HE BLASTED ME WITH DEFIANCE PART 3

Returning to the command center, Emma went to work on Gia's injuries. The rebound of her attack left deep scratches on her leg and forearms and her face was bruised from the ruthless onslaught of the invader. Using a series of compression wrappings, bandages, and alcohol, Emma did her best to clean and cover the wounds. Tensou whirled around offering assistance as needed.

"Thanks, Emma." The flash of a gratuitous smile appears on the yellow ranger's face. So far Emma was the one who caused her the least amount of headache. The bandaged yellow ranger rose to her feet and began to limp toward the exit of the base.

"Wait, where do you think you're going with injuries like that?" Her friend called.

"It's fine Emma, I had worse pain," Gia shrugged pulling on her black leather jacket.

"I'm sure you have but that monster is still out there and he'll use your injuries to his advantage!" The pink ranger complained.

"That monster is the least of my worries."

"But I'm worried, Gia. If Jake didn't get there in time who knows what could have happened."

Gia paused, the sorrowful remorse in her friend's voice scratched at a distant memory. She turned back around to see Emma staring intently anchored in her place. From Gia's perspective what she saw was a twelve-year-old version of herself displaying that same pitiful expression. Gia shut her eyes and shook her head. Now wasn't the time to be focused on the past.

"You worry too much Emma." Gia rolled her eyes. Before she could make it out the door, the voice of Gosei resonated throughout the hall.

"I am glad to see that your injuries are mild and that your life is still intact Gia. Since you have been connected to the earth through the morphin grid, you should find yourself fully recovered by the end of the day."

"The end of the day?" Gia gasped, the door slid open with the arrival of the rest of their team. Noah seemed entranced by the crystalline fragments he recovered from the battle. He jingled them in a plastic water bottle still marveled that they haven't lost their freezing temperature. Jake bore a glare of hatred towards Troy who walked with his typical nonchalance.

"No luck! We searched everywhere but nothing," Roared Jake, whose sharp anger was ever rarely seen.

"I'm going to run a diagnostic scan of the city. Maybe if I use cryogenic search filters I may get a beat on him." Noah suggested.

"Let me help you, Noah!" Tensou said.

Jake's eyes quickly passed over Gia. The gauze around her forearms and bandages on her face were red flags to him.

"Hey, you alright?" He posed. There were so many questions and thoughts he wanted to ask but Gia pulled away. She refocused her attention on the door.

"Be aware rangers, that creature you faced is a fierce warrior from the frigid moon Glacier-9 named Arachione. Our alien database informs us that he was last seen marching alongside the ranks of the Warstar armada." Gosei said.

"That explains it!" Gia exclaimed.

Gia relived the heat of the battle, the monster bragged that he was sent by some being... it's master. "Gosei, who's Malkor? That monster said it was his master."

"Malkor?" Jake asked.

Gosei then sighed, "I was hoping not to hear that name but we may be in more trouble than initially perceived. To my knowledge, there's only one ship that currently hovers over the earth. Since that one ship has arrived, Tensou and I have been closely monitoring the warp routes into this sector of the universe for any signs of an oncoming force."

The viewing screens lit up.

"The Warstar armada is a vast host of powerful aliens led by a tyrannical ruler known as Emperor Mavro. Years ago, my mentor Zordon sacrificed his life to purge the universe of all evil. While this act vanquished powerful threats like the fearsome Dark Spector and King Mondo of the machine empire, it also purified other villainous foes such as Rita Repulsa and Lord Zedd. I had always known my master had that plan under his sleeve and I constantly warned him that one-day evil will rise again. As predicted I was right, the remnants of those who managed to escape my master's purge eventually coalesced into a new host one greater than ever before seen. The fleets of the armada have been divided into units governed by Mavro's sons and other trusted advisors. The current ship stationed just outside the orbit of our planet belongs to Admiral Malkor. If he's here it won't be long before the rest of the fleet arrives. During each of your battles, Tensou and I have ran bio scans on each of the aliens you've defeated. We've confirmed that thus far your opponents are identical genetic copies. There's only one creature I know is bold enough to attempt genetic cloning and that is one of the emperor's sons, Vrak. The last member we confirmed is the vicious warrior, Creepox."

When Troy heard that name his eyes lit up.

Gosei continued, "He has been known to prey on warriors he finds weak and asserts his perceived superiority over them. Be careful rangers, these enemies are not to be underestimated."

"Wow they sound cruel," Emma said, "but what are we going to do about those people. If Malkor sent that monster then how would we save them from being frozen again?"

"By defeating that monster that's what we're gonna do," Gia said aggressively.

"And how do you expect to win if you could barely walk." Troy finally spoke.

"Well she's not going to do it alone, I'll help her," Jake said.

"...Of course you would but that's not what I'm asking. Because even if you were there, you have to worry about her and yourself." Troy said.

"And why do you care?" Jake turned to face the red ranger, "I don't see you offering to help her, all you did was degrade her."

