"Hey, what's this?" Jack asked, holding something up.
I glanced over. In his hand was a sealed container with a dark, writhing lump inside.
"That," I said, "is a monster cell. If a person eats it, they basically mutate into a monster, breaking past all human limits."
Jack squinted at it. "Well, I'm not human. Technically, none of us are. So… what would it do to us?"
I leaned back, thinking. "Well, I'm technically half human, but my theory? If we ate it, the transformation would probably be even crazier. Way stronger than what happens to normal humans."
Jack gave a low whistle. "Anime's wild, man. They get weird power-ups out of nowhere." He set the container down.
"Man, tell me about it," I said. "There's an anime out there where the main character literally gets stronger just by thinking about boobs."
Jack's head snapped toward me. "…You're lying."
"I swear on my life," I said with a grin. "Guy gets stronger from thinking about boobs. Sometimes even touching one."
Jack slammed a hand on the table. "I want that power."
A Few Weeks Later
Hope's company blew up faster than any of us expected. New Dawn Enterprises was everywhere, on the news, plastered across headlines, the hot topic on the streets of Metropolis. Even The Daily Planet couldn't ignore her, and she ended up doing a full sit-down interview with Lois Lane.
You have no idea how badly I wanted to be there. But it would've looked weird if I just tagged along, I don't exactly work for her. At least, not yet. She promised me she'd eventually build a "superhero department," but she's holding off. First, she wants political power. Then she'll start playing the cape game.
While she was building her empire, me and Jack weren't just sitting around twiddling our thumbs.
Jack had been training like a maniac. He dove headfirst into his Saiyan side, pushing himself to the brink day after day. Hope even built him a gravity chamber, classic Dragon Ball training style. He's been practically living in that thing for weeks, getting faster, stronger, sharper.
Me? I went another route. I focused on my magic. And after a lot of blood, sweat, and screaming into the void, I pulled off something insane: I created my own pocket dimension.
Took me sixteen tries. Sixteen failures that almost ripped me apart. But on the seventeenth… it worked.
Now I had a personal dimension, my own private world. I'd been shaping it slowly, turning it into something functional. If you want a picture, think of Beerus' planet from Dragon Ball. One giant tree rising into the sky, a serene floating island surrounded by endless space.
Only difference? No other planets hanging nearby. Just a single sun and moon I created myself.
And here's the wild part: when "day" shifts to "night," the sun doesn't set. It just switches off. And then the moon switches on. Like flipping a cosmic light switch.
You'd think that would mess with the temperature, right? But no. I've got spells for that. Locked the climate exactly where I want it—not too hot, not too cold. Just perfect.
A place only I could reach. A place to stash important things. My own slice of existence carved out of nothing.
I'd also gotten myself into gardening. Not normal gardening, though, I wasn't planting flowers or tomatoes. No, I'd finally started cultivating heart-shaped herbs. I went back to Marvel, snagged a few seeds along with the plants, and now they were growing strong right next to my senzu bean sprouts.
Strange as it sounds, I actually enjoyed it. Peaceful. Calming. Took my mind off all the insanity happening lately, crime spiking, supervillains popping up, and more problems showing up around the world every day.
Hope kept telling me to be patient. To wait. But honestly? I wasn't sure how much longer I could.
That's when my phone rang. (Yes, I get signal in my pocket dimension, magic perks.) I glanced at the caller ID. Hope.
I picked up. "Hey, Hope. What's up?"
"I need to talk to you. I'm at the house right now," she said.
"Okay. Be there in a sec."
I hung up, stripped off my gardening clothes, and teleported straight into the living room. Hope was on the couch, scrolling through her phone. She looked up as soon as I appeared.
"Wow. That was fast," she said.
"Perks of teleportation." I dropped onto the chair across from her. "So, what's up?"
She leaned forward, her expression sharper than usual. "I'm considering opening the superhero division of New Dawn sooner than expected. But I need you to do something first."
I frowned. "What is it? And wait, I thought you needed government approval or something before you could even start that."
Hope shook her head. "First, I never needed their permission. I only wanted political power in place before moving forward. Second, I think it's a good idea for you to start recruiting people. Training with them. Building chemistry before you hit the field." She locked eyes with me. "Can you do that? Find the right people, whether they're from this world, or the multiverse?"
I sat back, considering it for a moment. Then I nodded. "Yeah. I can do that."
