Disclaimer: I do not own the Power Rangers or any related indices, characters, etc. This story is written for its entertainment value, not for any monetary gain or any other form of personal profit.
A Gathering of Rangers
By Seth Richards
It had been a normal day. Seth kept that particular thought in his head. Humming erupted from his lips as he kept the idea that maybe, just maybe, he'd make it through this year of Davieston High School without looking too bad. But then, he wore his heart on his sleeve, he regretted to say, and... wait? What was that? The shadows... were they getting darker?
He set down his backpack quickly, then rushed over to investigate. Shadows were supposed to be... well... shadows, after all. They couldn't get darker. And they certainly couldn't form into what almost looked like humanoid creatures. But... somehow, they had.
He then saw one of those creatures point at him and heard its hiss of "Get the Ranger!"
Get the Ranger? Oh, that was too much, he thought, putting himself into a defensive stance he hadn't used in years, and that was only in class. He wasn't a Ranger. A Ranger was something off a television show... or something out of a role-playing game.
Just keep them in mind, Seth, he told himself as he fought them off. One went down with a kick. Two landed on the ground due to a solid punch. He could see one easy problem, though... every time he knocked one out, another took its place, and eventually he would get tired. They'd have him and then, well, they'd have to figure that out after they got him, he supposed.
But then... something else caused him to drop long enough for two more shadows to slam into each other. A coin, glowing gold as the sunlight. It seemed to draw him in, pulling him into looking closely at it... more closely still... until finally, he touched it, and with a flash of light and an electric hum, he was...
Well, where was he? Seth asked himself as he looked up. It was something out of that Power Rangers TV show, definitely. Yep, there was that little golden robot and the blue head floating in the tube, what was its name...
"Zordon," the head spoke.
"Excuse me?"
"I am Zordon. This," he said, indicating the robot with a nod, "is Alpha-5, and I bid you welcome to your destiny. That which surrounds you is the Command Center."
"Uh-huh. Yeah," Seth replied, "My destiny. Well, the effects are nice, but I think I'll get off the soundstage now, and..."
"Seth Richards... this is not a soundstage. You are not dreaming of a TV show. I am truly Zordon, this is truly Alpha, and you have been called here because of a great threat to all that is."
"And that would be?"
"Observe the viewing globe." Deciding to humor the floating blue head, Seth did as he was asked and saw a giant figure covered in shadow as Zordon continued. "This is Lord Nocton, an evil being of great power. The shadow beings you faced are his first wave, meant to prepare several Earths for his takeover. Normal humans cannot touch them...only those with the potential to be Power Rangers can even fight them unsuccessfully, and only Power Rangers can defeat them and the monsters that come with them. You, Seth, are to be the first of a new breed of Power Ranger... drawn from this universe and others where the Rangers do not exist, and meant to fight as the champions of all realities, as the Rangers a now-deceased alternate version of myself defend their own reality."
Seth turned to look at Zordon, a look of awe now on his face. This was for real, after all. "And which one am I?"
"Touch your coin," the reply came. "As the focus of your power, it will let you know your role and how to activate it."
And so he did. Touching the coin again, he felt it grow hot in his hand, and then Seth Richards was awash in images, images of himself clad in a black uniform with golden armor attached and a design upon it, of himself yelling "Gold Ranger Power," of him leading five other young heroes... and he knew what to do. "Gold Ranger Power!" he yelled. With that, he found himself instantly transformed. In his hand rested a golden-bladed sword.
"That," Zordon explained, "is the Sword of Time, your weapon as the first of the Time Corps of Power Rangers. You may also call upon the Golden Power Staff once wielded by a Ranger of that alternate universe I mentioned to you before. Though it in itself will have no power here, when combined with the Sword, it will create the Golden Power Lance, a weapon of amazing offensive and defensive capability."
Seth nodded. "Somehow... I understand all of that. And I understand what I need to do next." Crossing his arms over his chest, he yelled... "Gold Ranger Timeshift!" and disappeared from the Command Center...
... to reappear in what looked like... feudal Japan? Yep, the setup where he landed looked like nothing so much as a noble's court. Something that didn't exist in the pictures of modern-day Japan he'd seen. Getting his bearings, Seth moved down and around, only to find himself with a katana stuck to his throat.
