A/N: Great job AKA99 for the correct answer. Parker's Magical Keywords are from Tensou Sentai Goseiger. The reasoning behind this will come much later. Let's just say it has a little bit to do with Megaforce and some background information about a few key individuals.

Also, I'm uploading early because I won't have this borrowed computer this weekend.

Soundtracks for this chapter: (3)(5)


"You can't change the world alone - you will need some help..." - William McRaven


"I can't do this, I can't fight him!" Sage cries out.

"I'm not falling, not now, not ever!" Erica screams at the top of her lungs.

"Don't give up on him!" Ren scolds to someone wrapped in darkness. "He needs you!"

"Because he's my best friend!" Tony yells in fury, tears rushing down his cheeks.

~Flash~

Parker darted into an upright position, gasping for air. He checked his bedside clock to see that it was 3 AM. His heart was pounding and a thin film of sweat caked his forehead.

"What was that?" He asked himself. The boy walked into the bathroom of his apartment and splashed some cold water on his face. "Should I tell them?" He looked out the small window and contemplated these dreams as he observed the early morning sky. "No… not yet."

~Up in Space~

"Wayland, I bring good news," Karprex informed his Prince as he entered the bridge. A grin spread on the boy's face as he replied, "What's up?"

Kortan quickly intervened, "Sire, I do not believe it is wise to use Earth's way of language."

"I'll decide that for myself, Kortan. Anyways, Karprex, you were saying?"

The mysterious warrior walked across the bridge to stare out the front windows to view the Earth. "I've mobilized many Hollows. One is working as we speak."

"That's excellent. We'll focus our efforts on supporting them when they choose to reveal themselves."

"As you wish, sir."

~Meanwhile~

It was nighttime in Arcadia Hills, and the more peaceful parts of the city was finally settling down. A young man of about 20 years of age was jogging in a park. He stopped at a bench to take a short break when he heard something; sweeping his red hair out of his eyes, he shifted his gaze, trying to find the source. He turned a corner and gasped; a large black koi fish the size of a truck flopped lazily in front of him.

He gasped in shock and tried to scream, but his voice was caught in his throat. He rubbed his eyes, trying to convince himself he was hallucinating. However, when he looked back up, the fish was gone.

"Boo!" Came a creepy, old voice behind him. The young man turned and let out a yelp of surprise.

An old man wearing a brown trench coat and a black fisherman's cap stood in front of him with a jovial smile. "I bet I got you on that one!" He informed.

"Who're you?" The red-headed man asked.

"Not important," The old man replied as he began to emanate a dark aura. Faster than one would be able to detect, the old man pounced on his target. His eyes glowed bright yellow and his canines grew into fangs. No one heard the young man scream as the old man bit into his neck.

~Cue Opening, Still not online. Sorry~

~The Next Day~

The Rangers had finally returned from their class trip and had just taken their last finals of the year. Ren and Parker, being in the same final together, finished up and walked over to the local teen hangout place called, "Chip's."

Chip's was a essentially youth center where teens would hang out, study, have some food, exercise, etc. There were a multitude of activities one could do.

Ren and Parker sat at a booth sharing a plate of fries and vented about their final.

"What'd you say for the open ended question?" Parker asked.

Ren sucked in air in uncertainty. "I mentioned the social laziness factor."

"I knew it!" Parker facepalmed himself in irritation when Sage, Erica, and Tony arrived.

"Did you guys hear what happened last night?" Erica asked quietly.

"No, what?" Ren replied.

The three sat down and Sage explained, "They found a college guy in Elm Ridge Park this morning. He's comatose."

"Comatose? How?" Parker asked.

"That's the thing," Erica said, "he was in perfect health, but he just dropped down. Get this: they found bite marks all over his body, but no blood was drawn."

"That's creepy," Ren commented pushing her fries away in disdain. "You think the Erebians are behind this?"

Tony shrugged his shoulders. "I think we should keep our eyes open and just-"

"Hey, guys. Can I get you something?" The five turned to see the owner of the establishment, Alan. Alan had deep blue eyes and wavy dirty blonde hair. His youthful face was sprouted with slight facial hair on the chin while his mouth flashed a friendly grin. Alan wore a dark green shirt with an apron. Holding his notepad, he asked the three newcomers if they wanted anything.

