Ninja Storm: Rise of the Eclipse- Chapter 20: All About Beevil
Disclaimer: Saban owns all Power Ranger lines. I only own Crystal and Lucy and anything else unrecognizable.
Engines revved at the starting line at the Moto track. Sitting at the start line of the track were Crystal, Hunter, Blake, and Dustin. Each was decked out in their riding gear, their helmets shining in the light. Crystal revved her bike, hearing the familiar snarl of the engine. Her bike rivaled the bikes Hunter and Blake were on, but all three bikes practically towered over the Yellow Ranger's bike. Dustin had made a bet to see who the fastest rider was. Hunter and Crystal, of course, made their own bet. "Loser buys dinner," She proposed.
"You're on, Brewer," Hunter smirked at the blonde.
So, here they were. They had another rider standing at the start, a small flag in his hand. When he dropped the flag, the four took off. They tailed and lead each other through the course. Crystal took second from Blake in seconds. She was trailing behind Hunter, who was beating her at the moment. On the final curve of the track, Crystal kicked her bike higher, flying past Hunter and taking first place from her boyfriend. Parking herself on flat land, Crystal waited for the rest of the guys.
Some of the riders watching the race walked over to the gold-clad rider. "That was awesome," One rider commented. "You were ripping that track up faster than any rider I've seen. What's your name?"
Crystal turned, seeing the other Rangers parking near her. Reaching up, Crystal unclipped her helmet, lifting her goggles up to the top of her helmet. She yanked it off, breathing while shaking out her hair. "Crystal," She smirked, seeing the surprised faces of the riders.
"You're a girl?!" The rider demanded. "Girls aren't allowed on the track."
"Actually, they are," Blake defended. "Crystal's been riding on this track for months, even competing against you guys,"
The rider huffed. "Whatever," He stomped away from the four.
Crystal rolled her eyes. "Thanks," She turned to Hunter. "Looks like your buying dinner this time," Hunter reached over, pushing her head away.
Dustin pulled off his helmet. "You guys smoked me again." He breathed, frustrated with himself. "I feel like I'm losing time every lap."
"You're on a 125, dude," Blake spoke up. "You're supposed to."
"I just put that new carbon fiber airbox on," Dustin explained. "Maybe I have to change the jets."
Crystal leaned over to his engine. "I could look at your bike later today," She suggested. Dustin nodded. She glanced at her watch on her gauntlet. "I've gotta go. Kelly wants me at the store."
"Have fun." Blake waved to her. The Gold Ranger shot him a tightlipped smile. She replaced her helmet, kick-starting her bike. Crystal took off, heading back to the stores.
"Dude, you just gave him your bike?" Shane asked, standing with Tori and Lucy. The three visited Dustin and Crystal at the store when the Yellow Ranger told the two about the guy he met at the track.
Dustin sighed. "He seemed cool." He answered, cleaning a tool.
"Dustin, when are you going to realize that not everyone deserves your trust?" Tori asked him.
Crystal came out of the repair shop and walked over to the four. "What's happening?" She asked, wiping her hands on a towel. She tucked the towel into the back pocket of her jeans.
"Dustin gave his bike away," Lucy told her, hands on her hips. "To a complete stranger who said he had a new part for it,"
Crystal's eyes widened. "Dustin," She practically scolded him.
"Maybe someone at the track has heard of this guy," Dustin shook his head. "I'm going to go find out." He stood and walked away. Crystal shrugged at her leader. She went back to the bike she was working on.
"She's brutal." Blake breathed out.
"You said it," Hunter agreed.
"Hey, bumblebee,"
Sparks flew from the red bug monster. The Silver Ranger stopped right in front of the Thunder Brothers, rapier in hand. Crystal streaked in, hitting the monster a few times in the chest.
"You want to play with Beevil?" The bug asked, spinning her staff above her head and tucking under her arm. Crystal and Lucy fell into stances, weapons were drawn.
