Power Rangers Genesis Episode II

A continuation of a Power Rangers prequel by J.W. Appel

Disclaimer: All things Power Rangers belong to Saban, Disney, and Nickelodeon. Super Sentai is owned by planet Nim concept belongs to Darth Jurious {forgot to mention that last time.} I only own my own characters and concepts. No profit is being made from this work so please don't sue! LOL!

Author's notes: Well, here's the sequel to Power Rangers Genesis, which will cover events most fans are more familiar with like the first war between Zordon and Rita Repulsa and how Zordon recruited his very first team of Earth Rangers to fight against her. You'll also see him play a role in the original wars against Bansheera, the Orgs, DaiShi, the Nighlok, Octommus, and much more. Expect more homages to Sentai and the answers to more questions. I won't give away too much but the Thunder beast Rangers are based on Gosei Sentai Dairanger and the Eltarian Rangers are based on Himitsu Sentai Goranger except no capes. Also, both Yellows are girls and wear traditional female Ranger suits. The Wild Force Yellow has one here too. Enjoy!

Prologue:

Zordon of Eltar, former White Genesis Ranger, stood before his mentors, the Morphing Masters, with his head bowed in shame. Mere hours ago, his entire team had died in battle while trying to stop Lord Zedd from claiming the Zeo Crystal of Triforia as his own. Zordon was the sole survivor and only the Zeo Crystal's anti-evil enchantments had kept Zedd from his goals. It was a shame Zordon would carry for the rest of his days.

"Masters, I have failed you" Zordon said in a quiet voice "because of me, the Rangers are dead and Dark Specter will soon control the universe. The prophecy foretold by your ancestors can not come to pass. I am truly sorry."

The White Master stepped from the platform and placed a hand on Zordon's shoulder. "You are wrong Zordon, the prophecy has indeed come to pass." "What!" The Morphing Masters looked at one another and sighed. "We have deceived you I'm afraid young Zordon" the Yellow Master replied "eons ago, our ancestors, the original Morphing Masters, foresaw that a team of warriors wielding the Power would rise up and turn the tide of the second Great War but also that one of them would be corrupted and destroy the others, leaving only a single survivor. Cronos, the former Black Ranger, fulfilled this half of the prophecy by becoming Lord Zedd."

Zordon gasped at the mention of his former teammate. Zedd was Cronos? Suddenly, the last few years made perfect sense! They never did find Cronos after he betrayed them.

Zordon was glaring at his mentors in absolute hatred now, rage threatening to consume his very soul. "So, we were doomed to fail from the start! All the years of struggles were worth nothing! Because of you, my family, my wife, is dead!"

"We grieve as well but all things are necessary" the Pink Master spoke up sincerely "the prophecy also stated that the survivor would go on to establish eternal protection against evil for all the universe before sacrificing himself to end the War for all time. You know that one team of Rangers is not enough. You must insure that there will always be Power Rangers to defend the universe even after Dark Specter falls."

Zordon was tempted to refuse, to say he was done fighting the Morphing Masters' battles. The Gods themselves knew he had every right to. But then, he thought of Dulcea and what she would do in his place.

"Though I loathe you for what you have caused, I will do as you ask." Zordon told the Morphing Masters "if only to insure that no one else will know my pain. "Then step forward." Zordon did so and the Morphing Masters extended their hands, shooting out waves of Morphing Grid energy at him.

Zordon was struck and felt new power flow through him as his simple tunic transformed into flowing white robes.

As this happened, the color began draining from the Morphing Masters' robes, turning them a dull brown. "It is done" the former Red Master announced "you are now a Morphing Master. We leave the Order in your hands."

"What of you?" Zordon asked. A chest containing two large eggs suddenly appeared before the former Masters, radiating with energy. "These are the Power Eggs" the former White Master explained "they contain the seed of the Morphing Grid itself and will play a vital role in the centuries to come. We have recently discovered an unknown galaxy that should be a secure hiding place for them. We shall not meet again Zordon of Eltar, may the Power protect you always."

End Prologue

Part 1: The Repulsa Wars

Zordon opened his eyes as his meditation induced dream ended and sighed. It had been many years since that day and the memories still remained fresh in his mind. Zordon had spent the last few centuries traveling the universe, battling evil wherever he found it. Despite not being a Ranger anymore, he was still a powerful sage who was skilled in the magical arts and a Morphing Master. This and his still very capable fighting skills made him hailed as the greatest champion of good ever known. His main enemies were Lord Zedd and the Wizard of Deception, who had become his arch rival through the years because of the role he played in Zedd's creation and the subsequent death of the Genesis Rangers.

Zordon groaned as he got to his feet and walked out of his meditation chambers, focusing himself on the task at hand. The great sage currently resided in the temporary Command Center that he and the other Genesis Rangers had established long ago to fight Master Vile's attacks on Eltar. Soon, it would be the base of a new team of heroes: the Eltarian Rangers, whose powers were almost complete. Through the years, Zordon had recruited various beings and trained them in the ways of the Morphing Grid. With time, the Order of Meledon was replaced with the Council of Morphing Masters.

The Council of Morphing Masters was responsible for the creation of Power Ranger teams all across the universe. A Morphing Master would create a set of Ranger Powers for his or her planet and select a group of individuals to bear them and defend their planet under the Master's guidance. They were always teenagers by tradition and when they reached adulthood by their planet's standards, Rangers were retired and asked to choose successors. While most teams possessed Power Coins, others drew power from amulets, medallions, wrist mounted devices, and various other items. Aiding the Rangers were the Blue Senturion Corps, created by a joint effort by the Council and the scientists of the Kerova System. Armed with their transforming Robo Racer Zords and other weapons, the Grid powered robot police proved to be the best law enforcers in eight galaxies. The planet of Mercuria, in honor of the Genesis Ranger who freed them from the dreaded Ivan Ooze eons ago, had formed an emergency response team in their galaxy as well.

Zordon himself had made his own contributions in the past years. Aside from the Eltarian Ranger powers he now busied himself with, he had created five blades which commanded the elements and were connected to a group of Galactabeasts found on planet Ginga who would serve as the chosen Rangers' Zords once found. Zordon named these blades the Quasar Sabers and hid them on Mirinoi in honor of his old friend. After the Magna Defender had trailed the Lights of Orion there and vanished following a battle with his rival Trecheron, the mighty sage knew the planet would fall under attack one day and would need protection He also created a set of keys that would grant the chosen Red Ranger even greater power and trusted them in the hands of a chosen guardian until they were needed.

Thinking back to his old friend, a wave of guilt washed over Zordon. If Quasar had been the leader of the Genesis Rangers then maybe the team would have lived and the War would be over by now. It was because of this notion that Zordon, as head of the Council, decreed that the Red Ranger was the default leader of all Ranger teams unless otherwise stated. It was the least the old sage could do to make up for his failures.

"Ai yi yi! Is everything ready Zordon? Almost everyone on Eltar is here for the presentation." Zordon turned from his work and smiled at the sight of his old friend, Alpha Five of Edenoi. The little robot had joined Zordon on his mission against evil in the last few years and had been a near endless source of comfort to the old sage in the darkest of times.

"You can tell Councilman Yoro that all is ready Alpha. I trust the chosen candidates have been assembled?" Alpha nodded. "Then let us begin!"

Zordon followed Alpha outside where a massive crowd waited with anticipation. Ever since the Grand Council had called Eltar's legendary champion home on classified business two months ago, rumors had spread like wild fire about his work. All except the Grand Council members themselves were breathless as Zordon stepped onto the platform that had been prepared for him. Behind him were five teenage Eltarians, three men and two women, standing in perfect soldier formation. They had selected personally by Zordon after weeks of testing candidates in the old Defender Corps training academy.

"We are here today to mark a turning point in our planet's illustrious history." Zordon began confidently, his deep voice and elegant words stirring the crowd "for the past three thousand years, Eltar has been free of danger but with Dark Specter and his Alliance evolving into a larger and more organized force, this peace is undeniably fragile. Today, we take the next step in our planet's total defense against evil."

Zordon then turned his attention to the five teenagers behind him as a small chest bearing the seal of Eltar appeared in hands. "Candidates, step forward." The five did so and Zordon opened the chest to reveal five gems colored red, blue, green, yellow and pink. "These are Power Gems, created from the rare minerals found beneath Eltar's surface and made to draw on the power of Eltar's sun" Zordon explained "use these in the fight against evil as Eltar's very own Power Rangers."

With a nod from the great sage, one of the candidates, Jexel, grabbed the red gem and a matching Ranger suit formed over his body. The Power Gem was now embedded into the morpher that had appeared on his wrist. "Jexel,you are the Red Ranger" Zordon explained "the Power Whip is your weapon and the Red Attack Solar Zord is yours to command. Use them well as you lead the team in battle." Jexel smiled beneath his helmet as Zordon moved to the next chosen Ranger, Rok.

"Rok, you are the Blue Ranger and second in command." Zordon explained as Rok morphed by grabbing the navy blue gem "You wield the Power Pistols and command the Blue Fury Solar Zord." Rok nodded as Zordon went to present the Green Gem to his teammate, Salko.

"You Salko, are the Green Ranger, wielder of the Power Hammer and commander of the Green Stealth Solar Zord." Zordon fought back a chuckle as Salko nervously accepted his powers and morphed. He reminded Zordon much of himself when he was young.

As the great sage moved to present the last two gems, his heart began to ache. Rolinda, the chosen Yellow, was tomboyish, strong, and courageous while Zelda, the chosen Pink, was compassionate and gentle, yet dedicated to the end of all evil. For a moment, Zordon thought he could see Dulcea and Jarella in their places. Shaking such thoughts from his head, the wise sage presented the two female Rangers with their powers.

"Rolinda, as Yellow Ranger, you possess the Power Chakram and command the Yellow Berserker Solar Zord. May you fight with honor as all Yellows before you have done" Zordon said with a hint of sadness in his voice. Rolinda failed to notice as she morphed. Finally, Zelda received the Pink Gem. "As Pink Ranger, you possess the Power Staff and pilot the Pink Unity Solar Zord. You are the only capable of activating the Megazord function and it will be your duty to keep the team together. Can you do that?" Zordon asked the newly morphed Pink with a warm smile.

Zelda nodded shyly and Zordon continued. "Do you all swear to honor the Ranger Code by fighting evil in all forms, never using the Power for personal gain, or escalating a battle needlessly?" "We do!"

Zordon turned back to the crowd. "People of Eltar, I give you the Solar Force Rangers!" The crowd erupted into thunderous cheers as several of them, mostly media and overzealous fans, attacked the platform to bombard the new heroes with praise. Zordon had become an expert at avoiding such situations over the years and silently exited the platform with aid from Alpha and Yoro.

"Quite a turnout eh, old friend?" Yoro chuckled as they disappeared into the crowd "I guess even the Government can't keep secrets from it's citizens the way it used too." "I trust the Grand Council is equally satisfied with my results?" Zordon asked with a small smile. "Most assuredly, though I can't say they're happy with me leaving them to face the media alone." Both men shared a hearty laugh at that.

"My only question is why did you choose Gems over Power Coins? They're traditional and it's easier when the power source is separate from the morpher itself. Even the wrist mounted model would suffice." "Power Coins must be forged from a rather specific metal not present in this galaxy" Zordon replied quickly "I could only work with what I was given."

The truth was that Zordon had no clue how to make Power Coins and simply had to rely on other options. It was a bit embarrassing how many other Morphing Masters, most of them much younger and less experienced in the ways of the Morphing Grid than Zordon, seemed to possess a talent for making them.

"In any case, I'm glad we were able to pull you away your adventuring to do this" Yoro said "the Council practically begged me to contact you, though I can't see why. Eltar's had peace for three thousand years and I doubt it will stop any time soon." "I hope you're right Yoro, I hope you're right."

…

Several light years away from Eltar, in the M-51 Galaxy, there existed a small black planetoid known as Necros. Necros was known as the World of the Dead for none who attempted to colonize it was ever heard from again and natural resources such as plants always died out before fully growing. It had been that way since even before Master Vile came into power thousands of years ago. The dark wizard never ventured out to this part of his domain and that was why it was perfect for the evil deed taking place.

In a cave located on the north side of Necros, a lone young woman was kneeling before a makeshift altar of her own design. In the center of the altar was a lone human skull. "From the land of shadows, I call to thee" the woman muttered "inhabit the vessel I offer ye and make yourself known,o Ghost of Darkness!"

The skull's eyes lit up as wisps of blue energy began surrounding it. At the same time, the entire cave interior began shifting and transforming until it resembled the inside of a demonic temple. The makeshift altar, which was once only a dirt circle, was now a stone pedestal surrounded by lit torches on both sides. The flames easily enhanced the evil glowing eyes of the skull.

"How may I serve you my child of evil?" A deep and sinister voice seemed to come from the skull, the voice of the Ghost of Darkness. "I have done as you asked o Ghost, we have returned to Necros" the young worshipper responded "please give me the secrets of my ancestors as you promised!" "As you wish my child."

Bolts of energy erupted from the skull's eyes and struck the young woman full force. An evil grin spread across her face as she felt dark magic fill her entire being. The brown tunic she had worn transformed into an amber gown with a cone bra over into and a spiked collar soon appeared around her neck. Her long dark hair becomes tied into a bun as a sort of amber head wrap appeared on her head with points that somewhat resembled horns. Finally, a wand topped with an odd rounded ornament appeared in her outstretched hand.

"It is done" the Ghost of Darkness uttered "you Rita Repulsa are now a fully fledged dark witch of the Lokar clan. May your enemies tremble at your power." The newly dubbed dark witch bowed her head. "Thank you Ghost of Darkness" Rita said in her now scratchy voice "I won't fail you." "See that you don't."

The Ghost of Darkness exited his vessel, causing the cave to revert to normal. An even wider evil grin spread across Rita Repulsa's face. The power she had craved for so long was now hers. Soon, Zordon of Eltar would be made to pay.

Ever since the death of her mother, Mistress Bandora Repugna, at the hands of the Genesis Rangers years ago, Rita had vowed revenge upon Zordon of Eltar, their only surviving member. She had worked for years to become a fully fledged dark witch but her father showed no interest in continuing her lessons. Adding to this was the fact that Lokar, source of her mother's power, was gone. When Bandora was destroyed by the Genesis Rangers' Grid Cannon, the release of Morphing Grid energy caused a backslash which trapped Lokar between the Shadow World and the mortal universe, unable to be contacted.

As luck would have it, Rita managed to contact the Ghost of Darkness, a minor entity in the Shadow World but still knowledgeable in the ways of evil and dark magic. He taught Rita many secrets but could only unlock her full potential on Necros, the home of her mother and their ancestors, the dark witch clan that originally worshiped Lokar. According to legend, the first Morphing Masters battled and defeated them, leaving Bandore and Rita the last of the most powerful dark witches in the universe. Today, Rita took revenge for her entire family.

Exiting the cave, Rita returned to her camp where her followers awaited her. Soon after leaving Gamma Vile, she had travelled the galaxy in one of her father's ships, recruiting followers to serve in her army. Rita's ultimate goal was to establish her own empire and prove herself greater than her father or anyone else. She would be the Empress of Evil and even Dark Specter himself would bow at her feet.

"Did you succeed Rita?" Scorpina asked hopefully. Rita's old friend had grown into a beautiful and deadly warrior, as lethal as her namesake. She had grown bored serving in Master Vile's army and had agreed to be Rita's general in her quest for domination. She also craved revenge on Zordon for the death of her father Arachnion, who had been killed serving as Master Ville's general on Eltar long ago.

"What does it look like?" Rita cackled as she raised her wand into the air "magic wand, make this world tremble!" A massive earthquake started, shaking the planet at it's foundation. Volcanoes erupted as gail force winds began swirling about and created miniature tornadoes. Storm clouds gathered and massive bolts of lightning began striking the planet from all sides. Rita laughed triumphantly at the display of her new power and ended it with another wave of her wand. The planet calmed instantly as though nothing had happened.

"Wow sis! You're incredible! Dad's gonna be real proud." Rita's younger brother, Rito Revolto, exclaimed. The walking skeleton was moronic and had no talent for magic other than basic tricks like teleportation. However, he was a strong warrior and Vile let him lead various attacks on unconquered planets, treating him slightly better than Rita, which wasn't saying much as he hated them both. Rito's special treatment ended one day when Master Vile discovered the Zeo Crystal. After Lord Zedd's attempt to steal it years ago, the people of Triforia had it sent to an order of warrior mystics in the M-51 Galaxy who had risen up against Master Vile, entrusting it's protection in their hands. Master Vile eventually destroyed the order after a series of conflicts but not before the Zeo Crystal was moved once more to an unknown galaxy far beyond his domain. Only the gold shard, most powerful of the Zeo shards, remained in Triforia's ownership. Ville's search for the Crystal made all other conquests take a backseat and Rito felt bored and unwelcome. When his sister finally announced her plans during an argument with their father, he begged her to be included. Vile was happy to see them go.

"For once little brother, you're right" Rita grinned wickedly "but daddy will be humbled, not proud." The dark witch then turned her attention to her other henchmen. "Is your machine ready Finster?" "Yes my queen" the dog-like creature responded timidly "I didn't have much time but the Monster Matic is ready for action again."

Finster was a gifted alchemist and researcher from the world of Cladonis, know for creating molds of fantastic creatures and bringing them to life. Master Vile used him to create monsters to use as reserves in his armies. Finster was a kind soul but was bound by an oath of loyalty he had sworn to Vile for the sake of his family. He had made that same oath to Rita when she promised to free him from her father. She wasn't strong enough to make monsters on her own but mixing magic with science got the job done well enough.

"Excellent, then we leave for Eltar tonight" Rita ordered "Baboo! Squatt! Help load Finster's machine on the ship." Rita's final henchmen, a vampire creature named Baboo and a blue ogre called Squatt, crawled out from the hiding places they used during Rita's display of power. Hailing from Nosferia and Pongo respectively, the two were recruited by pure chance. They were as smart as Rito and had no combat skills of any kind. Baboo didn't even use his vampire abilities out of fear and fainted at the sight of blood. Only their usefulness as spies and servants kept them around. They were also, shockingly, expert potion makers, a skill no one in Rita's family ever mastered and Finster was admittedly rusty at.

"Yes empress!" They nervously hurried over and helped Scorpina and Rito lift the heavy monster making machine before loading it onto the ship Rita had stolen from her father's fleet. Finster nervously followed behind, warning them to be careful. Rita cackled as she joined her henchmen on board. Zordon wouldn't know what hit him.

…

Days later, an unfamiliar ship entered into Eltar's atmosphere. More accurately, it crashed into the heart of Eltar's capital, nearly killing thousands. Once the authorities investigated, they found it's crew had completely survived. One of them was a distraught woman demanding an audience with the Grand Council. They were even more shocked when she claimed to be Master Ville's daughter.

…

"I barely escaped with my life" Rita choked back a sob as she stood before the Council a short time later "I'm sure you're all aware of what a monster my father is. He and my mother tortured me endlessly when I refused the side of evil. The only reason they kept me around was to satisfy some lonely generals… and maybe sire a real heir for them in the process." Rita broke into another round of sobs at this and buried her face in her hands. Most of the Council looked sympathetically at her but Council Chief Yoro seemed suspicious.

"Miss…Repulsa, was it?" Rita nodded. "While I'm sure your experience was harrowing, I'm more concerned with why you're here. You say your father is building his forces for a new war with Eltar?"

"Yes, he's joined forces with King Mondo and the Machine Empire, Scorpius, Emperor Ark of the Troobian Empire, and who knows who else. He's even got General Havoc creating a fleet of Zords for him!" Over the years, "Zord" had become a common slang term for battle mecha by both sides of the War with the term "War Zord" or less commonly "Battle Zord" sometimes used to refer to evil mecha. The only true Zords however were those owned and operated by Power Rangers.

"If what you say is true, we must act fast!" Another Council member spoke up worriedly "we'll summon every available Ranger and Blue Senturion in the galaxy if need be!" A grin spread across Rita's face. This was the break she'd been waiting for.

"That won't be necessary" Rita said "I've got enough magic to enhance your defenses against any attack. I would simply need access to your military and records of yourselves and various leading citizens to prevent imposters and spies from infiltrating the planet." "…Which would then give you the leverage to slowly control our planet from within?" Yoro asked her with a hard glare. "No!" Rita replied, seeming offended "I'm far too aware of Eltar's power to do such a thing."

"You are unaware of several other things it appears however" Yoro replied "for example, Master Vile fears King Mondo far too much to consider an alliance. Secondly, the Machine Empire is currently on the far edge of another galaxy, hunting down the remaining subjects of King Arradon. There is also the matter of Emperor Ark's death months ago and his son Grumm is too young to plan an invasion just yet. As for Scorpious,he is too busy searching for Mirinoi, which was swallowed by a dimensional rift two years ago. Finally, General Havoc is far to absorbed in a construction project for his sister, Divatox. At this point, collaboration between them is impossible."

The rest of the Council looked to Rita for explanations, who scowled. "Being friends with Zordon keeps you well informed I see." Rita hissed, all pretense gone "so much for doing things the subtle way. The dark witch raised her wand and a bolt of lightning shot from it before splitting into eight separate bolts that transformed into figures of clay.

These were Putty Patrolers,or simply Putties, They were golems created by Finster to serve as foot soldiers to Rita. As Finster's most basic creation, they were not very bright or even very strong but were obedient and could handle most normal foes. It was the best substitute Rita could get for her father's Tengas.

As the Putties surrounded the Grand Council, Yoro decided to fight back. He fired a bolt of magical energy at the nearest Putty and knocked it to the ground where it disintegrated. "Fight back!" The chief of the Grand council yelled to his colleagues "they're not as strong as they appear!"

The Council obeyed and started winning against their attackers. Their success didn't last however as more putties began appearing to outnumber them. "You can't win" Rita cackled "already. "My Putties have overtaken the city and all of Eltar will soon follow!" It was true. Scores of Putties had appeared in Majero and were easily overpowering the authorities. Civilians ran in terror, unable to fight back.

Several miles away, alarms were blaring in the Eltarian Rangers' Command Center. The five raced to the Viewing Globe with Zordon in tow and saw the Putties' rampage. "Eltar is under attack" Zordon reported "those creatures must be defeated before more harm comes to the citizens." "Finally, some action!" Rok crowed. Zordon had them doing training exercises for days and the Blue Solar Force Ranger longed for the battlefield.

"Be weary Rangers" Zordon advised "this is your first battle and we don't know who or what we're dealing with." "We won't let you down Master" Jexel promised "it's morphing time!"

"Red Eltarian Ranger Power!

Blue Eltarian Ranger Power!

Green Eltarian Ranger Power!

Yellow Eltarian Ranger Power!

Pink Eltarian Ranger Power!"

The five were transformed into the Solar Force Rangers in a flash of multicolored light and teleported away to Majaro a minute later. Zordon followed closely behind, ready to aid his inexperienced charges if needed. Too many Morphing Masters had made the mistake of sending their Rangers into battle too soon and often caused unnecessary casualties.

The Rangers appeared just as the army of Putties was preparing to join their brothers in attacking the Grand Council. Without hesitation, they summoned their Power Weapons and charged the golem creatures head on. Jexel took them down with lashes from his Power Whip, each crack leaving scars across their clay bodies. Rok blasted away whole groups of ten with his Power Pistols while Salko pounded them into the ground with his Power Hammer. Rolinda hurled her Power Chakram, which struck down twenty before it returned to her hand. Zelda fought them off with her Power Staff while relying more on martial arts than the others.

