A/N: Here is Chapter 24! I am looking forward to continuing this series. And here… we… go!


July 8, 2021- 8:15am

"Zander!" yelled Seb.

Seb and Cedric were running around the piers, looking for Zander on their morphing signature. Seb turned around as he looked at the warehouse over on the far side of the island. The rangers continued to search around the area. Seb turned around as he was looking at the abandoned warehouse. Opening the warehouse, Seb was inside, noticing the chains hanging from the rafters. Cedric turned around as he looked at him.

"What made you want to check here?" asked Cedric.

"Because I have a hunch," said Seb, looking around, "But, there's nothing."

"I can't believe we left him with that girl two nights ago and we didn't bring him with us!" said Cedric.

"I thought he would be back by now," said Seb, withdrawing his morpher, "Hey, peeps! Any leads?"

"Nope," said Rachel, looking at the morpher on her end, "Lamar and I are at the Space Center and the other half of the island."

"Alright," said Seb, looking at the morpher, "Keep looking."

As he closed the morpher, he looked at Cedric. Cedric sighed as he turned to the outside of the warehouse. He looked at Seb as he stood outside with him, "How's Grace handling it?"

"Not well… which is why I refuse to ask how things are," said Seb, turning to Cedric. Cedric closed his eyes as he began to shudder, "What's up?"

"I sense something," said Cedric.

Suddnenly, the sound of beeping noises occurred from Seb's Relic Detector. Seb withdrew the Relic Detector, "Yeah?"

"We found Zander's necklace," said Rachel, "He's not too far."

Cedric turned around as he looked at his morpher, "I'm on my way!"

As Cedric went to dash forward, Seb held him back, "Cedric, wait! Why don't we take it to the base and dust for clues?"

Cedric froze as he turned to Seb, "Seb, I have a better idea."

"I prefer to see the necklace at the base," said Seb, "I am open to any suggestion, but we should head back to the base."

Cedric shook his head as he looked at Seb. Reluctantly, the two rangers headed out toward Ranger HQ.


Chapter 24: Relics and Lovers


The lights turned on as Zander was groaned, tied to a chair. He had a blue bandana covering his eyes as he looked up. Immediately, someone untied the bandana as Zander started looking at the light. He turned around as he noticed a girl walking toward her. She had a black t-shirt with the letter R in red. She wore blue jeans and carried a black pistol on her. She also had an Arbok next to her. She had golden hair with green earrings and blue eyes.

"I hope you enjoyed yourself… now that you are awake," she said, "It's July 8th. You were out for a good 24 hours."

He looked over as he noticed he was chained, "So… Celia, why? Why are you even working for Team Rocket?"

"I am not just a member of Team Rocket. I am a spy," she said, "Infiltrating and knowing about the Poké Rangers and learning how to handle them. Even though its been three years, your personality never changes."

"And you are still evil as ever," said Zander, "Look, untie me. You have all the info you need."

"No way, Relic Hunter Blue Ranger… where are the artifacts?" asked Celia.

"Unfortunately, you will never know," said Zander, "And even if I were to tell you, you would have to kill me to get the info."

"I hope you will answer the question..."

Zander turned around as he saw three silhouettes in the light as the lights revealed themselves, Brent, Nick and Chloe stood there with their arms folded across their chest. Nick stood there as he walked toward him, "I don't plan on having you escape. I do plan on destroying you when we are done with you."

"Well, it was nice NOT to see you in a month. I thought you died," said Zander, grinning, "Seeing that you are nothing but fakes."

Nick laughed as he looked at Zander. He removed his black jacket as he revealed just a tank top and blue jeans. He stretched out his fingers as he clenched them into fists, "Alright, Zander. It looks like I am going to have to play bad cop."

"You wouldn't-," said Celia.

"Shut up!" Nick interrupted, staring at her, "You've done your job. It's now my turn. Sometimes, you just need to rough 'em up."


Meanwhile…

Grace sat down in her chair as she was eating a cup of ice cream. Trying not to panic, Grace had her foot on the table as she was trying to calm herself. Losing her brother was something that wasn't on her to do list. She turned around as she heard the sound of Lamar and Rachel talking. Grace looked up as she turned to him.

"Please tell me you have something," said Grace.

"Yes," said Lamar, raising a sapphire necklace, "I believe this is Zander's?"

"Yes," said Grace, "He never takes this off since he became the blue ranger. Sapphires are his thing."

"His Pokémon are on him," said Lamar, "But, unfortunately, he wouldn't be able to summon them if he got captured."

"Part of me wants to know… how he got captured," said Grace, turning to Lamar and Rachel, "It's just weird."

Seb sighed as he went over to one of the lab stations with the necklace. As he placed the necklace down on the scanner, he began to adjust the dial as he was looking at it. An ultraviolet light was shown on the scanner as fingerprints were shown.

"Hmm… those look like Zander's… there's also another one… and… Cedric?"

