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Centiback’s Big Comeback
(A Power Ranger Fanfic)

By: Nibblah Frog & TK Tigerkat

Chapter 1 - Rematch

High above the Earth, resting on the moon’s surface, sat the palace of Rita Repulsa and Lord Zedd. For years, the two wished for nothing less that the complete conquest of the earth. Each of them, separate or together, hatched diabolical schemes and created hideous and terrifying monsters to carry them out. But no matter how close they came to achieve their goal, the evil masterminds were stopped by the defenders of Angel Grove, the Power Rangers. Each time, their monsters were either destroyed by the rangers themselves or by their massive zords. This day, however, the two were now facing something they never had before. A monster, defeated by the rangers, returned alive.

The monster was named Centiback. When he was first molded by the skillful hands of Finster, he was supposed to be a magic Centipede. But when chance had him merge with a football, he became so much more. The monster stood a good six feet and was mostly a bulky humanoid. Around his head was a red helmet with white stripes and two long centipede feelers protruding from the top. His shoulders, arms torso, and stomach was covered by a red football pads with a white ‘100’ written on each shoulder and a white “legs” written just on the left pectoral. From his waist to his shins were skin tight white football pants with two red lines running down the outer thigh and spiked knee pads. Finally, he wore two oversized red and white cleats on his feet. The most noticeable feature of this monster was the rows of yellow insect legs that protruded out from his arms and legs, running down to his feet before finally stopping.

When this monster was first created, he had the strength and stamina to easily defeat the rangers, but his real weapon was a magic football that could transform anyone who touched it into a football themselves. With his defeat at the hands of the Red Ranger and Ninjor, his strength was all but depleted and the football destroyed. Even after three days of recuperation in the palace, his power just didn’t seem to return. While doing his best to cope with the defeat, he begged Rita and Zed day in and day out to send him back to the front lines.

“Come on, come on!” The football monster pleaded before the masters of evil as they sat on their thrones. “Give me one more shot at those power punks! I’ll blitz ‘em, tackle them, and bench them permanently! I’ll confuse them with my fancy footwork and then really make their heads spin!”

Groans of anguish and annoyance rang out from both Rita and Zedd. For them, this seemed like a nightmare they could not escape.

“Zeddie, make him stop.” Rita moaned, rubbing her temples. “He’s giving me a headache.”

“Everything gives you a headache!” Zedd barked back. “Where is that new monster?!”

“I don’t know.” Rita moaned again. “Finster! Finster!”

As if on cue, the white dog-like monster maker rushed into the throne room.

“Yes, what is it my queen?” Finster asked as he bowed to the empress of evil.

“Where’s my monster!? You said you were going to make me a new monster!”

“Indeed I am, my queen.” Finster informed in his usual polite tone. “This one will be far stronger than any monster I have ever created before. But I’m afraid it is taking some time to get the mold just right. The powers just aren’t mixing properly.”

“Well speed it up!” The witch bellowed. “I want that monster done tonight!”

“Yes Ma’am! I’ll take care of it immediately.”

Finster rushed out of the room, not wanting to incur Rita’s wrath any further. Centiback watched as his creator left and grits his sharp teeth. The monster turned and faced the two rulers once again.

“You don’t need a new monster! You guys have me! I can knock those rangers right out of the big leagues! Just give me another shot!”

Finally reaching the end of his patience, Zedd shot up from his seat with his staff in his hands. The evil warlord pointed the z shaped tip at the alien while a feeling of anger and fury filled the air.

“I’ve had just about enough out of you! We sent you to battle already and you came back on your hands and knees like the beaten animal you are! It’s time I put you out of your…”

“Wait Zeddie, maybe he’s right.” Rita interrupted, rising from her seat as well. Zedd jerked his head to face her, surprised and astonished the empress of evil would say such a thing. But as he looked at her, a familiar glint of mischief sparked in Rita’s eyes. While he couldn’t smile himself, he felt the same pleasure inside.

“We should give him a chance. If he could survive an attack from both the Power Rangers and Ninjor, he deserves that much.”

“You’re right, my sweet. He should have another chance. But does he deserve it?”

Centiback couldn’t believe what he was hearing. After all his promises and pleading, they were finally going to give him a chance. The monster quarterback jumped in the air with excitement.

“Yeah, I deserve it! Don’t worry boss, I’ll grind those rangers into the ground.”

“I’m not sure.” Zedd replied, still playing his role. “If you really mean it, you can go down and face the rangers again. But we want them sidelined permanently. If you fight, don’t come back defeated.”

“You got it coach! I’m going to smash those rangers! I’m not coming back without their coins for our trophy case!”

With another leap of joy, Centiback charged out of the throne room and headed for the exit of the palace. Rita and Zedd waited patiently for the monster to get far enough away before their sinister laughs filled the air!

“We finally got rid of that oversized pest!” Rita cheered happily, fighting the urge to embrace her husband in victory.

“Yes, those rangers will finally be useful for something.” Zedd responded, fighting the same urge as his wife. “With that maggot out of our hair, we can focus on a new plan to take out the rangers!”

Centiback sprinted down the halls of the palace, cheering with each long stride he took.

“Alright, alright! We’re gonna play a rematch rangers, and this time I’m pulling out all the stops and going for the touchdown! We’re gonna put this game into overtime!”

Reaching the entrance of the palace, Centiback cheered and beat his chest, pumping himself up more and more for the upcoming battle. In one swift move, the alien crouched down and slammed his fist to the ground. Waiting a few moments, the centipede was surprised he had not teleported. He repeated the process again and again, each time remaining where he stood before finally the monster stood back up.

“So, I can’t even do that anymore.”

Depressed, Centiback walked over to the closest wall with his head lowered and rested it again the stone, his antennas hanging down limp off his head.

“Ah who am I kidding? There’s no way I could beat Zordon’s lousy team as I am. I should just face it. I’ve been sidelined. I’ve hit the showers. I’ve been cut!”

“Now that’s quite enough.”

Centiback jumped to his feet and turned to face the voice. The insect was surprised to find Finster, his creator, was the source. The monster maker walked up to the alien calmly, not intimidated by the obvious difference in size between them.

“What are you talking about?” Centiback questioned. “We both know there’s no way I can pull this game plan off. I’m a worthless benchwarmer. A water boy has more use than me.”

“No monster is worthless.” Finster elaborated, keeping a stern look in his eyes. “I have made monsters for the queen for thousands of years. Each time they were sent off to battle and each time they were eventually defeated. Those monsters are my children. I morn them when they are killed, but at the same time I’m happy they had the chance to fight the forces of good. You are lucky. You are the only monster I know to have returned from battle with the power rangers. I refuse to let you be defeated before battle and I refuse to let you go unprepared.”

Centiback’s antenna curled up and rubbed together, displaying his confusion.

“But you are working on a monster to replace me. The team is going to get a new star player.”

A sly smirk appeared on the monster maker’s lips at the insect’s remark.

“I would never let a monster be thrown away, even if I had to disobey her highness. The truth is that I have not been working on a new monster. I believed that if I made those two wait enough, they would send you out. It seems I was correct. What I’ve really been doing is making a way to give you a fighting chance.”

Reaching down, Finster fished in the pockets of his apron. With a soft “ah ha”, he pulled out a small protein bar wrapped in a bright copper foil.

“Here, eat this.”

Centiback looked at his creator with caution. Truth be told, he had a hard time believing that the monster maker would dare betray Rita or go against her wishes. None the less, a snack sounded good at that moment. Reaching down, the monster snatched the bar from Finster and tore into the wrapping.

“Well, bottoms up.”

Centiback reached into his helmet and dropped the bar into his mouth. His sharp teeth crunched and mashed the bar into a fine paste before he let it slide down his throat. His lips watered heavily as the sweet flavor danced on his taste buds.

“Hey, that was pretty good. What did you put in that?”

“It is made of ground bull horn, chopped moth wings, cheetah nail trimmings, a little raw sewage, and some rotting berries for flavor.” Finster explained. “I call it Monster Milk. But flavor is not all it has. Just wait.”

Centiback’s feelers twitched with confusion. The chewed up protein bar finished its journey and dropped into the stomach, activating the special formula. Centiback’s body suddenly perked up, even his antennas were sticking up strait in the air. Every muscle on his body started to tense up and suddenly relax, going back and forth in a pleasing way. It felt like his body was getting a strong message in every place at once. Soon, he could feel the blood pump through his muscles and let out a few pleasing moans. After a few minutes of intense message, the process slowed down to a stop.

But just when he though the effects of the bar were finished, a sudden jolt of energy proved him wrong. Power seemed to pulse through his entire being and Centiback couldn’t contain it.

“Whoa whoa whoa!!”

