Thought I should update, I've kinda been neglecting the story to play Overwatch while the Summer Games event is on.
Hope you like it!
Chapter 19: No Matter How You Slice It
Despite another morning of digging and not finding anything, the Rangers were still full of energy, chatting amongst themselves.
"I can't believe you never said you were in a band," Shelby said, shaking her head.
"Well, we're no NZ Boys," Teddie teased her, knowing of the Pink Ranger's love for the popular boyband. Shelby blushed, and rolled her eyes. "It's just me, Ryan and Jeremy, when Jeremy's not on one of his journeys and Ryan is able to meet us," she shrugged modestly.
"That's still cool. I gotta hear you guys together some time, I mean you're great on your own, but I'd love to hear you all," Shelby told her, making Teddie blush in return. As Riley moved away, on his phone, the others gathered by the truck.
"They are pretty good," Chase nodded as he pulled a flat cardboard box from the back of the truck.
"Don't start your flattery, I'm still mad you blabbed," Teddie shot her brother a dirty look, since he had been the one to mention her sort-of band with their friends. Chase just shrugged and smiled at her, unapologetic. Despite her confidence, Teddie sometimes struggled to be open with others, and Chase was trying to get her out of the habit.
"Koda! Riley! Time for some fun, Kiwi style!" he raised the cardboard box into the air as the pair looked around. Chase led the group towards the sand dunes that were near to where they had been digging, and Ivan slowed, looking dubious.
"I expected something a touch less vertical," the knight admitted quietly, looking paler than usual.
"What's wrong with you? Scared?" Teddie teased him with a grin, and the man raised himself to full height, looking insulted.
"A Knight of Zandar is never scared!" he declared, but deflated a little when Chase handed him a board he'd found. Teddie and Shelby giggled at his clear nerves.
"This is awesome, just like back in New Zealand," Chase grinned, not even noticing Ivan's fear.
"That's one big sand dune," Riley swallowed as he looked down at the steep drop in front of them.
"Perhaps a bit too big, no?" Ivan suggested as he looked too. "Anyone? Too big?" he tried, looking helplessly to the others.
"Come on," Tyler laughed as he approached the edge. "It'll be a blast!" he encouraged. Teddie walked over to the edge and dropped her own board down.
"And she's off!" she announced in a grand voice, standing on the board and tipping it forwards. Ivan and Riley gave alarmed shouts as she shot down the side, sliding down with a cheer.
"Ted can't skateboard to save her life, but she's amazing with dune surfing," Chase shook his head as Shelby followed with a laugh, and he stood on a board as most sat on theirs, except for Tyler, and they all slid down with cheers. Tyler fell off his halfway and rolled down, and Shelby shrieked as she came off her cardboard box. Chase stumbled when he hit the bottom, and they all couldn't stop their laughter as they helped each other up, stumbling a little.
"That was awesome!" Tyler laughed.
"That wasn't scary at all!" Ivan commented as Koda helped him up.
"You scream like baby pig," the Blue Ranger laughed, putting an arm around him as Ivan cleared his throat, embarrassed by the teasing.
"What did you think?" Tyler asked Riley as he hauled the Green Ranger to his feet.
"That was pretty fun I guess," he admitted.
"How'd the video turn out?" Olivia asked as Chase helped her up. Shelby went to grab her phone, and her eyes widened.
"My phone!" she realised as she searched her pockets and couldn't find it. "It must have slipped out of my hand!" she realised, and started looking around for it quickly.
"Let's help the lady look," Ivan suggested, and they all started to look around. Teddie walked back up the sand dune, searching along the line left by Shelby, before a shiver ran down her spine. Before she could look around, she felt a strange sensation, as if something in her had been cut, and she lifted her head.
"You're better off without a phone," Chase snapped suddenly. "You waste too much time on that thing," he growled at her. Shelby's expression darkened in response, but Ivan was the one who scoffed.
"You, Sir Chase, are the master of wasting time," he sneered at the Black Ranger.
"Do you have to talk like that?" Teddie slid back down the dune and walked over with a roll of her eyes. "It's so exhausting listen to you talk like my grandfather. You know, like an old man," she told him, and Ivan scowled at her, red spreading across his face.
