Dino Thunder: Return of the Eclipse- Chapter 2: Day of the Dino: Part II
Disclaimer: Saban owns all Power Ranger lines.
Copyright: All unrecognizable parts and characters are under December's Phoenix's copyright.
Summary: Monsters and Morphers, oh my.
Conner McKnight would describe himself as someone people relied on in sticky situations—a 'calm-under-pressure' player. But, at this moment, faced with a very uncertain situation, Conner freaked out more than he would like. So he twisted around, finding Lucy already facing the doctor when he stepped out of the shadows.
Ethan lifted his hands in innocence. "Dr. O, before you go off. Can we explain why we're here?"
Dr. Oliver circled the three, a stern look etched on his features, one that Conner knew all too well. "Dude, he's gonna laugh when we tell him." He whispered to the two.
"It's the truth." Ethan protested. "He'll believe us."
Conner nervously glanced between the two next to him, then finally sighed. "All right." He nodded, turning to Dr. Oliver. "Kira's gone."
Lucy cleared her throat. "She was taken…by some weird dino-looking…monsters."
Dr. Oliver just stared, making Conner a little uneasy. "He didn't look convinced," He whispered to Ethan and Lucy.
The doctor finally sighed. "They're called Tyrannodrones." He turned around, moving away from the three.
"And you know this because…." Ethan trailed off, following the doctor.
"I helped create them."
Ethan seemed utterly calm by the news. "Oh, class project?"
"It's a long story." Dr. Oliver admitted. "For now, we gotta figure out what they want with Kira." He turned back to the teens.
"It might have something to do with these." Conner sheepishly answered, pulling out his rock from his pocket. The gem felt heavy in his hand. He held it out for Dr. Oliver to see, not missing the semi-shocked look now written on Dr. Oliver's face.
Kira still needed to learn where she was or what they wanted with her. She woke up on a table, nothing stopping her from climbing to her feet. Her head swiveled around, finding herself in a yellow and green lab with various canisters of colored liquids and specimens.
"Give me the gems."
Her body went rigid. She sat up on the reclined chair.
"Give me the gems."
The voice was raspy and dark like it held thousands of voices. Like it was tired of something…everything, maybe. But the voice was looking for something—those gems, whatever those were.
"Who's there?" Kira asked from the other side of the lab. She climbed off the chair fast. "Come out so I can see you."
"Give me the gems."
She kept turning around, trying to find the voice. Kira spoke once more. "Was this about jewelry? Look, pal, you've got the wrong girl." She chuckled and kept rotating in her spot. "I may wear a friendship bracelet occasionally, but…." Her voice died in her throat the second her eyes found a dinosaur-like creature standing before her. He had a scaly face, like a lizard. It was green with red spikes like a crown around his head. He wore a long, black jacket, like a lab coat, torn and shredded. His eyes were hallow-looking, nothing more than yellow. His mouth was spotted with sharp teeth.
"I have waited far too long to allow two insignificant teenagers to get in my way." The creature got closer to Kira. "Now…where were the Dino gems?" The creature inquired.
"You mean those rock things we found in the cave?" Kira sounded scared. She turned around in her spot to find the creature on the other side of her.
"Yes."
"I gave mine to Conner and Ethan," Kira answered. "You'll have to ask them. Can we go? My mom's going to freak out if I'm late for dinner. It's taco night."
Suddenly, the monster was gone.
"That's it, no more cafeteria food," She started to make their way out of the lab. She made it about as far as the large doors when they slid open. A woman dressed in all black stood there with a menacing look and a hand on the red sword at her side.
"You'll be lucky if you ever see food again." The woman snarled, her eyes trained on Kira.
Conner felt like a child being scolded by his parents when Dr. Oliver caught sight of the gem in his hand. "We're sorry," He apologized. "How were we supposed to know those things had superpowers and those lizard dudes would come to look for 'em?" He shoved his hands into his pockets, watching Dr. Oliver, who held Kira and Ethan's gem in his hand.
Dr. Oliver sighed, flipping the rocks around his hand. "I guess it isn't exactly something you see every day."
"Sort of like a science teacher with the ruins of a whole ancient civilization under his house?" Ethan motioned all around the lab.
Dr. Oliver turned around, and his eyes landed on the silver and gold gems on the table. Three gazes followed his. "We're lucky that no one found the Gold and Silver gems,"
"What's special about those two?" Lucy asked, sticking close to the two boys, but she stood before them, arms over her chest.
Dr. Oliver glanced at the three, but his eyes met Lucy's. "They are meant for two very powerful people."
When Dr. Oliver told her that, Conner caught what looked like a spark of recognition in Lucy's brown eyes. She tilted her head. "Intense, wouldn't you say?"
