Ruby never thought she could move so fast on foot. And she never thought she would find this out while she was running for her life from a giant dino-Grimm whose favorite flavor was red. The thunderous footsteps behind her shook the street and sent a pounding through the girl's heart. Short bursts of teleportation spared her from the beast's snapping jaws and she darted from side to side to avoid getting crushed.
Her scythe lashed out at the monster's legs and jaws, but it was like scratching a stick against metal. Ruby hacked and slashed wildly until its large tail slammed into her with the force of a wrecking ball, sending the Red Ranger into a car hard enough to knock the vehicle on its side. Ruby's brain rattled in her head and her ears rang, the girl struggling to recall the last time she struggled against a single Grimm. The Nevermore, maybe? This one wasn't as huge, and it still-
The car lifted off the road, earning a panicked gasp from Ruby as she spun around. The T-Rex Grimm was holding the vehicle in its massive jaws, a pair of crimson eyes burning past Ruby's visor and into her eyes. The monster tossed the vehicle aside and lunged at the girl with wide jaws, ignoring the red laser bolts that dissipated harmlessly against white armor plating…
The jaws were wrenched open when Ruby jammed her scythe between them, keeping the mouth from closing around her. The girl fired several more shots into the monster's maw, earning an irritated growl from the beast before it wildly thrashed its head with Ruby inside, fighting to dislodge the blockage. Ruby allowed herself to be absorbed in a bright flash of red light and the monster's mouth snapped shut on empty air while she reappeared atop its head, striking her scythe into its skull. Unfortunately, the blade didn't sink in as deep as she thought, the Grimm's density thicker than anything she expected before. All it took was for the dinosaur to jerk its head around and throw Ruby off, letting her hit the street in a tumbled heap. She blinked away from a massive foot that smashed into the street, reappearing in front of the roaring monster before running off again. A few Grimm Putties savagely gave chase, forcing the Red Ranger to gun them down and roll away from lunging figures.
A solid ice wall was smashed apart as quickly as it erected, the Triceratops-like Grimm bellowing at Weiss while the Blue Ranger shielded herself from shards. The beast angled its frill to block Weiss' shots and charged like a mad bull, the heiress cartwheeling away and countering by stabbing the road with her saber, freezing the ground under its feet. The dinosaur-like Grimm simply ceased its charge, sliding to a controlled stop before snorting out of its abyssal nostrils. Weiss yelped in shock and made a run for it when the beast charged again, diving to the side and leaving it to plow through a wall- as well as the unfortunate Grimm Putty standing in front of the structure- like paper. The monster left a massive Grimm-sized hole in its wake while Weiss caught her breath, a shaky hand on her saber.
A pair of huge paws pinned Yang to the ground and the Yellow Ranger fought against vicious fangs that threatened to puncture her helmet. A furious yell erupting from her throat, Yang blasted her flamethrower gauntlet directly down the monster's maw, forcing it to eat fire. She expected the Grimm to retreat with smoke billowing from its mouth… but instead, a massive paw swatted her arm aside and the jaws closed around Yang's shoulder. The tiger-like Grimm threw the screaming blonde Ranger like a ragdoll, snarling as Yang smashed through a window and landed near a crowd of startled civilians amidst a shower of glass.
"Uh…" she began once she noticed her new audience. "N-nothing to worry about, folks! Just another day for the Power Rangers, right?" She hopped to her feet and charged back out onto the street before anybody could utter a word, punching down a screeching Grimm Putty on the way. Yang hoped she quelled her fears just as she did the people. These Grimm were on another level, nothing at all like the various types Beacon told her about. They were tougher, faster, stronger… just like Team RWBY, Nora, and Ren right now. The Grimm had an edge to counter their new powers somehow, which meant everybody needed an edge to counter that.
Blake danced around the stomping elephant-like Grimm that dwarfed a Goliath in size, her slashing blades having no effect against its thick hide. Nora zapped the pterosaur-like monster right in the face, forcing its shrieking form to fly away and blow the Pink Ranger back with a gust of wind. Yang tore a streetlight out of the ground and bashed the tiger-like Grimm with it, but the beast snagged the makeshift weapon in its mouth after a few hits and chucked it down the street with a growl.
"Jason!" Ruby called, shooting at the rampaging T-Rex and teleporting away from a bite. "Please tell me you have a plan! We're not gonna last long against these Grimm! They're too-UNF!" The beast swung its head with a deafening bellow, smashing Ruby against an overturned car. "Urgh… they're too strong." She finished in a daze. Weiss retreated to her leader's position while freezing the road behind her, but the Triceratops Grimm in hot pursuit was shattering the slick surface with every impact of its strong feet. Billy landed in front of Weiss and snagged the monster's horn, throwing it aside while the other Rangers huddled up.
"She's got a point," Trini agreed. "These things are tougher than the usual Grimm!"
"And look at the size of them!" Zack shouted. "They're as big as our… wait a minute..." The Black Ranger examined the recovering monsters one by one before a frustrated huff escaped him. "More ripoffs?! Why couldn't Rita and her goons have sent something more original?!"
"Then let's show these fakers their place!" Jason boomed before he and his friends raised their arms to the sky, shouting out as one. "WE NEED DINOZORD POWER NOW!"
…
Far away from Angel Grove, a great beast rose from the depths of the earth until it towered over the land. Fire and magma burst in its wake with intense heat while wisps of steam weaved in a frantic dance. Powerful and dominating roars erupted from its ancient maw as molten magma dripped from its massive form emerging from deep below the planet itself. Standing on two robotic legs, supported by a massive tail, sporting two tiny arms, and a ferocious head standing atop a vertical body, the mechanical monster roared into the sky to announce its presence.