A Couple Minutes Later
"So… who are we recruiting first?" Jack asked, standing beside me as we prepped the multiverse gun.
I'd promised him last time, if I went world-hopping again, I'd bring him. So here we were, both standing in the basement, staring at infinite possibilities flickering across the gun's interface.
"I don't know yet," I admitted. "There are infinite Earths, infinite universes. In some, good guys are villains, villains are heroes, and sometimes the whole world's just… gone. I've gotta scan carefully before we drop into anything nasty." I glanced at Jack. "Also… why do you have the Power Sword with you?"
He grinned, holding it up. "Hope finished her tests and gave it back. Figured I'd bring it along. Might be useful."
"You just want to yell—"
"Yes," he cut me off immediately. "Yes, I just want to shout 'I have the power!' while swinging it around. Sue me. It's cool."
I shook my head and went back to scrolling through universes on the gun. Then something caught my eye.
"Hey… remember that movie I convinced you and Hope to watch back in 2017?"
Jack frowned. "Which one, and convince you basically Force us?"
"Group of teenagers in colored suits, fighting monsters. They had a mentor who was just a floating head and a goofy robot sidekick."
Jack's eyes widened. "No. No fucking way."
"Yep," I said. "Power Rangers. And I found a world with at least one still in it."
Jack tilted his head. "What do you mean 'one'? There's supposed to be five of them."
"Not here." My tone went grim. "This universe didn't have the happy ending. They failed. Rita wiped them out. All but one survivor."
Jack crossed his arms. "Lemme guess. The blue one? He was always the smartest."
"Not exactly. Here, let me just show you."
I activated the gun. Purple light engulfed us, and in an instant, we were gone.
We reappeared in the middle of a city. Or what used to be one. Now it was nothing but ash and ruins. Buildings gutted, streets cracked, not a sign of life.
"Oh my God," Jack muttered, staring at the devastation.
Lightning surged across my body as my armor appeared in a flash. "Come on. I can sense her. This way."
We took to the air, flying over endless wastelands. Nothing but destruction. No animals. No plants. No people. Just one single life force, faint but still burning.
"Jesus," Jack whispered. "I'm scanning the entire planet right now. That's it. One life force. How the hell did this person even survive?"
"I think she can explain it," I said. "If she's willing."
We followed the trail to a mountain range. At its center was a massive crater, filled with water like a wound in the earth. We dove down into it and found the ruins of a base, its entrance blown wide open.
The inside was worse, scorched walls, twisted metal, no power left. Just silence and wreckage.
"Man, this place has seen better days," Jack muttered.
"Agreed. Shame it's destroyed. I would've loved to study the Morphing Grid, maybe bring something back for Hope."
Click.
The sound of a gun cocking behind us froze both of us in place.
Jack groaned. "Seriously? Again with the gun at the back of my head?"
"Wait, again?" I asked.
"Long story. Not important right now."
We turned around.
Standing there, gun shaking in her hands, was the Yellow Ranger. Trini.
Her armor was battered, cracked in places. Her face was pale, eyes wild with exhaustion.
"Who… who are you?" she demanded. "How are you even here? Everyone should be dead. Are you real, or am I just—" Her voice broke. "—in my head again?"
I raised my hands slowly. "We're real. And we're here to help."
"Help?!" she snapped, voice raw. "Everyone's dead! There's no one left to help. Except…" Her tone dropped to a whisper. "…except me."
"I didn't mean helping them." I said softly. "I meant helping you. Getting you out of here. And maybe… asking you to help us."
Her eyes flicked between us, full of mistrust. "No. No, you can't be real. My mind makes things up sometimes. I just… I just want my friends back."
Jack leaned close to me and muttered, "Okay, this chick is clearly crazy and broken. Why do you want to recruit her?"
"Because she's not broken," I said firmly. "Not yet."
Trini's breathing hitched, like she was about to scream again, but I raised a hand. "Look, can we just sit down? I'll explain everything. And if you want… you can explain what happened here. Just put the gun down."
Jack added, "Or don't. Doesn't matter. That thing won't hurt either of us anyway."
Trini hesitated, shaking. Her eyes darted, haunted, like she was fighting with herself. Then finally, with trembling hands, she lowered the gun.
"You're… you're real," she whispered. "None of the people in my head ever told me I was crazy. Only real people do that."
She swallowed, her voice cracking. "Come on. I know a place we can sit. Somewhere safe."
