A/N: I do not own Power Rangers. The Power Rangers in this story are owned by Saban. I'm going to remove some of the monster fights in the chapters where I want to focus more on the Power Rangers and the relationships they have. I'm also going to make a character who appears later in the season a Power Ranger. I'm also going to add Katherine in this "season", since this "season" is more about building the team of Power Rangers.

Date: November 11, 2002

The Power Rangers hung out at the Juice Bar after school. Billy had a relieved smile on his face, and he said, "I'm so happy I'm not going to the World Peace Conference!"

Tommy nodded, and he said, "So am I. I'm happy you aren't leaving us. That goes for the rest of us, too."

Jason said, "Agreed. No one is splitting this team!"

Billy said, "That's not where my ambitions lie, anyway. I was thinking some more about the Lightspeed Rescue Rangers, and I would like to work with them someday."

Tommy raised his eyebrows, and he asked, "What about my team?"

Billy said, "There will be more Power Rangers. Rocky, Adam, and Aisha are proof of that. I figured that when my time as a Power Ranger is over, I can help Dr. Fairweather at Operation Lightspeed."

Jason said, "That's an ambitious plan."

Billy said, "It is. I do know I will be more useful there. I don't think I can do much at that conference."

Kimberly said, "That whole plan made little sense to me. What is Angel Grove High going to do with the students' education while they're in Switzerland?"

Zack said, "No idea. I'm glad I don't have to figure that out!"

Tommy's communicator beeped, and Zordon said, "Tommy, Alpha 5 has found a way for Rocky, Adam, and Aisha to have the same powers as the rest of you. Return to the Command Center with the others."

Tommy said, "On our way."

The Rangers teleported to the Deserted Planet. To their surprise, Rocky, Adam, and Aisha were there too.

Jason asked, "What are you three doing here?"

Rocky said, "Zordon wanted us here to hear the good news!"

Aisha added, "I could use some good news after the weekend. Our school had us transferred to Angel Grove High as punishment for losing the race."

Kimberly said, "Oh no, I'm so sorry!"

Aisha said, "It's not your fault. Besides, we're Power Rangers now, so it's all good."

Adam added, "Stone Canyon High is very weird. That's all you need to know about it."

Kimberly said, "Good. I'm relieved to hear that."

Zordon said, "Alpha 5 has figured out how to duplicate the existing power coins. You must retrieve the Sword of Light, which is in a place called the Deserted Planet. It's on the other side of the galaxy."

Billy said, "Wait, you want us to go 100,000 light-years from here!? How are we supposed to do that!?"

Zordon said, "I can teleport you anywhere in the galaxy. Your destination is a planet only referred to as the Deserted Planet. The inhabitants have abandoned it for centuries, and unending sandstorms cover it. Tommy, you will take your team to the Deserted Planet and find the Sword of Light. Once you have it, bring it back here so we can duplicate your powers."

Alpha 5 approached Billy and he gave Billy a map.

Alpha 5 said, "This will lead you to the Sword of Light."

Rocky asked, "Am I going too?"

Zordon said, "Rocky, Adam, and Aisha, you three will stay here and assist the Lightspeed Rescue Rangers if they need help. I will summon you once Tommy's team returns."

Rocky groaned, and he said, "I was looking forward to going."

Zordon said, "Your time will come. For now, you will stay with the Lightspeed Rescue Rangers. Tommy, I wish you and your team good luck."

Tommy said, "Thanks, Zordon."

Tommy and his team morphed, and they teleported away to the Deserted Planet. When they arrived, a desolate wasteland immediately greeted them. Destroyed buildings sat in the distance, and a giant inverted pyramid hovered over them.

Billy said, "There it is. That's our destination."

Kimberly asked, "What happened here?"

Zack said, "I do not know, but this place gives me the creeps."

Jason asked, "Do you think Lord Zedd knows we're here?"

Billy said, "I hope not." He took out the map Alpha 5 gave him, and he said, "The statue that holds the Sword of Light is somewhere in that city."

