Power Rangers GPX, Episode 20: The Reluctant Polar Bear
"Why does it have to be cold in here?" Mandla asked as he shivered in one of the rinks at the RDV Ice Den. "I just came from a cold area and now I have to suffer with cold again?"
"Oh, just deal with it!" said Sean. He laced up his hockey skates like the borderline professional he is. Mandla had little trouble lacing up his skates. It was standing on them that was the problem. Kevin had little trouble standing on them. Maria stumbled on her skates and Bridget helped Allie get into her skates. Tommy laced up himself. Rob did not lace up. Someone had to care for Cassie, after all.
Even though the Rangers had to deal with the Zordonians and the new Flashman, they had time to relax. Zordonian attacks were usually within days of each other, not every day, so they could dedicate time for leisure. Didn't mean they weren't on alert, though. If there was an alert of an attack, they would spring into action.
Well, if you're wondering why they're going ice skating, here's the response: Why not? They're in Central Florida, after all. It gets hot and humid, might as well relax at an ice rink.
Sean jumped on his skates, eager to go. "Come on!" He said. "I'll bet I can skate circles around all of you!" Wearing his old Chicago Steel captain's sweater Sean looked the part of a long-time hockey player.
"Will you hold on?" Mandla complained. "I have to get up!"
"You've never skated before in your life, have you?" Sean asked.
"No," said Mandla. Sean burst into laughter. "We don't have rinks in Johannesburg, at least none that I've heard of!"
"I feel sorry for you," he said. "Okay, I'll let out on the ice first."
"Sure," said Mandla. "Why don't you tease Maria for not being able to skate?"
"I'll get to that," he replied.
"Come on Allie," said Bridget as she led her daughter to the ice rink. It was a slow business day. The on-ice traffic was slim so they could do as much as they wanted on the ice.
They walked and/or stumbled over to the rink. Mandla stumbled on first before a red-colored blur zipped past. They saw Sean zoom down the ice and back towards them in just a matter of seconds and stopping right in front of them, spraying them with ice shavings as he stopped.
"Come on, I haven't got all day," he said before he skated off again.
"Show-off," Maria muttered. Of course, she didn't fare so well either when she stepped onto the ice. She stumbled and fell just like Mandla.
However this time, Sean skated over and helped her up. "Ups-a-daisy," he said as he lifted her up. "Did you ever learn how to skate?"
"No," she replied.
"You and Ndebele are on the same level," he said with a laugh. "Bridget will help you get started."
"Why won't you?" She asked.
"Tommy challenged me to a race," he replied. "Let's go, Tommy! I'm gonna kick your… well you know!"
"Oh no you're not!" Tommy said as he took off to race Sean. The two left the others in their icy dust.
"Show-off," Maria muttered. She struggled to get moving, skating like a newbie. "I hate this," she muttered in Spanish. She stumbled over her skates as Sean and Tommy zipped past, the two of them locked neck and neck. Kevin was doing fine on his own, simply taking his time and Hitomi tried to stay with Maria. Mandla, well…
"I take it you didn't learn how to skate," said Bridget.
"No," she said.
"Didn't you ever learn to roller skate?"
"No."
"Roller blade? Anything?"
"No."
"That stinks. I would have expected someone from Venezuela to learn how to skate somehow." Bridget somehow hit a nerve and Maria stopped on one of the boards. She turned away and Bridget knew she must have hit a sore spot. "Oh, I'm so sorry," she said. "It wasn't my place to ask that." However, Hitomi whispered something in her ear right as Sean and Tommy zipped past. "Actually, did you ever learn how to skate in Brazil?"
"No," Maria finally said. Bridget guessed talking about Brazil isn't a sore spot for her. "I didn't get the chance."
"Well you're going to get the chance now!" said Hitomi.
"Why, are you going to teach me?" she asked.
"I can," said Bridget.
"It's weally easy!" said an enthusiastic Allie.
"She already knows how to skate?" Maria asked.