The heavy tension between Troy and Jake finally came to ahead. Noah knew he had to step in before things got too bad. Jake often acts impulsively when he's upset and Troy wasn't the type of guy to be gentle.

"Jake, we do not need to go through this again. Just let it be." Noah said.

"Why do you keep defending this guy?" Jake was getting angry.

"I'm not defending anyone, Jake. I just think all this fighting is pointless-"

"I wasn't trying to degrade, Gia..." Troy was responding to Jake, interrupting Noah.

Jake snorted, "Then what were you trying to do? Make her feel special because apparently, that wasn't the message we were receiving. Even Emma knows."

"Jake I think you guys should just stop," Emma said as Troy opened his mouth again.

"Think whatever you want, but all I did was tell her like it is. I know you must like her, you don't hide it very well. She charged without thinking and if you can't get past that wall of infatuation then that's on you."

"The only reason she did that was to prove to us that she could do it. We just got in the way of her plan." Jake said.

"And look what happened, the attack backfired." The volume in Troy's voice rose.

"Not exactly. It was because of Gia that I was able to land a hit on the guy. To me, that sounds like a success." Jake added.

"But at what cost? What if she hit a civilian? For us, we are specially trained to handle high amounts of damage, they are not. Not to mention we have suits to protect us, the people do not."

"Oh, now you care? You didn't seem to care at that other school..."

"Ohhh no you didn't.." Tensou says.

Ever since Troy began attending Harwood High, there had been an unspoken rule amongst the students: Do not mention Troy's past. Some have tried to push the envelope but none so far have been foolish enough to actually break it. Jake was that guy, his fury over Troy's attitude caused him to defy the stigma and do what no one dared.

Jake smirked at Troy's silence, he had successfully won the battle but at what cost? They turned to see that Gia was gone and on the ground where she once stood was her pin.

"Gia?" Emma wondered.

"Gia?!" Jake took up her pin and went for the door after her, but Emma held him back.

"Just give her some space, Jake!" Emma yelled.

"What?" Jake mouthed.

"You guys just don't understand...None of you do." She said.

"Can you please tell us, for we could understand?" Noah said calmly.

Emma sighed, "Don't tell her I told you this but...when Gia was young her parents enrolled her in beauty pageants."

"No way, Gia was a pageant girl?" Jake was surprised.

"Mmhm," Emma confirmed, "Her mom was a champion before her, but she could never seem to get to the top and so when Gia was born all of her mother's hopes and dreams were passed on to her. Gia was a natural, her parents ensured that in every single competition she'd walk away with the top prize. They pretty much bred her to compete, often at the expense of any of the "normal stuff" a girl her age would enjoy. Seven years ago Gia's mom passed away in a car accident. She had just signed Gia up for another pageant and was racing home when it happened. Not long afterward, Gia decided to give up the pageant life in search of discovering who she is and not who her parents wanted her to be. This didn't really go over well with her father. He still urges her to compete even though Gia no longer wishes to."

"So that's who that guy was," Jake mused.

"With her mom out of the picture, her dad constantly pressures her to perform in every pageant."

"That explains why she's so guarded," Noah reasoned.

"Gia doesn't like to be pampered, it reminds her too much of how her parents made her feel like a prisoner during those competitions. Likewise, she also hates people who try to express some sort of dominance because her dad always did that.."

Gia had wandered far from the base and back into the city. She eventually came to a halt at an outdoor cafe. Her leg was throbbing-so much for being healed by the earth. While sitting in the sunlight she couldn't help but reminisce on the look that Emma gave her. It was the same expression she had when she confronted her father. She remembered that day as it will forever live on in infamy. Her father sat in his office engaged in a phone call with a promoter. They seemed to be going back and forth about the next photoshoot and what Gia should wear.

12-year-old Gia has been preparing for this day for the longest, if her mother was around she would likely understand but her father would be the biggest giant she would have face. The conversation involved a lot of shouting her father demanding that she give one good reason after he'd already dismissed the five she'd explained. Gia felt devastated by the pity in her voice dooming their relationship.

"What if she hit a civilian?" Troy's voice echoed in her mind, "We are specially trained to handle high amounts of damage they aren't."

Gia instantly felt ridiculous, she hadn't realized how damaging her actions truly were. In the heat of the moment, she was so focused on proving her ability to master the power cards, that she became incognizant of her surroundings. She was fortunate that the brunt of the damage was redirected at her and not inflicted on someone else.

Her fist slammed the table.

In the two years following that fateful encounter with her dad, the emotion she felt then just sat in the base of her soul. She never once bothered to confront it. She was being defiant of herself and unwilling to do something about it. Troy with his assertive know it all dominance, and Jake with his annoying pandering brought her back to that weak pitiful state she was in. This was her chance to finally move past her troublesome ordeal. She reached into her pocket and pulled out her three power cards. She had to think, what was it that permitted her friends to flawlessly draw out the full potential of these cards. All the times she's used them Gia was so concentrated on her own internal strife, she had to put aside her own turmoil and find peace within herself.

