Well, it looks like I got some people interested in my last chapter and while I do understand that many people have reasons for not liking Operation Overdrive or other entries in the Power Rangers franchise, I respect your opinions.
At the very least, the last chapter certainly got some reviews and let me tell you, I think a few of you guys and gals are going to like this chapter, especially considering what will happen this chapter.
Anyway, its time for the next chapter. But first, lets answer the reviews.
Clynch3: You'll have to wait and see what I have planned for Billy. But the Tiger Zord will be returning, that much I can assure you.
Obsidian Dreamweaver: Well, I have to say thanks for the offer, but I first want to know what exactly it is that you like about my story before I consider the idea of working with you to create any artwork for my story. Like what's your favorite chapter? Who's your favorite character? What are you hoping to see in the story, you get the idea. But you do sound like a very talented artist.
DCD Gojira: Thanks, and yes, for us in the Thomas and Friends community, we will never forget the wonderful work that Britt poured into bringing the Railway series to the tv screen. I just wished she continued working with the series, maybe bring in an American engine like one of the ones we saw in some of the stock footage used in Shining Time Station. Didn't know about the guy who played Kyoryu Cyan passing.
Kaiju Emperor: Yeah, I do agree about Midnight and her kink, but at least she's not taking them to certain clubs that are places for her kink or overboard with it, I just did it for laughs. But who said Endeavor didn't have a problem with those Lava Lizards? Koragg will have a proper fight between Endeavor in the future, and the whole connection between the two of them, well, you'll have to wait and see.
Luffy L Deathwalker: I respect your opinion.
Aztec 13: Yeah, I told you there would be more material from Operation Overdrive used in the story. I agree, the Zord designs are impressive, but I do want to watch Boukenger one day. You'll see the Red Sentinel Ranger, I promise you, but it will be at the right time to use the Battlizers, when the rangers have to face a tough opponent. But I think you'll like seeing how Izuku and Connor met, plus, there is a surprise in this chapter.
Alright, intro time.
Power Rangers… Lightspeed! Lightspeed Rescue!
(The Camera flies over the water as the Rescue Bay rises from the ocean floor, with the five Rangers standing on top of it and looking at U.A Highschool in the distance.)
The Signal is calling, our planet is falling, the danger will test you. Better make it Lightspeed Rescue!
(All Five Rangers flip open their morphers and morph, ready for battle, then repel down, landing on the ground as they rush forward and leap through a wall of fire.)
Power Rangers Lightspeed Rescue!
Power Rangers Lightspeed Rescue!
Power Rangers Lightspeed Rescue!
Light… Speed… Go!
(The rangers come to a stop, as a horde of monsters, foot soldiers and villains stand in front of them, ready for battle. Behind the rangers, various heroes and students, Jason in his ranger form, along with Kane, Chris, Selwyn, Juni, Yang, Stacey, Rick, Zen-Aku, Vergil, Anna, Natsuo, Fuyumi, Jack, Emily, Reina, Reggie, Archie, Shinso, Wes, Robo Knight, and Eric along with the silhouettes of three other rangers and their zords appear behind them, brandishing their weapons while another set of zords appear with the Lightspeed symbol appearing behind them.)
Powers on its way. Rangers save the day.
(In front of them, shrouded by shadows is All For One, with Olympius and Shigaraki standing near him while Koragg has his sword drawn as the large group of enemies' charges towards the heroes.)
Power Rangers Lightspeed Rescue!
Power Rangers Lightspeed Rescue!
Power Rangers Lightspeed Rescue!
Power Rangers Lightspeed Rescue!
Light… Speed, Go!
(The Heroes and Rangers then charge forwards to battle.)
Disclaimers are the same as always, enjoy.
Chapter 34: Friends till the End
April 7th, 2221
UA High School
Mustufa, Japan
Ground Beta
Observation Room
4:00 PM
"Come on out hero! You think you can waltz into my hideout and demand my surrender!? I'll show you what happens to someone like you who gets in my way! You're dead, bastard!"
Not surprisingly, to the students in both Class 1-A and 1-B, who were observing the last mock battle of their hero class for the day, Bakugo was once again acting like a villain. "Bakugo really does sound like a villain, but then again isn't this how he always sounds like, Midoriya?" Yaoyorozu asked the quirk inheritor.
"Y-yeah, he does act like a villain, but Kachan does have the heart of a hero, even if he does act like a jerk." Izuku answered, glancing back at the monitor. "I just hope Connor can handle his quirk. Even if he does morph, he can still get hurt, Kachan's quick is powerful."
"It might be powerful, but compared to him, Connor thinks on his feet and analyzes his situations before he acts." Melissa told Izuku. "He always thinks with his head before he thinks with his fists or a blaster."
"Yeah, that's true." Izuku concurred. "After all, this isn't the first time he's fought Kachan before."
"Do my ears deceive me?" Monoma chimed in mockingly. "Bakugo and the red ranger have fought before. A BUNCH OF DELINQUENTS LIKE THEM HAVE ENTERED UA! IT'S JUST AS I THOUGHT! CLASS 1-A IS FULL OF…." He started to rant before he felt a pair of fingers pinch a pressure point on his neck, then started to laugh uncontrollably.
"What the heck did you just do!?" everyone in Class A and B asked at once, looking to Lena.
"Laughing Pressure Point." Lena answered.
"Well, he did have that coming." All Might said silently before he turned back to the monitors. "WHATS THIS? IT SEEMS THAT BAKUGO HAS CORNERED THE RED RANGER!"
