Episode 17.5: The Rival Rangers
Flightless Man
Versed in the lewd.
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Episode 17.5: The Rival Rangers
Crowded around the Ziktor families television, Orion hastily flicks to the news. When the Green Ranger is revealed downtown and facing the monster by himself, Orion speaks into his wrist.
"Hayley, you may want to get in here." He winces when Bulk takes a blast of electricity, shielding the reporter and cameraman with his own body. "Rita's back with some new friends."
Overhearing him, Angela Fairweather raises an eyebrow in his direction. Who are you kids? When the front door slams open a few moments later, her jaw drops.
"What's she doi-" Hayley freezes in place, with Alpha beside her. "We have guests… You didn't say anything."
"Whoa…" Aware of how impressive Alpha is, Nate starts to slowly approach. "Are you really a robot?"
Ryan doesn't notice the lack of humanity in Alpha, his eyes locked on the news. "I thought the Green Ranger was the bad guy, why is he saving everyone?"
"Because we broke the curse on him during the last battle," Unaware that the guests are uninformed, Alpha is just excited to have new people to converse with. "How do you know the Rangers, are you Hayley and Orion's off world relatives?"
"Alpha!" Hissing at him, Hayley is rapidly going pale, while Orion backs out of the room to find his mom.
Dana's eyes go wide and she starts to put all the pieces together. "The people who saved us at the beach, they're the..."
"Power Rangers." Angela agrees with her conclusion, making Hayley sag in defeat.
"Yeah, but now we can't really let you leave." Explains Karone, as she follows her worried son into the room. "Not until they finish and decide how to handle this."
Emma arrives in the shot, saving Bulk when he's being overwhelmed by the Polluticorn. Within few minutes, the rest of the team is at the battle and the tide turns swiftly for the heroes.
As the monster begins reverting back to it's human form, the news switches to outside of the city hall. Mayor Daniels is giving a speech, but everyone's eyes lock onto he man beside him.
"Dad?" Gasps Ryan, still in shock over seeing him fall to his apparent death not even an hour ago.
Beside him, Dana grabs his hand and feels her heart hammering in her chest. "That's not him."
They listen as the person claiming to be Captain Mitchell gives his speech to California. "Today, the Silver Guardians proved we are scaring these aliens. They attacked our bases specifically, but we endured!"
"They did not find us alone though, they had spies inside our organization." A picture of Angela Fairweather is shown. "This woman infiltrated us and kidnapped my children, but she did not do this alone."
He brings up a picture of Nate next, with one of Jake and his false identity next. "These spies will be found and my children recovered." Noah's fake name and picture is next, with Gia, Troy, and Orion all having blurry security camera stills. "We will find you, I promise." He stares directly into the camera and everyone in the room shifts uncomfortably.
"Well..." Karone flicks the television on mute when it begins replaying the battle footage. "None of you can leave now, so I better get some rooms ready for all of you." She snorts to herself and then pauses beside the door.
"So who is this?" She points to Tommy, who's currently experiencing a very fitful sleep on the couch.
Taking responsibility for him, Angela explains with a disgusted expression on her face. "Anton Mercer was supposed to be finding a new kind of steroid, so our Guardians could compete with the monsters. Mister Rizik was the one who recovered him, so I am unaware of exactly what was in the concoction."
Knocking at the door with no vehicle coming up the very long driveway can only mean one group is outside, so Hayley hurries over to let the rangers in. The six enter looking proud of what they accomplished, but the expressions vanish when they see Alpha being examined by Nate.
"How much do you know?" Troy sighs in resignation.
…
Slamming the door to his new office, Baboo peels his false face off and throws it onto the desk. "Don't worry William, we'll find your kids soon and bring them home." He sneers at the gagged form of Captain William Mitchell, who is currently strapped down onto an operating table.
"Don't worry so much, you'll love your new body." Baboo's door receives a coded knock and opens with no one in the hallway. Footsteps enter though and soon the door slams shut again.
The air ripples and reveals the yellow-orange metal body of Frax. "Are we ready to begin the procedure?" The being once known as Doctor Phenomenus eagerly asks, his hands twitching in excitement.
"Yes. We need to make him loyal to our cause and capable of facing the Rangers." Smirking at the struggling man, he reaches for a syringe filled with sedatives.
…
Emerging from the waves, Robo Knight's gleaming body walks onto the New Zealand beach. Hanging from his waist from a silver chain, is the sputtering Skull.
"Can we please find a different way to the next place, I know you can fly." Skull grumbles as a crab crawls from one of his eye sockets, skittering across his face.
Ignoring the complaint, Robo Knight attunes his sensors to a very special frequency of spiritual energy. "The Guardian of the Earth key is nearby, we must ensure Scorpina does not acquire it before us."
"Why not?" Skull doesn't see what's so special about these keys.
Moving as fast as he can, Robo Knight races through the coastal woods at nearly sixty miles an hour. "If she acquires all six and uses them, evil will ooze across the land smothering the very essence of life itself on Earth."
"So you just gave keys to random people six thousand years ago?" Even Skull knows that was a stupid idea.
"One of my… father's students, Barza the Sage was the one to seal away this evil the first time." Explains Robo Knight, finding he is… receptive to having such a steady source of conversation. "His Dairangers harnessed the power of Qi and stopped the oozing evil. The descendants of each ranger was entrusted with the keys that locked away Ivan Ooze."
