EPISODE 4: STRANGER RANGER

In Space

Creepox has been waiting for this chance since they came across the Power Rangers, this was the chance to prove himself and he was going to do everything to get what he wanted, even beg if it was necessary.

-I have the best monster for the job! -said Creepox.

-I don't know, Creepox -said the Admiral.

-All the monsters have failed, I won't fail, sir. Let Dragonfly take down those Rangers so we can invade this planet -said Creepox.

There was a moment of silence until Admiral Malkor finally gave up, nodding and giving Creepox the chance to do what so many others failed to do until now. Creepox walked towards the entrance of the ship and knelt in front of his boss before he teleported with Dragonfly, ready to finally bring those Rangers down.

At Ernie's, Troy and Jake walked into the local and said 'hi' to Emma, who was doing some recycling when they spotted a guy, surrounded by people. He seemed to be telling a story but the boys didn't pay attention as they sat down and ordered their drinks.

-Hey… what brings you here, boys? -asked Emma.

-Troy is having some weird dreams so I thought a run could help -said Jake, laughing as Troy sighed-… seems he had some trouble keeping up.

-You are a soccer player… -said, Troy.

-Bah… you almost did a perfect run -said Jake, smiling at Ernie when he saw their drinks -… thanks, Ernie.

-150 monsters against 1! -was saying the boy-… and I beat them all by myself!

People seemed to be cheering for him and Jake, Troy, and Emma barely were paying attention to him until Ernie stood there, smiling, and pointed to the boy, that now was jumping and doing a not-so-good representation of one of Troy's techniques.

-He is saying he is the Red Ranger -said Ernie-… I don't think the Rangers would be going public but at least he is fun.

The comment, apparently innocent, made something inside Jake snap. Emma and Troy saw it as soon as the smile disappeared from his face but Jake ignored them, getting up and walking to the boy's table.

-What? Want an autograph? -asked the boy, when he saw Jake pushing other people away with a gentle but firm push.

-I don't give a damn about you, liar! -growled Jake-… you are not a Power Ranger, if you were, you wouldn't be telling stories to these people!

There was a moment of shock before the boy started to laugh and Jake had to use all his self-restraint to not punch the boy as he sat down, laughing, and pointing at him before he looked at the others.

-He is jealous… see all the Black? Probably is a fan of that idiot -said the boy.

People started laughing too, following the new sensation when Troy and Emma grabbed Jake by the arms and forced him to take a step back but the Black Ranger was stronger and didn't move, his eyes fixed on the boy.

-You don't understand what you are doing, idiot. What's going to happen when a monster comes after you after he hears you are the Red Ranger!? -screamed Jake.

-He's right, you know? -said Troy, grabbing Jake a little more forcefully-… there is a reason why the identities are hidden from civilians.

-And is pretty stupid you are saying you are the Red Ranger when you know a monster could appear and attack you and them, right now -said Emma, pointing at the boy's fans -… or maybe at night, while you sleep comfortably in your bed because now the monster can see your face, they will find your home, Sherlock.

-I… -said the boy -… I will transform and de… defeat him!

It was scary, of course, he was starting to see his mistake but his comment only made Jake angrier, finally getting free from Emma and Troy's hold before he walked to the boy, standing right in front of him.

-You wouldn't be the first Ranger to die in the line of duty, you piece of shit… -said Jake to his face-… and you are disrespecting the ones that did fell protecting this planet, only because you want five seconds of fame.

The comment, loud enough for Emma and Troy to hear, made the Pink and Red Ranger share a look before Jake walked out of Ernie's, not even seeing Gia and Noah, who were coming to reunite with them after their classes. Seconds later, they saw Troy running after Jake, probably to talk about whatever was bothering him.

When Gia and Noah arrived at Ernie's. They saw the boy has gone back to his stories, while Emma looked at him worried.

-What happened? We just saw Jake getting out of here and then Troy -said, Noah.

-I'm not sure… -said Emma-… let me finish what I was doing and we go look for someone that hopefully will be able to tell us why Jake reacted the way he did.

Gia and Noah nodded and waited for Emma, a few minutes later, Emma came back and they ran towards the Command Center, hopefully, someone there will be able to tell them what was happening and why Jake was so angry.

