I don't own Power Rangers or Cross Ange; those belong to their creators. This is for fun, not profit.
Chapter 21: The Shadow of Harry's Past
(Days earlier)
About two days had passed for Hilda after being rescued by Tony and his partner Steve. Hilda was in the room provided for her, after finding a moment where she can be alone, Hilda finally loses her composure and cries after remembering her mother's words.
"Filthy Norma…I wish I had never given birth to a beast like you!"
During the short days she spent here, Tony would often check on her and deliver her food, despite telling him that she needed to be alone and doesn't want his help or his concern. But Tony remained adamant and continued to reach out to help her open up.
After some time, Tony was able to convince Hilda to go outside with him to hunt down some wild animals and gather some fruits and mushrooms for food.
Both Tony and Hilda were wearing ponchos just in case it rains and to also hide their faces, and they were armed with crossbows.
"Honestly, why do I have to help forage for food?" Hilda mutters.
"Well, it's best to be prepared once we hear from the Strike Team. We have a long journey ahead of us from here to the meet up point." Tony said.
"I can understand that, but can't you just use Mana for that?" Hilda questions him.
"Because I can't." Tony answered but that only irritated Hilda.
"What do you mean you can't? Oh, I see how it is, you're only saying that to pity me is that it?"
"Oh…Sorry that came out wrong. No, it's not that, it's mostly because of this." Tony said before he pulled back some of his hair to show the back of his neck, Hilda looked and saw there was a type of device on it
It almost resembles a spider with glowing parts and eyes.
"This is called a Mana Disruptor. Every human in the Underground has these. Basically, it disrupts the Mana flow in our central nervous system and prevents it from reaching our brains. So, I can't access the worldwide network and any other Mana transmission, but it also allows us to move freely without being tracked and prevents our minds from being hacked." Tony explained.
"Hacked? From what?" Hilda asked.
"Afraid I can't answer that question." He answered and Hilda rolled her eyes in some annoyance.
"Fine…It's not like I care either way." Hilda said before she walked forward, and Tony chuckled.
"Well as long as you understand." Tony said as he followed her.
Tony and Hilda soon arrived at a spot where traps were placed for any animal that comes across this area.
Tony checks and sees one trap had snared a rabbit as it was now trapped in a cage.
"Really sorry about this little guy." Tony said before he picked up the cage. "Don't worry, we'll be sure to put your meat into good use."
Hilda was watching him and still couldn't figure him out. He was supposed to be like any other human, and here he was helping her. Hilda only clicks her tongue before she checks some of the other traps.
"Honestly…Just what is his deal anyway?" Hilda said out loud before she heard something hissing at her, she looked and saw it was a snake that was close to her hand.
Just as Tony checks on another trap, he hears Hilda crying out. He quickly turned to her and saw she had fallen on her rear while holding her hand.
"Hilda!" Tony quickly rushes to her and knelt down to her side to check on her. "You, okay?"
"I'm fine…" Hilda told him.
But Tony wasn't convinced by that before he looked and saw a snake leaving the area.
"Wait…Did that snake bite you?" Tony asked.
"I said I'm fine! It's nothing!" Hilda exclaimed as she turned away from him.
"It's not fine! It could be poisonous!" Tony said as he grabbed onto her hand and looked at it and found the bite mark.
"What are you doing?" Hilda questions him.
"I need to suck the poison out." Tony said and Hilda blinked to hear that.
"Suck it out?" She said.
Tony then bites onto Hilda's hand, and she cries out in shock before she notices that he was sucking the poison out, he spits some out and repeats the process a few more times.
After that, Tony then brought out some ointment and bandages to apply them to Hilda's snakebite.
"There, that should do it. But just in case, we should probably head back so you could rest." Tony said.
"Yeah…Just don't expect any thanks." Hilda said and Tony chuckled once again.
"That's fine. Just knowing that you'll be fine is more than enough." Tony said before he stood up and picked up the trapped rabbit and headed back to the cabin with Hilda watching him.
Hilda then looks at the bandages on her hand and looks at Tony and for some strange reason, she feels her heart becoming warm and her face slightly blush.
Realizing that, Hilda quickly shakes her head to help rid herself of these emotions.
"Damn it…Just what the hell am I thinking?!" Hilda said before she stood up and followed Tony.
Even if that was the case, Hilda reminded herself that she was a Norma and Tony is a human, there was no way it would happen.
(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.)
After waiting for another day, Tony and Steve received contact from the Underground and were told that the Strike Team had succeeded in their mission.
The Underground members and Hilda were now packing up their things. But Hilda was a bit pissed that they kept Ange's situation a secret from her.
"Honestly…I can't believe you didn't tell me about Ange and how her family was going to execute her." Hilda grumbles.
"Sorry, but we had our orders. Besides, you'll only just rush in without a plan." Tony said.
"And what makes you think I wouldn't have one?" Hilda questions him.
"I don't know." Tony shrugged. "Maybe because you're a bit of a hothead."
"What? Say that again, I dare you!" Hilda said and Tony waved his hands.
"Whoa, take it easy. It was only a joke." Tony said and Hilda huffed before she went back to packing some stuff.
"Jeez, take it easy there, you lovebirds." Steve chuckled and their cheeks blushed to hear that.
"Steve!" Tony said.
"I don't even see him like that! And that includes you!" Hilda exclaimed.
"I was only teasing." Steve said before they turned away from him. "Oh, to be young and in love. Wait…I'm still young myself."
After they finished packing up the supplies they needed, Steve made contact with Chief, the leader of the Underground using a type of tablet.
"Yeah, we're just about ready to go. Understood, we'll reach the rendezvous soon." Steve said before he ended the transmission. "Okay. Once we reach the skyknifes, we'll make our way to Tusk's island."
"What's a skyknife? And who's Tusk?" Hilda asked.
"I'll explain later." Tony answered.
"After we meet up with him and the Strike Team, we'll…" Steve said before they heard someone knocking on the door and they turned to it.
"You were expecting a visitor too?" Hilda asked.
"No…We didn't. Think it's the Management Board?" Tony spoke to Steve.
"Possible. But be ready, just in case." Steve told him and Tony nodded.
Tony soon pulls out and readies his gun and Steve approaches the door. Just as he was about to open it, a robotic hand smashed through the door and grabbed Steve's neck.
"Steve!" Tony said as he quickly moved in to help.
Tony tries to pry the hand off of Steve's neck, but it wouldn't budge, he soon tried to fire at whoever was behind the door, but it was still standing. He then looked around and spotted a nearby axe that was close to Hilda.
"Hilda, the axe!" Tony shouted and Hilda turned to it and nodded.
"Got it!" Hilda said as she picks up the axe and throws it at Tony and he catches it.
Tony roared as he used the axe to cut the robotic arm a few times until it finally chopped off as it fell to the ground and Steve fell on his rear while coughing with a hand on his neck. Tony then knelt down to check on him.
"You, okay?" He asked.
"I've been better." Steve mutters before they look at the robot arm. "But what was that?"
That's when other robots smashed through the windows and walls, revealing themselves to be E-Bots.
