Magi Ranger
By: Tenstar12
AN: Shout out to TM11 for leaving Magi Ranger's 700th review!
Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or Power Rangers.
Chapter 41, in Which the Putties Get A Makeover...
When color returned to Harry's world, he found himself surrounded by the wonderfully familiar surroundings of the Command Center. Frantically patting himself down as his brain processed his location, Harry was relieved to discover that he was in once piece and appeared to be in no pain, though he was lying prone on the floor.
So what had happened?
It was with a jolt that Harry realized that the other five Rangers were nearby, the six of them having been lying in the ring of computers at the center of the Command Center still in morph. Said jolt coming when Trini all out tackled him once she noticed him.
"HARRY!" the Yellow Ranger spoke frantically, her arms wrapped tightly around his neck. "I was so worried when you got caught! And then we lost control of the Megazord and you were about to get hit and then… what happened?"
Trini's last words were spoken with a heavy air of confusion as she finally overcame her hysteria and spoke the question that was on all their minds. It was a question that Zordon was quick to answer as the Rangers climbed back to their feet and removed their helmets, though Trini made sure to keep close to Harry's side after her scare.
Not that Harry was complaining of course.
"It is good to see you all up and about again, Rangers." Zordon intoned solemnly. Just from the sound of his mentor's voice, Harry could tell that the overall news wasn't good. "Alpha and I were barely able to get you all to safety before the Megazord's attack connected. If we had been a second longer, it might have been too late."
"So you teleported us back here, Zordon?" Jason asked as he stepped forward as per the norm.
The floating head nodded. "Yes, Jason. We were able to retrieve the six of you and Hedwig just in time." Zordon turned slightly in his tube to more fully face Harry. "Hedwig is fine at the moment, Harry, if a bit shaken up by the outcome of the battle, but we were unable to regain control of the Megazord."
"Yeah, man," Zack said with a shudder. "I never would have expected the Megazord to turn on us like that… What happened?"
"And were you able to recover the Megazord the same way you did with Harry and Hedwig?" Billy quickly followed.
"Behold the Viewing Globe," Zordon responded, nodding toward the orb as he did so. When the Rangers had all turned to face it, it lit up from within. This time, the orb showed the Pirantishead monster during their earlier battle with Harry/Hedwig held captive and working its fish-ended weapon like a flute. As the Rangers watched, the white beam lanced forth and washed over the Megazord, distorting it as Harry remembered.
"From what Alpha and I have been able to deduce based on our still limited sensor readings, the attack the monster launched disrupted the controls of the Megazord and slaved it to Pirantishead's will. In addition, whatever was done to the Megazord was somehow able to prevent us from retrieving it."
"We're still working on the sensor upgrades," Alpha added from where he stood behind one of the computer consoles, the odd tool in his hand lending support to his statement. "Unfortunately, until those are done, we can't tell a great deal about the how of the situation, only the what. Ai yai yai…" Alpha resorted to mumbling as he ducked back behind the computer and out of sight as the Rangers turned their attention back to Zordon.
"Alpha speaks truly, Rangers. For the time being, we can only wait."
"What do you mean wait?" Jason asked, sounding rather upset with Zordon. "Even as we speak the Megazord is out there destroying the city. We have to do something!"
Zordon shook his head. "All hope is not lost yet, Rangers. I do have a plan in the works to overcome this latest obstacle, but it requires time and information before it can be successfully implemented. And the Megazord is not, in fact, attacking the city." Without more than a nod as prompting, the Rangers turned back toward the Viewing Globe which lit up again to show the Megazord standing motionless on the outskirts of the city, in the same location as where the Rangers had fought against, and lost to, Pirantishead.
Zordon continued. "In the hour since the battle ended, during which time you were all rendered unconscious by the emergency teleportation, the Megazord has remained where it is now. Pirantishead returned to its original size, but we have since lost track of it."
Kimberly sighed as the Rangers turned to face Zordon again. "So I guess all we really can do is wait then, huh?"
Zordon nodded, a grim smile on his face. "Unfortunately so, Kimberly. What we need is time, and it is something that I feel we will have, despite how dire the situation is."
"What do you mean?" Trini asked.
