Chapter 14 - Nemesis

Fox wasn't sure how he got roped into this. He'd just been innocently delivering some food to Randi, Adam and Trini at the Dojo when he was spotted by the Kennedy's. Chloe was the main instigator. She'd challenged his ego.

"If you gonna go around saving damsels from Putties, then you should know what you're doin'," she challenged him.

"Ah, leave him alone, Chlo. Ain't his fault if he can't hack it," Danny had said.

Fox knew they were just trying to get his goat, but unfortunately, they succeeded. They had an audience. Those two new chicks from wherever they came were in the same room and listening to the conversation. Adam and Trini were eating and watching as well.

Zara and Melody had found themselves largely welcomed by the group of Rangers. Everyone was being helpful by helping them fit in. Though Jason had said he'd agreed to oversee their training, he'd been called out of town quite abruptly, so Adam had been put in charge of them for the time being.

Kovarian martial arts was very similar to karate but Hei Quan was more like Kung Fu and he'd asked Trini to stop by and evaluate Melody's style to see if she could help continue her training. Trini was an expert in Mantis Style Kung Fu but her early training consisted of more mainstream techniques.

Being the top students in the Dojo, Danny and Chloe decided to help where they could, but Fox's arrival distracted them.

He took off his shoes and stepped onto the blue mat. "So where do I start?" he asked sourly.

Chloe and Danny snickered. "He sounds so enthusiastic," Danny said drolly.

"C'mon, let's get it over with," Fox prompted.

"A'ight, a'ight," Danny said and attempted to teach him a basic defensive move. "Got it? When Chloe comes at ya, don't hesitate just because she's tiny and a chick. She'll kick your tail in a heart beat," he warned. He stepped back.

Fox braced himself but it was no good, when Chloe came at him, he landed on the mat. After this happened a few more times, he was willing to call it quits and never try to rescue a girl again.

"My eyes. I can't watch that any more," Zara declared and clapped her hands over her eyes.

Fox turned red, making his freckles pop. "That's it. I'm through being tortured by you sadistic siblings," he told the Kennedy's.

They shared a confused look.

Melody laughed. "They aren't being sadistic. No one's perfect the first time, but maybe it's the karate throwing you off," she suggested.

"What's that got to do with it?" he asked.

"I don't know how to explain it. Even though karate was brought over from China, there's still a fundamental difference between karate and Kung Fu. Here, let me show you," she prompted. "Slow down, be more deliberate. Don't rush it," she said and taught him a different defensive move. "See, next time she comes at you, you have better leverage for taking her down," she said.

Fox just nodded. Melody got out of the way. Chloe came at Fox again. This time he almost succeeded in winning. It was only her superior experience that saved her. Still, he grinned for the first time since entering the Dojo of Doom.

Trini clapped her hands. She got to her feet. "Fox, would you like to learn more?" she asked as she approached the group.

Fox shifted uneasily. "I don't know. I never been into the whole doing physical activities thing," he answered.

"You should give it a try. I think you have a feel for it," Zara said. She'd watched again when Mel had interfered. She was just speaking the truth now.

Trini nodded in agreement.

"I could give it a try. Even the curlies do karate. I'm kinda tired of being the misfit," Fox agreed. He looked at his watch and grimaced. "Win and Autumn have been snappy lately. If I'm late getting back, it'll be my head," he said and retrieved his shoes and hopped out while trying to get them on.

"It's time to actually get to work," Adam told the four that were left.

-x-

Fox was a few minutes late getting back to his next shift at the Youth Center. Autumn gave him this tight, almost scary sort of look that startled him. "If you're late one more time, we'll have to start docking your pay," she said in a quiet hiss.

He held up his hands. "Sorry," he said. "I'm getting right to work," he assured her and grabbed an apron and went to the dining area to begin bussing tables.

Autumn appeared at the counter momentarily. "I am so sick of this," she told her brother. He hushed her quickly when Lammy and Taran walked in.

Taran gave Autumn a broad smile. She managed to return it, but it was difficult. She knew, even if Mina wouldn't admit it, that he would never join them. "Espresso?' she asked.

"Sure. Everything okay?" he asked.

"Fine," she said trying to sound up beat.

Lammy sat down beside him. "Gimme a caramel Frappuccino," she ordered from Winter. "Guess what?" she said, nearly bouncing.

Win made her order. "Couldn't begin to," he said.

She made a face at him. "Your no fun lately," she said. "Well, I finally found a place! You should see it once I've moved in. It's amazing. It has a view of the bay and the city," she continued.

Win gave her a grin. "Really? That does sound amazing," he said. He was confident that Lammy would easily join them. She never claimed to be Good to start with. "Can't wait to see it," he stated, reaching out and taking her hand.

Lammy grinned.

Autumn gave Taran an apologetic smile. "Excuse me for a bit. I'm not feeling too well. Win, cover for me," she said and disappeared into the back. She went up to her room and teleported.

Taran frowned after her. "Is she going to be okay?" he asked Winter.

Winter shrugged. "It's cold season. I'll check on her in a bit," he said.

Taran nodded. "Maybe I'll drop by later and check on her myself," he said and stood.

"Wait," Lammy said and stood as well. "Sorry, Winter, we just dropped by for the coffee. He's helping me sound proof the new place," she said.

"I understand," Win said. They'd had to soundproof his room just so he could have some relief from the relentless noises. He wasn't as great at adapting his hearing like they seemed to be. They gave him farewells as they left the Youth Center.

Winter scowled, annoyed by his sister's behavior. He'd address it later.

-x-

Dark Dimension

Mina was easily able to get to Tai; her first general. It was simply a matter of turning invisible and cracking the combination of his locker. It was the only time his sword was unattended.

