Chapter 39: Evox Unleashed

"The roads of Coral Harbour are jam-packed. You can expect major delays on all city highways today," the report came in as the Rangers paced in Nate's lab, desperate for any news as they worked to evacuate Coral Harbour.

"Roxy is just finishing evacuating another sector," Ravi reported to Commander Shaw as she walked in. He was only off the phone with his girlfriend as she helped out around town as best she could.

"Blaze is in the middle of doing the same, and Asher is trying to get as many people to get the buses out of town instead of their own cars," Devon told them. Commander Shaw nodded, pleased by the help that the three were offering. Despite being extremely jetlagged after only just returning from Japan, neither Blaze nor Asher was willing to sit back.

"Ryne's on the phone with her mum now," Steel gestured to the Pink Ranger, who was pacing by herself as she listened to what Teddie was saying.

"The Mystics are on alert and ready to help out where needed. They'll be ready to help with evacuations to the Magical Realm if necessary," Teddie told her after Ryne finished explaining what was going on. "Morgan too. SPD are working to make sure the virus doesn't spread off-world, and other former Rangers are also on hand to help where they can," she said, and Ryne let out a breath.

"Thanks, mum," she said softly.

"You've got this, Ryne. It's the endgame, and it's going to be tough, but you and your team have got this. If you need me, just call," Teddie told her softly, fighting the need to step in and take care of it herself. "Be careful. I love you more than the world itself," she said, and Ryne blinked back the tears that sprang to her eyes suddenly.

"I will. Be careful too. I love you too," Ryne told her, and ended the call before turning back to the others. She took a moment to compose herself, wiping away the tears before they could fall. "The Mystics are on alert, ready to evacuate to the Magical Realm if necessary, and SPD are working on things on their end. Both Briarwood and New Tech are ready to take on evacuees from Coral Harbour," Ryne said.

"That's great," Zoey smiled with relief. Commander Shaw gave a grateful nod, before clearing her throat.

"She's ready. You'll need to Morph," she instructed, and the team nodded.

Disguised in their suits, the Rangers followed as Commander Shaw led them back to the command room, where Zoey's mother, Muriel Reeves, was waiting for them. She just nodded at the team, her nerves over the dire situation making her more rigid than normal. Standing with her was Mayor Daniels, who tried not to look nervous, both for what was going on, and that his son was leading the team in charge of defending them.

"People of Coral Harbour, we're interrupting with an urgent announcement from Grid Battleforce," Muriel announced, and stepped aside. Commander Shaw walked into frame with the Rangers standing by her side, and Mayor Daniels walked over to stand with them.

"Evox has taken control of the Morph-X Tower Network," Commander Shaw announced, not beating around the bush with their warning. "Towers all over the world are sending pure Morphin' energy into Tower One in the heart of Coral Harbour," she explained the situation in the plainest way.

"Evacuation of the city is already underway," Mayor Daniels spoke up. "Everyone needs to get as far from the Morph-X towers as possible," he instructed. Taking his cue, Devon stepped forwards.

"Grid Battleforce will stay to protect our home. You can count on us," he vowed.

"And cut," Muriel called. The cameraman and audio technician finished up, and headed out to get out of the way. "It'll go out on every channel," she addressed Commander Shaw and Mayor Daniels.

"Good, thank you," the Mayor told them, and hurried off. He fought the compulsion to look at Devon, who was watching him go. They had already talked before, knowing there wouldn't be any time later.

"Commander, can I have a word?" Muriel requested suddenly, catching the woman before she could leave.

"I only have a minute," Commander Shaw warned as the Rangers made to leave.

"It's about my daughter," they stopped abruptly as Muriel spoke up. "Zoey Reeves. She works in the laundry department," she said. To her credit, Commander Shaw didn't so much as blink. Knowing them loitering would only attract attention, Lewis shooed the Rangers out, but Zoey stayed where she was. "I know she'll want to help, but it's just so dangerous. She means everything to me," Muriel told the Commander. "I'm going to evacuate from the city. Please, let her come with me," she requested.

"I'm sorry, but your daughter is critical to our success," Commander Shaw's words were honest, but only confused the woman.

"She's in laundry…" she breathed, but the Commander held her gaze without a word. Muriel sighed. "Can I just see her? I want to tell her how much I love her," she pleaded, tears in her eyes at the idea of leaving her daughter behind. Commander Shaw looked over to where Zoey was standing with Lewis, fighting the need to confess everything to her mother. Lewis shrugged with a small smile, and Commander Shaw gave the tiniest of nods. Zoey's eyes widened, but she didn't stop to question it.

