Hey guys!

I know what I said... But I couldn't just wait to post it for you all to read! I'm a little too happy on how this chapter turned out and hope you guys feel the same.

One thing I would like to mention is, please give me feedbacks on how the chapters are or how you would like to see it improved...
I can't improve my writing style or tailor it according to your needs if there aren't any comments.

So, at least one comment please... I know I'm sounding desperate and deep down, I am a little desperate...

Now that that's out...

Enjoy the chapter!

❤️❤️❤️

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Netherworld

"Ooh ah ooh! Another red ranger?! How many are there? They are like furry warts!" Octoroo had just finished witnessing the battle and chanced upon the female red ranger. 

"Could this be the same red ranger that used the symbol power against Master Xandred?" Octoroo mused, finally deciding, "Ooh ah ooh! It can't be true! This ones fighting style is different than that one!"

He racked his head over and over. It's tough to engage without any powerful nighloks.

"Ooh ah ooh! What can Octoroo do?"

Bloom Shiba

I wake up to find myself comfortably placed on the bed in infirmary. Jayden had dozed off beside me in a sitting position with his hand securely wrapped over mine. It is by far the best sleep I've had in a while.

I gently squeeze his hand and his eyes flutter open. "Hey," he says in his sleep coated grumpy voice. "Hey," I reply back with a smile. "Had a good night sleep?" His eyebrows cocked. "Yes," I said with a giggle.

He moved slightly to make sure I had enough place to sit. Leaning my elbows down, I try to sit up. My whole body cried in agony. If this was what it was going to feel after every fight, then let me tell you, I am not paid enough for this.

The thought of the fight puts a smile on my face. I actually fought a battle and emerged victorious, single handedly. Well, not entirely single handed. The idiot called my brother took care of one mooger. So, in other words, I defeated all the moogers minus one.

"You did great out there," he said, slightly ruffling my hair. "But it also drained a lot of your powers, leaving you sleeping the entire night."

"You say like sleeping at night is a bad thing," I said in an innocent voice. His hand pushed at my head and said, "you know what I mean."

"I need more training?"

Nodding his head, he repeated, "you need more training."

After a beat, he continued, "but... if you happen to loose your energy in your next battle too, then I am taking away your morpher."

I wanted to protest so bad but couldn't find energy to do so. And besides, if I loose my energy, right? I'll just make sure I get enough training to increase my symbol power and improve before the next attack. 

Jayden Shiba

If there is one word that describes Bloom completely, it's adamant. The girl just woke up but is already up and waddling around the place despite exhaustion and is demanding to start her training. 

Where does she get it from?   (I don't know 🤷‍♀️. Another Shiba family trait, perhaps😝😉)

Tomorrow's her birthday and it's on a weekend. So, she will be spending her entire day with me. I still haven't asked her if she wants to invite anyone and nor did I talk about her friendship with Lia ever since... before the attack. Wow! That seems like a long time ago!

"Sit down!" I command her as she didn't even have her breakfast yet and is already ready in her uniform. 

"Breakfast is the most important part of the day!" I tell her as I push her onto the seat. "Says who?" She asks with a raised eyebrow. "Says Kevin!" I immediately reply.

"Kevin?!" She keeps trying to tilt her head back to look at me while I prepare her cereal bowl. "The blue ranger," I reply silently. I see her nod her head and shrug a little. Ji walked in just then with a bright smile. 

"Good morning Bloom! Congratulations on your first victory!" He beamed. "I'm sure you'll make a great leader!"

Bloom fell into a fits of laughter. "Leader?!" She laughed again. "Ji, come on! I'm just a substitute who fights off moogers, not even nighloks. I don't think I'll ever be a leader, let alone a great one!"

Ji just sighed as he continued with his work. My mind raced to his words. Nighloks, leaders, team... it was all starting again. Was everything we did for nothing? 

Shaking my head, I try to concentrate on the present. I'm sure whatever we did wasn't for nothing. The greatest threat that had been tormenting us for centuries was defeated, thanks to my team. Whatever it is now is just minor. And besides, I wouldn't let Bloom fight if the battle grounds got serious. 

"Eat up," I say as I push the filled bowl towards her. That's when I notice her stiff posture. Her hand clutched tightly at her morpher, the other one holding the edge of the table. Her eyes bulged wide and pinned at a random spot. I gently rubbed against her cheeks. "Bloom?" I called, but no response. 

"Bloom!" I called louder. She didn't move an inch. Panic started to grip my chest. I held her tight and shook her vigorously. Slight gasps escaped her– the only sign she was still alive. My mind raced for solutions, and then, I remembered that screaming her full name usually works. Our dad used to do it all the time to her, and now it's my turn. "Bloom Shiba!" I screamed. A loud gasp left her mouth as she gulped in the much needed oxygen. Her eyes dilated and her head drooped, seeking my presence. I moved close to her, allowing her to lie on my chest. Her breathing was raged and I could see the fear in her eyes.

"Do you wanna talk about it?" I asked. She just shook her head a no. "Come on," she said in a low voice. "Let's get to training."

"Eat first," I advised and she nodded as she picked up the spoon. My eyes met Ji's who witnessed everything silently. A look of worry coated his face. He silently nodded, acknowledging that we will deal with this later.

I hope she is OK...

Bloom Shiba

Future isn't something I want to see. Seeing visions of past is one thing, whereas future is another. Seeing the future in my scenario is a very rare thing, but when it happens, I'm shook to the core.

My hands move mechanical as I write the same symbol over and over. It is said that to get a hundred percent result from the symbol, you'll have to give your hundred percent, mind and soul.

