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

Chapter 16: The Two Arzenals

On the island that was once Embryo's laboratory, Shin was with Salamandinay's crew and Chiaki to work on the three Ryuu-Shin-Kis.

They begin by working on Naga's Soryugo. She was in the cockpit testing the movements of its right arm by raising it along with twisting the forearm and flicking its fingers.

Shin and the others were standing in front of the blue Ryuu-Shin-Ki as they watched Naga testing it out before Salamandinay spoke to her.

"How is it, Naga?" Salamandinay asked.

"I'm afraid the reaction time is still a bit too slow." Naga answered.

"I see." Salamandinay said as she looked at a tablet which had the Soryugo's schematics. "It seems like the joint factions still have minor problems."

"I'm seeing it too." Shin said as he was looking at his own tablet. "I'll be able to correct that. With your permission."

"Of course. You don't even have to ask." Salamandinay told him.

"Okay." Shin said before he uses the ladder stairs to climb up to the Soryugo's right arm.

The Blue Ranger then uses his technopathic powers on the right arm to disassemble the parts and its blade attachment.

"Let's see…First let's change the wiring here. Then let's change the joints' inner parts. Then let's pull this part out." Shin said as he made the modifications to the Soryugo's arm and after doing the necessary changes, he put the pieces back together. "Okay, try it now."

Naga once again moved the Soryugo's right arm and this time its reaction time was quicker and more flexible than before she extended and retracted the blade twice and it was quicker than before.

Everyone was left amazed including Naga.

"Amazing. It's quicker than before." Naga said.

"Truly?" Kaname said.

Chiaki checked her tablet and saw the modifications Shin made and saw it was indeed true.

"This is incredible. I know you were brilliant, but this is beyond extraordinary." Chiaki said as the Blue Ranger walked down to the floor.

"Well, what did you expect? I did build the world's first Deus Ex Machina in a year and six of its siblings in half of that time." Shin said and Salamandinay chuckles to hear that.

"I suppose we shouldn't be surprised. But still, I'm grateful for your cooperation. I can understand that you still have some reluctance to use your knowledge of the Ragna-mail to build the Ryuu-Shin-Ki." Salamandinay said.

"Like I said, it's fine. Besides, it's nice to use that knowledge to do some good." Shin said. "But tell me this first, just how are you planning on testing these machines?"

"Are you certain you want an honest answer?" Salamandinay asked.

"Well, I do want us to be honest with each other since we'll be working together." Shin told her.

Salamandinay thought about it before she nodded in agreement.

"Yes, of course. There are still talks about it, but many in the council want to use the Ryuu-Shin-Ki to attack the Norma." Salamandinay told him, and the Blue Ranger wasn't too surprised by this, but he wasn't exactly happy about it either.

"I should've figured that was the first target in mind." Shin sighed.

"Yes. But please believe me, I'm not pleased about this either. But it's necessary for my people. The Norma are Embryo's first line of defense and if we attack them, it will force him to take matters into his own hands which would give us an advantage since Lizardia has Emperor Julio under her control." Salamandinay told him.

Shin won't deny the logic in that plan, but he still wasn't happy about the Norma dying because of it since they were innocent victims.

Shin sighed before he used his tablet to check the Ryuu-Shin-Kis' schematics.

"Let's just focus on getting these machines ready first. Then we'll worry about the rest." Shin said.

"Thank you for understanding." Salamandinay said before she used her own tablet as well.

"But we shouldn't assume that Embryo will go down without a fight. He still has the seven Ragna-mail and there's still the matter with Kurt. Not to mention he had over 500 years to prepare, he's a lot of things but predictable isn't one of them." Shin told them.

"I'm aware, I won't be careless. But we do have one less Ragna-mail to worry about." She said and Shin blinked to hear that.

"What do you mean?" Shin asked.

"We don't know the exact details. But apparently years ago, there was once a human resistance group who made contact with the Norma. Apparently, they managed to steal one of the Ragna-mail and renamed it Villkiss." Salamandinay said and Shin was shocked to hear this.

"What? Really?" Shin asked and she nodded.

"Yes. With Villkiss they attempted to use it in a rebellion around ten years ago. But sadly, it ended in failure, and it was said that Villkiss was destroyed." Salamandinay said.

Shin was once again saddened by this.

"I see." The Blue Ranger said but now he has another question. "But I am curious about one thing. How do the Norma fight against you? It can't be just because they have no Mana within their bodies."

"Oh, that's right. I hadn't told you and the others yet." Salamandinay said before she answered his question. "Well, it's true that their inability to use Mana was the main reason that Embryo decided to use the Norma to fight us, even that wouldn't be enough. So he gave them machines to have a fighting chance and they're known as Para-mail."

Shin blinks to hear that.

"Para-mail? As in the Ragna-mail?" Shin asked.

"Yes but no. We only know bits and pieces about them from Lizardia. But while the Ragna-mail were used as a base for them, the Para-mail are inferior copies. Unlike the Ragna-mail, each and every Para-mail is equipped with internal batteries, so they only have a limited amount of fuel for one battle at a time and they also lack an Archangel-System." Salamandinay explained to the Blue Ranger.

"I see. That makes sense now." Shin said before he types on his tablet to check and make some corrections to the Ryuu-Shin-Kis' programming. "But still, now I have another question. How is Embryo able to keep a secret war like that hidden for so long? I mean, I think people would hear about flying robots hunting down and slaying colossal dragon-like monsters. No offense."

"None taken." Salamandinay said before she explained about that. "The reason for that is quite simple. After a Norma is discovered by the False Humans' authorities, they exile them and ship them off to an isolated island in the middle of the ocean. I believe it was called the Pacific Ocean."

