So this wasn't going to be posted till tomorrow, but I was pretty excited so I couldn't help but release it now! Next chapter will be after I finish the one I'm working on!
Hope you like it!
Chapter 14: No More Secrets
Playing her guitar as she sat in the corner of the café, Teddie practised, taking advantage of the quiet of the morning. Taking a breath, she started to sing.
"Baby, what's up with you?
My hands on the handles, I'm ready to go,
Want my heart, and what my love?
No? Let's just swing and kiss!' she began to play notes on the guitar, getting into the rhythm.
'I say no to a half baked style,
A love that makes me soar is for me,
Beautiful, excuse me!
If you wish for them, lalala, possibilities.
Point is, I don't care. Dollars, how much is fake?
Point, one in two,
Just do it if there's love!
What 'bout my star?
What 'bout my star?
What 'bout my star?'
Teddie stopped abruptly as she heard someone walk in, startled by the sudden noise, wondering if it was a customer. A face peered around at her, and she relaxed.
"I apologise for startling you, my lady, I was intrigued," Ivan apologised as he walked in. "Was that you?" he asked curiously.
"Oh, um...yeah," Teddie blushed as she looked down at her guitar.
"You're very good," Ivan praised, which only made her blush grow.
"Thanks, Ivan," she smiled. "A lot of practice. Though I should probably stop before Ms. Morgan realises I'm not setting up," Teddie grinned, getting to her feet and setting down her guitar as Ivan smiled in amusement.
"Ah, so that's what she meant when she requested I keep an eye on you," Teddie's blush, which had been fading, returned full force.
"I do work...sometimes," she grinned, making him smile back.
"Then allow me to help you, my lady," he joined her in setting up the tables, and Teddie watched him. The Knight was growing quickly accustomed to living in modern times, though she couldn't help but find it weird to see him in her brother's clothes. He'd lent them to the Knight, who'd begrudgingly agreed to wear them until someone could find time to help him get new clothes that suited him. It was as odd seeing him in normal clothes, as it was seeing her grandparents in them.
"No, dad, I'm not gonna be home soon," they glanced up as Olivia walked out of the kitchen on her phone, looking stressed. "I'm working, I can't just bail," she told her dad, before noticing the two standing watching her. "I gotta go, I'll see you tonight," she hung up quickly and shoved her phone into her pocket.
"Is everything okay?" Teddie asked her.
"Yeah, fine," Olivia answered shortly. "Kitchen's done, do you need help here?" she asked.
"No, we're good thanks," Teddie said, looking worried.
"Grand, I'm gonna mop the floors then," Olivia walked out quickly before any more could be said, and Teddie sighed.
"My goodness, something seems wrong with Lady Olivia," Ivan commented as he watched the doorway. Teddie shrugged, lifting the cleaning fluid.
"She just shuts herself off from us when she doesn't wanna talk about something. She's hiding something big that's getting to her," the White Ranger commented softly, worried for her friend.
"I see," Ivan looked back at Teddie, and smiled, taking her hands. "Lady Olivia is a part of this team and she trusts us. I imagine she will tell us when she's ready," he said confidently. Teddie smiled back at him, and nodded.
"Yeah, you're right. Thanks Ivan," she said, and he winked before returning to setting up. "Morning Riley," Teddie called as she saw the Green Ranger walk in.
"Morning..." he muttered. Teddie rolled her eyes.
"Okay genius, what's wrong with you?" she asked, startling him into stopping.
"What? Nothing's wrong," he told her, and Teddie rested her hands on her hips. She arched an eyebrow, and Riley struggled to maintain eye contact.
"Fine. Just some guy near ran me over with a skateboard on my way in here," he admitted.
"My word Lady Teddie, perhaps you don't need to wait for them to talk when they're ready," Ivan commented mildly, alarmed at how easily Teddie had gotten the truth from their teammate.
"Depends on the person. Riley's a little easy to intimidate like that," Teddie grinned.
"Hey!" Riley frowned at her.
"I'm kidding Riley. But seriously, some jerk nearly took you out? You okay?" Teddie soothed him.
"Yeah, I'm fine now. It just annoys me how careless some people can be," Riley complained. Teddie nodded, walking into the kitchen. Riley followed, and Ivan lifted the last of the chairs down from the tables.
"Hey there," Ivan looked around as someone called out to him.
