A/N: I've uploaded more images and edits onto my DeviantArt profile: raeimarie21.
A/N: If you like this fic, please favorite/follow/review it! I welcome any questions, comments, suggestions, and constructive criticism you may have as long as it's respectful and inoffensive. As I said, I've never written fanfiction before, and I know I have room for improvement! Enjoy Chapter 3!
Sledge sat on his throne on the bridge of his ship, with Poisandra by his side, and berated Fury for his incompetence while several Vivix tinkered away on the various control panels. "You've had 65 million years, and you couldn't snag a single Energem?!" Sledge thundered angrily.
Poisandra gasped and put hands on her hips, "Not even one?! Dreadful!" She shook her head in disgust. "Seriously, why do we even bother keeping you around?"
"But, Master Sledge," Fury protested, clenching his fist. "There was a setback. I saw Keeper give them to dinosaurs for protection. But before I could do anything…."
"I don't have to listen to…." Sledge paused when all of what Fury said sank in. "Wait… Keeper?!" He quickly stood, startling Poisandra, and stepped down to get in the warrior's face. "That little cretin who blew up my ship and made me lose all my precious asteroids!? You haven't got him either?! You're about as useful as space trash, Fury!" The bounty hunter stalked out of the room in a huff, not wanting to deal with him anymore.
Fury narrowed his eyes and growled as he watched his boss leave. 'Space trash, huh? I'll show him.'
Meanwhile, Sledge's outlaws yelled and made such a commotion on one of the grungy cell blocks that the blue Spikeball guards couldn't take it anymore.
"Quiet, all of you! I mean it!" One bellowed, swinging his club baton to taunt them.
"Keep it down, or you won't be fed tonight!" Another threatened.
As soon as the guards weren't looking, one outlaw named Scrapper, in his clawed crusher arm form, used the opportunity to escape a cell by squeezing the bars so his arm could slip through. He snickered while he swung from the cell bars to the pipes in the ceiling, thinking he was free at last. Or so he thought.
"Oh, no, you don't!" Sledge barked. A green beam from his blaster hit Scrapper, and the arm fell to the floor, reverting to his normal form as a garbage compactor-themed monster with a five-clawed right arm and a flyswatter left arm.
"Uh-oh!" Scrapper nervously muttered, seeing that he'd been caught. 'I'm in for it now.'
Sledge stomped up to the prisoner that had the nerve to try to escape and stared down at him. "So, Scrapper, you want out, huh?"
The outlaw tried in vain to think up an excuse. "Uh, no. I was just, uh…" he stammered.
Before he could explain, Sledge grabbed Scrapper by the neck and roughly pulled him to his feet. "Bring me an Energem, and I'll personally chauffeur you to any galaxy you want!" He then pushed him back against the cells.
"Of course, Master Sledge," Scrapper conceded. "Anything you say."
Sledge growled loudly as he turned around and marched down the walkway and back to the bridge.
Down in the Dino Base, Riley, wearing a green t-shirt under a green zip-up and jeans, was intently training with his Dino Saber. Getting it ready, he swung at tennis balls that launched out of a small machine. He deflected three, did a one-armed cartwheel, and spun around, hitting two more; then, he skillfully sliced one in half. Suddenly a loud clanging noise distracted him, and a ball struck him in the shoulder, causing him to wince.
In a white t-shirt under a black sweatshirt and dark jeans, Chase stood at one of the counters fixing his skateboard while listening to music on his headphones. Then he loudly sang a line from the song, "Babyyyyyy, I just can't say maybeeeee." He didn't notice that one of his tools had fallen to the floor and caught his friend off-guard.
Riley knew Chase couldn't hear him, so he shook his head and muttered, "Seriously, dude? Ugh." Trying hard to ignore him, Riley went back to his sword training.
At that moment, Shelby slid down the ramp into the base, wearing a white and pink graphic t-shirt, under a pink zip-up hoodie, and grey skinny jeans. Emma was right behind her, and they both took their Energems off their necklaces and let them magnetize into the charging bay. The Pink Ranger was in such a good mood that she wasn't paying attention and walked right between Riley and the tennis ball machine. Before Emma could warn her, she had to duck and dodge a few balls, but it didn't faze her. "Whoops, careful!" she chuckled before continuing through the base.
Emma, in a black tank top, yellow short-sleeved, opened-front cardigan, dark jeans, and yellow sneakers, her hair in a high ponytail, gave Riley an apologetic smile and mouthed, 'Sorry' as she quickly got out of his way and gently nudged her best friend with her elbow, "Way to go, Sheli."
"Huh?" Shelby asked, still in her own world. Emma pointed back to Riley, and she cringed when she finally realized what she'd done. "Sorry, Ri. I'll try to pay attention next time."
"No, problem," the Green Ranger replied with a grin. He nodded to Chase and rolled his eyes, "It's the least of my worries."
The girls looked back at Chase, still oblivious to what had happened, and giggled, knowing exactly what Riley was referring to. They walked towards the Black Ranger, and Emma raised her voice a little, hoping he'd hear her, "Morning, Chase!" She waved her hand in his line of sight, finally getting his attention.
"Hey!" Chase greeted them. He immediately stopped working, took off his headphones, and broadly smiled. "Don't you look sharp!" His compliment was intended for both of them, but he looked at Emma when he said it, which didn't bother Shelby as she knew how much her best friend liked Chase.
"Thanks," Emma replied shyly and felt herself blush a little. Their eyes locked for a few seconds until they heard Shelby sigh happily as she leaned on the counter next to them.
"It's such a relief to finally come to the museum and not have to look…." She stopped midsentence after seeing Tyler, who had just put his Energem in the charging bay, wearing a red t-shirt and jeans but also sporting the café uniform of a brown apron, black cap, and nametag. Her eyes widened, and her mouth fell open. "…like that!"
But Tyler couldn't be more thrilled with how he looked. "Isn't it great?" he asked with a smile, pointing to his nametag with a black tyrannosaurus profile. "I get to be a busboy at the café."
While Shelby was still speechless, Chase and Emma were amused by his enthusiasm. "You've never been a busboy before, have you?" Chase inquired, sharing a knowing look with Emma.
"No, why?" The Red Ranger inquired, wondering if there was something they knew that he didn't.
"Never mind," Emma told him, trying to keep a straight face. "I'm sure you'll love it."
"Yeah, for sure," Chase added, hoping he believed them.
A stern voice cut their conversation short, and they all turned around to see their boss had entered the base. "You're late, Shelby. You too, Em," Kendall chided, walking towards them wearing a white t-shirt, grey pencil skirt, and black blazer, carrying her tablet, two brown aprons, and two black caps. "Which I don't understand, considering you and I live together."
"Sorry, sis," Emma apologized, trying to think of a good excuse. "I was…delayed. You know how it is."
"I see," Kendall remarked, adjusting her glasses. "Well, try not to let it happen again." She treated her sister like her other staff but was sometimes easier on her. She then saw Chase's skateboard on her counter and rolled her eyes. "Please, Chase. This is a sterile laboratory, not a garage." She picked up the board and handed it to him while Riley had finished training and joined them.
Shelby's shock had worn off, and she finally found her voice. "W-why is Tyler dressed to work in the café?" she asked Kendall, following her as she walked around the lab. "We're Rangers now. You know, busy saving the world?" She looked from Emma to Kendall and nervously added, "right?"
The tech advisor continued to make her rounds on the lab's equipment, her heeled sandals click-clacking as she answered. "Well, sometimes you're busy saving the world; other times you're busy flipping burgers."
"Let me guess…today it's burgers?" Emma asked. She put her hands on her hips and glanced at her sister, then at her best friend, whose facial expression went from anticipation to dread.
"Yes," Kendall replied, then turned around and saw how sullen Shelby was. "That's how you blend in. No one will ever suspect the café employees are Rangers." She handed Emma and Shelby the aprons and caps.
Koda then walked in from his cave, preceded by a big yawn, indicating that he'd just woken up. He wore dark blue shorts but was shirtless and shoeless, and his dark brown shoulder-length hair was tousled. "Someone say… burgers?" The teen sniffed around, hoping someone had brought him his favorite food for breakfast.
