Heroic Backlash

Heroic Backlash is the 29th episode of Power Rangers: Lost Ninjas.

Plot
''Last time we saw the Earthlight Rangers: Rat was attacked by Schizofreak, a personality-reversing monster who turned him into a reckless hero. In their next fight, Jess and Wyatt also got switched, Jess becoming antagonistically apathetic and Wyatt brilliant. Finding one of Xumara's nanocams, Wyatt secretly offered to negotiate with her.''

*February 23rd, Kai House, Palencia, 2:14 pm*
"No, I don't know where that stupid morpher thing went, stop asking!" Jess snapped at Wyatt. "Why do you care so much? Just leave me alone!"

With that, she stormed out of the study, slamming the door behind her. Rat almost fell off the bookshelf ladder, catching himself just in time. He dropped the long-handled dusting brush, and it clunked on the carpeted floor. Sighing, Wyatt rose, twirling the amulet he had been able to talk off of his Pink teammate.

"A pity. I honestly can't tell if she's lying or if she genuinely lost it."

Rat climbed down the ladder. "That's not good. Do you think Xumara might have gotten ahold of her morpher?"

"Perhaps. We need to find it in any case."

"I can look!" Rat offered immediately, grabbing the brush once more. "Once I'm done here, anyway."

"Which brings me to ask, what are you doing?" Wyatt eyed the brush.

"Just helping out Angela. One of the maids," Rat clarified, climbing back up the ladder once more. "She didn't sleep very well last night and I didn't think she should be working up high on a ladder when she was half-awake."

"I see. Well, while you're looking, can I borrow your morpher?"

Rat paused. "What for?"

"I've had an idea for upgrading the Zords—so we can use our Power Sphere attacks individually, not just in Megazord formation," Wyatt replied. "I've already done it to my Zord—it's still in testing—but I'm going to need your morpher to work on the Fireflyzord."

It wasn't entirely a lie: Wyatt had been in the Zord Hangar earlier, studying prototypes of their weapons, when he'd gotten the idea. Whether or not they switched their personalities back, this team was so disjointed that they couldn't count on having all members present to form a Megazord every time it was needed. Enabling each Zord to fight more effectively made the most sense. Of course, all he'd had to do was mention this to the technicians for them to start working on the upgrade, but it made a convenient excuse to take Rat's morpher.

"Really? Cool!" Unstrapping his morpher, Rat tossed it down to Wyatt, who caught it and the amulet which soon followed. "Just give it back as soon as possible. We don't know when Xumara will strike next."

"Don't worry about it," Wyatt replied, pocketing the morpher.

*Flora Marketplace, Palencia, 5:10 pm*
Rat wandered through the evening crowd, shadowing Jess. It felt like he'd followed her all over the city, and still he'd found nothing. She'd bought a couple of snacks, eaten half of them and dropped the rest (sending Rat on a litter cleanup), and just brooded her way through Palencia.

Dropping onto a bench with a sigh, Rat watched the Pink Ranger pick through a rack of clothes. He wanted to be doing something important, like fighting monsters or helping people, but here he was, following Jess in the vain hope that she'd lead him to her morpher.

Letting his gaze drift over the crowd, Rat caught a flash of red in the mass of tourists. Eyes widening, he sat up suddenly. Sure enough, it was Micky, sidling through the crowd with a very guilty look on his face. An idea struck Rat, and he stood.

"Hey, Micky!" He called. The thief jumped at the sound of his name, looking ready to run, but Rat reached him in time to stop him. "Don't panic, I'm not going to get you in trouble or anything."

"How would you get me in trouble? I don't even know you!" Micky retorted.

Rat glanced around warily, leaned in close and whispered, "I'm the Green Ranger."

"Get out of here," Micky replied, smirking. "Do you think I'm stupid or something?"

Rat didn't bat an eye. "Last time we talked you described Xumara attacking and infecting a scientist in exchange for five thousand dollars." Micky's eyes widened, and he muttered something incredulous in Maya. Rat plunged onward, pointing at Jess. "See that blonde over there?"

Micky gave her a cursory glance. "Yeah, what about her?"

"Did you see her carrying . . . well, it looks kind of like a cell phone or a large battery on a bracelet, covered in copper rings."

Micky's expression became calculating. "Maybe."

"You stole it," Rat said flatly.

"Who, me?" Micky protested. "I'm just a kid, I couldn't—"

"I can't believe you'd do something so dangerous!" Rat snapped. "Do you have any idea what that thing does? Or who's after it?"

