A/N: When Noah and Jared speak French, their dialogue will be in bold... I don't know French :P
This will be a fast chapter! You've been warned.
Lydia Chase's head was lying at the computer monitor at HQ. No one was there except her. Claire had been disappearing a lot lately and not many people knew why; though the mentor assured everyone she was alright.
In front of Lydia, the computer monitor was flashing with lights. The screen depicted a blue print of a battle machine Lydia was developing titled: Operation Dizer.
She stirred for a bit and her eyes darted open. Looking at the time, she quickly saved the data on the computer and typed in the teleportation command.
She had to get her sleep for the next day was...
~Monday~
"School Queen and King elections." Alicia explained to Chris. "They're held every year."
"What's the point of it?" Chris asked.
Sonia explained, "The King and Queen of school are elected at the end of every Winter Spirit Week. They help the Student Body President organize every school activity including fundraisers and Prom."
"Sounds like fun." Chris commented. "Who's gonna win?"
"Lydia's won every year since Freshman Year." Tobias pointed out, his face forming a starry-eyed smile, "She's the best, man." This made Chris smirk in amusement.
The Rangers walked through the hallways of bustling students. Underclassmen were taking full advantage of the fun that day which happened to be Pajama Day. Typically, students wore pajama bottoms with t-shirts while most girls and a few brave guys wore onesies.
"Don't forget to vote for me!" Called Lydia as she walked down the hall with her friends. Lydia wore a sky blue onesie with her hair in a single braid. Behind her were Taylor Becket and Mina Ridge.
Taylor was around the same height as Lydia with deep brown hair and light skin. She wore a green onesie. She looked at Lydia from behind and tried to adjust her walking motion to match Lydia. Mina was a small spanish girl with tan skin and black hair. She wore a yellow onesie and was chowing down on a box of chocolates. The girl had a sweet-tooth and ate a lot despite her petite body.
Noah looked over at Jared and whispered, "Look at Tobias."
Jared laughed as he observed the look on his friend's face. Despite the happy-go-lucky demeanor Tobias often displayed, his face was completely blank as he watched Lydia walk by.
"Head over heels."
"Right?"
However, Tobias's look snapped back when Ezra walked up to Lydia and put his arm around her hip.
"There goes the King and Queen." A Sophomore commented. Ezra was a six foot tall Junior with dark brown hair and tan skin. He had emerald green eyes and an exaggerated jawline. He wore black sweatpants and a blue long sleeve shirt with the school mascot, a Hawk, on it.
Suddenly, the Rangers's wristbands went off. The seven covered them and gathered around the corner.
Tobias opened his Ipad and informed, "There's a Phantom signal in this school." However as fast as Tobias detected it, the signal just vanished.
"We're gonna have to keep our eyes open." Asher finally said.
~Tuesday~
Tuesday, Retro Day, was the day in which students would dress up in styles dating back to pre-2000's.
While the Rangers and Tobias wore clothes from the 90's, which mainly consisted of jeans and plaid shirts or vests and visors, Lydia wore leggings, leg warmers and a leotard from the 80's. She saw her Ranger friends and flashed a quick smile.
"That girl has so much spirit." Liam said.
Before running up to join Lydia, Alicia answered, "That's how she's won all this time."
"She really tries." Tobias added affectionately. "110%."
As Lydia sat down in the Quad for lunch, the Rangers got another alarm from their Wristbands. Suddenly, Lydia screamed, making everyone turn.
"Lydia!" Tobias shouted as he sprinted across the field. A bipedal chameleon Phantom was assaulting her with a whip-like tongue. Alicia, being unable to Morph with some many people watching, grabbed her friend and ran away.
The rest of the Rangers morphed out of sight and charged in.
Before Tobias could get to Lydia, Ezra dove in and pushed Lydia away, earning him a lash in his arm.
"Ezra!" Lydia cried.
Jared and Chris kicked the Phantom away from its victims. Noah and Asher then sent down a Light-Water combo attack and nailed the Chameleon in the back. Sonia and Liam then repeatedly slashed with their X-Swords. The Phantom put up a pitiful defense, not able to get in a counter attack. Liam then launched a boulder from the ground and sent the beast flying across the Quad. In frustration, the Chameleon faded into camouflage and fled.
