A/N: the next chapter; enjoy. Sorry it took so long.
Chapter Summary: the former rangers show up and is told about Nerian; Joey helps them regain their powers; the rangers get a visit from an old friend and Joey manages to make Kim mad.
Disclaimer: I forgot to say this in the previous chapter, but Joey Petersen is not mine; he belongs to a friend of mine.
O.P.D.: Sunday 2nd May, '10.
Last time on RAN:
"What can you tell us about Nerian?" Billy asked.
"He's very ruthless," Joey said. "And he will stop at nothing to get what he wants."
"Which is the destruction of the power rangers," Zack said.
"Unfortunately," Joey nodded. "Yes."
"And I'm guessing that we won't be enough to stop him will we?" Rocky said.
"No," Joey shook his head. "We're going to need all the help we can get."
"Which means," Tommy said. "We're going to have to contact all the former rangers."
"So how are we going to do that?" Zack asked as he looked around the room. "I mean, last time I checked, two of the teams lived on a different planet."
"I'll do it," Kim said as she got up off of Tommy's lap and headed to the basement. The others looked at each other before following her.
"What are you going to do sis?" Aisha asked as she walked down the steps.
"I'll contact Andy and have him contact Leo and the others," Kim said. "Hayley, can you get in contact with the team from Blue Bay Harbor? Billy you can get in touch Wes' team, who will get in touch with Cole's team seeing as how Eric is married to Taylor."
"What about Carter's team?" Jason asked.
"You can contact them," Kim said. "One red leader to another."
"What do we tell them?" Hayley asked.
"Tell them we need their help and when they get here," Kim said. "We'll explain everything."
"Ok," the others nodded and went off to do what they were asked. Since the DT teens had teamed up with the NS team before, Hayley had gotten through to them very quickly and they had confirmed that they would be there by tomorrow afternoon. It was a little more difficult for Billy to contact Wes' team, but he did; he passed on the message to Wes, who assured him that he would talk to the Wild Force team and would get back to him on when they would arrive.
Jason had an even harder time talking to Carter's team as they all had jobs around their town; he had managed to get in contact with Captain Mitchell who told him he would try and round up the others before calling him back so that he could talk to the whole team together.
"Alright," Tommy said. "So, we've got confirmation from the Ninja Storm team and we're waiting for confirmation from Wes and Carter's teams. Kim, did you get Andros?"
"Just about," Kim said as she pulled up communications. "There."
"Hello?" a young man with blond hair sat in a chair on the screen.
"Hey Andy," Kim smiled at the former red ranger. "It's Kim."
"Hey Shorty," Andros smiled. "What a pleasant surprise. How are you?"
Tommy chuckled softly when he heard the nickname; Andros was the only one that Kim allowed to call her that and that was only because she was the only one to call him 'Andy'. If anyone else called either by those names, they would find themselves on the receiving end of very harsh looks.
"I'm good," Kim smiled before she got serious. "Andy, this isn't a social call."
"It isn't?" he asked her.
"No," Kim shook her head. "I called because I need your help."
"With what?" Andros asked; his brows furrowed. "What's going on Kim?"
"I can't explain right now," Kim said. "Just trust me, please."
"Ok," he nodded reluctantly. "What do you need?"
"I need you to get in touch with Leo and his team," Kim said. "Tell him it's a ranger emergency and that we need to know if he and his team could make it to Tommy's place…your team too."
"A ranger emergency?" Andros asked. "Is something happening?"
"Big time," Kim nodded. "We're calling in all the former rangers; we're all going to meet at Tommy's place and then everything will be explained."
"All the rangers?" Andros' eyes widened with shock. "Damn; whatever it is must really be big. Alright, I'll try and get a hold of Leo; I'll tell him what you told me and then I'll have DECA set a course for Earth. I'll be in contact."
"Thanks Andy," Kim smiled at him. "Talk to you then; bye."
"Bye," Andros nodded before he logged off.
Kim sighed before turning back to her friends. "Ok; now that's taken care of…"
"What do we do now?" Ethan asked.
"Go out and have fun," Jason said.
"You can't be serious!" Trent exclaimed; his sentiments were echoed by his former teammates.
"You can't expect us to do that knowing that some evil is out there that wants to kill us," Kira said.
"We expect you do to exactly that," Kim said as she turned to face the group.
"Why?" Connor asked; he was a little confused as to why they would tell them to go out, especially after what they were told, but he knew that there had to be a specific reason and he wanted to know what that reason was.
"Because," Rocky said. "You guys just defeated your own evil villain not even a week ago and now, you're going to be thrown right back into it; you haven't had a chance to actually enjoy being free of the ranger duties. But the main reason why Jase said what he did is because the next few days are going to focused entirely on Nerian; as it is now, you guys have a slight reprieve and we want you to enjoy being ranger-free until it's time, because once the others are here and Nerian makes his move again, you won't have any time to relax."
"Rocky's right," Billy said. "From what Joey has said, this Nerian is by far the most powerful being to challenge the rangers and we will need to be in top form to take him on; which means, no time for dates or anything non-ranger related. I think we all should take this time and just try and relax; we should use it for fun because when the others get here, it'll be non-stop work."
"We're telling you this for your own good guys," Kim said.
The teens all looked at each other; after hearing the explanation, they couldn't really find any fault in doing what they had said. They knew it would be hard, but they did understand and they were going to at least try.