Ground Beta
"HAH! I got you now, hero! Now prepare to die!" Bakugo shouted, turning the corner of the alley, only to find that Connor had vanished. "Playing hide and seek! Fine then! I'll just blow you out!" he raised his arms, ready to pull the pin on his gauntlet and blast the area to pieces, only for a mist to be sprayed on him from behind, blocking his pores. "What the hell!?"
"Can't blow me up if your sweat glands aren't secreting any sweat, can you?" Connor taunted, twirling his blaster before he returned it to his holster. "I won't have you blowing up any buildings, so we'll settle this the old-fashioned way!"
Bakugo growled, then lunged at Connor with a right hook, who sidestepped out of the way, grabbed his wrist and then tossed him out into the street. "I've studied your fighting style, villain, I won't be taken down that easily." The Red Ranger declared.
"Fine then! I'll just kill you then!" Bakugo yelled, then lunged at Connor again with a punch, only for Connor to block it. Angered, Bakugo kept on throwing punch after punch at Connor, who just ducked and dodged each of his punches.
Connor didn't answer and backflipped several times, leaping back until he landed on a car. "Come on, you know I can't let you run around the city without a chaperon." He taunted. Bakugo growled as he leapt into the air and sent himself downward onto Connor, only for Connor to leap out of the way and resulted in Bakugo leaving a massive dent in the cars roof. "Hope those guys have good auto insurance."
"Shut the hell up!" Bakugo shouted, finally feeling his sweat glands starting to secrete sweat once again, slowly building up a sweat. "Looks like your fancy toy isn't as effective as you thought, hero!" the explosive 'villain' boasted, running towards the red ranger with a flying kick, only for Connor to roll out of the way. "Stand still and let me kill you, hero!"
"Why? I thought you wanted a challenge?" Connor teased, using his arms to swat away another punch from Bakugo, before it was his turn to go on the offensive. A punch to the stomach, then the ribs, followed by an uppercut slammed into Bakugo's body, sending him flying into the air before he wrapped the capture tape around Bakugo's wrists. "You think I didn't pay attention in all those fights we had back in Junior High for nothing? I know your moves, Bakugo, before you even make them. Consider that payback for what you did to Izuku." He said as the horn blared.
"THE HERO WINS!" All Might shouted through the speakers.
Monitor Room
"YES!" Izuku shouted with excitement. "Sorry, it's just… well I'm glad I got to see Connor in action again." He told the curious students.
"That's all for today! Take heart in what you learned in this class and use it to move forward, fledging heroes! Now I have to get back to the office! YOU KNOW HOW IT IS WITH PAPERWORK!" All Might shouted, then ran out of the monitor room as fast as a bullet.
Seconds later, Connor entered the monitor room, with a beaten Bakugo who was skulking yet again after his defeat. "Wow, that was quite a workout. Thanks for that, Bakugo, I needed that." He told his fellow student, only for the explosive quirk user to scoff and brush past him, angered.
Main Entrance
4:30 PM
After the students had changed into their school uniforms, another day at UA had come to an end. As Ochako, Kirishima, and Iida stood by the entrance, they saw Connor and Izuku chatting with each other as they exited the school, with the other rangers. "Well, it looks like you two are as thick as thieves." Kirishima noted with a smile.
"Well, we are best friends." Izuku said with a smile.
"That's something I've been wanting to ask you, Deku. How did you and Connor become friends anyway?" Ochako asked.
"Yes, I find myself wondering the very same thing. How did the two of you become so close to each other that you're always together after school?" Iida added.
"Well, that's quite a story." Connor said, looking up at the sky. "Remember how I told you guys I was studying abroad last year before I became the Red Ranger? Well, the guy whose family I was crashing with was Izuku's."
Flashback
February 12th, 2220
Aldera Junior High School
Mustufa Japan
3:30 PM
"Get back here, Deku!" Bakugo shouted as he and his two friends once again chased Izuku on the track field of the Junior High School. "We still have a score to settle. I told you what happened if you got a better score then me on that test!"
"W-wait, I didn't do so good either… You gotta believe me, Kachan! I'm not trying to show you up!" a weaker, skinnier looking Izuku exclaimed as he ran on the track, only to trip and skid along the track before he hit the fence.
Bakugo grabbed Izuku by the collar and pulled him close to his face. "I told you what would happen if you crossed me again, Deku. Now you're going to pay for it!" Bakugo told the green haired boy and was about to punch him in the face when suddenly….
"Hey! Asshole!" a voice called out from the bleachers. Bakugo, Izuku and Bakugo's two friends both turned to see Connor sitting on the bleachers, a book in his hands which he put down then stepped onto the track. "Leave him alone!"
"Who the hell are you?" Bakugo demanded, letting go of Izuku's collar.
"Me?" Connor answered, his eyes fixated on Bakugo. "I'm just an average ordinary guy who doesn't stand people who bully another kid pick on someone else just because he doesn't have a power. You think because you have a power, you can push others around? Well, I got news for you, an attitude like that isn't the attitude of a hero."
Bakugo laughed, as did his friends before he walked towards Connor. "You think you can just walk into my life, tell me what to do and stand up for this worthless loser?!" Bakugo yelled, then turned back to Izuku. "Wait here, Deku. I going to deal with this moron before I can take out my anger on you." He cackled, then charged towards Connor who didn't even move an inch until he was right on top of him, then stepped aside and slammed into a concrete wall.
