Disclaimer: I only own the plot bunny, not Power Rangers nor anything recognizable.
This is a strange AU version of PR where the Rangers never left Angel Grove. Feel free to ask questions… I can't promise I'll be able to answer them all though.
And yes, this is an updated version. Furthermore, this one as well as the updated MF one both comment about the poll. Basically, I'm leaving it up to you guys what seasons you want me to revamp first. So choose wisely!
The front door opened and slammed shut. From in the kitchen twenty-three year old Danny Delgado called out, "Max, tú estás tarde."
Max, you are late.
"Sí, yo sé," was the response from the seventeen-year-old as he dumped his brown backpack in the coat closet and headed towards the kitchen.
Yes, I know.
One look at his legal ward and mejor amigo told Danny something big had happened on Max's first day as a high school senior… or right after it.
"¿Qué pasó?"
What happened?
Max looked down at his 'new' red T-shit. "It's a long story."
Danny just looked at Max from over his wire frame glasses. "We have time. The food has waited this long; it can wait a little longer."
The older man was leaning against the rust-hued kitchen counter to the left of the stove where a pot of mac and cheese was waiting. Max pulled out a chair from the round kitchen table and sat down at his set place with plate and silverware. Danny's setting was across from his.
"I'll start at the beginning then…"
Episode 1: Prelude to a Storm
Riding his violet bike the young chocolate-skinned teen rode up to Angel Grove High School. Taking off his matching helmet he locked up his bike in the bike rack and adjusted the straps of his backpack one last time before heading into the building.
It had been a long summer. Max didn't know how he was going to act now that he was a normal teenager again. Groups of kids were milling about since the warning bell hadn't rung yet. Max sighed. Sure he had been immature compared to his teammates but compared to these guys he was as serious and professional as Merrick… or at least Merrick when the Princess wasn't involved. Great; now Max was homesick and the day hadn't even started yet. Almost against his will he recapped what his ex-teammates were up to.
Taylor and Eric had gone off and had gotten married. They had moved to some place called Tortoise Cove or something like that. Alyssa had moved to Silver Hills and was also starting her first day of school- as a first-year kindergarten teacher. Of course Danny had adopted him Max and they had opted to stay in Angel Grove. Lastly Merrick had pulled a disappearing act on everyone, although Max couldn't entirely blame him. Princess Shayla had retreated back to the Animarium… without him.
Lost in his memory, Max was startled when a tawny-skinned teen with fluffy black hair approached him, map in hand.
"Hey, sorry, but do you know where Science-logy is? That's my homeroom but," and the teen shrugged sheepishly. "I moved here just last week so I don't know where anything is."
"That's my homeroom too so I'll take you there," Max assured the teen. "I'm Max Cooper."
"Trent Fernandez," and Trent stuck out his free hand. After shaking hands with the other teen Max added, "I'm a senior. You?"
"Junior."
"Ah, the good old days," Max teased himself, but felt a pang remembering his Ranger days. "Come on, let's go and get settled in."
Max and Trent were the first two into the classroom but others soon trickled in. A redheaded boy with a red superhero cape; a teenage girl with two blond braids in a blue tank top and jean shorts who got out a surfing magazine; a teen boy with brown bedhead who had brought along a plate of toast; the school's soccer star, a chestnut-haired charmer; a fair-skinned teen with fluffy blond hair who seemed close to a teen boy with coffee-colored skin and short black hair; a teen boy with skin tone darker than ever Max's but less cool (as in more trimmed) hair who got out a laptop and clicked away rapidly; and about eighteen others by the time the warning bell had rung.
Moments before the tardy bell their homeroom teacher finally arrived. He had dark brown hair gelled into spikes and wire frame glasses like Danny's but his skin was a few shades lighter than Max's best friend and new legal guardian. He wore khaki pants and a grey long-sleeved shirt.
