On the ledge above, Key Jester was holding Kelly by the back of her neck. "Look, Ranger!" the villain shouted.

"Kelly!" Lion Ranger shouted. He struggled to break free from the staffs.

Key Jester pulled a small key from his belt and waved it across Kelly's chest. "Now it is time to add another soul to my collection."

"Stop!" Lion Ranger shouted. But it was too late. The Key Jester used his key to drain Kelly's soul with a stream of yellow light.

"You want her so bad!" the Gorma shouted. He tossed the girl's limp body over the railing. "Here!"

Lion Ranger knocked the Kyonshi away with renewed strength, his arms bashing them backward with a wide swing. Lion Ranger sprang forward through the air and caught the girl. He gently laid Kelly on the ground while grabbing her by the shoulders. "Kelly...Kelly!"

The other teens arrived at the scene and ran towards Lion Ranger. The Gorma monster laughed as he blurred out of sight, teleporting away along with the Gorma triumvirate and Kyonshi.

Adam powered down his armor. He snapped to his feet and turned to the rangers, narrowing his eyes at them. "Where the hell were you when I needed you!"

The five rangers stood in the lair as Kaku paced back and forth. The sensei was agitated with his charges.

"I thought you would all work together on this when Rocky was first attacked. I didn't think I had to say anything." He stopped and looked across the rangers' faces, making eye contact with each of them. "You cannot fight them alone. You have to believe in each other. Trust in each other. The Gorma believe you are nothing but little children. Just one mistake at the wrong time, and you'll be gutted. Who will save the world then?"

Rocky shook his head. "Not all of us are good enough at this yet," Rocky said. "I have the bruises to prove it."

Kaku's anger faded into disappointment. He looked to each of the rangers: Rocky, who hid his fear and doubt behind a wall of sarcasm and jokes. Tommy, burdened with guilt over the death of Shannon and his past as the Green Ranger. Billy, obsessed with analyzing but not understanding. Adam, withdrawn from the world and filled with an inner anger that caused him to project the doubt of himself onto others. Kimberly, the heart of the group only when she could draw comfort from it herself.

Kaku turned and left the lair without saying another word.

Tommy sat at his school desk in Advanced Algebra the next day. On most days, school was more surreal for him than being a Ranger in the battle field. It was almost like school did not fit into the story of his life.

Tommy's mind was fixed on the look Sensei had given them. The look of disappointment. The lecture.

The teacher was rambling on about a few x's and y's. His chalk was screeching across the board with every line. Tommy sighed and slumped down in his chair. Too much was going on. He did not have time for equations.

"Tommy Oliver," the teacher said. He put his hands on his waist and stalked towards Tommy's desk. "Are you listening?"

Tommy shook his head. "Not really."

The teacher's face turned red. "Principal. Now."

Rocky and Billy got together after school at Carnival Café in the city. The café window looked out on a street of three-story businesses and apartment complexes. The area wrapped around a small amusement park.

Rocky slouched on his elbows, leaning forward in his booth. He was looking out the window with a glass of coke in his hand. "I've been worrying about the kids all day."

Billy nodded. "I'm just not sure if there's anything we can do."

Rocky sighed. "Well aren't we a cheerful bunch."

"It could be worse," Billy said.

"You're right," Rocky said. "There could be killer Tele-Tubbies."

Something outside caught their attention. Their eyes opened wide. A teddy-bear doll was riding across the sidewalk on a skateboard. The doll laughed with a high-pitched squeal.

"One of our little friends..." Rocky said as he and Billy rose to their feet. The teddy bear looked at them and flicked them off. Rocky narrowed his eyes. "Why that little..."

The two rangers rushed outside the café. They skid to a halt when they saw the street around them. They could hardly believe their eyes. Dozens of dolls were wreaking havoc around the block.

Dolls forced outdoor café patrons to hand over their food. The amusement park was taken over by the rampaging toys. The dolls mostly used knifes as weapons. One of the gnomish dolls had a gun.

