SUMMARY:
In the skies above the outskirts of Angel Grove, Red Ranger flies Lightning Cruiser around while testing new booster fuel on it. He's in contact with the Power Chamber, where Carlos, Justin & Alpha are running diagnostics on how the sentient vehicle is handling the juice. Two more minutes of circling the air and TJ will set down to try the next formula (although why a living car that's survived thousands of years without needing gas can take booster fuel is beyond me). Meanwhile, Divatox and her evil space pirate crew are out of the Space Base and hanging around Earth. Seems they've set up a testing ground/camp for potential monsters, countless recycled Beetleborgs monster suits are used, along with Piranahtrons fumbling around in the obstacle courses. Divatox is not impressed by any of the creatures she sees there, Rygog checking off 'no' by various names on a list (a list containing only monsters she's already used, even Metalasaurus!). She calls every one of them losers, Rygog suggesting the Mass Muncher, but she turns the unseen monster down quickly. None have what it takes to take on the Power Rangers, ordering Rygog to shape them up or ship them out! Suddenly, Lightning Cruiser zooms overhead, Divatox checking it out through a pair of binoculars and reminded of a plan she had not long ago. She tells Elgar & Porto to get her Lightning Cruiser, Elgar saying that's a good idea and they'll be unstoppable.
[opening credits, The Robot Ranger version]
As Lightning Cruiser heads for a rendezvous point with Ashley & Cassie, Divatox whines to her lackeys about wanting that flying car. Porto refreshes her memory on how stealing Ranger equipment is simple, but those living vehicles sure aren't. She doesn't care about excuses, she isn't about to settle for a normal car that drives on the ground and is sure one of these monsters is capable of getting Lightning Cruiser for her. Torch Tiger overhears this and thinks it his big chance, telling them he can get it for her. Divatox asks what his special talent is, he says he can breathe fire and she asks him to demonstrate it. Torch Tiger huffs and puffs, but all he blows out his mouth is smoke. He gets laughed at and rejected by Divatox, Torchy left thinking about finding a way to prove to her he's the monster for the job. Elsewhere, Bulk & Skull get jobs as fire-spotters. The local park ranger fills them in on what they'll be doing, and the bumbling duo's hopes of driving a jeep, spraying a hose and flying a helicopter are shot down. Instead, they're assigned a post in the lookout tower, ordered to watch out for anything unusual. They begin the latter climb to the top, when Torch Tiger runs past Skull, who waves to him before stopping and shaking the incident off as nothing unusual. Meanwhile, Lightning Cruiser pulls in to the wooded area Cassie & Ashley are stationed at, TJ exiting the car (which is right next to the parked Storm Blaster) and demorphing at the same time. He's in awe over the speed and smooth soaring LC gets from this booster fuel, Ashley saying Alpha really outdid himself this time. They ready the next formula, when the sound of ominous cackling laughter is heard coming from behind the bushes! Torch Tiger pops out and takes the three teens by surprise, telling them to not bother Morphing because when he's done with them, they'll all be crispy critters.
[commercial bumpers Red Lightning/Lightning Fire Tamer]
Torch Tiger prepares to make Rangers Flambe, but ends up just coughing up smoke like the Marlboro Man. Teej points out his lack of attack, Torchy then teleporting (at least his method of teleportation involves fire) a whole few feet over to the picnic table where he grabs the bottles of Booster Fuel before taking off! The three teens Shift Into Turbo, and give Turbo Charged chase after the fuel thief. Elgar, Rygog, Porto & some Piranahtrons then sneak up to the campsite, thinking Torchy's done something right after all, he's distracted the Rangers while they ready the capture of Lightning Cruiser! Elgar takes out a special net, Lightning Cruiser & Storm Blaster are not about to be taken so simply, blares the alarms & horns loud enough for Yellow, Pink & Red Rangers to hear. They have no choice but to give up trying to regain the fuel from Torch Tiger and return to the camp, but on the way back, Piranahtrons puddleport onto the scene. The three Turbos take on the fishdrones, while in the distance at the lookout tower, Bulk & Skull are oblivious to the car horn blasting nearby. Skull thinks he hears something, but Bulk (both of them too busy eating, listing to music on their headphones, and reading Beetleborgs Comics) ignores his fire-spotting responsibility and the two go back to goofing off. Elgar & Rygog toss the net toward Lightning Cruiser & Storm Blaster, both vehicles backing up sharply. The net instead lands on the table, quickly teleporting the entire supply of Booster Fuel into Elgar's bag! He pays no attention to it and tries once more to capture LC (but no mention of wanting Storm Blaster).
