Chapter Eleven: Liaria and Magna
The Demon Hound sniffed at the group. It huffed in anger and ran off, uninterested. Meledon Ranger watched the giant beast speed away while the others stayed tense, not knowing it was no longer in the area. Thinking, Meledon's mind fell on some details about the Demon that chilled him to the bone.
"Once one of these things has a scent, they won't stop following it. The thing is already gone, so it must not have been after us…" He explained.
"Gerlit! They must be after him and the Greatest Treasure!" Alliance Blue said.
"I agree. They must have his scent…" Gold Ranger said.
Meledon's mind recalled for him an image. Focusing, he said, "Power of Meledon: Convert! Demon Blade!" His red saber's composition then changed to fit the molecular composition of the blade that appeared in his mind.
"What's that?" Gokai Yellow asked.
"It's a weapon able to defeat Demons. According to my powers, this will be able to destroy it." Meledon Ranger explained.
"How do you know this?" Green Owl asked.
"It seems these powers just tell me what I need to know. It also appears as if I can convert my suit into what I need it to be to fight an enemy." Meledon said, using his best guess.
"Wow!" Gokai Green said, looking Meledon over. "You're like the ultimate fighting machine."
"A lot of good that will do us if we don't find Gerlit and the treasure…" Gokai Blue reminded everyone.
"You're not going to find anything!" A Demon said, making himself known from his place in the shadows. He stepped forward to reveal himself.
"Who are you!?" Gokai Red demanded.
"I am General Goresakubo. Prepare to be destroyed!" Goresakubo said, getting into a fighting stance.
"We'll take care of this guy." Gokai Red said. "You guys find that artifact!"
"Right. Move out!" Alliance Red ordered to his team.
"I'll go back up top and offer air support." Burai said, teleporting up to the main Alliance ship.
"We'll go this way." Meledon Ranger said, pointing westward.
"Follow me!" Remarked the Green Owl, suddenly leaping out of sight. She used her Ninja Speed to be able to almost warp from place to place.
Gold Ranger nodded. "It looks like she won't be slowing us up."
Meledon smiled behind his helmet. "You got that right. Let's go Shadow Mode. Saba? You stay behind and help the Alliance scout the area." Saba nodded and ran off into the surrounding city.
Gold Ranger agreed and they both leapt away, looking for signs of Gerlit. While they did so, the Gokaigers had their hands full with Goresakubo.
"That idiot red ranger! He didn't tell us how to beat this guy!" Gokai Blue complained.
"Well, we are in the middle of a war. It's hard to keep things in order and think of everything sometimes…" Gokai Pink said, trying to defend Meledon Ranger.
The pirates slashed at the beast general, seemingly only hurting him but not getting anywhere else with him. They were tiring quickly. With every slash, they didn't think they could go any further.
"Let's take it to the next level…" Gokai Red said. Producing his Dilithium Crystal, he placed it into a slot on his saber. The others nodded and did the same.
Gokai Silver followed suit with his spear. As they began charging their attack, Gokai Silver's computer could be heard.
"Fiiiinaaaaal Waaaaave! Ooooh!"
"What? You think that will hurt me!?" Goresakubo taunted, getting ready to charge at his opponents.
Gokai Silver knew what he had to do. He focused as hard as he could. He had overheard the Alliance Rangers mention that they were only able to defeat Maligore with Meledon Ranger's help, because he was a Demon. Gokai Silver already knew for a fact he had been able to injure a Demon with his powerful final attack. He figured that even though Demons appeared super powered, there existed somewhat of a threshold of power they could tolerate before they, too, would succumb to attacks not based from things which they seemed to be naturally "allergic" to. As his five teammates swung their sabers, releasing their crescent waves, Gokai Silver put all he could into his swing. As his very large wave erupted from his spear, an immense pain shot through his entire body. He fell to a knee, demorphing as he did.
"Guy!" Gokai Pink screamed, running to him.
"Huh!?" Goresakubo said, as Gokai Silver's energy burst raced past the others and hit him first. It severely weakened him.
"Ahh!" He screamed in pain as the other five waves hit him simultaneously. Gokai Silver's attack was enough: the other five waves began breaking down his molecular composition.
"No! It can't end this way! I've been through too much!" Goresakubo yelled, hanging onto what little strength he had left. "You don't know what I've seen… what battles I have survived!" Morphing Energy crackled over his body. He thought of his last battle before The Queen stuffed him in her gold box, "saving him" for a future battle. For thousands of years he and other Demons, including Azazel, had been trapped waiting for their opportunity to seize control of the universe as they had once planned eons ago.
