This was quite a fun chapter to write, I hope you enjoy it!
Chapter 8: Let Sleeping Zords Lie
Sweat ran down Teddie's face, and she wiped it away, leaving a streak of dirt across her cheek, and she continued to dig.
"It's way too hot to be out here," she complained, sitting back in the dirt.
"Tell me about it," Tyler agreed.
"I'd rather be out in the sea right now," Olivia commented wistfully.
"I wish you were there too," Chase muttered, and cried out when she showered dirt over him, having heard him.
"Oli, please don't bury my brother, we kinda need him for manual labour and tough shots," Teddie called over idly, not looking up from where her hand was touching the dirt.
"Gee, thanks," Chase spoke dryly at her words, brushing the dirt off his hat. Olivia stuck out her tongue at him, and he did the same in retaliation.
"Those two never stop," Riley sighed.
"Until a little while ago, you could be just as bad," Tyler reminded him with a chuckle, pulling a log out from where it had been wedged. He tossed it aside, and it thudded next to Koda, who glanced at it and blinked.
"Hey, careful with those mate, we're not all as strong as you too," Chase warned, laughing a little.
"Oh, sorry," Tyler grinned apologetically.
"So what dinosaur are we looking for here?" Olivia asked as she continued digging.
"Ankylo," Teddie called over, lifting her hand as a small sprout grew from the dirt. When more dirt showered her, she looked up and saw Chase giving her a warning look. While they'd revealed some of their powers, they weren't quite ready to reveal the rest. After all, that meant revealing who Ari really was, and neither was quite sure they wanted that kind of legacy to give the others bigger expectations of them. Chase then glanced away, and spotted Shelby sitting at the table in the shade.
"Eh? What's she up to?" he wondered. "How about lending a hand?" Chase called over the Shelby. Nerida lifted her head, wagging her tail but not moving from the shade.
"Follow me for a sec," Shelby sighed, making them smile in amusement. "Keeper gave 12 Energems to 12 different Dinosaurs, right?" she reminded them.
"Of course!" Koda jumped up, smiling, before it faded just as quickly. "Wait..I...uh...what?" Tyler giggled at his confusion. Shelby sighed.
"We've found seven Energems, but five are still lost. Those Energems will only be found near the fossils of the Pterodactyl, Ankyolosaurus, Pacosaurus, Plesiosaurus and Titanosaurus. We shouldn't dig here just because we found bones here before," Shelby smiled. "After all, Olivia's came from Ireland, Teddie's from Briarwood, and who knows where Chase's or Koda's came from!" she pointed out.
"Okay then," Tyler nodded. "Where should we dig?" he asked her, smiling at the girl. She hesitated, and sighed.
"I don't know exactly," she admitted, and Koda giggled, making the others grin. She then turned and walked back to the table. "But I have an idea. Check this out!" they all followed her, humouring the Pink Ranger with extensive dinosaur knowledge. "If we combine the known areas where the remaining dinosaurs lived, with the energy signatures from each dinosaur's Energem, then we can pinpoint more accurately where to look," her eyes lit up with the idea.
"But we can't track that signal, Kayden's software only works with active Energems," Teddie reminded her.
"Not if we can change what to search for," Shelby countered.
"Energy...signature...what Shelby say?" Koda asked, not understanding what she was saying.
"She just doesn't like getting dirty," Chase smirked.
"No..." Shelby shot him a glare as Koda nodded in understanding. "What I'm saying is, we need to work smarter, not harder," she told them, and Tyler frowned as he went to take a drink, only to find his cup was empty.
"Yeah, she might be right about that energy signature part, but...we can't be too sure about that software working to track it," Riley considered as he looked at her notes. The others all lifted their cups, finding them empty.
"Hey..." Tyler frowned as Shelby took a seat and gulped down her drink.
"You finished all our drinks?" Chase frowned.
"Not awesome Shelby," Teddie complained.
"What? It's really hot out here!" Shelby defended, not understanding.
"Yeah, we noticed," Tyler sighed.
"Not like we've been working out in the sun while you hide in here," Olivia grumbled. She sighed. "Even Nerida's water is starting to look good," she mumbled. Nerida looked up at her, and as if to put her off, she took a drink of the water in her bowl.
"Sure, rub it in," Chase told the dog, who wagged her tail.