The quarterback stretched out his arms and started bouncing up and down, performing jumping jacks at high speed to work with the energy. After a few minutes of bouncing, Centiback put his feet together and fell to the floor, palms striking the stone floor. With his weight against the ground, he began to push himself up and down, getting as close to the ground as he could without his chest hitting before rising up again.

“Ah! This feels great! I feel like a rookie who just got into the big time!” Centiback announced as he performed his pushups.

Finster chuckled at the antics of the pumped up quarterback. He felt a flicker of joy and pride from the sight of this wonderful change in disposition and mood. The monster maker was happy that this monster, perhaps his finest creation, was now so full of life when he was just drowning in despair.

“You should be back to full health now. The Monster Milk is specially formulated to return a monster back to the peak of their power.”

After he felt he could control the sudden burst of power, Centiback pushed off the floor and flipped onto his feet, rather gracefully despite his bulky size. The football monster stretched his arms out and pulled them up, flexing his well developed biceps and grinning each time he felt the blood pump into the muscle.

“I’ve never felt this good in my life!” The centipede announced, putting his arms back down. “But I still don’t have my pigskin.”

“Well, try visualizing the football in your hands.” Finster suggested.

Centiback nodded to his creator and, despite the surges of energy pulsing through him, closed his eyes and focused on his hands. In his mind, he could clearly picture the football that had been with him since his birth and was torn away from him by the power rangers. The football was three or four times the size of a regular earth football with blue and white stripes marked on it. A row of large yellow spikes struck out of the football just before the blue line and on one end were markings that looked like the face of a shark. Centiback felt a twinge of joy at the thought of his old companion, but at the same time felt the pain of his loss.

As he focused, small sparks of red energy began to form between his hands. These sparks twinkled and grew, turning into streams of red energy that shot back and forth between his palms. The more he thought of the football, the more beams joined in, surging back and forth and merging together. In a bright flash of red light, his old football materialized into his claws. Centiback felt the weight drop into his hands and opened his eyes to see his long lost weapon had returned to him.

“No way! It worked! I got my pigskin back! Now I can get those rangers! Their season is officially over! I’m going to turn each and every one of them into my personal football collection.”

Centiback grinned as he slipped his clawed fingers between the laces of the football, squeezing the thick rubber with a feeling of nostalgia.

“Unfortunately that will have to wait.” Finster informed, pulling the quarterback out of his trance. “The Monster Milk was able to return all the strength of your body, as well as your weapon and your power of teleportation. However, you will have to recover enough power to transform others on your own. Do not worry; I’m sure you can defeat those rangers without the need to transform.”

Centiback looked at the old imp with his feelers drooping a little. He wasn’t so sure, as he had only got as close as he did before because of the power of his oversized pig skin. At the same time, Finster could feel his concern.

“However, I do have something else for you. If you find the odds unfavorable with the rangers, I would ask that you use this without hesitation.”

Reaching back into his apron pocket, Finster fished out the object and brought it before Centiback. In his hand rested a large whistle. It was a bright crimson red and had the letters “C B” inscribed in white on its sides. Centiback’s feelers twitched as he reached forward and took the whistle from Finster’s hands. While it looked like an ordinary whistle, he could feel a warm wave of energy flowing within it.

“What’ll this do?”

“That, I will leave you to find out.” The monster maker answered playfully. “I will say that if you are cornered, it will guarantee your victory.”

The insect looked from the whistle back to the old imp. He felt warmth and joy burst in his heart for this monster maker. In a fast movement Finster couldn’t see coming, Centiback rushed forward and wrapped his arms around the imp, pulling him against his chest in a tight embrace. Finster didn’t know how to react to this situation. He had never felt so close to a monster before. The monster molder only rested his head against the football padding and put his own arms around as much of Centiback’s bulky frame as he could. After a few moments, the two released their hold and separated.
With a new vigor in his step, Centiback turned his back to Finster and marched over to the doors of the palace.

“Thank you. Thank you for everything. I know I’ll defeat the rangers now. I’m going to crash through their defense and win the game for our team. Don’t worry about me. I’ll win the game for sure! All because of you. Thank you….dad.”

Finster’s ears shot up and he let out a slight gasp of surprise. He tried to speak, but the words wouldn’t come as Centiback crouched and struck the ground, teleporting in a flash of red light. Minutes passed as Finster remained in the same spot. For the first time, he felt the paternal bond between himself and a monster. The feelings of pride and love were new to Finster, as the thought of children at his age was distant. Now he felt as though a new piece had been added to his very soul and made him

“Good luck…son.”

Chapter 2 - Kickoff

Down in Angel Grove, Tommy, Kimberly, and Rocky had hit the streets after finishing another day at Angel Grove high. While the white and pink rangers were in high spirits, Rocky was quite the opposite.

“Look man, you have to keep your cool about this.” Tommy advised in a calm tone. “You’re going to do fine.”

“Are you kidding?” Rocky responded, keeping his eyes to the ground. “Mr. Wilton’s test is tomorrow and I’m horrible in science class. If I don’t pass this, I won’t be able to try out for sports this year.”

“That’s why we’re going a study group at Billy’s house.” Kimberly reminded, trying to calm the red ranger. “If there’s anyone who can help you study, it’s him.”

“You just need to believe in yourself Rocky.” The white ranger added. “You’ll do fine.”
Rocky smiled at his friends. But that warmth was soon torn away when his head jerked up with a sudden realization.

“Crud, I left the text book back in my locker.”

Kimberly and Tommy both stopped in their tracks.

“What?” Tommy reacted with a surprised tone. “Why’d you leave it?”

“The school’s going to close any minute now.” Kimberly added with an urgent tone.
Without a moment more, Rocky turned on a heel and started to dash back towards the school. As he sprinted, he called back to his friends.

“If I hurry and cut through the football field, I can get to my locker before they lock up! Go on ahead and tell the gang I’ll be there soon.”

With another burst of speed, Rocky turned the corner and vanished from sight.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Passing through the gate to the football field, Rocky felt the wind against his face as he ran back towards school, annoyed with himself and hoping he would get to his locker before the halls closed. Taking the shortest route to the school buildings, Rocky cut diagonally across the field as his mind was preoccupied with his impending science test.

Suddenly Rocky saw a flash out of the corner of his eye as something was coming towards him from above. Distracted with his studies, Rocky couldn’t get out of the way in time, looking up to see a larger-than-usual football heading right towards him. Rocky could only hold his hands up and cover his head to brace for the impact.

The football hit Rocky square on the wrist as the resulting explosion blew his communicator to pieces and knocked the ranger onto his back.

“And the pass connects! That’s a first down for the home team, with the ball in the red zone!”

Rocky looked up and saw a familiar sight - the monster Centiback was again standing before him on the same football field where they had originally faced off. Rocky quickly got to his feet and dusted himself off, facing the monster and taking on a fighting stance.

“Centiback! Didn’t you learn anything last time after we stomped you like a bug?”

“It was a lucky touchdown at the end of the fourth quarter. And now I’m back for the rematch!” Centiback shook a claw at Rocky and pulled another spiked football from behind his back, throwing it at Rocky.

The ranger easily dodged the second football and came to a crouch, but when he pulled his wrist around he noticed his communicator was blown to bits.

“Hey! No illegal substitutions! It’s just you and me bud!”

When Rocky turned to run, Centiback threw a pair of well-aimed footballs that landed just ahead of him blocking his escape.

“Where are you going ranger? The game’s just about to begin!” the bulky bug laughed and pulled another football out, holding it up ready to throw.

Rocky clenched his fist as he turned to face Centiback. He didn’t have time for this! His blood was beginning to boil.

“Alright bug breath! I beat you once, I’ll beat you again! It’s morphin’ time!”

Rocky grabbed his morpher and thrust it forward, his power coin glowing as a red spandex power ranger suit appeared and encased his body with its power.

“That’s more like it ranger! Now that you’re in proper gear, it’s game time!”

Centiback rushed forward and tried to tackle Rocky, the red ranger flipping out of the way before landing two kicks to the monster’s back. Claws swiped out at the ranger, but a quick hop pulled Rocky out of harm’s way leaving him open to step in and land a punch. Rocky’s fist felt like it hit a block of concrete as it impacted against Centiback’s pads, making the ranger shake his hand in pain as the insect gave him a hard shove back.

‘Ugh…he’s even tougher than last time,’ Rocky thought to himself as he held his throbbing side. ‘I think it’s time to change the game.’

Rocky jumped back and pulled out his blade blaster, turning it to laser mode and sending a volley of laser fire towards Centiback. The monster was too big to avoid and took the shots directly in his chest, sending him reeling back in a shower of sparks.

“OOooooowwwww! No fair! Use of an illegal weapon is against the rules!” Centiback shuffled his feet and tossed another pair of footballs at Rocky. With a cartwheel and a flip the ranger deftly avoided each explosion, landing in a crouch and blasting the insect again with deadly accuracy.

