CHAPTER FORTY-ONE
DAWN
She had no idea what was happening. One minute, she'd been in the library, and the next, she'd somehow ended up somewhere else. In this place were hundreds of swords, as well as what appeared to be ritual tools and spell books.

"This must be one of Jezz's sacred spaces," Dawn realized in surprise. "I think he created a secret ritual room not even the Witch could breach."

She could feel the pulse of dark magic in the secret realm. She realized she shouldn't have been able to access it. This sort of space was meant only for its owner. How had she accidentally unlocked it and fallen through the portal into the pocket realm?

The answer came soon enough as she discovered one of the items Jezzeff was drawing power from to anchor the room and keep others out. "Daphne made this for him," she remembered.

The talisman was made of an onyx stone with gold woven around it and throughout it. It had once housed an incredibly powerful protection spell. Now, Jezzeff was using its ability to hold energy and repurpose it to fuel the entire pocket realm.

As Daphne's memories of creating the stone flowed through her mind, Dawn knew she could break the spell, steal his spell books and anything else she liked, and escape, but she hesitated.

This is useful, she thought. Since he used Daphne to create this place, I can come and go whenever I please... I can figure out what he's up to and use it against him... If only I had my cell phone, I could just record everything now. I can't carry it all with me, so I need to take pictures of it all. I'll have to come back.

She knew the second he realized she'd breached this place he would destroy it and move everything somewhere else. The only way to prevent that was to do nothing until she could gather all of the information people would need to defeat him.

She wanted to touch the talisman, but she was worried he'd sense that. Instead, she studied it at a distance. Daphne had created it with love to protect her honorary big brother. He'd corrupted it for his own evil purposes, and that bothered Daphne and Dawn.

If she was stuck, she might as well look around a bit. She had a feeling Jezzeff kept his deepest secrets in this realm, and with her background in forensic psychology, exploring them was a little too hard to resist. After all, knowing the enemy was half the fight.

ICHIGO
He was just coming home when his father met him at the door. "It's about time you got here," his father scolded him. "It's rude to keep your friends waiting, Ichigo!"

"Friends?" Ichigo repeated in confusion.

"Well, one friend. Hurry up and come inside."

Ichigo followed his father into the house and froze as he spotted the last thing he'd expected.

"Ichigo! Why haven't you brought Jezz over before? He's so nice!" His little sister Yuzu asked.

"Get the hell away from my sisters, you bastard!" Ichigo shouted.

"Ichigo, that's not very nice," Yuzu protested.

Ichigo's other little sister, Karin, tensed at his reaction. "What's going on, Ichigo?" She asked.

"Don't worry, girls," Jezzeff replied reassuringly. "Ichigo's just surprised to see me. He had no idea I was in Karakura Town for a visit." He smiled at Ichigo as he ran his hand playfully through Yuzu's hair and added, "You didn't tell me how lovely your little sisters were."

Ichigo was moving before he even registered it. He wrapped his arms around Jezzeff's throat and dragged him out of his house as Yuzu tried to stop him. Karin, being the far less naive twin, stopped her.

"Ichigo, what's this about?" His father asked.

"This is Jezzeff, you idiot! The guy who's terrorizing Power Rangers and humanity in general?"

"You never told me his name, Ichigo. And are you sure? Jezz seems like a great guy."

"You're a Soul Reaper, retired or not! Shouldn't you be able to detect pure evil when it knocks on your front door?"

"Actually, he rang the doorbell."

"Goddamnit, just go back in the house!" Ichigo shouted. He pulled out his Zanpakuto. "Bankai!" He shouted with more rage than ever, causing Jezzeff to flee into a portal with a final smirk.

"Come back and fight, you coward!" Ichigo shouted after him. He tapped the button on his communicator. "Hey, Alphas... I need you to teleport Uryu to my house, and then bring me back to Angel Grove. It's an emergency."

"Ay-yi-yi, right away, Ichigo," Five replied. At least, he was pretty sure it was Five. He was still trying to figure out how to tell Five and Twenty-Six apart.