Tyler looked confused when he saw Koda come in from the cave attached to the base. Half-jokingly, he asked, "Koda, what do you, like, sleep in that cave?"
"Yes…my home," The Blue Ranger admitted, smiling proudly.
"He also stays at our house when he wants to, usually in the basement," Emma told Tyler as she came over to the rest of the group.
"Yes. That my…other home," Koda answered with a nod, then clapped Riley on the shoulder. "We also now…roomies. Yes?"
Shortly after they met Riley, he'd mentioned he was looking for a place to stay while in Amber Beach. Kendall and Emma quickly offered him a room in their home, which was big enough to accommodate the whole team if necessary.
"Well, after living with someone like my brother for so long, I'm enjoying living with you guys and very thankful," Riley grinned.
"But I still don't understand why you call a cave your home, Koda," Tyler said, getting back to his original question. "I've heard of living off the grid, but…."
"The thing is," Kendall clarified. "Koda found, and bonded to, the Blue Energem 100,000 years ago, during the Pleistocene Era."
"And way back then," Emma continued, "people obviously didn't live in houses or apartments. They lived in caves."
"Hold up," Riley interrupted, piecing together this information. "So, what you're saying is…."
"Koda's a-a…." Shelby stammered.
"Caveman?!" Riley, Tyler, and Shelby answered simultaneously, finding it hard to imagine. Emma, Chase, and Kendall nodded while Koda flexed his muscles in a silly pose, then grinned at his friends.
"Awesome!" Tyler exclaimed, looking at his new friend in awe. He pointed to Koda's cave and asked, "Can I…see it?" Koda nodded and followed him to his home.
"Really…" Riley crossed his arms and looked skeptically at Koda, who appeared no older than him. "…he's 100,000-years-old? That's…impossible."
"Once he bonded to his Energem, he stopped aging," Kendall revealed. "None of you will age when you're bonded to your Energems."
Riley raised an eyebrow and said nothing more while joining Tyler and Koda in the cave. 'This is just too much,' he thought, shaking his head.
Shelby, meanwhile, was super psyched by what Kendall had told her. "So, we'll all stay 18? For real? This job's got some great benefits! Wow."
Chase came to stand next to Shelby and proudly bragged, "And I…will always look like this." He made sure the three girls got a good look at him.
While Shelby gave him a slightly-cynical glance and Kendall scowled at him, Emma sighed and thought, 'We can only hope.'
"So there are some negatives, too," Shelby pursed her lips, but she smiled as she added, "You'll never change. In any way."
"You'll always be…you," Emma put in.
"Hey!" Chase protested, although he knew they were only joking.
Emma and Shelby shared a look before bursting out laughing and slapping each other five. Even Kendall couldn't help but grin, though she had to fight to refrain from laughing.
(~~~~~~~)
Koda was still showing Tyler and Riley around his cave. It was a good-sized room with a couple of torches to light it and a small bed on the floor made of natural materials.
Tyler looked on the far wall and admired the spears leaning against the far wall, all of a different length, each with a sharpened tip made of rock and tied on. "Those my…spears," Koda explained while putting his blue tank top and a cut-off jean jacket vest, then proudly added, "Good for hunting Saber-Toothed Tiger."
"You write on the walls?" he asked the caveman, observing carvings and simple red or black pictures lining the cave's back wall.
"Petroglyphs," Shelby clarified, equally impressed, as she entered the cave with Chase and Emma. "It's a prehistoric form of writing."
"And the red and black ones are called pictographs," Emma added. "which is a prehistoric form of drawing."
"Yes," Koda confirmed with a nod. "I…write and draw…my story. Here." He gestured to the wall and then to a group of stick figures. "This is me…and my…family."
Tyler then saw a figure in red paint, larger than the rest, with horns coming out of its head and two lightning bolt shapes coming out of its hands. "That one," he pointed to it and felt like he'd seen something like it before. "What is that?"
"That is Fury," Koda told him, frowning as he looked at the pictograph.
As soon as he heard this, Tyler did a double-take, said nothing, and determinedly left the cave. Shelby watched him go and sensed something was troubling him.
Koda continued talking about his experience with Fury, and the others gathered around him. "He…very bad. He…fight to steal…Energem."
Remembering his encounter with him in the woods by his home, Riley nodded and piped in, "Yeah, I met him; he tried to take my Energem, too."
"Guys look at this," Tyler called to them as he returned, carrying his dad's journal with the pen sketch he showed Shelby before. He held it up and showed Koda to get a verification. "Is that him?"
"Yes," Koda worriedly looked from the pen sketch to the pictograph. "That him."
"He was the one after your dad 10 years ago," Shelby remembered.
"Why was he after your dad?" Emma asked. Before anyone could say anything, the alarm sounded in the base, alerting the Rangers.
"That doesn't sound good," Chase said, leading them back to the main room.
Kendall stood in front of the holographic projection of Earth, along with flashing signals of something coming towards the planet. "Several objects have just entered the Earth's atmosphere."
"Sledge? A monster?" Tyler guessed, taking off his cap and apron and putting on a long-sleeved, red plaid shirt over his t-shirt.
"Whatever it is, they're coming in fast," Emma observed, watching the signals get closer by the second. "This is bad."
"Let's go find out, then," Chase decreed, removing his headphones and setting them on the counter. "And see what's really going on."
The others nodded and got into position to teleport to where the unidentified objects were heading. Kendall imputed the destination on her tablet, then instantly transferred it to their communicators. "Good luck," she told them. 'I'm sure you'll need it.' All Rangers teleported out of the base in six bright beams of Red, Black, Blue, Green, Pink, and Yellow.
The six Ranger's teleportation beams landed in Moon Rock Woods; an open meadow was just across the way from where the signal was coming.
"This way, come on," Riley told them, and they started moving down the path and through the black oak trees. They ran until they got into the clearing and stopped when Poisandra, Wrench, Scrapper, and several Vivix came into view.
"Oh, look," Poisandra retorted with disgust as both groups approached the clearing. "It's the Rangers."
"What the heck are you? A walking lollypop?" Tyler asked, baffled by the cacophony of bright colors, hearts, and polka dots covering her body.
"Things like you give pink and yellow a bad reputation," Emma quipped, staring her down with a hand on her hip.
"Well, it's so lovely to meet you too," the villainess replied sweetly, then her expression turned sour. "NOT! Ugh! Anyway," her voice got louder as if she were using a microphone. "Let me introduce the most magnificent intergalactic bounty hunter in the universe!" Sledge flew in on his jetpack and landed with a 'thud.' The blowback of air hit the Rangers, who winced, and they got their first proper look at this new villain. He growled menacingly, and his jetpack folded into his armor while Poisandra continued. "The one, the only, my future husband…Sledge." She held onto his arm while laughing joyfully.
Sledge chuckled while looking down at the Rangers. "This is a joke, right? You can't honestly be the Rangers who destroyed my monster!"
"Power Rangers! And you bet we did," Shelby narrowed her eyes and tried to sound confident, even though she was scared deep down.
"And we'll keep doing it until you give up!" Emma bravely told them.
The villains laughed heartily, not taking the Rangers seriously as a threat. To them, these six teens might as well be weak infants who stood no chance in taking them down.
Koda suddenly caught a familiar scent in the air, followed it up to a hill, and sneered in anger when he saw Fury trying to stay out of sight behind some brush. "Fury," he grunted, getting Tyler's attention, and then pointed. "Up there."
'That's him!' Tyler gasped. 'The creature in my dad's journal.' He could now put a face to the drawings he'd seen. As he scowled at Fury, he noticed Sledge secretly signal him, who answered by clenching his fist and nodding. 'That has to mean something, but what?'
"As I was saying…." Sledge continued, bringing Tyler's attention back to him. "You're the troublemakers that stole my Energems!" A cloud of red energy appeared in front of the Rangers, startling them. Keeper emerged, staff in hand, and strode towards Sledge. "Keeper. It's you."
"The Energems belong to Rangers," the wise mentor declared sternly. "But even if they didn't, they'd never belong to you."
This reunion wasn't happy for either of them, and Sledge held a substantial grudge against Keeper in addition to just plain hating him. "My dear, old friend," Sledge mocked. "Did you think that blowing up my ship could stop me? Think again! I waited in deep space for millions of years for a comet to pass. I caught it with my electronet and rode it all the way to Earth." He began to move towards Keeper, who held his ground. "But it was worth it because finally, I will destroy you! Then, I'll leave here with the Energems, and there's nothing you can do about it."