We sat together in a small, half-collapsed room, the three of us perched on scrap metal that somehow wasn't uncomfortable. Me and Jack sat across from Trini.
Her hands gripped the gun loosely in her lap, knuckles pale. Her eyes never stopped flicking between us like she was waiting for us to vanish.
"How are you two even alive?" she finally asked, voice hollow. "I know I should be the only one left. She made sure of that."
Jack leaned forward, resting his arms on his knees. "How about this, you tell us your story, and we'll tell you ours."
Trini hesitated.
"Unless it's too much for you," I added gently.
She shook her head quickly. "No… no, it's okay. I just… I'm trying to figure out where to start."
"Start with who you are," I suggested.
She drew in a shaky breath. "My name is Trini Kwan. I'm twenty-six. I… used to have a family. My mom, my dad, two little brothers." Her eyes watered but she kept going. "And I was a superhero. A Power Ranger. The Yellow Ranger."
Jack and I stayed quiet.
"It wasn't just me," she continued, voice trembling. "There were four others. My friends. My team. Together we protected something called the Zeo Crystal. It's… it's basically Earth's life source, constantly feeding energy into the planet. If it's stolen…" She gestured toward the ruined world outside. "…this happens."
Her lip trembled. "We failed. Rita Repulsa came for it. We fought her once, and we thought it was over. But she came back, stronger. And this time… she had help. She killed every one of my friends. Took the Crystal. And left me alive."
Jack frowned. "She kills everyone else but leaves you? Why?"
Trini's face twisted with pain. "She said it was my punishment. For refusing her."
"Refusing her?" I asked.
Trini nodded slowly. "A long time ago, before we ever fought… she offered me a place at her side. Power, glory… everything. I turned her down. She never forgot. So when she finally won… she made sure I was left here. Alone. To remember."
Her voice cracked on the last word, and for a moment, the gun in her hands trembled like she wasn't sure whether to cling to it or throw it away.
"I'm so sorry for your loss," I said quietly. "I can't imagine the pain you've carried."
Trini shook her head, wiping a tear away with the back of her hand. "I'm fine. It happened nine years ago. I'm… still trying to forget. But that doesn't matter right now. How are you even here?"
"Doesn't matter if it was nine years or twenty," I told her. "Trauma doesn't just vanish."
Jack frowned. "Nine years? How the hell have you been surviving out here? There's no food, no water, nothing alive out there."
Trini exhaled and reached into the center of her chestplate. With a shimmer, her armor dissolved into her body, and she pulled out a glowing coin.
"This," she said softly. "My Power Coin. It's kept me alive all this time. I don't know how, but with the armor activated, I don't need much food or water. The base had supplies too, but I ran out months ago. Since then, I've just been… starving to death. Slowly."
"Jesus Christ," I muttered.
"Yeah." She gave a bitter laugh. "It hurts, every day. But whenever I thought about giving up… I remembered my friends. My family. I knew if I died, their memory died with me. I couldn't let that happen."
I leaned forward. "You don't have to carry that alone anymore. My brother and I—we're from a different universe. One where Earth is alive and well. There are villains, sure, but there are plenty of heroes too."
"Plenty," Jack echoed.
"Regardless," I added, "we didn't just come to get you out—we came to recruit. But honestly, you don't have to be a hero if you don't want to. You could just start a new life in our world. No pressure."
Trini was quiet for a long moment. Her eyes glazed over, like she was remembering something painful, before she focused back on us.
"How bad are the villains in your world?" she asked suddenly.
It caught me off guard, but I answered anyway. "Some are small-time. Others… are world-ending threats. But there are plenty of heroes keeping them in check. And me, Jack, and our sister? We're building a team to stop threats before they even get that far."
"We're calling it Jack Warriors," Jack said proudly.
"No we're not," I shot back instantly.
"It's a working name."
"It's literally written at the bottom of the board as a joke."
"But it's on the board. All I need is votes."
I rolled my eyes. "We need ten members to vote on anything. And no one's voting for that."
"Still casting mine," Jack muttered.
When I looked back at Trini, she was… smiling. Just a little, but it was the first genuine smile I'd seen from her.
"I don't know if this is real or not," she whispered, "but I want to join you. If I have the chance to live in a new world, I want to be better. I won't fail that one like I failed this one."
