Chapter 26: Secret Struggle

Sitting on a low wall, Ryne let her legs swing gently in the breeze that was blowing by. It pushed her messy black hair from her face, and made the paper in her hands flutter as if trying to escape.

"Do I really go for it?" she wondered aloud, unsure as she stared at the form she was holding.

"Go for what?" Ryne barely even blinked as a pair of arms suddenly wrapped around her from behind. "One day that'll work," Fane grumbled, hugging her best friend from behind when she didn't get a reaction.

"Doubtful," Ryne replied, and angled to show her the form. "The coach for my wall-climbing club suggested I enter this competition," she explained as Fane leaned in closer.

"Sounds like fun!" Fane exclaimed as she read over the form for the competition. "Why wouldn't you go for it?" she asked, and Ryne finally wriggled out of her grasp.

"A few reasons. I don't know if I'm good enough, and-" she flinched when Fane flicked her ear. "Must you?" she grumbled at the Princess, who looked unapologetic.

"Something tells me your coach wouldn't have told you to go for it if he didn't think you'd be good at it," she pointed out, so simply that Ryne blushed. She couldn't quite find an argument for that.

"I guess," she shrugged. "But there's also another thing that could cause a problem," she waved her hand, gesturing to the wristcom strapped there. "What if Evox decides to attack?" she pointed out.

"Hasn't stop Devon from entering competitions," Fane pointed out with a grin. Ryne shot her a droll stare.

"You just have an argument for everything, don't you?" she complained. The blonde girl winked back at her.

"Helps when you supply me the ammo," Fane teased, before jumping over the wall. She landed lightly, and pulled Ryne to her feet. "Come on, I haven't gotten a real chance to explore the city yet and Ivan is meeting up with James and Tyler again, so we have some time to chat, just us," Fane smiled at her best friend, who was unable to stop her own smile back. Fane always managed to cheer her up.

"Right," she agreed, and looked around as she put the form into her pocket. "There's a place that does really good ice-cream around here," Ryne pointed out, and Fane gave a mock gasp.

"Then what are we waiting for?" she demanded, linking her arm with the shorter girl. "Let's go!" Fane cheered, pulling Ryne along and making her giggle. Without pointing it out, Ryne corrected the path they were going on, as Fane tried to lead them in the completely wrong direction. "How are you? Do I need to go beat that jerk up?" Fane asked as they started walking, their arms still linked.

"No," Ryne shook her head, but her smile was a little sadder. "I'm fine. The others have been really good, and I know that there was never really anything there for me. I'm okay, really," she insisted, seeing Fane's irritated expression.

"I still want to kick him in the shins," she grumbled.

"I broke up with him, remember? I don't think it's really fair that my best friend suddenly shows up and kicks him in the shins," Ryne pointed out, but her smile had widened at the comment. Fane just gave a haughty sniff.

"Fine," she relented, and gave Ryne's arm another comforting squeeze. She glanced at Ryne out of the corner of her eye, and had to admit that her friend didn't seem as upset as she'd worried she would be.

Fane had flown out the moment she'd been able to, having been stuck in Zandar dealing with all the responsibilities of being a Princess. She was just glad that Ryne had the rest of her team by her side through such a crappy situation.

As they turned a corner, Ryne suddenly stopped, her eyes narrowing. "What is it?" Fane asked, following her gaze to see a man in a black suit glaring at a strange being in black and purple armour.

"Mr. Mayor?" Ryne called out, and the man quickly looked over at her with wide eyes.

"Quick, she's trying to kidnap me!" he cried out, stumbling backwards from Robo-Roxy as she whirled around.

"Fane!" Ryne glanced to her friend for just a moment as she pulled her arm free. Fane nodded, backing away as Ryne was already running towards Robo-Roxy.

"Uh-uh!" she stopped as Roxy held out her hand. "Don't interfere with my plans, brat," Robo-Roxy warned with a growl. Ryne glared back at her, and her hands began to crackle with blue light.

"Step away from the Mayor," she warned, ready to throw it.

"How about you try and make me?" in a flash of purple, Roxy had grabbed her blasters and aimed them at Ryne. The Pink Ranger pushed in close again, throwing out the energy in her hand. It hit Robo-Roxy's arm, knocking one of her blasters up and out of the way to leave an opening for Ryne to kick her back hard. Roxy cried out as she stumbled and fell backwards.

