Chapter Twenty-Three: Edenoi, Rashon, and Mirinoi - The Search is Over

Zordon fell to his knees as he narrowly missed being blasted by Hornitor. He looked around to see the Black Space Ranger, Magna Defender, Trinity, Yoral,Tria, and Dulcea fallen as well. He pulled himself up and stared at Hornitor and Scorpitron. They turned their backs to Zordon and those with him to continue their search. Black Lion stood by Lionel's side, as his son continued to bleed. The other member of the Red Lion Brothers, Leon, panted heavily as he, Toro, and Faor struggled to limp to where the Ectomorphicons were heading.

"Whatever it is they are up to, we have to stop it!" Zordon said with determination. "Guys, we're going to have to morph..." As he said this, he dodged a blast from the recently re-irritated Ectomorphicons. Toro and Faor were fighting Hornitor while Leon took on Scorpitron.

Those unmorphed and able to, grunted as they pushed themselves up. Trinity lay on the ground, dirt on her face. Frustrated, looking at her fellow Team Victory members, she tried to stand as well.

"Trinity, stay down!" Tria ordered, limping over to her sister.

"Why!? I can help, too!" Trinity insisted.

"No, this isn't the time for stunts. I need you to stay down and be safe. We're taking this fight to the next level and... I don't want you to get hurt. Please... stay here. For me."

"But, Tria-!"

"Trinity, please! I can't lose you!" Tria begged.

"Tria, I've been on Earth and I've been training in the Magic Realm there! I can help!"

Yoral stepped forward, walking to the two Triforians. "Listen, Trinity. You need to listen to your sister. I know you think whatever you're doing on Earth is neat and all, but I've seen real power. I've been through real training, and whatever they're teaching you there isn't up to snuff with the kinds of things we're doing. Now sit back and be safe. We'll get you home."

With that, Tria and Yoral ran to help the others as they made their way to the Ectomorphicons. They decided earlier that they had better not morph until the absolute last moment, because they didn't want to get the Ectomorphicons' attention drawn to the Morphing Energy before they could set up their attack. As they zigzagged through the woods, Trinity stared in frustration.

You can fight this thing! I know you've trained hard and you have the strength to be an asset! Trinity of Courage said.

Remember, Tria is only looking out for you because she loves you! Tria of Heart added.

If you don't help, aren't you putting your sister in peril? Then, won't you be the one who stays behind, alone? Seems selfish of her if she's going to stopyou from fighting for those same reasons... Trinity of Wisdom counseled.

"But..." Trinity said, standing alone. "... She's afraid because I'm not a Power Ranger."

Aren't there ways of rectifying that? Trinity of Wisdom asked.

"I don't think-" Trinity began before she heard a large explosion. Running forward, she could see all of the fighters, both small and large, on their backs. The Ectomorphicons had apparently unleashed some sort of attack that rendered them all powerless to fight.

"I don't have a choice... I-" As Trinity began to speak, she suddenly saw something crackle over the Ectomorphicons. Purple lightning danced over all of them. Someone in a black cloak appeared from the forest, they're hands outstretched. Trinity could not make out who it was. Whoever the person was, in her opinion, had immense power, and seemingly disabled the Ectomorphicons.

Zordon was the first to stand. "We've been looking for you for a very long time..." He managed to say. The others slowly made their way to Zordon, crowding around the man in the cloak. Black Ranger powered down, leaving Michael in his place. Magnus pulled off his helmet to face the man he hadn't seen in almost six months.

Taking off the cloak, Ivicar smiled. "Well, I guess I found you."

. . .

Decade flew through the air. He fell, landing in mud. He rolled around, trying to get back up. He could feel blood dripping from his mouth in his helmet. He could not remember his brother having been so powerful before.

"What is it, little brother? Suprised?" Count Dregon asked, laughing. "I've been holding back with you a little. You see, my... boss... hadn't authorized me to fully make use of my powers and take Edenoi until just recently. My boss is very intelligent, and I have been following her orders for quite some time. I knew if I did, eventually I would be in a position to get back the crown father stole from me."

"Stole!? He's still alive, so how should you have the crown!?" Decade demanded, finally lifting himself up to a knee.

Dregon smiled. "Because he said you were the one to possess it after he passed on... He had no right! I'm the oldest!"

"But you're merciless, Dregon. If you had changed your ways, things wouldn't be this way." Decade said, finally standing on his two feet. He held the left side of his torso. He was in much pain.

