A news van sped down a road, only a little way ahead of the massive strides of Smellephant. Weaving in and out of the cars that many had abandoned on the road to flee for their lives, it had been some time since the citizens of Summer Cove had seen the Rangers or any monsters, but sure enough, here they were once again watching as something the size of a battleship lumbered towards the city from the mountains.

"Once again, what you're seeing is LIVE! We are risking life and limb to get you exclusive footage of...Mike, would you PLEASE try to hold this thing steady?" The reporter said, starting into the camera that she was holding, trying to get a report out. "It has now been over a month, just short of two months since we've seen a monster and many of us believed that we were now once again safe, but as you can see..."

She shifted the camera out of the back window in time to catch sight of Smellephant kicking cars out the way. One tumbled over and over, narrowly missing the van as it slammed into the central barrier of the freeway.

"That is far from the case!" She continued. "Now we're just left with one question. With their public promise to return if we were in need, WHERE are the Power Rangers?"

"Nattie, you might want to wrap this up!" The driver called out. "That thing is getting mighty close!"

"Hey, you'll be happy when we get a Pulitzer..."

"NOT IF IT'S POSTHUMOUS!" He screamed. Smellephant was almost on top of them when a blast hit him square in the chest, staggering him. The Lion Fire Ship flew overhead, peppering him with shots, giving the van some much needed room to escape. Brody brought the ship around for another run, avoiding a mist attack it launched his way.

"I have no idea what that stuff is and I'm not in any hurry to find out!" Brody said as he swerved around the cloud. "How's the Super Ninja Steel coming?"

"We don't have anything yet!" Dane called out. "Son, keep your mind on what you're doing. Presume the help isn't coming and make do with what you have."

"Are you kidding? That last salvo just pissed him off!" Brody protested.

"And one of the greatest Samurai in history won over 500 personal duels fighting most of them with a wooden sword!" Dane reminded him. "Son, you have all the skills you need. Use his strength and confidence against him. Look for weaknesses and take him down when you can!"

"Mick, are you sure we can't go any faster?" Sarah asked. He shook his head.

"I'm afraid not. I've never worked with Super Ninja Steel before. Since I'm not familiar with its properties I have to be extremely careful to ensure I don't make the slightest mistake!" He explained. "Even if I pour the first moulds now I can't cool them too fast or I risk making them too brittle, then I have to put them through the Nexus Prism..."

"OK, we get the point." Sarah sighed, before returning to her friends watching on the monitors. Preston looked to her, seeing the sad look on her face.

"You OK?" He asked.

"It's just...it's been a long time since I've been in this position." She told him. "When I was with the Amber Beach team, I wasn't a Ranger so I had to watch from the sidelines. It was..."

"Hey, I'm only doing this now and I feel how hard it is not to go running off to help." Preston told her. "I can't imagine what it was like doing that dozens of times."

"Take it from someone that knows." Sarah told him. "It doesn't get any easier with time."

In another area of the city, Spike brought the patrol car back to the precinct. After waiting for the ambulance to ensure Gary got to the hospital, he figured it was best not to take too many more chances out on the streets. He had known that Trevor was going through a tough time and he had suspected he was close to the edge, but even he couldn't have imagined Trevor would be capable of what he saw.

As he got out of the car, heading for the office, Trevor came up behind him and grabbed him, spinning him around.

"What the hell do you think you're doing Skullovitch?" He asked him.

"What does it look like?" Spike asked him, showing him the car keys. "I'm benching us!"

"You're benching us?" Trevor replied. "You're a PROBIE! I'm meant to tell YOU what to do!"

"Believe me, if I thought you were in any fit state to be out on the street I'd be only too happy to be out there." Spike told him.

"Then we should go." Trevor told him.

"Are you serious right now?" Spike asked him. "You beat a kid half to death and threw him out a window!"

"That kid has put Betty in the hospital..."

"YOU DIDN'T EVEN OPEN THE WINDOW FIRST!" Spike yelled at him. "I don't even know how you managed that! It was safety glass!"