"It's Morphin' Time!" Ryne shouted, calling on her Morpher and lifting her key from her pocket. "ACTIVATE BEAST POWER, HA!" Morphing in a flash of Pink light, Ryne called on her Beast Spinners, ready to continue fighting.

"I told you to stay out of it, you little brat," Roxy snarled as she got back to her feet. Ryne rolled her eyes.

"Yeah, like I was gonna listen to you running your mouth," she shot back. Roxy laughed, and flicked out her blasters. They seemed to come apart, acting as whips.

"Your mistake," the purple-armoured woman began to flick them at Ryne, laughing as she did. The Pink Ranger moved with each attack snapped her way, using her Squirrel reflexes to dodge them. As she managed to step out of range, Ryne straightened up and lifted the orange visor from her belt.

"Visor, linked!" she connected it to her Morpher, which flashed green. "Activate Beast-X Mode!" Ryne shouted, and threw out her arms. Pink armour then covered her chest, shoulders, arms and legs, and she felt her connection to Scramble. "Beast-X Mode, ready!" with that, Ryne ran at Roxy again. When the whips failed to hit the Pink Ranger, Roxy backed away and let them change back to blasters, firing round after round at her. To her dismay, Ryne dodged each one, moving before she'd even fired the shot.

"Little brat!" Roxy lashed out again, forcing Ryne backwards. The Pink Ranger just grinned under her helmet.

"Squirrel Snipe!" she shouted, dashing in once more. Roxy shrieked as the powerful punch smashed through a part of her armour, and she barely managed to stay standing.

"No!" Roxy staggered backwards as her armour sparked. She could feel her own internal systems starting to fail, and backed away as Ryne's hands both lit up blue once more. "You'll regret this, little brat. I'll get you for this," Roxy vowed, vanishing in a flash before Ryne could finish her off.

"Damn," she muttered, closing her eyes to let the power fade. "Fane! Mayor Daniels!" Ryne turned to the pair, who were standing together. "Are you okay, sir?" she asked, looking up at the man.

"I'm fine, thank you Ryne," he nodded at her. "You really saved my skin," he said, patting her arm.

"I'm just glad that I wasn't too late," Ryne said as she demorphed, pushing her hair out of her face. "But why is she after you?" she wondered.


Having brought Mayor Daniels back to Grid Battleforce, Ryne explained what had happened to Commander Shaw, who quickly called in the rest of the Rangers. So concerned, she hadn't even minded Fane being there with them.

"Frankly, Mayor Daniels, the fact that Evox is targeting you is very concerning," Commander Shaw spoke as Devon paced around the lab, worried for his father. It was bad enough that he'd been captured - he still had nightmares. For his dad to be a target for Evox was even scarier.

"Maybe it's something to do with the Morph-X Towers," Fane considered, her hands clasped in front of her as she refrained from touching anything.

"Mayor Daniels has been heading up the project to open Morph-X Towers all over the world," Ryne nodded, aware of the man's power. Fane nodded, aware that there were talks ongoing to have one built in Zandar. Her parents were still wary at the idea of using energy from the Morphin' Grid.

"Regardless of the reason, we need to take every precaution," Commander Shaw spoke as Nate walked over to Mayor Daniels.

"Nate, wait a-"

"Ow!" the man cried out in pain before Asher could finish her call.

"Sorry," Nate apologised. "I've implanted a micro-tracker inside of you," he explained, and the man's eyes widened in anger.

"A tracker?!" he repeated. Nate nodded. "Who gave you permission to-" Mayor Daniels stopped his angry shout as Nate backed away in surprise.

"Sorry, sir," Nate mumbled, embarrassed. Asher sighed, lightly slapping his arm.

"It's like I have to keep telling Ryne. Manners first, tech second," she scolded the Gold Ranger, who nodded and kept his gaze low. Ryne shrugged.

"What if I like introducing myself by getting excited over their tech?" she defended, unapologetic. Fane giggled beside her, not surprised in the slightest. Asher just rolled her eyes in exasperation.

"Is this really necessary?" Mayor Daniels ignored their chatter and turned to Commander Shaw in anger.

"Now, if Evox captures you, we can find you, no matter where you are," Nate explained, trying to keep his tone soothing as Mayor Daniels still looked angry.

