Magi Ranger

by Tenstar12

Betrayed by the world he had given his all to save, Harry finds himself cast into the void. With some help Harry ends up in another dimension, but in classic Harry Potter fashion gets himself into trouble almost immediately. Can he make his way in this strange world he finds himself in where giant monster attacks are a daily occurrence and hardly anything is familiar? AU Harry, MOD

37. Chapter 37

Magi Ranger

By: Tenstar12

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or Power Rangers.

Chapter 37, in which Rita Reveals a Previously Unknown Propensity for Linguistics

It had been a few minutes of frantic conversation and distress after the revelation of the consequences of Tommy getting captured. None of the Rangers quite seemed to want to believe it. Even Alpha seemed to be denying it as he brought forth various devices, tweaking the controls before waving them around the Green Ranger. It seemed as though none of the readings were to Alpha's liking though as he would just retrieve another device and repeat the process each time.

For his part, Tommy was taking all this with a stoic expression on his face. This may well be because he had had longer to come to terms with his situation. Kimberly was, predictably, standing as close as possible to Tommy's side, clutching onto his left arm as she worriedly watched the robot's activity. Trini had spent some time near Harry, ostensibly making sure he was alright, before moving to offer comfort to her overly stressed friend. Billy was grimly watching over Alpha's shoulder, occasionally offering a comment on Alpha's readings or a suggestion for how to proceed. Harry, Jason, and Zack were united in their grim reactions. The three were standing near one of the computer banks, watching the proceedings with neutral looks even as their minds raced.

Finally, Harry turned to the sole source of true calm in the room. "Zordon, have you ever seen anything like this before? I mean, is this something we might be able to stop?" Harry's words caught the attention of the other Rangers as well, each of them happy to leave their own worried thoughts in hopes that their mentor would have an answer.

The floating head hummed in thought for a moment. "I have not seen anything like this in person; however, I have heard tales of other such artifacts being created. In my youth, while studying under my own master in the ways of the Grid, I was told a tale of a dark sorcerer who rose to prominence through a ritual he created. This ritual used Power draining artifacts he crafted that were linked to the essence of another Grid user. In those cases, the very life essence of the one linked was drained alongside their Power, giving this dark sorcerer extended life as well as more Power."

Kimberly's face went white and she clutched Tommy's arm harder than she already had been. Harry wouldn't have been surprised if the Green Ranger had lost feeling in that hand at this point.

Zordon continued, apparently unaware of anything else as he sifted through his memories of long ago. "In this case however, I do not believe that Tommy is in that level of danger. Because each of you, with the exception of Harry, access the Grid's Power through the medium of your Power Coins, any candle linked to you would have to do so through the same medium, which should prevent the draining of your life force as a consequence. It is quite likely that this is the reason that Tommy's morpher was taken. Aside from preventing him from fighting back as effectively, his Power Coin was needed to properly link the enchanted wax to Tommy's connection to the Grid."

Zordon let out a sigh. "Unfortunately, I do not know of any way to stop the transference of Power without the candle itself."

Harry grit his teeth. "And I doubt that Rita would keep the candle anywhere we could get at it easily after we came so close in the Dark Dimension." The room was silent for the next several moments, save for the typical beeping noises from the computers and the humming of Zordon's projector.

"So, if Rita is draining Tommy's powers…" Jason said, pausing to take a breath, clearly struggling with the thought. "Does that mean that she's going to be morphing into the Green Ranger herself?"

Luckily for Jason's peace of mind, as well as that of the others, Zordon shook his head. "It is highly unlikely, Jason. In order for Rita to utilize the Green Power that way, she would have to obtain the coin as well as the Power. I designed the Mighty Morphin Power so that the coins are essential to utilizing the Power, it was only because Rita stole the Green Coin initially that she was able to utilize it in the first place. I would imagine that Rita merely hopes to deprive us of Tommy's help, and that of the Dragonzord."

"Or give us something else to worry about while she makes her big play." Tommy interjected, bringing everyone else to a stop. The Green Ranger had a look of resignation on his face, but his eyes were full of resolve. "It doesn't matter though. My Power doesn't matter. We have to focus on stopping Rita from destroying the city and on freeing all the people she has trapped."

