Chapter Twenty-Four: Mirinoi and Earth - New Waves
"Why!?" Zordon screamed, switching his focus from Michael to Ivicar and back. He left the blue hair hang over his brow as it clung with dirt and sweat.
"Because he's just another fool corrupted by power..." Magnus said, clenching his fist.
"It's because," Started Ivicar. "I can. I'm powerful and I deserve more. Did you know what it was like, serving the United Alliance for millions of years? It was boring! I've been waiting for all of this time for Lothor's artifacts to pop back up so I could start what he began. He was a mastermind and taught me all I needed to know. I was his apprentice and he was going to take me with him, you know... He was going to drop Regina and take me on because I had more potential!"
"Shut up!" Tria, tears streaming down her face. She couldn't help but feel completely betrayed.
Dulcea stepped forward. "Why are you here, Ivicar?"
"I heard Orion bit the dust recently. Seeing that he was a Karminian, I know he had to pass his Light power on. I want it. Last I heard, he perished here. I stole these Ectomorphicons and I was using them to find it."
Magnus sneered. "You'll never find the Lights of Orion. They're safe."
"Ooo-wee! It looks like got ourselves here a little feisty one!" Ivicar said, starting to dance in place while waving his hands around.
Ivicar, looking up, saw Black Lion and the other animals from the Animal Realm gather around Toro and Lionel. They were both badly injured. He laughed and zapped them. Lionel fell unconscious. At that, Ivicar laughed and twirled his hands in the air.
"Go now!" Toro roared.
"But-" Faor began.
"I'll be fine! He needs help now! Go!" Toro ordered.
As the animals made their way to their escape, Toro took all of Ivicar's attacks. Unseen by Black Lion and his group, Toro fell from Ivicar's power, unconscious.
"This isn't a game!" Dulcea yelled at him.
Ivicar stopped and narrowed his eyes at Dulcea. "Listen here, you stuffy Nathadian. Lothor taught me the importance of running the best business the universe had ever seen. Apart of that was to always be ready to crack a joke. It keeps a good leader limber and not so down all of the time!"
"You're a monster!" Dulcea screamed. Ivicar smiled, nodded, and bowed with pride, as if he were saying 'thank you'.
"Let's squash him." Yoral suggested, sneering.
"Ah! Zocato power!" Ivicar said, staring at Yoral. "I thought I smelled something putrid. Nathadian power is so much better!" He shot purple lightning out of his hands and blasted the lot of Morphing Masters standing before him. They went flying.
Ivicar then began walking forward to look at his victims. "You said I was a monster. Well, guess what!? The monster's here and ready to par-tay!"
Purple lightning enveloped him. His features began changing slightly. His black cloak turned into a purple robe with ornate decorations. He smiled and looked down at himself.
"Hmm... Lothor was right. You know, this isn't as fancy as what he had, but it works. I like it! Ladies and gentlemen, I present to you, for the first time: Ivan Ooze."
Just as Lothor had promised him eons ago, the transformation to a more powerful form, Ivan Ooze, gained him power to see certain pieces of truth, meaning the power to see the past, present, and future. He saw himself being voted in as a Morphing Master many, many years prior. He saw himself approach Bansheera after she had begun to get back into activity, trying to collect the crystals to create the Extreme Crystal. He offered his services to her, swearing allegiance, lying to her saying he believed her to be Lothor's true successor. He had flattered her by saying he wished to begin his apprenticeship anew with her as his mentor in Lothor's place.
He saw Estro approach him one day and say Bansheera wished for Zordon and not Burai to be a Morphing Master. He saw himself initiate this process and get Zordon voted in.
He saw Zordon begin to grow into the member they needed him to be to allow Bansheera's, and by extension his, plans come to fruition. He wanted Zordon voted in and to prove his allegiance to Sentinel Knight, so that the knight's bureacracy would come crashing down around him and cause divisions within the Alliance:
Sentinel Knight hung his head in disappointment. "Alright. We have a vote. Is the Power Ranger a vigilante?"
Zordon stood, no longer able to contain himself. "Master Sentinel has more experience than the rest of us! He has seen, firsthand, what this power can do. I urge you, as a citizen of the Alliance, to follow what is tried and true. My apologies, Master Tria, but the lives of Orion, Zedd, Rahp, and myself were not were destroying the laws of our society. We must follow the established pattern, which has been tried and proven true."
Master Estro nodded slowly. Ivicar wore a smile on his face, proud of who he had picked to become a Master.
He saw the time he had orchestrated for The Queen Master Vile's first attack during the Intergalactic Conference. He had ensured that Margaret, who was Rita Repulsa's secret persona at the time, had flirted with Burai before the conference and, while he had not been looking, deactivated all of the communications so that the soldiers would be incommunicado.
He then saw Master Estro. He kept glancing at a door in Commander Rahp's sector. When Zordon looked at it, a feeling he could not describe descended upon him. Dread...? He thought. It washed over him. He looked back at the council. He noticed Master Ivicar was staring at the door as well, with a look of concern on his face. What settled things for Zordon was when he heard Sentinel Knight stumble in his words as he, too, looked to the door. Zordon tensed.
Ivan Ooze could see when he had begun causing a split within the Morphing Masters. Taking the opportunity that Tria had given him when she tapped into the powers of the Zeo Crystal and Sentinel Knight's premature attack on her, Ivicar had wanted to plant the seed into the Masters' minds that perhaps Sentinel Knight was not always right about everything:
Sentinel Knight stood. He looked at the council. "As some of you have heard, the Gold Warrior attacked me and attempted to take theCorona Aurora." Tria felt shocked. This was the first she heard of this. That's impossible! I was nowhere near here! She thought back to after she defeated Madam Woe. She had snuck under some rubble and pretended she had just gained consciousness.
As she recalled this, she slid her hand into the pocket of her robe. She felt the gold cogRito had used to become invisible. He had dropped it during his scuffle with Tria. When she went to rejoin the others after the battle, she had noticed it on the ground and snatched it up for herself.
