Chapter 2 Decisions

The others were surprised, I could tell, by how I had become after the loss of the school.

Marvelous thought for a moment and then got to his feet, walking to me. "You know how to fight with what was taught, but in order to become part of the team, you need to pass a series of tests to see if you are ready," he said.

"Fine," I said. "What's first?"

Marvelous looked at his crew, judging which one should go first. "Swords with Joe," he said. "If you can keep fighting for the time I choose, then you'll pass that test."

I nodded and looked at Joe, who was already heading out onto the deck with two GokaiSabers.

The others walked out in front of me, Ahim putting a hand on my shoulder before leaving.

"Here I go," I said, walking out to the deck.

The afternoon sun was shining right on the deck, making it hot, but I knew that I would have to ignore it if I were to pass this test, knowing Joe's skill with a sword.

Joe handed me one of the GokaiSabers and took his position a few steps away from me.

I grasped it and stepped back, also getting into a ready position.

We were still for a moment, waiting for the call to be made to begin.

"I'm saying three minutes," Marvelous said. "Go!"

Before I could blink, Joe was charging at me with the saber, and I was quick to block it.

I had to forget that he was a friend. I had to pretend that he was someone that I hated, or else I wouldn't be able to win this test. I didn't have a lot of enemies, but the ones I did have, they were strong: Zangyack and Basco, mostly.

Feeling the anger of the hospital being destroyed, then my family being killed, and then the school being demolished, I put as much feeling as possible into the attacks, and I could tell that Joe was surprised by the strength.

Blocking each attack and then trying to counter-attack, I didn't realize that three minutes were up until Marvelous called us to stop and Joe took a step back from me, lowering his saber to the ground.

"Good job," Marvelous said. "Now, the only person on this ship that can spot anything without hesitation is Luka, but can you spot something like her? We have a simulation that Luka has gotten the fastest time to see what you can spot and the fastest. You are allowed one minute after her quickest time."

"I'm ready," I said, wiping some sweat from my forehead.

"Hakase, get the simulation ready," Marvelous ordered.

Don nodded and went inside, a comment later calling us back in. He handed me a pair of sunglasses and said, "Put these on when I say so and then find what we call out."

"Alright," I said, taking the sunglasses.

Don pressed a button on the computer and said, "Put them on." When I did that, he said, "Simulation beginning in five, four, three, two, one, starting up."

The Galleon disappeared and I was on a beach, with crystal white sand and blue water.

"Find a red crab," Marvelous said. "Without moving, only turning."

I spun around, saying, "By the surf house."

"Collect five blue shells," Joe said. "Move."

My thoughts of where blue shells would be came to mind and I moved quickly to the shoreline, easily picking out five shells that were blue.

"Locate a palm tree," Don said. "Without moving."

I turned away from the water and looked at the grass at the back of the beach. "Blocking the sun, directly in front of me," I said.

"Pick up a pink surfboard," Ahim said. "Walk around."

My thoughts went back to the surf house and I went to it, looking at the surf boards, but the hot pink one catching my eye like a sore thumb.

"Find a silver stone," Gai said. "You can also walk around."

My thought was the sand, but as I went to exit the surf house, I noticed a silver stone that was a charm for a surfer's necklace. Picking it up, the simulation suddenly died, the Galleon returning around me.

The first thing I noticed was Luka's shocked face as I took off the sunglasses and returned them to Don.

"That's a new record," Ahim said. "Great job."

"Now, how well of a shot are you, like Don?" Marvelous said. "He's good with a GokaiGun, and when he practices, he can get eight out of ten, depending on how he's feeling. If you can get five out of ten, then you'll pass."

"Alright," I said. "Though, accuracy is my thing."

"Then this should be easy for you," Marvelous said.

Don took me to where he trained and handed me a GokaiGun. "Go ahead and try," he said as the others came in after us.

Joe went to where a control board was and pressed a button, stepping back as targets starting flying around.

I took aim and was able to get all ten targets then they came.

"Ok, so I guess you are an accurate shooter," Marvelous said. "The only person on this ship that has a diplomatic approach to things is Ahim. Do you think you can agree with her, or are you just a fighter, no matter what, like the rest of us? She will be able to tell by the way you would respond to the simulation that you will be placed through, where only she will join you."

