Farewell Red Wind Ranger
*I don't own Power Rangers.*
It was a beautiful day, the sun shined over Blue Bay Harbor, birds chirped while young children ran and played, however through all that joy came a tragedy.
Filling in for a missing Shane, Tori and Dustin stepped in to train their students along with Shane's students.
Dustin blocked a kick from one of Shane's students. "You're getting better." He said to the young student, try and put your heart into your strikes.
"How do I do that?" the student asked, but before Dustin could explain, Cam walked up.
"Dustin, I need to talk to you and Tori for a moment." he said, Dustin could tell something was wrong by the tone in his voice
"Alright be right there." he said to Cam and then he turned to Shane's student. "Keep practicing, you'll get." said Dustin before walking away.
Dustin entered the base to find Tori waiting by the door and the Thunder Rangers talking to Cam.
"Hey, is everything alright?" Dustin asked
"I asked them the same question, they haven't said anything." Tori said
"You think this is about Shane?" Dustin asked
Tori looked at Dustin, her heart dropped at what could've possibly happened to Shane. "I hope not." she said
"Yo Cam." Dustin said
"Oh, good you're here." Cam said as Hunter and Blake stepped aside while he walked into the middle of the room.
"What's going on?" Tori asked as she stepped away from the wall.
"Did you guys find Shane?" He asked clearly worried about his friend and teammate, he hasn't been seen in a couple of days.
"Yeah, we did." Hunter said, his tone sounded like something terrible happened?
"Where is he?" Dustin asked
Blake looked at his friends and then said, "Follow Me" before he and Hunter led Cam, Tori and Dustin into another room.
Upon entering the room they find Shane on a bed with a tarp covering most of his body.
"Is he OK?" Dustin asked as Tori walked up to her friend.
"No, he isn't." Hunter said barely able to get the words out.
Tori noticed quick that something was terribly wrong. "What happened?" she asked
Blake walked up to Tori as Hunter took a step forward not wanting to say what he knows he must say.
"Hunter." said Dustin
"We found Shane just outside the city, he was unresponsive when we got to him, we tried everything we could to resuscitate him, but nothing worked." Hunter said
"We then brought him here to see if Cam could help, with Sensei no longer with us, we figured Cam could figure something out to help Shane." Blake calmly said
"There was nothing I could do, we found cuts and wounds all over his body, it looked as if he was in a fight, and from what I could tell, he suffered fatal injuries." said Cam
"Wait, you're telling us, Shane's dead?" Dustin asked while his voice began to shake.
"Yes." said Cam
"There was massive amounts of blood following him, we knew there might not be a chance, but we wanted to believe so hard we could save him, we tried even though we knew it may not work." Blake said as he choked up.
Tori stood there in silence as she took all this information in, she along with Dustin, Cam, Hunter and Blake had a tremendous amount of love and respect for Shane.
Blake looked at Tori and asked, "Are you OK?"
"No, I'm not." she said as she choked up while it slowly hit her.
Tori turned to Blake and he hugged her as Dustin, Hunter and Cam walked up.
"Shane, this can't be." said Dustin
"I'm sorry man." said Hunter
"We were close, the dude was like a brother." said Dustin
"We know, we all felt the same, he was a great man, a great friend." said Cam
All five Ninjas stood in silence for about 10 minutes when Marah and Kapri walked in.
"Cam, the students are getting concerned." said Kapri
"We'll be right out." Cam said
"Is everything OK?" Marah asked
"Will fill you in just a bit." Cam said calmly as he tried to compose himself.
"OK" said Kapri who took Marah by the arm and then walked away.
Outside
The Wind Academy students gathered as Cam, Hunter, Blake, Tori and Dustin walked out, once there one of the students asked what happened to Shane?
A teary eyed Cam informed everyone of Shane's passing, the students stood still silent with shock, the wind seemed to stop blowing as birds stop chirping, time seemed to stop while everyone took this shocking and terrible news in.
Dustin looked up after fighting back tears. "Shane was a great friend, a great hero and dang great mentor, he was everything a leader should be."
"Shane always wanted the best out of everyone, and when I look at all of you, those who have trained under Shane, myself and Dustin, those who have fought alongside him I can see that he did that, we may have been there to help, but I think if Shane hadn't been here, things might've gone a different way."
