Disclaimer: I do not own Power Rangers.


Chapter 28 – The Power Transfer


"You're absolutely sure you're ok with me being leader?" Tommy asked yet again as they entered the Youth Centre a few days later. Jason stopped in his tracks and shot his friend a dirty look.

"Now I know how Kim felt when I wouldn't stop badgering her about her unborn baby's gender." He muttered as he continued on in and took a seat next to Trini. "Yes, Tommy, I'm fine with it." Sharing a look with Trini and Zack he continued. "It might actually be a good thing. We've decided to seriously consider going to the Peace Conference." The others shared a look of slight confusion.

" 'Seriously consider?' " Kim asked. "Don't you mean you've decided to go?"

"If everything works out, yes." Zack supplied.

"We're not just gonna dump The Power on some unsuspecting people who have no idea what they're getting into, especially with the arrival of the Machine Empire." Trini explained.

"So what are you going to do?" Kat asked.

"We've talked to Zordon about it, and we know who we want to replace us." Said Jason.

"Who?" Tommy asked.

"Can't you guess?" Zack said as he nodded to the entrance where three of their friends had just walked in. "He's given us permission to tell them."

"Prepare them for what's to come." Billy surmised. Jason nodded.

"Hey guys!" Adam said as he Aisha and Rocky moved to take a seat with their friends.

"Don't sit down. We need to talk." Jason said as he and the others stood up.

"Are we breaking up?" Rocky joked as he followed the others out to the lockers, which were thankfully abandoned right now.

"Very funny Rocky." Said Aisha. "What do we need to talk about?" In response, Jason brought his communicator to his lips.

"Alpha, we're standing by with Aisha, Rocky and Adam for teleportation."

"Teleportation?" Adam asked as all three sent Jason a weird and incredulous look. The new Blue Ranger merely smiled as Alpha teleported the three of them to the Power Chamber. The others activated their teleportation devices the moment their friends were gone, arriving at the Power Chamber a mere second afterwards, just in time to see the looks of absolute shock on their friends' faces.

"What the hell?" Rocky muttered. "Where are we?"

"This is the Power Chamber." Jason said, stepping forwards.

"The Power Chamber?" Aisha asked as the three of them looked around. A gasp escaped her lips when her eyes alit on six well-known suits that lined the wall. Her gasp drew the attention of Rocky and Adam, who's mouths fell open upon seeing the suits of the Power Rangers.

"You guys…a-are you…?" Adam stuttered. The Rangers merely smiled, but allowed Zordon, who had just appeared in his energy tube, answer.

"GREETINGS FRIENDS." Their heads whipped around and mouths fell open once again upon seeing a floating head in a tube. "I AM ZORDON OF ELTAR. WELCOME TO THE COMMAND CENTRE OF THE POWER RANGERS."

"You guys really are the Power Rangers?!" Rocky cried. Tommy nodded his head as they all smiled, amused by their friends' reactions, though they knew it must be a shock.

"YES, YOUR FRIENDS ARE INDEED THE POWER RANGERS." Zordon confirmed. "I AM CERTAIN YOU HAVE QUESTIONS, WHICH YOUR FRIENDS WILL ANSWER TO THE BEST OF THEIR ABILITY LATER. HOWEVER, THERE IS A REASON YOU WERE BROUGHT HERE. JASON, TRINI AND ZACK ARE CONSIDERING DEPARTING THE POWER TEAM TO ATTEND THE PEACE CONFERENCE. TO DO THIS, CANDIDATES MUST BE SELECTED TO REPLACE THEM AS POWER RANGERS."

"We want you three to take our place as Power Rangers." Trini said. If the Rangers thought their friends were shocked before, it was nothing to how they appeared now.

"You want us to be Power Rangers?" Aisha muttered a few minutes later. Trini nodded. "But, why? I mean we can't possibly have what it takes to be Power Rangers."

"Of course you do." Zack said.

"ZACK IS RIGHT. YOUR SKILLS AS CHAMPION NINJAS AS WELL AS YOUR COURAGE AND SENSE OF HONOUR WILL SERVE YOU WELL AS POWER RANGERS."

"But we're not just gonna throw you into it or anything." Jason assured them. "We don't have to give the Peace Conference officials an answer as to whether or not we're coming for another two weeks, right when the school year ends. During that time we want you guys to observe, get a sense of what being a Ranger really means, and if it's something you want."

