Captain Blues: Time for the meetings
Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: Final Mix
Episode Eleven: A Knight Returns! Meeting The Tournament Teens
[Location: Juice Bar
POV: Jason Lee Scott]
"What the hell did we miss?" Jason asked with a blank look as he stared at the destroyed limo parked on the street in front of the Juice Bar, with Zack, Katherine, and Billy behind him. Once their battle with the Putty Patrol ended, the four quickly transported themselves to the Juice Bar where they encountered the Limo.
"It looks like we missed one hell of a fight," Zack noted as he walked to the entrance of their hangout spot with his hands in his pockets before he knelt and observed the limousine. Jason watched as Zack ran his fingertips against the dripping liquid on the limo's side. "There is blood on the limo. Someone was wounded. I doubt it was Trini or Kimberly though." Jason then watched as Zack looked to his left. "There is a trail of blood leading to the Juice Bar. Looks like whoever is wounded is in there."
Jason narrowed his eyes and said, "Let's go see who it was."
The group of rangers walked into the Juice Bar when they saw Trini working on bandaging a teenager's side. "He must be the wounded one. Go grab a table," Jason instructed Zack, who nodded and motioned for the others to follow him. Jason walked to Trini and asked, "Hey guys. Sorry to interrupt but what happened?"
"Oh dude, you should have seen it. Tommy and David were getting attacked by these freakish-looking monster things so Adam, Tanya, Aisha, and I, and later TJ, stepped in to help. We were doing good too...Well, until I got sliced like a pig. Names Rocky DeSantos," Rocky said as he held out a hand.
Jason shook hands with the wounded teen as he said, "Jason Lee Scott. It's a pleasure to meet you. Also, I do apologize that you got injured."
Rocky snickered and replied, "Don't be. If I didn't, Aisha would have been kil-Ow!"
"Sorry," Trini muttered as she finished wrapping Rocky's side.
"Is he all stitched up then?" Jason asked the ranger.
"As best as he can be," Trini said as she rose from her kneeling position. "But Rocky, you have to take yourself to the hospital. There is so much that I can do."
"I will, I will," Rocky responded airily with a grin.
Jason could easily see that Rocky wasn't concerned with what she said and Trini saw it as well. "I mean it," Trini advised with narrowed eyes but that was when Jason noticed another girl approach them and without warning, she smacked Rocky upside the head.
"Ow!" Rocky wailed as he rubbed his head and looked at the girl with his bottom lip trembling. "Why Aisha?! Why?!"
Aisha snorted at his puppy dog eyes before she turned to Trini and said, "He's very hard-headed. I'll make sure he goes."
"Thank you," Trini laughed.
Jason chuckled as well turned to Trini and said, "Come on, we need to call a group meeting."
"Oh! A group meeting," Rocky said, his previous pain forgotten. "Can we come?"
"Rocky..." Aisha warned.
"Never mind, you kids go have fun," Rocky quickly said with a grin on his face.
Jason couldn't help himself but laugh as he led Trini to where Billy, Zack, and Katherine sat. Trini huffed and complained, "He reminds me so much of Zack. It's like their twins," as she sat down in between Zack and Katherine.
"Who reminds you of me?" Zack inquired.
"Rocky over there," Trini said as she motioned her head to the pair.
"She's not lying. Aisha even sorta reminds me of Trini," Jason noted with a laugh as he leaned back in his chair.
"That must have been fun noticing that," Zack replied with a snicker as he leaned on the table.
"It was. You could tell that they have a thing for each other," Jason innocently told the group before it grew quiet, with Zack and Trini's faces heating just a tad.
"Nice one boss," Katherine whispered to Jason, who looked confused at the sudden awkward turn this all took.
Jason then realized that he just stepped into a minefield with his observation and thought 'Okay...Let's turn this around before it sets in,' Jason quickly turned to Trini and asked, "Was he the only one injured?"
"Yeah, s-surprisingly considering the amount of Putties there were," Trini stammered before she grew serious. "They held their own out there against the Putties. I'm pretty impressed but they were going to get overrun had Cassie, Kimberly, and I failed to get there in time."
"Considering the odds, I am too. They were able to fight them unmorphed and held their own for a while," Billy noted. "Good ranger material."
"Very true but we aren't exactly looking for new rangers at the moment," Jason noted before he glanced at Trini. "So point out the others that were there for me."
Trini motioned to the bar where Adam and Tanya sat, both of them chatting away, and said, "That's Adam and Tanya. They were there...along with..." Trini then looked at TJ and David. " TJ and David. Speaking of which, where were you four?"
"We were looking to gather reconnaissance on them before we were attacked by Putties," Katherine said while Zack grinned.
"They were the same pushovers that they should have been but there were quite a few of them this time around," Zack added with an airy tone. "We beat them back of course but it kept us busy just until we found out you guys were here."
"I truly believe that it was a setup," Billy said. "It just lines up too perfectly. They get attacked at the same time we do? Rita was trying to get us out of the way but for what cause?"