-Megaforce-

In the forest, Troy found Jake meditating in a posture Troy didn't recognize. Jake was shirtless, letting the wind hit his skin and he tried to control his breath and let the forest talk to him and the wind to calm him down, Troy was able to recognize the tension and approached his teammate carefully.

-I can feel you, Troy, your energy is too intense to ignore it -said Jake, opening his eyes.

-It is? Sorry, I didn't want to bother you…

Troy walked and sat down, beside his friend and Jake took a deep breath and looked at the sky, for Troy, it was almost as if Jake was looking for guidance, and piece by piece, the picture in Troy's head became complete as he realized what was happening.

-A Ranger close to you died? -asked Troy.

-We are a family and when one of us falls, we all feel it- whispered Jake-… but for me it was different… you see Troy, there Rangers from the future, from the year 3000 and they were the ones that told my father I was going to become a Ranger someday.

-What…? For real? -asked Troy, impressed.

-Yeah… the information they could give was limited for obvious reasons so they never said I was going to become Megaforce Black or that you will be my teammates -said Jake, looking down-… but after my dad go that information and after he talked to the others, they decided that the best choice was training me.

-I see… so you learned from everyone? -asked Troy.

-I did… but there was one that changed me forever -said Jake-… there was a ninja of the wind, Shane. He was the Red Ninja Storm Ranger. Brave, worthy of being a leader, protector of the people he loved, Shane was calm in the middle of the storm.

Troy remained silent as Jake talked about someone he loved very much. Jake could barely talk, a few tears running down his face as he talked about one of his teachers, while Tommy and Jason did their best to teach him martial arts, Shane and his Rangers gave him the power to control his energy and put it to good use.

-He sounds like a very special man -said, Troy.

-He was… he teach me wind techniques -said Jake, smiling at the memory-… Tori was more technical, the Brandley brothers were all fight and no talk, Cam was more ninja story and Dustin was the fun one but Shane… he helped me to canalize my energy and to be calm even when things got complicated.

-Is that what you are doing now?

-Yes… here, put your hands together like this -said Jake, showing him the posture.

Troy nodded, imitating Jake as both of them closed their eyes, feeling the wind hit them but at the same time, feeling nothing but peace, the sounds were gone and the energies around them became alive, almost as if they could see them even with their eyes closed.

Both Rangers stood there, in silence, not seeing the ghost of the Red Ninja Storm Ranger nodding behind them, clearly happy to see his teachings were put to good use.


At the cave, the other three Rangers got there only to find two women and a man they've never seen before talking to Kimberly. Kimberly, seeing them, smiled before she looked at the strangers and pointed at the Megaforce Rangers.

-This is the new generation -said Kimberly-… Emma is the Pink Ranger, Gia is the Yellow Ranger and Noah is the Blue Ranger.

-Oh, finally… -said one of the women-… I'm Cassie, Pink Space Ranger.

-And I'm Ashley, Yellow Space Ranger -said the other woman.

-Carlos, Black Space Ranger, and we are also Green, Pink, and Yellow Turbo Rangers -said Carlos, smiling at them-… there are three missing on the team and Karone but they will stop by later.

-Justin is with Andros? -asked Kimberly.

-No, with Karone -said Cassie-… there was a lot of work in KO-35.

-KO-35? -asked Noah.

-Andros and Karone's home planet -explained Ashley-… a planet out of this system. Is complicated but they are all human, I promise.

-That's amazing… Rangers from other planets -said Noah, in disbelief.

-You have a lot to learn -said Carlos, with a smirk.

Noah looked at Carlos, confused when Emma remembered the reason why they were there, and looked at Gia, who nodded. Gia never forgot but decided to respect these Rangers and make some small talk before she approached the matter but, thankfully, Emma took the first step, being gentler than Gia was, Gia, let her take the lead.

-We were wondering… all of you know Jake and his life as a part of this Ranger family, right? -asked Emma.

-Uhm… yeah, we raised that kid -said Carlos-… we know everything about him… well, we raised him, teach him and all that…

-Why? -asked Ashley-… did something happen?

The Rangers looked at each other before they nodded and Emma looked at Kimberly.

