I don't own Power Rangers or Cross Ange; those belong to their creators. This is for fun, not profit.

Chapter 13: Run, Aaron, Run

Inside of a track field, the sounds of people cheering could be heard. Standing on the field was Aaron, the Black Nexus Ranger, wearing a gold medal around his neck.

Aaron smiles as the people are cheering his nickname.

"Rocket! Rocket! Rocket!"

Aaron raised his fist as they continued to chant his name before he heard an alarm clock ringing.

*RING*

*RING*

*RING*

Aaron blinks to hear that before he looks around and soon sees the people in the field were now gone as their cheers were now silent.

That's when Aaron saw the seven Ragna-mail flying above the field and as he followed their fly path, he saw they were heading to an Dracunium reactor before it exploded, and the explosion reached towards him…


Aaron's eyes shot open and saw he was in his room and was sleeping on his bed. Aaron then turns towards his alarm clock as it continues to ring before he turns it off.

The Black Ranger then sat up on his bed before he stretched out his arms and rubbed his hands on his face.

Aaron then picks up a photo of himself along with his friends and family. They were standing on a track field with Aaron wearing track clothes and a gold medal around his neck with a proud smile on his face.

Aaron had a look of longing on his face before he sighed and put the picture down. He then stood up and headed to the bathroom.

"I need a shower…" Aaron said to himself.


(Play: Believe in Nexus by Masaaki Endoh)

(Instrumental) (As the song starts, two Earths appear one at a time before they collide against each other creating a flash of light which blinded the screen.)

(Sono te nobashi te mabayui ashita o tsukamitore! Mugen no sora hamatake Believe in Nexus!) (Five of the Nexus Zords had appeared as the Racer, Wolf, and Dozer Zords were racing on a large road while the Chopper and Falcon Zords were flying above them before they turned into a flash of light and flew into the vast open sky before the story's title appeared on screen.)

(Araburu kono shoudo daremino tomiranai!) (The Nexus Rangers were standing on a hill as they looked at the town where the Children of Aura resides as some of them in DRAGON form flew above them as they watched them in awe.)

(Hiri asa mi kirikou o taka maru kono Heart Beat!) (Then it changes to a split screen with Salamandinay looking at her Enryugo as it was still incomplete, and Ange who was in her room in Arzenal as she was seated on her bed while looking at her ring, before it changes to Embryo and behind him was a man hidden in darkness holding a Morpher in his hand.)

(Bi chinai sou o natato sekawaerai!) (Then it changes showing an army of Xedroids and behind them were Prince Crimson, General Swartz, and Cyber.)

(Koko de oarasatakunai Go For It!) (Next the screen changes to the Rangers commencing their Morphin Sequence as they Morph into their suits before their helmets appeared.)

(Tachiagare kodoku ni obiekuru e naide!) (The screen changes showing a fleet of Xe-Fighters and an army of Xe-Bots charging forward to attack, then changes to the Nexus Rangers loading their Zord Cards into their Morphers as they soon appear, and the Rangers jump into them.)

(Nakama ma batte irukoto mou ichido omoidase!) (In his cockpit, the Nexus Red Ranger inserts his Battle Mode Card into his Morpher and his Racer Zord changes into the said mode.)

(Kowaku wa naisa akirame wa shinai donna tsugoi yatsu ni mo make wa shinai itsudatte o kino yuuki de Believe In Nexus!) (Then each of the Nexus Zord launch respective attacks on their enemies before the Kaiser Sphere in the sky. Then the Zords combine forming the Nexus Prime Megazord, and then energy appears around the Megazord before it flies at the Kaiser Sphere to attack and when it collides against the Sphere a large flash of light appears blinding the screen. Then it changes to both Earths before the Nexus Rangers along with the villain leaders appeared as they faced each other.)


It was now morning. Dean is seen walking in the hallway of the base before he yawns in his mouth. When Dean was close to the training room, he saw Claire standing beside the opened door before she noticed him and waves at her cousin.

"Hey, Dean." Claire greeted him.

The Red Ranger feels a sense of deja vu from this before he looks at the opened entrance of the training room before he sighed and rubs the back of his head.

"Oh no…Don't tell me it's Alisa again." Dean said before he walked to her, but Alisa revealed herself as she was standing close to Claire.

"Guess again." Alisa told him, and Dean blinked to see that.

"Then who…" Dean said before he turned to the training room and saw who was inside.

That's when he saw that it was Aaron.

"Aaron." Dean said.

The Black Ranger was wearing a track uniform that was colored in his Ranger color with white sneakers, and the training room was in the form of a track and field area.

Aaron stretches out his arms and then his legs, he then assumes a starting position for runners with his starter clapper. Then an holographic screen appeared beside the Black Ranger as it counted down from 3 to 0 and it soon made a loud bang.

With that Aaron begins to run on the track as fast as he can and a timer begins to track his time. Aaron soon made it to the finish line, he then checked the time as a screen appeared.

Time: 00:32:07

Aaron smiles to see that while his friends look at him in some concern.

"Seems like he's still stuck in the past." Dean said.

"Yeah. But in a way, I can sort of relate to that." Claire said in understanding, and Dean looked at her sympathy.

"Oh, Claire." Dean said.

Alisa then hugs the Pink Ranger to help comfort her and she returns the hug while Dean looks at Aaron once again as he once again runs on the track.

'It's fine to try to relive your glory days, Aaron. But I just hope it won't get to you forever.' Dean thought in some concern for his friend.


Salamandinay along with Naga and Kaname had teleported inside of the Rangers' base. When they walked off the transporter, they soon spotted Shin and Pixel standing by the computer as they were having a conversation right now.

"Isn't that?" Salamandinay said before they walked to them and heard what they were talking about.

"So you hadn't found any of the other Zords yet?" Shin asked, and Pixel shook her head.

"No. I've been searching after Dean was put in cryo-sleep. But I hadn't found any trace of them." Pixel told him, and Shin rubs the back of his head.