Sentinel continued. "This individual thought they were smarter than the council." He produced a remote from his red robe and pushed a button. Suddenly, Tria felt several stabs of pain. Before she could react, she was split into three.
"The Warrior was a female, and sported the Triforian king's insignia. Tria recently was in possession of the Zeo Crystal. There is no point in lying." Sentinel looked down at her three selves, crouched in pain.
Dulcea stood. "... Sentinel... it was I who wrote your report of the incident for the archives. At the time you say the Gold Warrior attacked you, Master Tria was helping me dig out Master Michael from the destruction. I had my wrist tech on: it recorded everything if you need proof."
Sentinel Knight was shocked. I have never been so wrong before. He quickly released Tria. She slowly reconnected her three selves.
Sentinel walked to her. "I am sorry. I thought if it were you, I shouldn't give you a chance-" Ivicar placed a chance hand a Sentinel's shoulder. "That's enough. I believe you should sit."
As he took his seat, several of the council gave him cold stares, while the others knew not how to handle what they had seen. Zordon was of the mind Sentinel Knight had good evidence and acted appropriately.
He remembered how happy he had been when his plans had come true, and Zordon had been voted in as a member of the Morphing Masters. He remembered how shortly thereafter, he had to go with Magnus and Dimitria to Triforia. He and Estro had sat together and planned on how they would use Tria's secret, since it was very obvious to them that the secret fighter had been in fact Tria, to cause further dissent in the union of the Morphing Masters. He had remembered Magnus being particularly angry on one occasion and had decided to push his buttons to get him in such an angry mood that he would act with hostility towards the Triforian politicians:
Magnus paced in the room they found themselves in. It was a small space station orbiting around Triforia. He, Dimitria, and Ivicar were supposed to travel to Triforia to investigate Tria's disappearance, and secretly to ascertain whether Triforia was harboring the vigilante, the Gold Ranger.
When they approached, they were beckoned to dock at the spaceport. Magnus was very upset.
"We are Morphing Masters! We should not need to have to trifle with these procedures." He lost his patience and slammed his fist into one of the metal walls, leaving a slight dent. "This is ridiculous!"
Ivicar smiled and walked over to Magnus. "Patience, dear friend! Patience! We have to all abide by the laws of each planet. If we don't abide by law, then all there is... is chaos! Now, we don't want that now, do we?" He walked away before Magnus could retort, making the statement a rhetorical one. Magnus hit the same spot, deepening the dent.
A young Triforian entered their room with a stern look on his face. "Masters, although we respect you, Triforia has laws it must abide by. You do not have a warrant to search us to the degree you want. We will tell you upfront that we are not harboring Master Tria-"
"She is no longer a master." Magnus cut the man off, glaring at him.
"...we also have no idea about a warrior clad in gold armor. You have our cooperation. If we see or hear of anything, we will let you know. Your shuttle has been prepped by our team and you may leave at your earliest convenience." He rushed through his entire statement quickly and succinctly, not allowing any room for debate.
Ivicar walked back to Magnus and place a hand on his shoulder. "It's okay, Magnus! I know we travelled out here to get this done, but remember we must remain calm. Although they may not allow us in now, if we come back later, with the proper paperwork, they may let us in! So, let us head back home and report to Sentinel."
Magnus shrugged off Ivicar's arm. "I am not wasting anymore time! Hey, you! Bug!" Magnus took his long strides to the young man before he could leave the room.
"Listen here... I came here on assignment to get something done. I need you to understand that we are here to ensure safety. We don't have time to wait for paperwork. Now, let us in!"
The man pulled out a blaster and shot Magnus in the gut, charring the armor under his robe. "What!? You will rue the day you messed with me! Defender Helmet!" Suddenly, Magnus was in his Defender uniform. He pulled out his own blaster.
The impulsive young man had acted without thinking. He was afraid and thought he needed to defend himself. He had no idea he was starting an intergalactic incident.
[After escaping...] "Well," Magnus turned to Ivicar. "That sure did escalate quickly, didn't it?"
Ivicar nodded. "Yes, I should have foreseen their bureaucratic ways would be an issue. My apologies for not getting a warrant for this occasion."
Magnus smiled as he shined his helmet. "Don't you worry. You shouldn't have needed to do that." He sighed. "Everytime you mentioned that we were to come back, and that we needed a warrant instead of getting things done right then and there... it just infuriated me, you know? I am the one who needs to apologize. I hope I can mend things with Triforia once we get back home."
Looking out the window into space, Ivicar, in his warm way, replied to Magnus. "I hope so, too, Magnus. Triforia is a strong force within the Alliance. If we lose them, we may have started a chain reaction that could leave a big hole in both our and Triforia's defenses."
Ivan Ooze was then shown a vision of how had helped Estro and Margaret smuggle in Madame Woe into the Morphing Masters. The plan was to only weaken them mentally, even going as far as destroying one of Madame Woe's vessels solely for that incident. Estro had been smart enough to hid himself after he had demorphed from being the Fake Gold Ranger:
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.
Animus 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. She screamed as they appeared back in the council room.
As this occurred, Masters Dimitria, Magnus, and Ivicar walked into the room. 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.
[After the Masters had regrouped...] 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 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, he 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 Alliance is at war with Triforia."
Ooze was then given a flash of how he and Estro had lied to Dimitria before, what he thought was at least, the destruction on Triforia:
"We have the proper documentation. You have confessed over television that you have Tria: by law, you must give her to us for questioning!" King Estro demanded.
The troops blocking their way through the passport terminal refused to budge, holding their blasters in a sentinel-like stance.
"Incorrect, Masters." A general said, making his way to the three. "You declared war on us weeks ago. We actually have the right to blast you away if we wanted..."
Estro's eyes widened. "Oh, please, no!" He backed away, hands in the air.
"Do we look as if we have come ready to fight?" Dimitria asked.