"Oh, that's gotta hurt. Good thing it was you and not me." Connor joked, but Bakugo growled and swung his fist around, intending on hitting Connor's head, but the future Red Ranger ducked down and propelled himself backwards by using his legs. "You really want to keep going? I think I hear a few teachers coming this way." He warned.
"Schools over, so I don't have to worry about them stopping the fight!" Bakugo exclaimed and charged towards Connor, who just once again didn't even move until the last second, which resulted in Bakugo falling face first into a puddle of mud.
"Take my advice, work on your attitude before you become a hero. You honestly act more like a villain then a hero." Connor told Bakugo, while the explosive boys friends ran to him, lifting him out of the mud before leaving the track, vowing to get even with Connor. "Punk ass jerks." He scoffed, then turned back to Izuku, offering his hand to him. "You, ok? That guy looked like he was about to rip you apart."
"Y-yeah, I'm ok." Izuku answered, taken a back by the fact that for the first time in his life, someone actually stood up for him against Bakugo's bullying. As far back as he can remember, he was treated like he wasn't even human. But now, someone stood up for him. "So, do you have a quirk?" he asked.
"Let me guess, you thought my moves were because I saw his movements due to a precognition type quirk, right?" Connor guessed. "Well, sorry to burst your bubble, but I don't have a quirk. That was all due to my training."
"T-training?" Izuku stuttered.
"Yep. I might not have a quirk, but I still want to be a hero." Connor explained. "Believe it or not, I used to hate heroes and quirks, but thanks to Uncle Might, my faith was restored, and I want to be just like him, without superpowers."
"W-wait. All Might is your u-uncle!?" Izuku almost screamed.
"Not biologically. But he is practically family." Connor answered. "Oh, I almost forgot. I haven't introduced myself." He then held out his hand. "My names, Connor. Connor Grayson. So, what's your name?"
"O-oh, it's Izuku. I-Izuku Midoriya." Izuku answered, grasping Connor's hand.
Present day
UA High Entrance
"Wow. I knew Bakugo had it out for Deku, but I didn't think he would bully him because of a bad grade." Ochako admitted.
"Yeah, well, when something happens to him, Bakugo usually blames me." Izuku admitted. "Bad grades, being late, you get the idea."
"But with me around, Izuku had nothing to worry about." Connor answered. "I wasn't going to let my buddy here get bullied, considering that I was bullied myself for not having a quirk."
"Talk about manly." Kirishima said with awe.
"Of course, learning that Connor was All Might's 'nephew' did throw me for a loop. I still remember the day you saw my bedroom back home." Izuku said with a sweat drop. "I almost thought you would think of me as a nerd."
"Nah. Sure, your room was a surprise, but who am I to judge." Connor shrugged. "But ever since that day, Izuku and I have been best friends ever since. Not only did we share a love of heroes, but we practically lived together under the same roof and practically became brothers. Oh, and you can imagine how much his mom was overjoyed to finally learn her son had a friend after a long time."
"Well, we better get home." Izuku reminded his friend. "You said it yourself; you're making dinner tonight for the other rangers and I don't think you want to be late or else the pizza's going to take longer to make."
"Yep. My turn for dinner duty." Connor said with a smile. "If I got any leftovers, I'll be sure to drop some off for your folks. You did say you guys loved my cooking." He said with a chuckle. With their conversation finished, the group of students went their separate ways, another day of school behind them.
Skull Cavern
Landing in the form of red energy, appeared a monster bearing the appearance of a Vampire Bat, with a gold beak, wings and a necklace of crystals around their neck. Stepping towards Olympius the creature took a knee before the prince. "My prince." the demon said in a female voice. "I am Vamparia, the power absorption beast."
"Rise, Vamparia." Olympius ordered the demon. "You said you can absorb powers; your ability will be most useful to us. I want you to go to the city and absorb the quirks of anyone you encounter, whether they are a hero or not is no consequence. Use your crystals and destroy the rangers, starting with the red ranger."
"It will be done, my prince." Vamparia acknowledged, just as Koragg entered through the mist.
"Her services will not be needed." The Knight Wolf assured. "The right to destroy the rangers belongs to me and me alone."
"This coming from the one who didn't even finish off the number two hero." Darkonda scoffed as he walked into the chamber. "You couldn't even finish the rangers off. Makes me wonder if you really are trying to destroy them."
"I will destroy the rangers, but only when they are strong enough to be worthy opponents." Koragg said in his defense, he then turned back to Olympius. "Send your monster if you will. I have other matters to attend to."
"Oh, and what are these other matters?" Ivan asked as he stood between Koragg. "Going awol to join the heroes?"
"For days, I have felt a strong, yet familiar presence of dark magic." Koragg began. "It is unlike anything I have seen or felt before. I will investigate it and determine if it is a threat or not. But I believe it might be a threat. Come, Beowulf." He said to his wolf companion who darted after his master and into the mist.
"I really don't like him." Darkonda admitted, then turned back to Vamparia. "You know, if you want some help, I'd be more than happy to assist you."
Vamparia just smiled and walked through the mist, with Darkonda by her side.
April 8th, 2221
Mustufa City, Japan
7:35 AM
Standing atop a building, Vamparia and Darkonda looked down at the bustling streets. Commuters were heading to work, students were heading to schools via train, bus or bike. In short, it was a peaceful morning. "Look at these people. Going about their lives like they have nothing to worry about. Why don't we give them something to worry about." Vamparia said to her companion, fixating her eyes on an inbound commuter train and shot fireballs at the train. One fireball exploded and destroyed the tracks, forcing the train to come to a stop, but it didn't stop in time before it came off the tracks and landed in the street. She spread her wings out and dived to the ground below, waving an arm around her necklace and a beam shot from her, taking the energy of the people who were caught in the blast. "Batlings! Attack!" she ordered.