"Cedric?" asked the rangers.

"… Wait," said Rachel, turning around. She counted the rangers and then turned around as she looked at Lamar. Lamar was puzzled, noticing that they were both in the same boat. Seb turned around as he looked at the necklace, looking at it.

"Well, I would like to know the fingerprints that are not Zander's or Cedric's. Grace, can you and Urara run a report?"

"Gladly," said Grace, "Anything to get clues."

Seb nodded as he went toward his Relic Hunter gear on the wall. Pressing the white button, a PokéNav popped out of the backpack. Grabbing the PokéNav, he headed toward the door, "I am going to find Cedric. Knowing him, he probably examined the necklace and then started the search on his own."

As the doors closed behind him, Lamar sighed as he looked at Rachel, "I don't get Cedric. He doesn't follow orders."

"Two things: One, he never used to work with a team before. Especially, when his cousin is the leader. Two, he's family. They never advice from each other," stated Rachel, looking at Lamar as he shrugged across the table.

"Good point. Seb would've been Incinizard 2 or something," Lamar replied.


Meanwhile…

Cedric was sitting on the dock of Mossdeep Island as he placed his hand on the wooden plank. Closing his eyes, a black aura surrounded his hands as he began to breathe. As he took a deep breath, he began to feel the ebb and flow of whatever he was sensing. Cedric slowly nodded as he started to get up from the plank. As he went to stand up, Seb stood next to him.

"Hi Seb," Cedric said with a small grin, "How long have you been standing there?"

"Enough to realize what you plan on doing," said Seb, placing his PokéNav in his pocket, "Do you have a lead?"

"Yup," said Cedric, looking at him, "But, I am going to handle this alone."

Seb turned around as he looked at Cedric, "Um… what?"

"You heard me… I am going to handle this myself," said Cedric.

As he went to walk away, Seb walked forward and grabbed him by the shoulder. Cedric turned around as he released a shadow blast from his shoulder. A black aura pushed him away as Cedric turned around to attack. Seb fell backwards as he landed in the ocean. Cedric grinned as he began to walk away. Seb shook his head as he started to swim to the shoreline.

"There's no point of fighting him right now… just focus on getting Zander back," Seb muttered to himself as he started heading toward the shoreline.


Meanwhile…

Nick continued punching Zander in the stomach. Zander began to wheeze as he was then kicked across. Nick looked at him as he grabbed him by the neck.

"Where are the artifacts?" he asked.

Zander laughed as he turned around, spitting his own blood at his face, "Nick, like I said, you will have to kill me. And even if I do die… my friends will be here."

Nick stood there, trying to intimidate, "How are you not afraid of me?"

Zander looked at him, "I fought demons, beasts from the underground. Trust me… this is nothing."

Nick threw him down on the chair as Zander landed on the ground. Nick turned around as he looked at the others, "I can't take it!"

Brent laughed as he turned around, "I have an idea."

He walked over as he turned to a table behind him. There was a device covered in a blue cloth. As he removed the cloth, a grey and black scrambler appeared on the table. Grinning, Brent looked at Zander as he turned to Nick and Chloe.

"Are you sure your memory scrambler is going to work, Brent?" asked Nick.

"It better," said Brent, looking at Zander. Zander laughed as he looked at the device, "Oh great, another torture device."

"Would you rather get beat up?" asked Brent, looking at Zander. Zander looked at him as he shook his head. Brent grinned as he continued, "Good answer."

As he wrapped the device around his head, Nick wiped the sweat off his face with a towel as Celia looked at them. Shaking her head, she walked away as Chloe turned around, looking at Nick. Nick turned around as he guided her by the shoulder. Chloe walked away with Nick as the two were talking.

"So, do you think she would be a good candidate to join us?" asked Nick, raising his eyebrow.

Chloe laughed as she turned around, "Really?"

"Come on," said Nick, looking at the flash drive he had in his pocket, "I looked at her profile. Former Team Rocket operative… and we still have the ranger technology."

"No offense, Nick… I think we need to stick to the three of us," said Chloe.

Nick rolled his eyes as he put his hands on her shoulder, "But, think… with the rangers having six members, we have enough energy to increase our forces."

"And what is your goal?" asked Chloe, looking at Nick. Nick grinned as he turned around, looking at the sun that pierced through the window, "Defeat the rangers, steal the artifacts, collect the jewels, and… well, create our own organized ranger clan."

Brent turned around as he looked at the others, "If you peeps are done talking, I am ready!"

Nick and Chloe turned around as they walked toward the area. Celia turned around as Zander had a headset attached. Brent turned around as he pressed a red and green button. A blue aura surrounded Zander as he jolted. As the wires plugged into a projector, the group watched as they were waiting to see what they could find… and instantly, they were surprised at what they saw.

"WHAT IS THIS?" asked Nick.

