Beyond all Space and Time After the Shattering

Lightning scorched fragments of sky. Tyler, Seth, Mat, Orion, Kym and Kira lay defeated on patches of barren dirt.

Slowly, Seth stirred and climbed to his feet. His body felt worn and beaten from the battle with Vasco. But he didn’t have time to rest or heal. He needed to get his teammates to safety before their surroundings unraveled.

He went to them one-by-one. “Kym…Mat…Kira…”

His teammates regained consciousness, all except for Tyler.

Seth kneeled next to his leader. “Tyler…come on, get up.”

The others gathered around him. Orion shook Tyler by the arm.

“Come on, get up, this isn’t nap time,” Orion pleaded.

Tyler’s eyes fluttered and opened. He started to sit up. But he could barely move, in far worse shape than his comrades.

Kym placed a hand on his chest. “Don’t push yourself.”

Tyler ignored her. “Where’s Vasco?”

Kira took the blame before any of the others could. “I’m sorry,” she said. “We lost. He took our Ranger Keys. And the ship.”

Mat flipped open his morpher. “I can’t access the ship’s computer. Or reach Navi.”

Tyler narrowed his eyes. He didn’t know which hurt worse: his physical pain or his rage.

“Vasco…” he cursed.

It started to rain. At least, it appeared to rain.

Mat looked up at what remained of the fragmented skies, torn sheets of clouds and stars, ragged.

“Uh, guys,” Mat said. “We need to get out of here.”

“How?” Kym asked. “Vasco took our ship.”

“As much as that is a problem,” Mat said, “the bigger problem is this patch of space we’re in. It’s about to unravel, and if we don’t get out of here now, we’ll unravel with it.”

Navi rolled across the bridge of the Legacy Galleon. Vasco had bound the navigation droid with wiring to keep him from flying off the ship.

Vasco ignored the robot. The villain stood next to a viewport and watched the crackling of lightning and static outside, as the remnants of space and time continued to rip to pieces and evaporate into the endless nothingness of the void.

“All the Ranger Keys are mine…” he whispered.

“You had help,” came a voice from behind.

Vasco turned to face a teen with pale skin, shaggy brown hair, and slender glasses. His name was David Cranston, son of Billy Cranston from an alternate Earth in the Negative Multiverse– where the nightmares and fears of the multiverse gave birth to worlds of their own, worlds born only to die, to fade in and out of existence as briefly as breath. David held the powers of Kamen Rider Decade, which he had used to fight against the Power Rangers from time to time.

“Yes, yes.” Vasco waved his hand dismissively. “You’ve finished gathering the Grand Powers of the Kamen Riders, I take it?”

David nodded. “It wasn’t hard.”

“I can’t imagine it was,” Vasco said with a smirk. “Why do you always have to look so grim and serious, little Davey? We’ve won.”

“Have we?” David asked. “So we have the Grand Powers of the Rangers and Riders. Now what?”

“Does it matter?” Vasco asked. “You and I were never supposed to have been born. Our worlds never should have existed. What we do doesn’t matter, as long as we do something. As long as we do something to fight against the light that never shined on us or our realities.”

Vasco walked to the Ranger Key chest and reached inside, shifting through the keys within the container. “These Keys and their Grand Powers are all that remain of the light of Creation. And they are ours.”

Neither villain noticed Navi continue to struggle against his bindings– until the bindings snapped. The sound caught the attention of Vasco and David, but by the time they looked, Navi had fluttered away.

“What?” Vasco scoffed beneath his breath. “That annoying little bird. Did he really…”

“You lost the droid?” David asked with annoyance.

Vasco lifted a hand. “Hush, pretty.” He walked to the command console and activated the ship’s sensors. “Nothing is ever really lost.”

“Except for literally every single thing that has ever been lost, ever.”

“Was that a joke? Are you trying to be funny now? Because that would be new. And unwelcome. I’m the funny one. You knew this when you signed up to work with me. Please don’t throw off our dynamic.”

Vasco activated the ship’s security protocol. Safety doors slid into place over all entrances, exits and viewports.

He pulled out his mystical trumpet, crafted by his own power, and slid the six Ultimate Power Ranger Keys into the instrument. The villain blew the trumpet, which glowed with energy and summoned duplicates of the six Ultimate Power Rangers, soulless constructs of energy and armor.

They lined up as Vasco addressed them.

“Pseudo Rangers,” he said as he looked them over one-by-one. “There’s a little birdy droid loose on my ship. I want you to find him and bring him to me. Quickly. There’s no time…literally no time, all of time is gone, it’s a brain twister. But luckily, you can’t exactly think, can you?”

He pointed to the nearest entrance. “Now go.”

The six dupes spread out to find Navi.

Tyler and his teammates found refuge in an old, run-down church. The remnants of reality continued to rip apart outside, but the church itself seemed unharmed, except for the occasional blur, as if shifting in and out of focus.

His teammates had bandaged him and laid him in a pew to rest and recover.

Kira paced impatiently. “After all the work we’ve done…getting all those Ranger Keys and Time Shards…to have Vasco take everything…”

“Speaking of which…” Kym said. “Tyler, what exactly are we supposed to do after we get all the Time Shards back? I know we’re supposed to use them to learn how Reality Shattered, and to fix everything, but how?”

Mat arced an eyebrow. “You’re asking this now?”

