Chapter Text
“Travis, what are you still doing awake?” a blonde woman asked as she entered the bedroom of a young boy, also blond-haired and standing beside his bed.
“Sorry, Aunt T,” the boy, Travis replied, “I couldn’t sleep.”
Aunt T sighed and shook her head, “Your brother is already asleep and your parents are gonna be home soon, Travis, you’re going to be in a lot of trouble if they find you haven’t gone to bed.”
“I know,” Travis said sheepishly as he began to lie down and tuck himself into bed, “I just wanted to see them when they got home, they always read to me before bed.”
“Your parents have had a very busy day, Travis, that’s why they had me and your uncle come Watch you and your brother tonight, they’ll probably be exhausted when they get home,” Aunt T replied.
Travis gave a sad expression as he looked to the side, “Okay…”
Noticing the sadness on her nephew’s face, Taylor gave a hum before sitting down near the end of the bed, “Would it be okay if I read to you instead?”
“Yes!” Travis replied enthusiastically, sitting upright before adding on a “Please.”
Aunt T smiled, “Anything you want me to read in particular?”
“I know!” Travis replied, reaching to the bookshelf next to his bed and producing a book from it to hand to Aunt T, “This! We just got it!”
Aunt T took the book, which had a picture of an island the shape of a claw on its cover. She read over the title, “Feralia and the Three Beasts.”
“It’s about that spooky island!” Travis said with a grin.
“What spooky island?” Aunt T replied with confusion.
“The one that’s always surrounded by fog!” Travis responded.
Aunt T nodded, “Ah that one, guess I’m not here in Claw Coast enough to remember that well.”
“It’s alright,” Travis smiled, “can you read it, please?”
“Alright,” Aunt T said, opening the book to an illustration of humans and bipedal, humanoid animals in a stone city, “Long ago, humans and animen lived in harmony with each other and nature in the kingdom of Animaria…” Aunt T’s face scrunched up momentarily before turning the page, which displayed all manner of strange monsters approaching the city of stone, led by a blue monster covered in golden spikes. Notably, the blue and gold monster was the only one lacking horns. “Then one day, a horde of monsters spawned from coal, ash, and tar encroached upon the kingdom, attacking everyone and everything in sight.”
“That’s bad,” Travis said, frightened.
Aunt T gave a small smile, before turning the page to show the humans fighting a massive group of identical grey and red monsters with sickening purple eyes and smiles, each one brandishing clubs. “The humans and animen fought valiantly, even against the never-ending hordes of monsters, the animen’s strength playing no small role in standing against them,” Aunt T read with a confused look as Travis listened intently.
Aunt T turned the page again, this one displaying the stone city in fire, with smoke pouring from the buildings. The blue and gold monster from before stood near the edge of the picture, firing a purple beam from its mouth that struck the buildings. In front of it stood three more monsters, with Aunt T’s eyes widening slightly upon seeing them. Foremost was a many-mouthed blue monster pointing a staff consisting of a knife and fork at fleeing animen. Behind it was a green monster with a nose-like torso and ear-like extensions on its back holding a fan, and beside it was a red axe-wielding monster covered in many eyes and a hand-like growth on its torso’s left side.
“Aunt T? Is something wrong?” Travis inquired, concerned.
“No,” Aunt T replied, shaking her head, “Just lost my train of thought. Anyway, back to the book,” she cleared her throat, “One night, when neither the humans or animen were prepared, the monsters attacked the part of Animaria the Animen called their home, trapping them with nowhere to go.”
“No!” Travis cried out.
Aunt T gave him a shush, “Your brother is asleep.”
“Sorry,” Travis said meekly.
“It’s alright, just don’t do it again,” Aunt T replied before turning the page, “But the Cubeasts, the protectors of the Earth that the animen worshipped, heard their calls for help, and appeared to come to their aid, granting the Animen that worshipped them amazing power as their Avatars,” the picture this page was illustrated with displayed many massive, colorful animals, each one looking notably blocky. At the forefront were three red beasts, an eagle, a gorilla, and a whale.
“Yes!” Travis exclaimed with a smile, making Aunt T give him a look. “Sorry,” he replied quietly.
Aunt T continued, “Well, the Cubeasts came to the Animen’s defense, with three bathed in red from the land, sea, and sky chief among them. A Great Gorilla beat the monsters back, while a Great Whale tore a portion of the kingdom from the land and dragged it into the sea to create an island for the Animen. Lastly, the wing beats of a Great Eagle encircled the island in fog stopping anyone from getting onto it and keeping the animen on it safe forevermore.”
“Well that wasn’t anything like I was expecting, it wasn't really a good kid’s book either,” Aunt T muttered under her breath, “Well what did you think of it, Travis?” She turned to him, only to find him fast asleep, she smiled a bit before standing up and preparing to exit the room, “Good night.”
Two decades later outside of Earth’s atmosphere, a massive spacecraft appeared. It resembled a colossal bow and arrow, with the point connecting the bow and arrow appearing to be a massive roulette wheel. On the inside of the ship was a stage surrounded by an audience of aliens of all kinds. Positioned around the stage were blue and silver humanoid creatures wearing yellow honeycomb-patterned vests holding recording equipment. Their heads lacked eyes, instead having two silver tentacles in their place with a second set on their cheeks alongside a short proboscis in place of a mouth and a red gem on their foreheads.
A feminine-looking android entered onto the stage, and the crowd immediately began cheering loudly. Her body was primarily black, though like the creatures filming, she had a yellow honeycomb pattern on her chest and the front of her thighs. Green pods were on the sides of her shoulders and legs, and her “hair” looked similar. The top half of her face was obscured by what looked like a visor, but the bottom part seemed humanoid, possessing silver skin and lips.
“Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to season ten of the greatest show in the Milky Way, World Wipers!” she exclaimed while spreading her arms out towards the audience enthusiastically. The words “World Wipers” appeared on the screen behind her alongside an image of a downward-pointing bow and arrow stylized into a grinning face. The audience roared with excitement before she spoke again, “I’m your host Smithsonia, and here are our Game Masters, Cubole and Stabinnit!”
With that, two new aliens entered the stage, making the audience cheer. The first seemed to be composed almost entirely of blue cubic crystals, some particularly large ones making up his shoulders. His face was likewise cubical and lacked eyes, though he did have a mouth with crooked, lipless teeth. He wore what seemed to be a gold tank-top like garment alongside black shorts, and on the right side of his waist was what appeared to be a silver coin slot. “Cubole please punch me in the face!” Someone from the audience screamed.
Cubole chuckled and flexed an arm before speaking in a deep, gruff voice, “I will once this planet’s gone!”
The other alien seemed to be made of grey and black crystal spikes, with a vertical head composed of them that had a pair of red eyes. He possessed no left forearm, instead having a tree trunk-like cannon with red lights running vertically along it. He wore brownish armor all over his body, and placed among the tall spikes on both his shoulders was a silver coin slot on the left one. “I love you, Stabinnit!” another voice called from the crowd.
“Well I am the best Game Master here,” Stabinnit replied with a raspy voice, as he and Cubole sat down in a pair of seats that had risen from the stage’s floor.
“And to start World Wipers’ tenth anniversary season, we’ve got a surprise!” Smithsonia said to the audience from where she stood in front of Cubole and Stabinnit’s seats, “For the first time since the show’s beginning, we’ve got a new Game Master! Everyone say hello to Bismind!”
A new alien stepped onto the stage, this one more robotic. His body was composed of silver and red metal, with several vertical cyan lights all over his body. The cranium of his silver head was bulbous, and between his cyan eyes was another cyan slit, a light bouncing from the top to the bottom of it. A metallic beige-colored material with an iridescent sheen covered parts of his body, forming coattails and a pair of long, outward pointing shoulder pads that extended down almost to his hands. This material was also on his forearms, forming a zigzagging rectangle on his right arm and massive, curved blade-like appendage on his left arm. Like the other two Game Masters, he had a silver coin slot, with his being on the side of his left shoulder.
Bismind gave a bow and waved at the audience, holding his left arm behind his back while doing so as he approached Smithsonia. “Welcome aboard, Bismind!” Smithsonia said while shaking his hand.
“It’s a pleasure to be here, Smithsonia, I promise to you that I won’t be boring,” Bismind chuckled, his calm voice possessing a noticeable English accent.
“Well Bismind, you haven’t been so far, why don’t you tell the audience how you became a Game Master?” Smithsonia inquired.
Bismind gave a small chuckle, “Oh it was a rather simple process, I simply needed to prove I was the best possible candidate, and I did that by taking the lives or sanity of my opposition.”
