A/N 1: See Chapters 1, 15, 16 and 27 of Thirst for Revenge for that which does not belong to me.

Chapter 4-Lessons Learned, Zedd on the Move

Eltarian Royal Palace

Eltarian Capital City

Unknown Time

"OK, Kim, you can come out wherever you are! I give up!" shouted Tommy, but he got no answer.

The two were playing hide-and-go-seek within the cavernous Royal Palace, and Tommy was having his fair share of difficulties locating his Pink girlfriend...in fact, he'd searched every crack and crevice in the place for two full hours, and still hadn't found his way back to his girlfriend.

The game hadn't gone unnoticed by Eltar's royal people, who had chuckled at times while watching Tommy search in vain for Kimberly.

The entire Ranger caravan had been there three full Earth days, and no matter whether she was his girlfriend or not, Tommy was getting somewhat sick of losing to his girlfriend. Already, the teens had taken part in four different card games and two different volleyball matches, and Kimberly had always one-upped Tommy at some point.

"God, she could be ANYWHERE around here! Damn it!" cursed Tommy.

On the bright side, he had taken an unintended tour of the spacious Royal Palace, and he was thoroughly impressed by the structure.

"Whoever created this thing did one hell of a freaking job," Tommy said to himself as he passed under a staircase near Sabrina's room, somewhere in the north end of the palace.

Unbeknownst to him, Kimberly was watching from just inside the door to Sabrina's gold-clad room (which she'd dubbed the "Power Ranger Shrine" for its extensive shrine towards her, Tommy and their teammates) waiting for her chance to pounce. Eltar's Gold Ranger and Adam had gone out for the day, and so the room was currently empty.

In otherwords, it was a prime spot for a hiding place.

As Tommy passed by that door, he happened to glance from a naked eye at some of the pictures in the room, and decided to make a move towards the door.

But without warning, he was tackled from behind by Kimberly, who wrestled with him on the ground, shortly after which she proceeded to put him in a chokehold.

"Don't even try it, little man. It's useless," Kimberly smirked as she pulled him to his feet.

"Don't be so sure!" Tommy said as he stepped on Kimberly's foot hard, sending her staggering backwards and causing her to lose what had been a very tight grip.

'What in the hell did they teach her up on the moon?' Tommy frantically thought. 'She NEVER used to have that strong a grip!'

Kimberly was not amused by the tactic Tommy had used to free himself, and just stood glaring at him, her eyes holding a challenge.

"Well, this is an interesting development. Kimberly is not amused with Tommy for once," came a voice from behind them.

Tommy and Kim turned around to see Madame Woe floating in a nearby doorway. She wasn't wearing her typical claws, as they were replaced by regular hands.

"Oh, hey," said Kim. "Nice to see you again, though I have to admit I didn't expect it to be so soon."

"Oh, how I wish it weren't so soon. How are you guys?"

"I don't know about Kim but I'm exhausted," Tommy said. "She ran me ragged throughout this damn place for two hours, then she nearly tackles me. I'm ready for a break."

"Well, can you make time for me? It's important, and I can't find Sabrina anywhere in the vicinity."

"Sure. What's up?" Tommy said.

"I need to inform you that there are two traitors to your ranks right here on this planet. I have come here for this very reason...Dulcea has been seeing visions and she anticipates something major will happen very soon. She told me I did not have to come, but I convinced her, and so here I am. I have come as a bodyguard of some sorts."

"Who are they? No one from our team, I hope," said Kim.

"No one from your team," Woe said, gripping her hair tightly. "But two of Eltar's orange-colored designation harbor jealousy towards Sabrina, Zordon and their family. In fact, it was one of these two who tried to kill Sabrina shortly after she came back to Eltar following her first run-in with Adam. They believe that ending your lives once and for all is the only way to get the white designation, which they believe is their right."

"Is it a spell like the Bloom of Doom had on me, or is it completely free of evil?" Kim said.

"It's no spell. The jealousy has always been there."

"Are we being watched right now?" said Tommy.

"No. The ones who want Sabrina's life are out today also. Probably planning."

"Good, then we can talk about this," Kim said. "Wanna come in? We were playing near Sabrina's room."

