The two ships made their way down to Reflection Bay. Andromeda and Orion hovered over the Downtown area in Leandros's spaceship, wondering what they should attack first. "Any ideas?" Orion asked.
"Let's start with that flower shop that I used to work at," Andromeda replied. "Deny me my raise, will you? I'll teach you! Ready the laser!"
Orion moved a joystick around, positioning the laser's targeting system at the flower shop. "Ready!"
"FIRE!"
The ship fired a beam at the flower shop, impacting it and starting it on fire. The customers inside ran out, and the owner could be seen dialing for emergency help from the fire department.
"Excellent. This should lure those Rangers out, for sure."
~*~
-"Rangers, this is Meduron. Perseus's forces are on their way to the city. Be on high alert! -- Wait, I have a visual on a flower shop in the Downtown area. It's on fire, and was reportedly struck by a laser. It's probably Perseus."-
"We're on it, Meduron," Devon replied.
"We'll go," AJ spoke, indicating that he and Reggie would go. "If it's Leandros's ship, we can probably find a way back in. Remember, Reg? Tawni said that Leandros's ship can carry our Zords inside."
"That's brilliant, dude!"
"Good luck, guys," Karone said.
"Wish us luck," AJ spoke. He and Reggie teleported into their Zords and headed for the city.
"I wonder what's coming for us," Christian mused.
At that moment, laser blasts struck the ground near them, shaking them up and knocking them to the ground. The group got back up.
"Look up there," Khayri spoke. The Rangers looked up and saw the Mega Winger heading for them.
"My Zord!" Zhane exclaimed.
~*~
"Now, to see what this thing can really do," Sagittarius said. "Mega Winger, Transform!"
~*~
The ship transformed into its warrior mode, landing nearby. -"Greetings, Rangers!"-
"I have a plan," Jaden spoke. The Rangers huddled up.
~*~
Down in the Underground Outpost, Meduron was finishing his preparations for his upcoming mission. "Astra, keep an eye on the Rangers and assist them in any way possible. There's a strong chance that I might not make it back alive."
-"Be careful, Meduron. Emperor Perseus is capable of anything."-
"I will, Astra." He headed for the elevator. "If I don't make it back, it's been great working with you."
-"I feel the same way."-
Meduron went into the elevator and up to the top, where he teleported up to his team's ship.
~*~
"Incoming!" Michelle exclaimed.
Meduron appeared in the seat next to Sarah. "Miss me?"
"Hardly," Sarah replied, snickering.
"This is no time for games. This whole mission - which, by the way, is SUICIDE - was your idea, remember?"
"Geez, Michelle," Meduron replied. "Yes, this is suicide, but we have to avenge Leandros. I'd rather have the fun now BEFORE we get onto the Astron Fortress."
-"Nearing target,"- Kellan's voice spoke over the intercom. -"Arrival in T-minus 5 minutes."-
"This is it..."
~*~
"Let's do it!" Devon exclaimed. He, Christian, and Karone raised their wands to the sky. "Aniforce Beasts, arise!" While the Beasts made their way to the scene, the Monster Catchers beamed themselves back onboard the Secondsolar and began its transformation into its Megazord form. When the Beasts were within range, the three Rangers jumped onto their respective animal's head, then transformed the Beasts into their Zord forms.
Inside their cockpits, they combined the Zords to form the Aniforce Megazord. The two Megazords stood side-by-side, ready to battle the Mega Winger.
~*~
"We've seen what the Mega Winger can do," Devon spoke into the intercom. "We have to watch out for its Wing Blaster."
-"Is that all it's got?"- Khayri responded. -"We can outrun that."-
"Just, remember the plan. We can't destroy the Mega Winger. We need to keep it around for Zhane," Karone said.
-"Right!"-
~*~
"Let's see what this thing can really do," Sagittarius said. He looked at the control panel, and saw some new buttons. One was labeled with a picture of a campfire. "Hm, let's try this one." He pressed the button, and the Mega Winger shot a wall of fire from its right fist, striking the Aniforce Megazord. "Wow!"
~*~
"We've been hit!" Christian exclaimed.
"Since when can that thing shoot fire?" Karone asked.
~*~
Zhane approached the base of the Mega Winger, and tried to remember which side the hidden access panel was on. He thought back to when it was designed. -"If you need to leave, don't be right. Go out the left side, and run off into the night."- "It's on the left foot!" He continued on his course. He got to the left foot and found the access panel. Quickly entering his code - an easy-to-remember 2-5-8-0 - he opened the door and entered the Mega Winger. "Now, I've just got to make my way up to the cockpit. C'mon, guys. Keep him busy long enough..."