"And to prevent that from ever happening, two Rangers will act as your undercover bodyguards, along with Lewis," Commander Shaw decided. The man in question looked up from his work, his pierced eyebrow raised. "I need two volunteers," she continued, giving Lewis no room to argue. He huffed.

"Makes sense for a Ninja to go, right?" Fane whispered to Ryne. The Pink Ranger looked just as reluctant as Lewis to volunteer, but as she went to speak, Steel spoke loudly.

"Zoey and Nate will do it," he decided, shoving the Gold and Yellow Rangers forwards. Ryne tilted her head, watching as Nate looked confused, and Zoey looked annoyed.

"Um," Zoey shot a glare at the robot as Nate managed a confused smile. "Of course we're up for the task," she agreed, clearing her throat awkwardly.

"Sure," Nate nodded, despite that confusion. "You can count on us, Mr. Mayor," he agreed.

"Fine," Mayor Daniels agreed, but didn't look too happy about it. "But I have lunch with the Canadian Ambassador this afternoon. You'll need to keep your distance," he told them, and turned to look at Lewis to make sure he knew he was included. Lewis couldn't fault him for his bad attitude over everything; having three so young protecting him was embarrassing enough, and none of them looked like they would work with him.

"You won't know we're there," he agreed, which placated the man a little.

"I'll get them some supplies to help them maintain their cover," Steel volunteered, rushing over.

"I'll go help him, make sure he isn't going to get you grey trenchcoats and fake moustaches," Lewis chuckled, hurrying after the Silver Ranger. Zoey sighed, still looking annoyed.

"Excuse me, I need to make an important call to…Hong Kong," Mayor Daniels muttered, already on his way out of the Command Centre.

"What's with Zoey?" Fane whispered to Ryne, who was watching the Yellow Ranger as well. She didn't seem able to stay still, her face flushed as she purposefully avoided looking at Nate.

"No clue, but Steel was far too eager to pair up the two to have them work on this bodyguarding duty," Ryne whispered back.

"No kidding," Fane agreed, and tilted her head. "Hey, you don't think he worked it out, do you?" she wondered, and Ryne's eyes widened. While she didn't think Steel would be able to work it out for himself, he had been overly eager to volunteer the pair, in a way that he only ever behaved when he had an idea in his head.

"Whatever it is, let's hope whatever crazy scheme he's cooked up doesn't get the Mayor hurt," Ryne muttered.


Lewis resisted a huff as he sat in the park, not far from the restaurant where Mayor Daniels was meeting with the Canadian Ambassador. At least they had gotten an outdoor table, meaning it was easier for Lewis, Nate and Zoey to keep an eye on him. Lewis had chosen to sit alone under a tree with a book and his headphones on, deciding he'd stand out less alone.

He looked around, not paying attention to the girls giggling as they watched him, and immediately spotted Nate and Zoey. While Nate was standing at a food truck nearby ordering food for them, Zoey was watching Mayor Daniels like a hawk, barely blinking. Lewis shook his head, exasperated by how much the two managed to make themselves stand out.

"I need to train them on espionage," he muttered, lifting a notebook from his denim jacket to scribble down a note to himself. "Or maybe have Ryne do it," Lewis considered, all too aware that even though the quiet girl only spent a year at the Wind Ninja Academy, that was still a year of training that Lewis didn't receive from his training at the Pai Zhuq academy.

Returning the notebook to his pocket, Lewis glanced over at the Mayor, who was deep in conversation with the Canadian Ambassador, nodding intently. He watched him for a moment too long, finding that something was off with the man.

Lewis couldn't help but feel that Mayor Daniels had been acting a little strange since finding out that Devon was a Ranger, but he also couldn't fault him for acting a little strangely. After all, only a matter of hours after finding out, he'd jumped headfirst into the Cyber Dimension to save his son. Devon himself had admitted that he still had nightmares of it afterwards.

Looking over at Nate and Zoey again, Lewis frowned as he saw them sitting closer, pressed up to one another as they shared a ramen bowl, with another spilled on the ground beside Nate. "Damn, if they're not careful, even Commander Shaw is going to figure them out," he muttered, irritated with how careless they were being.