Rocky and Billy ran against a wave of fleeing civilians and entered the amusement park.

"Knock it off, Gorma!" Rocky shouted.

The gnome doll fired its weapon. Billy and Rocky dove to opposite sides as bullets shot against the ground.

Rocky and Billy could not control the dolls alone. They needed help. They entered the city subway system and darted underground towards the lair. The teens entered the lair to find Adam and Kaku sitting in meditative poses.

Rocky arced an eyebrow. "Did I miss yoga practice?" he asked sarcastically.

Sensei and Adam said nothing. They heard the door to the outer-room stairwell open and close. The door to the lair swung open as Tommy and Kimberly entered.

"Sit down," Kaku said to them while keeping his eyes closed.

Tommy was confused. "Guys...what are you doing here? Those dolls are going crazy in the city."

Sensei kept his eyes closed. "You can't kill them yet, so sit down and listen. Concentrate...You will find a way to win, but for now...sit."

The four teens gathered around Kaku and sat in meditative poses, crossing their legs and closing their eyes.

"Focus," Kaku said to them as they closed their eyes. "Reach inside of yourselves and draw on your Ki."

The five rangers took deep breaths and reached inside themselves. The lair started to vibrate with power. The hovering green sphere shimmered with jade energy. Dishes started to shake. Radio equipment started squealing with feedback.

Through their minds' eyes, a flash of white light nearly blinded them as their astral forms left their bodies and emerged on the barren surface of a China desert. Light fog drifted around them.

"China," Sensei said, "and what remains of the once great Daos civilization."

The fog lifted and images started to unfold.

Huts of stone, mud, and wood lined the mountainside, wrapping around a wide stone valley. The Daos temple was at the base of the valley. Two giant stone statues stood at the sides of the temple entrance. Each statue resembled a Chinese priest with its eyes closed and hands folded.

Natives moved across the valley, some in bright garments woven from shining fabrics, and others in brown baggy clothes. Some of them fetched pales of water while others painted on leather canvas. On the mountainside opposite the temple, a theater troupe performed a reenactment of the birth of the world.

On the mountainside itself, several outcroppings were equipped with wooden tubes of magick and mirrors. Each tube allowed viewers to look out into the stars at night or up close to the clouds at day.

"The Daos were a highly advanced and artistic people," Kaku said. "At their peak, in 6000 BC, they numbered 200,000 strong. There were three tribes that made up the Daos: Members of the Dai tribe were the policy makers, the Shura had no Ki power and were commoners, and then there was the military arm called the Gorma. All tribes lived peacefully for years...that was until 4000 BC, when the Gorma were corrupted by their own power..."

In the center of the Daos civilization, a large stone palace towered above the highest hills. It was the palace of the Dai tribe, the ruling body of the civilization.

A large group of dark-armored Gorma warriors marched towards the gate, some on foot and some on sleek black horses. The horses' manes were colored purple. The warriors' armor was a mix of leathery and metal plating.

Each warrior wore a mask of wood over their face, only because they were in the presence of their emperor. They would have insulted him to show their faces otherwise.

Takimura, the 14th emperor of the Gorma, floated on a stone pedestal while dressed in white and red robes, contrasting the rest of his men. His face was painted white. Behind him, his most prized warrior Matoi fidgeted.

"What troubles you, Matoi?" Takimura asked.

Matoi adjusted his mask. "Nothing, my lord."

The emperor laughed, a sound of insanity Matoi was growing sick of. "You are lying to me."

"May I speak freely?" Matoi asked.

Takimura grinned and shrugged.

Matoi sighed. "It is we who should be ruling the Dai...they are pathetic, and their Kiryoku is inferior to ours."

"They have a different style," the emperor said. He still carried a grin on his face.

"An inferior one," Matoi said.

The emperor shook his head and chuckled. "It has been this way for centuries."

Matoi shook his head as the group continued walking towards the palace. He narrowed his eyes at the commoners gathering around them to watch. He rolled his hands into fists.

