"Jason's such a clod," Rocky hooted as he watched the news from the TV at the Youth Center. "He runs off without finishing his class and is out in the open when some strange dude started shooting hail at Crystal Valley. I heard some people named the Power Rangers showed up, but too little too late…"

"This one's got quite a mouth," Zedd said as he peeked through the telescope and watched as Rocky talked to Adam and Ernie. "He seems to think that he's just as good as the Power Rangers."

Rita said nothing; she merely lay on the black claw lounge in the throne room with an icepack on her forehead as she struggled to feel better.

After the fiasco with the coin, Rita had such a headache that she had to be carried back to the palace by the Black Knight, who was now 'resting.'

"How are we supposed to get the motormouth on our side, though?" Goldar asked as he watched Zedison pace back and forth as close to the shadows as he could get. "He looks very strong-willed."

Rita moaned, "Just capture him like we did the Black Ranger," she said in an annoyed voice. "We can brainwash him and train him to be a Dark Ranger. He has a couple of friends who would also work for this plan."

"I see," Zedd replied as he peered through the telescope and saw another boy and girl join Rocky at the counter. "YES, they look incredibly strong and might make decent Dark Rangers. I seem to remember the dark haired boy helping Rocky try to engage Malcolm and the Power Rangers in a fight."

Zedison suddenly walked over to Zedd, "Why not revert the Black Knight back to his civilian form to befriend and lure those three to you, Father?" he asked in an eager voice. "He could prove useful."

"What an EXCELLENT idea!" Rita crowed, her headache forgotten as she rose from the lounge and joined Zedd and Zedison at the telescope. "Once those three are captured, we can brainwash them and they can join you and the Black Knight in becoming the Dark Rangers. Zedison, prepare the Black Knight!"

Zedison bowed, "I will begin immediately, Mother," he said, walking off into the darkness.

"It's good that you have your old spunk back, Rita," Zedd said in a menacing tone. "I missed it."

Rita cackled and moved back to the telescope to think of a new plan for terrorizing the Earth.

It had been hours since Malcolm and Tommy had vanished into thin air and there was nothing for the Rangers to do but de-morph and return to the Youth Center.

Rita and the Black Knight had left right after the disappearance had occurred, so all Jason, Kimberly, Trini, and Billy could do was be patient.

Ernie had kept the Youth Center open as late as he could and had even let Rocky and Jason spar a bit in the ring to keep them from a confrontation.

While Rocky and Jason sparred, Kimberly and Trini had gone over to the table where Aisha was sitting with a notebook in front of her. Aisha looked up at them.

"Hi," Aisha said in a gentle voice. "I'm Aisha Campbell. I think I saw you two at the school today."

Kimberly smiled and extended her hand, "I'm Kimberly Hart," she replied. "This is Trini Kwan."

"Cool," Aisha replied gently. "Say, was that your friend that Rocky was bothering at school?"

Trini nodded, "I'm really surprised that Rocky was so rude," Aisha continued in a worried voice. "I talked with him after Malcolm left and Rocky was feeling bad when he heard that Malcolm's parents had died."

"Well, sparring with Jason seems to be calming Rocky down," Kimberly replied as she turned to watch Jason and Rocky in the ring. "Jason's pretty upset about how his cousin was treated and maybe a spar with Rocky will calm things down a bit. I don't know what happened to Tommy and Malcolm, though."

Trini sighed, wondering If Rita and her magic coin had ended up taking Malcolm and Tommy to the Dark Dimension.

If that had happened, there was no chance that they could escape because Tommy was powerless and Malcolm was still recovering from his injuries. Both of them could already be lost to evil.

"Maybe Billy and Adam will find them," Trini said, remembering that Billy had taken Adam on a walk to explain Malcolm's situation after Jason had resumed class. "They probably ended up going for a walk."

Ernie suddenly cleared his throat, "Say, Kimberly, do you think you might be up to showing off some of your gymnastics moves?" he asked. "Maybe by the time you're done, all of your friends will be back."

"That's a good idea, Ernie," Kimberly replied as she moved away from the table. "I'll go change."

"Mother, the Black Knight is ready," Zedison spoke as he guided Zack, who was now dressed in shorts, sneakers, and a black t-shirt out of the darkness. "Where shall I send Zack first?"

Rita looked through her telescope and saw Malcolm walking alone, looking very weak and as if he were going to be sick. Not far from Malcolm were Adam and Billy, although they didn't see each other yet.

"Send him after that injured brat," Rita ordered in a gruff tone. "He needs a wake-up call after wasting my coin. I thought for sure he would use it to restore his beloved Crystal Valley to its rightful state."

Zack quickly got into fighting stance, "I will deal with the civilian," he said in a dark, angry voice.

"I will send some Putties to keep that Power Ranger from the fight," Zedison said as he turned his attention to the telescope. "Malcolm will learn how foolish he was to waste his only chance."

Rita grinned, "Excellent!" she shouted as she cast another spell on Zack. "Go forth and conquer!"