"You don't need to," she spoke up, her soft voice making Muriel turn and stare at the Yellow Ranger. Pulling off her helmet, Zoey revealed her identity to her mother, whose eyes widened. "I already know," Zoey smiled.

"Zoey? You're…" Muriel turned to her fully, her disbelief clear across her face. "The Yellow Ranger!" she couldn't help but laugh as she rushed over and hugged her tightly. "I'm so proud of you," she told her tearfully as Lewis moved to the door to give them some space. "I should have known," she sniffed.

"I can't go with you, mum," Zoey told her as she let her go.

"I understand now," Muriel gave a small smile. "You're the girl who solves big problems. The city needs you," she said, fighting back her tears.

"I love you too," Zoey smiled at her, and took in a ragged breath before kissing her cheek. She then left with Lewis, heading out to join the others as Commander Shaw moved to stand beside Muriel.

Preparing to take the fight to Evox, Nate was finishing up the new arrow that he and Dr. K had designed. Having seen how well it worked against Blaze, they knew it was their best shot against Evox.

"Load this into the Ultra Bow," he requested as he handed it to Ben. "Carefully though. We don't have time to build another one," Nate reminded him. Ben just nodded and moved to arm the Ultra Bow.

"You know, distracting Evox can help us hit him with the antivirus," Ravi suggested, trying to think of a plan that would get them the best shot on their enemy.

"But his hacking made him immune to our weapons," Steel reminded him. "How can we fight him?" he asked. Ravi was quiet, unable to find an answer. Anything that Nate had built them was useless.

"Don't worry," they looked around at Devon as he and Ryne walked out of the Ranger Vault, carrying several cases. "I have something planned he'll never expect," he told them with a grin. An alarm then blared, and they turned to the computer quickly.

"Rangers. Evox has appeared near Tower One. It's go time," Commander Shaw told them.

"Roger that, Commander," Devon answered, and turned to Ben and Betty, who were ready and waiting to help. "Position them for transport, okay?" he asked Betty, who nodded.

"Absolutely," she said, ready and eager to help where she could. She started pushing the cart with the cases out of the room, and Zoey frowned.

"What's in those cases?" she asked. Devon and Ryne exchanged grins.

"We'll explain on the way," Devon told them, and led the team out of the lab to face down Evox once and for all.

Evox laughed as he strode through the empty streets of Coral Harbour, headed straight for Tower One. The Morph-X Tower was lit up with all the energy it was receiving from across the world.

"The universe will be so much better when I cleanse it of humans!" he declared, and stopped when he heard footsteps headed for him.

"It's you who the universe will be better without!" Devon shouted at him. Evox turned to them, amused.

"Haven't you learned? Fighting me is futile," he taunted. Nate took an angry step towards him.

"I made you, Evox. But today, we're gonna destroy you, as a team!" he vowed. The others stepped up to stand beside him.

"It's Morphin' Time!" they shouted together. "ACTIVATE BEAST POWER, HA!" with a flash of colours, they Morphed. "Transport!" the Rangers called, and a series of weapons appeared in front of them.

"Ninja Super Steel Blaster!" Devon held up the weapon belonging to the Ninja Steel team.

"Dino Sabre!" Nate brandished one of the Dino Charge swords.

"Delta Enforcer!" Ravi aimed the blaster used by the former B-Squad SPD Rangers.

"Claw Booster!" Steel braced the Jungle Fury claws in his hands.

"Thermo Blaster!" Zoey held the blaster beloning to the Lightspeed Rescue Rangers.

"Power Bow!" Ryne caught the Mighty Morphin' Pink bow and took aim.

"What?!" Evox gave a snarl as he realised that the weapons they held didn't match what was in their records.

"Yeah, cause you never got the chance to hack these legendary weapons!" Devon grinned, and the Ninja Super Steel Blaster began to hum with power. "See how you like this!" he shouted, and he, Zoey, Ryne and Ravi fired blasts from each of their weapons. They exploded against Evox's robotic armour and sent him spinning backwards with an angry snarl.

Before he could recover, Nate and Steel charged in with their weapons, using them to fight with everything they had up close with the virus.

