A/N: Wow, this episode took forever! So sorry, guys! I lost my inspiration for a bit, but I think it's back now, so all is well. This chapter is kind of shorter, but it's still pretty good.
And so, without further ado, I give you, Power Rangers Element Storm Chapter 11. Enjoy!
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Episode 11: Birth of Chaos
Rufus and Erica stood in the main room of the tower in different areas, each person silently thinking their own thoughts. It was quiet, which was common on most days and especially common now that Stephen was out of it. Rufus stared out the window, his brow knit with worry. Their leader had still not woken up, and the younger ones did not know what to do. He had suffered greatly from the attack by Will, and Rufus wasn't sure if he would ever wake up. If that happened, what would he and Erica do? Shuddering, Rufus tried not to think about that, knowing that they would have no chance of defeating the Rangers and accomplishing their goal without Stephen.
Suddenly, Erica and Rufus heard sounds of motion coming from Stephen's room. They glanced at each other for a quick second before running to his room and opening the door. He was stirring now, and he looked like a child suffering from a terrible nightmare but about to wake up from it. As they watched him, his eyes shot open and he looked at them, panting and sweating as if he had just done great exercise or suffered great fear. After a moment, he calmed down and closed his eyes again, putting his hand to his forehead and sighing. He sat up gradually and was silent for a moment, looking as if he was trying to speak.
At last, he stood up and turned to Rufus, gazing at him with a look that was a mixture of anger, confusion, and curiosity. In a strange, unnatural, tired voice that was quite different than his usual one, he asked, "Rufus, what happened while I was out?"
The younger boy hesitated, looking at Erica for support. She smiled encouragingly at him and he turned back to Stephen, proceeding to explain everything that had happened during Stephen's "absence".
Angela smiled as she walked into the Overclocked Café with Jorge. It was Monday after school, and it had been a typical, boring Monday. She laughed a little internally as she realized how much time they spent at the café. They had gone there every day after school since Spring Break had ended, and they had spent much time there during the break as well. And why shouldn't they? she thought. The café was a great place to hang out, and they always had fun there together.
As they approached the table where they usually sat with their friends, Angela and Jorge noticed Dan and Peg sitting especially close together. Dan had his arm around her shoulder, and both of them seemed happy. The two grinned at each other as they sat down at the table. They had known for a while that Dan and Peg liked each other, but now, they guessed it was official. Without saying anything, they silently agreed with their expressions not to mention it.
Most of the others were already there. Dan, Peg, and Tiz were sitting around the table. Both Beth and Del were working today, as the café was particularly crowded today for whatever reason. Sean was taking Marie to school and would be there soon. Everything seemed peaceful for now, and the Rangers could only hope it would last for a while.
Will stood behind the counter, lost in thought, his mind not fully on the work he was doing in making drinks. He also had noticed the peace and quiet. Yesterday had been uneventful, and there had been no sign of the Chaos Three. He supposed that Stephen had yet to wake up, and since Rufus and Erica had suffered such a defeat the other day, they probably weren't going to attack again anytime soon. They might not attack at all as long as Stephen was still out, but who knew how long that would last? Eventually, he would have to come to, and when he did, the attacks and the fighting would start again.
He grinned at the thought that he had hurt Stephen so badly. He had proven that Light Fire was stronger than Dark Fire, despite what everyone on Trienith used to think, Stephen included. Light Fire had the power of goodness rather than evil, and that had made all the difference in the fight. Although, as Will thought, his anger and hatred for Stephen might have had something to do with his victory.
Stephen had listened patiently as Rufus described the unsuccessful battle between their monster and the Rangers. The younger boy was obviously nervous as he spoke, and his voice had been shaking slightly the whole time. He could hardly look into Stephen's eyes. The leader of the Chaos Three showed no emotion as he spoke. He simply gazed at Rufus and listened to what he said. When he was done, he closed his eyes and thought for a moment.
Then, much to the surprise of Rufus and Erica, a smile came to his face and he opened his eyes again, pausing for a moment and saying nothing. At last, he spoke.
"Although you lost the battle, Rufus, you have once more proven that you have great initiative," he said, looking into the eyes of the one he was speaking to. "You were trying to avenge me, which is an honorable desire. Your idea to give Uzurin the power of Dark Water was an excellent one, which shows that you have intelligence and reason. And, you did manage to injure the Red Ranger for a time." He walked up to Rufus and laid his hand on his shoulder, causing the boy to wince a little. "I think at last, you are ready."
Rufus looked at him, confused. "Ready?"
Stephen nodded, then went over and knelt beside a locked chest at the edge of his bed. Taking out a key, he unlocked it and opened it, pulling out a small box. Standing up again, he faced Rufus and held the box out to him, motioning that he should open it.