Tyler kept still as he looked at the ceiling of the church. “I’m…not exactly sure,” he said softly. “But maybe it doesn’t matter. It’s something we have to do. There’s this saying: 'The moment you think you can’t have your dreams is when you lose them.’ Our dream is to unlock the secret of the universe. To fix it. If we believe in that dream, it will happen.”

Suddenly, their communicators toned.

Kira flipped open her morpher to answer. Navi spoke through the comm line. “Rangers! Please answer!”

“Navi?”

“Kira!” Navi shouted back. “What are you doing?! Vasco’s taken the Legacy Galleon!”

“Yeah, we know that,” Kira said. Mat, Seth, Orion and Kym gathered around her to listen. “Where are you?”

“I ran from Vasco and snuck into the cockpit,” Navi said. “That Kamen Rider Decade is here too! They closed all the exits and viewports. I can’t get outside!”

“Navi, tell us where you are.”

They heard beeps and clicks as Navi used the bridge console to access the Galleon’s Location. “We’re at 140cx.93s3.19ez5. I…AH!”

“Navi?” Mat asked.

“I can’t stay on the line…” Navi whispered. “One of Vasco’s Ranger Duplicates…he’s here.”

The line cut off.

“Navi!” Kym shouted.

“Well…” Mat looked to Tyler. “At least we know where the Galleon is.”

Seth nodded. “It’s not over yet.”

Tyler grasped his injuries and tried to sit up while groaning. Seth laid a hand on his leader’s shoulder and pushed him back down, gently.

“You need to recover,” Seth said. “Leave this to us.”

Kym nodded. “We all have the same dream. Trust us to take it back.”

Tyler hesitated, but nodded. “OK…I’m counting on you.”

Angel Grove 2019 AD Earth Calendar Before the Shattering

Tommy, Connor, Ethan, Trent and Kira walked into the lobby of INET HQ. The massive area extended several stories upward and covered enough ground to hold a small building or two. At the end of the room, two wide staircases extended to the mid-level of the lobby, on either side of an elevator. Two wide, curved desks, polished black, filled the center of the room in front of an artificial waterfall, beneath a floating holographic logo of the INET Corporation.

Metal detectors lined the entrance. Silver Guardians took the role of security officers.

“OK, class,” Tommy said as he led his team through the entrance. “It’s a big place. Try not to run around too crazy, and make sure to stick together.”

Tommy stopped in front of the metal detectors. He smiled sheepishly at the guards.

“Kids,” he said with a shrug. “Doesn’t take much to get them riled up these days. Am I right? Anyway, we’re here on a fieldtrip, you should have our credentials. Reefside High School, Tommy Oliver.”

The guard tilted his head. “We don’t host field trips…”

“Oh…” Tommy said. “Well…what can I say? I went to high school with your CEO. He made an exception for me. Nice guy, Billy. That’s what we still call him. 'Billy.’ Dr. Cranston doesn’t have the same ring to it.”

The guardian raised his hands. “Sir, if you could just step back.”

“Sure, sure.”

Kira sighed and rolled her eyes, exaggerating as she looked at her phone. “Oh come on, Dr. O. It’s bad enough you drag us all the way out here. Turns out they don’t even have decent wi-fi.”

Connor grabbed her phone. “It’s not like you have friends to stay in touch with.”

“Hey!” She grabbed the phone back and slapped his arm.

They started to circle around one another, wrestling for the phone.

Ethan grinned uncomfortably at the nearest guard. “This is what I have to live with. Every day.”

Tommy patted Ethan on the back. “It’s OK, Ethan, once we get inside, man, this place is going to knock your socks off.”

The guards gathered around the commotion. “Sir,” the lead guard said, “please, could you step back and let-”

Kira scoffed as Connor dangled her phone over her head. “Dr. O, I know we’re supposed to be acting, but Connor’s really starting to tick me off. I think we’ve stalled long enough.”

“Hey.” Connor smiled with a shrug. “I’m just following the plan.”

The lead guard narrowed his eyes. “Stalled…?”

Tommy palm-heel struck the guard’s chest with a burst of Ki that hurled him across the lobby. The rest of the guards reached for their guns, but Tommy didn’t give them a chance to draw the weapons.

He front-kicked a guardian upside the head. Spinning, he reverse-side-kicked a soldier’s chest, knife-hand chopped the back of a guardian’s neck, and kneed a soldier in the gut. Tommy struck quickly and with great power, honed after nearly two decades of countless wars and battles.

Throughout the lobby, men and women screamed at the commotion.

Tommy looked over his shoulder at his team. “Help clear the civilians.”

Trent nodded. “Right.”

Connor, Trent, Ethan and Kira split up and helped the civilians scurry to the exits without getting trampled.

A dozen more Silver Guardians rushed into the lobby with their blasters drawn. They opened fire at Tommy.

The ranger slapped his right fist against his left palm, igniting a shield of Ki that deflected the blasts. He snapped his arms aside, summoning a wave of Ki that bashed the guards off their feet.

A guardian scrambled to his feet, activated a stun baton, and lunged at Tommy. The ranger easily blocked and kicked the soldier to the floor.

Tommy activated his communicator. “Simon, you’re up.”

“Already in,” Simon said through the comm-line.

“Show off.” Tommy smirked.

“I try,” Simon answered. “Going dark.”

Tommy lowered his communicator as another wave of Guardians filed into the lobby. A few aimed their blasters and fired. Others armed stun batons.