"Transport!" Devon called on the Ultra Bow, and Zoey and Ravi held a side each as Devon drew an arrow back. Ryne pulled back on the Power Bow, taking aim. "Alright team, one last shot," his voice was unusually calm as they prepared to fire. As Nate and Steel caught Evox again with their combination of strikes, Ryne fired another arrow to explode against him and make him stagger back, open to attack. "Beast-X King Power Bolt!" Devon shouted. It flew towards Evox, who snarled as he saw the arrow hurtle towards him. He threw out a hand, and deflected the arrow.

"No way!"

"It didn't work!"

"But how?" the Rangers cried out as the arrow landed harmlessly in the grass nearby.

"You foolish Rangers. You can't stop me now!" Evox taunted them as he summoned more robots.

"Uh oh…he's got backup," Devon growled. There was no time to lament their failed attack.

"Robotrons, obliterate them!" Evox laughed. His Robotrons charged in to fight, leaving the path open for Evox to go into the Morph-X Tower.

Ryne fired another shot from the Power Bow at the Robotron that charged towards her, and as it collided with her opponent, she then threw a hand out and blasted it with her powers, making it jerk and stagger backwards.

"The Antivirus!" Steel spotted the arrow lying in the grass. "We can still use it," he grabbed it, and started running.

"The arrow!" Zoey shouted as he knocked the Robotron she was fighting out of his way.

"I know! I'm going after Evox!" the Silver Ranger told her, charging into the building once his path was clear. It didn't take long for the Rangers to destroy the Robotrons, and the last exploded as it was defeated.

"Finally, that's all of them," Devon let out a breath. Nate yanked his helmet off.

"We've gotta go help Steel," he told them, worried about his brother charging in alone. "Come on!" he shouted, and they all ran into the tower as well. By the time they reached the centre of the Morph-X Tower, Steel was already pushing his way into the swirling energy that Evox was standing in the centre of. The rest of the team flinched as they were forced backwards from the energy.

"Don't get any closer, it's too intense!" Nate warned them. The power filled the room, making it hard for them to even breathe as it connected with them and their Morphed state. Devon flinched, having experienced it once before when he had reached out to Jason, but he'd had the power of the meteor containing the Tyrannosaurus Power Coin to protect him then.

The Rangers could only watch as Steel forced his way past the energy, holding the arrow in his hand tightly. With a determined yell, he slammed the arrow straight into Evox's back, and the virus let out a scream.

"Yes! He did it!" Devon shouted as Evox slumped forwards. They didn't get a chance to celebrate, as Evox's laughter started up once again. As he absorbed the arrow into his body, the laughter grew louder.

"Impossible!" Steel yelled as he stared at Evox, who turned to him.

"Nothing can destroy me now! You're too late," he raised his hands as they began to glow red. "Say goodbye," Evox warned, and fired the energy straight at Steel.

"Steel!" Nate screamed as Steel cried out, forced back several steps and out of the swirling green energy. He then fell to his knees, still yelling as he tried to fight it. When the energy finally faded, Steel fell forwards. "No!" Nate leapt forwards, but the others grabbed him and held him back before the same could happen to him.

"I tried my best…" Steel demorphed, the energy joining the swirling mass around the centre of the room. The half-robot looked up at them. "I'm sorry…brother…"the Rangers stared as Steel fell forwards, before being lifted into the air. Evox cackled as Steel turned into energy, and was absorbed into the rest of the green lights.

"No…" Ryne had her hands to her mouth, tears rolling down her face as Zoey held Nate tightly, both crying too.

"You'll pay for this, Evox!" Ravi roared at him.

"I don't think so," Evox laughed, and fired another blast at them. It was so powerful that it smashed the team through the wall, and they demorphed as they hit the ground. Nearby, two cars pulled up, and Mayor Daniels and Muriel Reeves leapt out.

"Devon!" the Mayor shouted as he saw his fallen son.

"Are you guys okay?" Muriel called.

"Not even close, we've gotta stop Evox!" Nate shouted, but before he could charge back in, Devon grabbed him and held him back.

"Nate! There's nothing we can do right now," he told him, and Zoey helped to hold back the devastated Gold Ranger.

"This can't be happening," Ryne cried, and let out a scream as her powers burst free, her grief making it impossible for her to hold them back.

"Ryne!" Ravi shouted to her as she cried, on her hands and knees in the grass. "Stay back!" he shouted to the rest as the blue energy shot out, uncontrollable and dangerous. Mayor Daniels and Muriel stared, wanting to protect their children but unable to get close.

