Power Rangers GPX Supercharged, Part 2

by DChan87

The GPX Rangers are now college students! They join their Red Ranger at the University of Wisconsin-Madison for the spring semester. Of course, their Elven enemies are not going anywhere, and they have some new plan to deal with the Rangers. In order to fight the Elves, the Rangers will have to call on themselves and some new allies, too.

10. Right Out of Nowhere

Maria VO: Last time on Power Rangers GPX Supercharged!

Maria: Ay dios mio—Veronica Jimenez!?

Jimmy: "And the Red Ranger crashed into the building in front me."

Sean: "I have no idea what you're talking about, Jimmy."

Jimmy: "I know what's going on, Sean. You're a Power Ranger."

Sean: "You wanna hear my story or not?"

Elf NCO: "His name is Seamus O'Callahan, and we found, through the Project Ranger database that we hacked into, he is a full trainee."

(The Rangers fight the monster. But they cannot kill him. However, a blast of blue energy does the job for them)

Ritchie: "I didn't see anything!"

Mara: "Who could it have been?"

Sean: (To Jimmy) Jimmy, you're one of us; you're a Ranger trainee.

Power Rangers GPX, episode 33: Right Out of Nowhere

:-:-:-: We're the best chance for humanity, Pow-wer Rang-gers G-P-X, let's go! :-:-:-:

"I'M A RANGER TRAINEE!?" Jimmy screamed.

"You've said that fifteen times already!" Sean replied.

"Yeah, I know that, but… HOW!?"

Sean sighed and looked over the paper in Jimmy's Project Ranger file. "Seamus O'Callahan," he read, "Born December fifth, 1988, in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Studied Shotokan karate and fencing; attended Project Ranger-sponsored camps in Thunder Bay, Ontario from ages 11-13, took part in Project Ranger-sponsored after-school programs in Toronto. Has shown above-average leadership skills, particularly in ice hockey, where he has captained three teams, including University of Wisconsin-Madison ice hockey team. You want me to repeat that?"

"Wow," said Jimmy, "I mean, no, you don't have to."

Sean looked up from his spot on his living room couch and closed the file. "Were you as surprised as I was when you found out?" Jimmy asked.

"Actually, I thought they were bullshitting me," Sean replied with a laugh. "I was thinking, 'I came here for an internship, thought I was about to do something I couldn't regret and they're asking me to be a Power Ranger? Fuck this!'"

"So what about you, Metoxen, how did you find out?" Jimmy asked turning to Ritchie.

"The bad guys told me," Ritchie replied, "They were… kinda trying to kill me."

"Metoxen did his shit in and around Green Bay, for the most part," Sean continued, "I did mine in Chicago and out in Wheaton."

"That's where your camp was?" Jimmy asked incredulously, "Shit, and I had to do mine 15 hours from Toronto?"

"Pffft! Don't ask," said Sean, "Maria did most of her stuff in Caracas and her camp was in Florida."

"You never told me!" said Jimmy.

"You never asked," said Maria.

"Jeez," Jimmy sighed. "So what are we going to do with the Elves anyway?"

"I shall tell you." Eruvanda stepped into the room, crossing her arms, "I am Eruvanda II of the House of Oberon, Queen of the Elves."

Jimmy's jaw nearly hit the floor. "QUEEN!?" he screamed

"Yeah, like the one you answer to," said Sean.

"I intend to free my people from Ragnar's grip," she said, ignoring Sean, "And once that happens, I will declare this foolish campaign over. Our planet's destiny requires that our two species co-exist peacefully so that we can solve whatever dangers we face."

"I like that sentiment," said Jimmy.

"But you're skeptical," said Sean.

"Those teabaggers piss me off," said Jimmy.

"Same here," Sean replied.

"So why do you sound so optimistic?" Jimmy asked.

"Because let's face it, a lot of things Ragnar's said, he's got a point," said Sean, "But we're gonna prove him wrong. We're fighting for a future here, Jimmy."

"And?"

"Pessimism is counterproductive," said Sean.

"I see," said Jimmy.

"Optimism got humans to the moon, Jimmy," said Sean, "Optimism will save us all. We're not in this alone. I'm already writing an editorial for the Daily Cardinal to explain what the Power Rangers stand for so I can hammer it into people's heads and tell them we're not just superheroes who use unnecessary violence."

