Zayne stared intently at the charts and technical indicators displayed on his newly bought laptop. Setting everything up had been surprisingly easy for him, from configuring the tools to selecting the right companies based on prediction and probability. He was one hundred percent sure he had chosen correctly and that he was going to make a huge profit. Well… thanks to Kara, the lovely AI, too—she had handled about sixty percent of the entire process.
He nodded in satisfaction as he watched the indicators and lines move up, dip down, and then rise again. It was a perfect chart. Moreover, he had already instructed Kara to sell each stock precisely at the moment it reached its highest peak—not a second earlier, not a second later.
Once everything was settled, Zayne stood up, ready to head to school… then paused.
"Yeah, I'm probably really late," he muttered to himself. "I'll just call in sick."
He really couldn't be bothered with school anymore. He had far too much going on in his current life. Thankfully, he was in his final year of high school, with final exams approaching soon. If it weren't for that, he would have dropped out already. After all, he had already completed both high school and college in his former life—he had no interest in repeating the experience.
He made the calls quickly and without any trouble. Zayne was the smartest high school
high schooler there, so the staff often gave him leeway and special privileges.
As he finished up and prepared to head out to register a company name, his morpher suddenly flashed red, indicating an incoming call from the base.
"Hm… an emergency call, and it's from Tommy?" Zayne frowned slightly. "It shouldn't be a mission, right? The Grid would've notified me before the base even did."
The unexpected call made him uneasy. A few seconds later, he shook off his worries, isolated the surrounding area, and answered the call.
"Hey, Dr. O. What's up?" he said, looking at the hologram of Tommy floating above his morpher.
Tommy replied, his expression alternating between relief and stress—something Zayne immediately noticed. "I'm good, kid. Could you come to the base? I've got some important information that requires your presence… and your intervention."
"My intervention?" Zayne echoed, clearly skeptical. If something that serious required him, the Grid should have already sent a notification. But there was nothing.
Tommy nodded, maintaining eye contact through the hologram. "Yeah. I think I found a new Dino Gem."
Zayne blinked in surprise, an inner voice murmuring, "Oh yeah… I remember now. It should be the Black Dino Gem."
He didn't voice the thought. Instead, he replied calmly, "A new Dino Gem? The team should be able to secure it. It should be easy, right?"
Tommy gave a wry smile, having already expected that response.
"No, it's not that simple," he said. "You'll understand when you get here. Or you can ask Alpha if you want."
"That serious, huh…" Zayne thought.
He stroked his chin thoughtfully. After a few seconds, he nodded. "Alright. I'll come to the base myself. Let's see how big this mission really is."
Tommy visibly relaxed, relief washing over his face. He had been worried Zayne might refuse, but it seemed the kid truly valued his team.
"Thanks, kid. I promise you won't regret this," Tommy said, smiling with genuine gratitude.
Zayne nodded back, offering a simple yet reassuring smile. "I'll be there now."
Tommy nodded, then ended the call.
As the hologram faded, Zayne let out a slow sigh. He already knew this was going to turn into another complicated mission. Anything involving Tommy usually did. Still, as the leader, he couldn't ignore it.
"Sigh… I should prepare," Zayne muttered, glancing at the dazzling array of equipment in his inventory. "Who knows what I'll be up against this time?"
He was cautious by nature. If not for his excessive planning and preparation in past missions, many of them wouldn't have ended so smoothly. Some might call it paranoia—he called it prudence. After all, his life mattered. Without it, how was he supposed to save the world?
Zayne selected several weapons, both old and new. This time, he also included the Dragon Armor. He hadn't had the chance to use it yet, and the upcoming mission seemed like the perfect opportunity.
His house, still isolated by his morpher, gleamed strangely in his vision. Others wouldn't notice anything unusual, but as its owner, he could see it clearly. The Grid had transmitted new functions to him recently, and he was still surprised by them. His morpher was becoming more absurd with every discovery.
Not wasting any more time, Zayne finished preparing and activated his morpher.
In a flash—
Whoosh!
He disappeared.
The isolation around his house dropped immediately afterward, vanishing as if it had never existed.
--- ✦ ---
Tommy stared intently at the holographic displays before him, his brows furrowed in deep thought.
The holograms showed a range of mountains and a massive pagoda, with countless tiny dots moving around it. It was as if the entire projection represented a town of its own—one that didn't exist on any planetary map, much like the base itself.
The sight made Tommy uneasy. First, he had never known something like this existed on the very planet he was sworn to protect. He prided himself on knowing secrets about the world that almost no one else did. He knew about Mystic Force, about SPD—but this… this was different. It was completely new, and it left a bad taste in his mouth.
