A/N: See Chaps. 1, 15 and 16 for information which does not belong to me.

Ch. 19-Problems and Helpers

Friday, April 25

9:20 p.m. local time

Underground Power Chamber

Angel Grove, CA

They'd been in each other's company for only 20 minutes, and yet the Gold and Black Ninjetti Rangers were looking as if they didn't want to leave each other for a very long time.

Gold Ranger Sabrina, for her part, hadn't let forth her true anguish yet, but Adam could see distress written all over her face. 10,000+ years of trying to live up to a legacy, anguish, torture, pain and suffering, all on top of trying to help the current team save their Pink Ranger, were breaking Adam's heart.

'My God,' thought Adam, 'I have never seen a girl like this one who constantly believes things are going to go bad at the drop of a hat. All the pain, all the suffering, all the expectations, all the trauma...Why is it that my mentor's daughter, of all the beings in the universe, has to go through all of this? This...just breaks my heart. Here's a woman that is so incredibly experienced and talented, yet screams inside for help, and the universe be damned if I'm not going to give it to her.'

"You know," said Adam, "you don't have to live like this."

"Huh? What's that?" muttered Sabrina.

"Don't be trying to play possum from me. Relax...let it all out. You need serious help. This is tearing my heart apart one bit at a time."

"Adam, I love you as much as I ever have, but there's no way you could make my pain just go away like that. You don't understand this."

"You're right...I can't make your pain totally go away, and I don't understand why you've been used and abused so much. What I can do is build belief that we can save Kim...and a chance for happy days in the future."

"I wish I could live to see some happy days. I can't recall a day in thousands of years where I was truly happy," she said as she wept in his arms.

"Shhh...shhh...let all your anguish out. It will do you no good to keep this bottled up. Just let it out. I'm here now." With that, the two fell fast asleep, Zordon's daughter sobbing in Adam's arms.

The last thing Adam Park thought of as he fell asleep was, 'Try to take her away from me again, Zedd. I dare you.'

Unknown Time

Somewhere Near Earth

Somewhere in space, a spacecraft that looked like a submarine was approaching the planet Earth.

And a few such evil species called this place home.

Presently, the head lady of this craft turned to her husband, resembling some kind of lava monster and said,

"Maligore, how close are we to the planet Earth?"

"Very close, my dear Divatox. We should be reaching this planet in approximately one Earth day or so."

"Excellent. PORTO!" she snapped, and instantly, a creature resembling a knockoff marshmallow ran into the room.

"Yes, Captain?"

"Scan this planet immediately, and find out if it has any defenders. Also find out if there is a presence of the Alliance of Evil here as well. If there is, I wish to join them. Now GO!"

"Yes, my Queen," said Porto as he ran off.

Thirty some-odd minutes later, he returned with his results.

"What do you have, Porto?" roared the being called Maligore...loud enough that it shook what Divatox called her Subcraft.

Porto cringed in fright, though he held his ground.

"Data scans indicate that there is a presence of the Alliance of Evil here. Currently, those attacking Earth include Ivan Ooze, his nephew Lady Chaos, her son Master Vile of the M-51 Galaxy, his daughter Rita Repulsa, also of the M-51 Galaxy, her husband Lord Zedd, Prince Gasket of the Machine Empire, their main warriors Jason Scott and Kimberly Hart of Earth, and their various monsters and mutants."

"How about defenders?" said Divatox.

"There are defenders of this planet here...most of whom call themselves 'Power Rangers,'" said Porto.

"Headed by that blubberhead Zordon of Eltar, I assume," said Divatox with a snort.

"Yes," said Porto. "Currently, the defenders of Earth are mostly based out of Angel Grove, California, and are as follows: Sabrina of Eltar, daughter of Zordon and Gold Cougar Ninjetti, Tommy Oliver, White Falcon Ninjetti and leader, Adam Park, Black Frog Ninjetti, William Cranston, Blue Wolf Ninjetti, Aisha Campbell, Yellow Bear Ninjetti, Rocky DeSantos, Red Ape Ninjetti, Katherine Hillard, Pink Turbo Ranger, Tanya Sloan, Yellow Turbo Ranger, Trini Kwan, Blue Turbo Ranger, David Trueheart, Green Turbo Ranger, and Zachary Taylor, Red Turbo Ranger and leader. Also assisting them are Archerina, formerly of the Machine Empire, Auric the Conqueror, Ninjor, Keeper of the Temple of Power, Dulcea, Keeper of the Ninjetti Power, Prince Dex of Edenoi, also called the Masked Rider, and Sarah of Eltar, Zordon's wife."

