Chapter 20: Save Our Shores

Taking a deep breath, Ryne clapped her hands together, sending out a shower of chalk that clung to her pink tank top. She ignored it, however, her attention on the wall in front of her.

"Ready to go?" the man standing nearby holding the other end of the rope that was attached to Ryne's belt asked her, smiling patiently. Ryne nodded, and turned back to the wall. After taking another breath, she reached up, grasping at a gap in the wall just big enough for her hand. With that, she began to climb, slowly checking for the next place to move to, lifting one foot to balance sideways on a piece of rock that stood out.

Before long, Ryne paused, seeing a gap between her hand and the next part. Her eyebrows furrowed, and she shifted on the rocks, before pushing herself up in a careful jump, catching hold of the rock and scrambling up before she fell, allowing her to reach the top.

"Whoa," Ryne breathed, sitting on the top of the wall.

"That was great," the man standing at the bottom of the wall praised her. He usually came to Riptyde Gym to teach people how to use the climbing wall, and when Ryne had approached him, shyly asking if she could try, he'd welcomed her to give it a go. "You sure you've never done this before?" he asked, somewhat teasing. It was far from flawless, but it was much better than most newbies.

"I've climbed a lot of trees," Ryne answered, her feet swinging from the top. She'd been eyeing up the wall for a while now, having been curious about trying it out, and had finally been persuaded to give it a go.

"I suppose that's good experience," the man laughed at her honesty. "Come on down," he said, bracing the rope. Ryne hesitated for just a moment, before slipping off the edge as she gripped the rope around her waist. Slowly she descended back down to the ground, and when she landed, she swayed a little, before a pair of strong hands were on her shoulders to steady her.

"That was great," Blaze told her, having been watching from the corner of his eye as he finished his session with the beginner class. While he still wasn't at full strength, he'd insisted on returning to teaching as a way to help recover after his months long coma. Ryne blushed as he smiled down at her.

"Thanks," she spoke quietly, aware that her face was heating up. He squeezed her shoulder gently, before releasing her.

"See you over there," he said, heading over to the side where the rest of the Ranger team were eating.

"So what did you think? You interested in giving this a try?" the instructor asked Ryne as she turned to him. She looked thoughtful for a moment, before nodding.

"Yeah, I am," she confirmed. She had enjoyed it, looking at the route and trying to work it out as she went, and wanted to keep going.

"Great," the man smiled, fishing a card out from his pocket. "We have sessions every Monday, Wednesday and Friday. Come whenever you can," he told her, and Ryne took the card, sliding it into the pocket of her shorts.

"Thanks," she smiled, before turning and heading back up to where her friends were.

"Looked like you were having fun," Zoey smiled as Devon and Blaze shifted over to make room for her. The place was busy, meaning the bigger tables were already taken, and so they were having to make do squishing in together.

"Yeah, it was interesting," Ryne nodded as she slipped into a chair between Blaze and Steel. "Where's Ashe and Roxy?" she asked, noting that the two weren't with them.

"Asher's with her brother. She said she'd call over later," Blaze told her, and Ryne was all too aware of his arm brushing up against hers.

"Roxy's still at her new job," Ravi answered next, smiling softly at the thought of his girlfriend. After she'd woken up, he'd practically overwhelmed her with an apology. She'd accepted it, and they'd resumed their relationship, no longer attempting - poorly - to hide it.

"What new job?" Steel asked curiously. They'd all known that after what had happened, Roxy had decided to quit Grid Battleforce, deciding that it wasn't for her.

"She didn't tell you?" Ravi asked when he saw them all looking curious.

"We're not the ones dating her," Ryne pointed out. Blaze laughed, but tried to hide it as Ravi glared at them, going red. He then cleared his throat.

"Her aunt has this huge company, and hooked her up. I think it's called…Collins…something," Ravi frowned as he tried to remember.

"Uh, could you mean Collins Industries?" Steel asked, and for just a moment, they all stared at him, wondering how Steel of everyone knew that. Then he pointed across the room, and they looked up to see that there was a news report on.

'Collins Industries CEO Regina Collins has declined to comment,' they recognised Zoey's mum's voice as she reported. On screen, a woman left a massive building, slipping on a pair of sunglasses as she held up a dismissive hand, refusing to acknowledge the reporters past that.

"Wow, yeah. That's Roxy's aunt," Ravi confirmed, recognising the woman.

'The shipping accident has dumped tons of trash onto Coral Harbour Beach,' they were horrified to see piles and piles of rubbish scattered all across the beach behind Muriel.

"That looks really bad," Devon hissed. "I'll bet you Roxy's there," he considered.

"We've gotta go help," Zoey said, already on her feet. Just the sight of the beach made her feel sick.

"Let's go," the others agreed, and they hurried out of Riptyde Gym to head to the beach.


The beach looked as awful as it did on TV, and the Rangers, along with Blaze, looked horrified.

"Oh man," Nate breathed. He'd grown up in Coral Harbour, and had fond memories of going to the beach as a kid. "What a mess," he said, looking from the trash still scattered across the beach, to the piles of bags already stacked in the trucks nearby.

"All this from a shipping accident?" Zoey shook her head.

"This is crazy," Ravi muttered.

"It's horrible," Ryne said quietly.

"Hey, guys!" they looked over to see Roxy standing nearby, wearing a white jumpsuit and carrying a bag she was filling with the rubbish. "What are you doing here?" she called over to them.

"We saw the spill on TV. We're here to help," Zoey offered. Roxy smiled at them.

