Power Rangers Dino Super Charge- Betrayed

Chapter 7- Decisions of Friendship

"Uh, Kendall?" Chase slowly pointed toward the small silver bullet lodged in the center of the girl's back, the edges of the wound stained with red. "What is that?" Kendall hadn't seemed to notice it before, so she kept attempting to twist around to see what Chase was indicating at. He gently pulled the silver object out of her skin and Kendall hissed in pain, clinging onto Chase. Without the bullet in the hole, blood poured out of the small fissure, turning the white sand completely red.

"How did this happen?" he gasped. "You... were shot?"

"What?" Tyler leaned in for a closer look, then drew back in dismay. "It might have happened when she fell over the side of the bridge!"

Chase pressed his hand to the deep gash as he picked up the bullet with his other hand and studied it closely. James snatched it from him and did the same.

"This bullet is poisonous!" he realized. "They just started making them, but I don't know how someone got hold of one already."

"P- poisonous?" Kendall stammered. "No... this can't be happening."

"We might have just saved it from entering her bloodstream, but bullet wounds are devastatingly bloody nevertheless. However, we still need to find the other two Energems," James said. "Restoring her Energem would heal all current diseases or injuries affecting her if..."

"If she doesn't die before then," Chase finished angrily. "Why are those Rangers bent on killing her so much?" Kendall sobbed and buried her face in Chase's shoulder.

"Let's go back to Chase's house," Tyler said. "Shelby's back there too."

"But what if she gets taken again?" James asked worriedly. "Even with all of us there, we still haven't been able to keep her from them. They know our location now."

"Why don't we move her to Shelby's house?" Tyler suggested. "I've been there before and it's a pretty complex place. And I'm pretty sure that Shelby won't mind. She lives alone."

"But how will we move her?" Ivan pointed out. "They know that we might try to move her and they'd probably ambush us."

"Let's go to Chase's first and we'll go from there," Tyler sighed.

They had some difficulty getting off the beach, especially since the fastest way up to the street was climbing a rock pile. Chase grabbed the rocks with one hand while helping Kendall up with the other. Several times, she slipped, grasping Chase's hand as she struggled to keep from falling. Tyler climbed up behind them, boosting the girl up again whenever she slid off the boulders. When they reached the street again, he helped Chase sling her over the stone edge. The rest of the Rangers scrambled up beside them, tossing the Black Ranger their Energems.

"Now what?" James inquired, puzzled.

"We retrace our steps, Dad," Tyler replied, rolling his eyes.

Chase looked back across the bridge. "We came from that way. Let's go." He helped Kendall stand up and gently put her arm over his shoulder, trying to get her to walk properly. After a few steps, it became clear that she couldn't hold her own. Despite that, Chase knew she had to walk alone. She had been pushed around too much that day and at that moment, they both seemed to know that it was very shameful for her. Since they had met, everyone had known her as the stern, serious mentor of the Power Rangers. Now, it was the complete opposite.

"C'mon, Kendall," Chase grunted, slowly moving forward as he once again pressed a hand to the bleeding bullet wound in her back. "You can do it." Kendall winced, but allowed herself to walk in sync with Chase as they began heading back to his house.

Their progress was agonizingly slow, but soon they began to get near the house. Ivan and Tyler strode in front of them, while James walked on the other side of Kendall, helping her limp towards the house.

"I put Shelby in another room," Tyler whispered to the rest of them. "Not yours, because anyone could get in through there now that the window's broken."

But as they arrived at the door, a sinister mood suddenly settled over the group. Chase brought Kendall upstairs, letting Tyler go in front so he could show him where Shelby was resting. The last door at the end of the hall was where he stopped.

"Wait- what's this?"

A note written on an old-looking piece of paper had been pinned to the door. The writing was tiny, but still legible. Tyler held it up for the rest of them to see and began reading.

"'Dear Rangers, I see you have released the dear Pink Ranger from her prison. Mind you, she is mine again. I am controlling her mind once again and she believes that you all are her enemies. But I may soon have no further reason to keep her alive and I just might do away with her. However, I shall make you a deal. Hand over Kendall to me and have Shelby back alive. If not, Riley, Koda, and I will destroy them both. Meet me tomorrow in the woods at 1:45 pm and give me your answer. If you don't, I will find you and Kendall will be led to a very slow death. Tomorrow at 1:45 pm. Don't be late. Yours untruly, Prince Phillip III."

"WHAT?!" Tyler pushed open the door, flipped the light switch on, and wildly glanced around. "He took Shelby!"

"How is this possible?" his dad gasped.

"We never should have left her!" Ivan exclaimed. "But what do we do now?"

"I can't leave Shelby!" Tyler declared, wiping a tear out of his eye. "I'd do whatever it takes to save her." He glared at Chase and Kendall. "Even..."

"Even hand over Kendall when we've already fought so hard to protect her?" Chase spat.

"Maybe." Then Tyler shook his head. "We'll have to go to the Prince tomorrow and try to persuade him to let Shelby go. If that doesn't work..."

"Miss Morgan will be in a huge amount of danger if we don't go in the first place," Ivan pointed out. "I say we fight for them both!" He raised one hand and placed it in the center of the circle. "Who's with me?" Kendall hung back, eyes widening as she waited for the results.

With no hesitation, Chase put his hand out to join Ivan's, releasing her. "For Shelby and Kendall!"

"For Shelby and Kendall!" Ivan repeated.

James looked a bit unsure, but finally added his own hand to the middle as well. "For Shelby and Kendall!"

They all looked at Tyler. Was he going to help them fight for both of them? Or would he refuse to help with the plan and try to hand over Kendall? After a long moment of silence and pondering, he finally added his hand to the cluster too, staring at all of them with a grin. "For Shelby and Kendall!"

Kendall managed a weak smile and no one but Chase heard her whisper into the cool air, "Thank you."