"Huh. So, they're stranded on a military island with no hope of escape." Shin said and Salamandinay nodded.

"Exactly. They only have a limited amount of fuel that can only take them so far. But even if they wanted to, I doubt they would even want to leave. Since most were taken at such a young age, they don't know about their parents or families, nor do they know about the outside world. So, despite the conditions that were forced upon them, that island is the only home that they know." Salamandinay told him.

The Blue Ranger sighs in sadness and sympathy.

"Guess we'll just have to include that to the many things Embryo will answer for." Shin said.

"Indeed." Salamandinay nodded. "But now I have questions to ask you."

"What is it?" Shin asked.

"How did Embryo attain his power? You said you were there when it happened, but if it's too painful to speak about, you don't have to force yourself." Salamandinay said.

Shin thought about it before he sighed.

"No, it's fine. But before I can explain, you remember that large gap in the front of the island?" Shin asked and they nodded. "That was the cause of when we attempted to cross between dimensions which resulted in a space-time explosion."

Salamandinay, Naga, Kaname and Chiaki were surprised to hear that.

"Really?" Chiaki asked and Shin nodded.

"It happened around two…or more like 540 years ago? Anyway, it was on the day when we attempted to cross between dimensions with the first Ragna-mail along with using the prototype Discord Phasers. But then something went wrong, and our dimensional jump went haywire. Not long after that, both Embryo and that part of the island disappeared in a flash of light. Nothing was left behind, not even a single trace of his body." Shin said.

"But yet, you survived?" Kaname asked and Shin sighed before he nodded.

"Yeah. I often ask myself that same question. Sometimes I ask myself why I was the one who survived that day, the world needed Dr. Embryo more than me." Shin said before he rubs fingers on his eyes. "Sorry. Guess I'm still recovering from my old wounds."

"It's alright. I apologize for bringing that up." Kaname said.

"It's fine." Shin said before he spoke to Salamandinay. "Things happened for a reason, right?"

"Truly." Salamandinay nodded. "Is there more to your story?"

"There is. A bit after me and my friends became Rangers and after I learned about the Morphin Grid…that's when I realized, in our attempt to cross between dimensions, we unintentionally caused a chain reaction with the Grid and as a result…Well, you already have a good idea." Shin said.

"Indeed. But that still doesn't explain how he's still alive after 500 years." Salamandinay said.

"He didn't tell me much. But apparently, his body is trapped between dimensions which I can assume is somewhere between our world and the world of Mana." Shin theorized.

"And do you think that's how Embryo was able to gain his power?" Salamandinay said.

"Most likely." Shin nodded. "When I discussed the matter to him, he mentioned when he disappeared it felt like 500 years had passed while it was two years for me. My best theory about that is that his true body must be in some sort of pocket dimension where time and space is nearly non-existent."

"I see. So if we kill Embryo in this pocket dimension, he'll remain that way forever." Salamandinay said.

"Most likely. But like I said, it's only a theory right now. Besides, even if I'm right, we have no way of traveling between this gap nor do we have the means to find him." Shin said.

"For now. I'm sure you'll find a way or are you not up to the challenge?" Salamandinay said and Shin chuckled.

"Well…I do love making the impossible possible. Just give me some time and I'll figure it out." Shin told them.

"That is truly ensuring to hear. Hopefully after we free Aura, the Norma of Arzenal will finally be free of their suffering." Salamandinay said.

Shin drops his tablet in shock after that Salamandinay and the others turn to him.

"Sir Shin, what's wrong?" Kaname asked.

Shin then turns to them.

"What did you just say about the Norma?" The Blue Ranger asked.

"I said I hope the Norma of Arzenal will be free of their suffering." Salamandinay answered.

The part 'Arzenal' really got the Blue Ranger's attention after he put the pieces together.

"Arzenal…and the Norma live on an island in the Pacific Ocean. It couldn't be…" Shin said.

"What's wrong? Why are you concerned about this?" Salamandinay asked.

"It's just…This island we're standing on. It's also called Arzenal." Shin told them.

Salamandinay and others blink to hear that before they look at the very ground they were standing on as they now have a mystery that needs solving.


(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.)


In the Rangers base, Dean, Aaron, Alisa and Claire had soon arrived in the command room where Shin, Pixel, Salamandinay along with Kaname and Naga were waiting for them after the Blue Ranger had called them for a meeting.

"Hey, guys, glad you made it on time." Shin told his friends.

"Well, you made it sound so important." Dean said.

"So, what's up? Did something go wrong with the Ryuu-Shin-Ki?" Claire asked and Shin shook his head.

"No, not that. It's something else, something that involves Embryo's island." Shin told them.

"What about it?" Dean asked.

"Well…Do you guys remember that it's called Arzenal?" Shin asked.

"Yeah. You basically told us yourself." Aaron answered.

"But I just found something out that Arzenal may be more than it appears." Shin told them.

"How so?" Claire asked.

"Do you remember how Embryo used the Norma to fight against us?" Salamandinay asked and they nodded.

"Yeah. But how does that matter?" Dean asked.

"It matters a lot. Apparently, there's also an Arzenal in Embryo's world and its use as a military base for the Norma." Shin told them and the other Rangers were surprised to hear that.

"What?" Aaron said.

"And you're sure about that?" Alisa asked.

"Yes, I've compared both Arzenals' locations and they're an exact match. Right in the middle of the Pacific Ocean." Shin told them.

"Really?" Aaron asked and Shin nodded.

"Not only that, the Arzenal on the False Earth also acts the home for the Norma who fought against us." Salamandinay said.

"I see. So that's how Embryo kept that war a secret for so long." Alisa said.

"But does it really matter? I mean it's not often that a world or two will be similar to each other." Dean said.

