Episode 5: Unite We Stand
Lately, the Rangers have spent all their time together, and as much as they enjoy the bond of friendship between them, the girls decided to have a day for themselves, calling it the "Ranger Girl Day" with no boys allowed.
The guys smiled and headed towards Ernie's Brainfreeze, understanding that the girls needed some time to themselves, just like Noah and Jake sometimes needed time alone or Troy needed his time apart from the team.
That's why today, Emma decided to take Gia to one of her favorite spots. There was the most beautiful flower she had ever seen, and Emma couldn't think of a better person to share this discovery with than the girl who had been her sister since first grade.
For Gia, it was more than just spending time with Emma; it was so good to see someone caring for the planet in the tender way Emma did. It made Gia's work to keep it safe ten times more worthwhile.
"Look at it, Gia," said Emma, taking a few pictures.
"To me, it's just a flower," said Gia, sounding as if she didn't already know what kind of flower it was.
"It's not… well, it is, but it's part of nature. This world can create beautiful flowers like this one," said Emma, lowering the camera. "Here, take a picture of it with me."
Gia smiled, doing what she was told, and took several pictures of Emma posing around the flower. Once she had enough, Emma got the camera back and signaled Gia to come over so they could take a few pictures together.
"It's so good to have some free time, finally," said Emma.
"Yeah… I missed the quiet days," said Gia.
Emma took the chance when Gia looked up, smiling, and took a picture of her, quickly hiding the camera before her best friend noticed. It was the first time they managed to have a normal day, and to be honest, Emma loved every second of it.
"I think we should…"
Gia was about to suggest the next place they should go when the alarm on their morphers went off, and the girls understood that their day off was over, at least for now.
"Gosei, what's wrong?" asked Gia, with her morpher in her hands.
"There is an attack in the city," said Gosei.
"Okay… we are on our way," said Gia.
Gia and Emma looked at each other, nodding before they grabbed their BMX bikes and ran towards the scene, both of them thinking about that flower and what they would do to protect the planet so more flowers could be born and thrive.
-Megaforce-
Plaza
When the Rangers reunited in the city, they could only see loogies, but there was something else. They could feel it, and even Tenshou's radar showed a spike of energy, but there was no one, at least no one they could see.
"Let's take care of the loogies then," said Red.
The other Rangers nodded and ran towards the loogies when someone else appeared. His energy was stronger, and Black remembered that another monster had almost killed him on the bridge, but this one was different… it seemed stronger.
"Rangers… finally we meet," said the monster, looking at Black. "I was waiting for you."
"Who are you?" asked Red.
"I'm Vrak! Admiral Malkor's second in command!" said Vrak. "Thanks to you, Black Ranger… Creepox is waiting for his revenge."
"Do you think we are going to let you conquer our planet or send more monsters after our friends?" asked Pink, standing between Black and Red.
"You don't have a choice, Pink Ranger," said Vrak. "Attack, loogies!"
The loogies ran to the Rangers, ready to fight. While Blue, Black, and Red faced their share, Yellow and Pink teamed up to take care of theirs. The synchronization was perfect, and they managed to take them all down before the guys finished, as if it was the easiest thing in the world.
"That's what I call a team-up," said Blue.
"It's a matter of trust," explained Black. "Their bond is unbreakable, and together, they could take the world if they wanted."
"Just like they are doing now," said Red. "Let's help them."
Black and Blue nodded, running towards them and taking care of the remaining loogies until there was no one else. Vrak had already left, giving them his warning, and the Rangers decided to hide and demorph, covering their identities.
When they reappeared from behind one of the buildings, the guys were talking about how incredible the fight was.
"You girls were awesome," said Jake. "I've heard about the friendship of Pink and Yellow, but seeing it in person is something different. It felt so natural to let you two deal with it."
"I bet the monster didn't expect that kind of friendship," said Troy.
"True, they don't believe in emotions, so they could never understand the bond you two share," said Noah, smiling at the girls.
