Disclaimer: I do not own Power Rangers, or any of the characters in this story. They are the property of Disney now; although, there might be characters in this story that will be mine.
Budding
Chapter II / Back to Basics
"Oh man, I can't believe that Kat has a boyfriend." Rocky had a huge pile of papers on his arms having that one of his folders ripped while he walked down the halls of Angel Grove High with his best friend, Adam.
"Does Tommy know yet?" Adam asked.
"Don't know, Sherry just told me yesterday."
Adam shook his head not knowing how Tommy would react to this.
"But how?"
"Man, I hate to see that" he said as they made their way out the school.
- - -
"I can't believe that Kat's still not here yet" sighed Tanya.
"Umm, Tanya, it's only been a couple of minutes, don't worry about it" assured Tommy.
Tanya and Tommy were sitting at the Youth Center waiting for their friends to drop by so they could decide what to do that day.
At that, Kat walked in with a bright smile on her face.
"See, there you go." Tommy pointed in the direction of their friend.
"Hey" Tanya said as she turned to look at Kat who was now sitting down.
"Hey" she responded looking at both of them.
"Hi" Tommy said quickly before looking down at his drink.
"Isn't it nice outside? This weather reminds me of Australia" Kat asked her friends.
"Yup." Tanya said.
"So, what's with the cheery mood today? You're usually not as…perky?" asked Tommy.
"Well, I just got back from talking to Joel. He told me he'd pick me up in his motorcycle today to go out" she stated with a smile.
"I thought you weren't going out with him today?" Tanya asked her.
"I wasn't; but then I found out he was waiting for me outside the school to tell me that he was getting off early before he went to work." Kat said.
"Ahh, got yourself a boyfriend there?" Tommy asked in a smooth voice yet still afraid of what the answer might be.
"Yeah" Kat said shyly looking down and smiling.
"So…what's he like?" Tommy said mockingly yet hiding his frown.
"Uhh…he's older…and…"
"Cute, remember, really cute" Tanya said jokingly making Kat smile at her while blushing.
"Oh" Tommy said before being very thankful that Tanya changed the subject.
"So, are you guys going to the expo next week?" she asked meaning him, Rocky, Adam, and Billy.
"Of course, I wouldn't miss it for the world," stated Tommy.
"A bunch of guys flipping each other around fighting…sounds like fun" Kat said sarcastically.
"Like if Joel doesn't like that?" Tanya said defending the guys.
"I don't know. We haven't really talked that much."
"Why? Are you too busy playing tongue hokey with him?"
"Tanya!" exclaimed Kat making her friends laugh.
"Oh come on Kat…don't deny the truth" Tommy told her trying to go along with the joke.
"No, we don't" Kat said seriously as she was too embarrassed to say anything else.
Tanya looked at Kat and Tommy as she witnessed the two gazing at each other and raised her eyebrows, "So, you guys got any plans for tonight?" she asked in Tommy's direction.
They both shook off the gaze and looked in her direction.
"I've got a date with Vanessa Miller" Tommy lied while looking at Kat's direction.
Tommy had been really taken off guard by Kat and Tanya talking about Kat's boyfriend. He somewhat felt jealous at the fact that Kat had gotten a date and is now dating this Joel guy.
Katherine looked at Tommy, yet hid her shock. "Joel said he'll be picking me up around six. He said he had a big surprise for me."
Tanya looked at the two again seeing their jealousy and evil in each other's eyes. She realized they were both trying to make one another jealous and succeeding at it.
Tanya again broke the silence, "Well, Adam said he'd meet us here with Rocky since Sherry is still at soccer practice."
Tommy was tired of talking about each other's personal lives even though the conversation hadn't gone that long, "I can't believe they're making them start soccer in the summer."
"Yeah, I know," said Kat, "they're going to practice all the way up until Thanksgiving break, since that's when the season starts."
"Well, it's a club team, I mean, they have to be strict" said Tanya, defending the 'Las Cobras Soccer Club' team, "They'll get plenty of practice time between the games this summer."
Both Kat and Tommy nodded before hearing a familiar voice entering the juice bar.
"What's up guys!" Rocky yelled at the top of his lungs with a huge smile on his face.
The others just laughed at the sight of Adam quickening his pace towards their table while lowering his head down a bit.