"Like, not that this isn't cool, but, seriously, dude, you gotta come clean," Conner spoke up, running a hand through his hair, starting to get tired of the run around with Dr. Oliver.
"Okay, first of all, don't call me 'dude.'" Dr. Oliver told him pointedly. "Second, as hard as this may seem, you two have to forget all about this. I'll find Kira." He turned around.
Conner had had enough. He would try to at least step in front of the doctor. But then suddenly, he was in front of him, faster than the speed of light. He blinked, trying to register what had happened without giving all his cards away to Dr. Oliver. The same thing happened during the fight in the woods. One second he stood before the monsters, and the next, he stood halfway across the field.
Dr. Oliver grew a smile. "The gem's powers were already starting to bond with you."
Conner breathed. "You can tell us all about it now or at my next Parent-teacher conference."
Kira took a step back from the woman. "You got a name? You look kinda familiar."
"My master calls me Elsa." She watched Kira move to the other door. It slid open, revealing a giant, dark-armored soldier and a pack of dino freaks. "Meet Zeltrax." Elsa sounded like she was gruesomely smiling.
Kira glanced at her. "You two dating or something?" She asked, motioning between the two of them. She watched Zeltrax lift his ax to hit her. Kira opened her mouth, letting the loud, sonic scream surround the lab. Elsa and Zeltrax both fell to their knees, hands flying to their ears to stop the scream. Kira took off down the hallway, only stopping when she saw a green portal open. Turning around to see the shadows of the monsters approach, Kira reached out and was pulled into the portal.
Lucy couldn't figure out what was worse. Conner's constantly bounding knee or Ethan's jabbering. Finally having enough, she slapped her hand on Conner's knee, pushing her entire weight against his leg to get him to stop. Conner turned to her, eyebrow quirked in confusion. "I'm going insane witnessing your knee bounce." She muttered to him, patting his leg before pulling her hand back to tie her hair back out of her face.
Ethan turned to Dr. Oliver, the latter claiming the passenger seat before Lucy could. "When you said you helped create those tyranno-whatevers, you were kidding, right?"
Dr. Oliver breathed, hands tightening on the wheel of his car. "They weren't supposed to be used like this. But, unfortunately, someone's modified their programming. A few years back, I was researching combining Dinosaur D.N.A. with technology. My partner, a scientist named Anton Mercer."
Ethan interrupted him. "The rich guy who disappeared years ago."
"Yep." Dr. Oliver nodded. "Shortly after Mercer disappeared, our lab was attacked. As a result, all of our research was destroyed. Or at least I thought it was."
"And the guy who did this was back?" Conner spoke up, leaning forward in his seat.
Dr. Oliver stopped at the intersection in front of them. "He calls himself Mesogog."
"And you think he's after the gems?" Lucy asked, leaning on her knees, her head between the seats.
The doctor nodded, slowing the car down at a stop sign. "Looks like it."
"Look, this is all fascinating, but how is it helping us find Kira?" Ethan inquired. He turned to face Conner and Lucy. "It's not like she's just going to fall out of the sky."
A green portal opened above them. Kira landed on the hood of the car with a thud, freezing. She glanced up at the four occupants, a deer in headlights look on her face. The doors to the jeep opened up, and the four climbed out. Conner helped Lucy out, offering his hand to her. The girl avoided it, landing softly on her feet before she rounded the car with the rest of the group. "How did you do that?" Ethan asked with a tinge of excitement and amazement in his words.
"I have no idea," Kira answered, accepting Conner and Ethan's hands to slide off the hood. "One minute, I'm being chased by franken-lizard through this creepy lab, and the next, I'm a hood ornament."
"Invisa-portal," Dr. Oliver told her.
"Yeah, whatever." Kira rolled her eyes, rolling her shoulder forward. "Next time, I'll just take a cab," She snarked. "What were you guys doing here?"
"We were here to rescue you," Ethan spoke up.
A green flash a few feet from the group, drawing attention. Lucy turned to see a walking armored nightmare and a pod of snarling dino monsters. She tilted her head. "Who invited the buzzkills?" She asked. The four moved closer to the general. Conner led with Kira and Ethan behind him, while Dr. Oliver and Lucy took the lead.
Dr. Oliver stopped in front of them while Lucy moved to stand across from him. "Mesogog find a new goon to do his dirty work?"
"You were not fit to speak my Master's name," The armored general growled, pointing at the five. "Come with me peacefully or suffer the consequences."
"I'm going to have to say no." Dr. Oliver answered.
Lucy tilted her head in mock confusion. "I kinda want to find out what 'suffer the consequences' entails." She stated, narrowing her eyes and smiling at him. The general and his soldiers charged. Lucy caught a punch aimed at her head. She twisted around, using his weight to flip him. She grabbed another, throwing him into his friends. She pivoted around, kicking one in the head, and punched one in the gut. She turned, about to move, when something landed between her feet.
