ATTENTION: I am very serious considering adding past generation Power Rangers to either Tobi's dimension or to the others' dimension. I've created a new poll that asks What previous generation Power Ranger(s) should appear in Parallel Realities Ninja Storm? At the top left of this page, click on Rogue Ranger. My profile will load. At the top center of that page is the poll. Please vote if you have not done so! If you have, thank you!
Author's Notes (forgive me for typing too long an "author's notes" section, if you don't care you can skip to the story): This chapter is more of an explanationary, in-between chapter. More stuff will happen soon.
Thank you to all my readers, whether you review or not!
Thanks Philadelphiacheese for voting and reviewing! I… uh… never thought of my story as fluffy, but… okay! Anyway, I'm glad you like the story so far despite the occasional perversity. No perversity in this chapter, but I'm not sure how to take your comment that the story is "a pretty good time killer." :p I looked at your story favorites, though, and… wow! You read stories with like 20 to 100+ chapters. I don't expect a million words out of this story, though… Not that it's about to end yet!
Thanks Ghostwriter for your regular reviews and for keeping me updated on all the slang that apparently I've missed over the years! I've noticed that you really get around. By that, I mean that I see your reviews all over the place. I could never read and write that many stories. Then again, maybe I am limiting myself. Hmmm… Anyway, catch you on the flip side, which would be a parallel version of this reality, possibly where I'm evil and write about evil things like Sensei and Lothor getting it on with each other. Hmmm… now there's an idea…
You're welcome, YellowPrincess! I'm not sure if that will be the last Hunter and Tori "moment" but I was noticing that Hunter is the first person to congratulate Tori after they graduate from the Wind Ninja Academy in the last episode. If nothing else, they were friends. That much is obvious in the series. Of course, in order to make such a moment possible, I had to have not just Blake get some "action" from the other Tori but Dustin to show an interest in Marah. In the series, it's obvious that the two do care about each other and in Tobi's dimension, Marah's nice, so… We'll see what happens. First, though, I have to deal with Tobi's powers a little, since that will come into play later.
Thanks Magichalo for reviewing and voting in the poll! Sorry for writing too quickly! Don't worry, I won't make a habit out of it. Unless of course it's a short chapter. Glad you appreciate chapter 18's epic action sequence. I want to do some more action, but I also want to incorporate additional characters. Hence, the poll. I was actually thinking about introducing the Time Force rangers as a way to alter history, but then I was thinking would introducing time travel make things too complicated? It's not like PRTF needs to alter history, I just thought it would be interesting. As for limiting the number of past rangers to five in the poll, I was originally going to just have one, but then I thought, nah, I want people to be able to choose runners up. Of course, if I were really thinking about teams, most have 6, so… maybe I should change that.
Previously in Parallel Realities Ninja Storm:
The Power Rangers and Tobi find themselves trapped in Tobi's dimension with their evil counterparts back in theirs. Dustin's yellow Power Ranger abilities were permanently sacrificed to seal the dimensional hole and he won't have them in their new dimension. Meanwhile, their attempt to find Sensei leads them to discover that the other Power Rangers left their Sensei behind. Now with two Senseis, one grumpy and one calm, the rangers find themselves wondering if they'll ever get back. Dustin meets the nice version of Marah and seems to fall for her. When Hunter tries to convince Tori to give Blake another chance after he tells her he liked the evil Tori better because of his "man needs," the two share a moment. Then, she comforts Tobi, who wants a chance to find some good in his evil twin sister and has an idea that just might get them all back...
Parallel Realities Ninja Storm: Chapter 20 (Faith in Fate)
After returning to Ninja Ops from the park with both Senseis, the group took a moment to talk about the new world they found themselves in. Tobi, however, took the opportunity to ask Cam about an idea he had. "Cam, do you remember that big moth called Gold something?" he asked while Cam plopped himself back down in the chair in front of the computer.
"Goldwinger?" he suggested.
"Yeah," Tobi agreed. "He's the one who sent Tori here before and pieces of him made that hole, so…"
"So, if we find this dimension's Goldwinger, it may be able to send us back," Cam realized, his eyes widening.
"Exactly," Tobi replied.
"What was that about something sending us back?" Tori asked, approaching.
"Goldwinger may have the power to return us to our dimension," Cam explained. "And there would be no risk to the dimensions, just like when it created the stabile interdimensional vortex that you originally passed through."
"I get the part about us going back to our dimension," Dustin said, leaning on Tori's shoulder, "but what was the rest, dude?"
"Moth guy sent Tori here before, so he can send us back now," Shane simplified.
