Yang was feeling good about herself right now, probably because she thought the horde stood no chance against her and the three Ranger teams by her side. Their combined strength and strategy were formidable, a testament to the ancient ninja and samurai arts that Yang could compare to Remnant's heroes of old. Sure, the Grimm had extra powers that made them stronger and tougher than any Grimm Yang had faced, but as far as she was concerned, it was just another hurdle for her to leap. Plus, these enhanced Grimm could be great practice when she had to drive a fist into the freaky dragon's face and shatter it just like she did for this unfortunate Beowolf.
Yang's fire-fueled uppercut displayed sheer power, popping the beast's head clean off its body. Her triumphant whoop echoed through the battlefield. "Come on, boys! Who else wants to play with fire?!" The Yellow Ranger's acrobatic moves and flamethrowers weaved trails of orange flames that set lesser Grimm alight. She focused solely on the Grimm who desired a dance with the dragon, leaving the others to burn. She threw a backkick at a Beowolf, flooring it before crushing its head under her boot. Yang wasted no time leaping onto another's shoulders, punching fireballs at nearby Grimm as it thrashed around. The intensity of her fire-based attacks was a sight to behold, a testament to her power and determination.
Undeterred by the Beowolf's unexpected move, Yang used the momentum to her advantage. She sprang back to her feet, her glowing gauntlets ready, charging her energy as the monster lunged. With a release of her power, a massive fireball incinerated the Grimm and continued its destructive path, exploding against a Creep, leaving only ash in its wake. Yang's resilience in the face of such a powerful adversary was truly inspiring, enough to motivate the others she could hear yelling and grunting from nearby. The Yellow Ranger rolled her head along her shoulders before taking her stance, searching for her next target until she felt a rushing wind brush over her…
…followed by a Manticore's head. The purple lights in its eyes dimmed, the skull and its dropped body dissipating into nothing while the red figure held a short blade. Shane swiftly struck down some Sabyrs and slashed open a Beowolf's throat before kicking it away. "You're off to a good start!"
"Thanks!" Yang wasted no time with any more words and turned her attention back to the fray, charging to join the others. She could go all day against the Grimm single-handedly if she wanted to, but she'd lose herself too easily. And getting distracted was not an option, especially when the Grimm were souped up like this. Case in point, she noticed an Ursa smashing its paws into the ground, creating a shockwave that forced several Rangers to leap or roll away while others were sent flying. A backward blast from her dragon gauntlets propelled Yang toward the beast like a yellow bullet, a war cry leaving her mouth before she delivered a high-impact strike to the side of its face, caving it inwards and toppling the dissolving monster.
"Ha ha! WOO!" She cried, spreading her arms as if welcoming praise from a crowd. "Are we all having fun here?" Yang weaved away from a swooping Griffon and grabbed it by the tail, using the Grimm as a bludgeon to beat back several other Grimm until she hurled it at her fellow Rangers. A crimson line slashed across the Grimm's body, slicing it into evaporating pieces.
"This is your idea of fun?" asked an incredulous Brody while he kicked down a Beowolf and ran his blade through its open maw. Yang shrugged in reply, nonchalantly ramming her elbow into another Beowolf's face. "Hey, I get how serious this is, but still! We got this!"
"Don't let your faith turn into overconfidence!" Jayden called, his sword cleaving through limbs and hacking at black bodies. "Watch each other's backs; these things can come from anywhere, anytime!" He rolled away from a swipe and somersaulted over a lunge, stabbing into the beast's spine before jumping off and slashing a Creep across the face. Everyone else danced through the crowd, cutting and slicing with various blades while Yang was left to pound and pummel with blazing blows. Such a bombardment blasted holes through an Ursa, which fell to its knees and swiped a paw at Yang. The Yellow Ranger leaped over and channeled her power into her leg, igniting it with an orange glow before she brought it down onto the monster's head. The monster's skull exploded on impact, leaving a charred husk to be swept into the wind.
The ground trembled beneath Yang's feet, prompting her to backflip away before a huge Centinel erupted with a great hiss. The insectoid-like creature exhumed corrosive purple liquid from its maw, with Yang running and rolling from each deadly spray while using several Grimm as living shields. One violet liquid splatter vaporized the grass before her, cutting off Yang's path. The Yellow Ranger whirled around as the Centinel's mouth bubbled up again…
…and a blue figure landed right between the Grimm and Yang, meeting the corrosive stream with a torrent of water from her palms. Both liquids sizzled and hissed upon contact until all that remained was rising and vanishing steam. Tori didn't allow the Centinel to flee or attack again as she whipped out her morpher and fired blue laser blasts at the beast's exoskeleton.
"Back off, bug!" Tori yelled, blasting a blue bolt into one of the Centinel's eyes. The Grimm hissed ominously and reared back to strike at the sapphire-clad ninja, but the ground exploded next to it to reveal a yellow ninja sailing through the air. Dustin landed a strong slash at the Grimm's midsection before swinging around and vaulting himself airborne. He buried his blade into the monster's skull, but the beast hissed venomously before bucking the Yellow Ranger off and burrowing back underground.
