destroy it, or soon, Chase will forget he is your friend and turn against you."
"We have a weapon that might be strong enough," Tyler revealed, "but it won't work without Chase."
Callie sighed, "I wish there was more that I could do ta help." She wasn't a Ranger, and she was no fighter, so, as long as physical force was the plan, she'd have to stay behind and leave this all to Chase's teammates.
"There is," came Moana's response.
The five youngsters turned to her for answers. "There is?" Callie asked.
"What do you mean?" Shelby asked.
"Long ago, Chase proved to me what type of person he is. It happened one day, just as as I was closing my shop." Moana continued by telling them a true story.
Chase, her only worker, was preparing to head back to his apartment, as his boss Moana was locking up, a baby carriage resting next to her.
But then the baby carriage began roll down the ramp, away from Moana. Moana noticed and shrieked in terror, which caught Chase's attention. Once he saw the carriage rolling away, he immediately hopped on his skateboard and chased after it.
Chase skated past all the people that noticed but chose, for some reason, not to chase after the carriage.
The carriage rolled into the street, just as a truck was about to pass by. Chase leapt above the street and snatched the blanket wrapped bundle out of the carriage just in time. He rolled to a safe spot, clutching the small bundle in his arms, and turned around to see the truck crash in the carriage, but keep on driving down the street.
When Chase got back to Moana, she gratefully took the bundle. Chase watched her unwrap the blankets, revealing a cat of all things.
What? He was expecting a baby. Who would place a cat in a baby carriage?
"I just risked my life for..." He trailed off when Moana glared at him, and he smiled, "the most beautiful little kitty."
Moana's glare turned into a smile, and she took his hand, telling him, "Follow me, Chase. There is something I msut give you for your bravery."
Chase protested as she led him into the shop, "Uh, you really don't have to do that."
Inside the shop, she stopped in front of a locked cabinet. She pulled out a key and unlocked it, taking out a small wooden box, before locking the cabinet back up, "Such courage is rare, and deserfes something equally precious."
She opened the box, revealing the Black Energem inside.
"What is that?" Chase asked, intriqued, as he took off his helmet.
"No one knows," Moana revealed. "A friend gave it to me, as a gift, because both he and I knew that it was special. So I placed it among my secret collection. But it's yours now. Take it."
Chase slowly reached his hand out and reluctantly took the gemstone. As he did so, it immediately started glowing, and Chase saw a vision a parasaurolophus.
Moana witnessed the gem send energy all throughout Chase's body.
"So that's how Chase got his Energem," Riley said.
"So easy for him," Koda remarked. "I froze in glacier for thousands of years."
Tyler and Shelby both hid their laughs behind smiles.
"Do you guys understand why I told you that story?" Moana asked them. She didn't really wait for an answer and explained, "Chase was able to focus because he knew that something needed saving. In that case, my cat Tabitha." Said cat hopped onto the counter, next to Callie, who began petting the cat with a soft smile. "During your fight with the monster, did Chase ever fight against the spell?"
"Yeah, he did," Shelby said. "When Spellbinder was using Tyler as a shield."
Everything began making sense as Moana continued, "He was fighting against it then because he knew who his target was, and who is target was supposed to be."
Tyler was quiet, "So Chase...was trying to protect me?"
Moana nodded, "Yes. If Chase knows who he's fighting against, and it's someone he's vowed to never harm, then he can push the spell from his mind long enough to use your weapon."
"Callie!" Shelby realized.
Callie turned to her, confused, "What about me?"
Shelby reminded the other three Rangers with a smile, "Chase said the spell went away when he was with Callie."
"Yes, that's why I told you that story," Moana explained. "His skateboard will only slow the spell down, but Callie is so important to him, that she's the only person who has the power to halt the spell completely." She turned to Callie, whose expression was a little hard to read. "Chase is very fortunate to have a friend like you."
Callie smiled shyly, "No. I'm the lucky one. I had no friends until I met him."
"Well, dear," Moana gently shot back, "he had no friends either until he met you." Callie reached into her pocket and pulled out a keychain, a yellow surfboard with a red hibiscus flower on it. "He gave that to you, didn't he?"
"Yeah," Callie softly admitted. "Ta remind me that he and I will always be friends."
Moana smiled, as Tyler asked, "Callie...is Chase not having friends before you why he doesn't get close to people?"
