Jungle Fury: A Different Destiny
Prologue
Ten thousand years ago, the Great Beast War threatened to raze the planet to the ground. Fueled by the primal hunger of animal spirits, the Rinshi Warriors led by the merciless Dai Shi set to conquer the planet and they would have succeeded if not for the brave heroes of the Pai Zhua, the Order of the Claw led by the Master Mao. Much like those they opposed, the Pai Zhua wielded animal spirits but unlike Dai Shi's forces, they believed that they made their spirits stronger not the other way around and retained their humanity instead of losing it in favour of brute strength and animalistic instincts.
Mao and Dai Shi clashed against each other, once brothers, now sworn enemies. Both had once been part of a sacred coven, the Ninjetti before their opposing ideals splintered the group into two opposing factions after the fall of their former leader Dulcea at the hands of the monstrous forces led by Rita Repulsa.
The Rinshi Warriors shed their human forms to become the very monsters the Ninjetti were once sworn to slay and Dai Shi became a far greater evil than Rita Repulsa had been, forcing Zordon to activate his power coins once more.
Master Mao, the holder of the caracal spirit and the red ranger.
Master Lope, the holder of the antelope spirit and the blue ranger.
Master Guinn, the holder of the penguin spirit and the yellow ranger.
Master Rilla, the holder of the gorilla spirit and the black ranger.
Master Griff, the holder of the griffin spirit and the pink ranger.
However even augmented with the might of the Morphin Grid and the gargantuan battle machines powered by the ancient dinosaur spirits, Dai Shi almost won.
Left with no other option to stop him and his massive armies of Rinshi soldiers, Overlords, and phantom beast generals, the Pai Zhua were left with no other option but to tap into the primal aspect of their animal spirits, the same way Dai Shi's forces did, but hoping against all hope to retain their souls even with the animalistic impulses roaring in their minds and shed their human skin to transform into a hybrid form between man and animal.
The final battle was fierce but the rangers and the other warriors defeated Dai Shi's armies and sealed his phantom beast generals within crystal orbs till only Dai Shi was left.
The five warriors led the charge, their forms shifting between human, ranger, and beast, which in turn transitioned between animal and dinosaur. All their spirits, both their own and the dinosaur spirits they harbored through their power coins, worked in unison, granting them powers and strength beyond what they had ever imagined but Dai Shi was a formidable foe, with his own mighty dragon spirit, evil magic he had learnt from the alien sorceress and the animal spirits he had stolen from his followers and enemies alike.
Even though his physical form was destroyed, he continued battling the masters in his spirit form, till they sacrificed all their energies to trap him in an enchanted box, meant to hold him for all eternity.
Mao's team had no time to relish their victory for the battle had taken its due toll on their bodies, and their spirits ascended to the Great Beyond, all except Mao.
The magic and spirit energy dispersed after Dai Shi's body was destroyed and his spirit was trapped, instinctively took refuge in Mao, sensing him as familiar since he shared the bloodline of their former master. The energies healed his failing body and granted him essential immortality, despite his unwillingness to accept the cursed powers that came from his forsaken brother.
Mao was the last of his team. After returning the power coins to Zordon, he took reins of the Order of the Claw, ensuring the organization persisted. He locked the box containing his brother in a forbidden room and vowed to never let anyone defile the legacy of the Ninjetti like his brother had.
Through out the ages, he taught many warriors and aided in many conflicts, helping Zordon and other guardians fend off supernatural and alien threats from the shadows.
He watched as his students became masters before they were claimed by old age, disease, or war.
Centuries passed by and while the world changed around him, he remained the same till one day, he started to age.
He consulted with Zordon and realized that the powers that sustained him were fading.
The eltarian sage asked the Mystic Mother, the Sorceress Supreme of Earth to look at the enchanted box that held Dai Shi, only for them to tell that the enchantments were slowly weakening as well and no matter how much they tried to reinforce the spells, the magic had no effect in stalling the inevitable.
He realized his time was limited and he needed to train others to take his place as guardians, when Dai Shi broke free.
Mao selected a cabal of fellow masters, passing on his knowledge about their ancient foe to them, ensuring that they were prepared to act.
Then Zordon fell.
The new Mystic Mother came to him, and it was someone he had never expected to see as an ally. Rita Repulsa, the same sorceress who had corrupted his brother with promises of power.
She came to him speaking of a prophecy she had received when she took on the mantle of the Magical Source. She looked at the forbidden room, saying it was a place that had been carved by destiny and ushered him to look at the murals sculpted on the walls.
The murals had recorded the events of the Great Battle ten thousand years ago, and left untouched since.
Yet he saw new carvings beneath the carvings that represented him and his team… that of other Masters the Pai Zhua had and the foes they had defeated since then.
And not just that, he saw three new murals at the very end… the tiger, the cheetah, and the jaguar. He saw a rhino and a wolf nearby as well, but those three were in the forefront.
The Mystic Mother told him that these three were the Chosen Ones, prophesied to battle Dai Shi when he eventually broke free. It was unknown whether they would prevail over him but she warned that the coming conflict would decide the fate of the world.
She left soon after, but not before sadly telling him that his time on the mortal plane was limited and he would be the first to be slain by Dai Shi after his escape.
He steeled his mind for the war to come. He was the longest living human on the planet and he was ready for the next journey but he could not let the world face Dai Shi on their own.
Mao trained his students, seeking out those strong of heart to be his new champions.
He found a wielder of the wolf spirit, who was unconventional to say the least and yet wise beyond his years, and led him towards Zordon's successors, knowing that he was the one who could find a way to fuse the ways of the Pai Zhua with ranger technology.
The one he found the rhino spirit in was powerful but his heart yearned for adventure and his mind strayed beyond the rigid discipline of the Pai Zhua so he let him go, knowing that fate would bring him back when he was most needed.
He found the cheetah and the jaguar spirits in young promising students and he waited for the tiger to arrive.
Mao grew worried as his aging started increasing.
He had no time to wait for the tiger warrior to arrive, instead he chose the most powerful student in Pai Zhua, a lion warrior called Jarrod. He was impulsive and quick to rage. In a way, he reminded him of his brother but in other ways, he reminded him of himself. Jarrod followed all the rules of the Pai Zhua and his dedication to the Order was unmatched.
Mao resigned himself to his fate, knowing that the world was in capable hands with his chosen champions and waited patiently.
Hope you liked this chapter and please review. :)
I added in lore from the Zordon era mainly because Rita's forces were trapped in the space dumpster around the same time as the Beast War and it was fun to imagine Mao's team as the Morphin Rangers.