"You don't have to," I said softly. "Like I told you, there are already plenty of heroes. We've only just started recruiting."
Her eyes narrowed. "How many do you have on your team right now?"
I coughed. "…Including us? Just me and Jack."
Trini gave a small laugh. "Well… now you have three. I want to join. Please."
Her voice carried weight. I didn't need to guess her reasons; I could feel them in every word.
"Okay," I said, smiling. "Welcome to our unnamed team."
Trini's smile widened, fragile but real.
"Well, good," Jack said, standing up. "We got our first member. Now let's get the hell out of here. No offense, but I hate this place."
"None taken," Trini said softly. "It's been my personal hell for years. Can't blame you."
We all stood. I unstrapped the multiverse gun, preparing to activate it, when Trini suddenly stopped me.
"Wait. Let me grab something first."
She disappeared into the wreckage, leaving me and Jack exchanging confused looks. Less than ten seconds later, she returned, carrying a battered robot over her shoulder.
"What the hell is that?" Jack asked.
"This is Alpha 5," Trini explained, her voice tender. "He was destroyed years ago. Doesn't work, no matter how hard I tried to fix him. But… I can't leave him. He helped me through my nine years alone. Even if he never spoke back, I talked to him. Every day."
I nodded. "Then we'll bring him. I'm sure Hope can fix him, she's a genius."
Trini clutched the broken robot tighter, as if afraid we'd object.
I pressed the button on the gun. Purple light swallowed us whole. And just like that… we were gone.
A Few Minutes Later
We were back in our world, safe in the living room. Trini sat at the table devouring plate after plate of food Jack had cooked up. Apparently, the guy was a better cook than he let on, because she hadn't stopped eating in twenty minutes straight. Couldn't blame her—nine years on scraps and rationing? She deserved this.
While she stuffed her face, I filled Hope in on everything that happened.
"So… your first recruit ever," Hope said, raising an eyebrow. "A lone Power Ranger who lost her world and was barely surviving in it?"
"Yeah," I said defensively. "What, you got a problem with that? I thought she just needed help."
Hope shook her head. "No problem. This is your team. I just want you to remember, you can't save everyone. There are a lot of worlds out there with tragedies just like hers. Don't think you're responsible for all of them."
"My team?" I asked, frowning. "I thought you wanted to be the leader, you're literally funding everything."
Hope smirked. "No. You're the leader. I'll pay for everything, design everything, make everyone look cool, and keep you out of political trouble. But the decisions? That's on you."
I went silent for a moment, realizing how much weight she was actually taking on without even holding the title.
She laughed. "Relax. I'm teasing. With my abilities, this stuff is easy. And besides, it makes sense. You were the leader of our clan back in the game. Even if you weren't the strongest."
"Hey, come on, I was the third strongest in the clan!" I shot back.
"On paper, sure," Hope said, sipping her drink. "But there were members who could break through your magic and take you down, even with your brute strength."
I glared at her. "Don't you dare bring up—"
"—They beat you five times," she cut in.
"They jumped me!"
"Maybe the first three. But they challenged you one-on-one later, and you still lost."
"I did a lot of damage in that fight!" I argued. "I'm calling that one a draw."
Hope laughed.
"Speaking of them," Hope said, her tone softening, "do you ever wonder what happened to Eddie and Sarah?"
I exhaled, leaning back. "Not a clue. Just like you guys, one day they just stopped logging in. Never came back."
"That's a shame," Hope murmured.
Eddie and Sarah. The other two founders. Originals like us. The five who started everything.
Sarah had been fourth strongest, half Amazon, half demon, specifically from the Demon Slayer race. Her powers were insane: Imagine Breaker, Senju Muso, and Sun Breathing. She always fought like fire incarnate.
Eddie was fifth, but never weak. Half New God, half human. His toolkit was stacked: Nen, Haki, and Spider-Sense. He and Sarah were inseparable—always fighting side by side. The "dynamic duo," we used to call them.
They'd been family. And just like that, one day they were gone.
"Can you do me a favor?" I asked Hope quietly. "Make Trini a new identity… and find her a therapist."
Hope nodded thoughtfully. "The identity part's easy. The therapist… not so much. Finding one who won't run to the press with her secrets is going to take some time."
"I figured as much." I straightened. "I'm about to head out and recruit more people."
"Alright. I'll watch over Trini while you're gone," Hope said.
"Thanks. Hopefully we'll be back soon with more members."
