Galvanax watched the battle from his chambers, a particularly luxurious set of accommodations known within the ship as "The Throne Room" because it was the quarters granted to the champion. While all the warriors on the warrior dome had accommodations and facilities within the ship, the champion, as befitted his station, was given the largest and most luxurious...at least as far as the contestants were concerned.
Galvanax had earned the right to this sanctuary some time ago, and enjoyed the privilege that went along with it. He sat on the throne, a literal throne that had been part of the decor since the show had been elevated beyond some simple back-water bouts in the dark reaches of the universe. Other than that, the champion had free reign to decorate however he chose. For Galvanax, that was remarkably Spartan. While he did have some decorations and furnishings, for the most part, all he had in the room were posters and photographs of the many legendary bouts he'd been a part of, and in pride of place, hanging over the screen he used to watch the bouts to scout for future challengers, the championship belt.
The belt was more than just a trinket to Galvanax. It represented his years of struggle, his dedication to his power and strength; it was a symbol that showed that he was the greatest warrior in the universe. Inlaid with gold and precious metals and jewels, the belt was as large and as heavy as some people, being somewhere in the region of a good one hundred pounds all in, its weight acting as being a metaphor for the burden carrying it represented. Galvanax was the best, the strongest, the toughest, and it was his duty to prove it against any and all challengers.
At least...that was what it had been. Galvanax cared little for the politics and showmanship of Galaxy Warriors. He had won his belt in a titanic battle against the previous champion well over a decade earlier that had left an entire planet in ruins, and had rendered more than a thousand species extinct by the time the dust had settled, but even then, with his body broken, and his evil heart barely able to sustain him, he had still raised the title high above his head to proclaim to the universe that if anyone wanted to declare themselves the best, he was the one they would have to defeat!
Over time though, it became apparent that the show was more about ratings and merchandise than the thrill and purity of combat. He had dispatched dozens of challengers since he had won the belt, but even he had noticed the quality of the challengers varied. Some he relished as glorious tests of his ability. Others...others were there just to get Galvanax onto television for a bump in the ratings. To say some of them weren't in his league would be an understatement; some of them were only there due to Cosmo making some deal to expand his distribution rights or to appease a system by putting their local darling into the main event. Many of them were barely even worth the stains on his naginata.
Galvanax knew that his image was important, and it was as important for Cosmo to protect his champion's image as it was to put on entertaining bouts. As of this year, it had now been three years since Galvanax had faced a title bout. Not only was he weary of waiting for another glorious battle, he was also worried that the day would come that his audience would notice that he had been absent from any serious competition in some time. That he hadn't had a bout in some time and the few he did have were against opponents in no way a threat to him. In short, the day would come when the talk would begin that he was ducking the real contenders.
That angered Galvanax more than anything else. He could live with the gaudy nature of the show and the gauche and disgusting commercialism of the bouts, not that he ever refused to cash a royalties check on a point of principal, but that eventually he would be seen as a paper champion, a joke, worthless.
Spinferno was promising. He was young, fast, brash...he was everything that Galvanax had hated, being a stoic competitor that tended to let his fighting do the talking for him, but Spniferno had shown that he could go, and he was eager to force Cosmo to finally put him back on the main event against a monster that would last more than a couple of minutes in a squash match.
He was disappointed that Spinferno had fallen; he was even more disappointed that the audience had chosen to deny him a second chance, but as he saw the Zords facing the Skullgator, he was starting to imagine something else. The Rangers, the ones who had taken his power stars were now the ones to beat. The crowd was electric for them, and he was sure that there were some who were already dreaming of seeing him in the field against them.
Of course, what would really be telling is if they could best a Skullgator. They were massive and powerful creatures that had caused untold devastation on their home worlds. Cosmo had picked them up because they were very popular with the crowds. More than capable of tearing apart armour and concrete as easily as flesh and bone with their powerful jaws and huge weapons, few could stand against one and live to tell the tale. Galvanax leant forward, stroking his jaw as he considered the Rangers. They would have to be destroyed sooner or later, but with the power they were showing, he was starting to wonder if perhaps they were the challenge he had been seeking all along.
