This morning was especially great for Mr. Matthew. He had just received a call from his boss about a possible promotion.
As a minimum-wage white-collar worker in Angel Grove, Mr. Matthew was ecstatic at the sudden news.
But that wasn't the only good news—just that morning, he had finally bought his dream car, a $70,000 beauty.
God knows how many days it took for him to save that money. Now it was all worth it.
"Although I'm a divor... no, a bachelor and don't have a house in my name or my own company, I'm finally a car owner. Hell yeah, baby!" The middle-aged Mr. Matthew jumped up in joy as he rushed out of his small apartment to test drive his new toy.
"I can already imagine the looks on their faces when I take this baby out." He could already imagine himself swerving gracefully on the streets of Angel Grove. Maybe even get a date. After all, who wouldn't like a middle-aged hunk in a seventy-thousand-dollar car?
With anxious actions, he opened his door, expecting to see his new car sitting in his front yard majestically.
"My beaut—What!!" Lo and behold, Mr. Matthew witnessed something he would never forget in his lifetime.
Boom!
A giant robotic hand actually picked up his new baby and threw it forward at a mass of ugly-looking freaks.
His pupils reflected the incident perfectly.
The car was thrown at a kaiju-like monster with tentacles for hands. The monster perfectly leaned to the side, dodging the attack, then proceeded to split it with a backhand slash.
And just like that, the brief life of Mr. Matthew's dream car came to an end.
"They actually missed!" He almost couldn't believe his eyes. "These bastards actually missed. My car! My money! My—
"M-My Car!!!" The already broke middle-aged man fell to his knees, a heart-wrenching roar echoing from his lungs.
With tears and snot in his eye, Mr. Matthew looked up and saw the culprit of his tragedy. It was a Megazord…The Ninja Storm Megazord.
Rage clouded reason, and Mr. Matthew lunged at the Zord, his pace faster than he had ever run. The fat on his body wiggled as if to stop him, but Mr. Matthew had no intention of giving in.
That was seventy thousand dollars…even his apartment doesn't cost a hundred.
But as he neared the battlefield and witnessed the terrifying swarm of monsters, fear overrode anger.
"Huh… maybe I'll let them finish," he muttered, a bitter, humorless smile touching his lips. "But mark my words: if my car isn't returned, I swear monsters aren't the only problem this city will have to deal with. I don't care how ugly it gets."
For a moment, he went full villain mode.
Though anger remained, reason told him not to move closer. If he did, this swarm would swallow him.
So, he waited. The middle-aged man drank a bottle of cold water to cool down, but it didn't work.
"Damn it! Why couldn't they just fight elsewhere? Why did it have to be near my house? Out of all the cars parked here, they still chose mine. I must have run out of good luck lately, because what the fuck is this! But this should be the end of it, right?"
And just as he thought it couldn't get worse, a shadow suddenly loomed over him.
"Holy shi—!" Middle-aged Matthew suddenly noticed something falling toward him; It was a monster… a huge monster.
At that moment, all his grievances disappeared for a moment, and his body acted on its own. Adrenaline rushed through his body, and an unknown strength filled his body, giving him enough chance to escape a meter radius.
Boom!
The moment he escaped, the monster came crashing down like a meteor, destroying Mr. Matthew's house and sending air ripples as it fell.
Mr. Matthew, having escaped by a thread of a moment, felt like the world was about to end.
"Fuck! Fuck!! Fuck!!!" Mr. Matthew muttered inaudibly. "I almost died, I almost died, I almost died."
This had been the closest he had been to death in his entire life. Even his ex-wife's threat of stabbing him hadn't scared him this much.
"Is Angel Grove really a cursed city?" Remembering the many legends and news of this place, his fear spiked. "No, no, no, I can't stay here anymore, but my promotion. Damn it, what should I do?"
Mr. Matthew's mind was in chaos, but he knew his life was more important than some job. He instantly made up his mind to leave; as for asking the rangers for compensation, who was he kidding?
They probably didn't even know he was present. He had just come inches from being crushed to death.
If anything, this only fueled his hatred toward rangers and heroes as a whole. To save for years to buy a car, only for a ranger to use it as a weapon, miss the target, and destroy it for absolutely nothing.
His rage and hatred were reasonable. But to seek revenge later, he could only escape for his life now.
