Part Nine

Chapter Six

The rubble began shifting. The two Rangers looked back as He Who Devours Hope shakily climbed out of the debris. He was panting and wounded. The demigod's claws were broken, his armour cracked, and he turned to the Rangers with a look of fury.

"This world will be consumed by despair!" he barked. "And you will be the first to fall!"

He held his arms wide and muttered an ancient incantation. The shadows began flowing back into the creature, moving through the air like water and absorbing directly into the demigod's body. Tommy glanced to the Green Ranger, but the figure melted into the air like smoke, the shards of darkness immediately drawn into the demigod. Tommy had only seconds to get to safety when the wolf began growing.

With a howl of triumph, the demigod dwarfed the underground temple, smashing through the rocky ceiling as he continued to grow, drawing shadows into him from all over the city. Tommy dived out of harm's way as the roof caved in, and he clambered out into the cool night air as He Who Devours Hope reached his full size, towering over the desert and laughing. Tommy gazed around. An unnatural fog hung in the air around them. In the distance, the mountain cliffs stood outlined against the night sky, while on the other side, the few visible lights of Antofagasta shone through the darkness.

The vortex of shadow spinning around the demigod became solid armour plating and locked around his body. The wolf held out his paw and a long, curved blade took shape in the air.

"Do you see where courage gets you, foul little thing?" the demigod bellowed. His eyes flashed, and Tommy leaped to safety as the air ignited around him.

Tommy found his footing and raised Saba. "You're not the only one with friends in high places," the White Ranger began. "Tigerzord, power up!"

An ear-pounding roar echoed out over the windswept desert plain. The mountain cliffs in the distance shook as the White Tigerzord emerged from the fog to stand on the plateau, its red eyes burning brightly in the darkness as it gazed down over the demigod.

"Tigerzord, warrior mode!" Tommy called.

The Tigerzord roared in response. Charging towards the edge of the cliff, the zord took to the air. As lightning danced around it, the zord's hind legs folded down while its front paws retracted to reveal the zord's hands. The zord's body rotated forwards, and the zord's new head rose out of its chest and locked into place. With that, the Tigerzord touched down on the desert plain, shaking the battlefield as it came to a stop. In a flash of light, the zord was holding its golden sword, while a second later, Tommy materialised in the zord's cockpit. Dropping Saba into the console beside him, Tommy sat down and took the controls, staring out as the monster faced him down.

"Warrior mode, online!"

The demigod took a lumbering step towards the Tigerzord and raised his sword. "You don't really think you can beat me in that, do you?" he asked.

"I think you're about to find out," Tommy said, and he charged the Tigerzord forward.

The desert plain shook as the two massive combatants closed the distance between each other. Within range, the Tigerzord sliced its golden sword towards its opponent, but the demigod raised his own blade, catching the sword in a shower of sparks. The Tigerzord swung its other fist for the wolf's head, but the demigod dodged the blow, striking the zord's arm away before raking his claws for the zord's chest. Unfazed, the Tigerzord forced the monster back with a low kick. Before the beast could retaliate, Tommy aimed a barrage of fireballs from the zord's chest. But the demigod summoned a shadowy shield that blocked the onslaught. The wolf punched the air, and the shield broke apart in a storm of blades that scythed across the battlefield and smashed into the zord. The desert lit up, and as sparks rained over Tommy in the zord's cockpit, the Tigerzord crashed to the ground.

Tommy gazed around the cockpit as the demigod closed in. The power levels were dangerously low. "C'mon big guy," he pleaded. "It's just us. I need you here."

The demigod's mouth curved into a cruel grin. "Pathetic," he said. He kicked at the prone Tigerzord, rolling the zord along the ground. "This is what this was about, wasn't it? You're not afraid of the past. You never were," and in the zord's sparking cockpit, Tommy froze. "Your greatest fear is the future."

"Shut up," Tommy whispered.

The beast's smile grew wider. "Alone and unwanted," the demigod continued. "You're so scared that you'll never find the home you seek with such desperation."

"No," Tommy breathed. "That's not true."

The radio crackled. "Don't you listen to him Tommy," came Kimberly's voice. "After everything we've been through together, don't you dare! I've watched you struggle with this for years, so you have to hear the truth!"

"The truth?" he asked.

"You are one of us!" Kim replied. "We're your friends, and you will never be alone again!"

