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

Chapter 19: The Lost Princess

After telling Misty the truth about her world, Salamandinay soon let go of her hand along with Dean's. The Princess of Rosenblum then took a moment to process all of this as it was too unbelieve to comprehend.

The singularities are dimensional gateways that lead to another Earth in a parallel universe.

The monsters she once known as DRAGONs were actually humans with restructured DNA.

Then how over 500 years ago, a man known as Embryo had destroyed their world and created the world she knows today and lives in.

How he kidnapped Aura, the first DRAGON, to continue to power the peace and prosperity of her world by harvesting Dracunium energy from the corpses of DRAGONs who journey through the singularity to rescue her.

And how Embryo programmed the humans of his world to hate the Norma, only so that he could use them to hunt the DRAGONs down.

All of this was so unreal, she can't even force herself to believe it but at the same time, she can't force herself to forget it either.

"This is…I can't even fathom it. It just can't be true…" Misty said.

"I'm afraid that it is." Pixel said, getting her attention before the AI brought out a screen to show Misty footage of when Embryo used the seven Ragna-mail to destroy the world. "I was a witness when Embryo used the Ragna-mail to destroy our world. After he had defeated Dean and the others."

The Nexus Rangers lowered their head in some sadness and Salamandinay placed a hand on Dean's shoulder.

"Then after that, he gathered a small group of followers and migrated to another Earth in a parallel universe. Which was the very Earth that you currently live on." Salamandinay told her.

"But then a few hundred years after that, he kidnapped Aura to use her energy to continue to empower the peace and prosperity in your world." Pixel said.

"And you're saying…My father had been supporting this madness the entire time?" Misty asked and Salamandinay nodded.

"Yes, along with his own father and even before him. For centuries the six leaders had helped govern Embryo's world while he was secretly ruling it in the shadows. All while maintaining it by the blood of our brethren." She told her.

While Misty still isn't able to comprehend all of this, Aaron placed a hand on her shoulder.

"I know this is a tough pill to swallow, but like it or not, it's the truth and deep down you know it." Aaron told her.

"But…But I can't just…" Misty said.

"There's no point in denying the truth at this point." Dean said and Misty turned to the Red Ranger. "After everything you saw and heard, can't you really look yourself in the eye and convince yourself that it isn't true?"

Misty lowered her head as he knew that he's right.

"But if our words won't mean much, then how about you hear the same truth from your father?" Shin questions her and gains her attention along with the others.

"Wait, you can't possibly mean to send her back to her world, do you?" Salamandinay asked and Shin nodded.

"But isn't that a crazy idea? I mean Kurt might be there waiting for her along with Embryo." Claire said.

"I know. Which is why I have the perfect item in mind for this exact moment." Shin said and the other Nexus Rangers and Pixel gave the Blue Ranger narrow looks.

"Let me guess…it's another one of your crazy inventions?" Dean said.

"It's not crazy, it's brilliant. Just listen to what I have to say, and you'll agree with me." Shin said before he explained what his plan was.


(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 Kurt who was holding his Lion Knuckle Morpher.)

(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 Kingdom of Rosenblum, word of the Rangers' battle against Kurt right in the heart of the castle spread like wildfire.

Thankfully, Roland was able to convince the populace that the damages to his castle was the work of pro-Norma terrorists who sought to assassinate the royal family and told them that he and his family were left unharmed and claimed that the terrorists were captured and executed.

But that didn't help the King of Rosenblum with his next problem.

In his office, King Roland Rosenblum was on his hands and knees with his head on the ground. He was groveling before his master, Embryo who was right in front of him.

Embryo was seated on Roland's desk while reading a book in his hand and Kurt was leaning against the wall. Roland was in a cold sweat, Master Embryo rarely appeared before his servants in person like this, but the fact that he was shows he was quite displeased about what happened.

As he was reading, Embryo spoke to his lowly servant.

"I have to say, Roland, I find this to be truly disappointing. Jurai's betrayal was already heartbreaking enough, but you were harboring one of the most powerful artifacts in the known universe, one of the very few that has the power to destroy even me, right in your own home." Embryo said before he raised an eye to look at Roland. "What can you possibly say about yourself?"

Despite being fearful of what Embryo would do after hearing his response, Roland managed to answer his question.

"P-Please forgive me, Master Embryo. But you must believe me, I had no idea such a dangerous thing was in my home. If I did, I would've let you know about it immediately. You know I would never betray you; I am your loyal servant." Embryo then loudly closes his book and Roland flinches in fear.

"And do you want to know my personal thoughts about that?" Embryo said and Roland was in deep fear of that. "I believe you."

Roland blinks in shock before he raises his head.

"Y-You do?"

"Yes. Even if you know what the Nexus Prism was, you wouldn't have the knowledge nor the ability to use its full power." Embryo told him.

"In other words, he's saying you're too much of an idiot to know how the Prism works." Kurt said and Embryo turned to his personal vassal.

"Kurt, please. There's no need for such rudeness." Embryo told him and Kurt bowed his head.

"Of course, my apologies." Kurt said.

Embryo then turns back to Roland.

"But that doesn't explain why it was in your daughter's room, nor why she would try to protect it and in turn the Prism protected her." Embryo said. "Care to explain about that?"

"I-I don't know…But isn't that more of a reason to bring her back here? So, you could question her yourself?" Roland asked and Embryo raised an eyebrow before Roland once again bowed his head. "Please, Master Embryo, I know I have no right to ask this of you after my failure, but please…please rescue my daughter from her capturers."

Embryo sighed before he responded to his request.

"I'm afraid I can't do that." Embryo said and Roland was shocked by this before he raised his head.

"But why? You opened a singularity for Kurt, so he could enter the DRAGONs' world." Roland said.

"He may have requested it, but I only did that to inspect the situation. I'm afraid there are too many variables for me to take such a risk for a rescue mission nor do I see any reason to waste resources to save your daughter." Embryo told him.

"But Master…" Roland said before he senses someone was contacting him and a Mana window appeared beside him. "I'm receiving a call…from Margaret?"

"Hmmm?" Embryo said and noticed Roland had a concerned look about this. "Go ahead and answer her call. Then we can discuss this further."

"Thank you." Roland said before he accepted his wife's call and she quickly spoke to him.

"Roland! You must come outside! Quickly!"

"Margaret, I told you; I can't be disturbed right now." Roland told her while Embryo read his book once again as he and Kurt listened to his conversation.

"I know! But listen…Misty, she's back!"

Hearing that drew Embryo and Kurt's attention while Roland was shocked by this.

"What?" Roland said.

Roland then brought a Mana screen that showed Misty had indeed returned as she was in the front of the castle with her mother and sister, with Margaret hugging Misty.

While Roland smiles to see that, Embryo and Kurt were a bit suspicious about this.

"Now this is interesting." Kurt said.

"I quite agree." Embryo said.


After receiving news that Misty had returned and was standing outside of the front gate, both Margaret and Elizabeth had quickly arrived to greet as they were glad she was safe.

Margaret hugs her second daughter very closely while rubbing her cheek against her own.

"Oh, Misty! I was so worried about you!" Margaret said.

"Mother…please. This isn't necessary." Misty told her.

"I can't help it!" Margaret said and after she was satisfied, she soon let's go of Misty and Elizabeth spoke to her.

"Putting Mother aside, where have you been? Father said you went missing after the attack, but he wasn't clear about the details."

"Well…" Misty said as she wondered how to explain about that.

"Misty!"

The women of the Rosenblum family turned to the door and saw Roland had arrived.

"Father…" Misty said before Roland quickly moved to her to hug her.

"I'm glad to see you're unharmed." Roland said before he grabbed onto Misty's shoulders. "But where have you been? Where did those…radicals take you?"

'Radicals…? Does he mean Aaron and the others?' Misty thought to herself and decided to play along.

"I don't know. They didn't tell me anything. But they didn't harm me in any way." Misty told him.

"That's good to hear." Roland said before Misty had a serious expression.

"But Father, there is something I must ask you." Misty told him and Roland was a bit taken back by her expression.

"What is it?" He asked.

"I need to know who Embryo and Aura are." Misty said to her father, and he was shocked to hear that while the rest of their family was confused.

"Father, what is she talking about?" Elizabeth asked.

Roland turns to her and to his wife before he grabs onto Misty's wrist and his hold on her was slightly painful.

"Father…you're hurting me…" Misty said.