Now he was hers.

He was familiarizing himself with the Dark Keep when Autumn arrived to throw a tantrum which consisted of throwing furniture around and pillows being tossed in the fire place.

"Problem?" he asked casually.

Autumn jumped and spun around. "What are you doing here?" she asked.

"What do you think I'm doing here?" He straightened up from the window he was gazing out of.

Autumn smoothed a hand through her hair. "I hadn't realized Mina recruited you already," she said.

"Our Queen is not answerable to you. Why are you throwing things around?" he asked.

Autumn narrowed her eyes. "I am understandably a little upset that Taran won't be joining our cause," she answered.

Tai frowned. "Mina cares about you. Do you think she would really allow you to suffer that way? You shouldn't doubt she'll do everything in her power to bring him to you," he stated

Autumn felt chagrined. Her face flushed. "Of course. You're right. I shouldn't doubt that," she said.

He put a hand on her shoulder. "The transition period is going to be difficult for everyone," he said. "Don't lose faith in the Queen. She won't let us down. Any of us," he said. He pulled a pair of shades out of his jacket pocket and slipped them on. He teleported out of the Dark Dimension.

Autumn sighed and went around fixing everything she'd broken. Tai was right, Mina would find a way for her to have Taran.

-x-

Justin and Carlos were at the Command Center with Beez when Tai arrived. Lani and Rex were there as well. "Made it back from Africa, I see," he said to Beez. "Have a good trip?"

"Yes. Thank you Tai," she answered.

"What's this?" he asked gesturing to Carlos and Justin.

Both of them were Galactic Police officers; Senturion Squad. Justin was the Blue Senturion and Carlos was the Green Senturion. Justin always kept in touch with his old friend, the Blue Senturion and eventually both he and Carlos entered the Galactic Police Academy. The Blue Senturion was now their captain and Justin had taken over his role. They'd been separated as Carlos was assigned to KO-35 and Justin Mirinoi but they'd been partnered up to patrol Earth vicinity space. They were supposedly awaiting three others to join them but new orders had come through.

Coincidentally, Beez had summoned them to answer a few questions concerning a message she'd received. "There are things happening. Things I am unsure of," she answered. "I was hoping Justin and Carlos could explain more," she answered his question.

"We're clueless," Carlos answered.

"We just got word that the remaining members of our team will not be assigned to us because the new owners of the Galactic Police Department are phasing out the Senturion program. We are being allowed to remain here on duty while the change over takes effect." Justin explained.

"Who can buy a Galactic Police Department?" Lani asked.

"Space Patrol Delta," Beez answered. "From my research it began as a small police force on Sirius but started expanding shortly thereafter. They have requested access to our history of Earth's Power Rangers and hope we'd be willing to share any information on Morphing technology we can," she explained.

Tai shook his head. This was not even about good or evil, there was no way some unknown entity was getting into their records. "No," he stated.

Rex nodded his head. "We'll have to learn more about this Space Patrol Delta," he said. "Who sent the request?" he asked.

"A Sirian called Doggy Cruger," Beez answered. "I am looking into this more, never fear," she assured them.

Tai nodded.

"Sorry we couldn't be more help," Justin said.

"It's ok, guys," Lani assured them.

"We should get to our patrol," Carlos reminded Justin. The younger man nodded. They teleported out of the Power Chamber.

"So what's with the Sun Glasses at Night?" Rex asked his best friend with an amused expression.

Tai stared at him for a long moment and felt the burning need to knock that smirk off his face. "I think I'm getting a migraine from your thousand watt teeth," he answered.

Lani snorted, trying not to laugh.

Rex just smiled wider. "Ok, I gotta go. Me and the Rat are in serious training mode. I don't know what's worse; mid-terms coming up or the inter-city gymnastics meet," he said. He gave them a wave and teleported.

Lani shook her head. "You shouldn't give him such a hard time. He works his butt off to be Mr. Perfect," she scolded Tai.

Tai just gave a ghost of smile and nodded his head. He knew Rex's strengths and weaknesses better than anyone. Before this was over, they'd have to settle once and for all which of them was superior. He found he was looking forward to the battle. It would be an honorable match. One that has been long in the making.

"Well, I don't mean to leave it at that, but I promised the girls a night for ourselves," she said and crooked her finger at him.

He obediently leaned closer to her. Instead of the peck on the cheek she intended, his captured her mouth in a breathtaking kiss. Blushing madly, she broke away and teleported.

"Tai, come here. I need to take a measurement," Mina sad from the passage way that led to the labs. Tai walked toward her. She ushered him to her lab where she set out measuring him. There was never a mention of their plans in the Command Center. Beez was everywhere and, until Mina could reprogram her, not to be trusted.

-x-

Palace on the Moon

Moriko visited Zita's room. Zita gave an annoyed eye roll when she saw her sister. "What is it?" she asked as she brushed her hair. Magically she would make it look anyway she wanted but sometimes brushing it calmed her.

Moriko shook her head. She moved in and took the brush from her sister taking over the task. "I'm worried. Not many things worry me, but I have been worried ever since you concocted this harebrained scheme," she answered quietly.

"Then you worry too much. Mina, as she likes to call herself, is the epitome of obedience," Zita answered.

"I think she's playing the long game. She says she's close to being able to bring down the Power Rangers but why hasn't she? I do believe the Sword of Darkness has truly corrupted her, don't get me wrong," she said with a sigh and continued to play with her sister's hair.

Zita flattened her lips. "Then it is time we reminded her who's in control around here," she said simply.

Moriko just sighed and nodded. "Very well," she agreed.

