A/N: I'm so sorry for the long wait between chapters...I completely lost inspiration for a while, and then college made it hard to have time for writing. But at last, here's episode four! To make up for the long absence, this one is a bit longer, and there's a good amount of action in it.

And so, without further ado, I give you episode 4 of Power Rangers Myths. Enoy! ^_^

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Episode 4: Heart of a Dragon

Jayse lay awake in his bed, tossing and turning. He knew he wouldn't get any sleep tonight; not after the defeat they had suffered that day at the hands of those two. Both the physical pain of the beating they had taken and the emotional stress would keep him from sleep tonight. Steve and Ice…he couldn't believe how powerful they were. More than that, he couldn't believe that they would just accept powers from an evil sorceress with the agreement to fight on her side. How could any human just give up their humanity and fight against their own? It was unfathomable, and yet, these two had done it.

He lay on his back and looked up, remembering what had happened after Steve and Ice had gone away. The five Rangers were so beaten up they could hardly move. Eventually, Miles and Alistair had shown up in an SUV and had helped them inside to take them back to the mansion. They both seemed very concerned about the well-being of the Rangers and, gratefully, said nothing about the defeat at the time. Jayse had a feeling that the professor would have something to say about it later, though.

Over and over, the newest Red Ranger played back the battle in his mind, trying to figure out what had gone wrong. He and Dan and Michel seemed to be doing well against Steve, getting the better of him. It was only when he and Ice started working together that the five heroes couldn't handle them. Next time, he'd be sure to keep the battles spread apart, so that the Wielders of Fire and Ice couldn't work together…

Next time…He pushed the thought from his head, rolling over onto his side and crossing his arms. Maybe there wouldn't be a next time. Maybe they'd just be destroyed before they got a chance to use such strategy. Maybe…

He closed his eyes and tried to cope with the stress. The words kept scrolling through his mind: You're the leader. You should have led them to victory. It's all your fault. What kind of a leader are you?

His eyes opened and stared at the ceiling in the blackness, reminded again of last night's dream. As much as he tried to forget it, it continued to force itself into his mind, bringing with it the same thought: What kind of a leader am I?

---

Steve and Ice walked casually away from the library, ignoring the yells of the librarian as she ran after them. The fire boy carried in his arms a huge, thick hardcover book. On the cover, it read quite simply in gilded letters "Mythology".

At last, the librarian caught up to them, struggling to catch her breath as sweat poured down her face. "You…c-can't just walk out of the library with a book," she panted. "You have to check it out and…"

Ice turned around and smiled with sarcastic kindness at the middle-aged woman. "Aww, you look hot," she said smoothly. "How about you cool down a bit?" She put a hand out and instantly the woman froze, surrounded in a layer of ice. Steve looked over at the librarian and grinned.

"Consider it checked out." Laughing darkly, he continued walking in the opposite direction, with Ice following after.

As they walked, Steve thought about the day before. So much had happened in so little time. He had gotten powers from a sorceress and sworn his loyalty to her, he and his new partner had attacked those five pathetic humans, and their new mistress had rewarded them with great praise and honor. She said that she was sure she had chosen the right humans as her generals, and she was proud of them. No one had ever said that kind of thing to Steve before, and it only made him feel more loyal to her. He felt that he was ready for anything.

Soon, they arrived back at Kurayami's cavern base, and they bowed before her throne, Steve holding up the book to her. "We have brought what you asked for, my Mistress," he said humbly. The sorceress stood and took the large object from him, then sat again and began leafing through the pages.

"Yes, this will do nicely," she said after a moment. Then she looked down at them. "I want you to go to the city and draw the Rangers out, but don't destroy them yet. I have plans for them. Take some Goblinoids with you, and don't stop the attack until I tell you to."

The two warriors stood and nodded. "Yes, Mistress."

---

Like yesterday morning, Jayse stood again in the basement of the mansion with the others. Sensei Ichiro stood next to Alistair, explaining what he intended to do today. The training he had in mind sounded fairly grueling, but the Red Ranger knew it was necessary. If only last night hadn't been so restless…

First, Sensei Ichiro had the Rangers "warm up" on the workout machines. They spent some time on the stationary bikes, treadmills, and more weight lifting machines than Jayse even knew existed.

"Ugh, this is exhausting…" Dan complained loudly as he worked out.

"And after we got so beaten up yesterday…" Angie agreed.