While the Underground members and Hilda were surprised to see them, the E-Bots did a facial scan of each of them, starting with the men and then to Hilda and saw she was their priority target and must be taken alive and unharmed while Tony and Steve were set to be eliminated.
"The heck are these things?!" Hilda said.
"Your guess is as good as mine." Tony said.
The E-Bots soon aimed their rifles and fire at the Underground members, they quickly avoided their shots and took cover as Tony grabbed onto Hilda.
"You, okay?" Tony asked, and Hilda nodded.
The E-Bots then approach them, Tony fires his gun at them but the bullets only bounce off of their armor.
"Damn it…We need more firepower!" Tony said and Steve nodded.
"Got it!" Steve said.
He quickly opened a nearby cabinet and opened a hidden panel which revealed a hidden weapon beneath it.
Just as the E-Bots were about to close on Tony and Hilda, Steve calls out to them.
"Hey, metal heads!"
The E-Bots stop and turn to them as Steve was now armed with a heavy machine gun.
"Say hello to my little friend!" Steve said before he fired his gun which tore the E-Bots into pieces.
Steve then stops firing before he calls out to Tony and Hilda.
"You two, okay?!" They soon step out of their hiding spot.
"Yeah. Thanks for that." Tony said.
"How long were you hiding that?" Hilda asked as she pointed at the heavy machine gun.
"Since before we got here. Every Underground safehouse has a few extra safety measures like this." Steve explained.
"You don't say." Hilda said.
They soon heard movement approaching, they moved to the windows and saw another squad of E-Bots approaching the house.
"Great…more of them." Hilda said.
"Don't worry, I think we can still take them." Tony said before the E-Bots stop moving.
"Wait…Why did they stop?" Steve said.
The E-Bots then jump onto and linked with each other to form a larger battle robot with two legs and multiple rifles beneath its body.
This is the Union E-Bot.
Seeing that shocked the Underground members and Hilda.
"I think we need a bigger gun." Steve said.
The Union E-Bot then approaches the house, Steve quickly smashed through the window with his gun and fired at it, but his bullets proved ineffective against it before the Union E-Bot fired back at him and the others with its rifles.
They quickly ducked to cover.
"What should we do now?!" Hilda said.
"No, choice. To the basement, now!" Steve shouted.
"The basement? We'll be sitting ducks!" Hilda said before Tony grabbed onto her hand.
"We won't! Just trust us!" He said before they quickly move to the hallway and quickly run down to the basement.
Tony finds the switch and uses it to turn on the lights, Hilda notices there was a bunch of stuff that would've been obsolete to most humans. A boiler for the gas and hot water along with a workbench and a board with tools on it.
Hilda notices a tarp covering several large objects.
"So how is this better than upstairs?" Hilda asked.
Tony answers her question by moving to the board and grabs onto the wrench to move it upwards revealing it was a hidden switch which soon opens a hidden door.
Hilda looks and sees it was a large escape tunnel with a vehicle that looks similar to a Para-mail.
"Is that a skyknife?" Hilda said and Tony nodded.
"Yeah. Big enough to hold two people. I'm taking you outside first and then…" Tony said.
"No…Don't come back for me." Steve told him and a surprised Tony turned to him.
"What? Why not?" He asked.
"You know why. You and I both know that the skyknife isn't fast enough to come back here. Besides, someone needs to take care of that thing." Steve told his partner.
"Then let me do it! There's no reason for you to…" Tony said before they heard the room shaking, no doubt caused by that giant robot.
"There's no time to argue, Tony!" Steve said before he whispers to him. "If these things are sent by you-know-who, then their one target is her."
Steve and Tony then turn to Hilda who was looking at them as well before Tony turns to his partner.
"But Steve…" Tony said before they heard that the Union E-Bot is getting closer.
"Tony, just go…now!" Steve told him.
Tony grits his teeth and lowers his head before he grabs onto Hilda's hands, and they quickly move to the skyknife.
"Hey! I can move by myself!" Hilda said.
After climbing on top of it, Tony started it up and it levitated above the ground with Hilda riding behind him as she held onto him. They were ready to go, but not before Tony gave some parting words to Steve.
"Steve!"
Steve turned to him, and Tony gave him a salute.
"It was an honor to be your partner."
Steve smiles and salutes back.
"Thanks. I feel the same." Steve said.
Tony then pilots the skyknife down into the tunnel.
After they were gone, Steve turns to the tart before he moves to it and picks it up to reveal the things it was hiding, it was barrels of explosive fuel with C4 explosives.
On the surface, the Union E-Bot continues to dig through to the base while Steve places the explosives on the fuel barrels and activates them.
Steve then picks up the detonator switch, he then breathes in and out before he pulls out a picture of himself with a wife and a daughter.
That's when the Union E-Bot finally made its way through the basement as it made a big hole and looked at Steve who turned to it.
"Hey, sorry but there's no girl for you. And that includes me too." Steve said before he pressed the button on the switch which started the explosives' timers as they instantly counted down to zero.
After moving in the tunnel for a few minutes, Tony and Hilda made it outside and that's when they heard an explosion. They looked and saw it had appeared from the cabin as it left a large smoke cloud.
Tony's eyes slightly widened as they meant only one thing for him.
"No…Steve…" Tony mutters.
Hilda was mostly stunned by Steve's sacrifice. Never in her wildest dreams would she even thought that a human would sacrifice themselves for their allies, especially for a Norma.
"Why would he…?" Hilda said.
That's when they heard sirens approaching, no doubt to investigate the explosion and to put out any fires.
Tony then moves out with Hilda as the skyknife moves throughout the woods while avoiding any streets and police cars.
(Meanwhile)
In his personal domain, Embryo had received contact from Kurt and reported to him.
"Forgive me, Master. But I'm afraid that Norma Number 3192-14 had escaped with the other Underground member."
Embryo sighed in some annoyance before he drank some of his tea.
"Honestly, despite the failure from the last Libertus, they still continue to become an annoyance. You think they would learn by now." Embryo said.
"If you want, I could continue searching for the Norma. I highly doubt they've gotten that far." Kurt said but Embryo shook his head.
"No. That explosion already drew too much attention as is. Besides, regardless if she's taken to their base or not, there's still many Norma to choose besides her. Return here and await further instructions." Embryo told him and Kurt bowed.
"Very well. As you wish, Master." Kurt said before he ended the transmission.
After that, Embryo simply smirks before he brings out a Mana window. While losing track of Hilda is a minor hindrance, it doesn't really matter to him nor would capturing any other Norma on Arzenal, since everything he desired for over a thousand years has finally come to him.
It was a picture of Ange, right where Julio wanted to execute his sister. Embryo looks at those lovely pink eyes of hers which were filled with pride and a burning fiery defiance of the crowd's hatred towards her.
Embryo was deeply drawn by that as he traced his finger on that very picture.
"Oh, Ange…I can't wait to see you. Because you will be mine." Embryo said with a great longing in his voice.
(Present day)
In the Nexus Rangers' world, they were personally invited by Salamandinay to compete in a sport, and it was a sport that the Rangers were quite familiar with, and it was…bowling.
The Rangers had arrived and brought Misty along, so she could enjoy being in the outside world rather than being inside of the Hub.