Callie's smile faded as Riley continued, "Or does Chase hate us?"
She took a deep breath before telling them, "Making friends is not something that Chase finds easy. I can't reveal his reasons - ta be honest, I don't know why either - but I can tell ye that the fault does not rest on any one of ye. Just give him time ta get used ta ye. Trust me, if he really hated ye, ye'd know fer sure by now."
She smiled when she saw reassured smiles start appearing on their faces.
Shelby turned to Moana, "Thank you, Moana, for the information. I'm curious, though, how you know all about the monster we fought against."
Moana's smile disappeared, "I know Chase, yes, but I feel a stronger bond with that monster."
Riley realized, "Spellbinder's your Inner Monster."
Tyler's Dino Comm went off, and he walked to the other side of the store to answer the call, as Moana asked, "Inner Monster? Is that what it's called?"
"Yeah," Shelby replied, before explaining, "They're born from a primary, lingering fear from a human host. Spellbinder will use you as a battery until you're either gone or we defeat it."
"I'm not concerned," Moana admitted. "Together, the five of you are strong enough for any task."
They all smiled, as Tyler returned to the ground, a solemn look on his face.
"What wrong, Tyler?" Koda asked.
"That was Kendall," the Red Ranger said. "Bad news: Spellbinder's back."
"And Chase?" Callie asked, her worry quickly returning.
"He's disappeared," Tyler replied, and Shelby placed a comforting hand on Callie's shoulder. He turned to Moana, "Thanks for the information, Moana, but we have to go now." He turned to the Irishgirl, "Callie, go find Chase while we keep Spellbinder busy."
Callie nodded, now determined.
~B~R~E~A~K~~T~H~E~~C~H~A~I~N~S~~T~H~A~T~~D~I~V~I~D~E~~D~I~N~O~~C~H~A~R~G~E~~R~E~D~O~
Industrial Warehouses, Sugarplum Street, Amber Beach, California
Curio and Spellbinder were sitting on crates, when Wrench stormed in and yelled at Spellbinder, "What's going on? You told Sledge that the Black Ranger was under your control!"
"Relax," Spellbinder replied. "He's going to join us soon."
"Wrong on both accounts!" came the Red Ranger's voice. The three turned to see the Rangers (sans the Black Ranger) standing there, un-morphed but ready to fight.
"Chase never join you!" Koda added, angry.
"It's too late for you friend," Spellbinder told them. "And now your time is up!" He then shot the pendant's beam at the four, but they all managed to dodge and avoid getting hit, before charging at the three monsters.
Shelby landed several kicks on Curio, but Curio was unfazed and taunted her, "I'm not worried about you, Pink Ranger! You'll be under Spellbinder's control soon."
Riley and Koda took on Wrench together. Riley tried to land a punch, but Wrench grabbed ahold of Riley's arm and kicked Koda away, and then throwing Riley to the ground. He then told them, "Face it, Rangers. You can't beat us." Koda got back up, however, and landed a kick on Wrench, who went flying and hit several barrels as he fell to the floor.
Tyler charged at Spellbinder, who said, "My spell is impossible to resist."
"Nothing is impossible!" Tyler replied, before kicking and punching the monster several times.
Spellbinder then grabbed ahold of Tyler and tossed him to the floor. Koda, Riley, and Shelby raced up to back Tyler up, but one by one, Spellbinder knocked them all to the floor as well.
The four Rangers struggled to get back up.
"We need to use the Dino Spike," Tyler said.
"But we need Chase," Koda protested.
Spellbinder walked closer to them, "Your turn, Rangers." He then fired the pendant's beam at them, and Shelby struggled to crawl away as it hit Tyler, Koda, and Riley.
Callie had tracked Chase down to these warehouses, and she stumbled onto the scene just in time for the beam to hit Shelby as well.
"Guys!" she called out, as Spellbinder laughed.
"Don't bother, human!" he told her. "Your friends are mine now." Callie was shaking as she watched Chase walk into the warehouse and up to Spellbinder.
"Chase?" she called out.
But Chase ignored her. He instead asked Spellbinder, "What is your command?"
"Destroy her," Spellbinder pointed at Callie.
Callie couldn't ignore her trembling as Chase turned his head to stare at her. But the man who was staring at her now was not Chase at all.
Chase's eyes were bright and hazel, not dark and gold. His expression was relaxed and warm, not tense and cold.
