First chapter out!

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Rating: Mature for fighting scenes n the like, just to be safe

Warnings: none.

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Chapter 01

"Genji!"

Sprawled over a couch, tapping mindlessly on his tablet and following the zooms of his game avatar as it ran across the screen, Genji Shimada offered his friend Angela Ziegler a small grunt.

When it became clear he had no intention to look up, Angela took a long, suffering sigh.

"Genji!" she slid closer to him until she was towering above him, though Genji still did not look up from his tablet. "I called you twice, did you even hear me?"

"Hmm-mmmh," was his absent reply as he watched the small cutscene his avatar was doing in a prelude to a boss fight.

"We got a call!"

That did get Genji's attention. He dropped the tablet on the couch at his side and scrambled up to his feet, his apathetic expression gone and replaced with a serious, determined look. "Really? Who?"

Relieved she finally had his attention, Angela straightened her back. "There's been an attack not too far from here. Two monsters were spotted in the area, attacking different targets, and…" she hesitated, one hand caressing the bracelet around her wrist.

"What, Angela? Is there something else?"

She nodded, her expression stormy. "They say the Cultist has been sighted nearby as well. It's probable he's the one who orchestrated both attacks, as a way to divert our attention away from him."

Genji's face twisted in displeasure and he bit down on his lower lip, looking anywhere but at her. "Are you sure–"

"Genji." Angela reached out, grabbing one of Genji's wrists in her hands, and he reluctantly looked at her. "I don't know what reservations you have about that guy, but there is nothing redeemable about him. All he does is create a mess for us to clean up, and put people in danger. It is true that for now we have not witnessed any of his crimes, but we have plenty of proof of what he can do, and just how dangerous he can be."

"Look, I know that, but…" Genji tugged his wrist free, hands clenching down into fists. "I still feel like we're missing something here, alright?"

Angela shook her head but refrained from saying anything more on the subject. "We have to go. We've been dispatched to stop the monsters and we need to leave now. There's no time to stop and discuss about this again. We… we'll talk about this later, okay?"

Genji watched Angela turn around and leave his room, and he followed her, though he knew that 'later' would never happen, not when the Cultist was involved.

He was probably the only one who felt weirdly suspicious about the monster's habits, but even he had to admit that his hesitance was not caused by something specific –it was his instinct, really, and despite how much Genji trusted it, trusted himself, there had been many times he'd been wrong, in the past.

That did not make it any less difficult to ignore this feeling.

The building they lived in was divided in four main areas –the common area, the training grounds, the wing with their private rooms and the Observation Room. Angela headed to the Observation Room, followed closely by Genji though he was lost in thought, barely noticing the arrival of Lucio and Hana, both looking grim and ready for action.

The Observation Room had a giant screen in the middle, visible from the entrance doors, and it was lit when the four of them arrived, neatly divided in two parts and already showing live footage of both the monsters attacking the city.

One of the two monsters was a misshapen creature that looked like a mantis shrimp, its back multi-coloured and glistening under the sunlight, and it was chomping down on a wall, leaving behind bitten off chunks of concrete and half-broken cables fizzing with electricity.

The other monster was… Genji wasn't sure exactly what it was supposed to be. It was rounder, with a face split in two parts that kept opening and closing, like claws, but it wasn't anything he was familiar with, and it was already in its giant, expanded form, laughing maniacally as it kicked down trees and cars, people screaming as they ran away from danger.

The moment the four entered in the room, the live report moved to the lower part of the screen, and the upper part flickered and became the familiar face of Winston, face smashed against the camera as he pushed his glasses up his nose.

"Uhh… as you've seen, we've got quite a problem here. Or, well. Two of them."

"You could say we've got a double trouble," Genji muttered half-heartedly, smirking at Lucio when he heard him snort.

"Yeah, well, You'll split up in two groups and head over to dispose of the monsters. The Masked Vigilante has been alerted as well, and will join you there." Winston pulled back, and the screen wavered, replacing his face with that of his AI, Athena.

Her face was glowing blue, a vibrant electric colour that wavered at the edges. "Green Sentai and White Sentai will deal with the Shrimp Monster, while Pink and Blue Sentai will deal with the Oyster, and–"

"So that's what that is!" Genji's exclamation was shushed by his three companions, and he rolled his eyes before addressing the most pressing problem. "What about the Cultist?"