Dean was standing in front of the lane with a red ball in hand. He runs forward and stops to throw the ball on the lane as it heads towards the pins.
"Come on…Come on." Dean said as the ball continues to roll and manage to knock down all of the pins giving him a strike and Dean cheers. "Hell yes!"
Everyone applauded Dean's score. Salamandinay, Naga, and Kaname were wearing clothes that were a perfect match for bowling.
"Nice shot Dean." Claire said.
"Yes, truly well done." Salamandinay said in agreement.
The Rangers and their friends were bowling in a sports center building which was personally restored by Salamandinay from her research from the old world and thought this place would feel like home to the Nexus Rangers.
It was a surprising sight for the Rangers especially since it has so many areas where they can play other sports from their time, a baseball field, a tennis court, a race car track, and it even has an arcade.
Dean then sat back down as Claire took her turn as she readied to throw her own ball.
The Red Nexus Ranger then took a moment to study the room he and his friends were in.
"I have to say, I'm still surprised that you restored this entire building. It almost feels like we're back in our own time." Dean said.
"Then I'm pleased to hear that. I know this isn't much, but I hope being here makes you feel more at ease. Like how you were in your time." Salamandinay said.
"Yeah, it's nice to relax like this. So thank you." Dean said.
"You're welcome, and I'm also glad to hear that." Salamandinay said before she and Dean smiled at each other.
The other Nexus Rangers and Kaname couldn't help but smile at those two while Naga had a jealous look on her face.
Claire rolled her ball for a second time and managed to score a spar.
"Nice!" Claire cheered.
"Oh dear not again…" Said Misty.
The others looked and saw that Misty and Aaron were on their own line and saw that Misty had a gutter ball and it wasn't her only one she had about six other gutter balls.
Since she doesn't have much experience with this sport, she wanted to have some practice first and Aaron volunteered to help her, but she wasn't doing so well at it.
Aaron chuckles for a bit before he speaks to Misty.
"It's fine, Misty. Nobody can get it right for the first time."
That's when they saw Salamandinay throwing her own ball on the other line and got a strike followed by five more strikes, giving her the lead with Dean behind her.
Misty pouted to see that.
"But there are some with a natural born talent." She mutters.
Apparently, Salamandinay had mastered every sport in this building shortly after discovering how to play each of them.
"Yeah…I suppose so." Aaron said before Misty's ball returns, he then picks it up. "Okay, give me your hand."
Misty was a bit surprised by that.
"What? Why?"
"Just give it to me." Aaron told her.
While a bit hesitant at first, Misty gives Aaron her hand and he grabs onto. Aaron then placed the ball's holes into Misty's fingers and then held her wrists to place her into a stance for rolling the roll and gave her a few tips on how to roll it.
"Now the key to roll a bowling ball is your stance and wrist. You have a pretty good stance in this, but you tend to roll the ball to the right while you should twist your wrist slightly to the left. Got it?" Aaron said, and Misty nodded.
"Yes. I believe I do."
"Okay. Then give it a shot." Aaron said before he let go of her wrists.
Misty took a moment to breathe before she rolled the ball down on the line and it managed to knock down about half of the pins, Misty smiles to see that.
"I did it!" Misty said and Aaron smiled before placing a hand on her shoulder.
"You see! A bit more practice and you'll be a pro in no time." He told her.
Misty then stares at Aaron with a blush on her cheeks.
She then remembers how she first met the Black Ranger and how he protected her from Kurt's sonic attack and the times he had saved her as well.
Aaron then notices her stare as he turns to her and blinks.
"Is something wrong?" Aaron asked and Misty quickly turned away and lowered her head.
"No! It's nothing!" Misty said and Aaron once again blinked in confusion.
The others couldn't help but chuckle to see that.
"Alright. Think I'll take my turn now." Shin said as he stood up.
But then the Rangers' Morphers then began to ring as someone was calling them, they answered the call and appearing on screen was Pixel.
"Hello, Rangers. I hate to interrupt your fun but we may have a situation." Pixel greeted them.
"Then what is it, Pixel?" Dean asked.
"Well, just recently I detected a ship that managed to sneak past our surveillance system." Pixel told them and they were surprised to hear that.
"What?" Alisa said.
"And you're sure about that?" Shin asked and Pixel nodded.
"Yes. Trust me, I was as surprised as you are. Thankfully I was able to track it down to its landing location and it's about a few clicks northeast from the town." Pixel said before she brings out the location on their Morphers' screens.
"Is it the Kaiser Empire?" Dean asked.
"At this point, it's too early to tell. But nonetheless, this still acquires investigation." Pixel told them and they nodded.
"Alright. Then get the transporter ready." Dean said before he ended the transmission and he and his team stood up.
"So duty calls once again?" Salamandinay asked and Dean nodded.
"Yeah. It always does." He said before he and his team teleported out of the sports center.
The Nexus Rangers then arrived at the area where the ship had landed, they looked and soon saw it. Dean then signals his team to be quiet and points to some hiding spots behind some trees and bushes.
The ship is quite large and the designs on it look fast and powerful.
Shin studies the ship and whistles at its design.
"Nice. Now that is an impressive looking ship."
"Admired it later Shin, focus." Dean told him.
"Right, right, sorry." Shin said before he put on a pair of high-tech glasses and used them to scan the ship for any lifeforms and traps but saw nothing. "There's no sign of any traps or life signals."
Shin then took off his glasses.
"Okay. Then let's…" Dean said before Alisa notices that someone was approaching the ship and shushes at Dean. "Alisa?"
Alisa made a shush gesture to tell the others to be quiet before she pointed at the person she spotted.
That's when the Nexus Rangers had seen a cloak figure in the area as they walked close to the ship to examine it.
"Think that's the pilot?" Claire asked.
"Possibly. But it's difficult to tell from here." Shin said.
"Well either way, we need to question them." Dean said and Shin nodded in agreement.
"I agree. We should move in stealthy and determine if they're hostile or not." Shin suggested and the others nodded.
"Alright. Let's do it." Dean said before he and his team split up and stealthy moved towards the hooded figure while they weren't looking.
As the hooded figure continued to inspect the ship, they soon found a button to open the hatch, they were about to press it but the hooded figure stopped as Dean grabbed onto his shoulder.
"Hold it right there, buddy." Dean said as the hooded figure turned to him and saw an image of another man in his place before it faded away which surprised them. "I don't know who you are and where you came from, but right now, I need some answers-"
Before he could finish, the hooded figure grabs onto wrist and throws Dean over their head and sends him to the ground.
"Hey!" The hooded figure then saw the other Nexus Rangers appearing out of their hiding spots and facing him. "Nobody picks on my cousin but me!"
"Take them down!" Shin said before the Nexus Rangers charge at the hooded figure.
Claire moves towards them flipping and throws a kick at them, but the hooded stranger avoids her kick along with a few more before he catches Claire's ankle and throws her to the ground.
Shin and Aaron moved in and attacked the hooded stranger with coordinated attacks, but the stranger avoided their attacks and landed a kick on Aaron and punches on Shin's chest, sending both Rangers to the ground.