"Of course," said Bridget. "You love to skate, don't you sweetie?"
"I wove skating!" Allie chirped. Maria couldn't help but laugh at how cute the toddler was. And then Sean and Tommy sped past.
"Will you two slow down?" She shouted. "Sean, you're acting like a little kid!"
"Just leave him alone," said Bridget. "He hasn't had a chance to see Tommy lately." Of course, considering how stressful Ranger work can be, a chance to have some fun isn't so bad. "I'd love to go to Brazil some day, though."
"It's a fantastic country," said Maria. "Actually, that reminds me of my amiga Simone and this funny story. We were at Copacabana Beach on some lazy Sunday. This guy who I think was from Russia started acting stupid. We asked what he was doing and he said, 'I'm in Brazil! I can do what I want!'
But my amiga Simon shouted back, 'that doesn't give you an excuse to act like a moron!'" Bridget burst into laughter, just as Sean sped past.
"And he wins it!" He shouted in mock triumph.
"No fair!" Tommy shouted back. "You pushed me!"
"I did not!" Sean replied. "You're just a sore loser, just like—"
"Don't you dare speak of it!" Tommy shouted as he tried to chase after Sean. Maria watch bewildered, Hitomi watched confused and Bridget facepalmed.
"Hey! Knock it off, you two!" She shouted.
"Sorry Bridge," Sean said as he skidded to a stop while Tommy sped past him. Sean and Kevin seemed to exchange some words before skating off. Mandla had pretty much given up and had left the ice.
"I think I'm going to try this," said Maria. Imitating what Sean was doing, she took off away from Bridget and Allie. It was difficult for her to get used to skating, but she was getting the hang of it, unlike Mandla. Wuss. She started to gain some speed and she actually started to have fun doing it. Now she could see why Sean loved skating and hockey so much; this is fast! She kept down this, enjoying the wind in her face (even though it's indoors).
Hitomi looked around the stands and noticed Rob holding Cassie. She pointed him out to Bridget. "Say hi to daddy, Allie!" She said.
"Hi daddy!" The toddler waved. Rob waved back, a big smile on his face.
Then Hitomi saw someone near him. He had long brown hair. She eventually recognized him. "That's Marcus Schneider," she said to Bridget. "I wonder why he's watching us."
This disguise as Marcus Schneider must have been working because the Pink Ranger noticed him and didn't even recognize him as Kalderon. It must have been the sunglasses. However, she did look suspicious at how he was looking at them and figured he certainly looked suspicious to the other humans. In order to fool them, Kalderon sat down in the bleachers and just watched them without making them suspicious of him. A good disguise is one where they feel you're no threat. However, the man holding the infant was looking at him as if he recognized him-although it might not be as Kalderon, but as Marcus Schneider. Kalderon just acknowledged him and went back to watching the Rangers. The Yellow Ranger certainly looked like she was having fun.
Maria was certainly getting the hang of skating. She was going faster than she had been going earlier and enjoying the breeze of the skating. She passed Bridget and Hitomi saying a quick 'hi' as she sped past and eventually passing Tommy. Soon, she found herself coming up behind Sean. She felt like skating past him, but she had a little problem. You see, she doesn't know how to stop and it became glaringly obvious. She found herself losing control towards Sean somehow. "HEYHEYHEYHEY LOOK OUT!" She called right as Sean turned around.
SLAM!
It would have been a great check if it wasn't so funny. She crashed head-first into Sean and the two fell to the ice. "Ow!" said Sean. "You should have warned me earli—" He stopped when they both noticed their situation. Maria had landed right on top of Sean and now she was hovering on top of him in what could be considered a suggestive position. Now if that last passage was handled better, then it would have been funny. In fact though, Kevin was laughing his ass off. But the real humor is in their reactions.
They both stared at each other before their faces got red. Reaction in 3… 2… 1… "GAAAHHH!"
"GET OF ME!" Sean shouted.
