Well, it seems I got a couple of reviews asking me if I wanted to make my story into a comic and create some artwork for my stories, telling me to contact them via Instagram, Discord and Twitter while asking me for my email address. As flattered as I am that some people would like to make some artwork for my story or even make it into a comic, let me make it perfectly clear that I am not a social media person.
Why? Because of Pheobe Prince. You know? The girl who hung herself in 2009 because of cyber bullying? Ring any bells? Social Media isn't my cup of tea and if I'm honest, it's not important, given, well, certain things lately. That and I can't be certain any of you are trying to scam me and steal my money, identity and such from me.
Anyways, aside from that and the fact that it is getting colder these days, it's time for a new chapter. But first the poll results. In the lead, we have Fairy Tail with nine votes, followed by Naruto and Fire Force with eight votes each. Azur Lane comes in with five votes, while A Certain Scientific Rail Gun has four. Tales of Arise and Magical Girl Spec Ops Asuka are tied at three votes and Galaxy Railways has only two. Looks like the first world our heroes will visit will be the world of a certain fire magic user and his flying blue cat buddy.
But before we dive into those worlds, we got two more chapters before their first adventure out of this world, with a few tagalongs. One of which many of you have been asking me about for a long time. That's right, it's time for the Titanium Ranger to make his debut.
First off, let's dive into the reviews.
DCD Gojira: Yep: It's time for the Titanium Ranger and I hope you enjoyed the Captain America movie. I need to catch up on the Marvel Movies. Along with Star Wars and My Hero Academia. Kind of hard when it's hard to keep the internet connection up for using Disney Plus.
SunPhoenix90: Glad you're all caught up. Been a while since I saw a review from you. Nice Ranger teams you choose.
Luffy L Deathwalker: Well, we have this chapter and then the next chapter before we see the first world visited.
Arisu Freedom Strikes: Thanks for the offer, but I decline.
Aztec 13: Yeah, I figured they needed a break from all the action. Still need an idea for Laura's hero name and I could really use some help with that. But let's not forget that the rangers are doing the job that they are trained for. Endeavor wasn't trained to fight giant monsters or use megazords. But yeah, Shoto is suffering because of his dad's dislike of the rangers.
KaijuEmperor: Yeah, Shoto's in this predicament because of his old man, but I got a special plan for Shoto in the future. And I even have one planned for the Solaris Knight and Jenji. As for Bakugo, I think I know a monster that can kick his ass, and I do agree about those pro's who only wanted the rangers to boost their own popularity. Heroes like that aren't real heroes, not like Captain America, Batman or Spider Man.
Monster King: Thanks
Wolfy322: You know, it's funny you mentioned that. I was thinking about having Ransik, travel back in time, again but as an ally of the new Lightspeed Rangers. Frax, well, he's nothing but scrap metal and his parts must have been scrapped after he was defeated in 2001. I was even thinking about Gluto.
Guest: I don't really know a lot about Super Sentai, aside from the series that I have watched and if there is one that I really want to watch, it's Gokaiger.
Intro time.
Power Rangers… Lightspeed! Lightspeed Rescue!
(The Camera flies over the water as the Rescue Bay rises from the ocean floor, with the five Rangers standing on top of it and looking at U.A Highschool in the distance.)
The Signal is calling, our planet is falling, the danger will test you. Better make it Lightspeed Rescue!
(All Five Rangers flip open their morphers and morph, ready for battle, then repel down, landing on the ground as they rush forward and leap through a wall of fire.)
Power Rangers Lightspeed Rescue!
Power Rangers Lightspeed Rescue!
Power Rangers Lightspeed Rescue!
Light… Speed… Go!
(The rangers come to a stop, as a horde of monsters, foot soldiers and villains stand in front of them, ready for battle. Behind the rangers, various heroes and students, Jason in his ranger form, along with Kane, Chris, Selwyn, Juni, Yang, Stacey, Rick, Zen-Aku, Vergil, Anna, Natsuo, Fuyumi, Jack, Emily, Reina, Reggie, Archie, Shinso, Wes, Robo Knight, and Eric along with the silhouettes of three other rangers and their zords appear behind them, brandishing their weapons while another set of zords appear with the Lightspeed symbol appearing behind them.)
Powers on its way. Rangers save the day.
(In front of them, shrouded by shadows is All For One, with Olympius and Shigaraki standing near him while Koragg has his sword drawn as the large group of enemies' charges towards the heroes.)
Power Rangers Lightspeed Rescue!
Power Rangers Lightspeed Rescue!
Power Rangers Lightspeed Rescue!
Power Rangers Lightspeed Rescue!
Light… Speed, Go!
(The Heroes and Rangers then charge forwards to battle.)
Disclaimers are the same. Enjoy.
Chapter 36: From Five to Six.