~*~
"We need to focus, guys," Devon said. "We have to keep him occupied long enough for Zhane to regain control."
-"Leave it to us."-
~*~
"Okay, guys," Khayri spoke, "we're dealing with a Class A henchman, armed with the Mega Winger. Any ideas?"
"We engage it in frontal combat, leaving the Aniforce Rangers able to sneak around from behind and deliver a blow that will disable its motion capability, allowing for the Silver Ranger to eject the henchman and regain control." Everyone looked at Ariana strangely. "What? I get good ideas every once in a while!"
"It's not that," Rachelle said. "It's that it was so articulate and thought out. I'm impressed!"
"Let's do this!" Jaden shouted. "Aniforce Rangers, we'll distract him from the front. You guys sneak around and use your sword to disable its movement capability. By then, your friend should be able to easily regain control."
-"I like that plan,"- Christian replied over the mic.
~*~
"Come on, Rangers! You can't be quitting already!" Sagittarius watched as the Aniforce Megazord ducked behind a building. "Oh! You think you can hide from me, do you? Watch this! Wing Blaster!" He pressed a button, causing the Mega Winger's wings to disappear from the Zord's back and remateralize on its fists. "Three... two..." Suddenly, he felt a blast strike him from the side. He moved the Zord and saw the Secondsolar Megazord pointing a gun at him. "What the--?"
~*~
"We've got him distracted! Devon! Move in!"
~*~
"I'll just have to use this Wing Blaster on YOU instead! Fire!" He pressed a button, which caused the Wing Blaster to charge up. In that time, he felt the entire Zord shake from behind as he heard a loud CLANG. "What now?" He moved the control joystick around, but nothing happened. "My navigation system is down!"
~*~
"C'mon, Zhane," Karone said. "Where are you?"
~*~
Sagittarius heard a knock on the door behind him. "Who's there?"
-"Pizza delivery!"-
"Oh, good! I was getting hungry!" He got up and opened the door, only to be met with Zhane's fists. "Ow! Hey, you're not the pizza guy!"
"You're right about that, but I AM here to deliver a world of hurt to you for stealing my Megazord!"
"No chance, Silver Ranger! Let's take this outside!" He teleported out of the cockpit.
Zhane ran over to the control panel. "Guys, I'm back in control. Sagittarius has ejected from the cockpit and appears to be on the run."
-"We'll see to that."-
~*~
Sagittarius landed on the ground below, and was instantly eclipsed in a shadow. "What's that?" He looked around and saw nothing. He then looked up and was met with the Secondsolar's laser blaster. He looked the other way, and saw the Aniforce Megazord towering above him. "Uh-oh..."
~*~
"FIRE!"
~*~
The Secondsolar blasted Sagittarius, causing his energy levels to deplete rapidly. He collapsed to the ground in a heap. "Please... I surrender! Spare me!"
~*~
"Sorry, but we have no use for Zord-stealing monsters. This one's for you, Zhane!"
~*~
The Aniforce Megazord raised its right foot, then stomped on Sagittarius, causing him to explode beneath its foot. The Rangers all watched as his remaining energy floated up into space, right towards Perseus's ship and the waiting Orb of Enlightenment.
~*~
"We did it! Sagittarius is GONE!"
-"We made a great team, Aniforce Rangers,"- Khayri spoke, -"but we need to head back to our own planet and begin the reconstruction of our prison. May the higher powers be with you on your remaining quest."-
~*~
"Thank you guys, for everything you've done for us," Zhane said. "Without your help, we'd probably still be fighting Sagittarius."
-"It was the least we could do. We failed to stop Perseus on our world, so stopping his forces here makes up for it,"- Jaden replied.
-"If you ever need anything in the future, don't hesitate to contact us,"- Ariana said.
"Will do. Good luck with your rebuilding!"
~*~
The Secondsolar transformed back into its spaceship form and blasted off. The Aniforce Rangers exited their Megazord and reconvened on the ground below.
~*~
AJ and Reggie arrived Downtown in their Zords. They saw that the flower shop was on fire. With no sign of the fire department, they took matters into their own hands. "Reggie," AJ spoke, "do you know if our Zords have water cannons?"