"He started off as our enemy, and by we, I mean myself and Blake, but it was help from Tori, Dustin and Shane that we were able to break free from Lothor's control." said Hunter
"Shane not only helped us remember who we are and what we fight for, he made us as great as he could, we made each other great, we got along so well because of his kindness, his fairness, and most importantly his patience. He taught us all how to be the best that we can possibly be, he and Sensei Kanoi Watanabe instilled the knowledge and courage to fight for the good of all, to use our power for what's right, and do great things, they taught us about being decent to each other even if you didn't get along, how to get along with your teammates and work together. I see Shane in many of you, strong, kind, and that unwillingness to ever back down and quit." said Blake
"In a few days, we will be holding a ceremony to bid farewell to one of the greatest leaders and friends that I have ever met, take a break for the time being and think about what Shane has taught you and memories you have shared with him." Cam said
News soon began to spread of the passing of Shane Clarke, it spread all over the US and to the world, everyone and anyone that knew Shane gathered for his funeral right outside the Wind Academy, all students of the wind academy current and former gathered.
As people arrived to the funeral a truck pulled up, and out came Connor McKnight, Ethan James, Kira Ford, Tommy Oliver and Trent Mercer who were personally invited by Cam to come and say goodbye.
"Thanks for coming." Cam said
"It's no problem, he was a good man." said Tommy
"It's so hard to believe he's gone." said Dustin
"I know, I was just thinking of him the other day, I always kinda wanted that rematch." Connor said
"He did too." said Dustin
"How are you holding up?" Kira asked Tori
"I'm hanging in there, I knew him for what feels like my whole life, him not being here doesn't feel right." said Tori
"I know, from what I saw and heard, he was one heck of a leader." said Kira
"He was, he really was." said Tori
"I had a lot of respect for him." Hunter said as he and Trent talked
"So did we, he seemed like a really nice guy." said Trent
"He was, sure there may have been a couple times we butted heads, but there was still that respect between the two of us." said Hunter
"I could tell." said Trent
"What damn shame, he was such a good person." Ethan said
"I know dude, last time I spoke to him, we were chatting about the upcoming ceremony for graduates of the academy, he told me about how proud he was of not only his students but everyone he had the pleasure of meeting." said Blake
"Yeah?" said Ethan
"The man had a lot of respect for us, and that includes the Rangers that came before and after us." said Blake
"I think I speak for them when I say, we respected him too." said Ethan
After a few minutes of talking everyone gathered around a casket in which Shane lies, a tarp with the Red Wind Ranger logo on it laid over the casket.
Cam began the ceremony by thanking everyone for coming to honor Shane, he then spoke about their friendship and his leadership, he spoke of the respect he and Shane had for one another, afterwards Tommy goes up to speak.
"While I didn't know him as well as many of you have, from what I saw when I first met him you know after Lothor's spell was broken, I saw this young man with great potential and a great sense of leadership, he inspired so many before and after him, I think it's safe to say that he became a legend, and truly is one of the best Rangers I've ever met, I speak for my team and the rest of the Power Rangers when I say, thank you Shane for everything you've ever done, thank your friendships and your leadership, I see so many people here that have learned under Shane, from all the stories I heard today, people spoke about what he taught them, how he made others stronger, how he helped saved the world, but to say that he is alone in all this is insane, because if it weren't for all of you, if it weren't for his friends, his family and his students I don't think we'd be talking about the same guy that we are today. The one thing I think is forgotten through this whole thing, while we had the utmost respect for Shane, he had immense respect for every one of us, I recall a conversation between myself and him when we met a few years ago, I asked how would he liked to be remembered when all is said done, and he said, he hopes that when he leaves this world, he hopes that there will still be people out there fighting to save great family, he hopes that those who learned from him will use their power for good, he hopes that the friends he made and the people he met will share the same kindness, and friendship he bestowed to them, he admired his Sensei who is sadly no longer with us, Sensei Watanabe gave him the strength to fight, to be a hero and protect this planet, but he also got that from his friends and teammates."