-There was a boy at Ernie's, he was saying he was the Red Ranger and taking the credit and the fame for saving the city when Troy and Jake came in… I've never seen Jake so mad at someone -said, Emma-… he was furious at the boy and I was wondering…

-Where did that anger come from? -asked Cassie, looking down.

Emma nodded, she was there and she knew she has never seen Jake like that before, beside her, Gia and Noah were curious, not being there they didn't see the fury in Jake's eyes or what he screamed but they knew that it was not normal for Jake to ignore them… to ignore Gia.

It was Ashley who took charge of the situation, sitting down along with the other Rangers and taking a moment to gather her thoughts before she speak.

-I'm sure you know being Ranger is not easy. We are in dangerous situations and sometimes, we get seriously hurt… there have been cases of Rangers that died and almost died before…

-Rangers can die in battle? -asked Emma, sightly worried.

-… sometimes… Kendrix was the Pink Lost Galaxy Ranger when she died, saving Cassie and the universe from our enemies -said Ashley, as she took Cassie's hand in hers-… she came back when the Lost Galaxy Ranger defeated their enemy, as a reward for their victory.

-… Alex Drake, the first Time Force Red Ranger was believed to be dead for a long time -said Carlos-… he was badly hurt but he survived, then Wes Collins, the actual Red Time Force Ranger was supposed to die saving his city but the other Rangers came back to save him and Wes' father died too, but was saved by Alex and… well…

-… Trini was a retired Ranger but she was a strong part of our lives when she passed away -said Kimberly, looking down-…we still mourn her and we still carry her memory and her kindness in our hearts and then…

-… then there was Shane.

The Rangers turned to see another woman walking towards them, she was dressed like a Ninja with a Blue stripe on the side of her ninja clothes, her eyes focused on Kimberly as she hugged her, and then did the same with Ashley, Cassie, and Carlos.

-Tori… what are you doing here? -asked Kim.

-The wind talks to us -said Tori, with a sad smile-… it told us Jake was feeling distressed and that he needed our help so I volunteered to come.

-Rangers, this is Tori Hanson-said Kimberly, turning to them as Tori did the same-… Blue Ninja Storm Ranger.

-Is a pleasure to meet you, Rangers -said Tori-… so I get Jake's distress must be something related to Shane?

-Uhm… Jake got angry with a boy that pretended to be a Ranger and screamed at him that he didn't know what he was saying… I thought Jake was going to punch him but he contained himself and walked away -explained Emma.

-I see… Shane did teach him how to control his anger in those moments -said Tori.

-Shane… was a Ranger too, right? -asked Gia, looking conflicted-… is he one of the Rangers who…?

-Died in the line of duty… yes, the difference is that he never came back -said Tori, looking down-… he is not coming back, ever again.

The reality hit the Rangers differently this time, before, with the other deaths, the people presumed dead or the one who died came back, except Trini, but she died differently, retired from Ranger's duty but Shane died while being a Ranger and it was so tragic that Emma couldn't stop herself from crying, neither did Gia, who nodded as an answer to Tori's words, sitting down while Noah stood there, in silence.

He remembered a time when Jake came to his home, crying, saying that someone important to him passed away and that he needed a moment away from home. Noah allowed him into his house but he couldn't sleep, especially when he saw Jake crying and meditating at the same time.

The next morning, Jake was silent and sad and Noah was worried but with time, Jake got better and Noah forgot, until now.

-He was defending our city, Blue Harbor, from a monster attack when one of the monsters cut through a building, and Shane, always the hero, throw himself into the building, pushing a family away -said Tori-… we were in different parts of the city so it took us a long time to reach him and when we did it, he was badly hurt but alive.

-But the suit is not made to survive a building falling on us -whispered Noah, sadly.

-Yes… Shane used the last of his power to send a message to the wind and pass his powers to Jake, his favorite student -said Tori, looking down-… he smiled through the pain, not wanting us to suffer for him…

Kim hugged the Blue Ranger and Tori nodded, taking a moment to recover before she looked back to the Rangers.

-As trained Rangers, we knew the consequences of fighting powerful monsters so each one of us wrote a letter with wishes and our belongings to people close to us in case something happened to us -said Tori-…Shane left his sword and his symbol to Jake, as a memory of his lessons and their friendship… I was the one who delivered it to him along with a uniform Shane also got ready for Jake, a Ninja Storm uniform.