"But Tommy," Kimberly said softly. "If you lose your Power, you won't be a Ranger anymore…"

Tommy shot his girlfriend a small smile before running his gaze around the room, meeting the eyes of everyone else as he spoke. "Yeah, the Green Ranger might be finished, but I've still got some fight left in me. How long will it be before my Power is gone?"

"According to the scanners," Alpha started. "And the results from the multi-phasic analyzer, the transdimensional contaminant detector, the handheld polymorphic resonance isolator, the-"

"Alpha," Harry cut the robot off. "The point, please?"

If Alpha could have blushed, the robot would have been bright red. As it was, Harry was convinced that the randomly blinking lights on his torso and the lights running across his visor were moving faster. "Ah… right. According to the readings, Tommy's Power will be fully drained in slightly less than 48 hours in his current form. If he were to get closer to the Green Candle or morph then I suspect that the rate could be multiplied many times over."

Tommy nodded grimly before meeting everyone's eyes again. "Then you'll have the Green Ranger fighting alongside you for one more battle."

Everyone was silent in the wake of Tommy's firm declaration. Finally, Zordon broke the silence, warmth in his voice. "And that, Tommy, is why you are suited to being a Power Ranger. Even though Rita had alternative reasons for selecting you to wield the Green Power Coin, I could not have selected a more appropriate candidate if I tried."

Tommy smiled, even as he ducked his head a bit in embarrassment. "Thanks, Zordon."

Just then, the Command Center's alarms went off.

"Ai yai yai yai yai!" Alpha chanted, speed-waddling over to one of the computer banks. "The proximity sensors have been triggered! Rita's palace is right over Angel Grove!"

Almost as one, Harry and the Rangers turned to face the Viewing Globe as it lit up from within. Moments later, the image cleared to reveal the flying form of Rita's palace hovering in place over the city.

"Why is she just floating there?" Jason asked, his face scrunched up in thought.

"Oh great," Zack groaned, rolling his eyes. "As if it wouldn't have been hard enough to kick her off our planet already, she's gonna be flying around everywhere too."

Then the image of Rita's palace began turning before it floated off toward what Harry thought were the older parts of the city.

"Where's she going now?" Trini asked.

Harry was just as confused as the others up until the moment when a red light began shining from a point rather high up the central tower, most likely where Rita's balcony was. Before any of the Rangers could comment, the light pulsed brightly and lanced outward from the palace and down toward the city, resulting in a plume of smoke and dust billowing up beyond the rooftops. Then, slowly, the palace rotated once more before lowering down through the billowing smoke, settling down to the ground in Angel Grove.

And then the image on the Viewing Globe flickered briefly before changing entirely, showing the quite unwelcome sight of Rita's sneering face.

"Rangers!" Rita drawled, smirking from within the Viewing Globe. "I know you're watching me, Rangers. I propose that we settle this once and for all. I will meet you in the town square of Angel Grove. Don't delay too long though, there's no telling what could happen to all the people of this city if you do."

With an evil cackle that sent a chill down Harry's spine, Rita's image vanished, once again replaced by the view of the cityscape of Angel Grove, now with the alien towers of Rita's palace sticking up amongst the buildings and the smoke from Rita's attack.

"Ai yai yai!" Alpha was panicking again. "Rita must have hijacked the feed to send her message. What are we going to do Zordon?! Rita's on Earth! Her Power will be much greater now that she's so close to the focal point!"

Zordon let out yet another sigh. "I'm afraid there is only one thing that we can do, Alpha."

"That's right!" Jason ground out through his clenched teeth while staring down at his white knuckled fists. "Rita has come down to our city and decided to challenge us. I say we meet her and beat her back again!"

"Yeah!" Zack took up Jason's angry enthusiasm. "We have to take her down, and this Cyclopsis robot of hers! She has our families and friends!"

Billy and the others merely nodded in agreement as Jason met each of their gazes individually. Finally, his eyes settled on Harry who still hadn't taken his eyes off the Viewing Globe.

He continued staring blankly for a few moments, his mind processing the entire situation until a squeeze of his hand brought him out of it. Harry blinked rapidly and looked toward Trini who held his hand tightly and met his gaze with steely determination. Harry nodded to her in thanks before meeting the eyes of his teammates one after another, finally stopping on Jason's angry eyes.