"I told you, I didn't take the cell phone thing!" Micky tried to run, but Rat grabbed him by the collar. "Come on, please let me go, I can't help you."

"You don't have to do this," Rat said, trying to sound gentle. "Stealing to survive, hiding from your Dad. Just tell the cops what he's doing—I could do it—"

"If you tell anybody I'll go to juvenile detention! That's even worse than my Dad," Micky whined, trying to wriggle out of Rat's grip. "Have a heart. Aren't you supposed to be a superhero? Don't you help poor kids like me? Please let go. Pleeeease?"

Rat sighed. "Seven thousand dollars."

"I'll go get it."

"Good."

*February 24th, Xihuitl Fishery, Palencia, 9:45 pm*
It was evening, and Xumara stood on the dock, incongruous against the rusty metal and rotting wood around her. The wind tugged at the blue streamers of her outfit. Hearing footsteps, she looked up to see Wyatt striding towards her. Hands shoved in his pants pockets, he stopped and leaned against a railing.

"You came," he said.

"So did you. Now, I want your morphers," Xumara said, coming closer. "I'm willing to let you leave with your lives."

"You'll have to do better than that. We can stay alive for a comfortably long time by fighting you," Wyatt replied.

Xumara chuckled. "Unless I destroy you."

"Wrong. If you could, you would have already—unless killing us isn't your goal," Wyatt said, in a more thoughtful tone. He studied Xumara. "But what else would you want?"

"Irrelevant," Xumara said, eyes narrowing.

"Oh, I don't think so." Wyatt strolled towards her. "If you truly wanted us dead, you'd have let Zart fry this city, and anywhere else we tried to flee. I think you want something more."

"Yes. Your morphers," Xumara replied curtly, and held out a hand. "Stop stalling."

Reaching into a pocket, Wyatt pulled out all three morphers, along with their amulets. "You don't know how much work it took for me to keep this away from Rat for so long. Schizofreak should have left him alone. Incidentally, why is he called Schizofreak? What he does is closer to dissociative personality disorder than schizophrenia."

"All's well that ends well," Xumara said, walking forward with upraised hand. But as she did, Kelzak Berserks fanned out around them. Wyatt noticed, though his expression didn't change.

Xumara gave him an apologetic smile. "Sorry, I lied about letting you live."

"That's all right: I lied too," Wyatt replied, pulling his real morpher out from under his jacket. Xumara's eyes widened, and she grabbed for the real morpher, but the burst of morphing energy hurled her into a pile of crates. They collapsed under her, bugs scrambling out in a panic at the invasion of their home.

Out from behind another building ran Rat, dragging Jess. She shook his arm off and tried to go the other way, but Kelzak Berserks blocked her path. With an audible huff, she folded her arms and glared at the foot soldiers.

"Mockups, from the design phase of the morphers. Did you really think I'd trust you?" Wyatt asked, summoning his Magma Knuckles. He tsked.

Xumara's eyes narrowed. "Well played," she said, and backed up, throwing the fake morphers away. They broke against the concrete, exposing white plaster under the paint.

"Schizofreak! Fun's over, finish them off!" She yelled. The monster appeared, and stepped forward. His staff's magnet sprouted two blades, and he whirled it with an evil cackle.

Rat charged immediately with a loud yell. He hacked and slashed at the monster. Jess made a run for it, but Kelzak Berserks blocked her path. Retracting her visor, Jess blew fire at them, scaring them back and setting a couple on fire.

Wyatt raised his hands. Both of his fists glowed red-hot, and steam clouded the air around them. With a yell, he charged, punching the foot soldiers. At contact, their faceless masks cracked, and they fell back with yells, heads burning.

"Rat, get him to blast Jess!" Wyatt yelled.

"What?" Schizofreak shook Rat off, and he hit a wall and rolled.

"I think I've had enough of you," the monster snarled, and blasted the Green Ranger with his energy waves. Rat crumpled. Recovering, he looked around in alarm at the foot soldiers closing in on him, and created a blinding flash. When it faded, he was nowhere to be seen. Schizofreak turned on Wyatt.

"Jess!" Wyatt seized her from behind and swung her around to take the blast for him. She shrieked, and quickly tore out of Wyatt's grasp, letting him get a full dose of the energy waves.

The monster backed up. Jess charged, firing flaming arrows at it. Wyatt followed a second later, but a green blur shot past them, slamming into Schizofreak and knocking him down. Rat stood over it, Glow Jutte blazing in his hands.