"Shelby drink like camel," Koda told the others.
"Shouldn't we at least test my theory?" she frowned at them. None of them spoke, looking dubious. Teddie scratched her head, letting wisps of her hair fall into her face. While she could see that it was a good plan, without a way to trace the signal of the dormant Energems, it remained just a plan. "Fine then," Shelby huffed. "I don't need anything from you guys anyway," she growled, going to storm off. However, a moment later, she paused, and heard a jingle of keys. The others tried to keep straight faces. "Uh...I need your keys," she mumbled. Tyler tossed them to her as Koda and Teddie dissolved into giggles. Blushing, Shelby snatched her drink and stormed off.
Tyler groaned, falling into a seat in the shade.
"I know them feels," Teddie agreed, taking a seat too. She grabbed one of the cups, and shook it, hoping it had been refilled when she wasn't looking. Unfortunately, it was not. "She could have at least brought us back something to drink," she grumbled.
"Ah, she was just caught up in her idea," Tyler shrugged, Teddie raised an eyebrow at him, seeing his smile. "She couldn't help it," he defended. Teddie rolled her eyes.
"You're hopeless," she groaned, looking out at the others as they continued to dig. Koda had abandoned the tools and was using his hands for most of the work, while Chase and Olivia were bickering once again. Tyler went red, but chose not to acknowledge her words past that. Riley worked a little farther away, trying to ignore the fighting going on that was growing in volume.
"What's this?" Riley wondered, spotting something sticking out near his feet. He began pulling at it, groaning a little as his Energem started to glow green.
"Riley, watch it!" Teddie called, seeing the crack forming up the wall of dirt Riley was crouched beside. He fell back as a bone came loose, and saw the rocks split and come down. "Riley!" he let out a yell, before he was yanked back and pulled out of harms way. A cloud of dust rose up, making him cough.
"You okay mate?" Chase called as they all ran over.
"I'm fine, thanks for the h..." Riley paused when he saw all his friends hurrying towards him. He spun around, eyes widening as he looked up at a pretty girl with pale blonde hair and even paler blue eyes, wearing shorts and a silver cami.
"You're welcome," she smiled, offering her hand. "Are you harmed?" the stranger asked.
"N-no," Riley stumbled over his words, and took her hand, which was strangely cool in the heat. "Who-"
"Arianna!" the girl smiled and turned to meet Teddie in a hug. "What are you doing here?" she smiled as she let the taller girl go.
"Arianna?" Tyler blinked, approaching her. "It's been forever!" he exclaimed as she smiled.
"Tyler, I heard you'd joined Teddie and Chase," Arianna hugged him. "And you're taller than me now!" she giggled, making him smile bashfully.
"Guys, this is Arianna, she's our friend," Teddie introduced as Chase hugged her next. "Arianna, this is Koda, and that's Riley, whose butt you just saved," Riley blushed at Teddie's words as Koda waved.
"Nice to meet you," the girl with silvery eyes greeted.
"And you know her too, Tyler?" Riley asked.
"Arianna's dad was the Mercury Overdrive Ranger," Tyler nodded, and Arianna smiled proudly.
"And a famous Rescuer in Mercuria thanks to his bravery," she added.
"Mer...curia?" Koda tilted his head, confused.
"Rescuer?" Riley asked. Arianna nodded.
"Rescuers are Intergalactic Emergency Responders, many of our planet Mercuria become Rescuers," she explained. While Koda looked even more confused, Riley's eyes widened in realisation.
"Oh, you're an alien," he said before he realised it.
"Hey, rude," Teddie slapped his arm.
"Sorry...it's just..growing up on a farm in the country..." Riley apologised. Arianna just laughed lightly.
"It's okay, I know Earth is still getting used to extraterrestrial life," she shrugged, resting her hands behind her back. "So what are you all doing out here? Ari said that you were out here...is this the latest fashion?" she asked, glancing to their overalls.
"Oh 'Anna, I missed you," Teddie giggled.
Kendall was busy studying samples she'd been sent, and Ari was working on her own research, when they heard the secret entrance open, and someone slide down. Shelby landed lightly, letting her Energem fly to the crystal bed, and Ari looked up as the Pink Ranger slung her overalls over her shoulder.
"Hey Shelby, what brings you back here?" Ari smiled at her. Kendall looked up, surprised to see her as well. And, both noted, without any dirt on her whatsoever.
