Previously on Poké Rangers: Eon Force...

As the Rangers tried to figure out how to cope with their leader's absence, Natu warned of a beast defeating them, followed shortly by the appearance of a new Chaos Beast, Tyraninite. Just as he had them on the ropes, they were rescued by a new Ranger, the Sylveon-based Mystic Eon Ranger, who introduced herself as Mia Sutherland. Meanwhile, Professor Diggswell was visited by Pryce and told him the story of how he came to have his passion for the stories of the gods, how he discovered a secret society in a hidden location known as the Sinjoh Ruins, barely managing to leave with his memories intact thanks to the assistance of the Elder, Leah Sutherland.

(A/N: A reminder that bold dialogue like this indicates a god/goddess's dialogue. Bold and italics like this indicates a god/goddess and their Avatar speaking as one (that's new info). With that in mind, on we go!)

The Vanishing Shrine...

"So, you guys know about Lutheran, right?" Mia asked.

"The goddess's mortal lover?" Phillip nodded. "We've heard."

"Okay, good. So, Lutheran was friend to all living beings. I'm sure your Eon Spirits have told you this?" The Rangers nodded. "Five thousand years ago, he arrived in the Johto Region along with a particular family of Pokémon that were traveling and living with him. Their names were Esper, Jolt, Vapor, Umbre, Flare, Leaf, Glace, Sylve, and the child, Eve."

The Rangers all drew their crystals and held them up, Mia nodding excitedly.

"Exactly! The spirits that live within your crystals." She held up her own Morpher. "As well as my own."

"But, you said one more." Sally noted. "What about Eve?" Mia frowned.

"We'll get to her, later in the story." she promised. "Anyways, as the nine of them were passing through what is today known as Johto, they met a man by the name of Kaldon Sutherland. A distant ancestor of mine, and a member of the same group that I am a part of." She reached up and tapped a finger on her tattoo. "The Followers of Time."

"Followers of Time..." Matt said with interest. "I've never heard of them."

"Most certainly you haven't. We're a secret group that has worshiped the two time gods, Dialga and Celebi, for many millenia. These days especially, we are not allowed to have any contact with the world outside our little home. Specific orders from the Elder, my grandfather, Merle."

"So, by coming here..." David noted.

"Yes, I broke the rules." Mia shrugged. "I'm not worried. They'll get over it." The others blinked in surprise at her casually brushing aside the idea of her fellows being angry at her. "I felt it was necessary, after my dad told me about your leader being lost. I had to come."

"So, this ancestor of yours, Kaldon..." Phillip prompted, trying to get the story back on track. "He met Lutheran."

"Right." Mia agreed. "So, Kaldon was very special. He was the human Avatar of Celebi of his day. It was through Kaldon that the goddess first laid eyes on Lutheran, through Kaldon that she became smitten with him. And once she decided that she just had to talk to him, it was through Kaldon and Celebi, your mentor, that she did so."

"He was around even that far back?" Emma asked in amazement.

"6072 years old." Hypnotica told them. "Even back then, he would've already been around over a thousand years."

"Right you are!" Mia agreed.

"Man, when is his birthday?" Sam asked. "We're gonna need one hell of a candle supply."

"BUT..." Mia broke in. "This is where the story gets...unfortunate. See, back when Kaldon first discovered he was the Avatar of Celebi, the other Followers of Time had viewed it as incredibly fortuitous. It was a great honor to have the mortal Avatar of one of the very deities they worshipped living among them." She sighed. "But when Celebi began her pursuit of Lutheran, it was another story altogether."

"Oh yeah..." Matt frowned. "That would bug Dialga, the other god they worshipped."

"Precisely." Mia nodded. "And because of that, Kaldon's life took a drastic turn that he never would've imagined."

(Theme Song inspired by Power Rangers: Wild Force Opening)

*beat begins with a strange ethereal pulse (replace all roars with such) before quickly building into a rock beat* (The Eon Crystals awake and float into the air)

Eon Force Poké Rangers! (The original five Rangers enter the Vanishing Shrine...)

Eon Crystals are forever! (...and are bonded with their respective Eon Crystal.)

Eon Force Poké Rangers! (All seven Rangers' helmets appear to complete their morphing sequences)

We'll defend Johto together! (The seven pose together as an explosion bursts behind them.)

Eon Force! Eon Force! (The Rangers soar through the air on their Spirit Boards.)

Ancient powers have awakened; (Go!) (Richard tosses a basketball into a hoop, his Cyndaquil letting off a showy burst as it swishes. Turning to the camera, he flashes a thumbs up as the Red Ranger and Flare are shown.)

Eon Force gonna save them. (Eon Force!) (Sally steps off the bus into Azalea Town with her Mimikyu right behind. Noticing the camera, she waves as the Pink Ranger and Esper are shown.)

Our whole timeline in danger; (Go!) (Phillip reaches out and pulls a plastic bottle from a river, dropping it into a bag his Croconaw is carrying. Seeing the camera, he nods as the Blue Ranger and Vapor are shown.)

We will save (Emma is working on an explosive in a lab with her Voltorb on the table observing. She jumps back from a spark and grins at the camera as the Yellow Ranger and Jolt are shown.)

this world! (Matt looks over the Underwood Ranch as his Tyranitar walks up beside him. Petting her, he sees the camera and smiles as the Black Ranger and Umbre are shown.)

Eon Force Poké Rangers! (Sam and David laugh together with their Meganium and Swinub as the Green and White Rangers are shown with Leaf and Glace.)

Eon Crystals are forever! (Alicia raises a Pokéball and clicks it open/Professor Diggswell looks up from his notes)

Eon Force Poké Rangers! (The Rangers summon their weapons.)

We'll defend Johto together! (The Rangers aim and fire the Eon Cannon.)

*guitar riff* (Celebi and Hypnotica are talking in the shrine, Xactowl and Ditgle bow to Mask of Ice in his lair/Walter puts on his Terror mask)

Eon Force Poké Rangers! (The Eon Zords join together into the Eon Force Megazord...)

We'll defend Johto together! (...that is then shown using the Eon Spirit Charge.)

Eon...Force! Eon Force! (All seven Rangers pose together as the Eon Zords appear behind them, followed by the logo being shown (use your imagination, cuz I don't have the artistic skill to draw one))

Sinjoh Ruins, 5000 years ago...

Kaldon sat alone in his temple, sighing tiredly. He turned and stared at the statue nearby, the goddess Celebi towering over him. He could swear she was watching, but he knew that was ridiculous. She didn't need a statue to see him; she always saw him.

'Something weighing on you?' Kaldon looked over as Celebi, the Pokémon, floated up and landed beside him.

"Hello, my friend." Kaldon smiled briefly. "You should know what's on my mind."

'Yeah...just trying to figure how to start the conversation.' Celebi laughed. 'You'd think as long as I've know you, seeing you raise a family, the separation...after all that, it'd be easy. But this...'

"I get it." Kaldon frowned. "The others are furious."

'Understandably so.' Celebi told him. 'We are doing something that infuriates one of their gods.'

"And pleases the other." Kaldon reminded him.

'I know.' Celebi nodded. 'But you have to recognize the risk we are taking. If Dialga decides to come after us...'

"We will figure that out when and if it comes to that." Kaldon leaned forward. "You've felt it too, when we channel her power. We become one with her. Her feelings become ours to feel. The love she feels for Lutheran...it's a pure devotion I've never felt before." Celebi said nothing and Kaldon looked his way curiously. "You disagree?"

'No...no, I agree.' Celebi said. 'I just wonder if it's worth it.' He floated into the air and up in front of the goddess's statue, looking at it forebodingly. 'Has she told you her plan?'

"You mean the Eon Crystals?" Kaldon nodded. "Indeed. Once Xerneas has provided the souls to control their power..."

