Ultimate Legacy: Recap
Reality shattered, leaving shards of time and space. The Ultimate Power Rangers journeyed through the fragments to unravel the secrets that led to the destruction of the Wheel of Time. Using mysterious Ranger Keys, they hoped to uncover the truth about their past, and restore their universe.
Recently, the Rangers unlocked their first Time Shard. They learned that, before the Shattering, evil forces aimed to free the Dark One from Hell by breaking the Seven Seals to his prison. The Fifth Seal broke, which released N’Ma, and when the Mystic Rangers defeated N’Ma, they accidentally freed all the Gods of Hell, from Lucifer to Yama. Afterward, the barriers separating the mortal realm from the Gods of Heaven and Hell collapsed.
Within this vision from the Time Shard, the Ultimate Power Rangers saw a mysterious figure: Simon Kaden.
DRAMATIS PERSONAE
Young Simon
THE ULTIMATE POWER RANGERS
Seth Park- Blue Ranger
Kira Hart- Yellow Ranger
Tyler Oliver- Red Ranger
Mat DeSantos- Green Ranger
Kym Cranston- Pink Ranger
Ultimate Legacy: Chapter Six
Lion, Run
The Legacy Galleon flew through a chronometric nebula that crackled with power. Seth, Kym and Kira stood in the dorsal viewport while searching for their destination: A mysterious floating island.
Navi told the Rangers to search for the island for their next clue about the Ultimate Secret, the key to the Shattering of time and space.
Kira sighed as she leaned against the viewport. "This is a waste of time…I don’t see any ‘floating island.’ I’m not even sure what that would look like…"
"An island…" Seth said. "Floating."
Kym smirked. "Was that a joke?"
Mat stood in the crew quarters and manned his sensor station, in front of the main viewscreen. "I’m not picking up anything on radar either. Of course…we’re essentially flying through soup. Our sensors are so clouded, a moon could sneak up on us."
He looked over his shoulder towards Navi, their navigational droid perched near the center chair. "Navi…you sure about this?"
"Oh, it exists!" Navi said. "I’m sure! You’ll find a floating island, and a fateful meeting…Have any of my predictions ever been wrong?"
"Several, actually, yes," Mat said.
The Red Ranger joined the conversation from the cockpit, where he steered the ship. "Guys, cut the chatter. Let’s make another sweep through the nebula."
"This is our fourth time through," Kira protested.
Seth nodded. "Right…but it’s different each time we pass."
"Hmm…" Kym said thoughtfully.
"What is it?" Kira asked.
"That cloud," Kym said as she pointed to a smaller cloud within the nebula. "Seth’s right…the nebula keeps changing…but I feel like we keep seeing that same cloud."
Kira shook her head. "We’ve been here for days…there’s no way that cloud could still be in the same shape."
"Sounds odd…" the Red Ranger said from the cockpit. "Alright…away we go."
He snapped the wheel; the ship lurched to starboard and throttled towards the cloud, knocking the other rangers around within the vessel.
"Hey!" Kira shouted. "Don’t just run into it!"
Mat sighed. "He is so going to get us killed."
The Legacy Galleon plunged into the cloud, and when the mist parted, they saw a floating island shaped like a giant turtle: The Anamarium.
"There it is," the Red Ranger said as he leaned casually on his wheel. "The island…"
The Armada tailed the Legacy Galleon from afar. Within the flagship, Levira pulled an image of the Sky Island up on her sensor console.
"This is their target," she said.
Gen. Damaras looked over his shoulder. "The perfect place to set up a trap. Dispatch Action Commander Bowser, immediately."
The Shield spanned across the midsection of the Anamarium. A great, stone wall, the Shield separated the lush jungles from the armies of Orgs and undead on the other side.
Members of the Crab Clan patrolled the Shield. They wore ancient, samurai armor, black with red trimming, and black helmets with red face masks. Each soldier wore the red crab symbol on the left side of his chest.
Hida, the Master General, walked across the wall along with his men. "Stay vigilant," he said to boost morale. "The Deadlands stir with evil. We will give our lives to protect the wall, and defend our lands from the shadow!"
Several soldiers nodded in agreement, stirred with renewed vigor. They would rather die in battle than wither away as old monks.
"Lord Hida!" a Crab Soldier said as he kneeled in front of the general. "Our scouts have reported sky ships closing in on our lands."
"Sky ships?" Hida asked.
"Y- Yes, my lord general," the soldier said. "One hovers above the Deadlands. The other comes towards the Emerald Kingdom."
The general narrowed his eyes. "They mean to attack the Shield from both sides…"
"It appears that way, but…" the soldier hesitated. "Where would the forces of the Deadlands obtain skyships?"
"Perhaps from traitors within one of the Clans," he said. He waved his hand dismissively. "It matters not. Ready the archers. And dispatch patrols. Let whoever tries to breech this wall die, and die slowly."