"D-don't complain," Jayse panted as he worked hard on a stationary bike. "We definitely need the exercise if we're going to be in good shape to fight Kurayami."

Dan groaned and looked over at him with the expression of a child who's just been asked to clean their room. He opened his mouth to continue his protest when, on the other side of Jayse, Michel gave him a dark glare that instantly shut him up.

"If Jayse says we should do this, then we will," he said through heavy breaths. Exchanging glances, Peg and Angie giggled.

After working with the machines for about an hour, their trainer allowed them a much needed twenty minute break. The rest didn't seem nearly long enough, and after the time had passed, Sensei Ichiro immediately called them to attention again.

"Alright, students," he began, looking at each of them individually. "You not only need to train your bodies to be physically fit, you also need to hone your skills as fighters in order to properly combat your enemies." He looked at Alistair, then back at them. "This is why I am going to set you up into teams for sparring matches."

Peg raised her eyebrows. "So, we're going to fight each other?" The sensei nodded.

"Angie, Peg, and Dan will fight on this side of the room," he commanded with a gesture towards his right. "And Jayse will spar with Michel on the other side." He pointed to his left. "Are we clear?"

With looks of interest and slight confusion, the five Rangers nodded. "Yes, Sensei."

The two girls and Dan moved to their side of the room and stared at each other for a moment, as if not sure what to do. Finally, the Green Ranger jumped into a fighting position and grinned at his team mates.

"Come on, ladies," he said. "Come and get me!"

After exchanging knowing looks, the girls did just that. They ran towards him at once, Angie aiming a kick and Peg punching. Dan managed to dodge both by diving out of the way. He fell flat on his face on the mat though, and it took him a second to get up. Once he did, he ran at Peg to punch, but she caught his fist with her left hand and sent her right fist into his stomach. He groaned and stumbled back, where Angie was waiting. She kicked him in the back, causing him to fall forward again. Peg caught him, laughing.

"I guess we're just too much for you," Peg laughed. "Let's team up on Angie!" Dan smiled weakly.

"Okay…" After a moment's rest, they both faced the Blue Ranger, grinning mischievously.

On the other side of the room, Jayse and Michel faced each other, circling slowly. Then, they moved in, attacking quickly. Jayse threw a punch at Michel, who ducked under it, then tried to kick Jayse's legs out from under him. The Red Ranger jumped back out of the way, then jumped and kicked at Michel. Just before the kick hit, the Yellow Ranger folded his arms in front of his chest, allowing them to absorb the impact. He still stumbled a bit, but regained his composure quickly and ran back towards his team mate to attack. He hit him hard in the chest with his fist, causing Jayse to keel over.

Suddenly, the shrill ring of the alarm filled the room. After a moment, Miles' voice shouted over the alarm through the speakers.

"Guys, those two are back downtown, Steve and Ice." He sounded worried. "And they've got a ton of Goblinoids with them…"

---

Steve and Ice marched down a street in Arena Beach, followed by a small army of Goblinoids. Wherever they went, cars swerved around them or made hasty U-turns to get away. That kind of power felt excellent: the power to instill fear into the hearts of those around them. With simple words of command, they sent the Goblinoids to attack the cars parked along the sides of the street, and to terrorize any pedestrian in the vicinity. They knew that this would draw out the Rangers, as Kurayami had wanted.

Sure enough, they appeared quickly, running up to them in their brightly colored suits. They stopped a few feet in front of them, standing in battle positions.

Steve smiled at them and laughed sarcastically. "Come to lose again, have you?"

With a clenched fist, Jayse took a step forward. "No, we've come to show that you can't keep us down." He paused. "A Dragon's Strength! Myth Red!" Doing some motions with his body, he ended in a position with both arms stretched to full length at his sides, hands balled into fists.

"A Unicorn's Magic! Myth Blue!" Angie did her own motions and ended with her hands above her, fingers spread apart.

"A Pegasus' Flight! Myth Pink!" After Peg's motions, she stood with her arms stretched diagonally to her sides, hands pointing.

"A Sea Serpent's Stealth! Myth Green!" Dan moved in his own way, then ended with his hands in front of his helmeted face, fingers spread.

"A Griffin's Speed! Myth Yellow!" Michel did his motions, then finished with his fists stretched out directly in front of him.

Then, the five Rangers cried together: "With the power of our mystical partners! Power Rangers Myths!"

Steve looked at the Rangers, then at his partner. "Poses…" he said. "Should we be scared?"