April 11th, 2221
UA High School
Mustufa Japan
1:00 AM
The rain poured down hard as thunder echoed in the distance. The wind howled as lightning flashed, lighting up the night as a shadowy figure stood by the entrance of UA, a blood red scarf flapping in the wind with blood red eyes fixated on the school. "This is where they are. The heroes from the past who have returned this day." The figure said, taking a small knife from his belt and embedded it into the wall, holding a laminated noted in place, then turned away, vanishing into the darkness. "They are real heroes, unlike the fakes that people idolize."
Morning
Nezu's Office
UA High School
9:00 AM
"Wait, you want to run that by us again?" TJ asked the principal as he and the other rangers stood in Nezu's office, with Aizawa, Midnight, Hound Dog, Whiger, Villamax and Diabolico, the latter of whom was in his human form.
The five rangers arrived at UA a half-hour before the rest of their fellow students, after they received a call from the principle about a disturbing note that was left during the night. "It's just as Nezu said, someone left a note on UA's doorstep addressed to you." Midnight clarified.
"And it seems that this is a challenge to the five of you." Aizawa added, handing Anthony the note.
"Rangers, we share a common goal. I propose an alliance between us, but first I must see if you are worthy of being called heroes. Meet me in Hiroshima tomorrow. I'll be waiting. Stain." Anthony read aloud. "Wait, why would Stain issue a challenge to us?"
"Perhaps he believes that you five are true heroes, ones who value the true ideals of heroes." Hound Dog theorized. "The five of you don't care about interviews with the press, your popularity or fame. You don't even give out autographs."
"That's not something a Power Ranger cares about." Lena pointed out. "But what makes him think that we'd want to work with him? He's the same guy who crippled Iida's older brother."
"Maybe…" Melissa began. "Maybe he thinks that we're like him. That we certain heroes as fakes and want to purge the world of these so called 'heroes'. He's killed seventeen heroes and crippled twenty-four heroes now."
"But we don't kill heroes." Connor reminded his fellow rangers. "Hell, we've never even fought a rouge hero. We focus on monsters and disasters, not killing false heroes." He clenched his hands, remembering how close he came to staining his hands with blood. "Stain obviously has gotten the wrong impression of us. He thinks that we'll join him on his quest to rid the world of false heroes, but we won't join him. This might be our chance."
"Your chance?" Diabolico/Dante asked.
"Look, I need to say this. But I'm worried about Tenya." Connor admitted. "I've been seeing a look in his eyes ever since his brother was attacked and I know the look he's got. He's got that look of revenge. He's not thinking clearly. His brother's time as a pro hero is over because of Stain. If we can capture Stain, not only can we put that monster behind bars, but we'll be able to avenge his older brother."
"Out of the question!" Aizawa snapped. "Stain is too dangerous for you. You five might be Power Rangers, but Stain isn't your average villain. If the five of you were injured or killed, it would cause a lot of damage to UA's public image."
"But Stain did challenge them." Whiger pointed out. "It would be cowardly to not respond to the challenge, let alone dishonorable. Who's to say that Stain wouldn't attack another hero to draw the rangers out?"
"The both of you make valid points." Villamax interjected, holding his weapon in hand, looking at it. "If it were my brother, I would go instead of the rangers, but this was a challenge made directly towards them. It is their decision to make and while I don't want to think about them getting killed by this 'man' they must accept his challenge and face him."
"True." TJ agreed. "But who says we have to fight him? We can at least hear him out and pass his little challenge. Of course, we won't be joining him, and honestly, I don't want to even think about killing anyone and who knows, we could at least find out who his next target is and warn him, maybe even determine if he's working with the League of Villains."
"But you're all just…" Aizawa began.
"ENOUGH!" Connor shouted, slamming his hands on Nezu's desk. "I know what you're all saying, but we don't have a choice! It's like Whiger said, Stain might attack other heroes or even innocent people to draw us out. I don't want that on my conscience."
"I understand. But the fact of the matter is that this villain is too dangerous, even for all of you." Nezu said. "I will pass along this information to the Silver Guardians and Police in Hiroshima. For now, the five of you should get back to class."
Reluctantly, the rangers agreed and left the principles office. "I don't like it. Stain challenged the rangers directly. If someone else were to show up and face him, we could be putting their lives in danger." Diabolico said.
"I agree with what you're saying, but at the same time, we can't risk the lives of our students." Nezu answered. "I do agree that they are more than capable of handling themselves, but as their principle, I am responsible for their safety. Yet, I have a feeling that they will end up facing the Hero Killer."
Both the teachers and former enemies of the rangers looked at each other, then the principle with a look of concern. If the rangers were going to face the Hero Killer, despite being told not face him, they feared the consequences of their actions.
12:30 PM
UA Roof
Connor closed the door to the roof of the school, then looked to see the other rangers were waiting for him. "So, we're in agreement about this plan?" he asked the others.
"We go to Hiroshima and search for Stain, then report it to the police and pros." TJ answered.