Tori showed the Rangers the picture of Jake with the uniform. He was young and was wearing the uniform proudly along with Shane's symbol on his arm and the colors of all the Ninja Storm Rangers on his uniform.

-Shane always thought Jake was the key to our union as Rangers -said Tori, smiling-… I didn't understand until I saw him with this uniform and then, I realized he was right… Jake has our lessons, from all of us. He is our legacy… his legacy and even if you don't understand now, someday, someone else will be your legacy too and you will experience how proud you are of what you showed to the world.

The Megaforce Rangers nodded, up until now they didn't really see Jake as a part of that family of Legendary Rangers but now, hearing Tori and seeing that picture of him there, with the Ninja Storm Rangers, they knew Jake was part of them and they were all part of him.

Suddenly the alarm on the Command Center went off and Tenshou, who heard everything, ran to put the images seeing Loogies and a new monster attack the city. The Rangers looked at each other when they hear Troy's voice.

-There is an attack on the city! -said, Troy-… Jake and I are almost there!

-We're coming, Troy -said Gia, turning to her friends, who nodded at her.

-I'm coming too -said Tori-… I can help the civilians.

-We can do that too, Kim… can you watch my sleeping princess? -asked Ashley, pointing at her and Andro's daughter.

-Of course, be careful -said Kim.

-Ok… ready? -said Gia-… Go! Go! Megaforce!

-Ninja Storm, Ranger Form! -screamed Tori.

-Let's rock it! -screamed Ashley, Cassie, and Carlos.

-Megaforce-

When they got to the plaza, already transformed into their Megaforce suits, Red and Black quickly spotted the monster, the boy they saw earlier at Ernie's, and the people that were cheering for him, scared as they screamed at him to transform, but of course, nothing happened, the boy couldn't transform because he was not the Red Ranger.

-Let him go!

The boy turned to look at them when Black and Red jumped into action, pushing the monster away from him. Black turned to the boy and then to Red and Red nodded, grabbing the boy's arm and looking at the people behind them.

-You need to go! Now! -screamed Red.

The people didn't take long to run away and Red took the boy away while Black turned to the monster, summoning his ax to fight while the monster screamed and laughed.

-You think you can defeat Dragonfly! Nobody can defeat Dragonfly! -screamed the monster.

-We'll see about that -growled Black.

Black ran, attacking the monster but the monster stopped his attack, using his invisibility to hide from Black, thankfully, Black knew the trick and stopped his next attack, closing his eyes at the same moment the rest of the Rangers with the Ninja Storm and the Space Rangers got to the scene. Blue took a step towards Black but the Blue Ninja Storm Ranger stopped him.

-What is he doing? -asked Yellow.

-Pulling a Shane… -said the Blue Ninja Storm Ranger, smiling behind her mask-… wind can speak to you if you listen closely.

The Rangers didn't understand but back in the battle, Black focused, not moving his ax and remembering his mentor lessons, he focused on the wind and when the wind spoke to him, Black moved, hitting the monster square on the chest with his ax and throwing him to the ground.

-How did you see me!? -asked the monster.

-You can hide but the wind always catches your movements -said, Black.

-This is bad… -said the monster-… I will come back, Ranger.

And the monster disappeared while Black took a breath, relieved the danger was gone from now. He turned to see his friends and smiled when he saw the Space Rangers with them but nothing could prepare him for the feeling he had when he saw his former mentor, the Blue Ninja Storm Ranger coming to him. He ran and met her halfway, hugging her tightly.

-Hey, what are you doing here? -asked Black as he hugged the Space Rangers.

-The wind told me to come but it seems you already calmed down and used your sensei's lessons -said the Blue Ninja Storm Ranger-…I am proud of you.

-All of us are -said the Space Yellow Ranger-… You have become a great Ranger.

-Thank you -said Black, looking down as if he was embarrassed.

There was a moment of silence when Blue approached his friend and pocked him on the shoulder, making the Black Ranger look at him, it seemed Yellow and Pink had the same body language as they surrounded him.

-You have to show us how you did that -said Blue.