'But WILL she?' Celebi turned to face him. 'The gods are known for squabbling amongst themselves, it happens all the time, but to ask Xerneas to risk making an enemy of Dialga? That's a big request, and for what? Something that will never have any real benefit to her.' He shook his head. 'I'm just worried about what happens if...if she turns down Celebi's request.'

"And I worry about how much longer the others will allow me to stay here. How long they will allow us to hide Lutheran with us." Kaldon stood and walked towards Celebi as he descended. "The Elder is already discussing the possibility of banishment. But we can't worry about that. We are Avatars of Celebi. We must be devoted to her above all else." Celebi gave him a pained expression and Kaldon held out a hand. "Are you with me, my friend?"

'Of course I'm with you.' Celebi took his hand. 'You know I'll always be with you. I just don't want anything to happen to you. You're my only friend these days...if I lost you...'

"If you lose me, it will hurt." Kaldon nodded. "But you will survive. You will move on, eventually." He stared at the Legendary Pokémon. "Promise me, that should something happen to me, you will continue on serving our goddess."

'Kaldon...' Celebi pleaded.

"Promise me." Kaldon insisted. "Do not let my fate turn you against her."

'What are talking about?' Celebi said suspiciously. 'You sound like...like you know something IS going to happen to you.' Kaldon lowered his head and turned away, but not before Celebi caught sight of tears running down his face. 'What did she tell you?'

Kaldon didn't answer, turning towards the door. Celebi did as well, feeling the same thing.

"And so it begins." Kaldon said. "Let us go."

Kaldon ran and opened the door, leading the way outside. Celebi followed behind him, the two making their way along with a throng of other green-robed people. Dread settled on Celebi as he picked up whispers from their minds, snippets about Dialga being here. He prayed that he was misreading what they were saying.

Sadly, it proved to be the case. As they neared the edge of the ruins, he caught sight of the Pokémon Dialga standing tall, observing them. Kaldon turned and Celebi followed him, realizing that he was heading towards Lutheran, his red-blue split hair standing out among the crowd.

"Kaldon. Celebi. How are you two today?" Lutheran asked as they stopped beside him.

'You're awfully calm for somebody about to die.' Celebi told him.

"He will not die today." Kaldon said determinedly. Around Lutheran's feet, an Eevee and a group of Eeveelutions looked up at the three of them worriedly. "Lutheran, take your friends and leave. Get as far away as possible."

"Wouldn't I be leaving you two here to your destruction?" Lutheran asked.

"We have the power of the goddess on our side." Kaldon told him. "You do not. Now go. We will find you as soon as we can." Lutheran was about to protest again when Kaldon turned to him with reddened eyes. "Please..."

"...okay." Lutheran at last nodded. "Come along, everyone." He turned and led the Pokémon through the crowd as Kaldon and Celebi stepped forward out of it, approaching Dialga. Kaldon caught sight of the Elder glaring at him and waved for him to get everyone to safety.

'Was that optimism or resignation?' Celebi asked him.

"Why not both?" Kaldon gave a half-hearted chuckle. "Be brave, my friend."

The two of them stopped before Dialga and the Pokémon looked down at them sadly.

'Stand aside.' he ordered. Both of them could tell that he didn't like what he was saying. 'I have no wishes to fight Celebi's Avatars.'

"Nor do we have a wish to fight you." Kaldon told him. "So leave, and don't force us to." Celebi swallowed nervously. Kaldon was putting on a far braver front than he could hope to. Dialga sighed.

"I can't do that." he told them. "My god's wrath will be visited on the mortal who dares steal his wife's affections. On that, he is decided. But you two, you do not have to be harmed. Just let me go forward, and destroy him."

"Your god's wrath will NOT be visited upon Lutheran." Kaldon told him.

"DON'T SPEAK HIS NAME!" Dialga snapped in a different voice. Closing his eyes, he shook his head for a moment before returning to his previous tone. 'Please don't say the mortal's name again. You are angering him.'

"Then let him be angry." Kaldon said. Celebi almost gaped at him in shock at how bold he was being. "Because we are not standing aside. On that, our goddess is decided." Dialga turned towards Celebi himself as if to plead to him instead. "And we will protect Lutheran with our lives."

Dialga's head snapped back to facing him and he shuddered, beginning to grow. Kaldon and Celebi both looked up nervously as Dialga's avatar formed in front of them.

Unlike most of their lessers, High Gods such as Dialga only needed one Avatar to appear in the Mortal World, and instead of the energy-based Avatars that they formed, a High God's was solid, flesh and blood. Soon, a 200 foot tall man in Dialga-style armor glared down at them, a diamond shining brightly in his chest.

"I SAID NOT TO SPEAK HIS NAME!" He snarled.

'Celebi?' Kaldon called internally. 'You with us here?'

'Of course I am.' the goddess's voice replied back in both Kaldon and Celebi's heads. 'Come on then. Let's have a little talk with my husband.'

Kaldon and Celebi both rose into the air as they channeled her power, the glowing green form of the goddess appearing around them. Her avatar only reached 100 feet tall, half the height of her husband. Nevertheless, Dialga stepped back as she appeared.

"You will not touch him." she said firmly.

"Why?" Dialga demanded. "Why have you done this to me, Celebi? Why are you doing this to us?"

"I have done nothing to us." She replied, moving forward. "Dialga, how long have we been together? You should know that I'll always love you. Is it so wrong to love another as well?"

"YES!" Dialga snapped. "You're my one and only love! I thought I was yours too. I was supposed to be!"

"Don't be selfish, dear." Celebi said.

"You call ME selfish!?" Dialga glared. "Says the goddess who went and found herself a new love without saying ANYTHING! What about me? What about what I thought? Did you even THINK about how I might be hurt by that!?"

"I suppose I thought higher of you than that." Celebi said sadly. "I thought you would understand."

"I do not. I will not ever." Dialga glared and an enormous, long-barreled pistol with a Dialga design appeared in his hand. He aimed it forward. "Now please, if you ever cared about me at all, do not force me to fight you. Let me get rid of him so we go back to the way things were before."

"We could never go back." Celebi shook her head. "Timestorm Sphere." A sizable orb with a Celebi designed appeared and floated around her Avatar. "This is your last chance to back down."

With a low growl, Dialga fired. The Timestorm Sphere sailed by in front of Celebi's Avatar, blocking the shot.

"So be it." Celebi said regretfully.

Celebi held out her hand and flicked her fingers, causing the Timestorm Sphere to sail forward and slam into Dialga's stomach. Quickly moving to the side as he doubled over, it shot up and into the side of his face, making him stagger before circling and slamming against his chest.

Hurled off his feet, Dialga crashed down on the forest, smashing through trees as he rolled along the ground. Flipping upright, he roared and slammed a palm to the ground, a wave of energy spreading from him and freezing everything in place.

Celebi focused her power, sending a portion of it to Lutheran so that he could keep moving even with time frozen the same way she herself was unaffected. As she was distracted, Dialga aimed and fired. She barely managed to dive aside as a blast from his weapon sailed by and almost struck her in the shoulder.

As she landed on her feet, Dialga floated up into the sky and aimed down, opening fire. Celebi's Timestorm Sphere circled rapidly above her, forming an energy barrier between it that blocked the shots before rocketing up and slamming into Dialga hard enough to flip him. Spiking down, it struck him and sent him crashing to the ground.

Glowing brighter, the sphere shot down and Dialga rolled aside as it struck the ground in a powerful impact, forming a large crater and sending out a wave of energy that set trees around it on fire.

'Easy, Celebi!' Celebi protested. 'Watch the destruction you cause.'

'He will not.' Celebi responded back. 'The only way to beat him is to fight like him.'

As the Timestorm Sphere shot towards him again, Dialga aimed and fired, striking it with a blast that hurled it away. He continued to run and fire, keeping it at bay with his shots as he approached them.

