EPISODE 3: GOING VIRAL
It was dinner time at the Holling house and even if Jason already told everyone his surname was Scott, he decided to leave the Holling for everything pubic-related, mostly because it would be a bother for him to go through all the paperwork all over again.
Not that the Rangers minded, they were happy to have another place besides the cave to reunite and talk freely about Ranger's business and that's what they were doing today, with Noah taking a good look at Jake's weapon with Billy.
-And you say is heavy? -asked Billy.
-Not for Jake, but for the rest of us? Is too heavy -said Noah-… Jake says it may be good to work on it, he wonders if we may get to the limit of having to share our weapons and he doesn't want to throw his ax at Troy only for our leader not to be able to lift it.
-Troy can't lift it? -asked Billy, surprised.
-No… I can't even move it, neither can Gia or Emma, and they can switch weapons perfectly- said Noah.
Billy nodded, thinking, not far from them, Jake introduced the rest of the team to more Rangers that came for a quick visit, knowing more Rangers were in the city.
-These are Zack Taylor, original Black Ranger, Rocky DeSantos, second Red Ranger, and Blue Zeo Ranger, Tanya, second Yellow Ranger, and Yellow Zeo Ranger and TJ Johnson, Red Turbo Ranger and Blue Space Ranger -said Jake -… and you all now Professor Adam Park, second Black Ranger, and Zeo Green Ranger.
-About the time I get to meet a Yellow Ranger -said, Gia.
-You say it, sister. I heard you got a tiger too? -asked Tanya, hugging her.
-Yeah… very fierce, opened my eyes -said Gia, throwing a look at Jake.
Tanya followed her eyes and nodded, smiling as they sat on the sofa, talking about Tanya's story as a Ranger and a few movements Gia was dying to try while not far from them, TJ and Adam reunited with Troy, the always serious Red Ranger.
-Hey, are you ok? -asked TJ.
-Yeah… sorry, is just hard to calm down in times like this -said Troy-… Jake said you were from Space? Did you know something about the mutants attacking the city?
-Yeah… Andros, our Red Ranger is investigating with Zhane, our Silver Ranger -said TJ-… but don't worry, they will report if something big happens. They know you are protecting Earth so they are making sure the information they get is true.
-You think they can do it? -asked Troy, worried.
-Oh they can -said TJ-… if not, Zhane's wife and Andros' wife are Power Ranger too, if something happens, we all be there in a heartbeat… there is no stopping Ashley if Earth or her husband is in danger.
-Ashley?
-Andros' wife, Yellow Space Ranger, Karone is Zhane's wife and Andros's sister, she is also the Lost Galaxy Pink Ranger, sometimes -explained Adam-… that's a long story.
-And a sad one and today is not the day to be sad -said TJ-… take a break from Ranger things, Troy, enjoy the evening.
Troy nodded and grabbed water before they started talking about their lives, outside the Ranger business. He found out TJ was married to Cassie and that their friend Carlos was coming soon after a year of traveling around the world. He also found out there was another Blue Ranger, a kid, now an adult, that became a Ranger when he was no more than 12 years old.
Troy was impressed but while he talked, he found himself relaxing more and more… and after an hour, he was laughing and enjoying the meeting as much as the rest of his team.
In the kitchen, Jake smiled as he saw Troy laughing and Gia and Emma talking with Tanya, Kim, and Kat when he felt a hand on his shoulder and he turned to see Zack, Jason, and Tommy with some appetizers. Jake looked at his hand, he was in charge of the drinks and, like Kat used to say, he was an expert in decorating.
-So… you got a girlfriend, I heard? -asked Zack.
-What? No… -said, Jake.
-No? So you and Gia… -said Tommy.
Jake turned, it was a secret only his dad knew but he didn't know who was the girl, or at least, he didn't know until now. He sighed when Jason finally remembered their talk a few months ago and started laughing.
-Really, Jacob? -asked Jason-… man, what's with this family and strong women. Wes and Eric are going to have so much fun with this.
-Shut up, you can't tell them… not yet -said Jake-… she doesn't know… she thinks is a crush.
-Wow wow, what's going on here? -asked Zack.