"Alright," Kira nodded, followed by the others. "But, can we do the whole relaxing thing here? I mean, I'd feel better knowing I was close by."
"Sure," Tommy nodded. "Besides, I would feel better myself knowing you guys are somewhere I can see you."
"Ok," Connor said. "We'll try and relax, it'll be hard, but we'll give a shot."
"That's all we ask," Trini said.
"I think we all should relax," Aisha said. "Let's go outside for some fresh air; no sense in staying in here, worrying about things when we won't get a full explanation until the others get here."
"Sounds good," Tanya nodded. Tommy set up the computer to alert him if they got a message and he and the others made their way outside.
(The Moon)
The being known as King Nerian was standing on the balcony of the former Luna Palace. After he had touched down a few days ago, he had remade the place into the way he wanted; he had destroyed Zedd's old throne and had created a new one for himself; one that reflected his appearance. Nerian might be an ancient being but what made him so deadly was his human form. His vast knowledge and power was more than enough, but because of his human looks, he is able to deceive others and they would not realize the truth until it is far too late. Nerian had two forms, his human and his true form. In his human form, he was taller than Zedd was, coming to stand at the human equivalent of six feet eight inches; he had dark hair that fell mid-back; his body was muscled with a few markings on it (think of The Rock in The Scorpion King) and his eyes were black with a ring of red around them (if you have ever seen InuYasha, think of Naraku's eyes). He wore a cape, one long enough to touch the ground and underneath it he wore black leather pants, and his top was made out of armor. He had a staff in his hand, similar to the one that Zedd had; however, unlike Zedd's, his didn't have the Z on top. His staff was silver and had wings just a few inches from the top; below the wings was the shape of a snake coiled around the pole; about an inch above the wings, the staff extended into four points with a skull on top.
Nerian had spent the two days re-arranging the Luna Palace to suit his needs; when he was done, he created a few of his Kronobots, fusing them with his power. As the process was completing, he turned his attentions to Earth.
"All that beauty," he said to himself. "That power, that grace…all of it shall be mine; just as soon as I get rid of those troublesome power rangers."
Using his powers, he scanned the Earth to pick up where the last ranger activity was located. The smile that came over his face would have sent chills running down your back if you had seen it.
"Reefside," he chuckled. "Perfect; I'll send some Kronobots to test them…see how strong they are before I eliminate them."
He left the balcony and went inside the palace, heading to the room that held his Kronobots. He woke up just a few of them and sent them down to earth with instructions to destroy any and everything in their paths, including the rangers. He moved back to the throne room and sat down in the chair. Grabbing his staff, he held it in front of him, performing an arc before setting down at his side. The movement brought up an image, one that allowed him to see what was going on Earth. He watched his Kronobots attack the town and smiled in satisfaction as they terrorized and destroy everything in their paths. He leaned forward slightly when he saw a group of people come forward to fight. He followed their movements with his eyes and smirked when he realized who they were.
"So," he said. "The power rangers have come out to play." He continued watching the battle and laughed when he saw the way they were fearing against his Kronobots. "These are the ones that defended their planet? I was right; they will be no match for me."
He watched as the group was thrown off their feet and saw one of the Kronobots walk up to her. Just when the Kronobot was getting ready to destroy her, it was blasted off its feet.
"What?" Nerian straightened up in his seat. He followed the movement and let out a growl when he saw the reason. "It can't be; that brat followed me here, but how?"
He watched as Joey fought the Kronobots before destroying them. He let out a snarl as he moved to his feet. He paced for a few minutes before reclaiming his seat. "It doesn't matter; he will die as well."
He watched as Joey and the others walk away before banishing the image. He was silent for a few minutes before he brought the image back; he froze it on when the Kronobot was about to destroy the girl on the ground. "There is something about this girl…maybe this set of rangers will prove to be more interesting than the last."
He stared at the image for a few more seconds before banishing it; when he was done, he went back to the creation room and started on more of the Kronobots, this time making them stronger.
(Reefside)
The rangers were in Tommy's backyard having fun; they were determined to make the most of their reprieve. Joey had relaxed enough and was busy flirting with most of the girls, much to their amusement and the guys' displeasure. Hayley and Tommy were sitting on the steps watching the others.
"So what do you think of him?" Hayley asked. "And what he told us?"
"I'm not sure yet," Tommy answered. "But the threat is real; this Nerian guy sounds really powerful according to him and I have to admit I'm a little worried."
"I'd be worried if you weren't worried," Hayley said. "Hopefully the others will get here soon and then we can start planning."
"Hopefully," Tommy nodded. "Before he attacks again."
The two were quiet as they watched their friends; Zack, Adam and Trent were together talking about music and art; Billy, Trini and Ethan were talking about the properties of the different morphers and computer games; Krista, Kira Angela were with Kat, Tanya and Aisha laughing together; Kim was doing gymnastics while Connor and Rocky were a few feet from her talking about soccer and pranks and Jason and Joey were standing just a few away from Kim, talking silently as they watched the others. After a few minutes, Kim went back to a standing position and made her way over to Tommy and Hayley.
"Hey," Kim said as she neared them.
"Hi," Hayley smiled at her friend.
"B," Tommy smiled at his girlfriend and opened his legs slightly so that she could sit between them; only to get a surprise when she moved to sit by Hayley's feet instead. "Hey."
"Sorry Handsome," Kim laughed as she leaned back against Hayley who readjusted her legs so that Kim would be comfortable.