Back in Summer Cove, Calvin tumbled backwards as he leapt from the Skullgator's nose, having leapt onto it from his Zord in a rather desperate attack. The Zords were managing to keep it busy, and the Rangers were more than capable of keeping it staggering and off-balance, but so far they had yet to find a way to finish it off. Nothing they did caused enough damage to bring it down for the count.
"Whoa, that thing is TOUGH!" Preston commented as he launched a flame attack at the Skullgator. "I think we've thrown just about everything at it!"
"We can bring it down; we just can't get it to STAY down!" Hayley complained as her Kodiak Zord seized one of its legs, causing the Skullgator to face-plant into the ground. Brody thought about it for a moment.
"Maybe it's about time we try something new." He suggested. "None of us can take it down individually, but just like we've come together as a team, maybe the Zords can too."
"Like a...Magazord?" Sarah suggested, beginning to shake with excitement at the prospect. She knew they already had the powers and the weapons and the Zords, but the one thing they hadn't tried yet was forming a Megazord! She could remember Shelby and her team talking all the time about the incredible power they felt in the Megazords, which were stronger than the sum of their individual Zords. She had seen them use multiple combinations and variations of their Megazords.
"Um...yeah, I guess." Brody replied. "Zord stars, Ninja Zords, Combine!"
The Rangers all leapt off their Zords as they started to shift and change, forming up into one single Zord, carrying a sword and shield. Instead of landing on top of it as they were used to, they rushed inside, landing in a cockpit by some podiums, leaving them a little disorientated.
"Where are we?" Preston asked.
"Are we...inside the Zord?" Hayley asked.
"Oh this is AMAZING!" Sarah squealed, dancing excitedly by her podium.
"It doesn't appear to be doing much of anything." Calvin said, looking to his podium. "It doesn't appear to be powered up."
"Wait, there are power stars here." Brody told them, picking one up from his podium. "It looks like they have Ninja Masters on them. Lock them in!"
"Ninja Master Mode, Ninja SPIN!" They all called out. They felt a new and more powerful energy rushing through them as armour formed up around them, covering their chests and shoulders. Brody saw his sword glowing brightly, before it transformed into a huge contraption, which looked only vaguely like a sword, but also seemed to incorporate three circular saws that were equipped to turn in opposite directions to each other.
"Man, this is EPIC!" Brody called out.
"I could definitely get used to this!" Calvin said, inspecting his armour.
"How come only Brody gets the cool sword?" Hayley asked.
"It's a Red thing. They always get the cool toys." Sarah remarked, causing them all to stare at her. "Um...well...it seems that way from seeing the other teams."
Just then, the Skullgator roared as it finally got back to its feet. Preston just pointed out of the cockpit.
"Maybe we should discuss this later, when that thing isn't trying to tear us apart?" He suggested.
"You read my mind Presto!" Brody answered. "Ninja Master Mode, Final Attack!"
He pulled the rip cord on his word, starting the saw blades spinning. He held the sword tightly in both hands as he raised it up.
"Ninja Slash, HAH!" They all called out, swinging their swords in unison. The Megazord's sword started to glow with power, before coming down, slicing straight through the Skullgator. It fell over backwards, exploding as it went. Brody just stood, resting the sword over his shoulder as the blades came to rest.
"Show's over, Ninjas Win!" He declared proudly.
On the Warrior Dome, Cosmo was dancing a jig as the ratings came in. The latest contest had everything that made his audience happy. Drama, surprises, a major comeback...he was always keenly aware that any warrior, any asset had a shelf-life and he was always keeping an eye on them to ascertain when that market value started to slip, but the Rangers just seemed to get more and more valuable. The previous week had been the highest ratings in years for him, but this week had broken even that record!