When Zordon arrived, he was pleasantly surprised to find the situation well in hand. Taking out the few that attacked him with ease, the powerful sage could still sense a great evil through the Morphing Grid and it was close by. Suddenly, he realized that the evil presence came from within Grand Council headquarters. Seeing his Rangers preoccupied, Zordon knew it was up to him.

Zordon teleported himself inside the Council headquarters and saw the Grand Council held to a nearby wall by magically constructed chains. A woman in an amber gown and what appeared to be horns stood before them with a wand in her hand and a small group of those clay creatures around her. She was clearly their master. "I'll give you two choices" she hissed to the Council in a scratchy voice "surrender Eltar to me and die quickly or refuse and die a slow and painful death!" "They'll do neither as long as I live" Zordon spoke up, making his presence known.

Rita's face twisted into an ugly sneer as she beheld her nemesis. Her day of reckoning had finally come. "So, the great Zordon finally comes out of hiding eh? You're just a weak old man, barely worth my time. Putties, destroy him!"

The small group of Putties charged the legendary sage with inhuman speed, ready to end him. Zordon simply spread his arms and his eyes flashed white as he wordlessly cast a spell. The Putties crumbled to dust before they even reached him. "A time acceleration spell" Zordon explained to the shocked dark witch "your creatures aged thousands of years in seconds and became unstable. I've always found it helpful when fighting golems, particularly clay ones. Now, must I show you what other potentially deadly spells I know or will you tell me who you are?"

"You don't know me?" The witch sneered "I am Rita Repulsa, daughter of Master Vile and Empress of Evil." "Master Vile?" Zordon had not encountered Vile in many years and not once had he ever thought his old enemy had children. "That's right old man and now, you're gonna pay!"

Rita raised her wand and teleported Rito and Scorpina in front of her. Despite the fact that her magic would have made her a powerful opponent, Rita would never soil her hands by fighting her foes personally. It was part of the cowardice she inherited from her father. "Destroy him!"

Meanwhile, the Eltarian Rangers were still struggling against Rita's Putty horde. "I sense Master Zordon is in danger" Jexel said as the Putties surrounded them "we must end this at once. "But how?" Zelda asked as she fought off an attacking Putty. "We must use the Sword of Power!"

The Sword of Power was a universal tool created by the Council of Morphing Masters for use by any and all active Ranger teams. When held by all the Rangers, it granted them a temporary massive power boost. "Sword…of…Power!" The Rangers cried out in union and the gleaming blade appeared in their hands. With a swift strike, all Putties were obliterated.

The Rangers then rushed to the Grand Council headquarters where Jexel sensed Zordon's distress. They saw their Master struggling to hold his own against Scorpina and Rito while their master cheered them on. The Rangers joined the fight and soon began beating the two villains back. Rita soon became frustrated and knew it was time for another spell.

"Magic wand, make my minions grow!" Rito and Scorpina were struck by magic and began growing into giants. They soon crashed through the roof of Grand Council headquarters, showering all with debris. "Whoa! What happened to you?" Rito asked as he beheld Scorpina's mutated form. His sister's magic obviously wasn't without side effects.

Scorpina merely growled and marched off, eager to cause destruction. "Hey, wait for me!" Rito called as he followed behind. Rita's face split into a nasty grin as she watched them go.

"Love to stay and chat but I just can't miss this show" the dark witch taunted everyone before teleporting away. "What do we do now?" Yoro asked Zordon as the Grand Council freed themselves "those things will destroy Eltar!"

"We do what any Ranger does in this situation" Zordon replied "Jexel, it's time for your Zords." Jexel nodded and the call went out. "Solar Zord Power now!" Five colorful Zords resembling alien vehicles appeared at the call: There was the Red Attack Solar Zord which resembled a tank, the Blue Fury Solar Zord which resembled a battleship, the Green Stealth Solar Zord which resembled a stealth bomber, the Yellow Berserker Solar Zord which resembled a half track,and the Pink Unity Solar Zord,which strangely resembled a floating orb.

The Rangers teleported inside their respective Zords and went after Rito and Scorpina,who were wrecking havoc in Majero's northern sector. The fight was long and hard for both sides, forcing Jexel to give a new order. "Activate Solar Force Megazord now!" Zelda pressed a button on her control panel and the Zords moved into formation.

The Red Attack Solar Zord formed the main body and head, the Blue Fury Solar Zord formed the legs, and the Green Stealth Solar Zord formed the arms and retractable wings. The Yellow Berserker Solar Zord transformed into a sort of armor that covered the Megazord's chest as well as the arms and legs, finally forming a sun shaped helmet over the head. Finishing up the formation was the Pink Unity Zord which entered the chest plate as a centerpiece.

"Solar Force Megazord online!" The Rangers announced in union and marched towards their foes. Zordon and the Grand Council watched from afar as the three titans clashed, the tremors being felt for miles. It was at times like this that Zordon was glad he and the Council of Morphing Masters had made the Megazord default ability rather than an emergency function.

Eventually, the Megazord drew it's Sun Sword and struck the finishing blow to Rito and Scorpina. The pair survived but were reverted to normal size and badly injured. Rita teleported in front of them with a sneer on her face. "Can't you morons do anything right!" The dark witch screeched "I'll have to have Finster create a monster to finish the job!"

The trio teleported back to Rita's ship, which had never truly crashed and was merely an illusion created by Rita's magic. She marched to the far back of the ship where Finster's workshop was located. The monster maker was working feverishly on new molds when the dark witch barged in. "Finster!" Rita screeched "Scorpina and my idiot little brother blew it! I need you to create a monster to destroy Eltar's Power Rangers."

"I-I can't my Queen" Finster stammered weakly. "WHY NOT!" "On your instructions, I created hundreds of Putties and nothing else. You asked for so many, I needed Squatt and Baboo's help to mold them. I fear my clay reserves are thoroughly exhausted."

Rita turned to see Squatt and Baboo attempting to mold Putties and failing quite impressively. It was at that moment that she realized how badly her own order had backfired. It seemed she had put a little too much trust in Rito and Scorpina to lead the attack. "Just get ready to leave" she spoke through clenched teeth "the Ghost of Darkness told me the location of some artifacts that will give me more power than daddy and I want them in my arsenal. Now if you'll excuse me, I've got to find a cure for this massive headache I'm getting!"

When Rita's ship shot off into space, everyone cheered. Eltar had won! As the citizens rushed to greet their new heroes, Yoro noticed Zordon looked uneasy. "What's wrong old friend? The battle is won."

"Is it? I'm not so sure." As the legendary sage said this, a familiar feeling of dread came over him. He somehow knew that this battle was only the beginning of something much more.

This feeling only increased as the day went on and as Zordon returned to his meditation chambers that night, a new vision came to him. He saw a small blue and green planet ruled by monstrous animals he later learned were known as dinosaurs. They were primitive yet powerful creatures that could one day evolve into a mighty race but that was not what shocked Zordon. The great sage could see his mentors, the last Morphing Masters of the Meledon Era, hidden away in a cave and talking amongst themselves.

"It is done" the former White Master said "the instructions on how to operate the Zord from the future have been written on the cave wall, the Power Eggs are hidden away, and most if not all of the magical artifacts the Genesis Rangers gave us after confiscating them from the UAE are scattered around the globe. I have reason to believe the tiki of Auric the Conqueror and the jewels of the Corona Aurora may be found here too." "The fortress created to house the Zeo Crystal is secured on the planet's moon as well" the former Pink Master spoke next "all is as it should be."

"Then it is time for us to become one with the Morphing Grid and fulfill our destiny." With that, the former Morphing Masters vanished and Zordon's vision began to change. He saw two Red Rangers battling for control of the Zord known as Quantasaurus Rex, even as a meteor approached the Earth. The resulting impact created a blinding flash and when it faded, the planet was in utter chaos as demons and monsters rampaged across it. Zordon could make out the figures of Rita, Lord Zedd, King Mondo, Divatox, and countless others on the rampage with them while Dark Specter himself towered above them all.

It was then that the vision ended and while Zordon did not understand it's complete meaning, he knew that the old Morphing Masters had purposely placed a still developing world in harm's way. The Genesis Rangers had taken hordes of dangerous dark magic devices from their enemies over the years such as the Rock of Time, the Mirrors of Destruction and Regret, the Crystal of Nightmares, the Gem of Souls, and countless others that would attract Dark Specter and his Alliance. The Zeo Crystal and the gems of the Corona Aurora only made it worse. The mighty sage knew he had only one chance to prevent this vision from becoming reality: stop Rita Repulsa.

The next day, Zordon announced his intentions to the Grand Council and the Solar Force Rangers. Neither was particularly happy with the news, upset that he would leave inexperienced Rangers to defend his home. "This is bigger than Eltar" Zordon had said to his charges "Rita is going to target a world that will have a key role in the final days of this War and must be protected at all costs. The Grand Council will direct you until further notice." With that, Zordon departed Eltar in the Alpha Megaship, the same ship he had used in his entire post-Ranger days adventuring career, with his trusted friend Alpha Five at his side. He took only the essentials along with the Animal Spirit scrolls that he and Dulcea had created long ago. Not just for sentimental reasons, but because he knew they would be needed one day.

Zordon caught up with Rita on the world of Gemix, attempting to steal the legendary Crystal Eyes. Finster had managed to restock his clay reserves on the way and created an army of monsters to destroy the great sage. Zordon obliterated the creatures with his magic and took the Crystal Eyes for himself, driving Rita and her forces off. This was considered the first battle of the Repulsa Wars, a subset of conflicts during the Great War that lasted roughly two thousand years.

Zordon and Rita battled across planet after planet in a race to claim various sources of powerful magic. One notable incident involved a rare Singing Squash which could only be found in certain dimensional gaps. Rita planned to use the squash in a super strength potion Baboo and Squatt were creating for her monsters. Zordon battled back an army of Putties and got to the squash just in the nick of time. It was sometime after this that Rita became enraged and banished Rito,who led the assault, back to the M-51 Galaxy for his bumbling.

Eventually, Zordon came to realize that he would need help in the battle against Rita. The dark witch had chosen a region of space that did not have any Power Rangers, Blue Senturions, or other sorts of heroes to protect it. While Zordon had contacted the Council of Morphing Masters to send a Ranger team to assist him, all active Rangers were too busy fighting against their own archenemies. Adding to this was that other transforming warriors were either powerless or dead. Even the Sentinel Knight, who drew his powers from the Corona Aurora, was slowly losing strength since the scattering of the jewels and with the Magna Defender gone and King Lexian too old to continue as Masked Rider, it seemed Zordon was on his own.

How Zordon regretted his rigid stance against such warriors during his younger days. In his mind back then, only he and his comrades were worthy of the Power and only they could defeat Dark Specter. It took being rescued by King Lexian on the mission to Edenoi to realize his foolishness. If only he had made these kindred spirits into allies when he had the chance.

Luckily, the great sage had made many other allies in the course of life and all were willing to aid his cause. Zordon gathered them from across the galaxy and formed a small army with him as their general. To aid these noble men and women, Zordon created a potion from the Singing Squash that gave them all superhuman strength, speed, and other abilities comparable to a morphed Power Ranger. With nothing to create Ranger powers from, the great sage had to make do.

Known simply as Zordon's Warriors, the new group fought their hardest against Rita and even encountered monsters that would one day face the modern MMPR, like Terror Toad. They were much stronger then however due to being made from fresh clay that hadn't yet aged ten thousand years.

Despite this, Zordon's Warriors managed many victories against Rita's forces until they encountered Knasty Knight, an evil warrior made by Rita herself with a temporary power boost from the Ghost of Darkness. She then dispatched him to Tarmac 3, home of the legendary Sword of Darkness. Rita knew claiming the mythical weapon as her own would be a boon to her reputation and shame nearly every other evil being who had tried for it and failed. Dark Specter himself would bow at her feet for such an accomplishment.

Knasty Knight appeared on Tarmac 3 and carved a path of destruction to the temple where the Sword was held. By the time Zordon's Warriors appeared to confront him, he had slaughtered the temple guards and held the Sword of Darkness in hand. Zordon's Warriors battled the Knasty Knight with all the powers Zordon had given then but it wasn't enough. With his own already great powers amplified by the Sword of Darkness, Knasty Knight killed them all easily.

Zordon himself soon arrived and battled the Knasty Knight personally. It was a long and hard battle but eventually, the enraged sage channeled all his strength into a magical attack that destroyed the monster completely. However, Zordon arrived too late to prevent Knasty Knight from delivering the Sword of Darkness to his master. The Repulsa Wars had taken a dark turn and things only got worse when one day, Rita came in contact with another of Zordon's many foes: Lord Zedd.

Part 2: The Legend of the Zyurangers

Rita Repulsa, most powerful dark witch in the universe, eldest child of Master Vile, and self proclaimed Empress of Evil, was frightened. Mere hours ago while fleeing from Zordon,her ship had been forced to make an emergency landing on what she was horrified to discover was Nim,homeworld of Lord Zedd and crown of his empire. The Emperor of Evil was infamous for his cruelty towards those who entered into his territory. Even his fellow UAE members were weary of him. No sooner had Rita's ship landed when Zedd's troops, led by his general and captain of the guards Goldar, attacked. Scorpina tried to fight them off but Goldar joined the battle and eventually managed to overpower her.

Rita and her henchmen were lead to the dungeon in chains but the dark witch received shock mere minutes later when Goldar announced that his master wished to speak with her. She now kneeled before Zedd's throne; it's back turned to her. Her chains still restrained her her and thanks to a special enchantment placed upon them by Zedd himself, she had no magic to defend herself with. Goldar towered over her kneeling form with a sick grin on his face. Rita wondered if perhaps he knew her fate.

Zedd's throne then turned to face Rita and the dark witch beheld the Emperor of Evil for the first time. He was a skinless abomination clad in a silver exoskeleton, tubes supplying him with life saving toxins in place of real blood. His crown now encircled an exposed brain and his visor was permanently fused to his face. This was what had become of Zedd ever since the incident with the Zeo Crystal forced Dark Specter to save his life. While it was well within Dark Specter's power to restore Zedd completely, he had left Zedd in his current state as a warning never to consider betrayal again. As a side effect, Zedd was now required to undergo a period of recharge every one hundred years to keep his evil energies strong.

"So, you are Rita Repulsa?" Zedd asked the frightened dark witch "I was not expecting one so young…or so fair." Rita was a bit surprised. Was Zedd flirting with her?

"I also did not expect you to be so bold" the Emperor of Evil continued "few have knowingly come to Nim without my direct invitation. Even my hated rival Count Dregon has never attacked me in such a manner." Ever since his departure from Edenoi, Dregon had become a conqueror of worlds, gathering resources for his revenge against Edenoi and his father. He now wore a golden mask to hide the scars Lexian had given him and in his travels, had encountered Zedd, sparking a heated rivalry. Zedd usually won their battles over territory and always bested Dregon when they fought directly but their feud often depleted Zedd's resources for a time. Despite being a free agent and not a member of the United Alliance of Evil, Dark Specter made no move to either recruit Dregon or destroy him as he would other competitors. Zedd often wondered if the Grand Monarch enjoyed the rivalry between him and the corrupt former prince.

"I never meant to challenge you my lord" Rita was quick to reply "I was simply on the run from Zordon of Eltar. He and I have been at war for over two thousand years now." "Ah yes, your battles have been a topic of interest to us all at the United Alliance of Evil meetings on Cimmeria. Your capture of the Sword of Darkness had Divatox in a rage."

Zedd grabbed his staff at this point and stood up from his throne. "However, despite your reputation, you are still a free agent and Dark Specter has been known to destroy anyone he considers a possible threat. Which brings me to my proposition: join me and serve in my empire. You've more than earned a place in the Alliance."

Both Rita and Goldar were shocked. Zedd was known for a slight sexist streak and rarely employed women in his armies. The only known exceptions were the she-monsters Witch blade and Dischordia, whom he considered allies rather than henchmen. "My lord, you can't be serious" Goldar exclaimed "you are already a mighty sorcerer and to have another magic user in your ranks makes no real sense." "Silence Goldar!" Zedd proclaimed "the decision is mine to make. What say you Rita Repulsa? Do you accept?"

"I would be honored my lord" Rita replied, barely able to contain her glee at this turn of events. Instantly, her chains vanished and her wand appeared in her hands. "Then go forth Lieutenant Repulsa and spread evil throughout the known universe!" Zedd ordered. "Lieutenant!" Goldar was shocked. Thousands of years of faithful service under Zedd as a general and this witch stumbles in and is given a rank above his own!

As if sensing Goldar's thoughts, Zedd turned to him and growled "as for you Goldar, for your earlier comment, I have decided you will be serving as Rita's general until I say otherwise. You will obey her as you would me. Do you understand?"

"Yes, my lord" Goldar replied meekly but inside, he was fuming. He recognized Rita as the daughter of Master Vile, a child attempting to prove herself. Zedd however, was ignorant to Vile's existence due to the Alliance's vast membership. He knew only of a sinister presence that ruled the M-51 Galaxy with an iron fist.

"Move it monkey boy, we've got to get my gang out the dungeon if we're to make up for lost time" Rita ordered. Already, she had taken to her new role. "Yes Lieutenant Repulsa" Goldar half-growled. "You'll address me as your Empress." "Yes…my Empress."

Lord Zedd watched them go before becoming lost in his own thoughts. Zordon had been a thorn in his side for years, thwarting him at every turn. The last time they battled was not long after his last centennial recharge. Zedd had personally battled and killed the last three Power Ranger teams sent to topple his empire and forced Zordon to intervene. Their battle was fierce but even with Zedd's powers at their peak, it only ended at a standstill. "One day my mortal enemy, we shall meet in battle once again" Zedd hissed to himself "and when that day comes, I will win!"

…

Eventually, word reached Zordon of Rita's new master. It was something the great sage had always feared and with Lord Zedd's resources at her disposal, the dark witch was deadlier than ever. Zordon tried recruiting new teams of warriors but with the Singing Squash used up and no sign of another, they were without special powers and easy prey for Rita's monsters. It was clear that a team of Power Rangers were needed but Zordon had nothing to create one from unless he had a power source to link to the Morphing Grid. It all seemed hopeless until the day Zedd ordered Rita to invade the newly discovered Sol System.

Both foes' ships entered into what would become known as the Milky Way Galaxy fighting. They had already been damaged from over two thousand years of warfare and were falling apart by the minute. Eventually, the Alpha Megaship crashed into a still young planet and Rita's ship crashed into it's moon. Little did they know that was not simply chance, but the work of destiny.

…

Thanks to a quickly cast protection spell, Rita and her henchmen emerged from their ship's wreckage unharmed and looked at their new surroundings. The first thing that caught their attention was the palace looming before them. "It seems this place is already inhabited" Scorpina noted "want me and Goldar to introduce ourselves?" Scorpina and Goldar had become much friendlier towards one another since Goldar joined the group and were always together in battle. Many suspected they were lovers. "No need" Rita replied "I can sense that no one's lived there for who knows how long."

"In any case my queen; this seems like an excellent base for our operations" Finster spoke up. "Agreed" Rita replied "at least until the planet is ours." "You can't be serious" Scorpina exclaimed "we're going to conquer this mud ball? Even I can tell it's barely developed."

"This world is different" Rita replied "I can feel great power coursing through it even from here. We're destined to conquer it, I know it!" "We should probably wait a few days at least Empress" Goldar suggested "we'll need to find out just what we're dealing with and there's still Zordon to contend with."

"Ha! The old man probably died when his ship crashed" Rita laughed "but I'll agree with you for now. Today, it's moving day!" With that, the group gathered their things and began settling into their new base.

…

The Alpha Megaship had crashed deep in the heart of one of the planet's deserts, near what would one day be part of California. A badly wounded Zordon crawled his way of the flaming wreckage, coughing violently. Blood now covered his white sage's robes and his ribs were cracked which made it very hard to breath. Rita's protection spell was one of the very few he didn't know himself but Zordon did know a healing spell and using all his remaining strength, he cast it upon himself.

The moment that he was fully healed, the Eltarian sage franticly dug through his ship's wreckage, desperate to find his old friend. "Alpha? Alpha!" After a moment, Zordon heard a just barely audible "ai yi yi" and finally revealed a badly damaged Alpha Five.

Zordon cast his healing spell once again and helped the newly repaired robot to his feet. "Are you all right Alpha?" "I'm fine Zordon but where are we?" "Recent data suggests this world is called Earth and it's main sentients are called humans. The planet is currently still in it's development stages and will be easy prey for Rita unless we act fast" Zordon replied. "But why would Rita want a planet this young?" "Because old friend, this world contains great power. It's littered with the most powerful magical objects in the universe and the excess magic has leaked down to the very core. If Earth should fall to evil, it's power spells doom for the universe."

"Ai yi yi! What's our first move?" Alpha asked Zordon. "Set up camp."

Zordon's eyes flashed white as he cast another spell. Instantly, the Alpha Megaship's remains began reassembling into something completely new. It had soon become a Command Center just like the ones used by Power Rangers across the universe. "This shall be a fitting base" Zordon announced "I know Rita well enough that we still have a few days until her first attack. We should use the time to plan our defense and learn about the world we now protect."

Several days passed as Rita began amassing her army on the moon. During that time,Zordon and Alpha observed life on Earth via the Command Center's viewing globe. Prehistoric times were much different than most historians think. People knew how to use tools and fire already and various tribes, kingdoms, and civilizations that would be lost in time and never found populated the globe. Zordon was particularly interested in the Zyu or Beast People, five tribes dedicated to the worship of the long dead dinosaurs and other prehistoric creatures. Zordon knew they would be involved in ending the Great War somehow but did not know for sure until the day Alpha detected a rather familiar surge of energy somewhere far from the command center.

Wanting to investigate, the mighty sage and his companion set out. They traveled far until they reached what was known as the Desert of Despair. It was so called because the winds that carried through it sounded like the tortured cries of a million lost souls. They continued to trek until Zordon could sense they were right on top of the energy source. They dug until they uncovered a small chest and when they opened it, Zordon was shocked to see five gold coins glittering before him. "Alpha! These are…Power Coins!"

It was true. Zordon could feel their connection to the Morphing Grid just by glancing at them but who could have created them? No one native to Earth could possibly know of the Morphing Grid yet. Could the Morphing Masters have forged them as a sort of security measure? Also, the Grid Avatars depicted on the coins were the Tyrannosaurus, the Triceratops, the Mastodon, the Saber tooth Tiger, and the Pteradactyl, the five totems of the Zyu people. There had to be a connection.

"There's a map here too Zordon" Alpha spoke up and shook the great sage from his thoughts "it looks like it leads to some sort of temple. What does it all mean?" "I do not know Alpha but we may have found the key to stopping Rita. We must return to command center at once!"

Zordon and Alpha teleported back to their base and began creating morphers to channel the Coins' power. A quick scan by Alpha revealed Zords lying dormant in key locations on Earth as well. All that remained was to find warriors capable of serving as Rangers. Zordon only hoped they were found before Rita attacked.