Ice laughed. "I highly doubt it. Let's get them!" She pointed forward, signaling for the Goblinoids to attack. They obeyed, surrounding the five heroes.

The Rangers spread out, each attacking a group of the creatures. Jayse went first and broke viciously into a circle of Goblinoids, his fists rapidly hitting anything that came near him. He called out his weapon and began slashing wildly but deliberately at the monsters around him. They seemed to be caught off guard by his speed at first, and they did little to fight him. Many of them simply crashed to the ground before they actually began to fight. Finally, they gained their composure and fought back, punching and kicking at the Red Ranger. He managed to block most of their attacks, but one powerful kick to the back sent him face first on the ground.

Michel and Dan looked at each other, surprised at how much vigor and effort he was putting into his fighting. Then, as he fell, they raced in to help, pulling Goblinoids off of him and helping him stand. The Green and Yellow Rangers called on their weapons as well. Dan began whipping his mace at the Goblinoids, the spiked ball causing sparks to fly wherever it hit. Many of them were knocked down by its force. Michel gripped his axe firmly and grinned through his helmet before swinging powerfully at the Goblinoid who had kicked his friend. He cut into its chest, then spun around and chopped its head off. Then, he went after others, fighting side by side with Jayse.

Angie and Peg went after another group of the goblin creatures, each calling on their weapons. The Blue Ranger moved gracefully through the ranks of Goblinoids, ducking to avoid attacks and moving her arms in unison to slice at them with her daggers. She dropped low to hit the ankles of one, then pushed it into another while it could barely stand. Both fell forward towards Peg, who held up her shield and pushed them to the side. Then the Pink Ranger held the pointed sides of her shield outward and slashed at the creatures with it.

Soon, all of the Goblinoids had disappeared, leaving only the Rangers and Steve and Ice, who stood facing each other.

Steve chuckled. "Those guys were just a warm-up. As you saw last time, the two of us are more than enough for you!" He looked over at Ice and the two grinned.

"This time, things will be different!" Jayse cried. "Come on, guys!"

"Right!" his teammates answered. With that, they ran towards their two enemies.

"Michel, Dan, we'll take on this guy," Jayse commanded, moving towards Steve. "You girls get the Ice Lady. Whatever happens, don't let them team up!"

"Got it!" Peg shouted back. She ran at Ice and grabbed both of her arms, pulling her off to the right. Angie followed, and she kicked at Ice from the side as Peg let go. Ice fell to the side, but managed to catch herself before she hit the ground. She turned towards them and glared before shooting a beam of ice at the two Rangers. They dove out of the way just in time, and the ice hit a light pole, freezing it. Their enemy growled in anger, shouting at them to stand still. They obeyed for a moment as they called out their weapons. Peg put up her shield just in time to block another icy attack while Angie ran towards Ice, ready to slash with her daggers.

Michel ran hard at Steve, ramming him with his shoulder and knocking him to the ground. Steve rolled onto his back and threw a fireball at Michel, which caused him to fly backwards. Dan and Jayse, standing side by side, braced themselves and caught their friend. While the Rangers steadied themselves, Steve leapt back to his feet. He held out his fists and caused them both to burst into flame, grinning at his enemies.

"If he's going to use his powers, let's use ours!" Dan suggested. The Yellow and Red Rangers nodded, and the three called out their weapons. From the distance, Dan held the handle of his mace in one hand and the ball in the other. After tossing it up in his hand for a moment, he threw it at Steve, the long chain stretching almost to its full length. Steve put his fiery fists together and blocked it, sending it flying back towards the Rangers. Michel held out the broad side of his axe like a shield and used it to deflect the mace back towards Steve. Dan gripped the handle firmly and gained control over his weapon. The ball hit Steve square in the chest before he could block it, sending him flying backwards. As he fell, Jayse ran towards him, brandishing his blade.

Angie slashed both of her daggers diagonally across Ice's chest before she could do anything to stop it. She shrieked in pain and stumbled back, but recovered quickly and sent a ball of ice at the Blue Ranger. It hit her in the head, causing her to fall over onto her back and demorph. Peg ran towards her as Ice prepared to attack again, using her shield to block the attack.

"No one gets away with hurting my friends!" Peg screamed. Holding her shield firmly with both arms behind it, Peg rushed at Ice and hit her head on. The Wielder of Ice crumpled to the ground with the force of the attack and lay motionless.

