SUMMARY:
[Opening Credits]
Sitting in perpetual orbit above the planet Earth, lies the grey and white crater-pocketed moon, called... well, the Moon. It's in full-phase right now. On the lunar surface, within one of the numerous valleys between the endless mountainous ridges, quite a bit of activity is occurring for a place without sustained life. With the Earth hanging obliviously above in the starry sky, and most of their actions covered in the partial shadows of the surrounding hills, the Machine Empire is back in business! With the Neo-Plutonium Ore Processing Plant (from PRZ's "A Golden Homecoming") set next to it, a familiar green and yellow metallic figure lies partially in the ground, having been dug up by the remaining army of Cogs. Yes, the Cogs, the Machine Empire's gold-headed robot drone warriors. Cogs of both suit colors (silver and brickish) are in the process of excavating this giant robotic creature from its final resting place. Some Cogs work with shovels, others with pickaxes, and even one is shown with a hefty high powered drill, vibrating his entire body as it plows into the lunar landscape. The overseers of this operation, and supposedly the only remaining members of the Machine Empire to escape the Zordon Wave, march through the rows of digging Cogs. Automon, an orange, red and silver robotic figure (Fire Borg's head & Lightning Borg's body from Beetleborgs Metallix); Gerrok, a green and silver robotic figure with tall pinchers on his head (Green Hunter Borg from Big Bad Beetleborgs); Steelon, a turquoise blue, green and silver robotic figure with fly-like segmented eyes (Dragon Borg from Beetleborgs Metallix); Tezzla, an off-white & silver feminine robotic figure (Lady Borg from Beetleborgs Metallix); and finally, General Venjix, an intimidating black and silver robotic figure, with antennas on his head and a red center chest plate (Shadowborg from Big Bad Beetleborgs). They walk in perfect matching step, all being Generals of the Machine Empire, but Venjix seemingly the leader, and thus, not only does HE get the 'General' moniker, but the other four follow behind him. Upon reaching the epicenter of archeological activity, the five ME Generals pause sharply, turning their attentions upwards. General Venjix points his right hand, with sharp twin claws sticking forth from the wrist, at the uncovered monstrosity before them, and proclaims in a deep, gruff voice, "We FINALLY found it!" He turns his head from side to side, and demands of the workers, "COGS! Keep digging!" Venjix then crosses his arms, before holding them widely out to his sides, and gazing skyward once more. The green scaley skin of the metal giant before him rises several stories over his head, as he comments triumphantly, "Zedd was a FOOL to leave this buried here. HIS loss, OUR gain."
Across from this scene, atop a nearby hill, what at first glance appear to be yet another set of robotic eyes. turn out to merely be those of a human, spying through a pair of high-tech binoculars. A view of what the person is seeing appears, the five Machine Empire Generals continuing their trek through the field of working Cogs. A secondary green-tinted screen, and a box with voice-print readings, are also part of this digitized binocular peering. This spy shifts his enhanced eyesight elsewhere in the quarry, watching Cogs all over the place using metal detectors, shovels, and several kinds of powerful drills. Lowering the binoculars (which seem similar those from PRT's Power Boxes), the man stands revealed in a dark crimson colored robe. He pulls back the hood shrouding his face, revealing his long blonde and brown striped hair and a deeply concerned expression on his face. The Kerovan known as Andros says aloud in a stunned whisper, "It's worse than I thought. They're almost finished digging it out." In a hurry to depart, Andros turns and rushes away from the scene, accidentally unsettling a loose patch of rocks with the bottom of his crimson robe. He notices his mistake, but is unable to do anything about it. The small rocks roll down the side of the hill, gaining the attention of the ME Generals, most specifically Gerrok, who spins around, and wonders, "Huh?! What's THAT?" Glancing to the top of the hill, he witnesses the crimson robed figure amid the desolate mountain terrain, just as he passes out of sight. Gerrok screams, "STOP!", to no avail, instantly alerting the comrade closest to his position, "Steelon, let's go!" Steelon gestures obediently, joining Gerrok on a dash toward the two semi-armored horses being guarded by a pair of Cogs behind them. Andros continues fleeing as quickly as his legs can muster, but he soon hears the whinnying and heavy hoof beats of the horses approaching, prompting him to look back. Gerrok, riding the dark horse, demands, "Intruder! Stop!" Andros instantly resumes his swift escape, but between the sandy soil and bulky robe both slowing him down, the horse-riding Generals are able to gain on him in a matter of moments. Heading toward a dead end, Andros quickly raises his left wrist, speaks into his Astro Morpher, and exclaims, "Galaxy Glider... Hang Ten!" Getting up some speed before launching into the air, he executes a complete bodyflip, morphing as he goes, replacing his robe & Megaship Uniformed outfit with that of the red & white costume of the Red Space Ranger. Andros lands perfectly atop the Red Galaxy Glider, which jets onto the scene, and takes him out of range of the Generals, soaring into the starry black sky above. The Generals park their horses as they watch him escape, but undaunted, Gerrok scoffs, "LET him run. It's TOO late, anyway."
A short time later, back on that place where we keep all our stuff, the planet Earth, the sun majestically shines down upon a particular section of a town called Angel Grove. Beneath the abundance of palm trees, and just aside a large pool, bustling with swimsuit-clad people jumping in and out of the chlorinated water, is a small cabana, with a sign labeled, "Club Bulkmeier." The proprietor of this small establishment, which appears to specialize in fruity juice drinks, is none other than Farkas Bulkmeier, known as Bulk to his friends (having apparently come back to Earth at some point, since we last saw him over in Mirinoi). Wearing a blue shirt with palm trees all over it, a gold chain around his neck, fingerless leather gloves, and his trademark leather skullcap, Bulk is cleaning out a cup with a rag, as he happily boasts a bit about his history to someone standing in front of his cabana, "Ye-ep, I've seen it ALL! Why, I even once met Lord Zedd and RITA!" The loitering man, playing a chess set (as seen in Astronema's Dark Fortress in the Psycho Rangers saga... complete with Psycho Ranger & full-colored Space Ranger figures), picks up the Red Ranger piece, and uses it to knock the Psycho Red over, right off of the board. His name is Eugene Skullovitch, but you can call him Skull (in fact, you'd do wisely NOT to call him 'Eugene'). With a mess of short black hair, dark round sunglasses hanging low on his nose, a spiked dog-collar around his neck, a silver chain with a tiny skull hanging off it, a spider earring in his ear, a flowery red shirt over a white tank top, shorts with army boots, and a wad of gum in his mouth, Skull looks up at Bulk, replying with impressed enthusiasm, "Yeah?!" He quickly switches his expression to dullness, reminding his longtime partner in a sarcastically stern tone, "So did _I_." Skull scratches his butt, which makes comedic squeaking noises. Bulk simply shakes his head (the meeting with Rita & Zedd in question occurred during MMPR3's "Master Vile and The Metallic Armor"). Suddenly, a cordless phone, located just off to the side of the cabana, rings loudly. Both Bulk & Skull sharply turn their heads, and react in near unison by madly racing for it. Skull fumbles with his sunglasses, which slid off of his nose, and in doing so, is unprepared for when Bulk comes barreling out from behind his post, and gives his best friend a strong shove away. Skull goes flying right into the pool, making quite a splash, and sinking to the bottom. Bulk can't help but laugh out loud heartily, continuing to slightly chuckle as he presses the button, and answers the blue phone, "Bulkmeier's, Bulk speaking!" His jolly smile quickly fades into a look of almost dread, as he hears the person on the other end of the phone speaking. Nervously, Bulk replies, "...Just a minute."
With Skull sopping wet and clinging to his shoulder, Bulk covers the phone's receiver with his hand, and makes his way around the edge of the pool. Skull concernedly asks, "You really think we ought to BUG him?" Bulk was about to speak when he pal commented, so he pauses that train of thought, and assures him, "It SOUNDS important!" Changing his general attitude to that of an obedient servant, Bulk grins widely, and both cautiously & congenially, informs the recipient of the phone call, "Excuse me, Sir! Y-You have a PHONE call!" Skull, chewing his gum, also gives an overly pleasant expression, despite his current state of sogginess. They're standing behind a man, whose facial features are hidden both by selective camerawork and a newspaper he's currently reading. A man who is sitting on one of the many lounge chairs placed on the deck of the pool. A man with short dark hair, which is slicked up into random spikiness, and wears reflective sunglasses, an earring, and a black & red tropical shirt befitting this poolside environment. Without ever looking away from his paper, he reaches his right hand back, prompting Bulk to place the phone between his fingers. The man answers into the phone, a cool, calm, and quite familiar voice, "Hello?"
Elsewhere, at a park in Turtle Cove, the five Wild Force Activists are apparently the only people at the place today. That is, until a beige and silver humvee pulls up. With the lettering "LR-1" on the side, the Rescue Rover pulls to a stop, and the blue jeans wearing driver steps out of the front door. He walks toward the five, none of which are aware of his presence yet. Danny, Alyssa, and Max are in their workout clothes (as seen in "A Father's Footsteps), each partaking of bottled water and their own color-coded towels. Cole & Taylor are in their typical vested uniforms, though whatever the gang was up to matters not. The driver of the Rescue Rover, a man with dirty blonde hair and a Lightspeed Rescue member's only grey & red jacket, reaches their position, his back currently to us. He gets within an earshot, and asks aloud, "Excuse me! Cole Evans?" All five WFs turn to look at the man with confused expressions, Cole's the most puzzled. He glances over to Danny, then nods his head in a gesture of confirmation, walking over to where the man stopped, with his teammates in tow. The man asks once more, "Cole Evans... Red Wild Force Ranger?" Exchanging glances with Danny again, Cole I truly stunned. He questions the stranger directly, "How do you know who I am?" With his face now revealed to us, the man explains his identity, "I'm Carter Grayson: Lightspeed Rescue." He raises his left arm, notioning to the Rescue Morpher on his wrist, and adding, "Red Ranger." Danny & Alyssa stare at Cole, while Taylor simply smiles softly, all appearing surprised, though Max is rather expressionless, and Cole can't help but nod in silence. Carter continues explaining, "I was sent to recruit you for an important mission." He briefly looks at the others, but focuses only on the man in red, stating with calm urgency, "The fate of the ENTIRE Earth is at stake. We need your help." (According to episode writer Amit, a brief scene involving Max excitedly hopping into the Rescue Rover, only to be told that Cole is the only WF needed. Cole then cheers his buddy up by putting him 'in charge' of Turtle Cove while he's gone.)