"That's right. We not going to fight him but at least find his location and send it to the police." Connor affirmed.
"You know, we are technically disobeying Mr. Aizawa's orders. He told us not to go searching for the Hero Killer." Melissa reminded her brother.
"He said not to fight the Hero Killer. We're not going to fight the Hero Killer, we're just trying to find where he's hiding, and give his location to the authorities. I'd rather not get cut in half like Maul did or lose a limb." Connor pointed out. "Look, I am a hundred percent that Tenya is going to try and use his internship as a way to get revenge on Stain. He's got that look in his eyes that just tells me that he's burning with revenge. I should know, I had that look when I learned the truth."
"Yeah, but you had your best friend by your side to stop you. Not to mention it took a conversation with Koragg and Nejire to make you realize that revenge isn't the answer." Lena pointed out with her hands on her hips.
"I know." Connor affirmed. "But something isn't right. Iida's brother wasn't the type of hero who cared about money, popularity or anything like that. Something about this doesn't add up and I want to know why. But we can't risk our lives against this man. We'll look for where he's hiding, but that's it."
"Even if we go searching for him, it's not going to go well with Aizawa." Anthony pointed out. "He'll probably strangle us with his scarf when he finds out."
"I'll take full responsibility for this." Connor told his teammates. "If we end up fighting, I'll take the blame and say I was the one who fought against Stain. I'm the leader and I'll accept punishment. It is my idea after all."
"That's a very mature thing to say for a young man." Nezu said as he stepped through the door and onto the roof, surprising the rangers. "I heard that the five of you often meet up on the roof for lunch, mostly to discuss ranger related topics, but I didn't think you would actually discuss going against our request."
"You heard what we said, right principal?" Lena questioned. "It's not like we're going into Hiroshima dressed in tactical gear and armed to the teeth to wipe out the entire city. We're only going to search for where Stain could be hiding. He said Hiroshima, so if he's there, we can find his hideout and tell the authorities."
"That is true." Nezu said in agreement. "But it's possible that you'll end up fighting the Hero Killer. I understand your reasons and I can see there is no stopping you." He then let out a disappointed sigh. "I wish you all the best of luck and pray for your safety." With that, the principal turned on the heels of his sneakers and left the rooftop, leaving the rangers alone to discuss their plan.
April 13th
9:00 AM
Tatsumi Disaster Prevention Agency Garage
A tarp was pulled off by Jessica as the rangers stood in the garage of their home away from home, staring at a set of five motorcycles with twin laser cannons mounted on either side of the front, sirens on the back and front of the bike and the lightspeed symbol on the front of the bikes. "These are your new and improved Lightspeed Cycles. They are capable of supersonic speeds and have an improved weapons system." The woman began to explain, pressing a button on one of the cycles, which shifted and covered the sirens and cannons with several panels. "We've also modified them so that you can drive them out in the streets, without alerting any villains or monsters, as well as installing a targeting computer that links directly to your helmet, which will allow you to track a target from a distance." She continued as the Lightspeed Cycles now resembled a Kawasaki Ninja 250R Motorcycle.
"It wouldn't make sense to drive around on a vehicle with weapons showing, would it now?" Mondo joked.
"And we all have our licenses, so we won't get into any trouble with the law. Provided we don't break any traffic laws." Melissa joked, a motorcycle helmet in her hands. Like the other rangers, they were dressed in leather biker jackets, biker boots, fingerless biker gloves, jeans, and a helmet in their hands. "So, we all remember the plan?"
"Go to Hiroshima, search for any signs of Stain and report it to the authorities." Anthony repeated. "We know the drill."
"At least we won't have to worry about missing classes. It is Sunday after all." Connor joked, pulling himself onto his bike, turned the key and the engine roared to life. The engines of the other Lightspeed Cycles also roared as the rangers rolled their bikes out of the garage, then headed off for Hiroshima.
As the roar of engines faded into the distance, the door to the garage opened and stepping into the garage was the same boy that Mondo had met during the Sports Festival. "You sure about sending them into a city where that psychopath is hiding out? They're not like I once was." The boy spoke with concern.
"Then it is fortunate that you have trained your body to master the powers you have been given, Ishinomori-san." Mondo said with a smile, as Jessica pulled the tarp off another Lightspeed Cycle, this one colored silver and gold. "I'm certain they will be surprised when they finally meet their newest ally."
The boy, Ishinomori smiled as he climbed onto his cycle, which configured into another Kawasaki Ninja, turned the key and revved up the engine, then drove out of the garage and onto the open road.
Hiroshima Peace Memorial
Hiroshima Japan
Hiroshima Prefecture
11:50 AM
On August 6th, 1945, the worlds first atomic bomb was dropped on the city of Hiroshima, killing between 90,000 to 160,000 people from the blast and the effects of the bomb itself. A second bomb was dropped on the city of Nagasaki, three days later on August 9th, 1945, bringing the total deaths by a nuclear weapon to nearly two-hundred and fifty thousand people, including several allied prisoners.