"Yes, my good sir, how may I help you?" Ivan greeted him politely, and the man paused, a glimmer of recognition in his eyes. He then grinned; and Ivan was struck by the familiarity of his smile.
"You must be Ivan," the Gold Ranger was taken aback by the man's words. Not only did this stranger know his name, but his accent was very different.
"My word, are you an oracle?" he asked curiously. The man laughed.
"No, mate, I'm-"
"Hey!" Riley stopped as he walked back in, staring at him. "You're the guy from this morning! You nearly ran me over!" he accused. The man blinked rapidly, a look of confusion that made both Riley pause as he too found it familiar.
"I did?" he asked, baffled.
"Yes, you did," Riley scowled. "What do you-"
"Dad!" the man's baffled look was replaced with a smile as Teddie suddenly threw herself at him in a hug. "I missed you," she shouted into his chest, making him laugh.
"At least you admit it, better than your mum, eh?" he grinned, and Teddie giggled.
"Don't let her hear you say that," she warned.
"Too late," Xander whirled around and smiled innocently at Ari. She stood behind him, her arms folded and an eyebrow raised.
"Ari, sweetie, you're looking as beautiful as ever-"
"When in the time we've known each other, has Plan Xander ever worked on me?" Ari cut him off, and let out a yelp when he suddenly grabbed her into a hug.
"Just show me affection for once!" Xander demanded.
"Never!" Ari yelled back.
"Hold on a second, this guy's your dad?" Riley demanded to Teddie, who was rolling her eyes at her parents' antics.
"Huh? Yeah, I mean I did call him dad," Teddie giggled. "Why? Do you know him? I heard you using that voice you use on Chase when he's annoying you," she teased. Riley blushed.
"He's the guy who almost ran me down earlier," he told her.
"Xander!" Ari exclaimed, having heard the Green Ranger.
"I didn't realise!" Xander cried in alarm, and released her to turn to the young man. "I'm really sorry mate," he apologised, and Riley shrugged.
"It's alright, no harm done," he told him. Their communicators suddenly went off, and they looked down.
"Gotta go!" Teddie called, rushing out, followed by Riley and Ivan.
"Ah...memories," Xander murmured with a grin, pulling Ari close.
"Yeah, yeah," Ari rolled her eyes with a smile, turning around in his grasp. "I missed you," she told him, making him grin down at her.
"Wow, you admitted it!" he lifted her into the air and she sighed. "I'm so glad you're finally able to admit how you feel about me," Xander sniffed.
"Would you just kiss me, you dork?" Ari rolled her eyes, her arms resting around his shoulders.
"For you, my dear, anything," he grinned, and kissed her as she sighed again.
"Where is this guy?" Shelby asked as they reached the coordinates that Kendall sent them.
"Huh, weird. Normally they're practically parading around for us to fight," Teddie rested her hand on her hip as she looked around, but there was no sign of anything out of the ordinary, save the Morphed Rangers.
"Hey, Ms. Morgan?" Tyler grabbed his communicator. "We're here, but there's no sign of any trouble," he told her, and she frowned.
' The systems are definitely picking up something strange, but it doesn't seem entirely...alien,' Kendall told them, looking away from the screen.
"Not alien?" Shelby repeated, an eyebrow arched.
'It's not human, but it's nothing I've ever seen before,' Kendall told them. 'Keep your eyes open, it's still around there,' she warned them.
"Right," Tyler nodded. He returned his communicator to his belt, and kept looking around.
"You are this world's defenders?" they whirled around when a new voice spoke out. "It seems that not much has changed since my last visit," the man commented as they took him in. He wore silver armour, lined with gold, and a green cape flowed behind him in the wind.
"Who are you?" Tyler asked him curiously as the man flicked his black hair from his face.
"Mortals," he scoffed. "So oblivious nowadays. I miss the days of worship, now they were fun," he complained idly, and his green eyes settled on Tyler. "I assume you're the leader. I'm looking for someone," he told the Red Ranger.
"Uh...who?" Riley asked from his side. The stranger's unsettling green eyes moved to him.
"I seek the Legendary Golden Warrior," he announced, a smirk spreading across his features.
"Who's that?" Riley asked, confused.
"Ivan?" Koda guessed, looking to their Gold Ranger. The stranger scoffed.
"Of course not," he sneered at them. "The man has no level of power that could face mine whatsoever," he taunted. Ivan bristled.
"Why are you looking for the Legendary Golden Warrior?" they looked to Chase as he stepped forwards, his voice controlled.