Emma and Gia laughed, hugging. Their bond was the strongest thing they had. They had known that since the first moment they saw each other in kindergarten, but putting it into practice here, in the middle of the battle, felt different. It was the literal "I trust you with my life."
"It wasn't only us; you did amazing too, guys," said Emma.
"Yeah, it's just that we have known each other forever. We know what to do."
"And talking about what to do, our girl's day is still on, right?"
Gia nodded, and both girls said goodbye to the boys and walked away, laughing and happy to be able to continue with their day without major problems.
-Megaforce-
Command Center
"Are you sure about this, Andros?" asked TJ when he and Carlos contacted their leader and Zhane.
"Positive. We are looking for Andresia right now to confirm the information, but so far, there are no signs of life in the system," answered Andros, worried. "I'm concerned about the state of the planet if it exists."
"Call us the moment you have a result," said TJ.
"I will. Take care of everyone and tell Jake and his team to be careful; whatever those monsters are, they should prepare," said Andros.
"We will, Andros."
The call ended, and TJ sighed while Carlos looked at the information they received. From the corner of his eye, he could see Jake, Noah, and Troy chatting and laughing, like normal teenagers. Carlos wondered when he had stopped acting like that.
Was it when he became a Turbo Ranger? Or when he learned to live in space?
TJ's hand on his shoulder brought Carlos back, and he looked at his friend, who was giving him a small smile.
"You okay?" asked TJ.
"Yes, I was wondering how hard it will be this time," said Carlos, looking at the screen. "These boys deserve normal lives."
"They will have it, Carlos. We are here to help them with whatever they need, and that's what we will do."
They both looked at the screen, where Jake, Noah, and Troy were trying to play some soccer at the park, and smiled, remembering the time when they were like that, free and with not a single worry in their lives. TJ looked at his friends and patted his shoulder.
"Come on, they will be fine, but you promised your niece to watch a movie with her," said TJ with a chuckle.
"She's your niece too, you know," said Carlos.
"Yes, but she's Ashley's kid, and you made a promise, so you better go before she comes here to find you," said TJ.
Carlos groaned when he heard the demanding voice of Andros and Ashley's daughter and walked towards where she was sleeping while TJ shook his head, laughing, and looked back at the computer, continuing his work.
-Megaforce-
In Space
"I conquered thousands of systems. How can you tell me I can't conquer Earth, Queen Bee?" asked Creepox, growling at the monster.
"Sometimes you have to use something else and not threaten them to make all of them bow to you, Creep," said the monster, Queen Bee. "We women are more delicate."
"You are neither a woman nor delicate," whispered Creepox.
The monster looked at Creepox and threw him a purple liquid that made Creepox scream in pain and run away from the command room. Admiral Malkor looked at the monster, and Vrak held off a laugh at the situation.
"And tell me, Beezara. How do you plan to bring the Rangers down?" asked Admiral Malkor.
"I will do what I always do," said Beezara, with a tone of amusement in her words. "You relax, sir. I will finish this for you."
Beezara disappeared while Admiral Malkor relaxed in his chair and looked at Vrak.
"You think she will make it?" asked the Admiral.
"We will see, sir," replied Vrak.
-Megaforce-
Store
While waiting for Emma to finish with her pictures, Gia took the time to think about their lives as Rangers. It was exciting, she couldn't deny that, but Gia's senses were always alert around Emma. Her big sister's feelings overcame her, and she became her priority even when she knew Emma was very capable of protecting herself.
Thankfully, she wasn't in this alone. The guys seemed to care about Emma, and Jake's knowledge about the Ranger world gave them an advantage. Besides, he cared about Emma as much as Gia did, and the feeling seemed to be mutual, as Emma had expressed her worries about Jake's safety more than once already.
Gia could understand; Jake seemed to be the one getting into trouble all the time, and she was worried for him too. But Jake was like this, and part of her liked that he was so protective of his team.
