A/N: Welcome to the main event of the Project Phoenix series. As a disclaimer, this series is inspired by Kctimes2's The Adoption (one of the best stories I've ever read here). Before reading this, you should read The Crane's Destructive Path and its accompanying one shot, Granted Wishes.

A/N 2: This is the story of when Jayden leads Rangers old and new into a fight for Earth's survival...with his corrupted mother. This chapter includes Jayden's quest in full.

Also, Lauren gathers together the Samurai Rangers for the biggest fight of their lives, and various Ranger leaders do the same for their teams. Warning: Character death involved here which will allow for Flammia's invasion. Yes this is a long chapter. Lot of material.

A/N 3: Couples featured are Jayden/Mia, Memily, Lantonio, Jason/Kat, Adam/Tanya and a slew of other old-school pairings. You'll have to read on to see if there is Tommy/Kim at the end...hehe.

A/N 4: Usual disclaimer. Power Rangers doesn't belong to me. Chapter title is derived from the Johnny Cash song of the very same name.

Chapter 11: Ring of Fire Part II

August 28, 2012

The Island of Illusions

Jayden tried not to show he was nervous, tried to give out the facade that he could take on the world, but he wasn't a very good liar.

In truth, the butterflies were growing in the pit of his stomach.

Sure, it helped in a way that he didn't have the excess baggage that some of his aunts and uncles had when they first came here. His uncle Zack's perpetual fear of spiders was patently ridiculous.

And his parents, he could only imagine the baggage they came here with. Kim had family issues even though they were not used against her here, and Tommy had to fight the specter of almost destroying his friends.

Still, he did have his fears and insecurities and here he would either take his first step towards immortality...

or vanish forever, never to be seen again, potential utterly wasted.

The good news was that he had one ace up his sleeve that the others didn't have. And he was going to use it.

No, he didn't have any physical powers. Those wouldn't work in this dimension.

But he still had the Phoenix, with all its wisdom and guidance. He just hoped that would be enough.

He didn't have much longer to wait, as he continued down a dirt path, the same dirt path his parents, aunts and uncles had taken a number of years earlier.

He suddenly stopped as he rounded a corner. There, standing right in front of him were two Nighloks, one half and one full, that he thought he'd never see again.

The first one was all too familiar to him. There, with Urumasa in hand, was his measuring stick...the one that just wouldn't seem to die already.

Deker.

The other Nighlok, the full Nighlok, was no picnic either.

Robtish. The Nighlok who had thrown him around like a rag doll the last time the two faced each other.

Jayden remembered him from the time he left the Shiba house the FIRST time; that time he'd done it in the middle of the night. It was then he learned that he needed his teammates as much as they needed him.

"Hello, Red Ranger," Deker hissed, as he pulled Urumasa out. "It seems that you and I cross paths again."

Jayden didn't budge though. He knew better.

"You aren't alive. You're not real and I'm not going to waste my time with you two," Jayden snapped. "Now if you'll get out of my way I've got goals to accomplish."

"If you don't prepare to fight then you won't get your goals accomplished," Deker retorted. With that, Deker and Robtish started toward Jayden with menacing looks in their eyes.

Still, Jayden stood strong. Sure enough, right as Deker and Robtish neared Jayden, preparing to strike, the two Nighloks suddenly vanished into thin air.

Jayden breathed a sigh of relief, then scoffed. Was this supposed to be a real test?

"Rita, if you're listening, that was terrible," Jayden said as he looked to the sky. "That was low hanging fruit and too easy. Come on, I know you can do better than that."

Rita's face suddenly appeared in the sky again...and she was not a happy camper though Jayden was sure her good half was smiling right now.

"Oh you've got a big mouth all right," Rita said. "But I shouldn't be surprised, that does run in your stupid family after all. Taking after your cocky father and smart-ass mother I see."

"You're damn right I have a big mouth," Jayden said. "And I don't think you'll shut it up. But at least do better than Deker and Robtish."

"Oh I'm going to make you pay for your cocky remarks all right," Rita said. "You'll see."

Rita then disappeared, and Jayden muttered, "Yeah, bring it on, witch."

With careful trepidation, Jayden continued to explore the island, walking through parts of the island that his aunts and uncles hadn't been through when they were here about 20 years ago.

If only it wasn't infested with such evil magic, Jayden thought. Otherwise, it was a pretty nice island.

Some time later, as he came out from the shelter of a few trees, which reduced the heat and humidity on the island somewhat, he heard a noise to his left. Curiosity got the best of him, so he looked to his left and saw a woman fumbling around for something she'd apparently lost.

The woman appeared to be in her mid to late 50s and didn't appear to have the movement in her body that she may have had about 10 or 15 years ago, so Jayden was compelled to help.

"Excuse me miss, did you drop something?" Jayden said. He wasn't prepared for what came next.

What came next, after the woman spotted him and looked up at him was a hard slap to the face. It surprised Jayden enough that he reeled back a step.

"What was that about?" Jayden blurted out. "There's no I need to be aggressive with me, I can help you find what you need."

That was a big mistake, Jayden thought. The hatred in the woman's eyes was very clear. What wasn't clear was why; Jayden had never met the woman before.

The hate that was in the woman's eyes was very clear and would be hard to get rid of.

