A/N: Here it is! Chapter 5… I hope you enjoy…
The sun was shining beautifully as the team was going through the fields of Route 110. It was a good couple of days since their longest stay in Petalburg City. After three days, they were already past Petalburg City and Oldale Town area, crossing the river and finally in Central Hoenn. Even though a lot has happened in the Petalburg City arc, it was the perfect time for the rangers to finally continue their journey. Well, for Rachel, that is. The crew was heading toward Fortree City for Rachel so she can earn her sixth badge. And for Rachel, the battles have gotten tougher.
"Ah," said Zander, looking at the beautiful bridge above them as they got to the center, "Cycling Road… again."
"The last time we were up here," said Grace, "We just finished Metallico and saved Sally."
"Good times," said Lamar, "Well, except the gate… that wasn't good."
"Well," said Rachel, turning around as she looked at the group, "I am ready… for the Fortree City Gym Battle. It's been a while since I had a gym battle and after Norman's battle, I am ready."
"Patience…," said Lamar, "Patience."
"I think those last two battles on Route 103 is making you a bit overconfident," said Urara, who was walking with them, "I mean… you did great."
"Thanks," said Rachel, turning to Urara, "Why aren't you back at Headquarters?"
"I was given clearance to come join you," said Urara, "It's kind of slow. Amy said until we know more about Team Dracos, they don't need me."
"Ah," said Lamar, turning to her, as she looked at the group, "Then, where's Sebastian?"
"Well… it's a little secret," said Urara, grinning, "It's in its running stages, but once it's done, he was supposed to teleport to our location."
No sooner Urara spoke, the beeping noise appeared on Rachel's Relic Detector. Opening it up, she put the phone to her ear, "This is Rachel."
"Rachel… Give me your location in about ten minutes. Seb is trying something out for me," said Jack.
"Alright. We'll stay and hang. We are overdue for lunch anyway," said Rachel.
"Ha. Got it. Jack out," he said, closing the communicator. Rachel sighed as she turned to them, "Lunch?"
Urara and the others nodded as they sat down. Lamar sighed as he looked at them. He looked at the others as he went to open up a bag of chips, "I do miss Etna… and her cooking."
A few hours later…
The sun was setting as the rangers waited for Seb. Things were not as going according to plan, at least that's what Rachel thought. Rachel reached for her detector as she opened her phone, "Where is Seb?"
"Seb is still doing that test," Max said over the phone.
"What test?" asked Rachel.
Max was quiet over the phone. Rachel's eyes narrowed as she waited for his response. Max sighed as he looked, "Jack didn't want me to tell you this… but we have a new zord ready to test."
"What?" asked Rachel, "Well, talk about being secretive. Beam us over there!"
"But…," said Max.
"NOW!" shouted Rachel, turning to the others. Closing the morpher, Urara looked at her. Rachel shook her head as she turned to Urara.
"I guess you know?" asked Urara.
"Yep. I do," said Rachel.
"What?" asked Grace.
"You'll see it when we get there," said Rachel.
In a flash of light, the rangers began to disappear, teleporting as they arrived in the Relic Hunters Headquarters. No sooner the beams disappeared in the room, Max tried to stop Rachel as she marched out of the transporter room. As she walked over toward the Zord Bay, Jack turned around with JT. Jack's eyes widened as she looked at Rachel. She stopped walking in her tracks as she noticed not also the five zords shut down, but a sixth zord with a black silhouette over it.
"Calm down," said Jack.
"We've been waiting all day," said Rachel, "You could have said a couple of hours. I started getting testy."
"She's not the only one," said Grace, turning to Jack, "What's going on?"
"Well… relax," said Jack, "This new zord operation… which was to remain confidential… is having some issues."
"New zord?" asked Zander, raising an eyebrow
"Relic Hunter Zord Number 6: The Beedrill Zord," said JT, "Shaped like a Beedrill, has a massive drill with power and it can combine with the Relic Hunter Megazord… if need be."
Jack turned around as the silhouette was removed, exposing the mechanics of the Beedrill Zord. Seb stood in the cockpit, sitting down as an orange background appeared with the number 6 in the background. He placed his Relic Driver in the console.
"Relic Hunter Zord 6: Ready to launch," said Seb.
"Activate launching sequence," said JT, going to his laptop.
As he pressed the button, the Beedrill's drills began to activate. As the speed increased, a yellow electrical surge surrounded the zord. Seb screamed as he was having electrical impulses. As he tried to activate the zord, the energy increased. Grace turned around, looking at JT. JT stood at the zord graph levels. The levels were all over the place.
"What's happening?" asked Jack.
"I got to pull the plug," said JT, pressing the button.
The rangers watched as the Beedrill Zord powered down. Jack sighed as Seb opened up the cockpit, walking down the ladder and then heading across the bridge, meeting the other rangers. Seb sighed as he landed on Grace.
"He's exhausted," said Grace, turning around.
"Well… don't our powers come from the zords?" asked Zander.
"And it was energized by the Poké Coins as well…," said Jack, showing the Torchic Coin, "However, these zords are built by Mega Evolution as well. The issue is tapping in and increase your ability to withstand the morphing grid. Relic Hunter Zords 6, 7, 8 and 9 are going to double your power when in use."
"Say what?" asked Rachel, "You mean… the next four zords will give us an increase?"
"Yes… but the opposite side is what happened to Seb. Right now, he is unable to morph until the energy is restored… which could take a few hours," said Jack.
Seb nodded as he looked at the others. Lamar turned around as he looked at Jack, "Then, I'll go."
Seb shook his head, walking over to Lamar. Lamar looked at him as Seb patted him in on the shoulder, "I think I should be the one to try. I don't recommend it."
He released himself from Grace's grasp as he started walking back to headquarters. The other rangers looked at each other and then at Lamar. Lamar turned to the others as he looked at them, "You would think after all we've been through, he could trust me… or us."