"I get it now!" Dustin declared happily.
Cam immediately started typing away. "I don't' know if I'll be able to track him down though, assuming he exists in this dimension."
"We could try it the old fashioned way and ask around Town," Tori suggested.
Cam raised an eyebrow in surprise.
"Someone's the new genius around here!" Shane said, offering her a high five.
"I was always smart," she reminded him, ignoring his hand.
"So, I guess we all go like ask people where's moth dude," Dustin suggested.
Cam groaned. "Goldwinger," he reminded them. "And, can we all remember what it looks like?"
"He's big and ugly," Dustin offered.
"That totally narrows it down, dude," Shane said sarcastically.
"What about you two?" Tori asked, turning to Hunter and Blake with raised eyebrows.
The two brothers suddenly stopped their intense, whispered conversation and smiled toward her. She narrowed her eyes in suspicion.
"I recommend that we go in pairs, ask around, and then meet back here in two hours," Cam said.
"Hold up," Dustin interrupted. "When do we eat?"
"You always think about your stomach, Dustin," Tori said with a grin.
"I'm hungry too," Shane added. "Maybe we should eat first."
"I'll go for that," Hunter agreed, approaching with Blake. "And I think I know who you should pair up with, Tor," He gestured toward his brother.
"Sure," Tori agreed, blinking way more than necessary at Hunter.
Dustin happened to notice this and jabbed Shane, whispering, "See, she's using her telepathy again, dude. Now do you believe me?"
Cam turned to his father. "Dad, do you want to come with us or do you want us to bring something back for you?"
"Thank you for the offer, Cam," Sensei replied, "but I will be fine."
"You are not eating my mini meals, clone!" the other Sensei spoke up.
"Will you be okay alone with him?" Cam whispered to his father.
Before Sensei could answer, Tobi chimed in. "I'll stay here with them," he offered.
"Are you sure?" Cam asked, surprised.
"Yeah," Tobi agreed. "I have something I want to ask Sensei."
Cam raised an eyebrow.
"We will be fine," Sensei told his son. "Enjoy your lunch."
Cam nodded before informing the others that it was time to leave.
Tori walked over to Tobi. "You okay?" she asked.
"Yeah," he replied. "I just want to talk to Sensei."
"Tobi's turning down food?" Hunter asked in surprise. "I guess there's a first time for everything."
"That'll never happen with Dustin," Blake pointed out.
"I am an eating machine!" Dustin bragged, putting is hands on his hips.
"I hope we can find Goldwinger easily," Cam said with a concerned expression. "I hate to think what the other versions of us are doing right now."
"Man, don't remind me," Shane replied, shaking his head.
"Catch you later, TZT," Dustin yelled. "I'll bring you back like leftovers or something."
Tori grinned. "Don't count on that," she said, patting Tobi on the arm before leaving with the others. "Call us if you need something."
"So, this is like the fifth dimension…" Dustin commented as they left Ninja Ops.
Tobi sighed, turning back to the two Senseis. "Sensei," he addressed.
"What!" one replied grumpily.
"What can I do for you, Tobi?" the other asked calmly.
Tobi frowned. "We need a way to tell the two of you apart." He thought for a moment, looking around Ninja Ops for inspiration.
"We can call him clone," the grumpy Sensei suggested.
"Perhaps Sensei Watanabe," the calm Sensei offered.
"I'm Sensei Kanoi Watanabe!" the other demanded, grabbing a miniature walking stick and aiming it like a sword. The calm Sensei simply backflipped away from him as the grumpy guinea pig tried slashing—or poking—away.
"Break it up," Tobi warned, putting his hands between the two guinea pigs. "Ow!" He was immediately zapped with a small fireball from the grumpy Sensei. He concentrated on his hands and noticed that they started to glow. Surprised and not wanting to destroy Ninja Ops, he quickly shook his hands and removed them, but the moment he did, a bright flash knocked both Senseis over. Their tiny feet wiggled in the air.
"I'm blind! I'm blind!" the grumpy Sensei cried.
"Your eyes are closed," Tobi pointed out, "and I'm sorry, but you started it."
"I was not aware that you had such an ability, Tobi," the calm Sensei said in surprise, rocking his body back and forth until he was finally able to stand on his two short limbs.
"Actually, that's the second time I've done something like that, but the first time was a whole lot more… intense," Tobi explained.
"It seems I may have been wrong in assuming your ability tended toward water like your sister," Sensei replied, thinking. "That may only have been a side effect of bonding with her morpher."
"Then what is my… ability?" Tobi asked.
Sensei thought. "Something I have not seen in a long time…"
"Will you be able to train me to control it?" Tobi asked.
