Disclaimer: The usual stuff, don't own them, Disney does. If you want to borrow this story ask me first.
Author's Note: Second in the Friendship Series.
Timeline: Takes place after White Light Pt 1 and 2.
Thank To: Cmar for helping me with this fic (when I was stuck) and for editing it.
Red and White
Jason impatiently tapped his pen on the notebook in front of him. He gave a quick glance at the clock above the chalkboard and growled silently. Three more minutes before school was out.
And he didn't want to spend the remaining three minutes sitting behind Tommy Oliver. Nope, better make that Thomas Oliver, The White Ranger, now the leader of the Power Rangers. He gave a small bittersweet smile.
From the corner of his eyes he saw Kim pass a note to Tommy, and rolled his eyes. Young love, he mused. He was happy that his "baby sister" was happy. But he couldn't say the same for the man she loved.
He shifted in his seat. Damn these chairs were hard. He grumbled as he shifted again.
"Hey bro, you okay?" Tommy asked worriedly.
Yeah sure, try majorly pissed off, he thought.
"Oh, yeah. Just tired." He faked a yawn.
Tommy eyed him carefully before nodding.
Luckily for Jason, the bell rang, and he gathered his stuff and walked out without explaining anything to the others.
"What's biting him?" Kim asked. At that Billy ran out of the class.
"Maybe I should go after Jason," Tommy suggested.
"Billy will handle him, Tommy" Trini said. I hope so…she silently prayed.
..........
"Jason!" Billy shouted out his name, when the Blue Ranger was out of the school building. When Jason didn't slow down, Billy ran to catch up with him.
"Damn it, leave me alone" the Red Ranger bellowed, when he felt a hand on his shoulder and turned around. His anger boiled up to the point where he would have struck the person. But he couldn't hurt his friend, no matter how much anger he had.
"Christ," Billy swore and backed away.
"Oh God. I'm sorry, Billy," Jason apologized, as he recovered from the shock of Billy's presence.
"What's biting you?" Billy asked.
In response Jason shrugged. He knew what it was, but telling his old friend this was almost impossible.
"Jason?" Billy said his friend's name in a question rather than calling it out.
Jason sighed and looked at Billy before walking away without saying a word. Billy kept his pace up with the Red Ranger, silently walking until Jason noticed his presence.
"You still here?" Jason asked, his eyes still fixed to the view ahead of him.
"Yes."
"Go."
"Jas-"
"Please just go and don't make me beg," Jason pleaded.
Billy looked in his friend's eye and nodded before leaving.
..........
"….and Mom said I could use her card for shopping this afternoon," Kim finished.
"Hey Billy, any luck?" Tommy asked when he saw the Blue Ranger walk into the Juice Bar. Billy just shook his head sadly.
"Man, what pissed him off?" Zack asked.
"That's what I like to know," Tommy agreed.
Trini looked up just as Tommy finished his sentence. "It's not what pissed him off, but why's he's pissed off that matters."
"Huh?" Kim said. "Can I kick him into it?"
"Kick him into what?" Tommy asked.
"In her term…Talking," Trini translated.
"Oh," both Zack and Tommy mouthed.
"Trini" Kim said as she whacked her friend's arm gently.
"Just trying to be helpful, Kim" Trini smiled sweetly, "Besides, they are guys."
Kim couldn't help but laugh.
"I'm serious," the Yellow Ranger protested.
"So am I."
At that Zack's jaw's dropped open, "You're serious," he mused.
"Hey," Kim spoke, "I'm not a total airhead, ya know."
"With the wa – Ow!" Zack groaned in pain. "Billy, what ya do that for?"
The Blue Ranger just glared, while the remaining Rangers just laughed at the scene before them.
..........
Jason slammed his bedroom door shut behind him, before letting out his anger with few air punches. His usually firm jaws were tight; his eyes bulged, muscles around them were tensed.
