Play "Falling" by Cryoshell
Instrumental
The screen starts off black. One by one, spotlights come on, revealing the three Rangers looking at the ground. They then lift their heads as the title Power Rangers: Paleo Force shatters through the remaining darkness above them.
Lights out.
Duncan, Brody, and Cooper stand together at the generic quarry, looking at their Zords and smiling.
No one's here.
Kenny is working on a circuit board with a robotic hand sitting on his desk. He grins as he taps the circuit board with a stylus, making the hand twitch.
Hear the silence.
Jane and Brody are together at the hospital, Jane bandaging Brody's leg.
Scent of fear.
All the heroic characters look up to the sky.
You start running.
The view moves up into space, where we see our main villains in their spaceship, followed by a close-up of each of them.
With mistrusting and skeptical eyes.
We get a shot of Cooper, Duncan, and Brody staring down an army of Shadows.
Are you haunted?
The three look at each other before nodding.
I call out.
One by one, they take fighting stances as they ready their morphers.
I'm counting on you.
The screen cuts to black.
Falling.
All three Rangers charge in slow motion as an explosion goes off in the background.
Is this the end of the line, and can we make it in time?
In a rotating shot, Brody slashes Shadows with his Carnage Sword, Cooper shoots them with his cannon, and Duncan blasts enemies with his Switch-Gun.
Falling.
CJ extends her arm, directing her Zords to charge forward.
My world is spinning around. I'm crashing into the ground.
Calios descends from space like a comet and, after landing, steps forward, slowly drawing his sword.
Falling.
Moses folds his arms as three silhouetted figures gather on either side of him.
Now I need you to see it's up to you and me.
The Paleo Force Megazord shifts into sword-and-shield mode. It slashes a monster, then uses its Cryo Slash on it, making it explode.
I'm counting on you.
Consecutive shots of Cooper doing a Ranger Punch, Duncan doing a Ranger Slash, and Brody doing a Ranger Kick at the screen.
Cut to the end of the song as the music fades out.
The Rangers stand confidently in front of their respective Zords, who roar behind them as the screen fades to black again.
Chapter 37
"Mmmphmph!"
"Hey, lady, keep your phone off," a guy whispered.
"Sorry," Jane apologized as she clutched her morpher. Unfortunately, Todd kept trying to comment on the action in the movie, so she and Brody decided to leave before the other movie-goers got too mad.
The team soon assembled at the generic quarry.
"We have a problem," Jane reported.
"Big problem," Kenny agreed.
"REALLY?! WHAT'S THE PROBLEM, BRO!?" Andy asked.
"I'm sorry to be blunt, but the problem is your loud mouths," Carl informed the red and black Zords.
Jane looked at Todd, "I can barely go anywhere without you making a scene." She told the Teratozord.
"And you distract me when I'm working on a new project," Kenny said to Andy. "Also, you wake me up a lot at night to share whatever dream you have."
"THAT'S 'CAUSE SHARING IS CARING, BRO!" Andy replied.
"YOU SAID IT, BRO!" Todd agreed.
"You two aren't listening," Dickson said, annoyed. "You're both interfering with their personal lives."
Chazz chimed in next," And don't go saying 'you guys talk to your partners too, bro!' We at least use our indoor voices."
"Could you, maybe, just only talk when we're in a fight with monsters?" Brody suggested.
"Or maybe talk to the other Zords instead of us?" Kenny followed up.
"Come on, man, don't just dump them on us," Chazz whispered.
Before the two loudmouthed Zords could reply, the Cryo gang showed up to give a report.
"They said a new monster is on the loose on Central Street," Chazz translated.
"Then let's go," Brody declared. He gave one last look at Todd and Andy, "And please try not to yell in our ears."
Everyone arrived on Central Street, coming to an abrupt stop as a half-eaten corpse landed in front of them.
"Ah, another group of lambs for slaughter? Bully," a British voice said.
Looking ahead, the team saw the culprit: a lion standing upright, wearing a formal suit, complete with a monocle and top hat and wielding a cane in one hand.
"Allow me to introduce myself, chaps. I am the Dandy Lion."
