The battle in the plaza was raging on, and Brody and the others had fanned out to leave Preston to confront Abrakadanger. While he had been practicing magic a while, and knew a few very powerful spells, he wasn't exactly a sorcerer of Abrakadanger's level. Of course, right now he was the closest thing they had and so he was keeping the monster busy while the others took care of the Kudabots. All he needed to do was keep pace with Abrakadanger until the others could come and help him.
"Doof Ekam!" Abrakadanger called out, aiming for Preston's Ninja Sword. Preston's sword turned into a large candy cane in his hand. Preston kicked off of Abrakadanger, backflipping away.
"Cigam Odnu!" Preston called out, returning his sword to its natural state. Abrakadanger looked to him, and was more than a little impressed.
"Wow, until I saw it myself I was starting to doubt you had that power." Abrakadanger said to him. "It's not everyone that can manage an undo magic spell."
"Yeah, well I had some good motivation!" Preston told him. "I just practiced hard and learned!"
"Perhaps I don't need to destroy you all." Abrakadanger told him. "It's been some time since I had an apprentice. Perhaps if you and your friends just hand over your Power Stars, once I destroy Galvanax, I might have some time to train you. How would you like to become a great wizard?"
"If I do become a great wizard, I'll do it on my own!" Preston told him, levitating some rocks towards Abrakadanger, who deflected them with a few well-placed blasts. "I won't need someone like you!"
"Well, since you seem to be the only one that can undo my spells, I guess that means you're the one I should take down first!" Abrakadanger yelled, powering up his wand. "Let's see how good a magician you really are! ENOTS OT NURT!"
"REIRRAB ELBARTENEPMI!" Preston screamed, summoning up his barrier spell. Abrakadanger had seen him try and fail once before so he didn't try to stop the spell, but as it formed into a mirror, he could only watch as the spell rebounded, hitting the robots that had been sent to help him. The Rangers all watched as their opponents turned into statues.
"Way to go Preston!" Sarah called out, shoving over one of the Kudabots, which shattered on the ground.
"Yeah, nicely done!" Brody agreed, smashing another apart. The Rangers made quick work of destroying the statues before Abrakadanger could get the chance to try and turn them back. The monster suddenly realised he was now on his own, facing off against five Rangers.
"You think you scare me?" He asked. "I'll turn you all into ice-cubes just so I can watch you…"
He was stunned and staggered as Brody rushed into him, slicing into him with his Ninja Sword.
"It may not be magic, but it's got its uses!" Brody stated, pulling out the Lion Fire Armour Star and throwing it to Preston. "Presto! Take this! Show him what you can do! Guys, with me!"
The Rangers were so involved in their battle that they never noticed Trevor and his unit moving into position, circling around the plaza. Now that they were sure that they had cleared the area of bystanders, they were moving into position to cut off escape routes.
"This is Marx, is everyone in position?" He asked.
"Team one, the North side is secure." One of his followers answered.
"Team three, southwest is sealed up tight." Another called out. Trevor checked his weapon was ready, before flicking off the safety. He didn't see Devin making his move, coming to a hiding spot a little way off.
"Alright, weapons hot!" Trevor told them. "Remember, wait until the monster is down, then we make our move."
"Wait, what?" Devin asked himself as he pulled out his cell phone, switching it to camera mode. "Is he saying what I think he is?"
"Remember just keep an eye on them and concentrate your fire!" Trevor stated. "Those suits don't make them invincible and we'll bring them in."
"Holy shit, he's serious!" Devin said as he started recording. "Those guys are going after the Rangers!"
Brody spun his Element Star, swinging his sword into Abrakadanger, who barely managed to get his staff in the way of the blow.
"Keep it up guys!" Brody called out. "Keep up the pressure!"
"Element Star, Steel Strike!" Calvin called out, rushing in and striking him, knocking his wand upwards out of the way, just as Hayley and Sarah both rushed in, connecting with him and smashing him against a wall. Abrakadnager struggled to stay on his feet under the relentless assault.
