Chapter 12: Good Cook, Bad Cook

A/N: Revised Chapter

It had been a few days since Tashiko had arrived and everything was going great. Mike had woken from his unconsciousness and everyone was training. Tashiko was enjoying her life in the Shiba house, with the exception that Emily was ignoring her. Ever since the day Tashiko had gone into Mike's room to wake him, Emily had been ignoring the teen. She seemed like a different person that whom she met in the forest, prior to the Yellow rangers panic attack. She was cold towards her, she made Tashiko feel like she wasn't welcome in the Shiba House.

At the moment, Tashiko was watching the rangers train with no enthusiasm. Mike was in the living room playing video games while Ji was in the backyard with the rangers. God, I didn't know this was going to be so boring, Tashiko thought. I haven't been trained or anything. I'm thinking Aaron lied to me about this, whole being at the Shiba House thing. She pouted wondering if Aaron had lied to her, in order to get her to live with the rangers. Tashiko then wondered to why she hadn't had any weird dreams. Her sleep had been dreamless lately. She glanced at the Red ranger who swung his wooden katana and hit Antonio's.

Then there was Jayden.

She had heard him screaming in the middle of the night. She had asked the Gold ranger to why he screamed. He answered saying that Jayden lately had been having nightmares. Was it those same nightmares I had? She thought. She knew somehow Jayden and her had the same dreams. But lately she hadn't had dreams, while he continuously had them. She sighed once more before grabbing the necklace that hanged around her neck. Hideo hadn't visited her either. Maybe Cody was right all along. Hideo couldn't be trusted and had just fooled her.

A yelp interrupted her thoughts making her glance up to see Mia had taken Emily down with a hit on the knee. The Yellow ranger rubbed her knee while Mia extended her hand. "Sorry Em," she apologized getting the Yellow ranger to her feet. "It's fine," Emily stated, ignoring Mia's hand and got to her feet. That actually stung. The Pink ranger is strong, Emily thought darkly. Tashiko got to her feet and headed to grab an ice pack. She decided that maybe doing something nice for the Yellow ranger, would make her talk to Tashiko once again.

She grabbed the bag of frozen peas the rangers kept for injuries before turning back around, only to bump into Emily. "Watch it!" Emily snarled at her. "Sorry," Tashiko replied, flinching back. "I wanted to give you the ba-" Emily snatched it from her hands and glared at her. "Don't you think I haven't forgotten on how you got Mike off the bed," Emily pointed out. "I'll intend to find out how you did it!" The Yellow ranger turned around before Tashiko called her back. "Why are you so mad at me? I brought the Green ranger back! I did it to make you happy!" Emily paused and spun back around. "That's exactly it! You brought him back," Emily snarled before turning around and leaving the kitchen, leaving a very confused Tashiko.

This girl keeps getting in the way, Emily thought as she made her way back to the backyard. She's foiling the plan without knowing. What also worries me, is that damn power she's emitting. She's not a normal human.

Tashiko continued to stand there, trying to wrap her mind to what just happened. Why was Emily so angry that Mike had woken up? Her personality seemed so off than what Jayden had described her to be and how she appeared in her dreams. "What did I do to make Emily angry?" she asked herself. "Did I..do something wrong? I'm so...confused."

Emily limped towards the backyard to find the rangers putting away the wooden katana's. She glanced over her shoulder, seeing Tashiko leaving the kitchen. She smirked, her eyes glinting. Tashiko was so annoying. She was getting too much in her way. I'll have to deal with her later.

She turned back around to find the rangers in a circle, discussing something. "We're one ranger short," Kevin argued. "We could train Tashiko," Mia suggested. "She's here for that isn't she?" "True, but it could be dangerous to bring her into the battle field, without even knowing she has symbol power," Antonio added, catching Jayden's glare. "And she doesn't have the proper samurai training," Kevin agreed. "We go back to square one then," Jayden stated making all the rangers glance at him. "We train like we did before, with only five rangers." "I agree with Jayden," Emily replied. "We have to train like this until Mike gets better." "Alright," Kevin nodded. "I'm heading to the showers and head to the city to pick up some groceries for Mentor." "Oh! I'll give you a list!" Mia replied with a slight jump and rushed towards the kitchen.

The rangers exchanged worried glances.


"Are these the only things you need?" Kevin asked surprised. She always had a huge list for her "cooking" recepies. "Yes," Mia nodded. "I'm following a recipe." "About time!" Antonio joked but Mia frowned at him. "What is that supposed to mean?" Antonio began to sweat nervously. "Uh…" He quickly glanced around before grabbing Jayden who happened to pass by. "Damn Jayden! Hurry up so we can go fishing!" Antonio told him.

"Wha," Jayden began before Antonio gave him a glare and glanced at Mia with a sweet smile. Jayden was puzzled until he caught on and quickly shook his head. "Right!" Jayden nodded as the Red and Gold rangers bolted out of the living room. Mia glanced at Emily who was sitting on the couch. The Yellow ranger began to grow nervous under the Pink rangers glare. "Uh," she began, thinking of an excuse to get away from Mia's glare. "I'm going to check on Mike!" She ran out of the room, leaving Kevin and Mia behind.