As he came into the throne room to relay the results to Galvanax though, the champion was already in one of his moods. One of Cosmo's many responsibilities was to keep his talent happy...that was to say, keep them from becoming a problem and keep them on the show. He had managed to keep Galvanax for over ten years with the prospect of him getting the power of the Ninja Power Stars. However, now that the Power Stars were beyond their control, he was having to deal with another frustration Galvanax had, and that was lack of exposure!
"I'm sorry Champ, I was sure Spinferno would prove to be a worthy challenger for sure." Spinferno lied expertly. He had been more than aware that Spinferno was planning to go into business for himself, declaring himself a challenger on live television. Given how unwise it was to anger Galvanax, he was sure that the Champion had probably already spoken to him and convinced him that a challenge would be accepted. While Cosmo was more than willing to promote the battle, he didn't like being cut out of the decision making process, and he also didn't relish the thought of losing an asset before one or both of them had been mined for every penny he could squeeze from their image. "Still, the crowd loves the Rangers, especially their new Megazord!"
Madame Odious was also in the room, trying, but failing, to keep Galvanax calm. While she was on the payroll of the Warrior Dome, one of her main duties was management. She represented the interests of a few of the fighters on board. It was a profitable business model, since as far as the warriors she represented, Galvanax included, trusted her with their interests, while completely ignorant to the fact that being on the Warrior Dome's payroll, she was effectively always in a conflict of interests that generally always slanted in favour of Cosmo. It was the only reason he allowed her to take money from the warriors to represent them.
"Of course they do, it's AMAZING!" Galvanax snapped at him, grabbing Cosmo by the coat and yanking him off his feet. "But it also DEFEATED us!"
"I think what the Champion is trying to say is, we're a little concerned with what this development means for the interests of the champion." She told him. "The Rangers are causing quite a stir, and it has shaken up the format of the show quite a bit."
"So did the Pay-Per-View network." Cosmo said with a grin. Galvanax just growled, indicating that he was not amused at all. "Listen Champ, no one is more disappointed than I am that Spinferno couldn't get the job done, but if he can't handle a couple of children, what hope do you think he'd have had against a mega-star like you?"
"I guess we'll never find out, will we?" Galvanax stated, tossing Cosmo aside. "Bring me another loser, and I'll fire both of you...STRAIGHT INTO THE SUN!"
Cosmo just nodded in understanding as he and Odious left the room. He just grinned widely as he lit up a cigar.
"Yeah, like you could handle any of this without me." Cosmo said with a look of satisfaction on his face. "The network would chew you up and crap you out faster than any challenger."
As he left, Madame Odious just watched him go, making sure she was on her own, before reaching into her robes, pulling out the Gold Power Star.
"The Rangers aren't the only ones working on their next big asset." She commented, tapping a nearby poster, which disappeared, revealing a secret passage. "Before long, they're not going to know what hit them!"
In the Paint Room, the Rangers made their way inside, finding Mick working on something. There was a lot of jubilation and high-spirits, but one of them was noticeably subdued by comparison to the others.
"Wow, that was totally amazing!" Hayley commented as Kody came bounding over to her, looking for a scratch from his owner, delighted to see her return. "I mean, I love my Kodiak Zord, but that Megazord was something else!"
"It was like it was nitro-powered...on STEROIDS!" Calvin said excitedly. "I can't WAIT to get behind the console of that thing again!"
"Brody?" Preston asked, noticing that instead of celebrating, the Red Ranger was just sitting in a corner, moping. He looked more like he'd lost the battle than won it.
"Hey Brody, what's wrong?" Hayley asked him.
"I almost cost you all everything." He muttered. "A ninja is meant to use any tool that makes their mission easier, but they're never meant to RELY on any one tool. They're meant to be adaptable."
"Brody, we won." Calvin reminded him. "The bad guy's ash, we're not!"
"But we nearly were!" Brody answered. "No thanks to me. I thought I was a ninja, just like my dad taught me, but I forgot one of the most basic rules. I never even realised how much I relied on that Datacomm until it no longer gave me all the right answers. When I had to rely on myself..."