The hooded stranger then uses one hand and arm to parry Alisa's attacks before he pushes her back and lands a sweep kick on her legs to knock the Yellow Ranger off her feet as she falls to the ground.
The stranger then saw Dean was now back on his feet as he charged at them.
Dean attacks the stranger with punches and kicks, but they avoid his attacks and parries his kick with one arm.
The hooded stranger then attacks Dean with a kick, the Red Ranger avoids his attack and lands three punches on the stranger's chest and they are forced to stumble back.
"Had enough yet?" Dean asked.
The stranger gave his answer by pulling out a sword from his cloak and Dean looked at it.
The sword appeared to be in a sealed state as the blade appeared to be made out of stone with a dog's head acting as the guard with its mouth closed and locked with a golden chain.
Dean's eyes widened as he recognized that sword.
"That's…!" Dean said.
The hooded stranger then slashes at Dean with their sword, the Red Ranger avoids his attacks and has a few close calls as one slash manages to cut a few strands of his hair.
Dean avoided one slash by moving under the sword while spinning as he stopped, the hooded stranger then spun around and brought their sword right to his neck.
"It appears that I've won." The stranger said with a man's voice.
But Dean smirks at him.
"Are you sure about that?" Dean questions him.
The hooded stranger then looked down and saw that Dean had aimed his Nexus Blaster in front of his stomach. The stranger chuckles.
"I guess that was careless of me." He said before he and Dean lowered their weapons and stepped back.
The other Nexus Rangers stood back up and moved to Dean's side as they looked at the hooded stranger.
"Now that we got that settled. How about you tell us who you are?" Dean asked although he already has a good idea who the hooded stranger is.
"Of course. But I doubt you didn't put the pieces together."
The cloak man removed his hood, showing he wasn't a man but an alien lifeform.
He resembles an Earth canine with blue scale-like skin with some white on the bottom of his mouth and in front of his neck and has some hair on the back of his head. He also had pointed ears.
The Rangers were shocked to see his face as they recognized him as the legendary Commander Anubis 'Doggie' Cruger, the Shadow Ranger.
"Commander Cruger…" Dean said.
"Hello, Rangers." Cruger greeted the Nexus Rangers.
(Meanwhile)
In the Kaiser Sphere, Prince Crimson was seated on his throne while he was trying his best to suppress powerful aura as he was deeply frustrated by Aggron and Reptileon's defeat against the Rangers despite the fact they were split into two teams.
Both General Swartz and Cyber were looking at him in concern.
"And once again, the prince is deeply frustrated by what happened." Swartz said quietly and Cyber nodded.
"I quite agree. And once we need to find some way to appease his anger somehow." Cyber said.
"But how though?" Swartz said before the Sphere's alarm system was going off. "What? The alarm?"
"What is this?!" Prince Crimson exclaimed as he stood up.
Cyber uses his computer to check what was going on and soon finds out what the problem was.
"This can't be…We have an intruder!" Cyber said.
"An intruder?" Swartz said.
"It must be the Rangers! How did they get past our defenses?!" Prince Crimson said.
That's when the door opened and saw a Xedroid standing behind it before it fell to the ground, Prince Crimson and his subordinates saw a playing card impeded behind its head.
"Sorry to say, but I'm not a Power Ranger." Said the intruder as he walks into the room and the leaders of the Kaiser Sphere looks at him and studies his appearance.
He had a green body with black and orange pieces that were on opposite and opposing sides on his legs, arms, chest and head. He was also flicking a deck of playing cards between his hands.
The intruder stops as the leaders of the Kaiser Sphere stood in front of him.
"Who are you?" Prince Crimson questions him as he along with Swartz and Cyber were ready to attack the intruder.
The intruder then dismissed his deck of cards and bowed before the prince of the Kaiser Empire.
"Please pardon my unannounced visit, Your Highness. My name is Wildcard, and I'm here with a proposition for you." Wildcard offered.
"A proposition?" Cyber said.
"And what would that be?" Prince Crimson questions him and Wildcard chuckles before he tells him the details of his plans.
After sorting things out with Commander Cruger, the Nexus Rangers and the legendary warrior investigated the inside of the spaceship but saw it was completely empty and even the ship's logs and records were deleted from the memory banks.
Whoever was piloting this ship, they didn't want anyone to know what they were doing or planning.
After that, the Rangers soon returned to the Hub with Commander Cruger where Pixel, Salamandinay, Naga, Kaname, and Misty were waiting for them. They soon saw that they had returned as they moved towards them.
"You're back. What did you learn…" Salamandinay said before she and the others noticed Cruger was with them.
Thinking that he was an intruder, Salamandinay and her subordinates were ready to attack before the Nexus Rangers moved in to stop their attempt.
"Whoa! Whoa! Hey, hold your horses there!" Claire told them.
"It's alright! This is Commander Cruger; he's a Ranger like us!" Dean told them.
"What?" Kaname said.
"He is?" Naga asked and the Nexus Rangers nodded.
"Then…I'm sorry for the hostility." Salamandinay said as she and her subordinates.
"It's fine. Dean had briefed me of the situation here, so I can understand." Cruger said.
They then walked to the computer, Salamandinay looked at Commander Cruger and could tell how strong he was.
"I'm glad that you stopped me when you did, I could tell he's an opponent that is not to be underestimated." Salamandinay said.
"Yeah. Like Mick, Commander Cruger is a living legend among Power Rangers. He fought in many battles and defeated Emperor Gruumm during the Troobian Empire's attack on Earth. He also served as the mentor to the S.P.D Rangers before becoming the supreme commander of said organization." Dean explained to her and the others.
"And if you think Dean's good with a sword, the old commander here is on a whole nother level." Claire told them.
"I see." Salamandinay said before Cruger turned to them.
"You are aware that I can hear you, right?" Cruger said and Dean and Claire nervously chuckled.
The Red Nexus Ranger then coughs in his hand before they stop the computer.
"Well anyway, sir, I think we should be brief about what's going on. Like what was that ship doing here?" Dean asked and Cruger nodded.
"Of course." He said before he brought out his Patrol Morpher
The Morpher was colored purely black with golden letters and two red sirens on the top with a white button and a switch that can be pushed up and down.
"May I?" Cruger said and Pixel nodded before she brought a cable.
Cruger then picks up the cable to connect it between his Morpher to the computer.
"I was following that ship for some time now before I tracked it down to your dimension. I still don't know for what purpose, but I do know who the pilot was." Cruger said before he brought out an image on the computer screen and it was a picture of Wildcard. "He calls himself Wildcard. For the past few weeks, he's been stealing highly advanced tech and parts from different planets, including tech from S.P.D bases."
"Hence why you were tracking him down." Dean said and Cruger nodded.
"Indeed. But that's not the only thing that concerns me." Cruger said.
"How so?" Aaron asked.
"Well…According to a reliable source, Wildcard hadn't just been stealing tech from my universe, he also stole certain pieces from other dimensions." Cruger told them.
"Now that's a bit concerning." Shin said.
"And what sort of reliable source are we talking about?" Dean asked.
"The source was from your grandfather, Harry." Cruger said and the Nexus Rangers and Pixel were surprised to hear that.