"She loves me best," Hayley teased Tommy.
"I see how it is," Tommy sighed before smiling. "So what's up?"
"Nothing," Kim said as she looked out at the others, her gaze coming to a stop on Joey.
"What is it?" Tommy asked seeing the way her gaze stayed on Joey.
"I can't help but wonder about his life back in his own world," Kim said. "I mean, why was it him alone that came here? What about his friends and family? He said that Nerian destroyed the rangers; does that mean he's the only that's left?"
"And is it all the rangers or just his team?" Hayley added.
"We'll never know unless we ask," Tommy told them.
"True," Kim nodded as she watched her friends again, this time noticing how Kat's gaze kept straying to Joey. "Hmmm."
"What is it?" Tommy asked; he knew his girlfriend enough to know that that 'hmmm' meant something.
"Just a passing thought," Kim said as she kept watching her blonde friend. "I'll be right back."
With a smile on her face, Kim got up off the steps and made her way over to the girls.
"What do you think that was about?" Hayley turned to Tommy.
"I don't know," Tommy shrugged. "I guess we'll find out when she wants us to know."
Kim still had the smile on her face as she approached the girls. She heard the giggling and shook her head.
"What's going on here?" she asked as she joined them.
"Oh hey Kim," Tanya smiled at her. "We're just talking about Joey."
"You are, are you?" Kim raised an eyebrow. "From where I was standing it seemed a certain someone was more interested in looking at him rather than talking about him."
"Who are you talking about?" Kat blushed as she looked at her friend; she knew that she was the one that Kim was talking about. She couldn't help it though; there was just something about Joey that drew her in.
"Funny you should be the one to ask Kat," Kim smiled. "And is that a blush I see on your face?"
"No," Kat blushed even harder while the others girls laughed.
"He is cute Kat," Kim said. "What with that blonde hair, those deep blue eyes, those dimples that wink at you whenever he smiled; I can see why you're attracted to him."
"Should Tommy be worried?" Tanya teased.
"No," Kim laughed. "Tommy knows he's mine just like I am his, but that doesn't mean I can't appreciate a good looking guy when I see one; I am still a female you know." That caused the girls to laugh even harder, drawing looks from the boys and Hayley.
…
"What the hell do you think that's about?" Connor asked Rocky as he looked over at the girls.
"Dude," Rocky shook his head. "If there's one thing I learned from being friends with all those girls is this; whenever you see them laughing like that, it's best not to know."
"I couldn't agree with you more," Ethan said as he and Billy joined them while Trini went to the girls.
"Same here," Jason said as he and Joey joined as well. Zack, Trent and Adam, seeing the group split up, joined them as well.
"What are you guys talking about?" Zack asked as he came to a stop next to Jason.
"The girls," Rocky answered. "And how we should never ask questions when they laugh like that in a group."
"Oh, I hear you," Zack nodded. "Usually, you end up regretting asking about it."
"So," Joey said. "Any of those girls free?"
"You've been flirting with them since we came outside and you're just wondering if they're taken or not?" Ethan turned to him with a shocked look on his face.
"Hey!" Joey held up his hands. "I assumed most of them were considering how some of you were acting, but I wasn't really sure."
"All the girls, except for Kat, are taken," Trent answered.
"Really?" Joey's eyes slid over to Kat, lingering for a few seconds before looking back at the guys.
"What is that on your cheeks?" Jason teased. "Is that a blush?"
"She's cute," Joey shrugged; he wasn't above admitting that he had been attracted to the blonde the moment he saw her, but he wasn't sure if he could bring himself to pursue a relationship with her, considering he wasn't sure how his future was going to go.
"And single," Adam said with a smile. "You could go for it…unless you have someone else back home?"
"No," Joey shook his head, a flare of sadness grabbing hold of him for a split second. "No one."
"I'm sorry," Adam said when he noticed the sadness in Joey's eyes.
"It's ok," Joey shook his head. "I miss them, which is why I'm here; I can't let Nerian destroy everything you guys stand for…not like he did my world."
"Well I'm glad you're here," Jason said. "Otherwise I'm sure we would be fighting him without any knowledge about who he was and what he's capable of."
"I'll do anything to protect this world and stop Nerian," Joey looked at all of them.
"And so will we," Rocky said, looking more serious than the teens had ever seen him.
"Now that the serious, mood killing stuff is out of the way," Connor said in an effort to lighten things up. "I say we talk about Katherine and Joey."
"There's no Katherine and Joey," Joey protested. "I don't even know the girl."
"I agree with Connor," Billy said. "And that can change."
"Oh man," Joey groaned; unknown to the guys, the girls were having the same conversation with Kat.
…
"Come on Kat," Tanya looked at her friend. "He's cute; you admitted that yourself."
"I know he's cute," Kat said as she glanced at Joey before looking back at them. "But I don't even know the guy."
"So you get to know him, duh," Kim said. "How do you think people get together?"
"I don't remember you being like this," Kat looked at her friend.
"What can I say?" Kim shrugged with a half smile. "I finally have my guy back and we're going into the battle of our lives; who has time to start pussyfooting around? I say we have fun before, during and after this thing with Nerian."
"Oh my God," Kira laughed. "You sound like Connor; that is definitely something he would say."
"Who would say?" said guy said as he and the rest of the guys walked over to them.
