Power Rangers Battle Force
Disclaimer: I do not own the rights and characters to the Power Rangers Franchise, they are owned by Saban, Nickelodeon and other respective owners and creators. I gain no profit from this; it's purely for fun. I only own my OC characters.
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Chapter 2: Let Battle Commence Part II
David Manahan continued to cry out in agony, his head felt like it would split in two as his eyes sizzled, smoke emitting from his pupils. The teens looked on dumbfounded, unsure of what to do, or what they even could do. Each of them exchanged glances, hoping that someone had an answer. Zoe kneeled close to the teacher, but afraid of touching him, worried that whatever was happening might be contagious.
At last, Christopher made the first move, rushing towards the door. ''I'll get one of the teachers to help!''
Just as he was about to leave the classroom, the entire school seemed to shake violently, knocking everyone off their feet. A low rumbling sound grew louder with every passing second. The windows vibrated, threatening to crack and break any second.
They all tried to grab hold of something, not wanting to lose their balance. Alyson and Lucy held each other and gripped the leg of the desk. Richard thought that he could stay on his feet and stand up. This proved a futile attempt as he was swept off his feet and landed on the floor with a loud thud. His brother wasn't fairing any better, sliding across the ground. Zoe remained motionless, keeping her hands and legs to the ground and praying that this would end quickly.
Soon enough, the shaking slowed to a crawl until it eventually stopped. Things were so quiet, not only could the teens hear each other pant, but also the sounds of their heartbeats drumming.
''Was that an earthquake?'' Zoe questioned.
Suddenly, a deafening bang of thunder echoed around them. Richard was the first to glance out the window. His jaw dropped as he pointed out towards the sky. ''Can an earthquake do that?''
They looked up at the sky. Any hope that the danger had passed dwindled when they saw the clouds darkening above. Flashes blasted through them, hinting at a possible lightning storm upon them.
Unable to watch any longer, Zoe scanned the classroom, searching for something. The moment she spotted it, she rushed forward. Her movement caused the others to turn and see what she was up to. The closest to her was Christopher, who followed her movement, seeing her heading directly for the fire alarm switch. He hurried after her. ''Hold on, what are you doing?''
''Sounding the alarm for anyone still in the school!''
''Wait, no,'' He held out his arm to stop her. ''We don't have authority to activate that without a teacher's permission.''
''Are you serious right now?'' Zoe grilled him.
''I'm just trying to keep you out of trouble. You can't pull that unless it's a serious emergency…''
Before he could finish his sentence, a brilliant light emitting from the sky blinded them all. The room became warm and the window started to crack even more. They shielded their eyes and glimpsed through the gaps of their fingers, hoping to see anything. As the light dimmed, they noticed something floating down towards the ground. Five silhouettes that descended at increasing speed until they dropped to the ground like comets. The ground exploded underneath the shadows, dust and debris hurtled towards the classroom window.
When the cloud died down, the teens could finally see clearly what had dropped from the sky. Hardly believing their eyes, they were left with frozen hearts when they saw lizard-like humanoids, armed with curved swords staring at them. One of them let out a bellowing roar, with the others following suit. The sound of the roar was loud enough to cause the window to finally shatter, glass shards flying all around.
The five teens covered their eyes from the glass and turned back to the monsters in disbelief. No one knew what to say as the creatures slowly advanced. Out of nowhere, Richard turned around to his brother and yelled at the top of his voice. ''Ha, I told you aliens were real!''
Christopher felt a hand grip his shoulder firmly, forcing him to look back at Zoe. ''Is this a serious emergency?''
''Yes, flip the switch!''
Not wasting any time, Zoe did just that and sounded the alarm. It blared throughout the entire school.
Zoe turned to the others. ''Right, let's get out of here!''
They turned to leave, sprinting for the door. Lucy was the last to make a run for it. As she got closer, her eyes drifted to the side and that's when she noticed Manahan gradually standing back up. After the surprise of seeing literal aliens invading, they had almost forgotten about their teacher. She stopped in her tracks, not sure what to do.
Noticing her friend had stopped, Alyson looked back to her and then at Manahan. ''I think he still needs help!''
The others were beside the door when they heard her call out. Looking back, they saw the elder slowly stand up, still seemingly dazed but at least better than he was a moment ago. He looked back at his students, stricken with fear. ''You all need to run, now!''
''What about you?'' Christopher replied.
''I'll follow behind. You need to hurry, before…''
Richard pointed to the creatures. ''Guys…''
Manahan glared outside, troubled when he saw the lead monster lifting its arm in the air. Within the palm of its clawed hand, a fireball appeared. It grew to the size of a basketball, raging with pulsing flames. Manahan noticed its slit-eyes locked onto the closest person in its path…Lucy.