-"I think yours does, bro."-
AJ looked at his control panel. "Well, what do you know? It does. Hydro Cannon!" He watched as the horns on his Zord positioned themselves toward the building and shot out two powerful streams of water. "It seems to be working!"
-"Move 'em up and down to get the whole building!"-
"Got it!" AJ moved a joystick, causing the horn cannons to move up and down. Soon, the fire was out. "We did it!"
-"Well, you did most of the work."-
"That's true."
~*~
"Curses! Those Rangers saved the flower shop!" Andromeda shouted.
"What else can this thing do?"
Andromeda looked at the control panel, and saw a button labeled "ZORDS." Above it was a picture of the two TerraNature Zords. "I wonder what this does," she mused. "I think I'll press it."
"I don't think that's such a good idea."
"Aw, what's the worst thing that could happen?" She pressed the button.
~*~
Suddenly, AJ's and Reggie's Zords flew up into the sky.
"What's happening? What button did you press, Reggie?"
-"I didn't press anything!"-
~*~
Orion heard metal doors begin to open. He looked on a monitor and watched as the TerraNature Zords were pulled into the ship's hull. He listened as the doors closed. "Good job. You brought the Rangers HERE."
"Well, what are you waiting for? Stop them!"
"Me?"
"It's only those two Rangers. How powerful could they be?"
"Don't underestimate the Rangers, Andromeda."
"Who's underestimating them? I'm telling you to go and destroy them while I sit here and watch from the safety of the bridge."
"I'd expect this kind of bossiness out of Cassiopeia, but not you. I thought you were the one who was gung-ho about destroying the Rangers herself."
"Fine. *I'LL* go. You sit here and polish your sword, or something."
"Okay."
"I -- Wait, what? You're going to LET me go and face certain doom?"
"It was your idea."
~*~
Meanwhile, AJ and Reggie got out of their Zords and looked around. "Nice ship," Reggie commented.
"Leandros must have gotten all of the technology out of their partnership," AJ added. "Meduron lived underground and had to use animals for Zords. Leandros had THIS... and THOSE..."
"I wonder how we get to the bridge."
AJ noticed a map on the wall. "How about that map?" They walked up to it. AJ pointed to a 'YOU ARE HERE' arrow. "We're here, and the bridge is... There. We need to take the elevator to Deck Five, then go right and down this hall. That should put us right there."
"Do you think that there are troops on board?"
"If there were, wouldn't we have seen some by now?"
~*~
"Get out there and stop those Rangers, Orion!"
"No. Send the Volans to do it."
"The Vo-whats?"
"The Volans. You know, Draco's grunts?"
"Dra-who?"
"No. Dra-CO." He sighed. "Never mind." He pressed a button, which projected his voice over the ship's intercom. "Volans! Find and destroy the Rangers!"
~*~
-"Volans! Find and destroy the Rangers!"-
"You HAD to ask if there were troops on here, didn't you?" AJ asked.
"What? It's a simple question!"
"One thing's for sure: We're definitely not taking the elevator. To the stairs!"
"Why can't we take the elevator? It'd be much faster!"
AJ sighed. "Fine. We'll take the elevator, but you'll see - once again - that I was right."
Reggie pressed the 'up' button on the wall by the elevator. He turned away and faced AJ. "You're not always right, you know." The doors opened behind him, revealing a dozen Volans standing there, waiting. "'You'll see that I was right.' I'll prove to you that --"
"Hey, Reg? Behind you."
Reggie turned around, saw the Volans, then turned back. "You were right, once again. RUN!"
The two TerraNature Rangers ran around the corridors of the first level of the ship, being chased by the Volans.
~*~
Andromeda and Orion watched the action on a view screen in the cockpit. "Those are Volans, Andromeda."
"I hope they do more than just chase the Rangers around."
~*~
"In here!" Reggie yelled, running into a large room. AJ followed, with the Volans close behind.
AJ looked around. "Where are we?"
Reggie noticed an engine in the corner. "I think we're in the engine room."
The Volans noticed and summoned their blasters. They lined up and took aim at the engine. A lead Volan started to count down.
AJ looked at Reggie, and pulled him aside. "I say we let them fire."
"Are you crazy?"
"We let them fire, and they blow up the engine. The ship crashes. Andromeda and Orion get destroyed. Win-win."
"And our Zords?"
"We run back to the Zord bay and eject before the ship hits the ground. Duh."
"What about--?"
