In the heart of a churning volcano, Rex (Red Ranger) stood amidst the flowing magma. The heat was enough to melt steel, but he stood motionless, letting the fire temper his spirit. A flash of light signaled the arrival of Lyra (Original Pink Ranger) and Verdan (Original Green Ranger). They landed on a cooling obsidian ridge, their suits shimmering.
Rex (Red Ranger) turned to leave, his boots crushing the volcanic glass.
"Wait!" Lyra (Original Pink Ranger) cried out. "I understand you are sad because of the death of Solara (Original Yellow Ranger). We all are."
Rex (Red Ranger) stopped, his back still turned, but the air around him grew ten degrees hotter.
"It is not only you," Lyra (Original Pink Ranger) continued, her voice cracking. "She was my best friend. My sister."
Verdan (Original Green Ranger) stepped forward next to her. "She was a fellow sovereign. Even though we rarely spoke, her death still pains me. I should have known her better. That is why I am friends with Lyra (Original Pink Ranger) now. We cannot face this alone."
"Let us make a team," Lyra (Original Pink Ranger) pleaded. "Like the original team, but a real one. We will pick the strongest and most loyal from across the universe."
"No," Rex (Red Ranger) replied, his voice a cold rasp. "I work alone. A team would only slow me down."
"Rex (Red Ranger), please!" Lyra (Original Pink Ranger) reached out, but he vanished with a crack of displaced air. He did not teleport. He was simply gone before her hand could even move.
The Shared Grave
Rex (Red Ranger) arrived at the house of Solara (Original Yellow Ranger). He wanted to sit in the silence of her memory, but when he opened the door, Lyra (Original Pink Ranger) was already there.
"How are you here?" Rex (Red Ranger) asked, his eyes narrowing.
"I used the teleporter watch," Lyra (Original Pink Ranger) said, holding up her wrist. "It is instant if you have the coordinates locked. Why are you here, Rex (Red Ranger)? Are you so desperate to talk to me that you followed me? Are you trying to replace her?"
"Get out!" Rex (Red Ranger) shouted, his aura flaring red.
"I am not desperate for you!" Lyra (Original Pink Ranger) shouted back. "I was her roommate! We lived here together for years! Do you think she lived alone? It would have been boring! Why are you here? You weren't even married!"
Rex (Red Ranger) flinched. "None of your business. I am leaving. I will go to my own house."
"Please," Lyra (Original Pink Ranger) whispered, her anger vanishing into a deep loneliness. "Stay. I cannot live in this big house alone. I have no one to talk to. I promise we will just be roommates."
Rex (Red Ranger) looked at her. He saw the same trauma in her eyes that he carried in his soul. He thought to himself that if he stayed, Malakor (Negative Warlord) might target her. But she was already a target. He agreed to stay.
That night, they lay in the same bed for comfort. Rex (Red Ranger) looked at her in the moonlight. "Does Malakor (Negative Warlord) still love you? If he does, I will use you as a weapon to get to him. If he does not bring back Solara (Original Yellow Ranger), I will kill you in front of him."
Lyra (Original Pink Ranger) looked at him with sad eyes. "You are so mean. You are just like Ignis (Original Red Ranger). And no, he does not love me. He used to forbid monsters from harming me, but he has sacrificed his humanity for the ultimate power. His mind is corrupted. He sends monsters to kill me now just to prove he has no weaknesses. It pains me more than you know."
Rex (Red Ranger) turned away. "Then he has no weakness."
When he woke up the next morning, Lyra (Original Pink Ranger) was clinging to him tightly, her head on his shoulder. He could feel her heart beating. She smelled like sunlight, just as Solara had. Her body was soft against his chest, but he hardened his heart. I am a warrior, he told himself. Revenge is all that matters. He gently moved her to the bed and returned to the volcano to continue his harsh training.
The Negative Tournament
In the Negative Zone, Malakor (Negative Warlord) stopped underestimating the willpower of the rangers. He realized that a single hero with nothing to lose was a threat to his reign. He went to the deadliest prisons in every galaxy. He slaughtered the guards and freed the most vicious psychopaths. He tracked down the top assassins in the universe and gave them each a power ranger germ.
"I only want ten of you," Malakor (Negative Warlord) announced to the crowd of murderers.
He summoned a mountain-sized Negative Monster. "You have ten seconds to destroy this beast. If you fail, I will destroy you and your germs."
The slaughter was instantaneous. Over a hundred potential rangers charged. The air was filled with blood and dark energy. Only twenty-five survived the ten-second limit.
"Now," Malakor (Negative Warlord) commanded, his voice booming. "The tournament begins. Fight until only ten remain."
It was a bloodbath.
Vile (Negative Violet Ranger) moved like a serpent, snapping the necks of his rivals. Kage (Negative Shadow Ranger) merged with the floor, pulling opponents into the abyss. Brutus (Negative Gold Ranger) used raw strength to crush helmets like eggshells. After hours of screaming and clashing metal, the dust settled.
Malakor (Negative Warlord) stood over the ten survivors. They were the elite. They were his Negative Ranger Decagon.
Vile (Negative Violet Ranger): The Assassin.
Kage (Negative Shadow Ranger): The Ghost.
Brutus (Negative Gold Ranger): The Juggernaut.
Scythe (Negative Silver Ranger): The Executioner.
Haze (Negative Grey Ranger): The Smoke.
Toxin (Negative Green Ranger): The Poisoner.
Volt (Negative Orange Ranger): The Lightning.
Shred (Negative Steel Ranger): The Blade.
Abyss (Negative Black Ranger): The Void.
Luna (Negative White Ranger): The Night.
"Go," Malakor (Negative Warlord) ordered. "Find the house of Solara (Original Yellow Ranger). Bring me the head of the new Red Ranger."