Author's Notes: Hi, readers. Here's chapter thirty-six of "Hopeful Hearts." I'm happy it took just a week to get out. This chapter has lots of Ranger action in it. Romantic moments for some of the couples will be coming in the next few chapters. I forgot to mention the Tengas accompanied Master Vile to Downtown Angel Grove in chapter thirty-five. I've added that detail into it. Stay tuned for chapter thirty-seven.

XXXXX

Chapter 36: Vicious Confrontation

Pokerpine rammed his head into the Ninja Megafalconzord's chest. He performed two lefts and three rights. He was about to slam his fist into its head when it held up its arm to block it. The Ninja Megafalconzord punched him twice in between his eyes. It fired its eye beams at him, hitting him hard. Pokerpine fell down, but he got up just as quickly.

"Close but no cigar!" Pokerpine hissed.

The Ninja Megafalconzord threw a punch, only for Pokerpine to catch its fist in his hand. It tried with the other, getting the same result. Pokerpine gave it a hard headbutt, which knocked it back. The Ninja Megafalconzord went sideways as it regained its footing. Pokerpine broke into a charge, swinging his arm to score a hit in the side.

Pokerpine came to a stop. He and his target turned around to face each other. He jumped through the air, slamming his fists against its head. He landed softly on the ground, cackling in delight. He fired his wrist spines, hitting the Ninja Megafalconzord very hard. The Ninja Megafalconzord had sparks explode from various parts of its body. The Power Rangers cried out as the cockpit sparked badly. Pokerpine smiled evilly as he pumped his fist.

"Did you like that, my friends? Here have some punches!" Pokerpine screeched.

Pokerpine did punches to his quarry's chest and stomach. He did four uppercuts to the neck before hitting the same area with the back of his fist. He shot more wrist spines at the Ninja Megafalconzord. The Ninja Megafalconzord sparked with each hit it took. The Rangers struggled to stay in their seats.

"Man, this giant mouse is just rough!" Rocky shouted and slammed his fist on the console in frustration.

"I don't think I've ever seen such an aggressive monster before!" Kat said, panting heavily.

"Master Vile has a thing for that type of monster," Adam commented.

"We can't give up, guys. We have to keep fighting him," Tommy said, looking determined.

Pokerpine charged once more, throwing a punch, as he got closer to the Ninja Megafalconzord. The Ninja Megafalconzord recovered in time to stop him in his tracks with a fist to the face. It approached him to give him a kick in his side as well as an elbow to the neck. Pokerpine attempted to give it a right, but it blocked him with its arm. It headbutted him, sending him stumbling back. It shot its eye beams twice in which they struck him in the chest both times. Pokerpine stumbled and fell on top of a pile of cars.

"That's more like it!" Aisha yelled eagerly.

"Morphinomical!" Billy said while holding up a fist.

Pokerpine got up as the Ninja Megafalconzord came toward him. He rammed his fist into its neck. He went for the same area, but he was blocked by its arm. He got a punch to the nose from it. Growling angrily, he filled his hands with lightning and threw it at its opponent. The Ninja Megafalconzord was hit directly in the chest, stomach, and sides. Pokerpine was about to deliver more lightning to it when something struck in the side. He looked to his left to see Ninjor holding his sword high.

"Nice of you to join me, Ninjor!" Pokerpine said sarcastically.

"Don't start with the sarcasm, Spine Breath! I'm not in the mood!" Ninjor snapped, letting out a soft growl.

"No way. I'll be sarcastic if I want to. Now, are you going to come and get me? Or are you too chicken to do that?" Pokerpine taunted.

Pokerpine formed his arms as if they were wings. He started making clucking sounds while flapping them. Ninjor became angry and curled his hand into a fist. He shook it at the porcupine.

"Nobody calls me chicken and gets away with it!" Ninjor yelled.

"Then fight me right now!" Pokerpine retorted.

"I will!" Ninjor declared.