He smiled at them, "Hello, welcome back to Angel Grove High School. This is Science-logy, a course that will cover various aspects of biology, geology, paleontology, astronomy, archeology, and lots of other logies. My name is Dr. Tommy Oliver, but you can call me Dr. O. I will be your teacher for this course."
The rest of the day sped by as a blur of paper pushing for Max. After the last class he left the building to head home although Danny wouldn't be home from his job as a 'plant specialist' at a florist's for another two hours. As he buckled his helmet on Max spotted the surfer girl from his homeroom get into her blue van and some of the other kids from his various classes get onto the buses out front. Humming to himself the Wild Force theme song the newscasters had given last year's team of Power Rangers Max pedaled off.
As he rode past the park he heard screams and his Ranger instincts kicked in. Max took a left turn into the park and found some beings- but not Putrids- frightening some civilians. Hopping off his bike Max jerked off his helmet and ran towards the minions.
"Hey!" he shouted to get their attention. They were weird white and orange bipeds with an orange scorpion on a black background instead of faces. Putting his Ranger experience to use Max started to fight them off.
"Want some help?" asked the blond surfer girl as she came over. Max looked around. He way outnumbered and lacked a morpher.
"Sure."
So the two of them fought off the beings together. Looking around the girl wondered, "What were those?"
"Not Putrids," Max replied matter-of-factly. The girl gave him a look.
"Putrids?"
"Last year's minions," Max explained away the matter. He shot her a grin.
"I'm Max."
"Tori."
"You stopped my Kelzacks," came a new, ominous voice. Wheeling around the pair saw a weird whitish pinkish dinosaur biped in a black uniform. Max looked him up and down.
Not an Org, he decided. The creature didn't even have the requisite horn, although the back of its head was spiked. So he opted to ask, "Who and what are you?"
"I am Mesogog."
"Let me guess. You want to take over the world, starting with Angel Grove."
"No."
"No?" Max echoed, his eyebrows going way up.
"I want to revert the world to the age of the dinosaurs."
"Oh. Well, points for thinking outside the box."
Tori gave Max a 'are you NUTS?' look. He just gave her a mild look, saying, "You can leave now if you want."
Tori put her arms akimbo and demanded, "Is this because I'm a girl?"
"No, it's because I have more experience with this sort of thing. Sheesh, don't be so touchy!" Max retorted, keeping his hands in fists. This Mesogog looked just as nasty as the Master Org. "Now could you please leave, Tori?"
Mesogog chuckled evilly. "Why leave when we're having so much fun?"
Tori shifted her weight uneasily and Max gulped. Just then a black Jeep pulled up and Dr. O. got out. He took a double take at the situation.
"Uh… what are you two doing here?"
"Good question," Tori replied while Max shrugged, "Fighting evil?"
"You're being way too calm about this," Tori noted. Max just grinned at her. Meanwhile Mesogog and Dr. O. had begun to fight. Max was impressed; their science teacher was almost as good as Taylor, Eric, or Merrick. Blocking, punching, and kicking the two battled it out. Tori started forward but Max held his arm out in front of her.
"Bad idea. You'd just distract Dr. O."
A kick in the midriff sent Mesogog flying back. Getting to his feet the mutant dinosaur biped informed them, "This is just the beginning."
Then he vanished into a neon green portal. Dr. O ran a hand through his short hair and sighed loudly. "What is it about Angel Grove that attracts all the weirdos?"
"He wants to bring back the days of the dinos," Max commented. "That's more than weirdo, that's outright psycho."
"True."
"You two are weird," Tori observed. Max sighed, "You have no clue about me… although to be fair, I have no clue about him."
Dr. O. crossed his arms across his chest and studied the two teens.
"Come on. I need to show you two some stuff."
"Stuff is kind of vague, Dr. O.," Tori protested. Dr. O. just gave her a lopsided smile. "I don't know what else to call it."
Max had a good idea though, so he rubbed his hands together eagerly. "Show me the way, Dr. O.!"