"You!" the woman said. "You cost your mother her dream!"

"Uh, excuse me?" Jayden said.

"Don't play that game with me you illegitimate family member," the woman said. "It's a shame I didn't know about you back in 1995. I would have had you killed before you were even born if I did. You're a stain on my legacy, and my daughter's as well. It's because of you that she left gymnastics. It's because of you, and that freak father of yours, that she's the monster she is today."

Jayden groaned inwardly. He knew Rita had successfully hit a nerve with this test, even though it possibly crossed some moral boundaries. There had always been that nagging feeling of wondering if he really was an illegitimate child to some on his mother's side of the family.

"Uh, you've only got that half right, lady," Jayden said defensively. "The only part you got right is it's because of me that she became the monster she is today. Because of that, I still have a chance to fulfill my destiny. And it's because of me that she'll come back home, where she belongs. And then maybe she'll give you a piece of her mind."

"You defeat her? You realize what she's done to more experienced holders of your precious Power, right? She conquered Mirinoi and an entire team without breaking a sweat," the woman sneered. "Please, an inexperienced fledgling like yourself could never beat a monster like that."

That final part did the trick, as Jayden suddenly began to feel himself fading in and out of existence. He had to think of something and fast!

Thinking quickly, he did the only thing he knew how to do; lean on his spirit animal for support. Sure enough, images began floating through his mind. Very recent images, in fact.

Images of him, Aisha and Ninjor beginning to bond together at the first meeting he had with one of the more experienced Rangers.

Images of him packing up, moving to his father's residence in Reefside.

Images of him working with his father and his father's old friend Ms. Appleby on GED stuff.

And last but not least, his Phoenix, his spirit animal, destroying both the curse of Deker and "the big guy" himself in the span of a couple days.

With these images floating through his head, he slowly but surely fought back. This illusion had been a tough test, but illegitimate he was not.

Finally, with the last images of Deker and Xandred being destroyed, the illusion stopped and Jayden regained his full mental and physical faculties.

Unbeknownst to him, a familiar figure to some of the older Rangers was watching from high above, in the trees. He, the one known as Quagmire, thought he would be needed, but this Ranger he could tell wasn't like the rest. This Ranger was cocky, confident and loose. And he was powerful too.

Power radiated off this guy in waves.

Still, he knew the kid's toughest test was yet to come.

"He's got the method to beating illusions here down pat, but coming up we'll see if he really is all that," Quagmire thought.

"And a bag of chips," Quagmire added after that.

Meanwhile, while Jayden survived that round, he was shaken somewhat. He'd talked a big game about potentially showing up on Caroline Hart's doorstep in his own special way and giving her a piece of his mind about how he really felt about her...and how offended he was that she disliked his mother's relationship with his father.

It wasn't that easy, he realized. He had to come to grips with the fear of him being a reject, an illegitimate member of the family even though he beat the illusion. While those fears weren't true where his father and mother (well, her good half anyways) were concerned, he was going to have to go face to face with Caroline Hart someday, for real.

Perhaps this test would give him a good idea of how to deal with it, but it wasn't as easy as just showing up in Paris and giving Caroline a piece of her mind.

In the meanwhile, he had bigger issues to contend with, as he continued down the pathway.

August 28, 2012

Just off the West Coast of Mexico

Over the last three months, on waters the world over, Lauren Shiba and Antonio Garcia, on this fishing trip, had developed a bond with each other that few could match.

But as they looked at their devices which held each of their powers, they groaned.

Both their devices were glowing. There wasn't the bow and arrow deal that brought the team together the first time to fight Xandred, but the call was still the same.

During the trip, Lauren made a decision that she couldn't hide the truth about Jayden from Antonio any longer. As she was his adopted sister, and Antonio was his best friend, she felt the need to at least make him aware of what was going on.

In some ways Lauren regretted doing it, even though she knew that the truth had to be told. The price though, was that the normally cool, cocky Antonio Garcia was no longer present. Lauren had seen a different side of him; they both knew that when they got back home, they were going to be facing the fight of their lives.

While Antonio wholeheartedly backed his leader 100 percent, he left little doubt he hated the fate Jayden had been handed. Even worse, was his real family which long ago had been shattered in two. How much of a challenge was this going to be, going against Jayden's own mother, with basically the fate of the whole universe on the line?

"Do we need to take Red Lion home? Abandon this whole thing?" Antonio said. "We do have more than enough fish."

"No, not yet. We're almost home anyways; we'll be in San Diego in 24 hours. We'll take Red Lion home there. We'll tell everyone we have to get home, then we'll go."

"OK, then," Antonio said. "But I know that this means we need to get home as soon as possible."

August 28, 2012

The Island of Illusions

Meanwhile, back on the island, Jayden, after a brief rest, continued on down the path; he wisely decided to save his strength for what was to come after the illusion with Kimberly's mother. He wanted to get his quest done, but he also knew it would take time.

Time, unfortunately, was something he didn't have a lot of, but doing it right was more important than doing it wrong and not claiming his destiny.

Presently, he came to the edge of another wooded part of the island (he could tell from exploring it carefully that most of it had dense forest), and found he was on the beach.

