Power Rangers Time Force
"Beware The Knight"
Original Air Date:09/22/01
*Season 9, byte 32 *Official Fox Kids Show Number PR-1132 *32nd episode of PRTF *410th total Power Rangers episode
Writers: Judd Lynn & Jackie Marchand		Director: Koichi Sakamoto
Starring Cast: Jason Faunt _AS_ Wes (Red Ranger) Erin Cahill _AS_ Jen (Pink Ranger) Kevin Kleinberg _AS_ Trip (Green Ranger) Deborah Estelle Philips _AS_ Katie (Yellow Ranger) Michael Copon _AS_ Lucas (Blue Ranger)		Additional Cast: Justin N. Thompson _AS_ White Knight Kelly J. Bailey _AS_ Black Knight Shauna Duggins _AS_ Girlfriend Terence James Rotolo _AS_ Boyfriend Brianne Siddall _AS_ Circuit (voice) Oliver Page _AS_ White Knight (voice) [Note: Beware PRZ's Klank's voice!]

SUMMARY:

In what appears to be around medieval times (considering the bag-pipey music), a stormy night has fallen upon the battlefield of two knights in shining armor. It's your typical English battlefield, with a wooden large-wheeled cart (catapult perhaps?), a pillory device (the wooden imprisoning frame with holes for hands & head), and a wooden butterchurn in a barrel all spread about the forest field. Dead center in the clearing, are several posts with Coat Of Arms draped atop, and abandoned axes & chainmail armor scattered on the ground, implying heavily that this scene might take place several hundred years hence. The two knights, both on horseback, face one another on opposite sides of the clearing, appearing nearly identical in their armor, save for the colors. The Black Knight (with silver trimmings on his helmet & suit) sits atop his armored steed, wielding a jousting lance in his right hand and a gold-lion crested shield in his left. His horse, which appears to be white & brown, snorts loudly and gallops in place anxiously. The Black Knight, speaking in a deep and vicious tone, demands aloud, "Give me the BOX!" The White Knight (with red trimmings on his helmet & suit) sits atop his own armored steed, also wielding a jousting lance in his right hand and a red 3-spot & upside-down V crested shield in his left. His horse, which appears to be pure white, whinnies uncomfortably while being held in place. The White Knight, speaking in a gallant voice, retorts bravely with an accent, "I will NEVER hand it over to the likes of YOU!" Lightning flashes sporadically throughout the scene, thunder rumbling in the background. Behind the Black Knight, is an eerily crimson-lighted fog. Black Knight snarls in return, "Then you leave me NO choice!" His horse snorts once more, as its master grips the reins. The White Knight's horse antsily beats its four hooves in the dirt. The Black Knight lifts his horse's upper legs into the air, causing his steed to let out a mighty neigh. The bushy-hooved horse then begins to sally forth, the Black Knight atop it, grasping his lance and aiming it forward. The White Knight's horse begins charging forth as well, at a brisker pace than its evil counterpart. The silver-armored horses race on, as the Knights straddling them focus truly on their targets, as the scene shifts to near-dramatic slow motion. The jousting reaches a conclusion, when the two horses pass by one another, going in opposite directions. The Black Knight's silver & black lance slams sharply into the shielded chest of the White Knight, whose own red & white lance falters. The sound of metal swords slicing against one another rings out, as the White Knight is struck in the chest by the lance at a high speed. He drops his own lance & shield to the ground, while throwing his arms into the air, agonized from likely massive internal injuries (or just from the sheer noble notion that he lost this battle). His horse screeches in fright, as the White Knight gruntingly tumbles off the armored saddle, crashing limply into the dirt.

Victorious in this joust, the Black Knight guides his horse to a stop, facing his downed foe. The White Knight clutches his mask's facial-slit in pain, as the dark feudal warrior dismounts, approaches him, and boasts, "Your pathetic crusade is over. I TOLD you, I WILL possess the Box!" The Black Knight reaches down and pulls aside the White Knight's white garment, before removing a small scarlet pouch from his chainmail belt. Whitey grabs Blackie's wrist, and pleads, "You CANNOT access the Battle Fire!" Blackie merely crushes Whitey's arm underneath his right bootheel with an annoyed groan. White Knight points his other hand at his triumphant rival, stressing, "Only one PURE of heart can release its powers, and YOUR heart... is pure E-VIL!" Life drains from the White Knight's fully armored form in but an instant. His hand trembles briefly, before slumping to the ground, along with his helmeted head, signifying the death of this mystical knight of purity. Thunder & lightning still rage about, and crimson mist still hovering in the far darkness, the Black Knight turns from his defeated foe, and concurs wickedly, "So TRUE." He removes a small, golden, well-weathered, fist-sized box from the scarlet pouch, and laughs maniacally. Black Knight's vicious laughter grows, as he holds the Battle Fire box up, into the pitch black night sky.