"Get in the Jeep," he directed the two teens, heading towards the vehicle himself. Max headed after him promptly; Tori exhaled and bit her lower lip, but then tagged along after the two guys. Dr. O. drove through the street, parking in front of a brightly colored building named the Cyberspace. Max noted, "I've never been here before."
"It only opened last month," Dr. O. replied, unbuckling his seat belt. "Come on; my college friend Hayley Ziktor owns the place."
"Friend," Max found himself teasing his new science teacher the way he had always teased Merrick about the Princess: waggling eyebrows and a suggestive tone. Dr. O. looked bemused as he retorted, "My girlfriend Katherine is off on a worldwide ballet tour currently. Hayley is more like a sister to me than anything else."
Max felt a tad disappointed at how easily Dr. O. brushed off the attempt. Tori snickered, "Serves you right, Max."
"Shut up," Max grumbled as the trio got out of the Jeep. Inside was a wooden paneled floor, a couple of tables, a red conch in the back, and a 'bar' serving smoothies and bakery products. A smattering of teenagers was occupying the area, and a young Asian man in a green long-sleeved shirt and black slacks was manning the bar. He had silky black hair, almond eyes, almost tawny skin, a lean build, and wore wire frame glasses. Tori raised her eyebrows.
"That is so not Hayley."
Max gave her a sly look, making her slug him in the arm.
"Ow!"
"You think about it and I will have to hurt you."
Max wasn't sure if he was supposed to be wounded or offended by the comment as they walked over to the bar. Looking at the trio the man sighed, "Tommy, you borrowed my spare glasses again, didn't you?"
"No."
Max and Tori looked curiously at their science teacher at this clear fib, who only muttered, "I didn't want to come off as a martial arts artist or something."
The other man sighed and cast a caustic eye over Max, although he seemed a little less leery of Tori. But Tori stomped on his foot before Max could say, do, or sing anything.
"Who are they?"
"Uh… they're from my homeroom."
Tori and Max found themselves looking askance at their homeroom teacher again. Dr. O. protested, "It's the first day of school! Plus my memory isn't that great anyway…"
"I'm Max Cooper. You?"
"Cameron Watanabe."
"And I'm Tori Hanson."
"And in case anyone here has a worse memory than me, I'm Tommy Oliver."
The three younger people smiled.
"Cam, we need to go down."
"We?" Cam observed, eying Max and Tori suspiciously. Dr. O. stated, "They already staved off one attack by Mesogog. I can't see who else would be better for the duty."
It was all Max could do not to reveal his excitement. Ha! Normalcy, adios! Tori just looked befuddled while Cam was clearly thinking that he could do the duty better than two high schoolers. Oblivious Tommy made his way to the other side of the bar. "Come on, you two. If she's not up here Hayley is down there. See you, Cam."
"My glasses, Tommy."
Absently Dr. O. just pushed the said glasses up his nose as he opened up a door which said 'cleaning supplies' but in fact revealed a stairway. "What?"
"Nothing," he grumbled as the trio headed down the stairs. "Defenders of Angel Grove? Them? Hardly."
The stairway descended into a large network of tunnels and rooms hewn out of beige stone and lit from overhead. Max whistled.
"From in the sky to underground? Not bad."
Tori gave the other teen a puzzled look but Dr. O. was already on the move, heading down a corridor. She and Max hurried after him as he called out, "Hayley?"
"Tommy!" came a female voice from further ahead. "What now?"
"I found two others; I think they'll do fine."
Tori sighed, "Would someone please explain to me what's going on?"
"Don't worry, I was in your shoes last autumn," Max assured her. "But you're going to have to see it to believe it."
"See what?" she exclaimed in exasperation. Max just grinned widely. "You'll see."
Tori groaned as the trio entered a room with a wall of computers. In a chair in front of them was a confident red-haired woman in a violet dress and black boots. She eyed the teens curiously.