A Guardian swung his baton at Tommy’s head. Tommy blocked, grabbed the soldier, and hurled him across the room. The guardian smashed into the waterfall.

A trio of guards closed in from behind Tommy. He snapped around with a side-kick, fueled with Ki, that bashed the guards like a battering ram. Tommy turned and flipped another guard off his feet, front-kicked a guard’s head, and reverse-side-kick a guard’s chest, bashing him backward.

The lobby elevators opened. The SPD team– Nat, Sky, Sam, Bridge, Syd and Z– dashed into the lobby.

Connor noticed while he finished helping the last of the civilians outside.

“That’s our cue,” he said.

Connor, Trent, Ethan, and Kira regrouped and ran towards the SPD team.

“Hey!” Connor shouted as he and his teammates stepped into fighting stances. “You ruined our fake field trip!”

Sky arced an eyebrow. “You kids really want to do this?”

“No,” Connor said. “But that’s never stopped us before.”

Connor, Ethan and Kira armed their morphers.

“Dino Thunder! Power up! Ha!”

Trent lifted his morpher. “White Ranger. Dino Power.”

Energy roared around them as they morphed into their Dino Thunder Ranger forms.

Nat, Sky, Bridge, Syd and Z armed their badge morphers.

“Ready?” Nat shouted.

“Ready!” they shouted back.

“SPD! Emergency!”

Sam activated his wrist morpher. “Emergency! DECA Break!”

Energy flashed around them as they morphed into their armor.

Tommy made his way to the elevator, punching and kicking through Silver Guardians, none of whom landed a single blow.

He lifted a guardian and slammed him to the ground, rolled aside to dodge blaster fire, and stood while flipping a soldier over his shoulder and side-kicking another soldier. Spin-kick. Jump spin-kick. Hook-kick/round-kick combo.

“Enough!” a voice shouted.

Tommy looked to see Commander Kruger enter the lobby. The guardians– those still standing– took a moment to step back and regroup.

“Tommy…” Kruger practically growled. “It’s not too late to end this. Stand down and order your Rangers to do the same.”

“Sure,” Tommy said. “Right after you shut down the Enetron Matrix.”

“You’re not in a position to negotiate,” Kruger said. “Stand down and I promise I’ll hear you out.”

Tommy shook his head. “There’s no time.”

Kruger growled. “You and I have fought together, Tommy. We’ve been comrades. I know you don’t want this war, not anymore than I do. Please…stand down.”

“I wish I could,” Tommy said. “But your boss hasn’t left us with any other option.”

“There’s always another option, Tommy.”

“Not this time.”

Tommy armed his Dino Morpher. Reluctantly, Kruger reached for his morpher.

“Dino Thunder! Power-up! Ha!”

“Emergency! DECA Shadow!”

Energy flashed around them as they morphed into their armor. DECA Shadow unsheathed his D-Sword Vega. Dino Black unsheathed his Brachio Staff.

DECA Red armed his D-Magnums and opened fire at the Red Dino Thunder Ranger. Dino Red charged forward while twirling his Tyranno Staff, deflecting the blasts.

The Red Dino Thunder Ranger leapt through the air and landed with a chop of his staff. DECA Red used one blaster to block, and bashed his other blaster’s handle across the Dino Thunder Ranger’s helmet.

Nearby, Dino Slayer dashed at DECA Break.

DECA Break activated his bracer and slapped the floor.

“Electric Fist!”

He sparked discharges of electric energy that lashed towards the White Dino Thunder Ranger. Dino Slayer leapt over the blasts and landed with a flurry of chops and slashes, his Drago Dagger sparking against the SPD Ranger’s armor.

Meanwhile, close by, Dino Blue leaned forward as DECA Blue and DECA Green charged at him with their D-Batons.

“Super Dino Mode!” Dino Blue shouted.

His armor plating thickened and extended like bone. He charged, tackled the two SPD Rangers, and hurled them overhead.

Nearby, DECA Pink and DECA Yellow armed their D-Shots and fired lances of energy at the Yellow Dino Thunder Ranger.

Dino Yellow leapt over the blasts, landed on a balcony rail above and pushed off.

“Super Dino Mode!”

Her armor formed wings. She glided downward and armed her weapons.

“Ptera Grips!” She swooped past the Yellow and Pink SPD Rangers and slashed them with bursts of spark, whipping them backward.

Elsewhere in Angel Grove

INET summoned Jet Force, Overdrive and RPM back to the Enetron Matrix to help with defense. The three Rangers teams rode their zords through the city.

“Is this right?” RPM Red asked. “The Dino Thunder Rangers are attacking INET? That can’t be right.”

“It was only a matter of time,” said Aero Red of Jet Force.

RPM Green joined the conversation. “Are we sure they aren’t under a spell? This sounds like something they would do if they were under a spell.”

“No,” Aero Red said. “We’ve crossed paths with Tommy’s Rangers before. This wouldn’t be the first time.”

“But they’ve never done something like this,” RPM Red said. “Launched an all-out attack.”

“It’s possible-” Aero Red started to say but didn’t get the chance to finish.

Explosions filled their viewports.

They skid their zords to a stop as sparks ignited through the streets. At first, the Rangers thought several buildings had exploded, perhaps from an alien attack. But the sparks came from something less dangerous, and to some, more annoying– illusions.

“Magic,” Overdrive Black cursed beneath his breathe.