"Is everything okay?" Kendall asked her. "What happened?" she asked as Shelby dropped her overalls at the bench.
"Well, actually, something did happen," Shelby approached her, and Ari leaned back in her seat, wondering. "I came up with an idea on how to find the other Energems," she said confidently. Kendall's eyebrows shot up.
"Oh...really?" Kendall asked, trying not to sound too amused. "I think you underestimate how difficult it is to find an Energem," she told her, lifting her file and walking away. Shelby lowered her head, giving a small laugh.
"And I think you underestimate me," her words had Kendall stop and look around with a frown. "Ever since I first got here, I've been waiting tables, mopping floors, and being a pretty good Pink Ranger if I do say so myself," Shelby told her confidently. "But I've also got a lot of ideas going on up here," Shelby told her as Kendall didn't answer, surprised by her sudden backbone. Ari was watching, delighted that Shelby was finally standing up for herself. "The only problem is, no-one will listen," she seethed quietly.
"I'd say give her a chance," the two looked at Ari, who was tidying up her notes. "It's better than having them dig up the whole of Amber Beach. And if it gives us an advantage over Sledge..." she shrugged. Kendall frowned at her, knowing she was loving the whole thing. After all, she had stood up for Shelby from the start. She then sighed. She couldn't help but relate to what Shelby was saying. She knew exactly what it was like.
"Okay, Shelby," Kendall put her folders down. "I'm listening," she accepted. The sudden agreement took Shelby by surprise, and she hesitated, her confidence fading with her anger.
"Uh...well..." she took a breath. "We combine known facts about the five remaining dinosaurs. Climate, known breeding ground, food sources, stuff I know!" Shelby pointed out. "With a global scan for energy signatures of each of those dinosaurs Energems!" she exclaimed. "That stuff I thought...you could help me figure out," she shrugged.
"Global scan of energy signatures..." Kendall frowned. "We don't have that kind of software yet, Kayden's software only..." she trailed off as an idea came to mind. "Wait! Yes!" she rushed over to her computer as Ari grinned. She gave Shelby a thumbs up, and the girl could barely contain her excitement. "That would require DNA samples, and the processing power required would limit us to just one dinosaur at a time..." she began typing, before looking around. "Well, are you gonna watch or help?" she asked Shelby.
"I'm getting stiff here doing the boring stuff, so I'll help out too," Ari stood up and approached as Shelby decided on a dinosaur.
"We'll go with the Ankylo first. It bonded with the Aqua Energem," Shelby brought the jar over.
"Very well, Ankylosaurus is it," Kendall smiled, unable to hide how impressed she was.
The three were just done with their work, when they heard a voice call out.
"Hey guys, we're back," Riley called as he slid down and let his Energem fly off.
"Oh, sweet air con, how I missed you," Teddie sighed, pulling her overalls off. She was streaked with dirt, somehow even under her overalls.
"Welcome home everyone! Find anything?" Shelby asked, smug.
"We found her," Shelby's smile faded as Teddie giggled, pointing to Arianna. The pretty blonde smiled at her.
"Hi, I'm Arianna," she introduced herself.
"Uh..."
"Arianna's an old friend," Tyler explained, which didn't make Shelby feel any better. "Our dads were on the same team together, we've known each other forever," he said, not noticing her expression.
"Arianna's from the planet Mercuria," Ari explained to Shelby. Kendall had already met the girl earlier. "And her dad thought that coming to Earth for a while like he did, might help her become a better Rescuer," Arianna nodded.
"Well she's off to a good start, after saving my butt," Riley grinned.
"Well, we had a very successful day," Kendall smiled as Shelby cleared her throat. She then revealed the Aqua Charger in her hand.
"This is the Ankylo Charger," she announced. "It's the brain that runs our new invention, the E-Tracer," she showed off the small machine the three had been working on all day. They gathered around as Shelby inserted the Charger, and the small satellite lifted, starting to search. Kendall activated it, and the air rippled. As she did, Shelby smiled again, her excitement growing.
"This little machine is using satellites to locate the energy signature of the Aqua Energem," Ari explained. "And I think it's locked on to something," she commented as it beeped loudly.
"That's definitely the right energy signature," Kendall nodded. "But it can't say if it's an Energem," she frowned. "It might be a Zord," she suggested.