"Who are you?" Teddie stood beside him, her voice equally as straight as her brother's.
"What's going on?" Tyler asked them quietly.
"You see, I was once humiliated by a mortal on this planet, and I've finally managed to dodge my nuisance of a brother for long enough to finally have my revenge. But I don't want to do anything without a challenge, and I heard the Legendary Protector had finally shown themselves, so I thought I'd have some fun," the man told them. "So bring them to me, here at this spot, by tomorrow. Or, I'll destroy your planet," he told them.
"What? But we have no idea who this guy is!" Shelby cried out in horror.
"And if you think we'll just let you destroy our planet, you've another thing coming," Tyler warned him. A snide smile pulled at the man's mouth.
"Oh? And you think you can stand up to a god?" he taunted them, before suddenly throwing out his hands. The Rangers were blasted off their feet, and landed hard, demorphing instantly. "Mortals. Leave them unsupervised for a few centuries and they become as arrogant as gods. Tomorrow, little heroes," he then rippled green, and vanished.
"What a jerk!" Shelby fumed as she stormed back into the base. "He comes here and threatens our planet like that?! No way, I'll kick his butt!" she declared.
"When?" Olivia groaned, nursing her bruised cheek. "When he's asleep?" Shelby shot her a glare.
"What happened out there?" Kendall demanded as they all approached her.
"We got our butts handed to us, by this total freak!" Shelby exclaimed, throwing her hands into the air. "He's threatening to destroy the planet, unless-" she stopped when she noticed another person in the base with them. "Uh..."
"Dad?" Chase frowned. Xander raised his hand.
"Teddie didn't tell you I was in town?" he smiled easily at them. Chase shook his head.
"What's with you guys?" Ari asked, seeing their bruises and defeated expressions. "You don't normally get so wound up after a-"
"He's looking for the Legendary Golden Warrior," Ari froze at Teddie's outburst. Xander immediately looked to his wife, his own carefree smile gone. Ari glanced to him, meeting his gaze, before standing up.
"Who was?" she asked, taking on a completely different air than usual.
"Who is this Legendary Warrior guy?" Shelby asked, baffled.
"The Legendary Golden Warrior..." Kendall folded her arms. "They were believed to be a Power Ranger, about 20 years ago, the Gold Ranger who fought on several teams," she explained. "But then they just vanished," she shrugged.
"Great. How are we supposed to find him before tomorrow?" Olivia grumbled, throwing her hands into the air. Ari walked past them, going to the computer and bringing up the footage of the fight.
"There's not much there. Just us getting out butts kicked," Riley shrugged, and Ari paused on the man smirking at them.
"Loki," she whispered.
"You know him?" Tyler asked with wide eyes.
"Wait, isn't Loki the Norse God of Mischief? That's im-"
"Improbable, not impossible," Ari cut Riley off abruptly. She then sighed heavily. "When I was a Ranger, Loki came to Earth, impersonating Thor, trying to steal the legendary Hammer, Mjolnir. He was tricked and we thought he'd just left to try and get the hammer a different way, but..."
"He said he was humiliated, and wanted revenge," Olivia spoke up. Ari shook her head. "He wants to fight this Gold Ranger tomorrow, how are we supposed to find him?" she questioned.
"I'll handle that part," Ari told them.
"Ari," Xander stood beside her, a hand on her shoulder. She shook her head.
"All that can be done till tomorrow is wait. Sorry guys," Ari apologised to the team.
"So...we no fight?" Koda frowned, not understanding.
"It seems we are not this Loki fellow's intended opponent," Ivan told him.
"Then what can we do?" Tyler asked helplessly. Ari glanced to Olivia as the girl pulled her phone from her pocket, scowled and hit ignore on the call.
"Go back to work. This guy doesn't work for Sledge, so be alert. He might just try and take advantage of this situation," Ari told them, and they frowned at her, but nodded.
Olivia barely paid attention to where she was walking as she headed home, worried about what was going to happen tomorrow. Nerida stuck close by her, aware of her owner's worry.
"Ari seemed really shaken by this guy. Even Chase and Teddie's dad seemed freaked too. If he's really Loki...then what hope do we have against a God?" she wondered aloud, and looked down as the dog nudged her. "Oh, sorry girl," Olivia smiled, crouching beside her and scratching behind her ear. "Come on, let's get home," she told the dog, who wagged her tail.