“Well Bismind, you certainly did a terrific job at that, and this planet, Earth, that you suggested we target after you won looks like it’ll be a delight to wipe too,” Smithsonia chuckled as an image of the planet appeared on the screen above.
Bismind nodded as sat down at another seat that had risen from the stage, “Yes, I have to thank you and the Producer for listening to my suggestion, I hope it won’t disappoint.”
“Any reason for pickin’ this marble, newbie?” Cubole inquired, sitting up in his seat while looking at the other Game Master.
Stabinnit nodded, “What makes this mudball special enough to warrant it being our fiftieth planet?”
“If you must know, many who come to this planet don’t tend to leave. For instance, Galaxy Warriors was… “cancelled” here, for lack of a better term,” Bismind said, making finger quotes as a picture of Galvanax and Cosmo Royale appeared on the screen above, “It sounds more than worthy of being the fiftieth because of that.”
“Indeed it does, Bismind!” Smithsonia replied before turning to the audience, “But before we start this world wipe, let’s explain things for any first time viewers tuning in. Each Game Master has a team of Players who are sent down to decimate, wipe the life from, or otherwise completely obliterate a planet. If a Player destroys the planet, they win! If they don’t…”
“Then another team gets a chance to burn the planet to cinders!” Cubole exclaimed.
“Exactly, Cubole!” Smithsonia replied.
Cubole chuckled, “It’s my favorite part.”
“Anyway,” Smithsonia continued, turning to the Game Masters, “the first team heading out will be-”
“I’m going down!” Stabinnit said suddenly, standing up as he did.
Bismind turned his attention to Smithsonia, “Correct me if I’m wrong, Smithsonia, but don’t the rules state that Game Masters aren’t allowed to be involved in the wiping directly without express permission from you or the Producer?”
“Heh, looks like the new Game Master is a rules lawyer, eh, Stabinnit?” Cubole chuckled.
“Yeah, Cubole,” Stabinnit said before walking towards where Bismind was seated and looking down at him, “Listen up, new blood, I’m gonna show you how things are run around here and just who you’re up against.”
“Boast all you want, Stabinnit, but the Producer won’t take well to rules being broken,” Bismind replied unenthusiastically.
Smithsonia stepped forward, “Well, this is the season premiere of our tenth anniversary season, so I think that warrants starting things off in a special way. Stabinnit, the board is yours.”
“Thank you, Smithsonia,” Stabinnit replied before turning back to Bismind, “Time to show you what a Game Master like me can really do.”
“Knock yourself out,” Bismind deadpanned.
Cubole chuckled, “Liven up a little! This is supposed to be fun for the audience and us!”
“I’ll be having fun once Stabinnit makes a fool of himself,” Bismind shot back.
Smithsonia handed a few coins to Stabinnit as he walked towards a circular indent in the stage, handing over coins emblazoned with the World Wipers logo, “Here, take these Crewbon Coins for assistance.”
“Thank you, Smithsonia,” Stabinnit replied as he stood in the circular indentation. Red energy coins fell on Stabinnit, encasing him in a stack before dropping into the floor one by one.
The stack of coins landed on a claw-shaped island surrounded by mist off the coast of the mainland. The stack divided to the sides, leaving Stabinnit standing on the island’s shore. “Ugh, I can’t see anything!” Stabinnit grumbled before pointing his cannon-arm forward and firing several fireballs into the mist, dispelling the mist and allowing him to see the mainland. He watched as planes and boats cruised by and chuckled, “Let the world wiping commence!” He fired more fireballs, striking the boats and planes and making them plunge into the water and sink.
Travis Hawkins, now in his twenties, blinked his grey eyes as he stepped out of his house, locking the door behind him. “Alright Travis, let’s get going,” He muttered to himself as he walked down the path leading from his house to his car.
“Hey Travis,” a voice from Travis’s side said, prompting Travis to turn around. A man was standing on the pathway leading to the neighboring house, and most notably, he was wearing a clown costume.
“Hey Mike,” Travis waved back in response, “I didn’t think anyone had you booked today.”
“I’d say the same about you, Travis,” Mike replied, “I’ve known you long enough to know you don’t have any flights for another couple days.”
Travis shook his head, “You heard the news about those ships and planes going down near Feral Island?”
“Yeah, that’s why I’m heading out today,” Mike replied, “kids around Claw Coast are probably terrified, I figured I’d go cheer them up.”
Travis nodded, “It’s why I’m going out too, I’m a pilot, I’d probably be a lot of when it comes to trying to find anyone out there.”
“Well good luck with that, man,” Mike said in response, “Hope no one was too hurt, sure seems weird all those boats and planes went down all the sudden.”
“Thanks man, and yeah,” Travis said, “does seem weird.”
Mike seemed to think for a moment, “Think it has something to do with the island? Usually it’s surrounded by fog, but we can see it now.”
Travis shrugged, “I doubt it, I mean, if it was surely it would’ve happened before.”
“You sure the animen didn’t do it?” Mike snarked.
Travis chuckled, “Just because I used to believe in Animen when I was a kid because of that book my aunt read me doesn’t mean I still do.”
“I mean, no one’s ever been on that island before, even if there’s no animen there’s bound to be something on there that we don’t know about,” Mike shrugged.
Travis nodded, “Got me there, maybe once everyone’s been rescued I could check the place out, as long as the fog doesn’t come back.”
“Well I won’t hold you up any longer,” Mike replied with a wave goodbye, “see ya.”
“See ya,” Travis replied, waving to Mike as the two of them got in their cars.
A few hours later, Travis landed the plane he was using to sweep the waters between Feral Island and Claw Coast with, allowing the people he had picked up to get out. He exited the pilot’s seat and got out of the plane and onto the runway, ushering the people onboard outside. “Thank you so much,” a woman carrying a young boy in her arms said as Travis helped her out.
“It’s no problem, be safe,” Travis replied, as she left his view and fewer and fewer people exited the plane.
The last man to exit wore a fisherman’s outfit and looked to Travis, “I think we were the last ones still out there.”
Travis nodded, “Yeah, between me and everyone else out there I think we got everyone of you guys we could.” He looked back to his plane, “But I’ll do another sweep just to be sure.”
“Well good luck with that,” the man said as he began to walk away.
“I appreciate it,” Travis replied with a grin and a wave.
A few minutes later, the plane was back in the air, soaring over the water between the mainland and Feral Island. He scanned the waters below, though he was unable to see anyone still in them. “Guess those were the last of them,” Travis muttered to himself. He looked ahead, spotting Feral Island, “The mist is still gone, maybe I can spare a few minutes, not like it’ll hurt anyone.”
“Well Stabinnit, this has been fun, but you should probably get going if we wanna get this world wiped,” Smithsonia said to a screen in the World Wipers Studio displaying the Game Master on Feral Island’s shore.
“Yeah, you ain’t gonna get anything done if you just wait for these humans to waltz right towards ya,” Cubole added.
Stabinnit, “Trust the process, it’s no fun if you don’t give them time to squirm.”
“You can still do that while making actual progress,” Bismind replied, rubbing his index and middle fingers against his thumb, “honestly for all your talk about showing me what being a Game Master is all about, I can’t say I’m impressed with your performance so far, and I’m sure the audience would agree.”
“You little!” Stabinnit spat before attempting to regain his composure, though failing miserably at it, “Fine! I’ll blast the next thing that comes near this island, and then I’ll get to work turning this planet into a scorched husk, starting with this island! Would that be enough to impress a smug rookie like you?”
“Probably not,” Bismind replied, not sounding as impressed at all.
“Ugh!” Stabinnit yelled, kicking the ground before looking up at the sky, spotting a plane flying near the island. He took a deep breath before lifting up his cannon-like arm, “When I’m done with you, then I’ll show that good for nothing newbie what I can really do!”
Travis looked over the island as his plane approached it, looking for a suitable landing spot. “That looks like it could work,” Travis said after a few moments, preparing to turn the plane to the side. Before Travis could start the process, a fireball suddenly shot forth from the edge of the island, sailing towards the plane and blasting off one of its wings. “Mayday! Mayday!” Travis called into his radio as the plane began taking a nosedive towards Feral Island, “This is Travis Hawkins, I’m at-” Travis could say nothing else as the plane slammed into the beach, igniting in the process and knocking him unconscious.
As the plane burned, an animan with the head of a condor wearing pilot’s gear and goggles approached it. He grabbed Travis’s burn-covered body and pulled it from the wreckage and onto the sand, undeterred by flames. The animan extended a hand down towards the chest of Travis’s prone form and spoke with a deep but gentle voice, “Come, human, now is not the time to die.”