"Sorry… your story ends here." Gokai Red said as he placed his saber in its sheath. As he did, Goresakubo fell to his knees.
"Demons will reign supreme… just you wait and see!" The general said as he fell face first to the ground, exploding as he did.
"Guy…" Gokai Red said, kneeling next to the young man. "What happened?"
Guy produced his fake crystal, showing it was cracked. "I… never had a Dilithium Crystal like you guys. I tried to create one and I guess I did something wrong. I'm no longer one of you."
Gokai Yellow shook her head. "That's not true. Yes you are! You've saved our skins enough times to prove that."
Gokai Red nodded. "Yeah. Don't worry, Guy. We'll find a way to get your powers back. I promise."
"What do we do now?" Gokai Blue wondered, looking around.
"We got to find a new power source for Guy, that's what." Gokai Red said.
"How do we do that?" Gokai Pink wondered.
"Don't you remember what Villamax said about the crystals? He stole them before we escaped from Corsair." Gokai Red said.
"I always wondered how he did that. I mean, we were with him the whole time and I didn't see him steal anything." Gokai Green wondered.
"That's why he's a master pirate." Gokai Yellow responded, placing her arm around Gokai Green.
"So, are you saying we need to go back to the M51 Galaxy?" Gokai Blue asked, shaking his head. "That place is now completely controlled by Master Vile. I heard he lives there permanently now. Why would we risk so much to go there!?"
"Because we're not just pirates." Gokai Red said, placing a hand on Guy's shoulder. "We're friends. Guy has been a good friend to us, so we need to be one for him. We're going back to Corsair and we are going to steal ourselves another Dilithium Crystal."
Gokai Blue considered the statement. "Okay… well, watch out, Captain Mutiny. Here come the Gokaigers."
. . .
A few miles away, Gerlit, Trinity, Yoral, and the rest of the Liarians accompanying the Greatest Treasure in the Universe were making their way through thick jungle trees. Gerlit said he had a ship hidden nearby that would get them out of the planet safely.
"How much longer?" Yoral asked, half complaining.
"We'll get there when we get there!" Trinity said, laughing.
"It is not too much farther…" Barkow said, looking around the area.
He did not feel good about the situation. He felt they had gotten out of the city too easily. For an all out invasion, he felt as if there were too many areas uninhabited with battle. They were not aware of Maligore's command from The Queen to evacuate the planet, as they had still been underground at the time.
"Rwar! Rwar!"
They heard the roar coming from behind them. They turned to see tall trees bending and snapping as some unseen force made its way to them. It was the Demon Hound.
"Run!" Yoral shouted, picking Gerlit up who was holding the Greatest Treasure in its box. "Ya' gotta tell me which direction to go, little guy."
"Turn right!" Gerlit yelled.
Gerlit looked back at Trinity, his brother, and the other Liarians they left behind. A stab of guilt hit him, but he knew he needed to get out. He was entrusted by Gosei to complete the security system they had planned on making for the power source, and Gerlit's special Magic was key, so to speak, in its implementation.
Trinity and the other Liarians ran. Trinity was actually jogging, going against the impulses her "fight or flight" mechanisms were screaming at her to follow. She did not want to leave the waddling Liarians behind for their destruction. Knowing it wouldn't be long before the beast caught up to them, she stopped and turned. She pulled out her weapon and prepared to battle. She hoped she could at least slow the Monster down a bit to ensure Gerlit and Yoral escaped unscathed.
The little natives of the planet stopped as well, pulling out their Magic Keys, ready to do battle.
"I'll act as a Black Mage." Barkow began, dishing out battle tactics. "Lindz, you will be our White Mage. Woi, you have Red Mage duty. Shimo, you act as Blue Mage. Everyone ready?"
Suddenly, the invisible force landed in front of them. As it attempted to get past, Trinity shot at its location based on footprints she saw on the ground bending the grass and causing small clouds of dust to fly up. Trinity's weapon was called the Shooting Star. It was a projectile weapon, shooting energy beams to inflict damage. Back on Triforia, she had been an apprentice at a weapons shop. She had grown attached to a variety of projectile weapons known as Blaster Edges. Before going with Tria on the Ragnarok Trinity had finished her masterpiece, which she gave the name Shooting Star to. That very battle was her first time to have to use it.
The Demon Hound felt the sting of the blast and stopped. Even though she had deduced the Demon's location, at that point she was unsure of whether she should have been proud of herself for taking the shot, or feeling stupid for attracting the Monster's wrath.