Suddenly a chill raced up Gia's spine and the air became more crisp and cool, this could only mean that Arachione had returned and he was close.

The frosty servant of Malkor appeared in Harwood park, the frost from his wings having already blanketed the ground trapping several people in ice. Gosei said that Gia was connected to the earth and it was through this connection that she was able to zero in on her target's location.

"Hey!" She huffed.

"Ahh back for more yellow ranger? This time I shall rid you of your impurities. My master will be pleased to have you a part of his army." The blizzard mist flew from the snowflake protrusions on Arachione's back. Gia swiftly dove to the left avoiding the frigid blast, with a ferocious look in her eyes her morpher was instantly in her hand.

"Things are different now. It's only going to be you and me. As for your master, you let him know I have a little gift for him. Your corpse! Go Go Megaforce!" She shut the mouth of Gosei and with the chime of bells, her yellow suit was upon her.

She burst forward in a sprint her feet kicking up snow as she ran.

"This search is taking forever is there anything you can do Noah to speed it up?" Jake was growing impatient.

"I'm doing all I can Jake but this guy is really hard to track down. I'm having the computer scan for frigid temperatures but so far I'm getting nothing." Noah replied.

"Ohh, I knew I should have updated the planetary search system. Since they have been domiciled for many years it may take a minute for the system to give us feedback," Tensou explained.

"We cannot allow this alien to move unhindered...Noah, Emma, I am dispatching you both to continue the search on foot. Tensou and I can monitor the system from here but your connection to the elements can embellish our search efforts tenfold. So long as you stay calm and feel the natural powers of the earth you should be able to detect the location of this evil." Gosei gave out the orders in which caused the blue and pink ranger to leave.

"Jake, Troy, I would like a word with the both of you," Gosei said, the two rangers draw near to the mounted tiki head.

"For many years I have silently watched over this planet on my master's behalf. In the midst of my stasis, I was still actively conscious and aware of the events which played out in your world. I eagerly anticipated the day when I will need to guide a team of heroes in defense of the planet. I have seen the rise and fall of many civilizations and people groups. In all my years of observance, one thing has been made clear to me, when humans unify there is nothing they can't do. Human ingenuity's what makes this planet such a prize for conquers, and every time a powerful threat arose it was humans who managed to overcome it."

"That's easy for you to say. I don't think others share the same vision." Jake chided.

"Alright.." Troy pursed his lips with a roll of his eyes. "I slipped up. What more do you want from me?"

"All I'm asking for is respect. For the past couple of weeks, all you've done was look down on people. You walk around with this dangerous look on your face just daring someone to cross you. You got all these people gushing over you but from what I've seen you could care less."

Jake wasn't finished, "I don't understand what anyone sees in a guy like you. Your rude, selfish, defiant. Not to mention an overall jerk. What kind of red ranger is that? You are no different than the other idiots at school."

Tensou wheeled donuts around Troy and Jake. He could feel that another argument was on the rise and this time there was no one around to stop it. If he got involved Troy might live up to his promise of punting him...whatever that meant. "Guys please don't fight we are supposed to work together."

"It's funny Troy, you're making all this fuss about not being reminded of what you've done, yet you've constantly harassed Gia for what she's done. If you are angry now how do you think she feels when someone she admired turned on her?-"

"I get the message, alright! I don't need you or anyone else reminding me of what I already know!" Troy had to calm his nerves. It wasn't natural for him to yell. Jake stood tall, and didn't even flinch but inside was fear.

"Maybe I had put too much pressure on her, but don't think you are entirely in the right either. Whatever comes out of my mouth that's my responsibility but I can't take responsibility for what you don't understand. You treat Gia like she's some fragile queen who can't stand for herself. In your eyes, she's someone that needs to be protected and you couldn't be any more wrong. So you need to put your feelings aside and see Gia for who she really is, someone who can take care of herself."

Jake's whole world was shattered. All this time was looking at things the wrong way? All he wanted was to win Gia's heart, and he thought that be being this knight in shining armor, she would fall for him. As it turns out his plan was backfiring and he was too stubborn to admit it.

Troy himself was also stunned, why was he sticking his neck out so much for people he barely knew? He reminded himself over and over that he didn't need friends. It would be safer if people just kept their distance, yet this one girl continually defied all the odds. This level of vulnerability was something he was not used too.

The voice of the mentor pulled the two boys out of their worlds of self-reflection, "I've explained before that the sky represents the limitless possibilities just within your reach and the earth represents stability and a need to protect what's important. You both represent the opposing sides of the spectrum but this does not mean you have to be in conflict. The sky and the earth have long been acquaintances of one another they complement each other. Now we have a more serious matter at hand, this monster that is attacking the humankind. The sky gives the earth hope, and the earth gives the sky support on which to stand. Gia needs you two more than ever and so do the other rangers."

