Streaks of Purple Saga Volume Four, Heather Ray [accelerated reader books txt] 📗

Ranger caught the glimmer of energy in the evening sky. A fierce grin lit his face as he somersaulted backward, creating about a yard of additional distance between himself and his two opponents.

A heartbeat later, the biting edge of the Eagle Whip snatched one Misfit by the torso, dragging him into the air as the Purple Ranger arced upward.

The remaining Misfit stared as the Purple Ranger began to spin, pulling his helpless companion into a nauseating cyclone that built momentum.

The grounded Misfit turned just in time to receive the sharp heel of the Red Ranger's foot in his face.

Jason refused to allow a moment's letup. The snap kick was immediately followed by a devastating roundhouse, throwing the stunned creature into a nearby tree.

At the same time, the Purple Ranger released her whip, watching in grim satisfaction as the Misfit crashed headfirst into the quiet street, digging a deep furrow into the asphalt.

She folded her arms, casually descending to her teammate's side. "That should even out the odds," she commented smugly.

Jason straightened from his battle stance. "We have to finish these two off and then regroup with the other Rangers," he decided. "Can you generate an Eagleheart Pulse?"

Her arms lowered, hands pulsing brightly. "You got it, Jase."

As the Purple Ranger began concentrating her power, the second Misfit slowly extricated itself from the dirt and crumbled asphalt. The first Misfit also rose, its hands calmly reshaping the dents pressed into its face.

The two creatures drew closer together, watching as a flare of purple lit between Alexis' spread palms.

She smirked. "Yeah, line up in a row for me. Make it easier to pummel you both with one blast!"

Jason was far from amused. "They're regrouping..."

The Misfits stood side by side, the defined lines of their shapes blurring. "We bring a whole new meaning to the term 'regroup'," they sneered, their voices echoing in eerie unison.

And then, they began to merge.

"Alexis!" Jason shouted, urgency in his voice, "Fire!"

"Eagleheart... Pulse!" she called, thrusting her arms outward. The sparking globe of purple-gold energy split the atoms of the air, crashing into the liquefied creature dead on.

When the smoke cleared, the enhanced Misfit stood whole and unharmed.

"That almost singed me,"

it chuckled, flexing its bloated muscles. "Let me see if I can do better..."

The creature's laugh continued to roll as it stretched its arms forward. Thick waves of black energy poured from its palms, digging trenches in the ground as it streaked toward the Power Rangers.

Chapter Thirty-Eight

Kimberly continued her routine of well-timed handsprings, weaving her body around and between deadly bolts of black energy. Dust and splinters from charred vegetation clouded the air, giving her ample cover under which to maneuver.

With a grunt of exertion, she pushed herself higher into the air, earning her a few moments to summon the Power Bow from its inter-dimensional pocket. She lined up her shot in mid-descent, and fired just before her feet touched the ground.

The arrow flew inexorably to its target... only to glance off the Misfit's chest as if it were a mere paper airplane.

The Pink Ranger ground her teeth. "Any ideas?" she called to her teammate.

"I'm not having any luck either," White admitted, rushing to her side. "Saba's lasers aren't having any effect."

Tommy's eyes narrowed as he watched the nine-foot beast cackle in malicious glee. "It's still playing with us."

"Bullying

us," Kim interjected, "It wants to get under our skin!"

"Which means it's not hitting us at full force," Tommy pointed out. "At least, not yet. We've gotta take advantage of its overconfidence while we still can."

He then flipped Saba, holding the blade up. "Let's try a close-quarters fight."

Kim nodded, her Power Bow vanishing at her silent command. She drew her Blade Blaster, oriented as a dagger.

As one, the Pink and White Rangers rushed at the enemy, each veering to attack one side. The Misfit's wide forearms proved strong enough to collide with Saba, bouncing back the mystical saber and knocking the White Ranger off balance with its parry.

The Pink Ranger leapt for its head, her dagger at the ready, only to be swatted like a fly before she could even make contact.

The Misfit turned its glowing eyes upon the leader of the Power Rangers. "This isn't fun anymore,"

it grumbled, clenching its beefy fists. An obscure aura built around its hands, sparking with intensity.

The White Ranger managed to evade the first few heavy-handed blows, yet he was not nimble enough to dodge indefinitely. One punch struck the Ranger's right shoulder, sending a shooting pain down the length of his arm and loosening his grip on Saba. Shaken, he fell prey to a second pulverizing strike to his stomach, throwing the limp Ranger into the air so forcefully he crashed through the outer wall of the Youth Center.

