Thank you all for your lovely reviews, and for favouriting and following! I'm so glad that you enjoyed the first chapter, and I hope that continues!
This was my day off this week so I managed to get two chapters written, so I figured I'd update!
Hope you like it!
Chapter 2: Past, Present and Fusion
Sliding down into the base, Chase held the Black Energem loosely in his fingers, before feeling it pulled from his grasp as it flew into its place in the crystal beds.
"We're back!" he called as Koda followed. The Blue Energem followed the Black, and both shone brightly amongst the crystals as the two approached the woman sitting with a computer, smiling in amusement.
"Where's Kendall?" Ari asked as she looked up at her son and the caveman beside him.
"Getting the Pink Energem from the truck," Chase told her proudly, but his smile faded when Ari chuckled.
"She'll be looking a while for it then," Chase and Koda exchanged confused looks. "Come check it out," she called them over, and the two approached to take a look at the computers. They frowned in confusion.
"But how?" Chase asked, baffled. Ari laughed.
"This is why you wait for your sister," she told him, watching the energy reading of three Rangers heading back to town. White, Red, and Pink. "Better go get Kendall before she has a fit trying to find what wasn't there to begin with," Ari told them. Both still looking very confused, Koda and Chase did as suggested to find their boss. As they did, another signal popped up, and Ari sat forwards, her smile growing.
"Why would both of these things be in dinosaur fossils?" Shelby asked, holding the Pink and Red Energems as she studied them. They were very similar, except for the colour.
"Maybe the dinosaurs ate them," Tyler suggested. Teddie couldn't help but laugh as Shelby rolled her eyes.
"You aren't serious," she grumbled.
"Totally," Tyler laughed. "You have a theory, Miss Dino-it-all?" he challenged. Teddie arched an eyebrow as she turned away from the scenery to watch them. Shelby just gave a mocking laugh.
"Well, where'd you find yours Teddie?" Shelby asked.
"Huh? Oh, in a dino fossil I found in Briarwood a few months back," Teddie explained, thinking back to when she'd found the White Energem and she and her brother had become the Black and White Rangers. Her eyes then darted to a figure standing at the side of the road by the side of an old scooter.
"What was it your dad said?" Shelby asked as she spotted him too.
"Helping is always..."
"The right thing to do," the three chorused. Tyler laughed at the two girls, before slowing the jeep to a stop. The young man standing at the side of the road glanced up with big eyes, before looking back at the manual in his hands. The engine of the scooter had been disassembled, and looked a little worse for wear.
"Hey, you need a hand?" Tyler called to him.
"Oh, no thanks," he turned around, smiling at them weakly. He only looked around 16, and wore a green shirt under a jacket. "I think I found the problem, I just gotta stick to the old owner's manual and I should-" he was interrupted as a large truck flew by, and a powerful wind ripped the manual from his hands. "Be good to go..." he finished. Blinking rapidly, he looked at the pages that were scattered in the wind, and back at the three in the jeep.
"If I grew up on a ranch, I'd never leave," Shelby commented as the fourth passenger, whose name was Riley, told them about where he'd come from.
"Yeah, how great is that? Cowboys and round-ups," Tyler smiled, excited at the thought.
"Yeah, more like fixing fences and cleaning pig pens, but..." Tyler laughed at Riley's words.
"I spent some time in something similar while I lived in New Zealand," Teddie smiled at him. Riley glanced to her, surprised. The pretty girl, wearing shorts and a white vest, didn't exactly look like the farming type. But he had to admit, there was something odd about her. She didn't seem like a city girl either.
"You did?" Shelby glanced to her, clearly equally as surprised but less inclined to hold back.
"Yeah, I lived with my grandparents there for like 7 years, and Chase and I had to do stuff like that," Teddie nodded.
"Chase? On a farm? That's even less believable," Shelby shook her head, and Teddie laughed. She couldn't help but agree. But there was definitely a difference between Riley's life on a farm, and her own in the Dunedin Kingdom.
"Hey, something's up," Tyler's smile faded as he spoke, and the other three looked ahead. They found a car flipped upside down, smoking dangerously, and a woman frantically waving them down.
"Help, please!" the woman begged as they stopped. "My husband, he's trapped, please," she sobbed as Teddie leapt from the jeep and over to the car.