Small, multicolored cube-shaped particles of energy flew into Travis’s body, making the burns covering it glow before disappearing completely. With Travis’s wounds healed, the animan reached into his jacket, producing a cube-shaped grey object covered in pieces of white crystal. “Dark days are coming, human, for both your home and Feralia. I can only pray that Earth will give you the strength to weather them.” He placed the cube onto Travis’s chest before speaking again, “I must go now, it’s nearly time for you to take flight.” He turned around and walked into the treeline, disappearing from sight.
The first thing Travis noticed upon regaining consciousness was four voices around him, though he couldn’t see the sources as his eyes were still closed. “Think they’re still alive?” a concerned but bubbly female voice asked.
“Well I can hear their heartbeat,” a more mature female voice replied.
“Yeah, cuz, they’re fine,” a male voice added, sounding African-American, “wonder what they are though, some kinda hairless ape?”
A fourth and final voice replied, possessing a slight Indian accent and sounding exasperated, “It’s obviously a human. They look exactly like what those pictures of humans look like, plus the mist is gone for some reason so they can get in.”
Travis sat up, opening his eyes as he spoke, “Why are you talking like you’ve never seen another-”
In front of Travis were four Animen, two men and two women. One of the women had the head of a shark, wearing a blue dress that seemed Hispanic in design. One of the men was a lion, who had parts of his lmane braided and wore African-looking clothing. The next man had the head of an elephant and wore green, Indian-inspired clothing, complete with a Pahari cap. The other woman was a white-furred tiger with purple stripes wearing an outfit that seemed Appalachian in origin.
Travis immediately screamed and scrambled back, the white cube still in hand.
The animen screamed and stepped backwards.
“You’re real?” Travis exclaimed after he stopped screaming.
“Why wouldn’t we be?” the lion responded.
The tiger nodded, “Yeah, what’s that supposed to mean?”
“I only ever heard about you in a book my aunt read to me,” Travis replied, slowly getting to his feet.”
“A book? I had thought all evidence of our kind’s history on the mainland had faded into obscurity by now,” the elephant said.
“So did I, but I have a better question,” the shark said, pointing to the cube in Travis’s hand, “where did you get that?”
“This?” Travis replied, looking at it, “I don’t know, my plane just got hit by a fireball and crashed while I was trying to rescue people, and when you woke me up it was already in my hands.”
“Yeah, you already had it when the four of us found you,” the tiger said, sitting down on a rock cross-legged.
The elephant looked at the wreckage of Travis’s plane, “Well, judging by the direction this “plane” of yours is facing, it seems you didn’t steal one of ours.”
“If you did we’d have to perform a human sacrifice,” the lion joked before the shark hit him in the back of the head, “Ow!”
The shark shook her head, “Ignore him, he’s always wanted to give humans a little scare if they ever showed up on the island.”
“Okay?” Travis said slowly, with confusion, “What’s so important about this anyway?”
“They’re important relics to us,” the elephant replied, “Hearts of the Earth, the purest concentrations of the Earth’s energy, allow us to commune with the Cubeasts.”
The shark nodded, “Our kind has four, so you possessing a fifth… that’s very strange indeed.”
Travis glanced down at the cube in his hand, “So that’s what this is.” He looked back at the four animen, “This seems pretty important to you guys, so I can give it to you want, it doesn’t really mean anything to me.”
“It would probably be wiser to take it to the elder of our people rather than giving it to us,” the elephant suggested.
The lion nodded, “Yeah, maybe he’ll understand how you got it.”
“Plus it would probably be a good idea to take you to a doctor anyway,” the tiger replied, looking at the burning wreckage of the plane, “I mean, you probably aren’t feeling the best since your… “plane” crashed, right?”
Travis shook his head, “I dunno, I feel… surprisingly okay? Though I guess it couldn’t hurt to check since that could just be the adrenaline talking.” Travis paused, thinking for a moment, “Wait, would one of your doctors even know how to treat me? I can’t imagine they’d know how to treat a human.”
“Hooded Fangs in the Grass is a great doctor, he’s sure to be able to help you somehow,” the lion replied, “he’s treated plenty of ape and monkey animen before, and I’m not the most knowledgeable on humans, but I think what I said before is right.”
“Us being hairless apes?” Travis asked.
The lion nodded, “Yup.”
Travis thought for a moment before responding, “Well I guess it wouldn’t hurt. Thanks for the offer, I’m Travis by the way, Travis Hawkins.”
“A pleasure to meet you, Travis,” the shark replied, “I am Sharp Tooth in the Seas.”
“Roaring Hunter in the Savanna,”” the lion responded.
The elephant spoke next, “Quaking Stomp in the Forest.”
“Razor Claw in the Tundra,” the tiger finished, moving to stand next to Roaring Hunter in the Savanna, “he’s my cousin by the way!”
“Alright, I’ll try and keep those in mind,” Travis said, looking at them and muttering each of their individual names under his breath before speaking normally again, “Well uh, lead the way.”
The five of them walked through the island’s foliage, and after a while, they found themselves near a cliff. From it, Travis could see a surprisingly large, perfectly square-shaped settlement below, but what really caught his eye were irregular towers of colorful, cube-shaped crystals, with smaller clusters of them floating in the air. “Nice view,” Travis said before pointing to one of the stacks, “What’re those?”
“Earth’s solidified energy, like the Hearts of the Earth, though the Hearts are considerably purer,” Quaking Stomp in the Forest explained, “Feralia is above a lay line, so Earth’s energy leaks up through the island.”
“Interesting,” Travis replied with a nod.
“Use that for a lot of stuff around here,” Roaring Hunter in the Savanna added, “way better than whatever let that metal death trap you arrived in move, I bet.”
Travis looked down at the settlement below, “Well I can’t wait to see what it’s like there, when I was a kid I always wondered what went on here.”
“Well you won’t have to wonder any longer,” Sharp Tooth in the Seas responded as she gestured to the settlement, “This is the Place of Nature’s Bounty.”
“You’ll love it here!” Razor Claw in the Tundra said enthusiastically.
Travis nodded, “Well once I hand over this Heart of the Earth and get myself checked out I’ll definitely try and look around a bit before I head home. You… can help me with that too, right?”
“Oh of course,” Sharp Tooth in the Seas responded, “we have plenty of boats that you can use, though you’ll have to make the trip back alone.”
“Worried about what other people will think, I assume?” Travis inquired.
Quaking Stomp in the Forest nodded, “Correct, we’ve been isolated from humans for quite some time, and while a few of us have tried to contact humans before, they don’t exactly get the… best reception, to put it mildly, even if they only ever meet a few people.”
“While the fog barrier was initially made to protect us from the Orgs, at this point it also serves the purpose of keeping humans out,” Sharp Tooth in the Seas continued.
Roaring Hunter in the Savanna shook his head “It served the purpose of keeping humans out, can’t really do much now on the account of being gone.”
“Orgs,” Travis muttered under his breath before continuing, “Why is the fog gone anyway? It’s been there for as long as I remember, and when it disappeared all kinds of boats and planes started going down,” he asked, confused, “I’m not blaming you guys for it, I just wanna know if you know anything about it.”
Razor Claw in the Tundra shrugged, “Beats me.”
“Yeah, we’re people who were passing by when you crashed, if our elder wanted to do anything like this, we wouldn’t have known,” Roaring Hunter in the Savanna replied, “well, Quaking Stomp in the Forest’s dad might’ve known.”
“My father is our historian, Roaring Hunter in the Savanna!” Quaking Stomp in the Forest replied, sounding scandalized, “I highly doubt he would’ve known if we were going to attack humans, and even if he did I know he’d heavily object to it!”
Roaring Hunter in the Savanna chuckled and put a hand on Quaking Stomp in the Forest’s shoulder, “I’m just messin’ with ya, man.”
“Give it a rest, you two,” Sharp Tooth in the Seas said as she got between the two of them, pushing them away from each other.
“Maybe the Cubeasts know,” Travis said, “I’m not sure how accurate it is, but the book my aunt read me said that the Eagle Cubeast created the barrier, and you said that the Hearts of the Earth let you talk to the Cubeasts, so maybe you can ask them.”
“You’re right on all accounts,” Quaking Stomp in the Forest replied, “but we’ll have to ask the Elder first, anyone who wants to communicate with the Cubeasts must receive his blessing each time they want to talk with them, and even then we’ll have to be the ones who have to do it.”
Razor Claw in the Tundra nodded, “Yeah, no offense, but we have no idea if the Cubeasts can communicate with humans at all, y’know? Seeing as you’re the first human to step foot on the island in like, three thousand years.”
“No, I completely get it,” Travis reassured, “me being here is completely unprecedented, and they’re your gods anyway.”