Rufus obeyed, and he was shocked with what he saw in the box. After a moment's shocked pause, he tore his eyes off of it and looked back at Stephen. "Is.is that..?" He couldn't bring himself to finish the question.
Stephen nodded. "Yes, it is."
Erica was watching them, standing in the corner of the room, her eyes open wide. She could hardly believe what she was seeing, and neither could Rufus.
"B-but, why me?" the boy asked in a soft, breathless tone. "Why not you, or Erica?"
Stephen closed the box and handed it to him. "You are the only one the power will work for, Rufus. I first found this power in the form of a small, glowing Crystal back when we were on Trienith. Ever since we got to Earth, I have been studying it and trying to figure out how to harness it. I created a morpher for it similar to the ones the Trienith Rangers had. During my research, I found that the power was only compatible with Rufus. For some reason, it cannot work for me or for Erica. I'm not sure why, but I know that it is true. The power has to be yours, Rufus. There is no one else who could use it."
Rufus felt his mouth go dry as he took the box, and he had to almost choke out the words. "Are you absolutely sure?" Stephen nodded. "But, what if I'm not ready?"
"You are ready," the older boy replied. "If you weren't, I wouldn't have given it to you now. I've been waiting for the right time, and now is that time. Take the power, Rufus. It is yours."
Sean walked up to the café having just taken his sister to school. He was just about to go inside when a streak of yellow appeared behind him. He didn't notice until he heard one of the cars in the parking lot explode.
The Rangers in the café groaned, thinking that the Chaos Three was attacking with another monster. As always happened during an attack, the café emptied and soon only the Rangers stood outside. They were surprised to see not a monster but the menacing, now cloaked form of Rufus. He looked up at them from under his hood and gave them a piercing glare. The look on his face was so evil and defiant that it seemed unnatural for the youngest member of the Chaos Three. The Rangers got in fighting stances, preparing for a battle, and Will took a few steps forward slowly, looking curiously at the boy before him.
"What do you want, Rufus?" he asked in a somewhat mocking tone. "Haven't you realized yet that we can easily defeat you?"
Rufus laughed, and it was an eerie, chilling sound. "You could easily defeat me before, Adus," he said, purposefully using his enemy's Trienith name. "But now, I'm going to give you a taste of your own medicine." With that, he threw off his cloak and held his hand diagonally across his chest, glancing down at what was on his wrist. The Rangers stared at him in awe, horror, and disbelief, hardly knowing what to say. They were all silent for a few moments, unable to believe what they were seeing. At last, Beth tore her eyes away from Rufus and turned them to the Trienith Red Ranger.
"Will," she breathed, hardly speaking above a whisper. "Is that a morpher? How can he have a morpher?" Instead of answering her, he took another few steps forward, still looking at Rufus.
"Where did you get that, Oscuro?" he asked, his voice lacking any specific tone. He sounded almost scared, which was unnerving for his team mates.
Rufus smirked at him and let his arm fall back to his side. "It was a little present from Stephen," he said simply. "He said that I was ready for the power, and now, I get to try it out on you. Are you ready, Rangers?" Without waiting for a response, he performed a morphing sequence like theirs and cried, "Element, Dark!" As he said the words, he was engulfed in a deep purple light that nearly blinded the other Rangers with its intensity. They turned away from it, unable to bear the brightness. When the light cleared, there stood in place of Rufus a Power Ranger.
His suit was most like Will's, with spikes coming out from under the elbows and knees. It was a dark, royal purple color that was almost black. On the chest, there was a symbol with three Elements on it: Dark Fire, Dark Water, and Dark Thunder. They were surrounded by a black aura that showed their darkness clearly. Rufus stood still for a moment, unmoving, staring out of his visor at his enemies. After a second, he looked down at himself and began examining his suit. The power he felt rushing through is veins was more than anything he had ever felt before. He felt almost overwhelmed with it and he could hardly believe the feeling.
Looking back up at the Rangers, he grinned from under his helmet. "Well, Adus," he said with a superior tone. "Now we're a bit more even, aren't we?" He chuckled at the look of amazement and shock on the faces of his enemies. Will especially looked surprised and unprepared. He had never known about any dark powers like this. Where had it come from? And how had Stephen gotten his hands on it?
Will took a deep breath before answering. "Oscuro, I don't know where you got that power, but it must be dangerous. I suggest you don't use it. Dark powers have a way of causing trouble for those who use them."
Rufus scoffed at him. "You think I care? I'm not afraid. It's you who should be afraid now." He paused for a moment in thought. "And, you don't have to call me Rufus or Oscuro anymore. Now, you can call me the Chaos Ranger."
Will sighed and thought grimly of how appropriate the name was. But, there was no time to think about that. They had to stop Rufus before he caused trouble with his newfound powers.
"Come on, guys," he said, glancing at his teammates. "We can take him no problem, right?"
The others looked at each other and nodded, a bit of uncertainty evident in their faces. Will cringed a little before preparing to morph.