Deep in the arctic, cold winds whipped around another emerging shape that broke through solid ice and snow, freezing mist spewing from a long trunk. Two shiny tusks glinted in the chilly air while four piston-esque legs supported a stocky, bulky black form. The mammoth-like machine let out a blaring trumpeting noise that shook the entire tundra before trudging forward, its feet pounding at the snow.
Among the scorching sands of the desert, a blue shape rolled across the dunes on two pairs of strong treads. A horned head bellowed into the blazing sky while sands swirled around its sapphire shape, the machine rolling steadily along the desert plains.
A feline-esque form thundered through the deep and dense jungle, snarls and growls emerging from a fanged mouth. Four agile and slender gray legs propelled the machine past hundreds of trees at insane speeds A single leap from its hind legs propelled the cat-like beast over a treeline and hit the ground without a single loss in momentum, speeding through the jungle at a pace no organic animal could ever hope to achieve.
The volcano exploded in a shower of ash and brimstone, a screeching shadow rising faster than the smoke. Escaping from the fiery depths of the mountain to the vast, open sky, the winged jet-like machine soared over the trees at supersonic speeds, its shrieks accompanying the roars of its engine.
…
The sudden shower of roars, bellows, snarls, and screeches took Team RWBY by surprise, who whirled down the street to see five mechanical monsters closing fast on the town of Angel Grove despite their size. Ruby's jaw dropped beneath her helmet as she witnessed a red dinosaur that loomed over her like a person over an ant. Weiss gaped at a blue machine with a Triceratops head, roaring down the street like a tank. Yang barely caught a glimpse at the fastest of the bunch, which left pawprints on the road with each step of its powerful legs. Blake had to cover her ears when the black war machine stomped past with a deafening trumpet, its means of locomotion causing the very ground to shake under her feet. Nora's eyes were trained on the sky as a winged shape shot over her head, the very air around it splitting as it soared over buildings.
"AH-YAAAAH!" Jason cried as he launched himself into the air at an impossible velocity.
"HAAAAA!" Billy and Zack leaped up in tow, the boys rising higher and higher as if gravity no longer applied.
"HYAAAAAAH!" Trini and Kim were the last to ascend, resembling yellow and pink bolts moving faster than light. Ruby and her friends all looked on in a mixture of awe, shock, and confusion while Tommy clenched his fist beside them. "Give it to 'em, guys!"
"Okay…" Yang finally spoke up in disbelief. "Does anybody else think those things look like giant toys?"
Landing in the red beast's cockpit, Jason switched on the comms and readied himself. "Rangers, log on!"
"Zack here, let's kick it!"
"This is Billy, all systems go!"
"Trini here, ready to rock!"
"This is Kim, flying high!"
"Sync up!" Jason ordered, whipping out a red crystal and jamming it into a port. His friends soon followed, colored flashes filling their cockpits and their machines' systems. "Two-one, power up!"
"Alright, Power Rangers!" Jason roared as his Tyrannosaurus Dinozord did the same. "Let's wipe these ink stains off our canvas!" The five Dinozords roared and growled as they engaged their Grimm counterparts, leaving Tommy and the Remnantians to deal with the swarm of Grimm Putties that littered the city streets.
…
"HAHAHAHAHA!" Rita cackled as she observed the battle with glee. "That's right, you multicolored miscreants! I finally made the monsters that will destroy you once and for all!" The witch's telescope gave her the glorious sight of the lead beast sinking its teeth into the Tyrannosaurus Dinozord's neck, sparks flying from the immense bite before Jason shook it off with a strong headbutt. The T-Rex Grimm roared at the machine and re-engaged with a charging slam, the Ranger's efforts not enough to deter it.
"All it took was a little Liquid Grimm, a few touches of my magic, then several seconds in the Monster-Matic, and voila! Monsters that are a match for your precious Dinozords!" Rita boomed, watching the Triceratops Dinozord clash horns with its counterpart, its treads grinding wildly against asphalt while the monster's legs remained firmly planted into the ground. With a final shove, the black behemoth sent the machine sliding back. The Grimm began to charge forward, but the Dinozord's cannons fired blue lasers directly in the creature's face, buying Billy enough time to drive away and circle for another go.
The Sabertooth Tiger Dinozord was locked in ferocious combat with its doppelganger, both felines a blur of yellow and black as they scratched and clawed at each other. The machine sunk its fangs into the Grimm's nape and the monster countered by rolling onto the ground, sending the Zord crashing to the street. The Grimm pounced atop the mech like the wild beast it resembled and scratched at the cockpit until Trini surprised it with a lunge, the force knocking the Grimm onto its back before scrambling back to its feet. "That's it, fight them all you wish!" Rita goaded the Rangers on. "You're starting to act like real teenagers who fight themselves from the inside!"
The Mastodon Dinozord locked tusks with its Grimm double, both pachyderms bellowing and trumpeting as they pushed against one another. In the skies above, the Pterodactyl Dinozord pursued the pterosaur-esque Grimm like a pair of dogfighting planes, lightning-shaped lasers zapping from the machine's wings.
"But make no mistake, children… this time, your inner demons will prevail! AHAHAHAHAHA!" An irritating yet intriguing sight caught Rita's attention next. Amidst the battling beasts, Tommy valiantly led Team RWBY and their friends in taking a stand against the Grimm Putties. "Aw, what do we have here? The Green Ranger wants to play big brother to the little runts? WELL, TOO BAD! I know just what'll take care of that traitor…"
…
Each swing of Ruby's scythe cut down a single Grimm Putty while her blaster took down two about to pounce off a roof. Blocking a claw aimed at her back, Ruby danced around and diced the monsters around her in a spinning flurry, ash showering around her once she finished. Blake and Weiss slashed more of them to pieces while Ren kept on the move, the smallest of strikes spreading poison to the dark hybrids. Lastly, any Grimm Putty that foolishly approached Yang and Nora was pulverized into black pulp with a side of being scorched or zapped to dust. Explosive fireballs shot from the Yellow Ranger's gauntlets while the Pink Ranger sent scores of Grimm Putties flying with a single swing of her hammer.
