Power Rangers Primal Spirits
Episode 1: The Hunt Is On
Racing through the emptiness of space was the Ethospear, one of the most revered, and feared, ships in the entire universe, with it's bright lavender and gold highlights all adorned across its sleek hull. It was a ship that was proud of its status, and its owner was even prouder to show it off. Sitting inside the cockpit was one of the most notorious of individuals in all of the universe; somebody who absolutely revelled in the infamy he attained over the centuries. He was the self-proclaimed "greatest pirate of all the stars"; he was Arcadyx and if he wants something, he always gets it. As he sat on his throne of a seat, watching every star and planet zoom by in hyperspace, tapping his fingers on the arm of his chair, his underlings; the endless Tentycons, manned the stations, all speaking in their clicks and whistles, working the pilot the ship. The ship soon slowed out of hyperspace, revealing the vibrant rings of Saturn out the window. He stood up from his massive seat and walked toward the windows, as the holographic displays calculated the destination, while a big smile formed on his face. "Alright, boys! We're almost at our destination! The greatest treasure in all of the universe is right in our grasp!" he cackled like a maniac as the ship roared toward its goal. Meanwhile, on a not-so-distant planet, deep underground there was a man on their knees in a prayer position as still as the stone around him; eyes tightly shut and his mind in deep thought.
In his hands were what looked like two rubik's cubes covered in stone, with small veins of vibrant blue energy flowing through them. Suddenly, without warning, the man's eyes opened wide; something was coming to this world, and it was time to prepare for its arrival. Almost on cue, the two rose from his hands, and quickly raced behind him and out through a nearby cavern entrance. Meanwhile, a small black pickup truck arrives in the town of Spring Shallows, which was founded in the early 60s and is best known for its world class conservation center, designed to house and protect endangered species. Stepping out of the passenger's side was a man in early twenties in a brown leather jacket, tan T-shirt and black jeans. "Ladies and gentlemen, strange seekers of all ages! We are here in the town of Spring Shallows investigating the newly surfaced rumors of "ghost lights" that have been spotted in the nearby woods of the town. Is it a simple prank, or... could it be something much more sinister? This is Nathan Morrison, and this... is Cryptoseekers." said the man to the phone in his left hand. Another man stepped out from the driver's seat wearing a white sleeveless shirt and brown cargo shorts. This was Nathan's best friend Joshua DeMarco, who's been with him through thick and thin. "I swear, Nate, if this ends up being another goosechase like that Lake Monster of Saneda City or Golem of Stone Canyon..." said Josh, in a frustrated manner, prompting Nate to shut his phone off and give him a disappointed look.
"Well how was I supposed to know that golem was some weird cosplay of Ultra Rockman RX some kid was doing?!" he responded. "Besides, I swear this story is 100% true! I've got legitimate sources confirming this! This could be the big break we're looking for, man" said Nate, eyes as wide as they can go, as Josh just sighed, crossing his arms. "Alright, look... if this ends up being another fake, I will personally, on camera, apologize to you and every one of our viewers... heck, I will pay you for all the gas we used driving here, deal?" he said, as Josh turned to him. "Deal." he responded, as the took shook hands. "Okay, so... what's the plan, Nate?" he asked. "Our first stop is the Bernadine Park Ranger Station, that's where the lights were supposedly seen last, so we'll check there first." said Nate, as the stepped back into the truck and started driving through downtown. As Summer started rolling in, Spring Shallows could have thousands of people visiting; not just for its conservation center, but also for the fact it's a popular coastal town, and can bring surfers and beachgoers from all around the world. As Josh continued driving the truck through town, Nate just stared out the window, watching the endless cavalcade of civilians walk zoom by on the sidewalks, entering and exiting the various shops and stores all along the street; one such store was the Spring Shallows National Supermall, and just outside it was the town's official mascot, Barry the Blue Whale, since the town is also known for being a perfect place for spotting Blue Whales.