Also noticing this was Zoe, ''Run! Now!'' She dashed towards the girl, but she wouldn't make it in time.
The creature threw the fireball towards them. Lucy was left powerless to do anything, even if she suddenly found the strength in her legs to move, there would be no way to find cover from that kind of power. She felt Alyson wrap her arms around her and cover her timid friend. Time seemed to stop as the fireball surged through the opening of the broken window, inches from hitting the girls.
If any of them had blinked, they would have missed Manahan jumping in the way of the blast and stopping it with his own two hands. Zoe halted and stared in disbelief at what was happening. Unless her eyes were playing tricks on her, it looked like their teacher was actually holding the fireball back. Lucy and Alyson felt their skin burn standing so close to the attack.
Knowing that he needed to do something, Manahan bent backwards, raising his hands upwards along with the fireball until he was holding it right above his head. Using all his strength, he thrust the fireball into the sky, causing it to break through the ceiling and disappear into the sky. The clouds split open, the bright blue sky contrasting with the heavy black puffs.
Manahan panted heavily as he returned his gaze towards the creatures. His arms were trembling as he reached into his jacket pocket for something. Meanwhile, the teens were speechless, all except for Alyson. Still holding her friend, it didn't click in her mind what had just happened as she beamed. ''That was awesome! Thanks for saving us!''
Finally retrieving what he needed, Manahan returned his gaze towards the monsters, who howled in defiance. Without turning around, he spoke sternly. ''You need to get as far away from here as possible.''
''What about you?'' Alyson inquired. She glanced at the monsters. ''Are you going to fight them?''
''No…I'm going to destroy them!''
With that said, he pressed down on his foot, causing cracks to appear in the ground. He then shot out of the class like a bullet, stopping right in front of the first monster. He swerved his body around. As he did so, the teenagers saw that he had taken out a simple ballpoint pen from his pocket. But, when he unsheathed it, it instantly grew in his hands becoming as long as he was tall, and now resembled a silver staff.
BAAM! The first creature took a heavy blow to the face. Saliva sprayed from its snout as he careered into a tree nearby, breaking through the bark. The others raised their blades and slammed them down onto the teacher. However, he easily blocked their attacks with his weapon. They tried to push downwards, crushing him with their combined strength. Manahan couldn't hold on for much longer, so he leant back and kicked out, hitting all of their scaly legs and sweeping them off their feet.
He pushed himself back up quickly, swung his staff and clobbered one of them in the side. BAAM! Another was sent flying, skidding along the ground before crashing into a car.
The others were back up and attacking instantly. They slashed and clawed at Manahan, who continued to block and dodge to the best of his abilities. He couldn't keep it up forever, as one of them caught him, slicing him over the leg. Luckily, it had just grazed his skin, causing only minimal damage. He blocked one of their attacks using his staff, and trapped another by the arm, crushing it with his elbow and knee.
With the third one charging towards him, Manahan jumped up using one leg and kicked out with the same leg. BAM! His foot caught the creature under the mouth, flipping him over. He twisted his body, pushing another away before slamming his other knee against the back of the one that was trapped. BAM! He pounded it into the ground, creating a large pit and leaving it buried in the ground, unmoving.
It was now down to one more. Regaining its balance, the last creature raced at him, swinging its sword and trying to cut him down. Manahan responded, not only by blocking its attack but also by pivoting his staff so hard it broke through the creature's sword and jabbed it in the gut, causing sparks to explode from the impact.
A final grunt rolled past the monster's jaw before it collapsed to the ground, out for the count. Manahan stood on guard for a few more seconds, waiting to see if anything else would happen. He couldn't stop gasping. Every muscle in his body ached and his head spun to dizzying proportions. Remembering his students, he looked over to the classroom, hoping that they would be gone. Instead, he saw them gawking back at him with their eyes bulging out of their sockets.
Richard raised his hand. ''What do you teach exactly?''
Manahan hobbled over to them, using his staff to aid his throbbing legs. ''I told you all to leave!''
Zoe stepped forward. ''You can't just shake this off. What you did now was impossible!''
''You need to forget what you just saw.''
''I don't think we can do that even if we wanted to!''
Letting out a loud groan, Manahan knew that he had gotten himself into a predicament. Zoe was right; this wasn't something he could just tell them to pretend never happened. He would have to explain what they just witnessed.
He didn't get much time to consider his options when he heard Alyson yell. ''Behind you!''
