Chapter 31: Making Bad
With Asher's memories in her head, the robotic clone knew the stories of Sledge and his crew of monsters. Fearsome opponents of the Dino Charge team, they had stood up to the Rangers multiple times and had them on the ropes. It was only because of the Dark Ranger that most of them had been destroyed.
Yet now they stood with her, reanimated, and she couldn't have been less impressed by them. They had almost destroyed several Dino Charge Rangers, and Ryne, only to be chased away by the rest of the Beast Morpher team. They were pathetic.
"We must reanimise more evil warriors to strengthen our ranks for the next stage of my plan!" Evox declared as he stood in front of the crowd. Asher, Blaze and Roxy stood at the back, watching unimpressed.
"Yes, Master Evox," Scrozzle shoved to the front and bowed.
"That's no problem," Sledge shrugged. "We've still got plenty of relics from Ryjack's collection to choose from," he glanced at the chest of weapons taken from the Rangers. Asher rolled her eyes, toying with the dagger in her hand that she had taken from the explosion site.
"But Master Evox," Scrozzle spoke again, looking up at the monster. "The monsters we've reanimised so far aren't anything special," his blunt, honest words made Blaze snort as a chorus of angry shouts rose from the five monsters around Scrozzle.
"Watch your mouth, rust-bucket!" Snide shoved Scrozzle, forcing him to look at him. He cowered as Snide grabbed him, raising a fist. "Or you'll have me to deal with," he warned.
"And me," Sledge warned, just as offended by the comment. Scrozzle yelped as he was yanked away from Snide, and stared up at Sledge, who looked as if he could crush him easily.
"Quiet!" Evox snarled, and Sledge reluctantly let the robot go. "Get to your point, Scrozzle," he ordered impatiently.
"I've found a way to use Ryjack's Reanimiser so the clones come back even more powerful than before!" Scrozzle explained, holding up the device he had been testing. "We just add strong gemstones to the mix when we reanimise them," he told them.
"No stronger gemstones than diamonds," Robo-Asher spoke up as she flipped the dagger in the air and caught it. Poisandra gave a loud gasp.
"Diamonds! I like the sound of that," she giggled.
"Urgh…how was reanimising this airhead a good idea?" Robo-Roxy wondered quietly in disgust. Robo-Asher and Robo-Blaze nodded their agreement.
"That's right," Scrozzle nodded as he walked over to his worktable nearby. "And my new Robotron has already begun stealing diamonds! See?" he flung the cover off the box on the table, revealing a large collection of diamonds. Poisandra gave a squeal of delight, shoving Fury out of the way to rush over with Curio right behind her.
"Oh, they're just divine!" Poisandra sighed as she admired the sparkling gemstones.
"So far, I only have enough diamonds to create one clone," Scrozzle ignored the two and turned back to Evox. "But Thieftron will bring back more soon!" he announced, before producing a memory drive from his pocket. "And these old Ranger files I stole from SPD will help us decide who to bring back to life first!" he connected it to his computer. "I'm thinking Koragg, the Knight Wolf. He's cold and ruthless," Scrozzle brought up footage as they all gathered around to watch.
"You really don't know anything about Koragg, do you?" Asher scoffed from the back. "Koragg was powerful, but his honour stopped him from ever dealing a decisive blow to the Rangers. And that was before the spell broke and he remembered he was Leánbow, who's good," she rolled her eyes as she shoved past the others. "You may as well have suggested a Ranger themselves," she mocked. Scrozzle growled, but Evox rounded on him before he could speak.
"You all need to pick carefully!" Evox warned him. "Or you'll have to answer to me," he threatened the cowardly robot.
"Of course, Master," Scrozzle bowed to him quickly, trying to placate him. Evox turned on his heel and stalked past the onlookers.
"Figure it out!" he shouted as he stormed off.
Hanging out in Riptide Gym, the Rangers were taking advantage of having the morning off, free from Lewis' torment. He'd been working them harder than ever since Evox got hold of Ryjack's stolen weapons, wanting to make sure they were prepared for whatever enemy returned to do Evox's bidding.
"I'd love to have a sip of whatever this is," Steel said as he lifted Nate's glass and studied what was left of the juice Nate had been drinking. "Still waiting for you upgrade me so I can eat and drink, bro," he stared at his brother expectantly, and Nate shook his head.
"Yep, you've only mentioned it 8000 times," he said, tired of having the same conversation with Steel. He took his drink back, wary in case Steel spilled it - again. Steel huffed.
"Maybe I'll have Ryne do it," he said, turning expectantly to the Pink Ranger sitting next to him. She didn't respond, looking at her phone. "Ryne? Hey Ryne?" Steel called her name, and finally she blinked and looked up.