As always Gosei's words were impactful and rattled Troy and Jake to their cores. The two boys stood in abstract silence contemplating and reflecting on how they've been acting.

It all finally made sense. Troy was sick and tired of being angry and was ready to put this beef to rest. Rather than fight Jake, there was an even more pressing matter for him to direct his fury.

"Then we're wasting our time," Troy said as he walked out of the command center.

Jake as well felt compelled to make amends. It wouldn't be right to go into battle still harboring negative emotions. He understood that the thing which needed to be melted wasn't his bond with Troy, but the walking snowflake terrorizing the city.

"...um wait..." For a brooding guy Troy was remarkably fast and light on his feet. Jake didn't even notice that he had slipped out the door.

"Troy wait a minute."Once the black ranger caught up to his leader, the confidence he felt to speak disappeared. Though Jake didn't want to admit it, he had to be honest about his thoughts and feelings. The red ranger halted and looked over his shoulder, the glance he gave asked a simple question "What?"

"Look, I' m sorry, man...I shouldn't had let my stupid feelings for Gia, get the best of me. I didn't realize what I was doing or what was going on within her. I just took too many steps before thinking."

"Don't worry about it, "Troy waved him off, Jake squinted his eyes, Troy really must not of learned anything at all. Jake wanted to call Troy out on this but something told him that wasn't the case. By waving him off what the red ranger was doing was calling an end to the conflict. It was finished.

"No man I'm serious. We're power rangers and it's not about me it's about the others. The ones we swore to protect. You may have been a jerk about it but you were right and right now the others don't need us to be fighting." Jake apologized.

The red ranger's mind shifted back to a time when things weren't so friendly. The ferocity of the punch hurdled like a rocket through space. On instinct, Troy's hand rose to counteract like a vice grip. His hand clamped down on the curled knuckles of the attacker. What followed was a blur.

The attacker wretched back tears streaming down their face. The acrid scent of burnt flesh fills the air. The sizable crowd all gasped and looked back at Troy, the glow of his hands receding. The memory brought a painful resurgence to Troy's mind.

However, the stoic face of Troy melted away as the slightest instance of a smile appeared on his face. An even wider expression came across Jake's face. He was glad to finally put this thing to rest and focus on what lied ahead.

"I really hope you can accept my apology man. No hard feelings?" Jake extended his hand. Troy rebuffed Jake's offer of friendship, opting instead to do a simple pat on the shoulder. The black ranger was overwhelmed by this notion of camaraderie, a side that probably no one has seen before coming from Troy Burrows.

"You're not going to say it back?" Jake was baffled.

"..No, because I'm Troy Burrow. I'm too cool for school, right?..."

Words seemed to vanish from Jake's throat. He was off-put by the fact that Troy reused something said as an insult and made it sound cool. This guy really was a loveable jerk, it's no wonder Gia saw potential friendship with him.

"Sheez I can't seem to get a win with you can I?" The explosive anger Jake felt earlier had vanished and his jolly nature returned once more. Troy once more faced forward, ready to hit the city streets to look for the yellow ranger when the world around him seemed to vanish in a blur and he found himself on an unfamiliar plane of existence.

Once more Troy was drawn to the field of a great battle. The full force of earth's spectrum guardians were gathered, divided amongst their different teams. The opponents they faced were an army of even greater numbers, gray-skinned foot soldiers with cube-like heads. This would be a battle for the ages, one that may redefine the future.

The visage changed to show five silhouetted figures of various body types each walking side by side. Troy recognized one of them instantly as Creepox, the curve of the mantis creature's sickle blades are impossible not to notice. Three of the figures were identifiable yet they each had a foreboding and powerful aura. The fifth and final figure marched in the center of the group. Though Troy couldn't make out their face, from what he could see it looked as though they were wearing a trench coat of sorts and a feathered hat. The aura emanating from this figure was incredibly dark and malevolent which disturbed Troy the most.

The voice of the figure seemed to whisper "I'm coming for you. You've had too many gains it's time to lose."

The words of the mystery figure sent Troy into a lurch, he might've fallen to the ground if he didn't feel Jake's hand bringing him back. "You alright bro? It looked like you were about to hurl."

Troy looked at Jake intently, of all the times to have a vision this was the worst. He waved off Jake's concern stating it was nothing more than a fleeting thought. Before he could say something to dissuade Jake from further intrigue the voice of Gosei spoke through their pins.

"Rangers, I am detecting morph energy in the park!" Gosei spoke.

"Morph energy?" Jake asked.

"It's Gia. I am also detecting frigid temperatures, it appears our tundra foe has returned. She has engaged him single-handedly. Based on her readings she is in great duress."

"With her leg in that condition, there's no telling how long she'll last," Jake fret as Troy kept a serious expression.

"Go now rangers, Noah and Emma will join you," Gosei ordered.