Jason looked up at the ceiling and said, "Rocky said that he and his squad jumped into battle when they saw Tommy and David being attacked. I have a feeling that Rita attacked them on purpose...But to what end I wonder..."
The five rangers were quiet for a moment before Billy gasped, which made the others look at him in concern. "I think I know...Remember our battle with Matthew?" Billy asked.
Jason nodded and replied, "Yeah, he was your rival who Rita gave powers to..." Jason paused as he caught on to what Billy was trying to say. "You don't think she's going to try that again, do you?"
Billy closed his eyes and nodded. "I have a hunch but for verification, I will need to talk to Matthew to confirm it. If I'm right, we'll need to keep both David and Tommy under our protection for we do not know which one she is after."
Jason nodded in agreement before he responded, "So we'll split up. Three of us will watch over David and three of us will watch over Tommy..." Jason then paused. "Speaking of which, where is Tommy now?" Jason asked.
Trini tilted her head and said "I have no idea. Maybe Kimberly knows?" Trini then looked around for Kimberly but she realized that her teammate was gone. "That's weird...She was just in here."
Jason crossed his arms and said, "We need to find her to let her know..." Jason then turned to Zack and Katherine and told the two "I want you guys to find her. In the meantime, Trini, Billy, and I will stay here and keep an eye on things in case they come back here."
"Right away boss," Katherine said with a smile while Zack gave a lazy salute before the two ran off.
Just as Katherine and Zack left, Jason noticed Rocky, being helped by Aisha, coming to the table and quirked a brow.
"Sorry, Sorry. I know I said to have fun but I guess I had a few questions," Rocky said as he sat down with a wince with Aisha easing him into the chair before she took her own seat. "Do you guys encounter monsters like that often?
"More than you know," Billy replied with a small laugh. "It is...Quite the troublesome situation."
"Yeah...those guys were pretty tough," Aisha noted. "Punching them felt like punching hard rock...But the weird part was that we were damaging them...But I know I have to ice my knuckles tonight."
"At least we get a few days of relaxation before our big tournament," Rocky noted before he looked to the three. "So, are you guys in the tournament as well?"
The three nodded, with Jason being the one who vocally replied, "Yes, and considering how Trini said you guys battled, we may have a tough time yet."
Rocky laughed and said, "So true but I bet you guys won't be so easy to take down either considering you live in Monster Central. But it can't be all bad here, I mean, the Power Rangers protect this place pretty well from what we've seen on the news."
"The news?" Trini inquired.
"Oh yeah, this city is on the news constantly. Talking about the monsters and the Rangers. Hell, even the President spoke out about them," Rocky explained. "Do...Do you guys not watch the news?"
"Well...Not since the monsters started showing up," Jason admitted with a shrug.
"Yeah. Pretty much all of the country thinks the Rangers are doing some damn good work but others are trying to even find a way to replicate and produce their own rangers," Aisha told the three.
"Seriously?" Jason asked, surprised.
"Oh yeah, It's honestly pretty cool. If they ever did that, I'd do it in a heartbeat," Rocky replied with a grin.
"And why is that?" Jason asked.
"Simple, I learned martial arts to protect those weaker than I am. From what I've seen on the news, the Power Rangers are doing just that. Fighting for peace against these monsters that threaten innocent people but even then...Like what happened today, they weren't there when I needed help. If there were more rangers, we could have gotten the help."
"We don't blame them though. Apparently, they were fighting those things too," Aisha added. "But I get what he is saying. If they could create rangers, I would join it just to make sure Rocky didn't hurt himself."
Jason nodded and said, "An admirable goal...For both of you. Well hopefully, they get on getting those rangers created."
"I hope so too," A voice from behind Rocky and Aisha said. The group turned around to see a new male and a new female that stood behind them.
The male had black wavy hair, tan skin, a black tank top, and blue jeans while the female wore a yellow and white striped t-shirt with a jean shirt but both of them wore white finger-less gloves and white sneakers.
"Because you guys are going to need it," The male finished with a knowing smirk to Jason and Billy, who looked at him in confusion. "My name is Carlos. This is Ashley and we're in the tournament as well. Sorry for intruding like this but we overheard you guys talking about the Power Rangers. Figured we might join in."
"Sure," Billy said with a bright smile. "It's always nice to meet new friends.
"I sure agree," Ashley chirped in agreement as she pulled up two seats, one for her and one for Carlos, with a nod of thanks from the male. The two sat down on the chair as Ashley said, "So this is Angel Grove. Home of the monsters and the Champions known as the Power Rangers. Must be exciting, huh?"
"You could say that," Trini calmly replied as she stared at the two newcomers.
Ashley smiled before she turned to Rocky and Aisha and said, "I saw on the news that you two were attacked by those monsters, how in the world did that feel?"
"Oh man, it was awesome but I got hit by one of them," Rocky grinned.