"Everything okay?" Zoey asked, surprised by how distracted Ryne was. She looked down at her phone again.
"Yeah, sorry," she apologised, shoving it into her pocket.
"Hey, look," Ravi distracted them before Zoey could press the matter, diverting their attention to the TV. "It happened again," they all frowned as they saw Zoey's mother on the TV, standing in front of a jewellery store.
"The incident is the third burglary this week," Muriel reported. Behind her, the jewellery store was closed and taped off, with police standing in front of the doors to make sure nobody tried to get in. "In every case, the robber has stolen diamonds," she reported.
"Seriously? Why would anyone want a shiny rock?" Steel wondered aloud, not understanding the appeal.
"Witnesses were standing in the room at the time of the robbery, but no-one saw the thief," Muriel continued. "Could he be invisible?" she posed the question, and Ravi huffed.
"Invisible?" he repeated, a little sceptical.
"Could be a number of things. Ninjas, magic-users, magical creatures. I know a couple people who can turn invisible too," Ryne listed, and Ravi shot her a droll stare.
"You're a Ninja and a magic-user. You saying you did it?" Devon asked, teasing her, and Ryne smirked.
"If I did, you'd never find out," she said, making him grin.
"Evox has got to be behind it somehow," Ravi considered. Nate furrowed his eyebrows at the Blue Ranger.
"Ravi, why would Evox want diamonds?" he asked.
"When converted properly, diamonds can mimic Hilirian Crystals, which are a powerful energy source," Ryne answered, and they all stared at her. "What? Emperor Grumm stole them when he was building a body for Omni. I learned about it when I helped out in SPD's labs," she shrugged, a little embarrassed.
"Then I'm definitely right. Evox is the one stealing them for energy," Ravi nodded, but Nate, Devon and Zoey didn't look fully convinced. "There's a pattern, the stores are being robbed in alphabetical order," he argued. "It can't be a coincidence!" he insisted.
"Sherlock Ravi might be onto something," Devon said, but was only half-teasing.
"Diamonds of Distinction is just around the corner from here!" Ravi pointed out.
"How do you know so much about jewellers?" Ryne asked, her eyebrows raised and a playful smile on her face. Ravi blushed hard at the question, and huffed.
"Maybe we should check this place out, in case it's the next target," he said, ignoring her question and their grins.
"It couldn't hurt," Zoey agreed.
"We probably shouldn't all go. It'll attract too much attention," Ryne considered. Devon nudged her as they got up from the table, and Nate and Steel stayed sitting.
"Spoken like a real jewellery-thief," he said. Ryne rolled her eyes.
"Tell us if you find something," Nate said.
"Good luck," Steel told them as the four walked away, wondering if Ravi's theory was right.
The debate was still ongoing amongst the monsters and robots, who couldn't agree on anyone to bring back. A lot of names had been tossed around, only to be dismissed. Too many had suffered embarrassing defeats at the hands of the Rangers, causing them to be looked down on.
"We need to bring back someone who's clever, cruel, and not afraid to get their hands dirty," Robo-Roxy listed the traits she wanted from whoever they brought back. She sifted through the weapons, and gave a gasp. "I've got it! The Princess of Evil herself, Astronema," she lifted a glove from the crate. "This is her Gauntlet. She's cunning, wicked, and she'll crush the Rangers into dust! Just the kind of woman we need," Robo-Roxy smirked as she admired the gauntlet in her hand.
"Clearly you didn't pay attention in Ranger History class back at Grid Battleforce," Robo-Asher called out as the other monsters growled their approval. Robo-Roxy turned to her and Robo-Blaze.
"Astronema turned good too," Blaze reminded her, and Roxy jerked as she realised that he was right.
"And not just that, she took over as the Pink Galaxy Ranger," Asher added. Roxy gave a disgusted noise.
"Gross! To think I looked up to her!" she yelled in horror, and threw the gauntlet back into the crate. "What is with these villains becoming little goodie-two-shoes?" Robo-Roxy growled.
"Ha! You're all forgetting the baddest baddie!" Scrozzle scoffed as he finally spoke up for a while.
"What are you talking about?" Robo-Blaze asked, somewhat wary of who Scrozzle had in mind.
"Obviously…" Scrozzle walked over to the crate and lifted the staff that had caught his eye. "The one, the only, Lord Zedd!" he lifted it up and swung it around, making everyone jump back to avoid being hit by it. "He and Rita Repulsa were going to rule the universe as King and Queen of Evil, remember?" he pointed out, but paused when Robo-Asher scoffed. "What now?" he asked, exasperated. She had been the most vocal in turning down all their suggestions, while not making any herself.