Roaring Hunter in the Savanna stretched lazily, “Well if we wanna get things figured out then standing here isn’t gonna do anything, besides, we still have to have you checked out, right, Travis?”
“Right,” Travis nodded, “we should probably keep moving.”
A few minutes later, the five had entered the Place of Nature’s Bounty, which Travis took in as they continued to walk. The buildings were all created from stone, and reminded Travis of ancient buildings one might find in South America or India, with colorful energy flowing through lines carved on them. Several animen worked in the streets, working food stalls or creating small cubic objects, though a few could be seen moving about floating stone slabs to get to higher levels of buildings. As he and the others passed by, several Animen gawked at Travis, making him feel incredibly uncomfortable.
“How much longer until we’re there?” Travis asked in a loud whisper to his quartet of Animen guides.
“Not too much further,” Sharp Tooth in the Seas replied.
Roaring Hunter in the Savanna chuckled, “Not a fan of the celebrity treatment?”
“That’s one way to put it,” Travis replied, shaking his head.
Quaking Stomp in the Forest looked to Travis, “In their defense, you’d probably be looking at them the same way if they were in your place.”
“Yeah, I mean, we’re still kind of finding it hard to believe that you’re a human too,” Razor Claw in the Tundra added reassuringly.
“Fair point,” Travis shrugged and nodded. The five of them entered the main plaza of the square-shaped city, where at the center was a cube-shaped altar. Aside from the top and bottom, each of the altar’s sides had Hearts of the Earth embedded in them, virtually identical to the one in Travis’s hand. Standing in front of the altar was a tortoise animan wearing robes and holding a golden staff topped with a cube. Interestingly, despite being reptilian, this Animan possessed hair, having a white beard, mustache, and combed over hair.
“Elder, we must speak with you!” Quaking Stomp in the Forest said as he approached the tortoise
The tortoise slowly turned around, “Yes… Quaking Stomp… in the Forest?” He then noticed Travis, who gave a wave and a small smile, “Oh.”
“Hi,” Travis said tinily, “I’m Travis.”
Sharp Tooth in the Seas stepped forward next to speak, “We found him unconscious on the beach after the fog wall disappeared, he claims his vehicle crashed after being hit by a fireball.”
“I… see,” the tortoise animan said as he hobbled towards Travis, “I am… Shelled Wisdom… in the Swamp… Tell me… Travis… why do you… possess… a Heart of… the Earth?”
Travis shook his head, “I’m not sure, people were in danger in the water outside the island, so I went out to help them. Like Sharp Tooth in the Seas said, my plane went down after getting hit by a fireball, and when they woke up it was already in my hands. I don’t know anything else, honest.”
Shelled Wisdom in the Swamp gave a slow nod, “I believe you… Travis.”
“We brought him to you because we figured the Cubeasts might know why he has it,” Razor Claw in the Tundra replied.
“A wise… idea… Razor Claw… in the Tundra,” Shelled Wisdom in the Swamp replied, “You may… commune with… the Cubeasts.”
Roaring Hunter in the Savanna spoke next, “Alright, but before that could you point out to Travis where Hooded Fangs in the Grass is? He got banged up on the way here.”
“Of course… Roaring Hunter… in the Savanna,” Shelled Wisdom in the swamp replied before looking at Travis and slowly raising a hand, “You… may find him… over there.”
As Shelled Wisdom in the Swamp finished speaking and pointed in the direction of the doctor, the tails of all five Animen stood on end. “Oh no,” Sharp Tooth in the Seas said quietly, her eyes widening.
Travis gave a confused look, “What’s wron-”
Before Travis could finish speaking, a massive fireball hit the altar, making it explode and launching the Hearts of the Earth across the ground as Travis and the animen stumbled back. “Is everyone okay?” Travis asked as he tried to get his bearings.
“Elder, are you alright?” Quaking Stomp in the Jungle asked as he rushed to Shelled Wisdom in the Swamp, who was thankfully unharmed.
“Yes, I am… alright,” Shelled Wisdom in the Swamp replied, his words coming out slightly faster than usual.
Roaring Hunter in the Savanna got to his feet, “What the heck was that?”
“Well, well, well, what do we have here?” Stabinnit asked as he came into view, several buildings burning behind him as he stalked forward, “a human all by himself, and it looks like some of this planet’s lower-lifeforms too, no one told me they could walk on two legs through.”
Inside the World Wipers Studio, Smithsonia made a grand gesture to the screen displaying what was happening on the planet below. “Now this is a shocking turn of events!” she said with a dramatic flair, “It seems like humans aren’t the only advanced civilization on this planet after all!”
Cubole chuckled in his seat, leaning towards Bismind, “Did ya know about this, brainiac?”
“Not these ones specifically,” Bismind replied, “though I have heard Earth has several sapient species, humans make up the majority.”
“Any idea what these are called?” Smithsonia inquired.
Before anyone else could respond, Cubole suddenly shouted “Animen!” earning a confused look from Smithsonia and Bismind. “What, they’re animal people, aren’t they?” Cubole replied, not understanding the confusion.
“Who are you?” Sharp Tooth in the Seas demanded.
Razor Claw in the Tundra stepped forwards next, “And what are you doing here?”
“Me?” Stabinnit chuckled manically, “I’m Stabinnit, a Game Master for the incredibly popular intergalactic game show, World Wipers! And I’m here because your planet has the honor of being the fiftieth we’re going to wipe!”
“What are you talking about?” Travis asked aggressively.
Stabinnit chuckled again, “Let me spell it out for you, human. I’m gonna burn this planet to cinders, and people are going to be cheering me on all the way!”
“So all of this madness is because people like seeing it?” Quaking Stomp in the Forest said with disgust.
“Yup, but enough talk, time for you all to die!” Stabinnit cackled as he aimed his cannon-arm forward, and unleashed a jet of flames from it directly at the group. They all ducked down again, with Quaking Stomp in the Forest helping Shelled Wisdom in the Swamp avoid it.
“You must flee… he is too dangerous!” Shelled Wisdom in the Swamp yelled to Travis and the four animen.
“No way!” Roaring Hunter in the Savanna called back.
Razor Claw in the Tundra nodded, “This is our home!”
“Our kind battled against Orgs when they threatened us before, and we’ll battle whoever does it now!” Quaking Stomp in the Forest added.
Sharp Tooth in the Seas stepped forward and pointed accusingly at Stabinnit, “We won’t let you hurt anyone on this island, or the lands outside of it!”
“Your funeral!” Stabinnit cackled as he shot a fireball at the four Animen.
“No!” Travis yelled before trying to shield Shelled Wisdom in the Swamp.
Before the fireball could collide, the four Hearts of the Earth from the altar flew in front of the four Animen, forming a blue, yellow, green, and white cube-shaped barrier around them. As the smoke cleared, one Heart of the Earth landed in each of their hands and began to glow and change, becoming strange, Rubik’s cube-like devices, sectioned in three by a pair of horizontal lines.
“What the heck?” Travis muttered as the transformation stopped.
“What just happened?” Razor Claw in the Tundra said as she looked the device over.
Sharp Tooth in the Seas seemed concerned, “Did we break them?”
“I dunno!” Roaring Hunter in the Savanna called back.
Quaking Stomp in the Forest turned to face Shelled, “Elder, do you know anything?”
“You have been chosen by the Cubeasts to be their Avatars!” Shelled Wisdom in the Swamp said with uncharacteristic urgency.
“What?” Travis and the four Animen asked with shock in unison.
“There is no time to explain,” Shelled Wisdom in the Swamp continued, “if you want to protect us as you claim, you must use their powers now!”
The four Animen looked at each other before opening the devices like a flip-phone and pressing a red button on the inside.
“Shark!” Sharp Tooth in the Seas called as she pressed 2.
“Lion!” Roaring Hunter in the Savanna said as he pressed 3.
“Elephant!” Quaking Stomp in the Forest stated as he pressed 4.
”Tiger!” Razor Claw in the Tundra declared as she pressed 5.
The four of them then turned the sides of the cube so a red side depicting an eagle, shark, lion, elephant, and tiger were at the front, each emitting a colored energy cube around the animan holding them. The animen then raised the unfolded cube up and were enveloped in light.
Suits formed on the animen, each having white gloves with black zigzags at the edges. Sharp Tooth in the Seas’ suit was blue, Roaring Hunter in the Savanna’s was yellow, Quaking Stomp in the Forest’s was green, and Razor Claw in the Tundra’s was white. After that, an energy projection of the head of the animal each animan was bit down on their head, forming a helmet and making a pattern resembling that animal’s head appear on the suit’s chest.
“Power Rangers!” Travis said, smiling widely as he realized what he was looking at.
Roaring Hunter in the Savanna turned to look at Travis, confused, “Huh?”