The rangers walked through the jungle of the Anamarium as their ship floated in the sky.
"Huh…" Mat said as he looked around. "I wonder if anyone lives here."
"If Navi’s right, we should find Simon," Seth said.
"Hopefully he doesn’t have a death cult with him," Mat said, referring to the Twilight's Hammer the Rangers fought before unlocking the Mystic Rangers' Grand Power.
"You probably just jinxed us," Kira said.
"I’m pretty sure our lives are a jinx at this point," Mat said.
Suddenly, Crab Soldiers leaped from the trees. They unsheathed their swords and shot towards the rangers to attack.
"See," Mat said as he shifted into a defensive stance. "Death cult."
"Jinx," Kira said.
The teens dove and rolled for cover.
Tyler rose to his feet while flipping a soldier over his shoulder. "Hi," he said as he side-kicked a samurai. "We’re looking for someone." He jump-kicked a solider upside the head. "Simon Kaden?"
A trio of soldiers charged towards him. The ranger unsheathed his Power Saber and parried their blows with bursts of spark.
Nearby, Mat ducked and dodged to avoid the slashing swords of the Crab Soldiers. "Is it morphing time yet?"
Seth unsheathed his Power Saber, shattered a soldier’s sword, and kicked the warrior to the ground.
Kym and Kira stood back-to-back as Crab Soldiers circled around them. The samurai struck like lightning.
Suddenly, a massive roar blew across the landscape, rustling trees and blowing the rangers and soldiers off their feet. They crashed and skid across the dirt, and when they looked up, they saw a massive red lion: Gao Lion, zord of the Red Gao Ranger - Simon Kaden.
Simon leapt from the lion and landed in the clearing. He looked younger than the rangers remembered, no older than 15, and wore light armor of brown and white cloth.
"Stop," Simon said to the Crab Soldiers.
They climbed to their feet, bowed their heads, and backed away as if afraid of the mighty lion.
Simon nodded with approval. "That’s better." He looked down at Tyler, smiled, and extended his hand. "Sorry…The Crab Clan can be a bit hasty."
Tyler knitted his brow with confusion. Was this really the young Forsaken from the Time Shard’s vision? He grasped Simon’s hand and pulled himself up.
"Clearly…" Tyler said. "You’re Simon?"
"Last time I checked," Simon said, still smiling, bright with youthful optimism and energy. "And I’m assuming you’re Rangers. Tetomu’s been waiting for you."
"Tetomu?" Tyler asked.
"I’ll show you," Simon said. "She’s at Gao Rock."
One of the Crab soldiers stepped forward and lowered his head. "My lord, forgive me…"
"Go ahead," Simon said.
"To bring these gaijin close to the princess…" the soldier started to say.
"It’s OK," Simon said. "We’ve been expecting them."
"And what of the Sky Ship in the Deadlands?" the soldier asked.
Simon nodded. "We noticed that too. Send out your scouts. We’ll have members of the Dragon and Crane clans join you.
The soldier cursed beneath his breath. The Crab Clan hated the Dragon Clan and Crane Clan.
Simon sensed the soldier’s frustration. "It’s a small island. We’re all stuck here, so we’ve got to learn how to get along."
The soldier bowed further and backed away. "My lord…"
The Crab pulled back into the jungle and leaped back towards the wall.
Mat watched them vanish into the thick foliage. "Nice people."
Gao Lion rumbled softly, yet strong enough to shake the ground.
Mat looked up at the zord. "That’s a…big…lion. I have no idea what to say here, guys, somebody help me out."
Tyler stepped forward. "You said you’ve been expecting us?"
Simon nodded. "I’ll explain everything on the way. Come on…"
Simon told the rangers about his past. As a boy, Simon found himself caught in the middle of the original Power Rangers' first battle against the witch Bandora. He befriended the Rangers, and around the age of fifteen, became a Ranger himself: Gao Red, of the Gao Rangers.
The Gao Rangers defeated villains called Orgs, creatures born from the slime and sludge of the Earth.
"After that…something happened," Simon said.
"That’s specific," Mat said.
"I don’t know what it was," Simon said. "Something pulled the Anamarium away from Earth. Next thing I knew, we were drifting in space. And then... a part of the past appeared."
"Those samurai?" Kira asked.
Simon nodded. "They’re soldiers from the first war against the Org, 1,000 years ago in Japan. They lost their whole kingdom, Rokugon. And not only did they reappear, so did the Org, the ancient versions from 1,000 years ago. We have them bottled up in a section of the Anamarium called the Deadlands. The Crab Clan protects the Shield, a wall that keeps the Deadlands from the rest of the Island, the Emerald Kingdom."
"Just how long have you been here?" Kira asked.
"I…" Simon hesitated. "I don’t know. The days…they seem to blur together."
Seth nodded. "Sounds like you got caught in the Shattering."
"The what?" Simon asked.