"Cool it Rocko," stated Tommy, "a little louder and I think New York would be able to hear you."
"Man, it feels like the vacations are already here. Just one more day and hello four day weekend." Rocky said with enthusiasm in his voice while going over and sitting down next to Tommy.
"Well," said Kat while getting up from her chair, "it's almost four, I have to get home."
"How come?" asked Rocky before he lifted up his left arm and sniffed his armpit while saying, "Do we offend?"
Kat just laughed and shook her head. "No, I have to get home and finish my homework before…"
"…before Joel picks you up right?" Tanya finished the sentence for her.
"Yup" Kat said before waving to her friends and made her way out the Juice Bar.
As soon as she had said 'yup', Rocky and Adam both looked in Tommy's direction but saw no sign of expression in it.
"I'll be right back," Tanya said as she got up and went to the restroom.
"So, what do you think about this Joel guy?" asked Rocky in Adam's direction.
"Well, I think…" started Tommy before getting cut off by Rocky.
"Oh no, I know what you think of him, trust me, we all know. I'm asking Adam."
Tommy gave him a look which was ignored by Rocky looking in Adam's direction waiting for an answer.
"Well, I honestly don't know the guy. I mean…"
"Oh please, don't pull that on me" Rocky said, "we don't like him because he hasn't shown his face yet. Come on Adam, it's fun to judge someone easily."
"Okay, okay," Adam giving in said, "I guess I won't like him for the simple fact that Tommy doesn't like him."
Rocky chuckled a bit at his comment before looking over at Tommy and waiting for a response.
Tommy, looking offended said, "Hey, I never said I didn't like the guy. I mean, just because he asked Kat out doesn't mean I'm mad or anything."
"Dude, just confess it, you like her" said Rocky.
"Adam, help me out" Tommy pleaded.
"Nah man, I'm gonna go with Rocky on this one."
Tommy looked down searching for words, yet none came to him. He didn't want to get into the subject at all although he knew that his friends would keep poking at the subject if he didn't give them a straight up answer.
"Okay, yeah I do like her. As a matter of fact, I like her a lot. I just never had the courage to ask her out."
Rocky, getting serious for the first time today said, "What are you so afraid of, rejection?"
All Adam could do was listen attentively as his friend spoke his feelings out for the first time that they all knew he had been keeping them hidden for a very long time.
"Yeah, I mean, I wouldn't worry so much if she wasn't a friend or a ranger for that matter." He kept his voice low mentioning the word 'ranger'. "Besides, let's say she did go out with me; there's still a possibility that it won't work out. What if we end up in bad terms?"
Rocky and Adam both looked at one another without having a word to say.
"But what does it matter now? She's with Joel, and it seems like she's hooked on him any ways. She'll never be like that for me."
Adam and Rocky were both stunned at their leader having such low self-confidence in himself. When it came to battles, Tommy was always true to the fights. He was the most confident person ever and for that earned the respect and discipline from the team.
When it came to Tommy's personal life, he wasn't confident or outgoing in his leads especially when it came to a close friend.
Now it was Adam's turn to talk, "You shouldn't think like that man. Yeah, Kat has a boyfriend now, but there's no guarantee that she'll stay with him. I mean, come on, he's a hardcore rocker guy. He drives a motorcycle, wears more jewelry than she does, and is going nowhere with his job. Do you honestly think her dad will go for that? You know his approval has a lot to do in Kat's life. Either that or she'll have to say goodbye to all of his credit cards." Adam lied and took a shot at Joel's life.
"But Kat doesn't even shop that much. I mean, she does when there's something big, but other than that…ouch!" Rocky couldn't finish his statement from being stepped on by Adam.
Tommy looked at both of his friends and just grinned while shaking his head, "You guys are really something, you know that?"
The three boys started laughing as Tanya walked back to the table asking, "So, what are we gonna do tonight?"
- - -
Billy went into the west corridor of the Power Chamber reading a letter that he had received from Aquitar:
Dearest Billy,
I hope this letter finds you in the best of health. I've been wishing that I could see you again before our departure to Lunar next week. I know that is impossible to do, but I really do believe that we can make this work my love.