"From what I know of Lord Zedd, he is one who enjoys grandiose statements and undeniable examples of his superiority. His ego is very large and he takes every opportunity to revel in his victories. What this means is that he is fond of larger, drawn out schemes. While he is in no way someone to take lightly, Zedd's propensity for these types of plans means that he will often avoid striking the final blow to prolong the suffering of his opposition. I hope to use this tendency to give us the time to prepare our counterstrike."
"But if he has control of the Megazord, how can we face off against his monster?" Harry asked. "I mean, I'm willing to fight no matter what, but I doubt that Hedwig and I can take down Pirantishead and the Megazord at the same time…"
Before Zordon could respond, Jason perked up suddenly. "Hey! What about Tommy's Power Coin? Is there any way one of us could use it to call the Dragonzord to fight alongside Harry? That would definitely even the odds!"
The other Rangers immediately started nodding, hope growing in their eyes, only for Zordon to shut them down. "Unfortunately not, Jason. The Green Power is too heavily depleted to summon the Dragonzord, even with amplification from another Power Coin. The drain happened too recently for that to be truly feasible. And even if it were to be possible, it is highly likely that the Dragonzord would be taken from us much like the Megazord already has. It should not be necessary in the long run, however. Lord Zedd chose a rather opportune moment to attack since I had been gathering Power to aid in the assault on Rita's fortress. This same Power can now give us the edge we will need to fight off Zedd in Rita's place."
"How do you mean, Zordon?" Billy asked.
Zordon merely shook his head. "I do not wish to speak of it yet, Billy. I would prefer to wait until I know that it can be done, which means waiting for Alpha to finish the sensor enhancements. However, any help that you or Trini can give him would be greatly appreciated."
With a firm nod, the teenage genius quickly set his helmet aside and made his way to where Alpha was working to try and see how he could help. Trini gave Harry a quick, one armed hug before following, setting her helmet with Billy's atop one of the computers before crouching down on the robot's other side.
Harry then turned his attention back to Zordon as the other Rangers moved to set their own helmets with Trini and Billy's (in a row and in their morphing order Harry noticed with an internal groan of exasperation). "I have a question for you, Zordon. When this battle gets to the point of me calling in Hedwig again, how worried should I be about Pirantishead taking control of her too?" The question immediately caught the attention of the others. Even Alpha looked up from his work for a moment upon hearing Harry's words.
Zordon hummed in thought for a moment before speaking. "I… cannot say for sure, Harry. I would assume that, as Hedwig is fully sentient whereas the Dinozords are not, she would be able to fight off any attempts should her will be strong enough." Harry nearly snorted in amusement, Hedwig was too stubborn to let anyone take control of her.
-And don't you forget it Harry/Wizard!- Hedwig's mental voice said smugly, forcing Harry to fight down a smile. All the same, hearing Hedwig reassured him as Zordon's words hadn't been able to as to his familiar's safety.
Zordon continued, unaware of Harry's background musings. "Additionally, I believe that Zedd, and thus Pirantishead, knew of this and most likely of your fusion with Hedwig to create your Warrior Mode, which would only add another layer of protection against Pirantishead taking control of your Zord. This would explain why no attempt to do so was made, instead using you as bait to get the Megazord."
"But how would Zedd have found out about… well, anything about us?" Jason asked, crossing his arms as he spoke.
"I suspect that not all of Rita's forces were cast out with her." Zordon explained. "It is most likely that Goldar retains his loyalty to Zedd over that which he had for Rita. I feel that he would tell Zedd anything he wanted to know about all of you."
Zack gave a short snort of almost-laughter. "Yeah, and with the way that gold monkey has it out for Harry, he probably made extra sure to tell the new boss all about him."
Harry groaned. "Thanks, Zack. That's just what I needed to hear…"
-MR-
No matter how many times Harry found himself spending long periods of time waiting in the Command Center for something to happen, it never got any easier.
Although that certainly didn't mean that the alarm klaxons that went off a mere twenty minutes after the Rangers awoke were any more welcome than usual.
Without prompting, the Rangers turned to face the Viewing Globe as it lit up from within, Billy and Trini coming from where they had been helping Alpha, showing Pirantishead seemingly dancing in place as it idly twirled its chain weapon in one hand.
"Oh man," Zack spoke first, running his hands through his short hair. "What's this guy up to now?"
"I'm afraid it's not just Pirantishead this time, Rangers." Zordon said as the image in the globe flickered. "It seems that Lord Zedd has sent down some of his own Putty Patrollers as well."