"You're 0-2, Scrozzie," Robo-Asher taunted. "When Zordon sacrificed himself and sent out that wave of goodness, it turned Rita Repulsa and Lord Zedd good," there was a chorus of disgusted noises behind her. "Rita Repulsa became the Mystic Mother. No idea what Zedd got up to, but I'd say nothing bad," Asher shrugged.
"Yes, little know-it-all, Zedd did turn good," Scrozzle's response surprised Asher. "But when he turned good, he was no longer Lord Zedd. This staff would reanimate the evil one," he said. Asher watched him suspiciously, seeming to sense that he wasn't 100% sure, but she didn't reply.
"If he is still evil, he'd betray Evox in a heartbeat," Robo-Roxy was the one to deny Scrozzle's suggestion.
"Oh come on!" Scrozzle huffed at the constant denials.
"Remember what he did to King Mondo?" Roxy reminded, and Scrozzle winced, dropping the staff with a loud clang as he recalled the data that had been shared with him about previous Rangers and villains.
"Those poor robots!" he wailed as Robo-Blaze returned the staff to the chest. "What a slimeball that Zedd is!" Scrozzle declared, outraged at his treatment of robots.
"Yeah, I don't want him on my team," Sledge agreed with a nod.
"Hey! At least he had a nice wedding with Rita!" Poisandra spoke up, turning her anger on her husband. Instantly he gulped, shrinking away as Fury rolled his eyes and turned away. "I bet her husband didn't spend more time with his asteroids than with his wife!" she snapped at him furiously.
"Poisy…" Sledge groaned, finding himself in hot water with her once more as Snide just laughed.
The four Rangers on stakeout outside of Diamonds of Distinction had been waiting for almost two hours for any sign of a robbery, and Devon was getting bored. He'd given up, playing a game in the backseat as Zoey chewed on a carrot, and Ravi watched the front doors of the shop intently.
"How can we even be sure that they'll rob the store now?" Ryne wondered. "They only hit the last place a few hours ago," she pointed out. Ravi didn't answer, but judging from his silence, she knew he was going with his gut. She sighed. "Okay, I'll take a look inside," she volunteered, opening the door and jumping out.
"She's going to rob them, I knew it," Devon grinned, and Ryne leaned back in to punch his arm. Devon gave a yell, but more because she'd disrupted his gameplay than from actual pain.
"First off, I only studied at the Wind Ninja Academy for a year. Second, I barely use magic," she pointed out, and with a huff she shut the door and stalked towards the store.
"Wonder what's going on with her. She's acting weird. Well, weirder than usual," Zoey considered aloud, before realising that in the time she'd blinked, Ryne had vanished. She kept quiet, deciding not to add more fuel to Devon's teasing.
Nobody noticed Ryne as she kept to the shadows of the jewellery store, watching the few customers inside shopping. One man was shopping for an engagement ring, chatting nervously to the clerk. A couple of women were picking out a birthday present, and another was buying a watch, but none of them seemed particularly skittish or ready to steal diamonds when nobody was looking.
A shiver ran down Ryne's spine, and she pressed further into the shadows as someone else walked in. While the person seemed normal, instantly going up to the counter, something felt off, and her sharp eyes scanned the room. Everyone else seemed oblivious to the fact that someone had entered unseen, continuing about their business, and Ryne spotted one of the side displays filled with diamond jewellery open, and the contents began to vanish.
Unable to see the thief, Ryne closed her eyes and focused on her other senses. No breathing, but the most subtle of steps moved past her and towards the doors, which slid open. Ryne slipped out behind the unseen thief, and waved to her friends in their van. Without speaking, she gestured in a direction, and Ravi's eyes widened.
"I knew it!" he was first out of the van, followed by the other two as they hurried over to join Ryne. She led them down the street, keeping her focus on her hearing. Once they turned the corner and saw nobody else around, energy gathered in the palm of Ryne's hand and she hurled it out.
There was a loud shriek as the energy seemed to connect with something. The air flickered, and a Robotron whirled around as he became visible.
"My invisibility circuits!" Thieftron wailed, clutching the bag of diamonds that he had stolen.
"Your senses scare me a little," Zoey told Ryne, who shrugged.
"Swoop Technique," she reminded, before Thieftron spun on his heel and broke into a run in a desperate attempt to escape them.
"I'm outta here!" Thieftron wailed as they gave chase, only for a blur to catch up to him and snatch the bag from his hand before turning and speeding away. Thieftron yelled in horror at losing his stolen goods, turning to see Devon slowing to a stop.
"Running from someone with Cheetah DNA? Come on dude," Ryne rolled her eyes.
"That's not fair!" he whined as Devon took the diamonds from the bag. They sparkled in the bright light, and it took a moment for him to tear his gaze from them.