"AI-YAH!" A green orb blasted apart another foe before a dagger sliced through two more, the monsters disintegrating in the Green Ranger's wake. "How's everybody holding up?" he asked, pausing to spin-kick another Grimm Putty across the face before smashing its face into the street with his fist. Ruby flung another creature into the sky and Yang tackled it in midair, the blonde piledriving it into the asphalt so that only its bottom half remained intact… until the rest of it faded away. "Woo! From one dragon to another, I still feel fired up!"
"I appreciate the question, Tommy," Ren added, slashing at a Grimm Putty's hamstring and burying a dagger into its skull. "But what about your friends? Shouldn't you be more concerned about them?"
"Of course I am! AH-YAH!" Tommy landed a jumping kick directly to a Grimm Putty's chest. "But they've been through tough scrapes without me before!" Three of them rushed him at once, forcing the Green Ranger to backflip away. "It may be a little dicey for them, but the other Rangers will make black blobs outta those Grimmzords!"
Weiss halted and groaned beneath her helmet. "Grimmzords?"
"Well, they're modeled after each of my friends' respective animals and they're as big as the Zords, so-"
"We get it!" Blake finished for him, firing purple lasers at the oncoming swarm. Ruby dashed to her teammates' side, kicking away one Grimm Putty before slicing another in half. "Questionable names aside, we need to keep the Putties off the other Rangers while they handle the bigger problem!"
"Which won't be a problem for us!" Nora yelled, the tip of her hammer blasting lightning bolts that chained through dozens of Grimm Putties. "When was the last time any of us had this much fun?!"
"Figures bashing monsters in the face with a big hammer would be her idea of fun," Tommy muttered to Ruby. "But if you all are still eager to take these guys down, then so am-"
Everybody ceased their attack when they realized the Grimm Putties had stopped throwing themselves at the Rangers. Wisps of black smoke from vanquished foes drifted into the wind as the horde stilled, warbling and chittering to one another. One of them sniffed the air and whirled around, prompting others to catch the scent and turn. Nora tried her best to peek over them. "Uh… hello? Wrong way, bone-brains!" Team RWBY shared glances, puzzled at the pause.
Blake jerked her head forward with a sudden intake of air. "Do… do you all hear that?"
It was the sound of crashing waves off in the distance. Her teammates heard it quickly… and they saw it, too. Something slowly arose at the borders of the city, carrying a column of water with it as it loomed over Angel Grove. The hiding citizens were unable to turn their eyes away from the sight, worried murmurs arising from several of them. The water rushed off and plummeted back into the sea, revealing the arriving mass.
A mass of black, eight red gills, protruding ribs, dorsal plates, and six burning eyes atop a porpoise-like armored head.
RRRAAAAAAWWWRRR! The bellowing Leviathan sent the hiding people into a panic, screams and terrified cries filling their hiding spots as they huddled together like cowering rats. One such civilian- a brown-eyed woman in a leather jacket- simply stared at the titan not in horror or fear, but in disappointment she expressed with a sigh.
"Every time," she muttered, wisely stepping away from the windows… a glimpse of a pink shirt jutting out from her jacket.
The black behemoth wasted no time moving inland, growing larger and larger as it approached with thunderous footsteps. Tommy and the Remnantians craned their heads as high as they could go, their eyes widened with shock.
"Well, that's just perfect!" Weiss groaned.
SCREEEEEEEE! The Grimm Putties shrieked and charged again, this time catching the Rangers by surprise. Everybody struggled into the fight, with Yang grabbing one that had latched onto her and stomping it underfoot. Blake summoned more dark doubles, giving her friends some much-needed reinforcements that slashed and hacked at the horde claw-for-claw. Ruby and Tommy felt their hearts sink as the Leviathan trudged into the city, an imposing sight for all of Angel Grove.
"Wh-what are we supposed to do about that?!" Ruby stammered. The only response she got was a series of beeps from her communicator, where Trini's alarmed voice came out. "Uh… guys?! We got more company! BIG company-AGH!" Ruby picked up the sound of clanging metal, sizzling sparks, and a faint roar on the other end.
"Zack!" Kim shouted. "See if you can slow down the tiger!" Something swooshed overhead and the Pink Ranger grunted in exasperation. "This thing just won't quit!"
"Kim, go low!" Billy shouted. "I'll see if I can harpoon the pterodactyl! Er, the big black one!"
"I'd appreciate that! WHOA!"
"I'll do my best to cover you, Billy!" Jason promised before he shouted out in the effort. "Eat pavement, dark-o-saur! Tommy, we're a little tied up! Can you-"
"I'm way ahead of you!" replied the Green Ranger before he ended the call. "Sorry, girls, but I've got business to take care of! Mop up the rest of the Putties, okay?!"
"Got it!" Yang nodded. "What are you gonna do?" Tommy turned away from the Yellow Ranger and glared up at the bellowing Leviathan… with his Dragon Dagger in hand.
"I'm gonna show that ugly dolphin some DRAGONZORD POWER!"
Raising the dagger to his face, Tommy proceeded to play his weapon like a flute, making triumphant notes that carried out for miles. The music was enough to distract the Grimm Putties, who whirled on the Green Ranger… and realized their error too late as the other Rangers struck them where they stood. After grappling with his opponent and hurling it to the ground in a leg-lock takedown, Ren turned in Tommy's direction.