“I’ll explain later, but there’s been tons of people like you over the years,” Travis explained, “I’ll get Shelled Wisdom in the Swamp to safety and let you guys handle this!”
“Alright, be safe!” Razor Claw in the Tundra called.
“Got it!” Travis called before he grabbed onto Shelled Wisdom in the Swamp and began to hurry away with him.
“Now onto you!” Sharp Tooth in the Seas said as she and the other other Rangers brandished their weapons. She pulled out a blue pistol shaped like a shark, its tail acting as the grip and its dorsal fin acting as a sight.
“Shark Pistol!
Roaring Hunter in the Savanna produced a large yellow shield, shaped like a lion’s head and mane.
“Lion Shield!”
Quaking Stomp in the Forest wielded a green hammer shaped like an elephant’s head, with its trunk acting as the handle and its ears making up the hammer’s heads.
“Elephant Hammer!”
Lastly, Razor Claw in the Tundra gripped a white spear with a figurine of a leaping tiger at the end that the spear’s head emerged from the mouth of.
“Tiger Spear!”
“So you’re the best this planet has to offer?” Stabinnit asked the Rangers, not sounding impressed. He tossed a cluster of coins into the air, each of which began to glow and transformed into a Crewbon. Each Crewbon was equipped with a strange, double-bladed sword that had a grip in the middle. “Crewbons, deal with these pajama-wearing pests!” Stabinnit commanded.
The Rangers and Crewbons rushed towards each other, with the Crewbons swinging their swords, only for the Rangers to easily dodge them. Sharp Tooth in the Seas ducked under a blade before blasting a Crewbon in the chest with a pressurized jet of water, while Roaring Hunter in the Savanna blocked a strike with his shield before forcing the sword to the side and bashing the Crewbon wielding it in the chest. Quaking Stomp in the Forest slammed his hammer into the side of a Crewbon’s torso before spinning around to strike another, while Razor Claw in the Tundra dug her spear into the ground and spun around on it to kick a Crewbon in the chest before pulling it out of the ground to stab another.
On board the World Wipers Studio, Smithsonia, Cubole, Bismind, and the studio audience watched the fight unfold. “Power Rangers huh? Looks like they might actually pose a bit of a challenge when it comes to wiping this planet!” Smithsonia chuckled.
“Fine by me, it ain’t fun if there ain’t at least a little bit of a challenge!” Cubole exclaimed, leaning forward.
In his own seat, Bismind just nodded, raising a hand to his face with his pinky finger pointing upwards, “Indeed.”
Eventually, Travis and Shelled Wisdom in the Swamp stopped running, having made it to a different part of the Place of Nature’s Bounty, though even there the animan population seemed to have fled. “Well, what do we do now?” Travis asked the tortoise animan.
“You must do… what I know… you desire…” Shelled Wisdom in the Swamp replied.
Travis gave a look of confusion, “What?”
“Going back… helping them…” Shelled Wisdom in the Swamp answered, “I see it… in your eyes… a desire… to protect… this place… despite it… not being… your home… you are… a compassionate man… Travis.”
Travis sighed and shook his head, “Well yeah, I do, but this is all completely completely out of my depth! I help people get from one place to another and sometimes help rescue people if they’re lost in the woods or sea or something, not fight some spiky alien! As much as I want to, I'm not sure I can…”
“I’m sure… the others… didn’t think… they could either,” Shelled Wisdom in the Swamp replied, “but… they still did… and look… at them now… I am sure… the Heart of… the Earth… ended up… with you… for a reason.”
Travis held the Heart of the Earth in his hands, “I’m not an animan though, that’s the problem, will I even be able to become a Power Ranger like them, what can I even do that they can’t?”
“Most don’t… know the answer… until afterwards,” Shelled Wisdom in the Swamp Chuckled, “You might… not be… an animan… but that doesn’t… change the fact… that you have… compassion and bravery… I am sure… the Cubeasts… see that...”
Travis looked at the tortoise Animan, “You really think so?”
“While the Cubeasts… tend to prefer… animen… that represent them… I am sure… they cannot overlook… your love… for Feralia… especially in … a time… like this… and especially when… the last… Cubeast living here…” Shelled Wisdom in the Swamp trailed off.
Travis gave a confused look, “When what?”
“Nevermind…” Shelled Wisdom in the Swamp shook his head, “the point is… how… you were born… doesn’t matter… it is… the person… you are… that is important.”
Travis took a deep breath and thought for a moment before speaking, “You’re right, I do love this place, even if I have only been here for a little bit. It doesn’t matter what I am, my love for this place means I should help fight for it!”
The Heart of the Earth in Travis’s hands began to glow as it changed into the same Rubik’s cube-like device as the others. Travis’s eyes widened and he spoke softly as he looked at the device, “Incredible…”
“Go forth Avatar of the Cubeasts and help save Feralia!” Shelled Wisdom in the Swamp said with a slow nod but urgency in his voice.
“I won’t let you or anyone living here down,” Travis nodded in reply before running back the way he came.
Meanwhile, the other Rangers’ battle had spilled out from the Place of Nature’s Bounty to the forests outside of it. Additionally, the Animen had since forsaken their weapons and were engaging the Crewbons’ blades with their hands. “Bring it on!” Roaring Hunter in the Savanna roared, prompting Sharp Tooth in the Seas to cover her ears while it stunned the Crewbons.
Quaking Stomp in the Forest tossed a Crewbon over his shoulder before punching another two in the heads, one after another. Sharp Tooth in the Seas delivered two-handed slams into a pair of Crewbons’ sides, while Razor Claw in the Tundra climbed onto the back of a downed Crewbons and used it as a platform to attack other Crewbons. As the Crewbon stood up, she held her feet tight to the sides of its torso to prevent her from tossing her off as she punched it in the back of the head. Roaring Hunter in the Savanna scratched a Crewbon across the chest before spinning around to do the same to another two.
Afterwards, he and all the others leaned back and gave roars and bellows, the eyes of the animal faces on their chests flashing. “Feral Fury!” they all called in unison. Sharp Tooth in the Seas grew a shark fin on her back, the hands of both Roaring Hunter in the Savanna and Razor Claw in the Tundra developed into massive claws, and Quaking Stomp in the Forest’s feet became larger and more elephant-like.
“Woah!” Roaring Hunter in the Savanna said as he looked at his significantly larger clawed hands.
Quaking Stomp in the Forest looked at his larger feet, “I guess the Cubeasts are strengthening our animan abilities!”
“Well let’s put these to good use then!” Sharp tooth in the Seas replied.
Razor Claw in the Tundra flexed her claws as she nodded, “Let’s get these guys!”
Sharp Tooth in the Seas launched herself forward, angling herself horizontally and spinning like a buzzsaw as her gin glowed blue. The attack cut into into several Crewbons, making them explode as she backflipped away
Roaring Hunter in the Savanna ran forward into another large group of Crewbons, slashing them with his claws that were tipped with yellow energy and left behind yellow energy streaks. The attacks knocked the Crewbons onto the ground, making them explode on contact.
Quaking Stomp in the Forest slammed one of his enlarged feet into the ground, releasing a green shockwave through the ground. The shockwave traveled straight into a crowd of Crewbons, making the ground beneath them erupt and destroying them.
The tips of Razor Claw in the Tundra’s claws glowed pink as she swiped them forward at a horde of Crewbons, unleashing dozens of pink energy slashes that destroyed the Crewbons instantly on contact.
“Heh, you’re tougher than I thought!” Stabinnit chuckled, pointing his arm cannon at them, the four Rangers now having returned to normal.
Sharp Tooth in the Seas pointed back, “You’re next!” She and the others pulled out white handles with a blue and red cube on top of them, the blue in front of the red. The red cube showed a red eagle, a blue shark, and a yellow lion, while the blue cube showed a green elephant and a white tiger. The four Rangers took the red cube and put it in front of the blue cube, causing a red blade to appear from one of its edges in a burst of red, cube-shaped particles.
“Beast Blaster Blades!”
The four charged forward as Stabinnit fired fireballs from his arm cannon that spiraled towards the Animen, who dodged them as they closed the distance. They swung at Stabinnit, who ducked under and weaved between the attacks. While the other three Rangers attacked Stabinnit in melee, Quaking Stomp in the Forest fell back and moved the blue cube of his blade in front of the red one, transforming it into a blaster. He used it to fire a cube-shaped blast of energy at Stabinnit, who quickly shrugged it off.
The other Rangers took this as an opportunity to attack Stabinnit, but he dodged them and backtracked as the Rangers pursued him.