"Easy, easy," another ran in and pulled Ryne to her feet, ignoring the energy that crashed against her armour. "You're okay," Teddie breathed as she hugged her daughter close.

"No, I'm not," Ryne cried, but her powers faded as her voice soothed her. Teddie demorphed, not caring in that moment that Mayor Daniels and Muriel were there too.

"We need to get back to the base and regroup," Devon told them. Ryne just nodded, but Nate continued to struggle until Zoey put a hand on his face and forced him to look at her. He stared, not seeming to fully see her as rage and grief filled his dark eyes.

"Let's go," she pleaded with him, tears spilling down her face. Her words, and the grief reflected in her own eyes, made Nate stop fighting. He yanked out of Devon's grip, and ran towards the car.

Grid Battleforce was busy with people working frantically at Commander Shaw's orders.

"Thank you. Report back when you can," she told the workers, who nodded and hurried off. Seeing Devon walk into the main hangar, the Commander turned quickly to see him and Ravi walk in with solemn looks on their face. Behind them, Teddie and Ryne followed, with Ryne still struggling to keep her powers in check. Nate and Zoey were behind them, and Zoey kept her arms around Nate. He hadn't said a word, but she refused to let him go.

"Hey guys," Ben managed a small smile. They'd heard about them being chased away from the Morph-X Tower, but that was it. Confusion flickered across his face. "Where's Steel?" he asked, and they all stopped dead. Nate's face twisted, his breathing sharp and erratic, and more tears ran down Zoey's face as a spark flew from Ryne's hand.

"He's…not coming back," Devon's words made them all stop as realisation dawned on Ben and Betty's faces.

"What?" Cruise breathed. Even Commander Shaw was stunned as Lewis went pale.

"Commander," Devon turned to the woman, fighting the sick feeling in his stomach that had been churning from the moment they had seen Steel vanish. "If you don't mind," he gestured to the communicator in her hand that kept her in touch with everyone in Grid Battleforce. Wordlessly, Commander Shaw handed it over.

Devon turned and took a few steps, inhaling deeply as he prepared the words he needed to say. "Grid Battleforce, this is Devon Daniels. Red Ranger," he announced. Everyone was silent. "Today, our team of six Power Rangers went up against Evox. Only five returned. When no-one else could, Steel made the choice to fight Evox alone. And now he's gone," the tears were running down Devon's face, but he kept his words strong.

Zoey pulled Nate closer as he started crying again, and Ravi closed his eyes as he fought to swallow his own surging emotions. "Evox is in Tower One, gaining more and more strength. You've worked hard to hold on, but now it's time for Grid Battleforce to evacuate," Devon told them. "Like Steel, the Power Rangers will stay and fight, and defeat Evox, if we can," he announced. The other Rangers, even Nate, nodded once. They wouldn't back down.

"We won't evacuate," Betty's voice was strong as she spoke up, surprising them.

"Us Burkes never back down," Ben smiled. He was scared, but he refused to back down as he put an arm around his sister's shoulders.

"You know what?" Cruise spoke up as he walked forwards. "Us Beast Bots are staying too," he decided.

"Yeah! Not a chance we'd leave!" Jax nodded.

"Just in case anybody needs a hug!" Smash offered.

"We're with you. Always," Scramble declared.

"Zord maintenance will stay," one of the other workers spoke up. The rest of his crew nodded, smiling.

"I have no intention of leaving," Lewis grinned, arms folded. "I've got your backs," he told them.

"We'll stay too," Muriel said, having exchanged looks with Mayor Daniels. He nodded, smiling at his son.

"I told you already," Teddie rested a hand on Ryne's head, seeing her tears had faded and her powers were calming down. "If you need me, just call. I'm staying," she said as she looked at the other Rangers, before walking over to stand with Muriel and Mayor Daniels.

"Rangers," they turned as the voice came through the communications link. "The command room is with you," the workers there told them. They were followed up by a chorus of others chiming in their agreements, refusing to leave.

"Okay then!" Devon grinned, bolstered by the wave of support from everyone within Grid Battleforce. "We'll defeat Evox, together!" he shouted. "For Steel!" Devon yelled.

"For Steel!" the chorus of agreement carried not just through the room, but throughout Grid Battleforce. Nate fought back the wave of emotion that threatened to cause him to fall, focusing on Zoey's hand in his.