His vision kept blurring, but Malcolm kept limping across the grass in hopes that he would find someone who could help him with the feelings of extreme weakness and nausea that filled his entire body.

The only memories of the past few hours he had were vague at best and the only clue to Tommy's whereabouts were in a letter that was in his pocket.

Malcolm knew he was in no shape to go try and find Tommy himself after whatever had happened to him; he had to find Jason…Jason could help him.

"Well, well, well," Zack said in a mocking tone as he suddenly stepped out from behind a tree. "I thought you had found some new friends, Malcolm? If they're you're friends, why aren't they here with you?"

Malcolm frowned, "Who are you?" he asked in a nervous voice. "How do you know who I am?"

"My name is Zack Taylor," Zack replied in a menacing voice as he shoved Malcolm to the ground.

Too weak to move on his own, Malcolm struggled to stay awake on the grass, "Zack?" he asked in a groggy voice as Zack kicked him hard in the side. "I've heard Jason mention you a few times…"

"I have no friends," Zack replied in a sharp voice, unaware that Billy and Adam had caught sight of the problem and were making their way over to the two. "You seem to not have any friends either."

Alarmed that Zack was attacking Malcolm, Billy quickly got himself between the two, "Zack, what are you doing?" Billy asked, doing his best to protect Malcolm from further harm. "What's wrong?"

His eyes flashing red, Zack twirled and kicked Billy in the chest, "Guys, hang on!" Adam yelled, not wanting Billy or Malcolm to get hurt further. "Let me take this guy on! He can't fight worth beans!"

Gritting his teeth, Zack turned his attention to Adam as they fought, Billy knelt down to Malcolm and helped the weak young man sit up, "Malcolm, where's Tommy?" Billy asked, frowning at how pale and sweaty Malcolm looked. "Can you get up? We should get you to the Youth Center where it's safe."

"I don't know where Tommy is," Malcolm replied in a faint voice, wincing as Billy slowly helped him to his feet. Pain shot through his trembling body as he leant on Billy for support to move across the grass.

As he delivered a drop kick to Zack's chest, Adam looked at Billy, "Get Malcolm out of here!" Adam yelled in an anxious voice as Zack advanced on him. "I'll do my best to hold Zack off!"

"Billy, you need to get the Power Rangers to help Adam," Malcolm said in a weak voice as they escaped.

Unfortunately, once Billy and Malcolm were out of sight, Zack delivered a sharp enough kick to Adam's chest that it knocked him down. Zack then stepped on Adam's chest and cackled menacingly.

"You'll make a fine soldier for Rita and Zedd," Zack said menacingly, his eyes glowing a deep red.

Just as she completed a backflip on the beam, Kimberly spotted Billy helping a barely conscious Malcolm into the Youth Center. She immediately hopped off the beam and hurried over to them to help Billy.

"What happened?" Kimberly asked just as Jason and Rocky noticed that Malcolm and Billy were there.

Billy quickly helped Malcolm to lie down on an athletic mat before he fainted, "Zack attacked Malcolm and tried to attack me and Adam," he said as he knelt down next to Malcolm. "Adam is back by the water trying to stop Zack and he sent me to bring Malcolm here. I don't know what's wrong with Zack."

"Wasn't Malcolm with Tommy?" Trini asked as she hurried over to the mats. "Where's Tommy at?"

Quickly whispering an apology to Rocky, Jason climbed out of the ring and hurried over to where Malcolm lay, almost ready to lose consciousness from pain, weakness, and nausea.

Jason could see a piece of paper sticking out of Malcolm's pocket and carefully took it out before anyone else could.

"What happened out there?" Ernie asked in a concerned voice as he came over to the crowd.

Jason shook his head as he slipped a folded towel underneath Malcolm's head, "According to what I saw, Zack attacked Malcolm for no reason at all," Billy interjected, not sure how Malcolm ended up so weak and pale. "Adam and I tried to defend Malcolm, but Adam told me to get Malcolm to safety."

"If Adam's in trouble, we'll help him," Rocky said as he jumped out of the ring. "You coming, Aisha?"

Aisha nodded and hurried over to Rocky, "Thanks for the company today, Kimberly and Trini."

"…I'm so cold," Malcolm suddenly moaned as he opened his eyes and saw Jason, Kimberly, Trini, Billy, Rocky, Aisha, and Ernie hovering over him. "What happened to me? Did Zack end up killing me?"

Ernie frowned as Jason knelt beside Malcolm, "Zack Taylor did this to you?" he asked, concerned.

"I don't remember much of it," Malcolm replied, wincing as he put a hand to his forehead.

Rocky looked at Aisha, "I'll apologize to Malcolm when he's feeling better," he said in a hushed voice as he led her away from the group. "For now, let's go get Adam away from Zack and go home."

"Yeah," Aisha replied, although she looked reluctant as she and Rocky left the Youth Center.

