I didn't expect to enjoy writing this chapter as much as I did, considering it's so Amelia-central, but I got a lot of ideas to make it a lot of fun!
Plus there's a few references here and there that made me giggle.
Hope you like it!
Chapter 8: Superstition Strikes
As a Knight of Rafkon, Zayto was used to constant work. Training, cleaning his armour and weaponry; anything less was as foreign to him as the modern technology that he was still trying to get used to.
"I don't know who's struggling more with the notion of just sitting around," Amelia spoke up, grinning with amusement. "Zayto or Izzy," she said as she looked away from their leader and over to the Green Ranger, who looked just as restless as Zayto did.
The team had gathered for a rare quiet moment, enjoying the once again pleasant weather by spending the morning in the park on the grass. Zayto was telling them stories of Rafkon, pausing occasionally as Javi performed familiar tunes on his harmonica.
"I would have thought it would be Ryne," Fane, on the other hand, looked completely at ease as she lay sprawled in the grass beside Amelia. A book rested on her stomach, and a pair of sunglasses obscured her bright blue eyes.
"I know how to relax," Ryne glanced over at her. She was resting her back against Ollie's side, and he was leaning his head against hers. "It's just my version of relaxing is different to yours," she added, closing her eyes as she resumed dozing.
"A run through the park could be-"
"Iz, we already went on a run this morning for two hours," Lewis stopped Izzy before she could make a suggestion that only really appealed to her. He had shed his leather jacket, and for once had left the notebook in his pocket. Instead, he was scrolling through his phone idly, not really paying attention to anything as he just enjoyed sitting with them in the park. "You need to let yourself relax now and again or your body will give out," he said. Izzy's shoulders slumped, but she knew he was right.
"You guys went on a run? When?" Fane asked as she pushed herself to sit up.
"Don't sound so left out, or they'll make us join in," Ollie warned her, wary of being dragged along for even more ruthless training.
"You were still getting your beauty sleep, Fane," Izzy grinned at the blonde, well aware that Lewis was the only one who was awake and ready to train as early as she was. Even Zayto liked to sleep in a little later than them. Fane shivered as she remembered Izzy's comment about waking up at 5am.
"True. I'll stick to my usual routine then," she decided, making them laugh.
"How did it go with your parents, by the way?" Amelia asked the Silver Ranger curiously. Ivan had left a few days after Fane had become a Ranger, intending on explaining to Philip and Arianna about her needing to stay in Pine Ridge for a while.
"Better than I expected," Fane shrugged, adjusting her sunglasses. "They're worried of course, but said they'll come up with something to explain my prolonged stay here," she said. "I'm just glad they aren't making me do what my dad did," she added lightly.
"What happened?" Zayto asked, as curious as always about Ranger history.
"He usually just came back when they needed the extra help. He had too many responsibilities to stay in Amber Beach, no matter how much he wanted to stay with mum," Fane grinned at her own words.
"And you don't? Would have figured you'd have even more to do-" Ollie was cut off by a sharp jab to the ribs from Ryne's elbow. Fane glowered at him, touchy as ever about her status as Princess. Miraculously, nobody else had realised who she was yet.
"I handle as many responsibilities as I can online, and my parents are covering what I can't. Seeing as I'm the only heir, my grandpa is fine with me doing whatever I want, as long as I'm not involved in any scandals," Fane said, and Ollie wisely didn't say a word in response.
"Sounds like dad with Izzy," Javi grinned, and his sister rolled her eyes at him as the others started to laugh again.
Their relaxation time was soon interrupted by a call from Solon, warning them that a Sporix Beast alert had come in over the Ranger hotline. Izzy hopped to her feet, eager to burn off some energy as the rest got up at a slower pace, and once sure that nobody was watching, they teleported away.
1-2-3-4-5
People were running screaming in the area near Buzzblast when the Rangers appeared, but they found no sign of a monster around.
"I don't see anything," Zayto said, all of them on alert even when nothing seemed out of place.
"Something must have scared people enough to make a call, right?" Ryne tilted her head as she hopped up onto a stone bench for a better view of the empty street.
"I hope it's not a hoax, that's the last thing we need," Lewis folded his arms. The Ranger hotline was their only way of getting to a Sporix Beast quickly, and if it became unreliable, they would be in trouble. He closed his eyes, listening carefully as he drew his Bat Spirit to the surface.
A crash then reached his sharper senses, and he turned quickly to narrow in on an alleyway that was almost hidden between the two buildings. "Over there," he told them, taking off with the other Rangers close behind him.
Rushing into the alleyway, the Rangers slowed to a stop as they spotted what was responsible for the alert. What looked like an entity made up of bubbles stood on top of a tall ladder, with a variety of brightly coloured buckets, sponges and wipers protruding from it.
"Okay, I know I'm still new to this whole thing, but that doesn't look like a Sporix Beast to me," Izzy commented, all of them a little unsure as they carefully approached the being, which was letting out croaks and groans as it flailed.
"I have to agree with you," Ryne nodded, her arms folded as she watched, unsure of what was going on. Amelia looked around, her eyes widening as she spotted a familiar van parked nearby. A variety of cleaning products were sitting beside the open door, with a hose that was still dripping water.
"Hang on," she grabbed the hose and ran over to the creature, turning it on to spray water at it. Immediately the bubbles began to wash away, and there was a rumbling clatter as everything stuck in the bubbles fell to the ground as an older man was revealed, eyes squeezed tight. "Pop Pop?" the other Rangers turned to Amelia in surprise as she addressed the man, who was now dripping wet.
"Thanks, kiddo," Pop Pop climbed off the ladder, seeming no worse for wear as he lifted his cap that had been knocked off by the jet of water. "I had a bit of a whoopsie with the old soap suds. I've just been doing some window washing-" he stopped his explanation to gasp, realising that there were more of them than just Amelia. "Are you Amelia's new friends?" he asked as Amelia smiled. "She won't stop talking about ya! I'm Pop Pop!" he introduced himself, and as Zayto went to say hello, the old man lifted him off his feet in a hug.
"Won't stop talking about us, eh?" Fane grinned, and Amelia blushed, nudging the teasing girl.
"Pleased to meet you, sir," Zayto laughed as the rest of them got a much more careful handshake, as Zayto found his red hoody damp from Pop Pop's sodden gear.
"He does handiwork around town, and apparently at Buzz Blast," Amelia gestured to the familiar building in front of them.
"That's a lot of windows to clean by yourself," Javi observed, wincing at the state of the dirty windows.
"Nah," Pop Pop shrugged, not seeming to mind.