"So what now?" asked Jimmy.

"Keep doing what you do," said Sean.

Jimmy sighed and leaned back against the couch. He looked at Eruvanda and back to Sean. "I can't believe you have a queen living with you."

Sean couldn't stop himself from laughing. "Well, I dunno if Maria's that proud of herself," he joked, which made her roll her eyes.

"So what now?" Jimmy asked.

"Now, we've got to find out who fired that energy staff that killed the monster," said Maria.

"Who could that have been?" asked Eruvanda.

"I dunno, but it wasn't Gina, Rusco or Rovain," said Ritchie. "What about you two?"

"We were still here watching Gatchaman," said Eruvanda.

"Okay, so that rules you two out," said Sean. "I guess we could find out if it was Gina, but I doubt it."

"What if it was other elves?" asked Jimmy.

"There's that possibility," said Sean. "And I'm not ruling it out."

:-:-:-: PRGPX :-:-:-:

Ragnar SHOULD have been angry. But he was not.

"This is vexing," he said while looking at the report of the recent battle, "What could that have been?"

"We are not certain, Commander," said Ingvar.

"I am not paying you to be uncertain, Ingvar," said Ragnar.

"That is the issue," said Ingvar, "We do not know what it was. The perpetrator disappeared after killing the monster. Not even the Rangers knew what it was."

"Then that eases my discomfort," said Ragnar. "But I doubt it erases it."

"We have no reason to believe that humans have discovered how to use energy staffs," said Ingvar, "Unless they were SWORD agents, but that would mean the perpetrator would have stayed behind."

"I hope you realize what you are trying to say," said Ragnar.

"I understand it has not been determined yet," said Ingvar, "But I believe another Elf fired that shot."

"You mean Rusco?" asked Ragnar.

"Rusco would have stayed," said Ingvar. "I believe the rumors are true."

"I heard the rumors, but…" Ragnar strayed in his thoughts, but he could not consider it. "Until there is evidence of elves living outside our cities and in human lands, I will not believe it."

"You do not mean the defectors, do you?" asked Ingvar.

"I know of the defectors," said Ragnar. "These elves, if they existed, would not be defectors.

"And until we determine what that was, I want the campaign to continue unimpeded."

"Yes, sir," said Ingvar, "And another thing: Intelligence has discovered something… interesting about Project Ranger."

:-:-:-: Power Rangers GPX :-:-:-:

When Maria was done with one of her classes, she went over to the food carts at State Street to get some lunch. The one cart she wanted to go to was Caracas Empanadas, since she was feeling a little homesick for old Caracas and needed some Venezuelan comfort food. Located on Library Mall, it was a quick hop and a step away from her class building.

Her empanada was greasy, but she ate it quickly out of her nostalgia and actual hunger. Part of her hoped that Sean would show up, but he was probably going to Der Rathskellar instead. It wasn't the end of the world, though, she just felt a little disappointed.

She felt a hand touch her shoulder. She turned and saw Veronica waving at her. "Veronica!" she cheered, hugging her old amiga. "Como estas?"

"Soy bien," said Veronica. "But, there's something I wanted to tell you."

"What is it?" asked Maria.

"There's a reason I didn't talk to you for years," said Veronica. Maria's smile turned upside down pretty quick. "I had to leave school because I had cancer."

Maria gasped. "Cancer!?" she gasped again. "But… but how?"

"Osteosarcoma is not a rare cancer, at least among kids," said Veronica. "I'm fine now, but… I'm so sorry, Maria."

"Oh, how could I be mad?" Maria asked, hugging her old friend tightly, "I'm the one who should be sorry. I never should've gone to Brazil without seeing you first."

"Muchos gracias, Maria," said Veronica.

Maria looked up and saw Sean and Jimmy walking by towards the Memorial Union. Instead of letting go, she held onto Veronica and let her boyfriend have some time to talk to his cousin.

"So what now?" the Canadian, who wore a red Raptors hat, asked.

"Didn't you already ask that?" asked Sean. Just so he didn't have to answer that question, he changed the subject. "Jake got traded, didn't he?"

"Yeah, to the Leafs," said Jimmy. "And so did I."