An ax.
The general's ax. Lucy glanced down at it, then at the monster across from her. She cracked her neck, hands wrapping around the handle of the ax. Then, using all her strength, she threw it back, hitting him dead in the chest and sending him flying. Lucy glanced around, finding a crowbar in the back of the jeep. The Guardian moved forward, rolling her wrist and swinging the crowbar around. "For once," She spoke. "I would love not to have someone trying to kill me."
The general climbed to his feet, his hand finding his ax. Both were vaguely aware that Lucy's companions were watching, having finished their pods of Tyrannodrones. He snarled. "Nothing will stop my master," He barked. "Not even a Guardian will stop him."
"You know, you say that," Lucy spoke, pointing the crowbar at him. "And then you lose." The general came right at Lucy, bringing his ax down. She swung up, locking the crowbar under the crest of the ax, stopping it from slicing her in half. They struggled to claim dominance. He pushed down, and Lucy shoved up. Reshuffling her feet, the ninja leaned her weight on one leg. She slammed the other one into his stomach, sending him off balance. She then twisted the two; the ax clattered on the ground.
The general breathed heavily, kneeling before the girl. He rose, ax in hand. "You are no match, girl."
Lucy charged once more, weapon by her side. She dodged the swing, blocking the last with the crowbar. She twisted around, her back facing him and her crowbar still in his ax. She threw her elbow back to connect with his faceplate. She whipped around and brought her crowbar down on his shoulder, earning a solid cracking sound. She took another swing, striking the side of his face, sending him sprawling on the ground. The Guardian of the Moon stood before him, crowbar resting on her shoulder. She scowled at the general while the group rounded her. "It's shocking, really. How stupid you are." Lucy's scowl turned into a smirk.
The general climbed to his feet, his Tyrannodrones grouping around him. The teenagers and teacher gathered around her. "Make sure you tell your Master that Dr. Oliver is back." Dr. Oliver spoke, confidence coating his words.
"I will inform him this battle is over, but the war has just begun," The general announced, disappearing with the Tyrannodrones through a green portal.
Lucy could feel the adrenaline pumping through Ethan as he spoke. "That's the best that he could do?"
"Yeah, considering he got his butt whooped by Lucy." Conner smiled, watching Lucy turn to him, her head tilted and her eyebrow lifted. "She's got moves." He leaned over to Ethan, who nodded.
"I'm a black belt in martial arts," Lucy snorted. "Of course, I have moves."
"Let's get out of here." Dr. Oliver spoke. He headed to the car, accepting the crowbar Lucy handed him. "It's getting late. I don't want your parents to worry."
"I bet you don't," Conner stated. "You might have to explain a few things."
"I'll fill you in tomorrow after school, I promise." Dr. Oliver vowed, opening the driver's side door.
The following morning, Lucy regretted all her decisions. Her entire body felt sore, considering Zeltrax threw her around like a rag doll half the fight. On top of that, she crashed after the fight, not even bothering to take care of her body, so everything screamed at her the following morning, but she couldn't take a sick day off from school. Then, Crystal had practically scolded her when she caught sight of the bruise but had to let it go when a student requested her and their mother. Somehow, Lucy still managed to drag herself to school on time, linking her arms with Kira.
The two laughed, walking into homeroom together, until Lucy got shoved out of the way by Cassidy, linking her arm with Kira's. "Kira Ford," Cassidy announced, holding a microphone. "Cassidy Cornell, Reefside News Network."
"Cassidy, I know who you were," Kira spoke. "We're in homeroom together."
"Yeah, anyway," Cassidy brushed off. "What can you tell me about the mysterious goings-on at Reefside? For example, the sudden friendship between you, Conner McKnight, Ethan James, and Lucy Brewer."
Lucy looked up at the mention of her name, hearing the venom within the words. She knew Cassidy didn't like her, not after Brian asked Lucy out in front of her. Once she found a spot in the back, Lucy dropped her books like a sack of potatoes and lowered her head to the counter, closing her eyes to relieve the pain in her head.
Kira brushed it off. " Look…"
Cassidy cut her off. "Or better yet, the strange creatures appear out of nowhere, and they attack you in broad daylight. What about that, huh?"
"Look, I have no idea what you're talking about." Cassidy breathed in, clearly annoyed. Kira continued. "But as you can see, we're just fine. But you," She squinted at the news girl. "You look kind of, oh, uh, pasty." She fakely winced.
"Pasty?" Cassidy started to freak out. "Were you serious? I hate fluorescent lighting." She pulled a compact out to check her reflection.