The general chuckled. "You guys are Morphing Masters. You're always ready for a fight."
With this, he stepped forward. With a frightened look on his face, Estro started screaming (*with the intent of deceiving her*). "Dimitria! Get down!"
He launched himself into the man, tackling him. Soldiers started firing as Ivicar pulled Dimitria behind a wall.
Ivicar looked around the corner to see if Estro was doing well. He snuck back to Dimitria. (*What he saw, and did not tell Dimitria, is that Estro had morphed into the Fake Gold Ranger to fight the soldiers.
"What in the...!?" The Triforian general said.
The Fake Gold Ranger laughed in Tria's voice. "What? Are you surprised to see your prized fighter?" He then promptly began fighting the soldiers, taking their lives as he did*.)
"The king is holding his own. We must get back to the ship."
Dimitria groaned. "He just made things worse. That general wasn't attacking! I think we need to talk things out with Triforia."
Ivicar shook his head. "Estro may be impulsive when he gets nervous. He may have jumped the gun... but do you think with the way that general was talking things wouldn't have happened like this anyway?" Shots were heard from behind them.
He continued. "He may be a buffoon at times, but I think he may have bought us time. He isn't a senior Morphing Master by chance."
Dimitria scoffed at that. Becoming a senior member was as much about politics as anything else. Leaving out their individual ranks, though, Dimitria saw the wisdom inIvicar's words.
Smiling, she nodded. "I guess there always is the optimist's perspective. Thank you, Ivicar."
[As Dimitria and Ivicar made their way to the ship, after defeating their opponents...] Dimitria looked around. "It seems as if the coast is clear." Ivicar nodded and they ran toward their ship.
Suddenly, they heard clapping coming from their intended destination. The Gold Ranger stood in front of their ship.
"Tria!?" Dimitria said, nervous. She had feared a showdown with the Gold Ranger was inevitable.
The Gold Ranger laughed and threw a small device at her. Dimitria felt shockwaves of energy hit her from the device. It felt as if she were being ripped apart on a molecular level, which was actually close to what actually had been occurring to her.
She turned slowly, hands outstretched to Ivicar. "...help..." She hardly had the strength to make this declaration. As Ivicar [*pretented to dive*] to grab her hand, she disappeared.
He turned to the Gold Ranger [*to congratulate him on the successful mission*] as Triforian troops encircled them.
The Gold Ranger looked at the troops and sent out an order: "Capture him: dead or alive." Extending an arm into the air, the Gold Ranger then teleported away in a gold light.
Ivicar had a look of disgust on his face. [*He couldn't believe Estro would sell him out at such a crucial point in what they had been planning on doing*]. As he got ready to fight for his freedom, he noticed something: Estro[*, having recently demorphed,* sneaking behind the troops into the ship. As he boarded, he saw the ship's blasters activate.
Ivicar relaxed and shook his head. "Oh, if you boys knew what was coming next, you'd be running." He then ducked as the blasters started firing.
[*Ivicar began shoot blasts of purple lightning at the troops himself. He could sense the intense heat boiling each soldier who survived Estro's lethal attack from the inside out. Ivicar smiled as he saw the last of them fall.
As he made his way to the ship, he saw the Triforian general crawling, trying to get away. Rolling his eyes in frustration, he turned and walked toward the fighter.
"And what do you think you're doing? Give it up! You've lost!" Ivicar yelled.
"...Please... help..." The general said.
"How about I make things more difficult instead?" Ivicar asked. He shot more lightning at the defenseless Triforian. He ensured he didn't destroy him, though. "Don't you ever ask someone of my nature for mercy, because you won't get it. You'll be dead in three minutes or so, but those three minutes will be the most painful of your life... Have a nice day!"*]
Ivan Ooze then saw how he and Estro had orchestrated another attack on the Morphing Masters. The purpose of this attack was to, after destroying Animus, frame Kamen and get him annexed from the council. His plan was to have Kamen executed so that Count Dregonwould have an easy time ascending to Edenoi's throne:
Magnus awoke, looking around. He didn't see any Piranhatrons in the vicinity, but he kept his guard up. As he stood, he moved his jaw around in his helmet. It was still sore from the kick he received from the Space Diva.
As he searched the area, he saw a familiar figure. He spotted the Gold Ranger looming over Animus' lifeless corpse. With all his might, he drew his blade.
"Come fight me. I still have enough left in me to send you to the afterlife. Even if it means I must make the same journey myself." He said, confidence saturating his voice.
The Gold Ranger turned and laughed. The warrior got into a fighting stance, ready to fight.
"Stop right there!" Magnus turned when he heard Orion's familiar voice. Accompanying him were Masters Michael and Zordon, along with Commander Rahp and his troops. Rahp looked over the scene, shocked to see the heart of the Alliance struck again.
"Take this, you menace!" [*Ivicar yelled, signalling to Estro that he had arrived onto the scene and to get ready to absorb a blow.*
A blast of purple lightning surrounded and blasted the Gold Ranger. Grunting, the Gold Ranger quickly stood back up before raising an arm and teleporting away in a flash of gold light. Surprised, the group turned to find Master Ivicar, Master Gerlit being carried on his shoulders.
"I found Gerlit in the rubble." Ivicar said as he lowered the unconscious Liarian to the floor near the others. "I rushed over as soon as I heard more commotion in here." Orion's personal medic, Tideus, ran over and took Master Gerlit to the side to minister to his wounds.
King Estro[*, after having demorphed,*] then entered the room, shaking his head as he looked around. He approached Ivicar. "I finished looking around and could not find any signs of anymore enemies in the area."
Ivicar nodded. He then proceeded to call the Masters in the room to gather around him. He looked at each one of them. He pulled a small device from his robe pocket. He extended his arm enough to let all around him see.
"What is it?" Master Michael asked.
"I found it in the room Gerlit was in. It's an implosion device." Ivicar answered.
"So? What does that mean? We know they blew the building up." Orion said, wondering why Ivicar was treating this with such gravitas.