But what surprised him more than anything was there were six people standing before him. Six people he knew quite well. From left to right, Mia, Kevin, Lauren, Mike, Emily and Antonio were waiting there, almost blocking the way.

And the one thing he noticed was that his adopted sister, Lauren, well in this illusion anyways, was standing front and center.

Uh oh.

"Hey, look, guys," Mike said. "There he is, the fake leader."

"Yeah," Emily said. "The guy who left us so he could finish his stupid duel with the pointless insignificant worm Deker."

"And to think I actually loved the man," Mia said. "Shows what I know. Who abandons the team at such a critical time?"

"I thought you were my best friend. I was wrong," Antonio added. "Your sister is a far better person than you ever were; she picked up the ball and ran with it when you left us high and dry."

"It turned out, we didn't really need your help, dear 'brother,'' Lauren added, driving the point home. "I sealed Xandred and everything is fine. Which further proves you were just the fake leader all along, as we all knew."

"You're disgusting. We're not even going to let you get a word in. Later, loser. Then again, you'll only be alive for a few more moments so have a nice afterlife. Hope that it's pleasant," Kevin said as they walked away.

All of the insults, even though Jayden knew they weren't true, cut him like a knife. This was by far his biggest fear of all, that he was simply a stand-in for his sister. That his sister was supposed to be the one to beat Xandred all along, not him. It made him feel second-rate.

He began to fade in and out again, but that didn't matter now. He knew what he had to do. And he had the evidence to fight the illusion.

He remembered the first time he rode up to his teammates on that horse, calling them for their first battle together.

The aftermath of the Splitface fight, and the celebration of Emily's birthday, including the card from her sister.

Celebrating holidays like Halloween and Christmas 2011, together, as a team.

How his teammates came to his rescue in the aftermath of the final fight with Deker.

And of course, the Rangers finally beating Xandred, as a team, even with the Gigazord falling apart at the seams.

And many more.

With every memory, his body began to come back into full view. And when the vision of the Rangers final fight with Xandred finished, he had regained his full mental and physical faculties, again.

As soon as that happened, he saw something appear on his wrist.

The significance of what he was looking at was not lost on him.

It was a communicator, fully functional and operational. It looked exactly like the communicators Zordon's Original Rangers had, except this one was colored a deep shade of crimson.

He then heard another voice, but it wasn't Rita's. It was another voice, distinctly male.

Well done, mighty Phoenix of majesty and fire

Dream big and you can attain whatever your heart desires

It is not easy to conquer this wicked, vile place

Use every bit of your potential and you can win this race

While more challenges remain that will put you to the test

You can attain every goal you set forth if you are at your best

Remember, without total victory the galaxy is resigned to a fate that sucks

With that said, I wish you the very best of luck

Before he could do anything else, he felt himself falling through time and space again.

When he got his bearings again, he was flat on his rump, in some other dimension he'd never been in before.

The dimension appeared all white, and unlike the island he'd just been on, he felt no danger here.

"Oh, good. You're here," a voice said. Jayden couldn't help but laugh; he was now face to face with the good Rita again. Five minutes ago, Rita wanted to make him disappear, now she was breathing a sigh of relief that he'd survived. Jayden knew Dulcea had put her under a spell, but this was truly bizarre!

"No, I'm serious. It's not easy to survive on that island. Your aunts, uncles and parents remember; it tested them to their limits before they survived. I was there and tested them hard, I would know," Mystic Mother said.

"Seriously though, that Deker and Robtish illusion, that was a layup, Rita," Jayden said, making a face. "I wasn't lying when I said that. That was way too easy."

"I know, but remember, villains aren't always the smartest entity out there. We've done really dumb things!" Rita said, laughing as she did so.

"In all seriousness though, I'm really proud of you. I'm more convinced than ever that you'll be as great as your parents were, if not better. You still have a ways to go, but that was a great step for you to take," Rita said.

"Thanks, and I apologize for my big mouth," Jayden said. "I really shouldn't have run my mouth so much out there. Believe it or not, behind that big game I talk, I have fears too, as you saw."

"We all do, Jayden, we all do. Until I got re-acquainted with your father five years ago, I feared he'd hate me. As it turned out, we're pretty close friends now," Rita said.

"The lavish compliments really mean a lot, but shouldn't I get going?" Jayden said.

"Nah, take a load off for a bit. You'll need all the strength you can get going to the next part of your test. Remember, you'll have to watch everything and do nothing about it," Rita said. "It's going to take a bit for Flammia to get what she wants."

Jayden nodded numbly; this certainly wasn't going to be an easy thing. His parents, together and apart, had a star-crossed history and he was going to be watching a lot of it. And he'd have to accept it for what it was, and hope for a better future.

August 29, 2012

After what amounted to an overnight stay in Rita's magical home, the "pit stop" had served its purpose well. Jayden was able to re-energize himself, get himself fed, and be mentally read for the challenge ahead.

"Remember, this quest is not going to be for the faint of heart. It's going to have things that will break your heart, so be ready," Rita said.

Jayden nodded his assent. He looked at the two other occupants that stood before him, Minerva, Rita's blood sister from Eltar, and Finster, whose destruction had also been reversed when Thrax had been defeated.