"I had the same thought too. Until I saw this." Shin said before he types on the computer to bring out a picture of the Arzenal in their world. "This is our Arzenal and here's an image of the Arzenal in Embryo's world, provided to us by Lizardia."

He brought the said image on the computer screen and to the Rangers' shock, instead of seeing a large island with a large mountain filled with trees and beaches, they saw a small portion of the island with a few buildings on the top corners of it along with two landing bays on the side and in the front.

In fact, that small Arzenal almost appears to be the missing piece of the Arzenal in their world.

"Yeah. I was just surprised to see this as you were. Even with a parallel Earth, this Arzenal should've been an exact match of the one in our world. And here's what happened when I put the two pieces together." Shin said before he uses the computer to bring out a data diagram of both Arzenals.

Shin then uses the computer to place the Arzenal on Embryo's world into the missing area of the Arzenal in their world. Then a percentage bar appeared on the screen to show the match between the two.

Data Diagram Match: 100%

The other Rangers were stunned to see this.

"Yeah, I know, I was surprised to see this too. Both Arzenals are an exact match of their missing pieces, almost like they're one at the same but yet different at the same time." Shin told them.

"Just what could this mean though?" Alisa asked and Shin shook his head.

"I don't know. But the only thing I could think of is that Arzenal might be the key on how Embryo had broken the rules of the Grid." Shin theorized before he said this. "Which is why I'm going on that island to see it myself."

The others were surprised by this.

"Shin, are you really sure about that?" Dean asked and Shin nodded.

"I am. If there's a chance that we can learn anything on that island, then I have to take it." Shin said and the others smiled.

"Then I guess we're going with you." Dean said. Shin smiles.

"Yeah, I figured you were going to say that." Shin said before he turned to Pixel. "Pix."

"You got it." Pixel nodded before she snapped her fingers.

Then a sphere of light appeared in front of Dean, Aaron, and Claire and appearing within the said light was a large triangle chestplate in their respective colors with a button on the center of it.

The three Rangers grabbed onto the devices before they turned to Shin as the Blue Ranger stood up and held the same device in his own color in his hand.

"Shin, what is this?" Dean asked.

"Just a little that I've been working for a while. Put it on your chest and press the button, in fact, put it and press the button and see it for yourselves." Shin told them.

The others thought about it before they brought the devices on their respective chests and pressed the button. Then appearing out of them were nanomachines which formed a suit and a mask in their Ranger colors.

"Whoa!" Claire said in amazement as she and the others looked at the suits they were wearing.

Shin also put on the same suit with his own device before he proudly smiles while showing it off.

"It's an advanced stealth tech suit that I've been working on. After our last visit to Embryo's Earth, I figured these would come in handy." Shin told them before he showed his Morpher. "It's also connected to our Morphers. To activate stealth mode, we just simply tap on the screen."

Shin demonstrated that by tapping on his Morpher's screen and he turns invisible in front of his friends.

"Dang…that's impressive." Alisa said.

"But how are we going to see each other like that?" Claire questions him and Shin chuckles.

"Please. You didn't think I let that slip my mind. There's a button on the right side of your masks, press on it and see for yourselves." Shin told them.

Dean, Aaron and Claire did as Shin instructed by pressing the said button on their masks which activated its visor tech, and they were now able to see Shin.

"Can you see me now?" Shin asked as he waved at his friends, and they were once again amazed by this before they nodded, and Shin deactivated the stealth feature. "The visor tech will allow us to see each other, this way we won't lose track of each other."

"I have to say, Shin, you really outdid yourself with these." Dean said as he looked at the stealth suit he was wearing.

"Please. Bragging won't get you anywhere…But please go on." Shin said, which made his friends chuckle before Salamandinay and her crew noticed that Alisa wasn't given a stealth suit.

"Wait, you didn't give Alisa her own stealth suit." Salamandinay pointed out.

"He didn't have to. Because he knows that I've already got myself covered." Alisa said.

While Salamandinay and her subordinates were confused on what she meant, Alisa soon turned invisible which surprised them.

"Amazing." Salamandinay said.

Alisa then turns to the Blue Ranger before she comes visible once again.

"But I still feel a little left out." Alisa told him and Shin rubs the back of his head.

"Yeah, sorry about that. But I did make these as a compensation." Shin said before he throws something at Alisa and she catches it.

Alisa looked and saw it was a pair of high-tech glasses colored yellow with a black visor.

"It works similar to the visor tech of these suits. This way you can keep track of us." Shin explained.

Alisa puts the glasses on and smiles as she shows them off.

"Well at least it looks good on me." The Yellow Ranger commented to herself.

"Okay. Since we're all set, let's get moving." Dean told his team and they nodded.

After getting the Transporter Device, Shin set the coordinates of Arzenal on it. Dean was discussing the matter of traveling to the other Arzenal with Salamandinay.

"Are you truly certain about this? Going to a large city was one thing, but you're going to the heart of Embryo's defense." She told him.

"I know, but Shin is sure we can find some sort of answer there, then we'll have to risk it." Dean said. Salamandinay sighed in resignation.

"Alright, I know I can't stop you." She said before she grabbed hold of his hand. "But promise me that you'll be careful."

Dean looks at her hand before he coughs in his other hand and shows her an ensuing smile.

"Don't worry, we'll be fine." Dean said and Shin nodded in agreement.

"I agree. Plus, my stealth tech is beyond flawless. There's no way we'll be discovered." Shin told them and the others chuckled. Shin was now done setting the coordinates. "Alright, coordinates are set."

"Then let's move out." Dean said and his friends nodded.

Shin then used the Transportal Device to create a portal, and the Nexus Rangers soon turned invisible and jumped into the portal one at a time.

