| abstract | - Jason groaned, running his hands over his face. He peered out through squinted eyes and stared up at the ceiling before moving himself into a sitting position. He looked around at the scattered pillows and blankets on the floor before glancing over at the clock. 10:45. He reached for the two aspirin pills and the cup of water that sat on his dresser. He tilted his head back, dropping the bitter tasting medicine into his mouth before washing it down with the water. The sudden movement made his head spin and throb in time to his heart beat. He heard two sharp raps on the door. "Come in," he called, rubbing his eyes. He looked up as the door opened and Melody stuck her head inside. "Hi," she said kindly as she crossed the room, sitting on his bed in front of him. "I just wanted to see how you were doing. You've been a sleep for a while." "I'm fine," Jason replied, wrapping his arms around his knees. "Better than I felt earlier this morning, but still." "Do you need anything to help with the pain?" "I just took some Aspirin."Jason motioned to the cup of water. "Where's everyone else?" "Eating breakfast," Melody replied, folding her legs underneath her. "Chocolate chip pancakes." Jason raised his eyebrows. "We only have chocolate chip pancakes whenever there's a special occasion," he commented. "I think you surviving your first hang over is something to celebrate, Jase," Melody commented with a small smile. "Good point," he commented, laughing a little bit. "So, to face the inevitable; did I say or do anything else last night that was, well… out of character?" Melody thought for a moment, chewing on her bottom lip. "Well, you did volunteer yourself to enter the karaoke contest. But Zack was able to stop you." Jason sighed, dropping his head. "Thank God. Anything else?" "You threw up on my shoes," Melody replied, a look of amusement on her face. "It was cool in a gross sort of way. Y'know, like you can't take your eyes off a car wreck kinda thing." She then held up three fingers. "And you thought your front yard was the bathroom. Keep in mind this was all after you went to bed. We took turns taking shifts, making sure you were ok." "What else?" Jason asked, his head now in his hands. He was ashamed of himself. He couldn't believe he had actually gone through all of that. He couldn't believe that he actually drank alcohol. He hated anything that had to do with drugs and drinking and anything that could make you unaware of what you're doing. Melody pursed her lips before replying casually, "Nothing." Jason almost laughed out loud. "Oh come on, Mel. I was drunk." He cringed as the word came out of his mouth. He didn't know whether he was going to get used to that word to describe him. He was what people called the All American Boy. He never once thought about drinking. It was scary how kids got away with that stuff nowadays. "There had to be something else I did. Or are you just trying to save me from embarrassment?" Melody started laughing quietly. She immediately stopped when she looked at him and tried her hardest to keep a straight face. "Well, from what I've heard, at one point you were in the kitchen cutting into pineapples shouting, 'Spongebob, I know you're in there!'" A serious look then crossed her face. "Trust me, a lot of the stuff you're better off not knowing." "Mel." "Well," Melody said hesitantly. She dropped her gaze to the comforter she was sitting on and rubbed the back of her neck. "You did say I was cute…" "What?" Jason gaped at her, his eyes wide. He felt his cheeks start to burn and cursed himself for being able to blush easily. Melody picked at a loose thread in her plaid pajama bottoms. 'Oh, crap.' "It's not a big deal," she quickly replied, brushing her hair behind her ears before looking up at him. "I mean, you were under the influence and everything. It obviously didn't mean anything." Jason looked at her carefully, searching her eyes for an answer. 'Who are you trying to convince? Me or youself?' "Right?" Jason sighed, briefly closing his eyes. Come on Jase, this is the girl you've known for years. Your best friend. She'll understand. I mean, you were drunk for god's sake, It could've slipped out at any moment anyway. Just tell he and let this all go. "Of course," Jason agreed with a nod. "I mean, being drunk does that kind of thing to ya, y'know? Not that you're not cute or beautiful for that matter." Just stop talking, Jase. Melody laughed once in denial. "I don't hear that enough to believe it." Melody waved her hand in the air, commenting on the compliments he gave her. Jason gave her a look that was half annoyance and half 'yeah-right.' "Just because people don't tell you that all of the time doesn't mean you're not," Jason commented in a strained voice, running his hand over his face before sliding his fingers through his hair. "And you shouldn't go fishing for compliments either. It'll just keep you the depressed little witch that you are now." He cracked a grin, peering at her through his fingers. "You're not funny," Melody commented, rolling his eyes although she cracked a smile as well, laughing a little bit. "And yet you're laughing," Jason replied, moving forward, resting his forehead on his knees. "And, mission accomplished; I got you to smile." "You're such a dork." Without thinking, Melody moved her hand forward and ran her fingers through the hair at the back of his neck. "The dork who got drunk," Jason commented. "I'm really sorry about throwing up on your shoes." "No worries, Jase. If I was Kim, it'd be another story. But, I'm not so, you're getting off Scott free. No pun intended." Melody watched as he let out another sigh, his shoulders slumping in defeat. "I really didn't know what I was doing, Mel," Jason lifted his head to rest his chin on his knees. "The Jell-O…it didn't taste weird cause it just…went down. One minute everything was fine, but after a few, I started to feel… different. I was stupid." "You weren't stupid, you just made a mistake." Melody reached out and gently squeezed his hand. "Believe me, I make 'em all the time. Besides, it's not like you're a partier now or anything." "I should have checked though," Jason murmured. "I should have known…a real leader wouldn't have done something that stupid." "You need to chillax, Jase, big time," Melody commented with a small snort. She peered at him, waiting to make sure she had his attention before continuing. "It's over, okay? You're alright now and you can move on. And for the record, you're a great leader. No one else can do better than you can. Zordon chose you as leader for a reason and time and time again you've proven how." 'Start moving, Mel. Release his hand before you do something you'll regret.' She pulled her hand back and got off the bed, heading towards the door. She leaned against the door frame, crossing her arms over her chest. "Besides, weren't you the one that's always told me not to dwell in the past? What you need to know about the past is that no matter what has happened, it has all worked together to bring you to this very moment. And this is the moment you can choose to make everything new. Right now." Jason nodded slowly, letting her words sink in, before turning up his lips in a weak half-smile "Thanks, Kid." "You're welcome," Melody replied with a nod, wrinkling her nose at the nickname. "I'm glad you're feeling better, but I'd suggest you take a shower and drink a lot of water today. And I'd hurry up before Zack eats all the pancakes." "Yeah, yeah," Jason said as he pulled back his blankets, swinging his feet over the edge of the bed. He got to his feet and stumbled slightly before regaining his balance. "Oh, and I wouldn't keep stuff like that bottled up inside, Jase," Melody commented, a serious look crossing her face. "It eats you up inside and eventually you'll let it all out and probably hurt the people who hold close to you." She then raised the corner of her mouth into a smile before slipping out the door, and nearly ran right into Zack. "Oh, geeze!" "Sorry, I didn't mean to scare you." Zack laughed when he spotted the surprised look on her face. "Is he awake?" "Yeah." "Hey, man, can I talk to you for a second?" Zack asked, knocking on the bedroom door with his knuckles before letting himself in. "Yeah, what's up?" Jason asked as he stood in his closet, pushing clothes aside. Zack glanced at the door before turning back towards Jason, making sure his voice was low before speaking to his best friend. "Did you tell her?" Zack asked. Jason gave him a pained look. "I'll take that as a 'no.' I thought you were going to tell her at the party." "Yeah? That was before I got drunk," Jason replied, roughly pulling