Chapter 23: Wishing For A Hero
Walking through town as the sun shone brightly above her, Kendall glanced around, looking mildly wary she strode along with purpose. There were a few people around, but nobody really paid her any heed as she walked past a couple of construction workers.
"Watch out!" one of the workers suddenly yelled, and Kendall looked around to see a huge block of cement hurtling towards her as the ropes holding it snapped. She froze, her eyes wide, before someone tackled her to the ground and out of harms way. Her bag flew through the air, and when it landed, several things fell from it, including the Purple Energem.
"You okay Miss?" the man asked as he helped her up.
"Thank you, that was so brave! You're a hero!" Kendall told him gratefully. He smiled at her and walked past to lift her bag and scattered belongings. He then turned to her, unaware of his audience as Koda leaned out of the crane and the others lifted their visors. Nearby, Arianna, Olivia and Teddie watched as well, pretending to be having their lunch together.
"Here you go," the man held out the Purple Energem, but it wasn't glowing. Trying to hide her disappointment, Kendall took her things and the others sighed heavily. No luck. "A hero shouldn't go unappreciated, right? How about a few bucks, you know? For saving your life?" he tried with a grin.
"You want money," Kendall stared at him. "For helping me?! That's not heroic at all!" she shouted, turning on her heel and storming off.
"Thanks for all your help mate," Chase handed him a note. The man laughed, walking off.
"Well, first attempt went well," Teddie spoke dryly as Kendall walked over to Chase.
"We need to find a hero for the Purple Energem to bond to. Let's do it again," she decided, and Chase nodded as she left. The Rangers reset, and Teddie, Olivia and Arianna continued to watch.
"Look out!" Ivan yelled, but this time as the concrete came at Kendall, Teddie was forced to streak in and knock her out of the way.
"No-one. Really?" Kendall huffed in frustration. Teddie shrugged, and they reset again.
They tried again and again, but nobody bonded with the Energem, which was frustrating Kendall more and more.
"I think she almost punched that guy when he asked to keep the Energem," Olivia commented as she took a drink. Teddie giggled, and they watched as a man saved Kendall by lifting her into his arms and easily dodging the concrete.
"Oh, this is promising," Arianna commented.
"His muscles are bigger than my head," Olivia arched her eyebrow.
"Thank you, you are a lifesaver," Kendall thanked, smiling with relief at the much larger man. She had her hand in her bag, ready to offer the Purple Energem, as the man smiled at her charmingly.
"I'd save anyone as pretty as you," he told her, and Kendall's smile faltered as he flirted with her. He then flexed for her. "Check out the gun show, huh?" he bragged.
"And it seems his muscles are bigger than his brain," Teddie couldn't help but laugh as Kendall stormed off, and the man blinked in confusion, watching her before shrugging and walking off.
"That's enough for today," she decided as they all grouped together.
"Hey, don't worry, Ms. Morgan," Riley tried. "I'm sure we'll find a new Purple Ranger," he told her.
"I hope," she sighed as they all started taking off the disguises they'd been wearing. "An unbonded Energem can be very dangerous if it falls into the wrong hands," she pointed out.
"We'll find someone," Teddie soothed.
"Yeah," Chase smiled. "And till then, we'll keep it safe," he vowed. Kendall nodded, but didn't look any less worried.
"And come up with a new plan," Riley added.
"Yeah, doesn't look like anyone heroic is gonna show up here," Arianna shook her head. They left the building site, unaware that they were being watched.
"So what we do now Kendall?" Koda asked as the group walked through the park where they were to meet the rest of the Rangers who hadn't been part of it.
"We keep trying?" she shrugged, and sighed. "I don't know how or when, but we will find a worthy Ranger," she spoke with determination.
"I don't think we should force it. I mean Philip tried that and it didn't work," Arianna pointed out.