The alarm then blared, and Commander Shaw frowned as she walked forwards to see what was going on.

"Commander," the link opened with the command room. "The sky's gone dark. Something's happening to Tower One," the woman warned. She brought up footage of Tower One, which had been completely engulfed in bright red energy that swirled dangerously and up into the sky.

"Whatever that is…it doesn't look good," Ravi breathed. The light then faded, and to their horror, they found it had been completely reformed into a massive robot.

"It must be fifty times the size of a Gigadrone," Zoey breathed.

"It's Evox. He's harnessing the Grid's energy," Nate realised, unable to take his eyes off the screen.

"He's manipulated it enough to be able to twist the tower into whatever form he wants," Ryne hissed as she stared at the massive monstrosity.

"So that beast is how he plans to eradicate all human life," Devon realised.

"Battle stations! Prep the Ultrazord!" Commander Shaw ordered, not letting it slow her down. Mercifully, the Zord maintenance team had been hard at work in the time from Evox's initial capture, and the Zords were fully repaired. "Rangers," she called as they made to head to the Ultrazord. "Evox's strength comes from data and energy. Nothing more. But you, you're strong because you're human. You fight for each other, and for the world. If you can remember that, there's a chance you can beat him," she told them, watching the determination shine on their faces.

"Thanks, Commander," Devon smiled at her. They then ran out, ready to get to work.

"Couldn't have put it better myself," Teddie grinned, arms crossed over her chest. "As long as we have faith, they'll come through," she said, believing her words with her whole heart.

"Right," Muriel nodded, smiling at her. She had a lot of questions for the woman, but they would wait until after Evox was defeated.

Evox's massive, imposing form towered over the city as he enjoyed the moment. The sky was still dark as even the sun was eclipsed by the sheer energy that Evox had absorbed.

"It's been a long time since I've taken out a civilisation! Where to begin?" Evox laughed as he looked over the city. He then glanced around at the rumbling sound of metal behind him, and saw the Ultrazord approaching.

"Not so fast," Devon warned.

"You'll have to go through us!" Nate shouted, ready to avenge his fallen brother. The face of Evox's massive machine changed, and blue flames flickered over the visor that rose to reveal glowing blue eyes.

"Whoa," Ryne breathed, staring at the imposing figure.

"Feel my wrath!" Evox didn't wait to attack as he fired blast after blast at the Ultrazord, which staggered and groaned as the Rangers fought to stay upright.

"Hold on guys!" Nate shouted as electricity sparked from their consoles and threatened to burn them.

"We're going down!" Devon shouted, and the Ultrazord toppled to the ground. Evox laughed as he stood over them.

"I'll enjoy defeating you," he taunted. "Just as I did your robot friend," their eyes went wide at his mocking words, and their anger burned bright.

"Steel wasn't just a robot!" Nate shouted. "He was half-human too!" he declared, refusing to let anyone ever forget what made Steel so special.

"Being human makes you all weak!" Evox scoffed.

"No…like mum said, being human makes us strong!" Ravi shouted.

"I may only be a quarter human, but even I know that's what gives us strength!" Ryne shouted.

"Exactly…exactly!" Nate suddenly gasped. "Remember when Evox tried to get into Steel's body?" he asked.

"Yeah!" Zoey exclaimed as they thought back to it. "He couldn't handle his human DNA!" she remembered.

"Plus, being in my dad's body really messed him up," Devon added as he thought about how much of a mess Evox had become.

"Human DNA is his weakness!" Ryne exclaimed with a laugh. "All that talk about humans being weak, and it turns out that he's the weak one!" she said.

"If I can redirect Morph-X through our bodies…our attack will be infused with human DNA," Nate started to work out a plan in his head eagerly.

"It's risky…but we've gotta try it," Devon decided.

"Coming to your cockpit, Devon. Ryne, meet me there," Nate instructed, knowing he could use her help with his plan.

"On my way," Ryne nodded, already out of her seat.

"Ravi and I will charge the main weapons," Zoey told them. While she and Ravi worked rapidly, Ryne met up with Nate at Devon's cockpit. It was a squeeze, but mercifully both were small enough to fit.

"Okay, we need to reroute the Morph-X energy circuitry," Nate told Ryne, who nodded.

"Uh, just out of curiosity, my own DNA is kind of a mess," Ryne pointed out as she pulled open another hatch to help Nate.