Manahan looked back, seeing the still unconscious bodies of the monsters wobble and float in the air. They seemed to be out of control and continued shaking for a few seconds before they were suddenly pressed together, meshing into some kind of hybrid. Five bodies morphed into one. Multiple arms and legs sprouted out all over the place, and it grew to twice the size of just a single monster. It was one large head with five faces jutted outwards, looking in all directions.
Their roars mixed together, piercing Manahan's ears. He could barely see the hybrid as it sprung forward, moving at blistering speeds, faster than he could react.
BAAM! Despite his best attempt to block with his staff, a fist clobbered him in the ribs, knocking him off his feet. BAAM! Another fist pummelled him into the ground, leaving a new crater for him to be buried in. The wind had been knocked out of him. He couldn't find the strength to stand back up, as the creature grabbed his head, easily fitting within its palm. The creature threw its arm back before tossing Manahan effortlessly.
At the speed he was thrown, there was no hope of the students catching him. They hadn't even realised he'd been thrown in their direction until he hit the wall next to the door. He fell to the ground, debris and bits of the wall crashing down with him. The staff rolled out of his hand, rendered useless now against this powered-up behemoth.
They looked at the hybrid, seeing it slowly approach them. It might have been a trick of the light, but it looked as if a sinister smirk grew along its jaw. Just as things seemed hopeless, the roof of the classroom began to cave in, blocking the area of the shattered window. The view of the monster was obstructed, hiding them all.
Zoe, breaking out of her trance, rushed over to the injured Manahan. ''Now's our chance!''
The others followed her example, getting back up and running to help. Alyson and Richard hurried to help Zoe with carrying their teacher, whilst Christopher and Lucy held the door open. Despite moving as quickly as they could, it was a slow process to get out of class and move along the corridor. The alarm continued to sound. Anyone that had remained after school, whether it be a teacher or other students serving detention, were already gone.
''Everyone must have evacuated,'' Zoe stated.
''Then they're smarter than us.'' Richard chortled.
Christopher glared at his brother. ''Is this really the time to be making quips?''
''Making quips is the only thing that is keeping my mind sane right now. I mean…what is going on?''
''Alien invasion.'' Alyson declared with a shrug of her shoulders.
''I know that it's an alien invasion, but why?''
Manahan coughed, clearing his throat and catching the attention of the five. He scanned them with weary eyes. ''They're after me.''
''Why?'' Zoe inquired.
She couldn't get an answer immediately, as a thunderous could be heard from the classroom. The hybrid was gaining ground, and it had just dawned on them. No matter how far they ran, if David Manahan was the one it was after, it would chase them to the ends of the Earth. They exchange looks as if wondering what they could do. It was like being stuck between a rock and a hard place if both had razor sharp teeth and the power to make fireballs.
A sigh came from their teacher. ''The janitor's closet at the end of the hall…take me there.''
''What? Why?''
''Just do as I say. I can explain everything there!''
Another boom behind them stopped them from arguing any further. With no choice, they hurried to the closet. Christopher made it first, however, instead of breaking the door down as expected, he timidly knocked twice. Noticing this, his brother cried out. ''What are you doing?''
''It would be rude if there's someone…''
''Open the door!'' Richard and Zoe barked.
Christopher jumped at the outburst and then quickly opened it. Lucy kept the door open as the others helped Manahan inside. Once they were all accounted for, they shut the door, just as the hybrid exploded from the classroom and into the hallway, searching for them.
The teens scanned the inside of the storage room, finding nothing that would stand out, other than an unused can of rainbow-coloured paint. Lucy found that the door couldn't even be locked.
''Okay,'' Richard freaked out. ''Unless you have the Batcave hiding behind the walls, I don't know how we're going to be safe in here.''
Ignoring him, Manahan gestured for Zoe to help him over to the shelf. Once she did so, he reached up and grabbed the handle of the brush in the rainbow paint can. Before he pulled it back, he stared at the teens. ''Don't panic.''
The moment the brush was pulled, the floor beneath them shook slightly. A second of nothingness passed. Suddenly, the floor plunged downwards. It wasn't quick enough to lift them off their feet, but it was quick enough to unbalance them, all except for Manahan. A look of regret flashed across his face.
The floor continued to descend. Rows of lights passed by and the sound of the destruction the hybrid left in its wake drifted into the distance.
Eventually, they came to a stop in a pitch-black void. Everyone was frozen on the stop, afraid to make a move in fear of something jumping out, or them falling into an endless abyss.
''Password!'' The droning voice of a computer suddenly broadcasted.
''Iatnes!'' Manahan called out.
Lights blazed on, causing the teens to cover their eyes for the second time today. As soon as they adjusted to the brightness, they were awestruck by what they were witnessing.