"I swear to god, I will get my revenge. You fucking bastards took my car and almost took my life, I swe—"
Ding~
Huh!
A soft chime caught his attention; It was his phone.
A message notification had appeared on his home screen. Seeing this, Mr. Matthew didn't look back. He kept running until the sounds of the battle completely faded behind him.
A moment later, he arrived at an alley and immediately unlocked his phone to check what it was.
"It shouldn't be, right? My luck shouldn't be so bad that I would get fired from work, right?" After suffering a series of bad luck, Mr. Matthew became pessimistic. He felt like the world was out to get him this morning.
With trembling fingers, he opened the email message.
[Subject: Property Damage? Vanguard Industries Can Help.
From: [email protected]
Dear Mr. Klutz,
If you are reading this, your neighborhood was likely affected by the recent battle in your sector involving local heroes, Avengers, or the newly sighted "Rangers."
At Vanguard Industries, we believe everyday citizens shouldn't pay the price for planetary defense. While traditional agencies focus on rebuilding skyscrapers, our new Universal Auxiliary Restoration Initiative is designed to compensate individuals who have suffered personal property damage or vehicle loss due to superhuman conflict.
Our records show you reside near the recent incident zone. If your home, vehicle, or business sustained damage during the brawl, you are eligible to file a claim. Unlike other organizations, we do not require a police report signed by a superhero to process your relief.
To submit your complaint, upload photos of the damage, and fast-track your financial compensation, please visit our portal below:
[File a Vanguard Restoration Claim]
Help us leave the world better than we found it.
Sincerely,
The Claims Resolution Team
Vanguard Industries: Fortifying Tomorrow, Rebuilding Today.]
Mr. Matthew's eyes shone brightly as he read through it. He almost couldn't believe his eyes. Vanguard Industries actually sent him an email.
"Is this a scam email?" Doubt crept into his mind before he shook it off. "No, it can't be; nobody would dare imitate Vanguard unless they are prepared for ruin."
He instantly clicked on the link, which directly sent him to the Vanguard website. It was slick, with smooth operation.
The form was at the forefront of the site. Attached to it was an instruction video, meant to make the process easier.
Furthermore, there was a section for disabled people who can't fill out the form normally and might need help with it.
Mr. Matthew quickly filled the form, which only took him about three minutes. He then proceeded to take quick snaps of the ongoing battle.
After this was done, he submitted the file.
"Now I just have to wai—"
Ping~
Another chime sounded, and a new notification appeared on his phone: It was a reply from the industry.
"That was fast; it didn't even take ten seconds," Mr. Matthew muttered, bewildered.
Then, as he opened the response, he saw it. "Oh my god! A new car- they actually ordered a new car. Wait, an extra twenty thousand dollars? Shit, my entire house isn't even worth that much."
Mr. Matthew was practically beaming. This was the most money he had made in a single day. One must know, the crushed house was a rental, and he paid about two hundred dollars monthly as rent.
At most, the estate owner would eventually rebuild it, albeit late.
Now he was practically gifted with free cash. This was literally pie falling from the sky.
"Hehe, maybe rangers aren't so bad after all." The middle-aged man changed face faster than one can flip a book. "After all, they are heroes. Collateral damage is normal. I shouldn't be unreasonable."
He went from hating the rangers to accepting them wholeheartedly.
Then a thought formed in his mind. "What if I—Nah, I'm not that crazy. With this money, I can live somewhere safer."
"Hmm, how about Briarwood? I heard that place is safe, aside from some legends about a forest—which probably aren't even true. Yeah, that's what I'll do. As soon as I get the new car, I'm moving to Briarwood. So long, Angel Grove."
With his decision made, Mr. Matthew walked further away from the battle. His mind filled with thoughts of a new life.
...
Boom!
A giant robotic fish fist collided with a three-clawed talon covered in numerous tentacles. Ripples of shockwaves pulsed outward, shattering building facades and splitting the pavement.
Two gigantic figures battled across the city, Criss crossing faster than the normal eye could see. Both were unrelenting in their assaults.
The Storm Megazord fought the tentacle kaiju with all it had. The rangers in the cockpit were already running low on energy and could only hope Cameron figured something out before then.
"Dustin, Tori, I think it's time to go lightning mode," Shane said, sending a message to the others from his cockpit.