Gia charged Arachione with her tiger claw in hand. She swiped the weapon toward the abdomen of the foe with a flash of sparks depicting the damage. However her blows seemed ineffective, Arachione was far more ferocious. With a foot of distance between them, the eyes of the warstar invader glittered with laser vision knocking Gia off her feet. She struggled to rise, pain shot up her injured leg which only served to leave her more open to an attack. The frozen winds blew from Arachione's back, he stood over Gia his leg crashing repeatedly on her sternum.

"Give up yellow Ranger, your world is doomed," He bellowed.

Gia fought to breathe, the constant pressure on her chest gave little room for her lungs to expand and intake air. She could feel herself slowly slipping away. From her field of vision, a red and black-figure came into view, the bladed edge of their weapons striking a diagonal line from the shoulder to the navel of the alien. Sparks flew from the wounds as the creature stepped back.

"Gia, you alright?!" Troy said, coming to her aid alongside Jake, Noah and Emma, now in their ranger suits.

Gia paused surprised at Troy's sudden expression of concern. This couldn't have been the same person who disrespected her earlier. She regained her composure thinking it must have been a fluke.

Wait, he wasn't sorry, it was Troy for crying out loud. Gia pushed past the two boys not at all pleased to see them here. She was no princess in need of rescue nor a damsel in distress. This was her fight and hers alone.

"Ugh, what the heck are you doing here?" Gia scoffed.

Jake stood beside the yellow range ready to help any way he could as he put his hand on her shoulder. "Were here to back you up and before you say anything. I'm not going to push you to do something you don't wanna do and for that, I apologize. You are strong and we all make mistakes. Your value doesn't decrease based on someone's inability to see your worth. Isn't that right Troy?"

Troy nodded in response. He may have not said anything but Gia could tell his apology was true.

"Now as a team why don't we take care of this cold-hearted beast once and for all," Jake said.

Troy stood with his dragon sword pointed daring the monster to charge. "Gia, we'll create an opening, you finish him."

"I'll freeze you all first!" Arachione bellowed the tundra winds blowing from his wings. Troy drew a card from his belt.

"Twist Tornado!" He yelled placing the card in the mouth of his morpher. Slamming the device shut, the symbol mounted on the forehead of Gosei glittered and a red whirlwind blew dissipating the oncoming blizzard.

Troy, Jake, Emma, and Noah burst forward and circled around Arachione. From every angle, the invader was met with the end of a ranger's weapon though he did not yield. Gia charged in having found a second wind with the help of the other rangers. She gripped her tiger claw and sought an opening. There was a gap between Emma and Noah, she lunged striking fiercely only to the battered back. She needed to end this guy but there wasn't a breach. Sensing this need, Jake stepped up.

"Troy, Noah, aim high!" Jake shouted.

Troy sprung into the air and soared toward Arachione. Fueled with the power of his element, the straight edge of the dragon sword dealt a powerful blow to the frosty enemy. Noah aimed his bowgun towards the sky. Rapidly performing the mathematics in his mind fired a barrage of blasts which fell like rain.

"Nice one Noah. Emma cover me I'm going in close," Jake said.

"You got it," the pink ranger exclaimed.

The pink beams from her phoenix shot proceeded Jake who stormed directly toward the enemy. Jake slid across the ground looping under the initial swing of Arachione. The impact of the pink ranger's blasts followed by the sudden strike of the black ranger's ax shattered what remained of the snowflake wings.

"Now Gia!" Jake signaled after he moved away from the foe.

"I don't think so!" The monster bellowed sending a rush of freezing air. Jake readied his morpher with a power card in the slot.

"Defense Stone!" Jake yelled as he summoned a slab of stone in front of Gia. The blizzard blast was deflected against the flat edge allowing Gia to continue her charge with her trusty weapon in hand.

In a series of intense attacks, she relentlessly assaulted the war star invader pouring in all of her emotions and pain. Her movements were swift and fluid but also critical and precise. She bobbed and weaved using her superior mobility to lash at blind spots with her tiger claw. With the final strike, the silhouetted visage of the tiger struck down with her amplifying the output of damage.

In the war star space ship, Admiral Malkor erupts in rage at the incompetence of his minion. It was a simple task, one that was nearly impossible to screw up. The dreadful force of the power rangers proved to be more formidable than he had expected.

"VRAK!" The admiral called.

The cobalt scientist entered the bridge of the ship, "You've summoned me, Admiral?" Vrak spoke reverently.

"The genetic clone you sent down has failed once again!"

"I can see that admiral, these young heroes are truly indeed a great spectacle to study. Perhaps if I can acquire a sample of their DNA I can create our own genetic duplicates."

"I don't want you to clone our enemies, I want you to do something about your monster. He was supposed to rid the humans of their pesky bio impurities and raise me an army to compete with that of your father. That cannot happen if the rangers keep interrupting our recruitment plans!"

"How would you like me to address this admiral, shall I dispatch another clone? Maybe we can overwhelm the rangers with sheer force?" Vrak suggested.