"Kim just made a comment," Kira turned to her boyfriend. "And it sounded like something you would say."
"They say great minds think alike," Connor turned to wink at Kim.
"I don't think they meant yours," Ethan snorted.
"Are you calling me an idiot Ethan?" Kim narrowed her eyes at him, causing Joey and the original rangers to wince and shake their heads in sympathy.
"What?" Ethan's eyes widened while Connor held a hand to his mouth to try and hide his laughter. "No."
"Well that's what it sounds like," Kim said, the icy tone had Ethan flinching. "You're saying Connor's an idiot and since he said that great minds think alike and Kira said that my comment reminded her of him, then by calling him an idiot, you are in essence calling me one."
"I swear Kim," Ethan raised his hands in surrender. "I'm not calling you an idiot and I'm sorry for calling Connor one. Please, please, stop glaring at me."
"Ok," Kim smiled; her face suddenly transformed from the angry and menacing look back to her perky self.
"What?" Ethan turned shocked and confused eyes on her while the others laughed at him.
"I was only joking Ethan," Kim giggled. "I know you didn't mean anything by it."
"That was mean Kim," Ethan blushed.
"But it was so much fun," Connor laughed.
"Now I know I'm definitely standing by what Connor said on Friday," Trent said. "I am never, ever getting on your bad side."
"You'd do well to remember that," Kim smiled. She was going to say something else, but was interrupted by a loud beeping; all eyes turned to Hayley and Tommy.
"One of the others answered back," Tommy said to the unspoken question. "I'll go and talk to them; you guys can continue." With that, he headed into the house.
"Oh man," Connor bounced on his feet. "We get to meet the rest of the ranger legacy."
"You do know this isn't a social call?" Krista raised an eyebrow.
"I know that," Connor said. "But you have to admit that you're excited to meet more rangers as well."
"I am," Krista admitted with a smile. Trent threw an arm around her shoulders and squeezed her to him.
"I think we all are," Kira said as she leaned against Connor. "There's Dr. O."
They turned as one and watched as Tommy came out the house and walk over to them; Hayley got up off the step and followed him.
"What'd they say?" Adam asked.
"Carter and his team, along with the Space and Galaxy rangers, will be here in two days," Tommy said. "Ninja Storm re-confirmed that they'd be here tomorrow and the Wild Force and Time Force rangers will be here tomorrow as well."
"Good," Kim nodded as well as the others.
…
Later that night, Joey sat out on the front porch steps; the others were inside, watching TV, talking or eating. He sighed as he looked up into the sky, the stars winking back at him. Adam's question a few hours ago had caused him to remember his pain at the loss of his friends; people he had met when he was fifteen and had made him a part of their group.
"What are you looking for?" a voice asked behind him. He turned around and saw Kat leaning against the post.
"I'm not sure," he shrugged.
"Do you mind if I join you or do you want to be alone?" Kat asked; she had come out when she had noticed he was missing and Kim had given her the look, one that let her know that this was an opportunity she should use.
"Sit down," Joey gestured to the space next to him; despite his inner pain, he was a little nervous around the blonde.
"Thank you," Kat smiled as she sat down. "Are you sure you're ok?"
"Why would you ask that?" Joey turned to look at her, noticing that her blue eyes and blond hair were lighter than his own.
"Kimberly," Kat turned to look out into the trees. "She sensed that something was wrong with you."
"Really?" Joey raised an eyebrow; the Kimberly in this dimension was different from the one in his own dimension. His own Kim was not that empathetic to others' feelings; he suspected it was because of the betrayal that she had experienced and knew that if things had gone differently, then she would've been like the Kim that was inside right now.
"Yeah," Kat smiled. "She has this innate sense of knowing when someone needs somebody to talk to or the right words that a situation calls for."
"She sounds like something special," Joey said.
"She is," Kat said, her thoughts drifting towards her friend. "Were you close with the Kim of your dimension?"
Joey was quiet as he thought on Kat's question and whether or not he should answer it. After a few minutes of silence, he sighed and decided to answer her. "We were like siblings."
"If that's true," Kat turned back to look at him. "Then why have you been acting like that around Kim?"
"Like what?" Joey raised an eyebrow towards her; he knew what she was talking about, but he didn't think anyone had picked up on it.
"Like you can't be around her," Kat said. "Or it's too much to even talk to her; I saw you flinch when she touched your shoulder earlier."
"You see a lot of things," Joey remarked as he turned his gaze back to the sky.
"Only when it concerns my friends," Kat gave a soft smile. "Especially Kimberly."
"Understandable," Joey nodded; he was quiet once more before he decided to answer her question. In a soft voice, he spoke. "Kim was like my sister and when Nerian came, well, I lost everything; that's why I flinched when she touched me. Can you imagine seeing one of your best friends die in front of you only to move to another place and see someone that reminds you of said best friend? Can you imagine the pain that you would feel? Please, don't ask me anything else about it or my life back there." Joey felt his heart clench in pain as he remembered his friends; the only left was his cousin.
"I'm sorry," Kat said softly. "I can't say I understand what it feels like because I don't; I can't imagine ever experiencing that. I won't ask any more questions if it'll hurt you so much to think about them."
"Thank you," Joey said, sighing when the pain eased.