Kira walked to her chair only to find another student sitting there. She glanced around, seeing Lucy sitting in the back, her forehead pressed against the cold tabletop. She sighed, noting the concerned look Conner now had. He sat next to Lucy. Kira merely shrugged and sat down.
Lucy didn't glance up when she heard the chair scrap seconds before. She barely slept, her nightmares consuming her every thought when she went to bed. She didn't return to the academy, opting to stay in the apartment the sisters still rented. She lay in bed all night, barely able to shut her eyes before her thoughts swirled. Every time she closed her eyes, the pained expressions of her former teammates danced in her head.
"Rough night?" Conner's voice spoke lowly, breaking Lucy's every-consuming guilty thoughts. He watched her twist her head to him, blink, and return to her original position. "Lucy, what's up?"
"I'm…I don't want to deal with people today." The ninja admitted. "I have Cassidy trying to talk to me, I didn't sleep, and I want to punch something. But I don't know why that's the only thing I want to do."
"I hope you don't want to punch me."
Lucy lowly chuckled, turning to see him looking at her. "Depends on if you're mean to me today."
"Cassidy." Dr. Oliver spoke, earning every single attention. Every set of eyes went to Cassidy, who was still freaking out about her makeup, to find she was the only student in the middle of the class. "Unless you plan to lecture on the Mesozoic period, I suggest you take your seat." The whole class broke out into laughter. Cassidy laughed fakely before taking her seat, clearly embarrassed. "Okay, who can tell me where it all began?"
Before anyone could speak, the ground rumbled violently. Lucy planted her hands on the table, steadying herself while the ground shook, only turning when she felt something warm on her palm. Her eyes caught Conner's before they both turned to find her hand on his; the ninja immediately pulled away, sheepishly smiling at the soccer star. Turning around, her hazel brown eyes found Ethan, Kira, and Dr. Oliver glancing at them.
The lights flickered, then blinked out, casting the room in eerie darkness, the only light coming from the window. Students began to panic, but before they could truly feel the fear of the darkness, the emergency lights flickered on, the low lightning enough for the students to maneuver around the room, grabbing their things. But instead, everyone rushed to the window, pushing past each other to reach that large window first, seeing the sky rapidly change. Once a brilliant shade of blue, the sky now looked more like obsidian. Lightning arced across the sky, appearing and disappearing in milliseconds.
The back of Lucy's neck prickled. The hairs on her arms, bare thanks to her t-shirt, stood when thunder loudly rumbled, and another strike of lightning arced across the sky in a dance that spoke only to Lucy's powers. The pit in her chest that began when Zira took control felt heavy; she swirled around, thrashing against the cage she locked around her powers after the final battle. It spun around her spine, ripping up and down until it begged to be released. She shot it down and shoved it further than before, locking that power away until she genuinely needed it.
She knew that the power rippling outside wasn't Hunter. He spent months following the final battle training with her parents and Sensei Omino to avoid a situation where his powers broke free. She and Crystal did the same thing, training relentlessly to avoid situations where her powers, which she shoved back into their cage, dreamed of being out. The final person Lucy knew could do something like this happened to be out of the state, racing for one of the largest Motocross teams. The rest of the Thunder students were too inexperienced to dredge something like this up.
The door banged open, startling most students and forcing them to turn around, not breathing until they saw Devin running in, grinning like an idiot. "Cass, you're not going to believe this." He excitedly told her, his camera in his hands.
"Let me guess: the sky just went black in the middle of the day?" Cassidy sarcastically joked, motioning to the window.
"It did?" Devin paused, confusion evident on his face. Then, he turned around to look out the window. "Whoa, look at that."
"Devin, hello!" Cassidy flung her hand in front of his face. " What?" She impatiently asked, crossing her arms over her chest and nearly tapping her foot.
"Oh, yeah, right." Devin nodded. "Look, I just heard this whack report about mechanical dinosaurs attacking downtown."
Lucy's head snapped up, eyes trained on Devin and Cassidy. Mechanical dinosaurs were a new one. Lucy didn't miss how Dr. Oliver, Conner, Kira, and Ethan turned to hear him. Cassidy smiled, clapping her handed. "Ooh, grab your camera."
"Got it." Devin followed Cassidy to the front of the classroom.
"Wait, hold it, you two." Dr. Oliver called out.
Cassidy and Devin stopped at the door, turning around. Principal Randall rang the intercom seconds later. "Students, remain calm. The mayor has declared a state of emergency," Randall reported. "Please report to the front of the school for immediate dismissal."
When Dr. Oliver wasn't looking, too busy listening to the principal make her report, Cassidy and Devin ran out of the room. All the students left and ran out of the classroom, taking their stuff. Conner and Lucy met up with Ethan, Kira, and Dr. Oliver. "Dr. O," Kira spoke first. "Now would be a good time to have that little chat."