"Is he playing that thing through a mask? How…"
The Leviathan, also alerted to the music, lowered its head and snarled at the Rangers before abruptly pausing. The sea was shifting once again, causing the Leviathan to turn around with a curious growl. A second column of water arose from the ocean… this time with a pair of red lights flashing into existence before water dripped and fell off a towering steel beast. A gigantic machine modeled after a dragon stood tall on two powerful hind legs, decorated in green and gold colors- a giant golden disc with six red dots spread out in a star-shaped pattern resting proudly on its chest- while a sharp, spiky tail trailed behind it. A pair of five-fingered hands unfolded and a metallic jaw opened up…
REEEYYAAAAAAGH!
The Dragonzord screeched at the intruder, who bellowed back with a sharp turn of its massive form. Tommy shot into the machine's cockpit and fit in easily like a missing piece, grabbing the controls and glaring into the Leviathan's six eyes. "Alright, tough guy! You wanna turn my town into a playground? You gotta go through me!"
The two titans drew near until they collided at close range, the Leviathan lunging for a bite. Its jaws only closed on empty air as the Dragonzord swung to the side, raking its steel claws against the giant Grimm's side and earning a guttural groan from the Leviathan. It swiped its talons against the Dragonzord's chest, sparks flying from the contact of talons on metal. The Zord took a few steps back, snarling before raising its arms to intercept the Leviathan's sudden charge. Its cetacean-esque jaws snapped meters away from the Dragonzord's face, who responded by bashing the Grimm in its bony skull with its fin-adorned head.
"Aw, what's the matter?" Tommy taunted from the cockpit. "Did I break that little mask of yours?"
RAAAAAARGH!
"I was hoping you'd say that!"
Yang took her eyes off the warring giants for a second, poking her thumb at the giant metal dragon that was now going toe-to-toe against a Leviathan. "So… he's good, yeah?"
"Given that he's fighting a Leviathan in that… thing," Ren commented. "Yes. He's good."
"So let's deal with these things fast… YAH!" Ruby decapitated a Grimm Putty with a single swing while wheels of lightning flew from every spin of Nora's hammer. "...and give the others a hand!" The Pink Ranger struck a Grimm Putty like a golf ball, a roar of thunder accompanying the blow for a more dramatic flair. "Are we sure they need it, though?"
Nora got her answer when darkness loomed over her. A shadow swooped through the sky, a demonic screech trailing behind it while two harpoons were pulled along with it… "LOOK OUT!" Weiss tackled Ruby aside just as a gigantic blue object came flying through on the other end of the heavy chains, the mass swinging back and forth like a pendulum while treads spun uselessly in the air.
"AAAAAH!" Billy screamed from inside the Triceratops Dinozord that had been reduced to a makeshift wrecking ball, smashing and colliding into various buildings as his mech carelessly swung around with each of the pterodactyl Grimm's movements. "OW!" the Blue Ranger yelled as his Zord took off a store's rooftop corner. "This! Was! Such! A! Bad! I! Dea!" The Sabertooth Tiger Dinozord charged after in hot pursuit, making sharp turns with ease. "Hold on, Billy!"
"Not like I can do much eeeelllse!" The pterosaur-esque Grimmzord veered down a corner, sending the Triceratops plowing through a wall and carving out a building before it was yanked back out. "Sorry!" Billy cried to the exposed civilians inside while debris fell to the streets. A few blocks away, the Sabertooth Grimmzord noticed the pursuit and took off after the yellow machine, abandoning the pachyderm as it was sprayed by a freezing mist. Its legs were welded to the road in a thick layer of ice and it trumpeted in annoyance, thrashing around desperately as the spray finally ceased.
"Don't like the cold, huh?!" Zack taunted. "Then you're not a real Mastodon! And if this little ice age won't do you in, there's more where that came from!" The Grimmzord glared into the Dinozord's cockpit with a fiery stare and swung its head low, its thick tusks shattering the ice around its legs like glass. Zack pushed forward on the controls, commanding his Zord to advance… but he failed to notice his opponent's trunk bloating up.
Like water gushing from a pipe, viscous tar-like gunk erupted from the Mastodon Grimmzord's trunk and splattered over Zack's windshield, forcing the Black Ranger to throw up a hand and cringe behind his helmet. "UGH! What the-?!" The ooze dripped and slid away in seconds, revealing the Mastodon Grimmzord spewing out sticky strands and gross globs of dark goo that covered every inch of the Dinozord. Safe in the cockpit, Zack's face turned green as the murky mess was discharged all over the machine's chassis and gunked up his Zord's trunk.
"Must… not… puke… in… helmet…" he gagged out. "So disgusting…" Grabbing a hold of the controls, Zack urged his Zord to move… but got no response other than a lurch. "Huh?! No, no, no, come on!" But no matter how hard he fiddled with the controls, the Zord's legs wouldn't budge as the black, murky substance held fast. Nervousness arose to accompany the Black Ranger's disgust, his Zord glued in place while the Mastodon Grimmzord trudged forward with a dripping trunk.
"Urgh, somebody needs a handkerchief…" Zack muttered to himself before switching on the comms. "Guys, I'm stuck! Stuck in some… some kind of Grimm snot that's all over me! I've been gooed! I mean, glued!"
"Eeeww!" Kim groaned. "Not another word, please!"
"Worst runny nose ever!" Trini echoed. "I haven't even seen it and I think I'm gonna be sick!"
"You're not making me feel better about this!"
"Hang tight, Zack!" Jason shouted, the Black Ranger barely hearing the words over the mammoth monster's deep bellow. It charged at Zack in a fuming rage and the immobilized Black Ranger could only brace for the inevitable impact… until a pair of red lasers struck the Grimm in the side, making it trumpet in pain and collapse onto its side.