Ivicar dropped his head. "I believe this is incriminating evidence. It points to who the traitor is within our ranks."
All the while, Zordon had been inspecting the piece of equipment. He recognized the markings as soon as Ivicar had produced it from his robe. Zordon looked away from the group, realizing what Ivicar was about to say.
Ivicar looked at each of them, sorrow replacing the look of warmth his eyes usually carried. "This device is made in only way place... Edenoi. I know of only one Edenite who has access to these chambers..."
Magnus, with what little strength he had left, punched the wall beside him. "That's ridiculous! How could you insinuate...!?"
Orion placed a hand on Magnus' shoulder. "I know you two are close, but we need to take the evidence into consideration..."
Ivicar nodded. "Yes. As soon as he arrives, Master Kamen must be detained and brought in for questioning. He is wanted on suspicions of treason."
He was shown how he placed Reon Talp on guard at Lord Zedd's cell so that when the implosion devices he had placed under his room exploded, he would have as little resistance as possible in causing mayhem during the Intergalactic Conference dedicated to Dimitria and Animus' memories.
He saw how had purposefully placed himself under a vent leading to Kamen's cell. He and Estro had previously captured a mantis-like creature and, using Estro's scientific gadgets, programmed into its brain a path to follow to make its way into Kamen's cell. Once Estro's tracking chip was on it, and they found that the bug had made its way into Kamen's cell, Estro had imitated Sentinel Knight's voice and made Kamen believe Sentinel Knight was preparing to execute him. The two were pleasantly surprised that Kamen had enlisted the help of Tria to get him out of his cell, while also finding out Dulcea had played a part in Kamen's escape as well. That they had not planned on, but they were pleased with the results nonetheless.
Ivan Ooze saw how he had stolen a ship from KO-35 and cloaked it in orbit around Onyx. He had walked into the room in which Michael had been observing the monitors and, as soon as he had distracted Michael enough, had caused the ship to appear. He had underestimated Michael, unfortunately for him, and Michael had escaped. He had originally planned on destroying him there and using security footage to show he had been in the right in doing so.
At one point, Ivicar had thought he could deter Sentinel Knight and cause him to join Estro and him in their plans. Although stressed, Ivan Ooze watched as Sentinel Knight refused Ivicar's suggestions of a monarchy instead of the Morphing Masters Sentinel Knight believed in. Ivan Ooze smiled as that vision passed through his mind in what seemed to be faster than light time. He found it ironic that Sentinel Knight believed in, after all of those years, the Morphing Masters, even with his knowledge of how it had come to be.
Ivan Ooze then saw the vision that changed everything: Master Vile appearing on base with the Orb of Doom. He had known the only way Vile could have had it was if Bansheera had given it to him. Bansheera had promised him all of Lothor's artifacts were lost. Not only that, but the fact Vile was attacking the Morphing Masters, with Ivicar still there, infuriated him. He saw that Bansheera was done using him and was going to get rid of him on Onyx with the rest of the living Morphing Masters. What angered Ivicar even more at that point was how Estro had been there with Vile, going along with the plan and had not informed Ivicar. Ivicar knew he had to sever ties from there on out and, if he could escape that situation, which he was grateful that he did, he would need to hone his skills and become more adept than ever at the Magic Lothor had taught him while he was Lothor's student.
Ivan Ooze then saw what had been occurring in the universe at his present time: Beelzebub being released; the formation of the Space Rangers and Aquitar Rangers; Decade being manhandled by Lord Zedd; Trinity being trained in secret by the elemental martial artists ofEarth's Magic Realm and receiving a small orb; Yoral meeting the Ghost of Darkness and receiving Zocato power, and everything else that had occurred.
He then caught glimpses of the future, and possibilities of the future: He saw the Animal Realm becoming a great force for good on Earth; Master Octomus planning horrible things; he saw a floating head in a tube, which felt important to him though he knew not why; he was surprised to see the Alpha Changeling, Deviot, alive and doing all sorts of evil throughout the universe; he saw the Ethereals looking at the Demons and their activities; he saw Earth becoming more prominent in the universe, and he reveled in some of the atrocities in its history, such as something that would be known as the Spanish Inquisition; he saw the Black Plague; he then saw something that, for whatever reason, tickled him to his very core. It was something that would play on what Humans would later refer to as a TV, and on it would be episodic "shows", featuring stories written and then played out by actors. The particular show which gave him much joy as he saw each "episode" in a nanomoment was called "The Brady Bunch"; he saw Rita Repulsa rise again and attempt to dominate Earth; he saw Zordon raise a new group of Power Rangers to fight her; he saw Sentinel Knight and a team of his own Power Rangers, fighting to protect the Corona Aurora; he saw another team of Power Rangers, battling against a deadly virus that was able to destroy Earth; he saw a deadly evil arise and try to conquer all of the rangers, using wicked abominations; he saw a mighty ranger, whose roots in Magic made him a formidable force; he saw more glimpses of things he couldn't quite understand, like the relationship between a girl named Trini and a different girl, also named Trini; his last vision was what looked like a fight in some high tech facility, with a ranger charging toward another. Sam, the Future: Omega Ranger, was shocked as the Time Force cameras showed to him on his Chrono Workstation the images in Ivan Ooze's mind. The last image was that of the Fake Future: Omega Ranger in the main SPD room, charging toward a morphed Shadow Ranger. Sam and Ivan both watched as the two rangers exuded so much Morphing Energy one could see the heat dancing off of them, warping and distorting everything around the two Power Rangers.
With his transformation complete, which took less than a second for those watching him on the ground, he set his sights on his victims. Raising up an arm, Ivan Ooze said, "Okay, boys and girls. It's time for a lesson in power!"
As he began to unleash his attack, he suddenly felt a blast of power hit him from the side, sending him to the ground. Shocked, he looked up to see the girl who he now knew was Trinity. She was in a two point stance with a wide base, he arms extended out in front of her. Her hands were together, palms facing her target. All of the fighters there could feel great power coming from off her.