"Ok," I said, where Luka gave both me and Ahim another pair of sunglasses when we went to the living room.

Don started up the simulation and we were placed in a field of battle.

Ahim stepped back, away from me, and while I knew that she was there, I also knew that she wouldn't help out. "Do what feels natural," she said.

What felt natural for me was to not get involved, since no one was attacking us.

Taking a step back, I said, "There's no need to fight, since we aren't the ones in the fight. There's no need to get involved if I don't have anything to do with it."

Ahim tilted her head to the side slightly. "Really?" she asked.

"Well, if the battle is already taking place and it's something that doesn't have value to me, like a place I've never heard of, then I don't fight," I said. "But, if it was something that had to do with lives at stake, like with Zangyack and Earth, then I will fight."

"Doc-san," Ahim called. "End it. She is a diplomat."

The Galleon appeared around us as Ahim and I took off the sunglasses.

Looking at Marvelous, I said, "What's next?"

"Now, we're going to talk," Marvelous said. "Go to your room and we'll call you when we've made a decision."

"Alright," I said, going to my private quarters.

The others went into a meeting room.

Immediately, they all said, "She's staying."

"Alright, we agree that she's going to stay on the ship," Marvelous said. "Now, what about her becoming a Gokaiger?"

"Yes," Gai, Ahim, and Marvelous said.

"No," Joe, Luka, and Don said.

"She's strong," Gai said.

"Only because of her anger," Luka said.

"She'll never let it go," Marvelous said.

"But time will make that anger grow weaker," Don said.

"She will still come to battle, ranger or no ranger," Ahim said.

"She can be sent back," Joe said.

"Sending her back won't help: she'll come back," Marvelous said. "I know determination when I see it."

"She did better than me when I was tested," Ahim said. "It would be unfair to let me be on the team when she did better than me."

"That's why she's going to be on the team," Gai said. "Right, Marvelous?"

Marvelous nodded. "She's going to be a Gokiager," he confirmed.

"We don't have any extra ranger keys," Luka pointed out.

"Yea, without a Gokaiger ranger key, she can't be a Gokaiger," Don said.

"There is one," Marvelous said, getting to his feet.

"Then how come we've never seen it?" Joe said.

"I've been hiding it," Marvelous replied. He got a small box from behind a stack of books that had been collecting dust and blew off the thick layer of dust. "GokaiPurple."

"Purple?" Gai asked.

Marvelous nodded. He opened the box and took out the GokaiPurple ranger key and mobirates. Pushing it to the center of the table for everyone to see, he said, "AkaRed always held it close to his heart, and right before he charged into the Gormin, he said that there was a box meant for a special ranger, one that has had all their dreams ruined so quickly. Amanda is that one."

"Then I guess we should go tell her," Don said.

"Hakase, start dinner," Marvelous said, closing the box and pulling it close to his chest. "Gai, go tell her that we made a decision, but don't tell her what it is yet. During dinner, we'll tell her."

Don and Gai nodded and went to do what they were told.

As Gai knocked on my door, I called, "Come in."

As he entered, I looked at him expectantly, but he didn't show any emotion, and I feared that I wasn't a Gokaiger.

"We'll tell you at dinner," Gai said. "Come on back."

"Alright," I said, knowing that trying to get him to tell me what they planned on wasn't going to work. As I followed Gai to the living room, I thought about what had happened to me in the past few weeks.

My world was crumbling, and I didn't know how to stop it.

I didn't see Joe walking my way, head bent and in deep thought, until I had ran into him and we both fell to the ground. "I'm sorry, Joe!" I said quickly as we got to our feet. "I didn't see you!"

"Leave it," Joe mumbled, walking by me.

Did I see some red on his cheeks, like he was blushing? That was totally out of character for him.

I shook my head, making myself believe that it wasn't real, that I was just tired and seeing things, and continued my walk to the living room.

The smell of dinner was strong as I entered the room, but I only found Marvelous.

"Where are the others?" I asked.

"Joe went to his room, Don is cooking dinner, and the others are outside talking," Marvelous said.

"Oh," I said, sitting down on the couch.

"What's on your mind, kid?" Marvelous said.

