The Rangers were all sitting around the table in Albert's yard, in reality just a large, rough piece of wood that had been propped up on some logs cut to the same length. They were all sitting on folding deck chairs as they waited for Albert to come back from wherever he had ran off to now. Ivan was shifting a little uncomfortably in his chair.
"This Albert may be a well-meaning host, but his furniture leaves something to be desired." Ivan grumbled. "Back home there were pillories that were more comfortable."
"I have a feeling that Albert doesn't get too many visitors out here." Riley surmised, looking to the mismatched collection of ups and glasses that were arrayed before them. A chipped pitcher of ginger beer was sitting in the middle of the table. To be polite, the Rangers had all poured themselves a glass, but they weren't exactly rushing to go for a second. "Certainly none that stay for dinner."
"Come on guys, he's obviously trying." Shelby replied. "Besides, he did take that picture."
"It's not so bad." Tyler said as he smiled, taking a little sip of the admittedly slightly warm ginger beer. "Sure he's a little different. I kind of like that."
"Well, I for one think he's not exactly firing on all cylinders upstairs." Chase said, making a little swirling motion with his finger by his head. "I say when he gets back; we find out where he took that picture and get out of here."
"Hey, lay off him a little." Shelby replied, looking to Tyler, who was becoming noticeably uncomfortable hearing the others talking about Albert behind his back.
"Come on, the man thinks he's out hunting Bigfoot." Riley reminded them.
"Given all we've seen and done, is that really such a stretch of the imagination?" Tyler asked.
A moment later, before anyone could answer him, the eccentric old man came shuffling back, carrying a large bag with him. He dumped it on the table, smiling with the excitement of a schoolboy who was rushing home to show off his homework scores.
"I have to say, you've come to the right place if you're looking for the unexplained." Albert said with excitement. "I've been out here over twenty years, and I've seen all kinds of strange and unusual things."
"I'll bet." Riley muttered under his breath. Shelby kicked his shin under the table, but looking to Albert, it appeared the old man either hadn't heard him or didn't care. She imagined he'd probably have heard a few mocking him. He rummaged around in his bag, before pulling out a long, spiralled piece of what looked like bone, placing it down in front of Riley. The Green Ranger just looked to it.
"This is the horn of a genuine unicorn!" Albert declared proudly. Riley picked it up. It seemed a little heavier than bone, and it didn't feel like any bone Riley had ever encountered. It felt more like moulded plastic.
"A unicorn?" Riley asked, smiling to him and looking to Shelby and Tyler. They all knew what he was thinking; he knew that unicorns really did exist, though not in this realm. He had actually RIDDEN a unicorn once, back when Daggeron had lent him Brightstar to use as a steed in the joust at the Mystic Tournament. Of all the people he could have picked to show it to, Riley was an ironic choice. "You don't say! I suppose you hunted him for this?"
"Oh no, I couldn't do anything to harm such a beautiful creature. They naturally shed their horns over their lives." Albert replied. Riley just nodded and continued to smile, like he was holding back the urge to just laugh in the old man's face.
"Oh...well that explains it I guess." Riley responded. The old man went back into the bag, pulling out a huge, plaster mould. It was like a huge footprint. He laid it down in front of the others for inspection.
"Footprint from a Bigfoot!" He told them, continuing. "For such large creatures, they are slippery buggers. You all saw the kind of trap you need if you want to get a hold of one, and even they aren't guaranteed."
"Wow that certainly is a...um...big foot." Chase said, handing the mould to Tyler. Again, it was unfortunate that they had already actually seen Bigfoot. He had been discovered by the Megaforce team during their tenure, having been mutated into Bluefur. Once they turned him back, the Megaforce team had taken him to Gosei's island to live out his days in peace where no one would find him. To the best of anyone's knowledge, it was the only one in existence. Shelby shot Chase a little glare as he seemed to almost taunt Tyler with this knowledge. Tyler seemed keen to defend Albert, but even he seemed to be starting to get more than a little evidence the old man was full of it.
"Oh, but I've saved the best for last!" Albert told them, going back into the bag. He pulled out a length of pink...it looked like rubber, and had suckers along it. He held it out for them to see. "I wrestled a giant squid once, just a few miles from here! He got my eye, ripped it right out of its socket with one of its' damned suckers, but I got its leg!"
"Really, a giant squid?" Tyler said nervously, laughing a little and smiling. The fact the leg was tiny, only a few inches long, didn't help the 'giant' part of the story, nor did the fact he still had the leg. Seafood tended to go off quickly, and so there wasn't really any way Albert could have kept the leg without preservatives. Ms Morgan had a few creepy samples in her private collection in the lab, but they were kept in jars of formaldehyde. Albert seemed to just keep this stuffed in a canvas bag! "Wow!"