The three had really rolled out the red carpet for him, Rita and Minerva had given him everything he wanted, and Finster had tended to whatever scrapes or cuts Jayden may have had, though he was in perfect condition.

"Thank you for giving me shelter for a night. This hit the spot," Jayden said. "I'm ready."

"Minerva, open the portal," Rita said.

Instantly a glowing invisaportal appeared before Jayden.

"Good luck young Phoenix, it was wonderful to meet you," Minerva said.

"You are just like your parents, cocky, but class acts," Finster said.

"I know you'll give em hell," Rita said. "Go get em."

With the goodbyes having been issued, Jayden stepped towards the portal and went through, the portal closing behind him.

After falling through time and space (again), he was in California again...but not the California he knew.

He'd landed in a very spacious park, where various people of all ages were picnicking, playing, doing things you would normally expect on a late summer/early fall Saturday afternoon.

Presently, he looked for a newspaper, and as if someone was smiling on him, found the front page of the local paper lying on the ground; someone had apparently dropped it.

This was the local Angel Grove paper, and the date that was on the paper was not lost on him.

September 18, 1993.

1993, he thought.

The year it all started. Now he at least knew where he was.

Looking to his Phoenix again for guidance, he wondered mentally where he should head off to. After a few directives from his spirit animal, he turned and headed to his right. About 10 minutes after that, he came upon a building Tommy had talked to him about shortly after he'd moved into Reefside.

The Youth Center. He saw people bustling in and out, and supposed that this was the place to be.

He headed inside, and saw there was a competition taking place. Two boys, matching wits with each other, pretty much dead even in what they did.

He soon fixed his eyes on a group of four watching the two men fight. In particular, the pink one. She was petite, well built, and he supposed, crazy athletic.

It was at that very moment he noticed how much the pink one was watching the kid in green, and a realization struck him. Could it be possible?

"He's gorgeous, isn't he?" an Asian girl in yellow said to the pink one. That was Trini for sure, so that had to mean...

It then hit him like a ton of bricks. This was where the seeds of the attraction between his mother and his father all started. The one in pink HAD to be his mother...his TRUE mother. And he barely could stifle a laugh looking at his father in that freakish ponytail.

Before he could say anything, the scene changed again. Once again, he looked for another newspaper to know where he was. As if on cue, he found a newsstand. There was a building in the distance, and it wasn't hard to figure out what it read: Angel Grove High School.

Before heading into the building, he looked at the date of the paper: September 20, 1993. Just two days later.

With a little tip from his spirit animal, he headed for the doors, walked in, turned right, then turned a second right. He suddenly skidded to a stop as he saw the scene unfolding in front of him.

Bulk and Skull, the resident bullies, trying to intimidate the girl in pink from Saturday. His mother.

He actually recognized Bulk, although this Bulk was worse than the Bulk today; Bulk and his nephew Spike lived in Panorama City and he sometimes saw them around town.

Then, it happened. His father, in his younger self, telling Bulk and Skull to back off. Which they did. They didn't want to mess with Tommy and they knew it.

As he watched closely, he could feel the attraction between the two. It was palpable. And the exchange was...really awkward, ending with the hopes of the two meeting at the Youth Center.

But then, the scene changed, and things were about to get ugly.

The scene was Angel Grove again, and things could change a lot in a week. He was right outside the Youth Center again, and saw the paper.

September 25, 1993, and there had to have been a huge battle recently.

The Power Rangers were front page news.

And as he walked in the door, he could feel the tension already. You could cut it with a knife.

The Rangers and their Zords being beat (apparently it had happened the day before) he could tell had seriously shook up the town.

Presently, his eyes were drawn to the workout machines, where his father in his younger form was working out. But this...wasn't exactly his father. No, there was a darker edge to him. But he reminded himself he had to stay back, he couldn't do anything about it, only watch.

Presently, he saw his mother confront his father. It was a dangerous, dangerous situation.

"Tommy...I know, I know you're the Green Ranger," Jayden heard Kimberly hiss.

"Well then Pink Ranger," Jayden didn't miss that Tommy didn't reference Kimberly by name, "you should also know that the Power Rangers will soon be destroyed."

The confrontation continued for a few moments, and ended with his father getting the last word, "You...have been warned."

The last thought Jayden had before the scenes switched again was how did Rita not give Tommy the orders to choke Kimberly out right there?

The next scene landed him in some kind of a quarry. His father, still evil, and Uncle Jason, battling it out. It was still amazing how little difference there was between them.

The way Tommy was freed was interesting too; Jason basically hit a lucky shot on Tommy which allowed him an opening to destroy the Sword of Darkness and free his father.

He also learned something else; his father had been reluctant to join the team at first. Now, he got a little bit better idea of what his aunts and uncles talked about when they referenced the massive Oliver Guilt Complex. The specter of the spell Rita had him under was hard to shake; it was amazing that his dad had buried the hatchet in the first place.

Little did he know, as soon as he got through this, there would be some Green in his future at the end of the road also.

As the scenes continued to change, he saw some very cute, adorable scenes; they included his father rebuilding his mother's float after Putties had destroyed it, Kimberly getting trapped in a jar on her "worst day ever" only for Tommy to help free her in the nick of time, his father losing his powers the first time which was heartbreaking, only to finally stop dancing around his mother and ask her to the school dance.

