The Hellhound's Return

Light Source, Part I

"Poisonous frog babies," Hekatoid corrected. "It's brilliant!"

Maddie shuddered. "Frogs? Why did it have to be frogs?" she whimpered.

Hekatoid hefted his hammer onto his shoulder and charged forwards.

"Look out!" Kali yelled, shoving Maddie aside and ducking under Hekatoid's first attack. She side-stepped and aimed a kick at the frog's stomach, but stumbled as she bounced harmlessly off.

Rushing, Maddie grasped her sister's hands and allowed Vida to swing her around. She landed a kick to Hekatoid's arm, knocking his hammer aside long enough for Nick to rush him and grab it. As Nick held firmly onto Hekatoid's wrist, Daggeron aimed a punch and followed up with a kick.

Hekatoid laughed and wrenched his arm out of Nick's grasps. He swung his hammer around and hit both the red ranger and Solaris Knight, knocking them away. He then turned his hammer onto Vida and Maddie, knocking them down as he blew hard into the staff, and emitted a loud horn sound.

Kali shook her head and pushed herself up, watching and waiting for an opening. She watched as Xander and Chip were thrown around before rushing in from behind as Nick attacked from the front. Hekatoid yelled in surprise but managed to flip both Rangers over and throw them to the floor.

"Aah!" Hekatoid said, blowing his horn again whilst pointing it at each Ranger individually.

The team clapped their hands over their ears as their vision blurred.

~X~

Kali blinked and pushed herself up as she landed on a soft bed of grass. The sky above her was still blue and full of white clouds; nothing to indicate that she or the others had left the city.

"Where are we?" Chip asked, standing up.

"I'm going to take a stab and say another strange dimension," said Nick, looking around.

"For a strange dimension it looks too much like home," said Kali.

Maddie nodded and stood up.

"Welcome, Rangers," Hekatoid boomed as he appeared over the team. "It's time to play my game."

Xander shook his head. "No more games. Where's Udonna?" he asked.

"Play my game or you'll never see her again," Hekatoid said.

Kali scoffed as several Styxoids and Hidiacs appeared on the opposite side of the field. "Piece of cake," she said.

"I'm not done explaining the rules," Hekatoid chided. "You only have until the clock runs out." He pointed into the air where a clock materialised.

"No problem," said Vida.

"Let's do it," said Nick.

The others nodded and charged into the throng, picking off Hidiacs and Styxoids left, right and centre. Kali ducked back to avoid the edge of a sword and kicked a Styxoid in the chest as she flipped over. The second she landed, she felt her muscles seize up and she found she couldn't move.

"I can't move!" said Xander.

"Me neither!" said Maddie, struggling against the invisible binds that held her.

Kali whipped her head around and glared up at Hekatoid. "This is cheating!" she yelled.

"My game, my rules," Hekatoid laughed. "Time's running out, Red Ranger."

"Then I'm playing this my way!" said Nick, summoning Fireheart and combining with him to the form his Red Dragon Fire Ranger mode. Wielding his batons through the air, Nick took out several Hidiacs at once, before destroying the rest with a burst of firepower.