It hurt, he admitted at last, hurt so much that words couldn't describe the pain he felt. His leadership was ripped away from him. For what? What did he do so wrong that he wasn't given a chance to correct the mistake he had made, if he did made one?
Leadership was supposed to be passed on, not taken away when it was convenient to do so. Even if he did leave, his leadership would have passed on to Tommy anyway. Since he wasn't leaving, the question still remained… why?
He couldn't ask Zordon for advice, since it was his choice to give Tommy the leadership.
He raged while pacing in his room. He thought back to the first day he became a Ranger. He was the only one who wanted to do it. It was he who had convinced the others to do the same. It wasn't Tommy; it was him – Jason Lee Scott. He had led the others into battle, long before Tommy showed up.
Hell, he was the one who broke the spell and asked Tommy to join them. And what reward had he gotten for his hard work? He got demoted from all his responsibilities as the leader. Without any explanation why.
He groaned. He had failed to get the green candle, so what? He had a choice, it was either die fighting or leave with Zack when he got the chance. If he had died, the Green Ranger Power would have been gone, along with him and his powers.
That had been the risk he had to take, it was unavoidable. But right now, he thought as his mind came back to the present, he still was trying to figure out why his leadership had been taken away from him.
And he had no one he could speak to, not yet anyway.
Grabbing his backpack before he lost himself into his thoughts again, he pulled out his homework. A piece of paper fell out without him realizing. He frowned, as he picked it up. He didn't remember picking up any sort of forms during the day, so this was odd.
As he inspected it, he then remembered what it was. A form for the Peace Conference in Switzerland. Something he had picked up on impulse few days earlier, but never gave a second thought to until now.
Absently he pulled the chair of his desk back, his homework already forgotten, and sat down. He rubbed his hands over his face, before taking a deep breath and picking up the pen.
For the next ten minutes he was busily filling out the form, without stopping for a thought. When he finished, he read his own handiwork.
Not bad, he mused. This would give him the chance to be away from everything, even the Ranger duties. As much as he loved his position, he knew it was time to move on.
A tiny voice at the back of his head kept saying, who will take your spot? Huh?
He swore and pushed the thought out of his mind, it wasn't his goddamn problem anymore. He didn't lead the team, so why worry. With a hiss he got up and left the room after picking up his basketball. Homework could wait, he decided, as he climbed down the stairs and walked through the kitchen out towards the basketball hope.
He will keep the main reason for leaving a secret. Even from Trini and Zack. Tommy might be good, but he wasn't bright enough to figure it out. Hell, he might explode but there was no way Jason was going to back down. Tommy was entitled to his share of anger.
He wasn't like Tommy, he would and could explode, with a good, reason. But Tommy never would, he will just explode for the sake of it. He knew Tommy.
He shot a goal, but missed, and as he went for another his communicator went off. "I read you Alpha" he said in the communicator, when no one was looking.
"Aye, yi, the other Rangers need you," Alpha panicked.
Not they don't, he wanted to say, but he adopted his 'leader tone' as Kim called it. "I'm on my way," he said before closing the communicator and morphing. "It's Morphing Time. Tyrannosaurus!" he bellowed and teleported out in red.
..........
Jason was getting ready for bed that night when he saw Zack pop his head into the room. Amused, he grinned. "Yo, Zack."
"Hey Jase," the Black Ranger greeted him when he was fully inside, and turned to face the window, offering his hand outside.
Jason frowned, but smiled, when his slender shaped friend came into his view. "Hope you don't mind" Trini smiled.
Oh boy! he thought as he breathed. He knew that smile.
"You've brought her to beat few truths outta me?" Jason asked Zack, who was grinning widely.
"Relax, Jase," Zack said. "We're here to talk." He winked at Trini.
Trini nodded to confirm, but her eyes told a different story.
"Yea, right!" he scoffed at Zack, as he sat on his bed.
"Awww….Jase," Zack tried to say, but trailed off, knowing he failed miserably.
"Come on Jason, talk to us," Trini pleaded softly.
"Can't I ever say no to you?" Jason asked Trini.