"Well…Here's hoping nothing goes wrong this time." Pixel prayed.


The Nexus Rangers soon appeared out of the portal as they landed on a platform of some kind. They took a moment to study their surroundings and saw they were standing on a landing platform and saw the sky.

"This is really the place?" Dean asked and Shin looked at the Transportal Device.

"Yeah. We should be standing on the other Arzenal. But I don't see anything out of the ordinary." The Blue Ranger said but Alisa saw something that caught their attention before she called out to her friend.

"Ummm…Guys." She got their attention before she pointed at something. "I think this is the place."

The others looked and saw what appears to be several types of Ragna-mail machines being repaired or modified by several of the mechanics on the island.

"Seems like it." Claire commented.

They then formed a circle to discuss their strategy.

"Alright. According to the layout that Lizardia was able to provide for us, there's a beach on the south of the island." Shin told him.

"Then that's where we make our exit. Best that we split up, we'll cover more ground that way. Me and Shin will cover the west side. Alisa, Claire, you search in the east. Aaron, you got the north." Dean told his team.

"You got it." Alisa nodded.

"Seems fair to me." Aaron said.

"Our time limit is going to be three hours. If something goes wrong, we all meet up on the beach and leave." Dean said before they used their Morphers to set their time limit and start it. "Let's move and let the power protect us."

The Rangers then moved in different locations as they split with Dean and Shin, Alisa and Claire in teams of two while Aaron was on his own.

Dean and Shin made their way to the hangar of Arzenal, but soon found themselves smelling the strong smells of grind of the machinery along with a perfume of grease and fuel.

"Oh man…it stinks in here." Dean said quietly so the Norma in the area couldn't hear them while waving his hand in front of his nose to fan the smells.

"You're telling me." Shin said as he pinched his nose while watching the mechanics continue to work despite the strong smells. "I know they're forced to live like this, but I'm amazed they can handle this stench."

"Think we should move on then?" Dean asked but the Blue Ranger spotted certain machines from afar.

"Hang on. I need to get a closer look." Shin said before he heads to the machines with Dean following him.

The Red and Blue Rangers soon come across machines that resemble the Ragna-mail. Instead of having a golden frame, they had a gray metal frame along with having different designs and weapons while having a green needle attached to the left arm.

One had jet-like wings with an axe/sword weapon.

One had bulky armor with two rotating guns on the shoulders.

One had downward wings and was built for long range shooting.

One had different angle wings and appeared to have lighter armor.

"So these are the Para-mail." Shin said as he quickly steadied each of the machines.

"The Ragna-mail copies, right?" Dean asked and Shin nodded.

Shin then approaches one Para-mail that was in flight mode, he places his hand on it and uses his technopathic powers to scan each and every part of the machine along with its circuitry. After he was done, Shin removed his hand.

"Salamandinay wasn't kidding. These things are a far cry to the Ragna-mail, I almost feel insulted that someone could make these from my designs." Shin said.

Shin then spotted a certain Para-mail that was colored with white armor and had a golden frame, despite its change in color, that machine looks very familiar to the Blue Ranger.

"Is that…?" Shin said before Dean spoke to him.

"Shin, we need to move. Someone's coming." Dean said as two mechanics were heading towards him.

"R-Right." Shin said before they moved out to avoid them and the Blue Ranger soon shook the white machine out of his mind. "I must've been seeing things. There's no way."

After moving deeper into the hangar, they soon encountered a small area with placement walls around it and saw a large sign on the wall behind it

"Jasmine Mall? They have a mall here?" Dean said.

"Seems like it. Though it appears to be on the small size." Shin said.

Curious about this so-called mall, Dean and Shin moved closer to the entrance to get a good look that was inside.

They see several groups of Norma wearing different uniforms enjoying their free time in the mall.

Some were playing a game of billiards. There was also a pingpong table along with some arcade games, and there was a small spot where they could play basketball.

They were racks of clothes along with accessories and makeup with a changing room to match with them.

There were also vending machines for food along with drinks.

They also spotted different types of weapons and explosives along with weapons for the Para-mail.

But really got the Red and Blue Ranger's attention were the Norma in the area.

They spotted some close to their age and some were even younger than them. They also wore different colored uniforms no doubt to show their position in the military ranking that was set up here while still modified to suit their sense of style.

Some of their uniforms were colored mostly white and pale-red while others were wearing blue and green uniforms.

The Norma may have different appearance and ages, there was one thing they all had in common which made them stick out.

"Shin…" Dean said and the Blue Ranger nodded.

"Yeah, I know. They're all women, some of them are younger than us." Shin said.

Before they could discuss this further, they heard a dog barking at them. They looked and saw what appears to be a large golden retriever wearing a brown leather pilot hat and yellow goggles on its head. This is Vulcan.

"A dog?!" Dean said as he was surprised to see an animal here.

"And it appears to be a golden retriever." Shin said.

"Is that even relevant?" Dean questions him.

Vulcan continues to bark at the invisible intruders with Dean shushing at him and quietly telling the dog to stay quiet.

"Ssshhh…ssshhh. Settle down. Be quiet." But the dog kept on barking at him and Shin.

"Just what are you barking at, you mangy mutt?" Said a woman who must be the dog's owner as she approached him.

She appears to be in her 40s with yellow-green hair that reaches to her neck and has gray eyes. She was wearing a light purple cloth tied around her head. She was wearing a long-sleeve shirt with large round sleeves on the end with a light-pink dress along with white baggy pants and brown sandals.

This is Jasmine, the owner of the mall and the owner of Vulcan.

Vulcan continues to bark at the invisible Red and Blue Rangers.