The new image that formed in the Globe showed what appeared to be a putty patroller, but certainly not one Harry was familiar with. The figure's body was much closer to white than Rita's putties had been, only the hands and face retaining the dark grey color of its predecessors. In addition, the construct seemed to be wearing elbow pads, knee pads, and a vest, each perhaps a shade or two darker than the rest of its body and all with a "Z" emblem on them, especially prominent on the vest.
"Well…" Harry said after a moment. "They certainly don't look like much, do they?"
When the other Rangers gave a half-hearted murmur of agreement, Zordon interjected. "Don't let their appearances fool you, Rangers. Our initial scans indicate that Zedd created these putties himself, so there is no telling what kind of surprises they might have in store during battle."
"So where are these guys at?" Jason asked, once more leading the team as he turned back to face Zordon.
This time it was Alpha who answered. "The sensors, limited as they are, indicate that the monster and putties have appeared north of Angel Grove… They appear to be near a large concentration of people…"
Kimberly gasped suddenly. "Oh no you guys! The Marathon!"
Harry's eyes narrowed in thought before it came to him. A few days into their week of preparation, Ernie had hung up posters in the Youth Center advertising the "Fifth Annual Children's Hospital Charity Motor Marathon." It was, as the name suggested, a charity event where teams of people entered into a race on four wheelers. Far from a simple race, each team was given a map that they had to follow to collect various tokens which would keep them more or less on the not very clearly marked course. The ultimate goal was to be the first team to cross the finish line with all the tokens. Admission costs for those who wanted to watch the event were donated to a local Children's Hospital, again as the name suggested.
Shortly after the posters went up, The Ranger team had floated the idea of entering the race themselves. After all, there was no limit to the size of the team and who would be able to beat the Rangers' teamwork? The officials in charge even provided the bikes and equipment, so why not, right?
Unfortunately, Harry had had to point out that they were gearing up for a huge battle and it wasn't the best idea to take on other distractions in the meantime.
Not to mention that Harry didn't really know how to ride a four wheeler…
Ultimately, the Rangers all agreed with Harry, though not without any complaints and talk of what-ifs. Now it seemed as though the Rangers may end up going there after all.
"I fear you may be right, Kimberly." Zordon said after a moment's thought. "It is likely that Zedd is trying to draw you out again by attacking the civilians there."
"Well," Jason said with a grim smile. "We don't want to keep him waiting then, do we?"
"But how are we going to fight the monster?" Trini asked, once more standing next to Harry. "We weren't really able to hurt it before."
"And what about the Megazord?" Kimberly asked. "And Zordon's plan?"
"The plan still relies on the completion of the sensor upgrades, Rangers." Zordon replied. "For now, your priority must be with protecting the people of Angel Grove."
"Then shouldn't Billy and Trini stay behind to help finish the upgrades?" Jason asked. "I'm sure the four of us can handle some putties and Pirantishead on our own."
Zordon shook his head. "I'm afraid that that may not be advisable, Jason. As a team, you are strongest when you work together. Even Harry, although his Power doesn't explicitly mesh with yours, is more capable when you all work together. We cannot afford to take any of Lord Zedd's creations lightly."
"And besides that," Alpha added. "The sensor upgrades are very nearly complete. I can finish the rest myself with no problem."
The Rangers and Harry all exchanged glances for a moment before Jason finally nodded. "Alright then, Rangers, let's go protect our city."
"Back to Action!"
-MR-
When the light of teleportation faded from around the Rangers, they were met with the sounds of panicked screaming. The source of this screaming was quickly located as they caught sight of Bulk and Skull, standing next to their four wheelers (though why the two had gotten off of them, or really even joined a charity event in the first place Harry wasn't entirely sure) and clinging to each other tightly while a dozen of Zedd's new-model Putty Patrollers bounced and jerked around them.
"Alright, Rangers," Jason barked while gesturing toward the putties. "Let's take these guys down and save the civilians!"
"Right!"
It was about this time that the putties on the far side of the group noticed the Rangers, probably helped by Jason's shout. The putties in question made several of their typical noises, though noticeably deeper in tone than Rita's, and the entire group turned to face the Rangers almost as one.
Seeing their attackers distracted, Bulk and Skull looked up, their screams dying off slowly as they caught sight of the Rangers as well. "Look, Bulky! It's the Power Rangers!"