Gia was so lost in her thoughts that she didn't feel Emma come up behind her and touch her shoulder, smiling at her brightly with the photos.
"It's done!"
Emma quickly showed Gia the photos, grabbing her arm while she pointed out how happy they were. The girls were walking toward the streets, not seeing the monster hidden behind them. The monster observed them. Same colors… same friendship… the monster smiled, choosing her targets, and threw her toxin at them before disappearing with a chuckle.
"Now the best friends will become the worst enemies!" said Beezara, disappearing.
The girls looked at each other when the photo fell. Gia knelt to pick it up, annoyed, while Emma looked furious. All the hard work and the memories could be destroyed because Gia just couldn't care less.
"You have to be more careful," said Gia.
"Me? Do you look at yourself, Miss Perfect?" asked Emma, angry.
"Hey! What are you talking about?" asked Gia, surprised.
"Nothing. Give me the photo you don't want," said Emma, grabbing half of the photo.
"What? No, I'm taking this one!" said Gia, holding on to the other side.
They started tugging at the photo until it broke in half. Both girls looked at each other, shocked for a few seconds before Gia's anger got the better of her, and she threw her half to the ground. If Emma wanted the photo so badly, she could have all of it.
Emma knelt and grabbed the picture with a sigh. Gia always destroyed everything.
-Megaforce-
School
Jake was on the field, training with his teammates while Noah was watching him from the window of his empty class. Jake smiled as he took the ball, jumped, kicked it, and scored a goal. His teammates cheered for him, the star of Harwood County High School, and Noah chuckled.
He didn't know how Jake did it, but he always found ways to look carefree even with the weight of being a Ranger.
Noah was about to go back to his project when he saw, from the corner of his eyes, loogies appear on the soccer field. Noah got up, looking through the window. Jake couldn't transform with all his teammates surrounding him, but Noah could help.
He grabbed his computer and his morpher and ran out of the classroom, leaving the school. Once outside, he called for his friends with his morpher.
"We have a problem at the soccer field in the school. Loogies are attacking, and Jake is there!" said Noah.
Noah didn't wait for an answer. He hid so he could transform into the Megaforce Blue Ranger, and then ran back towards the soccer field, where he saw Jake trying to protect his teammates, who were doing their best to escape.
Jake was fighting something like a wasp, and for once, Blue was happy Jake was strong because he was pushing her away, giving time for his friends to escape. But not all of them made it out; some were covered by a purple liquid, and Blue made a face of disgust behind the mask.
Blue acted, jumping to push the monster away from Jake and throwing Jake behind a wall to give him a chance to transform while he faced the monster. Jake nodded, transforming into the Megaforce Black Ranger, and came back to the fight just in time to see the monster free itself from Blue.
"I like you, Blue. I think I will take both of you as my servants," said the monster, a feminine monster.
"You are taking no one!" said Black.
The monster looked at Black and then made a sound of disgust, turning towards the Blue Ranger.
"UGH! You are no good!" said the monster, pointing at Black. "Your heart already beats for someone else! How is that possible?"
Blue and Black shared a look before the monster teleported, appeared behind Blue, and hit him on the back to push him away from Black. Then, she grabbed Black by the shoulder and used her fangs to bite his neck, injecting her toxin into him.
The monster let Black go, and the Black Ranger fell to the ground, coughing while he used every ounce of strength in his body to keep his Ranger suit on as he felt his energy leaving his body.
Black felt he was in hell, worse than when he was infected the last time.
"Blue," whispered Black, tasting blood behind the mask.
"Let me tell you a little secret, Rangers," said the monster, amused. "Every man and woman desires me, and the poor little idiots who resist or have one of those unbreakable feelings of love for another person end up like you, Black… disappearing in pain and sorrow."
"Black!" screamed Blue.
The monster laughed, appearing again beside Blue while the other Rangers arrived at the soccer field. Blue tried to run to his friend, but the monster grabbed him and used her powers, making Blue's body move against his will.