"We're out of time." Dr. Oliver kept glancing at the window. "If Mesogog revived the biozords, we gotta act fast."
Lucy just blinked. Biozords? Her eyes flicked around in thought. The only zords she ever knew of were… well, shit. Lucy thought. Morpher and mayhem were coming back in full force in her mind. The Coyote zord swirled around her head; the once beautiful zord was now tucked away in the mountains, where Cam placed the Eclipse zords if needed.
"Come with me." Dr. Oliver left the room.
All three looked at each other. "What's the worst that could happen?" Ethan asked.
"You get eaten," Lucy muttered from where she sat against Dr. Oliver's desk. She patted her phone against the palm of her hand. "I-I've gotta call my sister. Good luck with whatever it is." She moved to the back of the classroom, pulling her phone out while grabbing her bag.
Outside, in the center of Reefside, three giant green mechanical beasts roamed free. The Tyrannosaurus Rex thundered through the street, crushing cars and roaring. It made its way through the city. The Triceratops bumbled through the buildings, roaring before it charged at certain times. Its head kept shaking from side to side. Finally, the Pterodactyl flew above the Triceratops, screeching and shrilling. It flapped its great wings. Its head kept moving up and down like it was looking for something.
"So these mechanical dinosaurs… they're your friends?" Kira questioned, following Dr. Oliver. She glanced back at Conner and Ethan, sharing confused looks with them.
Dr. Oliver turned to the three. "Biozords…Fusion-powered replicants using actual dinosaur D.N.A. for their neurofunctions."
"Wait, let me guess," Ethan spoke up. He and Kira stopped next to each other, with Conner on the other side of Kira. "You helped build them."
Dr. Oliver turned to the teen after making his way to the computer. "I'm afraid so," He gravely answered. "But right now, we — you have to tame them."
Ethan chuckled. "I'll B.B.L. if it's all the same to you."
"What does that mean?" Dr. Oliver questioned, completely confused.
"Be back later," Ethan answered, glancing around.
"You have to do this," Dr. Oliver stated. "But you won't have to be alone," He stepped towards them and then around them to a table in the middle of the lab. "Ever since I found the Dino Gems, I've had these waiting in case I needed to harness their powers."
Kira raised an eyebrow. "Into what?" She stared at her new mentor.
Dr. Oliver opened the case in front of him, revealing five morphers. In the center was the red morpher, shaped like a T-Rex. The blue on the right was Triceratops shaped. The yellow morpher, to the left, was Pterodactyl shaped. There were two other morphers. Sitting above the primary morphers were silver and gold ones. Both were shaped like dinosaurs with a sun and moon carved into their head, respectively. "Dino Morpher," He told the three. "Use these to become Power Rangers."
Ethan swayed. "I gotta sit down." He fell forward.
Conner caught him, patting his back. "Breathe, dude."
Kira glanced at the boys before turning to Dr. Oliver. "We can't be Power Rangers. Aren't you supposed to fly or have superhuman strength and stuff like that?"
"You do." Dr. Oliver answered.
Kira stared at him. "Oh, yeah. I forgot."
"Your gems were from the asteroid that crashed into Earth millions of years ago, wiping out the entire Dinosaur population." Dr. Oliver started to explain. "When I found them, I recognized their power and hid them so they wouldn't fall into the wrong hands."
Conner shook his head. "How do you know these were the right hands?"
Dr. Oliver nodded to the three. "The gems were yours. You didn't choose them. They chose you."
"Can't they unchoose us?" Kira wrinkled her face at the thought of what might happen if they became Power Rangers.
"They've already bonded to your D.N.A." Dr. Oliver answered her. "That's what's giving you your powers."
"So if they already bonded with us, how come Mesogog and his creeps were still after 'em?" Ethan asked.
Dr. Oliver walked back over to the trio of teenagers. "The only way these powers can be taken away is if you are destroyed."
"Okay," Ethan nodded. "For future reference, that's not a great selling point."
"Look, all I know was; I don't remember asking to be a superhero," Conner addressed.
"The gems wouldn't have bonded to you if you didn't already have something inside you that could handle the power." Dr. Oliver pushed passed the two boys. He rounded the table once more. "Please," He urged, moving the box forward. Conner and Kira shared a look. Ultimately, the three teens selected their morpher.
Conner's was a red T-rex with a steely grey jaw. It had two large, grey spikes that covered the nose. Ethan's was a blue Triceratops with a great horn protruding from the nose. A significant point was where the ear was. It, too, had a grey jaw. And Kira's was a bright yellow pterodactyl with a grey jaw and a large grey bump where the forehead should be.