"Just come with me!" Roland demanded before he dragged her inside while leaving the rest of their family with questions.


As Roland drags his daughter to his office, some of the castle servants welcome her and the King dismissed, they soon arrive at their destination and Roland quickly opens the door and throws Misty inside, he quickly moves inside as well and quickly closes the doors.

There was silence between Misty and Roland for a short moment before Misty spoke to her father.

"Father…"

Roland sighed before he spoke out.

"Just…Just how do you know those names?"

Misty then lowered her head and answered his question.

"I-I've been to the DRAGONs' world. And I've met the people there." Misty told him.

Roland flinched to hear that but spoke to her.

"I see…then what did they tell you?"

"How a man known as Embryo created our world and created us. How Mana is being produced by a DRAGON." Misty said.

"And do you believe it?" Roland asked.

"Only…Only if you say it's true." Misty answered and Roland sighed before he moved to his desk.

He then uses his Mana to darken the windows so that no one can see from the outside which also darkened the room a bit.

Roland then brings out a Mana window and brings out a highly restricted and secure private file that can only be opened by the six world leaders.

After he opened the said file, Roland then brought the Mana window in front of Misty, and her eyes widened in shock as it showed Aura, the first DRAGON, who was imprisoned in a gigantic spherical chamber and had two rings hung suspended midair.

"That is Aura, the first DRAGON. The very thing the others in its world want to liberate." Roland said before he zooms in to the series of cylinder devices that pumped a red glowing substance into Aura. "And that is refined Dracunium. Harvested from the carcasses of other DRAGONs, who were hunted and slain by the Norma. All of which is necessary to maintain the Column of Dawn in the continuous mass production of Mana. But I'm sure you already know about this from the inhabitants from the other Earth."

"Then it's all true…everything you told me, everything you taught me about the world was a lie. The Light of Mana, how the Norma are being used to fight them…and you were supporting this madness this whole time." Misty said and Roland loudly punched on his desk.

"I only did what I have to ensure our world's future! Not just for the citizens of our country…But for my family and every person who lives in this world. Myself and the other leaders accepted that fact and we embraced it. Soon you will have to embrace that truth yourself." Roland told her before he turned to his daughter.

But Misty shook her head and spoke out in protest.

"Forgive me, Father, but I cannot! I can't live like this if we're living in the suffering of others!"

"You're only saying that because you're still just a child. But there's no changing how this world works." Roland told her.

"But there is. There's always a chance to do what's right." Misty stated and Roland was a bit bewildered on why she would say that. "I…I also spoke to those colorful people who were fighting in our castle. They were incredible and they showed me things that made me realize how short sighted our treatment towards the Norma. And after they told me the truth, it also made me realize how ugly and twisted our world truly is."

"What are you saying?" Roland asked.

"In the past I would have supported you and worked with you in maintaining our world. But after witnessing what I've seen and learning this dark truth, I realized now how wrong we were in our treatment towards the Norma. I now see that we're unfairly prosecuting them for something that was beyond their control. We shouldn't condemn just because they can't use Mana. That's why…I strongly believe that we should set them free." Misty told him and Roland was shocked that she would say such a thing.

"What? Misty, you can't be serious!" Roland said and Misty shook her head.

"I am. This has been on my mind for so long, and after being in the DRAGONs' world I'm even more convinced that this is the right decision. I know change isn't easy, but I can't stand by and do nothing." Misty said.

"Misty…" Roland mutters.

"Please Father, we could start by freeing Aura and returning her to her people. Let's talk with the other world leaders, and then…" Misty said but Roland stops her by speaking out.

"I have to say, this is quite disappointing."

Misty blinks to hear that.

"Father?"

Misty then received a hit behind her head which knocked her out as she fell to the ground and the next thing Misty saw was darkness.


Misty slowly began to wake up, but soon found herself bound to a chair as Mana cuffs were around her torso and around her wrists.

She then noticed that she was in another room that was unfamiliar to her.

As Misty wonders what was going on, Kurt moves in front of her and waves to greet her.

"Hey there, sleeping beauty. Did you enjoy your nap?" Kurt said with a playful tone.

"Mr. Schnee?" Misty said. Kurt blinks that she was still addressing him by his alias.

"What? Didn't Dean and the others tell you? I'm a little hurt. But anyway, my actual name is Kurt Summers." Kurt reintroduced himself to Misty.

Misty then steadies the room for a bit and saw that her father was also inside.

"Father? What's going on?" Misty asked.

"I'm sorry, Misty. But this is for your own good, and someday you'll understand." Roland told her.

"What?"

That's when Kurt steps away from Misty and then another man moves in front of the Second Princess of the Rosenblum. It was Embryo, the true ruler of the World of Mana and the master of the six world leaders.

Even though she never saw him in person, Misty knows who this man is.

"You…You're Embryo?" Misty said and Embryo smiled.

"Indeed I am. So they really did told you everything." Embryo said before he turned to Roland. "But I must say Roland, I never thought she would side with the enemy. I always assume that you raised your children more properly than that."

"I know, and I have no excuses." Roland said.

"But Father, I'm not siding with anyone! I only suggested that we should end this pointless war and set the Norma free." Misty spoke out but Embryo shook his head.

"I'm afraid I can't do that. While I'll admit that your reason is indeed noble, I can't allow your naivete to undermine all of my hard work." Embryo said and Misty was a bit fearful by that. "Oh, but don't misunderstand, I'm not going to kill you. Despite what you may have heard, I'm not a monster. I'm just going to reprogram that mind of yours, so you won't pose a threat."

"What? Father, are you truly going to allow that?" Misty asked.

"I'm sorry, Misty but I have no choice. It's clear that those monsters and dissidents had poisoned your mind. This is the only way to save you." Roland stated.

"But this isn't saving me…It's madness!" Misty told him.

Roland sadly turned away from her.

"Please, Master Embryo, do it. Just promise me that you'll make it painless as possible." Roland requested.

Misty was left shocked and heartbroken by this before she began to cry and lowered her head.

"But of course, Roland." Embryo said before he placed a hand on Misty's head. "Don't worry, once I am done, your daughter won't remember…hmm?"

When Embryo tries to use his powers on her, he soon feels that something is wrong before he removes his hand and looks at Misty.

"Strange." He said which got the attention of his servants.

"Is something wrong?" Kurt asked.

"My powers can't seem to work on her." Embryo said and Roland was shocked by this.

"What?" Roland said.

"But now that I think about it. I can't sense any Mana from her either." Embryo said.

"Then that would mean she's a Norma, like another certain princess." Kurt said as he turned to Roland.

"T-That's impossible! I can assure you, she's not a Norma!" Roland told him.

"Oh, we believe you. But there might be another reason why she doesn't have Mana in her body." Kurt concluded before he turned back to Misty, and Embryo had the same conclusion as well.

The true ruler of this world soon brings out a rapier and was ready to swing it at Misty and Roland eyes widened to see that.

"Wait! Master Embryo, what are you-?" Roland said.

Embryo then used his sword to decapitate Misty and her head soon fell to the floor, Roland was horrified by this, but he soon noticed that there was no blood and saw sparks beneath the head of his daughter.

He then saw sparks on the neck of the body along with some circuitry, showing that this Misty was a robotic fake.

Embryo then picks up the robot copy's head to look at it with a smirk on his face.

"A life-model decoy. A simple and yet effective tactic. Though I suppose I shouldn't be surprised, they do have a talented scientist with them." Embryo said, knowing that the LMD was also sending life footage to a group of enemies old and new.


In the Hub, the Nexus along with their allies and the real Misty had watched what had happened via the eyes of Misty's life-model decoy with Misty using a high-tech headset to mentally control and speak through it. They watch how the LMD enter the Rosenblum castle, where Roland drags it inside of his office and right where it met Embryo before he decapitated it.

It was the only way for Misty to hear the actual truth from her father while also ensuring her own safety.

"Hmph. And you once said that me building the LMD fabricator was self-indulgent." Shin said.

"Well…It still is." Alisa said.

Misty then took off her headset while being heartbroken that her own father would allow Embryo to control her mind like she was some sort of machine.

"Father…Why?" Misty mutters before Aaron places a hand on her shoulder to comfort her.

Dean felt sympathy for her before he sighed and rubbed the back of his neck.

"I wonder what's going to happen now?" Dean said.

"I'm afraid we'll know soon enough." Salamandinay said.