"So, you think that little trinket you got on Earth will help save your friends, hmm? Well guess what, little miss!? Ya' ain't seen nothin' yet!" He began sniffing hard. As he finished his last hard snort, he spit out a mass of mucus mixed with ooze out onto the ground. As Magnus and Team Victory hobbled over to Trinity, they watched as Tenga Warriors rose from the nasty slop.
"Tengas?" Dulcea said, squinting at them.
"Ah, my dearie. You misunderstand. These aren't Tenga Warriors, but my advanced Tengu Warriors. I made them myself. You'll find them... quite hard to defeat.
But guess what!? There's more fun in store for you. For your entertainment, I wish for you to also meet my personal fighters! Meet... my children!" Purple lighting erupted from Ivan Ooze's hands. As he laughed, many humanoids appeared. They bore the same color and complexion as their creator.
"They're so... gross." Trinity said, stepping back. Yoral tried hugging her from behind but she slowly shrugged him off. Looking at him, she said, "Not now!"
"These little guys are known as my Oozelings. You'll have quite a difficult time with them, I'm sure."
Zordon got into a fighting stance, stepping forward. "Ivicar... Ivan... whoever you are. I have seen miracles happen. I know that in fighting for good, we will win. You've chosen the losing side. We're taking you down."
Ivan Ooze laughed heartily. "Oh, boy! If that were true, then Mikey over here would still be breathing, huh? Guess what!? I'm going to define what is good. I'm going to define what is evil. From now on, everyone will play by my rules! Prepare to meet the Boogeyman!"
. . .
Dregon looked down on Edenoi and smiled. He motioned for Cyclopter to call Bansheera. He walked over to his control panel as the call went through.
"Yes, Dregon?" Bansheera said as she stared at Novact's body. She could feel Demonic power begin to flow through him, uninhibited.
"My Queen, Edenoi has fallen. Their best fighter is out of commission and I have my armies storming all known hiding places they have."
"Fantastic, Dregon. I will let you know what your next assignment is soon."
"Actually, if I may... I have what I was trying to get. I'm leaving your empire as of now."
"How dare...! Hmm... I see... Well, if you believe that is a wise choice, then so be it. We'll be seeing each other soon."
"I wouldn't expect anything different. Goodbye, Bansheera." As he ended his connection with Bansheera, she walked over to Novact's corpse. She felt it. He was ready.
"Arise, great warrior!"
The transformed body stood before his mistress. Both sides of the top of his head had rows of horns. A sinister grin was stuck on his face. The Yellow Energy that always coursed through him was now permanently hovering in his eyes, making it look as if he had an extreme form of jaundice. The center of his face was red, with the rest of the head being colored black. His rib cage had been transferred to the outside of his body, with a new layer of red skin acting as a webbing between each rib. The tips of the ribs poked through the skin, causing the ribs to poke out like spikes. They started at the bottom of his thorax and rose up and around his head. The skin beneath his new rib layer was black. A chain that he had kept around his belt was now permanently imbedded into his skin. It wrapped around and up to his scapula. He caused his sword to appear. He laughed.
Bansheera looked him over. "You look more hideous than I could have hoped. You truly are a dark hearted individual... Novact, what will you call yourself now?"
Novact looked down, lost in thought. He remembered the words Vile had told him many months earlier:
Once again, Novact felt the sting of not being good enough. His whole life, he knew what it meant to not measure up to what was expected. While working with Master Vile, and being trusted with this new power, he felt as if he was someone important. Being a failure, in any capacity, was not a possibility Novact wanted to face. He felt his stutter begin to return. He could hardly begin a rebuttal. He wanted to argue with Vile, to force Vile to see things his way. In fact, Novact did not care if he was right or wrong at this moment: he only cared that Vile agreed with him. If he failed afterward, he would deal with that, but it was more important to have approval and notoriety than to do things right.
Master Vile turned his attention to his protegé. He saw him, bubbling with energy and wanting to get things done no matter what. Vile chuckled. "Oh, dear. It looks as if you have gotten yourself all flustered. Listen, the enthusiasm is great! Once you learn some more tactics, under my wing, you will be one of the best. With your eagerness to perform, you will be like a dark wave, crashing down on your opponents."
"Dark Wave... no... Something with a little flair." He searched his mind for the words "dark" and "wave" in other languages. He nodded when he fell on the perfect combination.
"From now on, I will be known as the Demon... Darkonda."
"Excellent. Well, Darkonda, I have an assignment for you. An old friend of mine is on Mirinoi right now. He's causing quite a fuss. I don't like what he's doing. I had sent some of my people over there to destroy this man, but I have received reports that they have been... detained. I need you to go down and end his existence."
Darkonda nodded and laughed. "Who, my Queen?"
"The man formerly known as Master Ivicar."
. . .
Diabolico, Loki, and Maligore stood their guard, batting away the various members of the Alliance and pirate rangers. Maligore laughed.
"You can't stop us, foolish Power Rangers. Stand down now and give up."
Gerlit stepped forward. Lindz, Woi, and Shimo stepped up with him. They produced their key wands. Gerlit began speaking by saying, "You Demons took my brother away from me. Barkow was a great man. I will ensure you don't hurt anyone ever again. Containment spell: activate!"
They shot out blasts from their wands. The blasts joined together and as a giant ball of Magic traveled to the Demons. Diabolico stepped forward, laughing.
"Star Power!" He yelled. A blast erupted from the star embedded in his chest and hit the attack from the Liarians. The Magic dissipated around them.
Gokai Red shook his head. "What happened!?"
"We didn't have enough power..." Gerlit said, ashamed.
Alliance Red took a fighting stance. "Okay... charge!" He and the other Alliance Rangers ran forward, summoning their various weapons. As they did, Burai came online.
"Guys... we have a problem... Earth is under major attack. They need us immediately."
"Request denied, General." Alliance Yellow said, kicking Loki in the gut.