"She has a point," Teddie agreed. "We'll find someone for the Purple Ranger to bond to, but trying too hard might just bring us the wrong person," she shrugged. Kendall didn't reply, thinking about it, and Teddie linked arms with Arianna. "Speaking of the Prince, when are you two finally going on a date? All you do is make eyes at each other," she complained.
"Teddie, one of these days, you will find someone you like, and we will torture you just as much," Chase warned with a roll of his eyes as Arianna blushed.
"Like you haven't before," Teddie retorted to her brother, who sighed.
"I'd stay out of it, she's been merciful so far," Olivia whispered to him as she took his hand, linking their fingers. Chase couldn't help but agree.
"Well?" Teddie looked back to the Mercurian still stuck in her grasp.
"It's hard finding a place that people don't recognise him," Arianna replied quietly, her cheeks still warm. Teddie squeezed her arm sympathetically, and released her.
"Discover secrets! Find romance with my wish cards!" a woman called from beside a booth, and as the Rangers walked by, she called out to them. "What do you desire? Money? Love? Find that special someone with my wish cards," she invited them.
"Wishing cards?" Riley repeated, immediately looking sceptical. Even Kendall couldn't hide her smile. "No thanks, we're not superstitious. Come on guys," the Green Ranger went to walk on, but Koda approached the vendor's cart.
"I am super squishiness," Koda declared.
"Does such sorcery actually work?" Ivan frowned.
"Frankly, no," Kendall told him abruptly.
"I'm surprised you two aren't getting into this," Olivia glanced to Chase and Teddie, who looked wary.
"Uh...we tend to avoid wishes and stuff," Teddie swallowed.
"Yeah," Chase nodded.
"Birthday cakes must be fun for you," Olivia arched an eyebrow. "It's just a bit of fun," she approached the vendor beside Koda and started writing on an orange card. Arianna shrugged and approached too.
"Come on guys," Riley tried as Ivan watched them curiously. "Wishes don't magically come true. Right guys?" he turned to Chase and Teddie.
"Hah. Funny story," Chase shook his head.
"Oh come on!" Riley groaned.
"Hey guys, what's going on?" Tyler greeted as he, Shelby and Philip approached with Nerida, who immediately rushed over to Olivia.
"These guys are writing down their wishes thinking they'll actually come true," Riley rolled his eyes. "And these two are freaking out over it," he gestured to Chase and Teddie.
"We're not freaking out!" Chase frowned at him.
"We're just...wary," Teddie agreed.
"Wishing cards? Yeah, like that's gonna happen," Shelby rolled her eyes as the three at the booth placed their wishes into the box. "Koda, got you the Tropical Burger," the Blue Ranger gasped as his eyes lit up.
"That my wish!" he smiled as he grabbed the bag from her.
"No, that's not magic! You always wish for a burger," Riley told him. Koda just nodded, still believing his wish came true, as Chase shivered. Teddie arched an eyebrow at him, seeing the action.
"Forget this wish stuff," he shook his head, grabbing Olivia's hand. "Oli, let's hit the beach. I've been wanting to try out surfing since I got to Amber Beach," her eyes were wide as he pulled her away. Her dog followed, wagging her tail, and Olivia glanced around at the others, mouthing something.
"Olivia, you made a wish about my brother? Equal parts gross and creepy," Teddie complained. As Arianna backed away, Ivan, Shelby and Tyler looked at each other, and immediately shoved their way over to the booth, fighting to be first.
"May all your wishes come true," the woman at the booth smiled as Riley and Kendall shook their heads.
"This is creepy," Teddie complained as she watched them, getting a bad feeling.
"What's your problem with wishes?" Kendall asked her. Teddie shuffled her feet.
"Something that my parents told us when we were kids," as she spoke, Arianna glanced around at Philip as he took her hand. He indicated for her to keep quiet, and the two slipped away as Tyler, Shelby and Ivan placed their wishes in the box as well, not noticing them all starting to glow.
"Honestly, it's just a legend. They don't come true," Riley insisted.
"Oh yeah?" Teddie arched an eyebrow. "Then how come my brother suddenly decided he wanted Olivia to teach him to surf?" she challenged.