"Hmmmm, wait a minute," muttered Divatox, "did you say that Sabrina of Eltar works for the side of good, Porto?"

"That is correct, Captain," said a skull monster as he came running into the room.

"Rygog, what have I told you about not interrupting???" shouted Divatox.

"Give it a rest, Diva," said Maligore. "Go on, Rygog."

"Anyways, Sabrina somehow broke the spell that bound her as Scorpina, and has been assisting the Rangers in fighting off these foes. I have been watching these battles out of intrigue in my spare time, and Sabrina and that Black Ranger...oh, I've forgotten his name all of a sudden...seem to be fond of each other."

"That is something we can definitely use in the future. You are dismissed, both of you," said Maligore.

"Mailgore, darling," said Divatox, "wasn't Tommy Oliver that brat who turned against Rita?"

"Yes," said Maligore with a snarl. "Damn that traitor...how I WISH I could get my hands on him! The good news is that sorceress, Kimberly, is giving him all sorts of problems from what I understand."

"I assume you want to go to the moon and ally with these villains, darling?" said Divatox.

"Yes," said Maligore. "Together, we will be the difference in conquering this pathetic planet!"

"Fine. PORTO! RYGOG! ELGAR! Prepare everything, we're going to this planet's moon!"

Saturday, April 26

Unknown Time

Lunar Palace

It was a quiet time in the Lunar Palace, where most of the villains were idling their time doing their own things.

At this point, Zedd and Master Vile were alone in the throne room, while Squatt and Baboo were in their normal hiding places.

Zedd, having nothing else to do, decided to give the two he considered clumsy 'blueberries for brains' some torture.

As he marched straight towards them, staff raised, the two dimwits shrank back in fear.

Suddenly, he felt something slash the back of his head. He turned, furiously, to see Jason holding his sword.

"How dare you, Green Ranger!" shouted Zedd. "You shall pay for that!"

"And you should have more respect for your own servants, chrome head," said Jason. "Leave them alone, or you'll feel the wrath of my sword again!"

"I'd listen to the Green Ranger if I were you, Brain Boy," snarled Vile. "They are still your servants and as such, should be treated with respect!"

Zedd growled with anger and stalked out of the throne room...his plans for Kimberly increasing by tenfold. He couldn't wait to have Kimberly in his grasp again.

'Then,' thought Zedd, 'we'll see who the greatest evildoer in the galaxy really is!'

Back in the throne room, Squatt and Baboo were still whimpering from the surprise attack.

"Are you two all right?" said Jason.

"Yes, we are," babbled Squatt. "Thank you for saving our hides. As much as Rita tortured us, she at least respected us. This overbloated tyrant respects no one but himself."

Jason looked at Squatt and Baboo for a minute, then thought, 'These guys might be able to help me after all.'

"Can I trust you two to keep a secret?" said Jason.

"Oh yes!" said Squatt. "For anyone who shows us this amount of respect, which we rarely get, we'd be happy to oblige! We may be evil, but we're nothing but clumsy dimwits, and we can't hurt a soul! If the Rangers could do anything to get rid of this lousy tyrant, we'd be glad to help out!"

"Then come with me," said Jason.

But as he was about to leave with Rita's two henchmen, the palace started to shake.

Master Vile, who was sitting far enough away so that he couldn't pick up what Jason was doing, only smiled. Then, shortly after that, five flashes of light appeared, transforming into five different beings that Jason had never seen before.

"Whoooo-we! Do I know how to make an entrance or WHAT?" said the lady in a loud voice, and it looked to Jason like she was some kind of pirate.

"Divatox! Maligore!" said Vile excitedly. "It has been FAR too long since we last met!"