He didn't speak Japanese. He knew that. So why was it that when he heard the young woman who held that sword at his throat, he heard "Monster, surrender or be slain by Lin Uyeshi, daughter of a true and honorable shogun," rather than a bunch of words that made no sense?
Through the armor, Seth shook his head and spoke. "I'm not a monster. I'm a man."
"You look like no man I've seen before."
Seth sighed in frustration and removed the helmet and saw the shock and horror on his hostess's face as he revealed himself to be a young, white, blue-eyed blond. Quickly, he slammed the helmet back on to understand her.
"You... you are not of Nippon!"
"No... no, I'm not," he agreed. "But I'm here to help... you see, there's probably these shadow creatures."
"Yes," she nodded in agreement. "I have met and battled these creatures. Had my father in the ways of combat not trained me, I might have been captured. I managed to drive them off, but I was not completely successful."
Underneath the helmet, Seth smiled. She was the Power Ranger he'd been sent here to find. Quickly, he explained as much about the Power Rangers (and especially the Time Corps) as he knew to tell her, and asked if she'd seen a coin. Nodding, Lin brought out a coin that glowed with a bright pink glow. Obviously this "daughter of a true and honorable shogun" was meant to be the Pink Ranger. Soon enough, with Seth's help to give her a quick run-through of what to do to activate it, the number of Rangers doubled.
Deciding that now was not the best time to find out what the weapons were, both new Rangers timeshifted in a whirlwind search to find the remaining Rangers... and find them they did.
Seth ran into the first new Ranger, Ogonye. A young African warrior with natural intelligence and the wisdom learned of his tribe's spiritual leader on a world where no African had been enslaved, that wisdom had sent him on a futile hunt. That hunt had been for "dark gods" who had been harming the people of his tribe... and caused him to find a blue, glowing disk... It was the mark of his selection as the Blue Ranger of this squad.
Lin next encountered a young Arabic woman whose world had seen the rise of Islam into the great world faith named Ali binte-Asim. Ali's devotion to her faith had caused her to become a warrior in order to wage war against all that would harm it. Using her holy symbols, Ali had defended against a group of dark beings she called jinni. During that battle, she had found a glowing silver coin and picked it up, only to next find the appearance of Lin.
Ali and Lin next proceeded to a world that defied the logic of both their worlds. A young warrior, Tim Anthony Williams, had been out practicing for what he hoped would be upcoming service in the CyberCorps, the military of his world. To that end, he'd improved his skill with his combination sensor/laser pistol to the point that when he'd been attacked by beings that looked like the "shadow birds" his people fought endlessly, he'd gotten in a good shot... and found a glowing black coin in return.
As for Ogonye and Seth, they soon found themselves on a world neither of them had wished for, either... one in which their final Ranger, a young Sioux man named Eagle Cloud, held a bow strung with two arrows aimed at their throats. And convincing him they were human didn't get him to relax. It had taken a battle between currently powered Seth and non-powered Eagle Cloud to finally get him to relax. Eagle Cloud had then told the story of how his ancestor's ghosts had trained them in the techniques that allowed them to keep the white men out of their territory had suddenly turned on them. Counting coup with two well-aimed arrows had convinced them to calm down, but... neither explained the red glowing coin Eagle Cloud had then found.
With that completed, the six Rangers were swept up in a temporal whirlwind that brought them back to the Command Center, where a grim Zordon remarked at all of them. "Rangers," he began, "your enemy Lord Nocton has unleashed his first monster. Unfortunately, all of you are untrained as Power Rangers, and so I must go over quickly your roles and all the rest. You must make sure to always use your powers in the defense of reality, and also never escalate a fight unless you are forced to. To add to this, to further show you that, though you are the first Rangers of this universe, you simply continue a legacy, I have drawn your uniform designs from past series of Power Rangers within the universe of their first existence. That said:
Lin Uyeshi, Pink Temporal Ranger, you are the most graceful and quiet of all the Power Rangers. To aid in that style, you have been given as your weapon the Stellar Shurikens, throwing stars that transform into energy and may be thrown to defeat multiple opponents. Your uniform's design is drawn from that of the Pink Zeo Ranger.