-Do what? Use the wind? -asked Black.

-Yeah, it was quite amazing -said Pink-… right, Yellow?

-Very impressive… I want to know how you did it, it could be helpful.

Black nodded, that was his job, his head raised towards the Blue Ninja Storm Ranger and she nodded as they walked towards the city, going to check on the civilians before going back to the forest, where Black could teach them all he knew about the wind.


While Ashley, Carlos, and Cassie went back to the Command Center, Jake and Tori took the other Rangers to the forest and Tori smiled when she saw Jake coming out from behind a tree dressed in his Ninja Academy clothes, the one they made sure he had ready every year.

-Ah… sometimes I wonder why your father never let Cam bring you to the Academy -said Tori.

-Overprotective father, remember? -said, Jake.

Tori nodded, smiling as they walked towards the other Rangers, the Megaforce Rangers could see now that Jake looked like a Ninja, walking towards them as he adjusted his Ninja clothes, the colors of the Ninja Storm Rangers shining on his shoulder and Shane's symbol on his chest.

-Ok… I'm ready, sorry for the wait -said Jake.

-No problem… what do we do? -asked Troy.

-To master the wind you need to feel it and let it become part of you, Troy, you had a taste of it when you meditated with me before -said Jake.

-Yes… I could feel the wind surrounding me, it wasn't cold it was just… there as if it was studying me -said Troy, looking at his hands.

-The elements feel you and determine if you are worthy or not -explained Tori, raising her hand-… for example, water has always been my element and my devotion towards it rewarded me with this.

Tori pointed to Jake's water bottle and the Rangers saw, surprised, how the water moved at Tori's command and when she stopped, the water stopped with her.

-That's…amazing -said Noah, taking off his glasses to clean them.

-This guy can do the same with wind… -said, Tori.

-I'm not that good, that was Sensei Shane's element but… he did show me a couple of tricks -said Jake.

Jake moved his hand and suddenly a couple of flowers came flying to Gia and Emma, both girls smiled, taking the flowers while Tori pushed him lightly.

-So that's what you were learning… -said, Tory.

-Well… there was time for everything -said Jake, laughing-… anyways, please, sit down and close your eyes.

The Rangers did what Jake asked them and then, with Tori's help, he put a cloth around the eyes of each other the Megaforce Rangers, carefully not to hurt them but tight enough so they couldn't see what was around them then, Jake took a step back with Tori.

-Clear your mind, let the wind surround you, and take away your worries and stress -whispered Jake, loud enough for them to hear-… once you are ready, get up and find us.

And just like that, they moved, not making any sound, leaving the Rangers alone… each one of them experiencing the matters of the wind as in their mind, images of a Red Ranger appeared. He was the Red Ninja Storm Ranger, pointing at them.

Troy looked around him, his friends were there too and in front of them, the Red Ranger stood, pointing at them as he made a gesture with his hands, making the air move around them to create words.

-Rangers… I am pleased to meet you, even if is for a short time -was written with the wind-…my team has come a long way and we all can see a clear future with you as the new guardians of Earth.

-Shane? -asked Troy-… Jake told us a lot about you.

The Red Ranger nodded, walking towards them, he looked at his hand and then at the Rangers, and Troy understood, putting his hand over the Ranger's hand and then looking at the others to follow his lead, they did and the Red Ranger nodded again while he used his other free hand to write another message with the air.

-I always knew what Jake was bound to do and now, I know he will have loyal friends that will help him to save this beautiful planet- said the Red Ranger-… for as long as you remain true to your feelings and loyal to your morals, I promise you, Rangers, the wind, and I will always be by your side.

The Red Ninja Storm Ranger broke the contact with them, taking a step back while he nodded and then, made the gesture of the wind, surrounding him as he started to disappear.

-Go look for them and tell Tori she is doing amazing -wrote the Red Ranger-… be proud of who you are and who you will become and fight for what you love, don't be scared, it is worth it.