Tori chokes up as Blake puts an arm around her, Dustin wipes a tear from his eye while Cam takes his glasses off and begins to weep a little and Hunter looks down trying to fight back tears.
"From our conversation many years ago, he told me another thing that stuck with me, and that is this, if it weren't for his family and his friends he wouldn't be where he is, if he didn't have those people giving him that strength, he might've never done this, when I asked to come speak I wasn't sure if I was right person to do this, but then I sat back and thought about it, I've been through many tragedies, from the death of Zordan, a mentor to Mighty Morphin Rangers, a women with the power of a saber tooth tiger, most you know her as Trini Kwan, and also a Mystic Mother and also the White Mystic Ranger, Udonna, for those who've read up the history of the Power Rangers, you know who these heroes are, but for those that don't, I ask that you do some research, the stories that you will read could very well inspire you to be a hero, like the heroes who are no longer with us, but no matter what they will always be apart of us, our hearts are never apart, we will always have each other, through good times and bad, it is their strength that keeps us moving, it is the memories we've shared that keeps us going, and will continue to until the day we join them in paradise, most of it as already been said, and when all is said and done, when children read about the Power Rangers, when they come to this school to be a Ninja, to be a hero, what will the history books say? I think that Shane will be looked back on as one of the greatest Red Ranger, greatest heroes that has ever walked the earth, that has ever protected this planet, Shane, Udonna, Trini, everyone who has ever fought for this world will remembered for their courage, their strength, and most importantly, the impact they've had on all of us, everything you can say about Shane has already been said, from one Red to another, Shane, thank you, thank you on behalf of your students, your friends and fellow teammates, as well as the Power Rangers, we thank you for protecting this planet, for helping others and inspiring them to do great things, you will never be forgotten, you're true a hero, a true friend, you are the definition of a great leader and Ranger, Once a Ranger, Always a Ranger, Thank you Shane, for what you've done for all of us." Tommy takes a step back to collect himself as people begin to clap. With a deep breath Tommy walks back up to the podium. "Now, I believe there were a couple more people who wanted to speak." Tommy said as Tori and Dustin got up and walked up to Tommy.
"Thank you." said Tori
Dustin stepped up to the podium. "Tommy, I think you took the words out of our mouths, you said everything that could be said, Shane was a great fighter, a great a hero, a great friend, you know before we became Power Rangers, Shane and Tori didn't believe that they existed, but after we became these heroes that I've said for so long were real, we became Power Rangers ourselves, let me tell you, fighting alongside Shane was a true honor, he was a great leader, even when things got bad he always found a way to pull through, he always found the courage and strength to keep fighting when others couldn't." Dustin stops as he chokes up. "He was one of my best friends, the other is standing next to me."
Tori smiled as Dustin continued. "When we first met, we were just three goofballs that wanted to learn how to fight, when we came to the Wind Ninja Academy, while our friendship grew stronger, so did our bond, and soon we became what we've dreamt about, we became heroes. Throughout every up and every down we stuck together, Shane was part of the reason we never once broke apart, he kept us together, no matter how bad things got he kept us going, he showed us that there is nothing you can't accomplish, you can do whatever you wanna do if you put your heart, mind and soul to it, if you put in the hard work it will pay off, some days are harder than others sure, but when you remember to never give up, and keep fighting for that goal you wanna obtain, whether it's being the best skateboarder, or a great Ninja, or whatever, no matter how tough and stressful things may get, you can pull through, you can achieve anything just believe in yourself and don't let anyone tell you otherwise, Shane taught me that, he taught all of us about hard work, about pushing yourself to and through your limits, he had such a great mind for combat which makes him one of the best that I've seen, he may have been our teammate, he was also our friend, and we're gonna miss him, I'm gonna miss him, he was like a brother." Dustin took a deep breath trying real hard to cry, he then stepped aside as Tori walked over.