In Finster's lab, Widow and Roki eyed his latest design. "What is it?" Widow asked the ratty servant.

"Oh, mistress, he's great. His name is Blarney. He has the gift of gab and can cause localized earthquakes," Finster answered.

Roki rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "Send it to the kiln," he instructed Finster.

He and Widow left the lab. Zita met them in the throne room. "It may be time to have a word with Mina. Make sure she's doing her job," she said.

"She checks in regularly but so far she has been a stellar disappointment," Widow said and wound her fingers together. "Perhaps you're right. It shouldn't take someone that brilliant this long to come up with a plan to destroy the Rangers from the inside. A demonstration of our power if she doesn't help us this time," she said. She glanced at Roki and he nodded.

"Very well," Zita said and turned on her heel. She was just letting Moriko get to her, that's all.

-x-

Mina took a break from all her plans for a bit of personal business. Nathan was prone to letting his grades slip even worse than usual when he was training for a competition. It was usually up to Billie and Danny to get him through these periods. The inter-city meet was coinciding with mid-terms which was not good news. As Billie she'd fuss and squawk but as Mina she wasn't worried. By the time mid-terms rolled around, it wouldn't be an issue. Now, however, it was a convenient excuse.

She arrived at Nathan's house and his older sister Braithe informed her that he was training in the basement and for her to go on down. She signed a quick thank-you and went down. The basement was Nathan's living area. Half of it was his bedroom, the other half was divided between music and training. He was a lot more serious about training than most people suspected.

His legs where hooked over a bar suspended from his ceiling when she came downstairs. A weight was clutched to his chest as he did gravity defying sit-ups. She watched for a few minutes. She dropped her book bag on his bed. After a minute or so he dropped the weight with a loud clang. He blinked when he noticed her. He grabbed the bar and pulled himself into a sitting position and dropped off. "Study time all ready?" he asked and picked up a towel to wipe the sweat off his face.

"It can wait 'til after you take a shower," she said.

He pouted. "Aw, Glitch, are you saying you don't like me all sweaty?" he asked, draping his towel around his neck.

She gave a roll of her eyes refusing to answer one way or the other. "Go clean yourself up," she said, and gestured to the stairs.

He grinned and opened his arms. "Let me give you a hug first, to thank you for all the study help," he said.

"Absolutely not," she said and backed up a step. She might enjoy the sight of him all sweaty, but that didn't mean she wanted to be covered in it. He lunged and she tried to duck away. "No!" she cried out. He managed to catch her and lifted her feet off the ground.

He grinned triumphantly. "Caught you," he said.

"So you did," she said. She leaned in and kissed him. He was so surprised her almost dropped her. Luckily she was awkwardly tall and it wasn't much of a drop. "I'm not apologizing," she said stubbornly.

Nathan's face softened. Sure he was surprised, but he also ecstatically happy. "You don't have to apologize," he said. He cupped her face in his hands and leaned down to kiss her again.

-x-
Winter time in Angel Grove was perfect for ice skating, which was what Tori and Wood were doing. There was a quiet little ice rink that Wood knew about. He'd taken Tori there for a date. They did that now. Went on dates that is. He was the luckiest guy alive. Or at least, he usually was. Only this time, there was a complication. Almost everyone he knew decided to show up. Tori thought it was funny but he was rather put out.

Danny had dropped by with Holly, swearing up and down that he hadn't realized Tori and Wood would be there. Then Chloe dropped in with Melody and Zara. They were trying to teach the Kovarian girl how to ice skate. She was awful at it.

Tori squeezed his hand to shake him out of his thoughts. "Quite pouting. So what if our friends showed up. It's still fun," she said and nudged him with her shoulder.

He gave a sheepish smile. "I know, but this is the first time in ages we've had the chance to be alone and everyone showed up. If I didn't know Billie was rubbish in skates and would never show her face here; not to mention she's tutoring Nath; I'd almost expect them to show up," he said.

Tori giggled. "Yikes, I cannot imagine Billie trying to ice skate," she said.

Wood made a face. "She tried it once. We all agreed it was an incident never to be repeated," he said. "It was so much worse than that," he said and they watched Zara's feet fly out from under her as she hit the ice butt-first.

Tori winced sympathetically. "I'm glad I didn't have to see that," she said. She pulled him toward the retaining wall. They leaned against it for a moment. He glanced around a moment then leaned down and kissed her. The earth shook. They both pulled back, surprised. "Sweetie, I like your kisses but I don't think that was us," Tori said.

Wood shook his head. The ground shook again. Cracks began forming in the ice. Their communicators went off. "Definitely not us," he said and twisted his wrist as Danny and Chloe came in close to them. "Wood here," he said.

"A monster and a patrol of Putties have appeared near your location," Beez informed them.

"We're on our way," Wood assured her.

Danny nodded. "Hey, Hols, why don't you take them to the Command Center," he said gesturing to Mel and Zara. Holly nodded.

Zara made a face. "We can help," she said.

"You aren't Power Rangers," Chloe said apologetically.

"We know," Melody said with a grimace.

"Let's go," Tori said and the little group left the rink. As soon as they were sure they wouldn't be noticed, they teleported.

-x-

Blarney was a rocky monster etched with lava cracks and bright red lip prints. His face was literally hewn from stone, the cracks and crevice making up his face. He also had a long large sword made of rock. He crashed it into the ground, sending tremors around, cracking concrete and shaking buildings.

"Bah, California," he spat. "Always expectin' earthquakes and reinforcin' the buildings. Well, we'll just have to try a wee bit harder, won't we laddies?" he said conversationally to the Putties who where swarming around harassing people or being thrown off balance because of the tremors. He raised his sword and prepared to strike the ground again, this time with direction and more strength. He swung but the sword bounced off a force-field that was formed under it.