Centiback kept throwing footballs, but with each laser blast he felt his powers weaken. The monster stumbled noticeably as the footballs looked to be heavier in his claws. Rocky knew he had him on the ropes.

“Not much of a comeback, beetle brain! I think it’s time I make you hang up your pads and retire…permanently!”

Rocky pulled his ranger sword from its sheath and brandished it threateningly at the staggering bug, preparing himself to strike the final blow.

For the first time since eating the Monster‘s Milk bar, Centiback felt his confidence wane. He stepped back out of the action in an attempt to regroup, but the ranger kept up his assault as he rushed towards the monster.

“Hiiiiiiyyyyyaaaaahhh!!” the red ranger cried as he jumped in the air towards Centiback with the sword held high.

Feeling like he was about to panic, Centiback remembered the paternalistic advice from his father, telling him to blow his whistle should he get into trouble. As Rocky flew towards him, the centipede pulled out the small red and white whistle with the letters “C B”, put it up to his mouth and blew.

*Tweeeeeeeeeeet!!!*

The sound of the whistle pierced Rocky’s ears as he felt himself suddenly seize up in mid-swing. He returned to the earth harmlessly a step away from Centiback, his hands frozen in place above his head.

“The play is over ranger! No tackling after the whistle!”

“Why….can’t I…move….ughh!” Rocky shook with force and finally broke free of his stance. Having lost his momentum, he was forced to jump back out of the way of the monster’s slashing claws.

“It’s about time you played by the rules ranger!” Centiback held his sides and laughed at the ranger, taking a confident step towards the red ranger, with the whistle held out prominently in his claws.

“Illegal use of weapon…five yard penalty!” *Tweeeeeeettt!!!*

Rocky rushed forward to try and knock the whistle out of the monster’s claws, but as soon as he heard it the ranger suddenly felt compelled to stop in place. Centiback laughed as a confused red ranger tried to move, only succeeding in wiggling a fraction of an inch. The monster stepped forward and easily smacked Rocky with his claws, sending him spinning backwards fifteen feet in a explosion of sparks.

The ranger writhed on the ground at the pain of the blow, pulling himself to his feet to find the centipede monster approaching him slowly.

‘What is that whistle doing to me?’ Rocky thought as he backed away trying to rethink his strategy. ‘Keep your distance Rocky…you almost had him with your power sword. A few more laser blasts, a slice from your sword…’

“I‘m marching into your territory ranger,” Centiback said, stopping to put his hands on his sides. “I hope you’ve got something in that defensive playbook of yours, because it looks like the tide is turning for team Centiback!”

“I’ll never play your game bug breath!” the red ranger yelled in frustration.
Rocky reached down for his blade-blaster, but before his hand could get there he heard the shrill whistle again. Feeling a surge of energy within himself, Rocky was compelled to rush forward.

“Get outta your huddle and get to the line of scrimmage ranger. The 30 second clock is ticking down on this play!”

*Tweeeeeeeeet!*

With the second whistle the red ranger bent his knees and fell into a set position, one hand firmly planted in the ground with his head up like a lineman ready to meet the oncoming rush. Stuck frozen in place, Rocky could only watch as the Centiback walked up and got into a set position directly across from him.

Rocky panicked as with each whistle he could feel himself lose control of his muscles and fall back on instinct, a sudden euphoria coming over him that conjured up the same emotions as when he was playing in the homecoming game against their teams rivals. It was that same fervor he felt after an inspiring speech from the coach fired him up before they came out of the locker room, and it came on so suddenly that it frightened the ranger at how real the emotions were.

“Down! Set! Hike!” *Tweeeeeeeet!*

A mania gripped Rocky as he reacted to the whistle like he was in the middle of a game, and everything was on the line. With a primal roar he and the monster rushed forward and rammed into each other. Rocky felt his adrenaline pumping in his veins as he grabbed the bulked-up insect’s pads, dug his feet into the ground and pushed him with all his strength. The red ranger marveled at the monster’s power, even feeling a bit of admiration for the centipede’s huge muscles and chiseled football physique.

“That’s more like it! Feels good to get in the game, doesn’t it?” Centiback grabbed the ranger with his claws and shoved back. His superior size and strength was apparent as the two grappled, overpowering the ranger and pushing Rocky back easily.

The competitive spirit came alive in Rocky, the ranger grunted as he mustered up energy from within to push back against the bug. He managed to halt his progress, but the exploding footballs had left him weakened as with a mighty push Centiback shoved the ranger off balance and body slammed him to the ground.

“And that’s a sack for team Centiback in the end zone! Two points for me!” the monster cheered as he got up off the ranger and pumped his claws into the air, his antennae fluttering excitedly from his helmet.

The tackle knocked the wind out of Rocky as the rush of football spirit left him. He stood up slowly, regaining his senses and wondering what just happened.

“Hey you’re looking good there ranger! Good to see you’re finally taking the game seriously and getting some real football gear!”

The oddness of Centiback’s remark struck Rocky, staring at the monster with a confused look as he readied himself for the next attack. His legs shifted into a fighting stance almost automatically, but something felt odd about his lower half. It felt bulkier and more heavy somehow.

Looking down, Rocky gasped as he saw where his ranger uniform used to be was now a pair of oversized cleats and padded football pants. The cleats were a deep red with a white multi-legged swoosh running down the side and the pants were all white with two red stripes running down the sides, both identical to Centiback’s uniform but without the many legs sticking out. In addition, Rocky’s legs and feet were had swollen in size and form to that of a bodybuilder’s, and he could feel his bulked up muscles twitching with power.

Centiback smiled as the ranger stumbled back in surprise, the shock of what was happening to him sapping his confidence by the second.

‘This whistle is just what I needed to beat the rangers!’ Centiback thought to himself as a claw traced along the red and white instrument. He could feel the whistle draining the ranger’s power and flowing into him with each blow, as if his energy was mixing with the ranger’s own spirit and making them one unit. He was beginning to appreciate the ranger’s body and competitive spirit, and the stronger the connection became the more Centiback wanting to impose control and mold him in his image.

“I think you got what it takes to be great, kid, but you‘re going to need much more training before you can join team Centiback!” the monster stepped forward non-threateningly and faced the reeling ranger, who looked up from his daze at the insect.

“W….what are you doing to me?” Rocky sputtered as he backed up. Looking down at his waist, he saw that his power coin was starting to change color, the brilliant gold of the coin slowly being taken over by a black tarnish, clearly showing the corruption of the ranger’s power.

“Every time I blow this whistle, I drain your energy and pump you up with mine! Pretty soon all that useless ranger training will be gone and you’ll be the ultimate football player!”

“Never!” Rocky said as he used all of his willpower to overcome the growing football mania inside him rushing forward and pulling his sword out in an all-out attack.

*Tweeeeeeet!*

“Illegal forward motion! Another rookie mistake! Drop and give me 20, maggot! Count ‘em off!”

*Tweeeeeeet!*

Rocky felt a double surge of energy flood his brain and overpower his senses, stopping dead in his tracks and dropping to the ground in a pushup position. Without thinking, he began to do pushups, counting off each one obediently. With each rep he could feel the power growing inside him, feeling his muscles throb and pulse growing bigger by the minute.

Centiback came over to the ranger, placing a cleat on his back as he stood over him.
“It’s no use to resist it ranger. Once you get football fever, there’s no cure!” the monster said, folding his arms and laughing triumphantly. He couldn’t help but notice how bulked up Rocky was getting, and though he wouldn’t admit it, he was becoming quite fond of the ranger and couldn’t wait to add him to his team.

“Check it out my maggot, the training is already paying off! You’re already bulking up nicely,” Centiback said as he reached down to give Rocky’s shoulder a squeeze, watching it swell up from a toned look into giant bulging muscles. His ranger uniform was already starting to tighten with the added mass, the red of his ranger color darkening into a crimson.

Rocky finished the pushups and stood up immediately, fighting his frenzied state as he wobbled on his feet. He could feel the monster’s power flowing through him, an insatiable eagerness to compete and win and to submit your will to the team and its goal to win.
What remained of Rocky’s rational mind was scared at how overpowering the feelings were, and how his world was becoming a tunnel vision of football and was blocking out every other thought in his head.

“There may just be hope for you yet…this larva may just grow into an adult centipede after all! Look…your antennae are even starting to grow in!”

Rocky’s eyes widened at the monster’s comment, his hands slowly going up to his head and letting out a shout as he felt two small nubs sticking out of his forehead that wiggled at his touch.

“Now you’ll be able to hear every command loud and clear!” Centiback laughed as his antennae twitched, Rocky’s tiny antennae twitching in unison.

“We’re almost done with your training my larva protege, but we need to knock that last bit of ranger out of you.”

*Tweeeeeeeet!* “Go long!”

