by Neo Edmund
“Let her go,” Trini yelled. With a powerful backward thrust, she jammed an elbow into the gut of her Putty captor. The thing doubled over and lost its grip on her. Trini then spun around and pummeled it with several punches to the chest. The Putty flickered and vanished.
“Trini, help me,” Silvia cried as the other Putty Patroller carried her away toward the playground.
“Hold on, Silvia, I’m coming,” Trini shouted.
Just as Trini was about to chase after Silvia, Zordon called on the communicator.
“Trini, you cannot pursue the Putty. The chance of being captured is much too great,” Zordon said.
“I can’t just leave Silvia,” Trini protested.
“And you can’t help anyone if you’re captured. You must escape now while you still can,” Zordon insisted.
The Putty Patroller carrying Silvia reached the playground and dropped her in the sand. Ms. Gertrude pulled Silvia close and told her to hold hands with the other scouts.
The situation then went from bad to worse. In a whirlwind of smoke and lightning, the Griffin Pharaoh appeared. The mind-control crown was still on top of his head. Finster stood by his side, commanding him with the remote control.
“Greetings, peasants, I am your new master,” the Griffin Pharaoh said.
“Trini, you can delay no longer,” Zordon said.
Trini knew Zordon was right. Wiping a tear from her eye, she took off running as fast as she could. It took her a couple of minutes to reach an area with trees and heavy bushes where she could hide. She first looked back to make sure none of the Putty Patrollers had followed her and then took cover deep in the foliage.
Wheezing to catch her breath, Trini did her best not to think about the hopelessness of the situation. “Zordon, there’s no way to defeat the Griffin Pharaoh on my own,” Trini said into her communicator. “How much longer until his nano-solidification is complete?”
“Minutes at best,” Zordon said.
“Aye-yi-yi,” Alpha 5 said. “I’ve been trying to find a weakness we could use against him, but I still haven’t figured anything out.”
Trini suddenly recalled her talk with Silvia before the attack. “Silvia may know the answer. She was trying to tell me about a weakness she had discovered in her mythology book.”
“Then we must get that book right away,” Zordon said.
“There’s no time for that. I’ll have to ask her myself,” Trini said, with newfound determination.
Chapter 26
At the playground, the Putty Patrollers swarmed around the hostages, making sure they couldn’t escape. Ms. Gertrude and the Angel Scouts cowered together fearfully with the rest of the volunteers.
Silvia, unlike the rest, wasn’t frightened at all. “Don’t worry. The Power Rangers will be here soon.”
Daisy, who was scared to tears, locked her arms around Silvia and held on tight.
Nearby, Squatt and Baboo approached Finster and the Griffin Pharaoh.
“We have all the hostages, but we don’t see the Yellow Ranger,” Squatt said.
“She’ll be here soon enough,” Finster said. He then took a close look at the Griffin Pharaoh’s hands. The Nanosand was hardly moving. The nano-solidification process was nearly complete. “And when she arrives, there will be nothing she can do to stop us.”
“I hope you’re right, because here she comes,” Baboo said to his evil crew.
The Yellow Ranger dashed across the grassy field. Upon reaching the playground, she attacked the Putty Patrollers, unleashing a barrage of walloping punches and spinning kicks. She took out two Putty Patrollers with a leaping split kick, then demolished another with a backflip kick. Other Putty Patrollers tried to grab her arms and legs, but the Yellow Ranger would not be stopped.
Silvia cheered gleefully. “I told you the Power Rangers would come.”
Daisy smiled half-heartedly. “I see one, but where are the others?”
A dozen Putty Patrollers surrounded the Yellow Ranger. Deploying her Power Daggers, she thrust her arms outward, reducing two Putty Patrollers to dust. She then quickly hacked the others to pieces.
“Quite impressive, Yellow Ranger,” the Griffin Pharaoh said. “It seems you are worthy to battle me.”
“Then face me one-on-one, unless you’re a coward,” the Yellow Ranger said.
“I am no coward,” the Griffin Pharaoh said, raising his fists. “I will destroy you and all memory of your feeble existence.”