As the Batlings launched their attack, a massive gust of wind knocked them to the ground as All Might himself stood between the demons and the people. "YOU WILL NOT BE HARMING ANYONE TODAY, MONSTER! BECAUSE I AM HERE! AND I'VE BROUGHT BACKUP!" the number one hero announced as leaping over his shoulders and standing right beside him, were the Lightspeed Rangers, morphed and ready for battle.
"Your attack ends here!" TJ announced as they and All Might charged into battle. TJ chopped a Batling's neck, then ducked down to avoid the blade of another Batlings short sword, kicking it in the stomach. Out of the corner of his eye, he spotted several injured bystanders on the ground, not moving but still alive. "Hey! These people have had their energy stolen!" he shouted.
"Very perceptive, Blue Ranger!" Vamparia confirmed as she slashed TJ's chest with her claws. "I've taken their energy and it's going to make a hell of a blast when I fire!" she then grabbed TJ by the neck and tossed him into the window of the downed train just emergency personnel arrived and started to evacuate the train. "And I've got more energy to take."
"NEW HAMPSHIRE SMASH!" All Might shouted, punching the air and propelling himself into Vamparia's body, smashing her with his own. "YOU WON'T BE TAKING ANY ENERGY, VILLAIN!" All Might declared.
"And who's going to stop me?" Vamparia asked, pushing All Might off of her body.
"That would be us!" Lena announced as she and Melissa rushed in with their blasters in baton mode and slashed at Vamparia's chest. The monster snarled before swiping her claws at Lena's chest, then lunged at Melissa, using her arm to knock the Pink Ranger to the ground.
Anthony charged in with his V-Lancer, swinging it at Vamparia, who raised her arms to parry each of his attacks, then caught the blade of his weapon, threw it away and then swiped him multiple times across the chest with her claws. "This is too easy! Is there anyone worth my time?"
"HIYAHH!" Connor shouted, tackling the monster and knocked her to the ground, where they both rolled around for a few moments before they both got back to their feet. "Forget about me? That's a big mistake!" The Red Ranger snarled, circling the monster who did the same to him before they charged at each other, trading punches and kicks with one another. "Tough bat, aren't you?"
"I'm one of the strongest demons you'll ever face." Vamparia rebuffed, before she spotted a certain green haired boy who was helping the injured. "And I'll prove it to you by taking out that little morsal." She said with a lick of her lips, then jumped off Connor's shoulders towards her intended victim.
"IZUKU!" Connor shouted and leapt towards his best friend, just as Vamparia was about to slash him with her claws. He took the hit the meant for his best friend, who was surprised in the least to see that a monster would target him, thinking they were after One for All. "You leave my friend alone, you bitch!" Connor snarled.
"How about no!" Vamparia retorted, channeling the energy gathered in her necklace for a powerful attack and launched a massive sphere of said energy directly towards Izuku. "Die!" she shouted.
Time seemed to slow to a crawl as the sphere was launched towards Izuku who was practically frozen in place by fear. To his surprise, Connor stood in front of his best friend, his arms spread out as the blast collided with him and exploded. When the explosion subsided, Connor fell to the ground hard, demorphed, revealing he was covered in bruises, cuts, bleeding from his forehead and unconscious. "CONNOR!" Izuku shouted.
The other rangers and All Might heard Izuku's shouted, rushing towards the downed Red Ranger, ready to defend their leader but Vamparia just sniggered. "Well, it looks like I took down the Red Ranger. One down and four to go. I'll let the rest of you lament your defeat and destroy you later. So long!" she cackled and teleported away, as ambulances arrived to take the injured to the hospital. As for Izuku, he was in a state of shock as his best friend was injured.
Mustufa General Hospital
10:30 AM
It felt like a hundred years to Izuku as he sat outside the operating room of the local hospital, anxious about his best friend's condition. It wasn't his plan to get caught in the attack, but having missed the first train to UA, he didn't have much of a choice to take the second train. At the very least, he was able to help a few people who were injured in the crash out of the wreckage and away from the battle, seeing as he didn't have a provisional license to use his quirk.
'Connor got hurt because of me. If I hadn't been there, he wouldn't have risked his life to protect me. It's all my fault.' He lamented in his head.
"I know that look in your eyes, young Midoriya." Toshinori told his young successor, surprising the youngster as he handed him a cup of water. "You're blaming yourself for what happened to young Grayson, but it wasn't your fault. Connor took the hit meant for you because he wanted to protect you. He knew the risks and if he hadn't, you would have been killed."
"I know that! It's just that… I feel like it's my fault that he was hurt. If I hadn't…" Izuku started to say before he felt his mentor placing a hand on his shoulder.
"You shouldn't blame yourself. It's not your fault." Toshinori assured his successor. "I felt the same thing several times in my early days as a pro hero. But I learned that blaming myself is only going to make me doubt myself and affect my hero work. Having doubts will make you second guess yourself and question yourself. Bad things do happen, but just because they happen doesn't mean you should give up. You have the heart of a hero and it's that heart that I choose you as my successor."
Izuku perked up at All Might's confidence in him, making his guilt practically wash away, but he still felt guilty for what happened to Connor. At that moment, the doctors exited the hospital room. "How is he doing, Doctor?" Izuku asked.