"I can go back inside if you want," Kat offered; she was silently berating herself for bringing up his pain and a part of her couldn't help but wonder if she would ever be able to have a chance with him. Kat couldn't stop the blush that spread across her face as she thought that. 'Why would I be thinking about that? Snap out of it girl; he's just here to help….though it would be nice…' Her eyes roamed over his body, taking in his hair which was darker than hers, the dimples that Kim had pointed out and the dark blue of his eyes that seemed as deep as the ocean, pulling her into its depths. Her blush heightened as she looked away quickly.
"No," Joey shook his head, a slight flush to his cheeks. "You don't have to leave." 'What is the matter with me? It's not like I've never been in the presence of a pretty girl before; so why is she affecting me like this?'
"Ok," Kat smiled at him and he felt his breath catch in his throat.
"Ok," he said after he cleared his throat. The two were quiet after that, enjoying the silence and each other's presence, completely oblivious to the petite brunette watching them with a smile on her face.
…
The next day found the others sitting around the house and the yard waiting for the others to show up; Hayley had gone back to her café and Tommy had called Elsa and Anton to let them know what was going on, and the two had promised to be there to offer any help that they may need. It was just a little after twelve when the first group started coming. Jason was sparring with Zack a few feet from the porch while Adam, Rocky and Connor were playing a little football when they heard a car coming up the road.
"Hey," Jason got out of his stance and motioned down the road to Zack. "We've got company."
"I wonder who they are," Zack said as the two walked over to where Adam and the other two were.
"I'll go get Dr. O," Connor said and he went inside. Five minutes later, the others came out the house at the same time the cars came to a stop in the drive; stepping out was the Ninja Storm and Wild Force rangers, including Wes and Eric.
"Hey guys," Tori said as she got out of the van; she walked over to Kira and gave her a hug.
"Hi Tori," Kira smiled as she returned the hug before pulling back. "Hi guys."
"What's up man?" Blake bumped fists with Connor, as Shane and Dustin did the same with Ethan and Trent.
"Hey man," Eric said as he walked over to Jason.
"Hey," Jason nodded.
"Circumstances suck," Wes said as he joined them. "But it's good to see you guys."
"Same here," Tommy smiled.
"So," Taylor said. "What's going on?"
"The message was so cryptic," Alyssa said.
"There's a reason for that," Kim said. "But before we do anything else, how about some introductions?"
"My name is Cole Evans," Cole spoke up. "And I was the red Wild Force ranger."
"Alyssa Enrilé-Evans," the girl next to Cole spoke. "I was the white Wild Force ranger."
"Danny Delgado," a Spanish guy spoke up next. "Black Wild Force ranger."
"Max Cooper," the guy standing next to Danny said. "I was the blue Wild Force ranger."
"Taylor Earhardt-Meyers," one of the blondes spoke up. "I was the yellow Wild Force ranger and I'm also Tori's older sister."
"Wesley Collins," Wes went next. "I was the red Time Force ranger."
"Eric Meyers," he was standing next to Jason. "I was the Quantum Time Force ranger."
"Nice to meet you guys," Kim smiled before turning to the Ninja Storm team. "And you?"
"Victoria Hanson," the girl in blue said. "I was the blue Ninja Storm ranger."
"Blake Bradley," the guy next to Tori said. "I was the navy Ninja Storm ranger."
"Hunter Bradley," a tall blond spoke. "I was the crimson Ninja Storm ranger."
"Cam Watanabe," a guy wearing glassed in green spoke up. "I was the green Samurai ranger."
"Shane Clark," the guy in red said. "I was the red Ninja Storm ranger."
"And I'm Dustin Brooks," the guy next to Shane spoke. "I was the yellow Ninja Storm ranger."
"Instead of going through one by one," Trini said. "Let one person do it."
"Jason should do it," Zack smiled.
"Alright fine," Jason laughed. "I'm Jason Lee Scott and these are Trini Kwan-Scott, Zack Taylor, Billy Cranston, Kimberly Hart, and Tommy Oliver; we were the first red, yellow, black, blue, pink, green and white rangers."
"I'm Aisha Campbell," Aisha spoke next. "And these are Rocky DeSantos, Adam Park, Katherine Hillard and Tanya Sloan-Park; we were the second and third generation of rangers. I was the yellow, Rocky the red, followed by blue, Adam was the black followed by green, Kat was the pink and Tanya replaced me as the next yellow ranger."
"You guys were the original rangers," Dustin looked at all of them.
"Yep," Zack nodded. "And out of all of us, Tommy here touched the most ranger colors and powers." At their slightly confused looks, Tommy clarified.
"I was the green and white Morphin' ranger," he said. "The white Ninja ranger, the red ZEO and TURBO ranger and the black Dino Thunder ranger."
"What about you guys?" Wes turned to Connor and the others.
"I'm Connor McKnight," Connor spoke up. "And these are Kira Ford, Ethan James and Trent Mercer; we were the red, yellow, blue and white Dino Thunder rangers."
"I'm Hayley Ziktor," Hayley said. "I was the tech advisor for the Dino team; and these are Krista and Angela, Trent and Ethan's girlfriends."
"Now that we have that out of the way," Eric said. "What the hell is going on?"
"I know you guys want to know," Joey said. "But it'll be better to wait until everyone else gets so we don't have to repeat the information."
"Who are you?" Wes asked.
"My name is Joey Petersen," Joey said. "I'm a power ranger."
"Which team are you from?" Cole asked.
"None from here," Joey said.
"Before we start asking questions," Kim interrupted them. "Joey's right; it's best to wait until the other teams get here."