"What?" Dean said.
"You talk to him? Where is he? Is he with you?" Claire asked and Cruger shook his head.
"I'm afraid he isn't with me, and I don't know where his current location is either. I'm sorry." Cruger said. Dean and Claire were left a bit saddened by this.
Salamandinay then placed a hand on Dean's shoulder, and he turned to her.
"Don't be disheartened by this. At least he's still out there and is still helping you and your team." Salamandinay told him and Dean smiled.
"Yeah…You're right. Thanks." Dean said.
Shin then coughs in his hand to interrupt the moment and focus on the task at hand.
"Anyway, can you at least tell us how Harry contacted you?" Shin asked.
"Of course. Harry contacted me using an old signal frequency that we created together. Truth be told, I'm still surprised that he remembered it after all this time. But then again, his mind is always sharp like that." Cruger said with some nostalgia in his voice.
But that told the Nexus Rangers that Cruger knows more about Harry than they did.
"Wait…You know Harry personally?" Alisa asked and Cruger nodded.
"Yes. He and I have a history, in fact we were friends for years." Cruger told him.
"What?" Claire said.
"Why would my grandpa know you?" Dean asked.
Cruger was a bit confused at first but soon understood.
"You mean, he never told you? Harry was originally from my dimension." He told the Nexus Rangers, and they were surprised to learn this.
"What?" Dean said.
"Y-You're kidding, right?" Claire asked but Cruger shook his head.
"No, I'm not. The reason we know each other is because Harry was a part of the S.P.D, in fact he was one of the first members including me." Cruger told them and they were once again surprised.
"No way…really?" Dean asked.
"Yes. Really." Cruger said.
"But…how is that possible?" Claire asked.
"The reason for that is quite simple. A few years after the S.P.D Earth base was created, most of our top scientists were experimenting with space bridge technology." Cruger told them.
"Space bridge?" Salamandinay said.
"It's a kind of portal that leads from one location in space to another." Shin explained to her.
"Really? That's fascinating." Salamandinay said.
"Yes…It would have. Harry and I were supervisors for the project, until something went wrong, and the space bridge exploded. Thankfully most of the scientists and myself were left unscathed, but Harry was the closest to the blast and unfortunately his body was never found. So, he was considered MIA for some time." Cruger said.
"Now that sounds oddly familiar." Shin mutters to himself.
"I always assume the worst of what happened to Harry. But thanks to some help, I was able to learn that he was still alive. Shortly after the Time Force Rangers gave S.P.D the means of traveling between different dimensions, I was able to track him down to this one." Cruger said before he remembered meeting Harry in this world after he was able to find him.
(Flashback)
After arriving in the Nexus Rangers' world, it was set way before the D-War even before they were born.
Cruger was able to contact Harry and is now standing outside of the house where he currently resides as they spoke to each other.
"I'd arrive here in the hope of bringing him back with me. But Harry refused to come with me." Cruger said.
"But why?" Dean asked.
"Did you even have to ask?" Cruger asked back.
A young Harry rubs the back of his neck before he spoke to Cruger.
"I'm sorry, Cruger. But…My home is here now."
Cruger then spotted a woman who was standing close to the door watching them and noticed that she was pregnant and that gave Cruger the answer he needed.
(End of flashback)
"And so, with little choice, I respected Harry's decision in staying here." Cruger said.
The Nexus Rangers were deeply amazed by this.
"Well…I guess that answers the suspicions we had about Harry for some time." Shin said.
"But…I didn't expect this." Dean said before Cruger placed a hand on his shoulder.
"Keep your chin up, young man. It may be true that Harry originally didn't belong here, but he was adamant that this world is his home now." Cruger told him.
"He's right. If it weren't for that…I wouldn't have met, you." Salamandinay said while doing her best to hide her blush and Dean smiled.
"Yeah, I guess you do have a point there." Dean said while rubbing the back of his head.
Cruger then coughs in his hand.
"Anyway, I know you have no end of questions after learning about this. But I'm afraid we have no time for that." Cruger told them and they nodded.
"Right. We need to figure out what Wildcard is up to." Dean said.
"Then it's a good thing I have this." Cruger said before he brought out a datadrive. "This is a list of things Wildcard had stolen in different dimensions. Provided by Harry himself."
"Okay. Let's see what you got." Shin said before he took the datadrive and inserted it into the computer.
Shin then types on the computer to bring out the drive's files and the Blue Ranger quickly and thoroughly reads through each item on the list. Shin whistles to see this list.
"Dang…This guy got a bunch of stuff. Wait…Plasma conductor. Fifty ion cables. Five elerium powered batteries. It couldn't be…" Shin said.
"What is it, Shin?" Dean asked.
"If I'm right about this, which I always am, Wildcard has the parts needed to build an interdimensional gateway." Shin answered, which surprised them.
"Like our Transportal Device?" Dean asked.
"Yes. But on a much more powerful scale which will create a bigger portal, roughly around the same size as the singularities." Shin said.
"Okay, we get that. But why would Wildcard build something like that? I mean he already has the means of traveling between dimensions." Salamandinay said.
"Maybe he wants to bring forth an army?" Claire said.
"Or he wants to sell it to the highest bidder. I mean he is a thief." Alisa said.
"Either way, it can't be for something good. We need to stop it before something happens." Dean said and Shin nodded.
"Yeah, Dean's right. We have to put a stop to it or else we'll be looking at a calamity level event." The Blue Ranger told them.
"How so?" Misty asked.
"Well, interdimensional travel can sometimes be extremely powerful and risky. If this Wildcard makes the slightest miscalculation and if any of the parts are misaligned, we'll be looking at a blackhole event that will destroy the Earth along with half of the universe along with it." Shin told them which shocked the others in the room.
"What?" Naga asked
"Would he even take such a risk?" Kaname said.
"Doubtful, I wouldn't put it behind him either." Commander Cruger said.
"Then we need to stop him before that happens. Shin, Pixel sends out the spycams and uses the satellite system to track him down." Dean told them.
"You got it!" Shin and Pixel said before they used their computers to send out the spycams and used their satellites to track down Wildcard.
"The rest of us should fan out to different parts of the world and search on the ground." Dean said and the others nodded in agreement.
"Sounds good to me." Claire said.
"I'll even have my people to help as well." Salamandinay said.
"That would be most welcomed, thanks." Dean said. "Now let's move out!"
The Rangers and Salamandinay's crew soon teleported out of the base while Misty stayed behind in the Hub.
"Be careful everyone." Misty said.
(Meanwhile)
After accepting Wildcard's request for help, Cyber along with a legion of Xedroids were building his machine using the tech and parts he had stolen across different universes.
Cyber was overseeing the production while Wildcard acted as a guard before he spoke to the scientist.
"How is it coming along?" Wildcard asked.
"Hmph. It's proceeding rather smoothly, hopefully we'll finish this before the Rangers find us. But I must say, I'm surprised you were able to convince the prince to help with your…little project." Cyber said as the Xedroids were building a dimensional gateway.
(Flashback)
In the Kaiser Sphere, Wildcard had shown Prince Crimson, Swartz and Cyber the blueprint of the gateway.