"I'M TRYING!" Maria shouted back. The two were hilariously tangled up and desperately trying to get untangled. Kevin and Mandla were laughing like hyenas while Bridget skated over to them to help them up.
"Maria, you need to be more careful," she said.
"Lo siento," said Maria, her first Spanish words in this arc.
"Although I admit it was pretty funny, but at least not for either of you."
"Obviously," Sean said as he brushed some ice shavings off of his sweater.
"I think you should teach Maria how to skate," said Bridget. Sean looked at her with wide eyes and again Kevin burst into laughter. That earned a glare from Sean before he skated off.
"Why is he wearing a hockey jersey?" Kalderon said in a fake (but convincing) German accent.
"He played hockey for a team called the Chicago Steel," said Rob. Now Kalderon obviously knew this, but he was just looking for an excuse to talk to Sean.
"I may have an offer for him," he said as he walked down to the benches. He got in and waited for Sean to notice him. He did and beckoned him over after Sean needed a little verification, he came over. "Guten tag," he said as Sean slid to a stop.
"You're that Marcus Schneider guy, aren't you?" He asked.
"Yes, good sir," he said in his fake, yet convincing German accent. "I hear you're a hockey player."
"Yeah, I am," said Sean. "Why do you ask?"
"I want to make an offer to you," he said. Sean looked at him for a moment before speaking.
"What are you proposing?"
"We could bring up an endorsement deal," he said.
"What kind of endorsement deal?" Sean asked.
"My company is developing some new hockey skates and sticks," said Kalderon.
"But I like Bauer and Easton," said Sean. It was more of a tone of disappointment. "What makes you think your stuff is better than theirs?"
"We are developing our skates and sticks in Munich," he said. "There with our German engineering," what is this, a Volkswagen commercial? "We are developing the best in skates and sticks. We think you could be a good spokesperson for us."
"Really?" Sean asked. "What are you offering?"
"Millions," said Kalderon. He could see the dollar signs in Sean's eyes. It was certainly working.
"Really? Even for a minor league player?" Sean asked.
"Sure," said Kalderon. "Its will certainly make you better than your current talent level." However, Kalderon noticed Sean wasn't happy. The human skated away from Kalderon. He was confused at first until Sean skated back, skidded to a stop and sprayed ice shavings all over Kalderon.
"Deal's off," said Sean.
"Why?"
"You insulted me," said Sean. "If you want to close a deal, don't insult your client." He skated off, leaving Kalderon standing alone.
"He rejected my proposal," Kalderon said to Eltar via their communicators.
"Don't get angry," he said in response. "You should be prepared for these moments."
"I suppose you're right," he said. "I have my monster in position to attack."
"Have you come up with a comprehensive strategy?"
"Not yet," he said. "But I will."
:-:-:-:-:
The next day (and two days after Episode 19) Kevin awoke to a cloudless day. The previous day was rainy so that's one reason they were at the ice rink. He got up, did his morning routine and prepared a nice cup of Irish tea and some Apple Jacks for breakfast, sitting down at the island in the kitchen. Usually Kevin or Daisuke was the first one to get up. Sean slept until 10:00-11:00, Maria and Hitomi needed their beauty sleep and Mandla was still getting adjusted to the different time zones.
However, Mandla was up right now and looking out the door. Kevin walked over to him. "Top of the mornin'," he said. "What are you looking at?"
"That," said Mandla. He pointed out the door and Kevin could not believe his eyes; an ice rink being built in the backyard? It was a big backyard, but an ice rink? That's weird.
"What the (YAWN) hell's going on out there?" Sean asked as he stepped into the kitchen, his hair a mess. He perked up when he saw the two. "What the hell are you looking at?"
"An ice rink," said Mandla. Suddenly, Sean burst through both of them and rushed outside. "He must be excited," said Mandla.
"No doubt," said Kevin.
"Who is that he's talking to?"
"I think that's Daisuke," said Kevin. "Now why is he… oh, now I get it; he must have paid for that ice rink."