At the Clock Tower in modern day Silver Hills, night as also fallen, but no storms are anywhere on the horizon. With the flick of a light switch, scant illumination pours through the ancient Nick Of Time Odd Jobs office. Entering through the front door, Wes, carrying two buckets filled with cleaning materials, wipes his brow and sighs exhaustedly. He turns to the fellow white NOTOJ-Jumpsuited person behind him, Katie, who's carrying a mops and a coiled garden hose. Wes looks like he's going to offer to relieve her burden when he says, "Oh. Katie!" But instead, he hands her his two buckets, and grunts, "ThaaANK you!" Katie takes the added strain with stride, turning to Lucas, who's also carrying a bucket & hose, to comment, "I NEVER want to see another MOP, as long as I live." Trip shuffles his feet behind them, carrying a bucket & a broom, while lamenting, "Ohh, I am SO hungry, I could... eat this BROOM!" He eyes the long wooden broomhandle, and just when he opens his mouth & tilts his head to chomp into it, Jen slaps him on the hat with her pink dustrag. Jen swipes the broom, adding to her bucket already in hand, and warns her starving alien teammate playfully, "DON'T. You're gonna need it again tomorrow!" She excitedly waves the rag & broom in the air, announcing, "We have another cleaning job, everyone!" Katie & Lucas are in the background putting their buckets & hoses away. Trip is the only one to react to this news, groaning, "Oh, AGAIN?! Ohh." Jen heads over to the workbench to put her cleaning supplies away. Trip simply clutches his stomach, and staggers over to the front desk. He sets his bucket down on the desktop, and rests his upperbody against it. Wes stands beside him, having been on the phone the entire time since giving Katie his buckets. He tells the person on the other end of the line, "Alright, we're on our way! Thanks." After setting the grey phone back on its receiver, Wes leans forward toward his weary teammate, and near-mockingly says, "Triiiip. I bought pizza!" Trip instantly lifts his head up, as his face hopefully smiling, as he perks aloud, "Really?! Ah, GREAT, I LOVE pizza!" Wes pulls out a wad of cash, thumbs out the proper amount, and explains, "It'll be ready in tennnn minutes." He gets the right amount, stuffs the rest in his pocket, then grabs Trip's hand, and slams the bills into his palm while adding, "Oh! And, uhh... Thanks a LOT for pickin' it up!" Wes slaps Trip's shoulder, and departs. Trip is in a daze, confusedly asking, "ME?!" Wes points at him proudly and states, "You!" Trip protests, "Wait! I..." Jen points at him as well, and follows Wes' path up the stairs while telling Trip, "Pizza's great!" Lucas also points & follows, saying slyly, "Extra cheese." Katie lags for a moment to motion her arms and chipperly commends, "That was so NICE of you to offer to pick it up!", before racing up the steps. Trip's protests fall on deaf ears, as he defeatedly mentions, "But I...! Didn't offer."

Soon, Trip is walking alone under a parking garage overpass bridge, lit only by a tall streetlight beside a nearby building. Trip carries two cardboard pizza boxes in his clutches, and is still wearing his NOTOJ jumpsuit & backpack, as he casually heads down the deserted path. He grumbles to himself, "Ugh! Trip do THIS, Trip do THAT... (stammers) WHY do I ALWAYS have to pick up the pizza?!" Trip pauses in his tracks, looks around to be sure nobody is watching, and then quickly sits on a cement edge of one of the bridge's pillars. He opens up one of the pizza boxes, and finds a hot, fresh pepperoni & grease pizza waiting for consumption. Trip smiles and licks his lips, before grabbing a precut slice, and biting down on the end of it. While in the middle of chewing, his Chrono-Morpher's communications link beeps. Antsy by the dinner interruption, Trip plops the pizza slice down, and presses the button on his Morpher. A flickering hologram of Katie's body from the waist up appears over the Chrono-Morpher. She's wearing her usual outfit, and appears to be looking upward, rather than clutching her Morpher, implying that this transmission is actually being sent through Circuit. Katie urges, "Trip! Hurry up with those pizzas!" Trip chews vigorously, mumbling with his mouth partially full, "Mmmi'm going as fast I can!" Katie folds her arms and suspiciously remarks, "It sounds like your mouth is full!" Trip denies with a lighthearted smile on his face, fibbing, "No, no, no! I'm just... OUT of breath, from... hurrying!" He quickly presses his Morpher, shutting off her hologram transmission. Nearly busted, Trip moans in annoyedly relief. His spirits are lifted when he spots the slice of pizza he was eating, still lying there, waiting to be devoured. Trip wastes no time, smiling as he grabs the slice and bites off another chunk. Suddenly, a crack of thunder rumbles deeply in the near distance. Trip freezes in mid-chew, his eyes darting about for the source of the sound. A second sound, that of a horse whinnying, makes his confusion even greater. He drops his slice back in the box, before shutting its lid. Trip takes both boxes and stands up, continuing to chew as he cautiously walks forward. He steps into the center of the path, searching for a visual sign of what he just heard. Trip witnesses a bright red fog rolling along at the far end of the road, and just as quickly as he spots it, does the Black Knight come galloping through it! Trip watches, stunned speechlessly, as the Black Knight rides swiftly on his silver armored brown horse. Blackie swings his sword around from side to side, bellowing a ferocious battle cry as he charges toward Trip.

[Opening Credits, version 2.2! Jonathan Tzachor's producer credit shot background has been switched from the Time Shadow atop the twin towers, to the Q-Rex in Megazord Mode posing.]

The Black Knight continues swinging his sword, grunting viciously while galloping along the cemented path beneath the overpass. Trip is frozen in shock, allowing the Black Knight to slash at his head on the way by! Trip apparently ducks just in the nick of time, no pun intended, dropping the pizza boxes on the ground and rolling for safety. He recovers with his white jumpsuit all muddied up, watching as the Black Knight gallops away from him. Trip reaches up to the top of his head, finding his green hair sticking through the top of his bucket hat! He yanks the black headware off his dome, and gasps, "My HAT!" Inspecting the bucket hat reveals that the Black Knight managed to perfectly slice off the top of it without harming a single green hair on the Xybrian's head. Trip stares through the large hole in his favorite hat, seemingly mourning for it, as the Black Knight turns his horse around and heads back the way he came at the same fast speed. Trip luckily notices this on time, gasping as he puts his open-topped hat back on and gets to running for his life. Blackie aims to finish beheading the poor Time Force Officer, and on his way to do so, has his horse trample both of the discarded boxes of pizzas with all four of its hooves! Trip staggers terrified out the way as fast as his clumsy feet can get him. He makes his way over to a dividing wall, which splits the path with what seems to be a road to the upper level of the parking garage. Trip climbs hastily over the wall, just as the Black Knight passes by with a swipe of his sword. Narrowly avoiding a second slicing, Trip plummets onto a closed dumpster on the other side of the wall, rolling off it, and slamming against the concrete harshly. The Black Knight, with horse whinnying, gallops back into the veil of crimson mist, vanishing from the scene completely. Trip, his jumpsuit a mess and his previously already weary bones aching more intensely, groans deeply as he sits up. He turns and looks off in the direction the mysterious knight rode, as if confusedly expecting him to return at any moment.