Harry held the Red Ranger's gaze for several seconds before giving him a slight nod. "I believe that you have a call to make, don't you Jason?"

Jason nodded in return before glancing up to Zordon. The wizard smiled, seeing his team of Rangers (plus one) ready to enter what may well be the final battle of this war against Rita. "So be it. Tommy, Alpha and I will monitor your Power levels from here. Try not to push yourself too far. There's no telling how long your Power will last with you in morph and so close to Rita's palace and the Green Candle by consequence." Zordon swept his gaze across the group before speaking again. "Remember Rangers, you must not drop your guard even once. Rita is much more powerful now that any other time you have faced her. Likewise, you must assume that any monsters or putties you face will be similarly stronger. Take no chances you do not have to. She has yet to call Cyclopsis into being, but I sense that she has further plans that we will have to be ready for. Despite this, I am very confident that you will prevail today. Be wary Rangers, and may the Power protect you."

Jason swept his gaze over the others as they moved to stand behind him spread out almost in formation. Even Harry joined them, the only difference being that he could feel the Grid's influencing him to do so, and took his place on the opposite side from Tommy at the outside edge of the group. "Let's save our city, guys," Jason said, determination hardening his voice. "IT'S MORPHIN' TIME!"

"MASTODON!" "PTERODACTYL!" "TRICERATOPS!" "SABER-TOOTH TIGER!" "TYRANNOSAURUS!" "DRAGONZORD!" "MAGI RANGER, POWER UP!"

-MR-

Rita had set her palace down on the grounds of Angel Grove's City Hall. The fact that she had had to remove the building in question was just a minor detail that was only really evident because of the smoldering bits of foundation exposed where Rita's palace didn't quite cover it all up. Just ahead of the relocated palace, was a square piece of real estate that had been preserved in the same state almost since the founding of the city.

Once in almost exactly the center of Angel Grove, before increased population and industrialization and the like had brought about expansion away from the coastline, the town square was dotted with old trees, statues, and gardens that were a tribute to the city's history. It was to this location that the seven Rangers teleported in columns of light, almost immediately dropping into fighting stances when they fully materialized, only to find nobody to meet them.

"Where's Rita?" Jason all but demanded, jerking his head this way and that as he searched for the space witch.

"She probably didn't expect us to show up so soon." Zack commented, straightening up slightly, though not really letting himself relax from his stance too much.

"More likely she has some kind of a trap planned for us." Kimberly said, looking about frantically for any sign of such a thing.

Then Rita's voice echoed across the small park. "Nonsense, Pink Ranger. Setting a trap for you would mean that I felt I needed such a thing to win."

Harry snorted. "Well, for supposedly not needing traps, you sure have liked setting them in the past."

"Awww," Rita crooned mockingly. "Is the Mageling still upset about his time in my palace? Did the Twin Man and I hurt your feelings?"

Harry's anger spiked and his magic reacted, lightning crackling around his tightly clenched fists. "Why don't you show yourself, Rita, and I'll show you some hurt feelings."

Rita's laughter echoed across the area before a bright flash heralded the witch's arrival around twenty feet away. "Happily, Mageling. If I knew you were so eager to meet your end, I wouldn't have wasted your precious time. I'm always happy to assist those with a death wish you see, especially when they have arrayed themselves against me."

"We're not the ones losing here today, Rita!" Jason shouted, stepping forward a few steps as the other four core Rangers stepped up behind him in a wedge formation while Tommy and Harry stood off to either side.

"Oh, very original, Red Ranger." Rita said with a smirk. "But to be honest, my fight isn't with you at the moment. I have something else planned for you."

Jason summoned his Power Sword in a flash of red light before brandishing it toward the witch. "If you think we're going to go along with anything you have planned, then you've got another thing coming!"

Rita seemed to consider this for a moment, though Harry could tell through her body language and the pure aura of smugness he could almost feel that she was just playing with them. "You do have a point, Red Ranger… I suppose I'll have to force you all into doing what I want then, won't I… Very well then." Rita brought her staff into a two-handed grip before jabbing it forward.

The Rangers tensed up as she began moving, but only Harry was able to detect the buildup of Power.