(Days later)

After sending out a notice to every citizen in the Kingdom of Rosenblum and to the world, every news reporter was standing in front of the castle as they waited for King Roland Rosenblum to arrive on stage.

The notice was about the attack to his castle, he said that he had new information that they must know immediately.

"We are currently standing in front of the castle of the Rosenblum Kingdom. We are still waiting for the king to arrive to give his announcement about the attack that had occurred days prior before the assassination attempt towards the Misurugi family, orchestrated by Norma Number 1203-77: formerly known as Princess Angelise Ikaruga Misurugi." A news reporter said with camera drones in front of her and in front of the stage as they were shooting live footage.

"We have yet to learn if both of these acts of terror were related somehow, but unfortunately Norma Number 1203-77 is still at large, and Second Princess Misty Rosenblum has been reported missing. Wait, King Roland Rosenblum is arriving right now." She said before she and everyone else saw the King of Rosenblum had arrived on stage as he walked to the podium before he stopped and faced every news reporter who had arrived.

Then large Mana windows appeared above his head and people who live in their rooms watched via a Mana screen.

"Thank you all for coming in such short notice. I know this is sudden after the transgression towards my family and in the Holy Misurugi Empire, but I have new information that everyone must know." Roland said. He was hesitant at first and was close to canceling all of this, but the fear of what Embryo would do to him outweighs his love for his daughter and spoke out. "The attack towards the Rosenblum Castle is indeed the work of Pro-Norma terrorists, but they had a secret collaborator who gave them information…and it was my own daughter! Second Princess Misty Rosenblum!"

The Mana windows showed images of Misty meeting men wearing cloaks and hoods. But the images were actually forgery, but it was still enough to fool everyone as they were stunned to see this.

"I understand that you're shocked and heartbroken by this, because I feel the same and I don't believe that my own daughter will undertake such evil. But make no mistake, this is without the truth. Not only that, but she aided in Norma Number 1203-77's escape to aid her attempt to assassinate and overthrow the Misurugi Empire to bring forth more chaos and calamity towards our world. Therefore, Misty is hereby disowned from the royal family and any political power she had is now stripped. Unfortunately, Misty had avoided capture and is now on the run, but make no mistake, even if she's my own flesh and blood, I swear I will not rest until she is captured and brought to justice."

After that, King Roland then left the stage and headed back to his castle while the cameras took pictures, and the reporters began to bombard him with questions.

"But sire, how did Princess Misty make contact with these terrorists?"

"Was she also an accomplice to the deception created by former Emperor Jurai?"

"Does this had something to do with how Norma Number 1203-77 had escape capture during her execution?"

But Roland ignores their questions before he enters his castle.


After leaving the stage and entering his castle while avoiding answering the reporters' questions, Roland returns to his office and that's when he sees Kurt seated on his own chair with his feet on the desk.

The evil White Ranger then waves at the King of Rosenblum.

"Hey, there. I was starting to wonder if you ever showed up." Kurt said, and Roland sighed in annoyance as he wasn't in the mood for this right now.

"Just what do you want? Mocking me again?" Roland questions him and Kurt stands up and walks to him.

"Oh, don't say it like that. I'm only here to congratulate you. But…" Kurt said before he placed a hand on Roland's shoulder. "I understand that this was a difficult decision for you. I mean branding your own daughter as a wanted fugitive like that, it would've been heartbreaking for anyone. But you know better than anyone that this was the only way."

Kurt then moves to the window to look at the many reporters that still wanted to ask the king many more questions about Misty working with terrorists.

"Even if we announce that she died, we couldn't take the risk of her returning to sway public opinion to her side. Especially that she now knows about Master Embryo and Aura." Kurt said and Roland gritted his teeth.

"I know, you don't have to remind me of that." He said and Kurt smiled.

"Good. But hey, at least look at the bright side. You showed Master Embryo that oh so, undying loyalty, that you're so proud of and you don't have to worry about losing your position in the inner circle. That's what really matters to you, right?" Kurt asked.

"Do you really want an honest answer?" Roland asked back and Kurt smirked before he shrugged.

"I guess not." Kurt said before he headed to the door. "Anyway, I could see that I've long overstayed my welcome. So I'll be out of your hair."

But then Kurt stops at Roland's side to give him another remark.

"Also, if I was you, I would keep a watchful eye on the rest of your family and in this castle. Best not to take another risk of them harboring another powerful and mystical artifact behind your back. Unless you want to brand them to be traitors as well, or worse of you losing your high position in this world."

After that Kurt walks out of Roland's office and closes the door. Now that he was alone, Roland screams in rage and frustration before he slams both of his hands on his desk and throws the things on it to the floor.

Roland then took a moment to tightly grit his teeth and clenched both of his hands before placing one on his face.

"Why Misty? Why would you do this?" Roland said.


The Nexus Rangers and their allies along with Misty had watched King Roland's announcement and how he lied to the people of his world how his daughter was working with terrorists and branding her a wanted criminal.

While they were mostly disgusted on how he would do this to his own daughter, Misty was more heartbroken by this.

"I can't believe he would do this to his own daughter." Dean said.

"But it goes to show you how willing he was to please his master. Just like the other rulers of the False Earth." Salamandinay said.

"Ummm…pardon me, Salamandinay, but I think you should be more mindful of what you say next." Claire told her before they looked at Misty who was still heartbroken by this.

"Oh, right…my apologies." Salamandinay said and Misty remained silent.

The Nexus Rangers and their allies look at her in concern before they move away from Misty to discuss what to do about her now.

"So, what are we going to do now? It's not like we could send her back home after what happened." Claire said.

"And I highly doubt she'll be able to live in your city, since she's the daughter of Embryo's servants, right?" Dean said and Salamandinay nodded.

"I'm afraid so. Even if I pardon her for her family's crimes towards us, she'll doubt face some scorn towards my people." She told them.

Dean sighed to hear that before he turned to his teammates and Pixel who knew what he was thinking and nodded.

"I guess there's no choice. We can keep her here until we can figure out what to do." Dean said.

"Are you certain about that?" Salamandinay asked and Dean nodded.

"Yeah. Besides, it won't be the first time we took in a stray like this." Dean said before he and the others turned to Misty.

"Though it might be our first-time taking care of a princess." Pixel said and the others mostly chuckle.

"I guess that's true." Dean commented.

"Very well. We'll leave her in your hands." Salamandinay said.

"Thank you." Dean said.

After sorting out the Misty situation, Salamandinay, Naga and Kaname soon left the Hub with Claire waving them goodbye.

Aaron then approached Misty and placed a hand on her shoulder.

"Hey, I know this is rough for you. But it's going to be alright. We're here for you." Aaron said but Misty remained silent. Aaron was concerned about this. "Come on. How about we get you to your room?"

Aaron helps Misty stand up before they leave the command room and guides Misty to the room that was given to her.


After riding the elevator and walking in the hallway, Aaron had brought Misty to her room as they walked inside.

After they had arrived, Misty sat down on her bed and Aaron could tell she was still disheartened about what happened.

The Black Ranger rubs the back of his head while trying to think of something to help cheer her up.

"I know this room isn't much, but you're free to use this as much as you want. And if you ever need anything, don't hesitate to ask us or Pixel to help." Aaron told her but Misty remained silent which made him worry about her again.

As he wondered what to do, Misty soon spoke to him.

"Can you please tell me something?"

"Yes, of course. What is it?" Aaron said.

"You mentioned once that the Prism wouldn't appear before me without a reason, correct?" Misty asked.

"Yeah. It does have a mind of its own." Aaron answered.

"Then…" Misty said before she turned to him, and Aaron could see the despair and sadness within her eyes. "What reason could that possibly be? Why would it show all of those visions, if it was going to lead to this?"

The falsely condemned princess was hoping for an answer, but Aaron lowered his head and told her this.

"I'm sorry. I wish I had the answer to that, but I don't."

Devastated by this, Misty lowered her head.

"Then please…leave. I need to be alone right now." Misty said.

Aaron was about to speak before he saw tear drops falling on her hands and could hear her sniffling. Aaron lowered his head in sadness before she left and closed behind him.

That's when the Black Ranger could hear Misty crying in sadness and despair. Aaron could feel her sorrow before saw Dean approaching him.

"Dean…"

"Hey. How is she?" Dean asked and Aaron sighed before they turned to the door.

"Well…"

Dean then heard her crying inside of her room, and the Red Ranger sighed in understanding.

"Yeah…I guess that was stupid of me to ask." Dean said.