"What's wrong?" Uryu asked as he was teleported in.

"Jezzeff was in my Goddamned house!" Ichigo snapped.

"What?! Are Karin and Yuzu okay?"

"Yeah... Confused, but safe. Yuzu can't understand why I attacked him, but Karin seems to realize something's wrong. I need to find Sakura or that crazy old Shaman or something to see if I can either safeguard my house or move my family to a safer location. Can you stay here and make sure my idiot father doesn't let anyone in?"

"Of course. On my honor as a Quincy, I'll keep them safe," Uryu replied.

Ichigo knew he would. The twins were young, and they were girls. Uryu especially hated people who picked on women and girls.

"Alphas, I need that lift now," Ichigo said.

He felt himself being teleported back to Angel Grove. Instead of finding Sakura right away, he found an Eltarian he hadn't met yet. Ichigo was going to keep walking when he said, "Wait, my friend."

"I don't have time to wait," Ichigo snapped.

"I can help protect your family."

"Who are you?" He asked suspiciously.

"I am Zyxx, of Eltar. Among my many talents is the Gift of Sight. I'm here to offer my services."

"I don't need a Seer, I need-"

"Magic. I know. I'm quite skilled with sorcery, too."

"Why should I trust you?"

"Do you trust Kizzie?"

"From what Sakura's told me about her, yes."

"If you really need to verify my credentials, call her."

"I don't have time for this."

"What's the matter, Kid?" Kira asked as she came down the street and joined them. "You seem stressed."

"Is this guy legit?" Ichigo demanded.

"Zyxx? Yeah, he's good people," Kira verified. "And Captain Smith speaks very highly of him, which is good enough for me. Now, what's got you so freaked out?"

"Jezzeff showed up at my house! I found him inside with my little sisters."

"That mother fucker... Did he hurt them?"

"No. He was playing the good guy, being all charming and friendly. I'm pretty sure he was just taunting me and letting me see how easy it was for him to get to them. I didn't even know he knew about them."

"We could move them to a safe house if you like... I could see if Lauren will grant them access to Shiba House."

Ichigo knew he couldn't tell Kira that Mentor Ji had already given the Justice Fury team access to train at Shiba House. She didn't know Ji was in the Soul Society with Mike instead of in the Underworld.

"A safe house won't work," Zyxx said before Ichigo could reply. "I'm afraid Isshin Kurosaki may be easily tricked into letting Jezzeff or someone else from the Guild in again. Isshin has training, but Jezzeff is the most skilled liar in the Universe."

"What's your plan?" Kira asked.

"A very specific spell which grants only those I list the power to come and go from Ichigo's home."

"My dad runs a medical clinic out of the same building," Ichigo pointed out.

"The clinic will remain accessible to the public, but no one with negative intentions will be able to enter. And, to keep the twins safe when they are out of the house, I have created two talismans. Your father will have to fend for himself, but Jezzeff isn't after him anyway. He's much more interested in your sisters. Evil is attracted to power and innocence. Karin is potentially very powerful, and Yuzu is full of light and purity. Their energy is too much for him to resist. These talismans will help cloak them from him, and if either girl is in danger, I will be alerted and will send help and cast an extra layer of protection until it arrives."

Ichigo nodded. "Thank you," he said. "I'm sorry for the hostility, but-"

Zyxx waved his words off with his hand. "Don't worry about it. You are a very good big brother. Now, let's take a quick trip to Japan so I can take care of this."

LIDO
He could feel Dawn as he got closer to a certain bookcase. He closed his eyes and tried to see what she'd seen before she vanished. He had never used the sight he shared with Daphne quite like that, but he suddenly knew it was possible.

Sure enough, as his hand touched a book on Greek mythology, he connected to her energy. Through Dawn's eyes, he saw the book, then felt himself being sucked into a pocket realm. He suddenly connected to Dawn in real time and knew exactly what she'd discovered and what she was planning.

She's very brave, he thought with respect.

"Jezzeff's coming," Sakura said suddenly, breaking Lido's concentration slightly.

