A/N: Hi.
sabina21: Thanks.
hewhoreaps: True, I can twist things for fiction.
Evangella Akriti: Yeah, I agree. Conner and Krista do look cute together.
Apollo Holmes: Oh Kool Aid ads for the drink. And yeah, I realised Clare and Krista were the same from the very first episode of Mystic Force :)
brankel1: Thanks.
"Working on a way to make brussel sprouts edible?" Trent questioned, strolling towards his father in the greenhouse.
"Trent! Hey, what are you doing here?" Anton asked, snorting in amusement at his son's words.
"I heard that you won the green leaf award for your new research," Trent explained with a nod. "I just wanted to congratulate you."
"Well," Anton started, as Trent hugged him. "Thanks. I appreciate that." When Trent released him, he walked over to pick up one of his plants. "If only I was as successful in all my research."
"Still having trouble controlling Mesogog?" the white ranger asked sympathetically. As he followed his father, said man just turned around and gave him a look of defeat. "Dad, let me tell the other rangers. They might find a way to help you."
"No," Anton protested, putting his plant down on a table. "I can do this. Trust, me. I just need a little more time."
"Okay," Trent relented, just as an annoyingly familiar voice resounded across the greenhouse.
"Hello!" Cassidy practically ran over to the Mercers, Devin almost tripping her up as he moved to her other side with his massive camera. "Cassidy Cornell, Reefside reporter. Can I have a little time?"
"Yeah, I know who you are, Cassidy. You're in my class, remember?" Anton responded, an amused smirk on his face.
"Oh yeah," Cassidy replied, as if she just realised. She giggled a bit before carrying on. "I'm here to do a report on your recent green leaf award for your magnificent research."
"Yes, well, it will be reward enough if I can perfect these plants. If it works, they'll be able to adapt and thrive in any climate on Earth," Anton stated. Cassidy and Devin nodded frantically, thoughtful looks on their faces.
"Oh cool, that'll mean that people all over the world will be able to grow their own crops," Devin elaborated, as Anton nodded.
"That's what I'm hoping for," he said, walking over to another part of the greenhouse. Devin and Cassidy practially scampered after him.
"Interesting," Cassidy commented. "Are we seeing a kinder, gentler Anton Mercer?"
"My father's always dedicated his research to helping mankind," Trent spoke up, defending his dad.
"Have you always succeeded?" Cassidy implored, undeterred by her classmate's words.
"Look, uh, every scientist has had his share of failures," Anton answered, remembering his biggest failure of all. "I'm no exception." He turned away which worried Trent, confused Cassidy and gave Devin the wrong idea.
"Hey, uh, you don't look so good man. Did you have some of that mystery meat at the cafeteria?" the boy asked, stepping forward.
"He's got a lot of work to do," Trent cut in, moving to stand in between Devin and Anton. "We better let him get to it."
"But I haven't finished my interview!" Cassidy protested as Trent pushed her and Devin away.
"Maybe another time," Trent insisted, dragging the pair of them away from Anton. He looked back. "I'll talk to you later, Dad."
As per usual, Ethan was at Hayley's Cyberspace, playing Super Ninja Space Wars on his precious laptop. Conner and Kira were around somewhere, the former playing foosball and the latter covering Trent's shift for him. Apparently, she owed him for covering her shift once... or something like that.
"Come on, come on," he urged, controlling a tiny spacecraft. A window popped up in the middle of his game, revealing a white dino ranger sitting on a... throne?
"Hello, Blue Ranger," he greeted in a growling voice. Said ranger frowned, knowing that that most likely wasn't Trent's voice but he still had to ask.
"Okay, maybe I have been sitting too close to the screen," Ethan muttered, confused as to what was in front of him. He looked around before leaning in. "Trent? Is that you?"
"Don't insult me," the white ranger scoffed. "I am the one and only true white ranger."
"Uh, guys, you gotta see this," Ethan called, and within seconds, Kira and Conner were by his side.
"I have a challenge for you and your friends. Meet me at the seaside for our final battle," he ordered.
"And what if we have something better to do?" Conner asked, his eyes narrowed.
"Then the consequences will be on your head!" he replied before the window disappeared, resuming Ethan's game.
"Dude's never heard of email?" Ethan quipped. The three friends exchanged glances and Kira sighed.
"Well, the shift's almost over anyway..." she stated, looking at the red ranger.