This was not to be as the next day, an army of monsters and Putties lead by Goldar and Scorpina appeared to attack Earth. First and foremost to fight back against them were the Zyu, lead by their mightiest warriors. Geki of the Tyranno Tribe slashed through them with his sword and fought with unmatched strength and ferocity, Dar of the Tricera Tribe was armed with a simple wooden lance yet fought them off using cunning and patience. Goushi of the Mammoth Tribe used an axe and faced his foes with unyielding bravery,Boi of the Tiger Tribe faced down his foes with twin daggers, fast and ferociously and finally, Mai of the Ptera Tribe, the only tribe ruled by women, fought them with her skills as an archer, combining grace and power. They were nearly the embodiment of their tribe totems and fought on even as their comrades died around them. However, this was not enough to keep them from being overpowered by the combined efforts of Rita's army and soon only Geki was left to dual Goldar as the other four were nearly beaten into a coma.

"You'll not win this day evil spirit!" Geki proclaimed as his sword clashed with Goldar "in the name of the Great Beasts, I shall banish you to the foul neither region from whence you came!" Goldar merely rolled his eyes as he parried another blow "Must you humans be so dramatic? I can only hope your enslavement will influence evolution to make you more docile."

So saying, Goldar slashed Geki across the chest, wounding him fatally. With a cry of pain, the warrior dropped his sword and collapsed to the2 ground, writhing in agony. "Still, this has been fun" the warrior of Titan mused "I'll let your descendents know how brave you were in the end…if you've lived long enough to have any!" The last thing Geri heard before darkness overtook him was Goldar's cruel laughter.

…

When Geki awoke, he found himself in a strange place filled with fantastic devices he had never seen before. As he lifted himself from the odd metal surface, he was shocked to find his comrades alive as well. "You're all here?" Geki asked the dazed Zyu warriors "but how? Are we…dead?"

"No my friend" a new deep voice spoke up "you are very much alive." The Zyu warriors turned to see a tall, bald man dressed in white flowing robes with golden eyes accompanied by a strange creature made of metal. "Welcome, I am called Zordon and I have brought you here to fulfill your destiny." Geki stepped forward with suspicion in his eyes. "What sort of creature are you?" He asked "you have the same strange scent as the evil creatures that attacked our tribes. Are you one of them?"

"We are…of the same realm" Zordon said after a moment, not sure how to address the situation to a currently primitive species "but I do not share their evil nature. In fact, I bring you the means to stop them. "Alpha Five handed Zordon a chest containing the coins they had found but he received a surprise when the Zyu actually bowed at the sight of them. "They exist!" Dan exclaimed "the lost coins of the Great Beasts!"

"You know of these coins?" Zordon asked. Dar nodded and said "according to legend, during the days when our tribes were first founded, a great spirit fell from the heavens and was badly wounded. Our tribal shamans healed him and in return, he offered us a means of protection against our enemies. He forged five coins containing the power of the Great Beasts and gave one to each tribal chief, granting them great power and transforming them into warriors resembling our sacred totems. But as time went on, power corrupted the chiefs and our tribes warred against one another. The spirit became enraged and took the coins away along with the map that lead to his temple so we could never find him again. He claimed they were meant for battling evil, not spreading it. Our tribes made peace soon after." Zordon was intrigued. "Did this spirit have a name?" "He called himself Ninjor."

Zordon was shocked. Ninjor was a name he had heard many times over the years but only as a figure of legend. The latest rumors involved two Ranger teams that weren't connected to or authorized by the Council of Morphing Masters. The first were the Aquitian Rangers from the water world of Aquitar. When the Hydro Hog attacked Aquitar a thousand years ago, five young people known as Delphine, Aurico, Tideus, Cestro, and Corcus managed to escape their world via ship. They returned some days later and confronted Hydro Hog's forces, startling everyone by morphing into ninja style Ranger suits. They fought and drove Hydro Hog to the dark side of Aquitar, having been at war with him ever since. The truly odd thing was that their Zords, the Battle Borgs, could not combine into a Megazord and were controlled telepathically. The Council was a bit rigid about Ranger teams operating without a Master though they claimed Ninjor as their mentor and creator of their powers. The Council insisted their powers be removed and another, authorized Ranger team replace them but sensing they were true champions of good,Zordon agreed to act as their representative on the Council, nullifying their need for a Master and creating an alliance, though they were unable to help against Rita at the moment. The second incident involved the Shogun Rangers of Kaku, who were also associated with Ninjor and claimed to have succeeded him as protectors of Kaku. They were killed in battle before the Council became aware of them but it was decided that their Shogun Zords be hidden on Zordnia for protection against the UAE despite the fact that only the pure hearted could control them. Scrolls leading to them were hidden as well but had been found by Rita around the same time Zordon uncovered the magic ring that accessed the Sword of Light.

"Be quiet Dar!" Geki snapped "you would entrust this…Zordon with knowledge of our oldest and most sacred legend!" "I believe he can be trusted" Mai spoke up "he rescued us from death. No enemy would do that."

"She's right" Goushi spoke up "we should at least hear him out. Those demons are beyond anything our tribes have fought before and those coins may be our only hope." Geki was hesitant still. Could he really trust this strange being?

"Geki" a new voice spoke up, startling everyone. They turned to see Boi. The Tiger Tribe warrior had always kept to himself and spoke only when spoken to. His next words shocked Geki and inspired everyone else "our forefathers lost the coins because of greed and left us at the mercy of those beasts. Doing this will redeem our ancestors and prove us worthy of their power. Can we really not afford to take the chance?"

Geki was silent for a moment before turning to Zordon. "You are sure we can defeat these creatures with what you offer?" "That is my most sincere belief" Zordon replied. Geki then stepped forward and said "I accept."

"I accept." Dar, Goushi, and Mai echoed as they too stepped forward. Boi just nodded. Zordon made a gesture and morphers appeared around each warrior's waist with the coins inside. Each warrior possessed the coin originally granted to their tribe generations ago.

"Simply call out the name of your tribe totem to receive your power" Zordon instructed "the rest will take care of itself." He honestly had no idea how these particular Ranger powers worked and was curious to see the results. Five voices rang out at once: "tyrannosaurus!" "Sabertooth tiger!" "Mastodon!" "Triceratops!" "Pteradactyl!"

In a burst of multicolored light, the five were transformed into Earth's very first Power Ranger team. Unlike the modern MMPR, they more resembled warriors clad in animal skins than a normal Ranger suit. A hood resembling their totem animal covered each face instead of a Ranger helmet. Their Power Weapons were in their hands, looking like advanced versions of the weapons they already used and still ancient compared to the MMPR's modern weapons. The morphers were the only thing unchanged. It seemed these Power Coins were made to reflect the time period.

"Incredible!" Dar exclaimed "it's just as the legend described!" Zordon took in each warrior's garb with interest, noting each and every color. Geki wore red, Dar wore blue, Goushi wore black, Boi wore yellow, and Mai wore pink.

When first forming the Morphing Master Council, the first thing Zordon did was fine tune the Morphing Grid to alter what personality traits defined the Grid spectrum. Red Rangers were strong leaders, Blue Rangers were inventors or quick thinkers, Yellow Rangers were honorable warriors, Pink Rangers were compassionate healers and Black Rangers now possessed great courage rather than righteous anger. This was the best way to prevent the tale of Cronos from repeating itself and creating a new Lord Zedd.

The closest that came to the former Black Ranger archetype were Green Rangers, one of the many new colors added to the Grid spectrum. Green Rangers were known for being aggressive or at least passionate and strong willed depending on the strength of their connection to the Morphing Grid and any team without a Black Ranger would usually substitute a Green and vice versa. There were also the colors of White, Silver, and Gold as well as Purple. Whites were knights and often considered the best alternative leaders though Zordon sometimes disagreed, Silvers were rebels known for being wild and unorthodox but effective while Golds were loyal soldiers. These two rare colors were ranked among the strongest Rangers in the universe along with Purple Rangers, even rarer colors associated with mysticism and spirituality. There were also darker versions of core colors like Crimson and Navy who exhibited more extreme versions of the Red and Blue personalities and were mostly seen serving on the most aggressive of Ranger teams under equally aggressive Morphing Masters. Three such teams had been dispatched against Lord Zedd and were killed in battle against him.

"Now, behold the viewing globe" Zordon instructed once more as he shook himself from his thought "it will reveal the location of your enemies." The warriors did so and saw Goldar and Scorpina attacking a small village with their army. Huts were on fire and already a large number of villagers had been slain. A furious scowl etched it's way across Geki's face as the scene unfolded before him.

"I was born and raised in that village!" The warrior raged "I spent eight years of my life there until a plague killed my family and the chief of the Tyranno Tribe adopted me! We must stop those abominations!" "And so you shall" Zordon replied "Alpha, teleport now." Before the warriors could question the sage, they vanished.

…

The warriors reappeared on a hill overlooking the attacked village. Rather than question how this happened, Geki lead them on a charge straight towards the enemy. When Goldar saw them, his jaw dropped in utter shock. "Rangers! Here! It can't be!"

"Ren-jaas?" Mai uttered, trying to pronounce the strange word "what's that?" "I think it's us" Dar replied uncertainly. "Sounds like an insult to me" Goushi muttered. "Call us what you will monster" Geki roared "today you fall!"

With this war-cry, the Zyu rushed into battle once again. This time, it rapidly shifted in their favor as they tore through every Putty and monster in their path. Geki in particular was fighting his way towards Goldar with the intent of finishing what they started. Goldar's eyes glowed red at the sight of his oncoming foe. Something about this particular Red Ranger angered him more than any other he had fought, even the brash Crimson Rangers.

Geki's Power Sword clashed with Goldar's blade once again but this time, the warrior from Titan was completely outmatched. Scorpina tried to join her lover in battle but the other four Rangers had beaten the last of their forces and begun attacking her. Soon Goldar was disarmed and Geki's Power Sword was at his throat. "Leave these lands and never return" Geki growled at him "go while there is still a shred of mercy left in my heart.

On the moon, Rita was shocked at this turn of events. She had been watching the attacks with the aid of the telescope she had found and christened her "Repulsa Scope" when the warriors appeared. It was almost enough to give her a heart attack. "It can't be!" The dark witch raved "a planet like this can't possibly have Power Rangers! They don't even have electricity yet and they think fire is magic! How could they know how to use the Morphing Grid!"

"Perhaps the Council of Morphing Masters sent one of their own to aid the planet my queen" Finster suggested. "Please Finster" Rita scoffed "the Council wasn't even aware of this galaxy until a few months ago. It's obvious one of those apes was just smart enough to tap the Grid." "Well, at least they're not smart enough to build a Zord yet" Baboo piped up from where he stood. "Yeah" Squatt agreed "then you'd really be in trouble."

"Yes" Rita agreed as a grin slowly spread across her face "exactly right!" While most Rangers had Zords already a part of their arsenal as was standard, some Morphing Masters were not as powerful as others and had to work more slowly on developing Ranger powers. They usually managed morphing capabilities and Power Weapons first then began constructing the Zord fleet sometime later, even with aid from their Rangers.

"Those primitives might be able to morph but there's no way they have Zords" Rita declared smugly "and that means they won't be ready for this!" So saying, the dark witch grabbed her wand and raised it above her head, ready to cast a spell. "Magic wand, make my minions grow!"

Rita hurled her wand to Earth where it became embedded in the soil and released a wave of dark magic across the land. This dark magic reached out and struck Goldar and Scorpina, knocking the Zyu back with a huge explosion. As the warriors struggled to their feet, the smoke cleared to reveal a giant Goldar and Scorpina. They towered above their foes and smirked menacingly.

"Well little Rangers, not so tough now, are you?" Goldar laughed in a booming voice. He had been enlarged by Lord Zedd to battle Ranger teams' Zords in the past but he still loved the increase in power he received each time. He swatted away the Zyu like insects when they tried to attack.

"What can we do now?" Mai asked Geki franticly "only the Great Beasts themselves could battle such giants!" For a moment, Geki was unable to answer when suddenly, the Morphing Grid supplied him with the knowledge he sought. "Then we shall call the Great Beasts. Tyrannosaurus!"

The other Zyu thought him mad at first before the Grid granted them the same thought and they summoned the beast they worshipped as well. Instantly, the dormant Dinozords awoke and rushed to heed their summons. Even they looked more ancient in those days and could have actually been mistaken for the creatures they were modeled after. The Zyu were shocked at the sight.

"The Great Beasts!" Boi exclaimed "they've returned!" "Yes" Geki replied in a knowing tone despite his own shock "now let us show these abominations the true power of those we worship!" The Zyu leaped through the air onto the head of their respective Zord. Unlike the modern MMPR, they could control their Zords by will because of their connection to their tribe totem. Goldar and Scorpina fought as hard as they could but were completely outmatched once more. Even Goldar, who had fought Rangers as far back as when a young Zordon lead the very first team, had never experienced such power and it wasn't even a Megazord!

The two evil warriors eventually retreated back to the moon palace, where Rita gave them a tongue lashing. "I can't believe you lost to a group of hairless apes!" The dark witch raved before turning to Finster "and you said they wouldn't have Zords!" "Actually my queen, that was YOUR theory" Finster grumbled under his breath. "What was that?" "Nothing." Scorpina rolled her eyes. Sometimes she thought she would have been better off being a bodyguard to her bratty cousin Trakeena.

…

The survivors of the little village rushed to greet the strange warriors who had saved them from the evil creatures. As they dismounted the giant beasts they rode, the one clad in red stepped forward. "You are safe now" he announced in a strong voice "and should those creatures ever return, so shall we. We are the sworn protectors of all who dwell in these lands. "But who are you?" One villager asked. Geki opened his mouth to speak but stopped. They weren't simply Zyu anymore, they were something much greater. What had that winged creature called them? "We are the Zyurangers."

Part 3: Dragon's Rage

And so, the battle for Earth began as the newly christened Zyuranger pledged themselves to protecting their people under Cordon's guidance. Eventually, they learned of Rita and the fact that they were responsible not simply for their own lands but for the entire world as well. Each battle was long and hard, moreso than those that would come in the future. Rita's monsters were stronger then but so were the Zyurangers and their connection to their Zords made their battles against giant monsters almost too easy. They didn't even need a Megazord. Tales of the heroes' exploits spread around the globe, becoming a legend that would last thousands of years and transcend various cultures. These tales also inspired other civilizations on Earth to take up arms as Rita invaded their lands. The dark witch became livid at this turn of events and soon sought ways to turn the tide.

She used spells, had Baboo and Squatt create potions, and even contacted allies like the interdimensional sorceress Madame Woe but nothing worked. She eventually asked the Ghost of Darkness to summon Zordon's old rival, the Wizard of Deception, who was revealed to be the Ghost's disciple. The Wizard was so powerful that he almost had them until Zordon stepped in to confront his rival personally.

The mighty sage fought his old foe to a standstill, eventually forcing him to retreat but not before warning Zordon that he would return one day. The Ghost of Darkness had to enter into hibernation to recharge his power not long after that and it would take many centuries until he'd be able to contact Rita again.

It was at that point that Rita became desperate. Lord Zedd's last few communications revealed he was growing very unhappy with her repeated failures. Though the Emperor of Evil hinted at his fondness for the dark witch on many occasions, and had even gone so far as to design a gown for his future bride after her own and cast a spell to change his soldiers into his own stronger version of his Putties, he was not above punishing her as harshly as any other underling.

It then dawned on Rita to fight fire with fire. If she was going to beat the Zyurangers, she was going to need Rangers of her own. For centuries now, Dark Specter had attempted to add Power Rangers to his forces by any means possible. However, simply corrupting them was no longer an option. Whenever a Ranger went rogue, the Council of Morphing Masters would simply remove his or her powers. Spells could be broken and evil clones were always destroyed by the real things To this end, Dark Specter had ordered every dark witch, dark wizard, scientist, and alchemist in his forces to find a link to the Morphing Grid and create evil Ranger powers to grant to his selected candidates. Lord Zedd in particular was obsessed with having his own team of Dark Rangers.

Try as they might however, no one in the UAE could accomplish this task. Even Zedd had been reduced to stealing Power Coins, which always failed. But Rita was too ambitious not to try. She knew that if she succeeded, she could rise above Zedd and even her own father, eventually becoming Dark Specter's right hand.

The dark witch locked herself in her chambers and began experimenting to create dark Power Coins. Her forces were told to cease any and all attacks on Earth during this time to lull the Rangers into a false sense of security. Days passed however and Rita was no closer to her goal than when she started. The closest she came were the Badges of Darkness, which she chose to hide in the dungeon until they were needed. One day however, she found something in her book of spells that caught her attention: a way to bring Lokar out of the limbo he was trapped in.

Having nowhere else to turn, Rita lit some candles and prepared to call her late mother's master. "Takimbo shadar,elodo ra!" The dark witch recited the spell in the ancient language of her ancestors "arise mighty Lokar and be free of the realm between realms."

For a moment, the entire moon palace shook as a great hideous laughter filled the air. In a flash of fire, the visage of Lokar appeared for the first time in thousands of years. "At last, I am free!" Lokar spoke in a voice that reminded Rita of Zedd "who are you that summoned me?" "I am Rita Repulsa, daughter of Bandora Repugna, your last high priestess. I summoned you for aid against my enemy, Zordon of Eltar and his warriors."

"Bandora was a loyal servant, my aid is yours. What do you require?" "I need you to help me access the Morphing Grid" Rita replied "my magic is not strong enough on it's own."

"A simple task." Lokar shot a bolt of energy at Rita, making her glow with a multicolored aura. She then grabbed her wand and fired a bolt of the same energy at her work table. She did these motions in an odd mechanical manner and seemed controlled by an unseen force.

An explosion of green then erupted and knocked the dark witch into a wall. She recovered moments later and spied a single gold coin on her work table, a Power Coin. "A single coin!" Rita looked incredulously at Lokar "I need a full set to use against Zordon!"

"That single coin possesses more strength than a thousand demons of the Shadow World" Lokar responded "you wouldn't survive making a full set. I am also limited to an extent with regards to the Grid as it's energy is what kept me in limbo until your summons and even that is temporary. I am trapped there still and can never return to the Shadow Wold. However, you will find more than enough of the power you desire, trust me. Your mother never had complaints." With that, Lokar vanished, leaving Rita alone.

The dark witch picked up the coin she had somehow created and examined it. Instead of a prehistoric creature, it bore the symbol of a sea dragon. Rita found even the most savage dinosaur too tame for her taste and had subconsciously chosen the dragon's underwater cousin for her personal Grid Avatar. The minute she touched the new Power Coin, Rita was hit by a surge of dark power so strong that it nearly overwhelmed her. An evil smile spread across her face as she knew the Zyurangers were finished.

But who would be her Ranger? Rita herself wouldn't dare use the Coin and neither could her forces. Goldar and Scorpina had too much warrior pride to use the Power and Finster was too timid to even use a weapon. The thought of either Baboo or Squatt as her Ranger made Rita sick and her Putties were too mindless to use a Power Coin effectively. Rita couldn't even consider using a monster because none would survive exposure to Grid energy.

To that end, Rita began searching Earth for a human evil enough to join her cause. She scanned the planet for many days, deploying monsters to keep the Zyurangers distracted until she selected her candidate. Eventually the dark witch detected a human soul thoroughly tainted with evil lurking in the far desert regions away from any civilization. Sensing something familiar about this soul and wanting to learn more, she cast a spell that showed her everything about the human she had chosen. An evil grin spread over Rita's face when the spell ended. She had found her Ranger.

A few moments later, the dark witch had teleported herself to a secluded cave on Earth and stood before her chosen warrior. "You are the one called Burai?" Rita asked as the warrior leaped to his feet. "What of it?" The one called Burai asked as he grabbed a sharpened dagger. "I know you seek the destruction of Geki of the Tyranno Tribe" Rita replied "I can give you the power to do so."

…

"This is your warrior?" Goldar asked skeptically when Rita teleported her new warrior and herself back to the moon "he doesn't look like much." To any human, Burai was a terrifying sight to behold. He was tall and rippled with muscle with various scars from hunting trips etched across his upper body. One particular scar ran across his left cheek, a gift from Geki long ago. All this combined with his darkly tanned skin along with his unkempt long hair and animal hide belt made Burai the very picture of the savages future generations would think his people to be. He glared at Goldar fearlessly with his dagger clutched at his side.

"Do not mock me beast" he growled in his throat "I've killed much more fierce creatures than you since I was a boy. As it stands, you would make a fine pelt." Goldar laughed heartily at this threat. "Try me human!" The warrior from Titan readied his sword, eager for battle. He hadn't fought the Zyurangers in months but killing one of their species would make a nice reprieve.

"Enough!" Rita broke up the squabble "save your rage for the Zyurangers. Finster, is everything ready?" Finster stepped forward and bowed. "Yes my queen, the new Super Putties have been created from the lunar clay we discovered and are ready to be lead by Burai."

"Excellent" Rita grinned "it's finally time!" The dark witch handed Burai the morpher Finster had made with her evil Power Coin inside and said "call on the power of the Great Dragon Burai and prepare to have your vengeance." Burai nodded and held the morpher before him. With all the strength he could summon to his voice, he cried "Great Dragon!"

Burai transformed in a flash of green fire. His Ranger suit looked the same as it would ten thousand years later except he was taller and more muscular than Tommy Oliver. Also unlike the future Green Ranger, Burai was tainted with genuine evil rather a spell. Rita grinned in satisfaction at the result of her labor and said "welcome Green Ranger."

"I'll not be associated with Geki and his ilk" Burai scoffed "I am Dragon Knight!" "Call yourself what you will" Rita said with a shrug "just take the Super Putties and destroy the Zyurangers." Burai nodded but then said "I have heard that the Zyurangers can summon the Great Beasts themselves into battle with them. What shall I do then?"

"Do not worry Dragon Knight" Rita said confidently "the strongest of sea dragons, Dragon Caesar, is at your summons. He is more than a match for the Great Beasts in battle." Burai nodded and vanished in another flash of emerald fire, leaving his masters alone. Goldar turned to Rita and said "I don't trust him Empress; he's a human just like the rest of them. What if he betrays you?"

"Calm down monkey boy" Rita chuckled "this human is Putty in my hands. Besides, if he goes rogue, we can always use that magic wax we stole from the Tri-Gamma System to make a Green Candle and drain his powers. I've thought of everything!" So saying, the dark witch confidently turned on her heel and marched towards her Repulsa Scope to watch the battle. The Zyurangers were as good as dead.

…

The kingdom of Keles was a small yet prosperous civilization comparable to the future Babylon and located in the lands east of the Zyu territory. With the threat of Rita Repulsa growing ever stronger, alliances had been forged between the civilizations to ensure victory should war be declared. When a green clad warrior appeared leading an army of Rita's Putties to invade the small kingdom, the call went out to summon their allies. The Zyurangers morphed and lead an army of Zyu warriors to Keles' boarders to confront their foes. They were shocked however to find a warrior similar to themselves waiting for them.

"Welcome Zyurangers, I am Dragon Knight and I am here to end your reign as the land's mightiest warriors" their new foe hissed "surrender now and your deaths will be quick and painless!" The Zyurangers did not respond at first. They were still in shock.

"It can't be!" Dar muttered to his team "he looks like a Ranger!" Zordon had been educating the Zyurangers on how multiple Rangers defended "the other realm" and had even shown them some teams on the viewing globe. They were told that Rangers defended all that was good and were filled with pride at being part of such a clique. To find one of their own in the company of the enemy was nothing less than disheartening.

"Of course not" Goushi muttered "it's one of Rita's tricks. He's not real!"

"I'm real enough!" Dragon Knight roared "destroy them!" The Super Putties rushed at the Zyurangers and their army, bellowing a war cry in their odd tongue. The golems were usually beaten with minimum effort from a normal Zyu warrior but today, even the Zyurangers struggled against them. Their Power Weapons were unable to break through their now tougher clay bodies.

