Chapter 14: Unfinished business.

Chelbell2016:

More Merrick/Carly bonding in this chapter.

Carly's POV:

We are enjoying some ice cream as it has been quiet ever since Cole turned Dr. Adler back to human.

"Oh what a day," Max says clearly loving his ice cream.

We all laugh at his childish antics. Cole turns to me and smiles. We have become even closer since what happened with Adler.

"It is nice not having to worry about orgs for once," I whisper to the others. "It reminds me of what home was like 3,000 years ago."

They all share a look.

"What was life like back then?" Max asks what all of them must have been curious.

I let out a breath. "Different. Being a princess I used to do anything to get out of my lessons. I remember one day I actually came out to what used to be these cities. It was quiet. Everyone was happy and treated each other as equals. My parents were in love. It was a great time."

Before I can say anything else Cole's morpher goes off.

He quickly pulls it out of his pocket and answers. "Yeah."

"Merrick's in trouble," I hear my mum say and we all rush to get to our feet. "He needs your help."

"We're on our way," Cole says before putting his morpher away again. "Come on."

We all take off wanting to go and help my father. I am worried about what he got himself into now.

We arrive at the scene and my mouth drops open. Dad is fighting Zen Aku. Seeing as dad once was Zen Aku that is very confusing.

Merrick is no match for Zen Aku though and I am worried. I turn as my friends begin to speak.

"Zen Aku?" Danny questions.

"I don't understand it," Cole says and I fight the urge to get into this fight unmorphed. "How can they be fighting each other."

"I thought Merrick was Zen Aku," Max points out.

"I don't care," I say. "We've got to help Merrick."

Cole nods and we all reach for our morphers. But Merrick has other ideas.

"NO!" He yells to us and we freeze. "I have to fight him alone!"

"DON'T BE STUPID!" I yell back to him. "You can't do this alone!"

"CARLY YOU STAY OUT OF THIS!" Merrick orders me. "THIS IS MY FIGHT NOT YOURS!"

I watch as Zen Aku strikes him sending him to the ground. He stands on Merrick's wrist that is holding the weapon.

"After 3,000 years together you think you can escape me?" Zen Aku questions.

"But I broke the mask," Merrick reminds him.

"Yes and we were ripped apart," Zen Aku explains. "I am no longer dependant on another to exist. You got your freedom but my spirit was also released. Now I am free to do as I please."

"If you no longer need a host to live in this world," Merrick begins fighting to get up. "What do you want from me?"

"Your spirit and mine were entwined together for centuries," The wolf org reminds him. "You chose to destroy that bond to separate us. I was discarded, rejected, cast aside. But now I've come to take you back. Together we will be unbeatable."

"I will never ally with you again," Merrick vows.

"You'll have no choice," Zen Aku informs him.

He raises his weapon.

"NO!" Merrick growls.

I gasp and race forwards. I morph and grab my father away from Zen Aku. I jump us both into the river. I know he'll be angry but I do not care.

I pull Merrick out of the water and he is coughing. I can tell that he is angry with me. I help him to lean on a rock.

"Why did you do that?" He demands from me angrily.

"DAD!" I try but he cuts me off.

"I told you it was my battle," he growls at me.

"He would've," I begin but he stops me again.

"You know what it doesn't matter," he tells me.

"But your my father and the other guys friends," I remind him.

"I'm the one who released Zen Aku!" He snaps glaring at me. "I HAVE TO HANDLE THIS ON MY OWN!"

I watch with tears in my eyes as he throws his wolf crystal, this calls for his savage cycle.

"WILD ACCESS!" He says morphing.

"DAD WAIT!" I say trying to stop him before he gets hurt again.

"I have to do this!" He says in a slightly softer voice.

"DON'T!" I say again worried.

When I get back to the fight both dad and Zen Aku have just gone over a cliff. I gasp once more.

"DAD NO!" I yell running to where they had gone over right behind my friends.

We race to the cliff edge but neither my father or Zen Aku are in sight.

"Where'd they go?" Cole asks from the front.

"I don't see them," Taylor says.

"They're gone," Alyssa says glancing at me.

The wolf cycle suddenly growls. We turn to see it turn back into Merrick's crystal. This makes me worry for the worst. Is my dad okay? Is he dead?

"Oh no," Taylor says as I walk over to the crystal. "Zen Aku couldn't have."

I kneel on the floor and pick up the wolf crystal. I hold it close to my chest and look up praying my dad is okay.

"We'll get him back," Cole reassures placing a hand on my shoulder.

We are back on the Animarium discussing what just happened.

"Zen Aku seemed more... more powerful than before," Cole explains to mum as I sit away from the others worried out of my mind. "How is that possible?"

"Well when Merrick wore the mask of Zen Aku," mun explains and I listen but do not turn around. "Its powers were divided. Between the mask, Merrick and his three wild zords."

"Now that Zen Aku's on his own," Taylor says walking forwards. "He's got all that power to himself."

"But what about Merrick," Alyssa says. "He just disappeared. I'm worried something terrible happened to him."