Without hesitation Rocky took off down the field, pumping his bulked-up legs as fast as he could. Centiback took out a giant spiked football and tossed it into the air towards Rocky, the ranger running under it and obediently holding his hands out to catch it. The football exploded in his arms and knocked him on his back, but with a quick tweet of the whistle Rocky was back on his feet and ready for the next ball.

The ranger’s muscles were exhausted and his grip on his mind was waning, but the frenzy of thoughts in his head kept him helplessly eager to catch each explosive pass. After the third knock back Rocky could barely get to his feet, even with the whistle.

Centiback rushed up to Rocky, clapping his claws excitedly.

“That’s the spirit you need to be part of the team! You take a licking and keep on ticking! I think you’ve earned your uniform ranger!”

The monster took out his whistle and blew hard into it. Instead of stopping, he sustained the shrill blast. He could feel the power of Finster’s magic whistle working on the ranger, his resistance all but obliterated by his ‘training’. Now the pure spirit of football zeal poured into Rocky, draining all his human personality and desires and adding it to the monster’s power. Centiback felt every bit of the stolen energy fill him up, making his muscles pulse with power.

Rocky stumbled about and tried to put his hands up to block the sound, but his uniform quickly swelled into oversized football pads and stopped him from even dampening the hypnotic whistling. The ranger’s whole body grew as each muscle bulged out in turn, giving him an exaggerated upper body to match even his bulked up lower half. His uniform changed as well as a giant number 99 appeared on his front and back. The name “DeSantos” wrote itself across the top of his back, and stripes raced along the sleeve of his pads with a pair of ‘99’s on each arm.

www.deviantart.com/nibblahfrog…

Inside his head, Rocky was fighting for his mind with every last bit of his will. The added feeling of being bulked up from head to toe helped pump the adrenaline even faster, and the football uniform he was wearing became a entrapping cocoon that amplified football frenzy. He knew he had to escape, or he’d be trapped forever.

‘Gotta fight it Rocky…can’t let the suit control me…it’s fourth and long and we’re down by a touchdown, and it’s up to me to win it for team Centiback…wait, what am I saying?’

“Alright my boy…this is your final test. I’m going to make you earn this one. I want you to take on the official Centiback tackling sled. If you do well, you’re become part of team Centiback…permanently!”

A part of Rocky’s mind cried out, but the voice was quickly lost in a flood of excited thoughts.

‘I’ll be on the team? Awesome! I can’t wait to go out and show the coach what I can do! Lemme at that tackling sled! No Rocky…think of the other rangers! But if I just finish this last drill, I’ll make the team! Think how proud they’ll be!’

Walking up casually Centiback stood before Rocky, admiring his creation with a pleased flicker of his antennae, his protégé returning the praise with an excited nod.

The monster looked down and saw that the ranger’s power coin was almost completely black. He knew it was time to seal the deal.

The monster turned to his right, his antennas sending out a golden blast of energy the struck the field and suddenly grew into a tackling sled, consisting of 5 life-sized man-shaped pads connected to a single heavy metal sled. The sled was modified to match the centipede, with white and red dummied with centipede faces and even antennae popping out of the top of each dummy.

“Go give me 50 reps on each dummy, then report back to me. But first…give me your helmet.”

“Yes coach!” Rocky took a step forward and bowed his head subserviently. Centiback reached down and pulled the helmet from the ranger’s head and revealing Rocky’s face. Centiback looked down and saw a dedicated, eager face that looked up to him with a sincere look of admiration and even affection in his eyes.

“Atta boy! Now go show your coach what you can do! You‘re gonna be my star player!”

Centiback watched Rocky run towards the tackling sled, he felt a tinge of pride at the insect the ranger was becoming. He swelled with paternal pride, matching that of his ‘father’ Finster and feeling the same toward his new ‘son’.

Rocky attacked the sled with ferocious tenacity, slamming into each with his pads over and over, counting off each one. Centiback could see the antennae of each dummy spark a bolt of energy into the ranger’s head with each tackle, his specially-designed sled draining his energy and reinforcing his training with every jarring blow.

As Rocky tackled his way deeper into Centiback’s control, the insect monster stood holding the ranger’s helmet in his claws. He looked at the helmet, in his head envisioning the ranger’s final transformation. His antennae began to twitch excitedly as the images got stronger, pictures of a loyal Rocky centipede mixing in with thoughts of Finster and the redemption of his prior defeat. His antennae began to glow as thoughts of his team growing stronger amplified the feelings exponentially. All the paternal love, football zeal and Centiback spirit coalesced in the monster’s antennae and suddenly shot out in a bolt of pure energy, zapping the ranger helmet and encasing it in a brilliant bronze glow as his spirit poured in and started to taint the ranger‘s headgear.

“Yes…you’re my prized recruit ranger…you’re not only going to help me win the game, you’re going to help me win the championship! With your help, my buggy protégé, Angel Grove is going to become a town of ravenous football fans!”

Centiback watched on with pride as his power flowed into the helmet. Slowly it began to change, growing and opening in the front as two metal bars crossed it to create a facemask. With a finishing zap two holes opened up to allow antennae through, and Centiback held the completed football helmet in his claws, an identical copy of the Centiback’s own, only smaller.

Rocky finished his reps and hustled back to greet Centiback, panting heavily but holding his head high hoping to impress the coach. The rangers eyes were completely glazed over, the relentless draining from the magic tackling sled sapping out the last remaining bits of his former personality and leaving a completely loyal player under his coach’s control.

“Nice work on the sled rookie! You passed with flying colors!" Centiback stepped forward and put a congenial claw on Rocky's pads, the teen beaming proudly unable to contain his excitement.

"Now are you ready to don the helmet and join the team?” Centiback yelled with enthusiasm, pumping his fist in the air.

“Yeah!! Put me in coach! I’m ready to go! I wanna get in there and win one for team Centiback!!” Rocky yelled at the top of his lungs, jumping up and down excitedly as he couldn't take his eyes off the football helmet held out in front of him like a prize.

"Alright., it's time for the larva to become the centipede," Centiback said, holding the helmet up high. "You've made me proud, my boy. Now put on your helmet and complete your transformation to the star player on team Centiback!"

Rocky took the helmet in his hands, his mouth agape looking on it with pure awe. He felt the power flowing through his hands, giving him a charge and leaving him breathless as he lifted up the helmet. He could hear the sounds of the cheering crowd in his head, taste the exhilaration of scoring the winning touchdown coursing through him, and feel the camaraderie of being completely loyal to his team. He was never more sure of anything in his life as he plunged the helmet down over his head. It instantly bonded to his pads, sealing the ranger in completely.

"Yeah! I can feel it...team Centiback is back in action, with Rocky leading the way! Gimme that football! Throw me that pass! We're gonna stomp and tromp our opponents and send them home crying!" Rocky held up his fist and clenched them tight as the magic of the suit flowed through him. With every excited chant the power surged, his frenzy starting to fuel physical changes now as Rocky's antennae begin to lengthen and his hands began changing into armored claws.

"That's the spirit! Let's hear it! Who's gonna win!"

"Team Centiback!" Rocky said pumping his fist into the air, spikes thrusting out from his arm pads and knee pads.

"Who are we gonna beat?!" Centiback said, testing his new subject's loyalty.

"The Power Rangers!" Rocky said with out missing a beat, making Centiback smile and several legs popping from his forearms and thighs.

"What are we gonna do to the rangers?"

"We're gonna stomp them up and down the field, then turn them all into footballs as trophies!" more legs popped out with Rocky's excited leaps, his chest padding growing spikes as well.

Without a word, Centiback held out a shark-mouthed spiked football. Rocky took it eagerly and tucked it under his arm, feeling the power surge through him as he looked at the world in a whole new light. It was all about the team now, the thrill of the victory, and listening to coach to help them get the win. He felt a dizzying elation and a true affection as he gazed upon Centiback, admiring his creator's giant muscled physique - a good 30% larger than his own.

Centiback looked on with a true pride, feeling a paternal connection as being responsible for the new Centiback's creation. Savoring the moment, he watched as the last of Rocky's power coin turned black, the icon changing from a dinosaur to a picture of a football with a centipede wrapped around it. With a final flash, dozens of legs grew out of Rocky's side into full Centipede legs, hand claws grew in fully and face pushed out into armored faceplate. Rocky's fervent smile became a big toothy grin, two red beady eyes peering out from behind the facemask.

"How does it feel?"

"It's the best! I'm part of the team! Wait until the rangers get a load of me...they won't know what hit them!" the ex-ranger jumped up and down, his antennae waving excitedly.

The monster looked at the whistle in his hands, marveling at what it had done. He felt the ranger under his complete control, and now twice as strong as he was when he first fought the rangers.

"We did it...we're gonna beat the rangers! I'm gonna win it for you...dad!"

The two Centibacks gave each other heart-felt chest bumps and teleported away together to plot their next move.