The bulk of the emperor's army waited outside as Matoi, the Gorma chief of staff, and the emperor himself entered the large council chambers where the ruling members of the Dai sat. The council sat behind a large, U-shaped table beneath colorful banners and flags that hung from the ceiling.

When Matoi saw that they were wearing no masks, he became angry and raised his voice at them. "How dare you look upon the emperor unmasked?!" Matoi shouted. "Where is your respect!"

"Silence!" the leader of the Dai council shouted.

"Excuse my subordinate," the emperor said while placing a hand on his subject's shoulder. "He is very...loyal to me."

"I can see that," the Dai leader said. He wore blood-red garments and had a black beard. "Now let us begin with the matter at hand. As you know, the hunting and gathering tribes to the north, the savages, have not attacked our civilization for 200 years, since the end of the Onslaught, when the savages joined forces to attack our people. So after much deliberation...the council has decided that the services of the Gorma will no longer be needed."

"What?!" Matoi shouted. "How dare you..."

The emperor glared at Matoi, a non spoken command for him to be silent.

"You can continue to practice your," the leader hesitated while searching for the right phrase. "Way of life, but you will no longer be given any recognition by this governing body or any of our resources."

Matoi glared at the leader of the Dai while the emperor simply nodded and said, "very well..."

The emperor and his men began to leave the chambers, but Matoi stayed behind and didn't take his eyes off of the leader of the council.

"Matoi," the emperor called for him. "Come."

Matoi spat on the ground and left.

Matoi sat alone in his dark chambers. He pulled an old dusty book out from under his bed. The book was bound in brown leather. A red skull with a black star for an eye was carved onto the cover. He placed the book on his desk and opened it.

He grinned to himself as he flipped through the pages. "The time is now..." he said. "With this book, I will unleash the powers of our ancestors...and then I will be able to put the Dai in their place."

"Planning to rebel are we?" a voice said from the shadows.

Matoi snapped around. "Who's there?"

The figure stepped out from the shadows. It was one of the emperor's youngest soldiers. His name was Shadam.

"You?" Matoi laughed. "Get out of here before I incinerate you."

Shadam laughed. "Very well...I suppose I could pay a visit to our emperor. I'm sure he'd be interested to know about your little book..."

Matoi laughed. "You should learn some respect, young one."

Matoi extended his hand and blasted Shadam with a bolt of crimson energy. Shadam fell to the ground, banging his head on the stone.

Matoi walked over to the fallen soldier. Matoi extended his hand towards Shadam's face. His hand began to radiate with energy. "I should kill you for your insolence...however...you may be of use to me..."

Shadam wrinkled his brow.

Matoi laughed again. "Such anger in you...oh excellent. I can use that..."

"What are you talking about, fool?" Shadam asked.

"You dare to talk that way to your future emperor?" Matoi laughed maniacally.

Later that night, Matoi sat within a ring of his own blood with the book open on his lap. The book had belonged to an ancient cult called the Ka'zuul, which worshipped an evil spirit known as DaiSatan.

In the early age of the Daos civilization, a member of the Shura named Meduya had stumbled upon the book and used its power to become a warlock that summoned minor demons and spirits to his bidding. The Gorma had slain Meduya and taken the book, which was deemed too dangerous to exist.

The Gorma tried to destroy the book, but it withstood even fire. The Dai feared that someone would stumble upon the book if it was simply cast away, so they entrusted its care to the Gorma Tribe to serve as its guardian and ensure its pages were never opened again.

Matoi's family was picked to guard the book, and it was passed along his bloodline from generation to generation. 

Matoi couldn't read the symbols in the book but found he was compelled to speak the words. He reached out with his Kiryoku to speak with this deity called DaiSatan, but he felt nothing. Instead, his mind was drawn to a great lake of fire and a massive beast that lived within its flames. The Great Beast of Hell known as the Mogralord.