"The Power Rangers!" Bulk seemed especially awed, a far cry from his irritation at the Power Ranger Day Festival when the two had been upstaged by the Rangers' mere presence.
Before any more pondering could be done, the Putties charged, two of those behind Bulk and Skull leaping high into the air to get over them and sending them into a panic again. Without any hesitation, Harry and Trini leapt into the air, the overabundance of Power within him helping keep him in sync with his girlfriend, and met two of the flying putties with kicks that knocked them off balance and sent them tumbling through the air.
When the two Rangers landed again, it was in the middle of a melee between the putties that had stayed on the ground and the other four Rangers. Harry immediately lashed out with a fist, landing a solid punch to the face of a putty that was caught off guard by his sudden landing. While that one went stumbling backwards, Harry delivered a side-kick to another as it turned to face him, knocking it back similarly as the blow caught it in the stomach.
The battle after that faded down to an instinctual level for Harry due to the excess of Power within him. Harry ducked under a flying kick from one putty, using his new position to sweep the feet out from under another that was charging him. As that one went down, Harry turned back to the first just in time to cross his arms and block a punch that had him sliding back a few inches from the strength behind it. "Is it just me," Harry shouted as he grabbed the putty's outstretched arm and flipped it over his shoulder and onto its downed comrade. "Or do these putties hit a lot harder than the older models?"
"Yeah, no kidding," Zack answered, delivering a quick series of kicks to one putty before stumbling as another hit him from behind. The Black Ranger quickly recovered however, using the forward momentum to dive and roll over his original target and turning back to face the putties as he returned to a fighting stance. "And what does it take to keep them down?"
Zack wasn't just joking around. In the time it had taken him to recover from his dive, the first putty he had attacked had regained its footing and was approaching him with the second one. Similarly, the two putties that Harry had knocked down and into each other were both on their feet again and once more approaching the Magi Ranger.
It was the same with each Ranger in fact. No matter what they tried, from various different fighting techniques to pulling their blade blasters in either mode, the putties just kept getting back up. Harry, having had enough of doing things the physical way, even summoned up the Magi Staff and hit one with a stunner before turning and launching another into the air with a reducto.
They were both back on their feet within seconds and charging back into battle.
"Is it just me," Kimberly panted as she, Trini, and Harry found themselves back to back and surrounded by a half dozen putties. "Or are you guys missing the old putties too?"
Before any of them could answer, a strange whirring sound came from off to one side. The sound was changing swiftly, going from fairly low in pitch to a fair bit higher and accompanied by what sounded vaguely like static. Finally, it cut off suddenly with a sound like cracking stone and quickly followed by a cry of success from Jason.
"Guys!" Jason shouted immediately. "I've figure it out, you have to aim for the Z on their chests!"
Harry blinked behind his helmet. "It… it can't really be that easy, can it?"
When the girls offered no comment, Harry shrugged and leapt toward two of the putties surrounding them. He twirled the Magi Staff around briefly before using the bars at the top to hook the back of one putty's knee, sending it down to the ground even as he lashed out a kick and staggered the other backward. Then, with a grunt of effort, Harry brought the Magi Staff around again and jammed the butt of the staff into the "Z" on the first putty's chest.
The putty seemed to seize up before the "Z" began to glow white. The glow quickly spread to the rest of its body as the pitch shifted. Finally, with a similar cracking sound as Jason's target, the Putty broke apart violently, the pieces crumbling to dust as they flew away.
"Huh…" Harry said with a smirk as he turned to face the putty he had kicked away. "I guess it can be that easy."
The Rangers returned to battle with a renewed vigor. Now that they knew where to aim, the putties weren't nearly as big of a problem to defeat and they began dropping like flies one by one.
Leading with a horizontal aerial strike with his staff, Harry smacked a pair of putties across the face, knocking them off their feet even as he landed on his own. Then, with an almost casual wave of his hand, he levitated a pair of fist sized stones into the air above the two before lowering his arm quickly. The magical boost he gave the two rocks as they fell delivered enough force that it caused the two putties to break down immediately, leaving the Magi Ranger to turn to find his next target, only to find that the other Rangers had already dealt with them.
"Well…" Trini said, still panting slightly as they regrouped. "That was kind of anticlimactic…"
"Though it was nice of Zedd to give his putties a convenient self-destruct button like that huh?" Kimberly said next, a hint of giggle in her voice.