"Are you happy with yourself!?" he snarled as he landed before Celebi and swung the butt of his weapon towards her Avatar's cheek. Ducking out of the way, she wasn't quite prepared for his knee to swing up and slam into her, flinging her back to the ground. "Are you satisfied you've pushed me this far!?"

"Are you satisfied with what you've become?" Celebi retorted as she rose. "An insecure, jealous child who can't stand to share?" Snarling, Dialga aimed and fired, the goddess's avatar dodging away as the blasts struck temples around them, blasting parts of them away and causing some to collapse.

"I will not be mocked by the likes of you!" Dialga roared, swinging an arm out and batting Celebi's sphere back towards her avatar. Leaping after it, he rammed a punch against it that hurled her across Sinjoh, landing on her feet on the other side.

"Come now, husband." Celebi chided. "You are harming your devoted followers' home. Surely even you can see that this is not the time or place for this fight."

"Whatever happens to them is on you." Dialga aimed the weapon forward as it charged up with energy. "You brought this fight here. You and HIM." Behind Celebi, her Timestorm Sphere likewise began to glow much brighter.

'This isn't right...' Celebi thought to himself. 'There should've been another way...she could've stayed back.'

'You're wavering, Celebi!' Kaldon's voice called to him. 'Stay with us!' Growling, Celebi refocused his efforts on the sphere's charge.

"Roar of Time Blaster, Chronal Cannonball!" Dialga called, his weapon firing a powerful condensed ball of power. Celebi's Timestorm Sphere swerved around in front of her as her Avatar drew back a hand.

"Timestorm Sphere, Timewarp Strike!" Celebi slammed a palm against the sphere and it shot forward, energy swirling around it.

The two attacks colliding together between two statues of Celebi and Dialga standing together, obliterating them in an instant. As they pushed against each other, cracks appeared in the air around them and the entirety of Sinjoh trembled and wavered.

'It's too much!' Celebi warned the others. 'We have to stop! The danger we're causing isn't worth...'

'We can't stop!' Celebi responded. 'We're so close...we have to keep going!'

'For Arceus's sake, think about what you're doing!' Celebi pleaded. 'Is one man really worth all of this?' Celebi gasped in surprise as he felt the pain of loss flow through the Avatar, the goddess briefly contemptlating what he suggested.

'It is to me.' she said quietly.

'But...' Celebi started to protest further, but Dialga managed to circle around the still colliding attacks and swept their legs with a kick, sending Celebi's Avatar crashing to the ground. Raising a foot, he stomped down on its arm hard. Celebi yelped in pain as he felt a snap in his corresponding arm, and looking over he could see that Kaldon's was bent at an unnatural angle.

"Give up, Celebi." Dialga demanded. "Are you really willing to sacrifice your Avatars' lives for this?"

"They stand with me all the way!" Celebi responded.

"That didn't sound like both of them speaking with you." Dialga noted.

The Timestorm Sphere at last canceled out Dialga's ultimate attack in a burst of power. A vortex swirled open at the location and the shimmering in the air around Sinjoh intensified as Celebi waved a hand and it shot towards them. Dialga batted it away and raised his foot again, slamming it down on the Avatar's chest.

Celebi felt a burst of pain in him and Kaldon yelled in agony, Celebi looking over to see a trickle of blood leak from his mouth as he clutched at his chest.

"Stop it!" Celebi yelled. Dialga aimed his weapon down at the Avatar's face.

"It's far too late for that." he told them. "I gave you every chance. Now..."

"Dialga!" The God of Time halted and turned his head to see Lutheran standing nearby, his Pokémon around him. The group launched attacks towards him, but they bounced off his body like nothing. "Leave them!"

"Ah...you." Dialga reaimed his weapon at him. "Thank you for saving me the trouble of tracking you down."

'Celebi...' Kaldon's voice came to Celebi and he turned to look at him. Celebi's human Avatar stared pleadingly at him. 'We have one chance...' His eyes flicked to the portal. 'But we need you with us.'

Closing his eyes, Celebi growled in frustration and yelled as they forced the Avatar to stand, sending the Timestorm Sphere slamming upward into Dialga's arm and forcing his shot to miss.

As the God of Time turned to face them, Celebi leaped and slammed the Avatar's shoulder against him, hurling him back towards the portal. Dialga staggered in surprise as he found himself falling through.

"I'm sorry..." Celebi called to him moments before he vanished. "But you'll have to get over this, dear."

And like that, with one final glare, he was gone. Celebi's Avatar fell to its knees, then slowly dissipated, the two inside falling to the ground.

'Kaldon...' Celebi forced himself over to his friend and the Follower of Time rolled up onto his side, gasping in pain. Reaching into his robes, he drew a container and held it out.

"Open up." he gasped. Celebi opened his mouth and Kaldon poured a herbal mixture inside, some of the damage to the Pokémon repairing itself. There was too much to fully remove, but it lessened the pain and allowed him to rise.

'Kaldon, are you okay?' Celebi asked, though he knew the answer before he said it. He would have suffered the same damage as Celebi himself, and he had no miracle medicine that worked on humans to fix it.

"Listen to me..." Kaldon leaned closer to him as other Followers of Time started to gather, keeping what he was doing out of sight. He drew a small bag from his robes. "You must take these." he whispered. "Celebi gave them to me during the battle. Find a way to energize them. Finish the job."

'Kaldon, this isn't the time to think about that!' Celebi told him. 'You're hurt. We have to...'

"Celebi, listen to me!" Kaldon forced out. "I have lived my entire life in devotion to the goddess. I watched my marriage fall apart because of it. I was ostracized by my own people, the same ones who once praised me, those same ones now gathering to watch me come to what they will undoubtedly call a rightful end, because of it. You were the only one who stood at my side through it. Please...don't stop now. Promise me that you'll continue on."

Falling back, Kaldon hit the ground.

"Promise me..." He closed his eyes with the one last request on his breath.

Celebi slumped down atop his body and let the sobs flow. He knew everyone was watching, but he couldn't bring himself to care. After everything, to end like this. He felt a hand on him and knew it was Lutheran, consoling him, but he wouldn't turn to look at him. He couldn't, not right now. He needed a few moments.

'There is still one more thing we must do.' Celebi's voice spoke in his head and he ignored her. 'Dialga is not gone. Being thrown into the void beyond time, for the God of Time, would be fatal in a matter of moments. He had to transport himself back to the Celestial World to heal; even that tiny moment would've damaged him considerably. But he will return.'

Celebi merely continued to cry over Kaldon's corpse. Celebi's voice became more insistent.

'We must hurry if we are to get the crystals working before Dialga returns.' she told him. 'Remember the promise that Kaldon asked of you. The one you would not grant him.'

'Damn you, shut up!' Celebi snapped internally. The sight of feet approaching in his peripheral made Celebi look up to find the Elder standing over him.

"You must leave." he commanded. "You and Lutheran must go." He looked around Sinjoh, the area still appearing shaky. "Your fight has destabilized this location in spacetime. We must find a way to utilize and restabilize it. And we CANNOT risk another such battle here."

'Fine.' Celebi told him. 'We'll go.' He looked down at Kaldon sadly. 'There's nothing left for us here anyway.'

As he turned to leave, the Elder spoke up once more.

"You must take Kaldon with you." he said. Celebi whirled and glared at him.

'This was his home!' he said incredulously. 'Surely you want to bury him here?'

"And if that should anger Dialga?" The Elder shook his head. "No. This was not his home to the end." He looked down, almost ashamed. "We had just decided to banish him when Dialga showed up. We were on our way to tell him. Even in death, he must go." Celebi's glare became more intense.

'You all disgust me. I hope you know that.' he said coldly.

"We'll take him with us." Lutheran spoke up. the voice of peacemaking as usual. "Thank you for allowing us to stay as long as you did." The Elder looked at him as if he was angry that he had to address him at all.

"Out." he said firmly. "At once." Lutheran knelt and scooped Kaldon's body up in his arms before standing.