They approached the small house, and Olivia sighed, bracing herself for another conversation with her dad, who had been trying to call her all day, but had stopped by the time Olivia finished work, and hadn't answered when she'd called him back. She got to the front door, and Nerida started to whine. "Hey, what's up girl?" she asked softly, before hearing voices inside. She frowned. Her dad never had guests. Opening the door, she walked inside. "Dad?" she called, and the voices quietened.
"Who're you?" she jumped back, and Nerida barked at the imposing stranger in a suit.
"Who am I? Who are you? What are you doing in my house?" Olivia demanded as she recovered from her shock.
"Call the mutt off," the man told her in an irritated voice.
"Not until you tell me what you're doing here," Olivia growled back, but she was shaking. She had no idea where her courage to face monsters had gone.
"Whoa, let's all calm down here," she looked at the fat man who walked into the hall with his hands raised. His eyes were bright blue, and he had white hair. "Judging from the accent, you must be Olivia, Jim's girl, right?" he asked her with a smile that didn't seem friendly at all.
"Who are you? Where's my dad?" Olivia asked, gripping Nerida's collar as the dog snarled.
"I'm afraid your dad has run off, and owes us a lot of money," the man told her. "The name's Bob," he told her, still smiling. Olivia wanted to grab her Dino Charger and go prehistoric on the man.
"Skips town and leaves his kid? Murphy's a lot worse than we thought," the man in the suit scoffed.
"Now, we've decided to let his debt go, since he kindly left his keys before departing. But that means this place is now Cartel property, little lady, so I'm afraid I'm going to have to ask you to leave," his smile turned a lot more sinister. Olivia wanted desperately to argue. She was a Ranger, how could her dad let them just take their house? Everything they owned? How could she?
"Fine..." she mumbled in a small voice. "Come on Nerida," she pulled the dog back out the door, and it slammed behind her. She stood there, trembling, not sure what she was going to do now. She barely even registered the sound of something breaking inside, nor the raised voices.
"Hey!" she finally reacted when she heard a hiss, and looked around. A scrawny young man wearing a suit that looked entirely too big on him was peering out from the back garden.
"What do you want? To gloat?" Olivia snapped at him, her eyes watery and her voice weak, lacking the fight she would normally give Chase.
"No, I just..." he shuffled, seeming awkward. "I can get you some stuff," he offered. Olivia stared at him.
"Why?" she demanded, and he held out a picture frame.
"Sorry...I had to break the glass so they didn't think anything of it. My slight of hand isn't great," the young man admitted, and Olivia snatched the picture of her mother from him. She stared at it, and Nerida approached him, making him even more nervous.
"I um...some things, in my room," Olivia managed to say. He nodded, and ran off quickly. Olivia waited, and lifted her Energem from around her neck. "How can I have so much power, and not even be able to stand up to thugs?" she whispered, staring at the gemstone as it shone even in the dark of the night.
"Hey," she jumped, and shoved her Energem back under her shirt as the young man stared at her curiously. "I kinda just grabbed what looked important...and clothes and stuff," he held out the bag to her.
"Why are you being so nice to me?" Olivia demanded as she took it from him. He shrugged back, clearly not having a reason.
"Ziggy! Where's that food?" Bob's voice reached them.
"Oh no...I've burned it!" he rushed off, and the door shut behind him.
"Now what?" Olivia mumbled to herself, clutching her backpack to her chest.
Sitting on a bench, Olivia looked up at the stars above her as Nerida lay by her feet, alert for anything moving around her. The Forest Ranger just hugged her bag closer to her chest, at a loss. She could maybe go to the museum, or one of the other Rangers, but to tell them what had happened was something she couldn't face.
Part of her wasn't surprised that her father had run off. Olivia felt guilty, wishing she'd answered his calls earlier in the day. She knew he'd had gambling problems, but that he'd borrowed money from cartels was crazy to think.
"Ari, this isn't your fault," she barely even reacted to the familiar voice nearby, but her companion's head lifted.
"Isn't it? Xander, I tricked Loki back then by giving him a fake hammer, and now he's back, threatening to destroy the planet. The Rangers were defeated by him in seconds," Nerida stood up, her tail wagging.
"And you think that by not giving him a powerful hammer, you've caused this? Ari, your ego really is worse than mine," Xander chuckled. Ari shot him a glare.