"You got traded to the Leafs?" Sean asked. "From who?"

"Calgary," said Jimmy, "It's okay, I didn't want to have to play for the base of that bastard Harper."

Sean laughed and glanced over at Maria. She waved and he waved back, but he kept walking with Jimmy. She was so busy with her friend that he decided to give her the freedom she needed, like a good boyfriend would do.

:-:-:-: PRGPX :-:-:-:

Hitomi's assignment was easy: Write a 5-page essay on—no, wait, that's for her Freshman English class. No, her Ranger assignment was to get a hold of Gina, if possible, and get some idea on what that was that fired that energy staff. That's easy enough. Problem is, Gina was still in school. Oh well, nothing a little e-mail exchange couldn't help.

The waiting period, however, lasted a while. She knew Gina couldn't be at her computer or e-mail during class, but come on! She'd already got her studying done, so she could continue to work on her Naruto yaoi doujin, or she could send a follow-up on Facebook… maybe she could do something else, especially with her roommate Karen getting back from her classes (the last time Hitomi pulled out her WIP doujin, Karen's brain needed rebooting several times).

"Good afternoon, Hitomi," she said, throwing her jacket onto their coat rack.

"Good afternoon," Hitomi replied. "How was your day?"

"Ugh, my teacher is an ass," said Karen, "I need a Coke, is there any in the fridge?"

"There should be," Hitomi said, pointing at their mini-fridge.

"Thanks."

"What's your teacher's name?" she asked.

"Professor Fox," said Karen.

"I know someone who has him as a teacher," said Hitomi, "Are you studying to—"

"No, it's a class my academic advisor told me to take," said Karen. "I'm never listening to her again."

Hitomi laughed sheepishly. "Um, that's nice."

Karen scoffed. "Of course it's not," she said matter-of-factly.

"Sorry I asked," Hitomi muttered.

"OI!" Someone, that East Asian girl that Hitomi saw on occasion, ran into their doorway, looking around and realizing her target wasn't there. "Oi, have you seen my mate Felicity?" she asked in an English accent.

"Who?" asked Hitomi.

"Forget it," said the East Asian girl, "Some of the boys got into a mattress fight down the hall and—" the sound of freshmen cheering and hollering interrupted her. "Oh, damn."

"By the way, what's your name?" asked Hitomi.

"Hae-Young Li," she said, "But everyone calls me Lee."

"Hi, Lee," said Hitomi, "Are you from Seoul?"

"Yeah! And London!" The surprised Hitomi tried to ask, but Lee was out of the doorway before she could ask.

A flashing thingie on her laptop caught her attention and so she turned to the screen. It seems Gina replied to her e-mail! She opened it excitedly and read it to herself. She wasn't excited after reading it, nor was she disappointed. Instead, she was perplexed and confused. Gina not only confirmed that neither she nor Rusco fired the energy staff, but she did not know who might have. She knew there were upwards of 10 elves in and around Madison, but that was it. In fact, she ended by saying there could be less.

Hitomi didn't know what to do now. But, she wanted to know more. So she typed out, "Is there anything else you can think of?" before sending it off.

A couple minutes later, Gina sent a response. "There might be more elves that we don't know about," it read.

"What do you know, Gina?" Hitomi asked. No, wait, that didn't work. She deleted that message and wrote something else. "What is it that you do know?" she re-wrote.

Gina replied, "Not much. I know dad told me about hidden elf villages in the woods, but they were bedtime stories."

Bedtime stories were good, but not good enough. It was back to square 1, as the Americans said. But another e-mail popped into her inbox. Opening it, she read, "But I did once overhear dad talking about something like that to mom, but I'm not sure."

"Ask your dad," Hitomi wrote back.

:-:-:-: Power Rangers GPX :-:-:-:

"You still want to get rid of Rich Boy?" Jimmy asked while he and Sean ate in a quiet corner at Der Rathskellar.

"Except I'm not sure if I can," Sean replied. "I'm not replacing him with you, because that would be replacing nepotism with nepotism."

"What about that Arquen guy?" Jimmy asked.

"Because then there would be three white guys on the team," said Sean, "It'd be another problem if I replaced Rich Boy with you."

"Yeah, but just think; the Green Ranger is an elf, you'd have a way of combating Ragnar's rhetoric and potential racism!"