"Come on, Celebi." he nodded to the Legendary. "Everyone else too."

Lutheran led the way out of Sinjoh, Celebi and his Pokémon friends folowing behind him. As they left, Celebi felt the disturbed timespace around them. He had to admit, the Elder had a point, harsh as it may be. If another fight like that happened here, it could rip the entire place free from the timeline, causing irreparable damage.

He realized Lutheran had said something to him while he was distracted and looked up.

'What?'

"I was saying I'm sorry." Lutheran repeated. "I know it doesn't mean much, but..." He looked down at Kaldon's body. "He was a good man. I rather liked him. If I could've made this end another way..."

'Part of me does want to blame you.' Celebi admitted. 'But, on the other hand, without you, we'd BOTH be dead right now.' He looked to Lutheran with some small measure of approval. 'That was dangerous, what you did. Staying behind after we told you to leave, striking at Dialga himself...'

"I couldn't just leave you two to sacrifice yourselves. For my sake?" He shook his head. "No, as much as I may love your goddess, I can't let lives be thrown away to protect me. Not if I can avoid it."

'Celebi...the crystals.' The goddess's voice spoke to him once again and he came to a halt, holding up the bag he was carrying. 'Xerneas would not provide souls for them. In fact, she was rather angry about the whole affair.' Celebi got the impression there was a reason for that she wasn't telling him, but he couldn't exactly press her. 'You must find another option, and fast.'

"What is it?" Lutheran asked, having noticed that Celebi wasn't moving. Looking to him, Celebi was hit with an intense desire to charge the crystals, both for Lutheran's sake, and for Kaldon's. As for Celebi herself...she could shove off for all he cared.

'We need to find a way to power these.' Celebi landed and opened the bag, laying out eight clear crystals. 'They will be able to take you safely to Celebi, but they need a soul to work. Celebi's plan to get them didn't pan out, but there must be another way.'

"How?" Lutheran asked. Celebi was about to admit that he had no idea when a voice spoke up.

'We'll do it.' Celebi looked down to Flare, the Flareon of the group that traveled with Lutheran, in surprise. Lutheran followed his gaze and his eyes widened.

"No, absolutely not!" he said firmly. "I am not asking them to do that for me!"

'Nobody is asking.' Celebi told him. 'Flare volunteered.' He floated down in front of the Flareon. 'Why would you do that?'

'Lutheran is our friend.' Flare told him. 'More than that, he's basically family at this point. I think I speak for all of us when I say, we'd do anything for him.'

'Yeah.' Sylve the Sylveon stepped up beside her brother. 'Lutheran has seen to it that we all found happiness. We want the same for him. And besides, if something isn't done, this conflict between Dialga and Celebi will continue. This world...it won't survive that. I want my daughter to grow up to see the same world that we have, to get the chance to marvel at its wonders and one day find a family of her own.'

'We all do, Sylve.' Flare smiled at her. 'My niece has been the joy of our lives ever since she came into this world. We'd sacrifice anything to preserve it for her.' He looked for Lutheran. 'And for you.'

One by one, Esper, Umbre, Jolt, Vapor, Leaf, and Glace joined them, each of them nodding that they were in as well. The Eevee, Eve, hung behind them, looking unsure of herself.

"Guys..." Lutheran set Kaldon's body gently against a tree and kneeled before them. "Are you sure about this? I don't want you to think you have to. We can find another way."

In answer, the group moved forward and rubbed against him affectionately. Lutheran stuttered, for once at a loss for words, before at last smiling and reaching out to wrap his arms around them.

'They will live on, forever, you know.' Celebi frowned at the goddess's voice. 'It's not like they'll actually die.'

'Shut the hell up, Celebi.' he muttered to himself. Even he knew that was hardly what Lutheran wanted to hear right now.

"Alright." Lutheran said quietly. "We'd better move fast."

'Right.' Celebi quickly moved two of the crystals away from the others. 'These two will be for Flare and Sylve, since they were the first to volunteer. The rest of you, are you ready?'

'One moment, please.' Sylve said. She turned and walked up to Eve, the Eevee leaping forward against her as she caught the smaller Pokémon in her ribbons. Umbre followed behind her. 'I'm sorry, daughter of mine. Mommy and daddy have to do something very important now. Something that will prevent...will prevent a lot of bad things from happening.' Umbre closed his eyes and leaned his head forward, a smile gracing his face as Eve met him with her own. Sylve found herself crying as she hugged Eve tighter. 'Arceus, it's hard to leave you.' She looked to Celebi. 'You will take care of her, won't you?'

'I promise.' Celebi nodded. 'Always.'

'Thank you.' Sylve's ribbons released Eve and moved to wipe the tears from her eyes. 'Lutheran, will you hold her?' Lutheran nodded and picked up Eve, who squirmed his grasp as if sensing something she didn't like about to happen.

'Mommy?' she asked nervously as Sylve stepped back. 'Daddy?' Umbre stepped closer and raised his paw, pressing to Eve's as she reached out.

'Keep shining brightly, child.' he said in a near-whisper before stepping back. 'I love you.'

The two of them rejoined the group as Celebi lined six crystals up. Moving before the first, he held out a hand towards Esper, the Psychic-type reaching out a paw against it.

'Six crystals to open the way.' Celebi said quietly. A green glow surrounded him, Esper, and the crystal, the latter slowly turning pink. 'To pry open the barriers of time and space and provide passage to the beyond.' Celebi released. Esper's body collapsed to the ground and the first crystal rose into the air.

Celebi moved down the line, repeating the process with the others. Jolt, Vapor, Leaf, and Glace one by one were transferred, Yellow, Blue, Green, and White Crystals rising in their wake. At last reaching the end of the line, he transferred Umbre's, the Umbreon giving his daughter a final nod before he fell and a Black Crystal rose into the air.

Eve struggled harder against Lutheran's grip and he did his best to hold her, rubbing a hand through her fur and speaking as comfortingly as he could. Celebi moved to the seventh crystal and Flare stepped forward.

'One to control the others.' He reached out and Flare placed a paw against his hand. 'To focus their power and unlock the passage.' Flare collapsed and a Red Crystal rose up, Celebi moving to the final as Sylve stepped forward. 'And finally, one to protect on the journey through the void. To provide safety where it should not be possible.'

As Sylve pressed her paw to Celebi's, Eve sank her teeth into Lutheran's thumb and he yelled in pain and surprise. His grip loosened enough that she could leap free.

"Eve, no!" Lutheran called. Celebi didn't have a chance to react as the Eevee's paws landed on his and Sylve's and she screeched in pain as power surged into her. Celebi could feel the goddess's power enter her for a moment before she was flung back and away.

Sylve fell the ground and the Mystic Crystal rose into the air. In a flash, all the Eon Spirits appeared out of their crystals and ran forward, Sylve and Umbre at the front.

"Eve!" Sylve reached her daughter as she staggered to her feet. "Are you okay?" Lutheran and Celebi knelt as well as she stood and looked between them. Celebi could feel power coming off of her.

'She absorbed a similar power as the others.' Celebi spoke to her Avatar. 'But she did not have a crystal to enter, so her spirit remains in her body. That spirit is eternal now. When that body wears old, it will reincarnate into a new one.'

Celebi quickly shared the information with the others. Sylve and Umbre took a moment to process before the Sylveon spirit laughed.

"Oh, Eve." she chuckled as she pulled her daughter against her. "You just could let mommy and daddy do anything without you, could you?"

'My promise still stands.' Celebi told her. 'I will take care of her, as long as I am able.' He looked into the distance worriedly. 'We don't have much time. We have to get to safety.'

The Eon Spirits nodded and returned to their crystals. Celebi held out a hand and the first six he had made rose into the air, forming a vertical circle. He took the Red Eon Crystal in hand and aimed it, firing a beam of red energy into the center. Beams in the other crystals' colors joined it, swirling into a portal that revealed an image of an empty void.