There was a video of Rachel, Grace and Urara at the poolside wearing gym clothing in a Pokémon Gym. Rachel, Grace and Urara did flips from one side to the other side, dancing around as they were singing with music from the 1990s. Their Pokémon were also dancing along side as they were looking at them. Zander grinned as he turned around.

"The day they tried to sing 'Go For It'… those are my friends… Rachel, Urara and you obviously know my sister…" said Zander. He then started snapping his fingers as he began to sing, "Put your mind to it, go for it, you gonna break a sweat. Rock and roll…"

Nick clenched his fist as he turned around. Brent nodded as he tried to increase the scrambling. He then turned around as they all looked at the screen. Zander appeared with his Leavanny, wearing a white tux and carrying a red rose. Across the beach, there was Celia, wearing a black and purple dress. As he walked closer, he carried her around as he got close. Zander kissed Celia on the lips. Zander grinned as he turned around.

"That was so much fun… until she became a toxic individual," said Zander.

"ARE YOU KIDDING ME?" asked Nick, turning to Brent.

"It's a memory scrambler… we can't pick and choose," said Brent.

"Oh, I plan on picking and choosing!" said Nick, "I don't need to see this!"

The screen turned around as there was Seb, Lamar, Zander and Cedric standing on stage. The four of them were dressed in black leather jackets, ranger colored t-shirts and blue jeans. Zander grinned as he turned around, looking at Brent and the others.

"Show me the meaning… of being lonely," sang the rangers.

The lights came on as they started dancing. Chloe looked at the screen as she was surprised in response as the four rangers were walking across the stage.

"Show me the meaning… of being lonely. Its just the feeling… I need to walk with… Tell me why… I can't be there where you are!"

Nick took his shoe and threw it at Zander's face. Zander looked over as Nick stumbled over. Zander laughed as he turned around, looking at him.

"I don't need no 90s songs! Show me the meaning… of finding those artifacts!" shouted Nick.

"Oh come on," said Zander, chuckling, "You tortured me with force. You wanted to scramble my brain! Why not torture you? Stop being a drama queen, Nick."


Outside…

Cedric was standing on a bunch of pallets. He then peeked into the window as he looked at his binoculars. He observed everything as he was seeing Zander being kicked and punched by Nick. Cedric shook his head as he looked at what he had on his head.

"Wait…," he said to himself. Placing his hand on the wall, he closed his eyes as a black aura surrounded the building. Cedric opened his eyes as he realized what's going on, "Uh oh."

Hopping off the pallet, he turned around as he went to go to the warehouse. As he did, Seb pulled him to the side. Cedric turned around as he looked at him.

"I told you I would handle this alone," said Cedric.

"Oh, I know why you want to handle this alone. The Ranger Slayers have Zander, don't they?" asked Seb.

Cedric sighed as he turned around. Cedric took a deep breath. He slowly nodded as he turned to Seb. Seb nodded as he turned around, "What's going on?"

"They are looking to see if Zander can locate the base of our artifacts," said Cedric.

Seb nodded, "Well, I guess we better break in there. I'll call for-."

Before he could say anything, Seb felt a punch in the stomach. Seb looked up as Cedric shook his head. Seb landed on the ground, unconscious.

"Sorry, bro. But, this has to be done alone," said Cedric.


Meanwhile…

Zander looked up as he was officially bruised all over his face. He couldn't believe the damage on his face as Celia laughed, looking at him.

"Why Zander, you always had a vivid imagination," said Celia, looking at him.

Nick turned around as Celia grinned, looking at Nick, "He tried playing you… but its my turn. So, Zander, let's look at when you failed as a coordinator."

"What do you mean?" asked Zander.

"Oh, come on. I am sure if I break your confidence, you can tell us where the artifacts are… like the one time when your Toxicroak decided to do this…."

The screen switched as Zander was dressed up in his black and green tuxedo. He looked up as he had his Toxicroak on the ground.

"Toxicroak, let's make some sparkly magic!" he shouted, throwing frisbees.

As the frisbees shot out, Toxicroak released purple sludge from his mouth. As the sludge broke the frisbees, it exploded and turned into purple dust. As the purple dust emerged, people start coughing and wheezing in the audience. Zander turned around as he noticed everyone wheezing as the dust whipped around the ventilation system.

"You did good, but you accidentally released them into the ventilation system. You knew Toxicroak's poison was lethal," said Celia, "Or how about the time this happened?"

Zander, not feeling confident, turned around as he saw himself getting whipped by another trainer.

"Let's show some beauty techniques, Arcanine, Flamethrower!"

As Zander's opponent stared across, her Arcanine released a massive flamethrower. Leavanny screamed as she was surrounded by a ring of fire, burning and wilting.

"Don't be afraid!" shouted Zander, "Use Sunny Day!"

As Leavanny raised his arms struggling, a bright sunny day occurred to shine above Leavanny, only to increase the flames.