"I have better things to do. I'm outta here," Tyler decided.
"Grand idea," Ivan drawled.
"It's great. Great idea. Nobody says grand anymore," Olivia corrected him.
"You said it five minutes ago!" Chase pointed out.
"I'm Irish, I'm allowed to!" Olivia snapped, storming off.
"Hey! What about my phone?!" Shelby demanded as Ivan shoved Tyler into Chase.
"You lost it, you find it!" Tyler snapped at her.
"Oh, you mean this phone?" Teddie held up the pink phone in her hand. "If you had two brain cells to rub together, you might have thought to look where you last had it," she then dropped it, and it landed in a puddle with a splash. "Oops," she spoke snidely, turning and walking off.
"Hey!" Shelby shrieked, rushing over to her phone.
"What a loser," Chase scoffed.
"I hear that," Teddie bumped his fist and the two walked away.
"Chase! Teddie! Help us!" Riley's yell made them look around to see a scissor-like monster attacking Koda and Riley.
"You deal with it," Chase told him, continuing to walk. "Not my problem," he told Riley as the Ranger stared at him.
"Nor mine. I'm tired of helping you guys out with your own issues," Teddie shrugged,following her brother away.
"See ya," they all walked away, leaving Koda and Riley to face the monster alone.
"Cake?! We're not making cake! We're making cupcakes!" Shelby shouted at Tyler as she snatched the bowl away from him.
"Guys, please stop fighting!" Arianna pleaded with them.
"Quit your whining Arianna," Teddie rolled her eyes, sitting on the counter and watching them fight. Chase then grabbed the bowl from Shelby, sticking his finger in to try it.
"Vanilla? No, it's got to be chocolate!" he told them, turning to grab the ingredients needed. Shelby and Tyler both shrieked in disagreement.
"Sir Chase, why try one finger full?!" Ivan shoved him around and grabbed the bowl. "Might as well have it all!" Ivan turned the bowl upside down on Chase's head. The others started to laugh as Arianna rushed out of the kitchen.
"Now you really look like an idiot!" Olivia taunted him, and he threw a handful of batter at them, making them shriek. "You asshole!" Olivia tackled him as batter ran down her face and hair.
"Food fight!" Shelby yelled, before a loud whistle made them look around.
"What is going on?!" Kendall demanded, standing in the doorway with Arianna and Ari, as well as Koda and Riley, who were covered in bruises.
"See? I told you! They can't stand each other!" Riley exclaimed.
"That's putting it lightly," Ari rolled her eyes as she hauled Olivia off Chase. The Forest Ranger struggled, wanting to get in another hit as Chase glared at her, getting to his feet as batter dripped from his face.
"Get cleaned up, and go to the base, now," Kendall spoke slowly, her voice furious. Chase pulled his hat off, only for Olivia to shove it into his chest, covering his shirt in more cake batter. Chase then threw it at her back, and she spun around, only for Ari to push her away, sighing heavily.
"Guys, can't you see? That monster even said 'when he's done, we wouldn't have a friend in the world'," Riley repeated what the monster had told him during the fight. The Rangers just scoffed.
"Somehow he's broken your friendships. He's trying to split you all up," Kendall explained.
"And it working..." Koda added sadly. Chase rolled his eyes.
"That monster had nothing to do with it," he told them irritably.
"Yeah, some friendships just aren't meant to last," Shelby told them, glaring at everyone in the room.
"I don't believe you! We build strong friendships, all of us," Koda argued, hurt in his eyes.
"I don't think talking to them is going to get them to snap out of this," Ari commented, her arms folded. She glanced to Teddie and Chase, the only ones affected who hadn't been arguing. She arched an eyebrow.
"Well then maybe, we can just build those friendships again," Riley suddenly smirked as a plan came to mind. The others looked up at him, frowning.
"Okay," Riley spoke as he bound his and Koda's ankles together. "Good friends work together," he told them as the others glared at their partners. Ari watched from a tree branch above, and Arianna stood at the base of the tree, worried. "Okay...go!" Riley called. He and Koda worked in perfect unison, moving forwards easily.
"You've got two left feet!" Chase yelled at Tyler as the two struggled.