He saw his father get his Green powers back on a limited basis only to lose them again for good when Zedd arrived; the way it happened little by little was heartbreaking. He was touched, though, after the fight against Guitardo when Kimberly had sung her song for Tommy as he was about to lose his powers.

The surprising return of his father as the White Ranger, however, kicked off what was, as Jayden would see, the pinnacle of his mother and father's relationship. What made him chuckle all the more was that his mother fainted when she found out Tommy was the White Ranger.

In and around it were the departures of Jason, Zack and Trini and the inclusion of Rocky, Adam and Aisha to the "family" so to speak. The Ninjetti team, as it were. Yet the bond remained strong as the Rangers easily fended off Rita, then Zedd's attacks.

That was when things started to get really hairy and get really serious.

Before long, he was back on Phaedos...though he really wasn't. He could guess this was about a year or two after the first scene he saw, so this he guessed was somewhere in 1994 or 1995. He could sense there was great significance here. He was right, as he watched the scene play out carefully. Here, Dulcea was checking Kimberly and Tommy over carefully.

"There is no question about it, young Crane," Dulcea said. "This is a momentous occasion. You are pregnant."

"My gosh...pregnant, how long?" Kimberly said.

"I would say approximately five weeks along," Dulcea said. "It is a good thing I caught it early. You should be proud. Your child will one day have immense power just like the both of you."

Jayden simply watched in awe...he knew Dulcea was talking about him.

From there, Jayden witnessed the Rangers, including himself before he was even born, rescuing Zordon from certain death and Ivan Ooze's power.

The scene then changed again, and the one that replaced it this time was one that caused him mixed reactions. He was in a medical room this time, and understood well the significance. In this scene it was Kimberly, Tommy and a specialist from Eltar who had been brought in to handle the birth. He was awed at how much his parents enjoyed his coming into this world, and more than ever, truly believed he was part of their family, both immediate and extended.

He also saw the moment Tommy and Kim put him up for adoption, which fulfilled the prophecy that talked about him. It had been unfortunate, but he truly believed more than ever now that the right thing had been done. When he got done with this, he thought, that whole deal wasn't going to be an issue any longer.

From there, things got very dark, as he witnessed Katherine, his future godmother, steal Kimberly's power coin while under Rita's power. This began the heartbreaking end of his mother as a Ranger, which also included a fight between Lord Zedd and Tommy, her fall off the beam which put her in the hospital, and her subsequent chasing of her gymnastics dream in Florida.

Jayden could see that had turned out to be a disaster from the start, as he watched in person the girls she was competing with heckle and tease her nonstop, all in the hopes of securing a spot to compete in Pan-Globals.

He knew he couldn't do anything about it, but that hurt. Those girls obviously didn't care about family, just fame, sponsorships and money.

He also found out, with surprise, that his mother's letter to his father wasn't a lie. She had met someone else, but that someone else had at least kept her sane while his father and the rest of the Zeo Rangers were fighting the Machine Empire.

He could tell she felt that letter was necessary at the time too...she felt at the time it was best for her to sever ties with all the Rangers just so he could be protected. She was going to do everything to protect him until he was ready. Tears welled in his eyes as he saw the event unfold; even in her darkest hours she continued to keep him protected.

The scene then shifted again, to a movie theater. It seemed innocent enough but the second he heard a gunshot, he knew trouble had struck. That turned out to be true, Alex, Kimberly's second boyfriend, was dead.

Jayden suspected it was done by someone who was on the verge of being cut from Pan-Globals, and if it was true, he could only hope that the person who did this ended up in jail where this person belonged.

The scene then changed again. This time he was in a temple which contained a massive pit of fire in the center, and Kimberly and Jason hanging from some ropes. He recognized the main villain who was behind this immediately; the pirate Queen Divatox was directing orders.

'Pay close attention, Jayden,' his spirit animal told him. 'This is where your mother sacrificed her freedom for your sake.'

He watched hopelessly; even though Tommy and the rest of the Turbos tried to save Kimberly and Jason, they were too late. They got Jason back, but Kimberly was obviously like a ship without direction thanks in part to what happened in Florida and was in no shape to fight Maligore. In a way, those scumballs were the biggest reason why all the Rangers would have to clean this mess up.

'She could have fought his magic then, but she didn't want to risk Maligore winning and then coming after you,' his spirit animal said. 'If you get through this and claim your powers, she can fight then. She'll have nothing to lose at that point.'

He also witnessed his two year old self crying when that happened, and he shed a tear now too.

Unfortunately, the price the universe paid was grim.

He witnessed his mother's evil half being taken in and mentored by Scorpina, then witnessed Kim (good and evil half) save Scorpina's child at the Countdown just as she'd potentially saved him a year earlier. He knew that was the last thing his mother wanted to do, but Scorpina had given her shelter after Maligore's magic had corrupted her.

The next scenes were truly hard to watch; he witnessed the building of Flammia's army and her subsequent conquests. What struck him was the relative ease that she had conquering these planets. Even when she'd had to face a whole team of Rangers on Mirinoi, she'd conquered that planet easily, like it wasn't even there. Powerful Rangers and allies had run in fright from her army.