"That was a fluke," said Zander.

She laughed as she turned around, "Or… when… you saw this."

Zander sat in shock. He couldn't believe what he was seeing. As he walked out of the Lilycove Grand Hotel, he turned around as he saw Celia walk outside with another man. Grinning, she turned around as she looked at Zander.

"Hey, Zander!" she said.

"Hey," said Zander, noticing she was locked arms with someone else.

Celia grinned as she turned around, "Well, I hate to say this… but it's over."

"It's over?" asked Zander, "What do you mean?"

Celia laughed as she turned around, "You are nothing but a failure. I don't date failures. I date people who are confident in what they are doing and you are a coordinator destined to fail."

Zander looked at Celia, perplexed and confused, "I don't get it."

She grinned as she was looking at the man she locked arms, "He works for Team Rocket. He steals Pokémon and he's rich!"

"You would rather date a criminal?" asked Zander, stumbling. He raised his hands, "That explains why you haven't called. Those trips then…"

Celia grinned as she looked at him, "Yup. They were all business. Now, I have to head to Kanto in the morning. I hope our paths never cross again. Have a nice life!"

As she and her new boyfriend walked away, Zander's heart stopped as he turned around. He fell to his knees on the pavement, in tears.

Outside of the screen, Zander turned around as he looked at her. Celia laughed as she looked at him, "Deep down you still have the love for me… what a failure! You don't know the meaning of true love, and yet you don't know the meaning of being used. Taking you from your friends two days ago was like taking candy from a baby. You are so naïve sometimes, its funny."


Meanwhile…

Seb opened his eyes as he looked at the ocean waves. He then turned around as he reached for his Relic Detector. Opening it, he reached for his morpher. Pressing the red button, he reached for his ear with the morpher.

"Grace, Rachel… Code Red! We found Zander but Cedric is working on trying to defeat the Slayers alone. Please get here immediately," said Seb.


Back in the building…

Zander started breaking down. As he turned around, he clenched his fists as Celia continued laughing. Nick and Brent started snickering as he noticed Zander's confidence breaking down. Zander then turned around as he looked at them, "Oh Celia, things change after two years. I'm not the puppet I used to be."

He aimed his memory at the screen, "You don't know what it's like to have true friends. Friends that boost you up rather than toxic people that knock you down. I am the backbone of the ranger team. The glue of it."

"Please…," said Celia, "Save it."

"Oh… well here are some things that I've done while you were out being a criminal," said Zander.

Turning around, Zander began to have flashbacks of his ranger history.


Specturne and Zander started fighting punch for punch. Specturne threw his vines and whipped him across. Zander flipped and landed on the ground. As the vines crushed Zander's face, red lines were emerging. He groaned as he landed on the ground. The vines came down on him again, only to catch them.

"GO!" shouted Zander.

Marissa slowly nodded as she started to back away. As she turned to run, Zander noticed the other vine whip, he used his feet and quickly swept the creature to the ground. Landing on the ground, Zander took out his morpher.

"Heavenly Saints of Magiland, grant me the power of magic! Magical Source, Mystic Force!"

A green aura surrounded him as he transformed into his ranger suit.

"The howling grass element! Earth Magician, Green Mystic Ranger!"

Immediately, Specturne released needles. Zander took the hit as explosions surrounded him. Specturne stood around, looking for the green ranger. Immediately, Zander stood up and tackled him to the ground. Zander then took out his Mystic Staff.

"Mystic Staff: Axe Mode!"

As his weapon appeared, he raised it to the sky.

"Power of the Earth element, give me the power!"

As a green aura surrounded his axe, the trees began to emanate a green aura as it channeled their power to the roots and into Zander's body. Zander closed his eyes as he channeled his energy. Specturne went for the strike. Zander opened his eyes as he came down with the axe.

"Gii Magika! Leaf Tornado Strike!"

As he cut the ground, a green aura came out of it with a massive tornado of leaves that came directly toward Specturne. Specturne screamed as leaves cut into his body. Sparks flew as Specturne started to fumble. Instantly, he landed on the ground, exploding into pieces.


His next memory came across when he faced a monster alone while Urara was getting married.

Zander was unmorphed as he landed on the ground. As he carefully got up, some blood dripped from his mouth as he started to stumble. He then grasped his hands and turned them into fists, "I'll beat you bare-handed if I have to!"

He felt a muscle spasm in his stomach as he fell to his knees, landing on the ground. As he landed on the concrete, he heard a voice faintly in the distance, calling out for his name. Looking to his right, he saw Urara in a wedding dress, running toward the battle scene.

"Urara… you came," he said, slowly closing his eyes.

Urara dashed over to him, this time smacking him in the back. Zander woke up instantly, "This wasn't a dream?"

"No! I came for you!" shouted Urara, "It would be a shame if you died and weren't at my wedding. I know that postponing the contest for my wedding upset you… and I am sorry! Shun was going to die! I wanted you to be there because you… are like family to me."