"The Shattering," Tyler explained. "Space and Time broke apart. Only fragments like this are left."
Simon knitted his brow. "You’re saying we’re in some sort of…time fragment?"
Mat nodded. "It makes sense when you don’t think about it."
"We’ve been trying to find out how it happened," Kym said. "That’s what brought us here."
"Maybe Tetomu can help all of us find some answers…" Simon said. "Come on…Gao Rock’s just ahead."
Armada forces landed in the Deadlands. Bowser walked along with an army of Zergs and X-Borgs, approaching the shield.
"This way," he said. "We’ll-"
Suddenly, throwing stars slashed through the air and struck the villains with bursts of spark. Undead soldiers, dressed in ragged samurai armor, burst from the ground and attacked the Armada forces.
Bowser scoffed, unamused and unimpressed. He grabbed two undead and bashed their heads together, splattering their skulls and brains within their bent helmets.
X-Borgs lifted their staffs over their shoulders and fired the weapons like bazookas. The blasts ripped through undead with massive bursts of fire that tore through their rotting flesh and bone.
"Enough!" a voice shouted from nearby.
Bowser, the Zergs, and X-Borgs turned to see a man dressed in dark samurai armor.
The last member of the Scorpion Clan, Yogo Junzo stalked towards the villains. On Earth Prime, 1,000 years before the Shattering, Junzo used Black Scrolls to create an undead army. After his death, his dark blood oozed into the Earth and gave birth to the first Org.
"Who are you?" he asked as he unsheathed his jagged katana. "And why have you intruded upon my domain?"
"We are the Armada," Bowser said. "And we go where we please. Stand in our way…and we will annihilate you."
Junzo narrowed his eyes. "You underestimate the dark forces I command," he said. "I could eliminate all of you and add your corpses to my armies."
Bowser grunted, unintimidated. He lifted his hand towards the samurai.
"Kill them," he ordered.
The X-Borgs charged to attack. They fired their bazookas and swung their clubs.
The undead samurai scattered and leapt into the air. They landed while chopping through X-Borgs, tearing their armor and snapping their weapons. They attacked with brutal savagery and hunger.
Junzo charged directly towards Bowser. The samurai dashed with a wide swing that slashed the monster with bursts of spark, knocking him several steps backward.
"You are an abomination!" Junzo shouted. "Even in the land of the dead!"
Bowser armed his gauntlet and fired energy bursts at the samurai. Junzo jumped over the blasts, angled his descent towards the monster, and landed while chopping Bowser with massive bursts of spark.
The samurai spun with a side-kick that bashed Bowser's chest, and then swung upward, slashing the monster with a burst of spark that whipped him backward.
"You call yourself a warrior?" Junzo mocked. "A warrior does not fight with brute force alone."
Bowser grumbled with annoyance. "I’ll kill you!"
He thrust his gauntlet, which detached and fired like a clawed grapple. Junzo parried the claw and swatted it back towards Bowser. The weapon punctured his chest, and he collapsed to his knees.
Junzo jumped, somersaulted through the air, landed behind the monster, and stabbed through his back.
The samurai whispered an incantation memorized from the Black Scrolls, the same used to animate the undead samurai. Life drained from Bowser’s body, and then, dark energy replaced that life energy with the breath of the undead.
Bowser stood, under the complete control of Junzo.
The samurai smiled beneath his mask. "Now…gather your little minions…and march upon the wall."
"What is it with you people and turtles?" Mat asked as Simon and the rangers entered the turtle-shaped Gao Rock.
They passed through hallways lined with Crane Clan guards, and stepped into a small chamber, empty except for a crystal-clear pool of water.
A flash of light erupted from the water and took shape to form Tetomu. She smiled at the Rangers, as if expecting them.
"I knew you’d come…" she whispered. "The Shogenja told me…"
"The what?" Tyler asked.
"They’re like Shaman," Simon said.
Tetomu nodded. "They gave me this…and told me you could unlock its secrets…"
She lifted her hands, and a Time Shard appeared above her palms. The fragment glowed with golden light.
"A Time Shard!" Kym said.
The teens pulled out their Gao Ranger Keys and tried to unlock the shard. But nothing happened.
"Why isn’t it working?" Kira asked.
"We haven’t mastered the Gao Rangers’ Grand Power yet," Kym said.
"Quick, somebody find courage again," Mat said.
Kira shook her head. "I don’t think it works that way, Mat."
Tyler tightened his grip on his Key. They had to fight Koragg to unlock the Mystic Ranger Grand Power. Maybe they needed to battle someone here too.
"OK…" Tyler said. "Tell us more about these Org…"
Hida walked across the wall with his men. The general grew impatient as he waited for news from his scouts.
"Something is not right…" he whispered as he looked towards the dried grass and muddied bogs of the Deadlands. "Kisake!"
Kisake stepped closer to his general and kneeled. "Yes, my lord."