The Rangers jumped when they heard a loud screeching sound. They all gasped when they saw a truly enormous zord. It was a giant green dragon, and it easily dwarfed the destroyed buildings as it flew over.

Zack said, "Okay, this plan just got a thousand times scarier. Tell me it's one of the Lightspeed Rescue Zords!"

Trini said, "I highly doubt that."

Tommy raised his communicator, and he asked, "Zordon, did the Lightspeed Rescue Rangers send one of their Zords here? We're seeing a colossal Zord."

Zordon said, "I'm afraid not. That is Lord Zedd's Zord, Serpentera. Be very careful. He can crush your Megazord easily."

Zack remarked, "Wonderful. We're going to play hide and seek with Serpentera."

Lightning arced away from Serpentera, and it hit some buildings. Kimberly felt her heart beat faster, and she asked with a shaky voice, "How are we supposed to stop that thing?"

Jason said, "I will keep it busy with our Zords. The rest of you go into the city and find that Sword of Light. I will join you there."

Zack cried, "What!? Jason, are you insane!?"

Jason said, "It's the best way to get the sword. If I don't distract him, Serpentera will easily kill us all."

Trini put a gloved hand on Jason's arm, and she said, "Jason, no!"

Jason said, "I will be fine, Trini."

Trini gently squeezed Jason's arm, and she said, "You better be."

Jason summoned the Red Dragon Thunderzord and the Thunderzord Assault Team. He jumped inside the Red Dragon Thunderzord, and he directed the Red Dragon Thunderzord to fly toward Serpentera. He immediately felt like he was a fly heading towards an angry elephant. He passed by the enormous Zord, and he felt like his own Zord was the size of an ant! How was he supposed to kill this thing!? The Red Dragon Thunderzord zipped past Serpentera, and Serpentera roared. A Zord roaring wasn't that significant. What was significant was the fact that the entire cockpit shook!

The proximity alarm buzzed in the cockpit, and Jason turned his attention to it. He nearly jumped out of his seat when he saw how close Serpentera's mouth was getting! He pushed forward, narrowly avoiding getting crushed by Serpentera's enormous jaws. Jason's heart started to beat, and he was suddenly unsure about how well he would be able to keep Serpentera's attention.

Jason asked, "Tommy, how close are you to the Sword of Light?"

Tommy said, "We're making good progress. How are you doing?"

Jason grunted as he swerved away from Serpentera's mouth again. He replied, "About as well as you would expect! This thing is enormous and angry!"

Tommy said, "It has to run out of power soon! That thing must use a lot of energy quickly!"

Serpentera landed on the ground, making the ground shake. The Rangers screamed, and Kimberly grabbed onto Tommy. Billy, Zack, and Trini all held each other for support.

Kimberly cried, "We need to hurry!"

The five Rangers ran through the empty street and jumped into an empty building. They heard explosions in the distance.

Zack yelled, "What was that!? What was that!?"

Tommy looked outside, and he groaned, "Oh no, Serpentera is tearing apart the buildings with its claws and lightning breath!"

Billy said, "It's destroying buildings so it can clear its field of vision! Sure, it can see over the buildings, but we're probably too small for it to see!"

Trini asked, "Probably?"

Billy said, "More than likely difficult to see."

Zack said, "That still isn't a 100% guarantee!"

Tommy said, "Statistics aside, we gotta move!"

Jason radioed, "I got you covered! Go!"

The Red Dragon Thunderzord landed on the ground, and it got ready to confront Serpentera. Jason immediately regretted his decision, though. The Red Dragon Thunderzord was barely bigger than Serpentera's ankle! To his horror, Serpentera approached the Red Dragon Thunderzord.

Jason yelled, "Tor the Shuttlezord, I need your help!"

Tor the Shuttlezord appeared, and Jason directed the Red Dragon Thunderzord toward it. The Red Dragon Thunderzord entered Tor, narrowly missing Serpentera's enormous foot. Tor stood upright, entering Warrior Mode, and it sealed the Red Dragon Thunderzord inside. Jason wasn't relieved, though. Serpentera was right outside of Tor. Jason cried out when Serpentera kicked Tor over. Tor immediately shifted into Shuttle Mode in response. Jason cried out when Serpentera stepped onto Tor. Jason heard metal pushing on metal, and he could hear Tor's tortured cries. To his surprise, Serpentera took its foot off.