The destruction caused by these weapons, helped bring an end to World War 2, but the destructive power of the weapons dropped showed the dangers of nuclear weapons. Decades passed and while the cities were rebuilt, memorials to the people who died in those bombings were erected, a reminder to both them and the destructive power of weapons dropped.
One such memorial was The Peace Memorial, or better known as the 'A-Bomb Dome' which had been left the way it was to showcase the destructive effects of nuclear weapons. Staring at the ruined building, the rangers silently prayed for the lives that were lost that day, almost three hundred years ago. "Alright, so, what's the plan? Are we going to search the city together?" Lean asked.
"That will take too long. Stain will probably have fled the city before we can find him. We'll split up, each of us taking a ward in the prefecture. Connor will take the north, Lena will take the south, Melissa will take central, while Anthony and I take the west. Keep in close contact with each other and radio if you find anything." TJ instructed.
"Better than what I would have ordered." Connor said jokingly. "Alright, let's get moving. Remember, don't engage him."
The others nodded and mounted their cycles, driving off in said directions, searching for any signs of the hero killer, but that as a task far difficult then they originally thought. Stain lurked around in the back alleys, away from where people would see him, keeping himself hidden in the shadows like a predator waiting to pounce its unsuspecting prey.
Being incognito did grant them an element of stealth, but taking their cycles through the alleys was out of the question as some of them were too narrow to fit through. Connor found this out when he had to squeeze through one of these alleys. 'Thank god I'm not one of those shut-ins who eats and play games, rarely leaving the comfort of his home because of some past trauma, like bullying.' He thought to himself.
Squeezing through, he found himself staring at an apartment complex, where people were entering and exiting calmly, a few local heroes out on patrol and a few couples walking their dogs. With a sigh of relief, he moved back through the alley and back to his cycle, which he mounted and reeved up, driving away from the alley. 'It's never easy finding your enemy.' He thought to himself and turned onto a side street.
South Ward
Lena brought her bike to a stop by a local convenience store, then made her way up the foot bridge that passed over the street. Pulling out a set of binoculars from, she peered through them, scanning the city for any sign of the hero killer, but found nothing, aside from a few locals lounging on the rooftops, smoking, drinking or otherwise indulging themselves in 'other activities' with their partners. "Don't some of these people have anything better to do?" she groaned to herself, shifting her gaze from the roof tops to a side street.
East Ward
Melissa wasn't having any luck either, passing by several abandoned buildings that had been condemned and scheduled for demolition. A glance inside the open entrance to one of the warehouses, she saw a glint reflecting off an object, that she immediately thought was from one Stain's swords. It was in actuality, a broken bottle. "That was a relief. I almost thought I was going to be fighting Stain." She sighed with relief. The last thing she wanted was to face Stain and get herself killed.
West Ward
As with their fellow rangers, TJ and Anthony hadn't found a trace of Stain's whereabouts either. What they did find was a fight between some low-level villains and local heroes, the villains having tried to rob an armored truck and had taken several hostages. The heroes were in a difficult bind, not wanting to risk the safety of the hostages and from the looks of it, the villains were going to get away.
That all changed the moment a shot rang out and the villain holding the hostages cried out in pain, releasing his grip which the hostages took as a chance to run to the heroes as the local Silver Guardian unit rolled onto the scene in their SUV's, their blasters aimed at the villain who looked like a stereotypical comic book villain, with a cape, fiendish looking mask and some kind of fancy looking gauntlets.
"Nothing on our end but a fight between heroes and villains." Anthony reported.
"Same thing on our end." Connor acknowledged. "Listen, I spotted a good place where we can grab a bite to eat. Let's get some lunch and put our heads together." he suggested over the radio.
"Sounds like a plan to me." TJ agreed, turning his disguised cycle around and away from the scene. Anthony followed suit, but from the shadows of a nearby underpass, a pair of red eyes followed them before disappearing back into the shadows.
1:30 PM
Aeon Mall
Sitting at a table outside a diner inside the mall, the rangers waited patiently as the waitress brought them their food. Five orders of burgers and fries with soft drinks. "Ok, so far, we haven't found any sign of Stain. Guess the rumors are true, you don't find the Hero Killer, he finds you." TJ said, grabbing his burger, which had onions and tomatoes on it.
"It's like we're trying to find a needle in a haystack. Only harder and more dangerous." Anthony added, grabbing his burger which had lettuce, tomatoes, onions, pickles and mustard on it. "Maybe we're in over our heads."
"The only things I could see were a few couples getting into it on the roofs of a couple of buildings." Lena said, taking a bit of her burger which had mayo on it along with the basic condiments. "That is not something I wanted to see at all." She added, after swallowing her bite of food.