"Having trouble there?" Preston said, seizing his wand in his hand. "I may not be a Master Magician yet, but I'm also a ninja, which means I do have other skills! Mess with my planet, and you awake a SLEEPING DRAGON!"
The Rangers all watched as flames erupted from within Preston, far brighter and more intense than they had ever seen before. He had summoned a small fire dragon before, one that was about the size of a kitten, but this time, this time it enveloped his whole body, channelling power from the Lion Fire Armour into the attack. Before Abrakadanger could do anything to stop it, Preston's dragon form consumed him in powerful flames. Preston appeared a little way off, turning around to watch as Abrakadanger fell towards the ground and exploded.
"Now THAT is what I call magic!" Preston declared. "Show's over, Ninjas WIN!"
"Preston, that was freaking AWESOME!" Calvin screamed.
"Dude, that was totally epic!" Brody agreed.
"You really are amazing." Sarah complimented him, hugging him tightly.
"Alright, let's move!" Trevor called out, at which the cops broke cover. The Rangers all watched as they saw cops in full body armour coming in towards them.
"Wow, I never realised how long we'd been here. I didn't even hear them arrive." Brody stated.
"It's alright guys, you don't need to worry, we've got this under control!" Calvin called out.
"Uh guys…" Hayley started to say nervously. That was when Sarah noticed something else that was worrying.
"Guys, is it just me or are they pointing those guns at us?" Sarah asked.
"Alright, weapons on the ground, you're coming with us!" Trevor called out.
"Wait, what?" Calvin asked.
"You're under arrest!" Trevor told them. "This is your final warning!"
"Under arrest? Are you serious?" Calvin asked, beginning to move forward. "Look, there's been some kind of AAAAGHH!"
Calvin was blasted back as one of the cops started to open fire. The other Rangers immediately broke to run, but found their way blocked by other units. They had to take cover as the police started to surround them.
"What the hell is going on?" Sarah screamed.
"They're shooting at us!" Brody called back.
"I got that part, but WHY?" Sarah asked in response.
"Uh, that's on us." Preston said to them. "Little update we meant to fill you in on…um…apparently there are cops that hate us now!"
"Yeah, we totally meant to fill you in on that." Hayley agreed. "Our bad."
"OK, we can figure that out later, but right now what do we do about the fact they've surrounded us and are shooting at us?" Calvin asked. "I don't know about you but I for one don't really think turning up on the six o'clock news beating up a bunch of Summer Cove's Finest is going to do our public image much good!"
"We might not have much of a choice." Sarah stated. "I don't know about you but those couple of shots I took hurt like a bitch! Their weapons can hurt us and they have a lot of them!"
"We'll call that the final option!" Brody answered. "Until then, let's try and find a way to slip out. We need a distraction…"
"Think that counts?" Preston asked as a beam came down, hitting the ground where Abrakadanger had fallen.
"I never thought I'd hear myself say this, but thank you Cosmo!" Brody called out as Abrakadanger started to grow. Trevor and his unit turned their attention to him, opening fire as they started to fall back. Brody called over to them.
"Get out of here!" Brody called to them. "You're not equipped to deal with this, we are!"
"Brody, I think we're a bit beyond the conversation part of the proceedings." Hayley told him, pulling out her Zord Star.
"Alright, it's time we take over here." Brody stated. "Preston, you take the lead!"
"Alright, Ninja Steel Megazord, Dragon formation!" He yelled as they all leapt into their Zords. Abrakadanger jumped onto his wand and kicked off the ground, soaring into the air. "He's taking off! Just as well these wings aren't just for show!"
With that, they took off, flying after Abrakadanger as he took to the skies high over the city. Trevor pulled himself up off the ground, ripping off his helmet.
"Dammit all, we had them!" He screamed.
"Marx…"
"We had them pinned down and then this happened!" He answered. "This is such a screw up!"