Carlos nodded and turned to Jason and Billy and said, "Yeah, I saw how hard those things fought firsthand."
"You did?" Jason asked in surprise.
Carlos nodded with a smirk and replied, "Yeah, I saw the Power Rangers battle them. Both of us did."
Jason and Billy's eyes widened in surprise while Trini looked at the pair and asked, "You saw them fight?"
"We saw more than that," Carlos said with a knowing grin before he got up from his chair. "A lot more. It was a pleasure to meet you guys. I hope to fight you at the tournament."
Jason could see that Carlos' eyes were solely on him as he spoke and it put Jason on a slight edge. Ashley was a lot more friendly as she looked at Jason and said, "It was awesome to meet you!"
The two then walked off, which caused Rocky to look at the three before he asked, "Jeez, was that weird or is it just me?"
[Location: Juice Bar (Rooftop)
POV: General]
"So tell me Katherine, how are things with you and the blue wonder?" Zack asked with a teasing grin on his face as he trailed behind Katherine out into the open on top of the roof.
They knew that Kimberly and Tommy had gone this way due to asking a few people who had seen them come up there.
But now that the two were on top of the roof, they were completely alone.
Katherine turned around and gave a look of frustration to her teammate and replied, "I can't believe they aren't up here. How annoying." Katherine then remembered Zack's question and found herself even more annoyed. "Honestly? It is frustrating...We've been so busy that I haven't had the chance to actually sit down and spend time with him."
Zack quirked a brow and askes, "Seriously? You guys haven't gotten a chance to talk at all?"
Katherine stopped mid-step before she stood upright and answeredm "Yeah. It's bloody annoying. Anytime I get the chance to talk to him, stupid Rita has to interrupt us. All I want to do is hide both of us away for just a night so we can spend time together."
"I know what that is like," Zack replied.
"Has this happened with you and Trini?" Katherine asked innocently.
Zack paused mid-step and frowned, "No..."
Katherine turned to Zack and asked, "What? Do you two not get on anymore?"
"Get on?" Zack repeated.
"Like go out...You know, on dates. Maybe the occasional making out," Katherine said with a grin on her face.
Zack let out a small laugh and said, "I wish we did...But we don't. I remember the change was random...One day, she cared about me and then the next, she hated me to the core. It's only gotten better due to her nearly killing me that one time but things are a little bit tense."
Zack then sighed, ran a hand through his dreads and said, "I doubt I could ever have her love me as I do her but...I'd rather her just be my friend again. That's all I want in the end."
Katherine frowned and asked, "Like, do you know what happened to make things like this between you two?"
"Not at all," Zack replied. "The last thing I remember was..." Zack rubbed his temples as he felt a headache coming to life. "The last thing I remember before she despised me was we were sitting under the Sakura tree at the Angel Grove National Park..." Zack held out his hands toward Katherine. "I remember holding a box...I had a gift in it...I think it was her birthday...But then the next thing I remember was waking up in a hospital...three weeks had passed..."
Katherine frowned and asked, "A hospital? Does that not seem like a weird place to wake up in?"
"I thought too," Zack agreed as he slipped his hands into his pockets. "But I was honestly used to hospitals at that point. Between my parents, my grandma, and my injuries, it didn't seem odd to me at all. I just thought I injured myself again."
Katherine gave him a curious expression. 'How strange that he can't remember three weeks of his life...' Katherine then shook her head and said, "It'll be ok. Tell you what, I'll help you with Trini..."
Zack smirked and said, "And in turn, I will help you with getting some alone time with Billy."
Katherine smirked in return.
Ever since she came to Angel Grove, Zack had become kind of like her older brother with how great he was and yet, she couldn't help but be surprised when he immediately caught on to what she had tried to suggest.
She liked that.
"Meanwhile, we gotta find Kimberly and this Tommy guy," Zack said but without warning, Kimberly slid into Katherine's view behind Zack with a grin on her face, with Tommy sneaking into view as well.
"We're already here," Kimberly and Tommy said in unison from behind Zack before Katherine could warn him of the impending scare.
Zack jumped in surprise as he shouted, "How in the world?!"
Kimberly laughed and gave Tommy a high-five, which he gladly returned as he said, "We could hear you guys coming up the stairs so we decided to try and scare you. Wasn't aware they were going to hear such a private convo though."
"That's my fault," Katherine said as she scratched her neck with a sheepish smile.
"Don't sweat it," Zack said with a grin before he glanced at Tommy and held out his hand. "Names Zack. You must be the famed Tommy that Kimberly has told me so much about."
Tommy grinned and shook Zack's hand as he replied, "And you must be "Zackman" as Kimberly affectionately calls you."
Kimberly pouted while Zack laughed and replied, "That's me. Well hey, I came to find you guys. We wanted to introduce you to the rest of our little friend group."
Katherine and Zack could see the surprise on Tommy's face when Zack told him this but that surprise instantly turned into a smile. "No problem, I'd be honored to meet with the others," Tommy replied genuinely.