"Hmm?" I said. "Oh, I'm just wondering what's going on with my friends. I never did see them after the school collapsed. I'm worried about them."

"Here," Marvelous said, tossing me his mobirates. "Go ahead and call them. I know you'll go crazy without knowing what happened to them."

I caught his mobirates. "Thanks," I said, dialing the number of one of my friends.

Marvelous went to the kitchen to go bother Don about what was being cooked and left me alone.

As I talked to my friend, I was relieved to know that everyone was ok. But there was no idea about what was going to happen to the school and the students, so that part was still unknown.

"Will you join us wherever we go?" my friend asked.

"I don't know," I replied after a pause. "I have a bone to pick with Zangyack, and the Gokiagers are the only way I can do that."

"Please, think about it," my friend said. "They will place you in the best school to continue to be a doctor. At least say you'll think about it!"

"I'll think about it," I said.

"Dinner!" Don called, bringing a plate to the table, Marvelous eagerly taking his spot.

"I've gotta go," I said. "I'll try to keep in touch."

"Be careful out there, Amanda," my friend said. "You don't know what's out there."

"I will," I said. "Bye."

We hung up and as I walked to the table, I tossed Marvelous his mobirates. "Thanks for that," I said.

"So, if they find a new place for school, will you go?" Don asked as he brought out the final plates and the others joined us.

"I'm not sure," I replied. "I need to think about it."

Before we began eating, Marvelous said, "So, you've been wondering what we decided, right?"

I nodded. "Yes, I have," I replied.

"Well, the wait is over," Marvelous said, handing me a box. "Go ahead and open it: it'll let you know what we decided."

Hesitantly, I opened the box and saw a purple ranger key and a mobirates. "You guys agreed for me to be with you?" I asked.

"We believe that you will be able to help us," Ahim said. "Do you accept it?"

"Yes!" I said. "I accept!"

I was astonished to see a smile from the man in blue, something that was very rare. Even though he tried to hide it, I could see the grin that appeared on Joe's face.

"Then you are now a Gokaiger, GokaiPurple," Marvelous said. "Honest Amanda Doc."

"Huh?" I said, confused.

"Well, you're honest," Marvelous said. "And you're a doctor. So, why not add them together?"

I shrugged my shoulders. "That's fine, I guess," I said.

"Let's eat!" Luka said impatiently.

As the others began eating, I kept noticing how Joe kept glancing at me while I ate. It was kinda unnerving me.

When we finished eating, I said that I wanted to look at something on Earth very quickly before going to bed and left the Galleon without a response.

I didn't need to see anything, but I needed some time off the ship to think.

While walking, I heard someone else following, and while they tried to make it sound soft, my sensitive ears still picked it up.

Spinning around, I said, "Who's there?"

No answer.

"Answer me!" I demanded. "Who's there!?"

Still no answer.

Knowing that someone was there, I continued walking, but I scooped up a rock to thrown back when I heard a general direction for the footsteps again.

As I heard the person again, I spun around quickly and threw the rock to the noise, hearing a muffled cry of surprise and pain. Without a second thought, I went to the person and pinned them against the tree.

But, I realized it was Joe. "Why did you follow me?" I asked as I released him, slightly annoyed about what he did.

"Sorry," Joe said, embarrassed, especially since he had been pinned to a tree by a newbie like me. "I, um, I just thought that you wouldn't want to be alone."

That threw me off guard. "What?" I said.

Slowly, Joe nodded, as if trying to convince himself. "Yea, I thought you wanted company," he said.

I thought for a moment. Joe, not wanting me to be alone? Before, he wanted nothing to do with me. Before, whenever he was the one to meet me after school, he never talked to me, and when I asked a question, he always gave a one- or two-word answer in a voice that meant to ask nothing else.

Now he wanted to join me? What was his plan?

"I'm fine, Joe," I said. "I'm better thinking by myself. But thank you for your consideration."

"Alright," Joe said. "Then, I'll see you on the Galleon." He began to walk away.

I turned to him, confused. When did he start saying that? "Joe," I called.

Joe looked back at me.

"On second thought, I could use a walk with someone," I said. "Would you like to join me?"

Joe nodded and joined me as I walked, and while I kept mostly in my own mind, I noticed that Joe wore a rare smirk while walking.