Chapter Sixteen: The Fight for Status

Zordon, Estro, and Orion made their way to the training arena. There would be where The Trials would take place, as it always had. Estro was speaking with Orion about recent happenings as they walked.

"Orion, I know things are looking dire, so please ensure who is picked to The Top is more of a fighter than a thinker." The king said, glancing at Zordon. "No offense, of course, Master Zordon. We all know you are a great fighter as well as a thinker!"

He continued. "Please look at these recruits for the power they could bring. What with the Gold Ranger, Master Vile, and our old friend Zedd possessed... well, we have a lot on our plate."

Orion, not making eye contact with the man for whom he had no respect, continued walking. "Will do, Estro. Thank you for your advice. Now, shouldn't you be taking care of managing the Alliance's affairs at the moment?"

Nodding, Estro kept walking with the two others assigned to presided over The Trials. He paid no heed to the fact he was not wanted there. He wanted to be there and that was all that was important to him.

Orion pointed to the Research and Development lab's door. "Zordon, I need to pick something up first. I left my workbook in my office."

As they entered, Estro replied to Orion's previous statement directed to him. "Yes, yes! While Masters Gerlit and Animus take care of some of the other paperwork and whatnot, I am here looking over this Alliance affair. What could be more important than the calling of a new Master?"

The trio passed Burai as he worked on restoring Lightning Cruiser after its last battle with Lord Zedd. It hadn't fared too well and had been out of commission. As the three Masters walked by, Lightning Cruiser's alarms started blaring.

"What on Andresia's moons...!? Zordon!? Why is it doing this!?" Orion screamed.

Burai hurriedly disconnected some wires under the hood. "Sorry. I haven't gotten all of the kinks out. That alarm is supposed to indicate an intruder in an area he is not supposed to be." Burai sighed, using an oily rag to mop sweat off his brow.

King Estro chuckled. "I guess that would be my cue to head on back to HQ. I can take a hint!"

Burai jumped up, afraid that he had offended a Senior Master. "No, sir! That's not what I meant! I-"

Orion laughed and placed a hand on Burai's shoulder. "He's only kidding, Burai. Don't get all caught up in formalities. Master Estro should be heading back, though."

Estro's face dropped at that, seeing how his joke backfired. "Okay! Okay! Good luck with The Trials, Burai!"

As Zordon left to grab Orion's book, Orion turned to Burai. "Shouldn't you be getting ready for the exams?"

Burai nodded. "Yes, but I promised I would do everything I could to get Lightning Cruiser back up and running. I figured I'd have some time before The Trials."

"Well, kiddo, I think this can wait. Go get ready. We'll be starting up soon."

A little while later, Zordon and Orion sat at the judge's table, watching Margaret, Cestro, and Burai warm up. As they did, Zordon remembered how it was for him when he went through The Trials two months earlier. The application process, once again, had scored him in the top three of the Academy, with Margaret coming behind Burai in a close fourth. He remembered how Cestro had done in the previous process. Zordon had a very difficult time with Cestro, and was able to barely squeeze out the victory over him. The rules of the battles for The Trials were simple: Each fighter starts on one side of the room. The room is littered with artificial boulders, ravines, and trees. The first person to cause their opponent to fall to at least one knee would be the winner.

Thinking back on the battle, Zordon remembered Cestro's tenacity. At one point, Cestro had begun controlling the water in the ravine. He concentrated it as a torrent toward Zordon. Zordon touched his chest as he remembered the pain he had felt. He remembered flying through the air and landing. He remembered his masterful land as well: He landed with his palms outstretched and on the tips of his toes, in a push-up like position. Like a lion, he quickly sprinted up and hit Cestro in the chest, tackling him with his shoulder. As they landed, Zordon was on top of Cestro and Cestro lay with his back to the ground. Zordon had then reached down and rotated Cestro's leg medially until Cestro's knee touched the dirt. Rules were rules, and Zordon knew how to play by them.

Zordon glanced at Burai's warm up. Zordon believed Cestro would be the victor today and become a Morphing Master, but still kept in his mind that Burai could pull an upset. When Zordon had battled Burai, the battle had not gone how Zordon expected. As the battle had begun, Zordon shot many currents of electricity at his opponent. Burai had pulled out a dagger of some sort, and placed it to his lips. He used it as a flute, playing an interesting tune from it. The shots deflected off of him as his triangular vest suddenly became a golden shield. The shield itself wrapped around the top of the shoulders, joining at the sternal area on Burai's chest at a large diamond. There appeared to have tiny footprints on each corner of the diamond, according to Zordon's recollection. Zordon had been surprised at the time to see that Burai had Morphing Grid capabilities similar to Orion, to be able to conjure armor from the Grid itself. Only a few people could do such a thing, and Zordon was not one of them.