"Hmm...interesting." Mick said, beginning to pace thoughtfully as he thought about this. "And when you were teaching the guys to use the Element Stars earlier, that was the Datacomm wasn't it?"
"No, that was me." Brody told him. "My dad already trained me, I knew that stuff already."
"And when we escaped from the ship, that was the Datacomm too right?" Mick asked him.
"Well, it was down to Wrench..."
"Wrench?" Sarah asked, looking a little uncomfortable. She recognised the name, but...no...it wasn't possible was it? It wasn't like there was only one 'Sarah' in the world; it had to be a coincidence...wasn't it?
"One of the other interns on the ship." Brody explained. "I talked to him and convinced him to hack security."
"And the Datacomm told you to do that didn't it?" Mick asked him.
"Well...no." Brody told him. "The ninja often used inside men. Why bother breaking in when you can ask, bribe, blackmail or coerce someone into leaving the door open?"
"What about after you smashed the Datacomm?" Hayley asked him. "Once you did that, once you started coming up with your own ideas..."
"Things fell into place." Brody said with a smile as he realised what they were all getting at. "I had the skills I needed all along, I just relied too much on the Datacomm and stopped relying on the skills I already had."
"Sizzling Circuits, I think he's got it!" Redbot exclaimed.
"It's still a shame the Datacomm's gone. Having advanced warning of where the monsters were coming would have been sweet." Preston stated. "But in the grand scheme of things, I guess it's a gamble that wasn't worth taking."
"Well, you may not have access to the Warrior Dome Database anymore, but I have something that will link you to something even better!" Mick told them, leading them to his workbench. The Rangers looked to see that he had created what looked like five Datacomms, only they were a lot smaller, and looked a lot more like they could be regular watches. "These Ninja Comms will allow you to communicate with each other securely!"
"So we'll always be linked to something even better than the Warrior Dome." Sarah declared happily, strapping on her Datacomm and holding her fist in. "The Ranger team!"
The others all did likewise. Sarah was elated, and couldn't wait to call her friends and tell them about her amazing new team. She had loved being a part of the Amber Beach team, but now, she truly knew what it was like to have a team of her own, and as much as she understood the risks and dangers they would now face, she couldn't wait for the new adventures that would await them!
"Hey, check this out." Hayley heard a voice say. "Who's this bozo?"
"Guys, check this out." Hayley commented, bringing their attention to the computer. "Redbot, were you looking at this?"
"I was checking to see what the reports are saying about the Rangers." Redbot told her. "I wanted to see if we needed to try and quell any reports that risked revealing..."
"This is a YouTube video of our battle." Calvin stated. "Is that...is that Victor?"
The Rangers watched as Hayley re-started the video, which showed Victor in his battle with Spinferno. It was set to some goofy music, and overlaid with messages commenting on his fails. They started laughing as they saw him take the flame to the rear and start running around.
"Poor Victor!" Hayley sniggered. "This video's going to be broadcast all over the world!"
"It already has been." Calvin told her, pointing to the views. "It's already over four million! It's four times more popular than OUR video!"
"Well, I...guess he kind of got what he wanted then!" Preston chuckled.
"It's the downside to the ninja thing." Brody answered. "No credit."
"If that's credit, he can keep it." The voice said again. Hayley just rolled her eyes.
"There's no need for silly voices Redbot." She told him. Redbot just looked at her.
"What silly voices?" He asked. "I always sound this way."
"I mean when you told us about the video..."
"I never said a word about the video. You did." Redbot told her. She just looked around her friends.
"So which one of you...?"
"None of us saw the video." Calvin said to his girlfriend, putting his arm around her. "We all heard about it from you."
As she looked around, Hayley saw that the all nodded to confirm the detail. She furrowed her brows; she could swear she heard someone speaking to her. She eventually just shrugged and chalked it up to exhaustion.
"Hey, who wants to watch it again?" Brody asked. The team all enthusiastically agreed and re-started the video. They knew that there would be a lot of battles to come, and for now, now it was the time to laugh with their new friends.
FIN