"Just what's the matter with you?" Jasmine said before she moved to see what her dog was barking at but saw no one. "There's no one here. So how about you stop disturbing the customers or do I have to put you on a diet?"

Vulcan obeyed as he came down and lowered his head.

"Good boy." Jasmine said before she leaves to tend to another customer.

Thankfully, both Dean and Shin carefully sneak away before Jasmine could see what her dog was barking about.

"So much for your stealth tech being flawless." Dean said.

"Hey, it's not like I knew they keep animals here." Shin said.


Alisa and Claire were walking in the hallway of Arzenal's east area. The walls and floor were mostly carved in stone along with power boxes and wiring on the walls and lights on the ceiling with some extra gates in the front.

"Just look at this place. You think a secret military base would have better designs than this." Claire said as she and Alisa studied their surroundings.

"But given how the Norma are treated here, I doubt the rest of the world cares about that." She told the Pink Ranger.

"I suppose that's true." Claire said.

That's when Alisa and Claire heard a familiar roar in a nearby room. Curious about this, the Yellow and Pink Rangers moved to the door and slightly opened it.

Behind the door is what appears to be a classroom with the students seated on desks with the teacher showing them a video of the Children of Aura and explaining what their class is about.

"Dimensional Rift Attuned Gargantuan Organic Neototypes: DRAGON. We have a very important job as the Norma. To stop all the DRAGONs here at Arzenal and kill them to protect the humans. Exterminating the DRAGONs is the only reason why Norma like you and I are allowed to live in this world. Let's keep that in mind as we do our best on the battlefield, okay?"

"Yes, ma'am." The students replied.

Alisa and Claire then took a moment to look at the students, they appear to be around 5 to 6 years of age.

"They're kids…" Claire said.

"Salamandinay told us that the Norma were taken at a young age, but this is just sick." Alisa said in pure disgust.

Both Rangers then remember what the teacher had told them. How Norma likes them only exists to hunt down the DRAGONs to protect the humans in Embryo's world.

'If only they know the truth.' Alisa thought to herself.

Claire was about to move in and enter the classroom, but Alisa stopped her by grabbing on her shoulder.

"No, Claire. I know what you're planning but you shouldn't." Alisa told her.

"But Alisa, we can't just leave them." Claire said.

"Look I don't like this any better than you do, but don't forget this is a stealth mission and we're at the heart of Embryo's operation. We can't do anything that would draw attention to us or to our friends." Alisa reminded her.

Claire then looks at the kids in the classroom and while reluctant, she'll have to agree with Alisa.

"I really hate it when you're right." Claire said before she sadly closed the door.

One of the students heard it before she turned to the door while she blinked in confusion.

"Hmmm?"


Aaron was walking in a hallway to explore the north area of Arzenal, but being by himself, the Black Ranger couldn't help but feel a little lonely right now.

"Now I feel lonely. Almost makes me wish that Kurt is still with us." Aaron said.

That's when Aaron heard moaning in a nearby hallway. Curious about that, the Black Ranger moves closer and to his surprise he sees two Norma passionately kissing each other.

One of them went into the other's shirt to play with her.

"Please…Can't we do this in our room?"

"And ruined the fun now? I don't think so…" She said before she kissed her once again.

Aaron quickly turns away before he checks his nose for any blood and thankfully, he is clean.

"I'm…just going to pretend I never saw that." Aaron said to himself before he left.


Dean and Shin were walking in one of the several hallways in Arzenal. Thankfully, this island greatly resembles the Arzenal on the True Earth, so the Blue Ranger knows this place like the back of his hand.

As Shin walked in this very hallway, he could see how it used to appear before the D-War and before Embryo had destroyed their world.

Instead of seeing rough stone walls and exposed wires and pipes, Shin saw more refined and metallic walls along with clean and smooth flooring including doors that open with a touch of a pad that opens by sliding into the side instead of doors with knobs and opens by pushing and pulling.

Shin then saw an image of himself and Embryo wearing lab coats and glasses as they were going through some plans on a project they were working on.

"Hmmm…I don't know about this, doctor. I mean the unified theory sounds possible, but without a strong power source and relay devices, it might blow up in our faces along with the world." Shin told him and Embryo hummed in thought.

"You made some good points there." Embryo said.

Shin then saw another image of himself and Embryo walking in a different direction while speaking about a different project.

"Man, I didn't think it was possible. But we really did it, we actually discovered a parallel universe." Shin said and Embryo smiled in agreement.

"Yes. But now we have another problem, traveling between dimensions safely." Embryo said. Shin hummed as he folded his arms and soon an idea came to mind.

"What if we build a machine using the Quantum-Spatial Drive as the main power source. A type of dimensional and all purpose vehicle." Shin said and Embryo thought about it and nodded.

"Yes…Yes, that can work. We'll also need a type of dimensional wave generator as a second power source." Embryo said.

"Then let's get to work on that." Shin told him.

Then that image fades away in front of the Blue Ranger and while he stares into space, he hears a familiar and faint voice calling out to him.

"Shi…Shin…Shin!" Dean quietly calls out to him, and Shin turns to him.

"Huh?" Shin said.

"Is something wrong? You were quiet for a while." Dean told him. Shin sighed.

"I'm fine. Just reminiscing…" Shin said and Dean could understand why.

"Yeah. I guess being here again must feel weird to you." Dean said and Shin nodded.

"I would be lying to say that it doesn't." Shin said.

Dean was about to speak out but stopped as he heard two people approaching him and Shin as he stopped walking and brought his arm in front of the Blue Ranger.

"Dean?" Shin said before the Red Ranger shushed at him.

"Ssshhh…Someone's coming." Dean said.

Shin then heard a pair of footsteps approaching along with voices belonging to two girls.