"You're not the only one with that little trick!" Dustin cried, putting his fingers together and pointing them at the ground. He immediately faded in a poof of smoke before a vapor trail emanated from the earth, pursuing the larger disturbance tunneling away. The trail hurried to close the distance on the larger disturbance, the ground shifting and moving as a marker of Dustin's presence.
Unfortunately, it was a marker that friend and foe could spot. A Beringel thrust its fist into the earth right on top of Dustin's position, yanking the Yellow Ranger back into the open air like a fox hunting for a snow-hidden mouse. The ape-like Grimm bellowed in Dustin's face and pulled back its free fist…
"HEEEE-YAAAAH!" Another Yellow Ranger came flying in and sliced off the Beringel's fist, dropping Dustin to the ground while it howled in pain. A third Yellow Ranger sprang into the air and landed a hard kick to the monster's head, downing the Beringel. Calvin moved to help Dustin while Emily drew her own blade, sinking it into the monster's skull before it could lash its remaining arm at her. Yang hurried up to the group as Emily yanked out her sword and slashed the creature across the throat upon hearing a groan from it.
"What gives?! That should've finished it off!"
"Guess the others weren't kidding about these things," Calvin muttered, watching his friends pepper Grimm with blaster bolts to no effect. Mike's sword made contact with a Sabyr's bony skull, but the blade didn't even crack the skull before the Grimm turned and pounced on the Samurai Ranger. A quick kick forced the Grimm off, and Mike bolted past a pair of Gold Rangers trying to fend off the swarm.
"BARRACUDA BLADE!" Swift and bright slashes sliced through some Sabyrs, with a clean cut slicing a Sabyr in two.
"ROCKSTORM BLAST!" A barrage of golden bolts pounded against some Beowolves and an Ursa, downing the lesser Grimm and agitating the larger one. It broke into a fierce charge, forcing the two Gold Rangers to roll aside. Levi was the first to pop back to his feet, striking a swooping Griffon with his guitar-shaped sword.
"Yee-haw! Just like back in the Antiverse!"
"You and I remember the Antiverse very differently, mi amigo," Antonio commented while he flipped over a bite and slashed his attacker's nape.
"Okay, so they're all juiced up on Grid energy," Yang told everyone. "But that's nothing, right, guys? So what if the Grimm have special powers now? We're Rangers, which means we've got tricks, too!"
"And as warriors of the ancient ways," added Shane as he stood with Jayden and Brody. "We wield the one power these freakshows can only mimic in their perverted ways: the power of the elements! Now, let's do it!"
"You heard him, guys!" Brody called to his teammates. "Let's take it to the next level!"
"RIGHT!" They all answered, some inserting new stars into their swords while others readied their morphers, which doubled in size. Brody led the charge while Shane motioned for his team to follow him. Cameron struck his sheathed sword over a Beowolf's skull like a bat before whipping the blade out and slashing at an approaching Boarbatusk. Finally, Jayden turned to his own teammates, who silently nodded simultaneously.
"SPIN SWORD!" they all roared, sending their discs into a rapid velocity while their respective colors spread across their blades. An awestruck Yang looked on as each weapon reformed into one unique for each Ranger. Jayden's was the first to reveal itself, manifesting into a massive double-handed sword already bursting into flame.
"FIRE SMASHER!"
"HYDRO BOW!" Kevin called, wielding a large blue longbow in hand.
"SKY FAN!" Mia yelled, unfurling a pink tessen.
"FOREST SPEAR!" Mike held a long green lance in both hands, its tip pointed at the Grimm.
"EARTH SLICER!" Emily finished as she gripped a massive yellow shuriken with black blades. They hurried into the fray as well, leaving Yang the only Ranger left idle. She didn't remain so for long and boomed with loud, excited laughter. She wished the Grimm could see the smirk on her face right now, but what they would soon see would make up for it.
"You messed with the wrong blonde, you monsters! INFERNO MODE!" Her entire body burst into flames, and she shot forward with a roar, smashing into the first Grimm she had seen with a meteoric impact. Her body moved independently, and her fists rapidly hammered the beast, reducing the Grimm to ash in her tightly clenched palms. She never let up and blasted fireballs at the surrounding horde before noticing she wasn't the only one roasting and scorching the Grimm to cinders.
"FIRE SMASHER, BLAZING STRIKE! RRRRAAAAAHHH!" Jayden swung his sword around like a club, sending lesser Grimm flying with each blow. He bashed an Ursa aside, the strike setting it alight as the beast howled in pain. Another Ursa tried grabbing the weapon, but Jayden forced the blade down and headbutted the bear-like beast before kicking it back and cutting deep into its chest with an upward strike. More Grimm immediately moved on the Red Ranger while he impaled a Beringel through the torso and yanked his sword out with a roar, making the larger Grimm explode in a cloud of flame.