The Great Beast of Hell stirred, and Matoi was awestruck by the creature's power. Matoi pleaded with the Mogralord for strength, and the Great Beast of Hell answered the call.

"I will make the Gorma my eyes on the mortal plane. And I will teach you new ways to strengthen this Life Force that courses through your veins. This Kiryoku. Through the suffering and despair of others, the flow of Life Force within you will churn into Rinki, power that is born from a heart of hatred and anger. In return, you will spread carnage across the mortal plane, and the slain souls of the damned will be mine to toy with."

Matoi screamed as he felt his Kiryoku ignite within his veins. His own suffering seemed to strengthen him, and he felt a rip open on his forehead, where a third eye emerged. 

"Matoi killed Takimura and became emperor of the Gorma, and Shadam became the emperor's right-hand general," Kaku explained. "The Gorma used their dark Kiryoku, their Rinki, to turn themselves into monstrosities. They showed no mercy and sought only to destroy, and they devoured nature."

Fog shifted around the five rangers. The fog fell back, layering across a new image like a blanket before dissipating. The rangers found themselves in the upper level of a wooden tower that extended from the temple.

"Members of the Dai and Shura tribes retreated to this chamber, because they believed their gods lived here," Kaku explained. "The Gorma could not enter this place. It was from here that the Dai launched their first counter-attack against the Gorma."

The teens watched the conflict rage across their eyes with flashes of violence and screams. Blades clashed against blades. Kiryoku blasts tore through flesh. Mountainsides crumbled. Entire villages were demolished.

"It was a ruthless and bloody battle that lasted far too long," Kaku said. "The 500 Year War. In the end, both tribes wiped each other out. Only a few members of the Dai tribe and Shura tribe remained. Before the war ended, I managed to retrieve Ryuseiou and escape."

Kimberly crossed her arms over her chest as a chill crept down her spine. "How horrible."

Kaku nodded. "The Shura scattered the Earth, but the last of the Dai tribe remained in China. Three survivors of the Dai tribe became the Three Culture Heroes of Chinese legend, the first to bring civilization to the rest of the country, around 2800 BC," Kaku explained. "They were followed by the Three Sage Kings, also survivors of the Dai tribe. These Sage Kings were said to rule with perfect clarity, wisdom, and virtue from 2350 to 2205 BC."

"Fascinating," Billy whispered.

Tommy tilted his head as he noticed five dust-covered paintings on the wall besides them. He moved over to the center painting and reached up towards it. He brushed off a part of the painting's dust. "Guys, come look at this..." he finished dusting off the picture. It was a Chinese dragon. "It looks like the Red Dragon."

The others moved towards the four remaining paintings.

Adam brushed the dust off his painting. "It's a lion..."

Billy did the same. "A kirin..."

"It's my tenma..." Rocky said as he dusted off the painting. "A pegasus."

"A phoenix..." Kimberly said when she uncovered her painting. She looked back to Sensei. "What does this mean?"

"The Kidenjuu came to fight against the Gorma in the middle of the war. The five members of the Dai tribe that could control them became the Gosei Sentai Dairanger," Kaku said

"There are more than Ryuseiou?" Tommy asked.

Kaku nodded. Fog drifted around them again as the scene vaporized around them. The fog shifted and laid back into the profile of a city rooftop, and the streets spread out several stories below.

An image of a post-apocalyptic Angel Grove appeared beneath them. The streets were torn. Flames dotted the landscape. Kyonshi led citizens through the streets by chains. Adam saw Kelly and Sam among the chained.

"This is what will happen if you fail," Kaku said.

The teens ran through the city streets. Having returned to their bodies, they rushed to protect the city and face the Gorma with renewed determination. The dolls were descending upon the people like bugs, spread across several blocks.

The teens skid to halt in the midst of the chaos. The four rangers stood on either side of Tommy. "Let's split up."

The teens broke up and ran into the crowds. Tommy leapt through the air while trying to grab a doll, but it slipped through his grasp. Rocky and Adam tried to jump on a doll, but it slipped out from under them. The gnome doll with a gun fired shots at Billy and Kimberly. The two teens dove aside.