"That's not possible. I'm not the one who almost got turned into a tree because of a pimple," she shot back, and he sighed.
"I had a moment of weakness," he defended, before looking down as the tan dog ran over.
"Nerida?" Ari frowned, recognising the dog. She barked, wagging her tail, before running back over to her owner. "Olivia?" Ari spotted the Ranger sitting on the bench, and let Xander's hand go to approach her. "Hey, what are you doing out? You should be at home," Ari reached out and touched her shoulder. Immediately tears began to roll down Olivia's face.
"I can't...I don't...have..." she choked on her sobs, and Ari quickly pulled her into a tight hug, letting her cry as she shot Xander a worried look.
Olivia was exhausted by the time the three arrived back at the house.
"Nerida, you bark and you're in trouble," Ari warned the dog, who simply wagged her tail. "Good girl," she praised, patting her head. "You okay for the sofa for tonight, till we get you sorted tomorrow?" Ari smiled at Olivia gently.
"If we even need to worry about that," Xander muttered, and yelped when Ari punched his arm. "Kidding!" he said quickly.
"You don't have to do this," Olivia said to them, looking up at the couple.
"I know we don't. But we want to," Ari told her firmly. "Now, do you have stuff to sleep in? If not we can get some of Ted's for you, you're about the same size," Olivia paused, and Ari glanced to Xander, who nodded and disappeared off to get stuff.
"Thank you," Olivia whispered, and Ari put a hand on her shoulder.
"You don't have to thank me. Just get some sleep. Bathroom's at the top of the stairs, and we'll be up there if you need us. Second on the left," Olivia nodded silently, and Xander dropped in the sheets and clothes in for her.
"Do you need anything else?" he asked her, and she shook her head. He offered a smile, before the two disappeared up the stairs, leaving Olivia to try and sleep. Changing, she got comfortable on the sofa, and couldn't help but smile when Nerida clambered up and practically lay on top of her. Before she realised it, she was fast asleep.
Olivia had always been an early riser, but Ari was even more so, as the Forest Ranger woke the next morning to find Ari already awake and in the kitchen.
"Morning, how'd you sleep?" Ari greeted as Olivia stood awkwardly in the doorway.
"Better than expected," she admitted. Ari smiled.
"Good. Your protector must have helped," she glanced to Nerida as the dog walked in. She set down a bowl, and Nerida was over in an instant, devouring the cooked meat. "Breakfast's on the way, take a seat," Ari told her, and Olivia sat down, watching Ari curiously.
"I'm not...used to this," Olivia couldn't help but say as Ari set a glass of juice down in front of her.
"It's a habit for me really. I moved a lot during my teenage years, so I made sure I always made breakfast. Then when I settled down, it stuck even more," Ari chuckled, shrugging. She glanced up as Xander stumbled in, yawning widely. "Morning. Surprised you woke up this side of the morning. The way you were snoring, I expected you to be out cold for a while," she teased. Xander gave a mocking laugh.
"I don't snore," he told her, and kissed her lightly. Olivia glanced away, heat colouring her cheeks. "That'd ruin my good looks," Xander grinned, and Ari swatted at him.
"Sure thing, dork," she retorted.
"Oh, how you wound me," Xander wrapped his arms around her. "Besides, our other guest woke me up by getting ready. The knight really struggles with jeans," he grinned, and Ari laughed.
"I hear that. Woke me up," Chase complained as he stumbled in.
"Chase, I keep telling you dude, shirt," Ari frowned at him, and Olivia's already red face burned even warmer as she saw the Black Ranger move around the kitchen shirtless.
"But that's upstairs, and breakfast is..." he stopped, finally noticing Olivia sitting at the table. Without another word, he rushed off, and Ari turned away to hide her laughter as Xander grinned in amusement.
"Now that was interesting," he commented.
"Maybe I'll finally have some control over this lot with you here," Ari told Olivia, who was now finding her drink very interesting. Ari then sighed, looking at the clock. The timer was ticking down to when Loki would be back. She needed to be ready.
"Okay guys, keep your eyes open for this creep," Tyler called to his team as they gathered in the square again.
"I wonder if this Legendary Warrior guy will show," Shelby murmured, her blaster ready to fire.
"Oh, I'd hope so," they whirled around and fired blasts at Loki, who was sitting nearby. The blasts went through him, and the illusion faded. "Oh, so hostile. I love it," he smirked, standing in front of them. "Now, did you bring what I asked for?" he asked them.