"Coming right up!" He replied turning and walking away.

"We've got to be careful when talk," Tony told his team. "We don't know who could be listening."

Sage asked, "Aren't you being a tad bit paranoid?"

"You never know."

Parker said, "At any rate, we've got to find Kaldur's student. He said we'd find him near us."

"It could be anyone." Erica pointed out. Suddenly, the five Energems began to blink; a Hollow was nearby.

"Let's go." Tony nodded. The Five rose up and ran out of Chip's as Alan intently watched them leave.

~A Few Streets Away~

"Humans are so emotional, so illogical! Their darkness is delicious!" The Old Man from the night before danced around sending blasts of dark energy in all directions.

"Stop!" Tony called out as he and his team lined up in a row.

"Ah, so you're the Rangers. You're younglings!" The Old man laughed and spun in a circle. "Boo! Did I scare you?"

"Is he…" Sage trailed off and made the cuckoo hand gesture with his finger.

The strange being answered, "I assure you I'm completely sane! I'm just…" He snapped his fingers and became engulfed in darkness. The dark clouds faded away to reveal a Hollow. "...different." This Hollow wore fish scale-like armor with a lure light hanging off his head.

"I am Angler, a Hollow of darkness. And you kids are fishbait."

"Punny." Parker muttered.

Tony summoned his Power Star. "You guys ready?"

"Ready!"

"Skyward Force, Ascend!"

~Morphing Sequence~

"Let's take him." Tony instructed, wielding his sword with a backhanded style.

"Maligs, attack!"

Tony slashed through a few Maligs first, then jumped into the air with a back flip. He untucked midair and threw a few energy shuriken down below him, making small explosions to take out more Foot Soldiers.

Parker flipped onto a car and swiped at any Malig that got too close. He side flipped over a few before spinning, slashing surrounding attackers to shreds.

Ren rolled under a few swords and counterattacked with a few slashes of her own. She kicked a Malig's arm away before cutting its back. She then let a few shuriken fly, destroying a few more targets.

Sage launched a yellow cable at a nearby building and scaled his way to the top. Maligs followed him with powerful jumps. When they landed on the ceiling, they noticed small spikes waiting below them. These spikes looked similar to that of children's Jacks, however these were more dangerous. Sage snapped his fingers and the spikes burst under the Maligs, destroying them.

Erica ran across a wall, parrying every blade that came at her. She jumped off the wall and spun in the air like an ice skater, landed gracefully, and disarmed a whole group of Maligs before destroying them.

"Alright, you fish-thing," Tony pointed his sword forward. "Your time's up."

"Is it now?" Angler jumped into the air and literally dove into the ground like how a fish would flop into water. A dark shadow moved across the cement and stopped behind the Red Ranger. Angler burst from below and slashed Tony's back, sending him flying.

"Tony!" Sage called out. He front flipped forward and swung his sword, but Angler dove back into the ground.

"He's gone again…" Sage whispered to himself.

Suddenly, Erica called, "Sage! Look out!" It was too late. Angler was already on top of Sage, slamming his huge, armored fists into the boy's sides.

"Enough!" Ren growled jumping in. She kicked the Hollow off of Sage and swung her sword. Laughing, Angler caught the blade and threw her into Parker with large force.

"You kids are nothing!" Angler taunted as he continued to toss the Rangers around with relative ease.

"Skyward Slash!" Tony and Sage called out, jumping into the air with their swords.

"Not on your life!" Angler threw his arms out and launched a barrage of fish scales from his palms. The scales collided with the two Rangers and knocked them out of the air. Parker, Erica, and Ren stood in front of the two to protect them and help them to their feet.

"Have another!" The Hollow stomped the ground and released a large wave of water that swept the Rangers up. Struggling against the current, the five tried their hardest to fight back but were eventually overpowered. They all smacked into a building wall and demorphed with a swirl of lights.

"That was a nice playtime, Rangers. It's over."