Roaring Hunter in the Savanna took a swipe at Stabinnit, but he batted it to the side before bludgeoning the Animan with his arm cannon. He took aim at Roaring Hunter in the Savanna, but before he could fire, Razor Claw in the Tundra slashed his arm off, “Oh no you don’t!”
Stabinnit staggered back and swung his arm, sending a barrage of spikes at her and forcing her to dodge. More spikes grew from the stump of his arm, forming a new cannon which he fired at Quaking Stomp in the Forest, knocking him back.
Roaring Hunter in the Savanna took the opportunity to kick Stabinnit in the chest, sending him stumbling back into a slash from Sharp Tooth in the Deep. Roaring Hunter in the Savanna ran forward to deliver another slash, but was cut off by red energy beams from the sky. “What the heck?” he said as he looked up to see jet pack-wearing Crewbons, their blades extended to be more like spears that they held horizontally and fired energy from the tips.
“They fly now?” Sharp Tooth in the Deep said exhaustedly before getting shot in the chest by a fireball.
“Let’s see how you handle this!” Stabinnit chuckled as the other three Rangers changed their blades to blasters like Quaking Stomp in the Forest, firing at the Crewbons. Unfortunately, the Crewbons were far too fast and avoided the attacks.
“Ugh, I can’t hit them!” Razor Claw in the Tundra said before the Crewbons fired at the Rangers again, forcing them to dodge out of the way and directly into a swipe from Stabinnit’s cannon that struck all of them and made them stagger back.
“We need to find a way to handle those things so we can focus on him!” Quaking Stomp in the Forest said as he and the others recovered.
Roaring Hunter in the Savanna looked at him as the forest around them burned, set alight by Stabinnit’s fireballs and the Crewbon’s lasers, “But how?”
Suddenly, a voice rang out through the forest, “Stabinnit!”
Everyone turned to see Travis standing there confidently, with Sharp Tooth in the Deep being the first to speak, “Travis?”
“What are you doing here?” Razor Claw in the Tundra asked, confused.
Travis gave a determined look, “I’m here to save Feralia, just like you guys, I’m not gonna let this place be destroyed for some sadistic game!”
Stabinnit chuckled, “And how do you plan on doing that, meatbag?”
Travis held out his Morpher, “With this!”
The other Rangers looked in shock at what Travis was holding. “How?” Roaring Hunter in the Savanna said with surprise.
“It’s like you said, in the grand scheme of things I am a hairless ape,” Travis replied.
Stabinnit seemed unimpressed, “And what difference do you possibly think you can make?”
“Let’s see!” Travis said as he readied his Morpher, “It’s morphin’ time!”
“Eagle!” he called as he opened the Morpher and pressed 1. He was surrounded by a red energy cube as he moved the Morpher to its red face and held it up.
A red suit formed around him as the head of an eagle bit down on his own, forming a helmet as the face of an eagle appeared on his chest.
Bismind looked up at the screen displaying the footage of the ground below, “And so the Red finally shows himself.”
“How many of these guys are there?” Cubole asked, laughing.
Smithsonia watched the screen as well, turning to the audience, “It seems like our fiftieth wipe is as exciting as many were hoping it would be!”
“Eagle?” Quaking Stomp in the Forest said in disbelief.
“No way!” Razor Claw in the Tundra said, sounding equally surprised.
Stabinnit chuckled, “It doesn’t matter how many of you there are, you’ll be slaughtered all the same! Crewbons!” The flying Crewbons began to descend on Travis at a rapid speed.
“Feral Fury!”
Travis called as the eyes of the eagle on his torso flashed and a pair of red-feathered wings connecting his torso and arms appeared. He shot into the air, leaving a crater in the ground as he disrupted the flight paths of the Crewbons, kicking one into the ground. He soared around, pursuing the flying Crewbons and dodging their lasers, knocking them out of the air with flaming kicks.
“Not bad!” Stabinnit congratulated as the lights on his cannon lit up and it fired a massive fireball at Travis. Travis flew towards it with a flaming leg, piercing through the air and making it explode before landing in front of Stabinnit, his wings disappearing.
“Now’s our chance, let’s get him!” Roaring Hunter in the Savanna declared before Quaking Stomp in the Forest stopped him.
“No, the Eagle had to have chosen him for a reason, let’s see what he can do by himself,” Quaking Stomp in the Forest explained.
Razor Claw in the Tundra gave a concerned look, “Are you sure? I mean, he was giving us a hard time already, who knows what he’ll do to Travis by himself!”
“We have to have faith in the Cubeasts’ power, Razor Claw in the Tundra,” Sharp Tooth in the Seas replied, putting a hand on her shoulder, “Eagle wouldn’t have chosen him unless he was truly extraordinary.”
Travis produced a sword with a segmented blade with a wing-shaped crossguard, decorated with red highlights.
“Eagle Feather Sword!”
Travis leapt high into the air, delivering a powerful downward slash to Stabinnit that sent the Game Master staggering back as red feathers drifted down. Travis tried to deliver a horizontal slash, but Stabinnit blocked it with his cannon. Travis then kicked Stabinnit in the chest, making him stumble slightly, but not enough to prevent him from dodging another few slashes before catching Travis’s blade under his arm as the Ranger tried to stab him. He used the leverage to kick Travis back, sending him hurtling towards a tree.
The segments of Travis’s blade extended, becoming a whip that wrapped itself around the tree. Travis used his momentum to swing around the back of the tree and to the side opposite where he was previously, landing on his feet. The blade unwrapped itself from the tree and returned to its original shape momentarily before Travis extended it again, lashing Stabinnit with it repeatedly.
Travis retracted the blade again and shot forward rapidly, delivering a drop kick to Stabinnit’s chest and knocking him to the ground. As Stabinnit got to his feet, Travis bound the Game Master with his whip.
“Game over for you!” Travis said as he gripped the sword with both hands.
Stabinnit gave a look of shock, “Impossible!”
“Red Feather Cyclone!”
Travis spun around, the bladed whip becoming enveloped in flames and cutting into Stabinnit before it came undone and retracted, leaving prismatic cuts in Stabinnit’s body.
“How could I be beaten by such inferior lifeforms?” Stabinnit questioned, his cuts emitting colorful cube-shaped particles before he went up in flames, releasing a wave of the particles as his body hit the ground.
“Amazing!” Sharp Tooth in the Seas said with awe.
Roaring Hunter in the Savanna rushed forward, “Great job, man!”
“That was awesome!” Razor Claw in the Tundra added, joining her cousin.
Quaking Stomp in the Forest nodded, “I expected nothing less from the chosen of the Eagle.”
Suddenly, a robotic voice was emitted from Stabinnit’s corpse, “Game Over. Continue?
“Hah! Looks like Stabinnit’s not cut out for this planet!” Cubole chuckled, “I would love to fight them though.”
Bismind nodded, “Those who are competent rarely need to continually talk about how competent they are.”
Smithsonia turned to the audience, “Well long-time viewers should know this isn’t over yet, and as for anyone new… well it’ll be easier to show you!”
A tall entity standing among the Crewbons filming held up a Crewbon Coin in its hand, infusing the coin with yellow energy, making it turn golden and creating a crack in it that showed a red layer under the gold. It flipped it to Smithsonia, who caught it before the being walked away.
“Stay tuned,” Smithsonia said as she stood on the teleporter in the center of the stage, disappearing in a stack of green energy coins.
The coins appeared near where Stabinnit had fallen, dispersing to reveal Smithsonia to the Rangers. “Greetings, defenders of Earth,” Smithsonia said casually as she approached Stabinnit’s corpse and snapped a spike off of it.
“Whoah lady, who are you supposed to be?” Roaring Hunter in the Savanna asked as he and the other Rangers got into fighting stances.
“I am Smithsonia, the host of World Wipers,” Smithsonia explained as she held up the coin, “and with the power of our Producer’s cells in this coin, I’m here to give my Game Master another shot at wiping this planet.”
Realization dawned on Travis, “Wait, stop!”
Unfortunately, Travis was too late, as Smithsonia had already inserted the golden coin into the slot on Stabinnit’s shoulder. Stabinnit’s eyes flashed red and there was a massive eruption of golden coins, with a giant Stabinnit emerging from it. “Time to incinerate you insects!” Stabinnit roared.
“He’s giant now?” Razor Claw in the Tundra said with shock.
Travis looked up at the massive Stabinnit, “Just great!” Suddenly the Rangers Morphers all started glowing, making Travis look at his with confusion, “Huh?”
“It’s the Cubeasts! They want us to summon them!” Quaking Stomp in the forest explained.
“Well let’s do it!” Travis replied as they opened their Morphers, pressing a yellow button and then their respective number.