The battleground shook, and both the Tigerzord and the demigod turned to the distant horizon. Emerging from the fog and powering through the desert were the Lion, Griffin and Unicorn thunder zords, with the Phoenix cruising through the air.

"Hey fleabag," said Zac in the Lion zord, "get away from our friend," and the four zords unleashed a barrage of rockets and laserfire at the demigod. The wolf's chest exploded in flames and smoke, the onslaught throwing him off his feet.

Tommy fought for a second to regain control of the zord. Soon enough, the Tigerzord climbed to its feet as the other four approached. "Glad you could make it," Tommy said into the radio.

"We couldn't let you have all the fun," Zac replied.

"Tommy, we heard what the monster said," Trini began. "Are you okay?"

"Fine, I'm fine," Tommy said quickly. "Where are Jason and the others?"

"Helping protect the city," Zac replied.

Across the field, their enemy was climbing to his feet. "I'm afraid our foe is regaining his strength," Billy said.

"Then let's hit him with everything we've got," Kimberly called.

"Great idea," the White Ranger nodded, and five voices rose in unison.

"MegaTigerzord, power up!"

The four zords scattered. The Griffin and Unicorn folded up as the Tigerzord dropped down towards them, giving the Tigerzord new legs and feet. The Lion broke apart to attach to the Tigerzord's torso as shoulder and back armour, while the Phoenix spun around and locked onto the Tigerzord's right arm as a bladed wrist gauntlet. As the MegaTigerzord's head and crown flipped into place, the four other Rangers found themselves teleported into the zord's control room to join Tommy. With a flash of lightning, the MegaTigerzord had formed.

The demigod sneered. "Send all the machines you have against me," he began. "My father will never let me lose!"

Once again, a storm of shadowy blades roared through the sky towards the Rangers. The demigod couldn't have missed, and the zord erupted in sparks and fire. But the MegaTigerzord remained unfazed, and the Rangers pushed the zord forward. He Who Devours Hope's face fell as the zord thundered towards him, but he rallied and carved his blade for the zord's chest. The MegaTigerzord caught the descending sword with the bladed tail of the Phoenix, then twisted its arm to wrench the weapon free of the wolf's grasp. Even as the sword fell to the ground, the MegaTigerzord slashed the golden tail across the stunned demigod's chest, again and again. Finally, the beast grabbed for the zord's arm to keep the weapon in check, but the MegaTigerzord smashed its fist into the demigod's face and sent the beast reeling.

"No!" the wolf cried. "The prophecy cannot be denied! Shadow will sweep across the world! You cannot stop us!"

"Let's finish this," Tommy said.

"Right!"

The Phoenix's wings unfolded, and with the Phoenix's tail glowing brightly, the MegaTigerzord aimed the Phoenix at the demigod and fired. The sky shook and split open, unfolding around the bird of fire as the Phoenix roared towards the demigod and blasted through him. The wolf looked from his chest to the zord, rage turning to disbelief, when he fell backwards and exploded in an almighty fireball that shook the desert plain and sent a cloud of smoke skyward. The Phoenix reattached itself and the zord lowered its arm, alone in the desert but for the still-flaming debris raining down around them.

"Look at that," Trini said, peering out towards Antofagasta. The oppressive shadow that had settled over the city was evaporating, and the city's lights were shining once again. Even the fog over the desert was lifting. The Rangers were soon greeted by the stars and the moon.

"Another Shadow King minion, gone," said Zac.

"I just wish we were closer to the Shadow King himself," Kim said.

"You might just get your wish on that one," Tommy said, turning to the Rangers around him. "Not only did we save the city, but there's one more thing to celebrate," and he reached for the floor.

Kim suddenly noticed a burlap sack lying under Tommy's chair.

"I didn't have to destroy the damn thing to release his hold over it," Tommy continued. "I just goaded him until he did it on his own. All I had to do was grab the thing before the temple collapsed," and he held up the sack.

"What are you talking about?" Kimberly asked.

Tommy pulled the torch free of the cloth and held it up. The light from the screens around them shined off the pictures and symbols along the torch's casing. "Our first real link back to the Shadow King himself," Tommy said.

To be continued.

Author's notes – the first time I've ever written the MegaTigerzord. Gosh, I loved that combination. The Phoenix grid finishing move was one of the coolest things 12-year-old me had ever seen. Thanks to DaiRanger for that one.