“Oh no, you will not,” Finster said, flicking switches on the remote control. “I ordered you to capture the Yellow Ranger in the fifth urn.”
“I will not be ordered around—” the Griffin Pharaoh said, trying to resist, but he lost control when the lights on his crown flashed red. “Yes, Master Finster, I will capture the Yellow Ranger.”
The Yellow Ranger noticed the crown atop the Griffin Pharaoh’s head. “Zordon, any idea what that thing is?”
“Without proper analysis I can only speculate, though it appears to be some sort of mind-control device,” Zordon said.
“And I bet Finster is controlling him with that remote,” Alpha 5 said.
The Griffin Pharaoh pointed his cyclone staff at the fifth urn. The top hinged open, and the ominous shadow-hand arose from inside. “Now, Yellow Ranger, you will be my prisoner for all time.”
The Yellow Ranger watched fearfully as the shadow-hand slowly began to move her way. “You’ll have to catch me first.”
Finster grinned. “That is where you are mistaken. You’re going to allow yourself to be captured.”
The Yellow Ranger scoffed. “And why would I ever do that?”
Finster flicked the switches on the remote control. The Griffin Pharaoh, in turn, reacted by pointing his cyclone staff toward the hostages on the playground. The shadow-hand changed course and began to head in their direction. “Because if you refuse, one of your precious scouts will be going in your place,” Finster said.
Chapter 27
The Yellow Ranger watched in terror as the shadow-hand moved ever closer to the playground. Ms. Gertrude stood trembling with her arms extended, doing her best to protect the scouts. Silvia and Daisy held hands and covered their eyes.
“Zordon, I have to surrender,” the Yellow Ranger said.
“If you do that, there may never be a way to set you free from the urn,” Zordon warned.
Finster looked at the Yellow Ranger. “You have the power to stop this, Yellow Ranger.”
The Yellow Ranger saw the shadow-hand closing in on the scouts. “Fine. Finster, you win.”
Squatt raised a fist in anger. “Stop giving Finster all the credit. This is our plan and our win.”
Baboo bucked up his chest. “And we should be the ones controlling the Griffin Pharaoh.”
Squatt and Baboo then tried to grab the remote control back from Finster’s grasp.
“Stay back, you fools. You’ll ruin everything,” Finster said, trying to swat them away, and in doing so, he dropped the remote.
The red lights on the Griffin Pharaoh’s crown faded. He ambled around in confusion. “What is happening here?”
“Trini, now is your chance,” Zordon said. “Destroy the crown before the Griffin Pharaoh comes to his senses.”
The Yellow Ranger drew her blade blaster and took aim at the Griffin Pharaoh’s crown. She squeezed off two shots, but in the same instant, he stumbled to the side, causing the shots to hit him in the chest and shoulder.
The Griffin Pharaoh looked down at his body. There wasn’t a bit of damage, and the Nanosand had stopped moving entirely. The nano-solidification was complete. “I am invincible,” he shouted.
Squatt picked up the remote control and flicked the switches. “And we’ll be the ones controlling you.”
Baboo grabbed for the remote control. “Stop hogging it. Give me a chance.”
The red lights on the Griffin Pharaoh’s crown flickered on and off. He stumbled around in confusion. At the same time, the shadow-hand floated around in random directions.
The Yellow Ranger aimed her blade blaster at the Griffin Pharaoh and fired two more shots, but he was stumbling around so much that it caused her to miss the crown by inches.
The Griffin Pharaoh roared furiously. “I’ve had enough of you, Yellow Ranger,” he said, then pointed his cyclone staff in her direction. The shadow-hand turned and headed her way.
The Yellow Ranger leaped clear just as the shadow-hand tried to grab her. Again she aimed the blade blaster at the Griffin Pharaoh’s crown and fired several more shots. The Griffin Pharaoh spun his cyclone staff, deflecting the bolts.
In the same instant, the fifth urn flickered and faded for a brief moment.
“Zordon, did you see that?” the Yellow Ranger asked.
“I did, and there was a similar reaction with the urns here,” Zordon said. “Perhaps his staff is somehow the key to opening the urns.”