"No more of that, please," the male Red Ranger said, propping his sword against his shoulder.

Blarney could now see that he was surrounded by Power Rangers. Red was accompanied by the male Blue, female Black, female Pink, male Yellow, male Green, Electrum and Silver. "Ah, I was hopin' you lads would show up," he said gesturing to Red and Silver. "I've been told the two o' you have the Emerald Isle in your bones. What's it like there? Roki and Widow said they'd let me have it once I defeated you," he said pleasantly enough.

"Never been there, and technically not Irish. At all," Silver answered, shaking his head. "But, unfortunately, you'll never be seein' the place either," he said and summoned the CeratoSword.

"You guys handle the Putties. We'll take on this," Red said.

"Right!" the others agreed.

"Ah, lads, I thought we'd be a bit more civilized, but I see I was hopin' in vain. Never mind. Prepare yourselves, boyos," Blarney said and rushed forward with his sword, swinging with skill and elegance for his ungainly form. He was a surprisingly good match against both Red and Silver.

-x-

Ostensibly Mina was suppose to be home cleaning up, but after a quick shower she appeared in the Dark Keep. She was monitoring the situation. She was pleased that Sora had been dispatched to the fight. It would make her job much easier. After quickly checking on Taran's whereabouts -- the Command Center -- she teleported to Sora's apartment.

Glancing around, she had to admit, he had good taste. She spotted her quarry. It was a miniature replica of his CeratoSword on his faux mantle, a larger version of the one he wore around his neck. She wasn't sure of the significance of the swords, but she knew they probably had the same meaning to him as Tai's katana. She drew the Sword of Darkness and touched the miniature sword. Inky black smog enveloped the sword.

Satsfied with today's work, she teleported to the Command Center.

-x-

Green was up to his neck in Putties. He really hoped Mina would get rid of these annoying creatures. He was easily fighting through them, but their numbers where becoming quite ridiculous. He phased out just as several of them jumped at him. They passed through him and piled on top of each other. He waded out of the confusion.

Electrum jumped and skewered the pile of them with the VelociRapier. They disintegrated."Looked like you needed a little help," she said.

"Thanks," he said.

She gave shrug. "Someone has to watch your back when Autumn's not around," she said.

"I have something that can help with that," Mina's voice said over there comms. Green shimmered for a moment. "Tap your wrists together and summon the Stygian Armor," she instructed.

Green knocked his wrists together over his chest. "Stygian Armor!" He dropped his arms to his side. Briefly a bright green digital matrix glowed over his upper body before a chest shield formed reminiscent of the Stygian Dagger, all black with gold embellishments. A weapon formed in his right hand. It looked like a trench knife with a black triangular blade that was as long as a sword perfectly made for him.

"Nice," he said, grinning under his helmet. Electrum whistled under her breath. With renewed vigor he went on the offensive against the Putties. Electrum still had his back.

Black was watching her brother's back as they tag-teamed a group of Putties. "Your friend, she does good work, but why can't the rest of us get nifty stuff like that?" she complained and axed a Putty in the Z.

"Take that up wit' her. The shields are her pet project," Blue answered and gutted a Putty with his Lance.

"Shields plural?" she demanded. She scoffed, shaking her head and took it out on a few unsuspecting Putties.

"Brat." She didn't bother to deny the accusation.

Pink and Yellow were making a pretty good team. They had each other's backs. Yellow leapt hither and yon while Pink's helmet front popped open continually to shriek at the Putties. Though, she tried to depend more on her fans than ability.  "Going to need some honey lemon tea after all that," she said and gave a little cough.

"We might need Nath here to lay down some cover," Yellow said, leaping in close to several Putties and slashing them methodically with his daggers.

"I think we got it handled," Pink said.

The amount of Putties had diminished but Red and Silver were still having a hard time with Blarney. There was a brief moment there it became iffy for Silver. He suddenly staggered, giving the rock monster an opening. Only Red tackling him and rolling him out of the way saved his hide. "You all right?" he asked.

Silver nodded. "Never better," he said in a tone of voice reminiscent of the Skeleton Ranger.

Red grinned under his helmet. "Let's show this thing who's boss," he said. Silver nodded. Together the two of them went on the offensive.

Blarney was surprised and uneasy. They were fighting like demons. They traded blocks and blows. He staggered back, smoking from a dual attack. He clutched his chest, badly damaged. "This isn't over, Rangers," he warned them. His lava cracks glowed and seemed to explode, breaking apart and disappearing.

The other Rangers dispatched any remaining Putties.

"Let's go. He'll back," Red instructed. The Rangers teleported.

-x-

Dark Dimension

Sora looked around the keep, familiarizing himself, looking over his dark team mates. "So this is where the magic happens?"

"Something like that," Mina answered absently. She bit the inside of her cheek in agitation.

"Is something wrong, Mina?" Autumn asked, noticing her agitation.

"Hmm? No," Mina answered, shaking her head. "Things are going well enough. I'm just annoyed with my so-called allies. If they keep testing me I'm going to have to reveal my hand before I'm ready," she answered. "Not that it's a problem, but the longer they remain ignorant, the better for all concerned," she said.

Tai nodded thoughtfully. "We'll cross that bridge when we come to it," he said.

"Is there anything we can do to speed the process along?" Win asked.

Mina shook her head. "Just don't give yourselves away yet. We know better than anyone what would happen if we were discovered," she said.

"They'd rally together, be on guard and we'd have to face them head-on. No one wants that," Tai said with a sigh. He paused. "Well, maybe a little," he amended. The chance to face down Rex was very tempting. However, he did not want to be on opposing sides against Lani.