Soon, at NASADA Checkpoint East 5A, the Rescue Rover pulls up to a gate, guarded by about four men in navy blue uniforms and berets. The Rover parks for a moment as one of the men checks Carter's clearance, another pulls back the gate, another stands and salutes, and the last guy just stands at ease. Cole is, of course, sitting in the passenger seat. Clearance is quickly given, allowing the Lightspeed Humvee to pull onto this government base. NASADA, last seen or mentioned in PRiS, is still in the business of space exploration, it seems. At least two launchpads are visible from a wide shot, both with space shuttles already set up and ready to take off at any moment. In fact, in the far distance, you can see a tiny shuttle approaching through the cloudy blue skies! The Rover pulls in, rolls onto the wide field of cement landing runways, disturbing a flock of pigeons, and heads for the nearest hangar. Entering the exuberantly wide hangar, the Rescue Rover is parked in an area with two other vehicles. Cole immediately recognizes the occupants of one as they exit, bringing a smile to his face. Stepping out of their custom SUV, the two Commanders of the Silver Guardians, Wes Collins and Eric Myers, equally recognize him back. Wes gives a quick salute to his red bereted head, while Eric, having been the driver of the SUV, simply remains as stone-faced as ever with his dark sunglasses on. Wes rushes out to greet them, slapping each of their hands and happily saying their names. The handshakes linger for a moment. Wes "Cole, it's good to see you again." Cole wonders, "What're you guys doing here?" Eric casually takes off his sunglasses, hanging them from his SG uniform's pocket, and states, "Well, we got a call that said meet here at the NASADA spaceport." Carter, seemingly aware from this exchange that Cole already encountered them in "Reinforcements From The Future", introduces the two soldiers he himself met back in "Time For Lightspeed", by gesturing to them and remarking, "I see you've already met the Silver Guardians. Wesley Collins, Red Time Force Ranger. And this is Eric Myers, the Quantum Ranger." Wes & Eric each nod and smirk softly, as if confirming what Cole already knows (but those kiddies at home might not).
Carter then motions his left arm over to the third vehicle in this lot, a slick red sports car, announcing, "And that's the Red Turbo Ranger..." The door to this car, which can only be described as Lightning Cruiser Mark II (think LC without all the cannon, side fins, and other add-ons), opens up, and as the driver steps out, the camera speeds up its curve around him. The bald African-American man in a tight red shirt, black pants, silver chain necklace, and Turbo Morpher (on his left wrist constantly, as opposed to being summoned only when needed) gives a salute gesture with a gentle grin, and makes his way over to the others. Carter tells them (and US) his full name for the first time, "Theodore Jay Jarvis Johnson!" Giving Carter a friendly pat on the arm, he replies, "Please... Call me TJ!" (why did TJ quit being the Blue Space Ranger? That remains a tale untold. But, how he became Turbo Red again is easy, as, much like how the restored Blue Turbo Powers in "True Blue To The Rescue" were seemingly harnessed by way of Storm Blaster, the restored Red Turbo Powers would obviously be based off of Lightning Cruiser) Teej then shakes the hands of Wes, Eric, and Cole, before proudly pointing out the next member of their mission, "And THAT'S Andros!" Walking from across the hangar in his standard grey Megaship uniform, Andros addresses Cole, "Glad you could join us all the way from Turtle Cove!" The two slap and shake hands. When they break, Cole is in total awe, grinning widely as he looks at the men surrounding him, and asking in astonishment, "You guys are ALL Red Rangers, too?! What's going on?" Andros clarifies the situation, "We were all assembled by a veteran Ranger. Our LEADER for this mission." Cole repeats in perplexity, "Leader?" Andros steps back and turns toward the huge open front gate of the hangar. Right on cue, their leader steps out from behind the wall. All but Andros watch anxiously, as the man we saw taking the phone call at Club Bulkmeier's earlier steps out of the shadows, with his hands clasped together in the front below his waist, beige pants, a brown flight jacket over a red & white checkered shirt and a pure red shirt beneath. He needs no introduction, he's Tommy Oliver, and with a faint smirk, he nods his head at his fellow Red Rangers.
[commercials]
Tommy remains in the position we left him in, giving another, more serious nod, before finally resuming his long walk over to his new teammates. Cole cluelessly asks, "Who is that?" TJ chuckles, gives Cole's vest pocketed chest a pat, and exclaims happily, "That's TOMMY! The Red Zeo Power Ranger. He's a LEGEND!" Wes & Eric listen in, and once the name is spoken, Wes seems to recognize it, though Eric is more reserved with his expression. He exchanges a glance with his partner, as if silently sharing in their equal surprise. Tommy walks up to the front of the parked Rescue Rover, and tells the team, "Thank you guys for coming on short notice." Andros heads over to stand beside him, the two having been working together for quite sometime offscreen, it seems. Wes wonders, "So what's going on? You call sounded urgent." Tommy informs them with a very grim tone in his voice, "I was hoping this day would never come. Andros has recently tracked down the remains... of the evil Machine Empire." TJ, knowledgeable of the actions of the PR team that preceded his, steps forth, curiously noting, "But I thought the Zeo Rangers destroyed them YEARS ago!" Wes nods, proving he's done some homework too. Tommy, referring to events never chronicled on PRZ, paces several steps away from the others, and explains, "We DESTROYED their leaders. But some of their Generals managed to survive. They've been HIDING all these years. They finally regrouped their forces, and they're amassing on the moon. Preparing... to invade Earth." He turns around with that final dramatic pause, facing the other Reds. Wes & Eric exchange concerned glances, while Cole simply steps forth, asking with a sense of anxiousness, "The moon? So... How are we supposed to get there to stop them?" Andros tells him, "In THIS," as he raises a tiny remote, pressing a button and causing a tiny green light on it to flash as it beeps. Suddenly, the vast expanse of the hangar that stood shrouded in shadow a moment before is unveiled by a series of lights that come on upon his cue. Illuminated, is a spacecraft that we saw destroyed in "Journey's End, Part 2." That good old blue & silver vessel, looking good as new. Andros immediately explains, "I present the Astro Megaship, Mark II! Fresh off the construction yards of KO-35, the FASTEST spaceship in the galaxy!" Most of those viewing it watch agape, though TJ merely smiles at the familiar sight.
Tommy turns their attention away from the new Megaship, to address the issue of the recruitment, stating firmly, "Guys... This is gonna be a very DANGerous mission. But I can't force you to go. This is a decision you have to make on your own." Cole steps forth again, admitting truly, "I don't know much about... spaceships. OR this Machine Empire. But I will go where I MUST... to protect the Earth." Wes, speaking for his silent pal Eric, declares, "Same goes for US." Carter adds solidly, "Count me in." TJ, an old hand at interstellar combat, scoffs at the idea of not going by remarking, "It's not even a QUESTION." Andros joins his former teammate's side, nodding softly, and commenting, "Then it's settled." Tommy, appearing proud, nods sharply, and proclaims, "Then let's DO it." They all begin to walk towards the Astro Megaship II, when Andros stops the group, by wondering, "Ohh! Wait! Wasn't there another Red Ranger here on Earth?" Tommy, with his back to the rest of them, regrettably says, "I was HOPING he'd show up." He turns around to face them, and in a somber tone, figures, "But I guess he couldn't make it. We'll have to go on without him." In the nick of time, Cole's sensitive hearing picks up the sound of a motorcycle engine approaching in the distance. He alerts the others, "Guys!" They follow as Cole excitedly races out of the hangar, all coming to a halt just in front of the entrance, staring out into the horizon. Tommy squints his eyes a little, as amid the haze, a black leather-clad man on a black Harley Davidson motorcycle speeds their way from the opposite end of the runway. He revs the engine a few times, pulls up and parks a short ways ahead of the seven men. Putting down the kickstand, the biker turns his back to them, takes off his black helmet, and sets it down on the seat. He turns to face them, giving a chubby-cheeked grin. Tommy nods softly, and with a smile, says the man's name in relieved recognition, "Jason!"
Indeed, it's Jason Lee Scott, wearing a black leather jacket, jeans, a red shirt with a star in the middle of it, and that good old fashioned style silver Communicator on his left wrist. He continues to grin, as he playfully asks, "You guys weren't gonna do this WITHOUT me, were ya?" Jason walks over to the group, all standing shoulder to shoulder. He stands before Cole first, commenting curiously, "So, you must be the new guy!" Cole begins to quickly moisten his lips with his tongue, smiling respectfully, and wiping his right hand against his jeans rather vigorously. He then holds out the hand, and enthusiastically states, "Hi! I'm Cole!" Jason grins, and instead of shaking the well-wiped hand, pats him on the shoulder, and remarks, "Good!" He begins to walk down the row of Reds, looking at TJ, Andros & Carter, and commenting, "I recognize... SOME of you guys." He reaches Wes & Eric, and implying an untold run-in with the Silver Guardians, notes, "Some of you, uhh... MORE than others!" Jason finally gets to Tommy, who continues to smile, and complains in a good natured tone, "I was starting to wonder whether you'd show up at all!" Jason smirks, and asks with a faux-cocky attitude, "You didn't think I was gonna let you do this without the ORIGINAL Red Ranger, did ya?" Tommy & Jason slap each other five, in a slow motion shot marking the onscreen reuniting of the series' first two leaders since T:APRM. Next, a shot of the eight Reds, walking shoulder to shoulder, toward the hangar, in slow motion. Call this style, "Reservoir Reds", or "The Red Stuff". This leads to the Astro Megaship II taking off from the hangar, exiting through the roof, and causing the NASADA area around its takeoff zone to quake until they're off the ground. With a burst of power from its thrusters, the Megaship zooms off into the sky in the blink of an eye.
Meanwhile, on the moon, inside the Neo-Plutonium Ore Processing Plant, the Machine Empire Generals are stationed around a podium (which has the Royal House Of Gadgetry crest upon it). They're facing the remaining armies of Cogs, with their leader, General Venjix, making the big speech behind a cogwheel type microphone. He proclaims with passionate motions of his arms, "Ever since the Power Rangers destroyed the Machine Empire, we have been FORCED to wander the stars in hiding!" Gerrok pumps his fist in the air, and concurs to the crowd, "That's RIGHT!" Venjix slams his fists against the podium, "But NO more!" The crowd of Cogs, an equal mix of suit-colors, cheer victoriously in excited unison for a brief moment. They're silenced and calmed by the time Venjix begins to speak of what they've been digging up as of late, "With THIS, the greatest Zord ever BUILT." Said Zord is a giant green dragon with yellow whiskers, blood red eyes, and a wide mouth filled with deadly teeth, the head of which is currently visible in the near distance behind the Cog congregation. General Venjix continues to herald their prospects, announcing, "We will be able to rebuild the Machine Empire, and have REVENGE on those who destroyed our illustrious leader, King MONDO!" (I should note, that even though it was Zordon's Wave that truly destroyed the Machine Empire, it was the Zeo Rangers that prevented their invasion of Earth, and thus, put them into such a lowly, disgraced position that they had to kowtow to Dark Specter, and be put in the position to be destroyed to BEGIN with! That's the Generals' reasoning behind this whole mission, I really think) He motions to the side of the podium, where an oversized bust replica of King Mondo himself, made of pure steel with a golden face-plate & crown, is placed overlooking the remnants of his empire. The Cogs cheer and applaud, their voices sounding more humanoid than usual when heard in a wave of praise. Venjix holds out his arms, reveling in the robo-drones' pre-programmed enthusiasm, as the other Generals remain silent and poised.