"Sweet. Let's head out," Zack said with a grin.
[Location: Juice Bar
POV: General]
"Jeez, was that weird or is it just me?" Rocky asked the group after Carlos and Ashley left the table, a confused look on his face.
Despite the shrugs from the three rangers, the minds of the three were racing. From the comments and tone that Carlos had to the knowing looks that were given, they did not doubt that the pair knew who the rangers were.
But how could that be?
They were always so careful in morphing out of the public eye and yet these two people seem to know who they were.
'We will need to talk to them later...We do not need our identities revealed to anyone,' Billy thought to himself before he realized that Aisha was trying to get his attention with a wave of her hand in front of his face.
"Huh?" Billy questioned with a blink.
"About time you came back to earth," Aisha noted with a chuckle before she leaned back into her chair. "We wanted to get your opinion on something."
Billy looked at Rocky, Aisha, and Trini and realized that Jason was no longer at the table.
Where did he go?
Billy looked to Trini, who motioned for the back door and Billy instantly realized where Jason had gone. Carlos and Ashley had left out of the back entrance after speaking to them and Jason had followed them.
'He will take care of them,' Billy thought before he turned back to Rocky and Aisha and replied, "Oh, my opinion on what?"
"On who you would think will win the tournament," Rocky replied with a grin on his face. "I mean, thanks to this blasted wound, I doubt I'll even make it past the first round. I have my money on Adam, Aisha, or Tommy."
Billy scrunched up his face in thought.
Out of the list of teens, he could honestly see any one of his friends making it to the finals.
They all had their different attributes, with Zack being the quickest of the bunch that can take some match-ending blows and somewhat shrug them off.
Trini was the most skilled of the group as well as the one with the most discipline.
Kimberly and Katherine had the agility but Katherine also had the added benefit of being a hard hitter while Kimberly focused more on the accuracy of her strikes.
He was the strategist of the group that was somewhat stronger than the others, which amused him greatly, and then there was Jason.
Jason was the absolute strongest of the group and held many different skills that the others had. In short, he was a jack of all spades.
"If I had to say...I could see Jason or Trini being the two to take it," Billy answered, much to the surprise of the two mentioned.
"But why? You, Zack, Katherine, and Kimberly have as much chance of winning as well. All of us do," Trini stated with a frown on her face.
"It's simple really-" Billy began but then he paused when he noticed that Zack and Katherine were coming back to the table, with Kimberly and another teen, who he assumed to be Tommy, following the pair.
"And we are back. And look who we found," Zack said as he sat down next to Rocky and gave him and Aisha a look. "Sup. Names Zack and this Aussie blonde with me is Katherine."
"Rocky is my name and this beauty behind me is Aisha," Rocky responded with good good-natured grin before he was smacked upside the head by Aisha, who had a blush on her face.
"Idiot," she muttered before she turned to Zack. "Nice to meet you, Zack and Katherine."
"Likewise," Zack replied with a smile on his face while Katherine smiled and nodded in agreement.
Billy then stood up to face Tommy and held out his hand as he said, "And you must be Tommy. I am also willing to assume, you are the same Tommy that Kimberly met during her vacation."
"You'd assume right," Tommy replied as he clasped hands with Billy and gave a brief shake before he pulled apart and gave Kimberly a smirk. "So everyone in your group knows about me then. I am truly flattered that I made such an impact in your life."
Kimberly flushed but she laughed as well and replied, "Well, you did make an impact in saving me and Cassie from those bums."
"Oh, so you guys met before?" Aisha asked.
"Just me and Kimberly, yes," Tommy replied with a grin. "Some of my dad's former students were being asses to both him and Cassie," he pointed to Cassie, who was in a conversation with Tanya, both of them laughing a bit before he added, "So I stepped in. Though considering how they fought today, I don't think they would have needed my help."
"But still, it's very sweet," Kimberly said to him with a warm smile, which made Tommy's cheeks heat up a bit.
Billy could easily see that Kimberly was enamored with the tall teen and he could see that Tommy was also taken by her friend and it made him glad. He knew Kimberly talked about him nonstop when she met him a few months ago so to finally have him here made him excited for her.
"Well, why don't you two pull up a seat and join us?" Zack suggested to Tommy and Kimberly before he turned to Aisha. "You do the same. Matter fact...Why don't we get all the warriors over here and get to know each other better."
"That's a good idea," Trini said with a smile on her face.
"Coolio!" Rocky exclaimed before he yelled, "Yo all that is participating in the Ninja Tournament, come here and join us for a meeting!"
A few seconds later, an amused group of TJ, Cassie Adam with Tanya by his side came to the table, with Adam dryly asking, "You summoned us?"
"Damn straight. Pull up a chair and join us," Rocky said invitingly. The four quickly pulled chairs from another table and sat at the fairly large table with the rest of the group.