He then pushed his hair from his face, wondering just how long they were going to have to be on protection duty for the Mayor. The man travelled a lot, promoting the Morph-X Towers and working to encourage other countries to start using Morph-X as well, meaning that they couldn't protect him forever. "But what is Evox's plan? Why does he want the Mayor so badly? Nate made sense. Dude's a genius, but Mayor Daniels? I don't get it," he wondered aloud.

As Lewis tried to think of a logical reason why the computer virus would target the Mayor of Coral Harbour, he saw the man in question get to his feet, saying something to him before taking his phone from his pocket as he stepped away. Lewis jumped up, following Mayor Daniels away as he walked through the thick bushes. The man walked quickly, speaking sternly into his phone. At the distance Lewis maintained, he couldn't hear anything, but there was a loud sound almost like thunder, and his eyes widened.

"There he is!" Roxy shouted, but as she, Blaze and Asher ran towards the Mayor as he whirled around, Lewis stepped in the way. "No!" she growled, taking a step back as Lewis moved into a fighting stance. As he blocked their path, he missed Mayor Daniels' grimace.

"Whoa, dudes. Step back," Lewis warned, though as he spoke, he looked around for any sign of Nate and Zoey. To his frustration, he saw neither of them.

"He's not a problem," Robo-Asher scoffed, her hands lighting up with golden energy. "He's not a Ranger, we can take him no problem," she declared. Lewis scoffed.

"Really? You've lost to the Rangers every time you've fought them, and they can't beat me even when they work together," he warned her confidently; a black and silver aura starting to surround him. "Call to the Beast Inside! Let loose the Bat!" his Animal Spirit rose from his body; a large bat black and silver in colour that hurtled at the three. They dove out of the way, with Roxy crying out as she was clipped, crashing to the ground.

"Not a problem, huh?" Blaze snapped at Asher, who rolled her eyes.

"It's a bat," she scoffed, throwing a ball of energy at Lewis. He pushed the Mayor aside into cover, and the light clipped his arm, burning through his jacket and making him hiss. Asher then dove out of the way of the bat as it flew back down. Using its large wings, the spirit swung out at Blaze, knocking the robot away. He landed on top of Roxy, who spat curses at him as they flailed in a heap. "Useless," Asher rolled her eyes.

"Oh, you think you'll do better?" Lewis challenged.

"I know I'll do better," she spat back at him, rushing forwards. As his Bat Spirit fought off Blaze and Roxy, who struggled to defend against such a strange foe, Lewis focused on Asher, dodging her angry punches with ease. He kicked out, trying not to wince when his leg met the metal of her stomach. It was still enough to knock her back, but he wasn't unscathed.

"Where the hell are they?" Lewis growled under his breath as he stepped backwards. He managed a quick look around as Asher pushed herself back up, and found still no sign of Zoey and Nate.

"The Rangers might not be able to stand up to you, but you don't have the luxury of protection against metal, do you?" she sneered, and he glared back at her. So she hadn't missed his reaction - she was just as sharp as the real Asher, and he didn't like it. Asher was good enough to make him sweat.

A sharp pain then cut through Lewis' chest, making him cry out in pain and stagger backwards. Looking around quickly, he found his Bat Spirit fading, squeaking in pain after Roxy had caught it in the chest with a shot from her blaster. As he tried to recover, he was caught in the leg by another energy-ball, and couldn't stop his cry of pain as it exploded, burning through his jeans and reaching his skin. Asher then rushed in, kicking him in the chest and sending Lewis tumbling backwards.

"Lewis!" as Asher stood over the injured young man, she heard Zoey's cry and looked over. Cursing, she jumped backwards, and Nate and Zoey stood in the way between her and Lewis and the Mayor. His scowl grew as Asher spat out a curse.

"So much for perfect timing," Roxy hissed.

"Let's split," Blaze nodded as Asher backed up to stand with them. Before Zoey and Nate could fight them, the three vanished in flashes of amber, jade and purple.

"I thought you were supposed to be protecting me!" Mayor Daniels snarled as Zoey ran over to him, while Nate checked on Lewis.

"We're really sorry, Mr. Mayor," Zoey was flustered.

"Commander, the Mayor is secure, but Lewis is-"

"I'm fine," Lewis cut Nate off as he sat up, groaning as he did.

"Lewis, you're hurt," Nate protested as he tried to stop him. However, Lewis knocked his hand away, glaring at the Gold Ranger.

"I'm fine," he pressed. "I'm more concerned about what took you two so long," Nate's eyes widened, and a blush filled his cheeks. He didn't answer, avoiding Lewis' gaze.

