Disclaimer: Everything you recognize belongs to Disney/Haim Saban
"What can I say about this man?"
Jason Lee Scott moved his shoulders in what could have passed for a shrug. "What hasn't there been said about this man? He's been described as the greatest, the most forgetful. Certainly the most colourful." A ripple of laughter flowed through the crowd and even the woman in the front pew, clutching the hand of a young tall man with jet black hair, managed a small smile.
"When I first saw Tommy, I thought; I'm gonna kick his ass." Again, laughter filled the air. "But, considering we were about to fight a martial arts match…" he moved his shoulders again and left it at that. "After he transferred to Angel Grove High, I got to know him a lot better. Of course, I considered completely forgetting about any sort of friendship after he tried to kill my friends and I, but in the end, it wasn't going to happen. Tommy was the first Evil Power Ranger, and, so, he was the first Evil Power Ranger to turn good, starting a legacy of his own. One of many.
"I've heard people say many things about Tommy. About how he was one of the best fighters they'd ever met. Or the most brave. Or the most determined. To some he was a hero, someone to be look up to. To others, he was their mentor, someone who helped them succeed where they might have failed. And to three, he was their father; to be feared, laughed at, hated, and loved. And, occasionally, to be used as a target for water balloons." Some more laughter echoed through the packed church.
"To me, Tommy was my best friend. My buddy. The one I could count on to watch my back – whether we were fighting against monsters or girlfriends angry because we'd missed another date without good explanation. He became my leader but he never stopped being my best friend. He stuck by me, helped me no matter what. Even when I decided to leave the Power Rangers for the Peace Conference. Especially when I came back to become the Gold Ranger for some time.
"When it was time for us – all of us – to move on, I'm afraid to say Tommy and I lost touch. Until he called me on that fateful night at two o'clock in the morning, panicked because he thought someone had broken into his house and stolen three very special gems. When I asked him if he was sure of where he'd kept them, he immediately said something about Hayley and a 'big rock' before hanging up. About ten minutes later, he called me again and accused me of just saying that to get him to hang up – which, of course I had. Not that I ever admitted that to him." Cue laughter and Jason smiled as well. The memory to Tommy's outraged bellow still had the ability to crack him up.
"Tommy and I stayed in touch. I asked him to be my best man at my wedding, to which he agreed. Unfortunately, he, being Tommy, managed to forget the ring and we spent five minutes looking for it during the wedding ceremony. Maybe I should have chewed him out for it but I didn't have the heart to. It was just who Tommy was. Besides, people are still talking about my wedding, so I guess I should have thanked him for making it so memorable. Tommy returned the favour some years later when he got married to the woman he often called the love of his life; Dianne." He smiled at her and she managed another small smile back at him. "I got back at him by deliberately slipped the ring into his jacket pocket and then pretending I had no idea where it was five minutes before the ceremony. It was always funny to see Tommy revert back to his old ways and start babbling about where he'd been, who he'd been with and who might have seen the lost item. Of course, I told him where it was before the ceremony started. I'm just glad Zach and Billy managed to hold him back before he could carry out his threat and punch me in the eye.
"He was there when my children were born. I was there when all his children were born. He was there to help me when my wife died, and for that, I will always be grateful that God gave me such a good friend. A good fighter and a good leader. Thank you Lord, for giving us Tommy Oliver. The Green Power Ranger. White Ranger. Red Zeo Ranger. First Red Turbo. And Black Dino Ranger. And thank you Tommy, for the Legacy we will never forget." With that, Jason stepped down from the podium, joining his twins in the front pew as the others stood and clapped him.
"Now," said the priest. "Conner McKnight has agreed to give us a eulogy."
The owner and founder of a successful chain of soccer schools walked up to the podium. He was dressed in all black, apart from the neatly folded red handkerchief tucked into his jacket's breast pocket. He stood at the podium and awkwardly cleared his throat before beginning; "I can't say Dr. O and I got off to the best start. Considering I tried to skive off his first lesson and consequently got detention – which he was told to oversee. And then breaking into his base, twice. And then there was me calling him dude." He mocked a wince. "That part wasn't pretty. But, when I became a Power Ranger, things changed. I like to think things would have changed regardless but we'll never know.
"Dr. O went from being merely my science teacher to my mentor and, soon enough, a fellow Power Ranger. You know what they say; it was Tommy Oliver's ambition to be every Ranger colour available." His audience chuckled. "Dr O. taught me a lot of things – and I'm not talking about in the classroom, though he did manage to help me pass.