As Jayse reached Steve, he got to his feet again and crossed his fiery fists in front of him as a shield. But Jayse slashed quickly under them at his stomach. Steve groaned in pain and his fists went out as he grabbed at the offended area. Jayse took the opportunity to shove him to the ground, where he lay and did not get up again.

Peg demorphed and reached her hand down to help Angie stand. "Hey, are you okay?"

Angie winced slightly as she stood, holding her head with one hand. "Yeah, I'm fine. I've got a splitting headache for some reason though." She smiled weakly and Peg smiled back.

Dan and Michel, still morphed, went over to where the girls were.

"We did it!" Dan cried, clapping his hands with joy. "We actually beat those suckers!"

Michel folded his arms across his chest and chuckled. "They may be tough when they're together, but they don't stand a chance against us apart."

"Great idea, Jayse!" Peg smiled at her friend as he walked up to them, also morphed still. But before he could say anything, something surprising happened.

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Kurayami's figure faded suddenly into view. She wore a deep purple gown that covered her body and arms completely. The sunlight reflected with a bright shine off of her jet black hair. Her cruel eyes bore into the Rangers as her mouth wore a dreadful scowl of hatred. For several seconds, she just glared at the Rangers and they glared back. Then, she turned to give a disgusted look to Steve and Ice, who still lay sprawled on the ground.

"How dare you let yourselves be defeated," she hissed at them. "You will be punished later." With a wave of her hand, the two contrasting bodies disappeared. Then, she turned back to the five young adults and smiled a sickening, dark smile. "I have a present for you," she said in a tone of mock sweetness as her eyes fell on the Red Ranger. "I hope you like him." With that, she threw her head back and began to mutter in some strange language.

Almost instantly, Jayse felt the rings on his fingers begin to get warm. He stared down at them to see that the gems on them were glowing red brightly. The others looked at their own rings as well, but they appeared normal. Soon, the metal bands seemed to be burning into Jayse's fingers, and he screamed in pain. At last, he thrust his hands forward automatically and demorphed. In that instant, a huge red dragon swirled into being out of the light from the rings. It beat its powerful wings and leapt into the air, soaring above them. Smoke and fire seeped from its nostrils. Jayse collapsed into a sitting position and watched open mouthed. The others gaped at it as well.

Kurayami had stopped her chant and was now laughing darkly, watching the dragon and the Rangers. "Have fun with your new pet!" she cried. "And good luck controlling him!" Then, she disappeared in a puff of black smoke, her laughter echoing after her.

The dragon circled overhead a few times before landing in front of the five Rangers, glaring with bright, ruby eyes.

Michel tapped the communication device in his helmet and spoke to Miles and Alistair back at the mansion. "Uhh, are you two seeing this?" he asked warily.

"Yes, we are," the professor answered simply.

"Well?" Dan asked, sounding both impatient and afraid. "What are we supposed to do about it?"

"And what the hell is it?" Peg asked, talking to Michel's helmet so that Alistair could hear her. "I know it's a dragon, but why did it come out of Jayse's rings?"

The Red Ranger stood up, his expression firm and understanding. "It's my dragon," he said quietly. "His name is Draco."

With these calm words, he moved towards the fiery creature. Immediately, it tore upwards into the air again and began breathing thick streams of fire. It crashed around through the sky scrapers of Arena Beach, causing them to shake violently with the force. From their position, the Rangers could see the dragon set fire to an abandoned warehouse downtown.

Four of the Rangers watched this in horror, and back at the mansion, Miles was almost in shock. Jayse, however, seemed composed and alert, and completely unafraid. Through Michel's communicator, he heard Alistair's voice mirroring his calm.

"You know what you have to do, right, Jayse?"

"Yes, I do." The Red Ranger began moving slowly forward, towards where the dragon was still attacking the warehouse. The others yelled at him, and he stopped for a moment.

"Jayse, get back here!" Peg cried. "You're going to get yourself barbequed!"

"Yeah, and we need you…" Dan pleaded, like a child begging his mother not to leave him.

"What the hell are you going to do to stop that thing?" Michel said angrily. "It's a huge, fire breathing dragon!"

"Please, Jayse…" Angie's soft voice sounded scared.

Jayse just looked at them, and to their surprise, he smiled warmly.

"Guys, just trust me, okay?" Without waiting for a response, he turned around again and ran towards the dragon. The boys demorphed and the four teammates gaped at each other, then back at him. Their faces were pale.