"A true knight never leaves the battle to someone else," Ivan told him, his sabre raised. Loki chuckled.
"How valiant. But it doesn't mean much to a God," he mocked.
"You've always bragged about how being a God makes you better than us, Loki," his eyes widened, and the Rangers inhaled sharply as Ari approached, wearing strange leather gear. A sun symbol rested over her chest, and she walked with purpose towards him.
"You," Loki snarled at her.
"After all Loki, I did trick you into taking the wrong hammer," she smiled at him.
"Wait, you tricked him?" Shelby demanded.
"The one who once had me believe them a God as well," Loki scoffed. Ari shrugged.
"I told you repeatedly I wasn't Sol. You just never listened," she pointed out. He let out a snarl, unable to keep his composure. "Now. Are you willing to back off and leave this planet alone? Or are we going to have to talk it out a bit more?" Ari challenged him, standing in front of the Rangers.
"What? Ari, you can't take on a God! We need that Legendary Warrior guy!" Riley protested, but Chase blocked his path. "Chase, stop her!" Riley shouted, but Chase didn't respond. His entire body was tense, and he didn't look away from Ari.
"Oh, and are you going to make me?" Loki smirked, managing to calm himself. Ari rolled her eyes.
"Loki, do you realise why I came out here? You made a request, and I've granted it," his smirk faded at her words.
"What? No...you can't be it," he backed away in alarm.
"Why do they always say that. I can be, and I am," Ari rolled her eyes, and golden light surrounded her.
"What happening?" Koda questioned as the light faded, leaving Ari in golden armour lined with silver. The helmet and boots had wings along the edges, and on the chest plate was a sun, similar to the one she wore on her gear.
"Ari...you're the Legendary Golden Warrior?" Tyler gaped.
"Never said I wasn't. And you guys thought I was a dude," Ari chuckled, drawing her sword.
"How poetic that I'd get my revenge like this," Loki hissed back, calling on a sword on his own. He raced towards Ari with a yell, and the clashing of metal rang out as they began to fight.
"So let me get this straight," Shelby put a hand to her helmet. "Your mum is this Legendary Warrior?" she turned to Chase and Teddie. "Why'd you never say?" she demanded.
"We didn't want to make a big deal out of it," Chase replied with a simple shrug.
"A big deal of it," Shelby repeated flatly. "We already knew that she was a Ranger with Tyler's dad," she pointed out.
"Ms. Morgan said before, the Legendary Golden Warrior fought on several teams," Riley pointed out.
"Now wait a moment," Ivan raised a hand. "The Legendary Golden Warrior. Great Protector," he folded his arms, in thought, before gasping. "Wait, you mean to say that Ari is the one prophesied to succeed the Father of Magic, Merlin?" he demanded.
"Wait. What?" Olivia frowned at him.
"I didn't originally hail from Zandar, instead I came from another land, where magic was abundant," Ivan's words had all but Chase and Teddie staring at him wordlessly. "I assumed you knew," he defended.
"Oh sure. We totally knew about a different world of magic and that you came from there," Riley's voice was pitched higher in his shock.
"Look guys," Chase groaned. "Our mum is a Ranger legend. She's also the legendary protector to all the worlds, magical and non-magical. We didn't tell you because-"
"We didn't want you to think us that weird," Teddie shrugged. "Our friends we grew up with always knew, and it was normal to them. But you guys haven't really grown up with that stuff," she said, speaking in particular to Riley, Koda, Shelby and Olivia.
"You guys are idiots," Shelby sighed, shaking her head.
"You family, part of tribe," Koda told them firmly. "We trust each other," they nodded.
"Sorry guys," Chase chuckled, before looking around. "And I think Sledge just decided to take advantage of the distraction," he gestured to the Vivix who had appeared with another monster.
"And it looks like Ari has Loki handled, so let's do this!" Tyler called, glancing to Ari as she blocked Loki's attack with her shield, forcing him backwards.
"You're as infuriating as ever," Loki hissed as he recovered, swinging his sword at her.
"Glad to hear I didn't grow out of it," Ari replied lightly, blocking his attack. "Call to the beast inside! Uncage the Sparrow!" she released her golden Animal Spirit, who hurtled towards Loki as the man's eyes widened.