"No, Chase!" she cried out. "Fight it!"
Chase was the person who had promised to take her surfboarding one day the moment she told him she had never left Amber Beach (hence the surfboard keychain), not the person who was now walking towards her threateningly.
She was just an ordinary civilian. She had no Energem (whatever that was), or any fighting experience whatsoever, and the other four Rangers were currently incapacitated by the same spell that had gotten Chase.
She was truly alone right now.
But she couldn't run away. If she did, then all five of the Rangers would be under Spellbinder's control. Moana (Spellbinder's Host) had said that she was the only person who could break the spell over Chase. She had to do this.
"Chase, stop! It's me!"
But Chase pulled out his Morpher and pointed it directly at her, "You defied my master."
"Do it!" Spellbinder ordered.
But she didn't know how to break the spell. She looked around her and saw a wheeled pallete. She remembered Moana saying that a skateboard would slow the spell down, so she ran over to it and kicked it towards Chase, hoping to buy herself time to come up with a plan.
The board hit him as he was walking and he ended up on it. It began rolling towards Callie, bringing Chase closer and closer to Callie.
It didn't slow him down at all, only making faster.
Callie began to panic as she started backing, only to almost fall down due to hitting some crates behind her.
Her heart beating erratically and feeling broken, she closed her eyes tight as she braced herself for pain (or death).
She couldn't see what had happened, but she could feel him hovering over her, very close to her. But when he spoke, "Callie?", she knew he was back to normal.
Because only the Chase she knew curled the two Ls and strengthened the I in her name like that.
She opened her eyes when she felt a gust of wind gently blow her hair back, and she saw Chase twirl around on the pallete, only to stop, this time pointing his Morpher at Spellbinder.
"Wait, what?!" Spellbinder suddenly started panicking.
Chase smirked, "Command this."
"No!" Spellbinder screamed as Chase took the shot.
The shot hit the pendant on Spellbinder's chest and knocked him off his feet, sending him crashing into several barrels behind him.
Tyler, Koda, Riley, and Shelby suddenly found themselves back in control of themselves, and quickly looked around to see what had happened and how they were saved.
They understood when they saw Chase turn around and help Callie to her feet, clearly concerned, "You alright, Callie? I didn't hurt you, did I?"
He became speechless when she immediately hugged him as tightly as she possibly could. "No," she mumbled. "I'm just glad ye're okay."
The other four Rangers rushed over to them, as Chase found himself smiling, "Me too." He reluctantly broke up the hug to tell her, "Hide somewhere, Callie. Somewhere safe. We'll catch up as soon as we can."
She smiled and nodded. She told them "Good luck", before running out of the warehouse.
It was perfect timing, since Wrench just then removed the rubble that he was buried under and hurried over to Spellbinder, "They've broken the spell."
"What do we do?" Curio asked.
Spellbinder yelled at the Rangers, who had lined up with Chase in the center, "I may not be able to control you, but I'll still destroy you!"
"Sorry," Chase was calm, but incredibly angry. "But your time is up." How dare they make him hurt Callie? "Dino Charger!"
"Ready! Energize, ha! Unleash the Power!"
Once morphed, Tyler lead the rollcall, "Power Rangers, Charged! Tyrannosaurus Rex, Power Ranger Red!"
"Parasaur, Power Ranger Black!"
"Stegosaurus, Power Ranger Blue!"
"Velociraptor, Power Ranger Green!"
"Triceratops, Power Ranger Pink!"
They flipped closer to the fight, activating their Dino Steel on the way, "Dino Steel, Armor On!"
"Dinosaur Might, Ready to Fight! Power Rangers: Dino Charge!"
The three monsters charged towards the Rangers.
"It's about to get wild!" Tyler said, before leading the Rangers' charge.
Koda blocked Wrench's Axe, and Riley got in a strike, before Koda punched him with a "Stego Shield Punch!"
This sent Wrench skidding back, and Koda told his teammate, "Now, Riley!"
"Right!" Riley used Koda as a launching pad, jumping up and laying a strike on Wrench with a "Raptor Slash!"
Shelby used her right leg to stop one of Curio's punches before using it as leverage to jump up and position herself on top of Curio's hat.
A confused Curio asked, "What the-? Where'd you go? Where are you?"
Shelby giggled, "Up here! Hi there!" She then jumped down and struck at Curio with her "Tricera Drill!"