"Come on guys," Conner spoke up. "Let's go!"
"But what about Trent?" Kira asked and Conner sighed. "He went to see his dad."
"We can take this guy ourselves," he insisted and Ethan looked at him.
"Well I vote for bringing in Tommy and Kim for a little back up," Ethan stated, knowing that they'd need help. The red and purple rangers nodded before they headed for the back door, and once outside, Kira called Kim.
Kim and Tommy were at the former's apartment, having a lazy day. Tommy, on a break from his racing career, was currently looking for a part time job to fill up some of his time. It wasn't like he needed the money, after all. Kim was enjoying a day off from helping out at Reefside High. Now, however, the pair of them were being far from productive.
"I love you," Kim told Tommy and as she smiled at him, he grinned and captured her lips before pulling back and pushing some hair behind her ear.
"I love you too, Kimberly," he replied and Kim grinned widely before snuggling into Tommy's side and laying her head on his chest, listening to his heart beat in his chest. She didn't know what she'd do without Tommy, she could only hope they didn't make the same mistakes they made when they were teenagers.
A moment later, Kim's bracelet beeped and she sat up and brought the morpher up to her face as Tommy watched.
"What's up?" she asked.
"Kim, it's Kira," Kira's voice answered. "Is Tommy with you?"
"Yeah." Kim and Tommy exchanged looks.
"Trent's clone just challenged us; he wants to fight us at the sea front," the purple ranger went on to explain.
"I'll be right there," Kim replied and ended the com-link. Kim stood up and Tommy followed his girlfriend's example as she looked up at him and wrapped her arms around his neck. She pouted before pressing a quick kiss onto his lips. "I'm sorry but duty calls," she said and Tommy nodded.
"Yeah, let's go," he stated before they left.
"Come out, come out, wherever you are!" Ethan chanted just after he and the others dismounted their bikes.
"Are you sure this is where we are supposed to meet him?" Tommy asked, noting the fact that they were the only ones there, besides a small flock of seagulls that flew over their heads. Other than that...there was no white ranger.
"Hmm, I wonder where Riley is..." Kira trailed off, unable to finish her sentence as she was cut off by a blur that sped past her and the others, attacking from all sides. As a result, they were thrown to the ground as the white ranger skidded to a halt in front of them.
"Miss me?" Riley asked, crossing his arms arrogantly.
"Do you really have to ask?" Kira questioned, shaking her head as she pushed herself up into a sitting position. Seconds later, she was on her feet again and so were her friends.
"Where is the white ranger?" Riley demanded after mentally counting them.
"Five against one! I don't know why you would want to make it six!" Conner fired back.
Riley pulled out his drago sword and pointed it at the others. Yellow lightning shot out of the tip of the weapon and the ground around the rangers' feet exploded, sending them to the ground once more.
"I'm glad you could make it!" Riley commented. "Are you ready for the next phase?"
"Name your game!" Ethan commanded, as he and the others rose to their feet once more.
"My challenge! My rules! Let's take it to the zords!" Riley leapt into his dragozord which combined with the stegozord to form his megazord. "Dino Stegazord, online!"
"This guy doesn't waste any time!" Conner observed aloud, holding up his triassic shield.
"Right!" the others agreed, feeding the shield their power.
Once in his Triassic form, Conner, Kira and Ethan took to the mezodon rover and transformed it into their megazord.
"Shield of Triumph, full power!" Conner yelled.
"Mezodon Megazord!"
"Auxiliary zords, online!" Kim summoned.
The auxiliary zords appeared and combined with the mezodon megazord to make an even more powerful megazord. Kim and Tommy stood by, ready to call their zords when needed. They watched as Riley jumped forward but the dino rangers threw him back; their megazord's fist connected with his megazord's chest.
"What's happening?" he demanded, flailing about. "I'm losing energy! ... Lasers at full power!" The mezodon megazord was unfazed by the flimsy lasers and continued to approach the dino stegazord.
After a series of attacks using the tricera weapons, the dino rangers destroyed Riley's megazord which caused it to explode. The dragozord and the stegazord were blown apart and Riley plummeted to the ground, landing on the sand with a loud thud.
"Dad!" Trent called as he tiptoed through the destroyed greenhouse, avoiding sharp bits of glass. "Dad!"
Suddenly, he doubled over in pain, his body crackling with blue energy.
On the other side of Reefside, the same thing happened to Riley.