"No," mum says and I glance at her. "Merrick's still out there. I can feel it."

I continue to hold the wolf crystal close to my heart, praying my father is okay.

Late that night I get a weird feeling in my gut. Deciding to follow it I take off on my savage cycle. I let my heart lead me and I find my father. Zen Aku is pointing his blade at him.

I can't act too fast otherwise my dad will be dead.

"Give in Merrick," Zen Aku says to my father. "Your efforts are futile. There is no escaping me."

"I brought your spirit into this world," dad says to him. "I can send it back!"

"You will never make me return!" The duke org informs him.

He goes to strike dad but dad uses one of the sticks on the fire to block his attack. I run forwards.

"WILD ACCESS!" I yell kicking Zen Aku back and standing in front of my father.

"Oh look," Zen Aku laughs. "The little princess came to her father's aid. how sweet? But you will not save him."

Dad turns to me. "Get out of here!"

I ignore him and move forwards and begin to fight Zen Aku. I aim to kick him but he dodges and goes to strike me, I roll across the ground and jump to my feet. I use my shield to block his next attack.

Dad pushes him away from me and stands in front of me protectively. We both move at the same time to dodge the blade again. Zen Aku knees my dad in the stomach and why my dad groans he catches me with a right hook to the chest. I try not to wince as I stumble backwards.

Zen Aku takes dad by the shoulders and dad manages to kick the weapon out of his hands.

As dad is sent to the ground I race forwards and push Zen Aku away from him. Dad quickly gets back to his feet and moves forward to help.

I watch as dad throws the blade at Zen Aku who catches it straight off.

Zen Aku aims to fire.

"WILD ACCESS!" Dad says grabbing me and we both go rolling across the ground and he morphs along the way.

Three strikes across both mine and dad's chests and Zen Aku speaks. "You cannot run from your past."

"No but you can learn from it!" I yell blasting at him with my polar bow.

He growls at me.

I blast more arrows at the ground and dad and I run off to try and get some distance.

It is now day time and we are still fighting the duke org. I have my lunar staff out and dad his cue. We all cross weapons but I get knocked aside with a swift kick to the stomach.

After a few minutes of fighting Zen Aku sends dad over a small cliff with a strike to the chest. I kick Zen Aku down and then follow them myself.

Not long after I am fighting Zen Aku alone until I am knocked into the water.

"You've grown too weak," Zen Aku informs us both. "Your time has come!"

I try to get up but I am in too much pain.

"I won't give in," Merrick says getting to his feet and raising his weapon.

"Now you will pay for your betrayal," Zen Aku tells him and he sends a blast of crescent wave until my dad is surrounded by electricity and he demorphs and hits the ground hard.

"DAD!" I yell wanting to get up and I finally manage to push myself to my feet.

"DO NOT INTERFERE!" Zen Aku says again and he sends some at me.

I try to dodge them but I can't dodge them all and the more that hit me the more my suit weakens and then I demorph not too far away from my father.

"I told you you couldn't run from your past," Zen Aku says as he begins to walk towards my dad who tries to put some distance between them by backing away. "Now we will be one again."

As he raises his weapon there is a growling. I look round as the wolf zord, in cycle mode comes riding towards us. He growls at Zen Aku before crashing in to him.

Taylor helps me up as the others appear. I see Merrick stood near the wolf zord thanking it.

"MERRICK!" Cole yells as we all move over to him.

Dad turns to us and he seems a little annoyed still. Especially as he sees my injuries.

"What are you doing here?" He asks all of us.

"The wolf zord spoke to me," Cole explains how he knew where dad and I were. "He said you needed us."

"He brought us here," Max says as he and Cole place one of their hands on the wolf cycle.

"You have to let us help you," Taylor tells him and dads head snaps round as he turns to look at her.

"You're willing to sacrifice yourselves for me?" He asks all of us.

Taylor nods.

Cole steps towards him. "I would sacrifice my life... for my friends."

"And family," I say and he seems to stare at me for the longest.

"We all would," Taylor tells him.

"We're a team Merrick," Alyssa reminds him. "We have to fight together."

Everyone else nods and dad seems to consider it for a second. Then he smiles.

"All right let's do it!" He says and I smile at his enthusiasm as it reminds me of the way he was 3,000 years ago.

Zen Aku appears in front of us. I know that this is gonna be our last fight with Zen Aku. I stand next to my father and nod at him as he glances at me.

We all pull out our growl phones. "WILD ACCESS!"

We all morph.

"Now you've got all of us to worry about!" Merrick points out to Zen Aku.

"Fine," Zen Aku says to us nodding. "I'll destroy you all! CRESCENT WAVE!"

He blasts all of us. I use my powers to cover our retreat. We watch as Zen Aku approaches the area where we had been blasted and disappeared.

"Up here!" Merrick says as he drops down to attack Zen Aku.