But... who are those people I saw... why were they in the midst of a massacre... and... and the red ranger... was it.. was it me?

Fire blazed out of the paper and I removed my hand just in time the easel went up in flames. My hand scorched a bit, but strangely, my state of my mind took over the feeling of pain.

Ji came running with a fire extinguisher and put out the fire. "Your symbol power is improving," he said, slight surprise coating his voice. 

Suddenly, the alarm blared, indicating a nighlok attack. The sound tore my ears apart and yet, somehow I managed. My hands shivered as the fact that I'll have to pick up my morpher crossed my mind. With determination, I reached the morpher, catching it before I almost drop it, and ran inside to get the location. 

Jayden was already at the map. "The city park," he said. I nodded and was about to turn to leave when he said, "if you don't feel like it, I can go."

"No," I said sternly. There is nothing in this world that will make me let Jayden fight. There is no way I am letting him get hurt.

I ran out and wrote the new symbol I've been trying out. It worked. A white majestic horse materialized to life. I've learnt horse riding my whole life, and hence it came naturally to me. I know where city park is from the trip with my brother. 

Getting off at the park, I saw kids hiding behind the benches, their parents holding them securely towards them. The kids eyes soaked with tears while the elders faces coated with fear. Without any time to waste, I morphed.

"Go go samurai!"

I easily cut through four moogers, jumping into the air for the next attack. Fire blazed everywhere my sword hit. I dodged, I parried, I blocked. I turn to take in my surroundings, finding moogers everywhere and yet felt unease as I couldn't shake off the feeling like someone's watching me.

I redirect my concentration back onto the battle field. Suddenly, I heard squeaking noise beside my ears, turning to find the lion zord settling on my shoulders. 

"Hey Leo!" I said and he did a flip with happy noises. "Long time no see, buddy."

He came close to my helmet, which I'm guessing is to be considered as caressing. "Wanna help me out?" I asked. He yelped in his usual mechanical tone and flew in the speed of lightning, knocking out all the moogers that approached his way. Show off!

I resumed my fight, letting Leo fight his own battle. Gosh, that feeling. Goosebumps erupt and my body tingles every time I feel it. Someone's definitely watching. 

The moment of distraction led to me getting pinned from all sides. This was not how I wanted things to go. It almost felt like the watching presence was chuckling at me right now.

"Leo! A little help here!" I screamed. The lion zord flew to my rescue immediately, throwing the moogers off-balance. Folding itself, the zord landed on my palm. Guess he ran out of energy. With determination, taking in a deep breath, I placed the disk on my spin sword. With the swirl of the disk, fire erupted from the blades. I could feel the heat of the flame, and the surge of my energy being pulled towards it. No matter how much training I get, my symbol powers are always going to be less than Lauren's and Jayden's since I am just a third born.

A feral scream leaves my throat as I lift my sword for the attack.

"Spin sword! Blazing strike!"

My sword cuts through the alien bodies with ease as its powers come in contact with them. I stumble to the ground while heaving in exhaustion. The fight was over but the feeling didn't leave me. Involuntarily demorphing, I stumble to my feat, following my instincts to find the source. My legs walked lazily towards a tree when suddenly, the feeling disappeared. Annoyance racked my mind as I took a seat on the park bench. The kids slowly started making their way out, their faces in utter disbelief. And then, sudden cheers erupted, filling the place with complete happiness. I sat there utterly exhausted and witnessed the heart warming scene. This was definitely worth fighting for...

Few moments later, a kid ran up to me with a party hat in hand, leaving me surprised. "It's my birthday!" The girl exclaimed before I could ask her anything.

"Happy birthday to you!" I said with the same excitement she was showing me. The girl fell into fits of giggles, making me giggle with her.

When she finally regained her posture, she said, "We are about to cut the cake and Mrs. Fiona said that I can call whoever I want since its my birthday. I wanted to call you because you looked all alone and sad and she said I could."

I was completely speechless for a minute, leaving me laughing in disbelief. Alone? Sad? Was that how my face looked like right now?

"So are you coming?" She asked again, tugging at my hand, her other hand still clutching the party hat. Getting the hat from her and standing up, I said, "I hope you have enough cake to feed me, because I turn into a monster when it comes to cake."

The girl fell into fits of laughter again, the sweet sound amplified and echoing in my ears. "What's your name, sweetheart?"

"Ellie," she said cutely. I couldn't help but smile at her. Soon, I was being pulled to the party with kids from all ages. As little as 3 to as old as 12. I assumed the one woman standing there to be the Mrs. Fiona that Ellie mentioned.

I approached her with a smile and said, "Mrs. Fiona? I'm Bloom. Thank you for inviting me for the party, and I'm sorry for crashing it."

"Oh dear! How would you be crashing it if I and the star of the party invited you personally?! Don't worry about it. I always make sure the kids don't feel lonely during parties and hence invite everyone around. It's kind of a tradition. Whatever makes the kids happy, right?"

I smiled politely and nodded my head. My eyes roamed around the kids gathered around, everyone was so happy for the little one who was now blowing out the candle which read 5. I know I shouldn't have asked, but I couldn't stop genuinely feel concerned and asked, "Where are Ellie's parents?"

A sad smile found their way across her face. "Me and my husband run an orphanage down the street."

And it all made sense... sudden sorrow engulfed me and I couldn't help but put myself in the shoes of the kids. The first few years in India was hell for me. I had just lost my father and just left my living family behind. I was practically an orphan. That was before I understood my foster parent's nature though. But before that, I made my own life miserable.

When Ellie ran towards me with a piece of cake in her hand, I remembered about my birthday that was tomorrow.

And suddenly, I knew exactly what I wanted for my birthday...