"I'm sorry," he whispered.

"Come on. Let's get you back to the base," Zoey said, glancing over at them, and back at the Mayor. Looking furious, the man nodded, and as Nate helped Lewis limp along, they hurried back to Grid Battleforce.


"Easy," Ryne soothed as she stood over Lewis, whose face was scrunched up in pain. "You're okay," she told him, her skin lit up in a golden hue as she healed her friend. The burns on his arm and leg faded, and slowly he felt the pain of his bruised ribs starting to recede as well.

"Thanks, Ryne," Lewis sighed as his tense muscles started to relax. He leaned back in the chair he'd practically fallen into, finally able to breathe properly as the burning pain in his body became nothing more than a memory. Ryne stepped back, her powers fading as she offered a faint smile, and Lewis mournfully examined his burnt and bloody clothes. "This was my favourite jacket," he complained.

"Nate and Zoey will buy you a new one. You know, if they survive what's happening right now," Ryne said, and both looked over to where Mayor Daniels was shouting at the pair. Commander Shaw was letting him, her own anger clear as day.

"But when I needed you, you weren't there! I had to rely on a young man who doesn't have the same ability that you do," Mayor Daniels growled, gesturing to Lewis as he stood up and walked with Ryne over to where Devon, Ravi and Steel were waiting. Fane was sitting on the sidelines, looking just as worried.

"It's our fault, Commander," Nate owned up, his eyes on the ground. Zoey looked as if she were about to start crying. Commander Shaw gave both a hard, scrutinising stare, and her silence seemed to last forever to the pair.

"This kind of mistake isn't like the two of you," Commander Shaw finally spoke, walking past the two at a slow, steady pace. Her tone was icy; colder than they'd ever heard from the woman. "I had a feeling that there was more to the story," her words sparked up anxiety in both Nate and Zoey, who exchanged looks as the rest of the room looked confused. "So I checked the garden's surveillance cameras, and I found this," Commander Shaw hit a button on a nearby console, and the main monitor brought up an image of the pair sitting on the bench.

Fear grew in the pair in question as they realised what the Commander had seen. Everyone watched as in the video, Nate and Zoey stared at one another, before leaning in.

"Oh no," Fane's voice was barely a whisper, her hand flying to her mouth. Devon's mouth was agape, and Ravi looked just as stunned. Ryne had a hand to her face, while Lewis looked furious.

'Oh!' Zoey's yelp came from the video as the broth of the ramen tipped from the bowl in Nate's hand and spilled all over her jeans.

'I am so sorry!' Nate leap up as well, just as flustered. 'That was my fault,' he apologised as Zoey tried to quickly pat at the liquid staining her jeans. The video then ended, and Commander Shaw turned back, her anger only having grown.

"Tell me this isn't what it looks like," her voice was low, as Devon had turned to stare at the pair. They'd both gone bright red, avoiding looking at anyone, including each other.

"Hold on. You guys are a thing?" Devon couldn't help but ask.

"I had no idea…" Ravi breathed, just as shocked.

"It seems no-one did," Commander Shaw growled, not seeing Ryne looking awkwardly over at Fane, who shrugged. "Well? Is it true?" she demanded of the pair. Zoey and Nate exchanged looks.

"Yes…" Zoey admitted, taking a deep breath. "The truth is, Nate and I…" her voice was shaky as she spoke. "Have feelings for each other," she told the Commander, before daring to look at him.

"We have for months, but-"

"No buts!" Commander Shaw exploded out, cutting Nate off. "You know dating is a violation of the rules!" she snapped, furious. "I expected better of you," she said, deeply disappointed in Nate.

"Wait!" Steel spoke up suddenly, unable to watch his brother being berated in front of everyone. "It's not their fault, Commander. Nate and Zoey didn't want to break the rules, but I wanted to see them happy, so I…" Steel trailed off, guilty.

"So you…what?" both Nate and Zoey asked, not understanding.

"So I sort of…kinda…spilled your bowl of noodles so you'd have to share Zoey's bowl," Steel admitted. Ryne winced, unable to deny that it was a clever move. The wrong move, but still clever.

"You followed us?" Nate demanded.

"Well, yeah!" Steel was unapologetic. "What use is a rule if all it does is make good people unhappy?" he demanded.