"Ready the archers and ballistae," Hida ordered. "The fowl creatures of the Deadlands…they come."
"But my lord…" Kisake started to say.
Suddenly, footfalls thundered from the Deadlands. The Crab Samurai looked to see Junzo lead a charge of undead towards the wall.
Hida narrowed his eyes at the oncoming assault, the largest he’d seen.
"Today is a good day to die…" he whispered.
Kisake sighed. "You say that everyday…"
"Indeed," Hida said as he unsheathed his sword.
The undead charged towards the wall. Arrows and catapults fired away, smashing through the villainous ranks, but they did not slow their advance.
Several hundred creatures made it to the foot of the wall, where they propped massive ladders and started to climb. The undead scrambled up the rungs and met the cold sting of Japanese steel when they reached the top.
Crab Samurai chopped and slashed the undead that tried to scramble onto the wall. They kicked ladders away and fired arrows, dropping the undead that tried to reach the top.
Hida fought alongside his men. His sword a blur, he slashed their necks and bashed their heads, whipping them backward with splatters of black blood and ichor.
"Kisake!" Hida shouted a command as he slashed upward, slicing an undead in half. "Move to the west tower. Reinforce-"
An undead’s spear stabbed Kisake’s face.
Hida cursed beneath his breath and continued his defensive attacks, not knowing the wave of undead served only as a distraction.
Bowser led Zergs and X-Borgs from the rear ranks of undead. They approached the wall and armed their weapons. Zergs fired their gauntlet blasters, X-Borgs fired their bazookas and Bowser fired his claw cannon.
The Zerg’s blue blast splattered the wall with bursts of spark, knocking through concrete and stone. The bazooka blasts tore through the wounds with massive bursts of flame and debris, ripping massive holes in the walls. Bowser’s blasts completed the destruction, smashing through the wall with enough power to cause entire sections to crumble.
Junzo moved in alongside the Armada forces. "At last…" he said as he grabbed his jagged katana. "The wall has fallen. The Emerald Kingdom is mine…"
The fountain burst with water within Gao Rock. Tetomu rushed to the pool and looked into the water, where she saw images of the undead attacking the wall.
"It’s Junzo…" she said. "He’s attacking the Shield, with his biggest army yet!"
Simon nodded. "OK…This is it. Rally as many Clan Samurai as you can." He looked to the rangers. "It’s a good thing you’re here."
Tyler nodded and looked into the pool. "If we help you fight…will we unlock your Grand Power?"
Simon narrowed his eyes. "I don’t know…does it matter?"
Tetomu stepped in between them. "We can figure it out later…You have to hurry!"
Simon nodded.
"Come on…." he said as he ran towards the exit.
Tyler and the rangers followed.
The rangers and Simon dashed towards the Shield. To their surprise, a group of undead samurai rushed towards them.
Simon cursed beneath his breath. "They broke through already!"
The former ranger unsheathed a dagger and pounced. He landed against an undead while plunging his blade through its chest, rolled aside, and kicked the legs out from a creature.
The other teens moved to help. But X-Borgs and Zergs dropped to the ground and surrounded the rangers. Action Commander Bowser landed in the lead of the troops.
"Oh, come on," Mat said with annoyance. "They followed us here too?"
The monster thrust his hand. "I, Action Commander Bowser, will be claiming this land in the name of the Armada."
"I don’t see that happening," Tyler said as he and the others armed their Ranger Keys and morphers.
"It's morphin' time!" Tyler shouted. Together, they called out: "Ultimate Transform!"
They inserted their Keys into their morphers, which called out: "POOOOOWER RANGERS!"
They morphed into their Ranger forms and stepped into fighting poses.
"Ultimate Red Ranger."
"Ultimate Blue Ranger."
"Ultimate Green Ranger."
"Ultimate Yellow Ranger."
"Ultimate Pink Ranger."
"Ultimate Task Force..." They called out together: "Power Rangers!"
The Zergs and X-Borgs rushed to attack the Rangers from all sides.
The Red Ranger pulled out his Power Blaster. "Let’s make this showy."
The Rangers stood in a circle, back-to-back, and opened fire. Their blasts tore through grunts with massive bursts of spark. But villains continued their advance and lunged to attack, with clubs swinging.
The Rangers split up and bashed through the grunts.
The Blue Ranger and Yellow Ranger slashed through X-Borgs, swords buzzing as they cut through armor and circuitry.
The Pink Ranger dove and rolled into a crouched position. She blasted several X-Borgs to the ground before they could close in on her.
The Green Ranger scrambled through a group of X-Borgs, He slashed and blasted grunts with bursts of spark, knocking them backward as he dodged the swings of their clubs.
The Red Ranger spun and swung wide, slashing several X-Borgs off their feet. He side-kicked a grunt and blasted another X-Borg, knocking the grunt backward.