"Fair?" Devon repeated. He laughed quietly in disbelief. "Were you going to pay for these?" he challenged.
"Just give me back the diamonds and no-one gets hurt," Thieftron warned, ignoring Devon's question. "Scrozzle needs a thousand of them," he said as Devon put the diamonds back into the bag and shoved it into his pocket.
"A thousand?!" Zoey repeated, not understanding why Scrozzle needed so many diamonds.
"That's a lot of energy," Ryne muttered.
"Well, we want zero of you," Devon warned the Robotron, who took a step back. Designed for stealth and stealing, Thieftron was cowardly, and reluctant to fight.
"The feeling is mutual," he gulped.
"It's Morphin' Time!"
"ACTIVATE BEAST POWER, HA!" in a flash, the Rangers Morphed and called on their Beast-X Mode to fight off the Robotron.
"Bring it on, Rangers!" Thieftron mustered as much courage as he could, and they raced in to fight him. Despite his words, he wasn't much of a challenge, and with one hard kick from Devon, he rolled back along the ground.
"Your thieving days are over, Robotron," Devon declared as Thieftron pushed himself up.
"Don't you know that the greatest thieves escape?" he launched himself into the air, trying to escape that way. However, he didn't count on Zoey's high-powered leaps, and the Yellow Ranger sent him tumbling back down towards the ground.
"Gorilla Slam!" Ravi pulled a bench from nearby and hurled it at Thieftron, causing more damage.
"Squirrel Snipe!" before the Robotron could hit the ground, Ryne was dashing towards him and smashed a fist through his armour. The force threw him several feet away, and the other three Rangers ran to Ryne's side as Thieftron moaned and pushed himself up.
"You Rangers really know how to steal someone's thunder!" he whined, standing unsteadily.
"It's time you walked down the straight and narrow," Devon declared. "Transport, Beast-X Ultra Bow!" he called on one of their stronger weapons, and drew back the string. "Beast-X King, Power Bolt!" energy formed, creating an arrow, and he released it. The arrow pierced through the armour where Ryne had already broken it, and Thieftron wailed. He spun from the force, before falling onto his back and exploding.
"Great job!" Zoey cheered.
"I wonder what Scrozzle wanted those diamonds for," Ravi murmured.
"A thousand diamonds would give a lot of energy," Ryne considered, thinking the same as Ravi. "What the heck has he built that needs that kind of energy?" she asked, looking at the other three.
"I don't know, but we should return them to the store," Devon lifted the bag of diamonds, before turning and hurrying off with the other three to return the diamonds to their rightful place.
After returning the diamonds, the four Rangers returned to Grid Battleforce, where Nate and Steel had already gone after hearing about the Robotron.
"Nate, did you see the news?" Ravi asked as they walked into Nate's lab, where he and Asher were working.
"Yeah," Nate nodded as he turned away from the beakers of liquid he had been mixing. "Ravi, you were right all along," he said, smiling apologetically at the Blue Ranger.
"You would make a great detective!" Steel told him, making the others laugh.
"Thanks guys," Ravi smiled, glad that they had accepted his theory. "But the case isn't solved quite yet. That Robotron said they needed a thousand more diamonds," Nate's eyes widened at the number.
"Either he's putting together the most elaborate accessories for Evox, or there's something more at play. Diamonds can be converted into energy, right?" Asher turned to Ryne, who nodded.
"The question is, what is Evox planning to do with all that energy?" Zoey asked. They had all tried to come up with answers on the way back, but nothing seemed right.
"We've really got to stop them from getting anymore," Nate said, worried about what Evox was planning.
"There's only one more diamond wholesaler in the city. Maybe Elite Diamonds needs a visit from the Rangers?" Ravi suggested with a grin.
"How do you know so much about these places?" Asher asked, hands going to her hips with a knowing smile on her face. Ravi went bright red as the others giggled.
"We better go talk to the Commander then, and let her know the plan," Devon decided. As they stepped out of the lab and made their way to the Command Centre, Zoey reached out and caught Ryne's wrist, stopping her.
"We'll catch you up," Zoey told the rest of the team as Ryne looked confused. The others headed off, and Zoey released the Pink Ranger. Ryne tilted her head, not understanding why Zoey had kept her behind. "Are you okay? You've been acting…off all day," Zoey asked, and Ryne's eyebrows rose in surprise at just how direct the Yellow Ranger was about it.
"I…sorry," Ryne turned her head away, looking conflicted.
"You don't have to apologise," Zoey smiled at her gently. "I'm just worried. Is everything okay?" she asked. The shorter girl was quiet for a moment, before letting out a quiet breath.