Ethan held it up. "So now what?" He asked, rotating the morpher in his handed. "Do we need some kind of secret password or command?"
"All you have to say was 'Dino Thunder, Power Up!' and you'll be transformed," Dr. Oliver stared at all of them. "You'll know what to do."
Conner raised an eyebrow. "Dino Thunder?" He questioned, not believing the call. He turned to Ethan. "What, did you come up with that?"
"I kinda like it." Ethan countered.
Conner snorted. "You would."
"Look," Dr. Oliver brought the three teens' attention back. "I know that you three were from different worlds…I get it…but you will have to work together, or this will never happen. It won't be easy. Nobody knows that better than I do. But you'll have to believe in yourselves because I believe in you." He rallied the three.
Conner scrunched his face. "Really?"
Dr. Oliver nodded. "Really."
Considering the significant traffic on the way there, it took a little time to reach the Dinozords. Conner practically sat on the edge of his seat in the back of Dr. Oliver's jeep, the energy from the morpher strapped to his wrist humming within his chest. He felt…powerful with that morpher on his wrist. Eventually, Dr. Oliver pulled into an empty lot with all three zords in view. The four climbed out, moving around to see the Biozords towering over them. Conner breathed, staring up at them. "That must be them,"
Kira rolled her eyes. "Wow, great call Conner."
Conner rolled his eyes at her response, turning his head when he heard a whirling noise. A dark red portal opened up, and Zeltrax appeared seconds later. He landed on the ground, ax in hand. "You'll have to get past me before you get those Zords," He threatened.
"That's the part I'm looking forward to," Conner smirked, cracking his knuckles.
"You guys ready?" Ethan asked.
"Oh, yeah," Kira agreed.
"Ready," Conner stood straight, his morpher in front of his chest.
"Ready," The other two followed suit. Finally, the three pressed the buttons on their morphers.
Dino Thunder, Power Up!
In seconds, the three teens were dressed in brightly colored spandex suits. Conner in red. Kira in yellow. Ethan in blue. Each had white triangle markings down the sides of its arms and legs; their helmets were shaped like the dinosaur of their power. The three looked down at the suits. "This total rocks," Kira cheered.
Zeltrax didn't seem to like that move. He clenched his fist together, pointing at them. "So, you're Power Rangers."
Dr. Oliver ran towards the three. "Call your weapons. They're in your belt,"
Conner stepped forward. "You got it, Dr. O." His belt buckle started to glow. "Whoa," He looked down. Kira and Ethan's belts began to shine too. Suddenly, three Dino-shaped weapons appeared. "Cool, I got a Tyranno Staff," Conner grabbed his staff.
Kira held her weapons up. "I can come to grips with this…Ptera grips,"
"Sweet, a Tricera shield," Ethan lifted his large blue shield. Next, the three Rangers took on a section of Tyrannodrones. They each kicked, punched, and used their specialty weapons to aid them in defending the henchmen. Once they had all the henchmen dealt with, Ethan ran at Zeltrax. "Freeze," he ordered.
"You first," Zeltrax flung his hand out, allowing a blue vine to wrap around Ethan's body. Then, he lifted the Ranger off his feet and spun him around. Then, he hurled Ethan against a wall, watching the Ranger hit the ground.
"Ethan!" Kira called out, running to her teammate. Conner followed, watching Zeltrax. The two hauled Ethan to his feet. Then, just as they were about to return to taking down Zeltrax, the monster shot a bolt of lightning at the three. They hit the ground hard.
The Rangers turned their helmeted heads when two streaks of silver and gold landed before them. Both stood from their crouches, squaring their shoulders. The silver ninja glanced behind them, toffee-colored eyes landing on Conner's helmet, then flicked to the rest of the Rangers. An eyebrow quirked before she turned back to Zeltrax.
The golden ninja stepped forward. "Cheap shot," She chided, rolling her shoulders back, a sword strapped over her shoulder and across her back. She reached behind her, gripping the golden hilt and pulling it out. The silver blade flared brightly for a second. Her counterpart had a blade down her spine, the silver hilt behind her head. She pulled the sword, bright silver in the dark, from the sheath.
Conner grunted, crawling to his feet. "Who are they?"
Dr. Oliver stood in front of the three Rangers. "They might be the Guardians of the Eclipse. But I'm not sure."
"The former Silver and Gold Rangers?" Ethan asked, turning to the doctor. He rose to his feet. "From the team last year?"
The doctor nodded. "The most powerful Rangers to exist, wielding what is believed to be the ancient powers of the sun and moon. Ninjas that fought against Lothor last year."
The golden ninja rolled her wrist, the rapier with it. She placed the blade tip on the ground, her hand leaning on it. "I thought that we were done. But, sadly, you can never be too wrong."