"The Rangers possess the power of the Energems and the strength of ancient dinosaurs." Keeper explained. "If you try to take them, you will be the one who is destroyed. And I'll do everything in my power to help them."
"This I gotta see!" Sledge taunted, shaking his fist. "I want the chance to take you on, one-on-one."
Keeper wanted to stay and help the Rangers, but he felt weary and had a slight pain in his chest. 'No, not now.' He took a slow deep breath and tried to conserve his energy. "Don't worry. You will get your chance." Without another word, he turned around, a cloud of red and white energy appeared again, dissolved, and Keeper was gone.
Riley looked around nervously, wondering why their mentor abandoned them, hoping he'd return. "Uh, Keeper?"
"No prob. W-we got this," Shelby stammered. "…I guess."
"Right," Emma agreed, but she felt the bravery she had before falter. "This… shouldn't be…too hard. Right?"
"Oh, no. It looks like they're gonna cry," Wrench mocked with fake sincerity, holding his ax at the ready.
"Bring it on, weaklings!" Sledge provoked, hitting his fist against his palm.
The Rangers took their Dino Chargers out to morph, and Chase started the call out, "Dino Charger!…." He waited for their leader to answer with, 'Ready,' but the Red Ranger was watching Fury intently and not paying attention.
Shelby gently nudged Tyler's hand with hers. "Tyler," she whispered. "Tyler."
After realizing that his friends needed him, he reached into his pocket for his Charger and held it out. "Ready!" he announced.
"Ready!" the other Rangers replied.
Before they could complete their morphing sequence, Sledge shot at them with his blasters, causing explosions around the Rangers. Soon all that could be seen were the remnants of sparks and plumes of grey smoke.
"Yay!" Poisandra squealed joyfully. "You destroyed them! That was so easy!"
As the smoke from the explosions cleared, the Rangers emerged charging forward, morphed, and ready for action.
"Better get your eyes checked!" the Red Ranger asserted. "Let's do this!"
"Yikes! This isn't any fun!" Poisandra ran from the battle while the Vivix rushed towards the Rangers, ready to fight.
(~~~~~~~)
Chase took out his Dino Morpher. "One…two…three." He expertly shot at two Vivix in front of him, flipped it around, and shot one behind him without even looking. "Hah. The hotshot does it again!" Black front-flipped, then shot at three more Vivix, knocking them over.
"I'll take you apart," Scrapper threatened as he ran up to him. He swung at Chase with his arms, some missing, some hitting.
"I'd like to see you try," Chase quipped.
Scrapper hit Chase a few times with his claw arm, the last of which threw him. He spun and demorphed in midair, then rolled to the ground.
(~~~~~~~)
"This…no problem for caveman strength." Koda grabbed a Vivix by the arm, picked it up, and threw it into a crowd of others.
Scrapper struck Blue from behind with his swatter arm, surprising him. "Caveman strength is nothin' against me!" He hit him with an uppercut with his claw arm that sent him flying through the air; Koda demorphed before hitting the ground.
(~~~~~~~)
Shelby kicked at Wrench several times, which he blocked. "Let's see how you like the power of the Triceratops," Pink boasted. He swung at her chest with his ax; she demorphed instantly and fell to the ground in pain.
(~~~~~~~)
"Have a piece of this!" Riley declared. He slashed at a Vivix with his saber and then kicked it. "And a slice for you!" He hit another before facing off against Wrench.
Their weapons clashed a few times, and Green blocked them until Wrench swung his ax hard like a baseball bat. "You're outta here!" This knocked Riley to the ground and demorphed him.
(~~~~~~~)
Red front-flipped, hook punched, and kicked at Sledge but couldn't help noticing how rancid he smelled. "Ugh! Ever heard of deodorant!"
"Seriously! And you're ugly, too!" Yellow added as she front kicked and elbowed him, then moved to the other side so that she and Tyler could flank him.
"I don't need good looks to win, and the only thing I smell is your defeat!" He grabbed them each by the arm to pull them in front of him, then used an energized punch, hitting them square in the chest and causing Tyler and Emma to flip and land on their backs, demorphing them. "Oh," he groaned, stretching his sore body, which hadn't seen combat in many years. "I'm getting too old for this!"
"Oh, no!" Poisandra cried, quickly coming to his side, worried that her beloved had hurt himself. "Sledgums!"
The Rangers regrouped with Tyler and Emma, and they all staggered to stay on their feet. This battle had been tough; they'd demorphed so easily, which they didn't know was possible.
"One last warning, Rangers!" Sledge bellowed. "Hand over the Energems in an hour, or I'll blast this planet to pieces. One hour!" He activated his jet pack, and after a false start with one of them, he soared into the air; his crew teleported away before the smoke cleared.
"One hour…how long is that?" Koda asked Shelby.
"Not long enough," she told him with a frown.
"How do we stop him?" Emma asked, rubbing her sore shoulder. "We can't give Sledge our Energems."
"But if we don't," Chase countered. "There'll be no Earth left to protect; that doesn't leave us many options."
"We-we need to devise a plan to beat him together," Riley spoke up, still trying to catch his breath.
Tyler looked up to the hill where Fury still lurked and watched him suspiciously leave the scene. "Something's going on with Fury. I'm going to follow him," he announced and abruptly started to leave them.
Shelby immediately stepped forward, took hold of his hand, and looked him in the eyes. "Tyler, I know you want answers about your dad, but…."
"It's not about my dad," he contended, gently pulling his hand away. "Fury and Sledge signaled each other. I've got a hunch." He again started to leave, but Chase grabbed Tyler by the shoulder this time.
"Forget your hunch, mate," Chase warned him. "The six of us, we're a team now. We have to work together, or we don't stand a chance."
"We don't always have to be together, to work together," Tyler countered.
"Tyler's right," Emma put in.
"He is?" Shelby asked, surprised at how quickly her friend was at taking Tyler's side.
"What?" Chase questioned. He couldn't believe Emma wasn't agreeing with him and wondered how she could go along with the Red Ranger's obviously crazy plan. "You aren't serious, Emma?"
The brunette stood her ground and gave her friend a serious look. "There is more than one way for a team to work together, Chase. To prove it, I'm going with him."
"No, I can't let…." Chase started.
"You don't have to…." Tyler said at the same time.
"I can, and I will," Emma concluded, her voice firm. "So, don't anyone try to stop me." She then looked to Tyler, hoping he'd concede, and her voice softened. "Please."
Tyler shrugged. Though he wasn't expecting any of them to agree, he knew he could use the help and didn't want to argue. "Alright."
Emma saw the other's worried and skeptical looks. "Don't worry," she reassured them, confident in Tyler's plan. "We'll see you guys back at the base." The two then quickly left to follow Fury.
"Tyler, Emma, don't…." The Pink Ranger called after them. 'If only I'd spoken up a second sooner, that could be me going with Tyler instead. Maybe I still can.' She started to follow, but Chase stopped her.
"Wait. Just let 'em go." He watched their two friends leave and felt a bit of resentment inside him. Chase knew it was up to him to take the lead with Tyler gone. "We're just gonna have to solve this without them, eh? Let's go!"
The four Rangers prepared to teleport but didn't notice Scrapper hiding in the bushes, watching them. "Fools," he snickered. "There's nothin' you can do to stop me now." As Black, Blue, Green, and Pink brightly colored light beams teleported out of the meadow, they left a clear trail for him to follow.
(~~~~~~~)
Tyler and Emma had caught up to Fury and followed him through the woods, taking cover behind various trees to remain out of sight. They'd evaded him so far but froze when he suddenly stopped.
"Wait a second," Fury snarled, then sniffed the air. "What is that stench?" Before turning around, Tyler took Emma's hand and quickly pulled her behind a large rock, where they sat side by side. The general strode intently toward it. "It smells almost human… and something…else I don't recognize."
'Don't tell me he's able to tell I'm a mermaid just by my scent,' Emma thought to herself.
Their hearts beat rapidly as he approached them, growling angrily. She squeezed Tyler's hand and held her breath, fearing the two of them would be found at any second. Fury rose his sword up, ready to strike, but was interrupted at the last moment.