Meanwhile, at the Clock Tower, the other four TF Officers are starving to death. They've ditched their NOTOJ Jumpsuits, and wait as patiently as they can for dinner to arrive. Jen paces about the room, tapping her fist rapidly into her left palm. Lucas & Katie sit on one side of the table, while Wes sits on the other, and Circuit is on his perch in the background. Katie breaks the silence, by sighing & stressing to Lucas, "I'm worried. He's been gone TOO long!" Wes, twiddling his thumbs at first, concurs, "I agree. Let's send out a search party." He slams his hands against the table, and proclaims, "We've GOT to find that PIZZA!" Lucas nods, and urges, "Let's go." Jen also nods, and all four of them proceed fastly to the stairwell. Right when they reach the doorway to the stairs, Trip staggers into the darkened room, basically bumping in to both Jen & Lucas on both sides, causing Katie & Wes to slam into them, as well. Nobody falls over, but all freeze in place and eye the two misshapen pizza boxes in Trip's clutches. Trip starts to say, "HEY! You guys...!", only to have the four grab the boxes out of his hands and race back to the table, ignoring him completely. They talk over each other loudly, all clamoring for food and eagerly struggling for some. Wes is heard saying, "Alright, gimme the first piece!" Trip comes excitedly hopping in behind them, exclaiming, "Will you LISTEN?! The most incredible THING just happened!" Lucas manages to pull the two boxes out of Katie's strong grasp, and turns them away from the crowd. Both boxes are nearly the size of one, due to their hasty horse-flattening. Lucas slowly opens the box on top, finding the slices a mangled mess of cheese, dough, & sauce, some of it mashed to the lid.

Trip competes for attention with the pizza, stating & waving, "Hey, listen to me! I-I was walking home, and this... HELLO?! Hi!" All four look up from the horse-tossed pizza with disappointed eyes, staring at Trip, as Lucas asks, "What happened to the pizza?!" Trip explains, "That's what i'm trying to SAY. I was ATTACKED!" Jen cautiously asks, "Attacked?!" Katie worriedly wonders, "By WHO?" Trip admits, "By a KNIGHT." Wes gives a disbelieving smile, as he asks, "You mean like, on a horse?!" Trip motions his arms a lot, while revealing, "RIGHT! An-and he had on, like, this... black armor, and-and a SWORD, like THIS long!" His exaggeration of sword-size by stretching his arms out as far as they can go, causes Katie to chuckle out loud. Jen grins, and elbows her in the gut, since size supposedly doesn't matter. Trip slumps his arms to his side, giving a pitiful expression. Lucas walks over to Trip's side, and with a bemused look, comments, "Hmm. Let me guess... He was after your pizza!" Trip sighs and points out, "Ah, i'm SERIOUS! Ah, LOOK what he did to my hat!" He pulls the black bucket-hat off his head, showing all of them the massive hole in the center, even sticking his left hand straight through it! Wes snatches the hat, and peers through it while saying, "You DON'T have to make up some 'ridiculous story'! Just admit, that you DROPPED the pizza." He sticks the hat back on Trip's green-haired head, and grasps his pal's noggin while finishing his line, prompting the scoffed-at Trip to proclaim, "But it's TRUE!" Lucas nods, makes a humoring expression, then pats Trip on the back while remarking, "Uh. Whatever you say." The four smile at Trip's expense, until Jen orders with an equal smile, "OHkay, THAT'S enough. Let's go find something to eat!" She pats Trip's chin playfully before heading to the door. Katie does the same, adding a soft slap on his cheek for good measure. Wes follows along, pausing in front of Trip for a second to grin & shake his head. Lucas hands the smashed pizza boxes to Trip, then slaps him on the back twice, before heading off behind the others. Trip remains standing in place, simply turning around and watching them go with a defeated sigh. His face, displaying no less than somber betrayal, is smudged up from the Black Knight's assault.

Elsewhere, the Black Knight charges through the forest, shrouded by the dark crimson fog. He passes through it on horseback, and approaches a large cavern entrance, located at the base of a rocky mountain. The cave is filled with the brightly lit red mist, apparently some sort of magical conducting cloud to allow the Black Knight passage in this physical world. Once in the cave, the dark knight gets off of his horse, and walks through the mist-less cavern tunnel. He holds the small golden box in his hand, exclaiming, "At LAST, the Battle Fire is MINE!" The tunnels are lit simply with occasional small torches on the sides of the cave walls. Once in the innermost section of the cave, we hear the snarling of a large beast being awakened. Its eye opens up, revealing a snakelike pupil, and dark scaly skin. The creature turns out to be a different kind of reptile, a huge dragon! With horned head, two massive wings, and four legs, just as you'd expect. The dragon watches the Black Knight, never once appearing preparing to strike, meaning that he must have tamed the creature at some point. Black Knight passes by the dragon as it stirs slowly to life, mentioning to himself, "It SEEMS I cannot open it by ordinary means. I shall have to use FORCE." He places the Battle Fire box on the top of a misshapen boulder, then readies his thin-bladed sword in hand. The Black Knight cries, "You... will... OPEN!", as he begins to slash his sword into the gold box (which has an orange & red gemlike lock, and red little flamey designs at the bottom). The metal blade strikes the box repeatedly, causing bright flashes of sparks & smoke. When the Black Knight finally ceases slashing, and the smoke clears, he finds the box completely unharmed! He turns to his dragon pal, and explains, "I must find one pure of HEART to open the box! SEE that nothing happens to it. I will return, SOON." The dragon simply snorts out some smoke from its nose, adding to the smoke already filling the cave from the failed attempt to break the box. The Black Knight departs, leaving the box in dragon's care.

The Knights are ripe with theories, thanks to their lack of clear backstory. From what I can ascertain personally, the White & Black Knights are mystical entities representing the struggle between good & evil. They also embody elements of knighthood, obviously. The earlier scene may have taken place several hundred years ago (or it may not, you decide), and following it, the Black Knight must have either fled or been banished from his homeland. He wound up in what would one day be California, at the time lacking any townships or kingdoms. He sealed himself within a cave with his pet dragon, in suspended animation of sorts, awaiting a day when he could resume terrorizing mankind. Likely thinking magicians & knights wouldn't exist then, similar to Ransik wanting to escape from Time Force. Whatever the case, there's something big and ancient behind these two noble armored figures.