"Rat!" Jess yelled.

"This is for that city cleanup!" He shouted, striking Schizofreak as he tried to rise. "And this is for that dog in the road! And the litter, and the old ladies crossing the street, and the purse snatchers, and all those cats up in trees!" Rat raised his Glow Jutte over his head, lowering his voice to a dark whisper. "And this is for making me look like a moron the whole time. Glowworm Drill!"

Green energy blazed from his crossed weapons, tunneling into Schizofreak's body and filling him with light. The monster screamed once before he exploded. The blast picked Rat up, but he backflipped and landed in a crouch. As the wind picked up, the smoke blew away, leaving a blackened spot on the dock. Panting, Rat lowered his weapons, sending them back where they'd come from.

"Wow," Jess said, "That was amazing, Rat—"

"Shut up!" Rat snarled, facing them as he demorphed. He was almost shaking. "That was the most awful week of my life! Is that what being a hero is? That was awful!"

"You kind of overdid it," Wyatt put in.

"It was nice for you, wasn't it?" Rat replied bitterly. "You would have liked to keep me that way, wouldn't you? A stupid hero."

Jess shook her head vehemently. "No, that was a joke—"

"Look, just shut up and leave me alone! I never wanted any part of this, and nobody said I had to stick with it. I'm going home!" Rat turned and walked away.

"Rat, don't!" Jess started to follow, only to be interrupted by a boom. Schizofreak was growing giant-sized. She and Wyatt exchanged a helpless look, and Rat bolted into the city.

"We should take care of this first," Wyatt said.

"I know." Jess gave one last look in Rat's direction.

*Xumara's Ship, Palencia Airspace, 10:23 pm*
"I know how you feel," Alex said, nodding sympathetically. "That's the trouble with these space ninjas; they're so . . . cautious."

"Cowardly," Zart snorted. "I could wipe out the city in a day, the country in under a week. That would solve the Ranger problem. But no, we have to be delicate, send one monster down at a time, play stupid games to try to get their morphers! Who needs morphers when you've got the firepower to roast a planet?"

Alex frowned thoughtfully. "Well, there's always the risk of the military or past Rangers showing up and spoiling things, even if you do take care of these guys, but I think you're right about Xumara."

Zart rolled his eyes. "You're just like the rest of them, scheming instead of just killing. I bet you call it 'destroying,' too—what makes everyone so squeamish about one little word, I don't know."

"Yes, I'd say I want to destroy Chris," Alex said, drawing a snort from Zart. "But that's because 'kill' wouldn't cover it. Sure, I could step out of a shadow and stab my brother in his sleep. But that wouldn't be satisfying—he's hurt me too much for an easy death. Instead, I'll let him think he's winning for a while. He'll relax, start enjoying himself, make friends, maybe even fall in love. Then, once he thinks everything is finally going his way, I'll cut the bottom out from under him. His friends will suffer and die one by one, I'll pulverize each of his weapons, I will take everything he's come to care about."

A cruel smile etched itself on Alex's face. "Then, when he's been completely destroyed, and begs me for death, I'll grant his wish."

Zart just stared at Alex for a long minute. Very faintly, the sounds of explosions from the Zord battle in Palencia below carried into the room. At last, the pyrokinetic grinned.

"Alex, you're a man after my own heart."

"Thanks. So, got any plans of your own?" Alex asked, shifting in his seat. "I mean, between now and obliterating the planet."

"Well, the Pink Ranger has fire powers, and she's pretty good with them. I've been thinking I might make her my sidekick," Zart said, almost shyly. His smile faded. "But Xumara wouldn't let me even if she knew. She's got plans of her own that she won't tell me about."

"Does she?" Alex asked, frowning a little. "That's funny; she hasn't said anything during the briefing sessions."

Zart perked up. "You think she might be up to something?"

"Hmm . . . it seems a little early to tell. Still, you might keep an eye on her, try to find out these secret plans. Also, I think you should go ahead and try to recruit Pinkie."

"Really?"

"Sure. I mean, if you win her over then you've got a morpher and a willing user," Alex replied, shrugging. "That's what you're there to get, after all."

"Sure, right," Zart said. At that point, someone knocked sharply on his door, and he groaned. "Great, the harpy wants me again. Good luck destroying your brother!"

"And good luck getting the Pink Ranger!" Alex replied, ending the call.

Allies

 * Lorenzo Delgado
 * Micky Shell

Villains

 * Xumara
 * Schizofreak