"If the Aqua Energem isn't bonded, then the Zord will be dormant, so it's worth taking a look," Ari told them.
"It isn't too far away," Riley realised.
"Come on," Shelby walked past. "This time, we're going to dig in the right place," she told them. Teddie giggled.
"Come on Arianna, may as well check it out," she told the girl, who glanced to Ari.
"Sure, but any sign of danger, get out of there. Your dad will kill me if you get hurt," Arianna smiled widely, and nodded.
"Sure," Shelby's smile faded once again as Arianna joined them on their search.
"I can't believe there's another thing connected to the Energems here," Olivia commented as they walked through the park. The small device in Shelby's hands beeped loudly, and she sped up.
"It should be right up...here..." she trailed off as they all stopped, staring at the ground in front of them.
"Bloody hell," Olivia gaped.
"That's quite the large hole," Arianna commented mildly.
"Looks like someone beat us to it," Tyler frowned.
"Surprise!" they jumped back as a monster leapt out with a group of Vivix. "Poisandra sends her regards!" he laughed, landing. "And now I'll destroy you!" the monster declared.
"Arianna, stay back," Chase told her, and she nodded, backing away as the Rangers fought off the Vivix.
"Enough!" Tyler punched one of the squealing footsoldiers hard and it sailed through the air, just as Chase landed by his feet, floored by a powerful strike from the monster.
"Don't let him get away! He might have the Energem!" Chase reminded them.
"Stop!" the monster cried out as he was kicked hard, and Arianna landed, brandishing a staff.
"Arianna!" Tyler and Teddie ran to help her, while the others fought off the Vivix.
"No sign of an Energem!" Riley called as he did a quick scan.
"Get out of the way girl," Stingrage snapped, lashing out at Arianna after throwing Teddie and Tyler back. She blocked his moves and slammed the staff into his legs, making him howl. "You'll regret that!" he threw a punch, only for it to sail through the air as Arianna suddenly changed forms, turning into a silver liquid. As he stumbled, Tyler punched him back, and Arianna changed back.
"That was awesome," Tyler complimented, making her shrug.
"It's normal," she told him. They continued to fight, but Stingrage was strong, grabbing Tyler and using him to knock Teddie and Arianna away.
"There may not be an Energem, but I left a little something for you anyway!" he laughed, tossing Tyler away.
"My turn!" Koda went to fight, only to be thrown aside as well. Stingrage blasted him with his staff, and Koda cried out in pain.
"What did you do to him?" Tyler asked as Koda screamed.
"Koda, you okay?" Riley asked as they approached him, only for Koda to yell and kick him back.
"Koda!" Teddie dodged his punch, and the caveman roared furiously, attacking them. Stingrage laughed, walking away as Koda easily overwhelmed the Rangers. He tossed Tyler into the air, and Chase blocked his fall.
"What's gotten into him?" Olivia groaned as she pushed herself up.
"His back! Something's stuck on it!" Arianna spotted an odd looking spike sticking out of Koda's back. Chase and Tyler grabbed him, trying to pin him down, but Koda was strong, tossing them off.
"Sorry Koda, I hate to do this to you," Tyler vanished, and Koda snarled, looking around. He sniffed the air, but as he went to grab Tyler, the Red Ranger reappeared and caught his fist, overpowering him with super strength. "It's a stinger, pull it out!" Tyler yelled as he forced Koda down. The caveman thrashed, and Chase and Teddie caught one arm, while Riley and Olivia caught the other. Koda roared again, struggling uselessly as Shelby pulled the stinger free. Koda screamed again, before slumping.
"Uh...guys?" he frowned, breathing heavily.
"You okay now?" Chase asked warily as they let him go.
"Yes...I'm okay...why you hug me?" he asked, confused and dazed. Shelby held up the stinger, which shone with Koda's blood. Before they could question it, the ground suddenly shook, and a massive light blue Zord burst from the ground.
"It's the Ankylo Zord!" Shelby realised.
"Oh, and it does not look happy to see us," Teddie gulped.
"Look out!" they dove aside as the Ankylo spun around and slammed its tail to the ground where they'd been standing.
"That was a close one," Tyler gulped.
"Why would it attack us?" Shelby wondered, confused as it dug back underground, disappearing.