[Location: Streets of Angel Grove
POV: General]
"I have to say, Carlos, this is a dangerous game we're playing," Ashley noted as she placed her hands behind her back as she strolled by his side. Carlos remained silent but he couldn't help but let a small smirk appear on his face.
He knew that the rangers realized that he knew who they were so now, it was time to see what would happen next. "I know but that was the entire reason for our trip here, remember? To find out who the rangers were. Don't tell me you're backing down now?" Carlos asked her with a teasing tone.
Ashley snorted and bumped her hip with his and said, "Not in your life. I'm just saying that maybe revealing to them that we know who they are so soon."
"Well, they did reveal themselves to us more than anything else," Carlos replied but then he and Ashley stopped when they heard someone yell their names.
When the two turned around, they saw that Jason, the Red Ranger, was chasing after them. When he slowed down to a stop, he leaned over and panted briefly before he said in a raspy voice, "Man, you guys move pretty quick."
"I am the quicker of the two," Carlos responded. "So...Jason, was it? How can I help you?"
The two watched as Jason leaned upright and said, "Let's not beat around the bush, you know who I am and you know who some of my teammates are. I don't know how you guys found out but we cannot have you two spilling that secret."
"Relax," Ashley said with a kind smile. "We won't tell a soul...Although, there is something that we want in return."
Jason narrowed his eyes suspiciously and slowly asked "What is it?"
Carlos smirked and said, "Simple, we want to be Power Rangers."
"...I'm sorry what?" Jason asked with a blink but without warning, the ground beneath the three began to shake and without warning, a large hulking figure exploded from the ground between them, sending Jason flying backward onto the ground while Carlos and Ashley fell to the ground on the opposite side, both of them hitting the ground hard enough to lose consciousness.
Meanwhile, Jason coughed as smoke from the debris filled the air. Through the smoke, he could see a large hulking figure picking up two smaller figures as a deep, rough voice stated, "They will work perfectly..." When the smoke faded away, Jason's eyes widened in surprise when he saw Violent Knight standing before him, crimson energy flowing from his body as he held the unconscious forms of Carlos and Ashley in his arms.
"Red Ranger," Violent Knight muttered in fury.
Jason stood up on his feet and warned, "Put them down now."
Violent Knight laughed and said, "You have no power to demand anything of me."
Jason stood on his feet and whipped out his Morpher but before he could morph, Violent Knight dashed forward and kicked Jason in his chest, which sent the leader of the rangers sailing backward until he slammed through a wall and into a restroom, where he then fell onto his knees and onto his face.
Jason spat out blood, rose back to his feet, and made sure no one was in the bathroom before he shouted, "It's Morphin time!"
[Morphing Grid
Mighty Morphin Red Ranger]
(Theme of Morphing - Infinity Mijinion Stage from Megaman X6)
In the black void with a red aura flowing around him and his Power sword in his hands, Jason soared down toward his power coin, which was hovering in the air with a red orb around it.
Jason raised his blade and sliced through the orb and the moment he did, red and white lightning encased his sword and then his entire body before it exploded, revealing the Red Ranger. The Red Ranger landed on his feet and leaped up into the air from the earth.
With a forward front flip, the Red Ranger landed on the ground in a crouch before quickly rising and slashing his blade in a downward arc before stabbing it in the ground as his zord, the Tyrannosaurus, appeared behind him with a red outline and roaring in victory as Jason shouted "Tyrannosaurus!"
[Location: Streets of Angel Grove
POV: Mighty Morphin Red Ranger]
Red ran to the hole he had made before he jumped through the hole and kicked the back of Violent Knight's back, which caused him to drop Ashley onto the ground.
Red landed on his feet as Violent Knight turned around with a growl leaving his lips. "You should have stayed down," Violent Knight growled. Red then watched as Violent Knight pulled out a bunch of glowing red seeds which he then threw into the air. With an explosion, several beings that had pitch black skin that held green thorns etched into their bodies with a bright red helmet that was in the shape of a rose.
"Meet my foot soldiers, a gift from Death Rose," Violent Knight said before he turned around and said "Battle Roses, Attack!" before he disappeared in a bloom of crimson energy, with Carlos in his arm.
[Location: Unknown
POV: Violent Knight]
With a bloom of crimson energy, Violent Knight appeared with the unconscious Carlos under his arm. The minute he appeared, however, he buckled and fell to one knee, his glowing eyes narrowing in pain.
"Damn it...I am losing time..." He hissed out as he placed his free hand against his wound. Violet Knight stood on his feet and stumbled forward and carefully placed Carlos' body onto a steel table.
It had been some time since his battle with the rangers and Death Rose and since that time, he had been watching...waiting for a chance to intact his grand plan.
He had to admit, the plan that Swan Song had was ingenious and had nearly broken the team up but the only issue was that girl herself...Katherine, he remembered.
She was the one who destroyed the plan by becoming friends with the Pink Ranger which eventually led to his defeat.
But it was Death Rose herself that gave him the eventual killing blow.