Meanwhile, in downtown Silver Hills, a theater marque reads in black letters, "Frankie Chang Vs. The Ant People." Yes, the famed action star from "Movie Madness" has put out another blockbuster, though this time, it's really him. The theater doors open, and a large crowd of people disperse from within. Included in that crowd are all five Time Force Officers, apparently opting to take in a nighttime showing of the film. Wes has a small tub of popcorn in his hand, our gang's usual meal of choice, while Lucas & Jen both have cups of soda in hand. The critiquing of "Frankie Chang Vs. The Ant People" begins, as Katie breathlessly comments, "Oh... WOW. That was the SCARIest movie i've EVER seen." Wes scoffs, "SCARY?!" Katie nods with a frightened look on her face. Wes continues, "Come ON. That was totally unbeLIEVable!" Lucas slaps Trip on the back again, as he adds, "Kinda like, uhh..., Trip's story about the Black Knight?" Everyone begins laughing, except for Trip, who groans frustratedly and whines, "Oh, leave me alone! I'm telling the TRUTH!" In the background, you can see a poster for "FCvsTAP", which includes Frankie, as seen in MM, covered in large ants. Trip, btw, is back in his usual outfit, and his black bucket hat has been fixed! Their playful banter with Trip gets cut short, as the loud sounds of a horse whinnying & people screaming rips through the air. All five of our heroes look over and witness a mass of people fleeing through the streets in a panic. Cars are abandoned hastily and the panicking populous race for their lives over the tops of any vehicles if necessary. Gawking long enough, Wes urges his teammates, "C'mon!" They rush out into the oncoming flow of horrified humans, Wes demanding two men to go as he bumps into them, losing his half-full bucket of popcorn in the scuffle. Once our heroes are out in the middle of the street, and the crowd of screaming citizens break apart, the source of the commotion is revealed. It's the Black Knight, sitting atop his mighty steed, surrounded by discarded cars, as the crimson mist shines eerily in the distance behind him. The TF Officers stare in horror at the mysterious knight, all agape, even Trip. Wes gasps in disgusted confusion, "What...?!" The Black Knight lifts his horse up on its back legs, causing the steed to neigh ferociously. Trip points out to Wes with an attitude of vindication, "SEE?! I TOLD you!" Wes simply steps forward, staring intensely at the Black Knight, wondering, "Who ARE you?!" The Black Knight, horse snorting, makes his backstory clear for everyone, by replying, "That's NONE of your concern. Now get out of my way, FOOLS!" He swings his sword around, and charges forth down the street. Jen screams, "Watch OUT!", before grabbing Trip and dragging him over to the sidewalk. Katie does the same to Lucas, leaving Wes frozen like a deer in headlights. Jen, bracing herself against a lamppost, turns and cries out to Wes. He ignores her, instead, valiantly remaining in the same spot, his expression tightening into fearless seriousness. The Black Knight gallops toward him, sword-a-swinging, laughing diabolically. Wes waits until the horse is just upon him, timing it just right, before launching up into the air, and jumpflipping right over the Black Knight's head! He lands perfectly on the roof of a nearby car, turning around to see the Black Knight ending his sword-swinging, charging in the same direction nonstop, never once looking back. Wes stands tall on top of the car, as his teammates all gather around the vehicle, with stern expressions. The Black Knight gallops down the street, aiming for yet another patch of glowing red mist.

The next morning, in the mostly dark hours before dawn at the Clock Tower, Trip sits at the table, running a search through the Time Force databank via the Holoscreen. Flickering encyclopedic images of knight armor & swords appear, with digital writing about. Wes leans in behind them, looking dead on his feet, while sipping from a coffee mug. Trip rests his head against his hand, coffee mug at his side, while tiredly pressing the Holoscreen's control buttons. Circuit's on the table next to him, recommending, "Trip! Why don't you try looking under medieval mutants?" Lucas & Katie are also sitting at the table, both napping with their heads resting against their arms on the tabletop. Jen, wearing her usual pink pajamas, comes down from the upper sleeping quarters, rubbing her head as if she was the only one to get a good night's rest. She touches Wes' arms, looking at him for news of identification. He simply shakes his head negatively. The Holoscreen displays several knight shields, but not a single mutant prisoner. Circuit notes, "There's NO record of him in our database, ANYwhere!" Trip turns to Wes & Jen, shaking his head while reiterating in a phlegm-filled voice, "Whoever that knight is, he ISN'T a mutant." Jen proclaims, "Mutant or NOT, we've gotta STOP him." Wes paces about with his coffee mug in hand, staring into space intensely as he states, "I have a feeling he'll be back. But next time... we'll be ready!" Jen nods to Wes, as he stands with his back to her.

[commercials]

The bright white moon hangs overhead in the inky blackness of night. From within the crimson misted cave, the Black Knight charges forth on his horse, shouting, "HYAH!" He gallops through the forest, the red fog never too far behind him. In the city of Silver Hills, next to the town square water fountain, a young couple has decided to park & make out. Lite music plays on the radio, as the curly dark-haired man in the blue shirt gives a goofy smile, and prepares to lean in for a kiss with his blonde ponytailed girlfriend in a pink sweater. He puckers up, but before he can lock lips with her, the girlfriend raises her finger, blocking the path of his lips. He's shunned, forced to wait and listen as she asks lovingly, "So..., you mean you'd do ANYthing for me?" The boyfriend exhales, pounds his fist against his chest, and confirms, "AbsoLUTely! Anything." She smiles, and closes her eyes. He begins to lean in for a kiss, when she does the finger-to-lips thing again, telling him, "Wait!" He does so, looking confused from her jumbled signals. The girlfriend wonders, "What if someone was trying to hurt me?" Boyfriend smirks, and vows, "They'd have to go through ME first!" Girlfriend giggles and smiles widely. She slowly begins to lean in for the kiss, until she hears the sound of an unholy horse whinnying nearby. Boyfriend pays it no attention, his eyes closed and lips puckered again. Girlfriend puts up her whole hand to stop his face this time, flattening his nose. He pulls away, confused as always, until she points out the front window, "Look!" Boyfriend spots the Black Knight's horse, standing by itself, with the crimson mist lingering by its side. He comments, "That's WEIRD!" Suddenly, the blade of the Black Knight's sword impales through the roof of their car, cutting directly between the lovebirds! They both scream bloody moida, and bolt out of their respective car doors. The Black Knight is shown standing atop their car, pulling his sword out of the roof. He turns to them and laughs wickedly. Girlfriend staggers away, finding her boyfriend by her side, or rather, cowering behind her! Black Knight hops off the car, readies his shield & sword, and challenges, "SHOW your valor, and FIGHT for your damsel!" Girlfriend pushes boyfriend around in front of her, demanding, "Go ahead. Let him have it!" Boyfriend instead grabs her and pushes her back in front, complaining childishly, "What, you think I'M crazy!?" Girlfriend gets angry, giving him a shove and reminding him, "You SAID you'd protect me!" Boyfriend whines like a baby, "But, he's got the sword...!" Black Knight shouts, "Let's BEGIN!" Boyfriend runs away, yelping, "Call ya!" Black Knight slashes his sword into the open car door, causing the entire turd-brown vehicle to burst into a massive explosion! Boyfriend & girlfriend flee the scene, as the car ignites behind them, both crying out in fear. Black Knight, still standing beside the burning vehicle, yells, "COWAAARRRD!"