"I do not know," Sensei replied. "I only truly know air, earth and water. I, myself, originally trained as an Air Ninja."
The other Sensei scoffed. "Training," he muttered dismissively.
Tobi turned to his sister and her friends' former Sensei. "Now do you think iI could have become a ninja?"
Grumpy Sensei crossed his little arms. "I stand by my decision."
"And what decision was that?" calm Sensei asked.
The other Sensei turned his back, refusing to talk to his doppelganger.
"Sensei—this Sensei—found us after the last Zord attack and began training Tori, Dustin and Shane to be ninjas," Tobi explained, "but he refused to train me. He said I was too weak and lacked the right spirit or something like that."
"Perhaps he simply saw that you could not so easily be turned to evil," the calm and wise Sensei theorized.
"Evil?" cranky Sensei repeated. "You were never meant to be a Wind Ninja or a Power Ranger."
"How do you know that?" Tobi asked.
"It was foretold that three would be chosen…" grumpy Sensei continued.
Tobi gave him a surprised look.
"I wonder…" calm Sensei mumbled, jumping across the room to a bookshelf full of scrolls.
"You stay away from my scrolls!" grumpy Sensei demanded, hopping after him.
Tobi quickly followed, trying to keep track of which Sensei was which. "Sensei?" he started, glancing between the two. "Oh, Sensei without a staff," he clarified, "what are you doing?"
The grumpy Sensei used his stick to knock the hat off the other guinea pig. "Sensei with no staff and no hat!" he declared, satisfied.
Tobi just raised an eyebrow toward him while the now hatless Sensei calmly retrieved a scroll and began using his body to unroll it. "What's that?" Tobi asked.
"It's proof you were never meant to be a ninja," the grumpy hat wearing Sensei replied.
"Interesting," the calm hatless Sensei muttered.
As Tobi looked down at the clearly very old scroll, he gasped in surprise. On it were drawings of Tori, Shane and Dustin. "That's an ancient scroll? And it shows my sister and Shane and Dustin?" Tobi asked.
"Yes," calm Sensei replied, closing the scroll, which the other Sensei promptly took from him and returned to its place. "An identical scroll exists in the other dimension."
"So, all that stuff about the three being at the bottom of their class and only become Power Rangers because they were the last three…" Tobi began.
"Was partially true," Sensei continued. "But they were also destined to follow the path that seemingly randomly fell before them."
"Destiny, huh?" Tobi mumbled. "So that's why I couldn't train as a ninja? I wasn't destined on some ancient scroll," he realized, "not even in my own dimension. Maybe I wasn't supposed to be born here either."
"Finally, you take a hint," cranky Sensei commented, hopping over to check on his mini meals.
"It is my belief that you do hold a destiny here," calm Sensei added as Tobi watched the other Sensei go. "Cameron was not in that scroll either. And, while Hunter and Blake did appear in a scroll located at the Thunder Ninja Academy, your own destiny may very well be equally profound."
Tobi contemplated that, his eyes becoming lost in thought.
"Is that what you wanted to talk to me about?" Sensei asked.
Tobi shook off his thoughts. "Oh, no, it was…" he began. "I wanted to know why someone turns evil. I mean… say they started out okay, but… they changed over time?"
Sensei thought for a moment. "I know you are thinking of your twin sister," he concluded, earning him a surprised look from Tobi. "My own twin brother was not born evil, but he became corrupted by jealousy and a lust for power. Over time, his destiny took shape and Kiya became… Lothor."
"And yet, in this dimension, Lothor never became evil," Tobi pointed out. "Is it 'destiny' or just things that happened differently in people's pasts? Like, the Zord attack…"
"Each dimension has its own set of destinies and its own fate," Sensei concluded, "but there is one underlying truth in any dimension. Those who spread misery are miserable people themselves."
Tobi thought about that. "So… if you make them happy, they won't be evil anymore?"
"There are many different ways to 'make someone happy.'" Sensei pointed out. "For instance, one can lie to someone to make them happy. One can give a gift and make them happy. Or… one can change another's life from the inside out so that happiness is not something outside oneself but contentment with one's inner being."
"And how do you do that?" Tobi asked, confused.
"One does not become evil in an instant outside a spell or something similar," Sensei explained, "And likewise one does not turn from evil in an instant outside a spell or something similar. Either. It is a process, a process centered around the individual learning to be at peace with themselves." Tobi didn't need to ask "how" because Sensei could see it in his eyes. "Show the person not just that you care about them but why you care."