"Give me the keys Spike." Trevor warned him.

"Or what? You'll beat me up too?" Spike asked him. "I'm doing this for your own good Trevor! I know what happened to Laura is putting pressure on you but if you keep this up you'll be lucky if..."

"I said give me the KEYS!" Trevor snarled, throwing a punch Spike's way. Spike though had the wherewithal to do something about it. His training under Serena back in Panorama left him with pretty good reflexes. Trevor found his punch deflected and stumbling past Spike. Spike just stared at him.

"I don't want to do this Trevor." Spike told him. "But if you do, know I won't be as easy as some college kid!"

Trevor started to square up to Spike, but before either of them could move, someone ran down in between them.

"Marx!" The other officer called out. "Captain Raymond wants you in his office like...yesterday!"

Trevor just looked between the other officer and Spike, before heading off into the station. Spike breathed a sigh of relief.

"Did I interrupt something?" He asked.

"Nothing good." Spike answered, tossing the keys up and snatching them out the air. "I'll just go sign these in."

Back at the site of the battle, Brody strafed past Smellephant, peppering him with more shots, before landing the ship and skidding it around, turning to face him. Converting to Megazord configuration, he faced off against Smellephant.

"Guys, I could really do with some good news!" Brody told them as he closed in, swinging his weapons. Smellephant blocked one, taking the other hit hard, but looking at the injury, it was clear that even the Lion Fire Megazord, one of their most powerful weapons, was barely managing to harm him.

"I'm afraid we're still not any closer." Mick relayed as he checked on the furnace.

"Try the Lion Fire Star Strike!" Preston called out. Brody brought the weapons together, uniting them and starting them spinning.

"It's worth a shot." He told him. As the spinning stars flew into Smellephant, he could smell burning and he could see sparks flying, but instead of falling, Smellephant actually seemed to be pushed back, digging his heels in and churning up the ground and gripping the spinning weapon, trying to catch it. Brody could see smoke rising from him as he raised the weapon over his head and threw it straight back, slamming it into the Megazord.

"Oh SHIT!" He screamed. "Um...that's...that's not good!"

"You brought the heat, how about I cool things off a little?" Smellephant asked, firing a blast from his trunk. Brody tried to avoid it, but it just caught one of the Megazord's legs, freezing it solid. He had to struggle to stay up as the leg locked up, unable to move.

"Guys, I could really use some ideas here!" He called through the communicator as he guarded against Smellephant's attacks.

"Man, what can we do? We don't have anything to throw at him!" Calvin complained.

"The Zord's repair system is working on getting the leg back, but it'll take some time." Hayley told them.

"I think Brody's zord might just have enough left if only he could get that leg back and create an opening." Preston added. Sarah thought about it for a moment.

"Brody, I've got an idea." Sarah told him.

"I'm all ears." He told her.

"Uh...probably best I don't explain." Sarah told him as she grabbed some paper and started scribbling, sketching something down and making some calculations. "Trust me, saying it out loud will make it sound even crazier than it sounds in my head."

"What do you want me to do Sarah?" He asked.

"Get Smellephant to blast you with that freeze blast again!" She told him. Everyone stared at her.

"You want me to do WHAT?" Brody asked her.

"You heard me!" She answered. Brody just let out a deep breath.

"I really hope you know what you're doing." He responded as he ducked away from one of Smellephant's blasts. "Hey, even with one leg you can't hit me!"

"Maybe you're right; maybe what I need is a stationery target!" Smellephant yelled. "Freeze Ray!"

"Brody, activate the Ultrazord Command!" Sarah told him.

"WHAT?" He screamed. "But we don't have any other..."

"JUST DO IT!" She interrupted him. Brody activated the command, which caused the top half of the Lion Fire Megazord to spin around. The blast hit the alcove designed for the Megazord to sit in, but as it did, it deflected around the inside, before coming back at Smellephant, hitting him full on, freezing him with his own attack.

"Ultrazord transformation failed." The computer told Brody as the Lion Fire Megazord turned back around. Brody could see Smellephant standing, frozen to the spot.