Ninjor and Pokerpine encircled, neither one taking their eyes off the other. They charged toward each other. Ninjor swung his sword, striking Pokerpine in his stomach. He turned around to face him. He sidestepped him as the porcupine leapt at him. He performed a series of punches to his chest after his enemy got to his feet and faced him. He jammed the heel of his toe into his side. Pokerpine growled in anger and tried to throw a punch, only for the Ninja Master to catch it in his hand.

Pokerpine kicked Ninjor in the knee, freeing himself. He took hold of his arm. He pulled him up to his face before grabbing his throat. He heaved him as hard as he could. Ninjor crashed into the street. He rolled out of the way, as Pokerpine aimed his foot for his head. He jumped to his feet very quickly. He formed an energy ball in his hand to toss it at the porcupine. Pokerpine got nailed in the shoulder. He stumbled somewhat, but he remained standing.

"You seem a little unsteady on your feet," Ninjor said.

"No way!" Pokerpine said defiantly. "Besides, I'd look over my shoulder if I were you!"

Without warning, Goldar grabbed Ninjor from behind. He wrapped his arms around him. He tightened his grip on him. Ninjor jammed his elbow into his stomach, making him lose his hold. He spun around and did three uppercuts to the neck. Goldar retaliated with a punch to his enemy's forehead, knocking him down. Ninjor dropped his sword. Goldar revved up his sword with lightning. He sent it into Ninjor, relishing at hearing his painful cries. Pokerpine stopped the Ninja Megafalconzord from helping him by punching it in the chest. He proceeded to fight it.

Goldar ceased his assault on Ninjor. He watched him struggle to get on his knees. He gave him three hard kicks to his stomach before using his foot to shove him on his side. He raised his sword high, bringing it downward in a swift stroke. Ninjor reached for his sword, grabbing it. He held it up to catch Goldar's. He grunted with determination and made it to his feet. He and Goldar struggled to gain the upper hand.

"Give up, Ninjor! You can't beat me!" Goldar snarled.

"You want to bet?" Ninjor retorted.

Ninjor brought his sword around, which knocked Goldar's out of his hand. He made three swift swings, getting a hit on him every time. He shot a blue energy beam at him. Goldar was struck in the shoulder. Ninjor raced at him with his sword held high. He brought it downward, as he got closer to him. Goldar sidestepped him, causing him to miss. He picked up his sword as his enemy faced him.

Ninjor shot an energy wave at Goldar, who absorbed it with his sword and sent it back to him. He stumbled backward after being hit in the shoulder. Goldar fired three rounds of eye beams at him. Ninjor was hit every time, and he sparked with each one. He looked up to see Goldar coming at him with a dropkick. Goldar struck him in the chest. Ninjor fell on his side. He gazed up as Goldar approached him.

"Say good night, Ninjor!" Goldar growled and raised his sword above his head.

Ninjor looked away as the sword came down. The saber came out of nowhere, blocking it. Goldar looked toward the Shogun Megazord, letting out an angry growl.

"You made a lucky block, but you're no match for me!" Goldar yelled fiercely.

Goldar threw his sword upward, knocking the saber away from him. He shoved the Shogun Megazord with his foot. He rushed at it with a ferocious roar. The Shogun Megazord stopped him in his tracks by hitting him in the face with the back of its fist. It aimed a swing at his stomach in which it got a strike. It made three more swings. It scored a hit each time.

The Shogun Megazord jabbed the hilt into Goldar's neck, knocking him on his knees. It brought its saber downward, but he rolled out of the way. Goldar rose to his feet. He formed fireballs in both of his hands. He heaved them at his target. The Shogun Megazord knocked them back with a swing of its saber. Goldar was struck in the chest and shoulder. He got hit by the Shogun Megazord's forehead energy beam.

The Shogun Megazord was about to make its way toward the golden monkey when Scorpina spun it around and jammed its fists into its forehead. It stumbled a bit, but it stayed on its feet. Scorpina landed gracefully with a loud hiss. She lashed out her stinger, wrapping it around her enemy's neck. She charged it full of lightning. Sparks erupted from many parts of the Shogun Megazord, and it dropped its saber. Ninjor rushed toward it to help it, only for Goldar to ambush him from the side. Scorpina cackled as she watched her ally punch him multiple times in the stomach.

