Chapter 15

Psycho Pink jumped with her arms extended. Flipped over the railing. Landed on the fourth floor balcony. She rolled to her feet. And a bow appeared in her hand.

Then she tilted her head slightly. Despite her helmet, they could feel the manic smile spreading across the Shadow's lips.

"When Demonus," then the Shadow twitched painfully, and amended, "Lord Demonus brought us back and asked us to destroy the Rangers, I was overjoyed. Until I discovered how weak I was as a Shadow. I had to trick Psycho Blue and Psycho Yellow into attacking Turbo Pink with me. And that bitch Ranger killed Yellow. I escaped. Don't know what happened to Blue."

"You mean you ran and left your comrades to die," Echo Pink said flatly.

"They would have done the same, if they were quicker or smarter," Psycho Pink countered, uncaring, "And that allowed me to survive until now."

"I'll admitt," the evil Ranger continued, 'When Lord Demonus summoned me again, and told me that the Rangers were all gone, I was disappointed. Though having the chance to kill the greatest of these new, self-proclaimed Heroes did seem like a good time."

Both teens tensed.

"But then I saw those attacks. Felt the Grid Energy in them. And here you are. Not one, but two Power Rangers. Weaker than should be possible. But you are still Rangers. And I still get to kill you."

Psycho Pink raised her bow. The weapon was simple in form, pink on top spiraling into black on the bottom. But all of it tinted grey and decaying. She drew, and fired two shots, one at each Ranger.

"Mode Blue," Echo Pink countered, and her own bow split into her mace and buckler before the first energy arrow left the Shadow's bow. Melissa blocked the arrow aimed at her with her shield. And she bashed the one aimed at Izuku out of the air with her mace.

"Echo One, let me take her on," Melissa requested in English, "I think you need to keep an eye on the Villains, make sure there are no more Shadows, and that they don't pull something on Mister All Might."

Izuku glanced over the railing. He saw one of the Villains, who was 'guarding' the civilians, grab a girl, no a UA student Izuku didn't by the back of her uniform blouse. The Ranger-in-training didn't like the look in the single eye of the mummy-like criminal, as he started to drag the high schooler away. Two bolts from the Dragon Blaster knocked him unconscious. And left Izuku wondering if he should switch the dagger*gun into lethal mode.

"No," he answered his partner, also in English, "I'll watch both you, and the civilians. Because the Psycho Rangers never fought fair. And I don't trust her as far as Alpha 5 could throw her."

Izuku had already caught on to Melissa's plan to mislead the Shadow. So he called out the missing robot, to add to the idea that they had teleported here from Angel Grove. Or at least somewhere in southern California.

Echo Pink darted forward, catching a third shot with her buckler. Then she swung her bludgeon at Psycho Pink's head. The Shadow deflected with her bow. Then countered with a kick at Echo Pink's midsection


A twitch of his right leg shattered the cracked stone holding said limb. But All Might's left leg was still trapped. With Nomu and the Shadow no longer holding him down, the Symbol of Peace knew he could break free. But then he saw Nomu charging him again. And that gave the blonde hero a better idea.

All Might pretended to struggle with his trapped leg. Nomu arrived, claws out. It started to slash at his chest. The Hero cracked a smile. The creature was powerful. But it was also blindly aggressive and had no combat skill.

Toshinori caught the Villains by the wrists. Pushed Nomu's claws back towards the creature's chest. All Might used Nomu's momentum to spin Nomu around into a reverse bear-hug. Stabbed Nomu's claws into the crow-person's own pecs.

Then All Might flipped Nomu over, and pile-drove the monster's exposed brain into the stone coating. Nomu's Quirk (or Quirks, something in the back of Yagi's head suggested nervously) protected him. Mostly. Nomu might not take damage when things hit it. But it still inflicted damage in the reverse. That made the monster a near-perfect bludgeon, unbreakable but able to inflict damage.

The remains of Stheno's trap shattered. All Might released Nomu. As the monster fell, All Might's newly freed foot kicked out. Toshinori punted Nomu in the middle of the back and launched it away, again. While Nomu recovered, All Might had a moment to take stock.

Most of the Villains were staying where they were. Ready to directly threaten the hostages, if it came down to that. But still not willing to run. One did something stupid, but the green beams from Izuku's gun took the idiot out. Toshinori had watching the Ranger-in-training's target practice often enough, that he recognize the attack. Next to Echo Ranger 1 on the balcony, two flashes of pink dashed around each around each other in martial combat. The green helmet darted between the watching the floor and watching Echo Ranger 2 fighting with the Shadow.