"Sarah, that was awesome!" Hayley called out.

"Just a good use for geometry!" She said proudly.

"So you knew that was going to work?" Levi asked her.

"Of COURSE I did!" She said, before seeing the way everyone was looking at her. "Um...OK, maybe more like about...50 percent?" They still didn't look convinced. "OK, probably closer to five."

"It's good enough for me!" Brody replied, converting into tank mode. He positioned himself on top as it rolled towards Smellephant. "Lion Fire Slash...FINAL ATTACK!"

In a massive fireball, Smellephant fell, exploding for the final time. Brody slumped back onto the top of the Megazord.

"Oh...man that was hard work!" He commented. "Show's over...Ninjas Win...I guess."

"Well I hope you're not too tired to get out of there." Mick told him. "I just got an alert on the police frequency and there are units heading your way. If I were you I wouldn't wait to find out if they're the friendly kind or the 'let's shoot at Rangers' kind."

"Probably a good idea." Brody said wearily as he climbed inside. "Lion Fire Ship...autopilot. Take me home."

Over at Summer Cove Police Station, Trevor went into Captain Raymond's office, finding him sitting at his desk. He stood to attention before him, waiting on whatever he had to say.

"You wanted to see me?" Trevor asked him.

"Really, that's all you have to say?" Captain Raymond asked him. "Would you like to hazard a guess as to why you're here?"

"I'm guessing it has something to do with Gary..."

"Oh, it has just a little to do with him." Captain Raymond snapped at him. "Do you know how many calls I've had about what happened?"

Trevor just shrugged.

"No, I'm serious, go ahead and have a guess." He asked him.

"One from the hospital?" Trevor asked.

"Oh, I got a call from the hospital alright. They wanted to know when I started sanctioning a whole riot unit for a domestic abuse call!" Captain Raymond continued. "That was the only explanation they could think of for the state they got that kid in."

"That 'kid' is an abusive piece of shit that's put Betty in the hospital about half a dozen times!" Trevor protested.

"You think I don't know that?" Captain Raymond demanded. "Do you really think I haven't seen some scumbags that I knew could probably do with a taste of their own medicine? I came up in the force during the 'good old days' where we had rooms without cameras. Do you think I didn't want to take some of those vermin in there and give them a going over with a phone book?"

"That kid has no respect for the law. He was in violation of a restraining order and didn't even care!" Trevor told him.

"And as a police officer you have to LEAD BY EXAMPLE!" Captain Raymond yelled at him at the top of his lungs. "I understand you have problems at home, and believe me, that is the ONLY reason I have any sympathy for you right now. My department and my officers must be beyond reproach. Now I have a kid in hospital who is missing half his teeth who'll probably be in there for the next few weeks on the department's tab and I've got lawyers swarming around like flies around a turd waiting to see if there's a lawsuit to be had!"

"So he's not pressed charges?" Trevor asked.

"He'd need to be CONSCIOUS to press charges!" Captain Raymond told him. "I'm afraid I have no option but to jump before I'm pushed Marx. I'm putting this whole thing before a review board. In the meantime you're on administrative leave."

"I'm what?" Trevor asked him.

"Let me make it simpler for you! Leave your badge and your gun on my desk and get out of my sight!" He told him. "If you're lucky, maybe one day you'll see them again."

Trevor pulled off his badge and took out his gun, laying them on the desk. Captain Raymond put a hand on his shoulder.

"Believe me; I'm doing this for your sake." He told him. "Go home and look after Laura. You'll be contacted when you're needed for the review."

Trevor was livid, but he had known Captain Raymond a long time. He was a friend almost as much as a boss, and between that and his altercation with Spike, he was starting to see that maybe those closest to him were really trying to help him. His anger just seemed to fuel Psycho Green, giving him the opportunity to take control. Maybe some time at home with the woman he loved would do him just as much good as it did her.

Nodding his head, he turned and left the office.

Back at the Ranger Base on the Romero Farm, Brody was sitting back, holding an ice pack to his neck.