"Well, that's going to be a problem." Shin mutters to himself.

"Excuse me."

Shin and Pixel looked and saw Salamandinay along with Naga and Kaname had approached them.

"Oh, it's you three. Did you hear us?" Shin asked, and Salamandinay nodded.

"We did. Care to explain what it was about?" She asked.

Shin and Pixel turned to each other before they shrugged and turned back to Salamandinay and her subordinates.

"We were talking about the other Zords which are missing." Shin said and they were surprised to hear that.

"Truly?" Salamandinay asked, and they nodded.

"So, you have other Zords besides the ones that form your Megazord?" Kaname asked.

"That's right. We call them the Nexus Auxiliary Zords." Shin said before he types on the computer to bring out pictures of the Auxiliary Zords based around different animals and vehicles.

There was one Zord based around a shark.

One was based around a stealth fighter jet.

One was based around a cobra, and one was based around a drill.

There was even one based around a green frog.

"Like the Zords that we use, the Auxiliary Zords are semi-autonomous, they can act independently while also receiving commands from us. And just like with the Racer Zord and with the Megazord, the Auxiliary Zords will combine and form new formations." Shin explains before he brings out pictures of different Megazord Formations with the Racer Zord and with the Nexus Prime Megazord.

"Then they sound like extraordinary machines." Salamandinay said in amazement.

"Yes, they are." Shin nodded.

"But after the D-War, the Auxiliary Zords were scattered throughout the Earth, and I hadn't found any trace of them yet." Pixel said.

"I see. That is unfortunate." Salamandinay said.

"Thank you, but we're not that worried about it. Just like any Zord, they were designed to be resilient, so they can handle any condition thrown to them. But I'm mostly worried about them falling into the wrong hands." Shin said, and Salamandinay placed a hand on his shoulder.

"Then don't worry. You have my word; you'll have my help along with the rest of my people." Salamandinay said Kaname and Naga nodded in agreement.

"That is good to hear. Thank you." Shin said before they heard the alarms going off. "Seriously? Now of all times."

Shin then begins to type on the computer and Pixel did the same with her own keyboard, and that's when the others had arrived at the command after hearing the alarm.

"We heard the alarm. Is there another attack?" Dean asked.

Shin and Pixel nodded.

"Yeah. We're pinpointing their location and…wait, that can't be right?" Shin said.

"What isn't right?" Claire asked.

"Well if our satellite systems are right, which they mostly are, the area attack is in the ruins." Pixel said before she brings out live footage of the Kaiser Empire's attack in the city ruins.

"What?" Naga said.

"Why would they attack? There shouldn't be any people there, right?" Alisa asked and Salamandinay nodded.

"Yes. You normally acquire special permission to explore those, and people would rarely go there. Besides me." Salamandinay told them.

"Then why attack there?" Alisa said in wonder.

Dean looks at the footage and based around the patterns around their attacks and movement it was almost like they were looking for something.

"This is only a guess, but I think they're looking for something." Dean told them.

Shin got a closer look at himself and saw that he was right.

"I think you're right." Shin said before Pixel realizes something.

"Wait…the area of attack. You don't think it has something to do with that, do you?" Pixel said, gaining the others while Shin nodded.

"It could be." Shin said.

"What are you two talking about?" Claire asked.

"We'll explain later. Right now, we need to go." Shin said before he heads to the transporter. Dean shrugged.

"Well, you heard the man." Dean said before he and the other Rangers followed him.


As the Xedroids continued to attack everything around them and search for something, their Commander was skipping forward while singing.

The Commander had a golden body with a black head made out of stone with golden lines on the front that makes the face. He also wears a large piece of armor round his neck that reaches to his shoulders and chest with four black fang-shape horns and has long whip-like arms.

This is Commander Gold-Star.

"Lalala! Lalala! Oh, how I love to destroy! Though I still wish I can destroy the vermin that lives on this pathetic planet!" Gold-Star said before he sighed and shook his head. "Honestly, I understand it was on the Prince's orders, but why follow Cyber's lead at all?"

"Stop right there!" Someone calls out to Gold-Star and the Xedroids as they look and see the Rangers had arrived as they run to them before stopping.

"Oh goodie! The Power Rangers! I was really hoping that you showed up!" Gold-Star said in excitement.

"Then I hope you're ready for a beat down. It's Morphin' Time!" Dean said before he and the others pressed the button to change the form of their Morphers.

They then brought their respective Cards.

"Load Card!" The Rangers said before they load their Cards into their Morphers and pressed the Morph Button. "Access the Morphin Grid!"


(Morphing Sequence)

The Nexus Rangers were standing on a metal platform as machine parts and gears were moving all around them with energy in their respective colors beneath the said parts.

The screen on his Morpher turned on showing their Ranger forms along with their weapons and names.

They then thrust their hands forward which fired a beam in their respective colors and it soon formed into a holographic screen showing their respective Ranger forms and weapons with the words 'Commencing Morphing Sequence' on the bottom.

The platforms they were standing on opened and the Nexus Rangers jumped down in a tunnel of pure Morphin Grid in their colors.

As the Nexus Rangers fell in the tunnel, digital lines in their respective colors appeared as they moved around their bodies forming their Ranger suits before they landed on a gray floor which made a large crack filled with energy in their colors and the same energy was around forming a large space.

Finally, they stood up, digital lines appeared around their heads forming their helmets.

(Roll call)

Dean raced down the roadway before he stopped and skids on the road, he then does a spin kick.

"Red Ranger Power, Nexus Red!" Dean declared as he swipes his thumb across his helmet.

Shin jumped and rolled on the ground, he then stood on his feet and swung his hands in an animal-like motion.

"Blue Ranger Power, Nexus Blue!" Shin declared as he crossed his arms and assumed a beast-like stance.

Aaron throws strong punches.

"Black Ranger Power, Nexus Black!" Aaron declared as he swung his left fist to his right striking his pose.

Alisa jumps in the air while flapping her arms before she lands on the ground before she stands up and sharply swings her arms.

