Play "Falling" by Cryoshell

Instrumental

The screen starts off black. One by one, spotlights come on, revealing the three Rangers looking at the ground. They then lift their heads as the title Power Rangers: Paleo Force shatters through the remaining darkness above them.

Lights out.

Duncan, Brody, and Cooper stand together at the generic quarry, looking at their Zords and smiling.

No one's here.

Kenny is working on a circuit board with a robotic hand sitting on his desk. He grins as he taps the circuit board with a stylus, making the hand twitch.

Hear the silence.

Jane and Brody are together at the hospital, Jane bandaging Brody's leg.

Scent of fear.

All the heroic characters look up to the sky.

You start running.

The view moves up into space, where we see our main villains in their spaceship, followed by a close-up of each of them.

With mistrusting and skeptical eyes.

We get a shot of Cooper, Duncan, and Brody staring down an army of Shadows.

Are you haunted?

The three look at each other before nodding.

I call out.

One by one, they take fighting stances as they ready their morphers.

I'm counting on you.

The screen cuts to black.

Falling.

All three Rangers charge in slow motion as an explosion goes off in the background.

Is this the end of the line, and can we make it in time?

In a rotating shot, Brody slashes Shadows with his Carnage Sword, Cooper shoots them with his cannon, and Duncan blasts enemies with his Switch-Gun.

Falling.

CJ extends her arm, directing her Zords to charge forward.

My world is spinning around. I'm crashing into the ground.

Calios descends from space like a comet and, after landing, steps forward, slowly drawing his sword.

Falling.

Moses folds his arms as three silhouetted figures gather on either side of him.

Now I need you to see it's up to you and me.

The Paleo Force Megazord shifts into sword-and-shield mode. It slashes a monster, then uses its Cryo Slash on it, making it explode.

I'm counting on you.

Consecutive shots of Cooper doing a Ranger Punch, Duncan doing a Ranger Slash, and Brody doing a Ranger Kick at the screen.

Cut to the end of the song as the music fades out.

The Rangers stand confidently in front of their respective Zords, who roar behind them as the screen fades to black again.

Chapter 21

While the humans went about their business on the surface, the Zords returned to their own activities down below.

Alicia dashed across a vast field. When she'd run its entire length, she circled back and angled herself toward a mountain, using it like a ramp to launch herself into the air. Sparks of electricity fizzed from her scales as she did some cool poses in midair. When the yellow and purple Austroraptor landed on the other side of the mountain and slid down to the bottom, she already had an idea of what to do next.

Alicia began running rapidly in a circle, clockwise. She went faster and faster until she created a tornado infused with lightning.

"Hmm, I'll call that the"—The raptor paused for a moment—"the sparknado!" Her good mood faded a bit when she saw the twister was heading in the direction of the city. "Mierda."

Catching up to the sparknado, she ran counterclockwise around it, cancelling it out before it could scoop up any unsuspecting citizens. Her new creation dispersed like a firework, showering the ground with sparks.

Sighing, Alicia once again found herself with nothing to do. She'd already run around so much today, she was feeling the need for something a bit more stimulating. Looking out over the city, she wondered, "Maybe there's someone in this town who can actually race me."

First, she checked all over the town. However, not even one Zord was willing to try and race her. Using her speed, she went and checked other parts of the country. After going state by state with no luck, she eventually found a blue Utahraptor who took her up on her challenge.

Alicia picked up a boulder and tossed it into the air. The split second it hit the ground, the two raptors dashed off. The Utahraptor was pretty fast, but Alicia started outpacing him soon enough. At the speed they were going, the race finished in no time.

"I'm almost sorry I accepted this challenge," the Utahraptor panted, only half complaining.

"Eh, I'm just happy somebody did," Alicia shrugged. The two speedsters said their goodbyes and Alicia headed back to the city underneath the Rangers' hometown. All she could do now was rack her brain for something else fun to do.

Kelly walked about, happily humming to herself. "Hmm, what should I do today? Maybe I could, like, go shopping or something. Or I could hang out with Cuz and Carl, or—" She gasped when she saw Alicia on the sidewalk. The brown Kosmoceratops immediately approached her. "Hey, girlfriend!"

Alicia was startled at the sudden greeting. "Oh, it's just you. Hola."

"I just got a great idea!" Kelly announced. "We should totally have a girls' day out!"

"Uh, I don't know about—" Alicia was cut off when the Kosmozord started pushing her along.

Kelly giggled and declared, "Off to the dino-mall!"

Before they could make it far, they heard something approaching them from the air. Just as they looked up to see what it was, a green blur crash-landed in front of them.

"Hi, ladies," Pops greeted them.

"Oh, hey, Pops," Kelly answered cheerfully. "We're going to the mall. Wanna come?"

The Paranthodon shook his head. "No can do, Valley Girl. I gotta figure out how I got from my village all the way to wherever this is!"