Brody leaped in front of Jayden, spinning up a Power Star on his blade. "ELEMENT STAR: NINJA FIRE ATTACK! HRRAAAH!" A fiery stream erupted from his sword, igniting the monsters and leaving them to wail and thrash as they disintegrated into nothing. With his sword a blazing length, Brody entered a deadly dance of slashing, cutting, and swiping alongside Jayden, both Red Rangers a literal firestorm. They were so busy slicing through the Grimm with flaming weapons like hot knives through butter…
…that they failed to notice a shadow looming over them both until the source of the darkness was right on top of them.
"RRRRAAAAAGH!" A bright comet-like trail streaked over their heads, colliding dead-on with a giant boulder. Yang's body emitted yellow flames as her fist made explosive contact with the rock, the punch blasting it to dozens of tiny pebbles that rained down on the Red Rangers below. The dragon-themed Yellow Ranger heroically touched down between Jayden and Brody. All three Rangers focused on the now-shattered boulder's hurler: the lumbering Geist stomping down the battlefield as more Grimm scurried past its thundering earth-born legs.
And with a sharp, like-minded nod, Yang blasted for the horde with her fellow fiery Rangers covering her sides.
…
Blake charged out of the hotel with the two new Rangers in tow, arriving at a street filled with prowling Beowolves, idle Ursai, and roaming Boarbatusks. Some Griffons here and there pecked at overturned car doors or through windows, but their behavior was more akin to animals than the savage and soulless monsters she knew. Not even the terrified screams and shrieks from civilians riled them up into those bloodthirsty crazes: the Grimm were doing the impossible and ignoring all of the helpless, terrified people that should have been drawing the monsters to them like a dinner bell.
A single look at a wailing child and a Boarbatusk marched on. A griffon flew away from a shivering couple in a window. A Beowolf leaped off a car that had an entire family inside. Everywhere Blake looked, she thought she was dreaming. None of this made any sense. None of this had to be real! The Grimm weren't supposed to-
Noses sniffed the air. Bodies froze in place. Ears twitched. And every head whirled in Blake's direction. Glowing purple eyes focused on the Black Ranger and her two new allies…
RRRAAAAAAARRRHHH! The Grimm erupted into a frenzy and barreled for the trio like vultures descending on a carcass. Blake's blades glistened in the sunlight and her body took full control, snapping away her thoughts no matter how much she wanted to listen to them. Blake met the Grimm halfway, allowing a lunging Beowolf to fall on her blades before she spread her arms to rip the black beast apart. Her shadow self fell victim to a pouncing Sabyr and her heel drove into the monster's neck, snapping it under Blake's boot.
The other two Rangers were no pushovers, striking and smacking at the Grimm with twin staffs crackling with electricity. One well-placed swing was enough to knock away a swooping Griffon while another blow almost caved in a Boarbatusk's skull. Throughout Blake's constant evasive maneuvers and swift counters that left Grimm limbless and headless, the Black Ranger noted how coordinated the two Rangers were in their strikes, each connected blow ringing like thunder and zapping their enemies with quick electric bursts.
Nora would get a kick out of them. She just knew it.
The one in blue expertly executed three strikes on an Ursa before finishing up with an electrically charged swing. Once the beast was airborne, a lightning trail shot out from his helmet's pincer and attached to the monster, allowing him to swing the Ursa around like a wrecking ball and bash every monster that came for him. Blake somersaulted over the unfortunate Grimm and descended on a Boarbatusk, burying her black blades in its neck before swiftly separating it from its head. The Ursa eventually came crashing down right next to her in a smoking heap, yet the purple lights in its eyes told the Black Ranger that it still lived.
A problem easily remedied when Blake charged her blades with violet light and struck it across the chest faster than the eye could see. Blake faced the two Rangers in a hunter's pose after a spinning flurry, causing the Ursa to explode in purple light. A huge x-shaped throwing star cut through the Grimm that were still on their feet until the crimson-clad Ranger caught it and reformed it into his staff.
"Nice job, Blake!"
"Thanks," she muttered…
…at the same time the blue-clad Ranger uttered her exact words in a more jubilant manner. "Thanks! Wait, wha-"
All three Rangers went silent, and their helmets flashed away, each of their faces marked with surprise and confusion. Blake locked eyes with the young man who had replied alongside her, blinking in befuddlement while the other one glanced between the two.
"I, uh, I'm pretty sure he was talking to me."
"Are you sure?" she asked him. "It sounded like he said my name."
The man's eyes widened and he pinched the bridge of his nose with a sigh. "Oh no…"
Blake didn't understand. "What's wrong?"
There was a groan from the other man dressed in crimson. "I knew there was something we missed!" He turned his eyes to Blake and cleared his throat. "Uh, hi. I'm Hunter Bradley, Crimson Thunder Ranger of Ninja Storm. And this is my brother, the Navy Thunder Ranger… Blake Bradley."