Aaron silently stares at Misty's room.

"You were right Dean; I shouldn't have made that call on my own. And because of that, she's now an outcast from her own home, even from her own family."

Dean then placed a hand on Aaron's shoulder.

"Hey, you only did what you thought was right. Any one of us could've made that decision." Dean told the Black Ranger and Aaron smiled.

"Thanks man." Aaron said before he turned back to Misty's room. "But I wish that I gave her a straighter answer than that."

"Well…The only thing we can do is give her some time. That's all we can do for her now." Dean said.

"I know that, but still…can she even recover from this?" Aaron said.


(Next day)

After crying herself to sleep, Misty soon woke up and slowly sat up. She then study her surroundings; she first saw that she was in her room in her royal living quarters.

Misty smiles before she heads to the window and sees her family on the ground and greeted her by waving. Misty waved back, she turned to the door to leave and join them outside only to see it was an illusion that she created herself and saw she was in the room that the Nexus Rangers had provided for her.

Misty frowns in sadness before she sits down on the bed. She then begins to wonder what she should do, but then hears her stomach growling. Misty blushes to hear that as she realized she hadn't eaten anything since yesterday.

With a defeated sigh, Misty walks out of the room to find the mess hall.

After walking for a while, Misty soon stops and realizes she doesn't know where the mess hall is. Just as she begins to wonder what to do, she notices an open door beside her with the lights on.

Curious about this, she peeks inside and sees it was Shin's laboratory as the Blue Ranger was wearing his lab coat along with a pair of goggles and a gas mask.

He was standing in front of his table while working on some chemical formulas, he was almost done as he had a dropper above a test tube that had a yellow chemical inside.

His concentration was so intense, he didn't notice Misty was looking at him.

"Steady…steady…" Shin mutters to himself before he sends one drop from his dropper, and it mixes with the chemical inside the test tube.

It fizzles for a moment as the color of the chemical changes from yellow to purple and it soon stops fizzing. After that, Shin carefully put the lid on top of the tube before he took off his goggles and mask which showed his smile and he soon cheered.

"Yes! I did it!" Shin said.

"Did what?" Misty asked which startled Shin.

"Aaahh!" Shin said as he turned to the Princess of Rosenblum. "Oh, it's you. You really shouldn't sneak up on people like that."

"Oh…I'm sorry." She said.

"Hey, don't worry about it." Shin said before Misty came inside the lab and looked at the items inside.

There were chemical formulas inside different bickers along with machines and gadgets that were still being built.

"I see that you're busy." Misty said.

Shin chuckles before he puts the chemical, he finished in a container with others that were like it.

"Yeah. I know it's a bit messy, I just have a lot to catch up on." Shin said before he moves to another table to look at a DNA sample with his microscope.

"Catch up on?" Misty said in confusion.

"Most of these are old science projects that I was forced to put on hold when the D-War started." Shin explained to her.

"Really? There's so many." Misty said.

"Well, most of these projects were put on hold for over 500 years. I have a lot I need to catch up on." Shin said before he turned to her. "Anyway, is there something I can help you with?"

But he soon got his answer as Misty's stomach growled and she blushed in embarrassment while Shin chuckled in amusement.

"I see. Don't worry, after I'm done with this, I'll take you to the mess hall." Shin told her before he looked through his microscope.

"Thank you." Misty said.

That's when something got her eye, and it was a chemical sample that was placed on a rack. Curious about that, Misty walks to it to pick the chemical up and looks at it, it was in multiple colors and looks a bit pretty.

"You're in luck. Claire is making wheat cakes today, and they're…" Shin said before he turned to the princess and his eyes widened to see the chemical in her hand. "Wait! Don't touch that!"

"Huh?!"

Misty was startled and the chemical slipped out of her hand and fell to the floor as the tube shattered and the chemical changed into a gray and dull color.

Shin then screams in dismay as he rubs his hands on his head.

"Aaahhh! I spent weeks working on that!"

"I'm sorry! I'll fix it!" Misty said as she quickly knelt down to the chemical formula and brought her hand above it. "Come, Light of…"

But Misty then remembers she can't call upon the Light of Mana due to her being in another world. She then looks at her hand in some sadness and Shin notices that.

The Blue Ranger sighed as he rubbed the back of his neck.

"Look…Just forget about it. Thankfully I have a near perfect memory. Besides, I still need to help Salamandinay with her personal project. You said you wanted food, right?" Shin asked and Misty nodded. "Okay."

Shin then contacted Pixel by pressing the call button on his Morpher.

"Pix, I need you in my lab." Shin said and the base's AI soon appeared.

"Hey, need me for something?" Pixel said.

"Yeah, the princess here is in need of some food. Can you take her to the mess hall?" Shin requests and Pixel turns to Misty before she notices the spilled chemical on the floor and has an idea what happened.

"I see. Sure, it's fine by me. Please follow me, your highness." Pixel said before she leaves the lab and Misty follows her.

But she stopped for a moment and turned to Shin who was looking at the chemical that had fallen on the floor due to her carelessness.

Misty lowered her head in some sadness before Pixel called out to her.

"Princess, aren't you coming?"

Misty once again followed Pixel before the AI spoke to her.

"Hey, don't let it bother you, okay. Shin may be upset, but he's not mad at you."

But Misty remained silent, and Pixel grew a bit concerned by this.

They soon arrive at the mess hall and soon hear people cooking there. Misty and Pixel look and see Alisa and Claire mixing cake mix in metal bowls.

As they were mixing, Claire noticed there were still lumps in Alisa's bowl.

"Ummm, Alisa, there's still some lumps in there." Claire pointed out and Alisa now noticed it.

"Oh, you're right. Sorry about that, I know I'm not much of a cook." Alisa said as she tried to stir her cake mix some more.

"Hey, it's fine. I had trouble doing this at first too. It just takes some practice." Claire assured her.

That's when both of the female Rangers saw Misty entering the mess hall with Pixel who waves at them.

"Hey. I hope we're not interrupting." Pixel said.

"It's fine, Pix." Claire said before she spoke to Misty. "Good morning to you, Princess. How are you?"

"I…I'm fine." Misty said before they heard her stomach growling and Misty's face fully turned red and Claire chuckled.

"Yeah. Fine, you say. Don't worry, we're just about done. Just sit down, we'll have food ready soon." Claire told her.

"Very well. Thank you." Claire said before she sat down on a table.

"Okay. Seems like you'll be fine from here. I need to go; Dean and I have to discuss some things." Pixel said before she leaves the mess hall.

After mixing the cake mix, both Alisa and Claire then began cooking it and turned them into wheatcakes.

They soon brought a plate for themselves along with Misty as they placed them on the table.

"Here. I hope it's to your liking." Claire said as Misty looked at the wheat cake.

She then picks up her fork to cut off a piece of it and eats it, her eyes widened on how good it was.

"It's good." Misty said.

"Thanks, I'm glad to hear that. It was made from my mom's own recipe." Claire said before she and Alisa ate from their own wheatcakes.

After they are done, Alisa and Claire then begin to wash the dishes while Misty watches them.

"Ummm…" Misty said, getting their attention. "If you want, I can help."

"No, that won't be necessary. Besides, we're almost done anyway." Alisa said and Misty lowered her head in some sadness.

Claire noticed that along with seeing the dirty and damaged clothes she was wearing.

"Wait, now that I think about it, have you been wearing that dirty dress since you got here?" Claire asked.

"Well…I didn't have a chance to bring anything with me. So…" Misty said.

"Now that won't do at all." Claire said before she dried her hands with a towel. "We can't let a cute girl like you in those dirty rags. So how about we hit the bath?"

"A bath?" Misty blinked.


Both Alisa and Claire had brought Misty to the Hub's bath house. Its design was similar to a Japanese public bath.

After taking off their clothes, the girls soon indulge themselves. Alisa was soaking in the large bathtub while Claire and Misty were seated in front of a shower head with Claire rubbing shampoo on her hair.

"You don't have to do this." Misty said.

"Hey, it's fine. You're our guest here. I just want to make sure you're comfortable. Especially after what happened." Claire said and Misty then remembers how her own father falsely branded her a criminal.

"Th-Thank you."

"No problem." Claire said before she took a moment to look at her hair closely.

"But I have to say, Misty, you really have such pretty hair." Claire said and Misty blinked that she called by name and the Pink Ranger realized her mistake. "Oops, sorry. I probably shouldn't call you by name, right?"