"Element, Light Fire!"
"Element, Fire!"
"Element, Water!"
"Element, Wind!"
"Element, Earth!"
"Element, Thunder!"
The six Rangers morphed into their respective colors and prepared to fight the new Ranger. The latter wasted no time once his enemies were morphed and he ran in and started to fight. He attacked Tiz first, giving him a roundhouse kick to the stomach. Next, he turned and punched at Dan, who was coming up to him from the side. He hit him smack in the face and sent him stumbling back. Sean came up from behind and tried to kick Rufus, but, somehow he sensed him coming and kicked backwards, getting Sean in the shin and causing him to fall over in pain.
Beth and Peg ran in from either side of him and started to attack him at once. Beth landed a kick to his hip, but he recovered from it quickly and he pushed her away. Peg took the opportunity while he was distracted and she kicked him in his back, which was facing towards her. Rufus stumbled a bit, but he regained his balance quickly and aimed a kick at her abdomen, hitting her and causing her to keel over.
Next, Will ran forward and punched Rufus in the face. Immediately after, he kicked him in the stomach and then in the legs, which made him fall backwards. He staggered back to his feet and kicked Will away, glaring at him from under his helmet.
Suddenly, Rufus felt a sharp slash across his back and he cried out painfully. Turning around, he saw that Dan had hit him with his sword and was preparing to strike again. He dodged it this time, but he was not prepared for an attack from the side with Peg's trident. He stumbled back in the other direction only to be met with a blow from Beth's daggers. Sean had an arrow ready to shoot at Rufus, but he never got the chance to.
"Chaos Lance!" The new Ranger called out these words, lifting his hand up. Then, in a flash of dark purple, a lance appeared in his hand. It was the same color as his suit, except the tip of it was engraved silver. He grinned from under his helmet and ran towards Sean, jabbing his lance into him, hitting him in the stomach. The White Ranger cried out in pain and clutched his stomach, dropping his bow in the process.
Dan ran forward and slashed at the Chaos Ranger with his sword, getting him across the arm. Rufus grunted a little but he turned to the Red Ranger and slammed the side of his lance, causing him to fall back in pain. Beth came in with her daggers and slashed them across Rufus' middle. Sparks flew from his suit as the daggers hit and he fell back a bit. Recovering, he hit the lance across the side of her head, making her fall over unconscious. She demorphed and lay still at his feet.
"Beth!" Sean cried. He had recovered from the blow of the lance and he ran over to the unmoving form of the Green Ranger, powering down and keeling beside her. He gently picked her up in his arms and held her there, looking at her with worry in his face. "Beth, wake up…"
Rufus laughed and stepped away from the two Rangers, rolling his eyes at them. Suddenly, his heart faltered for a moment as he remembered a similar situation involving him and Erica…
As he thought about that, he was momentarily distracted, which gave Peg an opportunity to move in with her trident. She stabbed him in the back with the tip of the trident, causing him to scream painfully. He turned around and tried to swipe at her with his lance, but she leapt out of the way.
Will grinned from under his helmet. "It's my turn now!" he cried. "Light Fire Blade!" With that, fire shot out from the Trienith Red Ranger's hand in the shape of a sword. Then, the fire hardened and became a blade in his hand. It was similar to Dan's but it had certain differences. Will smiled and ran over to Rufus. He began slashing him relentlessly with his sword, not giving him a chance to use his lance. At last, though, Rufus broke free of his attacks and stepped back a bit. Then, he did something altogether unexpected.
The Chaos Ranger thrust a hand out towards Will in a way that obviously showed that he was about to use his Element powers. But, instead of electricity shooting out, a burst of Dark Fire hit Will head on and sent them flying back. The Ranger stood up painfully and stared in awe from under his helmet. How was this possible? How could Rufus use Dark Fire when his Element was Dark Thunder? Then, it hit him.
"I guess the Chaos power you have gives you the ability to use all of the Dark Elements, Oscuro" he said grimly, thinking out loud more than anything else. Rufus chuckled evilly and nodded.
"I suppose so," he said. The thought had never occurred to him before. He had had every intention of using Dark Thunder on the Trienith Red Ranger, and he was shocked when Dark Fire came out instead. But, Will's reasoning made perfect sense, and it intrigued Rufus. "Then that must mean that I can do this!" He put both hands forward and shot a stream of Dark Water towards Will. The Trienith Red Ranger managed to dodge it, leaping to the side and out of the way.
"You won't get me that easily, Oscuro!" he cried.
Rufus growled in frustration for having missed and he prepared to attack again. Before he got the chance, though, he felt strong electricity pulsing through his body. He screamed in pain and fell to his knees as Tiz used all his strength to shoot him with his Thunder.
The Chaos Ranger was silent for a moment, panting heavily in pain. At last, he stood up and laughed, turning to face Dan, Peg, and Tiz.