If Blake still had her cat ears, they'd be flatter than paper right now. "O-oh…" She absentmindedly grasped her arm while averting eye contact. "I-I'm sorry, I just-"
"No, no, not your fault, new girl," Hunter sighed before approaching his brother. "So, um… what do you wanna do? Like, should I call you Blake B, or-"
"Yes, plea-"
"No!" the Black Ranger objected with a cringe. "No, that's… not gonna help."
"Aw, come on!" the man who shared her name moaned. "Alright, let's just… how about 'bro' or things along those lines?"
"Okay, we can work with that. And as for you," Hunter nodded, his eyes settling on the Black Ranger. "What do you think about codenames? Is anything like Black or Panther okay with-"
KERASH! The hotel wall exploded outward in a mixture of glass, wood, and cement, and three figures were thrown out onto the street. Two collapsed to the road while the third landed on his feet, dressed in what Blake could describe as red, black, and yellow ninja garb. The red one struck a stance while the black and yellow ones hauled themselves to their feet just as an Ursa and a Beringel stormed out of the hotel, roaring and growling at the trio.
"I don't know about you guys…" the black one groaned. "But that feels like escalating to me…" The yellow one shook herself off and locked eyes with the Ursa while the red figure stared down the Beringel. "Escalating?" she repeated. "But we're just getting started here!"
"Well, it has been a while since we broke out the ninja forms." the black one clarified. "We just - rgh - need to figure out if we still got it." The red figure caught the others from the corners of his eyes as the other two moved to re-engage the Grimm. "Hey! You three aren't busy, are you?"
"Well, you guys sure are!" Blake - the other one - countered. "Three Rangers are losing against two monsters?!"
"Hey!" the black one countered, somersaulting over a Beringel's arm. "That's two superpowered monsters to you! It's not exactly a cakewalk over here!" Right on cue, he leaped over a smashing fist only to get creamed by another fist, sending him flying into a nearby wall. The two Thunder Rangers ran off while Blake stayed behind, sprinting over to her fellow Black Ranger and helping him to his feet.
"Are you alright?"
"Yeah, I'll be fine," he replied, moving his hood and facemask aside to reveal a bearded face. "You're one of the new girls, right? Blake, was it?"
She nodded and retracted her helmet. "That's right."
He smiled. "Adam. Adam Park."
Blake froze.
Darkness illuminated only by blood and crimson.
Shadows everywhere.
A white mask hiding soulless eyes behind.
Horns like a devil stalking her, getting closer and closer and closer.
It was there no matter where she ran. Always behind. Always in front. Always all around.
"You belong to me, my darling… I'll always find you."
"Hey!"
Blake gasped in horror and staggered back, her golden eyes wide while her chest rapidly heaved in and out. It took every ounce of fiber to calm down her racing heart and force every thought into the depths of her mind, lock them away, and erase the key into nothing.
"I said, are you okay?" said the man who had his name. "You look like you just lost one of your nine lives… wait, do you take offense to that?"
"Nothing! It's nothing!" Blake hurriedly shouted, rushing past the other Black Ranger and focusing on the distant Grimm. Don't think about running from him. He's not here. He won't find you here.
The man, meanwhile, just stared as she ran. "Okay… that was weird," he muttered before resting his eyes on the ape monster currently trying to swat the Red Ranger like a bug. "Then again… so is fighting monsters juiced up on the Grid. Eh, no biggie."
The Yellow Ranger rolled under the Ursa's swipe and slammed her feet into its chest, knocking it skyward so Hunter could smash it back onto the street. "Rocky! You good?!"
"Nothing I can't handle, Aisha!" he called back, swinging from the Beringel's arm to kick its jaw. The monster staggered back with a snarl, allowing Rocky to leap off the arm and throw a fist into its bony face. Blake Bradley quickly followed through with a pincer-like weapon, clasping it around the ape monster's throat to deliver a powerful shock… that lasted for five seconds until a huge fist sent the Navy Ranger through a wall.
"I'm okay!" Blake Belladonna heard him shout. The girl winced and re-equipped her helmet, pouncing at the Ursa while both large Grimm snarled and roared at the Rangers around them. And as her blades sunk into the dark flesh, she wondered if her friends were doing any better…
…
"GET SOOOOOOME!"
Yang was having the time of her life, and she dared anything that would happen later to outclass this awesome moment. Jayden and Brody slashed through Grimm with blazing blades and powerful blows. Still, Yang could easily match their flaming fury by manifesting her yellow dragon construct and wielding it as efficiently as her sister did with Crescent Rose. With every wave and fluid movement of her arms, the dragon smacked down Grimm with its length, covered Yang's flank with a stream of yellow flame, blasted Griffons down with sunny fireballs, and for the coup de grace, Yang commanded the construct to grab a Beowolf between its jaws, spiral skyward to knock away some Manticores and bite the Beowolf in half before the construct faded away.