"Which teams?" Danny asked.
"All of them," Billy answered. "We've already established contact with them and they shall be here tomorrow."
"It must be big if all the former ranger teams are going to be here," Shane said.
"It is," Tommy nodded. "As of now, all we can do is wait and try to enjoy ourselves for the time being."
"Sounds good," Wes nodded. The girls all joined together, talking to each other about their time as rangers and everything else; the newcomers threw questions out about Joey and the new foe, but was met with shakes of heads and no answers. It was the same with the guys.
Eric and the others were curious about Joey and his answer about not being a part of a ranger team there, they were reluctant to wait, but knew that they had no choice. A few hours later, the entire group made their way over to Hayley's café where they spent the rest of the afternoon relaxing.
The next day was a repeat of the day before; it was a little before twelve when the first group showed up. Just like yesterday, the others were sitting around outside when they heard the vehicle. Looking up, they saw what appeared to be a rescue car; when it pulled to a stop next to Tori's van, seven people stepped out. The LSR rangers had arrived.
"Tommy lives here?" the guy in red spoke.
"Yeah Carter," Tommy chuckled. "I do; glad to see you guys."
"Welcome," Jason said.
"Wow," a girl in yellow said as she looked around. "Are you far enough from civilization?
"Just enough so they won't disturb me," Tommy said. "I'm guessing your Kelsey?"
"Kelsey Winslow-Mitchell," she smiled. "At your service."
That prompted the others to make the rest introductions; when they were done, Carter turned to Tommy.
"What's going on?" he asked.
"Not yet," Tommy shook his head. "We have to wait for the others." No sooner had he spoke did they hear the arrival of the final teams. It was the sound of a spaceship and it had the NS and DT teens opening their eyes in awe. Sharing a look with each other, the rangers hurried to the backyard; they got their just in time to see a spaceship setting down.
"Whoa," Connor breathed.
A ramp fell from the spaceship and fourteen people walked out; they were the Space and Galaxy rangers. When they got close, Kim moved from the group and ran straight towards them; the space team laughed and moved away, while Andros opened his arms just in time to catch Kim.
"Hey Shorty," he smiled as he hugged her.
"Hey Andy," Kim replied back. She pulled back from the hug and turned to the rest. She hugged Ashley first and hugged the others, ending with Karone.
"So," Cassie said when Kim pulled back from her hug with Karone. "I take it you missed us?"
"You bet," Kim laughed as she walked over to her and looped their arms together. After the Forever Red mission, with the help of Billy, Kim had stayed in touch with the Space rangers, becoming close to them and gaining another big brother in Andros.
"So," Andros said. "What is going on?"
"Introductions first," Kim said. "And then, we get down to business."
"Sounds like a plan," Andros said. They walked over to where the others were and the group headed inside. When everyone had gotten comfortable, they got the introductions out of the way before talking about the real reason all the rangers were there. When Joey was finished, they looked at him in shock.
"So this Nerian guy came here to destroy us?" Leo Corbett said.
"Yes," Joey said. "He's looking for a power, one that he did not find on my world and I believe he will find it here, but I'm not sure."
"You'd think we'd get a break from these damn villains," Eric groused. "Why can't they learn from history and see that they always lose in the end?"
"Don't be so blasé about this guy Eric," Adam shook his head. "We fought some of his robots and we had a hard time destroying them. In fact, Joey here was the one that did it."
"How did you destroy them?" Tanya turned to look at him.
"They're called Kronobots," Joey said. "And to kill them, you have to decapitate them."
"Sounds easy," Wes said. "Almost too easy."
"You're right," Joey said. "It does sound easy, but it's not; these things are powerful and can defend themselves."
"Hate to be the bearer of bad news," Tori interrupted. "But, how can we fight this guy? We don't our powers anymore."
"I forgot about that," Zack groaned.
"Don't worry," Joey said. "I can help you there."
"How?" Max asked.
"In my world," Joey started. "And your world too, Zordon sacrificed himself to save the planet; when he died, his essence was felt all over the universe changing the villains back to good. The same thing happened in this world; but what you don't know is that not all of his essence went into the villains. The rest of it went into the ones he cared most about, the ones that was and would be part of his legacy."
"What are you talking about?" Dustin asked. Before Joey could answer, Kim did.
"He's talking about us," Kim looked over at him. "Aren't you?"
"Yes," Joey nodded. "When Zordon's wave went out, it went into all his power rangers; it's laying dormant inside of you and it's the way to get your powers back."
"How?" Hayley asked.
"Because I know how to do it," Joey said. "When my Zordon died, his piece of essence in me gave me the ability to find his marked rangers; before he died, he told me about it and how to use it. Since your Zordon did something similar in this world, I can see that almost all of you are marked as rangers and I can help you reawaken your powers."
The silence that came in the room was not deafening by any means, but it was loud. The rangers stared at Joey in shock and awe; said guy held their gazes, though a part of him felt like cowering away.
"When will you be able to do it?" Kim asked. "Or will you need some time to prepare?"
"No I don't need time to prepare," Joey shook his head. "I know what to do; now is as good a time as any."
"So who will go first?" Connor asked; he was sitting in front of the couch, Kim sitting on the couch above with Kira leaning into him. Kim's hand was running through his hair absently.
"Since you guys just lost your powers," Joey said. "It will be easier to do you first."