"You have human DNA, which is what we need," Nate told her. There was no time to speculate otherwise.

"Yeah, who knows. The rest of that weirdness of yours might give us a buff," Devon added, and Ryne frowned at him. Before she could do anything, Evox blasted the Ultrazord again while it was down, and they were knocked around violently.

"We're not gonna last much longer," Devon growled as the two recovered and got back to work.

"It's okay," Nate soothed as he finished what he was doing and slammed the hatch closed.

"I've boosted weapons power using Morph-X from the Wrecker and Jet Zords. They're offline, so we need another formation. Ryne, get back to your cockpit for now, I'll finish this. Thanks," he told the Pink Ranger, who nodded and hurried back.

"Beast-X King Megazord combine!" once Ryne was back in her cockpit, they changed formation and prepared their weapons.

"Brace yourselves, everybody," Nate called out to the team. "The Morph-X is about to flow through us," his warning came right before the cold, uncomfortable sensation that went through everyone on of them, making their vision swim for a moment.

"It's time! Attack!" Devon yelled, and they leapt through the flames to stab their blade into Evox's chest.

"What?!" Evox roared as a glow started to shine where he'd been impaled.

"We didn't penetrate his armour!" Devon realised as the Morph X continued to flow through them, making it harder to focus.

"Then we know what we have to do," Ravi groaned.

"Give it…everything we've got!" Zoey yelled.

"His strength…comes from data and energy," Ryne managed to say. "We fight for each other, and the world. That's where our strength comes from!" they poured as much power as they could into the attack, and it began to work its way into Evox's body.

"No, it can't be! Human DNA?!" he realised, and gave a scream as they continued to pour their power into their attack. "It's corrupting my systems! Curse you Rangers!" his roar was followed by a massive explosion, and the Beast-X King Megazord was flung backwards. It crashed to the ground, but avoided worse damage.

"We did it!" Nate shouted.

"We did?" Ryne breathed, eyes wide.

"Evox…eliminated!" the Rangers cheered loudly, finally victorious against their foe.

The air was glittering with green lights that rose into the sky around where the battlefield had been, and it was almost beautiful.

"I think that's the Morph-X," Nate realised quietly as he looked up at it. Their joy at their victory had been short-lived, as grief sank back in. They had defeated Evox, but at a cost that none of them had wanted to pay. "Returning to the Morphin' Grid," Nate continued as it clung to them, and they brushed it off.

"Wow," Devon breathed.

"Not all of it," Ryne said, her eyes picking up on strange blue lights mixed in with the green. "What…" she frowned, feeling the energy in the air growing stronger suddenly.

"What's that?" Zoey noticed it next as the blue lights clustered together and began to glow brightly. The Rangers stared, watching, and Nate felt his breath vanish as the lights faded to reveal Steel standing there.

"That's impossible," Nate whispered, unsure if he was imagining things. Steel's body then began to change, growing shorter and then vanishing to reveal a young man with a striking resemblance to Nate. "I can't believe it…" Nate's voice shook.

"It's me! Steel!" the voice remained the same as the young man waved at them. He then seemed to notice his own hands, and his eyes went wide. "Hold on a second…" he whispered, touching his face. "I'm…human?" Steel realised, stunned.

"Steel!" Nate laughed as his body finally started working again, and he raced towards his brother, hugging him tightly. "The Grid must have had enough energy to do what I couldn't…phenomenal! It made you human!" he was laughing and crying as he let his brother go.

"Are you sure?" Steel gripped his shoulders.

"The Morphin' Grid did it…it's forever," Devon grinned, knowing better than anyone how powerful the Morphin' Grid was.

"Who cares! You're alive!" Steel fell off his feet as Ryne tackled him in a hug, the tears rolling down her face. "You're alive, and you're human, and we won!" the last word echoed, and they all started to laugh as they all rushed in to hug him too.

Five Rangers had gone out to the final battle with Evox, but six returned to Grid Battleforce, and Steel managed to get over his initial shock of becoming human to enjoy the applause that they arrived to.

"Congratulations, Rangers," Commander Shaw smiled at the team, warmer than ever. "You've done it. You've defeated Evox, and saved the world. I couldn't be more proud of every single one of you," she said, and her eyes landed on Steel. Ravi had been the one to tell her about Steel's transformation, as Nate was so overwhelmed that he couldn't find the words to do so. "And it truly is a miracle to have you back with us, Steel," she smiled. Steel beamed brightly, his chest puffing out in a way they had all imagined him capable of in the time they'd known him.