"What is this?" Goushi exclaimed as his Power Axe hacked away uselessly as a Super Putty "they've never been this strong before!" "We can't give up" Mai replied even as she tried to fight off three Super Putties at once "our people depend upon us."

The Pink Zyuranger was suddenly caught off guard and knocked to the ground, her Power Bow rolling from her grasp. "Mai!" Geki attempted to aid his teammate, whom he had begun to grow fond of, but was stopped when Dragon Knight suddenly entered the fight and attacked him. Green and red sparks appeared as their respective Power Weapons met with a sickening clash.

"It is good to see you again Geki" Dragon Knight hissed as they struggled against each other "I have yet to pay you back for the indignity I suffered at your hand!" "I do not know you" Geki grunted before gaining the upper hand and forcing his foe back several feet "but I do know it will take more than a dagger to best a member of the Tyranno Clan." "You do not know what it means to be a Tyranno! But as for my weapon…Dragon Fang!"

Dragon Knight's dagger transformed into a broadsword similar to Geki's and he soon took control of the battle. He eventually ended his assault with

A powerful diagonal slash that demorphed Geki and sent him to the ground.

"If only your father could see you now!" Dragon Knight hissed to his downed foe "You are not fit to lead the Tyranno Tribe!" "W…who are you?" Geki grunted through his injuries.

In response, Dragon Knight powered down to his civilian form, leaving Geki to gasp in shock. "Burai! You…you're alive!" "More or less" Burai spat "I've been given greater power than you could possibly imagine and now I shall use it to crush all who oppose me, starting with you"

Burai's face was contorted with rage for a brief moment before becoming a relaxed yet cold smile. "However, you have proven a worthy adversary just as in the past. I believe it is only fitting that I give you and your warriors a death befitting that." Burai became Dragon Knight once again and teleported atop a cliff overlooking the battlefield. He gazed down at the warring parties with a sneer of pure arrogance beneath his helmet.

"Hear me Zyurangers! Now you shall meet your end at the hand of Great Dragon Caesar. Arise! For a moment, nothing happened, and then the sea began to churn as a massive sea dragon rose from it. This was Dragon Caesar or the MMPR Dragonzord as it would eventually be known. It's roar caught the attention of Putty and Zyuranger alike as it marched onto the shore, towering above all.

"Dragon Caesar, destroy the Zyurangers and all who stand with them." Dragon Knight commanded from his mountain perch "leave nothing standing!" The Zord did nothing however and simply seemed to stare boredly at the landscape before it. Tensions were high as both sides waited for the outcome.

"Dragon Caesar, obey me!" The Zord refused and Burai became increasingly angry. "OBEY ME YOU DUMB BRUTE!" Dragon Knight gathered a ball of green energy in his hands and hurled it at his Zord in frustration, causing it to roar like a wounded animal.

Geki gasped in shock as he forced himself to his feet. What had Burai done!

"Now obey your master Dragon Ceaser and destroy my enemies!" Dragon Knight commanded once more. The Zord growled in response and began swinging it's massive tail at the mountain Dragon Knight stood upon, destroying it and burying him beneath rubble.

Dragon Knight burst from the rubble seconds later in a rage. "How dare you you abomination! I command you!" Dragon Caesar roared in response and began firing a barrage of missiles from it's fingers, knocking Burai back several yards and killing any Zyu warrior, Super Putty, and citizen of Keles unfortunate enough to be in the crossfire. Only the Zyurangers and Dragon Knight stood a chance at survival due to their connections with the Morphing Grid.

"We've got to get out of here!" Dar cried as the Zyurangers regrouped on the far side of the battlefield "we're no match for that thing!" "We can't leave!" Mai, who had recently recovered, argued "Geki's still out there!"

"We still have the Great Beasts" Goushi reminded everyone "they would fight on and so should we. It's what Geki would want." "It's suicide!" Before the argument could escalate, the Zyurangers were teleported back to the command center along with, to Mai's relief, a recovering Geki.

"Zordon, I've failed" Geki reported "Keles fell because I could not lead effectively." "No apologies are needed Geki" Zordon replied "you were simply caught off guard by an unknown foe." The great sage blamed himself as well. He had sensed the creation of new Ranger Powers through the Morphing Grid days ago but carelessly dismissed it as another Ranger team somewhere in the universe recruiting a new member. "I know Dragon Knight well enough" Geki replied grimly "he's my brother."

Geki explained that years ago when he was adopted by the Tyranno Tribe after a plague killed his family, he faced opposition from Burai, the tribal chief's biological son. Burai was power hungry and believed all tribes should bow to the Tyranno Tribe, contrasting the brotherhood and unity his ancestors had worked hard to achieve with their neighbors. When it became clear that this lust for power could not be curbed, Burai's father chose Geki to succeed him as tribal chief. Burai became enraged and attacked his adopted brother in an attempt to end his life. Geki was forced to defend himself and further shamed Burai by besting him in combat, giving him a long scar. Burai was then banished from the Tyranno Tribe by his father and forced to wander the Earth for the rest of his days. It had been so long ago that Geki believed he was dead…until today.

"Burai was attacked by that sea dragon too" Mai spoke up "perhaps he was killed?" "No, he's alive" Geki replied "I can feel it." "In any case, you have a minor advantage" said Zordon "Burai isn't connected with his dragon like you are with the Great Beasts and that gives you the upper hand for now. We can only wait and see what the next move is."

…

"You failed!" Rita screeched at Burai, who had returned to the moon palace "you had them and you failed!" "It seems Dragon Knight is just as weak as any other human" Goldar spoke up as he and Scorpina chuckled at Burai's failure. "It wasn't my fault" Burai defended "Dragon Caesar would not obey me!"

Rita frowned. Dragons were difficult creatures to tame. The one her parents got her on her eighth birthday flew off after burning down her parents' palace and sea dragons often proved even wilder. She knew Lokar made a mistake in placing the real Dragon Ceasar's soul into Burai's Zord.

"You are right" the dark witch conceded to her charge "but that can change. Be prepared to return to Earth within the hour and Geki will be yours." Rita once again summoned Lokar, who altered the Dragon Dagger to act as a mystic flute to control Dragon Caesar in exchange for sacrificing the Dragon Fang mode. Rita and Burai returned to Earth soon afterwards for a field test.

Burai morphed into Dragon Knight and raised the Dragon Dagger to his helmeted lips, playing a powerful melody. Instantly, Dragon Caesar emerged from the sea and marched towards the surface. "It doesn't mean anything" Burai told Rita "he came last time I called him as well." "Perhaps a harder test is what we need" Rita said as she raised her wand and conjured up illusions of the Dinozords.

"Dragon Caesar, destroy those creatures!" Burai commanded and played another tune on the Dragon Dagger. Dragon Caesar's eyes flashed and he let out a roar before charging his illusionary foes. As the Zords clashed, Rita and Burai shared an evil smile. The Zyurangers were good as dead.

With Dragon Caesar under Burai's control, the war for Earth took a dark turn. The combined force of the evil Zord and the Super Putties taxed the Zyurangers to their physical and emotional limits. Even the full power of the Dinozords proved ineffective. It only got worse when Rita ordered Finster to create Cyclopsis, a powerful War Zord piloted by Goldar and powered by Lokar's demonic energy. The trio of Scorpina in her mutant form, Dragon Caesar, and Cyclopsis soon proved a symbol of terror and despair to the people of Earth and it seemed Rita had finally won.

But Zordon and the Zyurangers would not go down without a fight. Alpha Five worked feverishly to hack into the personal database for Cyclopsis that Finster had created for Rita and Zordon created the Thunder Slingers, special Grid powered weapons designed to destroy Super Putties. The Zyurangers even underwent Morphing Grid training and learned how to combine their Zords into a Megazord, which they dubbed Aka after the God who created the Great Beasts. Magna Defender had done the same thing thousands of years ago when he learned to merge with Torozord and assume a Megazord like form called Defender Torozord.

Zordon also knew the Zyurangers needed an ally against Rita's trio and set out to find a sixth member for them. He himself could no longer become the White Genesis Ranger due to the strain it placed on his aging body and there was no good sixth Power Coin yet but that didn't rule out a new Zord. The great sage sought out the skeletal remains of a Brachiosaurus and used all his power as a Morphing Master to transform them into a sentient Zord he named Titanus. Titanus could aid the Rangers without need for a pilot and combine with Aka to form the Ultrazord when needed.

With these new additions to the Zyurangers arsenal, the tide began to turn once more as one by one; Rita's elite warriors began to fall. Scorpina was beaten first and to insure she was defeated, Zordon cast a spell from the Command Center that changed her into her namesake and sealed her in a cave for ten thousand years. Sometime later, Aka defeated Cyclopsis with aid from Alpha's hacking skills and forced Goldar to flee. All that remained was Burai and the Super Putties.

Enraged at this turn of events, Rita ordered Burai to destroy the command center, which she had discovered in the desert sometime ago. The spells Zordon cast to hide it from ordinary eyes had no effect on a fellow magic user. The next day, Burai appeared before the center as Dragon Knight with a small army of Super Putties behind him.

"Come out Zordon and surrender to Empress Rita or be crushed under the heel of Dragon Caesar!" Several minutes passed and the great sage did not appear, prompting Burai to draw his Dragon Dagger. "Good, I was hoping it would come to this." Burai played the tune that summoned his Zord and Dragon Caesar was soon marching towards the site of the command center.

Watching this from within on the Viewing Globe was Alpha Five. The little robot was in such a panic that he would've had a heart attack if it were possible. "Ai yi yi! The Dragonzord will flatten us! What will we do?"

Alpha suddenly felt a hand on his shoulder and turned to see Zordon. The great sage had a look on his face that made it seem as if he knew this was coming. "Be calm old friend, the Zyurangers are on their way. I only hope that Geki is up to facing his brother once again."

…

"Dragon Caesar, lay waste to this fortress and crush all within!" Burai ordered and raised the Dragon Dagger to his lips to make it happen when a new voice rang out: "halt Burai!" Dragon Knight turned to see the Zyurangers in civilian form, each one glaring at him with contempt except Geki. The Red Tyranno Ranger seemed almost saddened by the confrontation.

"Too late fools! Burai raised the Dragon Dagger to his lips and played the tune that made Dragon Caesar attack. The evil Zord was ready to comply when missiles struck him from nowhere. Titanus had arrived, ready to defend Zordon until the end.

As the two Zords clashed, the Zyurangers pulled out their morphers. "It's morphing time!" Geki yelled "Tyrannosaurus!" "Sabertooth tiger!" "Mastodon!" "Triceratops!" "Pterodactyl!"

The Zyurangers morphed and charged Dragon Knight with Power Weapons drawn, ready to end him if necessary. "I've no time for this" Burai grunted "attack!" The Super Putties jumped into action as their superior turned to see Dragon Ceasar fighting Titanus. Burai teleported onto his Zord's head and shouted "let nothing stand in our way!"

He then played his Dragon Dagger again and Dragon Ceasar became more aggressive in attacking Titanis.

Meanwhile, the Zyurangers struggled against the Super Putties below. Their Morphing Grid training had made them stronger but the golems were still very tough. "It's time for the Thunder Slingers" Geki announced amid the battle "Mai! Dar!" The Pink and Blue Zyurangers obeyed and pulled the special weapons out. Zordon could only make two Thunder Slingers because of the amount of Grid energy required but they were more than a match for the Super Putties. With Mai and Dar working together, the Super Putties were destroyed within minutes.

At that moment, Dragon Ceasar had beaten Titanus. The auxiary Zord was badly beaten and forced to teleport away to recover. It was time for the Zyurangers to step in. "We summon Great God Aka!"

The Dinozords appeared and combined to form the Megazord. The Zyurangers had always rode their respective Zords in battle so controlling them from within in a combined form still felt odd but the Morphing Grid supplied them with the knowledge even as they battled Dragon Caesar. The very desert shook as the Zords clashed, sparks flying from their mechanical bodies. During the battle, Geki teleported to the top of the Megazord's head with his Power Sword in hand. It was time to end this. "Your time has come Burai!" With this cry, the Red Tyranno Ranger leaped onto Dragon Ceasar's head to face Burai.

"What is Geki doing!" Dar exclaimed "we need him to pilot Aka correctly!" "He's doing what needs to be done" Boi spoke up "a blood feud between brothers ends today."

Aka and Dragon Caesar continued to battle as Geki's bond with his Zord kept Aka at full strength. At the same time, Geki and Burai dueled atop Dragon Ceasar's head, indifferent to the force of Aka's blows. "Give up Geki" the Dragon Knight growled as the fought "you cannot defeat me! I am the ultimate warrior! Even my own father feared my power and that was why he banished me! He knew I would become greater than him but a weakling like you would always remain under his heel. That's why you were his favorite!"

"You are wrong Burai1" Geki responded as he blocked an attack "father didn't fear you, he loved you. He blamed himself for you following such a dark path and not a day went by that he didn't regret having to banish you. When I became chief, he asked me to reunite our family but I had no way of knowing you were alive. Please, reject Rita and rejoin our tribe as my brother."

"You would ask me this after months of battling one another?" Burai almost laughed. "In those months, I have gleamed something within your eyes that can only be pain and misery" Geki replied "Rita has fed your anger and clouded your mind with hate but you are still my brother and still a warrior of the Tyranno Tribe."

"I do not need your tribe or any other!" Burai spat "I am power incarnate and I will rule these lands alongside Empress Rita!" There was silence for a long moment before Geki said "then I'm sorry brother." The Red Tyranno Ranger began charging his Power Sword with crimson energy and Burai began charging green energy through his Dragon Dagger.

At the same time, the other Zyurangers had summoned Aka's own Power Sword and were preparing to finish off Dragon Caesar when Mai yelled "Wait! Geki and Burai are still fighting. If we attack now, we'll kill them!" "We have no choice" Goushi said "we have to end this now!"

Letting out battle cries, Geki and Burai charged one another and dealt fatal blows just as Aka's sword crashed down on Dragon Caesar's head. "GEKI!" Mai's scream could be heard even over the resulting explosion. Zordon and Alpha bowed their heads, unwilling to watch the carnage unfold. The Zyurangers ejected from Aka and powered down to civilian form as they rushed towards where Dragon Caesar had fallen.

The evil Zord was badly damaged and completely shut down. Lying only a few feet away from it were Geki and Burai, reverted to civilian form. Burai was already dead and Geki was fading fast. Horrible wounds were etched across his upper body and it was becoming painful to even breathe. His comrades kneeled down beside him and he offered them a weak smile. "Well done, you fought to the bitter end" he said in between ragged breaths. "It doesn't have to end this way Geki" Mai pleaded "Zordon can heal you. He's done it before!"

"No Mai, it has to be this way. The only way for Burai and I to finally know peace is through death. May Aka be with you in the final days of war. Goodbye."

Mai and the others openly wept as Geki died. They knew a great warrior and friend had been lost that day. He was buried near the Command Center by Zordon, as all Morphing Masters did when their Rangers fell in battle. Burai would have been buried as well had his body and Power Coin not been teleported back to the moon. The best Zordon could do was lock Dragon Caesar in the sea with a spell. After the funeral, the Zyurangers were asked by Zordon to step down as Rangers. He knew what they had been through was more than any Morphing Master could ask of their Rangers and he could not let them continue the war in silent suffering, especially Mai who had loved Geki with a passion.

Despite initial protests, the Zyurangers agreed and gave Zordon their Power Coins; including Geki's which had been removed during his burial. The Zyu warriors wished Zordon the best of luck in his war with evil and returned to leading their tribes, where they were now hailed as legends. It would be many years later before the great sage again recruited Rangers with whom he had grown so close.

Many days passed with no sign of activity from Rita. Zordon was almost ready to believe she had given up when Alpha Five burst into his meditation chambers one day in a panic. The great sage received a shock when he saw the dark witch herself grinning at him on the Viewing Globe. "Hello Zordon, it's been a while, hasn't it?"

"What do you want Rita?" Zordon demanded "I know you too well to think this is a social call." "I want a truce" Rita replied "I wish to discuss a peaceful resolution to our war. We have fought for over two thousand years and accomplished nothing but bloodshed. It has to end now."

Zordon's eyes narrowed. A member of the United Alliance of Evil and a henchman of Lord Zedd wanted peace? It had to be a trap but deep down, he knew she was right. This war had to end. "What did you have in mind Rita?"

"A coin toss using our respective Power Coins" Rita replied "if you win, I will surrender myself and everything I claimed during our war to you and the Council of Morphing Masters. But if I win, you must return to Eltar and allow me dominion over Earth. Do we have a deal?"

"Agreed" Zordon said after a moment of silence "we shall meet at dusk." "Wonderful" Rita chirped "see you then." With a playful laugh, the dark witch faded from the Viewing Globe's surface. "Ai yi yi" Alpha said "I hope you know what you're doing Zordon." "So do I Alpha, so do I.

…

At dusk, Zordon and Rita met in the Desert of Despair where the Power Coins had been found. While Zordon was alone, the dark witch was accompanied by all her remaining henchmen. Goldar glared at the great sage with disdain but Rita held him back. "Here are the rules" the dark witch explained "we'll have six tosses, one for each coin in our possession. The one who wins the most tosses will be the victor, agreed?" Zordon nodded. "Then let's begin!"

Zordon tossed the Tyrannosaurus Coin in the air and yelled "heads!" "Tails!" Rita countered. The coin flipped through the air and landed on heads. Zordon had won the first toss. Next came the Triceratops Coin. Rita called "heads!" Zordon yelled "tails!" The coin came up tails. And so it continued as Zordon won every single toss except with Rita's Dragonzord Coin, which simply vanished back to the moon palace afterwards. Each of Zordon's Power Coins soon lay in a perfect row between the two warring factions.

"Game over Rita, I win!" Rita's eyes narrowed at her old foe. She was seething with rage as she clutched her wand. "I don't care what happened; I won't be beaten by dumb luck!"

Rita fired off a massive bolt from her wand that caught Zordon off guard and knocked him off his feet. A wicked smile graced the dark witch's features even as her old enemy got up. "Can you feel it?" Rita taunted "can you already feel yourself being pulled from this dimension?" Zordon cast a quick glance at his hand to find it and the rest of himself fading away.

"It's a time warp spell" Rita cackled "you're going to be trapped outside of time for eternity, doomed to drift through countless dimensions. Game over Zordon, I've won!"

"Not yet Rita!" Zordon said as he began focusing the remainder of his fading strength on casting his own spell. Suddenly, an eltarian dumpster formed above Rita and her cronies, Zordon's chosen containment vessel for some of his most powerful foes over the years. Despite what most people thought, the great sage did have a sense of humor.

The dumpster's lid opened and it began sucking in Rita and her forces. They tried to run but no one had ever escaped the spell before. Just before Rita disappeared inside, she screeched "ENJOY THIS VICTORY ZORDON BECAUSE IT WILL BE YOUR LAST!" The lid closed and the dumpster shot off into space where it would drift for ten thousand years. Zordon allowed himself one last smile before vanishing completely.

…

Watching everything from the viewing globe, Alpha Five was in a panic. "Ai yi yi! This is terrible! What can I do!" Suddenly, a thought occurred to the little robot. "Of course, it's a time warp! Zordon is alive but floating in-between dimensions. If I can find his frequency, I might be able to make contact." Zordon had created a giant tube in the Command Center that was actually used for interdimensional communication. He used it to communicate with the Council of Morphing Masters, whose meeting place was actually located within a pocket dimension. Zordon had learned years earlier that the headquarters of the Order of Meledon and the Genesis Rangers' command center had existed in similar dimensions and decided it would best benefit his new Council's need for secrecy.

After teleporting the Power Coins back to the command center, Alpha began scanning the near infinite number of dimensions for his old friend. It took weeks but eventually, the great sage was found. Alpha pressed a series of buttons and soon a giant version of Zordon's head formed within the tube, surrounded by a column of blue light. "WELL DONE ALPHA" Zordon spoke in a now booming voice "I KNEW YOU WOULD FIND A WAY. WHAT OF THE POWER COINS?"

"I've already got them except for Rita's Coin" Alpha replied "the Dinozords are dormant again too and the Thunder Slingers are on an island somewhere being guarded by Titanus." "EXCELLENT" Zordon replied "WE'RE NOW READY TO PLAN OUR NEXT MOVE." "What is our next move Zordon?"

"NEW EVIL WILL COME TO EARTH ALPHA, I HAVE FORESEEN IT. THE POWER COINS WE DISCOVERED WILL NOT BE ENOUGH TO STOP IT SO WE MUST ARM OURSELVES WITH NEW RANGER POWERS AND PREPARE TO DEFEND THIS WORLD AS LONG AS WE MUST." "Maybe we can find Ninjor" Alpha suggested "he might be able to make even stronger Power Coins for us." "PERHAPS, THOUGH I STILL CAN'T BE ENTIRELY SURE HE EXISTS." Zordon replied "WE'LL HAVE TO WAIT AND SEE WHAT FATE HAS IN STORE."

Part 4: Age of Demons

With Rita gone, the Repulsa Wars finally ended. Lord Zedd was indifferent to his lieutenant's imprisonment at this point as he become obsessed with completing his prized Warzord Serpenterra by pillaging other systems for raw materials. Zordon and Alpha continued to stand guard over Earth, experimenting with creating new Ranger Powers. One of their earliest developments were the Dino Gems, an upgraded version of the Zyurangers' Power Coins which were made from gem fragments Cordon believed came from the same meteor that wiped out the dinosaurs. Sensing it was not yet time for their debut, the great sage left their development incomplete and had them hidden in the various parts of the world along with the Shield of Triumph, which could grand the Red Gem's user a new level of power when granted energy from the others. Time passed and the Zyukai died out as new empires rose. Chief among these were the empires of Rome and Egypt. Along with this, humans also learned to harness true magic and ushered in the first age of wizards and witches on Earth. Others harnessed magic to such a degree they became something else entirely. These beings became known as Thor, Loki, and various other Gods and Goddesses while others became the mer people of Atlantis, ruled by King Neptune who controlled the seas with his mystic trident. The Warrior Goddess came to Earth during this period to safeguard Excelsior until it was needed. Zordon himself feared this day would come soon as he sensed a great evil on the horizon.

One day, a tear in reality formed over the city of Rome and the fearsome Queen Bansheera, ruler of the demon race known as the Saima, emerged from the Shadow World with her legions ready to conquer the human race. Bansheera had once been a humanoid queen called Lucia who ruled the world of Namax during the early days of the Great War when a young Zordon lead the Genesis Rangers. During this time, Dark Specter desired a heir and sought a worthy bride to create one with. Lucia ruled her people with an iron fist and it wasn't long before she caught the Grand Monarch of Evil's eye. He sent his forces to slaughter her people while the Genesis Rangers were battling the Machine Empire in another galaxy and had her brought to Cimmeria. It was then and there that Dark Specter placed Lucia on an altar and removed her heart before infusing her body with demonic energy. The Pool of Darkness on Planet Nega was only fit for creating minions like Ivan Ooze and Lord Zedd.

Lucia was transformed into Bansheera, a she-demon nearly equal to Dark Specter in power and cruelty. But Bansheera had no interest in being Dark Specter's bride and wished only to rule the universe herself. The two demonic entities clashed in a horrific battle that ended in a standstill before Bansheera escaped into the Shadow World to recover lost strength. The Morphing Masters later learned of Bansheera's creation and warned the Genesis Rangers to beware her return. With two such evils feuding for control of the universe, the Great War could escalate into something far more terrible.