"No! We cannot afford to expend any more of our soldiers...Is there a way for you to enlarge Arachione? With a larger form, he can trample the rangers underfoot and subjugate the entire city beneath his frozen spell. Then those worthless humans will be ripe for the picking."

"Why yes Admiral, I have ingrained in each of the clones a biomass limiter which prevents them from expanding too rapidly when in stasis form. I have been experimenting with ways to increase the maximum growth capacity and am prepared to enter the trial phase. At your command, I'll dispatch my newly created Zombats which will accelerate the biomass limiter and raise it to its maximum capacity."

"Do it."

Arachione could barely stand, the combined might of the rangers was too much for him to handle.

"Let's finish this!" Troy said readying his weapon.

The Phoenix shot connected to the base of the dragon sword. The handle of the snake ax passed in front of the trigger to the shark bow gun and connected to the tiger claw. Lastly, the saber of the dragon sword slid into the handle of the bow gun.

"Megaforce Blaster!" The rangers exclaim.

Placing their cards in their respective weapons, the super combination was fully primed and ready to fire.

"Dynamic Victory Charge!"

Pulling the trigger of the phoenix shot, the unified symbol of the Megaforce dashed forward in golden light. With a final cry of defeat, Arachione was reduced to chunks, another job well done.

The destruction of Arachione saw a drastic reduction in tundra temperatures. Many of those who have been frozen solid now find themselves rapidly defrosted. It didn't take long for word to spread that rangers were in the park. Cameras sprang from everywhere with reporters and fans all fighting for a chance to engage the heroes who saved their town.

Jake smiled beneath his visor thrilled at the sudden attention. Resting his ax on his shoulder, he struck a dramatic pose which garnished a reaction of cheers from the crowd.

"This is so awesome," he whispered to his teammates. "They love us."

"They don't know us yet Jake, right now we're just something new to them," Noah responded.

"Well then, let's give them something to love," With a few swings of his ax Jake stroke another dramatic pose. "Venom of the snake, Megaforce Black Ranger!"

There were several more camera flashes capturing his visage. He turned back to his team overjoyed.

"Can't wait to read that article tomorrow." He smirked.

"Yeah of course you are," Gia said.

Suddenly from the skies what sounded like the screech of bats filled the air. A swarm of peculiar creatures descended from above, flapping their leathery wings around the heads of civilians and rangers alike. Their singular eyeball blinked at the remains of Arachione. They each latched onto the remains, attempting to lock eyes with each other. Once synchronized a blue star pattern shined bright and before the rangers could do anything their enemy has been revived and grown to titanic heights.

"Round two rangers!" Arachione bellowed.

"Everyone get back, we'll take care of this!" Gia yelled to the curious crowd of onlookers.

"How do we take care of this?" Jake questioned. Then the chime of their morphers signaled the rangers to the call of their mentor.

"Rangers, I had hoped that the day would never come when you would need to fight enemies on that level, but should such a day arise Tensou and I were ready."

From the belts of the rangers, a new card levitates into their hands. Though initially gray the cards quickly became imprinted with the zord corresponding to the respective rangers.

"Whoa, are these the zords?!" Emma said.

"Yes! No more simulations. Now here's the real deal!" Noah was excited.

"These cards will summon your individual mechanoids. These vehicles are equipped with armor and weapons that will enable you to fight enemies who stand above normal heights. These zords are not to be used casually or without cause. To pilot them you must be at one with yourself."

"Understood Gosei," Noah replied.

"Oh man, this is going to be so cool! Our first Zord battle. I heard zords have awesome stereos!" Jake gleamed excitedly.

"Don't get ahead of yourself just yet, we still have a job to do." Troy snapped. He placed the card into the mouth of his morpher.

"Dragon zord!"

In a realm high in the heavens, a stone monument was fixated with the crest of the Megaforce. Emblazoned on this structure the faces of the five sacred beasts were fashioned out of stone. The petrified visage of the dragon became free of its hardened shell as it answered the call of its master.

Arachione's winds began to blanket the town in a fresh blizzard as he marched through the streets in his giant form. The dragon head resembled that of Troy's prime silencer and likewise attached itself to the nose of an airplane. Rapidly scanning the shape of the craft, a full body was formed for the dragon. From the mouth of the beast, flames spewed which rapidly countered the shivering cold front. Troy bounded into the cockpit of his zord. The control console was a set of dual control sticks similar to that of helicopters."

"Whoa, Troy's zord is so cool!" Noah praised.

"What are we waiting for?" Emma beamed.

They both placed the new card into the mouth of their morphers.

"Shark Mechazord!"

"Phoenix Mechazord!"

Much like Troy, the faces of the shark and phoenix became free of their stone shell. They raced down from the heavens and into the mortal realm. The phoenix aligned itself with that of a fighter jet whereas the shark adapted the shape of a submarine. The pink and blue rangers jumped into their cockpits their hands clasped tight around the control sticks.

Volleys of missiles flew from the wings of the phoenix each releasing a blast of heat on impact. The shark surged from the waterways chomping down on the leg of Arachione.