one of his many red shirts off a hanger. "I'll tell her though." Zack arched an eyebrow. "I will. Maybe not today, and maybe not tomorrow, hell it might not even be next week, but I'll tell her before the semester is over." "You might be taking a risk there, brah," Zack commented, shaking his head. "I mean, for all you know she might fall for someone—" "She won't," Jason replied simply, crossing the room to his dresser. He laughed a little bit. "Not with how long she's liked me." "You know?" Zack asked, an amused look crossing his face. "Of course I know," Jason replied, pulling out a drawer, shifting through pants. "I'm not stupid. There are perks to being close friends with her. You know how when Kimberly is interested in a guy she gets really giggly?" "Yeah." Zack nodded. "Well, with Mel, she gets really shy," Jason explained before throwing a pair of pants onto his bed before straightening and looking at Zack. "Which we all know she's not; and she plays with her hair. I'm just waiting for the perfect time to tell her, that's all. Maybe I'll ask her to Homecoming this year." Jason shrugged. "I mean, I'm trying to think about this in the long run. She still has one more year at Angel Grove High and I don't know where I'll be going to college next year, or where she'll be going the year after that. And only God knows what Rita has in store for us in the long run." "Let me give you some Zack-Man fool proof advice," Zack commented, rubbing his hands together. "Don't think about the future. Think about now! You have the rest of the year to be together and to be happy. Just take everything at a step at a time, don't try and…schedule everything. Just go with the flow." "Go with the flow, huh?" Jason repeated. "And that's worked with Angela?" "Angela's a little tougher," Zack admitted. "But, I'm wearing her down. Trini told me her birthday's coming up soon, so I'm just tossing some ideas around." "Good luck with that, man," Jason said, clapping Zack on the shoulder. "I'm gonna grab a quick shower before I head downstairs." He moved to walk past Zack, but the African-American teenager blocked his path, gently pushing him back. "There's just one thing I want to know, though," Zack explained as Jason gave him a curious look, wondering why he was being stopped. "What do you like about her?" Zack fought the urge to roll his eyes when he saw the smile coming to Jason's face. "Mel's…she's something, man. She's beautiful, she's smart, she's fun to be around, she can be girly one moment, and then be able to kick your ass in the next. She's funny, she gives great advice, she has an amazing smile. She always puts others before herself even when she's got her own problems." Jason glanced over at his friend. "I could go on." "Please don't," Zack replied, dryly before laughing a little bit as Jason rolled up his t-shirt before whipping it at him. "Just kidding." Jason wasn't sure how he had made it through the day. He wasn't the type to be self-conscious about himself, but he was worried. Everywhere he went he heard whispers and laughs, a normal thing in high school, but this was the first time where he was worried that they were talking about him. About what had happened at the party, and all of the things he had gotten into while he was drunk. It took Jason years of schooling, and being an important member of the football team to gain respect from everybody at Angel Grove High and he was afraid of what people would think of him now. But luckily to him, he had his friends around him constantly to help him keep his mind off of everything that happened and to act as sort of a shield to all the rumors and comments and he was grateful for them. Jake hadn't shown up at school that day but no one knew the reason as to why. Not that they cared all that much for people would only talk about the scandals that went on. He still felt woozy every now and then and loud noises and harsh light was a little bit too much for him to bear as well. But the longer the day went on, the better he felt and he was looking forward to teaching his karate class after school with Tommy. It was something he looked forward to everyday. He spent hours on end working out what each day's lesson would be and would also take the time after each class to work with Tommy on new moves to show the kids. And he was proud of how quickly they were coming along with their moves. He sighed in content as he stood at the front of his class at the Youth Center, watching as Tommy assisted a young boy with his front snap kicks. He grinned at the look of concentration on the boy's face. He was happy the kids were taking things seriously. "Alright, everybody, let's circle up for katas," Jason called as Tommy stepped back into line with him. "Melissa, you go first." Jason adjusted his belt as he watched the young girl move through her kata, Zack grinned from where he, Billy, and Melody were watching their two friends teach the kids' karate class. "Jason and Tommy really make a great team." "Yeah," Billy commented, his hands in his jeans pockets. "It's truly inspiring for them to volunteer their free time to teach classes." "Yeah, and it'll help keep kids out of trouble," Zack said with a nod. "They wouldn't have had the idea if it wasn't for me," Melody commented in somewhat of a bitter tone. Zack and Billy turned and looked at her. "What? All I'm saying is I'd like a 'thank you' somewhere down the line." She stuffed the damp rag that was in her hand in her apron pocket. "Anyway, they said that they're thinking of giving seminars over the three day weekend that's coming up. Dad's thinking about signing Liam up for some classes." She snorted. "Although, I could easily teach him self-defense myself. But then again, who can beat the all powering team of Jason and Tommy?" Billy clicked his tongue, turning to peer at Melody. He looked around before lowering his voice. He peered into her eyes and made a noise of affirmation when he saw a quick flash of purple. "When was the last time you were…checked by Alpha and Zordon?" Melody raised and lowered a shoulder. "I think we should run some tests on you just to be sure." "I'll get right on it once I'm off work," Melody agreed with a nod. "That was great, Melissa," Tommy said with a smile as the young girl finished her kata and bowed at him. "I can tell you've really been working hard." "You're doing great," Jason agreed with a smile. "You're really doing well. Keep it up." He then put his arms down by his sides and bowed. "Now remember, karate like any other martial arts should be used for self-defense only," Tommy addressed the students as Melissa moved back in line with the other kids. "And only if you've done everything you can to resolve a problem without fighting," Jason added. "You guys understand?" "Yes, sensei!" all the kids replied in unison. "Alright guys, class dismissed," Tommy said with a grin before he and Jason bowed. The kids bowed back before moving to pack their stuff and wait for their parents to pick them up. They chatted with each other excitedly. Tommy turned to Jason and clasped his hand. "Great work, Jase. They're really coming along." "Yeah, I know, bro," Jason agreed with a self satisfying smile. "They're really taking this seriously and they've been working really hard." "And it's all thanks to us." Tommy smiled as well. He moved towards his gym bag, grabbing a towel to wipe down the back of his neck. "So, how're you feeling, bro?" "A million times better," Jason replied, fishing for his water bottle out of his own bag. He shook his head, letting out a breath of air. "I've learned my lesson, man. I'm never doing something like that again. Imagine if Rita actually attacked the city while all that was going on?" Tommy's eyebrows furrowed as he thought about it. He let out a whistle. "Man, that would definitely have been hard," he agreed. "But, we would've made it through the fight. You've taught us a lot while you've been leader, Jase, don't worry." "Yeah, and with your skills on our side, I have nothing to worry about," Jason agreed, clapping Tommy on the shoulder. "I'm really glad you're on our side, Tommy." "So am I, bro," Tommy replied. "So am I." "Let's head on over to the park, that way we have more room to practice stuff for the next class," Jason offered, tossing his water bottle back into his bag. "Everybody else is meeting up at my house later." "Alright, let's go." Soon the two of them were walking through Angel Grove Park, making their way to a clearing where they would always practice their martial arts. "Man, I'm psyched," Tommy grinned, throwing punches in front of him. "Class is going great." "Yeah, developing their concentration and