Before Angler could make another move, an invisible force wave smacked him off his feet. Standing a little ways away was Alan. His left hand was outstretched and his eyes were sharpened with a look of determination. He snapped his fingers and thrust his left hand forward once more, sending another wave of energy. The energy struck the Hollow and forced him into a bench.

Suddenly, Angler began to fade like a ghost; small wisps of black smoke began to leak from his body. "My darkness is fading… I have to rest up." With that, Angler dove into the ground and retreated.

Alan sighed and helped the Rangers up. "You guys alright?"

"How'd you do that?" Erica asked.

"It's complicated," Alan replied.

"Wait…" Sage walked forward. "Are you-"

"This isn't the best place to talk. Follow me."

~Chip's~

Alan led the Five into a backroom behind the kitchen area of Chip's. Walking up to an old, green locker behind a few shelves, the young man pressed his hand to the door. A clicking sound filled the room, along with a series of tumbling locks, and the wall next to the locker opened up, leading underground. Curiously, the Rangers followed Alan down the descending steps.

When they got to the bottom, lights filled their vision and revealed a base of operations. The main room was spacious and appeared to be empty. It was circular, and had a circle of glowing silver tiles at the center, forming a mini arena of sorts. Different doors led to many different areas that were yet to be explored.

"Where are we?" Ren asked stepping onto the glowing floor. When she did, the floor came alive and projected hundreds of holograms into the air above her. These holograms were rectangular and depicted the Skyward Rangers fighting in the few battles they had up to that point.

"I just call this place 'The Cave.' Nothing too fancy." Alan explained.

"So you're Kaldur's student?" Parker asked, "You were taught how to use Heart Energy."

"I was."

"Then you're gonna guide us?"

Alan looked away and shook his head. "No."

"Wait, what?" Ren asked. "You take us down to a base just to say 'no?' Why?"

"I have my reasons… Look, feel free to use my base to train, but I can't be a part of this war."

Tony tried to convince the man, "But we-"

"I said no, okay?!" Turning away from them, Alan walked deeper into the base, leaving the Teens in silence.

~A little later~

"Well that went well," Sage sarcastically commented as he and the Rangers walked down a street together. "What now?"

"I don't know, Sage." Tony shook his head. "It's getting late, maybe we should all head our separate ways."

"See you, guys." Ren and Erica waved, walking in one direction.

"Catch ya later." Sage replied, he and Tony walking in another.

Deciding not to go home yet, Parker decided to pay his Grandfather visit.

~Parker~

(3)"You here, Grandpa?" Parker called out, entering the mansion. The winding halls were empty, and his voice echoed down the corridors. "Grandpa?"

Walking out into the Zen Garden, Parker found a note posted onto his meditation stone.

"Parker,

I have taught you all I could about our family's Ninjutsu.

Now, there is something I must do, something I must find.

When darkness falls, you must be able to find the light.

- Grandfather."

"Awesome…" Parker muttered in disappointment. He looked into the sky and sighed, "I really need you this time…" Sitting down on his large meditation stone, he closed his eyes and freed his mind.

~Sage, A Forest~

Behind Sage's house was an entrance to a large forested area. Despite the warning of his parents, Sage would use its uneven trails to ride his BMX bike. He zipped through the trees, weaving around loose branches and jagged rocks, trying to figure out a way to take his mind off of Angler.

~Erica and Ren, Gymnastics Studio~

Ren balanced herself on the Gymnastics Beam and proceeded to rotate and cartwheel on them. In the middle of a back handspring, her mind flashed itself to when Angler threw her overhead. She lost her composure and almost fell, but she willed her balance back to a sufficient amount and back flipped off the beam. She rested her hands on her knees, trying to catch her breath. All the the while, Erica sat against a wall, drawing in a sketch pad.

~Tony, His Bedroom~

Tony's bedroom was a medium sized space. It was rather simple and the walls were covered with posters of novels-turned movies. His desk was littered with now useless school supplies and a Newton's Cradle.

Tony sat in his bed reading another one of his novels. Despite it being one of his favorites, he couldn't help but remember the battle with Angler. In frustration, he threw his book across the room and hit the opposite wall next to his desk. The resulting vibration caused his desk to shake, making his Newton's Cradle go off. Seeing the balls in the middle be smacked around by the outer ones gave him an idea.