"I think Goldar will keep you occupied for a while, Ninjor!" Scorpina yelled.

Scorpina turned back to the Shogun Megazord. She ceased her assault on it and pulled her stinger back. She walked toward it. She made a grab for it with her pincher. The Shogun Megazord caught her wrist in one hand. It grabbed her mouth with the other. It squeezed very hard. Scorpina screeched in great pain and kicked in the knee to force it to let go. She pushed it away from her before forming a fighting stance.

Scorpina leapt upward, heading toward the Shogun Megazord. She swung her boomerang downward as she landed. She managed to get a hit on her prey's head. She did four more swings, scoring one successful strike after the other. She shoved the Shogun Megazord once more and let out a quiet hiss. She threw out her stinger. The Shogun Megazord caught it in its hand. It pulled the scorpion-woman toward it.

The Shogun Megazord punched Scorpina with one fist, followed by the other. It alternated between them for a minute before slamming both of them into her mouth. It picked up its saber. It approached Scorpina, aiming a swing at her head. Scorpina managed to block it with her boomerang. She did two swings, getting hits in the Shogun Megazord's shoulder and side. She fired energy from her pincher. The Shogun Megazord sparked badly as it was hit directly in its chest. Scorpina let out an evil laugh.

"I think you could use some more energy!" Scorpina said, aiming her pincher at her opponent.

Without warning, the Ninja Megafalconzord ambushed Scorpina from behind. It got its arms around her. Scorpina struggled to get free, but she couldn't. The Shogun Megazord went toward her. It gave her a series of punches to the stomach before backhanding her across the face. It stepped back several paces. The Ninja Megafalconzord tossed Scorpina. Scorpina flew through the air, landing hard on her side.

"I hope you had a nice flight, Scorpina!" Kat laughed.

"There's plenty more where that came from, Power Brats!" Scorpina yelled and got up.

All of a sudden, the Ninja Megafalconzord and the Shogun Megazord were punched in their backs by Pokerpine. They turned around to face him. They tried to throw punches, only for him to hold up his arms and block them. Pokerpine threw his arms upward to knock them back. He performed four lefts and three rights to the Shogun Megazord. He repeated his actions with the Ninja Megafalconzord.

Pokerpine fired his shoulder spines toward his targets. The Ninja Megafalconzord and the Shogun Megazord were hit, causing sparks to explode from them. Pokerpine gave them jolts of lightning from his hands. He cackled as they exploded with even more sparks. The Rangers cried out at the cockpit blowing up.

The Ninja Megafalconzord and the Shogun Megazord looked up to see Scorpina coming downward with her fists aimed at their heads. Scorpina hit them hard. She delivered five kicks to the Ninja Megafalconzord's chest before hitting it in the same area with two swings of her boomerang. She punched the Shogun Megazord multiple times in the head. She blasted it and the Ninja Megafalconzord with lightning from her fingertips. She smiled sinisterly as both of them had sparks erupt from their bodies.

Scorpina fired another round of lightning at her enemies. Ninjor stepped in front of them, absorbing it with his sword. He tossed it back to Scorpina, hitting her in the face. He jumped through the air, aiming his fists at her head. He succeeded at hitting her. He landed and got four strikes on her by swinging his sword. He balled his hand into a fist. Scorpina shook her head rapidly and glared at him.

"It looks like you're looking a little woozy, Scorpina," Ninjor said with a chuckle.

"I wouldn't say that!" Scorpina retorted and smirked while crossing her arms.

Just then, Goldar rushed at Ninjor from the side and rammed himself into him. Ninjor stumbled sideways, barely regaining his footing. Goldar went behind him, putting his arms around him. He tightened his grip on him. He decided to throw him. Ninjor went flying and hit the street on his side. He groaned loudly while struggling to stand. Goldar came up to him. He filled his sword with lightning, sending it into him. Ninjor cried out painfully.

Goldar spotted the Ninja Megafalconzord coming toward him. He stopped his assault on Ninjor and tossed his lightning at it. The Ninja Megafalconzord was stopped in its tracks with being hit in the chest. Goldar fired two rounds of fireballs at it, hitting it each time. He repeated his action with red energy beams from his finger.