"Maybe we can give you a hand?" Amelia offered, looking at the others hopefully. Pop Pop quickly shook his head.
"No, no. If an old timer like me can handle Amelia's bedroom…" he grinned, and the others giggled as Amelia went bright red.
"Hey, that was years ago! I clean my own room now," she declared, and her pride only made them laugh more.
"Feels like it was yesterday," Pop Pop chuckled, reminiscing happily. "Anyway, I can deal with a few dirty windows! It's only two stories," he said as he looked up at the windows with confidence.
"Actually…it's three stories," Ollie corrected.
"You had to date a corrector, didn't you?" Fane whispered to Ryne with a roll of her eyes. A look of horror crossed Pop Pop's face.
"That's much bigger than I remember!" he gasped, and the Rangers tried to stifle their laughter.
"We'd love to help you out with that third floor," Lewis offered with a grin, already removing his jacket again.
"Okay then," Pop Pop relented, glad to have the offer of help. "Grab those sponges," he requested, gesturing to the sponges that had fallen nearby when he had been hosed down.
"You sure you can manage cleaning windows?" having heard Fane's question to Ryne, Ollie couldn't help but snip back at the Silver Ranger. "Would have thought a Princess like you would have someone to do it for you," he bit. Fane turned a dark glare on him.
"Brave move considering I'm about to be wielding a bucket of water, tech boy," she warned him in a hiss.
"They get along so well," Izzy giggled to Ryne, who just gave a tired sigh in response. She was used to them by now, and no matter how much she tried to mediate, they continued to argue, so she left them be. Seeing Ryne's exasperated look, Amelia couldn't help but laugh, and in her distraction didn't pay attention to where she was walking as she went to retrieve the sponges.
"No, the ladder!" Pop Pop yelled so loudly that it made them jump, and Amelia's eyes went wide as she whirled around and realised she had just walked straight under the ladder.
"Oh no…" she groaned as Pop Pop gasped in horror. "I walked right under it!" Amelia exclaimed, horrified by her own action.
"What's wrong?" Izzy asked, not understanding.
"You walk under a ladder, you have bad luck!" Pop Pop explained, looking worried for her.
"Bad luck? Why?" Zayto asked, not understanding.
"One of those superstition things," Lewis answered, resting a hand on his waist as he watched Amelia turning pale in her fear.
"Nobody knows why, you just do. I walked under a ladder as a boy, then my hamster had a headache, my grandpa lost his teeth, and two months later I had a case of chicken pox!" Pop Pop listed.
"Two-" the moment Ollie opened his mouth, Ryne slapped a hand over it. She shot him a warning look, already sensing his derision over Pop Pop's superstitious beliefs. It was easy to see where Amelia got it from, and she wasn't in the mood for another argument between the two.
"Oh good, his off switch," Fane snickered. Lewis disguised his laugh as a cough as Ollie turned a glare on her.
"Don't start," Ryne warned her quietly. It was rare enough for her to step in between them, that Fane obeyed and fell quiet, shooting her a smile.
"More often than not, these superstitions get worse because the person ends up fixating entirely on the possibility of everything going wrong around them," Lewis shrugged to Zayto, who had a look of utter concern on his face at the idea of bad luck being instilled simply for walking under a ladder.
"It's not just a superstition!" Amelia argued, but as she started towards the White Ranger, her jumper caught on the ladder and tore. "My favourite sweater…" she groaned as she pulled the sleeve to show the large hole in the sleeve.
"Your bad luck has already started!" Pop Pop threw his hands in the air.
"I better change into something old in case my luck ruins it…" Amelia sighed, still fiddling with the loose threads as she walked away.
"Careful of cracks in the pavement!" Ollie called after her, and Ryne covered his mouth again with a roll of her eyes.
"You're really determined to annoy someone today, huh?" she asked as he frowned down at her, trying to tug her hand away. Javi laughed quietly.
"That's good advice, nugget! You should listen to the smart boy," Pop Pop didn't hear the sarcasm in Ollie's words, and called after Amelia. She just sighed, waving over her shoulder as she called out a goodbye to Pop Pop.
"Smart boy? Now that's pushing it," Fane snickered.
"I'm already tired," Ryne declared. Izzy grinned, nudging her lightly.
"You chose your best friend, and your boyfriend. Something tells me that you brought this on yourself," the Green Ranger told her. Fane nodded with a smirk, and Ryne pulled a face at the two of them.
1-2-3-4-5
Despite Amelia leaving to go change, the rest of the Rangers stayed with Pop Pop to help him clean the windows of Buzz Blast. As they worked, Pop Pop told them all about Amelia and what she was like growing up, delighting all of them.
"Something tells me that Amelia's bad luck is already in play," Javi said quietly, grinning as he washed the suds from one of the windows, leaving it sparkling in comparison to the ones still filthy after the storm only a few days prior that had left the building covered in dirt.
"Don't let Ollie hear you say that, or he'll go into a tangent," Lewis warned, laughing to himself as they looked over to where Ollie was teasing Ryne. Her eyebrow was raised, and the bucket of water she held to help him while he scrubbed one of the windows was being lifted higher and higher in response. When he noticed, Ollie quickly backed down, and she smirked at him.
"It didn't sound much like you believe in it either," Zayto accused the White Ranger as he brought over a fresh bucket of water for them to use. Lewis shrugged.
"Not to the extent where I'd credit walking under a ladder to getting chicken pox two months later," he grinned, looking over a the eccentric old man as he helped Fane. He chattered away to her, and she was laughing at whatever he was saying.
"Or your hamster getting a headache?" Izzy giggled. Lewis snorted at the question.
"I don't even know how you could tell if your hamster got a headache," he shook his head at the thought. "But I don't know. I feel that there is a degree of luck in everyone's lives. Fate and luck are intertwined, in my opinion. But bad luck charms like breaking mirrors, walking under ladders, even magpies…" Lewis trailed off, but his grin widened a little at what he said.
"I like that. Fate and luck intertwined," Izzy said, and both Zayto and Javi nodded. Lewis flushed, and shrugged again.
"What can I say? I'm a Pai Zhuq Master. We have to come out with some wisdom every now and again, or they take our Stripes away," he said, looking down at his Master's Mark.
"I wonder if Pai Zhuq could help with my training," Izzy wondered.
"Like you need any more talents," Javi retorted, and she stuck her tongue out at him. A flash of mischief crossed his face, but the moment that Javi lifted a bucket of water, their Morphers chirped.
"What's up, Solon?" Zayto answered as he moved a little further away from Pop Pop and kept his voice down.