Only Harry noticed Rita's noticeably increase reserves of Power changing into a massive amount of Rita's bastardized version of Wizarding magic through the Elder Wand that was now pointing at his teammates.

Only Harry recognized the tell-tale sickly green glow of magic forming at the tip of the Elder Wand.

"Avada Kedavra!"

For a split second, Harry's mind ground to a halt.

How had Rita learned the killing curse? Even while he was in her palace, he had never mentioned more than the slightest hint of the Unforgivables, and even that was only under a great amount of duress. It was highly unlikely that Rita had been able to break through his Occlumency to steal the knowledge directly from his mind. No doubt she would have pressured him more specifically on those spells if she had.

Then, as Harry's mind started up again in the next instant, he realized that there was no time for ponderings now. He had to act, or else his teammates would pay the price.

With a gesture of his left hand, Harry wandlessly transfigured the Earth in front of Jason into a concrete barrier that rose to stand in the way of Rita's spell. With his other hand, Harry summoned up the Magi Staff and used it to cast an angled banishing charm on the other six Rangers, throwing them backwards from the barrier just as the killing curse hit it and blasted it into gravel.

Rita's wicked laugher once more echoed around the area as Harry seethed and the other Rangers climbed to their feet again. "A most invigorating spell, Mageling, and quite powerful too. Even in my wildest dreams I never thought I would learn of a magic that could snuff out a life quite as effectively as your 'killing curse.' Marvelous…"

Harry's teeth were clenched so hard he was sure they were going to crack under the pressure. "How? I did everything I could to avoid teaching you anything worthwhile while you held me captive. So how did you manage to learn the killing curse?!"

Rita's smile only grew. "It was really you who made it possible Mageling, and I don't just mean because I wouldn't have even known of this type of magic if you hadn't shown up. I'm sure you remember when we had you convinced that we had your little girlfriend captive, yes?" Rita paused as if to allow Harry time to answer, even though Harry remained stoically silent as the other Rangers moved to gather behind him. They recognized that they were out of their field of expertise at this point.

Rita continued as if Harry had spoken though, her amusement clear. "Well it only took the one bit of information you let slip before your rescue party arrived to set me on the right path. 'The Unforgivables…' Yes, a wonderful name for a set of wonderful spells, though I think you can understand why the killing curse is my favorite. The sheer power in such a magic will make me the strongest being in the universe! I was able to learn of them all through a simple ritual focused on the wand I took from your inept hands that allowed me a look into the past of those who held it. I know every spell ever cast through this wand now, and that includes all three of the 'Unforgivable Curses.' I just needed your little hint to point me in the right direction."

Harry felt a hand grip his left arm and turned to see Trini. "Harry?" she asked in concern. "What's she talking about?"

Harry growled lightly. "Rita made me think that they had captured you too just before Tommy and Kimberly busted me out. I mentioned the Unforgivables by their classification before we were distracted by the initial explosion they caused. I never thought she'd be able to get anything from that though…"

Kimberly gasped. "That's what you meant, isn't it? When you said you had screwed up? I completely forgot about that after the problems we had with our escape."

Rita cut in at that point, still smirking at the Rangers. "Yes, Harry gave me all I needed to learn about his brand of magic without his help, and what a wonderful gift it was."

Rita began cackling again as Jason came up on Harry's other side and rested a hand on his shoulder. "Harry," he said quietly. "Can you beat her? I mean, now that she knows your magic…"

Harry shook his head, forcing himself to relax and think things through. "I think so… Just because she knows the spells and presumably how to cast them, doesn't mean she can use them to their potential. I spent a few years training against the very spells she is most likely to use, so I have an advantage there. Not to mention the fact that her scepter makes casting anything too complex very time consuming and difficult. It's her increased Grid Power that worries me, but I can't do anything but try."

Jason nodded before raising his voice. "Alright, Rangers. Let's take her down!"

"I think not, Rangers!" Rita screeched, cutting their eminent charge short as she thrust her staff upwards, releasing bolts of lightning from it that arced to the top of her palace. The very tip of the topmost spire began to glow before, with a flash of light, the massive, robotic form of Cyclopsis appeared, looming over the Rangers while the witch laughed again.