Bowser charged through a burst of motion, slashing past the Rangers with massive bursts of spark that whipped them to the ground.
"OK…He’s fast…" the Red Ranger said as he and the others climbed to their feet.
The monster spun and swung his claws through a streak of energy, slashing the Rangers hard enough to hurl them through the air. They crashed and skid across the grass.
Bowser stalked towards them.
"You pests…" He growled as the Zergs and X-Borgs regrouped behind him.
The Blue Ranger climbed to his knees and flipped open his buckler. He pulled out a Ranger Key. "You want to play fast? We can play fast too."
The Rangers stood and armed their Nitro Ranger Keys. The Nitro Rangers served as the SPD team of the planet Rigel, before the Shattering.
"Nitro! Charge!" They inserted their Keys into their morphers: "NIIIIIITRO RANGERS!"
They transformed into the Swift-Speed Task Force Nitro Rangers: Tyler shifted into Nitro Red, Mat shifted into Nitro Black, Seth shifted into Nitro Blue, Kira shifted into Nitro Yellow and Kym shifted into Nitro Pink.
Bowser thrust his hand. "Attack!"
X-Borgs and Zergs opened fire with bazookas and blasters.
"Triangle formation!" Nitro Red shouted.
Nitro Yellow and Nitro Pink somersaulted onto the shoulders of their three teammates. They spread their arms wide: "Nitro Defense!"
The blasts exploded harmlessly against an invisible energy shield, sparking on impact.
"Nitro Attack!" the Red Ranger shouted.
Nitro Yellow, Nitro Pink, Nitro Blue, and Nitro Black jumped upward. They dropped, and one-by-one, Nitro Red swatted them towards the enemy. The four Rangers shot through the Zergs and X-Borgs with massive bursts of spark, bashing them backward.
Bowser growled with annoyance and dashed through a streak of motion. The Red Ranger dashed towards the enemy. They moved faster than sight, bashing each other with punches and kicks as they streaked through the jungle.
Nitro Red launched a volley of punches that sparked on impact and hurled Bowser off his feet. He crashed and skid across the dirt, landing next to the remaining X-Borgs and Zergs that regrouped.
The Nitro Rangers regrouped around their leader and faced off with Bowser.
Suddenly, a massive roar shook the island. The Rangers and villains looked to the distance, where Gao Lion stood on a cliff.
The zord pounced from the mountain, landed in the battle site, and growled at the X-Borgs. Gao Lion swiped his paw and hurled dozens of X-Borgs through the air.
The zord lunged, and with another swipe of his paw, swatted Bowser and several Zergs off the island.
The monster summoned a glider; he landed on the vehicle, swerved through the air, and dove towards Gao Lion. The glider opened fire with energy darts and missiles that blasted Gao Lion with bursts of spark.
The Rangers armed their Jet Force Keys.
"Suit Up!" They inserted their Keys into their morphers: "AEEEEEERO RANGERS!"
They transformed into the Jet Task Force Aero Rangers: Tyler shifted into Aero Red, Mat shifted into Aero Black, Seth shifted into Aero Blue, Kira shifted into Aero Yellow, and Kym shifted into Aero Pink.
The Jet Force Rangers snapped open their wings and shot into the skies.
Bowser swerved his glider, grabbed Aero White by the leg, and hurled her through the air. She crashed into Aero Black, and they flailed out of control.
Aero Red, Aero Blue and Aero Yellow swooped towards the monster. "Aero Blasters!"
They opened fire with darts of energy that blasted Bowser with bursts of spark, knocking him off his glider. The monster twisted through midair and swung his claws, slashing the Rangers from the air.
The Aero Rangers crashed hard, and the impact knocked them from their armor.
The teens rolled to their feet. X-Borgs and undead regrouped to attack. But before they could, Gao Lion roared from the distance.
The zord’s massive growl sent shockwaves across the island, and the sound rippled the waves of broken space and time. The island reverted by hours, restoring the damaged Shield, and moving the Armada and undead to the other side.
Simon ran to the teens to regroup. The teen narrowed his eyes with confusion as he surveyed their surroundings.
Mat knitted his brow and looked towards the distance, where the wall stood once more. "Huh. I don’t suppose this happens often?"
Simon shook his head. "No…"
"That lion must be their Grand Power…" Tyler said.
"Grand Power…" Simon said. "You mentioned that before. What is it?"
"The true power of your Ranger team," Tyler said. "We need it."
"Is that the only reason you’re here?" Simon asked. "To fight for more power?"
"We told you why we’re here…" Tyler said. "Is this conversation going through a time loop too?"
Simon narrowed his eyes. "Keep up that attitude…and Gao Lion will never follow you."
"We don’t need your blessing," Tyler said. "If you won’t help us…we’ll be on our way."
Tyler started to walk off, as did the others, but Kym winced and collapsed.
"Kym!" Seth shouted as he and Mat ran to her side.