Dawn, you have to come back, Lido thought. Jezzeff's home. He focused on what he was seeing.

"If Jezz catches you guys here, he'll kill me," Shelby replied in a panic.

"We can't leave Dawn here," Sakura said. "We have maybe three minutes."

"We have to let her stay," Lido replied with a sigh. "Just for now. She has something she must do. Besides, if we take her, Jezzeff will blame Shelby."

Dawn suddenly emerged, appearing out of thin air. "Thanks for the head's up," she said to Lido. "I saw what you saw. Just leave me for one more night. I can't leave the house anyway."

"I'll break that spell tonight," Sakura said. "Lido and I will be here just before sunrise. Be ready to leave."

"I will," she promised. She turned toward Lido. "I know we just met, but may I-?"

He hugged her, knowing what she needed. "Anytime," he replied.

She let herself relax in his arms before pulling away and looking at him. She reached up and traced the scar on his forehead with her index finger. "Thanks for keeping your word."

"I will never break my word... Especially not to you."

She smiled, got on the tips of her toes, and kissed his cheek. "Now go, before Jezz gets back."

It took everything Lido had to leave her there, but he followed Sakura out of the back of the house just as Jezzeff walked in the front door.

"She's safe for now," Sakura reassured him. "We'll get her out of there before he can hurt her."

He nodded, wishing he could be as certain as she was.

LAUREN
She'd been working on the Kanji for hours and needed a break. Thankfully, M'Telda understood that and insisted she take them frequently.

As Lauren wandered through the woods to ground herself, she sensed eyes watching her. She tensed and cautiously turned around, ready to fight if necessary, but the person didn't seem especially threatening.

"May I help you?" Lauren asked politely.

"Perhaps," the person replied. They dressed androgynously, and Lauren wasn't quite sure which pronoun they might prefer, so she decided not to mentally assign them one. They felt like an Eltarian, so Lauren braced herself for whatever might be coming.

"Who are you?" She asked.

"My name is Diamond, of Eltar," they replied. "I've come to meet you because a vision told me I should."

"You're a Seer," Lauren stated.

"Yes. A rather powerful one, actually. But my real talent lies in this." Diamond manifested a wave of water. They began to shape it into animals, weapons, and even a very accurate sculpture of Lauren.

"You're hydrokinetic in ways I've never seen before," Lauren said in wonder.

"I'm here to help, Lauren. While you cast your spell in the battle, I'm meant to cast another."

"M'Telda never mentioned a second Kanji," Lauren said with a frown.

"That's because it's not a Kanji," M'Telda replied as she revealed herself. "Apologies, Lauren. I knew I'd be needed here. Now... Diamond, are you certain you are prepared to commit the time and energy required to master this spell?"

"I am," Diamond replied, bowing respectfully with a fist over their heart. "It is an honor to meet you, M'Telda. Your skills are legendary."

"As is my madness, but that has been greatly overestimated. People condemn what they cannot comprehend."

"Especially Eltarians," Diamond replied with a laugh. Lauren noticed their eyes lit up when they laughed. "Trust me, the whole Two-Spirited thing was a bit much for Eltar back in the day."

"Two-Spirited?" Lauren repeated curiously.

"That's what the Native Americans call transgender and non-binary people. I'm the latter. Sorry, maybe I should have led with my pronouns. That's how people do it here on Earth these days. It's one of the reasons I like it here so much. Let's start over." They smiled brightly and said, "Hi, I am Diamond, of Eltar, by way of Earth. They/Them."

Lauren found herself smiling back a bit awkwardly. She was still awful at socializing with others. "Shiba Lauren," she replied formally, "of the Noble Shiba Clan of Japan." She paused before quickly adding, "She/Her."

Diamond smiled a bit more before saying, "It's a pleasure to meet you, Shiba Lauren. I spent some time in Japan. It's lovely, especially when the cherry blossoms begin to bloom."

"Yes, it's wonderful there... I miss it," Lauren admitted. "With everything that's going on, I'm needed here, but I do miss being at Shiba House."