Tyler and Chase jumped up to avoid an explosion from Spellbinder. Tyler punched at him, and Chase tried shooting him, but the cape was still a pain in the neck.
Tyler threw a fist down in frustration, "Ugh! He keeps blocking with that cape!"
The other three rejoined with the Red and Black Rangers, as Riley suggested, "Let's use the Dino Spike!"
"But we need all five of us together!" Tyler reminded them.
"I'm ready whenever you guys are," Chase said.
Tyler laughed, "Yes! That's what I like to hear!" He brought out the Dino Spike Charger and activated it, "Dino Charger, Ready! Weapons Combine!"
The five weapons lined up, from smallest to largest, and combined together thanks to the Dino Spike Charger.
Chase, Shelby, Riley, and Koda created a launch pad with their arms, and launched Tyler, "Red Ranger: Launch!"
Now in the air, Tyler grabbed the Dino Spike and threw it at Spellbinder. "Dino Spike: Final Strike!"
The Dino Spike struck Spellbinder straight through before flying back to Tyler, who landed as he caught it.
As he was engulfed in an explosion, Spellbinder cried, "But I'm invincible!"
"Wrong, beak face," Tyler replied as he stood up. "We're the invincible ones!"
Curio raced over to the fallen Spellbinder and reached into her pouch. She pulled out her watering can and sprayed it all over Spellbinder's corpse. "Don't waste this last bit of luck," she warned.
The Rangers backed up as Spellbinder grew to giant size, glowing green as he did.
Koda cracked his knuckles, before moving to race forward, "I handle this."
But Chase quickly held him back, "Wait. I've got a score to settle with this crow. Dino Charger, Ready! Summon Para Zord!"
A few seconds later, the Para Zord arrived and immediately fired several blasts at Spellbinder, who knocked it away.
But Para was caught by Rexy, via its mouth as it flew by, before Rexy gently set him down and then roaring at Para.
Chase groaned in frustration, "I almost had him."
Para leapt out of the way as the Raptor Zord arrive onto the scene.
On the ground, Tyler leapt over to Chase (even though he was only two feet away) and suggested, "Hey, why don't we combine your Para Zord with the Dino Charge Megazord? We'll have awesome new powers! Please?!"
Riley protested, however, "Wait! Are you sure we're ready for this?"
"Of course we're ready!" Tyler told him, his arm still slung over Chase's shoulders.
"I'm not doing this for me," Chase admitted to them. "This is on behalf of Callie. Let's do it!"
Tyler jumped in celebration, "Yes!"
"Activate Dino Charge Megazord: ParaRaptor Formation!"
Para made up the right arm and Raptor made up the left. Once the Megazord was formed, Tyler, Chase, and Riley were the only three in the cockpit.
"Arrow Feathers!" Spellbinder shot his feathers at them.
The Megazord managed to leap out of the way and dodge them all.
"He's fast!" Tyler noted, as he, Chase, and Riley motioned the Megazord to fire the Para Zord blasts at their opponent.
The blasts hit dead on.
"Here's some more!" Tyler shouted. The Megazord fired several more shots. "Sitting duck!"
Spellbinder was hit several more times, until the Megazord flipped over him and hit him with a "Bladed Raptor Slash!"
The Megazord stood against the sun, as Chase told Spellbinder, "Now, you're under our command!"
"C'mon, guys," Tyler said. "Let's barbeque this chicken!"
The Megazord roared, before Para and Raptor combined energies.
"Para Zord: Fireball Finish!"
The fireball flew at Spellbinder and destroyed him for good.
Tyler announced, "Monster Exctinct!"
~B~R~E~A~K~~T~H~E~~C~H~A~I~N~S~~T~H~A~T~~D~I~V~I~D~E~~D~I~N~O~~C~H~A~R~G~E~~R~E~D~O~
Old Deboth Castle, Amber Beach, California
Curio entered the throne room, where only Wrench and Sledge were. She bounded over to them, and reached into her pouch before pulling out the pendant.
"Is this it?" she asked.
"Yes," Sledge said, taking it from her. "Job well done, Curio. Spellbinder used up most of its energy, but you can see that there's still some magic left in it." He gave the pendant to Wrench and said, "Keep this safe. It might come in handy one day."
Wrench took a good look at the still faintly glowing pendant before putting it away.