"COME AND GET ME RANGERS!" Goldar's voice echoed from the massive machine as its eyes lit up and it began moving off into the city, shaking the ground with each step. "The Mageling has an appointment with my Empress, but if you don't stop me, I'll destroy the city!"

Harry cursed under his breath. "He's right. You guys have to call the Zords and go after Goldar and Cyclopsis. I'll take care of Rita and join you as soon as I can."

"Harry…" Trini spoke up from his side, once more tightening her grip on his arm. "Are you sure?"

Harry shot her an unseen smile and drew her into a brief, one armed hug. "I'll be fine, Trini. Have faith in me and in the Power and there's nothing we can't accomplish."

Zack gave a snort. "Wow, Harry, way to channel Zordon there."

Harry rolled his eyes even as Jason took charge once again, the other core Rangers moving into formation again and mimicking his movements. "Alright Rangers, let's go take care of Cyclopsis! WE NEED DINOZORD POWER, NOW!"

As the others leapt/teleported away to meet their Zords, Harry shot a glance at Tommy. "You better get going," he said, seeing his teammate/teacher seem hesitant to leave him with Rita. "They're going to need your help and that of the Dragonzord."

Tommy hesitated a bit longer, but eventually nodded. "Just be careful, Harry. I don't trust her."

Harry snorted, even as he kept one eye on the still smirking Rita. She seemed rather prepared to wait, but he didn't know how long that would last. "And you think I do? Still, I have a few tricks she hasn't seen yet. It's never a good idea to go into a battle with a new spell and expect to beat someone who has already been using it for years."

Tommy nodded again. "Alright, good luck, man," and then he was gone in a teleport. Moments later, Harry heard the familiar summoning tune as Tommy called his own Zord into play.

"Finally…" Rita drawled, idly buffing the nails of her off hand on her robe/dress. "Alone at last… I've been looking forward to this battle, Mageling. Ever since we met atop the building when I first learned of the potential behind your spells. This shall be a battle like none before."

Harry rolled his eyes. Rita had a point. This battle could well be one of the most difficult he had ever been in. It was certainly not a time to hold back. "Then let's stop yapping and get to it!" Without another word, Harry snapped off a quick blasting curse that he followed with a stunner.

Rita almost negligently sidestepped the two spells, almost seeming to blur with how fast she moved, before intricately moving her staff around to mimic wand movements. This time, Harry was sure she was blurring, but didn't have much time to dwell on it before Rita called out her spell. "Bombarda Maxima!"

Harry, with an equally negligent reaction, casually swept Rita's overcharged exploding curse to one side, sending it harmlessly into the air with the ease of long practice. He then returned fire with a short string of cutters topped with a body bind that splashed against a hastily erected shield of Power from Rita's ring focuses on her off hand.

The battle continued like this for several minutes. Rita with her strangely blurred and rapid staff movement and equally speedy dodging or powerful shields powered by Grid Magic against Harry with his precise wand movements and expertise with the occasional dodge, roll, or flip to avoid some of Rita's better aimed spells.

"So," Harry almost casually asked as he ducked under several nasty curses. "Are you about ready to stop with the warm up yet?" Harry felt he had gotten a grip on the witch's tactics. It appeared that she had done something to increase her speed to compensate for the cumbersome wand/staff movements necessary for her to use Wizarding magic. Whether or not Harry could cancel whatever spellwork she had done was still unknown, but it might be worth finding out. The trick would be to do so and then capitalize on the weakness before Rita reverted to using Grid Magic, where she held the decided advantage. It was really only Rita's own ego leading to her believing she could beat Harry at his own brand of magic that gave him this level of confidence.

Rita scoffed as she shielded several spells Harry sent her way in return. "What do you mean 'warm up,' Mageling? You don't stand a chance against me, especially not while I control the unbeatable Elder Wand!"

Case and point…

Harry rolled his eyes again. "You know, Rita. Many before you have thought exactly the same thing, and yet you would know better than most how many hands that wand has passed through. Whether the owner lost through battle or through treachery, just owning it doesn't ensure victory. For example…" Harry dodged to one side, avoid yet another volley of spells, before tapping his staff on the ground and releasing a pulse of magic.