Tommy looked between father and son and slowly, put the pieces together then he brought Zack and Jason closer to Jake and looked at the newest Black Ranger, serious.
-You are in love with her -said Tommy.
-Head over heels in love with her, Uncle Tommy -said Jake, looking down.
-Oh… -said, Zack.
-Oh is the right answer -said Jason-… kiddo, being in love in Ranger times is complicated.
-I was in love before that -said Jake-… I know I should keep my distance but I can't and now with being a Ranger and spending a lot of time together…
-Is not a bad thing, you are not the first Ranger to fall in love with someone from the team, there is a lot of us out there -said Tommy-… I fell in love with Kimberly as soon as I saw her. Your parents were Rangers too and then, your dad and Kat, Rocky and Tanya, Andros and Ashley, Zhane and Karone, and the list go on…
-Sometimes I think I'm the only one with a girl outside this Rangers business -said Zack, smiling -… is not a bad thing, Jake and if it's love, I say, go for it.
-Really? -asked Jake-… I mean I know about the famous Ranger love but…
-Do you love her? -asked Jason.
-Yes -said Jake, with no doubt in his answer.
-Then spend time with her, be her friend and if she feels the same… -said Tommy-… then, welcome to the club.
Jake nodded and smiled, a few moments later, they went to the main room where they left the appetizers and the drinks on the table and sat down, to enjoy the evening and not think about anything else but to spend some quality time as a family.
In Space
Far from Earth, Andros and Zhane were investigating the ships with the new enemies of the Rangers. They understood there were more somewhere in the universe and they were trying to identify other planets with the same problem they had but so far, they haven't found evidence.
-I don't know, Zhane… these monsters seem dangerous -said Andros, walking from one side to the other of the ship.
-We faced this before, Andros and the team say those kids are good -said Zhane-… all we can do is to monitor that ship and try to be a step ahead of them.
-DECA, try to interfere with their communications again -said Andros.
A few moments later, Andros and Zhane started to hear sounds and Zhane got up, standing beside Andros as they hear what the monster was saying.
-I want this planet! -said one of the monsters.
-I have a monster… a sneeze and the monster will infect humans, turning them into our loyal soldiers -said another monster -… isn't that good?
-Do whatever you have to do but do it now! I don't have time for this idiocy! -screamed the first monster.
The communication ended and Andros turned to look at Zhane that now was as worried as he felt. Andros walked to one of the screens and quickly send a message to TJ. Andros knew TJ was with the new Rangers and he needed to prevent them because he had a feeling, this fight would be worse than they expected.
-Megaforce-
The next morning, without school, Noah decided to go to the cave with Billy, TJ, and Rocky to investigate the weapons better, once he got there, his complete attention was on Jake's weapon. The ax was driving him crazy since no one could lift it except Jake.
Rocky touched the ax, feeling it before he lifted the weapon with no big effort, surprising the rest of the Rangers, Noah included.
-How did you do that!? -asked Noah-… we all tried and we couldn't and you…
-Well, my back hurts a little but is not that complicated -said Rocky, looking at the ax-… is heavy but is more a work of balancing the weapon.
-What do you mean? -asked Billy.
-Uhm… I think I know what you mean -said TJ-… Noah, does Jake move the ax back and forth when he uses it?
-Yes.
-I see… well, Jake moves the ax because is heavy and he uses the wind to help him balance it. He also is the strongest physically so it easier for him -said TJ-… Rocky, what are you using to balance the ax?
-My legs hold my stability and my arms the ax. I must admit with some wind in my favor it would be a lot easier -said Rocky, leaving the ax on the table.
-So… you are telling me with some training we could all hold the ax? -asked Noah.
-Woah, what's going on here?
They all turned to see Jake walking into the cave. Noah quickly looked at the ax and Jake understood, walking to his weapon, and touching it with a smile before turning to his friend and the other Rangers.
-So, were you able to hold it? -asked Jake to Noah.
-No, but Rocky could. He says is a matter of being stronger and some wind to help the balance -said Noah.
-Yeah, I know. That thing is heavy -said Jake-…I was thinking maybe you could change it to make it lighter. I want to be strong but if I'm busy lifting my ax, the monsters are going to take me down easily.