"You don't have to accept The Power." Trini added. "It's a lot to take on, and if you don't want to do it then don't. Really, please don't. There would be nothing worse for you, the Power Rangers, and the Earth if you accepted The Power when you didn't really want to."

"What will happen if we don't?" Adam asked. "Who will take The Power when you leave? Or will you leave?" Sharing a look, Trini, Jason and Zack shrugged as one.

"We don't know." Zack admitted. "We'd look for other people to take it. And if we couldn't find anyone, we wouldn't go."

"This is something we want to do, but it's not something we'd abandon the Earth for. Nor would we just dump The Power on anyone."

"It's a big decision." Jason said, clapping Rocky on the shoulder. "Don't make it lightly."

-T/K-

For the next couple days, Aisha, Rocky and Adam became hyper aware of everything to do with the Power Rangers. They paid more attention to the news reports, watching each battle and the destruction that followed; they observed their friends and the interruptions to their lives every time their communicators went off. Now that they knew what to look for, it wasn't hard to see the behaviour that marked them as Rangers. They also discovered that Ernie and Bulk and Skull knew about the secret, and were always there helping out in anyway that they could, most notably in babysitting Kira. As the first week drew to a close, they began asking questions, having come out of their pensive, observant stage. The Rangers answered everything they asked, thankful that the things they wouldn't divulge were not things you'd ask about, or would even think to ask about.

"Can we do a ride along?" Rocky asked as they gang walked to the Youth Centre. "See what a battle is really like?"

"No." Tommy said without hesitation. "It's too dangerous. You're still civilians, you don't have The Power and wouldn't stand a chance against one of those monsters. We can't risk your lives like that."

"So there's really a difference between us and you guys?" asked Adam. "Power wise I mean."

"Besides the obvious of us having the suits, yes, there is." Jason said. "The Power gives us enhanced abilities even out of our morphed state. We're stronger, faster, our senses are heightened, and we have accelerated healing. All of that allows us to match our enemies, for without it we wouldn't stand a chance either."

"They're that powerful?" Adam asked, not liking that bit of information.

"Put it this way," Zack said. "The only weapon non-Power Rangers have that could destroy one of those monsters is a nuclear missile. Guns don't stand a chance, gas or radiation, or anything else created with humans in mind won't work against them. Regular bombs might, maybe, but they'd have to be pretty big bombs and that's if they ever actually hit the monsters, who can just disappear at will. We're talking bombs the size of which wouldn't just destroy the monster, but cause a significant amount of destruction to the surrounding area. Enough that eventually humanity would be wiped out if a bomb that size was used every time a monster showed up."

"They have an unlimited supply of monsters." Added Trini. "Until we destroy the big boss, more monsters will just keep coming. And they're not stupid. If bombs were used every time, they'd quickly see that they caused more destruction than they did good and they'd just send the monsters around the world until humans were extinct. Let us destroy our planet for them."

"Especially since technology hasn't advanced enough for humans to take the fight to them on the Moon." Kim continued. "They can get up there, they just can't wage a war up there. Which means those monsters would never stop coming."

"We see your point." Aisha said.

"We can't take you into battle." Tommy reiterated. "But if you're ready to see the inner workings of a battle, you can go to the Power Chamber with Billy and Kat and watch from there."

"That would indeed be the sensible next move." Billy agreed. "I can also explain exactly how the power inhibitor works, along with the significance of the transport core, energy shield, and-"

"And I will be there to translate." Kat interrupted, clapping a hand over Billy's mouth to stop him from confusing their friends even more. "Between us we'll give you guys a crash course on what all the buttons on the control panels do." Their faces cleared up of confusion, and Kat smiled, shooting an amused look to Billy. In a short amount of time, Kat had become another translator for Billy speech.

"I think we'd like that." Said Aisha. The trio got their chance the following afternoon when an earthquake shook up the city.

"This is no earthquake." Tommy muttered when the tremors stopped, only to start up again less than a minute later, a pattern that continued two or three times.

"We should get to the Power Chamber." Jason agreed. "You guys coming?" he shot at Aisha, Rocky and Adam. The trio nodded and all ten friends, along with Kira, went off to the lockers and teleported to the Power Chamber.