The Rangers and Arianna regrouped back at base, taking a moment to rest up after the fight.
"The Ankylo Zord is awake...that means the Aqua Energem bonded to someone," Riley considered as Ari tended to Koda's back, examining the wound left behind by the spike.
"You mean..." Shelby frowned. "There's an Aqua Power Ranger out there?" she realised.
"That is correct," Keeper nodded, pacing in front of them as he considered this. "But he may not know we exist...or may have chosen for some reason not to join us yet. What is important now is the Ankylo Zord. It shares the Aqua Energem's power, and would not normally attack us," he spoke, confused. Koda sighed, before growling as he flinched.
"Sorry," Ari apologised gently, trying not to aggravate him too much. While Koda was a gentle giant, there were some things that could cause him to lash out, and pain was one of them. Koda smiled back at her, knowing it wasn't on purpose, before his eyes settled on the spike they'd left in a jar on the desk.
"Maybe...monster sting Zord," he suggested, getting up suddenly. Ari pushed him back down firmly, making him stay still. "Like it sting me!" Koda looked to the others.
"That monster did say about leaving something for us," Arianna nodded.
"That would make sense," Tyler agreed.
"Well if that's it, then we need to remove the stinger," Riley told them.
"Good luck...did you see the size of that thing?" Chase muttered.
"It'll be hard to find something so small, and even harder to get it off the Ankylo," Teddie agreed with him, folding her arms.
"I'll do it!" Shelby stood suddenly.
"No way!" Tyler was on his feet in a second. Teddie glanced to Chase, smiling in amusement. "It's too dangerous," the Red Ranger shook his head.
"That Zord was very powerful, you could be hurt," Arianna spoke. Her eyes were concerned, but that only served to rile Shelby up more. She frowned at the girl, who blinked in surprise as she detected the hostility.
"Someone has to do it. Besides, it's my stupid E-Tracer that somehow screwed up and gave away the Zord's location to Sledge," Shelby shook her head.
"Actually," Kendall spoke up, approaching as Shelby brushed past Tyler. "Your device worked brilliantly," Kendall admitted as they looked at her. She then sighed, pulling off her glasses. "Sledge got the location of the Zord because I didn't encrypt the E-Tracer's code. It's my fault we lost control of the Ankylo Zord. Somehow, I'll find a solution," Kendall vowed, rushing off.
"Ms. Morgan!" Teddie called, but she didn't stop. Shelby glanced to Tyler, who kept his eyes on her, before Shelby rushed off.
"She's stubborn, that one. If she makes a mistake..." Ari shrugged, continuing to clean the blood from Koda's back. Arianna watched the door, before frowning. While nobody was watching, she slipped out as well. Ari glanced up, and sighed. "Man, Ty really is gonna kill me," she grumbled.
"Shelby, wait up," the Pink Ranger frowned and turned around as Arianna hurried over to her.
"Arianna, go back, it's too dangerous," she hissed, continuing to walk.
"I'm a Rescuer, Shelby, I can't run away just because it's dangerous. I want to help," the Mercurian told her stubbornly, and Shelby groaned.
"Just stay out of the way if anything happens," she told Arianna, who was a little startled at her hostility again, before the two sneaked into the back of the truck before Kendall noticed.
They were just settled in when the engine started, and the truck began to move. Moving to make herself a bit more comfortable, Shelby sighed again.
"Shelby...this wasn't your fault, you know," Arianna spoke quietly.
"It was my idea to search for the Energems this way. If I'd just worked with the others...this wouldn't have happened," Shelby didn't look at her, but was aware of Arianna watching her with her oddly pale eyes.
"Yes, but if you hadn't come up with the idea, you would still be looking in the wrong place and wasting time that Sledge and his monsters could be using to find the real location," she didn't look up, but her eyes widened a little at Arianna's comment, realising she was right. "We all make mistakes Shelby, it's what you to to fix them, that's important," she whispered.
"Yeah...thanks, Arianna," Shelby nodded, and Arianna smiled brightly.
Pulling up in the park, near the giant hole, Kendall climbed out and looked at it for a moment. Her fists clenched as she felt irritation and guilt at making such a foolish mistake. It had been a long time since she'd done so. In her field, she couldn't afford to make such mistakes.
Sighing, she turned and strode back to the truck, reaching in to grab her things, and cried out in alarm when she pulled back the tarpaulin to find Shelby and Arianna.