"Fury! Come on! Get over here!" Sledge demanded, appearing behind his general with Wrench by his side.
Tyler and Emma sighed with relief that they weren't discovered but were troubled about why Sledge was back on Earth so soon.
"Master Sledge," Fury addressed, walking up to his boss. "Is your plan on schedule?"
"So far, the Rangers took the bait; they were foolish enough to believe I'd give them an hour before returning. They're leading Scrapper right to their base as we speak," Sledge began.
"Which is exactly what we wanted them to do," added Wrench gleefully.
Hearing this, the two teens peered their heads from behind the rock to listen closer; luckily, the villains didn't know their true intentions were now known to the Rangers.
"Once he tells me the location," Sledge continued, unable to contain his eagerness. "We'll scorch the place, and finally, the Energems will be mine!" All three teleported back to their ship, leaving Tyler and Emma alone, still trying to comprehend this dilemma.
"They're going to destroy our base…and everyone along with it," Tyler shuddered, glancing at Emma.
"The others don't even know what's coming," Emma noted, afraid for her friends. "We have to warn them. Right away."
"Right." He took out his Dino Com to make the call. "Kendall? Shelby? Anybody?" When no one responded, he saw the screen was cracked, and only static came through; he shook it a few times to get it to work, but it didn't. "It must have been damaged in the fight. That's just great."
"Here, we'll use mine," she offered, taking it out but noticing that the screen was even worse than his, and it wouldn't even turn on. "Or not." Emma sighed heavily and thought for a moment. "Let's just teleport and meet them there."
"We can't," he reminded her. "Kendall said that teleportation is linked to our communicators. And ours are too damaged to do it safely."
"Of course, right," she remarked, remembering when she assisted her sister with the teleportation technology. "Well, what other options do we have, then?"
"We'll go on foot; there's no other way."
"But we're not exactly endurance sprinters, Tyler; how will we ever make it in time?"
"We have to try," he stood and offered his hands to help her. "And, thanks Em. I know my hunch sounded crazy, but…."
"But it paid off," she finished, giving him a small smile and gently squeezing his hand. "Or at least it will."
He nodded, "Let's go."
They ran as fast as possible through the woods and towards the city. Meanwhile, the other Ranger's teleportation beams flew through the city to their base, with Scrapper following them in his clawed-arm form. He grabbed onto and spun from one lamppost to another like monkey bars. Tyler and Emma made it to the city just as the Rangers teleported through the dinosaur head.
Scrapper transformed back into his normal form and hid behind a truck. "Ah, yes," he exclaimed. "That's the entrance to their secret base. Sledge is gonna set me free!" He clapped his arms together in joy out of the prospect of no longer being a prisoner.
Out of breath from running, the Red and Yellow Rangers finally arrived at the loading dock by the dinosaur head and saw Scrapper.
"There he is," she gasped, pointing to the monster. "We're too late."
"We have to stop him from reporting back to Sledge. Come on. Hey, you!" he called out to Scrapper. "Get away from there!" They both approached him, determined to take him on.
Scrapper whipped around and chuckled. "You lost, Rangers! The secret's out! Oh, I can't wait to tell Sledge the news. And there's nothin' you can do to stop me." Before they could make a move, he transformed back into his claw-armed form and grabbed onto the ladder rack of a moving pickup truck.
"Not if we can help it," Emma countered. "But we need a faster way to catch him."
Tyler saw his Jeep parked nearby and got an idea. "We'll take this. Come on!"
Without another thought, they jumped into his car and took off, hoping they could catch up to him.
Scrapper rode the truck into the warehouse district and jumped off by some trash cans and recycling bins. Transforming into his normal form, he removed some cardboard boxes and a dark canvas sheet concealing his transport pod. "Ah, I hope this bucket of bolts makes it back to the ship." He opened the pod's doors, got in, and started to depart.
Fortunately, the two teens had found the truck he'd latched onto and pinpointed his location. As soon as she saw the hovering transport pod, Emma pointed it out to Tyler. "There he is!"
"Hold on, Em," he said, accelerating. "I'm going to ram him head-on."
"I'm ready," Emma braced herself but held her hand where he wouldn't notice and used everything she had to stall the ship using her telekinesis. The force stopped it enough for Tyler to T-bone it, causing it to crash nearby and sending Scrapper flying out. The two quickly got out of the car, ready to face him.
"You'll pay for that, Rangers! Vivix, rise!" he commanded, and a group of Vivix appeared around him, unfairly putting the odds in his favor. "Get them!"
Seeing the imminent fight, they glanced at each other, pulled out their Chargers, and called it together. "Dino Charger, ready!" Activating them, they ran straight at the Vivix, front-flipped and insta-morphed. "Energize!" Landing, both had Dino Sabers out and immediately started slicing at the minions.
"Think you can take me on?" the Red Ranger boasted. "No way!" He swung at another, then front kicked one in the chest, sending it tumbling. "How about this?" He put a charger into his saber.
"T-Rex Charger, engage!"
"Dino Saber! Power Slash!" An arc of red energy emanated from his saber and easily took out a group of Vivix, who sparked with electricity and exploded.
"Take that!" The Yellow Ranger shouted as she backflipped, kicked one Vivix in the face, then spun around to take out two more. "And this!" More approached her, but she was ready. "I'd stay back if you know what's good for you!" When they didn't heed her warning, she shrugged, "You asked for it!" She took out a second Dino Saber and put a charger in each.
"Ptero Charger, engage!"
"Dino Sabers! Double Flying Slash!" A yellow flash of energy took out her group of Vivix as she glided through them easily. She reconvened with Tyler to take on Scrapper.
Red shouldered his sword and stared the monster down. "You're next!"
Yellow pointed one of her sabers at Scrapper. "I'd give up while you still have a chance."
"Don't bet on it, Rangers!" he snarled, opening and closing his claw arm as a threat. "I'll turn you both to scrap!"
"Think again, dumpster breath!" Tyler declared.
"Yeah!" Emma proclaimed. "We're gonna make sure you get recycled!"
They charged at Scrapper, weapons poised and ready to strike with everything they had.
Back at the base, the rest of the team informed Kendall of being thoroughly beaten and that Sledge gave them one hour to give up their Energems before annihilating the planet. Also, despite this, Tyler and Emma decided to go off and follow Fury based purely on the former's hunch. They needed a plan; fortunately, Kendall had something that could help them.
They solemnly looked on as she had one of each Ranger's Dino Chargers in small glass canisters of her transmuter machine. The Chargers momentarily glowed, and then she removed the caps and pulled them out to give back to the Rangers.
"With Keeper's help, I've upgraded your Dino Chargers using the transmuter," Kendall announced. "They'll now be able to activate a high-strength armor mode called Dino Steel." She smiled and looked proud of her invention, knowing it would be useful to them in future battles.
"But will Dino Steel be tough enough to defeat Sledge?" Shelby interjected. "'Cause he was like an eleven on the toughness scale."
Kendall's smile fell; she sighed and looked away, as even she didn't have a confident answer for that. 'We can only hope,' she thought to herself.
"Maybe, if Tyler hadn't left us," Chase answered with disdain in his voice. "And if Emma hadn't gone with him." He was still bitter about them ditching the team when they should've stayed together.
'That's for sure," Shelby thought. She had this feeling deep inside her when she thought about her best friend being alone with Tyler, but she didn't know what it was.
An alarm went off on Kendall's laptop, and she went to investigate, the others right behind her. "Alien DNA detected in a northwest quadrant? That's the warehouse district," she scowled, typing on the keyboard to get a better look at the situation. Her eyes widened when she noticed two familiar energy signatures. "Tyler and Emma are there too."
"They may need…help," Koda put in nervously. "We must go."
'I knew this would happen,' Chase thought, shaking his head. 'Those two go off on their own and run into trouble.'
"This will be a great opportunity to test out the new Dino Steel," Riley added.
"Let's go!" Shelby announced, eager to get to her friends.
The four Rangers stood at the ready and teleported to the battlefield.
The Red and Yellow Rangers, meanwhile, were still battling Scrapper. Using their Dino Morphers, they aimed to shoot him. "Energize!" they called out. "Dino Morpher Blast!"