"Yes, I am merciless. Prepare to find out how much. Goodbye, brother." Dregon said, lifting his arms into the air. Power enveloped him as his appearance changed. Where Dregon stood, a new warrior walked forward.

"What have you done, Dregon?" Decade asked, unconsciously taking a step back.

"I've developed a prototype armor to enslave my people. Without the Rider powers, they will be defenseless to stop me. I call this my Imperial Armor." He laughed as he shot Orange Energy at Decade, causing him to drop to a knee.

"Dregon... stop... please!"

"This is the end!" Dregon yelled, revelling in his final conquest.

"Yes, it is... for you!" Lord Zedd screamed from the sky, shooting Dregon with his Z Staff. He laughed heartily as he landed between Decade and Dregon. Ignoring Decade, he walked forward and punched Dregon in the stomach as hard as he could. Dregon went flying into the air, landing several feet away.

"But... I was about to..."

"Yes, win, I know. Isn't it great how I stopped you!? Ah-hahaha! Lord Zedd is the winner, Dregon!" Zedd thrust both arms into the air, laughing maniacally as he did so.

Decade stared on, perplexed. He then tapped the communicator in his helmet and said, "Make sure to get my father and the Royal Morpher to safety immediately. Begin the final phase."

"You fool... Now my brother will get away and Edenoi will continue to work with our enemies!"

"Everyone is my enemy, fool! I. Don't. Care! Haha!" He shot another jolt of power at Dregon, causing him to fall to a knee. Lord Zedd then stopped. He heard something behind him. Turning, he was shocked at the image he saw.

A line up of different armored warriors, all similar to Decade in appearance. Decade stepped forward, getting into a fighting stance. "These are the MaskedRider Warriors. They have sworn to commit their lives to fighting for this solar system. Taking an oath to keep their identities secret, they will fight for justice!"

Dregon shook his head. "More of them? Good move, brother. But mark my words, those powers will be mine!" With that, Dregon vanished back onto his ship.

Zedd put out his hands, presenting himself. "What are you waiting for, then?"

Decade turned to the other Riders. "Watch how I do it first, then you come in. Hi-yah!"

Decade brought out his sword and rushed to meet his opponent. Swinging, he heard the clank as his blade met Zedd's staff. They both took a step back, shifted their weight to their front foot, and attacked. Once again, their weapons met, echoing through the canyon. The Masked Rider Warriors watched, in awe.

As their weapons met once again, Zedd shot a bolt of Red Energy at Decade, sending him flying back. Decade was able to defy the laws of nature and keep his balance while flying through the air. He landed on his feet, spun around, and landed in a fighting stance.

Zedd stared at him. Making a plan in his mind, he beckoned Decade with his index finger. Taking the bait, Decade rushed at Zedd. As soon as he was close,Zedd released a shockwave of energy that caused the ground around them to explode. As Decade struggled to see, Zedd ran ahead and grabbed Decade by the neck. He lifted him up into the air and presented Decade to the warriors looking on.

"I will snap his neck if you dare approach me!" Zedd warned. He could feel power emanating from the morpher, inches from his shoulder. Looking, he saw the Decade Morpher and deduced it was the source of the power. Reaching with his other hand, he grabbed the morpher and pulled it off the belt loop. Decade instantly demorphed, leaving Kamen hanging in the air, powerless.

"Interesting device..." Zedd commented. He then crushed the morpher in his hand. Wiring fell to the mud beneath them, along with the metal casing and crumpled card that was Decade's main source of power. As this happened, the warriors began to rush forward.

"Don't you dare or he's finished!" Zedd warned, thrusting Kamen higher into the air. They all stopped.

Stop this now while you still can. Commander Zedd threatened.

Or what? The Dark Lord inquired.

Or I'll take control again.

Idle threat. And for your insolence... As the Dark Lord said this to Zedd, Zedd could feel his hand tighten on Kamen's neck. Zedd could hear bones snapping.

No! Zedd screamed. Focusing, he stopped his own hand from finishing the task.

"Impossible!" Lord Zedd screamed. Dropping Kamen to the ground, Lord Zedd grabbed his head and fell to his knees as the Masked Rider Warriors rushed to their prince.

"Preliminary scans say he's paralyzed." Reported the one known as Warrior Leader.

Many of them stood up tall, looking at Lord Zedd. Many produced their blades, ready to attack.

Lord Zedd looked down. "Forgive me. I wish I had control before..." And with that, he shot up into space.

. . .

The Alliance Rangers and the Gokaigers stood, staring at the Demons in front of them. They were in their fighting stances. Smoke danced off their suits. Scorch marks could be seen all over them. They were not winning their fight.