This day never came as Bansheera soon set her sights on the Shadow World. With Lokar gone, the various demon races warred for control and the she-demon desired to enter the fight. She created the Saima race with her power and soon led them in battle against Lokar's former subjects. After many years of civil war, Bansheera rose to power as the Shadow World's queen and soon turned her attention to the mortal realm, particularly Earth as rumors of it's hidden power reached her ears.

She soon gathered her legions and had her minion the Gatekeeper open a portal to Earth, hungry for conquest. Lead by her elite forces consisting of her chief general Diabolico, the warriors Loki and Vypra, and the sorcerer Jinxer, Bansheera's army of Batling foot soldiers devastated Rome and soon conquered it and much of Egypt. Part of this territory even included the future city of Mariner Bay. From her newly created fortress known as Skull Cavern, Bansheera watched with evil glee as Earth slowly became hers.

…

"Ai yi yi!" Alpha Five yelped as he witnessed the chaos on the Viewing Globe "Bansheera has control of Earth's most powerful nations and the whole world's sure to follow! What do we do Zordon?"

"EGYPT AND ROME MUST UNITE IF THEY ARE TO OVERCOME THIS THREAT" Zordon replied "BUT THEY WILL NEED INSPIRATION TO DO SO AND A TEAM OF POWER RANGERS TO LEAD THE FIGHT. ALPHA, IT'S TIME TO UNLEASH THE THUNDERBEAST POWERS!" The Thunder beast powers were created by channeling a lightning bolt through the Morphing Grid during a storm some years ago and were the latest in Zordon and Alpha's many Ranger projects. Drawing on the Grid Avatars of the Dragon, Griffin, Lion, Unicorn, and Phoenix, they were also the strongest Ranger powers of their time and the one thing that stood a chance against Bansheera. Alpha pressed a few buttons and the Thunder Amulets, the morphers for this particular set of Powers, appeared in flashes of red, blue, green, yellow, and pink. "NOW WE MUST FIND FIVE NOBLE SOULS TO BECOME OUR RANGERS, PREFERABLY OF ROMAN AND EGYPTIAN DESCENT" Zordon said, "But Zordon, that might be impossible" Alpha replied "Rome has been attempting to conquer Egypt for over a century now. Any Rangers we get from either empire would probably try to kill each other." It was true. Egypt's fertile lands were often a target for Roman conquest and the Emperor and Pharaoh would never agree to an alliance even against Bansheera. It was this attitude that lead to both rulers being removed from power by Bansheera's generals. Diabolico and his comrades ruled Rome while Tutenhawken, future enemy of the Din thunder Rangers, had declared himself the new Pharaoh. "THEY MUST UNITE ALPHA" Zordon declared "OR THEY AND ALL OF EARTH ARE DOOMED." Alpha nodded. "Let's hope they can" he replied "scanning for suitable Rangers now!"

…

Meanwhile, a lone boat traveled across the Mediterranean Sea, carrying three young Romans who had escaped the Saima's tyranny. They were Augustus, Gaius, and Octavian. They had been the teenage sons of wealthy parents and had lived lives of privilege until Bansheera's legions attacked. Then their families were slaughtered and they were taken as slaves, forced to fight for their lives against both demons and each other for Diabolico's amusement in the coliseum.

But Augustus, the strong and noble son of a former soldier, eventually grew tired of this and rallied his two friends to rebel alongside him. With great cunning and unmatched courage, the three boys managed to escape into the sea with a stolen boat. The Saima had a natural weakness against water like most demons and couldn't follow. Gaius, a sea captain's son, expertly steered the boat through turbulent waters until they reached land. However, Octavian, also a soldier's son and blessed with a mind for both strategy and geography as well as a short temper, recognized where they were and became enraged.

"Gaius, you idiot! This is Egypt! Not only are we in enemy territory but the Saima rule here too! We've walked right into their hands!"

"Where else would you have us go?" Gaius said defensively "this is as close to civilization as it gets. You weren't exactly volunteering any suggestions!" "Be quiet, both of you!" Augustus spoke up "look there."

The two looked to where Augustus was pointing and saw a caravan of lesser Saima coming towards them. Quickly seeking cover, the trio saw a group of girls not much older than them trailing behind the demons in shackles. They had seen this many times back home and instantly knew this was a batch of slaves for the regional dictator. "those women are in trouble" Gaius whispered "we should help them."

"Are you mad? Octavian whispered "we stand no chance. Besides, those are women of Egypt and they deserve such a fate." "No one deserves to be slaves to the Saima Octavian; regardless of where they come from" Gaius argued "women especially don't deserve that."

"Don't be such a stupid romantic!" Octavian snapped while trying not to raise his voice "women aren't worth risking our necks over." "You're a coward!" "I'll show you who's a-""Halt!"

Both young men ceased their bickering and saw Augustus standing in the demons' path without hesitation. "Release those women and return from whence you came." Augustus' voice held a deadly calm. The Saima leading the carrivan, a scorpion-like demon, simply chuckled. "What have we here? Desert thieves seeking to steal from the great Tutenhawken? You'll join these females as slaves instead."

The lesser Saima withdrew swords and attacked Augustus, completely outnumbering him. But the young Roman fought back using the wrestling skills he had been taught since childhood to disarm and defeat the leader. Rushing to his friend's aid, Octavian grabbed the beaten demon's sword and joined the fight while Gaius followed close behind. The young seaman grabbed another sword and fought his way to the captive women, using the blade to cut their shackles.

"Go, you're free!" Most of the women obeyed and ran in various directions away from the fight but one in particular; a beauty Gaius found himself instantly smitten with, stayed behind. She stepped toward him and leaned in close. "Thank you" she whispered and Gaius prepared himself for what might be a kiss when the woman snatched his weapon from him and ran towards the fight. Gaius became even more confused when second, taller women chased after her yelling "No, wait!"

The newly formed group of five made short work of the lesser Saima as the two women proved to be excellent fighters. When the enemy retreated however, things quickly turned ugly. "You are Romans" one of the girls deduced "why did you help us?" "Such gratitude" Octavian grunted "and what did you mean by getting in our way?"

"From where I stood, you needed my assistance!" The shorter of the two women glared hotly as Octavian laughed "Me? Need help from a woman in battle? Absurd!" "We did have things under control" Augustus spoke up "you could have cost us the fight and put yourself in harm's way."

"How typically male and typically Roman!" The woman replied "I should have let them kill you!" "Maybe you should calm down" the tall woman spoke up in an effort to defuse the tension "they did save us after all." "No!" her companion spat "I've been silent for too long now!" "Maybe we should all calm down" Gaius spoke up and cast a glare at his companions "this is getting us nowhere."

"I'll not be spoken to this way!" Octavian bellowed "least of all by a female!" The short woman's glare darkened. "This female is more than a match for you" she said in a challenging tone "come see if you're man enough!"

Octavian's grip on his sword tightened, as did his rival's. Before anyone could make a move however, the five vanished in a multicolored stream of light. No one noticed the crow circling above that had witnessed everything.

…

"WHERE ARE MY SLAVES!" Tutenhawken's furious shout echoed throughout the palace as the demon pharoh received news of what had happened to his carrivan. The lesser Saima trembled at his presence as they kneeled before him. "Please great one,it could not be helped" the leader pleaded "a trio of humans attacked us." "HUMANS! YOU WERE BEATEN BY HUMANS!"

In a rage, Tutenhawken unleashed streams of energy from his hands that reduced the lesser Saima to dust. He then slumped in his throne and took a few minutes to compose himself. If the humans had begun to rebel, he would have to take steps to repress them. Bansheera would devour him if the Saima lost control of such a fertile region. Luckily, Tutenhawken had studied under Jinxer for some time and knew how to cast terrible curses upon his enemies. A display of power was all it would take to keep his subjects in line.

The demon pharoh took flight and landed on top on the stone pyramid, overlooking the frightened citizens below. "HEAR ME WORTHLESS SLAVES!" Tutenhawken's voice rumbled "IT HAS BEEN SAID THAT SOME OF YOU DARED OPENLY OPPOSE MY DESIRES! FOR THIS, YOU WILL SUFFER THE WRATH OF THE PHAROH'S CURSE!" Tutenhawken cast his spell and monstrous storm clouds gathered in the sky above. Lightning rained down upon the citizens and miniature cyclones appeared to destroy everything in their path. The only things that could be heard over the roaring winds were dying screams and Tutenhawken's cruel laughter.

…

Augustus was the first to regain his senses as he and his four companions found themselves in a place of darkness with a massive glowing face staring down at them. Great wisdom could be glimpsed within it's eyes and for a moment, it seemed they were looking at a God. "GREETINGS MORTALS" the entity spoke in a booming voice "I AM ZORDON, A MESSENGER OF THE GODS. I HAVE BROUGHT YOU HERE BECAUSE YOU HAVE BEEN CHOSEN TO BE BLESSED WITH THE POWER TO DEFEAT THE SAIMA AND DRIVE THE DARKNESS FROM YOUR LANDS."

"You don't look like a messenger for any God I worship" Octavian replied skeptically "who sent you? Mars? Jupiter?" "Perhaps he was sent by OUR Gods" Sheba said coldly. "Your Gods?" Octavian laughed harshly "your Gods do not exist!" "PLEASE STOP!" Zordon spoke calmly but firmly "I HAVE BEEN SENT BY ALL THE GODS AND THEY ARE MOST DISPLEASED WITH THE STATE OF HUMANITY. YOUR GREED AND THIRST FOR POWER HAS ALLOWED THE SAIMA TO TAKE YOUR WORLD. THE EMPIRES OF ROME AND EGYPT MUST UNITE TO DEFEAT BANSHEERA, FOR IT IS THE WILL OF THE GODS."

Five brightly colored amulets appeared in the air and floated down to each chosen one. Red for Augustus, Blue for Gaius, Green for Octavian, and Yellow and Pink for the two women. Each one had a bizarre creature's likeness carved into it. "THESE AMULETS CONTAIN THE SPIRITS OF MIGHTY CREATURES WHO DWELL WITHIN THE GODS' REALM" Zordon explained "SIMPLY CALL UPON THEIR POWER AND YOU SHALL BECOME MIGHTY WARRIORS CAPABLE OF STOPPING BANSHEERA. THE GODS WILL EVEN SEND THEIR BEASTS TO HELP YOU IN TIMES OF NEED. DO YOU ACCEPT THIS TASK?"

"Never!" Octavian proclaimed "I'd rather die than fight alongside Egyptian savages." "The feeling is mutual!" The short woman proclaimed. "Enough of this!" Augustus proclaimed "you would defy Gods who would answer our prayers for deliverance from evil?" He then turned to Zordon and said "I accept."

"I accept too" Gaius said after a moment "Bansheera must fall." "I accept as well" the tall woman said "this suffering has to end." "I accept because I'm no coward" The short woman said as she cast a glare at Octavian. Octavian glared back and said "I am no coward! I will gladly accept if it means destroying the Saima."

"But if we work together, we must be introduced properly" Gaius smiled at the two women "I'm Gaius and these two are Augustus and Octavian. We were forced gladiators in Rome. What's your story?"

"I am Akana" said the taller of the women "it means 'vessel' for I was chosen to bear Tutenhawken's heir. His forces even raped me more than once to ensure I would survive the process. Even then, I had faith the Gods would answer my prayers" The confidence and strength Akana held in her voice awed even Octavian. He had never known such undying faith.

"I am called Sheba" the shorter woman said with bitterness in her tone "it means 'meat offering' for my family sold me to Tutenhawken to spare their own lives. I vowed never to show such weakness. I learned to fight by watching the Saima and taught Akana. I'll fight to my last breath to kill the2m all!"

"We all shall! Augustus said with a passion in his voice and a fire in his heart that would earn him the position of leader. He turned to Zordon and said "Great messenger, send us to where the Saima lurk so we may smite them!"

"VERY WELL, YOUR FIRST TASK IS TO DETHRONE TUTENHAWKEN. GOOD LUCK YOUNG WARRIORS!"

With that, the five were teleported back to Egypt, leaving Zordon alone. A few moments later, lights came on and revealed the command center as Alpha Five came out of hiding.

"Not a bad bit of acting Zordon" Alpha said "I almost believed you for a second." "THANK YOU ALPHA, THOUGH I DO HOPE THE NEW RANGERS CAN WORK AS A TEAM. THE YELLOW AND GREEN RANGERS SEEMED TO BE AT ODDS." "We can only hope" Alpha replied as the two turned their attention to the viewing globe to watch the oncoming battle.

…

Tutenhawken and his army of lesser Saima were rampaging through the city even as the mystic storm continued. Frightened citizens ran for cover as their corrupt ruler laid waste to the work of their ancestors. He was about to kill a small child unfortunate enough to be in his path when a strong voice cried "not this time!" "Who dares to command the Pharoh!"

Tutenhawken turned to see five young teens standing before him. "Your days as Pharaoh are over demon!" Augustus roared "we have come to destroy you and your masters!" "What fool humans think they can challenge me?"

In response, the five warriors grabbed their amulets and yelled "we call upon the power of thunder!" Five colored bolts of lightning struck the group, each one matching their respective amulets. Tutenhawken and his forces shielded their eyes from the massive flash and when it faded, the Thunder beast Rangers stood before them. Augustus was the Red Thunder dragon Ranger, Gaius was the Blue Thunder corn Ranger, Octavian was the Green Thunder lion Ranger, Sheba was the Yellow thunder griffin Ranger, and Akana was the Pink Thunderpheonix Ranger. "What are you?" Tutenhawken exclaimed. "Your judgment!"

The Thunder beast Rangers charged into battle against Tutenhawken's forces, their Power Weapons drawn. Augustus slashed through them with his Dual Thunderblades, the twin swords striking like lightning. Gaius battled with his Thunder Nunchucks, the Morphing Grid supplying him with knowledge of how to use the foreign weapons. Octavian and Sheba had a contest to see whose Power Weapon could down more foes, his Thunder staff or her nine-tailed Thunder whip. Sheba tore through foes with her Thunderspear, the normally gentle woman fighting with a violent passion. Tutenhawken's forces were soon no more, leaving the demon pharaoh alone against his foes. "Leave now" Augustus commanded "tell Queen Bansheera that her dominion over this world is over."

Tutenhawken simply laughed. "You may have beaten my weak underlings but none but Queen Bansheera can possible defeat the great Tutenhawken!" The demon pharoh formed a whip in his hand and charged the Rangers, ready to fight them himself. The Rangers found themselves quickly on the verge of loss due to inexperience and the demon pharaoh soon took to the air just to taunt them. His aerial attacks combined with the raging storm made winning seem impossible.

Just then, a crow flew onto the scene and changed into a middle-aged man dressed in robes and a hijab. He made a symbol in the sand, which began to glow as he muttered an incantation and the harsh winds reversed themselves, knocking Tutenhawken to the ground. The man then made a gesture and the storm stopped completely. "WHO DARES!" Tutenhawken roared, angry that someone had the power to undo his curse.

"I dare demon" the man replied calmly "I am the Sorcerer of the Sands." Sheba and Akana gasped. The Sorcerer of the Sands was famed for using the mystic arts to defeat evil spirits but most thought him to be a myth. Zordon had watched him ever since he was a young boy named Kali studying under the local shaman. Because he had stopped many potential threats in the past, The Sorcerer was asked to aid the Thunder beast Rangers against Bansheera and had secretly been watching then since Augustus and his friends arrived in Egypt.

"None may upstage Tutenhawken!" The demon pharaoh took to the sky once more for an aerial attack but another spell from the Sorcerer had him bound with a rope and the mage holding the other end, keeping Tutenhawken suspended in the air. "Hurry! He may only be destroyed in the air!" The Sorcerer called to the Thunder beast Rangers as they recovered. Seeing their chance, the warriors summoned their Thunder Cannon and took aim. A blast of multicolored lightning shot out and struck Tutenhawken head on. "ARRRRRRRRRRRRGH!" With an explosion, the demon pharaoh fell to Earth as a lifeless shell.

The Thunder beast Rangers celebrated their victory as the Sorcerer of the Sands smiled. "Well done" he said "Zordon has chosen well." The Rangers powered down from their morphed states and Augustus asked "who are you? How do you know Zordon?"

The Sorcerer laughed and said "you may call me Kali and Zordon and I are old allies, just as I am to you. This battle was the beginning of a war and you shall need all the help you can get soon enough." With that, the Sorcerer became a crow again and flew off, leaving the Rangers to ponder this turn of events. He was right about one thing though: it was only the beginning.

…

Bansheera was enraged that the Saima had lost control of Egypt but was even more so when she learned Power Rangers were involved. She had heard tales of the Genesis Rangers as a human and whispers of their many successors thanks to those of the Shadow World who had been sent there by them. She vowed to destroy this obstacle by granting Diabolico the Star Power, a source of demonic energy that made him the second strongest Saima alive, and ordered him to retake Egypt with his comrades. However, just before dawn, the Saima found Rome's shores invaded by the Rangers in civilian form, backed by the Sorcerer of the Sands and an army of Egypt's best soldiers provided by the newly reinstated Pharaoh. As the sun rose, both sides charged another, the Rangers morphing as they did so, It was a long and brutal battle that lasted three days straight but eventually the Saima were driven from Rome and back to Skull Cavern. Jinxer did however manage to teleport to Egypt before the planned invasion and place a curse on Tutenhawken's tomb as a backup plan. It would not only give eternal bad luck to whoever read it but resurrect Tutenhawken as well.

The Thunder beast Rangers were now hailed as heroes of two empires but the war was far from finished. Bansheera soon resorted to doing what most UAE members did and began sending out monsters to terrorize and destroy. Using demon cards, the Saima conjured monsters comparable to those of Lord Zedd but thanks to their Thunder beast Zords and their allies in Egypt and Rome, the Rangers were more than ready. Bansheera soon grew desperate enough to resort to her best kept secret: her children.

While Dark Specter had not married Bansheera as intended, he had managed to rape her before she escaped and thus impregnated her. Demon pregnancies were far longer than normal and Bansheera had given birth to twin sons Maligore and Impus just as she arrived from the Shadow World. Impus was the smallest demon hatchling known with his earflaps as the only thing marking him as a son of Dark Specter. Maligore however looked like a red skinned version of his father with his mother's weakness against water. Though Impus was her favorite son, Bansheera knew that Maligore possessed the most potential so she sent him to the island of Muranthias to mature before fighting the Thunder beast Rangers. As Maligore grew, he began terrorizing the local natives, who soon called him the Great Flame of Destruction. Maligore also possessed the ability to corrupt pure souls and did this to any on Muranthias that he did not kill. The once peaceful people were transformed into savages and made to attack the enemies of the Saima. After several attacks on Egypt and Rome by these new foes, Zordon sent the Thunder beast Rangers to Muranthias to investigate this change in the natives.

"Can we really be sure there's something wrong with these natives?" Octavian asked his teammate as they sailed to Muranthias in the ship provided for them, one day known as the Ghostly Galleon "they are savages after all. It's in their nature to wage war." "Have you learned nothing from fighting with us after these last few years?" Sheba asked with a roll of her eyes. Octavian's sexism had all but vanished over his years of fighting with and against women but he still stubbornly clung to the idea of Roman supiority. Some things never changed.

"Zordon's never been wrong before" Akana added "he said he felt a disturbance in the Morphing Grid days before the Muranthians began their attacks. That must mean something." Zordon had told the Thunder beast Rangers the truth of what he was a few months ago; feeling the deception he was using was no longer valid with a need for trust during the war with Bansheera. They had met Alpha, seen the Command Center and now knew the basics of the Morphing Grid. "She's right" Gaius spoke up "before, these natives were peaceful and had no Gods but now they've sided against us and worship this Great Flame? Something's definitely not right here." "Whatever the case, be on guard" Augustus ordered as Muranthias came into view "with the Sorcerer of the Sands back protecting Egypt, we're on our own here."

…

Meanwhile, Zordon was communicating with his old ally, Lazarus of Laria. Larians were short hairy creatures who were gentle by nature but commanded a powerful form of technomagic, an art combining mysticism with machines. Lazarus and his family, consisting of his wife and two sons, were the most powerful techno mages on their world and had aided the forces of good many times over. One of their greatest achievements was the creation of the sentient battle vehicles Lightning Cruiser and Storm Blaster. Laria's section of space had no Power Rangers but was instead protected by a Blue Senturion and the vehicles were gifts meant to serve as his partners. All three were apparently destroyed in a meteor shower and while rumors of the vehicles' survival and a map to their location had been spread, neither had been found yet. Zordon had recently tasked the family of techno mages to create a key that would open and close dimensional barriers. The great sage hoped this would allow them to seal Bansheera and any other demonic threats inside Shadow World forever.

"The key is nearly complete Zordon" Lazarus reported "we simply need a few more days to calibrate the dimensional frequencies." "MY THANKS LAZARUS, YOUR FAMILY HAS DONE A GREATER SERVICE THAN YOU KNOW BY AIDING EARTH" Zordon said "I ONLY HOPE I CAN ONE DAY REPAY THIS DEBT." Lazarus shook his head "nonsense, to aid the greatest champion of good ever known is the highest honor my house could receive. I fully intend to keep the promise I made a century ago and free you from the time warp Rita Repulsa put you in with the key."

Zordon smiled slightly. He had long since become accustomed to being an interdimensional being but the chance to become flesh again did tempt him. "MY BEST TO YOUR FAMILY LAZARUS AND MAY THE POWER PROTECT YOU." "To you as well old friend" Lazarus replied and his image faded from the viewing globe.

"You think we should tell him about those Car Ranger powers we're developing for Laria?" Alpha Five asked and Zordon chuckled. "SOON ALPHA, RIGHT NOW WE SHOULD TUNE THE VIEWING GLOBE TO MURANTHIAS AND SEE HOW THE RANGERS ARE DOING."

…

The Thunder beast Rangers' galleon came to Muranthias' shore to be greeted by deathly quiet. Bones of dead natives littered the ground and a feeling of dread filled the air. The Rangers tensed up, ready for anything. "Don't morph yet" Augustus ordered "we need to know what we're dealing with."

They ventured far into the jungle, still with a feeling of dread coursing through them as they walked. They were only a few miles away from the island volcano when a small army of men and women clad in war paint and armed to the teeth appeared before them. These were the natives of Muranthias. Letting out a terrible war cry, they attacked, trying to push the Rangers back into the jungle. The Rangers tried fighting back but they were too strong and fierce to overcome with normal skills.

"Enough of this" Augustus decided as they broke away from their attackers "it's morphing time!" The five grabbed their Thunder Amulets and yelled "we call on the power of Thunder!" Five bolts of multicolored lightning rained down from the sky and morphed the group into the Thunder beast Rangers. Their Power Weapons were soon drawn and the battle resumed anew but they now found themselves simply on even ground with their enemies. It seemed the Great Flame of Destruction had given it's followers enough strength to match a morphed Power Ranger in battle. The battle came to an abrupt halt however when the volcano began to quake.

The natives immediately began dropping to their knees and uttered some sort of prayer. "What is this?" Octavian asked "they worship that strange mountain?" "I don't think so" Gaius whispered as the volcano shook again "they worship what's in the mountain!"

With a mighty roar, Maligore, the Great Flame of Destruction himself, emerged from the volcano. The Rangers, and even Zordon, were shocked at what they saw. The great sage had heard rumors of Dark Specter siring children but this was unreal. A quick scan using the Morphing Grid confirmed the abomination to be Dark Specter and Bansheera's child. "CONTACT LAZARUS IMMEDIATELY ALPHA" Zordon ordered "WE NEED THAT KEY NOW!"

