Jayden and Crystal worked together to fight off the Hell Vanguard. A blade then formed on Jayden’s forearm, and extended out. He leapt toward the demon, ready to strike at it. The demon blocked his attack with its scythe, but Jayden only smirked underneath his armor. He jumped back, dodging the scythe from the Vanguard. Crystal was charging at the monster, her arms across her chest. The pearl on her face glowed, and around her pearls were starting to materialize. She then uncrossed her arms, sending the pearls flying towards the demon. The pearls exploded once it made contact with the demon. It hurt the demon, but it didn’t do much damage to it.
“We have to make sure to destroy it this time,” Crystal told Jayden. “We can’t let it get away this time.”
“I know, Crystal,” Jayden replied. “I know.”
A second blade had formed on Jayden’s other arm, and he got into a fighting stance. Crystal stood next to him, also in a fighting stance. The demon charged at them both, and they were ready to attack. As the demon went to swing its scythe, it was hit by a blast. They turned their heads, and saw that they had morphed. Dorian had found his team. She had remembered that Viridian said there were more of him, and now here they were. All together.
Each one of them had their blasters out, pointed at the Hell Vanguard. They then took apart their blasters, and separated they each held a sword and a dagger. Erika holstered her weapons, and sent another wind gust at the demon. It shielded itself with its scythe, but was still knocked back. Trevor followed up, charging at the demon and sending a fireball at it. Again, it shielded itself with its scythe. Christine then waved her hands, and the demon’s scythe was then pulled out of its hands, and was sent up into the air. Crystal followed up, creating pearls once more and sent them flying at the scythe. Upon impact, the scythe was destroyed.
“All right. Now it can’t defend itself,” Jayden said, getting into a charging stance. “Give it everything you got! Don’t let it get away!”
Erika and Christine took out their daggers, and charged at the demon head on. Without its scythe, the demon couldn’t do much damage to them but just swing its arms at them. Christine blocked one of the arms, while Erika dodged and swung at the other, slicing the forearm off. The arm then disintegrated, and Christine sliced the other arm. The Hell Vanguard screeched in pain as it lost both of its arms, unable to defend itself. Trevor and Dorian charged at it with their sword, Sebastian fired his blaster at the demon, and Jayden charged at it, giving the final blow with both of the blades on his forearms. Taking one swing at the demon, and it let out one last screech before finally disintegrating. His blades then retracted back into his arms, and Jayden just stared at where the demon once stood.
Crystal looked to Jayden, then to Dorian, then to everyone else. She reverted back to her human form, and Dorian made his way towards her.
“Are you okay?” he asked, putting a hand on her arm.
“Yeah. I’m fine,” she replied, smiling softly at him. “You?”
“I’m good. You know me. Takes more to bring me down,” he said in his usual flirty tone.
Crystal shook her head at his comment before turning her gaze towards Jayden. He gave her a nod, silently telling her that he was fine too.
“Is it dead?” asked Sebastian. “Will it come back? Or will it grow fifty feet taller?”
“It’s gone,” Jayden said, reverting back to his normal form. “Last time Crystal and I fought one, it didn’t grow fifty feet tall. I don’t think this one will either.”
“All right. So, it’s gone,” said Christine. “Now, can someone explain more of what just happened?”
Crystal and Jayden looked at one another, and nodded their heads in agreement. Crystal looked up at Dorian, and he nodded his head back at her.
“Power down,” Dorian said, his suit dematerializing.
“Oh. That’s easy enough,” said Sebastian. “Power down.”
Sebastian’s suit also dematerialized, and he was surprised, though smiling, to see himself back in his regular clothing. Trevor, Christine and Erika followed, their suits dematerializing, and seeing them back in their regular clothes. Viridian materialized in front of them once more, and sat back.
“Not bad for your first time together,” he said to them. “But, you five still have a long way to go to fully become a team.”
“This is Viridian,” explained Dorian, taking out his green jewel. “He is my chi beast. No one else can see him but us. He only makes himself visible to those he allows to see. So, to everyone else, it looks like we are just talking to each other.”
“That makes sense,” said Christine. “But, we should find a better place to talk about what just happened.”