The Megaforce Rangers felt the wind surround them and when they felt they were back in the real world, they got up. Troy was first, walking with the wind while he hold in his memory the promise of his predecessor, beside him, Gia got up next, with the conviction to fight for this planet as much as that Red Ranger did in the past, she would honor him and his memory by fighting for others that couldn't stand by themselves. Noah was next, Shane's love for this planet brought him to his end but he had no regrets and even if Noah has his fears, he promised to himself and to the Red Ranger's memory he would stand proud from now on and not be scared anymore. Emma was the last one, her cheeks full of tears, there was a man who fought bravely for this planet, and while she did all she could to protect Earth before she became a Ranger she wasn't as proud as she should be knowing she made a few mistakes along the way…but not anymore, now was she was ready to give the hundred percent in these fights and her work for the planet when she wasn't a Ranger. She wasn't going to give up… she promised silently to the Ninja Storm Red Ranger.

While they made these promises, they walked, slowly and it wasn't long before Jake and Tori stopped them, smiling, both Rangers took off the cloth around their eyes, Jake took care of Gia, and Noah and Tori stood beside Emma and Troy, all of them making a circle.

-You saw him, didn't you? -asked Tori-… Shane tends to teach his lessons even when he is not here.

-We did… he said you are doing amazing -said Troy, making Tori smile and look down -…he gave us a great lesson.

-Not be scared and the importance of protecting this planet -said, Emma.

-The promise to stand there with us -said, Noah.

Gia unconsciously grabbed Jake's hand, looked at him, and sighed. Shane was right, they have to be true to themselves if they wanted to save this planet and life was too short to be thinking what could happen, especially for them so she just let it out naturally, thinking that it didn't feel bad at all to hold his hand.

-To be ourselves and to stand by what we are -said Gia-… you had a great sensei.

-I did-said Jake, squeezing her hand, gently-… he was the best.

Suddenly, the wind made all of them look to the side and after sharing a look, they disappeared, only to appear a few seconds later, when the boy they saved earlier came to look for them, here, in the forest.

Black had to admit, the boy was smart.

-Is not a good thing to spy on others -said Blue, as the team plus the Ninja Storm Blue Ranger walked towards him.

-I… I'm sorry… -said the boy.

-What are you doing here? -asked Red, taking the lead.

-I just… I saw you guys fight and I want to help… I want to become one of you -said the boy.

For the others didn't seem good enough but for the Blue Ninja Storm Ranger and the Black Megaforce Ranger something clicked and they looked at each other before the Black Ranger took a step forward, putting a hand on Red's shoulder.

-Being a Ranger means to give everything for the planet, even your life… are you ready for that? -asked Black.

-I… -said the boy, looking at his hands-… I always felt like I didn't belong anywhere, every time I tried to help I wasn't enough and I made… it was a mistake, I thought all I needed was people to accept me, to cheer for me but the truth is that… I want to be more. I want to save lives and I don't care if people know about me or not.

-That doesn't answer my question -said, Black.

-I do… I'm ready to give everything -said the boy.

Black nodded, looking at the side when he noticed something, it was the wind, telling him something that made Jake smile behind his mask and he turned to look at the boy, walking towards him and putting both hands on the boy's shoulders.

-What is your name? -asked Black.

-Jordan… my name is Jordan -said the boy.

-I see… well, to be a Power Ranger you need discipline, bravery, a ton of luck, and people who will respect you if you give them respect -said Black-… are you willing to work with your team and give all you have for them?

-I am… -said Jordan.

-Are you willing to, if it comes down to it, give your life for them and the city if it's needed? -asked Black, again.

-I am willing to give up my life to save the city and the team -said Jordan, again, more determined.

Black nodded and then looked at the Blue Ninja Storm Ranger, who walked towards them and stood beside Black, tilting her head.

-What do you think, Ninja? -asked Black.

-He needs tons of training but I was thinking of opening a new Academy here with the others so… -said the Blue Ninja Ranger-… he can try and see how it goes.

Black nodded, looking back at Jordan.

-What do you say, Jordan? -asked Black-… will you be willing to train? I'll tell you now, is a pain but it will pay off with time.

-Hey… we are not that bad -said the Blue Ninja Ranger.

-Trai… a Power Ranger wants to train me? -asked Jordan.

-Well, not one, we are five and if you do well, you may earn the chance to be our Ranger number six, that is, if you are good enough -said the Blue Ninja Ranger.