…

The Thunder beast Rangers were still in shock as they beheld Maligore. In all their years as Rangers, they had never beheld anything so terrible. "What is that!" Octavian gasped "it can't be a Saima!" "That" Gaius said without hesitation "is the Great Flame of Destruction!"

As if to confirm Gaius' belief, the Muranthians began giving joyous shouts of praise and worship. They believed their dark God had come to aid them against their enemies. This belief was dispelled as Maligore unleashed a stream of flame that incinerated his worshippers and left only charred remains. It was all the Rangers could do to avoid the attack.

"Whatever this beast is, he's a danger to Earth" Augustus said "it's time for the Thunder beast Zords!" The team pulled their Thunder Orbs, colored orbs that bore a likeness to their Grid Avatars, out of their belts and raised them into the sky. Multicolored lightning struck once again and the orbs cracked open, causing the Thunder beast Zords to form in the sky above before descending down to meet their respective owners. The Rangers teleported inside and began to attack Maligore.

They fought their best but were eventually forced to form the Thunder beast Megazord as they dueled at the base of the volcano. Maligore was stronger than any monster Jinxer had made grow in the past and the Megazord was being pushed to it's limits when an attack came from nowhere and struck Maligore. It was Lazarus, his wife, and two sons, teleported to Earth by Zordon with their half completed key to aid the Rangers. The four techno mages joined the fight and soon, Maligore was pushed down into the volcano and sealed inside using the Larians' incomplete but functioning key. Maligore's body became one with the lava and left him dormant. Only by submerging two pure souls into the lava and thereby corrupting them could the monstrosity be revived from his slumber. The Rangers and their allies escaped on the galleon but not before the key was used one last time to seal Muranthias itself within a pocket dimension called the Nemesis Triangle. This was to insure that Maligore was never revived.

Later, Lazarus and his family had to return to Laria because their techno magic and by extension, their life force, was rapidly fading in Earth's atmosphere. Lazarus regretfully informed Zordon that the key was badly damaged due to premature usage and would take many years to repair, making it useless against Bansheera. Zordon understood and to thank the Larian for his aid, named him an honorary Morphing Master and entrusted him with the Car Ranger powers, allowing him to choose a Power Ranger team to protect Laria from evil. Lazarus thanked the great sage and promised his entire family wouldn't rest until Zordon was free of his time warp. This promise would be carried out thousands of years later by the family's descendent Lerigot.

With the Larian family's departure, things were peaceful for a time until word reached Bansheera of her eldest son's fate. The Queen of the Saima had had enough and resolved to battle the Rangers personally. She also ordered Jinxer to use their most powerful demon cards and conjure a mighty army. While Bansheera grew into a giantess and single handedly invaded Rome, Diabolico would invade Egypt once more with Loki, Vypra, Jinxer, and the most powerful demons in their command. Impus was brought along as well so he could witness his mother's greatest triumph.

Bansheera tore through Rome's army as it were nothing to her. She shrugged off their greatest weapons and soldiers by the thousands were slaughtered every minute by her hand. Soon, the great empire would be nothing but a memory and replaced by her demon kingdom. "COWER HUMANS!" The demon queen's voice rumbled like a raging storm "COWER BEFORE THE MIGHTY BANSHEERA!"

In the command center, alarms blared like mad as Bansheera's dark presence made itself known, "Ai yi yi!" Alpha Five proclaimed "Bansheera herself is attacking Rome!" The Rangers, who were visiting the command center to help with matenance, looked at the destruction with determination. "Then today, it ends" Augustus proclaimed "to battle Rangers!" "BE WARNED RANGERS" Zordon cautioned "BANSHEERA IS MORE POWERFUL THAN ANYTHING YOU HAVE EVER FACED. THERE IS A CHANCE YOU MAY NOT SURVIVE FACING HER."

"What about the Sorcerer of the Sands?" Akana asked "surely he can help." "HE IS BATTLING DIABOLICO IN EGYPT" Zordon replied as the viewing globe changed to show the scene. The Sorcerer was holding his own but he would be no help against Bansheera. "We know the risk Zordon" Sheba said courageously "we'll do whatever it takes." "THEN GOOD LUCK MY YOUNG FRIENDS AND MAY THE POWER PROTECT YOU."

The Rangers morphed and summoned their Zords, forming the Thunder beast Megazord and they flew to Rome. They landed in the middle of the city and confronted Bansheera then and there in a battle some thought was between Gods. Bansheera proved many times stronger than her son Maligore and the Megazord was being torn apart by the fight. Out of options, Augustus gave the only order he could: "unleash the full power of Thunder!" Then and there, the Rangers unlocked the full potential of their Thunder Amulets and infused the Megazord with their own life force! They then unleashed a killing blow to Bansheera where her heart should have been just as the Megazord exploded and unleashed a wave of power that not only destroyed Bansheera but trapped her spirit in limbo, where she would remain for six thousand years until a rare celestial alignment could restore her. Around that same time, the Sorcerer of the Sands had destroyed Diabolico's army in Egypt and cast a spell that sealed him in the Tomb of Forever along with Loki, Vypra, Jinxer, and Impus. The Saima were beaten but at a terrible cost: the death of the Thunder beast Rangers. The noble warriors had killed themselves to kill Bansheera and left behind nothing but the remains of their Zords and the nearly burned out Thunder Amulets. As a tribute to the fallen champions, Zordon and Alpha would one day recycle the Thunder beast Zords to create the MMPR Thunderzord and use the Thunder Amulets' remaining power to create the White Tiger Power Coin. Meanwhile, the Tomb of Forever would remain guarded by a single, dedicated warrior for the rest of his days and all traces of the Saima's existence were destroyed except for Tutenawken's tomb for any who attempted were frightened away by Jinxer's curse. The Sorcerer of the Sands vanished as well, bidding Zordon and Alpha farewell and fading into myth until he was needed again.

The Earth soon entered a new period of peace though not without some extraordinary happenings focusing around it. During the period of Egypt and Rome's decline, an alien warrior ironically named Pharaoh visited the planet. He was once engaged to the fearsome Space Pirate Divatox but she so disgusted him that he abandoned her at the altar and hid away on Earth in secret. While he was a criminal, Zordon left him in peace because he was doing nothing evil.

Also, King Mondo appeared on Earth one day some years later and buried something near the future Angel Grove. This was the Damaocles Sword, a magical blade wielded by the evil Emperor Damaocles on the planet of Saberion before Saberion's Rangers defeated him and hid the Sword away. The Machine Empire invaded Saberion while destroying the last of King Arradon's Mecha Dynasty. Cyborgia was destroyed but Deviot escaped to become a free agent of evil. Mondo killed Saberion's Rangers and took the Sword as his prize but found it's power slowly warped his mind, causing him to quit the UAE and began competing against Dark Specter for conquest. Mondo was finally beaten on Triforia when the now adult Lord Trey revealed the Super Zeo Gems had been restored and made to summon the very powerful Super Zeo Zords, which managed to temporarily destroy King Mondo. It was all part of Trey's experiments to create his own Ranger Powers from the Gold Zeo shard in his staff. Zordon knew nothing of this for the Super Zeo Zords were not yet meant for Ranger use and the Gold Zeo Ranger Powers were the first of their kind and too powerful for even the Morphing Masters to know of just yet. Only the Quasar Ranger Powers {as the Galaxy Powers were known back then} were more powerful.

Mondo buried the Sword after being rebuilt and left in a haste, not realizing the value of the primitive world until much later. It was also sometime after this that Mondo felt the need for an heir and constructed a new son out of his and Machina's spare parts, the child Prince Sprocket. Sprocket's young mentality made him easier to mold into an obedient son than Gasket and he could be upgraded into an adult and made to rule should his father ever be permanently destroyed.

Zordon knew the Machine Empire would invade Earth one day and with the UAE after them as well {Mondo was far too power hungry to rejoin}, he feared the final battle of the Great War would come sooner than expected. But the most unreal thing to happen was when the Earth entered a golden age that would be forever hidden from documented history: the Age of Animaria.

Part 5: Rise of the Orgs

It began one day far out in space when a pack of Galactabeasts were battling against a fierce group of pirates. Lead by the Shark, Rhino, and Phoenix, the pack was made up of a black lion, blue condor, yellow leopard, crimson Sawshark, and brown bison. They were among the most powerful Galactabeasts and second only to those on Ginga who Zordon linked with the Quasar Sabers. Sadly, these two packs were also the last. The UAE had been growing tired of fighting Galactabeasts alongside Rangers and Blue Senturions so they began hunting and killing them under Dark Specter's orders. The Ginga Pack was captured by Scorpius long ago so the Omega Pack, as they had been dubbed, fought against evil more fiercely than ever.

These pirates were tricky however and set their ship to self destruct with the Omega Pack in close range. This ended up killing the pirates and scattering the Pack across the stars. Shark, Rhino, and Phoenix were eventually found by Deviot but the others were far more badly damaged and drifted as far as the Milky Way. They ended up crashing on Earth in a remote but beautiful oasis. Using the Morphing Grid energies coursing through their bodies, they were able to save themselves by merging together into a new form resembling a Megazord. This new entity named himself Animus and was completely amazed by the beauty of nature. Wanting to know more, he tapped into the Earth via the Grid and forged a connection with it.

Animus felt the raw power within the planet and decided such strength and beauty should be held sacred. To this end, he built a kingdom around the oasis that would worship the Earth itself and populated it with a new breed of creature similar to Galactabeasts which he created himself. These were called Wildzords and with Animus as their leader, their kingdom was known as Animaria

One day, a young orphan girl named Shayla stumbled across Animaria while lost and was taken in by the Wildzords. Animus was furious at this for he believed humans disrespected the Earth and sought to destroy it for their own gains. The Lord of Wildzords soon found however that Shayla was a kindred spirit who longed to protect the beauty of nature and that many others like her existed in the world. She convinced Animus to seek out these humans and allow them to live alongside him. Animus did so and with time, Animaria grew into a mighty civilization that served as a guiding light to the rest of the world. Shayla was crowned Princess of Animaria and for a time, it seemed as though the now mythical Age of Peace was reborn upon Earth.

Darkness was slowly rising however as through the years, disembodied evil spirits had leaked out through cracks in the Shadow World and taken root beneath the Earth. These spirits began feeding on the negative energy created by pollution and war in other parts of the world and soon transformed into a new demon race called Orgs. From their maze like underground realm called the Nexus, the Orgs began periodic attacks on the surface for food, slaves, and to cause chaos. Master Org, the ruler of all Orgs, desired something more however. He desired Earth itself and to get it, he needed to conquer Animaria, the crown jewel of civilization.

The great kingdom was not without defenses however. Like any other nation, Animaria had enemies and had warred with various other kingdoms through the years. Their first line of defense was the simply dubbed Warriors of Animaria, trained soldiers who fought alongside Wildzords via a spiritual link. Together, they were unbeatable in battle and famed the world over.

Among these brave souls were five reserves that were considered unfit for battle due to not being chosen by a Wildzord. There was lion hearted Amon, swift and lethal Orroz, powerful and stubborn Volstagg, and the sisters Eris and Ophelia. Men and women were equal in all things within Animaria and fought together to defend Animaria and Earth itself. Eris was courageous while Ophelia was noble and fierce. Despite these qualities, the five were mostly used for grunt work and daily patrols, longing to fight alongside the Wildzords and their comrades.

Then there was Merrick, who was also not chosen by a Wildzord but had a position of importance just the same. He was the bodyguard of Princess Shayla herself. Shayla had personally given him the position after they bonded over helping calm the Deerzord with a song and continued to do so to that very day. Over time, their relationship grew into love but was kept secret from the kingdom. Animus was fiercely protective of Shayla and would exile any who made advances on her. For a time, this was the way of things in Animaria and all was peaceful…until the day the Orgs attacked.

Up from the Earth the demons arose, lead by Master Org and his elite Duke Orgs. There was Jindrax, master of blades and his brother Juggelo, the Org sorceress Toxica, the mouth themed Mandilok, the nose themed Nayzor, and Master Org's eye themed bodyguard Retinaxe. Together with an army of foot soldiers called Putrids, they charged into battle against the Warriors of Animaria. Most were slaughtered by the demonic forces as Master Org watched on and laughed wickedly. When the Wildzords entered the fight, Toxica used her magic to make herself and her comrades grow and match their size.

Using the mystic pool Animaria used to watch the rest of the world. Shayla watched the battle with Merrick and the five reserve warriors. Amon was enraged that they could do nothing to help their comrades and screamed to the heavens why the no Wildzords had chosen them. As if answer, the five suddenly vanished, leaving Merrick and Shayla bewilded.

The reserve warriors found themselves in another dimension and looking at Animus himself. The Lord of Wildzords explained that they had chosen to become the partners of the Power Animals, five super powerful Wildzords that were Animus' direct descendents. He also gave them the Crystal Sabers and Animal Crystals. These would allow them to draw power from their new partners and transform into the warriors Animaria needed. Zordon and Alpha Five had created these Ranger Powers in the same way as the Quasar Powers and given them to Animus years ago in preparation of the looming Org threat.

At Animus' command, Amon and his friends raised their Crystal Sabers into the air and yelled "united we roar!" Instantly, they were morphed into the first Wild force Power Rangers, clad in the same suits as their modern successors but a bit more muscular in build. Amon was in Red as the Blazing Lion, armed with the Lion Fang and partnered with the Lionzord to lead the new team. Volstagg was Black as the Iron Bison and armed with the Bison Axe alongside the Bisonzord. Orroz was the Blue Surging Shark Ranger and armed with the Fighting Fins and Sharkzord. Eris was the Soaring Eagle Yellow Ranger. Her Golden Eagle Sword and the Eaglezord were armed and ready to face any threat. Her sister was the Noble Tiger White Ranger, armed with the Tiger Baton and Tigerzord.

The new Rangers and their partners were returned to Animaria where they made short work of their foes, sending Master Org and his forces back to the Nexus. The only exception was Mandilok, whom the Rangers reduced to normal size and turned to stone before imprisoning him in a desert tomb. The first Wildforce, due to their stronger spirituality, had access to magic that their successors did not. The five reserve Warriors who were once mocked by all were now the heroes of Animaria.

But the war was far from over as Master Org sent more of his forces to attack the great kingdom. Some Org spirits even found new bodies after being destroyed and became even stronger than before. With the aid of the Power Animals and other Wildzords however, the Wild force was victorious each time. Eventually, they even learned to combine into the Wild force Megazord for even greater power.

Master Org eventually grew desperate enough to turn to Shadow World magic, using it to create his greatest weapon: an Org Heart. Thousands of years later, Victor Adler, the second Master Org, would use one to shed his remaining humanity but for the original, consuming an Org Heart took his dark power to new heights. He soon started creating super powerful Orgs that helped turn the tide but the war took another twist when Animus created the Lunar Wolf Ranger Powers and gave them to Merrick to act as a reserve Ranger, appearing only when needed. Partnered with the Wolfzord and armed with the Lunar Cue, he could also call upon the Hammerheadzord and Alligatorzord to form the Predazord.

This new development caused Master Org to become enraged and conjure up the most powerful Org ever next to himself, Zen-Aku. Zen-Aku was incredibly strong but he had one fatal flaw: morality. He was evil only during the full moon and would become good during the day, rebelling against Master Org. This was because the spirit used to create Zen-Aku had somehow absorbed uneven amounts of both positive and negative energy from the surface world.

Master Org was finally forced to destroy Zen-Aku after a battle between them nearly killed the Org Ruler. Zen-Aku's spirit was trapped in a wolf mask and hidden in an abandoned city not far from Animaria. This mask was cursed so that whoever wore it would be possessed by Zen-Aku's evil and only be free when the moon hid it's face. With this done, Master Org prepared himself for the final strike against Animaria.

He performed a ritual that summoned every fallen Org spirit into his body, which would increase his power a hundred fold, Once this was done, Master Org told his subjects to remain in the Nexus. He was ready to conquer Animaria on his own. Growing into a giant, he stomped off, ready to end his enemies for all time.

The Wild force Rangers quickly morphed and formed the Megazord to face Master Org but found themselves outmatched. The Megazord was forced to separate during the fight and the Power Animals retreated to heal. Master Org would've crushed the Rangers then and there in Animus hadn't appeared in a flash of lightning. For the first time, the Lord of Wildzords would personally battle to defend his kingdom from evil.

Animus instructed the Rangers to find the Nexus and finish the rest of the Org forces while he dealt with their leader. Against their better judgement, the Rangers obeyed. Using their mystic skills, they found and navigated through the Nexus, a feat usually only Orgs could accomplish. They were greeted by Jindrax and Toxica, who attacked the Rangers along with their kin. It was the greatest battle the Rangers had ever faced.

Meanwhile, the battle between Animus and Master Org was the greatest of the age. The two titans were evenly matched and had actually devastated the kingdom around them in their struggle. Thousands had died and many Wildzords had gone into hiding, where they would remain for thousands of years. The small portion of the kingdom that remained untouched was the Animariam, a sanctuary that contained Animaria's sacred waters. It was here that Shayla and Merrick hid, watching the great battle via the magical pool. The sacred waters always reacted when an Org was near but they never expected this!

Merrick knew he had to help Animus and gave Shayla one last kiss before departing. Rumors had persisted of the cursed mask within the abandoned city and the great power it contained. Merrick also knew the power was evil but he didn't care. His Ranger powers were useless against Master Org and he couldn't take chances.

Merrick entered the abandoned city and found the Mask of Zen-Aku but was stopped by Nayzor, the appointed guard. He morphed into the Lunar Wolf Ranger and fought off the Duke Org, forcing him to retreat to the Nexus. It was there that he was frozen in stone alongside the other Orgs by the Wild force Rangers, trapped in his own realm. Jindrax and Toxica managed to escape this fate however by assuming human form and going into hiding until their master returned. Retinaxe also escaped and rushed to the battlefield to aid his leader against Animus. The Rangers had only one concern at the moment however: could Animus beat Master Org?

Meanwhile, Merrick arrived just in time to watch Master Org gain the upper hand against Animus. He quickly placed the wolf mask over his Ranger helmet and yelled "evil spirit of the wolf, fill me with absolute power!" Merrick was transformed into Zen-Aku and felt unimaginable strength flow through his being. Sensing he still possessed Ranger Powers, he summoned his Predazord to fight alongside Animus.

Merrick was too late however as Master Org dealt a killing blow to Animus. The young warrior watched in horror as the supposedly invincible Lord of Wildzords was destroyed in a ball of fire. Filled with rage, Merrick felt the spirit of Zen-Aku overtake him, corrupting him as well his partners. The possessed warrior attacked Master Org with relentless fury, ending with the Predezord's most powerful attack, Predator Wave.

Master Org attempted to block the attack but even his new power was no match. He was destroyed in a massive and left behind only seeds that contained his dark essence. Retinaxe saw this and fled, exiling himself to rome Earth forever because he had failed his master. The Org War was finally won but at a terrible price: Animaria was no more.

As dawn arose the next day, the Wild force Rangers returned from the Nexus to find their home in ruins. All they could find was Merrick, still in the form of Zen-Aku. He explained to them what had occurred and revealed Zen-Aku was taking over him. He begged the Rangers to kill him before he destroyed them all but they could not bare to slay their comrade. Instead, they sealed him in a tomb like Mandilok and buried it deep beneath the ruins. There Merrick would remain for three thousand years as Zen-Aku took hold of his mind.

The Rangers later found the Animariam intact and their Power Animals watching over Princess Shayla. They told her what occurred but spared her Merrick's fate, saying he was killed aiding them in the Nexus battle. These words shattered Shayla's heart but she steeled herself for what was to come. Both Shayla and the Rangers feared the Orgs would someday return and knew they must be ready when the time came. Using their mystic arts, the Rangers placed Shayla in an enchanted sleep within the Animariam and lifted it high into the air with their Crystal Sabers and Power Animals inside. If the Orgs ever returned, Shayla would awaken to recruit a new team and stop their evil. With this done, the last Warriors of Animaria went their separate ways, traveling across the globe to spread the legend of Animaria to all who would listen.

As Zordon observed these events via the viewing globe, he was saddened. Animus would have made a mighty ally in the final battle against Dark Specter and the UAE. But the great sage could also sense the hand of fate at work and knew somehow, things were as they should be.

Part 6: Samurai and Ninja

Time passed once more on Earth but less peacefully this time. Demons that slipped out the same cracks in Shadow World as the Orgs were rising up in various places to terrorize North America. Chief among them was the Face Stealer, who terrorized the small nation of Kahmala by stealing his victim's faces and reducing them to souless drones. Zordon was ready to recruit Rangers from the natives but a small group of warriors managed to defeat the demon using magical masks created by their ancestors and trapped him in a jar for five hundred years. Another incident occurred when a group of evil spirits led by the creature called Autochthon began terrorizing an Indian tribe settled near the future Angel Grove. The tribe's greatest warrior, an ancestor to future Ranger legend Tommy Oliver, defeated Autochthon in battle and imprisoned him in a cave. Only the presence of one who shared the warrior's blood could free Autochthon from his eternal prison. The warrior went on to imprison Autochthon's forces in a stone with aid from the tribal shaman and forge a mystic arrow head that would control the spirits if they were ever freed. The arrow head was divided in two and given to the warrior's twin sons to be passed down through the generations, keeping the powers within from evil hands. Zordon was vastly impressed that the people of Earth had defeated such foes without aid from Power Rangers. This not only increased Zordon's faith in the value of Earth, which the great sage had grown rather fond of over the centuries, but also strengthened his desire to protect humanity from harm.

More time passed and eventually, Earth entered the Middle Ages. The wizard Baskin came to Earth then to continue guarding the Evil and ended up teaching a young boy named Merlin, who became the greatest Earth Wizard ever. Another Earth man who harnessed magic around the same time was a kind hearted wood carver named Nicholas, who became the legendary holiday figure called Santa Claus. But the true focus of activity during this age was in Japan.

Japan was fraught with bloodshed in those days as wealthy daimyo warred using samurai and ninjas to gain the title of Shogun. These brave men and women fought for their lords though not always on the side of right. One day, an alien spacecraft landed in Kyoto carrying an injured passenger ironically named Katana. Katana had been drafted into his planet Zonia's army to defend against the UAE alongside Zonia's Power Ranger team but had fled after the Rangers died in battle. He had managed to escape in a ship but was gravely injured beforehand and just barely made it to Earth alive.

As luck would have it, a ronin named Wasabi Akira found Katana and nursed him back to health. After hearing his tale, Wasabi felt sorry for Katana and offered to teach him the samurai arts so he could become a great warrior. Shameful of his cowardly act and eager to redeem himself, Katana agreed and took up the blade of his namesake. He soon became Japan's greatest samurai and defended Kyoto from various evils. His greatest challenge was the dark ninja master Lothor, from whom the Ninja Storm Rangers' arch foe took his name.

One day, a powerful demon warlord named Shimazu arose seemingly from nowhere and sought to conquer Japan with his army of werewolf foot soldiers called Wolf blades. Many warriors stood against him but few survived and soon, over half of Japan was his. Katana knew he needed help to defeat Shimazu so he teamed up with the Soshi clan a group of ninjas who practiced elemental magic along with their brothers and sisters 'superhuman skills. There was Ryuu who commanded Fire, Ken who commanded Earth, the kunoichi Katsumi who commanded Wind, her niece and fellow kunoichi Nanami who commanded Water, and Sadao, who commanded Thunder. Their exploits had made them the greatest heroes in Japan next to Katana and the alien samurai knew no others who he would be so honored to fight alongside.