"Family?" asked Zander, looking at her.

Urara turned to him as she stared into his eyes, "Zander, you and the rest have been so helpful to me since we started this magical journey. I was alone… the four of you are the family I've never had."

Zander started to tear a little bit as he hugged her right away. Urara grinned as she took the hug. As the two turned around, Genclops stood there shaking his head. Urara took out her Mystic Morpher, "Let's defeat this beast!"

"Agreed," said Zander.

"Heavenly Saints of Magiland, grant us the power of magic!"

"Magical Source, Mystic Force!"

As Zander and Urara pressed the buttons on the Mystic Morphers, lightning bolts struck their morphers. Instantly, two Magiland circles appeared above them, one green and one pink. A Virizion and a Xerenas appeared as the two posted, transforming into their suits as the Magiland circles went through them.

"The howling grass element! Earth Magician, Green Mystic Ranger!"

"The sparkling wind element! Wind Magician, Pink Mystic Ranger!"

The two rangers flipped over and did a flying sidekick toward the creature. As Genclops fell to the ground, Zander and Urara marched forward. Zander had his Mystic Axe, ready to go. Urara nodded as she used her staff.

"Magi Magiro!" she shouted.

Immediately, she transformed into a black and white cannon with pink stripes on it that had Beautifly and Swellow features, "Wind Cannon!"

Zander climbed into the cannon. Urara aimed directly towards Genclops. Genclops looked startled as Zander aimed his axe. A red switch turned on in the back as Zander was released. A gust of wind sliced Genclops as Zander spun around in the air with his Mystic Axe.

"Razor Leaf Wind Blade!" shouted Zander, releasing a green aura around his Mystic Axe. As he swung on top of the head, Genclops screamed as sparks struck his whole body. Screaming, he tumbled back and forth, wincing in pain. As he fell apart, Zander headed over toward Urara.

"You did it," said Urara.

"No, we did it," said Zander, hugging her. Urara looked at Zander as she broke off the hug. Zander chuckled a little bit. Turning around, Grace, Lamar and Rachel were unmorphed as they headed toward them.


He even remembered getting an advice from a former ranger.

Darren shook his head as he looked at Zander, "Anyway, Zander, let me tell you something. Bonds are an amazing thing. You share a bond with your friends and they will be there for you. Fighting together, you get to know a lot about everyone."

"Really?" asked Zander.

"Yes. At this point, you should realize that without your bonds, how would you get this far?" asked Darren.

Zander, as buzzed as he was started to think, "Hmm… I don't know. Good point."

As the barrier disappeared, the five rangers used their Mystic Staffs as they pointed toward Absolute. Sebastian used his Mystic Lamp Blaster at Absolute. The six auras surrounded their weapons.

"Mystic Prominence!"

Six beams of energy combined into one as Absolute screamed as he was hit hard by the attack. Landing on the ground, he noticed Darren and Zander dashing toward him. Zander raised his Mystic Staff: Axe Mode. Darren raised his hand as a new weapon appeared. It was a white cannon that had a silver engine on top. It had a green nozzle at the end as he aimed at the creature.

"Mystic Staff: Axe! Power Leaf Blade!"

He spun across as he slashed Absolute back and forth. Landing on the ground, Darren's Solar Cannon began to charge.

"Solar Cannon! Solarbeam!"

A white energy beam pierced through Absolute as he landed on the ground. Falling to the ground, an explosion occurred as the two green rangers posed.


He even remembered when he gave clues to the other rangers when they faced a monster they couldn't see.

Pulling the trigger, the silver bullet shot out and drilled into Zander. Zander turned around as he was hit. His rock armor exploded as he fell backwards. Rachel, Grace, Urara and Lamar looked out as Zander went to throw his Legend Staff at the window in front of him.

"Code 1: Continental-," he started to say.

Suddenly, a red bullet pierced into his chest. Explosions surrounded him as he landed on the ground. A green aura surrounded him as his whole body landed. His whole body lay limp as his armor disappeared.

"Zander!" shouted Grace.

Grace started dashing in front of the rangers. Rachel, Lamar and Urara followed behind. Zander looked up as Grace and the others arrived. Zander looked down, noticing the bullet in his chest. Grace looked up as Zander grabbed her hand. Grinning, a red aura surrounded him as he started to disappear.


"… Basically," said Zander, "While you were making everyone's lives miserable, I was helping to make a better world."

A green aura surrounded his chair. Zander then turned around as he looked at them. Breaking the chains, he broke free as he removed the memory scrambler from his mind. Celia stood there as she looked at him. Zander knelt down as he looked at her, "I am through with the games."

Celia grinned as she turned to Nick. Nick nodded as he reached into his pocket. Celia laughed as she reached for a secret object Nick gave him. Nick turned around as he Celia looked at him. She had a silver buckler with yellow stripes. She grinned as she recalled her Arbok to her Poké Ball, "I think its time to try this new device."