"Thanks, Commander," Devon grinned. They were all still overwhelmed by everything that had happened. That Evox was gone, Steel was alive and human, and the world was safe.

"We knew you could do it," they looked over to Mayor Daniels, who was smiling proudly at his son. "You guys did great," he told them. Devon's smile widened. Muriel, fighting back tears of relief, rushed over and embraced her daughter in a tight hug. Lewis gave a thumbs up, his own relief that they were all safe obvious.

"You didn't give up, and you overcame the greatest threat, like true Rangers," Teddie told them, and suddenly rushed over to hug Ryne tightly. The Pink Ranger groaned, struggling in her grip. "I'm so glad you're okay," Teddie told her, refusing to let her go. Ryne sighed, giving up.

"On behalf of Grid Battleforce," the Rangers looked up as Commander Shaw stood. "We thank you for this great service. Without you, we would never have succeeded. Thank you, each and every one of you," she said, and they smiled at her words. "Now get some rest. You've earned it," the woman ordered, seeing how worn out they were.

"Yes, Commander," Devon nodded, looking forward to his bed. Mayor Daniels gave a small laugh, putting his arm around his son's shoulders as he led him out. Muriel and Zoey headed out after Zoey reached out and squeezed Nate's hand, smiling warmly at him.

"Come on Steel, you're about to learn the downsides of being human," Nate told his brother. Steel grinned back at him.

"No way! Nothing can be considered a downside!" he refused to accept it, and Nate laughed as he led his brother out.

A few days passed, and Commander Shaw called them all back to the command room once she was sure they had all recovered from the fierce final battle. Steel, despite his words, had slept longer than most of them, adjusting to suddenly having a fully human body.

"Even after all this time, you still have trouble waking up in the morning, huh?" Ravi laughed as he saw Ryne rubbing her eyes, looking half asleep.

"I had to drag her here," Asher grinned as she walked by to stand beside Blaze and Lewis. "She stayed up all night talking with someone," she said. Ryne shot her a glare, going bright red as the others giggled.

"I'm not even the last one here. I'm pretty sure Nate is having to drag Steel away from every food place on the way here," she said, choosing not to acknowledge the teasing about her spending the entire night talking to Ollie, who had heard all about their final battle.

"She's right," Nate sounded drained as he walked in with his brother, who was drinking a milkshake. Eager to catch up on everything he hadn't had the opportunity to try as a robot, Steel was unstoppable, especially to his brother. After almost losing him, Nate didn't have the heart to say no to any of his requests.

"I'm glad to see you're all looking much better," Commander Shaw earned their attention, and they turned back to the woman. "First off, I know that there have been some concerns about the potential of Evox, or Venjix, returning in future, or jumping through time again," she said, and looked at Nate.

"I've been looking into this," the Gold Ranger said, smiling. "First off, I have deduced that travelling across the timelines cost Venjix the majority of his power, which is why he relied on me to power him and turn him into Evox. That's why it took years for him to attack. After the final battle, there is no way that any fragment would have the power to jump to another time," Nate explained to his team.

After sleeping for almost 24 hours, Nate had gotten back to work, determined to get some answers. "But, then I discovered the level of corruption that Evox suffered after not only trying to take over Steel's half-human body, but possessing Devon's dad," he looked at his brother, smiling again. "This level of corruption stopped him from being able to leave a fragment of himself. When we used human DNA to destroy him in the battle, we destroyed both Evox, and what was left of the Venjix virus," Nate announced.

The Rangers cheered at the news, and even Commander Shaw couldn't stop herself from smiling at the news. It was truly over, for both them and for the other timeline.

"Then, if that's the case…" Commander Shaw's smile then faded, and she looked at Ryne. "I believe Ryne has an announcement to make," their excitement faded, and the rest of the team turned to the Pink Ranger. Steel put a hand on her shoulder, giving an encouraging squeeze as she looked nervous.

"I…" Ryne started, and lifted her head. "I've been thinking about this for a while now. I've talked with Steel, Lewis, mum, and the Commander," Ryne's smile was shaky, and tears started to sting at her dark eyes. "Becoming a Ranger, being on a team with you all, it's been the best thing that's ever happened to me," she told them honestly, and the others smiled despite their confusion. "But…I've decided that I'm going to step down as the Pink Ranger," the others stared at her. Even Asher and Blaze looked stunned as Lewis gave a small, proud smile.