discipline is going to help them perform a lot better in school," Jason added. "I've seen better overall performance from some of the kids. They aren't as rowdy as they were before." "Yeah, I noticed that too," Tommy replied, clapping Jason on the shoulder. He suddenly stopped, dropping into a fighting stance when he heard the familiar sound of Putties. He looked up and watched as Putties flew through the air and over towards him and Jason. "Man, I knew my day was going too well." He looked over at Jason and slapped him a high five before charging into the fight. He smiled as he quickly executed a spinning kick, knocking a Putty away from him. Man, I missed this he thought to himself, licking his lips. He ducked under a swipe of a Putty's arm before catching its fist in his hand, punching it repeatedly in the chest. Kim wasn't kidding! They are practically falling apart. "Tommy, look out!" Jason suddenly shouted. Tommy glanced up and quickly caught a blue-ish/gray boomerang like object as it flew towards him. He caught it with one hand and smirked over at the Putties before he felt white hot pain shoot through his hand. Letting out a small scream, Tommy blacked out for a moment before falling to the ground, dropping the object. "What was that?" he asked in a low voice, shaking his head, trying to stop his vision from swimming. 'I feel like I just got hit by a Mack truck.' He heard rather than felt a Puttie land near him. He could see its shadow out of the corner of his eye seconds before it was knocked away. He felt Jason's hand on the small of his back and peered up at him. "Are you ok?" he asked. Tommy blinked rapidly, and shook his head again, successfully clearing his vision. "Yeah," he replied shortly. "That was weird." "What was it?" Jason asked, hooking his hand under Tommy's arm to pull him to his feet. "I don't know," Tommy replied, rubbing his forehead. "Jase, it's coming back!" Jason quickly jumped to his feet and caught the object between his hands. Seconds later, he was knocked off his feet as pain shot down his arms and spine. "Aw, man," he groaned as his head swum. He sensed Tommy get back up to his feet and continue his fight with the putties. Jason rubbed his temples before he felt well enough to get back into the fight as well. But before he could get there, Tommy had finished the job and the Putties disappeared. 'Man! Why'd he have to get in my way?' As he dusted himself off, he locked eyes with Tommy and glared in retaliation to the glare that Tommy sent him. "What's your problem?" "I could've used some help, here!" Tommy replied, brushing past Jason, knocking his shoulder with his own. Jason stared after him, his eyes narrowing even more before brushing off his chest and making his way after him. "What are you talking about?" Jason demanded, falling into step beside Tommy. He moved to grab Tommy's arm to force him to turn and look at him, but Tommy pulled his arm out of his grasp and kept going. "If it wasn't for me, you'd be history!" 'Oh, yeah right!' Tommy thought as he gave a harsh laugh. "Man, that's so typical. You think everyone else in the world is helpless but you." Jason raised his eyebrows. "Maybe not everyone but in your case—" "What's that supposed to mean?" Tommy demanded, turning to face him. "You figure it out!" Jason snapped, teeth bared. "You know what? I'm getting real tired of you acting like you're better than everyone else," Tommy replied, his eyes ablaze with fury. Who does this guy think he is? I'm way better than him! His hands curled into fists by his sides. "And I'm sick of taking orders from you!" A smirk came to his face. Take that, oh great leader! "If you don't like it than you can take a hike!" Jason shouted back at him. "The Power Rangers were doing just fine before you showed up!" Tommy put on a mock look of hurt as he placed his hands over his heart. "At least I got the chance to see you make a fool of yourself," he commented. Jason set his jaw. He knew what Tommy was referencing to. "Our great leader." He chuckled, shaking his head before storming off. "Hey guys," Melody greeted Kimberly and Trini the next morning, practically out of breath. "Did you run all the way here or something?" Kimberly asked, turning from her locker to face her friend. "Yeah, I thought Jason drove you to school," Trini added. "Before either of you go into a giggle fest over something innocent," Melody commented as Kimberly and Trini exchanged amused looks. "Yes, I did get a ride to school, but I ran all the way here. Two things, 1: you guys wanna come over after school and work on some target practice?" She unzipped her backpack and Jaeger climbed out before taking his perch on her shoulder. Melody started putting her books in her locker. "Lisa and Charlie are going to be out late tonight, and there's a little clearing in the group of trees behind the house we could work in so the neighbors don't see us." "That doesn't sound like a bad idea, actually," Kimberly said with a smile. "I haven't been able to use my bows lately. I could use the extra practice." "Me too, and extra work doesn't hurt anybody," Trini agreed, brushing her hair from her face. "What's the second thing?" "Something's wrong with Jason," Melody replied with a frown. "Weird how?" Kimberly asked, also frowning. "Well, for the first time in my life I'm grounded because of him," Melody replied. "I never do anything wrong! I'm a good kid!" Kimberly gave her a 'yeah right' look. "For the most part." "But, if you're grounded, aren't you not allowed to have people over?" Kimberly asked, giving her friend a confused look. Melody snorted. "Right, like I'm actually going to sit in my room and do nothing all the time." Melody rolled her eyes. "They never said anything about not being allowed to have friends over. Do you know how important my social life is to me?" Kimberly laughed. "What happened?" Trini asked, giving Melody her full attention. "How did you get grounded, I mean?" "Well, after work, just like Billy suggested, I went to the Command Center and got tested to see how high my levels of darkness are. They're pretty high, but I don't think it's anything to be really worried about," Melody explained in a low voice. "Just some bits and pieces of anger here and there, that's nothing new." "Tell me about it," Kimberly said with a little laugh. "Sorry. Then what happened." "So we were eating dinner and having a normal conversation and before I knew it, we were yelling at each other," Melody replied. "Then I said something about him breaking his mom's vase with a football and he told his parents that I was the one that broke the window with my soccer ball all those years ago, and then I was grounded for a week. Straight to school, straight to work, straight home." "Of course she has to fight the odd battle every now and then but they don't know that," Jaeger added. "But, itwas weird seeing them argue so much. I mean, I understand Melody but not Jason." He craned his neck before flicking his eyes over to the girls in pink and yellow. "Mel told me about what happened at the party. Could he still be upset about that?" "That's tough to say," Kimberly commented, biting her lower lip. "Hey, Tommy." Tommy looked over at her from where he was leaning against a spare locker. "Did anything happen the other day in the park? You and Jason were kinda…weird around each other last night." "Weird how?" Tommy asked, his eyes hardening. He let out a heavy sigh through his nose when he spotted Jason making his way over towards them. "Oh, great." "Excuse me," Jason said in a cool tone, stopping in front of Tommy. Tommy drew himself up to his full height, staring back at him. "You're excused," he replied, just as coolly. "Kinda like that?" Melody asked Kimberly, raising her eyebrows. "Yeah, he was like that with me last night; making snide comments about everything." "Gee, I wonder where he gets it from?" Jaeger asked sarcastically. Melody pursed her lips, wrapping her hand around Jaeger's tail before holding him in the air in front of her, giving him a look of annoyance. "Just kidding." "That's what I thought," Melody replied with a small smile before placing him back on her shoulder. Jaeger hissed at her, rolling his eyes. "What's going on?" Trini whispered into Kimberly's ear. "I have no idea," Kimberly whispered back. She then cleared her throat, crossing her arms over her chest. "Um, Billy and Zack says that your karate class is going really well." "Yeah," Trini agreed with a smile. "That's not all that surprising now is it?" Melody asked, deadpan. "I mean it is the great Timmy Oliver and Jason Lee Scott." Tommy sneered at her and Melody arched an eyebrow. "Don't ask me about it," Tommy said with a snort. "I quit." "Quit?" Trini repeated, a confused look crossing her face. 