Last time on Power Rangers...
The Pink Ranger cast a sleeping spell on our heroes, but in the end they were able to break through the spell and defeat Zedd's monster.
But their celebration was cut short when they discovered the death of a former Ranger...
Stay tuned for more...on Power Rangers Neo Era...
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Three weeks later...
Braelyn and Jacob Oliver watched as their dad poured a carton of orange juice into his cereal, and filled his cup to—literally—overflowing.
"Dad! Easy! Watch the coffee!"
Jacob ran to the kitchen and grabbed a wet cloth from the sink, cleaning up the table cloth which Tommy had managed to soil with his coffee.
The twins snickered as they watched the expression on Tommy's face when he ate his cereal and spit it out just as fast.
"Dad!" Braelyn said, "What's with you?"
But she knew what was up. It was something Tommy Oliver hadn't felt in a long time—since high school. How could she blame her dad? She knew the feeling. She had shown the same signs the day she fell in love with her ex-boyfriend Noah. Now, she was experiencing it all over again. This time, with the boy who had rescued her. He had given back all the pieces that had been broken, and he was starting to break her walls.
Jacob broke Braelyn's train of thought and said, "Yeah, Dad? What's with you? Not watching where you pour your coffee, putting orange juice on cereal instead of milk, using the lawnmower inside the house, using the vacuum on the grass? Who is it, Dad? C'mon! Tell us... Who is she?"
"Jacob Thomas Oliver!"
Tommy held up a finger.
"No, Braelyn. It's okay, sweetheart. He can interrogate me. It's fine. Alright, I confess. I'm in love."
The twins perked up.
"I'm in love with Braelyn's new gymnastics coach."
The twins looked at each other.
Then, Braelyn half laughed and dropped her fork. It bounced off the plate, off the table, then fell to the floor with a clang. Her hollandaise messing up her shirt.
She fainted.
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"Dude, I am telling you—my dad is in love with Dawn's mom," Braelyn said to Rockford through gritted teeth, as they walked to class for first period.
"So? Mom says they were high school sweethearts. What's wrong with that?"
"You idiot!" Braelyn practically screamed, "That's the point! They were high school sweethearts, and she blew it big time, when she broke it off with Dad!"
"So?" Rockford said, "That was a long time ago. Don't you think she deserves a chance?"
"No, I don't!"
Everyone was looking at them, now.
Rockford opened his locker and said, "I think you're just saying that because you hate Dawn."
"She's a bitch! Now, I know who she takes after," Braelyn said, as she trudged into the classroom.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
"Cranston! Cranston! In here, now! This very minute!" Mr. McKean hollered from the confines of his comfortable personal office.
Peter gulped. What'd I do? he thought.
"Cranston," Mr. McKean began, "You're the best journalism student I've ever had. And you're my ace reporter. Now, tell me... What is this?"
Mr. McKean, Angel Grove High Herald's new editor-in-chief was strict. Grammar, spelling, punctuation, everything. Not only was he editor-in-chief, he was also one of Angel Grove High's History, English, and Journalism teachers.
The editor held out a copy of the Angel Grove Herald to Peter. He skimmed over the lines. Oops! he thought.
"You're a genius, Cranston," Mr. McKean said, again, "You're good at English! You're good at every subject here at Angel Grove High. What happened to you? This is all covered in typographical errors!"
The editor almost swore.
Peter cringed and grinned sheepishly.
Besides the typographical errors in his article, the cutline on the photo he took read, "This is a cutline. This is a cutline. This is a cutline. This is a cutline. This is a cutline. This is a cutline. This is a cutline..."
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Edmund and Jacob sat in front of their computers, tapping away at the keyboard, and whispering from time to time, comparing notes with each other.
When suddenly...
Everyone in the room looked up at the flickering lights, and back to their computer screens. The lights flickered again, for a second or two, then went out.
So did the computers.
The room was filled with the noise of grumbling and complaining students.
"Oh, snap!" Edmund said, "Now we're never gonna be able to finish our reading responses."
"Tell me about it," Jacob said, "We've only done—what? I've only done two and a half!"
"Lucky you have two and a half. I've only done one. Then a blackout. Great."
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Bored with History class, Braelyn Oliver carved the words, "My Prince" and a heart on the wooden desk with her dry, nonfunctioning pen.