"No, not unless you want to be beaten blue and purple all over!" At that Zack snickered, but stopped when Trini gave him a sharp look.
Both Rangers waited patiently for Jason to say something, but when they realized he wasn't going to say anything… "Jason Lee Scott, are you going to sit there or talk?" Trini barked.
Jason jumped at the unexpected tone from Trini. "Geez.." Trini growled in response. "So much for figuring out where to start," he grumbled as he got up.
"How about right from the beginning?" Zack supplied hopefully.
Jason raised an eyebrow, but said nothing. He took a deep breath. "You two remember when we first became Rangers?" he asked. Two heads nodded as one. "Oh god, this is hard." He swallowed, rubbed his hands over his face, took a deep breath and started again. "I was only one who really wanted to do it."
"Yes, we remember," Zack interrupted. Trini playfully slapped him.
"It was good to be chosen as the Red Ranger, the leader; I was a rookie at it, didn't know what I was doing..."
"We didn't either." it was Zack again.
"Zack!" Trini exclaimed. "Go on Jase."
"It was an honor to be chosen to lead the team, with all that power. It was shock, but it was something I had to work hard on. Something I had to get used to, especially giving out orders. Working as a team brought us closer, but the first few battles were scary, I was always unsure of the outcome, but I got the hang of it, and began to enjoy it." Tears streamed down his face.
"I worked my butt off as leader, making decisions that would determine the final outcome, the thought of dying was more horrifying than fighting Goldar, but it was the thrill that I got used to. The way it felt, god, words can't describe it." He looked down at his hands, unsure if he should tell them. Maybe he should, after all, they were listening.
He took a deep breath. "I have decided to leave the Rangers." He didn't look at them.
Zack and Trini looked at one another before saying "WHAT!!!!!!!"
"You're…you're kidding, right?" Zack stammered.
Jason shook his head. "I'm serious." His tone matched his words.
"Why?" Trini asked.
Jason looked at her, just simply looked. Weighing his options, if he had any. "I can't say, I'm sorry."
"Jason, you have told us this much." She placed her hand on his massive one. "Finish the story."
He looked at her, tears streaming down his cheeks. "I'm leaving because I don't feel I have a place anymore. I…I...I'm not a leader anymore. And it hurts to see him in my place."
"Jason..." Trini said, her heart breaking at the silent tears falling from his face.
"He just took over, he didn't prove himself. He didn't go through everything I went through. I'm not saying I don't understand his side of it, I do, but…"
"We have no explanation as to why," Zack commented. Both Jason and Trini stared at him in shock.
"I'm not completely a goofus, you know," he added dryly. At his reaction both Yellow and Red Rangers burst out laughing.
"I can't stay even if I wanted to, I'm sorry."
"Don't be sorry," Trini said, in her mind she had made her own decision, she turned to look at Zack, who nodded in understanding.
"We'll go with him," he mouthed once Jason had left for the bathroom to freshen up. Trini nodded. Jason needed them more than the team.
"Hey Jase," Zack knocked on the bathroom door. "We are going to go, ok?" A grunted reply came. Taking that for yes, both Zack and Trini slipped out quietly.
..........
It was a week later that Jason decided to tell Tommy, Billy and Kim. Trini and Zack were behind him in this. Trini and Zack had submitted their forms after much persuading of Jason to let them go with him.
"Hey guys, got a second?" Jason asked the other three sitting on the chair.
"Hey, sure we do," Tommy said as he moved to clearly see them.
"Trini, Zack, and I have gotten the chance of a lifetime, to make a difference in Switzerland," Jason said as he watched the expressions on their faces.
"Oh!" Kim said, disappointment was clearly written on her face. She knew it meant leaving the Rangers, in fact all of them knew.
"What made you decide this?" Billy asked; he was clearly pained at the announcement.
The three of them exchanged looks, fully knowing that this question was bound to come up.
"Well, it's something new we thought we could try, and see how it is," Trini said.