With the aid of the group's ninja arts, they entered Shimazu's palace, taken from the reigning shogun. The walls were lined with status of Shimazu as a testament to the demon warlord's vanity and Wolf blades patrolled the halls. Using unmatched stealth, Katana and the Soshi clan soon arrived at Shimazu's chambers to find the demon warlord counting the gold he had taken during his conquests. Enraged, Shimazu summoned an army of Wolf blades to defend him but Katana had a plan.

He challenged the demon warlord to face him in a duel for the land he had taken and even offered his life as a stake. The greedy Shimazu couldn't resist the thought of Japan's best samurai as his slave so he accepted and grabbed a nearby sword. The Soshi clan and the Wolf blades watched as the duel began but the victor was clear. Shimazu was a weak demon with little true power. He could only win by conjuring minions to fight for him.

Katana easily defeated Shimazu and banished him from Japan but the demon warlord chose treachery and summoned over a hundred Wolf blades to slay his foes. Katana and the Soshi fought as hard as they could but they were outnumbered. Caught offguard, Ryuu was killed by one of the wolf beasts and Katana was too distracted to aid the others. Just when it seemed hopeless, the remaining members of the Soshi Clan chose to unleash their most devastating attack: the Ninja Storm. This was the full extent of their elemental powers combined into a devastating assault that had been known to wipe out armies.

Shimazu's palace was destroyed and his Wolf blades along with it but the Soshi Clan and Katana, whose race could survive extreme atmospheric changes, survived and managed to crawl from the rubble. Shimazu was dying but unseen by his foes, he was able to transfer his essence into a surviving statue of himself. There he waited until something powerful enough to give his new body life arrived. The warriors returned home but now sought to discover where Shimazu had come from.

The answer laid in the future state of California, in a place one day called Blue Bay Harbor. The massive concentration of demonic activity by Bansheera and her ilk over the years had somehow created a pocket dimension known as the Abyss of Evil within the area. New types of demons eventually formed within the Abyss over time, thus creating Shimazu and others. In addition, any evil being killed in the area would be sent to the Abyss rather than the Shadow World.

The Soshi clan learned of this from a wise mystic who had created the future predicting Scroll of Destiny. He gave them the Scroll and even taught them how to create their own. Following the Scroll, the Soshi came to the future state and went on to create a ninja academy that taught students their elemental magic. These students would guard over the Abyss of Evil and protect the world from those who would harness it's dark power. With time, the academy split into the Wind and Thunder Ninja Academies and due to a sexist sensei, barred female students for many years. Zordon and Alpha Five provided support for the two schools by creating the Mighty Mammoth Zord for future use.

Meanwhile, Katana was being faced with the question of his own mortality. Not long after the defeat of Shimazu, the alien samurai was called to the deathbed of his friend and mentor Akira. The aged samurai said that he was proud to have taught Katana and he hoped that the legacy the alien warrior left behind was a grand one. The last words of his mentor stirred something in Katana: what was his legacy?

In all the universe, Zonian life spans were more or less equal to those of humans. Compared to the nearly infinite life spans of races like Eltarians, they died very young. Katana knew this and felt shamed by how little he had accomplished during his life on Earth. While Japan's warriors were more honorable now because of his influence, it did little to insure the country's protection against the likes of Shimazu or the UAE. Japan needed eternal protection but what could he do?

Not long after, Katana found himself transported to the future era of 2025. It was there that the alien samurai encountered a group of warriors revealed to be Power Rangers operating for a new incarnation of Space Patrol Delta, a galaxy wide police force founded by the dog people of Sirius to aid Ranger and Senturion alike. Their enemy, Emperor Grumm of Troobia, had brought Katana from the past to destroy his enemies. After a duel with the Red Ranger, the alien samurai was returned home and now inspired. The answer to his problem had revealed itself.

The next day, Katana borrowed a boat from a local fisherman and set out on a long journey to the West. He eventually arrived in the future California and made his way to Zordon's command center. Heroes across the universe knew Earth as Zordon's post but few had tried to contact the great sage in the last thousand years. Katana humbly asked Zordon to teach him the ways of the Morphing Grid so he could create Rangers to defend Japan. Knowing of Katana's heroic actions and just heart, Zordon accepted.

It took many months but Katana eventually became a minor Morphing Master like Heron of Edenoi and the Magna Defender. Thanking Zordon, the alien samurai journeyed back to Japan to create Ranger Powers based on the Samurai arts. As a prototype, Katana first created the Samurai Star amulet and gave it to Wasabi Yoshi, the son of his mentor. He instructed him to pass it down through his family line until the one destined to unlock it's power appeared.

Katana then prepared to create his true project: the Shinkenger Powers. Drawing on the elements of fire, wind water, earth, and nature {forest}, the chosen warriors could also use mystic Kanji called Power Symbols to perform amazing feats of sorcery. Special disks could also transform their katana into Power Weapons and summon auxiliary items. In addition, the origami like Folding Zords could be easily carried by their owners until they were needed in battle.

Katana gave these Powers to the five most powerful Samurai clans of the time: the Shiba Clan, the Ikenami Clan, the Tani Clan, the Hanaori Clan, and the Shiraishi Clan. The final two clans were notable for being headed by onna bugeisha, the term often used for female samurai. Each clan leader swore to protect these powers until they were needed to defend Japan. A few years later, Katana died of old age and was honored as Japan's greatest hero in a funeral attended by the Emperor of Japan himself. Among the other attendants were the clan leaders. Lord Shiba even brought his young son Takeru. He hoped to inspire his son to be a great warrior like Katana, whom was called "the Samurai of the Heavens" as he was laid to rest.

Years passed and Takeru grew into a proud and arrogant young man. He believed himself greater than any warrior in Japan and that those beneath him in status were only fit as servants. His father was displeased with such behavior and secretly wished his son would be beaten in order to learn humility. This day finally came when Takeru encountered Deker, a poor farmer who dreamed of becoming a samurai. Takeru scoffed at such dreams and called Deker a peasant descended from pigs. Enraged, Deker challenged the young noble to a duel and bested him before Delia, his fiancée. Takeru slinked away but vowed revenge.

He eventually came across some old scrolls at home that told of specific demons that could grant great powers to mortals and a dark plan formed in his head. He performed this ancient ritual but succeeded only in unleashing a terrible evil known as the Nighlok. Nighlok were demons who dwelled in the Netherworld and drew strength from the waters of the cursed Sanzu River. The Sanzu River had once been part of the Shadow World until Bansheera came. She created the Netherworld to seal the Nighlok and the Sanzu River region they dwelled in away when Akumaro, the Nighlok King, sided with her during the Shadow World Civil War and then attempted betrayal. The scrolls were forged by an evil wizard who had made contact with the Netherworld some years ago and tried freeing the Nighlok but were stopped by Katana and a young Lord Shiba. The scrolls were hidden in the Shiba House sometime later and hoped to never be found. This heroic act was one of the reasons the Shiba Clan was picked as a wielder of the Shinkenger Powers by Katana.

Takeru's ritual opened the first "gap" that allowed Akumaro and his followers to enter the mortal realm. He sent out his Mooger foot soldiers across Japan to cause misery and destruction, which would cause the Sanzu River to rise until it flooded the world. Akumoro himself remained in the Netherworld except on one memorable occasion where he cursed the newly married Deker and Delia. They both became half Nighlok but while Deker was doomed to wander the Earth for eternity with no memory until he was beaten in the ultimate duel, Delia was transformed into Dayu and pledged to serve Akumoro with her memories fully intact.

The Nighlok rampage eventually reached the Shiba House, where the Moogers killed Lord and Lady Shiba before Takeru fought them off. With his dying breath, Lord Shiba told Takeru of the Shinken Powers and the other families that guarded them. Realizing what he had done, a severely humbled Takeru vowed to redeem himself and defeat the Nighloks. He found the morpher his father had kept for him, one day called a Samuraizer, and cried "Go Go Samurai!"

Takeru was transformed into Shinkenred, owner of the Lion Folding Zord and Samurai of Fire. He saddled his horse and rode throughout the countryside battling Nighloks until he found Ryunosuke of the Ikenami Clan, the family who guarded the second Shinken power. He saved Ryunosuke from a Nighlok attack and gave him time to morph into Shinkenblue, Samurai of Water and owner of the Dragon Folding Zord.

After fighting off the Moogers with their respective Power Weapons, Fire Smasher and Hydro bow, Ryunosuke pledged loyalty to Takeru and his service in defeating the Nighlok. Takeru accepted and the two went off to search for the other Shinken Powers, fighting more Nighlok as they went. One night when the two samurai had set up camp, a thief named Chiaki snuck in and attempted to steal their food. The two caught him in the act and prepared to interrogate him when a Nighlok named Dregonox appeared. Akumaro had grown tired of colorful samurai destroying his Moogers so he sent his minion to dispose of the two.

Dregonox proved very powerful and almost beat Takeru and Ryunosuke when Chiaki shocked everyone by morphing into Shinkengreen, Samurai of the Forest and owner of the Bear Folding Zord. Chiaki beat Dregonox with his Forest Spear and then revealed himself to be of the Tani Clan. He had snuck away from his family estate out of boredom and a desire to travel the country, Takeru asked Chiaki to join them but Ryunosuke protested. He was disgusted that a samurai would take his duties to his family so lightly. Takeru refused to exclude him however and Chiaki craved the adventure so he accepted. The three encountered Shinkenyellow, Kotoha of the Hanaori Clan, already morphed as she defended her family from Moogers. As the Samurai of Earth, she wielded her Earth Slicer with deadly accuracy and commanded the Ape Folding Zord. Chiaki found her quite beautiful when she revealed her civilian form.

The last recruit was Shinkenpink, Samurai of Wind whose powers resided with the Shiraishi Clan. This clan was known as the greatest of female samurai and famed for their skill in battle. But Akumaro had once again intervened and sent Dayu to kill both the head of the clan, her husband and their three daughters, eliminating all potential candidates and the continuation of their bloodline.

However, there was a fourth daughter named Mako who hid when Dayu attacked. The Shinkengers attempted to recruit her but Mako declined, feeling too cowardly and meek to live up to her family's legacy. When Dayu learned of Mako's existence, she became furious and returned to finish the job. The Shinkenger defended Mako but Dayu was surprisingly strong and had all four on the ropes. Mako, stunned by their willingness to protect her, found her inner strength and became Shinkenpink for the first time.

As the wielder of the Sky Fan and Turtle Folding Zord, Mako fought Dayu off and saved the others. The Shinkenger were complete at last.

From within the Shiba House, now guarded from attack by Protection Symbols, the Shinkenger continued their war against the Nighlok. Akumaro became furious at their repeated triumphs and took action by casting a spell upon all his subjects. When they fell in battle, they would be reborn as giants to crush all enemies. The Folding Zords and Samurai Megazord soon came into play however and solved this problem.

Akumaro eventually appeared to battle them himself and proved a tough challenge, particularly in giant form, but was eventually destroyed after a long fight. The war was not over yet however as a powerful Nighlok named Xandred arose from the shadows to assume command. Xandred had been training for centuries to surpass Akumoro and overthrow him but the Shinkenger made the job easy. Now called Master Xandred, Lord of All Nighlok, he set out to conquer the human realm with aid from Dayu and the Nighlok wizard Octoroo, Akumoro's younger brother.

Under Master Xandred, the Nighlok became much tougher to beat and forced Takeru to find ways for his team to get stronger. He eventually created a magic talisman that could combine all Symbol Powers and grant each Shinkenger access to a form called Super Samurai. This talisman was known as the Black Box and was potentially one of the most powerful weapons on Earth. Sadly, using Power Symbols also drained one's life force and Takeru never finished it for fear of endangering himself and the others.

He eventually created a special Power Symbol to seal Master Xandred in the Netherworld forever, one that only he could use. The day to use it finally came when the Sanzu River finally overflowed, breaking through the barrier between worlds and flooding the city of Tengen. Master Xandred called Dayu and Octoroo into battle with him as his strongest subjects. He had even tracked down Deker after learning of him and convinced him to fight Takeru. The Shinkenger arrived on the scene and morphed, prepared to end the long war.

It was then and there that the final battle between the Nighlok and the Shinkenger began. Takeru dueled Master Xandred and Deker while the others fought Dayu and Octoroo. Despite their greater number, the Shinkenger were badly beaten and looked to be at Master Xandred's mercy. Zordon and Alpha Five, who had been watching the conflict on the viewing globe, knew they had to help. Zordon still had limited magic while in his time warp and decided to give Takeru some of his energy while Alpha teleported the other Shinkenger to Shiba House.

With his newfound strength, Takeru managed to catch Master Xandred off guard and use the Sealing Symbol. The Lord of All Nighlok and his forces were cast back into the Neither word and sealed there with the rest of their kind. Deker, unaffected due to being half human, boredly departed, still wanting the ultimate duel. The war was over and although Takeru didn't know what had happened, he knew they had finally won.

He returned to Shiba House, where his comrades and he made a pact that they would pass down their powers to their sons and daughters, making sure a Shinkenger team would always be there if the Nighlok somehow returned. Takeru's seal did indeed eventually fade and a new Shinkenger team appeared every few generations to seal Master Xandred away again but never forever as the symbol was too complex for any Shinkenred to fully master. Zordon kept a close watch on Japan from then on, ready to recruit some of his own Rangers to beat Master Xandred should the Samurai Rangers {as they were eventually named} fail. A sanctuary was constructed in the city of Tengen to honor the first Samurai Rangers called the Tengen Gate and the Black Box was watched over by guardians there should it ever be needed.

Part 7: The Beast War.

During the first Samurai Rangers' war with the Nighlok, another conflict occurred on the Asian continent that peeked Zordon's interest. It all began one day when Alpha accidently teleported the old Animal Spirit Scrolls Zordon had created as a young man with his wife Dulcea somewhere in China. Alpha was sure Zordon would be furious at their loss but he only seemed sad. He had received a vision some time before that day and knew the scrolls were destined to be lost. He instructed Alpha to monitor the location though, for he sensed another evil more powerful than the Nighlok on the horizon.

As fate would have it, a nameless clan of warrior monks found the scrolls and began to learn from them. They connected with their Animal Spirits and developed fighting styles based on them. At the height of their power, they could even summon their Animal Spirits from within their bodies and defend themselves with them though only the most advanced monks could do this. As time passed, they accepted students to teach these techniques to, known as "Cubs" in the earliest stages of their training.

Eight particular Cubs stood out as having not only the most powerful Animal Spirits, but the deepest connection to them as well. There was Mao with the spirit of the cat, Rilla with the gorilla spirit, Finn with the spirit of the shark, Swoop, a blind boy connected with the spirit of the bat, Lope who possessed the antelope spirit, Phant, who was one with the spirit of the elephant, and the girls Guin and Camille, who held the spirits of the penguin and chameleon respectively. They were the pride of their Masters and would soon become Masters themselves at their current rate, the youngest in the still nameless order's brief history. But they were not loved by all their peers.

Another student, a brash young man named Daishi, was jealous of their power and sought more for himself. He was joined in his efforts by his four companions, Grizzaka, Carnisaur, and Jellica, who wished to become overlords of all. Daishi and his comrades turned to the occult for their needs and began using dark magic to enhance their Animal Spirits. Their exposure quickly warped their physical forms into demonic creatures modeled after their Animal Spirits. Grizzaka became a bear-like monster and proclaimed himself Overlord of the Earth, Carnisaur became an avian monster who was Overlord of the Sky, and Jellica became a she-demon who resembled a Jellyfish as Overlord of the Sea.

But Daishi was transformed into a fierce multi-headed dragon, the most powerful of them all and the leader of the evil band. These four were no longer human but beasts and felt that animals like themselves should dominate Earth. They attacked their former comrades and killed Master and student alike before driving the survivors into the far reaches of the mountains and claiming the temple as their own. They then began creating a monstrous army of demonic Animal Spirit users like themselves called Rinshi, made to feed on fear and grow strong. Daishi and the three Overlords would each command their own fraction of these dark legions as they wiped out the human race. The Beast War had begun.

But all was not lost as counted among the surviving monks were Mao and his comrades. They vowed to take their Animal Spirits to the next level and defeat the Rinshi Army. After enduring days of physical and spiritual training, the eight managed to link their Animal Spirits to the Morphing Grid and transform into an armored super powered form, not Power Rangers but more akin to similar warriors like Magna Defender or Masked Rider. Mao became the Orange Cat Warrior, Rilla became The Crimson Gorilla Warrior, Phant became the Green Elephant Warrior, Swoop was the Black Bat Warrior, Lope became the Blue Antelope Warrior, Finn became the Navy Shark Warrior, Guin became the Yellow Penguin Warrior, and Camille was the Green Chameleon Warrior. They gathered their fellow survivors into an army to fight the Rinshi which they named Pai Zhuq, the Order of the Claw.

The Beast War was long and hard and many fell in battle for their cause. To protect the Animal Spirits of their fallen comrades, who had become separated from their hosts by death due to a weak spiritual link, the Pai Zhuq created a series of Nexus to contain them called the Jumgle of Spirits, the most powerful of all being the Rhino Nexus. Other Spirits like the Buffalo roamed free until being captured by various shamans.

The Rinshi eventually developed a technique to become giants like Dark Specter had for the UAE and forced Pai Zhuq to master as well to battle giant foes. With time, the Rinshi grew frustrated with their losses and plotted against Daishi. Grizzaka began training himself in the mystic art of Zokato and was preparing to kill Daishi and assume command when three powerful Rinshi named Scorch, Whiger, and Snapper, rebelled and created their own army called the Phantom Beasts which they would lead as Generals. The Beast War had become a three way conflict.

Daishi knew he needed a way to turn the tides and began planning a way to eliminate Pai Zhuq and the Phantom Beasts. It soon dawned on him that the Order of the Claw could be destroyed from within for he knew all their secrets. Camille in particular had a heart tainted with darkness due to being raised by abusive parents before the monks took her in. She had never experienced true love before and that would be her downfall.

The Renshi launched an attack on Pai Zhuq's mountain fortress, built during the first few years of the conflict. The Pai Zhuq Warriors, now Masters, transformed into their armored forms and attacked. They had nearly driven them off when Camille was wounded by an attack from behind and fell unconscious.

She awoke to find herself back in civilian form and being tended to by Daishi, somehow a human once more. She was ready to attack when Daishi said he had no interest in harming someone so beautiful and had brought her back to the temple simply to heal her. Camille was stunned as no one had ever called her beautiful before. Her parents had always called her ugly and useless to her family. They were nobles who desired a son to carry on their bloodline and had no use for a worthless daughter. When her Animal Spirit first revealed itself, they called her a demon and cast her out to live with the monks.

Daishi went on to say he had always loved Camille and wished for her and the others to join his cause. She refused him at first but the Rinshi leader was adamant. He explained how cruel and heartless humans were and how he and his followers wished to improve Earth with their destruction. To further his point, Daishi conjured images of death and warfare from across the globe. Camille was indeed horrified but loyalty to her friends kept her from fully being taken in.

She attempted to leave but her wounds were not yet fully healed. Daishi insisted she stay with him to recover and thanks to enchantments and natural charms, Camille accepted. Over the long month, Daishi seduced and deceived Camille, slowly bringing her over to his side. By the time she was released, she was in love with him and ready to join his forces.

She attempted to enlist the other Pai Zhuq but they refused, leading to a heated argument that escalated into conflict. Camille was beaten after a hard fight but her loyalty to Daishi had been secured in the process. "You'll regret this!" Camille roared before fading away "humans are weak! They'll be destroyed by Daishi and you along with them!"

Daishi was disappointed that he could not corrupt the Pai Zhuq but Camille was a powerful addition to his forces. With her aid, the Rinshi took various secrets from Pai Zhuq. This included various scrolls leading to nexus and some evil spirits that the Order had captured. She even managed to turn one warrior, a young Cub named Flit, into a fly using magic larva dust Daishi had given her. She then swallowed him and cursed him to remain in her stomach except for brief periods. Being separated from Camille for too long would result in Flit's death.

The Phantom Beasts were also active during this period however and launched fierce attacks on Pai Zhuq and Renshi alike. Their new power source, the mystic energy of Renzen, was much stronger than Zokato and their very life force. It got so bad that Zordon decided to send Alpha Five out disguised as a human to give Pai Zhuq the Crystal Eyes as an emergency weapon. On Alpha's instructions, Finn found a way to capture starlight and use in to activate the Eyes' magic. It was there in battle that Finn used the Eyes to trap the Phantom Beasts within and then buried the Eyes far beneath Earth.

It was not long after that when the three Overlords lead the final assault against Pai Zhuq. The Black Bat Warrior dueled Carnisuar, Navy Shark Warrior battled Jellica, and Grizzaka was so powerful that Crimson Gorilla Warrior had to team up with Yellow Penguin and Blue Antelope just to hold his own. The others busied themselves with lesser Rinshi Warriors.

Eventually, Jellica was beaten and her corpse left in the bottom of the sea while Carnisaur was sealed in stone by Swoop. Sadly, Grizzaka was able to use zokato power one last time before his foes killed him, taking their lives in the process and sending them to Heaven or Spirit World as they called it. The remaining Warriors had little time to mourn however as Daishi himself appeared in full Beast Form to finish the job. The final battle of the Beast War had begun.

Daishi proved himself a powerful foe as he withstood outright attacks from the Pai Zhuq's Animal Spirits and forced them out of Warrior Form. He was about to finish them when the memory of their dead comrades allowed them to tap into their rage and assume their own Beast Forms, the highest levels of their Animal Spirits. With their new power, the Pai Zhuq destroyed Daishi and contained his spirit within a small chest. Camille, who had been hiding out of unwillingness to face her former friends, witnessed this and took action. She gathered the armbands of the three Overlords and retreated back to Daishi's temple to hide in wait for her master's eventual return.

The Pai Zhuq was also weary of a second Beast War and decided to turn their temple into a school to instruct students worldwide in the ways of their Order. In this way, Pai Zhuq would always exist to defend the world from threats like Daishi. Their connection with their Animal Spirits granted the Masters extended life and for over ten thousand years they witnessed new students come and go, even starting families of their own to pass down their teachings. In honor of their fallen, three students were chosen to guard over Daishi's prison every generation and defeat him should he ever escape.

Part 8: A New Era

With Master Xandred and Daishi beaten, peace reigned over Earth once more but out in Space, the Great War had taken an ugly turn. Power Ranger teams were being beaten all across the universe as Dark Specter began boosting the power of himself and his forces by draining the energy of Morphing Masters everywhere he could. Among the fallen were Zordon's own Solar Force Rangers.

They had been beaten by the Black Cross, a terrorist organization backed by Dark Specter and lead by his newest general, the cyborg Ecliptor. A squad of Blue Senturions was eventually called to Eltar to drive them off and only Ecliptor escaped alive. The Senturions then delivered the Rangers' bodies to the Council of Morphing Masters to be used in an experiment meant to turn the tides.

The Council merged the souls of Solar Force and various other fallen Rangers into what they called a Power Ruby and used to give life to an experimental cyborg named Shadow. The Ruby also granted Shadow the ability to become Phantom Ranger, a great warrior with the power of invisibility. Phantom Ranger was to be the first of many Cyborg Rangers who would both preserve the souls of fallen Rangers and serve as more efficient replacements but the process of creating more Power Rubies was too extensive and morally sketchy to even attempt a second time and the project was shut down. Only Phantom Ranger remained and while he was a great ally, it was found that he could not remove his Power Ruby even when unmorphed without dying. The UAE would one day use the remains of this cyborg project to create the Psycho Rangers after stealing plans from the planet Onyx, where evil beings gathered in the semi neutral setting of the local tavern.