"I’m OK…" she said as she grasped her ankle. "It’s just my leg…"
"Is it that hit you took earlier?" Mat asked. "Because that looked like it hurt. Pretty bad. More-than-ouch bad."
"I’m fine…" Kym said. "You guys go ahead. If you don’t, the Armada will break through the wall…again"
Tyler sighed and nodded reluctantly. "OK. Mat…you stay with her. Seth and Kira, you’re with me."
Tyler, Seth and Kira moved off. Simon stayed back and knelt next to Kym.
"That looks pretty bad…" he said. "Let me take a look." Simon traced his hand over the wound. "I can heal it if we can get to a clearing."
Mat arced an eyebrow. "Weren’t you pissed at us, like, five seconds ago?"
Simon smirked. "I can be mad and helpful at the same time."
Simon and Mat helped Kym limp to a clearing. They laid her against a tree, and then Simon gathered some white herbs that grew in patches of grass.
He smashed the herbs against a cloth and wrapped it around her leg. "Here…This should help with the swelling."
"Thanks…" Kym said with a smile.
Mat nodded with approval. "Not bad. I’m surprised you don’t carry a medicine pouch."
"I thought about it," Simon said with a smile. "So…" he looked towards the distance, where Tyler and the other rangers left. "What’s the deal with your teammates? They’re not like you guys. They seem…cold. Like all they want is…power."
"They’re just…" Mat hesitated. "Shy, maybe?"
"You just have to get to know them," Kym said.
"Yeah." Mat nodded. "They’re good people."
"They just feel so…driven," Simon said.
"But that doesn’t mean they’re only interested in power," Kym said. "If they were…for one thing, they would have abandoned me."
"What do you mean?" Simon asked.
"Well…I don’t remember anything from before the Shattering. But afterward, I was princess of a planet the Armada destroyed," she said. "I couldn’t do anything to stop it. The Armada…they came after me. But Tyler and the others, they saved me. You think I would have been a burden…a wanted princess…but they took me in anyway. They gave me a home."
"That’s right," Mat said with a smirk. "They have a habit of sticking their necks into other people’s business."
"If power was all they wanted…" Kym said. "They never would have asked us to join them."
Tyler, Seth and Kira moved to the top of the Shield. They looked down to see Bowser and X-Borgs plow through Crab soldiers on their way to the wall once more.
"There they are…" Kira said.
Tyler nodded. "Let’s go say hi."
They armed their morphers and Ranger Keys.
"It's morphin' time!" Tyler shouted. Together, they called out: "Ultimate Transform!"
They inserted their Keys into their morphers: "POOOOOWER RANGERS!"
They jumped to the ground and plowed through the X-Borgs.
The Yellow Ranger slashed a grunt’s gut and side-kicked another X-Borg.
The Blue Ranger and Red Ranger hacked and slashed a small group of X-Borgs that tried to surround them.
Navi opened a comm-line and told Mat and Kym about the Rangers’ battle.
"Well…" Mat said. "Looks like they stuck their necks out again."
"We should go," Kym said. She stood and wiggled her foot. "That feels so much better, Simon. Thank you…"
"Anytime," Simon said. "Now let’s get to the wall, and see what your friends are up to."
The Ultimate Green Ranger and Ultimate Pink Ranger ran towards the Shield. Ahead, they noticed a wave of X-Borgs rush towards them.
"Wonderful…" the Green Ranger said sarcastically. "They’re through the wall already."
The two Rangers armed their blasters and swords and charged through the enemy.
The Green Ranger spun and twirled, hacking through X-Borgs and blasting through grunts with bursts of spark. The Pink Ranger did the same, blocking and parrying, and blasting grunts before they could get too close.
Their battle moved close to the opening in the wall, where their teammates fought Bowser and the main wave of X-Borgs.
The Red Ranger leaped over a Crab soldier and landed while chopping an X-Borg to the ground.
"Stay down," he told the soldier as he spun and slashed through a trio of X-Borgs.
Simon arrived just in time to watch.
He leaned over the wall and watched the Rangers fight and protect the Crab Samurai. He couldn’t help but smile. The Rangers seemed determined, not just to defeat the undead and Armada, but to save the Crab soldiers from a far superior foe.
"That’s the spirit…" he whispered.
The teen looked farther into the distance, where Junzo hacked through a group of Crab Samurai as he made his way towards the wall.
The former ranger unsheathed his dagger and pounced to attack.
Junzo slashed a Crab Samurai’s gut and kicked a second soldier’s face. The villain swung upward, slashing a third samurai’s body.
Simon leapt at Junzo from behind and chopped his dagger. Junzo turned and parried, knocking Simon through the air.
The teen twisted and landed in a crouched position. He held his dagger in a reverse grip and glared at the villain.
"Junzo…" he said. "It’s over. Take your army and get off this island."