"He's got a point," Commander Shaw was surprised when Ravi spoke up. "That rule sure made me and Roxy miserable," he pointed out.

"I have to agree with them," Ryne spoke up. "You can't help who you fall for, and with Ranger teams, we're relying on one another. We trust each other with our lives. Sometimes, that trust, that bond, it turns to something more," Ryne shrugged as she looked over at Zoey and Nate. "Ranger teams have always ended up with at least one couple. My grandparents, my aunts and uncles. Technically even my parents. Being a Ranger…" Ryne smiled faintly. "It puts things in perspective," they found themselves smiling back at her. She then sobered. "But the thing is…there's a time and a place for it, and you guys let your feelings distract you from what was important, and it almost got Lewis killed and the Mayor captured," she pointed out, and their smiles fell.

"Rules are meant to be followed," Mayor Daniels looked irritated by the conversation taking place. "Can we wrap this up?" he demanded. "I have an important-" the man stopped talking as a violent cough made his body shudder. "Meeting to get to," he continued, leaving the Command Centre while coughing the entire time.

"Son, you and Ryne will replace Nate and Zoey on the Mayor's detail," Commander Shaw told the pair. "Do not leave his side," she ordered.

"Yes ma'am," the two hurried off after the Mayor.

"We'll finish this discussion later," with that, Commander Shaw turned and stormed off, leaving Zoey and Nate feeling helpless while Devon looked worried.

"I have to agree with Ryne," he admitted. They looked at him, surprised. "It's fine if you're a thing, or whatever. But you were supposed to be watching my dad. If not for Lewis…" Devon looked over at their combat instructor. Lewis looked grim, having been feeling exactly the same way. "I don't want to think about it," with that, he turned and strode off.

"Devon!" Zoey called after him, but their leader didn't stop. Fane huffed, slumping back in her seat.

"So much for getting to spend the day with Ryne," she grumbled.

"Hey, you would have gotten the same stories I did. You've got two generations of Rangers, just like I do," Lewis shrugged at her. "It's not easy spending time with someone who has to protect the world," he pointed out.

"I know that. But it's still annoying," Fane grumbled. She watched as Zoey rushed off, leaving Nate looking frustrated, and glanced up at Lewis again. The young man looked irritated, but pensive.

"Come on," he nodded his head to her, and Fane frowned, before following him out, wondering just what he had planned.


The Mayor's coughing hadn't quite stopped by the time Ravi had pulled the jeep over. He had offered to take him to someone to see about it, but the man had snapped at him, telling him that it was nothing.

"Stay here, sir," Ravi told the man sitting in the back of the car. "Ryne and I will check out the area," he said. Mayor Daniels didn't speak, but looked stressed as he watched them climb out of the car.

"You take that side, I've got over here," Ryne told Ravi, who nodded. They split up, looking around to make sure that Blaze, Asher and Roxy weren't lurking around anywhere. Once they were satisfied, they turned to one another, conveying that everything was clear without speaking. "It's all clear, sir," Ryne spoke as she approached the car, making the Mayor jump. "Sorry," she apologised, seeing the startled look on his face. "We can go in," she told him, and he nodded, opening the door to step out.

Ravi and Ryne walked ahead of Mayor Daniels, keeping an eye out for any sign of potential ambushes. Mayor Daniels continued to cough, but other than that stayed quiet as he walked behind the pair. When a scream came from the woman who had just passed them, the three whirled around just in time to see Tiaratron flying through the air. Her boot caught Ravi's shoulder, and he barely managed to stay on his feet.

"Watch out!" he shouted a warning to Ryne, who jumped up to deliver a spinning kick in retaliation to the Robotron. As she landed, she threw out a hand, and the robot shrieked as energy slammed into her.

"You okay?" Ryne hissed as she backed up, checking on Ravi as he stood with Mayor Daniels.

"I'm fine," he nodded.

"I'm made of diamonds, and this is going to be rough!" Tiaratron declared as she recovered quickly, facing the pair.

"Mr. Mayor, stand back," Ravi told the man, who nodded and watched as they approached Tiaratron. They grabbed their keys, letting the Morph-X flow through them.

"ACTIVATE BEAST POWER!" the two Morphed into their Blue and Pink suits.