"I'm not revealing a Ranger's secret identity!" Sean replied, "That's the first rule of superheroes!"

"Oh, right, I forgot," said Jimmy. "So you're stuck with Rich Boy?"

"Unless he quits, but I know him well enough to know that he'll stick around just to spite me," said Sean. "And if he does, it'll come right the fuck out of nowhere and we might not be able to configure the AcceleMorpher to Arquen's elven DNA."

"Ah who knows, he's a temp anyway, he might decide to end it on early and on his own terms," said Jimmy. "But he's that bad, huh?"

"He did a Bill Lumbergh impression after we watched Office Space one evening," said Sean, "I never forgave him."

"At least his sister's nice," said Jimmy, "She's got a boyfriend now?"

"Yeah, and Rich Boy's pissed," said Sean, "I think he—"

"I dunno," said Jimmy, "You know that Gina girl? I've seen those two make googly... dovey... doe-eyes at each other."

"Girls tend to be like that," said Sean, "Wait, what the hell are you getting at?"

"NOTHING, NOTHING!" Jimmy said. "You sure she likes Aamir?"

"As far as I know."

"She didn't seem that excited when we first met him. Maybe they're just getting to know each other."

"Ah well," said Sean. He sighed and put the Miller Lite down. "Whatever. I'm just a little tired right now."

"Oh. So will I ever get a morpher?"

"Maybe," Sean laughed. "Just not an AcceleMorpher."

"Oh darn," said Jimmy.

"Come on, let's get outta here," said Sean. "Hopefully Hitomi's got some info for us." The two left Der Rathskellar while Sean hummed the tune of "Jungle Bells".

:-:-:-: PRGPX :-:-:-:

"… Chemotherapy was a nightmare," said Veronica, "Not only did I lose my hair, I lost several pounds and it was almost impossible for me to eat solid foods because my stomach was so inflamed."

"Ay dios mio, that's horrible," said Maria.

"I was in such bad shape my school let me be take my lessons at home or the hospital," Veronica continued, "And I think my mom had it worse than I did."

"I wish I'd known," said Maria, "But after I told Chavez to go to hell to his face, he got angry at my dad and promised to ruin his life. That's why I moved to Brazil with my moms."

"It's not fair," said Veronica, "I could only imagine how bad it was."

"Actually, I got used to it," said Maria, "It wasn't that bad."

"That's good," Veronica chuckled.

"And I became great friends with everyone in Japan," said Maria, "You can see why I followed them all to Florida and here."

"I'm getting envious," said Veronica, "You have such great friends."

"Thanks, I—What's that?"

Lightning crackled in the middle of the street in front of the Allen Centennial Gardens. Maria gently pushed Veronica away, and said woman, having been on this campus long enough, took a couple of gingerly steps down Observatory Drive and then into a full-blown run. She wasn't about to die here. Maria, of course, stayed behind and got out her AcceleKey.

"GPX! Start it Up!" she cried, jamming it into her AcceleMorpher.

She morphed and the robotic enemy appeared in front of her. She laughed. Looks like Ragnar was toying with them. A number of Suitroops also materialized. She got into a fighting stance and prepared for what would be a difficult fight.

Over on Library Mall, Sean got the beeping message from SWORD. Jimmy, who was still next to him, looked at him and sighed. "Duty calls, eh?"

"Yep," said Sean, "Another one of Ragnar's jagovs sent to kill us." He took his backpack off and handed it to Jimmy. "Here, take this back to my house, please."

"And here's my hat," Jimmy said, taking his Raptors cap off and placing it on Sean's head. "I'll leave yours at your house."

"Thanks," Sean groaned. He and Jimmy exchanged a handshake and Sean took off to the west towards the Gardens.

Maria threw a barrage of punches at the Suitroops, trying to get at the robotic monster. Her kicks landed on their heads, knocking them off. She grabbed one by the neck and, using a move she'd seen on YouTube, lifted the 'Troop off the ground and slammed it on its back. A blow to the back knocked her down, but she rolled out of the way as an energy staff hit the pavement in front of her.

She jumped and split-kicked the Suitroops that attacked her. She landed, jumped and spun 540 degrees, kicking the Suitroop in front of her, swinging her head to keep her momentum up on the third kick. The Suitroop fell to the ground in pieces.