Diamond softened sympathetically. "I understand that. Sometimes, I really miss Eltar, even though I was never fully welcome there. I didn't quite fit in, but it was still my home."

"You two talk," M'Telda said. "We can resume training tomorrow, and bring Diamond into the sacred space. For now, learn about each other, for you will have to work closely to accomplish your destinies." She walked away, not giving them time to protest.

"She's not one for conversation, huh?" Diamond asked with a laugh.

"Not especially," Lauren confirmed, "but she's not so bad. I've learned an enormous amount from her already. She's just been through a lot, so she keeps people at a distance."

"I can't blame her. I've done the same over the years."

"I'd like to let people in, but I'm sort of hopeless at it," Lauren admitted shyly. "I spent years in isolation training to master a very complex Kanji, and when it was time to use it, I failed due to a complication no one could have expected." She sighed.

"That had to be frustrating... Like everything you did was for nothing."

"It did feel that way. I know I did all I could, but to have my mission fail made me wonder what the point of all of it was... I sacrificed my childhood for something that never came to pass." She paused. "I don't normally discuss this so freely... Or at all, really. I find it difficult to talk to most people."

"Water helps bring out people's true emotions. They tend to flow freely around me," Diamond explained kindly.

"That explains it," Lauren replied softly.

"What do you mean?"

"There was someone else I found easy to talk to, at least once we got to know each other." Her chest tightened slightly at the thought of Kevin. That grief was still fresh for Lauren because she hadn't really faced it. She understood Kevin had honorably sacrificed his life to save others, but she couldn't quite process her own feelings about it.

"You had feelings for this person," Diamond guessed.

"I'm... Not sure," Lauren replied. "I was just starting to consider if I might feel more than friendship for him the day he..." She couldn't bring herself to say died, so she let the sentence trail off.

"Losing people is hard as it is, but it's worse when you're not sure how you felt about them," Diamond said sympathetically. "What was his name?"

"Kevin," Lauren whispered to keep as much emotion out of her voice as possible.

"Mine was Christophe."

Lauren studied them in surprise. "What happened?" She asked.

"We met in Paris in the 1950s... He was charming, funny, and beautiful in every way possible, but I had sworn off romance in favor of magical and intellectual pursuits. We became friends quickly, but our bond ran deeper than that. I was too afraid to admit it to myself, but I fell for him. I'd never connected to someone like that, so I wasn't sure what it meant... Was it romance, or were we were just especially close friends? Looking back, I was in love. Unfortunately, before I was ready to admit it to myself, Christophe died in a freak accident. By the time I had the vision, it was too late."

Diamond waved their hands and a figure appeared in the water that followed. "He was handsome," Lauren replied. "Strong features."

"He was beautiful," Diamond agreed. "And he didn't care if I identified as a man, a woman, or anything else... He simply loved me." They sighed, then smiled sadly. "It could never have lasted. I'm Eltarian and he was human. I knew I'd lose him eventually, if only to old age... I just never expected it to happen so soon."

"I'm sorry for your loss."

"I'm sorry for yours, too." Diamond put their hand on Lauren's shoulder. Their touch was comforting, as was the water that flowed around the two of them.

"You're very kind," Lauren said after a moment.

"I find a little kindness goes a long way. Besides, you seem like a nice girl who could use a friend."

Lauren smile. "A friend might be nice... I mean, I have the other Rangers, but..."

"But you don't quite fit in? I get it. So let's be socially awkward outcasts together." Diamond smirked, making Lauren laugh.

"Well, when you put it like that, how can I possibly resist?" She joked. Lauren never really joked, but it felt nice to laugh. Maybe being the chosen one didn't have to be so lonely this time around.

ZAYTO
He wasn't expecting to be approached by the young Dino Charge Ranger who came toward him, but he greeted her pleasantly. "Hello, AJ," he said.

"Hey," she replied. "Can we talk?"

"Of course." He followed AJ to a more secluded area.

The unusual man who'd sparred with him before came into view. "AJ, get behind me," he said protectively, trying to shield her from harm.