"I'm sorry... they need us."
Gokai Pink shook her head. "We need to end these Demons while we are still here, Burai. Don't stop us now!"
Burai shook his head from his ship. "I need to get them help! Either we or the Gokaigers need to go."
"No... We can't!" Gokai Blue said. His insistence shocked everyone. "These fiends will continue to haunt the universe if we leave now. We need to combine all of our powers to take them down here and now!"
"We can't leave Earth defenseless!"
"Then you go." Gokai Yellow suggested. "We can handle things here."
"No, you need someone manning the controls and communications. I can't go." Burai said.
As Alliance Green flew through the air, landing in front of the Liarians, he screamed. He then got up and said, "Burai, what are you doing that is any good to us, anyway? Go!"
Burai looked to Private BJ Lovel. "Private Lovel... Are you ready to take the helm here while I'm gone?"
Turning as white as a sheet, he nodded. Walking over to him, placing a hand on his shoulder, Burai said, "Okay, then, Commander Lovel. Good luck.
"Rangers... I will see you again. Thank you for everything. May the Power protect you." Handing the gear to Commander Lovel, Burai ran to the Hangar Bay to get his shuttle ready to take him to Earth.
Meanwhile, the Gokaigers pulled the Alliance Rangers back, who were injured badly. The pirates had been standing back to defend Gerlit and the other Liarians from random Demons running out from the ship. Gokai Red and Gokai Blue went to battle them alone to fend them off.
"Why didn't that spell work, Master Gerlit?" Alliance Pink asked, falling to a knee from exhaustion.
"There wasn't enough life force behind the attack. The containment spell needs many of our kind to get it to work."
Gokai Green looked at Gerlit and asked, "What about us? Can't you use our lifeforce?"
Gerlit shook his head. "Your biological make-up wouldn't be guaranteed to survive the spell."
Gokai Pink placed both hands on Gerlit's shoulders. She knelt down and took off her helmet, looking at him in the face. "If we don't try, then we will put the universe in a situation that won't guarantee their survival."
Gokai Red and Gokai Blue ran back to their team as Alliance soldiers, on Commander Lovel's orders, poured out of the War Star Armada ship. He wasn't as conservative as Burai and figured if they were going to go down, they may as well go down fighting.
Having heard everything over the communicators, Gokai Red took off his helmet. The rest of the pirates did as well. "We started off as pirates, but now we are a team of superheroes. I'm in. Use my lifeforce."
Doc walked forward and placed his hand on Marvelous' shoulder. "There's a chance we won't survive, but it's a chance I'm willing to take. I'm in."
Luka stepped forward, smiling. "Well, this isn't like facing off against a giant baby, so of course Marvelous isn't scared." He gave her an angry look for bringing up his deepest fear. She stuck her tongue out at her "little brother" and said, "If he's in, I'm in."
Joe shrugged. "I may as well. If you guys don't survive and I'm left here alone, I'll be bored." He winked and shook Marvelous' hand.
Miha stood up and hugged Joe. "We'll be fine! The spirits of the people of Rashon... they're still alive! I know we can find a way to free them. If they can get out of something like that, then so can we!"
Guy walked over and gave everyone a five. "I'm in, too! The power of teamwork will prevail."
"Actually..." Marvelous said. "I can't let you do that. You see, I need someone to stay behind and watch over these little guys here." He gestured to Gerlit and the other Liarians. "Just in case."
Guy nodded and put his helmet back on. He rushed to join the Alliance soldiers in battle.
"Uh... Guy... if you fall in battle, then-" Joe started.
Marvelous laughed. "Just leave him. I only said that to get him out of here. He's just some kid who got star struck by us. I couldn't live with myself if I saw him fall because of us."
Alliance Blue stood up. As always, he was ready to sacrifice for the greater good. "I'm in, too."
As Alliance Red stood to join, Gerlit shook his head. "There's a chance the pirates here won't be destroyed. You Alliance Rangers, though, have been severely weakened from fighting the Demons. It is a guarantee you won't survive. The universe can't risk losing two full teams of Power Rangers."
Nodding, Alliance Yellow looked to her team. "Are you all ready, then?"
"As ever." Alliance Red said. They got into their V Formation, syncing their morphers. They then ran forward to help Gokai Silver and the other soldiers.
"Place your hands on my shoulders." Gerlit informed. Helmetless, the five Gokaigers did as he said. The four Liarians then put their arms in the air. The pirates could feel their life energy begin to leave them.
"Ahh!" Miha cried out, staggering forward but not breaking her connection with Gerlit.
"Miha, get out of here!" Marvelous screamed.
"No! I'm in this with everyone. You are my family!" She screamed, tears coming down her face.
Marvelous looked down. "Miha, I have something I want to say... I-"
"Don't say it! This isn't the end! How are we going to continue if you say it!? We'll lose the fun in our relationship if you say it now! Haha!" She said this, regaining her composure and wiping the tears away, laughing.
"Say what? I was just gonna say I think you're being too weak!" Marvelous said, winking. She then rested her head on his shoulder.
"Containment spell... activate..." Gerlit said. The spell blasted from their key wands.
Gokai Silver saw it coming. With his large spear, he turned on the Alliance soldiers and swept their feet, causing them all to fall, dodging the blast as he rolled out of the way. The Alliance Rangers each jumped and pushed many soldiers away from the blast.
Maligore laughed, looking to Diabolico. "So, they're trying again? It's my turn to stop it. Watch this."
He stepped forward and put out a hand. As he did, the blast hit him, enveloping him. It started at his hand and slowly crept up the entirety of his lava filled body. Within an instant, all that was left of him was a small bottle. His life essence was trapped inside.
Diabolico looked to Loki. "He can't let that happen to us. Retreat!" They both teleported into their ship and began getting it ready to fly away.
"No!" Alliance Yellow yelled. "They're getting away!"
Gokai Silver turned around, more concerned with something else. He dropped to a knee. "They're gone..."