"Genji, we're not letting you face him again, it's not safe," Hana glared at him, lips pursed in a frown. "Last time he almost convinced you to listen to him!"

Genji felt his cheeks burn a bit in embarrassment, though he had no trouble defending himself, even if she was right.

The Cultist had been really eloquent, had sounded honestly insistent for Genji to listen, that he had something important to say, that he had no animosity towards the Sentai Ranger nor towards the other heroes, and Genji…

"I still say nothing bad would happen if we just listened to him, that's all." He muttered, but his words were once again brushed off.

He could understand their reticence –it was not the first time one of the bad guys had tried to fool the heroes only to attack them once their guard was lowered, but…

But.

It did not matter to Genji that the Cultist had such a creepy, scary appearance, and he did not even care for the aura of dread that seemed to follow him everywhere he went. Something inside Genji told him that he had to listen, and he could not just push that thought away, no matter how much he tried to ignore it.

There was no more time to lose, though, and Genji took off first, wanting to get to the monster as soon as possible to prevent any more damage to the city.

He would have preferred picking on the giant… Oyster, really, as it was the one that was attacking people and making more of a ruckus, but he trusted Athena's decision, and if she'd directed him to toe shrimp it meant he would face a greater challenge against that one, which was all he was about, really.

"Sentai, go!" he screamed, lips pulling up in a wide smile as he reached out for the watch around his wrist, setting it off to start his transformation in Sentai Ranger.

A flash of energy coalesced around him, with the overlapping impression of a roaring, green dragon curling around his body, and then his costume appeared around him, metal and fabric mixing together until at last, the mask covered his face.

Behind him, he heard Hana, Lucio and Angela do the same, activating their devices in tandem, though he did not turn around to look.

Soon all four of the Sentai Rangers were running out of the base, then split up.

Angela –White Sentai– and Genji, now donning the costume of Green Sentai, both took off to the right. Genji jumped high, his training and augmented abilities allowing him to climb higher and higher on a tall, vertical wall until he was dashing across the rooftops.

Angela waited until Genji was sprinting in the distance, then stretched out her right hand and her bracelet, now a bigger jewel wrapped around her wrist, morphed into a long staff that she pointed at him.

"Caduceus Staff – Angelic Descent!"

A stream of white light enveloped the tip of her staff, attaching itself to Genji's form as he jumped out of sight.

Instantly, the connected thread tugged her along and she flew behind him, quickly reaching his side, the wings on the back of her costume halting her dash to match Genji's speed, so she could keep close to him as he sprinted onwards.

"It should not take long for us to defeat the monster, then we can join the others," Angela called out to him, and Genji grunted his assent, putting more strength into his strides until he was almost a blur, jumping and running at an incredible speed.

Through it, Angela continued to follow him, deftly avoiding any obstacle, twisting in mid-air and sometimes landing and jumping to follow him, her mechanical wings flaring with energy as she kept her staff trained on him to maintain the connection active.

"Keep your eyes open, Green Sentai," Angela called out for him as they got closer and closer to where the monster had been sighted. "We don't know where the Cultist might hide. I will not allow you to get hurt. Not on my watch."

Genji sighed, but nodded.

He was grateful she was protective, as he'd gotten hurt more than once, and he knew that she was only looking out for him, especially after the last time…

Uncomfortable at the reminder of his one big failure, Genji rubbed one hand on his throat. He'd needed an operation, and part of his mouth and throat were now mechanic, after an attack from one particularly strong monster that had almost ripped him in half. It did not truly bother him, not anymore, though he had to have aid breathing normally after any heavy activity where he did not have his mask's breather active as he did while on sentai duty, but for months it had been hard to cope with the situation or the changes, and he knew his friends and teammates only wished to make sure nothing like that happened again.

"Here it is!" Genji finally located the monster.

True to the footage Winston had showed them earlier, the monster seemed intent in bringing down random walls in a non-populated area of the city and with no apparent pattern that Genji could recognize.

The shrimp monster chomped down on a hydrant, gnawing at it until part of it broke, but not enough to start a jet of water, then observed the damage and moved on.