"What is-" he barely dodged the Sparrow as she flew past his head and curved around. Loki followed it, before turning and blocking Ari's strike, blasting her back. She flipped in the air, landing on her feet, and hurled an energy ball at his head, only for it to go through the illusion. Ari rolled forwards, dodging his blow from behind, and threw her hands up as she began to speak in a different language. Golden light slammed into Loki, throwing him into the side of a building.
"You guys couldn't even focus a decent attack when we're distracted, lame!" Teddie taunted as she cut through the Vivix who rushed her. She then returned the sabre to her side, and threw out her hands. They began to glow green, and vines burst from the ground, wrapping around the ones that surrounded her. The vines then tossed the Vivix into the air, and she blasted each of them. "Hey Chase, I think I'm gonna take your spot as hotshot!" she called to him.
"You wish!" the Black Ranger scoffed as he took out each footsoldier with a quick shot.
"Yeah, I thought Ivan already took that," Riley commented as he glanced to Ivan who was taking out the Vivix even faster than Chase.
"Hey!" Chase complained as the others laughed.
"Ty!" Teddie tossed Tyler her Dino Charger, and he inserted it into his Morpher.
"Dino Morpher Blast, final strike!" he fired the Red and White attack at the monster, who shrieked as he was destroyed, and the Rangers cheered.
"With the Power of the Sun!" Ari held out her sword as it began to glow with golden magic. "Shining Sun Attack!" she threw out the power, and it slammed into Loki. He let out a yell, tossed through the air, before landing on the ground hard. "Like it or not Loki, this planet is defended," Ari stood over him, her sword raised. Her Sparrow Spirit flew through the air behind her. "By me, and by the Rangers. So try and defeat us..." she trailed off, and thunder clapped above, making Loki look up sharply. "Or face your brother," Ari smiled.
"I will get my revenge, mark my words," Loki vowed, and disappeared in a rippling green. Ari gave a small laugh, and the armour shattered. She stretched, looking up at the sky.
"He's way too easy to fool. I need to thank those Thunder Ninjas for their help sometime," she commented with a smirk. Before showing up to fight Loki, she'd contacted Hunter and Blake, along with Annie and her little brother Miles, for some help in making it seem like Thor was on his way.
"That was awesome!" she glanced around as Tyler cheered, and the team ran over to her, demorphing. "I can't believe you chased that guy off!" the Red Ranger grinned. Ari shrugged.
"It's what I do," she shrugged.
"Ninja Storm, Dino Thunder, Mystic Force, Overdrive, and Jungle Fury. Five teams," Kendall listed as footage from Ari's past battles showed on the screen. "I can't believe you never said anything," she shook her head.
"I can't believe that it's Ari," Shelby shrugged.
"It's not my style to brag about that stuff," Ari replied, sitting on the table with Xander standing beside her. "You're on a team with Chase and Teddie, not me, it's up to them to tell you, if they want to or not," she glanced to the White and Black Rangers.
"We weren't quite ready to announce that stuff," Teddie grinned, leaning against the console. "We're not the most normal of families," she pointed out.
"Speak for yourself," Xander retorted.
"Do we need to bring up the 'almost getting turned into a tree' thing again?" Ari challenged him. Xander sighed.
"Then you know the team in Briarwood that helped us back when Chase got brainwashed," Riley glanced to Chase, who shrugged.
"Eh..." Ari shot Xander an amused look as he rubbed the back of his neck. "Yeah, about that...you're welcome for the help," he grinned. Teddie put a hand to her face.
"What?" there was an outcry, and Ari started to laugh as the disbelief started all over again.
Well, it's finally out in the open! I hope you liked the big reveal.
Initially Loki was going to have a much bigger part in the series, back when I was writing Overdrive, but I liked the idea of him coming back now. I came up with something a lot more fun for later, I just have to work it in somewhere. Back when I first planned Loki to have a bigger part, I was a huge Loki fan, but it's kinda faded (until now, the new trailer has revived a lot of my love ahaha).
Also, I forgot to respond about further stories. Currently I have an RPM story planned, but I'm considering doing a Ninja Steel one as well, if I can find the time to watch more than three episodes so I can decide if I want to or not. Otherwise, the ending is kind of in the air. I have an endgame in mind for how to finally finish this series, but I just need to figure out how to incorporate it.
The song Teddie sings at the start of this chapter is an English translation of the song What 'bout My Star from Macross Frontier, which I edited slightly to fight better than the literal translation!
Anyways, I hope you enjoyed it!
Please review!