Misty thought about it before she shook her head.

"No, it's fine. It's just that no one had done that before. It's…refreshing." Misty said and Claire smiled.

"Okay, Misty, but I hope you do the same. In fact, how about you think of me as your new big sister?" Claire asked and Misty was a bit surprised by that before she thought about it and nodded.

"I'll…I'll try." Misty said.

"Okay." Claire said before she used the washbowl to pour water above her head to wash off the shampoo.

Alisa was listening to their conversation.

After their bath, the girls went to the changing room to dry themselves up and to put on some fresh clothes.

After changing into her own clothes, Claire was using the hairdryer on her hair as she smiled in bliss.

"Aaahhh…Nothing beats a good bath after a hearty meal, am I right, Alisa?" Claire said as the Yellow Ranger used a towel to dry her hair.

"Yeah, I guess." Alisa said before she placed the towel behind her neck.

"What about you, Misty…?" Claire said as she and Alisa turned to Misty but saw she was just holding the shirt as she looked at her.

Curious about this, Claire approaches the exile princess to check on her.

"What's wrong?" Claire asks and Misty turns to her while looking a bit embarrassed.

"Well, I…" She mutters.

Claire blinks before she has a conclusion.

"Wait…have you never dressed yourself before?" Claire asked and Misty blushed before she lowered her head. Claire chuckled and smiled at her. "Alright. Just give me a moment."

Claire then begins to help Misty to change into the new pair of clothes that was provided for her.

"I deeply apologize for making you do this. It's just that I always had my maids dress and care for me, so this is still new to me." Misty told her.

"Don't worry about it, it's fine. But I guess that's a princess for you. You really do have the royal treatment." Claire said while Alisa rolled her eyes before the Pink Ranger finished putting the clothes on Misty. "There. All done."

Misty then moves in front of a mirror to look at the clothes she was wearing. It was a dark pink jersey consisting of a jacket and a white shirt with matching shoes.

"Good thing I still have this old jersey." Claire said before she rubs the back of her head. "I know it's not what you're used to, but it's the best that we got."

"No, it will suffice. I used to wear something similar to this when I was in my school's Iaria club." Misty said.

"Iaria?" Claire blinks.

"It's a sport we play in my world." Misty told her.

"Oh wow! You do sports?" Claire asked and Misty nodded. "That's amazing. How do you play it?"

"Well…first and foremost, you need to have Mana. So…" Misty said as she sadly looked at her hand and Claire realized she just made her wound go deeper.

"Oh…sorry, I didn't mean to." Claire said.

"It's fine. You didn't know." Misty said, and the Pink Ranger looked at her sympathy before she gave her a hug. "What are you…"

"It's okay. I know you're dealing with a lot of issues, but I can promise you this, we're here for you." Claire said before she held her shoulders.

After seeing that, Alisa sighed and shook her head.

"Honestly, Claire, you're spoiling her too much." Alisa said, which got Claire and Misty's attention.

"How? I was only trying to cheer her up." Claire said.

"That's exactly my point. She's in a different world now and can't use Mana. If you keep treating her like a child, she'll never learn to adapt and accept the situation she's in." Alisa said and Claire frowns at the Yellow Ranger.

"Now hold on, I'll admit you may be right. But she's only here because of us, thanks to that her own family made her a criminal. Right now, she needs people to look out and care for her." Claire stated.

"You made a fair point. But what she really needs is tough love." Alisa said before she moved in front of Misty. "Listen princess, you might be used to getting everything you want, but right now those days are over. Not to mention we still have our mission to protect the Earth. So we can't waste most of our time pampering you. It's time for you to grow up, face the facts, and accept reality."

But tears then formed in her eyes and Misty lowered her head.

"Alisa! That's going too far!" Claire told her.

"Maybe. But someone had to say it." Alisa said before she left the room.

"I'm really sorry about that, Misty. But I promise you, Alisa, really didn't mean it like that." Claire told her.

"No…She's right." Misty said before she ran out of the room.

"Wait, Misty!" Claire calls out as she follows her but sees that she is now gone. "Oh dear…"


After running for a while, Misty was now walking in the hallway while being a bit disheartened by what Alisa had said to her.

"Princess?" She heard a familiar, she looked up and saw Aaron standing in front of her wearing his gym clothes.

"Oh, Mr. Pierce." Misty said and Aaron rubs the back of his head.

"I'm glad to see that you're out of your room, but can you drop the 'mister' part. Just call me, Aaron." Aaron requested.

"Very well, Aaron." Misty said.

"Anyway, did something happen? You were looking a bit sad?" Aaron asks and Misty turns away from the Black Ranger.

"It's fine. Nothing happened." She told him but Aaron wasn't convinced by that.

"Well…If you're not up to anything, how about you come with me? I was on my way to the training room." Aaron said before Misty could answer, they heard a baby crying.

They looked and saw Sayla carrying her crying baby in her arms while approaching Aaron.

"Sayla?" Aaron said.

"Oh, Aaron, thank goodness. Serra's hungry again, can you look after her for a bit?" Sayla requested.

"Yeah, of course." Aaron said.

Sayla was ready to hand him her daughter before she noticed Misty was behind the Black Ranger.

"Wait…Aaron, who is…" Sayla said before she remembers seeing a newspaper of Misty back in her world and she was surprised to see her. "You…aren't you, Princess Misty?"

"Yes…How would you…?" Misty said but Sayla only held her daughter close to her as she stepped away from her.

"Stay back!" Sayla shouted and Serra only cried some more. "Don't come any closer!"

While Misty was shocked and confused on why she would be afraid of her, Aaron quickly understood before she grabbed onto Sayla's shoulders.

"Whoa, whoa. Hey, it's alright. Misty's with us, she's not here to cause trouble." Aaron assured her.

"But…What if she's just like Angelise?" Sayla questions that fact.

'Angelise?' Misty thought.

"Sayla, that's not going to happen. Alright." Aaron said while Sayla continued to look at her in fear. Aaron then turns to Misty. "Sorry, maybe you should head back to your room. I'll handle this."

Misty was once again disheartened by this before she quickly turned around and left.

After distancing herself from Aaron and Sayla, Misty soon stops before her recent and painful memories begin to appear in her mind.

Like how her father was willing to let Embryo reprogram her and how he branded her into a criminal.

Then how Shin became upset about her dropping his chemical.

How Alisa and Claire argue about the latter's treatment towards her.

How Sayla was afraid of her.

Tears then begin to drop from her eyes to the floor as Misty cries in sadness, she tries to wipe them away, but the tears won't stop coming.

Misty then saw an elevator close by and she soon had a thought in mind.


After riding the elevator up to the higher floors, Misty manages to find and enter the Hub's command center.

Thankfully, no one was in the room, Misty then turns to the transporter and remembers how Salamandinay had used it to leave.

She soon walks on top of it and touches the touchpad to activate it, that is when Dean had arrived with Pixel beside him.

"Like I keep telling you, Dean. It's risky to use the Denji Protocol, especially with that sphere close to our own orbit. Besides, we can't activate it without Kurt." Pixel told him.

"I know. But if they had…" Dean said before he and Pixel saw Misty on the transporter. "Wait, Princess, what are you doing?!"

Misty didn't answer as she activated the transporter, Dean was about to move in to stop her, but it was too late as Misty soon teleports out of the Hub.

"Oh, no." Pixel said.

"Dang it. Pixel, find out where she's heading. I'll contact the others." Dean told her.

"You got it." Pixel nodded before she brought out her screen and keyboard to find Misty's transport location.

Dean then uses his Morpher to contact his friends.

"Guys, we have a problem. Come to the command center, now." Dean told them.


After teleporting out of the base, Misty soon found herself in the middle of the ruined city of the Nexus Rangers' world.

She took a moment to study her surroundings, to look at the devastation and vegetation on the buildings. She then spotted a teddy bear on the ground before she walked to it to pick it up and look at it.

It was badly damaged and completely worn out mostly due to withstanding the harsh elements for the past 500 years.

Misty sadly looks at it, there was no doubt in her mind that this once belonged to a child who couldn't be less than 10 years old.

With the bear now in hand, Misty then begins to walk forward into the ruined city.


After hearing Dean's call, the other Nexus Rangers had arrived and were told how Misty used the transporter to leave, and they were left worried about her.

"I can't believe this. Why would she do this?" Shin said.

"Well…the last time I saw her, she did seem upset about something." Aaron said and Claire turned to Alisa.