"Eat your heart out, Weiss!" Yang laughed as she finished her deadly dance with an appreciative bow. None of her Ranger allies applauded, not that she blamed them. They were still in the middle of a fight, after all. Brody twirled his burning blade and slashed through several Grimm in a full sprint while Jayden sent four more flying with a single swing around himself. But even as the Grimm fell to their weapons and Yang's fiery fists, more surged in to fill their ranks.
"YOW!" Mike yelped, somersaulting away from an incoming boulder that smashed apart upon impact. "Okay, that's it! We gotta take care of that creepy cyclops thing!"
"Well, we would," Hayley countered, kicking a leaping Sabyr in the abdomen. "But there's too many Grimm between us and it!"
"Then it's a good thing we got the forecast!" Mia called, holding her Sky Fan ready. "A hundred percent chance of heavy winds!" Shane landed by her side in the blink of an eye while Sarah cartwheeled next to her, both Pink Rangers sharing a nod. Sarah attached a Power Star to her sword, Mia readied her fan gracefully, and Shane drew his arms back…
"POWER OF AIR!"
"SKY FAN, AIRWAY!"
"ELEMENT STAR: NINJA TORNADO ATTACK!"
FWWOOOOSSSSH! A massive cyclone swirling with red and pink winds barreled through the crowd of Grimm, lifting all manner of beasts into the sky and flinging them all over the battlefield. Not even larger foes like Manticores and Ursai were safe from the storm. Yang paused while hammering a Griffon to behold the tornado tearing through the black horde, which not even flying Grimm could escape.
"Y'know, something still bothers me," Brody commented. "Shane's a Red Ranger, but his deal is air? Not fire? That sounds kinda misleading…"
"Wind fuels every flame," Jayden reminded him. "Both of those elements cooperate in more ways than you might think. Why don't you and I give our honored guests here that demonstration?" The two Red Rangers hurried off, and Yang decided to leave them to it as she hurried in search of her next monster to burn, smash, or do both. She hopped and sidestepped away from Grimm that smashed and crashed into the ground, evaporating into ash upon impact.
"And just like that," Mia exclaimed. "Clear skies ahead!"
"Really?" Yang heard Preston ask as she caught the Blue Ranger fighting with Tori and Kevin, the former using a fin-shaped megaphone to lift Grimm off their feet and the latter bashing away beasts with his bow like a staff. "That's not what my weather app says!" Sharp slashes across throats and limbs kept some of his attackers at bay, allowing Preston to attach another star to his sword while Kevin drew back a pump handle on his bow. "It says there's a flash flood approaching!"
"Let's make a splash, boys! POWER OF WATER!"
"HYDRO BOW, DRAGON SPLASH!"
"ELEMENT STAR: NINJA WATER ATTACK!"
A bombardment of blue arrows cut through the Grimm while a torrential tide surrounded the trio of Blue Rangers in a swirling whirlpool, washing away the rest. Streams erupted from Tori's palms while Preston's sword gushed like a fountain, blasting Beowolves away with the force of a fire hose. An Ursa managed to block the stream with its forelimbs and growl in rage, its paw charging with purple energy released as a purple orb. Preston leaped before an unaware Kevin, conjuring an aquatic shield that deflected the dark energy ball, sending it right back at the Ursa before blowing the black bear to bits.
"Whoa! Nice save!"
"Thanks!" Preston laughed before spotting Kevin's weapon. "Bet I can't shoot down more monsters than you!" The older Ranger snickered and clasped his partner on the shoulder. "You're on, mister magician!" Preston sheathed his blade and took out his star-shaped morpher instead, extending one of its three points and releasing two blades.
"BATTLE MORPHER BOW MODE! ARROW BLAST!"
Kevin and Preston laid down a covering fire barrage, keeping the Grimm at bay while Tori surfed through the masses, slicing and soaking as she went with the occasional laser blast to incoming Griffons. Yang shot them a thumbs-up as she passed, hurrying towards another group more of her color. Dustin, Emily, and Calvin were immovable mountains standing tall against a tsunami of death, the former bashing bones with a lion-themed hammer. At the same time, a yellow shuriken whizzed through the horde, and a sharp yellow blade moved faster than the eye could track.
Yang noticed a bunch of Grimm chasing after her and waved an arm. "Yo, yellows! Brought some new toys for ya!" Dustin nodded and gripped his hammer tightly. "You heard the new girl! Time to rock and roll! LION HAMMER!"
"EARTH SLICER, SEISMIC SWING!"
"ELEMENT STAR: NINJA EARTH ATTACK!"
A powerful smash from Dustin's hammer ruptured the earth, opening a small chasm that sprinting Beowolves and Sabyrs were too late to avoid. Calvin plunged his sword into the ground, causing the space in front of him to abruptly bulge outward, sending a small group of squealing Boarbatusks airborne. Fast-moving Grimm crashed directly into the massive mound. Finally, Emily enveloped her shuriken in an earthly cyclone and released a wave of yellow energy that blasted through the stunned Grimm, including a Beringel that fell onto its back.