She looked up when she noticed the lights flickering. Turning to Rockford, she said, "Looks like a blackout."
"Yeah, I'll say."
"Everyone, don't panic! It's only a blackout, people! Nothing to worry or be scared about," Mr. Hendricks said, trying to calm everyone down.
"Have you seen Dawn?" Braelyn asked a classmate, looking at the empty chair beside her.
"Probably in the restroom."
Rockford passed a note to Braelyn.
I bet she has something to do with this!
Braelyn nodded, and together with Rockford, silently slipped out, unnoticed.
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"Darn it!" Peter said, as he stood, "I haven't saved that yet!"
He removed his glasses, rubbed his eyes and the bridge of his nose, paced, then sat back down.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
"Angel Grove is experiencing a major blackout," the report on TV began, "Almost a third of the city has lost its pow—"
Shut off.
Tommy frantically contacted the team.
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Beep! Beep! Beep! Beep! Beep! Beep!
"Where are you guys?" Tommy said into the communicator.
"Somewhere no one can see us," came Jacob's reply.
"Good. There's a monster attacking Angel Grove, and it's sucking all of Angel Grove's power supply."
"That explains the blackouts, then," Peter said.
"And the Pink Ranger may have something to do with it."
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"Yes! Yes!" Zedd said with a laugh, "She has something to do with this, alright!"
Dawn Hart stood beside Zedd, mustering her most wicked smile.
Her eyes glowed red.
"I bet they haven't discovered what the monster's made of yet," she said with a smirk.
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"Alright! It's Morphin time!" Jacob said, "Tigerzord!"
"Mastodon!"
"Triceratops!"
"Saber-toothed Tiger!"
"Tyrannosaurus!"
"Alright," the Black Ranger said, "Let's pull the plug on this monster!"
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Everyone was running helter-skelter, now. Pandemonium, everywhere. The monster was wreaking havoc on the city.
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In Angel Grove High, students were instructed not to touch anything metal, as metal is a good conductor of electricity.
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"Looks like somebody here left the lights on," the Yellow Ranger said, sarcastically, when they arrived at the scene.
"Come to party, Power Rangers?" the Livewire teased.
"That looks like—" the Red Ranger said, pointing at the monster.
"A generator!" the Blue Ranger added, finishing the statement.
"Yes!" the monster replied, "That's right! I'm a generator!"
The monster glowed fiery red, and sent out shockwave after shockwave of electricity. High voltage.
"Can't...hold on..." the Blue Ranger managed to say, "Feels like...I'm about...to spontaneously...combust!"
Everywhere, people were shocked with bolts of electricity emanating from the monster.
The Yellow Ranger, Black Ranger, and Red Ranger were hit with a bolt, and were already on the ground.
But the White and Blue Rangers stood firm. Amazingly—strangely, although hit by the bolt, they never seemed to be affected by it. In fact, it was as if they weren't even conductors at all.
They pushed hard against the current of electricity, and tried to fend off Zedd's monster.
The White Ranger managed to use Saba, and the Blue Ranger used his Power Lance.
The two Rangers nodded to each other.
"You think this will work?"
"It better work," the Whiter Ranger said, in answer to the Blue Ranger's question. Then, to his sword Saba, "You ready for this, partner?"
"Ready
when you are, boss!" the talking sword replied.
But before they
could attack, they were hit by another bolt. This time, it sent them
flying backwards, like the others.
"Too late, Power Rangers! I'm afraid it's lights out for you!"
Another bolt.
Then the Livewire vanished, white bolts of energy travelling through the wires.
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Meanwhile, at Angel Grove High...
The Pink Ranger had been casting spells on students and teachers alike, when the monster arrived at Angel Grove High.
She worked on a combination of spells. Sometimes freezing the students; sometimes mimicking the powers of the Livewire; sometimes creating her own unique blasts.
The others were still out cold, but the Black, White, and Blue Rangers managed to teleport to the scene and arrived in time.
Meanwhile, the Livewire was firing at anyone and everyone in its path, electrifying lockers, knobs, and drinking fountains.
"Noah!" one student shouted, "Let's go! Run!"
Not listening to his friend, the kid stopped by a drinking fountain and drank. He was thrown a couple of feet with force by the electricity that surged through the metal and the water.
Noah! the Pink Ranger wanted to scream, Noah! But no sound came out.