"Protect me, Blue Ranger," said the monster. "Don't let them hurt me!"
"What have you done to Black!?" screamed Blue.
The monster laughed while Red, Yellow, and Pink ran to Black. Red turned to the monster, ready to fight, but she was faster, grabbing Blue and using him as a shield in front of the other Rangers.
"When their bond breaks, his life will come to an end," said the monster, laughing. "Enjoy my present, Rangers!"
Then, she disappeared, taking Blue with her before Red could do something to stop them. On the ground, not far from Red, Black coughed again, this time painting the inside of his helmet with blood, but the other Rangers couldn't see it yet. There was another thing he was thinking about.
A bond… which bond will break?
"Black, we need to take you to the Command Center," said Red.
"Yes, I don't like that coughing…" said Pink, moving to help her friend.
"Stay away from him!"
Both Red and Black looked confused when Yellow pushed Pink away, and a second later, they started to roll on the ground, fighting while Red and Black could do nothing but watch the scene and then look at each other.
This is the bond the monster must want to break.
"You think the monster had something to do with this?" asked Red.
Black nodded, tiredly. He was trying to follow the events, but he could barely think. Red helped him to get up, and as soon as he did that, Black stopped Red, putting a hand on his chest and then pointing to the morpher.
"Call Kim… this is… the monster… to them…" whispered Black, coughing. "If she is right… the bond… I will…"
Black couldn't say anything else as he felt his world go black, and Red had to catch him, screaming loud enough for the girls to stop fighting. They looked as Black looked half-dead in Red's arms while the Red Ranger called for them.
Yellow forgot all about Pink and ran as fast as she could, falling to her knees beside Black. Pink stood beside Red, worried.
"Black? Black! Wake up!" called Yellow, shaking his helmet a little.
Red looked at them and started to teleport while he looked at Pink putting a hand on Yellow's shoulder and Yellow squeezing it, letting him know the bond was still there, damaged but alive. He breathed a sigh of relief; they still had time to save Black, Blue, and their bond from that monster.
-Megaforce-
Command Center
Dana told Kimberly very clearly that this was something she couldn't heal. This was magic, and to solve Jake's problem, they needed to do what a Ranger had to do—defeat the monster so everything could go back to normal.
But there was a problem: Jake's problem was also connected to whatever happened to Gia and Emma's bond, and to fix him, first, they had to fix them. Right now, that seemed impossible.
Kimberly sighed. This was the worst day possible to be in charge, but Tommy was away, Jason was working with Kat, and the other Rangers had gone back to their lives, promising to come back as soon as possible and leaving her in charge of this situation.
She looked towards the beds, where Jake was resting with Gia by his side, cleaning the blood from his mouth with a towel while Emma stood close to them, looking for Noah with Troy.
"How is it going?" asked Kim to Emma, trying to break the tension she could feel growing between the Rangers.
"Not good… it's like he vanished," said Emma, annoyed. "I could go faster if another pair of hands helped."
"Jake needs someone to take care of him!" said Gia, looking offended.
"It's a surprise you care about him now," said Emma, looking at her teammate.
Gia got up, and Emma stopped what she was doing. Both girls walked toward each other until they were face to face. Emma looked angry, but Gia was furious, as if what Emma said was a personal attack.
"You know nothing about what I feel," said Gia.
"Of course, I don't. You are so closed off that I'm surprised you have feelings at all," said Emma.
"Enough!"
The girls looked to the side where Kimberly was with her arms crossed, looking less than friendly towards them. The Original Pink Ranger was angry, and Troy, who had moved to take care of Jake, looked worried at the scene until Jake started coughing more blood. Troy looked down, putting a hand on his shoulder to try and help him feel more comfortable.