As they got ready to fight, Ravi turned to Ryne. "You guard the Mayor and contact the Commander. I'll take care of Sparkles," he told her. Ryne nodded, watching as he ran after the Robotron.

"Commander, a Robotron has just appeared," she warned.

'Copy that. A Gigadrone detector has gone off in Sector Romeo 2-1. I've sent Devon to deal with it. Nate, Steel and Zoey are on their way to assist you,' Commander Shaw told Ryne, who grimaced.

"They're up to something…" she muttered, scanning her surroundings with care for any sign of Robo-Asher, Roxy or Blaze. If there was a Robotron, they were lurking nearby for sure.

Ryne winced as Ravi threw a punch hard enough to crush some of the metal of Tiaratron's armour. "Ravi, watch your strength!" she shouted over to him, all too aware that he had a limit.

"I will!" he shouted back. "Stay with the Mayor!" he told her, and Ryne hesitated. The robot was powerful, and she didn't like seeing her friend fighting alone. However, she knew he was right. She was to protect the Mayor.

"Ravi!" she couldn't stop herself from crying out his name as the Blue Ranger was thrown through the air. To her relief, however, Steel, Nate and Zoey caught him.

"You're burning up!" Nate gasped, feeling the heat of Ravi's suit. "You could overheat," he warned as Ravi gasped for breath. Despite Ryne's warning, he'd pushed himself, trying to last until their backup arrived.

"I know," he admitted, feeling like his skin was on fire. He was burning up, overheating as he pushed himself beyond his limits for too long. His anger was growing, and he was struggling to control himself. "I need a minute. Go!" he snapped at the three. Doing as he said, they ran in to fight off Tiaratron. "Dammit…" Ravi groaned, forced to watch as the three struggled against the powerful Robotron.

"Galwit Aqua Amnis!" before he realised it, Ravi was doused in water cold enough to make him shriek. "Sorry, Ravi!" Ryne apologised as she ran over to the now shivering Blue Ranger.

"Wh-what the heck was that?" he asked.

"A quick way to cool you down," Ryne replied simply. "Magic isn't really my thing, but I know enough to cast a simple spell linked to my element," the words were nonsense to Ravi, but he had to admit, it had done the trick. While he was now shivering, the problem of his overheating was no longer. "You okay?" she asked, a little worried that it had been too much.

"I'm great. Thanks," he patted her helmet, and Ryne swatted him away. Ravi then pushed himself up, running to join the others.

"Impressive," Mayor Daniels hummed as he looked down at the Pink Ranger, who stayed by his side. "Did you say magic?" he asked. Ryne glanced up at him, managing to tear her eyes off the fight.

"After everything you've seen, magic is bizarre to you?" she asked, sounding almost incredulous. The man looked thoughtful, before they heard footsteps behind them.

"Give up the Mayor, and we won't hurt you…much," Roxy warned as Ryne found Asher, Roxy and Blaze standing nearby, wearing their armour.

"I was wondering when you'd come crawling out of the woodwork," she rolled her eyes, stepping between them and the Mayor. "And if you want him, you'll have to come and get him," Ryne warned.

"Oh, with pleasure," Asher growled.

"Transport Beast-X Spin Sabre!" Ryne held out her hand, calling on the weapon that Nate and Asher had been working on. Spinning the blade in her hand, she rushed the three, who were forced to dodge the long blade that she now held.

"Little brat!" Roxy snarled as the three followed after Ryne, who led them away from the Mayor. "Ah!" she gave a shriek as Ryne clipped her side, and she staggered backwards.

"Enough!" Blaze spat, and both he and Asher moved together, managing to land powerful kicks to Ryne's stomach. She cried out, dropping the Spin Sabre. Ryne tried to recover, reaching out with her powers to try and pull the weapon back to her, only to be hit by a ball of golden energy that exploded. She hit the ground nearby, and the blade went spinning away.

"No…" Ryne groaned as she demorphed, unable to push herself back to her feet.

"Finally. Let's finish her," Roxy held up her blasters as they began to glow purple. Laughing, Asher held up her hand with another ball of energy. Ryne's eyes widened, and she tried to push herself back up, only for her strength to fail her.

"No!" before they could finish her off, a golden blur slammed into Roxy, while a yellow figure rammed Asher, throwing both into Blaze. Ryne's eyes widened, and she watched as Zoey and Nate worked in unison, fighting off the robots.