-We can work on that -said Billy -… but until we are done, you have to train with it so…
-Yeah… I know…
Jake sighed, grabbing the ax, now Noah could see Jake had some trouble lifting the weapon but as soon as he went into their training room and started the virtual training, Jake lifted the ax without trouble, mostly because he replicated the necessary wind to balance the weapon.
-Jake, how did you know the amount of wind you need? -asked Noah.
Jake turned to his friend while he kick a monster and used his ax to hit another and smiled. Everybody knew Jake wasn't the smartest of the team and if he knew about how to manage his weapon it was not because he decided to study.
-It was you, Noah, remember? You explained it to me -said Jake, hitting another Loogie.
-You hear me? -asked Noah, surprised.
-I always hear you, even when you think I don't -said Jake.
Noah smiled, he never thought his best friend took into account what he explained but it feels so good to hear that not only does Jake pay attention to his ideas but he also put them into practice automatically.
He was truly his best friend.
-Come on, join me! -said Jake, jumping.
Noah laughed and ran to his friend. He felt bad before because he thought he wasn't strong enough but Jake just showed him he didn't need to, as a Blue Ranger he was strong in his way and that was enough.
At the plaza, Emma and Gia meet with Troy so they could go together to the cave and train little, while Troy was thinking about his dragon's words, Emma took the chance to interrogate her best friend about her date, like Emma, Kim, and Kat decided to call it.
-So? Was Jake nice? -asked Emma.
-Is there a moment when Jake is not nice when I'm around? -asked Gia, smiling-… stop it, Emma. It wasn't a date, he knew that and respected me.
-But… it looked like a date. You can't tell me he didn't try to win you over -said Emma-… come on, Gia, nothing? He didn't move anything inside you, even a little?
Gia rolled her eyes, to be honest, she didn't want to tell but she liked that little chat they had about their friendship now that they were teammates. Gia expressed her desire to be friends, to get to know each other better before making a choice and Jake added that even if the Ranger line was full of romances, he understood her and he was happy to be her friend.
It made Gia realize he was different as he was the first boy that hear what she wanted to say and respected her choice. He validated her and she found herself wondering if he was more than she thought he was.
-He is a good boy, Emma but we are in the middle of a war with monsters and you know how I can get -admitted Gia-… I don't need extra stress or to be angry and say something that will hurt both of us in the end.
-So that's not a no? -asked Emma, hopefully.
-Is not right now but we will see… -said Gia, throwing a look at her best friend-… he is kind of cute.
Emma smiled, throwing a hand to the air when, suddenly, something got her attention and they saw people sneezing and turning green until they turned into Loogies, out of control and infecting more people as they ran. Troy quickly grabbed his morpher, contacting Gosei and the other two Rangers.
-We have a problem… people are sneezing and turning into Loogies -said Troy-… we need Jake and Noah, here, now!
-We are on our way! -said, Jake.
Troy ended the communication and stood beside the girls, looking confused and not knowing what to do, one thing was to defeat normal Loogies but these… were civilians and they were supposed to protect them.
Noah and Jake ran from the cave towards where the others were fighting when Noah stopped, grabbing Jake's hand, and forcing him to stop, in the middle of the beach a monster was attacking people, making them sneeze and turn into Loogies, just like Troy described.
-Jake… that's bad… -said Noah.
-Let's morph, we need to stop him -said Jake.
Noah nodded and both of them used their cards to morph into Megaforce Black and Blue. Once transformed, the Rangers ran to the monster and while Black jumped at the monster, pushing him away with his ax, Blue noticed a small girl on the ground, crying.
He ran to her and held her while the girl pointed in front of her.
-Mommy!
Blue looked at the Loogie and then at Black, who was fighting the monster. The girl wanted to run to her mother but he couldn't let her go, not while her mother was like that. He forced the girl to look at him and made sure she was comfortable in his arms before looking around… was her father around? Or someone else?
-Mommy!
-Blue! Get her to safety! -said, Black.
-What about you!? -asked Blue.
-You are her hero now! She depends on you! Think about it!