"Maybe we're going about this all wrong." Melissa suggested, holding her burger which had just lettuce, tomatoes and ketchup on it. "Maybe we instead of splitting up, we search together, try and draw him out. Make him lead us to an area where we won't have to worry about bystanders."
"That's only going to work if we were planning on fighting him." her brother reminded, taking a bite of his burger, which just had lettuce and cheese on it, along with ketchup. "We're not trying to find him and take him down; we're trying to locate him and send the authorities after him. I'd rather not be diced up into tiny little pieces." He continued after swallowing, then placed his burger down and grabbed two fries. "Still, there's one thing that's bothering me."
"And what would that be, Connor?" Lena asked.
Connor placed the two fries down on the plate and moved them apart. "This small fry right here, this is Hiroshima. And this large one is Hosu." He began. "Predators wouldn't change their hunting grounds unless they found a new type of prey, one that would make for a sporting challenge. Case in point, a gang with military training and hardware would be more challenging and worthy then going after a group of small-time punks that have only ever held up liquor stores." He continued, taking the larger fry and held it up in his hands. "Why would he change hunting grounds? He usually kills several heroes in one place, then cripples another before leaving for another hunting ground."
"Maybe he's getting bored?" Anthony guessed.
"Or maybe…" TJ started, taking another bite of his burger. "He's trying to lure us out onto a battlefield where we can fight without restriction."
"Like a quarry?" Lena suggested.
"Or an abandoned building or Warehouse. Maybe even underground." Melissa added.
"Not many places like that around here." Connor pointed out, ready to take another bite of his burger before a certain pair of Silver Guardians approached them. "Wes? Eric? What are you guys doing here?"
"Looking for you five." Wes answered, taking off his beret and placed it on the table. "We heard you were going after the Hero Killer." The commander said.
"Well, not exactly." Lena answered with a shrug. "Well, technically, we are looking for the Hero Killer, but we're not planning on fighting him. We're just tracking him and then plan on reporting his location to the authorities."
"Well, whatever you're doing, this might help." Eric said, handing a piece of paper to his cousin. "We got word the Hero Killer was spotted at one of the old warehouses at the edge of the city. Could just be a rumor, but if you're going to give us the location, it's worth checking out."
The five rangers looked at each other, before looking back to the two Time Force Rangers who turned and walked away from the five teens. "What do you think, Connor?" Anthony asked.
"Well, I think we should check it out, but I'm only saying that so we can stop Tenya from doing something stupid. But what do you guys think?" Connor answered.
"As if you have to ask." TJ said with a grin. "You know, for a guy who's two years younger than the rest of us, you're a good leader. You ask for our opinions; you don't hesitate with your instructions and you don't treat us like we're expendable. That's a real leader."
"Thanks, TJ." Connor said with a small blush.
After finishing their meal, the rangers headed towards the warehouse that Wes and Eric identified, driving out of the suburbs and towards the edge of the city, bringing their bikes to a stop just outside the warehouse, which they then dismounted and then entered the warehouse. "Alright, keep your eyes open for anything that's related to Stain. We find something, we call it in and get the hell out of here." Connor instructed, a flashlight in his hands, which he shined the light into the abandoned building.
Broken glass was scattered amongst the floor, empty and rusty barrels littered the inside of the warehouse, empty crates and old vehicles also littered the inside as the rangers moved through the warehouse. "You know, if we had the right gear and a weapon like the XM8 or ACR, we'd probably be a counter terrorist unit or SWAT team, maybe even special forces." Lena chimed.
"I don't think my brother will want to touch a gun ever again, unless it was in a game, or it was a prop." Melissa told Lena, her boots crunching as she stepped on the glass. "We've got nothing here."
"Hey, guys, you might want to see this." TJ said over the morphers communicator.
The rangers rushed towards TJ, who was in the basement of the warehouse and standing in front of a massive board with a map of Japan that had several red circles around cities like Hosu and Kamino, with pictures of various 'fake heroes' were held in place on the wall by knives. "Woah, this guy really needs a hobby." Anthony lamented with uneasiness.
Melissa picked up a file from the table in front of the map and looked at it. "Hey, take a look at this. This file lists everything that Tensei did on the side. Extortion, bribery, even blackmail." She said, handing the file to TJ. "This doesn't make sense, Tensei would never do any of those things. He was as honorable as they come and a true hero. He didn't even wait to be called when Magmavore made a repeat of history."
TJ took a look at the file, scanning every detail with his eyes before he noticed something. "This is fake. It's all forged." He spoke. "Whoever gave Stain this file, they didn't spell Tensei's name right, even his last name. Heroes are given salaries based on their performance in the field, right? This shows he was involved in a lot of high-profile cases that caused a lot of property damage, but these numbers don't add up. Someone gave Stain false information, and they are the reason that Stain attacked Ingenium."
"Who would want to make Stain attack a real hero?" Lena asked.
"Let's take the file with us. Wes and Eric might be able to figure out who's handwriting this is." Anthony said, snapping a photo of map with his phone, along with a wall full of blades. "We need to get out of here."