They closed the Morphers and rotated them to a yellow side depicting a cube. The Morphers then created massive cubes from energy, each with the respective number and color of their Ranger.
“He’s done for now!” Roaring Hunter in the Savanna called.
“Let’s go!” Travis said to the others before they jumped into the cubes and placed their Morphers in a cube-shaped console on the inside.
“Eagle Cubeast Zord!”
“Shark Cubeast Zord!”
“Lion Cubeast Zord!”
“Elephant Cubeast Zord!”
“Tiger Cubeast Zord!”
The cubes unfolded into their respective animals, with the Eagle, Elephant, and Tiger Cubeast Zords being most unique, due to a turbine on its back, five holes at the end of its trunk, and another set of claws on its shoulders respectively.
Smithsonia looked up at the Cubeasts and spoke into a mic, “Deploy the Tri-Fighters.”
From the World Wipers Studio, a massive fleet of black, triangular pyramid-shaped spacecraft descended on Feralia in groups of three, piloted by Crewbons. Meanwhile, Smithsonia disappeared in another stack of green energy
“Prepare to die!” Stabinnit roared as he launched fireballs from his cannon at the Cubeasts, who stampeded forward unimpeded, even the Shark Cubeast Zord, which had to slide across the ground. The Tri-Fighters began to open fire, shooting green lasers at the Eagle Cubeast, which dodged the attacks. Travis spun his console, flying past a mountain to avoid more lasers. As more lasers were fired directly at it, the Eagle returned to its cube form, blocking the lasers before immediately changing back and firing red energy blasts from the turbine on its back to destroy the Tri-Fighters.
From above, Travis could see the sheer extent of the fires started by the fight with Stabinnit on the ground, “If we don’t put that out, it’ll burn the whole island down!”
“I’ll handle it,” Quaking Stomp in the Forest responded, spinning his console and unleashing mist from the Elephant Cubeast Zord’s trunk that extinguished the flames.
“Easy prey!” Stabinnit chuckled as he prepared to fire at the Elephant Cubeast Zord, only for the Shark and Tiger Cubeast Zords to slam into him in their cube forms, knocking him to the ground as they reverted back to their animal forms.
“We’ve got you, Quaking Stomp in the Jungle!” Sharp Tooth in the Seas called
“Time for some shock and awe!” Roaring Hunter in the Savanna called as he spun his console, making the Lion Cubeast Zord opened its mouth and fired blasts of lightning that destroyed more Tri-Fighters.
“Let’s help him!” Razor Claw in the Tundra said, making Sharp Tooth in the Seas nod as they both spun their consoles. The Shark Cubeast Zord leapt into the air, biting down on a Tri-Fighter while the Tiger Cubeast Zord fired yellow energy boomerangs at the Tri-Fighters, destroying several more.
The Eagle Cubeast Zord flew past Stabinnit, blasting him with red energy beams and making him stagger back. Stabinnit fired explosive bursts of smoke at the Zord, which transformed back into a cube and toppled down a mountain to strike him in the chest. Travis spun his console, making the Zord spin and pushing Stabinnit back. Over a mountain, the Eagle Cubeast Zord returned to normal, soaring down to join the other four.
The Morpher in Travis’s cockpit shined, prompting him to remove it and open it, with Sharp Tooth in the Seas and Roaring Hunter in the Savanna doing the same. This caused three orange, square-shaped rings of energy to appear in the air. “We need to go through them!” Sharp Tooth in the Seas suggested.
“Good idea, let’s see what happens!” Travis replied.
“Charge!” Roaring Hunter in the Savanna called as the three Cubeasts leapt through the rings. The Elephant and Tiger Cubeast Zords tried to follow, but a strange barrier stopped them from passing through.
“Looks like it only takes three at a time,” Quaking Stomp in the Forest observed.
Razor Claw in the Tundra crossed her arms and pouted, “That’s so unfair.”
“Well if we have Zords, then it’s time to make a Megazord!” Travis called out, pressing a blue button on his Morpher, followed by 1, 2, and 3. He held out his Morpher, and moved it to a blue face depicting a robot. The Eagle, Shark, and Lion Cubeasts Zords turned into their cube forms and lined up in the air, spinning before stopping and coming to the ground. The Lion Cubeast Zord landed first, with the Shark Cubeast Zord stacking itself on top of it, and the Eagle Cubeast Zord at the top.
A massive spike with a cube crown fell down, stabbing through the Zord pillar as it spun around. The Eagle Cubeast Zord became a torso, with its head sticking out of the chest and its wings becoming arms, while the Shark Cubeast Zord became the hips and thighs while the Lion Cubeast Zord formed the calves and feet. The top of the spike spun around, exposing a metallic human-like face as the very top of it flew out and became a sword that went into the mecha’s right hand.
“King of the beasts, Feral Megazord!”
“Let’s hope this is enough to finish this guy off!” Travis declared in the cockpit that he now shared with Sharp Tooth in the Seas and Roaring Hunter in the Savanna.
Sharp Tooth in the Seas nodded, “The power of the Cubeasts will strike true!”
“Let’s get him!” Roaring Hunter in the Savanna roared.
Stabinnit launched fireballs from his cannon, “A fancy trick like that won’t be enough to save you now!” This did little to deter the Megazord, which continued its advance. Once in range, Stabinnit attempted to strike it with his cannon, only to be blocked by its sword. The Megazord forced Stabinnit back and slashed him across the chest, attempting to strike him again only for him to bat the blade out of the way with his hand. He shot a fireball into the Megazord’s chest, making its cockpit shake but not stopping doing any major damage.
“You’re tougher than I thought!” Stabinnit chuckled.
The Rangers spun their consoles, making a massive amount of sparks erupt from the sword before it even struck Stabinnit, and once it did it knocked him back significantly.
“Now’s our chance!” Razor Claw in the Tundra called as she and Quaking Stomp in the Forest rushed in with their Zords, the Tiger Cubeast Zord launching more yellow energy boomerangs and the Elephant Cubeast Zord unleashing a stream of green energy from its trunk. Stabinnit staggered back significantly, crying out in pain.
“Time to end this!” Travis called as he, Sharp Tooth in the Seas, and Roaring Hunter in the Savanna twisted their Morphers to complete the red side, plugging them back into their consoles.
“Savage Slash!”
The Megazord moved its sword in a circle in front of itself, imbuing it with red, blue, and yellow energy. It swung its sword, dashing past Stabinnit as projections of the Cubeast Zords in their cube forms appeared one by one next to the Megazord, starting at the bottom. Once the Eagle Cubeast Zord’s projection appeared, Stabinnit’s body began to spark wildly.
“This isn’t over yet, not by a long shot!” Stabinnit called as his body exploded into black cubes.
“We got him!” Roaring Hunter in the Forest whooped as the Megazord lowered its weapon, the Elephant and Cubeast Zords standing next to it.
“We did it!” Travis said, sighing in relief.
Sharp Tooth in the Seas turned to him, “Travis, I can’t thank you enough for everything you’ve done for animan kind today.”
Travis gave a nod, “Hey, don’t undersell yourselves, I’d say the Cubeasts made a good choice picking you guys.”
“Thanks!” Razor Claw in the Tundra said cheerfully.
“It’s not over yet, Travis, with the Eagle Cubeast’s power, you should be able to recreate the mist barrier, and only when it’s back up should Feralia be safe,” Quaking Stomp in the Forest said.
Travis gave a confused look, “Are you sure? Stabinnit had to have been the one to destroy the barrier and he was probably already inside when he did that.”
“Well the barrier had been up for three thousand years,” Roaring Hunter in the Savanna replied.
Quaking Stomp in the Forest nodded, “Yeah, it’s not out of the question to say the barrier might’ve weakened over time, so a new one should work perfectly.”
“Alright, got it!” Travis said as the Megazord split into its component cubes, which then changed to their animal forms. The Eagle Cubeast Zord flew straight up, its turbine whirring before releasing a blast of mist that enshrouded the island again.
At the World Wipers Studio, Smithsonia, the Game Masters, and the audience all watched the screen as it displayed the mist covering the island. After a moment, Smithsonia stepped forward to address the cameras and audience, still holding Stabinnit’s spike, “Well, it seems like it’ll take a bit more work to make this our fiftieth world wipe, so tune in next time to see our Game Masters try again! This is Smithsonia, and this is goodbye!”
The audience began to filter out of the studio, and a single Crewbon approached Smithsonia and the two Game Masters before speaking in a raspy, feminine voice that seemed electronically crunched or filtered through a fan, “Come to my office now.”
Smithsonia gave a nod, “Of course, Producer.”
“Guess the boss ain’t happy,” Cubole chuckled.
