Rex (Red Ranger) bolted upright in his bed, his skin slick with cold sweat. The screams of his family burning in that microverse of fire played on a loop in his mind. The house felt like a tomb, heavy with the scent of ash that wasn't actually there. Unable to breathe, he ran out into the night, his feet hitting the pavement hard until he reached the door of Solara (Original Yellow Ranger). He knocked with a desperate, shaky rhythm.
"Who is knocking this late at night?" Solara (Original Yellow Ranger) asked, her voice muffled by the door. She opened it and saw the boy, his eyes wide and bloodshot. "Rex (Red Ranger)? Why are you here at this hour?"
"Please, I know this sounds weird," Rex (Red Ranger) stammered, looking at the ground. "I don't want you to see me as a creep or a pervert. But ever since my family was burnt in that house, I can't close my eyes without seeing them. I feel safe around you. Can I stay here?"
Solara (Original Yellow Ranger) looked at him coldly at first. "I also have nightmares, but I don't go to other people's houses. What are you? A child?"
Rex (Red Ranger) turned away, his shoulders slumped in shame. He began to walk back into the dark.
"Wait!" Solara (Original Yellow Ranger) called out, her voice softening. "I didn't mean it like that. I know your trauma is deep. I am so sorry. Please stay. I also need someone to talk to."
Rex (Red Ranger) entered the house, looking around at the high ceilings. "This place is far bigger than mine," he whispered. Solara (Original Yellow Ranger) led him to her room. "Don't worry, we can sleep together. I trust you. I know you aren't a pervert."
As they lay in the dark, Rex (Red Ranger) asked, "How were the Original Six Rangers?"
"I saw an asteroid fall," Solara (Original Yellow Ranger) whispered, staring at the ceiling. "A portal opened and monsters were fighting over a stone. One touched it and was instantly destroyed. But the yellow stone was shining for me. I felt an urge for power, and when I touched it, my biology changed. I destroyed every monster in the area. I thought I was unique until I found the others. But the one everyone wanted to be like was Ignis (Original Red Ranger). He was a perfect divine warrior. I hated that he thought females were weaker, but we all secretly wanted to be him."
"I wish he could have trained me," Rex (Red Ranger) said. "Where are the others?"
"Living normal lives," Solara (Original Yellow Ranger) replied. "But Astrax (Original Blue Ranger) is training immensely. I will take you to him tomorrow. No one can be the next Ignis (Original Red Ranger). He was a legend. When he died, the Power Ranger God was gone."
The Red Rival
The next morning, Rex (Red Ranger) woke up to find Solara (Original Yellow Ranger) resting her head on his chest. She must have had a bad dream too. She smelled like sunlight, and her skin was soft, but he moved her gently so he could go outside to train.
When Solara (Original Yellow Ranger) eventually found him, she was surprised. "You're actually serious today."
Suddenly, the red germ in the pocket of Rex (Red Ranger) began to glow. A rift tore open in the sky above the city. A massive, insect-like monster dropped from the sky, its claws dripping with green acid. Before Rex (Red Ranger) could move, another boy appeared.
"Bryan (Red Ranger), power up!" the stranger shouted.
Bryan (Red Ranger) charged the monster. The fight was brutal. The monster swung a massive scythe-arm, but Bryan (Red Ranger) slid underneath, firing bursts of red energy from his palms. He leaped into the air, delivering a flurry of kicks that sounded like gunshots against the monster's armor. The beast roared, spraying acid, but Bryan (Red Ranger) summoned a shield of heat.
"Final Attack: Lava Dragon!" Bryan (Red Ranger) screamed. A torrent of molten energy shaped like a serpent consumed the monster, turning it into a pile of charred husk.
Rex (Red Ranger) felt a pang of jealousy. Solara (Original Yellow Ranger) looked impressed. "See something you can't do?" she teased.
Bryan (Red Ranger) walked over to them, wiping soot from his visor. "Hi, I'm Bryan (Red Ranger), from the—"
His sentence ended in a spray of crimson. Blood splashed across the face of Rex (Red Ranger). A figure had appeared behind Bryan—a massive, armored brute with obsidian skin. This was Dagon (Negative Commander), an elite general serving Malakor (Negative Warlord). With one swift motion, Dagon (Negative Commander) had punched a hole clean through Bryan's chest.
"Job done," Dagon (Negative Commander) growled, looking at the fallen boy. "Rex (Red Ranger) is dead."
He didn't even look at the real Rex. He teleported back to the Negative Zone instantly.
The Declaration of War
Rex (Red Ranger) and Solara (Original Yellow Ranger) stood speechless, staring at the body of the boy who had been alive seconds ago. Solara (Original Yellow Ranger) began to tremble. They ran back to her house and locked the door.
"I can't lose you!" Solara (Original Yellow Ranger) cried, grabbing Rex's shirt. "I love you! Malakor (Negative Warlord) is sending his commanders to get you because he is bored and pure evil."
"Calm down," Rex (Red Ranger) tried to say, but she was hysterical.
"You heard him!" Solara (Original Yellow Ranger) shouted. "Once he finds out that boy wasn't you, he will come back. You are going to die! I love you! You have to hide!"
"No," Rex (Red Ranger) said, his voice turning cold. "I am done hiding. I will train. I will win."
"You are my everything," Solara (Original Yellow Ranger) sobbed. "Don't die, please."
The Negative Throne
In the lightless depths of the Negative Zone, Dagon (Negative Commander) knelt before the throne.
"My lord Malakor (Negative Warlord), I have killed the boy named Rex (Red Ranger)."
Malakor (Negative Warlord) did not look up from the Shard Core he was holding. "Good. Now, find all the Original Six Rangers who still draw breath. Kill them all. Start with Solara (Original Yellow Ranger)."