"Zordon, what's going on?" Tommy asked when the beams of light had disappeared. The little girl in his arms was, for once, not wailing after having teleported, though she wasn't calm either; it seemed that she was finally getting used to the sensation.

"KING MONDO HAS SENT DOWN THE DIGSTER MONSTER TO TRY AND DIG DOWN TO A POCKET OF MOLTEN LAVA UNDERNEATH ANGEL GROVE WITH THE HOPES THAT IT WILL BURST FORTH AND COVER THE CITY."

"Well, that's not good." Zack muttered.

"We have to stop him before he reaches the lava." Said Jason. "Even if he doesn't cause it to come up, an open hole to a lava pit would not be good." The others nodded their agreement.

"I have tracked the monster's location to a cave outside Angel Grove." Said Billy as he and Kat looked things over on the computer.

"Alright, we'll stop him." Tommy said as he handed Kira over to Rocky before stepping back into formation.

"It's Morphin' Time!"

"Zeo Ranger I-Pink!"

"Zeo Ranger II-Yellow!"

"Zeo Ranger III-Blue!"

"Zeo Ranger IV-Green!"

"Zeo Ranger V-Red!"

The Rangers teleported out and Aisha, Rocky and Adam joined Billy and Kat at the computer.

"This system here tracks their whereabouts." Billy said, getting right into it and pointing to a small screen that looked like a submarine's radar with five dots on it without even looking up. Billy and Alpha, along with some help from Kat, continued to explain things as they went, both what the controls they were punching in did, and also about the tactics the Rangers were using and why they were using them. Aisha, Rocky, and Adam asked questions whenever they felt the need, and during the battle received their first heart stopping, panic driven moment when Digster hit the Rangers hard and escaped into the cave; the tremors starting up once more.

"They failed?!" Rocky moaned as he held Kira close, the continuous shaking beginning to upset her.

"Not at all." Billy assured them, having lived through this scenario many times before. "We don't lose that easily. Earth would have fallen long ago if we did." They watched as the Rangers disappeared into the cave, the tremors stopping not a few minutes later. Suddenly, a large explosion came from the inside of the cave, knocking both Ranger and monster alike outside.

"Zordon!" Tommy called frantically. "Digster unleashed the lava!"

"I think we have bigger problems." Zack countered as Klank appeared and threw Orbus to Digster who then grew big.

"We need Zeo Zord power, now!" the Rangers called without any hesitation, the lava all but forgotten.

"What are they doing?!" Aisha cried. "That lava is headed right towards Angel Grove!"

"YES." Zordon agreed. "BUT DIGSTER WILL ARRIVE THERE BEFORE THE LAVA, WHICH IS CURRENTLY SLOW MOVING. THEY MUST STOP HIM BEFORE HE REACHES THE CITY." The three still looked sceptical so he elaborated. "THIS IS JUST ONE OF THE CHALLENGES YOU FACE AS A POWER RANGER. KNOWING WHICH CRISIS, OF WHICH THERE MAY BE TWO, THREE, OR MORE, IS THE MOST PRESSING. OCCASIONALLY YOU WILL BE ABLE TO SPLIT UP AND HANDLE THEM ALL AT ONCE, BUT MORE OFTEN ALL OF YOU WILL BE NEEDED AND SO YOU MUST DECIDE." Although they knew that being a Ranger was no easy feat, the trio were beginning to see there was much more to it then simply engaging the monsters in physical combat. Eventually, the Rangers destroyed Digster, dismantling him in a giant ball of fire.

"Guys, use the Megazord to collapse the cave." Billy instructed. Doing as they were told, the Rangers used the battle helmets to cause a cave in.

"What about the lava that's already out?" Jason asked.

"It should cool and solidify by itself. Now that the hole is plugged, the lava should stop flowing and begin to solidify."

"We'll monitor it from here to ensure is does just that." Alpha added.

"Alright, we're coming in." Said Tommy and seconds later five beams of light signalled their arrival. Kim and Tommy immediately went over and took Kira from Rocky, holding her close, and were greeted by a happy "Ma! Da!"

"So what'd you think?" Trini asked the slightly stunned trio.

"I think it's a lot to take in." Adam admitted. "There's so much going on, so much that could go wrong."

"How do you do it?" Aisha asked. "How do you go into battle everyday and do all that you do?"