Two tubes rested on either side of the room, a flow of liquid changing into different colours waving inside. A large computer screen rested at the very end of the room, as circuits and wires covered everywhere else, over the thick rock hidden underneath. Lining up alongside it was a 3-D hologram of the planet, shimmering in gold.
Zoe felt Manahan walk out of her grasp, using his staff as an aid to limp over to the main computer.
While the teacher marched onwards alone, the five slowly stepped out from the lift and explored their surroundings. There was so much happening, no one knew where to start looking.
Alyson nudged Richard on the shoulder, an enthralled grin on her face. ''Hey, you were right about aliens and the Batcave.''
''Yeah, never thought I would hate and love being right on the same day.''
Of the group, Zoe was the first to register what Manahan was doing. He typed away furiously at the main computer. The words on the screen were unrecognisable to any of them, seemingly not a language familiar to Earth, and this just made them feel more agitated. The teacher finished typing and turned around to address his students, tightening his grip on his staff. ''You five will remain here until I get back.''
''What?'' Zoe gasped. ''You're just going to leave us here?''
''Don't worry, I've put in safety measures so that if you get nosy and touch anything you won't accidentally set this base to self-destruct.''
Richard gulped. ''Why does your base have a self-destruct button?''
''I don't have time to explain things, I need to get back up there and destroy that beast,'' Manahan said coldly. However, as he took a step forward, a sharp pain surged up his body, causing him to flinch and clutch his side.
''Hold it right there!'' Zoe snapped, frustration clearly growing. ''First of all, you are in no shape to fight…whatever that thing is up there. Secondly, you do not get to just dump us down here without telling us what is happening! Who are you? What is all this?''
''What is that alien in the school?'' Christopher asked.
''Are you an alien?'' Richard probed.
''How long have you had this base down here?'' Alyson questioned.
''What does it want with you?'' Lucy inquired.
Manahan took his time staring at each of them. They were determined to get answers, and he wasn't going to be able to talk his way out of this one. He sighed in defeat, rubbing his temple and leaning back against the control console of the master computer. ''I wish it didn't come to this. I thought it was over, after thousands of years of peace...''
Hearing the number, the group were taken aback. So many questions burned in their mind, but they allowed him to continue, as he stood up and paced up and down.
''My true name is Aurik. As you may have guessed, I am not from this world. I come from a world beyond a sea of star systems. I've journeyed across many worlds in the years I have lived.''
''And how old are you, exactly?'' Zoe asked.
''If you were to go by Earth years…over five thousands years old.''
It was so quiet that a pin drop could be heard. Everyone was gobsmacked and rendered wordless until Alyson hummed. ''I hope I look as good as you when I'm that old.''
The other four turned their heads to look at her bemusedly. Manahan resumed his tale. ''To give you the important details, a long time ago, there was a terrible war that engulfed many galaxies. I, along with a select few fought back against the might of the tyrannical rule, Vritra.''
''Is Vritra the monster upstairs?''
''No, that…or they, were his followers, the Mallory. Creatures spawned from his own flesh and blood. Mindless and obedient to his every whim, but nonetheless deadly. I fought against many of them during the War, but evidently, peace and age have withered me. Vritra's power, on the other hand, is on an unimaginable level. He could crush armies single-handily. No one could match him. If it's a one-on-one fight, he will always win.''
''Then how did you beat him?''
''We didn't,'' He grimaced. ''The surviving allies and I used a great portion of our power to trap him in a dormant planet, far beyond the edge of the galaxy. We couldn't destroy him. So we believed that we could imprison him, and leave him to be forgotten in the memory of time. But I should have known it would only be a matter of time before he escaped and wreak horrible vengeance across the universe.''
It was so much to take in, the teenagers had a difficult time processing this all, and Manahan could see it in their expressions. They needed the faint sound of an explosion from the surface high above to jolt them back to reality.
Another grunt came from Manahan as he tried to walk past them to the lift. ''That is why that creature is after me. Vritra is trying to reach me. I have to go up there and fight…'' He hissed in pain, almost collapsing until Zoe and Christopher caught him.
She stared intensely at him as she helped him to sit down. ''Did you miss the part where you are too hurt to even walk?''
''Yeah, no offence,'' Richard prodded. ''But when those things merged into one, you didn't last ten seconds. Second time is not going to be the charm.''
Manahan shook his head in frustration, leaning against the wall. ''What choice do I have? Has it not occurred to you what will happen if I don't go up there? The Mallory will tear its way through every home and building until it finds me. The people above are in grave danger, including your loved ones caught in the crossfire. No one is safe, it will scour the Earth for me.''
A sharp gasp came from Alyson. Her hands clasped over her mouth to suppress it. ''You mean that thing might go after my mum and dad?''
Manahan nodded solemnly.