Finally, the five Time Force Power Rangers make the scene, fully morphed, each wielding both of their Chrono-Sabers. Red Ranger orders the Black Knight to, "STOP! Hold it RIGHT there!" Green Ranger asks, "What'd you want HERE?" Black Knight admits, "I SEEK one to open the box. But first, i'll destroy YOU!" He readies his shield & sword, prompting the five Rangers to do the same with their sabers. The backdrop of this night time scene is simple: lawn, garden, waterfountain, and burning Pinto. Black Knight charges forth on foot for a change, blocking Red Ranger's sabers with his shield and causing Wes to stumble off toward the burning car. Blue Ranger strikes Black Knight's shield with both his Chrono-Sabers, BK swipes his sword at Green Ranger's Sabers, before pushing Lucas off, then sparkily slicing his sword into Yellow Ranger's chest. He sparkily slices into Pink Ranger, then engages in some swordplay with Blue Ranger, who slashes to high as he spins around. Another shield-shove knocks Lucas away, allowing BK to sparkily slice into Trip's chest, before returning to Blue Ranger, and doing the same to him. The smoke quickly clears, as the Black Knight aims his sword at the last remaining Ranger, Wes, offering, "Let us test YOUR skill!" Red Ranger obliges, dashing into action with both Chrono-Sabers flaying about. BK & Wes block blades a few times, breaking off only thanks to Red Ranger throwing a kick in, here & there. Wes ducks & rolls when BK slashes at him, remaining crouching on the ground as his chainmail armored opponent begins to circle him with blade held high. Red Ranger arises, and the swordplay resumes, a bashing of blades, a backhanded reverse slash by Wes blocked by BK's shield. They break away again, but when Wes tries using both his sabers at once to hastily strike, Black Knight smoothly walks by him, blocking both strikes and slashing perfectly into Red Ranger's chest. He falls onto his back in a flash of sparks, grunting deeply, but not completely out for the count. Wes watches as the Black Knight mounts his horse, boasting, "You are NOT a worthy opponent!" He points his sword at the Red Ranger over the top of shield, providing a rare glance at his eyes through the helmet slit. BK then turns the other way, causing his horse to begin galloping off (in the background is that same building we saw last episode & in Movie Madness 1).

Red Ranger gets back on his feet and starts rushing after the escaping evil knight. Blue Ranger recovers onto his feet as well, pointing out, "Oh no! He's getting away!" Green & Yellow recover also, as Wes darts between them, vowing, "Not if _I_ can help it!" Red Ranger locks his two Chrono-Sabers together into double-blade mode, then presses his Chrono-Morpher, and summons, "Strata Cycle, ONLINE!" Inside the blue, green & purple time vortex, the red & silver Strata Cycle soars through the tunnel from the year 3000. At the far end, the Red TF Ranger awaits, backflipping onto the zooming cycle in Flight Mode, and riding it standing up until reaching the bright end of the vortex. In the outskirts of town, the Black Knight gallops through the crimson mist yet again, only to have the Red Ranger on his Strata Cycle following close behind. Strangely, Wes sits on the SC, which has shifted to Cycle Mode, yet is hovering about a foot off the ground! I guess this is a third mode called Hover Mode or something. Anyway, he follows through the veil of scarlet fog, not too far behind him in the moonlit woods. The Black Knight charged toward another patch of crimson mist, prompting Red Ranger to ask himself, "Where's he GOin'!?" BK & his horse pass through the fog amid the trees, passing completely out of sight. Wes grunts as he skids his hovering Strata Cycle to a halt, presses a button, and causing it to park on the ground. He hops off the cycle and looks around the forest clearing, gasping, "I can't beLIEVE it! He vanished." No sign of life can be seen for miles around, save for the lingering mass of crimson fog in the far distance.

The following morning, as the sun shines brightly down over the treetops, all five Time Force Officers comb the forest. Katie & Trip walk through one area together. Lucas takes a break, sitting on a tree trunk, his face doused with sweat. He opens a bottle of water, and breathlessly chugs some of it down. Wes comes around from behind a large tree, his red overshirt off and in hand. He looks to Jen, giving her a shake of the head and a shrug of the shoulders. Soon, all five race together into the shade, regrouping post haste. Jen asks the others, "Did you find anything?" Katie replies, "Nothing!", and Lucas simply shakes his head. Wes places his hand on Jen's arm, as he urges, "You guys should head back. Keep an eye on the city." He walks in front of his teammates, and stares into the woods, brooding, "I'm gonna stay here. If i'm right, when the sun does down... he'll be coming back!" Jen walks up behind them, giving him a gentle pat on the back and warmly bidding, "Be careful." Wes turns to her, gives a light smile & nods, before walking off into the forest with his red overshirt slung over his right shoulder. The four from the future watch him depart for a moment, until Jen, focused on protecting the city, tells them, "Alright, guys. Let's go." She grabs Trip's shoulder and leads the team into the other direction, Lucas putting his hand on her back. Wes, heading the other way, slips his red overshirt back on while walking under a mass of branches. That night, the moon is back out, still as totally full as the night before. An owl hoots, probably a descendant of Circuit's. Wes leans against a tree trunk, hiding in the shadows, searching about visually for any sign of the Black Knight. He exhales exhaustedly, and pulls his the front of red overshirt closer together as he folds his arms, implying it's quite cold out. Meanwhile, Jen sits on the window edge of the Clock Tower. She stares out in the darkness, with a longing look on her face. Lucas walks up, sipping from a coffee mug. He sets his down on the window frame, before handing Jen a fresh cup of her own. They exchange smiles, as she gladly accept the undisclosed liquid drink. She takes a sip, as Lucas, aware of her concern for her love interest, assures her, "Don't worry, Jen. He'll be okay." Jen smirks and nods. Lucas offers, "Why don't you let ME watch for a while?" Jen smiles and squeezes his hand, replying, "Thanks." He responds in like, "No problem." She slips off the window frame and heads off into the room, allowing Lucas to hop up and sits on the window frame. His smile slowly fades, as he stares down at the city, holding his coffee mug tightly.