Nomu staggered back to its feet. The Villain stumbled drunkenly. All Might wondered if its brain was vulnerable, or the monster was just getting worn down.

All Might smiled. He waved the monster towards him. Even though it did not seem sapient, it apparently understood the gesture. It cawed in rage, and leaped at Toshinori again.


Psycho Pink stabbed with the sharpened end of her bow. Melissa deflected with her shield. Echo Pink countered, aiming her mace at the Shadow's midsection.

Psycho dropped under the bludgeon. She attempted to sweep Melissa's legs. Melissa expected the move. She diverted her swinging mace lower. It crashed into Psycho Pink's knee, before the Shadow's attack landed. The force of the blow spun the Shadow back. She jumped away to prevent Melissa from landing another hit.

Only to find herself staring straight into the Dragon Blaster. She fired an arrow at the Green Ranger, even as he shot at her head. They both spun to the side, the bolts of energy each narrowly missing.

Which in turn put Psycho Pink back in range of Echo Pink. The blue tinted mace was already dropping like a meteor at the Shadow's left shoulder. She blocked with her bow again. Melissa jabbed her buckler between Psycho Pink's wrists. Then twisted it, bringing up her knee to add extra force. This wrenched the evil Ranger's arms apart. Psycho Pink lost her grip on her bow. Melissa pulled her shield back, throwing the bow behind her. Psycho Pink thrust her palms into Echo Pink's stomach, pushing the younger woman away. Then she juked instinctively, causing a slice of the Dragon Daggers to narrowly miss her right arm.

"All Might has it handled," Echo Green said, "But we need to finish here quickly."

"You two are better than I was expecting," Psycho Pink acknowledged, "considering how weak you should be. But you are missing one thing. Maybe you don't know. Or maybe you hoped I couldn't, as a Shadow. But..."

A blast of energy threw the Rangers back. And when they recovered, Psycho Pink had changed. She was taller. Had a flower like dress with greenish grey tentacle vines extending out from underneath. Her pauldrons had expanded and flower bulbs larger than her head grew out of the shoulder armor. Psycho Pink now had a face that was a cross between a flower and a Yautja.

"You are one ugly motherf..."

Melissa's statement was cut off as Psycho Pink attacked with both arms and her newly revealed tentacles, and with much greater strength.


Stheno felt a slight ringing in her head as she returned to consciousness. It was a somewhat familiar feeling. Her stony hair had protected her from a blow to the head, but was cracked in the process. She'd have a headache for a few days, until it healed. But better than the alternative. Whatever the alternative was in this case.

She cracked open one eye, and looked around as much as she could without moving her head.

All Might was still fighting Nomu. And was very obviously winning. The crow headed man... creature? Nomu wasn't landing hits anymore. It was stumbling. Drunkenly. It still didn't have any obvious injuries. But All Might seemed to be testing it. Trying to figure out its Quirk. And using it as a practice dummy.

And All Might wasn't moving like himself. His attacks were crisper. Cleaner. More varied. And more precise. The young woman had been studying All Might for six years, ever since he stopped her two older sisters from robbing a gem exchange. Eurayle and Medusa were sent to Tartarus. And Stheno was cemented into a life of crime and a burning desire for revenge on the Symbol of Peace.

Revenge she realized wasn't happening today. Her other comrades were frozen in fear. She could tell that only their fear of Decay and the unnamed, pink, last minute addition was keeping most of them from fleeing.

Decay was crazy, but he was crazy Stheno could work worth. He hated All Might as much as the youngest Gorgon did. But the pink one... She scared Stheno. There was something unnerving, unnatural about the armored woman.

But the pink one was missing at the moment. Stheno wasn't sure if she had been defeated, or had fled. Stheno also wasn't sure what had knocked her out, however briefly. But as she thought that, she noticed that more the a few of her allies were down. Grey Goro most notably, although that was All Might's doing. But also Thousand Eye. Victor. Five other Villains she could see but didn't know the names of. Seven more, at least, taken out while Stheno was unconscious. Was that also All Might? Had they been betrayed? Of maybe one of the hostages was an off duty Hero.

Whatever the case, it didn't really matter. Unless there was some magical turnaround, the League was defeated. With the pink one gone, Stheno started to plan her getaway.