Another swing from Calvin's sword brought up the ground, pulling the ape Grimm's limbs underneath while it roared and frantically thrashed around. Dustin bashed a Manticore aside before launching Emily, who hovered above the trapped Beringel.
"PRIMATE CYCLONE!" She spiraled downward in a yellow tornado with her arms outstretched, smashing her Earth Slicer onto the Beringel's chest with a concussive crash. Nothing remained of the monster when the dust settled, earning Emily a triumphant laugh from Yang. "Now that's what I signed up for!" Her fellow female Yellow Ranger didn't get the chance to respond, as the ground exploded again with a telltale his and purple liquid dripping from insectoid jaws.
"Urgh…" Calvin groaned. "Bugs should never, ever, be that big…"
"Good thing I got the swatter!" Dustin echoed, striking a stance with his hammer. "Yang, help me squash this thing!" She pounded her fists together before charging at the Centinel, taking its right side while Dustin moved in from the left. Both Yellow Rangers dodged corrosive spit, wailing on the creature's body with everything they had. A strong swing from Dustin took off some armor plating while Yang's blows blasted chunks off entire sections, the howling arthropod screeching in pain. A sharp spin in place drove the Rangers back and it moved to borrow again.
"ELEMENT STAR: NINJA METAL ATTACK!" Chains materialized from nowhere and wrapped around the Centinel's massive frame, keeping it from moving as Hayley sprinted for the oversized insect. "No more disappearing acts, freak!" She yelled, leaping upward and twirling to avoid another deadly purple stream before landing on the Centinel's head.
"BATTLE MORPHER BLADE MODE! BLADE SLASH!" A shining white slash deprived the Centinel of a jaw claw, and its screech was followed by a louder one when Hayley plunged her weapon into the center of its eyeless head. The Centinel thrashed like a bucking bronco, swinging its head in all directions until finally flinging the White Ranger off.
"ELEMENT STAR: NINJA FOREST ATTACK!" Vines sprouted from the earth and safely caught the girl, much to the nearby Yellow Ranger's relief. "I gotcha, Hales!"
"Thanks, babe!" she called, springing back to her feet as two Green Rangers charged past the vines with spear and sword drawn.
"Come on, Cam! Let's cut this centipede down to size!"
"Right behind you, Mike! SAMURAI SABER!"
"FOREST SPEAR, TREE SYMBOL STRIKE!" The Green Rangers shot themselves for the Grimm, breaking free from the chains as metallic bits snapped and clattered to the ground. Cameron's swift slash cut a hole right through its armor, allowing Mike to wreak havoc with four powerful slashes and strikes indicated by bright emerald lines. The final slash was enough to cleave the Centinel in half, leaving two black bleeding portions of the beast behind. A dying croak sputtered from the insectoid's mouth…
CRUNCH! It was silenced by Yang's boot caving in its skull. The Yellow Ranger twisted and ground her foot deeper into the Grimm's head before finally pulling her leg out, scraping black blood from her boot while the Centinel's body withered away to ash. "Eugh, that was… less grosser in my head. So! One down, one to-"
"AAAAUUUGH!" Three red-clad bodies sailed past her and slid along the ground, with one digging his oversized sword into the ground to halt his trajectory. Jayden rose to a stand and charged for the Rangers before leaping over their heads and cleaving a giant boulder in half, clattering to the ground as Shane and Brody rejoined him. Yang was one of many gazes who turned to the horde… and one particular colossus stomping to the forefront.
"I always figured the academy could use a little rock garden!" Dustin quipped, ready to charge in… until Yang stopped him. "Wait! From what I know about Geists, this isn't gonna be a cakewalk! They possess stuff, which is what those rocks are for!"
"Possess?" gulped Calvin. "Does… does that mean it can possess us, too?"
"Nah, Grimm like those don't exist," Yang countered. "But we need to focus our attacks on its face! That should kick it out of its body and leave it wide open!"
"Don't fight the armor; fight the one inside it," Jayden echoed. "A solid plan, Yang."
"If all we need to do is hit that bullseye," Brody added. "Then what the heck are we waiting for?! Let's give this goliath the biggest black eye of its life!" Yang shot forward and led the charge against the approaching Petra Gigas, three Ranger teams at her back…
…and as they engaged the Grimm, none of them noticed a claw-shaped foreleg standing on a distant hill.
…
ROOOWWWWRR! GRRRAAAARRR!