~B~R~E~A~K~~T~H~E~~C~H~A~I~N~S~~T~H~A~T~~D~I~V~I~D~E~~D~I~N~O~~C~H~A~R~G~E~~R~E~D~O~
Dino Bite Cafe, Amber Beach Dinosaur Museum, Amber Beach, California
It was sunset now, which meant it was time to lock up the museum.
"I'm sorry for all the trouble caused," Moana was apologizing to Chase. "Spellbinder must have been created from my exhaustion of being accused of using black magic."
"No worries," Chase reassured her. "We're friends. You asked me for a favor, and I accepted it." Besides, they were also able to save Moana's life.
Moana smiled, before the two hugged briefly. After breaking the hug, she said, "Until we meet again."
Chase smiled as he watched her leave. Once she was gone, he turned to face Callie, who they had brought to the cafe with them.
Now that she knew, they had to decide what she should do now. Keeper had said that they'd cross that bridge when they came to it (in those exact words), and now, they were at that bridge, and it was time to cross it.
But they had brought Callie here because she deserved a say in what to do next. It was her they were going to talk about after all.
"So, Callie," he smiled, "how long have you known that I was the Black Ranger?"
"I've known fer quite a while," Callie smiled back, as the other four Rangers gathered around them. "I just wanted ta see how long ye'd keep up the charade before ye broke."
"So, you playing dumb, and that one time you made me think you had a crush on the Black Ranger, you were just being a tease," Chase shot back with a smile.
Callie nodded, grinning.
"I say we keep her," Shelby jumped in. "She's fun." She and Callie shared a smile.
"I don't know," Riley countered. "Don't you think it's rather dangerous?"
"Ye lads can trust me," Callie told them. "I've never told a single soul about yer identities."
"That's not what we're worried about," Tyler gently replied. "We'll tell you later in the base."
"He's right," Shelby said. "Right now, we need to focus on cleaning up the museum."
"Yes," Koda gave Chase a broom. "It your turn to clean floor."
Chase took the broom with a smile, "Alright."
But Shelby took it from him, "I'll do it. Chase needs to rest. Who knows what after-effects the spell has caused?"
Chase snatched it back with smile, "I'm fine. Besides, if that was correct, you guys would be suffering the same effects."
"You might want to be quick about it," Tyler advised. "Kendall wants us all there to explain everything to Callie."
"I plan to," Chase replied, before stepping foot on his skateboard and putting his headphones on.
The five left behind laughed as he skateboarded throughout the museum while mopping the floors.
"Well, that sure one way to be quick," Tyler commented.
Riley laughed, as Callie leaned over to look at the schedule, attached to a clipboard in Koda's hands, and her smile faded, "Wait a minute." She grabbed the clipboard from Koda and studied it quickly. She turned to him, "The schedule says that it's yer turn to clean the floor, Koda." The four Rangers looked at her, expecting her to be angry or annoyed, but were plesantly surprised when they saw an amused grin on her face instead.
"How you notice?" Koda asked. "The print is small."
Still smiling, Callie shook her head and walked over near Tyler, "Gobshites think they can hide stuff from me, but they can't. No one can." She leaned against the wall behind her, "Ye lads do know I'm going ta tell Chase about this, right?"
"And yet you're not stopping him now," Shelby pointed out.
She put a finger up to her lips, "Shh."
The four Rangers smiled at this and began to laugh.
~PRDC~REDO~PRDC~REDO~PRDC~REDO~PRDC~REDO~PRDC~REDO~
Original Kyoryuger Episode: Brave 4
Original PRDC Episode: Breaking Black
Note: Inner Monster Irony in this Chapter: Moana's tired of being accused of using black magic, and yet all Spellbinder uses is black magic. Also, Spellbinder's cape allows him to block any attack, while Moana is clearly affected by everyone's words and skepticism.
I under really understood why Spellbinder knew so much about Moana's pendant in canon. Here, however, it's because Moana is Spellbinder's host, so he knows because she does.
And yes, Callie will be playing a much more prominent role now. Get used to it.
Hope you enjoyed this chapter. Please review and tell me what you think!
A/N: Do review, please. If you guys have any ideas you want me to consider adding, please PM me. A preview for the next chapter:
Season 1, Episode 5: "Tooth or Consequences"
"When faced with the fast-firing Cavity monster, Riley thinks Chase doesn't take the threat seriously, nor does he think that Keeper made the right choice by letting Callie keep her memories."