"Zoey!" the Yellow Ranger looked around just in time for the Spin Sabre to fly into her hands. The blue lights surrounding it faded, and Ryne sank back to the ground with a low moan.

"Finish them off," Nate nodded to the Yellow Ranger.

"Right!" she shouted, bracing herself. "Tornado Takedown!" with all her power, Zoey flung the Beast-X Spin Sabre, watching as it spun through the air.

"What?!" before Asher, Roxy or Blaze could react, the blade flew past them, cutting through their armour without issue. It then spun back, hitting them again before returning to Zoey's hands.

"No!" they screamed, exploding.

"Ryne!" the Pink Ranger peered up as Nate and Zoey demorphed and ran over to help her. "Great thinking, using the Spin Sabre," Nate told her.

"Hey, Zoey used it better than I did," Ryne chuckled as they helped her into a sitting position. "And you both kicked butt. That was awesome. Thank you," she smiled up at them.

"Well done," they looked up as Mayor Daniels walked over, accompanied by Steel and Ravi. He smiled at them, but something about it seemed forced. "Thanks. It seems I really owe you three. You saved me again," he said, and Zoey and Nate looked at each other, smiling.


With the Gigadrone defeated by Devon, the Rangers returned with Mayor Daniels to Grid Battleforce.

"Ryne!" Fane gasped, jumping off her seat and running over to the Pink Ranger, who was being supported by Ravi.

"I'm okay," Ryne smiled at her, but she looked exhausted. Covered in bruises, she hadn't walked away unscathed from the fight. She knew all too well that if it wasn't for Nate and Zoey, she wouldn't have walked away at all.

"Well done, team," Commander Shaw spoke up, and shot Fane a stern look. Reluctantly, the Princess went back to the sidelines to sit patiently as instructed. "I'm relieved everyone is safe," her voice was soft.

"Commander," Nate spoke up as he approached the woman. "We haven't been dating. We may disagree with the rule, but we're not gonna break it, not if it means jeopardising the team," Nate insisted. Saying the words broke his heart, but it was something both had agreed on, and they couldn't back down now.

"I believe you, Nate," Commander Shaw spoke, glancing at Mayor Daniels as he coughed again. "I saw the way you two fought together today. The way you worked together to protect Ryne. It's clear to me now; you're a great team because of your relationships, not in spite of them," at her words, Nate and Zoey exchanged looks.

"I don't change the rules often, but when I do, it's only for a good reason. And I had a long talk with both Mr. James, and Princess Fane-" at the mention of her title, Fane grimaced. "That, and what I saw out there, was a very good reason," Commander Shaw's words had the two holding their breaths, not daring to speak as they couldn't believe what they were hearing.

"Does that mean…?" Steel was the one to speak, sounding hopeful.

"Yes Steel, it does," Commander Shaw gave a rare warm smile. "The rule is 'toast', as you might say," she declared. As Steel cheered loudly, the other Rangers exchanged incredulous looks, and Zoey and Nate linked hands, smiling shyly at each other.

The moment was ruined, however, as Mayor Daniels staggered, his coughing growing more violent as it seemed as if he was unable to breathe.

"Dad, are you okay?" Devon tried to reach out to his dad, only to be pushed away.

"I'm not well!" Mayor Daniels shouted, running out the doors.

"Dad!" Devon gave chase, and the rest of the group followed suit, worried for the man who hadn't been able to stop coughing. They followed him as he managed to get out the front doors of the building, before falling to his knees. "Dad!" Devon shouted as he tried to help him.

"Get away from me!" Mayor Daniels screamed, shoving his son away once more. Devon stumbled backwards, caught by Ryne, and could only stare in stunned horror as the coughing grew worse. The man screamed again, before his body started to glow purple. In a flash, he'd transformed into a massive robot with glowing red eyes.

"No, I am not your father!" unable to believe what they were seeing, the group could only watch. They were then blasted backwards by a wave of purple that slammed them into the glass doors, which cracked at the force. "The Mayor is gone. Best you forget about him," Evox taunted, laughing loudly. "You may have learned my secret, but soon the Morphin' Grid will be mine!" with that, Evox vanished in a flash of purple.

"Evox and my dad are…" Devon breathed heavily. "In the same body?!"


This was such a hectic episode, it was chaos to write. The next chapter even more so.

I hope you liked it!

Please review!