Regrouping with Tommy and Kim, the trio hurried towards Riley as he writhed on the ground, blue energy waves enveloping over him.
"What's wrong with him?" Kira asked, as they towered over him.
"You are worthy opponents, rangers," Riley told them over his shoulder.
"Maybe we can help you," Conner suggested, feeling strangely sympathetic.
"No," Riley rejected, shaking his head and slowly sitting up. "The battle must go on until the answer is question is answered"
"What question?" Kira asked quickly as Riley stood up.
"Who will survive as the white ranger?" he responded, slowly walking towards his zords that stood on the cliff above them.
The dragozord screeched and Ethan looked down at his morpher to find that the tricera head disappeared and was replaced by the stegozord.
"Whoa," he breathed. "I've got control of the stegozord!" As if on cue, the stegozord and dragozord turned away from Riley and flew away.
"No!" Riley cried angrily. "I've lost control of them!" He kept walking away. "Must... keep... fighting..."
Seconds later, he disappeared in a shower of golden orbs.
After the battle with Riley, the rangers had returned to Michael and Hayley in the dino lab where the latter ran a scan on the white dino gem.
"I was afraid this would happen," the older red head said after the scan completed. "The white dino gem can't sustain being cloned; the energies have to retained by one white ranger," she elaborated, looking directly at Kira.
"If anyone's taking bets," the younger girl started meekly, her face pale as she stared at the computer screen. "Mine's on Trent." She suddenly felt really feeble, realising exactly what this meant. There could be only one white ranger. And Trent was bound to be going through the loss of energy that Riley was experiencing.
Michael nodded. "We need to contact him."
The computer alarm beeped and the screens changed to show live footage of a jade green monster, megazord size, towering over the city buildings. Conner frowned and looked back at his dad, lost for words.
"Like that wasn't going to happen," Tommy muttered, shaking his head. Michael nodded in agreement.
"Hayley, you call Trent," he ordered and as Hayley nodded, he looked back at the others. "Come on guys." The rangers stood in formation behind the black ranger. "Ready?"
"Ready!"
"Dino Thunder, power up! Hah!"
Walking out of his father's greenhouse, Trent glanced down at his morpher as it beeped.
"Trent?" came Hayley's voice. "Are you okay?"
"Yeah, I think so," he answered. "Something weird's going on; my dino gem... it's freaking out."
"I think you should come back here...right away!" Hayley advised although it sounded like more of an order.
"Yeah," he answered absentmindedly, nodding his head although she couldn't see him. "Maybe that's a good idea." The connection ended and Trent turned around, only to come face-to-face with his clone.
"Not so fast!" Riley told him, his arms folded. "I'm tired of living in your shadow. After this, there will only be one white ranger."
Trent nodded as his morpher appeared on his wrist.
"Yeah, I got no problem with that," he said, falling into fighting stance. "White Ranger, dino power!"
"Super dino mode!" Riley commanded. Energy rippled through him and the spikes on his suit enlarged, marking the fight for survival for the two white rangers. The battle commenced.
Riley punched and Trent ducked. After getting back to his feet, Trent aimed for a high kick before blocking the attack Riley sent his way. Riley tried again and Trent rolled under his arm and across the grass but while he got back up, Riley slashed him across the stomach and sent him flying backwards onto the garden lawn.
The new monster was stomping through the streets of Reefside as the rangers ran to the destination.
"There is he is!" Conner pointed out unnecessarily for it was hard to miss the new monster. The rangers made it to the edge of the man made pond near the arena and skidded to a halt.
"You looking for me?" the monster growled as he turned in their direction.
"Giant green guy," Tommy mused, peering up at said monster. "Hard to miss!"
"No doubt!" Conner agreed. "Call it!"
"Brachiozord!" Michael summoned.
Brachiozord appeared and the dino zords jumped out. Conner, Ethan and Kira got inside, creating the thundersaurus megazord within seconds.
"Stegozord, we need you!" Ethan called.
The stegozord bounded towards the megazord, opening its back and making it flat so that it was like a surfboard. Thundersaurus Megazord launched itself through the air and landed on said surfboard.
"Brachiostaff, wave strike!" Michael commanded, sticking his staff into the ground. He watched as a holographic wave appeared and the megazord surfed the wave. Unfortunately, Jade Gladiator hit it with an energy strike and sent it onto the cold, hard ground.