Without any hesitation, Alyson stormed towards the lift. Lucy recognises the gritted, frightening look on her friend's face and raced to beat her to the elevator. ''Alyson, no! You can't!''
''I'm not letting that monster hurt my family.''
''I don't want it to either, but I don't want you to get hurt as well. This isn't just some bully that you can fight. It will kill you.'' Lucy pleaded.
The timid young woman knew it was hopeless. When Alyson was on the verge of a rampage, and even she couldn't get her to calm down, nothing was going to stop her. She considered going along, just to make sure that she would be alright, even if she already knew the dreaded outcome.
Before Alyson could barge through, Richard clapped his hands together. ''Hey, I have some stuff in my locker. Smoke bombs, paintballs, and all kinds of things I've been planning for pranks. We can use some of those to distract Mister Ugly.''
''Is that a good idea?'' Christopher pondered.
''It's our only idea. You can just go up and tell it not to run in the hallways.''
''Do you realise how dangerous this is? We're going to fight an extra-terrestrial being that can summon fireballs!''
Things threatened to spill over into a full-blown argument, and Manahan was ready to step in. To his surprise, Zoe raised her voice. ''We don't have to fight it.'' Everyone turned to her, staggered by her sudden confidence. ''We can be a distraction. Divert it away from the school until the police or the military shows up. If we play smart and play fast, we can lead it away and let it be dealt with the people who can destroy it.''
Christopher scratched his chin. ''That actually sounds like a decent plan.''
''Yay, teamwork!'' Alyson cheered, hugging Lucy by the shoulder.
They flinched at the sound of something banging. Turning to the source of the noise, they saw Manahan stamping his staff into the ground, eyeing them all with wide eyes and mouth agape. ''You? You would all risk your lives and face something you can't possibly hope to beat.''
Zoe smirked. ''Like I said, we don't have to beat it. Just lure it away from the people it can hurt.''
''Yeah, mess with our home, and you get a punch in the face!'' Alyson pressed her fist into the palm of her hand.
''Hang on…'' Christopher shrieked before turning to Richard. ''You have smoke bombs in your locker?''
''For crying out loud, you're going to argue about this now?''
As the brothers argued, Manahan retreated into his own thoughts. Seeing how determined they were to help and fight back against the Mallory, an idea came to him. He brushed it away aggressively, treating it as a last option. However, it really was his only option. His heart cried out, begging for a divine intervention to prevent him from taking his next course of action. ''There is a way to fight them.''
He whispered so quietly, the students could only hear him murmur. They faced him interestedly. ''What?''
''I have something you can use so that you won't have to rely on tricks and running away. With these devices, you will not only have the power to fight back, you will have the power to win.''
''Sounds like a done deal, let's do this.'' Richard grinned.
No one objected to the idea. If there was something that could give them an advantage, they were willing to take it. Manahan had hoped otherwise, but…maybe this might work out.
He stood up and limped back over to the main computer. His fingers were a blur as they typed away. Questions teased the teens as they were beckoned forward until they were standing right behind Manahan. It didn't take him long to finish the configuration. Beneath the console, an extendable fold emerged from the console, catching the teens off guard.
On the fold, their eyes were drawn to five small electronic devices. Thinly layered and transparent, with a strap wrapped around it, they seemed to resemble futuristic-looking wristwatches. They were each a different colour.
Red, Blue, Green, Yellow and Pink.
Manahan addressed the confused group. ''These are Morphers. You wear them on your wrists. Once you activate them, you will be bestowed with incredible power, one hundred times the power of even the strongest human. To active them, you merely utter the words, 'Battle Force, Battle Ready.' And you shall become the Power Rangers!''
''Power Rangers?'' Zoe queried.
The time for questions would have to wait, as another distant boom could be heard above. The teens glanced at each other and the Manahan, who looked at them promisingly. ''Hurry, time is not on our side. I promise that once this fight is over, I will explain everything. But right now, as reluctant as I am to admit it, you are this world's only hope against Vritra. Good luck, and may the power protect you!''
Christopher raised his hand. ''How do we put them on?''
Without warning, the green Morpher sprung to life, darting towards his hand and wrapping itself around his wrist. He screamed and ran away, grappling with the Morpher, but at this point, it had already made itself at home and wouldn't come off.
''Like that,'' Manahan said.
Zoe held out her hand first. The red Morpher latched itself on easily. Alyson and Lucy repeated her motion, taking the pink and yellow ones respectively. Finally, Richard had the honour of taking the blue Morpher. He felt a surge rush through his body. It was like his nerves were on fire but in the best possible way. A wide grin plastered on his face until he realised something. ''Huh, it's pretty lucky that you happened to have exactly five Morphers lying around. If you were one short, that would have been very awkward for the odd one out.''