"Oz isn't here to harm us," AJ replied quickly. "He promised to explain things once the two of us could meet with him at the same time."

Zayto hesitated, still reluctant to let his guard down. "You told her your name. I guess that's progress," he said.

"AJ is younger. I decided to observe pleasantries with her," Oz replied with a shrug. "Now... Are you ready for the whole story?"

"Yes, please," AJ replied eagerly.

"About sixty-seven millennia ago, a Seer from a planet called Oleani wrote a prophecy that went as follows... Ahem," he cleared his throat for dramatic effect. "When three warriors from different lands come to exist in one time and place, an ancient evil shall rise. The warriors must unite to prevent this. Each shall be made from the Elements themselves. The first shall be a man of Fire. The second, a man of Water. The last, a woman of both Earth and Air. After the evil learns to use and abuse Spirit, the true battle begins."

"Sezzon said it was one warrior, and he didn't mention the Elements. Did he misunderstand?" Zayto asked.

"Sezzon of Eltar never misunderstands a prophecy. He's also memorized every single one on Eltar. For whatever reason, he's keeping the full prophecy to himself. Now, this version was translated from Eltarian to English, and originally, it was translated from Oleani and it even rhymed, but the meaning remains the same," Oz replied.

"I have never heard of Oleani," Zayto replied, still a bit suspicious.

"That brings me to the next part. Shortly after this prophecy was written, Oleani was destroyed. The entire planet was wiped off the map. Millions of men, women, children, animals, plants, and everything in-between were just gone. That happened just under two millennia before you were born, Zayto."

"Everyone was destroyed?" AJ asked in horror.

Oz softened slightly. "Yes, AJ. Every living thing on the planet was destroyed. The prophecy library and some other material things survived the annihilation of the planet. The prophecies were scattered through space and picked up over time by beings from other planets. That's how the prophecy ended up on Eltar."

"How did you find us?" Zayto asked.

"The Water power gives me the Sight. I waited millennia to find you, Zayto. I knew you were born first, but I couldn't detect your magic. Now I realize it's because you were frozen before I was even born." Oz paused, looking at AJ with sadness in his eyes. "And you, AJ, are a very welcome surprise."

"What do you mean?" AJ asked.

"Not yet."

"You promised me the full story."

"I did, but... Not this. You aren't ready yet. I'll tell you soon, I promise."

"Why are you keeping secrets from us? We're supposed to be able to trust you," Zayto said.

"You can trust me, but there's a time for everything, and this isn't it."

"It's okay," AJ replied. "I believe him. Let's move on to the magic part. How are we supposed to control it, and why am I the only one with two Elements?"

"Women are magical beings by their very nature. You are nurturing life-givers, and the Universe decided only a woman could survive holding two of these powers at once," Oz explained. "As for control, that comes with practice. Work with me and I promise you will master your powers quickly."

Training was something Zayto understood. "Alright," he said. "Where do we begin?"

"First, you need to understand that the magic isn't just part of you; it is you. Each of our souls was formed from an Element, or in AJ's case two Elements, and then sculpted into a traditional soul. When the elemental spirals flow through over your flesh, that is your soul partially manifesting outside of your body. The fact that it's our souls and not just a magical gift means no one can ever block the powers, bind us, or take our magic from us. If one of us hit Sir Edmund with our Element, he wouldn't even be able to harness it. It's not typical magic." He paused. "Using this can be dangerous... We are at our most vulnerable while using our powers. If Jezzeff attacks at precisely the right time, he can kill us, and it's almost impossible to save our souls from complete destruction. I can heal either of you if I work very hard and very quickly, but if I die... Well, only water can heal."

AJ paused like this information stirred something inside of her, but she said nothing. Zayto could tell she was upset.

"Come on," Oz said, seeming to sense it, too. "Let's start training."

ELLIOT
He'd had a really good night. He and Dora had gone on a double date with Caleb and Thorn. They'd had a blast, and nothing concerning had happened other than finding out that the mysterious Soul Reaper turned Power Ranger, Sakura, was Thorn and Sage's triplet sister. It hadn't surprised Elliot. He'd visited realms where Sakura never vanished and had grown up with her siblings, but he knew he couldn't tell them about that.