Ali binte-Asim, Silver Temporal Ranger, your faith has given you strength of spirit few can match, a spirit that shines like the silver moon. Your weapon is the Void Crescent, a weapon that may be thrown at enemies, only to return once it strikes an opponent, or you may use it as a defensive weapon to defend yourself against the attacks of an opponent. Your uniform's design is drawn from the Silver Ranger, an ally of the Lightstar Rangers.
Tim Anthony Williams, Black Temporal Ranger, your heart delights in the dark energy of battle, something I hope to correct in time. Your weapon is the Reality Sensor/Blaster Combo. It will allow you not only to fire a powerful burst of energy at your enemies, but also will show you the true nature of those you look at, no matter what they appear to be. Your uniform's design was drawn from that of the Green Turbo Ranger, its color altered to black.
Ogonye, Blue Temporal Ranger, your wisdom extends to matters both practical and spiritual for your people, and you will surely be a blessing to us all. You hold as your weapon the Eternity Spear. Once thrown, it will strike whatever it is thrown at, no matter the aim used to throw it... and no matter the distance to that target. Your costume's design was drawn from the original line of Power Ranger costumes from my alternate's universe.
Eagle Cloud, Red Temporal Ranger, a fire burns within your heart, a fire that has led you in the past to seek what you feel to be justice for your people, and so has made you a strong warrior. To reflect this, your weapon is the Nexus Bow. The Bow fires energy arrows generated by focusing on how many you will need while stringing it. Once fired, a single arrow may slip through time so as to make itself able to defeat an entire row of enemies at once. Your costume's design was drawn, as was Ogonye's, from the original line of Power Ranger costumes.
To add to this, I give you this gift: the gift of being understood by your fellow Rangers and by those you encounter outside of battle. The power within you, focused by the coins, allows others to hear you as if you were speaking within their own language, though you speak your own."
Eagle Cloud nodded. "All this is good, of course. But our greatest need now is for a leader. And somehow, as the Red Ranger, I feel that I should..."
Zordon looked at all the assembled Rangers and cut Eagle Cloud's words off. "There is no need. A leader has already been chosen for you... by the power within himself alone."
"What?" the question came from all around. A leader was already chosen? But... who? How? And then... the realization hit them as they turned to the only Ranger whose powers hadn't been spoken of during Zordon's talk... their new Gold Ranger.
Seth nodded. "My coin showed me leading a group of young heroes when I focused on it to prove that all this was real after I first came here. Apparently, this was what it meant."
The others looked at him, and nodded. If that was what was meant to be, so be it. "All right, Seth," Ogonye asked, "then how do we activate our powers?"
"Actually," Seth admitted, "I'm not sure. I mean... I "'morph,' as the process's called, by calling out "'Gold Ranger Power,' but somehow I doubt that's how it goes for the rest of you." He looked up at Zordon, the question on his face. "Zordon? Care to explain?"
"To morph," Zordon explained, "each of you other five will need to call out the names of your weapons. Call them after you have gained your powers, and they will appear. Alone, they are formidable. Combine your five weapons with Seth's Golden Power Lance, and they will form a weapon of even greater power... the Temporal Laser. Go now... and may the power protect you."
Seth nodded at the others. "Ready, guys and gals?"
"Ready," they all agreed.
"OK, then," he said, his voice gaining in power, "time to shift!"
"Reality Sensor/Blaster Combo!"
"Stellar Shurikens!"
"Eternity Spear!"
"Nexus Bow!"
"Gold Ranger Power!"
Within an instant, whatever it was that allowed them to teleport, there they stood, in the middle of danger, and in the middle of Davieston Park... faced by an army of shadow creatures, and a being that almost seemed like a solid mass of hurricane.
A voice like a rushing wind announced the creature's name as Timestorm and ordered the shadow creatures to attack, causing a mass of shadows to almost extend into a block of lightless space.
The six began battling the shadow creatures using simple martial arts moves, the power inside them that made them Rangers guiding their hands into the proper maneuvers to use. But... they were greatly outnumbered by the shadow creatures, and it still got them nowhere near Timestorm.
Seth looked at the rest of the team and nodded his head. They could do this. "Rangers," he began, "call on your weapons and battle these shadows."
"What about you?" Lin asked, through her Zeo-style helmet.
"Me?" Seth asked, going into a backflip, a maneuver that, without the power's guidance, he never would have been able to do. "I'm going to take on Timestorm."