“Then I need to find a way to destroy that thing,” the Yellow Ranger said.
“Aye-yi-yi, Trini, look out,” Alpha 5 cried.
The Yellow Ranger looked back just in time to see the shadow-hand trying to grab her. She dive-rolled away, again barely evading capture.
Finster managed to grab the remote control from Squatt. “Now let’s end this mess before it gets any worse,” he said, flicking the switches on the remote.
The Yellow Ranger looked at Finster and realized she’d been going about this all wrong. She took aim at the remote control. With a squeeze of the trigger, she blasted the thing into a thousand pieces. Finster shielded his face and stumbled backward.
The lights on the Griffin Pharaoh’s crown faded. “You fools were using this to control me,” he said, pulling the crown from his head and smashing it on the ground.
“Uh-oh,” Squatt and Baboo said, looking fearfully at each other.
The Yellow Ranger raised a fist at the Griffin Pharaoh. “Now will you fight me one-on-one?”
“I’ve grown weary of this nonsense,” the Griffin Pharaoh said, then angled his staff toward the Yellow Ranger. The shadow-hand began to move toward her. “Perhaps I will give you a chance in ninety-nine years!”
“Yellow Ranger! Look out!” Silvia shouted from the playground.
The Yellow Ranger looked back just as the shadow-hand swooped in and grabbed her. She flailed and kicked her legs, but she couldn’t break free. The shadow-hand then began to carry her toward the fifth urn.
“Trini, try targeting the Griffin Pharaoh’s staff with your blade blaster. It may be your only chance,” Zordon said.
The Yellow Ranger aimed her blade blaster at the cyclone staff and started firing as fast as she could. The staff was a small target, so most of the shots missed, but one shot hit the staff in the very center. The shadow-hand’s grip on her weakened.
The fifth urn briefly faded away.
“It’s working. Keep firing,” Alpha 5 cheered.
The shadow-hand was only feet from the urn. The Yellow Ranger fired several more shots, this time landing two at the end of the staff. The shadow-hand’s grip grew weaker, though not enough for the Yellow Ranger to break free.
The Griffin Pharaoh laughed triumphantly. “You’ll never escape my grasp, Yellow Ranger.”
“The blaster isn’t doing enough damage. I have to try something else,” the Yellow Ranger said, dropping her blade blaster.
“Aye-yi-yi, what are you doing, Trini?” Alpha 5 asked.
“The only thing I can do,” the Yellow Ranger said, and then deployed her Power Daggers. “And if it doesn’t work, this will be the end of the Power Rangers.”
Chapter 28
With only seconds left before being pulled into the fifth urn, the Yellow Ranger tightened her grip on the Power Daggers. “You’re going down, Griffin Pharaoh.”
“Hit me with your best shot, Yellow Ranger,” the Griffin Pharaoh said.
The Yellow Ranger took a deep breath and flung a Power Dagger with all her might. The dagger soared at supersonic speed, hitting the center of the cyclone staff. Blazing sparks blasted out in every direction. The staff cracked down the center, though it remained in one piece. The shadow-hand vanished, causing the Yellow Ranger to flop to the ground.
For a brief instant, the fifth urn vanished completely.
“Great hit,” Alpha 5 cheered.
Zordon said, “Trini, I am now certain that if you destroy the cyclone staff, the other Rangers will be set free.”
“That’s all I needed to hear,” the Yellow Ranger said. She then glanced back at the scouts and volunteers. “It’s time for you to get out of here. Run straight for town, and don’t look back.”
“Thank you, Ms. Yellow Ranger,” Ms. Gertrude said, then began to lead the scouts away.
“We can’t go yet.” Silvia pulled away and ran toward the edge of the playground. “Hey, Yellow Ranger, the Griffin Pharaoh is made of sand and stone, so he doesn’t like water. Get him wet, and he’ll start to fall to pieces.”
Ms. Gertrude took Silvia by the hand and led her away.
Nearby, Finster slumped in defeat. “Our hostages are escaping. How could this get any worse?”