"I wonder whose fault that was?" Claire said and Alisa felt a bit guilty now.

"Okay. I may have gone too far on her." Alisa said as she rubs on her bicep before Shin placed a hand on her shoulder.

"Hey, if anything, I think I also play a part in that." Shin assured her before Pixel spoke to them.

"Found her. Seems like she was transported to the ruins in Japan."

"Okay. Then let's not waste anymore time." Dean said before he and the others headed to the transporter and used it to teleport to Misty's location.


(Meanwhile)

In the Kaiser Sphere, Prince Crimson had called upon one of their Commanders and they soon arrived.

The Commander growled as he entered the room and showed his appearance.

He resembles a canine with a dark colored body with blades on his arms and has a chain around his neck and wears a bronze colored mask in front of his face.

"Commander Houndoom, it's about time you show up." General Swartz greeted him.

"Spare me the pleasantries! Just tell me that you have prey for me!" Houndoom said as he was eager to hunt right now.

"Don't worry, Houndoom, we have the perfect prey in mind." Prince Crimson said, gaining his attention. "We're sending you down to Earth to battle the Rangers, can you do that?"

"But of course! With my blades and chain, they'll be nothing but fresh meat for me!" Houndoom states and Prince Crimson chuckles in amusement.

"Good. Now go." The Prince told him and Houndoom nodded before he left.


After they had arrived at the location where Misty had teleported into, the Nexus Rangers looked for while Aaron and Claire called out to her.

"Misty!" Aaron calls out.

"Misty! Where are you?!" Claire calls out to her next but they couldn't hear a response from her.

"Yeah. Afraid, I don't see her anywhere." Shin said.

"You don't think something happened to her, do you?" Claire said in worry.

"We can't think like that, not until we find her." Dean told her.

Aaron sighed as he placed a hand on his head.

"This is all my fault. If only I hadn't taken her with me." He said and Dean placed a hand on his shoulder.

"Hey, Aaron, you know that's not true." Dean told him.

"Dean's right. If anything, this started because of me. I may have overreacted after what happened in my lab." Shin said.

"Huh?" Dean let out.

"No, if anything I may have treated her too much like a child. So this is on me." Claire said.

"Eh?"

"That's not true, Claire. Like you said, you were right, I was too harsh on her." Alisa said.

They then begin to discuss whose fault this was before Dean spoke out to gain their attention.

"Okay, that's enough!" Dean shouted at his team and they stopped speaking to each other. "Look, it doesn't matter who's fault it is now. Because right now, we're the reason that she's here, so we're all responsible for her. And that's all the more reason we need to look out for her."

"Yeah. Dean's right." Aaron nodded in agreement.

"Okay." Shin said before he checked the transport history once again. "Looks like she only used the transporter around eight minutes ago. So she couldn't have gone too far."

"Alright. Then we split up and look for her, the first who finds her, report back to the others." Dean told his team, and they nodded in agreement before they split up to search for Misty.


Misty was exploring the ruins for a while; she checked a cave underneath a building but saw it was filled with bats as they flew out of it and Misty ducked for cover.

She even spotted a tank and approached it but stopped as she saw a skeleton close to it. She quickly leaves.

Misty then found a park that was also in ruins but looked strangely peaceful. After seeing that it was a place to rest, Misty soon sat down on the grass before she lied down and looked at the sky.

Even though it was from a different world, the blue sky still remained the same for her. That's when Aaron's face appeared above her face which surprised her.

"Aaron." Misty said.

"Hey, I finally found you. You really made us worry, you know." Aaron said.

But Misty placed a hand over her face.

"I'm sorry. I just…I just needed some fresh air." Misty said.

Aaron looks at his Morpher as he wanted to contact his friends, but decided against it before she sat down beside Misty.

"Well, I'm here if you need someone to talk to." Aaron told her.

Misty was quiet for a moment before she spoke to him.

"Do you…Do you have family back in your time?"

Aaron was a bit surprised by that before he nodded and answered.

"Yeah, I did. I had a mom. A dad. A kid sister. And an uncle."

"Do you miss them?" Misty asked and Aaron sighed.

"Yeah. Of course I do. Pretty much everyday." He told her.

"Then how are you still able to press on after what Embryo did?" Misty asked before she sat up and turned to him. "You lost your family. Love ones. Even your entire world. How are you still able to fight despite everything that you lost?"

Aaron thought about it before he answered.

"Well…It wasn't easy. There are times I just wanted to give up on everything. But then I saw the people of this time, how they're still able to press on after everything that happened. If I throw in the towel like that, that would be an insult not only to them but to their ancestors. So, I can't give up. Not now, not ever."

Misty lowered her head.

"You're truly strong. I wish I had at least a tenth of what you have." Misty said.

"Well, I wouldn't say that. I say you were amazing as well." Aaron said and Misty looked at him in confusion.

"What do you mean?" She asked.

"You stand up to Kurt remember?" Aaron asks and Misty remembers how she helped him and his team by standing up to Kurt and to protect the Nexus Prism. "Not to mention, you also had the courage to confront your father about the truth of your world."

"But I only did that because of Shinya's machine." Misty said.

"True. But it takes a lot of guts to do something like that. Especially against your own family. But tell me this, do you really mean what you said back then?" Aaron asked.

"Does that even matter now?" Misty asked back.

"Well…That depends on you." Aaron said, and Misty gave him a serious look.

"I do. I meant every word that I said." Misty said and Aaron smiled to hear that before he stood up.

"Then come on. Let's head back, and you can tell that to the others yourself." Aaron said.

Misty looks at his hand before she smiles at the Black Ranger, she was about to accept his hand but then suddenly blaster fire appeared and exploded around them.

Aaron quickly grabs onto Misty to protect before the firing stop.

"Are you okay?" Aaron asked and Misty nodded.

"Yes, thank you."

"Well, well, look who we have here!" Aaron and Misty look and see that their attackers are a group of Xedroids led by Houndoom. "Fresh meat!"


Dean continues his search for Misty before he receives a call from Aaron and makes contact with him along with the other Rangers.

"Aaron, did you find her?" Dean asked.

"I did! But we're in trouble right now!" Aaron said and heard the sounds of laser fire and explosions on his side. "We need help!"

"We're on our way!" Dean said before he quickly headed to Aaron's location.


Aaron and Misty were running away from the pursuing Xedroids as he held her hand. But when another group of Xedroids jump down in front of them to block their path, the other Xedroids soon join them as they surround them.

Aaron then stands in front of Misty to protect her.

"Guess there's no getting out of this! Access the Morphin Grid!" Aaron said before he Morphs into his Ranger Form.

The Xedroids then charge at the Black Ranger to attack him, Aaron avoids the first one's attack before he throws it to the ground and slams his elbow to another one who was also charging at him.

When another Xedroid attacks him, Aaron avoids it and grabs onto it before he throws the Xedroid to another group of Xedroids as they fall on top of each other.

The remaining Xedroids then surround the Black Ranger and he is ready to fight them.

"Alright! Who's next?" Aaron said.

"Aaron!" Misty calls out to him.

Aaron turns to her as two Xedroids grab onto her and drags her with them.

"Misty!" Aaron said as he was about to rush in to save her but the Xedroids stood in his way. "Damn it! Don't get in my way!"

Aaron once again battled the Xedroids in front of him to save Misty, but while he wasn't looking three Xedroids fired a laser blast on his back and Aaron was forced to fall on one knee before another Xedroid slash on his chest and the Black Ranger fell on his back.

Just as the Xedroids were about to move to attack him some more, the other Nexus Rangers soon arrived in Ranger Form as they jump over the Xedroids and attack and defeated them.

Dean then moves to the Black Ranger and helps him stand back up.

"You okay?" Dean asked.

"Yeah. But Misty…" Aaron said.

They soon heard Houndoom howling at them, they turned to the Commander and saw he was holding Misty hostage as he had his arm around her neck.

"Oh no, Misty." Claire said in worry.

Houndoom then brought one of his blades to her head which frightened her.

"Alright, Power Rangers. Unless you want a scar on this girl's face, then I suggest you stand down." Houndoom said.

"Coward! Using a girl as a hostage!" Alisa said.

"I hunt to win! Now, what's it going to be?" Houndoom said as he brought his blade closer to Misty's cheek.

As the Nexus Rangers try to figure out what to do, Misty thinks back to her conversation with Aaron and remembers her reunion with Ange during Arzenal's Festa.