"… What?" asked Zander.

"Sorry, Zander. But, it looks like I'm one of them!"

She then held out her buckler in front of her, "Slayer Power, unleash!"

A yellow and black aura surrounded her as she transformed into her ranger suit. It was similar to the other ranger slayer suits. It was a black suit with a yellow diamond pattern. She also had silver Beedrill wings and her head was shaped like a Beedrill helmet. She grinned as she posed for herself.

"… No way," said Zander.

"Ranger Slayer, Yellow!"

Nick laughed as he looked at Zander, "With what we have, I can have a whole army."

Zander turned around as Celia released a yellow and black striped beehive that had seven red and black nozzles. Zander immediately took cover as Celia released yellow needles from her weapon. Laughing, Zander ducked as the needles pierced warehouse crates and boxes. Zander rolled underneath as she continued her onslaught.

"Like my Pin Needler?" asked Celia, "It's such a beautiful weapon."

As she looked down, she then noticed a picture on the floor. She picked it up to see a white water tower on top of Lilycove City with a Poké Ball on top with a compass. She turned around as Nick looked at it, "The water tower has their artifacts… and it was a photograph… guess Zander is a pushover after all."

Nick turned around as he looked at Brent and Chloe. Nick put on his jacket as he turned toward him, "Get the robot ready."

As Brent went to press a few buttons, he turned around as he looked at the device that he carried. None of the lights were on. He turned around as he noticed the robot, that was in the shadows.

"It was working earlier," Brent said.

As he tried to press a few buttons, he felt someone tapping him on the shoulder. Looking to his back, Cedric punched him in the face. Cedric turned around as he kicked Chloe in the face, spinning around as he kicked Nick in the stomach and then tackled Celia to the floor. As he stood across, Cedric grabbed Zander's Relic Detector, turning it on. Zander jumped over as Cedric appeared.

"What are you doing here?" asked Zander.

"Saving you," said Cedric.

"Cedric!" shouted Nick.

The other three slayers stood together with their morphers, "Slayer Power, Unleash!"

Transforming into their ranger suits, Cedric and Zander took out their morphers, "Relic Hunters, Start Up!"

In flashes of silver and blue light, the rangers transformed into their suits. The Ranger Slayers began their onslaught. Celia and Nick were fighting Zander while Cedric was facing Brent and Chloe. Celia released another wave of needles, only for Zander to roll underneath. He then withdrew his Hunter Blade, slashing Celia across her stomach. As she landed on the ground, she looked up as Nick went to use his Tyranitar Saber. He turned around as Zander released the Swamp Blaster. Blasts of water hit Nick as he blocked them. As he went to stab Zander, Zander kicked the saber down as he slashed Nick across. Nick spun around as he looked at him.

"How did you get so tough?" asked Nick, "You were mince meat the last time."

Zander laughed, "Never underestimate me!"


Meanwhile…

Seb and the others were dashing toward the outside of the warehouse. As they wrapped around the corner, they opened the door, just in time to see what was going on. Grace turned around as she noticed Celia throwing a kick at Zander. Nick turned around as he noticed Seb arriving.

"Great… another slayer," said Seb.

"Hi Grace!" Celia shouted, "Do you miss me?"

"Wait…," said Grace, turning around. Immediately, Brent and Chloe looked at Celia and then at Grace. Grace looked up as she turned around, "Weren't you the girl that dance with my brother two nights ago? Your voice looks so familiar."

"Oh you should know me," said Celia. As she removed her helmet, she grinned as she looked at her. Grace stood there in surprise as her eyes darted at her. Seb turned around as Grace charged forward, "Uh… can we have a plan?"

"Nope," said Grace, taking out her Relic Detector, "This is personal."

Sliding the morpher on a crate, she transformed in a flash of pink light, transforming into her suit. She dashed forward as she punched Celia in the face. Celia turned around as she landed on the ground. Getting up, Grace aimed her blaster at her forehead.

"You dare come back here after you tossed my brother for a Team Rocket grunt? What a snake!" shouted Grace.

"Well, I always loved Ekans!" she said, withdrawing her Needler. Grace stood up as she noticed what was in her hand. Immediately, Zander dashed forward as the needles shot out of her device. Zander immediately took the hit as the needles pierced his armor. Explosions surrounded him as he landed on the ground.

"Zander," said Grace, turning his body around. Zander looked up as he patted her face, "I am fine. Just make sure they don't find the artifacts."

"Artifacts?" asked Grace, looking at Celia. Celia laughed as she took out her helmet, "Yes. Thanks to Zander, we did find the location."

As the Ranger Slayers laughed, Zander was knocked out as Grace looked at her. Grace stood up as the others arrived behind her.

"We will not let you touch our artifacts that we've collected…" said Grace.