The DT teens all looked at each before looking back at Joey; Connor was the first to move. Kim's hand tightened in his hair for a split second before she smoothed his hair once more and then letting him go. He moved to his feet, his teammates following him.
"I'm not sure if this'll work," he said. "But if it's the only way to stop Nerian from destroying our world, then I'm all for it; I'm a power ranger, and being a ranger means taking risks to protect your home and the ones you love." He turned to look at Kira before throwing a glance back at Kim; when she smiled at him before nodding, he turned back to Joey. "What do we have to do?"
"Your powers came from the Dino gems, right?" Joey asked; when they nodded, he continued. "Close your eyes and focus on where your powers used to lie…focus on what made you decide to be rangers in the first place…focus on the love you have for your friends, then focus just beyond that."
"I feel something," Kira whispered. "It's like a warm blanket…it feels like protection."
"I feel that too," Connor said; Trent and Ethan agreeing after.
"That's the piece of essence that Zordon passed on to you," Joey said. "Now, see your Dino gems in your mind and call them to you; Zordon's energy in you will bring them forward."
"I suggest those in front of the kitchen door to move," Tommy said. "The gems are down in the basement."
Heeding his words, the rangers (which happened to the some of the Wild Force and Ninja Storm team) moved; just as soon as they had, five Dino gems came flying through the air and another came through the open window in the kitchen. Tommy and the others let out shocked gasps when two of the Dino gems came to rest in front of Krista and Angela, Ethan's girlfriend.
Krista and Angela stared at the two gems in shock before looking back at their former teacher.
"Dr.O?" Krista's voice wavered slightly. "Why did they stop in front of us?"
"I don't know Krista," Tommy shook his head. "But I think they were meant to."
"So what do we do?" Angela asked.
"You stand with your teammates," Jason said.
"But," Krista looked around the room. "I don't think we have what it takes to be rangers."
"The gems never would've stopped in front of you if there wasn't something in you that called to them," Cam said. "Just trust your instincts; what are they telling you?"
"To take them," Angela whispered. The two girls shared a look before moving to stand next to the other teens; when they did, Joey nodded and continued.
"Focus on the gems," Joey said. "There's a power radiating from them, focus on that and then focus on the place where Zordon's energy rests; when you feel the two, the warm the blanket of protection that you felt, push it towards the gems and allow it to fuel them. Let your instincts guide you."
The whole room was quiet as they watched the six teens do as they were told; they watched as they gems hovered in front of them, glowing brighter by the second before the gem shot into the teens making them glow in the colors. The others shielded their eyes until the light from the colors died down; when they did, it was to find the six teens in the DT suits.
"Wow," Hunter said as he looked them over; the others in the room echoing his sentiment.
The suits were different to what they originally looked like; now they looked more like they did when the rangers go into their Super Dino Mode.
Connor was the first to unclip his helmet followed by Kira then Ethan and Trent.
"Wow," Connor said as he looked down at himself. "This is…"
"I agree," Kira said as she looked herself over as well. "Ethan, Trent, what do you guys think?" when they said nothing, Connor and Kira turned to them only to look on in shock at Krista and Angela in the pink and black DT suits respectively.
"How the hell did that happen?" Connor asked as he looked at his newest teammates.
"We don't know," Angela said. "We were just sitting there and then the gems came flying up here and two of them are floating in front of us."
"So…" Krista looked at them. "I guess we're power rangers now."
"I guess so," Trent said. "Dr. O, what are they?"
"Well," Tommy said. "Angela has the black gem which means she has the powers of invisibility and the command of the Brachiosaur and the Brachio staff and based on the designs on Krista's suit, I'd say she is the Pink Stegosaurus; as for her powers, I think they might be along the lines of a protective shield."
"How do you guys feel?" Maya, from the Galaxy team asked.
"More powerful," Ethan said. "It's like our powers have tripled."
"In a way they have," Joey said. "When your powers get reawakened, they will be stronger than they were due to the fact that you now have Zordon's essence in you."
"Ok," Connor said. "As fascinating as all this is, what about morphers? How are we going to morph without them?"
"I think that between the tech advisors for each team," Billy said. "We can have morphers ready in a few days."
"That sounds good," Eric said, the others agreeing with him.
"Are the rest of you ready for this?" Joey asked.
"Sure," Wes nodded. "Let's do this; the sooner we get it done, the more prepared we can be."
And so, the rest of the day was spend with the rangers reawakening their powers; when Joey got down to the original rangers, it was already sunset. Justin had gotten an upgraded version of his TURBO powers and to their surprise, so had Kat and Tanya. Jason, Trini and Zack had their original powers back and Kim, Tommy, Billy, Adam, Aisha and Rocky were the final ones. However, to the shock of the entire room, nothing happened with them.
"Why isn't it working?" Trini asked.
"It should," Joey muttered.
"Why didn't we get our powers back?" Rocky asked.
"Because red Ape," a voice said. "Your powers are already back."
The entire room turned to the voice, only to look at the speaker in shock; the six looked at each other before exclaiming one word together;
"Dulcea!"
"Hello my rangers," Dulcea smiled at them. She walked to the middle of the room where she was grabbed into a hug by the six former ninjetti. "It is so good to see you."
"Not that we aren't glad to see you," Adam said. "But why are you here Dulcea?"
"Yeah," Aisha said. "I thought you couldn't leave the Plateau."
"I couldn't," Dulcea answered. "At least, not until Zordon died; his waved touched me as well, but I decided to stay on Phaedos to guard the temple."
