Disclaimer: I don't own the Power Rangers. So don't try to buy them from me. Please don't get all offended because I mocked your favorite Ranger. I try to mock them all. Besides, it's just for fun. I really do enjoy the show :). 'Hi" to all from AFPR…especially my fellow Psychos. Please let me know if I make any errors. I have no difficulty with receiving constructive criticism. Thanks to Joe Rovang and SirStack for their Writer's Guide to the Power Rangers Universe, which I rely on a lot. Also thanks to the makers of the Power Rangers Central Database.
If you haven't done so, please read the first hundred stories in "When Rangers Meet" and "More of When Rangers Meet."
This is story number twenty-nine. It was requested by Psych3.
To be honest, I think this one may make the least sense of all my stories so far. Not that any of them made any sense to begin with.
Merrick and Karone
By
Eileen (Psycho Tangerine)
Merrick sighed. Once again he was hanging out at Willie's poolroom. It wasn't that he didn't like being at the Animarium. He just didn't feel it was the best atmosphere for a good guy turned bad then turned good again if he wanted to keep up a gloomy loner appearance. He reached into his pocket and fingered the message that Tommy guy had passed to him through Cole. Tommy had advised him to keep up the loner bit as much as possible as it had netted him Kim, then Kat, then Trini, then Zack, then Cassie, then Dimitria, then Archerina… If he were lucky, he too would soon have a harem of women trying to cheer him up rather than just an airhead of a Princess who kept trying to pet him and tie ribbons in his beard.
Unbeknownst to Merrick, there was one problem with his demeanor. It scared off the other patrons, particularly when he howled and growled at them. Even Willie was becoming less amicable towards the young man as evidenced by all of Merrick's favorite pool cues getting mysteriously covered in glue and glass shards. Merrick snarled at the few remaining patrons as he sipped the beer in his bandaged hands.
The door burst open. "You!" cried the blonde woman as she stomped in. "You're the one!"
Merrick stared forlornly at her but was grinning inside. Finally, his harem was beginning to form. "Yes," he sighed. "I am the one. I am the one not worthy of living with other humans. I am the one who must forever make up for my misdeeds as an evil wolf demon. I am…"
"The one who won't keep his big mouth shut in the middle of a bar." Karone reached over and smacked him upside the head. "Don't you know that people everywhere are talking about the crazed idiot who thinks he's part wolf and part Ranger? They're laughing at us everywhere, even on KO35. Cassie even showed me a skit done on Saturday Night Live last week that made us Rangers look like idiots."
Merrick sighed dramatically. "Look at all the trouble my being the evil Zen Aku has caused the world. I do not belong among you. I must roam the world on my own." He then winked at Karone.
Karone smacked him upside the head again…this time with a barstool. "Will you knock that off? Who gave you permission to blab your identity around anyway?"
Merrick blinked at her as he rubbed the growing knot on his head. "Why do I need permission? Did the Space Rangers need permission? No. Did the Lightspeed Rangers need permission? No. I don't need no stinking permission. I am the lone wolf." He took another sip of his root beer. "Besides, it's not like I'm hurting anyone."
Karone snorted. "Oh really? Well I heard that the original Blue Ranger had to be locked away in one of Aquitar's mental institutions because he went completely insane and tried to make out with all the fish there. It seems that a certain good wolf spirit had gotten so insulted by all the stuff you've been saying that he told the poor guy he now hated him and wouldn't speak to him ever again."
Merrick stared at Karone, then laughed. "A good wolf spirit? Yeah, right. Now tell me about the good wolf in Little Red Riding Hood. Or the good wolf in the Three Little Pigs. Or the…" he paused as finally noticed the young woman seething between her teeth. "Wait a minute. Who are you? What does this have to do with you?"
"Who am I? Who am I?" Karone said in a low angry voice. "Everyone once knew me as the most feared of the ex-evil Rangers. They remembered how, as Astronema, I once almost took over the Universe."
Merrick snorted. "Now I remember you, and I don't consider taking over one third-rate city in California as taking over the Universe."
Karone shrugged. "Well, you gotta start somewhere. Now will you stop interrupting me? And no one, absolutely no one could outdo me, not even that Ryan guy. I mean, the poor sap spent his childhood underground with gophers while I spent mine as princess of the Universe." Karone sighed at this. For some reason, being Zhane's personal princess just didn't have the same flair. Especially since his foot rubs were nowhere near as good as Ecliptor's had been.
"Well I still don't see why this whole thing bothers you so mu…wait just a damned minute. You were doing the same thing weren't you? You were getting sympathy from others because of what happened to you. And I just went and did it better so that no one pays attention to you anymore."
Karone growled as she whipped out her old wrath staff. "Your stupid act has ruined my stupid…errr…my brilliant plan to forever have the sympathies of those on KO35, Earth, and Mirinoi! Now all I ever hear is 'Asteroid, who?'" She aimed with her wrath staff and…nothing happened. "What?" She opened a small panel at the top. "Damn! I should've known the batteries would die after not using this for so long."
Merrick waved dismissively at her. "Cute toy. Now, if you don't want to join my harem, get out of the way for the those who do."
Karone looked around questioningly at the two old drunks sitting in one corner and the dog that had wandered in and was now piddling into the spittoon. "Well, I can't say much for your taste, but if that is what you prefer…."
Merrick glared up at her. "Do you mind? You're cramping my style."
"What style?" Karone shot back. "All I see is some bum with a stupid goatee, gray hiking clothes, and two shadows." She jumped back. "TWO SHADOWS?!"
"Huh? Oh that's just Zen Aku. Hey, Zen! Stay in there, you hear? You're cramping my style, too." He then began stomping around on the shadow and beating at himself with a pool cue. "Damn! He's winning! He's winning!" The odd 'fight' continued for three minutes. Suddenly, Merrick began grabbing bottles of whiskey and pouring them on the extra shadow.
Karone gaped in disbelief as one of the shadows drunkenly slid back into Merrick, hiccoughing and singing Broadway show tunes as it did. Then she smiled. "You know, you are kind of cute."
"Well thank you, glad you could finally admit it," began Merrick.
"Not you, Goat-boy, him." With that, she reached over and pulled Zen Aku out of Merrick. "Come on, Cutie," she told the inebriated wolf-demon. "Let's go for a nice long walk." With that, they both left, Merrick being the one to gape after them.
"Fine! Be that way! Don't come running back to me when she dumps you for something else! I'll be…. wait, what are you doing?" he cried as two burly guys rushed into the building, quickly grabbed him and wrapped him up in a straightjacket. "Hey! Stop! I'm not crazy! Willie stop pointing at me like that!" He listened to something they were saying. "No! I'm not insane! I just had to beat up the demon in me and then I had to get it drunk! There was a wolf-demon in me, honest! Or there was at least until he left with that…that…" The rest of what Merrick had to say faded as he was dragged out of the bar.
AN: Okay, here is an update on which pairings I am doing and who requested them. Please don't read below if you don't want to know.
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Dustin/Kai
Jason/Eric SilverRider
Lucas/Dana
Jason/Rocky Bored-Girl-84
Trent/Justin
Vida/Carlos Psycho Tangerine (Hey, I get to put in requests also J)
Cassie/Xander
Katie/Cole- Joan
Maya/Cam
Blake/Trini-Here's a Challenge ()
Cassie/Ethan
If you made a request and it is missing please let me know.