"How nice of him," said Mandla, "Even though he's reputed to be an asshole?"
"He must be doing this as a way of saying 'sorry'," said Kevin.
"Even though Sean isn't going to like him?"
"No, he knows he still hates him. He's doing it anyway."
"I guess Rich Boy's good for something," Sean said as he came inside. "It's Super-Glide, good stuff."
"Is that an ice rink?" Maria asked as she grabbed her café.
"Yep," said Kevin.
"I guess we know how Sean's going to spend his afternoons," Kevin said as he walked away. But Kevin could not help but feel a strange feeling while walking away. Sean got an ice rink while all Kevin got was a rugby ball. He kind of wished he could have the same attention Sean was getting.
Kevin was starting to fell envy.
:-:-:-:-:-:-:
"I want you to attack the city, said Kalderon. He was talking to a polar bear-like monster. However, the monster didn't look too crazy about attacking.
"But I don't want to!" he said. "I can't kill people!"
"I don't care!" said Kalderon. "You'll attack the city and that's an order! Got it?"
"Got it."
:-:-:-:-:-:
The day was mostly quiet. Sean just practiced on the synthetic ice. Everyone else hung out in the house. On a day like today, you wouldn't expect any Zordonian attack. But, this is Power Rangers, and knowing the nature of the series, that was bound to change sooner or later.
BEEP! BEEP! BEEP!
Their AcceleMorphers lit up. Kevin answered, even though Sean was most likely answering outside. "What is it?" He asked.
"We have Zordonian activity near Lake Eola," said the operator. "It's a small number of Swabots but there is a monster. Don't be fooled, this might be a powerful monster."
"Got it!" Sean's voice crackled over the other line. "We're on our way!" Soon, Sean came in through the patio door, soaked with sweat, clad in socks and holding his skates in his left hand. "Alright, you heard that, let's move!"
After a quick morph, the Indys screamed down the Orlando streets. Traffic was disrupted by these race car look-alikes and there were not very many happy drivers. But if they knew of the possible emergency that was unfolding, they would have been more understanding. But they don't, so it won't matter. No, the police could not catch the Rangers, either.
They stopped not too far from the actual lake itself and hid the Indys. "Let's cover the rest of the way on foot," said Sean. The other Rangers voiced their agreement and they ran to Lake Eola.
Surprisingly, there was a fewer number of Swabots than usual. The Rangers were so used to massive number of Swabots that this small number came as a shock. However, there was a monster with them. A Polar Bear monster armed with a hockey stick. "That's new," said Sean as the Rangers approached. They stopped in front of this small force. The Polar Bear noticed them.
"About time you got here!" It said. For some reason it looked like the Toronto Maple Leafs mascot.
"Should we even be scared?" Maria asked.
"Well, Polar Bears are apex predators," said Sean. "So yeah."
"Swabots, get them!" The Polar Bear shouted. The 20-or-so Swabots attacked.
It was easy for the Rangers to deal with these Swabots. There were only 20 so it didn't take long to breeze right through them. Sean just kicked around, taking out their heads with each swing of his leg. Kevin bowled into them, knocking them down like bowling pins. Mandla was a little more agile, dodging and punching at every opportunity. Maria just sweep-kicked a few down, and then shooting them. Hitomi did the same as she always did, leaping over her foes before finishing them off.
"Man, either Swabots are weak or we're just getting better," Sean remarked as soon as they were done with the Swabots. "Alright, teddy, you're next!"
"Bring it!" The polar bear replied.
"Maria, you're first," said Sean.
"Got it," she said. Instantly, she ran forward, flipped and kicked at the polar bear. The fight had begun. She punched and kicked at the monster, forcing it backwards towards Lake Eola. The polar bear was too fat to actually fight back. A bad choice for a monster, really. It looked too much like the Toronto Maple Leafs mascot to be a threat.
