Quest for the Metebelis Crystal
A Power Rangers: Dino Thunder Short Tale
When Mesogog traps the Power Rangers in the past and strips them of their powers, only one remains to fight back: the Black Dino Ranger. His mission? Travel through the treacherous Muncarres Caverns, survive ancient trials, and claim the legendary Metebelis Crystal—a relic powerful enough to bend the Morphing Grid and tear through time itself. But standing between him and that crystal is a myth wrapped in muscle and attitude: the Croc Hunter. Legends say no one ever got past him. The Black Dino Ranger intends to become the exception.
This action-packed short story blends Power Rangers: Dino Thunder lore with bold toy photography and 1980s pulp energy. If you’re ready for sword swings, sass, and scaled fury—you’ve come to the right cavern.
Mesogog had finally won. The other Rangers were captured and imprisoned back in time without their powers. Only one Ranger escaped Mesogog’s wrath: the Black Dino Ranger.
He knew there was only one way to undo it all. If he could obtain the Metebelis Crystal—a relic said to amplify a Ranger’s connection to the Morphing Grid, even enough to tear through the time stream—he could travel back and rescue his friends. But the crystal was guarded deep within the Muncarres Caverns, a place shrouded in rumors, failures, and skeletons.
He had survived every trial: shifting mazes, memory illusions, venomous beasts. Now he stood at the mouth of the final chamber.
And he was waiting: the Legendary Croc Hunter.
The Croc Hunter emerged from the shadows—seven feet of muscle, scale, and smug confidence. His trench coat flared like a gunslinger’s, and a rusted, jagged-bladed blaster hung from one massive claw. The hat? Classic. The grin? Bloodthirsty.
“I’ll give you one chance to turn around and leave peacefully,” the Croc Hunter said, voice like gravel soaked in bourbon. “But if you really want the Metebelis Crystal… you’ll have to get past me.”
The Black Dino Ranger didn’t flinch. He stepped forward, assuming his battle-ready stance, blade low, and voice tight.
“One chance? You’ve clearly been down here too long. I’m not on some souvenir hunt. Hand over the Metebelis Crystal, and I might let you keep your teeth.”
The Croc Hunter’s eyes narrowed.
“Get close enough, and I’ll show you what a mouthful of regret tastes like.”
“Oh, I believe it,” the Ranger shot back, waving a hand in front of his visor. “That stench? Smells like you’ve been chewing on your own ego for a decade.”
The Croc Hunter’s jaw twitched.
“Talk is cheap,” he snarled. “But I charge extra for broken jaws.”
Before the last word left his mouth, the Black Dino Ranger moved. In a blur of black and gold, his saber sliced the air—fast, precise, and surgical.
SHHHINK!
The Croc Hunter’s hat flew clean off his head, spun once midair, and landed smoldering on the stone floor behind him.
There was a long silence. Then:
“My momma gave me that hat,” the Croc growled, flexing his claws.
The Black Ranger grinned beneath his visor.
“Then you’d better fight like she’s watching.”
The Croc roared, surging forward, blaster revving, claws dragging sparks from the stone. The Ranger met him head-on, steel against scale, fury against fury. The Metebelis Crystal glowed in the chamber behind them, reacting to the battle—waiting for a victor.
One fought for the future.
The other fought to end it.
– Copyright © 2025