Then the Rangers heard cheers and turned back toward Bulk and Skull, who had taken shelter during the battle behind their four wheelers. "Are you two alright over there?" Jason shouted making the two bullies jump in surprise, probably at being addressed by one of the Rangers directly.
"Oh yeah," Bulk said with a faux calm, seemingly attempting to brush off their near death experience as the adjusted his jacket and helmet. "We're good over here."
Skull seemed incapable of speech at the moment, settling instead for a large, awkward looking smile and a thumbs up.
"You might be for now, but that won't last long!" Bulk and Skull's faces shifted into looks of fear even as the Rangers spun around to face Pirantishead as the monster strolled toward them, twirling its chain weapon in its right hand while the left held one of the fish ends.
"You two get out of here!" Jason shouted over his shoulder even as he and the other core Rangers summoned their weapons and brandished them. Harry kept his eyes on the monster as he heard the engines of the bullies' four wheelers rev up behind him.
"Oh no," Pirantishead said in its typical mocking tone. "I don't think I'm done with you two yet! HA HA!" With the last exclamation, the monster raised its left hand and the fish in it to its mouth before once more working it like it was playing a flute.
"Look out!" Jason shouted, tensing himself as he did. "It's gonna fire!"
It wasn't until too late that the Rangers realized that the monster's target was really Bulk and Skull, or more specifically, their four wheelers. Harry could only groan as the familiar, off-white glow overtook the two bikes as Bulk and Skull's screams became loud enough to overcome the sound of the engines.
"Shit!" Jason cursed before shooting a glance Harry's way. "Harry, take care of those two. We'll hold off the monster."
Harry was going to object, but then realized that he was probably the only one who could catch up to them. The Rangers didn't have any vehicles other than their Zords after all, and those were temporarily (they hoped) out of reach. So the Magi Ranger merely nodded before twisting in place and apparating away, reappearing a heartbeat later a short distance away from the two out of control bikes.
After a moment of thought, Harry jabbed the Magi Staff forward, casting a levitation spell that caught the two teens and lifted them off the bikes, slowing their forward momentum before setting them safely on the ground at Harry's side. It took the two a few moments to realize that they were no longer on the runaway machines, and only moments longer to clamber back to their feet again, once more assuming the nonchalant air they had been using before Pirantishead showed up.
The bikes however, continued on without their riders before executing a wide turn and racing back towards them. Harry, seeing this, ignored Bulk and Skull's once more renewed screams and fired off a quick pair of reductor curses, blasting the bikes into scrap metal before they could get anywhere near hitting anyone.
For some reason, this seemed to make Bulk angry as the bully grabbed Harry by his shoulder and spun the Magi Ranger around to face him. "Hey! Those were our bikes!"
"Yeah, our bikes!" Skull parroted, apparently regaining the ability to speak now that the immediate crisis seemed to be over.
"How are we supposed to win the race now?" Bulk continued, seemingly ignoring the fact that Harry had just saved their lives.
"Is that really what you guys want to talk about now?" Harry asked after fighting down to urge to transfigure the pair into something unpleasant. "You want to complain about me blasting the bikes that were being controlled by a monster and were trying to run you over? Not, I don't know, thank me or something?"
"That doesn't help us win the race!" Bulk shouted again, leaning close to Harry's helmet and beginning to turn colors much like his Uncle Vernon once did.
Now there was a scary thought.
Harry took a step backward and shook his head. "I don't have time for this. Look, mate, I'm sorry about the bikes, but I have bigger things to worry about now. Like, you know, the big fish monster the other Rangers are fighting right now. The one that tried to kill you guys a few moments ago."
This seemed to take the wind out of Bulk's sails as he went very pale very quickly. "Uh… heh…" The teen seemed to realize that he had just been screaming into the face of one of the Power Rangers as he stumbled back to stand next to Skull again. "I, uh… I don't suppose you could give us a ride back to the city, could you?"
Harry groaned briefly before levitating a rock from the ground and tapping it with his staff, making it glow blue before sending it drifting toward Bulk and Skull. "Here, grab hold of the rock and it'll take you back to town."
Bulk glanced at him incredulously. "A rock? How in the heck is a rock gonna-"
Bulk's words were cut off as Harry, already fed up with the two, banished the rock into his stomach and magically pulled Skull over at the same time. The result was the portkey rock being sandwiched between the two and them vanishing a heartbeat later.