The Shogun Megazord headed for Goldar, only to be ambushed by Pokerpine. Pokerpine landed punch after punch on it. He blocked its saber with his arm as it made a swing for his head. He slammed both of his fists into its shoulders. He performed three lefts and two rights on it. He shot his wrist spines. The Shogun Megazord got hit hard.

Ninjor raced at Pokerpine, but Scorpina stopped him by ramming herself into him. Scorpina heaved her stinger at him, getting it around his head. She gave him a charge of lightning. The Ninja Megafalconzord went toward her, but it was ambushed by Goldar. It got three hits from his sword before getting a dropkick from him. It stumbled backward as Scorpina shoved Ninjor toward it. Pokerpine followed suit with the Shogun Megazord. Goldar and Scorpina got on either side of him. Vile allowed a sinister laugh to escape his lips.

"Give those Rangers and Ninjor everything you've got!" Vile commanded and pointed his wand at his soldiers.

"No problem, my master!" Pokerpine responded.

Goldar, Scorpina, and Pokerpine shot lightning at the Shogun Megazord, the Ninja Megafalconzord, and Ninjor. Their quarry exploded with many sparks. The Rangers screamed at their cockpit sparking greatly. Goldar, Scorpina, and Pokerpine threw energy balls at their targets. They followed through with fireballs and energy waves.

The Ninja Megafalconzord, the Shogun Megazord, and Ninjor were hit with more lightning, fire, and energy from Goldar, Scorpina, and Pokerpine. They sparked so badly that thick smoke came from them. They lost their balance and started to fall toward the ground. The Rangers found themselves being ejected from the cockpit.

00000

The Rangers fell toward the ground. Tommy and Rocky landed next to a damaged fence. Adam and Aisha hit the pavement close to them. Billy and Kat found themselves next to a burning car several feet to their left. Everyone got up and ran out of the way, as Ninjor fell toward them. Ninjor ended up on his side and returned to his normal size in a flash of blue light.

The Falconzord detached from the Ninja Megazord and hit the ground not very far away from the Rangers and Ninjor. It was unable to lift its head. The Ninja Megazord landed next to it on its right. The Shogun Megazord followed suit on the left. All three of them smoked immensely as Goldar, Scorpina, and Pokerpine clapped gleefully.

"Now, that's what I call a smoked breakfast!" Pokerpine cackled.

"I'm with you there!" Scorpina agreed.

Tommy, Rocky, Adam, Aisha, Billy, and Kat stood up. They raced to Ninjor's side and helped him to his feet.

"You all right, Ninjor?" Rocky asked.

"I'm okay. I've never taken such a beating in my life!" Ninjor mumbled and let out a loud groan.

"We've got to get back to the zords!" Adam shouted frantically.

"Do you think they're all right, Billy?" Kat wondered.

"I don't know. They took a ton of hits," Billy said, his voice filled with uncertainty.

"Damaged or not, we've got to back to them now!" Tommy yelled.

"Oh, no, you don't!" Goldar yelled in defiance.

Goldar, Scorpina, and Pokerpine shot lightning from their fingertips. The lightning struck the pavement around their enemies and exploded, throwing them backward. The Rangers and Ninjor collided with the fence and landed on their stomachs. They struggled to stand. Vile teleported from the skyscraper to the roof of a nearby building.

"Not as tough as you thought you were, did you?" Vile sneered. "You might as well give up!"

"Never!" Tommy growled as he and the others made it to their feet.

"Very well. Why don't you play a game of Pin the Tail on the Tenga?" Vile suggested.

Eighteen Tengas surrounded the group. Tommy, Rocky, Adam, Aisha, Billy, Kat, and Ninjor went into fighting stances. The Tengas raced toward them, cawing in great excitement. Their enemies mimicked their action. Tommy punched a Tenga in the beak and elbowed another in the neck. He grabbed their arms and smacked them together. He flipped them over on their backs. Both Tengas recovered quickly and did punches to his face. They threw him into the wall. They raced toward him, slamming him against it.