The drive up to the mountains took about half an hour, and the two intrepid investigators pulled up on the long abandoned Ranger Station. Nate stepped out of the truck, phone in hand and getting footage of the Station. "There it is, folks. The remains of the Bernadine Park Ranger Station! These woods were subject to a nasty wildfire in the 1950s thanks to a severe thunderstorm, and unfortunately the Ranger Station was caught in the blaze, and it was never rebuilt. Now we're here because the ghost lights were last spotted here by two birdwatchers who were out for a hike." said Nate, speaking into the phone's built in microphone, capturing footage of what was left of the station. Josh circled around the back of the ruins, and was about to step inside the burnt door frame when something caught his attention; he could hear some kind of low buzzing noise, but it didn't sound like any insect he had heard of. He turned around, staring into the endless sea of trees and dirt but there was nothing there; nothing that he could see anyways. "Hey, uh Nate?" called Josh, feeling very uneasy about the situation, like they were being watched. Nate walked around the back, phone still in hand and capturing every moment. "What's up?" asked Nate, his phone's camera fixated on Josh. "I think there's something else out here, like we're being watched or something." responded Josh, as Nate turned to his right and began filming the woods, hoping to see something but he too didn't see anything out of the ordinary.
The buzzing quickly started up again, this time much louder than before, something the two could physically feel. Nate turned to Josh. "You feel that?" he asked, as Josh quickly nodded. Nate took a few steps forward, when for whatever reason, his phone suddenly died on him. "What the?!" he quipped, as he tried turning the phone back on to no avail. "I just charged this thing on the drive up here!" he said, turning around to Josh with a look of pure confusion. The buzzing grew even louder and deeper than before, as Nate took several steps back to Josh. "Hey, uh did your "sources" mention anything about this?" asked Josh, turning to Nate. "No... no they did not..." he responded, as the buzzing grew to near deafening levels. The two tried cupping their ears to try and block out the buzzing to no success. It continued for what felt like forever when, suddenly, it stopped. The pair lowered their arms and started looking around in confusion. "What was that about?" asked Josh. "I have... no idea. That was unlike any investigation we've ever done." responded Nate, his ears still ringing from the buzzing. Then, out of the corner of his vision, something caught his attention... something bright. Behind one of the many trees were two bright shining lights that slowly floated into plain view. Nate's face just lit up in shock and surprise. "Josh, you seeing this?!" he said, tapping his friend on the shoulder, as Josh looked up to see the lights as well. He gave a gasp of amazement as the two lights slowly drifted toward the duo.
Nate slyly tried to switch his phone on, however it was still dead. Slipping the phone into his pocket, Nate slowly stepped toward one of the lights, raising one of his hands as if to touch it. "Uh, Nate; you sure that's a good idea?" asked Josh, as Nate just ignored him, as if he were brainwashed by the warm glow, like it was calling to him while Josh just sighed. Nate's fingers just grazed the light ball as lightly pulsated, like he activated something inside it. Josh then slowly reached out for the other light, and it too seemed pulsated, almost in approval. The two lights slowly descended into their hands as the brightness faded and what was left in their grasps were what looked like Cubes, emblazoned with symbols on three of its sides. Josh lifted his Cube up his face, puzzled by what just happened. "What is it?" he asked. Nate just shook his head. "I have no idea, man..." he responded, just as confused as his friend. Meanwhile, high above the atmosphere, a ship had begun to enter Earth's orbit; it was the Ethospear, finally at the end of its journey. In the cockpit, Arcadyx stared intently at the energy readings and it was clear as day to him that this was the destination. "There you are..." he whispered to himself, it was time to collect what was rightfully his. "Send down the Tentycons, and get our loot!" he barked to the crew. The ship's hangar doors opened up, sending down three of the Ethospear's personal fighters called Tetrafliers, as they descended onto Earth. Back on Earth, Nate continued staring at his Cube.
