Unlocking The Sacred Box Part Five

DJ, Maya, and the twins took off their Ranger helmets as they all hurried over to Max. They were all filled to the brim with joy and excitement after having finally destroyed one of their biggest foes.

"That was so cool!" Maya cheered, playfully punching the armored Red Ranger in the chest.

"Righteous!" Donnie added.

"We did it! We won!" Bonnie exclaimed happily.

"Hey Max, perhaps you should let me try out the Black Belt mode soon," DJ suggested.

Max shook his head, chuckling. "Keep dreaming, boy. But I guess now is not a good time to celebrate. Look!" He pointed to where Buck had erupted. A portal had opened up above, with the fertilizer pouring onto the flames.

"RANGERS! I AM NOT BEATEN YET!" Buck hollered as he was revived and enlarged.

All the Rangers were frightened by Buck's sudden return. Max then put his wrist over his mouth and spoke. "Ellie, you know what to do?"

"Give, give, give...that's all I do." Ellie groaned from the command center. "The Zords are on their way!"

Within a second, the Zords had arrived. Max was the first to jump in, but it was tough to fit in his station as his wings were too bulky.

"Wings, detach!" He called out, and just like that, his wings were disarmed. He breathed out in relief as fit perfectly in his seat.

"Shark Zord!" DJ called out as he drove his Zord through the rushing water of the river.

"Cheetah Zord!" Maya's Zord was sprinting as fast as a cheetah could through the city.

"Bat Zord!" Donnie flew his Zord through the sky.

"Bear Zord!" Bonnie's Zord was pouncing from one area to another.

"Zords combine!" The Cheetah Zord stood upward before its back legs folded into the Megazord's feet, while the rest of the zord folded into the Megazord's legs and upper body. The Shark Zord hopped out of the water, the right hand popping out from its jaws as the zord flipped upside down, with the fin being tilted and inserted into the Megazord's left arm socket. The Polar Bear Zord had its legs contracted and a hand popped out of its jaws. The Zord then flipped downwards as it attached to the right arm socket. The Bat Zord extended its wings as it attached to the Megazord's back. Finally, the Eagle Zord formed into the Megazord's head, completing the transformation.

"Great Martial Megazord! Ready!"

Buck turned and growled in contempt as the Megazord was marching slowly toward him. "Pathetic." He stated. His eyes then lit up and began shooting multiple blasts at the Megazord.

The Megazrod stumbled at the attack.

"Hold steady!" Max beckoned as he tried to keep the Megazord under control, but Buck was not backing down. Soon, he was skidding past the Megazord, striking it repeatedly with his baton.

"He's too fast!" Maya exclaimed.

"DJ, divert power to your Zord! The jaws might help us out!" Max commanded.

"You got it!" DJ replied. "Shark Zord, power up!" The Shark's jaws began to charge up.

"Shark Bite!" With that, the Megazord's left arm torpedoed toward Buck, but the Rangers were then stunned when Buck put his hand up and stopped the attack in mid-air with absolutely ZERO struggle.

"I don't think so," he revolted before striking the Megazord once again. "Try this on for size!" Buck raised his baton upwards, igniting lightning that struck down on the Megazord. The Megazord fell hard on the ground as it started to ignite from the inside out.

The Rangers' cockpit was malfunctioning due to the attack. It was clear they couldn't take much more before their Megazord would be completely down for the count. Buck then lunged on top of the Megazord and began striking it continuously with his baton, spitting out a word with every strike. "You...will...pay...for...daring...to...challenge...me"

"We're down to half power!" Maya pointed out.

"Our shields are failing!" Bonnie exclaimed.

"Ah, man! What can we do?" Donnie asked, his voice laced with panic.

Just then, Ellie's voice was heard through their radio. "Guys, guys!"

"Yes, Ellie!" Max responded. "You can see that we are in a pickle here."

"Listen, the Sacred Box also contains some new zord that is someone related to your current zord, one for each Ranger that uses said Box. For you Max, it's a condor!"

"A condor?" Max was a bit flabbergasted.

"No time to start asking questions. You will be impressed by what this zord can do. Just open the box and press 0-1-1 on the keypad, then call on it and use it!"

"Alright then!" Max pulled out the Sacred Box and opened it. Sure enough, there was a red-coded keypad with white numbers written in Japanese. "0-0-1. Condor Zord, arise!"

On queue, a large red robotic condor soared through the skies, heading toward where Buck was manhandling the Megazord, striking it from many directions with his baton.