"Yellow Ranger Power, Nexus Yellow!" Alisa declared as she bent her knees and swung her arms to the right.

Claire spun around on her foot with her arms stretched out spinning before she stopped and stood on both feet.

"Pink Ranger Power, Nexus Pink!" Claire declared as she swung her arms before she swung her left hand to the side and brought her right hand in front of her left shoulder.

(End of roll call)


"Nexus Rangers…" Dean said before he and others struck their poses.

"We stand united!" They said at the same time.

Gold-Star couldn't help but admire their transformation along with their roll call as he glee.

"Geeee! That was truly beautiful and magnificent! I really want to ask how you do it, but alas, the mission comes first. Attack!" Gold-Star commanded and the Xedroids charged at the Rangers, and they did the same as they battled each other.

Dean kicks two Xedroids to the ground before he punches one in the face. He then dodges two Xedroids' blade attacks and punches one in the face and kicks the second one on the chest.

Shin, armed with his Nexus Blaster, rolled on the ground before he used to fire at the Xedroids around him. Another group of Xedroids fires at the Blue Ranger, Shin avoids their laser blasts by moving like a wolf and fires at the Xedroids to destroy them as they explode.

Aaron punches one Xedroid in the face before he avoids two Xedroids' attacks and backhanded punches them on the face. Aaron then avoids one's attack from behind and grabs onto its arm to swing it around and throw it at two Xedroids as they fall to the ground.

Alisa was armed with her Nexus Dagger as she used to slash upon several of the Xedroids, destroying them. That's when another group of Xedroids were charging in front of her to attack, Alisa then brings out her wings and uses them to fly at the Xedroids to slash them as she spun around and landed behind them before they exploded.

As several Xedroids attack in front of her, Claire avoids their attacks by backflipping. Claire then jumps and lands on one Xedroid's shoulders using her hands, she then spun around and landed on her feet to throw the Xedroids to the group in front of her as they crashed into each other and fell to the ground.

After the Rangers had defeated the last of the Xedroids, they soon faced Gold-Star who was now left.

"You're the only one left now." Dean said.

"Oh, please. I'm more proficient than those extras." Gold-Star said as he was ready to fight the Rangers.

The Nexus Rangers then brought out their Weapons Cards to load them into their Morphers.

"Load Weapons Card!"

With that, the Nexus Rangers bring out and wield their respective weapons before they strike their poses.

"Nexus Racer Saber!"

"Nexus Wolf Lance!"

"Nexus Dozer Hammer!"

"Nexus Falcon Claws!"

"Nexus Chopper Bowgun!"

The Nexus Rangers charge at Gold-Star to attack him with their weapons.

Gold-Star stretched out his arms to attack the Rangers like they were whips.

Dean and Shin manage to deflect his attacks with their weapons, but he eventually grabs onto them as he holds their arms, Gold-Star then lifts up the Red and Blue Rangers and slams them against each other before throwing them to the ground.

Claire then fires at Gold-Star with her Bowgun, but the Commander was able to deflect her energy shots using his long arms. That's when Alisa flew towards him to attack Gold-Star with her Claws, but Gold-Star stops her by grabbing her by the arms, as Alisa struggles to break free, Gold-Star spun around and throws the Yellow Ranger towards Claire and crashed against the Pink Ranger as they fall to the ground.

Aaron then uses his Dozer Hammer to bring out two large boulders and slams his Hammer on them to launch the boulders at Gold-Star, but the Commander was able to grab onto the boulders and swung them back to the Black Ranger.

"Oh boy…" Aaron said before he avoids the boulders by rolling on the ground.

Just as the Black Ranger was about to stand back up, Gold-Star then grabs onto his ankles and lifts him up to slam him back to the ground.

Gold-Star laughed as he retracted his arms and the Nexus Rangers stood back up and faced him.

"What's wrong? Am I too flexible for you to handle? Hahahaha!" Gold-Star laughs.

"He's tough but his jokes are bad." Claire said.

"Doesn't matter. We just need to take him down just like the others." Dean said and the others nodded in agreement as they were ready to fight him once again.

"So, you still have some fight left in you? Good. Because I want to make your destruction truly beautiful." Gold-Star said as he was about to move to the Rangers to fight them, but then he stopped as he was receiving a transmission as a holographic screen of Prince Crimson appeared before him. "P-Prince Crimson?"

"What do you think you're doing, Gold-Star?" Prince Crimson questions him. "I didn't order you to battle the Rangers."

"A-Apologies, my prince. I was still following Cyber's lead, but the Rangers had interfered, so I had no choice but to fight them. But I happen to be close to destroying them." Gold-Star said, but Prince Crimson angrily glared at him as his eyes lit up.

"That is not your mission!" The Prince exclaimed, which frightened Gold-Star. "While I do wish to see the Rangers destroyed, it will only be on my terms and my orders. Am I clear?"

"Yes! Apologies, Your Highness!" Gold-Star said before he bowed his head.

Prince Crimson only scoffed before his eyes returned to normal.

"Anyway, you were to return to the Kaiser Sphere. The activity has vanished, so we don't have time to worry about needless things." Prince Crimson told him.

"Yes, of course." Gold-Star said before the prince ended the transmission, before he could leave, Gold-Star glared at the Rangers. "You only got lucky today. But mark my words, I'll be back."

Gold-Star teleported to the Kaiser Sphere, leaving the Nexus Rangers with some questions.

"Huh. Save by our own enemy. Can't say how to feel about that." Claire commented.

"Yeah." Dean nodded. "But this proves our suspicions. They were looking for something."

"Agreed. And I have a sneaking suspicion what it is." Shin said.

"Then we'll have to talk about it at the base." Dean said.

The Rangers then demorph and took a moment to stretch out from their battle with Gold-Star.

"But still, he was pretty tough. We need to watch out for those arms of his." Alisa said.

Aaron was about to speak but stopped as he noticed a structure that was familiar to him, and it was a sports stadium.