"It must be some kind of artifact, or something..." he mentioned, as he examined the symbol on the front of the Cube. "What do you think we should do with it?" asked Josh, but Nate didn't have an answer, not really anyways. "I don't know... maybe hang on it until we know exactly what it is." he responded. "How about for now, we find a place to crash, and go from there tomorrow, okay?" said Josh, while Nate nodded in agreement. The two began walking away from the ruins of the Ranger Station when the scream of a ship roared overhead, and a single Tetraflier zoomed past them, causing a sonic boom just above them, rocking the trees. "What the heck was that?!" asked Josh in a panic. Nate could only see a blur of a ship flying through the sky. "I don't know, but it doesn't seem friendly!" he responded. "Let's get back to the truck and out of here!" he said, as the two started sprinting back to their vehicle. They were almost ten meters from the truck when what looked like a laser was shot at the ship, causing it to explode and the knock the two back. Nate gave a cough as he tried to pick himself up off of the dirt, as he caught a glimpse of the burning truck. "Well, I hope you got insurance on the truck!" he quipped as he lifted himself off the ground. Josh was silent as he stumbled up to his feet, staring at their method of transportation being completely destroyed. "What do we do now?!" he asked Nate, as another Tetraflier swooped in behind them, projecting a beam of gray and gold light, deploying at least twenty Tentycons, all ready for action.
They were clad in blues and grays with what looked a gold vest on them, while their heads had four tentacles sticking out of the, and single red eye in the middle of their face. Speaking only in unintelligible clicks and whistles, they quickly swarmed around the two, as Nate and Josh prepared to stand their ground. "You think they're here for the Cubes?" asked Josh, trying to keep his eyes on each of the minions. "Yeah, but they're not gonna them if I have anything to say about it!" responded Nate, as gave a yell and charged at the Tentycons. "Wait, what are you doing?!" screamed Josh, as Nate took down one of the monsters with a shoulder block and quickly finished one off with a strike to its head. Josh quickly dodged a swing of a Tentycon's sword and landed a boot straight to its chest, sending it flying back into one of its comrades. Just as he was about to strike another with a fist, one managed to slip behind him and grab him by the shoulder, and with a clockwise spin a Tentycon managed to deck him in the face with enough force to actually send him into a spin. He landed with a slam onto his back and grunt in pain. Nate managed to land a punch to one, before realizing his friend was in trouble. "Hang on, Josh! I'm coming!" he, shoving aside a Tentycon as he got into full sprint to help his friend, while another Tentycon managed to pull off a leg sweep and took Nate straight off his feet. Quickly rolling out of the way of a sword slash, Nate stumbled back up to his feet and struggled to hoist Josh back up to his feet.
The horde of Tentycons managed to swarm around the two, forcing them to be backed up against each other, fists up despite the hopelessness of the situation. "Any ideas?" asked Nate, looking at his friend. "You're the genius that got us into this mess, you figure it out!" responded Josh with a yell. With a whistle not unlike a warcry, the Tentycons all charged at the two as they put their arms up to cover their heads. But just a single solitary second before the Tentycons could finish the duo off, a massive burst of light surrounded them with a loud hiss of energy and what looked like a square shaped shield construct swirling around them, one in red and the other in yellow. The Tentycons gave many clicks and even a snarl in confusion as the two lowered their arms to find they were still alive, and floating right in front of them were the Cubes they had found earlier, covered in the same bright lights they were discovered in. The sound of a lock had echoed throughout the area, and the Cubes slowly opened up, and out came two cube animals, one based on a bird, and the other on a cat. They both flew above the duo's heads in a swirl of light and energy before doing a dive straight into the pair's bodies, culminating in an explosion of red and yellow energy. When the lights finally died down, the two friends had discovered they had changed... They were now clad in bright suits with full helmets covering their faces. Their chests were emblazoned with the visage of an animal; an Eagle and a Lion, respectively.