Jordan stood there, surprised, and then smiled, brightly, hugging Black and the Blue Ninja Ranger as he nodded, excited. He was so happy he couldn't contain his excitement while the Megaforce Rangers looked at each other, confused.

-When do we start? -asked Jordan.

The beep on the Megaforce Ranger made them look towards their morphers and a moment later, Black raised his head, looking at Jordan and then at the Blue Ninja Ranger.

-I leave that to her -said Black, serious-… promise me, Jordan, if you can't do it, you will walk away because even if you don't become a Ranger that doesn't mean you can't help people other ways, understood?

-Understood… thank you, Black -said Jordan before turning to the other-… thank you, all of you, for what you do.

-Is our job -said Red.

-And we do it proudly- said Yellow.

Jordan nodded and the Blue Ninja Ranger grabbed his arm, making both of them disappear while Blue walked towards Black and stood beside him as Black let out a sigh and looked at his hand again.

-Did you just make a new Ranger? -asked Blue.

-No… of course not -said Black-… I just give him the chance to prove himself… time will tell if he is up to the job, besides, Shane thought he could control a new power… fire…

-What!? -asked Pink.

-Yeah… that's what he told me -said Black-… anyways, now you are ready, let's catch that monster.

Red walked towards him while Yellow took her place by Blue's side and he nodded.

-You are right… let's finish this, Rangers!

-Megaforce-

When they got back to the city, they saw the monster attacking the bridge and ran towards him, Red going forward and hitting the monster on the chest while the others followed when, suddenly, the wind warned Black and he barely had time to claim his ax before Creepox attacked him.

Black was left behind as his friends didn't notice Creepox pushing Black inside the bridge. Black growled as he finally managed to push Creepox away.

-What's with you, Black? -asked Creepox.

-I could ask the same… who are you? -asked Black.

-I'm Creepox, the one who will take your planet -said Creepox-… your energy is different from the others… why?

-Well… genetics, I guess -said, Black.

Black used his ax to attack Creepox but the monster grabbed it and kicked Black on the stomach then, he took the ax and used it to hit Black, sending him flying against a car while the ax disappeared. Black was breathing heavily when Creepox grabbed him by the throat and raised him off the car.

-Maybe I should take you… there is no other human with this energy… -said Creepox.

-No? The other four Rangers are fighting your monster right now -said Black, struggling to fight Creepox-… they will defeat you even if you take me or kill me.

-Is that so? -asked Creepox.

-You bet it is… they are… more… than you can imagine…

Black felt his strength failing him as Creepox squeezed his throat and looked to the side, where he could see his friends fighting Dragonfly, behind the mask, Jake smiled, they were ready, the wind and Shane knew that hell, Jake knew that… they could make it, with or without him.

Black started to close his eyes and his arms fell to the sides.


Blue called the sea brothers to help them, attaching them to the laser and using them to hit the monsters when, suddenly, the wind started to pick up, making Dragonfly fly against a wall but the Megaforce Rangers knew better and when they turned, they saw the reason for the wind to be so violent.

Jake was in danger.

Red ran, as fast as he could and called for his Dragon sword while they saw Black's head, turning to look at them and while he barely could see anything, Black saw something Red… no, it was two Red Rangers with their swords over their heads, ready to attack and felt Shane's wind beside him.

-Shane…? -whispered Black.

The Red Megaforce Ranger hit Creepox so hard that not only the monster was forced to leave Black but he was sent flying while Yellow and Pink lay Black on the ground and Blue touched his neck to make sure he was still alive.

When Blue let out a relieved breath, the others did the same because that mean Black was alive.

Red looked around and saw the wind disappear as a Red shadow disappear with it. Red nodded, Troy, smiling behind his mask knew what just happened. He was there. He kept his promise and like him, Troy will do the same. Red turned when he saw Black waking up and being helped by Yellow and Pink to get up.

-Black, are you ok? -asked Red.

-A little tired but I will be fine -said Black, still using Yellow and Pink for support-… is that creep gone?

-For now, it seems -said Red -… but we still have another monster to beat.

-Let's do it, then -said Black.

They followed the destruction and saw Dragonfly, trying to hide from them but Red was having none of it and calling for their weapons, the Rangers combined them, calling Blue's sea bothers to the mix before hitting the monster, destroying him.