"You call yourself a knight? I call you a nightmare," Shelby spat at Ivan, who glared down at her.
"I thought surfers had good coordination," Teddie complained as she and Olivia struggled just as much. Riley and Koda looked around, hearing the arguments breaking out.
"Get off me!" Shelby yelled, and shrieked as she fell to the ground.
"I'm not doing anything!" Ivan threw his hands up.
"I can see why you suck at skateboarding, your balance is crap!" Olivia snapped at Teddie, and the pair cried out as they fell forwards to the ground. Ari shook her head in exasperation.
The Rangers then stood in front of Koda, none of them looking very impressed.
"Strong friendships built on trust," the caveman explained. He turned to Arianna, who nodded and closed her eyes as he stood behind her. She fell backwards, and he caught her easily. Koda then nodded to the Rangers, who took a go. Tyler closed his eyes and fell back, right as Shelby got a text and walked off to answer it, looking for better signal in the forest. Tyler landed in the leaves with a thud, right before Ivan as Chase turned away to admire a pretty woman jogging by. Ari put a hand to her face as she watched it take place.
"Jerk!" Chase let out a yell as he was knocked to the ground by Olivia again, and Teddie landed in the leaves with a grunt.
"Not cool!" Tyler glared at Shelby as he got up.
"Such indignity!" Ivan shouted as he and Teddie watched Chase and Olivia scrapping on the ground again.
"Olivia, you were supposed to be catching me, remember?" Teddie demanded.
"Okay," Ari landed on the ground easily beside Koda and Riley as they watched the Rangers argue again. "Doesn't look like this is going well. How about a different approach?" she suggested to them.
Chase pressed an ice pack to his bruised cheek where Olivia had hit him, shooting her a glare. She sat on the crates nearby, and glared back at him.
"Okay, maybe we just need a reminder of what good friends we are," Riley brought over a laptop.
"Shelby, this is the video from your phone," Kendall told her, and they watched the footage of them dune surfing.
"Really fun, right?" Koda smiled.
"Yeah..." Tyler nodded, and for a moment they thought they'd gotten through. Then his smile turned sour. "Like a sunburn," he muttered. Chase suddenly stood up, tossing the ice pack at Ivan.
"Keeper, I wish you all the luck in the world, but give my Energem to someone who can stand this bunch," he announced, taking the guardian by surprise. "I'm on the first bus back to Briarwood," he turned and stormed towards the door.
"Same here," Teddie spat.
"You read my mind!" Tyler snarled.
"Good riddance," Ivan bowed mockingly to the group staring at them.
"Guys, please!" Riley pleaded. They stopped in the doorway, looking around irritably. "Look, if our team breaks up, Sledge wins!" he reminded them. Shelby gasped loudly, before rolling her eyes.
"Whatever," she turned and shoved past Tyler.
"Laters," Olivia called as they all disappeared out.
"They're really gone..." Riley murmured quietly, not sure how to react.
"Their broken friendships have caused their energies to be thrown out of balance," Keeper gestured grimly to the Energems, which were shining erratically. "Soon, the bonds to their Energems will break, and they will cease to be Rangers," he warned them.
"I'll have them delayed for a while," Ari lifted her phone.
"Whoa, what's with those guys?" they looked up in surprise as Spencer walked in, looking over his shoulder. "It's a good thing that biting someone's head off is a metaphor, because otherwise I'd have lost my head several times," he chuckled, but his smile faded when he saw their expressions. "What's going on?" he asked.
"Energems sick..." Koda murmured as he approached the crystal beds, looking at the Energems.
"But how come you guys didn't have your friendships broken?" Arianna asked Riley as Ari spoke on the phone. The Green Ranger frowned.
"I...I'm not sure actually," he admitted. Arianna then turned and lifted the laptop, bringing up the footage of the fight.
"Your turn, caveman!" they watched as the monster's scissors suddenly snapped.
"Ms. Morgan, Koda, come here!" Riley called, and they gathered around, with Ari and Spencer joining them.
"He broke my scissors!" the monster wailed.
"Koda, his scissors broke when he tried to cut your friendship bond," Arianna gathered, looking at the Blue Ranger in surprise.