"That would be great. Come on down," she gestured, and began handing out large bags for them to fill with whatever they could.

"I can't believe all of this came from one accident," Ryne commented as she started to fill the bag with whatever was lying around at her feet. "There's so much, it's hard to tell where to begin," she said, starting to slide down the sand towards more, before she overbalanced, unused to the unsteady sand under her feet.

"Careful," Blaze caught her, chuckling as he passed. His hands lingered on her arms even after Ryne straightened, finding her balance in the sand, before he turned and followed Devon to help further along the beach. Ryne rubbed her arms, shivering slightly.

"Is there something going on between you two?" she jumped as Zoey spoke quietly, looking almost excited.

"What? No," Ryne shook her head, but was aware that her face was heating up.

"Come on," Zoey looked sceptical. "He's always finding a way to sit beside you, and when Lewis touches you, you swat him away. When Blaze touches you…" she grinned, keeping her voice quiet. Ryne shrugged, glancing over to where Blaze and Devon were talking.

"There's nothing going on," she answered honestly, turning back to Zoey. "He's cute, and I guess I kinda like him, but there's nothing going on," Ryne told her.

"You should ask him out," Zoey told her, in a matter-of-fact voice that made Ryne shake her head to try and hide her darkening blush.

"No way," she denied, finding such a suggestion far too embarrassing.

"Hey guys!" to Ryne's relief, Ben and Betty called over to them. They looked around, and smiled when they saw the two wearing beach clothes. "The Commander told us to meet you at the beach," Ben called over.

"We thought we were going swimming, but I guess we have something more important to do," Betty considered, looking around at the mess all across the beach.

"Well, we're here to help," Ben smiled.

"That's great, thanks," Roxy nodded, thankful that so many were coming to help her out.

"These go up on the truck, right?" Betty asked, gesturing to the bags already full.

"Just pass 'em up," Roxy nodded, gesturing to the people nearby.

"Great!" they started to help, and the group slowly split up to move along the beach. Ben and Betty rushed around, helping with the bags to bring them up to the truck in their usual eager fashion, always happy to be helpful for others around them.

Ryne moved down the beach by herself, moving along the rocks and lifting the plastic from the pools carefully, making sure no little creatures had gotten caught up in them. She sighed, her heart hurting at such a sight.

"Hey!" she looked up at the voice, and they all saw Asher waving as she arrived at the beach. Beside her was a boy almost as tall as her, with fluffy brown hair and the same bright green eyes. "I got Blaze's message. Need two more volunteers?" Asher asked Roxy, who smiled at her friend.

"Of course. Thanks so much, Ashe," she said, and Asher squeezed her arm gently.

"You know, when you mentioned a trip to the beach, I figured things would be…I dunno…more relaxing," Nathan commented, taking a blue bag from Roxy. Asher slapped her brother, and he laughed. "I'm kidding," the young teen laughed, and grinned up at Roxy. "Happy to help," he told her, and hurried off down the beach to start helping.

"He's a sweet kid," Roxy told Asher, who nodded.

"I'd never tell him that, but yeah, he is," she agreed. After she'd woken up, Nathan had been around her almost constantly, unable to voice his feelings about his sister being in such a life-threatening situation for months. "I'll go help Ben and Betty," Asher decided, seeing the two trying to take on more than they could handle.

"Thanks," Roxy called after her as she hurried to go help the two.

"We've really got everyone out in full force, huh?" Ryne jumped as Blaze spoke to her, having approached as she continued to climb over the rocks to pull rubbish from the pools. He was looking back the way he'd come. "I think Lewis got here before we did," he considered with a grin.

"Lewis is a pretty big animal-rights activist," Ryne said as she looked over to where the young man was helping carry larger pieces of rubbish up the beach. "He was probably the first one to get here," she suggested with a faint smile, before crouching to pull little bits of plastic from the pool beside her.

"This place is in good hands then," Blaze said, passing by Ryne to lift what looked like it had once been a piece of clothing out of the water to toss into the bag.

"Careful, those rocks are slippery," Ryne warned as she noticed where he was stepping. The rocks were shiny both from the salt-water, and the natural slime of the seaweed that clung to them.

"I'll be fine," Blaze assured her, stepping to another rock. He stayed steady, and Ryne relaxed a little bit. "So, are you going to do more wall-climbing?" he asked, and she looked up, a little surprised. "You looked like you were having fun with it before," he told her. Ryne blushed.

"Yeah. It was fun. I dunno when I'll have time to do it properly, since I have training and stuff at GB. But I'm gonna try," Ryne said. He was right, she'd had a lot of fun with it, even just climbing the wall once. "Hey, weren't you supposed to be training those beginners?" she asked, arching an eyebrow. Blaze grinned back, but his cheeks warmed just slightly.

"I can pay attention to two things at once," he told her. Ryne hummed, sounding sceptical, and he laughed. "Hey, I can-whoa!" Blaze gasped as his footing slipped, and Ryne instinctively threw her hand out to grab his wrist. However, Blaze pulled her with him as he fell, and the two cried out before there was a loud splash.

Blaze groaned, shivering as the cold water of the sea soaked through his jeans. He hadn't exactly planned on going into the water, yet here he was, sitting down in the shallow waters he'd fallen into. He then opened his eyes, still shivering, and found Ryne straddling him, also shivering from the cold of the water her legs were now submerged in.

"What was that about being fine?" she commented, lifting her head to look at him as if they were in a perfectly normal position.