"That guy, the one who's friends with your brother…" she started, sounding awkward.
"Ollie, right? You guys got on really well," Zoey remembered, and saw the blush on Ryne's face as she nodded.
"We've been talking, a lot. Mostly about inventing stuff, and he's told me about the places he's visited. He…he's coming to town soon and asked if I want to meet up with him," Ryne admitted, shy and embarrassed by what she was saying.
"Like a date?" Zoey's eyes lit up, but she tried to refrain for getting too excited when she saw the look on her friend's face.
"I…he said that it was just to hang out," Ryne said, her hand reaching for her phone in her pocket. Zoey tilted her head.
"Do you not want it to be a date?" she asked, not understanding why Ryne looked so conflicted and upset over it. From what she'd seen, the two had gotten on well, and Ryne seemed to have been enjoying messaging him since then. Ryne bit her lip.
"No, I do want it to be, but…I'm scared," she admitted.
"Scared?" Zoey repeated, not understanding. "Why? You've dated people be-oh," she stopped as it dawned on her. "You're scared it'll go like it did with Blaze?" she asked, keeping her voice down.
"I know that I was the one to break up with him, and I'm glad that he and Ashe got together, but I really like this guy. I'm scared that the same thing will happen again," Ryne confessed, looking at the ground.
"Hey," Zoey put her hand on Ryne's shoulder to coax her to look up. "It won't happen again," she said firmly, believing it with her entire being. "Blaze was a complete idiot. No-one else could be dumb enough to let someone as smart and cute as you go," Zoey grinned, making Ryne blush even as she giggled at how blunt Zoey's words were.
"Even so, I'm still scared," Ryne told her, and Zoey nodded, understanding.
"I think it's a good thing, to be nervous when you like someone," she said, and Ryne tilted her head. "It shows you care about the outcome. I was super nervous about dating Nate, even though I knew he liked me too," she smiled softly as she blushed. "You should go for it. Even if you don't want to do anything just yet, you should hang out. I think you'll regret it if you don't," Zoey warned her, finally lifting her hand.
"Yeah…you're right," Ryne nodded, knowing that what Zoey was saying made sense. Zoey grinned.
"For once I get to be the one giving you advice," she pointed out, and Ryne couldn't help but laugh.
"Thanks, Zoey. I appreciate it," she smiled, and Zoey nodded. "Come on, we better catch up to the others," Ryne said, and the two hurried after the rest of their team.
"Hey, it's not too late if you want us to beat up Blaze for you," Zoey suggested, earning more laughter from the Pink Ranger.
"You'd have to get in line. I'm pretty sure Fane is rallying the entire Zandarian army to go after him," she said, and the two giggled the entire way to the Command Centre.
"And you never got that pink puppy you promised me!" Poisandra was still screeching at Sledge, and everyone had gotten headaches from listening to her shrill voice for so long.
"I didn't know that robots could get migraines," Robo-Asher sighed, a hand to her helmet. "Please put me out of my misery," she complained. Robo-Blaze laughed quietly as he leaned on the wall beside her.
"You'd just come back and experience it all over again," he pointed out. Robo-Asher groaned, knowing that he was right.
"Give me a break, Poisy! You already have Curio!" Sledge pleaded as he continued to cower in front of his raging wife.
"I don't know if I respect her for having him grovelling like that, or if Sledge just disgusts me," Robo-Roxy said as she folded her arms and watched beside the other two.
"Both?" Robo-Asher suggested. She watched the two for a moment longer, before nodding.
"Both," she confirmed.
"Enough you two!" Scrozzle yelled as he stormed over, tired of Poisandra's hissy-fit. "We've got real problems, the Rangers have destroyed Thieftron!" he warned, making them all groan in frustration. "Now who's going to rob Elite Diamonds?" Scrozzle wondered as he set down the tablet he'd been using to find the diamond wholesalers around Coral Harbour and stalked over to his computer, frustrated.
"Hey, Scrozzie," Poisandra called, having lost the rage in her voice as she moved to stand at the table. "Why don't you send down one of your giant robots and make the Rangers pay for destroying your Robotron?" she suggested, her voice oddly innocent as Curio moved to stand beside her.
"Ah! I like your thinking!" Scrozzle didn't notice anything suspicious about Poisandra as the idea sounded good to him. Poisandra gave a delighted giggle and rushed off with Curio as Scrozzle and the others were distracted. "Time for some of the old Scrozzle razzmatazz!" he declared. Robo-Blaze made a disgusted noise.
"Will you stop? You're not cool," he told Scrozzle, embarrassed by the robot as Robo-Asher looked in the direction that Poisandra and Curio had run off in. She knew they were up to something, but she found that she didn't particularly care.