"What? You're not going to be a Ranger anymore?" Ravi stared at her. Devon was speechless, and both Nate and Zoey looked stunned.

"I grew up with stories about being a Ranger, and stories about those who worked behind the scenes for Rangers. I've always resonated with the latter more," Ryne told them, her tears growing and threatening to spill down her face. "I've loved being a Ranger, and I can understand those stories so much better now. But I don't want to continue being one," she explained.

The Rangers were quiet, stunned as Ryne smiled wider and tilted her head. "This isn't on any of you. This is just my decision, and as much as I love you all, I have to do this," she said, and the tears finally spilled down her face.

"Even…" Devon started, and walked towards her. He put his hands on her shoulders, making her look up. "Even if you're not gonna be a Ranger anymore, you're one of us. Forever," he told her, and pulled her into a hug.

"No matter what, you're still our little sister," Ravi agreed, joining in.

"You're family," Zoey said as she hugged Ryne too.

"And the bonds we've made over this last year will never fade," Nate agreed, joining the hug.

"Just because you're not gonna be a Ranger anymore, doesn't change any of that!" Steel said, and Ryne couldn't help but laugh through her tears at the group hug that engulfed her entirely.

"I can't breathe!" she warned, but they refused to let her go. Ryne sniffed, appreciated them all for it. "Thank you all," she managed to say.

When the team finally released her, all of them teary-eyed, Ryne lifted her head and wiped her tears. She met Commander Shaw's gaze, and smiled as she walked forwards and handed over her wristcom to the woman. "I believe I've already made my suggestion on my successor," she said, and Commander Shaw gave a single nod.

"While I am saddened to see you go as a Ranger, Ryne, I respect your decision and admire your courage to follow your heart," the Commander's honest words almost had her crying again. She then stood up, her hands going behind her back. "Asher Bly," she addressed the young woman who had been staring at her cousin in shock. She went rigid, before both Lewis and Blaze shoved her forwards.

"Y-yes, Commander?" Asher spoke after glaring at the pair, who were both grinning now. She moved to stand in front of the Commander, wide-eyed. Commander Shaw smiled.

"You were originally chosen for the position of Pink Ranger for your loyalty, courage and intelligence. In the time since then, you've proven all of those traits time and time again," she told the young woman, who seemed to have stopped breathing. "With insight from Lewis and Ryne, as well as my own observations, I believe you the appropriate successor," Commander Shaw held out Ryne's old wristcom to her.

Asher stared at it, unable to believe what was happening. The offer to become a Power Ranger was right there. For a moment, she didn't move.

"I'm going to have some impossibly big shoes to fill, aren't I?" she asked, finally taking the wristcom from her.

"You'll do fine," Commander Shaw told her softly, making her smile.

"Thank you," Asher's voice quivered, and she turned to the Rangers. To her new team. As she stared at them, still wide-eyed, Devon grinned and approached her.

"Welcome to the team," he told her, holding out his hand. The other Rangers grinned, and Ryne met Asher's gaze, smiling brightly at her.

"You'll fit right in," she said, and Asher's smile widened. She shook Devon's hand.

"I'll do my best," Asher told him.

"So what's the plan for you now?" Lewis asked Ryne, who moved to the sidelines with him and Blaze. "I can always offer you the spot as my assistant. You're tougher than the other one," Lewis grinned, and Blaze rolled his eyes as Ryne laughed.

"I'm not sure just yet. For now, I'm gonna go home for a bit and spend some time with my parents," she answered, forever grateful to Teddie for helping ground her in her darkest moments. "Then I'll have to see where sounds more interesting, SPD or Grid Battleforce," Ryne grinned, and Lewis laughed back.

"Either way, I don't think your life is going to stay quiet for too long," Blaze told her. Ryne laughed.

"With my family history, who knows?" she asked.

And that's the end of Beast Morphers! It's been a long journey, but we made it.

Thank you to everyone for your support as I finished this story, I hope you've enjoyed it as much as I have!

Up next will be RPM: Venjix Returns, a short story based around how Venjix ended up in this timeline. After that, I'll be getting started on Dino Fury and Cosmic Fury, the final part of this universe (and I mean it this time!).

Once again, thank you all for reading, and I hope you liked it!