"Oh...good grief," she growled, trying to let her heart rate settle before grabbing the rope. "Stowing away again, really?" Kendall frowned at Shelby.
"You've done this before?" Arianna asked. Shelby blushed.
"This is a really bad idea you two," Kendall scolded as she pulled the rope out.
"Yeah, and going after the Ankylo Zord alone is also a really bad idea," Shelby countered as she climbed out.
"I rarely make mistakes, but when I do, I fix them," Kendall told her firmly, lifting the shovels from the truck as well. "No excuses," Kendall walked away, and Shelby glanced to Arianna, who shrugged with a smile.
"Look," Shelby followed her as Arianna climbed out. "We created this problem together. Let's solve it together," she told her boss. Kendall shook her head, tying one end of the rope to a tree, and walked over to the hole. "Ms. Morgan, look, yeah, we made a mistake, but it's what we do to fix it that's important," Shelby told her, and Arianna's smile widened as Kendall frowned. "Don't try and do this alone," she pleaded.
"I simply cannot be responsible for sending you down this hole. Either of you," she glanced to Arianna before she could speak. "It's just too dangerous," Kendall told them firmly. Hearing a laugh, they whirled around. Stingrage was approaching with Poisandra, Curio and a group of Vivix, and the three backed away slowly.
"Maybe you can't, but I can!" Stingrage fired a blast at them.
"Get down!" Arianna shoved the two down, and silvery liquid materialised in her hands that she used as a shield, but the attack was too powerful. She cried out, thrown through the air and into the hole as her Mercurian powers failed.
"Arianna!" Shelby leapt into the hole after her, as Poisandra cheered on the alien. "ENERGISE!" she Morphed into her Pink suit, catching Arianna and landing lightly. "That was close. You okay?" Shelby asked as she set Arianna down.
"Yes, thank you..." Arianna nodded, and sighed. "I'm sorry. I came with you to help, and you ended up helping me," she apologised.
"Don't sweat it. Besides, you protected me and Ms. Morgan to begin with," she pointed out. Arianna brightened a little, and Shelby smiled. "I'm sorry for being kinda mean when you first got here," she apologised, and Arianna's head tilted a little, not understanding. "I saw how close you were with Tyler – and Chase and Teddie!" she added quickly. "And I guess I was a little jealous. I still don't know him-them, that well," Shelby cleared her throat, thankful for her helmet.
"You're a team, Shelby," Arianna smiled. "You'll learn everything when the time comes," she told her, before hearing a low rumble. They looked around with a gasp, and saw bright red lights shining from the darkness.
"The Ankylo Zord..." Shelby breathed.
"Um...hello, Ankylo Zord," Arianna smiled nervously as the Ankylo Zord emerged from the shadows, growling at the intruders.
"You're a vegetarian, remember?" Shelby tried, laughing nervously, before she gasped. "There's the stinger!" she pointed to the spike sticking into the Zord's side. However, before either could try to move, the Zord growled louder this time. "This isn't good," Shelby gulped.
Above ground, Kendall cried out as she was thrown through the air, dropping the shovel she had been using as a weapon. She hit the ground hard, rolling along. Her hands and face were skinned, and her body hurt from the hard hits that she wasn't accustomed to.
"Sit right there, smartie pants," Stingrage laughed as she pushed herself into a sitting position, her glasses cracked. "One little sting, and it'll all be over," he told her as she stared at him, her heart thumping wildly.
"Destroy her!" Poisandra laughed.
"Gladly!" Stingrage went to blast her, only for the energy to bounce off Chase's shield and slam into them. They cried out, thrown to the ground as Kendall looked up at the Black Ranger.
"Not so fast!" Tyler landed with him as she smiled in relief.
"Ms. Morgan!
"Kendall, okay?" Koda asked as they ran over, and helped her up.
"I'm fine," she told him as he checked her face, concerned. "Thank you, but Shelby and Arianna, they fell in the hole," Kendall warned them.
"They're down there with the Ankylo Zord?" Olivia gasped.
"Shelby!" Tyler ran towards the hole.
"Arianna!" Teddie and Chase followed.
"Can you do an underground scan?" Riley asked.