"A dimensional gateway?" Prince Crimson said.
"It's a little project that I've been working on for a while. I currently have the parts needed, but as you can see, I'm a bit short handed in helpers. So I was hoping you would graciously lend some of your support staff to me." Wildcard said.
"And what makes you think I would do that?" Prince Crimson questions him.
"Oohhh…temper, temper, Your Highness. You see, I'm doing this to help some friends of mine. Once the gateway is complete, I'll bring them here and we'll destroy the Rangers on your behalf. But don't worry, the Earth will still be yours for the taking. If you're willing to trust me." Wildcard said.
Price Crimson took a moment to think about this. While he wasn't sure if this Wildcard can be trusted, he won't deny that this dimensional gateway is indeed intriguing and if these allies of his can defeat the Nexus Rangers, then that would make it even more worthwhile.
"Very well, Wildcard. You will have my support." Prince Crimson said.
"You are a most gracious audience, Your Highness." Wildcard bowed his head to the prince.
(End of flashback)
Cyber then brings out the blueprint of Wildcard's dimensional gateway to study it once again.
"I have to say, this design is quite impressive. How did you acquire something like this?" Cyber asked.
"I have my means." Wildcard said vaguely.
"Hmph." Cyber scoffed before he continued to oversee the construction effort.
Wildcard then notices an item glowing beside his waist before he hides it and walks away and Cyber turns to call out to him.
"Where are you going?"
"Nowhere. I just have to handle another matter. You just handle your own thing." Wildcard said.
"Very well." Cyber said.
After arriving in a spot where no one can see or hear him, Wildcard soon brought out the glowing object which was a dark crystal.
Wildcard then placed the crystal to the ground and took a few steps back, he then made some arm movements while doing an incantation.
"Uotaie moutol shirahou meou ittal menken shima!"
Responding to his incantation, the crystal created purple lines and ancient words as they formed three different paths and circles with small flames above them.
Then three dark crystal mirrors appeared in front of Wildcard and then a shadowy figure appeared within each of them.
While the majority of their appearance can't be seen, there were still some features that are noticeable between each of them.
The one in the middle mirror appears to be a female with dark orange eyes and a diamond shaped blue light on her chest. She had a dark passionate air around as she had her left hand on her hip.
The one in the left mirror had bulky armor and has yellow eyes with a blue light on his chest as well. He had a powerful and furious air around him as his arms were folded.
The one in the right mirror had a sleek appearance while still having a well-tone build and had a large windy piece on his right shoulder, he had blue eyes and had a blue light on the left side of his chest. He had a flamboyant air around him as he had one hand underneath his elbow while having his other hand beside his head.
Each individual within their mirrors had a powerful aura around them as Wildcard could feel it despite, he was standing outside.
Wildcard then kneels before the figures.
"My masters." Wildcard greeted them as he bowed his head.
"Report, Wildcard." The one in the middle mirror spoke out first.
"The project is proceeding smoothly. Those fools in the Kaiser Empire have no idea what they're about to unleash."
"Most excellent. You have served us well." She said.
"Thank you. But…I'm afraid I also have concerning information. The Nexus Rangers are still alive." Wildcard said and his masters were deeply surprised by this.
"What?" The bulky armored warrior said.
"And you're certain about this?" The other male questions him.
"Yes, without a doubt." Wildcard nodded.
The master in the middle clicks her tongue in annoyance.
"And here I thought we were finally free of those insects. But I suppose we shouldn't expect anything less since they pushed back our first invasion." She said. "Well, no matter, we still have a duty to fulfill. Continue your mission Wildcard and if the Rangers stand in your way, then destroy them."
"Understood. It will be done." Wildcard bowed his head.
"Good. Then we expect to hear good news soon." She told them before she along with the other masters disappeared and the mirrors shattered into pieces.
Wildcard then picks up the crystal and moves to oversee the construction of the gateway.
But unknown to Wildcard and the Kaiser Empire's forces, the Nexus Rangers' spycams had soon found them.
After Shin and Pixel contact their team and allies, they soon return to the Hub and move towards the computer.
"Hey, did you really find Wildcard?" Dean asked, Shin and Pixel nodded.
"Yeah, we did." Shin said.
"But it appears he's not alone." Pixel said before they showed footage of Wildcard standing with Cyber as the Xedroids were building the dimensional gateway.
"Cyber. So, he's working with the Kaiser Empire." Dean said.
"And it appears that his gateway is nearly complete." Commander Cruger said.
"Then we better stop them." Dean said and the others nodded.
The Nexus Rangers and Commander Cruger then moves to the transporter to head to where Wildcard and his dimensional gateway is located.
The dimensional gateway is near completion, Wildcard and Cyber look at while speaking to each other.
"The gateway is near completion. Soon we'll have the means to open dimensional portals." Cyber said.
"I have to say, I'm impressed that you were able to build this in a short amount of time. I suppose you're not the smartest brain in the galaxy for nothing." Wildcard commented.
"Please. I don't need you to tell me the obvious." Cyber scoffed.
That's when they heard the sounds of battle, both Wildcard and Cyber looked and saw it was the Rangers as they battled and defeated some of the Xedroids before standing in front of them.
"Stop right there!" Dean said.
"Tsk! I should've known you would appear at the worst timing!" Cyber said in annoyance.
"It's kind of our thing." Claire said.
"So you're the Power Rangers of this world?" Wildcard said as he stepped forward and saw Cruger was with them. "Well, well, Commander Cruger. You followed me all the way here? I'm quite flattered."
"Keep your comments to yourself, because I won't hear them." Cruger said before he spoke to the Nexus Rangers. "You ready Rangers?!"
"You bet!" Dean nodded. "It's Morphin' Time!"
"Access the Morphin Grid!" The Nexus Rangers said as they morph into their Ranger forms and strike poses.
"Nexus Rangers! We stand united!"
Commander Cruger then pulled out his Patrol Morpher. He then crossed his arms with his Morpher.
"S.P.D Emergency!" Cruger shouted as he swung his arms and pointed his Morpher forward before he pressed the button to open/activate it.
With that, Commander Cruger morphs into his Ranger form with his Shadow Saber holstered to his side.
Cruger was wearing a black bodysuit with cold-blue armor with the number '100' on his chest with red lining and has the SPD badge on both shoulders along with another on his right shoulder and on his helmet's forehead with bladed fins and sirens.
"Sworn Defender of the Galaxy! S.P.D Shadow Ranger!" Commander Cruger declared as he strikes his pose and the sirens on his helmet flashes.
"No choice. Xedroids, keep them at bay while I finish the construction!" Cyber said as he begins putting in the final touches to the gateway and the Xedroids move in front of the Rangers.
Dean, Shin, and Alisa pull out their Nexus Daggers while Aaron and Claire pull out their Blasters.
Commander Cruger then pulls out his Shadow Saber and unleashes its power as the mouth opens and the blade changes form.
"Shadow Saber!" He shouted before he assumed his stance with it. "Attack!"
The Rangers then charged at the Xedroids and they did the same as both groups battled each other.
Shin and Alisa cut them down with their Daggers while using their animal movements to avoid their attacks.