Blue looked down at the girl and saw she was terrified. He hugged her, knowing she was scared, and stayed silent, Black was right, this girl was in his arms, crying and he was the only one who could protect her now. He had to do it.
He could do it.
-Hey… I'm Megaforce Blue -said Blue-… are you hurt?
-No… but mommy sneezed and now she turned into a green ugly mommy -said the girl, crying.
-I know but you know what? We are going to get her back -said Blue-… we are going to defeat the monster and everything will go back to normal.
-Really? -asked the girl.
-I promise you and Blue never breaks a promise -said Blue.
The girl looked at him and nodded after a few seconds and then pointed to the car, where a man, Blue guessed his father, was running towards her. Blue ran with the girl in his arms and gave the girl to her father.
-We will get her mother back -said Blue.
-He promises and the Power Ranger never lies, right daddy? -asked the girl.
-Of course… -said the father, kissing the girl's head before looking at Blue-… thank you.
Blue nodded, seeing the leave before he turned to Black and saw him being kicked by the monster, behind his mask, Noah's eyes widened in terror as the monster grabbed Black by the throat and breath the toxin on Black's face that was only covered by the helmet, but Blue wasn't sure if the helmet would protect him.
He saw Black fall to the ground, unconscious.
-No! -screamed Blue.
He ran, not thinking about anything but to save Black, and called for his weapon, shooting at the monster while he screamed until he forced the monster to retreat then, he fell to the ground, near Black but was unable to touch him as he didn't know what the toxin could do.
-Black? -asked Blue.
There were a few seconds of silence and Blue was never more scared in his life until he saw Black chest rise and fall, slowly but steady.
-Hey, buddy… -said Black-… got the number of that truck? It hit pretty hard…
-I did and he is going to pay once you get on your feet again -said Blue, almost on the verge of crying.
-Don't go soft on me… -said Black-… call Billy. He may know what to do.
Blue nodded and send a message to Gosei when he saw his friends running towards them, quickly, he saw that Red and Yellow were going to touch Black but he stopped them, raising his hand to get their attention, and then pointing at Black.
-The monster threw the toxin at him. He has not turned into a Loogie but I don't know if it affected him -said Blue-… how are you feeling, Black?
-Dizzy… I can see… oh, wait… -whispered Black-… is hot here.
-Hot? -asked Blue.
-I feel my whole body is burning up -said, Black.
Then, he screamed in pain and Blue had to force the rest of the Rangers to stay back while he wanted to do nothing to assist his friend but he knew Jake would never forgive himself if he got the others infected.
-We have to do something! -said Yellow, clearly affected.
-Red… call Billy again, tell him what's going on and that we can't touch him -said Blue.
-But…
-Do it, Red!
Red looked at Blue and nodded, using his morpher to call Billy while Pink and Yellow looked at Blue, knowing his mind was running to find an answer that could help Black to feel better but there was nothing he could think of… nothing to save his friend…
-What happened, Blue? -asked Pink, since Yellow was beside Black, not touching him.
-I was saving a girl and he fought the monster… -said Blue-… I don't know… but the moment I turned after I put the girl safe the monster had him and I wasn't fast enough… I couldn't save him…
-Hey, is not your fault… you saved a little girl -said Pink-… and now we have to focus on saving him and the rest of the city, ok? That's all that matters now.
-You're right… -said Blue, focusing -… we have to save them.
On the ground, Yellow was careful to put herself as close as Black as possible while he moved his head, sightly to look at her.
-Hey, pretty color… -said, Black.
-Hey… I heard you got knocked out pretty bad -said Yellow-… but don't worry, everything is going to be ok… we will get that monster.
-I don't have a doubt… -said Black, then, he started coughing.
Yellow was happy her helmet covered her face so he couldn't see the tears that were about to start to fall from her eyes. The tiger wanted her to open up to them, to let them in so she could be happier but right now she felt useless and she was reminded, the hard way, why she kept her distance from them. If she cared about them and something happened then… Gia didn't want to think about it, it was hard enough having nightmares with Emma and now, she could add Jake to the mix.
She hated feelings.
Suddenly, she heard a car and saw Billy running towards them, dressed in a suit that looked like one of those radioactive suits, and fell beside Black, checking his pulse and touching his body carefully before he looked up.