Mina shook her head. "Not unless it comes to it. I doubt it'll get that far. I have contingency plans. Oh, and Autumn, reaming out Fox is a bit suspicious. Dial it back a little," she admonished.

"I warned you," Winter told his sister.

She flushed and glared at him. "I apologize, my Queen. He's just so annoying sometimes," she said.

"Yes, he is, but you must put up with it for now. Just a little longer," she said.

Autumn nodded. "What about the monster?" she asked.

Mina shrugged. "We'll handle it together with our friends," she said and smiled. "Now, it's time to train. Tai," she said and began walking away. Tai followed her. His expertise in sword play and martial arts was one of the main reasons she recruited him.

Sora rubbed his hands together. "Guess that means we're free to go," he said.

"I think I'm going to hang out here. It's quiet," Autumn said.

"Then we'll leave you to your peace and quiet," Win said. Sora grinned and gave her a brief wave. They teleported out of the Dark Dimension.

-x-

Palace on the Moon

Blarney returned beaten and battered. Zita almost took him out herself.

"Please be, mistress. It wasn't my fault. It was those Rangers. The Red one and the Silver one. They weren't right," he said, getting to his knees and holding up his hands in a pleading gesture.

"No excuses. You were a waste of perfectly good clay!" Zita snarled and made an energy ball appear in her hand.

"Wait!" Moriko said and grabbed her sister's wrist. "What do you mean 'not right'?"

Blarney paused. "For all me wondrous ways with words, I canna say for sure, mistress. They just weren't right," he said, seemingly shocked at himself for not being able to elocute accurately or eloquently elaborate.

Zita gave an exasperated sigh but Moriko's mouth went dry. "Power him up. As much as possible as fast as possible," she said and hurried off to find Griff. Dread was crawling down her spine.

Zita scowled at her sister's retreating figure. Then she scowled at the monster. "Let's go," she said.

"Many thanks'ee for the reprieve, mistress. You shan't regret it. I shall champion your cause with the me dyin' breath. I shall be the sword that rains devastation down upon your enemies. I shall--"

"Enough!" Zita said and clenched her fist, effectively cutting off his speech as she led him to Finster's workshop. She'd work on healing and powering him up then sending him after the Rangers once more. Yet Moriko's continued unease was beginning to effect her.

Shaking it off, she began working on Blarney.

-x-

Rex was hoping to take a break from gymnastics training to have knock-down drag-out spar but his favored partner was unavailable. So he headed to the Scott Dojo looking for some sport. He didn't feel bad about slacking off training. The Rat had declared she wasn't going to do a single stretch until she had some mall time with her friends.

He came upon Jason limping along with ice taped around his knee. "Whoa, I thought you were retired," he quipped.

"Tell that to the paleontologist who still insists he may have to suit up again one day and demands to be kept in shape," Jason said with a grin. "Didn't expect to be seeing your face until the big meet," he said.

Rex shrugged. "Taking a break. Decided to cross-train a bit. You got anyone who's butt needs kicking?" he asked.

Jason chuckled. "One karate trophy and he thinks he's master of the universe," he drawled. "Danny and Chloe are in Room 3 with Melody, Zara and Fox," he said.

"Fox?" Rex asked. "Oliver? Scrawny kid, freckles? Smells like french fries?"

"That's the one. Trini is trying to teach him Kung Fu," Jason answered.

"This I have got to see," Rex said and darted off to the men's changing room. Jason shook his head. He had to remember to tell Tommy that they sparred earlier today.

When Rex poked his head into Room 3 he was amazed by what he saw. He made a mental note to hang out at the dojo more often. The instructors weren't there but Danny seemed to be supervising things. In nearly a blur, Zara and Chloe jumped, flipped and tumbled across the blue mats as they continuously clashed together dual sticks, about two foot long apiece. A wooden dummy was set up in front of Fox. He was hitting the offset arms in a rhythmic manner. Occasionally, the pretty blond Melody would stop him, move him aside, demonstrate and let him go again.

He walked up behind Danny. "We gotta get these girls on the team," Danny said without looking at him.

"Zhane must be one monster of a sensei," Rex said.

Danny gave a grin. "You only saying that cuz you ain't seen Mel in action. I think Karone might have Zhane beat," he said. "What brings you by?" he asked.

"A little break. Tai's off doing Tai things so I figured I'd come and show Jason's students a thing or two and he sent me here," Rex answered. "How's that going?" he asked, nodding toward Fox.

"Could be better. He needs someone to kick him in gear. Trini and Mel are too nice and keep letting him slack off. If I knew the first thing about Kung Fu I'd be all up in his business," he said. He noticed Rex's grin. "Aw, crap. What do you know about Kung Fu?" he demanded.

"I've dabbled, nothing substantial," Rex said. "Go stop your sister and Zara from killing each other," he said and walked toward the training dummy.

Danny muttered a curse and went to where Zara and Chloe's spar has escalated as each girl was determined to win and using any mean necessary including genetic abilities and telekinesis despite Fox being right there in the room. Hoping that Rex was distracting Fox, he created a force-field between the two and began to ream them out.

Rex took in Melody's expression as she watched Fox. It clearly said he wasn't doing it right and she didn't know how to correct him. "Stop," he said.

Fox jumped and whirled around. "Rex. Uh, what are you doing here?" he asked. Great, someone else to see him make a fool of himself.

Rex held a finger up to quiet him and addressed Melody. "He wasn't doing that right was he?" he asked. Her mouth went dry and she shook her head. "Show me. Count it out," he said. She traded places with Fox. She repeated the sequence, counting out the moves.