Description
Centiback’s Big Comeback
(A Power Ranger Fanfic)

By: Nibblah Frog & TK Tigerkat

Chapter 1 - Rematch

High above the Earth, resting on the moon’s surface, sat the palace of Rita Repulsa and Lord Zedd. For years, the two wished for nothing less that the complete conquest of the earth. Each of them, separate or together, hatched diabolical schemes and created hideous and terrifying monsters to carry them out. But no matter how close they came to achieve their goal, the evil masterminds were stopped by the defenders of Angel Grove, the Power Rangers. Each time, their monsters were either destroyed by the rangers themselves or by their massive zords. This day, however, the two were now facing something they never had before. A monster, defeated by the rangers, returned alive.

The monster was named Centiback. When he was first molded by the skillful hands of Finster, he was supposed to be a magic Centipede. But when chance had him merge with a football, he became so much more. The monster stood a good six feet and was mostly a bulky humanoid. Around his head was a red helmet with white stripes and two long centipede feelers protruding from the top. His shoulders, arms torso, and stomach was covered by a red football pads with a white ‘100’ written on each shoulder and a white “legs” written just on the left pectoral. From his waist to his shins were skin tight white football pants with two red lines running down the outer thigh and spiked knee pads. Finally, he wore two oversized red and white cleats on his feet. The most noticeable feature of this monster was the rows of yellow insect legs that protruded out from his arms and legs, running down to his feet before finally stopping.

When this monster was first created, he had the strength and stamina to easily defeat the rangers, but his real weapon was a magic football that could transform anyone who touched it into a football themselves. With his defeat at the hands of the Red Ranger and Ninjor, his strength was all but depleted and the football destroyed. Even after three days of recuperation in the palace, his power just didn’t seem to return. While doing his best to cope with the defeat, he begged Rita and Zed day in and day out to send him back to the front lines.

“Come on, come on!” The football monster pleaded before the masters of evil as they sat on their thrones. “Give me one more shot at those power punks! I’ll blitz ‘em, tackle them, and bench them permanently! I’ll confuse them with my fancy footwork and then really make their heads spin!”

Groans of anguish and annoyance rang out from both Rita and Zedd. For them, this seemed like a nightmare they could not escape.

“Zeddie, make him stop.” Rita moaned, rubbing her temples. “He’s giving me a headache.”

“Everything gives you a headache!” Zedd barked back. “Where is that new monster?!”

“I don’t know.” Rita moaned again. “Finster! Finster!”

As if on cue, the white dog-like monster maker rushed into the throne room.

“Yes, what is it my queen?” Finster asked as he bowed to the empress of evil.

“Where’s my monster!? You said you were going to make me a new monster!”

“Indeed I am, my queen.” Finster informed in his usual polite tone. “This one will be far stronger than any monster I have ever created before. But I’m afraid it is taking some time to get the mold just right. The powers just aren’t mixing properly.”

“Well speed it up!” The witch bellowed. “I want that monster done tonight!”

“Yes Ma’am! I’ll take care of it immediately.”

Finster rushed out of the room, not wanting to incur Rita’s wrath any further. Centiback watched as his creator left and grits his sharp teeth. The monster turned and faced the two rulers once again.

“You don’t need a new monster! You guys have me! I can knock those rangers right out of the big leagues! Just give me another shot!”

Finally reaching the end of his patience, Zedd shot up from his seat with his staff in his hands. The evil warlord pointed the z shaped tip at the alien while a feeling of anger and fury filled the air.

“I’ve had just about enough out of you! We sent you to battle already and you came back on your hands and knees like the beaten animal you are! It’s time I put you out of your…”

“Wait Zeddie, maybe he’s right.” Rita interrupted, rising from her seat as well. Zedd jerked his head to face her, surprised and astonished the empress of evil would say such a thing. But as he looked at her, a familiar glint of mischief sparked in Rita’s eyes. While he couldn’t smile himself, he felt the same pleasure inside.

“We should give him a chance. If he could survive an attack from both the Power Rangers and Ninjor, he deserves that much.”

“You’re right, my sweet. He should have another chance. But does he deserve it?”

Centiback couldn’t believe what he was hearing. After all his promises and pleading, they were finally going to give him a chance. The monster quarterback jumped in the air with excitement.

“Yeah, I deserve it! Don’t worry boss, I’ll grind those rangers into the ground.”

“I’m not sure.” Zedd replied, still playing his role. “If you really mean it, you can go down and face the rangers again. But we want them sidelined permanently. If you fight, don’t come back defeated.”

“You got it coach! I’m going to smash those rangers! I’m not coming back without their coins for our trophy case!”

With another leap of joy, Centiback charged out of the throne room and headed for the exit of the palace. Rita and Zedd waited patiently for the monster to get far enough away before their sinister laughs filled the air!

“We finally got rid of that oversized pest!” Rita cheered happily, fighting the urge to embrace her husband in victory.

“Yes, those rangers will finally be useful for something.” Zedd responded, fighting the same urge as his wife. “With that maggot out of our hair, we can focus on a new plan to take out the rangers!”

Centiback sprinted down the halls of the palace, cheering with each long stride he took.

“Alright, alright! We’re gonna play a rematch rangers, and this time I’m pulling out all the stops and going for the touchdown! We’re gonna put this game into overtime!”

Reaching the entrance of the palace, Centiback cheered and beat his chest, pumping himself up more and more for the upcoming battle. In one swift move, the alien crouched down and slammed his fist to the ground. Waiting a few moments, the centipede was surprised he had not teleported. He repeated the process again and again, each time remaining where he stood before finally the monster stood back up.

“So, I can’t even do that anymore.”

Depressed, Centiback walked over to the closest wall with his head lowered and rested it again the stone, his antennas hanging down limp off his head.

“Ah who am I kidding? There’s no way I could beat Zordon’s lousy team as I am. I should just face it. I’ve been sidelined. I’ve hit the showers. I’ve been cut!”

“Now that’s quite enough.”

Centiback jumped to his feet and turned to face the voice. The insect was surprised to find Finster, his creator, was the source. The monster maker walked up to the alien calmly, not intimidated by the obvious difference in size between them.

“What are you talking about?” Centiback questioned. “We both know there’s no way I can pull this game plan off. I’m a worthless benchwarmer. A water boy has more use than me.”

“No monster is worthless.” Finster elaborated, keeping a stern look in his eyes. “I have made monsters for the queen for thousands of years. Each time they were sent off to battle and each time they were eventually defeated. Those monsters are my children. I morn them when they are killed, but at the same time I’m happy they had the chance to fight the forces of good. You are lucky. You are the only monster I know to have returned from battle with the power rangers. I refuse to let you be defeated before battle and I refuse to let you go unprepared.”

Centiback’s antenna curled up and rubbed together, displaying his confusion.

“But you are working on a monster to replace me. The team is going to get a new star player.”

A sly smirk appeared on the monster maker’s lips at the insect’s remark.

“I would never let a monster be thrown away, even if I had to disobey her highness. The truth is that I have not been working on a new monster. I believed that if I made those two wait enough, they would send you out. It seems I was correct. What I’ve really been doing is making a way to give you a fighting chance.”

Reaching down, Finster fished in the pockets of his apron. With a soft “ah ha”, he pulled out a small protein bar wrapped in a bright copper foil.

“Here, eat this.”

Centiback looked at his creator with caution. Truth be told, he had a hard time believing that the monster maker would dare betray Rita or go against her wishes. None the less, a snack sounded good at that moment. Reaching down, the monster snatched the bar from Finster and tore into the wrapping.

“Well, bottoms up.”

Centiback reached into his helmet and dropped the bar into his mouth. His sharp teeth crunched and mashed the bar into a fine paste before he let it slide down his throat. His lips watered heavily as the sweet flavor danced on his taste buds.

“Hey, that was pretty good. What did you put in that?”

“It is made of ground bull horn, chopped moth wings, cheetah nail trimmings, a little raw sewage, and some rotting berries for flavor.” Finster explained. “I call it Monster Milk. But flavor is not all it has. Just wait.”

Centiback’s feelers twitched with confusion. The chewed up protein bar finished its journey and dropped into the stomach, activating the special formula. Centiback’s body suddenly perked up, even his antennas were sticking up strait in the air. Every muscle on his body started to tense up and suddenly relax, going back and forth in a pleasing way. It felt like his body was getting a strong message in every place at once. Soon, he could feel the blood pump through his muscles and let out a few pleasing moans. After a few minutes of intense message, the process slowed down to a stop.

But just when he though the effects of the bar were finished, a sudden jolt of energy proved him wrong. Power seemed to pulse through his entire being and Centiback couldn’t contain it.

“Whoa whoa whoa!!”