[Location: Angel Grove National Park (Flashback)
POV: Violent Knight]
"You monster! I will make you pay for killing my beloved!" Death Rose hissed darkly as she slapped her whip to the ground and shouted "Élencho!"
Black changed his weapon to the Power Ax and charged towards Violent Knight but just as the two were going to meet, Violent Knight struck Black hard with his blade before he leaped into the air towards Death Rose.
Death Rose shot two rose whips toward him and as he sliced through one, the other pierced his side but it didn't stop him and with eyes filled with glee, his crimson blade sliced at a downward angle from Death Rose's left shoulder down to her midsection.
Death Rose screamed in agony but then she hissed with anger in her eyes and with gritted teeth, she summoned a small rose seed in her hand and rammed it into the wound that was caused by her whip and said with a cruel smirk "You may kill me but you will be following me to the underworld very soon!"
Violent Knight looked her in her anger-filled eyes and shouted, "Then save a nice spot for me!" before he held his left hand up against her chest and when his hands morphed into the head of a lion, crimson energy swirled in the open mouth and the beam came flying out and vaporized the top half of Death Rose's body.
End Flashback
[Location: Unknown (Present)
POV: Violent Knight]
There was a technique that Death Rose had which was known as the Seed of the Death Rose which when stabbed by a rose, a small seed is implanted in the wound of the intended target.
After it has had enough time to secure its roots within the victim's body, the plant begins to drain the target of its life force before bursting forth from within, killing the opponent while also blossoming into a beautiful, rose. The technique is a very powerful one and once the seed was in, the death sentence began. He had been able to stave it off but now he knew that Death was approaching.
He could hear it.
He knew he couldn't stop it but he was going to try.
And that was when he saw them.
They had seen the Power Rangers fight.
They had seen them morph and unmorph.
He had heard their shock turn into excitement.
He had then heard their plans.
And it was then his plan came to fruition.
Death Rose's final attack allowed him access to abilities that he didn't have before. As he showed that pesky Red Ranger, he now had the Battle Roses as his foot soldiers. He had more techniques for rose attacks but the most important one was the one had had planned for the teen in front of him.
Death Rose could take control over the mind of her target due to her "Élencho" technique and back then, he had no idea how she was able to take control of her targets until now. What she did was take pieces of her mind and feelings and overrode certain parts of the mind of her target and place the copies of her mind into her targets but she had to be able to focus on keeping control or else it could break.
But the downside of that was that her focus was perfect and it took a considerable amount to break it.
And yet, he had broken it.
By killing the Swan-like monster.
But thanks to his powers, he was able to evolve his former teammate's ability. He called it "Psychí Exáleipsi (Soul Erase)" which allowed him to copy his soul and power into a new target, but at the cost of erasing the soul of the original owner.
It would take some time for him to truly place a copy of his soul within the teen but once he was finished, while he would perish, his soul and power would live on.
He planned to take the two who knew the rangers' secrets, find out those secrets, and when they were at their weakest, crush them. He managed to get the male but he was infuriated that he lost the female. He was going to use her to get close to his true prey, the Black Mastodon Ranger but the Red Tyrannosaurus Ranger had gotten in his way.
But he didn't stop him from the rest of his plan...
Violent Knight held out his left hand over the teen's head and said "It is time I get started."Psychí Exáleipsi (Soul Erase)." A crimson mist began to pour from his extended hand and it slowly enveloped the teen's body.
But then, a sudden pain filled the side of his body, which caused the mist to waver. He knew what that pulse of pain was.
One of his Battle Roses had been destroyed.
[Location: Streets of Angel Grove
POV: Mighty Morphin Red Ranger]
With a downward slash of his Power Blade, Red sliced straight through the body of the Battle Rose before he turned his body and blocked the thorny sword of two Battle Roses, crimson sparks from his killed opponent flying into the air behind him.
For five minutes, Red had been fighting these Battle Roses and he was finding himself surprised. These foot soldiers were very skilled and stronger than Rita's Putty Patrol but he was still the stronger pair.
"Gotta do better!" Red shouted before he pushed the blades away from his own and sliced the chest of the one on the left at an upward angle before he twisted his body and sliced the head of a Battle Rose at a downward angle.
The two foot soldiers stood silent for a moment before crimson sparks flew from their wounds and soon, the two crumbled to the ground.
Red then turned his head and kicked a Battle Rose in the chest, sending it to the ground where he then leaped into the air and landed on top of the foot solider, his Power Sword piercing the head of his opponent.
Red then rolled to the left and stood up to face the last five of the Battle Roses eyed the five of them.
He then dashed forward towards the lead Battle Rose and slammed his right fist into its stomach before he grabbed it by the neck and twisted his own body a full three-sixty degrees before he launched it toward the four other Roses.
Two of the Battle Roses jumped to the right and left to avoid their brethren before the two dashed towards Red.
Red ducked the stab from its thorny sword then dashed forward and used his forearm as a battering ram, slamming it into his opponent's waist and angled his body down to slam it to the ground.