"But I digress. What I meant to say was Dr. O taught me, taught Kira and Ethan and Trent what being a Power Ranger is all about. It's about fighting with all your heart and protecting the innocent, sure. But it's also about believing in yourself, and having confidence in your abilities. It's about listening to others and not rushing head first into things. It's also about thinking before you talk.
"But most importantly, it's about teamwork. None of us would be here today without teamwork, if we hadn't believed in our team mates – all our team mates. That's the lesson I found hardest to learn." He looked down at Trent, sitting with Kira and Ethan. They all grinned at him. "He taught us to trust each other, to believe in each other. He taught us that appearances can be deceiving and evil Power Rangers can become good – no matter how long or how evil they were.
"Because of him, I've got three friends for life. Because of him, I learnt patience to start my dream. Because of him, I am where I am today.
"But the greatest thing Dr. O taught me was that if you try hard enough at anything, you can succeed. He taught all his students that lesson. Thank you – and I know Kira, Ethan and Trent agree with me when I say this. Thank you Dr. O for teaching us what was really important."
He left the podium to thunderous applause, rejoining his friends in the pew.
"Finally, Mrs. Dianne Oliver with her eulogy."
Slowly, Tommy's widow rose from her seat and walked to the podium. The whole interior of the church was hushed to listen to her. "Hi." She took a deep breath. "I didn't know Tommy as long as you did. And, at one point, not nearly as well as you did. But I fell in love with him. And, on the day of our wedding, he confessed everything to me. Confessed," she let out a sad laugh. "I make it sound as if he had some dark secret. No, more he…told me who he really was. He told me about his Ranger past, told me how he really met all of you. And the reason he gave me for saying all of it, for exposing all of you touched me to the core. He told me; 'I can't start a life with you leaving you in the dark about who I really am. I want you to know the reason why I might sometimes dash off somewhere. I want you to know the reason why strangers might call me in the middle of the night. I want you to know all this because I love you and I trust you. I want you to know all this because you deserve better than me keeping it from you. Life with me will be hard and I want you to know why.'
"And he was right. Life with Tommy was hard – and not only because he had a habit of leaving cheese in the shoe cupboard and his socks in the fridge." The audience laughed because it sounded exactly like something Tommy would do. "It was also hard because of Rangers asking him advice, the younger ones calling him for therapy lessons. God, how he'd fret over those; 'did I tell them the right thing?' he'd asked me. 'You don't think they decided to go jump off the nearest roof, do you?' Sometimes, I had to soothe his fears as he soothed so many others'.
"And then there was the first time he had to go on a mission. Anthony was only five then and I was already pregnant with Joshua. It was beyond nerve-wracking; watching the news and hoping to hell it wouldn't come out that the Red Zeo Ranger was dead. When he got home…I was beyond relieved. Cliché, I know, but I can't explain it any other way. Tommy went on three more missions and each time was more difficult than the last. But I let him go, because I knew he had to. Because, as he once told me; 'you may not have the suit, and you may not have the weapons, but once a Power Ranger, you're a Ranger for life.' Tommy believed in that and I have come to believe in it too.
"We were blessed with three children, and we agreed – once they were old enough to understand just why it needed to be kept a secret – to tell them the whole truth. It was difficult at times to keep up the pretence of normalcy, especially for the children, especially when Tommy was suddenly called away. But somehow, we managed it. Nobody's perfect and God knew Tommy wasn't. But he made me believe there was enough perfection in the world for it to be worth saving. And that's how I managed to keep sane and not lock him up in a cupboard so he wouldn't go on another save-the-world mission.
"Tommy was a great husband, a great father and great friend. But he was also – and he'll hopefully always be remembered as – a Power Ranger. He risked his life to save so many, time and time again. More than any other Ranger and for that, the world will always be indebted to him.
"Thank Tommy, for saving us. And thank you for loving me and giving me the best years of my life."
She stepped away from the podium as everyone before her rose, going wild with clapping.
They lay Tommy to rest with Trini and the statue they'd put up in memory of Billy, who had been buried in Aquitar. Rocky lay there as well, along with his wife Aisha, who'd succumbed to cancer soon after his death. With them was the LightSpeed Rescue Ranger, Ryan Mitchell, killed in a tragic car accident.
On his gravestone, as it was on all the others, were the words; may the Power protect you.
A/N: Please do not flame me for killing Tommy! It's just that it came to my attention he's almost always called one of the best rangers of all time and I thought it'd be interesting to write a piece on what people might say at his funeral. And please don't flame me for killing off the other rangers as well!!!