"I don't know what's happening, but you two need to stop, right now," said Kimberly, pointing at Jake. "His life depends on you two, so you better fix whatever is wrong with your friendship, or I swear to God, I…"
"No… more… fight…"
Jake's voice was weak, but he moved his hand, pointing at Emma and Gia, and got the attention of the room while he did his best to keep himself awake. His head was spinning, and he couldn't see anything, but he didn't like to hear the girls fight; they weren't like this with each other.
"Jake…" whispered Gia.
Both girls looked down, embarrassed, while Jake took a deep breath and Troy put a hand on his chest to help him stabilize. Troy could feel how much effort Jake was making just to be able to tell them, but he wouldn't stop, not until he made things better.
"You are Gia and Emma… you can't let… a monster take that away…" whispered Jake, breathing heavily. "Are you telling me… that is all your friendship is worth?"
The girls looked down while they remembered past moments of them together. The first time they played together, when Emma invited Gia to her home and showed her her love for Earth and nature, and when Gia defended Emma from bullies laughing at her for trying to get them to recycle.
Their friendship was always strong and sincere, and somehow they lost it for a moment. But as Gia and Emma looked at each other, they could feel it coming back, with the same strength it once had.
Jake looked at them, barely making out what was going on but happy as he stopped feeling the tension in the room. He closed his eyes, feeling his job was already done, and he was ready to take a long nap.
"I'm sorry," said Emma. "I should have never told you what I said. Please, forgive me. I know you have feelings."
"I know, and I'm sorry for what I said too," said Gia. "I don't know what I would do without you."
Emma was smiling when the two girls finally walked toward each other, hugging, and feeling the bond repair itself. From the side, Troy and Kimberly nodded, happy the friends were back to being friends. Troy turned to look at Jake, ready to congratulate him for the speech, when he felt something and his smile fell. He walked towards the Black Ranger, touching his shoulder.
Troy didn't get an answer the first time or the second time he tried to shake Jake awake.
"Jake? Jake, wake up!"
Kimberly ran towards Jake's other side as soon as she heard Troy and took Jake's pulse. It was weak, but it was still there. However, Kimberly didn't understand; the bond was fixed, so why was Jake still like this? Unless… Kimberly looked at Troy, who moved back, letting Gia take his place while Emma stood behind her with a hand on her shoulder, using the Red Ranger for support.
"Jake? Come on… hey, wake up," whispered Gia, touching Jake's face.
But Jake was unresponsive. Troy looked down while Emma squeezed Gia's shoulder, trying to stay strong for her best friend and Jake. She moved away from Troy, kneeling beside Gia, and grabbed Jake's hand since Gia had both hands on his face.
"You are not doing this, Jake. You can't give us this speech and then go to sleep. I won't let you do that," said Gia, determined. "Come back, Jake."
Gia caressed his face a few times before she came closer and kissed the corner of his mouth. This was always what he wanted, for her to make a move, but this time, he remained still, and Gia felt overwhelmed with emotion as her tiger roared for revenge.
Beside her, Emma held back her tears, seeing the emotion play on Gia's face. Emma had no doubts about Gia's feelings after this, but it might be too late. Emma looked down, her eyes falling on her morpher. That's when she remembered. This was the monster's doing.
"The monster," said Emma, looking at her friends and Kimberly. "This was the monster's doing, right? As Dana said, if we defeat her, then Jake still has a chance."
"You may be right," said Troy, nodding to himself.
"Then find her. Defeat her to lift the curse before Jake's energy vanishes completely," said Kimberly. "Also, find Noah. God knows what the monster may be doing with him."
The Rangers nodded, ready to leave when Kimberly stopped the girls and put her hands—one over Gia's hands and the other over Emma's.
"Jake believes in the bond you two share," said Kimberly. "Make that monster regret ever thinking about breaking this friendship."
Emma and Gia looked at each other and then at Kimberly, nodding, determined to make those words true. Troy waited for them, and the three Rangers ran out of the Command Center, transforming into Rangers while Kimberly went back to Jake's side and sat with him, holding his hand.