"Amen to that." Connor agreed and headed back for the stairs, but stopped and looked back towards a corner, thinking he saw something, but couldn't make out anything in the shadows.
They returned to the warehouse, but their path was blocked by the target they were trying not to find. Standing before them, in a black combat suit with a sleeveless torso that was plated with metal armor across their body with holsters for his weapons and yellow bandages wrapped around his arms, just below his shoulders. Black wristbands and watch were on his left arm, while metal pads protected his knees, while black boots with steel armor and spikes adorned his feet. The signature blood-red scarf and headband, and tattered cloth around his face told the five all they needed to know. "So, you got my message. I almost didn't think you were coming." Stain said.
"You were spying on us, weren't you, Stain?" TJ guessed.
"Correct." Stain said, drawing one of his swords and embedded it into the ground. "For rangers, you didn't seem to catch on until now."
"Why did you call us out here? What's this challenge of yours?!" Lena demanded.
"To see if you are worthy to join my cause!" Stain answered. "This world is full of false heroes, those who value fame, and money are not worthy of being called heroes. They are fakes. A disease that tarnishes the very name hero. I will purge this world of fake heroes and change society, which is why I want you to join me."
The rangers looked at each other with confused looks. "Come again?" Melissa asked.
"When other heroes were called to Hosu, you took it upon yourselves to come to the aid of the people, without any consideration for what you would be paid or the fame you had received since you first became rangers. Your weapons and technology will help rid the world of these false heroes, proving that all of you, like him are real heroes, not like those fakes." Stain continued.
"We'll never join you!" Connor shouted. "It's true, that many heroes are in it just for the money and the fame, but there are those out there with true noble intentions of being a hero. Those who want to inspire others, give them help, to be turned to when things look their darkest. But rather than change it, you kill and cripple heroes, one who you were set up to attack!"
"I don't know what you're blabbering about, but it seems to me that you have no intention of joining me." Stain said. "Pity, I was hoping I would be able to fight alongside the heroes I heard about from documentaries. No matter, my true purpose of bringing you here will be fulfilled. Let me see if you are all true heroes."
The rangers looked at each other with a groan. They all planned on engaging the hero killer, but now they had no choice but to fight. "Remember, I'll take the blame for all of this, so let's fight our way past him." Connor told his teammates. "Ready?"
"Ready!" the others shouted.
"Lightspeed! Rescue!" they all shouted and flipped open their morphers, changing into their ranger forms. "Power Rangers!"
Stain grabbed his sword and twirled it around before he held it at the ready. "Let us see if you are as strong as history says." He stated, then charged at the rangers with his sword hungry for blood. The rangers barely had any time to draw their weapons as Stain slashed right through them.
Staggering, the rangers were not about to back down and drew their blasters in baton mode, just in time as Stain came back around, ready for another round. The Hero Killer swung his blade at Connor, who tried to block the attack, but failed and took a slash across the chest.
TJ then charged in, followed by Anthony who both swung their batons at Stain, who blocked their attacks with his sword, then kicked them both in the side and knocked them away. Lena then attacked with her baton, swinging her baton at Stain, who blocked each and everyone of her attacks, but this was a ruse for when Stain swung his sword at her, she leapt back, allowing Melissa to leap in and swing her own baton at Stain, hitting him in the shoulder. "Most heroes who score a single hit on a villain become overconfident and leave themselves open to attack, but you five are different. You're nothing like those fakes." Stain noted aloud.
"If that's supposed to make us feel guilty about fighting you, then you're wasting your time!" Melissa spat, swinging her baton at Stain again, but Stain backflipped away, landing on a beam above the rangers. The hero killer then grabbed several knives from his armor and threw them at the rangers, hitting them in the chest before he leapt down and once again charged towards the rangers, cutting through them with his blade and knocked them down to the ground. "Ok, this guy is a lot tougher than the rumors say." She groaned.
"I've mastered the art of killing, so I may rid the world of false heroes." Stain said. "My blades have killed and crippled many false heroes over the years. All so that I may rid the world of false heroes and reform society."
"Does that include… attacking a real hero… based on false… information…" Connor groaned, getting back to his feet. "You've… been… tricked…"
"Your words have no affect on me." Stain snarled, sprinting towards Connor before kicking him back down to the ground. "But it's clear to me that you are not worthy of joining my cause. No matter, it is clear that you would never stray from your beliefs and for that, you have my respect. You five are true heroes, but for standing in my way, you must die!" he said, bringing his sword to Connor's neck. "I'll start with the red ranger."
Stain raised his sword, preparing to bring his blade down upon Connor when the noise of a motorcycle engine echoed through the warehouse as motorcycle leapt through one of the broken windows and flew past Stain, knocking him to the ground as the motorcycle spun around, then came to a stop, with the rider dismounting the motorcycle and removing his helmet. "Looks like you guys could use some help." The rider said to the downed rangers.