If nothing else, she would let Decay know that Nomu had failed, and All Might was stronger than the youngest Gorgon had ever seen him.


A trio of tendrils lashed out. Only for the Green Ranger to block two with one dagger, and sever the third with his second dagger.

'This should be easy,' Psycho Pink whined to herself, 'I have two arms, two legs, ten tentacles, and my Seed Bombers. They only have four arms and four legs. And one of this "Echo" Pink's arms is tied up with her shield. More than that, I'm a better fighter. I was better than Cassie Chan, and she would wipe the floor with either one of these kids. Either one... Yes, part of it is that they are teaming up on me..."

The Echo Rangers were coordinating well. In addition to pairing attacks and defending each other, they were keeping themselves at 120 degrees with respect to the monster Shadow. Forcing Psycho Pink to track them individually, without being so far apart they couldn't help one another.

But it was more than that. Psycho Pink had a good idea of how much her power was reduced as a Shadow. And even though she no longer could or needed to tap into the Morphin' Grid, she could tell how thin its energy was. These self proclaimed Echo Rangers were stronger than they should have been.

'They must be supplementing their powers,' she thought, 'Like the Zeo Rangers did with the Zeo Crystal. Maybe magic. Or they found something else to prop them up. Whatever the case... I'm losing.'

Another vine was cut free. This time the Shadow didn't have the energy to regrow it. She blocked Echo Pink's mace with her arm, wrapped in two tentacles to cushion it. But still her limb nearly broke. Her Seed Bomber fired again. Echo Green cut down four of the pods. And Echo Pink batted five of them up into the air with her shield. They exploded harmlessly. Echo Pink countered with a kick to Psycho Pink's solar plexus. Then pushed off and flipped sideways. The Human girl's second kick landed on the monster's mandible, sending her spinning to the floor.


Everyone on the ground floor, Heroes, Villains, and civilians alike, looked up. A series of explosions just under the overhang shook the mall. Though the impact was not as bad as some storms or some of All Might's punches. Arms were raised against falling shrapnel. However all that fell were smoldering petals.

'Still,' Toshinori thought, 'I should probably finish it before that Shadow causes any major damage.'

"If you just stop, we can end this," All Might offered. He still didn't think the crow-faced Villain understood him. But on the off chance he had knocked some sense into Nomu, he had to offer.

"Kree..eee..ee," it cawed unsteadily. Then it swiped at All Might, and opened it's mouth to bite him.

"So be it."

All Might flipped backwards, giving himself distance from his foe. Then he charged Nomu, his left palm out.

"Missouri... SMASH!"

The butt of his palm slammed into Nomu's brain, right between his eyes. Then, in a new twist, All Might stomped his foe's Achilles tendon a moment later. The Symbol of Peace leaned forward. Pushed down with his hand towards Nomu's now injured ankle. The leg collapsed. Nomu folded like a house of cards in a windstorm. And All Might lightly smacked the back of Nomu's head against the concrete.

The Number 1 Hero stood. The anti-All Might weapon did not.

Smiling broadly, Toshinori turned towards the mooks.


Psycho Pink was living up to her name. She was out of control. Attacking wildly, and without her vaunted skill. While the Echo Rangers were on the defensive, they were also no longer taking hits.

Another tentacle went flying.

A hammer punch was deftly avoided.

One of the Seed Bombers popped under Echo Pink's mace.

A random kick pushed Echo 1 back, but failed to hurt him.

Vines wrapped around themselves blue tortoise buckler. But failed to pull the shield off Echo Pink's arm. Instead, the monster kept struggling pointlessly against the Ranger.

"Mode White."

The Tiger Saber blazed downwards. It burned through the remaining Seed Bomber on Psycho Pink's right shoulder. And then through her armor.

Psycho Pink exploded. Her monster form vanished, reverting her to her Ranger form.

"Ha. Huh. Huh," the Shadow panted, "I should have known. This seems to be my fate."

"Mode Black," Izuku whispered, fully expecting a trap. Melissa also kept her distance.

"Come on," Psycho Pink demanded, "FINISH ME!"

With a grunt of effort, Melissa slammed her mace into the side of Psycho Pink's helmet. The side panel of the headgear shattered. The remains of the helmet flew off the Shadow's head. Surprising the Echo Rangers.