"Spend more time with her?" Riley suggested. Teddie gave a small laugh.
"You might be right there, but notice that we're now missing two people?" he paused, not understanding, and looked around to see that Philip and Arianna were gone. "Bet I know Arianna's wish," Teddie sighed.
"No way, it's just insane!" Riley argued, and the two began to argue on the logic of wishes as the others wondered when theirs would come true, while Kendall was wondering just what was going on.
"Do you believe those wish cards truly work?" Philip asked as he and Arianna walked through the park.
"I think so," she nodded, looking ahead. "Olivia has wanted Chase to try surfing since he bragged that he'd be great at it," Arianna couldn't help but smile. "And Koda, well, he's always wanting a burger so I don't know how much we can trust that," the two laughed quietly.
"And you?" Philip asked as he caught her hand. Arianna immediately looked away, her face warming. Instead of answering, she just linked her fingers with his and they kept walking in a comfortable silence. "I'm surprised by how few people are around," he commented lightly, glancing at Arianna with an amused smile, watching her embarrassment grow.
"Do you think the others noticed we left?" she asked suddenly, trying to shift the topic.
"Probably, they're very observant when it comes to everyone else," Philip considered, making Arianna smile again.
"You're right," she agreed.
"So what do you suppose the others will wish for?" Philip asked her as they kept walking, enjoying the pleasant day. Summer was in full force, and the heat was much warmer than in Zandar, but still bearable for the Prince, who had taken a few extra days after returning to help with Spencer to stay in Amber Beach to try and get some time alone with Arianna.
"Well, Ivan's a knight, probably something heroic," Arianna guessed, and Philip agreed with her. "Tyler would most likely wish to find his dad. And Shelby..." she frowned as she thought about it. "Maybe to get a proper chance to prove herself to Ms. Morgan that she's good enough to be a dinosaur expert? I'm not sure," she considered.
"Perhaps something to do with a young man that once impersonated me?" Philip suggested lightly, and Arianna glanced at him in surprise. "I'm a little more observant than I seem too," he told her, making her laugh.
"You may be right. Everyone's supposed to be going on a picnic today, but something tells me everyone's going to be bailing on them," she said. They stopped at a bench, taking a seat and looking out at the beautiful park. "How's it been, back in Zandar?" Arianna asked softly, and Philip couldn't stop his soft sigh, letting his head fall to the side a little.
"It's been a slow progression," he admitted in a tired voice. Arianna squeezed his hand sympathetically. "I suppose my sudden change in personality has made things a little confusing for my family," Philip considered.
"It's a good change though. You're not nearly the mean Prince you seemed to be when we met," Arianna teased him, and the Graphite Ranger's face warmed.
"What did you wish for, Arianna?" he challenged her, meeting her gaze and keeping a grip on her hand. She didn't look away, though pink started to mottle her pale features. She then sighed, offering an embarrassed smile.
"You know what I wished for," Arianna's voice was quiet as she shifted.
"I suppose it's a good thing you did, because I might have considered doing it myself," Philip admitted, leaning in closer and resting his forehead to hers. Arianna swallowed, her heart thumping against her chest as she let him, but as her eyes started to flutter closed, movement in the corner of her eye caught her attention.
"Philip," she turned her head away, and he drew back in surprise. "Over there," she murmured, and he glanced around to see a man snapping pictures. He sighed, and stood up, shooting the man an irritated look as he pulled Arianna up.
"Forgive me, I should have known there'd be someone watching," he murmured as they walked away.
"It's okay," Arianna shook her head. Her heart was still pounding wildly. They were quiet, and Philip stumbled as Arianna moved closer to him suddenly, pressing into his side. "I'm glad I made that wish," she murmured, and the Prince couldn't stop his smile.
"Is everyone still good for a picnic?" Tyler called as he walked into the kitchen. "Great way to clear our heads," he smiled as he saw their stressed expressions.
"Yeah, I'm in. For sure," Shelby nodded.