Hope smirked. "No need to thank me, she's part of the team now. And you don't have to rush."
"I feel like I do," I muttered. "We're in a literal superhero world, crazy stuff happens every day."
"…Good point," Hope admitted.
We crossed the room to where Jack and Trini were sitting.
"Okay, Trini," I said, "this is our sister Hope. She'll set up your identity and help you settle in. Me and Jack have more recruiting to do."
"Mmm mmm—" Trini mumbled through a mouthful of food.
"Sweetie," Hope cut in, "swallow first. Then talk. Trust me, I'll understand you better."
Trini flushed, swallowed, and tried again. "Sorry. I was trying to say, I can help you guys."
"There's no need," I said gently. "Stay here and rest. We won't be gone long."
"And I need your input on your new identity," Hope added. "I'm not doing it without you. It should feel like you, not something I just made up."
"Oh… okay," Trini said. But she looked disappointed, and I didn't know why.
I stepped closer and placed my hand over hers. "Hey. Don't worry. We'll be back soon. And I'll show you around this world. The city's beautiful. Plus, I want you to see the pocket dimension I built."
Her eyes widened. "You… made a dimension?"
"Yeah. It was insanely hard, but I finally did it. Built a structure, tuned the environment. I've even started a garden—heart-shaped herbs and senzu beans. You'll love it."
A small smile touched her lips. "I'd like that. But… let me know when we can actually go out and help people."
I nodded. "We will. Trust me, I want it as much as you."
She gave a little nod back.
Jack and I moved across the room, and I activated the Multiverse Gun.
"So who's next?" Jack asked.
"Alright," I warned, "you've gotta promise to let me explain before you blow up. And you can't get mad."
Jack sighed. "Every time you say that, it's something that pisses me off. But fine. I promise."
"Good. Because it's a good reason. Our next recruits… are Stormfront and Soldier Boy."
Jack froze. "The fuck did you just say—"
The gun flared, and we vanished.
Trini's POV
I stared at the spot where Kai and Jack had just disappeared, then turned to Hope.
"Okay… who exactly are Stormfront and Soldier Boy? And why did Jack look like he was about to murder Kai for suggesting them?"
Hope sighed. "Because in the universe most people know, one's a Nazi and the other's a racist asshole. But if Kai's targeting them, it means in that world, they're different. Maybe even good."
I blinked. "…And how do you even know that? For that matter, how do you know so much about me? You're not from my world, and yet you act like you've been reading my story from the outside."
Hope leaned back. "Because even though all three of us have different powers, we share one ability: knowledge of the multiverse. Not all of it. Just… pieces. Enough to know who's out there."
I gave a small, disbelieving laugh. "Nine years ago, I wouldn't have believed a word of this. And I was already a Power Ranger."
"Yeah," Hope said. "Trust me, this won't even be the weirdest thing that happens here."
I hesitated, then blurted, "Can I ask you something personal?"
Hope arched a brow. "Go ahead."
"…Your brother. Kai. Is he… single?"
Hope's eyes went wide. "Hold up. Time out. Weren't you, gay?"
"I'm bi," I corrected, smirking faintly. "Why'd you think I was gay? Wait, are there other versions of me that are?"
"Yes," Hope said bluntly. "And honestly, I'm just surprised you've got a crush on my brother."
"It's not like that. I'm not looking for a relationship. Not yet. I need to heal first. But…" I hesitated. "I'd be lying if I said I didn't feel something. Probably just because he saved me. A small crush."
Hope gave me a look. "That's not love, that's called being indebted. I'll find you a therapist so you can sort that out. Last thing I need is you dating Kai, he falls for you, and then you realize you don't actually want it."
"I understand. And I'd never want to hurt him," I said softly. Then I looked toward the broken robot in the corner. "By the way… can you fix Alpha 5?"
Hope crossed her arms. "His systems are fried, his body's missing half its parts, and his power source is gone. But… his memory core is mostly intact. That's what matters. I can rebuild him. Give him a new body. Upgraded."
Tears pricked my eyes. For the first time in years, hope, real hope—swelled in my chest. "Thank you. Thank you so much. You don't know how much this means to me."
"I can imagine," Hope said with a smile. "Come on, let's head to the lab. We'll work on your identity first… then Alpha."
For the first time in nine years, I felt something I thought I'd lost forever.
I felt like I was home.