"He has several bruised ribs, and minor cuts, but he'll recover. He's also got a minor concussion, but nothing too severe. However, I am advising that he not do anything strenuous until he's fully recovered. That means he can't use his ranger powers." The doctor answered. "Young man, you're a student of UA, aren't you? Are your teachers aware that you're missing classes?"
"We are fully aware of Midoriya's absence." Came the voice of Mister Aizawa as he walked towards the doctor, Izuku and All Might, the latter of who was still in his skinny form. "And due to the situation, we've cleared it with the board of education. Everything has been taken care of, now, how long will it be before my student can leave the hospital?"
As the doctor, All Might and Aizawa discussed Connor's condition, Izuku entered Connor's room where his best friend was sitting in the hospital bed, medical tape wrapped around his torso to limit the movement of his ribs and help them heal. He also had a bandage wrapped around his forehead. "You know how Bakugo tells us we're shit? Well, I feel like shit after that beating I took." Connor joked.
"At least you still have your sense of humor." Izuku chuckled. "But I still feel bad about what happened."
"Hey, come on, buddy." Connor assured. "It's not your fault. You didn't tell that monster to attack the city or think to yourself 'hey, why don't I put my best friend in the hospital because I'm jealous that he's a ranger and I'm not'."
"I'm not jealous!" Izuku exclaimed.
"I was only teasing you." Connor chuckled, then groaned, feeling some pain in his side. "That monster really got me good. Won't be going after that monster and that's going to be a problem."
"How's it going to be a problem?" Izuku asked.
"It takes five rangers to use the Rescue Bird and launch a Spectra Blast attack with the V-Lancers. With a ranger down, that leaves only four." Connor explained. "It's like a puzzle, or a model. You can't finish it if a piece is missing."
"Well, yeah, I get that, but you can't fight! The doctor said you can't fight until you're fully recovered! If you fight, you'll risk getting hurt all over again! It's like what happened with several pro heroes in the past who worked despite their injuries and that almost put an end to their hero careers and…" Izuku muttered.
"I should have seen that coming." Connor said with a sweat drop. "I'm not talking about going against the doctors' orders." He began, taking his morpher off his wrist and handed it to Izuku. "Izuku, I want you to take my place as the red ranger, until I'm fully recovered."
Seeing his best friend hand him his morpher, Izuku fell backwards on his rear, completely surprise by Connor's request.
Skull Cavern
"So, you took out the Red Lightspeed Ranger. Aren't you forgetting you there are seven other red rangers to contend with?" Flurious told Vamparia, several hours after she returned from her first attack.
"But with the Red Lightspeed Ranger taken out of the picture, the other Lightspeed Rangers won't be able to defeat us as easily as they did our other monsters." Vamparia reminded. "Even if the Space, Lost Galaxy, Wild Force, Jungle Fury or even the one with the Master Morpher interfere, I'll handle them just like I did the Lightspeed Ranger."
"Over confidence is a common flaw in a warrior's plans." Treacheron noted. "Furio met his end the same way, do not become overconfident, or else you will be next. One victory is nothing to brag about."
"Yeah, what he said!" Elgar and Rito said in unison.
"I've got this completely under control, you all have nothing to worry about. Once I destroy the rangers, I'll be running things around here and that prince will be working for me, like the rest of you." Vamparia assured, showing signs that she was indeed becoming overconfident. As the Vampire Bat monster left the Skull Cavern, Olympius stood behind a pillar, having heard the conversation between some of his generals and the monsters.
"Jinxer! Keep a close eye on Vamparia. I won't allow her to lead us to victory." Olympius ordered his servant.
"Right away my prince." Jinxer answered and vanished from sight, following after Vamparia.
UA Highschool
12:30 PM
Lunch time had come once again during the school day, but while the other students headed for the cafeteria, Izuku stood in the hallway, looking down at the morpher his best friend gave him. He wanted to make Connor proud, but at the same time, he felt like he wasn't worthy of carrying the mantle of the Red Ranger, even if temporarily. He still had a long way to go with his control over One For All, and if he broke his limbs while fighting as a ranger, he would only get in the way. "Hey! Izuku!" TJ called out as he, Anthony, Lena and Melissa walked towards him. "We need to talk."
"O-oh, ok." Izuku stammered. "W-we should probably f-find a seat…" he started.
"We'll talk in your homeroom." TJ interrupted, guiding the quirk inheritor and the other rangers to Class A's home room, past the other students who were heading for lunch. When they entered the classroom, Anthony closed the door while Lena and Melissa stood in front of Izuku.
"S-so, what did you want to talk about?" Izuku asked with a stammer.
"Look, we're going to just come out and say it. Connor told us about your quirk. About how you got it from All Might." Anthony said plainly, making Izuku's face turn pale. "We found out from him after we first used the Jet Megazord. After Melissa told us about her fear of heights, Connor decided he was done keeping what he knew about your quirk a secret from us. Don't worry, we're not going to post this online, we know how important it is for All Might's quirk to stay a secret."
"I-I…" Izuku started to say, but Lena interrupted him.
"Look, having a quirk gifted to you by All Might, you're a lucky kid." Lena told him.
"L-lucky?" Izuku stammered.
"Sure, Uncle Might did gift you with his quirk, but that now explains why Connor was helping you prepare for the sports festival." Melissa assured. "Besides, if Connor knew, then I'm sure my papa knew. Besides, we all know what it's like to be considered quirkless and then finally have the hero that you idolize gift you his quirk and give you hope."