(Poké Rangers logo appears… theme song set to GouGou Sentai Boukenger… screen shows various artifacts)
Narrator: The Poké Rangers as you know them fought through amazing villains and warriors. Now, they face the advances of the Weather Syndicate, Team Magma, Team Aqua and Dracos. Now, they must find the artifacts, get the jewels, revive Rayquaza and save Hoenn!
(The season logo appears)
Seb: Poké Rangers
Rangers: Relic Hunters!
(The Mystic Force Rangers stand in pose as they transform into the Relic Hunter Rangers with Urara looking across)
Go Go Go! Go Go Go! Ready Go!
(Rangers show one by one with their weapons: Seb and Lamar with their weapons)
Start Up, Relic Hunters!
(Zander jumps up with his weapon, shooting the Magma Grunts down)
Revive Rayquaza, Shift Up, Relic Hunters!
(Rachel fights with her weapon with Grace behind cutting new grunts)
Go, Go, Ready Go!
(The five Relic Hunters arrive, standing at Sky Pillar)
(Seb appears fighting as the Solaris Knight, Seb is then climbing up on the mountain)
(Seb appears in a red background with the Red Ranger driving a zord… "Sebastian- Red Relic Hunter Ranger" created by D.J. Scales)
Riding to the center of the Earth, my heart starts beating.
(Lamar uses his Mystic Morpher to transform into the blue ranger, then Lamar drives down a snowy mountain on a sled)
(Lamar appears in a black background with the Black Ranger driving a zord… "Lamar Clayton- Black Relic Hunter Ranger" created by NashWalker)
It gives me a strong pulse…
(Zander uses his Mystic Morpher to unleash green vines from his morpher. Zander then is standing on a ship with a telescope in his hand)
(A blue background appeared with Zander grinning with the Blue Ranger driving a zord… "Zander Jackson- Blue Relic Hunter Ranger" created by BentleyGirl)
A dream is now awakening…
(Rachel arrives in Magiland as she took out her Mystic Staff, then Rachel arrives, riding on a Rapidash)
(A yellow background appeared with Rachel grinning and the Yellow Ranger driving a zord… "Rachel- Yellow Relic Hunter Ranger" created by MakiZanaX13)
It is no longer a dream, the treasure is real.
(Grace appears DJing as she releases electricity from her station. Grace climbs up a mountain, looking overhead as she used a map to look for treasure)
(A pink background appeared with Grace and the Pink Ranger driving a zord… "Grace Jackson- Pink Relic Hunter Ranger" created by NashWalker)
Climbing up, diving down, finding your Precious!
(Team Aqua arrives… with Archie in the front)
Start up right now, the adventure begins!
(Team Magma arrives… with Maxie in front)
Shift up, increase your adrenaline!
(Team Dracos arrive… with Darcie in front)
We were summoned to find the Ultimate Treasure…
(Jack, JT, Max, Ray and Urara stand together… donning suits from Mighty Morphin', Dino Thunder, In Space and Mystic Force)
Now, let's go and chase our dreams in harsh or mild weather!
(All nine zords are launched in the ocean)
Go Go Go! Go Go Go! Ready Go!
(Zander and Grace fight Courtney and Tabitha)
Start Up, Relic Hunters!
(Lamar and Rachel fight Matt and Shelly)
(Seb fights Darcie and two other Team Dracos warriors)
Through the sea, through the sky, through the desert…
(The Relic Hunter Megazord is formed, finisher is used)
And even through the valleys!
(Seb uses the Relic Detectors and slides it across his arm with the rest of the group)
Do not run! Do not lose! Do not die! Let's begin our adventure!
(Rangers pose with their helmets in the background)
Revive Rayquaza, Shift Up, Relic Hunters!
(The five rangers jump up as Rayquaza arrives in the background)
(The rangers turn center with a facial close-up unmorphed. © 2020 Blaze Productions. © 2006-2007 GouGou Sentai Boukenger by Toei. © 2007-2008 Power Rangers Operation Overdrive. All rights reserved)
Chapter 5: The Lost Zord
Deep in the desert of Route 111…
All was quiet in the desert. Not a single trainer nor a single person stood in the depths of the deserted area of Hoenn. As a sandstorm brewed over the course of the desert, there were a few stragglers that were dragging their crew into a cave. As they entered the depths of the cave, they were surprised by the light as they walked inside. As they approached the center of the chamber, there was a Castform that appeared. However, it was shaped into a black 8 ball that you would find on the pool table. One huge person walked over as his claws grabbed it. Tabitha's face was shown in the light.
"So… Madness Castform… the weather maker," he said, "Never knew that this existed."
The Magma Grunts stood there happily as Tabitha walked across the cave tunnels, entering the desert. He turned around as he looked at the sandstorm. As the crew hissed, Tabitha grinned as he shook the ball. He then threw the ball in the air. The 8 ball began to glow blue as the sandstorm ceased. Clouds gathered together as rain fell on the Earth.
"YES!" shouted Tabitha, "It does exist. Now, Maxie can begin his plan."
Courtney, walking in the rain, looked over, seeing the torrential rain, "Imagine if we can set it to drought?"
"Then, the rangers will have to surrender… and that will give us easy access to the jewels," said Tabitha.
Courtney grinned as she turned to Tabitha, watching the torrential rain. She then looked at Tabitha as she turned to the rain, "However, as land creatures, we should probably take cover."
Tabitha looked up, noticing smoke on his back, "Yeah, good point."
Back at Route 110…
The rangers sat in a campfire off the coast of the route. As they made a fire, Seb was sleeping in his red and gold sleeping bag. The Beedrill Zord did more harm than good when it came to creating its own energy. Lamar laughed as he put glasses over his face and then he took a picture with his PokéNav, laughing as he turned to Grace and Rachel, who were not pleased.
"Really?" asked Grace.
"Well," said Lamar, "It's not every day we do practical jokes."
Grace grinned as she walked over toward him, "I wonder what he is dreaming about."