"Don't take him with you yet, Trini," whispered Kimberly, closing her eyes. "He is still needed here."
-Megaforce-
Forest
Blue was serving the monster, but his mind was with his best friend. Black looked injured, and Blue had a bad feeling, but he could do nothing while he was under the spell of this monster.
"Blue Ranger!" called the monster.
Blue moved against his will when he saw that behind the monster, hidden between the trees, his friends were there—all of them except Black. He knew that while Black looked out of commission the last time Blue saw him, if he wasn't here, it was because he was in really bad shape.
Blue got worried, but part of him was relieved his friends were here, and they were going to stop this madness.
Meanwhile, not far from Blue, Red turned to Yellow and Pink and proceeded to go through the plan one more time.
"I get Blue and the boys and teleport them far from the monster while you two take care of her," said Red.
"Don't worry, Red. We got this," said Yellow, looking at her best friend.
"Of course," said Pink. "Let's do it, together."
Yellow nodded, happy to have her best friend back, when Red brought back their attention to him by putting his hand on her shoulder and Pink's shoulder.
"Black trusted your bond, and Blue and I do the same," said Red. "You are stronger together, never forget that."
"Never," said Pink. "Ready?"
"After you," said Yellow.
The Rangers walked, determined, while Red moved in the shadows and collected the guys and Blue, taking them out of the danger zone. Pink and Yellow stood in front of the monster, ready to fight as a team.
The monster laughed, looking at them. She got up calmly, and like the Queen Bee she was, she raised her hand to stop the girls.
"Look who came back?" asked the monster. "It's surprising you didn't kill each other already. Or was it your other friend?"
"You can't break our bond with your pathetic game," said Yellow. "We are stronger than your magic."
For a second, the monster said nothing, surprised they weren't fighting until she realized that maybe they found a way to break the spell.
"You should be fighting! Why are you not fighting!?" screamed the monster.
"Our friendship will never fall because of you," said Pink.
The monster looked impressed as the Rangers ran towards her and attacked her. The first one was Pink, jumping in the air and calling her weapon to fire at the monster, giving Yellow time to call for her claws and hit the monster, throwing her to the ground.
But when Yellow approached her again, the monster understood why her spell didn't work on Black.
"I see… so it's you," said the monster, getting up.
"What?" asked Yellow.
Pink ran towards Yellow, but the monster stood there, looking at Yellow while Pink looked over her shoulder, making sure Red got everyone out of the danger zone before she could focus back on the fight.
"The Black Ranger could never fall for my love spell because he was already in love with someone else," said the monster. "And that someone is you."
For a moment, time stopped as both Yellow and Pink realized what the monster said. While Yellow was paralyzed, Pink looked at her best friend, worried. She knew Black had a crush on Yellow for the longest time, but love? It was bigger and stronger, and Pink wasn't sure if her best friend was ready for such a feeling.
She hoped someday, but Pink knew it wasn't today.
"You didn't know?" asked the monster, surprised. "How can you not know when a man is in love with you?"
Yellow was having a hard time digesting the words, and Pink was furious, pointing at the monster with her weapon.
"Enough! That is none of your business!" screamed Pink.
Then she ran to the monster and fired at her again, throwing the monster away and making her run inside the forest. Pink went back to her best friend, hugging her and forcing Yellow to look at her.
"Yellow… calm down," said Pink.
"Love? Why? He can't…" said Yellow. "I can't…"
"I know, sweetie," said Pink. "Black knows too. That's why he probably never said anything, but even if you are not ready, he will understand. You know how he is, right?"
"But I brushed him off, thinking he was playing around and he…" said Yellow. "You were right. I'm a horrible person."
"No! No, you are not, Yellow!" said Pink, forcing Yellow to look at her. "Hear me out. I've seen him around you for years, and I thought the same as you did. But you and I know he is a good guy, and he would do anything to see you happy."
"But…"
"You won't lose him, just like you didn't lose me with all this mess, okay?" said Pink.