Gerlit looked behind him. He shook his head. He had hoped against fate that the pirates would've been strong enough to survive the blast. They were gone. The Alliance crew, both rangers and soldiers, walked forward to see where the pirates had once stood.
"They were a strong group." Alliance Red said, looking down.
"They will be missed." Alliance Blue said, turning away.
"Thank you for everything, my friends." Gokai Silver said. He walked to Gerlit. "I guess I'll be going with you guys. What's our destination?"
Gerlit looked to the Galleon, and then at his broken vessel. "We'll take your ship. We'll go to Earth." He then walked over and picked up the bottle in which Maligore was housed. "We are going to put this Demon away in a place he is guaranteed to never bother anyone again. Earth has a special blessing over it, and we will use it to our advantage."
"It's off to Earth we go, then." Gokai Silver said, saying goodbye to the remnant of the Alliance. As they boarded the Galleon, Gerlit turned to Gokai Silver and said, "So, you told me earlier that you are a scientist. I have this theory that I can use the Greater Power that is created from each Ranger team to protect the Greatest Treasure in the Universe. Do you think you can help?"
As Gokai Silver began to answer, the demorphed Alliance Rangers returned to their ship.
"What now?" Filcar asked.
Claire, taking on herself the title once again of Commanding General, looked to Commander Lovel. "Do you have any suggestions,Commander?"
He smiled. "I have a lock on those Demons. Would you like me to set a course?"
Rahp nodded. "Let's get them. For the Gokaigers."
. . .
Ivan Ooze watched as the fighters attempted to stand their ground against the Monsters. He laughed. "Having fun yet, my friends?"
Zordon grunted as he blasted two Oozelings away from him with White Energy, charged from his hands. He wished deeply that Sabahad been their to increase his power. Turning to Dulcea, he asked, "So, have we waited long enough? Is this not a time we can morph and not be escalating the battle?"
Dulcea flipped through the air and hit two Oozelings. The Tengu Warriors, although stronger than Tengas, had the same weakness to the screechy sound emanated from the Nathadians' staff, and had run away a while earlier. She turned to Zordon and nodded. "I thought you'd never ask."
As they each attempted to morph, more Oozelings appeared, stopping them. Each fighter yelled in frustration, being overpowered. As they struggled, suddenly, a blast descended from the sky.
"Leave them alone!" Zedd yelled, landing in the midst of the battle.
"What's he doing here!?" Ooze demanded.
"Saving my friends..." Zedd said. Although the situation was dire, Zordon could not help but think how odd it was hearing that phrase come from that mouth.
Zedd pointed his Z Staff at the oncoming Oozelings. He focused the power that both the Dark Lord, who was incessantly screaming in his head, and the Zeo Crystal gave him. He blasted all of them away in a single blast.
Zedd looked at those around him. They were confused. Zedd nodded his deformed head. "I understand your hesitation. The Dark Lord is subdued. I am in control."
The group nodded. Zordon shook Zedd's hand and they all stepped forward. They lined up in front of Ivan Ooze.
"Oh, what? Ya'll gonna try and stare me to death?" Ivan Ooze said, mocking them.
Tria looked at Trinity. "What are you-?"
She smiled. "Just watch."
"Ready?" Zordon asked.
"Ready!" Everyone screamed.
"It's morphin' time!" Tria cried out. "Gold Ranger power!"
"Silver Ranger power!"
"Ancient source: Meledon force!"
"Zocato power! Ancient source: Zocato force!"
"Ninja Ranger power!"
"Ninja storm! Ranger form! Ha!"
"Defender Mode: Activate!"
"Gold Zeo Ranger!"
"Silver Zeo Ranger!"
"Meledon Ranger!"
"Amaradon Ranger!"
"Green Owl Ninja Ranger!"
"Power of Light! Ninja Storm Pink Ranger!"
"Magna Defender."
From the accumulation of Morphing Energy, a massive, multi-colored explosion occurred behind the Power Rangers. They all stood momentarily before getting into their fighting stances.
"Ooo-wee! What fun! That sure was impressive!" Ivan Ooze cried out, clapping. His face then grew dark. "My turn." He produced an odd, purple staff. He then began shooting it at the rangers, sending them flying out of the way to dodge it.
The rangers dug down deep, trying as hard as they could to land a blow on the powerful villain. The former Morphing Master laughed as he threw each ranger away from him.
"Light blast!" Ninja Storm Pink yelled, throwing a ball of light at Ivan Ooze. It bounced off him and back at her.
"I told you that couldn't hurt me! Nothing Ninjor conjured up is worth anything!"
"How about some Nathadian power?" Meledon Ranger said, getting into a fighting stance. He shot currents of Red Nathadian Magic at Ivan. Ooze doubled over in pain, but swiftly recovered.
"Is that all you got!?" He yelled, blasting Magna Defender with a bolt of purple lightning.
Meledon Ranger was confused. He thought he had enough power to take Ooze down. Amaradon Ranger then jumped in between Meledon and Ooze. As he got closer, Meledon could feel his powers beginning to wane. He quickly realized Amaradon's Zocato power was having a negative effect on him.
"Try my Zocato power then!" Amaradon screamed. A blast of blue and black power shockwaved from him, hitting Ooze hard. This, too, caused Ooze much pain. Angry, he walked forward and punched Amaradon in the throat. He then kicked him in the crotch and pushed him away.
"Don't use power you don't yet know how to control." Ooze said. As he did, he noticed Meledon Ranger charging another attack. Smiling, he picked Amaradon up over his head and tossed him at Meledon Ranger. Meledon was hit hard by Amaradon. Having the Zocato powered ranger atop him, he felt his powers waning more and more. He could hardly move. "Try getting me now, Nathadian powers!"
"Shall we?" The Silver Ranger asked the Gold Ranger in his normal voice.
"Certainly." The Gold Ranger replied.