Seb closed his eyes, snoring as he began to dream…
One evening in Johto near Goldenrod City, Seb was sitting down with a man who was putting up a fire. He was dark skinned, wore a black leather jacket, black jeans and a white t-shirt. He went by the name of Cedric. Cedric was known for his famous bounty hunting and the money he collected on the bounty while Seb was focusing on archaeology and history. Due to them crossing paths in Johto, Seb decided to meet up with Cedric. This time, Seb and Cedric were sitting with three different people. Those three people were a part of Seb's team of archaeology. They were off Route 34 as they were discussing about a few things. One was a set up for a trade… an exchange for Slowpoke for one of the ancient artifacts that Team Rocket managed to snag.. Granted, Seb didn't think this was the greatest idea but Cedric had to convince him that this would work. After all, why have all the money in the world when you can have a rare artifact from Johto to add to your collection? Cedric nodded as he turned to Seb, looking at the cases of Slowpoke that Cedric caught.
"Do you think Team Rocket is going to buy the Slowpoke?" asked Seb.
"Yeah," said Cedric, "I mean, they have been after Slowpoke for a while now."
"Also, Slowpoke cost money," said one of the hunters. She had blonde hair and purple eyes with a pink t-shirt and blue jeans, "Watch."
"Chloe's right. We just got to convince them," said another hunter. He had a black t-shirt with blue jeans and white shoes with yellow stripes, "After all, we need the artifact to expand our collection. Right, Nick?"
Nick nodded, as he brushed his blue hair. His amber eyes stared at them as he touched his green and white striped t-shirt with blue jeans and black shoes, "Our goal, rookie, is to get the artifacts at all cost. Teaming up with your cousin was a really great idea."
"I just hope you're right, Nick," Seb said, turning around.
The sound of the propellers was strong enough to alarm them. A black helicopter slowly began to descend. As the group walked over to a patch of grass, the helicopter landed on the ground. It had a big red "R" on the side. The door opened up as a few Team Rocket members stood with weapons as one of them walked over. Seb nodded as he walked toward the group.
"Hello," said Seb.
"Hi… do you have the merchandise?" asked the grunt.
Immediately, Cedric walked over as he removed the cage. Removing the cage, there was a ton of Slowpoke, trapped. The grunt grinned as he looked at them. Seb turned around as he looked at the grunt, "The artifact?"
"The Tyrantiar Saber... cleaned up and its all genuine," he said.
Seb nodded as he handed the exchange. Cedric pressed a remote control as the cage of Slowpoke started traveling toward the helicopter. As the cage started going up toward the lobby, he gave the control to the grunt. Seb picked up the Tyranitar Saber as the grunt went to give it to him. Smirking, the grunt took the saber and sliced his hand open. The grunt grinned as he then threw a punch at Seb and then down on the ground. Seb looked up as he was then kicked in the stomach. Seb grabbed on to his left palm, seeing the red line as he looked at the grunt.
"What the-?" asked Seb.
"Did you think I would let you just walk away?" he asked, "Proton gave me orders… to kill you."
Seb turned to Cedric as the others looked at them. Chloe laughed as she withdrew her pistol, "Yeah… and I guess as a relic hunter, I have to do my job."
"Wait! We can talk this out!" said Seb.
"Stay out of our way, rookie," said Cedric, pulling out a weapon.
As the grunt walked away, he pressed a red button on his device. The group turned around as they heard a high-wired pitch. Immediately, the five of them started diving for the edge of the water. Seb and Cedric jumped up as they flew toward the western ocean. Before Chloe, Brent and Nick could get over, the explosions emerged and gunshots ran out.
"Chloe… Brent… Nick," Seb mumbled, "I'm… sorry."
Rachel turned around as she looked at him and then returned to the campsite, "Who are they?"
"Oh boy," said Grace, looking over as she turned to them. She sat close to the fire, "Let's not go there."
Lamar turned around as he looked at Grace, "Is there something your hiding?"
The pink ranger turned to Lamar as she continued to roast marshmallows. She shook her head as she continued what she was doing, "Look, Lamar. I don't want to be the bearer of bad news. But, Seb's past life is insane. I know about it because he trusted me."
"Of course, trust," said Lamar, rolling his eyes, "We welcomed him to our group! Now, would be a good time to say a few things."
"You would never understand," said Grace, "Besides, it's what makes Seb vulnerable."
"I can explain."
Grace turned around. The others looked up. Seb, half asleep, walked over as he sat with them. He put his marshmallow on a stick as he sat down. He cleared his throat as he spoke about what happened to him. His face looked up as he continued to roast, "Three years ago, I was heavily involved with Cedric when I became a historian... specifically, helping him with his bounty hunter mission. It was my first mission. Cedric hired us to exchange the Slowpoke. I helped poached Pokémon for the Sword of Tyranitar. Well, we learned that Team Rocket wanted Slowpokes… we figured we get a high price, the artifact would be worth it all rather than just pure cash."
"So… this was going to be your last job?" asked Lamar.
"It should have been," said Seb, "However…"
"However?" Urara asked. Seb sighed as he looked at them, "Team Rocket did what they did."
Urara looked at him as he turned to her. Urara shook her head as she rolled her eyes. Every time the words Team Rocket are mentioned, she cringes due to her own past. She kind of had a feeling she knew what happened next, "They were expecting you… so they tried to kill you."
"Well… they succeeded in killing three of my hunter friends," said Seb, "After that, Cedric and I decided it would be best to split. I didn't see him for a while and I did my own treasure hunting and I was successful… I was going to do my next job in Mauville City, well until I ran into you guys."
"So… what made you stop looking for treasure...?" asked Zander, looking at him.
"Well… I guess with Zeramses and the five of you fighting something so big… when I received the Solar Cell Morpher… I thought it would be a good time to leave my past behind. Granted, when Cedric was found, it was also a relief that he's okay," said Seb, "Now that we are hunting for treasure, I feel like I am having these flashbacks. It was a pure mistake and I should have never put my team in danger. I also should have never been involved with this deal. It was my fault, regardless."
Lamar looked at him and then turned to Seb, scratching his chin as he looked at the red ranger, "I have my doubts."
"You don't trust me?" asked Seb.
"Well… I did… till now," said Lamar.