To get everyone's attention, Zoe banged her hand against the side of the lift. ''Come on everyone, let's go save the world!''
Richard and Alyson rushed inside with her, whilst Christopher and Lucy were slightly more tentative. Never the less, once they were all inside, Zoe gave an affirmative nod to Manahan, who responded in similar jest. He pressed a button, and the lift was sent skyrocketing back to ground level. A small look of pride held on his face until the lift disappeared from sight. There was a glazed look in his eyes as he stared down at the ground. ''What have I done?''
Up above, the lift had reached the janitor's closet in seconds. The smell of smoke and fire filled their senses instantly. Zoe barged through the door, coming upon a hole in the wall that led out towards the main entrance. The Mallory continued its rampage, smashing through parked cards that lay in its path, effortlessly tossing them in the air as if they weighed nothing. The teens let out a unanimous gulp, fearing they were in way over their heads. The matter was only made worse as one of the faces of the Mallory hybrid spotted them and twisted its body to face them directly, snarling venomously.
''What do we do?'' Lucy asked nervously.
Zoe raised her arm, looking down at the Morpher strapped to her wrist. A shaky breath escaped her. ''We use these, say the words and become Power Rangers, just like Aurik said.''
''Wait,'' Richard cut in. ''Do we say it separately or together? Does that make a difference?''
''I don't think…I don't know!''
The Mallory bellowed furiously and sprinted towards them, moving faster than they could comprehend. If they were going to do something, it had to be now.
''Together, now!'' Zoe called out.
Instinctively, and perfectly in sync, they brought their Morphers close to their mouth and yelled. ''Battle Force, Battle Ready!''
Just when the Mallory bared its teeth down on the team, it was swept away by a pulsing light. The force knocked the monster back. It slewed along the ground before using its claws to stop its trajectory. With a menacing, hungry glare, it looked at the ray of white light shooting up into the sky. Sparks crackled from the light, until it split into five white lights, each shifting into their respective colour.
From out of the light, the five teenagers stepped forward. The Mallory was surprised to see them. Not only had their aura drastically changed, so had their appearances. They were now wearing heavy-duty armour. White streaks went down their arms and legs, meeting in the middle of their chest to create a swirl. Black visors allowed them to see out from their armoured helmets. The only difference with their suits was the colour, each matching their respective Morpher.
It wasn't the outward change that they noticed at first. They could feel their bodies change from the inside. Their muscles were on fire and surely increased a size or two. The beating of their hearts increased so much, it was more like a continuous hum. Despite the armour they were wearing, they felt as light as a feather. To say they felt powerful would be an understatement.
''Holy cow!'' Richard was the first to comment. ''This is amazing!''
''I feel like my body just spontaneously combusted!'' Christopher said.
Alyson pumped her fist. ''Yeah, but in the best possible way.''
Lucy looked at her hands, inspecting every nut and bolt in the armour, astonished by the detail. ''This is overwhelming.''
Zoe didn't know what to say. She gazed, astounded and finding it hard to breathe. A goofy grin grew over her face. Her body was shaky, not only from nerves but also excitement. However, there was something else they needed to tend to, as she locked eyes with the Mallory. ''Let's see what we can do.''
Undeterred, the Mallory scrapped its foot on the ground and charged like a bull. Zoe dashed forward, running faster than she realised. She had closed the gap before she could think, but her brain was working on overdrive. She had the time to jump and kick out. BAM! She landed a clean strike on the Mallory's stomach.
It cried out in pain. Zoe smiled, caught up in the moment. She was so overawed by her display of power that she failed to move out of the way as the monster grabbed her by the leg using one of its arms. With two more, it slammed them down on top of her. She held up her hands to block the attack.
Before its claws could connect, Richard and Christopher had appeared next to her, stopping the strikes themselves. With their superior strength, they wrestled the Mallory back. Unfortunately, it still had one hand gripped tightly on Zoe's leg. She wouldn't take that. She spun her body around and kicked its face with her other leg.
BAM!
At the back, Alyson turned to her friend. ''Hey, can you give me a boost?''
Lucy didn't know what to make of all this. She'd never imagined herself getting involved in a normal school fight, let alone something of this scale. But, maybe it was the thrill of the moment, or the power coursing through her blood, she wanted to participate.
Alyson hopped towards Lucy. Lucy cupped her hands together, allowing her friend to rest her foot on her like a ledge. With a mighty push from Lucy and a kick of her own, Alyson rocketed towards the dazed monster. The pink ranger clenched her fists together and hoped to land one or two solid punches.
She managed eleven!