"You really want to give your Arquebus lighter armor?"

"It would give it better mobility and greater speed."

"True. But if we do it like that, that will greatly reduce its durability on the battlefield."

"I understand your point but still."

After hearing those voices, both Dean and Shin placed their backs on the wall to move out of their way and that's when the two girls in question appeared, both the Red and Blue Rangers got a good look of them as they continued to walk forward.

One was a girl who appears to be 14 years old. She had purple hair tied in pigtails and yellow eyes. She was wearing a brown-orange jumpsuit used by the engineers here with a red turtle-neck shirt.

This is Mei, the chief of the maintenance team for all of the Para-mail.

The other girl appears to be 17 years old. She had long purple hair also tied in pigtails and brown eyes. She was wearing a white and pale-red uniform that was slightly modified. She was wearing a long-sleeve jacket with a blue skirt along with a long tailcoat behind her waist and white high knee socks with her boots.

This is Salia, the Captain of First Squadron, they're most elite team.

"Your Arquebus was mostly built for long range shooting, so I doubt giving it lighter armor would make a difference." Mei told her.

"But there's no telling if the situation changes and I'll be forced to engage in close quarters combat." Salia stated.

As Salia and Mei unknowingly walk to the invisible Red and Blue Rangers, Shin had got a good look of Salia.

The moment he saw her, Shin blushed beneath his mask. Time seemed to slow down around him as the purple-haired girl walked past him and Dean as he could see pink sparkles around her and for some strange reason, he could hear his Wolf Zord howling in his head.

Salia stops as she could feel someone staring at her before she turned around but saw no one. Her friend Mei stops and turns to her.

"What's wrong Salia?" Mei asked.

"I could've sworn that someone was staring at me." Salia replied.

Dean quietly gulps in concern.

Mei blinks before she looks but sees nothing.

"I don't see anything. You must be imagining things." Mei told her.

Salia hummed before she nodded.

"Yeah, you must be right. Anyway, we should discuss about Ange." Salia said before she and her friend leave.

After they were a good distance away, Dean sighed in relief.

"Okay. We're clear, let's…" Dean said but noticed Shin didn't pay attention as he was still staring off into space. "Shin? Shin!"

Dean shook the Blue Ranger's shoulder which snapped Shin out of his train of thought and turned to him.

"Huh? What's wrong?" Shin asked.

"Are you okay? You spaced out for a moment." Dean told him.

"I did?" Shin asked and Dean nodded.

"Yeah. Are you feeling alright?" Dean asked.

"I…" Shin said before he turned to the direction of Salia, and her friend had walked as the former was still in his mind. Shin then coughs in his hand. "I'm fine, really. Let's just keep moving."

Shin walks forward with Dean looking at him before he turns to the direction where the two girls had left and turns back to Shin as one theory comes to mind.

"Is it possible? Nah, I must be overthinking it." Dean said before he followed the Blue Ranger.

As they were walking, Shin thought about that girl he saw.

'So her name is Salia. Hmm…'


Following the map of Arzenal, Alisa and Claire found themselves outside and were now in the cemetery and saw it was filled with over hundreds, maybe even a thousand tombstones.

"This must be the cemetery." Alisa said before she and Claire look at the many tombstones with the names carved into them, no doubt belonging to the Norma who either died of natural causes but mostly due to battling the DRAGONs.

"Cassie Valentine. Sherry Wells. Coco Reeve and Miranda Campbell. There's so many." Claire said.

"And to think this was going on for over hundreds of years. All because of Embryo…and Kurt…" Alisa said in sadness before Claire placed a hand on her shoulder.

"Alisa…" Claire said.

That's when they saw two Norma approaching.

One had short orange hair and sharp blue eyes. She had a part of her shirt open revealing a bit of her cleavage and a yellow skirt.

One had light blue hair that reached down to her mid back and tied in a braided ponytail that rests on her right shoulder, with a bang covering her left eye, of which both are pink. Along with her uniform she wore blue shorts.

These two are known as Rosalie and Chris.

Both the Yellow and Pink Rangers move out of their way as both girls head to a certain tombstone with the name Zola Axberg.

They were to pay their respects to someone who Alisa and Claire can guess was someone who was dear to them.

Not wanting to intrude on that, they quickly leave.


Dean and Shin continue to walk in one of the many hallways in Arzenal. They soon saw one of the doors opening and saw two girls walking out of it.

They quickly moved to the side and heard the girls speaking to each other.

"Do you have any requests for lunch, Lady Angelise?" One of them asked. Hearing that name really got Dean's attention.

"Angelise…It couldn't be." Dean said.

As the two girls walked close to him, Dean got a good look at her.

She was a Norma as she was wearing the white and pale-red uniform with a black skirt. She has golden-blonde hair that reaches to her neck and pink eyes.

This is Ange, formerly known as Angelise Ikaruga Misurugi, the former princess of the Misurugi Empire.

With her was a maid due to the uniform she was wearing. She had short purple hair and orange eyes.

This is Momoka Oginome, the head maid of Angelise now known as Ange.

Dean narrows his eyes at her, she definitely resembles the princess he once saw when he first arrived in this world but the look in her eyes along with that stoic disposition was completely different.

Sensing the Red Ranger's stare, Ange stops and turns at him. Both Dean and Shin were deeply concerned by that while Momoka blinked in confusion as she couldn't see anything.

Ange steps forward in front of Dean, that's when Dean saw a mirage of her former self appearing in front of him before it disappeared showing her current self.

She then quickly pulls out her knife to cut him and Dean quickly avoids it by lowering himself to the ground as the knife only made a cut on the wall.

Both Dean and Shin covered their mouths to prevent themselves from breathing or making any noises.