He remembered how tempted he had been during that battle to summon the red saber he had created to tap into Saba, but he had been afraid that he hadn't allowed time for Sentinel Knight to be able to accept tapping into totems for power. Zordon had feared that Sentinel Knight would had deemed it too close to tapping the Morphing Grid itself to become a powerful warrior, and such technology should not be distributed to those who did not have the natural ability to do such a thing, like Burai and Orion had.

If I had only listened to Saba and had spoken to Sentinel sooner... Zordon thought.

He thought about what it would've been like to see his Saba saber clink with Burai's Dragon Dagger. Maybe someday in the future I'll get the chance to see that...

At that battle, Burai seemed untouchable. Zordon, already fatigued from his battle with Cestro, could not seem to keep up. He had launched himself into the air for an aerial strike. Burai had jumped up and met him there. For what seemed like longer than it could've possibly been, they exchanged blows in the air. Burai had punched Zordon in the chest and, as he started falling, had also swept the legs out from under Zordon. Once Zordon landed, he found himself facing the dirt, knees touching the ground. Burai had won.

The match that followed Zordon's defeat between Cestro and Burai had not been anything amazing: Burai began with the same tactic and Cestro, now knowing Burai's new abilities, planned ahead. Cestro controlled the ravine again and shot a powerful stream at a tree. The tree was cut through its very center and had started falling toward Burai. As Burai rolled out of the way, Cestro lunged at him and kicked him in the head. Burai was out cold, and Cestro had been the winner.

Taking into account everyone's record for the battles and also the interview process, Cestro and Zordon had tied for the top spot in the Morphing Academy, with Burai trailing behind them. That was why the conjecture about who would take Master App's place was so wide and varied at the time of his destruction. At the time he had lost his life fighting to save Decrof.

"Wake up, kid." Orion jabbed Zordon in the ribs. Zordon shot him an irritated glance.

"It's time to interview. Burai's up first."

The interviews were a long and boring process. Each of the candidates spoke about what they had been doing for the Academy and what their future plans were. They all had great things to say about what they would do once they became a Morphing Master.

Dream all you want. It's not like once you become a Morphing Master you'll have any time to do what you had planned anyway... Zordon thought bitterly.

After their song and dance was over, the tough part of the competition was up: the battle. Looking at his paper, according to the scores given up to that point, Margaret was slightly in the lead, with Burai in second, and Cestro in third. Margaret's contributions to the M51 War had helped propel her in that round of The Trials, while Burai's application was incredibly built up from just two months prior, with all the help he had been doing in Research and Development. What garnered him extra points was the fact he had been the acting head of research ever since Zordon had become too busy with Alliance affairs. His past victory over Zordon was also taken into account.

Ironic... Thought Zordon.

He was inadvertently helping Burai's application seem stronger. Zordon made a mental note that if Cestro could beat both Burai and Margaret, then he could still be the one the Masters pick to have a field test and become a Master himself.

The first match would be between Burai and Margaret. Burai looked over at the girl. To him, she was as beautiful as ever. He knew this would be difficult for him, seeing he had feelings for her. He knew he would have to bury those feelings if he would become a Master.

Margaret smiled at her opponent as the bell sounded, indicating the beginning of the battle. Margaret stood, wanting to give Burai the first move. She knew he had feelings for her and was hoping this would play to her advantage. Looking at the determination on his face, however, made her think those feelings may not be a factor in this bout.

"Dragon Dagger!" Burai shouted. A green dagger appeared in his hand. Burai touched it to his lips and played a tune, causing the same shield from before to appear on his person. "Dragon Shield: Activate!" His hands began glowing with Green Dragon Energy and Green Morphing Energy as he twisted his trunk into a unique battle stance.

"Dragon Orb!" He yelled as he twisted again, sending a green ball of Grid energy at Margaret. The young woman flipped over the orb, her silver hair flying around her as she did, landing back where she had originally been standing. Burai thought the scene was beautiful, almost in slow motion: she stood, staring him down as a fire blazed behind her.

"Magical Focus: Shockwave Pulsar!" A blue ripple formed around her and shot out to Burai. He began playing his flute while a golden shine could been seen forming around his shield. It seemed to shield him from the blast.

"Magical Focus: Laser Eye!" Margaret yelled again.