The red beams shooting from the Tyrannosaurus Dinozord's eyes burned through the gelatinous black substance, melting the mass away until the Mastodon took its first few steps of freedom. A relieved sigh escaped Zack's throat before he heard Jason's voice. "You good, Zack?"
"Other than being scarred for life… yes." Zack shuddered and suppressed a gag reflex, mentally wishing he never had to go through anything so vile and repellent ever again. "When this is over, I'm gonna take a shower for about- Jason, WATCH OUT!" The Tyrannosaurus Dinozord whirled around only to be rocked aside by a heavy headbutt. The Red Ranger nearly fell out of his seat as sparks dangerously flew from his controls, struggling to regain control. His opponent roared with the force of an earthquake just past his cockpit, treating the Red Ranger to a faceful of a blackened mouth and bony teeth while saliva splattered the windshield like rain.
"Nnf!" Jason wrenched the controls forward and the roaring war machine swiped its claws across the Grimm's face, causing it to retreat. It lunged at the Zord, but its jaws snapped shut on empty air as Jason veered away and slammed the beast with his Zord's tail. With his enemy staggered, Jason fired up the lasers and blasted the monster where it stood…
…or he would have if the Grimmzord's eyes didn't glow as crimson as red stars and released two burning beams that blocked Jason's lasers.
"Stealing my trick isn't gonna help you!" Jason yelled, his hands flying across the controls and turning up a dial. "Increasing power!" The Dinozord's lasers intensified, pushing the lock in its favor. A snarl erupted from the Grimmzord's maw as it answered in tow, drawing more strength to press the interception point toward Jason. The Red Ranger struggled as his Zord shook from the effort, ready to turn up the heat some more…
Two lightning bolt-shaped lasers struck the Grimm's shoulders, breaking its focus and allowing Jason's lasers to cut into its murky hide. A high-pitched howl and a loud thud were all Jason heard from the sudden smoke. A distant screech came from overhead, giving the Red Ranger a clue to his savior's identity. "Nice going, Kim!"
"Anytime!" The Pterodactyl Dinozord made a sharp arc and screamed through the sky, the Pink Ranger switching targets to her Zord's twisted reflection. The Grimmzord was flying in a circle, sending Billy into a fast spin and probably making the Blue Ranger nauseous in the process. The Triceratops Dinozord's cables strained under the intense motion until they finally snapped, the momentum flinging the Zord across the street. Kim winced at the sight of Billy's machine crashing and tumbling along the street until it finally landed on its side, screeching to a stop… and bumping into a street sign, slightly tilting it.
"Billy?!" She tried rousing him on the comms. "You okay?!"
"Uuuugh…" came a drowsy response amidst buzzing sparks. "Barely…"
"Hang on, blue buddy," Zack cut in, the Mastodon Dinozord trudging his way while its Grimm doppelganger was trying to wrench its frozen trunk free from a wall. "I'll get you up and rolling!" Kim turned her eyes back to the sky and converged on the airborne atrocity, firing a stream of lasers that scorched the Pterodactyl Grimmzord's wings. Shrieking in pain and alarm, the flying monster spun in midair and flashed open its wings…
…which blasted out two orange lasers that scored a direct hit on the Dinozord's wing!
"AGH!" Kim yelped, a shower of sparks flooding her vision. "I've been hit!" Muscle memory from the Grid kicked in and the Pink Ranger wrestled with the controls, fighting to keep her Zord in the air. She diverted power to the engines and blasted away with her dark double in hot pursuit, lasers blasting from the wings while Kim weaved in every direction. The machine and the monster soared over the city in a high-speed chase… while on the streets below, the Mastodon Dinozord pushed the battered Triceratops back onto its treads.
"How are you holding up, Billy?"
"Ngh… functional," moaned the Blue Ranger. "Well, as functional as one can be after one is flung down the street at fifty miles per hour. Self-repairs are underway… and please remind me never to harpoon a monster with wings again."
"As long as you remind me never to let me get… ugh… gooed up in the world's biggest, blackest pile of snot ever again."
There was a silence from Billy as he comprehended the fact. "That's… disturbing."
"That's one way to put it."
Zack noticed something from the corner of his eye and jolted in alarm. "Uh-oh! Billy, we have incoming!" The Blue Ranger spun around, catching a glimpse of a black-and-white Triceratops with anatomically incorrect sharp teeth in its beaked mouth charging right for them. Its eyes were burning red, reminding Billy of an old stereotype in which bulls charged at the sight of such a color. Pushing back the correction that fought its way forward, the Blue Ranger angled his Zord into position and readied the cannons.
"Slow it down!" He shouted, letting loose with a barrage of lapis lasers that connected harmlessly against the monster's shield-like frill. Frigid mist blasted from the Mastodon's trunk, freezing the road and providing a smoke screen to shield the Zords. The Grimmzord was undeterred by the efforts and continued to rampage forward, leaping over the freezing asphalt and smashing the ice apart with hard and heavy footsteps. It rushed through the blizzard-like winds with an enraged bellow…
…and a pack of shadowy figures jumped out to swarm and slash at the beast like ambushing predators. The mist cleared, revealing Blake perched atop a streetlamp while Weiss skated in on a patch of ice. The Grimmzord howled and flung Blake's shadows away like ragdolls, but one sunk its claws into a horn and swung like an acrobat, smacking a heel into the monster's face.
"The Grimm Putties are gone," Blake reported while Weiss shot freezing blasts at the Grimmzord's thick legs to limit its movement. "Which leaves our friends to help yours against these things. Tommy called them Grimmzords."
"Because of course," sighed Billy.