Kimberly's mouth hung open in paralyzed shock as she watched the dust climb from the hole in the sturdy building. Her heart pounding in her ears, she leapt to her feet and rushed toward him, jumping over his enchanted saber in her haste.

"Tommy," she murmured, anxiously digging through debris to reach the stunned hero. She hazarded a quick glance around the darkened Youth Center, silently grateful that there were no bystanders.

Ernie, you're a saint! That monster shelter sure comes in handy...

She finally managed to unearth the White Ranger, who was faintly groaning in pain. She sighed her relief that he was visibly unharmed. "Hang in there," she urged, squeezing his hand, "I'll buy us some time."

The Pink Ranger emerged from the battered building, and stood in the hole her boyfriend had punched through the wall. She carefully stepped onto the grass, watching as the towering menace lumbered closer.

"Now what will you do, little girl?"

it leered, its face twisted into a contemptuous smile. "Run and hide until the others show up to save you?"

Kimberly scowled, holding out her arm. "Power Bow!"

The white and pink archer's bow materialized in her firm grip. "Time to wipe that disgusting smirk off your face!"

She fired half a dozen arrows in rapid succession, hoping to catch the beast off guard. Unfortunately, even the arrows it failed to intercept bounced harmlessly off its sleek surface.

Kim felt the panic rise in her stomach, and bit it back. Oookay, no reason to freak out. This isn't the first time I faced the bad guy alone...

She yelped, flipping out of the way of a sudden blast of black energy.

"Maybe you should try another weapon,"

the monster cackled, "Your arrows just don't cut it, Sweet Cheeks."

That's it! Another weapon...

Inspired, Kimberly raced back toward the Youth Center, hunting down a gleam of polished metal.

"Saba!" she breathed, lifting the sword from the grass, "Saba, I need your help!"

The tiger's head smiled. "At your service, Pink Ranger."

Kim permitted a rueful smile. Saba seemed to revel in giving Tommy a hard time, yet for her

he was surprisingly cooperative.

"This monster's skin is too thick for my arrows, so I need something with a bit more bite."

"I understand," the saber replied, "Fire away! I'll do the rest."

Kimberly nodded once, lining up her shot with utmost care. As she drew back the tight chord, the tip of the curved blade flashed with brilliant white energy that collected along the entire edge.

"Hey, Ugly!" she called, pulling back her elbow, "Catch this!"

The mutated Misfit snorted derisively, watching the gleaming white streak ignite the air around it with energy as it shot toward it. It held out its hand, preparing to knock the projectile off target.

Only, to its horror, Saba tore right through its palm, and sliced cleanly through the creature's chest.

Kimberly watched, her face lighting up with excitement, as white energy sparked along the entire form of the Misfit. Then, with a heavy groan, it fell backward, erupting in sparks of energy and tossing wads of enchanted clay everywhere.

Moments later, Saba floated toward her under his own power. "Well done, Pink Ranger!"

"Thanks to you!" she replied, taking the living weapon by the hilt. "Let's go check on Tommy."

As she eagerly raced toward the dazed White Ranger, the smears of clay covering the grounds around the Youth Center began to glow.

Chapter Thirty-Nine

The Yellow Ranger let her body go limp as she crashed through the wall of the hapless Angel Grovite's home. Dizzily, she rose from the pile of debris she created, glancing around the darkened living room with a wince.

It's a good thing these people aren't home... but they're certainly in for a surprise when they return!

In the distance she heard a sharp cry in what sounded like Zack's voice. Her jaw setting, Trini desperately dug through the chunks of wall to retrieve her missing Power Dagger.

Once the weapon was uncovered, she leapt through the new aperture, and dashed to the hulking beast that held the Black Ranger in a painful looking headlock.

When she had first arrived, relieving Billy so the young genius could return to his analysis, she and Zack had faced two Misfits with great success. In fact, each Ranger had challenged a single Misfit, and both had performed extremely well against the frustrated constructs of evil. That is, until the two creatures merged.

Now, the Super Misfit, for lack of a better term, possessed a level of strength and durability that two Power Rangers simply couldn't match. Neither the bite of the Power Daggers, nor the battering-ram energy beam of the Cosmic Cannon could do any notable damage to the monster. In fact, at most the Rangers' combined attacks threw the beast off balance for a few precious seconds.

Trini pummeled into the small of the Misfit's back, forcing its grip to loosen. A desperate series of fevered kicks from the Black Ranger made the creature let go completely.

Zack fell on his back, sputtering for breath.