"That's…" Aaron mutters before his friends turn to him.

"Hey, Aaron, what's wrong?" Dean asked and he turned to him and the others.

"It's nothing. You guys go back without me. I need to check something out." Aaron said before he headed to the stadium and the other saw it and recognized it.

"Hey isn't that…?" Shin said and Claire nodded.

"Yeah. It has to be." Claire said.

"Well, that explains a lot." Alisa said as she rubbed the back of her neck.

"What should we do, Dean?" Claire asked.

Dean thought about it before he sighed and turned to his friends.

"You guys go back to the base. I'll stay here and keep an eye on Aaron." Dean told them before he followed the Black Ranger.


Aaron soon entered the stadium and found his way to the track and field as he walked on top of it. Aaron then took a moment to look around and saw memories of himself practicing and training on this very field along with competing with other runners.

Aaron then took a moment to close his eyes and that's when he could hear the people seated in the stadium chanting his name.

"Rocket! Rocket! Rocket! Rocket! Rocket!"

Aaron sadly smiles to hear those chants before he sheds a tear. That's when Dean had arrived on the chairs where the audience would be seated and leaned on the railing to watch over Aaron.

Dean then took a moment to look at the field and even though it was in ruins now, it was the same place that Aaron would train and compete in competitions before he turned to him in some concern.

"Oh, Aaron." Dean said.

"Worried about your friend?" A familiar voice asked.

Dean blinks before he turns around and Salamandinay has arrived as she walks down to the Red Ranger.

"Salamandinay? What are you doing here?" Dean asked.

"You and Aaron didn't come back with the others, so I was worried." She answers before she stops and looks at Aaron as well. "Is there something wrong with him?"

Dean thought about it before he turned back to Aaron and told her.

"He's fine. I think he's just reminiscing." Dean said.

"Really?" Salamandinay asked and Dean nodded. "What for though?"

"It's about this place." Dean gestures to the stadium they were now in. "Before Aaron became a Ranger, he was a track and field athlete from middle to high school. He used to train and compete on this very field in those days."

"I see. It must have quite the passion for him." Salamandinay said, and Dean nodded.

"Yeah. He was. It was his dream of one day becoming a pro-athlete, in fact he was so good, people had called him the Rocket." Dean explained before he sighed. "But after the D-War and Embryo…Well those dreams are pretty much dead now."

"Then it must've been truly heartbreaking for him. And I have no doubt you and the others have similar dreams in the old world. Correct?" Salamandinay asked and Dean nodded.

"Different, but yeah." Dean said. "Claire had dreams of being a pro in rhythmic gymnastics. Alisa wanted to inherit her family's dojo to teach martial arts to kids not just a way to defend themselves but to also teach them confidence. We all had dreams before we became Rangers, and we still wanted to follow those dreams. But after the D-War and Embryo…"

"Oh, Dean…" Salamandinay said in sadness for him before she placed a hand on his shoulder.

Dean sighed and placed a hand on his head.

"You know, sometimes I wonder what our lives would've been like if we hadn't become Rangers. Would our lives and the world be different, or would the world be the same? I guess it's far too late to find out." Dean said.

"Well…I may not be an expert on Rangers, but I do know that things happen for a reason. I mean think about it, if you and your friends hadn't become Rangers then me and my people would have perished by now. And…we never would've met ourselves." Salamandinay said with a small blush on her face.

"Salamandinay…" Dean said before she coughed in her hand.

"Of course, I still think of you as a dear friend and an honorable warrior." Salamandinay told him,

"Yeah…right…of course." Dean said before he coughs in his hand. "But thank you. I think I needed that."

"Then I'm glad I was able to help." Salamandinay said before they chuckled.

Dean then turns back to Aaron.

"And I think I know how to help Aaron now." Dean said.

"How so?" Salamandinay asked.

"Just watch." Dean said before he jumps down and walks to the Black Ranger.


(Meanwhile)

In the Kaiser Sphere, Gold-Star had entered the command/throne room and Cyber was the first to speak to him.

"Were you successful in finding it?" Cyber questions the Commander.

"Nope and honestly find it a waste of my time. I should be out making my finest artwork by destroying things." Gold-Star said.

"You should be more mindful of what you say here, Commander Gold-Star. In case you've forgotten, the prince isn't in the mood for your childish antics." General Swartz told him.

"It's fine, Swartz." Prince Crimson told him, and he nodded. "As for you, Gold-Star, your mission remains the same. You are still to investigate Cyber's readings on the Earth, but if the Rangers stand in your way again then you're free to destroy them. Understood?"

"Yes, of course. It will be done." Gold-Star bowed before the Prince.

"Good. Because I detected a new reading. So go and find the source of it now." Cyber told him and Gold-Star sighed.

"Fine, fine. Honestly, I should have better things to do than this." Gold-Star said before he left.

"But still, I have to agree with Gold-Star. Do you really think this discoverer of yours will actually bore fruit?" General Swartz questions the scientist.

"Well until we learn, it remains to be seen." Cyber said before he brought out a holographic screen of a map of the Earth which showed unusually seismic activity.

"So, we can either assume that it will be an asset for us or for the Rangers. In either scenario we must prevent the latter from happening at all costs." Prince Crimson said as he looked at the map.


After Shin, Alisa, and Claire had returned to their own base, Shin and Pixel showed their friends the same readings of seismic activity that have been appearing around the Earth.

"For the past few weeks our satellite systems had detected several readings of seismic activity." Shin told them.

"But what could it be?" Alisa asked.

"That's the thing. We hadn't figured out what the cause was yet. They mostly appear at random and would often disappear without causing any real harm." Pixel answered.

"Then what if it's one of our lost Zords?" Claire said.

"Well, that's one possibility. But regardless, the very activity had appeared in the area where we fought Gold-Star." Shin said before he brought out a map with seismic activity where they fought the Commander.

"If so, then it means that the Kaiser Empire must have detected those same activities." Alisa said and Shin nodded in agreement.