"Your loyalty to your friends was too strong to be cut," Keeper realised.
"You are not just friends, you are family," Koda explained, smiling at the group.
"Then maybe..." Ari brought the footage back to when it had cut Chase and Teddie's bonds.
"Did it chip?" Riley frowned, seeing a small fragment of the scissors break away.
"Twins have a bond that is incredibly strong. While it still cut the rest of their bonds, Chase and Teddie's remained standing. That's why it only chipped, instead of snapping like with Koda," Ari told them. "I had wondered why they were still close. But that won't matter, their Energems are still affected too," she glanced to the Energems shimmering erratically.
"If only I could get a piece of his scissors, I could reverse the effect," Kendall admitted with a sigh. Riley's eyes suddenly lit up.
"Guys, I have an idea," he grinned.
Riley and Koda sat in the park, discussing the events of the day.
"Very sorry about birthday, Riley," Koda sighed. Riley managed a small smile, touched that despite all the worry for their friends, Koda was still worried about him as well.
"Thanks Koda, but right now I'm, just worried about getting our friends back," he replied softly. "At least I still have you," he chuckled. Shearfear emerged from behind a tree, creeping up on the pair.
"Now to cut the Green Ranger's bonds," he chuckled, reaching out to cut Riley's bonds. However, when he did, his newly repaired scissors snapped as easily as they had before. "What?! How did that happen?!" he cried out in horror.
"This is how!" Riley and Koda stood up, and Spencer emerged from behind another tree, snapping his fingers. Their appearances suddenly changed, revealing they had been disguised as each other.
"You tricked me!" Shearfear realised.
"We're just getting started!" Riley told him, leaping over the bench and kicking him. "Koda, catch!" he tossed the scissor fragment to Koda, who raced over to the van that pulled up.
"No!" Shearfear wailed. The three leapt into the van, and they raced off.
"Is it going to work Kendall?" Riley asked as Ari drove the van.
"It's Ms. Morgan!" Kendall corrected him irritably. "And I really, really hope so," she muttered as she started working.
"Koda, how are the Energems doing?" Ari called, and Koda lifted the case containing the Energems.
"Oh no...Energems getting dark," the Blue Ranger told them worriedly. "Hurry, their bond breaks soon," Koda warned as Kendall worked quickly.
"Okay, these new Dino Chargers should reverse the scissors effect. They're ready," Kendall held up the new Dino Chargers.
"Amazing," Spencer murmured as he took one and studied it curiously. "But uh, now how are we going to catch them?" he asked as he handed it to Koda. Ari gave a small laugh.
"I said I'd have them delayed," they pulled up, and they looked out to see the Rangers struggling in vines that held them down.
"This is not cool! Let me go!" Tyler yelled, ripping through the vines holding his ankles and wrists, only for more to replace them.
"Forget that idiot, let me go! We're gonna miss the bus back home!" Chase complained.
"What on earth is going on?" Kendall stared at the sight.
"You needed a delay, right?" Xander grinned, easily summoning vines that kept the Rangers in place. He easily swatted away the ones Teddie sent in relatiation, and she glared at him. "Hey Spencer, didn't expect you to be in town," he commented lightly. Shaking off their surprise, Koda and Riley lifted their blasters and inserted the new Dino Chargers.
"Dino Morpher Blast!" they fired shots at the Rangers, who stumbled and fell to the ground, breathing heavily.
"What...happened?" Tyler frowned.
"What's with the vines?" Shelby looked down as the vines released them and disappeared as if they'd never been there.
"Look, they glow again!" Koda smiled, holding the Energems up as they shone brightly.
"It worked," Riley grinned, and the six Energems flew back to their respective owners.
"Why did we treat each other like that?" Chase wondered as the memories of what happened returned to them.
"It was monster's fault," Koda explained as he approached. "But now we go stop them," he told the Rangers. Spencer cleared his throat, leaning against the van.
"If you want to stop them, look no further," he gestured, and the Rangers looked around to see Shearfear, Wrench and Curio approaching.
"There they are!" Wrench pointed.
"They're not fighting each other!" Shearfear realised as the Rangers stood together. "Impossible!" he gasped as he held an eyeglass up and saw their repaired bonds. "Their snipped bonds are fixed!" he cried in horror.