"Indeed it has, Master Vile," said Maligore as he bowed before the famed warlord-conqueror.

"To what do we owe the pleasure of your visit to the moon, Divatox?" said Vile with a grin.

"We have come to join your alliance," said Divatox, "to conquer the Earth, and take all which it posesses."

"I am glad you came," said Vile, "as I feel your help might be what we need to put us over the top!"

As Jason walked over to greet the new arrivals, Vile smiled.

"Divatox, Maligore, allow me to introduce the newest evil Green Ranger in our family, Jason Scott of Earth!" said Vile. "Jason, I introduce to you the lady pirate Divatox, her husband Maligore, and her henchmen Porto, Rygog and Elgar."

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Jason," said Maligore. "I'm glad that the Evil Green Ranger, with his Sword of Darkness, has returned at last!"

"It is an honor for me to meet you as well, Jason," said Divatox. "Maligore has told me all about you."

"Why don't I show you to your quarters?"

Jason then turned to Squatt and Baboo, and whispered, "Stay put until I come back."

20 minutes later, when they arrived at the rooms, Jason said, "Enjoy your stay. I'm sure we'll meet up at councils of war."

"I'm sure we will," smiled Maligore, a sight hideous to behold.

As Jason walked back down the hallway, he thought, 'I'm not sure I like that Maligore dude too much. Dude has all kinds of power.'

When he entered the throne room, he bowed before Vile.

"They have been taken care of and sheltered, Master Vile."

"Good!" said Vile approvingly, as he left the throne room.

"Sorry, I had to tend to a bit of business there. Now, come here, guys," said Jason quietly as Squatt and Baboo complied.

"First, I'd like to ask you...Which evil being do you feel you two belong to?" said Jason.

"Oh, we feel we belong with Rita, Jason," said Squatt. "Zedd kept us after Rita was thrown in her dumpster, but he never thought of us as anything more than worthless. At least Rita has some respect for us."

"What if I were to tell you that Zedd is going to divorce Rita soon?" said Jason.

"You cannot be serious, Jason," said Baboo.

"I'm very serious. He's going to divorce Rita 'when the time is right' and he plans on marrying Kimberly."

"We cannot allow that, Jason," said Baboo. "If Zedd gets his hands on her, then he'd be unstoppable...even worse than the head being of the UAE, Dark Specter."

"In thi scenario, who would you stand with...Zedd or the Power Rangers?" said Jason.

"We would stand with the Power Rangers on this one, Jason," said Squatt, "100 percent. Even if it means losing Kimberly back to the side of good. It's better than that tyrant having all the power!"

'I think I've just found my helpers right here!' thought Jason. 'Zedd would never suspect these two for ruining his plans!'

"Guys, the secret I need you to keep is that I'm not evil anymore," said Jason. "It happened when I heard Zedd was starting this plan of his, along with Goldar. I managed to destroy the Sword. The sword you see looks like the authentic one, but it doesn't bind anyone to the side of evil. Keep that secret, OK?"

"We respect you, and we'll keep it!" said Squatt.

"Good," said Jason. "Can you guys go do some tasks for me also...like going and telling that Divatox has arrived?"

"We would love to!" said Baboo.

"I'll contact Zordon, and tell him I'm sending you guys to help. I don't want to leave this Palace too much, so as not to tip off my plan to get back Kimberly."

"I'm sure Sabrina will be happy to see us! And we do need to relay the news that Divatox is here!" said Squatt. "But what about Finster? He can help too!"

"You know, I thought of using him too, and I still may," said Jason. "Yet, I think Zedd would notice if he's gone. He'd never suspect you two."

Jason then activated his communicator, "Zordon, come in."

"Jason, it's Sabrina. What's up?"

"I don't want to leave the Palace a whole lot, so I'm sending a couple of your former fellow assistants to help me in my mission. I believe you know them...Squatt and Baboo."

"Jason, that's absolutely BRILLIANT!" said Sabrina. "I remember how horribly those two felt when Zedd took over, and how I just wanted to tell them it was going to be OK! They'd do anything to get rid of that tyrant! Did you tell them of Zedd's plot?"