Jason carefully helped Malcolm to his feet, "A weekend of rest will do you good, Malcolm," he said in a calming voice as he put a supportive arm around his cousin. "By Monday, you should be well again."

"Sit down and have something to eat before you go," Ernie offered, deeply concerned that Malcolm might pass out before he got back to Jason's. "In fact, I'll make something for all of you to eat."

Everyone nodded in agreement and as Ernie moved back to the kitchen, Billy assisted Jason in helping Malcolm over to a table while Kimberly and Trini followed close behind.

Even though everyone seemed intent on eating, Billy knew that he should try and see how Adam had fared at the next opportunity.

"Adam?" Aisha asked as she and Rocky approached where Adam and Zack were. "Are you okay?"

Adam was silent for a moment and then turned to face Aisha; she saw that his eyes were glowing red and that there was a calm, yet evil smile on his face. Scared, Aisha backed up and nearly ran into Rocky.

"Aisha, don't be afraid," Adam spoke in a calming voice. "This is Zack and he wants to be our friend."

Rocky put his hands on Aisha's wanting to drag her to safety, "Why are you afraid of me and Zack, Rocky?" Adam asked as he stepped forward and gazed into Rocky's eyes. "There is nothing to fear."

"There is nothing to fear," Rocky repeated tonelessly as Zedd's magic began to overtake his mind.

Zack smiled, "If we stick together, we can do anything," he said confidently. "Prince Zedison!"

Zedison suddenly appeared out of thin air and smiled when he saw that Zack had not only gathered, but brainwashed Adam, Rocky, and Aisha to complete obedience. He brandished his sword at them.

"Greetings, I am Zedison, son of Lord Zedd," Zedison said in a commanding tone. "Bow before me."

Zack, Aisha, Rocky, and Adam silently bowed themselves to the grass, "We will serve Lord Zedd to the best of our ability," they all said in unison. "Teach us all we need to know to be Dark Rangers."

Zedison grinned menacingly and cackled as the five of them teleported away from the open area.

Beep beep-boop-boop-beep-beep.

"Zordon?" Billy asked as he, Kimberly, and Trini moved away from the bedroom at the Lee Scott house that Jason and Malcolm shared.

There was silence and then Zordon's voice filtered out of the communicator, "Rangers, you are needed at the Command Center immediately," he said in a toneless voice. "Are all of you together?"

"Yes, but Jason's taking care of Malcolm," Billy replied as he looked into the bedroom and watched as Jason tucked an exhausted Malcolm into bed and placed a wrapped icepack on his cousin's forehead.

Trini looked at Billy, "If Zordon wants all of us, Jason will have to come too," she said in a low voice.

"Trini, Jason's place is with his cousin right now," Zordon interjected. "I will teleport him to the Command Center later on. For now, you, Billy, and Kimberly need to come right away."

Billy sighed and moved into the room, "Jason, Zordon called Trini, Kimberly, and I to the Command Center," he said in a worried voice. "He said for you to stay with Malcolm; to take care of him."

"I'll do that," Jason replied in a firm voice as Billy moved out of the room. "Take care, guys."

As Billy, Kimberly, and Trini teleported away, Malcolm began to cough in his sleep and promptly woke up ready to vomit, "Jason, pass me the bucket," he whimpered faintly. "I'm gonna be sick again."

Jason sighed, grabbed a small bucket from the floor, and quickly stuck it under Malcolm's chin.

As Malcolm threw up, Jason waited patiently for it to be over before taking the bucket and putting it on the dresser to clean out. He then took a glass of water off the desk and gently put the straw in Malcolm's mouth. Malcolm drank slowly for a moment, spat out the straw, and laid back down.

Jason sighed; it was fortunate that his parents had gotten home from Crystal Valley safely and had chosen to go to bed early, storing Malcolm's possessions safely in the garage to show them to him at a later time.

"Just breathe deep and relax," Jason said in a soothing tone as he replaced the ice pack. "Hang in there."

Waves of fog scattered across the floor greeted Kimberly, Trini, and Billy as they materialized within the Command Center. A door of light opened and Alpha came out and walked over to the three Rangers.

"Before Zordon speaks, I assure you that Jason and Malcolm are being protected," Alpha stated as he walked over to the Control Area. "Zordon, three of the Rangers have come like you asked."

Zordon suddenly materialized in his time warp, "Rangers, Rita and Zedd have developed a new plot to take over the Earth using Dark Rangers created from innocent citizens," he said in a solemn tone as Trini, Billy, and Kimberly turned to face him. "I have a plan that will give you ample help, but I will only reveal it when Jason is able to be here. For now, though, behold the viewing globe."

Exchanging looks of concern, Kimberly, Billy, and Trini walked over to the viewing globe and were horrified when they saw Zedd, Rita, and Zedison training four beings, all of whom were clad in yellow, blue, pink, and black was wearing a red body suit and brandishing a gold dagger at each of them as Zedd and Rita cackled with pride.

Unsure of what to say, the three Rangers gaped at the images in horror.