Kimberly rolled back onto her knees and extended her hand. "Ki!" she fired an invisible telekinetic pulse that blasted five of the dolls from the ground.

Billy reached out and grabbed one of the dolls. That doll sliced his hand with a knife. Billy snapped back his bloody hand as the doll ran off, a hideous laugh escaping its wooden lips.

Adam narrowed his eyes as the doll ran off. He recognized the doll somehow. Kelly's soul was inside it. Adam ran after the doll.

Adam followed the doll into the lobby of a nearby business. The doll ran to a sidewall, trapped with nowhere to go. Adam cornered the doll. "You're not going anywhere."

"Door!" the doll shouted. A spell rippled across the wall. The doll leapt through the rippled portal and vanished from the lobby.

"Wait!" Adam shouted as he jumped through the portal to chase after the doll.

Adam landed hard against a rocky shore near the ocean. Key Jester sat back on a large stone, sipping tea and waiting, as if expecting someone. He looked up from his small glass and saw Adam rise to his feet.

The insane Gorma smiled. "Ah...you must be the Lion Ranger."

"Gorma..." Adam cursed beneath his breath. He rose to his feet and stepped back into a fighting stance. "Let's go."

The dolls had dispersed. But a group of Kyonshi dropped to the streets and surrounded the teens. The grunts charged forward and swung their staffs at the rangers. The teens split up and attacked.

"We have a problem," Billy said as he ducked forward while slamming a palm-heel strike against a soldier's gut. "It's Adam. He's disappeared."

Tommy swung an outer crescent kick, his heel smashing across a soldier's head. He skipped forward with a jump kick that slammed upside a grunt's head. Another Kyonshi swung its staff towards Tommy. Tommy caught the grunt's wrist and slammed a roundkick against the soldier's head.

He armed his bracers. "Aura Power!" he shouted as he connected the morphers. Red energy flashed around him, forming a shell of power. The shell shattered as Dragon Ranger morphed into his armor.

"Red Dragon!" Dragon Ranger shouted as he raised his sword. The zord flew through the air like a giant serpent. Dragon Ranger used his Thunder Blaster to reel himself on top of the zord.

Red Dragon flew above the clouds over Angel Grove. "Ryuseiou, find Adam..."

Back at the shore, Key Jester slammed a hook punch across Adam's face. Adam stumbled backward and fell to the ground. Key Jester reached down and lifted the ranger by the throat. The Gorma dragged Adam a few steps to the side before slamming a punch beneath the ranger's ribs. The Gorma tossed Adam aside like a pile of rags.

Adam rose into a crouched position as the Gorma stalked towards him. Key Jester armed a jagged key-shaped blade while he transformed into his monster form. The Gorma slammed the blade into the ground. The sword emitted a shockwave that tore beneath the ground towards Adam. The blast exploded underneath the ranger's feet, knocking him backward.

Adam rolled onto his feet, dug his heels into the ground, and sprang forward while arming his morpher. "Chakra ignite!" He connected the braces with a flash of pale-green light that wrapped around his body. He morphed into his Ranger form.

Key Jester swung his blade and slashed Lion Ranger from the air, explosions sparking across Green Ranger's armor. Lion Ranger twisted in midair and bounced back towards the Gorma while swinging a knifehand towards the monster's head. Key Jester grabbed the Ranger by the wrist and swung him over to the ground while slashing across his armor.

From the skies above, Dragon Ranger and his zord spotted the Gorma stalking towards Lion Ranger. "Red Dragon! Fire Blast!"

The zord opened its jaws and launched a torrent of flame that exploded against the shore below, blasting the monster backward with a blinding force of heat.

Dragon Ranger leapt to the ground and helped Lion Ranger to his feet. The other Rangers shortly arrived at the scene and regrouped.

Tenma Ranger placed a hand on Lion Ranger's shoulder. "You okay?"

