Game 2: Second Serve

Ten years have passed and Earth had no more invaders come. Tennis is now the most popular sport, with new players coming to the game. The retired rangers continued playing tennis, but almost all of them have retired from playing, too. Pete had broken the record for number of Slams won, while André won many Slams too.

Venus continued playing, but she also took up college classes on the side and just retired two years ago. The youngest member, Rusty, kept playing the game, but injuries hampered him on his progress. He recently announced his retirement, deciding to become a coach instead. Martina also retired, but for the reasons that she wants to pursue a career other than tennis.

At present time, the tennis season is just starting. Laverus, still monitoring Faultissimo Armada activity in space, was developing additional tech that could help defeat the possible incoming danger, also scouting new players who may have the Ace Aura. He also instructed Rusty to oversee the Brisbane Bronze Tournament (located in the nation where Laverus lived here on Earth – Australia) and to give out the trophy to the champion. As the tournament finished, the stage was set to present the champion's trophy.

"Ladies and gentlemen, let's give a round of applause to this year's champion…Roger Davis!" was heard around the court as Rusty went up to the stage to present the trophy. Rusty and Roger then exchanged greetings:

"Congratulations! You really are making good progress in the past year or so." greeted Rusty.

"Thank you very much! With the upcoming Australian Hard Court Slam to defend, this would give me a confidence boost for sure!" replied Roger. "Good for you! Best wishes to you this season." said Rusty, as Roger replied: "Thank you! You are such an inspiration to me." "I'm flattered, thanks. Keep it up; you really have a bright future ahead." said Rusty. Looking at Roger, a thought came out of his mind: "I think you may be the one that I am looking for." After the presentation, the audience applauded, showing appreciation to the tournament's finalists.

Later that day, Roger packed up his things as he leaves Brisbane for Melbourne, the place where the Australian Hard Court Slam, also known by players as The Aussies, would be held. Before he left his inn room, he reminisced a championship moment: "Another week, another title. What a journey it has been, especially after I won my second Grand Slam last year in Melbourne. It feels like it was only yesterday when I got that win…"

Roger flashed back to last year, when he was in the final against Nole Borkovic, another player seeking for his second Slam title. "Ladies and gentlemen, let me present you this year's Australian Hard Court Slam men's singles champion, Roger Davis!" said the announcer. Applause was heard as the audience thank Roger and Nole on an excellent final; a final that went to a fifth-setter. "Roger, congrats to your second Slam title...but I just let you know, I let you easy this time." said Nole.

"Really? How did it get to a deciding set if it was, as you said, easy?" replied Roger. "Ha, I'm kidding of course. But I will have my revenge. You'll see." said Nole, as Roger replied: "Well, let the best man win…which means me, haha." Nole however just sneered at him. "He, very funny…" he said.

After Roger finished reminiscing, he locked the door, ready to leave the inn to go to the team RV. "Well guys, Next stop, Melbourne! The Aussies await!" said Roger, as his team left Brisbane for The Aussies. He then put his bags at the back of the RV, sitting inside, while reviewing videos of his matches on his laptop. Moments later, Roger received a text on his phone, surprisingly coming from Nole.

"Hmm, a message from Nole…what is this?" said Roger, as he read the text message: "Roger, let's have a practice session a day before The Aussies starts. Let's see how our games improved since the last time we met in Melbourne. I'll expect you will be there."

Roger thought about facing Nole again who got injured during the clay season and was gone for almost the whole year's remainder after an excellent start: "It seems he is ready to get to the next level. Haven't seen him in a while, but he won two Bronze titles back-to-back to get in form. I wonder why he's a bit overconfident when he is playing his first big tournament in a long while…interesting."

At nighttime, Roger and his team stayed on a rest stop. Outside, Roger was looking at the stars as it relaxes him. "Ahh, looking at the night sky never gets old." said Roger. Suddenly, a big red flashing light from the sky distracted him. "What is that? It doesn't look like your typical night lights." said Roger.

Back at Laverus' lair, Laverus was trying to find out what the flashing eerie red light was: "Hmm, there seems to be a disturbance in space. I wonder what that is." as he then zoomed in to the sector, just close to the edge of the solar system. "Let's see what this is…" he said, trying to see where the light came from his the screen.