The quarterback stretched out his arms and started bouncing up and down, performing jumping jacks at high speed to work with the energy. After a few minutes of bouncing, Centiback put his feet together and fell to the floor, palms striking the stone floor. With his weight against the ground, he began to push himself up and down, getting as close to the ground as he could without his chest hitting before rising up again.

“Ah! This feels great! I feel like a rookie who just got into the big time!” Centiback announced as he performed his pushups.

Finster chuckled at the antics of the pumped up quarterback. He felt a flicker of joy and pride from the sight of this wonderful change in disposition and mood. The monster maker was happy that this monster, perhaps his finest creation, was now so full of life when he was just drowning in despair.

“You should be back to full health now. The Monster Milk is specially formulated to return a monster back to the peak of their power.”

After he felt he could control the sudden burst of power, Centiback pushed off the floor and flipped onto his feet, rather gracefully despite his bulky size. The football monster stretched his arms out and pulled them up, flexing his well developed biceps and grinning each time he felt the blood pump into the muscle.

“I’ve never felt this good in my life!” The centipede announced, putting his arms back down. “But I still don’t have my pigskin.”

“Well, try visualizing the football in your hands.” Finster suggested.

Centiback nodded to his creator and, despite the surges of energy pulsing through him, closed his eyes and focused on his hands. In his mind, he could clearly picture the football that had been with him since his birth and was torn away from him by the power rangers. The football was three or four times the size of a regular earth football with blue and white stripes marked on it. A row of large yellow spikes struck out of the football just before the blue line and on one end were markings that looked like the face of a shark. Centiback felt a twinge of joy at the thought of his old companion, but at the same time felt the pain of his loss.

As he focused, small sparks of red energy began to form between his hands. These sparks twinkled and grew, turning into streams of red energy that shot back and forth between his palms. The more he thought of the football, the more beams joined in, surging back and forth and merging together. In a bright flash of red light, his old football materialized into his claws. Centiback felt the weight drop into his hands and opened his eyes to see his long lost weapon had returned to him.

“No way! It worked! I got my pigskin back! Now I can get those rangers! Their season is officially over! I’m going to turn each and every one of them into my personal football collection.”

Centiback grinned as he slipped his clawed fingers between the laces of the football, squeezing the thick rubber with a feeling of nostalgia.

“Unfortunately that will have to wait.” Finster informed, pulling the quarterback out of his trance. “The Monster Milk was able to return all the strength of your body, as well as your weapon and your power of teleportation. However, you will have to recover enough power to transform others on your own. Do not worry; I’m sure you can defeat those rangers without the need to transform.”

Centiback looked at the old imp with his feelers drooping a little. He wasn’t so sure, as he had only got as close as he did before because of the power of his oversized pig skin. At the same time, Finster could feel his concern.

“However, I do have something else for you. If you find the odds unfavorable with the rangers, I would ask that you use this without hesitation.”

Reaching back into his apron pocket, Finster fished out the object and brought it before Centiback. In his hand rested a large whistle. It was a bright crimson red and had the letters “C B” inscribed in white on its sides. Centiback’s feelers twitched as he reached forward and took the whistle from Finster’s hands. While it looked like an ordinary whistle, he could feel a warm wave of energy flowing within it.

“What’ll this do?”

“That, I will leave you to find out.” The monster maker answered playfully. “I will say that if you are cornered, it will guarantee your victory.”

The insect looked from the whistle back to the old imp. He felt warmth and joy burst in his heart for this monster maker. In a fast movement Finster couldn’t see coming, Centiback rushed forward and wrapped his arms around the imp, pulling him against his chest in a tight embrace. Finster didn’t know how to react to this situation. He had never felt so close to a monster before. The monster molder only rested his head against the football padding and put his own arms around as much of Centiback’s bulky frame as he could. After a few moments, the two released their hold and separated.
With a new vigor in his step, Centiback turned his back to Finster and marched over to the doors of the palace.

“Thank you. Thank you for everything. I know I’ll defeat the rangers now. I’m going to crash through their defense and win the game for our team. Don’t worry about me. I’ll win the game for sure! All because of you. Thank you….dad.”

Finster’s ears shot up and he let out a slight gasp of surprise. He tried to speak, but the words wouldn’t come as Centiback crouched and struck the ground, teleporting in a flash of red light. Minutes passed as Finster remained in the same spot. For the first time, he felt the paternal bond between himself and a monster. The feelings of pride and love were new to Finster, as the thought of children at his age was distant. Now he felt as though a new piece had been added to his very soul and made him

“Good luck…son.”

Chapter 2 - Kickoff

Down in Angel Grove, Tommy, Kimberly, and Rocky had hit the streets after finishing another day at Angel Grove high. While the white and pink rangers were in high spirits, Rocky was quite the opposite.

“Look man, you have to keep your cool about this.” Tommy advised in a calm tone. “You’re going to do fine.”

“Are you kidding?” Rocky responded, keeping his eyes to the ground. “Mr. Wilton’s test is tomorrow and I’m horrible in science class. If I don’t pass this, I won’t be able to try out for sports this year.”

“That’s why we’re going a study group at Billy’s house.” Kimberly reminded, trying to calm the red ranger. “If there’s anyone who can help you study, it’s him.”

“You just need to believe in yourself Rocky.” The white ranger added. “You’ll do fine.”
Rocky smiled at his friends. But that warmth was soon torn away when his head jerked up with a sudden realization.

“Crud, I left the text book back in my locker.”

Kimberly and Tommy both stopped in their tracks.

“What?” Tommy reacted with a surprised tone. “Why’d you leave it?”

“The school’s going to close any minute now.” Kimberly added with an urgent tone.
Without a moment more, Rocky turned on a heel and started to dash back towards the school. As he sprinted, he called back to his friends.

“If I hurry and cut through the football field, I can get to my locker before they lock up! Go on ahead and tell the gang I’ll be there soon.”

With another burst of speed, Rocky turned the corner and vanished from sight.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Passing through the gate to the football field, Rocky felt the wind against his face as he ran back towards school, annoyed with himself and hoping he would get to his locker before the halls closed. Taking the shortest route to the school buildings, Rocky cut diagonally across the field as his mind was preoccupied with his impending science test.

Suddenly Rocky saw a flash out of the corner of his eye as something was coming towards him from above. Distracted with his studies, Rocky couldn’t get out of the way in time, looking up to see a larger-than-usual football heading right towards him. Rocky could only hold his hands up and cover his head to brace for the impact.

The football hit Rocky square on the wrist as the resulting explosion blew his communicator to pieces and knocked the ranger onto his back.

“And the pass connects! That’s a first down for the home team, with the ball in the red zone!”

Rocky looked up and saw a familiar sight - the monster Centiback was again standing before him on the same football field where they had originally faced off. Rocky quickly got to his feet and dusted himself off, facing the monster and taking on a fighting stance.

“Centiback! Didn’t you learn anything last time after we stomped you like a bug?”

“It was a lucky touchdown at the end of the fourth quarter. And now I’m back for the rematch!” Centiback shook a claw at Rocky and pulled another spiked football from behind his back, throwing it at Rocky.

The ranger easily dodged the second football and came to a crouch, but when he pulled his wrist around he noticed his communicator was blown to bits.

“Hey! No illegal substitutions! It’s just you and me bud!”

When Rocky turned to run, Centiback threw a pair of well-aimed footballs that landed just ahead of him blocking his escape.

“Where are you going ranger? The game’s just about to begin!” the bulky bug laughed and pulled another football out, holding it up ready to throw.

Rocky clenched his fist as he turned to face Centiback. He didn’t have time for this! His blood was beginning to boil.

“Alright bug breath! I beat you once, I’ll beat you again! It’s morphin’ time!”

Rocky grabbed his morpher and thrust it forward, his power coin glowing as a red spandex power ranger suit appeared and encased his body with its power.

“That’s more like it ranger! Now that you’re in proper gear, it’s game time!”

Centiback rushed forward and tried to tackle Rocky, the red ranger flipping out of the way before landing two kicks to the monster’s back. Claws swiped out at the ranger, but a quick hop pulled Rocky out of harm’s way leaving him open to step in and land a punch. Rocky’s fist felt like it hit a block of concrete as it impacted against Centiback’s pads, making the ranger shake his hand in pain as the insect gave him a hard shove back.

‘Ugh…he’s even tougher than last time,’ Rocky thought to himself as he held his throbbing side. ‘I think it’s time to change the game.’

Rocky jumped back and pulled out his blade blaster, turning it to laser mode and sending a volley of laser fire towards Centiback. The monster was too big to avoid and took the shots directly in his chest, sending him reeling back in a shower of sparks.

“OOooooowwwww! No fair! Use of an illegal weapon is against the rules!” Centiback shuffled his feet and tossed another pair of footballs at Rocky. With a cartwheel and a flip the ranger deftly avoided each explosion, landing in a crouch and blasting the insect again with deadly accuracy.

