Author's Notes: Hi, readers. Here's chapter twenty-one of "Just Away." Zedd and Rita will meet Count Dregon and his minions face-to-face in the chapter after the next. I thought having Count Dregon and Master Vile as old allies would make things more interesting. Zedd said he hated Dregon even more than he hated the Power Rangers. However, he must put his rivalry with him aside if they are going to work together to conquer their enemies. Stay tuned for chapter twenty-two.

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Chapter 21: Preparing

Vile sat on his chair in the Space Skull's throne room. He was talking to Dregon and Nefaria on his screen. Goldar and Rito stood on one side of him. Globbor and Motha were on the other side. Globbor emitted an impatient growl. He touched the top of his head. Motha scratched the back of her neck. She moved her head from side to side to stretch it.

"We will send the Cogwarts and the Tengas after the Angel Grove civilians in the morning. It is essential we do so," Vile said.

"I would prefer to attack at night to tire the Power Rangers and the Masked Rider out, but you are more experienced than I am. I will follow your lead," Dregon responded.

"How do you intend to get Ninjor?" Nefaria asked curiously.

"I anticipate our enemies needing his help. I will send Motha and Globbor in to capture him," Vile said, glancing at the monsters. "I do not care who grabs him as long as Globbor steals his power."

"Dad really knows his stuff, doesn't he, Goldie?" Rito whispered as he leaned toward Goldar.

"He sure does," Goldar agreed. He cringed when he smelled his comrade's bad breath and pushed him away. He shuddered in disgust "Don't lean so close. Your breath stinks."

"Hey, your breath stinks too," Rito said, poking him in the shoulder with his finger.

"Why, you—" Goldar stared, his hand curling into a fist.

Vile cleared his throat, causing the duo to look at him. He shook his head in a disapproving manner. Dregon and Nefaria snickered under their breaths. They became quiet when Vile turned to them.

"When will you and your forces arrive at the moon?" Vile asked while holding up his wand.

"We should arrive there very soon," Dregon admitted and emitted an annoyed growl. He looked away for ten seconds before turning back to his ally. "We anticipate a not-so-warm welcome from Lord Zedd."

Nefaria shuddered in disgust. "I have never liked that guy. He looks too creepy for his own good. Of course, he got his appearance from trying to get the Zeo Crystal as Rita told you."

"I don't give a shit if the welcome is warm or not. You are to contact me after you get settled in the Lunar Palace. Is that clear?" Vile asked in a low but stern voice.

Dregon nodded at him. "Yes."

"It is loud and clear. We look forward to speaking with you again in a little while. Don't think too hard," Nefaria joked.

Vile chuckled humorlessly. "Very funny. I will see you soon."

The screen went blank. Vile rubbed the top of his wand before putting the end on the floor. He tapped it there three times. Rito tried not to chuckle, but he couldn't help himself. He went over to his father while lifting his sword somewhat.

"I am getting kind of excited to meet Count Dregon face to face, Pop," Rito said and tapped his sword on his father's shoulder very lightly.

"The stories of his conquering worlds alongside you are very fascinating," Goldar added.

"I wonder what he would think of playing card games at some point," Rito said while planting the tip of his sword into the floor. "I am not too good at most of them."

"Goldar told me you have a habit of being a sore loser," Motha pointed out and flapped her wings twice.

"That's not good," Globbor added honestly. He clapped three times before pointing his fingers at him. "You can't keep pitching a fit when you lose a game."

"He did that a lot when he was a kid," Vile commented and sighed heavily. He looked at his son with an annoyed growl. "To know he has pitched fits over losing games at the Lunar Palace displeases me."

"Hey, you pitched fits when you lost games yourself, Dad," Rito said while holding up his hand.

"I did until I married your mother. She made me realize it was only a game and that I should not take it so personally. I suggest you stop complaining about losing. It makes you look like a bigger fool than you are," Vile commanded fiercely. "Is that clear?"

Rito sighed reluctantly and nodded at his father. He hated when he got lectured by him, especially when it was after he did something stupid. That was not unusual for him due to being a bit dimwitted. At least he could take comfort in the fact that he came up with great ideas every now and then.

"I was thinking, Pop. You should feed some of that food to the Cogwarts. That would make them as strong as the Tengas. Dex won't be able to fight them anywhere near as easily as he did before," Rito suggested.

"That is a brilliant idea, son," Vile said excitedly. "You can go get some of it from the back right now. You are to go to the Lunar Palace and give it to Zedd and Rita. Then come back here."

Rito saluted him. "Of course, Pop. Here I go, ready or not."

Rito skipped away from the group. Everyone watched him until he was gone. Goldar moved closer to Vile, who laid his wand in his lap and folded his hands. He clicked his tongue twice.

"It is funny how Rito can be really stupid one minute and really smart the next," Goldar said honestly.

"It sure is," Vile agreed. "He was always my favorite child. If my wife had never fled with Kara, I would have three children working for me. I miss her sometimes, but I can never forgive her for stealing my little girl from me. I am determined not to lose her again. I won't lose my first grandchild either."

"It would not surprise me if Rita showed some jealousy Kimberly is having a baby, though her sister is much younger than she is," Goldar responded and tapped the tip of his sword against his helmet. "Most people think the oldest offspring should become parents before the youngest ones do."

"That is not always the case, Goldar," Vile said, seriousness showing in his voice. "A person can be a good parent, regardless of their age. Humans had children in their teens in the old days. Having up to ten children was not uncommon. This combination came about because many children died while they were very young."

"There are also cases of the oldest children taking care of their younger siblings because the parents were sick, disabled, or wasted from drugs," Goldar added and let out a soft snort.

"That's right," Vile admitted and snapped his fingers. "When I was gone on important missions, I instructed Rita to take care of Rito. She did a great job with that. I taught her to take care of herself. After she joined Lord Zedd's army, I showed him how to care for himself. My children are very important to me."

"Despite what heroes say, villains do put others before themselves," Motha commented. "We do look out for each other."

"I am determined to look out for you, Motha," Globbor said and held out his hand.

"I will do the same for you," Motha responded and pushed it away. "Of course, I am not shaking your hand due to the slime."

Globbor nodded at the giant moth. He placed his hands behind his back and proceeded to whistle. Vile was unable to keep a chuckle from his leaving his mouth.

"It is good to see my and Zedd's monsters getting along," Vile said while tapping his wand on the arm of his chair. "Working as a team helps accomplish a lot more in a shorter amount of time."

"The Power Rangers talk about teamwork all the time, Master Vile. It won't help them this time because they have to deal with two very powerful monsters," Goldar pointed out with a big smirk on his face.

Globbor chuckled. "Isn't that the truth?"

"Tommy, Scorpina, and I used teamwork to severely damage the Dino Megazord and send it falling into a fiery crevice. We thought the zords were destroyed, but they were not. They were using the lava to heal from the eclipse battle," Goldar explained. "I am still angry at Tommy for betraying us. I want to wrap my hand around his throat and choke him again."

"You will get your chance at that, Goldar. I promise," Vile assured softly. "However, you must be patient. Good things come to those who wait."

"Please, do not say that all the time. I hear it enough from Lord Zedd and Rita," Goldar suggested.

"Of course. I won't bore you with the same lines over and over again," Vile assured.

Goldar sighed in relief. "Thank you."

Motha growled. "It will be fun watching a master play the same of evil. That happens to be you."

Vile nodded in agreement. He started talking about the time Rita used the dragon he and Fienna gave her to burn the house down.