Jason asked, "Hey, Tommy, what do you see from over there?"

Tommy said, "It looks like Serpentera just took its foot off, and the eyes went dark. It must have run out of power."

Billy said, "We can exploit that weakness, but not right now! We're almost to the statue, and we don't have the firepower to take out Serpentera!"

Jason cautiously opened up Tor, and he saw Serpentera standing there immobile. He got the Red Dragon Thunderzord out of Tor, and he moved to a relatively secluded place in the city. He jumped out and sent the Red Dragon Thunderzord and Tor back to Earth. He ran over to the statue, and the other Rangers were waiting for him.

Trini cheered, "Jason, you made it!"

Trini wrapped Jason in a tight hug, and Jason returned the hug. Trini suddenly pushed Jason away, and she slapped his helmet.

Jason cried, "Trini, what was that for!?"

Trini yelled, "That was for scaring me! Never do that again!"

Kimberly nodded, and she said, "Tommy, that goes for you, too. Never do what Jason just did."

The Rangers turned their attention to the statue, and Tommy said, "Okay, let's get this sword out and go home!"

Jason and Billy took out their Blade Blasters and fired at the Sword of Light. The Blade Blasters hit the statue, but the Sword of Light stayed put.

Tommy said, "That has a tight grip. Come on, let's pull it!"

The Rangers all put their gloved hands on the Sword of Light, and they pulled on the Sword of Light. It still wouldn't budge. Kimberly stopped when she heard mechanical whirring in the distance.

Kimberly asked, "Hey, do you all hear that?"

Jason asked, "Hear what?"

They heard the mechanical noise again, and they turned in the sound's direction.

Zack yelled, "Are you kidding me right now!?"

Serpentera roared, and it disintegrated the inverted pyramid with a blast of lightning. There was a horrible cracking sound as the inverted pyramid disintegrated from the blast. Zack turned back to the Sword of Light, and he pulled on it again. The Rangers soon joined in too.

Kimberly yelled, "Pull harder!"

Zack yelled, "I'm pulling as hard as I can!"

The Rangers grunted with exertion as they tried to pull the Sword of Light free, something fell out of Billy's map. He stopped pulling, and he saw a ring on the ground. He picked it up, and he said, "I got an idea!"

Billy put the ring on the statue's finger, and the Sword of Light glowed. Zack cheered, and he patted Billy on the back. He turned just in time to see Serpentera staring right at him.

Zack immediately screamed, "Big scary Serpentera is looking at us!"

Tommy yelled, "Time to go!"

The Rangers grabbed onto the sword, and they pulled. They stopped when they heard a loud sound come from Serpentera. It sounded like it was charging something.

Zack groaned, "Oh, don't tell me it's going to attack again…"

Serpentera pulled its head back, and its mouth charged up. It pushed its mouth forward as if to throw a lightning blast onto the ground. The Rangers all cried out, and they grabbed onto each other.

Kimberly yelled, "It's going to destroy the planet!"

Trini yelled, "Yeah, and a massive ring of death is approaching us!"

Trini pointed off in the distance at Serpentera. It had torn a hole into the planet, and that hole was rapidly growing. The Rangers grabbed onto the Sword of Light, giving it one more tug. They pulled the Sword of Light free, and they took one more look at the rapidly growing hole of death.

Tommy yelled, "Zordon, get us out of here!"

In the Command Center, Alpha 5 was busy tracking the Rangers. He teleported them, and he hoped he got them away from the planet in time. To his relief, Zack and Trini arrived.

Alpha 5 cheered, "Zack and Trini, you returned!"

Zack said, "Man, I'm glad to be far away from the Giant Death Zord!"

Trini said, "So am I." She looked around, and she asked, "Where is Jason?"

Jason, Billy, and Kimberly teleported into the Command Center. Trini ran over to Jason, and she hugged him again.