"A Sporix Beast was spotted in the park," Solon warned, and the Red Ranger looked over to the others, indicating that they had to go. Lewis grimaced, and tossed the sponge he'd been holding into a bucket.
"We're really sorry, Pop Pop. We have something we need to take care of. We'll try and get back to help if we can," he told the older man, who waved a hand.
"You've already helped out a ton, kiddo. I appreciate it," Pop Pop told them all with a warm smile. "I'll catch you all later," he said, waving them off as they hurried to find a quiet spot to teleport away.
1-2-3-4-5
When the Rangers appeared in the park, they immediately spotted the Sporix Beast Smashstone, and they all gasped in horror as they realised that Amelia was on the grass at his feet, injured with a broken morpher hanging by a thread on her wrist.
"Amelia!" Ollie shouted over, earning her attention as they began to run over to help her. She looked up at them, breathless as she clung to the bin lid that she had grabbed in the battle as a way to fend off the powerful monster.
"Watch it!" Lewis saw the monster moving, and it fired a powerful bolt of dark energy at Amelia. She lifted the lid in her hand, using it as a shield to protect herself, and one of the blasts ricocheted off it, knocking the lid out of Amelia's hand with a cry as it made her hand snap back. The blast that bounced off exploded at the feet of Javi, Izzy and Fane, who went crashing to the ground in pain.
"Oh, great deflection!" Smashstone howled with laughter as Amelia managed to get back to her feet. She stumbled over, clutching her aching wrist before tripping and falling beside the three injured Rangers.
"I'm sorry!" Amelia gasped as she crawled over to the three.
"Looking for the life of the party?" Mucus called as she appeared on a bench nearby. "I'm here!" she laughed.
"You thought that was bad, Rangers?" Smashstone asked as he walked towards them. Amelia tried to get back to her feet, but her injuries made it impossible to stay on her feet. "Then buckle up! I've gone some hard knocks coming your way!" he declared, but before he could get too close, the rest of the Rangers moved between them.
"We're not afraid of a talking rock!" Ollie shouted at him, and Ryne turned and fired a bolt of blue energy at Mucus, making the Sporix Beast scream and tumble off the bench.
"That's just rude!" the slimy monster wailed. "This guy is tough, you should all focus on him!" Mucus mocked them. Ryne's eyes narrowed, not liking her behaviour, but she knew that Mucus wasn't joking. They were already four Rangers down, and she could feel the power emanating from Smashstone.
The four remaining Rangers ran in, using their weapons to fight off Smashstone and force him away from Amelia and the others, knowing they were too vulnerable to take another hit. As Zayto and Ollie swung their Dino Sabres, Lewis threw a heavy punch, and their combined attacks forced Smashstone even further back.
"Spino Spinners!" Ryne hurled the two spiked weapons at the Sporix Beast, slashing at his thick skin before calling the weapons back to her.
"My Morpher!" Amelia gasped suddenly, as Mucus took advantage of her weakened state to snatch the Morpher from the Pink Ranger's uninjured wrist.
"Nope! It's my Morpher now!" Mucus laughed, easily bouncing out of Amelia's reach.
"Stop!" Fane raised a hand, but the silver energy of her Mercurian powers flickered and faded as her injuries made it difficult to focus on her power. She slumped back to the ground as moving made it difficult to catch her breath again.
"Hang tight, Amelia!" Ollie yelled as they heard her cries of horror.
"T-Rex Key, ready!" Zayto didn't waste any time activating his powerful attack. "T-Rex Fury Strike!" he send a powerful burst of fiery energy at Smashstone, engulfing him in flames. "Guess he couldn't handle the heat," he smirked, but it quickly faded when the fire was sucked into Smashstone's body.
"Plot twist!" the Sporix Beast taunted as he was revealed to be unharmed. He threw out a hand, sending back the attack that Zayto had used on him. It slammed into the Red Ranger, throwing him back several feet before landing on his front.
"Whoa, are you okay?" Lewis called as he ran over to help up the Red Ranger.
"Oh man! Did he just handle the heat back at me?" Zayto groaned in horror at the idea.
"Looks like he can redirect attacks," Ollie realised as he and Ryne backed up as well, both wary of using anything that could be sent right back at them.
"Well done on having eyes!" Smashstone mocked him, and Ollie scoffed.
"Pity I have to use them to look at you," he retorted, making Ryne laugh.
"That's fair," the Sporix Beast shrugged.
"Chin up, hotshot," Mucus slapped Smashstone on the back as she pranced over to him. "I'll take you to my master!" she told him cheerfully.
"Did you just slap me?" Smashstone growled dangerously at the other Sporix Beast. She instantly took a step back, clearly fearful.
"Uh, no…that was just a pat on the back!" she defended in her usual chipper tone. Smashstone let out a snarl at her answer.
"Well then, you deserve one too!" he told her, and slammed his large hand down against the mushroom cap of her head. Mucus yelped, barely staying on her feet as the hit made her double over from the force.
"Yeesh…I should really keep my hands to myself…" she groaned, and flung out an arm. The two teleported away, escaping in a flash of light.
"Those creeps got away," Izzy groaned as they managed to get to their feet at last, and helped Amelia to hers.
"At least we're in one piece. That's what's important," Javi said. They demorphed as the other four ran over to them, with Zayto looking a little scorched even out of his Ranger suit.
"Speak for yourself," Fane said as she checked Amelia's damaged wrist.
"I got it," Ryne said as she reached them, starting to glow as she carefully took Amelia's arm. The brunette winced from the movements, feeling her sprained wrist heal in a flash.
"Thanks, Ryne. And I'm so sorry, I didn't mean for his blast to hit you guys," Amelia apologised to Javi, Izzy and Fane.
"Hey, we know it was an accident," Javi soothed her, seeing how bad she felt for causing them pain.
"But it wasn't an accident! It was my bad luck," Amelia groaned, having felt that way from the moment she had been unlucky enough to stumble into the path of a Sporix that was hatching.
"Oh look! It's rant o'clock for Amelia again," Ollie smirked as he checked his watch. She huffed in frustration.
"Trust me! Bad luck is legit!" Amelia argued as she grew more and more annoyed with Ollie's dismissal towards her beliefs.
"I'm more concerned with Mucus stealing your Morpher," Ryne spoke up before the two could start fighting again.
"As am I," Zayto nodded.
"What can they do with it?" Javi wondered as they all fell quiet, worried about what Mucus had planned now.
"Nothing! It got totally blasted," Amelia told them, still angry over her bad luck affecting the others. "Either way, I can't Morph," she turned and started to walk away as tears stung at her eyes. After exchanging a quick look, Zayto turned and contacted Solon, while the others followed Amelia quickly.