It was sad to see what had happened to a once peaceful universe. Even with his powers, if he got them, he was going to have his work cut out.

The scenes then shifted again, thankfully, to something more light hearted; he saw the marriage of his godparents and the birth of their two children, witnessed the Reds destroying Serpentera (and of course it was Cole, pre-Deker, who did it), saw his father get his PH.D and take a teaching job at Reefside High which he obviously still held, saw his father bury the hatchet with Rita and Zedd and apologize to Nick, the Mystic Phoenix (which he thought wasn't necessary).

And then saw the four separate New Year's Eve gatherings which the Rangers had celebrated in Angel Grove...to celebrate HIM and the hope he would be truly united with them one day.

The very last image he saw was very familiar to him; it was the final fight with Deker. He hadn't felt it before because obviously that was well before his powers were like they were now, but just being there he could feel the spirits feeding his tortured body energy that he otherwise wouldn't have had.

Truly, they were a family and that was all Jayden could ask for.

When that scene faded out, Jayden found himself standing in a massive temple, surrounded by a ring of fire. The funny thing was, even though this was his first time in this place, it felt like home.

He was in his type of environs, his element.

And up ahead he saw it; the Phoenix morpher which had never been claimed. And he was just steps away from it. Yet, he knew it wasn't that easy.

'You're waiting for something aren't you?' his spirit animal asked him.

"It can't be that easy," Jayden said. "Surely, there must be one more test waiting for me."

"How perceptive of you," a familiar, haunting voice said.

The voice sounded like his father, but it had a much darker, evil tone, and presently he found out why.

A flash of green lit up the temple, and when it dissipated, Jayden was face to face with a tough customer indeed.

He was a Ranger, but he was not just any Ranger.

He was the Evil Green Ranger.

"Welcme to the place where you will either take your destiny...or perish forever," Green Ranger said. "To put it in layman's terms, your test...is me. You must defeat me to reach that morpher over there."

"No rules," the Green Ranger said. "Anything goes."

Jayden nodded in understanding. This was going to be a tough fight indeed.

"Phoenix Fire Sword," Jayden said. "Your move, Greenie."

"Just like you goody-goods, always letting us have the first move," Green Ranger sneered. "Sword of Darkness."

Before Jayden knew it, Green Ranger was charging at him, prepared to impale him with the deadly sword his father had wielded when he was evil. On instinct, Jayden ducked out of the way and quickly parried the attack with his sword.

The problem Jayden was having though was that even though he wasn't afraid of the specter of the Green Ranger like his father was, the Green Ranger was more experienced than he was, even though he'd been a Ranger for over a year. Every time Jayden made a mistake, the Green Ranger made him pay for it and hit every opening Jayden provided him.

After about the fifth time, Jayden landed flat on his back, hard. He was tired from having to go through this quest, and the Green Ranger was hardly weakening.

"Why don't you just give up," Green Ranger taunted. "You're not as good as me. No one would think any less of you if you just went home right now."

"Never," Jayden grunted as he forced himself back to his feet. "If I'm not successful here, there won't be a home to go back to."

Before Green Ranger knew it, a massive fireball was coming his way. It slammed into him hard, sending him flying back into the wall in pain. He didn't have any time to rest either, as Jayden pulled him against the wall the second he got back to his feet.

Jayden then channeled the fire that was inside of him, and before the Green Ranger knew what hit him, he was screaming in pain. His left leg was literally on fire!

Jayden now had the upper hand and he knew it; he continually struck the Green Ranger with his Phoenix Fire Sword as the Green Ranger was a sitting duck, hampered by Jayden's fire attack. One last massive blow shattered the Green Ranger's helmet to pieces, revealing a pony-tailed, evil version of his father.

"Now for the coup de grace. Phoenix Fire Cannon!" Jayden called out, revealing a massive crimson cannon which had been granted him on his first day of training. He briefly recalled the day he learned about this weapon.

Flashback

Jayden hit the ground hard. Tori was working him over good, and he knew it.

She could see he was getting frustrated, so she decided to work with him in a positive way, but not without truth of course.

She pulled him into a hug, knowing he could use some support.

"It's OK, don't beat yourself up," she said. "Your first day doesn't define you. What you do over the next several months will. Besides, you don't even know half the weapons you're going to use yet."

"Uh, Dulcea already talked to me about the Zords I'll control," Jayden said.

"No, I mean the actual weapons you'll use in battle. Like the Phoenix Fire Cannon."

"How powerful are we talking about here?" Jayden said.

"Very powerful," Billy Cranston said as he joined Tori and Jayden on the plateau and showed Jayden a visual of what it looked like. It was massive and just looked powerful. "This weapon alone is as powerful as weapons like the original Power Blaster, the Zeo Cannon, the Turbo Ram Cannon, and the Z-Rex Blaster from your father's Dino Thunder team."

"I would advise you though, it's not to be used frequently and you'll have to really work to learn how to use it," Tori said. "Like the Rangers weapons combined, it's to be used only when you need an added burst of power."

End Flashback

Over time, Jayden had worked with this weapon and learned how to handle it, and was now ready to put it to good use.

Meanwhile, Green Ranger groaned. He was beat, and he knew it.

"Fire Cannon, full power," Jayden said and watched the power level grow to critical mass, and then pulled the trigger. "Fire!"