Zooming in closely, Laverus was then stunned – he feared the moment has finally come: "I think it is time." Needing assistance, he urgently called the five veteran Earth Aces – Pete, André, Venus, Rusty and Martina – to all go to Melbourne for The Aussies for important news.

At the eve of The Aussies, Roger's crew has finally reached Melbourne. Roger stepped out of the RV, with the press trying to get a glimpse of him. He and his team then went to the Tennis Center, a place where the players could stay during tournaments. There, he greeted his friend Tommy, who was going to the cafeteria to eat.

"Hey, long time no see! How was your off-season? I read that you are experimenting shots." greeted Tommy, as Roger replied: "Yeah, I did. I was trying to see what I could add to my bag of tricks, haha." "Well anyway, I'm gonna grab some lunch. Are you coming?" asked Tommy, having Roger answer: "Nah, I have to go unpack my stuff first. I also have an appointment later on." "OK. See yah! Go try the pasta though. It tastes incredible!" told Tommy, as Roger said his goodbye.

Roger then went to his room, unpacking his bags. "There! All packed out. Maybe I have time now to relax before I could start my practice. Maybe also try the pasta Tommy was talking about. I do seem a bit famished." said Roger to himself. Suddenly, his phone rang to alert a received text message. "Huh, I wonder who this could be…from Nole, huh. Oh yeah, I remembered he wanted to play a practice run with him today. I wonder what's up." he said.

After Roger first went to the cafeteria to eat, he checked the practice courts to see if Nole was there. "He said on the text that I would have to meet him in Practice Court G, but he's not here yet." thought Roger, until a hand touched his shoulder and shouted: "GOTCHA!" "Ahhh! You scared me there. I hear you like to prank players like this. Will you ever mature?" said Roger.

"Oh come on, lighten up you twinkle-toes. I was just having a bit of fun, but you know how pumped up and focused I am when it comes to tennis. I'm training very hard to really push my game to the next level. I think by showing you here, I will prove that I am also a great player – by beating you!" replied Nole, who Roger noticed is quite positive. "You sure are quite confident. Very well, let's go to the courts. Let's see if you can walk the talk. I'll be ready." Roger said.

The two started to play after a warm-up, ready to see how their games match up. Nole's hitting partner decided to umpire the match, with Roger's fitness trainer also paying attention. "Ready, play!" said the umpire, as play went under way. In a "Race to 8 games" set format, Roger was able to break Nole early, skeptical about Nole's improvements: "Are you sure you changed your game? I broke you a bit too easy." "Well I am just warming up. I will get to that higher gear real soon." said Nole.

At the 8th game with Roger up with a break of serve, Nole was able to rebreak, annoying Roger a little. "It does seem that he improved his game well. Before he wasn't able to chase my offense down that much, but as the match goes I feel like I am just hitting a wall. What is worse that wall is fighting back. I have to think of something else to counter this." thought Roger, as Nole managed to hold his serve at the 9th game.

Nole was not backing down: "What do you think of my new moves? I have trained so hard to improve my fitness and now I feel great!" Roger was not fazed: "Well you might have improved, but you don't have the tricks up my sleeve." "I might not have the "bag of tricks" that you have, but what I have is all I need." Nole said.

As the 10th game continued, Roger eventually faced a break point. He managed to create a big serve, but Nole quickly responded with a great return to counter it. Roger tried a risky backhand down-the-line just to get the point, which he successfully did. He eventually held; a bit relieved that he was able to get out of trouble. "That was a close one. Even my great serve struggles with his return." thought Roger. Nole was impressed: "That was a great effort by Roger to hold in that last game. He's still hard to beat, as always."

As the match went to the 11th game, Nole was able to hold, putting additional pressure to Roger's next service game. At the 12th game, Roger faced 30-30. "Well, if you want serious…well it's time to be serious." said Nole, focused on breaking serve. When Roger served, Nole was able to return it again…but this time, it wasn't just a simple return – he was able to return it so well, that it became a return winner!