"Exactly what I was thinking." He spoke. "And it's all the more reason to find the cause of it before they do."

Then on cue, they're receiving an attack alert and to no surprise, it was the Kaiser Empire with Gold-Star leading a new group of Xedroids to search in the ruins.

"And with terrible timing, here they come again." Shin said in some annoyance before he uses his Morpher to contact Dean and Aaron.


In the track field, Aaron continues to stand still and imagine the people chanting his nickname on it. He then remembers a certain memory.


(Flashback)

Aaron was wearing his tracksuit and was in a running position with his coach standing by his side with a starting pistol and a stopwatch in both hands.

"Ready? Go!" His coach said before he fired the pistol and Aaron dash forward to the finish line.

When Aaron crossed the finish line, the coach stopped his watch. Aaron turns to him and his coach smiles and shows his time.

00:27:42

Aaron smiles to see his time.

After his training, Aaron was in his locker room to change into his casual clothes. He then put his track clothes into his gym bag, then he brought out his Morpher which was the last thing that was inside.

Aaron looks at his Morpher and remembers how he fought against monsters and saved a lot of people. But he can't help but wonder about one thing…

That's when his coach suddenly rushed into the room.

"Hey, Aaron! Good news!"

Aaron quickly hides his Morpher and his coach notices the look on his face.

"Oh, sorry. Did I interrupt you?" He asked.

"It's nothing. Anyway, what's up?" Aaron asked.

"I just spoke with the school board, and they said after the results you'll receive a track scholarship." He told him and Aaron smiles to hear that.

"Really?" Aaron said in excitement and the coach nodded.

"Yeah. Meaning you'll be one step closer to your dream of going pro." He told him. "And that means we'll be busy with even more training, but I'm sure you can handle it."

After his coach left, Aaron sat down as he was still processing what he said. But then Aaron brings out his Morpher to look at it. He knows it won't be easy to balance his own life along with being a Power Ranger, that's when he begins to wonder what he'll do.

Put his own needs above everyone else's or vice versa. Aaron then placed his Morpher on his wrist before he closes his locker and leave the room.

(End of flashback)


Aaron sheds a tear to remember that memory before he wipes it away to look at his Morpher. He knows it's far too late to think about it, but now he can't help but wonder what his life would be like if he hadn't become a Ranger.

"Thinking about something?" A familiar voice asked.

Aaron turned around and saw Dean approaching him. The Black Ranger sighed before he turned away from him.

"You didn't have to come." Aaron told him before Dean stopped beside him.

"I know. But is it really so wrong to be worried about a friend?" Dean asked.

"I guess not. But I really wanted to be alone right now." Aaron told him.

"I figured as much. I also know what you were thinking. Like will our lives be any different if we hadn't become Rangers." Dean said, and Aaron sighed.

"So I was that obvious?" Aaron said and Dean shrugged.

"Yeah. I mean you did tell us you were getting a scholarship." He reminded him.

"But what good is a scholarship now? I mean our entire world is gone along with everyone we ever love along with the dreams we work so hard to achieve. Not that it matters, even if we did stop Embryo, I highly doubt it would change anything." Aaron said.

"I guess that's true, and our world isn't exactly a shining example of world peace. But I still want to believe all the good we did back then was worth it, no matter how big or small they were." Dean said.

Aaron then thought back to those good things. There was that one time he saved a little girl after she fell on the building and thanked him for it. How he saved a family when they escaped from a burning building. Then how he and his friends used to volunteer for a homeless shelter along with doing community services.

He then remembers how their actions had inspired many people to do good like they do.

No matter how big or small they were, the good they did will always matter and will always make a difference.

"Yeah…I guess there's no denying that." Aaron said before Dean placed a hand on his shoulder.

"Listen, Aaron, I can't tell you what our lives would've been like if we hadn't become Rangers, but we can't worry about what ifs anymore. Right now, we're Power Rangers and there's people who need our help now more than ever." Dean said, but Aaron silently lowered his head.

That's when they heard their Morphers ringing as someone was calling them.

They answered the call and Shin appeared on the screen.

"Shin, what's wrong?" Dean asked.

"It's Gold-Star, he's attacking again." Shin told them.

"Really? That's quick." Aaron said.

"Alright. Send u…" Dean said before he looked at Aaron and spoke to Shin once again. "Send me the location, I'll be there soon."

Aaron blinks while Shin nodded in understanding.

"You got it." The Blue Ranger said before he ended the transmission.

"Dean, what are you doing?" Aaron said.

"I'm going to help our friends. While you stay here and figure some things out. If we're going to accomplish anything, then I want my team to be at their best and you're no exception." Dean said.

"But…" Aaron said before Dean patted on his shoulder.

"Just know this. If things were different back then, if you wanted to quit being a Ranger and focus on your own dreams, then we should've understood and accepted your decision." Dean told him.

Dean then runs to the exit and activates his Morpher.

"Access the Morphin Grid!" Dean said as he Morphs and heads to join the rest of his friends while leaving Aaron behind.


Gold-Star along with the Xedroids continues to search for the source of the seismic activity.

"Honestly, just where is it? I really want this over and done with!" Gold-Star said.

"Stop right there!"

Gold-Star soon saw the Rangers, Dean, Shin, Alisa and Claire had arrived to face him and his legion of Xedroids.

"You again? Honestly, for once I have no time…wait…" Gold-Star said before he noticed that the Black Ranger was now missing. "One, two, three…four? Where's the black one?"

"He was busy with something, and he couldn't make it." Dean said but that only confuses Gold-Star before he shrugged.

"Oh well. It's not like I care either way, because this time, I now have permission to destroy you if you interfere!" Gold-Star said.

"Don't bet on that!" Dean said before he and the others pulled out their weapons.

Dean and Claire brought out their Nexus Blasters while Shin and Alisa had brought out their Nexus Daggers.

They then charge at Gold-Star and the Xedroids to fight them, Dean and Claire attack the Xedroids with their Blasters while Shin and Alisa attack with their Daggers.