Meanwhile in the forest, The three Rangers tackle the Piranahtrons until they're beaten into submission, TJ then calling for Justin & Carlos to give some assistance at the testing site. Green & Blue Rangers Shift Into Turbo and teleport to the scene, halting the Cruiser capture only for a moment as Piranahtrons swarm their way. The other three Rangers appear, and the whole team reunites to face Elgar & friends. The evil space pirates quickly escape with an empty net, both Lightning Cruiser & Storm Blaster unharmed. Ashley notices the fuel missing, the Rangers are sure Divatox's henchmonsters have it. They haven't gone far, hiding under the lookout tower for fear of Divatox's wrath about their lack of getting the car she desired. They haven't left totally empty handed, the bag containing several bottles of booster fuel is still in Elgar's clutches. Porto recognizes it, and mentions if the queen of evil wants a flying car, she's about to get one of her own! The monsters make teleporting leave of the area, Skull scoping the scenery above but not noticing a thing.
Soon at the Monster Training Grounds, Divatox is surprised by the gift of a flying car, although not the one she hoped for. The rigged up Divacar is pumped full of the Rangers' booster fuel, enabling it to fly. She's reluctant to believe the pudgy brainiac, but hops in anyway, starts the engine, fires up the wings and takes off, monsters all waving good-bye. The Divacar takes the air in a scene awfully similar to the end of "Grease", except without the crummy sequel. Elsewhere, Torch Tiger's got his own motorcycle, riding around a secluded area before stopping to check out the loot he swiped. Pouring some of the booster fuel into the gas tank, he revs his bike up and makes some speed, leaving a trail of fire in his wake. It finally gives out, Torchy ditching his drained bike and gets an idea on trying another bottle of fuel on himself. He pops open a gas-cap located his chest (strangely not visible at any other time), and dumps a whole bottle in, the fuel charging up his own fiery motor and sending him racing around in circles! Torch Tiger creates a flaming whirlwind as he dashes quickly, the fuel powered fire expanding and spreading quickly throughout the forest around him! Bulk & Skull are still in the lookout tower, but keeping neither an eye, ear, nor nose out for anything unusual. Smoke begins to fill the air around them, both none the wiser to it. At the Power Chamber, Teej wonders what Divatox wanted with their fuel. Carlos alerts the team to a major emergency on the Viewing Screen, as Angel Grove Forest is lighting up like a cheap Christmas Tree lot!
[commercial bumper Red Lightning]
[commercial bumper Wind Chaser]
The forest fire is spreading toward Angel Grove itself, our five heroes Shift Into Turbo, get to the woods and call on their Rescuezords. One quick High Stance Mode shifting later, the Rangers are ready to take on a natural disaster. Lightning Fire Tamer is equipped with a huge Fire Extingisher, trying to foam out of the fire with some well placed blasts, as Thunder Loader & Star Racer smash giant boulders against each other over the flames in an attempt to smother them with the crumbling dirt. The blaze on the way to be quelled offscreen, Alpha informs them that Bulk & Skull are at the southern lookout tower, but have no idea a fire is raging around them (although Skull wonders why it's getting so hot there). Red Ranger jumps into Lightning Cruiser and takes off to go rescue the bumbling duo. Unfortunately, coming the other way in the atmosphere is the Divacar, barely missing the Cruiser on the drive by! Alpha has no idea who it is, but Divatox announces herself and tells them to deal with it. Teej realizes that's where the booster fuel went, turning around and going back after the Divacar. Divatox figures if she can't have Lightning Cruiser then no one will, a midair chicken race quickly engaging. It doesn't last long before the Divacar runs out of fuel and plummets from the sky! She crash-lands at the Monster Training Grounds, Torch Tiger there along with her henchmonsters. Divatox wants Porto to bring her more of that wonderful booster fuel, but Torchy reveals he used the rest in his own tank. Before they get too angered with him, he shows off the results of the gas hogging by coughing out a mighty breath of fire! They're impressed, Divatox tells him to make the Rangers into toast or don't bother coming back, and he's all fired up for the prime position.