“I know a place,” said Trevor. “Follow me.”
Trevor started to walk back towards his booth, Viridian disappeared, Dorian put his green jewel away, and everyone started to follow. Jayden stood next to Crystal, Dorian standing on her right, and Erika standing on Jayden’s left. Dorian glanced at Erika, then at Jayden. He wondered how Crystal met him, feeling more protective of her now. But, she trusted Jayden. He could tell with how they fought together just moments ago. For now, Dorian would just follow her lead.
“Glad that was dealt with,” Jayden said to Crystal. “Didn’t get away this time.”
“No, you made that quite clear,” she replied back, smiling at him before turning her gaze to Erika. “I’m Crystal, by the way. Crystal Shidou. Nice to meet you.”
“Nice to meet you too,” she replied, waving at her. “Erika Ryder. I’m Jayden’s older sister. How do you know my brother?”
“We met a few years ago,” Jayden replied.
“More than a few years ago,” Crystal argued.
“It was actually the same situation as today,” Jayden continued. “We both encountered that demon when we first met. We talked, and got to know each other. But we then went our separate ways. We both had our own journeys we were taking.”
“I see. So, you both met in a town. Fought a Hell Vanguard. Got to know each and be friends. And then you both left town and went your separate ways. I find it hard to believe you made a friend during your travels.”
Crystal let out a small laugh, and Jayden couldn’t help but chuckle at his sister’s comment.
“Yes, I actually made a friend, sis,” Jayden commented. “Granted, I haven’t seen her since we went our separate ways. Until last week when, can you believe it, we fought that Hell Vanguard we just destroyed just moments ago.”
“You two bumped into each other the same way you first met?” Erika said, disbelief in her voice. “I highly doubt that was a coincidence.”
“Yeah, I agree,” said Crystal. “I mean, before I would think that. But now…I don’t believe it was a coincidence.”
“Oh? And what do you think it was?” Jayden asked.
“Fate.”
Crystal couldn’t help but smile softly at Jayden as she answered his question. Erika couldn’t help but smile back at her response. It wasn’t a coincidence. It was fate. Just like how it was fate that brought Erika, Dorian, Christine, Trevor and Sebastian together. She then took out her pink jewel, and held it between her fingers. Jayden looked down at his sister, then at the jewel in her hand. He then remembered Dorian holding out his jewel, only that it was green.
“Where did you find your jewel?” Jayden asked Dorian.
“Hm?”
“Your green jewel. Where did you find it?”
“Oh. I found it in my family’s attic back home,” Dorian replied, taking out his green jewel. “It was in a chest. Apparently, no one was able to open it for years. Until I decided to go up, and saw it collecting dust in a corner. I was curious to what was inside it, and it just -”
“Clicked open as soon as you touched it, right?” Erika interrupted.
“Yeah. How did you know?”
“Same thing happened to me when I found this pink jewel,” Erika replied.
“Hey. Same thing happened to me,” said Christine, looking back at them.
“Same here,” Trevor said.
“Ditto,” replied Sebastian.
Jayden and Crystal looked at each other, then to everyone else. It was no coincidence at all today. Everything was happening due to fate. It was fate that brought them here together, and it was fate that brought the jewels to them. There was a lot going to be discussed today, and it was going to be a lot to process. It didn’t take them long for them to arrive at Trevor’s booth. It wasn’t long until a few stomachs growled, and they decided to order some food as well. As they waited, they grabbed a table nearby while Trevor helped out with making their food.
“So, I guess we should introduce ourselves first,” Crystal stated. “I’m Crystal Shidou.”
“Dorian Chambers.”
“Christine Armstrong, but call me Chrissy.”
“Sebastian Everett.”
“Erika Ryder.”
“Jayden Ryder. I’m Erika’s little brother.”
“And I’m Trevor Reeves. Here are your orders.”
Crystal helped Trevor take the bags of food off of his arms, and passed it around the table. Trevor took a seat, and took a sip of water.
“So, all of you found these jewel things in chests that no one has been able to open,” started Jayden. “Does anyone have any idea what they are called?”
Before anyone else can say anything, Viridian had appeared again. He materialized in the middle of the table, giving Sebastian a scare.