"Who are you?" Stain demanded. "Are you a false hero?"
"Hero?" the rider answered with a chuckle, placing his helmet on his bike and looked towards Stain. "No, I can't be a hero anymore. At least, not in the original sense." He then pulled back his jackets wrist and revealed a dark blue and silver morpher with gold markings with a 'M' shaped symbol in the middle, drew back his fist and shouted. "Titanium Power!"
Pressing a small black tab under the mid-section of the morpher, the 'M' symbol slid open and revealed the 'V' shaped center panel, revealing the symbol of the Lightspeed Rangers. A larger 'V' then descended down on his body as the biker raised his hands up, a V-shaped shield appearing above him that descended down his body, covering him in a silver ranger suit, with a V-shaped visor on his helmet, gold lines running down the suit, a golden y-shape on his chest, gold shoulder armor, white gloves and boots with gold trimmings around them, and a black M on the center of the helmet. The visor snapped shut, completing the morphing sequence.
Both Stain and the rangers were shocked as the newest ranger appeared before them. "Titanium Ranger! Rescue Ready!" the biker shouted.
"The Titanium Ranger!?" Stain exclaimed in shock.
"How's that even possible!?" Lena gasped.
"You'll find out later." The new ranger answered, keeping his focus on Stain. "You're going to pay for messing with my friends." he declared, then leapt towards Stain, who like the rangers was shocked by the appearance of the Titanium that he didn't have time to counter the airborne double kick that the new ranger landed on his chest.
Stain was knocked backwards, but stabbed his sword into the ground, using it to slow himself down, but he failed to counter a kick to his ribs from the newest ranger, causing him to lose his grip on his sword. "You're a ranger! But you're more powerful than those five! Just who are you!?" Stain demanded.
"I'm your worst nightmare." The new ranger answered, lunging towards the Hero Killer with a punch to the face. An uppercut followed, then a sweep kick to the legs that knocked Stain to the ground. A drop kick followed, but Stain rolled out of the way, leaping back to his feet and grabbed his throwing knives, which he threw towards the Titanium Ranger, who leaned back to avoid the knives. "So that's how you want to play it? Fine then!"
Materializing into their hands was a silver battle-axe with gold trimming, known as the Titanium Axe. Twirling around his new weapon, the new ranger watched as Stain reclaimed his sword, then lunged at them, sword poised for a killing blow, only for the ranger to block the blade with his axe, then swung his weapon at Stain, who blocked the attack.
The Titanium Ranger then kicked Stain in the chest, followed by a sweep kick, but Stain leapt into the air, avoiding the kick, but Stain was soon hit by a blast from the Titanium Axe's blaster mode. The blast caused Stain a deal of pain, but the Hero Killer was far from over as he landed on the second floor of the warehouse, soon joined by his opponent who charged at him with his weapon in its axe mode once again.
Stain blocked one strike but failed to anticipate a kick to his side. This ranger was far stronger than the rangers he had just fought. Clearly, he underestimated the rangers, but he was still puzzled as how someone was able to harness the powers of the Titanium Ranger, powers that were far too powerful for a normal human being.
A slash to his chest broke his thoughts as Stain stumbled backwards a few inches before the Titanium Ranger configured his axe back into its blaster mode and aimed it right at him. Stain leapt from the second floor, but the Titanium Ranger leapt after him, landing on the ground and firing laser blasts at the Hero Killer, who swung his katana to deflect the blasts, but one of them was able to strike Stain in the chest, but his combat suit protected him. "You are an interesting opponent. You're stronger than those five rangers combined. Clearly, you have mastered the Titanium powers. Were you raised by demons?" Stain questioned.
"Nah, I wasn't raised by demons. Let's just say, compared to the other rangers, I had luck on my side." The new ranger answered, shifting his weapon back into its axe mode and charged towards Stain who brought his katana up to block the attack.
As the two fighters continued their battle, the injured rangers watched in amazement. Whoever this new ranger was, he was pushing Stain to his limits, was far stronger than all five of them, showed up out of nowhere to save their lives, and somehow, he said he was lucky and that somehow had enabled him to control the Titanium Powers, which based on what they knew about ranger history, were too powerful for a normal human being. Was this new ranger born with a quirk and was it that reason that allowed him to master the powers? Or was it simply because he trained his body to master the powers? There were plenty of questions that needed answers.
The Titanium Ranger slashed at Stain, spun round, then slashed again hitting Stains combat suit, ripping it slightly. Stain growled and was about to attack, when sirens blared in the distance as Silver Guardian SUVs rolled into the warehouse and Silver Guardians piled out of the vehicles, aiming their blasters at Stain. "This battle is over. Rangers! You have proven that you will not join me in my crusade to rid the world of these false heroes. Next time we meet, I will not show you any mercy." He declared, then threw something down onto the ground, creating a cloud of smoke that obscured the sight of those in the warehouse, allowing him to escape after collecting his knives.