"Come on. This bad luck stuff is very medieval," Ollie told her, and Amelia let out a tired sigh.
"For once, I think that was actually Ollie's way of trying to cheer you up," Ryne pointed out. Ollie just shrugged, rolling his eyes at her choice of phrasing as Fane giggled.
"These things happen to everybody. I'm sure Ryne has a few stories from when she was the Pink Ranger," Izzy pointed out, glancing over at their team mate. Lewis chuckled.
"More than a few," he agreed. "Look, it's not about whether or not we believe bad luck exists. You believe in it, and today just happens to be a bad day. We'll get you a new Morpher up and running, and we'll do what we always do; take down the bad guy," he told her. Amelia managed a small smile at his confidence, before Zayto walked over and touched her back gently.
"Solon's already working on a new Morpher for you," he told her.
"Okay, but that doesn't fix my bad luck," Amelia shrugged, still scared that she'd bring more damage down on her friends.
"I'm pretty sure I remember a story from my grandpa about luck," Fane crossed her arms over her chest, her eyebrows furrowing. Ryne cocked her head, trying to remember something similar, but she'd grown up with so many different stories that she wasn't even sure if it was one that she had heard.
"We should get back to Pop Pop and those windows," Javi suggested. "He's probably filled all of Buzz Blast with soap suds by now," he laughed, trying to help lift Amelia's spirits.
"With my luck at the moment, I should lay low," she said, and let out a heavy breath. "I'll try and help Solon. Can you please teleport me to the base?" Amelia asked Zayto, who nodded.
"Sure," he said, offering his arm to her. When she took it, the two disappeared in a flash of light.
"Well, this whole thing definitely didn't convince Amelia that there's no such thing as bad luck," Ryne shook her head.
"If anything, that will just make her double down. It's gonna take a lot to help," Fane mused as she worried about how dejected their normally positive Pink Ranger had become.
"We'll figure something out," Izzy said, not about to give up.
"I just hope they really can't do anything with that broken Morpher," Ryne muttered as they started to make their way back to Buzz Blast.
1-2-3-4-5
Solon looked up from gathering the tools needed as she heard the familiar sounds of teleportation, and smiled as she saw Zayto and Amelia appear in the centre of the base.
"Hello there!" she greeted brightly.
"I brought you some helping hands," Zayto gestured to Amelia, who was fidgeting as she approached slowly, her eyes on the ground.
"Ah, good! You're the second one to offer, and I could use the assistance," Solon's words surprised them, and even in her dispirited state, Amelia tilted her head.
"Second?" she repeated in the same small voice as before.
"It's more I was volunteered, rather than offering my help," both turned in surprise at the unfamiliar voice. A man walked over with a small box of different wiring and pieces of circuitry he had found, setting it down beside Solon.
"Ah, perfect, thank you!" Solon nodded happily at the bits and pieces he'd retrieved.
"Even after all this time, you love to complain about helping out the Rangers," Teddie appeared behind them, and wrapped her arms around his arm with her usual cheeky smile. He let out a heavy sigh that was more than familiar to the two Rangers, before putting a hand on Teddie's face to push her gently away.
"Even after all this time, you're still a menace," he replied, but there was fondness in his voice despite the words. He then turned to the two Rangers, and it was easy to tell exactly who he was.
"You must be Ryne's father," Zayto smiled, recognising the man from not just the flash of Ryne's memories, but his sharp eyes.
"That's right," Heckyl nodded, and gestured with a hand to the scattering of wiring in front of him. "And unfortunately your technical support for the day, thanks to a certain someone volunteering me," he rolled his eyes at Teddie, who smiled back at him.
"You were so helpful with our Ninja Steel Morphers, how could I not suggest you help when you were already visiting?" she asked, clearly enjoying teasing him.
"Well, I'm grateful for the help," Solon laughed at their behaviour. "And I won't say no to some extra help from you, Amelia," she added, looking at the Pink Ranger as she approached. Seeing her quiet, hesitant movements, Teddie tilted her head. "We'll take it from here," Solon told Zayto, who nodded.
"Stay safe out there, Zayto," Amelia said to her leader, and he teleported back out of the base.
"You're not injured after the fight, are you?" Teddie asked Amelia, wondering what had her looking so downcast. She shook her head.
"No, Ryne healed me out there. And there's no healing bad luck," she just shrugged.
"Bad luck?" Heckyl repeated, eyebrows furrowing as he looked from Amelia to Teddie. He found his wife looked just as confused as he felt.
"Ah, Amelia, can you pass me that circuit board, please?" Solon requested when Amelia didn't elaborate.
"I'll leave you guys to it. I have some things I need to work on anyway," Teddie told them cheerfully.
"Leaving us to do the hard work?" Heckyl said. Teddie grinned, and reached up to kiss his cheek.
"Always," she answered, laughing as he swatted her away.
"Careful, this is probably the last one in existence," Solon warned Amelia as the Pink Ranger lifted up the blue circuit board that was lying on the table between them. As soon as she touched it, it began to glow a bright blue, and Amelia inhaled sharply at Solon's warning before gently setting it in Solon's clawed hand. "Without it, you won't Morph again," Amelia drew back as if burned as Solon's grim words sunk in. She went pale.
"Then I better keep back. I'm on a real streak of bad luck," Amelia said as she took a few steps away from them.
"You mentioned bad luck a moment ago. Something to do with your battle?" Heckyl guessed without looking up from the wires he was connecting.
"Before that. I walked under a ladder," Amelia shook her head, still annoyed at herself for such an action. Solon lifted her head, her confusion obvious as it took Heckyl a moment.
"Oh…one of those human things," he realised, and Amelia's face reddened as she found herself once again defensive about what she knew to be true.
"It's real! I ripped my sweater, a Sporix hatched in front of me, I almost took out Izzy, Javi and Fane with a trash can lid, and Mucus stole my Morpher!" Amelia listed off everything that had happened in the span of less than an hour.
"Sounds like quite the day you're having, my dear," Solon was sympathetic, choosing not to rile her up any further.
"Let's just say, you don't want me anywhere near your work," Amelia raised her hands as she took another few steps away.
"That's a shame. An extra pair of hands always helps," Solon sounded disappointed, but didn't push her. "Especially when you only have claws!" she gestured with her clawed hands. Amelia looked torn, wanting to help, but her fear of her bad luck made her hesitate. "Oh well. They do the job. And I have Heckyl to help too," she nodded to him as he set down the red dinosaur Morpher shell.