Upon finally returning home, Elliot and Dora had spent about an hour snuggled up on the couch while they watched television. Now, Elliot was in bed. He thought about Dora and smiled peacefully as he drifted off to sleep.

Almost immediately, Elliot was transported. He sighed, but it wasn't like this was abnormal for him. It looked like he was still in Angel Grove, but that didn't mean it was his Angel Grove. He started walking around, uncertain what he might find.

"Hey, is everything okay, Kid?" A familiar voice asked.

Elliot spun around and spotted Rocky. He was relieved for a split second before he realized that Rocky was dressed as a firefighter.

Nope, he thought. It's not my Angel Grove.

"Yeah," Elliot lied quickly. "Everything's fine."

"You shouldn't be out on your own in the middle of the night. Do you need a ride somewhere?" Rocky asked.

"No thanks. I'll be fine."

Rocky seemed to realize something was wrong. "You can trust me, Kid. I'm a fireman," he said with a casual smile.

Elliot hesitated. "I'm Elliot," he replied.

"Rocky. Nice to meet you. So, how about that ride?"

"I wouldn't know where to go."

"Listen, Elliot, if you're in some kind of trouble, maybe I can help."

"Would you believe me if I said this isn't my dimension?"

Rocky stared at him for a moment before shrugging. "That's not the strangest thing I've ever heard," he replied.

"Rocky, are there Power Rangers here?"

Rocky tensed. "Sure," he replied. "They're awesome."

If he does say so himself, Elliot thought in mild amusement.

"I'm just going to take a chance... Are you a Power Ranger?" He asked.

"Alright, Elliot, if you know about the Power Rangers then you know they can't reveal their identities because of... reasons," Rocky replied.

"Does Zordon exist here?"

He looked sad then. "Zordon died, or was banished, or something when the Red Space Ranger destroyed his energy tube and used his energy to banish evil from the universe."

"That's a new one," Elliot mumbled. "In my world, Zordon survived that. It was only the energy in the tube that was destroyed, not all of him." He sighed. "I could really use his help."

"Elliot... Are you a Power Ranger?" Rocky asked.

"Yeah, Rocky... I am. And in my world, so are you."

Rocky nodded. "I think I know someplace I can take you." He motioned toward his car. Elliot got inside and was relieved to realize this Rocky drove a lot better than his realm's. The car didn't sound like it was screaming for someone to save it from its owner.

They made it to the Command Center. Elliot's eyes widened as he realized everything inside belonged to a place called Cranston Industries. "Billy runs this place?" Elliot asked in surprise.

"Basically," Rocky replied. "So you know Billy, too?"

"I'm pretty sure I know all of you."

"Rocky! What are you doing here?" An unidentified Alpha asked.

"I found a stray Power Ranger from another dimension and figured this was the safest place for him," Rocky replied casually.

"Hello, Alpha," Elliot added. "I'm Elliot. What's your number?"

"I am Alpha Nine," he replied.

"It's nice to meet you. Alpha Nine, to get back to my realm, I have to wake myself up. When I dream, I walk other worlds and take my body with me. This experience can last for days, weeks, or even decades. When I wake up, I'm back home, and no time has passed. Sometimes, it takes dying or getting severely injured to wake me up. I'd like to avoid that. Can you help me?"

"Ay-yi-yi, Elliot! That's a pretty unique power. I should contact Billy. He'll know what to do."

"I might be here for a while. Is it okay if I stay here?"

"I know the perfect person to keep you company," Rocky decided. "Tommy and JJ are on a camping trip, so she's free. I'll go call her."

Elliot wondered who Tommy was married to in this realm. "Thanks, Rocky," he replied.

While Nine called Billy and Rocky called the mysterious Mrs. Tommy Oliver, Elliot looked around. The technology in the Command Center was different, but obviously advanced and very cool. He had faith that Billy was as intelligent here as he was in Elliot's realm.

