Disclaimer: No Ownership of Rangers Here
A/N: This is a piece I wrote for Power Rangers United where they had a challenge for writing 'overlooked' or supporting characters. I chose Ernie.
Ernie had grown up in a diner. His father's family had run that diner for three generations, starting as a saloon and growing into a place for families. He had spent his childhood unable to imagine any other life. Then his father had died and his mother had sold the place before the dirt had settled on his grave. Ernie, then seventeen, had joined the army the day after his eighteenth birthday and went looking for a new dream. In the end, he'd come right back to his roots, buying a gym from an old army buddy and turning it into a safe hangout for kids who wanted to have a place that didn't put any demands on them. Like his father before him, Ernie had learned the trick of listening to people, and of noticing things when people where going through issues.
The first time Jason had walked into the Juice Bar, Ernie had noticed him. The boy had been all of ten years old, and short but stocky. In a week, Ernie had in measure of the boy. He was a leader in the makings, with a mind that would adapt well to any situation. Point in fact, Ernie had fully expected to see Jason grow up to join the military, and he would have made any number of bets that Jason Lee Scott would have been a five star general and one of the Joint Chiefs by the time he was fifty. At age ten, Ernie noticed Jason Lee Scott and he sat back to enjoy the ride.
Ernie met Zack through Jason. The African American boy had popped up shortly after Jason had, and was soon learning to entertain crowds and "the ladies". As much as Ernie enjoyed the floor show, he also made sure that Zack didn't go over the top or try something that would get him hurt. It surprised Ernie that Zack and Jason were best friends, but he had to meet they were a good pair. Jason was calm and grounded while Zack was the clown, always on stage. It took most of six months for Ernie to realize that Jason was desperately shy and depended on Zack to keep attention off him. Zack handled the role with an ease that Ernie thought would be his trademark all his life. Ernie knew, without a doubt, that ten years down the road, Zack would either have found home on a stage, or as some sort of diplomat or counselor.
Ernie would be hard pressed to forget his introduction to Billy Cranston and Trini Kwan. Ernie had brought in a second hand video game for the game corner and it hadn't worked. Before Ernie could put an out of order sign on the device, Billy had opened the panel on the side and was buried up to his shoulder in parts. Trini had been with him, handing him tools and explaining to Ernie that Billy could fix it. Billy had, in less than five minutes. That had been when they were eleven, back when Trini had disliked Jason a great deal and protected Billy from all comers with her smooth words and, if all else failed, her Kung Fu.
Ernie hadn't expected Kimberly; the petite gymnast had arrived in Angel Grove with definite ideas on what her role was in life. She rarely visited the Juice Bar at first, having her coach's gym to practice in, so it wasn't until she was thirteen that Kimberly became a regular. Her coach had undergone financial difficulties and Kim had been forced to make use of the Juice Bar's gymnastics equipment.
Although he didn't see all of it, Ernie was able to watch as careful friendships were forged and tested by peers and bullies. He remembered the day Jason had stuck his foot in his mouth and Trini had dumped her smoothie on his head. He remembered the day Billy had helped Zack with some difficult math homework. He especially remembered Trini and Kim teaming up to put Bulk and Skull in their place to protect each other. He missed the incident that had made Trini and Jason friends, solidifying the group, but he remembered when they'd sat down at a table and there had been a near audible click of rightness.
A year later, Ernie found himself in possession of the world's greatest secret. It started, as always, with Jason. In the space of a week, Jason grew into the leader Ernie had once thought him to be; the war lord, in command of his troops with a firm yet gentle hand. Given the attitude change and Jason's suddenly monochromatic wardrobe, Ernie knew he had met the Red Ranger.
Billy was the next easy to pick out, his shy but eager attitude showed that he had found himself a treasure trove of information. It gave him confidence and coordination; exactly what he'd been searching for. Ernie never commented on it, he simply resigned himself to seeing more and more outlandish inventions being demonstrated in his business. From the fondness Billy had for his color, Ernie felt proud that the smartest teen in Angel Grove served as their Blue Ranger.
Zack settled down in some ways, still the clown, still the distracter, he now acted out to keep people from noticing things that were different. He was good at it, Ernie had to admit, but Ernie had learned the difference between Zack the clown and Zack the distraction. What worried Ernie was when Zack's sparring sessions with Jason went from fun to serious in a way that Ernie had only seen in the Special Forces back in the day. Still, it seemed to suit that the young African American protected everyone as the Black Ranger.
Kim's changes were different. She took the martial arts lessons her friends offered with a more serious bent. She still trained with her coach at his new gym, but she spent more time at the Youth Center as well. It was unusual to have a day without Kim on the beam performing some trick or other. Still the bright and shining person that had existed beneath her snobbery for so long was there, and even clearer than before. Like a butterfly, Kim was shedding the Valley Girl persona that had been her mask, shining brighter than ever. No longer was Kim a piece of costume jewelry with a cheap veneer, she had become a sword, beautiful and deadly. It was no wonder she had earned a place as the Pink Ranger.
Trini, in many ways, was unchanged by her new life. Ernie, however, saw it, the flash of distress when a news report recapped a battle, the hesitation to laugh when Bulk and Skull wound up in yet another improbable situation, and the way she watched her teammates and settled them with a word or two. Certainly the biggest change in Trini was her reading material. Psychology books became a staple for Trini, and from the things she said, mostly to her friends, but to the other kids, and even Ernie. It was clear that the books were not just light reading. In many ways, Trini honored her color and their city as the Yellow Ranger.
Then Ernie met Tommy…