"Thanks for the invitation, but I'm still trying to figure out a plan to find a Purple Ranger," Kendall declined.
"I'm helping Ms. Morgan," Riley shrugged. The two left, and Tyler glanced to Teddie.
"Sorry dudes, I'm gonna help too. This unbonded Energem is dangerous," she reminded them.
"So uh, four it is," Tyler glanced to Koda and Ivan. Koda groaned, clutching his stomach. "Koda? Are you okay?" Tyler noticed the discomfort in his friend's face.
"No go," Koda shook his head. "My stummy hu-" he stopped, and abruptly ran off.
"I keep telling you that eating nothing but burgers ain't healthy Koda," Teddie called after him.
"What about you Ivan?" Tyler asked as the knight worked on the grill.
"Uh, alas, no, I'm covering Chase's shift so he can spend time with his lady of the surfboard," Ivan declined as well. Teddie arched her eyebrow, and glanced to Shelby.
"Well, I guess it's just you and me," Shelby's eyes widened at Tyler's words.
"You and me, alone?" she clarified. Tyler nodded innocently, and Shelby smiled, trying to act cool.
"Yeah, sure," she nodded.
"Cool," Tyler smiled, walking off, and Teddie snorted.
"Let me guess what your wish was," she said to the Pink Ranger, who threw fries at her, blushing. "Just, be careful Shelby," Teddie couldn't bring herself to laugh as she brushed herself off.
"Seriously, what is your problem with wishes?" Shelby pressed, seeing that Teddie was still wary.
"Wishes don't always come true in the best way," Teddie warned her cryptically. "Sometimes they go bad. So just be careful," she told Shelby, who frowned.
"That's crazy. How do you know that?" she asked.
"Because once a wish went so bad that the world almost lost everything," with that, Teddie went to find Kendall and Riley to help them with a plan. Shelby frowned, watching her leave, and sighed. While she took Teddie's words seriously, and wondered just what had happened, the excitement of the picnic with Tyler took the main focus in her mind.
Kendall and Teddie walked into the cafe later on, both exhausted but still working.
"Hello, Ms. Morgan, Teddie," Ivan greeted them as Kendall sat down, not looking up from her tablet. "Well, have we found any perspective Purple Rangers?" he asked in a quiet voice.
"Not even close," Teddie sighed, sitting down with a drink.
"Finding a hero is proving to be harder than I thought," Kendall complained.
"And a lot of wannabe heroes are already at SPD," Teddie added, sounding tired.
"Well, even in my day," Ivan lifted another chair from the table. "Those worthy of joining the Knights of Zandar were truly rare," he pointed out.
"Reassuring," Teddie grumbled, making him smile in amusement. Kendall looked around, realising that he was alone, save for two other waitresses.
"Well, Chase and Olivia are at the beach," Kendall rolled her eyes. "Tyler and Shelby are on a picnic-"
"Tyler and Shelby are alone?" Kendall suddenly smiled in amusement. "Like a date?" she asked, and Teddie couldn't help but grin as well.
"Yes!" Ivan's eyes lit up and he smiled. "I suppose it is like a date," he realised, chuckling as he stood again and grabbed the mop.
"Bet that was Shelby's wish," Kendall smirked, before pausing. "And Koda got his burger. Olivia got Chase to go surfing, and Arianna and Philip have vanished..." she considered. "Ivan, what was your wish?" she asked him curiously.
"Oh, the same thing every knight asks for," Ivan sighed with nostalgia. "To help a damsel in distress," the two girls at the table smiled at his nobility. Suddenly, the waitress who was on the ladder cleaning above fell as the ladder wobbled, and Ivan dropped the mop instantly and moved to catch her.
"Thanks Ivan," the girl smiled with relief. "You're my knight in shining armour," she sighed. Ivan set her down gently, making sure she was steady.