Eventually, Black Knight & his horse come charging out of the red-misty cave. Wes is still within range, though his arms are slumped to his sides, and his eyes-closed head is gently nodding back & forth. Just when the weary TF Officer is about to doze off completely, the Black Knight emerges through the crimson fog, into the woods. The horse whinnying snaps Wes awake, causing him to glance around frantically. He finds the source of the noise behind him, allowing him to duck behind the tree. Wes watches as the Black Knight gallops directly into yet another bank of scarlet mist already awaiting him at the end of a dirt trail. His face glowing red, thanks to the light from the fog, Wes races out into the clearing. He stands in the spot where BK just passed, witnessing the mysterious armored entity departing in the red-foggy distance. Wes presses his Chrono-Morpher, and alerts, "Guys! He's headed for the city." Lucas' voice replies, "Alright! Got 'cha, Wes. I'LL alert the others. So, what's the plan?" During this, Wes begins to glance at the ground, spotting the hoof-prints in the dirt. He responds into his Morpher, "I'm gonna backtrack. You guys go after him." At the Clock Tower, Lucas confirms, "We're on it!" He rushes over from the window, shouting, "Hey, guys! C'mon, let's go." Jen's sitting at the table, and Katie & Trip are sitting on the top of the couch. All four race for the exit, leaving Circuit on his perch, alone & flapping in the dark. In the forest, Wes pulls a silver flashlight out of his back pocket, and smoothly switches it on with one hand. He shines it around, then down to the ground, keeping a trail on the numerous horseshoe-prints. Eventually, he reaches the entrance to the crimson-misty cave. Keeping an eye out on all of his surroundings, he gradually enters the eerily dwelling. Inside, he shines the flashlight all around the rocky interior of the mountain crevice. The cave is sparsely lit by wall-torches, as well as what appears to be the shimmering of water against one of the walls. Wes reaches the inner cavern, where his flashlight crosses against the abandoned Battle Fire box. He focuses upon it, and cautiously approaches it. Apparently too focused, since as he heads toward it, he accidentally bumps into a large stalagmite. A stalagmite that snarls & growls deeply when bumped into! Wes aims his flashlight at the growing stalagmite, discovering it to actually be a large, scaly & slimy leg attached to a very peeved dragon. The head of the fire-breathing creature is illuminated, revealing it to have lots of spikes atop its angered head. The dragon's nose steams with smoke, as it growls with a low, booming rumble. Wes stares in both awe & frozen terror at the giant dragon, as it begins to move about in the rather constraining cavern room.

[commercials]

The dragon howls, and begins to spew a fine stream of pure fire at Wes. He drops his flashlight and makes a run for it, out the way he came, barely missing getting char-broiled. The dragon follows close behind, crawling through the tight cavern tunnel, and spewing a second wave of fire forth. Wes hasn't gotten far, mostly because he keeps staggering and turning around. The dragon snarls and growls, fire spewing all the while. Wes runs, grunts, groans, and keeps on running. The dragon manages to catch up to him, and using its extra long neck, attempts to chomp at the bite-sized human. Wes avoids getting eaten (for a second time this season), by launching himself off a cave wall, and jumpflipping over the dragon's head! He lands perfectly out of harm's way for the moment, but decides to wait around and fight. He probably figures the dragon, if lead out of the cave, could do quite a bit of damage to the city. Wes wipes his mouth with the back of his hand, and stares at the dragon as it turns its head over toward him. Meanwhile, in the city, the Black Knight gallops through a warehouse loading dock. Down the road, the other four Time Force Power Rangers make the scene, each morphed and riding their Vector Cycle. Pink Ranger points out the dark rider to her team, "There he is! C'mon, let's go." They rev up their engines and speed along after him.

Over in the cave, Wes is flung into the air, slamming against the jagged wall, before dropping to the ground harshly. He clutches his back in agony, opening his eyes only when the dragon's growls grow loud enough. Wes struggles to get back on his feet, dawdling enough to allow the enraged reptile to snap its neck around violently, snorting like a bull. The dragon's head quickly snaps against Wes, sending the tiny human screamingly flying into the air! The dragon howls, but Wes manages to redirect his forced momentum, spinning around to a perfect landing. Dripping with sweat, Wes breathes heavily, but stands his ground against the creature multiple times his size. In the city, the Black Knight gallops down the street, with the four Vector Cycling Rangers right on his tail. Speaking of tail, in the cave, Wes makes another run for it. The dragon's smokey breath serves as a precursor for its predictable attack on their intruder. Wes realizes this, as he leaps widely into the air, shouting, "Time for... !" The dragon spews a massive stream of furious fire at the human. Wes turns around in midair, while pressing his Chrono-Morpher and completing, "... Time Force!" He's engulfed in the intense river of flames immediately, but the stream of fire begins to be deflected, and once the dragon ceases spewing, the Red TF Ranger emerges from within the heat, perfectly unsinged! He somehow floats in midair during all of this for quite a few seconds, allowing him to reach around to the small of his back and pull out his Chrono-Blaster. On the way down, Wes fires several red-beam blasts from his weapon, striking the roof of the cave. This creates a contained collapse of boulders, which rain down upon the dragon. The dragon screeches viciously, and spreads out its impressive wingspan for all of us to see. Red Ranger sits up in the dirt, and clutches his Morpher, summoning, "Chrono-Saber!" The sole bit of Sentai footage this ep comes when we see Red Ranger's Chrono-Saber shoot out from inside his Chrono-Morpher. Wes slashes the two sabers about, hiyahing all the while. Red Ranger leaps into the air once more, aiming for the dazed dragon this time out. He gives another might hiyaah, and holds his two Chrono-Sabers in a Time Strike position. Wes drops down against the violently-thrashing dragon's head, double-slicing into the reptilian monstrosity. The dragon snarls loudly, as its body starts to crackle with red electricity. Red Ranger lands in a crouching position, posing his two sabers and promising, "You're going DOWN!" The dragon lets out a death cry, as its crackling body suddenly explodes, sending a blast of meaty chunks flying everywhere. Wes stands & poses with a Chrono-Saber over his shoulder, watching the fiery & beefy remains of the dragon plummet into a pile.