"Never!" Junzo growled. "The Emerald Kingdom is mine!"
"The Emerald Kingdom is gone!" Simon shouted. "You don’t even know what you’re fighting for."
Junzo howled with rage. He lunged and chopped; Simon parried, kicked Junzo’s side, and elbowed the villain’s face. Junzo staggered backward.
Simon pushed forward with a hop and slash. But Junzo twirled his blade and parried.
Zergs regrouped around Bowser and opened fire at the Rangers with bursts of blue energy.
The Red Ranger slashed through the blasts as his teammates regrouped around him. They armed their Power Blasters and fired, blasting the villains with bursts of spark.
The Red Ranger twirled his sword. "Kym, your leg OK?"
"Yeah," she said.
The Yellow Ranger nodded. "Good, then let’s do this already."
They armed a set of Ranger Keys.
"Wild Access! Ha!" They inserted their keys into their morphers and shifted form: "GAAAAAAO RANGERS!"
They morphed into the Wild Task Force Gao Rangers. Tyler shifted into Gao Red, Mat shifted into Gao Black, Seth shifted into Gao Blue, Kira shifted into Gao Yellow and Kym shifted into Gao White.
Bowser lifted his arm. "Charge!"
The Zergs charged to attack, and the Rangers returned the charge.
They split up and attacked; Gao Red lunged at Bowser, and the others pounced at the Zergs. They clawed and kicked with furious strikes that sparked on impact and forced the villains backward.
Gao Yellow grabbed a Zerg’s neck, leaped into the air, and bashed the grunt through a tree trunk. She landed against the side of another tree and hurled the villain to the ground.
Gao Blue blocked a flurry of punches and back-fist strikes. The Blue Ranger spun with a palm-heel strike, bashing the grunt several steps backward. The Zerg struck again. But the Blue Ranger blocked and thrust both palms, striking the monster with a burst of spark.
The Blue Ranger jumped upward and armed his Shark Fins. "Surging Slash!"
He spun around the Zerg and slashed through streaks of blue energy. The strikes tore through the grunt with massive bursts of spark. Gao Blue swung both weapons towards the Zerg’s midsection; the blades ripped through the grunt with bursts of spark that hurled him backward.
Gao Black and Gao White faced the same Zerg. The Black Ranger grabbed the White Ranger’s ankles and helped her flip; her feet bashed the grunt’s shoulder.
Gao Black lunged with a flurry of punches, and Gao White launched with a flurry of claw strikes. The attacks sparked on impact and forced the grunt backward.
The two Rangers back-flipped, kicking the grunt off its feet.
Gao Red blocked a volley of Bowser’s punches. The Red Ranger round-kicked the monster, then spun to dodge a back-fist blow. Gao Red lunged with claw swipes that sparked on impact and forced the monster several steps backward.
Bowser leapt through the air to attack, and Gao Red did the same. They passed back and forth as they blocked and attacked. On the last jump, Gao Red spun and clawed the monster from the air with a massive bursts of spark.
Bowser crashed onto the ground, and Gao Red landed nearby.
The other Rangers regrouped around him.
"Let’s do it together," he said as he combined their weapons.
"Gao Blade!" the Rangers shouted as they combined their weapons into a massive sword. "Savage Slash!"
They chopped the blade, which energized and extended. Bowser grabbed the three Zergs and pushed them ahead to act as a shield; the blade slashed through the grunts with massive bursts of spark that tore them to pieces.
Simon looked away from his own battle for a moment to watch the Rangers’ final attack. He couldn’t help but smirk.
The teen looked into the distance. "You watching this, Gao Lion?"
The zord roared.
The Rangers shifted back into their standard forms and armed their Power Blasters. They inserted their Ultimate Power Ranger Keys into the weapons, which pulsed with energy: "FIIIIIINAL WAAAAVE!"
"Fire," the Red Ranger said.
The Rangers fired energy bullets that grouped together and punctured through the monster’s chest with massive bursts of spark. The monster collapsed with a massive secondary explosion.
Soon after, the Armada flagship fired its enlargement beams. The rays splashed against the fallen monster and three Zergs, who revitalized and grew giant.
The Red Ranger flipped open his morpher and pressed a series of command codes: "LEEEEEGACY GALLEON!"
The ship flew through the skies and lowered grappling lines. The Rangers grabbed the lines, which reeled them into the vessel.
They gathered in their cockpit. "Ultimate fusion!"
"ULLLLLTIMATE FUSION!" The ship split into five different zords, which twirled through the air and combined into a massive robo.
"Ultimate Megazord!" the Rangers shouted.
The Zergs charged to attack. The Ultimate Megazord armed its twin sabers and slashed through the soldiers, blades sparking on impact.
The Megazord turned to face the three Zergs.
"Alright," the Red Ranger said as he pulled out his Ultimate Red Ranger Key. "We’ll use the Ultimate Starburst."