"I see," Tommy said, he was in deep thought already. "So have you spoken to Zordon?"
"We thought we'd tell you guys first," Zack said. "We didn't know if we would get accepted."
"You were," Kim said. "You have the dedication and the focus for this."
"She's right," Tommy agreed. He looked at Jason carefully, wishing he knew what was going in that head of his.
Zack grinned. "So we celebrate?" he asked.
..........
It was later in the same week that the three of them decided to go and see Zordon. Jason was nervous, since leaving was his idea. He wasn't sure how well Zordon would take the news, but then again, demoting him from being the leader was Zordon's idea. So Jason didn't care if there was an angry response.
Zack paced around his room, nervous as a kid who was about to confess a crime.
"Zack, stop pacing, you're giving me a headache," Trini wailed.
"Rita!" Jason teased. Trini poked out her tongue at the Red Ranger.
"Sorry, I can't help it," Zack stammered, his voice betraying the lack of confidence he felt. "So are we ready to go?"
Jason nodded and turned to Trini. "Unless you aren't?" he asked.
"I'm ready," she said airily. She was ready whenever Jason and Zack were. Without another word, the three of them teleported out in their color coded columns, and landed on the Command Center floor.
"Aye, Aye yi!" Alpha paced when he saw Jason, Trini, and Zack. "What are you three doing here? I hope there is no threat to Earth," he prayed as he punched a few buttons.
"Alpha," Jason said, when the robot looked at the Red Ranger, Jason gulped. "We were hoping to talk to you and Zordon."
"What?" Alpha was confused. "Why?"
"We are hoping to only say it once," Trini spoke up.
As if on cue, Zordon emerged from his sleep. {Rangers, what bring you here?}
"Well…Um…." Jason said; he was unsure as to what to say. He looked at Zack for guidance.
"Well, you see," Zack begin. "Jason, Trini and I have got a chance to make a difference, by attending the Peace Conference in Switzerland."
Zordon stayed silent for sometime before he spoke. {It's wonderful news. I'm glad for you three.}
"But Zordon, who will replace us?" Trini asked, a bit unsure herself. Zordon looked at her, in shock. "You do realize we have to be replaced don't you?"
{No I didn't, I'm sorry to say.}
Three of them exchanged looks. Well I'll be damned, Jason thought.
"Aw man," Zack said.
"But Rangers, why do you want to be replaced?" Alpha asked.
Trini looked at Jason, who at the question ran his hand through his hair. "Well, we are going to go to another country, Alpha, and we can't be in two places at once," the Yellow Ranger explained.
{Trini is right, Alpha, the three of them can not be at the two places at once.}
Alpha stayed silent, he didn't want Jason, Trini and Zack to leave. He had a feeling whoever would replace them would not be able to keep up with their predecessors.
Jason sighed. "We weren't sure how you'd take it."
"Yeah, I mean it's not everyday we get a chance like this," Zack agreed.
{Alpha and I will search for possible candidates to replace you three.}
"That's great, Zordon," Trini said excitedly.
"Go home, Rangers and leave the rest to us," Alpha assured them, and watched the teens he had grown to love teleport out.
..........
Weeks had gone by. Tommy snarled at his locker after he slammed it shut. No wait, months….in his case, well, that was what it felt like to him. His best friends leaving was getting to him, far more than he had thought it would. He had almost snapped at his mother few times in the last three days, mainly due to the tension, stress, and Ranger related stuff.
Zedd didn't keep quiet, he used his forces every now and then. That didn't help his anger, or worry. It just increased it, in its own way letting him know that Jason was leaving, and he could do nothing to stop it. He could leave in hours or days….he could just leave. That very thought chilled him.
Jason had been and still was his pillar, sure Kim was one too, but Jase was the one who was always there, always understanding, while the Pink Ranger supplied a shoulder to cry on. He didn't understand, what was he without his pillar? He didn't want to find out, but on the other hand he had no choice, he had to let go of a friendship which had turned into brotherhood for both of them.