Centiback kept throwing footballs, but with each laser blast he felt his powers weaken. The monster stumbled noticeably as the footballs looked to be heavier in his claws. Rocky knew he had him on the ropes.

“Not much of a comeback, beetle brain! I think it’s time I make you hang up your pads and retire…permanently!”

Rocky pulled his ranger sword from its sheath and brandished it threateningly at the staggering bug, preparing himself to strike the final blow.

For the first time since eating the Monster‘s Milk bar, Centiback felt his confidence wane. He stepped back out of the action in an attempt to regroup, but the ranger kept up his assault as he rushed towards the monster.

“Hiiiiiiyyyyyaaaaahhh!!” the red ranger cried as he jumped in the air towards Centiback with the sword held high.

Feeling like he was about to panic, Centiback remembered the paternalistic advice from his father, telling him to blow his whistle should he get into trouble. As Rocky flew towards him, the centipede pulled out the small red and white whistle with the letters “C B”, put it up to his mouth and blew.

*Tweeeeeeeeeeet!!!*

The sound of the whistle pierced Rocky’s ears as he felt himself suddenly seize up in mid-swing. He returned to the earth harmlessly a step away from Centiback, his hands frozen in place above his head.

“The play is over ranger! No tackling after the whistle!”

“Why….can’t I…move….ughh!” Rocky shook with force and finally broke free of his stance. Having lost his momentum, he was forced to jump back out of the way of the monster’s slashing claws.

“It’s about time you played by the rules ranger!” Centiback held his sides and laughed at the ranger, taking a confident step towards the red ranger, with the whistle held out prominently in his claws.

“Illegal use of weapon…five yard penalty!” *Tweeeeeeettt!!!*

Rocky rushed forward to try and knock the whistle out of the monster’s claws, but as soon as he heard it the ranger suddenly felt compelled to stop in place. Centiback laughed as a confused red ranger tried to move, only succeeding in wiggling a fraction of an inch. The monster stepped forward and easily smacked Rocky with his claws, sending him spinning backwards fifteen feet in a explosion of sparks.

The ranger writhed on the ground at the pain of the blow, pulling himself to his feet to find the centipede monster approaching him slowly.

‘What is that whistle doing to me?’ Rocky thought as he backed away trying to rethink his strategy. ‘Keep your distance Rocky…you almost had him with your power sword. A few more laser blasts, a slice from your sword…’

“I‘m marching into your territory ranger,” Centiback said, stopping to put his hands on his sides. “I hope you’ve got something in that defensive playbook of yours, because it looks like the tide is turning for team Centiback!”

“I’ll never play your game bug breath!” the red ranger yelled in frustration.
Rocky reached down for his blade-blaster, but before his hand could get there he heard the shrill whistle again. Feeling a surge of energy within himself, Rocky was compelled to rush forward.

“Get outta your huddle and get to the line of scrimmage ranger. The 30 second clock is ticking down on this play!”

*Tweeeeeeeeet!*

With the second whistle the red ranger bent his knees and fell into a set position, one hand firmly planted in the ground with his head up like a lineman ready to meet the oncoming rush. Stuck frozen in place, Rocky could only watch as the Centiback walked up and got into a set position directly across from him.

Rocky panicked as with each whistle he could feel himself lose control of his muscles and fall back on instinct, a sudden euphoria coming over him that conjured up the same emotions as when he was playing in the homecoming game against their teams rivals. It was that same fervor he felt after an inspiring speech from the coach fired him up before they came out of the locker room, and it came on so suddenly that it frightened the ranger at how real the emotions were.

“Down! Set! Hike!” *Tweeeeeeeet!*

A mania gripped Rocky as he reacted to the whistle like he was in the middle of a game, and everything was on the line. With a primal roar he and the monster rushed forward and rammed into each other. Rocky felt his adrenaline pumping in his veins as he grabbed the bulked-up insect’s pads, dug his feet into the ground and pushed him with all his strength. The red ranger marveled at the monster’s power, even feeling a bit of admiration for the centipede’s huge muscles and chiseled football physique.

“That’s more like it! Feels good to get in the game, doesn’t it?” Centiback grabbed the ranger with his claws and shoved back. His superior size and strength was apparent as the two grappled, overpowering the ranger and pushing Rocky back easily.

The competitive spirit came alive in Rocky, the ranger grunted as he mustered up energy from within to push back against the bug. He managed to halt his progress, but the exploding footballs had left him weakened as with a mighty push Centiback shoved the ranger off balance and body slammed him to the ground.

“And that’s a sack for team Centiback in the end zone! Two points for me!” the monster cheered as he got up off the ranger and pumped his claws into the air, his antennae fluttering excitedly from his helmet.

The tackle knocked the wind out of Rocky as the rush of football spirit left him. He stood up slowly, regaining his senses and wondering what just happened.

“Hey you’re looking good there ranger! Good to see you’re finally taking the game seriously and getting some real football gear!”

The oddness of Centiback’s remark struck Rocky, staring at the monster with a confused look as he readied himself for the next attack. His legs shifted into a fighting stance almost automatically, but something felt odd about his lower half. It felt bulkier and more heavy somehow.

Looking down, Rocky gasped as he saw where his ranger uniform used to be was now a pair of oversized cleats and padded football pants. The cleats were a deep red with a white multi-legged swoosh running down the side and the pants were all white with two red stripes running down the sides, both identical to Centiback’s uniform but without the many legs sticking out. In addition, Rocky’s legs and feet were had swollen in size and form to that of a bodybuilder’s, and he could feel his bulked up muscles twitching with power.

Centiback smiled as the ranger stumbled back in surprise, the shock of what was happening to him sapping his confidence by the second.

‘This whistle is just what I needed to beat the rangers!’ Centiback thought to himself as a claw traced along the red and white instrument. He could feel the whistle draining the ranger’s power and flowing into him with each blow, as if his energy was mixing with the ranger’s own spirit and making them one unit. He was beginning to appreciate the ranger’s body and competitive spirit, and the stronger the connection became the more Centiback wanting to impose control and mold him in his image.

“I think you got what it takes to be great, kid, but you‘re going to need much more training before you can join team Centiback!” the monster stepped forward non-threateningly and faced the reeling ranger, who looked up from his daze at the insect.

“W….what are you doing to me?” Rocky sputtered as he backed up. Looking down at his waist, he saw that his power coin was starting to change color, the brilliant gold of the coin slowly being taken over by a black tarnish, clearly showing the corruption of the ranger’s power.

“Every time I blow this whistle, I drain your energy and pump you up with mine! Pretty soon all that useless ranger training will be gone and you’ll be the ultimate football player!”

“Never!” Rocky said as he used all of his willpower to overcome the growing football mania inside him rushing forward and pulling his sword out in an all-out attack.

*Tweeeeeeet!*

“Illegal forward motion! Another rookie mistake! Drop and give me 20, maggot! Count ‘em off!”

*Tweeeeeeet!*

Rocky felt a double surge of energy flood his brain and overpower his senses, stopping dead in his tracks and dropping to the ground in a pushup position. Without thinking, he began to do pushups, counting off each one obediently. With each rep he could feel the power growing inside him, feeling his muscles throb and pulse growing bigger by the minute.

Centiback came over to the ranger, placing a cleat on his back as he stood over him.
“It’s no use to resist it ranger. Once you get football fever, there’s no cure!” the monster said, folding his arms and laughing triumphantly. He couldn’t help but notice how bulked up Rocky was getting, and though he wouldn’t admit it, he was becoming quite fond of the ranger and couldn’t wait to add him to his team.

“Check it out my maggot, the training is already paying off! You’re already bulking up nicely,” Centiback said as he reached down to give Rocky’s shoulder a squeeze, watching it swell up from a toned look into giant bulging muscles. His ranger uniform was already starting to tighten with the added mass, the red of his ranger color darkening into a crimson.

Rocky finished the pushups and stood up immediately, fighting his frenzied state as he wobbled on his feet. He could feel the monster’s power flowing through him, an insatiable eagerness to compete and win and to submit your will to the team and its goal to win.
What remained of Rocky’s rational mind was scared at how overpowering the feelings were, and how his world was becoming a tunnel vision of football and was blocking out every other thought in his head.

“There may just be hope for you yet…this larva may just grow into an adult centipede after all! Look…your antennae are even starting to grow in!”

Rocky’s eyes widened at the monster’s comment, his hands slowly going up to his head and letting out a shout as he felt two small nubs sticking out of his forehead that wiggled at his touch.

“Now you’ll be able to hear every command loud and clear!” Centiback laughed as his antennae twitched, Rocky’s tiny antennae twitching in unison.

“We’re almost done with your training my larva protege, but we need to knock that last bit of ranger out of you.”

*Tweeeeeeeet!* “Go long!”