Brent laughed as he looked at them, "It's a little late for that."

He then turned around as he looked at the device on the table. As he reached for it, the silver and black device was picked up. He immediately turned on the green button. The warehouse began to instantly shake. Looking up, the rangers noticed a robot in the background. It had Feraligatr legs with a Typhlosion chest. It had arms shaped like Ampharos and Meganium with Espeon armor. Laughing, the armor was all black with blue writing.

"The Johto Mega Robo… thanks to futuristic technology," said Brent.

The four Ranger Slayers hopped into the zord cockpit. Sitting down, Nick nodded as he got into the main console. Pressing a few buttons, the engines ignited as the Mega Robo exploded out of the warehouse. As the warehouse began to collapse, the rangers dashed out, bringing Zander with them. As the warehouse collapsed inside, Zander was awake.

"Zander, I am so glad that you are okay," said Grace.

Zander nodded as he turned around, "Me too."

"You have some explaining to do," said Seb, getting into a catcher's stretch, "Why did you tell them about the artifacts?"

Zander looked at them as he looked at the group. Cedric turned around as he looked at him. Zander sighed as he looked at him, "My ex-girlfriend tried to break me, using whatever means necessary. It got to the point of where I almost died. Therefore, I showed a picture of the Lilycove Water Tower to show where the artifacts were."

"But…," said Seb, "That's not where the artifacts are."

"I know," said Zander, grinning.

"Wait….," said Cedric, "You let them on a wild goose chase?"

"We secured our artifacts back at our base," said Zander, looking around, "Did you honestly think I would give them advice on finding the base?"

Grace grinned, "Celia has no idea that she's about to destroy a water tower."

"Speaking of Celia…," said Seb, reaching for his Relic Detector, "Jack, send the zords!"

Seb, Lamar and Rachel turned to each other as they took out their Relic Detectors, "Relic Hunters, Start Up!"

Flashes of black, yellow and red lights surrounded them as they transformed into their zords. Upon transforming, their zords showed up. The Relic Drivers appeared in their hands as they high tailed it to their respective zords.

"Let's attack them when they least expect it," said Seb, "Ultimate Adventure Fusion!"

"Emergency Adventure Fusion!" shouted Cedric.

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. The Abomasnow Zord's head projected off from its body. The Abomasnow Zord split in half as the bottom half flipped up ninety degrees. The Abomasnow Zord's body connected to the armor of the Relic Hunter Megazord's legs. The Beedrill Zord folded its arms as it connected to the right arm of the Megazord, with the stinger facing the opponent. The Gyarados Zord split in half and covered the left arm of the Megazord. The bottom half and the top half snapped together on the left arm. The Heracross Zord snapped to the back of the Megazord with the horn detached. The Abomasnow's head detached as it connected to the left arm of the Megazord.

The Aerodactyl flew across as its head detached, forming the helmet of the Megazord. The body connected to the back of the Relic Hunter Megazord with the tail detached. The tail connected to the right arm of the Megazord, forming the saber. The cockpits appeared in the same location as the rangers were looking around.

"Relic Hunter Ultrazord… Assembly Complete!"

The Steelix Zord split into three parts, the tail, head and body. The Scizor Zord jumped up as Steelix's head covered the Scizor Zord with the body attached to the Scizor's torso and legs, giving some height. The Metagross Zord attached to the back, with the arms coming up and over the Megazord. A blue helmet appeared on top of the Steelix's head.

"Detector Megazord, assembly complete!"

"Set a course for Lilycove City!" shouted Seb.


An hour later…

As the Johto Mega Robo flew toward the city, people began to scream as they started running toward buildings. The alarm sounded as people and Pokémon started running. Immediately, the Meganium fist released a Solarbeam across the rooftops.

"Burn, baby, burn!" shouted Brent.

"Here's some charge bombs!" shouted Celia.

Releasing yellow bolts on the buildings, the bombs exploded in each building, causing a line of fire. Lasers shot out of the armor, creating a major explosion. Nick turned around as he noticed a water tower with the same marking as on the photo they found in the warehouse.

"Look, we found it!" said Nick, "Target that with the Solarbeam!"

"Got it!" shouted Brent, pressing the buttons, "Target locked."

"Fire!" shouted Nick.

As the Meganium arm lifted, a white blast of energy shot out as the water tower exploded. The water tower released all of the water, causing a flood in Lilycove City. The Ranger Slayers looked perplexed as they fought the waves to get to the tower. As the robot looked at the water tower, there was nothing but a dry tower.

"WHAT?" asked Nick, "The photo showed it!"

As the rangers' Megazords headed toward the robot, Seb turned to the others, "They are not paying attention. Target their engine core."

"Got it," said Cedric.

Floating, the zords began to glow as it connected to the center of the Ultrazord. The Abomasnow Shield and the tail of the Aerodactyl combined as it turned into a crossbow. It was a white crossbow with a grey nozzle. It had a green scope attached to it.