While everyone else stared blankly, Cooper mimed playing the drums, saying "Ba-dum tsst!"
"Alright, let's get this taken care of," the Dandy Lion said. He reached behind him and pulled out a flintlock pistol and fired.
The Rangers all morphed, figuring regular gunfire would be harmless to them. Unfortunately, it wasn't regular gunfire.
"Ah! What kind of bullets are those?!" Duncan shouted as he stumbled back.
The Dandy Lion swung his cane, making the handle fly off and hit Duncan in the head. Beneath the handle was a blade, which the Dandy Lion began swinging at the team.
Jane summoned her Biting Gauntlet and caught the sword. Right before she could counterattack, though-
"WHOA, THAT CANE'S A SWORD!? THAT'S SO COOL!" Todd shouted.
The sudden shouting made Jane flinch, giving the Dandy Lion the chance to shoot her in the gut before blocking a sword strike from Brody.
Kenny moved in from the monster's left and grabbed his wrist with his Biting Gauntlet, making him drop his pistol. He then Karate chopped him in the ribs.
"YOU GOT HIM RIGHT WHERE YOU WANT HIM NOW, BRO!" Andy cheered.
Like Jane, Kenny flinched from the shouting, "Ow! Don't yell right next to me!"
Fortunately, Cooper picked up the slack and moved in for an assault.
Dandy Lion roared as the Pink Ranger punched him in the face and chest. Seeing the other Rangers coming at him too, he dropped his cane sword and reached into his coat pocket before throwing out a bunch of pocket watches. The watches all exploded, with the shrapnel deterring all the heroes.
Duncan recovered first and tried to attack again, but the lion monster pulled out a pen gun and shot him with it.
"Well, these odds are starting to look bad. Cheerio!" With that, the Dandy Lion ran off on all fours.
Jane and Kenny glared at their morphers.
"Anyone else gettin' déjà vu?" Cooper asked. This time, the team had assembled at the Branson residence.
"I know I am," Dickson agreed through his morpher.
Jane directly addressed the elephants in the room, "Guys, we can't fight with you shouting in our ears. If you don't tone it down, this whole partnership is done."
"Let's not be so hasty," Carl interjected. "Pops had issues that hindered the team, but we worked through that."
"We did?" Pops asked. "Oh, yeah, we did. That was a crazy week."
Cooper stood up from his chair, "Carl's got a point. Let's meet at the quarry and see what we can do."
"Okay, you guys don't like indoor voices, so why don't we try this another way," Cooper suggested. "Maybe just try whisperin'?"
"WHAT'S WHISPERING, BRO!?" Andy asked, with Todd nodding.
Everyone facepalmed, with Duncan deciding to demonstrate, "It's when you say stuff that isn't very loud. Try doing like I'm doing."
Todd and Andy glanced at each other then back to the crew. "YOU MEAN LIKE THIS, BRO!?" Todd asked.
"HEY, YEAH! I THINK I HEAR A DIFFERENCE, BRO!" Andy nodded.
The team covered their ears, scowling at the lack of progress. "This is gonna take a while," Brody groaned.
And thus began a tedious and frustrating cycle: Kenny and Jane would stay with their Zords to try and work on their volume issues while Brody, Duncan, and Cooper would head out to fight the monster of the week.
And just like before, it was giving them trouble.
As his two teammates grappled with the Dandy Lion, Duncan moved in for a slash with his sword, "I've got you now!"
The Dandy Lion took his focus off Brody and Cooper for a second and threw a fistful of something.
Duncan stumbled back, "Did you just throw bad teeth at me!? That's fucking gross!"
With Duncan Distracted, the Dandy Lion pulled out a cup of tea. He splashed the tea into Cooper's face before smashing the cup itself into Brody's face.
"Oh, fuck this! Everyone, just shoot him!" Brody ordered. His teammates nodded and they all brought out their respective guns.
The Dandy Lion dodged and darted about avoiding the shots, only for one to hit him in the chest. He fell flat on his back, unmoving.
The Rangers slowly moved. "Everyone, charge up. We're making sure he's dead," Brody instructed. His caution proved worthless when the Dandy Lion decided to stop playing possum and threw another pocket watch bomb at them, distracting them just long enough to get away.