Through their cockpits, they saw the Mystic Rangers standing on a rooftop.

“Let’s go say hi,” Aero Red said.

The Overdrive, RPM and Jet Force teams leapt from their cockpits and surrounded the Mystic Rangers.

“Hello there,” Mystic Green said, casually holding his staff over his shoulder. “My name’s Xander. There seems to be a slight misunderstanding. I don’t suppose we could talk this out?”

Overdrive Black tilted his head. “Are you being serious right now?”

Blurs of motion dashed across the rooftop, knocking the INET-aligned Rangers backward. The attack came from Jungle Fury; the Jungle Fury Rangers landed in fighting stances.

“You guys aren’t getting anywhere close to the Matrix,” Jungle Fury Red said. “Not until we shut it down.”

Aero Red looked over his shoulder towards RPM Red. “Get your team back to INET HQ. My team and Overdrive can take care of-”

Jungle Fury and Mystic Force attacked.

The Red Jet Force Ranger slashed at the Jungle Fury Red Ranger. Red Tiger blocked, disarmed his opponent, and launched a flurry of palm-heel strikes and punches that bashed Red Hawk’s chest, sending him staggering backward.

Red Hawk reached for his blaster; Red Tiger grabbed Aero Ranger’s wrist and flipped him off his feet.

Nearby, the Violet Wolf Ranger kneed Black Condor upside the head and elbowed the back of his neck, dropping him to the ground.

“Cheetah Jabs!” Yellow Cheetah launched rapid punches that pommeled the Yellow Overdrive Ranger, bashing her backward.

The Yellow Overdrive Ranger staggered and lifted her hands into a weak defensive stance. “Why are you doing this?” she asked as she stepped backward. “We shouldn’t be fighting.”

“Feel free to stand down,” Jungle Fury Yellow said.

Joining the fight, RPM Yellow throttled through a blur of motion and slashed Jungle Fury Yellow to the ground.

RPM Red armed his Street Saber, and Mystic Red armed his Magi Staff in sword mode. They clashed blades, sparking on impact, as they circled around one another.

Mystic Red kicked the legs out from beneath the Red RPM Ranger; RPM Red crashed back-first onto the roof. The Red Mystic Ranger placed his sword against the fallen RPM Ranger’s neck.

“You know I could wipe you all out with a snap, right?” Mystic Red asked. “Literally, I could snap my fingers and burst you all into flames.”

“Overconfident much?” RPM Red parried Mystic Red’s blade aside and rolled to his feet.

Mystic Red swung upward, slashing RPM Red with a burst of spark that whipped him backward.

RPM Gold and RPM Silver armed their daggers and dashed at Mystic Gold.

The Gold Mystic Ranger armed his blaster and fired bursts of golden light, blasting the two RPM Rangers with bursts of spark that whipped them off their feet.

Inside INET HQ

Simon crept along the rafters of the ceiling. He entered a small lab, cluttered with computer equipment and electronic signals. He started to open a commline to his teammates, elsewhere in the compound, but he didn’t get a chance.

Electricity flashed. The discharge knocked Simon from the rafters. He crashed to the floor.

Dax stood nearby with his hands in his pockets. He looked down at the fallen ranger.

“Man,” Dax said, shaking his head. “You are just awful.”

Simon narrowed his eyes with a burst of Ki. The blast hurled Dax backward; he slammed against the nearest wall.

Slowly, Simon climbed to his feet. Ian and Kylie charged at him, grabbing his arms to keep him from morphing.

“Don’t do this,” Kylie pleaded. “Hasn’t there been enough fighting?”

Simon spread his arms with a shock wave of invisible energy that hurled Kylie and Ian across the lab.

He armed his morpher. “Ninjetti Change! Ha!”

Energy swirled around him as he morphed into Hurricane Red. The Red Ranger unsheathed his sword. “If you don’t want to fight, then stand-down and disable the Matrix.”

Dax climbed to his feet and armed his wrist morphers. “Bio Burst!”

He morphed into Red Falcon with a flash of red energy. The Ranger armed his Falcon Saber.

Ian and Kylie climbed to their feet on the opposite side of the room. They armed their morphers. “Bio Burst!”

They morphed into Blue Dolphin and Yellow Lion. The Blue Ranger armed her Dolphin Bow, and the Yellow Ranger armed his Lion Bazooka.

Hurricane Red shifted into a defensive stance. “Anyone ever tell you that your motif is a total rip-off?”

The Red Hurricane Ranger shot forward in a blur of motion. Red Falcon tried to defend himself, but Hurricane Red moved faster than the eyes could see. The Red Hurricane Ranger slashed upward, blade sparking on impact and whipping Red Falcon backward.

Blue Dolphin and Yellow Lion leapt to attack.

“Dolphin Bow!” She triggered blue energy arrows.

“Lion Bazooka!” He fired bursts of yellow power.

Hurricane Red charged his saber with wind energy. “Wind Blade!”

He slashed through a streak of power, firing a blade of wind energy that swept the Bio-Beast attacks away and slammed the two Rangers with bursts of spark. Secondary explosions tore across their armor as they fell.

Red Falcon raised his sword and charged from behind the Red Hurricane Ranger. “Falcon Break!”

Red Falcon ignited his blade with energy and slashed through a streak of power. Hurricane Red parried and side-kicked Red Falcon, knocking him backward.

