by Neo Edmund
The mystical energy surged through the Griffin Pharaoh, causing him to grow and grow until he stood fifty feet tall. He extended an arm and his cyclone staff appeared in his hand, again unbroken.
“We need Dinozord power!” the Red Ranger shouted and raised his fist to the sky. “Tyrannosaurus Dinozord Power!”
The other Rangers also raised their fists.
“Mastodon Dinozord Power!” said the Black Ranger.
“Pterodactyl Dinozord Power!” said the Pink Ranger.
“Sabertooth Tiger Dinozord Power!” said the Yellow Ranger.
“Triceratops Dinozord Power!” said the Blue Ranger.
Arising from distant corners of the world, the five robotic Dinozords emerged from their secret lairs. Moments later, they arrived in Angel Grove, roaring furiously and primed for battle. The five Rangers leaped high in the air and landed in the cockpits of the mighty machines.
“Now it’s time for Megazord action,” the Yellow Ranger shouted.
The five Dinozords began combining into a single robotic machine. The Sabertooth Tiger and Triceratops became the legs. The Mastodon transformed into a pair of hulking arms. The Tyrannosaurus became the torso that interlinked all the parts. The Pterodactyl took the form of an armored chest plate and merged with the mighty machine. Once complete, the Megazord towered over 150 feet high and weighed over one hundred tons.
All five Rangers emerged in a single command cockpit.
“Let’s finish off this jerk,” the Yellow Ranger said. “And let’s try not to totally trash the park while doing it.”
The Griffin Pharaoh attacked first, swinging his staff at the Megazord, scoring a thunderous strike. The Megazord counterattacked with a series of punches, causing the Griffin Pharaoh to stumble backward.
The Griffin Pharaoh held out his cyclone staff. It fanned around rapidly, creating a massive gust of wind. The Megazord had to strain with all its might to avoid getting blown away.
“We have to do something about that staff,” the Yellow Ranger said. She flicked a series of switches on the control console. “Firing rockets.”
A dozen rockets shot from the Megazord and hit the Griffin Pharaoh’s staff. The explosive assault forced him to retreat several steps back. One of his massive feet stepped right on the newly rebuilt playground.
The Yellow Ranger shook her fist. “Now I’m really mad. Let’s make him pay for that.”
The Red Ranger raised a hand skyward. “I call on the Power Sword!”
A gleaming sword appeared in the Megazord’s hand. The mighty machine then unleashed several Power Sword swipes at the Griffin Pharaoh, forcing him to block with his staff. Every strike sent sparks exploding from the staff until, at last, the Megazord hacked it in half.
“You may have destroyed my staff, but I am invincible,” the Griffin Pharaoh bellowed.
“That’s what you think,” the Yellow Ranger shouted. “Team, we need to get him to the lake.”
The Megazord dashed toward the Griffin Pharaoh and locked its massive arms around him. Heaving him off his feet, the Megazord began to trek toward the lake on the far side of the park. The Griffin Pharaoh flailed helplessly.
The Yellow Ranger cringed when she saw that the Megazord was stomping huge footprints in the grass. “We’re going to need a lot of volunteers to fix up this mess.”
The Megazord reached the lake and dropped the Griffin Pharaoh right next to the shore.
“I am the great Griffin Pharaoh. You’ll never destroy me,” he shouted.
“Think again,” the Yellow Ranger said, giving her control stick a hard thrust forward.
The Megazord’s right leg, formed from the Yellow Ranger’s Sabertooth Tiger Zord, swung back and then kicked the Griffin Pharaoh in the chest. The devastating blow knocked the brute off his feet and sent him tumbling backward, leaving him standing knee-deep in the water.
The Griffin Pharaoh wailed as his legs rapidly dissolved. The Nanosand scattered and sunk lifelessly into the depths of the lake. Unable to remain standing, he stumbled onto his hands and knees. He thrashed around trying to escape, but his arms dissolved too. Soon after, his torso sunk beneath the water and, finally, his head.