While his friends are fighting, Aaron continues to stand on the track field as he still sees memories that have long passed. He then thought back on the news of him receiving his scholarship, his family and friends were overjoyed to learn this.

But Aaron still can't help but wonder whether he should remain a Ranger or not. That's when he remembers a certain memory.


(Flashback)

Aaron was in the locker room to get ready for an important track competition. He was about to take off his Morpher before it suddenly rings as someone is calling him.

Aaron answered the call and Pixel appeared on the screen.

"Pixel?" Aaron said.

"Aaron, there's trouble. The others need your help." Pixel said.

Despite wanting to help his friends, Aaron was hesitant to go because his competition is going to start soon.

"Pix…I'm sorry…But the competition…" Aaron said.

"Aaron…No, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have called you like this. You focus on your running. Don't worry, I know the others will understand." Pixel said before she ended the transmission, but Aaron still felt a bit guilty about this before he took off his Morpher and put it in his locker.

After arriving on the field, Aaron was on the starting line with the other runners, and they assumed their running stance while the referee readied the starting pistol.

As he slowly pulls on the trigger, Aaron closes his eyes and still wonders about his friends. If they were really in trouble, then he should go out and help them, but he had his worries right now. That's when he remembers Harry's words.

"I know it isn't easy to balance two different lives, but you should always stand by your own choices and make sure you won't get any regrets along the way."

Aaron smiles as he knows what he has to do and the referee fires the pistol, the runners then dash to the finish line but that's when the referee notices that Aaron had stayed behind.

"Pierce, what are you doing?" He asked, and the Black Ranger stood up.

"I'm sorry. But I need to go!" Aaron said before he leaves the field and heads back to the locker room.

He quickly opens his locker and pulls out his Morpher. He would be lying that he won't have regrets about this but right now, his friends need him. He then contacted Pixel who was surprised to see him.

"Aaron?"

"Pix, get the transporter ready. I'm going to help my friends." Aaron told her.

(End of flashback)


Aaron smiles to remember that memory, he then lowered his arm and took a deep breath to scream at the top of his lounges.

"Aaaaaaaaahhhhhh!"

After screaming, Aaron took a moment to pant and slaps on his cheeks. If he had the resolve to give up on that competition to help his friends back then, why would things be different now?


Dean rolled on the ground and fired at three Xedroids with his Blaster. Claire flips to avoid their blaster fire as she counters by firing back at them. Shin and Alisa cut down several Xedroids with their Daggers.

That's when the Rangers saw Gold-Star jumping at them to attack, they managed to avoid his first attack as he landed, the Rangers then attacked Gold-Star but the Commander managed to push them back swinging his long arms at them.

Gold-Star then stretches out his arms and attacks the Rangers before he grabs onto them and lifts them up high above the ground.

As the Rangers struggle to break free, Gold-Star wonders what to do next as he looks at them.

"Now then, what should I do next?" Gold-Star said before he heard someone call out to him.

"Hey, buddy!"

Gold-Star looks and sees Aaron, in Ranger form, charging at him and slams his shoulder on him forcing Gold-Star to stumble back and let go of his friends as they land on the ground.

"Aaron!" Claire said in relief that he's before he turned to them and did a two finger flick at them.

"Hey. Didn't you keep wanting, did I?" Aaron asked and they chuckled.

"Actually, you were right on time. But I guess you made your decision?" Dean asked and Aaron nodded.

"Yeah. I'm going to stop worrying about the past and what ifs anymore. I'm going to focus on the here and now." He told him and the Red Ranger patted on his shoulder.

"Glad to hear it." Dean said before the Nexus Rangers turn to Gold-Star who angrily glares at them.

"Damn you…!" Gold-Star said.

"But we still have that guy to worry about. I don't suppose you have any ideas?" Shin asked.

Aaron then spotted a building that has support pillars around it and it gave him an idea.

"Actually I do. You handle the Xedroids, I got this." Aaron said before he steps away from his friends and calls out to Gold-Star. "Gold-dome! You want me?! Then come get me!"

Aaron runs to that building and an angry Gold-Star follows him.

"It's Gold-Star! And you're getting away from me!" Gold-Star said.

"What is Aaron doing?" Claire asked.

"I have no idea. But if he has a plan, then we'll have to trust. We just need to handle the small fry until then." Dean said before they battle against the remaining Xedroids.


Gold-Star had followed the Black Ranger to the building with support pillars as he looked for him.

"Where are you?!" Gold-Star called out and soon got his answer.

"I'm over here!"

Gold-Star looks and sees Aaron standing a few feet away from him as he waves at him.

"What's wrong? You can't keep up with those short legs?" Aaron asked in a mocking tone.

"Huh! Who needs long legs when I can do this!" Gold-Star stretched out his arms to grab the Black Ranger and it was exactly what he was waiting for.

"He took the bait." Aaron said.

Aaron soon turned around and assumed a running position as the arms were getting closer.

"Okay…I got this…" Aaron said before he assumed a running stance. "I got this…I got this!"

Aaron then runs forward as Gold-Star's arms continue to stretch out to grab him.

"Oh, please! You have no hope of escaping!" Gold-Star stated.

"Who says I was planning on escaping?" Aaron said.

Aaron then runs past the support pillars by moving to the left and right repeatedly and Gold-Star's arms follow his movements.

When Aaron turns to the left, he soon notices how damaged the ceiling was and that gives him an idea which was dangerous but it will be worth the risk.

"I sure hope I won't live to regret this!" Aaron said.

The Black Ranger pulls out his Blaster and uses it to fire at the ceiling which sends falling debris at him.

Aaron manages to avoid most of the smaller pieces while the rest falls on top of Gold-Star's arm but still keeps on stretching towards the Black Ranger.

Then a large falling debris falls towards Aaron, and he avoids it by sliding on the ground before he quickly stands up and continues to run while it falls on top of Gold-Star's arms but continues to chase the Black Ranger.