The Red Bio-Beast Ranger staggered as his two teammates regrouped with him. But before they could strike back, a wall exploded; Digi Gold and Digi Silver flew through the opening, crashed and tumbled.

Crimson Thunder and Navy Thunder leapt through the opening and landed in fighting stances. Hurricane Yellow and Hurricane Blue followed.

Hurricane Red smiled beneath his helmet. “That would be my back-up.”

Blue Dolphin leapt towards the Blue Hurricane Power Ranger.

“Dolphin Bow!” She triggered a volley of blue energy arrows.

“Water Wall!” Hurricane Blue snapped her arm upward, summoning a wall of water that blocked the blasts. She leaned down and sprang towards her opponent.

“Water Palm Blade!” She summoned a blade of water in her hand and palm-heel struck Blue Dolphin with massive bursts of spark.

Nearby, Hurricane Yellow flipped across the floor, dodging blasts from the Yellow Bio-Beast Ranger’s Lion Bazooka.

The Yellow Hurricane Power Ranger landed and slid his foot across the ground. He slapped his right fist against his left palm.

“Earth Style! Earth Spear Jutsu!”

Spears of earth erupted from the floor and stabbed Yellow Lion with bursts of spark, hurling him backward as secondary explosions ignited across his armor.

Meanwhile, Digi Gold and Digi Silver circled around Crimson Thunder and Navy Thunder.

Navy Thunder twirled his staff at the Silver Digi Ranger. Digi Silver armed his Striker Saber and parried, weapons sparking against one another, staff against sword.

The Silver Ranger hopped backward.

“Stag Attack!”

He swung his sword, firing a blast of silver energy shaped like stag horns. Navy Thunder spun wide and swatted the blast aside.

“Lightning Bolt!” the Navy Thunder Ranger thrust his palm with a burst of lightning energy.

The blast smashed the Silver Ranger with bursts of spark, hurling him off his feet.

Meanwhile, Digi Gold charged towards Crimson Thunder.

Crimson Thunder slapped his right fist against his left left palm.

“Shadow Style! Shadow Clone Jutsu!”

He sprouted a half dozen clones of shadow and crimson that darted around Digi Gold, striking the Ranger relentlessly, blows sparking on impact and driving him to his knees.

Outside INET headquarters

The Dino Charge team made it to INET headquarters to back-up SPD. But before they could enter the building, Teddy and the Samurai team blocked their path.

The two ranger teams armed their morphers.

“Dino Charger, ready! Unleash the Power!”

“Samurai Scribe! Ha!”

Energy flashed around them as they morphed into their armor.

The teams clashed.

Samurai Gold armed his dagger and dashed at Dino Charge Gold.

The Gold Dino Charge Ranger stepped back and inserted a Dino Charger into his blade. “Dino Charger, ready!” he shouted. “Lightning-”

Samurai Gold dashed back and forth through blurs of motion, slashing the Dino Charge Gold Ranger with bursts of spark, striking repeatedly before the Dino Charge Ranger could defend himself.

The Pink and Green Dino Charge Rangers ran to help their teammate.

Samurai Gold smirked beneath his helmet. The Gold Samurai Ranger dashed at the Green and Pink Rangers; he lashed out with kicks and dagger strikes, bashing and slashing the two Rangers with bursts of spark, sending them staggering backward.

Samurai Red armed his Spin Sword and slashed at Dino Charge Red. The Red Dino Charge Ranger used his T-Rex Smasher to block the blow.

Samurai Red swiped his sword’s Symbol Disc. “Spiral Flame!”

He slashed through a streak of flame that whipped the Red Dino Charge Ranger backward.

INET HQ Lobby

The Dino Thunder Black Ranger blocked a flurry of sword swings from DECA Shadow. The Black Ranger stepped closer to DECA Shadow, kneed the SPD Ranger, and slashed him with a burst of spark.

DECA Shadow struck back with a back-hand slash. The Black Ranger parried and front-kicked Shadow Ranger. The Shadow Ranger staggered backward; Dino Black lunged and slashed, striking Shadow Ranger with a burst of spark,

DECA Shadow recovered and swung high. But the Black Ranger blocked and side-kicked the SPD Ranger.

The Shadow Ranger gripped tightly onto his weapon. He stepped into an offensive stance.

“D-Sword Vega!” the Shadow Ranger shouted. His sword ignited with power. “Vega Slash!”

He shot forward and swung his sword through a streak of energy.

Dino Black stepped back, spun, and swung his sword wide. He slashed the Shadow Ranger with massive bursts of spark. The blow hurled DECA Shadow aside; he crashed against the wall, which smashed into a web-shaped pattern.

DECA Shadow crashed to his knees and used his sword for balance. He breathed heavily as he looked up.

“You’re holding back.”

The Black Ranger nodded. “So are you.”

DECA Shadow growled. “I don’t want this, Tommy.”

“Then stand down and let me through,” the Black Ranger said.

DECA Shadow climbed to his feet and lifted his sword. He stayed silent.

Dino Black sighed. “Fine.”

The Black Ranger charged and swung his Brachio Staff through a combo of slashes and strikes. He shifted styles to keep DECA Shadow off balance. Japanese Kenjutsu. The heavy blows and cuts of Ono-ha Itto-run, and the side strikes of Yoko Giri. Eltarian Za’do, fluid and flashy movements designed to distract from powerful stabs. Chinese sword forms, as graceful as dance, Kun Wu Jian, Taiji Jian and San Cai Jian.