Jake marched in place his excitement was through the roof. He readied his morpher and power card. "Man, we can't let the other guys have all the fun. Let's show them some land power."

"Wait," Gia called still uncertain about her control. "What if this just blows up in my face like the other cards did? I could be responsible for destroying the whole city."

"Well, it makes sense why you were so out of whack earlier. The level of resentment you have toward your dad. If that was me I would be pretty rattled too."

"Resentment towards my dad? It was just a little disagreement we had earlier so-" Gia sighed realizing what happened. "Emma said something didn't she?"

Jake scrunched his face beneath his helmet. He forgot that Emma shared that secret in confidence. The cat was already out of the bag and there was no turning back.

"She might've mentioned a thing or two about your past...you know me I didn't pay attention..."

"Yes, you did." Gia sighed again, "I'll worry about that later, for right now let's deal with the task at hand."

They both readied their cards.

"I believe in you Gia and I'll always have your back."

"Tiger Mechazord!"

"Snake Mechazord!"

The final two heads descended from the heavens. The snakehead found its way to a train and the tiger to a bulldozer. Both zords adapted the vehicles and generated new forms for themselves. Jake and Gia took a seat in the cockpits of their new zords and quickly became acquainted.

The black reptile rushed past the feet of Arachione giving the tiger enough time to perform a pounce which brought the giant to the ground.

"It's about time you guys joined us," Noah said over the intercoms.

"Well, given how my previous attempts at mastering new powers went I was a bit timid to try when innocents are at risk," Gia replied.

"We'll make sure that doesn't happen. Right now the real threat is what's in front of us." Troy said.

"I just did a quick scan, if we're going to beat this guy we'll need to hit him with a unified attack. Our zords as they are now won't be enough." Noah reported.

The voice of Gosei spoke through the intercoms. "Rangers, you are indeed correct, your zords do have the capability to combine, but it requires complete and total absence of dissidents. You all must be unified in thought and action to execute the transformation properly. Are you ready for that kind of power?"

"Well I'm a little frustrated for someone one revealing some sensitive information, but I do believe we are Gosei."

Emma gasped, "You guys told her?"

"No comment," Troy said.

"I didn't say anything I was with you all this time, Emma." Noah defended himself.

Emma then threw her attention to Jake. Jake hesitated, "Um..it was slip of the tongue."

"It alright Emma, you were just trying to help." Gia forgave her friend. Once more the belts of the rangers glittered and a new card was presented to them. The image depicted was that of the combined form of their zords.

With their morphers secured on the docket near their control sticks, the rangers draw open the mouths of their morphers and place their cards inside. With the final glittering of the crest atop gosei's head the transformation began.

The snake slithered across the ground with the tiger keeping pace. The tail of the snake looped around and plugged into the rear of the tiger the two of them forming the legs of the Megazord. The dragon perched on the newly formed legs becoming the torso, and lastly the phones and shark attached to the sides of the dragon becoming the arms. The head rose from the center of the dragon's back signaling that the transformation has been made complete.

"Gosei Great Megazord! Ready!" The rangers announce. They thrust their controllers forward compelling the Megazord to walk.

"Call in all the robots you want I'll freeze them all the same!" Arachione yelled. Cold winds spiraled around the Gosei Great Megazord, but the machine kept marching, not easily swayed.

"Chew on this!" Noah exclaimed as his zord launched forward in a punch.

"I'll take some of that!" The leg containing snake-headed surged forward in a kick per Jake's input. Already two successive blows were dealt.

The ground trembled as Arachione fell he needed to turn the tables. Cryogenic energy gathered in the air and around them began to sparkle with mist. Connecting his palms to the ground a torrent of powdered snow shrouded the area in front of the alien coating the ground in slippery ice.

"Not today!" Gia shouted pulling up on her controls. The Megazord leaped into the air avoiding the ice trap. It raised the right arm of the phoenix being fueled with the energy of the heavens.

"Phoenix dive!" Emma said thrusting her console forward. The Megazord lurched with its right arm leading the way. Like a space shuttle re-entering the atmosphere, a superheated punch struck Arachione.

The foe was on his last legs, every attack he launched proved to be greatly ineffective. The rangers powered through everything Arachione had to throw and now it was time for the ultimate finisher. Once more the voice of Gosei spoke to his team.

"Rangers it's time you extinguish this enemy once and for all, use the Victory Charge to finish this fight!"

Drawing a third card from their belt, it morphed to a depiction of their Megazord equipped with a burning sword. Loading it into the mouth of their morpher the final strike was initiated. The Megazord drew its colossal sword which was made from the neck and tail of the dragon zord. Facing Arachione, holographic depiction of the zord cards petrified the monster in place.

The bladed edge of the sword burst into flame as the Megazord traced a circle in the air. At Troy's command, the Megazord swiped upward with a diagonal slash to the right. It followed with a downward diagonal strike to the left, this pattern repeated once more performing a 4 hit combo. The final strike was a horizontal swipe. The Megazord turned its back with Arachione exploding in fiery destruction.