-He's has a fever… maybe the toxin didn't turn him into a Loogie because the suit protected him but it made him sick -said, Billy-… I need to get him to the cave and run some tests on him but whatever his problem is, you need to defeat the monster.
-We will… -said Red, who then turned to Black-… I promise you, we will beat him.
-Counting on you, leader -whispered Black.
-We will be back before you know it -said Yellow-… do whatever Billy told you to do, ok?
-As you wish… my lady -said, Black.
-Don't play around, Black… whatever he told you to do, you do it, alright? You promise to be there when I get my projects are done and I… I can't do it without you… -said Blue.
There was a moment of silence before Black took the effort to raise his hand and put his thumb up, showing Blue that he didn't forget about their promise.
-Take my ax, brother, and kick his ass for me… -whispered Black-… remember what I told you.
Blue nodded and walked to the side, thankfully, the ax was not affected and he hold it, remembering what he told Jake and what Jake told him, suddenly, using wind, the ax was easier to maneuver and Blue smiled behind his helmet as a few tears ran down his eyes.
He could do it and he was going to save Jake, no matter what.
-Pink…-whispered Black, as the other Rangers started to walk away and before she disappeared from his sight-… if… if something…happens, keep an eye…
-Nothing is going to happen but I will do your job for the day -said Pink-… you just stay alive, ok? I think Yellow is starting to like you, don't mess it up before it starts.
She could almost hear Black laughing in delight before Billy finally managed to get him to stand enough to get him to the car while the others ran to look for the monster and finish his crazy attack before someone else got hit.
-Megaforce-
Red ran into the park and saw the monster was there again with more Loogies. He was furious because this creature hurt one of his friends and he wasn't going to allow that. He was the leader and as a Red Ranger, his need to protect his friends was overwhelming.
But there was the problem of the Loogies and he needed to choose what to do first.
-We need to stay away from the Loogies -said Red.
-But he is surrounded by Loogies -said Yellow-… we need to get him and undo all this.
-Those Loogies are people, Yellow, we can't hurt them -said Red, again.
He understood what she was feeling, he was feeling the same but they couldn't let their emotions cloud their minds, and Yellow knew that civilians were their priority. She got silent as she looked at the monster, laughing at them when Blue took a step ahead, grasping the ax with his two hands.
-Bring the Loogies to quarantine -said Blue-… I will take care of him.
-Blue… -started Pink.
-He hurt Black -growled Blue-… I'm not going to let him down.
Blue looked at Red and Red felt the deep fire in Blue… when that monster hit Jake, he also hit Noah in a way nothing else did before and he changed, left behind his shy self to become the warrior all of them could see.
Red had a choice… and as a Red Ranger, he made it, nodding at Blue.
-Make sure you use that -said Red, pointing to the ax-… Black will like it.
-Red… -said Pink.
-We need to get the Loogies away from him and to quarantine -said Red-… then we can come and help him.
Yellow and Pink seemed hesitant but they followed their leader while Blue turned to the monster. He had to wait for an opening but he will beat this monster for Jake. He closed his eyes and grasped the ax in his hands.
I am strong… not like you… but for you…
-Megaforce-
Billy arrived with Jake at the Command Center and asked for Tenshou's help, the robot, always happy to help, was demorphed, the Ranger, and Billy could see the real effects of the virus on him. Jake was pale and has green patches all over his body, besides that, his fever was making everything worse.
-Tenshou… do you have a scanner? -asked Billy.
-I am the scanner, step aside -said Tenshou.
Billy did just that and let Tenshou scan Jake carefully, when he finished, his scan appeared in front of Billy and the original Blue Ranger sighed, this wasn't as bad as he thought but still, some toxin trespassed the suit and it entered Jake's system, triggering a different reaction.
-Billy, it doesn't look good, we need to lower his fever -said Tenshou.
-True… let me analyze the toxin, it is different and we need to know if we can touch him -said Billy, looking around-… Tenshou, call the guys and tell them I need a bathtub big enough to put Jake in then call the girls, I need all the ice they can get, if we don't lower the fever no matter what the Rangers do, Jake will go into shock.
