Dolphin Encounter
By SparklyTree3876
Rating: PG
Genre: Romance/Friendship
Pairing: Andros/Ashley
Author's Notes: Hi, readers. Here's another Power Rangers in Space one shot. It focuses on Andros having his first encounter with bottlenose dolphins while on a date with Ashley. The idea for this one shot came about when I thought about Andros interacting with an animal such as a dolphin in an aquarium for the first time. I don't think I've seen any fics where he learns about certain experiences such as interacting with zoo animals on Earth before "Countdown to Destruction." I felt I could write one where he does just that. I hope you enjoy this one shot. Constructive criticism is welcome.
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The late morning sun beamed its rays on the Angel Grove Aquarium's walkway in mid-June. People walked everywhere. Their lively chatter filled the air. European starlings wandered up and down the walkway. Many pecked at the pavement for pieces of food. Others spread their wings and took off into the sky. Their caws and chirps echoed on the wind.
Andros and Ashley came out of a large group of people. They held hands somewhat tightly. They swung them back and forth three times. He looked around. He listened to people talking about various exhibits. He could tell their voices were very excited. He turned to her, and she looked at him. Neither of them noticed a starling rushing past them.
"It's incredible to see so many people in one place," he said as he and his girlfriend looked ahead. "KO-35 never had this many people at its space colony."
"The Angel Grove Aquarium is the most popular tourist attraction in the whole city. Its attendance skyrocketed after the first appearance of the Power Rangers," she answered.
"Oh, really?" Andros wondered while raising his eyebrows.
"Mm-hmm," Ashley replied with a nod. "This allowed for an increase in employment opportunities as well as a higher starting pay."
"Wow," Andros whispered in much amazement.
She kissed his cheek. She rubbed the same spot before tickling it very lightly. He let go of her hand to put his arm around her.
"This has been a fun day," Andros commented happily.
"It sure has. You saw sharks, sea turtles, and stingrays for the first time. You also interacted with belugas and sea lions. Now, you get to pet a bottlenose dolphin," Ashley replied and squealed in delight.
"It was so neat to see those animals. I never knew about them because KO-35 doesn't have any oceans. It does have lakes and rivers. It has some Earth animals such as horses, cats, and fish," Andros pointed out.
She flicked his chin. "Now, you know about sea animals."
"How about I throw you into the beluga tank the next time we come here?" Andros teased.
"You can on one condition," Ashley answered.
"What's that?" Andros wondered.
"You have to join me," Ashley said and took a piece of his ponytail. She tickled his cheek with it. "No ifs, ands, or buts."
He chuckled. "It's a deal."
Andros planted a kiss to his girlfriend's forehead as she released her hold on his ponytail. They looked ahead and picked up their pace.
00000
Andros and Ashely spotted a large light blue sign saying 'Dolphin Petting Pool' in large white letters coming into view five minutes later. They stopped before it. Two mothers and their children passed them. They chatted excitedly about petting the bottlenose dolphins and doing behaviors with them. The couple heard them, but they didn't pay them any mind.
"We are here," Ashley said in a singsong voice.
"The walk didn't take as long as I thought it would," Andros commented in relief and rubbed his nose.
She smiled. "Yeah. When we talk to Marty, you are to say you moved to town six months ago and have been homeschooled for all your life, all right?"
He nodded at her. "Yep. Besides, he wouldn't believe me if I said I was from another planet."
Ashley pulled Andros toward the tank while giggling in excitement. The tank was rectangular-shaped. It happened to be part of Dolphin Reef. It was one hundred three feet long, sixty-six feet wide, and thirteen deep. It had rocklike structures all around the sides. The rim was low enough for even small children to look over.
Forty-year-old Marty Clarkson sat on the edge as he petted Daisy underneath her chin. Being African-American, his skin was very dark. He was slightly taller than Andros was. He happened to be muscular. He had no hair on his head, and his eyes were dark blue and contained bags underneath them. He had a scar on his right cheek.