"Noah!" she finally managed, "Are you alright?"
He was unconscious.
Oh, God! the Pink Ranger thought, What have I done?
"You'll pay for this, Static Shock," the Pink Ranger said through gritted teeth.
Then, she fitted her bowstring to the groove of her arrow, stretched it far back, and fired.
The arrow zinged past fleeing students and almost hit the monster, if it had not vanished by slipping through an outlet.
The arrow clattered to the floor.
The three other Rangers stood there, dumbfounded.
"I thought you were one of them," the Black Ranger said, in an accusatory tone.
"I am one of them," the Pink Ranger said, coldly.
"Then what was that?" the White Ranger asked.
"The enemy of my enemy is my friend."
And with that, the Pink Ranger vanished in a flash of pink energy.
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"Dad," the White Ranger said, "How's Braelyn?"
"She's doing alright. What's the four-one-one on things?"
"She keeps evading us, Dad."
"Well?"
"But we're keeping up a good fight," the Blue Ranger put in.
"Good job, Rangers. Now, keep up a better fight."
"We certainly will, Dad," the White Ranger answered.
"How's Roc?" the Black Ranger said.
"He's doing okay. His vital signs are fine, which is a good thing."
"Alright. Good."
"Anything else?" Tommy asked.
"We're trying to calm the students down. And the paramedics are doing their job," the Black Ranger said.
"By the way, Dad," the White Ranger added, "You won't guess who almost helped us, just now."
"Surprise me."
"The Pink Ranger."
"Apparently, though, she has motive."
"And that is...?"
"Dad, you know what's going on with Dawn and Brae! You've seen her cry herself to sleep," the White Ranger spat out.
"Alright, alright. Just...don't let yourselves get sidetracked, okay? Concentrate on the monster, not the Pink Ranger."
"Got it."
"Good. May the Power protect you!"
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Meanwhile, at the DeSantos residence...
Katherine Hillard-DeSantos was now on the second trimester of her pregnancy, having her and Rocky's fifth child.
She went to the kitchen to get a drink of water and to wash.
As she reached out to turn the faucet on, she was thrown back with a powerful force. She hit the floor, having lost consciousness.
But she had lost more than that in the process.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
At the Olivers...
"Alright, guys," Tommy began, "What's the update?"
"We haven't heard from the Livewire, yet..."
"She might be resting or planning her next move," Peter thought out loud.
"That's a possibility," Billy said.
"We better plan our next move, then," Jacob said.
"Which is?" came Braelyn's sarcastic response.
Jacob was silent for awhile. Braelyn raised an eyebrow.
"Just one question, though," Tommy said, directing the question at Jacob and Peter, "How did you and Peter manage to survive the Livewire's attacks since your uniform is made of armor? Braelyn and the others got hit very badly, while you guys were unscathed."
"I was actually able to block the monster's attacks with my thoughts," Peter said.
"And my shield must've absorbed its energy. No idea why."
"I think I know just why. When Zordon made me the White Ranger, he said that my powers cannot be made evil, nor could it be touched by evil. The thought just occurred to me," Tommy said, "Maybe the White Ranger's uniform is sacred. It must've absorbed the monster's energy."
"I've heard of legends like those, before," Billy interrupted, "One legend in China has it that a warrior who once wielded a sacred sword was struck by lightning, and his sword, being sacred, absorbed its energy until the blade glowed red."
All was silent.
"Guys," Jacob said, "I think we've got a plan!"
"Could it be that Saba is a sacred sword?" Braelyn asked.
"It's worth a shot, Brae. It's worth a shot."
"Alright!" Edmund said.
"Back in action!"
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"I'm afraid it's lights out for you!" the Black Ranger said, pointing at the monster.
"Yeah!" all the other Rangers joined in, in chorus.
"Says who, Puny Rangers?"
"Says us!" the Pink Ranger said, aiming her arrow at the offending party.
"You again?" the Yellow Ranger said, "You traitor! What are you doing here?"
"Hasn't it occurred to you that we have a monster to destroy? Now get over yourself and together we can finish him off!"
"Yeah? Why? Because she hurt Noah?"
"Gals, gals, gals!" the Red Ranger said, "Enough with the drama already! Can we please just concentrate on the fighting?"