-Understood -said Tenshou.
-Call Dana Mitchell too. We need our best Doctor here -said Billy.
-Right away, Blue Ranger!
Billy looked down at Jake and sighed, this was going to be a long day but he trusted the kid. He saw him grow up and he was Trini and Jason's kid… he could do it… he had to survive.
-Hold on, Jake… we won't let you go -whispered Billy.
-Megaforce-
-You can't defeat me, Blue Ranger!
Blue was furious, he hit the monster with the ax on the chest and sent him flying but the monster came back and Blue could feel himself getting tired, even with the wind, Jake had to be strong to hold that weapon steady.
-You brought the weapon of your fallen friend! -said the monster-… I hit him with a special toxin, he will die!
-Shut up! -screamed Blue.
He hold the ax and hit the monster on the face but the monster hit back, making Blue spin, still he forced himself to stand and move the ax, hitting the monster again and sending him flying to the ground.
The other Rangers came back, just as Blue fell to one knee, holding the ax for support as the Rangers reunited with him.
-Are you ok? -asked Red.
-Yes… I just… he said he hit Black with a different toxin and that he will die! -said Blue.
-He is playing with us! -said Pink-… come on, we know Black is strong.
-And he will hold on -said Red.
He turned to the monster, grasping his Dragon sword, and could almost feel the sword burning with rage, it seemed that the beasts had the same bond with each other and his dragon was burning to give that monster a lesson.
-We have a job to do, Rangers -said Red-… let's do it!
-Right! -screamed the Rangers.
-I will infect you all! -said the monster.
Pink and Yellow ran towards him first, hitting him in the face with her weapons then, Red hit him in the chest with his sword, burning him and sending him to the sky where Blue used his weapon against him first and then threw the monster to the ground, using Black's weapon.
-Now, the blasters! -screamed Red.
The Rangers used the cards to call for their blaster and hit the monster, eliminating him on the spot, that was done for now but as soon as the monster was eliminated he came back, growing stronger than ever and laughing as he looked down at the Rangers.
-I will destroy you, Rangers! -screamed the monster.
-What do we do now? -asked Pink-… we don't have Black to control his zord.
-Yellow can do it -said Blue-… they have the same element and they are both the legs of the zord. She can do it.
All the Rangers looked Yellow and for a second, she was frozen… could she do it? She and Jake weren't that close even if they had some unresolved and new feelings but Noah believe she could manage his zord and Emma had that tendency to think she and Jake would be a good match, suddenly, she felt something in the back of her mind, it was the tiger.
-Snake will give the control to you, Yellow Ranger… he and I are good partners -said the tiger in the mind.
-Really? -asked Gia, in her mind.
-Girl, be ready -said another voice.
Yellow winced in pain, the snake was not gentle in her mind, he was strong and heavy and Gia wondered how Jake was able to handle him but she nodded at Blue and called for both zords before the others could talk to her.
Suddenly, both zords came alive, with Pink and Red impressed at her ability when she jumped to her zord and they saw the snake zord standing close to her.
-Come on! -said Blue.
He, Red and Pink called for their zords and as they did before, they formed the Megazord, ready to fight and finish this monster forever.
Dana was worried but not on the verge of panic like Jason. She knew what they had to do and actually, Billy had the best possible idea. She saw them lower Jake, only in his underwear, into the water, and thanks to Tenshou, she could see his temperature slowly coming down as the ice did its job.
-We need to keep him there until his temperature goes back to normal -said Dana-… he won't survive if it goes up and down… what kind of monster did this?
-We don't know but we ran a blood test, this is what we saw -said Billy, showing Dana the results.
Dana nodded and looked back at Jake.
-When the monster is defeated those green patches should be gone but we need to keep him awake -said Dana, keeling to look at Jake-… hey, Jakey…
-Dana? -said Jake, shaking as he could feel the cold of the water hitting his warm body.
-Is me… I'm here to help you, ok? Just stay awake -said Dana-… remember what happened?
-Monster… toxin… -said, Jake-…Noah will… his ass…
-He will… -said Dana, getting up and looking at Jason-… stay with him, keep him awake. I need my bag to get some fluids to help his body fight the fever.