"You get used to it." Kim said. "It's hard at first and we made our fair share of mistakes, had a lot of close calls. But we learned. And most importantly, we learned things about ourselves, about how we could never abandon Earth, how we don't have it in us not to help if there's something we can do. That's why we go out there everyday." No one said a word more, some allowing things to sink in, while others tried to make some sense of it, and some sense of the thoughts racing through their minds.

-T/K-

The following week went by in similar fashion. Aisha, Rocky and Adam continued to get a more in-depth look at what being a Ranger means. Near the end of the week, the three of them asked to speak to everyone at the Power Chamber, having come to a decision.

"We'll do it." Rocky said once everyone was gathered. "We'd be happy to take over from you guys."

"YOU ARE ABSOLUTELY CERTAIN OF YOUR DECISION?" Zordon asked, needing to be sure. Adam nodded.

"You were right, it's not a easy decision, it's a lot to take on. And we're glad you insisted on giving us time to see what it's really like. We probably would have said yes that day and have gone into it knowing absolutely nothing, but we're glad we got this chance. And yeah, we're sure of our decision." Jason stepped forward and clapped him on the shoulder.

"We couldn't be leaving The Power in better hands." He then turned to their mentor and friend. "So how do we do this Zordon? When do we do this?"

"AS THE ZEO POWERS ARE NOT TIED TO YOUR LIFE FORCE, AS YOUR NINJETTI POWERS WERE, THE POWER TRANSFER SHOULD BE RELATIVELY SIMPLE. WE-" the alarms blared throughout the Power Chamber, cutting him off. Everyone turned to face the screen and saw a monster, one with no distinctive features, leading a group of Cogs on an attack at the park.

"The power transfer will have to wait." Tommy said. "Think you're up for one last battle?"

"You know it!" said Zack.

"It's Morphin' Time!"

"Zeo Ranger I-Pink!"

"Zeo Ranger II-Yellow!"

"Zeo Ranger III-Blue!"

"Zeo Ranger IV-Green!"

"Zeo Ranger V-Red!"

The battle was short and bittersweet. Everyone was sad to see their friends, their family, go, but at the same time were incredibly proud and happy for them. Returning to the Power Chamber, the Rangers powered down. Kim and Tommy stood off to the side with Billy, Kat and Alpha while the other three approached their replacements. Having had Zordon tell them that the process would be simple, they assumed that simply transferring the Morphers would work. Knowing Zordon would stop them if they were wrong, they removed their Zeonizers and held them out to Aisha, Rocky and Adam, who took them with a sense of reverence.

"Rocky, you will take over the mantle of Zeo Ranger III-Blue."

"Aisha, you will become Zeo Ranger II-Yellow."

"Adam, the powers of Zeo Ranger IV-Green are now yours."

Once they placed the Zeonizers on their wrists, yellow, blue and green energy ran over them, the power of the Zeo Shards accepting them. When the energy disappeared, the three were left with a feeling of power and strength surging through them.

"Woah!" they said, to which the others smiled, knowing all too well that feeling.

"You get used to it." Trini assured them.

"IT IS DONE." Came Zordon's voice, causing everyone to turn towards him. "AISHA, ROCKY, ADAM, WELCOME TO THE POWER TEAM. I KNOW YOU WILL HANDLE THE POWER WITH INTELLEGENCE AND RESPECT. NOW THAT YOU ARE POWER RANGERS, THERE ARE THREE RULES YOU MUST FOLLOW OR RISK LOSING THE PROTECTION OF THE POWER: FIST, NEVER ESCALATE A BATTLE UNLESS YOUR ENEMIES FORCE YOU, SECOND, NEVER USE THE POWER FOR PERSONAL GAIN, AND THIRD, NEVER REVEAL YOUR IDENTITY AS RANGERS UNLESS ABSOLUTELY NECESSARY." The three of them nodded, taking in what he said with absolute seriousness.