"I suppose I'll do in a crisis," he said to Solon, grinning as the dinosaur chuckled.
"Better get a closer look," she zoomed in on the work in front of her, her optical implant protruding to focus.
1-2-3-4-5
Not trusting herself to do much of anything, Amelia sat in the base with her legs drawn in close. She listened to Heckyl and Solon conversing quietly about the best methods of putting together the replacement Morpher, and even after only a few minutes, she understood exactly where Ryne got it from.
"Still not up for helping?" she looked over at Teddie, who was sitting cross-legged on the floor with an odd collection of sticks, plants and gemstones in front of her. Amelia shook her head.
"I don't want to risk breaking anything," she said, pulling her legs even closer to her chest. Teddie laughed quietly.
"Yeah, that's why I'm over here too. Let the tech geniuses work their magic," she said as she lifted a stick and began twisting a stalk around it. Curious, Amelia watched, and swore she saw the stalk hum with green light that quickly faded.
"What are you doing?" she asked, her voice still soft. It lacked her usual eager curiosity, and Teddie almost frowned at the tone.
"There's a portal to the magical realm nearby. I'm making these to deter anyone getting too close to it," Teddie answered as she lifted a purple gemstone. "The portals have their own natural deterrents that are supposed to chase people away. That's why Briarwood had that natural wariness of the woods, and why the area in Zandar was listed as forbidden access. I don't know if it's just good luck or fate intervening, but Dinohenge being marked as a restricted area certainly helped," she said as she fed a small stream of magic into the gemstone, which fused with the stick and flora. When Teddie's magic stopped, it had transformed into a small sapling that she placed into a small pot.
"You mean…I could have found the Magical Realm when I came here before?" Amelia asked, a little outraged that she hadn't done so. For just a moment, she seemed more like herself.
"Let's be glad you didn't. This portal is far too close to the Cimmerian Forest," Teddie replied. "Let me guess, Warden Garcia chased you away?" she asked, and Amelia's eyebrows furrowed.
"Every time. Almost like he had some kind of alert that I was here. I just wanted to see if I could find any ghosts around Dinohenge," she huffed.
"Interesting," Teddie hummed, and continued what she was doing.
"If the portals have their own deterrents, then why do you need the charms?" Amelia asked. Teddie lifted her head, and her dark eyes were sharp. In that moment, Amelia realised that Ryne hadn't only inherited her wits from her father. Teddie then grinned.
"Well, did it ever deter you from running around here?" she asked. Amelia fell silent, realising that she'd only ever felt eager to explore. "Either the portals are losing that warning as more people begin to believe in magic, or people just lack that natural fear. So…charms," Teddie waved the stick in her hand.
"I remembered the story!" Fane's voice was loud and interrupted what everyone was doing as she teleported into the base. In her arms, she carried a small number of random objects. She looked around quickly, and paused as Heckyl looked up with an amused smile at her boisterous arrival. "Oh, hi, Heckyl! I didn't know you were in town," she grinned widely at him.
"What are you doing back? I thought you were helping Pop Pop?" Amelia asked the blonde, and Teddie sighed as she remembered her bad luck and lost her brightness again.
"We are, but I remembered!" Fane grinned as she turned to her. "Back when my grandpa was a Ranger, there was a monster who gave Mack and Ari bad luck. Like, really bad luck," she said as she approached Amelia and sat down beside her.
"Oh, I remember that story. Mum kept tripping and breaking things. She still gets a little batty about bad luck," Teddie laughed as she remembered it as well.
"Exactly!" Fane grinned. "And to help, the other Rangers shared their good luck charms with them. Well, grandpa shared a plant he'd grown instead, which is really cute, but still," she reached out and dropped what she was holding into Amelia's arms.
"What…?" Amelia was still confused as she looked at the various items in her arms.
"There's my lucky coin. I found it back home when I was little, and apparently it's super old. Like, from Ivan's time," Fane told her, gesturing to the large bronze coin that was different to anything that Amelia had seen before. "Then there's Izzy's old sweatbands," she pointed to the black wristbands. "She says she always has them for her races, even if she doesn't wear them anymore," she said. "That's Lewis' towel from when he was a cub. Held onto it for all his important lessons and when he became a Master," Fane explained the threadbare grey towel that looked like it would fade away if washed again.
"What is it with Pai Zhuq and towels?" Teddie muttered under her breath.
"And Javi has his first harmonica," Fane finished. Amelia still looked baffled, and Fane's grin widened. "They're our good luck charms. We figured you could hold onto them until your bad luck eases off," she offered.
"What?" Amelia gasped. "But what if my bad luck rubs off on them?" she asked, and Fane arched a delicate blonde eyebrow.
"Please. Bad luck doesn't infect good luck charms," Fane told her as if this were an obvious fact, already getting to her feet and backing off. "Anyway, I'm going back to help Pop Pop with those windows. Later," with a wave, Fane walked back to the centre of the room and teleported out.
"She's still an absolute whirlwind," Heckyl observed dryly. Teddie chuckled.
"I still wonder if their personalities got swapped by mistake," she said, watching him smirk at her words.
"You're right. She is a lot like you," Heckyl agreed. Teddie stuck out her tongue at him, and he lifted his head as if well aware of what she was doing. "Case in point," he said simply.
1-2-3-4-5
While Amelia brooded back at their base, the rest of the Ranger team returned to Pop Pop, who was pleasantly surprised that they had come back to finish helping him with the windows at Buzz Blast.
"Amelia never told me her friends were so good at cleaning," he said, dragging the wiper down the window. It squeaked loudly as he did, but left the window shining. "Any of you need a job, we got great dental," Pop Pop offered, making them laugh. As he walked away, their Morphers beeped, and they looked over quickly to make sure he didn't hear as Zayto walked in the opposite direction to answer.
"Go ahead, Solon," he answered as he moved out of sight.
"It's the hotline. A Sporix Beast is up to no good on Factory Lane," Solon warned them of the latest call to come in.
"We're on it," Zayto told her, and turned back to the rest of the Rangers as they sighed. "Sorry, Pop Pop. We need to run again," he apologised to the man, who gave a knowing smile.
"Important teen stuff, I bet," he nodded sagely. "Probably a new flavour of frozen yogurt at the mall? Or a dance craze you have to make a video of!" he exclaimed, and Ryne tilted her head with a look of utter confusion as Fane giggled. "Am I right?" Pop Pop grinned at them.
"Gee…how'd you guess?" Ollie asked awkwardly as the others forced their laughter, knowing they had no better excuse to give the man. "We'll be back later," he told Pop Pop, who laughed and waved to them as they left.