"Thiefdrone will be ready in a jiffy!" Scrozzle ignored the comment as he prepared a new Gigadrone based on the Robotron they'd just lost.
"In the meantime, we still have enough diamonds to reanimise one ultra-powerful villain, right?" Robo-Blaze glanced over at the diamonds in a box on the table.
"Yessiree!" Scrozzle nodded as he turned back to them. "So we better choose wisely," he warned as Robo-Blaze hummed and walked over to the box.
"We need someone bad to the bone," he said as he looked at the weapons. "Oh, how about one of the Psycho Rangers?" he considered as he pulled a large green data card from the box. "Nobody has ever been more dedicated to destroyed a Red Ranger than Psycho Red," he looked up with a smirk under his helmet.
"Now that's an option," Scrozzle considered as he turned back to his computer.
"Any objections, Miss Know-It-All?" Robo-Blaze asked Robo-Asher. She hummed, before shaking her head.
"For once it's not a bad suggestion," she allowed. Robo-Roxy scoffed quietly.
"This guy could put you all to shame," Robo-Blaze taunted the other monsters still around.
"Here we are, the man himself," Scrozzle brought up footage of Psycho Red fighting off Andros. He easily dominated in the battle, and Robo-Blaze laughed.
"Psycho Red could eat Devon Daniels for breakfast," he smirked.
"We know you don't like Devon, but don't forget what happened to Psycho Red," Robo-Roxy spoke up as she walked over. Blaze scoffed. "He was obsessed with destroying a Red Ranger, and then, well, show us Scrozzle," Roxy told the robot, who brought up more footage of Psycho Red in action.
They watched as the Red Space and Lost Galaxy Rangers fought off Psycho Red with ease, followed by the rest of the Space and Lost Galaxy Rangers helping to destroy all of the Psycho Rangers together.
"Fine," Robo-Blaze accepted defeat, frustrated. "If only we could bring back the entire Psycho Ranger team," he muttered.
"Well, we can only bring back one. So we better keep searching," Snide stomped back over to the chest filled with the weapons they had managed to get hold of. Robo-Asher rolled her eyes.
"I really don't see the point in relying on idiots who lost against Rangers in the past," she spoke up as the footage ended. Hearing the low growls around her, she smirked under her helmet. "Present company included," Robo-Asher added, and started to play with the dagger in her hand.
"You've done nothing but shoot down suggestions and make stupid comments. If you're just going to make useless comments, stay out of the way," Robo-Blaze snapped at her, shoving past her. Robo-Asher rolled her eyes, but kept quiet as she worked on her own idea.
Lewis grimaced at the volume of the alarms that blared inside of Grid Battleforce, warning them of the imminent threat.
"Rangers," Commander Shaw spoke, on her feet and walking towards the computers as she reached out to the Ranger team. "There's an incoming Gigadrone in Sector Julia-8-3," she warned them.
The team of Rangers stood by a small warehouse designed for the handling of diamonds, and Ravi continued speaking as Nate answered the Commander's warning.
"Roger that, Commander. Steel and I will handle it," Nate responded. He looked at his brother, who nodded, and they ran off, leaving the other four to continue their warning to the staff who were listening.
"We think it's likely that your plant will get hit too by the same thieves," Ravi continued his warning to the man in charge. He looked overwhelmed to be talking to the Power Rangers, while he also tried to process the level of threat he'd been given.
"It's best if you and your workers stay away, at least until we can determine if they're coming here," Ryne spoke up as she stood beside Ravi. "If you stay, you could get hurt," she warned them. The man nodded.
"We'll clear out," he agreed, and turned to his team. "Let's go, guys," he ordered, leading his team of workers away from the building.
"Thanks everyone!" Zoey called as they hurried away.
"Let's get in position," Devon said, opening the door and leading the other three inside. It was silent with everyone gone and the machinery not running, and Zoey found herself holding her breath as they hid as best they could. To her, it felt like her breathing was obnoxiously loud, while Ryne was crouched beside her completely silent.
"You're okay," Ryne whispered, seeming to sense Zoey's anxiety. The Yellow Ranger nodded, letting out the breath as she felt reassured by the Pink Ranger. Ryne's head then turned slightly, and she tapped Devon lightly to warn him. Moments later, the footsteps became audible, and two figures darted into view.
"Let's be nice and quiet, Curio," Poisandra warned her best friend quietly. She then giggled. "We don't want to get caught!" she sang, unable to keep herself from speaking.
"Too late!" the two gasped, stopping as they found their path blocked.
"Rangers?!" Poisandra and Curio squealed in unison as they saw the four Rangers.
"Sorry, but there's no diamonds for you," Ravi warned as he moved into a fighting stance. "Only destruction!" he said.