"No way, how can you turn my serve against me?" said a surprised Roger, as Nole bragged about his new move: "Well, let us say this is my main trick. This technique I call…the Hard Springy Wall!" Roger was shaken by the technique, deciding to just try and be more aggressive to outplay him. He was able to get some great serves and offensive shots, but Nole was able to return some, putting Roger on the backfoot.

Deuce points kept on coming. It was going to the wire, as Roger quietly tried to pump himself up: "Roger, hold on. You only have 3 games to win this. You know you could do it!" A long rally then ensued, which Roger gave away the point in an error. "Are you already tired, twinkle-toes? I feel that I could do this all day!" said Nole. "No, I'm not. I could still handle this, you'll see!" said Roger.

With Roger facing break point, he needed a good serve to escape. With his first serve out, he had to get his second serve in to not double fault. Roger felt a bit tense, and Nole was able to notice it: "You're shaking a bit. Are you OK?" Known for his calm demeanor, Roger denied his nerves: "Of…of course!" Roger afterwards served, but his toss was a bit off.

As he hit the ball on his racket, Roger felt it was going to end up badly. "Oh no!" thought Roger, as the ball hit the net. Roger double faulted, giving the break away to Nole, making him serve for the match, much to Roger's dismay.

The 13th game came and Nole was serving for the match. He felt great that he may finally prove that he could beat Roger. "This is it Nole, just 4 more points to victory!" thought Nole, as he let out a big breath to keep calm as he served. The game goes on, as a winner from Nole and an unforced error from Roger made it 30-0.

"I'm not backing out without a fight!" yelled Roger, who forced Nole to an error, making it 30-15. "Well, me too." said Nole, who surprised Roger with a dropshot winner. With just one point for the win, Nole thought his time has finally come: "I will show that I have what it takes to be the best player in the world!"

Back at Laverus' lair, the invasion alarm went off. "Is it time?" asked Rusty. "It's time." affirmed Laverus.

As Nole was serving at match point, a big rumble at the sky was heard. A big shadow began to overcast on the practice court and later on to the whole Slam grounds. "What is this?" wondered Nole, looking at the big shadow. "I dunno." said Roger, who seemed puzzled. The two afterwards looked up at the sky…surprised on what they saw. "No…way." said Nole, with Roger also a bit edgy: "Is this for real? I thought it was already over?" "I am not sure, but for sure this is not good news. We have to get out of here and find a safe place." advised Nole.

The people around the grounds panicked as they saw the big flying ships at the sky. The incident that happened years back seems to repeat itself, but this time it looks worse than before. "Let's go to the Tennis Center and see if the other players are OK!" said Nole. "OK. But let's see help those in the practice court get out of this place safely." said Roger.

Roger was a bit surprised that Nole was actually concerned about others; while Nole was surprised Roger is not as self-centered as he thought. Nole agreed to check the players that are still practicing. "Come on guys, go with us! We have to be together so that you won't get hurt with many people panicking." said Nole. The players agreed coming with him and Roger, and they all tried to not get trampled by the crowd. "Stay together, guys! We have to get to the Tennis Center with no one left behind." informed Roger.

Minutes later, they finally had reached the Tennis Center safely. "There, it seems everyone is accounted for. Roger; thanks for your help. We may be rivals, but it seems we work together nicely. Maybe I should have been respectful to you." said Nole. "Nah, it's OK. A bit of banter doesn't hurt and it just makes me more pumped up in our matches. I apologize too if I get a bit cocky, not thinking I have rubbed other people the wrong way." said Roger.

Nole then made a friendly nod, while Roger nodded back. As the two were about to go inside, a troop of Mugers suddenly descended to the ground, ready to attack the players. Roger and Nole however weren't backing down. "Guys, go inside. I will handle this." told Nole to the other players. All of the players went along with it, but Roger decided to stay: "No, I won't leave. I would like to help you. I know a few moves myself." "Well, OK. Let's go…Ajde!" said Nole confidently, as the two get ready to battle.

The two tried to beat the Mugers up, and while they managed to keep some of them at bay, they eventually were outnumbered and cornered. "We're surrounded, what should we do?" said Nole. "I dunno. Unless someone grabs us from above or something, we are toast." said Roger. "Gluten-free toast?" joked Nole, riling Roger: "It's not time to make a joke here!"