"If she's up to it," the Pink Ranger said, "I'm willing to set all that aside if she is."
"Fine!"
"That's better," the Blue Ranger said.
"Now," the White Ranger said, "We'll take you down! Isn't that right, Rangers?"
"Right!" they all answered in chorus.
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The battle was long and hard, with neither party gaining the upper hand. But the Rangers fought bravely.
"I think now's a good time to put that plan of yours into action," the Yellow Ranger said to the White Ranger.
"If she attacks with electricity again. Apparently, she's saving her energy for a later—"
But whatever the White Ranger was going to say was cut off. The Pink, Blue, Yellow, Black, and Red Rangers were thrown back with a mighty force, and it was clear that they had been electrocuted. They could not move. They were being held back.
"Now, Rangers," the Livewire teased, "I shall destroy you one by one! Starting with your leader!"
The monster gave out a sickening kind of laugh.
Alright, Jake, you can do this, the White Ranger thought to himself.
"Are you ready for this, Saba?"
"Ready when you are, Boss," came the enchanted sword's reply. The White Ranger raised his sword high.
"Fool," the monster said, "You're going to die!"
"Not if it's a sacred sword I'm holding, no-sir-ee, Bob."
"Fool!"
The Livewire sent a bolt of electricity aimed at the Ranger. The White Ranger gripped his hilt tighter. Lowering the blade to chest level, he attempted to block the surge of electricity emanating from the monster. But instead of deflecting it, like Billy had said, it absorbed the bolt.
"Now!" the Blue Ranger shouted.
"Oh my gosh! What's he doing? He's gonna get himself killed!" the Pink Ranger said.
"Trust me. He won't."
The White Ranger lifted the blade high. Higher. Higher. The monster kept concentrating on the Ranger before her.
At first, nothing seemed to be happening. But there it was! A faint glow of pink at first. Then, it began to redden more, until it was red hot with the bolts of electricity from the monster, making not just the blade but also the surrounding area grow.
"Now, Jacob!" the Blue Ranger shouted.
With the fluid grace that he acquired through his martial arts training with his dad, he lowered his sword back to chest level, thrusted, straightening his arms, pointing the blade directly at the monster. With this move, the White Ranger channeled all the energy Saba had absorbed back to the Livewire.
"Nooooooooooooooooooo!!!"
An explosion was heard, and sparks flew, marking the end of the Livewire.
"Yes!" the Rangers all said in unison.
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"Blast those wretched Power Rangers!!!" Zedd screamed with all his might, "And blast that sorry excuse of a—a minion!"
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At the Droid Café...
"We'll have five boxes of pizza, and five chocolate malt shakes," Rockford said to the droid who was taking their orders.
"Right away, sir," the droid responded and headed to the kitchen.
"Five?" Peter asked, "You mean to say we're gonna finish all of this? Five boxes per person? Per individual person?"
"Yeah, man," Edmund joined in, "You gotta be kidding! I can't finish a whole box."
"No," Rockford said, "We're only going to eat three boxes. We're bringing the rest to the hospital. Remember? I got a call from Dad?"
"Right. Sorry 'bout that, bro."
Edmund was suddenly quiet.
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Nino's Ristorante Italiano...
"Man, Kim... It's great to see you again," Tommy said, fidgeting with his food.
Kimberly chuckled and blushed.
"It's great to see you too, Tommy," she said.
By now, she must be in her 40s, and she had lines on her face, now, but she was still as beautiful as ever.
"You're still beautiful," Tommy said.
Kimberly opened her mouth, dropped her fork, looked down, blushed, and grinned sheepishly.
Does he still love me? Oh my God! I can't... I can't believe...
"Thanks," she finally managed, "And you're...still...handsome."
Tommy chuckled.
"So," he added, "Tell me all about him. Mr. Wonderful-Kind-And-Caring... What's he like?"
"Tommy, please—"
"Kim, I want to know."
"His memory is painful to me!" the costumers turned to watch them, then resumed eating.
"Why? Because he left you? Some caring guy! If he was what you say he was, where is he now? Why don't I see him? He left you, didn't he? Didn't he? Did he get you pregnant, leave you with a kid, then left?"
"Stop it! Thanks for ruining our date, you bastard!"
Kimberly slammed her fork down on her plate and stalked off. Everyone was looking at Tommy.
"Mind your own business, will you?"