"Lamar, I get that you don't trust me," said Seb, continuing to explain, "But, I swore the next time I would work with a team, I would never put anybody in that situation. You could have gotten yourself hurt using the zord right now. So, that's why it's out of the question."
Lamar turned around as he looked at him, "Well… if you are drained, someone else needs to try it!"
"It's always about you…," said Seb.
"Well, a true leader would never abandon his team," said Lamar, "Or maybe you are still a rookie after all?"
Seb stood there, angrily. His fists were clenched as he was waiting for Lamar to do some physical harm. Grace walked over toward Seb as Rachel walked over toward Lamar. Zander and Urara looked at them as Grace turned to Lamar, "You are way out of line."
"I am not… I am stating the fact!" shouted Lamar.
Rachel turned around as she looked at him. Lamar looked over as she shook her head, "Rachel, don't tell me you are siding with them…"
"No offense…," said Rachel, "That was rude. He may not have had the experience of collecting treasure. But, to demonstrate your point on the subject... it's illogical."
Urara nodded as she turned to both groups, "Well… look, let's not take sides. Seb had every right to escape. I think they all tried to escape. He couldn't save everybody when Team Rocket ambushes happen. And Lamar, for you to try out a zord when Seb couldn't do it right now is just plain illogical. If you try, do you think the results would be different? You don't trust him over a test? I find that a little upsetting and petty."
Lamar looked over as he turned to Grace and then Urara. Urara raised her eyebrow before she went to speak. She took a deep breath before the Relic Detectors started ringing. Seb reached for his morpher, "This is Seb."
"Rangers… please meet me in Headquarters," said Max, "We have much to discuss."
Ten minutes later…
The group walked into the main headquarters with their Relic Hunter jackets over their clothes. Jack nodded as he turned to the group. Urara was amazed by the artifact on the screen as the rangers sat down at the table. Max grinned as he looked at the artifact, "The next clue to your quest is already actively damaging the ecosystem of Route 111."
The rangers watched as thunder and lightning struck the desert with massive downpours. Zander nodded as he turned to the group, "That looks… very wet for a desert."
"Someone activated the Madness Castform artifact," said Max.
"Madness Castform?" asked Seb.
"An artifact that when thrown into the air, can change weather within an instant," said Jack, turning to the ball that was shown, "Or for a long period of time. This was used years ago during the 10,000-year-old war with Mariah and Rayquaza."
"Supposedly… but it was buried during the battle. Someone got their hands on it," said Max.
Urara nodded, "Well… I can tell you this, we need to get that artifact. If this continues, desert Pokémon won't have a habitat left."
Seb sighed as he looked as he stretched out his jacket, "Well… so much for sleep. Rangers, let's head up to Route 111. Let's investigate this."
Max nodded as he turned to the others, "I knew you would say that. The Transporter Room has your coordinates set to Route 111."
Seb nodded as the other Relic Hunter Rangers followed. Lamar, still angry, was the last to leave as they walked out the door. Jack walked over to Urara as he turned to her. Urara nodded as she turned to Jack, "You missed a lot."
"Well… I've been there with arguments," said Jack, "This will pass."
Later that evening…
The desert storm was whipping with wind and rain. As the rain suddenly began to dissipate, five beams of light occurred in the region as the rangers materialized on the ground. Landing on the dirt, Grace took out her Relic Detector, examining the desert. She heard a beeping noise as a red blimp was shown on her device. She looked at the others as she stretched out her morpher, "Look… we have a new thing on the Detector."
"It looks like we are going north," said Seb, turning to Grace and the others, "Let's head up there."
The five rangers started walking across. Lamar, being the last one, looked around as he was turning to the canyon walls. In his Mystic Force days, the rangers avoided the desert like the plague. Part of the reason was there was nothing there, but the sandstorms were so fierce, it wasn't worth the walk. However, with the sandstorms subsiding, he never saw a place so wet… yet visible. Lamar turned around as he walked along the group, waiting to see what was ahead as they continued their walk into the desert. As they headed down a steep hill with a canyon, they heard screaming and cries of help in the distance. The rangers turned to each other as they dashed toward the screams. As the screams got louder, they heard destruction and explosions. Getting to a part of the desert where it was habitable, the group noticed a campsite being torn to shreds… by the Magma Grunts. Tabitha laughed as he looked at them, "Burn it to the ground…"
"Tabitha!"
Tabitha turned around as the rangers showed up. Tabitha grinned as he looked at the rangers, happily enough as he went to speak to them. His crossbow was up in the air as he looked at the group, "Rangers, so nice to see you. Now, what do you want?"
"I am assuming you are behind this?" asked Seb.
Tabitha grinned as he looked at the sky, "You mean? Madness Castform? Look!"
The group looked up as the weather began to change from rain to sun. However, the sun was so bright, the temperature started rising immensely. As the sun began to roast the desert, Tabitha laughed as he looked at the team.
"Rangers, give up… once we set this to drought, the whole region will have to surrender… giving us access to the jewels… and raising Groudon!" shouted Tabitha.
"Like that will happen," said Seb, covering his eyes, "Rangers, defeat Team Magma and get the artifact."
"Right," the rangers responded.
Seb pulled out his morpher, spinning it as the rangers stood with their Relic Detectors, "Relic Hunters, Start Up!"
Gliding their detectors forward, flashes of light surrounded them as they transformed into their suits. Their helmets appeared as they materialized. The rangers struck a pose as Tabitha snapped his fingers.
"Attack!" Maxie shouted.
The Magma Grunts arrived with their sabers, charging toward the rangers. Immediately, the rangers pulled out their Hunter Sabers. Grace and Rachel flipped forward as they blocked their sabers and then cut across, slashing the Magma Grunts as they fell to the ground. Next, Lamar and Zander took out their sabers, flipping backwards as the group went to strike. Lamar turned around as he looked at Zander, he removed his Scope Shot from his pocket. Pressing the button, the hook wrapped around as the Magma Grunts were wrapped in the chain. Zander nodded as he attached his Scope Shot to his weapon. He then aimed at the group as Lamar released the hooks. Pulling the trigger, a blue blast emerged from his weapon. The creatures screamed as a blue and white explosion surrounded the Magma Grunts. While that was going on, Seb and Tabitha went after each other. Tabitha shot a few arrows. As Seb blocked them, he jumped up, pressing the belt buckle. His Blaze Lance materialized, grabbing it. Seb slashed Tabitha across as he kicked him in the stomach.