It did not make any sound, nor did it grin in satisfaction, like other monsters Genji had met before.

"Let's go, White Sentai!"

"Yes! Powered up!" Angela flicked her staff and channelled through her powers and the white stream tinged with blue as she fuelled her energy into turning Genji's attacks up a notch.

The powers granted to her by her morphing suit were mostly support, healing and empowering others, but if it needed be, she had quite a good aim and a secondary weapon to defend herself with and aid her companions.

Still, Genji estimated it would not be needed.

"Monster! Cease and desist, for the Sentai Rangers have arrived!" he jumped down, rolling when he reached the ground, and stopped a few feet away from the monster, who was startled out from its eating, pieces of the concrete falling from its mouth. "With the fiery might of a Dragon, Green Sentai is here!"

Angela landed softly behind him, wings spread behind her and Caduceus staff glowing brightly. "With the grace of a Swan, White Sentai arrives!"

The monster turned slowly to look at them.

For a moment, Genji thought it looked tired –perhaps it had munched on too much heavy concrete, who knew– then it seemed to grow onto itself, squaring its shoulders, and its mouth, as inhuman as it could be, parted into a flurry of tiny tentacles.

"Rangers, huh? Finally, someone deigned to come!" the voice was rough from disuse, deep and raspy, and Genji winced in sympathy before the monster continued, in a pompous tone, "Bow to me, Rangers, as I will destroy your city!"

"Not on my watch, monster!"

His words had the monster twitch, and if Genji had been looking, he would have though it seemed a wince –but Genji was focusing on the future battle, and the small movement went unnoticed. "Yes, monster. I'm a monster, so you'd better take me seriously or I'm going to eat you just like I ate all this concrete!"

Then, the battle truly began.

Genji dashed forwards, shuriken flipping out from a slot on his arm, and he threw them at the monster, who deflected them easily with one part of its thick keratin cover, making them rebound away from it. With a hiss, Genji bounced high in the air, Angela following him closely but staying a little on the side, ready to switch from damage boost to heal should he need it.

"You have to be faster if you wish to harm me, sentai," the monster growled at him, sounding annoyed, goading him, and Genji smirked underneath his mask.

"I do like a good challenge, you creep!"

He attempted another set of shuriken but was once more deflected, the attack not even leaving a scratch on the monster's body, so he cracked his knuckles together. "Angela, close-combat now!"

"Understood!"

"Sentai power attack, Dragon Blade unleashed!"

With a sharp flick of his hand, Genji brought his left hand down from his right shoulder to the wrist, and green, thick smoke raised under his touch, sailing in the air and glowing before it solidified into the edge of a sharp blade, its hilt in his hand, ready for combat.

"Let's see how you fare against my sharp blade, monster! Ha!" Genji darted forwards, empowered by the energy he could feel channelled into his body by Angela's staff, and he clashed against the monster, who used one of his armoured arms to par his blade.

Again, then once more, the two slammed against one another. They rolled around, jumped and parred then attacked again. Genji's sword ricocheted on the monster's colourful shell, as if it was having no effect on it, not even to slow it down, until–

Finally, a crack appeared on the edge of the monster's thick shield, and Genji smiled under his mask as the monster slipped and fell in front of him, one clawed hand coming to rest above the damaged area.

"Now it's the time for my final move. Dragon, surge forwards and lend me your power!" as he focused deep inside him, he felt the power of the Dragon Spirit living within him answer his plea, its intangible form appearing as a ghostly aura around him.

Genji breathed deeply, feeling the fierce power of the spirit burn through his veins, hot like fire, filling him with determination and cockiness as he prepared to attack the monster and finish it, in his excitement not even noticing how little the monster had cared to attack back.

"Dragon Spirit, rise! Dragon Blade, slash true!"

Getting into position, Genji darted forwards, empowered by both Angela's staff and his own dragon, and the dragon soared above him and flung itself into his blade, which flashed brightly, green light bathing everywhere around him.

The monster stared at him, frozen in fear, though it wasn't shivering or cowering, it was just… sitting there, obviously cowed and having given up, and Genji raised his blade, ready to finish it–

"No."

The attack came from above, and Genji had not expected it.