"Come back here!" The new ranger shouted, but it was too late as the hero killer was able to escape. "Damn it! He got away!" he cursed. "Power down!" he announced, demorphing and returning back to his normal form. "He's a crafty one; I'll give him that much."
"Not to break up your first victory." Connor began, already demorphed like the others. "But all of us are wondering the same thing. Who the hell are you and who gave you the Titanium Morpher?"
The new ranger chuckled, turning to the five rangers, revealing he was a heterochronic with a red left eye and blue right eye. "My name is Ken Ishinomori, and I'm your sixth ranger." Ken answered.
Rescue Lab/Rescue Bay
3:30PM
"So let me get this straight, you were already looking into the new Titanium Ranger right after we became rangers and have been training Ken after the Sports Festival?" Lena asked Mondo, Jessica, Loyax, Diabolico and Loki.
"Yes." Jessica answered. "We determined that Ken was the perfect candidate to receive the titanium powers, as he was stronger than the average human being due to his quirk. An enhancement type quirk that amplifies his physical strength."
"You have a quirk?" Melissa asked.
"Had a quirk." Ken corrected. "I had my quirk stolen at the beginning of the year. One moment I was walking home after hanging out with my friends, the next thing I knew, I felt a prick on my neck before I lost consciousness and everything went black. When I came to, I found myself in the hospital being questioned by the police." He recollected. "That quirk of mine was something else."
"Uh, just out of curiosity, what was your quirk?" Loki asked.
"Shock Absorption." Ken answered, causing the other rangers to look at him with odd looks. "What? Do I have something on my face?"
"No, not that. It's well, how should I put this…" TJ said with an awkward look. "Your quirk… well, we encountered it before."
"Come again?" Ken asked.
"The League of Villains. The guys who attacked the USJ had a monster they called Nomu. It had multiple quirks, one of them was shock absorption. We destroyed the monster after All Might weakened it, but when it grew giant, we didn't detect any quirks when we destroyed it. Based on that, it seems that Olympius and his allies managed to recover your quirk, probably to use in another monster." Anthony explained.
"So that explains where my quirk went." Ken sighed. "Well, no point in dwelling on it. Not like I really need my quirk to become the Titanium Ranger anyway."
"Ok, I must have lost a lot of blood after our impromptu fight with Stain, because it sounds like you don't care that your quirk was stolen. Without one, you can't even become a pro hero!" Connor exclaimed.
"I know, and I don't really care." Ken answered, which caused the rangers jaws to drop. "Don't get me wrong, I did dream of becoming a hero when I was a kid, but my quirk wasn't really all that flashy or heroic. Sure, I could take a hit and keep on going, but my physical strength, my heart and my mind are what make me a hero. The way I see it, I can be that kind of hero while working with all of you as your teammate."
The rangers, the doctors and their allies were silent after hearing what Ken had just told them. Someone, who had a quirk, didn't have any plans on becoming a pro hero and was actually glad to have his quirk taken from him. "I have to admit, that's an interesting attitude for someone like you to have." Diabolico said aloud, breaking the silence. "Most people who we've heard that have had their quirks stolen were distraught that they couldn't become a pro hero. But you, you're different."
"You have the noble heart of a warrior and I for one am proud to have helped you with your training and will continue to do so in the future." Loyax added.
"Same goes for me." Loki agreed. "I never got to fight with the original Titanium Ranger, back when he was on our side. But this time is going to be different, I'll be fighting with you against Olympius and his allies."
"And with the work we are putting into the rebuilding of your zord, we will need all the help we can get." Mondo added.
Ken smiled, then turned to the other rangers. "I'm guessing you guys don't like it?" he asked.
"Nah. Truth is, we were hoping we would be getting a sixth ranger." TJ admitted, extending his hand out to Ken. "Just didn't think it would be like this. Either way, welcome to the team."
Ken smiled and shook his hand, before Connor cleared his throat. "Ah, not to change the subject or anything, but we need to send this to Wes and Eric." He said, holding the file he recovered from Stain's former hiding place. "It seems, that the Hero Killer was set up."
And that is the chapter.
First off, for those who were hoping that it would be Izuku or Diabolico becoming the Titanium Ranger, I am sorry to disappoint you.
Thanks go out to DCD Gojira for the new ranger and for those of you who are wondering when the Max Solarzord will appear, you guys are going to be in for a big surprise when I bring that zord into the story.
Second, the rangers have fought Stain, albeit unintentionally and suffered a defeat, at the hands of the man who tried to offer the rangers a chance to join him and his cause, which the rangers refused to join. So, you can all expect a rematch between them and Stain in the future.
Next time, it's going to be very showy as a certain group of pirates will be making their appearance. Until the next chapter, please read and review. Also, Doom: The Dark Ages is set for release on May 14th this year.
See you all next time.