"Shelby, make sure she's okay!" the White Ranger called as she landed on her knees at the side of the car. Shelby turned to the woman, whose face was covered in dirt, with tears streaking through it. There was a large cut across her forehead, still bleeding, and her clothes were covered in dirt.
"I'm fine, just some cuts and bruises," the woman insisted as Tyler and Riley crouched beside Teddie.
"Hey there, I'm Teddie," she smiled at the man who seemed barely conscious. "We're gonna get you out of there," he groaned weakly, barely registering her words.
"Guys, it's leaking gas," Riley warned as he saw the liquid pouring out and sniffed it.
"Please, help him," the woman begged as Shelby joined them.
"Come on," Teddie crawled inside.
"Hey, are you crazy?" Riley hissed at her.
"It's the only way to get this thing off him," Teddie shot back, pulling at the seatbelt. "Come on," she hissed again, and white light shone from under her top. The seatbelt came apart in her hand as it snapped, and the man sagged. "Pull him out," she called, crawling back out. As Riley pulled the man free, the other three pushed at the car.
"Come on! We can do this together!" Tyler shouted. "On three! One...two...three!" the four shoved hard. The Energem around Teddie's neck began to shine, as did the ones in Tyler and Shelby's pockets, and what Teddie hadn't expected, was a green light shining from Riley's pocket.
"What in the world?" the woman gasped as the car was lifted high into the air, where it exploded.
"Whoa," Riley blinked as the debris landed nearby. The woman, crouched beside her husband, stared in disbelief. Tyler, Shelby and Riley pulled the Energems from their pockets, staring at them.
"Let me guess," Teddie laughed as she looked at the Green Energem in Riley's hand. She revealed the one around her neck, and his eyes widened as he looked from hers, to Tyler's, to Shelby's. "You're going to the Dino Museum?" she asked, and he nodded slowly. As they headed back to the jeep, sure that the ambulance was on its way, Teddie glanced to the couple, and when she was sure nobody was watching, she murmured under her breath, and for a moment her hands glowed green as she aimed at the couple. The green light hit them, and they blinked rapidly, not too sure what had happened past their car crashing.
"Go around back, the others should be back and all," Teddie directed Tyler as they reached the Dino Museum.
"Where are we going?" Shelby asked as Tyler pulled up and Teddie jumped out.
"Well..." Teddie smiled. Shelby frowned, getting tired of the lack of answers. She was surprised, then, when Teddie pulled a large tarp down to reveal a massive T-Rex head.
"Awesome!" Tyler laughed, climbing up onto the crate in front of it.
"Cool," Riley blinked up at it.
"Take a pic for me?" Tyler tossed Shelby his phone.
"Really?" Shelby rolled her eyes. Tyler nodded as he climbed inside the open mouth, and Teddie smirked.
"Hey Ty," he glanced to her as her eyes gleamed with mischief. "Pull on that tooth, the one on the back right," she suggested. Confused, Tyler did as suggested, and the panel beneath him seemed to vanish. With a cry, he fell through, and Teddie burst out laughing.
"What just happened? Teddie!" Shelby called to her.
"Come on, this is where we need to go," Teddie laughed as she jumped up and slid down through the mouth.
"Whoa, a secret passage," Riley breathed, following them down. With a groan, Shelby followed them down. She landed on solid ground, and looked around as she approached where the other three were already standing. Tyler and Riley were staring in awe, and Teddie was smiling. "I think it's some kind of lab," Riley commented.
"I've been serving burgers here for a year, never had a clue this was down here," Shelby complained.
"That's the whole point of a secret base," Teddie giggled as she walked past. Shelby frowned, going to question her more, when Tyler spoke up.
"Hey, check this out," they approached the crystal beds, where the Blue and Black Energems were resting.
"Check it," Teddie removed her Energem from its necklace, and held it out loosely. It was pulled from her hand, and balanced perfectly in the crystal beds.
"They're just like ours," Shelby stared at the other two Energems, before lifting her own Energem. It was pulled from her grasp, landing beside Teddie's. Riley and Tyler did the same, and their Energems shot over to stand beside the other four.
"It looks like they're some kind of power source," Riley commented as he looked down at the Chargers in front of the Energems. Teddie returned the ones from her pockets to rest them in front of the White Energem, where a white square with the number 6 indicated its position.