Something ricocheted against the edge of his blade inches from the monster's chest, pushing it to the side, and Genji stumbled and missed, his speed losing momentum as he was unable to recalibrate, having been so focused on the monster he had not seen the attack coming.

Something flew sharply around him, and Genji, following his instincts, flung his weapon against it, missing once, then again, then–

Something hit the edge of his sword once again, and Genji felt it resonate in his hands, making him almost drop the sword as he winced and avoided more of the projectiles coming his way.

Nullified, his dragon attack faded into nothing, losing its strength as the dragon slithered out of his blade and fused back into Genji's body.

Flummoxed, Genji straightened his back and followed the projectiles back to who'd sent them, finding himself staring at the Cultist standing straight on top of a nearby wall, one hand stretched out towards him.

He looked imposing, an aura of darkness clinging to him. His face was in part obscured by his hood, but his eyes and the array blinking on his forehead were both glowing ominously.

Anger filled Genji's body, together with a weird excitement pooling into his guts, like any other time he and the Cultist had clashed against one another.

"How dare you stop me!"

"You will not harm him." The Cultist spoke, clearly, despite the distance between them.

Genji heard Angela flutter and land near him, and he felt her aid cut off all of sudden as her staff turned into her laser weapon that she pointed at the Cultist's head, though he did not look bothered by that.

"Come down and face me, instead of cowering that far, monster!" Genji goaded him, feeling empowered by the fact that the Cultist was keeping his distance.

"I do not think that would be ideal, no," the monster replied, his voice even.

The tentacles around his face wriggled lazily as he spoke, and he curled both hands in front of himself as his weapon of choice, a line of nine orbs with glowing, creepy eyes on them, circled around him, slowly.

Ready to attack, probably, and Genji forgot, momentarily, his own reservations about the monster.

This was not the first time he'd appeared to stop them from ending one of the monsters they'd found, and it was one of the main reasons none of the other sentai, nor Winston, agreed with Genji about the monster not wishing to fight.

"You won't get away with this one this time, Cultist!" Angela took a step forwards, her weapon still pointed at the monster's head.

"Do you wish to stop me, White sentai?" the Cultist murmured, no anger or spite in his voice, just a quiet amusement. "You won't. They will come with me."

He turned to look at the monster on the ground, who was now growling, utterly angry. It was still clutching at its damaged body, but did not look grateful that the Cultist –a monster of a higher level, so dangerous that the sentai never attacked unless they were all together– had arrived to help.

Genji wondered about that, but chalked it up to not being able to best the sentai heroes by itself, which was the most probable reason.

"Get away!" the monster seemed to regain some energy and attempted to stand up, its attention entirely focused on the Cultist for a split second before he turned to the rangers. "I was so close! So close! You won't take that away from me!"

Taken aback by the sudden ferocity, Genji took a step back, though his lips were pulled up in a sarcastic smirk under the mask. "As if, my guy, I was the one who was about to get you shoved back where you came from! And I can still do it, just watch me!"

Angela did not switch back to her staff, her weapon still trained at the Cultist as Genji readied his blade once again, about to leap at the monster, who had straightened its back and was pointing both clawed hands at him, then–

The Cultist moved.

With the sort of grace that one would not expect to see from a monster he descended from the wall, landing quietly between Genji and the monster, one arm stretched out towards the two sentai, his disgusting orbs spinning lazily around him, eyes blinking and peering one direction, then another, in a weird orbit.

"I said I won't allow you to."

The orbs flashed their way, faster than either Genji and Angela could see –one slammed into her wrist, and she let out a soft gasp and the sting, dropping her laser gun and watching it vanish away, recalled through her powers.

Genji avoided the first two orbs by sheer instinct, but the third one brushed against his sword, and he fumbled with his grip on it, the situation made worse when more orbs focused on him, pushing him back as he kept avoiding them.

"Stop doing this! We're doing this community a service by removing these monsters!" Genji called out.

"We'll make sure to remove you as well!" Angela stepped close to Genji, her fingers splayed out as she prepared to summon her staff out once more.

"Again, that will not happen. I am not here to fight you." The Cultist did not turn away from them, his expression severe, green eyes glowing eerily from underneath his cloak, tentacles squirming on his face.