Fox had a bad feeling about this. His stomach plunged to his knees when Rex turned his attention to him. "Let me guess, get to it," he said with a sigh.

"I'll count it out," Rex said. The first thing Fox did wrong was his stance. "Wrong," he said.

"I didn't even start yet!" Fox said.

"It's your stance. Don't mimic Mel's. You're taller and have a different center of gravity," he said and was none to gentle about positioning him just right. When he was satisfied, he began the count. He was barking at Fox like a drill sergeant.

Melody wandered over to Zara and the siblings. "He's kind of scary," she said.

"But hot, right?" Chloe said with a grin. Danny and Zara rolled their eyes.

"Totally," Melody agreed.

"I'm gonna go do something science-y so I ain't gotta hear no more of this," Danny said and headed out.

Chloe snickered. She grabbed a water bottle out of her bag and sprawled on the mat nearby. Zara and Melody joined her.

Fox was exhausted by the end of his lesson with Rex, but he was told he'd improved and well. As crappy as he felt, he was feeling good. Maybe he'd keep this up after all.

Rex had just sent Fox off to shower an change when his and Chloe's communicators beeped. He twisted his wrists. "Rex here," he said.

"Ay yi yi! Blarney has returned with a patrol of Putties," Beez said urgently.

"We're on our way," Rex said. Chloe bounced to her feet and nodded. "It's Morphin' Time!"

"Mastodon!"

-x-

Blarney arrived in Angel Grove with a veritable legion of Putties rather than just a patrol. He was bulkier and craggier than before and his lava glowed more fiercely. His sword was just as long and devastating, however. He crashed it into the ground. A fissure formed leading toward a building and crept through it's infrastructure, shattering windows and cracking interior walls.

"Ooh, Rangers! Come out, come out wherever y'are! I have a message! Whatever your up to, it will stop and you will come to heel or there be consequences! Just thought you should know!" he shouted.

Rangers began arriving. Only one of them really understood that message. The female Blue Ranger smirked under her helmet. "Let him know it's far too late," she murmured to male Red. She tapped her helmet. "I'll analyze him for weaknesses," she said loudly enough for the rest of the team to hear.

"Weaknesses? Weaknesses! I have no weaknesses!" Blarney laughed. He crashed his sword into the ground. The resulting shockwave of concussion and rolling earth knocked the Rangers off their feet. Putties swarmed, seeing their best chance to get the upper hand on the Rangers. In surprising coordination they began to break the Rangers up into small groups.

"Wait! I have something special for that lot!" Blarney waved off the Rangers. Oily black magic made several Tenga Warriors appear in front of the Putties that had rounded up the Greens, Silver and the Yellows.

"And what did we do to warrant such special treatment?" Silver wondered as he got to his feet. He summoned his CeratoSword.

"My guess is that it's all his fault," female Yellow said with a nod of her head toward male Green. "And we were a little too close to him," she added. "Oh well, nothing to it but to do it," she added. "Power Grips!"

"Right behind you. Power Daggers!" male Yellow said. Together the Yellow team moved forward and engaged the Tenga Warriors.

"She's right, that's on you," female Green told her brother. "Power Staff!"

"That just means they're worried," he said. He crossed his wrists in front of his chest. "Stygian Armor!" When his Stygian Blade appeared, he dove into the Tengas.

The Black Rangers and Pink Rangers and the Electrum Ranger was cloistered into a little group themselves.

Electrum summoned her VelociRapier. She held herself in an en guard stance and then thrust forward. Using her Rapier like a fencing foil, distracting Putties with her skills, she would then throw a jab or a kick to take them in the Z emblem.

"Power Fans!" Female Pink summoned her weapons. She whirled, spun, kicked, and occasionally her helmet front would pop open so she could knock back a Putty with her shriek before kicking it firmly in the Z.

Male Pink was jumped. The Putties were attempting to keep him on the ground by piling on top of him. Unfortunately for them, he was an accomplished tumbler who was already promoted two belts in Karate. He finally made his way to a clear spot and jumped, "Power Bow!" summoning his weapons as he did so. He spun around mid-air and began firing.

The Black Rangers summoned their weapons first thing. Female Black hacked through several Puttied but one of them launched itself at her feet while she swinging at two who where coming at her. She went down and dropped her Power Axe. She curled into a ball and solidified.

Just as she knew he would, male Black came to her rescue. He swung his Power Scythe, cutting through the Putties. He held the end toward her. "Grab hold with both hands," he said, a grin in his voice. She didn't know what he had planned but she grabbed hold. He pulled her up and readjusted his grip and began alternating cartwheels as they made their way through the Putties.

Blarney clearly didn't realize that even though the male Green Ranger had some new Armor didn't mean that he was the biggest threat or that separating them wouldn't help. He made the mistake of keeping the Reds and Blues and Gold in the same group.

The Putties did. They surged forward and closed around male Red and Gold, trying to suppress them, keeping them out of the fight for as long as possible.

"Tai!" female Red gasped. "Power Sword!" she summoned. She attempted to fight her way too him but the Putties were refusing to let her.

"Son of a--Power Lance!" male Blue summoned his weapon and attempted to help his teammates as well but the Putties were having none of that.

Female Blue seethed slightly. She sent a glare in the direction of he monster. "Power Sai!" she summoned her weapon and began working her way through the Putties with more skill than she'd previously demonstrated and she hated giving that away. She couldn't bank on no one noticing.

Blarney felt the glare all the way to his bones, or is core maybe. His clay? He'd debate the meaning of his existence at a later time. He knew something wasn't right. "No one ever believes the monsters, do they? We're just lumps of bloody clay to them with na intelligence or significance. I warned them, I did. Something's na right," he said, talking to himself. "Come on, lad, handle yerself. You can beat them. Mistress Zita amped y'up but good," he said. He nodded to himself for good measure.