"HOWEVER, CIRCUMSTANCES MAY ALLOW FOR THAT THIRD RULE TO BE BENT SLIGHTLY. THE RANGERS' PARENTS ARE AWARE OF THEIR IDENTITIES. IT WAS REVEALED SOME MONTHS AGO WHEN THEIR PARENTS' LIVES WERE IN IMMEDIATE DANGER. SINCE THEN, THEY HAVE FORMED THEIR OWN SUPPORT GROUP, I AM TOLD, TO HELP EACH OTHER DEAL WITH THE OVERWHELMING FEAR OF THEIR CHILDREN BEING POWER RANGERS. ALTHOUGH REVEALED UNDER EXTENUATING CIRCUMSTANCES, IT IS NOT FAIR THAT YOU ARE THE ONLY ONES WHO MUST GO BEHIND YOUR PARENTS' BACKS. IT IS ALSO POSSIBLE THE OTHER PARENTS WILL INSIST ON TELLING YOURS. AS SUCH, I LEAVE THE DECISION ON WHETHER OR NOT TO TELL THEM UP TO YOU. IF YOU WISH TO, AND IF YOU BELIEVE THAT THEY WILL BE CAPABLE OF KEEPING THIS SECRET, YOU MAY TELL THEM." Rocky, Adam and Aisha shared a look and cringed in unison.

"I think we'll keep it to ourselves for right now." Aisha said. "Get a little more acquainted with all this before we add our parents into the mix." Zordon nodded his acceptance before he turned to face the departing Rangers.

"TRINI, JASON, ZACK, YOU HAVE SERVED EARTH ADMIRABLY AND IT IS DO TO YOUR EFFORTS THAT WE HAVE MADE IT THIS FAR. YOUR CHOICE TO LEAVE TO PURSUE OTHER OPPORTUNITIES IS ONE I AM CERTAIN WE ALL AGREE ON, AND I WISH YOU ALL THE BEST. THOUGH YOUR TIME AS ACTIVE RANGERS HAS COME TO AN END, ALWAYS REMEMBER THAT THE POWER WILL ALWAYS BE WITH YOU; ONCE A RANGER, ALWAYS A RANGER. AND SHOULD YOU EVER DECIDE TO RETURN, YOU SHALL ALWAYS BE WELCOME HERE; THIS IS YOUR HOME."

"Please, keep your communicators." Alpha spoke up, coming to stand beside them. "Use them should you ever be in need. And don't forget to check in every once in awhile." Emotion laced Alpha's voice box and the Rangers got the impression that he'd be crying if he could.

"Oh, Alpha!" Trini cried, reaching over and pulling the robot into a hug, Jason and Zack joining in. "Of course we will! You and Zordon are family!"

"We told you once, we'll tell you again: you can't get rid of us!" said Zack.

"Besides, even though we gave up our powers today, doesn't mean this is goodbye just yet. We've still gotta finish the school year and then it's two months until we actually leave." Jason added.

"It's not goodbye ever Rex." Kim scolded. "It's 'see you soon', or some such thing."

"Too right she is." Tommy chimed in.

"You'd say that no matter what she said." Jason teased.

"Damn straight!" Tommy quickly agreed. "Agreeing with everything she says has saved me an ass kicking more than once. OW!" he grabbed the back of his head in mock hurt from where Kim had just slapped him.

"You gonna be ok with those two on your own?" Kim asked Trini, a smile playing on her lips.

"Oh I can handle these two." Trini assured her. "You've got your own hands full with Tommy. It's a full time job."

"That it is. I'm just thankful he's the only one. Aisha has Rocky and Adam, and Billy's too mature to sink to their level."

"Not to mention he has Kat now, should that ever change." Zack said with a wink. Kat blushed and Billy looked away, though not before he shot a glare at Zack, causing laughter to erupt all around.

"Well…once more for old times sake?" Jason asked putting his hand out in front of him once things had quieted down. The five other Original Rangers were quick to clasp their hands on top of his, before they turned to the others.

"Get in here!" Jason called. Unsure what exactly was going on, Aisha, Rocky and Adam followed their predecessors' lead, and finally Billy pulled Kat in as well; Ranger or not, she was as much a part of this team as anyone else. With big smiles, the six Originals led the newbies in their favourite cheer.

"GO GO POWER RANGERS!"


A/N - Told ya they'd become Rangers eventually! I had originally planned to have Jason, Zack and Trini give up the Zeo powers from the very beginning and never be the Zeo Rangers at all, but with the Command Centre exploding and the immediate need for the Zeo Rangers it didn't work out that way. There's one more chapter with the three before they head off for the Peace Conference, but it is by no means that last time we'll see them. They're too integrated into the story and I love them too much, to have them disappear completely.

Review please!