"Yes, I can do one from the base," Kendall nodded, hurrying off. Stingrage got back to his feet, and grabbed his staff. He saw Tyler, Teddie and Chase run by, and scowled.
"You won't get away from me!" he leapt through the air, landing in their way. "Easy to catch, easy to sting!" Stingrage declared.
"Out of my way you overgrown insect!" Tyler yelled, his worry for Shelby growing.
"Looking for someone you care about?" Stingrage taunted. Tyler's fists clenched as he glared at the monster.
"You asked for it!" the group began fighting, taking out the Vivix.
"I think you'll find me a little tougher to defeat!" Poisandra declared as she knocked Chase's fist away.
"Oh yeah? We'll see about that!" Teddie kicked the pink alien's own fist up so it sailed over her head, and kicked her in the stomach, before the pair landed behind her.
"Can't handle my moves, Rangers?" Poisandra ran at them, only for them to easily move around her attacks. Having put too much force into the attack to stop herself, she shrieked as she fell to the ground.
"You really are full of hot air," Teddie taunted her with a giggle. Looking around as they heard a cry, they saw Tyler hit the ground after taking a hit from Stingrage.
"Tyler!" Koda called as they ran to his side.
"I'm going to knock you flat!" Stingrage fired another blast, and Chase threw up a shield, but the repeated blasts shattered it and the group fell to the ground.
"Defenceless Rangers!" Poisandra mocked. "Sting them all, and they'll destroy each other," she ordered Stingrage, who nodded.
"You're finished Rangers!" he approached them as they struggled to get up.
"We can't let him sting us," Olivia groaned, her arms giving way so she fell again. "We gotta stop him and help Shelby and Arianna," she said as they all tried and failed to move. However, before he could sting them, the ground began to shake violently.
"Something's coming!" Teddie yelled, sensing the movements in the earth. The Ankylo Zord suddenly burst from the ground, with Arianna and Shelby on its head.
"You're done, Stingrage! You've stung your last victim!" Shelby declared. "Dino Morpher Blast!" she leapt through the air, blasting the three and making them cry out. "I hope that stings," she grinned, landing lightly.
"Shelby! You're okay!" Tyler smiled in relief, running over to her. "And Arianna too," he smiled as the other girl jogged over.
"Thanks to Arianna, I got the stinger out of the Ankylo Zord," Shelby told them.
"Really? You're awesome!" Tyler exclaimed, and Shelby blushed at his praise. "Both of you," he nodded to Arianna, who shrugged.
"It was all Shelby, I just pulled the thing out," she admitted, only having been able to do so with Shelby keeping the Aqua Zord distracted.
"Looks like you guys are still working too hard," Shelby couldn't help but tease the group, who laughed.
"Next time, we work smarter," Koda told her with a nod.
"That's right," Shelby laughed.
"I was worried," Tyler admitted.
"Yeah, you should have been," the Pink Ranger retorted, grinning under her helmet. Arianna's smile grew as she watched them. "Looks like it was a close call till I showed up," she teased him. "Now, let's finish this!" Shelby called as she stepped forwards.
"Yeah!" the others called as Arianna moved away.
"Tyrannosaurus Rex, Power Ranger Red!"
"Parasaur, Power Ranger Black!
"Stegosaurus, Power Ranger Blue!"
"Velociraptor, Power Ranger Green!"
"Compsognathus, Power Ranger White!"
"Triceratops, Power Ranger Pink!"
"Scelidosaurus, Power Ranger Forest!"
"Oh please!" Stingrage rolled his eyes.
"I'll take down Stingrage!" Shelby told the others confidently, and the fight resumed. Poisandra called on more Vivix, and the others fought them as Shelby dominated against Stingrage.
"Shelby's all fired up," Olivia commented as she blocked an attack and punched the Vivix back. She jumped over it as it flailed on the ground, and flipped another.
"You got that right," Teddie laughed as she back-flipped, kicking another of the white-clad monsters. They looked up, having defeated the footsoldiers, just as Shelby destroyed Stingrage.
"Great job Shelby!" Tyler put a hand on her shoulder, making her blush again. The others cheered her on, and she smiled. The Magna Beam then shot down and reformed Stingrage, allowing him to grow.
"Oh no," Shelby gulped.
"These guys never give up. Time to call in some Zords!" Tyler shouted.