“It’s going to be a lot worse when Rita gets here,” Squatt said.
Finster gasped fearfully. “And when will that be?”
Squatt and Baboo cringed nervously.
Zordon called the Yellow Ranger on her communicator. “Trini, if Silvia is correct about water, your best chance will be to get the Griffin Pharaoh near the lake.”
“I’ll add that to my to-do list, but first things first. It’s time to free the other Rangers,” the Yellow Ranger said, raising a fist. She then charged the Griffin Pharaoh head-on and attacked him with a barrage of punches and kicks, trying with all her might to hit his staff. He blocked and dodged every strike, just managing to keep the staff out of her reach.
The Griffin Pharaoh bashed the Yellow Ranger with a walloping back fist, knocking her to the ground. “When are you going to learn that I am invincible?”
As the Yellow Ranger crawled to her feet, she noticed a sprinkler head in the grass. She then looked around and saw sprinklers all over. “Alpha 5, any chance you can use the Command Center’s computer to access the park’s irrigation system?”
“Great idea, Trini! Keep him busy while I work it out,” Alpha 5 replied.
The Yellow Ranger gasped for breath as she pushed up to her feet. Again she attacked the Griffin Pharaoh with a series of kicks and punches, but her strikes didn’t do a bit of damage. “Alpha 5, I don’t know how much longer I can keep this up.”
“Let’s see if this helps,” Alpha 5 replied.
Dozens of sprinklers sprang to life and began spraying water in every direction. The Yellow Ranger smiled as she watched the water rain down on the Griffin Pharaoh. His rock-solid muscles began to turn into mush like wet sand. His legs wobbled and weakened until he could no longer stand, and finally he stumbled to his knees.
“What’s happening to me?” the Griffin Pharaoh wailed.
“You’re going down, is what’s happening,” the Yellow Ranger said, attacking him again. She punched and kicked him with all the strength she could muster. Every strike caused him to grunt and groan. Bits of gold and rock cracked off his arms as he blocked her strikes. She then delivered a jumping spin-kick, bashing him across the face and sending him crashing to the ground.
“And now it’s time to free the other Rangers,” the Yellow Ranger said. She yanked the cyclone staff out of the Griffin Pharaoh’s weakened hands and cracked it across her knee, breaking it into two pieces. A blazing bolt of energy shot out of the mangled staff, zapping her right
off her feet.
Chapter 29
“You did it, Trini. The other Rangers are free,” Alpha 5 cheered over the communicator.
“That’s great news,” the Yellow Ranger said, too exhausted even to smile. “Please tell them I could really use some support.”
“They’ll be heading to your location shortly,” Alpha 5 said.
Nearby, the Griffin Pharaoh was clawing and crawling through the wet grass, trying desperately to get away. “I was wrong to underestimate your power, Yellow Ranger. I am defeated.”
A bright light flashed nearby. The Yellow Ranger turned and was startled to see that Rita Repulsa had just teleported into the area. The evil witch held a golden staff with a crescent moon mounted to the top.
“I leave for a few days, and look at the chaos my stupid minions have unleashed,” Rita shrilled.
Finster hurried over and kneeled down before Rita. “My queen, before you get too angry, please let me explain.”
“It was Finster’s fault,” Squatt said as he and Baboo raced over.
“He talked us into the whole thing,” said Baboo.
Rita bashed the three of them on their heads with her staff. “I don’t care whose fault it was. I’ll make you all suffer when we get back to the Moon Palace.”
The Yellow Ranger trembled nervously. “Zordon, things just went from bad to worse. I could use the help of the other Rangers.”
“Ask and you shall receive,” Zordon said.
In a flash of red, blue, black, and pink, the other Power Rangers appeared.
“You have no idea how happy I am to see you all,” said the Yellow Ranger.
“We wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for you,” said the Red Ranger.
Rita rolled her eyes in disgust. “So sorry to break up your happy reunion, but I hate to see a good monster go to waste,” she said, then spiked her staff into the ground. Bolts of mystical energy blasted through the grass and traveled to the Griffin Pharaoh. “Make my monster grow!”