Elsewhere, across the interstellar divide, endless lightyears away from our own moon, yet as close as a wormhole to it, is the Lost Galaxy. Via footage from "Quasar Quest, Part 1", we see Mirinoi, the pure green planet, nestled behind a freaky upside-down cone-shaped planet with rings, and just in front of a red-tinted cluster of stars. Upon the Mirinoi's surface, hidden beneath foggy hills and an abundance of jungle overgrowth, is a boulder with five Quasar Sabers imbedded within it. This area, though once populated with villages, is, as seen in "Trakeena's Revenge", now secluded from any sort of civilization. That is, until an arm reaches across, grips the center Quasar Saber, the one with the Lion emblem, and removes it from its stone sheath. Only one destined to wield the Saber can remove it, and remove it he has at least once before. The man turns around to face the camera, in dramatic slow motion, whipping the Quasar Saber into a braced hold against his chest. The Saber's silver blade gleams with red energy, as Leo Corbett, in his usual blue denim overshirt and red undershirt, reclaims the powers of the Lost Galaxy Ranger, once again! (And despite his fall-out with the show which resulted in Leo's voice being dubbed by someone else the last time he was around, Danny indeed shot new footage for this episode!)
Back in the starry black void between the Earth and the moon, the Astro Megaship Mark II sails at a respective pace toward its destination. In a place called the 'Ready Room', (clockwise from the door) Eric, TJ, Jason, Cole, and Wes sit at a wooden round table. Andros enters from the hallway, through the automatically sliding door. With him, is a fully sentient, multi-functional automaton. With arms, legs, and head from the Mark 5 version, and an electric lightning bolt chest from the Mark 6 model, this robot's name is none other than Alpha 7! All at the table watch as Andros & Alpha 7 enter, and walk over to Tommy, who is standing in front of one of the many walls with numerous labeled controls, monitors, and other Megaship controlling buttons. As he enters, Andros informs the team leader, "I contacted Leo on Mirinoi, and Aurico on Aquitar. They'll be here as soon as they can." Tommy simply says, "Good." Alpha 7, speaking with a voice matching Alpha 5's exactly, tells him, "It's ALL ready, Tommy!" Stepping forward with a tiny remote similar to that which Andros used earlier to unveil the new Megaship, Tommy aims it at the center of the round table, and decrees, "Let's get started." At the press of the button, the sectioned circle at the very center of the table springs to life a hologram viewscreen. It appears, thanks to those sections, face-forward in perspective to all who sit around it. The soundless image is of King Mondo commanding his Cog forces to begin their invasion, which they do via Quadrafighters and other massive ships, all footage seen in "A Zeo Beginning". Tommy paces around the table, narrating the backstory, "Several years ago, the Machine Empire emerged from deep space. They tried to invade Earth. Myself and the other Zeo Rangers succeeded in stopping the invasion, by destroying their leader, King Mondo, and most of the empire with him." (this version of events implies yet more stuff pre-T:APRM, as anyone who saw "Good As Gold" can attest things weren't as conclusive there).
Each of the Reds listen closely with grim expressions on their faces, with Andros hanging back against the control paneled wall next to an ever-busy Alpha 7. Tommy continues the debriefing, "But NOW, the last surviving members, of the Machine Empire, have regrouped, under the command of General Venjix. And are gathering HERE, in the Sea of Tranquility on the moon." On cue, the holoimage changes to footage shot by Andros, of the Cogs excavating the lunar surface. Eric immediately states the obvious by pointing out, "It looks like they're digging something there." Wes wonders to Tommy, "What would they want on the MOON?" Jason, no stranger to the object the Cogs are after (as he was the first to take it on, in "The Power Transfer, Part I"), comments the name aloud, "Serpentera." As all eyes turn to him, Jason merely chews his gum, and raises his eyebrows at Tommy, who nods in confirmation, before explaining, "Years ago, when Lord Zedd was defeated, his personal Zord remained hidden on the surface of the moon." (which is, of course, more stuff that happened offscreen, since Serpentera hasn't shown up since Zeo's begging). The holoscreen displays footage of Serpentera, from Season 2 (Dairanger stock), snarling and flying about. Andros steps forward and joins Tommy near the table, revealing the details of his 'mission' from "The Power Of Pink", by adding to the group, "But I've spent the last few years TRAILING General Venjix. Just recently, he discovered the hidden location of Serpentera." Jason, with gesturing of his right hand, stresses, "If the Machine Empire gets their HANDS, on Serpentera... They're gonna have MORE, than enough power to destroy Earth." Cole looks up at Tommy, and proclaims courageously, "We HAVE to stop them here. On the moon. We're the only chance Earth HAS." In the background, Jason nods affirmatively, and continues chewing his gum.
[commercials]
Inside the Neo-Plutonium Ore Processing Plant, mechanically walking away from its industrial inner-workings, the five Machine Empire Generals reach the walkway just beside the podium. Gerrok strides just ahead of his fellow 'lesser' members, and addresses their leader, "General Venjix! Installation of the Neo-Plutonium Reactor to Serpentera is complete." They all cease walking, as Venjix turns to him, and commends, "Excellent, Gerrok." He then turns toward that steel bust of their departed ruler, which loom high above with ominous lighting highlighting its brass-like face, and vows defiantly, "FINALLY, we can AVENGE your untimely destruction, King Mondo!" The other Generals stare silently at the statue, until Venjix faces forth once more, and proclaims, "Let's BEGIN!" The Generals are just about to continue their march to their new vessel of vengeance, when suddenly, a sparky burst of smoke in the adjacent corridor gains their attention. A few Cogs are shown tumbling away from this brief burst, prompting Venjix to gasp in disbelief, "NO! What?!" The source of this disturbance becomes revealed when the 8 Reds rush out of the smokey corridor, and line-up shoulder to shoulder to face the five MEs. They stare with intense expressions at their robotic adversaries, except for Jason, who pulls off his leather jacket, and quips cockily, "Ya know, if you miss King Mondo that MUCH, I PROMISE we can help you join him." Cole points at the Generals, and exclaims impassionedly, "We're NOT gonna let you bring back Serpentera!!" A squad of Cogs races in from the rest of the complex, joining their leaders' and in a very literal sense, getting their backs, as all get into fighting stances. Venjix urges, "TRY and STOP us!" The moment Tommy shouts, "Let's DO it!", all of his fellow Reds follow his move of thrusting their right arms forth and adjusting their bodies semi-sidewards in a standard fighting stance. Unlike the others, though, Tommy releases one of his patented, "Eh-YAH!", battle cries upon doing so. Venjix makes the same mistake the King he so posthumously glorifies so much did, and immediately ushers off the robo-drones to action, "Cogs! To battle!" As the Cogs (far less in number here than were present for Venjix's speech earlier) dash forth to do what they were created to do: fight Power Rangers. The eight Power Rangers also live true to their natures, and with a howl of nonsensical battle cries, swiftly meet these robots in heated combat. The Machine Empire Generals currently stand safely back, and merely watch, as the Rangers split up throughout the plant to take on several Cogs at once, not a one of our heroes morphed!
TJ is the first to be focused upon for his unmorphed battle. Surrounded by Cogs, he ducks under a punch, comes up to find another Cog about to hit him, blocks its arm and returns the gesture by punching the Cog in the chest. Another Cog tries to kick him, TJ blocks the leg by grabbing it and shoving it away, then kicking one more Cog in the gut, and slipping easily into a duck under a spinning jump kick by another Cog that passes by. Teej rises back up to find himself between two Cogs about to strike, so with the mere grip of both their arms, he hurls the two Cogs completely over, slamming them onto the cement ground together with a triumphant grunt.
Tommy is next up for some unmorphed quality time. He staggers back from an unseen Cog attack, backing up right into the hands of an awaiting Cog, which grabs onto his jacket, yanking on it tightly. Tommy struggles with it for a moment, before spotting that the Cog advancing on him is swiping its usual silver metal spear weapon through the air! He gives a (rather goofy but) shocked expression, and ducks down to a quick crouch, avoiding getting decapitated, while at the same time slipping his arms out of his coat enough to be free of the jacket-yanking Cog's close clutches. Still, he's able to pull back and twist the coat around, so the Cog's arms become crossed, bound by cloth. Tommy frees his jacket by kicking underneath his enemy's hands, knocking the robo-drone off its feet. Instead of putting his coat back on, he throws it aside, causing it to land atop another Cog's golden head, and hindering its vision. Remember that cyclone spin kick Tommy always did in his clip from MMPR Season 1's opening credits? He does another here, kicking the raised spear of a Cog out of the way, and continuing to go with his revolving momentum, though turning this move into a wide foot sweep, taking two more Cogs down with it. Another Cog pops up, trying to toss a few kicks at him, but Tommy pulls back, slaps at the robo-drone's flaying feet, and takes it down hard. Tommy concludes this scene by immediately slicing his right leg high through the air at a Cog standing to his side, deliberately allowing the Cog to duck under so he can then sharply kick the drone in the chest, sending it flying into the wall of machinery behind it, smashing against it sparkily, and falling to the floor in a lifeless heap.
Red rover, Red rover, let Jason come over and have an unmorphed fight scene! A foolish Cog tries to strike him with a punch, but Jason blocks the arm, and lays out the bot with a direct blow to the stomach. A second Cog treads too closely, allowing him to grab its arm, hold it under his armpit, and kick up his right leg to bash into the Cog's chest. Jason releases the beaten Cog, and kicks his left leg into an oncoming Cog, then turns to face one more robo-drone. He throws a kick at it, right when yet another Cog tries to attack at the same time, dividing his attention to the point his kick falters in taking down the Cog. With his leg being held between that Cog's arms, Jason is able to flip his body completely over, and thus, avoids a foot-spearing by that other sneaky Cog. Once right-side up again, Jason hops up in the air, and kicks both Cogs in the chest at the same time.