"Dino Charger, ready!" they summoned the T-Rex, Stego and Tricera Zords, and the three attacked Stingrage. The Red T-Rex Zord bit Stingrage, holding onto him as the monster shrieked in pain. As he was unable to move, the others attacked him.
"We need smash him," Koda told the others.
"Great idea! Ankylo Zord can help," Shelby suggested.
"Can we really use it? Without the Aqua Ranger?" Olivia asked, unsure.
"Sure! He owes me a favour," Shelby grinned. "Dino Charge Megazord, Tri-Ankylo formation!" the two Zords combined with the T-Rex Zord, forming the Megazord.
"I can't believe it worked!" Teddie laughed as they all appeared in the cockpit.
"This Megazord combo sounds powerful," Shelby grinned.
"That's what you're going to fight me with? This'll be easy!" Stingrage mocked, not intimidated by the new Zord. He ran at them, and the Rangers met him with a Tricera Drill before striking him with the Ankylo Hammer.
"Ankylo Zord very strong!" Koda smiled.
"We've got this guy on the ropes," Shelby told them confidently.
"Let's wipe this bug out!" Teddie cheered.
"Ankylo Zord! Final..." the Megazord began to spin, slamming Stingrage repeatedly. "Hammer Punch!" the Rangers swung an uppercut, and the Megazord did the same, throwing the monster into the air. He cried out and exploded, destroyed by the powerful moves.
"Welcome to the family, Ankylo Zord," Shelby laughed as the others cheered.
"So...Kendall fixed the E-Tracer," Riley announced as he sat with the others at the table. "Sledge can't steal our data any more," he told them, and they smiled in relief.
"Once we've found the other Energems-" Chase stopped as Tyler cleared his throat, and they looked up as the newest employee smiled and set their drinks down at the table. They thanked her, and Chase winked at her, making her giggle before walking off. Tyler cleared his throat again as Chase watched her go.
"You're such a creep," Olivia rolled her eyes.
"Jealous," Chase muttered, taking a drink. She almost choked on her own.
"Delusional," she hissed, glaring at him as he scowled back.
"Chase, continue, please," Teddie groaned, putting a hand to her face as Arianna giggled, watching the interaction.
"I've never really seen Chase like this. It's funny," she said, making all but Chase and Olivia grin.
"Once we've found the other Energems," Chase repeated slowly, choosing to ignore the Mercurian's words. "I think I'll head home, go see the grandparents. Maybe go visit New Zealand again," he considered.
"Oh, it would be nice to see Tanner again," Teddie smiled at the idea. Chase nodded his agreement.
"Tanner?" Riley asked, before Shelby sat down.
"Man, is it hot today!" she complained. Immediately they all pulled their drinks closer to them, not quite recovered from their earlier loss. "Very funny," Shelby scowled, blushing.
"Your invention is gonna help our search a lot," Riley told her.
"Yeah it is. It's an awesome idea Shelby," Teddie told her, taking a drink.
"Ah, my grandfather, famous caveman!" Koda grabbed a menu and a crayon. "He invent very complicated machine too," he told them as he drew on the menu.
"Really? Wow," Shelby leaned forwards curiously, and Koda turned the page.
"It's called...wheel," he revealed, and they all started to laugh in disbelief. They looked up to see Kendall approach, carrying a pink box.
"We crushed it Kendall," Shelby held up her fist.
"Yes, we did...crush it," Kendall smiled awkwardly, and Shelby sighed, lowering her fist. Teddie reached over and bumped it for her, and Arianna giggled. "Because of your recent invention, the museum has a gift for you. A fossil from your favourite dinosaur," Shelby's eyes lit up and she grabbed the lid of the box.
"A Triceratops fossil?" she gasped, and lifted a strange rock from the box. "Uh...I don't recognise this bone..." she frowned, looking at it.
"That is poop," Koda clarified, and Olivia choked on her drink as Kendall rolled her eyes.
"Yes, Koda, it's a very rare specimen," she told him sharply.
"Dino dung?! Ew!" Shelby dropped it in her horror, and the fossil hit the ground, shattering.
"Now...lots of rare specimen," Koda giggled, and the others burst out laughing as Shelby wiped her hands on Koda's arm, and Kendall tried - and failed - not to look too annoyed.
Hopefully I'll be able to update soon, but for now, off to Dublin till Monday!
Let me know what you think!
Please review!