"Sorry," Blaze apologised, and a beat later they were both laughing. Ryne shifted to climb off him, before Blaze caught her arm. When she looked at him, a little confused about why he'd stopped her, he'd pulled her down closer. However, he stopped when her nose brushed his, able to feel her breath on his face as she looked surprised. Ryne was still straddling him, one hand on his shoulder as he held onto her other arm, looking up at her.

For a moment, the two stared at one another, neither making any kind of move to either pull away or close the gap. After a long moment, Blaze finally moved, letting go of her arm to slide up her neck, before he pulled her in completely so his lips connected with hers.

Immediately Ryne moved her now free arm to rest against his chest, while the other rested on his shoulder, responding to the kiss with equal vigour. However, it didn't last for too long, as Blaze then pulled back.

"S-sorry, I probably shouldn't have-"

"You don't have to apologise," Ryne stopped him, not moving away as she tilted her head, watching him.

"I've been wanting to do that for a while," Blaze admitted with a chuckle, and watched as Ryne grew more flustered. Her blush grew, spreading to her ears, as a shy smile tugged at her mouth. "Hey, when we're done here…do you wanna get something to eat?" Blaze asked, and almost laughed at how startled Ryne looked.

"Um…sure," she nodded, before Blaze finally relaxed his grasp on her, letting Ryne get back to her feet. She then helped him to his, and both winced at how soaked they were. "We better get back to this," Ryne considered, her hands still in his.

"Yeah," Blaze chuckled, and they climbed back up onto the rocks to retrieve the bags they'd been filling.

"Be careful," Ryne told him, and Blaze shot her a droll stare, but it wasn't long before they were both giggling.

"What happened to you two?" Asher noticed their drying clothes as they brought the full bags over to the truck.

"Blaze doesn't know when to avoid slippery rocks," Ryne said simply. He rolled his eyes, smiling good naturedly despite the jab.

"And Ryne distracted me," he argued. Ryne just shrugged, and Asher frowned as she looked from Blaze, to Ryne. She could tell that something was off, but couldn't quite tell what it was.

"Roxy, we have a problem," a woman rushed over as they all gathered, covered in dirt and sand, but not about to stop. "There's a sea turtle back there, it's in bad shape," she warned, looking scared.

"What?" Roxy gasped. "Show me," she rushed after the woman, and the others set their bags down to follow. They ran down the beach to the shore, where two people were setting down a container they'd found. Inside was a turtle, and it was barely moving.

"Poor little guy," Zoey gasped as she knelt beside the container. "'Bad shape' is an understatement," she commented.

"Turtles can easily swallow small bits of trash," Nate pointed out.

"We'd have been way too lucky if there wasn't at least one casualty from this mess," Lewis growled, anger in his voice. It had been quietly simmering the entire time.

"What do we do?" Asher wondered as Nathan peered closer.

"The Coral Harbour Marine Center. They might be able to help," Lewis considered.

"Yeah!" Zoey's eyes lit up. "I worked there as a summer job before I joined Grid Battleforce. They rescue injured sea animals," she said.

"Let's get that turtle over there, fast," Devon told them. Lewis and Ravi lifted the container, starting to carry it back over to the car.

"You know the way to the Marine Centre?" Lewis asked as they carefully placed the turtle into the back seat of the car. Devon nodded. "Great. I'm going to stick around here. There's bound to be more injured animals with a mess like this," he considered, looking out over the water again.

"I'll stay with you, give you a hand," Ryne told him. He smiled thankfully at her.

"We don't all need to go anyway. There's still plenty needing done here," Ravi pointed out.

"Yeah," Blaze agreed. "We'll keep working on cleaning the place up," he said, his eyes straying to Ryne for a moment. However, it was long enough for Asher to notice, and her green eyes widened very slightly.

"I'll go with you, Devon," she volunteered suddenly. Roxy glanced at her, a little surprised.

"Great, thanks," Devon said.

"I'll come too then," Nathan volunteered. "I can sit in the back and keep the turtle safe," he suggested.

"Great idea," the Red Ranger told him, and the three climbed into the car to head off to the Marine Centre that wasn't too far from the beach.

"Come on, let's take a look around," Lewis gestured to Ryne, who nodded and followed him down the beach.

"Was it me, or did Asher seem in a rush to leave?" Roxy asked Blaze before he could return to picking up the trash along the beach. Blaze frowned, glancing in the direction that the car had gone in.

"Maybe she wanted to hang out with Devon?" he grinned, and Roxy rolled her eyes. Blaze then sobered, seeing she was in no mood for jokes. "She's probably worried about the turtle. Ashe cares about animals a lot, you know that," Blaze pointed out, before heading off to help Ravi. Roxy shook her head as she watched him leave.

"You're both hopeless," she muttered.


To their dismay, there were plenty of other animals that were affected by the trash spill across the beach.

"It started off as just one turtle, but the problem is a lot bigger than we thought," Zoey was saying to the marine biologist that she'd worked with during her summer job. He was rushing around, taking notes on each animal that was being brought in.

"Thanks for helping, Dr. Walsh," Devon spoke up.

"That's why we're here," the man nodded to them, barely looking up from his notes as Lewis and Ryne arrived with what they hoped was the last of the casualties. "This way please," he gestured to a man carrying a box that he'd peeked into, before Lewis carried a crate with a baby seal over. "We'll do everything we can until their environment is cleaned up," Dr. Walsh spoke as he lifted the towel to look at the injured pup. "But this place is run by volunteers and donations," he pointed out as Lewis then hurried inside. "We're gonna need money for food and medicine," the man advised.