Now for the last of the unmorphed fights that actually involves the actor in action and not a stuntman, it's Eric's turn. He ducks his head under a Cog's high spear-swipe, but finds a second Cog trying to attack him with its weapon as well. Eric grabs hold of the spear, jerks it upwards, and blocks the first Cog's second spear stab. Still holding the locked spears (with Cog's still holding onto them as well) above his head, Eric twirls around to the other side of them, and kicks at a third Cog's spear, before dropping down the two locked spears and hitting the third one with them, knocking the dazed bot down. He then shifts back to his original position, releases the two Cogs from his spear-grip of them, and realizing they're primed to strike him together, rushes off and twirlingly leaps atop a conveniently placed and quite dusty but cleared-off office desk! (what is THAT doing in an ore-mining plant on the moon?!) Thanks to his Silver Guardian uniform's kneepads, lands on the hard desktop with ease, and is able to use this raised surface as a maneuvering space to kick at the spears of those two Cogs coming his way. One is knocked back, the other disoriented, while an extra spear-wielding bot joins in to thrust forth. Eric curls around on the tabletop, as if breakdancing, kicking that remaining Cog spear away in the process. He rolls off of the table, just as another Cog jumps up and stands on the tabletop only seconds after he's cleared from it. Eric instantly kicks the Cogs legs out from under it, slaps the hand of a second Cog trying to punch him, turns to gut-punch another Cog to his left, and returns to that second Cog to give it a crippling blow to the knee, causing it to collapse in apparent agony. If that wasn't bad enough for the mindless bot, Eric kicks it sharply while its down, causing the Cog to slide across the floor, coming to a slumped-over rest perfectly in the space under the desk where a chair would go!
Backflipping down a narrow walkway between some large machinery and an open space to the deep recesses of the lower levels blocked off only by railing, Andros keeps just a step ahead of two Cogs parrying at him with their spears. He reaches the end of the walkway, where several riled-up Cogs await, but first has to cease his flipping, and face those two Cogs he was avoiding. With skilled dodging, Andros avoids the sharp points of both the spears stabbed toward his head, turning to kick away a Cog behind him from trying the same trick. He notices a part of the railing perfect to use in this situation, and hops up to grab it. Andros spins around with his hands on this bar, using this quick action to avoid one Cog behind him, kick one on the other side of the corner, and continue on back around to land a kick into a second Cog formally behind him. Once back on the ground, he notices another Cog about to strike, so a swift barrel flip (ya know, flipping his whole body over sidewards) causes the drone to miss him with its spear. Still being plagued by several poke-happy Cogs, Andros wedges himself up between the railing and one of the large machinery walls. This doesn't help him for long, so he twirls out of the position, and ends up confronting a Cog that pops out of the woodwork, quickly grabbing its spear and hurtling the bot over the edge of the railing! The Cog is sent plummeting into the darkness of multiple stories below, while waving his arms and legs helplessly, spear still in his grasp.
Doing a half-somersault across the floor, Carter rolls up into a crouching position amid flanking Cogs, aims his Rescue Blaster at one, and fires away. The red laser rays hits the Cog with blinding sparks and smoke as a destructive result, wasting the robo-drone. Carter turns and fires off several more bolts from his Rescue Blaster, explosively demolishing a pair of Cogs against a wall. He keeps alert to his surroundings, strafing to his right, and suddenly spotting a trio of Cogs in a darkened passage just down the way, each holding their spears like rifles and firing off blasts of energy! Carter dodges the oncoming streaks of purple and yellow plasma by ducking under one, racing away and launching himself off a way, and twirling around in the air sideways as he hops off. The blasts fly past him, most striking the wall harmlessly. As he drops to the ground in semi-slowmo, Carter manages to fire off his Rescue Blaster at the trio of snipers, destroying all three Cogs with his well-trained targeting.
Elsewhere in this vast plant, Wes has possession of one of the Cog's spears, and is using it against a gang of them! He pokes one Cog in the gut with it, ducks under as another robo-drone stumbles past, and while whipping it over his shoulders, he slashes the spear downward, knocking the feet out from under two Cogs. Wes finishes the twirling of the spear behind him by snapping it forth just as a Cog tries to lunge at him, clashing their metal double-tipped staffs together briefly. He then turns to his left and bops another Cog with the spear, before blocking yet another's spear with his own. Here comes a Cog, swatting its spear at Wes, but he holds up the metal staff with both hands, guides the enemy's weapon down. Wes then releases one hand to slip out of the lock, grabs onto the Cog's spear, and attempts to slam his own spear into the bot's chest. Unfortunately, the Cog is able to block this with his own free hand, putting the both of them in a very similar 'one hand on their own spear while the other hand is on their opponent's' position! However does the Silver Guardian Commander get out of this bind, especially with two Cogs flanking from both sides? Why, by simply twirling himself around, keeping hold of the weapons, and manipulating the Cog to follow his movements, forcing the robo-drone to end up facing away from him. Wes then gives the Cog a sharp kick in the back, sending it falling forward, releasing both spears. Using the two stolen spears, he first swats aside a passing Cog with one, and next uses both spears to clasp the jutting spear of another Cog, restraining it in place. Wes is visibly struggling to keep the Cog stuck, so when yet another Cog tries to charge at him, he merely releases his enemy's locked weapon, the Cog loses its grip, the spear crashes into the oncoming bot's chest, taking him down, and giving Wes a chance to whack-down the now weaponless first Cog. Wes is left victorious, still with a spear in each hand, a several Cogs lying on the floor around him. Ya know, I make all these scenes sound so complicated and clunky, but they're REALLY perfectly fluid and rapid when you watch them.
The final unmorphed focus fight comes from Cole, who's currently up on the stage around the podium. He attempts to relieve a Cog of its spear by yanking on it and tugging roughly to the side, but instead does a full body side flip in the side with the spear in his grasp, causing the attached Cog to flip off of the stage and disorientedly smash against the floor. Cole hits the ground standing, and immediately faces off with a Cog, fiercely throwing punches at him. He vigorously blocks the blows with quick hits, and when the robo-drone slices its spear at him, Cole dives backwards! Curling his legs up into the air and putting pressure against his shoulders with his arms gripping the very edge of the stage, Cole literally bounces back from this dive, returning to a standing position unscathed, just as a Cog or two on the stage strikes at the spot he was just at. Another Cog lashes at him, so Cole dives to his left, rolling his body rapidly along the edge of the stage, spinning out of the attacking range of several Cogs. Once again, Cole rises back up, getting into a ferocious battle stance, and releasing a loud, "Hi-yah!" He dashes forth, runs up onto the stage to avoid a Cog spear-slash, and quickly leaping off of the area near the podium, he kicks at the spear of yet another Cog trying to strike. Cole does a backflip away from this successful hit, twisting around and backing up to the spot where he just did a battle stance, doing another this time, catching his breath in the process.
With the Cogs around him currently posing no threat (the only one visible is doing that odd little squatting arms-up dance the used to always Cogs do, as if trying to look intimidating), Cole's attention turns to the voice of General Venjix, as he tells his fellow Machine Empire members, "Generals! Let us board Serpentera." He spots Venjix and the other four marching out of the plant, heading toward the head of the giant green metal dragon resting on the ground in the near distance. Cole relaxes his arms from the stance, as he stares at them in horror, and gasps, "No...!" Focusing only upon the five ME Generals' slow and robotic-like stride, he races off after them. They've a head start, so much that by the time Cole catches up to them out on the lunar surface, the Generals have reached the base of Serpentera's jaw. Before they can touch base with the slumbering Zord, Cole screams in protest, "STOP!" The Generals turn around to see the lone human approaching defenselessly, prompting Venjix to scoff, "You FOOL!", as he holds out his left hand, and fires off a dual-blast of purple beams infused from the circuitry of his gauntlet. The ground around Cole erupts into smoke & sparks, sending him hurtling into the air (which, I should point out in case you haven't figured out by now, there is now and always has been air in space in the PR verse, especially on the moon), and crashing onto his side when the Earth-like gravity of the place drags his sharply down. Venjix proclaims viciously, "YOU will be the FIRST to feel our WRATH!" Cole is on his knees, grasping his bruised side with his left arm, and breathing labouredly, unable to draw the strength to argue with the evil robotic entities from outer space. The five Machine Empire Generals begin to march his way with deadly intent, when a barrage of red laserbeams rains down on them from the heavens!
While the MEs are dazed and flooded in sparks & smoke, Cole glances up to see the source of his salvation. It's the Red Lost Galaxy Ranger, piloting his Red Jet Jammer, with the Red Aquitian Ranger riding on the wing! The Jammer jets through the air, cuts through Serpentera's open mouth, and lowers down to near ground level. Leo shouts, "Hop on!", giving Cole little time to react, but managing to do so at the right moment with a little help from Aurico, who says, "Gotcha!" as he helps to scoop up the winded human. The Jet Jammer soars dangerously close to the five Machine Empire Generals, passing just over their heads as they duck down beneath the exhaust, watching as the trio of Reds escape their immediate . Leo urges, "Hang ON!", while flying directly at a tall cliffside, and zooming suddenly skyward to avoid crashing. Cole can be heard making nervous noises as if losing his balance, since the Jammer sure wasn't built for two, let alone three! The Red Lost Galaxy Ranger keeps on piloting, turning his helmeted head only to encourage his newest passenger, "Cole, hold on!" Crouching on the left wing, the Red Ranger of the planet Aquitar (who remains morphed this entire episode, due to not just because they couldn't get his actor back, but because the totally water-less moon would likely tax his aquatic-sensitive body very quickly without his being morphed) asks concernedly, "Are you okay?" Cole, clinging tightly to the right wing, nods and gratefully exclaims, "Great!" Leo seemingly sets his craft on autopilot, and stands up, and announces, "Let's GO!" He takes one of Cole's arms, as Aurico takes the other, and the two morphed Reds assist their unmorphed fellow Ranger in leaping off the side of the still-flying Jet Jammer. All three land crouched, perfectly on the ground below, and once they rise back to standing tall, Cole gives Aurico a friendly pat on the shoulder. He then turns to Leo, giving him a hand-slap and shaking his one hand with both of his own, telling his fellow heroes, "THANK you, Rangers." Just then, the other 7 Reds rush up onto the scene, having dispatched of the Cogs offscreen. Andros addresses the recently arrived intergalactic Rangers, "Leo! Aurico! You're JUST in time!" The Red Lost Galaxy Ranger lifts his arms, and crosses them while slowly lowering them, demorphing in a shimmering gleam of red to plain Leo Corbett, who tells his old pal, "Andros! We got here as soon as we could." (notice we only see Red Aquitian Ranger & Andros' back during this shot, due to how all the Slavin stuff was shot long after principal photography)
The other Reds seem to be awfully happy to see the two new additions, as they're showing smiling like clowns a moment before the Machine Empire Generals scramble into position. (don't look too closely, or you'll notice Leo is suddenly morphed again, only in the pull-back shot!) General Venjix shouts in disbelief, "RANGers! What?! TEN Red Rangers?!" The ten Reds stand shoulder to shoulder, with unmorphed Leo digitally inserted into the line-up rather craftfully, each staring intensely at the five evil space androids they were brought together to combat. Jason turns to Cole, and with an eager attitude and cocky smirk, asks, "Well... What are we waiting for?" Tommy commands with equal exuberance, "Let's DO it, guys!" Jason Scott is first to do "it", pulling out his silver & red belt-buckle device with "Power" written on the top and "Ranger" on the bottom, and a golden Dino Coin placed within. He does the full wide-counter clockwise arm gesturing, and proclaims, "It's MORPHIN' Time!", before thrusting the Morpher forth with both hands braced behind it. (As shown in "Always A Chance", the Dino Coins were indeed still intact, though damaged, unlike the Ninja Coins, which were disintegrated totally in "Climb Every Fountain". Only question remains is how Jason got his Red Dino Coin repaired... unless you subscribe to the "Power Transfer 2" theory, which involves the fact both Rocky & Jason had duplicate coins in the transfer scene) With the sound of clashing metal, a large yellow lightning bolt hits a round circle, erupting it with electricity. Jason, appearing years younger (since this is the classic morph sequence footage), amid a full-screen replica of his buckle Power Morpher and covered in red electricity, summons, "Tyrannosaurus!" A grid of energy envelopes his body, and when the sequence subsides, Jason is wearing that grand old red & white diamond-checked chest costume, with T-Rex style helmet. He poses, via his classic "arms raised, then semi-crouch with right arm forward and left arm braced, both hands held in claw-positions" pose, and exclaims, "Mighty Morphin' POWER Ranger!"