"Full Charge!" shouted Cedric, pressing the button.

Pressing a few buttons, silver, red and blue energy surrounded the Detector Megazord. The blue Metagross claws clamped together as blue beams surrounded it. The Scizor claw opened up, with a red aura surrounding the inside. The Steelix drill started to spin with a silver energy forming around it.

"Hunter Crossbow! Target locked!"

Meanwhile, in the cockpit, Chloe turned around as she noticed the scanner, "Nick! We have a problem!"

Immediately, the red crosshairs aimed directly around Kazamgami.

"Relic Hunter Ultrazord, Sky Attack!"

"Detector Megazord, Triple Flash Cannon!"

A red and orange blast shot out of the crossbow. It shaped into a phoenix as the formation pierced directly toward the robot. At the same time, three beams of energy were unleashed, combining into one blast of energy.

"Block with the shield!" shouted Nick.

Brent turned around as he tried to press buttons, "We aren't responding!"

"Why?" asked Nick.

"The wires weren't fixed in the engine core and they are surrounded by water!" shouted Celia.

Nick turned around as he looked at the beams, "ABANDON-!"

The beams pierced through as the Johto Mega Robo fell to the ground, exploding into pieces. Both the Ultrazord and the Megazord stood over the flames as they stood down. Four beams of light shot across as the Ranger Slayers landed on the ground.

"Damn you rangers," shouted Celia.

"Ugh…," shouted Chloe.

"Back to the drawing board," said Brent.

Nick turned around as he looked at them, "I can't believe we were deceived!"

He turned around as he looked at Celia. Celia turned around as she was looking at the photo that was picked up on the floor. Nick grabbed her by the neck as she jolted, "It's your fault!"

As he let her go, Nick grabbed the photo as he looked at it. He shook his head, "Did you all take the time to realize something?"

The three looked as he took the logo off of the photo, meaning the compass that was on the photo. He looked at them as he looked at the photo, "This was a sticker attached to the water tower."

"Um…," the three of them said. Celia grinned as she looked at Nick. Nick sighed as he looked at Celia. The four of them turned around as they looked at the wreckage, "Well, it looks like we will have to build another robot."


Meanwhile…

The six rangers were sitting together at one of the restaurants while their Pokémon were enjoying some quality time. Rachel grinned as she was looking at the team, enjoying a plate of food. As she was having this amazing pasta dish, she looked at Zander, who barely ate anything on his plate. Rachel looked over as Zander sighed.

"So," said Rachel, looking at Zander, "This food looks really good."

"It looks good," said Zander, sighing, "But, I might take it in a 'to-go' box."

Grace turned around as she looked at Zander, "Don't be so discouraged. You'll find someone better than her."

Cedric grinned as he looked at him, "As my wife often says, there are always new opportunities."

"Yeah….," said Zander.

Lamar turned around as he looked at him, "I think its more than that. Now, you have to face her every time we are in battle with them, pushing her to the side is going to be more difficult."

"Well, I feel like I am dragging you all with my toxic relationships," said Zander, sighing as he looked at them, "Specifically, her."

Seb placed a hand on his shoulder. Zander looked up as Seb shook his head, "Zander, you know, we've always got your back. Your problems are our problems."

"And…"

Zander turned around as Urara was walking toward him. Sitting down, she looked at him with a grin, "We're a family, right?"

Zander laughed as he turned around, "Yeah, you're right. You are all basically family."

Pouring a glass of soda, he raised his glass up in the air, "To family."

The seven of them clanged glasses as the sun reflected off the glass material. The sun continued to set in the distance.


Next Chapter:

Rachel: Let's do this gym battle!

Shelly: Play that song!

Rachel: Who are you?

?: We are the music spirits!

Courtney: Give me the drums!

Darcie: No, they are mine!

Rachel: Allow me!

?: May I use them?

Poké Rangers Relic Hunters Chapter 25: The Melotta Drums


A/N: So, when looking at how to adapt this chapter, it was not easy. Not going to lie here, but in the original episode, BoukenBlue, who is Zander's counterpart and Dax from Operation Overdrive was captured by a spy and he was pretty much questioned the same way, except that BoukenBlue's profession before being a Boukenger was being an international spy. Zander is a Pokémon Coordinator, so if you think about it, it would be difficult to do. However, throwing in his ex-girlfriend was in the plans AND making her a Ranger Slayer, well I thought about it during the final writing of this chapter. I am super duper psyched.

Next Chapter… be prepared to have some special guests! I am looking forward to bringing these guest stars back. The last time they actually were together was in a Poké Rangers season years ago. But, seeing we are talking about drums, you probably can take a guess of who I am talking about. I am super excited to say though that we do need to keep the votes going. Who do you want on the Hoenn Dream Team? This Saturday, I am switching the polls from Black to Green.

Reviews welcome!