“Bloody hell. A little warning would be nice,” Sebastian said.
“The jewels you have in your possession are called Star Jewels,” Viridian started, sitting back. “I am what you call a Chi Beast. We are based on mythical animals.”
“A lion is a mythical animal?” asked Trevor.
“Probably where the Chinese got the Imperial Guardian Lion from,” said Chrissy. “It is well known in Chinese Buddhism. Which probably explains the unicorn in my jewel.”
“Yes. In each of your Star Jewels is the image of your Chi Beasts,” Viridian continued. “Red dragon, unicorn, phoenix, lion, and griffon. With yellow, I said you are missing half of your jewel, even though it looks whole.”
“The griffon is a creature with the body, tail and back legs of a lion,” explained Erika. “And it has the wings and head of an eagle. It’s comprised of two creatures.”
“You know your lore,” said Viridian. “This makes things easier. The powers for yellow are fully manifested when both jewels are together. Do you know where the other half is?”
“I’m sorry. I don’t,” Sebastian said, looking down at his food.
“Well, you can still morph. You just can’t use your powers.”
“So, the reason why we are able to do what we just did…is because of these Star Jewels?” asked Trevor. “Like with me throwing fire at that demon?”
“Yes. Red dragon gives you control over fire. Unicorn the power over gravity, phoenix with control over wind, lion with power on illusions, and the griffon control over time.”
“Time?” asked Sebastian.
“You can freeze and reverse the flow of time. Now, as for who created us…her name was Asteria. She was a master that studied these mythical animals, otherwise known as chi beasts. She harnessed the power of us, and from certain stars that we gathered our power from. She created the Star Jewels, and each one holding the power of each beast.”
“How did they come to be separated?” asked Chrissy.
“When word started to spread of the Star Jewels, evil forces came for us,” Viridian explained. “Asteria knew that this would happen one day. Where there is good, there is evil. Asteria had locked each one of us inside enchanted chests, only to be opened by those we deemed worthy of our power. We were then scattered throughout the Earth, waiting for those worthy of our powers. They would be known as the Star Warriors.”
“So, we just became Power Rangers?” asked Trevor.
Everyone looked at Trevor as if he had two heads.
“What? I mean, the primary colors, our morphers,” Trevor continued. “It seems like we are Power Rangers now. And come on. I mean, you’ve all seen the news. No one knows the identity of the Power Rangers, but they could be random people who were brought together for a reason. I mean, I know we’re all random people to one another, but each of us were chosen by these jewels.”
“He’s right,” said Erika. “It is no coincidence that we were all brought here together. It was no coincidence that the Hell Vanguard appeared today, after just appearing last week.”
“Wait. It showed up before?” asked Chrissy.
“Yes,” said Crystal. “Jayden and I fought one last week, but it vanished before we would finish it. It never popped up again till today.”
“You two know each other?” asked Sebastian.
“We met a few years ago,” Jayden explained. “We fought another Hell Vanguard then. We didn’t think another one would show up. I didn’t know there could have been more than one of its kind.”
“Neither did I,” said Crystal. “But, like Erika said: it was not a coincidence for you five to be here together. It was fate. I didn’t believe in fate for a long time. That is…until I met Dorian here.”
Crystal looked over at Dorian, who gave her a soft smile. She patted her shoulder before turning her attention back to everyone.
“Dorian told me that there were others like him out there,” she continued. “He didn’t know who they were, or what they looked like. But Viridian explained to him that there were others like him. He left his home, and came out here. Searching for you guys. I may not be a Star Warrior like you guys, but I want to help. I can’t just sick back and watch while I know I can help.”
“Same here,” said Jayden.
“Jayden. You can’t,” said Erika. “You have no idea what you are going up against.”
“And neither do you,” Jayden argued. “That thing may have friends. And I’m not just gonna sit back and watch you fight it on your own. Like Crystal said, I’m not gonna sit back and watch while I know I can help. I mean, you saw me out there today.”
“Yes, but - ”
“But what? I’ve been fighting things for a long time. And I’ve fought alongside Crystal. I’m not a Star Warrior like you, but I am a fighter. I too want to use my powers to protect the people of this city. And I guess for that matter, the planet. You said it yourself, fate brought us together. We are in this together, whether you like it or not. I’ve been fighting a long time, and I’m not gonna stop now.”