Almost immediately, the ground between the two magic users rippled as if it was water before a section of it tore itself out of the ground, shifting form as it went into a ten foot tall green and brown lion. The transfigured and animated beast pounced at Rita, forcing the witch to blur to the side to avoid it, only to nearly get caught by a thirty foot long snake transfigured from a long row of hedges.

"You see, Rita," Harry continued even as he magically merged a few statues together before transfiguring the resulting chunk of stone into a gigantic badger. "While I may have been doing everything I could to avoid teaching you too much of use, and I'm sure you can't really blame me for that, there was still a point to it all."

Rita tried to levitate herself into the air, only for Harry to summon up a massive burst of wind. The force of nature buffeted the witch and knocked her back to the ground where she was forced to wrap herself in a dome shield that was quickly set upon by the three transfigured beasts.

"You have to start small if you want to cast anything really impressive. These things take time." Harry was almost enjoying his lecture/rant as he transfigured a portion of the nearby gardens into a colorful raven and set it flying over Rita's shield to prevent her from taking to the air again. "You chose the quick path, a shortcut, and that will be your downfall."

Harry twisted in place, vanishing with a crack only to reappear within Rita's dome shield. With a grunt, Harry thrust his staff forward into Rita's back, delivering a strong physical blow simultaneously with a Grid powered cancellation spell. The witch flew forward, caught off guard as her shield dropped with her loss of concentration. Harry's transfigured beasts formed up behind him, each of them pacing the Ranger as he walked up to Rita.

When the witch stumbled back to her feet, her speed enhancement spell broken, Harry sent a blasting curse at her, forcing her to shield with her off hand focuses. When his spell shattered her hastily erected protection, Harry performed a switching spell, swapping the focus rings on her off hand with empty air.

As Harry drew nearer, he could see Rita begin to panic, even as she drew up and converted even more Power to Wizarding magic. "Your problem, Rita, is that you believe that you cannot be beaten with this new magic at your disposal. Magic which you only just learned and that I've studied for the last eight years of my life."

"Imperio!" Rita had given up on the complex wand movements for the moment. Especially now that they would take her far too long without her speed enchantment. No, far better to stick with the 'unblockable' spells that only required the right mental state and power to cast.

Harry just kept on walking, letting the spell hit and then throwing off the effects with the ease of one who has done so many times in the past and against far better users of the spell than she. As he got closer, Rita took too big of a step back, tripping over her robes and dropping to the ground again.

"On top of that, if you've looked into the past of the Elder Wand," Harry mused aloud as he walked. "Then you must know of the legend of the Deathly Hallows and what it means for one person to collect them all."

"Crucio!" Rita incanted, letting loose the bright red Cruciatus curse that Harry merely intercepted with a conjured stone slab before banishing the shards back at the witch, though there was admittedly little effect to be had.

"You know that the one who collects all the Hallows becomes known as the Master of Death. Now, in truth there is little to that title, despite what some may believe, but one thing that does come with it is total and unending dominion over all artifacts of Death."

"Avada Kedavra!" Rita near screamed, continuing to try and scoot backwards on the ground as the Magi Ranger drew ever closer. For his part, Harry could tell what she was going to try to cast from the first syllable, meaning he had plenty of time to conjure up another stone slab. This one was practically in Rita's face so the witch was showered with the shards of stone without any further input from him.

That spell really was impractically long to cast, especially when one's opponent was already expecting it and prepared for such.

Harry used the distraction of the destruction of this last barrier to his advantage though, apparating silently while Rita was still reeling from the bombardment of stone shards and reappearing just behind her. "I am the Master of Death, Rita Repulsa." Harry said in his darkest tone, using magic to amplify his voice as the witch twisted to face him from the ground, tangling her legs up in her robes in the process. "I am the Master of the Elder Wand, and I've come for what's mine."

Rita tried to bring her staff around to face Harry, but he knocked it away with a swift swing of the Magi Staff. "Return the Elder Wand to me now, Rita, or I think you'll find that you won't like the consequences."

Rita's eyes were wider than the Magi Ranger had ever seen them as he loomed over her. The presence of his transfigured animals behind her probably didn't help her nerves at all. Not that Harry was at all concerned about that.