"And you, my lady, have made my wish come true," he spoke softly. "Now can you kindly go scrub the grill?" Ivan requested. The girl's smile faded a little and Teddie couldn't stop herself from laughing as the waitress walked away. "Is something funny, Lady Teddie?" Ivan asked her.
"Dude, you have no idea," the White Ranger giggled. The Knight was the object of a lot of girl's affections, particularly the two waitresses who worked with them, and most of their regular female customers would aim to sit in his area. Ivan looked blank, before Teddie glanced up as Kendall stood abruptly.
"Ms. Morgan? Wherever are you going?" Ivan asked her curiously.
"I know it's crazy, but I'm going to wish for a Purple Ranger," Kendall decided, and Teddie's eyes widened.
"Ms. Morgan!" she groaned, following her out as they both missed Ivan flinch, a pain starting to make itself known.
Koda groaned loudly as Riley worked on the computer. The Green Ranger tried to ignore him, until Koda leaned against him, still whining in discomfort.
"How you doing, Koda?" Riley sighed, knowing he wasn't going to get any work done.
"Tropical Burger, bad idea," Koda whined, making Riley laugh. Ivan walked in, letting his Energem fly to the Crystal Beds, and flinched again as he pulled on his coat.
"What's the matter with you?" Riley frowned, looking up at him.
"I believe I may have injured my back by helping a young lady," Ivan admitted weakly as he managed to get his coat on. Before Riley could question it, they heard arguing. "Oh, seems Chase and Olivia are back," Ivan commented as Nerida appeared down the slide and barked, running over to Ivan with her tail wagging.
"I can't believe you broke my board!" Olivia slid into view right before Chase, both letting their Energems fly away.
"Your board?!" Chase repeated, and coughed. "I almost drowned out there!" he snapped.
"Because you didn't listen to me!" Olivia growled. "You thought you knew better! You're lucky Nerida's a strong swimmer," the dog wagged her tail at the mention of her name.
"What happened to you guys?" Riley frowned at them, interrupting their arguing.
"Well Chase here decided he wanted to learn how to surf, and I was showing him," Olivia started.
"Shouting at me isn't showing me," Chase grumbled, earning a glare.
"And the genius decided to hit a wave way too big for him and went under, and my board broke in the process," Olivia threw her hands into the air, and they saw the snapped board behind them.
"Almost. Drowned," Chase repeated slowly, emphasizing his words. The door then opened, and they looked around to see Arianna and Philip walk in, looking exhausted. "And where'd you two run off to?" the Black Ranger questioned as they sat down.
"We were chased around Amber Beach for the last three hours," Arianna complained.
"I've never seen that many photographers without an organised meeting," Philip sighed as Arianna leaned into him, supporting each other in their exhaustion.
"What?" Riley frowned, but Arianna saw Olivia's board and frowned.
"What happened to you two?" she asked, and the Black and Forest Rangers started to argue again about whose fault it was as the doors slid open and Tyler and Shelby walked in.
"Hey, I'm glad you guys are here," Riley cut through the arguing. "We really need to talk about-"
"Our wishes?" Shelby finished for him.
"How'd you know?" Riley asked.
"They both came true, before they went bad," Tyler complained.
"Wait, really?" Chase asked, and closed his eyes. "Oli, please tell me you didn't wish I'd try surfing," he pleaded. Olivia looked away, trying to look innocent.
"You guys made wishes?" they jumped as Ari walked in with her skateboard. "What happened?" she questioned, her voice deceptively calm.
"There were these wishing cards in the park," Tyler started with a shrug.
"Koda's wish came true when he tried one, and then so did Olivia and Arianna's, so we thought we'd give it a go too," Shelby nodded. Ari was quiet, not looking at them.
"But it seems that all the wishes made, have gone really badly," Riley summed up. Ivan's eyes widened.
"Ms. Morgan," his mutter made them all look around to see his horror. "She's about to make a wish to find a Purple Ranger," he announced.
"Get out there and stop her before something far worse than a couple of minor wishes happens," Ari told them immediately. They nodded, rushing out as Arianna stayed behind, looking worried. She glanced to Ari, who put a hand to her face.