Celebi handed the Mystic Crystal to Lutheran.

'Do not let go of that.' he warned. 'Or you will die.'

"Understood." Lutheran kept it clutched in his hand as he moved to pick up Kaldon's body. "I'll see you buried in the home of the goddess you devoted yourself to." He told him.

'Let's go.' Celebi scooped Eve up and nodded towards the portal. Lutheran took one last look at the world he was leaving behind before walking through, vanishing into the darkness. Celebi followed behind, calling the other Eon Crystals to him once he was on the other side. 'Come.' He passed by Lutheran and led the way.

They may have been safe from Dialga now, but it was still a long trip to the Goddess of Timelines' home.

Present day...

The Rangers all stood in silence as Mia finished her story, all of them seeming unsure of what to say.

"It's a lot to take in, I know." Mia said. "Try focusing on just the most shocking thing alone. That should help you get a foothold."

"Okay..." Matt drew his Crystal. "Umbre, what the heck!?"

'That story is highly exaggerated.' Umbre said quietly, sounding suspiciously like he was forcing back tears. 'I am not that sappy.'

"Don't you know, Matt?" Mia asked as she stepped forward and put a hand on his shoulder. "Your spirit's just a big softie at heart." Umbre gave no counter, though Matt could practically feel the embarrassment rolling off of him. Mia grinned excitedly as an idea came to her. "Hey, let him out. I wanna see him."

Nodding, Matt held out the crystal and Umbre emerged, landing on the ground and looking up at Mia curiously. Smiling, she drew her own Morpher and held it out. From inside, a spiritual Sylveon emerged and landed before him. Umbre let out an unnatural strangled sound as he stared at her.

"Sylve..." he at last managed.

"Umbre, darling." Sylve stepped forward and pulled him closer with her ribbons. She sighed happily as he rubbed against her. "It's so good to be with you again."

"I...I couldn't feel your spirit anymore." Umbre stammered, suddenly more talkative than anyone had ever seen him. "I didn't know what had happened to your crystal. I thought..."

"Celebi had to cut that connection." Sylve told him. "Nobody could know that my crystal was still around. But it was such a challenge to accept." She laughed. "I've spent years dreaming of the day that I'd get to hear your voice once more."

"Aww..." The other Rangers all glanced to Emma as the two spirits pressed against each other. "What?" she asked. "They're cute. Try and deny it!" The rest of the team shrugged in and chuckled slightly in silent agreement.

"Okay, now that you've all had a moment." Mia stepped back and leaned against the wall. "Questions?"

"What about Eve?" Sally asked. Both Sylve and Umbre looked up in anticipation. "Celebi was supposed to be protecting her. Where is she?"

"I don't know." Mia admitted. "If she's not here with Celebi, then I have no idea."

"How does Mask of Ice come into the picture?" Phillip asked. "What's his story?" Mia shrugged.

"Afraid I don't know that either." She looked to Hypnotica. "How about you? You wouldn't happen to know these answers, would you?"

"I do, actually." she sighed. "But it's not my place to tell them."

"Please?" Mia cocked her head and tried to give puppy dog eyes.

"Afraid not." Hypnotica shook her head, picking up the Master Ball that they had picked up from Skarmacro and tossing it idly between her hands. "You'll have to talk Celebi into answering those."

"Okay, how about this one?" Sam said. "Where did you get the crystal?"

"Yeah." David nodded in agreement. "You never said."

"Oh, well." Mia looked down at her Morpher and frowned. "Celebi came back to Sinjoh eleven years ago, when I was six. It wasn't exactly a happy occassion. He didn't like being back, and my grandfather was furious to see him return. Nevertheless, he felt it was necessary. He spoke only to my father, grandfather, and me. He gave me the Mystic Crystal, explained that an evil known as the Mask of Ice would soon pursue the Eon Crystals, but he didn't know about this one. It was our duty to keep it secret and safe."

"But, you're here now." Phillip pointed out. "So now Mask of Ice DOES know about that one."

"Yeah..." Mia admitted uncertainly. "I had to though! I couldn't just stand there and watch you all be destroyed."

"Why did he give you Ranger powers if you weren't supposed to use them?" Emma asked.

"Oh, he didn't." Mia laughed. "That's all me. Well, actually my friend and me." She spread her hands and opened a portal into the room, causing TOCC to appear.

"How do you do that, anyway?" Sally asked.

"My crystal's power." Mia explained. "A sort of pocket dimension. I can store as many things as I want in there, though there's a size limit. TOCC's about as big as I can get inside." She looked to the robot. "Say hello to my new friends, TOCC."

TOCC seemed to come alive and raised a hand, waving.

"Greetings, friends of Mia." he said.

"He used to belong to my great-grandmother." Mia told them. "She left him to my dad and he passed him on to me. He's an incredible fighter and teacher. That's actually what his name stands for, Trainer Of Combat Capability. But more than that, he has an extensive understanding of technology. When I saw you guys using Ranger powers, I had him study the Morphers and help me replicate one for myself." She held up her Morpher and grinned. "And bingo. Mystic Ranger, ready for action!"

A sense of unease flowed through the shrine and Hypnotica frowned, quickly running and locating one of Celebi's spheres.

"Speaking of action." She held it up. "Guess who's back?"

In the sphere, the Rangers could see Tyraninite rampaging in Azalea Town, a group of Cryoclopes at his back. Mia grinned and held out her Morpher, calling Sylve back into it, and placed TOCC away in her pocket storage.

"Was wondering when he'd get the nerve to show back up." She ran for the door, stopping and looking back. "Guys? You coming?"

"Right." Phillip nodded. "Let's get out there." The new Mystic Ranger smiled enthusiastically and led the way as they left the shrine and ran into town.

Goldenrod City...

Whitney was on her way to the Mart when she suddenly slammed facefirst into a blue crystal wall.

"OW!" Staggering back, she rubbed at her forehead. "What in the heck?"

Looking around, she found that she was trapped in a dome of the stuff. Hearing a sound behind her, she spun and drew a Pokéball, finding herself facing Suicune.

"It's you." She grinned. "I heard about how you've been going around fighting my fellow Gym Leaders. I'm ready for you!"

Suicune fired a Hydro Pump forward and Whitney dove aside, holding out the Pokéball as she came to her feet.

"Clefairy, go!" Her Clefairy emerged and twirled in its readiness for battle. "Cosmic Power!"

As Clefairy called on the power and upped its defenses, Suicune drew back and a deep cold surrounded it.

"Minimize!" Whitney called. Clefairy shrank down and the Sheer Cold missed, passing harmlessly overhead as it ran forward. "Now, Comet Punch!"

Clefairy leaped and slammed its fists into Suicune's cheek, only for it to shatter apart into icy chunks. Whitney looked around until she spotted the real Suicune watching from outside the dome.

"Yeah, I've heard you like this trick." She told him. "You gonna let us out or...?"

Suicune merely cocked its head curiously. Whitney shrugged.

"Alright then. Meteor Mash, Clefairy!" Clefairy's fist glowed silver as it punched the barrier, to no effect. "Hmm...Attract."

Clefairy pressed up against the crystal and winked at Suicune outside. A pink glow appeared in the Legendary's eyes and it stepped forward.

"Seems not everything is stopped by this barrier." Whitney grinned. "Get it to let us out, Clefairy."

"Clef?" Clefairy called sweetly. The crystal sank down and two walked free. Whitney watched Suicune approaching Clefairy.

"Wait until it gets close..." she commanded quietly. "Then, Metronome."

As Suicune came close enough to practically be touching Clefairy, its eyes narrowed and its mind was focused by Calm Mind, managing to break it free of the Attract. Swinging its head, it batted Clefairy aside before firing a Blizzard.