An organization like this had been operating right under his nose, and he had never noticed. If he hadn't joined forces with Zayne and begun searching for the last Dino Gem, he would never have discovered it in this lifetime.
"Sigh… I was too overconfident," Tommy muttered to himself, his face lined with exhaustion from days of nonstop searching in the base. "I really thought I had everything under control… even after Zayne."
Before he could sink further into self-reproach, he felt a familiar presence appear behind him.
"Hey, kid," Tommy said without turning around. He already knew who it was.
"Sup, Dr. O. So… mind showing me the mission that needed my immediate attention?" Zayne replied. He didn't sound annoyed at being called a kid. After all, Tommy was older than him—both in age and appearance—even if Zayne was technically their leader.
Tommy immediately began explaining everything, his tone calm and informative as he laid out the situation in full.
Zayne chuckled lightly at Tommy's admission, at his belief that he hadn't been capable of protecting the world as well as he thought. "Don't stress yourself, Dr. O. While protecting the planet was—and still is—your responsibility, it's normal that you only know part of it. The waters of this world run deep, after all. And even if you did know everything about the planet, that wouldn't necessarily mean you could protect it."
Tommy's gloomy expression eased, his eyes lighting up slightly at Zayne's words. He realized the kid was right. The world really was far deeper than he had imagined—and Zayne himself was living proof of that.
"Thanks, kid," Tommy said, nodding. "You're right. I shouldn't overthink it. I'll protect who I can, however I can. That's what being a Ranger is all about." His voice carried renewed confidence and quiet acceptance.
Zayne nodded, satisfied. Tommy adapted quickly—to shock, to revelations, to responsibility.
"Worthy of being Tommy Oliver", Zayne praised inwardly.
Then his attention shifted fully to the holographic images and data being fed to him by Alpha 5 and Kara. What he saw made his expression darken.
"Hmm… why would a Dino Gem be stored there?" Zayne thought, both annoyed and unsettled.
He zoomed in on the display, motioning for Tommy to take a closer look as well.
The hologram focused on the pagoda's foundation. At its deepest point rested a small black gem, gleaming with a mysterious dark light. But that wasn't what disturbed Zayne the most.
The gem was bound by four silver chains, stretching from different directions—each one symbolizing a cardinal point of the world. At set intervals, the phantom image of a brachiosaur condensed above it, roaring in agony before dispersing.
It was obvious what was happening.
The gem was imprisoned. Tortured.
Zayne stared at the sight, questioning his own life choices.
"Damn… this never happened in the original Dino Thunder timeline," he complained inwardly. "Is this the real downside of a merged universe? Everything's so damn different. At this point, I wouldn't even be surprised if Sledge turned out to be a good guy."
Tommy, meanwhile, was furious for an entirely different reason. The moment he learned there was another Dino Gem, he was thrilled. More power meant better protection for the planet. Even just seeing the gem on the display, he felt a deep, instinctive connection to it. He knew immediately—it was meant for him.
And seeing it chained and suffering made his blood boil.
"Kid… it looks like this is even more serious than I thought," Tommy said, turning to Zayne and waiting for his response.
"Hm. It's complicated," Zayne replied thoughtfully. "And it looks like we'll have to go up against a generational legacy to get that gem."
"Generational legacy?" Tommy repeated, confused.
Zayne knew Tommy wouldn't understand without context, but he didn't feel like giving a long history lesson. Instead, he simplified it. "We're going to be fighting superpowered ninjas. Possibly even Ninja Rangers."
Tommy stiffened. "Ninja Rangers? Since when?"
Zayne knew he had to explain properly—but since he preferred efficiency, he transmitted the information directly into Tommy's mind.
It took a few seconds for Tommy to fully process everything. He then sank into a nearby chair, letting out a long sigh as he stared up at the ceiling.
After a minute of silence, he spoke again. "This is going to be harder than I thought, kid. We should bring the whole team." His tone was heavy and urgent. He knew the danger—but he didn't want to lose this chance. He needed that power for what was coming.
Zayne shook his head. "No. We don't need everyone. I'm enough. This could put too much pressure on them. I'm strong—I can handle it."
Tommy hesitated, then nodded. Zayne's current strength was already comparable to his fully unlocked state. In raw combat value, he was worth more than the entire team combined.
"Alright," Tommy said, standing up. "Let's get ready, then."
Zayne smiled faintly. "I'm always ready."
Tommy chuckled. "He said it again."
Both of them placed their hands on their morphers, prepared to move.
But then—
[Side mission unlocked…]
Surprisingly, yet not surprisingly, the Grid manifested before Zayne.