"What's wrong?" Arianna asked her softly.
"Just...hoping this doesn't turn out like the last big wish," Ari replied, her voice quiet and filled with something Arianna had never heard from the woman. Fear.
"Ms. Morgan, really, maybe we should talk this one over with everyone first," Teddie pleaded as she followed Kendall to the stall with wishing cards.
"There's no time, Teddie," Kendall shook her head. "The Purple Energem has been unbonded for far too long, we cannot risk it landing in the hands on Sledge or his monsters," she pointed out. Teddie hesitated, still worried as Kendall asked for a wishing card.
"But Ms. Morgan..."
"Teddie, it'll be fine," Kendall told her as she wrote down the wish.
"Kendall!" they looked up to see the Rangers running towards them.
"Go see what they want, will you?" Kendall sighed as she finished writing down her wish. Teddie groaned, and walked towards the group. All yelling at the same time, it was a garbled mess, and Teddie hadn't a clue what they were saying.
"Dudes, what's wrong?" she asked, walking out onto the road.
"Teddie!" Chase yelled as the White Ranger heard the loud horn of a truck and looked around in surprise. She froze as she saw a truck hurtling towards her, but before she could move, someone else grabbed her and pulled her to safety. Teddie stared up with wide eyes as the truck blazed past, with the driver yelling abuse out the window at her, but she didn't even register it.
"You could have been hit," she breathed as she stared at the young man with bright blue eyes smiling at her. "Thank you," Teddie swallowed as he helped her straighten up.
"You are very welcome," he smiled as he let her go, backing up. "Now, pay attention and stay out of traffic," the man winked at her as Teddie swallowed nervously, wondering if Kendall's wish had come true as well. He watched her for a moment longer, then turned and walked away as Kendall caught up to her.
"You okay?" she asked her, and Teddie nodded.
"I'm fine. That guy...saved me," she tilted her head, watching the strangely clad man who wore a long coat and goggles around his neck, with a streak of blue in his hair.
"He's my wish," Kendall breathed. "Excuse me!" she called, and the young man turned around in surprise.
"Teddie!" Chase called he and the others got across the road.
"I'm okay," Teddie managed, not looking away from her hero. Kendall approached him carefully.
"This may sound strange, but there's something I'd like you to hold for me," she requested.
"Ms. Morgan," Teddie stood beside her, looking torn. The stranger had saved her life, but on the grounds of a wish, she was worried.
"What is it?" the man asked curiously.
"Here," Kendall held out the Purple Energem. The others all began to shout, trying to dissuade her, but right before he could take it, blasts suddenly flew at them and slammed into the ground by their feet. The group were tossed to the ground, groaning in pain as they heard a laugh.
"Yes! An Energem! My ticket out of here!" Wish Star cheered excitedly as he held the Purple Energem up to the light. Teddie felt a strange energy run through the air, but as she looked up, she saw the man who'd saved her rushing off, but missed seeing his hand glowing blue. "My wishes never fail me!" he taunted.
"I hope you're right," Wish Star gasped as Fury approached with a low growl. He held up a wish card, having written on it. "I wish for you to explode!" he yelled, throwing it at Wish Star. The card exploded multiple times, battering the monster and throwing him through the air, forcing him to let go of the Purple Energem. Fury caught it in his clawed hand, and laughed loudly. "This is the beginning of the end for you, Rangers!" he declared as the Rangers watched in horror. He then turned and left, leaving them to fight Wish Star.
"Hey, that was my Energem!" Wish Star whined as he watched the feline alien leave. He then shrugged, and sighed. "But I can still impress Sledge by destroying the Rangers," he considered, laughing again as the Rangers stood up.
"It's Morphin' Time!" Tyler yelled as they stood together. "Dino Charger!"
"Ready!"
"ENERGISE, HA! UNLEASH THE POWER!"
"What?! All nine of you?!" Wish Star gasped, not having realised all the Rangers were there.