"Release the artifact!" shouted Seb.
Suddenly, a magma ball rose from behind, exploding as Seb landed on the ground. Looking up, Maxie arrived as he looked at him.
"Maxie…," Seb said under his breath.
"Yes…," said Maxie, "I don't plan on giving this to you.
The rangers stood together as Maxie grinned, "Tabitha did a good job using Madness Castform… now we can use this to our advantage and bring back Groudon… well, once we amplify it."
Grace looked up as she took out her Relic Detector, scanning the artifact in the sky, she saw the numbers.
"Hazard Level: 450…" said Grace, "If you amplify it, you could cause devastating damage to not also this region, but the planet. Are you willing to take that risk?"
Tabitha laughed as he looked over, noticing Courtney walked over, "Maxie, please… They are just humans who don't know better."
"You were human… you should know that humans can't last in heat for very long," said Lamar, "Especially at this level!"
"Let's shut them up," said Maxie, "Courtney? Tabitha?"
Maxie withdrew his golden and red saber, holding it to his chest. The others took out their weapons, Tabitha with his crossbow and Courtney with her golden blaster. The four rangers placed their hands on their belt buckles.
"Hunter Weapons, engage!"
"Doom Hammer!"
"Swamp Blaster!"
"Thunder Scooper!"
"Psychic Cutter!"
The rangers split up to face the three. Courtney charged forward as she released golden blasts from her blaster. The girls screamed as they performed a shoulder roll. Rachel released an electric attack with her scooper, slicing Courtney. Courtney blocked the attack as she turned to Grace. Grace gave a spinning hook kick across her face. Courtney stumbled as she went to kick her across. Grace blocked with her arm as she slashed her in the face. Courtney screamed as she looked at her face, noticing the maroon cuts on her face.
"You…" she said, aiming her weapon, "Lava Plume!"
Pulling the trigger, lava blasts shot out. Rachel and Grace screamed as they landed on the ground.
Tabitha went to block Lamar's attacks. Tabitha blocked another attack and then went to aim at Lamar. Pulling the trigger, golden beams shot out as Tabitha blocked them. Looking up, Zander arrived with his Swamp Blaster.
"Water Pulse!"
Shooting a blue blast of energy, Tabitha was cooled off. Turning around, Lamar jumped up as he raised his hammer. Lamar performed a split in the air as he raised his hammer, "Shadow Hammer!"
A black and red aura surrounded his hammer. Tabitha laughed as he took out his golden crossbow. A golden charge surrounded it as he pulled the trigger. Arrows shot out as Tabitha was hit. Golden sparks surrounded Lamar as he landed on the ground. As Lamar struggled to get up, Zander jumped down as he took out his Swamp Blaster. As he aimed his weapon, Tabitha struck again. Golden sparks surrounded him as Zander landed on the ground.
Maxie and Seb went at it. Maxie went to slice with his weapon, causing Seb to block it. Seb twirled around as he went to strike with his Blaze Lance. Blaze Lance twirled around as he stabbed Maxie. Maxie turned around as he looked at Seb. Seb turned around as he swung around, slicing Maxie. Maxie turned around as he and the others regroup. The five rangers stood forward as they pointed their weapons out, "So… when you are going to give up the artifact?"
Blue lightning bolts struck down the surface as the rangers and Team Magma landed on the ground. Maxie looked up as he saw the blue aura surrounding from the Madness Castform artifact. A blast of snow was emerging from the artifact as he looked at the others.
"Fall back! It's too powerful!"
The three creatures regrouped as they teleported in streams of flames. Seb turned around as he looked at the team. He took out his Relic Detector, "JT, send the zords!"
In a flash, the Relic Hunter Zords materialized on the ground. Lamar turned around as he looked at Seb, "What are we doing?"
"If we form the Relic Hunter Megazord, we can collect the artifact," said Seb.
The rangers looked up as their Relic Drivers landed on the ground. The rangers picked up their Relic Drivers as they headed into their zords. Seb jumped into the cockpit as he placed his Relic Driver into the cockpit.
"Alright, team. Let's combine!" shouted Seb.
Before he pressed the button, blue lightning strikes as their zords were hit. As the blue lightning bolts hit a canyon, a massive avalanche started to occur. Lamar turned around as he looked at the mountains. The Houndoom Zord was hit as it slid across with the Swampert Zord. Zander shouted as his zord tumbled over with the Manectric Zord behind. Rachel turned around as the Gallade Zord was then hit. The four zords dragged across as the Blaziken Zord was then hit. Seb yelled as the Blaziken Zord stood in the snow. Seb tried to maintain weaponry as he stood. Looking up, he noticed a huge snowbank.
"Lamar!"
BZZT! BZZT! No sound was coming from his zord.
"Zander… Rachel… Grace, respond!"
Seb turned around as he looked up noticing, the avalanche increasing. Seb quickly got up as he opened the cockpit. Getting out of the cockpit, he stood as he saw the avalanche of massive proportions. Turning around, he used his Scope Shot. The Scope Shot shot across, hitting a rock formation. Wrapping it around, Seb flew across as the zords landed off the cliff, causing a major crash landing. Looking down, he noticed the snow covering them.
"I got to get back to base," said Seb, landing in the snow. As he landed on the ground, he turned around as he looked at the Relic Detector, "JT! Jack!"
Jack's voice was buzzing through the morpher, "… Seb!... Stand by!"
Seb nodded as he placed his morpher on his belt. Turning around, flames surrounded him as Seb landed on the ground. Seb turned around as Maxie arrived with his saber.
"Are you ready to die?" he asked.