How was he to let go? And why? Now that he was the leader he needed Jason, needed him so badly, words couldn't say his feelings; he was a nervous wreck when he had to give out orders. He was used to taking orders, not giving them.
He shuddered at the thought of seeing someone else in Jason's place. Already feeling the loneness, he looked at the floor as he walked and his shoulders hunched. He absently waved at one of his classmates, before continuing.
He turned a corner, and stopped at the sight of his best friend, getting final greetings from few classmates. He gave a small lazy smile, but his friend's popularity didn't surprise him. The White Ranger was aware of the impact the Red Ranger had made. That was one thing he was going to miss, the warm caring nature that made Jason Lee Scott the best original leader there ever was; he doubted anyone who came before or after him could match him.
He doubted his own leadership skills to an extent and wasn't sure how he was going to survive without Jason's guidance. Heck, he wasn't sure if he could make the same impact and the mark Jason would leave.
Shaking his head, he made his way towards Jason.
"Hey, bro."
"Tommy." Surprise was in Jason's voice.
Tommy flinched at that. Sure they had had a big argument the other day at the Scott's house; he had hoped Jason would have cooled down by now, but it looked like he hadn't. "Surprised to see me?" he asked, already knowing the answer.
"Well, yeah," was all Jason said, as he placed his books in the locker.
"Hey Jason!" Jason turned his head to see another of his classmates, José Hanson walking towards him.
"Hey, José, what's up, man?" he asked the guy with red hair and freckles, more cheerily then he had been with Tommy.
"Just wanted to say you're going to be missed, man. I mean it. The football group isn't gonna be the same," he said as he shook Jason's hand.
"Yea, I know." He smiled at the young man.
"Well, I gotta run, see ya."
Jason shook his head as he turned to back to his locker.
"Jase, can we talk?" Tommy asked, quite somberly.
"I would love to." Tommy's eyes lit up with flicker of hope. "But I gotta be somewhere," he said as he slammed his locker shut, and ran down the corridor.
Tommy nodded after his friend. "Sure thing, bro," was all he said before leaving.
He knocked on Jason's front door, and waited for someone to greet him. From where he was standing he could hear loud music from the top floor. A few seconds later the door opened. Jason stood in sweat pants and a red shirt.
"Tommy, sorry I didn't hear ya knock." He breathed in and out heavily, his chest rose and fell. "Come on in." He gestured, stepping back.
"You working out?" Tommy asked.
"Uh huh," was the Red Ranger's reply. "Still gotta keep fit, ya know."
"Yeah, I know," Tommy replied, unsure of how to approach the topic he came for.
"So, you wanted to talk to me?" Jason asked, sensing his friend's discomfort.
"Well. Yes. If you've got time," Tommy said.
"For you, yeah, I got time." He walked into the lounge room and fell deep into the chair while motioned for Tommy to sit as well.
The White Ranger shook his head to decline the offer. "I'm not here for long," he admitted.
"Okay, so…" Jason trailed off.
Before he lost his courage, "Why are you really leaving?" he blurted out, "I mean really, and don't give me the great opportunity excuse, cos I know you."
Jason looked at Tommy calmly, so calmly, the White Ranger began to sweat.
"Like I said, it's a…"
"Don't please, tell me the real reason you're leaving."
The Red Ranger debated inside himself, he knew there was no way out. His only option was... "It's not my team anymore." He got up, making his way to the kitchen.
"What the hell does that mean?" Tommy asked in shock as he followed Jason. "Of course it's your team, it always has been."
"Yeah well, then tell me what are you doing in the leadership position?" Jason snapped as he turned around.
"You're jealous," Tommy simply said.
"Me jealous? Get real," Jason retorted and took a sip of water. "Hardly."
"Then why leave?" he asked the same question again.
"I told you, it's not my team, it's not my place and it's not my goddamn powers anymore," Jason said, his voice rising with every word as he placed the glass on the table so hard that it shattered.
"So you're running away," Tommy said it casually.