The blows forced DECA Shadow backward, step-by-step, as he blocked and parried.

The Shadow Ranger hopped backward with a slash.

The Black Ranger blocked, twisted his Brachio Staff, and slashed the D-Sword from the Shadow Ranger’s hands.

The Black Ranger swung upward diagonally, slashing DECA Shadow with a massive bursts of spark that whipped his body into the air.

Dino Black stabbed his blade into the floor.

“Flame Strike!” His blade triggered a fiery energy pulse that tore through the floor and exploded beneath DECA Shadow, hurling him further upward.

Dino Black pulled his blade free.

“Energy Orb!”

He twirled his blade to form an orb of power. He slashed wide, swatting the orb towards his opponent. The orb smashed DECA Shadow with massive bursts of spark that tore his armor and hurled him across the lobby.

DECA Shadow crashed back-first and skidded across the floor.

Dino Black lowered his blade. “I’m sorry, Kruger. I didn’t have a choice…”

DECA Shadow tried to climb to his feet but didn’t have enough strength or stamina. He growled, his muscles worn from the battle.

“You’re making a mistake, Tommy.”

“Maybe,” the Black Ranger said as he walked away. “But if it saves the world from shattering? It’s a mistake I have to make.”

Beyond all Space and Time After the Shattering

Orion, Seth, Mat, Kira and Kym used Navi’s coordinates to find the Legacy Galleon. They snuck inside via the lower compartments.

Once in, they decided to split into groups: one to find Navi in the cockpit and one to retake the living quarters, the location of the ship’s main computer.

Seth and Kym dashed down a corridor. Two figures stepped from the corner ahead: the Ultimate Blue Ranger and the Ultimate Pink Ranger.

Seth and Kym stopped in their tracks.

“It’s…us?” Kym asked, shaking her head.

“Vasco must have used our Ranger Keys with that trumpet of his,” Seth said.

Deeper in the ship, Mat, Kira and Orion ran through the engine compartment. They moved towards a ladder that lead up to the ship’s cockpit. But three figures stepped from the shadows to block their path: the Ultimate Green Ranger, Ultimate Yellow Ranger, and Ultimate Silver Ranger.

The three Pseudo Rangers stepped into their signature stances.

Mat scoffed. “I do not pose like that.”

“Like what?” Kira asked.

“Like I’m wiping my hands on my pants after pissing!”

“You do, you totally do,” Kira said.

Orion looked at Mat and shrugged. “Maybe it’s a subconscious thing?”

The Pseudo Rangers charged to attack.

Seth and Kym didn’t have much room to maneuver in the narrow corridor. Luckily, neither did the Pseudo Rangers. The Ranger Dupes unsheathed their swords, chopped, and slashed; Seth and Kym wove and dodged.

“If we get our Ranger Keys back, we can morph,” Seth said as he blocked the Blue Ranger’s arm and round-kicked his chest.

The Ultimate Silver Ranger twirled his lance; the Ultimate Green Ranger and Ultimate Yellow Rangers armed their swords. They pounced at Mat, Orion and Kira, who scattered across the engine compartment.

The Ultimate Yellow Ranger slashed towards Kira’s head.

Kira blocked the Yellow Ranger’s wrist and kicked her upside the head.

Navi hid behind the wheel in the cockpit. The droid waited until after the Red Pseudo Ranger finally left, waited a few more moments, then finally left cover– just as the Red Ranger stepped back into the cockpit.

“Bwah!” Navi shouted.

The Blue Ranger and Pink Ranger continued their battle against Seth and Kym. But while the Ranger Dupes possessed Ranger energies, the two out-of-time teens possessed skill.

The Blue Ranger chopped towards Seth’s head. The teen blocked the Ranger’s wrist, grabbed the sword, and twisted; Seth pulled the sword from the Ranger’s hand, twirled the blade, and slashed the Blue Ranger with a burst of spark.

Nearby, the Pseudo Pink Ranger cornered Kym against a wall. Before the Pink Ranger could attack, Kym lunged, elbowed the Pink Ranger, and grabbed her blaster.

Kym dove to the deck, rolled to her feet, and swung her blaster towards the Pink Ranger. Blasts sparked on impact, sending the Pseudo Ranger staggering backward.

Kira grabbed the Yellow Ranger by the arm and flipped her to the floor. The teen grabbed the sword from the Ranger’s hand and bashed the hilt across the Ranger’s helmet.

Nearby, the Pseudo Silver Ranger swung his lance. Orion side-stepped, grabbed the weapon, and round-kicked the Ranger. The blow sent the Ranger staggering backward as he lost his grip on his weapon.

Orion lifted the lance and stabbed Pseudo Silver, blade sparking on impact.

Closer to the ladder, Mat flipped the Ultimate Green Ranger to the floor, grabbed the Ranger’s blaster, and opened fire.

Tyler sat up slowly in the church. Still injured, he grabbed his side and forced himself to stand. But he stumbled as soon as he tried to walk.

The ranger cursed beneath his breath.

“Come on…” he whispered.

With a sigh, he sat on the floor and leaned against a pew. His hand drifted to his belt, where he felt a piece of Sally’s armor, stuck following the explosion. Tyler traced his fingers across the armor scrap. And he remembered.

Sally had saved him by taking the brunt of the explosion.

The Pseudo Red Ranger carried Navi onto the crew deck. The droid flapped his wings and tried to fly away, but the Red Ranger tightened his grip.