'This can't be good. Something must've happened.' She bit her bottom lip and exchanged panicked looks with Kimberly. "How come?" Jason, however, was the one to answer. He popped open his locker door before glancing over at Tommy, his mouth raising into a smirk in the corner. "Because he's a quitter," he replied simply. "And that's what quitters do." "You know what? I'd rather be a quitter than watch you show off every afternoon for the rest of my life," Tommy replied, jabbing his finger into Jason's chest. Jason wordlessly slapped his hand away. "Oh, so I'm not the only one that thinks that, then?" Melody asked, raising her eyebrows. Her eyes flashed purple and she briefly closed her eyes letting out a breath of air, raising a hand to her head. Kimberly placed a hand on her shoulder, gently squeezing it. "I advise you to try your hardest not to make any snarky comments, my mistress," Jaeger hissed into Melody's ear. "It'll only make things worse and I'm not sure if Alpha can make a device to stop the darkness inside you even if for a little while." "Right, right," Melody nodded before turning towards Trini and Kimberly. "See? This is what I was talking about." Her eyes then glowed a bright purple and she groaned. "What?" Trini asked, fearing the worst. "What did you see?" "Bulk and Skull," Melody replied before pointing down the hall, where the two bullies entered a few seconds later. "This isn't going to be good at all." "Man, you're the one that's showing off!" Jason shouted, shoving his backpack into his locker before turning to face Tommy, squaring his shoulders. He shoved Tommy in the chest, knocking him back a few steps. "You better stay out of my way!" "You guys, listen," Trini said moving in between the two arguing teenagers, trying to restore the peace. "Why don't you two just sit down and talk about this? Get your feelings out and clear the air? I'm sure it was just a misunderstanding." "Or of course you could always settle this like real men," Bulk said into Jason's ear as he stepped up behind him. "Yeah, like men," Skull repeated shooting Kimberly a charming smile. "Oh, you mean like yourselves?" Melody asked, widening her eyes in innocence. Bulk shot her a mean look and Melody quickly shot one back. "Come on you guys, just stay out of this, ok?" Kimberly asked, She then waved her hand in Bulk and Skull's face. "Goodbye." "Hey, I'm game for it!" Tommy replied, much to Kimberly's shock. "Right here and now!" He licked his lips. 'Then we can see who the true strongest fighter of the team is.' "Make the first movie, Jolly Green Giant," Jason taunted as he and Tommy side stepped into the middle of the hallway. Before any of them could move, a loud voice rang out through the halls. "What's going on here?" Bulk quickly grabbed onto Jason, trying to hold him still. Jason shoved Bulk away from him, using a row of lockers nearest him to break his fall just as Miss Applebee marched into the hallway, looking around, silently demanding an explanation. "We were just trying to break these two up, Miss Applebee," Bulk replied, turning to face his teacher. "It looked like it was starting to get a little bit ugly." Melody opened her mouth to comment but instead shook her head. "Nah, it's too easy," she muttered under her breath. "I find that extremely hard to believe, Bulk," Miss Applebee replied, looking back and forth between Jason and Tommy who were looking everywhere but at each other. "Um, Jason and Tommy were just practicing their moves for their next karate class," Kimberly quickly stepped forward with an explanation. She then turned towards Trini. "Right, Trini?" "Uh, right, yeah!" Trini replied, holding her book so her chest. "Mhm," Melody added, nodding rapidly as she moved Jaeger back into her backpack. "Sorry." "I'm surprised, you two should know better than that!" Miss Applebee said in a stern tone as she walked past everybody, glancing at Jason and Tommy as she went. "Come on guys, let's just get to homeroom," Kimberly said as she grabbed Tommy's arm, pulling him over towards his locker. She grabbed one last book before sliding it into her backpack, closing her locker door with a gentle push of her hand. "I'll see you guys later," Melody big her friends farewell before hurrying down the hall to her homeroom. Kimberly and Trini waved after her and jumped when Jason pushed his locker door so hard, it bounced back open. Trini bit her bottom lip, gently closing his locker door before turning to face Kimberly. "Something really awful must've happened between those two." "Yeah, but what?" Kimberly asked, brushing her hair behind her ears. "I don't know," Trini replied with a small shake of her head. "But Billy and Zack are going to want to know about this." "Fantastic!" Rita grinned evilly as she removed her eye from the eyepiece of her Repulsa-scope. She had watched the whole scene with Jason and Tommy unfold before her eyes and she couldn't be happier. 'If the leader is too busy being distracted by a rebelling Ranger, he won't be there to direct the other Rangers in battle. It's perfect!' "And you have me to thank, my empress," Scorpina said with a small bow, a wide smile of self-pride on her face. "It was I who thought up the plan of breaking the Rangers apart." "Way to go, Scorpina, I knew I could count on you," Rita replied with a smile of gratitude. Scorpina's smile got even wider before she turned and gave Goldar a smug look. Goldar grumbled under his breath, rolling his eyes. "Your plan's working wonderfully," Squatt added. "You mean my plan," Scorpina growled at the smaller of Rita's minions. Goldar stepped forward, gaining Rita's attention. "I think it's time to send down the monster," he said to her, trying to jump into the conversation. Scorpina shot him a look of annoyance, which he ignored. "Yes, you will make it happen," Rita replied. Scorpina let out a noise of annoyance, stomping her foot as Goldar chuckled. "All in due time, Scorpina. You will show your loyalty to me all in due time." "The Rangers will be finished!" Goldar cheered, thrusting his sword into the air. "Right," Rita agreed, picking up the front of her dress, marching into Finster's lair, causing him to jump in surprise at her sudden entrance. "Oh dear!" he cried. "My new monster, the Slippery Shark, must be ready." He hurried over to his machine and started spinning the wheel on the outside. "Let's see." He pulled a lever at the side and steam burst into the air with a loud honking sound. The tube at the end of the machine started to shake. With a loud explosion, Finster's newly created monster dropped down to the ground, twitching with excitement. "Let me at 'em! Let me at 'em!" the Slippery Shark shouted. "Once on earth with his lightning fast speed the stupid Rangers will never catch him!" Goldar said. "That's the whole idea," Rita said with an evil grin as the jewel on her scepter glowed a brilliant red. The Slipper Shark glowed red as well before he was transported to Earth in a pink glow. "Go get 'em sharky!" Meanwhile on Earth, everybody was in search of Jason and Tommy after school that day. "I haven't seen either of them since History," Kimberly said as she and Trini met up with Melody, Zack, and Billy in the school hallway near their lockers. "We checked everywhere down here, we didn't see them." "They're not anywhere upstairs either," Zack said, shaking his head. "You guys weren't kidding. They were really at each other's throats today." "Yeah, and I'm equally shocked to find that they hadn't required a detention for it," Billy added with a frown, pushing his glasses up his nose. "They were arguing over everything." "They're best friends though," Melody protested, her arms crossed over her chest. "Brothers, really. I've neverseen them this upset with each other. Maybe when Tommy was till the evil Green Ranger, but he's not that anymore." "I couldn't imagine what caused them to start fighting," Trini added. "I betcha anything Rita had something to d with this," Zack cried, punching his fist into his hand. "I just don't know what." "Well, it's just about 3:30 at the moment, maybe they made their way over to the Youth Center for their karate class," Billy suggested, glancing at the clock above Kimberly and Trini. "if that's the case, we're going to have to get over there fast," Jaeger commented, his eyes glowing purple. "There's a whole bunch of people there…and Bulk and Skull too! Something's going down." "Let's get going then," Kimberly replied before the group of friends hurried down the hall. They burst out the front doors of the school and ran in the direction of