Red rolled on top of the Battle Rose then jumped into the air and kneed the second Battle Rose in the head, shattering the rose-like helmet with his blow, which made it stagger back.
Red fell into a crouch and then rose sharply to slam the top of his helmet under its exposed chin, which made it soar into the air and slam into the ground back first. Red stood up and ran forward towards the three slowly standing Battle Roses, grabbing his Power Sword as he ran passed it, jumped into the air, and sliced a Battle Rose straight down the center of its body.
Red then turned his head body and sliced through the legs of the Battle Rose to his left before he rose and sliced up the falling body from the right hip to the left one. He then turned his body and slashed his blade at a downward angle to slice the final Battle Rose from right shoulder to left hip.
Crimson sparks flew around Red from his defeated foes as he rose from his kneeling position and dismissed his Power Sword. "And that is the end of that," Red said to himself before he began to walk toward the unconscious Ashley.
It was then he realized something.
The crimson sparks that flew from their bodies...It had continued.
A bad feeling had begun to fill Red's stomach.
Just then, all of the slain Battle Roses leaned up from the ground.
Red's eyes widened in shock as he quickly turned around to face them in shock. "What the hell?" He asked to himself as he summoned his Power Sword once again. He then heard a small groan come from behind him and when he turned his head, he saw Ashley start to stir.
He saw her eyes flutter open before she murmured, "Jason?"
Red took a step back and commanded, "Go back to the Juice Bar and tell the others. Billy, Kimberly, Trini, Zack, Katherine."
"But what about-"
"Go!" Red shouted. Ashley nodded and began to run back while Red twirled his blade. "So you monsters can heal from bad damage...Good, let's keep up the exercise."
[Location: Juice Bar
POV: General]
"Man, it seems like things despite the monsters, the Power Rangers have been keeping it safe for all of us. It must be amazing to have such an awesome group here," Rocky said with excitement in his eyes.
"I agree with that," Aisha said, her eyes showing a similar excitement that Rocky's had. "I mean, back in our city, the Power Rangers are talked about nonstop. They have quite the following. I hear they even have fan clubs."
"Fan clubs?" Kimberly asked.
"Oh yeah. A good bunch of people in my city follow the rangers. All of them are equally famous," Tanya replied. "All of them equally loved. Personally, the Yellow Ranger is my favorite."
"That's funny," Aisha said. "I like the Yellow Ranger as well. Seeing her fight makes me want to challenge her."
"I dunno," Rocky said "Blue and Red are my favorites."
"Blue and Red for me too," TJ said. "Red is my favorite color but Blue seems to calm me down."
"Black and Violet Ranger for me," Adam said with a chuckle. "There is something about the way I've seen The Black Ranger fight that I enjoy. The Violet ranger also shows the same way they fight."
"Pink and Violet all the way," Cassie said with a wide grin on her face. "Their suits are so cute. Not to mention how cool they fight."
"Well, the Blue and Black Rangers are my favorite," David said after he drank some water.
"Pink and Red," Tommy responded immediately after. "The Red Ranger...Seeing him fight...Makes me want to fight him. Whoever he is. As for the Pink Ranger...Admittedly, the way she moves. It's like she's dancing when she fights...It's almost breathtaking."
Kimberly had to bite back a blush at Tommy's words, while Billy and Zack shared a grin when they noticed how flushed the Pink Ranger had become.
"What about you guys?" Tommy asked. "Who are your favorites?"
"That is a tough one," Katherine said with a pout on her face.
"Oof, it really is," Zack said.
"I don't know how to answer that," Kimberly asked.
Billy tilted his head in thought and Trini outright refused to answer.
"You guys have to have a favorite," Cassie said with a grin. "I mean come on Kim, you're wearing pink right now. You're already wearing the Pink Ranger's col-"
Just then, the door opened to reveal and out of breath Ashley. "Monsters are attacking! The Red Ranger is fighting them but he needs help!" Ashley exclaimed. While the tournament fighters looked shocked, Billy and Trini both noticed that Ashley looked directly at their table. Ashley then rushed to the table and hastily explained, "We were talking to Jason when this huge monster appeared. Jason was able to save him but Carlos was taken."
"Holy shit," Rocky murmured in surprise.
"Carlos...He's one of the tournament fighters, right?" Tommy whispered to David, who nodded in reply.
"This is fucked. Why did they target you guys of all people? You just got here like us," Rocky asked with a frown on his face.
"I mean, all of us were attacked earlier today," Tanya softly said. "Perhaps these monsters are all focusing on the tournament fighters."
"But why though?" Adam asked out loud.
While the other fighters talked, the rangers were in a hushed discussion. "We need to move now before she is injured" Trini whispered to the others, her voice urgent.
"We can't all go," Billy responded. "Might draw suspicion."
"He's right..." Katherine replied. "If we all leave after that announcement, it can draw attention to us."
"And that girl is looking right at us," Kimberly whispered. "It's like she already knows."