"They are Energems," they looked around quickly as a figure in a red cloak appeared, carrying a staff with a glowing yellow centre. He was almost reptilian in appearance, and startled the three newcomers.
"Stay back," Tyler warned.
"Guys, it's okay," Teddie told them, smiling softly. "This is Keeper, he's the guardian of the Energems," she introduced them.
"I assure you, I'm quite harmless," Keeper raised his hands in defence. "Energems harness untold powers of the universe," raising his staff, he showed the images of himself with 12 different coloured Energems. "Long along, I entrusted them to guardian dinosaurs, but when the dinosaurs went extinct, the Energems were lost," he told them.
"Until we found them," Tyler realised with a smile.
"Exactly," Keeper confirmed. "And the Energems have chosen to bond with you," he told them. The three thought about it, and were hit by flashes of a T-Rex glowing Red, a Triceratops glowing Pink, and a Velociraptor glowing Green.
"Why would they bond to us?" Riley frowned.
"Because you proved yourself to them," they looked around as Ari, followed by Chase and Koda, emerged.
"Koda? Chase?" Shelby blinked, before seeing Kendall approach. "Ms. Morgan?" she frowned. Teddie laughed and stood beside her brother, who nudged her lightly.
"What did you mean, proved ourselves?" Riley asked Ari.
"I mean exactly that," Ari nodded. Shelby shot Teddie a frown, seeing the resemblance of vague answers. "Tyler, the Red Energem chose you because you stepped in to defend strangers against a monster with powers far greater than your own," she told him. Tyler smiled bashfully at her, and she watched him curiously for a moment before turning to Riley. "Riley, you have strength and wisdom, and the courage to protect, of course the Green Energem bonded with you," Riley flushed at the comments. "And Shelby," Ms. Morgan shook her head, looking unimpressed. "While you did stow away on a dig you weren't meant to go on, you fought bravely to protect something because you knew that that creature shouldn't have it," Ari told her. Shelby just shrugged.
"Energems...dinosaur spirits and bonding...I'm sorry, but this all sounds a little unbelievable," Riley turned to look at the Energems.
"Riley," Teddie smiled. "Hold out your hand," she told him. With a frown, Riley did so, and his eyes widened when the Green Energem flew straight back into his grasp. Teddie, Koda and Chase then walked forwards and held out their hands. The Blue, Black and White Energems flew right back to them. They held them out, and images of a Stegosaurus, Parasaur and Compsognathus shone over them like holograms.
"Chase and Teddie bonded to their Energems in Briarwood and came here to find out why," Kendall shot the two looks, still annoyed that they had found her secret base so easily. Ari smirked. "Then we found Koda," Kendall added as the three newcomers approached slowly.
"Welcome to our team," Koda spoke slowly, with a usual friendly smile.
"You're officially Power Rangers," Chase told them as they clipped their Energems to their necklaces. The three laughed in disbelief.
"What...?" Riley asked.
"The Energems have given you magnificent power, and the dinosaur spirits give you strength," Keeper explained.
"Six Energems have been found, but six more are still lost," Kendall gestured to the empty crystal beds. "You must use your new powers to find them before they fall into evil hands," she explained.
"Evil hands? You mean like that thing we fought in the woods?" Shelby stared at her. "You expect me to fight monsters?" she demanded. "Really? I just want to dig for dinosaur bones, not bond to one," she complained. When an alarm suddenly blared, the group looked around quickly.
"What's going on?" Tyler asked as a computer system in the centre of the room brought up an image.
"I'm seeing more seismic activity," Kendall frowned as she stood in front of it. "Same place as earlier," she told them.
"We better take a look then," Chase told them.
"I'm Tyler, and I'm all in," the new Red Ranger grinned.
"Good," Kendall smiled at him.
"This all seems crazy but..." Riley looked down at the Energem in his hand. "I'm in too," he decided, and they all smiled.
"Great," Chase nodded.
"We go now," Koda told them. They all went to leave, before realising Shelby hadn't moved.
"Shelby?" Tyler watched her.
"Hey," Ari put a hand on her shoulder, seeing her fear. "I told you. You fought bravely to save the Pink Energem before, that's why it bonded to you. Now the world needs you, but you're not alone. There are five others here who will be fighting by your side. And when we find the other 6, you'll be unstoppable," she smiled confidently.