The Tentycons clicked and whirred in confusion, trying to process what they had just witnessed, as the two friends examined themselves. "What. Just. Happened?!" asked Josh, clad in the yellow suit. "I have no idea..." responded Nate, in the red suit. "But I'm feeling FIRED UP!" he said as he charged at the Tentycons. One of them attempted to swing its sword at him, but in a move that even surprised Nate, he leapt straight over the Tentycon's head with a laugh of surprise, landing with a leg sweep that took three straight off their feet. The Tetrafliers continued their attack pattern, firing their lasers at the two and Nate tried to do a somersault away from the laser attack, only to suddenly grow wings and take to the skies! "Woah-hahahahaha!" screamed Nate, as he blasted off to join the Tetrafliers in the sky. Josh was left on the ground to fight off the Tentycons by himself, flipping over one and taking it down with a leglock. He was having much better luck than before, but one against dozens is still a chore. "How am I supposed to fight these guys off?!" he thought to himself, and suddenly his hands transformed into massive claws, sparking with electricity. "Alright let's try this!" he said, giving a slash to the air as electricity surged from his claw tips like a massive whip, striking the Tentycons and making them explode into massive burst of lightning, thunder and Tentycene dust, the material of which the endless Tentycon hordes are made from. Meanwhile, high above, Nate was trying to get his newfound power of flight under control, as a Tetraflier chased after him firing lasers attempting to ground him.
Laser blasts singed the air as they flew by Nate's head, while he tried to perform a quick turn around only to end up colliding into the Tetraflier, scrambling to keep his grip on the alien craft while it desperately tried to shake him off. As he crawled across the ship, Nate sooned noticed an exhaust vent that he thought he could damage enough to ground the Tetraflier as he lifted himself up to his knees. "If I had something long and sharp, I could shut this thing down!" he said to himself, and as if on cue, a black sword with white edges across the blade and a red hilt materialised in his hand. "Alright, this'll do just fine!" he said, as he plunged the sword straight into the vent and a blast of fire and sparks shot out of the vent, as Nate quickly leapt off the Tetraflier while it crashed below in a fiery explosion. Soon the other two Tetrafliers chased after Nate. Taking a quick nosedive to the right, Nate came up around the second Tetrafliers flank and, at full speed, had sliced the alien ship completely in two, as the sword's blade quickly shifted into a whip configuration. "This thing is awesome!" he said to himself with a smile, as the two ship chunks plummeted below. Swinging his whip-blade at the final Tetraflier, the blade's tip embedded itself into the alien metal, and quickly retracted its massive blade, pulling Nate at full force straight into the ship, while he gave a final slice at the ship, letting it explode in the skies in a massive fireball, as he flew straight through the flames.
Down below, Josh continued his struggle against the Tentycons, and would've been overwhelmed, were it not for some help from above. With a powerful sonic boom, Nate hurdled head first toward the Tentycons, blade in hand! "INCOMING!" he shouted, as he went into a barrel roll, spinning so fast he was a blur with his sword in whip mode. Josh quickly took notice of his friend racing towards him and swiftly rolled away, as Nate spun through what was left of the Tentycons, culminating in a huge explosion of dust and fire. Nate picked himself up from the ground while his blade dematerialized as he went to check on his friend. "You okay?" he asked Josh, giving him a helping hand up. "Yeah, I'm fine. Thanks." responded Josh, as they suddenly transformed back into their civilian clothes. "What was that about?!" asked Josh, shocked they managed to defeat the monsters. "I... I have no idea, man." responded Nate, completely out of breath, while their Cubes reappeared. "It's like these wanted us to protect them or something." he said, as they suddenly opened up, and the two Cube animals from before appeared in front of them. "Is that a Lion?" asked Josh, as the yellow Cube animal circled around him. "I mean, you always were a cat person, weren't you?" responded Nate with a chuckle. The two Cube animals flew from them, as if they wanted to show them something. "I think they want us to follow them." said Nate. "You sure that's a good idea?" asked Josh, still dusting himself off.