"Victory is mine!" the monster boomed.
Trent ducked under Riley's attack again before kicking away another attack as he spun around. Suddenly Riley hit him in the chest and sent him flying backwards before he hit the perfectly mowed lawn.
"You can feel it too, cant you?" Riley implored, looming over Trent. "Only one of us will survive!"
"I guess it's gonna come down to... who wants it more!" Trent replied, slowly getting up, his weapon held out in front of him. Suddenly, Riley cried out and dropped to his knees as a result of his suit soft amber energy rippling through him. "Now who's feeling it?" Trent taunted.
"You wish!" Riley grunted and launched himself back into battle with Trent. "I feel your weakness, it won't be long now!"
"Now it gets interesting," Jade Gladiator claimed, sending another shock wave out at the megazord which withstood the blast. "Time to grow the rest of my army!" He glowed before becoming a tree.
"What the-"
"I don't know what just happened," Michael told Kim and Tommy. "But I bet it wasn't good."
The tree released glowing golden balls of light energy which landed on side of the megazord. The two balls grew into deformed trees: Deadwood (Krista's tree) and a flaming tree called Skortch.
"We should help them," Kim told Tommy who nodded in agreement. "Aardonzord!"
"Quetzalzord!" Tommy called.
"Take root my army of evil," Jade Gladiator growled as Kim and Tommy formed their megazord. "Plant your seeds of destruction." Cracks started to appear all throughout the city.
Trent pushed Riley into one of his father's pristine white benches, breaking it.
"Get up!" he commanded as the clone groaned in pain, rolling onto his stomach and pushing himself to his feet.
"You fight with honour, Trent Mercer," Riley growled.
"How can you talk about honour?" Trent questioned. "When you don't even have a soul?"
"I don't need a soul!" Riley said haughtily, holding his fist out. "Thanks for reminding me!"
He launched himself through the air, towards Trent who threw him off easily. Riley then double kicked Trent who blocked each attack. Trent retaliated by slashing across his clone's chest with his dragosword as Riley rolled across the ground.
"Can't take much more?" the real white ranger sneered, unable to help himself.
The quetzal-aardonzord arrived on the scene just as energy beams hit the thundersaurus megazord from both sides. The trio of teenage rangers cried out from the inside. Tommy and Kim took on Skorcth just as dragozord joined the battle and slashed at Deadwood. It then went on to attack Skorcth, leaving Deadwood to attack the thundersaurus megazord. The megazord disassembled and both zord and rangers landed in a bed of leaves on the forest floor. The rangers demorphed.
"Guess it's up to me," Michael said, lifting his morpher. "Stegozord!" Michael entered said zord and combined it with the dragozord, forming the dino stegazord.
Tommy and Kim continued to attack Skorcth which was proving to be difficult. As they recovered from receiving a blast from it, Skortch blasted the dino stegazord with blue energy.
"I think I need some help!" Michael mused. As if on cue, the parasaurzord and the anklyzord lumbered towards the dino stegazord, replacing the arms of the megazord. When the transformation was complete, Michael rushed into battle. "Double strike!"
Deadwood exploded while Tommy and Kim managed to hold Skortch off, making no progress in terms of actually destroying him.
Back at the Mercer property, both white rangers were breathing heavily from the after effects of their battle as well as the power overload from the morphing grid.
"Does it have to be this way?" Trent questioned.
"My rules, remember?" Riley growled.
"If that's the way you want it!" Trent relented before the pair of them charged at one another again. They slashed across each other's chests in unison and came to stop, facing away from each other with their right arms stretched out.
"I guess you wanted it more," Riley said, as he turned around to face Trent and fell to his knees. Trent also turned around and watched as Riley started to spark in crackling blue energy. "Goodbye... White Ranger." The real white ranger took cover as his clone hit the ground and exploded.
"Dimetrozord!" Michael summoned, having joined Kim and Tommy in battle against Skortch. "Cephalazord!" The two auxiliary zords approached him. "Time for a new mega combo!" They combined with the megazord but broke apart just as fast when Michael was abruptly hurled into the forest floor and demorphed as a result. Kim and Tommy soon joined him, having fought as hard as they could.
"Dad! Kim! Tommy!" Conner yelled, as he and the others run towards the adult rangers and helped them up. "How are we going to defeat this thing?"