Their combined energy blast headed straight at Scrapper, but Wrench suddenly appeared in front of him before it could hit its target. "Surprise!" he said as he caught and pushed it away like nothing, where it exploded nearby. He then shook his hand as it sizzled and burned. "Ow! Ow!" he moaned. "Oh, man, that stings!"
"How'd he do that?" Tyler asked.
"Impossible!" Emma remarked.
"You should've stuck with your friends," the robot pointed out in annoyance. "Now you've messed up everything!"
"We're just getting started!" The Red Ranger got into a battle pose. "You still with me, Emma?"
"Yeah!" she affirmed, holding a pose of her own. "Let's get him!"
The two Rangers charged, and each took turns hitting him. Unfortunately, Wrench was blocking every blow.
"You're pretty tough," Red told him, avoiding a kick to the chest and blocking a punch to the face.
"But we still can take you on!" Yellow declared, ducking under his punch and striking him in the chest.
Wrench kicked Tyler's leg out from under him, blocked a sidekick from Emma, then tried to step on the former, who rolled away. "HA! I'm tougher than you two," he mocked. "Which isn't hard." He pushed her, then took out his ax and struck the Red Ranger twice in the chest before kicking him in the stomach, sending him flying. Tyler bounced off a chain-link fence and back to Wrench, who hit him again with his ax, causing him to flip, land on the ground, and demorph.
"Tyler!" Emma clenched her fists. "You'll regret that!" She angrily went after Wrench. First, she gave him a hook punch and then back kicked him; both were successful, but he surprised her when he sliced her with his ax from behind.
"I regret nothing!" he jeered.
Sparks emitted from her suit as Emma shot forward from the blow, fell to the ground, and rolled over a few times before colliding with Tyler and demorphing. "Okay," she groaned. "I was not…expecting that."
"No kidding," Tyler agreed. "This isn't going as…good as I hoped it would."
"I was on my way to the ship when they showed up!" Scrapper angrily lamented to Wrench, then looked at the two injured Rangers. "You're gonna wish you never got in my way!"
"Well, you're never going to get in the way again! Say goodbye, Rangers!" Wrench warned them with a snicker.
They ran at the two teens still on the ground in pain. With weapons drawn, they closed in; Tyler and Emma tried to get up when suddenly black, blue, green, and pink blasts came out of nowhere, surprising and striking the villains down. The other Rangers appeared with their blasters drawn and ran over to their friends. Riley and Koda covered them while Chase and Shelby helped.
"Tyler! Emma!" Shelby called with worry as she approached and held her hand out to Tyler for him to stand up. "You alright?"
"Yeah," Tyler groaned, brushing himself off. "I'm fine. Thanks."
"Are you okay, Emme?" Chase asked Emma taking her hands as she stood.
"I think so," she replied, looking up at him, relieved they arrived just in time.
Chase then glared at Tyler and pulled away from her. "You two shouldn't have been fighting alone!" His reprimand focused mostly on Tyler, knowing that Emma could've been hurt worse because of him. "You could've died. That's why you don't follow hunches, Tyler."
"Hold it!" Emma angrily interrupted, stepping in between them. She wasn't liking the tone he was using. "This isn't all…."
"You're right," Tyler admitted, still catching his breath.
"He is?" she questioned, looking from Chase to Tyler.
"I am?" Chase scowled in confusion, surprised at this revelation. 'I never thought he'd admit it so quickly.'
"Uh-huh," Tyler nodded. "But…so was my hunch. Sledge never intended to give us one hour; that was just a diversion."
"What are you talking about?" Riley asked.
"That crusher creep followed you guys when you teleported to the base," Emma continued, pointing at Scrapper was still on the ground with Wrench, reeling from the blaster attacks. "Those brightly colored beams made it really easy for him."
"He's going to tell Sledge where it is so he can steal the Energems," the Red Ranger finished. "That's their real plan."
Emma crossed her arms, glad that their leader was right to follow his instinct. "What they didn't plan was Tyler and I finding out and getting in their way."
"So if you guys hadn't followed Fury then…." Shelby began.
"…Sledge would be making his way into our base right now, destroying everything, including us." Riley continued, realizing how close they came to a surprise attack. "He would've gotten our Energems for sure."
"I-I'm confused," Koda stammered, looking at Chase and Tyler, unsure who was right. "Is hunch bad…or good?"
"This time…" Chase admitted, grinning as he clapped Tyler on the shoulder. "It's good."
Tyler smiled at his friends, glad they now understood his intentions, then got serious for the battle ahead. "Let's do this," he determined.
"All of us," Emma nodded. "Together."
"Together," Chase confirmed. "With a little help from Kendall." He took the Red and Yellow Chargers out of his pocket and held them out for the two. "She's developed a new armor mode for us."
"Ooh, this must be the Dino Steel she told me about," Emma exclaimed, looking at her Charger. "Just wait till you see what it can do."
"Ugh! You Rangers hurt my hubcaps!" Scrapper groaned as he got up. Then he looked to Wrench, who struggled to stand. "Come on! Let's get outta here! I've still gotta tell Sledge where their base is."
"Don't count on it," Tyler declared as the team lined up on either side of him to morph. Shelby and Riley were to his left, and Koda, Emma, and Chase were to his right. "It's morphin' time! Dino Charger!…"
"Ready!" the other five Rangers said together, holding out their Chargers and activating them. "Energize! Unleash the power!"
"Tyrannosaurus Rex! Power Ranger Red!"
"Parasaur! Power Ranger Black!"
"Stegosaurus! Power Ranger Blue!"
"Velociraptor! Power Ranger Green!"
"Triceratops! Power Ranger Pink!"
"Pteranodon! Power Ranger Yellow!"
"Power Rangers…Dino Charge!" they all shouted together.
"Okay, guys!" Red told his team. "Let's check out our new armor mode!"
They inserted another Dino Charger into their morphers, then slid them down their right arm, the cylinder sparking as it spun. "Dino Steel!… Armor On!" they announced. A spiked silver armor appeared on that arm, and their individual weapons were in their hands. Red had a fanged punching gauntlet, Black had a laser-ax, Blue had a spike-edged shield, Green had a tri-claw, Pink had a handheld drill, and Yellow had a winged bow.
"It's about to get wild!" the Red Ranger proclaimed. "Just try and stop us!"
Vivazords, rise!" Scrapper commanded. Vivix merged into one being and grew to great heights into two enormous Vivazords. They roared ferociously and waved their clawed fists around.
"Chase, use your new Para Chopper!" Red suggested. "Show 'em what you got!"
"No problem, mate!" Black replied, then turned to the Yellow Ranger. "Emma, will you back me up with your Ptero Bow?"
"You got it!" she replied with a nod. "My energy arrows are ready to fly!"
They moved away from the others and simultaneously fired their weapons at the Vivazords. Black used his laser-ax alongside his Dino Charge Morpher and fired high-powered blasts, while Yellow used her bow to shoot powerful energy arrows. She added heat to her arrows for an added boost using her elemental powers.
"Para Chopper Blast!"
"Ptero Bow, Rapid Blast!"
(~~~~~~~)
"Let's try my new Raptor Claw!" Green proclaimed; he pushed past Scrapper and went after Wrench with his weapon and Dino Saber.
"Is that all you've got?" Wrench asked, swinging at him with his ax, but it was blocked.
Riley struck him once in the chest. "Not even close, tin can!" Circling back around, he struck at him again. "Take this!" Then he spun around in midair and came down on him with a strike from his saber followed by an energized slash. "Raptor Slash!"
(~~~~~~~)
"Can you handle my new weapon?" Pink sarcastically asked a group of Vivix as she backflipped in the air while they tried unsuccessfully to land a hit on her. "I bet you can't! Tricera Drill, comin' through!" She flew drill first into them, going straight through. They all emitted sparks, and, with an extra push using her telekinesis, the last one got hit directly and blew up in an explosion.
(~~~~~~~)
"Stego Shield!" Blue held up his weapon, jumped up, and, using the pointed end, came down hard on Scrapper, knocking him back. "We see how tough you…really are!" He punched him square in the face, then picked him up from behind and threw him into the air. "Caveman toss!" The villain flipped over before landing on his back with a 'thud.'