"You took a train," Alicia reminded him.

"I did? I don't remember that," Pops said.

"Like, yeah. Mr. Dickson and Mr. Cooper totally brought you," Kelly added.

Pops grumbled, "I remember who brought me here, woman. I just don't remember how they brought me here. You sure they didn't use some ninja magic and teleport me here?"

"No," both girls replied.

"There you are!" The Zords turned to see Carl approaching. "I've been looking for you for half an hour, Pops!"

"Are you suddenly his babysitter, niño?" Alicia taunted him.

"I am, actually," Carl answered. "Dickson usually looks after him, but he needed a break, so he asked me to watch him."

"We're going to the mall, Carl. Wanna come?" Kelly offered.

Carl shook his head. "I would love to, but I don't trust Pops not to make some sort of scene."

"Come on, Big Blue! We've got a mystery to solve!" Pops declared as he took flight once more.

"Dammit! I'll see you later, I guess," Carl said before chasing after Pops.

"Like, oh well. Let's keep going!" Kelly kept pushing her teammate along. Soon enough, they reached the mall. "Alrighty, what should we do first?"

"We could go see a movie," Alicia suggested.

After bickering for a bit over which one to see, the two settled on Eocene Park and entered a Zord-sized theater. After a couple of hours, the movie ended, and they exited back into the mall.

"I'm hungry now. You wanna grab a bite?" Kelly asked.

Before Alicia could say anything, her stomach grumbled, giving Kelly her answer. The two girls headed for the food court. Kelly got a salad while Alicia got a big slab of meat. As they ate, Kelly asked, "So, like, what was up with you when I found you? You were all frowny and stuff."

"I was bored," Alicia said after swallowing a mouthful of meat. "I've run around this whole country and there's no one for me to race."

"Hmm, well, I'm not that fast, but I think I have an idea," Kelly thought out loud. "Follow me."

Alicia hesitated at first, but as she watched Kelly head toward the exit, she became curious to learn how the Kosmozord's idea of a "girls' day out" could extend beyond the mall.

She wouldn't have to wait long to find out. Kelly led Alicia to a great valley. Once there, she used her earth powers to create a complex obstacle course.

Alicia gasped. Kelly's course had everything: sharp turns, loop de loops, tunnels, ramps, and even—

Alicia paused, squinting. "Why is there a flat section of nothing in that one spot?" she asked, pointing a claw in that direction.

"That's the trick field," Kelly answered. "Some patches of ground there are so weak your feet will fall through if you take a wrong step, so you gotta be quick!"

"Hah!" Alicia scoffed. "Who do you think you're talking to, niña?"

"I'm talking to one of my besties!" Kelly giggled.

"That was rhet—You know what? Never mind."

With that, Alicia began the course. She darted in and out through a series of stalagmites before moving on to the loop de loop. She then approached the trick field. True to her word, she was so fast that she didn't fall through any of the weak spots Kelly had mentioned. Running through the course a couple times, she eventually decided she'd had her fun and stopped.

"That was the most fun I've had all day," Alicia said happily. "Gracias."

Kelly tilted her head a bit. "I don't know what that means, but you're welcome!"

"Get down here, Pops!" Carl shouted. He had been running after the forgetful Zord for fifteen minutes now. Didn't that guy's plates get ever get tired?

"I think I can see my house from here!" Pops announced from the air.

"Your house is back in South Africa! This is the Subterranean States of America!" Carl informed him.

Eventually, Pops landed in some random neighborhood. "Huh, could've sworn I saw my house here."

Carl soon caught up to him, panting. "No wonder Dickson wanted a break," he muttered to himself. "Pops, what do you say we calm down and, uh, go to a toy store?" Carl silently cursed himself for such a feeble suggestion.

"Ooh, that sounds fun," Pops said as he started walking in a random direction.

"Well, that worked, I guess," Carl sighed. "Pops, follow me."

The blue Carnotaurus led his teammate to the nearest toy store, where he made a sweeping gesture to its rows of shelves, filled with dolls, crafts, and games of all kinds. "Now, remember, Pops. You can have one toy, but that's it."

"Yes, Mom," Pops scoffed. He quickly realized something, "Wait, you're not my mom, you're Big Blue. Sorry for the mix-up."

Carl just shook his head and kept walking.

Pops window shopped for a bit longer before exiting the store.

Following him, Carl pointed out, "You didn't get anything in there."

"Pff, I'm too old for toys," Pop chuckled. "How come you didn't get anything in there? I brought you in there to treat you."

Carl was so tempted to tell Pops he had that backwards, but he decided against it. Instead, he simply made another suggestion, "How about we find a nice spot and do some training?"

"Sure thing," Pops agreed.

The blue and green duo headed to a local gym big enough for Zords. To account for their size, strength, and elemental powers, literally everything was reinforced—even the water fountains.