"Shane, we can't. Our energy output is currently at the lowest point. If we go into lightning mode, there's a risk of total zord collapse." Tori, ever-analytical, responded.
Dustin also chimed in, "Yeah, Shane, we should hold on till Cam finds a way. He always does."
Shane went silent for a moment, but he understood their worries. "Fine…I hope it's not too late by then."
"Don't worry, rangers, the new weapon will be ready in five." Sensing the tension among the rangers, Cameron spoke, his voice echoing simultaneously in the rangers' cockpits.
Deep within Ninja Ops, Cam furiously punched commands into the computer mainframe. Beads of sweat fell from his forehead as he rapidly made final touches to the rangers' new power spheres.
"Damn it, what the hell is missing? Why won't it work?" As another fusion attempt failed, Cameron slammed his right hand on the desk near him.
"Cameron, stop." Suddenly, a calm voice echoed behind him
Without looking back, he responded. "I can't stop, Father. The rangers are in danger, so are the residents of Angel Grove, I—"
"Son!" A white guinea pig suddenly somersaulted before him and hit his head with a stick.
Ouch
This broke Cameron's focus on the screen, and his father finally got his attention.
His father, Sensei Kanoe Watanabe, was currently locked in the body of a guinea pig.
"Dad bu—"
"I don't want to hear it, son. You always think too much when the answer is right before your eyes. Sometimes what we seek is not external, but the power within."
Cameron groaned at his father's familiar reproach.
"Dad parables won't help the rangers; I need to succeed in forming their power sphere—Hold on a minute, Dad, you're a genius!" Just as he wanted to retort, an epiphany hit him.
Sensei, having seen through it, smiled as he stroked his beard. This was how his son was; The slightest hint was enough to solve his entire situation.
Just as Cameron was about to implement his new idea, a new development appeared on the battlefield.
...…..
As the Storm Megazord engaged the Tentacle kaiju. A few kilometers away from them, a multicolored vortex appeared.
The appearance was so abrupt and so stunning, the two giants had to stop for a moment.
"Hum, guys, what is that?" Dustin anxious voice rang through the comms.
The other two didn't reply but were equally anxious. If it were another monster, they would definitely not survive.
Then, as they stared, a figure flew out of this multicolored vortex. And the moment he came out of it, the vortex vanished like it was never there in the first place.
The figure, entirely clad in red, hovered above the ground.
"Hope I'm not too late."
The Ninja Storm Rangers and tentacle monsters heard the figure speak, though their reaction was entirely different.
This figure was none other than Zayne, or rather, at this moment, the Omni-ranger.
"It's actually him!" Tori was the first to speak out, her voice filled with hope and excitement.
Zayne in his Phase 1 suit didn't focus on the Storm Megazord for now, but had his eyes on the Tentacle monster.
His mind was currently reviewing the fastest way to kill the kaiju-sized monster.
"Using a zord is inefficient. It's a waste of time and overkill in this situation. I should instead test my new move on it. I haven't found a suitable target in months." Zayne muttered inwardly.
After deciding, his omni-saber appeared in his hands.
The saber was as sleek as ever, its entire frame emitting a terrifying sharpness that made the skin sting. Even the powerful Storm Megazord felt it from afar and couldn't help but back up a step.
Shiiii!
Zayne's figure suddenly blurred, tearing through the air at a speed many times faster than sound. As he appeared before the Tentacle kaiju, a light burst out from his saber.
The light was so bright that it stunned both the monster and the Megazord.
Zayne didn't give the monster time to react. He slashed forward, his figure crossing with the gigantic body.
Ziiing!
Before the monster could figure out what had happened, multiple saber lights cut through its body, grinding its entire flesh to dust.
The terrifying heat of the saber light also evaporated its blood, leaving not a single drop. This was combat mastery to its extreme.
A monster that had threatened the lives of the Ninja Storm Rangers died under a single strike of Zayne.
The difference was clear.
--- ✦ ---
WE ARE BACK! Hey guys, sorry for the hiatus, but we are definitely back. The plot shall thicken in this new volume, and I hope you guys enjoy it.
Power Stones is the source of my motivation; please kindly donate, my dear reader. Also, support my other original novel. I promise you won't be disappointed.