"Dinosaur might, ready to fight!"
"Power Rangers..."
"Dino Charge!" Wish Star gulped as he backed away, beginning to regret his decision to fight.
"Dino Steel, Armour On!" the seven called on their weapons as Philip and Ivan braced themselves. The group then ran at Wish Star, who lifted a wishing card and laughed as he wrote on it.
"Look out Rangers! My wish is your command," he warned, and held up the card. "My wish is for you all to fall at my feet!" Wish Star declared, and held up the card to the air. It shimmered, and the Rangers all felt as if the ground shifted beneath them, and they stumbled, falling to the ground.
"What's happening?" Tyler cried as they tried to get back up, only to fall again.
"He's using his wishes," Teddie groaned as she slipped and banged her helmet against the ground.
"This is rather annoying," Philip complained.
"I'll put an end to this witchcraft!" Ivan pushed himself up and stumbled but remained standing, and leapt at Wish Star. He raised his sabre, but before he could land a strike, Wish Star grabbed another card and laughed.
"I wish you'll miss me," the monster sang, holding up the card. Ivan's blade swerved, missing him by miles. "Take this!" thrown off by his miss, Ivan was unable to dodge Wish Star's strike, and the monster hit him in the stomach with his staff. The Gold Ranger was forced off his feet, landing with a cry. "Hey Rangers, try my bamboo blast!" he fired more attacks from the staff, but Koda managed to get up and blocked it with his shield. The hits slammed into Wish Star, who cried out and fell backwards.
"Awesome Koda!" Olivia cheered, making the Blue Ranger smile as they all got back to their feet.
"Let's do this!" Teddie cheered.
"Weapons combine!" as Shelby, Riley and Koda combined their weapons, and Tyler and Chase did the same, Teddie passed Olivia her swords and turned to Philip.
"Care to try?" she offered her Dino Charger to him.
"It would be an honour," the Graphite Ranger accepted it with a bow of his head. Wish Star went to grab another card, and let out a cry of horror.
"I ran out of Wish Cards!"
"Fire!" the four weapons unleashed their attacks, and Wish Star was pelted by several blows. He landed on the ground, rolling along with a groan as smoke rose from his body.
"I have another wish!" Tyler smirked. "Weapons combine!" he shouted, and they let their weapons form the Dino Spike.
"Red Ranger, launch!"
"Dino Spike, Final Strike!" Tyler slammed into the monster, cutting through him with a powerful finishing blow.
"This isn't on my wish list!" Wish Star wailed as he collapsed, exploding.
"Awesome!" Tyler cheered, bouncing on the spot, but a moment later the green light of the Magna Beam burst down from the sky and returned Wish Star, enlarging him.
"This star's about to shine!" Wish Star declared with a laugh as they backed away from his feet.
"It's time for us to summon Zords!" Tyler, Philip and Chase summoned the Ankylo, T-Rex and Pachy Zords to form the Megazord.
"Dino Drive Activate!" they summoned the enhanced powers, and faced Wish Star.
"I don't need Wish Cards to crush you! My power will bamboozle you!" Wish Star declared as he ran at them.
"You're not even trying with these puns," Philip commented.
"Pigs will fly before you beat us!" Tyler called as they blocked the attacks easily, and swung out a counter attack with the Pachy Zord's wrecking ball. He grunted in pain, and they then punched him with the Ankylo Zord.
"Vivizords!" Wish Star wailed as he was being pummelled, and they were suddenly restrained by the monsters.
"What?! No! They're so strong!" Tyler complained as they struggled against the monsters.
"Ptera Lightning Blitz!" they were released as the Ptera Zord flew overhead, blasting the monsters. He slammed past them, attacking the monsters with the wings of the Zord and completely freeing the Megazord.
"Thanks Ivan!" Tyler grinned. "Take this!" with a powerful kick, they knocked the monsters into Wish Star.
"No!"
"Pachy Zord Wrecking Ball, Final Strike!"