The condor then let out an ear-piercing screech, which caught Buck's attention. "Wha-what?" Buck turned and nearly stumbled as the condor flew toward him, shooting white beams from its eyes toward Buck. Buck cried out as he charged toward the bird, which flew close to the ground before zipping past Buck, slashing him with its sharp wings.

"Yeah! That's what I'm talking about!" Max boasted. "Maya, get this Megazord back up!"

"On it!" Maya replied tilting her steering wheel upward, allowing the Megazord to get back to its feet.

"Condor Megazord transformation!" Max called onto his new zord. The large Condor tilted upward, its feet connecting to the back of the Bat Zord.

Ellie's voice rang from the radio. "Max, you have to use the Box to channel the powers of all 6 zords, as well as amplify your powers. It's going to take a lot to bring him down!"

"Got it!" All five Rangers replied simultaneously.

Once Buck recovered from the condor's attack, he growled at the Megazord. "You think those fancy wings scare me?! I'll take you Rangers out if it's the last thing I do!"

"Let's fly up so we can take him down!" Max ordered. The Condor Zord elevated upwards, taking the Megazord with it.

With the Megazord making a reversing somersault and flying toward Buck, Max pressed the gold button on the right end of his controls, activating the Kendo Blade, which formed from the Megazord's left arm.

"Flying Slash!" All the Rangers called.

Buck pulled out his eyes and threw them toward the flying Megazord, but the Megazord simply flew passed the eye bombs as its sword began to light up.

"Super Air Strike!" The Megazord speared through Buck, who cried out in pain from the sudden attacks.

The Megazord skidded to a stop on the ground.

Buck felt his insides ignite as he felt his life being drained from him. "No! No! I was supposed to destroy your world! AHHHHH! YOU WEREN'T SUPPOSED TO DO IT TO ME! YOU'LL PAY FOR THIS!" He collapsed to the ground, and to the Rangers' pure joy, Buck burst into flames and erupted.

All five Rangers jumped from their seats and cheered. Maya, DJ, and Donnie were high-fiving one another, while Bonnie patted Max on the shoulder, giving him a thumbs-up on a job well done.

Max nodded his head. "United we stand..."

"Divided we fall!" The other Rangers finished the catchphrase as the sun set on their long day.

All five Rangers made it back to the command center, in their color-coded uniforms. Uni congratulated them on finally defeating Buck, as well as unlocking the Sacred Box. He expressed his relief that the box was out of the hands of evil and back into their good graces.

"Well, you guys can thank me," Bonnie gloated. "At least I made it there first to help you guys out.

"Would you shut up?" Donnie spat out.

"Oh come on, you believe you could stand a chance against Buck. You couldn't even put up a fight against Po's siblings."

"Why you little-"

While the twins bickered, with Maya and DJ separating them in case things would get physical. Once the commotion settled down, DJ looked over at Max, whose expression was downcasted. He walked over to him and nudged his shoulder.

"Hey, you okay?" He asked.

Max looked up at him and gave him a weak smile. "Yeah, I'm good."

"You were amazing out there...if I were your parent, I would be proud."

Max chuckled but was stunned as Ellie walked passed him, yanking his arm along the way. Once they were in a secluded part of the room, she looked him in the eye.

"You can see them," Ellie said with a grin.

The red-haired boy's eyes widened as he blubbered with his word. "W-wha-what do you mean?'

"You unlocked the Sacred Box, so you are officially a black belt, which means some of the rules do not apply to you, including staying away from your parents when you're identity is exposed."

Max blinked rapidly as a huge grin formed on his face. "Are you serious?"

Ellie laughed. "Yes, but wait just a minute. Take this." She placed a green capsule that looked more like a grenade, with a pulp on the top of it, on Max's hand.

"What is this?"

"It's a special flashbang that releases colored flashes and gas that can erase your mom's memory of anything that is related to the Power Rangers, including the moment when she and your father found the letter you left."

Max looked up at Ellie, still stunned by the news. "B-but, what about my dad?"

"Listen, you mention that your father is on his way to becoming the new sheriff. He has more power now. We can use that to our advantage if he promises to keep your identity a secret."

"THANK YOU!" Max squealed, tackling Ellie in a bone-crushing hug. "THANK YOU! THANK YOU!"

"Max," Ellie coughed, "you are squeezing me."