"We have to keep going." Alliance Red said.

"Dig deep guys... We can still do this." Gokai Red encouraged.

Diabolico laughed. "What are you trying to prove? You can't beat us!"

As he finished his taunt, Maligore appeared as per the instructions he received from Bansheera to get Diabolico and Loki from Rashon to join him.

"Oh, no! Please don't say what I think this means!" Cried out Loki as Maligore appeared.

"But we were so close to the Savage Sword!" Diabolico protested.

"Queen's orders." Said Maligore as he teleported himself and the other two Demons to the ship in orbit.

"Savage Sword, huh?" Alliance Green said, making a mental note of the name.

Burai's voice could be heard over their communicators saying, "Well, what are you waiting for? Everyone get to your ships: I have a lock on the Demons' ship. We're not letting them go that easily."

As he heard the rangers come back onto the deck after teleporting, Burai was lost in thought.

It's because of me the Barillian Bug Virus is out in the universe. I have to do everything I possibly can to make up for that...

As the War Star Armada ship blasted through space, Burai noticed the Galleon right next to them. Like the Alliance Rangers, the Gokaigers were still morphed. All but the red pirate ranger were on deck, while the red ranger drove the Galleon.

"We'll never catch them before they get to wherever they're going..." Private BJ Lovel stated. "They are going too fast."

Onboard the Demon ship, Maligore finished explaining the mission to Diabolico and Loki.

"I now understand the Queen's reasoning. I, too, would have made the same call." Diabolico said.

Loki nodded. "Yes. We must stop him from getting power."

"He will pay for betraying The Queen." Maligore stated simply. As he did, their ship rocked from an impact, sending all onboard falling to the ground.

"What!?" Maligore screamed.

As they looked on their monitors to see what was the cause of their sudden stop, the Galleon and War Star Armada ship caught up to them. All three crews could see the foreign vessel that had purposefully crashed into the Demons.

"Who in the world is that!?" Gokai Blue asked.

Burai smiled from his control panel as he replied. "It's a friend."

Switching his frequency to speak to the other ship, Burai said, "Gerlit, you sure know how to make an entrance."

Gerlit replied from his ship, saying, "Just trying to help. I saw you all blasting past while I flew by Rashon's solar system. I decided to follow you all from there. I recognized the Demon ship and figured out what you were doing. Now, are we going to avenge my brother or not?"

Affirming Gerlit's idea, Burai switched to the rangers' communicators. "Okay rangers. Storm that ship. I don't want to see one Demon leave this fight. This is our final stand."

. . .

Master Mao frowned as he looked over the scene. Goldar, Scorpina, and an exceedingly large host of Tenga Warriors battled their way through the Order of the Claw, animals, elemental martial artists, wizards, and knights left behind to defend Earth. They were losing.

Master Mao teleported himself to the Magic Realm. He found himself in a cave where Earth's resistance held their headquarters. Turning to one of the communications experts, Mao gave her an order. "Contact the Alliance Power Rangers. Tell them we need their help immediately."

Back on the main plane of existence on Earth, Grizzaka shook his head. I can't let this happen... My training for Zocato power has just begun!

He then teleported himself via the sand to the place where he felt Dai Shi's presence.

"Yes, Overlord?" Dai Shi asked, surprised to see him.

"We must stop this invasion."

"But why!? They are ridding this planet of the vermin on it and I don't have to raise a claw to help!"

Grizzaka sneered. "So, you are willing to face Rita Repulsa for this planet?"

"I will have to one way or another. At least our alliance is working to my advantage for now."

Thinking quickly, Grizzaka said, "But if she loses today, she will believe Earth is much stronger than it actually is. This will lower her confidence and give us the time we need to both conquer Earth and defeat her simultaneously."

Dai Shi stopped to consider. "Do you guarantee this?"

Grizzaka nodded. "Of course. We both have the same goal. I can be trusted."

"Then I will send my servant Camille to inform my other fighter, Scorpina, to sabotage the fight." Dai Shi said as he left the area.

Grizzaka smiled. Perfect... Soon, the Zocato power will be all mine, and then... the whole planet!

. . .

Novact opened his eyes. Orange Energy flashed momentarily in them as he awoke. He smiled smugly as he stepped off the platform. After he descended from the last step of the platform, he passed the golden box and made his way to Queen Bansheera's throne. He knelt down in front of her and bowed his head.

"I am ready, my queen. Let me go and do thy bidding."