"Not likely, young one," the windy voice boasted.
"Oh?" Seth asked in reply. "Sword of Time, Golden Power Staff!" The two weapons appeared in his hand as he flipped over the remaining shadows to face the main enemy. "How do you like the odds now?"
"As I said, young one, not likely," came the response. With that said, Timestorm extended his hands, and an effect hit Seth like nothing had before... it was like... like... like the power was trying to break apart from him. He dropped to the ground, writhing in pain, his uniform flickering on and off.
Meanwhile, the other Rangers, one by one, faced down the shadow creatures. One by one, they called on their weapons: "Reality Sensor/Blaster Combo!" "Stellar Shurikens!" "Eternity Spear!" "Void Crescent!" "Nexus Bow!"
The shadow creatures tried adjusting their tactics to surround the Rangers, but to no avail. Like minor fighters who'd tried facing previous teams, the shadow creatures were no real battle. The Nexus Bow's arrows took down row after row. The Stellar Shuriken dealt pairs of the creatures a shock to their system. The Void Crescent would strike and then return to its owner's hand for an easy defense. The Eternity Spear hit all of them it was aimed at. And the Reality Sensor/Blaster Combo... well, they couldn't hide from its beams. In the end, the shadow creatures decided on the better part of valor, and ran.
Timestorm, on the other hand, laughed and extended his hands again. "These shadow creatures were a mere distraction, new Rangers. It is time to show my master, Lord Nocton, the true power of a Timestorm... and once you are defeated, we shall conquer this town, and then through it, your entire world!" With that, the other Rangers dropped to the ground and writhed in pain as well, their powers flickering on and off... and their bodies flickering in and out of the world as well.
"Seth... you... got... any... guess what's going on here?" Eagle Cloud asked, steeling himself against the pain.
"No," Seth admitted, gritting his teeth to concentrate against the hurt. "Ogonye?"
"I... do... believe," Ogonye began, "that... we are... being... shifted in time. Seth is of this world... and of this time... but we five... are not. We are... being... returned home... without... our... powers."
Seth nodded. "One thing we haven't tried yet," he said through grinding teeth. "Form Golden Power Lance!" Somehow, the union of the two weapons gave him newfound energy. He could feel its power flowing through him, supporting him against Timestorm's power. He struck out, unleashing a golden energy beam and getting a cry of pain from Timestorm. A sigh of relief crossed his lips as the other Rangers stood up.
"Rangers," he ordered, "we've got to form the Temporal Laser!"
"Right," they agreed, as together, all six yelled, "Time Corps weapons to Temporal Laser!" Their weapons lifted, as if drawn by magic from each of their hands. They next came together in an amazing configuration. The Reality Sensor/Blaster was at its center. The Void Crescent attached to the Blaster's barrel. The Nexus Bow rested in front of the Void Crescent. The Golden Power Lance came in on top of the Blaster, with the Eternity Spear on bottom, and the Stellar Shurikens formed two turning knobs in case it would need to be pointed up. Standing together, the Rangers somehow knew this was right as each placed a hand on the Laser near the trigger and shouted "Fire!"
The energy beam hit Timestorm with all the force of a freight train, slamming him into a tree. Its force should have destroyed him, but he was not destroyed. Instead, he almost seemed to be drawing energy from the beam and using that energy to increase his power... until at last, he stood before the six Rangers, at least fifty feet tall now.
"Oh, no," one of the Rangers remarked just before the beam back to the Command Center caught them up to send them back home. "How do we deal with him now?"
Next time, in this series: Part 2 of "Braving the Timestorm," as the new Temporal Zords are introduced, Nocton begins taking an active hand in matters involving our new team of Rangers, and we get the first glimpse of our team's new normal lives in Davieston.
(Note for if this gets published: I know it's not at all necessary, but heck, all the TV shows have done it. So... a sort of contest. Those of you writers out there who are good with song lyrics (I'm not,) and have an idea for a Rangers TV series-style "theme" for this series, send them in. The best lyrics will be inserted into each and every future story (with credit given to the author.)The author will, if they wish (and upon giving me just enough information about themselves to do it... nothing too personal, though) be made into a recurring character in this series that has the possibility of becoming part of the Time Corps in a future story.