Once Zordon heard such measures were being taken, he was horrified. It got worse when he heard rumors that Master Rangers were being chased by bounty hunters employed by Dark Specter. Master Rangers were defined by the Council as a Ranger so powerful that he or she needed neither a team nor a Morphing Master's guidance to battle evil on their world and often created their own Powers. The Gold Zeo Ranger of Triforia was counted among their ranks yet Zordon didn't know of him yet.

With such news, the great sage began to consider returning home. Lerigot had been working on a way to free him from his time warp for some years now and he may have succeeded already. However, even outside his timewarp, the sage's body was dust by now and he would remain disembodied, still dependent on a tube. Only now, it would have to contain his life force rather than allow communication with other dimensions.

"PERHAPS WE SHOULD RETURN TO ELTAR ALPHA" Zordon voiced his thoughts one day during Earth's first colonial period "I JUST DON'T FEEL LIKE WE'RE NEEDED ANYMORE. PAI ZHUQ, THE NINJA ACADEMIES, AND THE SAMURAI RANGERS ARE ALL PREPARED TO DEFEND EARTH SHOULD THE NEED ARISE." Alpha was a bit surprised.

"But what about your vision of Earth being attacked by the UAE?" The little robot asked "the Samurai Rangers are only active every few generations and they focus only on Nighlok. The schools you mentioned don't have Rangers either and aren't even prepared to face Rita Repulsa, let alone Dark Specter. It's not like you to be so dismissive Zordon."

"I'M NOT BEING DISMISSIVE ALPHA" Zordon argued "WE CAN GIVE THE SCHOOLS AND ANYONE ELSE WHO NEEDS IT THE MEANS TO CREATE RANGERS. AN ARMY OF POWER RANGERS FROM AROUND THE GLOBE SHOULD BE ABLE TO REPEL DARK SPECTER." But Alpha still wasn't convinced. "But you can't just give up and walk away; you've never done that in all the years I've known you!"

Zordon was getting frustrated now. "I SIMPLY THINK I'VE MADE AN ERROR IN JUDGEMENT BY SPENDING AS MUCH TIME HERE AS I HAVE. WE MAY HAVE ALREADY PREVENTED WHAT I SAW WITHOUT KNOWING IT. EVEN THEN,THE ONLY THREAT HAS BEEN MASTER XANDRED ATTACKING JAPAN EVERY FEW CENTURIES AND THERE ARE ALREADY RANGERS TO HANDLE THAT. DARK SPECTER IS THE REAL THREAT AND I CAN'T KEEP IGNORING WHAT HE DOES TO KEEP WATCH OVER A PLANET THAT CAN PROTECT ITSELF BY NOW!"

"So you're going to leave on a slim chance that Earth can stand against Dark Specter on it's own!" Alpha sounded genuinely angry now "That's no better than what you said the Old Morphing Masters did to you when they let Zedd come about! Have you forgotten Dulcea?"

"HOW DARE YOU JUDGE ME?" Zordon snapped as he lost his composure for the time in a few thousand years "I HAVE GIVEN MY LIFE TO THIS CAUSE AND HAVE LOST MY VERY HUMANITY PROTECTING THIS WORLD! I HAVE FAMILY ON ELTAR THAT NEED ME MORE EACH DAY AND I'M NOT ABOUT TO ABANDON THEM EITHER! OPEN COMMUNICATION WITH LERIGOT IMMEDIATELY, THAT'S AN ORDER!"

"Right away 'Master' Zordon'" Alpha replied coldly. It was the first real argument the two ever had and there was tension between them for a long time after that. Lerigot was far from finished with repairing his ancestors' key however so Zordon remained on Earth and still fuming from Alpha's words. One day, Zordon sensed a temporal disturbance in the small settlement of Angel Grove. A group of teenagers dressed in odd clothing had appeared out of nowhere and were arrested for witchcraft. Zordon was surprised to sense this group was actually a Ranger team. They had apparently been sent to the past from a future era without access to their Powers. Certain dimensional vortexes had formed on Earth that could disrupt a Power Ranger's link to the Morphing Grid and cause time travel as well but the interdimensional sage felt something familiar and sinister was at work.

This was confirmed when Zordon's old rival, the Wizard of Deception also appeared in the colony to cause havoc with some rat monsters he had created. This shocked the great sage but not as much as when two Rangers appeared to battle the Wizard. One was a White Ranger Zordon had never encountered before while the other wore Burai's Dragon Knight suit. They defeated the Wizard seemingly for good and the White returned home with his comrades while Green remained in the colony as a citizen.

Zordon watched this scene unfold and realized that these Rangers were his from a future era, an era that he sensed held great change for the universe. It was also an era that may never come if he left Earth anytime soon. Perhaps it was a good thing Lerigot's key wasn't ready yet.

"ALPHA, I'M AFRAID I MUST APOLIGISE FOR MY RECENT HARSH WORDS" Zordon said to his oldest friend "I SIMPLY WISH TO SEE THE END OF THIS WAR AND I GUESS I'VE GROWN TIRED OF WAITING. BUT I SEE NOW THAT WE MUST REMAIN HERE AS LONG AS FATE DICTATES. THANK YOU FOR REMINDING ME OF MY DUTY OLD FRIEND." Alpha nodded. "Of course Zordon, I'm sorry too. Dulcea would be very proud of what you're doing."

Zordon simply smiled and a friendship was mended. It was also on that day that the sage created a new rule for Earth Rangers under his direct authority: secret identities. The Earth's people were more distrustful of magic and no longer put their faith in Gods and spirits the way they used to. Keeping a low profile when in civilian form would keep the Rangers safe from prejudice and persecution. In addition, he also arranged for Dimitria of Inquiris, a fellow Morphing Master and secretly Divatox's sister, to take his post should anything happen and insure Earth's protection.

More time passed before another from the future visited. During the time of the Old West when Angel Grove had become a frontier town, a Pink Ranger using a Power Coin similar to Mai's appeared in the Command Center one day She insisted that she would one day be recruited to battle not only Rita Repulsa but Lord Zedd as well and that her enemies had followed her from her time. Remembering the colonial incident, Zordon and Alpha believed her and gave her the Power Coins to recruit temporary Rangers.

They now knew from these two incidents that not only would Rita escape one day, but Zedd would attack Earth as well and Rita's evil Ranger Powers would one day be used for good. This had never happened before in Power Ranger history and it inspired Zordon to create a prophecy among the Council of Morphing Masters about the Sixth Ranger, though few believed it.

Peace reigned once more after this except for a Nighlok attack in the 1940s that was stopped by the fifteenth generation of Samurai Rangers. It was at this time that the Samurai tradition began to decline in Japan. The Emperor desired a more Western style military in the midst of the Second World War and many old traditions were being abolished. Having no desire to aid the Nazi forces alongside their countrymen, the Samurai Rangers and their families migrated to America to help the Allied Powers and keep their tradition alive. Chan Shiba, the Red Samurai Ranger of the time, established a new Shiba House in the States and the war with the Nighlok resumed on the new continent. His son Mako Shiba would later blend tradition with modernization by developing electronic gap sensors that alerted his team when Nighlok entered the mortal world.

During the 50s and 60s when Earth began developing Space Travel, Zordon became inspired. He made contact with KO-35 and set them to work developing the Astro Ranger Powers using Grid-enhanced tech developed by his old teammate Borgon. The Astro Rangers would be an elite branch of Power Rangers assigned to protect whole galaxies rather than single planet, using a spaceship that changed into a Megazord. They would also aid Planetary Rangers when needed.

But the Powers could not be complete without interface from a foreign technology. To everyone's shock, Zordon chose Earth tech. He revealed himself to the scientists of the NASADA space program and helped them to develop a shuttle that combined with the new Astro Megaship to form the Astro Megazord. NASADA was also involved in developing Zords for the Astro Ranger arsenal like the Mega Voyager.

In 1975, an evil magic user named Mondo the Magician invaded Earth seeking to avenge his old friend Rita Repulsa. Rita had met him years ago while seeking ways to increase her power and lead her to the Ghost of Darkness. He had also aided her a few times during the Repulsa Wars until Zordon scared him off. Hearing of Earth's hidden power, the evil magician hoped to harness it to free Rita from her dumpster prison and conquer the galaxy with her.

He soon arrived in the small California town of Briarwood and sensed extremely powerful magic from within the forest. Mondo entered and found himself in a realm of wizards, witches, and magical creatures. He had entered the Mystic Dimension, source of all the magic in the universe!

Magic users had attempted to learn the secrets of this realm for eons ever since magic was first discovered. Rita had come close during her war with Zordon when she captured an odd dwarf named Quagmire on the planet of Rolan. She believed Quagmire was from the Mystic Dimension and was visiting the planet while on holiday in the mortal realm. Through him, Rita hoped to become more powerful than anyone in the universe but when Quagmire refused to talk, she banished him to the Isle of Illusion to be haunted by his worst fears.

Mondo began a rampage to gain the power he sought only to be confronted by a young wizard named Leanbow. Leanbow was the gifted apprentice of the wizard Borlon, known for his courage and strong sense of honor. He battled Mondo to a standstill before using a spell to imprison the evil magic user in a children's book called "Grumble the Magic Elf." Mondo became a part of the story, serving as the antagonist with no memory of his former life.

Zordon soon learned of this incident and began monitoring the Mystic Dimension from then on. He sensed a great evil would someday arise to destoy all good magic if left unchecked. Few people knew that the Morphing Grid was actually made up of energy from every realm in creation, from Shadow World to Spirit World and the Mystic Dimension as well. This was why magic users could sometimes use the Grid to enhance their skills. If even one source of Morphing Grid Power was lost, the entire thing would die.

In 1978. Kiya Wattanabe was banished from the Wind Ninja Academy after being caught using Shadow World magic and banished into Space. He owed his capture to a student from the future who had used the Academy's mystic Scroll of Time to retrieve the Samurai Star Amulet. Kiya took the name of Lothor upon his banishment and was later taken in by an evil Ninja Clan on the planet Zola. Lothor soon became the apprentice to the clan's leader Roninado and learned much in the ways of the Dark Ninja. He was eventually named leader of the clan after marrying Roninado's daughter Shurukenna. Unfortunately, he soon found himself the uncle to two annoying nieces as well.

Lothor began a rampage across the galaxy, meeting Power Ranger teams in the process. His wife was killed during one such encounter and he took reveng upon her murderers. From this battle, Lothor gained the incorrect belief that Rangers could only be destroyed in Ranger form. The Dark Ninja Master then began plotting his return to Earth, where he would unlock the Abyss of Evil and conquer all with it's power. Dark Specter decided to ignore him for now and kill him when he returned to an Earth under the Grand Monarch's control.

In 1982, a group of scientists obsessed with proving Animaria was real stumbled across the ancient society's ruins. They were Richard and Elizabeth Evans and their good friend Viktor Adler. Viktor was insanely jealous of Richard and Elizabeth's love however and plotted vengeance. Upon discovering the seeds that contained Master Org's essence, he consumed them and became endowed with the dead villain's powers for revenge.

The new Master Org killed his former friends but never found their infant son Cole, who was adopted by a local tribe. The villain retreated into the shadows to rebuild his empire and wait for the time to conquer Earth but Zordon saw and knew Cole would be part of a new Ranger team that would defeat him. It was also around this time on KO-35 that two siblings, Andros and his sister Karone, were separated.

Andros and Karone's parents were scientists in charge of developing the Astro Ranger Powers. Both kids dreamed of being Rangers one day and hoped these new powers would one day be theirs to wield in the fight against evil. . As fate would have it, their parents had designed two morphers for them. Andros was the chosen Red while Karone would serve as Purple. Together, they would be the strongest Ranger in the universe.

Meanwhile, Dark Specter had captured a Morphing Master hailing from the Kerova System and as the Grand Monarch drained his foe's power, the Master screamed out a prophecy that the Purple Astro Ranger woud bring about his downfall, revealing her name with his last breath. Dark Specter chose to prevent this by kidnapping the future Ranger and making her his heir. This task was carried out by Darkonda, a rogue bounty hunter given great power to serve as the Grand Monarch's enforcer. Among his abilities were his eight lives which could allow him to cheat death for a time.

Darkonda teleported to KO-35 and entered the backyard where Karone and Andros were playing. While Andros left to retrieve a lost ball, Darkonda struck and carried the screaming child away to his master. Karone's memory was later erased and she was given to Ecliptor to raise as Dark Specter's heir. That day, she became Astronama, Princess of Evil.

The Blue Senturion Corps searched for a year but no trace was found of the missing Karone. Her parents later died from grief, leaving Andros in the care of relatives. He vowed he would become a Ranger one day and not rest until evil was destroyed and Karone was found. This caught the eye of Zordon, who was personally selecting candidates for the Astro Ranger program via holographic transmission. The great sage served as a father figure to Andros during those hard times and a strong bond formed between them despite their great distances apart.

In the meantime. Zordon continued to monitor the Mystic Dimension the main realm was separated by the peaceful upper world and the evil Underworld where all evil magic users were banished by the Ancient Mystics, the oldest and most power beings in the dimension. They were in turn governed by the Mystic Mother and the Tribunal of Magic. Mystic Mother was the source of magic, one of the oldest beings in creation. Her servants, the Tribunal ,divided magic into subsets of good magic, evil magic, and neutral magic while maintaining balance between the three and were second in command of the dimension. To defend the realm from harm, certain wizards and witches were given access to an Ancient Mystic Mode that made them the realm's version to Power Rangers. Leanbow, now a mighty wizard, lead them into battle. But the day came when the power of the Ancient Mystics was not enough.

Eons ago, during the first Great War, the Akuma sought to spread their influence beyond the mortal universe and sent one of their own into the Mystic Dimension. The evil entity encountered a wizard named Damian and merged with him, creating the first evil magic user. Damian went mad from this dark power and spread it among the populace, creating an imbalance. The Ancient Mystics were finally forced to create the Underworld and imprison Damian and his followers. As time passed and the Akuma spirits merged to create Dark Specter, a smaller portion of them entered Damian's body and transformed him into Octomas, brother of Dark Specter and Master of the Underworld.

However, Octomas was unable to handle the merger and entered into a coma, remaining dormant for eons until Dark Specter learned of him in 1986. The Grand Monarch revived his brother with a portion of his energy and tasked him with destroying the Mystic Dimension. Octomas obeyed and created a vast army by corrupting other dark magic users imprisoned there. The army was composed of the Ten Terrors, the Barbarian Beasts, and the hordes of the undead lead by his general Morticon.

He also forged an alliance with the Vampire Queen Necrolai and sent her to the human realm to study it for conquest. Octomas had no intention of obeying his brother and would take every realm in creation for his own. While there, Necrolai became pregnant by a human man and gave birth to a daughter named Leelee whom she left in her father's care. She would return for her daughter twenty years later and reveal her true heritage.

The Forces of Darkness broke through to the surface with their power, easily pushing back Nielia the Gatekeeper, a good witch tasked with guarding the gates of the Underworld. The entire Mystic Dimension was soon overrun with evil. Leanbow and his forces were no match for them even with Ancient Mystic Mode and it seemed even the Ancient Mystics themselves were unable to stand against the evil of Octomas. Knowing something had to be done; Zordon went to the Mystic Dimension and spoke to the Tribunal of Magic. Even in the Mystic Dimension, the Great War well known and would be referred to as "the Dark Days" in years to come. The Tribunal agreed to help Zordon recreate Jarella's Magistaff and break into six wands that controlled the same elements she had. These wands were then connected to the Xenotome, the Mystic Dimension's version of the Galaxy Book that held all the secrets of the Ancient Mystics. Zordon then connected the Xenotome to the Morphing Grid and thus was born a new set of magic based Ranger Powers.

The Ancient Mystics granted these Powers to the six most powerful members of their realm. Leanbow took the Wand of Fire to lead the team, followed by Elek, who took the Wand of Lightning as his weapon. He was followed by Aqua who held the Wand of Water for his own, and then Aerial, a witch who took up the wand of Wind and Terran, who choose the Wand of Earth for himself. Finally, there was Leanbow's wife Udonna, a powerful good witch and Neilla's sister who took the Wand of Snow but changed it into a staff to suit her tastes.

Together, they raised their wands high and yelled "Magical Source, Mystic Force!" Instantly, they morphed into the first Power Rangers Mystic Force. Leanbow in Red, Elek in Yellow, Aqua in Blue, Terran in Green, Aerial in Pink, and Udonna in White. The first five suits were different than they would be on their successor and were more armored Like Udonna's with no capes. Blue was also male and had a man's outfit.

They fought bravely against Octomas' forces, destroying the Barbarian Beasts and driving the Ten Terrors to the Underworld's deepest depths. When enemies grew large, they found they could become Zords and combine into a Megazord when needed. Eventually, two students of Leanbow joined the fight, Daggeron and both had an Ancient Mystic Mode but Daggeron eventually created his own morpher from the power of the sun and became Solaris Knight. He was later joined by a genie named Jenji who helped him create his own Zord based on a train he saw in the human realm.

As time went by, Leanbow and Udonna had a son named Bowen. As the son of the most powerful magic users in the realm, his potential was unimaginable. The Ancient Mystics soon declared him "The Light", the one destined to destroy the forces of darkness. Octomas vowed to kill this child and called upon a most unusual ally to do so. The final battle for the Mystic Dimension had begun.

Octomas had Morticon lead the hordes of the Undead alongside Necrolai in a final assault to take both realms. Vampires and zombies alike marched through the lands creating chaos. The Mystic Force met the assault alongside Niella while Daggeron and Calindor guarded over Bowen. When the enemy reached Leanbow and Udonna's home of Rootcore, the two students ran with Bowen in tow, fighting past vampires and Morticon's Hidiac foot soldiers.

However, Calindor did something next that shocked Daggeron. He went into Ancient Mystic Mode and attacked his ally. Calindor revealed that he was actually named Imperious and had been sent by Octomas as a double agent for the Forces of Darkness. Imperious attacked Bowen but Daggeron morphed and the two began fighting. Bowen was forgotten in the heat of battle however and soon was left in the midst of the battlefield.

Luckily, he was not alone. A kindly and brave Troblin {a rare troll/goblin hybrid} named Phineas had been lurking around since the war began, watching and listening to everything around him. He knew of Bowen's destiny and sought to protect him. Fighting his way past the dark armies, Phineas leaped through a portal to the human realm with Bowen in tow. He left the baby in the care of a family called the Russels and then departed, knowing the Light was in good hands. Bowen was given the name Nick by his new family and grew up never knowing his true parentage or his destiny.

Meanwhile, Imperious and Daggeron both unleashed the full force of their magic at one another and the effect cursed them both, trapping them in a nearby cave. Imperious was reverted to a corpse-like form and killed while Daggeron became a frog.

It was at that moment that the Mystic Force was the last thing standing between the human realm and doom. Octomas himself had entered the fight and already killed most of the Rangers as he and his forces made their way to the portal to Earth. In desperation, Leanbow reverted from morphed form and told Neilla to raise the Gates of the Underworld. She did so and Leanbow cast his most powerful spell, sealing himself and the Forces of Darkness within the depths of the Underworld.

Octomas was then struck down by Leanbow and made dormant once again but not before using the last of his power to transform Leanbow into Koragg the Knight Wolf, his most powerful warrior who would aid him in his revenge.

The battle was won but a great price had been paid. The Mystic Force had fallen and Neilia had died from the great strain of raising the Gates. There was also no sign of Daggeron, Calindor, or Bowen. As far as she knew, Udonna was the last surviving warrior of the great battle.

Forcing herself to be strong, Udonna helped her people rebuild and took on the responsibility of raising her young niece Claire. Claire's father had been killed early in the war and she had no one else due to her mother's sacrifice. When Claire grew old enough, Udonna took her on as an apprentice and taught her the ways of magic. The Ancient Mystics also gave Udonna the Xenotome, charging her with recruiting a new Mystic Force if they were needed.

Sometime after though, another blow shook the Mystic Dimension when Mystic Mother died. It seemed Mystic Mother was actually a position that changed hands every few thousand years and the current one had reached the end of her term. The Tribunal of Magic was tasked with keeping magic alive until her chosen replacement was ready for her destiny. When Zordon, who was at her deathbed, was told who the next Mystic Mother would be, his jaw actually dropped.

In 1990, KO-35 was attacked by an army of Barillian Bugs sent by the UAE. These insect monsters could turn whoever they stung into one of them. To combat this threat, Andros and his childhood friend Zhane gathered their fellow trainees Rex, Drego, Cynthia, and Aurora, to use the Astro Ranger Powers. Andros in Red led the team, while Rex served as Blue and nominated himself second in command. The hotheaded Drego wore Black as his color while the light-hearted Cynthia became Yellow and kept the team loose with her sense of humor. Aurora was compassionate and caring like most Pink Rangers but she had a temper one wouldn't believe. Finally, Zhane used the experimental Silver Ranger powers that were made to replace the now useless Purple morpher. He became the most powerful Ranger in the universe at the time with these Powers but still followed his best friend Andros in battle.

For three years, the Kerovian Rangers fought but the Barilian Bugs were too strong, One by one, they died until it was just Andros and Zhane against the last of the swarm. Zhane took a fatal blow for his friend, enraging Andros into beating the enemy once and for all. KO-35 was too damaged to live on after the battle so the survivors left the planet and formed a rebellion against Dark Specter elsewhere. Andros went his own way in the Astro Megaship taking with him Zhane, who he placed in cryogenic suspension to keep alive, and the morphers of his dead friends. He vowed he would defeat Dark Specter alone and the evil that took his friends would never claim anyone again.

At that same time in another part of the universe, a meteor shower crashed into Earth's moon carrying a bizarre object. Two astronauts from NASADA were sent to the moon to investigate. They saw nothing unusual at first but then something caught their eye. "What's that?" One of them asked "it looks like some kind of weird space dumpster." "let's open it up" his partner suggested "what could happen?"

Epilogue: And so, the Power Rangers saga truly began. Zordon eventually sacrificed his life in the final battle against the UAE and ended many threats to the universe in the process, even purifying those who could be saved. Finster was returned home to his family and Lord Zedd became an archeologist while Rita Repulsa found her destiny as the Mystic Mother and Divatox was reunited with her sister Dimitria. Zordon was also reunited with his father, his beloved wife Dulcea, the other Genesis Rangers, and various other allies in the Spirit World. Even Alpha was there because he truly had a soul beneath his mechanical shell.

But evil would never truly be destroyed, even after the death of Dark Specter. New threats arose as well as old ones and new generations of Power Rangers appeared to take them down. Some were even connected to the past like Thrax, son of Rita and Zedd and the remains of the Machine Empire lead by General Venjix. Teams existed far into the future like SPD and Time Force and even the RPM Rangers of an alternate dimension. Zordon and all other past heroes watch over these teams and the many that will follow, knowing that as long as evil exists, so will Rangers. May the Power protect them all.

Never the End.

End Notes: well that's that! Hope everyone enjoyed this and the first installment. I tried to keep both as close to what was said in the show as possible. I also give big thanks to Ranger board members Darky and Blackfang for their fics, "The Chronicles: a history of all things PR" and "Prophecies of the Morphing Grid." See you in my next fic!

J.W. Appel