The Mallory couldn't defend itself. Alyson unleashed a flurry of punches in quick succession as she flew by, knocking a few teeth out from each of their faces. Afterwards, she slid across the ground, digging her feet into the Earth to stop her slide.
The monster was left stumbling around for a moment. It didn't take long to regain its footing and charged towards Alyson, drawing swords out from its very skin and tried to slice her into pieces.
Alyson's eyes followed the swipe of every blade. The bulky armour did nothing to hinder her movement. No matter how desperate the Mallory swing its weapon, it couldn't land even the smallest cut on her. Instead, it left itself wide open for a counter attack. BAM! To which Alyson greatly applied.
Reeling backwards, it couldn't defend itself as Lucy dived and slide along the ground, tripping it up. On the ground, it slashed at Lucy, who leapt high into the sky, away from the attack. The yellow ranger brought her leg back and kicked it in the head, sending it soaring along the ground.
It couldn't even land without enduring another onslaught. Richard ran alongside the monster and released dozens of coordinated punches and kicks, moving so fast he was a blue blur. BAM! One final jab in the stomach caused it to crash in a heap.
It was becoming quite apparent that this wasn't a fight…it was annihilation.
Richard bounced as the others took a stance next to him. ''Is anyone else feeling like they just downloaded an encyclopaedia on karate?''
''Karate, Kung-Fu, Kickboxing, Judo…'' Christopher listed. ''It's all just coming naturally. Like we've always known it.''
Another roar, louder than any before it, came from the Mallory. It turned to the Power Rangers, drawing more swords and charging once again.
''How do we beat it?'' Lucy asked.
Alyson cracked her knuckles. ''We punch it in the face together, so hard that it explodes.''
''I don't think that's how alien biology works…'' Christopher started, as the Mallory was right on top of them.
''Split up and aim for the head!'' Zoe called out.
The five dived out of the way just as the Mallory landed where they stood. Before they could get far enough, it slashed its swords at them. All of them were stopped in their tracks, as the five grabbed the swords, their armour not even scratched by the blades.
Using their free hands, they drew them back and all punched directly at the five faces of the hybrid. A flowing aura flickered from their fists.
BAAAAAM!
Sparks exploded from the Mallory's head. A muffled roar was drummed out by the sound of the Rangers drawing their fists away and taking a step back, finding a safe distance as it lashed its arms around. Soon enough, it stopped moving and collapsed to the ground. Upon impact, the Mallory disappeared in a small, fiery explosion. Even the heat of the blast had no effect on the five underneath their suits.
The team waited for the flames to die down. Nothing remained of the monster. It was over.
Christopher rested his hand on the back of his neck. ''Huh, it did explode. How does that work?''
Richard turned to him, placing his hands on his brother's shoulders. ''Who cares? Don't you realise…we won!''
''We won?'' Alyson questioned.
''We won!''
It really didn't hit them until Richard shouted it out. The monster was gone, and they stood victorious. After a moment of letting it sink in, they cheered and cried out triumphantly. Alyson and Lucy hugged each other, even with a pair of armoured suits between them, and the brothers began a little victory dance. All Zoe could do was let out a sigh of relief.
Far away from the incredible events transpiring on Earth, Vritra looked into a floating pool of his own mercury-coloured blood. The ripples of the pool flowed, shaping the scene so that he could watch how his Mallory fared against his archenemy. To see five new warriors emerge from nothing and defeat his monster so easily, it was the last thing he expected.
''This is an interesting turn of events,'' He droned.
Merodark observed as well. His blood boiled seeing what had just happened. He fixed his glare down upon the Earth as he reached for the handle of his sword. ''Shall I go down and take care of them myself?''
Vritra raised his hand, halting his servant. ''I won't send you down there until I am aware of what we're dealing with. If you encounter them unprepared, you will suffer the same fate as the Mallory.''
''I can defeat them! I know I can!'' Merodark barked defiantly.
With a single glare from his master, the swords master was rendered powerless, as he felt an unseen weight begin to crush him. ''Are you questioning my authority?'' He growled.
''No, no, forgive me, Master…I…'' Merodark gasped.
Refusing to listen, Vritra floated away, holding out his hand so that his blood would flow back into his body through the scar. He did allow Merodark mercy, as the sword master could finally breathe. ''If there was no shield protecting this small planet, I would destroy it in one, swift stroke. However, for the time being, we will settle for a tactical delay. I want to know what we're dealing with and how best to crush them. These mysterious warriors.''
Merodark bowed and followed Vritra, who was rocketing towards the Moon. ''Yes, Master.''
Vritra folded his arms over his chest and went deep into thought as he flew to what would be his base for the time being. ''It is curious. Something about their aura feels…familiar. Aurik, what have you unleashed?''