Seb turned around as he grabbed his Blaze Lance, "If my friends die, their blood will be on your hands."
Seb charged in with Maxie. The fist fighting turned into sword fighting instantly. As they continued to fight, Maxie super charged his red and golden saber. As he swung across, Seb went to charge with his Blaze Lance. As the two weapons clashed, a red and orange explosion surrounded them. Maxie screamed as he flew across, landing on the ground. Seb fell to his knees as a red aura surrounded him, transforming out of his suit. Landing in the snow, a red aura surrounded as he was teleported.
Meanwhile…
In the avalanche, Grace woke up from her slumber. Looking up, she saw nothing but snow on her screen. She turned around as she looked at her screen, "Rangers, respond! Seb! Lamar! Zander! Rachel!"
A green screen appeared in her cockpit as Rachel woke up in her cockpit.
"Rachel here… I am alive."
"This is Zander… I am okay!"
Another screen appeared, showing Zander.
"This is Lamar… I'm good down here!"
Three screens appeared. As they looked at the fourth screen, Seb's cockpit was empty.
"Seb?" asked Lamar.
"Seb's cockpit is still online," said Rachel, looking at the cockpit.
Lamar turned around as he looked, "He left us."
Grace turned around as she looked at him, "… I highly doubt that."
"Well… I hope he has a way to come find us," said Lamar, rolling his eyes as he slid into his chair. He put his feet on the Relic Driver as he looked at the rangers on the screen.
"Again with being doubtful. Seriously, Lamar," Grace responded sternly, "What's going on?"
Lamar sighed as he turned to Grace, "Simple. I guess its hard to see Sebastian be leader of the team."
Zander turned around as he looked at Lamar. Zander groaned as he looked at him on the screen, "Let me guess. Because of his background prior?"
"Yeah…," said Lamar, turning to the team, "It wasn't because of what happened. It was because of what he did."
"That was three years ago… and one thing he did wrong," said Grace, turning around, "People change over time after lessons are learned. When will you ever learn?"
Lamar looked at Grace. He sighed as he looked at the team, "Well… still… it makes me a little angry, I guess. Plus, I guess when I saw that new zord, I wanted to try it out and obviously that wasn't going to happen. I really felt he didn't trust me."
"Lamar, that's not true," said Grace, turning to him, "I think he does trust you. The question is… do you trust him?"
Lamar stood there silently as he looked at the screen. He then sighed as he sank back into his chair. Grace definitely nailed it on the head.
Hours later…
Urara and Amy stood in the infirmary as Seb's eyes opened to see the screens. He was wearing his pants but his upper body was covered in a white bandage that was diagonal. Seb looked up as he carefully climbed off the bed. Urara turned around as she looked at him. Seb went to walk out, "Are they okay?"
"Yeah…," said Urara, "Everything's fine."
"I hope so," said Seb, marching toward the headquarters, grabbing his shirt from the counter. Amy started dashing, stopping him in his tracks. Seb looked up, "I have to get back there."
"Not without your zord…," said Amy, turning around, "But, it looks like they are doing fine."
Seb turned around as he noticed the screen in the main headquarters. The four rangers were playing a game of some sort virtually. Seb grinned as he looked at the four of them, playing a long, trying to keep their mind off of them. Jack turned around as he looked at him. As Seb went to put on his white t-shirt. He also found his red and black vest on the chair as he put it on, "What's the status of Madness Castform?"
"Madness Castform is still starting to pile on snow. If it keeps adding up, Route 111 will turn into a glacier," said Urara, "It will look like Snowpoint City at this point."
"Also… we have learned something about that artifact," said Amy.
"What?" asked Seb.
Amy turned on the camera. Ray Hoover, who was down from the Megaship, looked over as he turned to Seb, examining the artifact. Inside the artifact, there were flashes of green light that absorbed the energy. The energy had red molecules in it.
"What is that?" asked Seb.
"Magma particles," said Ray, "Team Magma's DNA must have reacted with Madness Castform… believe it or not Madness Castform is not any artifact."
"It's…," said Seb, "A biological living artifact?"
Ray nodded slowly, "With DNA as Tabitha's… anything touched biologically could go haywire."
"But, there weren't any scratches…" said Seb, "No molecules, nothing. So, how could he have been tampered with?"
"True," said Ray, "But, he touched it with his bare hands. Madness Castform can only be touched by the cleanest of hands. Touching it or tampering with it and having evil in your hands… causes this thing to go haywire."
"How do we stop it?" asked Seb.
Suddenly, a flash off blue light surrounded it. Seb turned around as he noticed the creature was a humanoid Castform with a tornado funnel like body, but it was solidified. It had weapons that had golden cannons, that started shooting snow and orange beams, causing more avalanches.
"Obviously…," said Seb, "It can turn into a monster."
"It looks like you are going to have to destroy the monster if you want the artifact," said Ray.
"That's a given," said Seb, turning to Jack. He began to think as he turned around, looking at the sky, "What would Rachel do?"
He began to think. Scratching his chin, he began to have some memories from what happened in Petalburg City…
Rachel tried every ounce of strength to get up from the ground. Watching Lamar try to battle this beast alone was enough for her to even see. As she stood up, she headed straight for him. Articuno looked up as it floated toward Ogre. Ogre turned around as he released another wave of energy, hitting Articuno in the chest. Articuno fell to the ground as Rachel dove the explosion. Lamar quickly pressed a few buttons on his morpher as the Ogre went for the trident.
"Jinga Majuna!"
As Ogre went to strike, a barrier formed, blocking the attack. As the barrier disappeared, Lamar stretched out his Mystic Morpher, revealing his Mystic Trident.
"Fool!" Ogre snarled, "You can't face me all by yourself."
Rachel turned around as she withdrew her Mystic Staff, changing it into a saber. She aimed her weapon at Ogre, "There's two of us now."