"Lydia!" Came Taylor's voice. The girl emerged from the school building and knelt down. "Are you okay?"
"Yeah, I'm fine. It barely hit me."
As the Rangers got away from the scene, Jared asked, "Why was that Phantom after Lydia?"
"Who knows?" Sonia answered. "We should make sure nothing happens later on. I'm worried."
~ Lydia's House ~
Lydia, Mina and Taylor lay by the pool out back suntanning.
"What a beautiful day... well, except the creepy lizard thing that attacked me."
"Well, I'm glad you're okay." Mina said with a smile. "Oh, and I checked the polls. You're totally gonna win again!"
Taylor then pulled her phone out of her pocket and opened Twitter. "Here's what they're all saying."
Mina snatched Taylor's phone and scrolled through the feed. Overwhelmingly positive comments had Lydia tagged in them.
Lydia gave a small smile and said, "Bayview High, thank you for your support."
"Wow Lyd," Taylor commented, "You seem different."
"Different?" Lydia asked, raising an eyebrow.
Taylor pressed on with a nod. "You do! This time last year you wouldn't even look at these comments."
Lydia looked inward and smiled. A lot had changed about her since she started helping the Rangers save the world. She began to see others in a way her previous self failed to. And upon revelation of her identity as a Banshee, she felt a higher responsibility.
"True," Lydia nodded, "I used to say horrible things… like how Bayview High seemed so self-absorbed. I thought I had people figured out back then. I thought they were all selfish, self-involved, and beneath me… But I've come to realize that I was blind. I was wrong. We're all just… Teenagers trying to figure things out, you know?"
Mina's eyes widened in awe, "That was so wise, Lyd."
Lydia smiled, "Thanks, Mina. That means a lot to me."
~ Wednesday~
Wednesday was Twin Day as well as candidate speeches. Cody decided to dress himself and Jared up in black pants and red shirts. Since Cody was older, his shirt said "Thing 1" and Jared's said "Thing 2."
Noah and Liam were twins and wore green plaid shirts over blue Ts and brown shorts. The girls wore yellow blouses over pink skirts and black boots.
Chris and Asher wore matching black shirts and grey jeans.
The student body gathered in the auditorium eagerly awaiting the speeches. The guys went first and went by without a hitch. By that, it meant that there weren't any attacks. The teens stayed weary of the all too real possibility. The girls went next and Lydia came on last.
She dove into her speech with such great enthusiasm. Tobias was entranced by her confidence.
"Now..." Lydia advanced pushing a button on a remote, "I'd like to show you a slideshow of how I'll contribute to our fair school." However, when she pressed play something else happened; the Auditorium big screen projected photoshopped photos of Lydia. Some photos were heavily altered to make her look comically demonic. Others were Lydia plastered to insulting memes. All the while, a recording of Lydia's voice played.
"Bayview High… so self-absorbed. All selfish, self-involved, and beneath me."
"Woah, not cool!" Called out a voice.
"Heartless!" Shouted another.
Lydia could only stare on, shocked that this was all happening. Tears welled up in her eyes as she covered her mouth with her hands. "What's going on?" She whispered. "Taylor? Mina?" Taylor's eyes were averted from Lydia's while Mina's were glazed over as if in a trance.
Suddenly, Taylor let out a cry of pain. She was gripping her neck as if something or someone was choking her. Letting out another yelp, she ran off stage causing the entire student body to go silent. Within seconds, the Chameleon Phantom dropped from above and attacked Lydia.
As a reflex, Lydia ducked and avoided the tongue whip. The Phantom successfully landed a few swipes at Lydia, knocking her to the ground. The Phantom tried to get her again, but Lydia blocked the Phantom's claw and kicked it in the stomach.
"Thank you, Claire..." She whispered.
Making sure no one was paying attention, Alicia telekinetically pushed the Phantom into a wall as all the students ran away.
Lydia ran out the back door in shame and sadness.
The Rangers quickly morphed up to deal with the situation. Tobias, however, went after Lydia.