Aaron and Claire fired at the Xedroids with their Blasters before they avoided their counter attack with Aaron rolling on the ground and Claire doing some flips.
Dean and Cruger use their weapons to attack the Xedroids, Cruger slashes at two who were charging at them while Dean slashes one at the chest and kicks another one on the chest.
Dean then back kicks one that was charging at Commander Cruger and Cruger manages to avoid it to slash another Xedroid that was charging at Dean. Commander Cruger then slashes at two more Xedroids and Dean changes to his Dagger's Blaster Mode and uses it to fire at three Xedroids.
After changing it back to its Dagger Mode, Dean and Cruger spun around to slash one Xedroid that was charging at them and slash at another one. Both Dean and Commander Cruger did a back-to-back with each other before turning at each other and smiled beneath their helmets before they went back into fighting the Xedroids.
The Rangers then defeated the remaining Xedroids and soon turned their attention to Cyber as he was almost done with gateway, they were about to move in to stop him but Wildcard moved in front of them.
"Sorry but you'll be dealing with me now. And the cards are always in my favor." Wildcard said before he brought out some of his cards and threw them in front of the Rangers' feet.
"Your aim is terrible." Dean said and Wildcard raised a finger.
"Wait for it." He told them before the cards exploded which dealt them damage as they were forced to step back.
"Guess we should be careful about those cards." Claire said.
"Seems like it!" Dean said before they charge in and attack Wildcard.
Wildcard avoided their attacks while throwing his cards at the Rangers, some of them managed to avoid his cards but some hit the others as they exploded, but the Rangers continued to press on and battle Wildcard.
Cyber watched their battle and secretly gave Wildcard thanks for giving him time he needed to complete the construction of the gateway.
"It is now complete!" Cyber said which was heard by Wildcard and the Rangers.
"Then what are you waiting for? Use it!" Wildcard said.
"No! Don't do it!" Shin said before Wildcard threw a card at him which exploded and sent the Blue Ranger to the ground.
"Shin!" Aaron said as he moved in to help him stand up.
"I don't need you to tell me that." Cyber said as he grabbed onto the lever and pulled it down to activate the gateway.
After a few seconds, energy appeared within it and it soon expanded to form a portal.
"Yes!" Wildcard cheered to see this while the Rangers were worried what's going to come next.
That's when something went wrong as the portal soon began to warp and change into black color. Wildcard was confused to see this.
"What? What's going on?" Wildcard said.
The portal then continues to expand and slowly begins to suck in everything, rocks and dirt from the ground, leaves from the trees and even air itself.
The Rangers quickly understood what was happening after seeing that.
"Black hole?" Dean asked and Shin nodded.
"Black hole."
"It can't be! This wasn't supposed to happen…Unless!" Wildcard said before he turned to Cyber who was chuckling to mock him.
"Indeed. I made some slight modifications from your desired design. On the prince's orders of course." Cyber told them.
"Damn you! You tricked me!" Wildcard exclaimed at him.
"Oh please. It was your own fault for underestimating Prince Crimson's cunning and stratagem. But you shouldn't worry, by my calculations, the black hole will expend wide enough for you and the Rangers. But nonetheless, the Kaiser Empire is thankful for your service." Cyber said before he teleported back to the Sphere.
"Grr…Curse you and your Empire! I'll make sure…" Wildcard said before he saw the black hole sucking in the tree.
The black hole then begins to drag Wildcard into it, he quickly grabs onto a large and heavy rock to prevent being sucked in.
It also begins to suck in the Rangers. Acting quickly, Alisa uses her flying abilities to keep her distance but the black hole still has a good hold on her, Dean and Shin thrusts their Daggers deep within the ground to secure themselves and Shin quickly grabs onto Aaron to keep him from being sucked in.
"I gotcha!" Shin said.
"Thanks!" Aaron said.
That's when they hear Claire screaming as the black hole drags her in.
"Claire!" Dean said as he reached out to her.
"Dean!" Clarie reached out to him as well.
Despite Dean's best effort, both his and Claire's hands missed each other by a small inch as the Pink Ranger flew towards the black hole.
"Nnnnooo!" Dean shouted.
Just as Claire could only brace her for her impending demise, Commander Cruger who had his sword in the ground grabs onto her hand.
"Commander Cruger!" Claire said.
"Don't worry! I have you!" He said as he managed to pull her into his arms and grabbed hold onto while having his other arm around his Saber.
As the black hole continues to expand, its suction power grows more powerful as it begins to consume more trees and large rocks while dragging in the Rangers inch by inch.
"This isn't good! We'll get sucked in at any moment!" Alisa said.
"There has to be something we can do!" Aaron said.
"Actually…There might be!" Shin said, getting his friends' attention.
"Then what is it?!" Dean asked.
"Well it's a bit risky! But right now the black hole is still in an unstable state! If we fire a powerful blast of energy within it, it should create an explosion and it will collapse from within!" Shin answered.
"A powerful blast? As in…" Claire said before she and the others had the same conclusion before they looked at their Nexus Daggers/Blasters.
"Exactly! The power of our SuperCharge Cards will have the force needed for the job! But we have to let suck us in for a moment and then fire!" Shin told them.
"Really? That's the best that you can come up with?" Aaron said.
"I know it's a gamble but it's our best shot!" Shin said.
"What should we do Dean?" Alisa asked.
Dean thought about it before he turned to Commander Cruger.
"What are you looking at me for? This is your world, your team, so you have to make the call." The Shadow Ranger told him and Dean chuckled.
"Funny. That's exactly what grandpa would've said." Dean said but made his decision nonetheless. "Alright! We're going with Shin's plan!"
The others sighed but agreed.
"Should've known you were going to say that." Aaron said.
"Well…We took on worse odds than this." Alisa said.
"But not like this." Claire said.
"Alright! Then we move on three! One…two…three!" Dean said as he and his team let the black hole sucked them in.
The Nexus Rangers soon ready their Blasters and pull out their SuperCharge Cards to load them into their weapons, they soon fired a combined energy blast straight into the black hole which exploded within which created a bright light.
The Nexus Rangers had fallen on the ground before they groaned and stood back up.
"Aagghh…Is everyone okay?" Dean asked.
"Define okay?" Shin asked.
"I'm good…but I could've sworn I saw my life flashing before my eyes." Aaron said.
"I'm in one piece…" Alisa mutters.
"Same here…But let's never do that again." Claire said before she shook her head.
They looked at the dimensional gateway and saw it was destroyed along with the black hole.
"Well…at least the plan worked." Shin said.
"I wouldn't call it a plan. But still, well done Rangers." Said Cruger as he approached them.
"Thanks, it means a lot to hear that from you." Dean said.
"Damn you…!"
The Rangers look and see that Wildcard is still alive as he glares at them.
"Oh, right. Almost forgot about you." Claire said.
"But I don't see why you should glare at us. It was your own fault for trusting another bad guy to help you." Shin said.
"Oh trust me, I know. But I can't allow this to end in failure. I can at least make up for this, by delivering your heads to my masters!" Wildcard said.
"Masters?" Cruger said.
"Then he's working for someone?" Dean said.
