I'm back! Sorry this took so long, I've been a bit busy. But here I am, with another chapter!
This chapter is dedicated to bandgeek18. Thank you for your review!
In a pocket dimension…
Kimberly, Zach, and Alpha stepped out of the portal. Forest surrounded them.
"So, this place is a pocket dimension?"
"Indeed Zach. And the trenzortium is that way." Alpha said, pointing at a distant jungle.
The trio started walking.
They reached the jungle, trees stretching in every direction. Some were recognizable trees, others were completely foreign. There were some that looked like evergreens, except they were blue! Some trees looked like someone had taken a bunch of brown and dark green vines and braided them together. Still others looked like giant mushrooms, dotted with purple flowers among the green foliage.
"The trenzortium bush should be in the center of the jungle!" Alpha said, pointing into the dark, heavy foliage.
"Great. Icky vines and who knows what else." Kimberly sighed. Zach shook his head.
"Let's just get going."
Zach went first, using his ax to hack his way through vines and branches, followed by Alpha and Kim.
After trekking a few miles through the dark vines, the two rangers and Alpha finally came to a clearing. At the edge of the clearing, there was a cliff. The only way over was an old, rickety wood and rope bridge. Clouds almost completely covered the bridge. Through the clouds, they could barely see an island.
"The trenzortium is on that island." Alpha announced.
"You're joking right?" Zach asked incredulously. They cautiously approached the flimsy bridge and looked over the edge, but couldn't see the bottom.
"Okay. So we just have to cross this, right? No big right?" Kim sounded unsure. The bridge seemed sturdy enough.
"Oh dear."
"What is it Alpha?" Kimberly asked, concerned.
"I do not believe the bridge will hold my weight. You and Zach will have to go on without me."
"Hey man, it's cool. We'll hop across, get the trenzortium, and be back in no time."
"Yeah, nothing to worry about, Alpha."
"Okay rangers. I will wait here. Remember, the trenzortium has three white petals, with six smaller red petals. The center is purple."
"Got it."
Zach and Kimberly started across the bridge.
Once they had carefully made their way across, the black and pink rangers stared at the beautiful garden before them. There were flowers and fruit trees everywhere, with the scent of jasmine and oranges in the air.
"Wow." Kim breathed, as simultaneously, Zach let out a "woah." The two simply stood there and looked for a minute, before Kimberly spotted the flower they had come for.
"Look, Zach, the trentzortyium!"
"Trenzortium, Kim."
The trenzortium tree stood in the center of the garden. The tree's leaves were a dark, glossy green, with flowers bursting vibrantly forth from the branches.
As the rangers approached the tree, however, there was a sudden gust of wind. Fire sprang up between the humans and the tree, making Kimberly shriek, Zach yelp, and both jump back. A whooshing sound could be heard, and the rangers looked up. A gigantic sphinx was soaring above, headed straight for the two humans. Landing gently, between the rangers and the flames, the sphinx regarded the two with suspicion. Easily as large as a zord, Zach and Kimberly felt dread, wondering if the sphinx would simply crush them.
"Why have you come here?" The creature asked in a musical, lilting voice.
"Our friend is in danger. He needs a trenzortium flower or he'll die!" Kimberly said, nervousness in her voice. The sphinx tilted her head, regarding Kimberly.
There was a sudden loud, mournful sounding, inhuman cry. The sphinx glanced behind herself before turning back to the humans.
"I see that you two are power rangers. Tell me, how did two humans come by such power? And do not lie."
"It was given to us," Zach said. "By Zordon so we could protect Earth from Rita Repulsa."
The sphinx hummed thoughtfully.
"You speak the truth." She said. "But why do you need a trenzortium flower?"
"Our friend, Jason, who's the red ranger, was hit by one of Rita's spells." Kim said. "We need a flower to cure him."
The sphinx sat silent, watching the rangers in front of her. Finally, she said, "Your words are true, and your intentions are pure. You may collect a flower, but just one. But," she added, "only one of you may approach the tree. You must be pure of heart to pass through the flames unscathed to pick a flower."
"Pure of heart?" Zach asked. The sphinx simply nodded. Zach and Kimberly looked at each other, unsure.
Kim decided to go forward, approaching the flames nervously. She didn't know if she was pure of heart, but she knew she had to try, for Jason's sake. Kim neared the flames, heart in her throat. She swallowed, then stepped forward, into the fire.
Kim released a breath she hadn't realized she'd been holding when the flames didn't hurt her. They curled all around her, but there was no burning, no pain, no intense heat.
Kim sighed in relief as she stepped out of the fire, towards the tree. She approached a low-hanging branch, and gently picked a flower. Cradling the flower in her hand, she made sure not to crush the fragile petals. The white petals of the trenzortium glittered with light. The smaller red petals were feathery, with the purple center shining like a star. Kim, still gently cradling the flower, turned and passed unharmed once more through the flames.
Zach watched with trepidation as Kimberly stepped into the flames. He tensed, dreading hearing her screams. But nothing happened. Zach waited, fidgeting, as Kim disappeared behind the flames. He could do nothing but watch, and that didn't agree with him. He also knew if anything happened to Kim, it would be his fault.
"Peace, black ranger." The sphinx said, startling Zach from his thoughts. He looked up in surprise as the sphinx smiled at him. "Your teammate is fine, and your leader will recover." The sphinx paused. "The power is great with you, and your comrades. You do have anything to be concerned with."
"Can you see the future?"
"No, black ranger. But I am well aware of the war taking place on your home world."
"Do you…do you think we can beat Rita? Save our world?"
"I do not doubt it. You and your friends, working together, are an unbeatable force even the most vile beings will tremble at, and as long as you and your team remembers who you are, you will never be defeated."
At that moment, Kim's figure appeared in the flames, heading back towards Zach. He looked up at sphinx, no longer afraid. "Thank you." The sphinx smiled serenely, and nodded her head once.
"Zach! I got the flower!" Kim emerged from the fire, trenzortium cupped in her hands.
"Great! Let's get back, Jason will need it." She nodded, coming up next to him.
"Go well, power rangers." The sphinx said, taking off into the sky.
"Zach! Kimberly! Oh, thank goodness you are alright. Do you have the trenzortium flower?"
"Right here Alpha."
"Great! Now we need to get back to the command center. We can teleport back from here."
Three beams of light left the pocket dimension.
And done! So now the rangers have what they need to cure Jason, yay! Again, sorry this took so long. But is it all rainbows and sunshine from here on out?