The seven managed to corner the Phantom, but Slade and Alviss appeared from thin air to intervene. This interference gave the Chameleon enough time to escape. All the while, Dr. Bly told the Rangers to be careful as he evacuated the students.
~Thursday~
Lydia wasn't in school that day, so Tobias went looking for her as soon as the last bell rang. He ended up finding her down at the downtown bowling alley; she was a very skilled bowler.
"You okay?" Tobias asked her as she approached.
"You know," She began as she let another ball fly down the lane, "this is a private session."
"Well good." Tobias answered. "I can talk to you in private then."
"What do you want, Cheesehead?" Lydia asked, picking up another ball.
"I just wanna talk to you."
"About what? I was humiliated in front of the school, Ezra won't talk to me, and I can't even show my face. So-"
"So you shouldn't give up." Tobias interrupted.
"It's not that simple. Were you even listening to me? It's over."
"Lydia, listen to me." Tobias picked up a ball and threw down his own bowling lane. He completely missed and ended up getting a ball in the gutter much to Lydia's amusement.
"Lydia, you can't expect me to believe that you said all those things."
The strawberry blonde sighed and nodded, "You're right, Tobias. Those things you heard me say were taken out of context. But I can't prove that. And for some reason? Even Mina won't back me up and she was there."
Tobias shook his head taking note of that. "That doesn't matter. You deserve to win. You try more than anyone else. All this week, you went all out with the themes because you really believe in this school. And these past few years? They've been great because of what you brought to the table. You can make this place better."
"Interesting. How about this? We play one round of bowling. If I win, you back off. If you win, I'll go tomorrow."
"Deal." Tobias said cracking his knuckles. "Hope you have another speech left in you."
~ Friday ~
Friday, School Spirit Day, was also the final electoral speeches. Every student would wear the school colors which were blue and black.
The final elections would again be held in the auditorium. While Lydia's public approval diminished, the Rangers held true to their trust in their friend. After talking to Tobias, they knew something was definitely wrong and together, they enacted a plan.
Then, Asher started to get suspicious of the candidate on stage.
"And that's how I, Taylor Becket, will help the school raise money. You should give me your vote because I care about the students unlike my former running partner. I thank you for your time."
"She turned around fast." Asher whispered to Jared.
"Yeah, I noticed too."
Principal Edwin walked on stage and said, "Thank you for the speech, Taylor. Now that about wraps up all the-"
Suddenly, Lydia said, "There's still one more!"
The crowds turned to the doors to see Lydia limp down the aisle. Due to the injuries from before, Lydia wore a bandage around her head and walked with a crutch under her left arm.
The students booed her as she made her way to the stairs. Using her authoritative voice, Lydia demanded, "Hear me out!" She requested this so loud, everyone went silent. Taylor stood on the stage shocked that Lydia showed her face.
"Just listen to what I have to say. What you heard… that wasn't what I really said! I know it sounds bad… but I can prove to you that what you heard was faked! Just hear me out first."
She looked over at the Rangers and continued to speak. "Over this past year, I've met some pretty amazing people. People who taught me how powerful it is to believe in the strength you have in yourself. I also learned how to use that strength with the strength of others to really help change things." By now, everyone's eyes were on Lydia. She could tell there was a shift in the room.
"A boy I know... a boy I call a 'Cheesehead' reminded me why I ran for Queen in the first place. I need to show you how someone can rise above and fight for something they believe in. I believe in making these school days memorable for everyone. I may be at the forefront for this, but I need your help to do it. So stand up for yourselves, work with me, and we can make this school exactly what we want it to be." Lydia finished.
Within moments, the auditorium erupted in cheer. Ezra, conflicted at first, started to clap the loudest for Lydia.
"But that doesn't prove anything!" Taylor called out on the microphone.
"That's what you think!" Tobias walked on stage with Mina by his side. "Mina… tell them."
Taylor glared at Mina with a threatening gaze.
"It's true!" Mina called out. "That recording was edited. Those things you heard aren't how Lydia feels. She talked about how she saw and valued everyone here. She cares about all of us!"