Bansheera smiled. She gingerly stepped down from her throne and walked so swiftly to Novact it appeared as if she was gliding across the floor. Looking at him, she nodded. "Yes... yes you are saturated with evil power, aren't you, Novact? Yes, you are... primed..."

Standing, he faced Bansheera and declared, "The universe will tremble at my feet. I will beat away at The United Alliance until there is not one ounce of them left!"

"I don't doubt that, Novact... but you still aren't ready." Bansheera said.

"What do I lack!?" Novact asked, surprised. Suddenly, he felt a pain in his abdomen. He then felt his uniform get wet. As he guessed, he looked down to see new blood being added onto what was already stained on his garments from his earlier wounds. The Queen took a step back, the small dagger in her hand similarly stained with Novact's blood. It dripped onto the grey stone floor, adding to the puddle quickly forming around Novact. He dropped to his knees, coughing as he did. More blood trickled down his mouth with each cough. He looked up at Bansheera with a look of anger and confusion.

"This is for your own good, Novact. You cannot become the warrior I need you to be until this final part of your transformation. Through your destruction will arise my greatest creation... like a Phoenix from the ashes, you will be reborn into a mighty Demon the likes of which the universe will never forget."

These were the last words Novact heard before he died.

. . .

On Mirinoi, Ivicar looked at those around him. All but Yoral had served under him in the councils of the Morphing Masters. He was very surprised to see them all together.

"So you've been searching for me for the past little while? I'm flattered!" Ivicar said, hugging each of them. "I had no idea you all thought I was so important!"

"We need a leader to reunite the Alliance. It is a little fragmented right now, but I know if we can patch it up, we can defeat Vile and his empire." Zordon said. "Who better than the presiding member of the Morphing Masters? You are the most powerful of us all and can stand as a beacon to everyone in the universe."

Tria nodded, thinking of the symbol of the Orb that meant much the same thing to her. "We are so glad to have found you, Master Ivicar. We can finally fix everything and free our people!"

Ivicar furrowed his brow. "You said I was the most senior member of the council. What has become of Sentinel Knight?"

"After he passed onto you the presiding role he, too, has disappeared. We figured since you had disappeared while actively engaged in Alliance work, you were our best shot. Sentinel Knight would prove to be harder to find, in our opinion." Zordon replied.

"When you disappeared, I must admit things looked dismal." Michael said. "I almost gave up, but then thought about how you never gave up on us. We have all taken up the fight to protect the universe."

Ivicar nodded. "I see that others have followed the trend of becoming Power Rangers... I can feel you all emanating with Grid Power. I am glad to see you all doing what you can to protect those weaker than you. And, once again, I thank you all for rushing to rescue me."

"Wait, Master Ivicar," Dulcea asked. "If I may ask, where have you been all of this time? Who had you and how did you end up here on Mirinoi?"

Ivicar smiled. "That is a good question, my dear. After we were ambushed trying to get to Earth, I escaped in one of the pods of my shuttle and landed on the moon of one of that solar system's planets. After a while, when I felt it was safe, I fixed my shuttle and have been floating through space. I decided to take the time to study my old mentor's powers. It had been a very long time since I practiced his style of Magic. It felt good to get back to my roots. This power will help me in my future plans. You see, Lothor had more than universal domination on his mind. It was multi-universal conquest, along with immortality. I believe I now have the power to accomplish this. Like I said, I am proud that you are all fighting for those who are weaker than you. But, I fear I must ask... who is fighting to protect you?"

The crew stood staring at Ivicar, unsure what he was talking about. They looked at each other confused. Ivicar stood, as if he was completely enthralled in his own thoughts.

Michael stepped up, the first to address what Ivicar had just said. "What are you trying to say, Master Ivicar?"

Ivicar smiled. He lifted up his hands and shot currents of purple electricity at Michael. He lifted his arms up, causing Michael to float up into the air as the others stared in horror. Ivicar then swung his arms to the side and slammed Michael into the side of one of the lifeless Ectomorphicons. Teleporting suddenly to Michael's body as it lay crumpled on the ground, he looked down. Michael struggled to get up. Ivicar frowned.

"Poor thing... Here, let me help..." Ivicar then kicked Michael as hard as he could. As Michael fell onto his face, Ivicar stomped on Michael's neck until he heard bones snapping. All the while, the others ran to help their fallen comrade.

As they approached, Ivicar turned to face them. He smiled and bowed. "From this moment forth the universe as you know it shall cease to exist. Welcome... to my nightmare!"