Zeltrax didn't have time to blink, on his back in a silver blur, and the ninja was right back in her spot. "Who were you?" He snarled, rising to his feet quickly. His hand squeezed his ax handle, seemingly trying to hold himself back from wildly attacking the ninja.
The silver ninja laughed coldly, tipping her head back barely. "Your nightmare." She sounded like she was smiling.
Taking off, rapier by her side, the golden ninja slashed at the general, who returned the swing. They caught each other's weapons, pushing against each other in a test of strength. But Zeltrax had the upper hand and managed to push her back. He turned again, swinging down when his ax connected with the rapier of the ninja. "Who are you?" He demanded again, kicking her back, sending her to stop in front of the Rangers
The silver ninja materialized behind Zeltrax, slicing his back. That pushed the general between the two. He spun around, attacking the silver ninja again. She evaded a swing, stopping right by the other ninja. When she lifted her head, her mask was gone, fallen between the two, revealing a low bun of brunette hair. She charged again. Zeltrax swung, but the ninja beat him. She avoided the swing, colliding her shoulder into his chest and sending him to the ground. He rolled and returned to his feet, readjusting his ax while at it.
The golden ninja stood before the Rangers, yanking her mask off. A blonde ponytail fell around her shoulders. "Do you ever give up?" She insisted, shouldering her blade. She stalked toward the general, putting him between the two again. They rounded each other.
The Rangers froze, catching sight of the silver ninja. Conner thought his jaw hit the bottom of his helmet, staring at the milky brown hair and hazel eyes of…Lucy Brewer.
Lucy lingered away from the fight between the blonde ninja and Zeltrax, lifting an eyebrow before dodging the swing that came her way. She rolled, sliding before pushing off and slicing upwards, sending Zeltrax further from the Rangers. She backed up until she was a few paces from the Rangers, watching the gold ninja push Zeltrax further back. She gripped her rapier tight enough that her knuckles were white and rolled her shoulders around. "You really should learn about underestimation." Lucy turned over her shoulder, her bright eyes finding Conner. "Don't you three have some special blaster or something?"
Conner looked up at her, nodding his helmeted head. "Right. Combine weapons!"
The three Rangers connected their weapons to form a large blaster. "Z-rex blaster. Ready? Fire!" The three hollered, firing their cannon. It hit Zeltrax in the chest, sending him sprawling on the ground.
"We did it!" Kira cheered.
Zeltrax rose to his feet, blundering. "You showed me your weapons, now meet mine," He stumbled back, disappearing into a portal.
The Biozords rampaged around, snarling and screaming.
The five teenagers regrouped around Dr. Oliver, staring up into the sky. Lucy spotted it first. A sizable flying ship shaped like a scorpion flew over the city. Zeltrax fired lasers, hitting the ground behind the five. The blast sent the group to the ground, grunting and groaning when they landed roughly. They scrambled back up to their feet, moving to the cover of the jeep.
"Okay, how do we fight that?" Conner questioned.
"You got to tame the biozords," Dr. Oliver declared. "Concentrate. Your morphers will communicate your thoughts to them."
"Let's go!" Conner took off running.
Kira and Ethan chased after him. "Right."
Lucy breathed out, turning to see Dr. Oliver and her sister. "They're gonna get eaten," she said, smiling a second later.
Her sister snorted. "Yeah, become Power Rangers, and chomp. Gone in under an hour." She laughed, earning a snort from Dr. Oliver.
Stopping a few leagues from the roaring Triceratops, shaking its crown of spikes. "Look at that thing!" Conner told the group. "They're huge." The Triceratops shifted his head and slid to the side, roaring again. He didn't like Conner's comment.
Ethan stepped forward, hand rising into the air. "Calm down, boy, it's all good." The Triceratops tilted his head in response to hearing Ethan's voice. "That's right. I'm your friend." Ethan lifted his morpher to his helmet. He stuck the morpher up in the air, letting it flash. "Tricerazord!"
The eyes of the Triceratops flashed yellow. An instant later, the greying body of the Triceratops flashed, and a bright blue color replaced it, matching Ethan's suit color. Ethan cheered, celebrating his win over the rampaging dinosaur.
"Okay, my turn," Kira announced, lifting her morpher. "Pterazord." Her morpher flashed yellow, matching the Pterazord's eyes flashing yellow eyes. "We can be friends, right?"
The Pterazord screeched, stretching its wings out. A flash later, the body flashed yellow. The Pterazord cried again in delight, wings flapping around. The two Rangers cheered, seeing their zords brightly colored and tamed. They starkly contrasted with the rampaging Tyrannozord running right to the two. It attacked, sending the Tricerazord to the ground and the Pterazord into the sky.
"Conner, do something!" Ethan yelled. "The Tyrannozord was out of control."