~Everyone at the same time~

Despite everyone's efforts to forget about their defeat, they were given a grim reminder with the blinking of their Energems. (3)

~Alan~

Finally cooled off from his unnecessary outburst, Alan walked into the main room of the Cave and found a flashdrive device. A note from Parker was attached to it, telling him that the Rangers had to deliver it.

Pressing a button on the side of the device, it connected to the Hologram Floor and projected an image of Kaldur.

"Alan, I was hoping to give this to you personally…" The sound of an explosion and alarms going off made Kaldur cringe. "But it is tragically clear that that will not be the case. I'm begging you as a friend; please take my place and guide the Universe's Protectors."

"You're wasting your time." Alan whispered, despite knowing the Hologram couldn't hear him. Suddenly, more Hologram Screens projected near him, showing the Rangers engaging and destroying a group of Maligs unmorphed.

Kaldur pressed, "These Protectors are the Universe's last hope. They do not know this… but…"

~With the Rangers, Kaldur Voice-Over~

(5)Tony kicked a few Maligs away from him and rolled over Sage's back to deliver another few strikes.

"I had a vision weeks before my arrival on Earth. I did not inform them that I already knew who they were the moment they found me."

Erica and Parker stood back to back parrying attacks coming in from all directions. "Expand!" Parker commanded, creating shields of water.

"I knew of my ultimate demise and did everything I could to help those young ones. It is your turn." At this, Alan looked away and shut his eyes in strain.

Meanwhile, Ren aggressively fought through numerous of Maligs, striking them down with ferocity.

~The Cave~

"Your hesitation is natural… but the past is the past. I know you didn't mean to lose him, but you must accept the fact that these things happen. Look at them." Kaldur's Hologram pointed at the screens, as if he were aware of everything going on around him. Alan opened his eyes and studied the Rangers, who fought against Angler with determination and teamwork.

"They will not accept defeat, no matter how many times they fall."

~The Battle~

"Ready?!"

"Ready!"

"Skyward Force: Ascend!" Their swords burst into lights and flew downward, collecting at their feet.

Each Ranger, from the feet up, became enveloped by a large energy incarnation of their Power Star. It moved up their bodies, forming their Ranger suits as it went along. Now morphed up, the Rangers summoned their swords.

"Heart of Courage: Skyward Red!"

"Heart of Balance: Skyward Blue!"

"Heart of Strength: Skyward Pink!"

"Heart of Hope: Skyward Yellow!"

"Heart of Faith: Skyward White!"

"Hearts of Light, Shine On! Power Rangers: Skyward Force!"

"Cute show." Angler teased maliciously. "No matter what, it'll end the same way."

"We'll see about that!" Tony replied. "Guys I have an idea." The boy quickly relayed his thoughts to his friends in a quick and understandable fashion.

"Sounds like a plan." Ren nodded at Tony.

"Ready?" Tony raised his sword. "Go!"

Parker folded his right hand into the Confrontation Seal and pointed down to cast smoke in the air. Immediately, five ninja streaks zipped in different directions and danced around Angler to confuse him. Energy shuriken flew from all around, striking the Hollow when he least expected it.

"Where are you?!" He demanded. He jumped into the air to dive into the ground.

"Now!" The Rangers spun their Power Stars and slashed him before he could descend. The Five wound up above him and spun their Stars once more.

"Quintuple Fury!" Together, they and ran the Hollow through with their Blades, destroying him.

"Got him!" Sage cheered, throwing his hands in the air. (5)

~Alan~

Kaldur nodded and continued, "They show potential, and you are the only one who can mold that potential."

~The Battle~

The Rangers' worries seemed to fade with the fall of Angler, until a large stream of smoke rose from the ground and collided with the spot where he exploded. In seconds, a skyscraper sized Angler began to stomp at them. The Five streaked away to avoid danger.

"Now what?!" Sage asked. "This gargantuan's gonna crush us!"

Parker warned, "Look out!"

~Alan~

"Alan, please. Remember your word to Ranger Red's Uncle."

Alan looked up in realization. "Wait, you're saying he…"

"Yes."

"And his friends…"

"They are… You're the real reason why they can fight. Do you remember?"