When they near the energy being given off by the key, Skull growls in warning. "Scorpina's nearby, be careful."
"How can you be sure?"
"Anyone corrupted by Master Vile himself, they give off a very special feeling of immense power." Skull does his own explaining. "The rest of us monsters, we feel like a diet version of the big bosses."
Sounds of battle come from the cottage in the woods, sending Robo Knight surging towards the area. He draws his gleaming blade and with a single motion deflects Scorpina's strike. Standing between her and the older man, Robo Knight pushes forward and throws her back.
"Fear not, I shall keep you safe." He promises the man with the bushy white beard, who is clutching his back in pain. "The Key is not for your claws Fiend!"
Running from the cabin is a teen in green, his face contorted in worry now that a second monster has shown itself. "Grandpa Albert!" He has a glowing green key in his hand, with that energy flowing around his body.
"Get back inside!" Albert roars at his grandson. "We can't let her get the Key!"
Ignoring his elder like any good teenager should, Xander Bly bellows in defiance at the monsters threatening his family. "Mystic Qi of the Earth unlock, aura change!" An emerald light shines forth from the key in his hand, covering him in the energy.
Now covered in green material composed of Nature Qi, it is accented by white armor on his torso. Bands on his gloves and boots are also white, with gold trim going up to his helmet and showing an intricate design of some mythical creature.
"Spirit of the Earth," Xander calls out like it is second nature, even though his families key has not shone in over six hundred years. "Green Mystic Minotaur Dairanger!" He leaps for Robo Knight and kicks the warrior back, leaving himself open to Scorpina.
"Silly boy, you should have stayed inside where it was safe!" She grabs one of his arms in her claws and throws him into the air. Before he lands Scorpina leaps up to meet him and drives her other claw into his gut.
He folds around the impact and coughs out in pain. Unused to the strain on his body, Xander's morphed state fails him. He crashes to the dirt gasping in agony, the key just out of his reach.
"Thanks for the help," She taunts the fallen teen and grabs the key, molting just as Robo Knight cleaves her in twain. "But I have what I need now, so I need to run." She dashes away with a mad cackling, leaving Robo Knight unsure of his duty.
"What are you doing, help them!" Skull roars in his auditory receiver, ending his uncertainty in the face of injured people and a very clear threat.
He kneels beside the groaning Xander and helps him sit up. "Are you uninjured, or do you require medical care?"
The uncaring tone doesn't match the words, which makes Xander open his eyes. When he sees the robot knight staring down at him, he nearly freezes. He's the one who saved us Xander, so just smile and say hello.
"Hey, thanks Mate." Hey accepts the hand up and tries not to scream when he sees Skull. "...I mean Mates, you two really saved us." Blushing at his earlier mistake, he also owns up to it. "And you know, sorry for attacking you."
"I am unfamiliar, it is expected for a human to react with fear and aggression." Robo Knight ignores the apology and begins checking on the fallen Albert. "Are you also well human?"
"Call me Albert," He grumbles back. "And no I'm not alright. Some monster just stole the Earth Key and nearly killed me and my grandson."
Xander chimes in with a shame filled voice. "I should have listened to you, I'm sorry for screwing up Grandpa."
"I will recover it, Scorpina will be heading for the Water Key next and I only need to intercept her." Promises Robo Knight, now assured the two will be fine.
"Bring me with you two, it's my families responsibility to protect the Earth Key…" He scowls at his feet, growling at his failure. "In the entire time we've been guarding it, I'm the first one to screw it up."
…
In a well of family manor in Italy, Madison cowers with her sister Vida. The scorpion woman had made her entrance by destroying an entire wall, with her father yelling at them to get the key away.
No matter how hard she tries to force herself, Madison just can't move. This isn't real, the Dairangers are just a family legend. Vida tries to do as their father ordered, but the spreading flames make it impossible.
When the monsterous woman impales him with her barbed tail, it breaks any will remaining in the sisters to reach the Water Key. "Dad!" They scream in unison and charge her, only to be swatted aside like flies.
"Stay down girls, I've already won." Scorpina mocks them and strides through the fire towards the family vault.
The pair collapse from the smoke, not realizing they are saved by Robo Knight and Xander Bly mere minutes after Scorpina leaves.
…
Chip dry heaves on his side, the freezing Iceland air biting into his flesh. The last embers of his home fizzle in the melted snow and he can't see anyone moving.
"Mom!" He calls into the smoky night, dread filling him faster than the cold. "Dad? Annie..." His voice grows weak but to his surprise, someone answers.
"Are you the Keeper of the Lightning Key?" The metallic voice of Robo Knight asks, with Skull chiding him immediately.
"Not the point, we're here and no one else is." He reminds his partner, even as Xander and the Rocca sisters move to help him up. "So we're helping no matter who he is."
Chip can recognize the feel of Qi in each of the three people and knows he will have justice for his family. "She get your keys too?"
"And we're going to get them back." Agrees Vida, her voice filled with determination.
"I assume you will be joining us?" Robo Knight remarks, already aware how desperately humans cling to each other in a crisis. "Scotland and the Key of Fire is next, we must be even faster this time."