"Sure, I don't see why not. Besides, I need a sit-down...this travel between galaxies is killing me," said Woe as the three filed into Sabrina's shrine-filled room.

"What do you suggest we do?"

"What I suggest you do," Woe said, "is first, get as many people in the palace aware of the situation as possible, so that they aren't taken by surprise. I'll try to be here in case of an attack, but I'm still not sure how much I'll be able to help when the time comes because of what's happening on Earth and the potential that Zedd will return. The second thing is, you guys need to stay together. You can't be separated because it's going to be easier for the snipers to pick you off. Third, get Archerina out of that ship and get her to the palace however you can. She's a machine, so she doesn't get tired."

"Do you think it's possible that these two would ally with Zedd or Specter?" Tommy said.

"Honestly, I don't know," Woe said. "Jealousy drives people to do weird things sometimes. I don't think they'd ally with one of those two forces, but anything is possible."

"OK. Is there anything else we need to know?" Kim said.

"Yes, just one other thing...Octoplant has fallen under the weather."

"Oh?" Tommy said.

"Yes. The only bad thing about the place our team calls home is that there is no light or water where we live, and of course you Earthlings know that plants need water and light to be able to live," Woe said. "I've tried to infuse her with some of my own water from my crystal, but that doesn't seem to be helping much. We've taken her to the Forest of Eternal Light so she can try and get well. Reports are she's feeling much better, but we'll see."

"Very well," Kim said. "Would you like to stay and wait for the others to come back?"

"I would love to, because I love being around you guys," Woe said. "But I don't want myself, or you guys getting caught either."

An idea suddenly sprung up in Kim's mind as she quickly recalled flashbacks.

"I've got an idea," Kim said. "Didn't you have a dimension that you took us to once upon a time?"

"Yes. That is my home. Where are you going with this one?"

"Take us there so we can practice with you without taking the chance of being seen by the snipers. We haven't sparred with each other in a couple days, and I want us to be as ready as possible when the time comes."

Woe's eyes lit up, and looked in Tommy's direction. She had been looking forward to a confrontation like this for a long time. Even if this was a simple sparring match, she wanted the chance to say she actually fought the legendary White Ranger one-on-one.

Besides, if Tommy was everything she'd heard about, she'd have a challenge, which was something she loved.

'I think she wants YOU,' Kim thought, looking at Tommy.

'Well, she'll get me. The hard way,' Tommy shot back.

"It would be my pleasure to host you again," Woe said.

"Would we be attacked?" Tommy said.

"No. There is no one who lives there but me."

"I suppose this isn't a bad idea. I could use some practice anyways...I say bring on the challenge," Tommy said, as he quickly changed out of his top and put on a regular, white tank-top he had been carrying around for sparring purposes.

"Excellent. Stand by me while I use my crystal to transport us. When the time is right, I'll use it to bring us back."

With that, she activated her crystal, and the three disappeared from sight.

Outside the city...

"These mountains are absolutely breathtaking," Adam said as he and Sabrina walked along a path.

"Yeah, I brought you here because this area holds a lot of significance for me and my family, and I wanted to share it with you," Sabrina said.

"In what way?"

"Why don't we sit down? This is going to take a while, and I've been wanting to tell you this story because I know you'll listen to what I have to say."

"OK then," Adam said, and the two sat down.

"Many, many thousands of years ago, when I was but an infant, Zordon gave birth to yet ANOTHER child," Sabrina said. "This one was a son...my brother in blood."

"Wow. How many family members do you actually HAVE?" Adam said, at which she giggled. "How powerful was he compared to you?"

"About the same," Sabrina said. "Much like me, he was born with his powers. But when he was nine Earth years, something tragic happened."

"Who attacked?" Adam said.

"Damn you, Frog Boy!" she said, slapping his shoulder lightly. "You are WAY too smart for an 18-year old. WAY too smart."

"Hey, Justin's smarter than me, and he's 12," Adam said. "So, again I ask, who attacked?"

"It was Lord Zedd," said Sabrina, "and Zera, his sister. They came to Eltar for him and his powers...to try to steal them before he could bond to them because these are permanent powers we're talking about here."

"What happened?" Adam said.