"Now, back to the battle. I hope everyone is alright." Before Harry could apparate back, the ground started shaking beneath him. Looking back toward the battle, Harry could see the Megazord stomping closer, apparently having been called into battle by Zedd.
Then his communicator went off. "Harry," Zordon's voice echoed from his wrist. "Return to the Command Center."
"But, Zordon." He answered, his eyes not leaving the Megazord. "What about the others."
"They are falling back as well. You have all done as much as you can without putting yourselves at greater risk. The situation has been dealt with for the moment and we must regroup and discuss our options."
Harry sighed. "Alright, Zordon. Teleporting now."
-MR-
Harry reappeared in the Command Center to find the other Rangers already there with their helmets once more removed and placed, again in order, on one of the computer consoles.
"How did everything go with Bulk and Skull?" Zack asked, a smirk on his face even as Harry removed his helmet and gave him a glare.
"Well enough. Sent them on a portkey trip back to the Youth Center." The Magi Ranger responded with a shrug, placing his helmet next to the others as he did so.
Kimberly snorted. "Bet they enjoyed that."
"It is good to see you all back successfully, Rangers." Zordon spoke up, cutting off any further joking at the bullies' expense. "We have news for you."
"Yes," Alpha said, sounding more excited than normal. "I finished recalibrating and upgrading our sensors, and we were able to fully analyze Pirantishead and the Megazord while you were gone."
"Wow…" Harry said, surprise on his face. "That… that didn't take nearly as long as I had thought."
Ignoring Harry, Jason spoke next. "So what did you find out?"
"Pirantishead is a very powerful monster," Zordon started. "As you all already know, it is very difficult to damage it with your weapons as Lord Zedd has focused a great deal of its Power into its defenses."
"That makes sense," Billy hummed in thought. "With the majority of its Power put toward making it tougher, in addition to Zedd having more Power than Rita, it's only logical that we were unable to damage it."
"That is true, Billy," Zordon nodded. "But that is only half of it. While Pirantishead's offensive abilities are weaker than its defensive, they are nothing to ignore either. But its true power comes in its ability to control anything mechanical. It is with this power that it was able to take control of the Megazord and of Bulk and Skull's vehicles."
"Well that's good to know and all," Zack said as he stepped up next to Jason. "But how does knowing this help us beat him?"
"Yeah, Zordon," Kimberly said. "What about the plan you mentioned? You said you needed the sensors fixed before you could talk about it."
Zordon closed his eyes for a moment, seemingly in deep thought. The tension among the Rangers merely grew as the seconds passed until Zordon finally opened his eyes again and sighed before he spoke. "My plan, indeed the only option that I believe that we have at this point, is only possible because of Rita's actions that caused the Grid to turn against her as it did. It is only because of her extreme actions and subsequent failure that Lord Zedd was made aware of the situation on Earth and decided to intervene himself."
Zordon paused again. "The Grid has agreed to a renegotiation of the Mighty Morphin Powers. I will use the Power I stockpiled for the attack on Rita's palace to reenergize your Power Coins. Through the medium of your Zords, your Power will be increased so that you may more effectively battle Lord Zedd and his creations."
"That's awesome!" Zack shouted, near jumping in his exuberance. The other Rangers shared in his happiness, smiling both at Zack's reaction and the good news.
At least all the other Rangers besides Harry and Jason.
"You said you'd increase our Power through the Zords…" Jason started slowly but firmly, his voice cutting through the happiness of the others as his words registered. "How will that work with our Zords under Zedd's control?"
The jubilant atmosphere vanished completely in the wake of Jason's words. Zordon just sighed. "That is the main issue before us, Jason. In order to enhance the Mighty Morphin Powers, we must regain control of the Megazord."
"Well…" Kimberly said after a few moments. "How are we going to do that?"
Nobody had an answer for several moments until, finally, Alpha spoke up. "There… may be a way…" The robot was holding several sheets of paper, most likely a printout of some kind, and was holding it up to the front of his saucer shaped head.
"What have you found, Alpha?" Zordon asked quickly.
"According to the enhanced sensor readings, there is a specific frequency to the energy field controlling the Megazord." Alpha said, hesitating slightly before he continued. "It… may be possible… if we can disrupt the energy field, we may be able to regain control of the Megazord."