Everyone was staring at the two siblings, including Viridian. Crystal could understand Erika’s point, an older sibling looking out for their younger sibling. But, she also understood Jayden’s point. She knew Jayden, and he wasn’t the type to just sit back and watch the fight happen. He would always run towards the fight, not away from it. She knew because he did that the first time they met, and again when they met last week.
“There is no changing his mind once his mind is made up,” said Crystal. “You should know that.”
“That I do,” Erika said, letting out a small sigh. “All too well. Just as stubborn as I am.”
“I think we all are,” said Dorian. “Which is probably why we were chosen.”
“Question though…how come greeny here is the only beast we can see?” asked Sebastian. “I mean…where are our chi beasts?”
“First, never call me that name again,” Viridian warned, letting out a small growl. “Second, they should have appeared the moment you were given your powers. Come on out!”
Soon enough, the rest of the chi beasts appeared. They all had materialized right in front of them. There they were. The chi beasts of the unicorn, red dragon, and the phoenix. Each one stood in front of their chosen warrior.
“A pleasure to meet you, Christine. I am Cerulean.”
“I am Rosso. Nice to meet you, Trevor.”
“Nice to meet you, Erika. I am Rosa.”
Sebastian looked around, wondering where his chi beast was.
“Hey. How come I’m the only one without a beast?” he whined.
“You only have half of the Star Jewel,” explained Viridian. “Your power is not the only thing affected. Your chi beast is also affected. He can’t come out until the other half is with you.”
Sebastian deflated at the statement. He took out his star jewel, and stared at it. He was the only one on the team who not only couldn’t use his powers, but also couldn’t talk to his chi beasts.
“So, how come you didn’t show yourself until now?” asked Trevor.
“Wanted to see if you were fit for the powers bestowed upon you,” replied Rosso. “You never fully used your powers until today.”
“Same here,” said Chrissy. “I accidentally used my powers once, and haven’t really used it since. And I haven’t fully used it until today. Which is understandable from their point of view. They wanted to see if we were ready for the responsibilities that came with these powers.”
“Precisely,” said Viridian, who was now standing up. “Now that you have morphed and fought together, you will be seeing us more often.”
“No one else can see us,” said Rosa. “Only you seven can see us. No one else can unless we allow them to.”
“At least with all of us together, it will look like we are just talking to each other,” said Dorian. “And not to ourselves as if we were crazy.”
“You runts still have a long way to go,” said Viridian. “But, you did good today. All of you. Well done.”
Each one of them smiled softly at Viridian’s compliment. They never fought together until today, but they did well. They knew they would be seeing more of each other, and there was going to be a lot of training days. If they were going to be the next team of heroes, or in this case, Power Rangers, they had to start training and working together. Not only that, but also know more about each other. If they were going to work together as a team, they would need to know more about each other.
Looking down at her watch, Crystal didn’t realize how much time had passed. Two hours had passed since the attack happened. She didn’t realize they had been gone for that long. She finished her water before gathering her empty box and water bottle and tossing them into their respectful recycle bins.
“Didn’t realize how much time had passed,” she said as she walked back to the table. “I should check on the band and see if they are okay. And if everything is okay, then the charity concert should be good to continue.”
Dorian only nodded his head, and took his leftovers and water bottle as well. He stood next to Crystal, then looked back at his new team.
“Come and enjoy the show,” he said to them. “She’s got a pretty great voice. And it is for a good cause.”
“I was enjoying the concert until that thing showed up,” said Chrissy. “And I’m glad the show is for a good cause.”
“Yeah. The ocean needs to be cleaned up,” said Sebastian. “The mermaids will die if we don’t keep their homes clean.”
Everyone looked at Sebastian, but couldn’t help but let out a small laugh at his statement. Viridian only shook his head before dematerializing. The rest of the chi beasts followed suit, and everyone stood up.
“Well, I need to get back to work,” said Trevor. “If you are still performing when I get off, I’ll come by.”