Vasco smiled at the sight. “Well, hello Navi. Did you have fun playing hide-and-seek? Or was it tag?”

“Bah!” Navi shouted. “Of course not! I’ll keep running from you no matter how many times you find me!”

Vasco grabbed Navi from the Red Ranger. The villain dangled the droid upside down, despite his squawking protests.

“We can’t have that, can we?” Vasco said. “You have a very important job to do, my precious droid.”

“Put me down!” Navi screamed.

David sighed as he leaned against the bulkhead. “Leave the droid alone.”

“Hush, hush,” Vasco said. “You’ll be fine, little bird. Such a special little thing, aren’t you? A perpetual motion machine that stays active without using any energy. An irregular being that ignores the laws of physics. Navi, you are the door to what lies beyond the void.”

“What?!” Navi squawked. “That doesn’t make any sense!”

The other five Rangers walked into the living area and lined up, facing Vasco, David and the Pseudo Red Ranger.

Vasco spared them a glance. “I’m done with you now. Return to the chest.”

The Blue Ranger armed his blaster and fired.

Vasco dove aside, dodging the blast and dropping Navi.

The droid clattered across the deck and fluttered to his feet. “What, what, what?!”

“Sorry, Navi,” the Yellow Ranger said with a mock salute. “It’s us.”

David and the Pseudo Red Ranger lunged to attack. But the Blue Ranger fired his blaster to keep them back.

Vasco shifted into his monster form and climbed to his feet. “Well, well. To find out you’re still alive is one thing. But for you to have made it this far?”

The villain thrust his hand with strands of red energy. The strands wrapped around the Rangers with bursts of spark.

“You guys really are an infuriating handful.”

Vasco snapped his arm to his left, tossing the Rangers aside.

Vasco blasted the Blue, Green, Yellow, Pink and Silver Rangers from the ship. They crashed onto the strip of land near the old church; secondary explosions sparked across their armor. Vasco, Decade, and the Pseudo Red Ranger leapt from the ship and landed near the Rangers to face them.

Vasco snapped. “Get them.”

The Pseudo Red Ranger extended his saber and stalked forward.

The Rangers climbed to their feet, armed Ranger Keys, and morphed into different Ranger forms with flashes of light.

“DIIIIIIGI RANGERS!” Seth morphed into Digi Red.

“GAAAAAALAXY RANGERS!” Kira transformed into Galaxy Red.

“SEEEEEEERAPH RANGERS!” Mat turned into Seraph Red.

“MYYYYYYSTIC RANGERS!” Kym morphed into Mystic Red.

“DEEEEECA RANGERS!” Orion morphed into DECA Red.

DECA Red and Seraph Red leapt through the air and fired their blasters. Bolts struck the Pseudo Red Ranger with bursts of spark, sending him staggering backward.

Mystic Red and Galaxy Red stood side-by-side.

“Mane of Flame!” Galaxy Red thrust her hands with a wave of fire.

“Gii Magicka!” Mystic Red thrust her staff with a stream of flame.

The flames combined into a fiery energy wave that bashed the Pseudo Red Ranger with bursts of spark.

The flames cleared, and Digi Red moved in, swinging a combo of punches that bashed the Pseudo Red Ranger’s armor. Uppercut. Cross punch. Hook punch. Cross punch.

The Red Digi Ranger swung a powerful uppercut that bashed Pseudo Red upside the head and whipped him off his feet. Secondary explosions ripped through the Pseudo Red Ranger in midair; he reverted back into a Ranger Key with a flash of light and fell to the ground.

The Ultimate Power Rangers shifted back into their standard armor. The Blue Ranger stepped forward and lifted the Red Ranger Key from the ground.

Vasco crossed his arms over his chest as he watched. “Yeah, I don’t care.”

The Rangers armed their Ultimate Cannon and aimed the double-barreled bazooka at the villain. They inserted their Ranger Keys into the weapon, which hummed with power.

“Ultimate Cannon! Fire!” the Rangers shouted. They triggered a blast, and the weapon shouted the command: “RIIIIIISING STRIIIIIIKE!”

The cannon fired a powerful energy pulse shaped like a ship with a blade at its bow.

Vasco lifted his hand; he caught the blast, condensed it into a bolt of energy, and hurled the bolt at the Rangers. The blast struck the Rangers with massive bursts of spark, whipping them backward. The impact knocked them from their armor with flashes of light.

Vasco shifted back into his human form. “I told you guys you wouldn’t get in my way.” He armed his blaster and aimed towards the fallen rangers. “Later.”

Before the villain could pull the trigger, blasts sparked around him. He staggered backward and looked towards the source of the attack: Tyler walked onto the scene with blaster in hand.

“Tyler!” Kym shouted.

Tyler spun his gun and shifted into a casual pose. “Sorry I’m late…I’ll take it from here.”

Vasco scoffed. “Ty-Ty. You sure are stubborn. Do you really think you can fight in your condition?”

“Don’t worry about it,” Tyler said. “It’s just a little handicap. And if it means I never have to see your face again…worth the risk.” He pointed his blaster. “We’re ending this.”

Vasco laughed. “Oh, Ty-Ty. You’re just adorable, aren’t you.” He looked over his shoulder towards Decade. “Make sure the other Rangers stay back. Ty-Ty and I need some space to resolve our sexual tension.”