"ROOOAAARRR!" The Demon Hound let out a furious sound as it barreled toward Trinity.
"Flare!" Barkow screamed, slamming the beast with Magic from his key.
"Barrier!" Lindz said, casting a spell to help cushion any blows that may come their way.
"Dual Cast: Float and Earthquake!" Woi declared. Trinity and the Liarians found themselves floating above the ground as a localized earthquake began. The Demon Hound fell to its face hard.
"Shadow Flare!" Shimo said, finishing out the chain of attacks from the small mages. Trinity and the band were then lowered to the ground as Woi's Float spell wore off.
"ROOARR!" The Demon Hound yelled again. The beast had absolutely no ounce of sentience: it was a killing machine created from Black Energy. Demons created them to do their bidding. All the beast knew was something was annoying it while it was trying to complete a mission. It would do anything it could to destroy the pests.
"Demi 3!" Barkow said, casting the gravity spell. The Demon Hound felt the weight of a world pressing on its shoulders. Its muscles ached in pain, but it didn't care. It targeted the small being and lunged. It sunk its teeth deep into the Liarian's flesh.
All the group saw was Barkow suddenly fall to his back since the Demon Hound was invisible. Then, his clothes and flesh seemed to begin to tear. When the blood instantly followed, they realized what was occurring.
"Nooo!" Trinity yelled. She tried to reach forward, but the three Liarians encircled her to prevent her from being attacked as well. Tears streamed down her face as she tried to make her way to the fallen Magic wielder. To Gerlit's brother.
"Wat-watsaw!" A black shadow pummeled the backside of the Demon Hound. It howled in pain, releasing its grip on the small mage. The Gold Ranger landed nearby, her Power Staff in hand. As the Demon Hound leapt forward to attack the Gold Ranger, it was hit in the face by the Meledon Ranger.
"Down boy!" Meledon Ranger said, landing next to Gold Ranger.
"RUFF!" The Demon Hound replied in frustration. Smoke could be seen dancing off where his face would've been had he not been invisible. The iron suit of the Meledon Ranger left its impression, and the Demon Hound was not happy.
"My turn!" Green Owl shouted, jumping down from the tree tops.
She punched the hound's back repeatedly until she was bucked off. Using her sense of intuition the Ninjetti powers gave her, she felt the demon lunge at her. As it did, she focused and dived into the earth beneath her. The Demon Hound looked around, confused. The Green Owl reached up from under the ground and grabbed the Monster's paw, tripping him. Jumping up from under the ground, she took her place next to the other members of Team Victory.
"Time to put you down. Meledon Demon Stab!" Meledon Ranger proclaimed as he ran forward.
His normal White Energy was surging through his fist and into his saber, combining with his new Meledon Energy. He cocked his arm back and thrust his saber into the Demon's head. He was glad only he could see the beast, because the sight was fairly graphic and horrific. The Demon slowly fell to the ground lifeless. As Meledon Ranger turned around and headed back to his teammates, the body erupted in an explosion of Demonic black fire.
"Barkow!" Gold Ranger said, running to Trinity who was at his side.
"He's gone…" Trinity said.
"We're sorry. We didn't get here soon enough..." Green Owl said. She looked down at the sisters who were hugging each other. They had known Gerlit and his family for quite some time. They were disheartened.
"It's not your fault." Woi said. The other Liarians nodded.
Meledon Ranger approached the three Liarians. "Tell us where Gerlit is. We'll escort you to them."
Meanwhile, the Alliance Rangers made their final lap around the city to which they were assigned. The other troops had divvied up the other portions of the planet. They had found nothing.
"This is Zordon, can you read me?"
Alliance Blue answered his wrist tech. "This is Filcar. What can I do for you?"
"We have secured Gerlit's party sans Yoral and Gerlit. We are enroute. You may leave the planet."
"Roger that." Alliance Yellow replied.
Alliance Red nodded. "It would appear as if we are free to go."
Alliance Green nodded his head and rubbed his stomach. "Good, because I am famished."
Alliance Pink laughed. "You're always hungry. How do you not gain weight!?"
"Lucky, I guess?" Alliance Green shrugged.
"Guys, you're not clear yet. Get on board and prepare for the next mission. Earth is needing some help. Apparently a giant wave of Monsters has arrived. I'm guessing that Rita may be focusing her attacks on Earth now that everyone got benched by their queen." Burai said over their communicators.
"Mentioning The Queen… Anyone have any clue about who she is? I've never heard of her before." Alliance Blue said.