"Two of your students, Tommy?"
Dr. O. looked over the two. "They're older than me when I started. That has to count for something."
Something niggled in Max's memory… something about how he was the youngest Ranger in about four years last year. And Taylor said that the last of the sweet sixteen had been seniors when they started- the same age he was now. But there had been a preteen Ranger around then, although he'd be about Max's age now. Which implied that Dr. O. had been before that. Which implied in turn that he was among the first Power Rangers.
Max blinked in surprise. Well, this could get interesting fast if Max's thinking wasn't flawed. Hayley sighed and stood up from her chair. "All right, fine. Mesogog has unleashed a monster and some more Kelzacks on a nearby quarry. It's time."
"Time for what?"
Dr. O. smiled at the aggravated Tori. "Time for the next team of Power Rangers."
"Me?"
"Us," Max corrected her. Dr. O. warned them, "There are a couple of rules involved with being a Power Ranger. One, don't use your powers for evil- unless you're under an evil spell or something similar. That doesn't count. Two, don't use your powers against civilians no matter how annoying they get. Three, don't get out the Zords unless the Zords are actually needed. Four, just don't use your powers for personal gain. Not cool. Five, don't tell anyone you're a Power Ranger."
Max raised his hand. Dr. O. raised his eyebrows at the teen.
"Yes?"
"Not even your legal guardian?"
"Not even your legal guardian."
"But what if there are extenuating circumstances?"
"Extenuating circumstances such as…?" Hayley asked as she walked over to them, a wooden box in hand. Max coughed sheepishly before replying.
"Such as working together to save the world as the previous team of Power Rangers last school year."
Dr. O. conceded, "Okay, fine. Those are extenuating circumstances."
"Good. I wouldn't like keeping a secret from Danny; we're best friends too. That's why he adopted me."
"I'm guessing you two have done this before?" Tori noted dryly. Max nodded happily while Dr. O. smiled lopsidedly. "Not for a while though. I passed on my last morpher in late 1997."
"When was your first?"
"Before that," Dr. O. hedged. Taking the hint Hayley opened the box to reveal the three morphers.
"These are the Wind morphers. Tommy, you get to be Yellow. Tori, you get to be Blue. And Max, you get to be Red."
"Red?" Max gulped, thinking back to Taylor and Eric. Both had been Reds at various points (okay, Eric had just been Red). He was not Red material. "Couldn't Dr. O. and I switch? I bet I'd look good in Yellow."
"No," Dr. O. shook his head, picking up the Yellow Wind morpher and strapping it onto his wrist- effectively bonding with it. "I want a change of pace; besides, my time in the real limelight has ended. It's you guys' turn."
Slightly pale (quite a feat for the cocoa-skinned teen) Max picked up the Red Wind morpher and attached it to his wrist while Tori did the same with the Blue Wind morpher. Looking it over Tori asked, "So… besides turning us into Power Rangers, what does this do?"
"Usually they let Rangers communicate," Max noted. Both Dr. O. and Hayley nodded. The latter returned to her chair, pulling up three images on the largest screen. They looked like Ranger suits, but not quite like any suits before them.
"These morphers also grant you powers."
"Like elemental powers?" Max questioned. Dr. O. nodded. "I have power over earth, you have power over wind, and Tori has power over water."
"Sweet!"
Max looked outraged. "I was the one with water powers last year! Why can't I have them this year too?"
"Too late and too bad," Tori retorted, eying her morpher with new appreciation. Dr. O. chuckled, "Just expand your horizons, Max. After me, you're the one with the most experience. It's only fitting that you lead. Now, come on. I have uniforms for us."
"Nifty," Tori smiled. Max nodded, still distraught over having wind powers rather than water powers on top of being team leader. Opening a trunk, Dr. O. tossed a pile of clothes at each teen and got out a third for himself.