-He will come again -warned Red.

As soon as he said it, the monster came back, bigger and the Rangers had no other choice but to call their zords, jumping on them and forming the Megazord to fight or that's what they thought when they saw the monster running away from them.

-You won't catch me, Rangers! -screamed the monster.

-Oh come on… -said Yellow, looking towards Black-… I guess is our job to catch him, Black.

-You got it -said, Black.

Both pushed the zords and started to run behind him but he was fast, so fast that Black wasn't sure they could get him, at least, until he and Yellow received two new cards and Gosei's voice was loud and clear in their heads.

-Black and Yellow, use these cards to call the Land Brothers Zords, they will give you the speed necessary to catch that monster -said Gosei.

-Sweet! Let's try it, Black!

-After you, Yellow.

Both Rangers activated the cards and from the ground, three new zords appeared. Black and Yellow smiled behind their helmets as they called for them to form the Land Megazord and new power invaded them as they pushed on their controls to give the Megazord more speed.

-No! They are catching up to me! -screamed the monster.

-This is over! -screamed Yellow.

She activated the zords to attack the monster and then Black pushed his control, using the Beetle zord to hit the monster, throwing him to the ground before he turned to look at Yellow and, as if they were synchronized, they nodded at each other, knowing what to do.

-Victory Charge! -screamed both Black and Yellow.

The Megazord hit the monster one more time and destroyed him, giving them the victory and finally, finish with another threat to Earth. Black sighed, resting against his chair on the Megazord when they all felt the wind write something in the cabin.

-The future is in good hands… well done, Rangers…

Jake smiled behind his helmet, yeah… the future was in good hands, he was sure now.

-Megaforce-

Jordan was nervous, he was waiting for Tori Hanson, the Blue Ninja Storm Ranger so they could start their training when he saw the Megaforce Rangers coming towards him. Black was in the front and as soon as they stood in front of him, Black took a step towards him.

-I heard you told people you were lying… that was a brave thing to do -said, Black.

-I couldn't keep taking credit for something I didn't do -said Jordan-… you are the real heroes here.

-Maybe someday, you will be too -offered Pink.

-Maybe but even if it doesn't happen I'm happy to have learned how to be a better person -said Jordan, smiling.

Black nodded, like the rest of his teammates behind him, and took a step towards Jordan, gabbing his hand and leaving a coin with Shane's wind symbol on it.

-This was a present from my sensei, he gave it to me the day I started training with him -said Black-… I know you have a long way to go, Jordan but if you believe in yourself, you can do anything, I know it and I know he would believe that too.

Jordan looked at the coin and nodded, looking at the Black Ranger with newfound respect when Tori appeared beside them, smiling when she saw the coin in Jordan's hands.

-I guess is time to go… -said Tori-… I will try to come again with the team. They miss you and they wish to come and see their little brother.

-That would be amazing, Tori… take care-said Black, hugging Tori.

-You too… he would be so proud of you -whispered Tori in Black's ear.

Black nodded and saw Jordan and Tori leave, for a moment, Black stood them as they demorphed, and then, Jake sighed, looking at his uniform and smiling. Shane will always be part of them, of him… His friends surrounded him and hugged him as Jake smiled.

-We will be ok… -whispered Jake.

-We will -said Emma -… but do you think you can get us one of those Ninja uniforms? I like them.

-They seem good for training -said, Troy.

-And the fabric makes them easy to clean -said Noah-… yeah, I agree. We need them.

Jake groaned while the others let go of him and walked towards their Command Center, all of them except Gia, who extended her hand to him and smiled. He took it, of course, and they both walked, hand in hand.

-You know… I'm discovering a side of you I never thought was there… -said Gia-… sometimes I wonder if you are the same guy.

-The same guy, uh? -asked Jake, smiling-… well, I can be serious when we are fighting but out of the battlefield…

He pocked her on the side, making her laugh as he started to run, with her right behind him, both of them laughing.

-Jacob Holling, I'm so making you pay for that! -screamed Gia.

-If you catch me!

They passed their friends as they laughed and continued their walk not noticing, behind them, a small amount of air, flying to the sky as the day came to end.