"Connor told me the same thing when he learned about my quirk." Izuku said with a nervous backrub of his head. "But he told me that he would support me no matter what the circumstances were and help me become the hero I want to be." His tone then changed to a sadden one, holding the morpher in his hand. "But it's also because of me that he got hurt in the first place. If I hadn't been on that train… he wouldn't have gotten hurt."
"Izuku." TJ said, putting a hand on his shoulder. "You don't need to blame yourself. You didn't plan on Connor getting injured and I'm pretty sure he told you the same thing. If he didn't feel that way, then I'm certain he wouldn't have asked you to take his place as the Red Ranger until he's recovered. Besides, you've fought alongside him before, and you've been in a megazord cockpit also."
"Yeah, but I…" Izuku stammered.
"Izuku, you can do this." Melissa assured him. "We have faith in you."
Izuku smiled for moment, before the door to the classroom slid open and Principle Nezu stepped in, with Toshinori by his side. "It seems that we didn't need to be here to help explain the situation after all." The white furred principle said. "But all the same, I think you should show them your wound, Toshinori."
With a pull of his suit, Toshinori showed the rangers his wound. "Yeah, its not pretty. I got this about almost six years ago. It was during a battle with a… dangerous villain. I was able to defeat him, but I lost my entire stomach, and my respiratory system was shot to hell. Now I can only keep my muscle form maintained for a few hours at most, less after I gave my quirk to young Midoriya. But I don't regret my choice." All Might said. "When I saw this young quirkless boy rush to save another person, despite the danger, I knew that he was my successor and just like all of you, I will continue to support him until he becomes the hero he's destined to be."
"Well, you can count on us to help the both of you out." Anthony told the number one hero. "Just because he was given his quirk, doesn't make him any less worthy of being a hero. Though, I think there will come a day when the world finds out about One For All. But who was the villain that gave you that wound?"
All Might let out a sigh, then looked to Midoriya. Both of them knew that the rangers were going to ask about the truth in regard to All Might's current state. However, before the Number One hero could explain the truth, the morphers of the rangers beeped. "Rangers! That monster is back! We spotted him in the old quarry just outside Mustufa. Looks like he's got friends with him also." Jessica said through the morpher with urgency.
"We'll take care of it, Jessica." Melissa assured, then turned to Izuku. "Come on, Deku. We'll need your help on this one."
"But… w-what about my afternoon classes? I already missed most of my morning classes and if I miss anymore, my grades…" the quirk inheritor started to mutter.
"Given the circumstances, I'll allow you to skip your classes. You and the rangers can make up the work later." Nezu reassured with a raise of his paw. "Besides, we can't let a monster roam the city freely."
"You heard him, Young Midoriya." All Might added.
Izuku nodded his head and raced out of the classroom with the other rangers, determined to make Connor proud of him. As they ran out of the school, they passed the newest teacher to join the faculty, who lowered their glasses and gazed at the teens.
Old Quarry
1:00 PM
Bringing the Rescue Rover to a stop just outside the entrance of the quarry, the four rangers, plus Izuku who had changed into his gym clothes clambered out of the vehicle and ran through the old entrance. Running by old and rusted vehicles, dilapidated buildings that haven't been used in a long time, the rangers soon found Vamparia waiting for them, hanging upside down from an old conveyor belt. "Well, well, so nice to see you again, rangers. Looks like you're a ranger short. Was he too much of a weakling to come back and face me, or did he hang up his jacket for good?" the vampire demon taunted.
"Nice try, witch! We're not falling for that one!" Lena shouted. "So why don't you come down and face us!"
"No, I think I'll leave that to my soldiers." Vamparia retorted, snapping her fingers and called forth a horde of Batlings, Putties, Quantrons, Cogs, and to their surprise, the aquatic foot soldiers of the space pirate Divatox, Piranhatrons, which appeared through a portal with a watery effect. "Say hello to my army, rangers. They'll be the last thing you ever see."
The horde of foot soldiers surrounded the five teens, circling them like hungry sharks, brandishing their weapons or pounding their fists into their open palms. As they got closer and closer, a red blur sped through the horde, revealing Jason morphed and in his turbo ranger form. "Need a hand guys?" Jason asked.
"Yeah, we could use it." Izuku said with a sigh of relief, before the battle began.
(Start Combat)
"DESTROY THEM!" Vampaira shouted, sending her soldiers into battle.
The massive group of foot soldiers charged towards the rangers and Izuku, who immediately engaged the enemy. Melissa backflipped four times, then landed in the middle of a small group of Putties which swung their arm blades at her, but she grabbed one of the Putties by the arm, spun it around and then kicked it into some rusty barrels. A blade nearly took off her head, but she ducked down, then kicked the soldier off his feet. "Good thing this doesn't hurt, considering these guys are made of rock." She said with a smirk.
TJ tossed his jacket to a Batling, throwing it over its face before dodging a sneak attack from a Piranhatron that grabbed him behind, only for the soldier to receive a back kick to the chest. He ducked down, grabbing the sword of the Batling who was still struggling with his jacket and then used the sword to cut down a Quantron that swung its Q-Blade at him. He then grabbed his jacket, followed by a kick to the Batling whose sword he borrowed which slammed its head into a brick wall after it tried to reclaim its sword.
Anthony raised his hands and blocked a few punches from a Piranhantron, then kicked it into a wall. Out of the corner of his eyes, he leaned back and narrowly avoided the balled-up club like fist of a Putty, which he then kicked down a small manmade gully which splashed into the water. A blast from a Piranhatrons wrist gauntlet burned a few hairs on his head, which Anthony didn't like in the slightest. Grabbing the lid from a nearby trashcan, he raised his makeshift shield to block another series of blasts from piranha creature, then threw the lid, which slammed into the foot soldiers face, knocking them into the dirt. "Too bad the Shield Hero wasn't here to see that." He smirked.