A crystal wall rose behind Clefairy and the Blizzard pushed it against it, increasing its damage as it was battered. As it let up, Clefairy dropped to the ground in defeat. Suicune glanced at Whitney and shook its head before taking off.

"Huh..." Whitney looked between her Clefairy and the departing Pokémon. "He's more clever than I thought." She frowned. "I suppose he's off to the next challenger for him...I wonder if they'll do better?"

Azalea Town...

Tyraninite swung his sword downward, cleaving a car in two with the blow and turning away as it exploded behind him. Seeing the Rangers running towards him, he stopped to face them.

"Hello again." Mia greeted. "Ready for round two, are you?"

"You surprised me last time, Mystic Ranger." the Chaos Beast growled. "It won't happen a second time."

"Ha! We'll see." Mia drew her Morpher and held it out. "You ready, guys?"

"Ready." the others agreed as they drew their own Morphers.

"Bring on the power of Eon!" they all called together.

From Mia's morpher, a spiritual Sylveon rose into the air, forming a sparkling magic sphere that she hurled down to burst around her, transforming her into her Ranger Suit, a perfect match for Sally and Emma's except for its lighter pink color. Circling around, Sylve transformed into her Sylveon-styled helmet to complete the transformation.

The other Rangers' spirits rose from their crystals and formed their own respective elements, launching them down to form their Ranger Suits before circling and transforming into helmets to finish.

"Psychic Power!" Sally called as she stepped forward. "Pink Eon Ranger!"

"Electric Power!" Emma joined her. "Yellow Eon Ranger!"

"Water Power!" Phillip stepped up with them. "Blue Eon Ranger!"

"Dark Power!" Matt added. "Black Eon Ranger!"

"Grass Power!" Sam joined the call. "Green Eon Ranger!"

"Ice Power!" David was next in line. "White Eon Ranger!"

"Fairy Power!" Mia called last. "Mystic Eon Ranger!"

"Harnessing the ancient crystals, we defend the world." Mia declared. "Poké Rangers!"

"Eon Force!" the team called together, posing as an explosion burst behind them.

"Ah..." Mia sighed happily. "It's as fun as it looks."

"Attack!" Tyraninite pointed his sword at the Ranger and the Cryoclopes around him charged forward.

"You guys get the Cryoclopes." Mia told the others. "I'll handle him." Charging, she leaped over the foot soldiers' heads and landed in front of Tyraninite.

Sally drew her Psycho Cutter and slashed through the first Cryoclopes as it tried to stab her with ice daggers. Another formed an ice club and swung at her, but she deflected its swing to the side with her blade and slammed a kick against its chest, bursting it apart. Whirling, she sent out a telekinetic slash that cut down Cryoclopes all around her before leaping towards another that raised an ice sword to defend. Focusing power into her blade, she slashed through his weapon and him in one clean blow.

Phillip stabbed one of his Aqua Jetters into a Cryoclops' midsection and lifted it up, slamming it down on one of its allies. Twlrling while firing the weapons, he swung fast enough to shatter another attacking from behind before leaping and landing a spinning kick to another face that shattered it apart. Seeing one form two ice pistols and aim at him, Phillip dashed forward and stabbed his weapons into the barrels, causing the constructs to burst apart in the minion's hands before he raised a foot to kick it back.

Matt slashed a Cryoclops' arm off with his Night Slashers before taking both of its legs, leaving it to shatter as it hit the ground. Another swung an ice hammer down at him from behind and Matt turned, raising the claws and crossing them to stop the blow. As it pushed against him, he saw more coming at him from behind and fell backwards into their shadows, vanishing. The hammer-wielder stumbled as its target suddenly vanished, almost hitting its allies before Matt leaped out of its shadow and kicked it in the back, hurling it into them and shattering them all apart.

Emma raised her Discharger as three Cyroclopes swung ice swords down at her, blocking them and shoving them back. Swinging the shield out in an arc, she smashed through the trio before pointing her fingers at another drawing back an ice bow and firing a bolt of lightning through its chest. Ducking under an ice axe, she fired two bolts that blasted the wielder legs out before drawing back her shield and slamming it into them, their shattered pieces striking several others behind them.

Sam aimed his Seed Bomber and fired a blast that struck between a Cryoclops' feet, sending it flipping forward in defeat. Holding out a hand, vines sprouted from the seeds and snaked along the ground, wrapping around the golems' feet and yanking them to the ground. One leaped over the vines and formed an ice scythe, swinging and trying to cut through them, but before it could, one shot up behind it and pierced through its back before tearing it apart.

David swung his Icicle Spear's handle and knocked an ice sword from a Cryoclops' hands before stabbing it through the chest. Shoving it back, the spear's tip managed to pierce into another behind it and the White Ranger twisted, flinging them both to the side and into their allies. Ducking as an ice mace was swung at his head, he swept the wielder's legs and stabbed them as they fell before yanking his wepaon free, the back end smashing a Cryoclops' face as it tried to attack from behind.

Mia pulled an HM and inserted it into her Pixilator.

"Cut Mode!" Taking the sword, she swung forward, Tyraninite blocking with his own blade. Mia pressed him, delivering slash after slash that forced him back even as he blocked them. Quickly spinning to the left, she landed a blow to his side before he managed to stop her next.

"Struggling?" Mia asked.

"Hardly!" Tyraninite swung his sword and the Mystic Ranger flipped backwards out of the way. "You have no idea who you're dealing with!"

"Don't I?" Tyraninite glared and held his shield forward, its mouth opening and firing a blast of flames. Mia quickly pulled a new disc out and replaced the one in her Pixilator.

"Protect Mode!" The weapon transformed into a Sylveon designed shield that she held out in front of her, blocking the fiery stream. Running forward, she pushed through it and leaped as he let up, kicking him in the face and knocking him back. As he staggered, she hurled her shield and it slammed against his chest, bouncing off and returning to her hand as he hit the ground. "Hidden Power Mode!" Mia replaced its disc and it turned into a triple-barreled pistol.

Rising, Tyraninite held out his shield and it fired a bolt of lightning, the Mystic Ranger rolling aside as it sailed by where she had been standing. The Chaos Beast adjusted his aim and fired again, but she dropped to the ground, aiming and firing her blaster rapidly, pelting him with small spheres of mystic energy.

Roaring, Tyraninite charged forward as Mia rose to her feet, swinging his sword as she jumped to the side. Firing a stream of flame, he chased after her as she ran towards a house ahead of him, flipping off its wall and over his head and firing shots down as she went, each sending sparks around his body.

As she landed behind him, Mia ducked under a whirling sword swing and swapped to Strength Mode. Tyraninite hardened his body as she slammed the gauntlet against him, but it cracked through and sent him stumbling back.

"You can't beat me!" Tyraninite snapped in rage. "I will not be defeated by a weakling like you!"

"You never learn, do you?" Mia asked, returning her Pixilator to normal and drawing a new disc. As she inserted it, the weapon transformed into a large bazooka and she dropped to a knee, resting it on her shoulder. "Hyper Beam Mode!"

"Huh?" Tyraninite stepped back nervously as she aimed it towards him, its barrel glowing brighter.

"Fire!" Mia sent a beam of mystical power shooting forward, exploding against Tyraninite's body in a powerful burst that knocked him back. His shield and sword dropped to the ground as Mia stood and twirled the weapon. "Bye bye!"

"No!" Tyraninite tried to reach towards her as she turned and walked away, sparks flying around his body. Groaning in pain, he fell forward as his body iced over, exploding as he hit the ground.

Mia looked to where the other Rangers were still fighting Cryoclopes and moved to help them, but an ice cube rose up from Tyraninite's body, pulling his pieces back together and increasing him to enormous size.

"This isn't over yet!" He snarled, aiming his shield down and firing a bolt of lightning. Mia narrowly leaped out of the way as it struck the ground.

"Hey, guys! Big trouble!" she called.