A geyser of Putties suddenly shot up into the air, expelled by magical energy as Gold got to his feet shaking himself like a dog. He held his StegoMace. He rushed toward the monster, jumped and came down. Blarney quickly used his sword to block. The two weapons met and staggered them both. Blarney pushed his advantage and used the earthquake causing capabilities of the sword and crashed it in Gold, sending the alien Ranger flying backwards, creating a groove as he landed.

A thin red glow began to form in a circle around the other pile of Putties. They disintegrated and the male Red Ranger got to his feet, TyrannoSword in hand. "That was not a good idea," he said in a low, quiet voice. Sword in hand his crossed his wrists over his chest. "Power Armor!" A red digital matrix formed over his upper body briefly as golden and red armor similar to the Stygian Armor formed. The digital matrix covered his left arm as a gold and red gauntlet formed. A small red jewel appeared near his wrist.

Male Blue managed a whistle as he admired the Armor. "You done outdid yourself, Billie," he said.

"I know," she answered.

Blarney eyed this new development warily. He raised his own sword. "An honorable duel is it then, me boy?" he asked.

"No. That's only reserved for worthy opponents," Red said. His moved forward, and slashed at the monster. "This is going to be a massacre," he hissed so only the monster could hear him.

For once speechless, Blarney jerked around and tried to use the same trick on Red as his had on Gold, activating the power of his sword. Red put up his left arm. The red gem glowed and a reddish energy field formed with a tyrannosaurus head in it's center formed. It absorbed most of the blow. He still had to call on his strength. The pavement and earth beneath his feet gave way. "Lani! The Cannon!" he managed to shout.

"Right!" she agreed on a gasp. "Magnum Power Cannon!" she summoned the weapon and stood behind it. When she touched it, their Power Coins began to glow. Each barrel began to glow, staring from the outer most and going inwards until the large barrel began to glow as well.

Male Red was up to his ankles. He could hear the Cannon charging and knew he was in the way. He gritted his teeth and took a breath. He suddenly pushed back on the shield with all the strength he could muster, jumped and slashed the monster with his powered up sword several times. His left a tangle of glowing red slashes. He rolled out of the way and lay there trying to catch his breath.

"Magnum Blast!" female Red pulled the trigger as soon as her partner was clear. The individual points of energy converged as they blasted through the monster. Rock and lava exploded.

Male Red smirked under his helmet. He didn't have the energy to do much else. "You'll have to pilot the Zord," he told female Red when she came to check on him.

"Of course. You hog all the glory and leave me to clean up after you," she said with a dainty sniff.

Blarney grew to enormous proportions. "Just imagine how much damage I can do now!" he said and raised his now enormous sword.

"Don't let that thing hit the ground!" female Blue shouted while they summoned their Zords.

When he thrust downwards, duel magical energy blasts just barely kept it from connecting. Gold was back on his feet with Electrum helping him. "Where's Rei when you need her?" she said huffily.

"Visiting her mum on important magicky business," Silver said drily. "Now let's get to it. CeratoZord!"

"VelociZord!"

"StegoZord!"

Blarney tried to use his Sword again but the Megazord was there too barely stop him, sustaining major damage in the process.

Female Red winced as her arm was burned when her console almost blew up. "Can we still combine with the Legend Zords?" she demanded of male Blue.

"Yeah, I think so. Hit the button!"

"He's trying again!" female Pink squeaked.

"Activating Magnum Alpha Megazord Configuration!" Red said and pressed the button. The StegoZord, CeratoZord and VelociZord configured themselves in a shoulder mounted dino head cannon system that attached to the back of the shield with a tail. They were transported to a combined cockpit with the three Legend Rangers.

"No time to dawdle, Lani. End that thing now," Gold encouraged her.

"With pleasure," she agreed. "Magnum Dino Blast!" She lined the target up on her screen, aiming for a particularly large lava-filled crevice.  She pressed the buttons on her yoke, the dino mouths come open and their tail whipped up and four points of energy where fired at the monster.Directly at that crevice.

Blarney staggered back as he began to shake. He dropped his sword and clutched his middle. "What did ye do? Me insides are a shakin'!" His blood literally began to boil and his exploded in an expulsion of lava and rock.

"Is it just me or was that scary hard?" female Yellow asked in a small voice. No one reassured her.

"Let's get out of here," Red said. The others agreed.

-x-

The after battle debrief wasn't a very long affair. While Kat and Beez made sure that Tai and Taran were going to be all right, Lani led the meeting.

"If it weren't for that armor Billie whipped up it would have been a lot harder to win this one," Wood said quietly.

Tori shook her head. "We would have found a way. I do have to say, that thing was tough though," she said.

Lammy nodded. "Even without the Reaver Orbs, Widow, Roki, Zita and Moriko are incredibly powerful and they are getting annoyed with you," she said.

"Us," Win corrected in an undertone, which she ignored.

"Too bad for them. We aren't going anywhere," Chloe declared stoutly.

"And for the record, I didn't just whip up the armor. There was hours of design, coding, test simulations not to mention fitting and compatibility programming," Mina stated. How did she usually handle these situations where her contributions were taken for granted? She didn't think she could remember.

Nathan smiled and put his hands on her shoulders. "We know, Glitch. You're amazing," he assured her.

Mina nodded, mollified. "If that's all, I do have some more work to do," she said.

Lani shook her head. "Just wondering if I can have some of that armor too," she said in a light manner.

Mina gave her deadpan look. "No," she said succinctly and broke away from Nathan to teleport.