A searing fireball then erupted from the cannon and careened towards the Green Ranger, who had no time to get out of the way. He screamed in agony as the blast hit him full on. He crashed to the ground, all but beaten.

Jayden saw the Green Ranger try to push himself back to his feet, but fail. Jayden couldn't believe it; he'd actually beaten an original evil Ranger.

"Go ahead, kill me," Green Ranger ordered. "You have me beat."

"No," Jayden said. "Samurai Rangers, and more importantly, Power Rangers don't kill."

"Defeating me...is the only way you get your powers...and save your people..." Green Ranger said through choked breath.

"I've already defeated you, I don't need to kill you," Jayden said. "Besides, even though I've come all this way, it's not worth it to kill anyone to get your powers."

As soon as he uttered those words, the Green Ranger suddenly disappeared.

"Where did he go?" Jayden said, as he looked around for a potential sneak attack. But there was none coming.

Suddenly, the ground began to shake, and three different figures appeared before him. And he knew who they were instantly.

"Congratulations, young Jayden," Taregan said as she looked at him with approval. "Only one person can say they've made it all the way to the Phoenix morpher without perishing. You have proven yourself to be a fine, upstanding human being and more than worthy of holding these powers."

"I am most impressed," Chayton added. "I am more convinced than ever that you will save your people, if not your family."

"I am very proud of you, my protege," the massive, majestic Phoenix said. "From here on, you may refer to me as Atsila; on your planet, it's the Cherokee translation for fire. Come, claim your prize."

Through the ring of fire he went, right up to the pedestal that held his morpher. The second he touched it, he could feel the power coursing through him and the ground shaking below him.

When the power finally finished molding around him, he was dressed in a uniform much like the old Mighty Morphin Rangers had worn, only he was colored in crimson. His helmet, interestingly enough, looked exactly like his mother's old Pterodactyl themed helmet.

"Congratulations, you have now finally claimed your destiny and not a moment too soon," Atsila said. "Now, we must hurry."

"What do you mean by that," Jayden said.

"Observe for a moment," Atsila said as his spirit animal called up an image of what was some planet.

"This is Tarmac 3," Atsila said. "Watch what happens."

Jayden watched in horror as Sentinel Knight fought some of Flammia's foot soldiers. While he was thus preoccupied, one of Flammia's generals came up from behind him and pick-pocketed his own sword, Excelsior!

"That's the only way he can be killed right?" Jayden said.

"Yes, and watch what happens next," Atsila said.

A heated battle ensued sometime later between Scorpina and Sentinel Knight. The fight would have been otherwise even, except that Scorpina had her stinger AND Excelsior at the same time.

Jayden's blood suddenly ran cold. In two quick strikes it was over, thanks to a stinger attack which weakened the Knight somewhat, and a second fatal blow from Excelsior which defeated the Knight once and for all.

"That means..." Jayden said.

"Yes. She has conquered Tarmac 3, and she is on her way to Earth."

"What about the other Rangers? We can't afford a situation where there are only temporary morphs."

"Don't worry, that's another power that comes with the Phoenix morpher. When you touched that morpher, all other Rangers had their connections to the Grid restored on a permanent basis."

Jayden gawked for a moment. Truly, he had attained a power that was beyond all description.

"Then we need to get going," Jayden said, as he looked at his massive Phoenix Zord.

"If we're lucky, we can pick a few of her soldiers off as they leave Tarmac 3." Atsila pointed out.

"Then let's go," Jayden said as he got in his Zord and on command the Zord flew up from the temple and headed for outer space.

Dulcea watched it go, and muttered, "Good luck young Phoenix. May the Power protect you."

August 30, 2012

Panorama City, CA

They'd all felt it one day earlier.

Somehow or another, Mike, Emily, Mia, and Kevin had felt their connections to the Morphin Grid restored. And it wasn't on some just temporary basis either.

No, this was permanent and that could only mean one thing.

The world was in danger once again.

By what, they knew not, but they knew they had to come back and do it all over again.

"What do you think's going on?" Kevin said. "I'm only back from London a short time and we have to save the world again?"

"Looks like it," Mia said.

Suddenly, much like the first time, they saw two horses ride in before them. Only this time, it wasn't Jayden riding, but Lauren and Antonio separately.

"Lauren," Emily said. "How are you two? How was the trip?"

"It was great," Lauren said. "I'm not as into fishing as he is, but I'd recommend a trip like that one. It was an amazing time. How's Serena?"

"Better, but still working on being 100 percent."

"We saw you on TV, Kevin," Lauren said. "You did great and we were proud to see you do that."

"Thanks, guys," Kevin said. "It was the opportunity of a lifetime."

Mia then asked the question that was on all their minds. Of course it had to be Mia to ask it.

"Where's Jayden?"

"He is...busy," Lauren said, choosing not to divulge exactly where he was yet. "He'll be with us soon. In the meantime, I'm going to ask you to take the same vow you gave him when the battle with Xandred began. The Earth is in danger again. I can't ask you to fight again, but if you do, know that you're in it until we are victorious, or the Earth is taken over."

"We're all in it together," Kevin said. "The Olympics were great, but I'd take this any day of the week and twice on Sunday."