No doubt, she also had her fair share of hardships after arriving on that island. Losing everything but still found the strength and spirit to fight and survive.

Misty soon finds her courage, she looks for something to help herself and the Rangers and notices a pipe close to Aaron's feet. She soon drops the bear in her hand and calls out to the Black Ranger.

"Aaron!" Misty calls out, getting his attention.

Misty looks at the pipe at his feet and Aaron looks at it as well and figures out what she was planning.

"Are you sure?" Aaron asked and Misty nodded, while Houndoom was confused on what they were talking about.

"Huh? What are you talking about?" Houndoom questions them.

"What are you…?" Dean said.

With no time to explain, Aaron kicks the pipe to Misty, and she catches it, she then slams it onto Houndoom's stomach which makes him let go of her before she uses it to attack his head forcing the Commander to stumble back.

Houndoom stops and glares at her.

"Why you little?!" Houndoom said as he was ready to approach to make her pay for that, Aaron stops him as he jumps in and kicks Houndoom on the head and he falls and rolls on the ground.

After he landed on the ground, Aaron turns to Misty and grabs onto her shoulders before she lets go of the pipe.

"Hey, are you okay?" Aaron asked and Misty smiled and nodded.

"Yes, I am. Thanks to you." Aaron chuckles.

"Honestly, what you did was crazy but it was clever." Aaron said before the other Rangers moved to them.

"I say." Claire said before she rubs on her head.

They soon notice Houndoom standing back up and glare at them.

"Why you…!" Houndoom growls at them before the Nexus Rangers stand in front of him.

Dean then contacts Pixel.

"Pixel, we found Misty but we're having a dog problem right now." Dean said.

"I can see that. I'll bring her back to the Hub." Pixel said.

Aaron then turns to Misty.

"Can I trust you'll stay put until we get back?" Aaron asked and Misty nodded.

"Yes, don't worry. I won't run away again." Misty promised them.

"Good. But we're still going to talk about this." Aaron said.

Pixel was ready to use the transporter to bring Misty back to the Hub but not before the Rangers did their usual thing.

"Red Ranger Power, Nexus Red!"

"Blue Ranger Power, Nexus Blue!"

"Black Ranger Power, Nexus Black!"

"Yellow Ranger Power, Nexus Yellow!"

"Pink Ranger Power, Nexus Pink!"

"Nexus Rangers…"

"We stand united!" They shouted before an explosion appeared behind them and Misty blinked to see that.

"Wait…How did that…?" Misty said before she teleported back to the Hub.

"Grr…I hope you're ready! Because you're going to be my next meal!" Houndoom said.

"We'll see about that!" Dean said before the Nexus Rangers charge at Houndoom.

As they were charging at him, Houndoom attacked them with his chains, the Rangers then avoided the chains as they kept on charging at him.

Dean lands the first hits by landing a few punches on him followed with a spin kick on his head.

Shin follows by attacking him with his claws before Houndoom is forced to stumble back.

Aaron then lands a few punches on him before Claire jumps over the Black Ranger and lands a double kick on Houndoom's chest forcing him to stumble once again.

Alisa then flies in and attacks Houndoom with her Nexus Dagger before she lands a somersault kick right under his chin sending him to the ground.

Houndoom quickly stood back up as the Nexus Rangers stood in front of him once again.

"Why you…Xedroids!" Houndoom said and a squad of Xedroids appeared before the Rangers before they charged at them.

The Nexus Rangers prepare themselves by bringing out the Mighty Morphin Ranger Cards.

"Load Legendary Ranger Card! Mighty Morphin! It's Morphin' Time!" The Nexus said as they load the Mighty Morphin Cards into their Morphers to transform into the said Legendary Rangers.

The Nexus Rangers then brought out the Power Weapons and used them to attack the Xedroids.

"Power Sword!" Dean uses the Power Sword to cut down the Xedroids.

"Power Lance!" Shin swung the Power Lance around to slash at the Xedroids.

"Power Axe!" Aaron attacks the Xedroids with the Power Axe before he changes it to its Cannon Mode and uses it to fire at them.

"Power Daggers!" Alisa attacks the Xedroids with the Daggers as she charges forward.

"Power Bow!" Claire uses the Bow to attack the Xedroids with ranged attacks.

The defeated Xedroids fell to the ground before they exploded.

They soon turned back to Houndoom before he fired energy needles from his torso at them; the Rangers deflected his attack with their weapons.

"It's time that we send this dog back to the pound." Dean said.

The Nexus Rangers soon bring out their Morphers and the Lightspeed Rescue Ranger Cards.

"Load Legendary Ranger Card! Lightspeed Rescue!" The Nexus Rangers said as they load the Cards into their Morphers to transform into the Lightspeed Rescue Rangers.

"Lightspeed Rescue!" The Rangers shouted as they saluted and pointed their fingers at Houndoom.

Houndoom growls before he attacks the Nexus Rangers with his chains.

"V-Lancers!" The Rangers said as they brought out the V-Lancers and used them to cut Houndoom's chains to ribbons which surprised the Commander.

"What?!"

The Nexus Rangers then used their V-Lancers to slash at Houndoom at all sides before they eventually sent Houndoom rolling on the ground.

The Rangers then changed to the V-Lancers' Blaster Mode and aimed them at Houndoom as he slowly stood back up.

"Spectra Blast!" Dean said as he and his team fired a combined laser attack at Houndoom which formed a 'V' and destroyed the Commander as he exploded.

The Rangers then change back to their base forms.

"That's one bad dog down." Aaron said.


In the Kaiser Sphere, news of Houndoom's first defeat soon reached the Prince and once again, he was displeased by this.

"Once again, I have another failure. No matter, I'll give him another chance. Cyber!" Prince Crimson calls out.

"I'm on it. Activating the Kaiser Reanimator." Cyber said as he activated the Reanimator, and it soon fired a beam at Houndoom.


Thanks to the Reanimator, Houndoom was brought back as a giant as he howled.

"I'm back bigger and even more vicious!" Houndoom said.

After seeing that, the Nexus Rangers soon bring out their Zord Cards.

"Load Card! Deploy Zords!" The Nexus Rangers said together as they loaded their Cards and pressed the Zord button.

After calling upon their Zords and entering them, the Zords combined to form the Nexus Prime Megazord.

"Zords combine!"

"Nexus Prime Megazord! Formation Complete!"

The Nexus Prime Megazord soon faced the giant Houndoom as both giants were ready to fight.

"Oh goodie! A giant chew toy to play with!" Houndoom said before he uses his chains to attack the Megazord.

"Chopper Shield Blade!" The Nexus Rangers said as they used the Megazord's Shield Blade to cut his chains into pieces.

"Dang it! Not again!" Houndoom said before the Megazord charged at him.

The Megazord then lands a few punches at Houndoom, the giant Commander counters by attacking the Megazord with his blades.

"Wolf Bite!" The Nexus Rangers said before they used the Wolf Zord's jaw to catch and bite onto Houndoom's blade.

"What?!" Houndoom said as he struggled to pull his blade free.

The Nexus Rangers roared as they swung their arm and the Megazord followed their movement as they threw Houndoom to the side as he stumbled forward.

"Deploy, Mega Nexus Saber, Blaster Mode!" Dean calls out and the Megazord soon brings out its weapon.

Houndoom turns at the Megazord and fires his needles at it, the Nexus Prime Megazord uses its Saber to deflect his needles and fires at Houndoom dealing him major damage.

"Now for the finisher! Super Nexus Blaster!" Dean calls out and the Blaster appears in his hand. "Now, Unlock Limiters!"

"Unlock!" The other Rangers said as they pressed the button to unlock the Megazord's limiters.

After the Megazord and its weapon charged with energy, the Rangers aimed their Blasters at Houndoom.

"Nexus Prime Megazord, Saber Blast Final Attack!" The Rangers said before they fired.

The Megazord then slash and created the Nexus Rangers' symbol and fired its energy blast at him.

Houndoom howled before he fell to the ground and exploded.

"Never underestimate humans!" The Nexus Rangers said.


After the battle, the Nexus Rangers soon returned to their base where Pixel and Misty were waiting for them as they approached them.

"You're back. I'm glad that you're safe." Misty said.

"Well what did you expect? We are Power Rangers." Dean said.

"Anyway, I'm glad to see that you're smiling again." Claire said.

"Yes. I'm sorry for how I acted, and that I made you worry." Misty said.