(~~~~~~~)
"Guys!" Chase called out, still shooting at the Vivazords with his weapons. "We could use some help here!"
"Yeah," Emma agreed, continuing to fire energy arrows. "Our weapons aren't hurting them, just ticking 'em off!"
"No problem!" Shelby replied. "Time to see what my Zord can do!" She took a Charger out of her belt buckle. "Dino Charger, Ready! Summon Tricera Zord!" She threw it; then, it enlarged and flew deep into the canyons where her Zord was hidden.
"Tricera Charger, engage."
Tricera came to life; her drill-like tail extended, spun rapidly, and used it to burst out of the canyon. With a loud roar, she ran to the battlefield.
"There she is! Wow!" Shelby ran out to meet her Zord.
(~~~~~~~)
"Let's try this out." Tyler held out his weapon as the monster charged at him. "T-Rex Smash!" He punched Scrapper in the face, swiped him twice more, then elbowed him.
"That thing hurts!" Scrapper complained. "But not enough where I still can't take you down."
"Oh really? Well, this T-Rex Smasher has some bite!" He opened the mouth, grabbed hold of Scrapper, and bit down.
"Ow! Ow! Ow! Ow! Ow!" He wailed as he was picked up by the smasher, then kicked by Red, sending him flying.
(~~~~~~~)
Chase and Emma continued to fight the two Vivazords from the ground. They jumped and flipped to avoid the blasts coming out of their mouths.
"Too slow!" Chase shouted after he landed.
Emma chuckled, "I know, right? You'd think these things would know how to aim! Especially when one of their targets is as brightly colored as I am."
Meanwhile, Shelby was aboard Tricera as they rode through the city. "All right!" she cheered happily. "This is the best!" The Zord skidded around a corner and arrived at the scene.
"So," Black called up to her. "I see you've met your Tricera Zord!"
"What do you think of her?" Yellow inquired.
"She's awesome!" Pink beamed with pride as she approached them, then excitedly clapped her hands. "Just watch what she can do! Go Tricera!"
Tricera turned around, activated her tail drill, and bore straight through the Vivazord's chests, destroying them.
(~~~~~~~)
"Good work, guys!" Tyler told the team when they regrouped.
"We…finish this." Blue took one of his Dino Chargers out of his belt. "Tyler, our powers are stronger…together?" He suggested and handed Red the Charger.
"Combine your powers with mine? Great idea, Koda!" He put the Charger in his morpher.
"Stego Charger, engage!"
Tyler aimed and fired the shot straight at Scrapper."Dino Morpher Blast!" Red and blue energy fired from his blaster, manifesting his and Koda's Zord heads.
"Ahh! I'm crushed!" Scrapper hollered just before the blast hit him; he exploded in a cloud of fire and sparks.
"Awesome! Haha," Tyler shouted, thrusting his fist in the air victoriously.
(~~~~~~~)
On Sledge's ship, the villains had just witnessed everything that had gone down in Scrapper's fight with the Rangers.
"Ugh!" Fury angrily pushed a Vivix away, then approached Sledge. "Now what? The Rangers just defeated Scrapper!"
"Oh, no, they didn't!" Sledge growled, standing up from his throne. "Magna Beam!"
With a nod, a Vivix complied and slammed its fist down on a big red button, illuminating the 'FIRE' light. A blue and white beam of light shone down from the ship's underside and hit Scrapper.
"I'm gonna flatten you all!" Scrapper ranted as he grew taller than the buildings in the city. "And there's nothin' you can do about it!"
The Rangers gasped in shock as their problem suddenly became bigger than they could've imagined.
"He…big like…mammoth!" Koda exclaimed.
"Now what?" Riley asked.
"We'll take care of that," Tyler replied confidently, taking a Dino Charger out of his belt buckle. "Dino Charger, Ready! Summon T-Rex Zord!" He threw it; then, it enlarged and flew to the volcano where his Zord was hidden.
"T-Rex Charger, engage!"
Rexy came to life; his crest feathers rose on the back of its head. The volcano exploded and roared as he emerged; as soon as he made it to the city, Rexy front-flipped many times in the air before executing an epic landing.
"Woa-ho-ho!" Tyler exclaimed with a chuckle, then jumped on top of his Zord's head. "Awesome entrance, Rexy!"
"That prehistoric piece of junk is no match for me!" Scrapper boasted.
"Bring it on!" Red challenged. Scrapper did so by firing dozens of lasers out of his chest. "Jump, Rexy!" Rexy leaped to avoid the blasts and hit Scrapper with his feet before backflipping to the top of a building. "Nice moves!"
(~~~~~~~)
In the Dino Base, Kendall called to Koda over the communicators. "Koda, call your Stego Zord," she instructed the Blue Ranger, unable to keep a smile from appearing on her lips. "I've found a way to combine your Zord with Tyler and Shelby's. It should give you guys the edge you need to defeat this monster."
(~~~~~~~)
"That is great…Kendall." Blue acknowledged. "We stronger together." He took a Dino Charger out of his belt buckle. "Dino Charger…Ready! Summon Stego Zord!" He threw the Charger, which enlarged and flew under the ice where his Zord was hidden.
"Stego Charger, engage!"
Stego came to life, and a blade rose up between its backplates; it burst out of the ice, roared, and ran to the battlefield.
"This looks bad," Scrapper gulped nervously. Stego emerged and did a somersaulting slash attack with his back blade, knocking him to the ground in pain.
Tyler jumped down from his Zord and watched as the Red, Blue, and Pink Dino Zords stood side-by-side. "Wa-ho!" he grinned. "Our Zords are awesome! Haha!"
Shelby and Koda came up to him and stood on either side, admiring their Zords.
"Tyler," Blue spoke up. "…Kendall said the three Zords will…combine!"
"That's possible?" Shelby asked. "Wow, impressive!"
"Yeah, that's a great plan!" Tyler agreed, then made the call to start the transformation. "Dino Charge Megazord, Tri-Stego Formation!"
Rexy shot beams at Stego and Tricera, allowing them to open their mouths to release their Dino Chargers, which briefly loaded into Rexy's mouth, including its own Charger, to initiate the transformation. "Stego Charger, engage! Tricera Charger, engage! T-Rex Charger, engage! Zords combine!" Rexy reconfigured itself, becoming the bulk of the Megazord as the legs, body, and head; then Stego attached to form the right arm. "Stego Zord, combine!" Tricera then created the left arm as a drill. "Tricera Zord, combine!" Stego's backplates were removed and flattened to form the Stego Shield. "Dino Charge Megazord, ready!"
From the ground, the other three Rangers watched in amazement as the three Zords transformed into the Megazord.
"Dino Charge Megazord!?" Riley exclaimed. "Wow! I've never seen anything like it!"
"Impressive, eh?" Chase replied, nodding approvingly.
"You bet it is!" Emma chimed in. "I can't wait 'till we're able to do that!"
Tyler, Koda, and Shelby teleported to their respective platforms inside the Megazord, with Red in the middle, Blue on his right, and Pink on his left.
"Look at this! "We're inside the Megazord," Tyler said, looking at his new surroundings in wonderment.
"Awesome!" Shelby added, equally enthused.
"Feels…powerful and strong," Koda remarked.
They inserted their Dino Charge Morphers into a slot on a stylized podium next to their platforms to sync their powers with the Megazord.
"Battle Mode, engage!" the three Rangers exclaimed together.
"Let's roar!" Tyler announced.
"I'll smash you! Then they'll be nothin' left!" The monster yelled, then fired a volley of violet-colored lasers out of his chest, which either missed or deflected off the Stego Shield as the Megazord ran toward him.
"Time to take out the trash!" they shouted as Megazord stabbed Scrapper with the Tricera Drill, did a midair backflip, then pushed it back with the Stego Shield.
He stumbled back but didn't fall. "You'll never defeat me!" he asserted.
Megazord swiped at him with the drill, blocked a strike from his claw arm with the shield, and then the drill stabbed him again.
"Take this!" He fired another barrage of lasers out of his chest at close range; Megazord sparked and stumbled back but remained standing.
"Jump!" they commanded. Megazord leaped from one building to another, then double-backed to face the enemy.
"The results are in Scrapper!" Red informed him. "You're garbage! You two ready?"