-Dana… -said Jason.
-Don't let him fall asleep, Jason -said, Dana.
Jason nodded, unable to think anything else as he took Dana's place beside his son and touched his forehead since the toxin was different it wasn't contagious so he could hold his boy close to him.
-Is going to be ok, buddy -whispered Jason.
-Dad… don't worry… my team… -whispered Jake, shaking.
-I know… I know…
From the door, Tommy hugged Kimberly close as TJ talked with Andros and Adam, Rocky and Tanya helped Dana bring all they needed with Billy and Tenshou analyzing the results over and over again until they got to the same conclusion.
The Rangers needed to defeat the monster and hope all the virus will be gone with him.
-Megaforce-
On the battlefield, Yellow was not having a good day, controlling both zords was proving to be a challenge, all she could do was to keep the Megazord standing while the others attack, it felt like a failure.
-Don't feel bad, girl, we are hard to control for a reason -said the snake in her head.
-Focus, yellow, if we don't defeat the monster Black will disappear -said the tiger.
Yellow growled when the monster hit them and she had to force her muscles to control both zords and take a step back, allowing Pink to hit back and Red to smash the Megazord's head against the monster, pushing him away.
Suddenly, she felt cold invade her body and she almost stopped what she was doing until she understood it was a feeling and it was horrible, it felt as if her body was going to freeze and she was shaking when the snake talked in her mind again.
-My boy is feeling this at this very moment, Yellow but ten times worse -growled the snake-… are you going to let him down? Is this how much you care?
Yellow felt herself tensing at the thought of Jake feeling this, for her was already hell and she was fine but he… no, she wouldn't let him down. They had to defeat this monster for good.
-Go down already!
Not knowing how, Yellow kick the monster with her zord and then kicked him again, with Black's zord, making the other Rangers look at her, surprised but happy to finally have some control over the fight.
Blue took the chance to hit the monster with the sword and took a deep breath as Yellow put some distance between them and the monster. He closed his eyes for a moment, trying to clear his head and not to think about Black's unconscious form after the monster got him.
Flashback
-Noah!
Noah looked around, seeing a young version of Jake running towards him while Noah kneel to the ground, looking for his glasses, again, kids at his school didn't understand him, and apparently, being smart and wanting to learn was something wrong.
-Jake?
-Yeah, is me… you lost your glasses? -asked Jake, looking confused.
-Some kids pushed me and the glasses fell from my face, is ok… I'll find them -said Noah, moving his hands.
Suddenly, he could see a small thing in black leave and coming back, touching his face, a few seconds later, Noah was able to see Jake smiling at him as he offered Noah his hand to get up. Noah got it, smiled, and adjusted his glasses.
-Thanks. I can't see without them -said Noah.
-I know and I bet the kids that pushed you are on the field -said Jake, looking at his soccer ball-… want me to try that strategy you told me about with them? It should be a fun payback.
-Are you sure? They may go after you for helping me -said Noah, worried.
-They attacked you, is almost as if they attacked me -said Jake, looking at Noah sincerely-… we are brothers, aren't we?
Noah looked at Jake, nodding as he did his best to contain his tears and Jake smiled as they walked to the field to try that strategy while Noah thought that yeah… he had a brother, Jacob Thomas Holling.
End Flashback
Blue sighed, containing his tears when something started to glow in his hand and he looked down to see a new card. It looked like a new weapon and it has both his color and Jake's. He wondered what that was when Gosei spoke, breaking his train of thought.
-Your bond with Black is strong, Blue -said Gosei-… the sea brothers felt it and wanted to grant you their power because, like them, you, and Black stand together, even if one of you is missing.
Blue nodded, feeling Black's presence behind him as he put the card on his morpher and looked at the front, right to the monster.
-Activate Sea Brothers! -screamed Blue-… Sea Megazord activate!
Suddenly, three new zords appeared, both black and blue, and attached themselves to the Megazord, giving it now the power of the sea brothers with the Manta Zord attaching to the Megazord's head for defense, the Hammerhead Zord attaching to one of the arms, allowing Pink to go down and help Yellow to control the legs of the Megazord and the Sawshark Zord, attaching to the other arm, giving Blue full control of it as Red went to control the wings of his Dragon Zord, now appearing at the back of the Megazord.
