Chapter Text
In a brilliant flash of black and navy blue, Merrick’s silver and navy Ranger suit turned completely navy blue. The gold accents turned silver, and the red eyes on his helmet turned gold. Merrick was breathing heavily as he hunched over a due to the force of the overflowing energy building up inside him. His body crackled with energy as he stood tall.
“Am I supposed to be impressed with a color change?” Kyuketsu said. “It doesn’t matter what color you morph into. I’ll end you now!”
Kyuketsu fired off crimson lightning from his twin swords at Merrick. A phantasmal wolf head erupted from the aura surrounding Merrick to block the attack. The wolf manifested a full body and let loose a monstrous howl. It loped around, attacking Kyuketsu and Brenna before stopping in front of Shayla. The wolf nudged her, healing her wounds, restoring her strength, and morphing her. The phantasmal wolf let out another howl and merged with Merrick.
The wolf transformed into black armor, donning itself on Merrick. The armor was reminiscent of Zen-Aku’s. From the boots to greaves, belt and gauntlets, chest and shoulder. Merrick even gained Zen-Aku’s coattails. Merrick’s helmet morphed to look like a blend of his helmet and Zen-Aku’s mask, including the Duke Org horn. The transformation was complete. When normally morphed, Merrick was known as the Lunar Wolf Ranger, sixth member of the Wild Force team of Power Rangers. After summoning his very own battlizer, Merrick was now known as…
“Twilight Wolf!” Merrick said as navy lightning sparked off his body.
Kyuketsu growled. “It doesn’t matter what you call yourself now, Merrick Baliton!” he spat while tightening his grip on his swords. “I’ll destroy you just the same!”
Merrick held his left hand out in front of him. “Umbral Saber.” In a spark of that same navy energy, a katana-styled sword and scabbard appeared. He held his new weapon at his left hip and took a low stance.
Kyuketsu and Brenna fired of waves of energy at Merrick, but they missed their target. Merrick had vanished with a howl in the darkness. Kyuketsu and Brenna looked around the courtyard, but only saw Shayla pretending to buff her nails. The evil Rangers heard another howl coming from behind them. They turned around and saw Merrick standing there. In a series of iaido-styled cuts and slashes, Merrick attacked Kyuketsu and Brenna relentlessly before disappearing again and reappearing beside Shayla.
Kyuketsu and Brenna struggled to get to their feet. Their Ranger powers flickering and stuttering as they tried to maintain hold of them. “This isn’t over, Merrick!” Kyuketsu roared. “Myotis!”
A horde of Myotis were summoned by Kyuketsu’s call and attacked Merrick and Shayla. Though severely outnumbered, Merrick and Shayla made short work of them, but it was enough time for Kyuketsu and Brenna to retreat to the Nyctaluzord. The evil Megazord loomed over Merrick and Shayla, raising its swords into the air.
“Your Wildzords are too weak to move, let alone form the Predazord,” Kyuketsu said. “This is where you and I finally part ways, Merrick! Say goodbye!”
“Not yet,” Merrick said. The navy Werewolf Animal Crystal started glowing. Merrick placed the crystal in the open slot on the pommel of the Umbral Saber, and drew the sword out of its scabbard, cutting through the abyssal skies. “Werewolf Zord, descend!”
A monstrous howl rumbled through the air as the massive Zord appeared from the darkness. It crawled on all fours before righting itself on its hind legs. Navy blue in color with accents of black and silver throughout its body. Glowing golden eyes piercing through the infinite black surrounding the castle. With great speed, the Werewolf Zord attacked the Nyctaluzord with razor sharp claws, nearly tearing through the evil Megazord’s armor. Merrick and Shayla jumped in the cockpit of the Zord, and Merrick placed his Umbral Saber in the single console in the cockpit.
“Werewolf Zord, Lycan Mode!” Merrick ordered.
The Werewolf Wildzord began its transformation sequence by extending and straightening out its digitigrade hind legs to form humanoid legs. The upper chest bent over so that the werewolf head formed the chest plate and revealed the head of the Lycan Mode. The front legs of the Werewolf Mode straightened out to form the arms. The tail of the Werewolf Zord attached to the left hip and became the Lycan’s katana and scabbard. The Werewolf Zord’s transformation into Lycan Mode was now complete.
Kyuketsu let out a growl. “Where did that thing come from?”
“This is the result of my power combined with Zen-Aku’s,” Merrick said. “The culmination of light embracing the dark. Our true power!”
The Werewolf Zord’s eyes flashed and drew out its sword from the scabbard. It faced down the Nyctaluzord, growling as it dashed through the evil Megazord, dealing a series of slashes. For several moments, the air stood still. Neither Megazord moved. The Werewolf Zord stood up, and slowly put its sword back into the scabbard. Once the blade was all the way in, explosions erupted on the Nyctaluzord from each of the slashes.
“I-I don’t understand!” Kyuketsu stammered as he and Brenna tried to get their Megazord on its feet. “We’re supposed to be all-powerful Rangers now! The human’s limitless potential flows in our veins!”
“You still don’t get it, do you, Eztli?” Merrick said. “It was never about being all-powerful. It was never about gaining power. It wasn’t even about becoming a Ranger. It was about using what power you had to protect those who could not protect themselves.”
“And that is why every Wildzord rejected you, Eztli,” Shayla added. “Your selfish desires did not align with their desires to protect the Earth. You had to resort to corrupting their noble spirits to suit your needs.”
“And now, we will purify their spirits!” Merrick and Shayla said together. “Howling Nocturne!”
The Werewolf Zord drew its sword out of the scabbard with lightning speed in a horizontal cut, before sheathing it back and drawing it out again in a vertical cut. Both cuts fired off a navy beam of light shaped like a crescent moon. They interlocked with each other and spun, forming a full moon in front of them. Merrick and Shayla held their swords to their faces, blade edge facing outward. From the middle of the blade, they ran their two forefingers down to the hilt of their swords. The Werewolf Zord’s eyes flashed again and mimicked the motion. Merrick and Shayla slashed downwards, and the Werewolf Zord did the same, launching the full moon at the Nyctaluzord in a blazing trail in the form of a spectral wolf.
The sphere of energy exploded upon impact, canceling out the Nyctaluzord’s combination and throwing out Kyuketsu and Brenna from the cockpit. They depowered after crashing onto the ground, and their Animal Crystals scattered into the unknown. Depowered, beaten, and furious, Kyuketsu cursed at Merrick and Shayla, and he and Brenna ran towards the castle. Merrick and Shayla jumped out of the cockpit and chased after them.