Delphine and I have been sparring for the leader position in this next quest. It has been so much fun watching the men around us as well as the women spar too. None of the women have been able to defeat me in a sparring competition without their powers.
Billy there is so much helping me through those small fatiguing battles. It has been your love that makes life worth living the way I'm living it. Everyday that passes by I count the seconds when I will see you again. Trust me, my love, it will become reality when we both will be able to hold one another in each other's arms and hold on so tightly that neither of us would be able to breath. Oh how I do look forward to that day, Billy. I hope it comes sooner than we both expect.
With much love in my heart,
Cestria
Billy sighed deeply staring at the letter once more after his fifth time reading it. He then folded it in the manner that had been handed to him, and put it in his back pocket for safekeeping.
William 'Billy' Cranston was a teen genius. He was the original blue ranger of the Power Rangers, yet decided to give his Zeo Crystal to Tanya because he believed that he would be of more use to them in the Power Chamber. It turned out to be very true; Billy was one who really put the team ahead of the bad guys in the end with his wits. With being so intelligent, he was told to take a chance and graduate early. With great enthusiasm, he answered immediately, and it was a 'yes'. With all the extra time on his hands, he could finally start on all of the projects he had been working on for the rangers.
Billy went through the entrance and entered the medium sized holding unit to begin his work on his latest invention for the rangers. The Zeo Cannon had been long awaited from Billy to get his genius hands on continuation of it yet again.
Before he could even sit down though, there was a loud siren coming from the main chamber with turning lights, which flashed a bright, red and orange.
He turned quickly and ran towards where he knew the alarm was coming from. Getting to the door he stopped Alpha 5 from contacting the rangers.
"Don't Alpha, not yet. We have to see what the disturbance is first."
"Ay yai yai Billy," said the little robot with panic in his voice while stomping crazily on the hard light-blue floor, "What are we going to do?"
"First of all, we have to calm down" said Billy with ease in his voice while pressing buttons on the touch screen he had installed, "I'm going to locate the visual onto the disturbance to see what's troubling Angel Grove."
"CAN YOU SEE ANYTHING BILLY?" asked Zordon, the ranger's mentor with a loud deep voice.
"Well, at the moment, it seems that the cogs are disturbing Angel Grove park, but they don't seem to be harming anyone in their path."
"WE SHOULD CONTACT THE RANGERS AT ONCE," said Zordon.
"On my way, Zordon" said Alpha while going over to the consoles and paging the ranger's communicator's with a very familiar tone all too well known.
"I'm gonna go ahead and see if I can find what the cogs are doing there in the mean time" said Billy while going near the viewing globe and fixing a couple of small glitches.
"GOOD IDEA BILLY" encouraged Zordon.
- - -
Tommy was walking to the parking lot where he had parked his red truck when the tone came up on his communicator. He paused and looked around his surroundings for a second before answering.
"This is Tommy, go ahead Alpha."
"Tommy, there is a disturbance in Angel Grove park. We need you to get there right away."
"Got it Alpha, Tommy out…" after ending the signal he got into stance and repeated yet again those infamous words, "It's morphin' time…Zeo Ranger Five, Red!"
- - -
Tanya, Rocky, and Adam were still at the Juice Bar when Adam received the signal.
The teens looked around suspiciously and went to a vacant part of the Juice Bar just beside the main doors.
"This is Adam, come in."
"ADAM, THERE IS A DISTURBANCE IN THE PARK. WE NEED YOU, ROCKY, AND TANYA TO HEAD OVER THERE QUICKLY" came Zordon's voice from the other end.
"What about Tommy and Kat?" asked Tanya.
"ALPHA IS CONTACTING TOMMY AS WE SPEAK, AS FOR KAT, SHE IS NOT RESPONDING HER COMMUNICATOR FOR REASONS UNKNOWN."
"Um, okay. We'll be right there, Zordon."
The three teens looked at each other suspiciously before Adam gave a nod to signal their morph.
"It's morphin' time…"
Tanya spoke loud and clear, "Zeo Ranger Two, Yellow"
Next it was Rocky's turn, "Zeo Ranger Three, Blue"
And last was Adam, "Zeo Ranger Four, Green"
The three morphed teens teleported to the park to help out their fellow civilians with Tommy arriving just a few seconds before.