"My brother is in the military fighting for our freedoms. You never have to ask me to protect the Earth, if it means protecting my brother and our freedoms, I'm in," Mike said.

"For Jayden, I shall fight," Mia said. "Our lives together are at stake and I will do what I can to ensure our future."

"This is for Serena, again," Emily said. "We're all in."

"Rangers together..."

"Samurai forever."

Angel Grove, CA

Same Time

The second they'd all felt that jolt in power and the Sentinel Knight's death, most of the group of Zordon's original Rangers knew where to head. Key word, most.

It was a familiar spot for them, where they'd shared a lot of great memories when not in uniform.

One by one, they all came. Tommy, of course, from Reefside, but also Zack and his wife Angela, Jason and Katherine Scott, Billy Cranston, who'd booked it home from Aquitar, Trini Kwan, Adam and Tanya from Los Angeles, and Rocky and Aisha from Rocky's cooking school in LA. He'd just barely had time to finish his work that day before he and Aisha had to book it back to Angel Grove.

The gang had mixed emotions that day; they'd received the news that the Sentinel Knight had died, which would allow for Flammia's invasion. It hit Adam particularly hard, as he knew the Knight well.

But they also felt, through the jolt of power that had gone through them, that their powers had returned. Not just limited either; this was permanent. In addition, there had been some additional Ninjetti powers that had been unlocked; no doubt, those had been awakened with the claim of the Phoenix morpher by Jayden.

Which simply meant that Jayden had been successful in his quest. They had a chance.

The funny thing about this scene was, where there was a Power Chamber and even a pile of rubble once, now there was nothing. Not even a scrap of rubble. Yet, they could still feel the magic in the air.

"We may not be the team we once were, but today, we know what we're fighting for," Jason said.

"The reunification of a family and the safety of our world," Kat added.

That's when, one by one, they all disappeared. They all felt themselves falling through the ground, until they fell on their rumps.

The surrounding looked somewhat familiar, and yet, it was completely different.

There was a viewing globe, and various screens around the room, and the old familiar tube at the end of the room on the wall which remained empty.

Almost as if it was as a memorial to the man who had mentored them.

"Oh, good. You've made it," a female voice said as a person who the majority of them had never seen before entered the room. Billy knew who she was though.

"Greetings, original Rangers," she said. "It is a pleasure to meet you all. Believe me I have just as much stake in this as you all do."

"Who are you?" Jason said. "We've never seen you before."

"I am a former ruler of a planet, in fact your mentor's planet. I am Rhiannon, the former ruler of Eltar."

She looked downcast as she said this, and most of the Rangers gave her sympathetic looks.

"I know it's a lot to ask, but will you let me mentor you during this war?" Rhiannon said. "Like I said, this means something to me too."

"I think I speak for all of us when I say yes," Dr. Oliver said. "Welcome to the team, Rhiannon. Know that we are ready to fight for you and your planet's freedom."

Same Time

Hayley's Cyberspace

Reefside, CA

While this was going on, not far away, in Reefside, five young adults sat at a table, approximately the same age also aware of the circumstances. They too had felt their powers return, and they had a good feeling as to why that was. Four were the former Dino Thunder Rangers and the fifth was a new Ranger member, but was a Ranger veteran.

"You managed to get off from soccer?" Justin Stewart asked Conner McKnight. "How?"

"Well, uh it seems that some time after I started with City, City's management team was visited by Zordon himself. I guess Zordon felt, in his infinite wisdom, that City's management needed to know about my "side job."

"Basically it is in my contract that if I need to take off for Rangering, then I have the right to do so and City will cover it as an indefinite absence for family reasons."

"Lucky guy," Trent said. "It's impossible for me to leave my wife and my job in these situations. Thank God for Dad who has connections."

"How did you end up here, anyways, Justin?" Kira said.

"Well, Dr. Oliver told me to swing by his house real quick after we felt Jayden get his powers. Turns out no Ninjetti animal claimed me. So he asked me to try and take the Black Dino Morpher. Voila, it worked," Justin said.

"So you're the Black Ranger now?" Ethan said.

"Yes, and I'll mentor you, though Conner will be your leader for this mission," Justin said.

Suddenly, they felt the Earth shake briefly, then stop shaking.

"That can only mean one thing," Kira said.

"Yep, I'm almost certain that means Evil Kim is now in Earth's atmosphere," Conner said.

"Yep, take a look," Justin said as he opened his iPad and went to his Rangers only app.

The scene was the old Lunar Palace, and it was a scene of happiness for Flammia's forces.

They'd finally made it to Earth's atmosphere and acted like they just won the Super Bowl, but mixed with a touch of anger.

"Man, why are they angry at all?" Trent said.

Suddenly, the scene cut away again. Justin had received a call from Andros.

"That's because dear Jayden decided to send her a little message. He picked off three of her ships as they were leaving Tarmac 3. Destroyed them completely."

"Yeah, I'm sure she's not happy and she'll take it out on us," Conner said. "That means we are going to have to be at the top of our game or we are all dead."

"Yep, just know that we are on standby 24/7 now. Good luck," Andros said as the transmission was cut.

It truly was showtime now. Kim in her evil form was back for the first time in 15 years, and was looking to claim her greatest achievement.

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