Wes demorphs offscreen (we can hear the sound effects signifying so), and approaches the ancient Battle Fire box over where the Black Knight left it. He picks it up, swallows hard, then flips up the orange-gemmed lock. Opening the box, Wes finds a bright light emitting from within. It suddenly zooms out of the box, and hovers high above him, changing into a purple ball of shimmering energy. The ball of light dances about for a moment, before setting back down inside the box, and morphing into a mystical translucent hologram of the White Knight! He gallantly informs the modern day dragonslayer, "Your pureness of heart and defeat of the evil dragon, have proven you worthy to receive the Battle Fire." The White Knight's image reverts to the ball of glowing multicolored lights, but he continues speaks "With the use of my ARMOR, you will become the Red Battle Warrior. You, and YOU alone, will have the power to STOP the Black Knight." Wes lowers the empty box, allowing the shimmering ball of light to gently hover and land in the palm of his left hand. He's in awe at first, but quickly changing his expression to brave seriousness once he's in contact with the ball of light. Once more in the city, the Black Knight charges toward another haze of crimson mist, located amid a a bunching of crates & barrels, just beside the river, as evident by the bridges in the near distance. The four TF Rangers pull up to the scene, and park their Vector Cycles. Pink Ranger rallies, "Alright, everybody ready?!" The other three confirm in unison, "Ready!" Jen orders, "Let's get moving." They shut down their Vector Cycle engines, and dismount the four parked bikes, leaving the headlights on. All four of our heroes whip out their Chrono-Blasters, bracing the weapons in hand, and searching the area for any signs of the knight. They more or less tiptoe around, looking in all directions like good officers of the futuristic law. Green Ranger passes a stack of crates, but foolishly fails to check behind them. The Black Knight pops up from behind said stack, slashing Trip directly in the back! Taken unawares, Green Ranger falls in a flash of sparks. Pink Ranger calls out her teammate's name, and aims her Blaster at the growling knight. She fires at him with a pink bolt, which BK easily dodges, then picks up a blue barrel and tosses it at the Yellow Ranger, causing her to drop her Blaster. Blue Ranger steps forth to point his Chrono-Blaster at near pointblank range, allowing the Black Knight to slice into the weapon with his sword. Sparks fly like mad, as BK slashes into Jen's chest, then into Lucas'. Pink Ranger isn't quite out of it, resting against the stack of crates in a daze. Black Knight seeks to finish her off in a very unchivalrous manner, by sword-chopping her in the chest, then grabbing her right shoulder and pitching her over a crate. Jen slams into some barrels as she topples onto the cement in a moaning heap.

The Black Knight approaches Pink Ranger as she lies writhing on the ground. He boasts, "You DARE to entertain battle with ME?! You haven't the fortitude!" Jen tries sitting up, only to have BK slam her down on her back with a boot-kick to her breast. She groans, even moreso when he steps down on her right arm, holding it roughly in place. The Black Knight raises his shining sword into the smokey air, laughing bloodthirstily. Jen simply looks up at him, helpless to defend herself against the mysterious mystic. Before BK can drop his blade into her belly, Wes' voice demands from nearby, "Leave her aLONE!" Black Knight turns and gasps, "What?!" Jen lifts her head and cries, "Wes!" Stepping out from pure white mist, the Red Ranger walks weaponless toward his armored foe, repeating, "I SAID, leave her alone." Black Knight releases Pink Ranger from beneath his bootheel, only to give her a sharp kick to the shoulder, causing her to roll away. He then points his sword at the Red Ranger, and gloats, "Only a FOOL would DAR to return, and face me for a SECOND defeat!" Blue, Green & Yellow Ranger rush over to Pink's side, with Katie helping Jen get back on her bruised feet. Wes looks over at his fair damsel in distress, asking, "Jen. Are you okay?" Clutching her right arm, Jen nods, "Yeah." Red Ranger stares at the Black Knight, and informs him, "I'm NO fool. I have NO intention of being defeated. And HERE's why..." He extends his right arm outward, slowly unclenching the fingers on his red glove, revealing within the pulsating light from the ball of mystical energy! The Black Knight gasps & demands, "The BATTLE Fire! GIVE it to me!" Wes grasps the ball of light inside his fist, and remarks, "Oh, i'm gonna GIVE it to you, alright." Red Ranger motions his glowing fist behind his back, while activating aloud, "Red BATTLE Warrior!", then aiming his fist forward, opening it up, and releasing an explosive blast of pure raging fire! The scene shifts to a black background shot of the Red TF Ranger, aiming his right hand into the air, as orange flames spew from within his palm, traveling along the border of the screen. Thunder erupts, as does a few bolts of bluish lightning, striking behind Wes. His flaming hand is seemingly struck by the lightning, as the fires envelop the blackness behind him. Red Ranger lowers his helmeted head and stares forward, flames visible in the reflection of his visor. The camera zooms into the visor, emerging through a sea of fire, to find the Red Battle Warrior suited up & completed! The armor is attached to Wes' Red Ranger suit, colored gold & silver. It has red flame-style "wings" on the back, with a tall flame-mohawked helmet, boots, broad shoulderpads, a breastplate, plus gauntlets. His altered belt buckle somehow managed to retain its circle silver & blue TF symbol (and his left gauntlet retains the Chrono-Morpher on its wrist). The Battle Fire armor shines with a majestic golden sheen, the blue lightning striking behind it a few times for effect.