"AARGH! Get off me, you copycat!" Trini snarled over the comms before her Zord tumbled into view, locked with the dark feline that smashed the Sabertooth Tiger Dinozord into a wall. The stunned Zord was unable to react before fangs sunk into its neck and the Grimm hurled itself backward, releasing the Zord and causing it to flip and tumble hard against the street. The machine's legs planted firmly into the asphalt and slid to a halt, growling at the Grimm while the Yellow Ranger grasped at the controls.
"Come on! I'm gonna knock all nine lives outta you!"
"Then allow me to wrench a few of those numbers loose!" A cherry voice roared seconds before a car struck the Sabertooth Grimmzord in the face. A fireball connected with the vehicle, enveloping the yowling beast in a fiery cloud. Shaking its head from the smoke, the Grimmzord pawed at its face while its angry eyes darted around for the perpetrator.
FWEEET! "Over here, kitty-kitty!" Fireballs pounded it in the face when it turned to look. Yang proudly marched down the street while blasting her flamethrowers like cannons, each explosive punch hitting its mark. A savage growl erupted from the beast, who whirled in Yang's direction…
…and blasted an orange ray from its mouth that Yang barely leaped away from in time. "YOW!" The Yellow Ranger rolled and slid under the beam as it passed by, chucking another car at the beast to disrupt its attack. The monster maneuvered its beam into the vehicle's path, destroying it in a blast that left metal parts clattering out of the smoke cloud.
The Grimmzord moved back to Yang… but a yellow laser beam struck it in the side and burned through its armor. "If we're doing lasers now, let me join the party!" Trini shouted, her Dinozord's raised tail blasting a deadly stream of sunlight-colored energy at the freaky feline. Yowling in pain, the beast scrambled to its feet and bolted away with a singed hide, firing its laser at Trini while it retreated. Both Yellow Rangers flashed a thumbs-up to each other, but their celebration was cut short by a thunderous bellow.
Red sonic pulses shot from the Tyrannosaurus Dinozord's mouth, the soundwaves strong enough to shake the ground… until the monster was silenced by blood-red beams that seared and scorched its chassis. Jason's mech stumbled and fell while the T-Rex Grimmzord stomped forward, never letting up with its deathly stare. The monster kept burning its eyes into Jason's Zord, which groaned and moaned under the crimson stream… but it was unaware of a red-clad figure sprinting across the roof and hopping into the air, blinking away in a red flash.
Another red flash and Ruby sunk her scythe into the monster's eye, turning its next roar into a thunderous bellow of agony. Its crimson optic laser made contact with the scythe, causing a bright explosion that broke apart the bony armor on its face. Blown back by the blast, Ruby teleported in midair, reappearing before the rising Dinozord with her scythe planted into the road like a flag.
"Thanks for the save, little red!" Jason thanked her, the T-Rex Grimmzord howling and shaking its head while bloody smoke wafted from its wounded eye. Ruby stared down the injured beast, who roared with great rage and made her cape flutter in the breeze. "But I think you just made it mad!" Fate seemed to agree with the Red Ranger, the monster roaring and snarling at both crimson-clad figures with intense hatred. Ruby warped to the Dinozord's head, standing firm against the mech and bracing herself for its next attack…
…but the Grimmzord staggered down the street with a limping stride, moaning in agony. Both Red Rangers stared at its retreating form with confused eyes. "Huh… are you sure?" Jason moved his Dinozord to follow the dinosaur-styled Grimm, allowing his gaze to deviate to the crackling sky above. Kim swooped over buildings with the Pterodactyl Grimmzord on her tail… until a pink lightning bolt fired from a distant rooftop in the blink of an eye, striking the aerial beast and sending it crashing to the ground with a sparkling form.
"BULLSEYE!" Nora roared with her hammer held high, Ren patting her on the back appreciatively. Ruby smiled at her friends' efforts to aid the other Rangers… save for the green metal dragon that was still holding its own against the lone Leviathan. Its colossal hands grabbed the Leviathan's arms before its tail spun up dangerously, the length driving itself into the Leviathan's torso and digging deep, earning a screeching howl from the Grimm.
"Ooooh!" Ruby cringed beneath her helmet while Jason pumped his fist. "Yeah! Way to go, Tommy!" The Tyrannosaurus Dinozord joined up with the other Zords and the rest of the Rangers. Just as Ruby stood atop Jason's mech, Weiss was positioned behind the Triceratops' head, Blake was perched atop the Mastodon, Yang rode the Sabertooth Tiger like a great steed, and the Pterodactyl hovered above the rest with Nora and Ren standing on the wings.
"Okay, Power Rangers!" Ruby called out, raising her scythe high. "Let's finish this!"
…
"What's wrong?!" Tommy called out as the Dragonzord's drill tail was yanked out, leaving the Leviathan with a circular wound in its chest. "That's not all you got; my friends and I just fought three of you!"
RAAARGH! The Leviathan blasted an electric beam of fire that struck the Dragonzord dead-on, the mech stumbling back while screeching in annoyance. Tommy merely chuckled as his Zord stomped forward. "Aw, that's cute. But can you do this?" A hailstorm of missiles launched from the Dragonzord's fingertips, bombarding the Leviathan from all sides. Pushing through the barrage with an angry snarl, the Leviathan tackled the Dragonzord with a loud metallic clang.
Tommy grunted behind the controls as the cockpit shook from the strike, commanding the Dragonzord to grab the Leviathan by the head, slam it against the mech's knee in an air-cracking crunch, and throw it to the ground hard enough to shake the streets. "Not so tough now, are you, big guy?! Not against something that can fight back!" The Leviathan lunged with a vicious roar, but the Dragonzord leaned back on its tail and kicked it right in the ribs with both feet, knocking the Leviathan against the side of a skyscraper.