"On my way, babe!" she head Sean's voice crackling in her in-helmet radio.

"Gracias, mi precioso," she said. She didn't waste a nanosecond to resume the combat.

Fortunately for her, Hitomi lived nearby and was the first one on the scene. She jumped up and vaulted off her friend's shoulder and lunged at the monster. The blast of an energy staff, which hit her suit and exploded, knocked her down. But Hitomi got back up and spun to kick the Suitroops that had surrounded her. She summoned her Am Staff and spun around again, throwing sparks all around.

Maria proceeded to summon her weapons, the Haz Daggers. Immediately she stabbed a Suitroop in the neck and nearly decapitated it. The Suitroop fell into a pile of its comrades. Her HUD alerted her to incoming enemies, and she kicked the Suitroop down.

"GPX, START IT UP!" Her boyfriend shouted as he ran down Observatory Drive. It was easy with no one around him. With his suit on, he ran faster while the sound of a racing engine emanated from him. When he was close enough to see Hitomi and Maria, he ran straight for the robot monster. The robot monster saw him and prepared to defend itself. Sean brought his knee up, but then threw a powerful punch that knocked the robot backwards.

Sean grabbed the dazed robot and tossed it over to Maria and Hitomi. "Ladies!" he said, "Your turn!" Maria and Hitomi, in perfect sync, kicked the robot hard. The two fist-bumped.

The robot got back up and noticed it was surrounded by three Rangers. "What are you doing here, Ragnar?" asked Sean.

"Where is Seamus O'Callahan?" Ragnar's voice asked from the robot.

"That's for me to know and you to find out!" Sean replied. The robot punched at the Rangers, but they jumped out of the way. "Jingle bells, Ragnar smells, Ingvar laid an egg!" Sean sang, "The big bad elves lost again 'cuz the Rangers kicked their ass!"

"ENOUGH WITH THE PATHETIC ATTEMPT AT MOCKERY!" Ragnar shouted, only to earn Sean's cackling laughter.

"I think I hit a nerve!" he laughed. The robot lunged at Sean, who jumped out of the way. The girls ran up to the robot and whacked at it. Sean thrust his knee into the robot's face and it collapsed in front of him.

"Laugh all you want, Red Ranger," said Ragnar, "But I have discovered something about your precious Project Ranger!"

"Yeah, what?" Sean asked.

"That is for me to know and for you to find out!" Ragnar replied, the robot grabbing Sean's leg and ripping it out from under him.

"Oh, so that's why he sent the bot," Sean groaned, "To mock us!"

"EXACTLY!" Ragnar's voice replied. Hitomi ran up and kicked the robot's head. The robot got back up and advanced on the Pink Ranger. Hitomi danced around the robot, looking for a place to hit. She wound up her leg and kicked the robot right in the back, where the kidneys would be if it was a human.

"Nice kick!" Sean shouted. Two flashes of green and blue, plus a gold flash, appeared just in time. Kevin tackled the robot in the "gut", knocking it down. Ritchie ran up to it and dropped a People's Elbow that would make The Rock proud. "ATTABOY, METOXEN!"

Now it was Daisuke's turn. He ran up to the robot and swung his katana at the enemy. But something was wrong. He was lethargic and slower. The robot capitalized on this and punched him before he could get to the robot. It left the Green Ranger sprawling on the asphalt, katana sliding away. "BROTHER!" Hitomi called out, running forward. She punched the robot again, but it barely stopped the machine.

Maria backed her friend up, kicking the robot. The robot blocked her kick and countered. Maria blocked the kick and countered with her own. The robot fell backwards and was caught by Kevin. He lifted the massive machine up and slammed it to the asphalt.

The robot sat up with little effort. But it was slow to get up and Ritchie kicked the robot's head to keep it down. "Why'd he send a robot?" he asked.

"To mock us," Sean replied. "Face it Ragnar, it won't work!"

"In due time, it will," Ragnar's voice replied.

"Guess he was still in there," said Maria. The robot got up and noticed it was still surrounded by the Rangers… although Daisuke was still slow to fight. "What's wrong with you, Rich Boy?" she asked.