"Always ready!" Blue nodded.
"Let's do it!" Pink agreed.
The three then initiated the finishing move. "T-Rex Zord, Final Strike!" Megazord charged up the T-Rex Zord's head with energy. "Unleash the power!" T-Rex fired an energy construct of itself to chomp down on the monster.
"Oh, no! I'm headed for the scrap heap!" were his final words before he fell to the ground and exploded.
"Monster extinct!" Tyler declared triumphantly.
"Alright, they did it!" Emma shouted from the ground in between Chase and Riley.
"That sure was something else!" Riley agreed, equally impressed.
"Yeah, it was," Chase nodded. "Great job, guys!"
Later that day, the Rangers were hard at work; but instead of fighting monsters, they were working their shifts at the Dino Bite Café. Koda hummed a tune as he washed the dishes while Tyler worked the grill with burgers. Riley came in to pick up drinks at the server's station, and Chase came in carrying plates. Neither was paying attention as the former turned around, and the two were about to collide. Tyler, however, saw what was about to happen and rushed in to stop them.
"Woah, watch it!" Tyler called out. He held onto Riley's tray to steady it; the drinks wobbled a little but didn't fall over. "Don't worry, I've got you covered."
"Thank you," Riley nodded, then left for the dining room.
"Sorry about that," Chase said, apologetically looking back at him. "I'm a little out of it, guess."
"No problem," he answered, giving him a grin and pushing the door open as he backed up. "I wasn't looking where I was going either."
Tyler was about to return to the grill, but Chase stopped him. "Oh, hey." He looked down for a moment, then back at his friend. "Look, I wanted to apologize. I was wrong to think you'd abandoned the team. The way I came across was pretty harsh, but I…was mostly worried about you and Emma going off on your own."
Tyler nodded in understanding; he knew Chase meant well. "I'm sorry, too. I shouldn't have been so quick to want to go off on my own. Part of me wanted to prove myself, I guess. I'm glad Emma had my back, but you were right; the six of us work better together as a team."
Chase smiled. "For what it's worth, as crazy as I thought your hunch was at the time, it did really help us out in the end. Things could've gone bad for us otherwise."
Their conversation was interrupted when Shelby loudly sighed as she pushed open the double swinging doors from the front of the house, with Emma and Riley following her. "It doesn't seem right. We saved the world for them this morning." She looked down at the dirty dishes she, Emma, and Riley set down on the counter with disdain. "And now we're serving them lunch this afternoon." The brunette scoffed and crossed her arms.
"Hey, we do what needs to be done, Sheli," Emma reminded her. "Even though it may not seem right, keeping them fed is just as important as saving them from monsters."
*Ugh, you're starting to sound like Kendall, Emme,* Shelby told her friend with a grin.
*I so am not.* Emma retorted, jokingly elbowing her in the side.
"Em's right," Tyler agreed, picking up a spatula. "This is a total blast! Look… what I learned." The others gathered around to watch as he picked up a burger from the grill, flipped it into the air, spun around, and waited for it to land back on it. Tyler looked up when it didn't, thinking it might be stuck on the ceiling. Then, he looked back at his friends, confused.
"Hey, don't look at me," Riley blurted out.
"Me either," Emma asserted.
Chase and Shelby shrugged and shook their heads. "Wasn't us," they both said.
Tyler knew he only had one suspect remaining, so he narrowed his eyes and slowly turned to look at Koda standing next to him, whose mouth was bulging from the burger he'd obviously snatched. The Blue Ranger saw his friends staring at him and tried to look innocent, but he couldn't swallow the burger, so instead, he spat it out. Pieces flew all over the kitchen, but mostly all over the others; Shelby and Emma screamed, and they all reflexively held their hands to block it. Everyone laughed as they wiped the burger from their faces and clothes.
Koda smiled apologetically but also tried not to laugh. "Sorry." He swallowed what little burger was still in his mouth.
"Koda!" Tyler chuckled, shaking his head.
"Dude!" Shelby retorted, pulling a piece out of her hair. "Gross."
"You got us good, Koda," Emma smiled, taking some off her shirt. "But next time you catch an aerial burger, swallow it, okay? Like this, open wide." She held the piece to throw it at him; he opened his mouth, she tossed it, he caught it, then swallowed. "Perfect."
"Yes, Emma," Koda nodded, then he grinned mischievously. "I try that…next time Tyler throws burger."
"Hey! What makes you think I'm gonna let you get another?" Tyler joked, holding the spatula defensively over the food. "You won't get one past me if I can help it."
"That's risky trying to keep him from burgers, mate," Chase advised as he went to the closet to get a broom and dustpan so they could clean up.
"From what I've heard," Riley added, bringing the trash can over. "it's almost like 'give me burgers or give me death' with Koda."
"What?" the Blue Ranger shrugged. "They my favorite."
"No kidding," Emma put in. "I've lost count of how many Shelby and I've cooked for you."
"Ain't that the truth," Shelby teased, walking around the kitchen and picking up pieces with a napkin. She nearly bumped into Tyler when she stood back up, surprising her. "Oh, sorry." Her cheeks flushed pink a little as they locked eyes.
"It's all right," he replied with a nervous chuckle. "You've got a little…something on your face."
"I do?" Shelby's brown eyes widened in embarrassment. "Where?"
"It's on your cheek," he told her, going over to the sink to get a cloth. "Don't worry. I'll get it."
"Thanks. That would've been embarrassing going the whole day not knowing it was there," she replied, trying to sound casual, but she was freaking out on the inside. 'Oh…my gosh! I can't believe this is happening.' Her stomach filled with butterflies, and she tuned out the whole world as he reached to wipe her cheek. However, as soon as the wet cloth touched her face, she was brought back to reality and gasped.
"What's wrong?" he asked, taken aback by her reaction.
"Nothing," she responded quickly, looking for a way to make an exit. "It was…cold, that's all. I just remembered,…Ms. Morgan needed my help. I'll be back, okay?" Shelby gave him a kind smile.
"Okay, sure," he said, a little confused but buying her excuse. "No problem."
"Great! Thanks!" She then walked swiftly to the door.
"Is she alright?" Emma came up to Tyler after she and the others finished cleaning up. Chase cleared off some plates and trays, Riley returned to the dining room, and Koda washed more dishes at the sink. None of them had paid attention to the exchange between Tyler and Shelby, but Emma noticed her best friend suddenly leave the room. "What happened?"
"She had something on her face that I wiped off," Tyler shrugged, putting the washcloth next to the sink. "Then she remembered that Ms. Morgan needed her help and left."
"You wiped her face?" the brunette asked, starting to understand, looking at the wet cloth. "With that?"
"Yeah, why?" he scowled.
"Oh, nothing. I'll just see if they…need any help." Emma moved in the direction of the door. "Hey, Chase." As soon as he looked up, she continued. "I'm going to help Shelby; will you cover for us?" She gave Chase a covert wink so he knew why she really had to leave.
"Sure, no problem," he agreed with a nod. "You do what you need to do."
"Thanks. I'll be back."
(~~~~~~~)
As soon as Shelby was out of sight, she ran to Kendall's office, knowing she only had a few more seconds. She pulled open the door without knocking, then swiftly closed it behind her.
"Shelby!" Kendall scolded, standing up from behind her desk in surprise. "What's going…." Suddenly, Shelby was encased in a water energy glow and fell to the floor in full mermaid form. "…on." she finished. "Never mind. Are you okay?"
"I'm fine," Shelby breathed, flipping her blue-highlighted hair over her shoulder; her pink tail fanned out behind her. "That was close."
"What happened this time?" Kendall questioned, going over to the mermaid on her office floor.
"It was nothing," the teen contended, trying to sound casual. "Just an accident."
"Obviously," she scoffed, crossing her arms and staring down at her. "And here I thought you decided to expose our mermaid secret on purpose."
"Very funny," Shelby rolled her eyes. "It wasn't my fault."
"You always say that," Kendall retorted. "It's never your fault."
"It wasn't," she insisted, narrowing her eyes. Glancing to the table behind Kendall, she saw a vase full of violet orchids. She discreetly flexed her hand and rotated it, causing some of the water to rise out of the vase and over an unsuspecting Kendall. "But here's something that is my fault. Look up."