"Please." Jason's voice was disgusted. "More like letting go of what I was."
"Letting go of what?" Tommy pressed, his eyes narrowing.
"Just letting go, you know of something I might not have back."
"The power?" When Jason failed to reply, Tommy knew he had his answer. "You're throwing away your place on the team for the chance of a lifetime?"
"That's about it," the deep voice said.
Tommy glared at the soon to be ex-Red Ranger, when he saw the cool, calm features on his best friend's face, he stomped off.
"I hope you find what you're looking for, Bro," Jason heard before the door was slammed on his back.
That's about it. Jason's words rang in his head. So this is where they stopped being friends? This is where everything he had known comes crumbling down? He knew if he lost the friendship he shared with Jason, he wouldn't survive on his own without the original leader.
He felt the pain rise up in his heart again, but he forced it down. He didn't want to think of it, didn't want to feel it. He just plain didn't want the pain he was feeling, the loss he had to live with. He didn't want to understand why.
But their last talk had made things clear, the friendship he knew was doomed since the day he became the leader and failed to see his bro's pain. He might have gained one thing but he lost another. Lost it so badly, winning it back was out of the question.
He slumped his back pack on the floor and placed his butt on the seat before groaning in defeat.
"So how did your talk with him go" Kim asked wearily, as she sipped her smoothie.
"He didn't even notice my presence, sure he was bitingly polite, but what the heck," Tommy rambled on; bitterness in his voice.
"What's gotten into him?" she asked.
"I'm not too sure," the White Ranger lied, not wanting to tell her about the argument. What happened between him and Jason was only going to be between them. It didn't concern anyone else.
Before Kim could speak, their communicators went off. Both Rangers made their way to their teleporting spot.
"We read you, Zordon," Tommy spoke through the watch-like device.
{Teleport to the Command Center.}
"Kim and I are on our way." He cut off the connection before teleporting in the streaks of pink and white light.
When the two arrived, the others were already there. "And what are we here for?" Kim asked, clearly confused.
"The three to carry on the powers have been chosen," Alpha said.
Tommy gulped, this was it. Jason, Trini, and Zack would have their powers for one final time. A tear escaped from his eye, but he didn't let it show.
"Cool," Zack said, but he didn't let his disappointment show. "So who are they?" he asked.
"They will come once the Sword of Transfer has been brought to Earth," Alpha explained.
"The Sword of what?" Billy asked.
{The Sword of Transfer. It is a sword which will pass the powers to the three new Rangers,} Zordon said.
"Oh, but can't the powers be just given to them, just like we received them?" Zack questioned.
{That's impossible.}
"Err...why?"
{Simply because the Power has bonded to you all. It knows its owner. The sword of Transfer is the only way to pass the Power on to the next person without harming the carrier.}
"Ah!" Zack said when he understood the reason.
"I have located the sword, and the teleporter is ready whenever you are, Rangers."
Jason took a deep breath, it was the final time he would morph as the Red Ranger; the thought killed him, but he had to stick by his decision to leave. Even more, he would miss calling the Red Dragon Thunder Zord. When Tommy signaled for the Morph sequence he placed his own pain aside. He was parting with a power that had been the most important thing to him for the last one and half years. But a question nagged him, did he really want to part with the power which was like a lifeline to him?
His heart gave no answer, only remained silent. That itself was the answer he wanted.
"Tyrannosaurus!" Jason bellowed, morphing into the Red Ranger.
..........
"Okay, so which way do we go?" Kim asked when the six of them landed on the deserted planet.
"Right, I think," Billy said as he scanned the area and the scanner he held in his hand.
For the next half hour or so the Rangers made their way around the planet, which had more land than water, according to the atmosphere above them. As they neared the area of the sword, the earth below them shook, violently.
"What the…? Trini said when she noticed the giant Zord heading towards them.
"Must be Zedd, we'd better hurry," Jason suggested.
"We're not far from the sword," Billy announced. "We've still got a bit of walking to do."