"I wish they hadn't done that!" Wish Star cried out as they finished him off with the powerful attack, and he exploded as they cheered over another victory. However, it didn't last long as the truth sank in. They might have defeated Wish Star, but they'd suffered a deep loss at the same time.
"We lost Purple Energem..." Koda murmured sadly as the Rangers walked back into the base.
"Well, if we had not made those wishes, none of this would have happened," Ivan sighed, feeling guilty.
"Wishes are an alluring thing," they glanced to Ari, who was sitting nearby looking at a picture. "Sometimes you can't resist that pull. It happens to the best of us. Don't blame yourselves," she told them with a wry smile, looking up.
"You've made a wish before?" Riley asked with an arched eyebrow. Ari nodded.
"A long time ago, and it was one of the biggest mistakes of my life," the Rangers were quiet, wondering just what she meant. "It was back when I was a Mystic Force Ranger fighting the Master and his followers. We'd really only just discovered magic, and all it's wonder," Ari straightened up and looked at the group. "We got lazy and reliant on magic, and because of it, we lost our friend Jenji, a cat genie," she explained.
"A cat...genie," Philip repeated, struggling to keep the disbelief out of his voice.
"Basically our uncle," Chase spoke up.
"Jenji is not my brother, Chase," Ari shot him an irritable look. Despite the mood of the room, Chase smirked very slightly, and Ari rolled her eyes. "The point is, a wish was made, that the Mystic Force Rangers never existed," she continued her story.
"But...you here?" Koda tilted his head.
"What happened?" Olivia asked as she took a seat.
"Dark magic took over the world. Good magic was wiped out completely, the Ninja Academies were destroyed and my mother..." Ari looked away, her expression haunted. "Thankfully we learned out lesson, and were able to reverse the wish, but I've never relied on wishes or magic since," she sighed, thinking back to the darkness and misery of the worlds.
"I'm sorry...it's my fault," Kendall looked away.
"No, Kendall, that's why I'm telling you this," Ari shook her head. "Everyone makes mistakes. To know that a wish will come true if made, it's a powerful thing. But once you've made the mistake, you've learned an important lesson," she smiled at the group. "That the only way to succeed is through hard work, and the will to continue trying and never give up," she told them, and the depressed air lessened over them. "But...now we have to deal with the repercussions of this. Sledge has the Purple Energem," she reminded them.
"If Sledge can control the power of that Energem, he could build a weapon with frightening strength," Kendall warned.
"There's only one way to solve this," Riley sighed as they all stood together.
"Let me guess. Logic?" Tyler managed a small smile.
"Teddie?" Arianna noticed the White Ranger hadn't spoken since they'd arrived. She was looking down at her hands, looking thoughtful. "Teddie?" she tried again. The White Ranger didn't answer.
"Teddie!" she looked up at Chase's raised voice.
"What?" she blinked, not understanding why they were all looking at her.
"You alright?" Shelby asked, her eyebrow raised.
"Sure I am," she forced a smile.
"Well, you were almost hit by a truck, and you didn't have much time to recover before the fight," Riley pointed out.
"What?" Arianna put her hands to her mouth. "Are you okay?" she asked in horror.
"I'm fine," Teddie smiled at her, reassuringly.
"Yeah, that guy really saved your butt," Tyler agreed. Teddie fell quiet again, looking down. Chase snorted, and she shot him a glare.
"I've got it!" Riley gasped. "Okay, so when Sledge comes to Earth, he expects to find us and fight, right?" he looked to the team.
"Well, this is our planet," Olivia arched an eyebrow, not seeing where he was going with this.
"Okay, well then we have to go to the one place he won't expect us to be," Riley suggested, and they frowned, not understanding. Chase's eyes widened as he caught on.
"To his space ship?" he clarified. Riley glanced away, knowing what he was saying was crazy. He could see it in everyone's expression.
"Exactly," he confirmed. Nobody spoke, trying to take in the absurdity of the plan, and how much it made sense.
And just one chapter left of this story!
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