"It was a terrible battle," Sabrina said, "fought pretty much where we are sitting. It was bloody from the start, and Zedd's forces attacked with a vengeance. Our forces fought bravely, but it wasn't enough. I even came back to try to fight for his freedom. I couldn't defeat Zedd, powerful as I was, at 11 Earth years old."

With that, she started to cry.

"My brother was forced to leave, just like I was," Sabrina sobbed. "My brother, Rayjon of Eltar...he's now...the one known as...the Phantom Ranger."

"Oh my God," Adam said, as he instinctively grabbed onto his girlfriend. It had become clear to him that Zedd was simply a maniacal monster...had devoted his life to mentally injuring Zordon's family.

"That mark, right there," Sabrina said, pointing to a gold-plated mark, "is where I stepped in the line of fire for a blast that would seriously have wounded Rayjon, and got seriously hurt myself. Dulcea was furious at me for that, but all I said I was doing was protecting the ones I loved. After I recovered, she later forgave me for that, saying she made a grave mistake."

"Most good people would sacrifice themselves for the ones they love," Adam said. "It's called honor, and you have it in bunches. That was a very courageous move...took a lot of guts do it."

"Still doesn't change the fact that I haven't seen him in numbers of years. You'd like him...he's a real nice guy."

"I'm sure he is. By the way, if it's possible, I love you even more than I did before. The lesson I've learned in the past couple months is you love someone in the hard times as much as the good times."

"Thank you for being here for me, and yes, I love you too, sweetie," she said as she planted a soft kiss on his forehead.

Suddenly, Adam's necklace began to vibrate.

"I think the welcome-wagon's looking for us," he said. "We better get back."

"Agreed," said Sabrina. "Let's go."

Madame Woe's Dimension

"Wow, you did some redecorating here," said Kim as they reappeared in the cavernous place Woe called home.

Instead of the all-blackness, creepy feel to the place that it had when Kim had been here before, it was now almost entirely royal blue, and it had an air of serenity about it.

"Yes, I did. When Dulcea brought me back, I knew I had to get rid of the creepy feel of the place. Now, which one of you wants to go first?"

Tommy and Kim looked at each other for the briefest of moments, then nodded.

"I will," Tommy said as he stepped forward.

Kim also stepped forward, but was stopped.

'No,' came a voice in her mind...apparently Dulcea's voice. 'You stay back, Crane. Tommy needs this challenge...he needs to learn to be able to fight a monster alone without known powers, as do you. She will fight him fairly, yet she will help him learn when he stumbles. This is part of why I re-created the five monsters and in particular this one...not only because they supply more firepower, but they can teach you some lessons as well.'

With that, Kim stepped back, and looked on in anticipation.

"It's just you and me, Tommy. I respect you, and I've been looking forward to this, so you can count on a fair fight. I will not begin until you are ready," Woe said, all the while hanging in midair.

"I am ready. You may proceed," Tommy responded, and took a defensive stance, shortly after which the Rangers' former enemy came flying at him.

Tommy was able to duck and roll to the side, directly across from his opponent. The two circled each other, sizing the other one up, before Woe glided in on him, only to be met by an aggressive kick to the chest from Tommy. She was sent staggering, but kept her balance and kept forward momentum.

For several moments, the two traded blows, until she managed to get a lucky shot on him, sending him flying into a boulder.

"Don't worry about that one, Tommy...that was a lucky shot," she said as he helped himself up. "You were more than able to hold your own against me. Ready for Round Two?"

When you are," Tommy said.

For the next two rounds, the action would belong to Tommy, as his aggressive style had the former Ranger enemy on the defensive throughout.

But in the fourth round, Tommy ran into a roadblock, as after a few moments of trading punches and kicks with the mysterious woman, Tommy noticed her backpedaling and tried for an aggressive kick, but missed and left himself open for a devastating punch right in the face.

"Uh...oops," Tommy said as his face hit the concrete hard.

"Oops is right, my friend," she said as she helped him up. "It's OK...remember, this is a learning experience. Tommy, you can't always use your aggressive style. It just doesn't always work."

"Yeah, but I saw you backpedaling, and figured..."