With the two trapped, it seemed they have no place to go…until a shining bright light fell towards them, temporarily blinding the Mugers. Bit by bit Roger and Nole's bodies began to turn to dust, making Nole and Roger worried about what's going to happen. "Wait, what in the world? What is happening to us?" said Nole; "I don't know, but I feel something that this is our ticket on our way out!" replied Roger. Their particles then seemingly got sent to a distant place, confusing the Mugers where they went to.

Back at the lair, Laverus and the other secret society members were preparing for Roger and Nole's arrival. A bright light flashed as their particles finally got back to normal, as Nole became worried: "Whu, whu, what happened to our bodies? Hey, where are we? This is creeping me out, man!" "I am not sure, but we seem to be teleported to a dark cave…with some advanced technology, I might add." replied Roger.

"It does seem we are inside a secret lair or something. Hey, maybe it belongs to a super hero. Or, maybe we are recruited by a spy organization with things other people were not allowed to see." thought Nole, but Roger begged to differ. "Oh come on, now that's just pure sci-fi…but then again us being teleported here is sci-fi itself." said Roger, as he started to ponder who or what brought them there, seeing that it seems to be empty.

"Hello…anybody there?" asked Nole; "Why did you bring us here?" asked Roger. Suddenly, an eerie voice spoke to the two: "Welcome, we were expecting you." "Hey, I already heard that line before." said Nole, as then a person from the shadows emerged, introducing himself.

"Allow me to introduce myself…I'm Laverus Rocket…and THIS is my lair!" Shocked, Nole asked if he really is Laverus: "Rocket? THE Laverus Rocket? Didn't you disappear from the tennis scene some years after your retirement? I already thought you were..." "Well, I'm here, alive and well, and I brought you two here for an urgent matter." confirmed Laverus.

"Wait a minute, where are we exactly first and how did you get access to such technology?" asked Roger, as Laverus first told them where they are: "Well, first of all you are in my lair – the Laverus Lair!" "Huh, he named the lair to himself. It seems someone has a bigger ego that you do." whispered Nole to Roger, as then Roger whispered back: "Shh, be quiet. I want to know why we are brought here."

"Anyway, you are here because you have been chosen for an important mission…" told Laverus. "Wait, are you telling me were now secret agents?" thought Nole, which Laverus refuted: "Well, not exactly. You have been chosen because you possess something that the greatest tennis players of the world have. It's something that makes them almost invincible in battle, something that brings fear to opponents before they hit their first ball. It's the feeling that these great players have, a feeling that they would win the match even in the direst situation. This feeling, this aura these players have, is what I call…the Ace Aura."

"Ace Aura? I know about great players having like a great aura surrounding them, making players and believe they couldn't win against them…but a literal aura?" boggled Nole, as then Laverus clarified: "Well, it's not exactly a thing. But those who possess it are said to have great power in them; power that the greatest warriors of the universe possess. Power enough to beat the Faultissimo Armada, and bring peace to the world. Power to become…Ace Power Rangers!"

Both Roger and Nole were confounded about what they heard, not being able to say anything, not sure what to believe. "Ace...Power Rangers? Do you mean the same rangers who battled against the Armada few years ago?" asked Nole.s

'Yes,"the same ones. I recruited five tennis players who possess the Ace Aura, as they could use the powers of the Ace Morphers to morph into Ace Rangers to protect the people of the world from the Faultissimo Armada. After they defeated the first wave of invaders, they all retired and continued playing tennis. I think you Roger, in particular have already met one of them." replied Laverus.

"I already did? Which one?" asked Roger. "It was me, Roger." as figure stepped out from the shadows. "G'day, mates. It's me, Rusty, the former Green Ace." "No, way! Rusty Hubert?" excitedly said Nole. "Rusty? Didn't we just meet in Brisbane just two days ago at the presentation?" asked Roger.

"Yes! I am quite amazed about your game. But what I am most amazed is how you handled pressure. You had such grace that you served well at important points and you upped your game when it mattered most. Not only that…you, Nole, also have been showing how much you tried to improve your game as the months go by, not backing down, striving to become the best player in the world. But what I am most impressed by you two, is what you did off-court – you helped people and faced trouble against you, teaming up and showing courage even as rivals. Those reasons are why you two are chosen to be the next Ace Rangers." replied Rusty.