"I'm sure that won't be a problem," Roxy smiled as she stepped forwards. "My aunt put me in charge of taking care of everything. I'll just let her know about the animals," she offered.

"I'll come with you," Zoey offered.

"Me too," Asher nodded, wanting to support their friend with her new job.

"Same," Blaze spoke up.

"Thanks," Dr. Walsh managed a tired smile and hurried inside to help as the four left to speak with Roxy's aunt. Ryne bit her lip as she watched them leave, thinking about the report on the TV that morning, and how dismissive the woman had seemed. She just hoped Roxy could convince her.


When the four arrived at the main building for Collin's Industries, Roxy's aunt was already on her way out.

"The Marine Centre wants to help, but medical care is expensive," Zoey was explaining. The woman barely even looked at them as she left the building. By her side was a young man in a suit, carrying a book under his arm.

"Collins Industries will cover it, right?" Roxy asked, almost expectant in her excitement. She didn't even seem to notice how dismissive her aunt was of the four, barely seeming to listen to them.

"But we're already paying to clean up the beach," the woman said, finally stopping and turning to her niece.

"Yes, but it's our-"

"Roxy," she was cut off abruptly. "A bunch of salty sea creatures is not our problem," she said. She tried to sound soothing, but there wasn't anything kind in her expression. Only a cold, calculating look.

"Mrs. Collins, I volunteered at the rescue centre," Zoey spoke up when Roxy was stunned quiet, not sure what to say in response to her aunt's heartless words. "And I've seen what happens with trash in the ocean. These animals are in trouble, and they'll die if we don't help them," she stated. "Being a good business is like being a good citizen, you have to take responsibility for your mistakes," she pressed.

"Those animals could've already been sick," the woman opposite them just shrugged, unmoved by the blonde's words. "We can't take care of every sick animal in the ocean, or we'd be bankrupt," Mrs. Collins shrugged, looking a little exasperated. She then checked her watch. "Now, I'm late," she said, and when she looked up at the four, she sighed. "I'll think about it," she said, and walked away before Roxy or Zoey could protest.

"Anyone else have parents who said 'I'll think about it' and really meant 'I'm going to say no later'?" Asher asked, arms folded. She wasn't impressed by the woman's behaviour in the slightest.

"Evox was warmer than that," Blaze muttered. Asher smiled very faintly.

"She's not a bad person," Roxy argued, hearing his words.

"She just doesn't believe that it's her responsibility," Zoey shrugged. "And there's no time to convince her," she sighed, knowing that they were already running on borrowed time.

"I'll be right back. I just have something that I need to take care of," Roxy turned and rushed off before they could ask.

"Seriously though, her aunt was pretty ruthless," Asher shrugged as Roxy pulled her phone from her pocket. "I hope Roxy's okay. She really admires her," she commented, watching Roxy's back as she spoke on the phone.

"Yeah," Blaze agreed. They'd all seen how convinced Roxy had been that her aunt would help out. "Hey, you okay?" he called over as he saw Roxy turn and walk back over.

"Don't worry about your aunt," Zoey smiled at her. "We'll find a way to-" she was cut off when she was suddenly knocked away from the three, and metal bars materialised around them. "What the-?" Zoey gasped.

"Hey!" the three began to struggle, but the bars were sealed around them.

"We're trapped," Blaze hissed.

"Guys, I need backup," Zoey requested quickly, contacting her team.

"Behind you!" Asher shouted, and Zoey whirled around to see a Robotron materialising. Trappertron laughed as he approached. People who had been leaving the building ran screaming, some disappearing back inside.

"Three teens behind bars!" Trapperton laughed, before blasting Zoey off her feet. She cried out, thrown down the stone steps nearby.

"Dammit," Asher cursed. "Give me some cover," she told Roxy and Blaze as her hand lit up with golden energy, forming a ball that she then held to the side of the bars. The two moved around her to try and hide what she was doing from anyone still fleeing nearby.

As the bars started to heat up with the power of the sun energy that Asher was holding up, Zoey was fighting off Trappertron, or at least attempting to, as she was knocked around the place, having to focus more on dodging his strikes.

"What do they want with us?" Roxy wondered as all they could do was watch as Trappertron taunted Zoey nearby.

"It was probably an attempt to get Zoey when she was separated from the rest of her team," Asher said quietly, watching the bars as they slowly heated up.

"Back off!" they all looked up as the shout echoed. Trapperton looked up, having been looming over Zoey as she scrambled backwards, on the ground. The Robotron was then blasted off his feet, and he gave a shout as the force knocked him away from the Yellow Ranger.

"You okay?" Ryne asked as they ran over, and she helped the Yellow Ranger back to her feet.

"Sure, but that creep just trapped Blaze, Roxy and Asher in some sort of cage," she warned, and they looked over to see Asher trying to warp the bars enough to escape.

"I'll try to get them out," Nate volunteered. "You guys go," he said, turning and hurrying over to the cage.

"Okay," Steel nodded. They grabbed their keys, summoning their Morphers.

"ACTIVATE BEAST POWER!" the five Morphed as they ran at Trappertron. He was only getting back to his feet when Devon was in front of him, kicking hard and knocking him backwards.

"There's no escape for you now!" Devon warned him.

"How terrifying! Not!" Trappertron mocked.

"Who says 'not' anymore?" Ryne asked, and Devon glanced at her.