Entering a large sparring ring, Carl asked, "Are you ready, Pops?"

"Are you ready?" Pops retorted.

Carl chuckled. "I'm not just ready. I'm ready, Freddy."

The green Zord tilted his head. "It's Pops."

"That's just a saying people—Ugh, never mind," Carl groaned as he thrust his drill tail forward.

Pops spun in place and countered the drill with a swipe of his own tail.

'For someone so forgetful, he has great fighting instincts,' Carl thought. Stepping in closer, the Carnozord swung his head and bashed Pops hard. He followed it up by thrusting his foot forward for a kick.

While not very quick on his feet, Pops managed to evade the strike by leaning to the left. The Paranthodon lunged forward and took flight, fluttering his plates as he looped through the air. Swinging around, Pops curled up for his buzzsaw attack and dive-bombed Carl.

The attack was too much for Carl too handle, and he was literally floored.

"Score one for the boys back home!" Pops shouted triumphantly. Hearing a groan behind him, he turned around and was surprised to see Carl already getting to his feet. "Whoa, you heal fast."Hearing a groan

"It's not about healing," Carl explained as he fluttered his frill. "My frill is more durable than it looks. I just turned a little and had it absorb some of the impact."

Pops nodded sagely. "Just what I'd expect from a Frillersaurus."

"That's not what I am," Carl deadpanned.

"Oh, are you a T-Rex, then?" Pops guessed.

Carl scoffed, "I am not a T-Rex. Now, let's go."

"What are we doing now, Big Blue?" Pops wondered.

"Well, I've been watching you for a while now, so maybe we should check in with Dickson."

Pops felt he had a little more fight in him but nodded anyway; maybe Dickson would want to spar the winner. The two Zords left the gym and walked on for a while before coming across a lake.

"Hmm, he said he'd be somewhere around here," Carl said. Waiting for a few moments, their big pink friend soon emerged from the lake.

Pops was stunned. "Whoa, do you live in there?"

"What? No, I was bathing," Dickson clarified.

Carl was about to reply when he perked up, hearing his partner's voice through his telepathy.

"Chazz, Carl, we just beat a monster and he's about to grow huge!"

"Coming, Mother," Carl answered. Turning to his two companions, he said, "Sorry to cut this short, but Chazz and I are needed." Before he left, he whispered to Dickson, "Hate to admit it, but I'm actually not sorry."

Dickson sighed. Fortunately, once the blue Zord departed, Dickson quickly came up with a way to occupy his forgetful teammate. "Let's visit the Cryolophosaurs."

"The what nows?" Pops said. "Eh, whatever you say, Lil Dicky."

Sighing once more, Dickson led Pops to the rough side of town, where many Cryolophosaurs were known to live. After a bit of searching, they came across their friend the blue Cryo. The man-sized dino roared and growled at the two Zords.

"What's wrong, boy? Is Old Man Jenkins in trouble?" Pops asked worriedly.

"What? How did you get that from—" Dickson cut himself off and shook his head. "Do not talk to him like some sort of pet." Taking a second to listen as the Cryo repeated itself, Dickson nodded. "So, you and your crew were attacked by some 'bitch-ass mothafuckas,' and you want some payback?"

Pops nodded. "I'm in."

"Pops, we shouldn't get ourselves involved in gang wars," Dickson scolded him.

"Aw, you're no fun," Pops whined. Nonetheless, he went by Dickson's word and chose not to help the Cryos.

"Let's go, Pops." Dickson walked away, his forgetful partner following close behind.

As they walked, Pops asked, "Will you tell me a story?"

"What kind of story would you like to hear?" Dickson deadpanned.

"Um…How'd you meet Cooper?"

Dickson chuckled. That sounded better than having to make something up on the spot, so he began his tale.

Dickson walked over to yet another tree and began grazing on it, having almost satisfied his hunger.

"Ah, found you!"

Tearing his head away from the treetop, Dickson saw a white Chasmosaurus Zord approaching him.

"Can I help you?" Dickson asked.

"A Brontosaurus in America told me you were pretty strong," the white Zord explained, "and we're looking for a new guy to join our team."

"I'm sorry. I'm not interested in joining some street gang." The big pink Zord shook his head.

That made the Chasmosaurus laugh. "That's not why I was asking. You see, me and my friend have partnered up with these humans and—"

Dickson's eyes widened a bit. "Humans? But if you and your friend have become partners with them, that would mean they have bracelets. How did that happen?"

The Chasmosaurus sighed. "Maybe I should start from the beginning." He then gave Dickson a condensed version of the story of how he'd met a pair of humans and began fighting monsters with them. After all that, he finally got around to telling Dickson his name.

"I can see why your human friends would want help." Dickson nodded. "What kind of human do they have in mind for a new recruit on their side?"