The Gold and Silver Rangers, going into Shadow Mode, plummeted herself into Ivan Ooze several times. He quickly teleported out of the intense attacks. He then pointed his staff and, timing his attack carefully, blasted the rangers. The blast, coupled with the energy draining effects of Shadow Mode, stopped the Zeo Rangers' onslaught of damage.
Ivan Ooze then turned to see the Green Owl, facing off with him. He smiled. "Ah, the true Nathadian. Interesting that you didn't become the Meledon Ranger. Does that make you mad?"
She sneered. "I'm sure that makes you quite happy. It seems to me that was the thing that did the most damage to you."
Ivan Ooze pointed at Meledon, still struggling to get the unconscious Amaradon Ranger off of him. "I don't think he'll be a problem anymore, do you? Now, how would you like me to destroy you? Slowly, or really slowly?" He pointed his hands at the Ectomorphicons and began filling them with his ooze. "I'll use these titans to rip you apart! Then I'll be rid of you Nathadians once and for all!"
Dulcea looked at the Ectomorphicons. She threw a ball of wind Magic at Ooze. He batted it away easily.
"You can't win!" He cried out. Suddenly, he saw both Ectomorphicons explode. "Huh!?"
Turning around, he saw Darkonda appear onto the scene. "Hello, Ivicar. Nice look."
Ivan Ooze stared at the Demon. "Do I know you, Demon?"
"You are one of the ones who caused me to go through months of seclusion from my people for finding the Zeo Crystal. After I destroy you, I'm gonna rip these other Morphing Masters apart, limb by limb. You once knew me as Novact, but I now go by the name Darkonda."
"Well, then! It seems like name changes are getting pretty common around here. I now go by Ivan Ooze."
"Appropriate, seeing that your blood will soon be oozing over my boots." Darkonda said, sending Yellow Energy from his sword to hit Ooze.
"That tickles!" Ooze said, mocking Darkonda. "Now, prepare to meet real power!"
Darkonda ran out of the way as he dodged a blast from Ivan Ooze. He looked at the villain, unsure how to tackle him.
From behind, Green Owl was trying to figure out what she could do. She looked to Meledon Ranger, who seemed to be losing consciousness. She thought of the Nathadian Magic he held, and how it would be the key to Ooze's destruction. She then thought of the Greater Power of the Nathadians, and how she had absorbed it. She then knew what to do.
Ooze had levitated Darkonda into the air and was ramming him around the forest. "I can use you to find the Lights of Orion! Hahaha!" He then stopped. He felt a familiar presence. Dropping Darkonda, he turned to see an unmorphed Dulcea approaching him. She was glowing, Red Nathadian Magic surrounding her.
"For my people!" Dulcea cried. She ran forward and jumped on Ivan Ooze.
"Ahhh! It burns! Get off of me!" Ivan Ooze cried out. Dulcea had called upon the Greater Power of the Nathadians and was using it to its fullest extent. She was grateful for the things Sentinel Knight had taught her: without him, she wouldn't have been able to reach the next level of power the Greater Power had to offer.
Regaining her composure, Ninja Storm Pink Ranger helped Meledon Ranger up as Magna Defender helped the Gold and Silver Rangers. They looked off a few yards from them as Dulcea began emanating all of the Nathadian Magic she could.
"Dulcea!" Gold Ranger yelled, reaching forward as Magna Defender held her back.
Ooze fell to his knees, screaming. Dulcea turned to her friends and smiled. "Thank you for everything! I love you all!" She then dug down deep, and released the rest of the Nathadian Magic within her. A bright light appeared, engulfing the entire area. When it disappeared, both she and Ivan Ooze were gone. Destroyed.
The rangers, automatically demorphed from the light, stared at the spot in shock. Zordon could feel his energy returning to him. He felt at full power again.
Yoral stood up. He grabbed his head. "Oh, man... I got the biggest headache..."
Magnus, pulling off his helmet, pointed a ways from where Dulcea and Ooze had been, to where Darkonda had been thrown. "What's that?"
Darkonda stood up. He stared at the people who he felt were his persecutors. He snarled.
Zordon, tapping into his Nathadian Magic, analyzed Darkonda. "It's a Demon... oh, no... Everyone, it's Novact."
Darkonda leapt forward and got closer to the group. "You may call me Darkonda. You're all lucky Ivicar weakened me a bit. Now, the next time we meet, you all won't be so lucky. See you soon..." And with that, Darkonda was gone."
Tria began crying. "Dulcea... no..." Trinity ran over and hugged her.
Magnus turned to Zordon. "I am sorry, but I must go. My people need me and with Novact the way that he is now, I fear even more for their safety."
Zordon nodded and Magnus ran into the forest to meet up with an unconscious Toro.
"Where's Zedd?" Yoral asked, still rubbing his head.
Zordon looked down, fearing the worst. He was within my grasp again, yet I still couldn't save him...
He then turned to the three fighters with him and frowned. "We haven't finished this fight. It looks like it's just starting. Dulcea would want us to keep going."
Nodding, wiping tears from her face, Tria said, "Yes. We keep fighting. For Dulcea."
. . .
Goldar laughed as he slashed a wizard across the chest, destroying him. He turned to see a shuttle seemingly falling from the sky. It landed near him. He pulled out his sword.
"Come out and face me! I am the mighty Goldar! No one can stop me!"
The shuttle door opened. Burai walked out. He slipped his hand into his pocket and pulled out his Dragon Coin. Green Energy surrounded his hand. He looked up at Goldar.
"This will not end well for you. Back down now, or suffer the consequences."
"Ha! I'd love to see you try!" Goldar cried out.
"Then see you shall..." Burai closed his eyes. He felt the dragon power course through him. He didn't realize the power had enough energy to do what it was telling him to do. The instructions were clear. The first thing that came to his mind when the coin was hardwiring itself to his body was set up the system to get the transformation activated. Like so many others, the first person he thought of was Tria, and the method she used to morph.
He opened his eyes. "It's morphin' time! Dragon!"