"Marx, you saw them, we had them pinned down, that means we know we have them scared!" Another reminded him.
"Yeah, and now they know we're closing in on them!" Trevor muttered. "How could this get any worse?"
Meanwhile, from a spot a little way off, Devin started to dial his phone.
"Hello, it's me!" He rushed out.
"What? Devin, why are you calling me?" The voice on the other end asked. "This isn't exactly a good time…"
"Look, I know you're busy but…"
"BUSY? Devin, I'm sitting at my desk right now, we're about to go live!" The voice on the other end told him. "It's not like you don't know my schedule…"
"Cass, please, just look at this video file I've taken!" He told her.
"I'll look later…"
"Please, will you just trust me?" He asked her. "You won't regret it!"
"I can't just drop everything and watch your phone video Devin, I'm the anchor of a major news show!" She reminded him.
"That's exactly why you need to see this! Some cops just attacked the Power Rangers!" Devin told her. "I have the whole thing on video!"
"Devin…are you…are you serious?" She asked him.
"Cassidy, there are a lot of things I joke about, but I never joke about news footage!" He told her. "Check it out, you will NOT regret it!"
Meanwhile in the skies, the Rangers were in close pursuit of Abrakadanger, trying to drive him from the city. Although they were doubtful that he would simply leave without any further incident, they were keen to take the battle as far from a populated area as they could.
Abrakadanger dodged, being narrowly missed by one of Preston's Dragon Blasts.
"Alright, I think we've got him far enough from the city." Preston told them. "We can go wherever you can! Give it up or we'll bring you down hard!"
"You can go wherever I can? Ha! Let's see how well you fly when your zord has been turned into stone!" He called out, firing a blast backwards. Preston tried to dodge, but they were so close behind him in an attempt to bring him down that he didn't have time to react. Before they team knew what was happening, their Megazord was falling to the ground fast.
"What's happening? None of the controls are responding!" Brody called out.
"I…think I know what the problem is!" Sarah said as her podium started to turn to stone. "Last time I checked stone wasn't exactly an idea material for building aircraft from!"
"Everyone hold on!" Calvin said as they ploughed into the ground, leaving a long trench behind them as they skidded along the ground. "Is everyone OK?"
"I'll live." Brody stated. "But I'll feel a lot better once we get rid of this guy! I just need to get into another Zord and…"
"Brody, there's a problem here!" Sarah told him. "With the Zord turned to stone the doors are too! That means they won't open!"
"So, we're trapped in here?" He asked.
Just then, the whole Zord rocked.
"What the hell is going on?" Brody asked.
"Now he's grounded us, I think Abrakadanger's decided to get in a few free shots!" Hayley told him.
"We're sitting ducks!" Brody stated.
"I…I think I can use my undo spell." Preston told them. "I've never tried it on this scale before but…"
"We don't have much choice!" Brody told him as he steadied himself following another blast. "I just hope the Zord holds together long enough."
"You guys sound like you could use a distraction!" Levi stated.
"Levi?" Brody asked over the communicator.
"It might have taken a while, but Zords are the ONLY way to travel!" He told them. "I'll take care of Abrakadanger for you!"
Abrakadanger was sent flying as Levi and his Bull Rider Zord appeared on the scene, blasting him away from the Rangers. He got the monster's attention on him, allowing the Rangers to work on turning themselves back to normal.
"You again? I should have sent you to Antarctica!" The evil sorcerer exclaimed. "It's not a mistake I'll be making again! Take that!"
Levi used his Zord's superior speed to dodge the incoming blasts, perfectly certain that if even one hit him, it would take him more than a couple of days' solid travel to get back this time. Abrakadanger's frustration started to noticeably build as his blasts came more readily, but also more wildly and seemed to lack the necessary aim.
"Will you hold STILL?" He screamed in anger.
"Sorry, but that's just not going to happen!" Levi answered, disengaging the Robo Rider Zord. "Now let's see how you do without THIS!"