1-2-3-4-5
"Good news!" Solon exclaimed as she approached Amelia. The Pink Ranger had left Teddie to her work and was fiddling with the bronze coin that Fane had loaned her. "Your new Morpher is done, done, done!" Solon announced, setting it down in front of Amelia. "You better meet the others, quick smart," she told her, but Amelia shook her head.
"I can't," she declined, refusing to even touch the Morpher on the table.
"What's wrong?" Solon asked gently.
"I've still got bad luck," Amelia muttered, too afraid to risk joining the battle. "What if this Morpher gets stolen too? Or they take my Sabre, or my Key?" she listed off the possibilities of what could happen.
"I thought Fane and the others loaned you some good luck charms?" Heckyl asked as he leaned on the table opposite her.
"What if they're not enough?" Amelia set the coin down on the table. "What if my bad luck is worse than their good luck?" she questioned, and pushed the items away from her.
"Your team needs you, Amelia," Solon pointed out.
"But Solon, with my bad luck, someone could really get hurt! Maybe even worse than last time," Amelia argued, stubbornly refusing to listen to what they had to say.
"From my perspective, someone could get hurt if you remain in hiding here," Heckyl pointed out in an idle voice, having lifted the Zandarian coin to the light. Amelia opened her mouth to argue, but no words came out. She didn't know what to say in response as guilt clashed with her fear and left her feeling stuck.
"You're having a bad day, but that doesn't mean you're jinxed," Solon chuckled when Amelia didn't speak. "Luck isn't something you can measure or hold in your hand. Luck is in there," she gently pressed the tip of her claw to Amelia's forehead. "Your mind. It affects the way you see things," she explained.
"What do you mean?" Amelia asked softly.
"You're miserable because you're focusing on the bad stuff. But good things are out there too. You're just not seeing them," Solon explained. "The only way you'll be able to is if you go back out there and take a look," she encouraged Amelia, pressing the Morpher into her hand.
"I know you're just trying to help but…" Amelia pulled back and placed the Morpher back on the table. "I just can't risk it. The best thing for me to do is stay far away from everyone," she said.
"You Rangers…so self-sacrificing even in the most ridiculous ways," at Heckyl's words, she turned and glared at him.
"It's not self-sacrificing, and it's not ridiculous. The others got hurt because of my bad luck. Mucus got my Morpher because of my bad luck. What happens if I go out there, and something worse happens? Something that can't be healed?" she demanded, momentarily heated.
"Amelia!" Solon tried to soothe her, raising her clawed hands. Heckyl however, just met Amelia's glare with a mildly entertained look.
"What happens if it happens because you weren't out there?" he asked her, and watched as her jaw clenched. Without another word, she turned and stalked away. "There is a shocking trend between Rangers and utter stubbornness," Heckyl shook his head in exasperation. "And do you have anything of note for this conversation?" he asked, turning his head just slightly as Teddie sidled up to him.
"Hm, you seemed to have it all covered. Even if it was in that blunt way I so adore," she smirked, and watched as he rolled his eyes in an attempt to hide the flush that rose to his cheeks. "She'll come around. We just have to give her time, and hope that the others don't need her in the meantime," Teddie said, kissing his cheek before walking off.
"Perhaps I should have looked into this luck route," Heckyl mused idly, and when Teddie shot him an unimpressed stare over her shoulder, he smirked back.
1-2-3-4-5
Smashstone watched as the workers by the factory fled in fear, barely managing to avoid the dark energy he shot at them. As they got out of range, the Rangers appeared in a flash and earned his attention.
"At last! I almost fell asleep waiting!" he barked at them.
"You want a rest? You can rest in pieces!" Javi shouted back at him.
"It's Morphin' Time!" Zayto shouted.
"DINO FURY KEY, ACTIVATE!" they all lifted their Keys and flicked them open. "LINK TO MORPHIN' GRID!" the seven Rangers Morphed.
"T-Rex Fury, Red Ranger!"
"Tricera Fury, Blue Ranger!"
"Spino Fury, Purple Ranger!"
"Titano Fury, White Ranger!"
"Tiger Fury, Green Ranger!"
"Stego Fury, Black Ranger!"
"Diplo Fury, Silver Ranger!"
The fight started with Smashstone firing a blast of energy at the Rangers, who barely managed to dodge as they scattered to try and fight him off. Every time one of them tried to get close, he'd shoot them with a blast that was forceful enough to knock them away.
"How are we gonna hurt old Volcano Arms if we can't get close to him?!" Izzy demanded, and rolled away from another blast.
"Don't forget that he can repel attacks," Ryne warned as she grabbed her Spino Spinners and hurled them at the monster, but they bounced off his thick rock body.
"Fantastic," Lewis rolled his eyes as he pushed himself back up after being slammed against the side of a car. "We need Amelia at the very least," he called over to Zayto, who nodded and ducked behind cover to try and contact her.
"Amelia! We're under heavy fire. What's your status? We need your help!" he called through the open link.
1-2-3-4-5
"We need your help!" Zayto's words made guilt tug at Amelia's stomach again. She wanted to help her friends, yet thoughts of her last battle made her hesitate.
"I…" as she trailed off, unsure of what to say, an explosion caused Zayto to cry out, and the communication ended.
"Zayto? Zayto!" Solon yelled, but the communication didn't reopen. Before she could try and reconnect, there was a flash of pink, and in the centre of the room stood Boomtower.
"Surprise!" he declared as both Amelia and Solon staggered backwards in alarm.
"No…how?" Solon gasped.
"I thought you locked this place down," Heckyl glanced over at Teddie, who had pushed off the wall with her eyebrows furrowed.
"I had. The magic around this prevents anyone entering without my say so, unless…" Teddie's eyes widened as she realised what had happened.
"Unless they have this?" Boomtower lifted Amelia's Morpher, and it shimmered pink.
"You fixed my Morpher!" Amelia realised.
"You're not supposed to be here!" Boomtower finally registered that she was standing beside Solon.
"Neither are you!" she pointed out.
"Even if he has the Morpher, surely evil should have been repelled by your magic?" Heckyl muttered to Teddie, who shrugged.
"Robots, in some other universe, they'll be our downfall," she said simply.
"No matter. A couple humans and half a dinosaur won't stop me getting what I came for!" Boomtower raised his sword and laughed as he took a few menacing steps towards Amelia and Solon.
"Human?" Heckyl repeated, sounding utterly insulted. Boomtower turned to him, and snarled as blue energy arced across the room and slammed against his chassis.