Blue Magic beams shot out of Margaret's eyes and hit Burai's dagger, sending it flying from his hands. As Burai dove to grab it, Margaret got back into position for another spell.

"Magical Focus: Degenerator!" As Margaret pronounced this attack, Burai disappeared.

Orion and Zordon looked around, confused. Margaret began to stagger a little before leaning up against a tree. Of all of her spells, Degenerator was one that didn't have a high hit ratio, causing it to always suck a lot out of her.

Suddenly, Burai appeared again, falling from the top of the room onto the ground. He grunted loudly as he hit the earth.

"Match: Margaret!" Orion declared, looking at Burai's knees covered in dirt.

Burai pounded the dirt in frustration with his fists. He knew he would have to beat Cestro, and then Cestro beat Margaret, if he had any chance of being the next Master.

He stood and bowed to Margaret, turning around and making his way back to where he would wait. According to the random draw, he was on deck to fight Cestro next.

After Cestro had made his way to the battlefield, the bell sounded. As it did, Burai decided to start things differently: he charged at Cestro, summoning his shield as he did. Cestro did a mid air cartwheel to dodge the attack. He then produced the hilt of a sword from within his robe. As he pulled it from its sheath, a laser appeared, being the blade.

Burai slashed at Cestro, with Cestro parrying the blow. They circled each other, watching each other's hips to try and predict the next move.

Cestro was the first to initiate an attack. He saw an opening and went for the slash to one of Burai's legs. Burai quickly blocked it and, taking a step back, kicked dirt into Cestro's eyes.

"Ah!" The Aquitian yelled.

At this opportunity, Burai simply jumped into the air and landed on Cestro's back, causing Cestro to crumple with the weight.

"Match: Burai!" Zordon declared, a part of him slightly irritated. He marveled at that, for he noticed another part of him was actually glad Burai had won. Once again, he noticed that there seemed to be conflicting thoughts within him. Outside of that Zordon wondered if Cestro could beat his next opponent, Margaret, after seeing that impressive display of Blue Magic he did not know she had.

Zordon and Margaret had been friends in the Academy for quite some time. They always had a bit of a rivalry, playfully trying to one up the other with witty quips in class or trying to score higher on exams. Up to that point, Zordon had always come up the victor.

The young Eltarian started imagining what it would be like with Margaret as a Master. It had been a while since there had been a female Master sent up.

It would definitely help with the group's diversity. Zordon thought. She has been proving herself to be a formidable fighter.

He looked on as Cestro took his place once again, now readying himself to battle Margaret. Margaret put her hand to her head, grimacing.

"Is everything alright, Margaret?" Orion asked from his seat.

"Yes. I just have a bit of a headache is all. Not a big deal." Margaret lied.

Using powerful spells like Shockwave Pulsar and Degenerator were spells that always took its toll on its user. Margaret's head pounded as she stared at Burai. She heard the bell ding.

I need to take this one fast. I don't know how long I have. Margaret thought quickly as she moved into position.

Burai watched, tense. He had plans no one knew about. If they were ever to come to pass, he needed to become a Master. He needed Cestro to beat Margaret.

Cestro didn't want to take any chances. He focused the ravine into an arrow-like projection and shot it at Margaret.

"Magical Focus: Aqua Breath!" Taking control of the arrow, Margaret redirected it and shot Cestro with it. It flew through his shoulder before turning into a puddle around him. Blood spurt out of the hole.

"Magical Focus: Electrocute!" Margaret did not target Cestro with this attack: She targeted the pool of water around him. As Cestro realized what she had done, his eyes widened. He had no time to react. The next thing he knew, he was convulsing on the ground from being electrocuted.

"Magical Focus: White Wind!" Margaret cast her last spell, sending a magical wisp of air around Cestro, healing him of his wounds. She hoped sportsmanship was something the judges might take into account.

Zordon and Orion looked at each other, pleased with what they saw. The other two members of The Top walked over to her and shook her hand. Burai, although disappointed, was glad that it was her. She was a special person and he knew it.

Perhaps I can still use her to get my plans in motion... Burai thought, quickly recalibrating his plans due to the new events.

"Now, Margaret. Follow us back up to the Morphing Masters' council room. We need to speak to you about your field exam, to complete your initiation." Orion said.

She nodded. "Thank you so very much! But first..." She looked down to see some blood drip out of her nose. "Can I get something for my headache?"

. . .

"May we strike now, Master Vile?" The Gold Ranger asked.