At that moment, the Tyrannozord slammed its tail into the two tamed zords, sending them flying back. Conner frantically glanced around under his helmet. "Come on!" He yelled up at the zord. "I need you to work with me here!" He breathed, gathering all his strength and lifting his morpher in the air. "Tyrannozord!"
For a second, everyone thought it was going to fail. The Tyrannozord shook his head; then, his eyes flashed yellow. He shook his body, allowing the yellow light to travel up his body, the grey disappearing and the bright red appearing. It stepped forward, roaring. "Yes!" Conner celebrated, throwing his arms in the air
The group regathered. "There's only one thing left to do." Dr. Oliver smiled.
Lucy nodded, smirking. "Bring them together, Rangers. You got this."
"Okay, let's do it," Conner ordered. The three took off, disappearing into the zords.
Lucy glanced up from her spot when the ground rumbled under her. Her smirk turned into a smile when her eyes landed on the forming Megazord. The Tyrannozord formed the legs and one arm, while the Tricerazord formed the other. The Pterazord created the chest plate. The two on the ground celebrated, cheering. The three on the ground gazed at the large Megazord towering above the city.
The ship fired, knocking the Megazord off balance but not off its feet. When the Megazord recovered, two tentacles from the ship wrapped around the Megazord, sending shockwaves of electricity to the Rangers. The Rangers pushed through it, using one tentacle to push off the ground, flying high above the ship. Then, using their drill arm, the Rangers drilled right into the ship's center, causing it to explode. The Rangers hit the ground. A shower of sparks fell on them.
"And that is how it's done." Lucy joked again, high-fiving Dr. Oliver and tapping their forearms with Crystal.
The three Rangers found the ninjas and the teacher right where they had left them. Both ninjas sat on Dr. Oliver's jeep hood while he stood beside them, rapiers replaced on their backs. The Rangers demorphed with confused looks. Lucy chuckled. "My sister, Crystal." She pointed to the Rangers. "Conner, Kira, and Ethan."
"Congratulations, Rangers," Crystal spoke, sliding off the hood. "You are Earth's newest protectors. In a…very long line of them."
"So, when were you gonna tell us?" Ethan moved to Lucy.
Lucy scrunched her eyebrows in fake confusion. "Tell you what? That I'm a ninja?"
"Yes." Ethan smiled, nodding violently.
Lucy chuckled, nodding. "A few months." She told him, smiling. "A ninja's identity is almost as secretive as a Ranger's."
Crystal nodded. "A scroll of destiny appeared at our academy two days ago. It foretold the destinies of three teenagers."
"Us." Conner nodded, shoving his hands in his pockets.
"Our jobs were to ensure that you followed those destines," Crystal told him.
Kira placed her hands on her hips. "Finding the lab and the stones."
The Lunar ninja pressed her lips together. "The closure of the museum was…no accident. It was the only way I could think of to get you three into the forest." She explained. "Look, I know this isn't fair. Your lives were just upended by becoming Rangers. But know that the world will be grateful for everything you do."
"I have a question." Ethan turned to the two. "Dr. O mentioned Guardians of the Eclipse."
Crystal hummed quietly and nodded. "They told us before we came to help that they didn't want to get involved."
"With Ranger business?"
Lucy tilted her head. "They weren't clear on that."
"Are you two joining us?" Kira questioned.
Drawing a smile on her face, the ninjas glanced between the three. "No," Lucy stated. "A word of wisdom from a ninja who survived Lothor. You are the only people stopping this…villain from destroying the world."
Crystal cleared her throat. "It's a heavy burden, but you wouldn't have been picked if they didn't think you were ready for it." She smiled brightly. "As Rangers, you are the beacon of hope for the world and the reminder of everything good. You three can face it all."
With that, the ninjas were gone like they were never there.
The Rangers and Dr. Oliver returned to the lab later, celebrating their win. Dr. Oliver tricked the morphers out, revealing detailed silver bracelets with respective gems. "Keeps these bracelets with you at all times." Dr. Oliver advised. "They'll access your morphers when you need them. And you can use these to communicate with me and each other."
"Dr. O, I know you're brilliant and a science teacher, but this was…well…I mean, how did you?" Kira asked, taking her morpher
"I'll fill you in. In time."
"Speaking of time, you think Mesogog's gonna stick around for a while?" Ethan questioned, picking up his morpher.
"Unfortunately, they always do." Dr. Oliver sighed.
"They?" Conner skeptically asked.
Dr. Oliver glanced at the three. "I know this was a lot to take in."
"That's for sure," Ethan interjected.
"Your lives have just changed in ways you probably couldn't have imagined, but as you work together and remember you were a team, no one can defeat you. No one."
Next Episode: Wave Goodbye