As Ogre charged forward, the two rangers dashed toward him. Ogre swung his trident and the rangers flipped over his weapon. As Ogre went to block, Lamar pushed the weapon out of the way and slashed him with the trident. Rachel jumped up and slashed him with the sword. The others, who were stumbling managed to follow as they revealed their weapons. Zander charged forward with his axe while Urara used her wand to levitate Ogre. A pink gust of wind pushed Ogre up in the air. As Ogre screamed angrily, Urara held on as Grace aimed for Ogre. Pulling the trigger, yellow lightning bolts from her crossbow hit him. Ogre opened his eyes as he began to glow in a bright red aura, releasing dark energy. The rangers landed on the ground with Articuno behind them.
"Fools!"
As Ogre went to twirl his trident, he aimed for a particular ranger. As he went to strike, his main target was Grace. As Grace went to aim with her crossbow, golden beams shot out from behind her, hitting Ogre in the stomach. As he stumbled back, the rangers turned around as Sebastian arrived with his lamp.
"Seb!" Grace shouted.
"You were told not to come," said Articuno, floating toward him, "Unless, you learned your lesson."
"I believe I have," said Seb.
"Those Zombified Crobatulas were to take care of you…," he said.
"So… you were behind this?" Seb asked.
"... Uh," said Ogre, "And…"
"Save your breath. You can tell this to someone else when you're dead," said Seb.
"You are in no position to make threats," said Ogre, raising his trident, "Come at me!"
Seb walked up as he placed his Mystic Lamp Blaster in his pocket. A golden aura surrounded his right hand as his Solar Saber appeared. Grasping the blade, he pointed the tip of the blade toward Ogre. It was pure silence as the wind started gusting up on Route 104. As the winds increased, wild Taillow flew out, signaling the match. The two of them started charging at each other. Ogre swung his trident down as Seb moved to the side, blocking his weapon with his saber. Pushing the trident aside, Seb used a sidekick in the stomach. As Ogre stumbled back, he raised his trident and threw it across. Seb ducked as the trident missed. Ogre raised his hand as a red aura surrounded the trident. The trident was lifted up from the ground. Snapping his fingers, the trident released red sparks of electricity. The sparks caused Seb to land on the ground with the explosions surrounding him. Getting up from the dirt road, Seb swung his saber across, creating a line of slashes. As sparks flew out, Ogre laughed as he saw the slashes being made. There was no damage. Ogre then took his claw and slashed Seb in the chest, creating three big lines and blood marks. As Seb landed on the ground, Ogre hissed as he aimed his trident. He stomped on top of his body. Seb screamed a little as Ogre laughed at him.
"This is what you get… Solaris Knight," said Ogre, "How can you beat me… your friends can't… and not even Articuno."
As Seb looked up, he noticed a golden drip coming from behind his body. Ogre grinned as he went for the kill.
"... Die!"
As he went to strike, Seb blocked it with his saber, pushing the trident away with full force. As the trident landed on the ground, Ogre's eyes began to glow bright red as he went to step off. Using his saber, Ogre tripped over it and landed on the ground. As Ogre went to stand, Seb stomped on him as he noticed the open wound on the back of his neck. He then took out his Mystic Lamp Blaster. Pulling the trigger, a golden blast shot down his neck as he screamed. Jumping off, he shot his whole back down. Sparks flew as Ogre stood in pain.
"If it wasn't for Rachel," Seb turned around, "I would have never been able to get this far. If it weren't for my team, we would have never faced these hideous beasts."
He walked over as he turned to Jack. He gulped as he looked at the former red ranger, "I am going to use the Beedrill Relic Zord."
"How?" asked Jack. He must have thought Seb slept a little too much as he went to continue with his statement, "It's too powerful."
Seb turned around as he looked at him, "My friends need me. We need that artifact… it's the only zord we have left right now."
Jack nodded as he turned to the screens and then the creature. He looked up as he turned to Seb. Seb looked at him as he took a deep breath, "Jack... you know if you were in my shoes and Rayquaza would've said no, you would do the same."
Jack sighed as he looked at the red ranger across the room, "I guess convincing you won't change your mind... Alright!"
"Jack!" said Amy, "No way… he is still needs to recover."
Jack turned to Amy, giving her a serious look which intimidated her. Due to the reaction on his face, Amy nodded as she turned to Seb, grinning from ear to ear as she looked at the red ranger, "Then again… I am sure my Bandstand Ranger friends would probably throw recovery out the window too."
Seb grinned as he turned around. JT arrived as he looked at Seb, giving him the Relic Driver. Seb nodded as JT nodded, "It's ready when you are. Bring it back in one piece."
"Got it," said Seb.
Ten minutes later…
Madness Castform continued spraying its blizzard blast along Route 111. The habitat that desert Pokémon once lived was turning into a bank for ice types. As he marched away, the zords, which were underground in the snowbank, were being occupied as they continued to talk.
"Alright," said Lamar, "So… who wants to play a game of truth or dare?"
"Truth or Dare?" asked Grace, "We didn't play that since Dewford Island."
"That was when you were also single," said Lamar, grinning.
Grace looked at her as she went to speak. Before she could ask a question, she heard a drill like sound. Turning around, the rangers watched as they saw a Beedrill, drilling through the snowbank. As the Beedrill Zord arrived in the chasm, it hovered over as a disgruntled Sebastian was trying to control the zord.
"Seb!" shouted Lamar, "You're back!"
"I am…," said Seb, "And I brought a present… your escape route."
The rangers hovered over, noticing the massive tunnel that led outside. Sebastian hopped over, setting coordinates to the Beedrill Zord. As he returned to the Blaziken Zord, he looked at the others as the Beedrill Zord started its track, "Follow… this ice formation will collapse in a minute."
Without any hesitation, the zords followed the Beedrill Zord out. With the Gallade Zord being the last one out, the snow ceiling collapsed, landing where they were buried. As the six zords managed to rise from the snowbanks, Seb turned around as he noticed Madness Castform screaming as he turned around.
"We need to defeat Madness Castform… it's the only way to get the artifact," said Seb, "Let's get going!"
"Right!" said the rangers.
"Adventure Fusion!" shouted Seb.