If Harry hadn't been so focused on Rita, he might have noticed the slender figure charging at him from the side. As it was, Scorpina was able to drop kick him solidly, knocking him away from Rita with a ridiculous amount of ease. Moments later, her boomerang shaped sword lashed out, beheading each of his transfigured allies and breaking the spells holding them together before she pulled Rita to her feet.

"Empress," Scorpina said quickly, keeping one eye on the recovering Magi Ranger. "Come Empress, we must return to the palace. Goldar can take care of the Rangers, but you must recover."

Rita glared at Harry even as the Magi Ranger kicked back up to his feet. "NO!" Harry shouted, letting loose with a flurry of destructive spells even as he cursed himself for losing his awareness.

Rita once again shielded against the spells, a much more solid shield that held against Harry's assault, even as her eyes shone with hatred. "Perhaps you are right, Scorpina…" Rita growled, her gaze never leaving Harry even as the Magi Ranger's barrage increased in intensity, now joined by Levin Bolts from his off hand.

Harry could only watch as Rita straightened up and adjusted her robes around herself. He knew that his momentum had been lost with Scorpina's arrival, but it was a hard pill to swallow. He had been so close!

Finishing with her self-adjustments, Rita returned her full gaze to Harry. "Know this, Mageling, you may have won this battle, but you and the rest of those pathetic Power Brats will not win the war. You cannot hope to stand up to the might of Cyclopsis!"

Harry let his Levin Bolt die off even as he stopped the furious casting with his staff, leveling an unseen glare of his own at Rita. Sometimes, wearing a helmet really got in the way of expressing oneself. "You've said that many times before, Rita, but we're still here."

Rita didn't respond verbally. Instead, lifting her staff up slightly before bringing it down with a magically amplified crack and a flash of light. When the light faded, the two evil women were gone once again.

Harry sighed and turned his attention toward Angel Grove proper. He could feel the slightest of tremors in the ground which told him the giant robot battle was still going on. With Rita driven off, even though Harry failed to regain the Elder Wand in this his best chance so far to do so, all the Magi Ranger was left to do was help his teammates with Goldar and Cyclopsis.

After one more glance toward the nearby hulk of Rita's palace, from which Harry was sure the space witch was watching him, Harry teleported away.

-MR-

When he rematerialized atop one of the taller buildings in downtown Angel Grove, he immediately noticed the massive form of the MegaDragonzord. This Zord combination was the same one Harry had first seen when the Rangers formed the Ultrazord against the Samurai Fan Man. While it was rather bulky with the vertically split Dragonzord resting as it was along the Megazord's shoulders, the Zord moved surprisingly quickly, dodging around the strikes made by Cyclopsis's stubby looking arms.

Goldar had apparently come to the same conclusion as Cyclopsis backed up several steps before crossing its arms over its chest and then flinging them to either side. On either side of its chest, two panels rose up to reveal multiple missiles that were then launched toward the Rangers. From within the smoke cloud that resulted from multiple explosions, a bright light flashed before lancing out toward Cyclopsis as the MegaDragonzord returned fire.

When the smoke cleared, there was little damage to be seen on either machine.

"Harry?" Tommy's voice came from behind him. Harry spun, his staff glowing briefly until he spotted the Green Ranger. "Woah, man," Tommy said, raising his hands up in surrender. "It's just me."

Harry sighed and let the glow of Power die off. "Sorry, I'm a bit on edge… Rita got away. I nearly had her when Scorpina got in the way…"

Harry could almost feel Tommy's grimace. "Hey, no worries man. Rita's slippery, but we'll get her eventually." Further conversation was cut off as the MegaDragonzord landed a thunderous blow against Cyclopsis and sent the War Zord reeling backwards.

Then Jason's voice echoed across their communicators. "I call upon the power of Titanus and the Ultrazord!"

Harry felt the vibrations echoing up through the building below him as Titanus rolled through the city on its treads. He watched as Jason called for the transformation sequence and the MegaDragonzord jumped on board Titanus.

"LOCK ON AND FIRE!"

Harry watched as the multitude of destructive blasts of every color burst forth from the Ultrazord and peppered Cyclopsis until it fell back to the ground and exploded.