Bowser took advantage of the Megazord’s exposed back. He thrust his hand and fired his claw, which latched onto the Megazord’s armor.
The Zergs pounced and grabbed onto the Megazord, holding it in place.
The Rangers shifted their Keys, but nothing happened - the monster’s claw held the main weapons compartment closed.
"That’s cute…" the Green Ranger muttered.
Bowser laughed as the Zergs tightened their grip.
Suddenly, a roar sounded in the distance. Gao Lion pounced onto the scene and growled at the villains.
Within their cockpit, the Rangers grasped their Gao Ranger Keys, which glowed with energy.
"Our Gao Keys!" the Green Ranger said.
"It’s Gao Lion…" the Pink Ranger said. "He’s a Grand Power…"
"Then let’s use him," the Red Ranger said. Together, they inserted their Gao Ranger Keys and called out: "Ranger Keys, set!"
"GAAAAAAAO LION!"
The Megazord flared with light that mimicked the emblem of the Gao Rangers, knocking the Zergs backward.
Gao Lion roared and pounced, clawing the monster with bursts of spark that knocked him several steps backward.
Gao Lion landed, looked over his shoulder, and growled at the Megazord.
"What’s he saying?" the Yellow Ranger asked.
"Maybe we can combine!" the Green Ranger said.
"All right," the Red Ranger said. "Let’s make this showy: Gao Lion, equip!"
The Megazord and Gao Lion leapt into the air, flared with energy, and combined. The Megazord’s lower body fused with the lion, giving the robo the appearance of riding the beast.
"Ultimate Lion Megazord!" the Rangers shouted.
The Megazord landed and charged towards the villains.
The Zergs lowered, shifted into motorcycle mode, and throttled towards the Megazord.
"That’s new," the Green Ranger said.
The Megazord twirled its sabers and slashed the cycles as they passed. The vehicles swerved around and opened fire; bolts of blue energy blasted the Megazord with bursts of spark.
The Rangers snapped their wheels to the left.
The Megazord jumped and turned, while slashing a cycle away. The grunt crashed and skid across the ground.
Gao Lion pounced and tackled the second cycle, and the Megazord slashed the third cycle through the air.
The three cycles exploded, bursting into fiery debris.
Bowser shouted with anger and charged towards the Megazord.
The Rangers twisted their Gao Ranger Keys. "Ultimate Roaring Fury!"
The Megazord charged to attack. Gao Lion opened its jaws and fired a beam of golden energy that punctured through Bowser. The Megazord pounced, slashed through the monster, and landed behind him. Secondary explosions ripped Bowser into shreds with a massive bursts of flame that scattered his body into ash.
Junzo swung low; his blade slashed Simon’s leg, and Simon collapsed to his knees. The villain twisted his grip and hacked towards Simon’s head, but Simon parried, used his hands for support, and lifted himself with a kick that bashed Junzo backward.
The former ranger flipped to his feet and lunged with a series of slashes and chops that Junzo parried.
The villain laughed at the attack. "You are no warrior…You are a weak child!"
Simon narrowed his eyes and stabbed; Junzo swatted the dagger from the teen’s hand and kicked his chest.
Simon staggered backward, and Junzo hopped with a wide slash.
The former ranger thrust his hand. "Ki!"
He fired an invisible burst of energy that bashed Junzo and hurled him through the air. The villain crashed and quickly rolled to his feet.
Simon narrowed his eyes and tightened his hands into fists; black flare trickled along his knuckles.
Junzo pounced to attack.
Simon thrust his fists, firing waves of Shadow Fire that burned through Junzo and disintegrated his soul. The evil samurai crashed lifelessly to the ground.
The teen looked down to his fists and opened his hands, feeling the dark energy that had poured through him. What the hell was that...?
Tyler and his teammates joined Simon back in Gao Rock. They stood inside and grasped their Gao Ranger Keys, which glowed with power.
The energy pulsed in rhythm with the Time Shard that hovered next to them.
Tetomu grasped her chest and stepped back. "The Time Shard...it's reacting to you."
Tyler shook his head. "No..." he lifted his Key towards the Shard. "It's reacting to the Gao Rangers' Grand Power."
The Time Shard flashed with light that enveloped the rangers. The light pulsed with images that flashed through their minds.
They again saw Simon standing near the destruction of N'Ma - then time rewound, months before that final battle, to the time when Simon found himself dead and in Hell.
To be continued...Chapter 07
Simon Kaden at age 16. Simon became the Red Gao Ranger in Classic UPR Year 7.
Further reading:
· Simon meets the Power Rangers in the very first chapter of UPR - " The Legacy Begins"
· Simon becomes Gao Red in Classic UPR Year 7 Chapter 01 - " Lion Heart"
The original seven seasons of UPR: ryuranger.com
The UPR sequel series, UPR New Generation: http://ryuranger.com/UPR_NG.html