Crystal nodded her head, and headed back to the stage. Dorian walked alongside her, placing a hand on her lower back. Chrissy, Sebastian, Jayden and Erika followed Crystal and Dorian to the stage, and Trevor went back to work. Once Crystal and Dorian arrived at the stage, they saw the band members checking their instruments. Crystal smiled, and ran up to them while Dorian went to check on the sound system. She asked if everyone was alright, and thankfully, they were. They managed to get out just in time before anyone could get hurt. Erika watched as Crystal interacted with the band members, and saw how Dorian glanced at her now and then. She wondered how they met, and was still curious about her friendship with her brother. She was also curious about Crystal’s other form.
“When you first met her…did she turn into that…whatever it is?” Erika asked her brother.
Jayden looked at his sister, then back at Crystal.
“Pearlshell,” he replied. “That’s what she calls it. It’s not like the Guyver unit I have. Something…something was done to her. She had no choice in it.”
Erika looked at him, silently asking him what he meant.
“She…Crystal was experimented on,” Jayden revealed to his sister. “She was made to be a human weapon, but she escaped. When I first met her, she was looking for the people responsible for what happened to her. She can’t remember due to memory loss, but she is still searching, hoping to trigger something. When we met again last week, she was still searching. And still is.”
Erika was not expecting that answer from Jayden. She looked back to Crystal, who just smiled and laughed with the other band members. Then she glanced at Dorian, who was working on the sound system, while also looking at Crystal. Erika could tell that Dorian was protective of her, but he was wondering what their relationship was. It didn’t seem like that of a sibling from the way he kept looking at her.
“Crystal has other abilities,” Jayden explained more to Erika. “She’ll show them to you someday. Even though she was experimented on to be a human weapon, she is one of the kindest people I have met. She’s been through hell that would break most people. But, not her. She’s a stubborn one. She reminded me a bit of you when she and I first met.”
Erika listened to Jayden as he talked about Crystal. The tone in his voice made it clear to her that Crystal is someone that they can trust. But, she was glad that Crystal was on their side, and she was glad that Jayden found a friend during his travels.
“You trust her?” Erika asked.
“Yeah. I trust her,” Jayden replied, looking at Erika then back at Crystal. “She’s my friend. And now, we both have new friends.”
Jayden had smiled to Chrissy and Sebastian, who smiled in return. Erika couldn’t help but smile back at them as well.
“Well, looks like we both have a new journey to take,” Erika said to Jayden. “Fighting whatever this evil may be.”
“Never really thought I would be a Power Ranger,” said Sebastian. “Kinda cool.”
“Same here,” said Chrissy.
Crystal spoke into the microphone a few times before looking over at Dorian. He played around the levels and gave her a thumbs up once everything sounded good. Soon enough, the area started to fill up with people. Trevor was spotted among the crowd, and they headed over towards him.
“Got off early?” Chrissy asked.
“Yeah. Boss decided to close the booth early,” he said. “Glad he did.”
“Hey there everyone! Everyone okay after that earthquake?” Crystal spoke into the mic, talking to the crowd that had now formed.
She could only smile when the crowd cheered.
“Good. Glad to see everyone is safe. Now, let’s continue where we last left off. Just relax, and enjoy the music. But more importantly, have fun! Despite what happened today, what’s important is that we are alive, we are safe…and that we are back together with those we love.”
Everyone cheered at her words. Jayden could only smile. She was right though. They were alive, and they were safe. But, he and everyone else knew that things will be different starting today. Today, they were no longer just strangers. They were a team now. A team where they will need to fight to protect this planet and its people from whatever evil is coming. This is a new journey for everyone, but he was glad that he had both his sister and Crystal to take this journey with him. Jayden’s train of thought was interrupted with the strumming of the guitar and the beating of a drum. He and the rest of the Star Warriors cheered on Crystal as she sang to everyone.
And it seems we weren't prepared
For a game that wasn't fair
Do we just go home?
Can we follow through?
When all hope is gone
There is one thing we can do
Let's just live
Day by day
And not be conquered by our sorrows
The past can't hold us down
We must break free
Inside we're torn apart
But time will mend our hearts
Move onward, not there yet
So let's just live