The Panther Animal Spirit and the supercharged Ursa tumbled down the street, the former locking its paws around the latter's head and biting down hard. The bear-like beast dislodged its spiritual attacker with a hard shove and tried smashing it underfoot, but the panther swiftly darted away, lunged onto the Grimm's side, and tore into its black form with fangs and claws. With the Ursa occupied, it failed to notice the ground unnaturally shifting and moving towards it…
Two yellow hands shot out from the road and seized the Ursa's rear legs, pulling them out from under the beast and making it fall flat on its face. Aisha erupted from the earth and twirled in midair, driving a drilling stomp into the monster's head. The black beast was only stunned by the strike as the Yellow Ranger vaulted off, but she gave the Animal Spirit that moment it needed. The construct closed its jaws around the stunned Ursa's throat and tore it out before it could react, leaving the bear-like beast to choke, bleed out, and finally disintegrate before the panther snarled into the sky.
The spirit returned to Blake's body, the Black Ranger taking cover behind a car and popping shots at the Beringel. Her purple bolts dissipated against the enhanced Grimm's exterior, which paid her no mind as it snatched the Bradley brothers in midair and roared in both of their faces. The angry ape smashed the two Thunder Rangers together with a loud boom that rivaled their sky-shattering strikes and flung them away like ragdolls… until a red blur smacked it across the face and Rocky stood before the monster.
He spread his arms open. "Whatcha got, Emo Goldar?"
RRRRAAAARRR! The Beringel smashed and pounded its black fists onto the pavement, awfully missing its target thanks to Rocky zipping away from each blow in a crimson blur. He backflipped away from the demolished asphalt and the Beringel gave chase, throwing a huge punch that the Red Ranger easily caught in both hands. Rocky heaved the arm over himself, tossing the Beringel behind him and causing it to crash against the street before it clumsily got back to its feet while roaring in rage. It lunged at Rocky with a leaping slam, seemingly burying the Red Ranger under its fists…
…but its rage turned into confusion when it found only Rocky's suit flattened against the street.
"Surprise!" he called out, landing a kick across the ape's face and bounding up a wall to flee from its wrath. Rocky scaled the nearby building and leaped away from a hurled car that smashed into the wall, his foot meeting the monster's forehead before he got to work evading another set of savage swings and smashes.
"Monkey boy's having trouble with just one guy," Blake snapped out of her observation and found Ad… Park standing by her side. "Whadda ya say we give him some more problems?"
"Um… w-with just the two of us?"
He snickered. "Well, I wouldn't say 'two' of us…" Blake didn't get to ask what he meant before he brought his hands together… and in a poof of dark smoke, Park was surrounded by exact duplicates of himself that mimicked his every move. Blake immediately caught on and followed suit, summoning forth her shadow selves that stood like faceless soldiers silently awaiting instruction. Both Black Rangers took off and abandoned cover, their doubles following at ninja-like speed, allowing them to surround and swarm the surprised Beringel. Park's duplicates and Blake's shadows struck like black blurs, pummeling the beast's legs and slashing its upper body with clawed fingers. Park - or a double, it was hard for Blake to tell - launched off two duplicates to throw a huge shuriken into the Beringel's eye. Its howl rang in Blake's ears while she swung over its arms and traversed up its back, burying a blade in its other eye. Now completely blinded, the Beringel thrashed its arms in every direction, flinging off shadows and doubles while the real Blake struggled to hold on…
"THUNDER BLASTER, FIRE!"
Blake's head shot up and she kicked off the monster, clearing a huge orb of electricity to slam into the beast and overload it with a powerful surge. Several of Park's duplicates also leaped away, leaving Blake's shadows to be disintegrated in the blast that wiped the Beringel off the map. One such double did not vanish as it landed next to Blake; presumably the real deal.
The smoke cleared quickly, revealing the other Blake and his brother while Rocky and Aisha dusted themselves off. Bradley approached Park with a slight sigh. "Man… if only my team could make copies like you guys! Nice job with the distraction, Adam. You too, other me."
She was silent as a shadow, everyone's words washing over her. Those two together threatened to resurface unpleasant memories that were better left buried. They needed to stay buried; she shouldn't focus on them, she needed to-
Blake spun on her heel and ran from the memories, forcing her mind to focus solely on any more Grimm in the area. The other Rangers paused when they quickly noticed the new Black Ranger, with Adam turning to Blake Bradley and pointing his thumb at her.
"What's her problem?"
He shrugged. "Beats me."
"Hold on, do you…" Hunter spoke up, tightening his grip on his blaster. "Does anyone else hear… shouting?" The group fell quiet, no one making a sound as they listened for anything unusual. Before long, something cut through the air: screams, shouts, and wails of pain. It sounded like it was coming from not too far away.
"Move, Rangers!" Rocky cried, following the Black Ranger's trail. Blake had already picked up the sounds and stopped the next block over, her weapons already primed as she slid to a halt before what she presumed was a new Grimm attack…
…but that was not what she saw.
Her weapons faded, her body went still, and her helmet blinked away to reveal horrified amber eyes. "Oh gods…"
"What is it? What do you…" Hunter trailed off when everyone else joined her, falling dead silent at the scene in front of them. None of them could properly describe what was happening, but one word summed it up.
Anarchy.