"We're on it!" Phillip responded, leaping away from the few Cryoclopes left facing him. "Sam, David, Mia, you've got the Cryoclopes. The rest of us, let's Zord up!" He released Vapor's spirit upwards and Emma, Sally, and Matt joined him with their Zords. Tyraninite turned to face them.

"You Rangers and your Zords will never beat me!" Holding out his shield, a blast of flame launched forward. Esper formed a pink barrier in front of the Zords, shielding them from the attack as it pushed against the shield.

Vapor tried to move to the side and launch a Hydro Pump, but Tyraninite raised his sword and deflected the stream. Swinging the blade down as it let up, he struck the ground and sent a burst of energy along it to explode around the Water-type Zord.

"We need more power!" Sally called as his blast at last pushed through the shield and struck the other Zords.

"You guys okay to handle this?" Mia asked Sam and David as she watched the Zords struggling.

"You have to ask?" Sam responded as he looked at her. A Cryoclops slashed him in the back with an ice sword, making him stumble forward. "Hey!" Spinning, he fired his Seed Bomber and blasted it apart. "I was trying to look cool here!" Turning to Mia, David nodded.

"We got it, don't worry." he assured her.

Mia gave him a thumbs up and touched her crystal with her other hand.

"You ready, Sylve?" she asked.

'More than ready!' Sylve emerged and soared into the air, transforming into her Zord form. Like Flare, she was considerably bigger than the other Eon Zords. "Let's get him!" As Mia leaped up inside her, her ribbons extended and wrapped around Tyraninite from behind.

"Hey!" He protested as she pulled him back. "Let go of me!" Pulling harder, Sylve threw him off his feet, sending him crashing to the ground.

"Yeah!" Umbre cheered. "That's my girl!" The other Eon Spirits look at him in amusement. "What?"

Sylve leaped over to stand with them as Mia's screen appeared in all their cockpits.

"Guys." she said as Tyraninite made it back to his feet. "We're going to need to combine to beat him. You with me?"

"You got it." The others agreed. Together, the five of them focused their crystals' energies. "Combine!"

Leaping into the air, Sylve's head moved down as she flipped upright, ending up where a chest would be as her legs folded up against her. Esper and Umbre's legs folded up against their bodies and they flipped upright, their heads forming feet as the rest of them formed right and left legs and connected under the Sylveon Zord. Jolt and Vapor's hindquarters shifted up into shoulders as the rest of them extended into arms, attaching to the side of the Sylveon Zord on the right and left, respectively. From the top of the Sylveon Zord a feminine head emerged, ribbons flowing down from it like long hair. The five Rangers appeared together a new central cockpit, Mia in the center of them.

"Awaken!" Mia called, focusing her power as she grasped her lever. The Megazord's eyes glowed white as it powered up. "Mystic Eon Megazord, ready!"

"You think I'm scared of that tin can?" Tyraninite challenged as he drew back his sword.

"You will be soon." Mia told him. "Disarming Voice!" Sylve's mouth opened and fired a small burst of mystic power, striking Tyraninite and knocking his sword and shield from his hands. "Charge!" As they hit the ground, the Mystic Eon Megazord moved forward.

"Bubblebeam!" Phillip called. Holding out their Vaporeon arm as they ran, a stream of bubbles launched from it and exploded against the Chaos Beast.

"Thunder Punch!" Emma drew back their Jolteon arm as they closed in and slammed an electrified blow against his chest.

"Zen Headbutt!" Sally brought their Espeon leg up as it glowed with power, kicking Tyraninite into the air.

"Dark Pulse!" Leaping after at Matt's command, the Megazord struck a spinning kick from their Umbreon leg, hurling the Chaos Beast away as it released a pulse of shadowy energy.

"All together now!" Mia called. "Let's focus our power!" She and the other Rangers channeled their energy into the Megazord and Sylve's mouth opened once more on its chest, glowing with energy.

"Eon Force, Hyper Voice!" Mia called. From Sylve's mouth, a series of glowing pink pulses was fired, striking Tyraninite one after the other and flinging him off his feet. As he hit the ground, the attack last let up and he tried to struggle upright.

"This can't be!" he gasped, lightning surging around as he wasn't strong enough to rise and fell forward. Laying on the ground, his body iced over and at last exploded.

Down below, Sam and David leaped free of the group of Cryoclopes, facing them as they landed and spreading their arms.

"Leaf Vine Trap!"

"Glace Freeze Trap!"

Their Eon Spirits shot free of their crystals and towards the minions, trapping half of them in a tangle of vines and the other in a giant ice cube. Sam aimed his Seed Bomber forward as it charged up and David slid towards them on a trail of ice being made by his Icicle Spear. The Green Ranger fired and struck half, while the White Ranger's impact shattered the ice cube and struck the others, the entire group finding itself obliterated.

As their spirits returned to their crystals, the two turned and looked up the Mystic Eon Megazord.

"Now that..." Sam grinned. "Is mega cool." David groaned and shook his head as Glace translated, both of them at last laughing as they watched the new Megazord standing victorious.

Later, the Vanishing Shrine...

The Rangers walked in the door, all of them talking eagerly about the recent fight.

"Mia, you were amazing!" Sally told her.

"Yeah!" Emma agreed. "With you on our side, Mask of Ice won't know what hit him!"

"The way you took down that Chaos Beast, singlehandedly." Matt nodded. "It was majorly impressive."

"And how about your Zord?" Sam asked. "A whole new Megazord? That's, wow! Just wow!"

"You'll fit right in with us." David told her. "No problem."

"It was great to fight with you." Phillip smiled, before frowning. "I just hope Rich will get to meet you soon."

"I want to meet him too." Mia grinned. "I can't be part of the team when I haven't even met my leader, now can I?"

As Hypnotica turned to greet them, there was a flash of green and Celebi appeared in the room. Spying the Rangers, he floated towards them.

'Good, you're all here.' he said, not seeming to notice Mia at the back. 'I found him.'

"You did?" Phillip stepped forward and Celebi turned to him, holding up the Red Eon Crystal. Phillip's heart skipped a beat. "Is he...?"

'He's fine.' Celebi promised. 'I just needed his crystal back here to open the portal. He's waiting for us as we speak. I'll need you guys' crystals.'

The group, sans Mia, nodded and handed theirs over and Celebi turned, letting them float free and form a circle in the air. Pointing the Red Crystal towards it, he fired a beam and the portal swirled open, soon revealing the image of Richard standing on the other side.

Seeing them, the Red Ranger grinned joyfully. Spinning around, he waved goodbye to somebody the others couldn't quite see before stepping through, Celebi closing the portal down afterwards and sending everyone's crystals back to them.

"Hey there, everybody!" Richard grinned. "Did you miss me?"

"You have to ask?" Phillip asked as he stepped forward. Richard grinned and grabbed his hand, pulling him in and planting a kick kiss on his lips. "You know you just made sure everyone knows, right?" Phillip asked. "Except for Sally. She already figured it out."

"All of us figured it out, Phil." Matt said. "It was apparent."
"I did not figure anything out." Sam said, looking between the two. "So, hold on, you two..." He pointed between Richard and Phillip. "You're..."

"Dating, yes." Richard told him.

"Oh. Okay then." Sam nodded. "Cool. Just wanted to make sure I got my fact straight...or, uh, not straight, as it were." David frowned and whacked him in the back of the head before giving Richard a nod of approval.

"Sooo..." Richard looked amongst the team. "Anything interesting happen while I was gone?"

'That is the question, indeed.' Celebi agreed. 'I hope you all have kept the region safe while I was hunting for you leader."

"Well, uh, we did run into some trouble." Phillip admitted. Celebi and Richard both looked to him curiously.

"But we got some help to get out of it!" Sally said. Grinning, the group parted to reveal Mia. Smiling, she waved.