"Aw, dammit!" Duncan threw his gun on the ground in frustration. He sighed, "Anyone wanna check up on Kenny and Jane?"
"I AM WHISPERING!"
"I'M WHISPERING TOO!"
Kenny and Jane covered their ears, dull glares on their faces. "You'd think their voices would give out eventually," Jane commented.
G2 strolled up to the duo, holding out a handheld sound meter, "As you requested, Master."
Kenny nodded and walked up to Todd and Andy, "You two see this thing? Nod if you do." The red and black Zords nodded, so he continued, "This meter measures how loud you talk. If you can get it to a low enough number, then you're all good."
"HOW LOW A NUMBER ARE WE TALKING, BRO?!" Andy asked.
"No higher than 60 decibels," Kenny answered.
"I DON'T KNOW WHAT THOSE ARE, BUT OKAY, BRO!" Todd nodded.
"Well, keep trying," Kenny said.
At that moment, the rest of the team arrived. "Any progress?" Brody asked.
"What do you think?" Jane asked rhetorically.
Brody scratched the back of his head, "Right, stupid question."
"Cover your ears," Kenny told them. "Okay, new attempt."
"TAKE TWO, BRO!" Andy shouted.
Still covering one of his ears, Kenny checked the sound meter, "Still around 100. A little better than before."
"REALLY!? YOU HEAR THAT, BRO!? WE'RE MAKING PROGRESS!" Todd exclaimed happily.
"…So, are we getting our own Cryos?" Jane asked.
Brody shook his head, "Sorry. Alicia looked around but she said she couldn't find any matching your colors."
"Aww," Kenny whined.
"And so the next round begins," the Dandy Lion stated, facing down the Rangers once again.
Duncan shifted to his Ground-Type form, "I'm gonna-"
"Hold that thought, chum," the Dandy Lion held up a hand. He drew his pistol and aimed it at a civilian who had yet to flee. He fired a shot, only for a yellow streak to pull the guy out of harm's way.
The yellow streak naturally turned out to be Brody. "Nice try."
The Dandy Lion didn't seem worried at either Ranger's powerup, "Ah, yes, I'd heard about that speed of yours. Sorry to say I'm prepared for that." He pulled out a small ball and threw it to the ground, engulfing the area in fog. "Behold, the fog of London! I believe you'll have trouble finding your way in-"
Suddenly, a strong gust of wind blew away the fog, clearing the area, courtesy of Cooper, who'd transitioned to his Flying-Type form. "As you were sayin'?"
The Dandy Lion nervously took a step back. Brody didn't waste any time and went in for an electric slash. Unfortunately, the slash didn't put the monster down like he'd hoped, giving the monster the chance to bash him in the chest with his cane sword's hilt.
"How come that didn't finish you!?" Brody rasped out, gasping from lack of air.
"You were too careless with your strike," the Dandy Lion gestured to a badge on his overcoat that resembled the British flag. "This little thing here protected me from the worst of the damage." He drew his pistol and shot at Cooper, who deflected the bullets with his mace. He also slashed at Duncan, though the Brown Ranger countered with his Cestuses.
Brody rejoined the fight, slashing with his Switch-Gun. When the lion monster dodged that, he fired some of his arm feathers.
The Dandy Lion pulled off his overcoat and held it out, causing the feathers to get lodged in it. He threw the coat in Brody's face and kicked him away before blocking a swing from Cooper's mace.
Duncan moved in and tackled the Dandy Lion from the side, shouting, "Why is it this so hard?! It's a fucking British lion!"
"Are they getting better, Kenny? I've kinda gone deaf over here," Jane deadpanned, her hands over her ears.
"Yes, finally," Kenny said, looking at his meter.
"Great! You two should go help your bros now," Andy said.
The two Rangers flinched. While their Zords weren't shouting anyone's ears off anymore, they still talked rather loudly.
"Get on our backs. We'll give you a ride," Todd offered.
Kenny nodded and hopped onto Andy while Jane hitched a ride on Todd. Thanks to their big strides, the two Zords reached the scene of the fight in no time. The Red and Black Rangers leapt down from their partners.