There were no Grimm anywhere, but that wasn't good news. Everywhere Blake and the Rangers looked, the city block was in pure chaos. Civilians were screaming and shouting, but not because of a monster… they were screaming and shouting because they were inexplicably attacking one another. People tackled each other to the ground, savagely beat down them with their fists, and used whatever they could find as weapons to brutally and aggressively hurt or injure their targets in one way or another. One man threw a brick at a woman, knocking her out cold. Another civilian sank his teeth into a man's leg, earning an enraged roar from the victim. A third grabbed her opponent and slammed him into a wall while a distant group was engaged in an all-out brawl, wailing at each other with no regard for their safety.
"What the… wh-what's happening here?!" Aisha stammered. "What's gotten into these people?!"
"I-I don't know," Hunter stammered. "But how are we gonna snap 'em out of it before they do anything they might regret?!"
Blake was quiet again, this time at a loss for words. If a riot on this scale happened back home, it would be a negativity smorgasbord: the Grimm would be coming for them in seconds. Strangely, they had been ignoring innocent civilians, but with all this anger and hate in one place, there had to be at least-
"Wait, look! Middle of the street!" Blake Bradley pointed out. The Black Ranger's eyes followed and vaguely made out a dark humanoid-esque shape among the squabbling crowd. It was taller than the rest and had its back turned, two insanely long arms stretching down to the ground. It stood silently among the crowd, with no furious civilians moving in to attack it. Blake noticed that the people were keeping their distance, and the shape stood like a statue, blissfully unaware of the chaotic scene unfolding around it.
"Just one?!" Park laughed, unveiling two wrist devices from under his sleeves. "Ha! This'll be a cinch!" He sprinted and charged down the road while ignoring Aisha. "Adam, wait! We need-"
"ZEO RANGER FOUR: GREEN!" An emerald flash covered his body, swapping out his black ninja garb for a glistening jade Ranger uniform with a rectangle-shaped visor. Park charged for the creature's back, pulling back a fist that glowed with a bright green light. "ZEO FOUR POWER PU-"
The creature spun around faster than he could blink, revealing a hideous skull-like face with glowing purple eyes and an ominous low-hanging jaw. Park stopped short, his fist mere inches from smashing in the Grimm's bony face. His entire body locked up while a deep groan emanated from the monster's mouth. The brawling civilians also halted, freezing in place whether they were beating down helpless victims or getting beaten themselves.
"Come on, Adam, what are you waiting for?" Blake Bradley murmured. "Deck its ugly skull face already!"
Park did not respond. His fist slowly lowered to his side and he stood tall, ignoring the civilians who turned all their heads towards the other Rangers. Once every pair of eyes were locked on them, Blake noticed something spine-tingling about them.
Everyone's eyes were glowing a dark violet, like the strange humanoid Grimm, who was deeply staring into the Green Ranger.
That was when Park turned around, standing by the slender Grimm's side. His helmet flashed away…
…revealing the same purple eyes.
Aisha's breath hitched. "A…Adam?!"
A horror-stricken Rocky shook his head. "No…"
MMRRRUUUUUHHH!
"REEEEAAAAAAAAAAGGHH!" The monster's moan was answered by a savage scream from the crowd, Park being one of their many voices before they all charged forward. Park charged with a furious snarl on his face and drew his blaster, opening fire on his fellow Rangers with emerald laser bolts that sent them all scrambling. Blake yelped as she launched into backflips and somersaults, Aisha flying through the air as bolts struck her dead-on. The Bradleys cried out as sparks flew from their form and Rocky slid behind a car, his chest heaving from panic. Blake fought to keep her own rising fear at bay and drew her blaster.
"NO!" The other Blake shouted, almost swatting the weapon from her hand. "We can't shoot people! W-we can't hurt them, either!"
"Then what can we do?!" she yelled back.
"Everyone, fall back!" Rocky shouted. "FALL BACK NOW!" No one was in the mood to argue and they all took off, although Aisha waved her arms frantically. "Adam! Adam, STOP! Snap out of-GAH!" Another volley of emerald bolts prompted her to take off, her friend callously and emotionlessly shooting at her. Blake's heart pounded in her chest as she ran, her mind screaming to call in some backup.
She was about to do just that when her ears picked up Rocky's alarmed tone.
"Tommy! Tommy, come in! We need backup at Panorama City! Bring anyone with restraining abilities! I say again, restraining abilities!"
"Rocky?! Why do you sound- is everything okay?!"
"Everything is far from okay right now, Tommy!" He answered, ducking and leaping over jade lasers. "We need help! NOW!"
"Alright, I'm on my way! Hang tight!"
Blake could still hear the angry mob chasing after her as if she was a Faunus once again. She could do nothing to fight back without breaking the Ranger's oath against harming innocents. All she could do was run like she always had…
But this was a sign. The Grimm were going from bad to worse—not just here but everywhere. Ruby, Weiss, Yang… wherever they were and whatever they were doing, Blake feared that they would come to the same conclusion sooner rather than later.