"It's her decision Ari," Kendall frowned. "She's right to be hesitant. Clearly this mission is just too dangerous for a waitress," she said, and Shelby scowled. "Go without her," she instructed. Ari smirked again. While Kendall clearly didn't believe in her, Shelby was stubborn, and wouldn't take such words lying down.
"Wait!" Shelby called as they went to leave. "Sure, I'm a little scared. Who wouldn't be? But I know more about dinosaurs than any of you. Fact is, you need me. And I want to help," she glared at Kendall. Teddie giggled.
"Well she's not wrong," she murmured.
"Course not. She's been showing that off since we got here," Chase muttered. Tyler smiled as Shelby joined them. "Don't forget your Dino Chargers," the Black Ranger reminded as he, Koda and Teddie lifted theirs. Curious, Riley lifted his own, and Shelby did the same, calling on her Energem. As they went to leave, Tyler held his hand out, but the Red Energem didn't move. It flashed, changing in levels of brightness as he frowned. One of the computers beeped loudly.
"Something is interfering with the Red Energem power," Kendall realised as she looked at the readings.
"Tyler, you must stay," Keeper instructed.
"But I..." he frowned, staring at the Energem. He then looked to the others, and his expression turned determined. "Okay," he agreed, stepping away and watching as the others ran off.
"It's gotta be just ahead," Chase called as they ran towards the co-ordinates given to them.
"Something's wrong," Teddie warned as a bad feeling settled in the pit of her stomach. Coming to the top of a hill, the group of five stopped and stared out ahead of them. Teddie then grabbed Koda's arm a split second before the tremors started again, almost knocking them off their feet.
"That's a volcano," Shelby swallowed as she stared out at the smoking pillar ahead of them.
"It's gonna blow any second," Teddie nodded as she straightened up. No sooner had she spoken, did a massive explosion burst free and rock the ground again. They heard a roar, and spotted a massive T-Rex in the distance.
"It's the T-Rex Zord!" Chase realised as it roared again.
"Of course, the tremors earlier must have been when Tyler bonded with his Energem!" Teddie realised.
"You want dinosaurs? Welcome to the Power Rangers," Chase grinned to Shelby as they all stepped forwards to watch the T-Rex Zord race through the forest.
"Woo, now that's a powerful Zord," Ari commented as Tyler watched beside her, Kendall and Keeper.
"When someone bonds to an Energem, their Zord is awakened," Kendall explained.
"That thing is my...my Zord?" Tyler asked slowly, excited. He remembered Teddie saying something about it before, but it hadn't made much sense.
"Yes, and it's destabilising the Red Energem's power. Something about your connection...just like with Teddie and Chase," Kendall muttered, looking down at the tablet in her hands.
"It's headed to the city," Ari warned, but her eyes were on Tyler as she smiled in amusement. "You're going to need to Morph, Tyler, it's the best way to stabilise the connection," she explained as he turned to her. He tilted his head slightly, seeing her smile. Something about it was familiar, and not just from Teddie.
"These are Dino Chargers," Kendall held out the three devices to Tyler. "I created them to contain the power of each Energem. When a Dino Charger runs out of power, we recharge it here," she gestured to the machines in front of the crystal beds. "It will power your weapons and Morph you into battle mode," Kendall explained.
"I get to Morph, again?" he smiled brightly. "Cool," Tyler breathed, making Kendall laugh.
"Yes, I suppose it is 'cool'," she agreed, handing over the Dino Chargers.
"Just focus on your connection Tyler," Ari told him softly as he looked to his Energem. "If you're in harmony with that power, then you won't have any problems," Tyler looked at her, his eyes growing wider as he realised why he recognised her. He hadn't seen her in years, but he knew it was her. Her smile was the same, from both the photos and when he'd last seen her. "I'll let the other Rangers know you're on your way and to meet you in town," Ari then turned away and went back to the computers.
"Right..." Tyler took a breath and held out his hand. The Red Energem flew straight to him, and his smile brightened. He glanced to Ari again, and she winked to him, giving him a thumbs up. Tyler then nodded, and headed out to stop his rampaging Zord.