"Oh no, they're onto us!" Curio wailed in fear.
"Poisandra!" there was a snarl as Fury and Wrench appeared in a flash. "How dare you leave without telling Sledge?!" Fury demanded as he stormed up to her. Wrench followed, cowering behind the cat-like monster.
"Pish-posh!" Poisandra shoved Fury, who barely moved, but Wrench stumbled backwards from the force. "A lady can do as she likes!" she declared.
"Except when it comes to stealing diamonds!" Ryne called over, and the four monsters turned to them as they chose to focus on their enemies instead of fighting one another.
"You can't stop me!" Poisandra shrieked, lifting her heart-shaped axe. She charged at the Rangers with the other three behind her.
"Transport Beast-X Visor!" the four Rangers chorused, calling on their enhanced visors to connect them to their Morphers. There was a flash of green as they linked up. "Activate Beast-X Mode!" armour appeared over their shoulders and chests, filling them with greater power as they linked with their Beast Bots. "Beast-X Mode, ready!" at that shout, the four fought back.
"Pink is my colour!" Poisandra shouted as she went after Ryne, who ducked under her axe and kicked her.
"You really are an airhead," Ryne told her, making the monster shriek in anger. She then caught Ryne across the chest, knocking her back, and she cried out in pain. "Okay…deserved that…" she muttered breathlessly. She dodged Poisandra's follow-up move, but as she started to charge her powers, Poisandra kicked her backwards.
"Whoa!" Devon caught her. "You okay?" he asked, just as worn out.
"Yeah, but these reanimated monsters are tough," Ryne replied. They looked over as Poisandra, Curio, Wrench and Fury stood together, and combined their powers to fire a powerful blast of energy that threw the four across the warehouse. They landed hard as their Beast-X Mode vanished in a flash of green.
"You guys okay?" Nate called as he and Steel reached them, having beaten the Gigadrone and returned to help.
"Ask again when the room stops spinning," Ryne complained, closing her eyes as her head swam.
"Good timing," Ravi moaned as Nate helped him up.
"Let's take these creeps down together!" Steel shouted. The fighting resumed as Steel helped Ryne against Poisandra, and the two worked together to counter her massive axe and land several blows that made her wail in pain. She staggered backwards as the other three suddenly found the flow of battle turning against them.
"I hate Rangers!" Poisandra whined.
"You're no match for me!" Steel declared, and Nate rolled his eyes. He put a hand on his brother's helmet and forced him back into formation.
"For all of us, Steel," he reminded, and Steel laughed.
"Transport!" they all shouted together. Nate and Steel called their blasters as Ravi and Zoey used their Beast-X Cannons, and Ryne held her Chakrams as Devon held the Ultra Bow.
"Well, it was nice to meet you, but it's time to beat you!" Devon shouted as they took aim.
"Beast-X Ultra Blast!" they fired as Ryne threw her Chakrams, and they destroyed the four monsters in the powerful attack.
"Glad to see the end of them," Devon grinned as he voiced the thought on all of their minds.
"Just Snide and Sledge left of that group of idiots," Ryne said, biting her lip as her joy at their victory faded. Of all the reanimated enemies, Snide was the one who scared her most.
"And we still don't know why Scrozzle needed diamonds," Zoey pointed out. Ravi nodded.
"Scrozzle is probably cooking something up," he considered.
"Let's hope not. Come on," Devon led them back out of the warehouse as they headed back to Grid Battleforce.
With her arms crossed over her chest and a bored look hidden under her helmet, Robo-Asher watched Sledge as he sat on the ground and wailed. He hadn't stopped crying from the moment he'd seen Poisandra and the rest of his crew destroyed by the Beast Morphers team.
"Poisy, why?!" he wailed, sobbing openly as Scrozzle sat next to him and tried to console him.
"Sorry about Poisandra," he managed to say.
"She was a…uh…" Robo-Blaze trailed off, unsure of how to describe her.
"A very evil woman," Robo-Roxy finished for him, deadpan as she grew tired of the wailing too.
"No!" Sledge snapped, and grabbed Scrozzle. "Better than that! She was…the most wicked of them all!" he sobbed and wailed as he shook the robot.
"I knew that you would all fail!" all of them jumped as Evox stormed in, seeing that not only had they lost several reanimated monsters, but hadn't chosen another to bring back. "But I have chosen the perfect villain to resurrect," Sledge managed to stop crying and get to his feet as they all watched Evox curiously.
"Who is it?" Snide asked, impatient as Evox stalked past them and over to the computer.
"Someone merciless who will stop at nothing to destroy the Power Rangers," Evox announced, and turned to Scrozzle. "Show us Goldar," the three Robotic generals stared, stunned into silence by the decision as Scrozzle hurried to the computer to show footage of the powerful monster who served Rita Repulsa.