"There's nothing further to discuss. Now, act like you don't want them to fire." AJ ran toward the engine. "No! Stop!"
The Volan counted down to zero, and they opened fire, striking the engine and causing it to explode. They looked at each other, threw down their guns, and ran out of the room.
"We did it!" Reggie ran up to AJ and gave him a high-five.
"Not quite," AJ replied. "We have to get out of here."
~*~
"Your Volans did nothing more than blow up the engine," Andromeda said. "Way to go, bonehead!"
"I never said that they were smart."
"Well, we'd better get out of here, before the ship crashes. I'm sure you don't want to live through THAT again."
"Right!" He and Andromeda teleported out of the ship.
~*~
AJ and Reggie made it back to their Zords. "Let's get out of here!" They pressed a series of buttons in their respective cockpits, and their Zords shot out of the bottom of the ship as it headed for a collision course with the planet below.
~*~
"Dude, there has to be some way that we can save the ship," Reggie spoke.
-"How? The thing's HUGE."-
-"Maybe we can lend a hand,"- Jaden's voice came over the Zords' intercom. -"Our ship does have a tractor beam."-
"That would be AWESOME! Thanks!"
-"Not a problem,"- Khayri spoke. -"You two just worry about stopping Andromeda and Orion. We have them landing in the Reflection Bay Park."-
"On it," Reggie replied. "Once again, thank you."
~*~
AJ's and Reggie's Zords flew down to the Park. They looked back and watched as the Secondsolar used its tractor beam to guide Leandros's ship safely down to the ground below.
~*~
Andromeda and Orion landed in the Park. The Volans appeared around them. Orion, without saying a word, pulled out his sword and slashed through all of them, destroying them in only a few seconds. "Useless grunts," he finally spoke. "Never send grunts to do a warrior's job."
AJ's and Reggie's Zords landed near the Park, and the two teleported over to Andromeda's and Orion's location. "So, you chickened out of the ship crash?" Reggie asked.
"Whatever happened to, 'the captain goes down with the ship'?" Reggie added.
"Oh, we've got much bigger plans, don't we, Orion?"
He looked at her. "We do?"
She pulled out her staff and aimed it at Orion. "Yes, we do." She fired a beam at Orion, surrounding him in pink energy. "Together, we'll be unstoppable!"
"What are you doing?" He asked. "My Princess! NO!" As the energy overtook him, he slowly faded away. "After all that we've been through..." The energy flew back and enveloped Andromeda, who cackled evilly. She started to grow into a city-wrecking-sized monster form, covered in a black-and-green grid design, from having absorbed Orion's energy. The two Rangers looked back and saw Ryan laying there. He struggled to get up, looking back at his friend. "Andromeda?"
"Try and stop me now, Power Rangers!" She laughed evilly and started to head toward the city.
Reggie and AJ helped Ryan up. "You have to stop her, but, please, don't destroy her," Ryan pleaded. "I... I love her."
The two of them looked at each other, then back to Ryan. "We'll try our best."
"Thank you," he replied. "Now, go and save the city!"
"Right!"
~*~
Andromeda rampaged through the city, blowing up skyscrapers and stepping on cars, laughing all the way. The TerraNature Megazord fired its fist missiles at her from behind, startling her and drawing her attention. She growled. "Rangers!"
-"We're here to stop you, Andromeda,"- AJ's voice boomed over the external loudspeaker.
"I don't think so, Rangers," she growled. "Take this!" She fired an electrical beam from her staff, striking the Megazord.
~*~
Inside, AJ's and Reggie's terminal began to crackle. "This isn't good," Reggie said.
"We have to do something," AJ spoke, "but what?"
-"Maybe we can lend a hand,"- Devon's voice spoke over their intercom. -"Look in your rear view scope."-
They looked and saw the Aniforce Megazord walking toward them. "You're here to help!"
-"Of course,"- Christian said. -"You didn't think we'd let you have all the fun, did you?"-
-"Disengage Andromeda's fire and separate your Megazord. We'll separate ours, then we can recombine for the NatureForce Megazord."-
"You got it," AJ replied, turning off the rear view scope. He pressed a series of buttons, causing the electrical energy to be deflected back at Andromeda. The burst of energy sent shockwaves through her body, causing her to become temporarily paralyzed, dropping her staff. The TerraNature Megazord split, then recombined with the Aniforce Zords to form the NatureForce Megazord. The Rangers reconvened in the central cockpit. "Thank goodness you're here!"