Vasco shifted into his monster form with a flash of crimson; he hurled bolts of power at the ranger.

“Tyler!” Seth tossed the Red Ranger Key towards his leader.

Tyler caught the key and morphed as Vasco’s bolts of power exploded around him with flame and smoke.

“UUUUUUUULTIMATE TASK FORCE!”

The Red Ranger leapt through the explosion and fired his blaster.

Before the Shattering The Enetron Matrix INET HQ

The Enetron Matrix stabbed upward within the heart of INET Headquarters. The Digi Ranger team– Colin, Bright and Tessa– stood guard at the base of the machine.

Tessa traced her hand across the Matrix’s armor plating. “I can’t believe they put us on guard duty. We’re under attack!”

“All the more reason to stay with the Matrix,” Colin said. “We can’t let the rogue Rangers sabotage it.”

Bright stepped away from his friends to check the Matrix status panel. “They won’t have much longer to try, if that’s what they’re planning. The start-up sequences are moving ahead as planned. It’s almost time to go online.”

Suddenly, a wave of red air bashed the rangers off their feet and sent them flying across the chamber.

A cloak dropped, revealing the attackers: Troy, Jake, Noah, Emma, and Gia, the Seraph Ranger team. They’d snuck into the Matrix using Troy’s air-cloaking power. Tommy’s plan hinged on Noah’s ability to shut the Matrix down with the help of some coding provided by Alpha-5.

Troy snapped into a fighting stance as he faced the Digi team. “Noah, get to the control panel. We’ll hold off the Digi Rangers.”

Colin groaned as he climbed to his feet. “Oh, will you? We’ll see about that.”

He regrouped with his teammates, and they armed their morphers.

“Let’s Morph-in!” Energy wrapped around them as they morphed into their armor.

Troy, Jake, Gia, and Emma slid their cards into their morphers.

“Seraph Summon!” Energy swirled around them as they morphed into their armor.

The two Ranger teams clashed.

Noah stayed in his civilian guise. He hurried to the Matrix control panel, embedded in the machine’s armor plating.

“OK, let’s see…” he whispered. He pulled out his tablet and opened a wireless connection with the Matrix. Or at least, he tried to. “Hmm…the encryption is stronger than I thought. Alpha’s program is having trouble hacking it…”

The floor shook. Noah glanced at the source. Seraph Black had swung his massive axe at Digi Blue, missed, and struck the floor.

Noah shook his head and tried his best to focus. His heart sank at the codes that flashed across his screen.

“Uh, guys,” he called to his teammates. “We have a problem.”

“Fix it?”Seraph Black asked as he chopped at Digi Blue and missed, again. “You’re the brain, that’s why we brought you.”

“That’s really helpful, Jake, thank you,” Noah said sarcastically. “Seriously, the Matrix is powering up. There’s no way Alpha’s coding can shut it down in time.”

Seraph Red slashed Digi Red aside with a burst of spark. “What are you saying?”

“I’m saying we’re too late,” Noah said. “We lost.”

INET HQ

Tommy walked through a wide hallway on one of INET’s highest floors. He expected another wave or two of Silver Guardians, or maybe ZECT Troopers, but saw no one. He found the empty hallways odd this close to Billy’s main office.

Ahead, two figures stepped into the hallway: Kamen Rider Orga and Kamen Rider Psyga.

https://ryuranger.com/RangerBoard/OrgayPsyga.bmp

Tommy didn’t recognize them.

“You must be Billy’s personal guards,” Tommy said. “I don’t know who you are beneath that armor, but this isn’t going to end well for you. Power down and fall back.”

The Riders said nothing. Silently, they stalked towards Tommy. Orga armed a broadsword, and Psyga armed blasters connected to a power pack on his back.

Tommy sighed and armed his morpher.

“Dino Thunder! Power-up! Ha!” Energy wrapped around him as he morphed into the Dino Thunder Black Ranger.

The Riders charged to attack.

Orga swung his broadsword. Dino Black parried, counter-slashed, and side-kicked the Rider, knocking him to the floor.

Psyga opened fire; blasts exploded around Dino Black with bursts of spark. The Black Dino Thunder Ranger pounced and swung his Brachio Staff, slashing through the Rider’s blasters. The weapons exploded, overloading the Rider’s power pack.

Psyga dropped his power pack and armed bladed tonfa. The Rider lunged and twirled, swinging his blades.

Dino Black parried, weapon sparking against weapon. The Black Ranger snapped a spin kick that bashed the Rider aside.

Orga started to climb to his feet. The Black Ranger kicked the Rider upside the head, knocking him down.

“You guys seriously need to stay down,” the Black Ranger said.

Psyga sprang to his feet and lunged to attack.

The Black Ranger sighed. “Or not.”

Psyga swung his tonfa. The Black Ranger grabbed the Rider in armlock, round-kicked him, and side-kicked him, bashing him backward. The Black Ranger followed with a spinning heel kick that knocked the Rider to the floor.

Dino Black reached towards the fallen Rider’s belts, grabbed their bucklers, and tore them free. The Riders’ armor overloaded and powered down with sizzling bursts of static and light. The Black Ranger didn’t recognize either of them; no older than 18, they wore the uniforms of the Silver Guardians.

“Seriously,” the Black Ranger said to them. “Stay down this time.”

Tommy powered down his armor and walked down the hall towards Billy’s office.

To be continued…Chapter 20