Human features, though not Human. There were pronounced ridges above her eyes and from the middle of her eyes to the corners of her mouth. Grey skin. But two eyes, a nose with two nostrils, a mouth, teeth. Psycho Pink's middle-length black hair, and sad brown eyes definitely gave her an air of normalcy the teens weren't expecting. As did trail of bluish blood leaking from her left eye and lips.

"Sorry, Mother," she said softly, "In the end Shadows can't disobey Demonus."

"Demonus," Izuku said quickly, "Is he still alive? Did he send you?"

"Who knows?" Psycho Pink laughed at him, as she dissolved into muck.


A grey washed pink and black helmet tumbled off the upper most balcony. It clattered on the floor, next to the Villains. They noticed the break in the left side. And then it felt apart, leaving a dark grey ooze on the cobblestones. Even that began to evaporate.

That was the final straw. With the threat of their field commander gone, Nomu subdued, and All Might glaring at them, the League of Villains wannabes broke. They began to run for the back exits. They left the hostages alone, knowing if they tried anything, that would draw All Might's attention. No, better to just split and run, and hope you weren't the one he chose to follow. Some were smarter than others.

Tesla released his grip on the shutter system, opening the front of the mall. With the distraction of the barrier moving, he slipped off his mask. Threw it in the trash. And slipped down on his knees with the civilians. Even though he let the police in, he also kept the cameras and network suppressed. That way there would be no record of him, on either side.

Stheno continued to pretend to be unconscious. Until she was loaded into an ambulance. She waited until they were on the road. Then she trapped the paramedics with her goo. Drove to a bad part of town. Dropped the vehicle and walked away.

On the top floor, Izuku nodded to Melissa, and they split up.


"Wait," Melissa exclaimed suddenly, "What are we going to do when we're done? The police will see us. We'll still get in trouble."

"Not to worry," Nezu told her with a broad smile, "I've already considered that. Izuku will get out the same way he got in. Invisibly."

The green-haired boy nodded, dubiously. It seemed his unmastered ability would be getting a trial by fire.

"And as for you, Melissa," the principal continued, "Kashyyyk is a popular after school hangout for UA students. And you are still in your uniform. All you have to do is go into a bathroom, power down, and walk out with the rest of the crowd. Say you were hiding in there the whole time."

She considered that. And smiled.


"Did you follow protocol?" Kurogiri asked.

"Went to the first safehouse. I didn't have any loot to drop off, on account of having to escape from custody. But left my phone there. Changed into a casual dress, walked to safehouse number 2. Burned the dress. Showered and perfumed myself in case Hounddog or chief Tsuragame got my scent. Went over the alley to the next building. Showered again, and had the people there disguise me. Hide my hair, put a cat face prosthetic on me. Then I walked here. Waited an hour for any Hero or cop that might have tracked me. And then I called you on this burner. Good enough?"

"Yes."

A gate opened in front of Stheno. She threw the burner phone into the dishwasher, and started it. Then she walked through the portal into the bar.

"You're the only one to make it back," Shigaraki Tomura glared at her. Then he sighed and said, "Good job, I guess?"

"We have no footage, of course," the voice on the other side of the old TV said, "And the police are being tight-lipped. What happened?"

"Well, your Nomu thing couldn't beat All Might," Stheno said, "But we were doing okay as a group after last-minute-addition pink armor-san started helping. All Might couldn't touch her, but she could hit him, so things seemed to be going good. Then someone started shooting us with some sort of stun laser, or something. It knocked me out for a few minutes. When I came to, the armor-san was gone, and All Might was back in control. Whoever shot me, kept shooting our guys. At least when they acted up. 23 minutes after he showed up, All Might decided to stop play with Nomu, and armor-san's helmet came crashing down and disintegrated. Then everyone panicked and started running."

"Also, All Might seemed stronger than he has been in a while," she added, "And was a much better fighter. Like he has been taking classes or something."

"Damn it!" Shigaraki shouted. He decayed his beer bottle. Stheno wisely moved back.

"Did someone betray us?" he demanded, "I thought you said nothing would work on your cheat character, Sensei!"

"Nothing should have," All For One agreed, "Only magic or..."

"Or a Power Ranger," an unseen voice echoed in their heads. Stheno stepped further back, more worried about who said it than what was said.

Shigaraki on the other hand, was livid.

"What? Those stupid urban legends? Are you stupid? You might as well say it was a ghost."