The sudden arrival of a teleporting Pink Ranger didn't entirely surprise Elliot. There were certainly realms where Kimberly and Tommy had ended up together, and he'd even been to a few of them. What did surprise him was the smiling blonde who appeared where the pink energy had been.

"Hello, Elliot," she greeted him with a warmth he hadn't thought any part of her soul was capable of. "I'm Katherine, or Kat if you like."

He forced himself to keep his composure. "It's nice to meet you," he replied politely.

"Kat will keep you company while you wait for Billy to get back on the planet. I'm on the night shift at the station right now, so I'd better get to work. Kat, Alpha, call me if there's an emergency," Rocky said. Alpha quickly teleported him out.

"So, Elliot, Rocky tried explaining your situation to me," Katherine said.

Kat, Elliot amended. She went strictly by Katherine once she embraced her evil side, but this is clearly a different side of her.

"Feel free to tell me about yourself," Kat continued.

Elliot hesitated. He wasn't sure it was safe to tell Kat anything. This wasn't like the situation with the Aisha from Dulcea's realm. Aisha's soul wasn't evil, but the one in Elliot's realm had lost her way. Zell had created Katherine's soul out of his own darkness. What if this Kat was evil and just hadn't awakened it yet? He couldn't risk triggering her dark side and potentially destroying this realm.

"There's not much to say," he replied as casually as he could. "My name is Elliot. I was a foster kid for a while, but now I live with friends." He left out that one of those "friends" was his girlfriend, unwilling to risk Dora's safety.

"You were in foster care? I'm so sorry. That must have been difficult," Kat replied with all the maternal kindness he'd have expected from Kimberly.

"Actually, I was one of the lucky ones," Elliot replied honestly. "My first foster family was great, and I stayed with them for most of my life. They treated me like I was actually their son." He felt a pang of loneliness as he realized how much he actually missed them. Rhanna and D'Dodi were great, but they hadn't raised him. He still considered his foster parents and sister to be his family.

"May I ask what happened? You seem so sad right now."

Her expression was so sympathetic that Elliot couldn't bring himself to lie. "It's complicated," he replied.

"Elliot... I'm a Power Ranger, too. I understand. You can talk to me."

Against every instinct he had, Elliot found himself doing just that. "I couldn't stay with them anymore... I knew they'd be in horrible danger, and I love them too much to risk that, so I ran away."

"That must have been so difficult for you." She took his right hand in both of hers and held it in a comforting way. "It's never easy to make the right choice for others when it's painful for us. You're a very strong young man."

"I had a little sister. She was theirs by blood... I couldn't let anything happen to her. She was only twelve when I left."

He knew he shouldn't tell Kat any of this. His family was safe. What if he'd just drawn an evil person straight to them? Still, he needed to admit to someone how hard it was for him to stay away knowing they were probably worried sick about him.

"It's obvious you have the heart of a true Ranger, Elliot. What color are you?" She asked to lighten the mood.

"Green," he replied.

"My husband started off as a Green Ranger. Of course, he's practically been every color under the sun since." She laughed, and there was a purity to it that made it hard to believe she might somehow be evil.

"I know Tommy in my world," Elliot replied.

"Oh? Is he forgetful and goofy in your world, too?"

"Sometimes," he admitted with a laugh.

"Let me guess... He's also incredibly brave, impulsive, and heroic."

"Always. Is he a Doctor of Paleontology here?"

"Of course. Tommy has a real passion for dinosaurs."

"So does Kira exist here? And the Dino Thunder team?"

"You know a lot. Kira's practically like a daughter to us. We adore her. Tommy's still very close to that entire team."

"Kira's awesome in my realm..."

"Don't worry, Elliot. We'll get you home as soon as we can."

"Thanks."

Someone suddenly teleported in. The yellow light told Elliot to expect Trini or Aisha, but what he saw instead was a teenage girl. "Oh! We have a guest," she said in surprise.

"Minh, this is Elliot," Kat explained. "Elliot, this is Minh Kwan, the Yellow Ranger, but you probably already knew that."