Nearby, Rita screeched in furious rage. “That was a huge waste of my time. Just wait until I get you all back to the Moon Palace.”
Rita, Finster, Squatt, and Baboo vanished in a flickering flash.
In the Megazord, the Yellow Ranger breathed a huge sigh of relief. It was finally over.
“You did it, Trini. You saved us all,” said the Red Ranger.
“You all would have done the same for me,” the Yellow Ranger said. “And if you want to make it up to me, I could really use a big ice cream sundae.”
The Rangers all laughed, once again reunited as a team.
Chapter 30
One week later at Angel Grove Park, Trini was busy leading another Community Fix Up. A team of scouts and volunteers were rebuilding the playground that the Griffin Pharaoh had flattened. The other Rangers were leading teams of volunteers who were filling in the crater-size footsteps created by the Megazord.
Ms. Gertrude approached Trini. “I must admit you’re doing fine work here.”
Trini smiled proudly. “I’m really glad you’re impressed, but the thing is—” She stopped short.
Ms. Gertrude eyed Trini curiously. “Do you have something to say to me, Ms. Kwan?”
Trini took a nervous gulp before continuing. “The thing is, I spent, like, a week trying to impress you so that I could pass the leadership exam, and now I realize I should have been focusing my energy on doing what was best for the scouts.”
“I see,” Ms. Gertrude said with a thoughtful nod. “Please, Trini, do continue.”
Trini confidently stood up straight. “For example, at the campout the girls wanted to tell spooky stories and roast marshmallows. I thought that would be fine. Scouts do that stuff all the time. You said we couldn’t, but I was leading the campout, so that should have been my decision to make.”
“Interesting,” Ms. Gertrude said, writing another note on her clipboard.
Trini grumbled in frustration. “As for that clipboard, would you please stop writing notes all the time? It makes me feel like you’re constantly judging everything I do.”
Ms. Gertrude stopped writing. “Is that all of it?”
“No! I’d also like the final score for my exam,” Trini said.
Ms. Gertrude blew her whistle. The scouts hurried over and formed a line.
“As you all know, Ms. Kwan has been undergoing an examination to determine if she is suited to become an Angel Scout leader. So without further delay, here is my final assessment,” Ms. Gertrude said.
Trini took a deep breath and looked at the scouts. She was thrilled to see Silvia and Daisy standing side by side, now very good friends.
Ms. Gertrude read from the notes on her clipboard. “Candidate Trini Kwan allows the scouts to participate in mischievous activities. She has a tendency to be late and offers excuses that make little sense. On numerous occasions, she simply walked away from scheduled events without explanation. This, in addition to countless errors and missteps, has resulted in a score so low that I would not dare mutter it aloud.”
“So what,” Silvia said.
Ms. Gertrude eyed her. “Excuse me?”
“A bunch of dumb points shouldn’t decide if someone is a good leader or not,” Silvia said.
The scouts all nodded in agreement.
Trini smiled at the scouts. “I appreciate what you’re all trying to do, but I failed and that’s nobody’s fault but mine.”
“You didn’t let me finish,” Ms. Gertrude said. “I was about to say that I do not believe points should be the final decider.” She flung her clipboard away.
Trini cringed a little. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to interrupt.”
Ms. Gertrude cleared her throat. “In my personal opinion, Ms. Trini Kwan is a young woman of strong moral character. She cares greatly for her community and all those who live in it. When present, her leadership skills are quite excellent. On more than one occasion, I’ve seen her valiantly step in to protect the scouts, even when it was simply from an actor in a mummy costume. And most importantly, Scout Leader Trini Kwan has a deep love for the Angel Scouts, equal to my own.”
Trini looked at Ms. Gertrude, a little surprised. “Excuse me, Ms. Gertrude, but did you just call me ‘Scout Leader’?”
“You heard me right. Congratulations, Trini,” Ms. Gertrude said and extended her hand for a shake. Trini was so overjoyed, she threw her arms around Ms. Gertrude and gave her a hug. The scouts all joined in for a big group hug.
Nearby, the other Rangers were watching and applauding with pride and delight.
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