the Youth Center as fast as they could go, hearts pounding, shoes slapping the pavement, breathing heavily. "Oh, I'm scared of what we're going to find there!" They quickly made it to the Youth Center, and nearly ran into a whole mass of people standing around something, screaming and cheering. "Whoa! I've never seen this place so packed!" Trini gasped. "Something tells me they're not here for food or drinks though," Melody replied, her jaw dropped open in shock. She started shoving past people. "Let's see what's going on." The group of friends made it to the front of the pack of people and stared in shock when they saw Jason and Tommy circling each other, glaring. They were dressed in their practice clothes for karate class and it looked like they were going to spring at each other at any moment. "Oh my god!" "Oh no, guys, this is terrible," Trini said, her hand over her mouth. "This confrontation could have disastrous results," Billy said. "The main being, our team could fall apart without both Jason and Tommy." "We gotta do something," Kimberly added. Zack quickly made up his mind. He jumped forward, stepping between Jason and Tommy before they could launch themselves at each other. He put a hand to their chests, pushing them away from each other. "Be careful, Zack." "What do you think you're doing, dweeb?" Bulk demanded, stepping over to the three teenagers. Zack ignored him, keeping his attention on his friends. "Guys, this has gone on too far," Zack said, desperately trying to get through to his friends. "Why don't you shake hands and forget this every happened?" "No way, Zack," Jason growled. "We're going to finish this, now!" Zack shook his head before turning towards Tommy. "Remember what you're always telling your students in class? Don't fight! Not unless it's the only way you can work things out." "Get out of our way, Zack," Tommy said menacingly, setting his jaw. "This ends now." "You heard what they said," Bulk snapped, sending his hot breath all over Zack's ear and shoulder. "Either buy a ticket or get out of the way!" Zack looked back and forth to his friends before sighing heavily, moving back to Kimberly, Trini, and Billy. "Sorry guys, I did the best I could," he apologized. "Don't worry about it, Zack, you did your best," Trini replied, rubbing his shoulder. "What'd I miss?" Melody asked, appearing at his side. "Did you go get Ernie?" Kimberly asked, turning her blue eyes towards her raven haired friend. Melody gave her an amused look, arching an eyebrow. "No, I went to get popcorn," Melody replied before tossing a kernel into her mouth. Her eyes flashed. "Something tells me this is going to be the fight of the century!" She grinned before digging her hand into the bowl in her arms. "Mel!" Kimberly cried. "What?" Melody asked, widening her eyes. "It's not like we can force them to stop!" She then motioned to the two boys before shoving a handful of popcorn into her mouth. "Besides, all they're doing is circling each other." "What's going on here?" Mika appeared at their sides with Braiden, Skylar, and Liam in tow. "Why are they fighting?" "We have no idea," Kimberly replied, turning to give him a small smile in greeting. "They've been at each other's throats all day." "But…they're best friends aren't they?" Braiden asked, scratching the side of his head. "I mean, Sky and I are twins and we never fight this bad." "I know," Melody agreed with a pleasant smile. "Popcorn?" She held out the bowl for her brothers. Liam happily took the bowl as Mika gave her an odd look. Over the crowd of people, the Rangers heard the familiar six-tone beep go off. "Uh oh." "Saved by the beep," Zack whispered before jumping back out onto the mat. "Look, guys, we've got to go," Trini said, turning to Melody's brothers. "It's kind of an emergency." "Is everything alright?" Mika asked, a worried look moving into his blue eyes. "Anything we can do to help?" "You can stay here and serve the crowd while I'm gone. Ernie's in the back taking inventory I think," Melody replied and smiled when Mika nodded. "Thanks, bro." Mika gave her a warm smile. "No problem, sis." "Guys, come on, we've gotta go," Zack shouted, trying to get the point of urgency across to Jason and Tommy without giving anything away. Neither of them looked like they wanted to leave. "WE'VE GOTTA GO!" "Looks like this is gonna have to wait," Jason hissed. "Yeah," Tommy agreed. "But, we'll finish this later." Zack looked back and forth between Jason and Tommy and sighed in relief when they started to make their way off the mats. Zack gently took Tommy's arm and lead him through the crowd, hurrying out of the Youth Center. "Hey, hey, hey!" Bulk shouted after the quickly leaving group but they ignored him. He grunted as someone pushed him around. "What about the fight?" a boy demanded, getting in Bulk's face. Bulk's mouth opened and closed as he tried to think up and excuse, exchanging worried glances with Skull. "Uh, it has been delayed," he replied, nodding in nervousness. "Just hold onto those tickets and…and we'll…getoutofherefast!" Bulk turned on his heels and sprinted after Skull, hurrying out of the Youth Center. He could hear the group of angered teens running after him. "Well, I'd have to say this was the most interesting part of the day," Skylar commented, watching as the group hurried after Bulk and Skull. "Imagine what we'd see if we actually went to public school." "Yeah, well, Liam was right," Braiden said in his quiet voice. "Mel and them do leave in a hurry." "And they do it a lot," Liam added around a mouthful of popcorn. He made an effort of swallowing. "Turn on the TV, I bet there's a monster attack." "You don't really think they're the Power Rangers do you?" Skylar asked, turning towards Mika, who slid his hands into his jeans pockets, shrugging. "It's possible, I mean, no one knows who they are," he replied. He then scratched his forehead. "I've gotta give you credit, Liam, you're much more perceptive than I thought you were at your age." Liam beamed at his older brother's praise. He brushed his hair out of his face. "But let me tell ya, if Mel is a Power Ranger, I don't blame her for not telling us." "Maybe she can't," Skylar said with a shrug. "But, we don't really have any proof so we can't do anything about it." The Power Rangers teleported to the Command Center and as soon as their feet touched the ground, Jason and Tommy shoved their way to the front of the group. "Oh, Rangers, there you are," Alpha said as he turned to face the Power Rangers. He stumbled to the side as Tommy gave him a rough push. "Ay yi yi, slow down, Tommy! There's plenty of room for everyone. No need to push." "What's going on, Zorodn?" Jaeger asked, turning to his human form. He gripped the hilt of his sword before jumping on top of a control panel, sitting cross legged. "Power Rangers, we are attempting to track one of Rita's newest monsters," Zordon replied. "Behold the viewing globe." The Rangers immediately turned around to face the globe. Jason and Tommy slowly turned around, glaring at each other as they did so. "This is the Slippery Shark. It's elusive and impossible to pin point with our equipment." "Wow, look at it go," Trini gasped. "That is really fast," Jaeger peered at the viewing globe. His nose twitched. "I bet I can catch him." "I smell fish fry," Melody said with a grin, rubbing her hands together, licking her lips. "Not only can it fly through the air at incredible velocity but it is able to travel through the ground with an exposed fin, tearing everything in its path." "Man, talk about a nightmare for a dentist," Zack said, making a face. "Look at the size of those teeth!" "I'm certainly glad I got over my fear of fish," Billy added. I can take this beast no problem Tommy thought with a smirk. He then turned towards Jason. "You might as well just forget it, Jason. This one's too much for you to handle." "Man, why don't you give it up?" Jason demanded, turning to face Tommy. "You won't stand a cance because you're too slow." "Who you calling slow?" Tommy snapped. "Man, it's like the team ninja finals all over again," Melody commented, rubbing at her temples as her head throbbed. "Gung ho, remember?" "Jason and Tommy, listen to me very carefully," Zordon called out, catching the boys' attention. He didn't continue until he was sure he had their attention. "Your anger is not real. Rita has used the shark's special powers to cast a spell on the two of you, turning you against one another." "Of course." Billy snapped his fingers. "Now that Tommy and Jason are enemies, Rita is using that power to destroy our team spirit." "Precisely, Billy," Zordon agreed. "I don't know, they seem to really