Nole was just astonished: "Whoa." "Wait, so you mean we are chosen to become the next Ace Rangers? Do you think we have what it takes to fight against the Armada? We're just young tennis players. Also, how do you know we have the Ace Aura?" asked Roger, as Laverus replied: "Well, follow me."

Roger and Nole then followed Laverus to a special cavern deep in the lair. There, they saw a big, glowing sphere of energy, rotating and shining brightly. "Whoa, what is that glowing sphere? It's like the sun." figured Nole.

"That, my friends, is the Seed Core. The Seed Core, believe it or not, is where the root energy of tennis around the galaxy comes from, and legend says that if it goes out, the love of people for tennis on the galaxy goes out too. I spent years trying to find the Seed Core here on Earth to protect it, making it my mission after I retired. I finally found it, and it is my duty to stay here and protect it to those who may want to steal it. Not only that, I would also be out of the spotlight as the attention had been a bit too much." said Laverus.

"Wait, how do you know about this Seed Core, and why do you think you should protect it?" asked Roger. "Well, I will tell you a story." replied Laverus, as then a bright light flashed from the Seed Core, seemingly sending Nole, Roger and Laverus to outer space.

"Is this where I think we are?" fathomed Nole. "No, were not in space. But I will tell you…my story. There is a galaxy in the universe, known as Ketrac. In this galaxy, tennis is more of a way of living rather than just a sport. There, planets have their tennis warriors, and the strongest of the warriors have what we call…" (Roger then interrupted) "The Ace Aura."

"That is right! Now, there is a tyrant who wanted to conquer the galaxy, and stealing its Seed Core would be his one-way ticket to control everyone to his means. That tyrant's name is Don Skeletoni Mafioso, the leader of the Faultissimo Armada, who attacked our planets and captured the citizens turning them to Dread Duelists. Some were turned to Mugers, but the great players were turned to great soldiers for the armada. They were almost unstoppable. However, I and four other tennis warriors were recruited by the Seed Core and we were shown our destiny to fight against the Armada. We became the Aces, a rebel force against the Armada, using our Aura for the good of the universe, helping other planets who can't defend themselves. Eventually we infiltrated the enemy base. We thought we were victorious, but the Don escaped with his remaining Armada members, finding out that they were going to invade a new planet and steal their Seed Score – and that is here, on Earth." detailed Laverus.

"Laverus, you said that…YOU fought against the Armada? Does it mean…no way…" stupefied Nole, as Laverus continued to tell his story: "Correct. I am from the Ketrac galaxy, fighting against the Armada, using the power of the Ace Aura against them. We were able to save many lives, winning a lot of battles. But with the Armada's threat, I felt that I have to follow them and find new warriors while my comrades stayed to help other planets go back to normal."

"Still can't believe you came from another planet! No wonder they told that you played out of this world...unbelievable." said Nole, still in shock. "OK, now I see what the Faultissimo Armada is doing here. But how do you know we have the Ace Aura?" asked Roger. "Well, see for yourself." told the two, they started to show a colored glow, both being amazed by what they saw. "There is blue light coming from me." said Nole; "Mine is red. Laverus, you also had the same light as mine. Is this the Ace Aura?" said Roger.

"Yes, it is. Most players have a tennis aura, but the Ace Aura is special because it is very strong and defined, sometimes overwhelming the aura of others. However, we use our powers to overwhelm those who do bad, and it is the Aces' duty to protect those who don't have aura strong as us. I and the secret society have searched for the best players, those who have the Ace Aura. Every time there is a competition, the Seed Core reacts and converts its energy through a medal in our medal machine, connected to the winner. More wins, the bigger their aura grows. You, as Ace Rangers, could use these medals to power up your arsenal. While some did have the Ace Aura, they weren't destined to be rangers. But you two – and three more we need to find – will save the planet and return the balance!" said Laverus.