Kimberly walked over to Alpha 5 and asked, "Where's Tommy?"

Alpha 5 said, "I'm trying to find him!"

Thankfully, Tommy teleported back to the Command Center as well. Kimberly ran over to Tommy, and she said, "Tommy! I was so worried!"

Kimberly wrapped Tommy in a big hug, and she said, "I was thinking something horrible happened to you."

Tommy said, "I won't let anything bad happen to me. I promise." He turned to Zordon and he asked, "Is there a way to stop Serpentera?"

Zordon said, "That will require a lot more power than what we currently have. Serpentera is the flagship of the Alliance of Evil."

Zack said, "Of course it is."

Tommy asked, "How did things go for Rocky, Adam, and Aisha?"

Alpha 5 said, "There was some trouble in Angel Grove, but they saved the city!"

Zordon said, "These three work well with the Lightspeed Rescue Rangers. You chose well, Rangers. Now it's time to duplicate the powers. Alpha 5, get the others. It's time."

Rocky, Adam, and Aisha appeared in the Command Center, and they joined the other Rangers in the middle.

Zordon said, "I have given thought to what colors you will have, and I have made my decision. Rocky, you will be the second Red Power Ranger. You will share the Red Dragon Thunderzord with Jason."

Rocky's eyes lit up, and he said, "Did you say dragon?"

Jason said, "Yes, he said dragon."

Rocky cheered, and he pumped his fist in the air.

Zordon said, "Adam, you will share the Green Lion Thunderzord with Zack."

Adam said, "Thank you, I'm honored."

Zordon said, "Aisha, you will share the Yellow Griffin Thunderzord with Trini."

Aisha said, "I look forward to working with you, Trini."

Trini said, "Me too."

Zordon blasted energy into the Sword of Light, and the energy spread to Jason, Rocky, Zack, Adam, Trini, and Aisha. Rocky, Adam, and Aisha morphed into their new Ranger suits. Rocky, Adam, and Aisha took a moment to admire their suits, and then they took off their helmets. The other six Rangers did the same.

Zordon said, "Congratulations, Rocky, Adam, and Aisha. You now have your power coins."

Rocky said, "Thank you. We're honored you have given us this power."

Kimberly smiled, and she said to Tommy, "We're getting bigger and stronger!"

Tommy said, "We are." He looked at Zordon, and he said, "I'm still concerned about Serpentera, though. That thing was enormous!"

Zordon said, "I agree. Alpha 5 will work harder at finding more sources of power. The Lightspeed Rescue Rangers are doing the same. We need more Megazords and more Power Rangers.

Tommy asked, "Do we need to worry about Serpentera coming here?"

Zordon thought for a moment, and he asked, "Alpha 5, where is Serpentera's location?"

Alpha 5 said, "It's currently recharging at the Moon Palace. The trip back from the Deserted Planet must have drained its energy!"

Tommy said, "That's a relief. It's the SUV of Zords. How long will it take to recharge?"

Zordon said, "We do not know. We can reasonably guess it will take a very long time. And Lord Zedd may want to install upgrades during that time. We will do the same with the Megazord. You will find new Rangers, and you will train them. If our plans go well, you will all be ready for the fight against the Alliance of Evil."

Tommy said, "I won't let you down."

Zordon said, "I know you won't."

Rocky said, "Speaking of other Rangers, the Lightspeed Rescue Rangers have something they want to discuss with you all."

Tommy said, "Let's not keep them waiting."

The nine Power Rangers arrived at the Lightspeed base, and they demorphed. Dr. Fairweather saw them arrive, and she said, "Good, you're here! Follow me, please."

Dr. Fairweather led the Rangers into the meeting room. They saw an additional woman in the room with them, and she was busy talking to Kelsey.

Kelsey said to the new woman, "Nancy, these are the Power Rangers we were telling you about." She pointed to each of the Power Rangers, and she introduced them by name.

Nancy studied the Power Rangers, and the first thing she noticed was their age. Nancy asked, "Really? Those are the Power Rangers your team worked with?"