Daisy chattered pleasurably at Marty's switching to scratching her chin. She was dark gray and bore rake marks along her right side. Her dorsal had three knicks it, which included one at the base. It leaned slightly to right and seemed to have a waviness along the back of it. She had dark blue eyes with a scar underneath the left one. He looked up to see the couple coming his way and formed a smile on his face.
"Well, well, if it isn't Angel Grove High's best cheerleader," Marty greeted.
"Hi, Marty," Ashley replied sweetly. She and her boyfriend stopped before him. "It's nice to see you."
"Who is this fine-looking young man?" Marty asked with a laugh.
"My name is Andros. I moved to town six months ago. I've been homeschooled all my life," Andros explained. "Ashley and I have been dating for five months. We met when we ran into each other at the movie theater."
"I see," Marty said in awe. "This is your first time visiting the famous Angel Grove Aquarium, right?"
"Yes, sir," Andros responded eagerly. "I've always wanted to pet a dolphin."
"Well, come on over here," Marty said, waving his hand toward himself. "Daisy isn't getting any younger."
Andros and Ashley went to Marty's side. Daisy stared at them, letting out a quiet click. Marty scratched her underneath her eye. The couple watched her closely.
"Don't pet her melon or her beak, you two. You can pet under her chin," Marty instructed.
"You won't to risk her biting you accidentally," Ashley added.
Andros nodded. "Okay."
Andros looked at Daisy, as did Ashley. He showed much curiosity. He thought the bottlenose dolphin looked so beautiful up close. He recalled watching three bottlenose dolphins leap through the waves during a sunset walk on the beach with Ashley two weeks ago. He felt tempted to go into the water and swim with them. However, she said it wasn't wise because they could turn aggressive. He decided to stay with her.
Andros and Ashley reached down to pet the dolphin underneath her chin. Daisy emitted a series of pleasurable squeaks, causing them to smile. She sank beneath the surface and came up. She pressed her nose against Andros's cheek, which made him laugh. She did the same with Ashley's. She went down until just head was sticking out of the water. Marty had to laugh.
"Isn't that cute?" Marty asked and spoke gibberish. "Daisy just gave both of you kisses."
"Yes, she did," Andros said and rubbed his cheek. He emitted a small chuckle. "Her nose felt wet and rubbery just like the skin underneath her chin!"
"Would you two like to do a flipper shake with her?" Marty wondered.
Ashley became excited. "I would love to."
"That sounds like fun," Andros said very eagerly.
Marty clapped twice. "Okay!"
Marty looked at Daisy and blew his whistle. He formed a fist and moved it up and down. She nodded at him and went downward. She rose to where her flippers were exposed. Andros and Ashley grabbed them. She shook her body, appearing to shake their hands. She chattered in much delight. The couple broke into a fit of cheerful laughter. They let go of her flippers, allowing her to go back down.
"Good girl, Daisy," Marty said proudly. "Give me a five."
Daisy leapt upward, getting a gentle slap to her flipper from her trainer. She came back down and received a pat from him on the cheek. He fed her a fish and splashed water in her face. She spit some on him and chattered in amusement. She shifted her attention back to Andros and Ashley, whom both resumed petting her.
Daisy squeaked in great pleasure and blinked three times. She slipped underwater and spit water on the lovebirds. Andros and Ashley screamed in great surprise. She decided to spit more water on them. She received more screams from them. She tailwalked backward and landed on her side. She approached Marty.
"What a silly dolphin!" Ashley yelled and exhaled sharply.
"That's Daisy for you," Marty said and smiled widely.
"She seems to really enjoy surprising people," Andros commented, looking at Ashley.
"She sure does," Ashley agreed. "She does it—"
Without warning, Butch surfaced and spit water all over Andros and Ashley, which caused them to yell in fright. He chattered in glee. He was bigger than Daisy was. He was light gray and had rake marks along his left side. His right fluke had a notch in it. His eyes were dark brown. Ashley gave him a mock glare.
"Butch, you little sneak! How dare you surprise us like that!" Ashley growled. "If you do that again, we'll take your tail and put it on your face!"
"Does Butch do that often?" Andros wondered.
"He does it all the time," Ashley said and shook her finger at the dolphin. "He is such a naughty boy."