Genji shivered, feeling like the monster was staring deep into his soul, and that he'd just come out of it lacking.

As if following an unspoken command, the orbs chimed with a metallic, almost pleasant sound, and vibrated in mid-air, their surface coating itself with purple, and Genji and Angela gasped out at the horrible sensation pouring out from them, the Discord flowing so easily to their minds that their instinctual reaction was to pull back and put more distance between themselves and the two monsters.

It was enough for the Cultist to crouch next to the other monster, though his eyes were still trained on the two sentai, and place one hand on the monster's shoulder.

"Come," he murmured. It was not a request –it was a command, at least for Genji.

The monster appeared to hesitate only for a split second, then he crumpled, submitting to the will of the other, more powerful entity.

He nodded, and the Cultist seemed satisfied. With a steady hold on the monster's arm, he tugged him upwards, and with a graceful jump, he moved away from the ground and onto a nearby wall.

"Farewell, sentai. Until next time."

And then he was gone, and the orbs vibrating with discord followed him, leaving Genji and Angela frazzled but unhurt, though their minds were shaking under the small contact with the Cultist's assault.

"He… he got away again." Angela's hands were shaking, and Genji pressed one hand on her shoulder, though his was shaking just as much. "I just… I wanted to attack, but those orbs…"

"I felt it too. Just like last time." Genji gritted his teeth, displeased, frustrated.

He'd wanted to be able to meet with the Cultist on his own, try to reason with him, ask why he kept preventing them from killing some monsters but not all of them, why he did not attack but used such horrid, unpleasant orbs to make the sentai keep their distance, and yet…

The discord he'd felt in his heart, the sudden fear of not being good enough, of failing, of being useless, had stopped him.

"What absurd, cruel power," Angela hissed, now more angry at herself than scared. "We… we need to go back to the others. They might still be fighting and what if the Cultist goes where they are?"

"He wouldn't dare if all of us are there," Genji clenched both hands, but nodded his assent, time making the onslaught of Discord fade from his mind.

"Then let's make sure we offer a united front, just in case. One day… one day, I will be able to take down that threat."

"… let's go, White sentai."

When he judged there was enough distance between them and the two sentai, the Cultist's shoulders dropped a little, and he finally stopped to let go of the shrimp monster, that slumped down on the ground and glared up at him.

There was so much animosity in that stare, though the Cultist looked back, unimpressed.

"I know of you," the monster hissed, words bubbling strangely in its mouth. "Everybody talks about you, creating your own army, amassing followers like paws. I won't be one of them. I don't care if you think you 'saved' me from the sentai rangers. I won't be used when I was so close to…"

"You are wrong." The Cultist's voice was almost gentle now, and the jarring change between his serious tone from before and this made the monster stutter, and quieten. "I have no army to speak of."

"Everybody knows it. You whisk away monsters from the rangers with no consistency, and that's why you're called the Cultist –they fear you, and your cult of monsters. Well, fuck off will ya? I ain't interested."

The tentacles around the Cultist's mouth wriggled and his eyes glowed green under his hood. Around him, the nine orbs blinked and fluttered, hovering in a lazy circle.

"Is that so? Why is that? You wish to destroy the city on your own? You wish to exact revenge from the sentai, from the people of this city, who dare to live their lives normally and hate you?"

"I… no!" the monster stood up, staggering a bit with the wound to its keratin skin, and took another step back. "I don't care! I was so close, so close–"

"–to allowing the sentai to trap you, for their creatures to exorcise you?" the Cultist interrupted him again. "I know this was your goal. It is why I stopped them. It is why I rescued you."

"If you think you gained a follower like that, you're seriously more fucked up than I thought. Destroy me if you want, I don't care!"

"…" the Cultist shook his head, and the orbs around him bled discord, one that came from within him, thick and deep like grief. "I would never harm you. I know, my dear," and under the monster's shocked eyes, he took a step forwards, extending both arms towards him. "I know that you were once a human."