"I do find it curious. Why only those three?" Kendall adjusted her glasses as she looked at the data on her tablet.
"I agree. There shouldn't be any trouble," Keeper nodded in agreement.
"Yeah, very curious," Ari's voice was light as she watched the screens showing the T-Rex Zord. She was smiling in amusement, making Kendall's brow furrow.
"What do you know, Ari?" she asked, approaching the woman.
"I know many things Kendall," Ari smiled at the young woman, who sighed. Even now she could get very little from Ari. "But as for this, it's just a theory that I plan on looking into now that it's happened with Tyler as well," her green eyes were calculating as she watched. Kendall watched her for a moment longer, then turned her attention back to the screen.
Ice was covering the city and large monsters roamed around when the T-Rex Zord arrived.
"Whoa, the T-Rex Zord is awesome!" Teddie laughed when the Rangers reached the battle already taking place.
"Yeah, and so's Tyler," Chase nodded, impressed as they raced towards the Red Ranger, who was facing the monster from before.
"You'll never defeat me alone!" Ice Age roared as Tyler faced him.
"Did you say 'alone'?" Tyler smirked, resting his sword over his shoulder. "Look again," he indicated to where the others were running towards them. "Better late than never," he grinned.
"Look good Tyler!" Koda told him, clapping a hand to Tyler's shoulder.
"For a first timer," Chase nodded with a smirk.
"Are you really in there?" Riley asked curiously, rapping his knuckles on Tyler's helmet. The Red Ranger laughed, nodding.
"No more games! I'll destroy all of you!" Ice Age vowed. Koda frowned.
"That...is not Fury," he glanced to Chase and Teddie.
"That's for sure," Chase looked to Teddie with a frown. The White Ranger shrugged with an apologetic smile.
"Yeah...meant to say about that. Dude's looking for Energems too though," she explained.
"Well, whoever he is, he's about to learn who we are," Chase shrugged, grabbing his Dino Charger. "It's Morphin' Ti-"
"Just try to keep up guys," Shelby pushed past Koda as he lifted his own. They blinked at Shelby, confused. "Dino Charger, ready!" she held it out, but nothing happened. Teddie giggled as Chase and Koda exchanged looks and shrugged. Koda then walked over as Shelby shook it, trying to activate it, and he put a hand on her shoulder.
"Click," he indicated, and Shelby went even redder.
"Oh...thanks..." she muttered, pressing the button on the Charger.
"Ready!" the other four stood beside her, holding out their Chargers.
"ENERGISE! UNLEASH THE POWER!" they Morphed into Black, White, Blue, Pink and Green suits.
"Wow! We look great together!" Shelby exclaimed as Riley examined his own suit.
"You're still just weak humans!" Ice Age declared.
"Humans with dinosaur spirits!" Tyler stood with his team as he spoke confidently. Ice Age scoffed.
"I hope you're ready to lose!" he yelled. "Get them!" he ordered the Vivix; creatures in white suits with black designs, that rushed at the Rangers.
"It's about to get wild!" Tyler smirked. The Rangers then ran to meet the Vivix, and Teddie called on her sword, spinning it before swinging up and cutting through the creatures around her. She grinned, turning and moving as she continued to cut through the Vivix, easily taking out those around her.
"When you've been training most of your life..." Teddie dropped to the ground to avoid the attacks sent her way. "You can handle a couple of these losers!" she pushed herself back up, spinning and cutting through the Vivix. She looked around to see Tyler taking on Ice Age as his Zord finished off the last Vivizord.
"Nice, now let's finish this ice freak together!" Tyler shouted, grabbing his Dino Charger.
"I'll freeze you both!" Ice Age declared. He threw a jet of ice at Tyler as the Red Ranger leapt up into his Zord's mouth, but the ice didn't stick.
"Dino Morpher Blast, final strike!" Tyler fired another powerful shot, and destroyed Ice Age. "Monster Extinct!" he grinned, and the T-Rex Zord tossed a Charger at him. He caught it with a laugh, and the Zord crouched in front of him as the others approached.
"You did great!" Shelby praised.
"Yeah, that was awesome dude!" Teddie nodded, impressed by his moves.
"You too Rexy!" Tyler told the Zord.
'I thought you'd want the heads up on this, considering what's going on there,' Ari ran a hand through her hair at her eldest son's words.