"I do now… But I-"

"You were trained, prepared, and now you are spiritually ready. The whole Universe is counting on you… Now all you have to do is have faith in yourself." With that, Kaldur's hologram faded away. Taking a moment, Alan thought it over strenuously. Coming to a decision, he sprinted into another room, a lab-like area, and grabbed a five Power Stars.

~The Battle~

"Any other ideas? I'm open to suggestions!" Tony called to his friends as they avoided another attack from Angler who laughed in joy.

"What's wrong, Rangers? Nervous?"

"As if!" Ren called back. Another stomp came at them and missed, but the force knocked the Five onto their backs.

"Rangers!" Alan called sprinting to the scene.

"Alan!" Erica sighed in relief.

"Take these!" He threw the Teens Power Stars that depicted a strange robotic face. "Summon your Skyward Zords!"

"Right!" They replied loading the Zord Stars into their Swords. They pressed the yellow button on their blades and spun the Stars. Five lights appeared in the sky and their Zords dropped down from them.

"Skyward Striker Zord!"

"Skyward Drago Zord!"

"Skyward Speeder Zord!"

"Skyward Wheeler Zord!"

"Skyward Wolf Zord!"

The Rangers jumped into their individual cockpits, which were silver and gold, and placed their swords into golden podiums. They each placed a palm on the bottom of their Sword's hilt to steer the Zord. When they touched their Sword Hilts, the five became flushed with knowledge on how to use their Zords, and memories of previous Earth Rangers using their own respective Zords. Just as it had happened with their first Morph, seeing their predecessors fight filled them with confidence.

Tony pushed his sword forward, causing the Striker to jump into the air and drop kick Angler in the chest. Parker's Drago came around and struck the Hollow's back with its wing.

"Curse you!" Angler launched multiple scales from his hands and struck Sage's Zord.

The Wolf Zord jumped over the Wheeler and bit the Hollow's arm. "Mangy mutt!"

Erica screamed in a panic as her Zord was tossed into the air. Luckily, Drago caught Wolf with its claws.

"Thanks, Park."

"Don't mention it."

Ren sped her Zord through the air, as it created train tracks made of energy, and collided with Angler.

"Coming through!" She yelled bashing into the Hollow over and over. "Sage, go for it!"

"Right!" Sage's Wheeler launched ninja spikes from its back, to which Angler stepped on. When he made contact, the Hollow was met by huge explosions.

"Tony, take him out now!"

"Got it!" Tony took the sword out of his podium and spun his Power Star. "Skyward Twister Kick!" Striker jumped high into the air and spun at a rapid speed. It came down like a drill and struck right through the Hollow, destroying him once and for all.

"Darkness: Purified."

~The Cave~

"Thanks for the Zords, Alan." Erica thanked. "They were amazing!" The six walked into the Cave after the battle for debriefing.

"Don't mention it." Alan replied.

"Why the change of mind?" Tony asked.

"It was more like a change of heart… I want to help you guys in this war. I'll train you and teach you what I know. I also try to build new weapons for you as we go along."

"Awesome!" Sage commented with a smile.

"But… admittedly, I'm not the best at being a 'wise old sage,' it's just a forewarning."

"No biggy." Ren shook her head.

"Cool. I'll see you guys here tomorrow afternoon for your first training session."

The Five nodded and exchanged glances; the battle was truly beginning. In excitement, the Five left the Cave to get some rest. Alan sighed and opened up a single hologram screen.
"I'll do my best to help them… To help your nephew and his friends, Tommy…" Hovering before Alan was a picture of Tommy Oliver, Tony's Uncle, who had mysteriously disappeared… "Maybe I can find some answers of my own if I help these kids…"


Next Time: Alan teaches the Rangers how to channel Heart Energy into Ninja Techniques! Tony, uncharacteristically, has trouble making the connection. After snapping at Parker, the Red Ranger goes off on his own. When Sage is put into danger, will Tony find the strength from within to pull off using Ninjutsu? Find out next week!

Epic 4: Moxie Man

Just a side note: Comatose Victims of Hollow attacks wake up after the Hollow is destroyed. They can only wake up if the Hollow is destroyed.