"Is something wrong, my lady?" Momoka asked.

Ange looks for a bit before she puts her knife away.

"Nothing. Thought I saw a bug. Come on." Ange said and her loyal maid followed her.

After they were gone, both the Red and Blue Rangers sighed in relief before the former stood up and looked at the path both Ange and Momoka had taken to leave.

"I'll be damn. It is her." Dean said before Shin spoke to him.

"So that's the princess you told me about? The one who was exposed by her brother?" Dean nodded.

"Yeah. But I hardly recognized her. Besides the new haircut, the look in her eyes is completely different. It's like she's a different person now." Dean said.

"Hmmm…I guess she had to really toughen up after coming here. God only knows the kind of hell she's been through." Shin said and Dean nodded.

"That's true. But I'm surprised she has that maid with her. How do you think that's possible?" Dean asked and Shin just shrugged.

"Beats me." Shin said before he checked the time on his Morpher and saw that they only had one hour and fifty-two minutes left. "Anyway, we should keep moving."

"Right." Dean nodded before they continued to move forward.


Aaron soon appeared in a room that appears to be a training simulation room as there were large simulation machines inside.

The Black Ranger then saw one of them opening and saw a girl walking out of it before she took a moment to stretch out her arms.

She appears to be 15 years of age with a petite, slender, well-toned athletic build. She had short scarlet hair and golden eyes. But what really got Aaron's attention was the suit she was wearing. It was the mail rider suit used by the pilots of Para-mail, her suit was colored pink with some white armor and a visor on her head along with having a cord and a type of chamber on the end of it.

This is Vivian.

Aaron couldn't help but cringe by how revealing that suit was.

"Really? They fought around in that outfit." Aaron said.

That's when he saw another Norma approaching the scarlet haired girl.

She was a beautiful 18 year old young woman. She had green eyes, long pink hair, past her waist, and a kind, gentle face. She is a fairly tall woman with a slender, voluptuous figure and a well-endowed chest. She was wearing an orange rider suit.

This is Ersha.

"I see you've beaten your old score again." Ersha said before she handed Vivian a towel and a bottle of water and she accepted both items.

"What can I say, I'm just that awesome!" Vivian said with pride before she wiped off the sweat on her and drank some of the water.

After that, Vivian then smells something in the air, something that was unfamiliar to her.

"Is something wrong, Vivi?" Ersha asked.

Vivian followed the scent, and she was approaching the Black Ranger. Aaron was a bit concerned by this but calm down.

"There's no way." Aaron said.

But Vivian soon stops in front of the invisible Black Ranger.

"There's something here. Something I haven't smelled before." Vivian said and Aaron grew concerned once again.

'What is she? A dog?' Aaron thought to himself.

Aaron slowly steps away from her, but Vivian continues to follow him.

'Curd, curd, curd. What should I do…?' Aaron thought to himself.

Unknown to Aaron, a simulation machine opens behind him and walking out of it was a girl with crimson hair.

She was 17 years old with beauty with deep blue-violet eyes and long crimson hair tied in twintails. Her rider suit was colored red.

This is Hilda.

Just as Hilda picks up a towel to wipe off some sweat, Aaron unintentionally bumps into her.

Hilda turns around and sees Vivian standing behind due to her not seeing the invisible Aaron.

"Care to explain what you were doing half pint?" Hilda questions her squad mate while Vivian blinks in confusion.

"What are you talking about, Hilda?" Vivian asked back.

"Do you really think I'm stupid? You bump into me." Hilda told her and Vivian shook her head.

"No, I didn't. I was just following this scent and then you showed up." Vivian stated and Hilda's eyebrow twitched.

"Are you trying to say that I stink?" Hilda questions her and Vivian shakes her head.

"No, I didn't. It was a different smell." Vivian said and Hilda only grew more irritated to hear that before she approached her while Vivian stepped back in fear. "Hilda, come on! Just hear me out!"

Aaron manages to use this chance to sneak away.

"Really sorry about that. But it was either you or me." Aaron said quietly before Ersha moved in to defuse the situation.


Dean and Shin continue to walk in the hallway. Dean then looks at the time on his Morpher and sees that they only have 52 minutes.

"We only have 52 minutes left. Maybe we should end things here." Dean suggested.

But before Shin could reply, the Blue Ranger spotted a certain door that leads to a room that was very familiar to him.

"Wait. Hang on." Shin said before he approached the door and Dean followed him.

Shin carefully opens the door and looks inside and sees there was no one inside. He and Dean enter the room while closing the door behind them.

They deactivated the stealth mode of their suits and took a moment to study the room.

It appears to be an office no doubt used for the commanding officer. There was a desk in the end of the room with the symbol of a dragon with a sword along with a red diamond and a golden piece on the bottom. There was a couch and a bookshelf on the walls and two cabinets on the corner. There was even a punching bag and a holder for some combat knives and Dean saw a target mark painted on the wall along with some cuts on it.

"Shin, mind telling me what this room is?" Dean asked.

"This was originally Embryo's office. It's different, but I recognized this room anywhere." Shin told him.

"I see." Dean said. "If you need time…"

But then Shin's technopathic powers sense something inside the room before he spoke to Dean.

"Hang on. I sense something."

"What is it?" Dean asked.

Shin then walks in front of the bookshelf, and he could sense technology behind it.

"I need you to move this shelf for me." Shin told him.

"You got it." Dean said before he moves in front of the bookshelf.

He then uses his superhuman strength to move the bookshelf out of the way. Shin then looks at the wall and could still sense behind it.

"Still picking up something." Shin said.

"Then give me some room." Dean said as he was ready to make a hole on the wall with his fist, but Shin stopped him by raising his arm in front of him.