"You don't mess with the Rangers' friendships," Riley told him. "It's Morphin' Time! Dino Charger!"
"Ready!"
"ENERGISE, HA! UNLEASH THE POWER!"
"Power Rangers, Charge! 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!"
"Pterodactyl, Power Ranger Gold!"
"Dinosaur might, ready to fight! Power Rangers Dino Charge!"
"Let me finish the scissory one," Riley requested as Shearfear laughed. Tyler nodded, and the Rangers all began to fight as Vivix arrived and began to attack. Spencer rolled his eyes as he was surrounded as well, and straightened up as he fixed his glasses. Nearby, Ari and Xander were taking out the Vivix who were stupid enough to approach them with ease.
"If you insist on fighting me, well, I won't turn you down," Spencer then rushed one of the creatures and punched it hard, sending it sprawling to the ground, before another two took its place, and he batted their attacks aside. Tossing another aside, he kicked out, only to be shoved backwards when one threw itself at him, and another caught him with a kick. Spencer's head hit the metal of the van, and he let out a cry.
"Spencer?" Teddie heard his cry, and looked around as Spencer stumbled, a hand to his head, before his glasses fell off with a clatter. His eyes opened, flashing bright gold, and with a yell he punched one of the Vivix so hard it slammed into a wall nearby, cracking it. The Vivix stumbled away in shock, but Spencer's speed had increased, and he tossed them like ragdolls, before letting out another yell, and a shockwave burst from him, turning the creatures to dust.
"Spencer!" Ari ran towards him as she saw him stumble, falling to his knees as he breathed heavily.
"What happened?" Kendall asked as she stepped out, but Spencer pushed away from her.
"Please, don't," he breathed heavily, a hand over his eyes as he fumbled for his glasses, which Kendall lifted and pressed into his hand. He opened his eyes, and she stared at the eerie gold of them, which flashed before returning to their normal green colour. He then slumped, and the scientist caught him, baffled, before looking up as more Vivix attacked. Ari intercepted it easily, flipping the creature to the ground.
"Get him into the van," she told Kendall, who nodded and hauled Spencer back into the van. Nearby, Riley was easily overpowering Shearfear, whose broken scissors were no match for his Dino Sabre.
"You'll never stop these blades, Green Ranger!" Shearfear yelled as Riley ran towards him, and blades burst from the ground, shooting towards Riley.
"Dino Steel, Armour On!"
"Para-Chopper Blast!"
"Ptera Bolt!"
"Compo-Blades!" Chase, Ivan and Teddie blocked the blades from hitting Riley.
"No!" Shearfear wailed.
"Thanks guys," Riley smiled, relieved.
"Tis nothing, just what friends do," Ivan shrugged.
"I'll go help the others, but first..." Chase turned and blasted Shearfear, making the monster shriek in pain.
"I wonder if I can rip those pillows apart," Olivia wondered as she used her Scelido-Spear to slash down Curio's front. The cushioned monster wailed in pain, crashing to the ground as Chase helped Tyler and Koda back up.
"A Ptera Charger?" Riley blinked as Ivan offered the Charger to him.
"We shall finished him together," Ivan told him as Shearfear got back up.
"Together sounds awesome!" Teddie cheered.
"Dino Charger, Ready!"
"Wait! Can't we all be friends?" Shearfear pleaded, holding up a hand.
"Think again!"
"Lightning...Final Strike!"
"Dino Morpher Blast!"
"Final Slash!" Ivan and Teddie's attacked slammed into the scissor-like monster, before Riley's slash finished him off. The monster wailed, and exploded.
"Good job Riley!" Tyler praised as the others ran over.
"Couldn't have done it without our friends," Riley grinned.
"Vivix, rise!" Wrench yelled suddenly, and the creatures that had been fighting Ari and Xander suddenly turned and ran to group together, combining to form a massive monster.
"Looks like we need reinforcements," Riley spoke as they looked up.
"Call Dino Charge Megazord?" Koda suggested. The others nodded.
"Dino Chargers, ready! Summon Zords!" Tyler, Shelby and Koda summoned their Zords to form the Megazord.
