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Key warrior
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- otherworldly warrior; former owner of armorkeys (until 733-FPst)
733-FPst
As the teens tried to
think of a way to restore Leo's powers, Karone thought of a possible solution.
Karone recalled that as
Astronema, she'd once fought a powerful
warrior, an awesome opponent whose power came from two keys.
Beside a cave in a jungle on a bright green rocky
planet with white cloud wisps, probably before 601-FON1, the warrior, a man with long black hair and primitive, minimalist battle gear, had battled Astronema with a sword.
Scattered near the cave opening were two gray
boulders, each having a metal sword stuck into it, like the Quasar Sabers.
Astronema had knocked
the sword from the warrior's hand and kicked him back.
The warrior pulled off the two keys from his bicep bands to combine them, a
process which would make him invincible according to Karone's narration.
To avert the combining of the keys, Astronema had
blasted the warrior with a purple energy bolt from her staff, turning
him to stone just before he could merge the two halves.
Years later, Karone and
Leo made their way toward the cave where
spiderweb-covered skeletons (apparently three) now lay near the cave,
one with an old sword and shield lying on him, and another against a
rock with its arms splayed out as though recoiling from something;
although their cause of death is unknown, Astronema cannot be ruled out as the killer.
Karone knew the stone
warrior was inside the cave, although he'd actually been turned to stone
outside the cave.
As they approached the cave, a cobwebbed skeleton
lying against the boulders came to life, speaking in the voice of an old
man.
Parts of the
skeleton looked gray and old, whereas others looked fresh,
tannish-white.
The skeleton accused Karone, calling her Astronema, of having struck down the warrior
and daring to return.
A purple energy bolt from the skeleton's hand
pinned Leo to the ground.
The skeleton told Karone
that she had to face her past, and Astronema
appeared from a purple gleam beside him, walking up laughing; if Karone was truly good, he said, she would prevail.
Astronema told Karone that one once evil was always evil, but Karone protested, acrobatically dodging Astronema's attacks and eventually wrenching Astronema's Wrath Staff from her hands after
a few kicks.
Astronema pulled a
sword from a nearby stone, and Karone fired at
her with a purple energy bolt from the staff.
Rolling forward, Astronema grabbed Leo and
prepared to stab him, grinning evilly; she laughed deeply that it was Karone or him, but she was stunned when Karone dropped the staff and surrendered herself.
Astronema vanished in
purple energy, and the skeleton told Karone
she'd passed the test, releasing Leo with purple
energy.
The skeleton told Karone
she had proven her worthiness and could now enter, and he then shuddered
and collapsed to the ground; all of the surroundig torches then suddely
lit, and Karone lit a torch stick to enter the
cave with Leo.
In the dark cave, the stone warrior stood frozen
in the same position from years ago, but the keys were gone from his hands, startling Karone.
Nearby against another portion of the cavern
wall, a skeleton lay, with a chain draped in front of both the skeleton
and the stone warrior, almost as though
they were part of some museum exhibit; this skeleton was apparently the
fourth skeleton in the area, excluding the gatekeeping sorcerer
skeleton.
Telling the regretful Karone it wasn't her fault, Leo had them start to leave, as there was nothing
more for them there, but Karone stopped sadly
and spoke to the warrior.
Karone tearfully told
the warrior, although she didn't know whether he could hear her, that
she'd done a lot of bad things in her past, maybe angry at the whole universe, but she cried with sorrow over having
done this to him, as he'd been fighting for justice.
As Karone wished she
could take the warrior's place, her tears fell on his hand, and soon, as
she apologized to Leo, blue fissures of light
formed in the statue, and he transformed back to normal with a moving
barrier of yellow energy.
The warrior forgave Karone and presented the merged keys, saying it was now time for her to forgive
herself.
Giving Leo the keys, the warrior told Leo to take them and carry on his mission as only the
Red Ranger could, perhaps
implying that he himself was a Red Ranger.
Knowing that Leo was a Ranger who had lost his powers despite no
such topic having been spoken by Leo and Karone, the warrior told him his powers would be
restored beyond his imagination, and Leo thanked
him, honored.
With a red gleam, Leo's Transmorpher was restored after he'd taken
the keys.
After Leo had powered up as
the high-tech Red Armored Power Ranger to
destroy Magnetox, Karone told him the warrior would be proud.
"Key warrior."
Updated 5/8/05.
Edited by Joe Rovang. Content owned by Disney, used without permission.