"I do not know," he replied, but it was an obvious lie. It left him open to a punch from the robot. Now Daisuke was angry. He ran forward and tried to get the robot, but it kneed him in the gut, making him fall down.

"Ah, SHIT!" Sean said. "What the hell is wrong with Rich Boy? Did Jimmy give him a cold or something?" The robot reached out and grabbed Sean's neck, lifted him up and slammed him to the ground. "Me and my big mouth," he choked out.

Kevin threw another hard punch at the robot, knocking it backwards and picking Sean up. "Rich Boy, you alright?"

"No," Daisuke replied, his voice filled with worry and disappointment. Something was wrong, but what it was, they weren't sure. It literally came out of nowhere.

The robot again lunged at Sean and Kevin. The two jumped out of the way to dodge the robot's attack. This couldn't keep going. It had to end ASAP.

"Get your keys out!" Sean ordered. The Rangers pulled them out. He pulled out his Octane Blaster along with Kevin. "Supercharge!" The Rangers jammed their keys into their weapons. "AIM!"

"You are pathetic!" Ragnar's voice taunted from the robot, "Your fate is—"

"FIRE!" The Rangers let off their attacks before Ragnar's voice could finish. The robot jerked around with sparks flying about. It fell to the ground and exploded.

The Rangers ran to safety so they could de-morph. Once that was done, they walked past the scene of the fight, where the robot's wreckage smoldered in the middle of the road. "Damn," said Sean, "We did a number on that one.

"Why was Ragnar asking about Jimmy?" asked Maria.

"Because he wants to kill him," Sean replied matter-of-factly.

"Oh, right," said Maria. "Where is he now?"

"He took my backpack home for his own protection," Sean replied, "I told him to keep an eye out for himself."

"How fast was that?" asked Maria. Hitomi checked her phone.

"About 10 minutes," she replied.

"That short?" Maria asked. "I always thought our fights were longer."

"Well, with robots we're not gonna expect a megazord brawl," said Sean. "Although I kinda think we were a little lackadaisical out there." He turned around and faced Daisuke. "And another thing—what the hell went wrong out there, Rich Boy?"

"Yeah, you just stopped fighting for some reason," said Ritchie. "What's going on?"

Daisuke stopped, still looking down at the pavement. For the first time, Sean saw that Daisuke was not stoic, nor angry. He was not angry at himself, either. In fact, he looked… well, it was an emotion that Sean did not think he would ever see on Daisuke's face. "I cannot stop lying to myself," he said, "I am a mere temporary replacement, after all."

"Brother, what are you saying?" asked Hitomi.

"If I am to be a temporary replacement, then I shall end this on my own terms!" Daisuke replied, "I hereby resign my duties as Green Ranger effective immediately!"

:-:-:-: Power Rangers GPX :-:-:-:

Hitomi VO: "Next time on 'Power Rangers GPX Supercharged'!"

Sean: "YOU'RE QUITTING!?"

Eruvanda: "I have a suggestion."

Maria: "I forgot to tell you something."

Veronica: "I think my cancer wasn't normal."

Ragnar: "Let things unravel on their own."

Sean: "We've got some searching to do."

Hitomi VO: "That's next time on 'Power Rangers GPX Supercharged'!"

Hey guys, sorry this took so long! I've been dealing with writer's block and a lot of other things, so I haven't really been able to get to GPX in a while. I've also got an idea for a subplot I want to do, but I haven't decided if it's a good idea or not. I'm looking to get some feedback on Tumblr for this subplot.

Also, I apologize if Daisuke's resignation came right the fuck outta nowhere. I'll be perfectly honest that while I do plan things out, sometimes ideas pop in my head and I decide to go with them. This was no exception, and I hope I won't pay for it in the long run. However, thanks to one review from Part 1, I have an idea of what to do. I'll try to explain why Daisuke left in the next part.

As for why this was so short, it's because I'm kind of getting tired of writing 5,000-word chapters. Believe it or not, it's getting pretty tiring. I'm not saying that I'll never write another 5,000-word chapter, it's just that 5,000 words is a hard target to get to.

Also, I know cancer is a big issue—my aunt died of cancer this past February—but there's a reason for why Veronica had it. And it (should) be a good one. So PLEASE go easy on me!

Just, please, send me a review!