Kelsey said, "They are. They have proven themselves worthy of the position time and time again."

Nancy shook her head, and she said, "That doesn't change the fact that they're kids!" She turned towards Tommy's team, and she said, "I also need to see for myself that you are Power Rangers and not just some kids pulling our collective legs."

Tommy said, "That's fair. It's Morphin Time!"

The nine Rangers morphed, and they took off their helmets. Tommy said, "See? We're Power Rangers too."

Aisha asked, "Miss, sorry, I don't know your last name…."

Nancy said, "Nancy is fine. We're all on the same level here."

Aisha said, "Okay, Nancy. Are you a Power Ranger too?"

Nancy said, "No, I'm an astronaut. And I'm here to discuss a joint operation between the Power Rangers and NASA."

Tommy asked, "NASA? Why are you getting involved?"

Carter said, "Do you remember that anomaly on Ganymede we told you about? We want to get there ourselves, and NASA is offering to lend us one of their top-secret Astro Megashuttles."

Nancy added, "NASA also detected a huge anomaly on the Moon. It just showed up out of nowhere."

Jason grimaced, and he said, "It's Serpentera, Lord Zedd's huge Zord. It's enormous!"

Zack looked around the room and he saw a small toy of the Red Mighty Morphin Power Ranger. He picked it up, and he examined its size. It easily fit in the palm of his gloved hand. He said, "Perfect."

Zack walked back to Jason, and he said to the Lightspeed Rangers, "Pretend for a moment that Jason is Serpentera, and this toy in my hand is a Megazord."

Zack put the toy on the floor, and the toy barely reached Jason's ankle. The Lightspeed Rangers' eyes all grew wide.

Joel said, "We're all in more trouble than we thought."

Billy said, "That thing eats up energy like there's no tomorrow, though. It can only operate for a short time before it has to recharge."

Carter said, "That has to be the most useless Zord I've ever heard of!"

Jason said, "It's impractical, but it's still terrifying. It nearly killed us, and it nearly crushed my Zord...with me in it!"

Tommy said, "Zordon is working on the way to shut it down. So, what's this about a joint Power Rangers - NASA mission?"

Nancy said, "We were going to send the Lightspeed Rescue Rangers to Ganymede to retrieve whatever is under the surface there, but Captain Mitchell had other plans." She looked at Captain Mitchell, and she added, "Would you like to explain why you want to send children on an Astro Megashuttle?"

Captain Mitchell said, "In my defense, you agreed to the plan."

Nancy said, "In my defense, that was before I learned they aren't even adults yet! So, please explain the plan and why you want to use this group of Rangers."

Captain Mitchell said, "Tommy, we want your team to do this mission. You are working closely with Zordon, an alien from another planet. He knows more than any of us do about the Alliance of Evil. We can hold the fort while your team goes after the Alliance of Evil."

Nancy studied the young Rangers, and she paid extra attention to the suits. Tommy shifted on his feet, feeling uncomfortable with the intense laser focus examination Nancy was doing with her eyes.

Nancy said, "The Lightspeed Rescue Rangers have all proven themselves capable of space travel. As for Tommy's team, you are all still young. Your bodies are still developing. So rather than have you suffer some catastrophic medical crisis in space, we are going to put you through grueling tests and examinations to see which of you will make it to space. And before any of you ask, we will do these tests unmorphed. If you don't pass the tests, you don't go to space. If you make it through all the tests, then you will train. If any of you want to back out now, speak up."

The nine Rangers looked at each other, and then they looked back at Nancy. They all agreed to do the tests and training.

Nancy said, "Good. You will continue your regular education during the school year. On weekends and school breaks, we will conduct tests to see which of you will go to space on weekends and school breaks. We will not make it easy on any of you. Space is hard, so training and testing have to be hard too. Understood?"

The Rangers said, "Understood!"

Nancy turned to Captain Mitchell, and she said, "If any of these kids die in training or space, it's on your head!"

Captain Mitchell said, "I will accept whatever punishment you deem appropriate if a Power Ranger dies."

Nancy said, "Good."