"Hey, it's alright. If anything, we're all sorry for being too rough on you." Alisa said.

"I second that." Shin said but Misty shook her head.

"No, it's fine. If anything, I should be thankful to all of you. You really open my eyes on how narrow my view of the world truly was." Misty said and the Rangers smiled to hear that.

"Then we're glad to hear that." Dean said.

"Yeah. Also, I think I owe you a better explanation from before." Aaron said and Misty turned to him. "Look…I don't know why the Prism would appear before you and show you all those past Ranger events, but I can tell you this. It wouldn't have done that if it hadn't seen something in you, something that makes you greater that you possibly know about yourself."

"But…But what could it be?" Misty asked and Aaron sighed.

"I'm afraid I don't have the answer to that." He said

Misty lowered her head before Aaron placed a hand on her shoulder and Misty looked up at him and saw the comforting smile on his face.

"But I can tell you this. It's up to you to figure what that destiny could be or if you want to forge your own path. But no matter what that is, I promise you, I'll be by your side with every step you take." Aaron promised her and Misty smiles at him.

"Thank you, Aaron." Misty said.

Aaron then notices his friends smiling at him.

"What?"

"Nothing." They said.

They soon heard Misty's stomach growling again.

Misty's cheeks turned red in embarrassment before she lowered her head and the Nexus Rangers and Pixel chuckled.

"Yeah. Now that I think about it, I guess we all must be hungry after that last battle. How does an early lunch sound?" Dean asked and the others nodded in agreement.

"I don't see why not. In fact, I was thinking of having some sandwiches." Shin said.

"Sandwiches it is then." Dean said before he turned to Misty and bowed to her. "Would you care to join us, milady?"

"I would like that. But…" Misty said before she had her hands together. "You don't have to keep addressing me so formally. I'm sure my royal heritage means nothing here. Just…call me by my name."

The Nexus Rangers and Pixel smile.

"Glad to hear that, Misty." Dean said.

Claire then moves up to Misty to grab her hand as they head to the mess hall.

"Come on! Wait until you have my grandma's ham and egg sandwich. It will blow your mind." Claire said.

"I can't wait." Misty said.

The other Rangers and Pixel followed them.

"Well, at least it's good to know that she isn't high maintenance." Dean said and Aaron nodded.

"That's true." Aaron said.

"But tell me this, do you really mean what you said?" Dean asked.

"Does that even matter right now?" Aaron asked back.

"That depends on you." Dean said and Aaron nodded.

"Yeah. Then I do mean it." Dean smiled and patted him on the shoulder.

"Good. Just don't forget, we're always here to help to keep that promise." Dean told him.

"Thanks man." Aaron said.


(Days earlier)

In Embryo's Earth, two men were watching Roland's broadcast but instead of using their Mana like everyone else, they were using a sphere like object with a built-in projector.

They listened to his announcement and how his second daughter Misty had been working with Pro-Norma terrorists.

"I understand that you're shocked and heartbroken by this, because I feel the same and I don't believe that my own daughter will undertake such evil. But make no mistake, this is without the truth. Not only that, but she aided in Norma Number 1203-77's escape to aid her attempt to assassinate and overthrow the Misurugi Empire to bring forth more chaos and calamity towards our world. Therefore, Misty is hereby disowned from the royal family and any political power she had is now stripped. Unfortunately, Misty had avoided capture and is now on the run, but make no mistake, even if she's my own flesh and blood, I swear I will not rest until she is captured and brought to justice."

They soon paused the video and turned it off the projector device.

"I can't believe he would do this to his own daughter. Even though she wasn't a Norma." One of them said in pure disgust.

"But still, do you really think that it's all true?" The other asked as he pushed up his glasses.

"Honestly, without seeing what happened for myself, I doubt that it is. But it still raises some questions. Like what happened that would make the King of Rosenblum take such lengths?"

"Hmmm…I suppose we'll have to investigate that later. But for now, we should discuss about her." The one with glasses said as he brought out and looked at a paper file of Ange, the former princess of the Misurugi Empire. "Alektra calling us was surprising enough, but I didn't think that this girl was able to awaken Villkiss. But do you really think she's truly the one?"

"Well, that remains to be certain. But Jasmine also has high hopes for her, so that's good enough for me." He answered and his comrade chuckled.

"I see that you still have a soft spot for her."

"Yeah. But either way, I'm willing to put my trust in her. Besides knowing Alektra, she won't let a chance like this slip through her grasp. We just need to hope Tusk and the others will keep her safe until then. Anyway, have there been any words from Tony and Steve?"

"We did. They manage to secure the Hilda girl, but I'm sure they still have mixed feelings about handing her back to Arzenal."

"Yeah. I can't say I'm not reluctant about this either. But regardless, I hope this can win back Alektra's trust in us."

"I suppose we'll see."


Hilda, formerly known as Hildegard Schlievogt, had the most despairing moment in her life.

Ever since she was seven years old, Hilda was taken from her home and was separated from her mother who loves her despite being a Norma.

After arriving at Arzenal, Hilda had spent ten long years doing whatever she could to survive.

Afterwards she made friends with two Norma known as Rosalie and Chris, but she couldn't stand either of them, but she kept them close knowing that they needed each other to survive.

After turning 12 years old, Hilda had fought and killed monsters every day just to survive.

She was even willing to become Zola's plaything knowing that she'll keep her safe and that she'll live comfortably. After Zola had died, Hilda took her position and even bought her past belongings and continued her relationship with Rosalie and Chris not out of friendship or emotional attachment but mostly to secure their loyalty.

She did all of these things to survive in the hope of escaping Arzenal and to be with her mother again.

When the chance finally presented itself to her, Hilda didn't hesitate to use it and escape with Ange along with that maid known as Momoka.

After she parted ways with them, Hilda finally made it to her home and reunited with her mother. But she didn't recognize her, Hilda understood because she thought it was because of her current age and appearance but soon faced the cruel truth.

After her mother made apple pie, which was her favorite dessert as a child, Hilda soon found that her mother had replaced her with another daughter who is also named Hilda and is able to use Mana.

When Hilda told her mother who she really is, she demanded that she leave and never came back, she even told her not to call her 'mama' and said that the other Hilda is her only daughter.

When her second daughter asks that she's really her sister, their mother told her that she's not and said that Hilda is a monster which deeply shocked and hurt her.

Frightened by that, she attempted to use Mana on Hilda and it shattered upon contact showing that she was a Norma which caused her sister to faint.

After her mother admitted that she had forgotten her and was happy again, she then said that there are some things that can't be controlled, and that she had to give birth to a Norma.

That's when the rain had arrived.

Her mother then pleaded to Hilda to leave, she began crying and asked her why she would do this. That's when her pleas then to angry demands, she even called her a filthy Norma and wished that she hadn't given birth to her, she angrily threw a piece of the apple pie at her dress.

The heartbroken Hilda then runs out of her former home before she cries out in anguish and despair.

After that, Hilda then left the town and walked on the road while at the same time many police cars drove past her before the cops quickly rushed out of the cars to subdue her.

Hilda didn't bother to fight back as the cops heavily beat on her, beat her, rape her or even kill her. It wouldn't matter to Hilda now. She was barely conscious, so she wasn't aware that another group had confronted the cops and Hilda could've sworn she heard the sounds of battle which was something she was familiar with.

She then saw silhouettes appearing above her, thinking that it was the cops, she mentally told them that they are allowed to do what they want with her.

But to her surprise, she could feel one of them carrying her in their arms. She tries to tell them to stop and just let her die, but she found this to be strangely nice and comforting, because of that she finally passed out and fell asleep.

That's when she'll encounter someone who will change the course of her life forever.


Hilda was resting on a bed before she began to slowly open her eyes and saw an unfamiliar ceiling.

She first thought this was a prison cell or on a transport shipping back to Arzenal. But she noticed she was resting on a soft warm bed, that's when she heard an unfamiliar voice.

"Thank goodness. You're awake."

Hilda looks and sees that someone was seated beside her as her vision slowly begins to clear up.

He was a young man in her age. He had messy brown hair and red-orange eyes. He was wearing a gray hoodie with a black T-shirt and blue combat pants and black boots.

There was no doubt in her mind that he's a human, one who was raised to despise Norma like her but to her surprise she saw a compassionate smile on his face.

"Don't worry, you're safe now." He told her.

To be continued...

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

Today's villain

Houndoom

Design: The Hound Zodiart from Kamen Rider Fourze