Rocky and Adam struck two Tengas with kicks to their faces. They jumped over their heads, landing behind them. They swung their arms at their feet, sweeping them out from underneath them. They were tackled to the ground by two Tengas. The other Tengas got up and approached their companions holding their quarry. They gave them punches to their stomachs. All four of them pulled Rocky and Adam back. They tossed them into the air. Rocky and Adam landed hard on their sides. The Tengas proceeded to beat on them with their fists and beaks.

Aisha, Billy, and Kat uppercutted three Tengas in their necks. The Tengas attempted to grab them, but they got kicks to their backs. Aisha, Billy, and Kat took hold of their arms and twirled them around four times before letting them go. The Tengas collided sideways with the wall. Aisha, Billy, and Kat got grabbed by six Tengas. They couldn't get free of them. The Tengas alternated between kicking and punching them. They swept them off their feet by swinging their arms at them. Aisha, Billy, and Kat groaned as the Tengas started giving them kicks to their stomachs.

Ninjor aimed a swing of his sword at two Tengas, forcing them to jump back. The Tengas attempted to kick him in his sides, but he sidestepped them. Ninjor jabbed the hilt into each of the backs of their heads, which knocked them on their stomachs. Five Tengas ambushed him. One pulled his sword out of his hand and tossed it aside. They started hitting him with their fists.

Tommy and Rocky headed toward Ninjor to help him, only to be stopped by three Tengas. Adam and Aisha started toward the group, but four Tengas got to them. Billy and Kat attempted to assist Ninjor and were tackled from above by five Tengas. All six Rangers grunted and groaned as their enemies kicked and punched them. Vile smiled proudly and raised his wand.

"The Rangers and Ninjor have their hands full," Vile said and looked at Goldar, Scorpina, and Pokerpine. "Now, tear those zords apart, and take all their power!"

"We'll do it, Master Vile!" Goldar cackled.

"It's feeding time!" Pokerpine yelled.

Goldar, Scorpina, and Pokerpine faced the Ninja Megazord, the Shogun Megazord, and the Falconzord in which they were still and smoking. They filled their hands with an incredible amount of lightning. They sent it toward their quarry. The Ninja Megazord, the Shogun Megazord, and the Falconzord exploded with many sparks as they were hit.

The Falconzord screeched as if it were in pain. It lifted its head for a moment, but it went back down. Goldar, Scorpina, and Pokerpine gave it and its companions another round of lightning. They let out loud cackles as their targets sparked even more. Vile joined in on the laughter while balling his hand into a fist.

"A few more hits should destroy them!" Vile yelled.

"We'll gladly give to it them!" Scorpina said.

Goldar, Scorpina, and Pokerpine prepared more lightning. Suddenly, the Falconzord began to glow. So did the Ninja Megazord and the Shogun Megazord in which they broke into their individual zords. All eleven zords teleported away in a flash of light. The Rangers and Ninjor saw the entire thing happen.

"The emergency teleportation system was activated. It saved the zords from being destroyed," Billy said in relief.

"It's a good thing you installed it in case they took extensive damage, Billy," Tommy commented.

"There's no doubt it'll take a long while for them to be repaired," Rocky said gravely.

"Unfortunately," Kat mumbled.

"Who cares if you saved your zords?" Vile leered and looked toward his soldiers. "Get down here, and take care of them!"

"Six roasted Rangers and one barbecued Ninjor coming up!" Pokerpine shouted.

Goldar, Scorpina, and Pokerpine shrunk down to normal size. Scorpina returned to her human form. She and her allies faced the Rangers and Ninjor. Tommy, Rocky, Adam, Aisha, Billy, Kat, and Ninjor formed fighting stances.

"Ready to fight us once more, my friends?" Goldar taunted.

"We're always ready, Goldar!" Adam declared.

"Let's do it!" Scorpina snarled.

Rocky, Adam, Aisha, Billy, and Kat summoned their weapons while Tommy drew Saba. They and Ninjor raced for their enemies in which they mimicked their action. Pokerpine punched Rocky in the stomach before backhanding him across the face. Rocky made a swung at his head with his Power Sword. He scored a hit on the shoulder, but it had no effect on him. He attempted to kick him, only for his opponent to catch his foot in his hand. Pokerpine grabbed Rocky's throat and threw him. Rocky landed on his back and dropped his Power Sword.