"Go, I shall summon the Ptera Zord," Ivan told them, and the others nodded, leaping up into their Megazord to awaken it.
"Alright, let's do this!"
"Dino Drive, activate!" the Rangers called on their greater power, and with a roar, the monster rushed them.
"Compo Zord!" Teddie summoned her own Zord and they used it to form their Compo Sabre, slashing across the monster's front.
"Surprise!" they looked around in shock as Shearfear suddenly reappeared. "I can still cut you down to size!" the monster laughed. As they stumbled, they were grabbed.
"A second Vivixord?! We can't move!" Tyler yelled as the Megazord was restrained. Shearfear laughed, ready to strike them down, only for a blast to hit him.
"We know who that is!" Olivia smiled in relief, and they looked up to see the Ptera Zord flying towards them.
"No fear, my friends. Activate Ptera Charge Megazord!" Ivan changed his formation and lashed out.
"You're trying to cut in?" Shearfear sneered, slashing up the front of the Ptera Charge Megazord and forcing it back.
"This beast is stronger than I thought," Ivan complained.
"Ivan needs us, but we can't get loose!" Riley groaned as they continued to struggle.
"We can't help, but I know what can," Chase told him, and Riley's eyes lit up.
"Of course!"
"Dino Charger, ready! Summon Zords!" the Para, Raptor and Scelido Zords all leapt in and attacked Shearfear, tossing him away from Ivan.
"Activate Ptera Charge Megazord! Para-Raptor Formation!" Ivan called, and the black and green Zords attached to his Megazord. "And let's try one more! Scelido Zord combine!" he shouted, and the darker green Zord then combined over the chest, acting as a shield. "Welcome, my noble friends," the Gold Ranger greeted as Chase, Riley and Olivia appeared in his Zord.
"Whoa!"
"This is so cool."
"We need to help the others," Chase reminded as Olivia and Riley looked around in awe.
"Battle mode!"
"Let's distract those Vivizords!"
"Para Zord Blast!" the blasts hit the two monsters, who were shoved away from the Megazord.
"We're free! Thanks guys!" Tyler smiled in relief as they were freed.
"Indeed," Ivan nodded.
"We'll finish off the Vivizords!" Tyler told them.
"Let's do this!" Teddie cheered as they used their sabre to knock the two monsters away from them.
"T-Rex Zord, Final Strike!" the T-Rex head opened, and fired a large blast that was big enough to destroy the two Vivizords in one shot.
"Ptera Lightning Blitz!" Shearfear shrieked as he was blasted by the powerful attack.
"Let's cut him down to size," Riley smirked.
"You said it," Ivan nodded as they lifted their weapons.
"Para Zord...Fireball Finish!" they aimed, and fired, hitting Shearfear dead on.
"No! I'm not cut out for this!" he wailed, falling forwards and exploding.
"That was awesome!" Olivia cheered along with the rest of them.
After finishing up cleaning the café by himself and checking his empty voicemail box for what seemed like the hundredth time that day, Riley headed down to the base, dejected. He couldn't believe his mum, nor his brother, had called him on his birthday.
When he walked in, he let his Energem fly to its place in the Crystal Bed, before frowning as he realised most of the lights were off. He looked around curiously.
"How do you turn the lights on in here?" he wondered aloud, before the lights suddenly switched on, lighting up the room and revealing everyone standing there.
"Surprise!" they all cheered as he jumped in shock.
"What?!" Riley couldn't help but laugh in disbelief as streamers flew down.
"Happy birthday!" the Rangers all cheered as they ran over and hugged him tightly.
"I thought you guys forgot!" Riley admitted as Koda let him down.
"See, that is how surprise parties work," Chase smirked at him as they led him to the table.
"It's not that we've forgotten, but actually we've been planning it for weeks," Shelby laughed as Riley stared at the cake and cupcakes all over the table, all decorated in green icing.
"It didn't help that Ivan almost blabbed like four times this last week alone," Teddie glared at Ivan, who cleared his throat.
"I have no idea what you're talking about," he lied weakly, blushing as the others laughed.