Manahan couldn't understand a single word as the five teens spluttered incoherently at the same time. As soon as they returned from their battle and stepped off the lift, they detached their helmets and filled the room with a thousand questions and declarations of exhilaration at what had just happened.
''One at a time, one at a time!'' He ordered.
The group fell silent…only to then burst into another mess and jumble of words, trying to ask the first question. Manahan rubbed the bridge of his nose. If he had the hope that his head would hurt less after the fight, he was gravely mistaken as their voices started to give him a massive headache.
To end things, he slammed the bottom of his staff on the floor, creating a loud bang that silenced the team and probably gives them all a mini-heart attack. Enjoying the brief second of peace and quiet, the teacher cleared his throat. ''Fine, I will talk. I'm sure that you all have many questions for me…''
All five opened their mouths to speak.
Expecting this, Manahan raised his hand to stop them. ''There will be plenty of time for that,'' Surprisingly to the group, the next thing he did was smile warmly at them. ''For now, I must offer my thanks. You have done a tremendous service today. I congratulate you all. You harnessed the power better than I could have imagined in my wildest dreams.''
''Just glad we could help,'' Zoe shrugged her shoulders.
''Even if we were winging it.'' Richard joked.
In no time, Manahan's smile turned upside down. ''That still doesn't take away from the fact that I put you all at great risk. There was no guarantee that this would work…''
''But it did!'' Christopher pointed out.
''For now, yes,'' He held out his arm, extending his hand to them. The team looked on in confusion. ''If you wish, you may return the Morphers to me.''
''What?'' They gasped simultaneously.
''The battle is won. You no longer have any need…''
Zoe took a giant step forward and scowled at the teacher. ''You are not doing this! We have seen all of this and become a part of it. There is no way we are walking away from something this big.''
''Yeah!'' Richard leapt. ''The way we fought and kicked that monster's butt. We were like real-life superheroes.''
''It was a lot of fun!'' Alyson beamed.
Manahan shook his head. ''This isn't about having fun. You will become involved in the aftereffects of a war.''
''That's the other thing,'' Zoe yelled. ''Vritra is still out there. You're going to need all the help you can get to fight him. We now know how to use this power. We might as well stick around.''
''It makes sense,'' Christopher stated.
Lucy nodded. ''You can't win by yourself.''
Manahan looked as if he was going to burst, however, Zoe stood her ground, staring back with the same level of intensity. With the others backing her, Manahan could see that they were unwilling to part with the Morphers. His outstretched hand clenched tightly. He couldn't stop the sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach building. With a shake of his head and a heavy sigh, he wiped his sweaty brow and turned to them. ''Very well, you may keep them.''
The team cheered and pumped their fists.
''However,'' Manahan called out suddenly, alarming them. ''There are a few rules you must abide by. You cannot tell anyone about anything of this. The powers, this base and my true identity. No one else must be put in danger. You can never use the powers for personal gain. Morph only when the threat of Vritra arrives. Finally, whilst your strength and speed have increased, your skill is unrefined, unbalanced and all over the place.''
''We're teenagers, we're used to things being all over the place,'' Richard remarked.
Their teacher elected to ignore his banter and continued. ''I will train you to better use your powers. There are still many things you need to learn. Weapons and forms of combat you need to master if you have any hope of defeating Vritra once and for all. Are you in?''
The team exchanged a quick glance. If the answer wasn't somehow already obvious, the assured smiles that they gave were a clear indication.
Richard raised his hand. ''Quick question!''
''What?'' Manahan groaned, already dreading what he was about to hear.
''Can Chris and I swap colours? I want to be the Green Ranger!''
''No, you cannot swap colours. The Morphers have already selected and bonded with you. It would be the equivalent of asking to switch DNA.''
Richard gazed at his Morpher. ''Can't we just unstrap it and swap?''
Before Manahan could respond, Alyson raised her hand. ''I was wondering if Lucy and I could also swap? Cause she likes pink more than me.''
Lucy felt her cheeks flush at the unwanted attention. ''I don't mind. It doesn't bother me.''
''You cannot swap the Morphers around!'' Manahan barked.
''Then can I at least have another colour?'' Richard inquired. ''Do you have like a gold Morpher lying around? I'd love to be a Gold Power Ranger.''
''Isn't that just basically yellow?'' Alyson questioned.
''No, it's not…''
As the teens argued, Manahan cupped his chin with his hand. ''Maybe I should have let the Mallory take me.''
To Be Continued...
If you'd like, you can follow my original stories on Wattpad. My penname is Thomas-LF. Thank you for your time, if you do read them, I hope you enjoy them.