Crystal charged first, her rapier following behind her. She jumped over the staff, whipping around and kicking Beevil in the face. Beevil went for another swing, but Crystal jumped back, landing in a crouched position. The Gold Ranger slammed her rapier into the staff shaft, grunting. She pushed Beevil back, away from the other Rangers. Beevil flung her leg up, shoving Crystal away. She landed right in front of the Thunders. Blake and Hunter helped pull her up.
Lucy landed on the ground behind Beevil. The bug turned around, swiping at Lucy. The guardian bent backward to avoid. When she rolled up, Lucy rammed into Beevil. She shoved the bug to the ground. Beevil got up, swinging her staff around. Lucy blocked a swing, kicking her away. Recovering from the kick, Beevil went for another swing with her staff. She brought it down on the Silver Ranger, who fell to her knees, trying not to get hit.
Blake and Hunter came to the rescue, taking attention off the Silver Ranger. They kept swinging and avoiding attacks. Beevil smashed the Navy Ranger into the ground. Hunter went to fight but ended up flying into boxes. The three Rangers standing went to cover him.
Crystal knelt beside him. "You okay?" She asked him, watching him clutch his stomach.
Hunter nodded. "I'll be fine." He answered through gritted teeth. "The suit took most of the hit." Crystal nodded. They stood up together. "Time to call in some backup." He lifted his morpher.
Blake and Hunter went to charge Beevil again. The bug lifted her staff and shot lightning out of it. The Thunder brothers yelled out in pain as they fell to the ground. The sisters went for a hit, but she sent Crystal in the Thunder's direction brothers while Lucy hit stacked pails.
"Time for you to go back to your hive," Cam told Beevil after knocking her staff out of her hands. "Buzz off."
"I'll fly off when I'm good and ready." She challenged him. She sent bursts of lightening towards Cam, making the Green Ranger fall to the ground.
"Cam!"
"You okay?" Tori asked, running up to him.
"There's a new Queen Beevil in town and she's going to take you down." Beevil snarled.
Crystal stood up, snorting. "Yeah, right."
"Don't bet on it." Shane retorted after Crystal.
Beevil leaned towards the Wind Rangers and Cam. "Bye, honeys." She disappeared.
Dustin stepped out of his stance. "Beevil?" He asked himself. "That's who Marah was talking about. She was telling the truth." He rubbed his helmet.
After the fight, Crystal was mumbling to herself, sitting in Storm Chargers. She pulled her hand out of the engine and reached for the rag that was crumpled up next to her. Wiping her hand on it, Crystal stood from her position and walked over to the workbench, humming.
"Crystal humming?" Hunter teased, leaning on the counter.
The blonde jumped, dropping the tool in her hand and ripping out an earbud. "Christ Hunter," Crystal commented, rubbing her forehead. "You could be less ninja-like sometimes." She reached for the tool on the ground.
"Now, where's the fun in that?" Hunter placed his hands on her hips from where he was standing behind her. He planted a kiss on her temple then moved away from her.
"The fun would be not giving me a heart attack if you wanna keep dating me," Crystal grumbled, rolling her eyes. She tapped the tool in her hand against her other hand. "How're the ribs?"
Hunter trailed her. "What do you think?" He asked, sitting down across from her. "Ow," He muttered, shifting around.
"If they hurt, stop moving for a while," Crystal retorted, lying down on the ground and scooting under the bike.
"Yeah, well, if we had stopped that ugly monster, I wouldn't have been thrown into boxes," Hunter grumbled.
"Okay, Hunter," She breathed out, reaching into the engine of the bike to get back to work.
Dustin carefully climbed down the stairs to the Ops. It was early in the morning and the day after Dustin had met with Marah. He had the object that Marah had given him in his hand. He knew that Marah was good, secretly. But It took a push for her to actually switch over to the Ranger's side. But Dustin was gonna do everything to fight Beevil and prove that she was good. He had gotten the main power source out for him to charge the device. Someone cleared their throat. The Yellow Ranger turned.
Cam stood across from him. Sensei right beside his son. "You know it's five in the morning, right?"
Dustin sighed.