"Man," Zack groaned, as the earth shook again below him.
All the Rangers turned to see a beam shooting from an unidentified Zord, destroying buildings in its path.
"Let's run!" Tommy told the others. And on cue they all ran.
They kept running until a sharp bright light caught Billy's attention. "There is the sword!" He pointed to the statue of a man, more likely to be a king when he was alive.
"Let's get it out!" Trini shouted. At her command all of them tried. Another beam distracted them.
"It seems to be stuck," Kim said as she tried to pull it out once more.
"Stand back," Jason said after he drew his blaster, and molded it into a gun mode. When the others saw what he was going to do, they smartly kept their distance. With a clear view and aim, Jason fired, the sword landed at the feet of the man who had held it.
"All right!" Tommy cheered as he picked up the sword, "Okay, Alpha, get us outta here!" he said over the communicator. A few seconds later all were teleported, but not before seeing the destruction that was caused by the Zord.
..........
"So do we get told now who the three are?" Tommy asked his mentor. He hoped his voice showed a little concern as well as gladness.
{Behold the three new Power Rangers, please come forward.}
From the dark part of the command center came out three figures. Those three faces were the new friends the teens had made a few days earlier. On the left, stood Adam Park, Rocky DeSantos to his right, in between them, was Aisha Campbell. These three were the future Black, Yellow, and Red Rangers.
"We are chosen to be Power Rangers…wow!" Aisha said excitedly. Rocky and Adam smirked at each other, knowing their friend's personality.
Jason looked at Tommy, saw the White Ranger's eyes turn in his direction, and nodded at the choice of their successors. In return he got a small smile from his onetime best friend.
"Rangers, it's time," Alpha said softly, knowing that his three beloved Rangers were leaving. He would miss their bickering and their love for one another. The team as he knew would no longer be the same. He hung his head for the ones he might never see again. When he looked up the six friends had formed a circle and the Sword floated in the air. One by one, they called on their powers.
"Power of the Black, Mastodon!" Zack said,
"Power of the Pink, Pterodactyl!" Kim called out.
"Power of the Blue, Triceratops!" Billy was heard saying.
"Power of the Yellow, Saber-toothed Tiger!" Trini said affectingly.
"Power of the Red, Tyrannosaurs." Jason's deep voice rang in the air, which nearly had Zordon in tears.
The ancient master would never admit that he had made a mistake in taking Jason's leadership away in such a cold manner. For him to admit that would be a shame on his Master of the Morphing Grid title. This mistake he would carry until his dying day. Farewell, my son, Zordon said it mentally. You shall be missed very much.
"Power of the White, White Tiger." Tommy said it at last.
The Sword glowed in the colors of the Rangers, brightening the dimly lit Command Center for a few glorious minutes, then the sparks of Red, Yellow and Black shot to the new holders of the Power, covering Rocky in Red, Adam in Black and Aisha in Yellow. The three now former Rangers stood in their suits for another few seconds before the suits faded away forever.
The Power had been passed on, without a hassle.
After congratulations and final hugs and goodbyes, Trini, Jason, and Zack were teleported out to meet their parents.
"Goodbye, you guys," Kim said softly, as she watched her friends walk into the airport through the viewing globe.
..........
Goodbye, Tommy, Jason thought, at last. He had left Angle Grove on bad terms, but he hoped something good would come out of the Peace Conference.
He wished that one day he and Tommy would be able to make amends for what happened in the last few weeks, but for now he could only look forward to another adventure. Another ride, but a smoother one in this case.
Without knowing, he, Jason Lee Scott was leaving behind a legacy that would be talked about in the future, even if Tommy overtook him. But his position as the original Red Ranger of Earth can not be taken away, no matter how good the Red Ranger after him might be.
Like Zordon, his legacy will be cherished for years to come.
That itself, my friends, is the greatest gift he had been given.
THE END
..........
Planning on it's sequel, coming soon....take place in Zeo.....
Please R&R will do