SailorStar9: Well, now that Chapter 10 is out, this is Chapter 11. Read and review. Come on guys; is it so hard for you to leave a review, rather than just putting this in your favorites? Disclaimers: I own nothing, except the plot and the pairings.
Chapter 11: I Love Lothor
"Hey, what's this?" Shane asked as he and the other male rangers entered Storm Chargers. "Real Sport Pro Cook-Off?" He read from a banner.
"Uh, yeah." Tori nodded as she walked over.
"Since when is cooking an action sport?" Dustin asked.
"Real Sports Pro Drinks chose Storm Chargers to host a series of cooking demonstrations." Kelly explained from behind the cooking table.
"Dude, this stuff is nasty. I don't care how you cook it." Dustin said as he looked at the ingredients on the cooking table.
"Well you should stick around." Tori advised. "You might be surprised."
"Hey," Shane chuckled as Cam and Ami joined the group. "You two are taking cooking?"
"Tori wanted someone to take the class with her and Ami volunteered." Cam explained. "And dad said I should get out more. So, here I am."
"But, cooking class? Man, that's lame." Shane stated.
"Just so you know, some girls dig a guy who can cook." Ami smiled as a bunch of girls then walked into the store and the boys just stared in awe.
"She's got a point." Dustin admitted.
During the cooking demonstration, Marah and Kapri appeared behind a counter with a love tablet. "How do we know which ranger will fall in love?" Marah asked.
"Does it matter? There's five of them and we only need one. Then we'll convince him to help us take over Earth, Uncle's gonna be so proud of us. Plus, I might get a boyfriend out of the whole deal." Kapri grinned.
"You? It was my idea. I want a boyfriend." Marah retorted. "Give that!"
Both girls then started fighting over the tablet, which slipped out of their hands and fell into a smoothie glass.
"Past the lips, over the gums." Blake shrugged, before taking a sip and looking at the glass. "Whoa, that tasted weird."
"Let me see." Cam said as he took a sip as well. "Yeah, it tastes odd."
"It's not really sweet, is it?" Tori blinked after taking a sip.
Cam smiled at Tori. "Nothing will ever be as sweet as you."
"Uh, thanks, I guess." Tori blinked before noticing Blake was smiling at her too. "Why are you grinning at me like a love sick baboon? It's kind of creeping me out."
"Because he is one." Cam stated, earning a glare from Blake. "Go swing from a tree and let the humans have a conversation."
"Back off! I saw her first!" Blake snapped as he shoved Cam and threw some flour at him while the other guys watched with interest.
"Make me!" Cam exclaimed as he threw some powder at Blake.
Everyone then started throwing the food everywhere and created a food fight.
"It's going to be one of these days, huh?" Ami looked at her fellow water warrior.
"No kidding." Tori muttered and pulled the ice Senshi out of Storm Chargers.
Later during the day, Tori and Ami were walking around town after the girls went shopping for necessities.
"Come to think of it," Ami frowned. "I wonder what happened back there at Storm Chargers."
"No idea. As annoying as it is, it's kind of cool too." Tori commented. "I mean, not many girls have two guys fight over her. Ami, I'm sorry." She gasped, seeing the blue-haired Senshi's involuntarily wince. "I forgot you and Cam were…"
"It's fine." Ami assured. "I mean it isn't as if the two of us had anything going on between us."
Blake and Cam then started running over to Tori while shoving each other. "Hey, wait up!" Blake called.
Tori turned as her eyes widened. "Oh no."
"And here's my cue to exit." Ami muttered and vanished via a water shushin.
"No, don't leave me with them!" Tori looked at the water puddle before sighing a bit and turning to the boys. "What are you guys doing here?"
"I, uh, I got you a little something." Blake said as he handed Dawn a bag making her smile.
"How sweet. My very own...socket wrench set." Tori muttered as she looked inside the bag and her smile disappeared. "This is really..."
"Pathetic and impersonal?" Cam finished as Blake glared at him. "A true man would know what a woman wants," He started as he pulled out his gift. "Is acne face wash."
Blake just started laughing at Cam's gift while Tori frowned and handed Hunter and Cam their gifts back. "I think I need a little time...alone." she decided before walking away.
Back at Ninja Ops, Sensei was watching as Ami played chess against Aiko.
"Knight to E4." Ami said. She was testing Aiko's strategy algorithms with a simple game of chess. So far the game was a draw, perhaps they had programmed her a bit too well. But Ami liked challenges. "Bishop to A3. Checkmate," she smiled, ending the game.
Aiko looked at her. "Good game."
"It was close," Ami said.
"If I had feelings I think I'd have enjoyed it." Aiko said. "My scanners detect a group of Kelzaks at the TV Station." She reported.
As Tori walked around town, she noticed a bunch of Kelzaks walking around over to a TV studio. "Kelzaks? At a television studio?" she wondered before following them inside. Hiding behind a prop cactus, Tori heard Lothor and his latest alien, Ratwell, talking. Zurgane then saw her and walked over. "This is a closed set! Security, escort this visitor to her doom." He instructed as some Kelzaks came over. Tori got into a fighting stance and started fighting the Kelzaks. It wasn't long until she got held back by the Kelzaks and Zurgane tied her to a prop cactus. "This ought to hold you." He said before walking away and laughing.
Meanwhile, Shane, Dustin, and Hunter were still at Storm Chargers as Kelly switched on the television when an image of Lothor with the slogan 'I Love Lothor' appeared on screen.
"I read the TV listings every week, and I'm pretty sure that wasn't on there." Dustin stated as Kelly started flipping through the channels.
"Let's go." Shane said as he, Hunter, and Dustin ran out of the store.