The Robo Rider Zord grabbed Abrakadanger's staff, and with a quick motion, threw him overhead, while ripping the staff from his grip. Abrakadanger got up, realising that his staff was no longer in his hand.
"My staff!" He screamed. "Give that back!"
"Oh, sure I will." Levi replied, before the Robo Rider Zord snapped it across its knee. "OOPS! Sorry, you didn't specify how many pieces you wanted it in!"
"You're going to pay for AAAGGGHHHH!" He called out, just as he was hit in the back by a blast. He turned around to see the Ninja Steel Megazord had now returned to normal. He held up his hands, backing away as he now realised he had the might of two Megazords to contend with.
"No…no…this isn't fair! You can't…"
"And I suppose it would have been fair if we didn't have our own magic to counter yours?" Preston asked. "I say it's high time we made this wizard disappear for good! Ninja Fusion Star, Activate!"
Abrakadanger could only watch as the Zords all combined, before levelling their weapons his way.
"FINAL STRIKE!" They all called out as they opened fire. The blasts ripped through Abrakadanger, who just stood for a moment, before sinking to his knees, then flopping face-first to the ground where he exploded. Preston levelled the Ninja Master Blade over his shoulder.
"I may not be a Master Magician yet, but I think I make a pretty damn good ninja!" Preston said with a smile. "Show's over, Ninjas WIN!"
Back at the precinct, Trevor and his team returned to the garage. Trevor was livid that the Rangers had slipped through his fingers. He had them pinned down. He was under no false impression that he had caught them by surprise. He was sure he had even heard one of them say that they didn't know the cops were even after them and question why they were firing at them!
They had the Rangers pinned down, and it was clear that by using the strongest weapons available to them, they were able to hurt them. They also seemed reluctant to fight back, no doubt because of their belief that somehow, they were the good guys, that their actions somehow made the fact their battles left entire neighbourhoods in ruin justified the fact they acted completely without any kind of legal mandate or consequence for their behaviour. He felt like it was possible they were only moments from bringing them in if it wasn't for Abrakadanger coming back.
"Son of a BITCH!" Trevor roared, throwing his helmet into the floor, where it smashed into a couple of different pieces. "We were so close, we HAD them!"
"Marx, that thing was huge! We were lucky to get out alive!" One of them responded. "If it wasn't for the Rangers…"
"I swear to GOD Eddie, if you complete that sentence I'll shoot you myself!" Trevor warned him, kicking what was left of his helmet across the garage. "Damn it, now they know we're coming. We're never going to get the drop on them like that again!"
"So, what do we do now?" One of them asked. "I mean, like you said, that was our best shot. Now they know we're coming for them…"
"It just means we need to be smarter, even BETTER prepared!" Trevor stated.
"Better prepared?" One of them asked. "How?"
That was a sticking point. Trevor really did have no idea how to progress from there. One of them just coughed and pointed behind them. Trevor turned to see Ellie standing behind him.
"Ellie, what can I do for you?" He asked her.
"Trevor, I was asked to find you by Sterling." She told him.
"The fed?" One of them asked. "What the hell does she want?"
"You're kidding right?" She asked. Trevor shook his head, at which Ellie pulled out her phone, showing him some footage.
"Our leading report again, our on-location correspondent Devin Del Val has risked his life to bring us this exclusive and unbelievable footage of the Power Rangers' latest battle with an unexpected and dare we say unwelcome addition." The reporter stated as some rough footage started up. "Reports are so far unconfirmed, but it appears as though members of Summer Cove Police Department are actually attacking the Power Rangers! Channel 6 has contacted the SCPD but so far, they have yet to make an official statement. This is Cassidy Cornell for Channel 6 news!"
"Marx!" They heard someone call out. They all looked up to see Agent Sterling standing a little way off. "My office, if you please!"
Trevor just rolled his eyes and followed her as she led him towards her office, while the other officers started to slowly find other places to be.