"Oops!" Tommy gulped once he saw glass and rubble falling to the street. "Guess I'm getting a little carried away… time to wrap this up, then!" The Dragonzord stood firm as the Leviathan shook off the blow, turning its angry six eyes to the steel titan.
ROOOAAAARGH!
REEEYAAAAAGH!
Tommy again caught the Leviathan's menacing hands in the Dragonzord's grip, locking them both in a grapple The kaiju-sized Grimm pushed forward, bellowing in the Dragonzord's face while an orange glow lit up in its throat. Tommy quickly set to work with the controls, spinning up the tail again…
"HA!" He shouted as he drove the tail through the side of the Leviathan's head, puncturing the skull with ease in a sickening crunch of bone and black flesh. The Grimm immediately went still and its roar abruptly ceased, its glowing red eyes slowly going dark before its demonic limbs dropped low. The Leviathan's massive frame withered away into dust, leaving the Dragonzord towering over the ash while it roared into the sky.
REEEEEYYYAAAAAGH!
"I guess those things really are brainless…" Tommy chuckled to himself, turning the Dragonzord around to aid his allies. But when his eyes landed on his friends and the Grimmzords, the Green Ranger froze up in shock. "What the…?"
…
A few minutes earlier…
The Grimmzords hissed and snarled at the Rangers both inside and outside of the Dinozords, their ferocity and rage towards the machines never fading. They wouldn't go down without a fight, and the Rangers would gladly give them one.
"I think they're finally starting to understand that there's nothing better than the original!" quipped Zack. His friends echoed their agreements and Team RWBY jumped to the rooftops with their friends in tow, ready to give the Zords whatever support they needed. The wounded Tyrannosaurus Grimmzord growled with an aching rage and bellowed into the sky, the Rangers bracing for contact.
It never came.
Instead of charging for the Rangers, the Grimmzords all whipped their heads towards their leader and rushed towards the roaring monster. All five Grimmzords gathered around in a tight, defensive formation, snarls and menacing growls looming from their mouths. The Rangers stilled at their controls and Billy leaned forward. "Wait, why are they-"
A deep, abyssal roar exploded from the T-Rex Grimmzord… while dark, murky tendrils erupted from its body and wrapped around the other Grimmzords like snakes coiling around prey! The dinosaur-esque beast broke down into a black mush and bones snapped, vanishing into spilling flesh that consumed its entire body.
All of the Remnantians' helmets disappeared, revealing horrified and grossed-out expressions while they cried out in fear and disgust. Ruby wailed as her hands flew to her eyes, desperately clawing at her face while Yang covered her mouth with both hands. Weiss and Blake flinched hard and jerked their heads away, but the image was already seared into their minds. Nora and Ren looked like they were about to collapse, steadying themselves on each other.
Trini's helmet vanished, her eyes wide and jaw hanging open. "I take it back. Now I think I'm gonna be sick…"
The slick and demonic tentacles dragged the Grimmzords closer to what used to be the T-Rex, claws and hooves digging against the road while giant wings frantically flapped in a desperate attempt to flee. The Triceratops was the first to be swallowed up in a bubbling black mass, its howls vanishing into wet gurgles as more tentacles wrapped around its frame and shoved it into the blackness. The Sabretooth scratched up the road as it was pulled in next like a child refusing punishment. A high-pitched yowl was the last sound it uttered before a trail of claw marks signified its departure into the murky mixture.
"Jason…" Billy gulped as he nervously adjusted his glasses. "This behavior… I-I can't begin to describe it. Why would they…"
"I dunno," the Red Ranger muttered with worry in his eyes. "Everybody, stay ready." Zack swallowed and took a deep breath while Kim gripped the controls tighter, glancing a concerned gaze at each of the Remnantians as they stared between here, themselves, and the bubbling blackness before them.
Dozens of tendrils pulled the huge figure of the trumpeting Mastodon towards the bloating black blob, consuming it from the hindquarters and swallowing it up. Its tusks and long trunk were the last to vanish, the sounds of its bellowing cutting off once the tip vanished into the rippling surface.
Ear-piercing screeches filled the sky as the Pterodactyl Grimmzord was pulled down into the muck, its wings flailing about while it sank. The mass shifted and rose once the last of the Grimmzords were absorbed, its shape squelching and remodeling. Hellish, inhuman sounds echoed from inside the evil form, accompanied by the sickening snaps and crunches of bone. None of the Rangers made a sound as their eyes were glued to the shapeless object before it, even as the Dragonzord went still upon detecting it.
The blob towered over the Dinozords, casting a shadow upon the Power Rangers while the Zords took a few hasty steps back. The goo shifted and contorted like gelatin until the bottom separated, molding into a chosen shape while sharp bone-like protrusions pushed out the front. White armor plating and sharp spikes sprouted on snapping knee joints while two more lengths extended from the sides, the ends separating into dark, murky fingers with bone-like claws sliding outward while spikes shot out from elbows. The middle twisted and reshaped into a broad center, curved rib bones locking into position to provide a thick armor.
Sharp spikes burst out from the back like knives poking through flesh, sending globs of black matter flying as they emerged one after another. A final growth arose from the goo's highest point, reshaping into a round structure as bony plates lined with red detailing cracked and settled themselves. A huge red abyss opened up and dozens of demonic teeth sprouted in the midst of an evil exhale. Two long horns emerged and curved upward before red detailing swirled around empty sockets… that burst open with fiery red-orange light.
All of the Rangers turned pale, with Jason and Ruby whispering under their breath. "Holy mother of…"
GRRROOOOAAAAAAARRRGH!