"We don't know, actually," Chazz admitted. "Duncan and Brody are having a recruitment drive to see who qualifies." He perked up. "Wait, this is perfect. You could come along and have a say in who gets chosen. They're gonna be your partner, after all."

After a moment of consideration, Dickson smiled. "Very well. I shall join you."

"So you're on board?" Chazz asked happily.

Dickson nodded, "If the invaders from before are back like you said, then they need to be stopped. And I think I have the strength to help you defeat them."

"That was boring," Pops deadpanned.

"You asked for it," Dickson pointed out.

"Oh, right. Then I guess it was cool." Pops gasped, forgetting what they were talking about. "I wonder what the Cryos are doing right now."

The three Cryolophosaurs gathered around a table to discuss their game plan. The pink Cryo suggested that they try and convince Kelly to help them out. Ditzy as she was, it'd probably be easy to get her on their side.

The white Cryo shot that idea down. They'd won plenty of battles before, and they hadn't needed Zords to do it. They could win this time too.

Nodding in agreement, the blue Cryo declared it was time to move out. Along the way, it filled its crew in on a new idea it had come up with.

Soon enough, the Cryo gang reached an abandoned stadium, the hideout of their new rivals. A roar rose from the bleachers almost immediately. The Cryos cursed themselves for failing to account for a lookout.

A chorus of roars followed from the stadium, and a bunch of dinosaurs poured out. They were a pack of Herrerasaurs, slightly smaller than the Cryos and with no head crests. They numbered ten in total, not counting the one that had sounded the alarm.

A red Herrerasaurus, presumably the leader of the group, stepped forward and growled a threat at the Cryos.

The white Cryo growled back that things would be different this time, now that they were facing off in a head-on fight.

Taking that as a cue to start things up, the Herrerasaurs charged.

Deciding this was as good a time as any to implement the blue Cryo's plan, the three Cryolophosaurus stood back to back. They wrapped the tips of their tails together and spun around rapidly, creating a large tricolored ring of destruction.

Any Herrerasaurus that was touched by the ring was sent flying. Even better, the Cryos could control which way the ring moved, which made it easy to target their enemies.

Once they felt they'd done enough damage, both to the rival gang and the neighborhood's infrastructure, the Cryos stopped, leaving only the boss Herrerasaurus standing.

The red dino considered its options. Refusing to swallow its pride and back down, it charged at the trio. It leapt up and attacked with a "Super Dinosaur Kick," aiming for the blue Cryo.

The white Cryo pushed the blue one to the side, taking the hit in its friend's place. Fortunately, it was so amused by their enemy's attack name that it almost forgot it was in pain.

The blue Cryo roared, jokingly asking if the Herrerasaurus had met a human named Brody. The three Cryos immediately ganged up on it and mauled it to death. They roared at the rest of the Herrerasaurus gang, using their now-dead leader to make a point.

It was enough for the rival gang to decide that the Cryos weren't worth the trouble.

As the Herrerasaurs left, the pink Cryo asked something to its two friends. With all the shit they were wrapped up in down here, why did they bother helping the Power Rangers on the surface?

The blue Cryo answered by calling it a dumbass. It then explained how, win or lose, fighting monsters on the surface helped keep them sharp for the fighting they did underground. The pink Cryo nodded in understanding, ignoring the initial insult.

The white Cryo spoke up next, saying that, on the subject of the Power Rangers, they ought to take a page from Cooper's book and celebrate with some victory booze.

Roaring in agreement, the trio went off to find themselves a good bar.

After a rousing fight with a gigantic monster, Chazz and Carl said goodbye to their respective partners and headed back underground.

"Man, that was crazy," Chazz said.

"I know, right?" Carl agreed. "I wouldn't have expected a seahorse monster to put up such a nasty fight on land. Do you think we should be concerned that he said he was nothing compared to what was coming next?"

"Eh, how bad can it be?" asked Chazz. "Wanna go check up on the others? I heard Kelly is distracting Pops with her gem collection."

"That sounds entertaining enough," Carl agreed.

The two walked for a bit and joined their companions. Everyone got a laugh as they watched Kelly show off one gem after another to her captivated audience. They made it a game to guess whether Pops would give an "ooh" or an "ahh," as it was always one or the other.

After a while, Dickson made an announcement, "Alright, everyone, who's up for some ice cream? My treat!"

The other Zords cheered. "Yeah, ice cream to the death!" Pops shouted.

"What does that even mean?" Alicia wondered.

As the group binged at the ice cream parlor, the Cryos drunkenly wandered in, bringing even more life to the party.

"Che, everyone! Watch this!" Alicia took a giant scoop of ice cream and dumped it on top of the Cryolophosaurs, who didn't seem to mind it one bit.

The Zords all laughed in amusement as the Cryos ate themselves out like a school of piranha before resuming their own deserts.