Yellow nodded, hugging her best friend one more time while the Pink Ranger calmed her friend down. This was her job, making sure Yellow could grasp reality before she was lost. If Pink knew something for sure, it was that Yellow would always have her and Black.
"Die, Rangers!"
The monster appeared out of nowhere again, but this time, Yellow used her claws to cover herself and Pink before she pushed the monster away and turned towards it, ready for a third round.
"You tried to break my friendship…" whispered Yellow, deadly calm. "You put him on that bed… I will never forgive you."
"What do you think you can do about it?" asked the monster.
"I will defeat you for good," said Yellow, looking over her shoulder. "Ready, Pink?"
Pink got up, stood beside her best friend, and then looked at the monster. Both Rangers looked so powerful that, for the first time, the monster looked scared.
"Let's finish this," said Pink.
Both Rangers got their laser guns, and with one attack, they finished the monster, who screamed before disappearing in smoke.
"Finally," said Pink.
Yellow saw nothing, still troubled by what she heard before, but they didn't have time to talk when they saw Blue and Red running towards them at the same time the monster got bigger and looked at them as if they were her next meal.
"No one can defeat me, Rangers!" screamed the monster.
"We need the zords," said Blue, looking around. "Where did you say Black was?"
"Right here…"
The Rangers turned to see Black standing against a tree. He walked towards them, being met halfway by Pink and Yellow, who hugged him tight for a few seconds until Pink stood aside so Red could salute his friend, and Blue patted Black on the shoulder.
Yellow remained by his side, making sure he was fine.
"Are you sure you can fight?" asked Yellow.
"I made a promise you wouldn't have to fight alone anymore, right?" said Black. "I hate to break promises. Besides, I want to be in the front row when you and Pink defeat her again."
Yellow chuckled, letting him go, and the Rangers formed their usual formation before they called the zords, creating the Megazord just in time for the monster to attack, hitting them several times and forcing the Megazord to take several steps back.
"We need power," said Red, looking at Pink and Yellow. "Do you have any ideas, ladies?"
"A few," said Yellow.
"I follow your lead, Yellow," said Pink.
Yellow nodded, and using her bond with Pink, two new cards appeared in her and Pink's hands—the Celestial Brothers. Pink and Yellow looked at each other before activating the new zords at the same time.
The new zords came flying and hit the monster several times, forcing the monster to the ground.
"What are you doing?" screamed the monster.
"This is the power of our friendship!" screamed Pink.
"And you made a big mistake trying to break it," said Yellow.
Both Rangers, controlling the new zords, activated a new transformation and looked at the monster, ready to defeat her for good.
"Celestial Megazord! Activate!" screamed Yellow and Pink.
The Megazord came to life with the new zords attaching to it and becoming the Celestial Megazord. In control of it, Yellow and Pink took the Megazord to the sky while the monster tried to hit them, but Pink was magnificent at flying. She showed her skills by moving the zord, avoiding the attacks, and hitting the monster, making it fall to the ground.
Black and Red shared a look before they kept their zords online for the Megazord but didn't do anything else except watch their two teammates do all the work.
"Are we going to attack?" asked Blue.
"I think they have this under control," said Red.
"What?" asked Blue, confused.
"He means you don't get in the middle of a lady's fight unless you want to get your ass kicked," said Black. "This is personal for them. Let them deal with it and keep your zord online in case they need it."
Blue didn't understand, but he did what he was told while Pink and Yellow prepared for the last blow. After Yellow moved her controller to hit the monster three times, she looked at her best friend, and both nodded, knowing it was time for the end.
"Sonic Blast!" screamed the two Rangers.
The monster fell again, screaming while the Rangers finally worked together, this time calling for the final attack.
"Victory Charge!"
The Celestial Megazord flew towards the monster and attacked her with one last powerful blow, hitting her in the chest and defeating her for good this time. As soon as it was over, Pink and Yellow got up and ran to hug each other while Red, Black, and Blue looked at them, clapping and proud of their work.