Lion Ranger nodded.

"Good," Tenma Ranger said. "Then let's show this guy who he's messing with!"

"Yeah," Lion Ranger said as the five Rangers snapped into fighting stances.

Kyonshi gathered around Key Jester as the Gorma aimed his blade towards the Rangers. "You'll be sorry you did that!"

"I don't think so, chrome top!" Dragon Ranger shouted. The five Rangers snapped into fighting stances and announced themselves.

"Dragon Ranger! Heaven Fire Star, Red!"

"Lion Ranger! Heaven Illusion Star, Green!"

"Tenma Ranger! Heaven Gravity Star, Blue!"

"Kirin Ranger! Heaven Time Star, Yellow!"

"Phoenix Ranger! Heaven Wind Star, Pink!"

"Power of the stars," Dragon Ranger shouted, "brought down...Heaven Star Task Force..." Together, they shouted. "Power Rangers!"

"Heh," Key Jester said. "I'm not impressed...Attack!" Kyonshi rushed into battle at the Gorma's command.

"Let's go!" Dragon Ranger shouted. Energy flashed around the Rangers as they leapt forward into battle with streaks of power.

"Kirin Blade!" Kirin Ranger shouted as he leapt forward. He armed a short blade attached to a rope.

Kirin Ranger landed amidst a group of soldiers. He low blocked a soldier's saber strike and slammed a knifehand blow against the grunt's neck. He leaned back and slammed his elbow against an approaching Kyonshi's chest.

Two grunts moved in and swung sabers towards the Yellow Ranger's head. Kirin Ranger ducked underneath the blades and dashed past the soldiers. Kirin Ranger snapped his blade forward. The blade shot out and slammed through the grunt's chest with a burst of spark.

Kirin Ranger pulled the rope, bringing the soldier crashing off his feet and landing hard against his back. Kirin Ranger dropped and slammed his elbow against the fallen soldier's chest.

Nearby, Tenma Ranger armed his twin nunchuku. "Tenma Nunchuks!" He shouted as he twirled his weapons and held them under his arms.

Tenma Ranger looked to his left as a group of soldiers rushed towards him. The Ranger brought his right arm around, swung a nunchuk, and bashed the weapon against the back of a grunt's neck. The Kyonshi went stumbling forward onto the ground.

Another soldier charged at the Blue Ranger. Tenma Ranger snapped a tornado kick and slammed his heel across the soldier's head. The Kyonshi crashed to the ground. Tenma Ranger looked to his left and snapped a high sidekick that bashed against a grunt's face.

Tenma Ranger spun to face another soldier. The Blue Ranger swung both chained weapons in an 'x' pattern, crushing the soldier's collar bones. The grunt collapsed as a second soldier moved in towards the Ranger's back.

Tenma Ranger hopped around and swung both weapons down vertically, crushing the side of the soldier's head upon impact. The Blue Ranger pressed forward and pounced into the air, slamming a double-jump kick against a soldier's face.

Meanwhile, a group of soldiers surrounded Dragon Ranger. "Twin Dragon Swords!" He shouted while twirling his two blades into a square stance.

Dragon Ranger used his left saber to slap a soldier's blade away before chopping his right sword down through the back of a grunt's neck. Dragon Ranger spun forward while slamming a reverse sidekick against a grunt's face.

A Kyonshi swung a staff down towards Dragon Ranger's head. Dragon Ranger used his right blade to high block the blow and spun forward, bringing his left blade across the soldier's body with a burst of spark.

Dragon Ranger pressed forward, twirling his blades to parry a volley of strikes from soldiers. He speared his blade through a soldier's chest, then swung that sword around, slashing across a second soldier's chest with a burst of sparks.

Phoenix Ranger armed a long spear weapon. "Phoenix Spear!" She twirled the blade into a high guard position.

She speared a soldier with the tip of her weapon. Phoenix Ranger twirled the weapon around and slapped down against a soldier's staff to parry an attack. Phoenix Ranger swung the spear back upward, bashing the soldier upside the head.