Max realized this and let Ellie go. "Sorry," he apologized, still holding her hands. "Thank you! Thank you! You are the best! You are a gift! YOU ARE A GIFT AND I LOVE YOU!"

Ellie squinted her face, weirded out by Max's exaggerated 'thank you's. She just shook her head and chuckled. "Just go."

"I will," Max stuttered, still filled to the brim with excitement. "Again, thank you!" He ran off through a portal, letting out a squeal of happiness.

All of his friends, including Ellie and Sensei Uni all looked over at one another and laughed at Max's pure joy and happiness. Ellie and her father gathered with the other Rangers and they all put their hands together, with Sensei Uni nodding in approval, expressing his pride in his team. "I couldn't be more proud of you all." He said.

"Well, we couldn't have done it without the brains of the operation, Ellie," DJ said.

Ellie blushed. "You guys are getting me warmed up here."

"Let's get this over with so I can head home," Donnie said.

Bonnie rolled her eyes. "Perhaps you should be more chirpy."

"If chirpy, you mean manic, then no." Donnie joked. Bonnie revolted by raising her leg to stomp on her brother's foot, but he simply moved it away. She accidentally stomped on the hard floor instead. She yelped and then gave her brother the 'I'll get you next time' look.

Maya scoffed. "Enough, let's just celebrate! We defeated Buck...one of Po's biggest allies. We have some new powers, and the world may be in good grace." She acknowledged with a wide grin.

"United We Stand, Divided We Fall!" They all cheered, releasing their hands upwards.

It was near sunset and the environment surrounding the Cruz family's home was as peaceful as it could be. On the front porch, both of Max's parents were leaning on each other on a bench, watching as the sun set, which was their common ritual every other day. The only difference was that one person was missing, and it made it more painful to watch the sun go down, as it would be a reminder of another day passing without that particular person.

"Doesn't it look more beautiful every time you look at it," Mary commented.

Her husband chuckled. "Yeah, it doesn't seem to get old for me."

Just then, a figure burst through the picket fence door and into the front yard. Mary looked over and gasped as to who came through their lawn. She and her husband got up to their feet and she exclaimed. "Max, baby, what are you doing here?"

Max was hyperventilating as he had run over here from Karate Operations, which was about 5 miles away from his home. He looked up at his confused father and shocked mother and let out a grin.

"Where have you been, sweetie?" His mother asked, cupping his cheeks.

"Mom...please forgive me for this," he said, breathing heavily between each word.

Mary raised an eyebrow. "Forgive you for what?"

Max chuckled before looking over at his father. "Dad, close your eyes and cover your ears."

His father was still confused. "What?"

"Just do it!" Max barked. His father did as told and plucked his eyes and kept his eyes closed. Max looked over at his mother and grinned before pulling out the flashbang. He backed up a few feet before pulling the safety pin off. He then tossed it over to his mother. His mother caught it by surprise before realizing what it was.

Max shut his eyes and covered his ears. The flashbang went off, stunning his mother. Her temporal lobe was hindered as clips from finding the note in his son's room to sitting with her husband and watching the news regarding another monster being destroyed by the Power Rangers began to be eradicated from her memory base. Once the process was over, his mother opened her eyes, looking around confusingly. Mary then focused her attention on her son, glaring at him and putting her hands on her hips.

"Maxwell Bush Cruz, where on Earth were you?"

Bobby opened his eyes and was confused as to what was going on.

Max looked up at his parents and grinned, tears of joy beginning to form in his eyes. He didn't care about getting in trouble. He was home. He was finally home. After many months of daydreaming about being back with his family...there he was standing right in front of him.

He ran over and embraced his mother, catching her off-guard.

"Um, Max...what is going on?" She asked, slowly returning the hug while she was still in confusion.

Bobby walked over to Max and his wife, rubbing his son's back. "Are you ok-"

Before he could finish, Max quickly pulled him into the hug. "I'm so happy to be with you guys," he said, choking on his words.

"You know you are grounded right?" His mother stated.

"Yes, I am...and I do not care. Take away my Xbox, and my TV, I do not care. I am just so happy to be with you guys." He said, not letting his parents go.

Mary looked over at her husband still looking confused. Bobby just smiled and shrugged his shoulders. Max was in trouble, but this was a family reunion, so they might as well savor it.

Max looked up at his father and gave him a wink. The two had a lot to talk about later that evening.

That's it for this storyline. If you are wondering why I decided to let Max's father keep his memories, it is for an important storyline in a future chapter. But that's for later.