"Hold on. Don't forget, we can't leave any trace that we were here. Besides, instead of using a sledgehammer…" Shin said before he used his technopathic powers on the wall and it activated the machinery hidden behind it to open a hidden door. "I prefer using a scalpel."

Dean was amazed to see a hidden door before he saw there was a hidden computer room as it had one computer.

"Dang. You didn't know about this?" Dean asked and Shin shook his head.

"No, I didn't. But then again, Embryo did love his secret rooms."

The Red and Blue Rangers then moved in front of the computer before Shin sat down on the chair and typed on the keyboard to activate it but now it acquired an ID and password to access it.

"Here's hoping." Shin said before he typed in his old ID and password, and it worked. "Nice. I have direct access."

Shin then took a moment to look at the data files, some of them he recognized but there were recent files that were unfamiliar, and they date back when Embryo had disappeared after the accident 540 years ago.

"I think we hit the jackpot here." Shin said before he brings out a data drive to insert it into the computer. "Good thing I always come prepared."

He then uses the data drive to download the files into it.

"This might take a while. Mind keeping an eye out for me?" Shin requested and Dean nodded.

"You got it." Dean said before he leaves and activates the x-ray mode of his suit's visor.

As his data drive continued to download the files, Shin took a moment to read them.

"After years of spending time in this area of space and time, it opened my eyes to infinite possibilities. I soon learn that in my attempt to travel between worlds I cause a chain reaction with an unknown energy source, one that is filled with pure unlimited energy that spreads like a network between our universe and to many others. He must be talking about the Morphin Grid." Shin said before he moves to another datafile.

"After spending a century in this place, I know why this has happened to me. I was chosen by the very gods themselves to help cleanse the errors of the old humanity to create a better and improved race of human beings." Shin can't help but feel disgusted by this.

As Dean continued to keep, he soon saw someone approaching the room.

"Oh, no." He mutters to himself.

The data drive's download is almost done while Shin continues to search through the datafiles before Dean arrives to warn him.

"Shin, we need to go. Someone's coming." Dean told him.

"Not yet. The download is almost done." Shin said before one archive got his attention. "Hang on. I think I found something."

Shin saw the archive that was labeled. "Dimensional rift?"

Before he could open that data archive, the screen suddenly turned black much to his confusion.

"What the?" Shin said before he tried to bring the computer back online, but it wasn't responding.

That's when a line appeared on the screen and then a message was typed in.

'I'm afraid I can't let you dig any deeper. Shinya.'

Shin's eyes widened as he knew who sent him this message.

"Is this…was he?"

Then the computer begins to short circuit as sparks appear around it. Shin was surprised by this, he quickly reached for his data drive to get it but then sparks appeared around it before it shattered into pieces.

"No!" Shin said.

Dean then saw the person he saw was getting closer.

"Shin, we need to go now!" Dean told him.

"Damn it." Shin said before he left the room.

The Blue Ranger soon uses his technopathic powers to close the hidden door and Dean then uses his super strength to move the bookshelf back in place.

The main door soon opens and entering the office was Commander Jill, the leader of Arzenal.

She was a woman in her late-20s with long black hair tied in a ponytail and purple eyes while wearing red lipstick. She has a full slender figure and artificial right metal arm to replace her original arm. She was wearing a different type of uniform worn only for the commander, she wore a tunic colored white with black lining with matching pants and boots, she also wore a shoulder cape that reached to her legs. She had an imposing air around her along with a cruel look in her eyes.

Jill then senses something was off with the air, she took a moment to study her surroundings but saw that everything was where she left it and saw no one.

Jill then shrugged the feeling off while the invisible Dean and Shin quietly sneaked out of the room without her noticing and Jill soon closed her door.

Dean and Shin sighed in relief, especially in avoiding that imposing woman.

"That was close." Shin said.

"You're telling me. Anyway, can you explain what just happened?" Dean asked.

"It was Embryo. I don't know how but he somehow knew we were here." Shin said.

While surprised at first, Dean then looks at the time on his Morpher and sees there was only 22 minutes left.

"We'll have to discuss this back at the base. We need to leave." Dean told him and Shin nodded.

"Right."

Both Dean and Shin leave as the former contacts the rest of their team.

"It's time to go, guys. Head to the meeting spot." Dean told them.

"Got it." Claire and Alisa said.

"No need to tell me twice." Aaron said.


After arriving at the beach, the Nexus Rangers soon used the Transportal Device to head back to their base where Salamandinay, Pixel and the others were waiting for them.

Shin was discussing how he and Dean found a hidden computer, but it was destroyed by Embryo before Shin could learn more about it.

"I see. It's unfortunate that you didn't learn much from the other Arzenal." Salamandinay said.

"Actually, I wouldn't say it was a total loss." Shin told them.

"What do you mean?" Pixel asked.

"Well, I don't know how it was possible, but there's no doubt in my mind that both Arzenals must be connected somehow. Especially since I found a hidden room in Embryo's former office. Not only that, there was something in there, something that Embryo doesn't want us to learn about. I bet you anything that must be the secret of his power while at the same time, that secret is his greatest weakness." Shin said.

"But what could it be?" Alisa asked.

"The only thing I was able to learn was its name. A dimensional rift." Shin told them.

"I see." Salamandinay said.

"It may not be much, but it still does give us an advantage." Dean said and Salamandinay nodded.

"I concur with that." Salamandinay said.

Claire then notices that Aaron spends most of his time smelling himself along with checking his own breath.

"Aaron, what's wrong?" Claire asked and the others turned to the Black Ranger.

"Well…I don't smell, do I?" Aaron asked and his friends blink in confusion.

To be continued...

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