"Oh, hey," Duncan greeted. He took a second to punch the ground, making glowing brown blades of earth shoot out to stab the Dandy Lion, only for the monster shatter them with a slash from his sword. "You finally got the sound issue fixed?"
"Yep," Jane nodded.
Cooper landed next to the newcomers while Brody sped up beside them. "Alright you two. Time to get your feet wet," the Scotsman said.
"Really? But we're right here, bro. Why don't we just stomp that monster?" Andy asked.
"He's got a point, bro," Todd agreed.
Jane shook her head, "Oh no. I've been listening to a bunch of shouting for hours-"
"No offense," Kenny assured their Zords.
"-and I. Am letting off. Some fucking steam," Jane finished with a growl.
The original Ranger trio flinched at her tone. "Wow," Brody muttered.
Kenny summoned his flame gauntlet. "Ready?" he asked, walking toward the monster.
Jane didn't answer and summoned her own gauntlet. She made the first move by shooting a shadow bullet at the monster.
The Dandy Lion slashed the bullet away as Kenny moved in. The Red Ranger sidestepped a vertical slash before ducking under a sideways slash. He was too slow to react to the third slash, though, which cut across his chest.
Kenny was stunned by the blow, but Jane didn't give the Dandy Lion any time to breath. She channeled her dark powers into her feet, making them glow purple, and attacked with a flying bicycle kick.
The Dandy Lion tried blocking the strikes, but his sword couldn't take the barrage and quickly shattered.
The two Rangers ganged up on the monster, overwhelming him with punches and kicks. The Dandy Lion managed to reach into his pocket and throw out a pocket watch bomb. Kenny got in front of Jane and unleashed a small burst of flame to destroy the shrapnel. He ducked down, giving Jane a clear shot to fire a darkness beam.
As the Dandy Lion staggered back, Kenny moved in for the finishing blow. He crouched down, his gauntlet charged up with fire power, and hit the lion with an uppercut. "KYORYUKEN!"
That proved to be the final touch, and the Dandy Lion exploded.
Brody applauded the effort and Cooper nodded his head. Duncan, on the other hand, was frustrated, "Seriously?! We fought that thing three on one with our power-ups on and got nowhere! How come they won so easily!? Where's the fucking logic!?"
Before anyone could answer his rant, a burst of red energy brought the Dandy Lion back to life as a giant.
"Sorry to say, chaps, but Ol' Britannia shall never fall," the lion boasted.
"That's what you think, bro!" Todd and Andy announced in sync. The two Zords looked at their partners. Who took the cue and hopped onboard.
The Hell Force Megazord threw a punch with its head hand.
In response, boxing gloves appeared on the Dandy Lion's hands, and he met the punch with one of his own, "I'm no stranger to fisticuffs, so give me all you've got!"
"We will!" Jane shouted.
"Sneak attack!" Andy announced. The Appalachiozord went in low and bit the lion monster's ankle.
Despite the pain, the Dandy Lion kept his eyes on the opponent in front of him. He knocked away the Hell Force before taking a second to kick Andy in the face.
"Andy!" Todd's voice rang out from the Megazord's cockpit. "Alright, bros, let's hit him with the Inferno Bro Spear!"
"That's your name for that attack?" Jane questioned.
"Let's just do it!" Kenny interjected.
The Rangers focused their energy and had the Megazord deploy its tooth-like projection. The powers of fire and darkness were way more than the Dandy Lion could handle, and he was destroyed once more.
"VICTORY!" Todd and Andy declared.
Kenny and Jane breathed a sigh of relief and hopped out of the Megazord. "I'm glad that paid off," Kenny smiled.
"Me too," Jane agreed.
"That. Was. AWESOME!" Brody congratulated as he and the rest of the team walked up.
"I know I was bitching out a second ago, but, yeah, that was pretty cool," Duncan conceded.
"Damn right it was," Cooper agreed.
"We're gonna go celebrate our first victory with the other Zords," Andy informed the humans. "You bros wanna join in?"
The team looked at each other before all nodding.
