Ice opened his eyes and found nothing but darkness all around him. "Not the most cheerful place is it?" Ice got to his feet, and then he heard laughing coming from all over the place. "Who's there?" Suddenly, there was a brief flash of light and the number 96 appeared. A figure then materialized around the number. It looked exactly like Ice, but the figure was all black! "What the?! What kind of trick is this?! Why do you look like me?!" Dark Mist let out a cackle of crazed laughter.
"AAHahahahhahah! Don't you get it? I AM you!", Dark Mist said as a crazed grin crept along his face. "The aspect of your strength and power! The aspect that makes your ranger form!" Dark Mist continued to spout his lies, hoping to break Ice's spirit. "The part that almost destroyed the shackles that prevent you from attaining great strength!" Ice was frozen with horror. Was all that this monster was saying true? Was he the only reason he was as strong as he was? "But now, I can break the greatest chain holding you back...yourself!" Dark Mist then changed into a copy of Ice's ranger form! "Prepare for your demise!" Ice snapped out of his thoughts and morphed just in time! Blocking Dark Mist's attack! "You think you can win? Fool!" Dark Mist sent Ice flying with one punch! "You are nothing without me. Maybe after I destroy you, I'll move on to the other weights and cut them loose as well!" Dark Mist charged at Ice as he recovered, and launched a series of blows at him! Ice managed to block the string of hits, but his thoughts were a mess after Dark Mist had messed with him.
'Is he right? He's fighting with the ferocity I had during the time Moon controlled me. The time I almost killed my brothers. Was that the only time I was truly strong? Was that...the only way I used my full ability?' Ice's mind then flashed to when Starlight had attacked, and when he fought Wall Shadow when he was on his date with Indigo. 'No. NO. That wasn't the only time I've fought with all I had! He's lying! He's not my strength! He's not a part of me at all! My strength...my REAL strength...is fighting for the people I love!' Ice caught Dark Mist's fists! Surprising the master manipulator! "You're....not....ME!!" Ice then lifted Dark Mist into the air and slammed him into the ground! The force of the impact was so powerful, it forced Dark Mist into his true form. "I may have almost hurt my brothers, but it never came to that! All that matters is that they're safe now!" Ice then charged up his fist and unleashed a devastating blow on Dark Mist! "And that I put the past behind me!" Dark Mist screamed as he was incinerated from Ice's attack!
"AAAAAUUUUUGGGGHHHH!" When the flames died down, there was nothing left of Dark Mist, and the whole area Ice was in changed from pure darkness to pure light! A surge of power then flowed into Ice! When the light died down, Ice found he had new armor with twin cannons on his shoulders and larger wings! He also noticed he was holding a sword even larger than the one he used in his standard ranger form!
"Niiiice! Think I'll call it...the Red Nove Battleizer!" Soon, a portal opened. Ace and Inferno came through. "Hey guys! You missed the best part! But you're just in time to see the sweet loot I got from it!"
"I'll say. Now let's see where the next portal leads!", Ace said triumphantly! Soon enough, a new portal materialized and the three of them went through.