Mia glared at Kevin who scratched the back of his head. "Uh. I should get ready to go. I can't wait to try your new recipies. I bet they're going to be tastier!" "Tastier?" Mia commented. "What is that supposed to mean? My other foods weren't tasty?" Damn it Kevin! The Blue ranger thought mentally slapping himself. That was a nice move. I could tell her a lie, but I can't lose her trust. I like her too much to lie to her. Kevin sighed and took Mia's hand. "I guess I should tell you then," Kevin answered, leading the Pink ranger to the couch.


Master Xandred was drinking his medicine before throwing the plate on the ground, shattering it. "Ugh! I can't stand this headaches!" he roared, rubbing his head. Serrator walked towards him and bowed before Master Xandred. "Master," Serrator began. "I have found a Nighlok to help you get rid of the rangers." Master Xandred glanced up at the white haired Nighlok. "Who is it?" he asked when there was a chewing noise.

The Master's gaze turned to see a Nighlok munching on the door frame. "Mmm! Delicious!" the Nighlok stated, biting another part of the door frame. "Don't eat the ship!" Octoroo snapped, shooing away the munching Nighlok. "Beat it squid face!" the Nighlok snapped back, letting out a burp. He walked towards Xandred and bowed down at his Master's feet. "Master! I am Scarf and I'm going to raise the Sanzu River higher than any Nighlok that has stepped foot on this ship!" Master Xandred glanced at the Nighlok before glancing at Serrator. "How is this eating Nighlok going to help me destroy the rangers?!" he snarled.

Serrator gave him a smirk. "You, see, when Scarf gets destroyed, he will show his true potential." "That's right!" Scarf answered. "And I'll prove to you Master, what I can really do! You won't be disappointed!" "Show me then!" Master Xandred snapped as the Nighlok bolted out of the boat and plunged into the Sanzu River.

"I shall make my leave as well Master," Serrator replied bowing. With that, Serrator disappeared through a gap.


Serrator reappeared in the outskirts of California, where Dekker and Dayu were walking around. "Dayu, Dekker!" he sing songed making the two Nighloks glance at him. Dekker immediately took out his temporary sword but Dayu raised her hand, stopping him from advancing towards Serrator. "What do you want?" Dayu asked, with narrowed eyes. "A favor," Serrator replied curtly. "And why should we do this favor for you?" Dekker inquired. "Because, if you do this for me, I guarantee that Uramasa and your harmonium will be repaired in less than the three weeks you gave me," Serrator pointed out.

"What do you want us to do?" Dekker asked, putting away his sword. "I want you to destroy the Nighlok Master Xandred sent," Serrator ordered. "Why?" Dayu replied puzzled. "His true potentials will be shown when he is destroyed," Serrator replied. "The rangers will have a harder time defeating him."

"Done," Dekker gave a nod. "I think it would be a great time to show the rangers I'm still alive." He disappeared through a gap while Dayu glanced at Serrator. "You better keep your word, or else." She disappeared through a gap as well before Serrator turned around, chuckling.


Mia tried to blink away the tears that were forming in her eyes. Kevin had just told her how all the rangers talked about how bad of a cook she was behind her back.

"Why didn't you tell me sooner?" Mia whispered, getting to her feet. "I didn't think I was that bad. You should have told me! I'm so embarrassed!" Mia covered her eyes as Kevin go to his feet and tried to hug her but Mia pushed him back. "Don't touch me!" she yelled. "We didn't want to hurt your feelings," Kevin began. "Well you did!" Mia shouted. "You all should've told me to save myself from this embarrassment! Y'all made me feel like an idiot!"

"Mia," Kevin stated but Mia had run off towards her room, crying. Kevin sighed and glanced at the list Mia had given him. His grip on the paper tightened before he made way towards the showers.


Mia had come into her room, crying as she remembered Kevin's explanation. We didn't want to hurt your feelings… They could have just straight up told her instead of talking about it behind her back. She wouldn't have gotten mad, just embarrassed. But not to find not one, but the whole team saying she was a bad cook, made her feel horrible. She wished she would have been told sooner and she could have fixed her horrible cooking skills sooner. Now knowing the truth, she had noticed a few things. Every time she cooked, the rangers made excuses to not eat her food. They always said they had already ate or weren't hungry. She would later see them eating anything else but her food.

When she cooked for Kevin during the stakeout to look for Doubletone, she noticed that Kevin had made a face while he took a bite of her food. He thought she didn't notice his face and played it off, saying it was good before seeing him throw it on the ground. Or the time when Antonio was trying to get rid of his phobia of fish and Kevin had told him, that if Antonio touched the fist, Kevin would take a bite of Mia's food. That hurt her feelings that time, despite not showing it.

Mia collapsed into the bed and sniffed before noticing a cookbook on the ground. She rolled over and grabbed it, remembering that this cookbook was Kevin's present for her on Christmas. Maybe I should read it. If I do, I can be a better cook, Mia thought. She sat up and flipped through the pages, noticing the measurements and ingredients were way different than the ones her grandmother had given her. Whoa! This, this is amazing! She hugged the book close to her chest and smiled. I can become a better cook. If I do, I can put my dream restaurant!


