AN: So this is a little plot bunny that came from spending too much time on youtube. I was watching some videos about the rangers that had been on multiple teams or had returned for the special team-ups and it occurred to be that some people *cough cough* Tommy, just never seemed able to pull themselves away from being a ranger. This is a little different than most things I write because I prefer to write lighter, fun stories than angst so I'm not sure how this turned out so please review. Criticism is appreciated just as much as complements.
As Jason dragged himself out of bed, he could only think of one word to describe his new depression. "withdrawal" That was the only way he could label those feelings. He'd never done drugs, alcohol, or anything addicting before but he'd heard about the symptoms many times and they matched up pretty well.
As he stood, the world seemed to spin uncontrollably and his hands shook when he tried to steady himself. He couldn't even force himself to walk with half the confidence that he had as a ranger.
When you were a ranger, life was easier. The power gave you extra strength, endurance, speed, not to mention sped up brain function and enhanced all five senses. That must be why when he'd given the power to Rocky, the world had felt so dull and he'd felt so weak.
It hadn't even taken a day for him to realize just how much he'd lost. he first noticed it when he walked home. He'd walked the same route he did every night, but that night he felt so tired by the time he'd gotten there that he could barely open his door.
His front door was the second thing that caused him to notice his weakness. When Jason had been a kid, he'd barely been able to open his front door. It was a big door, several inches thick and made of some extremely dense wood. As he'd grown, he'd learned just how much strength to use to open it. He'd first noticed his enhanced strength when he nearly took that sturdy door off its hinges. The day he'd lost them, he'd had to use all his weight to open it just like he had when he was young.
Trini and Zach didn't comment on his new weakness, probably because they felt the same thing. They were all off their game, even Trini who always had it together no matter how upset she was. The peace conference was hardly the vacation they needed to get back on their feet. It was extra hard because without the power helping them focus and think, they could barely understand what they were supposed to do let alone how. None of them had ever had concentration problems before, but the crutch of powers had crippled them it would take more time than they could afford to recover. The others students noticed and most helped the ex-rangers get through the harder parts of the conference.
Jason poured himself a glass of water, noticing that it felt heavier than it should be, while thinking about the advantage of not having the power. The one good thing about losing the power was that they're metabolism had returned to normal. There was no more eating snacks in between every class just to keep from passing out. In fact, Jason felt good knowing that three square meals a day filled him up perfectly.
The downside to that was he also need more sleep. Before, any one of them could sleep for less than three hours a night and function fine in the morning. Being the responsible teen, Jason had slept for as long as the power let him. Sleeping in class had ceased to become a problem for any of them while the power was still theirs. Now he had sleepless nights tossing and turning unable to stop thinking about the power, only to stagger through the day barely able to open his eyes.
Someone was knocking on his door; it was the hall counselor waking him up as always. He staggered to the door and sleepily told the older boy that he'd be ready soon. He closed the door and took a deep breath.
In a few months, the peace conference would be over; maybe he should go back to Angel Grove and beg for his job as a ranger back. Even if the new rangers didn't want to give up their powers, there had to be some secret extra power for him to use.
He walked out of the room stumbling over to the dining hall. Zach and Trini were eating together silently. The barely reacted as Jason sat down. After a minute of silence, Trini spoke softly, "Have you guys heard from the others?"
Jason shook his head and continued eating robotically. Zach nodded yawning, "I called Billy the other day. It sounds like Rocky, Adam, and Aisha are taking to the powers really good"
No one had the energy to even laugh at his messed up grammar. They barely had enough energy to figure out what the correct grammar would be. Trini shoved her cereal away and laid her head down on the table closing her eyes, "Can I call in sick? It's not technically skipping is it? I really feel sick and I don't think I can make it through today"
Zach shook his head, "I don't think I can make it though any day. If we skip every time we don't feel well than we would never show up", He put a shaking, but reassuring hand on her shoulder, "It will be over soon enough. We'll feel better"
Jason wasn't so sure. Even if they ever got out of that slump, it would never be as good as having the power.