"I appreciate it Spencer, thanks," she glanced over to Keeper, who was sitting down in stunned silence. Kendall looked worried as well.
'Tell Chase and Teddie good work from me. I'm just glad they've got a full team now,' the Gold SPD Ranger admitted. Ari laughed quietly.
"You and me both Spence. Though they were only one off what the Dino Thunder team were when they started off," she commented, making him laugh. Kendall glanced over, looking curious. She'd looked into past teams when working on the Dino Chargers and the Ranger equipment, but it was still surprising to hear of a team that had long since disappeared.
'True. I gotta go. The Commander's supposed to be making a big announcement so I better get moving,' Spencer told her.
"No problem. Thanks again. Love you Spencer," Ari said her goodbyes, and hung up, just as Chase's voice echoed through the base.
"We're back!" he called as the Rangers slid down into the base and let their Energems fly to their places in the crystal beds.
"Can you show me how to handle a sword like that?" Tyler was asking Riley as they walked through.
"The way you took out that giant monster, how about you show me?" the two laughed.
"Great work out there guys," Ari praised as she leaned against the console. "Spencer was impressed too," she held up her phone. Both Chase and Teddie grinned at the mention of him.
"Who?" Shelby asked curiously.
"Our big bro," Teddie told her.
"Oh my gosh, wait till my brother hears about this!" Riley grinned, reminded of his own brother.
"Incorrect," Kendall shook her head. "No-one must know what we're doing," she warned them. "Understood?" she looked to the three newcomers. Tyler and Riley nodded.
"What?" Shelby frowned. "But their brother-"
"Is SPD," Teddie explained as Shelby indicated to them. Shelby's frown grew. "It's a long story," she gave a weak smile.
"Your brother works for SPD?" Riley asked. Teddie nodded, and he whistled, surprised. Everyone knew of the force in New Tech City who policed the city and ensured no alien who lived there threatened the peace. Chase, who had fallen into thought, approached Keeper and crouched in front of the alien who had remained silent.
"Keeper?" the reptilian alien looked up at the Black Ranger. "That monster we fought wasn't Fury. You said there weren't any other monsters on Earth," Chase reminded him gently.
"That monster belongs to Sledge," Keeper sighed. "A ruthless bounty hunter. 65 million years ago, he drove me to hide all the Energems, which Kendall and Ari have been helping me search for," he explained.
"SPD picked up the signal of Sledge's ship a while back, and he's approached Earth," they looked up at Ari as she spoke, her arms folded and her expression grim.
"He's very dangerous. He'll do anything to get his hands on the Energems, and that includes destroying you," Keeper warned, and the Rangers fell quiet as they realised that they had much bigger problems on their hands.
"Hey mum?" Teddie approached Ari as she put her laptop away and grabbed her skateboard.
"What's up Ted?" Ari turned to her daughter and smiled.
"It's about Tyler," Teddie hopped up to sit on the desk as she watched Ari move about. "He's-"
"I know who he is Teddie," she was surprised by Ari's words. "I haven't really seen him since he was a kid, but I kept up with his family. Plus, he had the same problem connecting to his Zord that you and Chase had. You had to focus to let your spirit work in harmony with your Energems, just like he did," Ari explained, and laughed when she saw Teddie's stunned expression.
"How do you always know everything?" Teddie complained.
"Because I'm your mum. It's what I'm supposed to do," Ari poked her nose.
"Should we say something?" Teddie asked as Ari walked over towards the exit. She jumped down, grabbing her bag and following her.
"Nah, if he wants to tell us, he will. He recognises me too, I saw it earlier," Ari shook her head. "Besides, he's not the only one harbouring secrets here, is he?" she asked, and Teddie frowned.
"You think we should tell them," she realised.
"I think that's it's good to have trust in a team," Ari replied. "It's up to you to decide if you want to tell them anything. If you and Chase aren't ready to, that's fine. But sooner or later these things always come out," Ari warned, before smiling again. "You guys did great work today. Three new Energems and three new team-mates. There might be a threat bigger than Fury out there, but you can handle it," Ari told the White Ranger confidently. Teddie smiled back.
"Thanks mum," Ari patted her shoulder, and the two headed out to find Chase and head home.
Hope you liked it! I'll aim to update soon!
Please review!