Lydia limped over to the stage and met Tobias there. She hugged him, pecked his cheek and made her way to the front. The boy, red in the face, laughed in joy.
"You can dish out whatever you want, Taylor. Because I'm not backing down. Be honest. You recorded our conversation and edited it." In a hushed voice Lydia whispered so only Taylor could hear. "And you used Twilight Magic to bewitch Mina… Too bad my friends dispelled it."
"Fine… I faked all of it! And I don't care… You don't deserve that crown, Lydia. I DO!" Taylor threatened. The girl started to emit a black aura.
"Oh no..." Alicia whispered knowingly. The auditorium lights flickered and when they stabilized, the Chameleon Phantom stood ready to attack. Taylor, wrapped in the energy cocoon, lay on the floor.
"I knew it was you." Lydia accused pointing her finger.
"That's right. I wanted you out of the way so the election would be mine."
Multiple blasts of energy hit the Phantom and knocked her away.
"Sorry, but end of the line." Noah said.
"You again?!" The Phantom jumped high and crashed through the ceiling.
"After her!" Jared ordered.
The Seven Rangers surrounded the Chameleon with their weapons drawn.
"Not another step." Liam threatened.
"Bring it on!" The Phantom challenged.
"Ancient Spirits Unite! Power Rangers Next Legend, Start Up!"
"Shadowlites, attack!" Numerous Foot Soldiers appeared from the air and attacked.
"Oh, come to play?" Noah mocked as he slashed one down with his Kwan Dao.
"Adios!" Liam shouted as he took down two with a swing of his axe.
Sonia tripped one Shadowlite then backflipped away from two. She landed and dug her daggers into both of them. Alicia glided through the air blasting them with her arrows. She landed and proceeded to hit the Shadowlites with the sharp end of her bow.
Jared, Chris and Asher tore a large group apart with fast and strong strikes from their personal sword weapons.
The Chameleon Phantom started to glow as soon as the last Shadowlite was destroyed.
"Thanks for the juice." It said. Its green skin turned a demented purple and black. It gained Shadowlite-like armor that covered its chest and legs.
"You're through!" The Phantom charged at the Rangers and walked right through their efforts to defend themselves.
Jared launched fire balls while Alicia amplified them with whips of wind. They were swatted away with minimum effort. Noah fired icicle spikes from his hands while Liam launched wood blocks from his. The combined attacks had no effect as well. Attacks from the other Rangers proved fruitless as well.
"You're out of tricks!" The Phantom taunted.
"Oh really?" Came Lydia's voice. Suddenly, a concentrated scream wave flew from behind Chameleon and knocked her onto her front. Then, a giant mass of yellow jumped from the ground and onto the roof. It was a humanoid mech that stood at twelve feet. It was bulky with rounded wheels on the end of its strong arms and legs.
"Say hello to the Power Dizer." Lydia said from inside the cockpit. The cockpit was a cozy little space with all sorts of controls around.
Lydia hit a switch and fired multiple lasers from the lasers perched on the center of the body. The lasers were enough to cut through the centerpiece of the Phantom's armor.
"How?" It asked.
Lydia explained, "I got the data from the world of Kamen Rider Apollo. I knew we had to upgrade our artillery just a bit." With that, Lydia made the Power Dizer dash forward and slam its rounded fist into the Phantom's chest making a bigger crack.
"You flea!" The Phantom roared blasting Lydia away, who screamed in shock.
Power Dizer landed on its back and Lydia weakly called out, "I've made a weak spot! Go for it!"
"Right! Thanks, Lydia!" Jared called.
"Legend Burst Cannon!" The Rangers called out.
"Fire!" The golden blast hit the weak spot and destroyed the Phantom only to make it grow into a giant with complete armor.
"Lunar Legend Megazord!"
"Shadow Strike Megazord!"
"Lunar Gatling!" A silver gatling gun appeared in the Zord's hand and rapid fired. The lasers did not pierce the Phantom's armor just as before.
"Not gonna work!" The Phantom charged forward and sent a swift kick at LLM, knocking it over.
"Shadow Blade!" Chris called out. His Zord sliced down with its sword, but the blade was stopped by the toughness of the armor.
"Nice try!"