The monster drew back, shocked, in turmoil. "No! I… h-how?!" for a split second, despite its horrendous, scary appearance, the monster appeared fragile, weak. "I… you–"

"My dear, I am but one like you, except I did not start as a human, but as an omnic." The Cultist sighed quietly. "I went by the name Tekhartha Zenyatta before, though now… like this, with this new appearance… my name was lost and abandoned. But I will not allow anyone to forget who they were, even if now they appear different. The soul within is still the same, and it is that which I sought to help."

"Tekh–" the monster spluttered, confused, unable to believe, the name a familiar beacon in its mind. "The… the Shambali?!"

"Yes. I know you feel hatred now for what you became, and there is no explanation I can offer –I have found none for my own transformation, either– but you are not alone, even if no one was willing to listen before. They run, they're afraid, frightened by your appearance, as if something prevents them to listen when they look at you." The Cultist… Zenyatta… stepped forwards again, and the monster this time did not flinch away, a new desperate glint in its eyes, claws clenched down hard on the concrete of the ground below him. "Wishing to give yourself up to the rangers will do nothing good for you, and I cannot truly offer you hope, but I can offer you a safe haven. The Shambali will welcome you under my name, they will protect you and seek out to contact anyone you wish, and–" at the monster's full body flinch, Zenyatta continued "if you wish for no one to be contacted, you will stll be free to stay with them. We do not cast away anyone, and…" he hesitated, then pointed at his body. "I changed. I learned to look further than one's appearance, and was able to see, thanks to my abilities that I was not the only one. Now I seek to find and offer refuge to the ones who are lost, like me. Go to the Shambali, my friend. You are not alone, and you do not need to suffer or punish yourself for something you cannot control."

"But I… this…" the monster choked, voice full of tears that it could not spill. "This is horrid. I'm mostruous. My spouse… my own twin, they– they…" it crumpled down in a heap, shaking, claws grasping at the ground. "They would not listen, even when I tried to tell them that it was me. They chased me out, screamed, cried for help until I ran. I just wanted this disgusting body to be gone. I wanted to go back. I…"

"I understand, my friend. Rejection is painful, but you do not deserve to suffer further. You are not a monster. I see you. I feel it, right here." Zenyatta pressed a gentle hand above the monster's chest. "Many of my abilities abandoned me when I was turned, but this… this did not. In fact, I am more tuned with my senses like this than I was before. Your discord, your pain –the true form of your soul. I can feel it. You are no monster."

The monster choked on its voice, and allowed Zenyatta to wrap his arms around its shaking shoulders, and to hold him until the shaking subsided, much later, though no tears could drop from its eyes.

It had been a while since anyone had willingly touched it, or offered something different from spite, hatred and distrust.

"If… if I go to the Shambali… will you come with me?"

"Unfortunately, I cannot be seen associating with them. I have acquired a bad fame. My name… the name this persona gained was forced on me just the same as my change, but I need to continue. The Shambali need to keep clear, so they can help others like you while I seek out the truth."

"But… you work alone, then?" the monster extended one shaky arm, barely daring to brush its claws on Zenyatta's shoulder. "Do you… do you miss them?"

"I do. But my brother converses with me on videocalls, and though I cannot meet with him, I know his spirit is always by my side." Zenyatta's tone was mournful, the sadness bleeding from his synth.

The shrimp looked at him for a long time, then– "I… I will go. To the Shambali."

Zenyatta could not smile, but the tentacles covering his mouth piece wriggled, and the dot on his forehead array burned green in happiness. "Thank you. Please, send my brother Mondatta all my love. I am still searching, but so far, I have not been able to find anything."

"If… if you find a way to…"

"Do not fear, my friend. I will call, and you all will know."

"… thank you, Cul– Zenyatta. I was… I was ready to give up, let the rangers seal me away, so long as I could no longer see this body, but…"

"My friend, I understand. I am glad I found you, though. Will you tell me, before you go, what is your name?"

"Ah… my name…" again, the monster's tone sounded choked. "I was… I was called… I am called… Theo."

And as he murmured his name for the first time in what felt like forever, after months of running, denying his past, denying himself because of his new appearance, the monster whose name was Theo, who had once been a human and who still had a human soul, felt the tiniest sparkle of hope ignite within his chest.

Zenyatta gently brushed one hand against his face, welcoming, soft and gentle.

"Well met, Theo. It is a pleasure."