"Yes. Listen, I'm going to be sending them to the Chamber...would you mind letting security down to at least let them in and deliver this news?"

"You got it."

"WHAT'S GOING ON, JASON?" came the voice of Zordon.

"Yeah, what's up? Why are Squatt and Baboo coming?" said Adam...who had gone to the Chamber to see his friend since he'd finished with stunt show practice an hour ago. 'Hmmm...so Adam and Sabrina can stand to be in the same room with each other,' thought Jason. 'This...is a good sign.'

"Another set of loonies has arrived to join the alliance. I gotta go. I'll let these two tell you who it is. I gotta go, guys."

Jason then shut off his communicator.

"You guys ready?" said Jason.

"Are we ever! It's going to feel good to get out of this place for a few!" said Baboo.

"Teleporting...now," said Jason as he activated his sword's magic, and in a flash of light, the two dimwits headed for the Power Chamber in stunned disbelief.

Saturday, April 26

3:00 p.m. local time

Underground Power Chamber

Angel Grove, CA

"Man, I can't believe Jason is using THOSE two dimwits! They're evil, after all!" said Adam as he paced back and forth.

"Hey, relax. They ain't gonna hurt anyone," said Sabrina. "They don't even know how to use what powers they have because Rita and Zedd were stupid enough not to teach them how to use those powers."

"SABRINA IS RIGHT. YOU NEED TO LET GO AND ACCEPT SOMEONE'S HELP WHEN OFFERED, ADAM," said Zordon.

Just then, as Zordon was expecting, two flashes of light filled the Power Chamber, revealing Rita's two henchmen.

"Hey, guys! I've missed you!" said Sabrina as she ran up to embrace her two former colleagues.

"We miss you too, Sabrina. Every single day since you left the Palace," said Baboo. "Someday, maybe we'll be working on the same side again."

"Perhaps," she said. "Now, what does Jason want us to know?"

"He wants you to know that Divatox is back, and she's badder than ever!" said Squatt. At this, Sabrina's face went from a look of happiness to one of horrified shock, as did Zordon's.

"No...way," said Sabrina. "Divatox and her henchmen are exactly what we don't need right now."

"THIS IS VERY BAD INDEED," said Zordon. "I'M GLAD THAT JASON WAS ABLE TO GET THAT MESSAGE SENT."

"We need to get back before anyone suspects us," said Squatt. "It was good to see you again."

"With that, buoyed by Sabrina's positive feelings, they found the power that was inside of them, and teleported back to the Moon Palace.

"Zordon," said Adam, "who is this Divatox?"

"A POWERFUL LADY PIRATE, WHO ALSO IS WED TO ONE OF THE MOST POWERFUL BEINGS IN THE UNIVERSE."

"Precisely," said Sabrina. "That being is called Maligore, the Great Flame of Destruction. He also carries the same amount of destruction capability that Dark Specter, the very head of the United Alliance of Evil himself, carries. Now, observe the monitors, and I will show you her other henchmen."

Sabrina pressed five separate buttons, and monitors lit up to show five different beings.

"Over here on the left wall," said Sabrina, "we have Rygog. This is Divatox's chief warrior...a warrior who is not to be underestimated. He's a lot like I was when I was evil...very businesslike and not much talk."

"On the center wall," said Sabrina, "we have Elgar. I'm not too concerned about Elgar, as he's Divatox's half-wit nephew. He's an idiot...a lot like Rito, and can be handled by even one Ranger with ease. You alone would probably dominate him ten minutes into a fight."

"On the right," she continued, "is Porto, Divatox's head scientist. Think of him as Divatox's Finster...he creates most of the monsters Divatox sends to attack."

"On the far right," she said, shivering as she did so, "is Maligore."

"And on the center TV," she said, pointing to the monitor at the very cetnter of the conference room, "is Divatox."

"Man, she's REALLY ugly," said Adam.

"And really powerful," said Ninjor, who was standing off to the side at random. "However, she can be defeated. She is a pirate, so she mainly looks for material things. I would warn you, however, that Maligore may prove to be far more dangerous, as he may attempt to destroy Sabrina, Katherine and Tommy in particular because they were once evil beings. You, Sabrina, must be especially careful, and you, Adam, must be especially protective of her in this time, as Maligore would do almost anything to get his hands on her."