Phoenix Ranger leapt forward through the air while spearing her weapon through a soldier's face.

Nearby, Lion Ranger faced the Key Jester.

"Lion Staff!" Lion Ranger dashed forward to attack and swung his staff into a fighting position.

Green Ranger swung high and low, but the Gorma blocked both strikes with his blade. The opponents circled around each other, and Lion Ranger speared his staff towards the Gorma. Key Jester parried the blow.

The Gorma twisted his wrist and swung his blade sideways towards the Ranger. Lion Ranger held his staff vertically to block the blow. Lion Ranger twisted to the side, forcing the jagged blade downward.

Lion Ranger snapped a sidekick against the monster. The Gorma was forced a few steps back as Lion Ranger pressed forward. He spun while slamming the end of his staff across the Gorma's head. The villain crashed onto the ground and tumbled backward.

The Gorma slowly pulled himself back to his feet.

Lion Ranger stepped back into a defensive stance. The Green Ranger placed his hand in front of his faceplate. The lion eyes on his helmet pulsed with pale jade light. "Heaven Illusion Star! Mist Concealment Destruction!"

Lion Ranger extended his hand and launched a stream of mystic fog that surrounded the Gorma. An illusion of a box of doors surrounded the Gorma.

Lion Ranger played off of the villain's insanity. "I bet you can't find a key to unlock that door," the Green Ranger taunted.

"Ah, I love a challenge." Key Jester sized the doors' locks and pulled out an appropriate key. He inserted the key into a lock and turned. The doors exploded as soon as the latch turned. The explosion sent the Gorma flying backward and skidding across the ground.

The other Rangers gathered around Lion Ranger as the Gorma rose

"Bomb him," Dragon Ranger said.

The Rangers moved into formation and lifted their hands. They gathered cyan energy between their palms. The energy formed spheres of crackling blue power.

"Kiryoku, bomber!" the Rangers shouted as they hurled the energy spheres forward. The five energy spheres combined into a rolling force of golden energy. The golden energy sphere exploded through the Gorma creature with a massive burst of energy. The villain exploded, his ashes scattering in the wind.

Across the city, dolls fell limp. Streaks of golden energy, souls, escaped from the dolls. The lights shot across the city. The souls streaked back towards their bodies and entered with rippling waves of power.

Kelly and Sam opened their eyes in their hospital beds.

The next day, Adam had walked by Kelly's home to check on her and Sam. He made it as far as the door when he heard something crash inside. He heard Kelly's father yelling with anger. Sam was crying.

Adam narrowed his eyes. It was time for a different battle. He knocked on the door. No one answered, but the father stopped yelling. Adam knocked again. The door swung open. Kelly's father, a large man with a gruff exterior, glared at Adam. "Can I help you with something?"

"Do yourself a favor," Adam said. "Drive to the police station and turn yourself in."

The father laughed and went to shut the door. Adam reached out and stopped the door from closing. The 16-year-old ranger grabbed the father by the shirt and tossed him outside.

Sirens sounded from down the street. Adam recognized his father's sleek black car pull up to the curb. A squad car followed from behind.

"Thank god you're here," Kelly's father said as he walked towards the officers. Detective Park walked past them and moved to the home's door. He looked inside and saw Sam crying. He had a bruise on his face. Kelly was leaning down and hugging him.

Detective Park turned to the other officers. "Cuff him. Tight."

The officers tossed Kelly's dad to the ground and cuffed his arms behind his back. He cursed at the officers, threatening to sue.

"Dad," Adam said. "How did you-"

"I came down here to check out what you told me," Detective Park said. "Turns out we've had complaints about this guy before."

Detective Park walked past his son and back towards the car. Adam followed. "But I thought-"

Detective Park turned. "You can't take the law into your own hands," he said firmly. He turned and started to walk away while looking over his shoulder. "What do you think I hate those Rangers for?"

To be continued...Chapter 04