"No, actually," Elliot replied. "Trini's daughters are young and don't live in America. Her son Brian does, though, and Trini goes back and forth between Angel Grove and South Korea."

"What the hell are you talking about?" Minh demanded.

"Elliot is from another realm, Minh," Kat explained. "It's similar to ours, but different."

"Wait... My mom is... She's alive in your world?" Minh asked, and suddenly, Elliot understood.

"I'm sorry," he said. "I didn't know you'd lost her."

"It was always just me and Mom... Until Robo Rita killed my mother. Uncle Zack is my guardian now."

"Robo Rita?" Elliot repeated. He had never heard of a robotic Rita Repulsa, but it sounded terrifying.

"It's sort of a long story, but she was basically all of Rita Repulsa's evil energy stuck inside of Alpha Eight's body," Kat explained.

"You said was... That's good news," Elliot decided.

"We only defeated her a month ago. It took us a while to reverse the shrinking process on Jason, Kimberly, Tommy, and the others. Jason and Kim are taking some much needed time for themselves to recover, and Tommy took our son camping."

"So if everyone else exists... Is Zack the Black Ranger, or is Adam? And where is Aisha?"

"Aisha and Adam started the Space Patrol and are running it together."

"Space Patrol... Like SPD?"

"I guess so?" Kat laughed. "It's SPA here."

"Right... Delta comes along later."

"Rocky and I aren't usually active Rangers anymore, but we've been filling in for Kimberly and Jason, because Once a Ranger-"

"Always a Ranger," Elliot finished for her.

"Exactly!" Kat smiled.

"What's my mom like in your realm?" Minh asked softly.

"She's pretty great," Elliot replied. "She's kind, funny, smart, and a little bit sassy."

Minh smiled sadly. "That sounds just like her."

"I know you must miss her. I miss my family, too. They aren't dead, but I can't see them anymore. It isn't safe for them."

"That must suck for you. And yeah, I miss her. I miss her every day... But being a Power Ranger and knowing I'm continuing her legacy helps. Also, kicking bad guy butt is a great outlet for my grief."

Elliot relaxed slightly as Minh grinned. He appreciated the mischief in her eyes and her feisty nature. He decided he liked her immediately. If he was stuck in this realm for a while at least he'd have someone his age to befriend.

"Minh, what brought you here at this hour anyway?" Kat asked.

"Right! I almost forgot," Minh replied. "There's something weird going on, Kat."

"Weird in what way?"

"I was home alone. Uncle Zack had to take care of something, and I promised I'd stay home, but when I was trying to sleep, I saw this weird shadow woman standing over my bed just watching me. It was really creepy! It felt like the darkness was crushing me."

Elliot felt panic surge through him. Not again, he thought. Please not again.

"That sounds like sleep paralysis, sweetheart. Have you ever had it before?" Katherine asked.

"No... Kat, I think this was something else," Minh insisted. "It felt... Evil."

"You're right," Elliot said with a sigh. "The entity in your room calls herself the Witch... She tends to move between realms, but there are some she can't access. Recently, she used me to access one, but I don't think that happened here. I didn't feel her travel with me. I think her presence brought me here instead."

"What can you tell us about her?" Kat asked.

"She's dangerous. The Witch is something called an Intangible. She doesn't exist in a traditional form, and to access realms long term that aren't mine, she has to use a vessel."

"A vessel?" Minh repeated. "You mean she possesses people?"

"Yes, and she absorbs their life force until they're completely destroyed."

"Was she trying to possess me?"

"I don't think so. She was probably trying to scare you. She gets a kick out of giving kids nightmares. If she wanted to possess you, you wouldn't have seen her coming."

He spent some time explaining the Witch to Kat and Minh, figuring it was best to warn them just how much danger she actually posed.

"I'm not going back home tonight," Minh decided. "It's safer here right now. I'm going to go call Uncle Zack." She walked away.

As a blue light teleported in, Elliot knew Billy must have arrived. "Hello, Elliot," he said kindly. "I know this situation is a little overwhelming, but don't worry. I'm going to find a way to get you home."