"How did things go on Leandros's ship?" Karone asked.
"The Volans blew up the engine, which forced the two of them to eject. Jaden and the Monster Catchers used the Secondsolar's tractor beam to guide the ship safely to the ground, so that's a plus," Reggie explained. "When we got to the Park, Andromeda absorbed Orion's evil energy and turned into... Well, that."
"On the plus side, I think Orion destroyed the Volans beforehand. He's back to being Ryan, and wants us to free Andi of the evil power," AJ continued.
"Do you think we can do that without destroying her?" Christian asked.
"It's a long shot, but I think we'll be able to."
~*~
Kellan's ship approached the Astron Fortress. It connected to one of the now-vacant connecting passageways that tied the Fortress to Leandros's ship and the Mega Winger. Once docked, they did one last conference among themselves.
"Are you really sure you want to do this?" Kellan asked. "We can always go back."
"No," Meduron replied, "we have to try our best to destroy Emperor Perseus ourselves and avenge Leandros's death."
"And, you think that the four of us can stop the most powerful being in the universe?" Michelle asked. "Someone's a bit deluded..."
"So what if we don't stop him? We can surely weaken him enough that my Rangers can finish the job."
"What if his forces capture or destroy them?" Sarah asked. "You said it yourself: They're not ready for any major battles."
"I just have to have faith that they'll be able to pull it together," Meduron replied. "Now, there's no time to lose. Let's go." He exited the ship, followed by his teammates.
~*~
Perseus watched from a view screen on the bridge. "So, you've come to try and stop me, have you? We'll see about that." He pressed a button to turn on the ship's speaker system. -"Volans! Give our guests a nice welcome!"-
~*~
Meduron led his team through the corridors of the Astron Fortress. They looked in the various rooms as they walked past, stopping to look in Austrina's old bedroom at the damage that it had incurred. "What do you think happened here?"
"It looks like Valentine's Day threw up in here," Michelle replied. "Ugh, I hate pink. That's why I'm the Yellow one."
"I love pink and all," Sarah added, "but even this is too much."
"What do you think happened to Austrina?" Kellan asked.
"She was destroyed after trying to use TV hero Drake Photon against the Rangers," Meduron explained. "Drake and his team actually banded together and defeated her."
"You're kidding, right? She was destroyed by a fictional character?" Michelle asked.
"Maybe this Perseus guy isn't such hot stuff after all," Kellan added. He felt a tapping on his shoulder. He turned around. "Can I -- Oh, hello." He turned back around, then turned around once more. "Wait, you're Volans! Guys, we've got company!"
"Fight your way out of here," Meduron said. "This room's much too small for all of us to be here!"
"Um, there's just one problem with that," Michelle commented. "The Volans are lined up for miles down both sides of the hall."
"We'll have to transform and blast our way out. Ready, guys?" Meduron asked.
They summoned their morphers. "Beastmasters! Legends Come To Life!" The four transformed into the Beastmasters, and summoned their cannon weapons. They each aimed at a different wall and fired, making their combat space a much larger area. The Volans then charged on the Rangers, engaging them in a fierce battle.
~*~
Perseus looked on with glee. "There's no way that they can lose!" Suddenly, a wave of energy flew past him and entered the Orb of Enlightenment, causing it to start glowing. "That must be from poor Sagittarius. What a shame. He could have gone on to bigger and better things. Alas, he decided to join up with me. Now, he's dead." He started to laugh evilly. "All that remains is Andromeda and Orion. Once they're destroyed, my master plan will be complete, and I will have my ultimate form!"
~*~
The Beastmasters destroyed the last of the Volans. "Man, that was tiring," Kellan said. "I didn't think they'd be so strong."
"I guess his forces aren't so weak after all," Michelle added. "I take back what I said earlier."
"Undoubtedly, Perseus is expecting us. Let's --" Suddenly, they were overcome by a gravitational force that held them to the ground. "What's happening?" Meduron asked.
"I don't know. It feels like we're being held down by some kind of... force," Sarah replied.
-"That's correct, Beastmasters. I, Emperor Perseus, am cordially inviting you to witness the end of it all first-hand!"-
Shortly thereafter, the four of them were teleported to the Bridge, where they materialized in a row next to where Leandros's, Tawni's, and Erica's bodies were hanging in shackles. With Perseus's powers, they did not need chains. They were being held against the wall by pure energy from the Orb of Enlightenment. Meduron looked next to him and saw his friends. "Leandros! Girls!" He turned to Perseus. "You monster!"