"Says the one who still says dude?" he asked her. Ryne went red.

"People still say dude!" she defended.

"Tronics! Trap 'em!" Trappertron shouted as he recovered. The robots appeared in a circle around him in a flash of purple, and immediately ran at the Rangers.

"Come on!" Ryne shouted, jumping away from the rest of her team as they began to fight them off.

"I can't keep this up forever," Asher warned, already breathing heavily as Nate tugged at the softening bars.

"Ashe, maybe you should stop," Blaze suggested, putting his hand on her elbow to support her as he saw her energy waning. To his surprise, she tugged her arm free of his grasp.

"Asher," Roxy spoke softly, exchanging worried looks with Blaze.

"I'm fine," she said, gritting her teeth even as sweat began to glisten on her face. Taking a breath, she began to glow, and the energy of the orb in her hand grew stronger.

"It's starting to move!" Nate was able to start bending the bars. As Blaze turned away, his eyes stinging, he spotted a familiar figure standing behind them. He jumped, bumping into Roxy and Asher.

"Scrozzle?" his gasp made them all look around to see the robot pulling his hand free of the bars, holding a device in his hand.

"Don't mind me!" before Nate could react, Scrozzle vanished in a flurry of lights.

"What was he doing?" Asher asked, her powers having faded as her heart pounded. The three all looked pale and shaken at the sight of the robot, never having expected to see him again. Even if it was only their Avatars that had been in contact with Scrozzle, they still carried memories of him, and it seemed that none of them were quite over that.

"I think he…scanned us," Blaze explained, having seen the device Scrozzle had been using.

"Don't worry. I'll get you three out of here soon," Nate spoke up, seeing their expressions. He then moved back to the cooling bars, and started to pull at them again. Asher held up her hand, but as she summoned her energy, there was a hissing sound as the orb started to form, only to fizzle out.

"Take it easy, Ashe," Blaze told her, reaching out to her again. This time, she didn't pull away, but she kept quiet as she cursed her weakened state. Even after two months, she was far from recovered.

Nearby, the rest of the Rangers were fighting off the Tronics with ease, destroying them all together. The Tronics hit the ground, exploding around Trappertron, who was lounging on his side watching.

"Nice moves. Real scary!" he drawled mockingly as they turned to him.

"Oh, this guy is annoying," Ryne complained.

"Break time's over," Ravi warned, and Trappertron leapt back to his feet.

"You said it!" as soon as he'd straightened up, he shot at the team. The five dove aside to avoid it. "Now catch me if you can!" Trappertron laughed, turning and running off.

"We're not finished with you!" Zoey shouted, but before they could give chase, their wristcoms beeped.

'Ravi, I need your Gorilla Strength,' Nate requested.

"You got it," Ravi nodded. "I'll go help Nate," he told the others.

"Alright," Steel nodded, and Ravi sprinted off to help the others.

"We gotta get rid of this guy. Come on!" Devon then led the remaining three after Trappertron. They caught up easily with their greater strength, as he came out from the underground mall. Giving a shout, Trappertron turned and attacked them. As Devon kicked out, Trappertron dodged his attack, before stumbling back when Ryne and Steel threw a punch together.

"Why don't I raise the bar?" he fired a shot at them that started to form a cage around the four, only for Ryne to block it with her powers. As blue lights danced around the bars, pushing it back, Devon cut through it with his sabre, and Trappertron yelped in alarm.

"Nice try," Devon smirked. Steel, Ryne and Zoey then charged forward with a yell, and Trappertron created walls made of bars to try and stop them. However, the three easily cut through them with their weapons, leaving Trappertron open.

"Now, Devon!" Zoey shouted.

"Cable strike!" using one of the weapons that Nate had designed for them, Devon used a cable to swing through the air.

"This can't be good!" Trappertron cried out as he backed away from Devon, only to find himself up against a wall.

"You're right about that! Beast-X Slash!" with a yell, Devon cut through the Robotron with his sabre. He then landed lightly, pulling the cable back in, and glanced over his shoulder as sparks burst from Trappertron, breaking through his metal armour.

"Oh no! I'm going away for good!" he wailed, crashing to the ground and exploding.

"That Robotron, is Robo-Gone!" Devon grinned.

"Lame," Ryne stated, and he shoved her as Steel and Zoey giggled.


Ravi grunted as he let his super-strength flow through his arms, powering him up. Roxy giggled as he then turned to them.

"Okay, stand back," he told the three, who stepped away from the bars. Already weakened, they stood no chance against Ravi's enhanced strength, and he groaned as he pulled them apart. "That should do it," when he was satisfied that the gap was wide enough, he stepped back.

"Thank you, Ravi," Roxy stepped out and threw her arms around her boyfriend.

"Glad you're okay," Ravi was grateful that his face was hidden, blushing as Roxy pressed a kiss to the side of his helmet.

"Scrozzle scanned them," Nate warned Ravi quietly as Asher slipped from the cage, irritated at how weak she felt. "Who knows why," he muttered, unsure of what the crafty robot was up to. "We'll have to be on high alert," he said.

"Are you guys okay?" they looked around as the rest of the Rangers reached them.

"We're okay," Blaze said as Ryne studied Asher carefully. She could tell that the young woman was worn down from using her powers without stopping. Asher, noticing that Ryne was watching her, nodded with a smile.

"I'm fine," she insisted, but even as Ryne nodded, she wasn't entirely convinced.