That's when a large rock falls right in front of him which block his path, but Aaron refuses to stop as he kept on running and jumps over the rock almost like it was a hurdle before he lands and continues to run, when Gold-Star's move above the large rock another large chunk of debris but they continue to stretch out and pursue the Black Ranger.

As Gold-Star continues to stretch out his arms to capture the Black Ranger, his frustration begins to grow.

"Grr…Dang it! How can he run so fast?" Gold-Star said.

"It's pretty much my thing."

Gold-Star looks and to his shock, he sees Aaron standing behind while leaning on a wall before he flicks two of his fingers at him.

"Did you miss it?"

Gold-Star quickly regains his composure.

"Act cocky while you can, because I'll…" Gold-Star said as he was about to retract his arms, but he wasn't able to do so before looking at his arms in confusion. "Hmmm?"

Gold-Star continues to retract his arms but for some reason he fails to do so.

"What the? What's going on?" Gold-Star said before he realized something why his arms were now stuck.

His stretch out arms were now entangled and trapped by the support pillars along with the falling debris that Aaron had made and avoided.

"Oh, no…" Gold-Star mutters before he sees Aaron approaching him and is now armed with his Dozer Hammer.

"Guess having long arms doesn't make a difference." Aaron said before he readies his Hammer. "Dozer Hammer!"

Aaron spun around and slammed his Hammer right beside Gold-Star which sent him flying along with his arms as they retracted back to his body.

Gold-Star crashed and rolled on the ground.

"Owww…." Gold-Star said as he stood back up. "I'm going to feel that for a while…"

"If you think that hurts, then you should've stayed home."

Gold-Star flinches as he sees the five Nexus Rangers walking towards after they had defeated the remaining Xedroids.

"Now, where were we?" Dean said.

Gold-Star was ready to fight the Rangers.

"No! I refuse to retreat and let you win! I will make you into my masterpiece!" Gold-Star said.

"You shouldn't make assumptions like that." Dean said.

The Nexus Rangers pull out Cards of legendary Black Rangers.

"Load Legendary Ranger Card! Black Ranger Power!" The Nexus Rangers said as they load the Cards into their Morphers and change into Legendary Black Rangers.

Dean, the Dino Thunder Black Ranger.

Shin, the Operation Overdrive Black Ranger.

Aaron, the Mighty Morphin Black Ranger.

Alisa, the RPM Black Ranger.

Claire, the Dino Charge Black Ranger.

"Why would you all go black? That's such a lame color." Gold-Star said.

"Don't be so sure about that!" Dean said before he and the others brought out their weapons.

Dean starts off the attack as he charges at Gold-Star.

Gold-Star stretches out his arms to attack him, but Dean uses the Brachio Staff to deflect his attacks as he continues to charge at Gold-Star. Dean then uses the Staff to land some good hits on the Commander before he fires an energy vortex that sends Gold-Star flying before he rolls on the ground.

Just as Gold-Star stood back up, Shin and Aaron ready the Drive Slammer and Power Axe.

"Drive Slammer!"

"Power Axe!"

Both Rangers then slammed their weapons to the ground to create a massive shockwave that reached Gold-Star before an explosion appeared in front of him and Gold-Star was sent flying before he stretched out his arms to grab two latched objects with the attempt to pull himself back to the ground.

"We don't think so!" Said Alisa and Claire as they jumped onto Shin and Aaron's shoulders to jump to Gold-Star and aimed their blasters at him.

"Para Chopper!"

"Rocket Blaster!"

They fired and their combined blast hit Gold-Star which sent him to the ground before he rolled on it.

"This…This won't…Stop me…" Gold-Star said before Dean stood in front of him.

"We'll see about that!" Dean said before he readies the Brachio Staff. "Brachio Staff! Full power!"

As energy channels around the Staff, Dean creates an energy orb with it and fires it at Gold-Star, it hits the Commander and he screams before he explodes.

Dean chuckles as he swipes his thumb on his helmet before he and the others change back to their base forms.

"And you said black was a lame color." Aaron said.


News of Gold-Star's defeat had reached the Kaiser Sphere, enraged by this, Prince Crimson slammed his fist on his armrest.

"Damn it…Once again the Rangers had interfered with our plans. Cyber!" He called out and Cyber nodded.

"I'm on it. Activating the Kaiser Reanimator." Cyber said before he activated the Reanimator and it soon fired a beam at Gold-Star's remains.


Thanks to that, Gold-Star was revived as he grew into a giant.

"Yes! I'm back! And I'm bigger and more beautiful than ever!" Gold-Star said.

In response to this, the Nexus Rangers soon bring out and load their Zord Cards into their Morphers.

"Load Card! Deploy Zords!" The Nexus Rangers said at the same time.

Their Zords appeared and they soon combined to form the Nexus Prime Megazord.

"Nexus Prime Megazord! Formation Complete!"

After the Megazord was formed, it soon faced the giant Gold-Star as both were ready for battle.

"Oh this is just perfect! I can't wait to turn that Megazord into scrap metal and make a sculpture out of it!" Gold-Star said.

"Scrap this!" The Rangers said as they made the Megazord charge at Gold-Star to attack.

It attacks by throwing a punch with both fists but Gold-Star avoids the Megazord's attacks. The Megazord then attacks Gold-Star with some kicks but the giant Commander avoids its attacks.

Gold-Star soon counterattacks by slamming his long arms at the Megazord landing some good hits as the Rangers felt the cockpit shaking.

That's when Gold-Star stretch out his arms and grabs onto the Megazord's arms.

"What the?" Dean said.

The Nexus Rangers soon tried to move the Megazord's arms to free themselves but Gold-Star's hold on them was too strong.

"Nice try! But you can't escape from my hold! Also, here's a special ride from me!" Gold-Star said before he lifted the Megazord high in the sky and then he began to spin the Megazord around.

The Rangers scream as they hang on to secure themselves on their platforms.

