Wild Force Power Rangers: Ancient Warrior Saga

Episode 28 (E) The Dual Warriors

The sun had started to dip to the west as Lila and the five Rangers teleported from the Animarium. They landed in a small car park, at the beginning of a footpath into the forest. Entranced, Lila walked over to a black pickup truck, gently laying her hand on its hood.

"Mini-Zord?" she asked, completely unsure as to what she was touching.

"Transportation, it's called a 'truck'" Alyssa explained.

"Don't leave your hand on it too long, when I do, it always beeps at me really loudly," warned Danny. Lila quickly removed her hand, before she accidentally provoked it.

Merrick appeared around a bend in the footpath and approached the group, seeming much more composed than he had been after his morning talk with the Princess.

"We'll catch you guys later, call us if you need us," Cole said to Lila, ushering the rest of the group away. She waved goodbye to the Rangers, before turning to join Merrick.

"Hey," she said awkwardly to him.

"Hey."

"So..." both were helpless for words. Lila tried to shake off her nerves, reminding herself that she was in Merrick's company now and did not have to save face.

"I actually can't stand this, let's just move," she jokingly shrugged off as she walked past him, leading them into the forest. Merrick smirked and followed closely beside her as they wound their way down the path, getting further away from the noises of the city.

"Did you have a chance to talk with Princess Shayla this morning?" he asked.

She groaned loudly in response. "Do we have to do this?"

"Do what?"

"Going deep, you know. Talking it out? It's all I've been doing since I got here," she jumped up and grabbed a large tree branch, smiling at him as she dangled. "I really just came to relax and hang out with you."

"Hang out, like what you're doing now?"

"Yes, hang out."

"Hanging from a tree – kind of hang out?"

"Yes, that is the joke," she laughed, swinging her legs back and forth.

"Pathetic," he grinned. He grabbed her around the waist and pulled her from the branch, letting her hang lazily over his shoulder.

"Just hanging out here! Like regular, everyday folks!" she was still enjoying herself when Merrick let her down. She caught his eye, seeing he had the same look on his face that she always remembered him having. An expression of comfort and contentment. 

"There's something I want to show you, come with me," together, he ran off their path into the denser woods with Lila hot on his heels.

Inside the Nexus, Jindrax and Toxica were knelt in front of Mandilok, who was furiously shouting at the pair. They had returned to him empty handed, and to his horror, had released a new, and powerful foe with three animal crystals to use against them no less.

"How could you have let this happen??!!" screamed Mandilok at the trembling twosome. "One task, I gave you ONE TASK!!"

Jindrax and Toxica exchanged frightened glances, both wincing at their master's fury. They were genuinely sorry for how badly they had executed the plan to capture the Leviathan Zord, but then, Mandilok had never warned them about the mysterious girl that had emerged with it. That uncertainty sparked a rebellious flame inside of Toxica.