"Come on. We'd better get back to the marine centre," Devon spoke up, and they all hurried off, none of them seeing Roxy's smile fading.


"So…it's all taken care of?" Steel asked as they stood in the centre. Steel was looking at the fish swimming in the tank behind them, while Roxy stood nearby not looking at them, her arms folded as she stared at the water.

"Yeah," Lewis nodded. "The animals are gonna be okay," he reported what he'd heard from the people working there after they'd run off to fight the Robotron. "Collins Industries agreed to pay for everything," he said. His phone then rang, and he frowned, answering it as he walked off.

"She did?" Asher was surprised, glancing up at Blaze, and over to Zoey, who looked equally shocked.

"I can't believe she agreed to pay for everything," Blaze said.

"Yeah, she seemed pretty dead set against paying," Zoey thought about the woman's cold behaviour. She then walked over to Roxy, putting a hand on her arm. "Hey, your aunt really came through, huh?" she smiled. Roxy jumped, having been in her own world, and forced a smile.

"Yeah, she did," she nodded.

"That's good. At least the animals will get the help they need," Ryne spoke up, watching the brightly coloured fish in another tank swim by. She glanced up at Blaze as he stood beside her, his arm brushing hers, and he watched the fish too before looking down at her and grinning. She smiled back, blushing as she thought about their earlier interactions, and neither saw the other Rangers exchanging entertained grins. Neither Asher nor Roxy looked at the two, as Roxy fell back into her thoughts, and Asher purposefully kept her attention on a nearby tank with bigger fish lazily floating.

"Out of my way," a stern voice made them all look around. Roxy went pale, her stomach churning as she recognised the voice. "It's very important. I want to speak to the person in charge right now," Regina Collins ordered, her voice furious as her assistant followed behind.

"That would be me. I'm Dr. Walsh," the man walked over, hearing her voice.

"I'm Regina Collins," the woman introduced herself, shaking his hand.

"Yes, I recognise you from the news. I want to thank you for agreeing to pay to take care of these animals," Dr. Walsh smiled, but he looked tired. He'd been rushing around all day after the animals had started to be brought in.

"That's the thing, Doctor. I didn't agree to any such thing," her cold, angry words took them all by surprise, except for Roxy. Her eyes closed as tears stung at them.

"So much for changing her mind," Ryne murmured to Blaze quietly, as they all watched the scene unfold.

"Well, someone from Collins Industries called," Dr. Walsh looked flustered.

"That was me," Roxy spoke up, her voice shaking. "I authorised the donation," she confessed. Her aunt turned to her.

"What?" her voice echoed through the room. "Why would you do that?" Regina demanded, and Roxy gave a shaky sigh.

"Because what Zoey said earlier is true! We each need to take responsibility for our mistakes!" she shouted at her aunt. Regina stared at her as tears continued to fill Roxy's eyes. She'd admired the woman for years, and it broke her heart to hear such cruel things from her. "Our trash spill injured these poor animals," she pressed. Regina sighed.

"Now, Roxy," she started. "You can't be sure of that. Fish and turtles, they get sick everyday," she argued.

"But-"

"Dr. Walsh?" Lewis' called as he returned, slipping his phone into his pocket as he looked grim. "Sorry to interrupt, but there's another sea turtle just brought it. It was found at the trash spill," he said. Dr. Walsh sighed wearily. "It's tangled in plastic," he warned, leading the man over to where Ben and Betty were helping bring a turtle in, while Nathan was watching with a scared expression.

"He's not breathing well," Dr. Walsh commented as he took a quick examination. Asher pulled her brother into her arms, seeing his expression. Nathan let her, having been helping while they were gone. He'd hated seeing all the animals in danger, but he'd refused to stop helping, even when Lewis suggested he take a break.

"This plastic…" Regina's voice was quiet as she pulled some of the thin yellow plastic from what was caught around the turtle. "It's from the trash spill, isn't it?" she asked, looking up at the ones who'd brought the turtle in. Despite her earlier refusal, now that she was seeing the results in front of her, her cold shell started to crack.

"Yes, ma'am," Lewis nodded.

"He won't survive unless he gets attention right away," Dr. Walsh spoke up, looking up from the turtle to watch the woman. "And, well, that costs money," he pointed out.

"Okay," Mrs. Collins finally nodded, staring at the turtle. "Please. Save this guy. Save all of them. Collins Industries will pay, no matter what it takes," she told them, and everyone breathed a sigh of relief. Dr. Walsh smiled.

"We'll get right on it. Let's go," he helped the other vets pull the trolley away to get to work.

"Thanks, Aunt Regina," the woman was surprised when Roxy threw her arms around her in a tight hug.

"Thank you. Both of you," as Regina hugged her back, she looked over at Zoey, who looked surprised to be acknowledged. "Who would have thought that trash could cause all those problems?" she shook her head, berating herself for refusing to accept the truth.

"At least now they'll get the care they need," Lewis gave a sigh of relief, looking as weary as Dr. Walsh had.

"You've been a huge help today. Thank you," Roxy smiled at the young man. Lewis looked a little surprised, but nodded.

"No problem," he said.

"Who'd have thought you were more than just a combat instructor?" Ryne asked him, teasing, and he raised an eyebrow at her before reaching out and squashing her nose with his finger. Ryne immediately swatted him away, darting back and hiding behind Blaze, who was hiding his laughter.

"Who'd have thought you were just a brat?" Lewis asked her. Ryne peeked out and stuck out her tongue at him. Lewis did the same, flashing a tongue piercing.