"What?" Kendall asked in annoyance; looking above her head, she saw the water stream hovering there. Her eyes widened, and Shelby could see fear in her eyes. "You. Wouldn't. Dare."
"Actually, I think I would," she smirked and dropped her hand. The water fell on Kendall, drenching her, and causing her to gasp.
At that moment, Emma came in, and water ricocheted off Kendall, also hitting her. "Do I even want to know?" she demanded after closing the door.
"Ask. Shelby," her sister seethed, water dripping off her face. Both glared down at the Pink Ranger on the floor, her chin resting on her hand with an innocent smile.
"Sorry, Emme," she apologized, ignoring Kendall's deadly stare. "I didn't mean to get you too."
"Sure ya didn't," Emma shook her head, knowing her sister must have set Shelby off for her to purposefully get her wet. Before she could say more, she and Kendall were covered in a water energy glow and fell to the floor around Shelby. "Ugh. So this is the thanks I get when I come to help you? How will I ever repay you?" She swatted her best friend's tail with her own.
"I said I was sorry," Shelby insisted.
"Oh, you're gonna be sorry when I get my hands on you," Kendall warned, sitting up on her elbows and pushing her white-highlighted hair out of her face. "It'd be nothing for me to freeze you solid."
"That's what you get for blaming me when it wasn't my fault," she shot back. "And your powers don't scare me."
"Stop it!" Emma shouted. "Or so help me, I'll leave you both here to dry off yourselves!" That threat was enough to get them to stop arguing, and she lowered the tone of her voice. "Thank you. Now, Shelby didn't get herself wet. She had something on her face, and Tyler offered to wipe it off."
"See? Told you," Shelby stuck her tongue out defiantly.
"But…" Emma continued. "She didn't notice that he picked up a damp cloth until after it touched her."
"See? Told you," Kendall corrected.
"Anyway," Emma interrupted, putting a hand up to stop another argument. "You just have to be more careful and hope this doesn't happen again, alright?"
"Okay, I'll try," Shelby nodded, then looked down and sighed. Her expression changed from angry to sad, and Emma and Kendall grew concerned.
"What is it?" Kendall asked, her tone softer and kind. Even though she and Shelby had their differences and fought often, they still cared about each other.
"It's just…" she began, biting her lip. "I sounded confident when I said I could do it, you know, keep our secret. But, already, it feels like it'll be harder with Tyler. Ugh!" Shelby crossed her arms and laid her head on top of them. With her voice muffled, she groaned, "This sucks."
"You'll make it work; I know you will," Emma told her. When her friend looked up again, she gave her a warm smile. "And I'll do anything to help."
"We both will," Kendall added confidently. "Because there's nothing we can't do, you'll never have to face this secret alone." She held one hand out for Shelby and the other for her sister.
Shelby took both their hands to complete the circle. "Thanks, guys. No mermaid could ask for better friends."
"Of course," Emma told her, and Kendall nodded.
"Well, as fun as this has been," Kendall interjected, then sighed. "This mermaid wants to return to work if you don't mind. The same goes for you two as well." She glanced at her sister, hoping Emma would take the hint.
"Alright," Emma relented with a grin. "If I must." She extended her arm towards Kendall, slowly curled her hand into a fist, and steam appeared around her. Her tail was gone in less than a minute, and she looked like she'd never been wet. She held her arm out to Shelby, made the same motion with her hand, steam enveloped her, and she had legs again. Finally, she did the same thing to herself, and the three stood up.
"Thanks, Emma," Kendall and Shelby said simultaneously. They then looked at each other and figured they owed the other an apology.
"Sorry about, you know, getting you wet, Kendall," Shelby acknowledged with sincerity. "I shouldn't have let my anger get the best of me."
"Me too," Kendall replied genuinely. "And I'm sorry for being hard on you when it wasn't entirely you're fault." She then gave her a sly grin and joked, "But the next time it is your fault, you're really in for it."
"I wouldn't expect anything less," Shelby playfully shot back.
"Just make sure I'm around when that happens, so you two don't kill each other," Emma quipped.
"Absolutely," her sister told her, walking back to her desk. "Now, off with you. There's work to be done, right?"
"Always," Shelby answered. She headed for the door, her friend right behind her.
"Later, sis," Emma called, waving to her. As soon as they closed the door and turned the corner, they saw the Black Ranger leaning on the opposite wall, surprising them. "Chase, hey. What's up?"
"Were you eavesdropping?" Shelby teased, crossing her arms.
"Of course not," he assured them but grinned. "I've only been waiting for a minute; I was making sure everything was okay."
"Yeah!" Emma confirmed, winking at Shelby. "It's all taken care of."
"That's good because Tyler wondered what you were up to, Shelby. You did kinda leave in a hurry."
"He was?" Shelby perked up, then blushed and tried to sound casual when Emma gave her a knowing look. "I mean, I should…tell him everything's…cool, ya know?" She started to back away from them.
"Right," her best friend called after her. "You do that."
"See ya." Shelby scurried down the hall towards the café's kitchen.
Chase waited until their friend was out of earshot before asking, "she likes him, doesn't she?"
"Oh, ya," Emma nodded. "She's most definitely crushin' on Tyler." She then gave him a serious look. "Tell no one."
"My lips are sealed," he promised her with a grin.
"Good. Well, I guess we should get back, too. Right?" Emma turned to start down the hallway.
"Wait," he called, gently touching her arm to stop her. "Can I…talk to you about something first?"
Emma turned around to face him and noticed he looked a bit uneasy. "Of course, anything. Are you okay?"
"Yeah, it's just…I wanted to say I'm sorry," he started.
"About what?" She tilted her head to one side and scowled, as she had no idea what he was talking about. "You haven't done anything that requires an apology."
"Actually, I have." He took a deep breath. "I'm….sorry about how I reacted when you decided to go with Tyler to follow Fury and after we saved you two from Wrench and Scrapper." Chase looked away from her, feeling ashamed. "It's stupid, I know, but I'm used to you taking my side when decisions need to be made, so it kinda upset me when you didn't. I was also worried about you going off your own, and that's…how I responded."
She thought for a moment after listening to what he said; it was just like Chase to worry about her. "Oh. Well, I didn't mean to worry you, but don't be sorry," Emma reached out to gently squeeze his hand so he'd look at her and gave him a reassuring smile. "We just… disagreed, that's all. Friends do that. I followed Tyler's plan because I trusted his hunch."
"Yeah, I get that…now," he nodded.
"And…I'm far from never taking your side again."
"That's good," he replied, smiling again. "But I still wanted you to know I felt bad."
"Which shows how amazing and caring you are," Emma wrapped her arms around his waist in a hug and leaned her head on his chest. "It's one of the reasons you're my best friend." 'And why I wish you were so much more than that.' She also wanted to say.
"No matter what, you have a way of making me feel better," he commended, returning her hug, then placing a quick kiss on her forehead. Even though Emma's heart skipped a beat when he did so, the gesture was something she was used to and found very sweet.
"It just so happens to be one of my talents," she giggled, slowly releasing her embrace. "I do anything to make sure my friends are happy."
"I've always liked that about you," he told her, his hands brushing hers as he let go of her. 'Among so many other things.'
"Aww, thanks, Ace," she beamed. "You're so sweet."
"That, my friend, is my gift to you," he winked. "Now, come on," he gestured in the café's direction. "We ought to get back to work, or we'll have to endure the boss's wrath." Chase started walking down the hall, with Emma right next to him.
"You're not scared of my sister, are you, Chase?" Emma teased, gently nudging him with her elbow.
"Hmm." he pondered, putting his hands in his pockets. "Am I scared of Kendall, my boss, and a powerful mermaid with ice powers? Well, if I stay on her good side, then no. If not," he winced and made a face. "Maybe."
"Fair enough," Emma shrugged.
"But you want to know who I'm really scared of?" He looked serious like he was going to reveal some horrifying person.
"Who?"
"You. You're terrifying." His face broke into a smile, and her mouth fell open in shock; then, he took off running away from her and started laughing.
"Oh, you better hope I don't catch you, Chase Randall, 'cause I'm about to get really scary!" she shouted, taking off down the hall after him.
NEXT CHAPTER: "Return of the Caveman"