Tommy proclaims, "It's MORPHIN' Time!", before raising his right arm high, extending out both his arms to the side, then bringing them back together just in front of his head. Both of his wrists have the silver & black devices, collectively known as the Zeonizer, attached. With his right arm bent vertically, and his left arm crossed horizontally, the two devices meet at the fulcrum of wrists, with the left arm's device popping up its round golden energy focuser... umm, thingy. The old "Zeo Ranger 5, Red!" sequence plays truncated to simply Tommy, with a red shirt on and the golden energy focuser thingy giantly flashing behind him, lifting his wrists up to his face, as red sparkling energy erupts from them, forming an electricity star, that merges with his face as he lowers his arms. A green grid covers his body, and in a flush of power, the red costume with gold circuitry trimmings across the chest, just below and above the pure white shoulder and neck area, forms over him. His red helmet feature a big black star across the center of his face in place of a visor. Out of the sequence, Tommy holds his right arm high, then poses with his left arm forth and his right arm braced to his side, before exclaiming, "Red ZEO Ranger! Eh-YAH!" (This proving that, despite how it were last seen or mentioned in T:APRM, the Zeo Crystal was never destroyed or lost.)
TJ jabs his arms forth, and proclaims, "SHIFT Into Turbo!", as he partially crosses his arms like turning a steering wheel to his left, then spreads his arms wide, before bringing up the silver Turbo Key with his right arm, and stabbing into the ignition slot of the Turbo Morpher device upon his left wrist. (ignore the fact he actually stabs the key BEHIND the Morpher, as that's a goof the Turbo actors have had to do many times, since executing the key insertion perfectly is nearly impossible!) His morphing sequence plays, with a red and black gleaming background, he uncrosses his arms while red lightning crashes against his body, shifting it into the red costume, with black lines all along it, white stripes on the arms, a yellow & black trapezoid on his center chest, and a helmet with silver headlights & car grills designed on the face. The sequence cuts out, and TJ does the old "very wide steering arm gesturing into crouching pose" he always used to do during battle, and exclaiming, "Red TURBO Ranger! Hyah!"
Andros holds his left arm up horizontally across his chest, and extends his right hand forward, spreading the fingers, and proclaiming, "Let's ROCKET!" He flips then flips the lid of his Astro Morpher with his right hand, and via the morphing sequence footage, presses "3-3-5", each of the numbers of this red-buttoned keypad lifting up into the camera in yellow transparent digits, as a robotic voice says each number when pressed. Andros hits the return button, four red lights flash and a chime rings out, as he's suddenly amid a dark blue shimmering background, with computer displays plastered about. He's already morphed, and as his still body rotates in place, a large bar appears across the clip, claiming in digital letting, "Morphing Complete." Andros, morphed into his red costume, with a white strip across the center with smaller blocks of colors representing his and his Space teammates' power colors, and a featureless-mouth helmet with a large black glass top to it, poses with his right arm held high and forth and his left arm braced low against his chest, exclaims, "Red SPACE Ranger!" (why am I describing all of this for you people? You should know all these suit & morph details by HEART!)
Leo lifts his left arm up, crosses his right over his chest and presses the buttony part of his Transmorpher, a silver & black left-wrist-worn device with a large gold-rimmed, blue-centered dial at the top, while proclaiming, "Go... GALACTIC!" His morphing sequence begins with large white teeth engulfing the frame, pulling back to reveal they are actually part of his costume's scheme, a red suit with a white chest, featuring large "fang"-like black zigzag lines over it. Leo is morphed but helmetless at first, with the golden emblem of the Red Lion Galactabeast (from his Quasar Saber) behind him giantly, as fires rage about below it. His hands, held up and high, are surging with white & red hot energy, until he brings them down past his face, causing his red & yellow lion-featured helmet to form over his head, leaving only his eyes visible, until the black-glass visor slowly closes from both up and down at the same time. The sequence ends, but instead of shouting that he's the Red Lost Galaxy Ranger, Leo instead does his "arms spread wide with claw-like fingers as he crouches" pose while exclaiming, "Go... Galactic!"
Carter spreads his arms, then brings them together directly ahead of his face, crossing them at the wrist, then pulling them back to place his right hand on his left wrist, and proclaiming, "Lightspeed... RESCUE!" He unsnaps the blue Lightspeed insignia designed face-cover of his silver Rescue Morpher, sending it shifting upwards, and unleashing a squall of red energy from the display screen and circuitry beneath. His morphing sequence continues, showing Carter standing in a dark tunnel filled with random colorful shapes and lines. A red & white candy-striped firefighter-symbol is shout of his Rescue Morpher, and grows continually until it's taller than him, and once at proper size, pulls back, melding over his body. Carter's morph concludes with a flash of red lightning, the forming of his red & white helmet with the black-glass firefighter symbol visor over his entire face, and the Lightspeed insignia gleaming behind him. Emerged from the morph, Carter salutes, then poses with hands in fists, exclaiming, "Red LIGHTSPEED Ranger, hyah!"
Wes holds his arms out to the side, then crosses them at the wrist in front of his chest, flips the sides of the arms to their opposite facing positions, then pulls them back out, before bringing his left arm around to his right side, and pressing the red button atop the silver Chrono-Morpher. The morphing sequence begins, showing a red energy-based DNA strand flying out of the Chrono-Morpher's black-glassed top, and as Wes stands with his body gleaming a whitish red inside of a vast rolling tunnel of red digital data, the DNA strand merges with his glowing body. The DNA strand shatters amid a red bolt of lightning, sending multicolored cells swarming toward the camera. It all pulls back now to show Wes is now covered in the red & white costume, with the downward pointing triangle on his chest and one for a visor on his black & red helmeted head, of the Red Time Force Ranger. He comes out of the sequence, but instead of saying his full Ranger name, does a quick pose where he touches his left wrist-gauntlet, then right-arm forth, exclaims, "TIME Force! Huyah!"
Eric shouts, "QUANTUM Power!", into his black & crimson Quantum Morpher's speaker. I think I've described his morphing sequence well enough before, with the white digital data field and all. Go read about it elsewhere. He emerges from the sequence with his right arm held up and the other braced against his chest, while exclaiming, "QUANTUM Ranger! Hyuah!" Cole holds his golden Growl Phone up behind his left ear with both hands, and proclaims "WILD ACCESS!" He then switches the cellphone Morpher to his right hand, opens it up, and holds it to his right ear while holding his left hand outward with a grunt. His sequence is reduced to just the "energy glass shattering off his body amid the green tunnel", as he poses morphed, until the Red Lion forms over his head and makes the helmet to complete it. Again, I've described it better elsewhere. Sequence ends, Cole holds his hands like claws and does his usual jump & primally pose stance, exclaiming, "Red WILD FORCE Ranger!" Despite how he's technically the "Red Aquitian Ranger", and that's what he should be called (or at least "Red Aquitar Ranger", as he usually says when morphing), Aurico proclaims, "Red ALIEN Ranger! Hyah!", when doing his pose. As I mentioned, maybe he didn't feel like demorphing due to his easy-to-dehydrate state. Whatever the case, his pose is just like it should be, holding his right arm over his head and his left under it, jerking them from side to side while semi-crouching, then reaching back to the sword sheathed against his back, and tugging on the handle with one arm and holding the bottom of the sheath with the other. His costume, fully red, save for a golden belt, white v-neck area, a black lightning bolt on his left breast, a totally featureless face with only a gold band above the black-glass bar of eyes, a circle symbol in the center of the forehead and you get the picture. (Which reminds me, in case you were wondering, btw, that all the Rangers do indeed have their respective laser weapons or sabers, where applicable, in holsters on their belts).
The ten Red Rangers, still shoulder to shoulder (from our left to right: Aurico, Carter, Eric, Tommy, Cole, Jason, Andros, Wes, TJ, Leo), step forward as a group, as Red Zeo Ranger urges, "ALL right, guys! Let's DO it!" The five Machine Empire Generals watch stunned, with only Venjix able to muster up a grunt the captions describe as, "Grrrahhh!" The league of Red Rangers cease their respective posings (which they weren't doing a second ago), and fall into a perfect simultaneous stance of standing tall with their fists raised and aimed forward. It wouldn't be a PR Team-Up without the "colorful explosions" shot, and this is it, though the only color blasted is red! Five bursts of red smoke erupt behind the ten, and once the colors bleed together into a scarlet cloud, a bigger, normal colored explosion bursts amid it, swallowing up the colored smoke. The ten Rangers remain perfectly still during this explosion show, a representation of their combined power. General Venjix readies his right claw-gauntlet fist, and proclaims furiously, "COME on!" Simultaneously and sharply, the ten Reds lower their arms. Red Wild Force Ranger, at the center of the line, rallies them with his youthful enthusiasm and passion for battle, "ALRIGHT, guys! We're here to save the Earth! Let's TAKE 'em down!" He gestures with his arms toward the five MEs, and concludes with a primal pose, his right arm raised, showing that his finger-clawed glove is currently on. The quintet of Machine Empire Generals roar aloud, as they charge into action, arms held in fighting positions. The ten Red Rangers quickly do their own battle poses, and exhale a grunting battle cry in unison, before immediately breaking formatting, and storming forth to meet their enemies in combat. At first, the battle is limited to the small spot in the lunar valley the Reds encounter the MEs in, two Rangers for every General, but within moments, the fights are spaced out enough that you never see more than one trio of fighters at any given time. Anyway, it begins with close physical combat, but as the action splits up, the stakes become raised and the battlefield evened.