Pokerpine was about to blast Rocky with his eye beams when Aisha flipped through the air and kicked him in the face. He didn't flinch and stared at her as she landed. Aisha raced for him and rushed her Power Daggers forward. She was stopped in her tracks by a punch to the face from him. Pokerpine gave her two lefts and a right. He headbutted her very hard. Rocky ran for him with his Power Sword held high. Pokerpine backhanded him, sending him flying into the fence.

"Hurts a lot, doesn't it?" Pokerpine snickered.

Pokerpine approached Rocky and resumed fighting him and Aisha after she raced for him. Goldar clanged swords with Ninjor. They struggled to get the upper hand. Goldar swung his sword around, knocking Ninjor's out of his hand. He jammed the hilt into his neck. Ninjor ended up on his knees. Goldar shoved him on his side with his foot. He charged him full of lightning from his hand. He laughed in delight at hearing his enemy's cries of pain.

Tommy and Billy pulled Goldar away from their friend. They performed two punches to his chest. They jumped to do a double dropkick in the same area. Goldar was knocked back, but he managed to stay on his feet. He tightened his grip on his sword. Billy aimed a swing at his head with the Power Lance. Goldar knocked it away with his. He kicked his feet from underneath him, which threw him on his back. Tommy was close to jabbing Saba into his enemy's head when he spun around and rammed his fist into his face. Goldar threw him aside and blasted a charging Ninjor with energy from his finger.

"None of you are any match for me!" Goldar roared in great ferocity.

Goldar continued to fight Ninjor, Tommy, and Billy. Kat kicked Scorpina in the knee. She jabbed the end of her Power Bow into her side and performed a series of punches to her face. Scorpina pushed her off. She walked up to her to perform a headbutt. Kat stumbled backward, but she regained her footing. Unfortunately, she didn't do it in time to avoid one of Scorpina's fireballs. She was sent barreling into the wall. She fell on her stomach. Scorpina started to approach her, but Adam stopped her by ramming himself into her.

Scorpina snarled in anger and formed a fireball in her hand. She threw it at Adam, who dove for the pavement. Adam got to his feet and ran at her with his Power Axe held high. Scorpina tossed another fireball at him, hitting right in the chest. Adam fell down with a loud groan. He got to his knees and aimed a swing at Scorpina with his Power Axe, but she kicked him in the head. Kat wrapped her Power Bow around Scorpina's neck, only to be thrown off by her. Adam got to his feet.

"Have a little taste of my lightning, brats!" Scorpina hissed.

Scorpina fired two rounds of lightning from her fingertips. Adam and Kat got thrown backward from being hit. They collided with the pavement. Pokerpine got holds on Rocky and Aisha's throats. He tossed them very hard, smirking as they landed next to their friends. Goldar blasted Ninjor, Tommy, and Billy with three rounds of energy waves. He chuckled at seeing them crash into the pavements next to Aisha. Scorpina and Pokerpine joined his side. They watched their enemies stand slowly.

"Here's a little present from us!" Pokerpine growled gleefully.

Goldar, Scorpina, and Pokerpine filled their hands with energy. They shot it at their enemies. Tommy, Rocky, Adam, Aisha, Billy, Kat, and Ninjor were hit directly in their chests and flew backward. They crashed into the pavement very hard. Vile appeared next to Goldar.

"Don't you just hate it when you're down and out?" Vile taunted and looked at Goldar, Scorpina, and Pokerpine. "Get rid of them now!"

"You don't have to tell me twice!" Goldar responded eagerly.

Goldar, Scorpina, and Pokerpine raced for their quarry. Rocky, Adam, Aisha, Billy, and Kat got to their feet. So did Tommy and Ninjor.

"We need to bring it together, guys! It's the only way to stop them!" Rocky commanded.

"Right!" the others said.

"Power Axe!" Adam shouted, tossing his Power Axe into the air.

"Power Bow!" Kat called, adding her Power Bow.

"Power Daggers!" Aisha yelled, adding her Power Daggers.