Ruby and her friends threw up their arms as the haunting bellow ten times deeper than thunder assailed their senses, their helmets flashing back across their faces. The Rangers' helmets quickly followed before their heads whipped back to the demonic monstrosity looming over them, Jason shouting back at the behemoth as heavy winds swept over the Zords. "You think an upgrade is supposed to scare us, ugly?!"
"Yeah!" Kim agreed. "You only made us mad that you're still copying our act!"
"I'm not sure what I'm supposed to call this thing," Zack joined in. "Mega Grimmzord or Mega Moron-Who-Still-Thinks-He's-The-Power-Rangers-Shadow!"
Jason pumped his fist, his determined eyes meeting the evil orbs above. "Let's get on his level, guys! MEGAZORD POWER: ON!" He cried, shoving a lever forward. The Dinozords charged forward in a practiced formation and Team RWBY's eyes were torn from the giant humanoid Grimm of apocalyptic proportions. The Sabertooth Tiger sank to the street- wheels taking over for the lowering legs' speed- and the Triceratops' tail curved forward, lightning trails forming an electric conduit between them and the Tyrannosaurus' legs. A heavy clang rang out as both Zords connected with Jason's mech, fusing them together.
The Mastodon Dinozord trumpeted loudly as it split apart, converging on both sides of the Tyrannosaurus. Its head locked into place against the red machine's torso while the rest of its body converted into a pair of giant cannons that positioned themselves atop the Tyrannosaurus' shoulders, electric surges flowing outward once connections were established. Finally, the Pterodactyl Dinozord hovered into position and perched atop the combination, its wings folding in on itself.
"Whoa…" Yang breathed, awestruck at the armed amalgamation. "That thing looks like a beast! Of beasts!" Ruby was just as excited, hopping in place alongside her sister. "Did you see the size of those cannons?! Are they gonna shoot them?! Please tell me they're gonna shoot them!"
"You two are such dorks…" Weiss commented dryly.
ROOOAAARRR! The Mega Grimmzord stomped forward, each powerful step causing the entire city to tremble. The black behemoth reared back with an orange glow in its throat and released a humongous fireball from its mouth, the pyrokinetic projectile striking the tank dead-on. The mech shuddered from the explosion and the Rangers were rocked in their shared cockpit, yet they remained firm.
"Alright, Tar-Head!" Zack shouted before hovering his glove over a button. "Our turn!" He smashed the button down, causing the twin cannons to unload an explosive barrage on the murky monster while the Megazord drove forward, artillery detonating against the giant Grimm's face and shoulders. Its pained howls and groans were accompanied by ecstatic cheers from Ruby and Yang.
"YEAH! Blast him in his big, ugly face!"
BRRZZZZTT! The Zords' eyes fired streams of colored lightning that zapped the Mega Grimmzord all over. Its huge stature shimmered with red, blue, purple, yellow, and pink light, but the electricity only agitated the monster.
"That works, too!" Ruby added.
"Nice going, guys!" Tommy cheered as the roaring Dragonzord marched its way over to the howling horned devil. "That should keep him back for a bit!"
"We've never seen a Grimm that huge before!" Blake protested with worry in her tone. "You can't expect us to believe you can take it down with cannons and eye lasers!"
"Who says that's all this baby can do?!" Jason countered. "Everyone, let's turn this black blob into a puddle!"
"RIGHT!" His friends shouted, the Megazord rolling to a stop before the staggering monster. Smoke billowed from its mass and it snarled with a deep hatred for its assailants, a horrible gaze trained on its enemies as it displayed wicked demonic fangs and colossal claws amidst bony spikes and armor plating. Its bellows echoed across all of Angel Grove, daring the Power Rangers to attack again and suffer the consequences.
"You want a fight, ugly?!" Jason roared back, his hands grasping the controls. "You got it! ACTIVATING MEGAZORD BATTLE MODE!" Each dial and symbol on the control panel lit up with each of the Rangers' signature colors and the entire mech began to hum, a computerized voice filling the cockpit.
"Megazord sequence has been initiated!"
The twin cannons swiveled out in favor of two massive fists and the barrels relocated to the back while the Tyrannosaurus' tail folded into position. The Sabertooth Tiger and Triceratops rose with a mechanical whir, forming a pair of colossal legs as their heads remained rooted to create feet. The Mastodon's head relocated to the back while the Pterodactyl detached from the combination and flew around to the front, rotating itself before retracting its wings and head. The Tyrannosaurus' head lowered into the chestplate while its arms rose, revealing a robotic head as the Pterodactyl connected, forming a mechanical torso. Finally, two head crests slid forward and a pair of yellow eyes flickered with light.
"Megazord activated!"
The colossal mech struck a ready pose and lightning struck its form, ready for the bellowing beast that stood mere paces away. The Remnantians took in the sight of the massive machine, their bodies still with awe… before Ruby let out a childish squeal of delight.
"So… awesome…!"
"Wow…" Nora breathed. "I'm getting serious deja vu… the good kind."
"Okay, guys! Altogether now!" Jason commanded, his friends sending the Megazord forward into a steady charge while the Mega Grimmzord did the same with a bellowing rage. "Time to show this nightmare that you don't mess with Angel Grove!" Emboldened by the Red Ranger's words, the Remnantians let out a harmonious battle cry and charged towards the titan with weapons ready. The Dragonzord took up the rear with a high-pitched snarl, firing a volley of finger missiles that battered the Mega Grimmzord all over. A monstrous roar erupted from its maw as the undeterred abomination threw a bony fist forward…
…and the Megazord launched its own punch to meet it with an explosive impact. One black behemoth molded from highly-specialized Grimm against two teams of Rangers and two colossal Zords. But the teenage heroes knew better than to count on numbers: taking this demon down and saving the city- as well as the world- would require everything they had.
And they were all too willing to provide it.