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"Cheers!" Peter said.
"Cheers!" the others answered and clinked their glasses together.
"Dig in, guys," Edmund said, as their order arrived.
"Oh, and I'd like to order two buckets of Buffalo wings," Rockford said. His friends' mouths dropped in shock.
"Two buckets of Buffalo wings?"
"For our hero, of course!"
They all laughed.
"Seriously though, you guys. You don't have to do this. No special treatment, okay? My victory is your victory," Jacob said.
"But still," Peter said, "You saved the day."
"Yeah!" the others said, unanimously.
"Guys, please. I insist."
"If he insists," Braelyn said, giving her twin brother a knowing look, "There's nothing we can do about it."
"Well, it would be rude to order something and not eat it. Or cancel it. We'll have the Buffalo wings, then!"
"Alright!" the others said in chorus.
"Good teamwork, guys," Jacob said.
"Oh, yeah," Peter said, "Congratulations to us!"
"To us!" they all said, raising their glasses of malt shake for a toast.
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"Kimberly, please... I—I'm sorry," Tommy said, as he approached Kimberly on the boardwalk.
"He died, you insensitive jerk!" she said, crying now.
"I'm so sorry. I am so sorry," he said.
After a pause, "Did he love you?"
Kimberly couldn't look at Tommy, but she nodded her head vigorously.
"Did you love him?"
"Tommy, please—"
"Kim, I need to know."
"Yes. Yes, I did. We were married. He was a good man. I wouldn't say he was perfect, but he was a good man. And he gave me Dawn."
"So I heard."
"Tommy, he was a gentleman. Every bit a gentleman as you. A Prince Charming. A knight in shining armor on a white steed. Maybe that's why I fell for him. He was so much like you, and we were apart...I..."
Tommy nodded.
"I...I understand. What happened?" Tommy asked, his face full of compassion.
"His brother was jealous because he wanted me. So he murdered him."
Tommy almost swore. Then, in one impulsive move, he covered Kimberly's mouth with his.
Suddenly, as if my magic—or as if on cue—the song "My Destiny" began to play in the background.
Every mistake
Every wrong turn
Every time I lost my way....
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"Hey, are you guys going to the hospital with me?" Rockford asked the group.
"Yeah, sure! Of course!" they answered, simultaneously.
"Uh, you guys pay the bill," Braelyn said, "while I go wash up and powder my nose. Don't leave without me."
Jacob shook his head and wore a sarcastic smile on his face. Braelyn elbowed him.
"Girls..."
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"Look," Braelyn said, as she finished touching up her makeup, "Just because you were concerned about Noah doesn't make you my friend. Nor does helping us make you one of us."
Dawn scoffed.
"And who says I'm one of you?"
She vanished a flash of pink and white energy.
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Angel Grove Memorial Medical Center...
"Mom," Rockford said, "I'm sorry."
"It's okay, Sweetie. It's okay."
"Would you like us to sit up with you for the night, Mrs. DeSantos?" Peter said.
"No thanks. I can handle myself. I'll be safe here."
"Are you sure, Mom?"
"I'm sure, Sweetie."
"We brought you some pizza, Kat," Braelyn said.
"Why, that's sweet of you, Braelyn! Thank you."
"And flowers," Edmund said, placing the flowers on a table nearby.
"And cards," Jacob added, and they each gave their cards to Katherine.
"And balloons, too. I forgot," Rockford said.
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I
have always dreamed of this With you, finally I can break free You
were always by my side With
you, finally I can break free Can I get any higher? With
you... yeah... I can break free yeah It's all changing in my
destiny I've realized that it's my
destiny
I'll admit that there was something I
missed
Wondering if it is for real
Every mistake every wrong
turn
Every time I lost my way
Led me to this
Moment of
bliss tonight
With
you, it's all changing in my destiny
Dream come true, it's so
funny now that I see
How different life turned out to be
That you believed in me was enough reason
why
I didn't stop, didn't give up
Even if I sometimes lost
hope
I did my best, and I am blessed
In life
With you, it's all changing in my
destiny dream come true, it's so funny now that I see
How
different life turned out to be yeah
Tell me
Does it get any stronger?
I owe it to you
That
I made it through
I never could have done it without you
Dream come true, its so funny now that I see
How
different life turned out to be.
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The End.