"Power Lance!" Billy said, adding his Power Lance.

"Power Sword!" Rocky said and jumped up to add the Power Sword and complete the Power Blaster.

Rocky landed with the Power Blaster in his hand. Adam, Aisha, Billy, and Kat gathered around him.

"Power Rangers!" the five Rangers called. "Fire!"

The Power Blaster fired five laser beams. Goldar, Scorpina, and Pokerpine got hit hard. They stumbled and nearly lost their footing. Rocky, Adam, Aisha, Billy, and Kat parted their weapons.

"Sorry, guys. We wish we could continue playing with you, but we have to go," Tommy said.

Tommy, Rocky, Adam, Aisha, Billy, Kat, and Ninjor teleported to the Command Center. Goldar, Scorpina, and Pokerpine grunted frustratingly. The Tengas gathered around them.

"Blast! They got away!" Goldar growled in anger.

"I wanted to finish them off!" Pokerpine complained and kicked at the pavement.

"Now, now, calm down," Vile said comfortingly. "Look on the bright side. You managed to inflict serious damage on the zords."

"That's right. It was a victory for us after all!" Scorpina cheered.

"Their zords are so badly damaged that it will take a long time for them to be repaired!" Goldar added.

"Yes, they will," Vile said. "Now, come. We better go home."

Vile, Goldar, Scorpina, Pokerpine, and the Tengas teleported to the Lunar Palace. The wind began to pick up.

00000

Vile stood on the Lunar Palace's stairs while staring down at everyone. Goldar, Scorpina, and Pokerpine stood together. Rita and Zedd spoke with them. Rito watched from far off to the right. Squatt and Baboo were huddled in a corner near the entrance. They covered their faces, gibbering and babbling. Vile chuckled as he rubbed the top of his wand.

"I am very proud of you three. I never thought you would do so much damage to the zords!" Rita shrieked excitedly.

"That was a lot of aggression you showed there!" Zedd commented.

"We had a lot of fun using it, my lord," Goldar said proudly.

"There's nothing like the smell of smoked wire in the morning!" Scorpina cackled.

"Yeah. Then again, we do regret we didn't destroy the zords," Pokerpine added, lowering his head in shame.

"Keep your chin up, my porcupine. You'll have another chance to do that," Vile said and walked toward the group in which he stopped five feet from it. "After all, what's another day to cause immense destruction?"

"That's right! I'll work my hardest to destroy the zords next time!" Pokerpine hissed confidently after looking up.

"Great!" Vile said happily.

Pokerpine gave his master a thumbs-up and winked at him. Vile nodded at him as Goldar and Scorpina stepped forward.

"Hey, don't forget us. We'll help Pokerpine destroy the zords," Goldar growled. "I want to tear Tommy's Falconzord apart! He's given me more than enough trouble already!"

"Oh, yes! I want to teach those Power Punks a lesson they'll never forget!" Scorpina said.

"You're more than welcome to help Pokerpine, my friends. You really impressed me with the aggression you showed the Rangers and Ninjor," Vile said.

"It's all thanks to your training. You showed us how we could use it to our advantage," Goldar said with pride.

"Boy, did it help!" Scorpina squealed delightfully.

"That's because aggression is the best thing for strength! You need lots of it to overpower your enemy!" Vile commented.

"That's right!" Pokerpine said while crossing his arms.

"You got me there, Pokerpine," Goldar chuckled and patted his ally's shoulder.

"Me too!" Scorpina added.

Pokerpine winked at Goldar and Scorpina. Vile couldn't hold back a chuckle. Rito shook his head in disbelief. He tensed up when his father shot a menacing glare toward him.

"As for you, Rito, you should be ashamed of yourself for not completing your task! You were supposed to bring Kimberly here after you got rid of Tommy!" Vile yelled furiously.

"It wasn't my fault, Pop! It was Ninjor's! I would've gotten away with her if he hadn't showed up!" Rito blurted out.

"You could've taken Ninjor! You need to pay for your failure!" Vile snarled.