The NHL mascot reject stumbled backwards. It nearly fell into the water but it managed to stabilize itself. But that's when Hitomi jumped on Maria's shoulder and swung her re-painted Mountain Staff. The polar bear monster (named Pola-Killer, a terrible name, really) stumbled onto the ground, nearly crushing some geese. The Rangers ran up to him and simply stood around. It was almost pathetic, really. This lousy excuse for an NHL mascot just didn't match up to them.
"No, please! Don't hurt me!" The monster pleaded. The Rangers didn't even move.
"Get the hell out of here weakling," said Sean. "To be honest, I feel kind of sorry for you. Why don't you go to Toronto and become the Maple Leafs mascot?" With that, the Rangers de-morphed and walked away from Pola-Killer. Hitomi lingered though, feeling sorry for the monster. But, she walked away, too.
"Hey!" He shouted. "Don't walk away! I can still beat you!" However, the Rangers were in no mood to fight this creature. "Ah, who am I kidding?" he asked. "I'm useless."
:-:-:-:-:-:
"Why did I send that pathetic excuse for a monster?" Kalderon asked. "He can't fight and he's too soft. Besides, he never really wanted to fight, anyway." He lounged back on his chair and tried to come up with a new plan. However, his thoughts were interrupted when a swirl of cherry blossom leaves appeared and Tirna materialized in them.
"Hello Kalderon," said the general. "Having difficulty today?"
"Save your breath," Kalderon replied.
"How rude," said Tirna. "It seems you had a lapse in judgment. Pola-Killer is just a big… what are those stuffed toys humans carry again? Oh yes, teddy bear." Kalderon glared at Tirna and went back to thinking. The orange-haired general smirked and took it as a request to keep going. "Really, why would you have Pola-Killer attack? He's a big softie, he can't kill."
"He will," said Kalderon. "Whether he wants to or not."
:-:-:-:-:-:
The Rangers spent their lunchtime at the Orange County library café, just having some sandwiches. The monster battle had left them a little disappointed. They thought he'd be a threat; instead he was weak and didn't want to fight. While the other Rangers were just minding their own business, Hitomi looked a little upset. "I feel sorry for that monster," she said.
"How so?" asked Sean.
"I don't think he wanted to fight," she replied. "Maybe these Zordonian monsters aren't as vicious as we thought."
"I could certainly see that," said Mandla.
"Do you guys even care?" Hitomi angrily asked. "Is all you care about killing those monsters?"
"Well, no but—" Kevin was about to finish, but Hitomi wanted nothing of it.
"I don't want to hear it!" she shouted as she stormed out of the library. Maria got up and followed her friend.
"What was that all about?" Sean asked.
"Hitomi!" Maria called after her. Hitomi stopped and looked back at her best friend. "What's going on?"
"I think it's cruel what's going on with that monster," she said. "He's like a big teddy bear, he couldn't hurt anyone."
"Hitomi, we showed it mercy," said Maria. "It wasn't even worth fighting."
"You're just like the boys!" Hitomi shouted. "All you care about is killing monsters!" She stormed off, leaving Maria to wonder just what got into that girl.
"What's with her?" Sean asked when Maria got back.
"I think she believes we're too cruel," said Maria.
"Cruel?" Sean asked. If you thought he'd try to refute that, you're wrong. Instead, he thought about what the girl said. She might have a point.
As for Pola-Killer, he was still hanging around Lake Eola. A lot of people stared at him, seemingly mistrustful of him. It didn't matter to him. He was just a Zordonian monster. But, "I don't want to do this. Why me?" He sighed and looked at his reflection. A big, giant teddy bear; that's all he was. And yet, people still didn't like him. That tough-guy persona he had just didn't suit him. "Oh, I just want to—"
"What do you want?" He turned around to see a Japanese girl looking at him. "Do you want to talk?"
"Why, so you can run away?" He asked. "No one likes me."
"But I think you're just a big softie," she said, a smile on her face. Pola-Killer was surprised at this girl's words. "And there's nothing wrong with that."