"Of course, Master Evox! I almost suggested him too," Scrozzle lied as he obeyed his master. They watched the clips of Goldar keeping the Rangers on the ropes, standing up to pretty much anything they threw at him. As they watched, Evox took Goldar's sword from the chest.
"So, does anyone disagree with my choice?" he challenged. The five watching quickly shook their heads, agreeing with Evox's choice before he could get angry with them. "Then get on with it, Scrozzle!" Evox snapped at the robot, who ran over to his table.
"Right away!" the cowardly robot lifted the reanimiser that was sitting there. "Let me just add the diamonds to the reanimiser," Scrozzle pointed the device at the diamonds, using it to convert them into pure energy. He yelped at the heat they generated, risking damaging his metal body, but held onto it, fearing Evox more. Finally the diamonds vanished, and the reanimiser flashed, fully charged. "We should get one extra-powerful monster," Scrozzle chirped as he turned and fired it at the sword in Evox's hand.
Nobody dared to speak as they watched the sword start to light up with a blinding red light, before it was pulled from Evox's hand. In a flash, a massive monster with blue-feathered wings and bulky golden armour appeared, roaring loudly.
"I have returned!" Goldar, now Goldar Maximus, yelled, thrusting his sword into the air. "Who is it that has given me new life?" he asked, looking around at the group watching him.
"I am Evox, your new master," he turned to the speaker, and knelt before him.
"I pledge to you, my undying loyalty!" he declared, head bowed. As Evox enjoyed the moment, Sledge scoffed loudly.
"I bet I have more strength in my toenail than this antique," he said as he stomped towards Goldar Maximus. The moment he finished speaking, the monster still kneeling swivelled and leapt up faster than Sledge could process, and with a powerful kick he sent Sledge flying several feet away to land heavily on his back.
"Destroy him!" Evox ordered, and Sledge gave a cry as he got back to his feet.
"No, please, I was joking!" he protested, raising his hands as he instantly submitted to the much more powerful monster. "You're no antique," Sledge insisted as Goldar Maximus stalked towards him.
"You are the joke!" with that, Goldar Maximus sent a blast of energy that hit Sledge and caused him to explode with a scream.
"Whoa…" Asher whispered under her breath as Goldar Maximus turned back to Evox, not even winded.
"What's your next order, Master Evox?" Goldar Maximus asked, moving past it in a beat.
"Trust me, I've got big plans for you," Evox said, and the two began to laugh as the three robotic generals exchanged looks. Asher then down at the dagger she'd lifted, wondering if it was worth using.
"For now, let's just keep you to myself," she decided quietly, flipping the dagger in the air before catching it.
Having returned to Grid Battleforce and informed the Commander of everything that had happened with the diamonds, the Rangers stood in Nate's lab and speculated just what Scrozzle had wanted the diamonds for.
"It's not like he has a lack of power or anything," Ryne said as Zoey admired one of the diamonds that they had collected. "And their reanimiser they stole from Ryjack is a much better model than the one Wrench built back when the Dino Charge Rangers were around. Not like it needs a new way to power it," she said, arms crossed.
"Diamonds have all kinds of useful properties," Nate pointed out as he took the diamond to store it safely.
"Nate's right. You don't know that it's energy he wants them for," Lewis agreed as he stood in the room, looking at footage of the fights on his tablet. Seeing how tough the fight had been against Poisandra, Curio, Fury and Wrench, he made notes to improve their fighting against more than just robots.
"Maybe he's trying to make armour for his next body," Asher suggested, leaning on one of the tables as she wired one of Nate's inventions. Ryne shot her an exasperated look.
"That would be fancy, but impractical. Evox doesn't strike me as that type," she said, and Asher shrugged.
"Without all the info, it's as likely as your theory that he wants it for energy," she said without looking up.
"Maybe it wasn't Evox at all," Devon spoke up, earning several confused looks. "I read that Poisandra had very expensive taste. Maybe she wanted the diamonds for herself," he suggested.
"That does fit her profile," Zoey agreed, even if she found it somewhat lacklustre a reason.
"I guess we'll see," Devon said as he lifted two controllers from his bag. "Right now I have to practice for my next video game tournament, so who wants to get their butt kicked?" he challenged with a smirk. At first, none of the others spoke - they knew that Devon was a far better player, and half the time it didn't seem like a challenge for him.
"Alright, I'll do it," Steel volunteered when nobody else did. He stepped forwards and took the controller from Devon. "But be careful, my butt is metal. You might hurt your foot," he warned, and their laughter grew as Steel looked at them all, confused.
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