First trio: Cole & Jason vs. General Venjix! He twirls around, growling intimidatingly, awaiting the next strike by his foe. Red WF Ranger is the one to meet him with equal vigor. Venjix & Cole race toward one another, suddenly leaping up in the air, and despite the Ranger's attempt to get the first kick in, the General's foot collides with his chest first, igniting a flash upon impact. They're both knocked back onto the ground, with Venjix walking tall and fearlessly forward, as Cole recovers from the kick, and dashes at him, tossing a quick kick and punch. The General blocks both with his left arm, and returns the notion by punching back at him with his right arm! Red WF Ranger is struck in the chest, a sparkily blast sending him flying backwards off his feet for a short period, causing him to land on his stomach roughly when the momentum gives out. Venjix prepares for more, rushing forth and kicking at Cole, who remains bended down on one knee, barely managing to block the first kick. He rises back up and blocks the second kick, the impact causing a small spark burst, and causing him to stumble to the side. This gives the Red Dino Ranger an opening, as he does a flipping jump at Venjix, crying out ferociously as he plants a pair of kicks into Venjix as he lands! The General sparks slightly, and staggers away. Cole, clutching his chest, takes a breather in the background. Jason turns to him, and comments on his fighting thus far, "NOT bad!" Once Venjix raises his clawed fist again, prompting the Red Dino Ranger to charge at him, while telling his partner in Red, "HANG back, rookie! Let me show you how it's DONE!" The first Red Ranger of Earth (unless you count Rocky's ancestor Rocko) faces the Machine Empire General with pure skill and experience behind his moves. Venjix throws a high punch, Jason ducks under and punches back, hitting the arm just thrown at him. Once they both pull their arms away, Venjix goes for another hit with his left fist, allowing Jason to not only block it, but takes a grip of his wrist at the same time. The General tries to strike with his right fist again, but Jason just grabs it in the same manner, holding him firmly with his arms crossed! Unable to break free and growing furious, Venjix leaps skyward, taking the Red Dino Ranger with him. Jason simply lets go of his enemy's arms, and pounds a sharp kick into his chest in midair! Venjix plummets, Red Dino Ranger lands perfectly on his feet, and taking advantage of the Generals disorientation, leaps back up, this time flying feet first into Venjix, twirling his body like a howling horizontal screwdriver! He corkscrews into the General, setting off sparks, and when he lands, Jason does his standard MMPR-style pose, while offering, "GO for it, newbie!" Red WF Ranger readies his fists, and exclaims the classic phrase from before his time, "Morphinominal!", and immediately heads in to attack.
Next match: Tommy & Wes vs. Gerrok! The Machine Empire General, using his pincher-claw right-fist gauntlet, faces the Red TF Ranger up close, clashing pincher-claws to Chrono-Sabers! Wes blocks Gerrok's fist with one of his two Chrono-Sabers, keeping the end of pincher weapon aimed away, and a good thing he did, as the General fires off a laserblast from it! The green bolt lands in the desolate landscape behind them, exploding briefly, as Wes & Gerrok resume trading blows, each one blocking the other. Red TF Ranger finally jumps up and tries to give himself a kicking launch off the MEG, but Gerrok deflects the attempt by covering his chest. Red Zeo Ranger hops in to take his place, entering with a quick kick, and a few punches, all of which are barely blocked by Gerrok. The evil General laughs wickedly, as he attempts to decapitate Tommy with a green blast from his pincher-claw! Luckily, not only does Tommy duck under the hit, but so does Wes, who's shown hanging out in the background, awaiting a chance to return to the fighting. Another punch by Red Zeo Ranger, and another kick, both blocked, but the kick is used by Gerrok to capture his right leg in place against his abdomen. Wes slashes his Chrono-Sabers at the General, but their sharp tips are swatted away with his free hand, though this distracts Gerrok enough to cause the release of Tommy's leg. Red Zeo Ranger & Red TF Ranger each release grunting battle cries, overlapping, as they both join in on this assault. Tommy leaps away, giving Wes a chance to bombard Gerrok with some more of his twin Chrono-Saber slashes, lowering each blocked blow until he's able to break form and land a kick to the General's legs! Gerrok falls over onto his left side, and before he can get up, Red Zeo Ranger hurries up and punts the robotic warrior in the stomach, sending him skidding across the sandy ground with cries of agony. Tommy gets a running start, screams one of his patented battle cries, "OoYAH!", and by the time Gerrok rises to his feet, he's verbally initiated the, "Zeo Flying Power Kick! Eyaaaaahhh!!!" The scene goes into slow motion, as Red Zeo Ranger's body turns onto the side, aiming his right leg directly for the General's chest. The scene quickly speeds up as he reaches his enemy, but once Tommy's foot crashes into Gerrok's chest, the whole thing freezes, and the camera pulls around, Bullet-Cam style, to show the erupting sparks paused in midair! Red Zeo Ranger is stuck like that, the smooth re-angling showing that Gerrok has tried and failed to block this empowered blow. The music cues techno-like, and unfreezes, to show Gerrok's chest bursting with an eruption of white-hot sparks. He's flung into the air, and sent flying backwards, screaming aloud as he fades into the near distance. Tommy stays in the crouched position he landed in, until Gerrok slams into the lunar cliffside, exploding completely, with nothing left in his wake!
Match three: Aurico & Eric vs. Tezzla! Heh, funny how Eric, who was once Xenophobic (see "Trip Takes A Stand") is now partnered with an alien. The battle begins on a steep hillside, with Tezzla firing a blast from her pair of axe-weapons. Red Aquitian Ranger & Quantum Ranger begin Backflipping and rolling down away from the blast, stopping several feet down, and posing together, ready for more. Tezzla, in her deep but clearly female tone, howls angrily and charges down after them. She tries to strike Aurico with her axe-weapon, only to have him pull one of those Ninja-Powered warp tricks he and his fellow Alien Rangers have been known to do. He slips out of her grasp in a blur of red, reappearing just off to the side, sitting down casually on a small boulder. Aurico taunts her, "Over HERE!" Tezzla turns, and attempts to strike again, only to have him do the same trick, warping around behind her, and egging in his aquatically garbled voice, "Haha! MISSED me!" Frustrated, the General crosses her axe-weapons, and sends a light-green surge of energy flying toward Aurico & Eric. Both of our heroes duck down, but the bolt hits the very peak of the steep hill, creating an avalanche of moon boulders! They notice is just in time to dodge them, by Backflipping, as Aurico smoothly does, or side-flipping, as Eric does. This allows them to maneuver through the wave of sharp rocks of varying sizes, until they reach the bottom. Tezzla makes labored breathing noises as she rushes down the steep and sandy hillside, making herself an easy target. Red Aquitian Ranger unsheathes his sword, holds it up beside & above his left shoulder, and braces it between both arms. Quantum Ranger whips out his own weapon, exclaiming its name, "Quantum Defender!", and from behind Aurico, uses the sturdily-held blade of his partner to steady & aim the blaster. Two red bolts of laserpower are discharged from the Quantum Defender, hitting Tezzla directly. Her screaming trails off, as she's knocked off her feet, and rolls horizontally in the air. A third blast is shot, but it misses her, causing the ground to erupt as she passes, and eventually crashes against the ground with a winded grunt. Tezzla doesn't explode onscreen, but this is the last time we see her.
Fourth bout: TJ & Leo vs. Automon! Red LG Ranger, Quasar Saber in hand, clashes with Automon, whose right hand has a long silver saber attachment currently on, while Red Turbo Ranger flanks with his Turbo Lightning Sword. Leo tosses a high kick, Automon ducks under, comes back up to kick TJ's sword-wielding arm away, then spins around to face Leo again, diving and rolling when he slashes his Quasar Saber at him. Automon recovers to his feet, and faces them, giving the two Red Rangers a chance to stand and pose together with powerful hyahs, Sword to Saber. Red Turbo Ranger repeats what every Red Ranger seems to love to say, "Let's DO it!" Leo & TJ charge into the fray, side by side. Red LG Ranger strikes first, clashing his Quasar Saber to Automon's hand-saber, the impact spark-bursting. As Leo dives away, Red Turbo Ranger clashes his Lightning Sword with Automon. The ME General spots Leo's actions in time, to block as he & TJ thrust their blades forth simultaneously! Automon breaks out of the three-saber lock, causing a burst of sparks from the scraping of tempered metal as he backflips away. Reds LG & Turbo stumble back from this quick motion, changing tactics each, just slightly. Leo now has his Transdagger, in Magna Talon mode, in his left hand, to go with the Quasar Saber in his right. He rushes forth, and attacks Automon with each of the sharp weapons, causing the General to respond simply by dodging them for a moment, and soon leaping high into the air, just as Leo slashes at his feet, instead gashing into the lunar dirt. Automon soars rather high up into the dark and starry sky, giving a boasting chuckle as he hovers out of range and looks down at the two Red Rangers. Red LG Ranger gazes upwards, dumbfoundedly gasping, "Huh?!" Automon slowly lowers, aiming his hand-saber at Leo, and firing off a few bolts of orange laserpower. He cries out, as the blasts strike all around him, engulfing him in a sea of unsettled dirt. Automon continues to float back down to the spot he fired upon, but as he enters the cloud of dirt, the Red Lost Galaxy Ranger rises up past him, unharmed, and brandishing his Quasar Saber, with the blade surging with red energy! Leo slashes through the robotic warrior on the way by, causing him to groan in pain and spark profusely. Waiting on the sidelines no longer, Red Turbo Ranger, now sporting his silver Turbo Blade in his right hand, and his Turbo Lightning Sword in his left, races swiftly at the plummeting General, while exclaiming, "MY turn! Turbo LIGHTNING Sword!" (which sounds a little too much like 'Zord' when he says it) TJ howls ferociously, leaps into the air, and spinning around, chops into Automon with both of his swords at the same time. The Machine Empire General slumps over lifelessly, the blow proving fatal. In case you didn't recognize this attack, TJ ends the scene by coming to a stop with his swords aimed forth in the foreground, as Automon explodes massively in the background. Yes, this was a Ranger-sized Turbo Spin-Out! Leo floats down safely just behind him, landing softly in a crouched pose with his Saber, as the flames of a destroyed General quells into wavering smoke.