"And just what do you think Psycho Pink was, Shigaraki Tomura?" the specter sounded annoyed.

"Who is this glitched out NPC, and why are they talking to me, sensei?"

"Shigaraki Endo," the voice turned downright cold, and Kurogiri and Stheno both thought the temperature in the bar had dipped.

"Your creation was a failure," Demonus continued, "my patience is at an end. Your apprentice has sealed his own fate."

"I have no argument, my lord," the voice on the TV agreed.

"What does that ARGHHHH"

Tomura's complaint instantly turned into a scream of raw pain.


Shigaraki Tomura burned. Every nerve in his body was raw. Pain beyond imagining. He wanted... nothing. He couldn't even think enough to wish for some end, any end, to the pain. It was all that existed. All that he was. All that he ever would be.

Then it was gone. It may have been an instant or a billion years.

'What?' was the only thought that manifested.

'That was me, taking your body, Shigaraki Tomura. You are mine now.'

It was the same voice. But it was stronger. More real.

'Like hell! I'll reset this stupid game.'

Tomura stopped. Visions flooded his soul.

Creatures so ancient, twisted, vile, that any person who saw them would never be able to described them. And never stop having nightmares.

Acts of destruction, torture, chaos. Atrocities beyond what Tomura could conceive, both in their scope and in their evil.

Normal minds would have fallen to insanity. Tomura wept tears of joy.

"Thank you, Lord Demonus."

And then he was gone.


The scream cut off almost as fast as it started. Then Decay's face cleared. Not just of the pain. No, it was a clear and lucid gaze like no-one had seen on the young killer's face.

"Yes, this body will do," he said, "At least as a start. You will need to supply it... supply me with additional Quirks. Sensei."

The way he said the last word. There was no respect for All For One. Despite the implied authority of the word, Demonus's 'sensei' sounded like an insult. And an order.

"Of course, my lord,"

"And you will still help me with completing my goal. If you want to keep you power and earn your reward."

"Of course," the TV repeated, sounding relieved.

"Goal? Reward? Shigaraki-san, what is this?" Stheno asked cautiously.

"Shigaraki Tomura is no more. I have claimed his body. And consumed his soul, to make living in this body easier. I am The Lord of Shadows and the Anti-Ranger. You may continue to address me as Shigaraki, or Decay, if you like. But I am Lord Demonus."

"Lord Demonus?" she parroted.

"I am the one responsible for your world, Stheno-chan. I crafted the spell that blocked the Sol system. Cut it off from the Morphin' Grid. My spell should have turned every Human on Earth into a monster. A new horde for me. But the Rangers interrupted me, and damaged the spell. So instead of immediately becoming monsters, it has been a slow and steady transformation."

"Quirks," Stheno hissed. The white-haired man nodded.

Then Demonus smiled, "Which worked out in its own way. I was short-sighted. Even if I had succeeded, eight billion mindless slaves would have been impossible to manage. I learned this from observing Endo-kun. All For One as he prefers to be called."

"He was the first. Kurogiri is the second. People who will be my generals. They will retain their will and sapience, once the transformation is complete. They will guide my armies."

Then he looked Stheno up and down. But there was nothing sexual in his gaze.

"And what about you, Stheno-chan? I will need more generals. More Villains to help me complete my plans, both on Earth and for the rest of the universe. You are smarter than Tomura's other...mooks. Pledge yourself to the League and to Lord Demonus. It is the only way you will survive."

Stheno wasn't sure she believed what she was hearing. But Kurogiri save her a slow, certain nod. And she realized 'Tomura' had said more than a dozen sentences, even talking about leading armies, without a single video game reference or trope.

"As long as I get my sisters back and can see All Might's corpse, I'm in."

"Done."


Author's Note: Melissa was going to say 'motherflora', Swear to the Grid.

Also, anyone interested in talking future plot, and not spoiler adverse? I'm not looking for suggestions, just feedback on if some of my ideas sound good, or if I have multiple routes, which one is best.

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Third, spoiler space, since a number of people have asked about this in the comments and directly.

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It's about the Megazord.

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Turn back now.

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Minor spoiler; unless my outline changes, it will show up in eight chapters. Saving the first time for something special.

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more space.

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It's in the internship arc.

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last break

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Giant monsters will result from Demonus fusing Shadows with normal MHA Villains. And the first Megazord appearance will be to fight Stain/Goldar.