"And then give them the power up and whoop that fish's butt!" Zack said with a cheer.
Billy was quick to move over to Alpha's side, studying the paper over his shoulder. He hummed in thought for a moment. "I think that I can create a device to disrupt the wavelength. According to these readings, the field is actually quite weak, only barely enough to overwhelm the protections on the Megazord. It shouldn't take more than a brief burst from a negative electro-synthetic neutrino pulse to break Zedd's control."
Harry shot a quick glance to Trini, half-hoping for a translation, but she looked just as confused as he was. "So, I assume that means that you can make it work, right?"
Billy looked up at Harry and blinked a few times before nodding. "Yes, but isn't that what I just said?"
Harry just smiled and Billy went back to his studying of Alpha's data. Then, Trini spoke up. "Zordon, you said that you had a way to improve our Mighty Morphin' Powers, but what about Harry?"
"Yeah," Zack said, briefly pausing in his celebratory mini-dance to glance worriedly at the Magi Ranger. "Even if we'll be strong enough to take care of Zedd's new monsters, this one was too much for even Harry's magic. Does he get a power up too?"
Zordon smiled down at the Rangers. "Unfortunately, I cannot negotiate on Harry's behalf to improve his Powers, but it is largely unnecessary. Harry's Power is still growing every day as his own skill with Grid Magic grows."
"No offense, Zordon," Harry said slowly. "But what good is slow improvement going to do when the guys I'll be up against have gotten such a huge boost from Zedd?" He paused to collect his thoughts for a moment and Trini squeezed his hand in support. Shooting her a thankful smile, Harry turned his attention back to Zordon. "Like I said, I'm willing to fight, but I'd rather not go back to nearly getting killed every battle, just waiting for my Power to be enough to make me more of a match for my opponents."
Zordon's smile didn't falter. "Have you forgotten, Harry? Just as I was gathering and stockpiling Power, so too were you. While you cannot use this Power to upgrade what you already have, you are creating an entirely new branch of the Power. What this means is that one day in the future, there may be an entire team of individual Magi Rangers fighting against evil."
After a few moments, Kimberly spoke. "So does that mean that Harry is going to have more than one Zord?"
Zordon nodded. "That is exactly what it means, Kimberly." Turning his focus back to Harry, Zordon continued. "Harry, I have felt for some time that your Power was reaching a breaking point where your branch would have its next big development. The first was your morph, the second was your Zord, and I feel that the Power you have gathered has you approaching the third. When the time is right, put your trust in the Grid and let it guide you and I feel you will not be disappointed."
Harry nodded, his mind still turning this new information over in his head. He didn't really feel any different than normal, or at least what passed as normal for him lately, but if Zordon was right, and his gathered Power was enough to push him over the edge to the next level then it couldn't have come at a better time. He wasn't terribly surprised by that seeing as how things seemed to work out that way a lot when the Morphing Grid was involved, which only gave a certain validity to Zordon's theory, but he couldn't help but flash back to how helpless he had been against the strength and speed of Zedd's first monster.
He just hoped that whatever form this new development of his Power would take would be enough to make a difference.
-MR-
AN: I was watching a bit of Star Trek Voyager as I wrote the last bit. It kinda influenced Billy's technobabble. Lol
So I'm not super happy with the chapter. It kinda fought me every step of the way, but I got it out anyway in the end. For some reason, the first arc of Season 2 is just not wanting to flow for me. Maybe because I found the entire Season so cheesy, my mind and muse are just rebelling against me. Whatever it is, I really hope it stops soon.
So I decided on my new posting schedule for 2018. It may not be what many of you want to hear, but I really don't have near the free time I used to have. This isn't surprising seeing as I went from unemployed to having a full time job, but the fact stands. Anyway, the point is that my new proposed posting schedule is going to be once a month minimum. What I mean here is that I'll do everything in my power to get you all one chapter every month, most likely posted on a Sunday as I have been doing. What I'll also try to do is, if and when I get a bit of a buffer, try to post extra chapters as I can. This way I'll still keep up a semi-regular, if not predictable, update schedule and occasionally be able to give you all a bit extra as life allows.
I'm looking to wrap this little arc up in the next chapter, maybe two. We'll see how it develops.
Thanks for reading and don't forget to review,
Tenstar12