He pressed the first five numbers of the morpher and then spun the dial. Immediately, the systems began to haywire as he saw what was going on. The Houndoom and the Manectric got on all fours. The legs began to shrink as they turned into wheels. Leaving the heads where they were, their bodies lifted 90 degrees. The Blaziken Zord jumped up into the air as it landed on top of the zord legs. A red and golden charge surrounded the zords as they combined. The Swampert Zord divided in half. The Swampert's head and chest popped out as the body split in half, connecting to either side of Blaziken. The chest connected to the front of the Blaziken with the head covering the Blaziken. Last, the Gallade Zord flipped up as it put its legs together and spread its arms wide. Connecting to the back, Gallade Zord's arms wrapped around the chest. Golden eyes appeared on the helmet as the Megazord formed.
In the cockpit, the rangers arrived in their seats. This time it was a grey cockpit with the numbers 2, 4, 1, 5, and 3 from left to right. The rangers sat down with their cockpits, ready to go. Rachel turned around.
"Relic Hunter Megazord, Assembly Complete!"
Madness Castform screamed as he stretched his arms, transforming into cannons. Snow cannons shot out as the Relic Hunter Megazord was hit. The rangers held on as the Megazord stumbled. The Megazord walked forward as Madness Castform screamed, releasing droplets of snow from his cannons. As sparks flew from the cannon, the rangers held on for dear life as they were hit.
"There's no way we can get near him," said Lamar.
"Yep…," said Seb, "We need something a little fast… Lamar, take the lead!"
"Where are you going?" asked Lamar.
Before Seb could answer, a flash of red light surrounded him as he disappeared, transferring over to the Beedrill Zord. As Madness Castform went to strike the rangers in the front, the Beedrill flew across, slashing Madness Castform. Madness Castform turned around, shooting ice beams. The Beedrill dodged the attacks as it twirled around.
"Twineedle!" shouted Seb.
As he held on to the level, a yellow surcharge surrounded Seb as the stingers began to emanate a lime aura. Piercing Madness Castform, the creature screamed as the Beedrill flew across toward the Relic Hunter Megazord.
"Now…," said Seb, turning to the Relic Detector, "JT, can we arm the Beedrill with the Megazord."
"The program is ready. Just press 6 and spin… You can say "Adventure Upgrade" in order for you to activate the attachment," said JT, over the intercom.
"Let's do it! Adventure Upgrade, Start Up!"
Pressing 6, the Beedrill began to fold its arms to right angles as it floated over toward the right arm of the Megazord. Wrapping around, the wings folded on top as the stingers moved down to the end, making a massive drill. The drill began to glow bright lime as Seb arrived back into the cockpit.
"Relic Drill Megazord!" shouted Seb, "Assembly Complete!"
The rangers groaned as yellow sparks surrounded all of them. Screaming, their suits disappeared as they hung on for dear life. Seb held on as he moved the handle forward, "Come on… we can do this!"
As the crew endured the lightning, they reached for their devices and grabbed the levers. A lime aura surrounded the Megazord as Madness Castform started releasing more snow streams. The drill of the Megazord began to glow bright lime as the snow split into fifty different places. Madness Castform stumbled back as the Megazord jumped up in the air.
"Full Throttle!" shouted Seb.
"Relic Drill Megazord: Fell Stinger Finish!"
The rangers held on as the Megazord turned into a drill, transforming into a lime aura. Madness Castform screamed as the Megazord went through the creature. Landing on the ground, a blue aura arrived as the artifact was shown. Using the other hand of the Megazord, a vacuum activated as the artifact landed in the cockpit. The body, however, fell to the ground, making a big explosion. The roasting sun began to shine on the desert as the Relic Drill Megazord stood down.
"We did it," said Zander, breathing heavily.
Lamar turned around, looking at Seb as he carefully stood up. Stumbling, he headed over to him, "Hey, Seb. I want to apologize… I may have been way out of line."
Seb shook his head, "Lamar, you did okay. When we get back you guys can try the zord."
"What?" asked Zander, "I thought that was assigned to you."
"Anyone can use it…," said Seb, "You just got to bear the strength of it."
Later that day…
Madness Castform was placed in the artifact along with the artifacts they found. Seb grinned as he turned around, looking at Jack. Jack sighed as he turned to them, "Well… it looks great to finally have artifacts in here."
"Yeah," said Seb, "But, still no clue to the jewels."
"True," said Jack, "However, we have quite the collection."
Seb laughed as he turned around, "Do you think we could own a museum and put these up?"
Jack turned to Seb, "The police would be there every night if they knew what we had."
"I know… I was just joking. I highly doubt they should be up for public display," said Seb.
Jack grinned as he went to sit down, "How's Zander doing on the zord?"
Seb turned around as he looked at the computer. Pressing the button, the Beedrill Zord kept spinning around, with Zander and Lamar screaming in the cockpit. Trying to maintain control, the yellow sparks surrounded them.
"This is hard!" shouted Zander.
"Make it stop… please… make it stop!" shouted Lamar.
Seb grinned as he turned to Jack, "I think that answers your question."
The two red rangers laughed as they were watching the whole show at the Zord Bay.
Next Chapter…
Grace: That's an interesting crest!
Silva: If we can get it, we can summon the Black Pearl!
Grace: Give me the crest!
?: Says you!
Grace: Look, give me the crest!
Seb: That's a huge ship!
Poké Rangers Relic Hunters Chapter 6: Curse of the Black Pearl
Grace: Relic Hunter Zord #7: Launch!
A/N: So, we have tension between Seb and Lamar… and I wanted to add more character to Sebastian. If you read Mystic Force, Seb's character was shown that he was a Pokémon Historian. I thought it would be great to start developing this character and you are going to see a lot in future chapters. I can't spoil things for you, even though I planned up to Chapter 26 right now... Anyway, you will see more of this character development emerge in this season. Also, with the Beedrill Zord… I wonder what Zord will be next? You are just going to have to wait and see.
Also, I found the next chapter! It was just hanging around my OneDrive. Chapter 6 is going to be a fun one! I'm going to start writing Chapter 10 now. See you next week!