SSM was sent flying.
"Is everyone ok?" Jared asked, getting up. The cockpit was sparking and the lights flickered.
"I'm alright." Noah answered.
"I think we're all ok." Sonia said.
"I'll survive." Asher uttered.
"Our attacks aren't getting through." Chris said through the com link. "We need a new plan."
Again, Lydia's voice came through. "I have something for that."
Tobias then said, "Chris, take out the second ring Jules gave you."
Remembering, Chris pulled it out. It was the gold ring with a black dragon in the center. It was surrounded by six crystals: Red, Blue, Pink, Green, Yellow and Silver.
"Got it!" Chris informed them.
Tobias said, "Good. Scan it ! Everyone else, rotate your command dial to 'Zord' and type the code 1-6-3 in the touch screen interface! Form the Legend Ultimate Megazord!"
"Right!" Simultaneously, the Rangers entered the code while Chris scanned his ring.
"Ultimate Formation!"
~ Ultimate Formation ~
The Shadow Strike Megazord head, arms, legs fold back into the body so only the chest is the same while its Jet-Wings and Tail-Ends detach. The Legend King Megazord turns its Torso around but the legs adjust by turning the right way. The Lunar Knight Megazord's arms replace the Wolf and Rabbit Zords. The Dragon Zord torso attaches backwards to the Zord's new front so the Dragon head isn't seen. The underside of this piece is a golden Triquetra on the black armor. The Jet-wings of the Dragon combine with the arms of the whole zord. The torso and legs of the Lunar Knight become an outer shell armor for the legs and up. The Phoenix Zord folds on the left arm of the Zord to become a weapon while the Wolf and Rabbit Zords fold and attach to the shoulders of the arms. The Phoenix tail feathers, combined with the Dragon Tail ends combine to form a new crown and visor as it fits itself onto the Megazord Head.
The Seven Rangers are transported to a silver cockpit that resembles the Megaforce Cockpit minus the seats. The Rangers stand on their own personal colored platform that has a floating orb on a stand. These orbs would be used to control the Zord movement.
"Legend Ultimate Megazord, Advent!"
~End Sequence ~
"Let's take this thing down!" Jared called out.
"Right!"
"Ultimate Blade!" A gleaming silver sword with a black hilt appeared in the right hand of the zord. The Rangers swung forward and sent the Phantom flying. It couldn't stop the oncoming assault of the Rangers. Its armor was no longer protecting it.
LU kicked the Phantom in the chest and sent it flying away.
"I won't lose here!" Chameleon fired off numerous rounds of energy, but the Phoenix expanded and created a barrier of multicolored energy.
"Let's finish this off!"
"Ultimate Finish!" The sword glowed a white light with shades of the Ranger Colors. At a blinding speed, the Megazord flew forward and struck the Phantom, destroying it.
Lydia and Tobias cheered from the school. Lydia almost fell over but Tobias caught her; piloting the Power Dizer took a toll on her physical being.
Taylor woke up in a daze. She felt like she had just walked off of a large roller coaster. With trembling arms, she couldn't get up until a hand was offered to her.
She took it not knowing who it was. Looking up, she met the eyes of Lydia.
"You don't have to do all this stuff just to win." She said.
"I just wanted..."
"I know... But instead of undermining me and losing yourself, you could've run a fair campaign and show that you love our school."
"I'm sorry, Lydia."
"It's okay. Don't worry about it." Lydia answered hugging Taylor.
The Rangers and Tobias watched as Lydia and Taylor made amends. Ezra walked up to Lydia much to the annoyance of Tobias. He kissed her as if she had gone a long trip and had just returned. She patted his shoulder and said, "We'll talk later." She then turned to the Rangers, smiled and jogged over to them.
Ezra was not amused at all. He knew something was up and he didn't want to lose his Girlfriend to the group he deemed as "unworthy."
He was going to find out... if it was the last thing he did.
A/N: This was a rushed chapter, but I wanted to introduce the final Megazord Configuration. So, the next Chapter will be the last Filler Episode and one last plot developing episode before the next Character Arc.
Of course, it'll relate to Ezra trying to find out the secret of our Heroes.