"Ah, that's where I baited you. The lesson here is that sometimes, things aren't always what they seem. Don't always assume that just because somebody's backpedaling, that it means you can go aggressive on him. Sometimes, you can't just go at the other guy full-on. Sometimes, you have to out-think the other guy, or girl, in this case."

Tommy nodded, as the two backed up and faced each other again.

After two more rounds, the two looked at each other again, sensing this was the final round for the day.

"One more time?"

"One more time," Tommy said.

The two then went at it, full intensity, with neither gaining an advantage.

Suddenly, there was some space between the two, and Tommy could see his opponent backpedaling.

'She's getting ready to try something. Get ready.' thought Tommy.

Tommy's thoughts proved to be prophetic, as Woe shot her braided hair directly at him. On instinct, remembering what Billy had said about the mystic woman, Tommy grabbed her hair before it could get to him, and simply yanked her to her knees.

Which, to no one's surprise, got loud cheers from Kimberly nearby.

'He has learned his lessons well,' Kimberly heard.

'Twould appear he has,' Kim shot back at Dulcea. 'That was impressive.'

"Uh, wow. That was good, Tommy," Woe said as she straightened her hair out, pulled her claws back in and extended her hand to Tommy. "And I thought Billy was tough once upon a time. Terrific job, White Ranger. You proved to be every bit the challenge everyone says you are, and I enjoyed that. I barely knew you until today, and just in this session, you've gained a lot of respect from me."

Tommy gratefully shook it and said, "That was great for me too, I have to admit. You fought me tooth and nail, yet you helped me learn from my mistakes and you fought fair. You have my respect as well. We should do this again sometime. By the way, I'm truly sorry for messing up your hair."

"Hey, I don't think any less of you for it. You did what you had to do. As far as learning from your mistakes, I'm sure you know this but that's a huge difference between good and evil. That's my job...to make you guys better. And yes, we'll do this again sometime soon. You're a class act."

"I'd like to think of myself having more class and decorum than most people," Tommy said. "I'd like to think of myself as someone with this philosophy: If you should, God forbid, lose and evil somehow wins, you be the one to go out and shake hands with the winner because like it or not, they just beat you up. I hate Goldar, but if Zedd were to somehow beat us, I'd almost guarantee I'd be the first guy out there to shake Goldie's hand and congratulate him on his victory."

'That's my Handsome, right there,' thought Kim. 'That's my Handsome, the White Knight I know and love.'

Tommy, worried that he was leaving Kimberly on the backburner (which he didn't want to do), simultaneously began probing her mind

'No. You're fine, Handsome. Dulcea wanted you two to go at it. Not jealous at all...how could I be after what happened before? We had our time together today, anyways, and we'll have our time in bed tonight.'

Suddenly, a voice came from Tommy's necklace.

"Tommy! Kim! Where the hell are you guys?" came Rocky's voice.

"Hang on, Rocko. We're on our way," said Tommy.

"Looks like you get a reprieve, Kim," said Woe, coming to her side, Tommy joining those two. "The team wants us back. Same time tomorrow?"

"I think that'd be just dandy," Kim said.

"OK, guys. Let's go home," said Tommy.

Zera's spaceship

In Empress Zera's spaceship, the main pilots sat at the consoles with a smile on their faces.

She had finally found the Rangers...on their mentor's planet of all places. Not only that, they'd found the orange-clad couple who were looking to gain higher status.

"So do we agree, brother dear? To Eltar we go?" Zera said.

"Yes. Somehow, I have a feeling this is about to work out after all!" Zedd said. "We're going to get a shot at them, and together we will get them this time!"

"Yes," Zera hissed, gripping her sword. "Once we get those two to our side, and when I unleash my Blazes on the Rangers, and once I get Tommy under my control, Kimberly will be easy pickings for you, and we shall rule the universe!"

"Yes! Let's get this show on the road! That old fool Zordon and his Rangers won't know what hit them!"

In a nearby spaceship...

In a ship nearly as large as Andros' Astro Megaship, a figure sat at a console.

This figure, mysterious to some, was Zordon's son, and Sabrina's brother, Rayjon...simply known to many as The Phantom Ranger.

Gasping at Zera's ship coming into view, he thought, "My God, they're headed for Eltar! I don't know what the hell those two are up to, but I'm damn sure not going to let them get to my planet!"

TBC...