Final match: Andros & Carter vs. Steelon! With a large orange laser assault rifle (a Big Bad Beetleborgs weapon) held beneath his right armpit, Steelon marches toward his prey, gloating icily, "You're FINISHED!" He fires a bolt of turquoise energy, that results in a tremendous explosion when it hits the ground just behind the two Red Rangers. Red Space Ranger flips completely over, sidewards to his right, just in front of this blast, aiming his Astro Blaster at the General and firing a couple of red bolts back at him. Red LR Ranger leaps to his left, also in front of the blast but far more in control of his direction than his partner, firing a red bolts from his Rescue Blaster at the General. The two Red Rangers land, and immediately hide behind two well-placed human-sized stones (very Stonehenge-y). Steelon continues unleashing laser bolts their way, but the stones block the blasts. Carter & Andros, each gripping their respective Blasters tightly with both hands, remain poised, backs to the stones. Once Steelon pauses his firing, and starts to march toward them, Red LR Ranger asks his partner, "You ready?" Red Space Ranger eagerly responds, "Ready! Let's DO it!" (if I had a nickel for every time I've written that line!) Steelon fires, sparks overflow between and over the tall stones, and timing their charge just right, Andros & Carter come out of hiding at the same time. Red LR Ranger fires his Rescue Blaster mercilessly at the General, as Red Space Ranger, releasing a furious yell, does a high flip, curling his body up and avoiding a ground-striking blast by Steelon. Andros lands with a roll on the ground, as the film speeds up rapidly and slows down to a dramatic crawl, all stylistically, this entire scene. He begins to fire his Astro Blaster at the General, remaining crouched, and allowing Carter to rush up behind him and use his back a launching pad to leap up into the air and fire his own Blaster at the enemy. Steelon fires back, but while his blast-beams are failing to reach their targets, one of the Rangers' laser-streaks eventually sparkily smashes into the General's arms. He recovers with a quick spin, firing back more relentlessly. The two Reds twirl about in the air, going in opposite directions, dodging the oncoming turquoise blasts by barely a few inches.
With quick explosions bursting where the ME General's blasts strike the moonscape in the background, Andros rises back up from his body-contorting dodging dive, and begins to fire upon Steelon with his Astro Blaster. Carter, also recovering from his airborne laser-parry, joins his side, though not only does he have his Rescue Blaster in his right hand, but he now also has his good old Thermo Blaster in his left! He holds the two Blasters close together, his wrists crossed so the Thermo is titled on its side. Andros & Carter just plain unload their combined three laser weapons on the General, blasting red beams like crazy at him, causing barrages of smoke & sparks from where some of the stray bolts hit the ground. When Steelon attempts to fire back, Red Lightspeed Ranger dives and rolls on the ground, avoiding getting hit. The footage speeds up super fast here, as Carter rolls up at close range and fires his Blasters at Steelon, while Andros also goes point-blank with his Astro Blaster. Red Lightspeed Ranger manages to kick Steelon's gun upwards, giving Red Space Ranger an opening to fire, but the General fires off his gun to the side, creating a flashing blast that distracts Andros. Unable to fire, Red Space Ranger begins to curl his body backwards, barely maintaining keeping on his feet in an effort to lower under Steelon's next blast. He twirls around, and avoids the bolt by mere inches. When Andros, still bend backwards in the air, is facing the General again, he's able to fire, but Steelon fires one more turquoise laser blast. His limbo-centric positioning helps save Andros once more! This time, Red Space Ranger discharges a red bolt from his Astro Blaster, hitting Steelon directly in the gut. Red Lightspeed Ranger, who had been recovering on the ground from his poorly-placed kick a moment ago, gets back up at last. Andros kicks his leg up, and knocks Steelon's gun upwards, to distract him. Poor Andros is clearly about to topple onto his back from that position he's been stuck in, so along comes Carter to grab his arms, pull him back up, AND maneuver a sharp kick into Steelon's gun! At last, the General's big-ol' laser rifle drops out of his hands, and onto the lunar ground, causing him to grunt in dismay. He's unable to pick it up, before the two Red Rangers aim their Astro, Rescue, and Thermo Blasters at him, and fire away. Steelon cries out as the trio of red beams slam into his body, blowing him off of his feet and pushing him over the side of the cliff, hardly a few feet behind him. It's quite a drop, but he eventually hits the bottom, and sparks upon impact, releasing an agonized grunt at the same time. Steelon is oddly, like Tezzla, not last shown exploding.
Elsewhere on the moon, Red Wild Force Ranger leaps high into the air, holding his red-glowing Crystal Saber, and as his Blazing Lion: Spirit of the Earth logo flashes around him. Cole flips in the air, does a drawn out hiyaah, and upon landing, smashes his red-gleaming charged-up Crystal Saber against the ground. This creates an explosive mini-fault line, which erupts in bursting flames, dust, and dirt, straight forth across the way. This direct volcanic activity ends once it reaches General Venjix, engulfing him in the pressurized release. Venjix sparks, cries out, and finally falls limply onto his knees, worn out from this tough attack. Red WF Ranger poses, crouched, with his Crystal Saber, as the Red Dino Ranger, having been watching this from the sidelines, also poses right next to him. Jason throws in a triumphant shout of, "STILL number ONE!" Venjix, though, isn't quite finished. As the smoke around him clears, he turns to see the giant green dragon just behind him, with no one standing in his way. The General windedly grunts, and proclaims defiantly, "Well _I_ still have Serpentera!" He gets off his knees and begins to race towards it, inspiring the two Red Rangers to cease their poses, and give chase. Cole reaches out and shouts in protest, "NO!" Venjix reaches the edge of Serpentera's scaley metal skin, pauses, turns back to face his foes, and aims his right claw-gauntlet at them, firing off a few twin-beams of purple energy. These bolts fail to hit either Jason or Cole, but do serve to slow them down in a cloud of disrupted dust. General Venjix turns back to Serpentera, and with one mighty leap, hops right on top of the dragon's huge head! He enters it offscreen, and ends up in the small, cramped cockpit room (which, though not totally identical to the original one piloted by Goldar with Lord Zedd behind him, is a pretty darn good replica, right down to the dark blue & green wall lightings). Venjix staggers to the cockpit chair, sits down in it, and furiously declares, "Serpentera lives AGAIN! Now, NO one is safe from the WRATH of the Machine Empire!!" He grips the pair of black control throttles on each side of the console, causing an electronic beep to sound.
Outside, Jason & Cole finally reach Serpentera, just as the long-slumbering giant dragon rises up from its resting place on the Sea of Tranquility. Dust is unsettled all around it for a moment, as the two perusing Red Rangers stop in their tracks. Cole gasps, "Oh no! He's taking OFF!" The other eight Red Ranger rally around the pair, having finished off their respective Machine Empire General enemies offscreen. In reference to a line from that infamous fan-made video "Scorpion Rain", Tommy looks up at Serpentera, and exclaims, "Aww man. That is ONE ugly ZORD!" Indeed, Serpentera continues to hover higher off of the moon, making loud metal-churning noises as it starts to slowly slither in mid-air, while dirt and lunar soil continues to fall off of its hull. The sound of engines taking off grows louder, and the giant evil Zord turns away from the moon, taking off into the starry void of outer space. The ten Red Rangers can do nothing but merely watch, having failed at their main mission goal of stopping the revival of Zedd's power-hogging Zord. Though they're all morphed, you can tell from their body language that they're not very happy. Wes points out, "He's heading for the Earth!" Leo reminds us, "He's getting away!" Jason suggests urgently, while placing his hand on Andros' shoulder, "We've GOT to get back to the Megaship! C'mon!" Andros nods, and concurs, "Right!", before turning and preparing to sprint back to his craft. Carter, though, always one to think situations militaristically rather than impulsively, stops his teammates, "There isn't TIME! We HAVE to take out Serpentera BEFORE it leaves the moon!" Cole, likely recalling that he just received a new toy last episode, clenches his fist, and announces, "There's only ONE chance!" He rushes ahead of the other Reds, leaving them to watch anxiously, as he touches the left side of his helmeted head with his left hand, holds his right arm skyward, and summons, "Wild Force RIDER!" Suddenly, an energy tunnel, with walls woven out of green energy with red sparkles in the black spaces between the fabric of light, appears. The red, silver and gold motorcycle known as the Wild Force Rider comes zooming down the tunnel on its on. Red WF Ranger is also within the tunnel, running along, awaiting the Rider to reach his position. The bike gleams with highlights of red, until Cole hops up, and lands on the seat with his feet, crouching with his arms out at first, before mounting the seat and gripping the handlebars. This causes the front end of the Rider to snap open to each side, the metal plates spreading out into red, gold, and silver wings! The front end now has the head of the red Falconzord, which comes to life and gives a little motion, as it screeches in a tone that sounds an awful lot like Tommy's old Dragonzord! With the wings now flapping, and the two wheels continuing to roll, Cole takes control of the Wild Force Rider, both driving AND flying skyward out of this energy tunnel. He flies by over the heads of his fellow Red Rangers on the lunar surface, with one shouting, "All RIGHT!", and Jason cheering, "YEAH!"
Red WF Ranger, on his transformed Wild Force Rider, via the same style CGI used for the bike's transition stuff, zooms off into space, catching up to the large and less maneuverable Serpentera almost instantly. Cole soars up around its tail, and catches General Venjix's eye, causing him to turn and yelp, "What?!" He makes Serpentera's head sharply turn to the right, metal-churning noises and all, and immediately open its jaws wide, unleashing a purple & red surge of laser power, along with a ferocious howl! Cole shouts, "Whoa!", and spots this attack just in time to pull up, and avoid the stream of energy, which was about as wide as both he and the Rider put together are! Continuing to pull the Wild Force Rider out of the range of Serpentera's mouth-jolts, Red WF Ranger ascends straight upwards. Down on the moon, the other 9 Reds remain watching on the sidelines, as the latest in their legacy battles against the dangling plot thread of their past! Tommy worriedly gasps, "Oh no!" Cole reaches a far enough height above Serpentera (which is still in orbit just above the carter-pocked lunar landscape), he skids the Rider to a halt, making rubber-skidding noises with his tires, even. Staring down at the still flying giant dragon, Red WF Ranger is inspired, saying as such, "Hey... that gives me an idea!" He revs up the handlebars, and speeds swiftly downwards, crisscrossing around Serpentera's giant form. I'd like to take this time to address the fact that Serpentera is now much, much smaller than it used to be back in Season 2. Let this be a lesson to you kids out there: don't take Neo-Plutonium energy steroids. You'll end up with a tiny, but still powerful, snake. Yeah, that's the ticket.