Wildcard then brought out his cards and threw them at the Rangers and they quickly avoided them.
"Doesn't seem like he'll give up without a fight." Claire said.
"Then we'll just have to oblige him." Commander Cruger said and Dean nodded in agreement.
"Yeah. Plus we'll do something special for you and for Grandpa!" Dean said and the others nodded.
The Nexus Rangers soon bring out the S.P.D Ranger Cards.
"Load Legendary Ranger Card! S.P.D!" The Nexus Rangers shouted as they loaded the Cards into their Morphers.
"S.P.D Emergency!" The Nexus Rangers then transform into the S.P.D Rangers.
"Please! Like a costume change can beat me!" Wildcard soon brings out and throws his cards at the Nexus Rangers, and they soon bring out their blasters to shoot each of them down.
"What?!" Wildcard said in shock.
Shin, Aaron, Alisa, and Claire soon bring out their rods/sticks as they and Dean and Commander Cruger approach Wildcard.
Shin and Aaron started the attack as they charge at Wildcard and landed some good hits with their weapons, this was followed by more attacks by Alisa and Claire, then to Commander Cruger as he slash upon Wildcard with his Shadow Saber and then Dean jumps over him to fire upon Wildcard before he landed to attack him with close range attacks with his blasters.
Dean then combined both blasters and aimed it at Wildcard.
"Delta Blaster! Combo Mode! Fully charged…fire!" Dean said as he fired at Wildcard which created an explosion.
Wildcard survived the attack as he fell to the ground, the Nexus Rangers, back in their base form, approached him along with Commander Cruger.
Just as Wildcard stood up on his hands and knees, Commander Cruger pointed his Saber at him.
"Now you're coming with me, Wildcard. I have some questions for you that need answering." Cruger said but Wildcard only chuckles. "What's so funny?"
"Oh Cruger, despite all your experience and wisdom, you're quite naive. Because if you think I would betray my masters…then you're dreaming!" Wildcard said before he brings out a joker card and it begins to light up, Cruger and the Nexus Rangers had a good idea what's going to happen.
"Fall back! Fall back!" Cruger said as they quickly moved away from Wildcard as his card created a large explosion.
After it died down, Dean called out to his friends and Cruger.
"Is everyone okay?"
"We're fine, Dean. Don't worry." Shin said before the Rangers regrouped.
They then looked at the spot where Wildcard was on and saw there was no trace of him.
"I can't believe he would destroy himself like that." Claire said.
"He would rather sacrifice himself to please his masters than to disappoint them." Commander Cruger said.
"But that just gives us another mystery." Shin said and Dean had the same thought.
"Who were his masters?" The Red Ranger said.
Unknown to the Nexus Rangers and Commander Cruger, one of Wildcard's masters were watching them in another dimension and was quite displeased by this.
"This is quite a disappointing turn. But oh well, at least Wildcard had destroyed himself instead of being taken alive." She said before she set her eyes on the Nexus Rangers.
"Make no mistake, Power Rangers. Once my master is reborn, your world will fall under our rule!" She said before she raised her fist as she tightly clenched it.
After Wildcard's self-destruction, the Nexus Rangers and Commander Cruger soon return to the Hub. With his task here now complete, Cruger was ready to head back to his dimension but not before speaking to the Rangers.
"I wish I could tell you more of what Harry has been up to after he left. But I'm afraid this event from Wildcard is the extent of my knowledge." Commander Cruger told them.
"I figured as much. But just knowing he's still out there is more than enough. So thank you." Dean said.
"You're welcome. But I highly doubt this will be the last time I hear from him. Because something tells me that Harry knows more about Wildcard's motives than he lets on. If and when he contacts me again, you'll be the first to know about it." Cruger told the Nexus Rangers.
"We'll appreciate that." Dean said.
Commander Cruger then reaches out his hand for a shake.
"This may not be the outcome I hope for, but it was an honor to fight by your side." He said.
Dean smiles and shakes his hand.
"The honor was all ours, Commander. If you need anything, don't hesitate to ask." Dean said.
"I'll keep that in mind." Commander Cruger said before he let go of Dean's hand and walked away from him and his team.
Cruger then brought the Transportal Device and created a portal with it. He was about to jump in and return to his dimension, but…
"Commander Cruger!" Dean calls out.
Cruger stops and turns to the Nexus Rangers and they give him the S.P.D salute. Cruger was a bit surprised by this before he stared at Dean, and saw the image of his grandfather Harry in his youth and he greatly resembles the Red Nexus Ranger.
Cruger smiles before he returns the salute and jumps into the portal to return to his own dimension.
While the other Nexus Rangers return to their rooms to rest, Dean stays in the commander center to bring out a group photo of himself, his team along with Harry and Pixel.
"Reminiscing?" Said Salamandinay as she approached the Red Ranger.
"Something like that. It's just…I always thought I knew everything about Grandpa. He's been my rock ever since I lost my parents and made me the man I am today. But now after hearing more about his past from Commander Cruger, I can't help but wonder what else he hid from me and Claire." Dean said. Salamandinay hummed before saying this to Dean.
"Hmmm…Well, sometimes the truth can be dangerous. But tell me this though, will you see him any differently than you did before?"
Dean thought about it before he remembered the memories he made with his grandfather. Like how he first rode his bike, where they played catch with a baseball and where he taught him to drive. He smiled before he shook his head.
"No. It doesn't matter what his past was like. Grandpa will always be Grandpa. Just like how I'll always be Dean, his grandson." Dean said and Salamandinay smiled.
"And…" Salamandinay then grabs onto Dean's hand and stares at his face. "Someone who I'll always be proud to call my friend."
"Salamandinay…" Dean said.
They silently stare at each other before they slowly close their eyes and slowly move their lips towards each other, they are only inches away from each other…
"Hey, Dean."
Both Dean and Salamandinay open their eyes as they stop when Claire has arrived as she enters the room.
"If you have time, I was hoping we could…" Claire said before she stopped and saw that he was alone with Salamandinay as they were standing apart from each other with Dean looking up at the ceiling while rubbing the back of his head and Salamandinay looking at the floor while rubbing her hands together. "Oh, sorry. Did I interrupt something?"
"Nope, not at all! Right, Salamandinay?" Dean said.
"Yes, of course! Nothing happened!" Salamandinay said.
"Okay…" Claire said.
Both Dean and Salamandinay weren't sure to call Claire's impeccable timing a blessing or a curse, but they had this sole thought in their heads.
'Just what were we about to do?'
To be continued...
There you have it, hope you like it. Review to tell me what you think of the story.
Today's villain
Wildcard
Design: Yokubarido from Gokaiger
You know, I greatly enjoyed working on this chapter. What can I say, I'm always a sucker for team-ups. Between me and you guys, I wanted to save this for another team-up I had in mind for three certain Rangers but posting this first just felt right to me. Especially since I explained more about Harry's past.
Also, in case you notice or not, Wildcard is working with a different group of villains who will make their debut later on in the story. I won't say much, but I can tell you this, they're more powerful and dangerous than Embryo and the Kaiser Empire.
But that's enough from me, later and I hope you'll continue to read my stories.