"I think I'll take things from here." She said as Dustin became overcome with emotion. "Shane, what else can say about him that hasn't been said already? All week I've heard stories about how he's helped and inspired so many people around the world, I hear stories of children wanting to be a Power Ranger, wanting to be a Ninja, a hero because of Shane, because of all these great heroes that came before and after him, Shane you helped inspire so many people, you were respected, you were loved, you were admired, I know that we are all hurting, and while I wish you were still here, I know you are in a better place, I know you're up there with Sensei skateboarding like always while looks on meditating." She chuckles a little at the thought of Shane skateboarding a cross clouds. "Shane you had such a good heart, you were one of the nicest guys I've ever met, no one came close to your personality, you had confidence in yourself, you believed in not only your strength and potential, but that of everyone else, you believed we could achieve anything with hard work determination, you taught us about standing for what's right, you showed us how a leader should be, to his students I want you to know that he respected all of you, he loved you as if you were is own family, he loved us like we were family, he always wanted to get the best out of everyone and he did just that, I talked to Blake earlier and we talked about the respect he's earned from so many including him and Hunter, as much as I wanna keep talking, there are two other members of our team that needs to talk, Hunter, Blake come on up here." said Tori
Hunter and Blake exchange a look and then they get up and walk over to the podium while Tori steps to the side.
Hunter took a deep breath before beginning his speech. "Honestly, this is by far one of the hardest things we've had to do, we grew to appreciate a man that we once tried to destroy, we grew to respect him like he grew to respect us, Shane you were a heck of a friend, and damn sure a heck of a ranger, you here about all of these great rangers in the history of the Power Rangers, so many greats are talked about and are considered all time greats, such as Jason Lee Scott, Tommy Oliver, Trini Kwan, Billy Cranston, Zack Taylor, Kimberly Hart, to Carter Grayson and Shane Clarke. We learned so much about them from Tommy Oliver, from his books and videos about the great teams that have fought before and after us, and that includes the Dino Thunder Rangers."
Connor, Kira, Ethan and Trent smiled as Tommy looked over at them.
"We respected them, and it's safe to say that respected us especially Shane, this man, this man is truly one of the greatest people you could've met, he was strong, he was kind, he was fun, he had such a good attitude that is contagious." said Blake. "He knew how to make you feel better when you were having a cruddy day, he knew just what to do and say to bring joy to others, he was proud to have been able to fight alongside so many of the great rangers that came before, and I know the feeling is mutual. Everything that could be said has been said multiple times, at this point I feel that I would just be repeating what everyone else has been saying, so I'll leave you with this, despite all the hardships and tragedies we go through in life, the thing that helps us get through life, is the memories we've shared with those that we loved and lost, the friendships we created will last forever, Shane you were not only a great hero, a great mentor, you were a friend, and most of all, you were our brother, we miss ya man, I know we'll meet again, until then take care of us from above, we'll never forget ya, we love you Shane, and thanks for everything." Blake said
Cam, Tori and Dustin walk up to the Thunder Rangers and then they all embraced in a group hug as music begins to play.
A few minutes pass and then everyone looks on as Shane's casket is lowered into the ground to be buried, Cam, Tori, Hunter, Blake and Dustin look on while the casket disappears into the ground.
All five living Ninja Storm Rangers look on as the Dino Rangers walk up.
All 10 Rangers bow in respect to Shane as everyone else including Shane's brother look on.
Next to a nearby tree Shane and Sensei Watanabe look on.
"You sure they'll be OK?" Shane asks
"Yes, after all they have each other, and they know you'll still be with them no matter what." said Sensei
"You're not wrong, while I'm sorry I have to leave I know they'll be in good hands." said Shane
Sensei looks at Shane and says "Indeed they will."
Sensei and Shane look on as Tori, Blake, Hunter, Dustin and Cam look on as Shane's grave is slowly filling with dirt.
A while later at the Ninja Storm Base
Cam puts a replica of Shane's Red Ninja Storm Ranger helmet on a display, while Blake, Hunter, Dustin and Tori look on.
"There, that way he'll be with us in spirit." said Cam
"Nice." said Dustin
"Yeah, but it's gonna take some time getting used to, him not being here." said Tori choking on her words
"We'll be alright, I'm sure he's watching out for us, and he'll always be there when we need him." Said Blake
Tori smiles. "You're right." she says
Hunter looks at the helmet "Farewell my friend, see you again someday."
All five Ninja Rangers respectively bow one more time
The End
For Pua Magasiva, Rest in Peace. (August 10, 1980 - May 11, 2019) "We May Not Be Power Rangers, But We Still Have Power!"