Anyway, Cole go real fast. Vroom! He soars around, rolling over on the Rider, trying to make less of a target of himself. Serpentera, unable to pull its head around too far, is still firing off purple... or maybe violet, energy streams, which harmlessly fly off into space. Those tiny little claw-legs of it aren't good for much either. Cole zooms ahead of Serpentera, puts just enough distance between himself and the mighty machine. He comes to another halt by again skidding the Rider's tires in space, though this time it creates a shortly lingering trail of red sparkles (as shown in Spaceballs... he made Space Tracks!), turning to a stop sideways. General Venjix, likely wishing about now that he'd read the instruction booklet hidden in the glove compartment, undauntedly snarls to the tiny human on a bike getting in the way of him and his huge laser-breathing dragon, "Your WORLD is DOOMED." Cole, facing Serpentera, which is glissading through space right at him, whispers a determined vow, one he's come to know well from his time fighting Orgs, but is more true now than ever, "For the Earth..." He grips the handlebars, rapidly revs up the engine, and squats down on the Wild Force Rider, speedily darting toward the evil Zord. Serpentera opens its jaws, firing off another uninterrupted stream of violet energy, with a golden ray at the dead center of it. Now, here's the thing about the Wild Force Rider... it was given to Cole by a GOD, Animus. It's not just some refitted motorcycle with a fancy new exterior (well, not on the SHOW, at least). Whether Cole realizes this or not is irrelevant, but it's his bravery (or classic "sacrifice our Megazord to stop one monster" Red Ranger mentality) to test the limits of the unknown to save the day that makes this choice of weapon the right one. Heading right directly into the golden ray at the center of the purple energy stream, Red Wild Force Ranger unflinchingly drives the Wild Force Rider through the destructive forces being hurled at and all around him. If not for this seemingly invisible god-given bike, he'd probably be laser-roasted. But somehow, Cole braves the fiery exhale of energy, totally unscathed, the power merely rolling off of him like an invisible force field shields him and the cycle. It doesn't take long before Cole plows the WF Rider right into Serpentera's open, and highly vulnerable, throat hole!
Almost instantly upon driving into the giant evil Zord's laser-spewing innards, explosions begin to result. Serpentera's long undamaged body erupts in rapid succession, from the front end, on down toward the tail, as the Wild Force Rider does a ripping number deep within. The 9 Red Rangers are still viewing this from the moon, most all shielding their faces and jumping startledly, when Serpentera first begins to explode. Inside the cockpit, as the whole place shakes and sparks, General Venjix lies slumped over on the console, regrets aloud to his deceased ruler, "Forgive me, King Mondo. I have failed you... and the EMPIRE!" Venjix raises his arms into the air, just as the entire cockpit ignites into a white-hot flare of devastation. Serpentera is finished. Orange & yellow fireballs, upon fireballs, multiple explosions with explosions on top of that, fill the region of space above the moon. Tiny flecks of debris are flung about amid the fiery blasts, and soaring dead center away from this blazing inferno, is Cole on the Wild Force Rider! As the flames die down, the 9 Red Rangers gaze into the heavens, searching for a sign of their teammate (though Aurico & Wes seem to be shielding their faces with their arms a little too long, the wusses). Speaking of Wes, he dreadfully wonders, "Oh no... Where IS he?!" Less than a moment later, the Red Wild Force Ranger swoops down on his WF Rider, and rides flyingly just above the lunar landscape. Tommy happily proclaims, "Ye-heha! He MADE it!" TJ waves his arms, and shakes his fist, exclaiming, "All RIGHT, Cole!" Leo laughs in jubilation. Still flying by, Cole waves down at them, triumphantly announcing, "We DID it, guys!" The whole legion of Red Rangers cheer in victory, pumping their fists in the air or doing any sort of gesture of excitement. TJ yells, "Haha! Alright!" Andros roars, "Alright, yeah!" Jason, quelling his relief, crosses his arms, steps forth, and comments impressed in a soft tone, "I gotta admit... you did WELL, rookie!"
[commercials]
This has been quite a long day. But now it's over, in more ways than one. The scene is tinted orange... if not a little bit red, from the setting sun. The Astro Megaship II is parked in the large doorframe of the NASADA hangar, a downward stream of steam from one of its engines implies its currently idling. The trio of vehicles (Lightning Cruiser II, Silver Guardians' SUV, Rescue Rover, and black motorcycle) are parked outside of the hangar now, as well. The rout of Red Rangers have demorphed, and are now preparing to part ways (Jason & Tommy have their jackets back on, in case you thought they forgot them on the moon). All but Aurico are present, but since Leo was clearly his ride to the moon, he's probably in the Megaship taking a bath or something. The rabble of Reds gather around, as Tommy gratefully addresses them, "Thank you, Rangers. You've done a great service to the entire universe." Jason speaks for all of them, when he modestly tells his longtime pal, "Don't mention it, bro." He initiates the group's motion of solidarity, where each one of them holds out their right hand, curled into a fist, while standing in a circle facing one another: (clockwise roster) Jason, Cole, Carter, Eric, Andros, Tommy, TJ, Wes. Leo, who is (superimposed) standing between Tommy & Andros in the long shots, is missing from all of the fist extending clips. Oops. We quickly see a shot of each of their faces: TJ nods and smiles, Wes grins slightly and nods, Jason smirks widely and slightly nods, Cole nods sharply, Carter nods a tad and cracks a slight smile, Eric smiles and nods, Andros nods and grins, Leo slowly nods as he grins, and Tommy gives the faintest of smiles while nodding slowly. With Leo magically popping in and out of the group circle, Tommy bids to them all in his quite mature tone, "I guess it's time to say goodbye again. May the power protect you all." They break from their circle of fists by punching them forth, closing out the remaining space in the center and gently colliding with other fists. The army of Reds lower their arms, and back up into a line-up, facing Tommy, who immediately turns, and strides away from them. You'd think he had to use the bathroom, or didn't like these guys, or something!
As he continues to walk off into the sunset that consumes the entire place, going off to only Amit knows where, Cole smiles, and sounding like most of the little kiddies that kept him on the show forever, comments in astonishment, "Wow! So THAT was Tommy. He really IS the greatest Ranger!" The other seven Red Rangers... well, they know, from their own personal experiences, that 'most popular' doesn't mean greatest! They erupt with scoffing laughing! Wes claps, and snickers, "Yeah RIGHT!" Leo waves his arms at him in a playfully deriding manner. Carter is the most restrained of them, though he does slightly shake his head and pats Cole on the back. Jason also pats him on the arm. Cole is left with his arms out and his shoulders raised, dumbfoundedly asking, "What?! What'd I say?" The gang begins to, ever so slowly, walk off to their respective vehicles (cept Andros & Leo, who're just hanging out until the others leave). TJ pats Cole on the shoulder, and keeping his arm sort of around him, leads him in the direction the others are going (in many ways), while informing him slyly, "WELL... I wouldn't go THAT far. After all, _I_ was the one that replaced HIM!" Jason, walking backwards a little, boasts with hand gestures, "Are you KIDDING me?! _I_ was the one doing, ALL the work while HE was at the Juice Bar kissing on Kimberly!" This gets a chuckle out of a few of them. Carter, somewhat sticking up for Tommy, adds, "Alright, well, at least his haircut's regulation now. Right?" Eric, always one to claim his Quantasaurus is the best Zord ever, jestingly claims, "Ehh, my Q-Rex would eat his Dragonzord for LUNCH!" He then proceeds to turn around, flop his arms to the side, crouch down, and make growling noises, imitating his Q-Rex's mannerisms at it munches on the Dragonzord. Leo, who had been wandering offscreen, chimes in by shouting, "He never discovered new galaxies!" Wes gripes, "Hey, wa-wa-wa-wait! _I_ changed HISTORY. So why does HE have a fan club, and I DON'T?!" Andros, downplaying his role in saving whole universe, reminds them, "Hey! I saved TWO worlds! What about THAT?!" Turning the friendly ribbing on Tommy into a pure contest of actions, TJ asks, "Wai-wai-wai-wait! Did I EVER tell you guys, about the time I got baked in that GIANT pizza?" Cole looks at him in a curious manner, but EVERYone else? They scoff, wave their arms, or just plain grouse in near unison, "YES!", or alternately uninterestedly, "Yeah, yeah, yeah." The gang doesn't quite part ways, nor probably could they if they wanted, since their shared experiences, important or just plain goofy, bind them together by the color of power they all wield.
[Scenes from "The Master's Herald, Pt. 1"; End Credits]
_NEXT EPISODE:_
In the Nexus, Mandilok angrily declares through his female mouth, "Toxica, you have FAILED me!" Toxica stands across the way, trembling in fear. Mandilok demands through his male mouth, "Get OUT of my SIGHT!" Toxica sobs as she staggers out toward the cavern exit, dejected, with Jindrax standing off to the side, unsure on how to react.; One scene change later, and we see Toxica sitting on the floor of the outside cavern, hands clasped and head hung low, sadly commenting about her Org General leader, "He HATES me". Jindrax stands over her, not offering much comfort. Suddenly, a deep voice calls out from nearby, causing both Duke Orgs to turn. They witness Onikage, the Ninja Duke Org. With chainmail armor skin, a tall sword-like single horn, and a single blood red eye, Onikage suggests, "Mandilok will forgive you if you kidnap the Princess." Toxica, desperate for a way to redeem herself, appears open to this idea; Soon, Toxica has shed her standard outfit, for a tight black leather number with hotpants and fishnet stockings. Her big red horn sticks out of her head of long black hair. Toxica narrates over the footage of her sneaking onto the Temple Ruins under cover of night, in a panicked tone, "You mean, go to the Animarium and KIDNAP her?!" She has a katana sword strapped to her back, as well.; In the morning, Toxica makes her move, grabbing Princess Shayla before she can reach the Viewing Pond, and struggling with her gruntingly.; Later, in a rock quarry, Toxica is back to her usual attire (though now missing her forehead horn, reduced to a stump), with Shayla as her prisoner (arms bound in black wrapping). Mandilok & Onikage stand patiently as they approach, but Jindrax just can't wait, rushing over to excitedly point out, "Toxica, you DID it!"; In a cave, with a torch or two for lightning, and a floor covered in mist, Princess Shayla sits behind bars in a prison made of stone. She sits on the small bed, sighing to herself, "The Rangers... I can't feel their PRESENSE anymore! I've lost you."; A quick montage of close-ups reveal Max, Alyssa, Danny, Taylor, Merrick, and Cole all visibly somber about the loss of the Princess. All of this, plus a lot less, next time, on Power Rangers Tough Act To Follow Force!