Butch shook his head rapidly. Andros and Ashley smiled at him and decided to scratch him underneath his chin. The former moved to his left cheek while the latter took the right one. He let out a pleasurable squeak.
"You may be a big dolphin, Butch, but you are so laid back. You are also gentle when you're around female dolphins such as Daisy," Ashley whispered in gentleness.
Butch rolled on his side and spouted air from his blowhole. He managed to make the water around his head bubble. Andros and Ashley couldn't hold back laughs.
"Talk about making bubbles, Butch!" Andros shouted and made a funny noise. "You must do that a lot."
"Oh, he does, Andros," Ashley admitted in a warm voice. "Why don't you make us a bubble sandwich while you're at it?"
"Put some fish on my sandwich, but don't give me any anchovies," Andros said, gesturing toward Butch.
"The same goes for me. I hate anchovies," Ashley said and made a disgusted face. She looked at her boyfriend. "Then again, you can always put anchovies in Andros's hair, so you can eat it."
Andros gave her a mock glare. "That's what you think."
Ashley smacked him upside the head. "It will happen. I guarantee it."
Butch returned to right side up. Andros and Ashley turned back to him. They resumed petting him. He sank beneath the surface, spitting water all over them. The lovebirds yelled and shook their heads rapidly. He emitted amused chatters.
"You just had to spit on us again, didn't you?" Andros said in mock annoyance.
"You need to quit that!" Ashley said and blew a raspberry.
"I have to admit that you three looked great getting spit on by Butch," Marty said and laughed. "In fact, I think Andros got hit by the most water."
"You might be right. I got water in my ear!" Andros said and stuck his finger in his ear.
"Yeah!" Ashley squealed. "Get it out, Andros!"
Andros and Ashley turned back to Butch as Daisy swam over to his side. He petted him. She did the same with her.
00000
Andros, Ashley, and Marty laughed as Butch and Daisy tailwalked in place ten minutes later. They saw the dolphins go backward and hit the water on their backs a short distance away. Butch and Daisy headed toward the tank's left side and bowed three times before disappearing underwater. The trio waited anxiously for them.
All of a sudden, the dolphins shot upward in the middle of the tank. They performed three spins in midair. They landed on their sides with two big splashes. Andros, Ashley, and Marty cheered loudly. Butch and Daisy surfaced close to them, squeaking in excitement. They tailwalked without moving anywhere.
"You dolphins did great at showing off your moves!" Andros shouted in great glee.
"Your splashes are your biggest ones yet!" Ashley said, giving the dolphins two thumbs-ups.
"I wish I could make as big splashes as they do," Andros commented.
"So do I," Ashley said, taking a deep breath.
"We should become dolphins," Andros suggested with much eagerness.
Ashley chuckled to herself. "Yeah. We can be bottlenose dolphins. They are my favorite."
Andros whooped loudly. "I am glad you said that as they are my favorite now!"
Andros and Ashley pumped their fists. Butch and Daisy approached them. He looked at him while she focused on her. The humans petted them on their cheeks. The dolphins rose to touch their cheeks with their noses. Andros and Ashley chuckled as they went back down.
"You guys love giving kisses, don't you?" Andros asked.
"Why don't you two give us more kisses?" Ashley suggested, tapping her cheek. "Come on."
The dolphins came back up, touching the couple's cheeks with their noses. Andros and Ashley smiled after seeing them go downward.
"Thanks, you two," Andros said and winked at the dolphins.
"You both are really sweet," Ashley added with a giggle. "How about a dance?"
"That's a great idea, Ashley!" Marty said gleefully.
"Let's add singing nonsense to it," Andros said and held up his hands.
"Okay!" Marty shouted while clapping twice. "Let's do it!"
Marty rose to his feet. He, Andros, and Ashley twirled in circles while singing nonsense. Butch and Daisy mimicked them. They let out a series of excited clicks. Their companions became still when they faced them. The dolphins became still. They got a fish each from Marty.
"Why do toothed whales have only one blowhole while baleen whales have two?" Andros asked as he looked at Marty.
"I don't know. It's quite a mystery to me," Marty answered honestly. "I can tell you one thing. Baleen whales can spout air high above them."