Troy leaned back on his seat breathing a sigh of relief. Emma jumped from her seat clapping her hands vigorously. She made her way to Gia and gave her friend a celebratory hug. Noah celebrated to himself but quickly turned his attention back to the console in front of him. This might be his only chance to be in his zord so he'll need to document everything. Jake was the most explosive in his victory, both of his hands reaching for the sky.

He raised his voice several decibels too high as he yelled screamed his merriment. "Ha! MEGA RANGERS THAT'S A MEGA WIN!"

"What?" Troy said sternly.

"What?" Jake was confused. "I'm just trying to be enthusiastic."

"Mega rangers that's a mega win?" Gia repeated, appalled.

"Jake, just sit down," Noah said.

"What you guys don't like it? That could be our victory call. I bet if Troy shouted that it'll be epic." Jake said.

"Maybe in another timeline or dimension," Gia said.

"Oh come on, it's an amazing victory call."

"It's a mistake," Troy said.

Jake eased himself back into his Megazord seat and as usual, the team sucked the fun out of everything.

Returning back to the base, spirits were once again high. The rangers looked at the face of their mentor who glowed with warm light, a sign of his pleasure.

"Once more I congratulate you rangers, you've dealt another crucial blow to the armada. Not only that but by overcoming your internal conflicts the power dynamic of your team has also grown exponentially. Keep this in mind, victory only comes when everyone is on one accord."

"I'm just glad that Gia is back," Emma said giving her friend a hug.

"You have all earned a time of rest, please return to your homes and be with your families. Relish this time of recovery for we do not know when the armada will strike again." Gosei spoke.

"Well I am interested in running some tests on those crystals I found today, maybe I can combine them with my sea power somehow." Noah speculated.

"Do you ever take a break bro? Not everything is about numbers," Jake laughed.

"I know, but only the important things," Noah said.

Emma laughed, "Hey guys how about we all congratulate ourselves to a day at Ernie's."

"Ernies?" Troy wondered.

"Do you even eat froyo?" Jake asked Troy.

"No, since I don't know what it is."

"It's an ice cream parlor, they have milkshakes, smoothies, malts. Anything and everything." Noah said.

"All you had to say was an ice cream parlor. The other stuff should have been self-explanatory." Jake told Noah.

"I was just making sure. I didn't know if he enjoyed ice cream or not. Anyway, I wish I could join you all but I have somewhere to be in the next 10 minutes. I'll see you all tomorrow."

"Wait where are you going? Don't tell me the school's web room again?" Jake inquired.

"No, something else..See ya guys, bye Tensou." Noah waved everyone goodbye.

Jake gave Noah a look of scrutiny, since when did he have a life outside his books? The world truly was a strange place

"So you up for is Troy?" Gia asked Troy.

The thought of diving in on the frozen dairy product was alluring and would provide the ultimate getaway. Emma prayed silently to herself that Troy would decline, though he was tame today that's only because he had aggression toward Gia. If he came to the store, he may say something which would ruin her love for the place.

"I'll pass," Troy answered as he headed out the door. Thankfully her prayers were answered and the red ranger declined the offer citing that he had enough cold for a while.

The bus deposited Troy at the top of his aunt's street. It would take another 7 minutes for him to reach the door. By this time the sun had already set and the street lights had started to come on.

The lone teenager continued on his way mildly amused by the thought of having friends. While Gia was a fireball much like himself, Emma was a daffodil. Jake though loud and rambunctious countered Noah's reserved nature well. Troy sat right in the middle of these two groups, a metaphoric fulcrum.

Aside from his "friends" another thought which concerned him was the vision from before. The unit of five warriors walking adjacently. For a brief instance, another image flashed in his mind. He again saw that buzzard planet, one side engulfed in orange flame, and the other cool white.

A chill ran up Troy's spine, it was the exact same one he felt when he envisioned the supposed leader of the group he saw.

The vision then ended.

He turned around to see if he was being followed but the road behind him was exceptionally quiet with the occasional car driving by. Facing forward he continued on his way.

On the roof of a house situated at the entrance to the neighborhood a shadowy figure looms. Silhouetted by the light of the moon the figure watched Troy curiously with crimson eyes.

"So that's who you are. If that idiot Gosei thinks he can turn you into some sort of superhero, let's see what happens when his truth comes out. I'm coming for you equalizer."

After the evening at Ernie's Brain freeze, Gia returned home. Expecting to see a yellow duffel bag waiting for her on the porch, she thought for once her father might actually live up to one of his threats. There was no duffle bag and the porch light was left on, this must be her father's way of saying he still cares. Gia breathed a sigh of relief, more than likely this event will resurface later down the line but in the meantime, she can have a nice place to lay her head.

Hey guys so sorry about the wait but here it is and we do hop you enjoyed this chapter! Please tell us what you think. STORY WISE lol