"Uh, please, good sir." Ivan said, becoming a little impatient and trying to politely move the conversation along. He was no stranger to tall tales. In his day, long before the internet, telephones, television, or even before the majority were even capable of reading letters, the main way stories spread was through word of mouth, people recounting stories they had heard in the streets, over campfires, in their homes, or even in taverns. Of course the same thing happened every time. With each telling, the story got a little embellished. Things would be added, a few small facts would be altered, all to make a more interesting story. There was even a story from his homeland how he had fought single-handedly against 150 outlaws to bring in a notorious brigand and bested him in combat. It was a far more exciting tale than the truth, that he had shown up with a contingent of 50 knights to find 8 outlaws and that the brigand had been more than happy to hand himself over without a fuss seeing their superior numbers. Of course, that version wouldn't have been as entertaining over a few ales. "If you could just tell us about this picture..."
"Right, you're more interested in the UFO! I've seen it 5 times, all over the city!" He said as he gave them some more photos. These pictures, unlike Albert's other 'souvenirs' seemed to be genuine. They definitely didn't seem to be obviously faked. Albert placed a large egg before them.
"Now, when I get back, I'll tell you how I came by this giant dragon's egg." Albert said, before scurrying off. The Rangers breathed a little sigh of relief, but knew he would likely be back soon with more trinkets to convince them to buy into his tours. Tyler seemed a little curious as to where Albert was going, and picked up the footprint, following him. Shelby pulled in as the others started to snigger.
"Even my uncle not tell such tall tales." Koda chuckled. "And he once say he swallowed whole by Sabre Tooth Tiger and fight way out from inside!"
"Alright guys, he might be a little bit of a con artist, but these pictures are real." Shelby responded. "These are definitely transport pods!"
"They've also been seen all over the city, so obviously there's no one area that we're likely to find Fury." Riley answered. "We've found out everything we're going to from this nutcase, let's get Tyler and get out of here!"
"Alright, but would you guys just...lay off him a little?" Shelby asked them. "At least, in front of Tyler?"
"Why, the guy's a loon." Chase chuckled. Shelby just sighed and looked to them.
"Think about it guys." She responded, before standing up. "I'll tell Tyler we're heading out."
Meanwhile, Tyler had followed Albert around behind his shed. He had obviously gone to find more of his souvenirs, but he seemed to be distracted, handling a radio. As Tyler got closer, he could hear the reports coming in, and realised it was tuned to a police frequency.
"A police scanner, cool!" Tyler said, startling Albert, who dropped something on the ground. He was quick to press his foot onto it before Tyler could see what it was.
"Uh...yes!" Albert replied.
"Aren't those illegal?" Tyler asked him. Albert just shook his head.
"Not if they're only used for entertainment purposes." He assured Tyler. "If you use the information for personal gain its illegal. I like to know what's going on around town...what are you doing back here anyway?"
"I just wanted to thank you for showing us this stuff." Tyler replied. "You know, my dad and I went Bigfoot hunting once."
"Really?" Albert asked him. "How many did you catch?"
"None." Tyler admitted. "But I did catch a cold. But it was a great adventure." Albert grabbed him by the shoulders.
"And that's what life should be don't you think?" Albert asked him. "One great adventure! Your dad sounds like quite the adventurer. I'd like to meet him." Tyler went a little quiet as he said this.
"Unfortunately, he's not here." Tyler told him. "I don't know where he is. He went missing ten years ago. He went on one of his adventures near Amber Beach and...I haven't seen him since."
"Ten years ago?" Albert asked. "Amber Beach? Wait...are you saying your father is Dr Neil Nevarro?"
"Yeah, he is." Tyler replied. Albert smiled brightly.
"My boy, that man is a legend!" He said in a delighted tone. "Why, I've read his books cover to cover more times than I can count!"
He stopped as he realised that Tyler though was a little less enthusiastic. He came and put a hand on his shoulder.
"Wherever he is, I'm sure if he could come back to you, he would." Albert said sympathetically. Shelby appeared behind them.
"Tyler." Shelby called out. The Red Ranger turned towards her. "We're going to go. It's getting kind of late."
"Right, of course." Tyler answered. He handed the footprint back to Albert. "Thanks for all your time."
"Anything for a fellow adventurer!" Albert said, waving them off as they headed for the car. He waited until they were gone, before lifting his foot up off the ground, picking up his mysterious purple crystal.