As Jayse drew close to where the dragon stood, chewing on a metal beam, he slowed down and walked calmly towards it. Approaching it slowly, he put out his hands to show that he meant no harm.

"Hey there, Draco," he said in a soft, soothing voice. The dragon turned to him sharply, its fiery eyes glaring as it dropped the beam. Without a moment's hesitation, it let fire burst out of its mouth at Jayse. It consumed him fully, turning him into a massive fireball. When the flames and smoke cleared, the Red Ranger still stood there in once piece, not singed and unharmed.

"See? You can't hurt me…" he said, his voice shaking slightly, but not losing its soothing tone. "We're partners." He began slowly walking closer to the dragon, who looked angrier that its fire hadn't worked. It swung its powerful neck at Jayse, who ducked to dodge it, but grabbed on to the scales and climbed on top of it. Jayse straddled the dragon's long neck right below his head, holding on tightly. The creature whipped its head around wildly, trying to shake the human off. Then, with a powerful push, it jumped into the air and started flying around, dodging between buildings, still trying to get rid of its unwanted passenger.

Jayse held on for dear life, swerving with the dragon to avoid hitting the side of buildings. He caught a glimpse of the four other Rangers on the ground. From the split-second view he got of them, he could tell that they were paralyzed with fear. Suddenly, he noticed that his rings were glowing. Instinctively knowing what to do, he let go with his hands, still clinging tightly with his knees, and pushed his fist firmly to the sides of the dragon's head.

The effect was immediate. The dragon slowed down and stopped thrashing its head about. A red light seemed to flow out of the rings and surround the creature and human. When it faded, Jayse was morphed, and the dragon looked different as well. Its living scales were replaced with sheets of metal, and it was all red and silver. Only its eyes still seemed organic, and there was an intelligent look in them. It flew smoothly to where the other Rangers were and landed gently in front of them. Then it leaned its head down so Jayse could jump off of it. It looked at him gravely.

"So, you are my new partner, hmm?" The dragon spoke in a deep, intense voice. Jayse nodded at this, smiling under his helmet. The dragon's lips curled up at the edges in what could perhaps be called a smile. "Demorph, Red Ranger," he said, "so I can get a look at you."

Without hesitating, Jayse obeyed. He grinned up at the dragon, who eyed him critically for a few moments. "You'll do," he said at last. "I'm Draco. What is your name?"

The Red Ranger introduced himself. "I already knew your name, Draco. But I don't really know how…"

Draco gave a small laugh that was barely distinguishable from a growl. "That is good, Jayse. It means that we really are connected." He paused, then looked over to the other Rangers, who were still trembling with fear. With a grim smile, he laughed again. "You don't need to be afraid of me, Rangers. I'm here to help you."

"You...you're Jayse's partner?" Peg asked, her voice shaking a little. Draco nodded. "Umm, hi then," the Pink Ranger continued. "I'm Peg."

"Greetings Peg, fellow Ranger of my partner." Draco bowed his broad shoulders slightly to her.

Jayse smiled at Peg gratefully, then turned back to the dragon. "So Draco, why did you turn all metallic when I touched you with my rings?"

After thinking for a moment, Draco answered. "The only explanation I can think of is that the power that binds me to you also connects me to your time. I have become partially robotic to fit with your modern technology, just as I immediately learned your language so we could communicate."

"That..." Dan began slowly, pausing for a moment in thought. "...is so freaking cool!"

---

Back in the apartment with modest furniture, the boy with the long brown hair gaped at the television as the news show faded out to a commercial. He couldn't believe the story they had just finished.

"Nee-san..." he called out with a dry mouth. "You missed it...it was...wow...come here."

With a soft chuckle, the girl came into the room. "What, did they just show a commercial for that American Kamen Rider show or something?"

"No, it's something even cooler than that." He turned back to her as she came up behind the couch. "More about those Rangers." As he said this, the commercials ended and the news started again, showing a video of a huge red-silver metallic dragon flying around the city. The girl gasped.

"That...That must be him...Draco." She looked down at the boy with wide eyes. "If he's been released..."

"Then the others will come eventually." The boy nodded. "We definitely have to find these Rangers. If they can release their creatures..." His voice trailed off excitedly.

The girl grinned. "It won't be much longer now."

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A/N: I hope you liked it! I'll try to get updates up more regularly.

By the way, Element of Sound, if you don't have an account, just make one. They're free and really easy to make....