"Not to be rude," Taylor said. "But could you guys please explain who Dulcea is, what Phaedos is and why she's here."
"Sorry," Kim smiled. "Dulcea is the one who helped us find our ninjetti powers; she helped us find our spirit animals."
"Phaedos is the planet that Dulcea resides on," Billy said.
"I am here because I sensed a disturbance in the universe," Dulcea said to the rangers. "I sensed the arrival of a very evil and powerful ancient being and I knew that you would need my help."
"His name is Nerian," Joey said. "And he's not from this world; he's trying to find a power, one that will make him invincible and he wants to destroy the rangers in the process."
"Nerian?" Dulcea raised an eyebrow.
"You've heard of him?" Kira asked.
"I cannot say I have," Dulcea shook her head. "But I do know what power he is after." She turned to the ninjetti. "It is one that is rightfully yours and will be immensely helpful to you if you acquire them."
"Oh man," Adam groaned. "Don't tell me we have to go on another quest?"
"Yes my little prince," Dulcea chuckled. "You have to go on another quest."
"Yes!" Rocky pumped his fist in the air. "So awesome!"
"You haven't changed at all my Ape," Dulcea laughed.
"When do we go on this quest?" Tommy asked.
"I will return for you in three days time," Dulcea said. "It has been great seeing you my rangers; it has been great seeing all of you. Zordon would be proud." She was hugged once more before she disappeared in a swirl of green lights.
"So that was Dulcea," Kat said.
"Yeah," Adam nodded.
"Three days," Billy said. "I think we should get started on the morphers before Dulcea returns and before Nerian makes his move."
"Good idea," Andros nodded; and with that he and the other tech advisors moved to the basement leaving the others in the living room and kitchen area.
Kim got up from her seat and moved to the window, her arms wrapped around her waist. Tommy looked at her before getting up and walking over to her, wrapping his arms around her.
"Are you ok Beautiful?" Tommy asked.
"Yeah," Kim leaned back against him. "Just wondering what this quest is going to be like."
"Hopefully," Tommy said. "It'll be just like last time…minus the Tengas and the dinosaurs coming back to life."
"And the rock warriors," Kim laughed. "Don't forget those."
"How could I?" Tommy grunted.
"I don't like this," Joey said, making the others turn to him.
"What?" Cole asked. "What don't you like about what?"
"Them leaving," Joey gestured to the ninjetti rangers. "We should all be together if we want to destroy Nerian."
"But going on this quest will help us," Aisha said. "The powers that we will get will help us against him; they will be more powerful than any power we've ever touched."
"Who's to say that this is the dimension the power was on?" Joey asked. "What if you don't find this power? Then what? You went off on this foolish quest while the rest of us are left here to fight."
"Excuse me?" Kim pulled away from Tommy and walked over to him. "Are you implying that Dulcea is lying or that you think we're not strong enough to gain this power?"
"Kimberly—
"Don't Kimberly me!" Kim cut him off. "Weren't you the one that said you believed that the power that Nerian is looking for is here? What makes you think that we couldn't handle it?"
"That's not what I'm getting at," Joey said. "I know Nerian and I know that he will stop at nothing to get what he wants; and that is the destruction of the rangers."
"Just because you know Nerian doesn't mean you know us," Kim said. "Or Dulcea; I trust her and I believe her when she said that the power was on this universe. I know that you had fought Nerian before but you're not in your world anymore, you're in ours. Your own words said that our rangers were stronger than yours."
"Yes but that doesn't mean anything," Joey said. "I know Nerian and these powers might not even be enough to stop him."
"It sounds to me like you don't believe that we can do this," Kim crossed her arms over her chest.
"That's not it at all!" Joey said; he couldn't tell her the real reason he didn't want her to go on the quest.
"That what is it?" Kim asked. "We are rangers and this is what we do; Connor was right when he said that being rangers meant having to take risks to protect our home and the ones we love. And that is what we're going to do."
"Just listen to me," Joey said; by now, their voices had gathered everyone else.
"I won't listen when it seems like you're trying to prevent us from doing this," Kim glared at him, her eyes suddenly shifting from red to brown causing the others to step back and Tommy to step forward.
"I just—
"You just nothing," Kim hissed. "We're going on this quest, we're going to get the powers and then we're going to defeat Nerian. I don't care if you think it's a bad idea because it is not your choice and I would appreciate if you kept your doubts and fears to yourself and stop being a fucking hypocrite!"
Her eyes glowed red before she whirled around and headed to the front door; when she got there, the door opened and the moment she stepped through, it slammed shut behind her rattling the pictures on the wall and the windows.
"What the hell just happened?" Hayley asked as she and the others stood at the kitchen entrance to the basement.
"That's what I'd like to know," Tommy turned to Joey as did the others.
A/N 2: ok, things are definitely moving along; all the former rangers have shown up and now they know what's going on. And, Joey has helped them regain their powers. Someone thought the old friend was Ninjor or the Masked Rider; I bet you're laughing at yourself now. *smiles*
A/N 3: why is Joey so adamant against Kim and the others not going on the quest? Why does he start to have doubts? And he got Kim angry; *winces* bad move Joey. Next chapter, the others will find out the real reason he reacted the way he did and Nerian's Kronobots make another appearance. How will the rangers fare against them with their new upgraded powers? Stay tuned to find out….