The Red Battle Warrior Ranger poses mightily with his right arm pointed forth, as the fog lingering behind him changes to an orange tint. His teammates are in awe, with Blue Ranger putting his hand on Pink Ranger's shoulder, while commenting, "Whoa, check it OUT!" Jen concurs, "COOL!" The Black Knight claims, "The BATTLE Fire belongs to ME!" He grips his sword, and charged forth. Red Battle Warrior reaches behind his back, and unsheathes his large gold & silver broadsword, calling it, "Battle Fire Saber! Yah!" He holds it outward, causing it to gleam golden with its strange technological design. The scene remains pitch black in the background, yet the perimeter of the zone is surrounded by a circle of fire. This highlights the action, as the Black Knight raises his sword and rushes in to strike. Red Battle Warrior counterslashes, the two locking blades in perfect near-slow motion, causing a flame of flamey sparks. The two duelers grunt aloud, as they reposition their blades, striking them together once more. Wes elbows sharply into BK's sword, causing the knight to stumble to the side. Red Battle Warrior then slashes at BK's sword before he can lift it again, giving him ample time to slice his golden-shining Battle Fire Saber into a diagonally-upward slice. Black Knight is cut directly across his chest, causing his body to twirl around into the air, spewing sparks. He screams in agony, but manages to land on his feet, in a bit of a daze. Wes activates, "IGNITE!" His Battle Fire Saber's blade flames-on, as blue lightning flashes behind it. The Red Battle Warrior, surrounded by flames at his feet, lifts his scorching saber into the air. He slowly crosses the saber around his body counterclockwise (to us facing him), to make a perfect fiery circle. Wes then slices his saber downward diagonally into the fiery ring, tearing a stream of pure flaming fury in the blade's trail. The slash repeats three times, each time zooming in closer. Shamelessly, this ENTIRE finishing move is the EXACT same as the Lightspeed Megazord's. Except it somehow looks more realistic, if such a thing is possible. In reality, where there is no surrounding fire or anything, just crates & barrels & lots of smoke, Red Battle Warrior slashes his Battle Fire Saber downward, once more time with endless hiyaahing feeling. Black Knight is standing quite a ways away from him, yet is still struck by the bolt of pure enhanced fire as it's shot forth from the saber. BK screams in agony, as his body violently spasms about, crackling with yellow electricity. The Red Battle Warrior Ranger turns completely away from his enemy, posing victoriously with Battle Fire Saber in hand, as the yellow-surging Black Knight drops his sword, before exploding his body into a totally MASSIVE blast. Battle Warrior lowers his saber, as the blast is shown from a different angle, with the same bright fireball effect, leaving behind only a few sparks and a whole lot of smoke.

The following morning, the bright white sun hangs over the top of a mountain in the outskirts of Silver Hills. Wes leads the other four Time Force Officers into the woods. He carries with him the sword of the Black Knight, all that remains of the mystical entity. They reach the entrance to the cave, finding no trace of any crimson mist. Wes stares at the cavern, the wind blowing through his hair. He slowly looks down at the sword, with its scarlet & gold handle and thin silver blade. Wes grips the sword and lifts it overhead, impaling it with a loud grunt, directly into the leafy dirt below. The moment the silver blade stabs into the Earth, a single flame of fire starts to travel along the ground, leaving an Earthquake-like crack in the ground as it jaggedly crosses toward the cave. A low cracking & rumbling is heard, until the flame passes into the cave. This causes the mountain walls surrounding the entrance to magically slam shut with several well-placed boulders, resealing the mystical cavern one final time, as if it was never there to begin with. The five TFs gaze into the restored mountainside, as the sword of defeated dark knight remains impaled in the ground before them. Wes, with a successful expression, proclaims toward the last legacy of the Black Knight's evil crusade, "Your REIGN of terror, is OVER."

[commercials]

Later that day, at the Clock Tower, Wes paces about and explains with charismatic passion to Circuit, Lucas & Katie, "So, the dragon had THREE heads. ALL of them breathing FIRE... down the back of my neck. There was nowhere else to run!" Jen's sitting at the table nearby, running some flickering diagnostic data on the Holoscreen. She gives a curiously confused expression as she listens to Wes' exaggerated story. Katie & Lucas are an excited audience, on the edges of their couch, with Lucas asking, "Then what?!" Wes motions his arms like a noble knight in swordplay, as he admits, "Well, it was my only chance! So, I LEAPed in with my Chrono-Saber, and... YAH!... destroyed him." Lucas awes, "Wow." Katie hops up from the couch, and rushes over to Wes, excitedly asking, "And, THAT's when... the other knight gave you the Battle Fire?" Wes nods, smiles, puts his hands on his hips heroically, and confirms, "Yep!" Jen protests, "WAIT a minute." All eyes turn toward her, as she gets up, folds her arms, and points out suspiciously to Wes, "When YOU told ME the story, the dragon only had TWO heads." His ruse uncovered, Wes stammers nervously, "Ahh... WELL, hehehe..." Katie & Lucas fold their arms, glaring at him with as much disbelief as they'd been showing Trip a couple of days hence. Wes begins to blurt, "See... See it...", when Trip slowly makes his way into the room from the stairwell. He's worriedly carrying another paid of pizza boxes, with the same green ring "pizza"x3 & a slice logo on top, both bent all out of shape. Wes turns the attention away from himself, noting with relief, "HEY! Uhh... Pizza's here! Heh." He rushes over toward Trip, leaving Lucas simply shaking his head. Jen walks over to Katie, both giving each other looks of their equal bemused shock over Wes' fibbing brashness. Wes reaches Trip, and spots the mangled pizza boxes. He turns to his teammates agape, and steps aside, walking beside Trip as he steps forward, claiming, "You're, uhh, not gonna believe what happened." Lucas takes the box on top, lifting the lid to find another jumbled mess of mashed slices. Though, all things considered the pieces are still relatively intact, unlike last time. Wes groans, "Augh... Trip!" Lucas grimaces at the sight of the cheese-oozing roof of the box, "Gross." Katie wonders, "The KNIGHT's back?!" Everyone looks at Trip, who merely looks back at them with innocent eyes, confessing the truth with the hesitant shake of his head, "No. Sigh. I... dropped the pizza." They don't call him "Trip" for nothing!

[Scenes from "Time For Lightspeed"; End Credits]