"Did anyone contact the sisters?" Cam questioned.
Hunter nodded from where he was standing. "Yeah, Crystal answered, and she wasn't happy."
"Rys, just because I found them, doesn't mean I hid them," Lucy's voice resounded through the Ops. Everyone turned to find the Silver Ranger standing at the bottom of the stairs. Her brunette hair was in a braid. Her ninja suit was a little rumpled, but everyone thought it was from running through the forest. to Ops.
The Gold Ranger appeared in the doorway. She ran a hand through her hair, pulling it into a ponytail. Her black, thick-rimmed glasses hung on her nose. "I put them down exactly where I told you," She argued. "You saying that they weren't there wasn't the biggest comfort,"
"What?" Shane asked, turning to see the tired eclipse ninjas.
Lucy smiled. "Crystal couldn't find her glasses," She motioned to the blonde that was standing next to her. "What's the story, Morning glory?" Everyone shot her a look. "It's early in the morning and I haven't had anything to eat."
"I'm telling you, Marah wants to change," Dustin argued.
Crystal breathed out. "What?"
Tori turned to the two sisters. "Marah has turned good and wants to help us defeat Beevil."
"Don't buy it," Lucy commented, rubbing her nose.
"Why not?" Dustin turned to her.
Lucy rolled her eyes. "Look, I want to believe that she has turned good, but she could have done that from the start. She had every chance to go against her uncle and be good, but she chooses now?" She shook her head. "Look, believe what you want but I don't believe it,"
"I believe her," Dustin defended.
Blake spoke up. "Man, did you miss the entire Choobo thing?" He questioned. "He told us the same thing, and it ended up being a trap,"
Tori motioned to the device. "How do we know it's not a tracking device?"
"Or a bomb," Crystal added then shook her head. "Look, Lothor could be setting us up. Make us believe that Marah's good then use that against us,"
"Lothor's goons can't be trusted," Hunter pointed out.
Dustin turned to the blond boy. "Marah's not a goon," He defended. "She's just a little confused,"
Shane chuckled. He leaned on Blake. "Dude, you are so into her!"
"No, I'm not," Everyone raised an eyebrow at Dustin. "I mean, she is kinda cute, but… She wants to help us,"
Just then, the computer beeped. Crystal breathed out, "Just another day at the office," She joked, watching the screen. The Rangers chuckled at her joke. They all turned to the screen.
"We shall see is Marah wants to be good," Sensei spoke up. "Beevil has returned,"
"Let's go," Shane ordered. Tori, Cam, Lucy, and Blake all took off after the Red Ranger.
"Wait, I have to charge this thing up," Dustin called out.
Crystal patted his shoulder. "Look, it's your choice,"
Hunter rested his hand on her shoulder. "We gotta go," He told her. They took off, following the rest of the team to where Beevil was fighting the workers in her way.
"There she is," Cam commented, ripping his sword from his scabbard. Tori followed his head, pulling her sword out. Shane, Dustin, Blake, and Hunter pulled their weapons from their backs. The sisters yanked their rapiers out.
"Well, well, well. Seven little Rangers all in a row!" Beevil looked around at the line of Rangers.
"Back off," Shane ordered.
Beevil threw her hands to her side. "Yeah, right," She called out, throwing her hand out. "Kelzak Furies," She commanded. A pod of kelzaks appeared, but they were different. Instead of the normal black attire, the kelzaks were garbed in red.
"Nice suits," Tori called out. "I bet we still kick your butts,"
"Attack," Beevil commanded. The rangers ran at the kelzaks, hitting them with everything that they had. Each Ranger tried to strike their little section of the kelzaks, only for them to not fall back. Crystal ended up getting thrown toward Hunter… again. Lucy took a tumble towards Blake. The Thunder brothers pulled the Eclipse Rangers up off the ground.