In a few minutes they returned to the room with Hayley in it, now in their Ranger uniforms. They were jet black ninja-like uniforms, with trim in their Ranger color as well as a circle in their color over the left side of their chest. Max's was Red, Tori's was Blue, and Dr. O.'s was Yellow. Dr. O. stated, "All right, let's go."
Dr. O. drove the Jeep to the quarry where a bulky monster that was blue under its armor was standing around while Kelzacks- the orange and black minions identical to those before- hopped about causing chaos. Standing on a rocky ridge Dr. O. said, "All right, I'll morph first since we're all bonded to our morphers already."
"Ninja Storm, Ranger Form!"
Against a whirlwind Dr. O. morphed into the Yellow Wind Ranger. At the end he was on barren ground, a volcano erupting in the background.
"Power of Earth! Yellow Wind Ranger!"
The uniform was mostly yellow, with black trim on his boots. He had silvery sleeves, yellow armbands up to his elbows, and white gloves with yellow protective material over the backs of his hands. He had a black belt on with a gold 'buckle' that had a red center.
His neck was also covered in yellow material; his helmet was yellow with a narrow visor that had golden trim three-fourths of the way around it, complete with a circular design right above the spot between his eyes. His morpher was visible on his left wrist, and there was a black and gold sword with a red and gold hilt on his back. Topping it off was a white lion-like symbol over his heart.
"Not bad," he laughed, looking himself over. Max grinned, "We won't let you have all the fun, Dr. O."
"Right," nodded Tori happily.
"Ninja Storm, Ranger Form!"
Against their own whirlwinds Max and Tori transformed into the Red and Blue Wind Rangers. Against a whirlwind he morphed, ending on a cloud surrounded by a sunset sky. He declared, "Power of Air! Red Wind Ranger!"
Max's uniform looked like Dr. O.'s but red wherever it was Yellow on Dr. O.'s. Also, his heart symbol was of a bird, its wings outstretched.
Against a whirlwind Tori morphed, ending on a layer of endless water.
"Power of Water! Blue Wind Ranger!"
Tori's Blue uniform had a skirt instead of pants like the other two's uniforms, so she had silvery leggings as well as silvery sleeves. Her heart symbol was of a dolphin fin.
"Now what?" she queried. Dr. O. called out, "Lion Hammer! Ready to Roar!"
A yellow and grey hammer-like device appeared in his hand. "We fight evil, of course."
"Fighting Fins?" Max tried. Nothing happened. "It was worth a shot… Hawk Blaster! Fired Up!"
A large red blaster appeared in his hands. "Hm. Not bad."
"Sonic Fin! Sound Off!" A blue and white bullhorn-like device appeared in Tori's hand. "What can this do against those things?"
"They're called Kelzacks," Dr. O. informed her helpfully just as they and Kelzacks engaged in battle. Tori snapped, "Fine. What can a bullhorn do against Kelzacks?"
Then she pointed the Sonic Fin at a cluster of Kelzacks, blasting them with circles of blue energy to the point where she could easily defeat them. Max jibed, "The bullhorn can do that!"
Tori ignored him.
Dr. O. was wielding about his Lion Hammer, clearly having a grand old time battling Kelzacks. Max tried out his Hawk Blaster, blasting away Kelzacks. Soon only the monster was left. Dr. O. commented, "Since both Max and I are a little rusty and Tori is new, how about we combine our weapons to take down the monster at long range?"
"Sounds good to me," Max nodded. So the trio of Rangers merged their weapons together.
"Storm Striker!"
"And fire!" As one the trio blasted away the monster.
"No!" exclaimed the monster just before it was blasted away in a huge fireball. Her visor retreating Tori asked, "Did that just happen?"
"Yep," the two males chorused, giving each other a high five with their own visors retreated into their helmets.
Once back in the underground place Max had to ask, "So, what's up with this Mesogog guy? I mean, eventually we figured out why Master Org wanted to destroy humanity but I'd like a basic heads-up now."