"I agree..." Katherine whispered as she shut her eyes. "We will need to speak to her about what she knows soon."
"And we will. But in the meantime-"
"We have no time for this," Trini hissed in aggravation, interrupting Billy. "I'll go help Jason. I won't leave him out there on his own. One of you can stay behind to talk to her."
"I'll go as well," Zack added. "You three stay here for now. Trini and I will go help Jason. When the time is right, two of you will follow us."
Kimberly, Katherine, and Billy nodded at the two. Zack and Trini quietly left the table and carefully walked through the side door, careful to not draw suspicion, with Billy, Katherine, and Kimberly watching them.
But what they didn't know was that both Adam and TJ had observed this as well.
'Where are they going all of a sudden?' TJ and Adam thought to themselves.
[Location: Streets of Angel Grove
POV: Mighty Morphin Red Ranger]
"How annoying," Red panted out with a hidden snarl as the ten Battle Roses once again rose to their feet, their bodies healed. Red had slaughtered them several times and yet, they continued to come back.
But there was something else.
With every defeat they suffered, the foot soldiers had become more adept at his skills. They were slipping through his guard easier, which made him try to be unpredictable but that wasn't his style.
Zack, and by extension, Kimberly was the more unpredictable fighter of the team. Jason and by extension, Trini clung more to their martial art style then freestyle it like Zack and Kimberly were.
It was something that he was envious about when it came to Zack and Kimberly in all honesty and he was sure that Trini felt the same way.
Red balled up his fist as the Battle Roses circled him, which made Red turn his body three sixty degrees slowly, trying to keep his eyes on his enemies.
Red caught movement from the corner of his eye and he quickly twisted his body and caught the fist of a Battle Rose but then a second Battle Rose ducked beneath the arm of the first one and punched Red in the stomach, which made him stagger back.
Red then turned around and hopped into the air and gave an oncoming superman punch to a Battle Rose that had come close.
He landed on the ground and was kicked in the side by two Battle Roses, which sent him stumbling to the side where he kicked a leg away from another Battle Rose then he twisted his body and slammed another kick to the back of the Battle Rose's head.
Red placed his right leg down then turned again and delivered another high kick to the third Battle Rose's face, which sent it to the ground. Red then ducked a roundhouse kick from the fourth Battle Rose and swept the foot solider off of its feet before he was kicked in the face by another Battle Rose.
Red rolled backward from the blow but placed his hands on the ground and pushed himself off the ground and onto his feet where three Battle Roses where in front of him.
Red blocked and maneuvered against the multiple limbs of his opponents but then two of the Roses dashed backward, leaving the third one to continue to keep the pressure on Red.
Red caught a side kick the foot solider had tried to land then he lifted the Battle Rose up but the moment he did, he felt two sharp items stab into his gut, which caused his grip on the Battle Rose to loosen enough to drop the Battle Rose.
Red stumbled backward and then quickly used his arms to block two flying kicks from the two Battle Roses but the force of the blows caused him to fly backward through the air and then slammed to the ground on his back.
Red flipped to his feet and gritted his teeth as pain blossomed in his stomach and noticed two roses, which began to glow brightly before they exploded, causing him to soar backward as sparks flew from his body.
But instead of landing on the ground, he was caught by a pair of arms. "I got you!" Yellow told him.
Red turned to her in surprise.
"Sorry it took us so long," Yellow said Red steadied himself on his own two feet. "We had to race to get here."
"But you are here and that is all that matters to me," Red said with a smile on his face.
"Can you guys stop standing and help out over here?!" Black exclaimed.
Red and Yellow turned their heads and quickly ran towards the Battle Roses then leaped into the air and delivered a flying kick to two Battle Roses, sending them to the ground. Black appeared seconds later with a flying kick and slammed his foot into the face of another Battle Rose that had nearly snuck up on Red and Yellow.
The two turned around to see him and Yellow said, "Well, about time you showed up."
"I wasn't expecting you to outrun me here," Black said with an amused tone.
The Battle Roses eyed the three rangers before, to the shock of Red, they announced, "Black Mastodon Ranger spotted," their voices sounding like an emotionless female. "Retrieve!" the group shouted before the ten charged forward at a speed Red hadn't seen before.
The ten Battle Roses quickly slid around the three rangers as close as possible and slammed their arms into the ground. The moment they did, bright red lines shot out towards the three at a speed they weren't expecting.
"Shit!" Black yelled before he turned and pushed Red and Yellow as hard as possible to get them out of the circle, but Red was the only one to get out of the circle before a large cylinder shape beam of energy appeared before Yellow, which caused her to bounce off of it and fall to the ground.
Just as Red landed on the ground, A large explosion of red energy shot out from behind him and when he turned around, they were all alone, leaving just him in the street.
The only thing showing they the battle had taken place was the scorched area on the ground.
Black and Yellow were nowhere to be seen
"Oh no..." Red whispered in horror.