"Even I knew to keep it a secret, and I've never been part of throwing a surprise party before," Arianna smiled at him in amusement. "It was very exciting," she admitted.
"They tell me to keep party secret, I sorry," Koda apologised, having known that Riley had felt hurt at the thought that they'd forgotten.
"No, this is amazing! You guys are the best friends ever!" Riley smiled, but it faded a little. "I just wish my family could be here too," he admitted. The group then exchanged grins.
"Well, Sir Riley," Ivan put a hand on his shoulder and guided him over to the console. "Ask, and you shall receive," the Gold Ranger smiled. The video feed popped up, showing his brother and mum, along with his dog.
"Happy birthday, buddy! Wish you were here," Matt smiled at the camera.
"We miss you honey! We hope you have a great birthday," his mum spoke, patting Rubic. "We'll see you at the end of the summer!"
"Say hi to Riley, Rubic," the dog then barked loudly as Riley smiled.
"Bye!" they chorused, before the video ended.
"They remembered," he smiled.
"Of course they did, they're your family," Teddie smiled, linking arms with him. "You might not get to be with them right now, they'll never forget you," she reminded him.
"And how could anyone ever forget about you?" Tyler grinned, taking his other arm, and they pulled him back to the cake on the table. As they forced a party hat onto his head and they gathered around the cake, Ari glanced to Spencer, who had been very quiet since the fight.
"Ready to talk about what happened out there?" she asked him softly as Xander straightened up. Spencer watched the group of Rangers with Kendall and Arianna, starting to cut the cake, and sighed.
"Last year, in our final fight with Grumm, I...we were captured and imprisoned on his ship," he told them softly. Ari and Xander exchanged looks, having known that much. "While the rest were to be destroyed, Grumm's master, Omni, he brainwashed me to be his servant," Spencer thought back to the final battle.
A figure landed on the ground nearby, down on one knee with their head lowered. For a moment, nobody moved, until the young man stood.
"It's Spencer!" Sera smiled widely in relief. "He's okay!" she went to run to him, but Kayden grabbed her wrist.
"That's not Spencer," he said warily, making her frown.
"What? But-"
"Astute observation Kayden," Spencer smirked, his glasses still cracked and his hair messier than usual. His eyes now shone an eerie gold. "The great Magnificent, Omni, has sent me to finish off this pathetic attempt you call a defence," the group staring at him took a step back in horror.
"You fought against SPD, then Annie and Minos snapped you out of it," Ari remembered. Spencer nodded, and sighed.
"They snapped me out of it, but...I think a fragment of Omni's power stuck in my head," he admitted, looking at his parents. They could see the fear in his eyes. "It's happened three times now, I take a hit to my head, and I get this huge power boost," Spencer told them softly. "I can keep control of it and force it to go away, but...there's a part of me that wonders if it's going to take control again," Spencer confessed.
"Spencer..." Ari put her hands to her mouth, forced to remember her trial a long time ago, when she'd had to fight Spencer before she even knew him.
"Spencer, mate," Xander put a hand on his shoulder, and forced him to look at him. "It's not going to happen," he said confidently, and Spencer frowned, not knowing how he could be so sure.
"Even Bridge can't get it to go away," Spencer shook his head. "It nearly knocked him out, and Annie nearly knocked me out for it," he admitted, thinking of the fiercely protective Silver Ranger coming to her fiancé's defence.
"Then you need to try something else. We know plenty of people who's been hit with this stuff before," Xander pointed out.
"He's right," Ari nodded, leaning into Xander's side slightly. "But for now, go enjoy the party with the others," she told him, and Spencer turned, hesitating, before approaching the others. "What if-"
"No," Xander cut Ari off immediately. "You're not doing this to yourself again Ari, you tortured yourself about it when Spencer was born. This has nothing to do with that, and like I said, we'll handle it," he told her firmly. Ari was quiet for a moment, before smiling and laughing slightly.
"When did you stop being such a dork?" she teased.
"I was never a dork, you just deluded yourself," Xander retorted, kissing the side of her head. "Now let's just enjoy another win," he told her, leading her to the others.
Just realised I only have another chapter and a bit to write of this story, then I'm onto Dino Super Charge. Scary...
Hope you liked it!
Please review!