Alliance Pink shook her head. "I have no clue. I'm as much in the dark as you guys are."
"Maybe we will find some answers on Earth. It has to be connected somehow." Alliance Red thought aloud.
"Get ready to teleport. And on behalf of the United Alliance: thank you guys for everything you did down there. You guys are awesome." Burai said, teleporting his comrades aboard. He then instructed Private Ubi to set the coordinates for Earth.
As the last of the Alliance Warstar ships left Liaria, Meledon Ranger finished explaining to Gerlit what had happened to his brother. Gerlit looked to the ground, saddened.
"He was my best friend." Gerlit said simply. "I will miss him."
"We must ensure his sacrifice was not in vain." Shimo said, wiping a tear from her eye.
Gerlit picked up the treasure box. "We will ensure this stays safe." He smiled and nodded to his fellow Liarians. They began to board the ship they had hidden deep in the jungle.
"What are you going to do?" Trinity asked.
"We are creating a defense program to ensure the Greatest Treasure's safety." Gerlit began to waddle into the ship, stopped, and turned back around to look at the rangers. "I think you and the other rangers have inspired me a bit. I believe I have an idea about the missing ingredient we were needing for our network. Thank you all. You have helped the universe more than you may know. Until we meet again."
And with that, Gerlit disappeared into the ship. It lifted off the ground and blasted off into space.
"Yoral? I need you to contact Saba and let him know he is to meet us on the Ragnarok." Meledon said.
"Yes, sir." Yoral said, almost sneering.
Now that the excitement had died down, Yoral was able to focus on his feelings. Zordon made him angry. It frustrated Yoral to have a fellow man from Eltar treat him so indifferently. As if he were better. And when Yoral saw that Zordon had become a ranger, that tipped the scale even more for Yoral. He wondered what made Zordon so special. One day he was a member of the Academy, then member of The Top, then head of Research and Development, then a Morphing Master. After all of that, Yoral was astonished that Zordon seemingly defies death by surviving an impossible encounter with a powerful artifact, then appears and becomes one of the most powerful warriors in the universe. And at the end of the day, in his mind, all he is... is just Yoral. He didn't know why, but he felt as if he had been jipped by the universe.
"So, while we wait for Saba to pick us up, I need you to explain to me what Saba meant by you and Yoral being 'lovebirds'." Tria said as she demorphed.
Zordon, demorphing, turned away, not wanting to hear more. He walked off into the jungle to think about what had happened to him. He remembered when Azazel had blasted them with his awesome force. As the force had begun to wash over him, he had felt the red energy from Dulcea's spell, the same energy that protected them from being possessed by Azazel's Demons, course fully into him. He did not know why, but it had. The energy had lifted him up into the sky, where he was safe from any interference. He had then felt the information from the power be seemingly downloaded into his head. Next thing he knew, he was back on the ground, fully morphed and ready to fight.
"Zordon?" Dulcea said, walking to the man who was deep in thought.
"Yes?"
"Saba said he is on his way and that we are needed on Magna. Not only is there evidence there that may lead us to Ivicar, but apparently they're under attack and Magnus is needing help."
"Okay. I guess we don't get a break." Zordon sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. "Off to Magna we go."
. . .
The Queen was displeased.
"I thank you, your highness, for having mercy upon me and fixing my arm." Maligore said, bowing before The Queen.
"You deserved it. And I need you still, more importantly. You delivered crucial information and for that you are rewarded. As for your next duty: find Ivicar." The Queen said, waving her hand to dismiss the lava Demon.
"Yes, my queen." Maligore said, saluting by placing his arm across his chest and clenching his enormous fist. He then turned and made his way out of the chamber.
The Queen sat, lost in thought: So, the Nathadians live on... I thought I had put a stop to their nonsense long ago. Interesting... they do know how to keep their word, now don't they? Well, we'll see who gets the last laugh!
Now, when it comes to the spawn of their promise, this... Meledon Ranger... he seems quite powerful. He knows our weaknesses, apparently. Of course I had to pull out my forces because of a threat like him!
The Queen clenched her fist in anger as she tried to console herself, to convince herself she had made the wisest decision in ordering her troops to vacate Liaria.
If I had let them continue to battle, this new fighter may have destroyed them all. I need to study him and see just how powerful he is before I go on with Project White Genesis...
And also Azazel. He's loose. No doubt he will want to restore Beelzebub to power. Oh, now won't thatbe lovely! And I have Meledon Ranger to thank for that as well!
At that point, thinking of how much the recent events would set back her plans, she pounded her fist on the arm of her throne. This is all Lothor's fault! It's his fault the Nathadians are a thorn in my side in the first place!