"We'll be ready, Ninjor," said Adam.

"Count on it," added Sabrina.

Saturday, April 26

7:00 p.m.

Angel Grove Park

Angel Grove, CA

Her hair, black as the night itself, flew sideways in the breeze as she continued to move through a kata she remembered at a young age.

Sabrina of Eltar had left the Power Chamber about an hour and a half ago after she'd briefed the rest of the Rangers on Divatox's arrival (which had made Tommy, in particular, nauseous) and she'd been relaxing herself with movements such as this ever since.

But even in a mostly empty park, she couldn't escape the eyes that had spotted her nearly 20 minutes before...and those same eyes looked on, mesmerized as they watched her flow through these movements.

'Man, I've done so much worrying that I almost forgot about her breathtaking beauty,' thought Adam Park as he watched her from a safe distance. 'And her movements...no wasted effort. Every movement has a purpose. Talk about incredible. I'd hate to lose her to Maligore.'

"You know, for someone who's supposed to be thousands of years old, you haven't lost a step," a voice behind her said.

"Oh, hey," she said as she turned to see Adam standing near her. "Good timing. I was just finishing up."

"Good," he said, as he gently slipped a hand on her shoulder, and the two started walking. "How are you feeling?"

"As well as can be expected."

"It's a relief that you're at least feeling better. Watching you cry in my arms for hours last night shattered my heart."

"And you're the last person I'd have expected that I could cry on and talk with one-on-one," she said. "But thank you for being here anyways."

"You've been weighed down by expectations and heartbreak," said Adam. "I can't not be here for you."

"You and your friends are the greatest, you know that? You guys didn't have to take me into your protective custody."

"I'd like to think we'd be here for one another, especially when it comes to those under Rita or Zedd's influence...and especially with the situation now. Katherine was much the same way then, and we welcomed her with open arms. I thought what happened with her was bad, but this is a million times worse...so we're all here for you."

"We never had that. Many members of my old team, myself included, have posessed their powers since a young age. You've had to rely on grit and teamwork, with little knowledge of the Power...but you've done it. I love your team mainly because each one of you brings an important characteristic that helps the team function. I especially love your protégé, Tanya."

"You...like Tanya? I worried that there would be some animosity between you two."

"Uh, no. I've been way too impressed with her to dislike. Sometimes, I wish I had her positive attitude. You've taught her well...in one year, she's gone from a wet-behind-the-ears rookie to an elite fighter."

"Speaking of elite fighters, you didn't do so bad out there yourself yesterday."

"Really now?"

"Some of the things you did out there amazed me."

"Hey, what are you doing?" Sabrina asked.

"Looking at my new morpher at random. Hard to believe I'm the Black Ranger again," said Adam.

"You'd be happy to know that Dulcea and I took extra time to make sure yours was done just right."

"That flatters me," said Adam. "Where are you staying tonight?"

"I don't know. I want to get out of the Chamber, but I'm afraid with Maligore around..."

"Hey, there's some spare beds at my place."

"No one talked to me about your spare beds."

"I'm talking to you right now," said Adam with a grin on his face. "You up for it? I can even contact your daddy and have him teleport your wardrobe to my place for the night."

"Of course I would be. You know, there's something I want to speak with you about."

"What is it?"

"You said that your parents have been in Korea househunting for the past month, right?"

"Yeah...where are you going with this one?"

"Where I'm going with this is that I have the feeling something suspicious is going on here...and I believe it may involve you. Does it normally take this long to househunt?"

"No...and come to think of it, my folks said they had an idea of what they wanted. You know, you might be right."

"To be quite honest with you, I don't think you've been speaking with your real parents. I don't know what's going on here, but I intend to find out in the near future. Hey, there's a Pizza Hut! You don't mind pizza, do you?"

"Not at all...besides, I'm starving. Come on, let's get this to carry out. We're nearly home. Don't worry about being in public...your daddy's taken care of that with one of his spells."

With that, the two disappeared into Pizza Hut to get some food after an important day.

TBC...