Master Vile nodded, seemingly pleased. "Yes, I believe now would be the perfect time to strike! Madame Woe, you know what to do?"

Madame Woe nodded. Her Spirit had recently been placed in a new body, created by Vile's best scientists. Once one of her vessels was destroyed, she always waited to be summoned again, to inhabit a new body. This was the curse she had to endure after having betrayed the Morphing Masters many a century ago.

Master Vile turned to Novact. "Turn off the shield to the Morphing Masters' headquarters!"

Novact smiled and did so, using the code his insider gave him. The shield deactivated.

"Attack!"

. . .

As Zordon, Margaret, and Orion made their way back to their main room, an explosion rang out in the halls. They rushed forward to see Master Gerlit unconscious, covered in rubble.

"Power of Light: Activate!" Orion yelled.

"Defender Helmet: Activate!"

They heard this statement come from the inside of the room. The trio rushed in to find Madame Woe and Animus in his Animal Defender Armor squaring off.

"Saba!" Zordon said, summoning his red saber. As he did, Madame Woe and Animus disappeared.

"Oh, no! He can't go alone!" Orion cried out, exasperated.

"You won't have time to think about him while you're dealing with me!" They heard a voice from above. They looked to find the Gold Ranger staring down at them, cackling.

"Hiyah!" The Gold Ranger yelled.

As the Gold Ranger descended from a higher level in the room, they began their battle. The Gold Ranger was able to fend off their attacks with ease.

"I can feel it... She is heavily tapped into the Morphing Grid." Orion said as he felt the fighter be able to use the Grid to predict their every move.

Zordon shot lasers at the Gold Ranger from his red saber, but they missed. The Gold Ranger was able to avoid them masterfully.

Margaret backed away for a moment before charging up for a Blue Magic attack. "Magical Focus: Homing Laser!"

Six balls of light appeared around her, then beamed out toward the Gold Ranger. The blast hit the ranger hard.

"Ahh! Ugh..." The Gold Ranger said, putting a hand up to the power shield. Looking around while staggering up, the Gold Ranger teleported out in a cascade of gold light.

Margaret then fainted, falling to the hard floor with a thud. Zordon and Orion ran to her.

"What a brave young lady. I hope she'll be alright." Orion said.

Zordon nodded. "I hope so, too. I also hope Master Animus is okay..."

. . .

Animal Defender Animus hurriedly cut at the braids trying to ensnare him from Madame Woe's head. He rolled and ducked, but did not know if he could hold on for much longer. He looked around at his environment, finding himself in the black wasteland Woe had a habit of placing her victims in.

"You have no chance of defeating me!" Madame Woe yelled.

The Animal Defender then had an idea. He allowed himself to get caught.

As she drew him closer, she cackled. "I told you to give up, and you did! Fool!"

At that, Animus commanded his suit to power down. As his armor disappeared, he wasn't as thick as he had been with the armor on, and was easily able to slip out from Madame Woe's clutches. He aimed his lance at her forehead and directed it right to the jewel on it. As it was destroyed from the bladed weapon, she screamed. At that, they appeared back in the council room.

As this occurred, Masters Dimitria, Magnus, and Ivicar ran into the room, looking to see what the commotion was about. Ivicar took one glace and shot a purple beam of energy at Madame Woe, causing electricity to swarm her body. She then fell to the ground, exploding.

Everyone shielded their eyes until the fire disappeared.

"What is happening here!?" Ivicar demanded.

. . .

As the Masters, now with Sentinel, sat and listened to what happened they took notes. King Estro sat amongst them as well. He had been found under the rubble earlier when they pulled Master Gerlit out. The Masters allowed Margaret to stay in this council, much as they did with Zordon when he was first brought into their ranks not more than days earlier.

Ivicar nodded and stood. "With what happened to us back at Triforia, I think I have a clear picture of what is happening: Master Tria has used resources from Triforia to be able to hack into our mainframe. Zordon, you and Burai must work to enforce our firewall."

After that statement, Ivicar turned to face Sentinel Knight. "Sentinel, it is obvious that Triforia is in league with Tria. They have shot at us and now attacked our base. We must act."

Sentinel Knight looked down in distress. He shook his head in disbelief. So much seemed to be happening around them in such a short time: Master App's death, Master Tria's betrayal, the creation of Lord Zedd, Master Vile trying to get the Zeo Crystal...

"Everyone, listen carefully." Sentinel Knight said. "This may be the biggest chain of events the Morphing Masters have ever seen. We must be up to the challenge. As of now... The United Alliance is at war with Triforia."