"You think that will defeat me, Yellow Ranger?" he said, facing the Ranger in question. "It may have been enough last time, but it won't cut it this time. Not with my new powers. It's time to see what these powers can really do!"
With that, he put his hands out towards them and let a burst of Dark Thunder shoot out. Before it could hit them, though, Dark Fire and Dark Water came out as well, merging with the electricity. The three Dark Elements hit the Rangers in full force, sending them flying backwards. They landed on the ground hard and demorphed. Will, who was still standing on the other side of the Chaos Ranger, could only watch in horror.
All of a sudden, Rufus fell forward on his hands and knees, gasping for breath. He demorphed as well, and he looked thoroughly spent and fatigued. That attack had taken a lot of energy, and it had really drained him.
Will powered down and ran over to the three Rangers who had just been attacked, ignoring the exhausted form of Rufus. They were still conscious, but only barely, it seemed. Clenching his fist in anger, the Trienith Red Ranger turned around to face his enemy. But, the Chaos Ranger was nowhere to be seen. Will guessed that he had teleported himself home, seeing as he had won his victory against the Rangers.
Rufus appeared in the tower in a flash of yellow, landing right in the center of the main room. Stephen, who had been looking out through the telescope, turned towards his companion. Erica raced to his side and helped him stand up shakily.
"Rufus, are you okay?" she asked, worry evident in her voice. The boy nodded and turned towards Stephen, looking expectantly for a response about his actions.
The leader of the Chaos Three grinned as he laid a hand on the younger boy's shoulder. "You did well, Rufus," he said in a sincere, almost proud voice. "You defeated them for today, and this is a great victory for us." He paused for a moment and looked away, his brow wrinkled in thought. "I never would have expected the Chaos Powers to be so strong," he said softly, more to himself than to the others. "That last attack was amazing. I can't believe that you were able to use all three of the Dark Elements. Of course, mine and Erica's Elements weren't as strong as when we use them, but still, it amazes me that you were able to use them at all. This will be to our advantage…"
Before he had a chance to continue, Rufus stumbled forward, almost falling over onto the floor. Erica caught him and helped him stand, calling his name softly in worry. At a nod from Stephen, she helped the youngest member of the Chaos Three to his bedroom and onto his bed. Stephen followed silently, obviously thinking again.
"Hmm…" He looked at Rufus thoughtfully. "I see that that battle took a lot out of you, even though you won. I suppose I shouldn't be surprised. The Chaos powers are new to you, and you need some time to get used to them." He paused and smiled at Rufus. His smile was anything but kind, yet somehow it calmed the boy a bit. "But, we can worry about that later. Right now, you need to rest and regain your strength. Come, Erica."
He motioned for her to follow him, and she prepared to do so. Before she left, she took Rufus' hand and held it gently for a moment, giving him a reassuring smile. He grinned back before falling onto his pillow and into a deep, dreamless sleep. Erica let go of his hand and walked to the door. She turned around to give him one more loving glance before leaving the room, closing the door softly behind her.
Later that day, the Rangers were sitting in the café, facing Will silently. He stood at the end of the table, looking thoughtfully at the ground. Sean and Beth sat next to each other, and she was leaning on his shoulder gently. Dan had his arms around Peg on the other side of the table, and Tiz sat next to them. At last, the Yellow Ranger spoke.
"Will, I can't believe how strong Rufus was," he said. "I mean, he used the powers of all three Dark Elements like it was nothing…"
Will shook his head. "No," he said. "It wasn't 'nothing'. After that attack, he was obviously drained and exhausted. It took a lot out of him to do something like that. He won't be able to do it very often."
"Still," Sean said. "He defeated us. We lost the battle today."
Dan nodded grimly. "Yeah, we did. We lost badly too. We're just lucky that he didn't destroy us. Next time, we might not be so lucky." Peg shivered a little in his arms and he held her closer.
Will sighed. "Who knows?" he said. We may or may not be. But don't let this victory dishearten you. We are still stronger than him, and if we believe in our power and abilities, we will defeat him. I know that may sound lame and sappy, but it is the truth. Don't worry, guys. We won't let him defeat us." His voice dropped to a whisper that only he could hear as he turned away from them. "I won't let him defeat us."
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A/N: I hope you liked it! Leave a review!
Sexi Silver: hehe Rufus is even cooler in this chapter, isn't he? And yeah, I thought I had gotten over my writer's block, but it came back for a while. Hopefully I can continue to overcome it. And I'm glad you like Tiz and Peg's move
lil Cwick: I'm glad you're liking this so much! Tiz is flattered that he's your favorite character lol. And please don't come after me with a pitchfork! hehe
Wearer of the Black Hat: That's okay. Sorry I didn't make that clearer. Glad you liked it, though!
icefox35: Thanks!