-Megaforce-
Command Center
After returning to the Command Center, the team decided to relax and spend some time together. Troy was doing just that, checking on his friends when he saw Noah making notes with Jake's name on them.
"What is this?" asked Troy, reading one of the notes.
"This is the second time Jake almost died, Troy. I'm worried," said Noah.
"I know… he seems to get in trouble all the time. It's almost as if they know he is Jason's son," said Troy.
"Whatever it is, it has to stop. We need to find a way to keep him safe," said Noah.
"We will, Noah," said Troy, putting a hand on Noah's shoulder.
Noah nodded and sighed, collecting his notes with Troy's help. On his side of the cave, Jake was taking it easy, as Dana had told him to do. He only played with his soccer ball using his hands when he saw Gia and Emma coming towards him. He left the soccer ball to the side, sitting on the bed when the girls finally reached him.
"Ah, it's good to see Pink and Yellow team up again," said Jake, smiling.
"Yes, we did say pretty hurtful things to each other, but we talked about it, right?" asked Emma, looking at her best friend.
"Of course, our bond is stronger now, and no monster will play with it again," said Gia.
Jake smiled, happy to see the friends being friends again, but his smile quickly fell and turned into a scared look when Emma sat down on the bed, serious, and grabbed Jake's hands. Even Gia looked a little surprised, but Emma ignored them both and focused on what she wanted to say.
"You need to be more careful, Jake. I swear I know now why your father is a mess every time we go out," said Emma. "I like to think you are my friend, and I hate when my friends get hurt, so keep yourself out of the line of fire, please."
"I will do my best. I promise," said Jake, squeezing her hand.
Emma smiled a little and patted Jake's cheek to let him know they were fine before she got up and pointed/dragged Troy and Noah out of the Command Center to give Gia and Jake some time alone.
"That was scary," admitted Jake.
"Emma can be scary," said Gia, chuckling at Jake's face. "But she is right. This is the second time you almost died, and we were scared, Jake."
"I'm sorry," said Jake, looking down. "I do try to keep myself out of those situations, but it's part of my DNA, I guess? I mean, I grew up with all the Rangers. Being in danger is natural to me."
Gia looked down, and Jake didn't like to see her like this, sad. But even he could see there was something else there. Her eyes spoke volumes, and Jake took the chance to touch her chin to lift her face and look at her beautiful eyes.
"What's going on?" asked Jake.
"I know you are in love with me… that it is more than a crush, Jake," said Gia. "The monster told me."
Ah, so that was the problem. Jake let her go and looked embarrassed, trying to find the words, but Gia beat him to it.
"I don't want you to think I don't care about you because I do, Jake, a lot. It's just that with all this and high school, I can't afford to have something like this," said Gia.
"I get it," said Jake, smiling at her to show her it was fine. "Being a Ranger is complicated, especially if you are in love with your teammate. I get where you are coming from, but you need to know that no matter what, I will be there for you if you need me. You are my partner, right?"
"Of course," said Gia.
Jake nodded, and they hugged. Gia was happy, at least she had this settled, but there was a part of her screaming that she should fight for this, whatever it was, that she was running out of time to explore what she was feeling for him. She ignored those warnings; he was fine, and he was here, and he would be here for a long time if she had anything to say about the matter.
Jake hugged her and made an effort to remain calm and cool. Even with his heart broken, he knew this was for the best. Gia needed mental peace. It had to be hard having Emma on the line of fire, and now, if she did feel something for him, it would be worse.
It was for the best, but it hurt more than he wanted to admit.
Not far from them, at the entrance of the cave, Emma looked at the scene sadly. She saw Jake's face and heard his words, and she knew he truly cared about Gia. But she also understood Gia's position and her feelings about the matter.
Still, Emma hurt for Jake, and she sighed, turning away to leave the cave and reunite with Troy and Noah. Maybe someday, things will change for them.