"I can't tell what you seem to find more insulting. Being thought human…" Teddie started as she raised a hand. Her hammer appeared in front of her, and she grabbed it easily to swing over her shoulder. "Or being a Ranger that time," she shot him a grin. Heckyl rolled his eyes.
"You're never going to let me live that one down, are you?" he asked wearily.
"I don't care what you two are," Boomtower shook off the attack with relative ease. "My master told me that the Sporix are right…over…there," he spotted the vault where the Sporix were kept locked away.
"Perhaps they are," Teddie said as she walked in the way, guiding Solon to get to safety. "But you'll have to get through me to reach them," she challenged Boomtower with a confident grin.
"I was hoping you'd say that," he told her. "Any last words?" he challenged. Teddie laughed, and tilted her head to the side.
"Behind you," she said simply.
"LINK TO MORPHIN' GRID!" before Boomtower could react, Amelia had Morphed behind him and raised her sabre. "You and me, big guy!" she lunged in at him, and Boomtower cursed as Teddie acted at the same time, slamming her large hammer against his leg. As he staggered from the sudden weakness in the metal, Boomtower couldn't do anything against Amelia, who knocked the Morpher from his hand with a hard swing of her sabre.
"Void Knight just fixed that!" he yelled in anger.
"And I suspect that I'll have to fix it," Heckyl gave a weary sigh.
"It was lucky you were here," Teddie told Amelia, whose eyes widened.
"It was lucky, wasn't it?" she gasped, looking over at Solon. The dinosaur nodded, pleased by the breakthrough.
"It sure was," she agreed.
"I'll squash you for getting in my way, you pink pest!" Boomtower shouted, charging at Amelia when she seemed distracted. She turned back quickly, deflecting his attacks before grabbing his arm.
"Not here, you won't!" she declared, and teleported away in flash, bringing Boomtower with him.
"Smart thinking, taking him out of here like that," Teddie mused, letting her hammer vanish in a flash of green magic.
"'It was lucky you were here,'" Heckyl mimicked as he lifted the broken Morpher on the ground. "Clearly she doesn't know just how ridiculously powerful you are when you put your mind to it. How do you always know exactly what a person needs to hear?" he asked, and Teddie smiled sweetly at him.
"How do you know I didn't mean it?" she asked, and he snorted as Solon laughed to herself.
1-2-3-4-5
Fane cursed as she was forced to veer away from Smashstone to dodge the blast of energy that exploded nearby, once again not getting close enough to land a blow.
"Is this all you've got?" Smashstone taunted, and turned quickly as he heard Ollie charging in. He caught the Blue Ranger with a blast to the chest, and he crashed to the ground with a cry as his sabre fell from his hand.
"Ollie!" Ryne shouted, darting over and hurling her Spino Spinners at the monster. He deflected them with a laugh, before turning to Zayto as the Red Ranger earned his attention. "You okay?" Ryne helped Ollie up, and he nodded.
"For now," he muttered. They looked up in surprise as the pulse of energy, and spotted Amelia Morphed and grappling with Boomtower.
"Boomtower?" Zayto frowned at the appearance of the robot.
"Did you get lost?" Smashstone snapped at Boomtower angrily.
"She tricked me!" Boomtower shouted his defence as he finally threw Amelia off. She stumbled, barely staying on her feet, but she was grinning wildly under her helmet.
"I did! And it was kinda easy!" she taunted him.
"Why you little…!" Boomtower roared as he lost his temper and charged at her.
"We've got your back, Amelia!" Lewis shouted as he and Fane ran to help her out against the powerful robot. As they ran circles around him, the rest of the team focused on Smashstone, who had left himself open in his anger at Boomtower failing his part of the plan.
"Get ready, this mountain's about to reach new heights!" he threw them off, and began to glow as he grew giant.
"Time's up," Ryne frowned.
"Solon, send in the T-Rex Champion Zord!" Zayto requested.
"Amelia, have you got this?" Ryne shouted over to the Pink Ranger. Amelia looked over as Lewis and Fane threw the thrashing Boomtower backwards.
"Yeah, go!" she cheered.
"Then it's time for some good old-fashioned Zord action!" Zayto nodded, lifting the Key from his belt buckle. "T-Rex Champion Zord, battle mode!" he hurled the Key up at his Zord, which changed forms to allow them to teleport inside.
"Let's rock and roll," Javi grinned.
"Cringe," Izzy complained, not liking her brother's pun.
"Yeah dude, that was kinda lame," Ryne agreed as she looked over at the Black Ranger. Javi went red.
"And that's coming from the girl who still says dude," Ollie smirked.
"People still say dude!" Ryne argued, glaring at him.
"I've got one," Zayto told them, and his grin widened. "Let's hit the rocks!" at his shout, they threw a series of punches to bombard Smashstone. Calling on the T-Rex head, the Rangers slammed the snapping fist against the monster's face, causing him to shout.
"Right back at you!" the energy was shot back at the Zord, sending it tumbling to the ground.
"Oh yeah…the redirecting thing," Ollie groaned.
"Like that's not annoying," Ryne complained.
1-2-3-4-5
On the ground below, the rumble of the Zord crashing to the ground earned their attention.
"He keeps redirecting their attacks," Fane scowled.
"You Rangers are about to be d - u - n - e!" Boomtower exclaimed, confusing them for a moment as he tried to Amelia's sword aside, but she kicked him away and straight into Lewis' powerful punch.
"We'll be dune?" Amelia laughed.
"I think he means done?" Lewis snorted as they moved to stand together.
"He can't even spell, and Void Knight thinks he's gonna be able to get him the Sporix?" Fane giggled, and their mocking wound up the bad tempered robot even further.
"What are you, a dictionary?" he snapped, before teleporting away.
"Solid comeback," Lewis shook his head.
"Well, he's done," Amelia rolled her eyes, before turning back to the other two. "But the fight isn't," she pointed out.
"We aren't going to get very far with him redirecting all of our attacks. We need something to beat it," Fane said to her, looking up as the fight above continued.
"Okay, idea; ankylosaurs have tough armour. Maybe we could try the Megazord's Ankylo Formation?" Amelia suggested to the two.
"That could do it!" Lewis grinned, liking the idea.
"Solon, send in the Ankylo Hammer, Tricera Blade, Spino Saw and Titano Mace Zords," Amelia requested.
The ground once again rumbled as the three Zords arrived on the battlefield, combining with the T-Rex to form their Megazord. Beside them, Lewis stood in his solo Zord's battle mode, ready to help out where he could.
