Power Rangers Jungle Fury: Rise of the Dragon

Chapter 10: Unmasked

The battle was over. Crustaceo had been destroyed, and the Rangers stood victorious once more. But as the dust settled, the weight of what had just happened hit Damian like a ton of bricks.

The others stood nearby, quiet. They had all realized something crucial—Damian had just exposed his identity. And not only his—by extension, he had put all of them at risk. Yet, none of them spoke. Not yet. They knew this wasn't the time.

Instead, all eyes turned to Thea, who stood frozen in place. Her hands slightly trembled as she stared at Damian's gold-armored figure, her blue eyes wide with shock. It was as if her brain refused to process what she had just witnessed.

He had morphed. Right in front of her. Damian Wayne, the cool and composed guy she had been getting closer to, was a Power Ranger.

And she had never even suspected it.

"Thea…" Damian's voice was quiet as he stepped toward her, his helmet retracting with a soft hiss. The moment his face was revealed, he saw the tears gathering in her eyes.

"Damian…" Thea whispered, her voice shaky. "You… You're a—"

"A Power Ranger," he finished for her, exhaling slowly. "Yeah."

She opened her mouth to say something, but nothing came out. The emotions on her face shifted from shock to confusion, to disbelief, and then back to shock.

Casey, who had demorphed as well, rubbed the back of his neck. "Man, this is… complicated."

"No kidding," Theo muttered under his breath, exchanging a glance with Lily. He wasn't sure what to say either, but he knew this wasn't something they could just gloss over.

Thea finally took a breath, her voice cracking slightly. "Why didn't you tell me?"

Damian looked down for a moment before meeting her eyes again. "I wanted to. I swear I did. But I couldn't. It wasn't just about me—it was about all of us." He gestured toward the other Rangers. "Our enemies are dangerous, Thea. If they knew who we were, they'd target us. They'd target you."

"I get that, Damian, I do." She sniffled, wiping her eyes. "But… you trusted me with so much. Why was this the one thing you kept from me?"

Damian clenched his fists. He hated seeing her like this. "Because I didn't want to drag you into this world. I didn't want you to be in danger because of me."

Thea let out a short, bitter laugh. "News flash, Damian—I was in danger anyway! That thing attacked us! If you hadn't been there…"

Her words trailed off, and silence filled the air. Everyone understood the implications. If Damian hadn't revealed himself, Thea might not have made it out of that fight unscathed.

RJ finally stepped forward, his arms crossed. "Look, I think we all need to take a second here. This is a lot to take in—for both sides."

Thea turned toward him, her expression still vulnerable. "You knew?"

RJ gave her a small nod. "Yeah. I train them."

Thea shook her head and let out a breath, looking at all of them. "So… this whole time, you guys were fighting monsters and saving the city. And I had no idea."

Lily gave her a small smile, trying to lighten the mood. "We're good at keeping secrets."

Thea let out a small, breathy laugh at that, shaking her head. "Apparently."

Damian took a cautious step toward her. "Thea… I know this is a lot. And I don't expect you to just be okay with it right away. But I need you to promise me something."

She swallowed hard. "What?"

"Please, don't tell anyone," Damian said seriously. "Not a soul. Not even your family. The more people who know, the more danger there is."

Thea hesitated. He could see the conflict in her eyes—she wasn't sure if she could handle this. But finally, after what felt like an eternity, she nodded. "I won't tell anyone."

Damian sighed in relief. "Thank you."

For a moment, there was only silence between them. Then, without warning, Thea took a step forward and wrapped her arms around him in a tight hug. Damian stiffened at first, surprised, but then he relaxed and held her just as tightly.

The others exchanged glances but said nothing. It wasn't their place to interrupt.

After a moment, Thea pulled away and wiped her eyes again. "You're bringing me home, right?"

Damian nodded. "Of course."

Jungle Karma Loft

Back at Jungle Karma, the tension had settled, but only slightly. Thea sat in the loft, looking around curiously. "So, this is where you guys train?"

Fran, who had been nervously watching everything unfold, finally spoke up. "Uh, yeah! And, uh, sometimes we make smoothies!"

Thea managed a small smile at that. "Good to know."

RJ leaned against the counter, studying her. "You handling all this okay?"

She let out a slow breath. "Not really. But I'll get there."

Damian, who had been watching her carefully, stood up. "I should take you back now."

She nodded, standing as well. "Yeah. That's probably a good idea."

As they left, the others sat in silence for a moment. Then, Theo groaned. "This is going to be a problem, isn't it?"

Casey sighed. "Probably."

Lily nudged Theo. "Would you have done any different if it were someone you cared about?"

Theo hesitated before muttering, "That's not the point."

RJ chuckled. "Maybe not. But we'll figure it out."

Outside Thea's Hotel

When they arrived at the hotel, Damian walked Thea to the entrance. For a moment, they just stood there, neither sure what to say.

Finally, Thea broke the silence. "Thank you."

Damian raised an eyebrow. "For what?"

"For saving me. For trusting me." She looked up at him. "For being you."

Damian felt something warm stir in his chest. He gave her a small smile. "Anytime."

She hesitated, then suddenly leaned in and gave him a quick kiss on the cheek before pulling back, her face red. "Goodnight, Damian."

Before he could respond, she rushed inside, leaving him standing there, stunned.

For the first time in a long time, Damian Wayne was at a complete loss for words.

Back at the loft, the team had gathered again, minus Master Finn. The atmosphere was lighter now, but there was still an unspoken question hanging in the air.

Theo finally voiced it. "So… what happens now?"

RJ grinned. "Well, now we keep doing what we do best—saving the world."

Lily smirked. "And maybe making sure Damian doesn't accidentally reveal his identity to anyone else."

Damian rolled his eyes but smirked slightly. "Noted."

Casey leaned back. "One thing's for sure… things just got a whole lot more interesting."

And they all knew he was right.