All of them ran to the sidewalk while Shane got out his morpher. "Have you seen the new fall TV line-up, Sensei?" He asked.
"Lothor is using subliminal signals in his broadcast to make people fall in love with him." Aiko explained.
"Those must be some pretty serious signals." Dustin assumed.
"We have to shut down that broadcast." Ami instructed. "And Aiko got a lock on Tori's coordinates; she's in the TV station."
"How do we know which studio she's in?" Hunter asked.
Suddenly, a bunch of screaming girls ran over. Shane and Dustin got out of the way while the girls ran by. "My guess is that we follow them." Shane decided.
"Right." Dustin nodded as all of them ran.
The TV studio was surrounded with hundreds of girls with signs and were screaming for Lothor. "Dude, that's just messed up." Dustin commented when all of them arrived at the studio.
"No, it's pure evil." Shane corrected.
"We have to get them out of there." Hunter told the others.
"Hey! Lothor's a creep! You're all under a spell!" Shane announced to the girls.
"No way, we love Lothor! Get them!" Kelly yelled as all the girls started chasing the three ninjas.
"Sensei, Lothor's plotting to brainwash the world through TV." Tori reported after freeing herself.
"He's a little late for that," Ami supplied. "Right now, help Blake and Cam."
Meanwhile, following Aiko's instructions, Tori traveled to the beach to find Blake and Cam in their Ranger forms fighting each other while a rat-like alien named Ratwell was watching. Dawn ran over and looked at the boys.
"Hello? Isn't that the alien right over there?" she reminded Blake and Cam before she split them up, but they eventually went back to their fight.
"It's time you knew the truth, Tori." Blake told Tori.
"What?" Tori asked before trying to split the boys up again. "Stop it, you guys!"
Tori then turned and saw Ratwell before she started to morph. Unfortunately, Ratwell blasted her mid-morph once her ranger suit materialized around her and she fell to the ground.
"Tori!" Blake and Cam yelled as they ran over to Dawn. The two of them then blocked Ratwell's blasts from hitting Tori and the three of them got sent flying in the air before falling on the ground.
"Romance, Action, this episode has it all!" Ratwell laughed.
"Cam, Blake you're under a spell." Tori told the navy and green rangers. "You have to fight it!"
"This is no spell!" Cam insisted.
"My feelings are real, and I'm gonna prove it!" Blake exclaimed as he struggled to get up and stood in front of Tori. "I'll protect you."
"How heroic!" Ratwell laughed as he fired at Blake who ended up dropping his weapons.
"Blake, no! You have to get back!" Tori tried to tell Blake as she opened her visor.
"Now I'm getting mad!" Ratwell growled as he fired again.
Blake pushed Tori to the side. "You have to get out of here." He said before he went back into battle. Ratwell then fired a giant blast of energy in Blake's direction.
"BLAKE!" Tori screamed as the blast hit Blake, but when the smoke cleared out, Blake was still standing, and Tori couldn't help but smile.
"Impossible! Nobody can be that strong!" Ratwell stated
"Nothing can defeat the power of love!" Blake yelled as he struggled to make their way over to Ratwell. Hunter grabbed Ratwell's wrist and threw away his blaster. "This is for you, Tori!" He cried as he punched Ratwell and knocked him to the ground.
"Alright, Blake, you win." Cam gave in before grabbing Blake's Thunder Staff. "Catch!" He called as he threw Blake his weapon.
Blake grabbed his Thunder Staff and charged it with lightning before slashing Ratwell multiple times until he blew up.
Tori looked over at Blake and smiled as he opened his visor too. "Tori, I…" Blake started until a pink heart came out of his chest which floated upwards and popped while the same thing happened with Cam.
"Tori, you okay?" Hunter asked as he, Shane, and Dustin ran over. The three of them were in their ranger forms with their visors opened and they helped Tori stand up.
"What happened?" Shane asked as Cam took off his helmet and walked over with Blake.
"I don't know, but I got worked." Tori winced as she crouched over again while Blake and Cam kneeled next to her.
Later that day, Tori's injuries were mostly taken care of after Ami used her healing spell. She was currently as Ninja Ops with Blake and Cam, who were sitting on the table and they both seemed tired.
"So, you boys alright?" Ami asked as she handed Tori an ice pack and put two cups of ginger tea in front of the two boys.
"Not me." Blake shook his head as he took a sip from the glass cup. "I feel like crap."
"You looked like crap too." Cam added.
"Let's face it, we all feel crappy." Tori stated. "I mean, each of us took a good beating from Ratwell. Especially you, Blake."
"Don't remind me. The stupid things some people do for love." Blake rolled his eyes a bit.
"If this is a love hangover, I hope I never fall in love again." Cam groaned.
"Yeah, I hear that." Blake agreed until he saw the look on Tori's face. "Uh, at least while I'm not under a spell."
"So, what exactly did you mean when you said, 'It's time you knew the truth'?" Tori asked the navy Ranger, changing the subject.
"Um..." Blake trailed off as he looked down.
"Men, can't live with them, can't live without them." Ami sighed.
Luckily, Shane and Hunter entered the room and Shane was carrying a tray with fried chicken. "A peace offering, since our cooking class got messed up." Hunter grinned a bit.
"Homemade and from the heart." Shane told them as he set down the tray.
"There's something wrong. This actually looks edible." Ami frowned as she looked at the chicken.
Dustin then walked into Ops and he was carrying some boxes. "Hey, who ordered take out?" He asked.
Ami raised an eyebrow and looked at Shane and Hunter. "And since when does homemade come in a bucket?" She narrowed her eyes at the two Rangers in red, who smiled nervously.
"Busted." Aiko voiced.
SailorStar9: Phew, this chapter is done. Read and review.