“I wouldn’t doubt it,” Bismind replied as the Crewbon walked off and the three of them followed it.
A few moments later, they entered the office, the Crewbon still accompanying them. Several silver pillars covered in yellow crystals filled the room alongside shelves displaying relics from other planets, each possessing a plaque showing which season and episode the planet they were from was wiped. There was a desk with four chairs in front of it, but none behind it, and the wall behind it was covered in dozens of holographic screens showing footage of the episode.
“Yes, sir?” Bismind said as he entered.
“You need something, Diremond?” Cubole added.
The entity that had given Smithsonia the continue coin, Diremond, stood behind the desk, a being made of silver with yellow crystals sticking out that stood around nine and a half feet tall. A majority of this height came from a strange, gown-like lower body supported by four insectiod legs under it alongside a pair of stinger-like arms on the sides. His torso was far more humanoid in appearance, and his face also looked like an androgynous human’s carved from pearl, his mouth and eyes emitting white light. “Get Stabinnit in here, I wish to speak with all of you,” Diremond rasped, his voice the same as the one that had come from the Crewbon.
Smithsonia nodded, “Of course, Producer.” She stabbed the Crewbon accompanying them with Stabinnit’s spike, making Diremond wince. More black spikes erupted from the Crewbon’s body, and in a moment Stabinnit stood in its place.
“Huh, where am I?” Stabinnit looked around confused before noticing Diremond, “Oh, uh… hey Diremond.”
Diremond looked them over as he spoke, “I assume you all know why I called you here.”
“Producer, I’m so sorry for such a subpar premiere of arguably our most important season yet,” Smithsonia said apologetically, stepping forward.
Stabinnit looked up at Diremond, “Come on Diremond, you know how good at this I usually am! I only lost because they were stronger than I was expecting!”
“That is true, Stabinnit, but I’m not mad at you,” Diremond replied.
Smithsonia gave a curious look, “Why? That episode was a total mess! Sure sometimes it takes a few episodes to wipe a planet, but a Game Master has never been defeated the first time they arrive on a planet.”
“On the contrary, my dear Smithsonia,” Diremond said with a chuckle, “this is already our most viewed and best-rated episode yet.” The screens behind Diremond changed to show the episode’s view count and reviews.
Smithsonia looked at the screens in supplies, “Incredible, I was certain this episode would’ve been dragged through the mud.”
“Guess all it took was Stabinnit gettin’ spanked by colorful animals,” Cubole chuckled.
Stabinnit seethed, “Be quiet, Cubole, before I shove my cannon-”
“Cubole is not wrong, these guardians of the Earth seem to be what most of our reviewers are talking about,” Diremond replied, “ and as for you, Stabinnit, the reviews mostly talked about how strong they must be if they were able to defeat you.”
“Give me another chance, Diremond! I won’t mess it up!” Stabinnit pleaded.
Diremond looked down at Stabinnit and brought a hand to his chin, “You will have your chance eventually, as for now, you are suspended from sending Players until further notice.”
“What?” Stabinnit asked with shock and anger, “Diremond, you’re insane! Please reconsider!”
Diremond shook his head, “As well-received as the premiere was, your defeat reflects poorly on the show, and that cannot be tolerated. Additionally, it will give Bismind more time to show what he’s capable of to the audience.”
Bismind turned to Stabinnit, “I must thank you for showing me exactly what a Game Master shouldn’t do.”
“I’ll slaughter you, you smug cyborg!” Stabinnit yelled as he grabbed Bismind by the neck, but the other Game Master didn’t react at all.
Diremond wasn’t impressed, “Let him go, Stabinnit, I have a question I wish to ask him.”
“Ugh, fine,” Stabinnit replied as he let go of Bismind.
Bismind turned to look at Diremond, “What do you wish to know, sir?”
“During the broadcast you seemed to express familiarity with this planet’s defenders,” Diremond answered, “why wasn’t anyone informed of them?”
“The Power Rangers? With all due respect sir, I figured you already knew about them,” Bismind replied, “especially seeing as a team of them were the ones who did in Galvanax and Odious.”
Diremond hummed, “I suppose you have a point, and I can’t complain about the entertainment value they’re giving.”
Smithsonia looked up from a datapad she was looking at, “But how will we encounter them again, Producer? The fog around the island seems to be disrupting energy-based transportation, so trying to teleport down there could be… messy.”
“There’s a human settlement nearby,” Diremond responded, “we’ll focus our efforts there from here on out. Your job now is to squeeze out every last ounce of entertainment value from these Power Rangers and their planet before we strike the final blow.”
Night fell over Feralia as the unmorphed Rangers had gathered at where the altar once stood at the Place of Nature’s Bounty, a massive crowd of animen having gathered there, with Shelled Wisdom in the Swamp being front and center. “Avatars of… the Cubeasts… we cannot… thank you enough,” Shelled Wisdom in the Swamp said appreciatively, lowering his head to bow.
“Oh it’s no problem, Elder, it’s all in a day’s work!” Roaring Hunter in the Savanna chuckled. He, along with all the Rangers, held miniature versions of their Cubeast’s cube form.
Sharp Tooth in the Seas nodded, “I’m just glad everyone’s alright.”
“Yes, it’s a miracle more damage wasn’t done,” Quaking Stomp in the Forest agreed.
Travis smiled, “Well, I’m glad I was able to help, but I really should be getting back home. I think I’ve had enough adventure for one day.”
“Well… as the Eagle’s… Avatar… you should… be able… to return… any time… you wish…” Shelled Wisdom in the Swamp replied.
Travis chuckled, “I’d hope so with how cool this place is.”
Suddenly the Rangers’ cubes transformed into their animal forms and emitted a series of roars, growls, and trumpets, which the animen listened intently to, but caused Travis to give a confused look, “What’s going on?”
“It’s the Cubeasts, Travis” Razor Claw in the Tundra said, “they say that while Feralia is safe, they sense that your home is in danger.”
Travis sighed, “Should’ve guessed the Most Dangerous Game Show wouldn’t have given up so easily.”
“They want us to perform a pilgrimage to your home, and defend it and the rest of the Earth,” Quaking Stomp in the Forest added.
Shelled Wisdom in the Swamp nodded, “We wish… you luck… Avatars…” he turned to look at Travis, “teach them… your ways… human… make them… feel… at home…”
“I will, elder, I promise,” Travis nodded.
Sharp Tooth in the Seas looked to Travis, “We’ll bid farewell to our families, then you can use the Great Eagle to take us to your land.”
Travis nodded, “Sounds like a plan.”
“See ya,” Roaring Hunter in the Savanna said to Razor Claw in the Tundra jokingly. Razor Claw in the Tundra gave a snort in response.
Travis watched as the four Animen walked through the crowd to talk to their families, giving a small smile. Sharp Tooth in the Seas hugging three other sharks who seemed to be her parents and younger brother tearfully saying goodbye to them. Roaring Hunter in the Savanna and Razor Claw in the Tundra were with their shared family, with Roaring Hunter in the Savanna comforting many lions who appeared to be his younger siblings while his parents watched and Razor Claw in the Tundra comforted her own mother. Lastly, he saw Quaking Stomp in the Forest talking to an older elephant who Travis assumed to be his father, who gave his son a proud look and a pat on the back. Travis felt a single tear run down his eye.
He blinked and wiped the tear away as the four animen approached him. “Ready to leave?”
“Ready as I’ll ever be,” Roaring Hunter in the Savanna responded.
Travis nodded, “Let’s get going then.” The five of them exited the Place of Nature’s Bounty, heading into the dense forests surrounding it before returning to the beach where Travis’s plane had crashed. Travis paused, “You know, I never really considered how we were going to have you live there. Like sure you can live with me if you want, but it’s gonna be major trouble if someone sees you guys.”
Quaking Stomp in the Forest nodded, “Yes, and I doubt most people will take seeing us as well as you did.”
“So what? We need disguises?” Roaring Hunter in the Savanna asked.
Razor Claw in the Tundra shrugged, “I think makeover sounds better.”
“But how are we going to make passable human disguises?” Sharp Tooth in the Seas wondered aloud.
Suddenly, the four animen’s Morphers glowed, and their heads were surrounded by energy cubes of their respective color. When the cubes disappeared, all four of them appeared to be humans in their twenties, with Sharp Tooth in the Seas appearing to be Hispanic with long brown hair, Roaring Hunter in the Savanna appearing to be African-American with braids and some facial hair, Quaking Stomp in the Forest seemed Indian, having swept over black hair and now lacking his Pahari, and Razor Claw in the Tundra looked Caucasian, having blonde hair with purple streaks in it. Despite their new looks, their tails remained visible.
Travis shrugged, “That works, I guess.”