hate each other," Melody commented, scratching the back of her neck. "I mean, kudos to Rita for actually thinking something this dastardly up, but some of the things they've said to each other, I think it's what they really feel." "Is there any way to break the spell, Zordon?" Kimberly asked, looking up at her mentor. "There must be something we can do." "There's only one way to reverse the effects of the shark's evil power," Zordon replied. "Jason and Tommy must put aside how they feel about each other right now and work together to capture this dangerous creature." "Isn't there anything the rest of us can do?" Trini asked, motioning to her friends, who had exchanged worried glances once they heard how Jason and Tommy could break the spell. "Unfortunately, no, Trini. You and the other Rangers must stand by," Zordon replied in a grave tone. "Ultimately, it'll take all of you to defeat this monster." "You just stay here, I'll take care of this," Tommy said, turning to Jason. "Don't even think about it!" Jason replied, putting a hand in Tommy's face. The two of them glared at each other before reaching for their morphers. "It's morphin' time!" the two of them yelling unison. They morphed before teleporting out of the building. "Well, we're going to be here for the rest of our lives," Melody said as she crossed her arms over her chest. "God knows, they'll never stop arguing." Her upper lip curled. "They're too proud to do something like that. I mean, after all, they are the best Rangers here." "Calm down, girl," Zack said, placing a hand on her shoulder. "Zordon, over all I think it's a good thing if Melody stays here so we can keep an eye on her," Alpha said as he moved around the control panels. "Melody, let me test you again." "Aye aye, captain," Melody replied, giving a mock two fingered salute before sitting on top of a control panel. "Test away." "Jaeger, will the darkness always advance this fast?" Billy asked, looking over at Melody's guardian. Jaeger pursed his lips. "It depends," he replied. "On a lot of things; stress, exhaustion, frequent fights without enough time to rest, depletion of massive amounts of energy in a short period of time, and just things around her in her every day life." "Great, we have one Ranger that has to conserve his powers and another that can turn on us at any moment," Zack said with a shake of his head. "It's not like they can help it, Zack," Kimberly said to her African American friend. "We just have to be positive. Jason and Tommy will figure this out, I know they can." She then turned towards the viewing globe. "See?" Melody raised her eyebrows as Alpha hurried back with a box. She started to roll up the sleeves to her shirt. "That's what I meant." "What are you talking about, Mel?" Trini asked. "Well, I believe that deep down somewhere, Tommy thinks that he can be a better leader than Jason," Melody replied. "The Tommy we know would never say that to his face, or mention it at all for that matter and Jason must still be feeling some resentment towards Tommy about being the evil Green Ranger, and not want him on our team." She clicked her tongue. "It's like blurting things out you don't really want people to hear." "In that case, I really hope they can work together before our team falls apart," Zack said with a sigh. Finding and catching the Slippery Shark was harder than both Jason and Tommy had imagined. One minute they'd have Rita's monster in their sights and the next thing they knew, he'd be leaping all over the places before disappearing all together. On land or under it, it was faster than they could believe. They barely had a split second to make a decision about whether to try and attack the monster, or to jump out of the way. But they wanted to defeat the monster badly. To prove that they were the only ones who were strong enough to lead the team and that they were a better fighter, a better person, than the other. They eventually met up lake-side, chasing after the monster, and went at each other again. "I told you, stay out of my way!" Jason shouted, putting a hand on Tommy's shoulder. Tommy roughly pushed Jason's hand off his shoulder. "Knock it off, big shot!" Tommy snapped, brushing by him, looking around the area. Man, where'd fish breath go? I just had him! "Alright, that's it, Tommy, I've had it with you!" Jason shouted, punching Tommy on the shoulder. Tommy slowly turned around to face Jason. "Oh yeah?" he challenged. "I'm the leader, I call the shots!" Jason snapped. "You do what you want," Tommy replied simply. "But, if I was in charge, I'd lay a low ground attack and catch him when he pops up." Jason rolled his eyes. "That's why I'm the leader!" Jason waved his arms in the air. "You can see him in the air! Any fool knows you have to catch him up there!" "Fine, Jason." Tommy patted Jason's chest with the back of his hand. "You think you're so smart! Well let's just see which plan works." "Don't worry, mine'll work! Just stay out of my way," Jason cried, jabbing himself in the chest with his thumb. "Whatever!" "Move!" Jason shoved Tommy to the side before rushing off in one direction. Tommy made a face at his back before hurrying off in the opposite direction. "Here I go, crawling for rangers!" Slipper Shark laughed as he jumped between trees, moving quickly. "Those punk Power Brats will never be able to catch me!" Jason chased after him, running as fast as he could. He cursed under his breath when the Slipper Shark jumped into the ground, speeding through the dirt, it's fin sliding above the ground. Tommy spotted this from the other side of the clearing and ran after the Slipper Shark as well. The two of them ended up nearly crashing into each other. "Where did it go?" Tommy asked, breathing heavily. "Did you see him?" He punched his fist into his hand. "Man, I was right behind him!" "We've gotta do something," Jason said, turning towards Tommy. Zordon's right, we can only do this together. "You just stay out of my way," Tommy snarled, shoving Jason aside. As the two of them looked around, trying to find the Slipper Shark, it shot past them through the ground, heading towards them. It then jumped out of the ground, punching the two Rangers in the chest, knocking them aside. "Man, this shark is going to make history out of us if we don't start working together!" Jason cried, pushing himself up on his arms. "What do you say, bro?" "I'm in, buddy," Tommy replied as the two of them got to their feet. "Are you thinking what I'm thinking?" "Let's combine both plans," Jason suggested as he watched the Slipper Shark travel underground towards them. "That way we can catch him, no problem!" "I'm right behind, ya," Tommy replied, sinking into a fighting stance. 'And I always will be, bro.' The two Rangers waited until the Slipper Shark jumped out of the ground before making a move. "Now!" Jason shouted. Tommy jumped forward, flipping off Jason's shoulders, swinging a net down onto the Slippery Shark as he tried to attack Jason. The shark dropped to the ground, getting tangled up in the net. The more he moved, the more tangled he got. "Talk about your catch of the day. Great work, Tommy, we did it!" "Yeah," Tommy agreed, clapping his hands together before crossing his arms over his chest. 'Try and get out of that net, Fish Face." "Hey, give a fish a break, will ya?" Slippery Shark demanded, struggling to get to his feet, tearing at the net. "You should've thought about that before, fish face," Tommy replied before clapping Jason on the shoulder. "Trying to break me and my partner up. United we stand, right partner?" "You got it!" Jason replied, slapping Tommy a high five. A burst of sparks appeared between their hands and they felt a weight lift off their shoulders. 