"Aw, is someone sad? Don't be blue!" Perseus said, laughing. "Watch, friends, as Andromeda is destroyed by Meduron's Rangers!"
"You'll never win, Per--" Kellan stopped, mid-sentence. "Wait, what?"
"Just watch, Beastmasters!"
~*~
Suddenly, Andromeda doubled over. "What's... Happening... To me?!" She started to glow in a multitude of colors, and ribbons of energy flew from her body, up towards space. "My energy!" She screamed in agony as her power level started to drop.
~*~
The Rangers looked on. "What's happening?"
~*~
Andromeda transformed back into her previous form as the energy ribbons continued to flow upward. "NO!" She screamed. "Where is my energy going?! I feel so... So weak..." She started to shrink back down to her regular size as a cloud of pink energy surrounded her.
~*~
"We'd better go and check this out," Devon said. The Rangers exited the NatureForce Megazord, sending their Zords back to their respective hiding places.
~*~
Down below, Andromeda laid down on the ground and had finally gone silent. The Rangers and Ryan gathered around her. Ryan reached for her hand, but was stopped by Devon. "I wouldn't do that just yet. It could be a trap."
Suddenly, Andromeda's eyes and her mouth shot open, and a glow emitted from all three openings. Everyone watched as the essence of Andromeda left her body and floated up toward space. They looked back down and watched, as Andromeda transformed back into Andi. She looked around. "Where am I?"
"Andi!" Ryan exclaimed, kneeling down and taking her hand. "You're okay!"
"Of course I'm okay. Why wouldn't I be?"
"Well, we WERE turned back evil, and you did absorb my own evil energy to transform into a giant monster. That's all behind us now, though. The important thing is that you're okay. I do want to tell you one thing, though."
"What's that?"
"I..."
~*~
They watched as Andromeda's energies flew into the Orb of Enlightenment, causing it to glow even brighter than it had been before. Perseus walked toward it. "It's such a waste to have to kill off such powerful minions, but I want to conquer this miserable planet myself." He picked up the Orb and held it against his chest. He focused, and the energy started to transmit from it to his own form. "Soon, I shall have my ultimate form!"
-"You guys,"- Sarah whispered, -"I have a plan."-
Perseus started to glow in various colors as the Orb's energy encompassed his entire form. He started to transform into his ultimate form.
-"You'd better start working on this great plan of yours soon, Sarah,"- Michelle whispered. -"Perseus is almost transformed!"-
-"It's all part of my plan."-
-"It IS?!"-
Sarah winked at Meduron. -"You know that monsters will do anything when they're filled with rage, right? Well, I'll get him to set us free for a 'practice battle' before he goes down to Mirinoi. When he frees us, the three of us will keep him busy..."-
~*~
Perseus completed his transformation, absorbing the Orb of Enlightenment into his new form in the process. "How do you like me now, Beastmasters?"
-"Crap."-
"Hey, Skullhead!" Meduron shouted. "It takes a real chicken to not even want to destroy the rest of us. Just think of the energy level that you could have if you absorb all of OUR powers as well!"
-"What are you doing?"- Michelle asked. Meduron winked at her and smiled.
"You know what? You're right!" He waved his hand, and the four Beastmasters were released from their force-prisons.
"Take the ship!" Meduron exclaimed. Kellan ran over to the controls and started to press a series of buttons to turn control over to him. "Girls, use your weapons to free Leandros and the others, then take them to our ship." Sarah and Michelle obliged. "As for you, I have a serious bone to pick with you."
"Oh, really?" Perseus summoned his new sword and pointed it at Meduron. "Bring it on."
Meduron flew through the air, tackling Perseus and knocking him to the ground. He summoned his cannon weapon and pointed it right at Perseus's head. "Oh, I'll bring it." Perseus laughed and sprang up, sending Meduron flying across the room, toward Sarah and Michelle. He shook his head and got back up. He grabbed his cannon weapon and fired at Perseus, who dodged the blast. Instead, Meduron hit the console where Kellan was working, narrowly missing his friend. "Sorry!"
-"Astron Fortress, Self-Destruct Sequence has been initiated. 60... 59... 58..."-
"Good! You've just sentenced your friends to a fate that's better than anything I could have planned on my own!" He fired blasts at both of the exits, sealing them into the bridge. "Farewell, Beastmasters!" He teleported down to the planet below.