Lena ran up the stairs of a catwalk, a group of Batlings on her tail. As she ran across the metal walkway, she found her path was blocked by a group of Putties, who along with the Batlings boxed her in. "Why do the bad guys always gang up on girls? Is it a kind of bad guy code?" she said aloud, then spotted a cable attached to an old crane. With no railing to stop her, she leapt for the cable and grabbed it, then swung back towards the catwalk with her feet stretched outwards and knocked two Batlings of the catwalk, then spun herself around and swung back to the catwalk, knocking two Putties off the catwalk before she released her grip on the cable and leapt onto a rock ledge, where she found herself surrounded six Putties. "Alright, let's get down and dirty." She said with a crack of her knuckles.
Below her, with his Turbo Lightning Sword and Turbo Blade in hand, Jason raised the turbo blade, parrying a sword strike from a Batling, then brought up the turbo lightning sword in a vertical strike on another Batling, cutting it down, then swung his blades around and cut down several Putties. As the rock soldiers fell to his blades, Jason spotted Izuku throwing a punch at a Quantron, only for the young boy to take a sucker punch from a Puttie to the face. "I don't think so!" Jason shouted, rushing towards Izuku's aid, only for Vamparia to swoop down from her perch and grab him by the neck, before slamming him into the wall of one of the buildings.
Shaking off the unexpected sucker punch, Izuku turned to face the Putties that were focused on him. His mind still raced with doubts about if he was up for the task of taking Connor's place, but knowing that his best friend had faith in him, a resolve filled his mind as he slowly walked towards then the Putties, then going into a sprint as he drew back his fist and decked one of the rock monsters in the face, kicked a second off its feet, then grabbed the face of a third, slamming it into the ground.
A pair of Batlings charged at him from his sides, their swords held high and ready to be brought down on him, but Izuku leaned backwards, allowing for the two Batlings to strike each other in the shoulder, before he finished them off with a split kick. "For Connor!" he said aloud, then rushed towards Jason who was facing Vamparia.
(End song)
Weapons knocked from his hands, Jason was trying to block Vamparia's attacks, but he strength was far greater than what he expected and she kept on slashing at him with her claws, then flapped her wings, creating a massive gust of wind that sent broken pieces of metal and rock towards Jason, who tried to draw his auto blaster, but was slammed with a barrage of improvised projectiles that sent him flying. "Ok, this is getting annoying."
"Time to join the other red ranger in the hospital!" Vamparia snarled, waving her hand over her necklace and unleashed a massive beam towards Jason, which resulted in a massive explosion. "Yes! There goes the guy with the so-called master morpher!" she gloated.
But she was wrong. When the explosion finally settled, standing in front of Jason, was Izuku who wasn't even as much as scratched from the explosion, wearing the dragon shield over his gym clothing which soon vanished. "That's impossible! I don't believe it!" Vamparia shouted.
"You better believe it!" Izuku shouted back, as Melissa, TJ, Lena and Anthony rushed to his side, ready for battle. "Let's do it!"
"Lightspeed! Rescue!" the rangers shouted, Izuku included and flipped open their morphers. Raising his arms, a red, and white radical vortex shot out of the morpher and flew towards him, lowering his arms, the vortex covered him in the red ranger's uniform, the visor snapping shut over the helmet that covered his head.
"Red Ranger! Rescue Ready!" Izuku announced.
"Blue Ranger! Rescue Ready!" TJ announced.
"Green Ranger! Rescue Ready!" Anthony announced.
"Yellow Ranger! Rescue Ready!" Lena announced.
"Pink Ranger! Rescue Ready!" Melissa announced.
"Red Lighting Turbo Power! Red Turbo Ranger!" Jason announced.
"People's lives are Earths future!" Izuku stated.
"Blazing Rescue Spirits!" TJ continued.
"Protectors of Earth!" Anthony added.
"Power Rangers!" Lena shouted.
"Lightspeed Rescue!" Melissa finished.
"Power Ranger Turbo!" Jason added, an explosion erupting from behind the six rangers.
"I don't care who you are, I'll send you all to hell!" Vamparia shouted in anger, spreading her wings out before flying straight towards the rangers, who dived out of the way, forcing the vampire monster to miss.
"Rescue Blasters!" TJ shouted to the other rangers, who drew their blasters and fired at Vamparia, as did Jason who drew his auto-blaster, and the six rangers opened fire on the monster. Vamparia groaned in pain as she fell to the ground but was able to quickly get back on her feet, only to find Izuku charging right towards her.
His right fist drawn back, Izuku slugged the monster across the beak, then gave her a powerful kick to the side, followed by an uppercut to the creature's jaw, and finally what appeared to have been a Detroit smash to the chest that sent the monster flying backwards. "Woah! This is incredible. I just used One for All, and I didn't even break my bones. I guess the ranger powers are protecting my bones." He realized, then turned back to Vamparia. "You're going to pay for hurting my best friend!" he declared.
"Then next time, I should try harder and kill him instead!" Vamparia roared, launching a series of fireballs towards Izuku who rolled out of the way. "Hold still you brat!" she growled, just as blue, green, yellow and pink ropes wrapped around her arms and legs, immobilizing her. This allowed Izuku to rush in, rescue blaster drawn and aimed at the monster, pulling the trigger of his weapon and fired. Blaster fire slammed into Vamparia's chest, knocking her back and free of the ropes holding her down.