The relief that had allowed the group to relax faded, when Devon's wristcom beeped loudly. He quickly ducked away to answer it.

"Uh, Mrs. Collins?" Blaze spoke up to get her attention quickly. "Let us show you some of the other critters you've helped save," he smiled. Roxy smiled at her aunt when she looked a little surprised.

"Sure," she agreed.

"Come on," Asher tugged Nathan along, even as he protested. He was aware of the Rangers' identities, as Asher had told him a lot about what had happened when Evox had first appeared.

"What's up?" Steel asked quietly.

"We've gotta go," Devon warned in a whisper as the others leaned in to hear.

"The excitement never ends, huh?" Ryne sighed, but followed as they quickly left the centre to see what was going on.


Tronics harassed the workers who had been around repairing one of the Morph-X towers, brandishing their weapons and throwing them around the place even as the men and women pleaded for their lives.

When a car pulled up, the Tronics turned quickly, and in their distraction, the terrified workers were able to flee, not looking back.

"No sign of a Robotron," Devon said, casting a quick look around the area.

"That's because…we don't need one," they all froze when the Tronics parted to reveal Roxy, Blaze and Asher, who walked towards them. Each now sported a new colour; Roxy with a purple streak in her hair and purple outlining her suit, Blaze with orange in his blonde hair, and Asher with a dark green colour mixed into her dark hair.

"What? Asher, Blaze and Roxy?" Ryne tilted her head, staring at the replica of her cousin. The cruel smiles on their faces, and the outfits, seemed almost identical to their old Avatar selves, save for the new colours.

"I destroyed you, Avatar," Ravi growled as he glared at Roxy. She giggled.

"Wrong again, lover boy," she taunted. "That was the old Roxy," she pulled at the strands of her hand to show off the purple curls.

"We're the new and, might I say, improved versions of them," Asher sneered.

"And you're still no match for us," Ryne warned as they all moved into a fighting stance.

"Hah, don't bet on it," Blaze mocked. There was a moment of uneasy quiet, before they launched into a fight. Asher immediately targeted Ryne, chasing her away from the rest of the group.

"Oh, little girl. You might have gotten lucky before, but this time…" Asher bombarded Ryne with attacks. The Pink Ranger raised her arms, defending herself as she was forced backwards. "This time you're the one who isn't walking away," Asher vowed.

"I've only gotten stronger since I destroyed you," Ryne recovered, shaking her arms out and lifting her head as she glared at Asher defiantly.

"Oh?" Asher looked entertained by this. "So have I," she purred. Ryne's anger grew as she glared at the replica of Asher. They'd had two months to adjust to her being gone, and now the vicious copy was back.

"Not for long," Ryne told her, raising her hand as the blue energy began to glow, collected between her fingers. She then threw out her hand, and the energy kicked up dirt that hid Asher from view as it burst, creating smoke that mixed with the dirt. For a moment, Ryne breathed heavily, hoping that she was gone, before a laugh gave her a sinking sensation in her stomach.

"What was that about stronger?" Asher called through the smokescreen. Ryne summoned her powers to hit her again, before freezing as the dirt and smoke began to disperse.

"Wh-what?" Ryne gasped, her powers vanishing as she stared at Asher. The young woman was completely unharmed, as the air between the two shimmered with a steady golden light that spread out in an almost rectangular shape.

"I told you I was stronger," Asher laughed as her shield faded. She held up a hand, and the golden light reformed, only into the shape of a ball. She threw it, and it hit the ground near Ryne, exploding. The Pink Ranger cried out as she was thrown off her feet. "Pathetic," Asher taunted as Ryne pushed herself back up, ignoring the aches.

"Just what I need, more reasons to hear you bragging," she muttered, before rushing in. She dodged the ball that Asher threw at her, and leapt up, kicking her backwards. Ryne felt her own body protest on contact, and landed unsteadily as Asher crashed into the metal wall behind her with a loud clang. "Okay, not an Avatar anymore," she considered. While the digital copies hadn't quite felt real, not liking fighting a person, this version of Asher felt entirely different. Ryne then turned and ran over to the rest of her team, as Blaze stood up, his movement jerking. Sparks of electricity ran up his body, and he groaned as he straightened up.

"You're…a robot?" Devon realised as the other Rangers stood with him.

"Actually, we're all robots," Blaze corrected as Asher and Roxy stood on either side of him. His voice crackled as he spoke, making him sound even more robotic.

"And that's not all," Roxy smirked. The three exchanged looks, and drew keys from behind their backs. They inserted them into their Morphers, and in flashes of purple, orange and green, the three called on armour that different to their old suits they'd had as Avatars, and in different colours than before.

"Here's a lesson for you: your colours are out," Asher taunted. "It's time for Violet, Amber and Jade to take over," she laughed.

"Better send them all to the scrap heap," Devon said. "It's Morphin' Time!"

"ACTIVATE BEAST POWER!" they Morphed in a flash of colour.

"Transport Cheetah Claws!" Devon summoned his Cheetah Claws, which appeared over his hands in a flash of green. "Okay team, don't hold back," he told them.

"Destroy them!" Blaze shouted. The fighting resumed as Roxy taunted Devon, easily deflecting his Cheetah Claws.

"These robo-creeps may be strong, but we've got some upgrades of our own," Devon spoke as he backed up. "Transport Beast-X Ultra Blaster!" he shouted, hitting the device on his chest. The new blaster appeared in front of him, and he grabbed it. "Okay team, time to take out the trash. One last time," Devon took aim as the blaster began to charge, making a whirring sound. As he did, the others grabbed their Blasters.