"But I'm a Zordonian monster," he said. "I'm supposed to be ferocious! Aren't you afraid of me?"
"No," she said as she sat down next to him. "You weren't in the mood when we fought." If Pola-Bear had human expressions, he would have had wide eyes. "I thought you saw my face earlier. Oh, I haven't introduced myself. My name's Hitomi, what's yours?" She extended her hand and a smile crossed her face. At first he was unsure, but he extended his paw.
"Pola-Killer," he said.
"That's not a good name for a nice guy like you," she said. "You need a better name."
"Like what?"
"Oh, maybe, Poley?" Pola-Killer snorted. "Do you want to be friends?" Pola-Killer turned his head and saw Hitomi sweetly smiling at him. And dammit, it melted his heart.
"Um, friends?"
"You know what they are, right?"
"But we barely know each other," he said. "Why would we be friends?"
"Does it matter?" she asked. "Everyone needs friends." She sounded like Tea Gardner.
"But you hit me earlier!" He said.
"Okay, I'm sorry about that," she said. "But, that's no excuse not to be friends."
"Um," He paused, but Hitomi continued.
"You know, you look like a hockey mascot," said Hitomi.
"You think?" He asked, actually flattered.
"Yeah," said Hitomi. "I think you'd make a great mascot."
"Thanks!" he said. Some swans came over to them. Pola-Killer froze, but Hitomi took his paw and put some bread crumbs in his hand.
"Give them the crumbs," she said. Pola-Killer extended his hand. The swans simply ate the bread crumbs from Pola-Killer. If he had human features, he would have had wide eyes. Hitomi smiled and giggled.
"See?" she said. Pola-Killer shook his head. "You're a gentle creature at heart, aren't you?"
"I guess," he said.
"I've never met a kind Zordonian monster before," she said. "You kind of surprised me. I thought all of them were mean."
"Most of us are on the side of our Emperor," he said. 'They just want to destroy. I don't."
"It's okay," she said. "How cares about them? You can be your own monster."
"I guess I can," he said.
"There you go!" Hitomi cheerfully said. "Why don't you come meet—"
"Choushinsei!"
"Flashman!" Hitomi got up and so did Pola-Killer. The Flashman were gathered in front of them.
"Get away from that beast!" Red Flash declared. "We're here to kill it!"
Pola-Killer got ready to defend himself, but Hitomi got between him and the Flashman. "Don't you dare!" she said forcefully. Any former confidence issues were gone her. "He's gentle, not a killer!"
"Get away, girl!" Flash Blue shouted. "That thing is a monster, it needs to die!"
"I wonder who the monster is," she said. "Him or you." She displayed her morpher and key. "GPX, Start it Up!" She morphed and drew her Octane Blaster. "If you dare fight him, I will not forgive you."
"You are foolish Pink Ranger," said Flash Yellow.
"No, I'm not," she said. "He's not going to kill anyone."
"Yes, he is!" came another voice. They all looked to see Kalderon throw a device at Pola-Killer. The device struck Pola-Killer and an electric current flowed through him.
"NO!" Hitomi shouted. "Poley, hang on!" However, Poley started to change. He changed from looking like a teddy bear to looking like a real anthropomorphic polar bear. He growled and thrashed around. Hitomi desperately screamed for Poley to hang on. Pola-Killer's transformation was complete and he growled at Hitomi and the Flashman.
Hitomi could not bear (no pun intended) what just happened to him. Tears running down her face, she turned her attention to Kalderon. "YOU MONSTER!" She shouted as she tried to kill him. Kalderon was actually surprised and found himself on the defensive when she started attacking him. This girl was beyond angry!" Behind them, the Flashman engaged Pola-Killer. A big swipe of his right paw sent Green Flash flying into the Lake.
"HITOMI!" Maria shouted as the rest of the now-morphed GPX Rangers arrived. Kalderon noticed them and teleported away.