He hits him twice and as he rolls away Taylor and Max attack him together. They throw him into a rock cliff and then he hits the ground again. Danny and Max drag him across the ground by his shoulders. As he gets back to his feet both Cole and I jump into the air holding our weapons.

"JUNGLE SWORD!"

"LUNAR STAFF!"

"SAVAGE SLASH!"

"FULL MOON STRIKE!"

We both strike him multiple times until once again he hits the ground.

"All right!" I say making my weapon disappear and turning to my father. "He's all your dad!"

Dad nods.

"LUNAR CUE!" Dad says making his laser pool table appear with Zen Aku at the other end. "BREAK MODE!"

He fires and then catches his three crystals. Sparks hit Zen Aku all over. I smile at my father as Zen Aku walks over to us smoking and stumbling.

"You're finished!" Dad says.

Lightning hits Zen Aku all over his body. Then as more sparks hit him we all run over to stand besides my dad.

"It's over!" I tell the duke org.

Zen Aku stands straight but he is still smoking. "You haven't seen a fraction of the power I now possess!"

He hits himself in the chest causing more sparks to appear. His eyes glow and then he grows to a huge size.

I turn as dads zords come flying out and then they attack Zen Aku. They want their revenge now.

"WOLF ZORD!" Dad calls out as the wolf takes a bite of Zen Aku's arm.

Zen Aku forces the zord off of him and he lands on the ground not too far away. The Hammer head and alligator move forwards to attack next. Zen Aku blasts them both. The wolf growls at him in pure anger.

"They are useless now!" Zen Aku calls down to us.

"Wolf, Hammerhead, Alligator," dad tries to calm his zords. "I know you want to vanquish Zen Aku, but my friends have shown me we have to work together. WILD ZORDS COMBINE!"

I pull out my lunar bow and summon my own zords. "WILD ZORDS DESCEND!"

My zords appear and I form the Gladiator megazord. When the others appear in the wild force megazord we move the help my dad who is on the ground from the harsh blows of Zen Aku.

"I'm warning you rangers!" Zen Aku says as he glances from my megazord to the others. "Stay out of this!"

"Sorry!" I say glaring. "I will never turn my back on my family!"

"Not a chance!" Cole agrees. "Danny show him what we've got!"

"RIGHT!" Danny says before summoning the armadillo which is the same way that we defeated Zen Aku last time.

"FINAL STRIKE!" The others all yell.

The armadillo goes flying towards Zen Aku but unlike last time... Zen Aku catches him. He holds him until he stops spinning and then looks up at us.

"Nice try!" He mocks us.

"Impossible!" Dad says.

"How could he do that?" Both Cole and I say at the same time.

He then throws the Armadillo and it hits all three megazords we stumble back and then he uses his blade to bat it at us. We all hit the ground, smoking, sparks flying and the wind knocked out of us.

"Now you see I can't be beaten!" He points out to all of us.

"He can't do this!" Cole says in temper.

"There's gotta be a way!" Dad says to all of us.

Suddenly the Armadillo rolls towards the Predazord and dad seems to have an idea. "Wait a minute! YEAH THATS IT!"

He forces the predazord to its feet. "You just don't learn do you?"

"GATOR STAFF! BREAK MODE!" Dad says and the zord holds its weapon like a pool cue.

He then slams the point of the staff into the bottom of the Armadillo. The Armadillo goes into the air spinning faster then I had ever seen it spin. It lands on the ground in front of Zen Aku and then as he looks down it goes straight up and hits him full blast in the head.

When the Armadillo moves away Zen Aku's horn had come flying off.

"My horn!" Zen Aku says in shock as he holds his head. "You cut off my horn!"

"You're history Zen Aku!" Dad says glad that his trick worked.

Lightning begins to go all over Zen Aku.

"REVOLVER PHANTOM!" Dad says doing one of his finishers.

Dad finishes off Zen Aku with one final strike.

"Its finally over!" Dad says as Zen Aku turns to stone and then explodes.

We exit the zords and call out to dad as we see him drop to the sand exhausted.

"Merrick, you did it!" Cole says as we reach him all with smiles on our faces. "Zen Aku's gone for good. It's over."

Cole and I pull him to his feet.

Dad looks around at all of us. "I appreciate your help guys! Thanks!"

"I think this calls for celebration!" Alyssa says and I nod in agreement.

"Yeah," Max agrees and we all smile. "Zen Aku's finally gone. Let's party!"

"So, are you coming?" I ask dad wanting him to join us.

"I don't think so," dad says and I try not to show my disappointment.

We all protest but he moves away from me. I sigh before speaking again. "You're not coming?"

"We'll see," dad says smiling a little.

We are having a party. Mum has even put up a limbo stand and we are taking it in turns.

"Hey where's Merrick?" Cole asks and I glance around him. "Is he coming?"

I shrug and he gives me a small smile.

Taylor gets up. "What do you think princess?"

"Oh don't take it personally," mum says and I smile as she goes under the limbo. "Merrick's always been a bit of a lone wolf."

We party for quite a while.

Chelbell2016:

Sorry guys my computer had broke but I got a new one.