Gold-Star then lets go of their Megazord as it was sent flying before it heads to the ground.

"This isn't good! Everyone brace yourselves!" Dean told his team before the Megazord crashed into the ground.

The Rangers could feel their cockpit shaking but still continued to stand, with that the Nexus Prime Megazord stood back up and faced Gold-Star as he laughed at the Rangers.

"Hahaha! You should give up! You have no chance against me!" Gold-Star said.

Dean was about to speak out against him but Aaron beat him to it.

"Like hell we'll give up!" The Black Ranger shouted. "Sure the odds may be against us and we may have zero chances of winning, but we'll never surrender! Because we're Power Rangers, and we don't know how to give up!"

The others smile to hear that.

"Honestly…I was about to say. But you just have to steal my thunder. But still, we'll keep on fighting until our last breath!" Dean said and his friends nodded in agreement.

"Then I'll be happy to indulge you with that." Gold-Star said as he was ready to attack the Nexus Prime Megazord once again.

Just as the Rangers were to fight, both parties then felt the ground shaking as they stumbled for a bit.

"What the? What's going on?" Gold-Star said.

Shin checked his Morpher and saw that the seismic activity was now stronger and was heading towards.

"We're getting more seismic activity and it's…heading towards us?" Shin said.

That's when both the Rangers and Gold-Star saw a giant vehicle emerging from the ground and flew into the sky.

"Is that…?" Aaron said.

That's when the vehicle spuns its drills as it dives towards Gold-Star and hits him, Gold-Star stumbles back as the vehicle landed on the ground and the Rangers saw and recognized its appearance.

It was a Zord that was based around a drill machine with two gold drills and the main body is colored orange.

This the Nexus Drill Zord, one of the missing Auxiliary Zords.

"It's the Nexus Drill Zord!" Aaron said.

"Alright!" Claire cheered, and Dean nodded

"Yeah. It's just the edge that we needed." Dean said.

The Red Ranger soon pulls out a Megazord Card that has a picture of a combination between the Nexus Prime Megazord and the Drill Zord.

"Load Megazord Card!" Dean loads the Card into his Morpher. "Initiate Megazord Prime, Drill Formation!"

Then the words 'Initiate Drill Formation' appeared on the screen.


(Megazord Sequence)

The Drill Zord emerges from the ground of a rocky landscape and heads towards Megazord before it jumps towards it.

Then the Wolf and Chopper Zords detach themselves from the Megazord, that's when the split Dozer Zord attaches itself to the Megazord to form the arms before the top halves move up to form the shoulder guards.

Then the Megazord's head soon changed form. It was now based around a miner's helmet that was colored orange with a matching-colored goggle visor with an extra drill in the front of the helmet and has a silver mouth and jaw.

"Nexus Prime Megazord - Drill Formation!" The Rangers declared as the Megazord was standing on a cliff as a rocky explosion appeared behind it as its drills spun.

(End of sequence)


After combining with the Drill Zord, the Nexus Prime Megazord was ready to fight Gold-Star once again. But Gold-Star wasn't impressed by this.

"Oh, please! Like a new toy is going to stop me!" Gold-Star said before he stretched out his arms to grab the Megazord's arms once again.

"Not this time!" Dean said before he and the others raised their arms forward.

The Megazord soon follows their movement, and its drills begin to spin rapidly and it begins to entangle Gold-Star's and begins to pull him towards it.

Gold-Star tries to pull himself back as he begins to skid forward, but that didn't stop the Rangers as they roared and spun around.

In turn, the Megazord spun around along with Gold-Star, and it continued to spin him around several times before the Megazord slammed Gold-Star to the ground, dealing him major damage.

"How do you like that?" Claire said.

"It's time to finish this. Super Nexus Blaster!" Dean calls out to summon the Super Nexus Blaster before he catches it.

Dean readied the Blaster and aimed it at Gold-Star. In turn the Megazord's drills began to spin rapidly as multi-colored energy appeared around both of them.

"Nexus Prime Megazord, Twin Drill Strike!"

Dean fires the Blaster while the others throw a double punch.

The Nexus Prime Megazord then dashes at Gold-Star and throws a double punch with both drills as the Megazord moves past and pierce through the Commander's body.

"Oh well…At least my destruction will be beautiful!" Gold-Star said as he fell to the ground and exploded.

The Nexus Prime Megazord lowered its right arm and pointed its left drill upward.

"Never underestimate humans!" The Nexus Rangers said.


(Later)

After the battle, Dean and Aaron had returned to the track and field stadium while the others headed back to the base.

"Thanks for giving me that pep talk, Dean. I think I needed that." Aaron said.

"It's no problem. It's the least I can do for a friend." Dean said.

"Yeah." Aaron said before he looks at the field and remembers what it used to look like before the D-War. "You know, sometimes I would often wake up thinking that this was nothing but a bad dream. Only to find that it wasn't, that this is our current reality now."

"You don't have to tell. I used to have the same thoughts after I woke up. But still, will you be alright?" Dean asked.

Aaron sighed before he gave his answer.

"Honestly I'm not sure myself." Dean then lowered his sadness before Aaron said this. "But I'm going to continue to move forward."

Dean then turns to him.

"Really?" Dean said and Aaron nodded.

"Yeah. Sure, being a pro-athlete was my dream, but being a Power Ranger will always be a part of me and will always come first." Aaron said.

Dean blinks before he smiles and places his hand on Aaron's shoulder.

"Yeah, well, just don't forget that you'll always have us." Dean told him.

"Thanks man." Aaron said before Dean patted his shoulder.

"Anyway, let's go. We can't keep our friends waiting." Dean said before he leaves to head back to the base.

Aaron then took a moment to look at the track and field stadium before he followed the Red Ranger. While his dream may be dead, his duty as a Ranger will always be the same and right now, there's still people who need his and his friends' help.

To be continued...

There you have it, hope you like it. Review to tell me what you think of the story.

Today's villain

Gold-Star

Design: Luna Dopant from Kamen Rider W