"I mean, they saved our skins so I think we owe them." responded Nate as he ran off with the two Cube animals, while Josh quickly followed suite. The two Cube animals led Nate and Josh on a path for at least an hour before they finally arrived at their destination. It was a relatively small cave entrance, just wide enough for the two to fit through. "I hope you're not claustrophobic!" said Nate as he slid down the small slope into the cave entrance, while Josh soon followed. The two Cube animals gave off a bright red and yellow glow as they led the friends through the cave. They walked for about a minute before arriving at a dead end; it was a large stone wall, covered in ornamental carvings of some kind. "I don't think this is the right way." said Josh, as Nate checked around for an alternate around. He soon noticed two square shaped slots just by the wall. "Hey Josh, check this out." he said to his partner as the Cube animals lit up the slots. "What is it?" asked Josh. "I'm guessing some kind of mechanism for this wall?" he responded, as he noticed the slots were the same size as their Cubes. "Try sticking your Cube in there." he said, as he inserted his Cube into the left slot, while Josh put his into the right. A large clicking sound echoed through the cave, as the wall's markings glowed a bright blue and the wall dematerialized in front of the two, revealing a massive chamber with two floors. It was filled with tribal markings, flowing energy pillars and the room quietly, but very noticeably hummed with energy.
"Woah!" said Josh, mouth open as he was completely awestruck. "I have never seen anything quite like this." responded Nate, he too in complete shock. "Welcome." said a voice from above, as the two frantically looked around to find the source. A lift slowly descended in from of them, and the man on the platform wasn't exactly what the two were expecting. He was dressed in ceremonial robes, colored in white, brown and silver, and he was also a bird man. His beak had shown signs of battle as it was cracked and warped in a few places. "My name is Talonwing... and this is the Sanctuary." he said, arms wide open, welcoming the two. "Um... hi, my name is Nate- I mean, Nathan, and this is my friend Josh." he said with hesitation in his voice, which is understandable, as one doesn't expect to be speaking to a bird man most days. "I see the Spirit Cubes have chosen you to bear their gift." he said, with small smile. "You mean these?" responded Nate, holding up his Cube. "Yeah, I know it kind of sounds weird, but we were investigating reports of strange lights in the forest and we literally just kind of ran into them." he said, trying to keep his composure. "Did you happen across any threats when you acquired the Cubes?" asked Talonwing, with a nod. Josh suddenly pushed past Nate. "Yeah, we ran into a bunch of weird tentacled face monsters, and a couple flying ships!" he said, before Nate pushed him aside. "Listen, I don't mean to be rude, but could you please explain what's going on?" he asked.
"Of course." responded Talonwing. "What you hold in your hands are the Spirit Cubes, they are powerful artifacts that hold the power of animal spirits within them. The creatures you had fought off are called Tentycons, they belong to a vicious pirate known as Arcadyx." he said. "The Cubes' power, if it falls into the wrong hands, could spell disaster for the universe. For millennia, I had remained hidden from Arcadyx, hoping he would never find the Cubes for his own purposes, but clearly, hiding is no longer an option. The Cubes have chosen you to be the wielders of their incredible strength; they have chosen you to become... Power Rangers." he said, as Nate and Josh's eyes opened wide. "Power Rangers?" asked Josh, looking at his Cube while Talonwing gave a nod. "Correct, Josh. By chance or by fate, you two are now the chosen defenders of Earth, and all life as we know it." responded Talonwing, as Nate gave a small chuckle. "Well, I'm not sure I have much of a choice, but I'm in for this Power Rangers business." he said with a smile. "What about you Josh? I'm not gonna have to save the universe by myself, will I?" he asked, turning to his friend. Josh gave a small sigh. "Well, this is probably a bad idea, but... I'm in too." he responded. "Excellent, now come... We much to do to prepare for the next attack." responded Talonwing, with a smile. Back up in the Ethospear, Arcadyx simply stared at the bright blue Earth, tapping his fingers on the massive seat. "So... those little Cubes and the bird brain got themselves some bodyguards, eh?" he said to himself. "Well then... this hunt just got a little more interestin'..."