Lani was mildly taken aback. No one else seemed to notice that wasn't just a usual cranky Billie answer. It was rude and down right mean. She cleared her throat. "That's all, guys," she said and went to check on Tai, who seemed to be just fine. Even better than Taran.

-x-

Palace on the Moon

The Palace in a quiet uproar. Widow, Roki, Zita, Moriko and Griff sat around the dining hall table. Griff was the only one eating. Not much stopped him from eating. Moriko being right didn't even rate a pause.

"What just happened?" Widow asked in a quietly tense tone. "What was that?"

Moriko crossed her arms over her chest and leaned back in her chair. Her mouth was a thin line. "I think that was a declaration of independence," she said finally.

Roki rubbed his forehead. "Don't beat around the bush, Moriko. If you have something to say, just come out with it," he said and glared at his other sister.

Zita was staring straight ahead. A lead weight felt like it was pressing down on her chest.

Moriko sighed through her nose. "Very well. I warned you all that the Sword of Darkness is not to be taken lightly. Mother was thousands of years old when she used it on Tommy Oliver. Thousands of years of experience and she barely controlled the Sword.

"Yes, it's true, those of us sitting here at this table rank amongst the most powerful beings in the galaxy but we are still children. Yes, children," she said before anyone could object to being called a child. "Now you've unleashed it's power. It is not being controlled by you. Any of you. It's controlling itself through Wilhelmina Davis, a human girl with the mental capacities even an Eltarin scientist-sorcerer would envy.

"If I had my guess, she's using the Sword to infect and convert her friends. Can you comprehend that? Can you imagine that bunch of humans without the morality that guides them? My dear brother and sisters, you've unleashed something devastating upon the universe."

Widow hit the table with the palm of her hand. "Don't try to frighten us, Moriko. We can bring that girl to heel. I captured a goddess in a bottle if you'll recall," she said in a hiss.

"With trickery, preying upon the goodness in her heart," Zita said quietly. "Not with greater power. Moriko's right," she said and stood. She silently left the dining hall.

Roki sighed through his nose. "I refuse to admit defeat. We shall simply have to find something more powerful than the Sword of Darkness and bend it to our will," he said.

"Yes," Widow said with a nod. She got to her feet. "I shall be in the library," she said.

"I'm coming with you," Roki said. She waited while he joined her. They left the dining hall together.

"So, what are we really going to do?" Griff asked Moriko.

She looked at him with a hint of a smile. "I have to go to the Mystic Realm and find my mother and Rei. You stay. They'll continue to try to overpower Mina and the Rangers. Use your best judgment. If you think Lammy should know, tell her. The Rangers may be the only ones who can get this under control," she said quietly.

Griff frowned. He was torn between the need to protect Moriko and the need to protect his sister.

She reached out and touched his hand. "Stay. I'll be safe enough in the Mystic Realm. I'll take precautions so the shades don't notice my presence but I must find Rei," she said.

"Very well," he agreed, "But just call me and I'll be there if you need me," he said. He didn't like the thought of Moriko, or even her sister Rei, going into what was essentially enemy territory. He wondered if Sora knew how dangerous it was for Rei to go there. Probably not. He'd remedy that situation while Moriko wasn't around to nag at him that it wasn't his business. She didn't get it. Sora needed to know if he didn't all ready.

Moriko smiled. "More roast?" she said and offered him some meat. He gave a look that told her he knew she was just trying to distract him. She grinned and he played along, taking the meat and letting the matter drop.

-x-

Dark Dimension

Mina had her back turned to her comrades. She had Tai, Sora and Winter. Three of their strongest fighters besides Taran and Lammy who would be dealt with when she figured out a way. Like Win, she was inclined to think that Lammy might willingly join them, but she needed a contingency plan. She had her eye on Rex, Chloe and Danny next, though Wood was one of her best friends. Maybe him next. Well, almost next. She pulled a gold medal out of her pocket.

It was an Olympic medal for Archery. It had belonged to Nathan's grandfather, the one who taught him how to use a bow. It was his most prized possession. She rubbed her thumb over the embossed surface. She silently summoned the Sword of Darkness. She touched the tip of the Sword to the Medal. Inky smog draped around it and was absorbed into it's shiny surface. "Come to me, my King," she summoned quietly.

"Did you say something, my Queen?" Autumn asked.

Mina turned. "Prepare yourselves to greet your King," she told them.

They scrambled to their feet. There was a bright flash as Nathan teleported in. He brushed his hair out of his face. How on Earth could he stand that? The emo fringe definitely had to go. "Generals. Captain," he greeted them.

They gave him minute bows. "My King," they murmured in unison.

Finally his gaze caught Mina's. "My Queen," he greeted in a low voice.

Mina held out a hand. "Come," she beckoned. The others kept their heads lowered as he passed them to take her hand. "You all may go," she said without looking to see if they complied. She led him out of the main hall to her bedchamber.

They didn't all leave, however. They were mildly surprised by Mina's choice in King.

"It's going to kill me to keep my lips zipped on that one," Sora declared. Autumn giggled. Even evil, they were still themselves.

Tai rolled his eyes. "You gossip more than a thirteen-year-old girl," he said.

"So does she," Win said and pointed a thumb at Autumn. She gave him a glare.

"Go home," Tai told them. They gave him little salutes and teleported. He teleported home and knew immediately that he was there alone. Concerned, he dashed to Grandpa's room. It was empty. He wandered down to the kitchen. There was a note stuck to the fridge with a magnet.

It was written in Japanese.

"Grandson,
I've gone to the mountains until you sort yourself out.
Grandpa"

Tai crumpled the note in his hand. Grandpa would understand one day. He went to his room. He had to.

-xEnd Chapter 14x-           

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