"Thanks," Crystal breathed out, struggling to get her ground. Hunter's helmet was facing her, telling Crystal that Hunter was staring at her. "I'm fine, just a blow to the helmet rattled my brain around good," She breathed, leaning on her knees. "Just give me a second," But before Crystal could get a second, she and Hunter were both knocked down by Beevil and the furies. Crystal rolled onto her back, breathing heavily. She couldn't recover fast enough.
Lucy made her way over. "You two good?" She asked, hauling Crystal to her feet. The two ducked when lightning hit the furies.
Smoke rose from where the furies were standing. A figure was walking to them. Marah sauntered through the cloud of smoke left by the lightning. She stopped a few paces from Beevil and the Rangers. Beevil glanced at Marah. " What's the deal, Marah?" She asked.
"I'm not here for a quilting bee, Beevil," Marah glared at the bumblebee. " I'm going to take your down,"
"Give it your best shot," Beevil taunted, charging Marah. The reformed girl turned and kicked Beevil in the stomach, running after her. She threw a few punches then backflipped to avoid a hit. She ended up running and pushing off a car to get Beevil off her feet.
Beevil growled. She shot bursts of energy at Marah. Lucy tried to help but Shane held her back. "Get up," Beevil ordered, yanking Marah up by the arm. "I'm not through with you yet," She shoved Marah into the car, following her. Marah scrambled for the roof of the car. Beevil continued to follow. Marah threw a few punches but Beevil caught her arms, pushing them down. "Bye-bye, girlfriend," She snarled, shoving Marah off the side of the building.
Marah screamed. Luckily, the girl landed on a bed of flowers, breaking some of her fall. Dustin came running in when Beevil advanced on the downed girl. He yelled at the girl, throwing her the device he charged. Marah blasted Beevil to the ground. "This won't hurt a bit," She told her old friend, pressing the device onto Beevil's forehead.
"See, I told you," Dustin smiled. The other Rangers ran to him. Cam, Crystal, and Lucy all had their helmets off while the rest of the team had their visors open. "She stopped the alien freak from destroying us,"
Marah smiled. "Of course, I wouldn't let Beevil destroy you," She grinned. Her hand slowly moved in front of her body and off to the side. Her bug costume appeared in an instant. "I want to do that myself,"
Shane tried to move, but Hunter stopped him. Lucy went to pull out her rapier, but Crystal laid a hand on hers.
"Atlas, the truth," Beevil popped up. She shot a blast at the Rangers, making them scramble to get out of the way. Crystal and Lucy were back in front of the two in seconds. The other Rangers right behind them. "Thanks for the energy boost, girlfriend. Our plan worked like a charm,"
Marah chuckled. "You can thank the Dum-Dum Ranger for that,"
"You lied to me," Dustin stated.
Marah rolled her eyes. "Well, duh,"
"That's low, Marah," Lucy called out. She stepped forward, her hand finding Dustin's shoulder. "Dustin was the only one of us to trust you, to believe in you, He believed that you were good, that you were changing," Marah's face fell into a frown. "And for a moment… I wanted Dustin to be right,"
"Hey," Marah's frown went back to a grin. "It's not my fault he's dumber than me,"
"You shouldn't have said that," Crystal pipped up. "I think you just angered everyone on this team. But wait until Dustin gets his hands on you because I'm sure he's angrier than all of us combined," Lucy and Crystal opened up a spot for Dustin to move to.
The Yellow Ranger stepped forward. "No one makes a fool out of me," He stated.
Ninja Storm, Ranger Form
Each of the Ranger took their own pod, as they usually do. But since the furies differed completely from the regular Kelzaks, they were having a tougher time taking them to the ground. "Like roaches," Lucy breathed out on the ground.
"Cam, a little help," Shane yelled out to the Green Ranger.
Cam stopped his fighting and spoke into his morpher. As the primary Rangers took out their pods of kelzaks and helped the Thunders, Hunter looked around. He found Crystal battling it out with Beevil. The problem was, Beevil had the upper hand. Crystal went for a hit, but Beevil stopped her and slammed her foot into Crystal's stomach, hard. The Gold Ranger rolled on the ground. She stopped when she got to her knees.