"Hello." Walking forward, she held out a hand towards Richard, ignoring Celebi's shocked stare. "I'm Mia Sutherland." She held up her Morpher with her other hand. "Mystic Eon Ranger. So good to meet you, Rich!"

"Uh...hi." Richard laughed and shook her hand. "I didn't realize there was another crystal out there. Celebi, why didn't...?"

'YOU CAN'T BE HERE!' The Red Ranger stepped back in surprsie as the Legendary glared at Mia. 'WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING!?'

"Your Rangers needed help!" Mia told him. "Somebody had to do it, and I was the only one there. I'd made my own Morpher, so I figured I could..." Celebi floated forward and grabbed the front of her robes, his glare only becoming more intense.

'TELL ME HE DOESN'T KNOW!' he begged. 'TELL ME MASK OF ICE DOESN'T KNOW ABOUT YOUR CRYSTAL!'

"Celebi, calm down." Richard pleaded. "I'm sure she's..."

'I will NOT calm down!' Celebi snapped. 'Mia, does. He. Know?'

"Most likely." she admitted. "I did destroy one of his monsters, and helped form a new Megazord to destroy it again, so..." Celebi released her and floated back, clutching his head.

'This isn't happening...no, no, it can't!' Celebi started floating back and forth as if pacing, the entire group of Rangers watching him anxiously. 'There has to be a way to fix it...there has to be...some way...' He looked back to Mia and his eyes locked on the crystal and Morpher she held.

"Celebi...?" Mia asked nervously.

'I'm sorry, but you shouldn't have come.' he said. 'I'm going to have to go and...' Before he could complete the thought, there was a flash of light and the Legendary vanished from view. The Rangers' gazes all moved downward as a Master Ball hit the floor, wiggling before locking shut.

The group looked up in shock as Hypnotica stepped forward and picked it up. Sighing, she clicked it open, releasing Celebi back into the room.

For a moment, there was silence as Celebi turned to stare at her. She met his gaze, unflinching as his expression returned to furious.

'What did you do?' he demanded.

"Captured you." Hypnotica said simply.

'But...but...' Celebi seemed to be struggling to form a complete thought as he processed what had just happened to him. 'Why would you...?'

"Because you were about to try and go back in time. Try to change things so that Mia never came here. Weren't you?" Hypnotica asked.

'It's the only way!' Celebi said firmly.

"No, it's the only way you know of." Hypnotica said equally sternly. "That doesn't mean it's the right choice to make." As Celebi floated down and landed on the floor, she knelt beside him. "I promise you, I didn't arrive at this choice easily. I've been putting a lot of thought into this, ever since you shared your memories with me. What you're trying to do, studying future possibilities and changing history to try and suit them, is not the way. Now, you won't be able to, because you'll be with me all the time. And if I see you try to vanish into the past..." She held up the Master Ball. "It's back to the ball with you."

'I thought you were my friend.' Celebi said miserably.

"I am, Celebi." Hypnotica promised. "Somewhere along the way, you've lost sight of yourself. You've become just like the goddess you serve under, let her flaws become your own. But you once saw her for what she is, and I promise you, I will help you do it again."

Standing, Hypnotica turned to the Rangers.

"Mia, you can stay." she said. "Help us to defeat Mask of Ice once and for all."

'But...' Celebi started to protest, but quieted as Hypnotica glared at him. He looked to the Rangers pleadingly. 'Rangers...you've got to stop this. Please.'

Richard frowned thoughtfully before at last shaking his head.

"No...no, I don't think we will." he decided. He looked back to his team questioningly and they all nodded to indicate they would follow his lead. "You're not being harmed, and I agree with what Hypnotica is saying. I don't think you should be just changing history to suit what you think is the right path."

'Richard, listen to me.' Celebi started.

"No, you listen to us!" Richard said loud enough to make the Legendary silence himself. "We've all been discussing you lately. The whole reason we experimented with the crystals was because of you, how you just...do things, without consulting anyone, without sharing information, without getting any other opinions involved. It was because you didn't have a leash, so to speak, that we weren't sure whether we could...well, trust you, fully." He nodded to Hypnotica. "But I trust Hypnotica. She's done nothing but go out of her way to try and help us. She was the one who helped Sally control her powers, she was the one who protected Azalea while the others were rescuing me, she was the one who encouraged us to learn and experiment and gain knowledge, while you would've had us just follow blindly. So if she says that this is what needs to be done..."

"I do." Hypnotica nodded in response.

"Then it's what we'll do." Richard said. "I'm sorry, Celebi. But I think it's for the best."

"Thank you, Richard." Hypnotica placed a hand on his shoulder thankfully. "I promise you, we'll do everything we can to ensure this world's safety."

'You've already doomed it.' Celebi said quietly.

"Why?" Mia asked. Celebi glared at her, but she refused to be intimidated. "Tell us. Why does me being here doom the world? Why was it oh so important that I stay away?" Celebi glanced at Hypnotica.

"It's not my place to say, Celebi." She shook her head. "I promised you I wouldn't, and I will keep that promise. But I highly encourage you to tell them." Celebi frowned and shook his head.

'No. They would lose hope.' he said.

"Maybe you underestimate us." Phillip said.

"Yeah." Sam nodded. "Who are you to say what we can keep hope through?" The others all indicated their agreement.

'Perhaps I do, but we shall see, won't we?' Celebi said bitterly. 'I pray you all are right.' He looked to Hypnotica. 'Put me back in the damn, cursed ball. I want to be alone right now.'

"Okay..." Hypnotica said quietly, raising the Master Ball and recalling Celebi into it.

"Well..." Emma said. "That was..."

"The most awkward thing I've ever seen." David finished for her.

"So, uhm...Mia?" Richard turned to her and the Mystic Ranger looked at him curiously. "Just, uh, where did you get your crystal and powers?" Mia laughed.

"Oh dear...where to even start?" she wondered. "Well, at the beginning, I suppose." The other Rangers all sighed and moved to leave. They'd heard this story already.

Next Time on Poké Rangers: Eon Force...

Sam: So this dust is...

Diggswell: The key to our next step.

Ditgle: I'm working on Mask of Ice's request. It's a vicious one.

David: Nothing could ever split us apart, Sam. Ever.

?: Time to spread some of my powder!

Sally: What is happening with everyone?

Richard: The people are turning into monsters!

Chapter 24: Dust to Dust

Eon Force Trivia #12: Due to the timespace distortion around Sinjoh, the interior is undetectable by most outside forces. Because of this, beings like Mask of Ice and Morty were unable to sense the Mystic Crystal hidden there.

(A/N: *squee* MIA'S HERE! I've been waiting to introduce y'all to Mia, the final Ranger of our team, and her spirit Sylve, the only being to ever get Umbre to speak up XD Anyway...how bout that last scene tho? Did any of y'all see Hypnotica catching Celebi and essentially taking charge coming, or were you all as surprised as the Rangers? Really, I think these chapters fully defined for the first time the direction Celebi is going in this story, between seeing a more complete origin of the Eon Crystals and how Celebi used to be back then compared to now...there's a pretty big difference. But just how it all ends up playing out, well, that's something we'll just have to wait and see.

Extra note, if you're purely interested in Poké Rangers you can skip to the next paragraph, but if you're interested in RWBY or just seeing more of my work, go give JSMN Trailers a look-see. It's a brief glimpse towards a fic I'll be starting to post next year (I already have the first chapter written...because I like to work way ahead like that). I should have all four of them posted as you're reading this. It would really mean a lot to me if you would check it out, as it is meant to be a challenge of my ability as a writer, so the more people who can see it and give me feedback, the better.

ANYHOO, that brings us to the final chapter I've written so far. I don't even have Chapter 24 written, those next time quotes are approximations based on my plans for that chapter. I hope you all have enjoyed the new chapters, I'm certain to enjoy seeing your reactions and reviews to each of them, and I'll see you all, well, whenever I get to come back again. See you then! Mewtwo, out!)