Without hesitation Rocky took off down the field, pumping his bulked-up legs as fast as he could. Centiback took out a giant spiked football and tossed it into the air towards Rocky, the ranger running under it and obediently holding his hands out to catch it. The football exploded in his arms and knocked him on his back, but with a quick tweet of the whistle Rocky was back on his feet and ready for the next ball.

The ranger’s muscles were exhausted and his grip on his mind was waning, but the frenzy of thoughts in his head kept him helplessly eager to catch each explosive pass. After the third knock back Rocky could barely get to his feet, even with the whistle.

Centiback rushed up to Rocky, clapping his claws excitedly.

“That’s the spirit you need to be part of the team! You take a licking and keep on ticking! I think you’ve earned your uniform ranger!”

The monster took out his whistle and blew hard into it. Instead of stopping, he sustained the shrill blast. He could feel the power of Finster’s magic whistle working on the ranger, his resistance all but obliterated by his ‘training’. Now the pure spirit of football zeal poured into Rocky, draining all his human personality and desires and adding it to the monster’s power. Centiback felt every bit of the stolen energy fill him up, making his muscles pulse with power.

Rocky stumbled about and tried to put his hands up to block the sound, but his uniform quickly swelled into oversized football pads and stopped him from even dampening the hypnotic whistling. The ranger’s whole body grew as each muscle bulged out in turn, giving him an exaggerated upper body to match even his bulked up lower half. His uniform changed as well as a giant number 99 appeared on his front and back. The name “DeSantos” wrote itself across the top of his back, and stripes raced along the sleeve of his pads with a pair of ‘99’s on each arm.

www.deviantart.com/nibblahfrog…

Inside his head, Rocky was fighting for his mind with every last bit of his will. The added feeling of being bulked up from head to toe helped pump the adrenaline even faster, and the football uniform he was wearing became a entrapping cocoon that amplified football frenzy. He knew he had to escape, or he’d be trapped forever.

‘Gotta fight it Rocky…can’t let the suit control me…it’s fourth and long and we’re down by a touchdown, and it’s up to me to win it for team Centiback…wait, what am I saying?’

“Alright my boy…this is your final test. I’m going to make you earn this one. I want you to take on the official Centiback tackling sled. If you do well, you’re become part of team Centiback…permanently!”

A part of Rocky’s mind cried out, but the voice was quickly lost in a flood of excited thoughts.

‘I’ll be on the team? Awesome! I can’t wait to go out and show the coach what I can do! Lemme at that tackling sled! No Rocky…think of the other rangers! But if I just finish this last drill, I’ll make the team! Think how proud they’ll be!’

Walking up casually Centiback stood before Rocky, admiring his creation with a pleased flicker of his antennae, his protégé returning the praise with an excited nod.

The monster looked down and saw that the ranger’s power coin was almost completely black. He knew it was time to seal the deal.

The monster turned to his right, his antennas sending out a golden blast of energy the struck the field and suddenly grew into a tackling sled, consisting of 5 life-sized man-shaped pads connected to a single heavy metal sled. The sled was modified to match the centipede, with white and red dummied with centipede faces and even antennae popping out of the top of each dummy.

“Go give me 50 reps on each dummy, then report back to me. But first…give me your helmet.”

“Yes coach!” Rocky took a step forward and bowed his head subserviently. Centiback reached down and pulled the helmet from the ranger’s head and revealing Rocky’s face. Centiback looked down and saw a dedicated, eager face that looked up to him with a sincere look of admiration and even affection in his eyes.

“Atta boy! Now go show your coach what you can do! You‘re gonna be my star player!”

Centiback watched Rocky run towards the tackling sled, he felt a tinge of pride at the insect the ranger was becoming. He swelled with paternal pride, matching that of his ‘father’ Finster and feeling the same toward his new ‘son’.

Rocky attacked the sled with ferocious tenacity, slamming into each with his pads over and over, counting off each one. Centiback could see the antennae of each dummy spark a bolt of energy into the ranger’s head with each tackle, his specially-designed sled draining his energy and reinforcing his training with every jarring blow.

As Rocky tackled his way deeper into Centiback’s control, the insect monster stood holding the ranger’s helmet in his claws. He looked at the helmet, in his head envisioning the ranger’s final transformation. His antennae began to twitch excitedly as the images got stronger, pictures of a loyal Rocky centipede mixing in with thoughts of Finster and the redemption of his prior defeat. His antennae began to glow as thoughts of his team growing stronger amplified the feelings exponentially. All the paternal love, football zeal and Centiback spirit coalesced in the monster’s antennae and suddenly shot out in a bolt of pure energy, zapping the ranger helmet and encasing it in a brilliant bronze glow as his spirit poured in and started to taint the ranger‘s headgear.

“Yes…you’re my prized recruit ranger…you’re not only going to help me win the game, you’re going to help me win the championship! With your help, my buggy protégé, Angel Grove is going to become a town of ravenous football fans!”

Centiback watched on with pride as his power flowed into the helmet. Slowly it began to change, growing and opening in the front as two metal bars crossed it to create a facemask. With a finishing zap two holes opened up to allow antennae through, and Centiback held the completed football helmet in his claws, an identical copy of the Centiback’s own, only smaller.

Rocky finished his reps and hustled back to greet Centiback, panting heavily but holding his head high hoping to impress the coach. The rangers eyes were completely glazed over, the relentless draining from the magic tackling sled sapping out the last remaining bits of his former personality and leaving a completely loyal player under his coach’s control.

“Nice work on the sled rookie! You passed with flying colors!" Centiback stepped forward and put a congenial claw on Rocky's pads, the teen beaming proudly unable to contain his excitement.

"Now are you ready to don the helmet and join the team?” Centiback yelled with enthusiasm, pumping his fist in the air.

“Yeah!! Put me in coach! I’m ready to go! I wanna get in there and win one for team Centiback!!” Rocky yelled at the top of his lungs, jumping up and down excitedly as he couldn't take his eyes off the football helmet held out in front of him like a prize.

"Alright., it's time for the larva to become the centipede," Centiback said, holding the helmet up high. "You've made me proud, my boy. Now put on your helmet and complete your transformation to the star player on team Centiback!"

Rocky took the helmet in his hands, his mouth agape looking on it with pure awe. He felt the power flowing through his hands, giving him a charge and leaving him breathless as he lifted up the helmet. He could hear the sounds of the cheering crowd in his head, taste the exhilaration of scoring the winning touchdown coursing through him, and feel the camaraderie of being completely loyal to his team. He was never more sure of anything in his life as he plunged the helmet down over his head. It instantly bonded to his pads, sealing the ranger in completely.

"Yeah! I can feel it...team Centiback is back in action, with Rocky leading the way! Gimme that football! Throw me that pass! We're gonna stomp and tromp our opponents and send them home crying!" Rocky held up his fist and clenched them tight as the magic of the suit flowed through him. With every excited chant the power surged, his frenzy starting to fuel physical changes now as Rocky's antennae begin to lengthen and his hands began changing into armored claws.

"That's the spirit! Let's hear it! Who's gonna win!"

"Team Centiback!" Rocky said pumping his fist into the air, spikes thrusting out from his arm pads and knee pads.

"Who are we gonna beat?!" Centiback said, testing his new subject's loyalty.

"The Power Rangers!" Rocky said with out missing a beat, making Centiback smile and several legs popping from his forearms and thighs.

"What are we gonna do to the rangers?"

"We're gonna stomp them up and down the field, then turn them all into footballs as trophies!" more legs popped out with Rocky's excited leaps, his chest padding growing spikes as well.

Without a word, Centiback held out a shark-mouthed spiked football. Rocky took it eagerly and tucked it under his arm, feeling the power surge through him as he looked at the world in a whole new light. It was all about the team now, the thrill of the victory, and listening to coach to help them get the win. He felt a dizzying elation and a true affection as he gazed upon Centiback, admiring his creator's giant muscled physique - a good 30% larger than his own.

Centiback looked on with a true pride, feeling a paternal connection as being responsible for the new Centiback's creation. Savoring the moment, he watched as the last of Rocky's power coin turned black, the icon changing from a dinosaur to a picture of a football with a centipede wrapped around it. With a final flash, dozens of legs grew out of Rocky's side into full Centipede legs, hand claws grew in fully and face pushed out into armored faceplate. Rocky's fervent smile became a big toothy grin, two red beady eyes peering out from behind the facemask.

"How does it feel?"

"It's the best! I'm part of the team! Wait until the rangers get a load of me...they won't know what hit them!" the ex-ranger jumped up and down, his antennae waving excitedly.

The monster looked at the whistle in his hands, marveling at what it had done. He felt the ranger under his complete control, and now twice as strong as he was when he first fought the rangers.

"We did it...we're gonna beat the rangers! I'm gonna win it for you...dad!"

The two Centibacks gave each other heart-felt chest bumps and teleported away together to plot their next move.