"Some people say that whales spout water from their blowholes. I know that's not true. They spout air that's coated in mist," Ashley said, giving a shrug.
"If you stood over a dolphin's blowhole and had air sprayed in your face, your hair would go everywhere!" Marty said.
"Wow! That'd make someone's long hair go wild!" Andros exclaimed and turned to his girlfriend. "That'd be someone like Ashley!"
"Oh, shut up, Andros," Ashley retorted, shooting a mock glare at her boyfriend.
"No, you shut up," Andros replied.
"No, you," Ashley said and shook her head.
"You," Andros said while nodding.
"You," Ashley growled in mock anger.
"You," Andros commented and smirked.
"You," Ashley replied, blowing a raspberry.
"Come on, kids!" Marty shouted in mock annoyance. "Cut it out!"
"We can't cut it out, Marty!" Andros and Ashley said, turning to him. "It'll grow right back!"
Andros and Ashley broke into a fit of hysterical laughter. Marty joined in on it. Butch and Daisy chattered amusingly while wiggling their flippers. They spouted air from their blowholes. The group became quiet. It shifted its attention toward them.
"You think you two are so funny, don't you?" Andros wondered with a raised eyebrow.
"Let's see how funny you think this is," Ashley commented with a playful growl.
The lovebirds splashed the dolphins. Butch and Daisy slipped underwater and resurfaced to spit water all over them. Andros and Ashley yelled in much joy. He shook his head, water flying from his hair.
"Talk about getting a shower!" Andros blurted out in happiness.
"You got more of it than I did," Ashley said, eyeing him.
Andros gave her a mock glare. "Yeah, right."
Ashley looked at her watch and let out a long whistle. She gazed at Marty, a frown appearing on her face. Andros turned to him as well.
"I hate to cut this dolphin petting session short, but we need to go have lunch. Then we will attend the pseudorca show at one-thirty," Ashley said in regret.
"It's okay. I need to get Butch and Daisy back to the reef area, anyway," Marty answered.
"It was nice to meet you, Marty," Andros said, warmness showing in his voice. "Thanks for introducing me to Butch and Daisy."
"You're welcome," Marty replied with a nod. He gave him a sweet smile. "I hope you come back to visit the dolphin petting pool soon."
"Me too. Maybe Ashley and I could stop by before we leave," Andros suggested.
"I'd love that, Andros," Ashley squeaked and wrapped her arm around his.
"Then we will do that," Andros said, smiling.
"I'll see you two then," Marty said, winking at his friends. "Bye."
Marty grabbed the bucket and walked off toward the reef area with Butch and Daisy right behind him. Andros and Ashley started walking away from the tank.
"I really enjoyed playing with Butch and Daisy," Andros said, happiness radiating from his face. "I feel so lucky to have met two such playful dolphins." He let out a sharp exhale.
"I am glad I brought you to see them and Marty," Ashley answered and kissed his cheek. "You showed no fear toward the dolphins." She giggled. "You were determined to interact with them."
"It was so cool to touch them. Their skin peels off in flakes," Andros pointed out matter-of-factly. "The trainers should move brushes over them, so they won't have to deal with flakiness." He snickered.
"You're such a comedian, Andros," Ashley squeaked.
"I'm proud to be one," Andros said, pulling his arm out of her grasp to put it around her shoulder. They looked at each other. "The best part about interacting with the dolphins was doing it with you. There is no other person I want to do it with."
"I feel the same way," Ashley agreed lovingly. "I love you."
"I love you too," Andros responded and kissed her on the lips. "Now, let's get something to eat."
"Yeah," Ashley said in much eagerness. "I bet I will eat more than you will."
"No, I will," Andros said, looking ahead along with her. "You can count on that."
Ashley laughed as Andros hugged her tightly. They picked up their pace. Though these peaceful moments didn't last long, they were more than happy to take advantage of them to have fun. This was especially true for him. He would remember his first dolphin encounter for the rest of his life. He was looking forward to having another. With his girlfriend by his side, his experiences in getting to know Earth's fauna would be memorable.
THE END