"That news once again, a jail break has taken place at the Bay Area police holding cells." The Police scanner crackled. "Officers are to be on the lookout for..."
Albert just looked to his crystal and smiled.
"Now, time for a REAL adventure!" He said as he transformed.
Back at the theatre, Wrench was trying once again to get his machine working. Fury was already starting to get a little restless, but then he normally was anyway. The fact he had already been humiliated earlier the same day by the Purple Ranger did nothing to make his mood any better.
"No wonder the last attempt didn't work out as expected." Wrench said as he found what he was looking for.
"As expected?" Fury asked, a little this understatement. "He didn't have any SKIN!"
"It's a minor fix." Wrench assured him. "In a few hours, I should have everything ready..."
Just then, they heard the radio burst into life. Much like Albert, they were listening into the police frequencies. Just like the Rangers back home, it seemed like he was drawn to any kind of emergency even if it led them into mortal danger. It seemed even the bumbling fool that had happened into these powers had the same compulsion.
"Well, while you mess with this glorified toaster, I'm going to do what we were sent here to do!" Fury told him. "Meteor, come! Let's leave Wrench to his little experiment. We've got some REAL work to do."
As they left, Wrench just got back to work.
Meanwhile, back in the middle of the city, the Rangers had gone to the bay, stopping by a snack truck for some ice-cream while they checked out a map. They had managed to figure out from some internet searches and asking a few locals where each of the photographs had been taken and plotted them out on a tourist map, allowing them to see the that it made a loose ring around the city.
"Right, these five points are where the transport pod has been sighted." Shelby stated.
"It definitely looks like Fury is searching the city for the Purple Energem." Riley said as he looked to the points. "He's probably holed up somewhere in the centre of the city, round this kind of area."
"That means Auckland is going to be in a lot of trouble until the Purple Energem is found." Chase replied. "Once we find this guy and take him back to Amber Beach, Fury will have no reason to hang around here. That should give them some breathing space."
"The news once again, the jail break in the Bay Area was thwarted by the Violet Avenger." They heard the radio announcing. There was something of a cheer from the other patrons nearby.
"Wait, did you guys hear that?" Riley asked.
"Violet Avenger?" Tyler asked, looking a little astounded. "Wait, do you guys think...?"
"You guys haven't heard of the Violet Avenger?" One of the other diners asked them. "The guy's amazing! He's a regular real-life superhero!"
"Superhero my eye!" One of the others protested. "Everyone knows all those monsters only started showing up when he did!"
"Monsters?" Chase asked as the Rangers all looked to each other. This all sounded way too familiar to be a mere coincidence. "Say, do any of you have a picture of this guy?"
"Try in that paper you're holding." One of the patrons told him. Chase just looked to the newspaper his mom had sent him.
"Wait...there's a picture of him in here?" Tyler asked. "Chase, you didn't tell us..."
"Are you seriously saying you only read the FRONT PAGE?" Shelby asked him. Chase just sighed.
"Well, it's not like any of you guys thought to read the whole thing either is it?" He replied as he started to flick through the pages. He eventually found a picture and showed it to the others. It was taken from a security camera in a bank that had been robbed a couple of weeks previously. There, plain to see, was a Dino Charge Ranger. They all looked to each other and smiled.
"Bingo!" They chorused. Before they could do anything else though, they heard a commotion from a little way off.
"Hey, that's my bike!" A teenage girl called out. The Rangers all turned in time to see a guy riding off on a bicycle, discarding a set of bolt cutters as he went. "He just stole my bike!"
"We get back!" Koda told her as the Rangers headed off in hot pursuit.
They ran a couple of blocks, but they were sure if they didn't catch him soon, they would never catch him. All it would take is for him to get onto a straight stretch and he would leave them behind with ease. They reached a corner, hearing a loud crash and a yell. As they got around the corner, they all stood, amazed by what they saw.
The bike was on the ground, and the thief was lying on the ground. Kneeling on his back, tying him up was the Purple Ranger.
"There you go! That should teach you to take things that don't belong to you!" The Purple Ranger said to the bike thief. He just grunted as he struggled to get free. "Don't waste your breath! The police will have plenty of questions. I'm certain this isn't the only thing you've taken that isn't yours!"
"Hey, you!" Tyler called out. The Purple Ranger just looked up. "Purple Ranger!"
"What did you call...?" He started to ask, before seeing some police heading his way. "Oh, time I was going I think!"
"Hey, wait!" Shelby called out as he got up and started to run. "Come back!"
"Yeah, we only want to talk!" Riley added as they ran after him. "Come back!"