Vile pointed his wand and shot lightning at Rito's feet. Rito jumped around as if he were dancing. Goldar, Scorpina, and Pokerpine tried to stifle snickers, but they couldn't help themselves. Rita, Zedd, Squatt, and Baboo started to laugh as well. Vile ceased his assault on his son. Rito panted heavily while holding his chest.

"Let that be a lesson learned! Is that clear?" Vile demanded.

"Loud and clear, Dad!" Rito replied.

"Good," Vile said.

Scorpina continued to laugh while Goldar, Pokerpine, Rita, Zedd, Squatt, and Baboo became quiet. Rito glared at her and walked toward her. He stopped just inches from her.

"You better stop laughing if you know what's good for you, Scorpina!" Rito warned while pointing his finger at the scorpion-woman.

"Aw, is Rito jealous that he couldn't capture Kimberly while Goldar, Pokerpine, and I were able to trash the zords?" Scorpina taunted as she looked at the skeleton.

"Oh, shut up! You're so ugly that you can't even do anything with your hair!" Rito shouted fiercely.

"Look who's talking! On top of that, you smell so bad that you could put an entire planet's population into unconsciousness!" Scorpina snarled.

"You want to take that to a fight?" Rito challenged while holding up his sword and backing off.

"I'm more than willing to!" Scorpina retorted and gripped her boomerang with both hands as she stepped back a bit.

"That's enough, you two!" Zedd yelled and came between the two warriors. "If you think you can solve your little dispute like this, you're living in a fantasy world!"

"He's right!" Rita said and joined her husband's side as she looked toward her brother. "You need to accept that Goldar, Scorpina, and Pokerpine succeeded while you failed!"

"Not a chance!" Rito said defiantly and crossed his arms.

"Maybe I can change your mind!" Rita hissed.

Rita aimed her wand at Rito's feet. She shot lightning at them, making him jump around as if he was in a dance. Scorpina smirked in satisfaction. Rita stopped her assault on her brother.

"Okay, okay! I accept they did better than me!" Rito yelled fearfully.

"Good," Rita said and turned to Scorpina with a menacing glare, which caused her smirk to fade. "As for you, you need to stop taunting my brother over his failure. He nearly succeeded when Ninjor stopped him. He is just as capable of succeeding as you are!"

"But, my queen—" Scorpina started.

"Quiet! Now, apologize to him!" Rita demanded.

Scorpina groaned in annoyance and glanced toward Rito. Rito tilted his head to the right, tapping his foot.

"Sorry, Rito," Scorpina apologized.

"Apology not accepted," Rito mumbled and jumped in fright when Rita hissed at him. "Okay! Apology accepted!"

"Good," Rita said.

"Now, get some rest, you four. You've had a busy morning," Zedd commanded while looking at Goldar, Scorpina, Pokerpine, and Rito.

"Of course, my lord," Goldar replied.

Goldar, Scorpina, Rito, and Pokerpine left the throne room. Vile lowered his wand and glanced at Zedd and Rita.

"What are we going to do about getting Kimberly, Father?" Rita asked.

"I'm not sure yet, but something will come up soon," Vile said.

"I hope so. You've failed three times at getting her so far!" Zedd growled.

"I will get her, Brain Boy. You can count on that," Vile said in great confidence.

"I wouldn't get overconfident if I were you," Zedd warned sternly.

"Don't you worry. That will never happen," Vile responded in much ferocity. "See you later."

Vile teleported to his Space Skull. Zedd grunted annoyingly and went to his chair to sit down while Rita stayed where she was. Squatt and Baboo scratched their heads.

"Blah, blah, blah. That's all I hear from that old coot," Zedd grumbled.

"Be careful, Zeddykins. He'd make you dance like he did with Rito if he heard you talking about him that way," Rita said seriously.

"I'm not afraid of that. In fact, he should make Squatt and Baboo dance. That'd be a sight to watch," Zedd snickered while glancing at the cowering dimwits.

"Oh, get lost," Rita retorted.

"Why don't you do that?" Zedd responded.

"All right, I will," Rita said, standing tall and proud.

Rita headed out of the throne room with Squatt and Baboo right behind her. Zedd stood up and went to the balcony. He gripped the railing as he stared at Earth.