Tobi thought for a moment. He really didn't feel any closer to an answer than he was before. He knew that if he asked if his sister could become good that Sensei would just say something like, "If it is her path in life."
"So, are you ever going to show them the scroll?" Tobi decided to ask.
"Once Shane, Tori and Dustin have fulfilled their destiny," Sensei replied.
"Which is…?" Tobi prompted.
"To defeat my brother and save the Earth," Sensei explained.
"So, there's no hope for Lothor turning good?" Tobi asked.
Sensei turned away for a moment. "That is not in his destiny," he replied somberly.
"Oh…" Tobi said, looking over at the other Sensei hording his mini meals and glancing around protectively. "But, what about this Sensei and Lothor?"
Sensei turned back around to face Tobi. "I do not know," he replied, a sense of loss still in his voice.
"Sensei," Tobi whispered. "You can't give up on your own brother just because a piece of paper says he's beyond hope."
Sensei smiled up toward him weakly. "Let me tell you a story…" he said.
Tobi gave him a confused look before agreeing, "Okay…" he looked for a place to sit and decided on the top of a nearby counter.
"There was once a man who had a dream that he was on a boat fishing when another boat hit his own," Sensei began. "In the dream, the man hurt his hand in the collision because he was holding too tightly onto his oars. The next day, the man went fishing and a boat was about to collide with his own. Remembering his dream, the man let go of both oars."
"And he drown?" Tobi suggested, predicting a depressing ending to the story.
"No," Sensei replied. "Before the other boat collided with his own, it hit his loose oar and knocked it in such a way that it smashed the man's hand."
Tobi grimaced. He knew it would be something like that.
"So," Sensei finished, "though the man witnessed his fate and even tried working out a way to prevent it, he still ended up injuring his hand, just as he had foreseen in his dream."
"So… the moral is, there's one path meant for your life and there's no way to change your destiny?" Tobi asked grimly.
"There are in fact many paths, as the man discovered, but they all lead to one ultimate fate," Sensei explained.
Although Tobi knew this Sensei was supposed to be wise and he had learned to trust him for advice, he couldn't help but think Sensei was wrong about "fate." Of course, it wasn't just Sensei. Hunter believed he was destined for Dustin and Dustin probably wondered if, after meeting two versions of her, Marah was destined for him. Then there were the scrolls… but Tobi still wanted to believe that somehow he could shape his own fate. It wasn't some way to come between Dustin and Hunter or Dustin and Marah. It was a way to save his sister, and possibly everyone, from the path they were on. He had to prove, more to himself than to anyone else, that he could change their destiny. Maybe then, in the process, he'd find his own destiny…
Tobi managed to convince the far more patient Sensei to train him how to control his ability, though Sensei had been adamant about warning him that it did not seem to be an element he was familiar with.
"And then focus on pushing the energy down your arm and into your palm." Sensei continued to teach.
Tobi had only been able to create bursts of energy so far. He was trying to control the energy once it left his body, but he seemed to need a physical substance like his tears or other bodily fluids. So, Sensei was having him hold a metal bolt and try to focus his energy into the bolt. Of course, the energy didn't travel into the bolt, but just exploded out from his palm, causing the metal bolt to fly up into the air before falling to the floor with a clunk.
Tobi sighed in frustration. "I can't cry or jack off every time I want to have something I can control outside my body," he said, "but I can't figure out how to push the energy into something outside of me."
"Perhaps we are approaching this the wrong way," Sensei suggested. "What was it that Cam said you did to the air around you?"
"He said I separated out the hydrogen or something like that," Tobi replied. "Maybe I do something like that with water?"
"I want you to try focusing not on pushing your energy into something," Sensei began again, "but to find the energy within something."
Tobi gave him a confused look. "And how do I do that?"
"You told me that you sensed something intangible in the air around you that you could control," Sensei replied.
"Yeah," Tobi agreed.
"Here," Sensei offered, leading Tobi to a dying bonsai plant. "I believe you may have better luck with something living."
Tobi just shrugged and turned to focus on the wilting plant next to Sensei. He kept focusing until he found something within it and focused just on that. It seemed to spread out in his mind until he saw the plant on fire. He gasped. "I'm sorry, Sensei," he said quickly.
"For what?" Sensei asked, looking at the bonsai, which was now green and full of life.
"But, but… it was on fire," he stuttered, suddenly feeling dizzy.
"When?" Sensei asked. "I was watching it the whole time. It simply healed itself. It was quite remarkable."
"So… it didn't catch on fire?" he asked again, now feeling a sense of fatigue.
"No," Sensei replied, "but perhaps you perceived something burning within it, its life force that you were able to ignite?"