"Can we teleport out of here?" Kellan asked.
Meduron pressed a series of buttons on his morpher, but nothing happened. "No."
"You mean, we're stuck in here?" Michelle asked.
"Not exactly. We do have our cannon weapons. Kellan, summon yours and focus your fire on one of the other walls of the ship. We can always blast our way back to the main hall and get to our ship!"
-"33... 32... 31..."-
"We have thirty seconds!"
"We'll have to work quickly. Kellan, let's do it!"
~*~
Down below, the Aniforce Rangers were standing by their Megazords when Emperor Perseus landed nearby. He turned to them. "Rangers!"
They looked at him. "Emperor Perseus?" Devon asked.
"Yes, Red Ranger! I have achieved my ultimate form, and there's nothing you can do to stop me!"
-"Maybe not, but there's something I can do!"- Perseus turned around and saw the Mega Winger walking toward him. -"Guys! I rerouted the motion servos!"-
"Good job!" Karone shouted. "Take out the Emperor!"
-"You got it!"- The Mega Winger pointed its Wing Blaster at Perseus. -"Say hello to my little friend!"-
Perseus looked up into the barrel of the cannon. "Oh, no..."
-"FIRE!"- The Wing Blaster fired its flame attack at Perseus, burning him to a crisp and melting his exterior, leaving the Orb of Enlightenment sitting in a pile of dust. Zhane jumped out of the cockpit, as the Winger transformed back into its spaceship form. He ran up to the Orb. "That thing's all that's left of Perseus, right?"
"I think so," Christian replied.
"I'll take care of this," Zhane said, summoning his Super Silverizer. He pointed at the Orb and fired, blowing it up and causing all of the energy contained within it to float up toward space, where it collided with the Astron Fortress.
~*~
-"3... 2... 1..."-
The energy beam surrounded the ship, reversing all of the damage from the battle.
-"Self-destruct sequence aborted."-
The Beastmasters looked around. "What happened?"
-"I don't know, but, whatever it was, I don't want to relive it."- They all turned and saw Leandros looking back at them. "Can someone get me down off of here? My arms are REALLY starting to hurt!"
Meduron demorphed, revealing that he had tears in his eyes. "Leandros! You're alive!"
"What are we? Chopped liver?"
"It's good to see you two as well, but... Leandros!" Meduron and the other Beastmasters cut the chains that held their friends to the wall, freeing them. "I... How are you alive?"
"I think that your Rangers destroyed Emperor Perseus," Kellan said. "That must have released the energy, which caused it to return this ship - as well as Leandros and the girls - to its former state."
"So, we not only got our lives back, but we also get to keep this fortress?" Leandros asked.
"Looks that way," Tawni replied.
"Well, I know that you wanted a car for your birthdays, but will a former villain's evil lair work instead?"
"Only if we can repaint that ugly pink bedroom," Tawni said.
"Glad to see that I'm not the only one that doesn't like it," Michelle added, nudging Sarah.
"I dunno, Tawni," Erica spoke, "I kind of liked it."
"Let's go home, guys," Meduron said. "It's been a LONG night."
~*~
The Astron Fortress and Kellan's spaceship landed. The Rangers got out of their way, wondering who would be coming out. The doors opened to reveal the four Beastmasters - Meduron in the Astron Fortress, and Kellan, Sarah, and Michelle in their ship - standing there. The Rangers ran up to them and hugged them.
"So, you survived the fight against Perseus himself," Reggie said. "How was it?"
"He was tough," Meduron replied, "but we worked together and destroyed him."
"We also have a surprise for you," Kellan said. "Meduron, would you step aside?"
The Rangers looked at Meduron oddly. "What's going on?" Their jaws dropped when they saw who was standing there. "Leandros! Tawni! Erica!"
The girls waved. Leandros spoke, "Did you miss me?"
"We thought that you were dead," Karone replied. "What happened?"
"I think I know," Zhane said. "When I destroyed the Orb of Enlightenment, the energy that flew out of it must have brought Leandros and the girls back to life."
"Let's go to the Underground Outpost. I'm sure that we all need to rest after THIS battle," AJ said.
"Good idea!"
~*~
The next morning, Tawni, Erica, Meduron, and the Beastmasters were standing outside of the Outpost, when the Rangers approached. "Remember, we have to break this to them gently," Kellan said.
"What's the big emergency?" Devon asked.
"Is Perseus back?" Christian asked.