-Finish this, Blue! -screamed Red.
-Let's do this for Black! -screamed Blue-… Sea Strike!
The Sea Megazord raised himself from the ground with the Dragon wings and flew towards the monster as Yellow and now Pink controlled the stability of the Sea Megazord so Blue could focus on hitting the monster. The monster tried to stop them but it was futile, the Sea Megazord hit the monster with the final attack and the monster fell, exploding as this nightmare finally ended.
The Rangers took a deep breath, relieved as they saw people going back to their human form when they hear Gosei through their morphers.
-Come back to the Command Center -said Gosei.
-Jake… -said Red-… let's go!
They broke the formation of the Megazord and used their normal zords to run back to the Command Center, hoping that everything was fine.
-Megaforce-
The team got back in record time with Troy running a second before the others. He looked around, seeing a bathtub and ice all over the ground while TJ and Tommy were trying to clean the Command Center a little.
As soon as they saw the young Rangers, they stopped, looking away.
-Tommy, how's Jake? -asked Troy, taking a step forward.
-He had a high fever -explained Tommy-… we had to put him in this bathtub with cold water and ice to try and slow the fever a bit.
-But we defeat the monster, so Jake should be ok, right? -asked Emma.
She was grabbing Gia's hand to support the Yellow Ranger as they waited for an answer and Noah wasn't even moving, too scared for the answer when they heard a noise and saw a guy coming out of another room with a woman dressed as a doctor. The boy wasn't wearing his shirt and despite the worry, Emma chuckled as Gia looked away, blushing.
-Jake!
Noah ran, hugging his friend as Jake finally put his black shirt on and managed to grab Noah, hugging him back with a big smile on his face.
-I saw what you did there, it was amazing, brother! -said, Jake.
-You idiot! You scared us! -said, Noah-… don't ever do that again!
Jake laughed as he hugged Noah then Troy and then Emma, finally, once he got to Gia, he was unsure until she put her arms awkwardly around him and he answered by bringing her closer, both of them closing their eyes to enjoy the small moment of peace.
-You were amazing controlling two zords up there -whispered Jake.
-Someone had to but I would like my partner back for the next run -whispered Gia, breaking the hug.
-You will have it. I promise.
Gia nodded, smiling as Jake let her go and he turned around, grabbing the hand of the woman, and bringing her forward so the other Rangers could see her better.
-By the way, I want you to meet Dana Mitchell, Pink Lightspeed Rescue Ranger, and our particular Doctor -said Jake-… aunt Dana, these are my friends and new Rangers, Troy is Red, Gia is Yellow, Noah is Blue and Emma is Pink.
-Is a pleasure to meet you all -said Dana-… great work out there, my husband and my brother said they will stop by once they finished the evacuation and see how much damage was done by the monster.
-The pleasure is ours -said, Troy.
-Wait… by husband and brother you mean? -asked Emma.
-Carter Grayson, Red Lightspeed Rescue Ranger, and Ryan Mitchell, Titanium Ranger -said Dana-… we don't use the suits often anymore but we are still active in Mariner Bay, you know, once a Ranger…
-…always a Ranger- said Jason behind her-… thank you, Dana.
-No need to thank me, you stubborn son is also my nephew -said Dana, squeezing Jake's shoulder-… but since I'm here and I'm waiting for Carter and Ryan, I think you can repay me by showing me the city? Harwood seems a nice place once is not invaded by monsters.
-It is! -said Emma-… come on, Gia and I need to bring you to some places, right, Gia?
-Of course, we can call the other girls too -said Gia, turning to Jake-… and you are paying for everything since you almost gave us a heart attack.
Jake was about to protest but the girls were gone, probably to look for the others while Noah stood beside him, smiling. Troy and Jason stood behind them, trying to contain their laugher.
-Help me? -asked Jake.
-Sorry, brother… I have to finish an assignment -said Noah.
And he ran, laughing as Jake groaned. He may never change but to be honest, Noah didn't want him to. They were perfect the way they were and no one could change that or them, ever.