Harry let himself smile beneath his helmet. He may not have been able to take out Rita himself, but at least Cyclopsis had been dealt with, and Zordon had been quite certain that the War Zord was a much greater threat. He had felt a pulse of Power just before Cyclopsis exploded, which was most likely Goldar teleporting out, but he wasn't worried about that at the moment.

"DO YOU REALLY THINK IT WOULD BE THAT EASY, RANGERS?"

The earth began shaking once again as Rita's voice echoed across the area. Tommy and Harry began looking around even as MegaDragonzord jumped free of Titanus and moved to stand near their building.

Harry felt a pulse of Power and turned toward it, spotting the figures of Rita, Goldar, and Scorpina on a building a few blocks away. "Over there!" He shouted, pointing his teammates in the right direction as he started gathering up Power again.

Now that she had their attention, Rita continued. "DID YOU REALLY THINK THAT I WOULDN'T HAVE A BACKUP PLAN IN PLACE? THAT I DIDN'T EXPECT FOR YOU TO FIND A WAY TO DEFEAT CYCLOPSIS?" Rita's laughter grew in volume before she raised her staff up over her head and the red gem mounted on it began to shine with Power. "I CALL UPON THE POWER OF LOKAR! COME TO ME NOW AND FULFILL THE WISHES OF YOUR SUMMONER!"

Just as the last time Lokar was summoned by Rita, the sky darkened until it resembled a starless night. Then, with a flash of lightning the blue skinned and spiky haired face of Lokar appeared in the sky. The dimensionally trapped dark wizard glared heatedly down at the Rangers, though Harry could almost feel the extra focus placed on him.

"AND NOW LOKAR," Rita called out. "I COMMAND YOU TO BRING BACK CYCLOPSIS, GREATER THAN EVER BEFORE! COMBINE YOUR POWER WITH THAT OF CYCLOPSIS AND BRING ME VICTORY IN BATTLE!"

Lokar's eyes immediately began to glow as more lightning lanced through the sky around him. Then, several lights burst into view coming from the ground and rising into the air. When they got high enough, Harry was able to make out pieces of metal of varying sizes that clustered together just beneath Lokar. The last piece was the largely intact head of Cyclopsis, its eyes lighting up from within as Lokar channeled his Power into the remains of the War Zord.

With a final flash of light that was blinding in its intensity, Lokar vanished and Cyclopsis was reformed.

The War Zord once more standing strong before the Rangers was largely the same. The first real difference to be seen was that the single horn/spike atop its head was now three with the two new ones jutting off at an angle from either side. Aside from that, it was now equipped with two long blades, one extending from the back of each hand, more than making up for the lack of reach it had before.

With another brief flash of light, Goldar vanished from Rita's side once again and Cyclopsis took a fighting stance mere moments later. "AND NOW RANGERS," Goldar's voice came from his War Zord. "YOU ARE ALL DOOMED!"

Harry felt a sense of dread hit him and brought his communicator up. "Jason! Ultrazord! NOW!"

"Yeah… right," Jason responded, hesitant at first but then firmer. "Titanus, form the Ultrazord, now!"

"OH NO YOU DON'T, RANGERS!" Rita screeched, bringing Harry's attention back to her just as her jabbed her scepter toward Titanus just as the Zord's neck shifted lower to allow access to the MegaDragonzord. Before Harry could react, a blast of incredible Power shot from Rita's scepter and struck the ground just in front of the massive Zord, causing the earth beneath it to begin to shake.

"No!" Jason shouted amidst similar cries of denial and disbelief from the other core Rangers within the MegaDragonzord as Titanus began roaring in a manner that was all too organic for a robot in Harry's opinion.

Then Titanus began to sink as the ground below it collapsed into a sinkhole. Within seconds, all that was visible of Titanus was its head and the top third of its neck. The MegaDragonzord moved as close as it could, kneeling down at the edge of the sinkhole and grabbing at Titanus, trying to pull the Zord free from Rita's trap, but to no avail.

Mere moments later, Titanus was gone.

"AND NOW, RANGERS," Goldar announced. "THE BATTLE CAN TRULY BEGIN!"

But without the use of Ultrazord and with Cyclopsis more powerful than before, Harry knew things had just gotten much more difficult.

-MR-

Thanks for reading and don't forget to review,

Tenstar12