"No, Rangers, it's nothing like that. I... I don't know how to put this softly, so I'll just come out and say it."
"Wait, Meduron," Leandros interrupted, "not everyone's here yet."
Reggie did a quick head count. "There are six of us here. I think that's everyone."
-"You guys forgot about me already? I'm crushed!"- They turned around and saw Trevor standing there with his arms full of photo albums. "I thought I was memorable!"
Karone screamed in excitement. "TREVOR!" She ran up and hugged him, almost knocking him to the ground. "It's great to see you again!"
"With what Meduron has to tell us, I wouldn't miss this for the world!"
"Now that you're all here," Meduron spoke as the Rangers all lined up, "I've decided to go back to my home planet with my team. Now that Emperor Perseus is no more, there's really not much of a reason for me to remain here. I'll never forget all of the good - and, in Trevor's case, not-so-good - times that we've had over the past couple of years. You all have come such a long way since that day when three ragtag youths were recruited by the spirits of the Red, Yellow, and Blue Rangers. Through our teamwork, we've defeated Emperor Perseus and have restored peace to the planet Mirinoi once more. That being said, while I am leaving, I'm not taking your powers away from you. However, there is one thing that needs to be addressed, and that is who will be responsible for watching over the Underground Outpost."
"I'll do it," Christian said, stepping forward. "It would be an honor."
"Bro, what about your schooling? What about the fact that you're now the Yellow Ranger?"
"Correction, D," he said, turning toward Trevor, "I *was* the Yellow Ranger." He walked toward Trevor, pulling the Yellow transformation wand out of his pocket. "If you'll have it, I'd like for you to reassume command of the Yellow Ranger powers. After all, you WERE chosen."
"I... I don't know what to say," Trevor replied, taking the wand from Christian. "Thank you. Are you positive that this is what you want to do?"
Christian nodded. "I'd be a better fit for protecting the Outpost anyway. I can back up all of the programming and such, and I can always use my family's influence to make sure nothing happens to the land surrounding it. Guys, it's been a BLAST being a Power Ranger, but I can't pass up the chance to do a lot of the behind-the-scenes work. I can still go to school and do my thing."
AJ and Reggie walked over to Meduron and his team. "I know that we haven't been the greatest Rangers, but --"
"Stop right there, AJ," Meduron said. "You and Reggie demonstrated a great amount of courage when you came to my aid, not even having any kind of Ranger powers whatsoever. You two took great risks in trying to fill Trevor's shoes when he left. You HAVE been great Rangers, and will continue to do so, no matter what."
"Aww... Group hug!" Reggie forced everyone into a group hug.
Meanwhile, Karone, Zhane, and Devon approached Trevor and Christian. "You're sure that this is what you want?" Devon asked.
"Yes," Trevor replied, nodding.
"What about your schooling?" Karone asked.
"Perseus is gone. Like Christian said, we can always join back up if the situation arises."
"Rangers, gather around," Meduron spoke. The Rangers all approached them. "It's time for us to go. Good luck and Godspeed, Aniforce Rangers."
"You as well," Devon said. "You've given us the guidance we need to continue to protect the planet in your place."
"Sarah and Michelle, I invite the both of you to call me when you get back to your planet," Zhane added. "Maybe, we can get together on a three-way date, and --" Karone smacked his arm. "Ow! Oh, you want to come along? Four-way date?"
Sarah and Michelle looked at each other and laughed. "We'll see!"
"We'll take you up on that offer!" Tawni and Erica exclaimed.
"No, you won't," Leandros said.
"We've got to get going," Kellan spoke.
"Farewell, Rangers!" Meduron walked into the ship, followed by Kellan, Sarah, Michelle, Leandros, Tawni, and Erica. The Rangers waved as the ship fired up its engines and took off.
"Well," Devon said, looking around, "where do we go from here?"
"I could use a bite to eat," Christian replied. "Who's up for breakfast at the Inside-Out Café?" Zhane raised his hand. "Good! You're buying!"
"What?"
"Oh, you don't know about the Avalon Rule?" Devon asked. Zhane shook his head. "Whenever someone takes a vote for going out to eat, the first person to raise their hand has to pay."
"Remind me to use that on my future dates," Reggie said.
"Me, too," AJ added.
"I'll drive!" Karone exclaimed.
Everyone walked toward Karone's van except Zhane, who stood there, trying to figure out what just happened. A couple of minutes later, he shook his head and started to walk toward the van.
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