Hayley sighed, leaning back. "We're not sure. He showed up first a few weeks ago, rallying together some old monsters out of the shadows. Among them are a pair of sorceresses- Marah and Kapri. They're sisters, but tend to be a little ditzy. There are a few others who have gained his favor, but we don't know much about them yet."
Tori scratched her head. All three were back in their Ranger uniforms. "So what do we know?"
"That he's a threat to Angel Grove and the world at large," Dr. O. pointed out. "Hayley and Cam will serve as our tech crew. They're working on finalizing the Zords."
"What do you mean, we don't have them yet! What if that monster had revived and super-sized on us?" Max questioned, troubled. "It's not exactly like I can whistle and Sharkie will come to my aid."
"Sharkie?" Tori commented, amused.
"The Blue Shark; he was my main Zord last school year."
"HE?"
"We had sentient Zords, thank you," Max sniffed. "If you haven't had a morpher before, don't look down at someone who has."
"Max has a point," Dr. O. grinned. Tori rolled her eyes. "Whatever. What do we know about Mesogog for sure?"
"That he wants to hurt Angel Grove and we can't let him do that?" a beaming Max replied. Tori closed her eyes tiredly.
"Besides that."
"Again, Tori, we don't know much about Mesogog yet," Hayley sighed. "And Max, Cam and I are working as fast as we can on the Zords. We'll probably be done with them in a few days. But we do have the Ninja Gliders ready whenever you need them."
"Gliders?" Tori noted.
"We're the Wind Rangers, Tori," Max chuckled. "Gliders make sense."
Dr. O. cracked his head and rolled his shoulders. "Training will be required; we'll probably meet here in the Hidden Lair or at my house."
"Or in the Cyberspace," Hayley pointed out. "Cam and I will be doing all we can to make sure your weapons, gear, and Zords are ready to take on Mesogog and his goons."
"This has to be the most extreme first day of school ever," Tori shook her head. Dr. O. made a so-so gesture with his hand.
"My first day at Angel Grove High was more than extreme, even if it wasn't the 'real' first day of school."
Max looked around. "The Hidden Lair?"
"I thought it sounded cool."
Hayley shook her head. "Tommy has a streak of mad scientist in him."
"No, you're confusing me with you."
She eyed him wryly. "Uh-huh."
"Look, I need to catch some waves. Is this thing water proof?"
"My Growl Phone was at least," Max shrugged. Hayley assured the new Blue Ranger, "They're immune to whatever you or Mesogog throws at them."
"Sweet. See you guys!"
Max folded his arms at Dr. O.
"All right, I'll spill if you spill."
"That sounds fair," Dr. O. agreed with a smile. "But first I have a red T-shirt that I think will fit you…"
An hour later Max realized how late it had gotten and biked home in a hurry. He opened and shut the front door hard. From the kitchen came Danny's voice.
"Max, tú estás tarde."
Dumping his backpack into the closet Max replied…
…
"I get it, I get it," Danny interrupted Max's monologue with a smile. "So, you're all grown up with a Red morpher and everything?"
"I guess," he shrugged uncomfortably. "You're not jealous?"
"No," Danny replied. "I was content saving the world just once, as was Alyssa. You are more like Eric and Taylor- if the world is in danger, you will want to aid it until you feel that it is time to give another a turn to save the world."
"I think Dr. O. is like that too. This is his fifth morpher."
"Cinco," Danny repeated, wanting to be sure.
"Uh-huh. Crazy, right?"
"Es loco," Danny agreed. Max's stomach rumbled.
"¿Ahora puedo comer cena?"
Now could I eat dinner?
"Claro."
Of course.
Next time on Power Rangers Ninja Storm: Max is still having a tough time adjusting to being Red, and sister sorceresses Marah and Kapri attack Angel Grove. Can the new trio of Rangers pull it together in time to stop them from helping Mesogog take over the world?