"WHERE ARE YOU GOING?" Hitomi shouted. She was quickly restrained by Kevin and Mandla.
"Hitomi, calm yourself!" said Mandla.
"Holy shit, that's a mean-looking bear," said Sean. "Colbert's gonna—"
"THIS IS NO TIME FOR JOKING!" Hitomi screamed.
"HITOMI!" Maria shouted, grabbing the girl by her arms. "Calm down, now!"
"NO!" Hitomi shouted.
"Sean, I think you guys should take care of this."
"Might as well," said Sean. "Kevin, Ndebele, let's go!"
"Got it!" They said as they ran over to Pola-Killer. Mandla struck first, hitting him with his Mountain Axe. Kevin was next, roundhouse kicking Pola-Killer and spinning around to reverse-roundhouse kick him. Sean came in next, colliding with Pola-Killer.
"GRAAAAHHHH!"
"Oh, crap, he's gone feral!" said Kevin. Suddenly, Pola-Killer's mighty paw slammed Kevin and he flew into a tree, grunting in pain.
"Kevin!" said Sean. However, Pola-Killer rushed him and swung his paw at him. He ducked and rolled between the bear's legs. He side kicked Pola-Killer in the back. It really wasn't very effective, though. He too was subject to Pola-Killer's massive paw, leaving Mandla. Mandla ducked as the paw swiped at him. He tried to sweep-kick, but those massive legs were too big to move. Pola-Killer swung his paw downwards and Mandla rolled out of the way.
A pair of laser blasts distracted Pola-Killer. The Flashman had recovered. "Oh, great." said Mandla. "HEY! Get out of here!"
"No!" said Flash Red. "Pink, Yellow!" Pink and Yellow rushed forward, jumped, flipped and kicked Pola-Killer. In the immortal words of Pokemon, it's not very effective.
"They're not going to do much," said Mandla. "SEAN!"
"I'm up!" He said. Unfortunately, he didn't look so great. Mandla picked up the Mountain Axe and brandished it in front of Pola-Killer.
"Come on," he said. "Let's go!" Pola-Killer roared and charged him. Okay, he's a smart guy, so he got out of the way.
"NO! DON'T HURT HIM!" Hitomi shouted, still pulling against Maria.
"Hitomi, calm down, please!" Maria pleaded. While the boys and Flashman struggled against Pola-Killer, Hitomi was too overcome with anger to actually listen. Maria had only one option. She knocked Hitomi to the ground and pulled her helmet off. There, she could see just how this experience had affected her. Maria hesitated at first before winding up her arm.
SMACK!
Hitomi stopped, holding her cheek. "Chica, get a hold of yourself!" said Maria. "You cannot let anger control you," she calmly said. "Please, stop. There's a better way to avenge Poley."
"How?"
"How did he turn savage?"
"Kalderon threw something at him," she said. "It might be like that device on Nagron."
"That's it!" said Maria. "I have an idea."
While Mandla struggled with Pola-Killer's massive arms, the Flashman tried to fight him. Flash Red slashed at him with his prism sword. Pola-Killer's hide was too strong for the prism sword to even do any damage to him. Kevin had gotten up and was trying to restrain Pola-Killer from mauling Mandla. Of course, a massive bear vs. a Power Ranger isn't the best match-up you can think of. "Dammit Kevin, help me out!" He said.
"I'm trying!" said Kevin. While Pola-Killer pushed down on Mandla, Kevin pulled out his blaster and shot him point-blank. It worked and Pola-Killer got off Mandla. "You okay?" He asked as he ran over to Mandla.
"I'm fine," said Mandla. Flash Pink used her prism boots and jumped up to stomp on Pola-Killer. She was swatted out of the air by Pola-Killer's massive paw.
"This is not good," said Red Flash. None of their attacks could do anything to stop Pola-Killer. Then—
"GRAH!" An explosion in Pola-Killer's back distracted him easily. They looked to see Sean holding his Slap Shot Stick.