"I'm telling you guys, if that Smellephant is what they consider d-list now, I don't even want to know what they consider c-list, never mind a-list."

"Hey, a victory by the skin of your teeth is still a victory." Dane told them sagely. "You should all be really proud of yourselves. You didn't have all the fancy toys but you still came through with your own skills."

"Well, just because we don't NEED toys doesn't mean to say it's not nice to have a few." Hayley answered. "How are those first Power Stars coming Redbot?"

"They should be ready any moment..."

"WHOA!" Sarah called out as five Power Stars fired out, causing them all to duck. Mick caught one of them, while the others either lodged in the walls or bounced and fell to the floor.

"Alright, just to make sure we've got the new forging process down; I've started with something simple, namely re-forging what we already had from old moulds." Mick told them. "To that end, the first thing I did was...your Ninja Power Stars."

"But...we still have our Ninja Power Stars." Sarah reminded him, showing him hers. He just smiled.

"Why don't you just give this a little try?" He asked her. Sarah took her new Ninja Power Star and placed it into her morpher with a shrug.

"Ninja SPIN!" She called out. In a flash of light, she appeared in her Ranger mode.

"Uh...I'm not the only one who doesn't notice anything different right?" Calvin asked.

"You might not but I sure as hell do!" Sarah squealed enthusiastically. "This feels awesome!"

"The power for your suits and your weapons came from the Ninja Steel." Mick explained. "The Power Stars were the power source, so using the Super Ninja Steel should give your powers a little extra..."

Sarah brought down her hand, smashing through an anvil, shattering it into pieces. The team all just stared at her, while Dane just blinked.

"...kick." Mick concluded.

"You know that WAS mine." Dane said, looking at Sarah. She de-morphed, looking a little sheepish.

"Oh...um...yeah, sorry I just got carried away and..." She stammered. "...I'll get you a new one, I promise."

"You bet you will!" Dane replied. "And you're all coming here for training after school from now on."

"Here?" Calvin asked. Dane just smiled.

"Of course? Where better to train than somewhere you have access to a real-life ninja?" He asked him. "Mick and I don't have moulds for our Power Stars, so it looks like it really is one and done for us, but with him manning the computers, me taking care of the training and the three of us working on the weapons, we should be up to speed in no time!"

"Which is just as well because you all have school tomorrow." Levi reminded them. They all groaned as they headed for the trucks to head for home. Calvin put his arm around Hayley.

"So, are we going to your mom's place?" He asked. Hayley just shook her head.

"Trevor said he'd call if I'm needed, and I'll be around at the weekend." Hayley told him.

"Your dad's it is." Calvin answered as he went to the driver's side.

Over at the Marx house, Trevor arrived home, closing the door behind him.

"Trevor, is that you?" Laura called through. Trevor went into the Living Room, finding his wife sitting on the couch. "Is everything alright? I wasn't expecting you for ages."

"Well, I..." Trevor started to say, before stopping himself. Laura had already been in a car crash; the last thing she needed to hear now was that his career hung in the balance. Sure, he'd known guys that got away with a lot worse than what he'd done, but these things weren't certain. It would also mean he'd have to explain how he had hospitalised a college kid. "...I just...couldn't wait to be with the most beautiful woman I've ever seen."

"The most beautiful woman who looks like she's just been through a blender maybe." She chuckled. "It's sweet, but you don't have to..."

"I don't have to, but I want to." Trevor said, looking to her. "Which is why I've arranged some personal time."

"Trevor, you shouldn't have." She told him. "It's our anniversary soon, we were going to..."

"I know, a holiday would have been great, but I want to be there for you." He told her, kissing her softly. "Which is why for the foreseeable future, I'm going to be right here. Anything you need, just ask for it."

"How about another one of those?" She asked him.

"As you wish." He answered, drawing in and kissing her again, before holding her tightly in his arms. He could feel Psycho Green stirring in him, fighting to get out, but here in the arms of the woman he loved, Psycho Green wasn't going anywhere. Maybe the captain and Spike were right. Maybe this was where he needed to be all along.