'The spell must've lifted.' Back in the Command Center, everybody cheered in excitement. "Oh, yes, they did it," Kimberly said with a grin as Zack hugged her from behind. "I knew they could do it." "It appears that Rita's spell has been broken," Billy said with a grin. "Alright, let's go kick some monster butt," Melody grinned, punching the air with her fists. She then looked over at Alpha who was removing electrodes from her arms. "I'll be fine, I promise. Besides, this monster deserves what he gets." "I don't know," Alpha slowly replied. "You heard what Jaeger said about using your powers. Maybe you should just sit this one out." "I have to agree with Alpha," Zordon called out. "It's much too dangerous and too much of a risk, Melody. Something could happen in the battle." Melody looked like she wasn't going to listen to either of them but nodded. "Jaeger, go and take my place, they'll need your help." "Yes, my mistress," Jaeger said with a nod. "Kick some butt for me guys," Melody said to her friends. "Put Rita in her place. She deserves it for messing with our friends." "You got it," Zack said with a smile. "It's Morphin' time! Mastadon!" "Pterodactyl!" "Triceratops!" "Saber-Toothed Tiger!" Melody watched as the Power Rangers teleported out of the Command Center. She hurried over to the viewing globe and watched as they pulled out their blade blasters and immediately went to fight the monster. She couldn't believe that it was actually that fast and it made her want to fight even more. It was times like these that she hated the powers she got, but she knew overall that she was really lucky to be a Power Ranger at all. And she knew that Alpha and Zordon had her best interest at heart and knew that what they were saying was true, but she was the type who hated being left behind in a fight. "Come on guys, you can do it," she whispered, chewing on her thumbnail. "I know you can." Down on the battlefield, Jason and Tommy were able to land a punch to the Slipper Shark, knocking it off its feet. The shark rolled twice on the ground before jumping underneath them, shooting back and forth across the ground at lightning speed. "He's gone underground!" Jason shouted. "Keep your eyes open," Tommy added. "He's really fast." "There! Look out!" Billy shouted, looking over his shoulder as he felt the ground rumble underneath his feet. Before the Rangers could move, the Slipper Shark shot past them, knocking them left and right. "Maybe the Power Axe will help," Zack said as he pulled out his power weapon. He held it up like a gun, shooting a purple colored beam of energy out of the end and at the Slippery Shark. The ground exploded around the shark and when the dust and dirt settled, revealing the Slipper Shark lying on his stomach in the middle of the ground. "Yeah, bull's eye!" "Alright guys, it's time for the Mega Blaster," Jason shouted as the other Rangers pulled out their Power Weapons. "Power Axe!" "Power Bow!" "Power Lance!" "Power Daggers!" "Power Sword!" Just as they fired the attack from the Power Blaster, the Slipper Shark grew. The attack bounced off its foot, shooting off in a random direction before it disappeared. Shoot, we were close Jason thought, pressing his lips together. "Alright guys, we need Dinozord power, now!" The ground broke apart, revealing a giant T-Rex hiding underground. The large mechanical red T-Rex rose from the crevice. It roared as it stomped its way to the city. Beneath a glacier of ice a black Mastodon rose up blowing cold air from its snout. Its trunk curled up as it let out a loud noise. Within a desert a blue Triceratops rolls its way across the sands roaring. The sun bounced a bright light off it's metal. Hidden in the jungle a yellow Saber-Toothed Tiger sprints its way through the trees. Growling, it leapt off a rock, it's legs moving in over time. In the outskirts of Angel Grove a small volcano erupted, shaking the grounds. A pink Pterodactyl shot out of the volcano's top, cawing as it soared into the sky. "Rangers, log on!" Jason shouted, jumping into the cockpit of the Tyrannosaurus Dinozord. Jaeger settled into the seat next to him, looking calm. "Kimberly set to fly." "Alright, let's fry this fish!" "Zack here, ready!" "Billy; all systems go!" "Ready when you are," Jaeger responded to the curious look Jason shot his way. 'Alright, I can do this.' "Alright, Rangers, power up your crystals," Jason commanded, transforming his power coin into a red crystal. "2, 1, power up!" "Alright, initiating Megazord Battle Mode," Jason warned his friends. An automated voice came out of the intercom, "Megazord sequence has been initiated." The Rangers watched as the Dinozord transformed and stood upright, They were now able to control the Zord's arms and legs."Megazord activated," "Time for Dragonzord Power," Tommy said as he pulled out his Dragonflute. He raised it to his lips and blew the familiar tune, hailing on his zord. Timmy smiled as he watched the Dragonzord rise out of the water, making its way into the fight, standing beside the Megazord. "Ok, you wanna be that way?" the Slipper Shark asked, swinging its boomerang in an arc around his body. "Take this!" He held his boomerang like a sword and charged towards the zords, screaming at the top of his lungs. He ran quickly around the Rangers before slashing the zords in the chests. "We can't land a blow on him, he's moving too fast," Jaeger cried, slapping the control panel in front of him in frustration. "Don't give up yet, we'll figure something out," Jason replied, pressing his lips together. "Alright, shark breath, you've had it! I think it's time we powered up the Power Sword, now!" The Power Sword fell from the sky and the Megazord caught it in its hand. The Megazord moved forward, holding the Power Sword menacingly in front of its body. The Slippery Shark ducked under the Megazord's arm and when the Megazord turned around, slashed it across its chest. It danced out of the way of the Megazord as it swung its sword, laughing. "He's too fast," Jason grit his teeth. "Teamwork, remember?" Billy asked, turning in his chair to face his leader. "Grab the fin and let Dragonzord take him." "Good idea, Billy," Jason clapped his friend in blue on the shoulder. As the Slippery Shark swung down his fin and the Megazord blocked the attack with its sword, holding it down. "Ahh, let go, let go, no fair!" the Slippery Shark yelled as he tried to run away. The Dragonzord came up behind the Slippery Shark and spun in a circle, smashing the monster with his tail. The Slippery Shark screamed, dropping to the ground. The Megazord moved forward colliding its sword with the shark fin. Every attack was blocked by the Shark as it fought hard to keep the Megazord away from him. "You'll never defeat me, Power Rangers," he taunted. "I'm too fast for you! I'm going to turn you into fish bait!" "Oh yeah?" Jason replied as the Megazord swung down its sword, slicing through the Slippery Shark's fin. "Oh no, my fin, my fin!" he shouted, staring at the two pieces in shock. "You're going to pay for that!" He started backpedaling when he saw the Power Sword charge up. "Or maybe not." He screamed as the Power Sword sliced through his chest. He fell heavily to the ground where he exploded on impact. "Yes! They did it!" Melody cheered as she watched the fight end on the viewing globe. She raised her communicator up towards her mouth. "Great job guys, I knew you could do it." Soon the Power Rangers were back in the Youth Center. Jason and Tommy were teaching their karate class like they usual. They had to apologize for being late as the fight took longer than they had anticipated. But, the kids were excited to get started right away. "It's really reassuring to watch Tommy and Jason working together as a team," Billy commented from the side, watching as the kids followed Jason and Tommy's every move. "Now that Rita's spell's been broken." "I swear, they're the next Brangelina in a strictly platonic way," Melody said with a small laugh. "They really do make a great team." "Yeah, that was weird seeing them go at each other that way," Zack added. "I know," Kimberly agreed. "It's just so out of the ordinary. It seemed like they actually hated each other." "But, we all know that they'll never do something like that," Trini said as she put her arm around Kimberly's shoulders. "We all have differences but as long as we can put them aside for a little while, then we can do anything." "Hey guys," Mika made his way over to the group of friends. "Look who's coming." He used one hand to scratch Jaeger's bike and with the other, he pointed towards the entrance of the Youth Center and laughed a little bit as he watched Bulk and Skull come stumbling into the building, their clothes ripped, limping, and groaning in pain. "I think that mob finally caught 'em." Bulk and Skull marched right up to Jason and Tommy just as their students left the mats to take a break from class. Jason and Tommy exchanged amused glances before facing the two bullies. "What happened to you guys?" Tommy asked. He then looked Bulk and Skull up and down. "Or, uh, is this a new style?" Jason pressed his lips tightly together, trying not to laugh out loud. "Very funny, pin head," Bulk snarled. "You owe us a fight!" "Sorry, guys, can't help ya," Jason said with a sigh, crossing his arms over his chest. "Maybe you didn't hear me." Bulk narrowed his eyes, glaring at the two boys. "You're going to fight and you're going to do it now!" "Yeah," Skull slurred. He used one hand to hold up the other as it was limp. He clenched his teeth together as pain shot through his wrist. "You're going to fight and