Dustin jumped in. "Thanks for wearing her out," He joked, looking at Crystal.
The blonde laughed, winking at Dustin under her helmet. "Not a problem, call me if you need me," She tagged on. Hunter ran over, helping the Gold Ranger to her feet. "Thanks," She muttered, falling to her knees.
All the Rangers watched Dustin beat Beevil at her own game. It took two minutes, but Dustin took down Beevil. All whipped around when Marah walked out of her hiding spot. "You didn't think I'd come unprepared, did you?" She pulled out Lothor's PAM and pressed a button or two.
Suddenly, Beevil was five times the size. "Who's the queen bee now?" She asked.
Dustin turned to Marah. "I thought we were friends," He pointed out.
Marah looked down for a second. "Smell you later." She waved, disappearing in a second.
"She's all mine," Dustin told the group.
"Take her down," Lucy nodded.
Dustin lifted his morpher to speak to Cyber Cam. "I need the Star Megazord for one, please," He called out. He disappeared into the Megazord.
It was a while after the battle with Beevil. The guardians were in their small living room, doing their own thing. Crystal was asleep on the couch, curled under a blanket that Lucy threw over her. The brunette ninja sat on the floor in front of her. There was a sketch pad in her hand and a picture of Crystal sleeping on the page.
Lucy lifted her head from her drawing when there was a sharp knock on the door. Setting her book down, the ninja crawled to her feet and over to the door. When she opened it, she found Hunter and Blake standing on the other side. "What's up?" She asked, a hand finding her hip
Hunter raised a bag. "I brought burgers and Blake felt left out," He smiled. Blake nodded in agreement, smiling at the young ninja.
"Come on in," The Silver Ranger moved out of the way of the Thunders, letting them into the small apartment. "Rys is asleep on the couch. The hard kick to the helmet rattled her brain way too hard." She leaned over, shaking Crystal's shoulders.
The blonde woke with a start. "What?" She squinted up at her sister.
"Boyfriend and brother are here with food," Lucy summed up.
"Okay, I'm hungry," The gold ninja sat up, stretching.
"Starving," Blake added, picking up his own pack of fries.
Lucy picked up her burger. "I hope that Lothor's licking his wounds," She bit into the burger. The Rangers turned to her. She swallowed her bite. "'Cause then he's too busy to fight us,"
"Agreed," Hunter stated.
The next day, the Rangers found Dustin in the back of Storm Chargers, fixing an engine. "Hey," Blake stated, reaching the bar first.
"You okay?" Tori questioned.
Dustin sighed. "Man, I'm such a chump," He placed the tool on the bar. "I'll never trust anyone again,"
"Hey, if you hadn't trusted us, we wouldn't have been here," Hunter spoke up, an arm around his girlfriend. The shorter blonde was leaning on him a little.
"Same with us," Crystal added in. "Everyone makes mistakes. It's part of being human,"
"First the bike guy, then Marah…" Dustin trailed off.
Blake shook his head. "That girl is bad news,"
"Like I told Tori earlier this year, they aren't smart enough to realize how kind you are," Lucy told him.
"There was just something about her eyes…" Dustin told the group. "They seemed so sincere."
"Don't even go there, man," Blake chuckled.
Kelly walked up behind Dustin. "Uh, Dustin, there's somebody here for you," She winked at Crystal, who automatically knew it was something about his bike.
Dustin waved her off, turning around. "Can you tell him I'm not here or something?"
"I think you'll really want to see this," Kelly convinced him. Dustin turned around and threw his towel off, dashing to the front of the store.
"I'm so sorry. The printing company messed up the address on my new business cards," The guy explained. "You must have thought I was a kook," The guy joked.
Dustin breathed out. "You have no idea how stoked I am," He smiled.
"So, your bike's all dialed in. Let me know how it rides,"
"Hey, sweet," Dustin shook his hand. "Thanks, man," Dustin climbed on and laughed. He breathed out, turning to the team. "See, sometimes, you just gotta trust people."
Next episode: Tongue and Cheek