"Probably should have done more, but this is good enough," he said before winding up for another shot. He fired and hit Pola-Killer again. Pola-Killer roared and charged him. Sean tossed the stick away and drew his Octane Blaster and converted it to his GP Sword. He blocked Pola-Killer's paw with the sword and then rolled out of the way, converting it back to the Octane Blaster.
Another pair of shots came from Kevin's direction. He had pulled out his Touring Rifle and fired a couple shots. The angry polar bear charged Kevin. Kevin ducked out of the way while Pola-Killer stopped. Sean, Kevin and Mandla regrouped in front of Pola-Killer. "Great, now what?" Sean asked. Pola-Killer roared and got ready to charge them.
Just then, he stopped and roared in pain. The guys and Flashman watched as an electric current flowed through Pola-Killer and he revered from a feral killer back to the cuddly teddy bear he had been before. He dropped to the ground and the Rangers saw who had done that.
"Hitomi?"
She lowered her bow. There were tears in her eyes, but a smile on her lips. Then she dropped it and ran over to him. "Poley!"
Poley groaned while Hitomi rushed over to him. Sean, Kevin and Mandla watched while Hitomi asked if he was okay. "I'm fine," he said. "Why did you shoot me?"
"It's what friends do," said Hitomi. Sean smiled, recognizing Hitomi's words. However, he turned to see the Flashman.
"Rolling Vulcan!" said Flash Red. The cannon charged up and the Flashman prepared to fire. Kevin raised his rifle and fired a pair of shots that knocked them over.
"What the hell are you doing?" Sean shouted. "He's no threat anymore!"
"We won't stop until we get our revenge," said Red Flash.
"Even if it means killing him?" said Mandla. "Look at him; he's not going to hurt you! Now get out of here!" Kevin raised his rifle and Sean and Mandla pointed their blasters at them. The Flashman stayed firm, though, but Poley got up, surprising the Rangers.
"Leave now," he said. "I won't let you hurt my friends." Underneath his helmet, Sean looked surprised. The Flashman recognized it was time to leave.
"We'll be back," said Red Flash. They dismantled the Rolling Vulcan and departed. Poley turned around and smiled at the three male Rangers. Hitomi smiled at the four of them.
"Thank you," she said.
A few minutes later, Poley was saying his good-byes to the Rangers. They were unmorphed and calm. Poley was leaving, but it wasn't because he was afraid of the Rangers. "So you'll try and keep in touch?" asked Maria.
"Yeah, I'll try," said Poley.
"Why do you have to leave?" Hitomi asked, tears streaming down her face. "We just became friends, why can't you stay?"
"Because I want to become a hockey mascot," he said. Sean snickered. Hitomi smiled, though, remembering her earlier words.
"Okay then," she said. "But please try and keep in touch."
"I will," he said. Then Sean extended his hand to Poley.
"I'm sorry for calling you weak," he said. "I guess being a big softie isn't so bad."
"It's okay," said Poley, "Bad first impression." Sean laughed, shaking Poley's hand. Then Hitomi came and hugged Poley.
"Goodbye," she said teary-eyed. "I hope your dream comes true."
"Goodbye Hitomi," said Poley. "I'll miss you… friend." Hitomi threw her arms around him and he hugged her back. The other Rangers smiled at the pair, not even bothering to interrupt the moment. Then they broke their hug and Poley walked away to parts unknown, waving good-bye to the Rangers.
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Kalderon brooded in his apartment. Pola-Killer was a failure. He was never that much of a killer, anyway. It was a terrible, idea, really. But, the aggression enhancing device he used might be useful at a later time. But, it had its drawbacks. He needed to figure out how to make it smaller. As he flipped channels, he thought about his prospects for his next plan. Then, he came across someone.
"Good evening America!" said the pudgy, crew-cut wearing host named Ben Dreck. "Tonight, I want to tell you about the movement by progressives to subvert this republic!" Kalderon smiled. He had an idea.
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End chapter