you're going to—" "Would you, shut up?" Bulk shouted, cutting off his friend. "Come on!" Bulk and Skull drew back an arm before swinging it forward in a punch. Tommy and Jason bent back out of the way and Bulk and Skull's fists collided together and they screamed in pain before falling to the ground. The kids in Jason and Tommy's class, who were standing near their friends, laughed. "You see guys, there's always a better way than fighting," Jason explained to his students. He turned towards Tommy and grinned. "Right partner?" "Right, bro," Tommy smiled and clasped hands with him. The two of them grinned as the students clapped. "Now, let's get back to work." "We'll see you guys later," Kimberly said to Zack and Billy as she grabbed her stuff. "We're heading over to Jason's for a little girl bonding time." "Have fun talking about boys and all that junk," Zack said, making a face, although he gave the girls a hug in farewell. "Don't worry, we will," Trini laughed as she slid her backpack straps onto her shoulders. "Thanks for covering for me, I'll call you later," Melody said as she turned to her brother. "Tell dad, yeah?" "No problem," Mika replied with a smile. "Be careful on the walk back. I don't want to hear about Putties attacking." "They wouldn't stand a chance against us, no worries," Melody grinned, giving him a hug before following Trini and Kimberly out of the Youth Center. They soon made their way over to Jasons's house and let themselves inside, leaving their bags by the front door as they made their way through the back door, over the backyard, and into the cluster of trees behind the house. "As you can see I've done this before." "That's obvious," Kimberly commented with a little laugh when she saw a large pile of wood in the middle of a small clearing. There were many cans of soda sitting in a line on top of the pile of wood and there was a bag of even more cans sitting beside it. "Power Bow." She smiled as her Power Weapon appeared in her hands. "This is a cool idea." "Yeah, I come out here a lot to think, but I've never used these in battle a lot, but I figured it'd be better if I was prepared for it," Melody replied as her set of bow and arrows appeared in her hands in a flash of purple light. Trini's daggers appeared in her hands in a flash of yellow light. "Man, today was crazy." "Tell me about it," Trini agreed before bringing her hand back to throw a dagger. She clicked her tongue as she nicked the side of a can, but it didn't topple over. "I'm just glad it's all over. Are you going to explain to Jason's parents about what happened?" "I was thinking about it, but I figured there'd be no real way to tell them why I shouldn't be grounded without giving away our secret," Melody replied as she set up her bow with an arrow. Hearing a loud clang, she looked up and saw Kimberly smiling and a can was missing from the line up. "Nice shot." "Thank you," Kimberly replied, getting a second arrow ready. "I'll just take the grounding," Melody explained with a shrug. "It's only for the rest of the week and god knows since I have nothing better to do, I can get better grades for a little while." She pulled her hand back, pulling on the arrow and closed one eye. She and let out a slow breath of air before letting the arrow fly. She smiled in satisfaction as the arrow sank into the center of a can, knocking it out of the line. "And it'll give me more time to talk to Jaeger and learn more about my powers and if there's any way I can stop from being taken over by it." "Judging by the looks of it, I don't think you have any choice in the matter, Mel," Trini gently replied. "But, maybe there's a way we can, contain you, I guess?" "What, like put me in a padded room?" Melody asked with an eye roll. She then paused and glanced over at Trini. "That doesn't sound too bad, actually. That way I wouldn't be able to hurt anyone or anything." "That wasn't your fault, Mel," Kimberly said quietly as she watched Trini knock down two cans with her next throw. "You know that and we all know that. We don't blame you for it." "If there's any way I can keep you guys out of danger, I want to do it," Melody replied, her arm shaking as she held onto her arrow for the longest time. She let the arrow go and cursed when she missed her target. "I just hate how I couldn't fight today. Don't get me wrong, I understand why I could. I just really wanted to teach Rita a lesson." "Don't we all," Kimberly said with a small laugh. She drummed her fingers on her bow for a moment, biting her lower lip before letting out a breath of air. "Can I ask you a question?" "You just did," Melody replied with a small laugh. "Go right ahead, Kim, ask away. But, I think I know what you're going to ask me." "You do?" Kimberly asked, exchanging glances with Trini. "All those comments today, is like the same thing I explained to you about what Jason and Tommy were saying," Melody explained, using her shoulder to brush her hair out of her eyes. "It had in part to do with the darkness in me, but overall, I was thinking out loud. But, yes, I'm jealous of all the time Tommy gets to spend with Jason." Melody strung her bow and shot off another arrow, hitting another can. "I just remember all those years where people referred to Jason and I as a team, a duo, partners in crime, stuff like that. I know Tommy's not doing it on purpose, and god knows, I'm really happy he's fitting in with everybody, but it bothers me sometimes. I can barely go a night without hearing his name come up in conversation. And I feel weird feeling that way and then turning right around and forcing myself to be happy about it." "Have you ever talked to Jason about this?" Trini asked, moving to retrieve her daggers from the dirt behind the wood pile. "He'd want to know about it." "Yeah, right, like I could have a conversation with him about that without sounding like a selfish, jealous, bitch or something," Melody said with an eye roll. "I can barely talk about my feelings as it is, we'd probably end up in an argument or something." "Ok, Mel, I'm going to ask you this again, but, do you like Jason?" Kimberly asked, peering at her friend. Melody pursed her lips as Trini stepped up beside Kimberly, eagerly waiting to know the answer to the question. "No," Melody replied after a moment of silence. She removed her gaze from them and strung her bow once again. Kimberly raised her arms and readied herself to fire off another shot. "I think I'm in love with him." Kimberly gasped, letting her arrow fly as she turned and gave her friend a shocked look, her arrow shooting off into a random direction, embedding itself into a tree. Trini also had a shocked look on her face and Melody stared back at them. "You aren't even going to deny it?" "What's the point?" Melody replied with somewhat of a pained expression on her face. "You're pretty much going to keep asking me or making obvious comments about it until I tell you." "But…are you sure? I mean, love is a strong word," Trini added. "I mean, when do people really ever now if they're in love?" She licked her lips. "Not that I'm doubt you or anything." Melody waved her hand in the air, not taking any offence to it at all. "Yeah, I mean, I haven't even told Tommy that, and I'm not even sure if I love love him yet," Kimberly added. "I know it sounds crazy, but I think I am," Melody replied, suddenly taking on a shy demeanor. "I mean, all he has to do is smile at me and I get nervous and my heart beats like crazy. And—it's just weird. I mean I knew at one point I'd fall hard for someone but I didn't think it would be Jason." "I told you," Kimberly said in a sing song voice. "I knew it was bound to happen. It's a classic best friend turned boyfriend/girlfriend thing." "If it helps it could've happened with Zack or Billy as well as Jason, we've been best friends for years and we're always around each other," Trini replied, elbowing Kimberly in the side as she started to giggle at the idea of being right. "I know, it's just, I couldn't go to sleep one night and I was just thinking about all the things that have happened since the school year started," Melody replied, scratching at her forehead, trying to block the blush that was coming up on her cheeks. "And then it just hit me that I actually did like Jason and it kinda scared me at how strong that feeling was." She then lifted her arms up, holding up her bow and closed one eye as she got ready to fire off another arrow. "Besides, there's only been one person who was able to make my heart drop into my stomach with just one kiss and that's Jason Lee Scott." She let the arrow go and struck her target.
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