"Beast Blast!" they all fired together, and the combined attack caused a large explosion that destroyed the three robots, along with the Tronics. They cheered when the smoke cleared to reveal the destruction.

"Guys, wait!" Ryne shouted, pointing. "Look!" they turned in the direction she was pointing, and saw Scrozzle nearby. He was scolding the Tronics, who were placing barrels into an old rusted trolley.

"Stop right there!" Zoey shouted, making Scrozzle scream. As they ran to stop him, he activated the device on his wrist and vanished, taking the Tronics and the trolley with him.

"Those bots were a distraction!" Ravi groaned, before Devon's Morpher beeped.

"Go ahead," Devon answered.

'Gigadrone detected. Sector Tango 5-4,' Commander Shaw told them.

"We're on our way," the Red Ranger told her, and turned to his team. "Gotta go," he warned them.

"No rest for the wicked," Ryne sighed, and they gave chase.


After returning to Grid Battleforce to reach their Zords, the Rangers combined them into their most powerful combination, ready to fight.

"In position. Okay team, Beast-X Ultrazord…"

"Unleashed!" they called together as the Ultrazord rose from the ground. It was only moments after that the Gigadrone landed nearby, making a beeline for the nearest tower.

"It's heading for the Morph-X tower!" Nate warned.

"How's your first time in the Ultrazord feel?" Ryne asked Devon with a grin.

"Amazing! This won't take long," Devon said confidently. They charged up their sword as they approached the Gigadrone. Standing over the Morph-X tower, it fired several blasts at them. However, the attacks just bounced off harmlessly. "Transport, Cheetah Beast Blaster!" Devon called as they closed the distance. "Beast-X Ultra Strike!" as he pulled the trigger, the Ultrazord moved even faster, dashing past the Gigadrone and cutting through it easily. It staggered, and fell, exploding. "Virus, eliminated," Devon grinned, and the team cheered at their victory.


The last thing Asher had seen, was the blinding lights of the Rangers attacks coming towards them. Then, it felt as if she'd blinked, and when she opened her eyes, she stood in the pod with Blaze and Roxy.

"We're back!" Roxy sang, but her glee was quickly replaced with confusion. "Again?" she looked down at her hands as if expecting them to be almost spectral.

"But the Rangers destroyed us," Blaze said, looking at the two before turning to look at Scrozzle, who was cowering as Evox stood over him.

"How are we back again?" Asher demanded, confused.

"If you somehow get destroyed," Scrozzle started as Evox calmed down a little. "This machine can download you into fresh robot bodies," he explained. The three looked at the pod they'd stepped out of.

"Oh, I like the sound of that," Roxy laughed.

"I have to admit, Scrozzle, you've outdone yourself," Asher considered, holding out a hand. Utilising the memories that she had of the real Asher, she was able to channel power into her hands in a similar fashion to sun energy, letting it form a ball.

"My master plan cannot be stopped," Evox shoved Scrozzle out of the way. "The Morphin' Grid will be mine!" he declared.


"No way…they made robots of us?" Blaze whispered, stunned by what the Rangers had told them when they'd returned to the Marine Centre.

"That's creepy," Roxy said, looking scared.

"Don't worry. We blew them up," Ravi soothed her, reaching out and taking her hand.

"Knowing Scrozzle, that won't be the end of it," Nate warned.

"And this Robo-Me had my powers?" Asher asked, stunned by what Ryne had told her. The Rangers were all bruised and beaten up from the fight, but Ryne looked worse off, having been caught off guard by Robo-Asher's powers. "But how? My Avatar couldn't use my powers, and not from a lack of trying," she said. Having been linking mentally to her Avatar, Asher could remember her digital copy's frustration when trying to channel sun energy.

"You were using your powers when Scrozzle scanned us," Blaze remembered. "Maybe whatever that device was picked up that energy too," he suggested. Asher hissed a curse.

"Hey. It's not your fault," Ryne soothed her, reaching out and putting a hand on her arm.

"She's right," Nathan agreed. "Those Avatars weren't you, and these Robots aren't either," he told his sister firmly, able to see that she felt guilty, seeming to blame herself for allowing the robot version of herself to gain her powers.

"Hey guys, come on!" they looked around as Roxy's aunt called them. They smiled and followed her over, seeing one of the sea turtles being brought over to the water. Two of the women who'd been tending to the turtle lifted it and passed it to the man standing in the water. The turtle immediate reacted, flapping its fins before it was gently lowered into the water.

"Look at him go!" Roxy smiled as the turtle began to drift slowly through the water. It was still weak, but already seeming a little better.

"He's gonna be fine," Dr. Walsh spoke, standing in the water as well as he monitored the turtle. "Soon he'll be back in the sea," he told them. When a warm hand brushed hers, Ryne looked up at Blaze, who grinned at her. She smiled back, linking her fingers around his, and both turned back to watch the turtle adjusting to its new environment.

"Thanks so much for showing me that we're all responsible for protecting the environment," Regina told her niece, who smiled and hugged her tightly. "Now, I have to get to a meeting, but I'll see you bright and early tomorrow morning," she said.

"Alright, sounds great," Roxy nodded. Regina squeezed her hands with a warm smile.

"Bye," the woman called to the rest, who said their goodbyes as she left to return to work.


Apologies for the delay in updating. Things have been...hectic recently.

I hope you liked it!

Let me know what you think!