Looking up, she saw Jason running towards her, his swords back in his hands. She brought up her claws, catching the blades before they could hit, but this was all a diversion as Izuku leapt off Jason's shoulders, then delivered a kick to her chest. "Damn you, rangers!" she growled.
"V-Lancers!" TJ shouted, swinging his polearm weapon laterally from left to right. Anthony then followed with a downward diagonal slash, then Lena with a diagonal slash of her own, then finally Melissa who thrusted her weapon right into Vamparia's chest.
Their attacks completed, the four rangers watched as Izuku leapt high into the air, then spun into a frontal somersault, gathering momentum then brought his right leg up as he shouted. "Mariner Bay Smash!" Slamming his leg into the monster's head.
"Nice one, Deku!" TJ praised, as Izuku brought out his own V-Lancer.
"Let's finish this! V-Lancers! Blaster Mode!" Izuku shouted, standing alongside the other rangers with their own V-Lancers in blaster mode. "Spectra blast!" the five rangers pulled the triggers of their respective weapons, firing a beam into the air which formed a massive v, then slammed it into Vamparia, destroying her.
Or so they thought. From atop one of the old warehouse's, Jinxer saw that Vamparia was defeated and groaned, then readied a magma golem card. "Time to give this scheming bat one last chance. Rise up fast and make it last!" Jinxer chanted, then tossed the card to Vamparia's remains. The card glowed brightly as the remains rose into the air like a whirlwind and reformed into Vamparia, whose beak was no more, and her claws were sharper than before.
"Looks like someone got a makeover and it was an ugly one!" Anthony stated as Vamparia stomped her feet on the ground. "You up for this Izuku?"
"I am." Izuku answered, then brought his morpher up to his visor. "Rail Rescues! On Track!"
Whistling loudly, the massive rail carrier zords came to a screeching stop, allowing the rangers to climb aboard, taking their positions at their respective stations. "Blaster grips! Locked in!" Izuku announced, turning the grip and sending the zords down their track network, ascending into the air as the thrusters on Rail Rescue 5 kicked in, sending the zords flying up the launcher and flew through the air, where they merged to form the Super Train Megazord.
Coming in for a landing, the Super Train raised its fists as Vamparia waved her wings, kicking up a massive storm of debris, sending rocks, trees and even pieces of old buildings at the Megazord. The windstorm only buffeted the megazord and was a distraction as Vamparia then swooped in and divebombed the Super Train, swinging her claws at the Megazord.
Sparks erupted from the cockpit, shaking the rangers in their seats. "We can't get a lock on her with our missiles! She's moving too fast!" Melissa shouted.
"Every time we get a lock on her, she breaks our lock, then circles around for another run." Lena commented.
"She's coming back again!" Anthony called out as the bat monster came diving back for another attack. As Vamparia was about to strike, he spotted something flying right behind Vampaira. "What is that?"
Just as Vamparia was about to strike, a series of laser blasts slammed into her left wing, causing her to spin out of control and crash to the ground. The source of the blast was a flying red sports car. "That's Lighting Cruiser!" TJ called out.
"You didn't think I'd leave you guys alone to deal with this bat, did you?" Jason said over the radio as Lighting Cruiser circled around for another attack, firing its weapons at Vamparia, getting the monster to focus on him instead of the Lightspeed Rangers.
"Alright, we got our opening! Gatling Blasters! Power Up! Missiles! Armed and ready!" Izuku shouted. "Target acquired! Liner Homing! Fire!" he shouted and pressed the fire button, sending a barrage of missiles and blaster fire towards Vamparia, who reacted too late to avoid the barrage. Vamparia groaned before she fell over and exploded. "Alright!" he exclaimed, as the megazord stood victorious.
Skull Cavern
"It seems that Vamparia has failed." Olympius noted. "At least, she won't attempt to usurp my position." He then turned to Jinxer. "What is the status of our agent in UA?"
"She has successfully infiltrated the school, undetected." Jinxer reported.
"Good. Now, we'll be able to locate the most powerful quirks of the student body, which we will take for our own forces." Olympius said with a cackle.
Mustufa General Hospital
4:30 PM
Connor smiled the moment he saw Izuku walk to the hospital entrance. "Hey! Man of the hour! I heard you were awesome out there. You really are a hero in the making, buddy." Connor congratulated.
"Well, I was motivated because you had faith in me." Izuku answered, with a rub on the back of his head. "Connor, did you tell the others about All Might, his quirk and how he…" he started to say.
"Yeah, I did. Look, I couldn't exactly keep it a secret. But at the very least, it's only us that know about it and no one else." Connor answered. "I'm the leader of the Lightspeed Rangers and keeping them in the dark about All Might's condition would cause a rift in out teamwork and that's the last thing I wanted."
"I sort of figured that was the reason, and I'm not upset." Izuku assured. "Besides, you and are practically brothers and I trust you enough to know you never do anything without a good reason."
"And I trust you enough as well." Connor said with a smile, walking with Izuku to a waiting taxi which the two of them promptly boarded and headed home.
Rescue Bay/Rescue Lab
Mondo and Jessica looked over a set of blueprints, then looked at each other before they nodded. "This will give us an advantage in the future." Mondo said to the young scientist.
And chapter is finished. Hope you all liked it.
For those of you wondering, Vamparia is Gogo V name of the Gold Beaked monster that fought the rangers in Wheels of Destruction.
Well, until next time, please read and review.