Tashiko was sitting outside, watching the trees sway around with the wind. She heard footsteps, but didn't bother to glance up. "Tashiko? What are you doing over here?" Kevin asked, glancing at her. Tashiko turned to look at Kevin and said, "Just wanted some fresh air, that's all." "Oh," Kevin replied before glancing down at the list Mia have given him. "I'm going to get the groceries Mentor told me to get. Want to come?" Tashiko's eyes went wide. "Of course! I haven't seen the city!" she bounced around in excitement. Kevin chuckled, reminding him of Emily. "Alright, let's go," he said grabbing the keys.


Tashiko gaped as she glanced around the city. She was amazed on how big it was and how many high skyscrapers there were! There were so many people who were talking and laughing, having a good time. She saw how the ocean wasn't far away from it and overall, Tashiko was amazed by Panorama City. "This is amazing!" she giggled spinning around before bumping into Kevin who had stopped walking. "Ow!" Tashiko stated, rubbing her shoulder. She glanced at Kevin who was staring intently at a poster on a wall. She glanced at it, noticing it was about a swimming competition. "What is this?" Tashiko asked. "The Regional Swimming Competition," Kevin murmured sadly. "I wish I was..in it." He touched the poster sadly before walking away from the poster. Tashiko looked at the poster once more before following Kevin.

A young man in his swimming gear walked towards the Recreation Center when he saw Kevin pass by with a younger teenager. His eyes went wide in shock before running inside of the building. He ran in the hallways and into the Hallway of Fame, glancing at the picture of Kevin. A smile spread across his face before running towards the pool. "Hey! No running in the pool!" someone shouted, but the young man didn't care. He stopped in front of his teammate who looked at him in surprise. "Guess what?!" he told his teammate. "What?" the other answered, drying his hair with a towel. "I saw Kevin!" the first one said excitedly, jumping up and down. "Kevin?" the other replied, pausing in drying his hair. "Where?" "He just passed by here!" the amateur exclaimed. "Come on!" He grabbed the other man's arm and pulled him outside.

But when they reached the front doors and into the sunlight, Kevin was nowhere to be found. "Where is he?" the other man asked, looking around. "He was right here," the amateur answered in a puzzled tone. "Well, he's gone now," his teammate spat bitterly. "Just like last time. He disappeared without a trace and left us hanging. We barely made it to regionals thanks to him ditching us last minute." The man turned around and made his way inside, leaving the amateur standing at the front of the building, glancing at the floor. "Maybe, he had a reason to leave," he muttered before turning around and going inside of the recreation center.

Kevin stared at the floor, hearing the conversation his ex-teammates had. His eyes began to fill with tears. I wish I could you why I left, but I..can't, he thought. He felt someone touch his arm and glanced at Tashiko who was looking at him worriedly. "Let's get the groceries. That'll take your mind off things," she told him gently. "Heck, you can tell me about swimming regionals along the way if you want. We can even go to a pool and make our own regional competition!"

Kevin smiled at Tashiko's effort of cheering him up. She always know how to make people feel better. "Alright," he replied, feeling a bit better. "Come on! It will be fun! We can even ask Antonio to say his corny golden jokes while he gives to us golden metals!" Tashiko grinned. Kevin smiled at her and said, "C'mon you still have the rest of the city to see."


Mike was feeling a lot better now. Sure, his leg still hurt and he couldn't walk, but he was enjoying his free time by playing video games and hanging around with the girl he liked. He passed the level again, causing him to shout in victory. "Did you see that Em?!" he asked the Yellow ranger who was looking at the TV screen in boredom. "Wow, you did it again," Emily stated, her unenthusiastic tone making Mike frown. "Are you okay Em? You seem...rather off," Mike pointed out. "I'm just bored, that's all," Emily replied. "Hey, where does Jayden usually hang out?" Mike raised an eyebrow, puzzled to why Emily was asking that of all things. He felt a tinge of jealousy shot through his chest. "He's usually either with Antonio fishing or practicing with his sword. Why are you asking? You mostly know everyone's schedule." Emily's face went beet red and giggled nervously. "Right," she muttered before clearing her throat. "I'm going to find Jayden. Maybe he'll like a walk around the park…"

Mike paused his game and clenched his controller in his hand. What was up with Emily's sudden interest in Jayden? Did she like him? "If you didn't notice, Jayden went fishing with Antonio," he stated through clenched teeth.

"Oh right! Clumsy me!" Emily giggled nervously once more. She began to walk backwards and stated, "Well I'm going to my room and try to rest a bit. All these video games made me a bit tired and delusional!" She skipped down the hallway making Mike scoff and turn back to his video game.

"I can't let Jayden win Emily's heart!" Mike muttered as he furiously clicked on the controller. He forgot about the event as he grew excited at his video game. "WIN!" Mike shouted, getting to his feet before yelling in pain, remembering his broken leg. "Ow!" He collapsed into the couch, rubbing his leg before stating, "Still! I won!"