At the lookout tower, Bulk & Skull finally smell smoke and begin to panic when they realize that's not clouds surrounding them. Lightning Cruiser pulls up alongside the tower, Red Ranger telling them to jump in and they quickly do so before their gooses are cooked. Back at the Power Chamber, the sensor alarms are going off as they detect Torch Tiger for the first time. Alpha alerts the Rangers to his location, and they all head for a showdown with the hotheaded creature. The Turbos try Auto Blasting him, but he spits out a firewall shield and reflects the blasts back on them, followed by one of his famous flame belches. Our heroes fall flat from the serious morning breath, Cassie wondering if all of that hot air he's blowing is causing him to run out of fuel just yet. TJ knows their only way to be sure, rush him again, which the Turbo team does, braving the fiery blasts but ultimately getting blown away in an instant inferno. Torch Tiger thinks he's destroyed the Rangers, but Storm Blaster arises from the ashes and plows into him, as Lightning Cruiser fires from the air, both vehicles containing the soot-covered heroes. The fire dying out on this fight, Divatox (back on the Space Base) notices Torchy needs yet another boost, so she tiredly orders Rygog to launch the Torpedoes. The torpedoes stream to Earth, Torch Tiger growing like a bonfire on an oil-slicked beach. The Rangers call on the Rescue Megazord, it forms together and heads for the scene ready to teach Torchy to go shooting his mouth off. Ever the hothead, Torch Tiger rushes for the Megazord, kept out of reach by the Megazord placing its hand on his head and holding him an arm's length away as he swings his fists around. The Rescue Mega swings its other arm around and knocks Tiger across the field, the Rangers ordering up Artillery Cannons and within moments, Artillery Power is unleashed. Torch Tiger is no match for that firepower, exploding in one final poof.
[commercial bumper Red Lightning]
[commercial bumper Desert Thunder]
Later at the Monster Training Camp again, Porto has analyzed the booster fuel and come up with his own evil version. Elgar leads his aunt to her repaired Divacar, and her excitement gives way to fear when he tells her he mixed the fuel himself. She lets her moronic mutant nephew take her car out for a test spin, he happily hops in and rolls away, not getting far before explosively smashing into a tree. Divatox gleefully says she's glad it wasn't her, walking away as Porto tells her next time he'll mix it himself, then returning to chuckle at Elgar hanging from the tree. Later at the Juice Bar, Bulk & Skull tell a crowd of patrons the story of their fiery ordeal. They try making themselves out to be loyal firespotters, not wanting to leave their post despite the raging inferno. They mention the forest rangers didn't appreciate their eagle eyes so they had to resign. During all of this, they're so wrapped up in the story they don't notice as they get paint on themselves from a nearby newly painted pole. Everyone laughs at them as they walk away unaware, the Ranger teens among the people getting a cheap thrill from the ever cheapening gag.
[end credits]
_BLOOPERS:_
Bulk wipes Skull's face free of sweat, and himself with the same cloth, while awaiting the take, gasping when he realizes the films rolling; Blue Ranger battles a Piranahtron, ending up behind him as the P-Tron strikes blindly at nothing. Blue laughs, hitting the fishdrone on the head and it falls to the ground; Bulk & Skull face the camera, TJ telling them from offscreen to jump to the Cruiser. Bulk takes a fumbling leap, Skull calling him a sucker as he appears to be about to fall to his death, but is safe; Elgar races to the Divacar, finally tripping over something and falling onto his back. Torch Tiger asks if this is nap time.