But of course, had it not been for him, I would have never been able to realize my full potential. How odd...
But this Meledon Ranger... it's almost as if I were on the brink of winning, of getting all of the pieces in play to finally create the Extreme Crystal, and then someone played all of the right cards to interfere with my plan. It's almost as if... someone knew how to stop me, and they tweaked my plan just enough to stop me...
Thoughts like these filled The Queen's mind constantly. She didn't know why, but she always felt as if something wasn't right, as if there was something amiss in how things were panning out. She did not know that she was somehow aware of the changes The Guardian had made to the timeline. She did not know that what she was longing for, was what she should have had: the power to become the being known in another life as Ultimecia.
Burai suffered from much the same thing. His feelings of surety that he should have been, and still had the chance to become, a Morphing Master stemmed from the fact that, originally, he was meant to be one. Others felt odd waves of what they thought was deja vu, or nostalgia, due to what The Guardian had done, but very few people felt it as much as Burai and The Queen did. And it bothered them to their core... and they knew not why.
. . .
Magna Defender stared at the intruder. He had worked far too hard to gain that bit of land for his people, and he wasn't going to give it up easily.
"Vile, you are stepping on ground that is sacred to me. Leave now, and you will leave in one piece. If you choose to continue forward, I warn you that you will be leaving missing body parts... if you are lucky enough to leave alive..." Magna Defender said calmly.
Master Vile stared at the man in anger. "You wish to speak of sanctity to me!? You know what I held sacred? My son! And you were one of those who took him from me. Now I will take this planet from you!"
"If you cared so much for your son, you would have been more careful with him. What kind of father puts their child in harm's way? If I had a family, I would do all in my power to protect them and not let them be in the line of danger." Magna Defender replied. His words were like daggers in Master Vile's heart, or what was left of it.
"Argh!" Vile yelled as he shot a blast of Black Magic at Magna Defender.
Magna Defender easily dodged it and ran forward. Jumping, he placed a foot on a tree and leapt off it, performing a tic tac. As the Defender began to land on Master Vile, he spun in the air several times, storing Morphing Energy in him, before he slashed his opponent with that energy he was able to unleash.
Master Vile fell back, stunned by the sudden damage he had been inflicted. He grasped his chest in pain. Standing, he continued glaring at Magna Defender.
"I will have vengeance for my son!" With that, he pointed his scepter at Magna Defender, sending several black fireballs at him.
"Ahh!" Magna Defender said, falling backward.
"I won't destroy you yet, Magnus. First, I will destroy your people, then your planet. Then I will destroy you!"
"I'm not beat yet, wicked fiend. Toro, charge!"
Suddenly, as if he had been on the sidelines waiting, the massive Bull charged forward. Blasts of wind blew from his nostrils as he pushed ahead, digging his hooves into the dirt as he gained momentum. He had his eyes set on Master Vile.
Vile knew when he was outnumbered and outpowered. "This isn't over, Magna Defender!" And with a blast of Black Magic, Vile teleported to his Skull Ship in orbit around the planet.
Vile stared at the planet in anger. "If I can't have my revenge, at least I can take his life. Ready the fighters! We're going to storm the planet!"
As he said that, the Ragnarok appeared in space, approaching the planet Magna quickly.
Vile shook his head. He had heard the rumors. "Meledon Ranger... Scrap the plans everyone. We live to fight another day!"
He watched as the ship hit Magna's atmosphere, shaking his head. "Rito, my boy... I am sorry. I will avenge you!"
The ship then turned and made its way back to the M51 Galaxy. Unbeknownst to Master Vile, he was heading back to run into another group of Power Rangers: the Gokaigers.
. . .
Estro sat in his laboratory, staring at a wall. He kept thinking of the Meledon Ranger and what it would take to rid the universe of him. He thought of Meledon Ranger as a cancer in his beautifully laid out plans.
"You called for us?" Dr. Fogo said with the rest of his team behind him.
Estro slowly turned his head to stare at his brainwashed loyalists. A slow smile appeared on his face while he sat on a table in the dark and gloomy room. Only a dimly lit lamp illuminated his face. "Yes, yes I did...
"You see, my little psychos... things are getting complicated. But... that's why I have you guys, isn't it? Yes... well, it's time now!" He declared, suddenly showing happiness on his face as he jumped down to the ground, arms in the air.
"You mean...?" Dr. Fogo asked.
"Yes. It's time for the Psycho Rangers to make their universal debut!"