"I take it you've got an idea?" Ryne asked as Amelia, Lewis and Fane teleported into the cockpit.
"Amelia does," Fane gestured.
"Hammer formation?" Zayto realised as he glanced around at the pink hue that the Megazord had taken on. "Good thinking!" he told her, and Amelia beamed with pride.
"Everybody ready?" she asked eagerly.
"Let's do this!" the battle resumed, but their attacks either bounced off, or missed entirely.
"This is getting frustrating," Ryne bounced on the spot, growing more annoyed as Smashstone dodged their attacks. The Titano Zord attacked where possible, but its armour wasn't as thick and Lewis went stumbling backwards as a result.
"If speed isn't working, let's go back to brute force and let's drop the hammer!" Amelia suggested. The Megazord held out the hammer arm, ready for another attack. "Pop Pop taught me how to swing a sledgehammer when I was seven…sure I hit his thumb, but this will probably go better!" Amelia swung back, only to hit a large pole that came loose from the ground.
"What was that about better?" Ryne wondered as they watched the pole teeter and fall, creating a domino effect. However, to their surprise, the debris that kicked up ended up lodging in the volcano arm of Smashstone. "Wh-what?" Ryne blinked rapidly.
"That was amazing!" Amelia gasped.
"That was so lucky!" Izzy laughed in disbelief.
"Looks like those good luck charms we lent you are working their magic," Fane laughed. The Sporix Beast roared and thrashed, but couldn't get the debris dislodged.
"His blaster's blocked!" Ollie exclaimed as he realised Smashstone couldn't use his power.
"This just got a lot easier," Amelia grinned.
"This is the most convenient thing ever," Izzy giggled, shaking her head at how things had suddenly turned in their favour. Ryne shook her head.
"I thought I was past questioning things about being a Ranger…apparently not," she shrugged.
"Our victory isn't set in stone," Zayto reminded them as he returned his sword to its place by his podium. "We must keep the pressure on. Mega Fury Sabre!" he shouted, catching the weapon that he summoned. "Dino Fury Megazord, Mega Hammer Slam!" they brought down the hammer hard, delivering one final blow that shattered Smashstone to pieces.
"Dino Fury victory!" the team chorused.
At his defeat, Smashstone reverted back to his Sporix form, and landed on a stone pillar with a loud squelching sound. Aware of the Sporix Beast's defeat, Boomtower appeared and rushed over to grab it, only for a green-tinted whip to wrap around it. He let out a yell as the Sporix was yanked out of his reach, and into Izzy's waiting hand.
"No! I was supposed to get that!" Boomtower complained.
"First the Nephrite Orb, then the Diplo Key…you really suck at retrieving things for your boss, don't you?" Ryne asked, her head tilting at her question. Boomtower groaned.
"I guess this is just my unlucky day!" he exclaimed, and escaped in a burst of energy.
"You're getting pretty good with those Boost Keys, sis," Javi told Izzy as she tossed the Sporix into the air and caught it with a smirk.
"Well, if you wanna book a lesson, just talk to my assistant," Izzy shrugged.
"Whoa!" Zayto gasped as Amelia and Fane both giggled. "You have an assistant?" he asked, making the others join in on their laughter.
"Sure I do, it's Lewis," Izzy smirked, gesturing to the White Ranger. He started, eyes wide as Zayto turned to him, believing every word as the laughter only grew louder.
1-2-3-4-5
With the Sporix Beast once again taken care of, the Rangers returned to Pop Pop to help him with the last of the windows. By the time they were done, the Rangers were worn out and ready to get something to eat.
"I can't thank you enough for all your help today," Pop Pop told them as they loaded up his van. "You saved this elbows a lot of grease," he laughed.
"It was our pleasure, Pop Pop," Zayto told him, sliding a bucket in beside the ladder.
"I'm lucky my granddaughter has such useful…I mean…lovely friends," Pop Pop said, and Fane laughed as she leaned against the side of the van.
"I'm not quite sure this is what my parents expected me to get up to while I stay here, but it's been much more entertaining than dealing with diplomats all day," she said as Amelia walked over to put away more of the supplies.
"I'm surprised that the hard work didn't have you running for the hills," Ollie told her, and Ryne shook her head as the two immediately began to squabble again.
"I don't know if he does it intentionally, or if he really doesn't think before he speaks," Lewis said to Ryne, who rolled her eyes and grabbed Ollie by the hoodie, forcing him to turn back to her.
"If you don't stop, I will toss water over you," she warned him. When Ollie opened his mouth to protest, Ryne looked around him to Fane, seeing the smirk on her face. "And another over you. And unlike the pair of you, I don't need a bucket for it," Ryne warned, and despite it, the two couldn't help but laugh.
"Things must be bad if you're threatening to use magic," Fane grinned. Ollie nodded in agreement, putting an arm around Ryne to tug her closer.
"Anyway, your luck definitely turned around today," Ryne didn't acknowledge her words, instead turning to address Amelia.
"Yep! I was in the right place at the right time, and stopped Boomtower from stealing Sporix from our base," Amelia beamed brightly.
"You sure were," Teddie agreed, and they turned around to see Teddie and Heckyl walking over. "And the move you pulled off in the Megazord was a stroke of good luck if ever I saw it," she added with a laugh.
"Dad!" Ryne gasped, pulling away from Ollie to run over and hug him. "When did you get here?" she asked, surprised to see him. He arched an eyebrow.
"This morning, but someone saw fit to have me spend my time away from SPD fixing a Morpher," Heckyl shot Teddie a look, and she just smiled back at him.
"This morning?" Ryne's eyes widened. "And neither of you thought to mention to me?" she turned to Amelia and Fane with an accusing expression.
"I thought you knew already?" Amelia offered. Fane just smirked, a devious look in her eyes as Ollie turned pale the moment Heckyl looked at him, his expression impossible for them to read. For a moment, he was quiet, before looking down at Ryne.
"I'm pretty sure I had one rule," he pointed out, and Ryne groaned loudly. Teddie burst out laughing, offering no help to her daughter.
"I'm really beginning to miss Nate's lab," Ryne moaned. "You know that it's a hypocritical rule, right?" she challenged. Heckyl smirked at her.
"I married Teddie despite her do-gooder mentality," he replied simply. Ryne let her head fall back as Teddie's laughter only grew.
"Now would this be my good luck, or your bad luck?" Fane smirked at Ollie, who for once didn't have a rebuttal as Lewis whispered to the others, explaining that one rule and making them all start laughing as Ryne went redder and redder.
Uh oh, someone's in trouble...
Let me know what you think!
Please review!