As the room started to go back to normal, silence was heard around the room. Roger and Nole were stunned about what they saw and heard, but they are ready to do the task at hand. "Wow, it is a bit too much to digest. But if it is to defend the planet and for the game of tennis, I'll do it." said Roger, as Nole also agreed to join: 'Well, I didn't work hard to improve my game just for the invaders to destroy the planet." "Nole…" said Roger as he nudged him, as Nole responded: "Oh, and of course I wanted to protect the people too, so I'm in."

"I greatly appreciate both your help. First, in order to start your mission, I will give you your Ace Morphers." said Laverus, as the three then went to another room in the lair. On that room, they saw the morphers on pedestals. Laverus then told them about the room: "This is the aura charging station. Those gadgets in the middle are the Ace Morphers, and are powered by Ace Aura. The morphers can be charged here by putting your hands to the charging pads. It would power up the morphers and medals so it can be used to its full potential. Roger, take the one on the red pedestal, while you Nole take the one on the blue. But before you do, charge it first."

Roger and Nole then charged their Morphers, and moments later when they were full charged, they took the morphers away. "Cool. What are the functions of the morphers anyway, though?" asked Nole. "The Ace Morphers look like a hi-tech stopwatch, but they are more than that. They contain apps that would help you during battle although there is a Fun app for, well fun." replied Laverus.

"Interesting. But how can we morph?" asked Roger. "To morph, you need to insert your own Morph Medal at back of the morpher. There are two medal slots, and the Morph Medal is placed on the top. You will then have to press the Morph app to transform." answered Laverus. "Awesome!" said Nole. "Now, let's get back to the main control room so I send you back." said Laverus.

Back at the control room, Roger and Nole prepares to return back to The Aussies. "I am counting on you, Ace Rangers!" said Laverus, as Nole reassured that they would do their best: "Don't worry, you can count on us. We will kick the Armada's butt for good, haha." Roger, however wanted to take one step at a time: "Hold up, let's focus on those invaders in The Aussies first."

"OK, I am setting the coordinates to get you back. You may feel a bit of discomfort, but it should return you back to The Aussies as quickly as possible." told Laverus. "We're ready!" said Roger and Nole. "Here it goes! Oh, don't forget that you could return here on your own by pressing the Teleport App in your morphers – it just needs your Morph Medals to work. It's a one-way app though and you need the teleporter here to get out." said Laverus.

"Wait, Laverus, what about the Morph Med…" said the two, but with the teleportation machine creating much noise, Laverus wasn't able to hear what Nole Roger said, only giving his well wishes: "I am counting on you two, the new generation…the new Ace Rangers!"

Author's Notes:

FINALLY! I have published Game 2 after how many days. I was actually working on Game 5 and Game 6 as of this time of writing (finished their first draft) and after that decided to publish Game 2 in FF format. Nice to Roger and Nole for the first time! Will they be able to stop the Mugers terrorizing The Aussies? Who are the other three players that Laverus is talking about? Find out in Game 3: The New Balls!

Characters:

1. Roger Davis - He's inspired by the 17-time Grand Slam champion and possibly the definite Greatest of All Time time, "Swiss maestro" Roger Federer. Breaking lot of tennis records, he has held the record for the most number of weeks as World #1 with 302 non-consecutive weeks. Known for his smooth personality, Roger Davis tries to not be overexcited, quiet and confident. However, he could be a bit of a dork a times and sometimes his excitement cannot be contained.

2. Nole Borkovic - He is inspired by current World #1, 11-time Grand Slam champion and 6-time Australian Open champion, Serbian Novak Djokovic. He is known to be one of greatest defenders of all time, he is known for his flexibility and quickness and court, his ability to defend on almost any part of the court, and his double-handed backhand is maybe the best of them all. Djokovic is known as a jokester and I wanted to magnify his dynamic side towards Nole. Quite a firey personality on court, Nole being the energetic person in the group makes him an interesting contrast with Roger.

3. Tommy - He is inspired by the German player Tommy Haas. Entertaining to watch with his OHBH and all-court shotmaking, he is one of the oldest active players on tour in the age of 37, his career is known to have been hampered by injuries, but he is able to return back well at times, even reaching Top 15 during 2013 when he was 35 years old. In real life he's a good friend of Roger Federer.

Disclaimer:

Power Rangers is a property of Saban Brands. The characters are only inspired by tennis personalities and should not be treated as their real life inspirations.