There was no answer as all six rangers looked up at the giant towering green plant and the fire tree, both of whom were hell bent on destroying the entire city. The crunching of leaves caught Ethan's attention, making him turn in the direction of the noise.
"Guys! Look!"
The others turned in the same direction he was looking and gasped; a white ranger was sauntering towards them. Was it Riley? Or Trent?
"But which one is it?" Kira questioned, as they all watched on in concern. "Trent?" she asked hopefully, ignoring the bile rising in her throat and the weak feeling in her knees. The white ranger stopped.
"Power down," came Trent's voice and Kira sighed in relief, recognising his soft voice. The suit disappeared to reveal said boy who was grinning. "Who were you expecting?"
They ran to him and Trent and Conner clapped hands. Kira took everyone by surprise when she leapt onto Trent and kissed him. She quickly pulled away, too quickly for Trent to kiss back, for she remembered that they had an audience.
The others chuckled, making the pair go red.
"Good timing, Trent," Michael commented. "You guys ready to do this?"
They nodded and fell into formation.
"Dino Thunder, power up! Hah!"
"White Ranger, dino power!"
Kira, Ethan and Conner reformed their megazord.
"You didn't think it was over, did you?" Conner jibed at Skortch.
"Dino drill attack!" the three said in unison, destroying the fire tree. They watched as his remnants hit the forest floor.
Jade Gladiator returned; it's outer shell crumbling away as it decayed. The dragozord flew towards it.
"I'll take you down," it said, firing laser arrows at the dragozord who dodged it. Thundersaurus latched onto Jade Gladiator and threw him aside like a rag doll.
"Trent, listen!" Conner called, his megazord facing Trent's zord. "The only way we're going to defeat this guy is if we combine all the zords, including the dragozord."
"Sounds like a plan!" Trent agreed.
"The mezodon's online. Think you can control the dino stegazord?"
"All over it!" Trent confirmed.
"Dad?" Conner called. The black ranger responded by jumping up in to the stegozord. "Kim?"
"Yep," Kim confirmed for herself and Tommy.
"Combining now!" Conner stated, as all seven zord combined with the mezodon zord to form the biggest megazord yet: the valkasaurus megazord.
"Thundersaurus, full power!"
"Hey, I didn't think we could so many people in here!" Kira exclaimed after turning to see Trent, Tommy, Kim and Michael all standing in a row behind herself, Conner and Ethan.
"Yeah, pretty cosy," Tommy commented.
"Let's give it everything we got," Trent spoke up.
"Right!" Conner concurred.
"Prepare to be destroyed," Jade Gladiator growled.
"Hold on to your helmets, folks! We're going in!"
"Give it your best shot!" Jade Gladiator yelled.
"You got it!" Conner complied.
The megazord slid down the neck of the brachiozord before it flew through the air and attacked. It slashed multiple times with its axes before chucking them at Jade Gladiator. Next, they threw the pterano rang which collided with Jade Gladiator and sliced him in half. As the megazord landed, the warrior exploded.
"That was intense," Trent commented.
"Glad it worked!" Conner exclaimed.
"Good call," Ethan praised their leader, punching him on the arm.
"Dad!" Trent called upon seeing Anton in the cybercafe. "You're here!"
"Yeah, look, um, I just wanted to stop by and see how you were doing," Anton replied as father and son leaned against the counter. "And I wanted to give you this." He put his award on the counter.
"Your Green Leaf Award?" Trent questioned, reading the words off said award. "But you earned this..."
"I know," Anton responded with a smile. He then looked away. "I know." He looked back at his son again. "Look, it would mean a lot to me if you would take it." Trent watched on in shock as his father continued. "I mean, heaven knows that you do a lot more to help people than I do."
"Dad, I know you're going to find a way to beat this," Trent told him. "Just hang in there." Anton smiled at the only person in the whole world he could say that he loved before walking away.
Kira walked up to Trent. "Hey, your dad looked kind of stressed. Is everything okay with him?"
"Yeah, yeah; he's just working on this special project."
"He's a smart guy," she said, putting a hand on his arm. They both blushed at the contact, remembering the kiss in the forest, and she quickly retracted her hand. "I mean, he'll work it out."
"Yeah," he responded, laughing nervously and turning away from her. "I hope so."
Kira awkwardly looked down before walking away, leaving Trent to his thoughts once again.
A/N: Wow, this one was like 95% battle, 2% Kim/Tommy and 3% Krent. REVIEW!