"Uh, I guess," Tobi agreed. "Why do I feel... weaker?"
"Weaker?" Sensei repeated.
"Yeah, a little," he replied. "I didn't feel this way after I created that huge explosion back in the other dimension."
Sensei thought for a moment. "It may be a different skill that is used," he theorized. "Perhaps, with practice, it may become easier."
"I guess so," Tobi offered.
"It is interesting how you seem to have a level of control over the three main elements: air, water and earth," Sensei pondered. "What connects them together?" He furrowed his fuzzy brow in contemplation. "They are all forms of solid substances, of matter."
"Stupid clone," the other Sensei muttered from across the room. "It's light!"
"But light is not an element," the Sensei in front of Tobi pointed out.
The other Sensei just grunted.
"It is possible," the calm Sensei conceded. "The intangible element may not be an element at all, not a solid, liquid or gas, but part of the energy within each of those."
Tobi gave him a confused look.
"When energy is released from matter, it emits light," Sensei explained, "so to be able to control light is to be able to draw the energy out of anything. No doubt the same ability you showed to regenerate the bonsai is what you used to free Tori from Mindzine."
"I know I'm not Cam, but doesn't converting matter into energy mean splitting an atom, like in an atomic bomb?" Tobi asked grimly.
"Cam would know details like that," Sensei replied, "but I believe you will be able to control and harness the ability and learn to use it safely. After all, fire is the process of converting matter into energy."
"I'm blaming you if he blows us all to kingdom come!" the other Sensei shouted.
Tobi didn't know whether to feel amazed or terrified by the power he supposedly possessed, but his thoughts were interrupted by Tori's voice coming from his communicator. "Tobi?" she called.
"I'm here," he said, raising his wrist. "I've just been training with Sensei. So, did you guys find Goldwinger?"
"Not yet," she replied hesitantly, "but Cam… went off to find his mom."
"Oh…" Tobi realized, looking at Sensei, who gave him a surprised look. "Yeah, I told him his mom was alive here when he told me she died in your dimension." He offered Sensei an apologetic look.
"And…" Tori said, trailing off.
"Tori, what's wrong?" Tobi asked, suddenly worried.
"Everything's fine," she said quickly. "It's just that Blake and Hunter… their parents are alive here."
"Yeah, I know," Tobi reminded her.
"But… not everyone's alive here," she said slowly.
It took a moment for him to figure out what she was talking about. "Oh… our mom…"
"Yeah," she mumbled. "And Shane's brother, Porter… he's dead too," she added somberly.
"Yeah, he died saving Shane's life when his house was stomped on during the last Zord attack," Tobi explained.
There was silence from the other end for a moment.
"Tori, are you okay?" he repeated.
He heard her sigh. "Tobi… I think the others might want to stay…"
"Really?" he asked, surprised.
"How did you feel when you saw your mom alive?" she asked him.
"She didn't even know me…" he replied. "I actually felt worse."
"Oh," she mumbled. "But you could have still spent time with her and built new memories."
He looked at the communicator, surprised. "My sister, the other Tori, said the same thing…"
She sighed again. "I just don't now how I'm going to convince Cam, Hunter and Blake that they should give that up to go back to a dimension filled with nothing but constant fighting to keep the Earth out of Lothor's grasp."
He looked at Sensei and realized their conversation was probably not something he was supposed to hear, so he stood up and walked to the next room. "I see your point," he agreed.
"And then there's Dustin," she continued.
Tobi's eyes lit up. "What about Dustin?" he asked quickly.
"Some alien lit him borrow its saxophone so that he could perform some… unusual music with Marah and Kapri," she explained.
"So, he and Marah…" Tobi said.
"It looks like it," she replied.
"So, is anyone even looking for Goldwinger?" he asked.
"Shane and I were, but…" she said, trailing off.
"Keep looking and asking around," he encouraged. "I have it on good authority that you guys aren't destined to stay here."
"Huh?" she asked.
"Tell you what," he offered. "I'll join you and we can look together. Where are you?"
"We're outside some all you can eat fast food place called 'Pudgy Pig's Pig Out,'" she replied, a hint of disgust in her voice.
"Eh," he grunted. "I should have warned you about the alien food."
"Yeah, you should have," she agreed, "but it's too late now. At lest it came back up fast and now we're fine."
"Sorry about that," he replied. "I'll be right there in a few minutes." He then returned to the main room and addressed the two Senseis. "Anyone up for a walk…?"
To be continued...
Author's Note: I hope I explained how light works. I'm not a scientist (but neither is Sensei, so there!)...